Author's Notes – I am skipping ahead two years. So Cassius is now 26, Remus is 30 and they've been married over 4 years. This chapter has some violence and some angst so be warned! Please hit that review button when you finish!
Chapter 9 - Death of the Patriarch.
Remus had just finished playing a piece on the piano and was arranging his sheet music to play another song when he heard Cassius Apparate into the kitchen. He had gone to Malfoy Manor to visit that evening. He went twice a year, although he saw Lucius and Draco much more often. Remus walked in from the sitting room, slowly, just in case Cassius was in a bad temper, and saw Cassius on his hands and knees, coughing up blood.
"Tabby!" Remus yelled as he rushed over to Cassius, he knelt down, rubbing his hand over Cassius' back. "Cass – what happened?" Cassius coughed up more blood, shook his head once, then collapsed onto the floor.
Tabby rushed into the room. "What happened?" Her face paled as she saw Cassius.
"I don't know – he can't talk – he's just coughing up blood." Remus felt himself begin to panic. He pulled Cassius into his arms, taking care to keep Cassius' head turned to the side so he wouldn't choke. The blood started to create a dark pool on the stone floor around them.
Tabby threw some floo powder into the fire place. "Alastor!! Come quickly!" Her voice was shaky. She rushed out the back door into the garden, returning a moment later with a few uprooted plants in her hands. Moody arrived as she rushed back inside. He saw Cassius immediately and hurried over to him.
"It's the Hemalia hex." Moody said gruffly. Remus gasped – it was a dark hex, he'd read about it…it caused immense pain all over the body from muscle spasms, the lungs liquefied and the victim would often choke to death while coughing up the blood. The victim would certainly die if the cure wasn't administered within 30 minutes. The problem was the potion took almost that long to make.
"Yes! Help - potion!" Tabby yelled at him brokenly. Moody reached in a cupboard for a cauldron, setting it on the table, then rushed into the pantry as fast as he could, retrieving a few bottles of ingredients. "Damn Julius Malfoy to hell – using it on his son!" Tabby said angrily, tears streaming down her face as she chopped the plants she had pulled up.
Moody and Tabby worked together effortlessly on the potion as Remus cradled Cassius on the floor. Remus was more scared then he'd ever been in his whole life. Cassius was paler than Remus had ever seen him and his body shook as he coughed up more blood…Remus could only imagine the pain he was in. He gripped Cassius tighter.
"Please hold on…don't die… I love you…please don't leave me." Remus pleaded with Cassius. "Don't leave me, please. I love you so much. I don't know what I would do…you have to hold on. They're making the potion, you'll be fine, just please hold on. I love you." Remus was rocking back and forth, he could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks. Cassius continued to shake and cough up blood. The blood was spreading in a circle around Remus and Cassius. Remus smoothed back Cassius' hair feeling completely helpless. "Please hold on. They're making the potion. It won't be long now. I love you so much." He kept talking to Cassius until the potion was finished. It was the longest twenty minutes of Remus' life. Tabby rushed over with a glass of the potion, together she and Moody forced it down Cassius' throat between coughs. It took effect immediately. Cassius took a deep shuddery breath.
"All right now, my boy?" Moody smoothed his hand over Cassius' forehead. Cassius nodded once. "You gave us all quite a scare." Moody's scarred face twisted in a smile. Tabby was sobbing with relief, she pressed kisses to Cassius' forehead. "What's your name?"
"I know my name." Cassius said weakly.
"Humor me. What's your full name?" Moody said gruffly. Remus pressed his hand against Cassius' chest, his shirt was soaked with blood, but Remus could feel his heartbeat slowing to a normal pace. Tabby put her arm around Remus and hugged him tightly, brushing her other hand over Cassius' hair.
"Cassius Julian Aurelius Malfoy Lupin."
"When's Remus' birthday?" Moody asked.
"August 2." Cassius answered promptly.
"Good. You're fine. You need just a bath." Moody said gruffly, looking down at Cassius who was almost completely covered in blood. "Remus, do you need help?"
"No. I'll manage." Remus helped Cassius to his feet and they slowly walked upstairs, Remus held Cassius tightly. Cassius leaned heavily on Remus' shoulder. He turned the shower on without letting go of Cassius. Cassius stepped in and leaned wearily against the wall, he was still wearing all his clothes. Remus quickly stripped off his own blood soaked clothes and stepped in beside Cassius. He encircled Cassius tightly. Cassius leaned over and rested his head on Remus' shoulder.
"Oh, Cass…I thought I was going to lose you…I was so scared…You're never going to Malfoy Manor again as long as your father lives." He held on to Cassius tightly and nuzzled his neck, kissing the bite mark, Cassius shivered. "I love you so much." Remus stripped off Cassius' clothing and washed the rest of blood off.
