Before the Dark Lord

Him

Lucius closed and lowered the book. He also remembered the 2nd of June 1975, but for different reasons. Reading Narcissa's diary and her description of her reaction to him surprised him. He could barely recall their first encounter and only dimly remembered a skinny, nervous, honey-blonde girl who had awkwardly stumbled through their introductions.

His mind had been not on her but on making a favorable impression on Mrs. Black, an imposing dark-haired woman with a sharp, proud face. For the last few months he had been sent out by Octavian Malfoy with introductions to all of the old man's business contacts in preparation to taking over control of the family business from his father. His two older sisters had been profitably married off some time ago. He had finished his studies at Hogwarts two years before, and now at 19 he was being groomed by his father for his role in wizarding society.

He had chatted quite amicably with the older witch, who seemed to be pleased with his attentions. She had eventually accompanied him herself to meet her husband, and had let him into his study. He had greeted Mr. Black and handed him the letter of introduction that Octavian had written for him. As old Mr. Black was reading, the door to his rooms had opened again. Lucius remembered looking back over his shoulder, half expecting Mrs. Black to have returned.

A moment later he had to remind himself to keep breathing. A young woman had entered the study and began talking in a deep, melodious voice. When she realized that her father had a visitor, she had simply stopped herself and smiled at him. He had drunk in her face, forgetting where and who he was. She was tall and slender, clad in a dove-grey linen and velvet dress. A cascade of bluish black hair framed her delicate oval face and tumbled down her back. It shimmered like a midnight black flood of silk one could drown in.

Lucius had looked into deep mauve-grey eyes that seemed for a moment to gaze into the deepest wells of his soul. Then Miss Black had laughed softly, full cinnamon-colored lips revealing the flash of perfectly even white teeth. "Father," she said. "You could have warned me we had guests. I almost gave away the outcome of our latest trade negotiations with the Persian Magical Trade Association."

And that was how he had met for the first time Andromeda Black, the woman who had eventually broken his heart. Unlike her willful, impulsive and somewhat spoilt sisters Andromeda relied on self-control and her quite formidable intelligence to make her way. In breach of the traditions of most of the old houses her father confided in her with regards to all of his business dealings, despite the fact that she was a woman. Lucius discovered over the next few months that he relied heavily on her help and advice.

During that fateful afternoon old Arcturus Black had simply introduced Lucius to his daughter as one would one business associate to another, remarking that as Octavian's son he would probably be dealing a lot with her in the future, and Andromeda had pulled up a chair without hesitation. A few minutes later all three of them were engrossed in their discussion, though Lucius had to admit to fighting hard to overcome the distraction that her presence caused him.

Reliving his memories and comparing them to Narcissa's notes Lucius could not escape noticing the irony. Both he and his future wife had seemingly been struck by infatuation at the same time, but tragically it had not been for each other. It occurred to the blond wizard that most of the unhappy events of their lives thereafter had sprung directly from the cruel joke that fate had played that day both on him and on the woman who now bore his name.

Slowly he got up and placed the diary on his desk. Still wrapped in thought he walked over to the tall window that faced the garden and looked out over the park, now grey in the twilight of evening. He didn't really take any note of his surroundings. The sudden intensity with which he remembered Andromeda surprised and hurt him. Over the years he had locked away his memories of her with ruthless thoroughness. Yet he had thought of her the other night when he had looked at Cecilia Rookwood's husband, and hatred had lowered his defenses. Now reading Narcissa's diary had brought every nuance of her appearance back in vivid and excruciating detail.

She had been beautiful beyond words. Of all the spirits and gods he knew through his magical practice she had reminded him most of the old Greek pagan goddess Athena, she of the high, pale, war-helmeted forehead, spirit of intelligence and invention, the grey-eyed virgin who bore the owl of wisdom on her shoulder, daughter of the father of gods. He had by no means been inexperienced when he'd met her, but all of his sexual encounters so far confirmed him in his resolve that he had to have her.

He had left the Black house that day with the promise of Mr. Black that he would be allowed to call on his daughter should he so wish. Andromeda had simply smiled at him mysteriously as she had taken his hand into her long, slim, delicate fingers, and he had apparated back at Malfoy Manor on a cloud of giddy and delirious happiness.

Lucius took a deep breath and tried to clear his thoughts, when suddenly he felt the dark mark of the Death Eaters flare up in sudden pain, and as he peeled back his left sleeve he saw the skull and snake outlined in vivid charcoal black against the pale skin of his forearm. He sighed, but moved immediately to order a house elf to bring his cloak and mask. Then he picked up his cane deciding he would not bother to inform his still half-drugged wife where he was going and prepared to apparate before his master.

