Disclaimer: I just own the plot.
Review Responses:
RaistlinofMetallica - Glad you like the characterization of Narcissa. Yes, poor Draco has to grow up. Thanks for the review!
Dark Comet - I loved writing Draco/Sevvie bonding, there will be more! (Also rather enjoyed conjuring up mental image of Sevvie in a nightshirt!) You won't get to see Harry's face when he finds out (he's too dull!) but you'll see Ron getting told in the next chapter! AS for Lucius' face, I'm afraid you're about to see it and it isn't pretty (well he's always pretty but it isn't pleasant!). Thanks for the review, I sympathise with your technical difficulties with the computer.
Bonezz - We should go on a Draco hunt so we can all hug the little darling! I love Lucius too so this chapter was a bit difficult to write and I hope you don't hate it! Hope the wait for an update wasn't too long, thanks for the review!
Also thank you to Malferz for reviewing Wedding Bells, I couldn't think of anywhere else to answer your questions so I'll answer them here and hope you find them. If you've read this far then you probably already know the answer about the two of them. I always saw them as more friends too but then I started writing and it got out of my control, when I started they were simply meant to be friends but it appears they had other ideas! Sorry! RL/NM? That's an unusual pairing, in fact I don't think I've ever seen that, it's a bit late to try it now but it would have been interesting and Remus is lovely!
Another thank you to LuckyLadybug66 for reviewing 'Turning Point' and being so complementary!
I Found a Little Courage to Call it Off
**Narcissa's Thoughts**
***Severus' Thoughts***
_emphasis_
A/N: Joy! The computer has been fixed again so there shouldn't be any more delays in my updates!
Chapter 5
Lucius returned home the next evening and luckily went straight to bed, Draco had retired early so as to avoid him but Narcissa had no problem at all in acting like everything was normal, she had known what Lucius was like for a long time and she realised that he simply didn't scare her any more.
The next day at breakfast Draco was unusually quiet and Lucius had clearly picked up on it, "Draco what's wrong, you seem rather out of sorts."
"Oh, I'm fine."
Narcissa glanced up and quickly improvised, "Are you still feeling ill darling? He wasn't well all yesterday Lucius."
"What's wrong?"
"I just feel a bit sick that's all, can I be excused I've lost my appetite?"
"Go on sweetheart, have a lie down and I'll come up and see you after breakfast," Narcissa made sure that her voice suggested that any objections would not be well met.
**And I thought he was good at lying. Oh well, I suppose I can't expect him to find this easy.**
Lucius spent much of the day in his study and Narcissa went up to see her son who was lying curled up on his bed. "Are you alright?"
He shook his head, "He scares me."
"Draco nobody will hurt you while I'm around!"
He smiled weakly at her, "I can't wait to get this over with."
"I know, I feel the same way. Now I need a pair of your pyjamas, leave everything else here we can come back at any time after tonight."
"Ok," he passed her a clean pair of pyjamas from a drawer, "So where are we going to be staying anyway? With Professor Snape?"
"No, we're going to stay with the Weasleys."
"The Weasleys!?"
"We needed somewhere safe to stay and they offered."
"They offered or you asked?"
"I asked."
"You asked a favour of the Weasleys?"
"Draco after everything you've been through in the last 48 hours do you still think that your father's prejudices are worth listening to?"
"I don't like the Weasleys! And they certainly don't like me!"
"The younger ones don't know we're coming, Ginny's been packed off to a friend's and the other's are being kept out of the way apparently. The eldest two aren't even home. You'll only have to see Molly and Arthur and possibly Percy. Draco from what I've heard they have good reason to dislike you. I'm not blaming you, you behaved in the way you were raised to but that doesn't make it right. Give them a chance, they're good people."
"It's all settled then?"
"Yes, Severus wrote to me this morning."
"And I can't change your mind?"
