Chapter Twenty Four:: Malfoy Manor
"Hello, son."
Draco tensed almost imperceptibly, but apparently the man felt it.
"Now, now, Draco, if I wanted to kill you, you would have been dead by now. What have you been doing in my absence?"
Kit whirled around to face the speaker and couldn't help the gasp that escaped her. It was a grown up version of Draco; same cheekbones, same chin – his hair was longer, but he still had the same type of silverlocks as Draco. The most amazing similarity was their eyes; the senior Malfoy's was a shade darker – but otherwise, they were identical. Especially the background to them. Their eyes both held that cool, appraising feeling to them – moreso now than ever, as she watched him watch her.
Finally, he spoke again, addressing his son though his eyes remained on her. "And who might this be?" He drawled. "Surely not one of yours, Draco."
His eyes darted momentarily to take in his son's short nod. "Well. I daresay, she's more... exquisite, than usual."
Suddenly, he smiled. It was... million dollar, dazzling, flooring, beautiful, amazing – all would be understatements. It was positively charming.
Kit actually felt her heart skip a beat.
"Forgive me," he murmured, "I don't know where my manners have gone. Lucius Malfoy."
Kit took his outstretched hand and wasn't surprised when he lifted it to brush his lips.
Inwardly, she groaned at what she knew to come next.
"It – it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy." She replied.
He paused, one fair eyebrow raised slightly.
Silence.
Finally, he said, "Well, with one as lovely as you, I would expect a few more manners to accompany that pretty face."
She glanced down, feeling her ears redden; never had she been so glad as to be wearing her hair down.
"I – my name is... Kit." She murmured.
He chuckled. "And what, pray tell," he queried, "kind of a name is that? It is a nickname," he said, answering himself, "and when introducing yourself, you are generally required to give your full name."
He sounded as though he were instructing a small child, and Kit found herself wondering if he had recited this to a young Draco.
Pulling herself out of her reverie, she looked down and, opening her mouth to reply, was cut off by a hand on her chin.
Instinctively, she jerked back.
Once again, those fair eyebrows rose to disappear under wind caressed hair, drawing her attention to eyes darker than Draco's by a depth.
"Also," He continued softly, "You are usually required to look on in the eye, or risk flirting with the absence of politeness."
"Which you did, when speaking as though I were property ready for an appraisal." Instantly, she cringed as the words flew unchecked from her mouth, cursing her habit for jumping at any and every opportunity to draw attention away from the seemingly simple, and yet often uncomfortable, issue of her name.
Lucius Malfoy didn't flinch; she got the feeling he rarely did.
"So I did." He responded. "But drawing attention to one's flaw is another aspect of rudeness."
"Then what was it you just did?" Her hands flew to her mouth – too late. The words had left her lips in an automatic response, and she couldn't take them back, knowing she had crossed the line between response and insolence. "Oh I – I'm sorry, that was – completely uncalled for – I had no excuse to –"
To her surprise, he held up a hand and she quieted.
"Very good." He stated approvingly. "You're quick, to say the least. It seems that we both have forgotten a bit, and for that I apologize – but I believe we were on the subject of your name." He gazed at her steadily. "I would be most appreciative if I had that knowledge."
Kit fought the immense urge to look away – not that she needed to; Lucius' gaze could pin and trap a fruit fly until he wished to release it.
"I –" She swallowed. "I beg your pardon, sir. I myself don't have the – the privilege of knowing." Something about him made her want to be at her most respectful; she found herself wary of the consequences if she was anything less.
"You mean to say you don't have a surname?"
He took her silence as a 'yes'.
"Ah." He studied her for a moment, his demeanor cooling slightly.
"I'm not a bastard, if that's what you're thinking." She blurted.
He blinked in response and asked, "Well then, will I have to discount the privilege of knowing your full first name as well?"
"It –" Again, she stopped. It had been a long while since anyone refused to accept 'Kit' as her given name. "It's – Rowan." She said finally.
Lucius smirked. "'Rowan'? Such a lovely name, lost behind such a derogatory three letter title like 'Kit'?"
