Lucius Malfoy had arrived at his home a few days ago to unexpected guests. While he was away at Azkaban, the Dark Lord and several of his closest followers had moved into Malfoy Manor. It was bad enough that he had to endure the wrath of his master for his failure at the Ministry, but to take over the Manor and terrorize his family was unacceptable. To the outside world the Malfoys were a cold and arrogant family who believed that pureblood wizards deserved to rule the wizarding world. Lucius knew this was not entirely true. He loved his family dearly. His wife Narcissa was the most beautiful creature he had ever set eyes on. Despite the rumors, Lucius was as faithful to his wife as the Dark Lord allowed him to be. When he was in the Dark Lord's favor, he was required to participate in revels. He looked at these as part of his position and not as infidelity. As for his son, Draco, he was very proud of the man that he was becoming. He allowed him to make his own choices and mistakes. Just before the disaster at the Ministry, Draco had informed him that he would not be joining Voldemort's ranks. He also informed his father that he was beginning to harbor intense feelings for a girl who was not pureblood. He planned to make her his wife one day if she would have him. There was a heated conversation that night, but in his heart Lucius was proud that his son had the courage to differ from his beliefs.

Though his place in society had never allowed him to show these feelings in public, at home, at the manor things were far from how the rest of the world saw it. When Draco was home from school they always ate dinner together. Conversation passed easily between the three of them. Sometimes their discussions would carry them late into the night. Love and laughter filled the large dinning room. Now things had to change. There will be no more laughter. No more all night dinners with his wife and his son. The dinning room was now dark and filled with hate. The Dark Lord had chosen this room to meet with his Death Eaters. These same Death Eaters filled his home day and night. Now he would be forced to display his public persona all the time.

Lucius had spent the first two days at home being tortured by Voldemort for his failure. Once he grew tired of torturing Lucius, he allowed others to do so to amuse him. His third and fourth day he spent recovering from the many hours of the several different curses that he had endured. Narcissa tended to him during his recuperation. He was able to get vital information from her as to their situation. She told him that after his capture, the Dark Lord had forced Draco to join him and take his Mark. He had threatened that if Draco refused he would not only kill him but also his mother. He had no choice but to become a Death Eater. Lucius felt his heart break a little at this. He knew now that his family was in danger from the master he had served loyally for so long. He had several long months to think about Voldemort and his views while he sat in Azkaban. He had decided that upon his release he would get his family to safety and then try to disappear himself. He no longer wanted to serve the Dark Lord. Hell, if truth be told he wasn't even sure he still shared the same views as his master. He was beginning to see that blood didn't even really matter. He knew that Voldemort was a half-blood, yet he preached the values of a pureblooded existence. Then there was that Mudblood he fought at the ministry, Granger. He could feel the magic pulsating from her. He knew then that she was developing into a very powerful witch. Harry Potter was another factor in the scrutiny of his views. Everyone wondered how a baby could have defeated the greatest dark wizard ever. Lucius wondered how a half-blood could do it. It was then that he was convinced that blood truly did not matter. A small part of him even hoped that Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix would be successful and destroy Lord Voldemort and there-by rescue the entire wizarding world from his grasps.

After Lucius had processed the fact his one and only son was now a Death Eater, Narcissa continued her tale. She told him that the Dark Lord had been very displeased with Lucius' failures. For that reason he had given Draco a task to accomplish and that in a way he had. Both of the parents knew that this task was more punishment for Lucius' own failures. She explained that Draco was to kill Albus Dumbledore. She told her husband about the Unbreakable Vow she made with his best friend in order to protect their son. She told him about Draco's attempts and his failures to fulfill his task. Then she told him all she knew about the night atop the Astronomy Tower. Draco was here in the Manor, and she said that she would bring him to see his father the next day. He knew that when Severus Snape returned Draco here, the Dark Lord punished the boy for his failure, but at least it had not been too severe. He was grateful that his friend was there to help his family. He would remember to thank him properly when and if he had the chance.

The next morning the small family took their breakfast in the Malfoy's spacious master suite. It would be the last time they would gather for conversation over a meal. Lucius told his wife and son that they needed to maintain their public personas from now on, never letting anyone see their love for each other as it could be used against them. After this morning they would all take meals with the other Death Eaters who were residing in the house. He did not want anyone, especially the Dark Lord, to see where he was the weakest. He had hoped to be able to move his family to safety upon his return, but now realized that plan would have to wait. For now the each had a role to play. They talked mostly of Draco's task and of the upcoming war.

"How did you know about all those other attempts?"

"The Trouble with Magic Statue, of course," his mother said.

"Damn, that thing it is always trying to get me in trouble."

"Well then it certainly lives up to its name," his father said with a chuckle.

