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There was a platinum blonde so pure and bright that couldn't be rivaled in the wizard world.
Immaculate and polished. Such as the Malfoy name for centuries, unmistakable, one who shined amongst crews.
Unaware of the tarnished future that would fall on their legacy, standing straight and proud had always been their thing. Like a beautiful show on display where they stood.
Their pride being their whole identity, selfishness and vanity. With all of that in mind there shouldn't have been a surprise when once Abraxas walked on the ministry attending a very important business, his son on his left.
Like a good pureblood standing proud, not interrupting yet standing like his own personality. The main trait apart from the hair he got from his father, an aura that could be perceived from meters away.
Hard to pinpoint, if it was the cold and harsh stare that could hunt men, the posture of a man even though he was barely 14, like a gracious risk exposed for the world to fear and cower.
It was an offhand comment from an old lady, with fine robes and luxurious jewelry. With that fakely warm demeanor she was supposed to use with children she said the words that would change it all.
“Such a gracious young man, it would be expected for your patronus to be something like you, maybe a peacock”
The warm tone did not hide the real intention in Lucius' eyes, a comment so natural for others hid an insult to his name, the vulgar comparison to the light power, treating him like a child who couldn't even perform the easier and more banal way of magic.
Yet something resonated deep inside him, the proud and polished animals who proudly moved themselves.
“I'm glad to be perceived so highly, I thank for your kind and open appreciating to myself”
To the open ears the woman was now a clear support of his heir position, even if she first intended to hurt him. The cleavers would notice but be satisfied.
Such a common interaction in the pureblood world sparked Lucius Malfoy interest. Who reached his manor and ordered albino peacocks, expensive and rare like no other.
He took pride for years to come to the great state in which he kept them all, even if he never got his hands dirty like the ones who worked below him. Witnessing the birth and death of several clutches.
Even as the dooming war striked he kept them alive, even if the pure and beautiful died in spare occasions. He cared for them like nothing else in the world.
It was never love, such a statement could not be even thought of for an animal. Yet he knew all the facts about them and took pride in their presence.
That was his statement, the only threat that kept him sane in the war and azkaban before his trial when he was once again released but forced to live elsewhere.
His monthly letters with Draco including a photo was the only thing he had now.
And even if for Lucius it had been a source of happiness the rest of the world did not perceive it that way.
Narcissa married into the Malfoy family to Abraxas dismay, she had been trained all her life for an arranged marriage, considering the family benefits such as all her sisters did.
She had not envisioned meeting Lucius at Hogwarts, a deep man who had a lovely side that could be hers. Proud and rich, political and a great dancer.
After a fight with his family she married him, her own family approving of it. She had expected so much which was later given to her even if later led to her doom.
One thing she had not expected was his husband's weird connection with albino peacocks. The small bastards strode along the gardens, tearing bushes and plants which the elfs then had to fix.
More than once had she wanted something and had they been occupied with the damn peacocks.
But when credit was needed it had to be given, they were smart animals and hid their devilish actions from her husband's gaze.
And they were fierce, in the galas it was passed mouth by mouth to not go into the further part of the gardens, where any wanderer would be harassed by the things.
Their beaks were really strong, picking on hands or any exposed or even covered skin.
It had always been her job to apologize or even bribe the victims. Silence had been her key and shield, even if it had to be bought.
So after years she wanted the goddamn things gone, they took so much space and money, she even felt worried for her kid, his little baby might get hurt. So she fought for it. In his husband's studies, she constantly complained and said it to her husband.
But he didn't budge, the things were roaming even as Draco started wandering through the manor. It had been a mess as he grew up.
She also knew that in the war when everyone was hanging by a thread the family and the beasts had been his only sanity so she forgave a bit to the wild things, at least as she moved out of the country there were no more under her responsibility.
It had been all passed to Draco Lucius Malfoy, the head of the house, owner of the land and husband of Astoria Greengrass .
After his three months on Askaban and Harry Potter talking good for him in his trial he got to be free as well as his parents. The first months were pure rage, with the world, with his parents, with potter. There was also sadness, depression that kept him trapped on the cursed wall that was his home, doing his NEWT’s by a separate source, isolating himself.