Her face lit up, fire engine red – something that rarely happened. "It – it comes from my middle name, Kaira."
"Two beautiful names!" He exclaimed. "And you pass both of them up – for 'Kit'? I refuse to follow that particular custom. Whenever you are in my presence, I expect you to answer to Rowan or Kaira. 'Kit' is a name of the past."
His eyes strayed to the enormous clock mounted on the platform. "Now," He continued briskly, "We must be off. Where are you staying for the holidays? I expect I'm to drop you off."
"Father –" Draco finally spoke up, "Kit – Kaira – is staying the holidays with us. Our family." He glanced quickly at her and away. "Mother has the guest room in the East wing ready for her."
Lucius' facial expression stayed the same, but his eyes couldn't grow colder. "Does she?" His gaze turned baleful as he sent a glance over to Kit. "And does she also happen to know this girl's family lineage? Is concealing a history of her bloodlines somewhere? Just because she claims to have been born in wedlock doesn't mean that she's anywhere close to the standards that one of our line must hold –"
"Why must we hold them?" Draco interrupted smoothly. "For the sake of dignity? Honor? If you haven't noticed, those terms are nonexistence so far as to applying them to us."
Lucius took a step back. Not as though he were stunned or shocked, but as though he were studying his son, appraising him with a similar look that he had given Kit.
"What happened to all those lessons I tried to teach you?"
"Maybe if you were around a bit more, they would have stuck longer."
A gleam of something like pride flashed in the senior Malfoy's eyes. "You've changed." He said. "You're no longer as willing to follow. You've become a true Malfoy; a leader."
Draco snorted. "It took you a year in Azkaban to realize that?"
Once again, Lucius' eyes seemed to darken. "Perhaps not all change is for the best. Though you may be growing, you are never old enough to show disrespect to your father. Perhaps it is the company you keep that has made you forget that?"
His eyes strayed back to Kit, standing by the floating luggage.
Draco followed his gaze and his face sullened. "No father." He said. "The company I keep has no affect on me."
"Or your role as a Malfoy?"
If you watched closely, you could see the boy's jaw set. "No father." He replied steely, "nor my role as a Malfoy."
"Good." Lucius turned and walked back to Kit, his smile dazzling again. "Pardon our interruption; we needed to have a... father son reunion, of sorts. Clearing up a few details. You understand."
Kit smiled weakly in response. "Perfectly."
Draco walked over to stand beside her, face stony. Looking up at him, she sighed once again. Couldn't Christmas, for once, be a happy occasion?
The long, sleek limousine made its way easily through muggle London.
Lucius Malfoy had left the two to themselves, to settle some 'final arrangements' for Kit's holiday stay.
In the mean time, the two had the next few hours to themselves.
Draco, at the moment, was sleeping soundly on the seat next to her after cushioning his head on her shoulder.
For the barest moment after he fell asleep, Kit fought the temptation to fiddle with his silver tresses. See above.
Stroking his hair was generally taboo, but this was too much to resist.
As her fingers trailed through his silky locks, she found her gaze drawn to his face. He looked so... peaceful. So young. And so vulnerable. It seemed nearly the exact opposite of how he was acting now.
On the way here, he had been quiet and recluse, bordering on sullen. He didn't seem to be pouting, exactly, but he wasn't happy about something. Kit had a good idea of what (or who) it was.
As she continued to stroke his soft blonde locks, he stirred, his head nodding off into her lap. She smiled down at him while he continued to sleep, looking more at peace than ever.
How she wished she could make sure he stayed like that; content and at ease. Then she remembered his face as he talked to his father; she could only hope that a time would come where he'd feel as well in life as he did in dreams.
Draco opened his eyes.
"Where are we?"
His voice was alert, and his face calm as he gazed up at Kit.
"Your father sent us through muggle London, as to buy time to 'finalize the preparations for my stay', quote unquote." Kit informed him
"You know, you may be the first person on this earth to have talked to my father so bluntly and still lived to tell the tale."
Kit grinned. "Oh come on, he can't be as bad as all that."
