Severus To The Rescue

"You can't stay sane in a world gone mad; you need outside help…"

Lucius set the paper down with a sigh. I am never going to get used to pictures moving in continuous loops of three to four seconds. Closing his eyes he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, let me see if I understand this. That whole thing after the game last night…people aren't upset about the huge tent city getting burned down, loss of property, injuries, perhaps even loss of life. People are all up in arms about the spooky firework in the sky?"

Narcissa nodded.

"For the love of—it was just a firework! Pyrotechnics!" Lucius sighed heavily.

Narcissa paused, tea cup halfway to her mouth, and looked at him with wide eyes. "It wasn't just a firework, Lucius. It was the Dark Mark, the sign of You-Know-Who!"

Lucius sighed again. "No, I don't know who, and I wish you would tell me who 'you-know-who' is so I know who you're talking about when you talk about you-know-who!" Then he frowned. "Did that make any sense?"

Narcissa rolled her eyes and continued sipping her tea.

"And this lot that caused the ruckus…what were they called again…" He frowned as he scanned the article. "Oh yeah—Death Eaters. Seriously? 'Death Eaters'? What kind of idiotic name is that? Is it supposed to be scary or something? Good Lord, everyone eats death! Even Vegans!"

Narcissa paused her tea sipping once more. "What on earth are 'vegans', Lucius?"

He blinked at her over the top of the paper. "Um…people who don't eat meat or cheese and don't drink milk."

Narcissa sniffed and wrinkled her nose. "How silly, people who don't eat meat."

Lucius sighed yet again. "That isn't the point here. I've had just over a week to get used to this life, and suddenly tent cities are getting burned down, thousands of people running around like chickens with their heads cut off, all frightened to death of a scary firework; and now there's a gang of malcontents calling themselves 'death eaters' causing a rumpus." He shook his head. "Every time I think things can't get any stranger, somehow they do."

Narcissa sighed as she finished her tea, wondering just how much she should tell Lucius about the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters, afraid it would cause memories best left buried to resurface. Despite all his grumbling, Narcissa was enjoying this Lucius much better than the Lucius she had lived with for most of her married life. Merlin, I hope he stays out of it this time around!

Little did the poor Malfoys realize that this was only the beginning.

(XXX)

A couple more weeks passed. Draco headed back to school. Narcissa continued helping Lucius work on both his memories and his use of magic. He was doing better with his magic than with regaining his memories, but small pieces of his memory were returning: he now remembered Narcissa and his wedding, the birth of Draco, tiny snippets from his childhood, as well as several other random bits and pieces.

Narcissa had been delighted beyond words when he finally was able to tell her things about their wedding that he remembered. And she hoped that other memories would swiftly follow. Yet, she was still afraid as well. The tiny voice in the back of her mind was getting louder, asking, "What if Lucius becomes exactly like he was before the accident?"

Severus came to visit frequently. So frequently, in fact, that Lucius began to wonder if Narcissa and Severus were having an affair. For while Severus would ask Lucius about his memories when he visited, and occasionally gave him potions to facilitate the swift return of said memories, he would always end up talking mostly with Narcissa. The two seemed to constantly be speaking together in low voices, growing suspiciously quiet whenever Lucius was within earshot.

Lucius had also remembered more about Severus from the past, mostly things from when they were in school (Severus getting bullied often, and others from their House having to bail him out). But he had warm feelings for Severus, unlike the Triple P's and most of the others he had met. Or re-met, rather. And for one main reason: Severus was real. Not fake like the others. If Severus thought something was stupid, he would tell you he thought it was stupid. That's the sort of friend Lucius valued.

However, he couldn't let go of his fear that Severus was the reason Narcissa was acting so strangely toward him. Lucius finally pulled Severus aside one day, going into the study and closing the door. He turned to face the dark haired man, frowning as he did so as he was unsure of how to begin. "Um, Severus…I—I'm not certain how to say this, but…" His voice trailed off into silence as he tried to think of a way to tactfully bring the subject up and found there was none.

