Chapter 37: Surprises

Firstly, my apologies for taking a month (nearly anyway) to update! But I get there in the end ! The last chapter left us with poor Lucius and Lucinda separated once again as Lucius is arrested to endure more questioning…

Lucinda stayed stock still for what seemed like hours after Lucius had left with the three men from the Ministry. They had talked briefly about such an occurrence before in bed; Lucius had all but told her, practically word for word, what he was sure would happen at some point. She hadn't been sure whether she had believed him or not at the time. After all, if they truly had no proof he was involved in the attack, how could they then arrest him? Was Kingsley really that determined to bring Lucius down once and for all, or was this coming from someone else with influence within the Ministry?

With everything she had learnt about Lucius over the past six months, she was certain now he wasn't an evil man; she didn't think now, looking back, that she had even thought that in the first place. But she knew now she had seen sides to him that few others ever go to catch a glimpse of.

Hearing him say he loved her was such an example; she supposed there were many who would like to think he was incapable of truly loving anyone except himself. But when he had spoken those words, those exact words she had been secretly longing to hear from him, she had known it was real. If nothing else, Lucinda liked to think she was a good judge of character and she could read when people were lying. She had known when Lucius was lying about his involvement with Costache, as she later found out his name to be, and she therefore knew that he had been truthful in what he had said. The nice warm feeling from his declaration had quickly dissipated however with the knock on the door. And now she stood at the foot of the stairs, alone in the house and not sure what on earth to do. She knew storming down to the Ministry headquarters would do no good. They wouldn't allow her to see him, and he would most likely be taken for questioning down in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (Hannah had told her all about how the process went, after all it was part of her job).

Lucinda still hadn't decided what to do as she walked back upstairs, putting one foot in front of the other automatically. She had just started along the corridor towards the bedroom (for what she wasn't exactly sure) when she heard a loud creaking noise coming from behind her. Her heart suddenly started beating so fast she could hear the blood pounding heavily in her ears. Taking a deep breath, she turned slowly to face the path she had just taken.

A door that had previously been closed was partially open. It was a room Lucinda knew she had never been in before. When she had had the chance, she had spent time exploring the Manor, but she had found several of the upstairs rooms were locked. One she later found out was a library, with many rare volumes and old paintings. But this room was entirely unfamiliar to her.

She moved across the threshold tentatively, as if worried some spell would send her hurtling back out for daring to enter such a private room. And it was clear to Lucinda straight away that it was definitely private. The room had a heavy musty sort of smell, as if it hadn't been used by anyone for a long time. Heavy, rich looking emerald green drapes covered half the window, now letting in a stream of bright moonlight. The bed was made neatly, as if waiting for someone to retire in it, and the walls were covered with a dark and expensive looking wallpaper. It's pattern was such that, if you looked at it for long enough, it might appear as if it would start to move independently, faces appearing in the twisting vines and berries painted on it.

Lucinda turned around, trying to take everything in all at once. And then something caught her eye in the far corner of the wall. A portrait of a young woman. She recognised immediately who it was; she had seen a similar portrait hanging in the foyer after she had spent her first night at the Manor; it was Lucius' Mother. She moved closer to the painting, which was smiling down at her brightly. She was as beautiful as Lucinda remembered. She could see Lucius' grey eyes and blonde hair in her. And, she now noticed, his smile. Lucinda imagined that not many people ever were accustomed to seeing Lucius Malfoy actually smile, but he did it sometimes when they were alone; a real smile, not a smirk as was his customary position. It was like hers, open and warm. She wondered all of a sudden why he did not show this side of him very often, before she remembered what he had shown her the other day and realised once more why he was so closed off from the rest of the world. Better to be cold and aloof than to get hurt again, she concluded as she turned her attention away from the smiling vision of Lucius' Mother.

Moving over to a large mahogany dressing table set to one side of the room, she picked up a photograph; she knew it was Lucius from the memory he had shown her. He must have been a little younger in the picture than he had been then. It was set in a silver frame, and had pride of place on the table, in front of some boxes of powder and bottles of perfume. The room appeared to have been entirely untouched since the day she had passed away. She wished she could have kept her own Mother's room the same way. After she had died, their Father had removed most of her possessions from their bedroom in his grief, donating them or throwing them away.