After tucking Cassius into their bed, Remus walked back down to the kitchen to tell Tabby and Moody good night, Cassius was already asleep, worn out from the hex and Remus just needed to be with him, to hold him. He got to the doorway and stopped. Moody was holding Tabby's hands gently, they were covered in painful-looking boils.
"You needed gloves, Bette." Remus had never heard Moody speak so tenderly.
"There wasn't time."
"Sit down." Moody guided Tabby towards the kitchen table and she sat down. The blood was gone from the floor. Remus knew Tabby would have cleaned that up right away. Moody walked into the pantry and came out with a jar of salve. Remus noticed again that Moody seemed to know his way around Windy Corner rather well, especially the pantry, which was Tabby's domain. Remus had always thought it was because Moody had visited Cassius often but now Remus wondered if Moody had been here before – when Tabby had lived here by herself. Moody smoothed the salve over Tabby's hands, the boils started to go away.
"I …" Moody began to speak.
"Don't." Tabby's voice was clipped.
Moody's magical eye swiveled around to look at Remus. "How is he?"
"He's already fast asleep – I just came to say good night."
"Night then." Moody turned and threw floo-powder into the fireplace and was gone. Tabby stayed where she was sitting at the kitchen table.
"Good night, Tabby. I love you," said Remus.
Tabby nodded, Remus sensed she was too emotional to answer, he could see the tears gleaming in her eyes, they had appeared the moment Moody was gone.
~~
The next day, Cassius had been at work just a few hours when he got an owl from his brother. He was still sore from the hex but not enough to keep him from work. It had taken some convincing for Remus and Tabby to allow him to go, but he had an important meeting with Kingsley and so they had finally agreed that Cassius could go to work, provided he tell Kingsley immediately if he wasn't feeling well.
Meet me at the Dusty Caldron, today, 5 pm.
He quickly owled Remus to let him know that he would be home late and the reason – Remus tended to worry and it was getting near the full moon which caused Remus to be more on edge. Even though the Wolfsbane potion, discovered three years ago, made the transformations much better for him, the days up to the full moon were still stressful. Cassius was distracted for the rest of the day, wondering what had happened at Malfoy Manor after he had left. Cassius walked into the Cauldron promptly at 5 and spotted his brother right away, he was sitting in a corner table and already had tea waiting for him. He walked over and sat down across from his brother.
"It's done, Cassius. You needn't worry about Father anymore." Lucius spoke in the Malfoy blood-tongue. Thanks to a long ago spell that was part of the Malfoy blood, it was a language that only Malfoys understood. It made silencing charms unnecessary. Their father had always insisted they talk only in Malfoy-speak when they were at the Manor.
"What happened after I left?" Cassius answered in the other language automatically. He had Apparated right after his father had hexed him in a fit of fury. He knew he had to get home quickly to get the cure.
"The healer thinks it was a heart attack. He'd been treated for a heart condition for several years, you know." Lucius took a sip of his tea. Cassius felt relief that his father was dead, he'd never loved him, his father's behavior had made that impossible.
"What was it really?" Cassius was certain it hadn't been a heart attack. He stirred some sugar into his cup.
Lucius arched his eyebrow in response, as if surprised that Cassius was questioning his story.
"Luke -" Cassius was interrupted by Lucius' cool voice.
"Cassie, he's dead. Does it really matter how?"
"Yes, it matters…you did it for me."
"Yes…I did it for you." Lucius paused, when he continued, it was in a warmer voice. "When I was young, I used to…pray for someone to stop Father hurting me. But I just sat by when he did it to you, all those years…I was afraid of him…I should have killed him when you were 12…." Pale grey eyes locked with green. "Anyway, I couldn't do nothing again." Lucius was very guarded emotionally, a product of being Julius Malfoy's son. In spite of that, Cassius had known for a long time that Lucius loved him, in his own way. He couldn't remember when exactly he had realized it, but the feeling had been there since he'd been at Hogwarts. Away from Malfoy Manor and their father's presence, the brothers had been able to let their true feelings show. Although they were 13 years apart, they had grown close. He realized this was the closest Lucius had ever come to actually saying he loved him. Lucius had finally defended him against their father.
"When's the funeral?" Cassius asked, his voice a bit hoarse…he swallowed hard to get rid of the lump that was forming in his throat.
"Saturday. It will be a big service, we'll have the reception at the Manor. You'll come?"
"I'll make an appearance, of course." Cassius nodded.
"Will you bring your…?"
"No."
"You don't trust me? I thought it was just Father you were hiding him from." Lucius gave a small smile.
Cassius smiled, arching his eyebrow as well. "It wouldn't be just you at the funeral, would it? I'd rather keep him safe from all the other dark wizards there, I don't want any of them coming after him. This might come as a shock to you, but I'm not that popular with Father's friends or yours."
"Some other time?" Cassius shrugged. Lucius stood, his black robe falling in elegant folds. "Thank you for meeting me."
