First: I don't own the Harry Potter universe or characters, I do own however any OC's.
Always a Malfoy
Chapter: Doubt
24th December 1990
Lucius Malfoy walked down the halls of Malfoy Manor, a small rectangular green box clasped in his left hand. He had been busy all morning dealing with his mother; the woman's annoyance had only intensified over the years.
Narcissa was helping organise the ball for tomorrow, and Draco was off probably getting ready. Everyone was expected at dinner in 47 minutes. Lucius was already ready, so he had one thing left to do before he'd be expected down at dinner.
He continued to wander down the hall until he stood outside the room of his eldest and silently opened the door.
Lyrisadora was standing in front of a large mirror, wearing her evening gown, pinning up her hair. She hadn't noticed him — he wondered if he should make himself known. He stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, unsure what to do.
Her stupid cat yawned loudly and turned over on her bed, ruffling the covers.
Lucius' eyes narrowed at the cat in great dislike. Oh, how he detested the filthy little street urchin. Why Lyrisadora had chosen to save that cat, was a mystery to Lucius. Who cared if the little beast died from starvation? All the thing ever did was eat, sleep, and irritate him. Also, he couldn't stand it when Lyrisadora would actually talk to the thing like it was a person.
It unhinged him greatly.
He sighed loudly.
Lyrisadora heard him and jumped slightly, dropping her clips, as she swerved around to face the intruder. She sighed in relief and smiled politely, picking up the clips off the floor.
"Hello, father," she greeted warmly.
Lucius nodded and stepped into her room, closing the door behind him. "Hello, Lyrisadora."
She gave him a small smile, before turning back to the mirror and continued pinning up her hair. Lucius watched her for a moment, his brow creasing, since when had she gotten taller?
"Is there anything you wanted, it, father?" She glanced at him expectantly.
"Oh, yes," replied Lucius, remembering. "I just came, to give you something." He brought the box into clear view.
"But, father, Christmas is tomorrow." She raised an eyebrow at the box.
"I know. This was meant to be given on your 13th birthday — since you were at school, I didn't manage to send it off on time, so this is a late birthday gift," explained Lucius.
"Oh, I see. Thank you," she said, then she carefully took the box from her father and opened it. He watched for her reaction."Father, It's beautiful." Lyrisadora smiled softly, she held up the gift; it was a heavy white gold heart shaped locket, with the emblem letter 'M' on it.
"I'm glad you like it," said Lucius sincerely. "I had planned to give it to you earlier, but your mother said it would be better if I gave it to you when you turned 13, apparently it was more symbolic, or something."
"Thank you, father." She placed the empty box on her vanity next to her. "I shall wear it always."
Lucius smiled slightly at this. "Well, it's just a little reminder of who you are — after all, even when you're married." She frowned. "You'll always be a Malfoy." He couldn't help but smile with a hint of pride. He had high hopes for his daughter, especially since he had already started having different families ask for a betrothal between her and their heirs.
He'd keep them on their toes, he couldn't just marry his daughter off to anyone, now could he? He saw Lyrisadora's smile waver slightly, as she stroked the 'M' of the locket.
"Yes, of course," her voice shook. His brow furrowed, wondering why she sounded so uncertain, but he quickly brushed it off as teenage insecurity. She turned to the mirror and tried to put the locket on.
"Allow me." He offered. Lyrisadora smiled faintly and allowed him to fasten the locket. "There...you look beautiful," he said stiffly, then coughed awkwardly. He hoped that the compliment didn't sound too forced. She smiled at him warmly, before looking back at the mirror.
Lyrisadora fingered the locket, as she looked deep in thought. Lucius decided maybe it was best he leave, when he turned away from her, his eyes locked onto something square red striped black, on her bed, which her cat was sleeping on. Lucius went over and slipped the object from under the cat, the cat moaned as it was awakened from its sleep and jumped off the bed.
Lucius eyed the object curiously. The object appeared to be a tattered record case, with an eccentric background and a bold wild heading on the front.
