Grace of the Devil
Part Thirteen:
Over the next few months, Lucius was irritable, and the kindness he'd shown to the house elves for the past few years, by Grace's influence, was gone. He spent his days storming around the manor, or sitting in his study, reading. The only elf that dared to near him was Trixie, and he ususally snapped at her and sent her away.
Finally, Trixie seemed to grow tired to Lucius's attitude. One morning after breakfast, Lucius sat in his study, rereading the letter Grace had just sent him for the hundreth time. He was happy to hear that she was doing alright, that classes were good and she had friends at school, but he was missing her very badly. And, at nine o'clock in the morning, he was already fairly drunk. Not that time mattered: he was barely sleeping.
Trixie went into the study and found Lucius sitting in his armchair, the letter in one hand and a half-empty bottle of vodka in the other. Lucius glanced at the letter again and look a swig of his bottle, just as he spotted the elf out of the corner of his eye. He slammed the bottle on the table impatiently. "What do you want?" he demanded, turning to face her. His eyes were bloodshot and glazed, his face unshaven, his hair a blonde mess. The other house elves were terrified of Lucius in his normal state, and they dared not approach him now. Then again, Trixie didn't seem to be afraid of anything...except the ghosts in the attic.
"Master is drinking too much," Trixie said gently. "Give the bottle to Trixie-"
"No!" Lucius cried, snatching it from the table before Trixie could get her furry hand around it. "Leave me be, you damned elf."
"Master, you is being ridiculous!" Trixie thundered, causing Lucius's eyes to go wide in surprise. "Look at you! If Miss Grace was here-"
"Don't say her name," Lucius said bitterly, taking another small drink of vodka. "For the love of Merlin, don't."
"You is not the only one missing Miss Grace!" Trixie yelled, her bug-eyes wide with anger. "We house elves is missing her, too! Nollie was just crying about her."
"I don't care!" Lucius screamed, slamming his bottle of vodka so violently on the table that some of the contents spilled out. "None of you have the right to miss her and grieve. She is MINE! None of you know...none of you understand..." And Lucius crumbled into tears, clutching the letter in one hand and holding his face in another, sobbing patheticly.
Trixie went to him and rubbed his back soothing. "There, there, Master," she whispered. "Trixie is sorry she makes you cry."
"I...I need her back," Lucius choked out. "She's all I have, my life is nothing without her."
"Miss Grace is wanting Master to be strong," Trixie said soothingly. "There, there. Miss Grace is to be home at holidays."
"It isn't enough!" Lucius sobbed.
"Miss Grace isn't wanting her Daddy to cry," Trixie said in a confident tone. "Miss Grace is wanting her Daddy to be happy."
Lucius took his hand from his face. "Yes," he said slowly. "She wouldn't want me to cry." His voice was almost mechanical.
"That's right," Trixie said gently. "Now, come on. Let Trixie put Master to bed."
Lucius let Trixie help him to his feet, but he wouldn't let go of the letter, clutched tightly in his iron fist. Trixie led him up to his bedroom, helped him into bed, and took off his boots. As she walked out, Lucius finally fell asleep, still holding the letter in his hands.
After that incident, Lucius went about his days as normally as he could, trying to fill the empty hours. He kept himself well-groomed, and only drank his usual glass of wine at dinner. But he wondered what the point was, for all he seemed to be living for was the letter that came by owl post once a week...
The weeks stretched by slowly, as fall turned to winter, and the first snowfall came. To Lucius, it only meant one thing: Christmas was coming, and Grace would be home.
Since Grace was born, Lucius had put an extra effort into Christmas. Draco had never experienced a great holiday, with tons of decorations and a huge tree and piles of presents in pretty packages. Of course, he'd always gotten presents, but rarely ever wrapped. When Grace was too young to appreciate it, Lucius began a new tradition of presents in shiny paper, decorations in every room on the first floor, and a huge tree in the drawing room.
This year, Lucius went all out. He knew that his house would look horribly tacky, but Grace always loved Christmas. And if billons of fairy lights and a huge tree in every room and holly in the hallways and bows adorning all the pictures, then so be it. Lucius was determined to make this holiday perfect for his little girl.
He went on a shopping spree at Diagon Alley, buying her pounds of candy, toys, things for school, anything she could possibly went. He came short of buying her a broom, but he didn't want her to start flying and hurt herself.
