Lucius heard a faint knock on the door and spun around quickly, eager to receive the report on his son's activities.
"Enter, Corbyn," he called, as he strode towards the door of his stately flat.
A stooped man entered looking careworn. He was dressed in black robes that looked as though they'd seen better days. Lucius grimaced as he took in Corbyn's appearance, noticing less his garment, more his expression.
"My lord," said Corbyn, dipping himself further forward into a bow.
Lucius scowled, "What did I tell you about this Lord business? I have no interest in being your savior, Corbyn, now stand up and give your report. What news?"
"S- sorry, Sir, f- force of habit still, I 'spose," he said, and bowed again. Lucius rolled his eyes and looked away, waiting for the man to deliver his information.
"I've been following him carefully, as you requested Sir, and he did indeed go to the Ministry to get the marriage paperwork prior to Ms. Greengrass's leave for her family's foreign estate."
Giving Corbyn a frustrated frown, he said, "That I knew, her Father confirmed it with me of course, now what new and/or useful information do you have for me?"
Corbyn looked down at his feet, clearly ashamed, but recovered quickly.
"He left the Ministry that evening with Potter, I don't know where they went but they were discussing dinner, so I assume-"
"Yes, I'm well aware they've struck up a friendship, though I can't imagine why Potter made such concessions, now do go on."
"Yes, Sir, well I imagine it will only be to our advantage if the Malfoy name becomes synonymous with Potter. Considering all we're- you're planning, Sir, it would be useful to have someone so high up and respected on our side."
"I don't pay you for advice, Corbyn," he hissed, "I pay you to spy and sneak and REPORT!"
Corbyn whimpered slightly, as Lucius turned and strode toward the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the North Sea.
"Although… you do make a good point, I can't deny it. When I make my move to have the International Statute of Secrecy revoked under my new proposed order, it would be sensible to have some influential names on our side. I admit that Potter had been, in my mind, a non-starter, but perhaps if we had Draco work him on it from an inside track… over time…"
"Draco would do so splendidly, my L- Sir!" Corbyn added, excitedly, "he's managed to shift the opinions of so many who reviled him in the past already, I'm confident he'd be-"
Lucius wasn't listening but still talking, mostly to himself.
"I'd need to get the right leverage over Draco, of course, to get him to act for me. At present, he's still quite angry with me, especially with this marriage promise business, even though I am doing this for his own good. Every unattached witch in Britain will soon be after his money, and this way he can have that part secured and take up with anyone he pleases, what young man wouldn't want that? I still can't understand his disapproval-"
"-take for example the mudblood girl," Corbyn said, as he'd continued to talk over Lucius' mutterings. It was the use of the derogatory term that caught Lucius's ear.
Lucius drew his wand and pointed it at Corbyn, sending him flying and pinning him against the far wall. "DO NOT USE THAT WORD!" he shouted as he stalked menacingly toward him.
"You don't listen very well, do you Corbyn?"
"S- Sir?"
"I've told you time and again, it will not help our efforts to appear prejudiced against those of inferior blood. Ours is a plan to unite with them, to have our magic out in the open, but to keep them controlled this time. Don't you remember?"
"Y- yes, Sir, I do now Sir, my apologies, just another s- slip of the tongue."
Lucius leaned in close, his face inches from the man's nose.
"Then you will do well to keep it steady, lest you lose it by some unfortunate accident."
Corbyn who had been panting heavily, snapped his mouth closed and nodded vigorously. Lucius turned and began striding away, releasing the hex that was pinning his man to the wall. Then he stopped and turned to look over his shoulder at him.
"What were you saying about… which girl?"
"The, uh- muggle born girl, Sir. Grant, no no… Graham, no that's not it…"
Lucius titled his head quizzically. "Granger?"
Corbyn clapped his hands together once and pointed eagerly at Lucius.
"That's the one Sir! Just divorced from that Weasley scum, I overheard, not that she ever took the poor sod's name it seems. Why, I had it from Witch Weekly that she-"
Lucius held up a hand fiercely. "Spare me your gossip magazine summaries, why were you speaking of Miss Granger just now?"
