The tension remained throughout breakfast and into the afternoon. Her uncles seemed not to notice along with Narcissa who was determined to make the holidays perfect. Lucius was the only one who gave Rhyann a cool look. It was not anything unusual in itself, but only for the fact that he seemed in a better mood otherwise. She remembered his threat months ago that she was not to hurt his son in any way. She had no doubt of the seriousness of the threat now but there was little that she could do about her situation as it was. She and Draco fought often, and she thought that everyone should be use to that by now.
As the afternoon progressed, more members of the extended Malfoy family arrived. The number was nearing fifty with the addition of Edgar and his family who joined them at the manor. Narcissa had arranged a huge feast in the formal dining room with the table magically elongated to seat everyone. The crowd was a lot for her at the moment and Rhyann excused herself to a little time to herself to rest. She was not looking for any sleep, but she just wanted away from all the people. When she made a gesture towards her arm, they were much more obliging and let her go off so that she would be feeling more refreshed for dinner.
Draco thankfully did not follow her to her room and she let out a sigh of relief as he reached it, opening the door so that she could find a few moments of peace. The first thing the dreamer saw when she entered her room was that her trunk was slung open. Clothes lay messily piled upon its lid and books were stacked on top of them. Her dark eyes then set upon the ones that were digging around in it. "What are you two doing! Those are my things and this is my private room!"
The Mulciber twins jumped back at the sound of her voice as the door had opened with a squeak. Gamene looked a bit worried, but his sister folded her arms and refused to appear as if she were doing something wrong. "We're going to see what secrets you're hiding from our family."
"Secrets!" Rhyann stormed into the room. Even though she was a small woman, she could look quite frightening in a rage. Salome's book was in her trunk. Had they found that! "I have no secrets. There is no room for secrets around here! I know that! And if there were, they would be none of your bloody business!"
Gamene stood protectively beside his twin. "It is our business!"
Nodding, Imene held her chin up stubbornly. "There's something going on with you. We know it. Draco says he knows everything you do, but he doesn't really."
"Get out!" Rhyann pushed on the lid and flipped the trunk closed with the great mess in it. Her face red with anger. "Get out of here, you little brats!"
Both the children took a few steps back at the slamming of the trunk and visibly cringed at the tone of her voice. They drew nearer to each other, seemingly gaining strength from that. The boy pointed a thin little finger at her. "You won't get away with what you're doing. We'll make sure you won't."
"You think you're better than us, but you're not!" Imene sneered, looking much like her uncle Lucius at the moment.
Rhyann almost took out her wand to hex both of them. She had enough of them sneaking about and following her around Hogwarts. She didn't know if they were doing it because Lucius or Draco had asked it of them, or if they were doing it on their own. She did not care at the moment either. Magic would not do to punish them. She would teach them respect through her own hand.
With a unlady-like snarl, the dark eyed teen darted out to snatch at both of the children. She managed to grab Gamene's collar but Imene slipped backwards just in time. The boy struggled, but she had a firm hold on him. Rhyann gave the girl a hateful glare. Punishing one of them was enough for the moment.
"Lemme go! Lemme go!" Gamene writhed and yanked at the hold she had on him. He reached around with his own hands, trying to pry her loose.
Rhyann used her other hand to grab hold of the back of his robes by his neck and pulled back hard. He gave a little strangling cry and could not help but go with her as she started walking out of the room. She had given these brats nightmares while they were at Hogwarts, but it had not been enough of a deterrant. They needed a lesson in the waking world that they would soon not forget.
"Let him go! You're hurting him!" Imene screeched as she followed behind, not daring to get near Rhyann. Her eyes were shimmering with fear and tears.
"It's time someone taught you two about respect. A lesson you should have been taught years ago!" She grunted as she roughly pulled the boy, hearing a few seams on his robes breaking with her tugging of him. The angry witch opened one of the side doors that led out back and dragged him into the snow. Gamene could not get a word out himself as he frantically tried to pull his collar from digging into his throat. He was lucky to get a breath.
"You won't get away with this! I'm going to tell on you!" Imene's voice wobbled as she delivered her threat. She did not run off to tell anyone though. She followed as if tied to her sibling with a string, helpless to do anything to aide him.
"Go tell then!" Rhyann snapped at her and continued on until she had reached a willow tree. The snow was three inches deep and had wet the hem of her robes already. She did not feel the cold though. She was too intent on punishing the twins. If they had found Salome's book, all might have been lost for her!
