He could see the castle, the flicker of candlelight and torches. He was trying to keep to the trees, stay out of the light of the moon, trying to avoid those that were following him as best he could. His lungs hurt from running, and he knew that when he sprinted from the relative safety of the forest to the front of the castle that he would be a target for those following him. Lucius felt fear grip him. The thought of his family, his wife, his mate was the true force that pushed him on, driving him to succeed in his endeavor to get the magical sword to Harry Potter.
He held the sword in his left hand and his wand in his right. He was prepared to fight for his life. But his blood ran cold as he heard a cold, shrill voice pierce the air. "Come out, come out little traitor!"
It was Bellatrix.
She was in the woods, somewhere behind him. "We know what you did, Lucius. Have you been against our Lord the whole time? Your son will pay. You will pay."
He hid behind a tree, listening for the snap of a twig, anything that would give away her position. Lucius looked up when he felt someone standing in front of him and stopped at seeing Severus who was eying him critically. He'd been caught. Severus would turn him over to Bellatrix, the sword would come into the hands of the Dark Lord, and Draco and Narcissa would suffer for his deception.
Severus then held a finger up to his lips and stepped towards the forest. "Bella," he hissed. "We're too late," he said as he walked deeper into the fold.
"What?" she asked, and he could hear the skepticism in her tone.
"Lucius is already inside. Dumbledore met him at the door," he answered.
"And you didn't kill him when you saw him!? Maybe you're a filthy little traitor just like Lucius."
"I couldn't kill him and give away that I'm working for the Dark Lord."
There was silence for a moment. "I don't trust you, Severus. Bring Lucius to me, unspoiled, in two days. Or I'll out you for the filthy, little rat you are," she threatened. "Lucius will pay for the death of my precious Roddy."
Lucius didn't dare breathe as he listened to the sound of apparition as they popped out from the forest. Severus stood still for several moments, then he was standing beside Lucius once more. "Quickly, before she decides to double back," he said as he led the way to the castle.
The doors opened for them both, and Severus sealed them as Lucius tried to slow down the beating of his heart. He led Lucius to the Headmaster's suite and they entered without knocking. Dumbledore stood as both men entered, and his eyes began to twinkle as he laid eyes on Lucius and the sword in his hand.
"When Severus said the Dark Lord had sent out a call for your head, I had thought that our chance might have been lost," Dumbledore admitted. "I'm very happy to see that you're still alive."
Lucius nodded. "Rodolphus is dead. The Lady of the Lake killed him, not me."
Severus looked to Dumbledore. "So, you decided in front of the Lady to change allegiances?"
"And you decided in front of Bella?" Lucius asked, knowing that there was more to Severus than anyone knew. Especially if he was helping him now. "This has been in the works for months."
Severus looked to Dumbledore then, a scowl on his face. "How long?"
The Headmaster sighed. "I had to keep certain information from you, Severus. This involved more than just Lucius."
"I see," he said, his tone leaving little question. He didn't understand. Severus risked his life every time he was in front of the Dark Lord for Dumbledore and yet the man still didn't completely trust him.
Dumbledore turned from Severus to Lucius. "The sword?" he said as he held out his hand, to which Lucius shook his head.
"I can't give it to you. I was given specific instructions to give it to Harry Potter and him alone."
"I assure you that I have no intention..."
"I'm sorry, but no," he said, finally. "Bring the boy here and I'll hand it over. Until then, I'll keep it."
Dumbledore and Severus stared at him, both wondering exactly what his orders were, but Dumbledore finally nodded and turned to his phoenix. The bird flew out of the office and into the halls, doors opening for it as it went.
"I'll take my leave," Severus said, finally.
"Thank you, Severus. For saving my life," Lucius said softly.
The dark-haired man nodded and then left the room. Lucius took a seat on one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk and frowned. "Bellatrix wants him to deliver me to her in two days or she'll tell the Dark Lord that Severus is a traitor."
Dumbledore sighed. "Severus is much more than anyone knows."
"So I've gathered."
The door opened and the phoenix entered the room with Harry Potter behind him. The boy had obviously been asleep, but seemed surprisingly alert. He stopped at seeing Lucius and looked to Dumbledore. "We have it?" Harry asked.
Lucius stood and looked to the boy. "What is it that you think we have, Mister Potter?"
"Hermione said that you were looking for Excalibur."
