This is where it all begins! I'm having so much fun writing this. I hope you like reading it. But honestly guys, I don't know how to keep writing (or if I even should). You've got to give me some feedback in order for me to know what to write for - what the things are that you want to see. Let me know.
Monday morning came quickly—it was the day Lucius had been dreading for weeks now. The day of the trial. Two ministry officials were going to arrive at Malfoy Manor that morning to escort Lucius to the courtroom, where Narcissa and Draco were going to meet him there later after all of his case briefings were set. They were planning on sitting in the top right box, watching him from above, behind him as always. Lucius had argued that he didn't want them to hear all the evidence the ministry had against him, all the claims and readings and files and proof that he was an awful man that deserved every dementor-filled cell of Azkaban from now for the rest of his life. But Narcissa was a supporting wife. She just put a hand on his arm and assured him that they were a family, and wouldn't let one of their own suffer by themselves. So he'd relaxed a little. But only slightly; he still had a very tense day ahead.
As he got dressed and attempted to make himself look as sophisticated as possible, Narcissa watched like she usually did. Her perfect form sitting on the bedside, barely making a dent in the neatly made blankets. She spoke encouraging words to him; she even promised that when they won his freedom, she'd personally make his favorite dinner—boiled lobsters cooked especially by her; he told her on every special occasion that she made them that no house elf in the entire wizarding world knew how to get the met as perfectly tender or the shells as brightly crimson. There was simply no one else in the universe that could cook a lobster like Narcissa Malfoy.
She looped the tie around his neck, letting her warm breath linger on his skin the way she knew he liked it. But suddenly she straightened, looking up as if listening for something. She lowered her eyes. She quickly pulled away from Lucius, making her way to the door. "It's Draco," she murmured, more to herself than to him. Her husband looked at her with a confused expression. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"He just let out a cry. I have to go make sure he'd not having another panic attack."
"You heard it from this wing?"
"…Lucius, when you're a mother you train your ears to listen for your child's voice."
He watched as she hurried out of the room, quickly making her way down the hall to Draco's bed. Ever since the war, the child hadn't been quite right—he was extremely nervous all the time, more anxious if the topic of conversation was anything about that time period or the Dark Lord or Azkaban or dementors or Unforgivables and honestly there wasn't much you couldn't say around Draco to make him go into panic. His son needed help, he knew it. But he could calm down when Narcissa tended to him—as if she had all the answers. Maybe he didn't need answers; maybe he just needed to be told the right thing. Lucius finished looping the tie himself, glancing over his reflection in the mirror one more time. It was time.
Lucius waited in the sitting room nearest to the front doors of the Manor, so that it wouldn't take long for him to get up and answer the door when the officials arrived. He heard Narcissa walking by on the loft upstairs, so he glanced up to see her carrying a bowl and fresh towels to Draco's room. She sighed. "He's throwing up. I think he's just nervous." she informed. Lucius closed his eyes. "All the more reason for you to stay home today," he muttered. She stopped walking.
"We're not staying here and leaving you to face this alone. It's a decision that I've made for myself and my son." she said.
Lucius was almost afraid she was upset for a moment(something that rarely happened), but that sweet, gentle smile returned, and he knew that she was only trying to help in whatever way she could. She stepped away from the railing to continue walking to Draco's room.
Within ten minutes' time, there came a knock on the huge double doors. Lucius answered. Just as they'd promised, two ministry officials stepped inside to use Side-Along-Apparition to get to the courtroom. He let himself be taken. In just another hour, Narcissa and Draco would be sitting behind him, watching his trial, supporting him as always. He could only pray they weren't targeted next. The two men had to walk a pretty far distance to get to the end of the property line—strict magical wards prevented any Apparation or Disapparation on the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Finally, after crossing that barely noticeable line of brown grass blades, the three closed their eyes, and instantly disappeared.
