Lucius frowned. Something unusual was happening on the estate. He could feel the ripples of magic flowing around and through him. No one had disturbed the wards, but something was not as expected.
He lifted his wand and stalked from his study. He needed to determine the source of this nonsense quickly. His daughter in law was under his protection while Draco was finishing up business in the United States. The boy would be quite distraught if she was overset this far advanced into her confinement. It would be best if he didn't bother the girl.
To say they hadn't warmed to each other would be mostly true. He no longer found her lacking as a witch, but she had a long memory. His sins were large in her mind, and that made them loom in his. It was discombobulating at best. Narcissa had managed to become quite friendly with the chit, but he lacked the ability to bond over whatever hormonal insanity they shared. His wife was in France, picking up the birth announcements that had been specially charmed by some artist. Leave it to Narcissa to be away when he needed her.
He moved to a larger room where he hoped to feel the tremors running through the magic more clearly. The source wasn't easy to locate. He pushed his mind out to his not so ornamental white peafowl. He knew other wizards snickered about his supposedly effeminate pets, but they had no idea how wonderful his muster was. They were vicious, capable of killing an intruder with claws or beak. Beautiful and deadly. They were also linked to him. He looked about the property through their eyes, but there was nothing unusual. He let his worry run through them and stimulate their protective urges before he withdrew from their collective minds. He heard their raucous calls of reply and felt the hum of their link intensify.
The birds were hard at work, the wards were undisturbed, but the thrum of something different was so strong. He couldn't risk anything harming Hermione. The next Malfoy heir was tucked under her heart. Lucius felt his lips curve as he considered how powerful his grandson was bound to be. That child was his hope for the future of their House.
He felt the odd presence wash over him again and turned toward it. The magic came in irregular waves. The faint trace of magic had been less alarming before he had determined its location.
They had hired teams of curse breakers and specialists, but that section of the house was always dark and cold. Hermione had dragged in the eldest Weasley boy. He'd actually found a few lingering bits of maleficent magic the others had missed, but it had done little good. Riddle had killed so many that their deaths had marked the very stone with a dark weight. Only time would ease the shades that did there abide.
He stalked through the halls toward the epicenter of his nightmares and found Hermione pacing across the floor she'd once been tortured on. The magic was flowing fast and hard as she moved in a waddling fashion. Her hair was sparking, and her hands were pressed into her back.
"Hermione." Lucius tilted his head in greeting as his daughter in law turned toward him.
"When will Draco be here?" Hermione bit the words out. "He needs to be here."
"His portkey should return him to your rooms this afternoon." Lucius tried to smile at her. "Apparently, he was caught up in some ritual involving a ground dwelling hog. It all seems quite odd."
"I told him not to go, but he wouldn't listen to me." She rolled her eyes and resumed her pacing. "The healer says it will be fine, Darling. I'll only be gone a few days, Dear."
Lucius smirked as she continued to mock his son. He obviously wasn't the only one annoyed by his son's placating nonsense. Draco should never have left her alone this late in a pregnancy.
"You'll have to do." Hermione glared up at him. "It's not like I have a whole bunch of options. The healer said she'd be here soon, but her relationship with time leaves something to be desired."
"It is ever so nice to be of use." Lucius smirked as the sparks in her hair grew a bit brighter. "It might be useful to know for what you need me."
"My water broke hours ago. Stupid magic won't let me leave this room. I don't know why." She waved her hands in the air around her body. "I think my time is near. My magic is wonky, and I need help."
"Your water broke?" Lucius looked around him. "But Imbolc just passed. The child isn't due until the beginning of March. Draco assured me."
"Well, Draco assured you, so I'll just cross my legs and wait." Hermione waved her hand and her magic arced out from her hand in a swirl of colors. "I can not leave this room. My healer is probably quaffing tea with a patient that she prefers. I do not know if my messages are getting out of this magical hell scape, and I am forced to rely on Lord Prissy Pants Malfoy to help me. This day just gets better and better."
Lucius frowned at her description of him but decided that commenting on her own short comings would see him hexed and bleeding. Pregnant witches were dangerous. The average witch's power fluctuations made keeping the statute of secrecy a challenge on a good day. Hermione was not an average witch. She'd been confined to the house for most of the last three months. It had been a difficult transition for her. He'd seen Draco bald on more than one occasion. He'd also found him petrified from time to time. All sorts of magical plants had suddenly sprouted in the garden. Neville Longbottom has been beside himself when they called him in to assess the sudden bumper crop of oddities. The Manor had started to change as well. The Library has added another floor on its own and decorated it with couches in bold Gryffindor red. Lucius eyed his daughter in law and decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Can you leave this area?" Hermione looked up at him and he saw the fear lingering in her eyes. "The elves aren't coming when I call, and I can't be sure my patronus made it out. This is not where I planned to give birth."
