Well, once again, sorry for the delay in updating the story. I know I
promised you guys the chapter a few days ago, but it was really hard to
write. I don't know why really. Every time I'd write it I wouldn't be happy
with the way it was, so it's been changed several times. Anyway, so here is
Chapter Seven. Enjoy and let me know what you think. And, as always, I am
open to any suggestions that you might have.
Wow! I've gotten so many reviews! Thanks so much. Here's some rather long- winded acknowledgements, so if your are just here to read the chapter you might want to scroll down a bit to get to it. It's there, I promise.
Acknowledgements:
Aeryn Alexander: Thanks for reviewing chapter five. That was a hard one to write. Glad you liked it. He was quite a prick wasn't he? It's going to take a while before Draco and Narcissa believe that Lucius is genuine. They are going to be very suspicious and wary about him for a long time. Thanks for the suggestions. I liked your picnic idea and used it. I'm definitely having Lucius play Quidditch with Draco. In fact, Lucius is going to run Draco ragged with a bunch of father/son activities. If you have any further suggestions, let me know. Thanks again.
Athena: Thank you for your lovely review. Please, suggest away. I'm always glad to hear what other people think should happen in the story and it helps a lot. Thanks again.
Mimi: Here's more of the story. Glad you enjoy it so much. It's a lot of fun to write it and knowing that you all love it really helps me to continue with it.
f0xyness39: Thanks for your reviewing. I'm glad you like how I characterized them. I figured I'd do something different from most of the stories out there. Something light and fun. Hm.Disney World. Interesting idea. May use it. If I do I'm going to have either Draco or Lucius punch Mickey Mouse out. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney and Mickey, but I hate those people in the costumes. For some reason they always creep me out. They get a little touchy sometimes, you know, arm around your shoulders, hugs and what-not. Lucius and Draco don't strike me as the touchy-feely kind so Mickey gets slugged.
Poppy: Yeah, the story reminds me of the Christmas Carol as well. I realized that as I was doing chapter five, the one where the angel shows Lucius how horrible he was. I love the Christmas Carol. I have so many different versions of the movie, from the Muppets to a very good one with Patrick Stewart, and have read the book several times. A Harry Potter version of A Christmas Carol would be funny.
Mara: Thanks for your review. I'm glad you like the concept of the story. Much different than anything I've read. I love the Malfoys but it is so hard to find a really good fic with them that isn't angst filled. I like some angst stories but really hate it when they involve incest and rape. I'm not into that kind of stuff, so I decided to write my own fic that doesn't have any of that stuff. You'll notice that if you select genre: Humor, Rating: PG-13, Characters: Draco, Lucius, that my story is the only one that will show up. Thanks again for the review.
Bahamut Epyon: Thank you for your review. I love it when people tell me how much they like the story. Makes me feel really bad when I don't update it for a few days. Thanks again.
Kippinator- Thanks for your suggestions. I will definitely have them go to the opera and a birthday party for Draco would be really funny. A snowball fight will happen. I'm not sure if it should be during Christmas Break, as that is a long way from when the story starts, or whether they should go to Iceland to visit Draco's grandmother and go to the mountains. Either way, it will be funny. What do you think should happen?
Petriebird18: I love Lucius and Narcissa as a couple as well. A candlelight dinner will be coming up and poor Draco is going to get kicked out of the house for the whole night. Wink. There will be some cute scenes as Narcissa begins to relax around Lucius and realizes that he really has changed. Thanks for the suggestions.
Youko Gingitsune: Awwww! Thank you for your great review. It makes me feel so happy that you have put me on your favorites list. Thanks for your suggestions. Narcissa is most definitely getting chocolate form Lucius. However, this is not necessarily a good thing as it will prove to distress her more than make her happy. She can not control herself when it comes to chocolate and there is this little thing called weight gain. Oh, and did I mention that certain flowers make her sneeze rather violently? Thanks again for the suggestions and if you have any more, let me know.
Whew!! Now that that is over, here's the chapter. Enjoy.
Chapter Seven: Plans for the Day
The family lunch lasted for a good hour and was, to Draco and his mother, the longest and most excruciating hour that they had ever experienced. The first fifteen minutes consisted of Lucius trying to start small conversations with his family, but after a short time he realized that he wasn't going to get more than slight nods or one-word answers out of his wife and son and decided to give up trying. Lucius noticed that Narcissa and Draco would exchange confused and wary glances at each other now and then. He smiled slightly to himself as he looked at the two them, wondering what was going on in their heads. The rest of the family lunch was then eaten in silence, which was something that Narcissa and Draco were quite accustomed to and really much more comfortable with.
