Lucius heaved a sigh of frustration as he sauntered into the cosy lounge and caught sight of his drunken son sprawled across one of the uncomfortable blue chairs Narcissa had paid a ghastly amount of money for. Gripping his cane, Lucius poked Draco in the side with the blunt end. Not even an eyelash fluttered as he prodded again, slightly harder this time. Draco had always been a deep sleeper; on more than one occasion when he was younger, Narcissa had had to double check to make sure he was still breathing.
Giving up his attempt to wake his son, Lucius leant his cane up against the wall. Crouching down onto his knees so he was at eye level with Draco's head, he loosened the bottle of fifteen-year-old single-malt Firewhisky from the young man's grip. His son was a smart man, but when it came to drinking, he'd always been a bit dense. A liquor of this calibre ought to be left to the professionals, to be drunk slowly and in small quantities; in this case, less was definitely more.
Lucius straightened himself out, his aging bones giving a little groan as he rose to his full height. He placed the empty bottle next to the shards of broken crystal on the bartop, which still hadn't been cleaned up from the night before.
"Bertie!" A loud crack! sounded in the room. Lucius glanced over to see that his son was still sound asleep. Turning to the elf, the Malfoy patriarch ordered the little creature to clean up the mess, then bring him black coffee and a sobering potion straight away. He watched as the elf cleaned the bar with a single snap of his fingers, then disappeared with another resounding crack!
Lucius sat down in the armchair directly across from where Draco was peacefully sleeping and tried resignedly to get comfortable. Narcissa must have gone daft the day she bought these chairs; either that or she had no feeling in her backside. He huffed to himself, and wriggled a cushion underneath his buttocks to give him some padding. Bertie shuffled into the room, followed closely by a tea tray that floated behind him. The elf placed the tray gently on the coffee table and then he quietly departed, leaving Lucius alone with his son once again.
Lucius procured his wand from his expensive forest-green robes and placed a Sonorus Charm on himself. Taking a deep breath, he bellowed, "DRACO!"
Draco jerked awake; his sudden movement made him fall off his chair and land with his face squashed into the cream-coloured carpet. Using both hands, he quickly pushed himself up and onto his feet and dusted off his robes as if nothing had happened.
Smirking at his son, Lucius indicated the steaming mug of coffee and a little blue bottle filled with a lumpy potion; it didn't look very appetizing, but he would be thankful for it. Draco snatched up the Sobering Potion and swallowed it quickly, then proceeded to drink his coffee with the same vigour. "How long have you been sitting there?"
"Ten minutes or so. I have urgent issues to discuss, such as that the Dark Lord is most displeased with you—your little debacle in Russia—and perhaps you can explain to me why the delectable Miss Weasley is now in our care?" Lucius roared the last part, making his son cringe slightly.
"Care to keep your voice down? You're doing nothing to help my hangover," Draco replied calmly, infuriating his father even more. He placed his now-empty mug on the table and surveyed Lucius. The older man was dressed in designer robes of forest green, and his boots were polished to a high shine. Every Saturday Lucius took Narcissa to a fancy restaurant for lunch, then spent the whole day shopping, hence the reason for his immaculate turn-out.
"Firstly, the decrepit old snake you like to call 'master' can bugger off. I don't give a shit what he thinks of me. Secondly, the Russian bastard had it coming; I was given orders and I completed them. I can't help it if the general's son-in-law was the Russian Minister of Magic. I do Voldemort's dirty work, so take it up with him." Draco took a deep breath.
"You tortured the man, Draco. He was so disfigured they were unable to recognise him or let the Minister and his wife see the body. You could have simply ended it easily enough, but Blaise had to do that for you because you were enjoying yourself far too much," Lucius said slowly. He would have to try to remain calm or he would never get any answers from Draco.
"Thirdly, she is mine—my prisoner—and I will do whatever the fuck I want with her. I've waited too long for this." Draco's head was in his hands by the time he had finished speaking.
