Narcissa blinked in surprise as Penny descended the stairs, her tidy robes and alert expression a far cry from her usual dishevelled appearance in the mornings.
"Good morning Penny." Narcissa said slowly, a slight hint of hesitation in her tone as Penny stopped a couple steps from the bottom, looking down at her aunt with a cool expression. Behind her Juno slid noiselessly down the stairwell after her mistress.
"Where is Lucius?" Penny asked sharply, a flicker of annoyance crossing her aunt's eyes at her tone, but as Penny expected she let it slide. Lucius had undoubtedly informed her of his and Penny's late night encounter.
"He is in his study." Narcissa replied carefully. "I am sure he would not mind if you wish to go and speak with him." She went on, making Penny raise her eyebrow in faint amusement at Narcissa's futile attempts to feign control of the situation.
"Tell him I wish to speak with him." Penny replied curtly. "I shall be in the lounge." She finished striding past to the lounge door, silencing her aunt, who had opened her mouth to reply. Closing her mouth again, Penny sensed rather than saw her aunt consider her before footsteps clicked their way towards Lucius' study.
When Lucius entered the lounge Penny saw him pause to take the scene before him. Sitting in her uncle's armchair with the arrogance of a queen, Penny eyed him with a haughty cold stare as Juno slithered draped over the back of the armchair. Penny saw her uncle's grey eyes flicker to the white serpent as she flickered her tongue out with a low hiss.
"Sit." Penny said, the single syllable ringing with authority. Without a word her uncle crossed swiftly to the smaller armchair, settling in it as if it were a throne, his grey eyes meeting Penny's bluey green ones unwaveringly. A moment of silence past between them as each scrutinised each other, Penny able to tell that in place of her usual fiery rage, her cold and calculated calm was unnerving her uncle the most.
"I take it you were satisfied with your birthday present?" Lucius said eventually, his eyes indicating Juno who watched him fixedly.
"Indeed." Penny replied quietly, her expression not softening. "She can often offer unique insight." Penny went on, her eyes remaining on the tall man as one long finger gently caressing the top of Juno's head. "Interesting thing about snakes, they sense fear." Penny said, the tiniest of emphasis of the word fear making the hair on Lucius' neck stand on end. Penny felt a stab of satisfaction as she felt the tension of the room increase as the following silence dragged out. Her uncle was certainly a master of himself, Penny thought as she leant back into her chair, surveying him closely. But everybody has their tells, Penny knew, and beneath his cool outward appearance, Penny was certain she could sense him squirming. "You believe my father will return." She said abruptly, the question as much a statement of fact as it was an enquiry. Lucius hesitated only slightly before responding.
"I do." He said confirmed quietly, his grey eyes wary.
"Why?" Penny asked bluntly.
"There have been several incidents that suggest he is active." Lucius answered evasively, his courteous tone barely concealing a sneer. Penny sneered back at him, his sly evasion of her question reasserting some control of the conversation.
"I take it you refer in part to the Dark Mark making you run like a fairy from the World Cup?" Penny quipped enjoying the flicker of anger that crossed her uncle's face. "You said the Mark is growing clearer." Penny went on before Lucius could retort. He closed his mouth slowly and regarded her as she continued. "Which means it is not just a figure that appears in the sky, the Mark must be displayed elsewhere." Penny concluded, her eyes watching Lucius intensely. As his left arm twitched involuntarily under her gaze Penny smiled slightly as her eyes drifted to his traitorous limb. Looking back at her uncle with a sense of victory, Penny felt a cruel layer of satisfaction shimmer in her gut at the look of outrage on her uncle's face. "Show me." Penny ordered as her uncle's face smoothed out into a blank expression, his eyes alone remaining icy.
"I do not know what you are talking about." He claimed coldly, not even flinching as the Juno bared her long fangs, hissing furiously.
"Do not lie to me." Penny said in a voice so quiet it was almost indistinguishable from the white serpent's hiss.
"How dare you speak to me like that, do you forget to whom you speak" Lucius shouted, standing suddenly and drawing himself up to his impressive height. Stepping forward, Penny watched him calmly from her armchair as he ranted on, his long blonde locks cascading over his lean shoulders. "If it weren't for me you'd still be rotting in that pathetic Muggle cess pool, wand snapped and powerless." He went on angrily, taking another step forward, his hand clenched around his silver cane. "Without me you have nothing. You are nothing." He spat cruelly, taking a breath to regain his composure. His icy eyes stared down at Penny, shifting slightly as Penny remained unnaturally still, watching him in silence. After a moment Penny stood slowly, her careful movements intimidating despite her chaotic locks barely rising above her uncle's shoulders. Glancing into the dimly lit fire place Penny outstretched her hand, a small lick of flame crossing the air delicately to dance in her cupped palm. Toying with it Penny looked back at her uncle, whose grey eyes flickered only briefly at this display of power.
