interesting! ^^ please update soon!

Why do I get the feeling that you're never going to update this? I think it's because it hasn't been updated since 04...or Fugitive Prince hasn't been updated since 04, anyway. Please tell me you're still writing and it's just taking you a mega long time to get things out. This is an amazing first chapter to a story that could turn out even better than Fugitive Prince. Please don't abandon it...

[QUOTE]"Are you ready?" he asked, eyes flashing as lightening went off in the distance.

Ron smirked back at him, amused. "'Course I am," he answered just as surely, eyes bright with courage and looking every bit a Gryffindor.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione smiled. "Let's just get this done before they've realized we're not in the Common Room like we're supposed to be." Her lips pressed together in thought. "Do you think we could get this done without anyone finding out?"[/QUOTE]

Perfect characterizations of the Trio. Perfect. This is exactly how they would act as they snuck out to face the world again, brave, willing, and yet cautious on Hermione's part. It was a great thing to see. And the way Hermione is so protective of Harry, so willing to fight against authority if it means protecting her friend... nice.

[QUOTE] Harry pulled his two friends in for a quick, close hug, arms tight with anticipation. They were just as stiff, and when the three pulled apart they eyed each other determinedly. "Remember," he added, opening the door to the roaring storm outside of Hogwarts, "don't try anything stupid. If one of us goes down, then it's all over. Nothing like last time, Ron." His eyes darkened as he turned to face the hoards that were bound by Hogwarts' failing magic just outside of the forest. [/QUOTE]

Nice use of metaphors and imagry. It foreshadows the future. I love that you have the three of them facing the storm, willingly stepping out into it, together. I love that they have learned from past mistakes. Love that you briefly tease the audience with glimpses into a past that we don't understand. Well done.

[QUOTE]The door clanked open. Light spilled into the small, dusty jail cell. [/QUOTE]

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful imagry.

[QUOTE]Really, he didn't think at all, at least not with a voice or string of words. He'd spent too much time in Azkaban to be that levelheaded. His thoughts were distorted and cut up slices of images and sound, nothing in sequence and no clear order. [/QUOTE]

This was jsut nicely written. The conversatin between the guards was a wonderful touch, love that you explained how truly evil he was. Also, instead of merely letting the narrator explain Draco's age, you let the guards tell us in a natural conversation between the two. That was especially well done.

[QUOTE]Draco let him mind drift back into the stupor he'd let it wallow in for the last three years. There, with no real conscious activity though he was awake, the dementors couldn't reach him. There, nothing could reach him.[/QUOTE]

This was a clever example of explaining the time to readres, letting us know for how long he's been in prison and when he was put in. Nicely done.

[QUOTE]Happy memories that he'd carefully hidden from the dementor's reach like a forest stash slowly resurfaced, filling him with wonder after three years of reliving the worst of his life.[/QUOTE]

What a beautiful way to put this. Honestly, great way to explain everything. And everything after this point was great. I loved that you really showed what the dementors do to a man. Draco can't respond, can't walk, but jsut hearing the word Dementor makes him scream out in terror. Very well shown. Also love the little throw-in reference to Sirius. Love that they don't know he's dead. Shows that no one was around to clear him, shows maybe that the war might not be over.

[QUOTE]The two jailers laughed at him, poking fun in a morbid way, but the discovery had brought about his last and greatest realization.He was not broken... hiding his signature smirk as his self-made shields destructed, restoring him to his full capacities.They unknowingly brought back Draco Malfoy, Lord Voldemort's dark dragon and right-hand man.[/QUOTE]

Wow. Nice. Wow. Even in prison, the clever, evil Draco Malfoy protected himself, kept his sanity.
I love the way Draco works to "shape together his bruised mind." that was great, the way he let us see the past with his memories. Nice details. Love that Malfoy was so attached to Voldemort. Love taht you did not redeem him. instead, you let hte world see that he loved being a death eater, loved working for voldemort, loved voldemort himself.

He attacked Hogwarts! Wow. Nice. Love this explanation of his "wrapsheet that would scare the Devil."

