"Grace of the Devil"
Part Seven:
After Draco's death, Narcissa stayed home only a little more often. Her trips were still long, and she took many of them, but she tried to stay home at least a week in between them. Although Lucius couldn't figure out what the point was: she completely ignored both him and Grace.
Lucius kept up with the news in the wizarding world with his subscription to the "Daily Prophet". It said how the Ministry was trying to rebuild the damage that Voldemort and his followers had caused. More and more Death Eaters were getting caught, and Azkaban was finally holding up again. Lucius knew that it was only a matter of time before he was caught.
But it was nearly two years before that happened. In that time, Grace had turned three. She'd gone from her crib to a small bed. She was toilet trained. And she grew more and more beautiful, at least to her father, every day. Everything facinated her, and she was constantly asking questions. Lucius calmly answered them, whereas Narcissa, when she was around Grace (that was very rare) would snap, "Don't be a nosy little girl." It would break Lucius's heart to see his daughter's eyes fill with tears at her mother's rejection, and he tried to make up for it with kindness and presents. He wondered vaguely what would become of her when the Ministry finally found him, but he usually managed to drive those thoughts from his mind.
But one day, those fears became a reality. It was late one night, and Lucius was reading a book in his study. Narcissa and Grace had both gone to bed long ago, and he was enjoying the peaceful silence. But he suddenly heard the sound of the knocker banging on the front door. A few minutes later, Jingle the house elf appeared in the study. "Master, a man is at the door to see you."
"Ask him in," Lucius said impatiently, but Jingle shook her head.
"He says it is important, and Master must-"
"All RIGHT!" Lucius snapped, making Jingle tremble as he rose and stormed past her, out of the study and to the front hall. He was surprised to see the red-haired Arthur Weasley standing there, in official Ministry of Magic uniforms. He was examining the portrait of Lucius's grandmother in the front hall. Lucius cleared his throat to make his presense known, and Weasley turned to him in surprise.
"Good evening, Lucius," he said. "I'm sorry to bother you so late, but-"
"Why are you here, then?" Lucius asked coldly, forgetting his manners. Weasley shifted in discomfort and cleared his throat.
"Official Ministry business," he replyed, trying to sound intimidating. Lucius sneered openly.
"I assure you, Arthur, that all the enchanted Muggle items I once had have long since been sold." It was true: he'd had to get rid of them, so Grace wouldn't find them and get hurt.
Weasley smiled a little. "Actually, I no longer work in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department. I'm here for the Control of Dark Wizards department."
"I see," Lucius said slowly, his sneer deepening. "You've been promoted, I see."
"You could say that," Weasley said, in a proud tone that made Lucius almost laugh. "And I'm here to arrest you."
"On what grounds?" Lucius asked smoothly.
"For your involvment with...with You-Know-Who's inner circle," Weasley said, losing some of his confidence. Lucius was amused: he always loved it when people couldn't say his former master's name.
"You mean, Voldemort?" he asked for amusement, watching Weasley flinch. Suddenly, he heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs.
"Lucius? What is..." Both men looked at the stairs, and saw Narcissa standing there, wearing a robe over her nightgown. "Oh!" she cried in surprise when she saw Arthur Weasley. Without another word, she ran up the stairs. Lucius heard the door to her room slam a minute later, and he turned back to Arthur.
"What were you saying?" he drawled casually.
"Well...you're under arrest," Weasley said. "I have to take you in."
"I see..." Lucius met the man's eyes, in a stare that made Weasley look away in discomfort. "You are aware, aren't you, that I wasn't at the Final Battle?"
"Yes..."
"My son died in that battle."
Weasley looked at Lucius again. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"The hell you are," Lucius hissed, losing his cool. But he got his composure back quickly. "It was two years ago. I know what the Ministry must be saying about me, that I wimped out. Is that true?"
"Well..."
"May I set you straight, then?" Lucius asked slickly. "I wasn't being a coward, if that's what you're thinking. I was here at home, it is true. But I was here to protect my daughter."
"Your daughter...?"
"You are aware that my wife gave birth three years ago?" Lucius asked in mild surprise. "My, my, Arthur, you don't keep very good track. I always knew when your wife gave birth to another little weasle. Of course, I could just guess a random date, and it would most likely be right."
"How dare-"
"Don't get indignant, Arthur," Lucius said smoothly. "You have too many children, and you know it. But you can understand why I had to be here that day, can't you? You know the important of protecting your children."
Weasley sighed. "Just the same, Lucius, I have to take you in. Whether you were at that Battle or not, you were still in...in HIS circle. You're under arrest for crimes against the wizarding community."
