I deeply apologise. It's been unacceptably long since I've updated anything – almost an entire year. Some things in my life happened and it's as if the trauma of it has killed my creativity, both in art, drawing and even cooking. I've vowed that I'll try to get it back. I'll need all the encouragement (and constructive criticism) I can get though, so please leave a review.
Leo
The night before November 2nd, 1981
The Malfoys learned about the fall of the Dark Lord, not through celebratory messages sent via owl from friends and loved ones, but rather from the Aurors, who were violently blasting apart the wards of the manor. They had prepared for this but discussing and rehearsing was something entirely different than feeling the rooms shake and seeing the angry sparks that burned the beautiful roses in the courtyard. The Aurors had already breached the outer wards by the time Lucius and Narcissa had woken up, and they were now far too close, considering how short time they had been there.
They had only just put on dressing robes over their night clothes and Narcissa had picked up Draco from his bed. Lucius grabbed Narcissas arm and started dragging her down the corridors to the entry hall towards the front door and the fireplace, where they arrived just in time to witness the ornate, centuries old door being blasted to pieces.
Narcissa screamed and tightened her hold on their son, crying into his blonde hair. Lucius stood ramrod straight, eyes glazed over with his hand still squeezing Narcissas arm hard.
"STAND BACK!" A gruff voice yelled, amplified by a sonorous charm.
Narcissa struggled against her husband, but he only crushed her arm harder. She whimpered and cried out, when Lucius was thrown backwards by a powerful Impedimenta. She made to go to him but was held back by a conjured shield.
"Hold it right there, Mrs Malfoy!" The same gruff voice sounded to her right. Not amplified anymore, but still yelling. "We have reason to believe your husband is under the Imperius"
She looked up at the man the voice belonged to and was startled by a grotesque sight. His face was littered with scars in all shapes and sizes, and equipped with a startlingly blue magical prosthetic eye, making it look more like a mask than anything human. She was especially nauseated and yet slightly proud to see the half-healed curse wound, where a part of the man's nose was missing. She had heard who had severed it and how he had died doing it. It took everything in her power not to curse the man next to her past the veil.
"What do you mean, Auror Moody?" she asked, wide-eyed, not needing an introduction. He had been in the papers enough after all. Seeing him in person up close was a very different thing though.
He regarded her calculatingly. "We've received information from a reliable source, that your husband has been involved in criminal activity –"
Narcissa gasped.
"- under the influence of the Imperius Curse" he finished gravely.
Narcissa rocked the baby who had started fussing as he had been startled awake by the loud yelling. "You must be mistaken." She whispered wetly into his white locks.
Alastor Moody narrowed his eyes, not buying her display of distress. But then again – there were many things he didn't buy. It wasn't without reason that people called him paranoid. He preferred the term 'vigilant' though.
Another Auror stepped through the rubble, running directly to Lucius who was starting to stand up. The Lord of the Manor was tied down with an Incarcerous and a Silencio and the Auror turned to greet Narcissa who instantly recognised the man with the receding hairline.
"Frank" She sighed in relief. "Please tell your partner that my husband is not some sort of criminal"
Frank Longbottom smiled sadly at her. "You heard Alastor. He was named by a reliable source, but if it's proven that he is under the influence of the Imperious curse, the sentence will probably be reduced"
"Probably reduced?!" She hissed. "If whatever he may or may not have done has been against his own free will, he shouldn't be punished at all"
Frank looked at her nervously and started fidgeting. "That's not up to me Narcissa"
"Then who is it up to? The Wizengamot?" She pursed her mouth and narrowed her eyes.
Frank looked at her worriedly. "You haven't heard? The Dark Lord has fallen. They are making a special unit to expedite rounding up Death Eaters and sympathisers process them swiftly."
Narcissa felt herself shiver. That didn't exactly sound like the recipe for due process. She looked down at her husband who still lay on the floor, struggling against the conjured ropes. He looked furious now, yelling without sound.
"Can you perform the counter curse now?" she enquired, looking directly at Frank, purposely avoiding to even glance in the direction of the other Auror, lest she gave away the anger she felt at him, simmering just below the surface. She was very skilled at not showing her true thoughts, but sometimes even she would be so full of an emotion that it would boil over like a cauldron of Pepper-Up Potion left on the burner for too long.
The older Auror with missing nose huffed, obviously annoyed both at being ignored and the way his partner smiled reassuringly at the blonde woman.
