Bonding to Family
Lucilla arose the next morning to the small taps of the house elf upon her chamber door. "Miss Malfoy, Its time for getting up it is." Said the high pitched voice. For a moment Lucilla quite forgot where she was and the events of the night before, that was, until she had opened her eyes. The events of the following day came flooding back to her and she gave a gasp and sat bolt upright in the bed her eyes open wide.
Come in here Lucilla, there are certain matters which I would like to discuss with you." Julius Malfoy said sitting in his chair beside the fire. His eyes like his voice were cold, but that wasn't a surprise, they always were. The room was still dark, the velvet draperies had not been cleaned since the death of the mistress of the house, whose portrait still loomed over the lounge as a painful reminder that she departed the world too soon and left an already tense family in shambles.
It was around midday, but the sky was dark and overcast giving the already darkened room the look of a scene from a gothic novel. Lucilla was weary of the tone of her father's voice. She could not understand what she had not done to please him. Cautiously she approached her father and sat in the chair opposite to her father her hands together in her lap.
"Yes" she asked she could feel the pit of her stomach drop, whatever Julius Malfoy had to say it was not good news.
"How old are you?" he asked
"You are my father, you should know." She said half in shock.
"Just answer the question" said Julius hardly.
"Twenty four" said Lucilla flatly.
"I thought as much" replied Julius, who seemed to be in thought. Lucilla waited for a reply.
"It had been drawn to my attention that you are very near or in the midst of marrying age." Lucilla frowned, not knowing where the conversation was going. "And I have taken the liberty of choosing your suitors myself." Lucilla felt sick and all the while he spoke, Julius watched his daughter intently.
Bowing her head Lucilla spoke in turn. "and they would be."
Julius straightened up and waited to see if his daughter would meet his eye again, she did not "Severus Snape."
Lucilla lingered on his words, she felt sick. "You think that's funny father." She said gritting her teeth.
"No Lucilla on the contrary, im very serious. And you will do as I say." Smirked Julius. "Is that all?" she said, struggling to hold her anger.
"Yes" said Julius "You may go." There was something chilling about the way he said his last words that made Lucilla twitch. With anxiety taking hold Lucilla made it all the way back to her chambers, where she promptly fainted.
Breathing heavily Lucilla climbed out of bed, she staggered over to her dressing table and made herself presentable for her brother and his family. For the present occasion, a trip to Diagon Alley she had selected a red and black gown, certain to impress and 'uphold the family name'. Observing herself in the mirror, Lucilla endeavoured to push the events of the last night from her mind. Today she was determined to enjoy herself. Almost immediately her mood lifted, and it lifted more so when she greeted her family at the breakfast table.
Lucius and Draco stood to acknowledge her entrance, still clinging to the rules of the gentry which seemed to be diminishing in wizarding society. Narcissa however cried out with delight. "Lucilla! How lovely! Ive been waiting for you to come down!" she said rising to greet her sister-in-law and planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Did you sleep well my dear?" Lucius asked her from his place.
"Yes, well enough." She sighed sitting.
"Draco has informed me that you have offered to take him to Diagon Alley this morning." Continued Lucius who had picked up his copy of the Daily Prophet. "I will thank you for that, it will allow Narcissa and I to attend other business."
Draco gave a sly grin from across the table, Lucilla chuckled.
"What?" questioned Lucius looking up from his paper and across to Lucilla and then to Narcissa.
"Nothing." Said Lucilla "I'm looking forward to spending time with Draco, perhaps I can persuade him not to do Alchemy when he leaves Hogwarts." She began to eat her breakfast which had been laid out for her.
"Perhaps you can also persuade him to life his game academically" Lucius cast a disapproving glance at Draco who frowned.
"Oh look at the time!" exclaimed Lucilla changing the subject. "We really should get going Draco!"
"Have you got your things dear?" Narcissa asked Draco. Draco nodded.
"Well, come on then!" said Lucilla who had finished and reached for her purse. "You have your apparating licence?"
"Naturally" Lucius answered for his son.
"Well then?" said Lucilla to her nephew, lets go. And the blonde disappeared with a sharp CRACK .
Soon enough both Aunt and Nephew were in Diagon Alley. "Ah! Its been so long since ive been here, I don't know how I stayed away so long, isn't it wonderful?" exclaimed Lucilla grabbing her nephew's arm.
"Fantastic" drawled Draco.
"Come now, what wrong?" inquired Lucilla looking around at the shops. "Its nothing really, just father..." Draco looked at the ground. "And school. Would you believe me Draco if I told you that Lucius was the exact same way with me? And not only did I have him bearing down on me but I had my own father, and believe me, he is ten times worse. Lets not talk about that now, show me your book list."
Draco smiled and passed the torn parchment to his aunt.
"Right" she said observing it. "Books? Oh, they are still using this one..." Lucilla pointed out a few of the books on the list. "Flourish and Blott's!" she exclaimed hurrying off into the crowd with Draco at her side.
Lucilla reached the front of the shop which was crowded (once again) with Hogwarts students. Her attention however was drawn away from this as soon as Draco tugged at her arm. "Lucilla, look." He pointed to a girl, with unruly brown hair and two odd looking parents. "That's the mudblood." He said under his breath.
Lucilla looked sideways at her nephew "Muggles, Draco, Muggles, anyone who hears you use that term will think a Malfoy never learned proper English. And that would make your grandfather very angry." Both of them watched them pass. The girl looked straight at Malfoy and Malfoy sneered back.
"What was that all about?" Lucilla asked Draco once again peering at his booklist. "She's head girl, can you believe it." Draco spat.
Lucilla said nothing before striding into the shop to do battle against the other shoppers.
