Chapter 10
I looked around my beautiful parlour and frowned to myself. Everywhere I looked I saw Death Eaters. I sighed and went dutifully to my husband's side, as was expected of me. He didn't register my appearance.
"Even if we manage to get into the Department of Mysteries undetected, and past the guards which the Order will undoubtedly have watching the place, how are we meant to get it? The only person who can take a prophecy is the one with whom it concerns. The Dark Lord will not risk going himself, which leave they boy. How the hell are we meant to get Potter to take and give us the prophecy? Unless anyone want to volunteer getting it themselves and give up their sanity?" Yaxley looked irritated and grumpy.
"Do you really think that the Dark Lord will not be able to find a way around those minor inconveniences?" Lucius asked incredulously. He studied Yaxley for a moment, his steel grey eyes cold and calculating. "The are but minor details," he drawled.
I looked around idly as the two men argued, board by this continuous choice of convocation. It had heard it all before and knew exactly how it would pan out. Lucius was right and eventually whomever it was that he was arguing would agree with him. It had been all they talked about. That, and recruiting.
The Dark Lord had been back for almost two months now, and the summer had flown by. Things had changed rapidly over the short summer. Our home now played host to a various assortment of Death Eaters every other week, and my husband had all but vanished.
When I had tried to explain our new situation to Draco and Sabina, Draco had become quiet and withdrawn. He had however, remained calm, and composed, almost indifferent to what was happening. Sabina on the other hand, had been, and still was, confused and frightened. The other Death Eaters intimidated her, and I could hardly blame her. They were hard, cold men who were unwelcoming and agressive to talk to. Everything had changed, and all in the space of two months. Lucius, my husband, had vanished. In his place, was the cold, unfeeling follower of the Dark Lord that I though had died along with it's master. He spent all his time with other Death Eaters or at work, and seemed to have forgotten about us completely. I missed him.
I found myself looking around the room, bored by the conversation I had heard so many times. It was almost midnight. It saddened me, that, for the third night in a row now, I had not been able to tuck my daughter into bed and kiss her good night, or simple eat dinner with my family. I had had enough for one night. I touched Lucius's arm gently, capturing his attention.
"I've got a headache," I lied. "I'm going to go to bed," I said quietly, playing the 'I'm-just-a-delicate-woman' card. He forced a smile.
"Of course. Good night." I smiled at him, nodding politely at Yaxley before leaving.
Once out of the parlour I found myself walking slowly down the corridor to Draco and Sabinas' rooms. I crept into my daughter's room, blowing out the candle, and pulling up the blankets around her sleeping form. She must have fallen asleep waiting for me.
I closed the door quietly behind me, looking across the hall to see that Draco's light was still on, his door slightly ajar. It was half past midnight. What was he doing? I pushed it open gently and sighed to myself. Draco was slumped over his desk, his quill still in hand, snoring softly. I smiled sadly.
I pulled the quill very gently from his hand, placing it in the ink well to stop it from dripping. I screwed the lid back on the ink bottle, and closed his schoolbooks, placing them in a neat pile to one side of his desk. I decided against waking him. Instead, I simply lifted his head carefully of the surface of the desk just enough to pull the half-finished essay out from underneath him. I replaced it with a small cushion from the chair by the window and laid his head on it gently and draped the blanket from the end of his bed over his shoulders. I brushed his silky blond hair from his face, kissing him lightly on the head. And with that, I left, closing the door quietly behind me, and going to bed, alone, again.