Title: Tattered Threads
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JKR and Warner Bros. No money was made from writing this.
Summary: For Lucius and Narcissa, the path to marriage, and life after, was not a happy one. Rather it involved lies, murder, madness and betrayal.
Warning: slash, and for later chapters: non-con and disturbing themes.
–
At the centre of the circular expanse of smooth turf surrounded by sycamore trees, the four-tiered fountain burbled cool water.
Fish darted through the clear water in the broad bowl at the bottom, their striking green and gold markings flashing in the glittering sunlight.
The animals were little more than circulating ornaments distorted the reflection of the adolescent girl running past.
She look like one of the wild fae: her flaxen hair, woven with flowers, streamed behind her, petals falling, as she fled across the chateau grounds. The sun glinted off the gossamer material of her swirling, light yellow robes.
She barely noticed the scenery changing as she bolted through the break in the trees. Her focus was on the muffled beat of the footfalls on the grass following her.
The man pursued her, through the vast spaces between the broad-trunked deciduous trees, past the stone statues and round shaped hedges, following the trail of forgotten petals.
Her feet sounded staccato on the gravel as she scurried along the path flanked by slim cypresses.
Her hunter sprinted and soared over the vibrant bedded flowers, surged across the rich green grass and up the gravel path.
Her slipper-clad foot stuttered over the loose stones, stumbling, she quickly regained her balance, but her pursuer had gained ground and was now just behind her.
The man snatched at the silver lace embellishing her cascading gown, crushing the silk threads, he tugged – she slipped, fell-
–
He woke.
His eyes slowly refocused after his dreamless sleep. He sleepily shifted his tangled black hair, marring his view.
They lay entwined among the sheets. He lazily drifted his potion-stained fingers, caressing along and down the other's forearm, avoiding the snake and skull tattoo that matched his own, until the limb shifted, as Lucius sat up and turned to his lover.
Severus withdrew his hand and waited.
"I need to tell you…" Lucius looked away clenching his jaw and his hand fisted in the sheets. Severus rested his hand on older man's, and lightly squeezed.
Lucius took a steadying breath, "I'm to be engaged to-"
Severus snatched his hand back as if burned, quickly sitting up.
Lucius moved across the bed, one hand extended toward the other man. "Severus-"
"Don't touch me!"
"Will you not let me explain, Severus?"
"I-I don't think so," Severus said in what meant to be a cold, disdainful tone. Unfortunately, to his horror, his voice shook.
How could I be so foolish? Severus thought in desperation through his shock, he slid to the edge of the bed and felt a small tingling spot on the inside of his left thigh, where, before, Lucius had bitten him.
Severus ruthlessly slapped the site, to kill the feeling and began to get dressed; his clothes were in a folded pile on the chair next to the bed.
"Severus," Lucius said quietly, looking at the tensed and scared back.
Lucius felt the familiar twinge of guilt at seeing those twisted pink scars littering the skin, for he was the cause of them, and he was relieved when Severus' starched white shirt covered them.
Severus had lied and taken what was rightly Lucius' punishment for the failing their task.
Their Lord was not forgiving.
Lucius could vividly recall the flashes of light against his closed eyelids and the sound of splitting flesh and stifled screams.
Lucius shook away his disturbing reverie to see that Severus had ignored him and was almost dressed.
"Severus…"
Fumbling with his shaking hands, Severus – naïve – tied his shoelaces, linen trousers scratching at his wrists – imbecile – while he continued to condemn himself in his thoughts.
"You must understand..?"
Severus' black hair crackled with residual static from having had the black woolen vest pulled over his head, and he slapped his hands at the floating strands irritably, this is why he hated washing his hair.
"Severus, please..."
Severus stood and absentmindedly smoothed down his robes … something was missing.
I have to get out of here, that was the only half-coherent thought in Severus' head and he clung to it as he turned to search for his wand.
"I love you-"
"Liar!" Severus screamed, wand forgotten, he grabbed the water pitcher on the bedside table and hurled it. Lucius ducked and it crashed against the wall in an explosion of water and rebounding splinters, three shards scored across Lucius face splitting his cheek open. It looked as if a jilted lover had scratched his face.
How appropriate, Severus thought dully.
Severus' head felt odd – fuzzy and broken in places – as he circled to the door and watched Lucius' face darken.