When Lucius ate with his family they were usually silent. At breakfast every morning Lucius would be hidden behind the newspaper or reading some parchments. Now and then he would mumble an angry comment under his breath about how the Ministry was weakening, the ridiculousness of allowing witches and wizards with less than pure blood to attend Hogwarts, or the absurdity of some new Muggle protection law. Once in a while he would throw down what he was reading in a fit of anger and begin lecturing Draco about the importance of pureblood and how far below Muggles were to people like the Malfoys. He had done this even when Draco was a baby and couldn't understand what his father was saying. Little Draco would just sit there in his high chair and stare at his father's face, mesmerized by the fast movements of his lips as he spoke and the sound coming from them. Most of the time little Draco would fall asleep after several minutes of the lecture which made Lucius slam his hand upon the table, startling the poor baby, and demand, "Are you listening to me BOY?!" There had been one instance where Lucius became very angry as his son had begun crying after he had slammed his hand down upon the table. He moved his face menacingly closer to Draco's and hissed, "Shut up, boy. Stop crying! No son of mine will cry like a little girl!" In response to this a very distraught Draco launched a spoon of baby food into his father's angry face. Draco stopped crying the instant that the green substance had hit its target. He then began to giggle and through another spoonful of his food at his father. Lucius said nothing, he simply took a cloth napkin, stood up, and began to walk out of the dining room, mopping his face, and trying to remain as dignified as possible. Draco giggled uncontrollably and, as soon as her husband had left the room, Narcissa joined her son in the laughter.
However, the lectures did not stop. As he got older Draco had learned to just tune it out as it was the same speech over and over again. He had memorized the right times to nod his head and make some sort of noise of agreement, thus making his father believe he was listening.
It was on very rare occasions that Lucius would eat lunch with his family and even rarer still dinner. If he wasn't at the office in the ministry, then he was off at some Death Eater meeting or making shady deals in Knockturn Alley. He wouldn't return to the manor until it was rather late and either would have already eaten or just order a house elf to fix him something. So, it was very strange to Narcissa and Draco when Lucius had said that he wanted them to meet him for lunch. Stranger still when he tried now and then to begin a conversation that didn't involve a lecture on maintaining the Malfoy honor and preserving the pure blood.
The Malfoys had finally finished lunch and were waiting on their deserts when Lucius decided that it was time to break the silence and reveal to his wife and son what he was planning for the rest of the day. He took a sip from his wine glass and then leaned forward to set it down upon the table, clearing his throat while doing so.
"I suppose that now would be a good time to let you know what we will be doing this afternoon and evening."
Narcissa and Draco looked at each other and then over at Lucius with expressions that clearly showed that they were a bit apprehensive, having no idea what to expect. The right corner of Lucius' mouth curled up slightly in amusement as he noticed their expressions. This made mother and son even more nervous. At that moment the waiter came and set down three plates in front of them, each containing a piece of white cake with chocolate swirls. The three of them picked up their dessert forks and began to cut into their cakes.
"I decided that we should go out for a ride together this afternoon across the estate and perhaps to that lake that you always used to like to go to, Narcissa."
Both Draco and Narcissa froze, forks in mid-air, and stared at Lucius. Narcissa stared in shock at her husband. She couldn't believe that he remembered about the lake. It was her favorite spot to go to, but Lucius had not gone there with her for years. Not since before Draco had been born.
"I figure it has been a long time since I've ridden the horses with you two."
"You've never ridden with us." Draco said.
"Hm. It's been longer than I thought."
The Malfoy estate had a very elegant stable on the grounds that were filled with some of the most beautiful and elegant horses one had ever laid eyes on. It had been a requirement for Draco to learn how to ride and to ride well. He had been placed upon a horse before he could even walk and as the years progressed he grew quite fond of it and rather good. Other than watching muggle movies, riding the horses across the estate became a favorite pastime for Narcissa and her son. Lucius had ridden with Narcissa a few times and they had always wound up going to a very large and scenic lake that was located not far from the estate. However, after Draco was born, he and Narcissa never went riding together and he never joined his wife and son on their little jaunts around the grounds. He would ride once in a while, but always alone and only to keep his horse fit and manageable. His horse was quite the demon horse and was impossible to ride. Only Lucius knew how to handle him, thus this was the reason why he would go ride on occasions.
