Almost near the end! Don't worry - there are still more surprises and twists never-before-mentioned planned though! The excitement doesn't stop!
Draco's not getting better, and I'm growing more and more worried. His fever spikes and then drops severely. My potion is doing little for him—all it really cleared up was his runny nose. He still coughs and wheezes, his nights are terrible. Those eyes…sometimes they look at me like they're begging for me to help them….I can't do anything else. I just can't. If I bring him to St. Mungo's, the Healers will know it's us. We could be arrested. I would be arrested. I'm certain that that would push my baby over the edge, make him really lose his mind, possible lead him to kill himself. I could never let my baby do that. Ever. But how can I treat him without revealing our identity? I'm still working on that.
Lucius has given an interview with the evening edition of The Daily Prophet. This ought to be rich. It's all written in bold letters across the top: THE DEVIL TELLS ALL! LUCIUS MALFOY GIVES A BOMBSHELL INTERVIEW! It's the very first time he's talked to reporters. I wonder if he'll further incriminate himself with his stupidity.
All of us reporters here at The Daily Prophet have been eager to hear what exactly is running through the mine of the accused and notorious Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy's wife and son (Narcissa, 42, Draco, 18) were reported missing weeks ago with a crime scene left in Malfoy Manor for Aurors to dissect. So far, all evidence has pointed to one person; a person that has shown little remorse or any type of emotion so far. Lucius Malfoy. Finally, Arnold Creevey has gotten the chance to sit down with this man and hear firsthand what he's thinking.
"I miss my wife and my little son." Lucius opens with. "I think about them constantly, every second of my life. My day. Every moment holds a memory of who they were—the people that I still love absolutely unconditionally. Stolen from me. Gone. I can't even bear to think what could have happened to them, or where they are now, or the condition that they're in. I miss them like nothing I've ever been missing before. They turned me around—they truly made me a better man. And now that they're gone…oh, now that…I can't think it. I won't. I need to remain positive to hopefully have them brought back. That's all I can do, and I would do anything."
So what would Lucius say individually to his wife and son? We've been wondering too.
"Draco…if you're still there somewhere, please know that I love you so much. I may not have said it often, I may have been a lacking father at points in your life, I may have turned my back when you needed me most…but oh, Draco how I've changed. I can't stand wondering where you are and if you're alright. The things that happened to you here before you went missing…I want you to not be ashamed. It may hurt, baby, and you may feel worthless, but I need you to know that Daddy's doing everything he can to bring you back safe here. I'll get you away from that man. I'll make sure he never hurts you again. Oh, I love you so much. I love you so much. Be strong for me and I'll be strong for you.
"Narcissa, my beautiful wife….words cannot express how devastated I am without you. I've said it a thousand times in my head already, but I need to say it aloud. I love you more than I love myself. I've made mistakes—I was a foolish, careless, greedy husband that abandoned his family values to chase a hollow power. I left you behind. You are my entire world—my safety, my calm, my love, my life. I'm falling apart without you. When I first found you, you were a doll. And I first I didn't know what that meant. But now I see. Now I see that you would be willing to crack and taint yourself to make a difference in your family life—to prove a point. I don't know where I would be without you today. I love you Narcissa. Please, if you're out there, come home. Come back to me. I've changed. I'll make it better. I'll…I'll fix things. I will do anything for you."
And there it is—a surprisingly sincere account from Lucius Malfoy. It puts a different spin on this entirely. He was visibly upset at the fact that he was admitting all this, but not in a criminal way. He was upset that he hadn't shown these genuine feelings before. Now he's concerned everything will think he's faking, that it's a façade, that it isn't real. But, wizards and witches of the world, we can plainly see this is a desperate man who just wants him family returned to him. Stay tuned for more interviews with some of Draco's classmates in tomorrow night's edition.
He means it. He really does. He even slipped the doll into his speech to let me know he found it and he knows I've faked all of this—and yet he still promised to change. He didn't run and tell the police his theory, he made a genuine, sincere, wholehearted apology for his barbaric behavior. To the public. To the wizarding world. It wasn't about his image—Lucius is a very no-emotion-image sort of man. The fact that he poured his heart out here really says something. I lower the newspaper, looking over at Draco, muttering in his feverish sleep, and I let my eyes fall closed. I can't keep hiding. Draco needs medical attention. I need to be the good mother I've always strived to be. Lucius needs us to return home so he can practice this new living.
I've made my decision. We need to go home.