Severus grew impatient as the seconds ticked by and Lucius remained silently frowning at the carpet. "What is bothering you, Lucius?" He finally asked.

Lucius looked him in the eye, remaining silent a few more seconds before blurting out, "Are you and Narcissa having an affair?"

Snape's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, and now it was his turn to be silent. Then an uncharacteristic laugh forced its way out of him. Lucius wasn't sure what to make of the laughter that went on for several moments before Snape regained his composure. "Why would you even ask that, Lucius? You are one of my oldest friends. Indeed, one of the very few people on earth that I would even consider to be a friend. After all you've done for me over the years, it would never even enter my mind to do something like that to you!

"As for Narcissa, she's madly in love with you. She has been for most of her life. In fact, it was she who begged her father to make a betrothal agreement with your father prior to your first year at Hogwarts because she was afraid that some other girl would catch your eye or get her hooks in you before she could start attending school with you! She would never dream of cheating on you!"

Lucius sighed and looked away. "I believe you're wrong there, Severus. About her loving me. I suppose she may have loved me at some point, but not anymore. I…I did something to drive her away from me, and I've no idea what. It's maddening! How can I fix things between us if I don't even know what I did in the first place?"

Severus sighed. He wasn't a marriage counselor. Indeed, he felt that he was the last one to ask about matters of the heart, since his heart forever belonged to only one woman, now long dead. "I've no idea what to tell you, Lucius. This is a discussion best had between you and Narcissa. All I can say is try and win her back. Show her that you've changed, and are trying to be a better man."

Lucius spun to face him, his eyes wide. "So that's it…I am a bad man, aren't I? I knew it! I've had a sinking suspicion for a few days now the more I've thought things over. Sometimes, when I get angry or frustrated over something I don't understand in this ridiculous magical world, I see a look of such fear in her eyes that it feels like someone stabbed me in the chest! She—she's afraid of me, Severus! What did I do to her in the past to make her so afraid of me? I—I—I didn't…I mean, I never…" The mere thought made him nauseous, and he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud, but he had to know. "I never hit her, did I?"He asked in a rush.

Severus knew the root of Narcissa's fear toward Lucius, but didn't think it was his business to tell Lucius. He'd let Narcissa know of this conversation and Lucius fears, and leave it up to her what to tell him. Yet there was such a look of horror and pleading on Lucius' face that Snape felt he had to tell the man something.

"No, Lucius. You never hit or physically hurt Narcissa." Snape knew Lucius hadn't because he himself had asked Narcissa in the past when he first saw her love for Lucius fading somewhat, long before Lucius had his "potions accident".

Lucius shoulders sagged and he let out a deep sigh of relief. Then he thought about the way Severus had phrased his answer: he said that Lucius had never physically hurt Narcissa, which meant he had hurt her in some way. And another thought barged to the forefront of his mind, demanding to be answered.

Lucius leaned closer to Severus and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Did I cheat on her? Narcissa is so kind and sweet and beautiful, how could anyone cheat on a woman like that? Please tell me I didn't cheat on her, Severus!" The look of fear and pleading once more descended on his face.

Severus sighed again. "Not that I am aware of, Lucius." It was your fanatical devotion to the Dark Lord that drove her to despair. But Severus wisely did not mention that.

Snape hadn't been lying. Despite his role as a spy for Dumbledore, despite the part he had reluctantly played in Lucius "accident", despite their shared past as Death Eaters, Lucius had always stood by Snape and helped him along through life, even though Severus was "just a half-blood". He sighed once more.

"Look, Lucius, just…court her. Act the way toward her that you did when we were all in school. Take her on a date. Woo her heart back. I know she still loves you. It's just been buried beneath layers of hurt and fear that have accumulated over the years. But it's still there. You just need to bring it back to the surface."

Lucius scoffed and paced over to the window. "Take her on a date. Severus, I don't know what magical people would even do on a date! It's not like I can take her to a movie, or park in a convertible on the cliffs above Malibu and watch the sun set. Even with my memories slowly starting to return, I am still so far out of my element in this life that half the time I don't know which end is up! I feel lost and adrift."

