A/N: The fun never stops.

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CHAPTER 11: Damage Control

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Lucius smoothed back his hair and grasped at his forehead. He had a splitting headache and the last thing he wanted to do right now was deal with family. But he needed to find Draco quickly and make sure he didn't repeat anything he saw today, especially not to his mother or aunt. Either that or obliviate his son.

Lucius flooed out of Voldemort's secret lair and apparated to Malfoy Manor, the large estate that had been in the Malfoy family for twelve generations of blonde purebloods. It was a large French 16th-century marble and limestone palace with columned walkways, complete with extensive gardens and grounds. He was relieved to find Narcissa was not home but was greatly annoyed when he heard a certain familiar tinkering laugh coming from the foyer. He pressed his lips together and followed the source of the voices to the sitting room.

Draco was sprawled out on the sofa with Pansy Parkinson on his lap. From where he stood, Lucius had a perfect view of her thong underwear. Pansy Parkinson was a first class pureblood floozy, who had become Draco's girlfriend in the last year. He was also pretty sure, from the way she ogled him, that the little slut wanted a taste of Malfoy senior. Though Draco seemed to be completely oblivious to this fact.

Lucius cleared his throat, "Draco if you are going to have company," he said the word disdainfully in reference to the shameless girl on currently on top of his son, "I would advise you take it to your room."

Draco and Pansy immediately separated. Pansy wide squashed-in face smirked as she sat up and fixed her short skirt over her knees.

But Draco looked pissed and stood up to stare him in the eye. "You're one to talk father!"

Lucius gripped his wand tightly, which was tucked away in the pocket of his robes, "I don't know what ever you mean, Draco, but that is no way to address me."

"I think you know exactly what I mean, father," Draco hissed mockingly.

Lucius couldn't believe how disrespectful Draco was being. He had never had obedience problems with him before. His eyes switched between Draco and his pug-faced floozy girlfriend. Pansy didn't seem to know what they were talking about. Which was a good thing. It bought him some time. He didn't want word getting out what he had almost done with the mudblood.

"Perhaps we had better discuss this alone, then? Hmm, Draco?" he said calmly.

Draco reluctantly nodded and followed his father out into the conservatory. His hands were balled into fists.

Lucius clicked the glass door behind them and cast a muffliato spell.

For a moment father and son stood staring each other down. Lucius, being taller, had the advantage because he could stare down at Draco. With his chin held higher. Though Draco was doing his best to hold his own before such a mighty presence.

"Go ahead Draco," Lucius spat contemptuously. "You had something to say to me, now say it! Or have you lost the nerve?"

Draco's nostrils flared. He had never challenged his father before, so it was a big step for him. But when he thought of his dear mother, his strength-and outrage-was renewed.

"I can't believe you would humiliate my mother like that!" Draco shouted in a strangled tone, his voice a mixture of hurt and disbelief as he regarded the man he had idolized his entire life.

"If you are referring to the incident today, it was Voldemort's orders," Lucius said simply and unapolegetically. "I have nothing more to say on the matter!"

Draco turned red, "Yes, but-"

"But what?" Lucius laughed. "Would you have preferred I disobeyed Voldemort and chosen to die instead? Leaving your dear mother a widow and yourself fatherless because I chose not to touch a mudblood, at the Dark Lord's behest?"

Draco gulped. He hadn't thought of that. Though of course, his father - master strategist that he was - had thought of it. Lucius Malfoy always saw ten steps ahead of everybody else. It was why he could survive anything unscathed and untarnished by the pitfalls that lesser men succumbed to. It was why Draco so loved and admired his father and wanted to be exactly like him. So he could know what it felt like to power trip people and sneer your way to the top.

But that meant...

Draco was on the verge of tears, his grey eyes getting dangerously shiny, "You mean you did it? You actually d-did it with Granger?"

He felt like his childhood was coming to a screeching, halting end.

Lucius Malfoy sneered down at his son, feeling vastly superior. Which he was. Draco had meant to use the information against him. Instead Lucius had worked the situation in his favour and reduced Draco to tears by manipulating his son's feelings for him.

Damn he was good.

Lucius lifted his head even higher in the air and picked off a non-existent piece of lint from his immaculate robes.