Lucius rolled his eyes and realized that his son had told her, who had in turn told Potter. Nothing was sacred anymore. "Yes, I have it. You are to be the only one to wield it, Mister Potter," he said as he held it out to him. "Wield the sword and command an army to restore Britain to its former glory."
Harry stared at it for a moment and then reached for the hilt, hesitating, before he grasped the silver hilt. They both watched as Harry's eyes widened and he grasped it with his other hand, sinking to his knees.
His eyes flashed white for a moment, leaving behind Dumbledore and Lucius.
"Harry Potter," the man said, a sword at his hip, his silver armor flashing in the candle light. Harry looked around, noticing that he still seemed to be in Dumbledore's office, however, it was filled with men. Warriors from the past, dead soldiers. "We are knights in your service." "Who...who are you?" Harry asked. The man in the front bowed his head. "I am Arthur, young sire. We will fight for you, and for your people. You are the one worthy to wield her sword, and so we are bound by duty to help you." Harry frowned. "I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how to lead an army." Arthur smiled. "I shall assist you, young sire. Together, we will save our country. You have three days until they attack you."
Dumbledore moved forward as Harry hissed out a breath and looked up at the other two men in the room. "They're coming in three days," he said slowly. "The Death Eaters."
Lucius looked to Dumbledore. "The Dark Lord will attack when I'm not delivered to Bellatrix," he said softly.
Harry stood slowly and looked to the Headmaster. "We have to get the younger students to safety. Immediately."
Dumbledore nodded as he stood as well. "We'll start in the morning. We'll have to be discreet, otherwise we risk letting Voldemort know that we're aware that he's coming for us. Go back to your room, Harry, and don't let anyone touch that sword but you."
"How am I supposed to hide it?" he asked.
"I imagine that if you simply wished for it to no longer be seen, you could find a way."
Harry held the sword in his hand and Lucius gasped as it disappeared. "It worked," he said, amazed.
He nodded. "Very well. To your room, Harry. Tell no one you have it."
"Won't people realize something is going on once they see Lucius here?"
"Don't worry," Dumbledore said as he looked to Lucius. "I'll take care of Lucius." Harry left the room and Dumbledore turned to Lucius. "Although, he does bring up an excellent point. You'll not be welcomed where Narcissa is."
"How is she? Have you seen her?"
He nodded. "She's well, if not extremely sad. I imagine that she'll be beyond happy to see you. I'll fetch her."
*~*
Narcissa was pacing in the living room. She had felt Lucius's fear and then relief. She didn't know what was happening, just that it was keeping her from sleep. She wrung her hands together, afraid that something had happened, and nervous to think that she might actually see her husband again. It was too much to hope for it to be true. And yet, she couldn't help but believe that it was a possibility.
She heard the stairs creak and Molly rounded the corner of the stairs, seemingly surprised to see her awake. "Narcissa, are you alright?"
She nodded. "I'm fine. I just...I can't sleep."
Molly stared at her for a moment. "Another dream?"
As Narcissa looked to Molly, the Floo came to life, startling both women. Dumbledore stepped from the hearth and gave both women a smile. "Good evening," he said softly, not wanting to disrupt the rest of the house.
Molly came fully into the room and stood beside Dumbledore. "Is something wrong?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, Molly. Everything is right. Narcissa," he said, turning his attention to the other room. "Lucius has returned. He's currently waiting for you in my office. Please fetch your things," he said softly.
Narcissa moved much quicker than either would have believed she was capable as she rushed up the stairs. Molly looked to Dumbledore and tilted her head. "He found whatever it was he was looking for?"
"He did. I would like to see the Order members in my office tomorrow at six in the evening. It's important that everyone be there. The Floo will be open," he said as he held his hands clasped in front of him. "Things have been set in motion that can not now be undone. It's time we make plans," he said cryptically.
Narcissa returned down the stairs with her suitcase in hand. "I've tucked the others into my pocket," she said as she patted it. Molly smiled to see Narcissa, a very stoic woman, looking nearly giddy. Narcissa turned to Molly. "Thank you for your hospitality. You've been a very gracious and caring hostess."
Molly didn't say anything, just gave her a slight nod. She watched as Narcissa stepped into the Floo with Dumbledore and they were whirled away into Dumbledore's office.
*~*
Lucius paced. Everything he'd known his entire life was now crumbling down around him. The illusion he'd cast to the world had been thrown off and they now knew that he was a traitor. They would be coming for him, Narcissa, and Draco. They were all in danger. In reality, he hadn't been the one who had killed Rodolphus, but he would be the one to reap the penalty of it.