"I'll try." Lucius turned and walked to the next room and found himself unable to pass through the open archway. "I do believe we are stuck here."
"Godric, why?" Hermione grimaced and rubbed like circles on either side of her huge belly. "Why now?"
"How long have you been laboring?" Lucius took a step toward her.
"I'm not sure. My back was hurting last night, but my water broke a few hours back." Hermione's shoulders drooped with the confession. "It hurts. I want Draco."
He saw the tears trekking down her face and felt a moment of panic. He hated being around crying women. It reminded him of his mother's constant sorrow and left him feeling weak and somehow deficient.
"I don't want to do this here." She flung her arm wildly and the magic arced out in a cascade of light that hit the wall and soaked in. "I don't want to do this now." She stamped her foot and light shot along the floor in irregular ripples before it too soaked in. "I don't want to do this without Draco."
He couldn't follow the flash of light this time as it ricocheted around the room. The magical storm of birth was upon her. She had no healer and no support. He took a deep breath. He could smell the odd scent of powerful magic in the air. It was bright and clean and brought hints of the crisp scent after a spring rain and the warmth of newly baked cookies.
He forced his mind to focus.
Hermione was lost in her pain and her fear. In this horrible room. With him.
The wards in this part of the house were not designed to deal with the burst of magic that accompanied delivery, but they seemed to be holding.
He watched as she bent over and bit her lip to avoid screaming. She was trying to delay, but her magic had decided. He needed to help her.
"I know I am not the person you want with you at this time." He licked his lips nervously. "I know this is not where you wanted to do this."
"But I don't have a bloody damn choice." She grimaced. "Do I?"
"It would appear that you don't." He stripped off his outer robe and transfigured it into a mattress. "At least my prissy clothing will serve us."
She smiled and eyed the mattress with a obvious relief.
"Let me help you." He held out his hand and smiled when she grabbed it. He eased her down to the pallet and let her curl on her side. He stripped his waistcoat and created a pillow from it for her.
"I'm not ready for this." Hermione clutched the pillow to her chest.
"Yes, you are." Lucius sat beside her and rolled up the lawn of his sleeves. "I'm the one that's unprepared."
"Your mark hasn't faded much." Hermione touched the hated tattoo that marred his flesh. "Draco's is gone."
"He never gave over to the darkness the way I did." Lucius sighed. She clutched his arm as another wave of magic pulsed around them. "I don't think we have much time. You need to prepare."
Hermione shifted and Lucius let himself do what was necessary. He didn't think about the fact that this was his daughter in law. He didn't dwell on the oddity of a death eater serving as a midwife. He let his magic guide his actions and ignored his fears. When he held the baby in his arms, he felt the magic wash through him. He handed the baby up to his mother and prepared for the expelling of the afterbirth, but such hubris didn't go unanswered. Another head was pressed there, pushing out into the previous occupant's placental cowl.
"Why does this hurt so much?" Hermione curled up around her son.
"Because we aren't finished." Lucius glanced up at her wide, panicked eyes. "We can do this. Push with the next contraction."
He saw her eyes narrow as she prepared. She wasn't some fainting miss. Her hair was slicked to her face with sweat. Odd smudges of blood and amniotic fluid decorated her skin and her gown. She kissed her son and cushioned him carefully on the mattress beside her before grabbing her thighs and giving over to the pain and magic once again.
The second child came into the world easily. She blinked up at him as magic bloomed out around them. Her tiny fist opened, and she pressed her tiny hand to his cheek.
He reveled in the moment.
He glanced over at his daughter in law and smiled. They sat together and marveled as the magic cleansed them and the room. The darkness fell away. His dark mark faded away.
He blinked and examined the world around him as Draco arrived with the healer. He watched as Narcissa came rushing into the room. He heard their jubilation. He heard it, and he felt it himself.
For the first time in his life, he felt the warmth and acceptance of the light.
"Oran Lynx and Alina Lyra." Draco bent and kissed their foreheads while Hermione held both children. "Welcome to our House."
Lucius blinked. He'd expected star names in the Black tradition. He watched as his son turned to their guests.
"We have been gifted with the light." He looked directly at his father.
Lucius nodded.
Narcissa sniffled beside him, and he half hugged her as they watched the tapestry update behind their son and his family.
"They are perfect, Lucius." Narcissa sighed and leaned in against him.
He smiled and watched on as his son and his daughter in law continued healing the world around them.
He smirked. Someday, when he encountered Severus again, he would have to tell him that Dumbledore hadn't been as mad as they believed. Love truly did make all the difference.