Lucius stood up, "Listen to me!" He brought his fist crashing down with a bang against the post of the bed, causing Severus step to falter over the loose rug before the fire, sprawling to one knee next to Lucius' scattered clothing-
The older man stalked across the room.
Severus jerked his head up, and caught a glimpse of a naked Lucius towering over him, between him and the door. With Lucius' disheveled blond hair, his face unshaven, and the livid, raw and bleeding scratch marks down his cheek, he look like a Viking raider, obsessed with rape and destruction.
Severus lurched up and backed away, unaware that he was moving, until his legs hit the edge of the bed.
Severus lost his balance and sat down.
The floorboard creaked as Lucius made to follow, but halted at the loud commotion that filtered through the door – Severus' act of ceramic murder must have killed the silencing charm and their shouting had disturbed the other guests.
Severus glanced away and saw his wand; it was lost amongst the bedclothes.
Severus kept wary look out for Lucius, out of the corner of his eye, as he scrabbled about the sheets; from them there was the faint musky scent of the two of them and of their pleasure.
He plucked his wand from its resting place as he saw Lucius' shadow, cast by the flicking firelight, dart past-
Severus quickly fished Lucius wand from beneath the pillow – it sparked against his fingers – he turned and pointed his own wand at Lucius-
The other man stumbled back, a foot away from the birch wand, as Severus uttered a single word "Stop."
"Damn it, Severus," Lucius said.
"I want you to leave," the brunet man said in an unwavering tone.
Severus swallowed as Lucius bent to put on his scattered clothing in jerky motions.
The hand holding Lucius' wand was shaking, prickling sparks bit into Severus' palm, but he ignored it and tightened his grip on his own wand.
Meanwhile, the bellow telling them to keep it down had provoked reactionary shouts from the other inhabitants of the inn causing a raucous row that now spanned three floors of the establishment.
Lucius was barefoot dressed in his shirt and slacks, his white robes were left hanging on the hook of door, his spare wand undrawn from its cane despite being threatened, he wished to placate his lover, but he would not leave the room as ordered. "I will not leave until you let me explain," he said coolly.
"What is there to explain?" Severus demanded furiously. "You're going to be married! What else is there?"
"Our relationship means nothing to you?" Lucius glared at Severus, eyes narrowed.
Severus snorted in derision; he was not the one who was espoused.
"Fine, give me your worthless excuses." Severus lowered his arm and he felt suddenly tired and weary, as if his emotions had burnt out and that had drained his energy away.
The hand holding the stolen wand was stinging and he placed Lucius' wand on the bed behind him and then clenched the trembling hand, a few blood-drops stuttered and fell to the floor.
Lucius' throat muscles moved as he swallowed, controlling himself enough to speak, again.
"I will be betrothed through a marriage contract that was begun by my father and the patriarch of the bride's family-"
"But your father died from dragon pox nearly a year ago." Severus interrupted, his black eyes narrowed sharply as his brow furrowed.
"My father's wish, for a marriage between the families, was made known to the girl's parents sometime after her birth, I understand she is a few years younger than me as is the usual custom," Lucius carried on as if uninterrupted. "I've been in a betrothal negotiation since the reading of my father's will-"
"You have...?"
"I-"
"You didn't tell me, you lied to me, you made me think…" Severus faltered.
"I couldn't tell you." Lucius explained.
"You despicable coward."
"I still want you-"
"I won't be your whore." Severus said viciously.
"No, that's not-" Lucius started to say but broke off as Severus stood up making his way to the door, his wand clutched tight in his fist.
"You aren't going anywhere," Lucius said and made to grab Severus.
The younger man spun on the spot and jabbed his wand at Lucius. Orange sparks leapt from the birch point and cut the skin between the blond man's collarbones and crimson bloomed on the man's expensive white shirt, like red chrysanthemums falling in snow.
"You can't stop me," Severus said with a sneer and a brutally cruel look in his eyes.
Lucius was stunned for a moment – the sting from the cut vaguely registered – as that look was directed at him, which in the past had been reserved for those awful marauders and Severus' worthless excuse of a father.
The slammed door brought Lucius back to awareness.
Severus was gone.
"I couldn't tell you, because I was afraid you would leave me," Lucius whispered to the empty room.