The Eye Of The Gazer

Chapter 19

At the appointed time, Lucius, Draco, Gabrielle and Bryony sat down at a table by the window of the Ristorante Ponte di Rialto in Diagon Alley. Cho had been invited to join them, but as expected, she had a full appointment diary, and was obliged to refuse. Jane Currer had been expected to accompany Gabrielle and Bryony to Cho's Chic, but had developed a sudden headache when she learned that Lucius and Draco were to meet them, asking to remain behind at Gildenford Hall. In reality, she had used this opportunity to slip quietly into Malfoy Manor to speak to the late Mrs Malfoy.

Bryony was excited at this day out, partly because she was supposed to be having lessons, and also because she rarely ate anywhere but at one of her homes. She was fascinated by the Italian waiter with hair and eyes as dark as her own, who addressed her as "Signorina". He tied a large white napkin around her neck before she ate, telling her that tomato sauce stained very badly, and it would be a shame to get any on her pretty robes. Following her delicious pasta, after whispered instructions from Lucius, the waiter brought her a glass dish of multicoloured ice cream he described as "especially for little witches who have been very good today". It was a child-sized portion, decorated like a hedgehog with slender sticks of chocolate. The waiter set fire to the ends of the sticks with his wand, and the hot chocolate melted slowly all over the ice cream, much to Bryony's delight.

As she ate her dessert, accompanied by Gabrielle, who had decided to treat herself to some Italian pistachio ice cream, watched indulgently by her father and amusedly by her brother, Bryony looked out of the window at Diagon Alley. She saw another alley leading off the main street, almost opposite the restaurant.

"Where does that go?" she asked, pointing with her spoon.

"Bryony, don't talk with your mouth full. And don't use your cutlery to point, it's very bad manners," said Lucius, but he did not sound annoyed. Bryony swallowed her ice cream, and now that her mouth was empty, she repeated the question, pointing with her free hand. She waited expectantly.

"It doesn't really go anywhere," replied her father. "It's a dead end."

Bryony considered this as she ate another mouthful. She made sure not to speak until she had finished it. "But what there?" she asked, "More shops?"

Lucius kept his voice neutral as he replied, "Yes, there are one or two shops down there."

"Anysing interesting?" asked Gabrielle, who naturally knew as little as Bryony about the place, for she had not had time to visit every shop in Diagon Alley.

"I doubt you would be interested, my dear. Mostly rather dusty old-fashioned places."

"I would like to see zem," said Gabrielle. "My fazer likes unusual sings. It would be nice if I could take somesing interesting back 'ome for 'im."

"Can we go look, Daddy?" asked Bryony eagerly, for the way Gabrielle had spoken, perhaps there were some interesting things there after all. Gabrielle was a girl too, she should know better what girls liked than Daddy did.

Daddy wanted to say no, but it was of course impossible: Bryony alone he might have been able to convince, but Gabrielle was entirely another matter. He was only relieved that he had already warned Borgin not to speak of their earlier visit to anyone. He hoped the obsequious old fool would remember long enough not to create an awkward situation in front of the witches. Hiding his reluctance, Lucius agreed.

Bryony finished her gelato while the adults drank tiny cups of espresso, and Draco discussed Venice with the owner, who came to speak to them when he learned that Signor Malfoy was here with his family. Bryony could not follow what they said because they spoke in Italian, but she was content to enjoy her ice cream, and gaze at the passers by. Finally, the bill was paid, Lucius cleaned up Bryony's face with a quick "Tergeo" and a flick of his wand, and they all left the restaurant to walk along Knockturn Alley.

Gabrielle peered into the windows of each place they passed. The alley was poorly lit, for the upper storeys of the buildings on each side projected beyond the ground floor, and almost met above their heads. For the most part, there was nothing attractive to be seen on display: the windows were streaky and no lights were showing behind the glass. The buildings themselves were in a sad state of repair, with badly peeling paintwork.

However, Borgin and Burkes had made a little more effort. Now that Borgin knew he was attracting mainstream customers and not just the dark wizards on whom he had previously relied, he had set brighter lamps in the shop, so that anyone peering in should see not only the idiosyncratic display of unusual objects immediately behind the somewhat cleaner windows, but also shelves of further intriguing items on sale inside. Gabrielle's attention was caught immediately, and she led them all inside through the freshly painted black door to look more closely. Draco strolled nonchalantly over to look once again at the human bones that had attracted him earlier in the day. Bryony was close on Gabrielle's heels, her eyes wide with astonishment at what she saw. Lucius stepped into the shop last of all, and managed to catch Borgin's eye. He glared hard at the man.