"No, there's no where else we could go anyway. I'm not exactly overwhelmed with friends. I trust the Weasleys and you're just going to have to cope with them."
He sighed, "Fine. God you know things are bad when you're asking help from the Weasleys!" he muttered as his mother left his room.
*******
Draco knocked on his mother's study door at two minutes past nine that night.
"Alright sweetheart, you ready?"
He nodded silently.
"Ok, I'll be back in a minute I've left my bag in my bedroom, you wait here."
It was ten past nine before Narcissa returned, "Sorry, I couldn't find the bag, I'd hidden it under the bed and then forgotten I'd hidden it there. Gosh, we're late we were due at the Weasley's at nine o'clock. Come on let's go." Narcissa picked up the pot on the mantle piece where she kept her floo powder but it was empty, "Damn, there's no floo powder left!"
"What? What are we going to do?" Draco sounded nervous.
"Don't worry, I'll just go and get some more, there's some in the drawing room. You stay here," she headed out of the door.
"Be careful!" Draco called after her.
She turned back towards him, "Draco, I've lived here for nearly eighteen years, I doubt your father will choose now to make an attempt on my life!"
"Don't joke about these things!"
"I wasn't joking!"
She made her way down the spiral stairs which led down to the gallery on the first floor, she would have taken the stairs that went into the library but Lucius' study was right next door to the library and she thought that was probably where he was.
She ran down the main stairs to the entrance hall and was about to enter the drawing room when Lucius walked out of it.
"What are you doing?" he asked as she almost ran into him.
"Nothing," she said quickly.
He glanced at her bag, "Where are you going?"
"Nowhere."
"Then why are you carrying that shoulder bag?"
"Oh, I was going to nip down to Diagon Alley."
"At half past nine in the evening?"
"Er, I was headed for the Leaky Cauldron, I fancied a drink and a change of scenery," she improvised.
"Then what's in the bag?" he asked taking from her shoulder before she could protest. "Why are you carrying round your nightclothes and for that matter why are you carrying Draco's pyjamas?"
"Oh, he was going to come with me."
"To the Leaky Cauldron?"
"Yes. Well I just thought he may as well, it's not like I'm going to give him alcohol or anything."
"And the pyjamas are because...?"
"They let rooms at the Leaky Cauldron."
"Don't be obtuse Narcissa, I know that!" he snapped, all trace of silky charm gone from his voice.
"Well, I thought we could stay there and do some early morning shopping."
"Why?"
"I don't know, it sounded like fun? I could use some retail therapy." **Well that last part's true.**
"Why could you use retail therapy?"
"It's been a stressful summer."
"What do you mean? In what way has it been stressful, I thought we agreed that it had been a most fortuitous summer for all purebloods with proper wizarding pride?" The way the question was asked suggested to Narcissa that she had better be very careful how she answered and that she was treading on very dangerous ground.
"Yes. Of course! It's just...I've been worried about you!"
He snorted, "Narcissa you wouldn't worry about me if my leg were hanging off!"
**Too true I bloody wouldn't!** "Of course I would! You're my husband!" **Much as it pains me to say it!**
"You married me for my money and my status! You couldn't give a damn about me! You were on the lookout for a nice trophy husband you could boast to your friends about."
"What! You have got to be kidding me! I ended up as the bloody trophy, a pretty young wife to hang off your arm at parties and functions!" she spat at him, enraged that he would have the gall to mention her friends who he had single handedly driven away in one way or another.
"Young you were, I'll give you that, but pretty? I've seen prettier," he sneered.
"And I've seen richer!" she yelled, "I didn't marry you for your bloody money, I loved you!"
"Past tense?"
She suddenly realised what she had just said, "No, I meant, I was talking about the past that's why I used the past tense!"
"Oh please!" he drawled "You know, much as I could watch you tie yourself in knots all day trying to dig yourself out of that hole, I really haven't the inclination! Now go and put that bag away, you're not going anywhere!"