"We should wait until we get him to the ministry." He growled. "Word is that he was inner circle. We ought to pump him full of Veritaserum until he spills the beans. If we lift the curse, he won't remember anything."
Narcissa was very close to rolling her eyes. "Surely, he wouldn't be privy to any sort of deep secrets that you don't already know. While it is hard and rare to do, it is possible to fight it off and then go to the other side with information."
"But he might know who put him under the spell." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her again and Narcissa forced herself to meet them. Both of them.
Narcissa felt a pit forming in her stomach.
Frank huffed "We don't have time for that Alastor. We have five more on the list we need to chase down" He pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously exhausted.
Moody frowned. "Fine!" He growled, obviously displeased. He nodded at Frank, who began the counter curse, waving his wand in intricate patterns, mumbling words so fast that Narcissa had no way of keeping up.
At the end of the spell, Lucius arched off the floor in a silent scream that made Narcissa gasp and cry. A purplish mist rose from his chest, dispersing in the air. When it was all over, Lucius slumped on the floor, unconscious.
Auror Moody looked almost disappointed that the spell worked and thus proving that Lucius had indeed been under the influence of the Imperius Curse.
"There will still be an investigation." He ground out.
He grabbed Frank by the upper arm and dragged him out the splintered front door, the younger man trying in vain to argue that they couldn't just leave the couple with one of them unconscious and the front door in splinters. Narcissa was happy to see them gone though. Doors were and easy fix, and she was not as incompetent a witch as she portrayed.
"Ellie!" she called out.
There was a crack as the house elf appeared in front of her.
"Please take Draco to his room and watch him" The little house elf bowed deeply before taking the littlest Master of the Manor ever so gently, cradling him in his blanket and walked calmly towards the grand staircase, opting not to apparate in fear of stirring the little thing.
Narcissa let her wand slide out of her sleeve, where it had been hidden during the entire encounter with the Aurors.
"Rennervate" she mumbled, kneeling next to her husband who blinked at her.
"Did it work?" He whispered.
She chuckled and got up. "It was close, but since we're not in Azkaban, I think we're somewhat in the clear."
"I can't believe you used an unforgivable on me" he grinned at her, standing up and offering her a hand "I forgive you"
He laughed as she swatted his arm.
…
They were not in the clear.
Two days later, there was a knock on the newly repaired front door. Lucius was waiting for Crabbe and Goyle Sr. to come by to discuss their business and how it would be affected by the Dark Lords fall and thus, the wards were somewhat down. The house elves knew who would be permitted access, and the rest they would consult the Master or the Mistress of the Manor about.
One who was not on the short list of pre-approved people was the Auror, Alastor Moody, so when the scarred piece of manure appeared in his study without warning along with another Auror, Lucius was startled, but soon caught himself.
"Lucius Malfoy, we are here to take you and Narcissa Malfoy to the Ministry for questioning regarding your involvement in activities in connection to your position amongst supporters of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. You will be placed in a holding cell and then moved to Azkaban awaiting trial." The scarred Auror smirked self-satisfied, doing a mockery of stating his official business.
"How can there be a trial scheduled, when the questioning has not even been held yet?" Lucius enquired, his left eyebrow rising slightly.
Moody sneered nastily and grabbed Lucius by the arm and twisted it around his back. He pushed the point of his wand hard into his spine. His partner disarmed him with a spell.
"I don't care if you were under a spell, Malfoy" The Auror grunted into his ear. "It doesn't prove anything to me. If you really wanted to, you could throw it off. You didn't, so that must mean you liked doing what you did."
Lucius could smell the Fire whiskey from the night before, mixed with stale coffee on the man's sour breath. It was enough to make him gag.
"The Ministry would like to put all this messy business behind them as fast as possible. Now where is that lovely wife of yours, Malfoy?" Moody growled. He conjured rope and used it to tie Lucius' hands behind his back and marched him out of the study, his wand still digging into his back, sure to leave a couple of bruises.
Lucius reluctantly led them towards the nursery, where Narcissa was walking around with Draco on her arm, showing him all the magical creatures painted on the wallpaper. The warm feeling Lucius would normally feel at such a sight was unfortunately absent due to the threat. Now, all he felt was a cold pit of fear and fury as he saw how Moody's partner looked at her, up and down. The mousy-haired man with the pock-marred face, smirked at Narcissa.