The day that Lucius went to the train station to pick Grace up, he was very excited. But he kept it in check with a cool face, as he waited with the other parents. He could feel people looking at him, and he knew what they were thinking: that he was one of Voldemort's supporters that had managed to slip through the cracks. The basturd, they probably thought. Lucius was angered, but he found it back. Grace was coming home, she was coming home.
The train pulled up, and the children got off, dragging their trunks and bags. Lucius scanned the crowd as cooly as he could for olive skin and dark, wild hair. Finally, he spotted her...was she talking to that red-haired boy? No, she was coming right this way, dragging her trunk.
Lucius went over to her, and Grace stopped dragging her trunk. They looked at each other for a moment, and Grace smiled. "Hi, Daddy," she said softly.
"Hello, Gracie," Lucius said, and he wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed her curls. "Gods, I've missed you, darling."
"I've missed you, too."
"Well, you're coming home, now," Lucius said. "At least for the holiday, that is." He picked up her trunk with ease, and they left the train station.
When they arrived at the manor, the house elves all seemed to be waiting for her. As soon as she walked in the door, they all bum-rushed her, nearly knocking her to the floor as they struggled past each other to hug her legs and kiss her hands. Grace laughed at them all, kneeling down to hug them all.
"I hope you haven't all just been waiting there," Lucius said coldly to the elves. "Miss Grace is hungry, her dinner ought to be ready."
"It is, Master!" one of the kitchen elves squeaked, and they all rushed out as quicky as they came in to set the meal out. Grace laughed and got to her feet.
"Have they been impossible, Daddy?" Grace asked affectionatly, watching the last of the elves bow and leave them.
"No more then usual," Lucius said. "They've missed you, almost as much as I have."
Grace sighed. "They are little darlings, aren't they?"
"Whatever you say, my dear," and Grace giggled. Lucius offered his arm to her. "They may have our meal prepared if we go in." Grace took his arm and they went to the dining hall together. Lucius saw Grace's eyes light up at the sight of the Christmas decorations, and he felt fantastic. His little baby was finally home...for a short while, at least.
Part Thirteen:
Over the next few months, Lucius was irritable, and the kindness he'd shown to the house elves for the past few years, by Grace's influence, was gone. He spent his days storming around the manor, or sitting in his study, reading. The only elf that dared to near him was Trixie, and he ususally snapped at her and sent her away.
Finally, Trixie seemed to grow tired to Lucius's attitude. One morning after breakfast, Lucius sat in his study, rereading the letter Grace had just sent him for the hundreth time. He was happy to hear that she was doing alright, that classes were good and she had friends at school, but he was missing her very badly. And, at nine o'clock in the morning, he was already fairly drunk. Not that time mattered: he was barely sleeping.
Trixie went into the study and found Lucius sitting in his armchair, the letter in one hand and a half-empty bottle of vodka in the other. Lucius glanced at the letter again and look a swig of his bottle, just as he spotted the elf out of the corner of his eye. He slammed the bottle on the table impatiently. "What do you want?" he demanded, turning to face her. His eyes were bloodshot and glazed, his face unshaven, his hair a blonde mess. The other house elves were terrified of Lucius in his normal state, and they dared not approach him now. Then again, Trixie didn't seem to be afraid of anything...except the ghosts in the attic.
"Master is drinking too much," Trixie said gently. "Give the bottle to Trixie-"
"No!" Lucius cried, snatching it from the table before Trixie could get her furry hand around it. "Leave me be, you damned elf."
"Master, you is being ridiculous!" Trixie thundered, causing Lucius's eyes to go wide in surprise. "Look at you! If Miss Grace was here-"
"Don't say her name," Lucius said bitterly, taking another small drink of vodka. "For the love of Merlin, don't."
"You is not the only one missing Miss Grace!" Trixie yelled, her bug-eyes wide with anger. "We house elves is missing her, too! Nollie was just crying about her."
"I don't care!" Lucius screamed, slamming his bottle of vodka so violently on the table that some of the contents spilled out. "None of you have the right to miss her and grieve. She is MINE! None of you know...none of you understand..." And Lucius crumbled into tears, clutching the letter in one hand and holding his face in another, sobbing patheticly.