"Since when do you tell me where I can and can't go? You're pathetic!" She turned to leave, floo powder forgotten, but he grabbed her arm.
"Don't you dare touch me!" she pulled away from him, backing away towards the staircase.
Draco was stood at the top of the stairs watching this exchange with a growing anxiety.
"Stop yelling at each other!" he said coming down the stairs.
"Draco get back upstairs!" Narcissa shouted, unwilling to give Lucius two targets.
"Stay there and keep your mouth shut Draco," Lucius said calmly, "Your mother is being most irrational."
Draco hesitated, halfway down the stairs, looking unsure as to what to do.
Narcissa glared at Lucius and began to wonder what would happen if they were still there when the aurors arrived.
*******
Severus arrived at the Weasley's at half past eight to find Molly trying to get Ron to go to bed three hours earlier than usual. Arthur led Severus into the kitchen before Ron could see him and start asking awkward questions.
It wasn't long before Molly joined them and they sat drinking coffee at the kitchen table. Severus jumped as a popping noise was heard from the living room.
"It'll be Percy." Arthur said.
Sure enough the young red head walked into the kitchen, looking entirely unsurprised to see one of his Hogwart's professors sat at the dinner table with his parents. Severus wasn't sure from this whether he had been told about the plan or whether he had decided it was best not to question any strange occurrences which took place in a house inhabited by Fred and George.
"Good Evening Professor. Hi mum," Percy submitted to being hugged vigorously by an agitated Molly Weasley, nodding to his father over her shoulder.
"They haven't arrived yet then?"
"No, they're due in about five minutes," Arthur said and Severus noticed that he was tinkering with what looked like a toaster.
They sat in silence for five minutes then went into the living room to wait by the fireplace, Arthur attempted to bring his toaster with him but was caught by Molly who declared he was as bad as the twins. Percy looked like he was choking back a laugh but said nothing and simply sipped a cup of coffee as though the toaster incident was nothing unusual. It probably wasn't.
They sat and waited until it reached twenty past nine with no sign of Narcissa and her son. Molly was knitting at an alarming rate, Severus assumed this was to calm her nerves, and Arthur had found a plug to play with, ***Well at least somebody's happy!*** Percy was sat, perfectly composed, in an armchair reading over an official looking report and Severus was pacing madly up and down.
"Something must have happened to them!" he snapped, "They should have been here ages ago!"
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, they've probably just got held up," Percy said without looking up from his report.
"Give it ten minutes," Molly said, what she didn't say was what they should do if things hadn't changed in ten minutes.
In ten minutes things _hadn't_ changed. "I'm going to the manor, they could in danger!" Severus snapped suddenly.
"You're right, I'll go with you," Arthur nodded, setting aside his plug.
"I'm coming too," Percy put down the report and stood up.
"Oh, no Arthur, no Percy! You'll be killed! Oh Arthur!" Molly hugged her husband and then her son, begging them to be careful, she then hugged Severus heedless of his attempts to escape her.
"I suggest we floo into the ballroom, no one ever goes in there so we should be able to remain undetected." Severus said and Molly went to hug Arthur again.
Arthur nodded and Percy took a jar of floo powder off the mantle piece and offered it round. Before he stepped into the fire Severus looked at the two red heads, ***great I'm going into Malfoy Manor with a child and a man who plays with toasters for back up!*** He sighed and stepped into the flames.
The three of them emerged into the large white and gold room, Percy was amazed and was staring up at the ceiling, both Arthur and Severus had seen it before and had more serious things on their mind. Besides Severus couldn't say he had ever been impressed by the display of wealth. They crossed to the large double doors, which Severus knew led out into the hallway, and heard raised voices.
"Draco get back upstairs!" Narcissa's voice, with a panicked note in it.
"Stay there and keep your mouth shut Draco. Your mother is being most irrational."
"Lucius." Severus snarled and flung open the doors.
