It's been a whole day since Thomas had the unfortunate luck of meeting the living fraud and so like he promise yesterday, he left his house and went to visit the Malfoys so that he could be done with that once and for all. He had seen the mansions of the devils and yet Thomas still felt a surge of nervousness as he approached the Malfoy Mansion.
Once he was in front of the door, he knocked on the large wooden door, hoping that Draco would be the one to greet him or even his rumored-to-be kind mother, frankly, anyone was better than Lucius himself, but Thomas doubt that man will go to such lengths.
As he expected, the one who opened the door was not Lucius, but it wasn't his wife nor Draco, instead, he was met by a small creature with large ears and a ragged cloth for clothing.
"Who are you?" the house-elf asked in a high-pitched voice, eyeing Thomas with curiosity and suspicion.
"I'm Thomas Grayson. Mr. Malfoy invited me to come over today," Thomas answered politely.
The house elf looked doubtful. "A guest of Master Lucius? But you are not a pure-blood, are you?"
Thomas felt a pang of discomfort. He knew that Lucius Malfoy was a supporter of the noseless bastard, the dark wizard who wanted to rid the world of muggle-borns like him. But for the house elf to react like that, maybe coming here was a mistake.
"No, I'm not. I'm a muggle-born," Thomas admitted.
The house-elf gasped. "A muggle-born? In the Malfoy Mansion? This is unheard of!"
Thomas wondered if he should leave, but before he could say anything, the house elf composed itself and said, "Please forgive me, sir. I did not mean to offend you. Master Lucius must have his reasons for inviting you. Please follow me, sir. I will take you to Mistress Narcissa."
After the house-elf apologize by hitting his head on the floor, Thomas followed him inside the mansion, feeling uneasy. He looked around and saw that the mansion was decorated with expensive furniture, paintings, and statues. He also noticed that there were many dark and sinister objects, such as skulls, snakes, and masks, making Thomas feel a chill run down his spine. Once past the rather unsettling hallway, he was led to a spacious living room, where he saw a beautiful woman sitting on a couch. She had long blonde hair and pale skin, and she wore a green silk dress. She looked up as Thomas entered and smiled at him warmly.
"Hello, Thomas," she said in a gentle voice. "I'm Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Thomas was surprised by her friendly demeanor. He had expected her to be cold and haughty like her husband Lucius, who was nowhere to be seen. But he would lie if he were to say that this wasn't a welcomed surprise.
"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy," Thomas said nervously. "Thank you for having me."
Narcissa rose from her seat and walked towards Thomas. She took his hand and said, "No, thank you for coming. And thank you for what you did for my son, both for saving him and for changing his mindset."
Thomas felt confused. What did she mean by that?
Seeing the confused expression on the boy's face, Narcissa explained, "Draco told me everything that happened in the Forbidden Forest a few months ago. How you saved him from that devil woman and her summons. How you fought bravely alongside the centaur while he escaped. How you risked your life for him. He told me that he thought you sacrificed for him and that made him realize just how pitiful he was in the face of pure strength."
Thomas remembered that night vividly. He and Draco had been attacked by a devil. She had summoned creatures that looked like something out of a horror movie which forced Thomas to use his magic to create a path for Draco to run away while he stayed behind to fight with the help of Marsius. While remembering that night, Thomas realized that Narcissa was still holding his hand and looking at him with gratitude in her eyes.
"I don't know how to thank you enough," she said sincerely.
Thomas felt embarrassed by her praise.
"It was nothing," he said modestly. "I just did what anyone would do."
Narcissa shook her head.
"No, you did something extraordinary," she said firmly. "You saved my son's life when no one else could or would. I know him and I know better than anyone just how much of a spoiled little brat he is." Narcissa then leaned closer and whispered. "He's the exact replica of his father, a young, stupid, and spoiled little boy that believes the world belongs to his dad. "
She released his hand and said,
"Well, at least that was until that day. So, please join us for lunch today. We have prepared a lavish feast in your honor."
She gestured towards another room where a large dining table was covered with various dishes and drinks.
Thomas felt his stomach growl since he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday.
"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy. That's very kind of you," he said politely while following her to the table, where he saw Draco sitting on a chair. He looked bored and annoyed.
"Hey, Thomas," he said in a casual tone. "Glad you could make it."
This was probably the first time he had ever heard the blonde boy being somewhat happy to see him, which made Thomas even more skeptical of his decision of eating lunch with the Malfoys.
"Hey, Draco," Nevertheless Thomas greeted the blonde boy in a friendly tone.
Draco then shrugged making Thomas wonder if he had hit his head or something, but since it didn't matter, he decided to ignore it and focus on the food. Thomas sat down on a chair next to Draco and looked at the dishes. He saw roast chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, bread, butter, cheese, soup, pie, cake, ice cream, and more. He also saw wine, juice, water, and tea.
Looking at all of those goodies, Thomas felt his mouth water. But as someone taught by a woman from the devil nobility, Thomas waited for Narcissa to sit down before he reached for a plate. He served himself some chicken and potatoes and took a bite. He moaned in delight. It was delicious.
He looked at Narcissa and said,
"This is amazing, Mrs. Malfoy. You're a great cook."
