Cho's Chic
Chapter 15
When Lucius awoke, long shadows showed that many hours had passed, and he realised that he lay alone. He rose, dressed, and searched the main rooms of the castle for Cho, realising that her clothes still lay where they had been dropped before the two of them had made love so enthusiastically. When he had exhausted all the obvious places, a feeling of panic began to rise in him. He searched even more urgently, cursing the house elves who failed to find her, until there was only one place left to look. With dread in his heart, he made his way unwillingly to the dungeons, listening attentively for any signs of life. As he approached the sepulchre room, he heard the high, cruel voice speaking.
"Come closer, my dear. Let the Dark Lord see you. My eyes are failing me. Aaah," a deep, lecherous sigh, "my servant Malfoy does indeed have excellent taste. You are exquisite. Those dark eyes, that long silky black hair, that soft skin. Let Wormtail touch you, my dear, stand still, that's right..."
Lucius walked silently to the doorway, where he stood in the shadows and looked into the room. At the entrance to the sepulchre Cho stood like a statue, wearing Lucius' silk dressing gown. She had her back to him, and at her feet was Peter Pettigrew, sideways on to her, with the Dark Lord's head facing her, a lascivious leer twisting his subhuman face so that it repelled Lucius even more than usual. As he watched, Wormtail put out his human hand and pulled at the ties securing Cho's wrap. Lucius could imagine it falling open to reveal her rounded breasts, dark nipples erect with the cold, and the black triangle of her pubic hair. He saw Voldemort's reaction to the sight of Cho's body, and felt a strong desire to vomit. He could no longer see Wormtail's hand, but imagined it touching Cho's naked flesh, cupping a breast, and lingering as the fingers traced themselves downwards.
Then the Dark Lord looked in Lucius' direction, and said, "Come in, Lucius Malfoy. So finally you have brought me this delicacy that you have been deliberately hiding from me." The voice rose: "Did you think I was foolish enough to believe that the Muggle girl was she? Yes, she provided me with some entertainment, but I knew it was not her you were enjoying. I could smell that she was a substitute. It has taken me longer than I hoped, but finally you have brought her." Voldemort laughed, a high thin, hysterical sound: "Did you think you could thwart me? I know your dreams, your fears, I know everything. Your mind is an open book to me."
Lucius realised suddenly that the Dark Lord had been practising Legilimency on him while he was asleep. He had firstly deliberately exhausted Lucius by summoning him increasingly frequently, then he had invaded his mind. That explained the dreams of being in the tomb. Voldemort had transferred some of his own memories into Lucius' head, then while his resistance was at its lowest, he had encouraged Lucius' dreams of Cho. The Dark Lord had been having sexual congress with Cho via Lucius, feeling every thrill that he felt, touching every part of her at one remove. He had then planted the idea of bringing her here, so he could touch her in reality. Lucius had, for once in his life, been an innocent pawn of the Dark Lord.
He had no doubt that Cho had also been lured to the dungeons by Legilimency. He was sure that his own veiled threats had warned her adequately enough not to venture here willingly.
Lucius knew with a sudden clarity of thought that Cho's future depended solely on what he chose to do now. He tried to empty his mind of the horror and think clearly and logically.
He watched Wormtail carefully. The Dark Lord's mind was now almost totally focused on Cho, and what he planned to do with her. Save for the Muggle girl, he had not seen a real woman for years, and Cho was far more beautiful than she had been. Lucius saw a thin trickle of dribble run down Voldemort's chin, and at the sight he shuddered involuntarily.
Where was the Dark Lord's wand? The wand chose the wizard, and would work for no other. Lucius decided that he could afford to ignore Wormtail, who was now so completely subject to the Dark Lord that Lucius doubted he still possessed a wand. Lucius was still hidden in the darkness, although had anyone been paying him sufficient attention, the reflection of even the dimmest light from that white-gold head would have betrayed his position. However, his clothing was dark as usual, and he made sure that his hand movements were underneath his robes. He reached inside them for his wand, and waited, watching. The hideous creature shuffled closer to Cho, almost pressing against her legs, gazing upwards at her with those terrible eyes. As he saw both Wormtail's hands reach out simultaneously to take hold of Cho's body, Lucius raised his wand and, pointing it at Voldemort, he cried, "Accio wand!" The Dark Lord's wand, which, as Lucius had correctly surmised, lay temporarily abandoned on one side, flew directly into Lucius' other outstretched hand. He placed both wands in his inside pocket.