"What do you mean by 'waited too long'?" Lucius shifted in his seat, feeling increasingly uncomfortable about the way this conversation was going.
Draco frowned. "I have this thing—I suppose you could call it an obsession—for her. It started years ago, when I was fifteen. Remember that whole Umbridge thing?"
Looking up to see his father's nod, Draco went back to staring at the floor. "Well, Weasley, she ended up duelling me and she beat me by using a Bat-Bogey Hex, of all things." He laughed almost fondly at the memory. "She was beautiful. I'd never seen anything like it. She moved like a lioness, eyeing up her prey, then pouncing at the last moment. Her eyes sparkled and her face was set with a determination that made her look hot and feisty. I stopped for just a second; it was like I was in a trance, seeing her in a new light. Then she bloody hexed me!"
Lucius coughed slightly when Draco stared off at some mental image, a small smile gracing his face. Lucius knew his son was reliving that day in his head. Lucius himself had done it often enough when he thought about the first time he'd met Narcissa in the ballroom of Black Mansion.
Coming back to the moment, Draco looked over at his father. "After that day I was hooked on her. Every time I saw a flash of red I would search for her. I'd stare at her for hours in the Library. She would sit in the same spot—the desk in between the Charms and Herbology sections. Those were her favourite subjects. I just watched her. She caught me looking many times, and when she did I used to just raise an eyebrow and the little minx would copy me, grin, then turn away. It became our little thing—if she saw me in the corridor she'd stick her tongue out, then laugh at me when I gave her a rude hand gesture Mother would never approve of." Grinning, Draco raised himself off the chair and started pacing back and forth.
"We never spoke until the Battle of Hogwarts. We were both in the main staircase corridor, running in from different directions, and bumped into each other. I grabbed hold of her before she could fall and she gave me a kiss on the cheek and ran off shouting, 'Thanks!' I was in shock. I watched her run down the staircase and into the battle, to start a duel with Bellatrix, of all people. I'd never felt like I belonged anywhere until I was holding her. It just felt…right. I felt like I was in the right place for once in my life." Turning to his father, Draco waited for the older man's response.
The British Minister of Magic rubbed a hand over his handsome features as he took a good look at his son. "So you're in love with this girl?" he enquired lightly. The question was rhetorical; Lucius knew very well Draco was in love with Ginevra Weasley.
Draco frowned at this. "No, it's not love. I just want her safe. I just want her. Hell, I watch you and Mum and I don't think I could love someone like that! I'm a murderer, Dad. I don't know what it's like to feel such a strong emotion as love. I don't feel anything."
Lucius watched in dismay as his son walked gracefully out of the lounge. Never in his fifty years of living had he heard any man, let alone his son, talk like that about anyone before. So much love, and his son couldn't even feel it. The sound of Draco's voice, so hollow and emotionless, had chilled him to the bone when Draco said he couldn't feel. Could his son's work for the Dark Lord be turning him into a monster, just like his master? Shuddering at the thought, Lucius left the cosy room, the door snapping shut behind him.
————
Draco just wanted to sleep. He wanted to curl up in his king-size bed and stay under his soft, warm green sheets for days because he was feeling so lethargic. He always felt this way after a mission, and the hangover didn't help. He looked up to see his mother step into the corridor a few doors ahead. Popping her head back into the Golden Suite, she spoke to its single occupant.
"I won't be long, Ginevra. Put those clothes on; they might be a little bit big for you, but I'm sure they'll do just fine for going shopping; then we can buy you a brand new wardrobe." Smiling, she left the room, heading in the opposite direction from Draco. She didn't notice her son just a few metres away from Ginevra's door, which was still slightly ajar.
