"Grace of the Devil"
Part Six:
The next two weeks went by too quickly for Lucius. The morning of the battle, his upper arm began to have that familiar ache. He was still in bed, and he wondered what he was going to do. Stay where he was? Grace's cries finally drew him from his bed to her nursery.
He went in and saw Grace standing up, waiting. When she saw her father, she stopped crying and smiled. Lucius, even in this stressful time, couldn't help smiling back. "Good morning, beautiful."
"Da-dee!"
Lucius picked his daughter up and took her to the changing table. As he changed her, Jingle came in and curtsied. "Is Master needing anything?"
Lucius looked down at his daughter, and was suddenly hit with an idea. He knew where he was going to be during the battle...right here at home. "Yes," he finally said to the eager house elf. "Gather up a large basket. As much food and as many blankets and toys as you can. And take it to the dungeons." Jingle stared at him, confused. "Hurry!" he yelled, sending her away.
He quickly dressed Grace and took her downstairs. The kitchen elves had already prepared a breakfast, and Lucius fed his daughter quickly. He didn't eat himself...he was too nervous. Finally, when Grace had had her fill, Lucius picked her up and took her to the kitchen, where the house elves were washing the breakfast dishes. They stopped what they were doing and bowed when their master came in.
"Enough! Stand up!" They all stood, and Lucius addressed each of them. "This is very important, so listen! Miss Grace and I are going to the dungeons. Trixie," he said, addressing his most compitant house elf, "you are coming with us."
"Yes, Master," she said with a curtsy.
"The rest of you are to stay here. Go about your chores as usual. And be on the lookout. Something very important will be happening today. When you recieve any news, bring it down to us. Otherwise, bother us for nothing. Is that understood?" Several pairs of bat-like ears flapped as the house elves nodded. "Good. Come, Trixie."
Lucius led the way to the dungeon stairs. He'd never taken Grace down there before, because it was so dark and cold. No place for a little girl, he told himself. But sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Trixie went ahead of them, lighting all the torches on the narrow, spiral stairway. Lucius held his daughter tighter to him, who'd begun to whimper a little. "There, there, Gracie," he said soothingly, rubbing her little back. "Daddy's here."
When they reached the small dungeons, Trixie lit all of the torches on the walls and started a big fire in the old stone fireplace. Lucius spread out the blankets for Grace to walk and crawl on.
"Master?" Trixie asked carefully. "What is we doing down here?"
Lucius turned to the house elf, half-annoyed by the question. But it was Trixie: if it had been any other elf, he wouldn't tell. But he decided to fill her in. "It's the Final Battle."
"For the Death Eaters, Master?"
"Yes," Lucius said simply.
Trixie didn't ask why he hadn't gone with his fellow Death Eaters. Instead she said, "They is going to lose." It wasn't a question: it was a fact. Lucius just nodded and stared at the fire.
The hours stretched on and on in the dungeons. Lucius kept checking his golden chain-watch. How can it only be noon? he wondered to himself. It feels like we've been here years. Poor Grace... He'd long ago wrapped his daughter in blankets and placed the cold child in front of the fire. She'd fallen asleep, thankfully, but Lucius stayed awake, waiting out the seconds, minutes, hours of that day. Trixie hovered around, not really sure what to do in the mostly-empty dungeons when she usually spent her day doing chores upstairs. Lucius finally got frustrated and snapped, "Sit by Miss Grace, Trixie. You make me so nervous."
"Sorry, Master," she mumbled in shame as she sat down next to the sleeping baby.
When Grace woke up, Lucius fed her with food from the basket, and watched as she played with some of her toys. But he had one eye on the stairs, listening for the patter of an elf's feet, coming down with news.
Around four, Trixie asked if she should go upstairs and see if anything had come in. Lucius was half-tempted, but he couldn't risk it: what if some of his fellow Death Eaters were waiting up there. So he said no, and the house elf remained in place.
It was nearly eight, after Grace had eatten her supper, when the news came. Lucius sat with his daughter in the only chair in the dungeon, holding her cold little body close. She'd fallen asleep again, but Lucius wondered if he'd ever be able to sleep properly again. Suddenly, he heard the sound he'd been waiting nearly twelve hours for: someone was coming down the stairs.
"Master! Master!" Into the light of the torches appeared Nollie, a kitchen elf. He looked excited and distressed. "The battle has ended, Master. Harry Potter has killed your master..."
Lucius nodded and stood up. "Good. It's over."
"That's not all, Master!" Nollie yelled. "It's...it's..." Suddenly, the elf burst into tears. "Oh, M-Master! It's t-terrible!"
"What is?" Lucius snapped impatienly. Couldn't this damn elf get this over with? He had a cold little girl to get upstairs.
"It's Master Draco, sir!" the sobbing elf managed to squeak. "The owl just came and-and-and...he's DEAD!"
