Lucius and Narcissa were holding each other as they sat on their bed. They weren't saying anything. What was there to say? They were prisoners in their own manor. They were at the Dark Lord's mercy, along with their son. The Dark Lord could decide to kill them or Draco at any moment. And the Dark Lord was even angrier with them since Harry Potter and his friends had escaped from the manor. What was there to say to each other that they had not already been said? No, as they often did whenever they were going through a tough time, Lucius and Narcissa were finding comfort from just being in each other's company.

The doors leading to their bedroom were suddenly flung open. The Dark Lord entered, dragging a completely terrified Draco along with him.

Lucius and Narcissa immediately sat up straighter, each trying not to let their panic show at the sight of their beloved son so close to the Dark Lord.

"Explain to me again, Lucius," the Dark Lord hissed, "how exactly did Potter and his friends escape?"

"It was Bellatrix, my Lord," Lucius said quickly. "I was about to summon you when she noticed the sword."

"Enough, Lucius," the Dark Lord snapped. "I have also talked with Bellatrix about this. She told me that before the sword even came up, you stopped her from summoning me because you wanted to be the one to do it."

Lucius froze.

"Oh, my poor Lucius," the Dark said in a soft, almost gentle voice, "so eager to regain my favor, so eager to receive the credit for doing something right for a change. I have punished you time after time for your failures, yet you continue to disappoint me. What will it take, Lucius, for you to finally learn your lesson?"

The Dark Lord looked at Draco, who was trembling with fear. The Dark Lord then looked at Narcissa, who managed to keep her composure much better than her son.

Lucius immediately knew what the Dark Lord intended to do. The Dark intended to make Narcissa and Draco suffer the consequences of Lucius's mistakes.

Draco, if possible, trembled even more. Narcissa, if possible, seemed to sit up even straighter, her face barely betraying any emotion. Her hand, however, took Lucius's hand and gently squeezed it.

"My Lord, please, don't," Lucius begged. "Allow me to leave, and I will find Potter for you. I will bring him to you. My Lord, please, give me this one last chance. Please."

"A touching gesture, Lucius," the Dark Lord sneered, "but I'm afraid I'm not going to take you up on your offer. You couldn't even bring Potter to me when he was in your own house. How are you going to possibly bring him to me when he is somewhere out there?"

Draco had stopped trembling, but the look of terror on his face continued to grow. Narcissa still appeared to be almost emotionless, but her grip on Lucius's hand became stronger. Lucius couldn't bring himself to meet the eyes of either his wife or his son.

"I allowed my pride to get the best of me when Potter was here, my Lord," Lucius said desperately. "I won't make that mistake again."

The Dark Lord tilted his head, as if considering Lucius's words. Then, he threw Draco towards his father and his mother. Lucius reached out his arm to steady Draco before helping his son to sit on the bed beside him. Lucius then gently squeezed his son's hand. Draco looked at both his parents for a moment. Then, his eyes drifted towards the Dark Lord for an even lesser amount of time before they finally settled on the floor.

"Perhaps I will give you another chance to prove yourself, Lucius," the Dark Lord smiled.

Lucius's body immediately relaxed in relief. He felt Narcissa's and Draco's bodies do the same.

The Dark Lord suddenly drew his wand and pointed it first at Draco, then at Narcissa. A jet of green light shot out of his wand both times.

Lucius, who was still linked to both his wife's and his son's hands, felt them go limp. For a moment, he was completely stunned, his mind not yet able to comprehend what had just happened. He then slowly looked at both Narcissa and Draco. Their legs were still hanging down from the bed, but their upper bodies were sprawled across it. Their eyes were lifeless and empty.

Lucius had seen enough deaths and had caused enough deaths to know that Narcissa and Draco were dead.

His wife. His son. Both dead. Just like that. Dead. The both of them.

Dead. Narcissa. Draco. Dead.

Roaring with uncontrollable anger, Lucius lunged at the Dark Lord, reaching for his throat.

The Dark Lord calmly pointed his wand at Lucius, and the next moment the blond wizard found himself pinned down on the floor. Lucius tried to reach for the Dark Lord, but an unseen force kept him from making any movements.

"Such spirit, Lucius," the Dark Lord laughed. "Who would have ever thought that you had it inside you? I can't help but wonder, though, where was this spirit when it could have been of some real use?"

The Dark Lord suddenly drew a knife and tossed it so that it landed beside the immobilized Lucius. "See, Lucius, I am not without mercy. When you are ready to join your wife and your son, you have my permission to do so." With that, the Dark Lord turned and left the room, closing and locking the doors behind him. Only then was Lucius able to move.

Trembling, Lucius got to his feet. He slowly walked over to the bed, where Narcissa and Draco laid dead. He touched both their faces with pure reverence.

Then, Lucius did something he had never done before in his life. He cried.

Lucius fell down to his knees, his body shaking with uncontrollable grief. His eyes then landed on the knife that the Dark Lord had left for him.

For a moment, Lucius considered taking the knife and using it to end his life. But then he looked at Narcissa and Draco. They had died because of him. They had died because the Dark Lord had wanted to torture him in the worse way possible.

It was him the Dark Lord should have killed, not them.

But the Dark Lord had wanted him to be the one to suffer. Narcissa and Draco had meant nothing to the Dark Lord.

But they had meant everything to Lucius, and they deserved justice.

Lucius continued to sob as he continued to tremble with both grief and anger.

But there was one emotion that Lucius was not feeling, one emotion that Lucius would never again feel.

Fear. There was no more fear.

Lucius's chains had been broken.