He took a seat in a chair and felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. The fate of his family rested squarely on his shoulders, and he felt like he had failed them. True, he'd gotten the sword, but now the Death Eaters wanted his head, and they would use any means they could to exact their revenge.
He felt Narcissa's happiness suddenly, and it was like water washing over him, cleansing him of his morbid thoughts. He heaved out a sigh and allowed their bond to comfort him. He felt a slight pull on it, her reassurance that she would be there soon, with him, and it nearly sent him to his knees.
Months. It had been months. Long, arduous months without her, his Mate. His thoughts had always gone to her in the long, cold nights. She had been his driving force, his means to succeed. The bond with her reminded him once more that he was doing all of this for her and his son. He would walk through fire for her, suffer through anything, if in the end they were able to be together.
The Floo flared to life once more and he stood as both Dumbledore and Narcissa exited the Floo. He thought the world had come to a standstill, nothing mattered but her. He moved towards her without a second thought, his arms going around her thin waist, and he felt hers twine around his shoulders. "My love," he whispered into her ear, and he heard her sob happily into his ear.
He pulled back to capture her face in his hands and looked at her, finding her absolutely breathtaking, even though she was crying. Dumbledore cleared his throat, pulling both of them from their interlude. "If you will both follow me, I'll take you somewhere to give you a little privacy," he said as he moved to the door. Lucius lifted her suitcase in one hand and took her hand in his other. Dumbledore cast a disillusionment charm over the two of them and led them through an abandoned wing of the castle and up to the tower. As they entered, house-elves were busy cleaning the space.
"I must advise the both of you not to leave this room, for any reason. As of now, the only people who know you're here are Severus and Harry. We'll be 'observing' the owl posts to make sure that nothing 'untoward' makes it to any relatives in this building. Stay hidden. I'll try to arrange for Draco to come see you later."
Lucius looked at Narcissa. "Much later," he said, unable to control the Veela inside from answering.
Dumbledore nodded and left the room, sealing it and putting a distraction charm on the wing itself. He certainly didn't want people poking and prodding where they needn't.
*~*
Lucius cupped her face in his hands and kissed her for the first time in months. They clung to one another, feeling their bond grow stronger at the contact, and causing them to become breathless. She felt stronger in his arms than she had since they'd been parted.
He brushed away her tears with his thumb. "Don't cry," he said as he began undoing the sash of her robe.
She smiled and then laughed. "Lucius, I couldn't be happier," she said against his lips. "Let me have my tears," she said as she removed her robe and allowed it to fall to the floor.
He pressed his forehead to hers as her fingers began working on divesting him of his robes. He watched her face, taking in every expression, every new feature there was to behold. She was thinner than he remembered, and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. She'd obviously found it as hard to be without him as he did her. He still found her to be the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Her lips were ever so kissable, her eyes flashed with emotion, and he knew them all. Love, lust, hunger, and a certain rightness that was hard to put into words. They were whole once more.
She removed his clothes and they watched them tumble to the floor. His lips found hers again as he lifted her in his arms to place her on the bed. Lucius moved his lips over her face, her jaw and to her neck, the place that could make her moan. She shook her head and pulled him between her thighs. "No, Lucius. Time for that later," she whispered breathlessly. "Make me yours again," she whispered against his ear.
With a groan, he pushed her nightgown up to her waist and tore her knickers from her body and tossed them over his shoulder. He inhaled, finding the scent of her, causing him to growl again. But the urging of her hands on his hips and the way she was writhing beneath him let him know that time for exploring her body thoroughly was later.
They both nearly screamed at the contact of their bodies against one another. She helped guide him inside her, and he rested his head against her shoulder, as they lay that way, entwined together. She bucked against him, making the both of them moan in response. "I need you, Lucius," she said into the silence of the room.
He thrust his hips over and over, slowly at first, but her words let him know that she wanted more, faster, harder. She had been denied for so long that she wanted all of it immediately.
He cupped a silk covered breast and licked over the tight bud. She cupped his face and brought his mouth to hers, feeling herself growing closer with every thrust, when finally her orgasm washed through her, causing her to tighten around him and he thrust into her a few more times, her body milking him of his own orgasm. They lay together in the silence, the only sound filling the room was that of their labored breathing.
*~*
Draco made his way through the forest with Greg, and he noticed his friend's nerves. "Scared?" Draco asked.
Greg sighed. "Yes. But not about marrying her. About what my family will do when they find out."
