Chapter Text
Prologue
"Draco, stop whining. It was the only broom available" Lucius Malfoy, the Lord of the Malfoy Manor, scolded his eight year old son and heir apparent.
"But father it's a Cleansweep. I want a Firebolt. You promised", pouted the son.
"Okay, if you do not want it, I will give it to that Weasley kid you play around with. Are you happy now? Where is that bloody house elf with my drink and has Arthur Weasley arrived?"
Draco was mortified. His father was his hero and he craved his father's attention which he rarely got. He had always wanted to do things to appease his father. "Father please do not give it to Ron, I promise I will play with it."
Ron was son of Arthur Weasley who was under the employment of Lucius Malfoy. Arthur was in charge of overlooking their estate and lived in servant's quarter with his large family. He was cousin of Draco's mother Narcissa Malfoy, which her ladyship always refused to acknowledge. "Nobody in my family has such garish red hair and those features" she used to say. The Malfoys were an old respected pure blooded aristocratic family. They had platinum blond hair and fine delicate features. "Having Draco is more than enough for my nerves. How do these Weasleys manage their brood of seven children with not a single galleon to their name? Breeding like rabbits" she wondered sometimes.
Nobody knew how Weasleys managed though. Whenever one met Arthur Weasley, he was smiling and whistling about and getting excited about muggle things. "Simpleton" Lucius Malfoy used to sneer. The only reason he used tolerated Arthur Weasley was because Weasley was an honest man. All the records and finance of Lucius’s large estate were always in impeccable order. Arthur’s wife, Molly Weasley was plump little woman who welcomed everybody with a heart-warming smile and delicious pies. The Weasley's youngest son Ronald was of same age as Draco and would very often play with him.
"Father, may I go and show my new toy to Ron?"
"Yes you may go but remember no complaining next time", Lucius dismissed Draco. "He is such a whiny child. You have really spoilt her, Narcissa" Lucius told his wife after Draco left with his new broom.
"He is as well behaved as any scion of aristocratic family. But do you think is it appropriate for him socialising with that Weasley brat?” Narcissa Malfoy replied haughtily.
"It’s better than his getting on our nerves and it’s only matter of two three more years. He will be going to Hogwarts then, dear, where he will be fraternizing with children of prominent pureblooded families and will forget all about that Weasley boy." Lucius reassured his lady.
"I have heard headmaster Albus Dumbledore is thinking of admitting children of lower class families if their magic is good enough and even mudbloods. I shudder to even think about it."
"Remember my dear; it is your husband who is the chairman of the Board of Directors. The long lived traditions of Hogwarts would never ever get sacrificed for someone's notion of altruism. I have already talked to Parkinsons, Bones, Notts and Macmillan. Only Potters are in favour of headmaster’s madness. Rest assured Hogwarts is and always will be an exclusive school for pureblood aristocrats like us and scums like Weasleys would never enter its prestigious gates. You worry about that son of yours. I sincerely hope he does not bring disgrace to our noble house."
"Ron, see what my father got for me" Draco came hurling towards Ron in his new broom excitedly causing a crash.
Ron was waiting to play with Master Draco in his playroom marvelling at the collection of toys. He always wondered how could one person play with so many things.
"Wicked...It’s a broom! But look Master Draco, you broke the hand of your Chinese doll!" Ron exclaimed.
"I do not care. I am too old for all this stuff anyway".
"Can I take it for my little sister? It is already broken."
"Yes, please do. It was such a terrible gift from my aunt Bella. She always sends ugly gifts. Anyway look at me fly." Draco kicked off his broom and shot up towards the ceiling.
Ron watched him fly, waving and cheering him around. It would be so cool to actually own a broom and not plead and beg his brothers to have one turn in their ancient broom, which actually belonged to their uncle. For Ron, these trips to Malfoy Manor were special because none of his brothers had ever been to it. He used to stare wide eyed in wonder at marble fountains, white peacocks in garden and huge glass chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. He used to talk so much after his visits from the Manor that his dad used to call his visits 'little Ronnie in wonderland'. Now he was going to give his little sister a beautiful doll. Ginny would be so happy to actually own a doll which is made of porcelain and not from the rags which his mom made. He liked Master Draco but was afraid of Lord and Lady Malfoy. They never kissed their son or hugged him. His mum would never let Ron go without those wet kisses and full body hugs despite him squirming all the time.
The noise of something crashing suddenly pulled him from his thoughts and he saw Draco lying on floor with his broom and broken glass pieces and crying loudly.
"Oh no, I broke it. What am I going to do now Ron?" Draco cried.
"It is just broken glass, Master Draco. Don't worry."
"No, you idiot, it is my family’s heirloom. My father is so proud of it. He keeps it on stupid mantelpiece for whole world to see. And now I have broken it and he is definitely going to kill me" Draco was inconsolable.
“Nobody ever kills anyone over a piece of glass piece, Master Draco, do not be afraid."
"What was that noise Draco?” Lucius Malfoy came strolling towards them.
"Dad! Ron and I were just playing. He wanted to try on the broom and I told him to fly outside but he did not listen to me and crashed in to the wall and broke that heirloom thing." Draco knew he was lying but he did not want to see disappointment or resentment on his father's face and Ron was his friend and friends do that for each other all the time.
"Is it true, Weasley? You broke it?" Lucius asked sternly.
"Y...yes sir", Ron stammered his ears going as red as his hair.
"Do you know punishment of such an offence? Come with me to the library and Draco you better go to your room."
That was the first time Draco had ever lied to his father. Ron never told him what punishment his father gave to him. For first few days guilt gnawed at his heart, especially, when something changed in Ron whenever Lucius Malfoy was around. But his craving for his father's love and approval, buried that lie in deeper recesses of his heart. And Ron never minded, that was what he liked about Ron. He was always bounding with energy like a puppy. Ron was an excellent listener too. How attentively Ron would listen to Draco barraging about expensive toys, exotic holidays, and all the important people Draco because of his father’s connections, with wonder in his bright blue eyes. Being the only child, Draco enjoyed stories Ron used to tell about his large family, about how his brothers would play pranks on Ron all the time, about how they all would play quidditich in the backyard and those delicious treacle tart or apple pies which Ron's mother would make. Though Draco met other kids his age, belonging to the prominent pureblood families, but something was always amiss when he used to play with them. Ron was only friend Draco ever had till he was eleven years old, when it was time for him to go to Hogwarts, and make his mark as only heir of Malfoy family.