Lucius Malfoy emerged from his dressing room in pristine black robes. His shirt was the purest white lawn. Every onyx button gleamed as he moved. His shoes were polished to a high shine. Every detail was perfect. The Greengrass family would be suitably impressed.
He took a deep breath and glanced over toward the door to his wife's room. She wouldn't be joining him this morning. She rarely did now. He missed their old camaraderie. Narcissa was far more than beautiful. Her mind worked on a level beyond most others. Her counsel had never steered him wrong, but she had withdrawn it. Nothing he accomplished impressed her. Nothing drew her out. Her silences only grew longer.
He knew she was disappointed in him. He had made a hash of things since he'd been released from Azkaban again. Her determined quiet spoke more clearly of her irritation than any words. His beloved wife wanted nothing from him. She had been distant since well before the war ended, but there was something far more glacial about her demeanor as of late.
"You won't be needing all of the fripperies, my boy. You can cancel that appointment." Abraxas grinned at him from the oil of an oddly bucolic painting. "The boy married last night. The family tapestry recorded it."
"Then he's tampered with it." Lucius grabbed his cane and glared up at his father's image. "The ring had very specific requirements. There is no way he found his perfect match."
"The tapestry doesn't make mistakes." Abraxas' image smirked. "That Greengrass chit was useless, purely milquetoast. A Malfoy needs a powerful mate. The boy must have found one."
Lucius ignored the portrait's continuing prattle. His son was married. The son that had once adored him had married without so much as a by your leave.
Despite his every effort, he was losing them. He felt something cold twist inside him. The family for which he cared so deeply was deserting him. He hadn't felt this helpless since he's been wandless and abused for his failures.
He suppressed the urge to rend his clothing and scream. It would do no good. Pandering to his lowest urges would only serve to encourage frailty. It was not the Malfoy way.
"Go." His father's voice cut through his own thoughts. "Look at what your son has done."
Lucius was striding down the familiar halls toward the gallery before he thought it through. He hated the room with all their grey eyes staring down on him. He hated that he could see their disdain for him in their painted gaze.
Their chatter reached him before he caught sight of the entrance. They sounded like a gaggle of happily honking geese. He clenched his teeth and tried to school his features into a passable disinterest. It would never do for them to see his weaknesses.
Stepping into the room, he raised his chin and appreciated the sudden hush. He was the current lord. He held the power now.
He glanced toward the tapestry to find his wife in all her regal glory. The ice blue robes suited her. She looked as if she had been wrought from crystals and water. The room grew colder when their eyes locked.
"Abraxas told you, I suppose." Narcissa stood before the tapestry. "Our son has wed. My son married last night, and I wasn't there to witness. Our son married without so much as a hastily sent owl."
"His behavior is not of the best." Lucius nodded. "I'm sure he'll bring her here to meet us soon."
"He won't." Narcissa shook her head slightly. "I'm fairly certain he will never set foot in this mausoleum again."
"He is the heir. This is Malfoy Manor. Where else would he go?" Lucius swallowed down the fear that his wife might be correct.
"The Longbottom family adopted a daughter." Narcissa held up a bit of parchment before she tucked it away in her robes. "Our son married her. He married her by blood and by magic in the family circle of his bride. The Ministry sent an owl with our notice."
"He married a Longbottom?" Lucius frowned.
"He married Hermione Jean Alicia Granger Longbottom." Narcissa turned back to the tapestry. "They will not be coming to visit."
"Why would he marry her?" Lucius moved closer to the tapestry and stared at the image of his son's bride. "I was arranging a proper match."
"Our son is done with doing things any way but his own. He insisted on honoring the clause in our contract. Did you not understand his motivation? Is that why you did it? You gave him the ring that was meant for Andromeda." Narcissa closed her eyes. "The one she cursed so that it could only be given to a perfect match. I knew the moment I saw it. You never offered it to me."
"I never offered it to you because I couldn't stand to lose you." Lucius grabbed his wife's hand. "I wanted you. Andromeda was my father's choice. I always wanted you."
"Do you think Draco always wanted her?" Narcissa touched the tapestry beneath the girl's face.
He examined her finely stitched image. She was comely enough. The awkwardness of her early years had faded and left behind a certain grace and a comfortable beauty. Her intelligence was beyond compare. The connections she held in the new regime were also worth noting. If not for her total lack of pedigree, he might have considered the match.
"She's a remarkable witch." Narcissa tilted her head. "Not many could have withstood my sister's skills and retained their sanity."
"She is rather impressive." Lucius conceded the truth easily. "The only issue is her heritage."
"You can't go after her." Narcissa grabbed his arm. Her hand crushed the smooth line of his robes. "I could care less about the army the Longbottoms could muster, but, if you move against our son, it will be a race to see if he would kill you before I did."
Lucius watched as his wife glided from the room. Her robes swirled around and trailed behind her, and he was enthralled with her once again and as he always was. His daughter in law was safe. He imagined winning her admiration would be far easier than reclaiming the love of his son and wife. Loving Narcissa and being loved by her in return was the greatest accomplishment of his life. He would win her back to his side. When she killed him some time long into the future, over something far more disturbing than attempting to kill Hermione Malfoy, he knew he would love her all the more.
