She sat still at the table, not daring to move a muscle as he told her of his decision; he was going to join the Other side and fight in the war. Her only son, he was barely a man and even though she had been told over and over again that it was for the best, she knew in her heart that he should not have agreed to do it. She knew that she was supposed to be proud of him, after all, who gets the privilege to be chosen at such a young age for such an important task? But she could not bring herself to even imagine just what he was going to do.
Just like his father, she thought, always vying for glory.
She looked at him with her large brimming eyes, as if to convey her emotion directly to his, hoping he would feel what she felt, hoping he would come back to his senses and change his mind. He just looked back at her with those indifferent grey eyes and even though she could have sworn she saw a hint of fear in them for a split second, there was no knowing. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he got up from the table and dismissed himself, saying he had to prepare for his newest task at hand. He never spent much time with her anymore, she could remember back when he would cling to her robes and never allow her to leave his sight for even a second. She laughed both nostalgically and bitterly at this memory. Now things had changed, times were harder and there was no time for affection, it was live and let die, people scrambling for their lives everywhere, everybody fighting just so they could see the sun again tomorrow. Even the papers made no effort to hide it anymore, everyday there were reports of missing people, bodies found in raided homes or alleys somewhere, both muggle and magical. What if one day, she opened the paper and found her son in it? He was her only son, and what if one day it was him that was reported missing, or heavens forbid, dead? She knew she had to put a stop to it, getting up from her seat, she decided to go to the only person who would help her.
She apparated to the place she knew she would find him. He was the only person she could trust right now, she knew that her son would never admit this but he also trusted and feared his professor. And if there was anyone she could go to for help, anyone who would be able to find a solution, it would be him. Her sister had accompanied her on the journey, she had objected to this heavily, saying that she should have been proud her son had been selected for this.
"Tell me sister," she said when she first saw her, "why me? Why my son? Am I being punished for something I did?"
"Don't be silly!" her sister chastised, "You ought to be proud, look at yourself, behaving as though you just swallowed a bee. If I could, I would bear a hundred sons to serve for this purpose!" she boasted.
At this, she glared at her sister, but deciding to say nothing, she bit her tongue and they continued on their journey.
She was now back at the manor, still worried but a little relieved. They had spoken with his professor, or more so, she alone had spoken with his professor seeing as her sister wanted none in it. She had begged him to do all he could to help the situation. The man showed little indifference, it was hard to read him but she knew that he cared for her son, he was a good man that professor, even though her family would have never admitted it.
"I've never trusted him," her sister hissed as soon as they walked out of the place they met him.
She just shrugged and ignored her sister, at least he had promised to do all he could to protect her son and try to sway him from the task.
A door opening woke her from her thoughts, she looked up to see who had come in and it was her husband. He acted as though he had won the lottery when he was told his son's task. But she knew her husband too well, she knew that deep inside, even he was scared. That man, He Who Must Never Be Named, he was ruthless. Any mistake made and her son would be gone in a flash.
"You should have never let him agree to it," she said accusingly to him, "you should have stopped him."
He turned and looked at her with his cold grey eyes. They could have passed for brothers, father and son. Each with the same silvery blonde hair, grey eyes that pierced through your soul, thin lips and pale skin that looked as though it had never seen any sunlight.
"It was his decision and he made it," he replied, in an unsettling calm tone, "what do you suggest I should have done? Marched over to the Dark Lord and tell him to stick it?"
Before she could reply, her son came bursting into the room yelling, "Mother! How dare you go to Professor Dumbledore and tell him about all this!"
"You told that man?" her Abraxas bellowed.
"It had to be done!" she countered, looking to her son, she said, "Lucius, please son, now's not too late to turn back, we can all leave. We could disappear, he would never find us."
"No mother," he replied coldly, "times have changed now, we all have to pick sides, I've picked mine. I've placed my loyalties where they belong, and I'm not backing out."
"Lucius-" she was cut off.
"You have never understood me," he walked up to her and cupped her face in his hands, the tears were now rolling down her face uncontrollably, "You have to understand that I'm doing this for the best of all of us, it is for the best of the family. Imagine the glory we will be granted when the Dark Lord prevails, it will be beyond your wildest imagination."
"I do want glory son," she sobbed, "but not like this."
"Darling mother," Lucius sighed, and with that, he walked out of the room, out of the house, and out of her life.
"Abraxas, stop him," she cried desperately to her husband.
"He's made his choice, he's picked where his loyalties lie," he replied, "and it's high time you made yours."