"Ave verum corpus, natum
de Maria Virgine,
vere passum, immolatum
in cruce pro homine,
cuius latus perforatum
fluxit aqua et sanguine:
esto nobis praegustatum
in mortis examine.
O Iesu dulcis, O Iesu pie, O Iesu, fili Mariae.
Miserere mei. Amen."
Few men had ever heard Lucius Malfoy sing; but here in the chapel, his rich tenor blending with his wife's high soprano, he sang flawlessly. Neat in a black suit, Lucius stood straight and tall, white-blond hair flowing down his back. A long, lacy black veil over Narcissa's similarly pale hair covered her head and shoulders. Her eyes were downcast, and her hands folded primly before her.
At a move from the priest, the two knelt. Their son, Draco, would not be returning from boarding school for two weeks, so the pews of the family chapel were empty except for the two bowed figures.
Turning, the priest raised his arms, elevating the Host. The chasuble, green, stiff with gold embroidery, draped from his arms like wings. "Ecce Agnus Dei. Ecce Qui tollis peccata mundi," he intoned.
Lucius Malfoy bowed his head. Clenching the long pale fingers of one hand, he pressed it against the breast of his immaculate suit and tapped his knuckles against his chest three times. "Domine, non sum dignus...Domine, non sum dignus...Domine, non sum dignus..."
It was the only context in which Lucius Malfoy ever admitted himself unworthy.
The altar boy, young and obviously uncomfortable in cassock and surplice, closed his eyes and raised his head; the priest bent to give him communion. When Draco was younger, he had worn those robes; when he was thirteen, he had adamantly refused to continue. His father remembered the conversation.
"I don't want to, anymore, Father."
"Why not? It is a place of honor, my boy. You serve among the angels."
"Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven, Milton wrote. It is not for a Malfoy to serve, nor to bow to any man."
Lucius had grown angry. "You do not bow to any man, you bow to God. Have you not seen your mother and I kneel in prayer every day? Learn humility, Draco. And do not quote Milton to me. If you had studied your lessons better, you would know those were the devil's words."
"Nevertheless."
And that had been the end of it. Draco Malfoy tended to get what he wanted.
The priest had turned, and was waiting for Lucius and Narcissa to approach and receive Communion. Once, long ago, he had come to them in the pew to give them the Sacrament; Lucius had reproached him sternly for that afterwards. What if he had eaten something beforehand, and was not fasting? What if, quod Deus avertat, he was in the state of mortal sin? The priest was to give them the option at every Mass, and he understood that.
In thirty-three years of attending daily Masses, Lucius had never once refrained from receiving.
Kneeling at the altar rail, Lucius folded his thin hands perfectly before him. He knelt absolutely still, his beautiful wife beside him, an icon of devotion. Closing his eyes, he tipped up his chin slightly, opening his mouth and extending his tongue. Even that looked careful and dignified, but Lucius could not have cared less; he was a humble man, with no regard to appearances. His mind and soul were fixed on the mystery he was about to receive.
"Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam ad vitam aeternam. Amen."
Anima Christi, sanctifica me. Corpus Christi, salva me. Sanguis Christi, inebria me. Aqua lateris Christi, inebria me. Passio Christi, conforto me. O bone Jesu, exaude me. Intra Tua vulnera absconde me, et ne permitte me separare a Te. In hora mortuis meae, voca me, et jube me venire ad Te ut cum sanctis Tuis laudam Te. In saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Lucius crossed himself and sat, waiting patiently while his kneeling wife finished her thanksgiving and the priest cleansed the vessels before turning to them to give the final blessing.
The priest was reading the words of St. John when Lucius' arm began to smart. Lucius Malfoy never laid his wand aside, not even for a moment, so he had only to reach into the pocket of his well-cut suit to have eighteen inches of elm wood ready.
"Et lux in tenebris lucet, et tenebrae eam non comprehenderunt."
Lucius turned away from the sanctuary, where the priest stood at the north side of the altar proclaiming the Word of God. He paused a moment, but it was impossible to tell whether it was a genuine hesitation or a mere moment of concentration to cast the spell.
