Chapter 23: The Grievous Offence
"Let the meal begin," Lucius Malfoy clapped his hands dramatically and plates upon plates upon food suddenly appeared. If I hadn't already been used to this, I would've flinched. Thankfully this happened three times a day at my house, so I didn't show any weakness. Everyone started eating, with only the sound of tableware in the quiet room.
"I thank you for inviting me to this meal, Lord Malfoy," I began. Lucius responded with a nod. I bit back my anger. "Although I do wonder why the sudden... interest in someone who defeated your liege."
The room was instantly plunged into a cold silence. Draco was the only one care-freely eating his chicken soup.
"I am afraid that you are mistaken. We of the Malfoy family have no liege, and we are not vassals." Lucius gave a frigid smile.
I gave an equally frigid one back. "Oh, of course you don't. Currently. I am merely speaking of the past. Don't think too hard on it."
Narcissa Malfoy cut in to the conversation. "The Potter family has always been an object of interest for the Malfoy family. We humbly invited you here to meet the newest Head. I was quite surprised by your appearance."
Meaning, 'The Malfoy family is above you, so be grateful to have our interest. We can call you here whenever we want. You don't have any of the traits of the Potter family at all.' I was seething with anger... not. I don't really care.
I struggled to keep smiling. Hey, Adviser, do a quick scan.
[Loading... Complete. As expected, there is a trace of Dark magic on Lucius' left arm, and several of the dishes have a Cheering Charm. The turkey in the center is laced with Veritaseum.]
And right on cue, Narcissa personally cut some of the turkey and served it onto my plate. "Do try the turkey, dear. Our staff makes it taste utterly divine. I think you'll enjoy it."
So far, I'd only touched the appetizers, none of which were laced with anything, so I suppose they were getting anxious. So I kept a nice, innocent smile on my face...
And knocked the dish of the table.
It broke with a very satisfying crash!
Draco looked up from his meal and stared. Narcissa's hands were frozen in her serving position. Lucius' eyes seemed to pop out of his head.
I smiled wider. "Did you really think I would eat something laced with Veritaseum? It seems you're underestimating me. This is quite an offense. You know Veritaseum is regulated by the Ministry, don't you?"
I repeated, "Don't you?"
They all stayed frozen. I turned that smile upside-down and frowned, getting off my chair and brushing myself off. "I'll show myself out. I expect and demand a formal apology for what you have done today. Of course, out of courtesy, I will not report your illegal use of Truth Potion," I paused near the doorway. "...Yet."
Then I walked out.
So... How was that? I think I did ok. Though it was a bit short. Actually, I've been speed-reading an HP fic called Dichotomy recently (it's totally great, even if the chapters are short, go check it out!), so I was kind of infected by the short-chapteredness. Yeah, that's not a word.
So, anyway, what do you think? Please REVIEW and tell me! See you in the next chapter!