As soon as his mother was out of sight, Draco moved quickly and quietly to the open door. He leaned his head into the room but couldn't see anything except a small pine chest of drawers and the corner of what he knew was a king-size bed. He leaned further into the room, the door opening further, silently, with every little step he took. He could now see the whole bed, which was covered in golden silk sheets. Dark gold curtains framed the large window, which had views of the small lake and the rose gardens. The walls were painted in a creamy pale yellow, and underfoot was a pine floor, with thick rugs the colour of buttermilk dotted about. The room was very elegant and feminine; his mother had chosen well. Ginevra deserved to have luxuries lavished on her and to be kept in comfort; this was the best room for her.
He stepped fully into the deserted room and glanced around to the closed bathroom door. He could hear the shower running and a faint humming coming from within. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took an oblong box out of his robes. He opened it up and gazed down at the wand—her wand—which was encased in white velvet. When he heard the shower shut off, he shut the case and placed it on the bedside table. The bathroom door opened and his little redhead stepped into the room tugging on the zip of her brown knee-length skirt. Her cream silk shirt was unbuttoned, showing off her plain white cotton bra, which barely held her ample breasts. Draco noticed with narrowed eyes that there were red scratches slashed across them, and bruises on her stomach were fading to a bluish-yellow tinge. Her hair fell around her face like a veil as she watched her own hands struggle to move the zip upwards. Huffing in frustration, she stopped what she was doing and started to button her shirt instead. "At least the bloody shirt is being cooperative," she sighed.
It felt like a million electric shocks shot through his body at the sound of her voice. He stood up abruptly and knocked the wand case off the table and onto the floor in between the bedside table and the bed.
Ginny glanced up from her task and stared in shock at the sight of Draco Malfoy standing in her room. Her face paled and her eyes widened, her mouth shaping into a little O. Draco quickly walked up to the frozen young woman and grabbed her by the shoulders. He kissed her, thrusting his tongue into her open mouth, savouring the taste of mint and a slight unknown sweetness which made him want to rip her clothes to shreds, throw her on the bed, and lick her until she screamed his name.
Ginny, on the other hand, had a different idea about what he wanted and bit down on his tongue and pushed him away. She let out a blood-curdling scream and started to slap, hit, punch, and kick every part of his body she could reach. He grabbed her arms and forcefully thrust them behind her. He shoved his other hand over her mouth to muffle her screams and leant his head forward so his lips touched her ear.
"Stop screaming," he demanded softly, his voice a deep growl, "and I will let you go."
She nodded her head in cooperation, desperate to do anything to stop him touching her. As soon as he let go her arms she moved backwards and slumped against the wall, staring at him with wide eyes.
He rolled his eyes at her. "I won't touch you again."
"You're sick," she whispered softly. "You're disgusting. I don't want you here. I was promised I would be allowed to leave."
"You will not leave this room," Draco said harshly but she didn't take any notice. She continued to cry and whisper to herself. Growling in frustration he marched towards her again and grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Will you snap out of it?"
Instead of shutting her up, that made things worse and she let out another blood-curdling scream. Lucius and Narcissa ran into the room, wands drawn and ready to fight, only to stop short at the sight of Draco trying to get the screaming redhead to calm down. Narcissa ran forward and grabbed hold of Ginevra's arm and yanked her away from Draco. Only then did the three Malfoys notice the tears streaming down Ginny's freckled cheeks. Narcissa pulled the youngest Weasley into a motherly embrace, tender and gentle.
"Draco, explain to me why you are in Miss Weasley's room when your mother gave you strict instructions for you not—and I stress the word not—to go anywhere near her!" Lucius thundered, pointing his wand at his son.
Draco completely ignored the wand in his face and stared contemptuously at his father, who was looking back at him in just the same manner.
"I made a foolish mistake. I didn't mean her any harm." Draco watched as Ginny continued to cry in his mother's embrace.
"You've gone too far, boy!" shouted Lucius. "You are turning into a crazed man because of your obsession with this girl. You enter her room uninvited and reduce her to tears? Draco, the Dark Lord has called you three times today! Your arm must be in excruciating pain!"
