Black Truth
Chapter Twenty-One: The Name of a Malfoy
Harry finished folding his best school robes and placed them on top of Draco's wrapped present. That should be enough padding, he thought, as he closed the lid of his trunk. This was it. He'd already been to the last class before Christmas break, and had finished packing. Tomorrow he would leave Hogwarts with everyone who normally left and would ride the train back to London from where he and Draco, and probably Lucius Malfoy as well, would all be going to Malfoy Manor. It was surprising people hadn't made a lot of fuss, but that was probably because no one really knew. Heck, the only people who knew that he and Draco were "together", if one could call them that, were his friends, the staff at Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy, Draco, and himself of course.
It was amazing they'd kept it a secret for so long Sowhy was he so surprised that no one made a big commotion about his living arrangements for Christmas break? After all, it wasn't as if he had much of a real choice in the matter. He'd likely wake up in Malfoy Manor with Draco even if he went to sleep in Hogwarts. And it wasn't like he would be turned over to Voldemort upon stepping into the house because of the whole Veriae bond thing… So why was it such a big deal to him? Why was he so nervous about this?
Needless to say, sleep did not come easily to Harry that night, although it did eventually overtake him.
The next day went almost completely as Harry had envisioned it. He rode with Ron and Hermione, who were also going home to visit their families, on the train ride back to London. He then hung back while the rest of the students were getting off the train, and saw that while Draco was walking ahead with his Slytherin cronies (Or were they his friends? Harry didn't know.), Lucius seemed to be taking his own time to leave the station. For once Harry was glad that the Malfoys were almost predictable Slytherins as he discretely followed the two Malfoys to a… limo…
Its insides revealed that it only looked like a limo charmed to look like a lavish stretch limo, but in truth it was a carriage like the ones at Hogwarts. The ride to Malfoy Manor was another few hours and neither Malfoy seemed inclined to talk, yet the silence was more companionable than forced or harsh. When Harry got out of the carriage, the first thing he noticed were the four, translucent, white horses which had pulled the carriage. He would have to find out what species they were… maybe ask Hagrid when he got back.
The next thing he noticed was the house. And he wondered why he didn't notice the house first when he did get the full view of it.
Describe any fairy-tale castle and you have Malfoy Manor Harry was reminded of the castle that he'd seen once in a muggle Disney movie when he was very young. He'd been locked in the cupboard for a few days but he'd thought it was worth it to see "Beauty and the Beast" even a little bit of it, when his uncle and aunt had let Dudley watch it. And now he stood at the doorway to a recreation of the Beast's enchanted castle before the spell was broken. Yet… there were some differences Harry could see.
The carriage stopped at the middle of a driveway of sorts… but made of a white stone not pavement. To walk to the front door you passed by four statues, two of the Roman god Marsand two of the Roman goddess Athena. Then you got to a large black iron gateway that was engraved with the image of Saturn. It opened into what looked like a huge garden, covered in snow, and Harry could only wonder what it looked like in spring. They continued forward to the front door and Harry looked up in awe at the better view of the house from its front step. Gargoyles leered down at him from its heights and owlery (if Harry's guesses were any good). Two carved sphinxes sat just over the eves of the door and seemed to hold a watchful expression. So real was that expression that Harry wondered if they were truly watching him.
The doors were ebony and lined in steel and iron and as Lucius approached them they opened by themselves, as if knowing the presence of their master. A House Elf immediately appeared at Lucius' side that he ignored completely except to let it take his outer cloak.
"I trust you can situate Harry in your wing, Draco" Lucius said "And give him a tour of the Manor. I have a few things to look after."
"Yes Father."
And Lucius left, leaving Harry and Draco alone in the foyer.
Harry was too busy looking around to notice. The foyer was built on the idea of crystal, with statues of Venus hewn from a violet crystal on either side of the doorway.
"My grandfather was into Roman ideals." Draco mused, seeing where Harry was looking. "He chose to redo the foyer and front hall, as well as some of the outside of the Manor. When we get into different wings of the Manor, you'll see different themes according to who spent most of their time there."
