Fallen from grace

Chapter Four

Hi Just a quick note from the author if you don't like dark fics or torture don't read this chapter.

Draco’s left arm was in absolute agony it felt like white-hot flames were searing his flesh working through to the muscles and bones. He moved away from the centre of the room to an empty table at the side and looked around for his Mother. Narcissa approached him after what looked like a few sharp words between her and her sister.

“Oh Draco you look awful, but don’t worry we’ll soon have you back to full health.” She said this while fussing with his hair clothes and every now and again tsking to herself and picking things of him.

“Mother, Mother stop it!” Draco looked ashen and his face was pinched in pain, his Mother’s eyes shot to his face at his sharp tone. “Stop fussing I am fine and I am no longer a child.”

Narcissa had a look of pain briefly cross her eyes as she looked to Draco face and then flicked to his left arm and back. “No your quite right you are your own man now and I am sure your father would be proud of what you have accomplished,” was said in a cold clipped tone that Draco was used to hearing from his Mother in public and when his father was present.

Draco’s attention was quickly drawn to the centre of the room where the Carrows were inspecting the muggles and seeming to be splitting them apart and randomly hexing them to watch their reactions and mock them as they desperately pleaded and tried to get away and protect their loved ones.

While he was distracted he didn’t see Snape approach him and his Mother it wasn’t until the two stared to talk that he took notice. “Snape thank you for all you have done in protecting my only child I will always be eternally grateful and in your debt.”

“Narcissa he is my …”

“What do you think you are doing over here” spat Draco viciously at his Godfather while his Mother gasped in shock at his outburst. Snape just smiled coldly and leaned in towards him, Draco flinched backwards as Snape took a glass of red wine from the table behind him. “I would remember those manners Lucius instilled in you boy and be grateful to those who try to help you.”

“Draco, Severus is right all he has done has been to try to protect you and make sure that your task was completed, I did not want you to suffer due to your father’s past sins.” Draco looked his Mother and knew she was right but he was still angry with himself for not being able to complete the task and was projecting it outwardly towards Snape.

He looked back to his Godfather “I am sorry Severus I know you were right this whole year I just couldn’t see that until now. Can you forgive me?”

“Of course, now I need you to listen you will be staying with me and helping me for a short while as the Dark Lord thinks it will be good for your training as he still hasn’t forgiven your family yet.” Snape glanced casually at the Carrows work as they riled up the other death eaters in the room and tormented the muggles further.

Both of the Malfoy’s nodded at his news, but Draco’s attention was quickly drawn to the other side of the room where Fenir was with a muggle girl about his age. The werewolf had made a leash from an old curtain pull and tied it around the girl’s neck. He had just pulled her towards him and had bitten in to her shoulder and scratched deep furrows in to he back through her clothes and when she screamed a couple of the wizards who were close by laughed at the poor girl.

Fenir licked the blood of his hands and mouth and proceeded to joke and laugh with the death eaters around him. Most of the death eaters were in groups talking, drinking and eating while the Dark Lord had taken a seat in a throne he had conjured so he could watch over the event.

Snape and Narcissa tried to draw Draco’s attention “Try not to stare at the proceedings tonight Draco, it won’t help you and it may get you drawn in to the proceedings.” Snape whispered to him while Narcissa placed a had on his arm and said “Just remember all your father has taught you that they are below us and, to act as a Malfoy should, look briefly but pretend to be un-interested.”

“What do you mean? What is going to happen here? Why didn’t anyone tell me about this and what happened at the meetings?” Draco questioned rather loudly and angrily at the two adults in front of him. The Dark Lord had chosen that exact moment to look to see what Draco was doing and was not best pleased but thought back to what Snape had said and decided to wait and see how the younger Malfoy would work out.

“Hush, we can talk more about this later Draco just have a drink and a little to eat and try to act as I do and not get drawn in to anything you can’t handle tonight, also I am pretty sure the Dark Lord wishes to speak with us again anyway.” This was all Snape could and would answer to his Godson at this moment in time.

