Despite his best attempts to control his rage, Lucius Malfoy could not help but slam shut the door to his personal study after he had entered the room.
How dare he. How dare he. Who did Arthur Weasley think that he was? Did he truly believe that he was that significant, that brilliant, that worthy?
Lucius paced back and forth aggressively across the expensive rug in his study as he struggled to calm himself.
"You're better than this," Lucius muttered to himself. "You're better than allowing your anger to get the best of you. Inferior imbeciles like Arthur Weasley act out in anger, but not you. You're a proper Pureblood. You're no longer a hotheaded youth. You're older, wiser, and more mature now. You don't show your anger in obvious ways. Such impulsive, thoughtless behavior is for idiots like Arthur Weasley, but not for you. No, you don't get angry. You get even."
Lucius took several deep breaths as he spoke. Slowly, ever so slowly, he felt himself calming down.
The aristocratic wizard also stopped his pacing and took several moments to appreciate the beauty of the Malfoy gardens, which he had a clear view of through the window in his study. Narcissa had truly done a wonderful job with the gardens.
However, even though Lucius was back to feeling in control of both himself and the situation, he had to do something about Arthur Weasley. Enough was enough. Even a proper Pureblood like Lucius was allowed to have a breaking point.
"How dare that Arthur Weasley acts like his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act is something to be proud of," Lucius growled as he began to pace once more. "He is nothing more than a hypocrite with all the tinkering that he does with various Muggle appliances and devices. Yet, he dares to accuse those of us that have not betrayed the pureness of their blood of being the ones that are a danger to Muggles. And to think, there are actually people in our society that actually believe that someone as deluded and as hypocritical as Arthur Weasley is such a great and noble champion of the Muggle cause. They're all nothing more than disgraceful fools to everything that is magical."
Lucius closed his eyes, and the scene that he had been an unfortunate witness to less than an hour ago once again played in his mind.
Arthur Weasley had been surrounded by several of his colleagues, and they had been telling him how wonderful the Muggle Protection Act sounded and how they hoped that it would get past as law. Even worse, they had practically been fawning over the Weasley patriarch as they had been singing his praises.
Then, to make the situation even worse, one of the witches that had been present had then remarked on how happy and how proud Arthur and his wife must be that their daughter would soon be starting her first year at Hogwarts.
So, Hogwarts was about to be polluted by yet another Weasley. Why would anyone in their right mind be happy and proud about something like that? It was just another Weasley child. It was no big deal.
But it isn't just another Weasley child, now is it, Lucius, a voice spoke mockingly in the blond-haired wizard's head. It's a Weasley girl. A girl, Lucius.
"So what if he has a single daughter?" Lucius snapped out loud. "She's still nothing more than a waste of what could have been valuable space."
That witch, though, had clearly not thought the same thing. No, that witch had made a big deal out of the fact that the Weasleys' only daughter was about to start her first year at Hogwarts.
"I bet you and Molly have already told all your boys more than once that they better watch out for their little sister," the witch had laughed at Arthur.
"Oh, yes," Arthur had laughed back, "the boys are going to be very protective of Ginny. She is so dear to all of us."
At that moment, Arthur had looked over the witch's shoulder and had caught sight of Lucius, who had foolishly (yes, to himself, Lucius would admit that it had been a foolish move) stepped too far out of his usual shadows when he had heard the word "daughter."
Usually, Lucius would have walked right over to Arthur and would have said something both cruel and sarcastic to put the Blood Traitor back into his place, but Lucius had been so worried about losing control over his anger and doing something both impulsive and foolish that he had just turned around and stalked off without saying a single word to anyone.
"And that probably made Arthur Weasley's day even more," Lucius grumbled to himself. "He probably thinks that he got one over me. Well, that feeling won't last forever."
Lucius, however, wouldn't act quickly or impulsively. No, he would get his vengeance against Arthur Weasley's ridiculous Muggle Protection Act and against Arthur Weasley's insignificant little daughter in a manner that would be slow and subtle but would so be worth all the patient waiting in the end. That was how a proper Pureblood conducted himself whenever he got angry about something.
Lucius's eyes suddenly drifted to a spot on the floor that on the outside didn't appear to be anything special or significant.
However, that spot on the floor was more than just a simple floor. It was the entrance to one of Lucius's many secret chambers in the manor.
Suddenly, Lucius began to hear the items hidden under the floor calling to him, and the blond-haired wizard did not ignore or try to resist their beckoning. He never had before, and he wasn't about to start now.
Lucius used his wand to securely lock the door before walking over to open the secret chamber, also with his wand. Even though Lucius had more than once told his son to never enter his personal study without getting permission first, Draco would still sometimes walk in unannounced, and Lucius especially didn't want that happening at this particular moment.