Lucilla arose the next morning to the small taps of the house elf upon her chamber door. "Miss Malfoy, Its time for getting up it is." Said the high pitched voice. For a moment Lucilla quite forgot where she was and the events of the night before, that was, until she had opened her eyes. The events of the following day came flooding back to her and she gave a gasp and sat bolt upright in the bed her eyes open wide.
Come in here Lucilla, there are certain matters which I would like to discuss with you." Julius Malfoy said sitting in his chair beside the fire. His eyes like his voice were cold, but that wasn't a surprise, they always were. The room was still dark, the velvet draperies had not been cleaned since the death of the mistress of the house, whose portrait still loomed over the lounge as a painful reminder that she departed the world too soon and left an already tense family in shambles.
It was around midday, but the sky was dark and overcast giving the already darkened room the look of a scene from a gothic novel. Lucilla was weary of the tone of her father's voice. She could not understand what she had not done to please him. Cautiously she approached her father and sat in the chair opposite to her father her hands together in her lap.
"Yes" she asked she could feel the pit of her stomach drop, whatever Julius Malfoy had to say it was not good news.
"How old are you?" he asked
"You are my father, you should know." She said half in shock.
"Just answer the question" said Julius hardly.
"Twenty four" said Lucilla flatly.
"I thought as much" replied Julius, who seemed to be in thought. Lucilla waited for a reply.
"It had been drawn to my attention that you are very near or in the midst of marrying age." Lucilla frowned, not knowing where the conversation was going. "And I have taken the liberty of choosing your suitors myself." Lucilla felt sick and all the while he spoke, Julius watched his daughter intently.
Bowing her head Lucilla spoke in turn. "and they would be."
Julius straightened up and waited to see if his daughter would meet his eye again, she did not "Severus Snape."
Lucilla lingered on his words, she felt sick. "You think that's funny father." She said gritting her teeth.
"No Lucilla on the contrary, im very serious. And you will do as I say." Smirked Julius. "Is that all?" she said, struggling to hold her anger.
"Yes" said Julius "You may go." There was something chilling about the way he said his last words that made Lucilla twitch. With anxiety taking hold Lucilla made it all the way back to her chambers, where she promptly fainted.
Breathing heavily Lucilla climbed out of bed, she staggered over to her dressing table and made herself presentable for her brother and his family. For the present occasion, a trip to Diagon Alley she had selected a red and black gown, certain to impress and 'uphold the family name'. Observing herself in the mirror, Lucilla endeavoured to push the events of the last night from her mind. Today she was determined to enjoy herself. Almost immediately her mood lifted, and it lifted more so when she greeted her family at the breakfast table.
Lucius and Draco stood to acknowledge her entrance, still clinging to the rules of the gentry which seemed to be diminishing in wizarding society. Narcissa however cried out with delight. "Lucilla! How lovely! Ive been waiting for you to come down!" she said rising to greet her sister-in-law and planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Did you sleep well my dear?" Lucius asked her from his place.
"Yes, well enough." She sighed sitting.
"Draco has informed me that you have offered to take him to Diagon Alley this morning." Continued Lucius who had picked up his copy of the Daily Prophet. "I will thank you for that, it will allow Narcissa and I to attend other business."
Draco gave a sly grin from across the table, Lucilla chuckled.
"What?" questioned Lucius looking up from his paper and across to Lucilla and then to Narcissa.
"Nothing." Said Lucilla "I'm looking forward to spending time with Draco, perhaps I can persuade him not to do Alchemy when he leaves Hogwarts." She began to eat her breakfast which had been laid out for her.
"Perhaps you can also persuade him to life his game academically" Lucius cast a disapproving glance at Draco who frowned.
"Oh look at the time!" exclaimed Lucilla changing the subject. "We really should get going Draco!"
"Have you got your things dear?" Narcissa asked Draco. Draco nodded.
"Well, come on then!" said Lucilla who had finished and reached for her purse. "You have your apparating licence?"
"Naturally" Lucius answered for his son.
"Well then?" said Lucilla to her nephew, lets go. And the blonde disappeared with a sharp CRACK .
Soon enough both Aunt and Nephew were in Diagon Alley. "Ah! Its been so long since ive been here, I don't know how I stayed away so long, isn't it wonderful?" exclaimed Lucilla grabbing her nephew's arm.
"Fantastic" drawled Draco.
"Come now, what wrong?" inquired Lucilla looking around at the shops. "Its nothing really, just father..." Draco looked at the ground. "And school. Would you believe me Draco if I told you that Lucius was the exact same way with me? And not only did I have him bearing down on me but I had my own father, and believe me, he is ten times worse. Lets not talk about that now, show me your book list."
Draco smiled and passed the torn parchment to his aunt.
"Right" she said observing it. "Books? Oh, they are still using this one..." Lucilla pointed out a few of the books on the list. "Flourish and Blott's!" she exclaimed hurrying off into the crowd with Draco at her side.
Lucilla reached the front of the shop which was crowded (once again) with Hogwarts students. Her attention however was drawn away from this as soon as Draco tugged at her arm. "Lucilla, look." He pointed to a girl, with unruly brown hair and two odd looking parents. "That's the mudblood." He said under his breath.
Lucilla looked sideways at her nephew "Muggles, Draco, Muggles, anyone who hears you use that term will think a Malfoy never learned proper English. And that would make your grandfather very angry." Both of them watched them pass. The girl looked straight at Malfoy and Malfoy sneered back.
"What was that all about?" Lucilla asked Draco once again peering at his booklist. "She's head girl, can you believe it." Draco spat.
Lucilla said nothing before striding into the shop to do battle against the other shoppers.