Trixie went to him and rubbed his back soothing. "There, there, Master," she whispered. "Trixie is sorry she makes you cry."
"I...I need her back," Lucius choked out. "She's all I have, my life is nothing without her."
"Miss Grace is wanting Master to be strong," Trixie said soothingly. "There, there. Miss Grace is to be home at holidays."
"It isn't enough!" Lucius sobbed.
"Miss Grace isn't wanting her Daddy to cry," Trixie said in a confident tone. "Miss Grace is wanting her Daddy to be happy."
Lucius took his hand from his face. "Yes," he said slowly. "She wouldn't want me to cry." His voice was almost mechanical.
"That's right," Trixie said gently. "Now, come on. Let Trixie put Master to bed."
Lucius let Trixie help him to his feet, but he wouldn't let go of the letter, clutched tightly in his iron fist. Trixie led him up to his bedroom, helped him into bed, and took off his boots. As she walked out, Lucius finally fell asleep, still holding the letter in his hands.
After that incident, Lucius went about his days as normally as he could, trying to fill the empty hours. He kept himself well-groomed, and only drank his usual glass of wine at dinner. But he wondered what the point was, for all he seemed to be living for was the letter that came by owl post once a week...
The weeks stretched by slowly, as fall turned to winter, and the first snowfall came. To Lucius, it only meant one thing: Christmas was coming, and Grace would be home.
Since Grace was born, Lucius had put an extra effort into Christmas. Draco had never experienced a great holiday, with tons of decorations and a huge tree and piles of presents in pretty packages. Of course, he'd always gotten presents, but rarely ever wrapped. When Grace was too young to appreciate it, Lucius began a new tradition of presents in shiny paper, decorations in every room on the first floor, and a huge tree in the drawing room.
This year, Lucius went all out. He knew that his house would look horribly tacky, but Grace always loved Christmas. And if billons of fairy lights and a huge tree in every room and holly in the hallways and bows adorning all the pictures, then so be it. Lucius was determined to make this holiday perfect for his little girl.
He went on a shopping spree at Diagon Alley, buying her pounds of candy, toys, things for school, anything she could possibly went. He came short of buying her a broom, but he didn't want her to start flying and hurt herself.
The day that Lucius went to the train station to pick Grace up, he was very excited. But he kept it in check with a cool face, as he waited with the other parents. He could feel people looking at him, and he knew what they were thinking: that he was one of Voldemort's supporters that had managed to slip through the cracks. The basturd, they probably thought. Lucius was angered, but he found it back. Grace was coming home, she was coming home.
The train pulled up, and the children got off, dragging their trunks and bags. Lucius scanned the crowd as cooly as he could for olive skin and dark, wild hair. Finally, he spotted her...was she talking to that red-haired boy? No, she was coming right this way, dragging her trunk.
Lucius went over to her, and Grace stopped dragging her trunk. They looked at each other for a moment, and Grace smiled. "Hi, Daddy," she said softly.
"Hello, Gracie," Lucius said, and he wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed her curls. "Gods, I've missed you, darling."
"I've missed you, too."
"Well, you're coming home, now," Lucius said. "At least for the holiday, that is." He picked up her trunk with ease, and they left the train station.
When they arrived at the manor, the house elves all seemed to be waiting for her. As soon as she walked in the door, they all bum-rushed her, nearly knocking her to the floor as they struggled past each other to hug her legs and kiss her hands. Grace laughed at them all, kneeling down to hug them all.
"I hope you haven't all just been waiting there," Lucius said coldly to the elves. "Miss Grace is hungry, her dinner ought to be ready."
"It is, Master!" one of the kitchen elves squeaked, and they all rushed out as quicky as they came in to set the meal out. Grace laughed and got to her feet.
"Have they been impossible, Daddy?" Grace asked affectionatly, watching the last of the elves bow and leave them.
"No more then usual," Lucius said. "They've missed you, almost as much as I have."
Grace sighed. "They are little darlings, aren't they?"
"Whatever you say, my dear," and Grace giggled. Lucius offered his arm to her. "They may have our meal prepared if we go in." Grace took his arm and they went to the dining hall together. Lucius saw Grace's eyes light up at the sight of the Christmas decorations, and he felt fantastic. His little baby was finally home...for a short while, at least.