Bleeding….
Bellatrix's sneer stopped Lucius cold. He knew that for as much as the two loathed one another's company, Narcissa's sister would not put such a concern to humorous light.
"Cissa—" Lucius mouthed silently, pushing past Bellatrix, ignoring her cackling as he rushed furiously to the master bedchamber, hardly feeling the stairs beneath him.
"Lucius!" Cygnus Black met the master Malfoy at the top of the stairs, stopping the younger wizard before he toppled him over in his haste. "You are not going in there!" The Black patriarch snarled. Lucius may have been master of the Manor, but Cygnus Black plainly outranked him in their elite social circles.
"And why not, in my house?" Lucius Malloy paused, taking half a step back from his father-in-law.
"Because, Lucius, you've caused enough trouble as it is!" Cygnus raised his voice; Draco, who had desperately tried to keep up with father reached the top of the staircase at the same moment his grandfather lost his composure, and started to wail in confusion and fright.
"How, would you suppose, have I had the time?!" Lucius grated back, looking down at Draco momentarily as the toddler pulled at the hem of his robes.
"Exactly my point! You've not been here for more than a few hours at a time! It's your absence that is the reason for this!"
"You know as well as I that leaving in the middle of a task is not acceptable—"
"Then it is fortunate that you've already got Draco," Cygnus cut in loftily, "because this one is dead."
A choking silence fell between the two men, though Lucius managed to stoop down and gather Draco into his stiff arms, where the boy hid his face in his father's shoulder. Lucius was too stunned to respond. They had taken every precaution, so what had gone wrong?
"Master Malfoy?" The doors to the master chamber cracked open and the mediwizard peeked through, clutching a bundle of stained bedding.
"Narcissa—"
"She's resting," The young man finished gravely.
"Under a heavy drought, as I understand," Lucius returned coldly, narrowing his gaze.
"It was the only way she would settle."
"And why would she need to settle?" Lucius' voice began to rise, and he set Draco back down, where the boy sidled over to his grandfather.
"Sir, she—"
"I know she lost the child!" Lucius growled, pushing past the mediwizard and into the master bedchamber, where he closed the door behind them. From the corner of his vision, he could see Narcissa lying in bed, with fresh sheets, motionless in sleep. There was nothing beyond the bedding in the mediwizard's arms to suggest that anything had occurred.
"Sir!" The young man tried to keep Master Malfoy level, but it would not be done.
"Why, after every care was taken, did this happen?!" Lucius demanded, balling his fists.
"Master Malfoy," the man addressed Lucius carefully, "The umbilical cord had wrapped itself around the baby's neck, sometime before the birth. There was no way of foreseeing or preventing it…"
Lucius turned away from the wizard, staring once more at his wife.
"And the lady?" He asked softly, trying to mask the emotion in his voice.
"She will need time, but she will recover—"
"Of course she won't!" The master Malfoy fumed, rounding back upon the mediwizard. "We've lost a child, not a pet!"
"Physically, she will recover, then." The young man attempted.
"That would be in your best interests." Lucius finished.
"I can wake her in a few minutes, if that is your wish," the mediwizard ignored the veiled threat.
"Leave us," Lucius spoke, trying to gather himself. "I want time alone."
"Of course," the wizard bowed politely, and let himself out of the room. Meanwhile, Lucius padded over to the side of the bed, sagging as the weight of the situation began to take hold of him.
"Oh Cissa…." His voice shuddered as he finally looked directly at his wife. She appeared almost peaceful in sleep, but when he touched the side of her face, he found it dry with tear-streaks, and frowned.
"I'm so sorry, my dear…" the words fumbled from Lucius' mouth, "I should have been here, and you shouldn't have been alone with Draco…"
Lucius trailed into silence, carefully tucking a lock of Narcissa's hair away from her face.
"Your father is right; this is my fault…"
