To Be A Malfoy

Disclaimer: I own Anna Black and Karliya Malfoy.

Sarahamanda: You'll have to wait and see what happens at the Ministry.

Emmilie Oli: Yes, I know I make stupid mistakes like that, it happens without my realising. I'm glad you like the story!

Ginny-and-Draco-fan: Thanks for reviewing!

Goddess of Gorgeousness: Hehe, then I'll continue teasing you with the 'next chapter' bits.

Coty M. Wiley: Thanks for reviewing!

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Chapter 9: The Final Verdict

"Malicious freak," growled James glaring at his husband, from the infirmary bed he was lying on.

"You're to blame as well, James," said Poppy after she had finished giving him a check up. "I'll leave you two to talk." She was quite amused at the fact that Lucius Malfoy had been rendered speechless by a mere Gryffindor. Again.

James crossed his arms over his chest and continued glaring at Lucius, it was now March and James had been feeling nauseous and quite emotional lately. He was blaming Lucius out of spite, he didn't want to be pregnant again, he thought two children were sufficient enough.

Lucius raised an eyebrow, "Would you rather a marriage without sex?"

"No…" James' expression softened a little but he was still glaring at the blonde Deatheater. "I still don't particularly want another child though…especially right now…"

Lucius nodded in understanding. This war is really getting to him… He knew James didn't like raising their children with all that was going on in the world, and now they had another baby on the way. He knew James hated being pregnant with Karliya when the beginning of the war was still going strong. "Why don't you come home with me?" he suggested as he ran his fingers through James' dark hair.

James sighed and nodded; "Okay…I need to find someone to take my place though."

"I'll sort it out for you," said Lucius, he squeezed James' shoulder and kissed him on the head. "I'll be back soon, I have some business to attend to."

James nodded, his glare still hadn't completely gone as he watched his husband leave the Hogwarts Infirmary, but it had lessened. He soon saw Remus come into the Infirmary looking concerned.

"Hey, Draco said you were sick today," said Remus as he went over to his friend.

James sighed and shook his head; "Sick is hardly the word I'd use. Pregnant pretty much sums it up."

Remus raised his eyebrows in amusement, "I can see this isn't a happy thing then?"

James shrugged, "I don't know how to feel, we weren't planning on any more kids, we didn't even plan Karly…or Draco for that matter," he glanced back at his lycanthropic friend. "I just don't want to raise a baby so close to the final showdown of this war. I mean, for all I know I may end up raising it on my own. No matter what way it goes I know something bad will happen to someone I care about."

Remus sat down on the bed and sighed, "I find it better not to think about it myself," he gave a grim smile. "Does Lucius know how you feel?"

"I don't know," replied James thoughtfully. "I think he does know, but I've never really told him exactly how I feel. Do you reckon I should?" Remus nodded his head seriously. James sighed, "Okay, I'll talk to him."

"So, are you going home?"

James nodded, "Yeah, I need to find a replacement though."

"I'll tell Minerva for you," said Remus kindly. James gave him a grateful smile. "Are you still coming to the trial tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," replied James honestly. "That's probably the business Luce left to take care of."

Lucius tilted the head of his victim up with his cane; he stared coldly into the terrified blue eyes of Peter Pettigrew. "Now, tell me everything you know about the Dark Lord's next attack." He had just found out he had been kept in the dark on Voldemort's next attack and that annoyed Lucius greatly.

"H-h-he's going t-to attack the M-ministry…" stuttered Pettigrew in fear.

"When?"

"T-tomorrow…"

Lucius nodded, he kept his cane at Pettigrew's neck. He enjoyed torturing Peter even more so now he knew the man had been present when his son had been raped. "Who are his intended victims?"

"D-Dumbledore will be at the trial o-of S-Sirius Black tomorrow…" Said Pettigrew, still annoyingly stuttering. "H-He plans to k-kill him…"

"Dumbledore?"

Pettigrew nodded.

Oh god, how am I meant to stop James and the others from going to that trial? Maybe I could postpone the trial…no; Voldemort will attack on the new date. Oh shit! Lucius shoved Pettigrew to the ground and pointed his wand at the frightened man. "Crucio."

