Our Choices

I quit smoking. In the past week I've bitten off my fingernails, eaten all the snacks I had stocked up for my son, and cleaned my home spotless. With nothing else to do I sat down and tried to do some work on 'Yes, My Lord'. Oh. My. God. I want an effing cigarette. I need a cigarette.

The only thing keeping me from it is the picture of my two year olds perfect little baby lips wrapped around a butt he found out on the back deck last week.

I'm going mad. Someone help me.

Please.

Chapter Five

Draco whipped around and struggled to regain his balance. Less than four feet away stood the man who allowed him to be given away as a slave to a werewolf.

"Father," he said in a breathless voice.

Lucius Malfoy sneered at the small quiver racing over Draco's body, detected by icy but sharp eyes.

He turned and strode lazily to the cushiony chairs placed in the room for guests. Disgust came over his features as he sat on the tacky upholstery. He crossed his legs and placed both hands atop his cane before waving to the other chair.

"There's no need to stand on my account."

Draco shook his head. "I'd rather stand."

Lucius gave a small smile as if reading Draco's hidden meaning. "Really, with the way you hobble at the moment, catching you would not be diff-"

"You can't!" Draco's voice rose with sudden hysteria. He backed up against the window wishing it actually opened. He'd rather jump from it than go back. "Potter and I-"

Lucius waved his hand in dismissal. "Yes, yes, I know all about that. You do realize I received a copy for my own records? I am well aware Potter has a tracking spell on you. My efforts would be fruitless."

"Then why are you here?" The question came out as a plea.

A rare look passed over the seated man. "I wanted to see how you were."

Draco gaped. An inner battle burst forth between shock and confusion. Slowly a new feeling made itself known and Draco clung to it. Anger, something that Draco had forgotten he could still feel, rushed through him.

"How do you think I am? I've been a toy for a werewolf the past two years! A werewolf you agreed to give me to!"

Lucius stiffened. "I had no choice, you insolent brat!"

"You had a choice! You could have said no."

"And your mother and I would have been killed and you would have still been given to the wolf. No one tells the Dark Lord no!"

Draco shook with rage. "So you did it to save your own hide?"

"Of course, and your mothers as well. You, on the other hand, could have saved yourself. Your well old enough. You failed and you have only yourself to blame."

Draco paled. "Me? Your going to put this on me? You were the one-"

Lucius stood at an alarming rate and the next thing Draco knew he was forced even further against the glass, his father pinning him.

When Lucius spoke his voice was no more than a deadly whisper. "How do you think that fool of a boy Nott found out the Dark Lord's plans for you? I casually let it slip knowing he'd run to you with the news." He shoved away from the shocked boy and began pacing.

"You should have known I'd never let anything be known unless I wanted it spread. Did you never wonder why I didn't question your knowledge of His plans? Do you honestly think I don't monitor every owl that passes through my wards? I knew when you left to see Potter, Draco."

He stopped pacing and gave Draco a look of sorrow. "And I prayed you wouldn't return. When you did, I had no other options. The only thing I could do was request you remain alive and human for the purposes of continuing the Malfoy name."

"The day I delivered you to the wolf was the day your mother stopped speaking to me. Your life wasn't the only one that was destroyed. Your mothers sorrow eventually killed her and I will never forgive myself for the decisions I made."

Draco struggled to remain standing. Black spots danced before his eyes. "I tried, Father. There wasn't enough time to plan anything. The only thing open to me was Potter, and that fell through."

A soft buzzing sounded from Lucius's inner robe pocket. He reached in and pulled out a gold watched and hummed.

"Next time, instead of wallowing in self misery for days as you did, take action immediately. You'll find that those few days can make a world of difference. Learn from your mistakes Draco. As I have learned from mine."

With that, Lucius turned and strode from the room, leaving Draco's shaking form behind him.

****************

Harry received the alert just as he was slipping on his cloak to go pick up Malfoy. It was a soft bell that rang in his ears and it took him a moment before he realized what it meant. He sighed and buttoned his cloak a little faster. He needed to get to St. Mungo's quick, but there was no need to rush. His guards could hold off Malfoy Sr. until he got there.

