Serving the Dark Lord wasn't an honour, it was slavery.
The Dark Lord might be the Heir of Slytherin but he was sired by a muggle. He wasn't a pureblood.
The House of Malfoy might be superior in many ways and be a leader of sorts in the wizarding world but it was outranked by the House of Black; always had been and always would be.
These were the truths of the matter. His father had lied to him and Draco was thoroughly disillusioned. There was a pained ache in his chest that Draco rubbed absently.
Still there was no doubt that his father was a powerful wizard; respected and influential, that the Malfoys had money (even if it was controlled right at that moment by Black and the stupid werewolf who'd had the temerity to restrict Draco's allowance) and status. But there was also no doubt that none of that mattered when Lord Black was more powerful, respected and influential; when Black had more money and status. There was no doubt that others, like Nott, saw the difference and would take advantage of the gap.
Nott was unfortunately right; Draco had to accept the new reality somehow.
Resentment stampeded through him again.
He shouldn't have to accept the new reality, damn it! He wanted everything back the way it was. He wanted, wanted…something he couldn't have.
Draco sighed heavily. He tapped his fingers restlessly against the fine china mug he held. Truthfully, he had allowed his childhood lessons on negotiation and political analysis to slide from his memory, secure in the knowledge that his Malfoy name was enough to get what he wanted. But it wasn't anymore and he found himself dredging his head for the skills that his father had made him learn.
So, first question: who had power? Answer: Black was the House that everyone feared above and beyond the Malfoys. Then, there was the Dark Lord. And finally, perhaps, Dumbledore – not that the old fool ever used it.
To gain power then…since Draco couldn't hope to fight either Dumbledore or the Dark Lord and win, the obvious answer was to remove the House of Black and have the House of Malfoy take its place. Yet Draco had sworn oaths to support and be loyal to the House, the Head of the House and deal neutrally with its Heir so he couldn't conspire to harm the House of Black in any way, although believing his actions (including those that may damage the House) were for the good of the House of Black might give him some small wriggle room. Was it worth the risk of losing his magic though? Not to mention the House of Black seemed to be the only one capable of standing against either the Dark Lord or Dumbledore.
Draco frowned.
If removal of the House of Black was not possible then the other option was to work with the House of Black and become a key figure in its power dynamic – gain power that way.
Clearly that was the decision his father had made.
Lucius Malfoy was supporting the House of Black in the Wizengamot, arranging deals between the House of Black and the old pureblood alliance, and maintaining a public impression of family solidarity with the House of Black regardless of how much his father hated Sirius Black and Potter. His father in a rare moment with Draco had admitted that since he now knew the truth about the Dark Lord, following the madman wasn't an option and supporting the House of Black to get rid of the threat as they had vowed really was the new plan. He was using the Malfoy connection to the House of Black to maintain his authority with their allies but to also consolidate a new political position. He was turning what had appeared to be a negative into a positive for the House of Malfoy.
His mother had been telling Draco all Summer that he was going to have to adjust his attitude, that he should follow his father's example of making the best of their situation and she was right; Draco needed to do the same as his father.
Part of him didn't want to because he had learned his father had lied to him most of his life and he didn't want to be like his father anymore (and there was that ache again).
He snorted and drank his tea wincing at how cold the drink had gone in his musing. He set it aside.
Maybe it wasn't going to be a problem appearing to throw his lot in with the House of Black. His father had made it clear that while he knew they had to bow to the expectation of acknowledging primacy, in private they could keep their own opinion that the Malfoys were better than the Blacks; the Malfoys continued to uphold the purity of blood whereas the current Lord was intent on damaging the House with muggleborns, halfbloods and half-breeds. Draco could at least agree with his father on that.
So, alright, Draco decided, he would need to pretend to maintain a façade of acceptance to the primacy in front of Black and others. That wasn't too much of a problem as his father would understand the need as would his mother as she had been quite fervent about ensuring his compliance all Summer. And Draco mused, actually being part of the House of Black wasn't a bad thing.
His mother had informed him of the Black family history, their power and ancestry. They were a formidable House, distinguished and, until Potter's acceptance as Heir, pureblooded, but it seemed Potter was a strong wizard (he still couldn't quite get his head around the blessing ritual he'd witnessed where Potter had called forth the spirit of Morgana Le Fey but it indicated that Potter was very powerful regardless of what Draco had observed at Hogwarts) and undoubtedly that was why the family magic had accepted him. It would help make the House of Black a formidable magical opponent.
And while he still believed purebloods were superior to all other wizards, he had to admit that he quite liked his muggleborn Uncle Ted. He'd been forced into various interactions thanks to his mother's thrice damned etiquette lessons. But…there was something solid and reassuring about Theodore Tonks; a warmth that was missing from Draco's own father and Draco had often found himself tempted to confide in Ted although he was horrified at the impulse. He could see why his Aunt Andromeda had married him. She was witty, intelligent and very much a lady for all she had eschewed the politics of her upbringing; he could secretly admit if only to himself that he admired her. She also made his mother smile more. Their daughter on the other hand…Nymphadora was too spiky and barbed; too clumsy and graceless for Draco to approve of her.
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