Family Feud

Him

Lucius lowered the diary into his lap and rubbed his bloodshot eyes with a sigh. Now at the height of summer a dim, pale dawn already hung over the garden and park and he felt overcome by an almost unbearable weariness and exhaustion. It had been a bad idea to dig around in old painful memories. Now the name of Ted Tonks stuck in his gut like a knife, and Narcissa's words slowly twisted and worked the blade. 'Bad comparison,' Lucius thought with a grimace, recalling the muggle he had killed only a few hours before.

He tried to get up, but reminiscences began to crowd in on him, and he let the slim book fall from his grip to the floor and closed his eyes, surrendering tiredly. Narcissa had been right in her suspicions. By the end of September, he had certainly made some progress in his relentless pursuit of Andromeda Black.

He actually liked that she largely seemed to disregard his charm, wit and appearance. Instead she related to him quite matter-of-factly as a young person who like herself was finding his way in business and in society and wanted to make a career. She would talk earnestly to him for hours, freely sharing her thoughts, her dreams and desires for life, and he had listened and soon responded in kind. He found that she had an intelligent, quick-witted and penetrating mind and that he began to trust her judgment.

It had seemed refreshing to be with her and away from the numerous society gatherings where the proud mothers and simpering daughters of the old families would fawn over him. Not that he was above taking advantage of his looks and position on occasion to treat himself to some nubile young witch, but over the weeks he found he began to think of Andromeda more as a friend and soul-mate than as an exciting sexual conquest.

Of course the physical tension he had felt in the beginning still remained, and the mere thought of her would get him aroused in a heartbeat, but he also found himself looking forward to talking to her as a sounding-board for his ideas. As the weeks passed he realized that he started to see her as a potential future partner, and he had even begun to share his plans for her with his parents.

His father had hesitated at first, as he was not impressed with the Black family's financial status, but he had to admit that the union would bring together two of the oldest and most prestigious magical houses in Britain.

His mother Livilla, a straight-backed, taciturn woman, had actually hugged him in an uncharacteristically effusive display of emotion when he had told her and assured him she was very happy for him. She had then proceeded to fuss around in the drawers of her drawing-room cabinet and had finally given him an intricate silver ring that showed two interlacing snakes balancing a huge star sapphire between their heads. It had been her own engagement ring that Octavian had given her many years before.

Lucius had felt a bit embarrassed at seeing his mother overcome by such an attack of nostalgia, but had been secretly pleased and grateful as he had pocketed the ring together with its small black velvet box. It would look stunning on Andromeda's elegant, slim-boned hand.

So far he had not breathed a word of his intentions to his prospective bride. The only indication of his love for her actually was his reluctance in pushing matters with her in the way he would with other girls. So far they had shared several breathless encounters in her family's labyrinthine storage facility for magical potions ingredients. None of them had progressed beyond some quite intense foreplay, however.

Lucius found that he considered it to be in bad style to deflower his future wife before their wedding, or at least until after their formal engagement. He had been surprised to see his parents' old-fashioned education having such a profound effect on him, particularly as he had absolutely no comparable qualms about saving himself in any way. He also had to admit that times had changed, and that he couldn't even be certain that Andromeda had not had other boys at school, but he felt unwilling to pursue those thoughts to any length. To imagine her with someone else seemed simply unthinkable.

The wizard's thoughts drifted off into reminiscences of the old musty herb-stuffed linen bales that had formed their love-nest on several occasions. When they moved against each other they heard the dry crinkle of crushed dried leaves beneath them and fumes of the fragrant oils of laurel or yarrow would rise around them. He still couldn't smell certain plants and resins without vivid flashbacks to their encounters. One time they had had the misfortune to have chosen a big sack of hellebore leaves as their bedding. They had both almost died of sneezing fits and laughter that afternoon.

Lucius lips curled in a faint smile as he remembered, then relaxed as sleep finally overtook him. He suddenly found himself alone and outside the Black warehouse at the edge of a dark forest that stretched as far as he could see. Grey, deep-hanging clouds shadowed everything and the air seemed chill. He pulled his cloak around him and ducked under the low branches of the first trees. He felt neither apprehension nor excitement, but simply an unshakable conviction that he would find something important, something of irrefutable truth in the depths of the woods.

His progress under the old trees was faster than he had anticipated and he strode forward without looking back. No sound could be heard save the footfall of his boots crushing leaves and branches underneath. Finally he reached a clearing that looked eerily familiar, and his dream-self recognized it as the place of the gathering of the Death Eaters earlier that evening. In the center of the clearing stood a tall, shrouded figure, facing away from him. Lucius immediately went down on his knees acknowledging his master. He heard a rustle as the Dark Lord moved, but the black wizard did not address him.