Draco spoke as if that was what Harry had been thinking of, but Harry had simply been admiring the art. The foyer opened up onto the Great Hall which lead to one of four ballrooms, and three sitting rooms, a breakfast room, the large dining room, and the kitchens (though Draco didn't show Harry those those were for the House Elves). This was all on the first floor.
On the second floor were three breakfast rooms, two more sitting rooms, two tea rooms, the red library (red because the upholstery was decked in blood red velvet), Lucius' study (which Draco didn't show Harry as Lucius was in there apparently) and Lucius's personal library (another no show as that could only be entered through Lucius' study), the large billiard room, and the small dining room. Harry didn't bother pointing out that this "small" dining room could have fit more than three of the Dursley's dining rooms…
The third floor was split into two wings, one of which was Lucius' and one of which had been Narcissa's. These held bedrooms and the like, which Draco passed over rather quickly, but Harry still had time to wonder what one person would do with two bathrooms of their own, a sitting room of their own, a bedroom of their own, and a dressing room of their own.
The fourth floor held Draco's rooms, a guest suite, the blue library, and the smaller billiard room. Draco didn't go near his rooms because they'd be coming back that way anyway.
The fifth floor was all guest rooms and the sixth floor was the owlery as Harry had guessed. Apparently there were other towers and such but they got cold in the winter so Draco didn't feel like walking up to their tops. Although he did say that in the summer they were nice and cool, and one had a beautiful view of the fields, stable, the lake, and the back gardens.
Draco had asked if Harry actually wanted to see the north and south dungeons, four wine cellars, and three torture chambers, but Harry had quickly declined.
They returned to Draco's wing and found that their trunks had been placed in Draco's room. This wing was furnished by Lucius himself, apparently, after Draco's birth, and Harry could see where the elder Malfoy had gotten his inspiration.
It did fit Draco, Harry mused. Lucius had concentrated on ivory, with dragons and serpents of every culture adorning the doorways of the rooms. The walls varied from dark shades of green to rich forest colors. But what really got Harry's attention was Draco's bed. It was a work of art, it really was: a huge king-sized bed (or maybe bigger if that was possible) with black ivory posts rising a few feet above it, though it wasn't a canopy bed. On the top of each post was a carved head of Anubis, and these carvings wore a small snake around their necks like a necklace. Their eyes, emeralds, seemed to glitter in the light. The sheets were black silk, edged in gold.
"We'll have to share" Draco commented, also looking at the bed.
"It looks like there's enough room." Harry had to say honestly.
"Well, needless to say, this is my room" Draco said after a moment. "Yours should be right through…" he walked over to a seemingly empty wall on the right side of his room and began to walk down it with his hand on the wall. At one place it actually went through the wall. "Right here. Come on."
And Draco walked through the wall. Harry realized that this shouldn't be fazing him After all he did this to get into the train station every year, but the nonchalance at which Draco just walked through the wall… oh well.
The room they entered looked somewhat like the other guest rooms at Malfoy Manor. It had a bleached wooden floor (oak maybe… Harry didn't know floorings that well) and blue drapery on the numerous windows in the room. The bedding was also blue. The ceiling was painted to look like a cloudy sky but Draco told him that if it was snowing or raining outside the illusion spell would kick in so it would seem to be snowing or raining in the room. At Harry's question, Draco also explained that the House Elves had just set up a portal between his room and this one so they didn't have to walk across the entire floor to go between the two rooms.
There was a small pop behind the two boys which announced the arrival of a House Elf.
"Master Lucius sent me to tell Master Draco that the Parkinsons are hosting the Christmas party this year," it said in a squeaky voice.
Draco didn't look pleased at this announcement. "Thank you, you may go," he told the elf in clipped tones.
"What party is this?" Harry asked curiously.
"Well, every year someone in-" Draco seemed to fish around for the right words, "-our circle hosts a Christmas party. It's all show and a big waste of time really, just to see who can outdo everyone else. And it's the Parkinsons' turn this year."
"Not a good thing I take it."
"Exactly. And here I thought I had a week or so free from her presence."
Harry flopped on the bed. "Pansy can't be that bad."
The look Draco gave him could have melted iron. "You have no idea."
Harry looked at the ceiling for a minute before a thought came to him. "I don't have to go to this thing, do I?"