*******
Narcissa and Lucius were glaring at each other when suddenly the ballroom doors opened to the side of them and Severus, Arthur Weasley and one of his son's stepped through it with their wands out. Lucius immediately pulled his own wand and Narcissa followed suit.
"Get away from her Lucius!" Severus snapped.
"Since when is it good form to illegally enter someone's house and tell them how they may or may not treat their own wife?" Lucius drawled.
Arthur clearly didn't feel like carrying on a conversation with Lucius about etiquette so he sent a stunning charm in Lucius' direction.
Lucius blocked it and returned a curse at Arthur, which he dodged; the curse left a smoking hole in a tapestry.
"Percy get Draco and get him out of here!" Severus snapped at the young redhead who nodded and made his way towards the stairs.
Narcissa attempted to stun her husband while his attention was divided between the five of them but he blocked it easily.
"I'll deal with you later, you worthless tramp!" Lucius flicked his wand sending Narcissa flying back into Severus, causing them both to collapse on the floor.
Percy had reached the stairs and was about to start up them when Lucius turned his attention to the young Weasley.
"Ah, if it isn't, well I'm sure your parents could identify you but to the civilised world I'm afraid you all look alike." He smiled oddly, bringing his wand up before Percy could react, "Crucio."
"Expelliarmus!" Arthur yelled, horrified by his son's cries of pain.
The spell ended leaving Percy shaking but Lucius caught his wand out of the air. "You'll have to try harder than that Weasley!" he spat before muttering a word Arthur and Percy didn't understand. It was clear though from the horrified look on Narcissa's face that she understood it perfectly.
Arthur suddenly cried out in pain as thorns began to burst through his skin, "That's just a taster Weasley, I'm going to enjoy watching you scream!"
"Incendio!" Narcissa shouted causing her husband's sleeve to catch fire, he put it out easily but she hadn't intended to hurt him, merely to take his attention away from Arthur Weasley.
Percy ran to his father and Lucius turned towards Narcissa looking murderous. He threw a particularly unpleasant curse at her which she blocked, but not without some difficulty Severus noticed. He raised his wand to defend her when she began to speak. From what she was saying and the serious look on her face Severus realised exactly what she was going to do.
Reacting entirely on instinct he used a spell to forcefully throw Lucius out of the path of her curse, which hit a statue that seemed to be consumed by flames from within itself before smouldering into a pile of ash.
Severus wasn't looking at that though, Lucius had hit the wall with a good deal of force and was now slumped on the floor, blood pouring from a head wound.
Percy was trying to get Draco to leave, having removed the spell from his father, but Draco was not cooperating.
Narcissa and Severus exchanged a look before she ran to her husband's side and knelt beside him placing a pale hand at the base of his neck. Severus dashed after her and picked up Lucius' wand from where it lay.
She looked up at him, trembling, "He's dead."
"What?"
"He's dead." She repeated.
Severus held out a hand which she gratefully accepted, stumbling to her feet.
Percy had stopped trying to pull Draco out of the room and they were now simply standing there staring at Lucius' body.
Narcissa took Lucius' wand from Severus' hand and snapped it viciously in two letting the pieces fall to the floor.
The snapping sound of the wood restored the power of speech and movement to the four transfixed observers.
Narcissa turned towards her son and absentmindedly wondered when she had started crying. Draco ran towards her and threw his arms round her. Arthur moved to place a reassuring hand on Percy's shoulder and Severus watched as Draco tried to stop his mother's tears, telling her that everything was ok. He found himself feeling oddly protective of the two of them and he smiled sadly as Narcissa held on to her son as though he might disappear if she let him go.
*******
I apologise to any Lucius lovers out there! It was necessary!
I am also very sorry for inflicting pain on Arthur and Percy, the spell Arthur got hit with was not of my creation it was all honest_iago's idea so blame her for poor Arthur's torment!
What happens now? How's Narcissa going to feel? How will Draco cope? What will the Weasleys say?
