Penance

Penance

by

The Annoying One

Draco wasn’t sure what to feel as he was led to the cell at Azkaban. The Dementors were no longer there, they hadn’t been since the Dark Lord’s return and didn’t return after his final defeat, but that didn’t stop Draco from shuddering involuntarily. He followed the guard, a heavily scarred wizard named Albert, through the various passages, passing by several cells. He wondered for a moment if he knew some of those occupants, but buried the thought deep in the back of his mind. He was not about to let sentimentality bring about emotions of guilt. Those who were in the cells were criminals, particularly those down here in the lower levels who supported the Dark Lord upon his return.

He found it ironic that, had he not chosen a different path, he probably would be occupying one of those cells now. Fortunately, his choice did not land him in Azkaban. Instead of being a prisoner, he was now a young man with a lot of power, even more power than most of the Death Eaters could imagine.

A cold smile formed on his lips. And having that power damns me more than those who chose to follow Voldemort.

Voldemort…he remembered how that name struck fear, and still did, in some people. Draco had been one of those people until about five years ago when he realized that there were beings out there far more dangerous than a mere Dark Wizard wanting power. And even more dangerous were those who were willing to betray their own flesh and blood for a chance at that kind of power.

Such a person dwelled in the cell they stopped in front of. The guard handed Draco his torch and banged on the door. "Prisoner one-nine-three, wake up!" Draco heard some movement in the cell. "You ‘ave a visitor, you wretch!"

Several small floating candles suddenly materialized in the air in the cell, hovering about seven feet off the ground. The guard unlocked the cell door and took his torch from Draco. "Watch yerself, lad," he rasped. "This man is quite dangerous, even withou’ ‘is magic."

"I’ll take my chances, Albert," said Draco as he reached into his cloak and handed the guard a bag full of gold. "But there is no other choice in this matter."

"No," said Albert as he closed the door behind Draco after he entered the cell. "I don’ s’pose there is. Give me a ‘oller when yer done." He then turned and walked back down the passage way, the light of his torch fading as he disappeared down the passage.

Draco stood there for a moment, watching as the prisoner get up off the bench covered with tattered blankets that passed for a bed. "Hello, father."

Lucius Malfoy smiled at his son and brushed a strand of his long and unkempt hair out of his face. He no longer wore the expensive clothing that suited him, just tattered rags that were remnants of the clothing he wore when he was originally brought here a year ago. "So nice of you to visit after all this time. So what brings you here? Guilt perhaps?"

There was a time when Draco respected…no…not respect…feared his father. Though he no longer feared the man, he still felt a chill in the air and for a moment, the image of his mother flashed before his eyes bringing a moment of pain.

No, he thought, this is not the time to be weak.
He willed the image of his mother away and met Lucius’ smile with a cold glare of his own. "Yes, father," he said, "I do feel guilt."

"Ah…so you feel badly about betraying me then," said Lucius. Draco sensed a bit of satisfaction in his father’s voice. It was that smug tone that Draco hated because it was the same tone Lucius used when pointing out his son’s flaws in the past. "Apology accepted then. I know that may sound strange, but since I’m immortal now, your betrayal means very little to me."

In that moment, Draco actually felt a sense of gratitude towards his father, but it wasn’t for his father’s forgiveness. It was gratitude for the anger he now felt burning deep inside himself…an anger that gave him the confidence to go through with the plan he had for dealing with his father. "Thank you, father," he said as he pulled his wand out of his cloak, "for making this so easy."

Lucius laughed and shook his head. "Come now, Draco, what do you intend to do with that? You can’t kill me, you know that."

Draco nodded. "I’m aware of that, father…AVADA KEDAVRA!" A flash of green light exploded from Draco’s wand and Lucius fell back on his bed, eyes closed and the hint of a sneer still on his face. However, Draco knew the sneer wouldn’t remain there much longer. "I know that I can’t kill you, father, but I think I've found a suitable punishment for you."

He rapped his knuckles on the door of the cell. "Albert!"

The guard returned a few moments later, torch in one hand and a large shroud in another. "Tha’ didn’ take long, did it?" He opened the door and handed the torch to Draco again so he could put Lucius’ body into the shroud. "Jus’ promise me one t’ing."

"And that would be?"

"Tha’ ‘e pays fer ‘is crimes."

"I intend to, Albert," said Draco. "You have my word. Now, let’s get this…thing…outside where the boat is waiting."

Lucius Malfoy woke up on the cold stone floor he was sprawled out on, silently cursing himself for falling out of bed, perhaps from that dream he had…the one where his son came to Azkaban and performed the killing curse on him. He chuckled to himself as he rolled over, eyes squinting as the mid-day sun shone down on him. Yes, it was an amusing dream…

Wait, said a tiny voice in his head, the sun…the sunlight…it was real! That was when he fully realized that he was not in his cell at Azkaban. He felt something cold around his ankle and saw that his legs were both manacled together and the chain connected to them was connected to a large stone block. His eyes followed the stone block upward and realized that he was chained to the base of a large stone statue that looked like…his wife?