"Try and find out places she likes, or would like to go visit, and then take her there. Surprise her. Believe me when I say that she does still love you, so all you need to do is show that you still love her as well."

Lucius eyes widened. "Whoa there…love is a pretty strong word. I'm not certain I love love her. I'm just now starting to remember more about her. But she sure does something to me when she's near. It's difficult to concentrate on anything else when I'm close to her. And even when we're not in the same room she fills most of my thoughts." He trailed into silence.

I've done all I can to nudge him in the right direction regarding Narcissa Severus decided, so he cleared his throat. "That is my suggestion, Lucius: court your wife and win her back. But be genuine about it. I don't believe it will be as difficult as you think it will. At any rate, I must go now. Still have a stack of assignments to grade, and reading these dunderheaded students papers gives me a headache." He smirked at Lucius. "Speaking of students, Draco is once again excelling in potions this year."

Lucius nodded absently, still gazing out the window. "Yes, he's always had an affinity for potions. He's a sharp kid."

Severus cocked an eyebrow. Lucius must have had another memory come back to him. I wonder if he even realizes it. He gazed at Lucius in silence another moment before heading for the door. "I will be back over to check your progress in a few days, Lucius."

At the door he paused. "Oh yes, one more thing. There is to be a meeting of the Hogwarts board of governors this evening at Seven, and the Headmaster specifically asked me to request your presence at the meeting as well."

Lucius turned to him with a confused frown. "Me? Why? I'm not on any boards, and I don't know the first thing about managing a school!" His frown deepened. "At least, I don't think I'm on any boards."

"The headmaster requested your presence as an…..expert to confer on a matter that he feels is most pressing. What shall I tell him?"

Lucius blinked. "Well, uh, I suppose…tell him I'll be there." But I sure can't think of anything I'd be an expert on. Severus exited the room and Lucius followed. Severus paused at the sitting room to say good bye to Narcissa, and whispered something to her when Lucius wasn't looking. Then he flooed back to Hogwarts.

Moments after Severus left, Mipsy popped into the sitting room to let the Malfoys know that dinner was ready. They made their way into the dining room and sat down across the table from one another. After eating in silence for a little while, Lucius cleared his throat.

"Um, Severus told me that there's some kind of meeting at…Hogwarts this evening, and that someone called the Headmaster wants me to be there."

"Yes, he told me as well." Narcissa paused and glanced at Lucius. "I will be accompanying you to Hogwarts."

Lucius raised his eyebrows. "You're going to the meeting too?" There was a twinge of an excited tone in his voice at the thought of Narcissa being there as well.

"No, I am not going to the meeting. I need to consult with Professor Flitwick on a matter concerning some charms that I came across recently." Narcissa returned her attention to her dinner.

"Professor who?"

Narcissa glanced at him again. "Professor Filius Flitwick, the charms master. He teaches charms at the school.

"Filius…Flitwick." Lucius rolled his eyes. "Once again I feel compelled to ask, does no one have just a normal name around here?"

Narcissa rolled her own eyes but remained silent. Lucius regarded her across the table, recalling what Severus had said to him about courting Narcissa. "Um…Narcissa, I was wondering…" His voice trailed off as some of the nerve seeped out of him when she caught his gaze.

"Yes, Lucius…what is it?" She prompted, as he seemed incapable of forming a sentence as he continued gazing at her. Good Lord, she is so beautiful! He cleared his throat again and tore his gaze from her. "Er…um, I uh…I was wondering if you were free sometime in the next couple of days."

Surprise flickered through her eyes. "Well, yes, I don't have much on my agenda at all this week. Why do you ask?"

Lucius cleared his throat yet again. "I was wondering…uh, hoping you might like to accompany me to…to, uh…" He searched his mind frantically for some place he could take her in this crazy place, but he couldn't remember many of the places they had been.

Narcissa raised an eyebrow as a small smirk appeared on her lips, causing Lucius to become even more flustered. "Um, perhaps you would accompany me to…Diagon Alley for the day?" He said the first word that came to his mind of a place he could remember, blushing as he did so.

