There was a curt knock on the door. Lucius Malfoy looked up from the book of old runes we was studying.
"Enter," he called to the person on the other side of the door. The thick oak door opened and Rodolphus Lestange entered Lucius' study.
"Rodolphus, welcome." Lucius stood up to greet his new brother-in-law, extending his hand. The newly wed Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had just returned from their honeymoon in Greece.
"Lucius," Rodolphus greeted the slightly younger man with a handshake, "My pleasure".
"Pleasant surprise, but may I ask, what are you doing here?" Lucius had always gotten along with Rodolphus, but they certainly were not on terms to be dropping in at one another's studies unannounced.
"Well, Narcissa asked Bellatrix to come help her settle in here. I figured I would come along. I wanted to welcome you to the family", Rodolphus explained.
"Well, thank you. Please, have a seat," Lucius motioned to elegant arm chair that sat opposite his desk. Rodolphus sat. "Would you like a drink?"
"Certainly," Rodolphus replied. Lucius unlocked the tall liquor cabinet behind his desk and took from the top shelf the finest bottle of fire whiskey he had. He conjured two glasses and poured each of them a glass. Lucius sat back at his desk. "What is that you're working on?" Rodolphus said, looking at the rune book.
"Just translating some old runes. I came across this in Greece and wondered if it contained any…notable…information," Lucius answered. Rodolphus, never one for scholarly pursuits, nodded in response. He took a long swig from his glass of fire whiskey. Lucius mirrored his brother-in-law's swig with a swig of his own.
"You know why I'm here, right Lucius?" Rodolphus was getting sick of chit chat.
"Well, I suppose you just said you'd come with Bella," Lucius replied.
"Don't play a fool, Malfoy," Rodolphus had adopted a harsher tone, "You know the Dark Lord is not pleased." He finished off his glass and poured himself another, this time not waiting for permission.
"And why do you say that?" Lucius also finished his glass.
"Be real, Lucius. Your mark burns and you don't show up. You let three Muggles go free in the south country last month." Rodolphus was getting right to the point with his brother-in-law.
"Well, Rod. I have been fairly occupied lately" the younger man replied coolly, studied his glass of fire whiskey and didn't meet his brother-in-law's piercing gaze.
"Occupied? Do you think the Dark Lord cares that you were planning a wedding?" Rodolphus downed another glass and poured more for the both of them.
"If the Dark Lord had a problem with my allegiance, don't you think I would hear it from him?" Lucius, beginning to feel the effects of the liquor, was starting to lose some of his inhibitions.
"I am telling you now so you do not hear it from him, Lucius" Rodolphus replied, apparently not bothered by the younger man's snide remark.
"Well you do have some of that Lestrange nerve, Rod. Coming into my study and telling me what to do," Lucius chuckled.
"I am not telling you anything. I am warning you now," Rodolphus downed his glass. Lucius, in an attempt to stand his ground, also finished his glass. Rodolphus poured them more.
"And did you have this same…ah…talk with Rabastian when he was nearly caught by those Aurors the other week?" Lucius, very much drunk now, had hit a nerve with his brother-in-law.
"Rabastian knows what he did wrong and the Dark Lord has punished him accordingly," Rodolphus and Rabastian had both been given hard blows of the Cruciatus Curse for what the younger Lestrange brother had very naively done. Rodolphus had to brace his body so Lucius would not see him shiver in a moment of weakness.
"Hmm," Lucius chuckled, a menacing grin crossing his handsome face, "I guess you really are your brother's keeper."
Rodolphus picked up his glass and took a long, slow swig. As he finished it off and placed it down on the desk separating the two men, he pulled out his wand.
"Crucio!" Rodolphus' curse hit Lucius square in the chest, knocking him out of the desk chair and onto the plush, forest green carpet of the study. Lucius yelped in pain and drew his own wand.
"Ahh, but you wouldn't want me to call the Dark Lord to your home now, would you Lucius?" Rodolphus chuckled, rolling up his left sleeve. Lucius lowered his wand.
"Is everything alright? I heard yelling?" Narcissa called, concerned, from what sounded like the landing of the stairs.
"I'm sure they're fine" they could hear Bellatrix hiss back at her.
"Yes, fine dear!" Lucius called back, still slightly rattled from the surprise attack. He turned to Rodolphus, "and what the bloody hell was that for?!"
"You're my brother-in-law now Lucius, and I need you to learn a few things. First do not ever insult me or insult my family," he poured them both another glass of the fire whiskey, "Second, no matter what you want to think my wife and myself are the Dark Lord's most trusted. Do not ever question that. He will hear about it."
"You're bleeding mad," Lucius replied, gulping his fire whiskey and slopping some of it down his chin.
"And lastly, you better get right with the Dark Lord or you will have me to answer to. We're family now. You are a reflection of me. And I," he drank all the contents of his glass in one, large gulp, "am a reflection of you."
Rodolphus sat across from Lucius, smiling. After a long pause, the two staring at each other, studying, Rodolphus stood up and extended his hand to his brother-in-law. The younger man rose to his feet, wobbling, realizing how drunk he actually was.
"Welcome to the family," Rodolphus said barely above a haunting whisper. The two men shook hands and Rodolphus showed himself out of the room, displaying absolutely no effects from the several glasses of fire whiskey he had just consumed.
When the door closed behind Rodolphus, Lucius steadied himself by grabbing the edge of his desk and reached for the fire whiskey bottle to put it back in the cabinet. It was not until then that the young man realized that he and his new brother-in-law had finished the bottle that had been full when it had been removed from the cabinet.
It was at that moment that Lucius Malfoy simultaneously came to two realizations: He had better get right with the Dark Lord, and his brother-in-law, one of the Dark lord's most trusted, was clearly a functioning alcoholic.