"'Ello Mrs. Malfoy"
She turned around, startled. "Hello?" She said, uncertain as she certainly wasn't used to see anyone other than herself and her husband in the nursery. All visits were contained to the Drawing room or Draco's playroom. She didn't put Draco down, but hugged him tighter to her chest. The man was making her distinctly uncomfortable. She looked at Moody "Where is Frank?"
Moody frowned. "It was decided that he couldn't be counted on to be unbiased."
Narcissa scoffed. "And what is the real reason?"
"He refused to make the arrest. The bloody Hufflepuff" the other Auror snorted.
Narcissa raised an eyebrow and hugged Draco tighter, shifting him around so she could have easier access to her wand. "And who exactly is getting arrested?"
The mousy-haired Auror's smile turned predatory as he stalked towards her. She slipped her wand out of her sleeve and hastily cast a shield charm.
The man put up his hands placating her "Aww don't be like that Mrs. Malfoy." Then he swiftly drew his own wand and broke through the charm easily.
"You won't be needing that – Expelliarmus!" He smirked as her wand went flying to be gripped by Moody.
"You won't be needing that either" He grinned, making a grab for the child in her arms. She turned around, so Draco was out of his reach, but he managed to grip her hair, ripping it hard so her head was pulled backwards, and she gasped in pain.
"Cissy!" Lucius yelled, struggling against Moody.
The man now grabbed her upper arm and started pulling it backwards, making her loose her grip on their precious boy, almost dropping him.
"Ellie!" She screamed.
The elf popped into the room and managed to catch the small child just as he fell. She popped out directly, taking Draco to safety.
The Auror now yanked her arm back violently and knocked her face into the wall, giving her a nosebleed. "That's what you get for resisting, you bitch. Unfortunately, we don't have time for more fun activities at the moment, but I might come to visit you in your cell." He said into her ear, looking straight at Lucius who looked ready to burst with hatred.
Narcissa was bound similarly to her husband and they were pushed down the corridors towards the fireplace in the entrance hall and taken to the Ministry.
…
The interviews were a joke. They were over in twenty minutes and they were sent directly to Azkaban afterwards, awaiting "trial"
Lucius held no hope for a fair one of those. It was painfully obvious how desperate the Ministry was to seem efficient and in control. Luckily, Lucius had prepared and had paid the right people the right amount of money and they were acquitted. They had spent three days in the desolate prison though, and even such a short amount of time had taken its toll. He dreaded to think what a year could do.
Narcissa had taken the time there especially bad. The separation from their son and her inability to protect him, haunted her constantly, amplified a hundred times due to the presence of the dementors. It was as if they had seeped into her very bones, chilled them and made them impossible to warm up again. When they returned to the Manor, she wouldn't be separated from their son, even to take a bath. She vowed to keep him close, always and to protect him no matter the consequences.
Upon their arrival, a dozen elves stood ready with all things chocolate. They had made chocolate cake, chocolate cookies, chocolate mousse, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate truffles, chocolate bars and hot chocolate. Lucius drew the line when they served the chocolate covered ham. The elves were still happy though because it had still managed to put a smile on their faces.
Slowly, life moved on, as it tends to do. Lucius went back to working with their accounts, trying as hard as he could to tidy up the damage that had been done by their involvement with the Dark Lord. He found several disturbing things though, that could not be undone. His father had thrown all their assets in with the Death Eaters and he wasn't the only one who had avoided prison. Crabbe and Goyle Sr. were walking free. Macnair was on probation, though how that lunatic wasn't given the kiss, Lucius would never know. He was dependent on all of them, for many years to come, which meant that his charade as being a muggle-hating piece of shit was not over. Narcissa resumed her work with the muggleborns, but still in secret. What bothered Lucius more than anything though, was the way Moody and his associate, who he had learned was Auror Savage (a suitable name in Lucius' opinion), had appeared in his study without warning. They should have been stopped at the door by the elves. As a minimum they should have been announced, but they just showed up, taking him by surprise. It was a mystery he vowed to solve.
Draco grew up ridiculously spoiled. Narcissa could never take his tears, real or fake. It tugged at her heart and her conscience, the way they had abandoned never really leaving her. Lucius tried to hold back, but hardly ever succeeded. She had always been a force of nature, but motherhood had turned her downright supernatural.