BEHIND LOCKED DOORS

WARNING: Rated R for profanity and homosexual relations of the incestuous kind. But this is actually a story with a plot, not smutty homosexual porn. Flames only keep me warm in winter.

NB: When Lucius makes a list of party guests, all of the surnames are those of actual Death-Eaters (With the exception of Filch, because I don't have enough evidence to prove that, and Patil, who I assume are a neutral pureblood family). Quite a few of the first names, however, I just made up because I don't know their real names. If you want to find out where I got the surnames go onto

Also, I apologise for such a short chapter, but I promise that the next chapter is going to be a *lot* longer…

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Chapter Seventeen: Tense Reunion

The loud "click-clack … click-clack" noises coming from somewhere out of sight told Lucius that the Hogwarts train was approaching. Soon, Draco would be home once more for the three-week Christmas break. Unconsciously, his fingers rubbed against his left arm where two scars had been re-opened in the past week and he found himself wondering how Draco would react if he knew. Lucius knew that not that long ago, Draco's reaction would have been anger borne out of concern and disappointment. Now, he really wasn't sure what Draco would do. He wasn't sure of anything right now, he mused as the train pulled up to the Platform and what seemed like thousands of adolescents began to almost literally pour out of the carriage doors, some still in their uniforms, and some dressed in more casual attire. Very few, if any students liked to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas.

"Father!" Draco called out to him, one hand raised in the crowd. Lucius acknowledged him with a half-hearted wave and a ghost of a smile as his son quickly wove through the crowds with a suitcase and a birdcage being dragged along with him. He smiled at Lucius, but the smile didn't seem to reach his cool, distant eyes.

"Draco. It's good to see you again." He gave Draco a brief nod.

"Likewise, Father." The tension between them was thick enough to cut. Without another word, Lucius turned his back and began to walk out of the Platform to where their carriage was waiting for them, and Draco followed suit…

As the carriage moved smoothly along the open road, invisible to muggles, Draco and Lucius continued to sit in an uncomfortable silence. Draco stared fixedly out of the window at the gently falling snow. Lucius toyed with his silver-topped cane, staring rigidly at the intricate Malfoy shield that had been carved onto it's top.

"So…how is Mother?" Draco finally asked, his eyes not moving from the window.

"As well as can be expected." Lucius answered, still staring at the carvings on the cane, pretending to have an extreme interest in the Latin words carved into the shield. Silence again. Draco sighed. Lucius coughed to clear his throat.

"How have you been?" Draco shrugged.

"Good. You?"

"I'm well."

Once again, the silence took over. Draco was silently cursing the fact that the carriage trip still had at least another twenty minutes. All this cool, clipped small talk was really making him uncomfortable. Searching his head for another topic that would hopefully last longer, Draco found one.

"What's happening for Christmas?" Lucius shrugged, still refusing to look up.

"The usual of course. The house-elves cook expensive dishes and we invite members of our social circles. Everybody eats, drinks, discusses work and dark art business, people will probably end up extremely intoxicated and spend the day after Christmas either feeling sick or sleeping."

"Oh." Draco paused for a moment. "Do you know who will be coming?"

"The same old people." Silence again.

"Such as?" Draco knew all the answers of course, but right now, he just wanted an excuse to fill in the gaps that the uncomfortable silence was creating between them. Lucius' forehead wrinkled up slightly as he tried to remember all of the names.

"Well, out of the adults: All of the Malfoys. Severus Snape will be there, of course. Rodolphus, Bellatrix and Rabastan Lestrange. Julius and Cassandra Parkinson. Leonardo and Alicia Crabbe. Antonin and Natalia Dolohov. Christopher and Violet Goyle. Walden and Athena Macnair. Thelonius and Michaela Nott. Algernon and Elizabeth Rookwood. Timothy and Audrina Avery. Emmeline Rosier, Evan Rosier's widow. Nathaniel and Victoria Travers. Elias and Vanessa Patil. Oscar and Katherine Filch…I think that's would be all of the adults…no, wait…Victor and Gwendolyn Mulciber will be attending as well." Lucius had tactfully neglected to mention the name 'Zabini' in his list.

"Oh…alright then." Draco couldn't really think of anything else to say and decided to go back to his concentrating of the scenery outside of the window once more. He yawned, feeling surprisingly sleepy, even though it was only the early evening.

Lucius also took to staring out of the window, though he did it through the opposite window.

Neither of them were aware that each other's minds were currently focused on the same subject, or that their lives were going to change dramatically due to one mistake at the upcoming Christmas party…