Viciously, she yanked off a thin branch from the tree. Since it was winter, it was not as supple as she would have liked, but it would still do the trick. She forced Gamene to the ground, kneeling down on him with her knee in his lower back so that he could not get away. He drew in great gasping breaths, his face pale from lack of oxygen and fear. It suddenly blossomed with red as she brought down the switch on his back the first time. He did not make a sound for the shock of it. His twin, on the other hand, screamed as if it were her being beaten.
Rhyann would have liked it if he would have a bare back so that the blows would not be padded and she could see the welts forming, but as it was clear that neither of the Mulciber children had ever been punished in this way or, probably, in any way at all, it was having the effect she desired. The boy whimpered underneath her as she repeatedly brought down the switch. She spared nothing in her blows. All her anger and frustrations went directly into them. Everything that had went wrong today and all year was focused in them. She did not even count how many she gave Gamene or how much time had went by before she was suddenly yanked off of him.
Her growl of protest was cut off upon seeing that it was her uncle Darcy that had pulled her off the boy. His expression was cool, but she knew him well enough to read the shock and chastizement underneath it. He quietly said her name and she dropped the switch, sagging in his hold. Rhyann glanced over to see Lucius picking the boy up from the snow and gently brushing him off as he spoke in whispers to him. Gamene wiped the tears from his face and nodded numbly, refusing to look in the dreamer's direction.
Imene ran over to wind her arm through her twin's and lead him inside as Lucius had gestured. Gamene walked as if step caused him excruciating pain and his sister, with tears still in her eyes, patted his hand as she lent him her strength. She did not look at Rhyann either.
Rhyann knew the boy was not as hurt as he was acting. He might have some good welts on his back, but it was his pride that was hurt more than anything else. She had given her cousins beatings just like that and they never reacted in that manner.
"Get her inside to my study." Lucius instructed the other wizard in a rigid tone and marched off after the twins.
"Come on, Rhyann." Darcy led her back into the manor. He did not say anything more as they walked to the study, but kept their pace swift and made sure no one saw them going there. Once they were in the room, waiting for the lord of the manor, he sighed. "What were you doing out there, Rhyann? You can't just go about punishing other people's children for them. They are part of the Malfoy family. You have to show them as much respect as you do the adults."
She glared at him as if he were asking her something absolutely ridiculous. "Respect? I will respect no one unless they show me proper respect in return. Those brats have caused trouble for me all semester! I am their elder. They have no care for anyone but themselves. It was about time someone taught them how to properly behave."
Darcy reached out, brushing her hair back from her face and giving her a sympathetic look. "I understand what you are saying, my dear, but the fact still remains that it is not your place to punish other people's children.."
"Their own family was not doing it! Someone had to." She hotly interjected.
He made a quiet shushing noise, to soothe her as well as to keep her from yelling. "It is still not your place." Darcy repeated more firmly. "They will not understand your motivation, Rhyann. The children's parents will be upset and demand punishment of you. I am sure Lucius already knows as much and that is why we are waiting here for him. You must accept whatever he has planned for you and put this behind you. We cannot be having any troubles with the Malfoy family."
Rhyann did not get a chance to respond as Lucius entered his study and came to stand in front of his desk. He did not look at the dreamer immediately but instead focused upon her uncle. "Please leave us be, Darcy. The boy is being tended to in one of the rooms and we have kept this incident as quiet as possible. Do not mention it as you return to the others."
"Of course, Lucius." Darcy dipped his head and gave Rhyann a pat on the shoulder as he exited the room, closing the door behind him.
The click of the oak door echoed throughout the study and the wizard's silver-grey eyes came to rest upon her. "What did you think you were doing, Rhyann?"
"The twins were rummaging through my trunk in my room." Rhyann answered immediately, confident she was right in this matter. "They have no respect for me or others. They have been giving me trouble throughout the entire semester. It was time they learned a lesson in.."
"It does not matter how Gamene and Imene act. It is not your concern. They are not your family, but they are mine and you have done them - me - an insult."
"It is my concern when they are going through my private things."
Lucius moved so quickly that she did not even have time to cringe back. The back of his hand connected with her right cheek and sent her stumbling backwards with a shocked expression. Rhyann did not even feel the pain of the slap for a few seconds for she could not believe that he had done such a thing.
"It is not your concern." His drawl was drawn into a tight line, ready to snap. "You are to leave those children be.."
The words came out before she could stop them. "How can I leave them be when they are going through my stuff and spying on me! I am only.."