Once every blue moon he went to the pureblood meeting that in his childhood had been a treat seeing the politics shift behind the curtains, analyzing people’s tones and words. But being an adult who could barely enter such meetings all because the old links their name had, depressed, angry and wondering if pursuing any sort of career would be worth it was not a fun time.
But he had always been a social being, needing attention so he went even if he didnt talk and he got more angry after each one. All before he met Astoria, she was the younger sister of the greengrass, a family that even if slytherin pureblood were not intertwined with the war, at least not deeply so their name had not been shattered.
Graceful and cheerful she had stood on front of him once, on a corner protected from the others view, with her slightly wavy brown hair, bright eyes between green and brown, lively as not much were since the war, she had said he was an asshole, trying to conceal himself between bushes and silence.
She had also said she was interested in him, clear and loud. She wanted to pursue something romantic and maybe even a marriage, he had declined as any sane man would’ve done, but she persisted, visiting the manor for two years when he got to meet her.
He had always been a bit self-centered, not caring for who really was anyone, that was the reason why he never created a speech for Crabbe’s funeral, he had not known much apart from his evident gluttony.
Alone in his Manor did he learn to appreciate the company the girl turned woman had given him, after two long years they got married and she moved to Malfoy manor.
Since her first visit she had seen the peacock striding through the gardens, there were even statues where they rested, elves constantly carrying for them, she had asked and gotten the story of Lucius' weird obsession with them.
She had noticed how savage they could turn so she stayed out of their way, as a silent agreement with her husband when they both knew neither liked the damn things but kept them for Lucius who still even years after demanded updates on them.
When alcohol one night controlled their tongues they talked about it, as a joke they said the day Lucius Malfoy where to be buried as he died in many years to come his animals and part of his soul would be buried by his side. Nine months later Scorpius Malfoy was born.
A lovely child who kept the tradition of silently hating the damn things, he was a lovely child, curious and open to the world, warm and cheerful. Lover of the world, who still did not like the peacocks, having grown with them as a lingering threat in the back of his house.
No one ever said anything, they almost acted as if they didn't exist, all of that would be doomed with the arrival of Albus Severus Potter.
Scorpius had gone to Hogwarts and continued the tradition of being a Slytherin, the son of Harry Potter was on his year too and to everyone's shock had gotten into Slytherin too being as lovely as he was they became friends, a pillar to rest on the hard days that were their lives.
Albus was the one who hugged Scorpius every night as they fell asleep after his mother’s passing, a traumatic event that accompanied the already troubled Albus, those leading them to dangerous paths who at the end connected them deeply on their timeline.
What had before been friendly gestures of comfort slowly ventured further, the hand touches began with blushing now, the hugs were deep and soul comforting, it had been no surprise to anyone who knew them when they became a couple.
Bringing buried tension between the two households who tried to be patient with the other for their sons sake. On a visit to Malfoy Manor they wandered too far into the deep gardens. Albus spotted a white splotch of color in the back.
With the first person apart from Lucius, the things behaved, strode graciously and used their beauty to captivate the young guy. Who even got to pet them, through the next two years it became a normal occurrence for the two boys to be talking near the peacocks, they still put Scorpius on edge, sweating but not daring to say anything as he observed the lovely boy with dazed eyes as he admired the animals.
Draco had noticed, since the beginning, that his son was in love with his best friend. He had not been surprised when they became a couple, he had not been surprised by a lot of things since he knew his son very dearly but when a recently graduated Scorpius entered his study and pleaded for the tribute that they knew would be done once his own father died to be canceled.
It was almost a dark joke with his mother and his dear and precious wife bit they all knew they just wanted to get rid of them. “Dad i know we all hate the damn peacocks, but Albus has even named them and bought things for them, and you know I want to be with him for a long time and he would be destroyed if we killed them”
He even forgave the curses in his son’s words. They discussed it for months and after all they decided they would not die.
So thank Albus Severus Potter for the life of albino peacocks.