He smiled coldly. "You have no idea." He replied softly.
She couldn't help the tremor that passed through her as his voice touched her, but Draco didn't notice; his eyes were showing him a memory, far off in the realms of his mind.
Suddenly he straightened and his eyes snapped back into focus. They had passed the magical barrier into the Malfoy Estate.
"Now then," He began as though picking up on a conversation, "Are you ready to meet my mother?"
Shivering slightly – from the cold, she assumed – she stepped out of the long, dark limo that had brought them to the front doors of the Malfoy Manor.
As she walked up, arm in arm with Draco, once again, as her escort, she felt the now familiar tingle of magic; charms, wards, curses and defenses.
"...master will be joining us for Christmas, as he lives alone in a very... vampiric, state," Draco was saying as they crossed into the entrance hall.
Kit barely heard him; she was to enraptured with the scene before her.
In the Christmas spirit, the entry hall – big enough to fit several houses very comfortably, grand enough to rival the grandeur of a palace – was made up in silvers, greens, reds and golds.
She doubted she had ever seen anything quite so spectacular.
It wasn't anything near overdone, either, or gaudy, or there-just-because- we-can-afford-it type of style. It was elegant. It was lovely. It was breathtaking.
Draco, used to his home in constant rearrange and change of scene, barely gave the entry hall a glance after giving a short nod of approval and, "Whoever's working here now at least knows how to put up decorations."
"... a costume."
After an expectant pause, Kit glanced at him, realizing he expected an answer to whatever he had said.
"Beg pardon?"
Draco looked up, as though asking Heaven for patience with a girl such as this. "I will repeat," He said calmly, "I had asked you if you had any appropriate dresses besides that one, as it is a costume. Christmas dinner is usually something of a big deal, regardless of our current positions with the law."
He watched curiously as her eyes 'flamed', as he mentally referred to their quick change from silver to amber.
"Oh – I – I hadn't really – I don't actually –"
A sigh cut her off. "I'll take that as a no. Don't worry, my mother has personal fitters. They'll find something for you." His eyes raked over her quickly and he smirked. "I'll suggest they keep the corset."
"Oh you - !" Kit exclaimed and gave him a shove. He looked like he might almost laugh – before something stirred in his memory.
His face froze. "Kit," he began, suddenly serious, "You do know that things – some things will be different. Now that we're – here. With him."
Her confusion was clear. "What do you mean?"
He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped as they reached the stairs. "I'll –"
"Draco! You're home!" A soft voice floated down the staircase to them. "Did you bring the girl?"
A face appeared at the top of the stairs for a split second before disappearing again. The next moment, a woman accompanied the face, descending to greet her Christmas guest.
Kit couldn't help but stare. The woman who, she at first supposed was Draco's mother, couldn't've been older that twenty. If one were to call her beautiful, it would be grossly understated.
"Hello, child." She said lightly in her melodious voice.
"Hello –" – She couldn't say 'Mrs', that would make her seem old, something she was definitely not – "– Lady Malfoy." She felt as though she should curtsy or something, but feared embarrassing Draco, so she bent her knee slightly and bowed her head.
Her laugh was as lovely as bells. "Oh, please, call me Narcissa. And you are?"
"Kit, Lady – er, Narcissa."
"I thought we agreed on Kaira?" Lucius Malfoy's voice floated down to join them.
Kit flushed. "Oh – I – I forgot."
"Kaira? What a beautiful name!" She exclaimed. Narcissa walked down the last few steps to where Kit and Draco stood, her dressing gown floating behind her gracefully.
Gently, she embraced her son, who stiffly received her hug. His mother didn't seem to notice.
Next, she turned to Kit. "My! What a beautiful dress! Wherever did you get it?" Not waiting for an answer, she circled her, inspecting the stitching, material, and craftsmanship. "Absolutely gorgeous! I don't suppose this was for Hogwarts' Yule Ball? Who was the supplier? Madame Malkin, I presume. She may be a common witch, but she certainly knows her craft – and what's this? Are you wearing one of those old muggle contraptions? What's it called – a corset?"
