"You must know this is an unacceptable way to behave.'
Harry kept silent, staring over Mr. Malfoy's head and out the window of the study. It was enchanted to give some kind of view of a winter forest under a blanket of silver snow. Harry wished that he could be like that. Frozen and still, instead of already sick and wanting to shout again. The numbness that had overcome him when they were on their way to the study had already left him again.
"Henry, are you listening to me?"
"Yes. It's an unacceptable way to behave," Harry droned.
That had always been enough to get him out of trouble with Uncle Vernon, but Mr. Malfoy narrowed his eyes and leaned forwards from behind the huge ebony desk where he probably plotted the kind of evil deeds that Dobby had tried to warn him about. "I want you to understand what I mean."
"I understand that exploding your windows makes you angrier than endangering students at Hogwarts does, sure."
Mr. Malfoy pursed his lips and closed his eyes, exhaling hard. Then, utterly startling Harry, he stood up from behind the desk and gestured to the sleek silver couch on the other side of the study, the same color as the image of the forest outside the window.
Harry went and sat on it, his face pinched. Maybe that made him look more like a real Malfoy. But he still didn't feel that way.
Mr. Malfoy sat on the couch next to him. He bent down and peered into Harry's eyes. Harry stared back and tried his best to put all his disgust and anger into the glare.
They treated Dobby the way the Dursleys used to treat him. If they thought one thing was wrong, they should think the other thing was wrong, too. But they weren't falling all over themselves to tell Dobby that he had to see a Mind-Healer. And Harry thought they would have kept him from seeing Dobby forever if they could.
The anger built and beat under his breastbone, and Mr. Malfoy's desk began to tremble.
"Listen to me, Henry," Mr. Malfoy said softly, and took his hand. Harry started, and the magic faded away. Mr. Malfoy kept staring intently at him.
"Yes," Mr. Malfoy said.
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, I was plotting something to do with the school," Mr. Malfoy said, and sighed. "At the time, it—made sense. It would have caused the kind of chaos that would distract certain enemies in the Ministry from our family, and it would have discredited someone I hate. And it would have…" He hesitated for so long that Harry thought he wouldn't start speaking again, but finally he did. "It would have made the Dark Lord look on us with favor."
Harry ripped his hand away, but Mr. Malfoy didn't move. He kept sitting there and staring, and Harry hated it. For the first time in his life, he appreciated the fact that the Dursleys had sent him to his cupboard when he got angry at them. It meant it was easier to think and unwind in the darkness.
He couldn't get away with Mr. Malfoy staring at him like this. Harry clenched his hands into fists in his lap and threw his words like curses instead. "So, how soon are you going to turn me over to him?"
Mr. Malfoy's eyes closed. "I would never do that to a child of mine, Henry."
"Yes, you would."
"I have asked you before to think before you speak—"
"You did your plot, whatever it was, with Draco right in the school," Harry snapped at him. "How did you know it wouldn't hurt him?"
Mr. Malfoy's eyes opened, and he stared down at Harry for a long moment. He was probably thinking before he spoke, Harry thought, unable not to feel the boil of fury through his veins.
"I—was led to believe that the object would only hurt those who were of half blood or less," said Mr. Malfoy at last.
"And you didn't care about me when you thought I was the Potters' child."
"No." Mr. Malfoy swallowed. "I hated you."
Harry nodded. His fury had changed. He felt odd, light, floating, airy. It was as if a horrible thing had happened, but it was almost a relief, because he'd been anticipating the horrible thing so long and now it had happened and it couldn't hurt him anymore.
"You hated me, and you hate me now."
"What? No—"
....
Do you want to read ahead by more than 60 exciting premium chapters?
Then join my p*atreon right now.
Link: p*atreon.com/Sonic_Spectre (Remove the *)
Free members can unlock upto 2 chapters.