"Then I thought that we could stay there for a while and have a picnic supper and watch the sun set."
That did it. Narcissa dropped her fork which fell with a loud 'chink' upon her plate. Her face paled slightly and she reached out for her glass of wine, she needed a strong drink right then, but the wine was the only thing available. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from her husband. Was this the same man? The Lucius that she knew would never voluntarily participate in something like a picnic dinner and watching the sun set much less suggest them. What had happened to the man? Was he ill?
"Narcissa, dear, are you okay?"
That did it again. A term of endearment! What was going on?! She drained her glass in one gulp and set it down upon the table with a slightly shaking hand.
"Mother, are you alright?"
"Yes, dear, I'm fine." She smiled slightly at her son and then turned to her husband who was looking at her with a concerned expression upon his face.
"I'm fine." She said again. "I think that it's just a bit too warm in here. Let's finish our desserts so that we can leave."
The three of them returned back to their cakes. They were soon finished and Lucius asked the waiter for the bill. The bill came and Lucius began fishing out some galleons from the money pouch in his pocket. Lucius paid the waiter and threw a couple of coins upon the table for a tip. They then began to stand up. Lucius quickly went to his wife's side and put one hand on the back of her chair and with the other, took a hold of her hand and helped her to rise. Narcissa was startled and looked wide- eyed at her husband
"I just thought that you might need some help up in case you were still feeling unwell."
"I- I'm fine. Really." She stammered as she still stared at her husband. Lucius then smiled a rather impish smile and kissed the back of her hand. He then dropped it and began to make his way towards the door. Narcissa stood in utter shock and stared down at her hand. She then looked up at Draco, who wore an equally shocked expression, and lifted her hand a little higher showing it to Draco in a gesture that said, "What the hell was that?!"
Draco shook his head and shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, "I don't know."
"Narcissa? Draco? Are you two coming?" Lucius said as he had realized that they were not following him and turned around to see them staring at each other with expressions of complete confusion upon their faces.
Narcissa and Draco mentally shook themselves and turned to follow Lucius out the door. Lucius turned and a smile began to stretch across his face. If he had realized before just how funny their reactions would be to this kind of change in behavior he would have done it a long time ago.
Wow! I've gotten so many reviews! Thanks so much. Here's some rather long- winded acknowledgements, so if your are just here to read the chapter you might want to scroll down a bit to get to it. It's there, I promise.
Acknowledgements:
Aeryn Alexander: Thanks for reviewing chapter five. That was a hard one to write. Glad you liked it. He was quite a prick wasn't he? It's going to take a while before Draco and Narcissa believe that Lucius is genuine. They are going to be very suspicious and wary about him for a long time. Thanks for the suggestions. I liked your picnic idea and used it. I'm definitely having Lucius play Quidditch with Draco. In fact, Lucius is going to run Draco ragged with a bunch of father/son activities. If you have any further suggestions, let me know. Thanks again.
Athena: Thank you for your lovely review. Please, suggest away. I'm always glad to hear what other people think should happen in the story and it helps a lot. Thanks again.
Mimi: Here's more of the story. Glad you enjoy it so much. It's a lot of fun to write it and knowing that you all love it really helps me to continue with it.
f0xyness39: Thanks for your reviewing. I'm glad you like how I characterized them. I figured I'd do something different from most of the stories out there. Something light and fun. Hm.Disney World. Interesting idea. May use it. If I do I'm going to have either Draco or Lucius punch Mickey Mouse out. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney and Mickey, but I hate those people in the costumes. For some reason they always creep me out. They get a little touchy sometimes, you know, arm around your shoulders, hugs and what-not. Lucius and Draco don't strike me as the touchy-feely kind so Mickey gets slugged.
Poppy: Yeah, the story reminds me of the Christmas Carol as well. I realized that as I was doing chapter five, the one where the angel shows Lucius how horrible he was. I love the Christmas Carol. I have so many different versions of the movie, from the Muppets to a very good one with Patrick Stewart, and have read the book several times. A Harry Potter version of A Christmas Carol would be funny.
