Chapter 27. Scandal
"Are… you okay?" Astrid asked with a gulp as Lucius escorted her into their suite.
"Fine," Lucius exhaled, pushing Astrid softly down into one of the armchairs facing the fire, her hand lay over her chest, monitoring her heart rate and breathing. "I'm more concerned about you," He whispered, crouching down to her level and pressing a palm to her rounded stomach, with his other hand holding her cheek.
"I'm… okay," She breathed, nodding her head slightly as she stared into the flames of the roaring fire. Despite the summer month, and the fire, Astrid was chilled to the bone, a cold ghostly feeling lingered on her skin where the Dark Lord had touched her, caressed her, grabbed her.
"At-least… one good thing has surfaced from that… it's clear you no longer loathe me." the corners of Lucius' mouth almost turned up into a smile, he was trying his best to make light of the situation, to put his beloved at ease. Astrid's eyes, still red from the tears, met Lucius' icy ones.
"I never… loathed you Lucius," Astrid swallowed, "I loathed what you did… what you stood for… what you…still stand for," Tears threatened to fall from the girls' eyes once again as a shiny screen glazed over them.
"I stand for us Astrid," Lucius sighed, taking both her hands in his, he leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers. "Everything I have done… has been for you, for us, for your safety," Astrid pulled her head away from his and snaked her hands from his grip.
"My safety? I am the furthest from safe here Lucius, you-know-who… he held me… controlled me… I feel as if I just had a brush with death, I do not feel safe,"
Lucius was inclined to agree, whilst his home had never been warm, cosy, welcoming, it had once been a place he could relax and retreat to. But he hadn't felt comfortable in his own house for a long time, a time long before Narcissa left with half the furnishings.
"I know this is not ideal my sweet, but I had no-where else to take you, I could not hide you, not after Bellatrix… she would turn the Dark Lord against me, against us… it's imperative we stay and win the Dark Lords good graces," It pained him to say, he had done many evil and awful things for his Lord. But in the period of peace during his Lords absence he had grown weary of his old ways, no longer young and eager to please. He grew away from the medieval methods of his master, finding manipulation and persuasion to be much more appealing… he still shared a lot of his master's ideologies though, so for now he would play along.
"I don't want to be in his good graces," Astrid hissed, a little too loud for his liking.
"Shh!" He hushed, pressing his hand over her mouth. "These walls have eyes and ears, if you wish to see our child born, you will continue play along just as you did today." He whispered. "Luckily… the Dark Lord has taken a curious liking to you," Astrid shook her head free from Lucius' hand.
"A liking?" Her brows knitted together in disgust, "He was cruel, he threatened me, he… made me hurt you,"
"But he did not hurt you… that is as good a sign as any,"
Meanwhile downstairs, another conversation was taking place…
"Severus, I have a task for you…" The Dark Lord stated as he stared out of the large window across the grounds of Malfoy Manor.
"Anything, my Lord," Severus said obediently, his hands clasped together as he patiently waited for his master's order. Nagini slithered passed the potions master, who was still dishevelled from his punishment, and settled at the Dark Lord's feet.
"I need you to… fetch something… for the festivities this coming Friday," Voldemort wheezed with a sly smile.
"Of-course my Lord, what is it you require?" Voldemort didn't respond, he simply reached a pale slender hand into his robe and pulled out a small snippet of rolled up parchment. He held it out to the stony-faced potions master, who took it without hesitation.
"What I require is written inside… I expect delivery by Friday Severus… I will not tolerate tardiness," Voldemort stated, threat underlying his words. "Oh… and I expect this little surprise to be kept underhand… are we at an understanding, Severus?"
Severus unravelled the parchment, reading the scribbles scribed upon it, his brow raised silently.
"Yes, my Lord. Consider it done," Severus bowed, he backed away a few paces, his eyes to the floor before turning on his heel and taking his leave.
Astrid warily allowed Lucius to join her in bed that night, she wanted to put up a fight, make a point that she was still upset with him… but in truth she missed his touch, the way his arms wrapped around her and held her until she fell asleep, she missed the safe feeling she got in his hold.
They lay in bed, fully clothed in their night attire at her request, Astrid had turned her back to him, not willing to give in to him too easily, he wrapped an arm around her stomach, caressing her bump and pulled her tight against his chest. In silence they lay there, her long hair tickling his chin, his leg resting on hers. Even now she was in his arms, the safe feeling she once felt was absent, her mind refused to let her defensive walls down, she was terrified of you-know-who snatching her from the room as he had done earlier that day. Lucius would be powerless to stop him if Voldemort wanted to.
Lucius decided to break the silence between them, in a hushed whisper he spoke against Astrid's ear, his warm breath relaxing her against him.