After casting the torture curse on the whimpering fool, Lucius left the Riddle House and apparated back to Hogsmeade to head back up to the school. He didn't know what to do, he knew Voldemort no longer cared about who got hurt in the process of him getting to his main target, Albus Dumbledore. He knew for a fact that he, himself, was now just a hindrance to the Dark Lord and he had narrowly escaped the Death Curse a number of times in the last decade. If Lucius got in the way of Voldemort's aim now, he knew his family would suffer the consequences.

How utterly Gryffindor do I sound? It appears James has been rubbing off on me. Lucius thought irritably as he re-entered the school, he soon found James in the Infirmary with Remus where he had left him.

As soon as Lucius entered the Infirmary James recognised the glint in those cold grey eyes. He's just tortured someone. "Did you take care of that business?"

Lucius nodded, "Very pleasurable."

James raised an eyebrow sceptically, he noticed that Remus seemed to have caught on about Lucius' business as well.

……

James lay on the long, comfortable couch in the living area of Malfoy Manor staring up at the ceiling that night. He turned his head and looked to Lucius who was reading a great tome of a book in an armchair. "Who did you torture earlier?"

Lucius looked up in slight surprise, it really unnerved him how James knew what illegal activities he had been up to just by his body language or a certain look in his eyes. What's the use of lying? He'll realise I'm lying and then he'll get upset. "Pettigrew."

James raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Lucius looked back at his book, "That does not concern you." He could feel James' glare on him. He knew there was no way he could stop anyone from going to that trial tomorrow without being interrogated about his reasons, so he had decided to play the innocent and hope nothing too bad happened knowing perfectly well that he was putting his entire family in danger.

James got up off the couch and stretched, "I'm going to bed." He said quietly before leaving the living area in a silent tantrum. Lucius had been acting like that ever since he came back from torturing Pettigrew. He had been giving vague answers to James' questions and being just as cold to his husband, his pregnant husband as he was to everyone else that came within ten feet of him, and James didn't like that one bit.

James settled down in bed and closed his eyes, he felt like crying but he didn't want to because he thought it would give Lucius the satisfaction of knowing he had successfully broken his younger husband's confidence yet again. He just hoped he could get a bit of a morale boost from Sirius' trial providing his best friend was voted not guilty.

James was already fast asleep when Lucius came to bed. The Slytherin did feel particularly guilty about the way he had been treating James today; especially knowing just how vulnerable James had become again. As he settled down in bed beside James he thought of something that had been nagging at him for quite some years now. Why was James still with him? He was never treated very kindly by someone who was supposed to care about him, yet James remained.

Not that Lucius had any problem with James still being around because he did care a lot about the raven-haired man. But after everything he had ever accidentally done to hurt James, Lucius still had this gorgeous, sweet, kind-hearted person to come home too. He stroked James' hair gently and pressed a kiss to his head, "I love you, Jamie." He said quietly before putting his head down on a pillow and closing his eyes.

James kept his eyes closed but he smiled faintly, he had woken up when he felt Lucius' fingers in his hair.

………

The next morning, James, Lucius and Karliya all had a quick breakfast before hurrying off to the Ministry for Sirius' trial. They were going to meet up with Remus who had brought Draco with him as Sirius was his official Godfather.

……

It was the middle of the trial; Dumbledore was up at the stand answering questions.

Lucius glanced at James, he saw his husband's hand go to his chest and fiddle with something a slight look of discomfort on his gorgeous face. Either that's a nervous habit or his pendant's burning. It was then that Lucius realised a fairly fatal mistake, he had never asked Pettigrew what time the attack would take place. Voldemort always gave his Deatheaters the exact time so that he didn't have to call another meeting before an attack. Oh shit…James is right, I am a fucking moron.

James was getting quite worried now, the heat of his pendant from Lucius had been increasing over the last hour and it was starting to become quite unbearable. He had noticed that Lucius had noticed his discomfort and he had the fleeting suspicion that Lucius knew why the pendant was burning. He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the Jury standing to leave. They must be going to decide the final verdict. He was sitting directly behind Sirius who was at the front next to a lawyer, perhaps the best lawyer money had to offer and Lucius had a lot of money to offer. He looked to his right at Remus and saw how pale the werewolf was, he knew Remus well enough to know he was thinking the worst of this situation at the moment.

