Shattering Silver
By: Lauthica Green Clinkenbeard
Chapter Twenty: A Crack in the Planet
Samantha was unsure why, but she felt her temper flare. She had wound her nerves into ties and knots imagining how Lucius was going to confront her. She pictured his booming, powerful voice radiating through her ears as he scolded her. Would he put his hands on her? Grab her by the shoulders in a rage and toss her across the room? Would he hit her? She unconsciously rubbed her chin remembering how cruel he could be when he was truly cross. However he was going to lecture her, he did have every right to do so. She had been eavesdropping and she knew it, especially when it concerned such a private, intimate moment. Then again, she thought, he may as well have asked to be caught in the act. Who in the hell would want to have sex in broad daylight, in the middle of winter, behind a grubby, albeit, very public, little country pub? Was he so supreme in his arrogance that he could just have whomever he wanted, whenever he wanted? Narcissa would be back tomorrow, could he not wait one day?! Samantha brought her fingertips up to her temples hoping to purge the headache that was growing there. The last thing she expected him to do was give her the cold shoulder, hiding away in the castle with his tail between his legs. Had he been just as nervous and worried as she had been? Was he just going to avoid her for the rest of the winter? For a brief moment, Samantha considered that maybe this was for the best. But then, that strange little flicker of fire that Lucius's existence kindled within her, that curious, foreign emotion that both terrified her and excited her in waves and kept lingering in her heart like a virus in her soul that kept expanding and contracting at the same time. A pulsating need of his presence followed by disgust and terror then again a pull to be beside him.
Samantha gently pushed Kingsley to the side and started to hurry up the stairs. If Lucius thought he could hide from her, he was vastly mistaken. She didn't want to do this, but she had to. She needed to be the one to confront him, or at least apologize.
"Sweet Pea?" Samuel asked noticing the anger in Samantha's heavy steps on the stone stairs.
"I need to talk to Lucius. I'll see you at dinner, Dad," she said curtly and continued up the stairs ignoring whatever Samuel's response was and Kingsley's fading voice, "But the Master said he did not want to be disturbed!"
Samantha went straight to the door of Lucius's lounge. She tried the handle but wasn't surprised to find it locked tightly shut. She lifted her hand and knocked hard four times.
"I already told you, Kingsley," Lucius shouted from inside, "I do not want to be disturbed."
"It's me," Samantha said, "We need to talk about what happened in the village."
There was silence from the room for what Samantha thought was eternity. Not even a shuffling came from behind the expertly carved door.
"Please, Lucius," Samantha pleaded, "At least allow me to apologize."
Again, there was only silence. Defeated, Samantha turned away from the door and went back downstairs to help her father with the fireworks.
Samuel had decided to save the box of Crystal Incantation Comets to take to the Connolly dinner as they cracked open the crates and sorted the various rockets and fountains while Kingsley helped make the arrangements to have them sent back to The United States. It was only four o'clock when they finished. Samantha decided on a swim while Samuel returned to the weight room. After several laps she gave up on the exercise aspect and just floated around on her back trying to sort the thoughts raging in her head.
Samantha half expected Lucius to jump in, and kept checking the doorway to see if he was slithering about trying to catch glimpses of her, but he didn't jump in and the only person she saw in the hall was her father heading back to the main part of the castle. She was thankful for the privacy, but something just felt…wrong. She never thought she would admit that she missed Lucius's lecherous lingering. She sighed and closed her eyes pleasantly recalling how Lucius's hair had felt on her skin when the clear water of the pool feathered it out around her like a platinum cocoon. She smirked and chuckled to herself.
"That would be one hell of a dangerously evil, beautiful butterfly," she said aloud to the silent walls.
Dinner was unusually simple, probably because Vinny knew the Master would not be attending. There were only two plates set out with grilled chicken, steamed asparagus, roasted red potatoes with chives and garlic, and a large bowl of salad in the middle of the table with grapes and blueberries among the dark, leafy greens. Samuel was already munching away with half of his plate devoured when Samantha walked in and sat down. She was already wearing her nightgown and had the fluffy bathrobe hanging loosely on her shoulders, but hadn't bothered to tie it. Vinny appeared next to her.
"What would the Miss like to drink this evening?" he asked politely.
"Bring me a very large mug of my father's mead and a stiff, dry double bourbon on the rocks." Vinny disappeared and almost as soon as the glass of whiskey appeared on the table Samantha grabbed it and chugged it entirely. Samuel eyed his daughter worryingly.
"Everything alright, Sweet Pea?" he asked setting down his fork.
"I'm fine," Samantha said stoically, "Did you enjoy your workout?"
