FHB: Chapter 1

Family, honour and blood, those were the three words in his upbringing. There was an absence of compassion, acceptance and even trust when it came to his bloodline. Maybe it was a good thing, but he wouldn’t truly know would he?

Being the only child, he felt the pressure to make his parents proud.  He had no one to compete with but no one to confide in either. Nothing else but “Yes father” and “Yes mother” escaped his lips daily, and he saw no problem with that.

Proudly, his parents would often call him an ideal child; this would send his relatives glowering in jealousy as they would whisper their wishes of having him as their own. That always made him smirk, and it kept him on his best behaviour .

When he started school, he knew he would not just be some ordinary boy. He would be well known, respected and hopefully, feared. Desire for power was somehow genetic, and he was no different than his father and those before him.

The first four years in school was perfect. He had everything he needed without having to lift a finger. It probably had something to do with the way he carried himself; arrogant, yes, but brilliant too. He thought he could keep this up, and when he got his yearly Hogwarts return letter, he was certain he could.

That prefect badge that he pinned onto his robes  gave him confidence in finishing the next 3 years of school on top of his game. But he was wrong. Little did he know that on his fifth year, he would be forced to face decisions that would question his upbringing and his belief.

In that same year, the Dark Lord and his quest for purity was slowly making its way into the muggle world. There were forces on both sides, constantly battling for their own rights. One did not need to doubt where the Malfoys’ alliance laid. And though it was not questionable,  there was no proof that Abraxas, a respected man in the ministry, would side with the person most people feared. Lucius however, knew very well where his father… and mother stood.

His father was more loyal than a dog, and his mother hated it. His mother supported the cause but refused to let Lucius participate. Lucius was torn between his parents as his father justified that blood and honour was the most important value. His mother would then recite those three words and emphasize that family came first. At the end of the day, who could he side?

Yes, Lucius admired and deeply feared the Dark Lord. He wanted to be part of the cause too. But was he too young? The day before his parents accompanied him to the Hogwarts Express, his father entered his room just as he locked up his trunk.

In his father’s hand was an old envelope. Gesturing to take a sit, Lucius did not have to ask as his father went straight to the reason of his bedroom visit.

“I want to tell you something very important,” his father said, as he pulled out the contents of the envelope.

It was a stack of faded pictures of when his father was still schooling. His father handed the stack to Lucius and said, “These were taken back in the days when I first joined the Dark Lord. I have always been loyal to him. Do you know what loyalty is, son?”

Lucius nodded his head, but his father still gave him his own definition, “Loyalty is obedience without question.”

Pointing at the picture on top of the stack in Lucius’ hand, his father added, “That was taken at a Christmas ball. The Dark Lord went with… a friend. A friend whose loyalty was distorted.”

Looking down at the picture, Lucius saw a girl next to the Dark Lord, with Professor Slughorn standing across them.

“I have not seen her before,” Lucius said, as he had a pretty good memory of the visitors that came to their mansion when the Dark Lord held random meetings.

“She’s dead. Died too young as a matter of fact.”

“How?”

“Like I said, she had a distorted concept of loyalty. One that had no sense of obedience, and it cost her life.”

Lucius nodded. That was all he could do as he had no words to respond to his father.

“I want you to think about this. Think about loyalty and think about where your stand. You must know that your mother is more fearful than naive and her lack of courage is not a path you would want to follow.” Pausing, his father took the pictures from his hand. “I would suggest you make up your mind before the school term starts. Why? Because you are old enough to decide.”

When his father left his room, Lucius was more confuse than before. But he resolved in his heart to decide on his stand… before the school term starts.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whose side Lucius should take. It will determine how he lives the next few years in Hogwarts!)