Kit made a face and nodded grimly. To her immense surprise, Narcissa clapped her hands together in delight.
"How marvelous! You must let me see it later, I'll duplicate and enlarge it! I do hope you let Draco purchase this outfit; it's only fitting, after all." Not waiting for an answer, she circled her once more. "You know, I was just shown the most beautiful material," She said thoughtfully. "I was thinking of styling it for a New Year's gown, but I believe the color would fit you much better. You don't happen to have a Christmas gown already, do you? Christmas dinner is a bit of a party with us, I'm afraid." She glanced up at her husband. "Anyway, I suppose we should leave these two gentlemen together... by the way, Draco, darling, I love your suit! You should wear it tonight; you look simply marvelous in those colors, darling!"
With that, she clasped Kit's hand in hers and began tugging her up the stairs.
"Your makeup looks wonderful, so elegant... the Zabini boy's handiwork, I presume?"
"You know Blaise?"
"Of course, he's Draco's cousin!"
Their voices faded away as they disappeared into Narcissa's fitting room, leaving the two bearers of the Malfoy name together on the stairs.
After a moment, Lucius glanced down at his son. "I don't suppose your mother's boyfriend is still lurking about?"
"She got rid of him when you went... away. She said she didn't want to be known as a disloyal wife."
Lucius snorted. "In other words, now that I'm back she'll have a whole new round dropping by."
"No, she's taken to going to them instead." As he watched his father's face, a million questions stirred in his brain. Why would he care, anyway? Surely he'd go back to his usual mistresses as well. It wasn't as if he cared for his wife, at any rate; she was meant as his prize. A decoration.
But, being his father's son, he staunched the flow of questions that never quite made it to his tongue. His face remained smooth and emotionless. When his father said no more to him, he turned and walked away, hoping his mother hadn't moved the library again.
He-llo again!
MutalatedTurtle Yepyepyep. I don't think I'm all too good at cliffies, yet, but hey, practice makes perfect. ((evilgrin))
Escaped haha Hello to you, too! Yeah, I'm bringing Draco back a bit to reality... or his reality, I'm sad to say. I'll see how fast I can update... I NEED AN OFFICIAL DAY! I mean, that would make things SO much easier, having a definite deadline... a little bit more hectic, albeit, but still. I desperately hope that my version of Lucius does not disappoint! At least, not too much...
SiriusLives001 Patience may be a virtue, but I'll admit, it's a difficult ((coughcough-impossible-coughcough)) thing to learn... we'll just have to try, I guess, hm?
MadSong Mmhm, sorry, I did. I'm trying to have her be as human as possible... I don't want her perfect. She'd be boring if she were! And I don't want her jaded, regardless of her... past, experiences. ((heehee)) There's a bit of a hint to her background... not much, but I'll get to it if it works... Anyway, I'm glad you like her so much! Thank you for rEvIEwiNg!! (that's a hint to all my other anonymous readers, do you see that little go button? hit it! and type, maybe just a 'good job' or 'ew' or 'this rocks' or 'I really don't like it. sorry' or, etc., etc., etc., you really don't need me to tell you how to write a fragment! just do it!!!! )
kawaiirabbit14 Yea! You wrote again! This is my friend from dance guys, say hi again to natachan!! anyway, I'd almost thought I'd lost you! I mean, it's been CHAPTERS since you last reviewed! oh well. thank you for catching up!!!
angel pixy faerie Thank you! I'm glad you're going to keep reading; it kinda stinks to lose readers and reviewers. And don't worry, I doubt this will end any time soon – I think I'm only at the one third mark! ((haha))
mistik-elf13 Mmm... 'Lucy'... interesting nickname! ((haha)) I love it! And yes, as you see, you were right. I mean, I couldn't have a fic with Draco in it without involving his father in some way. And, though many writers leave him to be the ever looming PRESENCE, I wanted him in the story – at least once – in flesh and blood. So... here he is! TA DA!
See you in – gasp! – Chapter Twenty Five! Wow!
"Hello, son."