He looked at his friend and frowned. "And knowing that they could react badly, you're still willing to go through with this?"
Greg frowned at him. "Are you trying to talk me out of it?"
"Not at all. I'm simply asking what you're feeling."
"I want to take her and run," he said softly. "Run as far away as we can from all of this."
Draco shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at his friend. "Do you think she would go?"
He nodded. "We've talked about it. In order to be together, away from my family and the possibility of me becoming a Death Eater, we'd do anything."
They were silent as they moved to the clearing and found the officiant who was going to perform the ceremony. "Ah, Mister Goyle. A pleasure to see you again."
"Silvio," Goyle said with a bow of his head. "This is my best friend, Draco Malfoy."
"Ah, you will be a witness to this wedding? Standing up for Mister Goyle?"
"Yes, sir."
"Damn decent of you," he said and they all turned their attention to the clearing as both Tracey and Daphne walked through the clearing. Tracey had on a white sheath of a dress with a floral wreath wrapped with ribbon sitting upon her head. She was positively beaming at Greg, and Draco smiled to himself. He was happy that Greg had found someone who could understand him, and who would give him a chance. He deserved it.
"Shall we begin?" Silvio asked.
Greg took Tracey's hand and had them both sign the marriage license, followed by Daphne and Draco. When it came time to the ceremony, Draco spent most of it thinking about what his own wedding to Hermione would be like. She probably wouldn't go for all the pomp and circumstance that his own mother would insist upon, but he wondered if she would want a big ceremony or something more private, possibly on a beach somewhere. It was a pleasant thought. An extremely pleasant thought.
"We have nature to witness this union between Gregory Gillian Goyle and Tracine Elizabeth Davis. It will be a union blessed by fire, wind, rock, and water. One that will grow and change as the seasons do. Tracine Elizabeth Davis, do you take Gregory Gillian Goyle to be your husband? Through sickness and in health? As long as you both walk the Earth?"
"I do."
Draco smiled as Greg's entire face seemed to soften. He was more nervous than even he seemed to realize. Greg had quickly answered the officiant, before he would even complete the sentence, causing everyone assembled to laugh. Their hands were twined together, much like an unbreakable vow, and the incantation was said. "I bind you, Gregory Gillian Goyle, and you, Tracine Elizabeth Davis, to one another, throughout time and circumstance. May your love for one another be eternal." And like that, it was done and Greg was given permission to kiss his bride.
Which he did. For far longer than Draco thought was decent. He finally clapped his friend on the back and that caused them to separate. Silvio gave them all a wave before he left the clearing. "Congratulations, Greg, Tracey," Draco said as he extended his hand to them both.
"Thank you, Draco," Tracy said softly. "For doing this for Greg."
He shrugged. "We've been friends since we were in nappies. How could I do anything but stand by his side?"
She placed a kiss on his cheek and she turned back to her husband. "Shall we?" she asked. Greg beamed at her as they began to make their way out of the clearing. Daphne looked to Draco and frowned. "I'm surprised you did this, given your stance on Muggle-borns and Half-bloods."
Draco gestured to the path that led back to the castle and they walked along side one another. "Greg is my best friend. I think that trumps everything else."
She cast a look at him, briefly, and they continued on in silence. Before they reached the doors, however, she stopped him. "I misjudged you," she said softly.
"Most people do," he said, not even upset by her admission.
"I thought you were like the rest of them. In fact, I thought you were the leader of the group. Your father being who he is and his position within the ranks of Death Eaters...I thought you were following in his footsteps."
"Who said I'm not?" he questioned.
"Your actions speak much louder than your words. What you just did for Greg speaks more to your character than you can know. Especially how your other friends have treated their relationship." She looked at the ground. "And with that in mind, you should know."
"Know what?"
She sighed. "They're coming for you. The Death Eaters. Whether it's to make you one of them or to...hurt you for your faltering, you're a target."
He frowned. "How do you know that?"
"I was ordered to get you alone and bring you to them." Draco already had his hand on his wand and she rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to do it. But I know I wasn't the only one given the order. Be very wary of our house, Draco. In fact, don't go anywhere alone," she said as she opened the doors and they entered the corridor. "This castle isn't safe anymore. But I'm sure you're aware of that."
He nodded. "After the last attack on me, I formulated that thought on my own. Thanks, Daphne."
She nodded and headed towards the dungeons.
*~*
To Be Continued…
Chapter End Notes:
Next chapter: In which everyone finds out the truth about the Malfoys and Draco is put to the test by Hermione.