Borgin gave a shark's smile that did not reach his eyes, and said smoothly, "Ah, Mr Malfoy! What a pleasure to see you. It must be many months since you were last here. How are you? And young Mr Malfoy. And are these two charming ladies with you too?"

"Borgin," said Lucius in acknowledgement, inclining his head slightly, and permitting a ghost of a smile to play over his lips in response to the shop owner's smooth greeting. "My son is recently returned from the continent. This is Mademoiselle Delacour, his fiancée, and the child is my daughter, Bryony."

Gabrielle shook Borgin's hand, trying hard not to flinch and withdraw her hand from his grip, for he felt greasy to the touch. But she retained her Gallic poise, and smiled charmingly at the shopkeeper. She explained that she was looking for an unusual gift for her father, and Borgin at once began to fawn over her, and endeavour to determine what manner of object would satisfy her, all the while boasting of the many well-connected young witches and wizards who had recently honoured him with their custom.

Meanwhile, Bryony was looking around the shop. As she was much smaller than the adults, her eye level was therefore much lower, and she was browsing the shelves at her own height. She stopped in front of a shiny object that attracted her attention, both because of the way it reflected the light and because of its unusual shape. She put out her hand, and picked it up. The object was made of a reddish-gold metal. It was somewhat bigger than her hand, flat, and shaped a little like a letter T. The shaft of the T broadened towards the head of the T, which itself was shaped rather like an arrowhead. At the base of the T was an animal head, the metal here thicker than the flat T, so that the head was three-dimensional. The animal held the shaft of the T in its mouth. A small hole passed right through the head from ear to ear. The flat parts of the T were decorated with an ornate knot pattern, and also with strange marks that might have been letters.

Bryony was both puzzled and charmed. She had never seen anything like it before, and she did not know what it was, but she felt a sudden overwhelming urge to possess it. She picked it up, and almost put it in her pocket, but then she gasped aloud at her own dishonesty, and instead went over to her father, who was pretending to examine some jet mourning jewellery. Bryony tugged at Lucius' sleeve, and held out her hand with the shiny object lying on her small palm.

"Daddy, I like this. Can I have it?" she asked, looking her most appealing.

Lucius took the item from her, and turned it over in his hands. He had assumed initially that it was merely a trinket of some kind, but then he looked more carefully, and could not believe his eyes. Lucius glanced over to Borgin, noting that he was busy with Gabrielle. He would have pocketed the item were it not for the fact that his daughter was watching him seriously. He smiled at her. "Yes, you can have it," he told her, "As long as you remember the magic word."

"Please!" said Bryony, her face breaking out into a wide smile. Then, "What is it Daddy?"

"Well, it's a pendant first of all. See the hole here?" He showed her the hole in the animal head, and Bryony nodded. "The chain goes through here. It's meant for a grown man. It's a very special sort of pendant. It's a bit too large for a little witch to wear, I think, but you can put it in your treasure box. Come on, let's ask Mr Borgin how much he wants for it. I'll tell you all about it when we get home. I can show you a book with pictures of these pendants."

When Lucius asked Borgin the price of the pendant, he could have sworn the man stared at the item as if he had never seen it before, but he made a swift recovery, and named a sum. Lucius then knew immediately from the price he asked that Borgin, whether or not he had forgotten that he had the pendant, had absolutely no idea what he really had in his possession. Lucius calmly bargained with him until he had reduced the price by half, and handed over three gold galleons.

Meanwhile, Gabrielle had decided on a Transylvanian silver mask for her father. Lucius watched as she too bargained very effectively with Borgin, and then persuaded him to gift wrap the item too. Borgin seemed in a trance as he finished off her parcel with a black bow – something Lucius had never seen Borgin do for anyone before – and he saw the shopkeeper's face form a somewhat gruesome picture as his mouth twisted itself into an unfamiliar grimace, baring his yellow spiky teeth. Lucius smiled to himself at the power of a Veela over mere mortal wizards. Gabrielle smiled sweetly back at Borgin, and Lucius ushered his party swiftly out of the shop lest the man should swoon in response.