"...non cognovit. In propria venit, et..."
Silently, Lucius Malfoy Disapparated.
"Crucio!"
Lucius stood tall and proud over the writhing man. The other Death Eaters stood in a semicircle behind him; their master stood opposite, watching. Appraising. Approving.
"Please...please, no more..." Lucius' lips turned in a slight smile, and the corners of his eyes crinkled. He looked genuinely pleased and amused, like a man who sees his son take his first steps. His wand extended at arm's length, he repeated the curse, drawing more screams from his victim.
"Tell me what you know." Lucius prodded the supine figure with a polished shoe.
"Everything...I've told you everything..."
"Lies!" With a flick of Lucius' wand, the man was hurled across the room, his body cracking unpleasantly against the wall. Lucius' tone grew softer and more malicious. "Dear me. You seem to be staining the walls. We can't have that. Blood on the nice white walls, for shame."
"No...please, I didn't mean..." The man was incoherent, in too much pain to realize that apologizing would do no good.
"Do finish up, kindly, Malfoy." The young potions-master of Hogwarts was leaning against a pillar, watching with little more than boredom. "We haven't got all day."
For just a moment, just a fraction of a second, Lucius turned to look at his fellows. The time was enough, though; the man he had been torturing, with a strength born of desparation, launched himself to his feet and leapt on top of Lucius, snatching for the wand the Death Eater wore in his belt.
The two grappled for a moment, and then the prisoner had it, pointing it at Lucius' neck.
In the sudden stillness, Lucius gasped. "Jesus, Mary, Joseph!"
Then the wand fell from the man's hand, and he dropped dead. As he lay over Lucius, a little blood trickled from the side of his mouth. Several Death Eaters had whipped their wands out at once and cast the Killing Curse.
As he shoved the dead body of Lucius and gave him a hand up, Snape commented wryly, "That's what comes of toying with Mudbloods, Malfoy. So sure they're a match for a real wizard."
"No," Lucius retorted with aplomb, "that's what comes of you distracting me. Mind yourself, Severus."
A/N:
So, a few notes.
First of all, this is NOT a good!Malfoy story. As you may have noticed, he's quite evil. So this isn't going to be about how his religion somehow redeems him from the evil he does in the books. Nor is it about how evil the particular religion being represented is. If anything (and I hate to say what my stories are "about," but still) it's about the human capacity for self-deception. Lucius is both extremely devout and incredibly evil.
So that being said, what do you think? This was one of those stories where the Muse steps of the Mt. Parnassus Express and hands you the manuscript. I just had to write it. Opinions in a review, please!
For those who don't know, the Latin is for the most part from the traditional (pre-1962) Catholic Mass. Some translations follow.
The song at the beginning is the "Ave Verum Corpus." A rough English translation is:
Hail, true Body, born
of the Virgin Mary,
who having truly suffered, was sacrificed
on the cross for mankind,
whose pierced side
flowed with water and blood:
May it be for us a foretaste [of the Heavenly banquet]
in the trial of death.
Oh dear Jesus, Oh merciful Jesus, Oh Jesus, son of Mary,
have mercy on me. Amen.
Ecce Agnus Dei. Ecce Qui tollis peccata mundi = Behold the Lamb of God. Behold he who takes away the sins of the world.
Domine, non sum dignus = Lord, I am not worthy
quod Deus avertat = God prevent
Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam ad vitam aeternam = The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ protect thy soul into life everlasting (the priest says these words to each communicant)
The prayer in italics following this is the Anima Christi. In English:
Soul of Christ, make me holy.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds hide me
And never permit me to be separated from Thee.
In the hour of death, call me,
That among Thy saints I may be
Praising Thee forever and ever. Amen.
(This is a traditional prayer to say after Communion.)
et lux in tenebris lucet, et tenebrae eum non comprehenderunt = and the light shown in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.
...non cognovit. In propria venit, et... = ...and they did not know him. He came among his own, and...
Thank you for reading. Remember to take the time to leave a review! Even a short one, even a negative one, means a lot to me.