It was raining in Wiltshire. It matched the occasion as Draco and his mother stood before his father's gravestone.
They were alone, surrounded by his family's graves.
There was the grave of Armand Malfoy - the first British Malfoy, who had arrived with William the Conqueror. Behind him, Septimus Malfoy, puppet master behind Minister for Magic Unctuous Osbert in the late eighteenth century. Then Nicholas Malfoy, who had used that Muggle plague - the Black Death, he believed was the name - to make the family even wealthier.
And now, in front of him, lay the grave of his father, Lucius Malfoy II, among his ancestors.
Draco was now the last person with Malfoy blood running through his veins.
His father had apparently committed suicide in the holding cell of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, just before he was scheduled to testify in front of the Wizengamot.
He knew his brilliant father would have easily been able to wriggle out of the charges. So why? Why had he killed himself?
He had cried when his mother came to Hogwarts to tell him and in the following days at their manor.
Now his tears had dried and only hate remained.
The Weasleys of all people were the reason for their downfall. Arthur Weasley had found the secret vault in the Malfoy library. Not even Draco had known about it…
How dare those blood-traitors and Mudblood-lovers defy their betters? He would make them pay!
He would also need to mend the rift with the other noble pure-blood families - to lead the Malfoys to heights like never before. Draco did not think that killing Muggles and Mudbloods was that serious a crime. Why was the Ministry so harsh against Thorfinn Rowle, Marcus Avery or Amycus and Alecto Carrow for that?
At least Nott was not particularly angry with him. Crabbe and Goyle were stupid enough to be manipulated back into his orbit.
Why were so many dark families indignant about his father collecting blackmail material? This was literally the most Slytherin thing imaginable… whatever.
He looked at his father's gravestone one last time.
"I will make you proud, Father," he whispered under his breath. "The Malfoys will rule Britain again and the blood-traitors will rue the day they defied their betters."
He would restore the Malfoys' name.
But turning that promise into reality proved harder than he expected, as he discovered only days later back at Hogwarts.
"Conjunctivitis," he heard a young female voice from behind him and a purple light hit him as he was turning around. Immediately his eyes began to swell and hurt, so much that he couldn't see.
"I did it, Hestia! I finally got him!"
The Carrow twins again. The first-year sisters had been annoying ever since their uncles had been arrested.
"Good job, Flora! If it isn't the traitor?" Hestia Carrow giggled.
He blindly tried to take out his wand and hex in the direction of their voices, but another spell hit him, sending him to the ground and making him lose his wand.
"Well, Malfoy? Can't hide behind your father anymore?"
Fury flared hot in his chest.
All fear of the Malfoy name was gone by now, since there was no chance that his father would ever be back to take revenge.
"Good riddance, I say," she continued. "He really was an embarrassment to all pure-bloods, after all. Always thinking he could rule over other noble houses. Pathetic."
Draco was trying to find his wand. He would have his revenge.
"What is the meaning of this?" Professor Snape's voice was heard.
"Oh, Professor Snape. We found Draco dear crying on the floor. Poor boy lost his father, you know."
"I'm aware, Miss Carrow," his godfather replied dryly. "You may return to your rooms, while I… help Mr. Malfoy."
"Yes, Professor!" the twins happily chirped in unison.
"Here. Take this." Snape pressed a vial into his hand. "Oculus Potion. It will counter the Conjunctivitis Curse. But don't expect more assistance. Slytherins must stand on their own."
And with this, Draco heard him walk away.
Thankfully, attacks like that by the Carrow twins were rare. Most people were just ignoring Draco or giving him disdainful or calculating looks. They were probably planning how they could use this situation to their benefit. The Malfoy fortune still existed, even if their political power had been severely harmed.
In the following days, Draco tried to keep a low profile.
Who could be his ally and how could he take revenge against those damned Weasleys? His first thought was that Ronald Weasley would be a good target. Maybe sending him some cursed item from Borgin and Burkes would be funny. He was stupid and poor enough to accept any present that looked expensive without question.
But as he observed them at the Gryffindor table, he realised that the youngest Weasley - the girl - might be the best target. She was popular and called a genius. And all her brothers seemed to be quite protective of her. Potter simpering after her made it even better.
Yes, that would probably hurt Arthur Weasley the most. And a first-year student should be the easiest target.
He remembered something his father had once told him: 'A Malfoy is never found at the scene of a crime. We are happy for others to do the donkey work and to take the responsibility for failure.'
And Draco found the perfect donkey.
Nathaniel Harper. The first‑year had been mostly neutral towards him, since his family had many business dealings with the Malfoy apothecary. Furthermore, he seemed to have a one‑sided rivalry with the Weasley girl. Maybe he could incite him to attack and hurt her or give her a cursed item.
And if it failed? Then Draco, like a true Slytherin and Malfoy, would not be affected.
But how could Draco approach a first-year and make it seem natural? For the next few days, he mulled over how to entice Harper to attack the Weasley girl and how else he could harm or humiliate those blasted Weasleys…
He was on his way back from Quidditch practice, his Nimbus 2001 in hand. Thankfully, his spot on the Slytherin team still gave him some social clout in his house.
"Goodbye, Flint. Montague."
"Goodbye, Malfoy," Flint replied, while Montague just ignored him - Montague was a second cousin of Marcus Avery and Draco suspected his mother, born an Avery, had told him to keep his distance from him.
A few months ago, nobody in the Slytherin Quidditch team would have dared ignore him. The gall!
But they would all get their due in time!
While he was walking back to the castle with his broom in hand, he saw Harper in the distance, looking jealous at them and their new brooms.
Draco tried to make it look coincidental when he changed direction to walk past Harper.
"Malfoy," Harper greeted him, probably remembering that his family business was dependent on the Malfoys. Good for him to know his place, contrary to some others.
"Your name is Harper, isn't it?" Draco greeted him. "I saw you watching us train. Jealous of our brooms?"
No wait, he wanted to get on his good side, right?
Harper just shrugged mutely. "I guess. I flew a lot at home and would like to play Quidditch at Hogwarts too…"
"Well, not everybody can become Seeker as a second-year, but when you try out next year, I might put in a good word on your behalf."
"Really? What's in it for you?" Harper replied suspiciously. Good, he wasn't a total idiot like Crabbe and Goyle.
"Well, I heard how you're always being humiliated by that Weasley girl. That wouldn't look good for a future Slytherin Quidditch player, would it?"
Harper's eyes grew sharp.
"You want me to… attack Weasley?"
"Let's just say it would enhance your chances next year during the try-outs. And who knows, I could even throw in a good word to Mother for the Malfoy apothecary to buy more ingredients from the Harper family."
That should be enough to manipulate the first-year… right?
"Is it because of Arthur Weasley's role during the raid on the Malfoy manor?"
Draco barely kept an angry sneer from his face.
"Let's just say I find this whole blood-traitor family distasteful. So, what do you say, Harper?" he asked, holding out his hand, which the younger boy took after a moment of hesitation.
"We have a deal, Malfoy."