The building was screened. Protected. She found her magic to be weaker. Spells such as Apparating became too much for her and the dish-water blonde didn't take long figuring out why. A ward, one that lessened the magic of everyone but the user.
"Damn him," she hissed quietly in her room. The room itself was like living inside Lucius' head. Tones of white, gray and black, a splash of red here and there but only to be swallowed up by the monotony around it. The girl stood out in the room like a clown. Her sky blue blouse and canary yellow flare-skirt seemed to glare out at everything. It was 4 o'clock in the morning and her stomach and nerves hadn't allowed even a hint of being tired, let alone that real action of sleeping. She'd paced the room for a while before actually sitting for a total of 2 minutes on the end of the dark velvet bed.
Then she tried to apparate, only to feel her magic drain instantly. She tried a few more times before she figured out that it was a ward. She tried out a few other spells and realized that she couldn't do much besides a weak version of Leviosa.
She examined the small bookshelf, gazed out the window and looked through the wardrobe of too-expensive clothes that had been purchased for her. Clingy silks, thick velvets and crisp satins line the slightly large contraption. Tabitha wrinkled her nose at most of them. She preferred cotton or wool. But then again, she wasn't your typical "pure blood". She snorted. As a matter-of-fact, she would bet a million bucks that there was a pure blood in the wizarding world like her.
The hours passed and she soon found that her tummy began to become a lot more aggressive than she'd seen before. It growled loudly every time she moved. Her brows furrowed and she closed her eyes in submission. She'd need to eat, and soon. The young woman stood still, listening for even a remote little sound. Nothing. The house was eerily quiet and she had a terrible feeling of just how alone she was.
Across the ocean in a strange country, in a strange manor with a distressing, strange man. What was her mother doing? Sleeping, no doubt, like her sisters would be, safe and loved in their rooms. Her father? Oh, he was probably up reading, or fretting over her like he normally did with Mother. Tabitha shivered, the feeling of sudden sadness chilling her spine.
Instead of dwelling on what she didn't have, she decided to focus of getting food for herself. Making her way to the door silently, the sound of soft scurrying feet reaching her ears, making the girl close the door again immediately.
House Elves. Of course they would be watching her to alert Lucius of when, if ever, she left the room he'd assigned her. A grim scowl pulled down her features as she realized that no matter what she did, she was being watched and the only way she'd be able to eat is if it was with Lucius, in the same room.
"Well, shit," she muttered eloquently, sighing as she came to grips with what she was about to do.
Her bare feet scoffed quietly on the plush carpet of the hallway, emerald eyes shooting back and forth from shadow to shadow. The slightly chilly night wind blew in slowly from open windows, lifting the dark green silk curtains and sending the floating along like a phantom's wing. The blonde looked like a faded version of herself in the hallway, now-pale yellow skirt blowing lightly about her pale calves.
She picked up the pace, feeling like she was about to see something that would make her heart stop. Not the biggest fan of ghosts and creepy monster-things, she kept her eyes darting around. If she didn't focus on anything, nothing could appear, right? Right?
She reached her destination and with maybe a little too much enthusiasm, beat on the dark wood door. Her hummed quietly, getting more freaked out by the moment, her imagination running rampant as she raised her fist again, knocking rather rapidly.
Within 15 seconds, the door swung open, revealing an irritated looking Lucius. His blonde hair was falling around broad, bare and toned shoulders. He was clad in dark pajama bottoms and little else. From red-rimmed eyes, a look of surprise the irritation, but only for a moment.
Tabitha offhandedly noticed his solid chest, a dusting of white-gold hair along it, running into a thin line past his navel. She didn't have much time to mentally punch herself for noticing the enemy's nice body-form.
"Miss Belle, there better be a damn good reason for pounding on my door in the middle of the bloody night," he growled, his dark eyes narrowing at her. She once again got the impression of being stalked by a wolf.
Lucius had been having a nightmare that had become so familiar with him since the end of the war that it seemed like an old, unwanted friend. The thick blackness had him again, suffocating the man slowly. No matter how much he struggled, how much he reached for the small hole of light above him, he always got sucked down. He would lose his breath, feeling like he was suffocating. This time though, a loud pounding rang in his head as the darkness reached his chest.
It continued to get louder and louder. The light above him began to waver and burn like a blue flame, slowly moving before exploding in a shower of gold and green. He closed his eyes in the dream and when he opened them a few seconds later, his blurry vision revealed his own bedroom.
The pounding continued, sharper and louder this time. His eyes narrowed dangerously, knowing only one person would think banging on his bedroom door at this hour would have no consequences.
When he opened the door, a strong scent of sandalwood hit him. She was flustered, clearly, her green eyes lit up like beacons in the darkness of the hallway. Wild blond curls framed her face and shoulders as she looked at him, her breath coming out quickly. He was set-off slightly by her appearance and the energy rolling off of her. What she frightened? Angry?
"I'm hungry," she said simply in answer to his question, her breathing calming as she stood there. The intense glow to her eyes calmed down and he felt less in awe. Lucius' mouth fell agape for a split second before he shook his head and raised a sculpted brow.
"Come again?" he asked, running a hand through his hair to push it from his face, the pale locks falling behind his shoulders. He saw her eyes flicker and had a temporary wave of complete male testosterone, fighting the urge to puff out his chest. It had been since right after Draco's birth that Narcissa had last looked at him like that. Although her's were more blatant and meant to cause the stir in him, Tabitha's had been the unintentional admiration of someone not as experienced as Narcissa. Her attention was innocent and it brought out the beast that had been dormant since the war, the beast lifting its metaphoric head to catch the scent on the air.
Tabitha flushed, seeming to realize how strange she sounded. "I-I'm hungry. I obviously can't go anywhere without the house elves alerting you so come on and let's get down to the kitchen," she said in a rush of breath, pushing her own unruly hair back.
Lucius gave her a look that could melt stone. The refusal was there on his tongue, ready to lash out at her with an insult but, before he could, he stopped himself. He didn't know what this would do, but he didn't want to deal with the possible fight she would cause if he insulted her. His ex-wife would simply huff and walk away in sleek elegance. This girl, he had a feeling this young woman would end up being like a bull in a china cabinet. She was definitely what her father had warned him about, something that he wasn't accustomed too but not something he couldn't handle.
With a little sardonic smirk, Lucius slipped on his houserobe and stepped smoothly out of the room, closing the door behind him. He was right in front of her now, peering down at her tight features. She was not enjoying this one bit. She hated having to ask him to do something, hated that his response decided whether she would eat that morning.
A cool hand slipped around the top of her arm, gripping it softly but firmly.
"Then my dear, let's get you something to eat," he said smugly. In the end, he would have this type of result from her. He knew if she became hungry enough, she would fold, and she had. Tabitha's face was scarlet in anger but she kept her mouth shut, knowing that he could easily decide that the young woman would go without any food at all that night. He'd won this one but oh, she could hold a grudge with the best. Revenge was her talent.