This is for the 7 Deadly Sins Challenge on HPFFC forum. It will skip around from time period to time period without rhyme or reason, so don't expect something to take place in a certain era, you'll probably be disappointed. lol for those of you who do not know, the 7 Deadly Sins are: Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Pride, Wrath, Sloth, and Envy. This takes place after Lucius and Narcissa's seventh year. They have been dating, but have not yet officially considered marriage. The Deadly Sin for this chapter is greed. (Yes, I kinda stole the chapter title from the song, Master Passion Greed by Nightwish from Dark Passion Play. Don't judge me….)
Chapter I- Master the Passion and the Greed
"Lucius darling?"
The blonde turned to regard her, smiling. "Yes?"
"Where are we to be tonight for the… meeting?" she asked, slightly unsure of her choice of words, but confident in her speech.
"The usual place. Nott told me on his orders, and to tell you as well."
"Of course. Shall we leave then? I just need a cloak."
"At your leisure."
Narcissa smiled at him, and hurried to grab her cloak, latching onto his arm upon her return.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-break-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Welcome, my friends…. Tonight, you shall prove your loyalty to me. Pass, and you shall be rewarded…. Fail, and you shall be punished." The Dark Lord looked around his circle of potential followers, and smiled in his snake like, demonic way of his. "Crabbe, why don't you go first?"
The man in question stepped forward from the circle, and knelt in front of his Lord. "Yes of course my Lord."
"Get up."
The young man stood, and the Dark Lord flicked his wand lazily, sending him into spasms of agony, screaming and writhing on the ground. Just as suddenly, it stopped. He lay on the ground for a moment, catching his breath, then stood again facing the Dark Lord.
"What is it that my Lord wishes me to do this night?"
The Dark Lord smiled wickedly. "Bring them!"
Several witches and wizards (it was impossible to tell, their masks covered their faces and their figures were obscured) floated barely conscious men and women before them, blood drying on some of their bodies as if just seriously wounded.
"Choose."
Crabbe gestured for one of the wizards to drop their victim, and they did so.
"You are to kill the unworthy. Muggles are not fit for this world where magical blood should rule. They must be eliminated. There is no other way. Kill her!"
The circle cheered, and Crabbe bellowed, firing a curse at the Muggle woman, and the Death Eaters and soon-to-be Death Eaters went wild. She fell limp on the ground, and Crabbe spat on her.
"Who shall be rewarded next? Come forward and kneel! You shall have power and wealth and people will beg you for your favor! Who wants it next?" The Dark Lord shouted to be heard above the din of his followers.
Lucius stepped forward and fell to his knees before his Lord, his face betraying his lust for the reward.
The Dark Lord stood above him for a moment, savoring the power he had over the young man. "Stand and choose, Malfoy."
Lucius stood, stumbling in his eagerness to gain his Lords favor that he may receive the power of which his Lord spoke. He was not stupid, he knew that not everyone here would get the power his Lord spoke of. He knew it would be hard earned, and he was willing to prove himself worthy of his Lords notice.
He chose the youngest woman there as his victim. She looked to be about 24 years old with fear in her clouded eyes. She was barely conscious, but was very aware of what was about to happen to her. Lucius raised his wand, grinning maliciously, and the woman was dead. 17 year old Lucius Malfoy had killed for the first time. He reveled in the adrenaline rush it gave him. The power over someone else's existence in a way so obvious, so different from how the Muggles had power over another's life. Lucius Malfoy was no longer a child. He watched the light leave the woman's eyes, and it made his stomach flip in pleasure. He watched the light leave the woman's eyes, and it made him realize that he would follow his Lord, even if the pleasure of killing were the only pleasure he got. He had money, he didn't need more, and the Malfoy name was relatively powerful. But this. This was something entirely different. This feeling. This power!
Suddenly, Lucius regained his composure, and he stepped back in line beside Narcissa. This feeling of power and Narcissa were all Lucius would ever need. Everything else was unnecessary. Apart from what kept him alive, of course. He would still need food and water and the like, but everything else, he would need very little.
Again, the Dark Lord called for someone to step forward. And again, the call was answered. By Bellatrix Black, Narcissa's sister.
"My Lord," she cried, falling to her knees in front of him, "I am yours to command! Whatever your will, I will do it!"
"Then choose Black!"
She scrambled to her feet, and chose. She toyed with him. Torturing and hurting and maiming until he was screaming, begging for her to kill him, begging for it all to end, and she did in a flash of green light. The wild look in her eyes, the near ecstasy in her posture, the feral grin playing on her lips, everything blatantly said she had enjoyed every second of the torture. Every scream and cry, every tear that fell from his eyes. Panting, she stepped back into her place in the circle.
Narcissa, not to be outdone by her sister, stepped forward at the next call. "My Lord, I am ready to begin my true path in your service."
He looked down at her, so calm and steady compared to her sister, and nodded. "Choose, then, young Black."
Narcissa stood, and chose her victim. The eldest of the group. The woman must have been in her 80s at least. She wasn't even conscious, but Narcissa soon fixed that, and the woman's screams reverberated in everyone's ears. The woman's face was distorted in agony, twisted from age and frailty, and though the voice was weak, it was loud. Narcissa was expressionless. Dispassionate, she lifted the curse, and the old woman curled into a ball on the ground, sobbing. Not speaking, she cut a gash across the woman, and was rewarded with more shrieks of agony.
"I… will not… beg… for… my life…." The elderly woman told her stubbornly.
Narcissa stared down at her coldly. "Then die." A flash of green light, and the light of life left the woman's eyes forever. Narcissa felt nothing, but she supposed it was better than feeling pity or regret over the death of the woman. She wanted the power the Dark Lord had spoken of. She wanted very little else. Lucius and that immense power would satisfy her. Until she became bored. Then she knew she would want- need- more. And the need would never stop, but she didn't care. She needed that power, and she would do whatever it took to get it. The Black's were powerful on their own, yes, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her thirst for power. She needed it. She needed it like she needed Lucius, and she knew she would not stop until she got what she needed.
Stepping back into the circle, she looked at Lucius, and their gazes met, and at that moment, they both knew that they would get the power they desired, and that they would be together to get the power. They knew they would not be able to master their greed. Neither of them had a problem with it.