The meeting place was already shrouded in the gathering gloom of night, and he noted with some satisfaction that he was one of the first Death Eaters to arrive. In the center of the clearing he could make out the tall skeletal figure of Lord Voldemort. Without hesitation he strode up to him and knelt before him, lowering his head in submission. "I am here, master, your loyal servant. Command me and I will do your bidding." He felt a powerful and cruel will bent on him as the Dark Lord regarded him. "It is well, Lucius," a cold voice answered. "Take your place. I will assuredly be in need of your service tonight."

Lucius raised himself with calm elegance, carefully hiding his distaste at being made to humble himself in this manner and stepped over to join a handful of dark-robed figures who began to flesh out into a circle as others apparated, paid their homage and filled the ranks.

As usual the three last arrivals were served a mild dose of the cruciatus by their master, and when they had finally staggered over to their places in the coven, Lord Voldemort addressed them all. Lucius found his mind wander against his will as the Dark Lord spoke of their progress with regards to young Potter and some of the other projects and raids that had been going on since their last gathering. He came back to the present when he heard Voldemort speak his name.

"And finally, Lucius, why don't you let us know about your latest raid with Seth Avery." The blond wizard stepped forward and gave a terse account of the assassination of Cecilia Rookwood and her family. He hesitated briefly, then decided to mention the fact that Avery had taken care to dishonor the dying witch before they had left.

As he spoke he noted a slight movement off to his side and knew without a doubt that it had to be Alvin Rookwood, Cecilia's brother, who seemed unable to hide his surprise, if not his distress at the news. Voldemort had noted it to, and after commending his Death Eaters on their job and dismissing Lucius he ordered Rookwood before him.

"Unmask yourself," he instructed the wizard who had sunk to his knees before him. "Tell me Alvin," he asked, his voice deceptively gentle. "What do you wish to say to those who restored your family's honor?" And quaking with fear Rookwood debased himself and scrambled over on his knees to Avery and Malfoy and kissed the hems of their robes and thanked them for lifting the stain of the dishonor of his sister's marriage from his house.

Lucius lips curled with distaste under his mask at the undignified behavior he was made to witness, but he merely inclined his head and accepted Rookwood's words. No need to be more of an asset to a pureblood's debasement than was absolutely necessary. He had two sisters himself and he would kill any man who dared to lift a hand against either of them, regardless of the nature of their transgression. Voldemort should have allowed Rookwood to take care of the matter himself.

Eventually Cecilia's brother was allowed to take his former place in the circle and to cover his face again. Voldemort now stepped forward and everyone remained deathly quiet. Dark energy filled the circle and finally their master spoke again. "There is a traitor in our midst," he hissed and a swift shudder of fear passed through the attendants. Robes rustled as wizards and witches cast furtive glances at each other.

Lucius saw a tall shape on the opposite end of the circle take a small step back. He suspected that it was Severus Snape, who tended to be a bit jumpy when it came to talk of betrayal. One of these days he would follow up on those subtle signals and find out whether the Hogwarts potions master had a reason for his nervousness.

"Horace Bellings, step forward! Off with your mask!" Voldemort's emaciated pale hand pointed at a man three people to the right of Lucius and the called wizard staggered into the middle of the circle prostrating himself. "Master I have not betrayed you," he babbled, but the Dark Lord needed no more than a simple legilimens to get to the truth. An imperius elicited a full confession and Voldemort turned once again to his lieutenant. "Lucius, take care of him," he commanded, and the blond wizard steeled himself to follow his master's orders.

He craved the power his position brought him among the Death Eaters, but it irked him that he had to buy it with these kinds of tasks. He started out with a simple cruciatus that increased in intensity as he progressed. While he listened and watched, he felt nothing but disgust and weariness. A torturer's heart should be in his job, but he could not bring himself to feel sadistic pleasure at what he subjected his victim to. Bellings was neither a muggle nor a mudblood. Lucius had no quarrel with him. When Bellings had finally lost the ability to scream Lucius simply used an irreversible spell to excise the man's tongue for his betrayal, then stepped back.

He noted a sharp glance from the Dark Lord. "In a mellow mood tonight, my friend?" the oily hissing voice of Voldemort teased him, and he inwardly cursed himself. He had been perceived as weak. However, his master had other things in mind than to humiliate him. He took a swift step forward and now towered over the Death Eater lying on the ground at his feet. A softly hissed spell escaped his lipless snake-mouth and then, in a series of sickening wet tearing noises Bellings began to turn himself inside out while still alive.

While Lucius' spells had eventually left the traitor voiceless this new agony ripped sounds from him again, and even some of the seasoned Death Eaters recoiled in horror. Lucius heard some gagging noises as several people turned their backs on the circle, lifted their masks and tried to vomit inconspicuously into the bushes behind them. He continued watching in fascination, almost against his will, noticing that he took a detached, almost clinical interest in the nature of the secret spell that Voldemort had spoken and that he had not encountered before.