Review Responses:
RaistlinofMetallica - Glad you like the characterization of Narcissa. Yes, poor Draco has to grow up. Thanks for the review!
Dark Comet - I loved writing Draco/Sevvie bonding, there will be more! (Also rather enjoyed conjuring up mental image of Sevvie in a nightshirt!) You won't get to see Harry's face when he finds out (he's too dull!) but you'll see Ron getting told in the next chapter! AS for Lucius' face, I'm afraid you're about to see it and it isn't pretty (well he's always pretty but it isn't pleasant!). Thanks for the review, I sympathise with your technical difficulties with the computer.
Bonezz - We should go on a Draco hunt so we can all hug the little darling! I love Lucius too so this chapter was a bit difficult to write and I hope you don't hate it! Hope the wait for an update wasn't too long, thanks for the review!
Also thank you to Malferz for reviewing Wedding Bells, I couldn't think of anywhere else to answer your questions so I'll answer them here and hope you find them. If you've read this far then you probably already know the answer about the two of them. I always saw them as more friends too but then I started writing and it got out of my control, when I started they were simply meant to be friends but it appears they had other ideas! Sorry! RL/NM? That's an unusual pairing, in fact I don't think I've ever seen that, it's a bit late to try it now but it would have been interesting and Remus is lovely!
Another thank you to LuckyLadybug66 for reviewing 'Turning Point' and being so complementary!
I Found a Little Courage to Call it Off
**Narcissa's Thoughts**
***Severus' Thoughts***
_emphasis_
A/N: Joy! The computer has been fixed again so there shouldn't be any more delays in my updates!
Chapter 5
Lucius returned home the next evening and luckily went straight to bed, Draco had retired early so as to avoid him but Narcissa had no problem at all in acting like everything was normal, she had known what Lucius was like for a long time and she realised that he simply didn't scare her any more.
The next day at breakfast Draco was unusually quiet and Lucius had clearly picked up on it, "Draco what's wrong, you seem rather out of sorts."
"Oh, I'm fine."
Narcissa glanced up and quickly improvised, "Are you still feeling ill darling? He wasn't well all yesterday Lucius."
"What's wrong?"
"I just feel a bit sick that's all, can I be excused I've lost my appetite?"
"Go on sweetheart, have a lie down and I'll come up and see you after breakfast," Narcissa made sure that her voice suggested that any objections would not be well met.
**And I thought he was good at lying. Oh well, I suppose I can't expect him to find this easy.**
Lucius spent much of the day in his study and Narcissa went up to see her son who was lying curled up on his bed. "Are you alright?"
He shook his head, "He scares me."
"Draco nobody will hurt you while I'm around!"
He smiled weakly at her, "I can't wait to get this over with."
"I know, I feel the same way. Now I need a pair of your pyjamas, leave everything else here we can come back at any time after tonight."
"Ok," he passed her a clean pair of pyjamas from a drawer, "So where are we going to be staying anyway? With Professor Snape?"
"No, we're going to stay with the Weasleys."
"The Weasleys!?"
"We needed somewhere safe to stay and they offered."
"They offered or you asked?"
"I asked."
"You asked a favour of the Weasleys?"
"Draco after everything you've been through in the last 48 hours do you still think that your father's prejudices are worth listening to?"
"I don't like the Weasleys! And they certainly don't like me!"
"The younger ones don't know we're coming, Ginny's been packed off to a friend's and the other's are being kept out of the way apparently. The eldest two aren't even home. You'll only have to see Molly and Arthur and possibly Percy. Draco from what I've heard they have good reason to dislike you. I'm not blaming you, you behaved in the way you were raised to but that doesn't make it right. Give them a chance, they're good people."
"It's all settled then?"
"Yes, Severus wrote to me this morning."
"And I can't change your mind?"
"No, there's no where else we could go anyway. I'm not exactly overwhelmed with friends. I trust the Weasleys and you're just going to have to cope with them."
