"Will you be home this evening, Dear?" Narsissa asked over dessert that evening. She seemed more herself this evening. She had even helped Draco prepare dinner, laughing and talking the whole time.

"No, I have things to attend to," Lucius answered looking meaningfully at Draco.

"Oh, all right, then it will be Draco and I alone tonight then." She said trying not to pout.

"When I finish with this last matter, you and I will be taking a trip to Iceland, my dear, just the two of us." Lucius said, his voice like velvet. He kissed her hand and she giggled like a school girl.

"I will need that potion again tonight," Lucius said turning his attention to his son.

"Yes, father," Draco answered, "We're almost out of valerian though. I should go out and get some before the apothecary closes,"

"Oh no Draco, I thought we would play chess this evening," Narsissa whined.

Lucius nodded, "Use what we have, I'll pick up more tomorrow. Now I must be off." He rose to his feet, picked up his cane, kissed his wife and exited through the sitting room.

While Draco was enchanting the dishrag to wash the dishes, his mother sat up the chess board and chattered away to herself. Draco tuned her out until she mentioned the Weasley's. "I don't know how Molly Weasley would even notice if one of her children were missing, doesn't she have a dozen?"

"Seven, I think," Draco answered, "Why do you mention them?"

"I was saying that there was a story in the Daily Prophet today, one of them is missing," Narsissa said examining one of the black knights. The horse threw its head about trying to escape her scrutiny. "The youngest, the girl. They say someone broke into her flat. No one's seen her since she left work yesterday."

"Really?" Draco said in what he hoped sounded offhanded.

Narsissa put the knight down on the board and picked up the white queen. " You know her don't you Draco?"

He was never able to lie to his mother. He kept his back to her and put away the dishes as the flew out of the rinse water. "I knew her and a couple of her brothers at school. Her brother Ron is best pals with Potter."

Narsissa picked up the black king in her other hand and studied both of the pieces. They motioned threateningly at each other, the queen made a rude gesture. "The article said it may have had something to do with the house elves, that she helped that Mudblood with her push for elf rights,"

"More than likely. I know there are more families than ours that the elves wouldn't stay when they were emancipated,"

"I wouldn't pay a house elf, even if they would work for us!" She sat the queen down and picked up a white pawn. "Dirty filthy things."

Draco had pulled out the potion ingredients and started the fire under the caldron. He was happy to change subjects even if it was a subject that made his mother angry. He added the ingredients by memory, half listening to his mother ramble on about the folly of ever employing house elves. "Should have stuck with muggle servants, all they're good for anyway," he heard her say as she set the pawn back down.

Draco tipped the valerian bottle upend over the caldron and worried about the effects of the potion without enough of the main calming agent.

"If I ever get my hands on that Granger girl, she might just disappear too,"The white bishop garnered her attention now. "But Granger's a mudblood. Weasley, despite all of her bad qualities, is a pureblood, and it's a shame to see ill befall a pureblood."Narsissa had sat the white queen and black knight too close together and now were struggling their way across the board. She picked them up and looked at them for a moment. Then she looked intently at her sons back, "I hope you didn't have anything to do with it."

Ginny heard the lock click and looked expectantly at the door. She had been wishing for hours that she'd saved some of the roast beef sandwich. Her stomach was eating a hole through her backbone and even Draco's company was better than being locked away all alone. The door swung open to reveal not the younger, but the older Malfoy.

Lucius strolled into the cell without even looking at Ginny. He refused to be hesitant towards her even if she had used latent magic against him that morning. The pepper nose hex hadn't been especially powerful but it was rather advanced magic to do without a wand. He'd have to be careful. She couldn't be allowed to realize she had access to the Dark Lords powers.

She stood and faced him. "You can turn your arse around," She challenged him, "I'm not going to help you. I'm not going to say the incantation. I'll not have anything to do with bringing Voldemort back. You're a fool, Malfoy. He's gone. Voldemort has been destroyed for good. He's not coming b. . ."

Malfoy stopped her tirade by hitting her in the stomach with his cane. She gasped and hit her knees. Trying to catch her breath she looked up at him as he swung the cane again hitting her across the shoulders. She fell forward onto the floor and tried to shield her head as he made contact with her ribs and shoulders. Sharp stabbing pain followed the sharp snap as her newly healed ribs broke again. She cried out again and tried to fight back as the assault continued but he laughed and pulled her by her leg into the center of the room. A shock went through his hand where he touched her skin. He was glad to let go.

Finally, panting, Lucius ended the assault and sat down on the cot. He looked at her. Not once did she ask or beg for him to stop hurting her. Not once did she give in or stop fighting. Perhaps Draco was right, or maybe she was just as stupid.

Lucius walked back through the kitchen. Narsissa and Draco were just finishing their game.

"Done already, Dear?" Narsissa cooed taking Draco's queen in a sacrifice play.

"Yes, I've finished what I needed to get done for tonight, I'm tired I'm going to bed,"

Narsissa watched her son make his move. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't be ruthless against her. She put his king into checkmate with her rook. "I'm coming too," she called after her husband.

Draco looked at the board and then his mother. Even in her addled state, she could still move the pieces and put him where she wanted. He picked up his queen from the side of the board. His mothers knight had chipped his queens ivory veneer.

When Draco heard the bedroom door close he got up, picked up the potion and headed for the dungeon.

Ginny opened her eyes. Lucius stood before her, his shirt off. He knelt down and kissed her, his hands roamed down her body. She returned the kiss and her body tensed in anticipation whenever his hands neared a sensitive area. She sat up and he unbuttoned her robe. Carefully. . .Slowly. . .He slipped her robe off her shoulders, kissing down her neck and across her shoulders. Goose bumps rose over her skin and she shivered. Something in the back of her mind niggled at her. She pushed it aside. Dropping her robe to her waist, he took a moment to assess her pale body. Her pink nipples stood erect. He kissed each one. She ran her hands through his long platinum hair and across his strong shoulders. The thing in the back of her mind began pushing it's self forward, she frowned, her hands stopping their ministrations.

Ginny jumped off of the cot and spun around looking for Lucius. Again, she'd awoken alone. She began to shake uncontrollably. She ran to the sink and heaved. The only thing that came up was the potion Draco had given her.