She had just turned to leave again when she heard something else from behind her. A distinct 'click' of a lock turning and then a dull sliding sound as if something were opening up. Turning, Lucinda saw a draw of the dressing table, which had previously been closed, pulled open. Normally, she might have simply closed the door and pretend it didn't happen, but she sensed it was important and so she made her way back into the centre of the room. Reaching the drawer in question, she saw immediately that it was empty, par one thing. A folded piece of parchment, seemingly discarded there.

Taking it out of the drawer by her fingertips, she unfolded it and began to read. She did not recognise the handwriting, but she knew immediately who it was from as she scanned the letter quickly from beginning to end:

'Malimus,

Things are under way for the deal. My men are keen and I explain to them what they need to do. You will transfer money to account I gave you details of the day before event. I will meet you at pre-arranged place for transfer of object.

Costache'

Malimus? She assumed that that was Lucius, but she couldn't be sure. At least he had bothered to use a pseudonym, she supposed. But this was incriminating. It came as no surprise to her of course, she already knew that he had been involved with Costache. But it would be welcome evidence if the Ministry came knocking for a house search, which she knew they very well could do. She didn't hesitate. She didn't know really what she was doing, but she couldn't let him be sent to Azkaban. Standing from the small chair in front of the dressing table she had at herself on, she placed the parchment down on the dark surface.

She what to do. Leaving the room, she headed downstairs again, taking them two at a time in an effort to scale the vastness of it quicker. Pleased to find the room she needed unlocked, she entered Lucius' study. There was a convenient pile of fresh parchment ready on the desk, an expensive looking quill placed to one side. She sat at the desk, picking up the quill and dipping it in a bottle of midnight coloured ink. And then she paused, not having a clue what to do next. She had never written to Draco before; the two bad barely spoken at all, and let's face it, she thought to herself, I'm definitely still not his favourite person. But this needed to be done, she would need to speak with him.

Clearing her throat as if about to launch into a great speech, she placed the quill onto the surface and began to try to explain everything that had happened in the past few hours (well, expect for her and Lucius' making up of course):

'Draco,

Your Father has been taken to the Ministry for questioning over the incident there yesterday. Do not try to contact him, you won't be able to. Please come to the Manor immediately; we need to talk.

Lucinda'

There, that would do, she decided as she gently blew on it to dry to ink as quickly as possible. She did not want to say too much; after all, the Ministry could be spying on Draco if they felt he might know what his Father had been up to.

She could feel a dark chill in the air as she opened the window to let the owl take the letter to Draco. It would be winter soon enough. She supposed in winter the gardens would look just as beautiful as they did in the summertime, if in an entirely different way. Christmas would come and she imagined decorating a large tree in the foyer, putting little glass lights across the branches and presents underneath it. That is if Lucius isn't hundreds of miles away in Azkaban, a little voice in her head broke the perfectness of her daydream. No, she couldn't think like that. If Lucius was certain that Costache could not identify him, and any money that had been involved could not be traced, then she was certain they could not charge him, even with his track record.

Lucinda was still staring out of the window when another owl came into view. She hoped it was a reply from Draco, however as the bird came closer she recognised it as Hannah's own owl she had had since her time as Hogwarts. It was a particularly majestic looking owl, with rich cognac coloured feathers and a long beak. It handed her a letter and tooted happily, flying off back into the night.

'Lucinda,

I've just been called in to work. I suppose you know they've arrested Lucius. I can't say any more now, but as soon as I know anything I'll tell you, and I'll let you know when you can come and see him,

Hannah'

Hannah must have been assigned to the team to collate evidence ; evidence against him most probably. Surely they were putting her in an impossible position. Hannah was Lucinda's friend and yet she would be trying to prove that her partner was a liar. Pursing her lips, Lucinda folded the letter back over, and awaited Draco's reply.

It must have been fifteen minutes later when Lucinda was startled by a voice coming from behind her as she sat in the chair by the window of Lucius' office, the room now dimly lit by the antique lamp in the corner.

"Is he alright?" Draco asked, stepping into the room, a long black coat swishing behind him.

"Yes. Well, I think so…I don't know…He went with them calmly enough if that's what you mean. What do you know about what happened?" She asked him, unsure as to exactly how much Lucius had told him.

"Enough." He answered simply, looking at her as if he were unsure how much Lucinda knew. "Enough to know why the Ministry might be particularly interested in asking him questions. He told me as much himself."

"I see." She had returned to looking out of the window, and then, before she could stop herself, she had spoken aloud: "I could have stopped this."

"What do you mean?" Draco questioned sternly. He had moved further into the study but still kept a large distance between them.

