The Houses Competition

House: Hufflepuff

Position: Head of House

Drabble/Standard: Drabble

Prompt: (emotion) distrust

Word Count: 900

Warning for pure and unadulterated crackiness. I would like to take this time to thank everyone that beta read this story for me. It truly means a lot that you would take the time to help me out like this. So, thank you all very much and I hope you all enjoy Distrusting Lucius.

I had always tried to persuade my wife, my darling Apple, to come over to my parents' house for the usual weekend meals we were invited to. My mother usually tried to have the house-elves make something she thought would be tempting to Apple. But no matter what, Apple was never tempted to go to Malfoy Manor.

I couldn't blame her. Not in the least bit. I can remember well the time that I'd introduced my darling Apple to my parents. It was still ingrained in my memory, and I was pretty sure it was the same for Apple.

"Darling, are you sure you don't want to join us for dinner tonight?" I asked, watching the light glint off her soft shining green skin. Her scent swirled in the air, making my head spin as though she was trying to tempt me to stay home with her.

"Your father tried to eat me the last time we visited, don't you remember?" she asked, a quizzical tilt to her. "How do I know that he won't try and eat me again?"

"What if I make him promise not to try and eat you?" I asked, not afraid to go into bargaining mode if that got me what I wanted. "If he agrees, will you come with me and see my parents?"

Apple seemed to think for a minute which felt like an eternity to me. Why couldn't she ever make up her mind as quickly as other women did? She always had to weigh the pros and cons of the situation. Which I supposed was a good thing in certain situations but not this one. Apple was making my mother feel like she was being cut out of my life, and I didn't like hearing that.

"I suppose," Apple said slowly, sounding like she was still very dubious of going for dinner with my family, "if he agrees not to try and eat me, I will go with you."

"I'll make the arrangements now," I said, pulling Apple to me for a passion-filled kiss. The soft green lips moved effortlessly against my own. "You won't regret this." I raced towards the door to my private study in order Floo message my father.

"I better not," she called after me, giggling a bit.

It wasn't long after I'd messaged my parents and gotten my father's word that he wouldn't try and eat Apple, that we were standing outside of Malfoy Manor. I raised my fist to knock on the door, but the sour look on Apple's face made me stop short.

"What's wrong, darling?" I asked, looking at her in concern. She'd seemed fine when we'd left the house. She almost seemed happy about going to visit my parents. What had changed in the past few minutes to make her look like this?

"I'm still not sure this is a good idea, Draco," Apple said, concern coloring her voice. "I know your father promised not to try and eat me again, but he is an ex-Death Eater…."

"So am I," I pointed out to her.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking down at the carefully picked out green and silver gown that she'd chosen to wear. If Apple had gone to Hogwarts, I was pretty sure that she'd have been a Slytherin. So was she.

"There's no need to be sorry, my love," I said, holding her to my side in a loving embrace. "Shall we?"

"We shall," she said.

I knocked, and the door was instantly opened by my mother which was a rather strange thing for me to see. Mother usually had one of the house-elves do the menial tasks like opening doors, cooking, and cleaning, etc, etc, etc.

"Mother," I said, smiling and hugging her, "it's so good to see you. How have you been? Is Father well?"

"He's fine, dear," Mother said, smiling at Apple and me as she stood back to let us in the house. "In fact, Apple, dear, he's entertaining your father and mother. We reached out and invited them to dinner too. Isn't that grand?"

But before the words were fully out of my mother's mouth, Father walked into the entry hall of the manor. Red, Apple's father, and Green, Apple's mother, each in one hand. Green had been bitten, which left a mortal wound upon her side.

"Mother," Apple cried, the look of distrust back upon her once more. "You killed my mother." She was screaming this at my father now.

"Father," I chided him. "You promised that you wouldn't do anything like this."

"It's only an apple," he said, causing Apple to glare at him. "It's not like this is really…." He stopped and looked back at the couch where he thought he'd left Apple's parents only to find that two ordinary apples were sitting on the couch.

"I think that Apple and I are going to take her father home," I said, taking both Red and Green from Father's hand. "Mother, it was nice seeing you again. Father."

When we were safely at home, Apple turned to me with tears in her eyes. "Next time we invite your parents here," she said, looking over at where her father was sitting, mourning the death of his wife.

From that day on, Apple never trusted a single word that my father said. But then again, who could blame her. He did eat her mother.

I hope you all enjoyed Distrusting Lucius as much as I enjoyed writing it.