AN: I wasn't sure of the timeline in the Tapestry series so I had Max and David's trip to the fey realm coincide with the tri-wizarding tournament. The story begins in the end of June.
"Are you sure this is something you have to do?"
Narcissa drew a thick cloak around her husband's shoulders before she kissed his cheek. She already knew what the answer was.
"I'm indebted to his father. We share a blood line. There is no other choice."
Narcissa let out a breath and patted his chest. "At least this cleared up that little mark on your family tree. Everything has been righted now. The Malfoy line has been strengthened and fully restored."
"That's very true." Lucius smiled down at her. "We should have looked after him more carefully, especially after…" He winced. "When his mother was stripped of her magic and they damaged her; they thought they'd made it a permanent effect in her genetic line."
"Stupid Americans," Narcissa spat. "They didn't even care enough to check up on them."
"It's not their fault," Lucius said gently as he stroked her blond hair. "No one forced her to do it. It was an experimental procedure."
"It was that or prison!" Narcissa cried out. "That isn't a choice!"
"She killed more than a dozen Muggles out in the open!" Lucius said exasperatedly.
"But she didn't use magic!" Narcissa said huffily.
"Well, that defense didn't work at her trial, now did it?" Lucius said irritated.
"Still, they should have checked up on her from time to time to see if she had offspring. It's not like Rowan Academy has a book of magical potentials like Hogwarts does." She tried to soothe him, but his smile came out a grimace.
"I'm not sure even Hogwarts' book would even register sleeping magic. It's like being a squib."
"Except that David Menlo is no squib."
"Indeed."
"It's clear that magic flows through him, but are you sure it's chaos magic? It hasn't been in your line for generations."
"Or anyone else's for that matter." Lucius snorted. "Apparently his mother's punishment awakened some primal genetic code. Rowan had been training him and they say he was an extremely strong potential.
"Until he disappeared." Narcissa frowned. "Have they explored the possibility that he'd outgrown them and went his own way?"
Lucius snorted. "A chaos magician with a penchant for magical theory would not wander away from a place that has the magical equivalent of the Library of Alexandria."
"I suppose not." Narcissa admitted. "At least not until he was done reading it."
"It would take him far longer than this lifetime." Lucius kissed his wife on her forehead. "If he could, he'd go back on his own, I'm sure."
"I hope so."
Lucius picked over his clothing while Narcissa sighed at him. "Things are getting worse, aren't they?"
He winced. "I'm… not sure if the Dark Lord is completely sure of what he's getting into."
"Do you think he'd really ally himself with demons?" Narcissa shook her head. "He can't control them and they're likely to turn on him."
"I don't know," Lucius said grimly. "He's up to something… the boy's mother has disappeared as well."
"What?" Narcissa blurted out in a shocked voice. "Do you… do you think—"
"I'd have thought he'd have told me, but he has his ways. Perhaps it's just a coincidence."
"Perhaps."
Lucius stepped through the fireplace at Rowan Academy to see the head of the school behind her desk, a younger woman hovering nearby.
"Lucius, it's so good of you to come!"
"Hello, Ndidi," Lucius said warmly as he went to her desk. The other woman regarded him politely, but said nothing.
"I wish this could be under other circumstances." The old friends clasped hands: his pale against her earthy brown. "Lovely robes, by the way."
"Oh, thank you," she said, her cheeks darkening as her hands ran over the pattern of deep blue and bright pink. She looked at her collegue. "Thank you, Miss Boone, that's all for now."
The other woman suppressed a giggle as she bustled out of the room.
"So, everyone knows we used to be an item?" Lucius asked in an amused voice.
"It was an entire semester!" She teased him. "When you're thirteen that's practically married!"
He chuckled. "I suppose it is."
"How is Narcissa, by the way?"
"Well, considering." Lucius screwed up his face. "This is an awful mess."
"I'm sure she is counting her lucky stars that she convinced you to send Draco to Hogwarts."
"I'm sure she is." Lucius nodded. "I was hoping to send him off with Karkaroff, but it seems as if even Durmstrang isn't safe. They used to be a fortress of secrecy."
"Things change." Ndidi shrugged. "Our perception of what is safe shifts." She looked him over for a moment.
"Is the sanctuary still standing?" he asked curiously.
"The last time I checked." She beamed at him. "Thinking of someone?"
"Is he still there?" Lucius' face lit up.
"He never forgave you for leaving him." Nididi chided.
"It wasn't my fault!" Lucius groaned. "They aren't allowed in Britain and I couldn't stay."
"You should have come back to visit," she scolded him.