Narcissa's smirk widened, yet a soft pink hue tinged her own face. "That sounds lovely, Lucius. It will be nice to get away with you for a little while…just the two of us." They looked in each other's eyes a moment before they both looked away, twin blushes still covering their faces.

Lucius turned his attention to his food. " Good. Excellent. It's a date then." Narcissa ducked her head to hide the shy smile that her lips formed, while Lucius cleared his throat yet one more time.

They finished dinner in companionable silence, glancing at one another and exchanging little smiles whenever they caught each other's eyes. Narcissa excused herself and went upstairs to change. Lucius thought she looked perfectly amazing in what she was already wearing, but when she returned a bit later, dressed for their trip to Hogwarts, his mouth fell open. How in the world does this woman just keep getting more beautiful with each passing day? I don't know how much more I can take of this!

"We can't use the…fire travel, so we have to do the…the…'teleporting thing', as you call it." Narcissa was intrigued by the change in Lucius vocabulary since his accident, then frowned as she recalled what Severus had told her about said accident.

Lucius sighed as the pair moved outside the house. "Fine. It's not quite as bad as the fireplace method. And it seems more familiar to me now, almost as if I've done it many times in the past." He frowned.

Narcissa watched his face in concern. He is so changed from how he once was. He needs his memories to return, but I hope it's not wrong of me to hope he stays like this. Out loud she asked, "Are you ready?"

He sighed. "As much as I'll ever be." Narcissa smiled and took his arm, apparating the pair to just outside the Hogwarts wards. Lucius took a few steps toward the gate before stopping dead in his tracks, his mouth once more falling open.

"What's wrong, Lucius?" Narcissa asked, a note of concern in her voice.

"That—that's a castle." His gaze remained fixed on the imposing edifice in front of them.

Narcissa sighed. "Of course it's a castle, Lucius. We both lived here for the better part of seven years."

"No, I mean-that's, like, a legit castle! Not the kind you see at mini-golf places or Disneyland, but a real castle!"

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "This is Hogwarts, Lucius…the place that you and I and almost everyone we know went to school."

He tore his gaze from the building in front of him to cast a shocked look on Narcissa. "Wait…I went to school in a freaking castle for seven years? I lived in a castle, for seven years, and I can't remember anything about it?" He closed his eyes and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Narcissa thought he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Of course, it would be my rotten luck to live in a castle for years and not be able to remember it."

Narcissa frowned. "But I thought you said you did remember bits and pieces of it now?"

Lucius opened his eyes. "Well, yeah, I do…but it's not the castle I remember, it's stuff about…well, about you and me…being alone with each other…" he broke off, glancing at her quickly before looking away. Narcissa saw a slight blush creep up his neck to his cheeks and a smile appeared on her face, as well as a blush of her own.

She cleared her throat. "So, what do you think of Hogwarts?"

He gave a half shrug. "Well…I admit it's a bit more intimidating than Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. That was a huge mansion and kind of what I was expecting here. Not a freaking castle!"

"Whose school for gifted youngsters?" Asked Narcissa with a frown.

Lucius cast a sidelong glance at her. "Errr…never mind. Just a fancy boarding school in New York."

Narcissa sighed and entwined her arm with his as the gates opened for them. Passing through and into the entry hall, Lucius mouth fell open once more and he could not stop staring, nor contain his awe as he looked around.

"Amazing!" He murmured. "Simply amazing! Astounding!"

Narcissa was still holding his arm, and as he was looking around, enthralled about being inside a real castle, he felt her stiffen beside him, and her pace slowed to a gradual stop. He glanced at her. "Are you okay?"

A glare covered her face and her eyes were fixed on the corridor ahead of them. Glancing the direction that she was glaring in, he saw a figure heading towards them. Whoever the person was, there was a strange clunking sound after every other step the person took.

Lucius squinted at the person, but still couldn't really make anything out. "Who's that?"

"Alastor Moody," she growled in reply. "He's one of Dumbledore's lackeys. Used to be an Auror. He's responsible for many of our friends ending up in prison."