"Not unless you want to go as my significant other" Draco replied, a sarcastic smile forming "Because that's the only way you'd be invited."
"Ah… good. Then I won't have to worry about where I packed my dress robes."
Harry wondered exactly what he could really do with both Malfoys out of the house. He supposed they didn't care that he was left there because the House Elves would make sure that nothing was out of its proper place when they got back, but he still wasn't comfortable with it. He began walking back to his room to find something to do. He didn't get very far.
"Left riff-raff alone in the house did they? My son will never understand proper decorum," a snide voice on his right spoke.
Harry turned to see a picture of a stately man with blond hair slicked back so it made him look like a vampire. He had steely grey eyes, almost cat-like in their perusal of Harry. Harry got a distinct feel of Lucius from this man, but Lucius didn't have the same nose or chin as this person.
"Well, don't just stand there boy. Tell me who my son has let walk about unchecked so that I may properly address the matter with him later."
It all clicked. This was Lucius Malfoy's father. Somehow Harry got the feeling that this man could be worse than Lucius if he put his mind to it.
"My name is Harry Potter sir" Harry gave a little bow as he said so and, lying through his teeth, continued. "I'm sorry for my appearance I haven't had time to change out of the school uniform yet." He figured that he should at least try to get on the portrait's good side… if it had one.
The man's lip curled. "Yes, they certainly have to change that. Ever since Lucius went to school the uniform has been absolutely horrid. A result of allowing muggles into the school. They don't have the same background as the old wizarding families. Horrid Just horrid."
Harry didn't know exactly what was horrid, the muggles in the school or the uniform because of allowing muggles in the school, so he didn't dare comment. After all, he didn't want all of the pictures in Malfoy Manor to hate him… that would be so very annoying and he doubted Draco would allow him to burn them all…
"But I haven't seen you around the Manor, Potter was it?"
"Yes sir. I just came for Christmas break sir."
Lucius' father frowned. "And he let one of Draco's friends have free reign of the Manor?" The man shook his head as if his son was a hopeless case.
"Not exactly sir." A sharp look from the man made Harry continue. "I am Veriae-bonded to Draco, sir."
"Ah, so Lucius passed down that blood did he?"
Harry now had the distinct impression that Lucius and his father had not gotten along at all. Everything seemed to be Lucius' fault to this man.
"Well then, I guess it is fitting that I be the first one to welcome you to the family. Your surname is Potter? Yes, that is fine The Potters are an older wizarding family, not as prestigious as some, but good enough." Then, on a direct change of topic, "How old are you boy?"
"16 sir."
"A good age to be bonded. I'm glad to see that at least Lucius' son is doing things correctly. Must be my good influence rubbing off on him."
"He speaks fondly of you sir." Yeah… Draco had never mentioned Lucius' father, but if he was trying to make the portrait like him Harry could not have picked a better thing to say.
"Of course he does, my boy. I couldn't trust Lucius to teach him how to do things properly. Lucius is even of the mind to let the boy pursue that horrid occupation… what was it again? Ohno matter. He doesn't see that one has to have a certain occupation when in an upstanding family such as ours. I tried my best to educate him when he was young, but he never listened. Speaking of which, what are you going to do with your life boy? Something befitting the Malfoy name, I would hope."
Think fast Harry, Harry said to himself. Would an auror be a job befitting a Malfoy? How in Merlin's name should he know? How could he get out of this one? Well… if Lucius inherited his dislike for the Ministry from his father…
"My advisor in Hogwarts has suggested that I become an auror for the incompetent fools in the Ministry."
Perfect.
"Those babbling idiots in the Ministry could never get anything done properly!"
When Harry finally got away from Lucius' father's portrait, he found that all of the portraits (which had been silently watching when Draco had led him through the Manor before) were equally inquisitive as to who had been left in the Manor. After a while it became easy for Harry to mingle with the portraits, and rather fun as well. All he had to do was make some comment on how the Ministry of Magic was incompetent and/or how the dress code at Hogwarts was unbearable nowadays, and make sure to always address the portrait as "sir" or "ma'am" and they all thought that Draco could not have chosen a better young man to bond with.
