Saving the Malfoys

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I am just borrowing them. Characters belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter One

Lucius Malfoy sat in his cell in Azkaban looking a mess. It had been nearly a year since his trial but it had felt like an eternity. The man that used to be headstrong and belittling was now an empty shell. He had grown quiet and reclusive. He stared at the blank concrete wall in front of him as he continued to be lost in his own thoughts. He missed his wife and son more than he could even begin to express. He hadn't been allowed any contact with them since his trial. He just wanted to see them. To know that they hadn't abandoned him. They were all he had left to live for.

Lucius was shaken violently from his thoughts by a loud explosion somewhere above him. He got to his feet and went to the door of his cell. He could hear other prisoners shouting, not that that was unusual, they however were also cheering. He frowned in confusion for a moment before his cell door was unlocked by a masked figure wearing long black robes.

"Lucius Malfoy" the masked man looked him up and down and laughed slightly. "what a mess. Get up. The Dark Lord requires your services."

Lucius felt someone grab him by the back of his ragged shirt and pull him. Everything seemed to be a blur. He could make out a huge hole in the side of the building and Death Eater everywhere dragging out convicted Death Eaters like himself. He seemed to be falling unconscious somehow but he didn't feel tired.

Lucius woke with a damp cloth on his forehead and an old familiar smell flooded into his nostrils. It was a floral scent. A woman. Narcissa.

"It's alright darling." She whispered to him gently. "You're safe now. You're home."

Narcissa was dabbing the cool wet cloth on his forehead as his eyes flickered open. He stared up at her his vision still blurry.

"Cissy?" he croaked. There was a lump in his throat and he was blinking back tears that were threatening to spill. He was already a mess. He didn't want to look any more vulnerable, even to her.

He was sure he was dreaming. Something didn't quite feel real. No one escaped Azkaban. The only thing telling him that it wasn't a dream was his bruised body that ached all over. His punishments had been brutal as were all the Death Eaters'. His hand trembled as he reached up to touch her face to confirm that he was awake.

Narcissa took his trembling hand and held it against her pink cheek. "It's okay." She placed a kiss on his knuckles. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." She guided him up and took him to the bathroom.

He went with her limping slightly due the ache of his muscles. Lucius watched as she locked the door and then went over to the bath. Her actions were proving to him that she still cared for him. The one worry he had during his time in Azkaban was being eased.

The bath was nearly full before he realised that she was unbuttoning his shirt for him carefully. He was again filled with the fear that she would be repulsed by his broken body underneath. Undernourished and beaten. He grabbed her wrists quickly before she could undo anymore.

"Lucius? What's wrong?"

He swallowed and shook his head. "I can manage from here."

His wife nodded and kissed his cheek. "All right. Call me if you need anything. I will have dinner brought up for you."

His hands slipped away from her wrists and he released her. He saw the concern in her face. The stress of him being away had taken its toll on her, small lines of worry had embedded themselves in her forehead. He had wondered if she had cried at all. Cried over him. He had failed her and it cut him deeper than any knife could. And even now he was after all this time shutting her out. She was trying to help him and he was closing the door in her face. Too damn proud for his own good.

She had turned and was on her way out of the door.

"Narcissa." His voice cracked and wavered slightly.

She turned back to him hopefully. He could see it.

"Stay" he whispered and to his relief she nodded and closed the door again.

He pressed his hands up against the door and she turned to face him. He watched her study his face for a moment before kissing her passionately. It had been too long. He felt her melt in his arms as her brave front gave way. She was crying as she clung to him desperately. He broke the kiss and held her close in his arms for a while as she let out her emotions. He had seen his wife cry like this only once. They had just been married for almost a year when she miscarried. It was heart-breaking seeing his wife in this way.

After a while she started to calm but her desperation to hold onto him didn't leave her. She touched his face gently and watched him. He smiled down at her gently and kissed her again.

"The water." She whispered as she wiped away her tears. "It will be getting cold."

He shrugged and watched her unbuttoning his shirt. She pushed it off his shoulders and covered her mouth with her hands when she saw the bruised pale skin underneath.

"What did they do to you?" she choked. She was filling up again. Lucius wiped her tears away before they could spill again.

"I'm safe now." He whispered softly and laced his fingers with hers.

Lucius undressed and got into the bath she had run for him. The warm water easing the pain of his aching muscles. Narcissa started to wash his long blonde hair. She was careful as she massaged his scalp. He closed his eyes.

"Thank you." He whispered. He meant more than just for running the bath.

She nodded silently in understanding.

Once she had finished with his hair she took out his razor and started to remove the stubble on his ragged face and neck until he was clean shaven. Once it had been removed Lucius seemed to look younger and healthier again. She smiled and kissed him gently.

"I love you Lucius." She breathed.

"I love you too Cissy." He smiled back.

Lucius lay in the bath for a while just relaxing and watching his wife. She brought over a large fluffy towel and waited for him to get out before wrapping it around him. He held it close around himself and dried off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and followed Narcissa out and into their room.

Narcissa picked out some pyjamas for him which consisted of just a pair of black silk trousers and put them down on the bed for him. Lucius changed into them and sat down on the edge of the bed. He still looked frail compared to the photographs that stood on Narcissa's night stand. Him and her on their wedding day. That seemed so long ago now. Back before they had their son, Draco, back before he had been discovered and convicted.

He picked up one of the frames and sighed.

"You were a handsome young man." Narcissa smiled. "My father was so proud that I was marrying a Malfoy." She sat down beside him and took his hand.

Lucius linked his fingers with hers and put the picture down on the nightstand.

"I missed you so much" he whispered. "Every single day I wanted to see you. I just wanted to know that we were okay. That you were safe."

She touched his cheek gently and turned his head to face her before kissing him deeply.

"I missed you too Lucius. But I never stopped loving you or caring about you. Bellatrix kept us safe. Draco made a deal with the Dark Lord."

"What kind of deal?" Lucius' eyes grew concerned. He looked frightened.

"He has joined them." She whispered. "Joined the Death Eaters. To keep you safe. Bellatrix and Severus are protecting him. I made the unbreakable vow with Severus. The Dark Lord ordered Draco to kill Dumbledore-"

"He what?" Lucius got up quickly. There was panic in his voice. "But Draco couldn't do that. He's never killed anyone. He's not ready for that. He will be punished. Killed. Draco. My son."

"Lucius!" Narcissa calmed him down. "Lucius. Draco is okay. He is safe. Severus killed Dumbledore. I believe this was your punishment from the Dark Lord." She whispered. "He knows you would do anything to keep your family safe."

Narcissa guided Lucius back to the bed. He was trembling again. The news had clearly shaken him. His wife began to brush his drying hair and he began to calm down. His son was safe, his wife was safe. That was all that mattered. He felt a small pull as Narcissa tied his hair back and kissed his cheek gently.

He watched her as she undressed and changed into something to sleep in. He had missed her body. The curve of her back. The pale unmarked skin that was as smooth as porcelain. Her gentle curves that gave her body shape. Her entire figure was perfect in his eyes.

She climbed into bed beside him and settled down. She waited for him to do the same before turning of the lights with her wand. Lucius lay on his side and faced her. He stared into her ocean blue eyes and grinned. She smiled back and held onto him. Her head rested on his chest. He kept hold of her as she drifted off to sleep. Eventually sleep claimed him as well.