"Very well, then," Lucius said, knowing that it would do no one any good if he fought. "But may I have a moment to say goodbye to my daughter." With that, he turned to the stairs. Sitting there, staring down at them through the bars, was Grace. He'd heard her little feet patter down the hall and sit herself on the steps.
"Why...of course," Arthur said helplessly.
"Come down, Gracie," Lucius coaxed lovingly. The little girl rose and, slowly and carefully, came down the stairs and stood before her father. He got down on his knees and looked her in the eyes, hands on her little shoulders. "Gracie, what are you doing up, darling? It's so very late."
"I heard noises," the girl said, and Lucius smiled. "What are you doing?"
"Daddy has to go away," Lucius said softly, and tears filled Grace's blue eyes.
"Where?"
"On a little trip," Lucius said. "Don't worry, Gracie, I won't be gone too long." He gave Arthur a pointed look when he said this. Weasley looked away, uncomfortable again. Lucius turned back to his daughter. "Shall I get you a sleeping potion?"
"Okay," the girl said obediantly. Lucius got to his feet and picked the girl up. "We'll be back," he said to Weasley, and he took his little girl into the kitchen. The hard-working elves were still in there, cleaning and cooking. They looked up when their master came in. "Nollie," he said quickly, "get Miss Grace a sleeping potion."
Nollie handed Lucius a small vial filled with red liquid. Lucius carried his daughter back down the hall and sat with her on the floor in the front hall. He could feel Weasley's eyes on them, in interest, as he gave the girl the vial.
"Drink this, my sweet." Grace obeyed, downing the liquid. When she finished, she made a face.
"Yuck."
Lucius kissed her forehead. "I love you, Gracie."
"Love you, Daddy." With those final, beautiful words, Grace fell into her father, asleep. Lucius gathered her in his arms.
"I'm going to tuck her in. Then we shall go." Arthur began to follow them up the stairs, but Lucius snapped, "Wait here!" He slowly carried his daughter up the stairs, down the hall to her nursery. When he passed Narcissa's room, he heard her pacing around inside.
He tucked Grace into her little bed, wrapping the linen sheets around her tightly. He looked at her, for the last time in a long time, he knew. He finally bent down and kissed her forehead, one last time. "Goodbye, Gracie."
Lucius went downstairs, where Arthur Weasley was waiting. "Alright," he said casually, "let's go." He allowed Arthur Weasley to lead him out of the house in magical handcuffs, and into a Minstry car. Lucius gave the manor one last, fleeting glimpse, before they disapeared.
Part Seven:
After Draco's death, Narcissa stayed home only a little more often. Her trips were still long, and she took many of them, but she tried to stay home at least a week in between them. Although Lucius couldn't figure out what the point was: she completely ignored both him and Grace.
Lucius kept up with the news in the wizarding world with his subscription to the "Daily Prophet". It said how the Ministry was trying to rebuild the damage that Voldemort and his followers had caused. More and more Death Eaters were getting caught, and Azkaban was finally holding up again. Lucius knew that it was only a matter of time before he was caught.
But it was nearly two years before that happened. In that time, Grace had turned three. She'd gone from her crib to a small bed. She was toilet trained. And she grew more and more beautiful, at least to her father, every day. Everything facinated her, and she was constantly asking questions. Lucius calmly answered them, whereas Narcissa, when she was around Grace (that was very rare) would snap, "Don't be a nosy little girl." It would break Lucius's heart to see his daughter's eyes fill with tears at her mother's rejection, and he tried to make up for it with kindness and presents. He wondered vaguely what would become of her when the Ministry finally found him, but he usually managed to drive those thoughts from his mind.
But one day, those fears became a reality. It was late one night, and Lucius was reading a book in his study. Narcissa and Grace had both gone to bed long ago, and he was enjoying the peaceful silence. But he suddenly heard the sound of the knocker banging on the front door. A few minutes later, Jingle the house elf appeared in the study. "Master, a man is at the door to see you."
"Ask him in," Lucius said impatiently, but Jingle shook her head.
"He says it is important, and Master must-"
"All RIGHT!" Lucius snapped, making Jingle tremble as he rose and stormed past her, out of the study and to the front hall. He was surprised to see the red-haired Arthur Weasley standing there, in official Ministry of Magic uniforms. He was examining the portrait of Lucius's grandmother in the front hall. Lucius cleared his throat to make his presense known, and Weasley turned to him in surprise.
"Good evening, Lucius," he said. "I'm sorry to bother you so late, but-"
"Why are you here, then?" Lucius asked coldly, forgetting his manners. Weasley shifted in discomfort and cleared his throat.
"Official Ministry business," he replyed, trying to sound intimidating. Lucius sneered openly.
"I assure you, Arthur, that all the enchanted Muggle items I once had have long since been sold." It was true: he'd had to get rid of them, so Grace wouldn't find them and get hurt.