"The Weird Sisters: Never give up," read Lucius aloud, he glanced over at Lyrisadora, who looked very alert. She stood frozen in front of the mirror, he saw her reflection's eyes fill with fear as her facial expression showed immense worry. "And who are these 'Weird Sisters', Lyrisadora?" He examined the back of the record case.
Lyrisadora turned around to face him.
"A band," she answered, apprehensively, as she wriggled her hands.
His gaze sharpened. "What type of band?"
"A music band," replied Lyrisadora as she laughed, nervously.
Lucius was not amused. He walked closer to her, so they were an arm's width away.
"What type of music?"
Lyrisadora looked down. "Rock music," she replied, feebly.
Lucius pursed his lips and stared at his daughter with disapproval.
"What have I told you about listening to uncultured music?"
She looked up at him and sighed sadly. "That it will contaminate my mind, with...in savage and preposterous ways," recited Lyrisadora dully.
You're damn straight it would! He may have been a bit dramatic when he first told her that, but the last thing he wanted was his daughter to turn into one of that hippy like rebels. Merlin knew, there had been an infestation of them in the 70's,with all those filthy free-loving Mudbloods spreading their ridiculous philosophies left, right, and centre.
He would not let Lyrisadora get sucked into that disgusting culture of drugs and wild music.
"Exactly. You should not be listening to this," sneered Lucius, as he gestures violently to the record.
She flinched. "I'm sorry, father. I-I was just curious."
"That's no excuse, you should know better," lectured Lucius.
He couldn't believe what that school had done to her, she was still only halfway through her second year, and already she was listening to rock music. Before she started that school, she had no idea that the word 'rock music' even existed; Lucius made sure to keep her away from such urban filthy books. Now look what had happened.
Lucius knew he should have just sent her to 'Dama instituto de etiqueta', even if it was in Spain, at least she wouldn't be contaminated by the filthy savagery that roamed Hogwarts. But, he should have expected this, shouldn't have he? Lyrisadora had always been impressionable, always questioning everything.
He'd always tried to raise her with a firm hand, to help her understand the difference between right and wrong, but clearly, he'd failed to properly make her understand.
The last thing he wanted was for her to fall in with the wrong crowd.
Then another thought occurred to him."Where did you get this from?" He eyed her suspiciously. She stiffened."Surely the other Slytherins wouldn't have given it to you," thought Lucius aloud as he swirled the record absently. He glanced at Lyrisadora, who looked very stiff.
Lucius his eyes narrowed, then a horrible thought occurred to him. No, she wouldn't.
After all, the night before Lyrisadora's departure to Hogwarts, he had been Very clear, of who he wanted her to and not to befriend. It was obvious she hadn't bought the record, as it was too worn to be new and she couldn't go to Hogsmeade yet, and he definitely would have seen her buy it.
His daughter kept her gaze downcast. He gritted his teeth. "Well, I'm waiting," said Lucius coldly. Lyrisadora grimaced. "And look at me when I speak to you."
Her gaze strained up to meet his. "Someone allowed me to borrow it, just for Christmas," she replied, quietly.
"And who was this person?" pressed Lucius.
"No one important, just a classmate," answered Lyrisadora.
Lucius wasn't convinced. "Really? Well, they must think you to be important if they allow you to borrow their things." His gaze grew colder. He was not going to drop it until she was truthful. He was half tempted to use look into her head, but he didn't want to damage her, especially considering how young she was.
"They were only being nice..." Lyrisadora trailed off.
"They?" So there was more than one person?
"I mean, he," she quickly corrected.
He. A boy? A boy was giving his daughter gifts!
"He?" Lucius repeated, icily, his jaw tightened. His daughter tensed more."And who is this boy?" His glare sharpened.
She gulped, folding her arms around herself. "Just a classmate. I can't even remember his name..."
"How convenient."
She winced, before meeting his gaze. "I honestly can't remember, father. He was just being nice."
"Oh, I bet he was," Lucius sneered. He imagined a smug looking teenager offering the record to his daughter. "And what exactly did this boy want in return?"
Lyrisadora looked confused. "He didn't want anything. He was just being nice..."