Back at Malfoy Manor, Draco and Gabrielle went outside to play croquet together, while Lucius took his daughter to his study, where he quickly found the book he was seeking. It was very old and heavy, with a thick leather binding, and Bryony could not read any of the letters, for it was written in an old-fashioned script. However, the book had many beautiful drawings, some coloured with bright inks. Lucius placed the book on his desk, and hunted through it. When he found the right page, he pulled Bryony on to his knee so that they could look at the pictures together. He pointed at the drawings he had found. Bryony was delighted, for the pictures were almost the same as her pendant; but none had an animal head.

"See, Bryony, your pendant is the Hammer of Thor. I think it's very old; so old that Hogwarts School, where you will go when you are 11, had not yet been built. In those days, wizards came to England from across the sea. They were fierce warriors, and they often wore pendants like yours. Thor was their favourite god, and his hammer was worn as a good luck charm, to give the wearer strength in battle. Look at this picture, it looks very like yours."

Bryony looked from her new treasure to the illustration in the book. "But mine has a animal head too, Daddy."

"Yes, my clever girl, it has a lion. See the mane around his face? I think yours is more special with a lion. Lions are very strong and brave, so I think it was put on the pendant to make the wearer strong and brave too.

"Bryony, you're tired now, I can see. You've had an exciting day. Do you want to lie on my sofa and have a nap?"

Bryony was indeed drooping now after her eventful trip to Diagon Alley. Lucius laid his daughter carefully on the sofa, and covered her with a rug. He sat by her awhile, and waited till she fell asleep.

Then he took the pendant back to his desk, took a magnifying glass from a drawer, and began to search the shelves for a book on ancient runes.

Cho was lying on the sofa in her sitting room at Gildenford Hall, finally able to relax. She had just read Bryony her bedtime story, kissed her goodnight, and tucked her in. Now she stretched out luxuriously, sinking her head into a down cushion. She concentrated on releasing the tension from each of her muscles in turn. She closed her eyes, and felt herself begin to drift into that world halfway between waking and sleeping. She knew that if she remained here, she would inevitably fall asleep, but she was so comfortable that making any move would require far too much effort. Cho wriggled with satisfaction.

She heard a slight sound, and tried to open her eyes to see what had caused it, but her eyelids felt so heavy they would not open. Then she felt a light touch on her knee. Cho was wearing a working dress whose skirts ended just below her knees, and in lying down she had forgotten to smooth them, hence they had arranged themselves so that her lower thighs were exposed. A warm hand caressed her knee gently, and then began to explore gradually higher, passing smoothly over her silk stockings. She knew the hand of course; in her present relaxed state, his touch was so sensuous. Deliberately, she did not move, enjoying the feeling. The hand continued higher, and when it met the flesh above her stocking, an involuntary sigh escaped from her lips. Gentle fingers ran themselves around her thigh, following the line of her stocking top. Then a second hand began on her other leg, repeating the slow progress upwards. Almost unconsciously, Cho moved her legs apart a little further, and pushed her hips a little higher. When this second hand caressed her naked thigh, she finally opened her eyes to see: Lucius was sitting on a footstool beside the other end of the sofa, his hair and face golden in the lamplight. He smiled at her, and his hands rested a moment on the soft skin of her inner thighs as he said, "Hello, my love. Did I wake you? No, I did not think you were really asleep. Close your eyes again. Enjoy Lucius' helping hands!"

Smiling, Cho's eyes closed almost of their own accord. Lucius' hands now stroked her upper thighs, as he kissed her lower thighs through the silk. He worked his way upwards again, almost agonisingly slowly. When he reached her briefs, she almost stopped breathing, wondering what he would do next. He left her tingling with anticipation for a while, then one fingernail was drawn gently over the top of her briefs, down the midline of her public hair, ending at her vaginal opening. The feeling was electric: she shivered, and felt herself becoming wet with desire. The action was repeated, and she almost groaned with frustration: she knew Lucius well enough by now, he revelled in being unpredictable. He was an expert at prolonging the moment, he could tease her to the edge of desperation before satisfying her longing for him; or if the whim took him, he would have her as soon as she was ready for him. She kept her eyes closed, waiting.