How the portraits viewed Lucius was puzzling to Harry though. Apparently there had been a huge rift in the Malfoy family between Lucius and his father. (Harry could only guess that it had something to do with Voldemort.) Half of the pictures followed the views of Lucius' father and thought that Lucius was a disgrace to the Malfoy name, and the other half thought that Lucius was one of the "better Malfoys". From the conversation with Lucius' father's picture, Harry could only guess that the Veriae blood also had something to do with it. Maybe Lucius' mate was one that the traditional Malfoys wouldn't approve of? Oh well, all the pictures seemed rather fond of Harry, so he didn't have much to worry about.
Draco and Lucius returned home at around eleven, and Harry was just about to doze off on the couch in Draco's room when Draco slammed open the door. Harry jumped slightly at the noise.
"I'm guessing that wasn't the best few hours of your life" Harry commented as Draco pulled off his outer robes. Harry regretted this statement immediately as Draco seemed to explode.
"If that girl comes near me again with something alcoholic I am going to ring her neck!" Draco began to rant about how he didn't care if it was a muggle way to kill someone, or that it was illegal to murder someone for that matter, he would do it anyways. Harry tuned most of it out, knowing that his job in this was to just agree with whatever was being ranted about. But at the end of the rant something caught his attention.
"And since when has pink been a Christmas color anyways?"
"Pink?"
"Yes!"
"Neon pink?"
Draco stopped for a moment to think. "No, not neon, the kind of pink that says 'new baby girl'." Draco shuddered. "It clashed with the red so horribly."
Harry couldn't help it he had to laugh, picturing red, green, and pink as Christmas colors.
"Harry, get up! Presents!"
Harry barely had time to register who was speaking before he found himself falling off the bed and on to the floor with a startled yelp. Fixing a glare at the Malfoy whose fault that was through the mattress of the bed, he muttered, "You have a king size bed, Draco. Was that really necessary?"
Draco didn't respond, as he was perched at the end of the bed, a delighted smile on his face. Wait… a smile? Harry blinked. Yes, Draco Malfoy was smiling, almost gleefully, as he shifted through a mountain of presents. Harry watched him methodically tossing the topmost presents back towards the head of the bed.
"Any reason why you're doing that?" Harry asked, crawling back on the bed, barely ducking what looked like a wrapped book.
"Relatives and friends. Father always puts his presents under all this junk."
Harry looked in shock at Draco as the Malfoy surfaced from underneath the pile of bows and expensive wrapping paper with three presents wrapped in plain black paper with the name "Draco Malfoy" written in white calligraphy on them.
"You're kidding me" Harry muttered, looking back and forth from the pile of presents that Draco had virtually disregarded to the three simple looking presents he held. Here he was, with more presents than Dudley had gotten for the last three birthdays and Christmases combined and all he cared about were those three.
"They don't really put any thought into it anyway, Harry. So those presents don't really count" Draco explained as he climbed out of bed and made his way towards the nearest chair. "Crabbe and Goyle always send their presents by mail, so I don't expect those for another hour yet."
So Draco only cared about five presents? Startling. Harry found himself respecting Draco somewhat for that. But as Draco began to lightly remove the paper from the first of the three presents that Lucius had gotten him, Harry's eyes found the present he had gotten for Draco in the sea of presents.
"You might want to open this one too" Harry spoke, picking up the present and placing it on the floor near the chair, before crossing into his own room (noting that it was snowing out today) and looking at the pile on his own bed. Much smaller than Draco's, but everyone seemed to be accounted for… and it seemed bigger than usual. Oh well, he'd find out soon enough. So starting from the top, Harry began unwrapping.
Fred and George had sent him a box full of "surprises" from their shop (latest inventions, they'd said in a note). Mrs. Weasley had sent a tin of fudge and a sweater as she had for the last five years running, and Harry gleefully started in on the fudge as he turned to his other presents. Hermione had sent him a book (The Many Uses of Parseltongue in History and Today by Snora Serpentis), and Ron had packed a chocolate frog and a Chudley Cannons poster for his present. There were also gifts from Remus, Tonks, and a few of his dorm mates, along with a small present (candy of some sort with a card, mostly) from every member of the DA Then when Harry removed Ginny's present to see what was underneath that, he had to blink twice to be sure he was seeing what he thought he saw.
