A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I am so glad that you guys liked how i handled the basilisk and getting into the chamber! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-seven and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-eight soon!
September 1969
Rodolphus held the delicate coupe glass of the finest elf made champagne in his hand, using everything in his power not to down the bubbly before the speech was over. Salazar, Cygnus Black could go on and on and on when giving a toast. Rodolphus supposed that he could understand why though. It was only once that your by and far favorite daughter was betrothed to a family like the Malfoys. They might not be as ancient as the Blacks, but they were as noble...and far more rich.
Narcissa Black looked excessively pleased, with her arm looped tightly with Lucius Malfoy's. Each of them had been granted leave from Hogwarts. Even Headmaster Dumbledore would not stop the students from leaving for a ceremony such as this. The purebloods would riot...more than they already were...if their traditions were not respected.
Unbidden, he thought of Hermione and how barbaric she would have found the whole thing, setting up two teenagers who'd barely gone through puberty together. He wondered if knowing that the two were absolutely gaga for one another would reassure her at all, but he was certain that their fathers' involvement would taint her thinking on the matter.
His eyes slipped to Bellatrix, who was scowling next to her sister, with Augustus Rookwood's arm around her waist. Rodolphus had to hide his smirk when he saw just how miserable the witch looked. Well, that makes two of us, he thought darkly. Clearly, her plans did not work as she'd expected them.
And Rookwood was quite the get for the Dark Lord. He had been widely considered as bright while he was in school, and Rodolphus understood that he was now working as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries, something that was supposed to be secret, but something that the Dark Lord was only too pleased to share with his Death Eaters. He planned to infiltrate the Ministry at every level, and Rodolphus was somewhat disturbed by his reach already.
Bellatrix met his eyes and he could feel the anger reflected there. Rodolphus couldn't imagine how she could be mad at him.
Before he could think on it more, Cygnus raised his glass in toast. "To Narcissa and Lucius," he said, giving his youngest daughter's arm a squeeze.
Rodolphus was only too happy to take a large drink, finishing off the liquid rather quickly. Turning, he looked around for a house elf so that he could get another glass. He was certain that the Malfoys would spare no expense for the engagement party of their only son, if the engagement jewelry that Narcissa was dripping in was anything to judge by.
"I suppose you're happy with yourself," Bellatrix hissed from by his side. "Gloating."
"You only have yourself to blame for that, Bellatrix, if you find yourself with someone more horrible than me," he said smoothly, finally having located another glass of champagne. "Or your father. It's not as if I am the one who arranged it."
"If you hadn't been running around with that mudblood -"
"And if you hadn't told your father about it, we would likely be married now," he said shrugging his shoulders. "Don't feel too badly for yourself. My father hopes to have me engaged by Yule...if someone will consent to give their daughter to a mudblood lover. Maybe you should have tried the same strategy as Andy."
"Don't talk about my sister like that," she sneered. Andromeda was clearly a touchy subject for the Black family. She was noticeably absent from the party.
Rodolphus shrugged his shoulders, not really wanting to argue with Bellatrix any longer. "Well, if you are finished berating me for something I didn't do..." he trailed off. "I've things to do."
He hadn't wanted to come to Malfoy Manor, but he'd been rather ordered to by his father. And, if he hadn't been there, he was certain that his absence would be noted by the Dark Lord as well. It was no secret that Lucius would become one of them one day, and it wouldn't do to be seen as not supporting one of his future brothers.
His father found him soon enough and brought him to talk to old Rosier, a friend of his from school and someone with two daughters who were being educated in France at Beauxbatons. Rodolphus didn't like the idea that he was being weighed and measured as someone suitable, but he stood there long enough, being uncharacteristically gruff and trying to seem menacing with his larger frame and tall stature. The kind of man that you would not want to entrust your daughter to.
Eventually, his father grew annoyed with him and sent him off, leaving Rodolphus to his own devices.
Rodolphus was able to slip off from the party then. Even though he was a Death Eater now, it did not mean that the others were very eager to have him around, considering the rumors that Bellatrix was spreading about him. He hated even more when they would ask for details about his affair with Hermione, sharing falsehoods about muggleborns that they had heard of. Or worse, whisper into his ear about their own flings and the ways that they had dealt with the muggleborns when they were done. It seemed as if their prejudices only ran so deep, and sex was not included.
He left the massive ballroom behind and went into the marble entrance way. Malfoy Manor was almost too extravagant that it bordered on gauche. It gave off the air of new money, much like Abraxas Malfoy did, but he was finding quickly that it didn't matter as much as it once did.
There was no one else around when he made his way down the massive hallway, his steps cushioned by the luxurious runner carpet down the center, with portraits of Malfoy ancestors long passed. Few seemed to mind the intruder in their home.