Draco tensed almost imperceptibly, but apparently the man felt it.
"Now, now, Draco, if I wanted to kill you, you would have been dead by now. What have you been doing in my absence?"
Kit whirled around to face the speaker and couldn't help the gasp that escaped her. It was a grown up version of Draco; same cheekbones, same chin – his hair was longer, but he still had the same type of silverlocks as Draco. The most amazing similarity was their eyes; the senior Malfoy's was a shade darker – but otherwise, they were identical. Especially the background to them. Their eyes both held that cool, appraising feeling to them – moreso now than ever, as she watched him watch her.
Finally, he spoke again, addressing his son though his eyes remained on her. "And who might this be?" He drawled. "Surely not one of yours, Draco."
His eyes darted momentarily to take in his son's short nod. "Well. I daresay, she's more... exquisite, than usual."
Suddenly, he smiled. It was... million dollar, dazzling, flooring, beautiful, amazing – all would be understatements. It was positively charming.
Kit actually felt her heart skip a beat.
"Forgive me," he murmured, "I don't know where my manners have gone. Lucius Malfoy."
Kit took his outstretched hand and wasn't surprised when he lifted it to brush his lips.
Inwardly, she groaned at what she knew to come next.
"It – it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy." She replied.
He paused, one fair eyebrow raised slightly.
Silence.
Finally, he said, "Well, with one as lovely as you, I would expect a few more manners to accompany that pretty face."
She glanced down, feeling her ears redden; never had she been so glad as to be wearing her hair down.
"I – my name is... Kit." She murmured.
He chuckled. "And what, pray tell," he queried, "kind of a name is that? It is a nickname," he said, answering himself, "and when introducing yourself, you are generally required to give your full name."
He sounded as though he were instructing a small child, and Kit found herself wondering if he had recited this to a young Draco.
Pulling herself out of her reverie, she looked down and, opening her mouth to reply, was cut off by a hand on her chin.
Instinctively, she jerked back.
Once again, those fair eyebrows rose to disappear under wind caressed hair, drawing her attention to eyes darker than Draco's by a depth.
"Also," He continued softly, "You are usually required to look on in the eye, or risk flirting with the absence of politeness."
"Which you did, when speaking as though I were property ready for an appraisal." Instantly, she cringed as the words flew unchecked from her mouth, cursing her habit for jumping at any and every opportunity to draw attention away from the seemingly simple, and yet often uncomfortable, issue of her name.
Lucius Malfoy didn't flinch; she got the feeling he rarely did.
"So I did." He responded. "But drawing attention to one's flaw is another aspect of rudeness."
"Then what was it you just did?" Her hands flew to her mouth – too late. The words had left her lips in an automatic response, and she couldn't take them back, knowing she had crossed the line between response and insolence. "Oh I – I'm sorry, that was – completely uncalled for – I had no excuse to –"
To her surprise, he held up a hand and she quieted.
"Very good." He stated approvingly. "You're quick, to say the least. It seems that we both have forgotten a bit, and for that I apologize – but I believe we were on the subject of your name." He gazed at her steadily. "I would be most appreciative if I had that knowledge."
Kit fought the immense urge to look away – not that she needed to; Lucius' gaze could pin and trap a fruit fly until he wished to release it.
"I –" She swallowed. "I beg your pardon, sir. I myself don't have the – the privilege of knowing." Something about him made her want to be at her most respectful; she found herself wary of the consequences if she was anything less.
"You mean to say you don't have a surname?"
He took her silence as a 'yes'.
"Ah." He studied her for a moment, his demeanor cooling slightly.
"I'm not a bastard, if that's what you're thinking." She blurted.
He blinked in response and asked, "Well then, will I have to discount the privilege of knowing your full first name as well?"
"It –" Again, she stopped. It had been a long while since anyone refused to accept 'Kit' as her given name. "It's – Rowan." She said finally.
Lucius smirked. "'Rowan'? Such a lovely name, lost behind such a derogatory three letter title like 'Kit'?"
Her face lit up, fire engine red – something that rarely happened. "It – it comes from my middle name, Kaira."