"Do you know the gender?" He asked, his hand had found it's way under her nightgown and caressed the bare soft skin of her rounded stomach.
"No," Astrid sighed into her the hand she propped her cheek on. "I wanted it to be a surprise,"
"I'm not fond of surprises," Lucius admitted. "But I will wait until the day comes,"
"Yes, you will."
More moments of silence passed them, Lucius snuggled his face into the small of her neck, her soft hair cushioning his face, he breathed in the scent he so missed. Her scent, she smelt like fresh air, vanilla, and parchment.
"I'm scared," Astrid admitted with a deep breath.
"I'm here… he will not come whilst you're here with me," Lucius murmured against her.
"No… I'm scared… of becoming a mother…" Astrid clarified, "I'm scared of the world I'm bringing them into… terrified I don't know what I'm doing, what if I'm a terrible mother? And the birth… I'm so very afraid Lucius."
"Well… let's discuss your fears then, we will tackle them together," Lucius said, sitting up, he took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "The world, we cannot change my love, we can only do our best to protect them from it. As for you… I don't believe for one second you're going to be a terrible mother,"
"I feel so… unprepared," Astrid sighed, "I've never even held a baby,"
"Everyone feels this way with their first, you were unprepared going to Hogwarts, becoming a professor… you had no experience… and yet you became such a wonderful teacher," Lucius' words were honeyed, and relaxed Astrid's mind somewhat. He tickled patterns into the palm of her hand with his thumb lovingly.
"I'm just scared… of making mistakes," Astrid gulped.
"Babies and children… they are a learning curve my love… I made so many mistakes with Draco… I still do, I've learnt from most of them… I will help guide you as best I can,"
"What was Draco like, as a baby?" Astrid wondered out loud.
"I admit, I was absent a lot during his first few months… the war still raged… after that came to an end… I wasn't the most present of fathers… Narcissa and I were in a terrible place, it was hard for me to be emotionally available to them… something I will not repeat this time around… with you, things are different… I do not feel trapped by this child… I feel blessed by it." Lucius admitted. Astrid nodded, respecting his honesty and openness, he could've spun a story that he was an amazing doting father, but he didn't.
"Draco hates me… he threatened me… that day, before the Ministry…" Astrid sighed, she told herself it didn't matter if Draco hated her, but it did, and she knew it mattered to Lucius too.
"He doesn't hate you," Lucius revealed, "He told me about what took place in Umbridge's office… he has deep regrets,"
"You've spoken to him?" Astrid asked in surprise.
"I have, whilst you took your long slumber… now tell me, what was your last worry?" Lucius asked, changing the subject.
"The birth…" Astrid's voice trembled. "St Mungo's had worries… with my heart…"
"Understandable… I cannot promise it will be a smooth experience… but Astrid I will be with you every moment of it," Lucius brought her hands up to his lips, planting a kiss on her soft fingers.
"What if my heart gives out?" Astrid whispered, tears gathering in her eyes.
"It will not happen, I will not allow it to,"
"But if it does?" Astrid pushed.
"Then… you can have completely confidence that I will raise our child to be strong, happy and loved, and I will always tell them of what a talented, kind, beautiful witch their mother was,"
The days went by slowly, Astrid was permitted to explore the mansion, she was unable to leave it of course, but she confined herself to the bedroom, the fear of running into you-know-who down a dark hallway was very real in her mind. Lucius brought her books to keep her occupied: A Witches Guide to Babies, Raising your Witch or Wizard, Magic Born Babies – a guide, plus others… Tilly kept her well fed and well hydrated, Lucius showed a rare cruel streak when it came to Tilly, mistreating the house elf. Astrid always made sure to show her extra kindness in his stead, and actually enjoyed the nervous creature's company. Friday came, Lucius had informed her an important event was taking place, and she would need to be presentable.
Lucius fetched her new clothes, all black, it seemed to be the uniform for Death Eaters. A black velvet thigh length dress, it hugged her bump and flared out into a delicate skater. It was off the shoulder, with poofy short lantern sleeves. Black eyelash lace edged the neckline, tickling her collarbones. Lucius brought with it black pointy pumps with a small heel; a silver brooch sparkled on the front of each shoe. After Astrid had dressed, she applied the makeup Lucius had filled her once empty dressing table with. Sat at her little green velvet stool she applied mascara to her long lashes with a shaky hand, then a hint of blusher to her freckled cheeks. After a little lip-gloss her fresh faced makeup was finished. She picked up her hairbrush to begin on her hair, however Tilly appeared out of nowhere, gently taking the brush from Astrids fingers.
"Allow me Miss," She squeaked as she reached up and ran the brush through Astrid's waves, slowly brushing them into a softer style. "You look stunning Miss, Master Lucius will be most pleased," Tilly giggled.
"Thank you, Tilly," Astrid breathed nervously. "Do you know who will be there? Tonight?"
