Cassie waited by the fireplace for Lucius to make an appearance. He had already been out to see Draco off on the Hogwarts Express. Now he was sulking in his study.

"Sparky, can you tell Mr Malfoy to hurry up?"

"Yes, Mistress."

A few moments later, he appeared with a sour look on his face. "Come on." He growled as he stepped into the fire place.

"Not how I want to spend my birthday either." She snapped back just before he disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

Cassie followed moments later, arriving at the green tiled lobby of the Ministry of Magic. A feeling of dread settled in her stomach. The last time she had been here, she had lost her father. "I hate this place." She whispered.

Lucius held out his hand to her. "Take my hand."

Looking at him with disgust, Cassie visibly recoiled. "Excuse me."

"Don't argue." He scolded her before he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the direction of the many offices.

Together they walked through the maze of corridors towards the Purity Preservation Dept. As they walked, Cassie caught sight of a familiar head of red hair. She tried to yank her hand away, but Lucius just gripped it tighter. "Can't we take another way?"

"No." Lucius grumbled. He knew of her former relationship with Percy Weasley as he had overheard Draco and Cassie talking over the summer. It might have been cruel to Cassie, but he didn't think Percy was good enough for her. Maybe one of the other Weasleys, but not Percy. He regarded the young man as power hungry and overly ambitious. Not at all like a free spirited Cassie.

He may not have chosen to marry her, but he felt pity for her. She was a casualty of war, twice over. She lost her mother, then her father went to prison. Then when she managed to get him back, she lost him again.

He knew her mother, Elizabeth Flint through her older brother and from their time at school. He was in his final year when Elizabeth arrived for her first. Although she was sorted into Slytherin, she was a quiet girl and was often ruled over by her brother. She was one of the youngest students to be invited to the Slug club as she showed so much promise. Something it appeared that Cassie had inherited.

He gripped her hand tighter, as they approached where Percy was, obviously getting a dressing down by Pius Thicknesse and Albert Runcorn. "Good morning, gentleman."

"Ah, Lucius." Runcorn greeted him. "It has been a while."

"And who is this?" Thicknesse gestured towards Cassie.

Lucius put an arm around her waist, throwing a look at Percy. "This is my new wife, Cassiopeia."

Cassie had to stop herself from recoiling in disgust when Thicknesse kissed her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Malfoy."

Jealousy pricked at Lucius when he saw another man touching his wife. "We must be going."

Cassie was grateful to be away from Thicknesse. She didn't like the way he looked at her. She also mad at Lucius for his stupid stunt. Poor Percy looked crushed at the way Lucius had his arm around her waist, playing the part of the smug husband. "What was that display?"

"Quiet." He hissed as they walked into the Purity Preservation Dept.

"Mr and Mrs Malfoy, you may go right through." The prim receptionist muttered as she threw Cassie a filthy look.

Umbridge's office was so pink it actually hurt and the frostiness in the air chilled Cassie to the bone. She hated Umbridge just as much now as she did when she was the Headmistress at Hogwarts.

"Hmmmm, the Malfoy's." Umbridge squeaked in that voice that Cassie hated so much. "Do take a seat."

Cassie took a seat nearest the door so she could make a quick exit if she need to. Lucius clutched her hand, and it took all her strength not to snatch her hand away from him.

"So, Mr and Mrs Malfoy. You've been married for one month now." Cassie was very aware that Umbridge was addressing Lucius only. That was fine with Cassie and Lucius could do all the talking. "Has the marriage been consummated?"

"It has." Lucius had no qualms about lying to Umbridge. He had no wish to force something on his new wife. He hated the situation just as much as she did, and everything was for show.

Cassie was amazed at the ease in which Lucius could lie without even moving his face. She didn't know his motives for lying to Umbridge and she could help feeling suspicious. Would he want something in return for protecting her?

"Excellent!" Umbridge grinned tightly until it dropped when she turned to Cassie. "Mrs Malfoy, it had been noted that you seem to spend a lot of time away from your residence. Please explain why."

"I have the Black family home to attend to. I plan to sell the property on, but I need to restore it to its former glory."

"And you do this with your Husband's permission?"

"She does." Lucius interjected. "I do not wish for her to get bored, and it's best if she does it now, rather than during the arrival of our first child."

Umbridge didn't look convinced but Lucius wordlessly challenged her to say something. Wisely, she chose to keep quiet about it. "I see. Are either of you conducting other relationships?"

"I was in a relationship before the marriage. It ended the same day." Cassie admitted.

Lucius sighed heavily. "Do you have any other questions? It is my wife's birthday, and we would like to celebrate."

Cassie resisted the urge to laugh at Umbridge's face. Her jaw had tightened in anger so much that Cassie thought she'd hear the snap of bone at any moment. "Very well. I expect to see you on the 1st of October."

Cassie couldn't get out of the room quick enough. She never thought it possible, but she was actually grateful to Lucius for getting them out of that nightmare. To have someone questioning you about your sex life was so revolting to her that she was relieved to be out of the situation.

As they walked back to the Ministry lobby, Cassie studied her surroundings. Workers moved with purpose around them, heading to and from different departments. She hoped that she didn't encounter the Minister again. He repulsed her and Lucius must have sensed her discomfort as he swept her away from him.

"Interesting opulence." She remarked.

"I thought you would have appreciate the luxury."

"I appreciate the luxury, just not the toxicity that runs through it."

Lucius turned to Cassie quickly, giving her a stern look. "Be careful what you say here."

"My father died here, I'm sure you remember it well."

Lucius felt a prick of guilt as he saw the pain she still carried in her eyes. "Come. Let's go home."

It was a relief to be home, but there was one question that burned in Cassie's mind. Why did Lucius try to protect her?

Before dinner, she headed to his study to ask him that very question. "Lucius, can we talk?"

He gestured to the spare chair opposite him with one hand as he swirled a glass of amber liquid with another.

Cassie poured herself drink and sat down on the plush leather armchair. "Why did you protect me? From Umbridge and the Minister?"

"I don't choose to marry you, but you are my wife now."

"That doesn't explain it." She sighed as she sip at her drink.

Lucius didn't feel like explaining his full motivations, so he decided to distract her from her questioning. He put his drink down and stood up. "I have a gift for you." He moved to a cabinet behind his desk and with a quick swish of his wand, it opened. Pulling out a small wooden box, he walked back to Cassie. "For you." He placed the box on the arm of the chair and sat back down.

Cassie opened the box and she almost gasped at the contents. Inside was a silver necklace with a swirling dark blue pendant "Wow, that is beautiful. Will you put it on me?"

Lucius stood behind her and gently swept her hair to one side. Her fruity scent filled his nostrils as he secured the necklace around her neck."

Cassie couldn't deny the tingle she felt pulse through her skin as he touched her. How easy it would be to fall in love with him, but she had to remember that she opposed everything that he stood for. They could never work unless one of them changed and she couldn't see that happening.

But she was still grateful to him and appreciated the fact he got her a birthday gift. "Thank you." She pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek and quickly pulled away. "Thank you for making this easy on me."

Lucius watched her as she left his study in a hurry. The feel of her lips still lingered on his cheek and he didn't know how to process the emotions it stirred in him. He didn't intend to keep her trapped by their marriage and he would see that she was safe once they were divorced.

Things had started to get complicated.