The trial was long, harsh, and grueling. As expected. Lucius kept glancing up at the box where his wife and son were supposed to be sitting but were nowhere in sight. Draco must've really been sick. He hoped this wasn't going to be a chronic illness for much longer. The verdict came back, and after rising before the court, Lucius Malfoy was cleared from sentence in Azkaban. He was free. But the best news to him was that the entire Malfoy name was clear—his wife and son wouldn't have to serve either. He glanced over at the prosecutor's side of the courtroom. Harry Potter just gave one nod. Lucius knew what he was thinking. Free the family but not the man. Let Lucius serve but keep his wife and son out of this. They weren't as bad as he was. But it didn't matter—because no one in the Malfoy family was going to have to rot in the horrible prison. Potter didn't get his way. Although Lucius did hold a certain amount of respect for him (mainly due to the fact that he alone brought down the Dark Lord), it was only a leveled amount. He was still a Potter. That would never change.
Lucius opened the doors to Malfoy Manor eager to see his family to tell them the news. "Narcissa!" he called as he stepped inside. The doors swung shut behind him. As he turned to switch the lock on it, he noticed that the little pin that usually clicked into its hole to bar the handles shut was broken. Bent. He studied it for a moment. How had he not noticed it from before? Bellatrix had been famous for never knocking before entering a room; she must've blow the lock apart when she stayed here. But it was no matter—Lucius had bigger things to think about. Feeling freer than he had in his entire life, he ran up the stairs with a smile on his face. Right to Draco's room. "Narcissa, Draco!" The door was closed. Wouldn't Narcissa leave it open in case she had to run to get something for him? Lucius gingerly twisted the doorhandle. "We're free—"
He wasn't prepared for the sight he saw.
The room was empty. The bed was a mess, bowls and cups and plates were smashed into shards everywhere. Lucius stepped inside, staring as if in shock. Suddenly, he stomach lurched. He felt like retching. There was a rope loop hanging around the bedpost, tied perfectly to match one used to bind someone's wrists together. There was blood in Draco's bed. Covering it. Sheets, blankets, mattress—and that rope. Lucius felt himself start shaking. No, not his son. Not his Draco. He noted that the blood was semi-dry; this must've happened recently. Under his feet, clumps of Narcissa's hair littered the floor. As if someone dragged her by her beautiful blonde locks. How? How could this happen? Who could get in past the magical wards? Why now? "Narcissa?! Draco?!" he shouted now, panic running through him like a fire.
He was the only person in the house.
Lucius immediately firecalled the Auror office for an investigation of his house. While he tried to sound brave and confident, his voice faltered and he ended up sitting on the floor crying his eyes out. The officials showed up in ten mintues. Two men and a woman went through the entire Manor, leaving little magical light orbs wherever they found "evidence"—the blood in the bed, the rope, the dent in the bedroom doorframe, the wands left behind by his missing loved ones, the pot of water that was left boiling on the stove. "Has your wife ever left the oven on?" one of the Auror asked. Lucius shook her head. "She starts something and doesn't stop until it's finished. She's always been that way." he replied. It took so long to go through the Manor. But there were more clues in the east wing—Draco's side. "There was a struggle," the female Auror said. "It's evident that either your wife or your son tried to fight the intruder off, but couldn't. The nicks in the door, the broken glass, the blood we found on the floor and the spatter on the railing. Keep an open mind about this; we're going to do everything to get them back. It may just be a ransom kidnapping. The person could just be wanting money or wanting you to suffer or something like that. We can't just jump to the conclusion that they're dead, because we'll need more evidence to track where they could've been taken to. Our leader wants us to camp out here for a while to look into the entire situation, so do you have a place you can stay while we occupy?"
"I'll go to the cottage," Lucius said, voice hoarse with worry. "I don't know where they could be. No one would want us to be in pain or suffering—I just was cleared of charges. I….I-I can't imagine life without them. I just want them back! I want my perfect family life again!"
"I know. We're going to find them for you, and everything will be alright." She looked over at the picture on the Draco's bedside—the one where they were all posing for a perfect family portrait; the one that had Bellatrix cut out so that it was just the three of them. "You have a beautiful family, Mr. Malfoy." she remarked. Lucius nodded. "They're absolutely everything a man could want." he said, a small smile creeping onto his lips. Unfortunately, the Auror happened to look over in this instant. He couldn't go back to frowning quick enough to hide it from her.
Lucius Malfoy had already told the Aurors three lies. It was only the beginning.