Spring was now just around the corner and following it the end of school. Draco paced about in the Slytherin dorm. As the end of school drew nearer so did the fulfilling of his mission. He would tell himself that he could do it, that he was strong enough to do it. However, deep down a small voice screamed “NO”.
Draco thought on how he could go about his plan on his own, when he remembered something that had happen to him when he was younger...
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Draco was only eight at the time; he had been playing in the gardens around his house when he came across one of his father’s peacocks.
The peacock was not doing any harm; he was perched on a low fence cooling in the shade.
Draco thought to himself how easy it would be to throw a stone and knock the bird right off the fence. The thought pleased him, so picking up a few stones he began to toss them toward the bird. Though the stones came close they did not hit him, nor did the bird seem to care. He just sat there watching Draco throw the stones.
Losing his temper Draco shouted at the bird trying to make him move. “Come on you stupid thing you! Why won’t you move?” The bird still only watched him. Picking up a larger rock Draco tossed it through the air still yelling at the bird to move.
The rock struck the bird in the head, sending him to the ground. He did not move from where he lay.
Draco’s heart seemed to stop at the sight of the bird lying oddly on the ground. Slowly he approached the bird, “H-hey? Come on, you're okay.” he said hoping he was right. He was now standing right beside the bird yet he still did not move. A sick feeling sank in Draco’s stomach as he looked into the birds cold dead eyes. He sank to his knees and gently stroked the bird. ‘I killed him! I’m a murderer!’ Draco thought as tears streamed down his face.
As he sat there he realized that he would have to do something with the body. Taking off his jacket, he wrapped the bird in it the best he could. Then gently he carried it to the far side of the garden where a large oak grew. There he placed the bird, then he ran to one of the nearby gardener sheds to find a shovel. After finding one that he could carry, he raced back to the tree and began to dig. He dug as fast as he could, trying to hold back the sobs that were now choking him. Then a voice from behind him caused him jump.
“Draco?”
He recognized the voice to belong to Severus Snape, one of his father’s friends. Slowly he turned to face him. Snape was walking toward him and had not yet seen the bird’s body wrapped in the jacket.
“Your mother asked me to bring you inside.” He said calmly then looking from the hole to the bird he asked, “What happened?”
Draco dropped to his knees crying, “I did it! I killed him!” He knelt next to the hole and sobbed.
Snape stood there and let him cry. He did not know what to do for the boy. He could not see why the boy needed to weep over killing something as pathetic as a peacock, but seeing that the boy was greatly upset he knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Before Snape could think of any words that might comfort the boy Draco threw his arms around his neck and cried out, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I did not mean to kill the peacock! I-it was an accident…” Awkwardly Snape placed his arms around him and gently patted his back hoping it would comfort him.
Only being able to take so much, Snape decided to put an end to Draco’s obsessive crying. “All right now,” he said, trying not to sound to rough, “Stop this crying and go find me a flat stone.”
“W-what do you need a stone for?” Draco asked trying hard to stop crying.
“Every grave needs a head stone, do they not?”
“Well…yes, I suppose so, but I haven’t finished digging the grave.”
“I’ll do that, you just go find a stone.”
With that said, Draco raced off to find one, time he did and had carried it all the way back Snape had finished digging the hole, placed the bird inside and had covered him up.
“Place the head stone over here.” Snape instructed. Draco did as told and placed the stone on top of the grave. “Now then, did this bird have a name?”
“No,” Draco replied. “Not that I know about.”
“Well then,” Taking out his wand, Snape engraved:
Peacock; Died June 27, 1988
“There,” Snape said quite satisfied with the results.
“Are you not going to say something over the grave?” Draco asked looking at the small grave with deep regret.
“If you think that I am going to pray over some dead peacock, think again.” But seeing his saddened face, Snape added, “But if you feel it to be necessary, you do so.”
At first Draco was very unsure of what to do, then slowly he bowed his head and said, “Lord, please let this peacock into heaven, for he was a good peacock. Also, sir, let him know that I am very sorry for what I did, and that I did not mean to kill him…um, that is all sir. Amen”
“Amen” Snape quietly repeated.
Picking up Draco’s jacket, Snape started walking back to the house. Draco stopped him, “You have to promise not to tell my Mother or Father that I killed that peacock.”
“Then what shall I tell them when they ask ‘why is there a stone out by the oak that say's a peacock died’?” Snape asked amused by the thought.
“We’ll just say that we found a peacock dead, and that we buried it, Okay.”
“Very well then”
“You have to promise!”
“I promise that I’ll never tell a living soul, all right?”
Draco gave him a smile of approval and they walked back to the house together.
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Thinking back on that, made Draco wish things could be that simple again. However, he knew better. Life would never be the same now...
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