Draco Malfoy had felt the need to leave the crowd, for a bit. He was sitting in the unicorn garden. Alone. The Niece had given him a shot a felix felicis. He had taken it too. He did need it. He was inauguring Castle Regulus. All of the important people were gathered in the great hall. Everything had to be perfect : since the end of the war, the Malfoys hadn t appeared in public before this.
Mister Snape had made the right choice, in the end. He had prepared for the downfall of the dark Lord. Their downfall. He had measured his options. Asked for protection to Albus Dumbledore. Then, when he had met the dark Lord’s grand niece, the new heir of Slytherin, he had kept her to himself. He had chosen his own side. He had died with a clean name, at least. Gained a proper reputation as Dumbledore s spy. Yes, he had betrayed them. But the dark Lord hadn t been a trustworthy man.
Luyckily enough, Draco had been presented to the Niece, whose reputation was growing strong. And so, Draco had been given the opportunity to invest in this castle. He would sell her potions, and welcome the richest wizards and witches. It would become a very respectable place. A restful place. Hopefully. But then, for that to happen, he had to charm every one, to clear his reputation. His name. God, he was nervous.
They said she had brewed this felix felicis herself. It was supposed to be strong. But it wasn t working. At all. Actually, Draco Malfoy did not feel confident. He felt utterly miserable.
Oh, the evening had started just fine. All the little details were perfectly in place. Father kept dicreet, and mother tended to the guests. Professor Slughorn and his most important friends had come, to see the Niece and himself. It had all gone just fine, until he had spotted Pansy. They said she was competing against Granger for a place in the department of magical law enforcement. He hadn t had any news from her since the battle of Hogwarts. Nor of Gregory. Vincent s death had probably had something to do with this, but Draco had just found out another reason why : apparently, they were together. This was humiliating, and Draco felt stupid, and alone. Not that he had ever been that much in love with Pansy, but to leave him for Gregory!… Of course, this disagreeable feeling wasn t the worst. The worst was the memory.
The most terrible thing was the smell. It was as if it were still there, hanging, following him around like an olfactive curse. The smell, he would never forget it. The way the flames had climbed, so fast and terrible. The way they had had to run, then fly for their lives. The scream. The way Vincent had been turned to ash. To smithereens. As if he had been nothing. The feeling was back again. The feeling!… Like the cold shiver of a petrificus spell. Trapped in the memory, with the guts boiling, the difficulty to breathe, the dizziness… Why was the memory coming back now? Why was this potion not working?
« Oh god, are you alright? »
How was that lucky? Astoria Greengrass had just seen him in this… state. Now the evening was becoming perfect. She was working for Granger s campain. A pure blood, but a muggle lover. She looked pretty enough. Brown hair, eyes. Nice, simple dress. Tasteful, at least. A little skinny. He didn t know why he was even noticing.
« I am. I just needed some air. »
-Well… me too. Do you mind if I sit here? »
-Not at all. » he sighed. though he did. He didn t like to be seen like this.
-As you might know, my uncle Colibrinus is dead. »
-I ve heard. Truly sorry for your loss. »
-He d been trying to escape, and… »
She had seen the dark Lord launch his pet on her uncle. Draco hadn t seen this himself, but he had witnessed Naginis dinners countless times. He knew what she didn t say. In his dreams, he was seing these too.
« Well… Truly sorry, as I said. »
She was quiet for a while. Then, she blurted out :
« Thank you. »
-What for? »
-For not telling he was a coward. »
-Oh, any sensible death eater felt like running away, in the end, I guess. It s just… The mark made it impossible. »
He couldn t believe he had just said that! To a Greengrass! Father would have killed him, if he d heard!
« My congratulations to your uncle Gareth for his promotion as head of the department of mysteries. » he said quickly to change subjects.
-Oh, yes. He s working very hard. Very happy. » she said absent mindedly. And stared.
That was awkward. Astoria Greengrass. The sister of Daphne Greengrass. The best friend of Pansy bloody Parkingson, who was working for Hermione bloody Granger!… Merlin s beard! Could it become any worse? He couldn t believe he was alone with her. Was this really happening?
