Chapter Text
Mr. Draco Malfoy,
When I first received your letter and read the content of what it held, there were no words to describe how shocked and thrilled I was. As you may not be aware, we Veelas are rare beings in the magical creature society, and it is even more so for male Veelas to exist. So, it brings me with great delight to say I am happy to welcome you into our society and teach you everything you need to know about our kind. Just reading your letter about your transition, I cannot imagine the pain you must have endured to wake up with no help of how to be a Veela. But there is no need to worry any longer, for I will now be here to guide you through it all.
I accept your invitation to be welcomed and hosted at your French Manor since I find England weather to be dreary and cold. Time is of the essence for you to learn to be a Veela and so I hope to arrive next week. My family shall also accompany me as I believe you will find different perspectives of being a Veela quite interesting as my daughter is half Veela and my two granddaughters are a quarter.
I look forward to our meeting.
Sincerely,
Lady Antoinette Delacour
Dear Lady Antoinette,
Thank you for your response to my letter. I will be very honored to welcome to as my guests once you arrive. I cannot wait to learn from you about what there is to know about Veelas. I will make sure the accommodation is to you and your family’s liking and should there be anything you require, please let me know so I can provide it for you. With this owl, I have attached a portkey that leaves Sunday at 5pm.
I will be waiting for your arrival.
Best regards,
Draco Malfoy, Heir to Lord Malfoy
DRACO
Draco strode down the stairs, fixing the collar of his shirt, and seeing his mother and Severus at the front of the door waiting for him to arrive. Draco walked up to them and faced his mother with a bright smile on his face. This will be the first time he’s leaving his mother alone before he heads off to Hogwarts in September. Though Draco could see that she was holding back her tears, he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her.
“Mother, there is no need to cry. I shall be back to visit you along with the last two weeks before I leave for Hogwarts.” Draco softly says, holding her hand as she wipes a tear from her face.
“Yes, I know darling, but it is always difficult for a mother to say goodbye to her child and so soon too. I felt like this summer, I have not had a single moment to spend time with you before you are off to do something. I will be missing you terribly my little dragon.” Narcissa said pulling Draco in for a tight hug.
Draco hugged her back, smelling her scent.
“You are welcome to write to me at any time and even to come and visit. I will never say no to your company.” Draco said, feeling his mother kiss the crown of his head.
“I should hope you never say no to my company Draco,” Narcissa teased, before becoming somber, “As much as I would love to visit you, I have a responsibility to uphold here to support your father. It is my duty to be Lady Malfoy, just like it will be your future wife’s duty to support you. But I shall write to you as much as I can.”
Draco nodded his head, hugging his mother just a bit longer before letting go. He turned his head back upstairs looking at an empty presence that’s supposed to be there.
“Is father not going to say goodbye?” Draco asked looking back at his mother.
Narcissa bit her lip, before giving him a sympathetic smile.
“Unfortunately, he is not available at the moment, as you know your father is a very busy man being the Lord of our family. But he did tell me this morning to say he wishes you to have a safe travel and to make him proud of being his heir,” She said cupping his cheek, “you will always make us proud Draco.”
Draco nodded his head, not really feeling upset that his father wasn’t seeing him off. Still giving him the silent treatment, he supposes.
“Severus and I must get going now or else the port key will leave without us,” Draco said, kissing his mother on the cheek, “Once I receive your owl, I’ll be sure to reply as soon as I can.”
Narcissa nodded as new tears were forming in her eyes.
Draco saw Dobby pop up and took his last suitcase to the French manor with the rest of his belongings. He saw Severus and his mother hug each other goodbye with Narcissa whispering something into his ear with a pleading expression on her face. Severus nodded his head and whispered something back before turning around and holding the port key for him to grab.
Draco looked down at the silver candlestick holder and smiled once more at his mother before disappearing and landing right in front of the gates of their French Manor. The first thing Draco notices is the heat and the bright afternoon light. While back in England, they were having a cold, rainy evening, here it seems to be sunny and hot. He would need to change into something cooler than his wool black robes.
“What did my mother whisper to you about?” Draco asked, fishing for the key to open the warded gate, a small dagger appeared from his robe.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” Severus replied.
Draco eyed Severus with a questioning expression. He noticed the whispers between him, and mother have been increasing recently.
“From her facial expression, is it something on the line of her asking you to keep an eye on me and to make sure I’m safe and well should anything happen?” He guessed, lightly slicing his palm open with the danger and letting the blood drip on the gate before inserting the danger into the lock.
“Then why ask questions you already know the answers to?” Severus asked, taking out his wand and placing it on his open cut. He cast episkey and the wound knitted it back up like the cut was never there.
Draco watched the wards to the manor drop and the gates opening, inviting them in to enter.
“You both seem to enjoy whispering to each other regardless of my presence. Is there something I should know about?” He asked, stepping through the gates and entering the grounds of the manor. Immediately he notices the way the magic of the manor and the magic in the lands connect with him, almost as if it were binding itself to him. In his mind, he can start to sense where everything in the manor and in the land is without having to be present to see. Almost like a sixth sense. Draco turned around and saw the gates start to close and the wards going back up.