"Well, I don't know if I could have stopped it exactly, but perhaps I should have listened to my gut a little more, maybe I should have told you about it…I don't know. I'd had a…feeling for a while," She felt pathetic saying it but it was the only word she could think of, "that he was up to something. That something wasn't right."

"And how would you know if something wasn't right with MY Father?" He spat out, folding his arms over his chest defensively. Clearly, Lucinda concluded, he hadn't noticed anything different. Although, she supposed, he was probably too used to Lucius acting shifty.

"Well I do live with him, in case you hadn't noticed!" She batted back, feeling anger rise in her, "And I do…"

"Love him. Yes, so you've said. Anyway, I'm not here to talk about that. If, like you said, we cannot contact him, why am I here exactly?"

Lucinda stood, moving past where he was stood and back out towards the hallway. She heard him follow her tentatively, the sound of his highly polished shoes so familiar she half expected to see Lucius when she turned around as she reached the staircase.

"There's something you need to see." She indicated upstairs and he followed behind her silently, but she could sense him throwing her a curious look as he did so, as if he wasn't sure quite what to make of her at all now.

She stopped in front of the room.

"This bedroom. It opened before. By itself, before you ask, I wasn't snooping; however it was a good job I did go in." She went back over to the dressing table, picking up the letter and holding it out for him to take.

Draco entered unsurely, but he took the parchment immediately. Lucinda couldn't bare the silence as she watched him scan the writing, his eyes squinting slightly in confusion as he neared the end.

"Who's Malimus?" He asked, and Lucinda wasn't sure if he was directing his question at her or merely thinking out loud.

"I err, from what I know, I assume that it is Lucius. I'm not sure why he kept the letter, I suppose he just forgot he had put it in here."

Draco placed the letter down on the dressing table top and looked around the room they were in. She thought it looked unfamiliar even to him.

"I have not been in this room before. It was always locked, even when I was young. How did you get in here?" He inquired, but Lucinda could sense he wasn't angry about it. Or at least, he didn't sound it.

"Yes, it has always been locked in the time I have lived here too. In all honesty I don't know how I got in here. I just passed the room and I heard a noise, then I turned around and the door was just open. I believe this was your Grandmother's bedroom." Lucinda finished, indicating the portrait she had noticed earlier.

She watched with interest as Draco walked over to the painting, which smiled down at him lovingly. Lucinda could only see the back of his head and so she couldn't tell what sort of expression he was making. She noted how tall he was; not quite as tall as Lucius, who she estimated was about six foot two, but their stance was strikingly similar and for a moment when she opened her mouth to speak she almost said the wrong name. Almost.

"Draco…"

He turned abruptly, shaking his head almost unnoticeably.

"I can't believe Father kept this room like this for so long." He stated, making his way back to the dressing table and picking up some of the odds and sods kept there.

"Did he ever talk about her much?" She asked tentatively. The last thing she needed now was Draco kicking off at her for asking too many questions, but these were things she wanted to know.

"Err, no not really. I know she died when he was only young, about eleven or so I think. And I'm aware she was involved with some sort of patronage society, she was well known within the wizarding community for her charity work. And of course for being married to a Malfoy."

So Lucius' Mother had been involved with similar positions he was now? She wondered whether that was why Lucius had been so keen to reengage with his work for the hospital. She also couldn't help but wonder if there were any documents or evidence of his Mother's contributions to .

"It sounds like she was quite an extraordinary woman." Lucinda replied, half lost in thought.

She was still thinking about what Draco had said when she heard him speak again: "What the hell is this?"

Glancing up, she saw that he had managed to open one of the other drawers of the table, and he was holding up a small black box.

"Search me…" Lucinda said, confused as to why he was bothering with some box when they should be trying to sort out what to do with the letter, although she already had an idea in mind.

Draco opened the box. What was inside made her gasp. It was a ring; a white gold, or she guessed, possibly platinum, band with a large round cut diamond at the centre. It glinted enticingly in the dim light of the bedroom, winking up at her. When she looked back up at Draco, he was staring at her with his eyebrow raised as if expecting an explanation.

"Well how am I supposed to know. It's probably an old antique ring that belonged to your Grandmother isn't it?" She replied, folding her arms over her chest. She could feel her heart pounding so forcefully she was amazed she could keep them there.

"Oh really. Well, that would be a rational explanation, were there not this in the drawer with it." Draco spat forcefully, holding up a piece of parchment.

