Final Part
When midnight was approaching some of the grown-ups vanished the great kitchen table and Mrs. Black summoned two large davenports so that the family could settle down in front of the large, black Christmas tree with its dozens of candles and adornments. Lucius had been granted a second glass of the good, heavy black wine after dinner and was now quite ready to listen to one or the other story on how Richard Lestrange's great-great-uncle had survived two centuries and seven wars all together - and the like.
It seemed a pity that great-uncle Ferdinant ('the good Cardinal', as most grown-ups liked to call him - with just a dash of sarcasm perhaps) had not been able to make it after all. Lucius remembered him to be a wonderful storyteller and generally a most entertaining character. But, of course, Mr. Lestrange's ingenuities were also always worth listening to. Lucius threw a side-glance at Andromeda who had settled between her sisters at the other end of the darker davenport, right under the enormous twigs of the Christmas tree, and seemed to be listening intently. Her delicate arms were slung around a just as delicate pair of knees so that she almost looked like a child although, as he knew, she had long passed her fifteenth birthday.
Andromeda's sister Bellatrix, almost twenty inches taller than her younger sister and black-, not red-haired, was throwing bored glances into the lights and in the general direction of her cousins. She grinned, however, when she noticed Lucius's interest in Andromeda's every movement and winked pleasantly - moving nothing but her heavy eyelid as she did. Lucius raised an eyebrow and looked away quickly.
Only now, he realized that his father had been poking his arm for quite a while and looked up questioningly, well conscious of that the impression he was making could not be regarded as an exceedingly intelligent one.
'Well, at least he reacts to physical impacts,' said his father to Andromeda's father, obviously referring to something they had been discussing beforehand. 'I was just saying what an attentive young man you are,' he then informed his son. 'And that you usually notice what is happening around you. Is that not so?'
'Usually,' said Lucius calmly. 'I'm sorry, father.'
'Lucius certainly has the looks of a Prefect,' said Mr. Black now, scrutinizing him closely so that Lucius had to force himself not to look away. 'Are you planning on trying for Head Boy?'
'He certainly is,' said his father.
Lucius nodded. 'Yes, certainly.'
'The competition is, of course, enormous in his year,' continued his father, turning his attention back to his grown-up relatives. 'One has to take the other houses into account. There are a lot of excellent wizards and witches out there. Lots of respected families.'
'Who is in your year at Hogwarts, then?' asked Andromeda's mother, turning to Lucius who clearly felt the discussion shifting away from adult-only subjects. 'Wait - let me think. The good Cardinal's great-nephew Bram, probably, or am I mistaken? He should be about your age.'
Lucius nodded darkly. 'Yes. He is in Ravenclaw.'
'Not a safe bet then,' remarked Severus's father. His sister looked up from her discussion with Ladera Lestrange and frowned at him.
'Bram Figg? Why not? He is very well-liked I hear.'
Lance's lips curled into a sneer. 'Yes, but Lucius just told us he is in Ravenclaw.'
'And why,' said Sirius's father in his usual low voice, 'may I ask you, do you see that as a drawback? The Ravenclaws are among the most intelligent creatures roaming the other three houses. Per definitionem, actually, but in reality as well.'
'You have undoubtedly come across Albus Dumbledore during your many years as a member of the Ministry,' said Lance, his eyebrows raised, looking very superior rather than objective all of a sudden. 'And surely you know what Hogwarts house he used to be in and has always favoured above all others?'
'I am told he used to be in Gryffindor,' said Perseus, 'but I like to think it is just a rumour. Did they even have houses at Hogwarts back in the nineteenth century?'
'Oh, they did,' assured his wife Gladia. 'And I believe I can guarantee you that he was, indeed, in Gryffindor. Anyway, it is no secret that he favours them. He was already like that when I went to Hogwarts. Teaching Charms at that time. It was only in later years that he was offered the job of the Transfiguration teacher.'
'Should have stayed that way, really,' remarked Lance. 'Minerva McGonagall's a disaster. A fine woman, as such, but not at all suitable for the job of teaching our children, if you ask me. And Dumbledore is no better as head of the institution, of course.'
Perseus Black nodded. 'You heard how fervently he is fighting against the upcoming changes? Will insist on keeping his language department, the old fool.'
'Now really, I think he has a point there,' said his brother frowningly. 'Languages have a significant position in today's society. You can't go anywhere these days without knowing at least a bit of Goblin.'
'Ah, but they don't do Goblin at Hogwarts,' informed him Bellatrix. 'They do Dwarf language, Gnomish and Merish... and Centauri as an optional subject.'
'That's a disgrace,' remarked her aunt Gladia, helping herself to some more biscuits. 'And not before third year, do they? What should become of our children if they can't even utter a simple sentence in Goblin? What about human languages?'
'French and German,' said Bellatrix. 'Oh, and Latin. Needless to say.'
'We don't have Latin,' remarked Sirius, not earning himself a chastising look for a change. 'Not in first year.'
'Yes, they changed the rules,' said Andromeda. 'Thank Merlin not with us. We still got our daily dose of Latin. With you, it's integrated in Charms. Up to third year at least, I think. But you're not leaning it properly as we are. Cuts in funding, I presume.'
'I'd like to see them cut down the Muggle Studies department,' said Bellatrix darkly. 'Don't know what we've got to learn that rubbish for.'
'It's such a waste of money,' hissed her uncle concurringly. 'Our money, in fact. Considering that I am paying over a thousand Galleons each term for each child...' He threw a side-glance at his three daughters and shook his head with a displeased expression on his face before turning back to Lance, who gave him a rather cold gaze and shrugged.