They left the office and set out over the school grounds, only stopping to look at Old Tom, the campus clock as they went.
"It's still here."
"It's the beating heart of the school." Ndidi shrugged. "If it stopped I don't know what we'd do."
"Call in a clock repairman?"
"Probably."
They approached the sanctuary and Lucius felt his heart begin to pound with anticipation.
It was just as he had remembered it. The lush greenness of it all, the peacefulness and air of mystery. Lucius looked out over the clear water of the pond and started as two large seal-like heads popped out.
"Ooh! Standing there putting on airs, no doubt," one commented to the other.
"Posh and polished," sniffed the other one. "Too good for old Rowan!"
"I see nothing has changed," Lucius said in a pompous voice. "The sun still revolves around your arse."
One selkie squawked as the other lunged out of the pool at him. He led merry chase as they lumbered after him, Ndidi laughing as they cornered him.
"You're out of shape!" one grunted.
"It's been thirty years!" Lucius protested as he tried to catch his breath.
"Wizard living." The other sniffed. "It makes you lazy!"
Lucius' breath caught in his throat as the water rippled around a blue face with long silver whiskers.
"Finally come to visit?" It gave him an annoyed look as it crawled out of the pond.
Lucius felt a corner of his mouth quirk at the little water dragon. It shook its little cat-like face at him and it's scales chimed like bells.
"You're better off here, Whiskers," Lucius said ruefully.
"So you say." It sniffed and small puffs of steam came out of it's nose.
The selkies retreated as Lucius fell to his knees in the grass, the little dragon winding it's lithe form around him, nuzzling him as it went.
Lucius instinctively began picking small bits of pond debris out of the water dragon's scales and polishing dull patches with his thumb. "You shouldn't have chosen me anyway. You knew I was only going to be here half a year."
"Igor Karkaroff was only here half a year and he was chosen as well," it pointed out.
"Scuttles always was a silly beast." Lucius chuckled. "How is the old crab?"
"Decided to take a bit of a holiday," the water dragon said as quietly as he could. "Went down to the beach for a swim. Don't tell Owalowo."
"My lips are sealed," Lucius whispered back, knowing the king crab had a habit of slipping off unnoticed.
Suddenly there was a splash of water and a gold gleam from the water of the pond. The selkies scuttled away from the spot they had chosen to sun themselves on, making rude noises.
"Lucius!" A large crab with a shell that looked as if it were made of red enamel; a large pointed gold crown jutting from the top of it's shell, clamored to the shore, making for Lucius like a tank. "Where's that smelly friend of yours?"
"I—I don't know." Lucius admitted. "With all the problems we've been having he hasn't been seen for awhile."
The crab made a grouchy noise. "Always getting in trouble, that's what he was good for."
"Gee, I wonder who he got that from? He was such a nice little boy when he arrived." The water dragon pretended to groom himself.
"He had no fire!" The crab waved his claws around in an agitated way. "He just needed a push in the right direction!"
"Indeed," Lucius said dryly.
They reminisced for a few moments longer before Lucius began to explain why he was there, but the magical creatures already knew about the disappearance of Max and David.
"Looking for them is pointless." Whiskers' scales chimed as he shook his head. "It's not a place meant for you."
"But David—"
"Kin or no kin, you aren't meant to go there!" Scuttles growled. "These boys were born to do this! You'd just get in their way!"
"So, what am I supposed to do? Sit around and wait?" Lucius snorted.
"You have no choice," Whiskers said firmly. "You're human. The fey would eat you alive."
Lucius regarded the dragon coolly.
"Not everyone gets a prophecy, Lucius." The crab sat down with a solid ithunk/i.
Lucius threw the crab a dirty look, but settled down into the grass, allowing Whiskers to climb over his lap. "You don't think I know that?"
"I think you like to forget." Whiskers grunted.
Lucius threw it a dirty look, but said nothing.
"I think you should leave this one to us," Scuttles said as gently as he could. "You're about to have enough of your own troubles. Your family needs you."
"David Menlo is also family."
They were all silent when Ndidi approached them.
"Ask her." Scuttles gestured to the headmistress. "She'll tell you. If something's a match for David Menlo you don't stand a chance. You'd just get in the way."
Lucius flinched as she dropped to the ground beside him. "Oh, he's not all that useless."
"Thank you for your vote of confidence," Lucius said stiffly.
She just smiled mysteriously at him as she reached a hand out to Whiskers, his scales chiming merrily as he jaunted over to her. "You know, there are other people that would love to see you."