"Two beautiful names!" He exclaimed. "And you pass both of them up – for 'Kit'? I refuse to follow that particular custom. Whenever you are in my presence, I expect you to answer to Rowan or Kaira. 'Kit' is a name of the past."
His eyes strayed to the enormous clock mounted on the platform. "Now," He continued briskly, "We must be off. Where are you staying for the holidays? I expect I'm to drop you off."
"Father –" Draco finally spoke up, "Kit – Kaira – is staying the holidays with us. Our family." He glanced quickly at her and away. "Mother has the guest room in the East wing ready for her."
Lucius' facial expression stayed the same, but his eyes couldn't grow colder. "Does she?" His gaze turned baleful as he sent a glance over to Kit. "And does she also happen to know this girl's family lineage? Is concealing a history of her bloodlines somewhere? Just because she claims to have been born in wedlock doesn't mean that she's anywhere close to the standards that one of our line must hold –"
"Why must we hold them?" Draco interrupted smoothly. "For the sake of dignity? Honor? If you haven't noticed, those terms are nonexistence so far as to applying them to us."
Lucius took a step back. Not as though he were stunned or shocked, but as though he were studying his son, appraising him with a similar look that he had given Kit.
"What happened to all those lessons I tried to teach you?"
"Maybe if you were around a bit more, they would have stuck longer."
A gleam of something like pride flashed in the senior Malfoy's eyes. "You've changed." He said. "You're no longer as willing to follow. You've become a true Malfoy; a leader."
Draco snorted. "It took you a year in Azkaban to realize that?"
Once again, Lucius' eyes seemed to darken. "Perhaps not all change is for the best. Though you may be growing, you are never old enough to show disrespect to your father. Perhaps it is the company you keep that has made you forget that?"
His eyes strayed back to Kit, standing by the floating luggage.
Draco followed his gaze and his face sullened. "No father." He said. "The company I keep has no affect on me."
"Or your role as a Malfoy?"
If you watched closely, you could see the boy's jaw set. "No father." He replied steely, "nor my role as a Malfoy."
"Good." Lucius turned and walked back to Kit, his smile dazzling again. "Pardon our interruption; we needed to have a... father son reunion, of sorts. Clearing up a few details. You understand."
Kit smiled weakly in response. "Perfectly."
Draco walked over to stand beside her, face stony. Looking up at him, she sighed once again. Couldn't Christmas, for once, be a happy occasion?
The long, sleek limousine made its way easily through muggle London.
Lucius Malfoy had left the two to themselves, to settle some 'final arrangements' for Kit's holiday stay.
In the mean time, the two had the next few hours to themselves.
Draco, at the moment, was sleeping soundly on the seat next to her after cushioning his head on her shoulder.
For the barest moment after he fell asleep, Kit fought the temptation to fiddle with his silver tresses. See above.
Stroking his hair was generally taboo, but this was too much to resist.
As her fingers trailed through his silky locks, she found her gaze drawn to his face. He looked so... peaceful. So young. And so vulnerable. It seemed nearly the exact opposite of how he was acting now.
On the way here, he had been quiet and recluse, bordering on sullen. He didn't seem to be pouting, exactly, but he wasn't happy about something. Kit had a good idea of what (or who) it was.
As she continued to stroke his soft blonde locks, he stirred, his head nodding off into her lap. She smiled down at him while he continued to sleep, looking more at peace than ever.
How she wished she could make sure he stayed like that; content and at ease. Then she remembered his face as he talked to his father; she could only hope that a time would come where he'd feel as well in life as he did in dreams.
Draco opened his eyes.
"Where are we?"
His voice was alert, and his face calm as he gazed up at Kit.
"Your father sent us through muggle London, as to buy time to 'finalize the preparations for my stay', quote unquote." Kit informed him
wryly.
For the barest moment, he stiffened; the next instant, his face smoothed and a shadow of a grin seemed to cross his face."You know, you may be the first person on this earth to have talked to my father so bluntly and still lived to tell the tale."
