Lucius Malfoy arrived back home less than an hour before sunrise, waving his hand curtly at the gates to the Manor, and they opened with enchanted silence, allowing him to stride through without a backward glance. He was exhausted from a busy evening that had rendered him especially coarse because the 'subjects' he was supposed to be managing had decided to resist his attempts to persuade information from them, and he'd had to get blood on his hands; everything would have to be cleaned before the Daily Prophet could grab a page on it.
"Foolish..." He left the thought hanging and continued to the front doors of the Manor, surprised when his sister-in-law greeted him in the main atrium, with Draco clutching at her skirts.
"Bella... what are you doing here?" Lucius clenched his fists at his sides. "Surely not babysitting..."
"Of course not," Bellatrix demurred with a twisted grin, "this is only temporary, though now that you're home..." She knelt down and gave Draco a gentle prod toward his father; the toddler stumbled into Lucius' arms, his face blotchy and tear streaked.
"Draco," Lucius looked down at his son with a concerned expression.
"Mum-" Draco hid his face against his father's chest.
"Mum?" Lucius repeated, looking from Draco to Bellatrix. "Where is Narcissa?" He asked, slowly standing back up to turn his full attention to his sister-in-law.
"Upstairs," the witch shrugged, "under a heavy draught."
"A draught..." Master Malfoy eyed her dangerously.
"Yes," Bellatrix simpered, "strong enough to make a dragon weave on its feet, I daresay."
Lucius had had enough; his worry continued to mount and Bellatrix knowingly agitated him further in the face of it.
"You know Narcissa cannot have those!" He growled, pushing past her with Draco still wrapped in his arms.
Bellatrix only giggled and called, "Oh Lucius, I wouldn't dare! Narcissa's job is to maintain our lines, even if they are partially yours. No no, a Healer was called for this."
Lucius stopped cold, color draining from his face while Draco's continued whimpers seemed to echo at a distance as his own fears began to cloud his mind.
"What happened, Bella?" He asked hoarsely.
Bellatrix, again, shrugged carelessly, and pretended to pick at her fingernails.
"BELLATRIX!" Lucius shouted.
The witch rolled her eyes and released a dramatic sigh.
"Well I don't know, but he said something about...bleeding."