A present that was wrapped in the exact same manner as Draco's three important presents had been wrapped, except that it was his name written in white and not Draco's. Intrigued, Harry began to open the paper.
The present hadn't looked big enough to hold the two books that he had been given and the small box that was seated on top of them, but somehow they'd fit into wrapping that made them look about as big as a muggle laptop. Harry looked at the titles of the two books (Defense Using the Dark Arts by Cursea Vice, and Quidditch: How Aurors Affect It by Samantha Snitcherson) before turning to the box. When he opened it, he blinked in surprise as a small golden object bounced out of the box and began to wiz around the room. Underneath the ball with the golden wings was a note on how to use the practice snitch. Grinning, Harry watched it return to its box, and went to see how Draco was doing.
Walking back into Draco's room, Harry was no longer surprised at how small Lucius' gift had been before he had opened it, when he saw how much stuff Draco had gotten out of those three gifts. All of the chairs in the room were covered in clothing and Draco still hadn't opened one of the gifts.
"Did you ask for a mall or something?" Harry looked pointedly at the clothes.
Draco looked at Harry quizzically, as if Harry had just made up the word "mall".
"No, Harry, I asked for a new wardrobe. I do it every year."
And he gets it every year? Harry shook his head. He kept forgetting how much difference there was between Draco and himself in terms of wealth.
An excited squeal from Draco brought Harry's attention back to the younger Malfoy as he watched Draco open part of the last present from his father. Without offering a word of explanation, Draco bounded to one of the ebony doors in the back of the room (one which Harry hadn't seen him use yet) and disappeared down the stairs that this particular door led to. Harry followed at a slightly slower pace.
The stairway opened up into a large room with stone walls and floors, and long ebony tables. Harry blinked. A potions laboratory? Someone, somewhere, had to be kidding him. But no, there was Draco, setting up a bunch of equipment, looking now and then at a book that lay on the table next to him for reference as to where a particular piece went.
"So… what is it?" Harry asked as Draco stepped back to look at the contraption of glass and pewter.
"It's a distiller."
"A what?"
"A distiller. You know how when you use things taken directly from nature, sometimes there are anomalies in the substances because they were alive at one point"
"I'll pretend I know what you're talking about. Go on."
"Well, you put whatever solution it is you want to purify in here." Draco pointed to one end of the equipment. "Then you heat it. It boils and the vapor goes through here-" Draco's finger traced the glass piping, "-leaving behind any anomalies; and as it does it cools and condenses over here, back into solution."
"Okay… but why haven't we used this in class then?"
"Well, all the ingredients you get from a shop are already purified, but you don't have any controls on it."
"Controls?"
"You don't know how it was done. It just leaves more margin for error."
Harry nodded. "Right."
"You really don't like Potions, do you?"
"Not my favorite class."
"That was apparent."
It wasn't until later in the day that Draco remembered that the present Harry said he might want to open was still sitting near the chair, unopened. Draco looked at it curiously. Why would Harry say that? Maybe it was a present from Harry? Draco remembered his own present for Harry was still sitting at the bottom of his trunk. For some reason he had held back giving it to the House Elves to give to Harry. He wondered if the present was really appropriate for his current… standings with Harry.
His fingers began working, almost as if by their own will, on the wrapping paper. The silver paper came off easily and Draco was faced with a small white box. Opening the lid his eyes widened. Carefully he lifted the chimes from the box and just held them for a moment. He'd been looking at these for years, ever since his first visit to Hogsmead with the other students. Of course, in public he had a reputation to maintain so he couldn't just go in and buy them unless he was going to give them to someone else, and that wouldn't be the case.
In the box underneath the charms was a small note. Written in somewhat messy but legible writing were the words:
Happy Christmas Draco, From Harry
How did Harry know? Somehow Harry had figured out that he wanted the chimes. No one else had figured it out in how many years yet somehow Harry had. Harry had put that much thought into it… Suddenly his own gift to Harry didn't seem so inappropriate any more.
Harry looked up from his Transfiguration essay as Draco walked into his room. In his hands the boy held a thin present wrapped in dark red paper, almost a wine color.
