Transcendence

29^th July 1997. In the early afternoon.

Draco was stunned silent by his mother's irrefutable answer. He was standing a meter away from what had been his father's working desk. It was currently being utilized by Narcissa however.

"I believe that is all Draco," Narcissa Black-Malfoy spoke icily and dismissed Draco with a small wave of her hand.

The silvery-eyed boy resisted the urge to set fire to the ends of his mother's hair. He gave a brief nod at the witch and turned swiftly on his heel. His already pale face had turned white with suppressed fury. He did his best not to stomp his feet as he headed purposefully toward the library.

The rest of the Manor was shrouded in gloom; storm clouds had gathered earlier in the morning but it had yet to rain. House-elves jumped out of his way quickly. They were more than cowed by Narcissa's leather whip and the threat of flogging. They did not want to be on the receiving end of one of Draco's tantrums.

The young Slytherin closed the library door behind him and leaned heavily against it. His stoic expression crumbled into one of helplessness and he struggled to stop himself from crying. He hated being locked in his house indefinitely; not many people knew that he wasn't really the type of person to stay indoors all day long. So far, only four people knew of his need to go outside occasionally: Dumbledore, Snape, Blaise and Harry. He himself did not know why he had an unholy fear of being cooped up in a room for a long period of time. Although the Manor was big, being imprisoned in the forbidding house for twenty-two days had nonetheless made him edgy. Forbidden to go out even to venture in the maze built at the back of the Manor, the young Slytherin had had to depend on finding things to keep himself occupied before he could fall victim to claustrophobia attacks. Too bad Narcissa thought it was too early for him to acquire his school supplies.

I think I'll go mad if I don't get out and be with people soon... He took a deep breath and renewed the door-sealing wards that Harry, who in turn had been taught by Snape, taught him. Although it wouldn't prevent house-elves from popping into the room, at least no one human could enter and distract him. Draco wished that his lover was available to speak with him even for a minute but Snape was currently drilling the Gryffindor on more information about Potions. For the sake of his lover, Draco did not call out to him for fear that Harry would be, once again, the object of verbal abuse. Snape had been incredibly peevish the past few days and Draco had commented jokingly that the Potions Master was missing a certain werewolf. Harry agreed discreetly that there must have been unresolved tension between the two wizards. What Draco was unaware of was that Snape was incredibly worried about how his Slytherin student was faring in the Manor.

Draco unbuttoned his cufflinks and rolled his sleeves up. He walked over to a mirror beside one of the bookshelves. He stared at himself and was a little surprised at his reflection. He had always been on the lean side but he was positively, sickeningly thin now. Thank Merlin that my dream-self isn't affected or Harry would have been questioning me about the state of my health. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed pensively, pulling a lock of his silvery-blond hair. After a moment of careful examination, he flipped it away in disappointment. His hair lacked the healthy luster that he managed to achieve after spending some time in the air. Maybe he wasn't eating as regularly as he should.

It grew humid as minutes passed and he walked about the library with the front of his shirt exposing his pale chest. It would have been an act of seduction had Harry been present but at that moment, Draco's was only thoughts were about finding a way to release his tension and anger. He took his wand out and fiddled with it as he resumed pacing.

Draco stopped at the center of the room and he focused on a single memory. When he felt he was ready, he uttered the incantation, "Expecto patronum!" Sparks flew from the tip of his wand. He had failed to conjure up a Patronus yet again. Disappointment welled up inside him but he shoved the emotion away and continued to practice.

"Expecto patronum!"

Draco had begun practicing the Patronus Charm after a lengthy discussion with Harry. The Slytherin confided to his lover that he had felt the presence of Dementors about the Manor four times since he had found himself imprisoned in his own home. The first encounter had occurred more than two weeks ago. Oddly enough, their presence coincided with Narcissa's absence. Coincidence? He did not bother wasting his time pondering his observation. The young Slytherin had carefully asked how Harry had managed to conjure up a Patronus and how one achieved the same results. Being occupied was a welcome thing for the silver-eyed Slytherin. He had finished all of his homework days ago; Hermione would have been galled to hear that he actually enjoyed doing schoolwork and that he could be as studious as she could, given the right atmosphere in which to study. After the completion of his homework, Draco found himself at loose-ends. He normally had weekend tutorials with his father (most of which were related to the Dark Arts) but his father was currently too busy fawning over the Dark Lord as he licked his wounds.

He redirected his thoughts and focused on his Patronus Charm. This time, a faint line of silver smoke spilled from the tip of his wand. Slowly, a cute, furry, little white ferret materialized.