Part Six:
The next two weeks went by too quickly for Lucius. The morning of the battle, his upper arm began to have that familiar ache. He was still in bed, and he wondered what he was going to do. Stay where he was? Grace's cries finally drew him from his bed to her nursery.
He went in and saw Grace standing up, waiting. When she saw her father, she stopped crying and smiled. Lucius, even in this stressful time, couldn't help smiling back. "Good morning, beautiful."
"Da-dee!"
Lucius picked his daughter up and took her to the changing table. As he changed her, Jingle came in and curtsied. "Is Master needing anything?"
Lucius looked down at his daughter, and was suddenly hit with an idea. He knew where he was going to be during the battle...right here at home. "Yes," he finally said to the eager house elf. "Gather up a large basket. As much food and as many blankets and toys as you can. And take it to the dungeons." Jingle stared at him, confused. "Hurry!" he yelled, sending her away.
He quickly dressed Grace and took her downstairs. The kitchen elves had already prepared a breakfast, and Lucius fed his daughter quickly. He didn't eat himself...he was too nervous. Finally, when Grace had had her fill, Lucius picked her up and took her to the kitchen, where the house elves were washing the breakfast dishes. They stopped what they were doing and bowed when their master came in.
"Enough! Stand up!" They all stood, and Lucius addressed each of them. "This is very important, so listen! Miss Grace and I are going to the dungeons. Trixie," he said, addressing his most compitant house elf, "you are coming with us."
"Yes, Master," she said with a curtsy.
"The rest of you are to stay here. Go about your chores as usual. And be on the lookout. Something very important will be happening today. When you recieve any news, bring it down to us. Otherwise, bother us for nothing. Is that understood?" Several pairs of bat-like ears flapped as the house elves nodded. "Good. Come, Trixie."
Lucius led the way to the dungeon stairs. He'd never taken Grace down there before, because it was so dark and cold. No place for a little girl, he told himself. But sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Trixie went ahead of them, lighting all the torches on the narrow, spiral stairway. Lucius held his daughter tighter to him, who'd begun to whimper a little. "There, there, Gracie," he said soothingly, rubbing her little back. "Daddy's here."
When they reached the small dungeons, Trixie lit all of the torches on the walls and started a big fire in the old stone fireplace. Lucius spread out the blankets for Grace to walk and crawl on.
"Master?" Trixie asked carefully. "What is we doing down here?"
Lucius turned to the house elf, half-annoyed by the question. But it was Trixie: if it had been any other elf, he wouldn't tell. But he decided to fill her in. "It's the Final Battle."
"For the Death Eaters, Master?"
"Yes," Lucius said simply.
Trixie didn't ask why he hadn't gone with his fellow Death Eaters. Instead she said, "They is going to lose." It wasn't a question: it was a fact. Lucius just nodded and stared at the fire.
The hours stretched on and on in the dungeons. Lucius kept checking his golden chain-watch. How can it only be noon? he wondered to himself. It feels like we've been here years. Poor Grace... He'd long ago wrapped his daughter in blankets and placed the cold child in front of the fire. She'd fallen asleep, thankfully, but Lucius stayed awake, waiting out the seconds, minutes, hours of that day. Trixie hovered around, not really sure what to do in the mostly-empty dungeons when she usually spent her day doing chores upstairs. Lucius finally got frustrated and snapped, "Sit by Miss Grace, Trixie. You make me so nervous."
"Sorry, Master," she mumbled in shame as she sat down next to the sleeping baby.
When Grace woke up, Lucius fed her with food from the basket, and watched as she played with some of her toys. But he had one eye on the stairs, listening for the patter of an elf's feet, coming down with news.
Around four, Trixie asked if she should go upstairs and see if anything had come in. Lucius was half-tempted, but he couldn't risk it: what if some of his fellow Death Eaters were waiting up there. So he said no, and the house elf remained in place.
It was nearly eight, after Grace had eatten her supper, when the news came. Lucius sat with his daughter in the only chair in the dungeon, holding her cold little body close. She'd fallen asleep again, but Lucius wondered if he'd ever be able to sleep properly again. Suddenly, he heard the sound he'd been waiting nearly twelve hours for: someone was coming down the stairs.
"Master! Master!" Into the light of the torches appeared Nollie, a kitchen elf. He looked excited and distressed. "The battle has ended, Master. Harry Potter has killed your master..."
Lucius nodded and stood up. "Good. It's over."
"That's not all, Master!" Nollie yelled. "It's...it's..." Suddenly, the elf burst into tears. "Oh, M-Master! It's t-terrible!"
"What is?" Lucius snapped impatienly. Couldn't this damn elf get this over with? He had a cold little girl to get upstairs.
"It's Master Draco, sir!" the sobbing elf managed to squeak. "The owl just came and-and-and...he's DEAD!"