COUNTERFEIT

Prologue

A queer rumor it was, circulating amongst the circles of the masked ones. It was concerning their Master – the feared one. No one knew where the rumor rooted from, but it was known that it spread like wildfire after the murder of the traitor named Karkaroff. No one dared to inquire into the matter, for it was a matter of the Master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It was said that the matter involved a lowly masked one, named Wormtail. And it was also said that the matter involved a mysterious, nameless character whom none of the masked ones had ever met. And that was what made the rumor queer, for it was whispered by shaking hushed voices in the secret meetings of the masked ones that their Master has gained an apprentice...

But the rumor was short-lived. In the summer of the third year after the rumor had been forgotten, two faithful (or so themselves believed) masked ones (both named Lestrange) hiked the mountains to reach the resting place of their Master. Their hands trembled and their footfalls were silent as they approached the old house in Little Hangleton. They had brought along with them the son of another masked one, a prominent and influential masked one named Malfoy. The son, also called Malfoy, was brought to be heard by the Master concerning things that had gone wrong months before in Hogwarts.

The Master accused the young Malfoy of cowardliness, but was inclined to allow him a second chance because of his father. But the Master was still doubtful of young Malfoy's abilities. At that time and place, there in the old house in Little Hangleton, the rumor from three years before was revived once again – Master called from the deep shadows of the room a nameless boy. His face was melted away, and blisters covered almost every inch of what little skin was exposed. The Lestranges leapt back in fright, and the young Malfoy fainted.

---

My master was a man of foresight:
he knew I would come in useful the moment he found me.
He gave me lessons.
I served my purpose helping him locate his scattered unfaithfuls
and he eventually let me deliver the punishments.
I never helped him in the recovery of his body, or the war.
He returned to me the gift of life, yet I hate him,
because he stripped me of the only thing I had left – my freedom.
He didn't know of my memory recovery.
It was my jealous secret, my advantage over him,
and I guarded it with pride, however much the memories hurt me.
I found refuge in my studies.
I lost myself in spell books and in perfecting the enormous power I am gifted with.

---

"Take this one," the Master instructed his apprentice, motioning at the limp form of the young Malfoy, "and place him in the other room."

The apprentice bowed wordlessly and did as he was told. The two quivering Lestranges were sent to wait outside. They waited, clutching their hearts, still pounding from their fright. They waited for a total of three days. In those days, as they took shelter in the old house's stable, they pieced the many pieces of the puzzle together. The rumor involved Wormtail, who was promoted and rewarded for a great deed – now the Lestranges know that the deed was the find of that boy apprentice. Karkaroff's death was supposed to be a punishment carried out by orders of the Master, as he himself was still too weak to do so himself. But at the secret meetings where the masked ones gathered, it was found that no masked one was trusted with the task. And so the rumor said the punishment was delivered by an outsider – now the Lestranges know that this outsider was this boy apprentice. But where Wormtail had found this boy was as much of a mystery as the boy himself.

In the wee hours of morning on the third day, the old house looked the same – as dark and intimidating as ever. But inside its closed doors, an impossible change had been achieved.

In the wee hours of morning on the third day, the Lestranges were called to bury a strange, covered body. When they returned to the stable where they were sheltered, they found the young Malfoy waiting for them with a thick, sealed envelope in his hands from the Master to his father.

Malfoy Sr. was the first one to greet his son upon his return, and the only one to read the letter inside the thick, sealed envelope. His voice shook as he announced to his wife and extended family that the Master had took away all of his dear son's memories in fear of another failure. But he knew the truth. He knew that on the third day that the Lestranges had waited, a boy woke on the wet floor of the other room inside the old house in Little Hangleton and stared at his reflection in shock.

---

I woke up in a dungeon, lying in a puddle of cool, soothing water.
I remember slowly propping myself onto my elbows
and glancing down into my reflection in the puddle,
and instead of the wax-like mess that was my face, I had defined features.
My shoulders were rid of the ugly sores the oil had left.
My skin was pale, perfect and unblemished.
I had a nose, eyelids, mouth, ears and silvery blonde hair.
This was how I became Draco Malfoy.

---

The Master was seated in the corner of the room when he said, "The transaction is permanent. I give you his eminent name, his immaculate body, his loving family, his place in Hogwarts, and most importantly – his mission...to kill Albus Dumbledore."

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A/N:

I finally updated!! And I revamped the story's format while I was at it. Thanks be to Gyss - whose been supporting me and this story from the beginning to the (eventual) end.

So you must review and read on. Thank you!