"Really? Who's that?" Lucius rolled his eyes at her.
"Bob and Mum."
"That crazy old hag isn't getting anywhere near me!" Lucius exploded, his cracking voice amusing Scuttles.
"She's not likely to try anything after the last time," he chuckled, his shell rattling.
"I'm not taking any chances." Lucius sniffed. "I'll be more than happy to see Bob. How is the old fellow?"
"Still the same old Bob." Ndidi smiled reassuringly. "Worrying about everybody."
"He was always good at that." Lucius gave an amused snort.
"So were you."
Lucius fell quiet as he picked at a blade of grass.
"Do you remember?"
"Of course I do," Lucius said a little too sharply.
"So what changed?" Her face was serious, but he had always found her eyes to be inviting. He felt weak as he fell into them; disappointed, but not regretful.
He was silent for a moment. "I started caring about what my father thought of me."
"Oh, Lucius…" her voice was full of sorrow, as if she ached for him.
"It was a long time ago."
"History is about to catch up with all of us, Lucius." Ndidi warned. "It would be best if it were not repeated."
His face grew weary. "It's all out of my hands now. I have a family to think about. I can't just go against him."
"Then you must thwart his plans," she said firmly. "This is about more than a single person, a single family. If you insist on thinking that way, then do it for the sake of future generations in your bloodline. They will curse your name for enslaving them if you don't."
Lucius felt his shoulders drop. "He'll kill me. He'll kill my boy."
"He might up killing you anyway, from what I hear. It seems his impulses have been dangerous for anyone around him." She looked at him and he felt his face tightening. "If you're dead either way wouldn't it be better to have made a difference?"
"And what if he took Draco and let me and his mother live?" He looked tired. "Then where would I be?"
"Draco?" Ndidi raised an eyebrow, but Lucius said nothing. "You remember the ceiling in my room."
"He had a group of freckles his mother claimed was inherited from her side," Lucius mumbled.
"I see," she said, leveling him with her heavy-lidded gaze. He laid a hand on a small cat-like creature with a row of spikes that ran down the center of it's face, tusks sprouting out at him.
"You could always work for us, Lucius," Ndidi reminded him. "There's always a place for you at Rowan. We could protect you. Protect your family." Lucius looked up at her, his eyes pleading. "Dumbledore would never have to know."
Lucius snorted. "He'd be happier to be rid of the lot of us."
"You might be surprised at his ability to give second chances," Ndidi said mysteriously. "He has a fond spot for lost causes."
"What do you know of this, Ndidi?" Lucius looked at her accusingly.
"I know giving up hope is never the answer." She admonished him gently "You know that, too. Sometimes I think you forget."
"If you can't let me search for the boy I should be off. I hated to leave Narcissa already." Lucius fumbled for his words.
"Your family needs you." Ndidi agreed.
He said good-bye to the familiar creatures of the Sanctuary and they began the winding path back to the manse and it's connection to the Floo. Students looked at him curiously as they navigated the halls, but Lucius tried to look as unassuming as possible.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like a side trip to the kitchens?" Ndidi teased him.
He began to snort at her, but he was suddenly dwarfed in a giant shadow.
i"You thought you could sneak off and not say 'hello' to Bob?"/i
Lucius turned to grin tiredly at the old ogre. "More than happy to see you, Bob, but I'm never going into those kitchens again."
The ogre chortled. "Mum sniffed you after that! It's not like she forgets!"
"You keep that hag down in the kitchens if you have to have her! Shackled to the wall if need be!" Lucius scowled.
"One little nibble and he gets all emotional." Ndidi shrugged at Bob. "What can you do?"
They shared an amused look as Lucius stood there blustering.
"Bob will let you go now. He knows you have important things to do," Bob said reassuringly to Lucius. "When this is all over you will come back to see us. It has been too long."
Lucius promised he would, and bring the family if he could. When they finally found themselves standing near the Floo connection Lucius was surprised to find out how worn out he felt.
"Go home and try not to worry too much," Ndidi said. "I'll let you know if anything happens."
"In the meantime, what should I do?" He looked haunted as his eyes fixed on her.
"The same thing we always do, Lucius. We survive the best we can and then rebuild after. Life as we know it does not end with one incident, but a series of them. Learn to watch for them and do your best."
He nodded at her and then embraced her without a word. She threw a handful of powder in the fireplace for him and he stepped through to stand in the green flames.
i"Malfoy Manor!/i
Ndidi stood in the empty office, looking at the empty hearth. "Luck be with you, Lucius," she said sadly. "I think you'll need it more than most."