Lucius froze, then turned to Narcissa with a frown. "Wait…why am I just now hearing about 'many of our friends' being in prison? That doesn't sound overly encouraging. What kind of people did we use to hang out with?"

Narcissa sighed, still glaring angrily at the man approaching them. "It was a long while back now, Lucius. I didn't want to confuse you with everything all at once. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that Moody put them in prison. And he's also the one who turned Draco into a—a ferret."

Lucius turned back towards the man once more, frowning as he did so, recalling the letter Narcissa had received from Draco a few days ago, and that she'd been enraged about the incident. At the time he'd scoffed, thinking how ridiculous it was to suppose a person could be turned into an animal. But Narcissa had been beside herself with anger and worry, so he'd looked it up in some books he found in his study, and discovered that in this strange, magical place, people could indeed be turned into animals…and some could turn themselves into animals on purpose.

Lucius still hadn't quite been able to think of Draco as his son yet, although he knew the boy was theirs. But he automatically felt a twinge of hostility towards the stranger now nearing them. "He did, did he?" His voice was low, and had a dangerous undertone.

The man was finally near enough for Lucius to see him clearly, and when he got a good look at the stranger, he did a double take. The man was hideous! His face was scared almost to the point of not looking human. An obviously fake eye was in some band around his head, and both real and fake eye were fixed on Lucius. The man's lips were turned down in a scowl as he continued approaching the Malfoys.

"Hey buddy!" Lucius called. "A bit early for Halloween, innit? What are you supposed to be, anyway—Frankenstein's Monster?"

Unknown to the Malfoys, Harry and Hermione had appeared at the end of a corridor slightly behind and to the right of them. Harry put out an arm to stop Hermione from entering the corridor when he saw Lucius and Narcissa standing in the main hallway leading to Dumbledore's office, pulling her just behind him and out of sight. They peeked around the corner and continued eavesdropping, having arrived in time to hear Lucius question to Moody.

"How does Mr. Malfoy know about a muggle book like 'Frankenstein?" Hermione whispered to Harry, who just shrugged and continued watching the exchange between Moody and the Malfoys.

Ignoring Lucius' comment, the man replied, "Well if it isn't my favorite Death Eater!" Something that might have been a grin formed on his misshapen face. "You managed to fool everyone else with that lie about being imperioused, Malfoy, but I know better! All you Death Eaters are scum! Every one of you belong in Azkaban! And sooner or later I'll see you thrown in there!"

The heck is 'Azkaban'? But Lucius didn't have time to contemplate on what Azkaban could possibly be, because the hideous face turned to Narcissa. "And you too, you Death Eater's whore! Got a nice cell all ready for you right beside your psychotic sister!" The man gave a malicious smile, and refocused on Lucius. "What do you say to THAT, Malfoy?"

Did Professor Moody call Draco's mum a whore? Hermione's mouth dropped open and she frowned at the man. I know they're a dark family, but that was still uncalled for!

A glare replaced the frown on Lucius face. Already disinclined to feel friendly toward the man for turning Draco into a ferret, Lucius was well and truly angry now. He did not just call Narcissa a whore…. Out loud, he said, "I say that's mighty tough talk coming from a one-eyed fat man." His voice was as cold as winter on Pluto. His hand that was not holding Narcissa's arm was behind his back, and to both Harry and Hermione's astonishment, a gun materialized in that hand.

"Harry, he's got a gun!" Hermione whispered.

Harry had seen the gun in Mr. Malfoy's hand, too. "He's gonna shoot Professor Moody! We've got to warn him!"

"Well this one-eyed fat man has more than enough left in him to take down the likes of you, Malfoy!" He reached into the pocket of his jacket, and Lucius' hand tightened around the handle of the gun. Try it, old man…I bet I can pull a trigger faster than you can shout some silly Latin incantation.

"Alastor!" A voice rang out. From the neighboring corridor to the left Dumbledore appeared. And the gun disappeared from Lucius' hand.