"Happy Christmas Harry" Draco murmured, holding the gift out to Harry. When Harry took it the other boy left the room and left Harry blinking in astonishment at the gift. Draco had actually gotten him one?
Harry put down his quill and all thoughts about the metamorphosis of Reptilian Snagweed seemed to fly out of his head. Carefully he began to undo the paper and revealed… a mirror?
He looked at it for a minute but saw no reflection in the mirror. Hmm… not a normal mirror then. What was Draco-
The surface of the mirror seemed to swirl and Harry found himself looking at… Draco. He could see Draco shifting all the presents that he hadn't bothered opening off his bed and telling a House Elf something pertaining to them. He looked as if his mind wasn't really on what he was doing. So this was Draco right now?
Harry thought for a moment. Did this mirror show him anyone? Harry noticed that as soon as he stopped thinking about Draco the mirror's image faded. How about Ron?
The image swirled and he could see Ron sitting in the middle of his family while they were opening presents.
Hermione?
She was eating lunch, the remains of presents still strewn around the table and a book (Harry assumed it was new) open to the thirtieth page.
Harry frowned a bit as the image faded. It was cool and all, but what was the point really? He doubted Draco would have given him a gift on a whim so there must be a point to it other than the obvious one.
The mirror showed people… well, maybe the person didn't have to be alive…
Unbidden, thoughts of Sirius and his parents flowed into his head. The image swirled and there they were smiling up at him. They weren't moving, like the other pictures had, but they were still there, standing against a grey background.
Harry heard a small yelp before Draco appeared through the wall looking slightly shaken. "Harry, the bond's going crazy Are you okay?"
Harry smiled as the image faded and he looked up at Draco. "Thank you Draco."
Draco shifted minutely, as if slightly embarrassed. "You're welcome… and thanks for the chimes too…"
There was a small pop and the same House Elf from the day before appeared in the room. Its large eyes sought out Harry. "Master Lucius is wondering if Master Potter is wanting to invite any relatives for dinner tonight, sir," it squeaked out unsurely.
Harry blanched. The Dursleys… here? Death Eater or not, if the Dursleys actually came to Malfoy Manor, Lucius Malfoy would kill them before they got to the main course. And though it would be rather funny to see their expressions at his current living arrangements… no it would be better not to invite them.
Draco and Harry walked into the dining room (the large one) that night to see that Lucius was not the only one waiting for them. Harry almost ran into Draco as he stopped dead right inside the door.
"Hello Mother." Harry heard him say. Mother? Harry looked around Draco's shoulder to see that Narcissa Malfoy was standing a little to the right of Lucius.
"Hello Draco dear." Her voice was sickly sweet. As Draco moved into the room, she saw Harry behind him. "And Harry too. I didn't know you were staying here." A quick look at Lucius which Harry did not like and she continued. "If I'd known I would have bought you a present too."
"Please don't worry about it, Mrs. Malfoy." Harry managed to get out, noticing the tension that seemed to be radiating off the two male Malfoys. Something was wrong here and Harry wasn't quite sure what yet.
Dinner was not the most pleasant of affairs, even though an outsider would not have known were one to be watching somehow. Harry was surprised at how well all of the Malfoy family could act, as it was obvious that Narcissa's visit was not planned or wanted by the other two. Yet, they were all painstakingly cordial to each other. He was very happy when dinner was over and Draco asked if Harry and he could be excused from the table.
"Oh of course dears, run along" Narcissa said with one of her smiles that never seemed to reach her eyes.
Draco seemed to ignore Harry after they left the room and Harry could tell this was not a good night for questions. If he wanted some answers he would have to find out himself. Draco had long since disappeared towards their rooms and Harry heard the scraping of chairs against the floor that meant the other two Malfoys were getting up from the table. No time to get the invisibility cloak now.
Harry slipped into one of the alcoves far from the doorway and gave silent thanks to whichever Malfoy it was that liked dark corners and had made this particular hall with many of them.
Lucius and Narcissa entered the hall a few minutes later, neither saying a word or looking as pleasant as they had a few minutes ago when he and Draco had been in the room. Lucius led the way down the hall towards the door that Draco had said was his study. Only when both of them had entered the room, did Harry move from his hiding place to one closer to the open doorway, behind a large statue of a sphinx.