Kit grinned. "Oh come on, he can't be as bad as all that."
He smiled coldly. "You have no idea." He replied softly.
She couldn't help the tremor that passed through her as his voice touched her, but Draco didn't notice; his eyes were showing him a memory, far off in the realms of his mind.
Suddenly he straightened and his eyes snapped back into focus. They had passed the magical barrier into the Malfoy Estate.
"Now then," He began as though picking up on a conversation, "Are you ready to meet my mother?"
Shivering slightly – from the cold, she assumed – she stepped out of the long, dark limo that had brought them to the front doors of the Malfoy Manor.
As she walked up, arm in arm with Draco, once again, as her escort, she felt the now familiar tingle of magic; charms, wards, curses and defenses.
"...master will be joining us for Christmas, as he lives alone in a very... vampiric, state," Draco was saying as they crossed into the entrance hall.
Kit barely heard him; she was to enraptured with the scene before her.
In the Christmas spirit, the entry hall – big enough to fit several houses very comfortably, grand enough to rival the grandeur of a palace – was made up in silvers, greens, reds and golds.
She doubted she had ever seen anything quite so spectacular.
It wasn't anything near overdone, either, or gaudy, or there-just-because- we-can-afford-it type of style. It was elegant. It was lovely. It was breathtaking.
Draco, used to his home in constant rearrange and change of scene, barely gave the entry hall a glance after giving a short nod of approval and, "Whoever's working here now at least knows how to put up decorations."
"... a costume."
After an expectant pause, Kit glanced at him, realizing he expected an answer to whatever he had said.
"Beg pardon?"
Draco looked up, as though asking Heaven for patience with a girl such as this. "I will repeat," He said calmly, "I had asked you if you had any appropriate dresses besides that one, as it is a costume. Christmas dinner is usually something of a big deal, regardless of our current positions with the law."
He watched curiously as her eyes 'flamed', as he mentally referred to their quick change from silver to amber.
"Oh – I – I hadn't really – I don't actually –"
A sigh cut her off. "I'll take that as a no. Don't worry, my mother has personal fitters. They'll find something for you." His eyes raked over her quickly and he smirked. "I'll suggest they keep the corset."
"Oh you - !" Kit exclaimed and gave him a shove. He looked like he might almost laugh – before something stirred in his memory.
His face froze. "Kit," he began, suddenly serious, "You do know that things – some things will be different. Now that we're – here. With him."
Her confusion was clear. "What do you mean?"
He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped as they reached the stairs. "I'll –"
"Draco! You're home!" A soft voice floated down the staircase to them. "Did you bring the girl?"
A face appeared at the top of the stairs for a split second before disappearing again. The next moment, a woman accompanied the face, descending to greet her Christmas guest.
Kit couldn't help but stare. The woman who, she at first supposed was Draco's mother, couldn't've been older that twenty. If one were to call her beautiful, it would be grossly understated.
"Hello, child." She said lightly in her melodious voice.
"Hello –" – She couldn't say 'Mrs', that would make her seem old, something she was definitely not – "– Lady Malfoy." She felt as though she should curtsy or something, but feared embarrassing Draco, so she bent her knee slightly and bowed her head.
Her laugh was as lovely as bells. "Oh, please, call me Narcissa. And you are?"
"Kit, Lady – er, Narcissa."
"I thought we agreed on Kaira?" Lucius Malfoy's voice floated down to join them.
Kit flushed. "Oh – I – I forgot."
"Kaira? What a beautiful name!" She exclaimed. Narcissa walked down the last few steps to where Kit and Draco stood, her dressing gown floating behind her gracefully.
Gently, she embraced her son, who stiffly received her hug. His mother didn't seem to notice.
Next, she turned to Kit. "My! What a beautiful dress! Wherever did you get it?" Not waiting for an answer, she circled her, inspecting the stitching, material, and craftsmanship. "Absolutely gorgeous! I don't suppose this was for Hogwarts' Yule Ball? Who was the supplier? Madame Malkin, I presume. She may be a common witch, but she certainly knows her craft – and what's this? Are you wearing one of those old muggle contraptions? What's it called – a corset?"