Lucius inwardly groaned. Sometimes he forgot how young she was. She was barely a teenager and was already falling prey to the other boys' charms. Well, he'd be damned if he allowed his daughter to be sucked in by those womanising slugs! Sometimes he feared he'd sheltered her too much...
"You shouldn't accept gifts from boys," he told her, sternly.
Maybe he should start investing in chastity belt charms. Narcissa had told him the charms were barbaric and found the whole notion sexist, but it was only added protection...
Her brow furrowed. "Why?"
"Because they'll want something in return," he answered, tightly.
He was sure he had read something about chastity belt charms in the library — apparently, they were simple to cast.
Lyrisadora's frown deepened. "...Like what?"
Merlin's bollocks! He should have had Narcissa talk to her about this years ago.
Lucius sighed, his protectiveness smothering his anger. "Lyrisadora, you're a pretty girl, which means boys will try to get your attention. They'll try to persuade you to...do things for them."
He saw her cringe. "Not all boys are like that father."
How the bloody hell would she know?! Lucius kept his face passive. "But a large majority are like that. They'll try to gain your favour with gifts and then they'll expect something in return, like a kiss or something else..."
He couldn't do this! Why was he the one having this talk with her? This wasn't his territory!
Lyrisadora's frown faded. "Oh..." Realisation seemed to dawn. "...Oh, but..." She looked away. "...I understand."
Lucius sighed in relief, before hastily composing himself. "Good. Now, has anyone else's given you gifts?"
He imagined a group of boys crowding around his daughter, all wanting a piece of her; it made his blood boil.
She shook her head, looking at him with wide eyes. "No...but, honestly, Father, this boy was only being nice." He scoffed. Lyrisadora continued. "He introduced me to one of the songs and I...well, I thought it sounded interesting."
"Did you now?" Lucius said, lightly, his teeth grinding together.
"I was just... I was just curious," repeated Lyrisadora, desperately. She took a step away from him. "I just wanted to give it a try..."
Lucius looked at her face, it was full of fear. He hated it when she acted like a terrified animal, it showed weakness. He expected to respect, and fear came attached to that, but he didn't want his daughter to be a jittering mess. He backed off a bit, reeling back his temper.
Maybe she was just curious, she was a teenager, after all, these slight signs of rebellion were expected. However, he couldn't just let these things go unpunished, she had to learn that acting this way was unacceptable.
Maybe he had been too soft with her, shown too much favouritism, turned too many blind eyes to her persistent questions. He grimaced. He should have been clearer in outlining what was and wasn't proper, he shouldn't have brushed off her small frowns, those small looks of doubt.
"Perhaps you should spend the summer at your grandmother's," Lucius murmured. His mother had further pressed on about Lyrisadora staying with her, maybe he should just give in and send her there.
She went a deathly pale and shook her head violently.
"Oh,please no, father. Father, please don't leave me with her."
He arched an eyebrow, noting how ill she looked, like spending a summer with Basilia Malfoy was a fate worse than Azkaban — teenagers could be so dramatic.
"Ah yes, well, that all depends, dearest, on how you behave in the future," said Lucius coldly. Lyrisadora looked at him worriedly. "Now, I know these curiosities may tempt you, Lyrisadora. One can only imagine such temptation while attending such a school, but you must resist these urges. You're a Malfoy and Malfoys don't listen to 'rock-music', do you understand?"
Lyrisadora shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, she looked up at him, for second Lucius saw a glimmer anger in her eyes.
"Yes, father," she answered softly, as she turned away from him.
He glanced at the clock; dinner would be ready in 23 minutes.
"Good, I am glad we had this conversation. I'm confiscating this, so you won't be tempted anymore," said Lucius as he held the record and made to leave. Lyrisadora looked like she was about to protest, but Lucius glared icily at her and she quickly looked down.
Lucius opened the door to leave. However he unfortunately crushed the cat's tail, it hissed angrily and dug its claws deep into Lucius' leg. He swore loudly, as he tried to kick the beast off. Lyrisadora gasped as she tried to pulled Sapphira off him. Lucius squeezed his leg in slight pain.