« Do you… Sometimes see Him him… In your dreams? During the day, too? Like he was there, with you? »
The dark Lord? Of course, he did. You just didn t talk about these things. He wanted to say that they should have won the war, that they deserved the greatness that had been promised, that… but he just sighed and shook his shoulders.
« You do, don t you? Why did you join him, anyway? »
-I m a Malfoy. »
-God, it s a name, not a curse! »
-Father had disappointed him, and mother had this blood traitor for a sister. Someone had to make up for these. »
-For getting caught while following one of his own stupid orders? And for personal choices other people had made? This is ridiculous! »
-You can t understand, I suppose. » Draco said coldly.
-My parents were in danger. If you had any decent values left, you would know family is everything. »
-But family should never be a curse! A name should never be carried as a weight, as a burden! They sould never had made you do this. » she looked at his arm.
-It was my choice. My honour. »
-Life is too short for honour! »
She coughed, and coughed. She seemed to have trouble catching her breath. She was so frail. He had forgotten she had a fragile health because of a blood curse. Life would be short. For her. He snapped his fingers, asking for hot mulled wine. It was good to have house elves again. He watched in silence as she drank to recover. Her features were elegant. She was agreeable to watch.
And then… It hit him. He had tried. He had fought for his blood, his honour, his name. He had faced terrible things. And the dark Lord was dead. They had lost the war. Somehow, he was all the freer for this. And, as Vincent s death came back to his exhausted mind yet again, he realized life was short. And he was tired of this dream of a perfect pure world. Tired of the whole stance, the whole thing. Tired of having to live up to his blood. The war was lost. He had given it his all. He was carrying its scars on his body and his mind. The hell with it. He was proud to be a pure blood, of course, but he didn t have to fight for it, anymore. He would leave the fight to others. The Niece wanted riches and respectability. So did he. His family was safe. The worst was behind him. He was starting a business, he was young, pure, rich, and single. And he happened to be in a garden with a young lady. Who was beautiful. And young. And single. And pure. His luck wasn t too bad, then. The hell with politics.
« Hermione Granger will win this campain, you know. Parkingson is too stupid. » she said.
He kept quiet. Listened.
« I mean… She did choose Gregory Goyle over you. That s how stupid she is. »
He had to smile. Even more so when he saw her blush.
« Then, since life is so short, i believe we should get down there and dance. » he said getting up.
As she just stared at him with her mouth open, he had to insist :
« We won t be moping in this garden all night, will we? Life can t be too short for dancing. »
This night was going to be glorious. Oh, there was Pansy s face, as he casually entered the room with Astoria holding his arm. And the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves. And the wine was good. And the hall was beautiful. Astoria was crimson red, with a lovely, wide smile, quietly making fun of him :
« Oh, how very gentleman like, mister Malfoy… That was quite polite. How very thoughtful of you… Do you have to be this perfect, mister Malfoy… »
-I m afraid I do. » he replied.
-Us Malfoys are naturally perfect. We can t help it. It s a family trait. »
And she laughed as they danced.
On the other side of the room, the niece was talking vividly. She had a doll face and very energetic manners, direct, intense eyes, and he messiest hair he d ever seen. Worn out clothes, now, in this elegant assembly. And she didn t even seem to notice! Appearances did count when ou meant to gain respectability. Draco had no clue how he would tell her this.
Astoria decided to join her friends for a moment. Draco was having a round of the great hall to see how his guests were faring, when he spotted Andromeda Tonks. She was sipping gigglewater in a corner. She looked like aunt Bella. He had never talked to that woman. He suddenly felt the urge to do it now. Only, he knew he would rather his curiosity were not spotted by the crowd. Thankfully, she seemed to feel like being alone. She was leaving the room. He only had to follow her discreetly. That s what he did. At some point, she was alone in a corridor.
« Andromeda Tonks, » he said a little more harshly than he would.
She startled, then looked at him up and down :
-You must be the son, aren t you? »
-Himself. » He straightened up.
-You look like your father. »
-Thank you. »
-That s no compliment. Your father is a cunt. »
Draco was stricken with shock
-How dare you speak about my father this way, when you put our whole family in danger! »
-Pledging your lives to Voldemort put the family in danger too. It was war. Danger was unavoidable. And your dark lord never seemed to care even about the losses of his own. »
She had dared telling his name. Unbelievable. Draco was aching to stricke that traitor with a dark spell.