Narcissa smiled and said,
"Thank you, Thomas. I'm glad you like it. It's one of the few pleasures I have in life."
She served herself some salad and bread and said, "So, Thomas, tell us about yourself. Where are you from? What do your parents do? How did you discover your magic?"
Thomas felt a surge of anxiety. He knew that these questions were inevitable, but he didn't know how to answer them without lying or revealing too much.
'Well at least there was no Lucius in the room so that was for the best.' Thought the boy before he decided to tell the truth as much as possible.
"I'm from London. My parents are muggles. My mother was a combat medic while my father is a zookeeper."
When Thomas looked at her, he saw Narcissa's eyes widen in surprise.
"Really?" she asked. "Your mother was a doctor? How fascinating."
Rather than waiting for the lady to inquire further about his parents, Thomas decided to continue with how he got his magic. "I discovered my magic when I was seven years old. I was with my parents at the zoo and when I touch the glass window it broke injuring my mother."
He saw Draco roll his eyes.
"That's boring," he said. "Everyone can do that."
For a moment, Narcissa felt her entire body freeze in fear almost as if something dangerous was just in front of her, but how could that be true? In front of her was twelve years old boy, not some manic friend of her husband or some monster. However, as someone that was forced to live in a not-so-lovely environment, Narcissa learned from a young age how to judge a person, and what she saw in the boy's eyes made her shiver. Pure anger, ready to explode at any given moment, and all that because her son uttered those words. Before something horrible could happen, Narcissa calmed herself before looking back at the blonde boy that seem ready to kill her son.
"That must have been hard for you," she said sympathetically.
Thomas nodded, slowly but surely getting calmer, even if it was only ever so slightly.
"It was," he said coldly while glaring at Draco.
Before anyone could say anything more, a sudden voice was heard in the room.
"I see that our guest has already been greeted properly ."
Everyone turned towards the source of the voice and both Thomas and Narcissa looked at him in shock not expecting to see the man, each for their own reasons. Even if he had noticed their shock, Lucius didn't care and he simply choose to walk down the stairs, looking somewhat tired as if he had barely any sleep last night.
The man walked towards the table, ignoring Thomas, Draco, and Narcissa, and sat down on a chair opposite Thomas and looked at him with disdain.
"Mr. Grayson, I want to thank you for saving my son's life," he said in a not-so-welcoming tone. "You have done us a great favor, and we are in your debt."
He paused and added, "What do you want as a reward? Money? Power? Fame? Name your price, and we will pay it."
He sounded almost as if he was urging the boy to leave. Thomas felt a surge of anger and disgust. He didn't like Lucius at all, not after how the man threw insults to the Weasleys yesterday and especially not now that he had shown his real face to the boy. If yesterday Lucius was a well-mannered nobleman, today, Thomas could tell that Lucius was a cruel and selfish man who cared only about himself and his status.
However, Thomas didn't want anything from him. He didn't save Draco for a reward. He saved him because he saw the boy as something more than a liability. Despite everything between them, Draco was ready to fight to the death that night and that made Thomas respect the blonde boy just a tiny bit.
Leif had told him that if by some bad luck, he will stand face to face with a pompous man believing he holds the world, he should respond in kind acting indifferent, not giving the man any respect since frankly, he didn't deserve it.
"I don't want anything from you, Mr. Malfoy. I don't need your money or your power or your fame. I saved Draco because he's my schoolmate, not because I wanted something in return, unlike other people that would have bled you dry, sir."
Thomas's words hung in the air, and the tension in the room seemed to thicken. Lucius Malfoy's jaw tightened, clearly unaccustomed to someone speaking to him in such a manner. But contrary to what Narcissa thought, Thomas held his ground, trying to maintain the air of indifference that Leif had advised him to adopt.
"You saved him because he's your schoolmate?" Lucius repeated this time his voice dripping with venom. "A noble sentiment, I suppose, but not one that many would uphold when faced with the opportunity to gain something from the Malfoys, the richest and most powerful pure-blood house in the whole wizardly world."
Thomas shrugged casually. "Perhaps others would, but I have my own principles. I believe in doing what's right, not what's convenient or beneficial. And I don't need any favors from you or your family."
Narcissa, who had been silent throughout most of the conversation, observed Thomas with a mix of surprise and curiosity but also a twinge of fear, fearing that this kind boy might wake up the sleeping giant.
"Young man," Lucius spoke again, however this time his voice cold and measured, "you may believe in your noble principles, but they won't protect you from the harsh realities of the world. In the end, power and influence are what matter most, and those who possess them can shape the world to their liking."
Thomas offered a small smile, refusing to be intimidated. "That may be true for some, Mr. Malfoy, but I have my own path to follow, and I'll find my way without compromising my values."
Lucius's eyes bore into Thomas as if trying to discern the truth behind his words. The silence in the room was almost palpable, and for a moment, Thomas wondered if he had overstepped his bounds.
After what felt like an eternity, Lucius's lips curled into a smirk, and he chuckled softly. "You're an intriguing young wizard, I'll give you that. It will be interesting to see how your childish idealism holds up in the face of the real world."
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