One hand slid under each buttock over her silky briefs: Cho was glad she had taken to wearing silk every day, for nowadays she never knew when Lucius would see her underwear, and in the past had often chosen the practical over the glamorous for daytime. She felt him lift and squeeze her behind, and meanwhile hot breath on her belly warned her that his face was near. He kissed her through her briefs, lingering as he approached her most sensitive parts. Then suddenly she heard Lucius murmur quietly, "Evanesco," and the silken layer separating her from Lucius vanished. This was something new: Cho's eyes flashed open.

Lucius leered at her, "Don't worry, my love. Afterwards, we can conjure as many new pairs as you like." He squeezed her buttocks again, and she saw his head go down once more. A moment later she felt his lips on her lips, his tongue probing her. She opened her legs and abandoned herself to bliss, as fingers, lips and tongue caressed and licked her. Cho moaned and angled herself towards the source of her pleasure. When finally Lucius' tongue touched her clitoris, Cho was desperate for him. He relented now, and thrust his rigid tongue deep into her hooded cleft to lick her rapidly to an ecstatic climax. As she shuddered, the waves of pleasure almost causing her to black out, he wrapped his arms tightly around her pelvis, and lay his silky head on her belly.

When she finally lay still, Lucius stood up, and then lifted her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, where he pulled back the bedclothes, laid her down on the bed, and swiftly removed her remaining clothing, lingering over her breasts and stroking her legs as he peeled down her stockings. He then undressed himself completely, no longer afraid to be seen; and she saw that his body had maintained its interest in hers with each sensuous touch. She opened her legs once more, and Lucius knelt between them, guiding himself into her with one hand. She felt him thrust deep inside her, and she drew him in as she wrapped her legs around his waist, opening herself to him even further. They moved together in unison, their breathing ragged, small moans of pleasure escaping from each of them; and as Lucius climaxed, he triggered a second orgasm deep inside Cho: she lay still momentarily, then suddenly contracted around his shaft as his seed spilled into her.

Later, they lay together under the covers facing each other, their heads on adjacent pillows, Lucius' arms around Cho. Lucius spoke: "Cho, are you still sleepy? Because if not I have something I want to say; but if you are as tired as you were when I arrived, then it can wait till tomorrow."

"No, I'm not too tired to listen. In fact, you've woken me up rather well!" She smiled as she said this, and flushed slightly. "What is it?"

"I should really have spoken of this before, I'm sorry for procrastinating. Cho, has Jane told you about Bryony in the Magical Menagerie?"

"Ah!" Cho stiffened and looked serious. "So you do know too! Did Gabrielle tell you?"

"Yes, she did. Let us be clear that we are both talking of the same matter. Bryony is a Parselmouth. She confirmed this to me herself when she brought the kitten to show me. She reported to me what the snake said to her. But there is even more than that. She claims she knows the snake's name, but says it did not tell her this fact.

"Cho, I am ashamed to say that I am relieved that it was not I who had to reveal to you that our daughter speaks Parseltongue. But I would like your honest reaction to the news."

Cho looked deeply into Lucius' cool grey eyes. This matter had been preying on her mind, for Jane had reported the incident to Bryony's mother on the evening of the day it happened. Each night when she saw Lucius - and nowadays this was almost every night - she had wondered how to raise the subject with him, given all the associations between Parselmouths and the Dark Arts, and Lucius' former Death Eater status.

Now she said, "Honestly? I really don't know what to think. Everyone always associates Parseltongue with He Who Must Not Be Named. But I suppose it's not really only dark wizards who can speak it?" She refrained from mentioning Harry Potter in front of Lucius, but the fact of his ability was some comfort to her. Cho then frowned as she recalled what Lucius had also just said. "Bryony says she knows the snake's name but it didn't tell her? That is odd. Perhaps it was written on the snake's basket? She can read short words."

Lucius pursed his lips. "She said it was called Naja. That is a short name. Maybe you are right." But he did not sound convinced.

They spoke a little more on the subject, and Lucius said that he would try to find out more about Parselmouths. "I am sorry, Cho. Now I see you have been worrying. We should have shared this before. But, my love, never be afraid again to raise such a thing with me. My past is what it is, I cannot change it; but you know I would do anything for you and Bryony."

It was not until Cho was once again in that drifting halfway state between wakefulness and sleep that she realised what else had been noted and filed away in the recesses of her mind.

When speaking of Bryony's governess, instead of the formal "Miss Currer" he was accustomed to use, Lucius had referred to her as "Jane".