"Well because, Sir, she's one of the ones Draco's been able to charm! Like I said, he's changed many minds as of late, and if Potter-"
"Charm? What do you mean? How do you know this?"
Corbyn chuckled and his cheeks flushed a bit. "Caught em snogging in the street, didn't I? Well not caught, since they didn't see me see them, but I saw em!"
Repeating his earlier motion, Lucius again sent the pinning hex at Corbyn and walked swiftly over to the man.
"Why did you not begin with this information, you absolute halfwit," he growled, "did you not think it important that my son, recently promised to wed a Greengrass and under strict and ancient marriage promise clauses, showing up in a street having relations with another witch was the most vital piece of information to convey?"
"I, I'm sorry Sir it, it slipped my mind at first!"
Lucius scoffed and stormed away, releasing the hex and causing Corbyn to drop to the ground.
"Tell me what you saw, all that you saw, now."
Corbyn massaged his neck and groaned. "It's like I said, Sir, I tracked him to a muggle street and saw him walking along with that m- Granger girl. They looked quite familiar with one another, and then they stopped for a moment and had a snog before rushing off to an alley and disapparating together. My trace said back to his flat, but I didn't dare follow. It was pretty obvious what they were going there to do."
Lucius cursed violently and overturned his glass coffee table, causing it to shatter into pieces which scattered across the marble floor, along with his restraint. Corbyn was now pinning himself against the far wall.
Remaining with his back to Corbyn, Lucius took a few long, deep breaths. So, this was why his son had been so reluctant to take on the union. How in the world had he turned that muggle-born swot to his side? And what in the fucking hell had he been thinking, out there in public like that with her when it's become common knowledge he is to wed another? What if Mr. Greengrass found out and chose to terminate the promise a second time?
They had already created it on such raw terms, Lucius was sure that one wrong move from the Malfoy side and the Greengrass family would not hesitate to back down. Of course, it wasn't common knowledge that the two Fathers hadn't put any clauses on the promise, but Mr. Greengrass knew that no harm would befall his daughter if she suddenly refused the engagement. Well, except the one involving her unwanted spawn, and that was only of benefit to her. As physically taxing as it would be when she lost the child, it would not be fatal to her.
Yes, it had been quite clever of the two heads of family to institute the one and only clause, making it so that the pregnancy would terminate whether the promise was refused or fulfilled. Mr. Greengrass wanted no connection with that family, and Lucius had been able to deliver the solution. It required dark magic, to be sure, but Lucius had been equal to that task.
Only the two of them knew that the baby would not survive either way. It would be dealt with in just three weeks' time, if not sooner, which was apparently a possibility.
Lucius did not want a scandal. He'd promised Mr. Greengrass good press all around, and he did not want to default upon his word.
The man wanted nothing more than to escape the embarrassment of a connection with the Weasley family.
Well… with Miss Granger in the picture, here was a completely different and unexpected connection to them, even if she'd never taken the name.
Unfathomable. Draco had to be doing this on purpose. Angry for his father's interference and wanting revenge.
Lucius supposed it didn't matter if his son wanted to fuck the muggle born, but Draco mustn't try anything foolish or idiotic like running away with her and attempting to fake their disappearances.
Miss Granger, were she aware of the marriage promise, would surely have studied up on them and know enough not to attempt it. Draco surely would know, too. Still, Lucius would need to make sure. For good measure, he'd need to forbid Draco from seeing her, at least for the time being. He could take her up as his mistress once the promise was sealed, but not before.
"Corbyn!" he shouted suddenly, and the man jolted to attention. "Please send word to my son immediately that I require an audience with him. Say nothing else."
"Yes Sir!" he bowed and moved hastily towards the door, clearly keen to be out of his master's presence.
"And Corbyn," Lucius called before the man had shut the door. He peered back in.
"Never bow to me again, I am not now nor shall I ever be The Dark Lord, and I do not require such exultations."
Corbyn made a strange flinching motion with his head, obviously about to bow again, but caught himself and simply slammed the door shut behind him.
Lucius flicked his wand casually and the shattered coffee table was back to one piece, the sharp ends glinting in the sunlight cascading through the high clear windows.