A pair of blue-grey eyes watched him intently from the slits of a black eye mask as he looked on. The woman who faced him across the clearing had not turned away either, but she disregarded the quivering heap of flesh and intestines that had once been Horace Bellings and instead observed Lucius with a hungry gleam in her eyes.

Finally with all signs of life vanished from the bloody mass at the center of the clearing the execution had come to an end, and Voldemort called his troops to order. "Before we leave I will give three of my trusted servants a list each of wizards and witches who have befouled our ranks by consorting with muggles and mudbloods. I leave it to you to take the appropriate steps to rid us of this abomination. At our next gathering I will await reports of your progress. Malfoy, Mulciber and Jugson to me. The rest of you is dismissed."

Lucius approached his master one more time, and kneeling before him received a small folded piece of parchment which he took with a deep bow and hid in his robes. Then he made his way across the clearing in preparation to leave and apparate at the Manor. He had just pulled a portkey from his pocket, when he felt a hand touch him on his shoulder. Immediately he turned, wand pulled half-way from his cane. Rivalries among Death Eaters were common and usually lethal. Only constant vigilance and aggression guaranteed survival.

Her

Black Manor, August 10th 1974

I am so angry, I can barely write right now. Lucius was at the house today to visit. Mother had told me beforehand that he would call, and this time I was much better prepared. I had put on the new leaf-green robes that Bella says work so well with my skin tone and eyes and I had left my hair all open with some spells for an extra sleek and shimmering look. I also used some calming spells so I wouldn't come over like some moonstruck idiot this time.

Mother had invited Lucius into the drawing room, and she had even left us alone for a few minutes! Despite what she told me about that marriage by age thing, I really think she approves of my interest and will help me. And why not? From what I have been able to find out, Lucius is pureblood and his family is wealthier than Midas. Actually we would do well out of a liaison by marriage to them. Lucius' sisters are married to a real Hungarian count and the richest European importer of magical items from Russia respectively.

Anyway, I am settled in with my wonderful wizard and we're just getting to talk. Everything seems to work really well. We are discussing Beauxbatons, I am not stammering once, and Lucius actually asks about my last few months at school and tells me about his time at Slytherin House at Hogwarts. He is so amusing, and I'm laughing, and he's smiling back, pleased he's entertaining me, and I'm in witch-heaven!

Just then Andy walks in!

In all fairness, I don't think she meant to, but she had to come barging in. She had her face stuck in some stock lists and two house elves with parcels in tow and she almost smacked right into us. Her hair stood up in a scraggly mess, and she was wearing that ratty, smelly old gown that she uses round the storage rooms when we're receiving a new shipment of herbs and potions ingredients. Hell, she had soot or dust or something in a big black splotch on her right cheek. She looked ridiculous.

And Lucius, MY Lucius, was on his feet in a flash, and he had turned deadly pale and he was stammering – stammering(!) her name. "An- Andromeda," he said, and it gave me goose-bumps just hearing him. I wish he would say Narcissa like that! She just barely looked up and gave him that stupid enigmatic smile-thingy she has going, and he looked completely dazed like she had just slapped him round the face a couple of times.

She stretched out her hand like it was nothing special and she didn't look like Witch Weekly's worst dressed witch of the year and wished him a good morning. "Did you come to see me?" she asked totally matter of fact. And he looked like he had just seen a Veela and nodded, and I swear his voice was trembling a little when he answered her. "Yes, Andromeda, I came to see you." How stupid is that? Like she just spell-zapped his brain or something.

And what does she do, she makes that silly smile of hers grow even bigger and says: "Wonderful, Lucius, I am so happy to see you! We have just gotten a huge delivery of dried mandrake roots, civet and ambergris. Would you mind helping me with some of the quality checks? I'm run off my feet and father is at auction in London today. I need to pay the delivery people, but I'd like a second opinion as to whether the merchandise is really up to scratch."

She didn't even wait for his answer, but simply reached for his hand and he didn't look back once, didn't even take his leave of me, but walked out on me with her as if she had a damn leash around his neck. "Bye sis," she said, and then they were gone. Aaargh! I could scream! I could kill her. Now they're over in the stock rooms inspecting fucking mandrake roots, and he'll be calling her "Andromeda" in that voice of his, and she won't even care. She just saw I had something I wanted, and she takes it, like always. I hate her, I hate her, I hate her!!!

And he is falling for her stupid games. But I can't hate him! Oh Lucius, how can I warn you? How can I let you know? I need to owl Bella again. Dresses and hair spells are not enough ammunition against Andy. This time it's war, "sis"!