Kit made a face and nodded grimly. To her immense surprise, Narcissa clapped her hands together in delight.
"How marvelous! You must let me see it later, I'll duplicate and enlarge it! I do hope you let Draco purchase this outfit; it's only fitting, after all." Not waiting for an answer, she circled her once more. "You know, I was just shown the most beautiful material," She said thoughtfully. "I was thinking of styling it for a New Year's gown, but I believe the color would fit you much better. You don't happen to have a Christmas gown already, do you? Christmas dinner is a bit of a party with us, I'm afraid." She glanced up at her husband. "Anyway, I suppose we should leave these two gentlemen together... by the way, Draco, darling, I love your suit! You should wear it tonight; you look simply marvelous in those colors, darling!"
With that, she clasped Kit's hand in hers and began tugging her up the stairs.
"Your makeup looks wonderful, so elegant... the Zabini boy's handiwork, I presume?"
"You know Blaise?"
"Of course, he's Draco's cousin!"
Their voices faded away as they disappeared into Narcissa's fitting room, leaving the two bearers of the Malfoy name together on the stairs.
After a moment, Lucius glanced down at his son. "I don't suppose your mother's boyfriend is still lurking about?"
"She got rid of him when you went... away. She said she didn't want to be known as a disloyal wife."
Lucius snorted. "In other words, now that I'm back she'll have a whole new round dropping by."
"No, she's taken to going to them instead." As he watched his father's face, a million questions stirred in his brain. Why would he care, anyway? Surely he'd go back to his usual mistresses as well. It wasn't as if he cared for his wife, at any rate; she was meant as his prize. A decoration.
But, being his father's son, he staunched the flow of questions that never quite made it to his tongue. His face remained smooth and emotionless. When his father said no more to him, he turned and walked away, hoping his mother hadn't moved the library again.
He-llo again!
MutalatedTurtle Yepyepyep. I don't think I'm all too good at cliffies, yet, but hey, practice makes perfect. ((evilgrin))
Escaped haha Hello to you, too! Yeah, I'm bringing Draco back a bit to reality... or his reality, I'm sad to say. I'll see how fast I can update... I NEED AN OFFICIAL DAY! I mean, that would make things SO much easier, having a definite deadline... a little bit more hectic, albeit, but still. I desperately hope that my version of Lucius does not disappoint! At least, not too much...
SiriusLives001 Patience may be a virtue, but I'll admit, it's a difficult ((coughcough-impossible-coughcough)) thing to learn... we'll just have to try, I guess, hm?
MadSong Mmhm, sorry, I did. I'm trying to have her be as human as possible... I don't want her perfect. She'd be boring if she were! And I don't want her jaded, regardless of her... past, experiences. ((heehee)) There's a bit of a hint to her background... not much, but I'll get to it if it works... Anyway, I'm glad you like her so much! Thank you for rEvIEwiNg!! (that's a hint to all my other anonymous readers, do you see that little go button? hit it! and type, maybe just a 'good job' or 'ew' or 'this rocks' or 'I really don't like it. sorry' or, etc., etc., etc., you really don't need me to tell you how to write a fragment! just do it!!!! )
kawaiirabbit14 Yea! You wrote again! This is my friend from dance guys, say hi again to natachan!! anyway, I'd almost thought I'd lost you! I mean, it's been CHAPTERS since you last reviewed! oh well. thank you for catching up!!!
angel pixy faerie Thank you! I'm glad you're going to keep reading; it kinda stinks to lose readers and reviewers. And don't worry, I doubt this will end any time soon – I think I'm only at the one third mark! ((haha))
mistik-elf13 Mmm... 'Lucy'... interesting nickname! ((haha)) I love it! And yes, as you see, you were right. I mean, I couldn't have a fic with Draco in it without involving his father in some way. And, though many writers leave him to be the ever looming PRESENCE, I wanted him in the story – at least once – in flesh and blood. So... here he is! TA DA!
See you in – gasp! – Chapter Twenty Five! Wow!