He sighed, "Fine. God you know things are bad when you're asking help from the Weasleys!" he muttered as his mother left his room.
*******
Draco knocked on his mother's study door at two minutes past nine that night.
"Alright sweetheart, you ready?"
He nodded silently.
"Ok, I'll be back in a minute I've left my bag in my bedroom, you wait here."
It was ten past nine before Narcissa returned, "Sorry, I couldn't find the bag, I'd hidden it under the bed and then forgotten I'd hidden it there. Gosh, we're late we were due at the Weasley's at nine o'clock. Come on let's go." Narcissa picked up the pot on the mantle piece where she kept her floo powder but it was empty, "Damn, there's no floo powder left!"
"What? What are we going to do?" Draco sounded nervous.
"Don't worry, I'll just go and get some more, there's some in the drawing room. You stay here," she headed out of the door.
"Be careful!" Draco called after her.
She turned back towards him, "Draco, I've lived here for nearly eighteen years, I doubt your father will choose now to make an attempt on my life!"
"Don't joke about these things!"
"I wasn't joking!"
She made her way down the spiral stairs which led down to the gallery on the first floor, she would have taken the stairs that went into the library but Lucius' study was right next door to the library and she thought that was probably where he was.
She ran down the main stairs to the entrance hall and was about to enter the drawing room when Lucius walked out of it.
"What are you doing?" he asked as she almost ran into him.
"Nothing," she said quickly.
He glanced at her bag, "Where are you going?"
"Nowhere."
"Then why are you carrying that shoulder bag?"
"Oh, I was going to nip down to Diagon Alley."
"At half past nine in the evening?"
"Er, I was headed for the Leaky Cauldron, I fancied a drink and a change of scenery," she improvised.
"Then what's in the bag?" he asked taking from her shoulder before she could protest. "Why are you carrying round your nightclothes and for that matter why are you carrying Draco's pyjamas?"
"Oh, he was going to come with me."
"To the Leaky Cauldron?"
"Yes. Well I just thought he may as well, it's not like I'm going to give him alcohol or anything."
"And the pyjamas are because...?"
"They let rooms at the Leaky Cauldron."
"Don't be obtuse Narcissa, I know that!" he snapped, all trace of silky charm gone from his voice.
"Well, I thought we could stay there and do some early morning shopping."
"Why?"
"I don't know, it sounded like fun? I could use some retail therapy." **Well that last part's true.**
"Why could you use retail therapy?"
"It's been a stressful summer."
"What do you mean? In what way has it been stressful, I thought we agreed that it had been a most fortuitous summer for all purebloods with proper wizarding pride?" The way the question was asked suggested to Narcissa that she had better be very careful how she answered and that she was treading on very dangerous ground.
"Yes. Of course! It's just...I've been worried about you!"
He snorted, "Narcissa you wouldn't worry about me if my leg were hanging off!"
**Too true I bloody wouldn't!** "Of course I would! You're my husband!" **Much as it pains me to say it!**
"You married me for my money and my status! You couldn't give a damn about me! You were on the lookout for a nice trophy husband you could boast to your friends about."
"What! You have got to be kidding me! I ended up as the bloody trophy, a pretty young wife to hang off your arm at parties and functions!" she spat at him, enraged that he would have the gall to mention her friends who he had single handedly driven away in one way or another.
"Young you were, I'll give you that, but pretty? I've seen prettier," he sneered.
"And I've seen richer!" she yelled, "I didn't marry you for your bloody money, I loved you!"
"Past tense?"
She suddenly realised what she had just said, "No, I meant, I was talking about the past that's why I used the past tense!"
"Oh please!" he drawled "You know, much as I could watch you tie yourself in knots all day trying to dig yourself out of that hole, I really haven't the inclination! Now go and put that bag away, you're not going anywhere!"