“Like I said, nothing you are to concern yourself with.” Severus replied walking past him.
Crack!
“Welcome, heir to the great Lord Malfoy! I am Misty, the head house elf of your French manor. All your belongings have been brought and unpacked in your rooms. The guest’s rooms have also been prepared and ready for our honored guests to arrive tomorrow evening. Would the Heir be interested in a light supper and then some iced lemonade or some lemonade and small delights before dinner?” greeted a house elf.
Draco looked down and Misty bowed before him.
“Hello Misty,” he greeted with a smile, “thank you for your hard work in preparing everything for me and on such short notice. I’m sure all the rooms will be satisfactory to our needs. Severus and I will have some lemonade and finger sandwiches in the study.” Draco said, seeing Misty nod her head.
“Should you ever need anything, please say the word and we will deliver it to you at once.” Misty said, bowing again before disappearing to prepare their tea.
Draco continued to walk towards the manor, seeing the front doors open for them and feeling the magic warmly embracing him. Seeing the French manor again, made Draco realized that he prefers this one than the one in England. While the manor in England will always be home, it cannot compare to the warm feeling of security the French manor brings. Instead of dark and dreary, the windows are bare of thick curtains, letting the sunshine into all rooms, giving it life. Draco made his way into the study, seeing the double French doors to the patio leading to the garden are open, letting the warm breeze flow in. Definitely better than the England manor.
Draco took off his heavy robes and threw them down on the sofa and unbuttoned his collar and sleeves to cool himself from the heat. He looked over at Severus still wearing his robes and was scanning the bookshelf.
“You can take off the robe you know? Father and mother aren’t here to judge.” Draco said, sitting down in a chair and pouring himself some iced lemonade.
“I’m fine with the way I am.” Severus responded, coming to sit in the opposite chair.
Draco nodded and poured Severus a glass and handed it to him and then gulped his down. Definitely the best iced lemonade he ever had. Perfectly sweet and sour and never too much of either.
“Mother told me something interesting a few days ago and I thought you could help explain some things to me.” Draco said, taking a finger sandwich from the platter. He bit into the smoked salmon and dill cream cheese and seeing Severus sip the lemonade.
“What did she tell you?” Severus asked.
“That I am also the heir to the Black family. If I remember correctly that tittle belongs to my cousin Sirius, unless…” Draco finished, seeing Severus nodded his head.
“Yes, what your mother said is true. You are the next heir to the Black family.” Severus said.
Draco furrowed his brow, not understanding why. In his previous life, Sirius was still named heir, even when he was disowned.
“But why did she name me as heir? What happened to Sirius? Is he dead?” Draco asked.
“Sirius is still in Azkaban. As to why the late Lady Walburga named you heir, Narcissa believed it was simply because she had no other options. Your uncles Alphard had no wife or children and Cygnus only had daughters, neither had male children to be named heir. When Walburga decided to disown Sirius, she took his title of heir with it. She named Regulus as the new heir, but when he died, she didn’t have any options left but to choose between you, her disowned son, or some distant blood relative. Bellatrix had no children and was married to a different family, and Andromeda was also disowned, so that only left Narcissa who had you. The last male who carries the blood of a direct decent from the noble House of Black.” Severus explained.
Draco rubbed his lips together, understanding now of how he became the heir to the Black family. It seems blood purity is still as prominent as ever in pure-blood families. While Draco does not agree anymore with the bigotry and prejudice people like his father believe in blood status of despising muggleborns and some half-bloods, he does agree with the importance and power of blood purity on the affect it plays in pure-blood families, especially when naming the heir.
“If I am the heir to the Black family, then who is the current Lord overlooking the family?” Draco asked.
“That would be your mother. She is acting as the current Lady of House Black, until you come of age to take over the position.” Severus explained.
Draco sighed at that. Great, so he’ll have to wait until he’s seventeen to take over the title and position of Lord Black. That won’t do with what he has planned. But for now, he doesn’t need to deal with it just yet.
“Have you heard any news about Potter then?” Draco asked, deciding to change topics.
Severus shook his head, no. “Lupin stopped sending updates on Potter when he was four and completely stopped sending reports last year. I do not know the context, nor did I question why.”
“Surely you must have heard updates from Lupin if not from Dumbledore. Don’t you bring him his wolfsbane potion?” Draco asked.
Severus’s lips curl in distaste. “I owl him his potion every four months on the order of Dumbledore.”
Draco sighed again. Well shit. So, there have been no official updates on Potter in years and no explanation as to why Lupin suddenly stopped either.
“If the whole entire Wizarding World knows Potter is a werewolf, how is Dumbledore allowing him to attend Hogwarts? The British Ministry of Magic has the strictest laws of not allowing any magical creatures to attend Hogwarts.” Draco said.
Severus sneered at his question, replying in a sardonic tone, “Dumbledore convinced the ministry that Potter is not like the other feral werewolves. He was bitten as a baby; he is a poor and defenseless orphan who lost both of his families in less than a year. He could never be a murderous and threatening werewolf when his parents were war heroes and fought against the Dark Lord.”