The second blow was much harder than the first and knocked her off her feet. Rhyann could taste the blood from her split lip and felt a bit dizzy from the force of it. She knew that she should not be so surprised that he would attack her in such a manner, but she could not rid herself of the stunned expression. Perhaps she should not have beaten Gamene as she did, but she was in the right about the brats invading her privacy.
"I'm afraid that you must be punished for this, Rhyann." It was then she noticed that Lucius had his wand out and was pointing it in her direction. There wasn't a hint of pity or even hate in his eyes. There seemed to be only cold, hard duty. She wondered if that's what her own eyes looked like when she murdered men in their dreams.
"Crucio."
The spell was not cast with a snarl but it lashed out at her with a cruel force and she could not even scream with the immense pain surging through her body. Her fingers dug into the oriental rug and her back arched as if she were being lifted up by the middle by an invisible rope. When Voldemort had branded her, it had felt like she was on fire. This curse did not burn or freeze. It was pure agony as if every single bone in her body was being broken at the same time.
It lasted only a few seconds and she fell over on her side, gasping. She had tried not to cry. She did not want to give him the pleasure of seeing her tears, but she had no control whether they streamed down or not. Rhyann barely had enough ability at the moment to prop herself up on her elbow.
There was that telltale POP and Draco stood beside her. His eyes went wide upon seeing her on the floor, blood trickling from her lip. He took a step towards her and glanced over at his father. "What's going on here?"
"Let her be, Draco." Lucius said sternly. "And leave the room. Rhyann and I have business to conclude."
The younger Malfoy did not head towards the door or disapparate. He knelt down beside his girlfriend and reached out a hand to gently help her sit up. "Whatever business you have with Rhyann is my business as well, father." He took note of her already bruising cheek and her trembling from experiencing the Cruciatus Curse. "What is going on?"
Sighing a little impatiently, Lucius folded his arms. "Rhyann had taken it upon herself to teach your cousins a lesson in respect by beating it into them. I am merely teaching her a lesson in return."
"You do not need to do this to teach her a lesson. She listens quite well." Draco gathered her small body up to him and dabbed at the blood running from her lip with his sleeve.
Rhyann was never more glad of the fact that he could apparate wherever she was. She did not expect him to rescue her from his father, but at least his presence might end it before she received another one of the Forbidden Curses. She leaned against him, not daring to whisper to him in her own defense or even utter a whimper.
"You are too young to understand. I am the head of this household and I see to it that no one brings disgrace upon us. She must learn." Lucius made a dismissive gesture to his son. "Step out of the room for the moment, Draco."
Standing to his full height, Draco was already as tall as his father. He was also built more firmly with his training for quidditch. "I am not a boy any longer, father. I understand more than you think. Please don't talk to me as if I don't. Rhyann has never disgraced our household."
"Then stay and watch the rest of her punishment, if you wish." Lucius was not nonchalant in saying so. He was not a man that liked to be talked back to by anyone.
Draco took a step sideways in front of the witch on the floor. "Your lesson has been taught. There is no need for any more."
The elder man's eyes narrowed. "Step out of the way, Draco."
"No." He held his father's steely gaze.
Looking back and forth between the two wizards, Rhyann held her breath. If there had been tension in the room just between her and Lucius, then the air was crackling now. She had never thought she'd see her boyfriend stand up to the high ranking Death Eater. Lucius was an intimidating man on a normal day. Right now, the look on his face was chilling.
"I have no qualms about going through you." The threat carried an edge sharp as a razor.
Draco still did not move. "I don't think you will. I am your son."
"And as my son, you should know your place as well." Lucius' hand shot out and delivered a back hand to the younger wizard's face.
Draco did not budge but he was clearly shocked that his own father would strike him. Rhyann did flinch though. He had received his share of slaps when he was a child, but that was different then. He was a man now and Lucius had not done anything like that in about eight years. His fingers ran over the spot which was blooming a bright red. "And where is my place, father?"
"It is by my side. My right hand. You are to do as I say and do it now."
"What if I disagree with you?"
"There is no room for disagreement. I am the Lord of Malfoy Manor." Lucius head tipped up haughtily, his hand ready to strike out again. "You have no choice in the matter, Draco. You will do as you are told."
With his pale eyes locked on his father, Draco bent down and took up Rhyann in his arms. She was light and clung to him. "There is always a choice." With that, he disapparated leaving Lucius standing alone to fume in his study.