He threw the floo powder into the fireplace and clearly called out St. Mungo's before stepping through. He walked swiftly through the main hall wondering when Lucius Malfoy had received the notice that his son was there. Had he also received notice that Draco now belonged to Harry? He smiled as he pictured the mans enraged face.

His smile disappeared a moment later as he spotted his two guards happily eating in the cafeteria through the large glass windows. A cold wave of ice rushed over him and he took off running. Just as he rounded the corner of the suspiciously deserted corridor, Lucius came striding from Draco's room. Harry whipped out his wand and pointed it in the direction of Malfoy.

"Stop where you are!"

Malfoy inclined his head and stopped, his face expressing no emotion.

"Put your hands where I can see them and drop the cane." As the man complied Harry inched around him toward Draco's room. He peered through the door quickly and spotted Draco, shaken but unharmed. He reached in and pulled the door closed.

He and Malfoy stood staring at one another. Finally, Harry broke the silence.

"What are you doing here Malfoy? Surely you've gotten a copy of the contract your son signed by now."

Lucius gave a tight smile. "Indeed, I have. He always was an extremist."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Better me than the alternative."

Two perfectly manicured blonde eyebrows rose. "I confess, I haven't a clue what mean."

"I'm sure you don't," he replied sarcastically. "If you received the copy then what are you doing here? He's of no importance to you now."

"You forget, Mr. Potter, that until yesterday, he was of every importance to me since the day he was born."

Harry snorted. "Yes, and you've protected him at every turn. Made wonderful decisions regarding his life."

Lucius gave another cold smile. "As I am doing now." He made as if to reach into his cloak but was stopped by Harry's firm command of "Freeze!"

"I am merely retrieving a few documents for your records."

Still on the alert, Harry gave a stiff nod to continue. "No tricks."

"Never." replied Lucius, innocently. He pulled a packet of parchment from his cloak and handed them to Harry.

Harry snatched them from his fingers, still holding his wand up. He shook them open and looked over the first page. He snapped his head back to Malfoy with a look of confusion.

"This is a vault transfer." He said with a blank face.

Malfoy nodded. "As well as a Property Transfer and Draco's medical records."

"What makes you think I need you money and land?"

"I had hoped that you would simply hold them for Draco, once his contract with you had ended."

Confused, Harry slowly put away his wand and shifted through each document.

"These are effective immediately. Your name is no longer on any of these." Harry stated. He refused to ask what the man was going to survive on with no money and no home. He could rot in hell for all Harry cared.

A flicker of emotion passed over Malfoys face and a soft smile that Harry was sure he was never meant to see formed on his lips.

"Yes, well, come morning I doubt I'll have much use of them."

Harry's curiosity peaked, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Mr. Potter, think. What do you suppose the Dark Lord will do when he's found that I was unable to take my own son into hand?"

A dead man walking, thought Harry. "You could have easily taken him. You had the perfect chance and I'm sure you could have found a way around the tracking spell."

Lucius raised his eyebrows. "And go against a Ministry approved contract? You must be joking." He replied with mock innocence.

Harry gave him a solemn nod. Understanding shifting over his face. "Voldemort will know what you've done."

"Of course he will, Mr. Potter." He bent and picked up his cane. "Now, I must be going. I have much to do before the... day ends."

He turned and took a few steps before turning back to Harry, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"You know, no matter the experiences he's had with Grayback, he still reminds me of his mother. She was soft and naive. She always needed reassurances that she was still as beautiful to me as the day we had married. She trusted too easily. She couldn't think under pressure. My wife was an atrocious decision maker. I made the important decisions for our family otherwise we'd have been pennyless."

"Sounds to me, she has quite a few flaws." Harry said with a question in his voice.

Malfoy gave another soft smile and looked directly into Harry's eyes. "They weren't flaws. They were her."

"Take care of my son Mr. Potter. No matter what he's done to you in the past, remember that he's suffered enough punishment and cruelty in the hands of Greyback. He doesn't need any from you."

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