He peeked into various rooms, finding Helena Malfoy's personal study. On the desk was an inviting tray of immaculately decorated macarons. Knowing that it was an invasion of privacy, Rodolphus couldn't stop himself from walking in and taking one of the cookies. Orange blossom filled his mouth while he thumbed through her date book, finding many entries for what could only be described as training for Narcissa. Again, he wished he could share this with Hermione.
Her letters were neatly stacked next to some wax and a heavy metal seal adored with the Malfoy family crest. There was nothing too interesting inside of it, mainly just gossip about the varying pureblood elite. He wondered what would happen if he shared some of the details with the people who were gathered in the ballroom, but he was already too much of a pariah and he didn't think it would do well to purposely antagonize anyone else.
Moving on, he continued to enter rooms, finding various dining rooms, conservatories and even a dueling room. But, he was most intrigued by the library. It was easily the same size as the ballroom, and filled to the brim with books. He was certain that no Malfoy would ever be able to read this many books in their lifetime, and most were probably just for show.
Running his fingers along the spines, he looked for any unusual titles, but wasn't able to find anything that piqued his interest. They were sorely lacking in magical history and instead had plenty of books about potion making, and disturbingly, a very large collection that focused on poisons. Rodolphus picked up one manual that focused on the deadliest poisons and thumbed through it quickly, only to find himself disturbed by some of the included illustrations.
Unbidden, memories of times in the Come and Go Room with Hermione flooded back into his memory. He always had thought of the library in his own ancestral home, and Hermione always chided him for not focusing enough on the books. He wished he could go back now and show her all of the books, even if his family's library was not nearly as impressive as this.
Leaving the library behind, he continued his search down the hallway and found himself next in Abraxas's study. This room was far more interesting than Helena's personal office, dominated by a large fireplace ideal for flooing on one side, and a huge glass window on the other, overlooking the lush green grounds. Staring out into the gardens, he could see several peacocks milling about, and wondered if there was a more apt animal for the Malfoys to have, always strutting about, showing off.
He also had some bookcases that showed off a few rare books as well as some personal items. A crystal decanter of firewhiskey seemed the most interesting, and Rodolphus opened the top to take a sniff of the spicy liquid. Salazar, it was a vintage, Rodolphus realized, and poured himself a finger into one of the matching glasses - much better than the champagne they were serving at the party.
As he continued to peruse the shelves, he found periodicals dog-eared excessively and an old telescope and even a displayed wand, that he was sure was just as expensive as everything else on the shelf.
He stopped suddenly when his eyes caught on a slim black leather book. Pulling it off the shelf, he felt almost giddy when he realized it was a diary. Opening it up eagerly, he wondered what kind of horrid little details Abraxas Malfoy might have written down in it. Rodolphus paged through it with glee, only to feel disappointed when page after page remained blank, even with a revealing spell.
Closing it again, he noticed that the embossed initial on the front of it was an R, not an M. Curious, he thought to himself.
Before he could investigate it further, the door to the study abruptly opened. Jumping, Rodolphus turned to face a very unimpressed looking Abraxas Malfoy. Hoping to hide what he'd been up to, he could feel his face flush at having been caught red handed someplace he wasn't meant to be. "I'm sorry, sir, I was looking for the facilities, and seemed to have lost my way," he lied smoothly, pleased when his voice didn't even break once.
"More like looking for my firewhiskey," Abraxas sneered at him, his eyes landed on the heavy glass that was still held in Rodolphus's right hand. "My free champagne isn't good enough for you? You have to sneak from my 1939 vintage as well?"
Rodolphus knew that no lie was going to get him out of this one, and tried to appear as contrite as possible. "I'm sorry, sir," he apologized, knowing that it was wrong of him to have been snooping around like he did.
Abraxas stared at him, steely eyes unblinking while he thought about what to do with the young man. "Well, I suppose that you have good taste at least," he said, sounding a little bit smug. "But, I just might need to take payment from you for that swig of firewhiskey some day, Lestrange. Now...let's get back to the party, and get you back to your father."
The younger wizard bristled, hating the way that he was being treated like a naughty child, but then he supposed that skulking around maybe warranted it. "I think that would be best," he agreed.
As the two men made their walk down the to the ballroom, Abraxas couldn't help but give him a bit of advice. "You know, you should try and steer your father away from the Rosiers and more towards the Greengrasses," he suggested. "I hear their youngest daughter is quite beautiful."
"I'm not really interested in involving myself in marriage contracts," he said, sounding disappointed. "I will let my father handle it. But I am sure he would take your advice, after the fine match you made for Lucius."
Abraxas patted him on the back. "Don't sound so glum, Rodolphus," he said cheerily, stopping at the doors to the ballroom. "There is nothing stopping you from taking a mistress or two after you are married. Maybe even a muggleborn one. Just don't get caught," he said, showing off a grin and talking like he knew, before he rejoined the party, leaving Rodolphus standing on his own.