Lucinda took it and scanned the top few lines. She didn't need to go any further; it read:

'Thank you for shopping with Madam Jocalia's. See below the details of your items. Please retain this parchment as proof of purchase.'

Fucking hell, Lucinda thought, her mind finally clicking into gear as she stared at the receipt. Had Lucius been planning to propose to her? She wasn't sure how she felt as she let the word 'propose' swirl in her mind. She had completely forgotten there was anyone else in the room.

"Well?!" Draco insisted, the open box still in his hand.

Her eyes took in the ring again. It must have been at least two carats, she estimated. Not that that was important of course, but she had to admit there was a small, lovesick teenager part of her that was squealing with delight at the thought.

Realising she still hadn't answered him, she cleared her throat to buy her some time. She should just be honest, she decided.

"Well…I don't know anything about this. Perhaps it's…"

"Oh perhaps nothing! I can't believe he is going to propose! To you of all people! As if moving you in wasn't shock enough!" Throwing the box down on the table, he left the room, and Lucinda heard him going back downstairs. She snapped the box shut and put it back in the drawer with the receipt before following him, the incriminating letter clutched in her hand.

She wasn't sure where he had gone at first, but she heard a clink of glass coming from the sitting room and she found Draco there, a glass of wine in his hand. He swigged from it carelessly, almost spilling some down his shirt. She waited as he emptied the glass and refilled it, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"So that's just what I need isn't it! A wedding to plan, an alcoholic Mother, my Father locked up in Azkaban while my new baby-faced stepmother prances about my home like she owns it!" He stumbled over his words slightly. Wow, he really doesn't hold his drink well, Lucinda mused as she stepped forward and took the wine glass out of his hand as he attempted to bring it to his lips again.

"What are you doing?!"

"Saving you from embarrassing yourself further." She said as she placed the glass down on the sideboard.

"Well in case you hadn't noticed, there's only us here. And I don't care if I embarrass myself in front of you!" He replied indignantly, reaching for the glass. Lucinda put her hand out to stop him.

"Look, we don't even know what Lucius' intentions were. Besides," She held up the letter, "I think we have bigger things to worry about right now. Your Father isn't going to end up in Azkaban, not if I can help it."

"Why would you lie for him? You're so holier than thou, I reckoned you wouldn't dare do so." Draco spoke, the glass thankfully left forgotten on the side.

Lucinda thought for a moment: "Because I only believe in lying if it is necessary. We all must lie at some points in our lives. Granted I never thought I would be lying for a Malfoy, but…if someone deserves a second chance…"

She looked up a Draco, who eyed her suspiciously at first, but she noticed his features soften and he sighed loudly.

"Ok, so, what do we do about that then?" He asked, indicating the letter still clasped in her hand.

She already had an idea; she had known what they would need to do before Draco had arrived. Placing the parchment down on the sideboard, she left the room momentarily, returning with her wand. She had been using so many wandless spells recently that she found the weighty, familiar feel of the wood in her hand rather comforting. Raising it confidently, she spoke clearly: "Incendio!"

The document in front of them burst into bright orange flames that blazed brightly for a moment, before dimming and dying, leaving nothing left but a small trail of white smoke.

"Done. Now no one need know." Lucinda stated in a business-like manner, putting her wand down.

"I must say I'm a little impressed. Should we check the study as well do you think?" Draco asked, hands in his pockets. Lucinda thought he looked almost sheepish.

"Yeah, yeah I guess we should…"

There was a tap on the window that Lucinda recognised instantly as an owl. She watched as Draco went over to the window to let it in, and it handed him a letter before flying away. He opened it immediately.

"It's for you. Didn't know you were friendly with Hannah Abbot." He said, handing her the parchment, which Lucinda took eagerly. Hannah had said she would write to her were there any updates.

'Lucinda,

Lucius is in one of the holding cells for the moment. I've been listening in to some conversations, and from what I've heard they probably haven't got enough evidence to keep him longer than 24 hours, although they are planning on questioning him again soon. According to wizarding law, you can request to see him after he has been in the Ministry's custody for 12 hours. Hope this helps and you're ok,

Hannah'

"They're going to question him again, but it looks as if they haven't actually got any solid evidence against him, so that's one bit of good news. We can go and see him tomorrow if you would like?"

"That's good. It…err, might be best if just you go I think. I can't face him in there, not after last time…" Draco trailed off, looking into the distance at nothing in particular.