Draco gave a confused look to Severus. “That’s bullshit. Werewolves are known to be feral and murderous and cannot control themselves during the full moon if they do not drink wolfbane. How are parents okay with the fact that they are going to send their children to school with a werewolf?”
“The same reason your parents are allowing you to go. Some truly believe Dumbledore and what he says to be true. As for others, there are no other magical schools they can choose from unless they move to a different country,” Severus sighed looking at Draco in the eye, “Dumbledore is a very powerful wizard and has made a name for himself to be the greatest wizard for the Light in fighting off many dark wizards, including the Dark Lord. He has the power to sway the ministry even when they do not truly believe him. He has embedded himself so deeply in the wizarding community, it is hard not to believe a word he says when he has been representing the Light for so long.”
Draco nodded his head and filed that piece of information for later when he had time to write down his thoughts and form a plan. Dumbledore is going to be a challenge to get anything done, especially when he is so nosy in other people’s business. He will need a way to think of an idea to stop that from happening. For now, Draco will need to tell Severus of what his plan for this year will be.
“There is one thing I need your help on while we are here and during Hogwarts.” Draco said, pouring himself another glass of lemonade.
“What will that be?” Severus asked.
Draco looked at Severus in the eye before taking a sip. “I need you to help me get better at dueling.”
Severus raised an eyebrow. “Dueling? Why do you need to learn dueling so soon?”
“Because I plan on challenging my father to be the next Lord Malfoy.” Draco said simply.
Severus’s eyes widen, his mouth slightly open, shocked.
“Are you ridiculous?! You cannot challenge your father to be the new Lord. He will not hesitate to kill you!” Severus explained, standing up and started to pace.
“I have to. When my father plans to support the Dark Lord again, he is going to ruin the Malfoy name forever and I cannot let that happen again. I’ve seen the future of what is to come if he continues to be the Lord if I don’t challenge him. When the Dark Lord rises, I need to keep the Malfoy name as far away from him as possible and in good standing and the only way for me to do so is to be the next Lord Malfoy by challenging my father to a duel.” Draco explained.
Severus took a deep breath in and sighed.
“Well, at least you have a few years before that happens.” Severus said, going to sit back down.
Draco bit his lip, knowing Severus would not like his next response.
“I actually plan to challenge him during winter break.”
Severus’s head snaps up to stare at him.
“You can’t be serious.”
Draco only nodded his head. He had thought this through for a few days of when exactly he should challenge his father. He knew it would have to take place during winter recess or summer holiday, but with Voldemort rising during his fourth year, third year should be the perfect opportunity to do so; however, with the events of second year, Draco knew he should challenge sooner.
“I am. I need to prevent my father from doing anything that will hurt the family name once I start Hogwarts. I can’t do anything about my father’s actions if he is the current Lord, but if I were to become the new Lord Malfoy, I can silence him until the war has ended.” Draco explained, seeing Severus shake his head.
“What you are planning is too ambitious, too risky. You are too young to be Lord Draco. I suggest you wait until the summer before you begin your fourth year.”
Draco shook his head again.
“I can’t. That’ll be too late for me to do anything to prevent the events from happening. I know I may be young to be the next Lord, but as the heir, I was born and trained to follow in my father’s footsteps. Plus, you forget that I’m actually older than I’m physically am. In fact, I am only a year younger than you right now.” Draco responded.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, deep in thought.
“Will you also challenge your mother to a duel as well and take the position of Lord Black?” he eventually asked.
Draco stayed quiet for a moment, not sure how to respond. To be honest, he hadn’t really thought that far into it. Realistically speaking, no, he can’t challenge his mother to a duel. However, that doesn’t mean he cannot convince her to renounce her position and do the ceremony to name him Lord earlier than planned. The more Draco thought about it, the more beneficial the idea became. Being the Lord to two powerful, influential old families will certainly grant him more freedom to carry out his future plans. Not only that, but he could also hold some power within the ministry as well to get them on his side if he ever needed it. Draco decided to file that thought later as well.
“I could never challenge mother to a duel, not even for the title of being a Lord; however, that won’t stop me from trying to convince her to name me as the rightful Lord Black.” Draco eventually says, “I know mother will never duel me as well. But I am sure we can come to a compromise.”
Severus just sighed and shook his head.
“You are being too ambitious for your own good Draco, and I worry it is going to backlash against you.” Severus said concerned.
Draco merely smiled at Severus.
“I know,” Draco responded looking down at his glass, “But in order to get what I want, challenges and sacrifices need to be made and I am willing to take the risks and gamble everything I have if it means I can change my future.”
Draco reminisced about his previous life for a moment. As successful as a Potion Master he was in France, he could never fully move on from his past. No matter how far he traveled, the wizarding community would always remember what he had done and how easily they could take away the freedom he had fought for. He made a good life with what little he had, but deep down, he always knew there should have been more. And how here he is, back in time and being able to start all over again. Draco is not going to let this chance go.