Finally Lucius looked up and recoiled in surprise as he saw his own face staring back at him from the shadows of Lord Voldemort's hooded robes. His opposite smiled at him, his red, slitted eyes glowing in malice, and his lips drew back from the snake fangs of his master. Lucius suddenly felt a deep sense of revulsion and menace. Then the strange hybrid creature before him began to speak in the hissing lisp of the Dark Lord.

"Listen Lucius, as I command you. One truth you must know that has been kept from you. Your wife Narcissa is a muggle. Your son Draco is a mudblood. The Death Eaters hold them now. And you will have the honor of killing them and ridding the wizarding world of the abomination of their existence. Only if you do as I say will I spare you, dishonored as you are because of your union."

There was movement at the edge of the clearing and black-robed figures dragged in the pale, bleeding, naked bodies of his wife and son. "No!" he shook his head in panicked disbelief. His every instinct as a father screamed at him to protect his child. And his wife, gods! She appeared cut and injured just like Cecilia Rookwood had looked when he had left her with Avery the other night. He felt bitter bile rise in the back of his throat as he prostrated himself before his master pleading for their lives, knowing that it would be to no avail, that he had instead sealed his own fate with his act of disobedience.

With a start Lucius suddenly awoke. He gasped, blinking in broad sunlight and sat bolt upright. "Merlin! Fuck!" He breathed hard, trying to collect himself. Then his eyes fell on the enchanted hour glass on his desk. It was almost 8:30, and after he had reamed out Draco for being late the other morning it would hardly send the right message if he missed breakfast himself now. Being a Death Eater, going on ill-conceived sadistic benders with slutty witches and bringing up children at the same time was a hard job to balance.

He didn't allow himself the luxury to process his nightmare and to pursue the disturbing thought that maybe he was developing something as inconvenient as a haunted conscience all of a sudden. Instead he de-wrinkled his robes with some spellwork and took a quick draught of pepper-up potion, then made his way to the dining room. He arrived just in time to see that Draco would be fashionably late yet again and to look into the accusing eyes of his wife.

Narcissa sat at the end of the table that faced the door and appeared as if she had not slept at all during the night. She did not talk to him as he curtly nodded to her and then silently took his seat. He waited for the house-elves to serve on him and casually began to read the paper.

About five minutes into the lead article he finally heard her. "Where the hell have you been all of last night?!" she hissed. Lucius lowered the paper. "I might ask you that. When I woke up yesterday morning you were most assuredly out of this world! Frankly, I meant to tell you that I was summoned before the Dark Lord yesterday evening, but I wasn't sure I'd find anybody in there who could even hear me." He tapped his temple for emphasis.

"So the meeting took all night? Why didn't you come back afterwards?" The blond wizard felt his temper slip. She hadn't even acknowledged yet that she had drugged herself again. "You know what? I'm sick of this!" he snapped. "Why don't you just take your pick, Narcissa? A: I came back, but slept in my study, because I am fed up with waking up next to a zombie. B: I didn't come back because I picked up one of the Death Eater witches after the meeting and for a change fucked someone who was actually awake enough to appreciate my efforts. C: I felt a bit tense so I hung around in London for a while and tortured a muggle to death for fun. D: All of the above."

Narcissa had blanched at his last words, but just as she opened her mouth for a reply Draco sped into the room, looking slightly rumpled, and suitably guilty. The rest of the breakfast conversation could be described as chilly, but civil. Afterwards Lucius needed to leave for several Ministry meetings, taking care not to give Narcissa another chance to catch him alone.

Her

Black Manor, October 5th 1975

Bella has been home to visit and was very eager to hear everything about Ted Tonks. She seemed even happier than me about Andy's serious lapse in judgment. She thinks we can definitely turn things around and get Lucius interested in me.

Of course we are all invited to the big Halloween ball at the Malfoys, and she thinks we should make our move beforehand. I tried to get her to tell me what our move was, but she wouldn't tell me any more. She just advised me to get as much face-time with Lucius as I could manage without seeming too eager or even becoming a nuisance.

I think with Lucius dragging off Andy any chance he gets to be alone with her discussing "business" and me being at the Ministry all day I can consider myself lucky if I get a glimpse of him at all… I wonder if they are doing it in secret.

If they did I'd be so mad! But Bella said that would actually be a good thing. She told me she's heard Lucius has quite a reputation and if he does Andy, she's no better to him than any of the other girls he's involved with. She is more worried about the fact that they might not be doing it. She thinks if he leaves her be, he respects her and he might plan to propose to her at the Halloween ball. Now I'm really worried. There's just a few weeks to go. And frankly I can't see how Bella plans to "turn" Lucius to want me.