"No, Draco, nothing happened," he said smoothly with absolutely no emotion. "Although the Dark Lord ordered it, things never got so far with that filthy mudblood."

Draco's relief was palpable. A single grateful tear slipped down Draco's face and he rubbed it shamefully away.

"The flowers give me allergies," Draco mumbled and pointed pathetically at the plants in the conservatory.

"Of course," Lucius rolled his eyes. His son had yet to master either self-control or the art of lying, which put the future of the Malfoy family in peril.

"Listen Draco, don't tell your mother or repeat to anyone what happened," he paused to smile in a father-knows-best way, "You know what gossips some of the Death Eaters are. You wouldn't want them when speaking badly of your father, would you, when he was only following Voldemort's orders?"

Draco nodded and managed a small smile. Everything was back to normal and his father was his hero again. He felt like hugging him but he knew it was not allowed. The last time he had been allowed to hug his father was when he was five years old, after which he was declared too old for hugs. So he settled for a pat on the back and preened into the touch of his father's hand, like a neglected cat.

"I'm sorry I doubted you father. I spoke out of turn," Draco said.

"It's alright Draco, we all make mistakes," he said icily, with the implication that he himself didn't actually make any mistakes, "But don't do it again."

"Yes father."

Lucius smiled to himself. Good that was taken care of. And without the need to resort to oblivation. He had obliviated Draco many times over the years and he had a suspicion it might have inflicted slight brain damage, not that his son had ever been a genius to begin with.

They walked back to the foyer together and Lucius was greatly annoyed to observe Pansy striking a pose on the couch, trying hard to look like an innocent schoolgirl in her short skirt.

Lucius scowled. What bad taste his son had. She was so common, despite her high birth among the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Lucius had a feeling Mrs. Parkinson might've cheated with a muggle mailman or something when she became pregnant.

"Try not to let this one stay too long, Draco. I fear it might upset Mrs. Parkinson if her daughter were to be gone the whole night." Lucius rolled his eyes. It was highly unlikely Mrs. Parkinson would even notice anything except her own reflection in the mirror, but Draco did not pick up on his sarcasm.

"I will make sure to bring her back before midnight, father."

"Yes, please do," Lucius snapped as Pansy eyed him hungrily from across the room.

Lucius exhaled deeply as he finally got to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Glad that the day was finally over. The past few days had been, without exaggeration, fucking awful. He looked forward to a good, early night of undisturbed rest, he had barely slept last night after Voldemort woke him up at 2 am by using his Dark Mark.

With a relieved sigh, Lucius pointed his wand at his bedroom door to lock and soundproof it, Narcissa would just have to use another of their many rooms to sleep in tonight. He pointed his wand again so that he stood in his pyjamas, then flicked his wand to turn off the lights. He breathed contentedly as he pulled back the silky covers of his bed and lay down.

But he immediately jumped out of the bed again as he felt a cold hand grab at him. Lucius nearly jumped out of his skin before the covers pulled back to reveal the woman underneath. Fucking hell.

"BELLA WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Bellatrix lay on his bed wearing nothing but her black, lacy underneath. She grinned wickedly and pointed her twisted wand at him.

"It's 7 o'clock on a Thursday night," she laughed. "What do you think I'm doing here, Lucy?"

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end of chapter 11

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a/n: Uh Oh. Can no one cut Lucius a break? Voldemort, Bella, Draco and Hermione are all driving that poor man up the wall! Maybe he should retire from the death eaters :-) btw yes this story is not ending until we eventually get to see that Lucius/Hermione wedding because (spoiler alert!) unfortunately there was no wedding in the original. Who would u want to see as bridemaids or maid of honour at their wedding? :)

some EDEN Trivia for the fans:
An intriguing quote from Chapter 36 of Eden was the inspiration for including Pansy here and making her give inappropiate eye contact to lucius (pansy and hermione are both 18 in this story btw):
"Do you always go for girls young enough to be your daughter? Did you want to f*** Pansy as well, when I used to invite her home for dinner?" Draco asked.
Lucius breathed a small mocking laugh, "What that thing?" Lucius drawled, "Oh she was sacred, I can assure you." -Chapter 36, Eden by obsessmuch

ouch lucius!