[harry potter] before the fall
Title: Before the Fall
Author: aaronlisa
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing/Characters: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and company.
Prompts: fivebyfiction - pride
Notes: Set during Deathly Hallows.
Summary: Pride has not served Draco or his family well.
Word Count: 460
It might be an old muggle saying that pride goeth before the fall, but it has its place in the Wizarding World just as much as it does in the muggle world. Of course, in the Wizarding World, the religious context is removed but it is something that Draco Malfoy has heard all of his life. When he was younger, he had always viewed it as something that the weak, jealous and foolish said. His father had always told him that there was nothing wrong with pride and that he should be proud in the great Malfoy name and their status in the Wizarding World.
But now as he watches as the once great and powerful Lucius Malfoy cowers and grovels at the feet of an insane and half-blooded wizard, Draco finally understand that the ancient saying about the dangers of pride had not fallen from the lips of the weak or the jealous or even the foolish. As he feels his mother’s tremors of fears as the great Dark Lord calls upon his father, Draco sees exactly where pride has gotten the Malfoy family and their pure blood. His father writhes in agony from the Crucio curse on the priceless Persian rug on the library floor as the Dark Lord smirks in delight and Draco understand that pride is not a virtue despite a lifetime hearing otherwise.
When Hermione Granger is dragged in front of them and Draco is given the chance to betray her, he sees another life flash before his eyes. A life where he had rejected the curse of the Malfoy pride much earlier, before it had been too late to do so. He sees Harry Potter’s best friend as his own friend instead of an enemy. He sees her for what and she is, instead of an inferior creature before him, he sees the brightest witch of his age. SO as he locks his eyes with her, he finds the courage to lie.
And for one brief moment, he sees something in her brown eyes that makes him feel something other than the terror, anger and numbness that he’s felt since he’s received the Dark Mark. It is unlikely that the Malfoy family will survive once the war is over, but Draco has done the right thing for once. And as he is forced to watch his aunt torture Hermione, Draco realizes that he does not want his family to rise above the ashes as the forever proud, haughty and superior family that it has always been. Pride has not served them well at all, and he finally realizes. And in that moment, he vows that he will do everything that he can to save Hermione and to help her friends defeat the Dark Lord.
((END))
Author: aaronlisa
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing/Characters: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and company.
Prompts: fivebyfiction - pride
Notes: Set during Deathly Hallows.
Summary: Pride has not served Draco or his family well.
Word Count: 460
It might be an old muggle saying that pride goeth before the fall, but it has its place in the Wizarding World just as much as it does in the muggle world. Of course, in the Wizarding World, the religious context is removed but it is something that Draco Malfoy has heard all of his life. When he was younger, he had always viewed it as something that the weak, jealous and foolish said. His father had always told him that there was nothing wrong with pride and that he should be proud in the great Malfoy name and their status in the Wizarding World.
But now as he watches as the once great and powerful Lucius Malfoy cowers and grovels at the feet of an insane and half-blooded wizard, Draco finally understand that the ancient saying about the dangers of pride had not fallen from the lips of the weak or the jealous or even the foolish. As he feels his mother’s tremors of fears as the great Dark Lord calls upon his father, Draco sees exactly where pride has gotten the Malfoy family and their pure blood. His father writhes in agony from the Crucio curse on the priceless Persian rug on the library floor as the Dark Lord smirks in delight and Draco understand that pride is not a virtue despite a lifetime hearing otherwise.
When Hermione Granger is dragged in front of them and Draco is given the chance to betray her, he sees another life flash before his eyes. A life where he had rejected the curse of the Malfoy pride much earlier, before it had been too late to do so. He sees Harry Potter’s best friend as his own friend instead of an enemy. He sees her for what and she is, instead of an inferior creature before him, he sees the brightest witch of his age. SO as he locks his eyes with her, he finds the courage to lie.
And for one brief moment, he sees something in her brown eyes that makes him feel something other than the terror, anger and numbness that he’s felt since he’s received the Dark Mark. It is unlikely that the Malfoy family will survive once the war is over, but Draco has done the right thing for once. And as he is forced to watch his aunt torture Hermione, Draco realizes that he does not want his family to rise above the ashes as the forever proud, haughty and superior family that it has always been. Pride has not served them well at all, and he finally realizes. And in that moment, he vows that he will do everything that he can to save Hermione and to help her friends defeat the Dark Lord.
((END))