"I am not the one who forgets with whom one speaks" Penny finally said, her impression of her uncle's aristocratic accent punctuated with ice. "I see no wand, and yet" Penny went on, the flame in her hand roaring as its flickering light's reflection danced in her bright eyes. Clenching her fist, Lucius' eyes only betrayed a tiny twitch as the flame extinguished with a sigh. "I am never powerless." Penny finished quietly as Lucius' grip relaxed slightly on his cane. "But don't misunderstand me" Penny went on, as she began to circle the tall wizard with slow graceful steps. "I don't underestimate what you have done for me, what you can continue to do for me" Penny said quietly, coming to a stop directly behind him, her shoulder only inches from his spine. "You think I don't know why you took me down to your vault, why you insist on my presence at your endless tedious meetings." Penny practically whispered into his back. Lucius turned his head towards but otherwise remained still and silent as Penny paused, before going on. "All that wealth, all that influence. All on display." Penny said as she continued to circle him. "An awful lot of self-promotion for nothing." She finished with emphasis as she came back round his front. With a derisive noise, she stood in front of her uncle once more, her blue eyes boarding into his grey ones, which remained cautiously cold. "I don't like you." Penny said suddenly, making Lucius raise an enquiring eyebrow. "I suspect the feeling is mutual." She added as Lucius' silence spoke volumes. "But that is irrelevant." Penny went on briskly. "You are a smart man." She said with a reluctant note "We each know the other can be…useful…to one another." She said tilting her head slightly to the side to regard the tall wizard. Crossing the lounge to a small desk Penny reached into her robe pocket, pulling out a small scroll of parchment and unrolling it neatly on the desk. As she pulled out a quill and an ink pot, Lucius walked to her side to peer at her slightly scruffy writing on the parchment.
"Sign it." Penny instructed, gesturing the quill as her uncle's eyes darted from left to right.
"And what would a young witch such as yourself need with two thousand Galleons?" Lucius enquired, a hint of amusement as he finished reading the note.
"That is not your concern." Penny said back curtly leaning on the desk, one hand on her hip. "Do not pretend like this amount's absence will even be noticeable from your vault." She said peering at him coldly. "Consider it a down payment to be stay in my favour not repeating turning you into a petrol bomb." She said tartly. Looking down at her, Penny could see a glimmer of a new emotion forming for the first time in the blonde wizard's eyes; respect. Bending down, he reached for the quill and dipped it in the ink, scratching his signature gracefully across the parchment in neat calligraphy. Flicking his wand at a nearby draw, he pulled out a wax seal, Penny watched closely as he rolled the parchment tightly and sealed it with a Malfoy wax seal. Passing it to the young witch, Penny took it gently and pocketed it, meeting her uncle's grey eyes. The two of them scrutinised each other, both eyes showing more respect than ever before, even with great reluctance and distain. With a curt nod, Penny turned on her boots, hissing at Juno to follow her as she strode confidently out the door, Juno at her heels.
"Impressive Mistress." Juno commented as they crossed the wide hallway. "One could barely tell you were shuddering under your inscrutability" She complimented as Penny smiled.
"You think I used to handle coke dealers without mastering a decent poker face?" Penny replied as they entered the kitchen, where Narcissa stood eating a plate of strawberries on crackers, Draco sat beside her digging into some type of chocolate cereal. Both eyed her warily as she took a seat at the table, Draco blinking groggily at his cousin's dress contrasting with his long pyjamas. Standing Narcissa eyed her, before glancing at the doorway, her thoughts clearly on her husband. The sound of Lucius' study door closing in the distance seemed to reassure her, and she turned her attention back to her niece. Flicking her wand Narcissa summoned a bowl and began stirring as scrambled eggs sizzled in the pan. Penny watched her silently, her expression far softer than any she had worn in the lounge. Finishing his bowl Draco stood, and made his way back out the kitchen, mumbling acknowledgement at the two of them. Watching him go, Penny considered him. His relaxed manner told her his parents had no felt the need to tell him of the night's events. Looking back Penny's stomach gave a grumble as Narcissa placed scrambled egg on toast in front of her.
"Thanks" Penny muttered as she dug in.
"You are welcome Penny." Narcissa replied, settling back to her crackers, delicately biting into one. Swallowing Penny wiped her mouth with her sleeve before speaking.
"You miscarried a daughter?" She asked softly, making Narcissa lower her cracker back from her mouth.
"I have miscarried many children." She said very quietly, her usually flawless features betraying a deep hurt. "The Black sisters appear to be destined only to successfully bear a single child each." She added, a bitter note in her voice. "I suspect Andromeda has also miscarried, though not having spoken to her in over twenty years, that is just speculation." She went, sniffing with disgust. "Although one abomination is plenty." Penny scrapped another mouthful into her mouth instead of responding.
A couple days later Narcissa travelled with Penny and Draco to Kings Cross, Draco dragging both their trunks onto the train, refusing Penny's assistance. Climbing on board the train, Penny waved to her aunt affectionately before settling into the compartment with Draco. Talk soon turned to the Triwizard Tournament and the Third Task. Harry inevitably came up in conversation, the compartment's occupants eyes all turned to Penny who glared defiantly out the window.
In the last couple weeks she had barely had the time to contemplate the spectacled boy. Now heading back to school her gut twisted uncomfortably, even more so as Ginny added to the fray. This term would not be easy, Penny thought as she stared out the sunlit window sighing.