"Since when do you tell me where I can and can't go? You're pathetic!" She turned to leave, floo powder forgotten, but he grabbed her arm.
"Don't you dare touch me!" she pulled away from him, backing away towards the staircase.
Draco was stood at the top of the stairs watching this exchange with a growing anxiety.
"Stop yelling at each other!" he said coming down the stairs.
"Draco get back upstairs!" Narcissa shouted, unwilling to give Lucius two targets.
"Stay there and keep your mouth shut Draco," Lucius said calmly, "Your mother is being most irrational."
Draco hesitated, halfway down the stairs, looking unsure as to what to do.
Narcissa glared at Lucius and began to wonder what would happen if they were still there when the aurors arrived.
*******
Severus arrived at the Weasley's at half past eight to find Molly trying to get Ron to go to bed three hours earlier than usual. Arthur led Severus into the kitchen before Ron could see him and start asking awkward questions.
It wasn't long before Molly joined them and they sat drinking coffee at the kitchen table. Severus jumped as a popping noise was heard from the living room.
"It'll be Percy." Arthur said.
Sure enough the young red head walked into the kitchen, looking entirely unsurprised to see one of his Hogwart's professors sat at the dinner table with his parents. Severus wasn't sure from this whether he had been told about the plan or whether he had decided it was best not to question any strange occurrences which took place in a house inhabited by Fred and George.
"Good Evening Professor. Hi mum," Percy submitted to being hugged vigorously by an agitated Molly Weasley, nodding to his father over her shoulder.
"They haven't arrived yet then?"
"No, they're due in about five minutes," Arthur said and Severus noticed that he was tinkering with what looked like a toaster.
They sat in silence for five minutes then went into the living room to wait by the fireplace, Arthur attempted to bring his toaster with him but was caught by Molly who declared he was as bad as the twins. Percy looked like he was choking back a laugh but said nothing and simply sipped a cup of coffee as though the toaster incident was nothing unusual. It probably wasn't.
They sat and waited until it reached twenty past nine with no sign of Narcissa and her son. Molly was knitting at an alarming rate, Severus assumed this was to calm her nerves, and Arthur had found a plug to play with, ***Well at least somebody's happy!*** Percy was sat, perfectly composed, in an armchair reading over an official looking report and Severus was pacing madly up and down.
"Something must have happened to them!" he snapped, "They should have been here ages ago!"
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, they've probably just got held up," Percy said without looking up from his report.
"Give it ten minutes," Molly said, what she didn't say was what they should do if things hadn't changed in ten minutes.
In ten minutes things _hadn't_ changed. "I'm going to the manor, they could in danger!" Severus snapped suddenly.
"You're right, I'll go with you," Arthur nodded, setting aside his plug.
"I'm coming too," Percy put down the report and stood up.
"Oh, no Arthur, no Percy! You'll be killed! Oh Arthur!" Molly hugged her husband and then her son, begging them to be careful, she then hugged Severus heedless of his attempts to escape her.
"I suggest we floo into the ballroom, no one ever goes in there so we should be able to remain undetected." Severus said and Molly went to hug Arthur again.
Arthur nodded and Percy took a jar of floo powder off the mantle piece and offered it round. Before he stepped into the fire Severus looked at the two red heads, ***great I'm going into Malfoy Manor with a child and a man who plays with toasters for back up!*** He sighed and stepped into the flames.
The three of them emerged into the large white and gold room, Percy was amazed and was staring up at the ceiling, both Arthur and Severus had seen it before and had more serious things on their mind. Besides Severus couldn't say he had ever been impressed by the display of wealth. They crossed to the large double doors, which Severus knew led out into the hallway, and heard raised voices.
"Draco get back upstairs!" Narcissa's voice, with a panicked note in it.
"Stay there and keep your mouth shut Draco. Your mother is being most irrational."
"Lucius." Severus snarled and flung open the doors.