This secret chamber was truly something special. It contained the Dark items that were the dearest to the aristocratic wizard. Only Lucius knew about the existence of this chamber. He had never told anyone else about this chamber, not even the Dark Lord or his father, not even his curious Draco, not even his beloved Narcissa who knew most his secrets.
Lucius then took a moment to savor the sight of the various poisons and the various cursed objects and artifacts.
Some of the items had been in Lucius's possession since he had been a small child. Abraxas Malfoy had not allowed his son friends or toys. Instead, he had given Lucius so many of these wonderful "gifts." Lucius could still remember the first poison he had ever brew. It had been the first time Abraxas had not been able to find anything to criticize.
"Good job, Lucius," Abraxas had praised. "I am so proud of you, my son. You will truly make a fine Malfoy one day."
Yes, these poisons and these cursed objects and artifacts had been both Lucius's friends and his toys when he had been a child.
Lucius's eyes suddenly landed on a simple black book.
The diary. The diary that the Dark Lord had given to him. Somewhat surprisingly, it had been a long time since Lucius had given it any thought.
As Lucius reached for the diary, he felt the rage coming off it. It wanted blood. It wanted death. It wanted freedom. However, all the rage was being held captive and restrained within its blank pages.
Lucius grabbed hold of the diary and took a moment to just look at it.
Suddenly, Lucius felt a burning sensation on his left forearm. The blond-haired wizard's eyes widened slightly in surprise. It had been a long time, after all, since he had felt anything from the faded Dark Mark.
Before he could help himself, Lucius found himself rolling up his left sleeve. He looked down at his arm. The Mark was still there, but it was still faded. It had not grown any darker from being so closely exposed to the diary.
Lucius then found himself remembering the day that the Dark Lord had given him the diary.
To the untrained eye and to the inexperienced mind, the diary appeared to be just an insignificant object. Lucius, though, had been constantly exposed to the Dark Arts since he had been a small child, so he had been able to instantly feel the darkness of the deceptive and cleverly disguised diary.
"One day I am going to complete the noble work of Salazar Slytherin," the Dark Lord had breathed, "and Hogwarts will finally be rid of all its Mudblood filth."
Even though Lucius was enjoying the feelings of darkness and rage coming from the diary, he could not help but feel a twinge of worry.
"So, you intend for this diary to make its way to Hogwarts," Lucius had spoken in a matter of fact tone of voice.
"When the time is right, yes," the Dark Lord had replied. "When your wife finally gives you an heir and it is time for him to start at Hogwarts. Even Dumbledore won't be able to stop the diary from doing its work."
Narcissa wouldn't like that. Even though she had never had any problems with and had always respected and understood Lucius's love for the Dark Arts, she had never felt the same way about it as he did. Poisons and cursed objects had never called to her as they called to Lucius. No, Narcissa wouldn't want an object as dangerous as the Dark Lord's diary in the possession of any child of hers.
The Dark Lord was Lucius's master, but Narcissa was his life partner. Even though a part of Lucius was disappointed that Narcissa didn't feel the same way towards the Dark Arts as he did, he still respected her wishes.
Lucius, however, knew that the Dark Lord would not want to hear any of that; so he didn't say anything further. Instead, he just accepted the diary and expressed how honoured he was that the Dark Lord would entrust something so wondrous to his care.
Back in the present, Lucius once again looked down at the diary. It began to speak to him.
Release me from my prison, it ordered. Free my rage. Free your rage.
Lucius wanted to release his rage on Arthur Weasley so badly, but his mind was still rational enough for him to realize that he would need to find a way to ensure that the diary would end up at Hogwarts.
Giving Draco the diary was out of the question. Narcissa wouldn't like it, and Draco was much too immature to handle such a powerful and such a dangerous object of Dark Magic. Draco had not been brought up as Lucius had been based on Narcissa's wishes. Draco's exposure to the Dark Arts was extremely limited, so he didn't have the experience and the respect that one needed to have if they were going to handle an object full of darkness.
But you could give me to another, the diary suddenly suggested.
It did not take Lucius long to determine who that person would be.
Arthur Weasley's daughter. His precious little girl. It would be the perfect way to bring down the Weasley patriarch, especially if it was discovered that it had been his own daughter that had been the one attacking all the Mudbloods. No longer would Arthur be seen as the great and noble champion of the Muggle cause. No longer would Arthur be able to stand behind his precious Muggle Protection Act.
Plus, his daughter would suffer slowly but painfully. She probably wouldn't feel anything at first, but eventually she would crumble and break. Oh, the pain that would cause Arthur Weasley.