"Master Lucius of course, and the other Master…" Tilly trailed off, Astrid knew which Master she spoke of, the one whom no one dared to say his name, "Mr Snape, Mrs Lestrange, Mr Pettigrew, Mr Greyback," Tilly listed off more names that didn't ring a bell to Astrid. Lucius stepped through the double doors into the bedroom, dressed in his best black robes, cane in hand. Approaching Astrid from behind he shooed Tilly away, snatching the brush from her little hand.
"Away with you," he spat as he ran the brush through Astrid's hair gently.
"I wish you wouldn't speak to her like that," Astrid sighed as she watched his reflection.
"She's the help darling," Lucius was visibly confused, if not a little disgusted, he furrowed his brow as he continued to brush Astrid's soft waves.
"Well, I don't like the way you treat her," Astrid sighed, laying a hand on her stomach.
"Never-mind the elf, we must make our way downstairs." Lucius announced, placing the hairbrush down on the table. He extended a hand to Astrid, which she accepted, and pulled her to her feet. The well-dressed man didn't release her hand however, instead raising it to his lips he placed a kiss on her knuckles. "You look stunning." He smiled against her skin, his icy blue eyes piercing hers.
Downstairs in the dining room, the long table and chairs which had once resided at the side of the room was gone, the throne however in the centre of the black wooden floor was still there, The Dark Lord perched upon it. His supporters haunted the edges of the room, goblets of wine in hand. Lucius guided Astrid down the stairs into the room, his arm extended around her, his hand resting on her hip. All eyes in the room turned to the pair, some briefly, some for a long period of uncomfortable staring. Whispering ensued, as they leant into each other and swapped hushed words.
"Come, we must greet the Dark Lord," Lucius whispered into his beloveds ear as he steered her to the exact place she wanted to be furthest from. Approaching the throne Lucius bowed slightly, averting his eyes to the snake that coiled around the foot of the throne. Astrid followed suit, focussing on her breathing she stared into the black wood floor, ignoring the stares, whispers and the menacing dark wizard seated before her.
"Lucius," The serpent like wheezy hiss of Voldemort filled the air, "Astrid… how… perfect… I am glad you both have attended this momentous occasion." Voldemort spoke as if it wasn't hosted in Lucius' own house.
"Thank you, my Lord," Lucius answered politely.
"Please, go mingle, the fun will start soon," the Dark Lord purred with a smirk. Lucius nodded, grasping Astrid's wrist he backed them both away and migrated them to the edge of the room. Astrid's heart was beating rapidly, her chest aching.
"Lucius… who is this delicious creature?" Asked an older man with pushed back white hair, his tone sent shivers down Astrids spine, and not in a good way…
"Yaxley," Lucius sneered, he pulled Astrid tighter to his side. "Meet… Astrid Moody."
"So, you're the… homewrecker." Yaxley smirked as he raised his goblet to his lips and took a large gulp. "I see now why you left Cissy, Lucius, she is quite… exquisite." Yaxley leered, licking a droplet of wine from his lips
"And all mine, Yaxley," Lucius growled.
"Of course, I would hardly step between you and your…" Yaxley eyed Astrid's bump with a humorous grin, "Baby mama?" Lucius' blood instantly began to boil, he clenched his fist around his cane and dug his fingers into Astrid's side.
"You will not speak of her like that," Lucius hissed. "Especially in my own house!" Yaxley did not respond, he simply regarded Lucius, looking him up and down. Taking a large gulp of his wine Yaxley moved away, a smirk on his lips.
"Not causing trouble are we, Lucius?" A feminine voice asked from behind the pair. Lucius spun Astrid around to face the last person in the room he wanted to see, apparently, they were both facing their nightmares that night.
"Narcissa," Lucius greeted his ex-wife uncomfortably.
"Lucius," She greeted back, a smug grin on her face. "And you must be…"
"Astrid," Lucius said just as Astrid opened her mouth to introduce herself.
"Ah, yes," Narcissa's eyes trailed from Astrid's bump to Lucius, before retuning firmly to Astrid. "You must be the woman who was fucking my husband,"
"I-I," Astrid stumbled, she was blind-sided by Narcissa's confrontation.
"It's okay dear, eventually he will grow tired of you as he did of me… once that baby's here… expect to see him less and less… One day you'll find him in a younger blonde's bed, and we will call it karma," Narcissa's tone was sarcastically sweet, mocking the younger woman. Her eyes however were far from sweet, they stared into Astrid's soul like daggers.
"I see you're just as unpleasant and spiteful as always Narcissa, it's nice to see things don't change," Lucius hissed as he guided Astrid away, pushing her by the small of her back in the direction of Severus Snape. Narcissa simply laughed into her wine glass, turning her back to her ex-husband.