"Yes, well he informed me when you made your attempts and when they failed. I must say it is a remarkable piece of magic." The family was referring to a very special family heirloom. It was a bust of Narcissa's Great-Great-Great Grandfather Urien Belenus Black. He had enchanted it to alert him to his children's good and bad deeds. No one had yet to figure out how the bust knew when the children were bad or good even when they were they were hundreds of miles away at school. But it was said that Urien was probably the brightest wizard of that age. The bust was passed down through the family for years. It always went to the first born of each generation to protect them. Narcissa had two sisters and two cousins in her generation. One cousin was killed after he turned on the Dark Lord. The other was disowned for being a Blood-traitor. Bellatrix had no children and her other sister was disowned for marrying a Muggle, so the bust became hers when Draco was born. The bust would let the parents know when their child had done something bad so the child could be reprimanded. It also let them know when they had done something good so the child could be rewarded. Lucius always laughed at the bust when it recommended he punish Draco for the acts of violence he pulled while away at school. Lucius always felt that a little hex here and there did not make Draco a bad boy and therefore rarely punished him for anything the bust told him. Lucius suddenly came out of his thoughts, a panicked look on his face. "Narcissa, does our Lord know of the statue." Thoughts of how Voldemort could use his son once he found out about the statues existence flashed in his head.

"No, I had the house-elf move him from your study to my dressing room the night the Dark Lord arrived. I, too, know of the dangers if he possessed the ability to monitor Draco, though he may already know about the bust and its powers. Bella knows it exists."

Lucius sat and thought for a few minutes. If indeed Bella told her master about it already, he certainly would have ordered it to be brought to him, if for nothing else than for another way to control his family.

"If she did then he sees it as nothing of importance," Lucius responded. "What did old Urien have to say about our son's attempt at murder?"

"That is the strange part. It must not have registered as a bad deed because he didn't say a word. He let me know when Draco let the Death Eaters in the school and that he disarmed his headmaster, but nothing else after that. Maybe since Draco did not perform the act, he did not see any need to report it," she sighed.

"No, I don't think so. Urien hated that I rarely took his advice when it came to punishing Draco. That would have been the best chance to report him doing something truly bad."

"Wait, I don't understand. How would me killing Dumbledore be considered bad when I was punished for not doing so? Shouldn't it be considered good that I at least tried?"

"The Statue can not distinguish the difference between an order and a choice. It judges good and bad based solely on the morals of the wizarding world. Any attempt on another wizard's life would be seen as a bad deed. Even if you had killed someone in battle it would still report that. My great-great-great grandfather was highly intelligent. He would not have condoned any war where wizards killed other wizards, regardless of blood. Since he enchanted the bust, I am certain that he gave it his morals and those from the time he lived," his mother explained.

"When will this humiliation end?" Draco replied.

Lucius just laughed, it felt good to do so. "It will end when you have children. I think that was Urien's way of making sure there was always an heir. Until then it would be best if you remember that it was immoral to have sex before marriage when Urien was alive."

Draco blushed, "You knew, all this time, every time I…" His voice trailed off, and he looked between his father and mother with a horrified expression on his face.

"And Son," his mother added with a sly smile, "I do hope you treat each and every one of those girls with respect."

At his mother's remark Draco just banged his head on the table unable to bear the thought that both of his parents knew about his affairs. At the same time, a jolt of fear went through his stomach. Did they know which girl he was with at the time of these acts of indiscretion? No, he thought, if they knew he was with her, they would not be so calm. His thoughts lingered for a moment on the last time he saw her just before she went off to join her friends at the Burrow. He thought of the time they spent that night, and he felt his face getting warmer and knew there was color rising in his cheeks. Narcissa and Lucius laughed at their son's obvious humiliation. A few minutes later he finally decided it didn't matter if they knew, and he joined them in laughter. It truly did feel good to laugh with his family. Lucius knew he was going to miss this. There was now little they could do to change the fates that seemed to be crashing down around them

Later, while Lucius was dressing for the day and preparing to go and meet with the Dark Lord, he wandered into his wife's dressing room to speak with the bust of Urien. The question about the murder still had him bothered, and he felt the need to question the statue. He saw his wife had placed him in the corner and walked over to stand directly in front of the bust. He stood and waited and nothing. The bust did not change or move. 'Very strange, he almost always acknowledges me when I stand before him,' Lucius thought.

"Urien," he said aloud. Nothing. Not a word. He didn't even open his eyes. "Urien, I need a word, please," this time he spoke louder.

"Master Malfoy, how may I be of service?"

"Urien, I am sure you know of Draco's behavior last June. I would like to know why you never reported the attempted murder to Narcissa."

"Sir, There was no attempt. The man in question was already dying. In fact given what I know he probably would not have made it another hour."

"Are you saying that Dumbledore was already dead?"

"Yes and no, he was alive when the last curse was thrown at him. But he was very weak and already dying. There was nothing that could have been done to save him, therefore the boy did nothing wrong other than disarm him."

He thought for a few moments. This was very interesting. What could possibly make the great wizard so weak? He turned to leave still pondering the events of that fateful night. When he turned and asked Urien one last question.

"Why did you make me call you twice before you spoke to me?"

"You are no longer my master. There will be an heir. I now belong to the boy."

A/N – Urien, means privileged birth. In Arthurian legend Urien was a king of Gore and the husband of Morgan le Fay.

Belenus, means bright, brilliant.

Urien Belenus Black would be Phineas Nigellus Black's father. Since JKR's Black family tree only goes back 5 generations, I made him up.

Thanks to my wonderul beta lilywillow.