-YOU caused our disgrace when you chose to marry a m… »
-A man who loved me. And not a vain fool as cold as a fish. Well, sue me. »
Draco was trembling with rage. He was going to kill her. He realized he didn t want to carry on with this conversation. There was a high risk for murder.
-How s the pup? » he said between his teeth.
It was supposed to be a slur.
-Lycantropy is only caught through the bite of a werewolf. Haven t you read your defense against the dark arts books? He s a perfectly ordinary half blood little boy. He s fine, by the way. His name s Teddy. »
-Goodness. And what age is he supposed to be? »
-Seven. »
Without knowing why, Draco felt a little relieved. But if felt so awkward. He didn t know what to say from here.
-I heard his parents died. »
-They did. » Her voice was broken.
Draco thought about his own losses. It was still overwhelming.
-I m sorry. » he just heard himself mutter.
-I heard your aunt Bellatrix is dead too. I wasn t quite sorry to hear this as she was threatening to kill us, but somehow i still cried too. She had been my sister. »
-War, and all. » Draco could just manage with a schrug.
-I hope your mother s well. »
She blurted out as she darted off through the corridors.
What the hell had just happened?
As he was walking to get back to the great hall, he was blocked by a couple of people struggling.
« Get out of here, you filthy little cockroach! »
It wouldn t do to let his employees start a scandal. As tedious as it might be, Draco had to intervene :
-Thank you. That will be all. »
He put a hand on Rita Skeeter s shoulder, and apparated. They were in one of the free bedrooms. at least, here, their conversation would be private.
« Miss Skeeter. You must have lost your invitation. »
It was a polite way to tell her she hadn t been invited.
-Fine room. » She said as she took a seat on the oaken desk near the bed.
-Thank you. I tended to the decoration of the rooms myself. » he sat down opposite her.
Obviously, the journalist s quick quotes quill was soon on the ready. Gosh. An improvised interview was just what he needed. Wasn t this damed felix felicis going to be effective?… He wanted to thow her out. Badly. But he had just opened this castle, and he realized now was probably not the time to be agressive with a member of the press. It made sense that she wanted to be part of the event. In fact, he was going to have to deal with her quite often, if this place was going to be as respectable as he wished. She looked quite worn out. It hadn t been easy to come in, had it? He snapped his fingers, and ordered tea and sandwiches.
« You re the owner of this place? » she asked with a satisfied expression.
-Miss Barebones and myself invested in castle Regulus, yes. »
-She s terribly powerful, they say. »
-Powerful, quite. But terrible, not really. »
-Your family has known… Worse, I believe? »
He sighed. And blushed. of course, she was going to talk about this.
-Your father was quite close to You-Know-Who, I recall? »
-He had joined during the first war. Had been promised greatness. But you know how it ended. »
-Your father spent time in Azkhaban. »
-He did. »
Memories came rushing back. The feeling. Tears. He hadn t been shedding one drop since the end of the war, and they had to come now. Great. Perfect timing. He had to calm down. There was a heavy silence.
-So… How was life with You-Know-Who? » she sounded both embarassed, and fascinated.
-Wonderful. » he spat.
-If you enjoy seing a snake monster eat people, dark spells all over the place, your life at stake every day. »
Draco had been bragging about his dangerous acquaintances when he was a boy, played tough to get people impressed. But then, he had had to actually meet Greyback, and the Farrows, and the dark Lord, all of them. And he had just wished his family were safe.
-The best part was the death of my best friend. » he said, breaking again.
-Anyway. » he added wiping his tears and swallowing his pain.
-The dark lord is dead. »
-You saw your best friend die? »
-Vincent Crabbe, yes. Father was friends with his father and Gregory Goyle s. We were close. See, I m an only child, so. We were practically brothers, I suppose. »
There was a blank. And then, he saw her repress a smile.
-Gregory Goyle. I heard he was with… »
-Pansy Parkingson. My ex girlfriend. »
-For how long? »
-Maybe years. I just saw them tonight. I can t know, exactly. »
-Oh, my… » she beamed.
-You must be devastated. »
That was her kind of story. The poor, broken heart of Draco Malfoy sounded more easy to sell than some gruesome tales about the war. Draco hoped she would take it on, and forget to mention father s past as a death eater. So, he indulged the journalist.