He heard her giggle, irritating him. He gave her a glare, which caused her to try to cover her giggle with a cough and turn away. His jaw tightened, but he said nothing and exited the room.
He walked down the hall, angrily muttering under his breath. That girl was becoming too rebellious for his liking. He made a mental note to burn the filthy object as soon as possible. There was no way, he was going to allow his daughter to be contaminated by the filth. The girl was a Slytherin, she was a Malfoy, she was going to beat the Mudbloods in all her exams, she was going to marry a rich pure-blood and she was going to behave. He had not sheltered and raised her for thirteen years, to have all his hard work shattered by some unworthy filth from that so called school.
Lucius continued to grumble under his breath as he stormed into his bedroom and through the record onto the bed. He sighed deeply. He glanced around and found Narcissa staring at him at her vanity, with arched eyebrows.
"Is everything alright, dear?"
"No everything is not alright, our daughter is becoming rebellious," snapped Lucius. He sat on the bed.
His wife sighed and got up and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"What's wrong?"
"Our daughter; she's becoming rebellious," repeated Lucius irritably.
"Why, what has she done?" Narcissa frowned.
"I found this in her room," replied Lucius, holding up the record. "She has been listening to rock music."
"Oh, Lucius..." His wife sighed.
"This is serious, Narcissa. She's being contaminated at that school," snapped Lucius.
"Lucius, it's not that awful —bad yes, but not that awful—she's probably just curious. She's at that age where she wants to explore new things," reasoned Narcissa warmly, as she massaged Lucius' shoulders. "It's not like she's dating a Weasley, or even worse a Mudblood."
"Don't even joke about that," snapped Lucius coldly; the mere thought disgusted him.
"What I'm trying to say is, that she's growing up and she's bound to be tempted to listen to music that's forbidden," reassured Narcissa.
He sighed. "I suppose you're right, maybe I overreacted slightly," said Lucius. Narcissa kissed him tenderly on the neck.
"Exactly," she said.
"I still don't like this though. It means she's forgetting her duty presentation to this family, she's becoming doubtful," said Lucius coldly.
"It means, she's growing up," argued Narcissa, hugging him tightly.
"A boy gave it to her." He shot his wife a sharp look. "Boys are giving our daughter gifts, and I think you know what they expect in return."
Naricissa looked vaguely troubled. "I'll have a talk with her." She kissed his forehead. "But, I'm sure it's nothing dire."
"She's far too naive," he grumbled.
"She's only thirteen."
"Exactly, and boys are already trying to worm their way in with her," he snapped."It's obvious grooming."
His wife sighed again. "I doubt it's that serious, Lucius. Maybe the boy just has a crush on her, it'll pass in time." She smiled at him reassuringly. "Lyrisadora isn't stupid."
"...I think we should place a chastity charm on her."
"For Merlin's sake." Narcissa drew away from him, discreetly rolling his eyes. "It's not the 1800's, Lucius. She's thirteen."
"It's a precaution," Lucius insisted, looking stoic. "You should have heard her, Narcissa, she's far too naive."
"She's a child!"
"I'm trying to protect her." His eyes narrowed.
Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "Then why not place a chastity charm on Draco as well?"
Lucius scoffed. "Because Draco can't get pregnant." He shot his wife an impatient glance.
"But, he can impregnate a girl. A Mudblood?" Narcissa smirked.
He looked at her in disgust. "Draco would never forget himself."
"And neither would Lyrisadora." She shook her head. "Our daughter is not an idiot," she reassured him. "Nor is she a slut." Lucius winced. Narcissa sighed. "If you're that concerned she's helpless, teach her some more hexes and curses, that'll ward some of the boys off." She smiled at him warmly.
Well, he had been meaning to improve Lyrisadora's Defense against the Dark arts. The DADA curriculum really wasn't up to par. "...Very well, I will."
Narcissa nodded, smiling placidly. "A wonderful idea. Now let's head down for dinner."
Lucius left with Narcissa, still lost in his train of thought. His little girl was growing up and he loathed the truth of it all.