Mara: Thanks for your review. I'm glad you like the concept of the story. Much different than anything I've read. I love the Malfoys but it is so hard to find a really good fic with them that isn't angst filled. I like some angst stories but really hate it when they involve incest and rape. I'm not into that kind of stuff, so I decided to write my own fic that doesn't have any of that stuff. You'll notice that if you select genre: Humor, Rating: PG-13, Characters: Draco, Lucius, that my story is the only one that will show up. Thanks again for the review.
Bahamut Epyon: Thank you for your review. I love it when people tell me how much they like the story. Makes me feel really bad when I don't update it for a few days. Thanks again.
Kippinator- Thanks for your suggestions. I will definitely have them go to the opera and a birthday party for Draco would be really funny. A snowball fight will happen. I'm not sure if it should be during Christmas Break, as that is a long way from when the story starts, or whether they should go to Iceland to visit Draco's grandmother and go to the mountains. Either way, it will be funny. What do you think should happen?
Petriebird18: I love Lucius and Narcissa as a couple as well. A candlelight dinner will be coming up and poor Draco is going to get kicked out of the house for the whole night. Wink. There will be some cute scenes as Narcissa begins to relax around Lucius and realizes that he really has changed. Thanks for the suggestions.
Youko Gingitsune: Awwww! Thank you for your great review. It makes me feel so happy that you have put me on your favorites list. Thanks for your suggestions. Narcissa is most definitely getting chocolate form Lucius. However, this is not necessarily a good thing as it will prove to distress her more than make her happy. She can not control herself when it comes to chocolate and there is this little thing called weight gain. Oh, and did I mention that certain flowers make her sneeze rather violently? Thanks again for the suggestions and if you have any more, let me know.
Whew!! Now that that is over, here's the chapter. Enjoy.
Chapter Seven: Plans for the Day
The family lunch lasted for a good hour and was, to Draco and his mother, the longest and most excruciating hour that they had ever experienced. The first fifteen minutes consisted of Lucius trying to start small conversations with his family, but after a short time he realized that he wasn't going to get more than slight nods or one-word answers out of his wife and son and decided to give up trying. Lucius noticed that Narcissa and Draco would exchange confused and wary glances at each other now and then. He smiled slightly to himself as he looked at the two them, wondering what was going on in their heads. The rest of the family lunch was then eaten in silence, which was something that Narcissa and Draco were quite accustomed to and really much more comfortable with.
When Lucius ate with his family they were usually silent. At breakfast every morning Lucius would be hidden behind the newspaper or reading some parchments. Now and then he would mumble an angry comment under his breath about how the Ministry was weakening, the ridiculousness of allowing witches and wizards with less than pure blood to attend Hogwarts, or the absurdity of some new Muggle protection law. Once in a while he would throw down what he was reading in a fit of anger and begin lecturing Draco about the importance of pureblood and how far below Muggles were to people like the Malfoys. He had done this even when Draco was a baby and couldn't understand what his father was saying. Little Draco would just sit there in his high chair and stare at his father's face, mesmerized by the fast movements of his lips as he spoke and the sound coming from them. Most of the time little Draco would fall asleep after several minutes of the lecture which made Lucius slam his hand upon the table, startling the poor baby, and demand, "Are you listening to me BOY?!" There had been one instance where Lucius became very angry as his son had begun crying after he had slammed his hand down upon the table. He moved his face menacingly closer to Draco's and hissed, "Shut up, boy. Stop crying! No son of mine will cry like a little girl!" In response to this a very distraught Draco launched a spoon of baby food into his father's angry face. Draco stopped crying the instant that the green substance had hit its target. He then began to giggle and through another spoonful of his food at his father. Lucius said nothing, he simply took a cloth napkin, stood up, and began to walk out of the dining room, mopping his face, and trying to remain as dignified as possible. Draco giggled uncontrollably and, as soon as her husband had left the room, Narcissa joined her son in the laughter.
However, the lectures did not stop. As he got older Draco had learned to just tune it out as it was the same speech over and over again. He had memorized the right times to nod his head and make some sort of noise of agreement, thus making his father believe he was listening.
It was on very rare occasions that Lucius would eat lunch with his family and even rarer still dinner. If he wasn't at the office in the ministry, then he was off at some Death Eater meeting or making shady deals in Knockturn Alley. He wouldn't return to the manor until it was rather late and either would have already eaten or just order a house elf to fix him something. So, it was very strange to Narcissa and Draco when Lucius had said that he wanted them to meet him for lunch. Stranger still when he tried now and then to begin a conversation that didn't involve a lecture on maintaining the Malfoy honor and preserving the pure blood.
