Chapter Sixteen: Mab's Cauldron

Two days later, things had still not returned to normal at the Malfoy estate. The tension between Lucius and Rose was palpable enough to give Draco a headache when he entered a room they both occupied, which, thank the stars, was rare.

Still, Rose seemed to be recovering from her injuries quite nicely and had even managed to crack a joke or two. She still had trouble lifting anything heavy with her left hand, but had assured him that her wrist was stronger every day. Until then, she could readily levitate anything that gave her trouble.

She had become a whirlwind of activity though, even more so than usual, never allowing herself a moment's rest. When Draco expressed his concern about this to his father, Lucius insisted that it was simply her way of working through her anger, and that it was best to leave her to her own devices. She was a strong woman, he had added, a strange look in his eye.

Draco left the room in confusion.

Tonight, he sat at dinner watching Rose flit in and out of the dining room, clearing away empty plates and refilling glasses, never looking Lucius in the eye, but often pausing her incessant movements for a split-second to wink at Draco.

He was relieved at her playful antics, a sure sign that she was beginning to feel like herself again.

Now, he stood in the foyer, practicing his juggling which he had perfected via animated instructions she had slid under his door sometime Thursday night. Despite his rapidly-developing skill, he dropped all three balls when the maid appeared at the top of the stairs.

For a moment, he thought it was a stranger, one of his father's paid companions making her way home late at night. But, on closer inspection he saw that it was Rose, dressed to kill in baggy black trousers, a bright red shirt that wore like a second skin, and huge stacked boots. Her hair was slicked back. She was actually wearing make-up, not a great deal, just enough to brighten cheeks and lips which had been deathly pale for days.

He thought he'd never seen anyone so uncompromisingly sexy.

"Where are you going?" he asked, incredulously, wearing a huge smile of approval.

"My dear lad, your father has released me early tonight, so I'm going out," she responded happily, matching his smile with one of her own.

"With whom?"

"With yours truly."

She breezed passed him and he caught a whiff of intoxicating perfume.

"Are you - alright - to go out?" he asked as delicately as possible.

Rose smiled warmly at the concern on his young face.

"I'm fine, little dragon boy. I've decided that the only way I'm going to get over the other night is to keep living, you know - keep breathing." Draco answered with a confused look. "I'm fine, Drac. Don't worry."

She ruffled his hair playfully, and he immediately reached up to rake it back into place.

"And, to answer your question, I'm going to that new club off of Knockturn Alley."

"Mab's Cauldron?" Draco asked, his voice laced with envy.

"That's right. I'm running a little late, but I'm sure they'll just go ahead and start the party without me," she joked.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. "You want to come along? You're a little young, but I'm sure you can get in with an escort."

Draco's face fell. "I'd love to, but there's no way my father will let me out of the house."

The look of disappointment was too much to bear. "That's just stupid," she huffed. "Let me go talk to him. Maybe we can work something out." she offered.

As much as he wanted to talk her out of it, the flicker of hope that she could change his father's mind would not let him stop her as she skipped back up the stairs toward his room.

Rose took a deep breath before knocking on Malfoy's door. She knew that she was taking a risk by coming to his personal chambers, probably catching him in bed, wearing "filthy muggle clothes," but she couldn't stand the thought of Draco missing out on life because of his father's paranoia. Besides, she smiled to herself, I happen to know for a fact that Alex is not after young Mr. Malfoy.

She rapped lightly, hoping that she wouldn't startle him and cause another attack on an innocent door.

"Come," called a muffled voice from within.

Oh, good, he was still awake.

The sight that met her eyes as she swung open the door froze her in her tracks.

Lucius reclined in his favorite chair, naked to the waist - again - luxurious platinum hair hanging over his bare shoulders, lightly brushing his chest. At the sight of his maid, he rose gracefully to feet, taking in her appearance with one sweep of his eyes.

He smiled graciously, unconcerned for his own state of undress.

"My dear lady, I do hope this is a social call," he said sweetly.

She smiled at his good humor. Thank Mab he wasn't holding her recent silence against her!

"Maybe later," she hedged. "Tonight, I'm going out."

"Where are you going?"

So caught off-guard was she by his nearness and his state of undress, that she answered honestly before she could stop herself. "As far away from your naked skin as possible - before I do something I'll regret."

He took a step forward, enjoying the sight of her breath quickening as she looked away. "And you're certain that you would regret it?"

"Sir, I regret one simple kiss in a moment of weakness," she admitted.

"Do you?" he pursued softly, stepping closer.

Rose stared at the floor. "It was careless, sir."

"It was breathtaking," he said simply.

Rose felt the heat rise to her face as she shifted her gaze to the wall. She couldn't believe the effect his nearness was having on her resolve. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smile.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a woman blush?"

"I doubt I'm the first woman you've flattered."

He closed the distance between them with a single stride and drew her gaze to him with sheer proximity. His smile had been replaced with a somber expression.

"Is that what you think I'm doing?"

"I think that you're not accustomed to having your will resisted."