Then, before he could change his mind, Lucius Malfoy confronted and defied his Lord and Master: he strode into the dungeon and up to the sepulchre entrance. He spoke a word to Cho, but as he suspected, she was under the Imperius Curse. Ignoring both Wormtail and the Dark Lord, he swept her into his arms, and swiftly carried her off, mounting the dungeon stairs two at a time. He trusted that his action had taken Voldemort sufficiently by surprise, and prayed that in his present weakened state, the Dark Lord would be effectively helpless without his wand.
Once he arrived upstairs, Lucius took Cho into the library, laid her gently on one of the leather sofas, and looked at her closely. She was in some kind of trance. Lucius had seen the Imperius Curse before, indeed he had been responsible for its use on many occasions. Unfortunately, he had never needed to reverse its effects before, he had merely concentrated on forcing his victims to do what he wanted. Lucius decided that for now, the safest thing to do was to put Cho into a deep sleep. He used a Stupefying Charm on her, covered her with a tartan rug, tucking it carefully around her, and then pondered his next action.
Alan was just about to leave home when an owl tapped at his window. He opened it, and the owl entered, looking rather weary. Alan found food and water for the unfamiliar bird before opening the parchment attached to its leg. When he saw the brief message, his jaw dropped open in astonishment. It was from Lucius Malfoy:
Alan,
Wait for me at Cho's flat as soon as you get this. Cho's safety depends on our swift action.
Lucius Malfoy.
Alan apparated in Cho's flat. He found he was alone, so he spent the time making the place comfortable. It was now almost dark, so he drew the curtains and lit candles and lamps, and lit fires in the living room and bedroom. He had the feeling that Cho would need her bed, so he made it up anew with clean sheets, and laid extra blankets nearby just in case. He found he could not rest, he was so worried about Cho, and he walked from room to room, anxiously waiting, dreading what would happen next. What had happened to Cho? It must be serious if Lucius Malfoy had sought his aid, for Alan knew that Malfoy would never ask for help unless the need was great, and especially not from him.
Lucius apparated in the living room with a loud crack, carrying Cho in his arms, wrapped in a blanket. Alan took one look at her, noted that she seemed to be unconscious, and looked accusingly at Lucius. "What have you done to her?" he demanded angrily.
Lucius shook his head. "Not now!" he barked. "She needs to be watched carefully. I'm going to put her to bed." He strode through to the bedroom, followed by Alan, who held back the bedclothes while Lucius lay Cho gently down on her bed. "Get her something to wear," ordered Lucius, for under the blanket, Cho was still wearing nothing more than the thin silk wrap, and goose pimples stood out on her skin. Between them, they dressed her in a winter weight nightgown, and drew up the bedclothes. Alan added the extra blankets, then asked Lucius again, "What's wrong with her?" as he looked down on Cho's ghostly face.
He looked at Lucius Malfoy, and saw with a start how haggard and exhausted the once stunningly good looking man appeared. He arranged a chair beside Cho's bed so that Lucius could watch her face, and gestured for him to sit. To his surprise, Lucius sank down wearily in the manner of someone ten years older. Alan sat on the edge of the bed, and said, "Tell me. I need to know what's wrong if I'm going to look after her."
Lucius looked back at him, chin high. The arrogance was still there, it was as much part of Lucius as his skin, but Alan saw that this was not the same man who had once virtually looked through him in the shop. In fact, were it not Lucius Malfoy, he would have sworn the man was so worn out he was close to tears of exhaustion. Alan waited as Lucius was clearly deciding what to tell him.
"It was not my doing," he said eventually, "At least I did not do this to Cho. But it is entirely due to my contact with her that this has happened. She has been subject to the Imperius Curse. I cannot tell you who did this to her, and you will not ask me. The important thing now is that she recovers. At the moment, she is unconscious. I performed a Stupefying Charm on her because I fear her mind will not be able to cope with what she was almost forced to do. I intend to stay here until she wakes up - I think it is better that she remains unconscious until she wakes naturally. I will need to modify her memory when she does, she must not remember anything of her tormentor.
"I called you here because you are her best friend, and I know you care for her. She will need you more than ever in the coming weeks. Once I am certain that she has recovered, I cannot see her anymore. I do this not because I no longer want her, but because her life will be in peril if I continue our relationship. But she can never know the reason why.
"Will you help me?"
Alan nodded his agreement. He left Lucius gazing at Cho's face, and went into the kitchen to fetch a bottle of whisky and two glasses. This was going to be a long night.