Narcissa! his mind screamed as he looked up and saw the head of the statue bowed slightly, as if in prayer, or…perhaps…looking down on him. He managed to stagger to his feet and look around. The statue was located in the center of what appeared to be a large open pit that was made of finely polished stone. The walls were about twenty feet away and stood fifteen feet high. Each wall had three holes that were about a foot wide.

Where was he?

"Ah…beautiful, isn’t it?"

Lucius turned and saw his son standing near the edge of the pit above him. "Draco, where are we?"

"Why, we’re home, father," said Draco. "Back at Malfoy Manor, in the garden mother so lovingly tended. Of course, I had to have the mansion rebuilt and since I don’t have time for gardening, I decided to make a monument in her honor. You like it? placed her coffin underneath the base of that statue you're chained to."

"What? Why?"

"Call it your atonement for your sins."

Lucius laughed at his son. "Very amusing, my son, but you should not be one to talk about atonement. I’ve heard about what you’ve done…there is blood on your hands as well, perhaps even more than what I have on mine."

Draco smiled at his father. "Maybe you’re right, perhaps I am damned, but at least I’m trying to redeem myself. When I die, I will worry about being judged then, but you…well…you won’t have that chance."

"We already dealt with this, Draco," said Lucius, flashing his son another smug grin. "I’m immortal now…there is nothing you can do to me."

"Yes, you’re right, father," said Draco with a nod. "You are immortal…and all you had to do was sacrifice your wife and son for that power. Very poor trade."

There was something in Draco’s voice that sent a chill down Lucius’ spine. The smile on his face faded a little. "You may think so, Draco, but I will outlive anything you can do to me. Jesse McCade tried to kill me…seven times…and I’m still alive. The best the two of you could do was throw me into Azkaban. And now…you’ve taken me from that dark hole."

"Believe me father," said Draco, "you will wish I had left you there."

"Hardly."

Draco stared at his father for a moment, then glanced over his shoulder and nodded before returning his attention back to Lucius. "You should have more faith in me, father. Then again…you never really thought much of me, did you?"

"Bitterness, Draco?" taunted Lucius. "That doesn’t suit you."

"In the past, I would be bitter…but someone recently told me that I’m better off letting go of the past and moving on. This is my way of closing that chapter on my life." Draco paused as water started to gush from the holes in the walls and Lucius suddenly realized that he was not in a pit, but a deep-water fountain. "And this fountain will serve as a constant reminder of what happens should I be a slave to it."

Lucius’ amusement vanished and he started to feel true fear as the cold water started to flow around his ankles. "What…what is this?"

"What does it look like, father?" asked Draco. "I’m filling the fountain. I talked to Jesse McCade a month ago and he came up with an elaborate punishment. After what you did to him fourteen years ago, I couldn’t help but see the irony of it. He was willing to pay for the construction of the fountain and the magically unbreakable chain while I had the statue and mother’s new tomb built."

By now, the water had reached Lucius’ waist and the horror of what his son was planning had finally dawned on him. "Draco…son…you can’t do this. I’m your father."

"Actually, given the fact that you left mother and I to be murdered that Christmas evening, I don’t see what the problem is," said Draco. He gave his father a smug grin of his own as the water was now reaching Lucius’ chest. "You and mother took a vow once…till death do you part. At least you’re fulfilling that promise…oh wait…that’s right, you’re immortal. All you’ll do is drown, die, heal, wake up, drown, die, heal, wake up, and keep repeating the process while mother rests in peace through eternity."

"Draco…" gasped Lucius as the water was reaching neck level and still rising. "I’m sorry, I’m-" he was cut off as the water covered the lower part of his face.

"Oh, I’m sure you are," said Draco as the water kept rising. He felt grim satisfaction as he watched his father struggle to reach the rising surface of the water, but the limited length of the chain stopped Lucius to the point where his outstretched fingers reached inches below the surface. He watched over the next couple minutes as his father continued to struggle, then stop and sink to the bottom, dead. Less than a minute later after "dying", Lucius woke and struggled a new. Draco got a good look at his father’s face and could see the desperate horror in the man’s eyes that once held nothing but scorn and disappointment.

"We both have our prices to pay for what we’ve done, father," said Draco. "But at least I’ve done my penance…you’ll be paying yours for a very long time, even after I’m gone. Good-bye, father, enjoy your immortality."

Then he turned and walked away, leaving his father screaming/choking in silent anguish.