"Displeasing the head of the Malfoy family has, for time immemorial, been considered the height of foolishness."

Rose locked her eyes with his, feigning more strength than she felt. "Are you threatening me, sir?"

"Merely passing on a bit of wisdom," he answered lightly.

"Perhaps you'd prefer to resort to your associates' methods and just take what you want," she suggested angrily.

"Such action would demean us both," he said seriously. "And I resent your implication that I am anything like them."

Rose felt the danger behind the softly-spoken words. She smiled sweetly and curtsied. "Well, I'd hate to besmirch your honor, good sir," she joked, relieved to hear him chuckle.

The tension eased in an instant, and she felt free to address the issue at hand. "I actually came up here to talk to you about Draco, sir."

His face shadowed. "What has he done?"

"Nothing," she hurried to assure him. "He's a great kid. I really like him - which is why I'm here."

Lucius perched on the edge of the bed, offering her his chair with a gallant gesture.

She would have preferred to stand, but when Lucius didn't get what he wanted he became a difficult man to deal with. She sat lightly, trying to keep the raging fantasies of what magic could be made in that bed from overwhelming her.

"I don't have much time, so I'll make this short. Your son's bored out of his mind, holed up in this mansion with nothing to do and no one to socialize with but his father and the maid."

His eyes narrowed slightly and Rose's mouth went immediately dry. "And you have a suggestion?"

"Let him go out with me tonight. I can look after him and -"

"That is out of the question," he interrupted coldly.

"Sir," she struggled to keep her tone even, "with all due respect, you're being ridiculous. That poor kid will go crazy locked up in this house all summer!"

"Where my son goes or does not go is none of your affair. I am his father, and I will decide what is best for him."

"What's best for you, you mean," Rose spit out the words against her own better judgment.

Lucius stood, his imposing height throwing Rose into shadow. "This conversation is over. I suggest you leave before I forget myself," he said coldly.

"Fine." Rose shot up from her chair and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Lucius stared at his door in fascination. Never had anyone had the audacity to behave in such a manner toward him. She usually showed a great deal more respect, not to mention self-restraint. What had gotten into her?

After a few moments of wondering, he shook his fair head lightly. With all she'd been through, she was bound to have the occasional fit of temper. He could be patient until she was herself again.

He sniffed the air lightly like a predator scenting his prey. Her perfume still lingered in the air, stirring a hunger that had not diminished since her "moment of weakness." Somehow, he had to convince her to give in to these emotions that caused her such turmoil. There was simply no reason for either of them suffer like this.

The next morning dawned brightly and Lucius awakened to the usual sight of breakfast and a hot bath in the next room. Briefly, he wondered how Rose managed to keep up with her duties as well as she did, even going so far as to come home from a night on the town and still have breakfast ready for both of the Malfoy gentlemen - on her day off, no less.

Perhaps she had stayed at the manor last night after all.

Draco would likely know, and he made a mental note to ask him. They needed to have a talk anyway.

He took time for a leisurely bath and breakfast before dressing and making his way to his son's room. There, he remembered to have the courtesy to knock, something he rarely did. No answer was forthcoming, however, and Lucius opened the door quietly.

His son was still asleep, curled under the green and black Slytherin blanket that he had insisted on having when he was accepted into his family's traditional house. It had, of course, been waiting for him when he came home for the holidays.

He smiled warmly at the sight of the boy's white-blonde hair, so like his own, splayed on the black satin pillow. The resemblance almost stopped there, though. He had his mother's delicate features, and a personality that was almost, but not quite like a traditional Malfoy. The boy was ruthless, but lacked cunning. Goal-oriented, but lacked perseverance. Neither had he shown any sign of the Malfoy grace under pressure.

And, worse still, he had been caught on several occasions with muggle magazines and books in his room. Lucius had burned them immediately. He would not have his boy grow up to be some muggle-loving fool like Arthur Weasley.

Moaning lightly, Draco dragged his eyes open, blinking away the morning light streaming in through the window.

"Good morning, son," his father greeted almost tenderly.

Still, it gave Draco a start, and he grabbed his wand from the bedside table, brandishing it at the intruder whose eyes filled with pride. "Well done, Draco, but you would have been dead two minutes ago," he said lightly. "It's awfully late to be sleeping," he added. "Perhaps you should get up. I see the maid has your breakfast ready."

Draco sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning lightly.

"Good morning, father. Is anything the matter?"

"Nothing at all." Lucius sat on the edge of the bed and gazed down at his son. "I just felt that we should talk."

"About last night?" Draco guessed.

"I thought that we'd reached an understanding."

"We had, father, but when she suggested going to ask you -"

"You felt that your father would be swayed by a tight blouse and a pretty face," Lucius inserted with a smirk.

Draco sighed and looked down at his hands. "I didn't think it would hurt."

"Oh, it never does. Did you truly want to go out with her? She's nearly twice your age."