The Carrows seemed to have chosen a family to start the entertainment off properly and the rest of the muggles were herded to one side where they could see what was happening. The family had five members’ three young children a brother and a sister one aged around seven to eight Draco thought, a four year old and a young infant in the mother’s arms.

The noise in the room had dropped significantly and all had turned to see what was going to happen next most with maniacal looks upon their faces. Aymcus walked towards the mother and told her to give him the baby and no harm would come to the child. The mother was sobbing and shaking her head and her other two children were holding on to her legs “No you’re lying you’re all monsters all of you FREAKS!!!” The last word shouted as she looked wildly around the room and the husband stepped in front of the women trying to protect his family as best he could.

Draco was shocked at the woman’s outburst did she not realise that they were her betters far superior to her? But then again it is probably why they were here to learn their place in the new world, and they would be taught to be servants while a couple would be allowed to return to the muggle world to teach others.

The brother and sister looked extremely angry at the outburst and many of the gathered death eaters started murmuring to one another. “Fine have it your way filth,” Alecto raised her wand and sent the father flying across the room to land in a heap several feet away from his family. The children and Mother started to scream in panic; while Aymcus petrified the Mother and slowly walked towards her smiling cruelly as he took the baby from her frozen arms. The crowd let out a cheer and the father tried to scramble to his feet and rush towards Aymcus but found that he hit an invisible barrier that Alecto had conjured; at the look of confusion and hopelessness on his face she let a cold laugh.

Draco was become more shocked at the scene that was slowly building in the room; I mean they weren’t going to harm the children were they. He had heard some stories of course that in the past death eaters had done some bad crimes but he thought it was all propaganda to make their ideals seem wrong, wasn’t it? He knew the story about Harry of course but there was a reason behind that or that’s what Lucius had always told him.

A hush went around the room and Aymcus spoke up, “Not much sport such a young piece of muggle filth doesn’t even realise what is going to happen to it” and a snigger ran through the crowd. Draco looked to his right at his Mother and Snape but they just seemed to be looking at the scene with a cold detachment.

A sudden wail from the infant brought Draco’s attention back to the Carrows who had placed the baby on the floor a foot or so away from the parents that couldn’t reach it. The brother and sister looked around the room and then smiled to one another and both turned and pointed their wands at the crying infant. They looked into the parents’ eyes and a red light shot from both ends of their wands as they shouted in unison “Crucio”.

The sound that suddenly filled the room Draco knew it would haunt him for the rest of his life, the baby let out an un-earthly scream in pain that lasted about 20 seconds before the room went silent. The Mother and Father looked away and the Mother clutched at her other two children.

Draco watched in complete shock as the Carrows, Greyback and some other death eaters stared to laugh and mock the muggles. Draco then looked to the Dark Lord who caught his gaze, while Draco’s defences were down Voldemort entered his mind. Draco felt and saw that he was looking to see of Draco’s involvement in Dumbledore’s demise but also his response to the infant’s death just moments ago. Once the Dark Lord got what he wanted he turned away unhappy at his findings.

Snape who saw this quickly shook Draco to get his focus back, “remember always keep your mental defences up or otherwise your weaknesses will be exploited to others gain.” Draco just looked bewildered and slightly ill at Snape’s words but also about what had just occurred.

Several death eaters that were seemingly picked from the Crowd by Alecto and Amycus, to help forcefully split up the four muggles, soon the family were separated. The two children kicked and cried out but it did little good, the man fought as best he could and the woman kept repeating that she loved them over and over. The children were then tortured and killed in front of the parents by several different death eaters and the parents were given the killing curse as the Carrows as they thought that all the entertainment had been wrought out of them and fresh prey was needed.

Draco watched as the group of muggles that remained huddled back in fear pleading to the death eaters, a young couple was selected next. Draco thought he would be sick as he watched in horror as the man was made to watch the woman get raped by several death eaters while he could do nothing to help her, occasionally someone would hex him but the main focus was on the woman. She seemingly died while being ruined by the some of the men in the room.