"I'll see you Saturday." Cassius stood and extended his hand. Lucius grasped it, then shocked Cassius by pulling him in for a hug, it was the first time Cassius could remember Lucius ever hugging him.
"I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner, brother." Lucius' voice was rough.
~~
When Cassius got home, he found Moody there for dinner, Tabby was nowhere to be seen. Remus had cooked dinner in her absence. As they ate, he told Remus and Moody about the conversation with Lucius. Remus was shocked to hear that Lucius killed their father because he had attacked Cassius.
"What did he mean he should have done it when you were 12. What happened then?" Moody asked.
"I don't know… I don't know why that year and not any other." Cassius looked troubled, trying to figure out what could have happened that would have been special about that year.
"What happened last night to make your father hex you?" Remus asked.
"Nothing special." Cassius shrugged. "I told him I would never marry a woman. Apparently he'd been harboring the idea that one day I would wake up straight. I told him he was wrong."
~~
On Saturday, Cassius walked into Malfoy Manor. He could sense a difference in the place, his father's presence was gone. Narcissa walked over to greet him, extending both her hands to him. "Cassius – such a time of grief for the family." As he reached his hands to hers, he was momentarily taken aback because she was speaking English – his father had never allowed it spoken in the house. He knew she was acting for the people already gathered in the house. She had hated and feared Julius Malfoy, like the rest of the family.
"Uncle!" Nine year old Draco rushed down the stairs and ran towards Cassius. Cassius smiled. He and Draco had a special bond, even though Cassius thought Lucius and Narcissa spoiled him terribly. He knew Lucius was somehow trying to make up for the horrible childhood he had had due to their father.
"Draco – manners!" Lucius said coolly as he walked up to Cassius, clapping his hand on Cassius' shoulder briefly before turning to greet another guest.
"Hello, Uncle Malfoy." Draco held his hand out formally. It was the tradition to address aunts and uncles by last name in pure-blood households.
"Hello, Nephew." Cassius shook Draco's hand very seriously and then tugged him in for a hug. Draco hugged Cassius tightly. Lucius didn't hug the boy often – Cassius thought it was probably because he was uncomfortable with shows of affection, having never received them as a child. Cassius hadn't either but he had craved physical affection growing up, receiving it only from the house-elves. He was glad to have Remus, Tabby and his nephew to hug.
"How is school?" Cassius let Draco go and they walked together towards Draco's room. Cassius had no desire to mingle with either his father's friends or his brother's.
"Fine, except the history professor this year is a mudblood."
"So?" Cassius arched an eyebrow at his nephew, Lucius hated anyone who wasn't pureblood and seemed to have Draco feeling the same.
"Well…it's just…he shouldn't be teaching us, everyone at the school is pureblood." Draco looked up at his uncle. "Don't you think so?"
"I don't think it matters."
"You don't?" Draco's jaw dropped open.
"No. But you need to make up your own mind."
"Oh… How is your friend?" Draco knew that Cassius lived with someone.
"He's fine."
"He couldn't come today?"
"No, he's busy." Cassius lied easily.
"I drew you a picture." Draco ran over to his desk and picked up a scroll. He handed it to his uncle. They continued to visit for a few minutes then Cassius went back downstairs to say goodbye to Lucius and Narcissa. He made sure everyone saw him before leaving for home.
"Remus?" Cassius climbed the stairs to the library.
"How was it?" Remus looked up from his book.
"Fine."
"You didn't stay long."
"I just had to make an appearance. Here." Cassius thrust Draco's picture at Remus.
"What's this?" Remus looked at Cassius curiously.
"Draco drew us a picture."
Remus unrolled the scroll slowly. It was a picture of Draco, Cassius, identifiable by his green eyes and long black coat, and another person with blond hair.
"Who's the third person?"
"You." Cassius smiled.
"Me?" Remus was surprised.
"Well, he doesn't know what you look like and I guess he figured since his father married someone with blond hair, my 'friend' would have blond hair too." '
"Your friend?" Remus smiled
"What's wrong with telling Draco I live with a friend?" Cassius' face started to turn pink.
"Nothing, nothing." Remus tried to stop smiling.
"You are my friend, it's not lying." Cassius' face turned pinker.
"True." Remus tried to look serious.
"I suppose I could have said there's this man I live with and we fuck all the time."
"We don't fuck all the time." Remus laughed.
"Most of the time, then." Cassius started to walk towards Remus who was still laughing.
"Hmm…most of the time would be more accurate." Cassius sat down on Remus' lap. "Uff. You're heavy."
"I love you."
"Is that as a friend? Or as someone who fucks me most of the time." Remus couldn't resist teasing.
"Both." Cassius grinned before leaning in and kissing him. Remus circled his arms around Cassius and pulled him in tightly.
"I love you too."