Weasley smiled a little. "Actually, I no longer work in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department. I'm here for the Control of Dark Wizards department."
"I see," Lucius said slowly, his sneer deepening. "You've been promoted, I see."
"You could say that," Weasley said, in a proud tone that made Lucius almost laugh. "And I'm here to arrest you."
"On what grounds?" Lucius asked smoothly.
"For your involvment with...with You-Know-Who's inner circle," Weasley said, losing some of his confidence. Lucius was amused: he always loved it when people couldn't say his former master's name.
"You mean, Voldemort?" he asked for amusement, watching Weasley flinch. Suddenly, he heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs.
"Lucius? What is..." Both men looked at the stairs, and saw Narcissa standing there, wearing a robe over her nightgown. "Oh!" she cried in surprise when she saw Arthur Weasley. Without another word, she ran up the stairs. Lucius heard the door to her room slam a minute later, and he turned back to Arthur.
"What were you saying?" he drawled casually.
"Well...you're under arrest," Weasley said. "I have to take you in."
"I see..." Lucius met the man's eyes, in a stare that made Weasley look away in discomfort. "You are aware, aren't you, that I wasn't at the Final Battle?"
"Yes..."
"My son died in that battle."
Weasley looked at Lucius again. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"The hell you are," Lucius hissed, losing his cool. But he got his composure back quickly. "It was two years ago. I know what the Ministry must be saying about me, that I wimped out. Is that true?"
"Well..."
"May I set you straight, then?" Lucius asked slickly. "I wasn't being a coward, if that's what you're thinking. I was here at home, it is true. But I was here to protect my daughter."
"Your daughter...?"
"You are aware that my wife gave birth three years ago?" Lucius asked in mild surprise. "My, my, Arthur, you don't keep very good track. I always knew when your wife gave birth to another little weasle. Of course, I could just guess a random date, and it would most likely be right."
"How dare-"
"Don't get indignant, Arthur," Lucius said smoothly. "You have too many children, and you know it. But you can understand why I had to be here that day, can't you? You know the important of protecting your children."
Weasley sighed. "Just the same, Lucius, I have to take you in. Whether you were at that Battle or not, you were still in...in HIS circle. You're under arrest for crimes against the wizarding community."
"Very well, then," Lucius said, knowing that it would do no one any good if he fought. "But may I have a moment to say goodbye to my daughter." With that, he turned to the stairs. Sitting there, staring down at them through the bars, was Grace. He'd heard her little feet patter down the hall and sit herself on the steps.
"Why...of course," Arthur said helplessly.
"Come down, Gracie," Lucius coaxed lovingly. The little girl rose and, slowly and carefully, came down the stairs and stood before her father. He got down on his knees and looked her in the eyes, hands on her little shoulders. "Gracie, what are you doing up, darling? It's so very late."
"I heard noises," the girl said, and Lucius smiled. "What are you doing?"
"Daddy has to go away," Lucius said softly, and tears filled Grace's blue eyes.
"Where?"
"On a little trip," Lucius said. "Don't worry, Gracie, I won't be gone too long." He gave Arthur a pointed look when he said this. Weasley looked away, uncomfortable again. Lucius turned back to his daughter. "Shall I get you a sleeping potion?"
"Okay," the girl said obediantly. Lucius got to his feet and picked the girl up. "We'll be back," he said to Weasley, and he took his little girl into the kitchen. The hard-working elves were still in there, cleaning and cooking. They looked up when their master came in. "Nollie," he said quickly, "get Miss Grace a sleeping potion."
Nollie handed Lucius a small vial filled with red liquid. Lucius carried his daughter back down the hall and sat with her on the floor in the front hall. He could feel Weasley's eyes on them, in interest, as he gave the girl the vial.
"Drink this, my sweet." Grace obeyed, downing the liquid. When she finished, she made a face.
"Yuck."
Lucius kissed her forehead. "I love you, Gracie."
"Love you, Daddy." With those final, beautiful words, Grace fell into her father, asleep. Lucius gathered her in his arms.
"I'm going to tuck her in. Then we shall go." Arthur began to follow them up the stairs, but Lucius snapped, "Wait here!" He slowly carried his daughter up the stairs, down the hall to her nursery. When he passed Narcissa's room, he heard her pacing around inside.
He tucked Grace into her little bed, wrapping the linen sheets around her tightly. He looked at her, for the last time in a long time, he knew. He finally bent down and kissed her forehead, one last time. "Goodbye, Gracie."
Lucius went downstairs, where Arthur Weasley was waiting. "Alright," he said casually, "let's go." He allowed Arthur Weasley to lead him out of the house in magical handcuffs, and into a Minstry car. Lucius gave the manor one last, fleeting glimpse, before they disapeared.