"Oh please!" Draco started laughing at the figure. "Don't be insulting!" The young wizard stared as his Patronus made adorable little acrobatic jumps. "As cute as you are, I doubt the shadows would be intimidated by you," he said softly.

"Finite." His ferret Patronus disappeared. It finally began to rain and Draco continued his self-education.

**********

Narcissa waited anxiously for the face in the mirror to appear. A few seconds later, its surface rippled and Lucius's strikingly handsome face materialized.

"Come Narcissa. He's waiting," Lucius spoke before the face vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"Kreacher!" she barked and instantly, the treacherous Black family house-elf turned up. He looked expectantly at Narcissa while muttering half-formed sentences under his breath. The witch considered the pathetic creature for several moments, wondering why she hadn't issued the order to behead the imbecile. Finally she said, "Keep an eye on the young Master. I'm going out for several hours. I'll be back before dinner." She did not wait to hear the creature's reply, but quickly wrapped herself in her light cloak and made sure she had her wand before she went out of the Manor.

She walked for several minutes until she found the boundary where the Anti-Apparating spells were not applied. One moment she was in Wiltshire, the next she smelled the too familiar sea-air that she had grown accustomed to over the last thirteen months. She had apparated on the front steps of the mansion and she paused to study just how similar it was in appearance with the Malfoy Manor.

Someone opened the door. It was Bellatrix and she was dressed from head to toe in blood red. Narcissa unhurriedly walked up the steps before embracing her sister. For some unknown reason, Voldemort had chosen to pardon Bellatrix for causing the destruction of the Prophecy. Bellatrix pulled her into the house and shut the door with a negligent wave of her wand.

"They're in the usual room," Bellatrix said softly as she helped to remove her sister's cloak. Narcissa nodded and several minutes later, she found herself being cross-examined by the Master and her husband. The witch thought hard, trying to see if she could recall anything strange about her son.

"Oh!" she gasped. Lucius and Voldemort had been quietly talking to each other when the soft noise caught their attention. Narcissa paled and feared the worst. A pair of dark ruby eyes stared at her calmly and she averted her gaze. She was trembling and she tried to hide it to no avail. Voldemort saw through it all and she felt the smile on his face. "A few days ago..." she began timidly, "I noticed that Draco was sporting a new bracelet on his upper arm. Our son has always been fond of accessories but this one... I've never seen him without it..."

"Is that so?" Voldemort was immediately interested. Lucius scowled at her.

"I didn't feel anything strange about it," Narcissa answered in a somewhat defensive tone. Silence filled the room. A few minutes later, Voldemort stood up and went over to the bar to pour himself a drink.

He smiled thinly as he turned to face the other two in the room. "The Parkinsons have been successfully initiated, Lucius," Voldemort spoke before sipping his wine. "It would be entirely appropriate if Draco is initiated too." It was more of a command than a suggestion, no matter how mild he had sounded.

"I will see to it, Master," Narcissa responded diffidently.

"Perhaps the Lestranges ought to go back with you," Voldemort said. Narcissa wanted to point out that it would be extremely risky since Dumbledore surely would have ordered people to keep an eye on the Manor but one simply do not talk back to the Dark Lord.

**********

Draco was still practicing when two of his personal house-elves popped into the room. He felt cross at their intrusion but did not snap at them. He brandished his wand menacingly instead.

"What do you want?" he asked the female one, Nira. It was pointless to ask the male one, Let. He was simply too busy slamming his forehead repeatedly on the cold, unforgiving marble floor.

"Master Draco..." The female elf whimpered before breaking out into a helpless wail.

Blessed Rhiannon... What on earth is this about? I hope they are not telling me that the Dementors are present because I already know...

"Bad men, sir... Bad men coming to take young Master away!!!" The male house-elf managed to scream before popping out of sight. Nira nodded and sniffled before doing the same.

Suddenly, Draco felt all emotions drain out of him. He collapsed bonelessly onto a chair. Somehow, he just was not reacting the way he knew he should. He felt numb. A part of him wondered just who the 'bad men' were when Kreacher - Draco felt his lips curl at the sight of the tainted one - appeared with summons from the lady of the Manor. He stared blankly at the empty air before getting to his feet. He approached the mirror once again to check his appearance. He carefully unrolled his sleeves and cast a charm so that they wouldn't look as rumpled as they had several minutes ago.