"I did," Samuel said, "What did you have to talk to Mr. Malfoy about?"
Samantha sighed again feeling the earlier headache return, "Nothing important. Besides, he didn't answer the door."
"Is he alright? Is he sick?" Samuel asked, "You know his father died rather abruptly from Dragon Pox."
"I wouldn't know if he's sick," Samantha said, "It's none of my business."
"I thought you two were all buddy, buddy," Samuel said, "What happened?"
"Nothing happened, Dad," Samantha said growing frustrated.
"Geez, sorry," Samuel said in a sarcastic tone, "I'm just concerned. He didn't hurt you did he?"
"Dad!" Samantha exclaimed, "Can we drop this please?! Thank you!" she shoved the plate away from her and picked up the large mug of mead standing.
"Where are you going? You need to eat and build your strength back up." Samuel said.
"I'm not hungry," Samantha said as she stormed out of the dining room. She heard Samuel protest further but couldn't care less. She hurried up to the west wing. She stopped again at the door to Lucius's lounge and tried the knob again. Still locked. She sighed again, feeling a sinking despair growing in her chest. She never thought it possible, but she missed him. She lifted the hand not holding the mug and flattened her palm on the smooth, dark wood of the door. It was cold, but being just a few feet from Lucius, or so she assumed, made her feel oddly warmer, a comforting temperature that sated the rising despair.
"Lucius," she whispered, but again there was neither an answer nor movement from the inside of the room. She walked slowly to her bedroom, her feet heavy as if strapped to ingots of lead. She instructed Lizzy to wake her up early so she could go and meet Narcissa at the pub. She drained the mug of mead and welcomed the dark drone of sleep, her head buzzing with alcohol, like an old friend.
The next afternoon, Draco stood vigil next to the silver, lacquered casket, his shoulders stiff from holding back his emotion and his red and puffy eyes betraying him. Narcissa was sitting in a chair wearing all black and a hat with a lace veil. Her face was buried in her hands.
"I can't believe this happened." Narcissa sobbed as some other witch dressed lavishly in black rubbed her shoulder, "We should have seen the signs."
Samantha was standing in the back of the room unsure of the events that had led to this. She slowly made her way through the crowd of upscale witches and wizards approaching the casket. It was open but she wasn't close enough to see the body inside. Whispers drifted on her ears.
"It was Narcissa who found him,"
"What a tragedy,"
"Strung up from the chandelier they say,"
"Who?" Samantha asked an older, balding wizard in a black pinstripe suit.
"Pardon?" the wizard asked.
"Who did they find?" Samantha asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know," the wizard said snubbing her off. Samantha just stood there bewildered and confused. Suddenly, she realized that every single person in the room was staring at her. Some were pointing and whispering among themselves. A hand came out of nowhere and roughly grabbed her arm.
"What are you doing here?!" Draco asked.
"I…I don't know, what's going on?" Samantha asked.
"You know perfectly well what's going on," Draco said coldly, "How dare you show your face here!" He pulled Samantha roughly and headed for the door.
"Draco! Stop, your hurting me!" Samantha said trying to break her arm free of his bruising grip.
"You deserve it, Harlot!" Draco snarled.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Samantha asked.
"IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Draco shouted getting right up in Samantha's face.
"What?!" Samantha asked desperately.
"It's your fault he's dead!" Draco said trying to fight back the fresh tears in his eyes.
"Now, now, Draco," said another wizard as he approached, "He wouldn't have wanted you to act like this. Go back over there and tend to your grieving mother."
Draco continued to glare at Samantha for several moments before he walked away, bumping rudely into Samantha's shoulder as he did so. Confused and self-conscious about all the people staring at her Samantha found a solitary chair in the back of the room. Slowly, people filed in and out of the room paying their respects until finally the crowd dwindled down. Samantha was so lost and unsure in her thoughts that she didn't notice the shiny, leather pumps that appeared in her view of vision.
"He's right, you know,"
Samantha looked up. It was Narcissa, "Who?" she asked.
"Draco," Narcissa said, "It is your fault he's dead."
"I don't understand Narcissa, who's dead?" Samantha asked.
"You broke his heart," was all Narcissa said before she glided elegantly from the room leaving only Samantha and the casket.
Slowly, Samantha stood. The room was so silent now that it was deafening. She could almost hear the blood flowing in her own veins as she approached the casket. Her heart pounded in her ears and when she saw the silver hair fanned out on the cold, deathly pillow she felt a ripple of endless pain that crevassed like a crack in the foundation of the planet. She inhaled sharply as her mouth fell open in shock and her eyes opened into flowing oceans streaming down her cheeks. There, on his eternal bed of fine, green silk lie Lucius Malfoy.