Draco glanced down at the Dark Mark branded on his left arm. It was jet-black against his skin, but he didn't feel any pain. "I don't feel anything," he whispered so softly that Lucius almost didn't catch it. "Voldemort is not my master. I won't be treated like a slave! I am not inferior to him; I'm a pure-blood! I am more worthy than the Dark Lord!" he screamed at his father.
"How dare you talk in such a way about the Dark Lord?" Lucius spat. "He is to be treated with respect!"
Draco ran a hand through his hair and sneered, "Oh, Father, you're so far up your Dark Lord's arse it's a wonder you can still bloody see sunlight!"
Lucius raised his wand and a blue burst of light shot out of it. "Enough!"
Draco dodged the curse and whipped out his own wand. He retaliated with a flare of white light aimed straight at his father's chest, only for the hit to be repelled with a flick of his father's hand.
Narcissa held Ginny tight against the wall and watched as her husband and son duelled. They had done this before, both stubborn and head-strong. Their arguments usually ended up in duelling. Whoever won always gloated, and the other would sulk for weeks on end. Narcissa could do nothing but watch as the bursts of different coloured light emitted from their wands. Thank Merlin none of the curses were too dangerous. Glancing down at her charge, she saw that Ginny's brown eyes were wide with horror. The younger woman let out a strangled grasp as Draco went flying across the room and smacked into the wall. "I-I-I don't want them to kill each other. I don't to see any more. I want to go home. I don't want to be here any more."
The two women watched as Draco stood up and bellowed an unrecognisable spell. Narcissa hoped it wasn't Dark magic. Everything went quiet and the sparks died down; they could now see Draco smirking and now holding two wands in his hand.
"Well, well, Father. Looks like I win!" His voice was loud and his expression triumphant. He threw Lucius' wand back to him.
Ginny watched fearfully as Draco used his wand to repair the chair. He aimed a cold look in her direction when he felt her stare, but she refused to back down. He'd brought her here for a reason, and she intended to find out for herself what that reason was. She and Narcissa watched him walk out the room without much as one word to them. Once Draco left the room, Narcissa rushed over to her husband. Blushing slightly, the young Gryffindor looked on curiously as Narcissa fussed over him.
"He's going to be insufferable to live with for the next week or two," growled Lucius, trying to escape from his wife's hand which held his head in place as she checked for injuries.
"Oh, you poor thing! Go on up to your room. I need to see that everything is in working order. I'll be up in a moment." Narcissa pushed him gently in the direction of the door and, giving his shoulder a tender squeeze and kissing him on the neck, she urged him out of the room and shut the door before you could say "Quidditch".
Ginny took a good look around the room and saw that nothing had been damaged apart from the chair Draco had repaired. Sighing, she sat down on the edge of the bed. Narcissa took a seat next to her.
"I'm sorry, Ginevra. I am supposed to be taking care of you, but I'm failing. I was never any good at being a mother. Just take a look at my son," Narcissa said, a faint hint of humour in her voice that didn't reach her eyes.
Ginny leaned against Narcissa as the older woman placed an arm round her shoulders. She whispered, "Why are you doing all this? Why do I have to stay here?"
Narcissa had been so nice to her for the three days she'd stayed at Malfoy Manor. When the two Death Eaters had Apparated her into the entrance hall, Ginny was sure she was being taken to Voldemort to be killed and had almost welcomed the thought. Then Narcissa had entered the hall with a stern look on her face and snapped at the Death Eaters, making the big men cower in fear as she berated them for "man-handling" her "guest". Ginny, feeling confused and a little disoriented at the time, was guided uncomplaining up to her room by Narcissa. The older woman went on to prepare a bath and fresh clothes for Ginny; her voice was calm and soothing, and she was extremely gentle and patient when she tried to get Ginny to eat.
Ginny was very thankful for the care and companionship, but she wanted to know why she was there. Why were they going to all this trouble to keep her alive?
Narcissa's reply was simple. "We need you." With a smile, she left the room.
A/N - Sorry for the wait guys. Computer troubles are the worst *pouts*. Please review! Thanks. x