[QUOTE]Afterwards, on his way to Azkaban, Draco had systematically shut down in the way of all high-level Death Eaters, and he'd stayed shut down until the chance for escape arose.[/QUOTE]

And now we have an explanation for the broken barriers. Nice.

Who is the current minister making this huge mistake with Draco? The first line makes me think it could be fudge, but he couldn't still be in office, right? I know it's only been three years but... is it Dumbledore with the sweets? No. No. The angry words were too much. It couldn't be him. Nope. Can't be Dumbledore, he doesn't know about Sirius.

Dumbledore's entrance was powerful. [QUOTE]The wizard had aged noticeable. Always, Dumbledore had excluded a sort of timeless wisdom that never faded. Now that calming exterior was cracking at the edges. Physically, the wizard had only gained a half dozen new wrinkled and had shrunk a bit, becoming more prunish.[/QUOTE]

Wow. What a toll. And then the way that Dumbledore "sizes him up" was incredible and true. No second chances for this boy, this boy who was so cruel, who Dumbledore wanted to like, who in return tried to destoy his beloved castle.

[QUOTE] Even thought they'd been on different sides in a war, the power Dumbledore represented was one to be respected. [/QUOTE]

I liked this little bit, I liked the way it showed that Draco really did only care about power, only crave power, only respect power. And the way Draco reacts to the twinkling was great because while it comforted friends, it disturbed enemies. Nicely done.

Love that smirking causes him pain. Hate that Dumbledore is setting him free. Even though Ddis obviously cold towards him, Draco tried to destroy Hogwarts. Why would he ever be let free?

Greatest line in this entire chapter:

[QUOTE] Aloud, voice craggy and unfit for his bloodline, Draco said, "It would be a pity for you to go through all this work, headmaster, only to have me end up on the smoking end of some widow's wand."

The old wizard stirred; had he been asleep? Blue eyes looked over at him from bags of aged skin and wrinkles. "A pity for you, but few others would mourn the loss."[/QUOTE]

Loved that. a lot. A whole lot, showed a lot about hte kind of men they have become in three short years.

The conversation replayed in italics, with Draco speakin gand think, and Dumbledore hurting as he ignores qquestions about Harry, Ron, and Hermione... is is fabulous. Incredible to read. Realistic.

Loved the mystery of it all. Love that for some odd reason Draco must find Hermione and Ron, and then Harry. Love that you keep Draco in character. Love the suspense. Love this fic in general.

[QUOTE]
It was insulting and a little hurtful for Draco to realize that, in fact, he had never actually fought against Potter. In his mind, he had always thought that they'd battled and that he'd almost won, that day he'd brought his forces against Hogwarts. He was certain that the bespectacled, black-haired teenager had been there. He could remember clearly seeing Potter's anguished expression sometime during the fighting, face torn up in rage and defeat when it seemed that Hogwarts was certain to fail. Aside from utterly defeating Dumbledore and razing the castle to the ground, Draco's main motive had been the destruction of the Golden Boy.[/QUOTE]

this is a really interesting piece of information. it means that you have given us an unreliable narrator (like in CAtcher in the Rye there was an unreliable narrator in Holden Caulfield). It tells us that Draco still hates Harry, wanted to destroy the two most powerul people in the world after Voldemort died. It showed that he really had ambition, that he has unsettled scores, that Harry might actually have been there, even if Dumbledore hadn't seen him. I don't know. there are many posibilities.

And the ending! What an ending! Wow. I am going to quote the whole long thing:

[QUOTE] Potter's luck prevented him from ever losing. Draco knew with a dead certainty, one that had buoyed him up through the years, that the only reason they'd never actually fought against each other was because Potter would lose. It had been Draco who had fought against a team of trained Aurors, grown wizards when he had been nothing more than a gangly teen, and Draco had won easily. It had been Draco who, not even graduated from Hogwarts, had flown through Lord Voldemort's ranks, moving past men who'd served years without change. What did Potter have? A Quidditch record and some fabricated school stories?