She has forgotten that the family had been in such a similar predicament before. Only that time the ending was not as favourable as it seemed it might be this time. Lucinda now remembered reading the article in The Daily Prophet. In fact, the more she thought about it, it had probably been the only time she had seen Lucius before she had met him at the funding meeting. And there had been a photograph of Narcissa and Draco leaving the trial together, her stern and austere looking, him forlorn and embarrassed.

"Right, yeah. Look don't worry about it, I will go and see him." All of a sudden, she felt a strange rush of sympathy for Draco; he looked genuinely worried and paler than usual, "It will be ok, your Father has a way of…manoeuvring himself out of these sticky situations."

Draco nodded solemnly, as if he knew exactly what Lucinda was talking about.

"Hmm."

"Let's go and check the study anyway. If there's going to be anything else incriminating, it will be in there I bet." Lucinda tried to change the subject, and he nodded again, following her out of the room.

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Lucius sat himself on the rickety wooden chair that looked as if it had been in the cell since the dark ages. It creaked a touch under his six foot three frame. Lucius closed his eyes momentarily and rubbed his fingers across them. Why had he let himself go ahead with a plan he had had such doubts about. He had known Costache and his men were unstable and yet he had been so desperate to get hold of the mirror he had let it happen anyway.

Lucinda hadn't said anything as he left the Manor, but she looked to be as shocked as he had expected. Lucius had not wanted her to see that happen but he supposed it was inevitable. He wondered if the Ministry would go and search the Manor. He did not think they would; they hadn't enough evidence to warrant it. Besides, he had been certain to get rid of all evidence of the Alia Forma potion, and any correspondence between himself and Costache. He had even gone so far as to dispose of the robes he had worn to meet him, in case they were distinctive enough to be identified.

He stood again and paced. He didn't know how long they would be attempting to keep him here, but no one had spoken with him albeit for some brief questions when he had first been brought it. No sign of Shacklebolt yet either, and Lucius had been certain he would be there to relish this moment. He knew that, under the wizarding law for the protection of detained suspects, the Ministry could not keep him locked up for longer than twenty four hours without significant evidence against him. He estimated he had been there for around four hours now. He would be being watched, that he was certain of. They were always watching in Azkaban, he presumed mostly for the enjoyment of seeing him suffer rather than through need to monitor his actions.

Lucinda would have contacted Draco, he presumed. Not that they would be able to do anything. He hoped Narcissa wouldn't get involved; that was an extra complication he did not need at this moment. He admitted to himself he was desperate for Lucinda to visit. He knew she would not be able to for a few more hours yet, until they were fairly satisfied they had got any information out of him they were going to get. He would have to plan his next move carefully, or he knew full well Shacklebolt would pick up on anything he said that seemed out of place. He had run through a finalised version of events of that day in his head when he heard someone enact an unlocking charm, the door swinging open with a loud groan.

The man who entered walked towards him, and sneered: "The Minister for Magic has requested to see you Malfoy. He should be here shortly. Until then, sit tight." He smirked at him again before exiting, leaving him alone once more.

He narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Snivelling nobody's like that were not worth even worth his spite. He'd rather save that for Shacklebolt. It was highly unusual for the Minister to question someone directly, after all, they had more than enough lackeys to help them with that. This was obviously due to some personal vendetta he had against him. He paced to the end of the cell and back again, his robes swishing behind him elegantly. The place was windowless and dim, yet it was still far and away better than where he had been kept in Azkaban. He supposed it worked to break morale, and that was what it was meant to do.

He wondered now what Costache and the others had said. Not that it mattered, as any description they could give would be false of course. They had looked right at him during the attack and had not registered him as anyone other than some random Ministry employee trying to help others around him. He was certain that Costache would get a decent sentence in Azkaban for murder, particularly that of a respected and long-standing Ministry employee. Or he could end up being deported back to Romania. The rest of his motley crew would endure much lighter punishments. The Ministry would see that they posed little threat by themselves, and even littler threat when they were sent back to their home country. Shacklebolt would only be interested in finding out how they managed to infiltrate the Ministry in the first place. And he was determined that would remain a mystery.

The door creaked on its hinges again, as this time the tall dark form of Kingsley Shacklebolt filled the doorway. Lucius eyed him from across the small cell, the two men staring each other down for a moment.

Shacklebolt smiled: "My my Lucius. I have been looking forward to this meeting…"

I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can for you all! Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and following this story so far! If you would like to follow or favourite that would be most appreciated! X