Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

WARNING: contains depictions of child abuse--although it squicks me to write it in too much detail--language, and features misunderstood, redeemed Draco. If you don't like this idea and can only see Draco purely as the evil Slytherin from canon, this story probably won't be for you.

With that said, I hope you enjoy, and please let me know by sending a review along!

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PROLOGUE

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He lay on the grass, barely aware of the blades tickling his face or the breeze that tugged gently on his hair. The truth was he didn't even know if he could stand up, and wasn't at all sure he wanted to. He wondered what would happen to him if he remained sprawled on the grass forever. Unless someone cared enough to come look for him--highly doubtful, considering what had put him out here in the first place--he would probably die. That thought should've frightened him, but instead he felt an odd sense of peace wash over him. As his eyes drifted shut, he didn't bother to stop them, although his natural self-preservation instinct was screaming at him not to give in, to get up for Merlin's sake. But he ignored it.

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The next time he opened his eyes, a cloudy cloak of night had descended. For a moment he panicked, wondering frantically if he had gone blind since there were no moon and stars to dot the sky. As he calmed down, he discovered he could identify faint outlines of his surroundings, and realized that the sun must have disappeared hours ago. Well, he was right. No one had come to look for him. His heart clenched painfully at the hurt this thought caused, but he viciously ignored it. Instead, he focused on his body, trying to detach himself from the emotion. Everything felt numb, and for a moment he questioned whether or not the rest of him was there. Biting his lip, he tested one of his legs experimentally. Nope, still there, he gasped inwardly as a burning fire immediately pulsed through it, making his whole body spasm in pain. The fire now consumed him completely, and he gasped and wheezed out ragged moans as acute torment replaced the dulling numbness.

Tears prickled his vision, and the view became watery and blurry. Through the pain induced haze that had settled upon him, he tried to remember how he had come to be in this bloody mess. Then he asked himself why he ever wanted to remember, except that he knew it was something important. Struggling to focus beyond the blanket of pain that had enveloped his senses, he found himself trembling as the horrid memories began to wash over him, bathing him in a new kind of terror...

"Maybe I don't want to go to Durmstrang! Maybe I don't even want to be a Death Eater!" He didn't even know where that had come from. The argument had started over something petty, and then his tongue had decided to have a mind of its own.

"What did you say?" The hiss usually stopped him in his tracks, a sign that punishment was forthcoming if he didn't obey. He knew he could just apologize before he was in too deep, but he felt compelled to plunge forward, overtaken with a potentially perilous feeling of recklessness.

"I said I don't want to go to Durmstrang," he shouted, omitting the 'maybe' and now committing himself entirely, "I want to go back to Hogwarts, and I don't want to be a Death Eater--you can't control me forever, I don't need to listen..."

"CRUCIO!"

Unable to go any further, the Unforgiveable had him down on the floor writhing with unbearable pain. Sure, his father had hexed him before as punishment, even used Unforgiveables, although he didn't go to such extremes often. Draco should've been used to it, but it took him by surprise every time. He couldn't stop the first pitiful scream, but then he forced himself to bite his lip, refusing to give his father that extra satisfaction.

Releasing the curse, his father looked crazed with his long, blond hair flying wildly about his face. Looking with disgust at his son lying in a crumpled heap on the floor who was now gasping for breath, he sneered, "Get up, you worthless disgrace to this family."

"But father, I..."

"GET UP!"

Panting raggedly, he forced his shaking legs up to hold his weight, and mustering his lingering courage, met his father's fierce expression with a defiant gaze of his own. His knees were trembling from the exertion, but he forced that weakness out of his consciousness and threw all his strength into keeping eye contact with his father.

Without warning, his father grabbed him brutally by the arms. "We are going outside. I do not want your filthy blood ruining my house." His father could have cleared away the residue with magic, but it was clear he thought his son wasn't even worth that effort. Which meant The Punishment was going to be far, far worse than usual.

Fear seized his chest up, and he struggled against the power of his father with the little strength he had. But the man was holding him in a death grip, and every minute of futile struggling made him a little weaker. He was forced out of the house and thrown upon the grass, and after his father put a cautionary silencing charm around the area to make sure they wouldn't be heard--although there wasn't much point since their property was massive-- he was faced with the worst beating of his life...

"No...stop..." the words left his lips in a pitiful shadow of a whisper, but all he knew was that he wanted the memories out... he didn't want to recall anymore, especially not what had come next. He didn't care if they were important, he didn't want them in his head. Maybe then he could forget that the whole thing had even happened, and don the mask he was forced to wear at Hogwarts. The terrible shape his body was in was enough of a reminder. He couldn't help but wonder why his father had even bothered to spare his life, since he had just renounced everything that his father had been preparing him for. His body trembled with anxiety as he wondered if his father would come back and finish what he started.

No one defied Lucius Malfoy openly like that and lived.

Not even his son.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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I know there are many varying opinions on Lucius Malfoy's relationship with Draco, and mine is slightly complex. I won't explain it all here as it will be revealed gradually in later chapters, but I do believe that Lucius abuses his son in some form or another, and that there is much more to Draco than the mean-spirited, spoiled brat that J.K.R. shows us in canon. All we really know of Draco is what Harry observes--he could very well be exaggerating everything about his home life to make it seem as though he has something to flaunt in front of Harry's fame.

Like it? Hate it? Please let me know in a review!