A Boy Named Draco - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
A few weeks before Draco turned one, Lucius Malfoy was arrested by the Ministry under suspicion of aiding and abetting the Dark Lord. He pleaded innocent under the Imperius curse but it took weeks before his highly paid attorney was able to get him off.
Narcissa had not been charged with anything but suspicions regarding her were overwhelming. Her sister and cousin had already been sentenced to Azkaban and almost everyone believed that she would follow suit. However, she remained free through the Ministry inquiries.
Dobby had hidden Draco well. The infant had not left the confines of the elf’s room during the weeks when Death Eaters took to apparating to the mansion on a regular basis. When the aurors came to collect evidence he used a bit of ancient elf magic to protect the child further.
As the investigations into Lucius culpability were carried out, the elf expected Narcissa to show some interest in her son. The child had grown rapidly and it was all Dobby could do to keep him in knitted jumpers and footed onesies. His needs were remarkably modest. Draco was happy playing with a box, but it hurt the elf to see his beloved charge surviving on the bare minimum while his progenitors had so much. So one day he armed himself with courage and knocked on Narcissa Malfoy’s sitting room.
“Mistress, Dobby needs a moment of your time” he said timidly.
The only answer was the opening of the door before him. The elf made his way into the room with his head lowered as was appropriate for a servant.
“What is it?” Narcissa’s tone was cool and clipped.
“It’s the child mistress. He seems to be growing so big that Dobby thinks it will be best if you…”
He was not allowed to continue as the woman rose to her feet and slapped the elf hard in the face.
“Don’t you dare say anything about that…that thing down there. He is no concern of mine and should consider himself lucky that we allow him to stay in this house. There will be no more mentions of him ever again. Do you understand you impudent elf?”
“Yes Mistress, Dobby is sorry. Dobby deserves to throw himself into the thorny bush. Dobby will go do that now”. The elf rapidly trotted out of the room in search of the appropriate bush.
Moments later a chastised and appropriately bleeding Dobby hobbled to his room. Draco greeted him with a gummy smile and elf-made sock puppet in hand.
“Dobby is sorry young master Draco. Your mum did not even want to hear about you. Dobby does not understand… you are special even if you can’t do any magic”
The child tottered over to the elf. Draco was still learning the art of walking and it would be weeks before he was steady on his feet. The elf looked at him sadly. “Dobby wonders what is going to happen to you when you get older. They don’t take squibs in Hogwarts. They don’t take squibs anywhere in wizarding England. You could go with the muggles but Dobby won’t be able to go with you. The muggles have this thing called an orphanage where little boys like you with no parents go. You could be a muggle but Dobby doesn’t think that is good thing for you to be. Muggles don’t understand magic and you are a part of magic even if you don’t know how to make it work.”
The little boy used his splayed hands to pat the melancholic elf in the face. It helped ease the sting of his mother’s slap. “You are such a good boy Draco. Dobby loves you”
Draco clapped his hands and settled on the elf’s knee for the customary story. The elf sighed loudly and set about to indulge his charge.
“Well master Draco. Let me tell you about another special little boy like you. His name is Harry Potter…"
Chapter 3