Lucius started to get up, he was so thirsty, but he felt a restraining hand on his right arm. He looked back to see James watching him with a mixture of suspicion and worry in his eyes. "What?"

"You know something bad is going to happen don't you?" questioned James, "Voldemort's going to attack isn't he?" His suspicions were confirmed by Lucius' silence. James let go of his husband's arm and looked away feeling wounded, how could Lucius not tell him something like this? Especially when their children were in danger as well.

……

"Have you reached a verdict?" asked the Judge to the Jury that he just returned.

"Yes, your Honour," replied the female Jury member who was still standing.

"What say you?"

Remus was clutching James' hand unbearably hard, just like when he had been in labour. James' hand was killing him now and his chest hurt from the burning pendant. Sirius was standing in front of them with his Lawyer, his posture was rigid and if you could see his face, you'd be able to see the almost horror stricken look as he awaited his verdict.

Time seemed to stop for Sirius as the lady read the verdict.

"We find the defendant, Sirius Black," she started. The first words were blurred to Sirius. "Not guilty of all charges laid against him."

Sirius nearly fainted in relief. Remus released James' hand and embraced Sirius over the gate when his lover turned towards them. James sighed a breath of relief; finally his best friend was free from the horror of Azkaban.

Lucius looked quite smug, his leg pulling had worked, if he had to be honest, in the interim while the Jury were deciding he had snuck off to talk to them instead of just getting a drink. He had seen the way they were watching Sirius in the first half of the trial, he had seen how none of them wanted this supposed killer to go free and he knew it would greatly upset James if Sirius was thrown back into that hell hole.

……

An hour later, Sirius had been given an official pardon by the Minister of Magic himself. Of course, Sirius holding grudges the way he did, sneered at the Minister and told him where to shove it before turning and storming away from the stout man.

Lucius was getting increasingly more anxious, he didn't know whether the fact that Voldemort hadn't attacked yet was a good thing or not. He had tried taking James to the side and talking to his husband about it but he had been shoved off and blatantly ignored by James.

All movement and talking stopped when a loud boom was heard from somewhere in the Ministry building.

James looked to Lucius wide eyed, he started heading towards his husband but he was pulled back by Remus as part of the ceiling fell and hit the ground where James would have been only seconds before.

"What the hell is happening?!" shouted somebody as another part of the ceiling fell.

Lucius caught the piercing blue eyes of Dumbledore as he started edging away from where he had been standing. He saw the suspicious glint in the old man's eyes, but Lucius no longer cared, the only thing he cared about at the moment was finding Draco and Karliya and getting them and James out of this place.

"We have to get out of here!" Someone near James shouted.

It all happened so quickly, a whole wall of the room everyone was in blew away and in poured numerous people in black robes and hoods, with black gloves on and wands held high.

"Oh my god!"

"Death Eaters!"

"You Know Who!"

A loud evil cackle was heard from behind the Deatheaters, the very source of the voice sent shivers down the spines of all that knew who it was.

Curses started flying everywhere. People were screaming, shouting, ducking beams of light coming from the wands of the Death Eaters.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Stupefy!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Deletrius!"

"Impedimenta!"

"HELP!"

"Crucio!"

James watched in horror as the beam of light hit his son who had been trying to get out of the way. "Draco!"

It was everyone for themselves now, no matter what side they were on. No one was protecting anyone else anymore; they were just trying to keep themselves safe.

The whole room shook violently as another part of the Ministry blew up, probably killing a lot of innocent people.

The screams of people being tortured by the Cruciatus Curse were horrible, blood curdling, it made the people not used to the sounds want to vomit.

Sirius was at the moment, so unbelievably glad he had had his wand given straight back to him as soon as his trial had finished.

The Death Eaters weren't just using their wands now, they had other weapons. Daggers mostly. Hurling them left, right and centre. Some were bright enough to hold onto the daggers and plunge them into a defenceless Ministry worker.

