33) Narcissa's Lament
She was pacing forth in the privacy of her bedroom. Just five minutes ago she had received the Ministry fire-call that Lucius had been arrested and she was to come to be interrogated within the next thirty minutes. If she was not at the Department then, an auror would come and get her. All floos and official portkeys aboard had been sealed off for her and she knew one wrong step would land her in prison, if not worse! She would not even imagine that dank, dirty place! No, she had to use all her cunning and slyness to worm her way back into good graces! With Fudge, that moron. Hopefully Dumbledore would let it pass, but the old bastard was occupied at the moment. She had to act quickly!
Summoning Robby, her favourite house-elf, she let herself be dressed in her most modest robes (dark grey chiffon and silk, white embroidery, fitting white pumps, nice lace underneath, might come in handy…) and had the pitiful creature do her hair. Rounding it up with the hat from Draco's burial, she chose a white coat and apparated to the Ministry.
In the atrium she already felt their gazes on her, cold and unsympathetic, yet horny. Yes, she knew her charm. Taking a handkerchief from her handbag, she sniffed her nose and gave the guard her wand, having it checked and – not returned?
She had never done anything wrong! Orders from Amelia Bones, my ass! That filthy, little blood-traitor bitch!
Undignified, she followed another guard, who escorted her to the auror department, as if she was a low criminal of sorts, disgusting, little, unworthy…She huffed, and her composure faltered for a moment, her eyes blazing with hate. Luckily nobody saw…
Inside the office, she waited for the official to pull her chair back, but he just left her and after a while she tetchily sat. Slanting her leg elegantly she waited for that other person to arrive. Obviously everybody was quite busy… Smoothing her robes, she brushed off some nonexistent dirt and played with a piece of parchment for a while, still waiting…
Behind her the door suddenly opened and a young wizard stumbled in. Rousing to her best performance, she instantly began to rub her watery eyes and sniff her nose, as if to hide her emotional turmoil. Of course the boy fell for it. Handing her a fresh handkerchief awkwardly, he listened to her melodramatic tirades over her happy marriage, the dying love, her son's tragic demise and her husband's hard heart and horrible addiction to the darkness.
And then the boy had the obstinacy to say he was just supposed to fetch her to give testimony… bla bla bla… and so on. Sighing most heavily she rose gracefully from her seat and followed the little sot to…somewhere, she didn't really care as long as it was over soon. She really ought to contact the lawyer… and then she opened that room – number 10… –and suddenly there were dozens of faces staring at her.
In the middle of a courtroom!
Who was she to be treated so lowly? Some random criminal's bride?
Unacceptable!
"Full name?" the scribe asked.
"Lucius Alain Etienne Malfoy"
"Charge?"
"Participation in an illegal assemblage, instigation of minors to that assemblage, torture of several individuals and murder under the banner of the Dark Lord."
"Did he confess?"
"Yes, your honour," another official answered.
"Any extenuating circumstances?"
"Prolonged use of Imperius was been determined, your honour."
"Has the defendant shown regret?"
"Partially, your honour."
"How so?"
Narcissa watched the exchange with horror. This was NOT going as planned!
"He… seems to be heavily confused, your honour, personally I would say completely insane. He keeps on raving about his dead son. A specialist has not been consulted, since St. Mungos is horribly busy at the moment," the speaker hesitated.
"Insane?"
"We believe so, your honour. Under the influence of Veritaserum his rambling did not clear up at all. Considering the circumstances, we believe it is a possibility that his deeds as a Death Eater under You-Know-Who's command rendered him insane. Additionally one of your local healers established prolonged use of the Cruciatus on Mr. Malfoy."
"We see. On the thirty-first of May 1996, the Court of Wizarding Justice, installed under the orders of the Minister in times of crisis, deems Mr. Lucius Malfoy not guilty due to insanity. He shall be kept in St. Mungo's closed ward until further notice. According to the second paragraph of the six-hundred-forty-seventh doctrine of the British Wizarding law, all accounts shall be frozen until Mr. Malfoy's condition is established by a professional in six months time. Court dismissed," the bleary-eyed judge drawled and left after he was finished.
Flustered, Narcissa looked around. Fudge did not even look at her until she stepped directly into his way.
"Excuse me, Minister, but there is one or another issue I have to address-" she whimpered, but was shoved aside into a bench. The wooden edge drove itself into her stomach and she cried out in pain. A rough government fellow helped her up and she was brought to her husband's cell.
Lucius stared at her with blank eyes.
"The money! They froze the money!" She cried at him and balled her fists. "What am I supposed to do?"
He just smiled a little.
"TELL ME!" she screamed and he laughed, before his eyes cleared.
"Beg", he spat, "whine, wink your eyes, prostitute yourself – whatever you like best," he told her coolly.
"Excuse me, what? I'm pregnant for Merlin's sake!"
"What?", his voice was hollow and numb.
"I'm pregnant," she repeated.
Silence.
"It's not mine," he stated calmly. Her mouth twitched and she sniffed. "Fine. There's some money in the top drawer of my desk. That should last you long enough to worm your way into someone else's bed, slut!" He drawled and smiled at her, "And now leave and never come back. You can have the ruddy manor, what should I care? It's always cold there, anyway. Has always been. But you like that, Ice Queen, don't you?" he laughed again. A warm and sympathetic laugh that contrasted horribly with his words.
"How dare you, after all I've done for you?" she raged.
He just smiled and rose his hand to silence her.
"Upon all magic of this world, upon all faults and strength you hold, upon all love you promised me, upon this vow I set you-"
"Noooooooo…."
"-free."
A cruel smirk appeared on his face while she gasped for air. Divorced from his uncaring wife, he leaned back on the hard cot and waited for the healers to take him away, while Narcissa left his cell and his life.