He slid his wand inside a special pocket along the length of his thigh after he broke the spell that had sealed the library doors. Walking along the corridor stealthily, he masked himself with the normal icy expression that was so typical of the Malfoys. Shadowed forms tried to make themselves invisible but unfortunately for them, Draco was used to keeping his Sight activated. Snape would have been so proud of him were he able to see just how calm the young Slytherin was acting. Draco only hoped that he would be still alive to hear it from Snape. The gloominess of his thoughts must have been strong enough to distract Harry from work because a second later a thought was sent to him.

"Drake? Why are you feeling terrified all of a sudden? The claustrophobia can't be that bad..." Draco could tell that his lover was baffled and worried at the same time.

"I am?" Draco asked in surprise. He really did not know just what he was feeling at the moment. "Anyway, dare I hope that Snape will allow me to borrow you for a little while?"

"He has no choice, Drake. What's bothering you?"

"My house-elves appeared while I was drilling myself in the Patronus Charm. By the way, a bouncing white ferret appeared... Getting back to the subject ...Green-Eyes, the house-elves came by to warn me that 'bad men' are coming to take me away." Draco didn't say more since Harry immediately 'linked' in with him to watch through his eyes. And just in time as Narcissa's study came into view.

**********

The Potions Master tried to occupy himself with reading his godson's half-written essay. It was difficult however as he constantly looked up to check Harry's pallor. The boy suddenly brought his head down to his hands wearily.

"Harry..." Snape abandoned the parchment in favor of an explanation.

"Sev..." Harry's voice stuck in his throat. He finally succeeded after several attempts of clearing his throat but still, he only managed a barely audible whisper. "I think we should find another place where Draco can spend the rest of his summer in relative peace. "

"What in the name of the nine hells happened?"

"It is confirmed now... Narcissa has been in touch with Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort himself." Harry still hadn't raised his eyes. "Drake was summoned by her just now and I saw Bellatrix."

"What was she doing in the Manor?" Snape asked sharply.

"She and her husband came to check Drake. And they extended an offer to join Voldemort's ranks of course. Drake has eighteen hours to decide which side he wants to be on."

"I am sure you would not hold it against him if he were to accept," Snape said quietly and Harry snorted.

"He hasn't a choice, Sev," Harry responded in a tight voice. "Either he accepts the invitation or they'll kill him."

"And does your lover intend to accept the 'invitation'?" Snape asked and finally Harry looked up at him. The emerald eyes were dark, somber and fierce at the same time.

"You know his answer as well as I do."

"Indeed," Snape agreed and went over to Phineas who had been watching the two attentively.

**********

Draco locked himself in the library again after the meeting with his mother, aunt and uncle. He slumped back against the wall and slowly slid down. Laying aside his pride, he cried brokenly. He just wanted to feel clean, and if crying could give him the ablution he needed, all the better. Draco wasn't familiar with the spell his aunt Bellatrix had woven about him. It was funny; they hadn't been able to detect anything strange about the bracelet on his arm. They naturally noticed that it was magically made but could not tell that it held many other magical properties. Harry's gift had absorbed the majority of the effects of Bellatrix's spell but enough were left to make him feel open and vulnerable.

Should I be thankful that they didn't simply put me under the Imperius Curse?

Crying did help to ease his tension and despair. Soon enough, his mind was active and he stood up. He slowly lifted his wand from its hiding place. If it had been a dagger, Draco would have been sharpening it at this point. What he did do was give his wand a couple of waves and blast several unused glasses. The loud rolls of thunder drowned out the mini-explosions echoing throughout inside the library. It was a great relief when Harry informed him that he, Sev and Dumbledore were making plans to 'abduct' him.

I don't care what they do... Just as long as I'll be free of this maddening... family... Draco had regained most of his calm by now. He continued blasting apart menial objects in the library. He kept repeating to himself that he was a Slytherin and Salazar Slytherin hadn't been anything like Voldemort. I'll be damned if I am going to shackle myself to a half-breed, and fight for his cause. I'd rather take on Harry anytime. At least with him, he'll do plenty of coaxing to get his way. Voldemort won't. Besides, Harry's 'mark' (the bracelet) is much prettier and more valuable to me than the Dark Mark.

Draco smiled to himself. He couldn't believe that he was impudent enough to think those thoughts. Huh... whatever makes me happy, I guess... I am dark, but dark does not necessarily mean evil. Draco smirked nastily and he again practiced conjuring up a Patronus.

It was clear to the pair of house-elves who had been secretly spying on their young master that he didn't plan the taking to be an easy one. They drew themselves upright and looked at each other with narrowed, slanted eyes. They exchanged a smile and popped off to meet with a certain old man with outrageously twinkling blue eyes.

**********