So things are really going to start picking up and moving fast here. This chapter sort of gets into things a little bit more, and the next will be rather explosive. So if you're wondering when it's going to get interesting, fear not; the mystery is on its way. Thank you for reading this.
It was a Sunday morning just like all Sunday mornings: Lucius sitting at the head of the breakfast table, Narcissa quietly applying jam to her toast, Draco nervously stirring his tea. Quiet as usual. The only interruption was the owl that swooped in and dropped The Daily Prophet on the table, nearly giving Draco a heart attack. Lucius paid the owl and grimaced at the sight of the front-page photo. Another one of those gorgeous headshots of his Azkaban days, having just come from a battle of all battles involving the Dark Lord and a forced separation between him and his family. Wonderful. Narcissa pretended not to notice. She just set a piece of perfectly spread toast in front of her son, returning to put jam on another for her husband as well. "I was wondering when the gossip rats would figure out my trial date," Lucius sneered softly. Draco's spoon rattled in his fingers. Narcissa raised her eyes. "What are they saying?" she asked. Sighing, Lucius scanned the front page. "'Death Eater family may pay the ultimate price for betrayal of the Wizarding World'." he read aloud.
"I don't remember ever betraying the Wizarding World." Narcissa calmly replied.
"If anything you saved it. But in pure honesty, we all may face charges if the jury decides that's how they want it." At this, Draco visibly paled.
"But only you're going for a trial tomorrow. They haven't summoned me or Draco."
"It doesn't matter. If they find me guilty and send me back to Azkaban, they'll want you questioned too. You can't just discount that completely—it is a possibility."
"Lucius, it's going to be fine. They won't find you guilty of anything—you defected. There isn't anything to really worry about yet. We're going to be right there at the trial to support you, to show them that we're a family, and that's what we'll always be. Nothing is going to split us apart."
She smiled gently, reaching across the table to hand Lucius the piece of toast she'd finished spreading jam over. Hesitating for a moment due to his wife's complete calmness about their situation (which was usually unlike her if someone threatened their family), he looked into her blue eyes. What was she feeling? This was certainly a different reaction than she'd ever had before towards anything that had to do with a dispute or the past. Maybe the war really did change people. Lucius decided that all he could do was take comfort in the fact that she was remaining so strong for him, and returned her smile as he accepted the toast onto his plate. Narcissa gave one more little grin before looking away, setting the teapot in the center of the table and reaching over to gently rub her son's trembling fingers. Lucius dropped The Daily Prophet onto the far corner of the table. If his wife, the strongest of the Malfoys, hell, the bloody Woman-Who-Stopped-The-War, was confident in his trial's outcome, then why should he worry?
He did have his family by his side no matter what, after all.