"I just wanted to go out, father," he answered seriously, entreating the older wizard with wide eyes. "And the fact that she's twice my age doesn't bother me. She doesn't act it, so I don't really see it. Besides, the Daily Prophet said that Mab's Cauldron was going to be amazing; live bands every night, three levels, dancing, wand-tag in the basement, and a restaurant on the third floor."

"It does sound wonderful."

"Exactly."

"I hope that it took her mind off of her recent troubles," Lucius said sincerely. "She did go, did she not?" Draco nodded dejectedly. "I'm sorry that I couldn't allow you to join her. I can't express to you the danger you would be in."

"Not with Rose. You saw what she did to the men who tried to - " Draco began.

"Son," his father interjected. "The only reason that woman survived is that they were toying with her. You know what sort of men they are. They enjoy rough sport." Lucius sighed and looked away. "I don't like to dwell on what they would have done to her had I not interfered."

Draco brow furrowed in curiosity. "Why did you stop them?"

"Oh, there are a host of reasons," Lucius began, lying down and staring at the ceiling, arms crossed behind his head. "The most important is that she has become indispensable to me, to us, really, though you may not realize it."

"You could have altered her memory," Draco offered.

"Spoken like a true Slytherin," his father praised. "However, she is a pure-blood witch. They are becoming quite rare, and should be treated with respect. I had no intention of allowing them to violate something so precious."

Draco smiled down at his father playfully. "You like her, don't you?"

Gray eyes darted over to meet his own. "She's a servant, son."

"You've been with every other servant we've had."

Lucius smiled. "Our other servants were nothing like her."

"Will she not have you?" Draco teased.

Lucius sighed heavily, suddenly serious. "Could you blame her?"

The younger wizard bit his bottom lip as he contemplated. "I don't suppose I could, but you have been awfully hard on her. Maybe you could be a bit more friendly," he suggested.

Lucius chuckled. "Friendly? She's fortunate I haven't taken her head off. Besides, with Alexandria threatening our entire circle, I have much work to do."

"Do you think you can find her?" Draco asked, his eyes wide with concern.

"Finding her is simple," was his surprising answer. "The problem lies in deciding where to go from there."

"How to kill her without endangering yourself?" Draco guessed.

Lucius chuckled. "I don't want to kill her, son. I need her alive, but under my control, and she's far too focused to hold with an Imperius Curse." He sighed again, more deeply this time. "Somehow, I have to befriend my enemy. Perhaps it's time I told her the simple truth."

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews! I love you guys!

PPP: I'm glad that you were spared agonizing over Rose's fate. I updated as quickly as possible to relieve the tension. I agree with you that, sans Potter, Draco's an okay kid. He still has a few rough edges, though. They'll become evident later on.

Intel Ewok: Wow! Just hearing about your job gave me headache. You poor thing! I hope things get a little groovier soon. You are correct. Lucius is, above all, cunning when it comes to manipulation. There's something inherently sexy about that.

Lady Jenilyn: Calm yourself, Jen! Goodness! Oh, who am I kidding? I had a hot flash just writing that scene. It's so hard to keep those two under control sometimes. I have to remind myself of their respective motivations. I was pretty happy that he saved her as well. And yes, Severus does have a problem with allowing his darker emotions to influence him. I'm not sure that he even realizes why he's so damned possessive of her. I can safely reveal at this point that Draco is no longer the main obstacle between Rose and Lucius.

Rycca: Go, Lucius, indeed. My word, we do change our allegiances quickly, don't we? Just kidding. I can't blame you. Sev is being a complete imbecile. I appreciate your saying that Lucius seems more human now. I was really pushing for that effect. And, happily, Draco is becoming more pro-Rose by the day.

Slytherin Sagittarius: Thank goodness! I don't think I could write a scene like that. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth for weeks! I was happy for Rose's butt-kicking, too, but she could've easily given herself away like that. It's not like she had much of a choice, though. Thank you for complimenting my development of Draco and Lucius. That means so much to me! You mean, if Draco finds out. :-)

Arwen 78: Too much drama? Never! Honestly, I don't mean to torture. Severus still rocks. He's just being his usual temperamental, uncompromising self! Please don't hate me.

Fleur K: A good point there about Rose making a move on her own terms. I actually hadn't considered that. Well-spotted! And, no, I don't think Lucius has even come close to considering her an equal.

Silverfey: Don't worry, I think Rose/Alex is pretty confused, too. The poor girl: Love, lust, like, longing, friendship, alliances, enemies - It's tough. Rose and Draco are good for each other, I think. Her perspective seems to clear when she's playing big sister. Good call about Sev's jealousy, by the way. He stepped away willingly. He shouldn't be pissed when someone steps up in his place, but that's our Severus for you. Ah, I got a "Go, You!" My night is complete!

Annie: I wonder as well when Lucius will begin to suspect. He's so cunning, but too arrogant to believe that a mere woman could outwit him. In the immortal words of Vencini, "Ha, ha! You fool!" I'm glad you enjoyed the kiss. I enjoyed it, myself; had to go take a cold shower just picturing it long enough to write it. As for Alex being a miracle, you honor me. No, really. I blushed. Thank you.