Walking over, Dumbledore said, "Lucius is here to take part as something of an expert on a topic the Board of Governors will be discussing." He turned to Lucius with a smile; though Lucius had a feeling the old man's smile was fake. "Good evening Narcissa, Lucius. Are you ready Lucius?"

Lucius glanced at Narcissa, who leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I will go and meet Professor Flitwick now. I'll see you later." Giving Moody one last glare, Narcissa turned and breezed down the corridor. Harry and Hermione ducked out of sight before she passed their hiding spot. The two looked at one another and hurried off the way they had come.

Lucius regarded the old man with the fake smile, and the one with the gruesome face. "Uh…yes, I'm ready."

The old man's smile widened. "Splendid! Come along then!" He took Lucius arm and nodded at the ugly man. "I will see you later, Alastor." And with that, he guided Lucius a little way down the corridor he had emerged from and into a dim room lit by candles. A large table took up much of the space in the rather small room. Around the table sat about fifteen men and women, who had been murmuring amongst themselves but fell silent upon the arrival of Lucius and the old man.

The old man sat down at the head of the table, and an older woman, who had been hovering in the corner of the room, sat down beside him. "Well, let us begin this unscheduled meeting of the Hogwarts Board of Governors!" The old man said with a smile, sweeping his arms out as if to hug all in attendance.

The meeting began with talk about something called the "Wizard Tournament" or some such. Lucius grew bored rather quickly; his mind began drifting to thoughts of Narcissa, as it had a tendency to do whenever he got bored, and a sappy smile descended on his face.

At some point he became aware that the room had fallen silent. Glancing around, he noticed that everyone had their eyes on him. He gave a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening."

"Do you agree with the Headmaster that 'You-Know-Who' is coming back?" The man seated next to him asked.

Lucius frowned. I guess they're not discussing the tournament thing anymore. "Who are we talking about again?"

"You-Know-Who," the man repeated.

"No, I actually don't know who you're talking about…Horton hears a Who? Who's on first?" He laughed then, but when he realized no one else was laughing he disguised it as a coughing fit.

Dumbledore cocked an eyebrow at Lucius' comment.

"There are others besides the Headmaster who believe the Dark Lord is coming back," said another, older man across the table.

"The DarkLord?" Lucius snickered. "Okay, guys, this is just getting silly now." He shook his head and chuckled, mumbling "The dark lord," under his breath.

A different old man three seats away on the same side of the table, yelled, "The possibility of the Dark Lord returning is no laughing matter, Malfoy! You especially should know what he is capable of!"

"Indeed, Lucius," the man seated directly across from Lucius spoke up. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named isn't to be taken so lightly."

"Yeah, yeah…the Dark Lord, Him-Who-We-Do-Not-Name, blah-blah-blah. I read 'Lord of the Rings' too, you know!" He rolled his eyes.

And he missed the look of surprise that the Headmaster exchanged with the older lady beside him.

The man across the table frowned. "Lord of the what?" While the man three seats down asked, "What are you talking about, Lucius?"

Lucius blinked, staring at the confused looks on the faces around him. "'Lord of the Rings'? The Dark Lord Sauron? The people of Gondor called him 'Him-Who-We-Do-Not-Name?"

"What are you talking about?" The old man three seats down said again.

Lucius frowned. "Literature. What are you talking about?"

"We are talking about the return of You-Know-Who.", the old man across from Lucius replied with a frown.

Lucius rolled his eyes again. "For heaven's sake, I wish someone would just come out and tell me who the bloody Helheim 'You-Know-Who' is! Why the childish nicknames? It's like everyone's scared to death of this 'you-know-who'!"

"Don't act like you've no idea who we're talking about, Lucius," said a grey haired woman five seats over, glaring at him from down the table. "You of all people would know who it is…The Dark Lord Voldemort!"

Lucius was silent for exactly three seconds before he burst out with a loud guffaw. "'The Dark Lord who? Voldemort'? The heck kinda name is that!? At least Sauron had a cool name! And let me tell you a little story about anyone who calls themselves a 'dark lord': it never ends well for that person. Never! Or for anyone stupid enough to follow them! It never ends well. They always loose in the end." He shook his head again, now muttering "Voldemort" under his breath and snickering.