The Malfoys had finally finished lunch and were waiting on their deserts when Lucius decided that it was time to break the silence and reveal to his wife and son what he was planning for the rest of the day. He took a sip from his wine glass and then leaned forward to set it down upon the table, clearing his throat while doing so.
"I suppose that now would be a good time to let you know what we will be doing this afternoon and evening."
Narcissa and Draco looked at each other and then over at Lucius with expressions that clearly showed that they were a bit apprehensive, having no idea what to expect. The right corner of Lucius' mouth curled up slightly in amusement as he noticed their expressions. This made mother and son even more nervous. At that moment the waiter came and set down three plates in front of them, each containing a piece of white cake with chocolate swirls. The three of them picked up their dessert forks and began to cut into their cakes.
"I decided that we should go out for a ride together this afternoon across the estate and perhaps to that lake that you always used to like to go to, Narcissa."
Both Draco and Narcissa froze, forks in mid-air, and stared at Lucius. Narcissa stared in shock at her husband. She couldn't believe that he remembered about the lake. It was her favorite spot to go to, but Lucius had not gone there with her for years. Not since before Draco had been born.
"I figure it has been a long time since I've ridden the horses with you two."
"You've never ridden with us." Draco said.
"Hm. It's been longer than I thought."
The Malfoy estate had a very elegant stable on the grounds that were filled with some of the most beautiful and elegant horses one had ever laid eyes on. It had been a requirement for Draco to learn how to ride and to ride well. He had been placed upon a horse before he could even walk and as the years progressed he grew quite fond of it and rather good. Other than watching muggle movies, riding the horses across the estate became a favorite pastime for Narcissa and her son. Lucius had ridden with Narcissa a few times and they had always wound up going to a very large and scenic lake that was located not far from the estate. However, after Draco was born, he and Narcissa never went riding together and he never joined his wife and son on their little jaunts around the grounds. He would ride once in a while, but always alone and only to keep his horse fit and manageable. His horse was quite the demon horse and was impossible to ride. Only Lucius knew how to handle him, thus this was the reason why he would go ride on occasions.
"Then I thought that we could stay there for a while and have a picnic supper and watch the sun set."
That did it. Narcissa dropped her fork which fell with a loud 'chink' upon her plate. Her face paled slightly and she reached out for her glass of wine, she needed a strong drink right then, but the wine was the only thing available. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from her husband. Was this the same man? The Lucius that she knew would never voluntarily participate in something like a picnic dinner and watching the sun set much less suggest them. What had happened to the man? Was he ill?
"Narcissa, dear, are you okay?"
That did it again. A term of endearment! What was going on?! She drained her glass in one gulp and set it down upon the table with a slightly shaking hand.
"Mother, are you alright?"
"Yes, dear, I'm fine." She smiled slightly at her son and then turned to her husband who was looking at her with a concerned expression upon his face.
"I'm fine." She said again. "I think that it's just a bit too warm in here. Let's finish our desserts so that we can leave."
The three of them returned back to their cakes. They were soon finished and Lucius asked the waiter for the bill. The bill came and Lucius began fishing out some galleons from the money pouch in his pocket. Lucius paid the waiter and threw a couple of coins upon the table for a tip. They then began to stand up. Lucius quickly went to his wife's side and put one hand on the back of her chair and with the other, took a hold of her hand and helped her to rise. Narcissa was startled and looked wide- eyed at her husband
"I just thought that you might need some help up in case you were still feeling unwell."
"I- I'm fine. Really." She stammered as she still stared at her husband. Lucius then smiled a rather impish smile and kissed the back of her hand. He then dropped it and began to make his way towards the door. Narcissa stood in utter shock and stared down at her hand. She then looked up at Draco, who wore an equally shocked expression, and lifted her hand a little higher showing it to Draco in a gesture that said, "What the hell was that?!"
Draco shook his head and shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, "I don't know."
"Narcissa? Draco? Are you two coming?" Lucius said as he had realized that they were not following him and turned around to see them staring at each other with expressions of complete confusion upon their faces.
Narcissa and Draco mentally shook themselves and turned to follow Lucius out the door. Lucius turned and a smile began to stretch across his face. If he had realized before just how funny their reactions would be to this kind of change in behavior he would have done it a long time ago.