Dumbledore was duelling Voldemort just at the side of the room. Sirius was now duelling with his cackling cousin Bellatrix Lestrange.

Half of the Ministry building had been blown up by some powerful spell from Voldemort. The other half that was still standing was a light with the flashes of curses being fired in every direction.

James heard a young girl screaming from somewhere behind him, he spun around to see if it was Anna or Karliya and was overcome with immediate pain in his abdomen.

"You'll die this time Potter."

James could hear the sound of the long dagger being pulled back out of his stomach; his hands went straight to his stomach. He could hardly believe what had just happened, that was part of the reason he was still standing. He saw his own blood all over his hands before passing out from the immense pain and shock of what just happened.

"Daddy!"

Lucius looked in the direction of the shrieking girl just before somebody shoved him down to the ground as a green light, the Death Curse, shot over his head.

The Aurors finally turned up and took down a fair number of Death Eaters. They started arresting some of them and chasing others that fled upon seeing the Law Enforcement.

The screaming, the shouting and the crying finally started to die down. People started coming out of their hiding places or crawling out from under rubble.

The death toll had already been started and right now it was numbering at 15 Ministry officials, seven innocent civilians and 16 Deatheaters. The injuries were numerous as well, several people were unconscious, some bleeding, some concussed, and some bruised and broken.

Magical Paramedics from St Mungos soon arrived and started carting the injured off to the Hospital.

Lucius found his son and helped him up off the ground. Draco was even paler than usual and he was shaking still from the Cruciatus Curse he had been hit with. "Are you all right?" questioned Lucius, he had a gash on his forehead and the blood was dripping down his face but he didn't actually realise, and he didn't really care anyway.

Draco nodded numbly, "Yeah…"

Lucius was about to say something else to his son when he heard some voices, one shocked.

"White male, serious stab wound to the abdomen and a severe loss of blood. He can't be any more than thirty years old."

"That's James!"

Lucius and Draco both stared at hospital stretcher bed being rolled out of a hole in the wall, their identical grey eyes wide. One of Lucius' worst fears had just been confirmed.

…Two Weeks Later…

Lucius had barely slept since the attack on the Ministry; his son and daughter had both been in hospital being treated for minor injuries and shock. His husband was in hospital with a major stab wound, he was unconscious and he had inevitably lost their baby through his injury. And on top of this Lucius was now under investigation from the Ministry of Magic because of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, like Lucius himself, had a good amount of power over the Ministry and he had told the Minister for Magic that Lucius was a suspected Death Eater and that he knew of the attack before it had happened. Which in all honesty was true. But now, if the Ministry got more incriminating evidence against him, Lucius would be shipped off to Azkaban, probably without a trial like Sirius had been.

But right now, he was trying to push that to the back of his mind so he could concentrate on hoping James would wake up.

Lucius rubbed his tired eyes and looked back to James' comatose form lying there under the clean white sheets and green hospital blanket.

Lucius picked up one of James' hands and held it in his own, James felt so cold to the touch. His usually lightly tanned skin was so pale and his breathing was uncomfortingly slow. Lucius kissed James' hand and watched that gorgeous face sadly, he couldn't help but think this was all his fault.

If only he had stopped James from going to that trial, whether he used force or not he still should've stopped him not to mention his children. He could've locked James in the Manor dungeon or something; at least then he would've been safe.

"Please wake up, James," said Lucius quietly. "I am so sorry for ever hurting you…for making you doubt my love so many times…"

Draco watched his parents sadly through the window in the door; he was so scared right now. He knew his father was under investigation and could very well be taken to Azkaban and he knew his dad had very nearly died two weeks ago. The prospect of losing both of his parents in one go was something he didn't want to think about.

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A/N: Wow, that thoroughly depressed me for the rest of the day. And just for the record, Draco refers to Lucius as father and James as dad while Karliya refers to Lucius as dad and James as daddy.

Next Chapter: Lucius still hasn't slept and hasn't left James' side. While at Mungos, James' parents turn up upon hearing the news of their only, disowned son on his deathbed. Will James wake up?