There was complete silence in the room as the Board exchanged glances with one another…some looking puzzled, some with confused expressions on their faces, and a handful were outright glaring at Lucius, who either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Well, I believe we've been here discussing the matter for long enough," Dumbledore stated, sensing a change in mood covering the room. "It is getting rather late, and we all need our rest. If anything more comes up, I will let each of you know." He stood, and with some muttering and scraping of chair legs across the floor, the others at the table followed his lead and stood as well.

Now that the meeting was over, Lucius had every intention of darting out the door and finding Narcissa. But as the board members filed out, several still throwing glares Lucius' direction, Dumbledore called him aside.

"Did you really mean what you said about Voldemort, Lucius?" The old man asked, his brow furrowed as he scrutinized Lucius with an intense star.

Lucius did not care for the old man very much. Something seemed off about him. The woman standing behind the headmaster felt safer, somehow, though she too was sending Lucius an intense stare, her eyes narrowed as if gauging the truthfulness of his words. Which he felt was strange since he had no real idea who either of them were. At least she looks like an actual witch.

Lucius gave a tired sigh. "Yes, of course I meant it, sir. I always mean what I say. And I'll say it again: anyone—anyone—who is stupid enough to follow a self proclaimed 'dark lord' is a fool and an idiot at best. I mean, I only have what I've read in books to go by, but I didn't think people could be as stupid in real life." He snorted. "Especially to follow anyone with a name like 'Voldemort'. I mean, come on, seriously? If you're going to call yourself a dark lord at least come up with an impressive, frightening name. Sheesh." He shook his head, once more missing the look that the other two shared.

"Well, I really must head home. I've had a tiring day. Good night." He nodded at the two and swept out the door, sighing with relief when he saw Narcissa waiting at the foot of the stairs. As he walked up to her, she asked, "What kept you, Lucius? I saw the others leave several minutes ago."

"Some old guy—that headmaster or whatever they call him…the one with the stupid name? Anyway, he and some woman with a tall pointed hat pulled me aside for a minute, that's all."

A small frown crossed Narcissa's face. "The woman was probably Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress of the school."

Lucius snorted. "So I had a private meeting with the number one and number two around here, eh? Should I feel privileged or concerned?" At least McGonagall is a real surname.

Probably worried, Narcissa thought, remembering that Severus had told her to not trust Dumbledore and not let Lucius go to Hogwarts for the meeting alone. Out loud she said, "One never knows with those two. What did they want?"

"Ehh, they seemed surprised that I was talking down about this Voldemort character. No idea who he is. I think he's the 'Who' of 'You-Know-Who' that everyone keeps babbling about. I swear half the meeting was about him, whoever he actually is." Lucius paused and shook his head with a laugh. "Evidently the dude was legit calling himself 'the Dark Lord'. They all seemed afraid of him."

Lucius failed to notice the shiver that ran through Narcissa when he'd said the Dark Lord's name. Composing herself, she asked, "And what did you tell them?"

Lucius rolled his eyes. "I talked down about anyone stupid enough to call themselves a 'dark lord', and the sheer ignorance of any person who would follow someone like that. They all seemed shocked I said it." He shook his head. "Something weird is going on around here."

Then he looked at Narcissa, catching her gaze, and he fell silent, just basking in her presence. After a few moments, he Cleared his throat and looked away. "Um, did you find out what you wanted to know?"

Narcissa nodded. "Professor Flitwick was very helpful."

Lucius nodded. "Good. I'm glad to hear it. Now shall we head back to the house?" He held his arm out for her to take.

A contented sigh escaped Narcissa as she nodded. Taking his arm, they apparated home.

A/N: First, a big thank you to anyone who read this. Second, some may be wondering about the change in Lucius' vocabulary. Since he lost all his memories, his entire pureblood upbringing was erased. That explains the more casual way of speaking that he has. As to where all his muggle knowledge is coming from…you'll just have to wait and see.