-I ve been a little overwhelmed, as you noticed. »
-Because you re still single, I believe? »
-I ve only been with Pansy. »
-Your first love? »
-Exactly. »
Truth be told, miss Skeeter wasn t hard to please.
Back in the hall, Draco had to handle another tricky situation. A drunken niece was talking about muggle rooms to a thrilled Arthur Weasley. Draco had to rush in the conversation.
« This muggle room idea is all Draco s, you know? » she said trying to take him by the shoulder.
-He said we couldnt welcome muggle borns here, because they would certainly want to come in with their families, and we didn t have any place fit to welcome muggles. And of course, it s a brilliant idea! »
Draco hadn t meant it like this. This muggle room idea was crazy.
-I would be incapable of putting this in place, though. » he said, quite embarrassed.
-No one knows what a muggle room looks like. Come on! Be sensible! »
-I can help, of course! » exclaimed a very excited Arthur Weasley.
-Oh, I know a few friends who would be very interested in this project too! a whole muggle room! » he exclaimed dreamily.
-Molly! You need to hear this! »
Really?! As Arthur Weasley was rushing towards his wife, Draco turned to Hydra Barebones.
« You do realize we mean to attract the most wealthy families to castle Regulus. The logical thing would be to prioritize, and focus on our pure blooded customers! »
-Remember what we said? We select by money, not blood. »
-But most of our customers will come from pure blood families. Not everyone likes to mingle, you know. Trust me : you don t want to make them feel ill at ease. We ve got to build our reputation. »
-We won t force people to mingle if they don t want to. I trust you to organize the castle to our customer s needs, Draco. perfect party, by the way. Everyone is very happy. I trust you enjoy my potion? » she winked.
Her potion was working for every one but himself, apparently.
-Oh, I ve really got to set a proper spell against intruders. » she mumbled as she darted away.
She had been looking at Alberforth Dumbledore. What was he doing here? he hadn t been invited either. He was talking to a house elf :
« How s the bird? » he kept repeating. He looked quite worried.
-Alright, sir. Flying somewhere. I think it was his first burning today. »
What bird? what burning? What was this?
-He came to her a few days ago, you say? »
-Yes. And we ve no idea how to tend to a phoenix. That s why we need your help. »
A phoenix?
-Anything unusual? Has it got ashes on its feathers? » Alberforth Dumbledore looked worried sick.
-Only in our house, sir. I had warned her against letting it sleep in her closet. Burned her whole wardrobe. Poor miss Barebones ! The bird has burnt all the clothes. She was so upset. She called him a roasted chicken. I think he decided Chicken was his name. »
Chicken the phoenix?
All of a sudden, Draco realized a huge weight had been pushed off his shoulders. So. She was a green phoenix. Things hadn t been that bad. Not that bad at all.
She was brooding in a corner, with a glass of elf made wine. Draco touched her arm, and said simply :
« So, you re a Dumbledore. Oh well, I did read miss Skeeter s book about your famous great grand uncle, but you re your own person. Like me. We re paving our own path, aren t we? A name is not a curse, you know. »
Astoria Greengrass had felt a little ill at the end of the party, yesterday night. She had taken a few days off. Draco had decided to tend to her personally. And she was much better now. So Draco knew they would only have to relax and enjoy. Granger herself had offered her help with the castle. How was that possible? Draco didn t know. This potion must have been strong! Arthur Weasley and a few friends of his had planned to invade the castle for this muggle room project. Draco had given the muggle lovers the western tower. His invaders had one room. No more. The good news was that father and mother would be out shopping for a good while. They would have work to do with miss Barebones. The sun was shinning. Everyone was so helpful. Rita Skeeter s article had been published very early this morning, and owls kept coming at Draco’s bedroom window. Astoria was commenting and laughing as she was helping him tidy up his fan mail. Potter had promised to bring the little Teddy along, some day, to show how he could « kick his arse » at a quidditch game. Except Draco was quite determided to win, this time. It would be a wonderful few days. He felt like the luckiest man in the world. He would never doubt Hydra Barebone s potion skills ever again.
Les pattes de mouche de la puce polichinelle 