There was nothing more painful than losing a daughter. Lucius knew that from personal experience. Since he and Narcissa had lost Ara, neither of them had ever failed to visit her grave on the anniversary of her death, the same day that should have been the anniversary of her birth.
A smile of pure glee crossed over Lucius's face.
A moment later, though, he found himself thinking about Narcissa. What would she think about this? Oh, Lucius had no doubt that she would have any problems with anything happening to the Mudbloods or to one of the Weasleys' children, especially if that child just happened to be their only daughter. However, what would Narcissa think of such a danger being so near to her son? Draco, of course, would not be a target as he was a pure as they came; but Narcissa would probably still worry. It was in her nature to worry about the two most important men in her life as she often put it.
Lucius felt his Dark Mark burning again, as if it was protesting against his thoughts. Lucius, though, didn't allow that to stop him. Narcissa deserved to know what would be happening at Hogwarts this year, especially since Draco would be there.
Lucius, holding the diary securely, made his way out of his study and towards his wife's personal study.
"Did something happen at the Ministry today, Lucius?" Narcissa asked in concern as soon as she caught sight of her husband, putting down the book that she had been reading. "I heard you slamming your study door."
"Arthur Weasley," Lucius breathed.
Narcissa nodded her head in understanding. "Oh, he would love nothing more than to have our manor raided in order to fulfill his foolish Muggle Protection Act," she then hissed angrily. "Well, I don't want him looking through my personal belongings. They're none of his business. And he would try to find a way to shame you. Why can't he just accept that you're better than him?"
"There may be a way to stop him," Lucius spoke, holding up the diary for his wife to see. "There may be a way to ruin him."
"I'm taking it that there's something special about the diary," Narcissa replied.
"You don't hear it calling to you," Lucius responded.
Narcissa took a few moments to really listen. To both Lucius's delight and relief, she did seriously and with no traces of mockery. Lucius had told her before of his strong connection to the Dark Arts, and she had been very understanding.
"No, I do not, I'm sorry, Lucius," Narcissa finally spoke. "What exactly does it do?"
"I believe it will open the Chamber of Secrets," Lucius explained.
Narcissa didn't say anything for several moments. Like any proper Pureblood who had grown up in the area, she knew enough about the Chamber of Secrets to know that it posed a threat to Mudbloods.
"How are you going to get it to Hogwarts?" Narcissa finally asked. "I know there is no way that you would ever give it to Draco."
"Arthur Weasley's daughter will be starting her first year at Hogwarts when the summer is over," Lucius said.
Narcissa once again nodded her head in understanding. For a brief moment, a look of sadness crossed over her face. Lucius knew that she moaned for Ara just as much as he did, just like he knew that she was as upset as he was over the fact that the Weasleys had so many children (especially that one daughter) while all they had was Draco.
Narcissa had wanted so badly more than just one child.
And Lucius had wanted so badly a daughter. He could have had a much different relationship with a daughter than he could ever have with Draco.
Lucius did care about his son, but there just would have been something special about having a daughter, about having a little Narcissa.
"Draco will try to involve himself as soon as it starts," Narcissa spoke. "He's just like you in that regard."
She spoke the words with obvious fondness, but there was also a hint of worry in her voice.
"I will make sure to talk to him about staying out of the way," Lucius promised. "He will be safe. If I thought even for a moment that this diary could potentially place him in danger, I would have placed it back into its hiding place without a second thought."
Lucius once again felt his Dark Mark burning, but he once again ignored it.
"I read in the Daily Prophet that Gilderoy Lockhart will be signing copies of his autobiography at Flourish and Blotts before the summer is over," Narcissa said with a disgusted expression on her face. "There's no doubt in my mind that Molly Weasley will be one of the many pathetic women that will be desperate to get a close look at such a pretty specimen."
Lucius smirked slightly. His wife was truly his life partner.
Lucius then walked over to Narcissa and gave her a slight kiss on her lips before turning to leave the room. There were still plans to needed to be made.
As soon as he was back in the privacy of his personal study (with the door closed and magically locked in case Draco was around), Lucius sat down at his desk. He then opened the diary, grabbed a quill, and wrote on the first page:
Your time is coming.
The Dark Lord had never given Lucius that many details on how the diary worked, but it had not taken the blond-haired wizard long to figure it out. He had, after all, grown up around all sorts of objects filled with Dark Magic.
A few moments passed. Then, a single but clear word appeared beneath what Lucius had written:
Excellent.
Author's Note: To learn more about Ara, see my profile page for all the stories that are a part of my Dead Babies series.