There had only been one time, back in first-year, and Draco had stupidly forfeited that opportunity. 'But never again, Potter. The next time, when your friends aren't there to interfere and when your professors aren't there to protect, when it's just you and me… then you will fall hard and you will realize who is the better of us.'

Find Harry Potter. What an utterly ridiculous reason to let out a Death Eater from Azkaban. And what a tantalizing opportunity.

Draco opened his eyes again... Mentally, he sneered. 'So you know,' he sent out towards the headmaster. 'That's why you're willing to risk my release. You know what I'll do.

'If it kills me, I'll find Potter for you. I won't rest, I won't sleep, I won't try to escape. I'll be too busy trying my best to kill him.'[/QUOTE]

Loved all of that. Loved that Draco is so powerful, so determined. Love that Dumbledore understand that. Love that they are bound to each other, Draco and Harry, as enemies. Love taht Draco recognizes that fact. Love that Hermione and Ron are missing and that Harry is too.

I want to know how the beginning ties into the end. Did that take place after or before the defeat of Voldemort? Why did Dd help such a fool become Minister? Is Harry running from the world, or captured? Are Hermione and Ron runing from what they did that night? Are they trying to find Harry? Have they got amnesia and forgotten the whole thing?

I super hope you update this story soon.

Miranda

oh. interesting. very interesting. i can't wait for the next update! you better do it soon!

Gee, I thought I had reviewed this but I guess I hadn't. It is wonderful. Update whenever you can. ^^ I'm all curious n' stuff.

Oh no. How could you, March Madness? How will I ever choose which story of yours to pray for speedy updates in now?
I honestly thought Fugitive Prince couldn't be beaten, but this is giving it a run for its money. I know it is only the first chapter, but there are enough hooks in there to leave me biting my nails furiously.
I must say, your Malfoy here is just spot on. An unredeemed (and high-ranked) Death Eater, nearly destroying Hogwarts, surviving where others have been driven to insanity and yet still obsessed with Harry Potter. Could you get any more canon? I like the fact that, whether it is true or not, Malfoy is absolutely certain that he would defeat Potter in a duel. In fact, is willing to forgo escape for the chance to duel Potter.
It's odd, but the line which made the biggest impact on me is:

'Let Draco out of his cage every three years to show him what he's been stripped of.'

For some reason this really got to me. Malfoy referring to himself as Draco suddenly made him seem very vulnerable. And then kicking himself for letting weakness show...
Anyway, I'm itching to know what the flashback was about, so please do continue this fic at some point. Don't leave us gnawing on our livers in suspense...

- Thankyou, and sorry for the long review

Hey! This chapter was really long, but VERY interesting! :D Btw i love reading your summaries you make them sound so interesting, i wish i could do that, but oh well :p I hope you continue writing this story, I want to read and see what happens next!

O...I love this! and I am a big fan of your Fugitive Prince...but I think this might top it! Update THIS STORY soon~Gwen

-sigh- When I realized that you were starting more stories, my first impresion was 'NO! That'll take away writing time from FP!' but this is truly excellent. Hmm.. who is this new dark lord? Possibly Harry? Anyways superb beginning. ^^

-paradox

what in the world? I'm waiting in anticipation for your explanation about the Trio's whereabouts. I've just read a really good start to what I'm assuming is going to be a Brilliant story. Update soon please.

Good so far. Is Draco going to beat Harry, or is Harry the new evil dark wizard becuse Voldemort is possesing him. Just jocking, i have no clue what the hell is going to happen but i woldn't mine another Evil Harry story.

cool... Is harry the bad guy?

Oh this was excellent! I love the idea, and I love Draco's hate... it was so well done and expressed... I'm so in awe of your writing. I'm very curious about the flashback at the start. More soon?

Ahh we're two for two so far, in about a minute I'm going to check to see if we're batting a thousand. You are up there on my list of favorite fanfic authors, I can handle the wait, a very patient man I am, just keep providing such wonderful reading material, yes, I shall be happy.