Harry jumped slightly as a voice whispered in his ear:
"It seems we had the same idea."
Harry nodded, looking at Draco who had appeared at his side. "Can we hear what's going on in his study from here?"
"As long as they keep the door open."
Draco settled in the alcove next to Harry behind the sphinx statue and they both waited for one of the elder Malfoys to speak.
"Lucius, I didn't just come here to see Draco."
"I gathered as much."
"Now I understand that there were certain restrictions placed upon you that you could not break if you were to gain the trust of… certain individuals. Because of this, our Lord has decided to wait before deciding how to deal with you."
"How to deal with me?" Lucius' tone was harsh, like that of a glacier.
"Yes. I told him that a true Malfoy such as yourself would not dream of abandoning our Crusade to reinstate the true leadership of the Wizarding World."
"You did?" Lucius had turned to look into the fire, his face unreadable and icy.
"Of course. It took me a while to understand your plan but-"
"You understand nothing if what you are saying is what you truly think."
If Lucius was a glacier, then Narcissawasliquid steel.
"What are you saying? That you have truly abandoned our Lord?"
"That is exactly what I am saying."
"He will kill you Lucius."
"Consider, for the moment, my options, Narcissa. Say, just say, that I did go back to Voldemort. Do you really think I would survive the amount of Cruciatus that I would have to endure? Self esteem only goes so far, Narcissa, and even I can understand my own weaknesses. At least this way I am allying myself with a side that will cause the Malfoy name to be preserved."
"The Malfoy name. And I suppose that's all you care about! It's always been the only thing you cared about! The only similarity between your father and you caring about a name! At least he chose to honor his pure blood and not lower himself to the level of half-bloods, mudbloods, and their sympathizers."
"Do not bring my father into this."
"He had such a vision for you Lucius. Had you followed it, you would have been great, honored by our Lord as your father was."
"Narcissa…" Lucius' tone was deadly and Harry heard Draco's breathing shake as he inhaled. "I will only warn you once. Do not-"
"You will say nothing, Lucius. For years I have kept silent, as a good wife should, and let you handle our affairs. And now I will speak my piece!" Something shifted in her demeanor and her tone became sickly sweet. "But you won't listen to me. You only care about the Malfoy name. Not your family, not its standing, not that we could impact the world…just a name."
Something in Lucius snapped, and there was a sound of ripping cloth from the study. Harry and Draco looked at each other as if sharing the knowledge of what had just happened. Lucius' wings had appeared. Narcissa had gone too far now. And Lucius' tone echoed that knowledge.
"If you understand that the holder of the Malfoy name is my son, then yes, that is all I care about!" he shouted and Narcissa paled, the last to realize that she had moved too far in this argument. "And it is now clear exactly how much he means to you." And, as if he had waited too long to say these words, he continued. "As of this moment, consider our bonding annulled!" Lucius' glare intensified on Narcissa's pale face. "In forty-eight hours you will find all of your belongings removed from every Malfoy estate and property. You will find that your dowry will be fully reimbursed in your former Gringotts account under your maiden name." His eyes seemed to take on a glow akin to that of a man finally freed from a life of prison. "Now get out of my house and if you ever come near my son again our next meeting will not be one you will enjoy."
Narcissa huffed, although she did nothing to retaliate against Lucius' words. She couldn't really, not with the black steel wings constantly reminding her of how angry Lucius actually was. She marched out of his study and slammed the door behind her. Harry and Draco pushed farther into the alcove as she passed by and she didn't see them. Neither did Lucius as he threw open the door as she reached the top of the entrance staircase.
"And you had better be thankful I'm not a Death Eater any longer Narcissa, or I would be following that up with a well-placed Killing Curse!"
Narcissa paled another few shades and left the house at an even faster pace than the one she had been taking before. Lucius calmly closed the door to his study as she left the Manor.
"Was that really necessary?" Harry breathed, trying to see if Draco had been hurt by watching his parents fight.
"Every word, Harry, every word. I don't think I've ever been prouder to be a Malfoy than at this moment."
Harry smiled at Draco as, even in the dim light, he could see the glow almost radiating from those soft, silver eyes.