"Lucius… Astrid," Severus greeted in his usual bored tone, he looked around taking in the stares and whispers of those around them. "Causing quite the scandal, aren't you?" Lucius cast his eye over the gawking crowd.
"Let them stare… they clearly having nothing of interest going on in their own miserable lives," Lucius scoffed.
"I see Narcissa caught you," Severus commented, having watched the exchange from a far.
"Unfortunately… Do you have any idea what our Lord is planning tonight?" Lucius asked as he looked around with a nervous eye. He wasn't privy to the night's plans, and it didn't sit well with him.
"I do, but… the Dark Lord made it quite clear I was to remain tight lipped," Severus sighed as he closed his eyes momentarily. Lucius furrowed his brows at his old friend, and as he was about to probe him for more information the sound of a glass tapping echoed through the large dining room.
"Welcome… my friends… followers, loyal servants," Voldemort wheezed with a large creepy smile. "Tonight, we gather in… celebration," The death eaters in the room clapped, almost as if on command, at their masters' words.
"What are we celebrating you ask?" Voldemort questioned dramatically, putting on a show for his followers. "Our dear Lucius of course, and his new… lady love,"
You-Know-Who extended his arm towards the couple, all eyes were back on them. Lucius and Astrid looked to Snape, both with looks of betrayal, as they were stung by Severus' locked lips. How could he not have forewarned them?
"Come, come," Voldemort beckoned the two over, Lucius obeyed, making a move towards his master. Astrid however, found her feet solidly planted to the floor. Lucius returned to her side promptly and pressed on her lower back, attempting to budge her forward.
"Come Astrid… you must," Lucius whispered in her ear, pleading with her, as his blue eyes flicked over the watching crowd. The Dark Lord grew impatient and glided over to the two, extending his arm out to the pretty blonde, his long fingers beckoning her to take his hand.
"Come Astrid," Voldemort purred, "Don't be shy," Astrid gulped hard, and after meeting Lucius' imploring stare she took the Dark Lords hand and allowed him to guide her into the centre of the room, Lucius followed close behind.
"Let's introduce you to all your new friends," Voldemort hissed as he gestured to the guests littered around the perimeter of the room, his hand still firmly holding Astrids. Astrids heart ran a race, tightening her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. "Astrid is the daughter of Alastor Moody," Voldemort informed the room, which achieved unsavoury boos from the crowd, the boos only spurred the Dark Lord on.
"Yes, the one and only…" Voldemort chuckled, before his tone turned much darker, as if a switch had been flipped. "I'm sure many of us… would relish in the opportunity… to watch the light leave her eyes,"
Lucius' jaw clenched at his masters' words, he watched how Voldemort guided her around the floor, like a dress pony, being shown off to leering eyes. He hated it, but he was powerless to stop it, and admittedly, ashamedly too cowardly to try.
"However, Astrid has made a brave decision, a noble decision…" Voldemort carried on, "to abandon her idealistic order… and join us."
Astrid's blood practically froze in her veins, she hadn't decided or agreed to anything, a sting of betrayal filled her heart as her breath was knocked out of her. She shot Lucius a hurt, disappointed look, one that made Lucius feel wretched with guilt. It was true, he had agreed on her behalf for her to join them as the Lords newest follower. I did it for her, he told himself, for her safety, for their child's safety.
"But salvation… must come at a price, to join our ranks dear Astrid… you will complete a task," Voldemort announced coldly as he looked to the girl to revel in the panic on her face.
"Wormtail, bring in the girl," Voldemort ordered over the crowd, and on command a large door opened to reveal his rat-like man servant. He scurried into the room, the crowd parting to let the hideous man-like creature through. In his claw-like fingers was a rope, Astrid's eyes followed the rope to its origin. The sight shocked her to the core, she was sure her heart had stopped for a moment as she set her sights on a face she hadn't seen in a long, long time.
The rope extended around the neck of her closest school-friend, Camille Gauthier. Her best friend through out her Beauxbatons experience. Astrid and Camille kept in contact by letter since her graduation, still sharing silly stories, exchanging advice and listening to each other's problems. And now she was tied to the end of a rope, her face bloodied and bruised.
Astrid froze, all she could hear was her heartbeat, fast and loud in her ears, her eyes began to blur as they glazed over with tears as she was her friend pulled into the centre of the room. Wormtail cruelly pushed Camille to her knees before Astrid and the Dark Lord.
"A-Astrid, p-p-please help me, please Astrid," Camille begged from the floor, her eyes stared up pleadingly at her friend. Her cries for help only won her a dark chuckle from Voldemort. Astrid was still frozen, unable to move.
"You're going to kill her Astrid…" The Dark Lord told the girl.
Please let me know what you think, I'm loving reading all your reviews, thanks so much for reading!