But He’s a Malfoy

Draco had arrived with Chute just in time to hear the ‘But he’s a Malfoy’ comment and he stiffened in his stance. Draco had never been ashamed of his name, of his inheritance. It was part of who he was. It was who he was. But certain events had the tendency to change things.

Lucius Malfoy had been in Azkaban Prison for the better part of the decade since Harry Potter and the rest of the Aurors had fought back the Death Eaters to recession, and some to extinction, during the War of Light. Being a co-conspirator of Voldemort and one of the leaders of the Dark Army, his name was considered close to being you-know-who’d. The end of the War had found the Malfoys in an awkward position in the magical community. It had taken some time but while things had gotten better, Draco would still have to live with the fact that the controversial name will be his for all time. And he would have to keep his composure among the muggle-tolerant wizarding world.

Sierra passed the two on her way to the outer room wordlessly, only looking up briefly to shoot Draco a look he was very familiar with. It was the same kind of look every other witch had given him and his family when his father had been sentenced to Azkaban.

Disdain.

Sierra put up her hand to shut Chute up when he opened his mouth to say an obvious ‘I-told-you-so’. “Don’t even,” she muttered dispirited.

Chute shrugged I-told-you-so-ly instead before he went into the backroom himself to talk to Thames.

She let out a sigh, still shaking her head to herself in annoyance, before glancing up at Draco briefly. “I don’t suppose you believe me,” she muttered in ridicule.

Draco paused for a moment as if to consider this but then averted his gaze uncaringly, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “How much longer is this dalliance going to take do you suppose?” he drawled.

Sierra made a face in disbelief. “Didn’t you hear what we were talking about? This world is turning to shit! Did you come here by Floo?” she wanted to know. “’Cause if you did, you picked terrific timing. Now you’re stuck here along with the rest of us,” she threw up her hands exasperatedly. “Magic’s on a down spiral and unfortunately, this sort of problem isn’t as easily solved as ‘I believe in fairies’,” she sighed again.

Draco creased his forehead impatiently. “Look, I don’t care if it’s raining bloody fireballs outside, I just want to get back to bloody Park Avenue!”

This earned him another look of incredible disbelief from Sierra. “You are an unbelievably selfish British prat, do you know that?” she remarked, just as the bell above the front door of Games & Craft jangled as someone walked in.

They both glanced over and Sierra’s expression brightened instantly with a surprised smile, “Jack!”

The guy met Sierra’s gaze and smiled widely, “Hey Sier—,” he stopped short upon seeing Draco and his expression turned instantly cold. “Oh my god, it’s a Malfoy,” he sneered in distaste.

Draco blinked off-guard. Hey. Great to finally be recognized.

“What the hell were you thinking bringing a Malfoy down here?” Jack demanded stalking up to them menacingly and eyeing Draco.

Jack and Draco were of the same height but the prim and proper blonde British aristocrat and the Hispanic tattered-leather-jacket-wearing street drifter were completely different in every other aspect, except maybe for distinctive good looks and the volatile temper which Jack certainly seemed intent to display right now.

But don’t blame Jack. He has no last name. He was an orphan. He thought the acceptance letter to Hogwarts was a prank. But since Jack was a natural troublemaker, a predisposition rooted from his angst and general lack of parenting, the orphanage was more than anxious to give him away. Then after Hogwarts, since he couldn’t attend college, he did odd jobs around London before deciding to portkey to America where he’d been living the past years as an illegal alien and working for the Divination Authority.

Draco met his heated gaze with a look of incredulity but didn’t say anything.

“All right, all right,” Sierra stepped between Jack and Draco as if to referee, “let it go, Jack,” she told him pointedly. “I just came to see Thames. We’ll be leaving soon.”

“You tell Thames to lock this Death Eater up along with his father,” Jack told her with conviction.

At that, Draco glared at him, his eyes turning cold steel. “Be careful,” he warned him in a low threatening voice.

Sierra looked from one to the other cautiously. If they went at it right here, she for sure would not be able to stop them herself and she certainly could not risk leaving the two guys alone if she went for help.

Just then the bell above the door jangled again—with a different sound this time, as if of a buzzing alarm.

A muggle had come in.

Jack stopped short and collected himself rather than alarm the unaware muggle customer. He just shot Draco another dark look before turning to Sierra. “So what did you talk to Thames about? You look upset,” he said, even as he glanced over at Draco every so often warily as if he posed a threat.

Sierra started to relay to him what she’d just told Thames, elaborating on how Thames wouldn’t even hear her out, using some very colorful contemporary colloquial four-letter words.

Draco shook his head to himself in exasperation as he leaned against the counter. It was just one circus after another. If he left it up to her, it might well take a bloody century before he ever gets out of here. He would have just left way earlier on too, that is if he knew he wouldn’t just get lost in the city again. But as it was, whether he liked it or not, he needed the help of these annoying witches to get back to his life. To normalcy. Where they didn’t need bloody muggle-alerting alarms.

He cast a disinterested look at the two who seemed deep in conversation as if they haven’t seen each other for years and needed catching up. He noted Sierra’s hand still holding Jack’s arm in restraint as if he would suddenly decide to pounce on Draco. It seemed to him a familiar gesture. He looked from one to the other as they talked in hushed voices and guessed they must be a couple. He also noticed the stud earring glinting in Jack’s left earlobe and rolled his eyes. Was this guy for real?

Sierra’s voice increased in volume as if she intended Draco to hear what she was saying next or she was trying to sell Jack on something. “We could use his help around here,” she was saying. “He knows a lot about the traditional ways of magic. Admit it, most of us here have been highly revolutionized and are pretty rusty with the way things used to be. That is if you’re interested,” she shrugged glancing up at Draco expectantly.

Jack spoke up with a knowing sneer. “Of course he’s not interested. The only interest he’s looking to protect is his own.”

Draco’s glare at him did not waver. “Sorry but I’m not as dedicated to this cause as your boyfriend there is,” he jerked his chin in the direction of Jack with the same sneer.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Sierra said exasperatedly. “Look, aren’t you even the least bit concerned? You know this affects all wizards and witches alike, here or abroad, traditional or progressive. It’s the very nature of the new order. Recognizing that we all have to work together to sustain and protect magic in the changing world.”

“Well then consider me a nonconformist,” Draco muttered nonchalantly. “This doesn’t concern me.” He understood her point, he really did, but he didn’t belong in this place around these nutters and the last thing he wanted to do was stay longer.

“’Course not,” Jack remarked. “Because you’d love nothing more than to see these muggles tortured and disemboweled. Isn’t that the Malfoy way?” he prompted with a dark malicious smirk.

Naturally, Draco’s calm snapped. “You—!” he lunged at Jack intending to pummel him to the ground so hard the next angsty hoodlum would feel it.

“Oh god!” Sierra cried, her eyes popping out in surprise.

---

a/n: ...and there is that chapter that inspired the whole one-shot i posted last week of the same title But He's a Malfoy. if you guys have time, hope you get to read that too, it's just a short one under the D/Hr ship. thanks for all those who've left reviews, totally appreciate it :) thanks for reading as always! ;) see ya later!