*******
Narcissa and Lucius were glaring at each other when suddenly the ballroom doors opened to the side of them and Severus, Arthur Weasley and one of his son's stepped through it with their wands out. Lucius immediately pulled his own wand and Narcissa followed suit.
"Get away from her Lucius!" Severus snapped.
"Since when is it good form to illegally enter someone's house and tell them how they may or may not treat their own wife?" Lucius drawled.
Arthur clearly didn't feel like carrying on a conversation with Lucius about etiquette so he sent a stunning charm in Lucius' direction.
Lucius blocked it and returned a curse at Arthur, which he dodged; the curse left a smoking hole in a tapestry.
"Percy get Draco and get him out of here!" Severus snapped at the young redhead who nodded and made his way towards the stairs.
Narcissa attempted to stun her husband while his attention was divided between the five of them but he blocked it easily.
"I'll deal with you later, you worthless tramp!" Lucius flicked his wand sending Narcissa flying back into Severus, causing them both to collapse on the floor.
Percy had reached the stairs and was about to start up them when Lucius turned his attention to the young Weasley.
"Ah, if it isn't, well I'm sure your parents could identify you but to the civilised world I'm afraid you all look alike." He smiled oddly, bringing his wand up before Percy could react, "Crucio."
"Expelliarmus!" Arthur yelled, horrified by his son's cries of pain.
The spell ended leaving Percy shaking but Lucius caught his wand out of the air. "You'll have to try harder than that Weasley!" he spat before muttering a word Arthur and Percy didn't understand. It was clear though from the horrified look on Narcissa's face that she understood it perfectly.
Arthur suddenly cried out in pain as thorns began to burst through his skin, "That's just a taster Weasley, I'm going to enjoy watching you scream!"
"Incendio!" Narcissa shouted causing her husband's sleeve to catch fire, he put it out easily but she hadn't intended to hurt him, merely to take his attention away from Arthur Weasley.
Percy ran to his father and Lucius turned towards Narcissa looking murderous. He threw a particularly unpleasant curse at her which she blocked, but not without some difficulty Severus noticed. He raised his wand to defend her when she began to speak. From what she was saying and the serious look on her face Severus realised exactly what she was going to do.
Reacting entirely on instinct he used a spell to forcefully throw Lucius out of the path of her curse, which hit a statue that seemed to be consumed by flames from within itself before smouldering into a pile of ash.
Severus wasn't looking at that though, Lucius had hit the wall with a good deal of force and was now slumped on the floor, blood pouring from a head wound.
Percy was trying to get Draco to leave, having removed the spell from his father, but Draco was not cooperating.
Narcissa and Severus exchanged a look before she ran to her husband's side and knelt beside him placing a pale hand at the base of his neck. Severus dashed after her and picked up Lucius' wand from where it lay.
She looked up at him, trembling, "He's dead."
"What?"
"He's dead." She repeated.
Severus held out a hand which she gratefully accepted, stumbling to her feet.
Percy had stopped trying to pull Draco out of the room and they were now simply standing there staring at Lucius' body.
Narcissa took Lucius' wand from Severus' hand and snapped it viciously in two letting the pieces fall to the floor.
The snapping sound of the wood restored the power of speech and movement to the four transfixed observers.
Narcissa turned towards her son and absentmindedly wondered when she had started crying. Draco ran towards her and threw his arms round her. Arthur moved to place a reassuring hand on Percy's shoulder and Severus watched as Draco tried to stop his mother's tears, telling her that everything was ok. He found himself feeling oddly protective of the two of them and he smiled sadly as Narcissa held on to her son as though he might disappear if she let him go.
*******
I apologise to any Lucius lovers out there! It was necessary!
I am also very sorry for inflicting pain on Arthur and Percy, the spell Arthur got hit with was not of my creation it was all honest_iago's idea so blame her for poor Arthur's torment!
What happens now? How's Narcissa going to feel? How will Draco cope? What will the Weasleys say?