'Your fault,' he said. 'Three daughters is clearly either stupidity or some inefficient contraceptive spellwork. Some of the others laughed. Everyone, in fact, apart from Mercurius and his family. Lucius watched Andromeda's mother Gaia raise slowly from her seat and take a few pronounced steps towards the bull-sized soldier, positioning herself in front of him with both hands on her hips, glaring down at him in an almost frightening manner.
'Are you saying my daughters are nothing but a stupid accidents?' she snarled.
Lance raised his eyebrows. 'Why,' he said, 'yes, I suppose I am.'
Lucius did not know, not even when he tried to remember afterwards, who had been the first to draw their wand and move into duelling position, because everything happened within the fraction of a second. Lance Snape was standing opposite the giant fireplace, in front of which Gaia was trying to avoid the Christmas tree's prickly black branches, aiming her wand straight at the soldier's massive chest.
'Take. That. Back!'
Lucius threw a side-glance at Severus, who had moved backwards against the edge of one of the couches and was staring at his father and Gaia in an expression of pure horror. He grinned.
'Don't worry,' he whispered, leaning forward to be closer to the younger boy's ear. 'This is not serious. It is a game. They're doing it every year. It is part of the Christmas dinner like the tree... or the wine. Just a game, okay?'
Severus gave him a blank stare. 'She... doesn't mean it?'
Lucius shook his head. 'No one's going to get killed.'
'Oh...'
Lucius grinned and leaned back again, watching Severus relax a little and even make an effort of producing a smile. Their gazes were wandering back to the fighting scene and towards the two adults, who were eyeing each other with the utmost caution, trying to determine the other's weaknesses.
'The first one to cast a spell is usually better off,' muttered Lucius into Severus's ear. 'Because the other has to react and cannot start a counter attack. Some people chose not to counter their opponent's spell, though, which gives you a double attack in which the power of the individual will decide who survives - err... wins.'
He threw a quick side-glance at Severus's expression, but the smaller boy was too enchained by the fight to notice his slip.
Lance had surrounded the couch by now, his wand always in front of him, but he was smiling. Gaia was smiling too, very grimly, however, and looked thoroughly concentrated. Lucius saw her mouth twitch in a mixture of excitement and aggressiveness, and the next second her wand flicked forward and she cast her spell.
Sparks, accompanied by a light orange glow, and a yellow beam were zooming across the room towards Lance's chest who was quicker and cast his counter curse without any noticeable difficulties. Gaia swore angrily, giving her opponent enough time to totally fight off the curse and start a counter attack.
'Expelliarmus!'
Lucius did not know whether to laugh or to feel sorry for Gaia, who was deprived of her wand within seconds. He found it almost embarrassing to lose your wand to the Expelliarmus Spell, considering how easily it could be fought off.
Lance caught Gaia's wand effortlessly and returned it with a broad grin.
'Another attempt, perhaps?'
'Aaaah, no, that's not fair,' shrieked Mrs. Lestrange promptly, clearly as full of excitement as all the others. 'She lost fair and square. It's our turn now!' And she jumped up, like a small child, demanding her share of the newfound entertainment. Lucius grinned. He liked the duels. They usually made the most enjoyable part of the evening. Severus, too, seemed to have enjoyed the fight and was eager for another one. Andromeda was making a point of distracting Narcissa and Regulus with games and little presents, obviously fearing that last year's accident (great-uncle Ferdinant had accidentally deprived Delecta Malfoy of her cervical muscles, causing her head to hurl around in the most frightening manner) might recur, in spite of the good Cardinal's absence. Lucius found this unnecessary, remembering how much of a laugh his mother's condition had been, especially for the younger children.
It was Gladia who eventually forced Lance to his knees (literally), though he took his defeat with dignity, informing her of her abysmal pronunciation of the spell and the Latin language in general.
While they were removing Lance's tentacles and cleaning up the mess some of the others' spells had caused, and while everyone was settling down again peacefully, Lucius' father cleared his throat and poked Lucius's shoulder again, pointing at the Black daughters.
'Well? Wouldn't you like to have a go?'
Lucius stared at his father, completely at a loss what he expected him to say.
'What do you mean?'
'I mean,' said his father calmly, 'that you are old enough to make your first step towards a wizarding career. Wouldn't you like to have a go? I am sure Bellatrix would be delighted to show you a few tricks...'
'That is an excellent idea, dear Marius,' said Andromeda's mother, motioning her eldest daughter to move towards the fireplace. 'You have had your laugh. Now it's your turn to show what you have been doing for the last five years.'
Neither Lucius nor Bellatrix needed to be told twice. Duelling was against Hogwarts rules. It was rarely possible to ever gain any practice in it. This was too much of a chance to let it pass unnoticed.
Bellatrix had risen like a large, elegant cat and was now surrounding Lucius with what looked like a hungry glint in her eyes. It was not exactly a fair game, thought Lucius, considering that she was two years ahead of him and as good as a fully-trained witch. But then again - what was the point in moaning about fairness? How many "fair" duels was he going to have in later life? None, most probably. The point was to think of a spell the opponent did not count on. He had to come up with something Bellatrix had not learned to fight off in reflex. Yet. Expelliarmus was no good. It only worked with people like her mother... or Severus, perhaps. People who were - rather slow on the uptake.
She did look like a giant wild cat, he thought. A panther, perhaps. A big, black, dangerous animal with a thing for cruel spellwork. He had seen her do it. Bella's favourite leisure time entertainment was testing illegal curses on insects. Sometimes mammals, if an unfortunate stray cat happened to cross her way. Lucius shuddered. Bellatrix cast her spell.
It happened before he could even react. A stunner. And a bad one at that. Cutting off his air supply for a second. Sending him motionlessly to the floor. Letting the world around him spin and eventually go black. Black. Black.