The rest of muggles were split in to small groups around the room while clusters of death eaters started to gather around them to play with them; the nearest muggle that was by Draco, his Mother and Snape was a young teenage boy around thirteen years old. From the bits and pieces of conversation Draco realised he was going to get raped as well as several other individuals in the room.

The Dark Lord made his way towards the three of them and said that he wished to discuss further Draco’s previous task and consequences. They all followed him back through the side doors which Voldemort had initially entered by, and Draco tried to look as little as he could at the horrors going on around him and the blood and bodies littering the floor, glad that he was leaving the room.

The Dark Lord took them through the Mansion to a room away from the noise of the revel going on in the old ballroom. Voldemort took a seat in what looked like an old large study, and petted Nagini as she slithered around his feet and rested watching the other occupants of the room bow before her and her master.

“Draco I gave you the task last summer to kill Albus Dumbledore by any means possible, and although he is dead it was not by your hand which is what I had hoped for. It was in fact by Snape who can no longer act as an undercover spy for me in the Order of the phoenix. Do you understand what a valuable asset I have lost boy?” He hissed coldly at the bowed blonde head before him.

Draco looked up “I am truly sorry my Lord, I did not realise and will do all in my power to make up for my mistakes and serve you to the best of my abilities.” Voldemort seemed to study him for a moment “yes but you still need punishment for your actions, Crucio!”

Narcissa gasped out ‘No’ and shot forward to try and stop Voldemort but Snape quickly grabbed her and held her back and she started to sob as Draco screamed and howled in pain. Draco was in sheer agony he had never felt anything like this even though he had suffered the curse before hand from his father; the mark on his arm burned more than when he had received it and he thought his head was going to be split open.

After a couple of minutes the Dark Lord stopped “Do you understand a little more what is required of you boy?” Draco coughed and wheezed on the floor and did the best he could to nod and push himself to his knees, “hmmm I’m not sure, and you Lady Malfoy should now how to behave after all these years and remember your place.”

Snape let her go and she dropped to her knees and bowed her head “I am truly sorry my Lord I will remember in future.”

“Well just to emphasize my point to you Malfoy’s ‘Crucio’” and red light shot from his wand a second time and hit Narcissa; Draco lifted his head and begged the Dark Lord to punish him instead of his Mother, as it was his fault. Voldemort lifted the curse and laughed, “well boy that is more than your father has ever done,” at Draco’s hateful look in his eyes he smiled “but Lucius will soon be free and I am sure you can sort out that out with him. Now you will leave my sight for now until I have need of you again and Draco you will be staying with Snape for him to keep an eye on you. Oh and before you leave boy, at the next revel I expect you to take part in the merriment and activities like your father.” At Draco’s slightly shocked face he smiled cruelly and started to talk to Nagini in parseltongue.

Draco quickly picked himself off the floor and helped his Mother to her feet and they left the room with Snape. Once out in the large dark, cold hallway he turned to her “Mother are you going to be alright, do you need medical help at all?”

She smiled and touched Draco’s cheek “No my little Dragon, I will be fine I have suffered worse and lived, but you need to go with Snape now and get rested and well. Goodbye and I hope to see you well again soon.” She then turned and walked down the hall and walked out of sight.

Draco followed tiredly behind Snape; soon they past the ballroom and Draco dared not look in for screams, jeers and other sounds still spilled out in to the hallway. As they walked in the foyer Snape conjured a fire in the hearth and they took a small amount of floo powder and threw it in the fire, he stepped in the fire made eye-contact with Draco and said 47 Spinner’s end. Draco stepped up to follow after him just after he threw in the powder a loud crash behind caused him to turn. He watched as the young girl Greyback was given tried to move as fast as she was able away from the revel; she was in an awful state naked and covered in blood, she had been raped and beaten and hexed, he watched as Greyback stalked after her mocking her as she cried and continued to run from him. The last comment he heard before he stepped in the fire and said Snape’s address was “you have no where to go and no where to hide brat, I am going to rip you apart.” As the emerald flames whipped around Draco he glimpsed Geyback pounce on the muggle and rip out her throat with his teeth and and hands and heard her scream turn in a gurgle as the blood poured from her throat.