Chapter Twenty One: Protecting Family:

Lucius Malfoy was a man, a wizard with a problem. It seemed strange such a powerful man would have any problems at all. He was a handsome man with long white-blond hair, his clothes were tailored and of the best materials and he lived in a vast manor and was waited on by eleven loyal house-elves. He was very rich and powerful and had married an equally powerful and beautiful woman from the ancient house of Black, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black. She had hair a shade darker than his and had given him a son whom he could be proud of. Yet his carefully cultivated world was crashing down around him.

The main problem was Voldemort was back, just a few years ago he would have welcomed this news with open arms and would have enjoyed serving Voldemort out of loyalty. Yet something had changed and he did not like it, or maybe he did, life was no longer black and white for him. One young boy his son's age had changed his views forever. Harry Potter had showed compassion for a creature that Lucius would not have, he had risked his life to save a worthless elf. Lucius could read (at least at that time) the boy's mind, he was scared when Dobby had been freed, he thought he would die at Lucius' hands. Who risked their life to save a house elf of all creatures? That had got Lucius to think about things and reexamine his life. He did not like what he saw and had tried to change, well as much as he could without damaging his hard won reputation as a stern capable wizard.

His chance at freeing himself from his past life as a death eater had crashed down around him when his mark began to darken. He knew (even if the other death eaters did not) what it meant and he knew Voldemort was back. He had not wanted to go back, but he had to, for his family. Say what you want of him, that he was wicked and cruel but you could not say he didn't love his family. He would do anything for him and that was why he went back to Voldemort risking his life going to Riddle manor. Now he had a task before him, to pave the way for Voldemort to get his hands on Harry Potter. Lucius looked up from his brooding by the fire as his wife came into the room. Today she was clad in a velvet winter gown of dark blue and her blond hair was piled artfully on her head. She sat down near him and looked over at him concern on her face.

"You look worried my love." She said. "It is the mark is it not?"

"Yes, the dark lord is back." Lucius said quietly.

"That is where you have gone then." Narcissa said. "You don't look happy about that."

"One time I would have been." Lucius said carefully, just how much would his wife understand? "Yet now you are not so sure?" Narcissa said. "He is evil Lucius, you know this don't you?"

"Yes, but Cissy I don't have a choice, I have to go back to him. He will kill you and Draco if I refuse to serve him."

"You could go to Dumbledore." Narcissa said.

"I do not trust him, I cannot." Lucius said. "I know Severus does, I know his loyalties lie with him though he came to me to state otherwise. His reasons are clear as you well know."

"Yes, he could not hide his love for that muggle born in school." Narcissa said a bit coldly.

"That muggle born stopped the dark lord, it was not a pureblood, or maybe we have this pureblood all wrong?" Lucius said. "I don't know what to believe anymore Cissy and it frightens me."

"You have me, you have Draco, if you have to serve him still I will understand." Narcissa said going over to sit by him and put a hand on his. "I know you will do so for us."

"You would support me even with me going back to the dark lord? You never liked it before."

"No, but now I know you go back for another reason altogether. Just promise me one thing Lucius, if he asks for our son warn me."

"Warn you?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, warn me." Narcissa said. "I will not ask for anything more but that."

"Of course my love." Lucius said kissing her hand.

He knew she had a plan working in her mind but he dared not ask any more of her. He had to serve Voldemort but maybe, just maybe she would save their son from the same fate? He hated the role he would have to play, but it was for his family. He had to protect his family as he had nothing else in the world but that in the end. All his wealth, his status in society was for naught if he did not have his family. He had seen all the families torn apart by Voldemort and he felt deep inside a tiny bit of guilt. He shoved it away as it did not do a Malfoy any good to dwell on that which could not be changed and what was done was done. Feeling bad did not bring back the dead.

A few days later after talking to his wife he was summoned to Riddle manor. He headed out not knowing what Voldemort wanted of him now. He tugged on his death eater robes and Apparated to the edge of the Riddle estate and walked up to the crumbling mass that had once been a great manor house. With the mask he presented to the world in place and not a hair out of place he walked into the manor and looked around in disgust. What an army of well trained elves could do to make this place more habitable! He walked up the crumbling stone stairs to the chamber he knew he would find his master in and knelt before the hooded figure.

"I have a job for you Lucius." Voldemort said.

"Anything master." Lucius said.

"Good, I want you to search out any weakness that might be found at Hogwarts, then report to me all you find."

"Yes master." Lucius said. "When do you wish me to bring the brat to you?"

"I will let you know regarding what I want done with him in good time Lucius." Voldemort said. "Now leave me, I am still weak and will need to rest. I am not too weak to give you a taste of pain however if you fail me."

"Yes master." Lucius said bowing low as he left the presence of his master.

He went to Hogwarts with his wife presumably to visit with Karkaroff as they were old friends, or so Lucius wanted those around them to believe. Narcissa went and saw Sirius as he was her cousin and she loved to terrify him by just showing up. She walked into the school just as the students were heading out of the great hall from lunch and she very nearly smirked at how the boys were staring at her. Yes she still had it after all these years. Snape walked out and saw her and he walked over smiling to speak to her.

"Wow you can smile Severus." Sirius said walking up and taking his cousin's hand and kissing it. "Of course with such a lovely creature as my cousin is the angels weep at the beauty given to us and not them."

"I am sorry he has to be here." Snape said to Narcissa, "we normally don't allow dogs in the castle."

"Well as annoying as he is he is the last Black male and a pureblood dog." Narcissa replied.

"You would side with him." Sirius growled.

"So do I." Remus said walking up. "She is far smarter than you Padfoot."

"I hate you Moony." Sirius said.

"I know, that is why you are still my best friend." Remus said. "Severus is my best friend too now I think of it."

"Oh joy can I kill myself now?" Snape said silkily.

"Severus!" Narcissa said appalled, "that was not nice, Remus Lupin is a nice man!"

"He is not a man mother." Came Draco's voice.

"If you are referring to that horrid article by Rita Skeeter I don't care what he is." Narcissa snapped at her son. "You had the vaccine so what is the deal with you? Besides a creature like him protecting the school it is what is needed now."

"Thank you Mrs. Malfoy." Remus said quietly.

"Well she was horrible to you, and to Hagrid, I am Slytherin enough to know you are needed here for my defense as well as that of the school. If you were a danger I would put you down myself."

"I would not mind your beautiful face being the last thing I saw." Remus said smiling.

"You know now why I am an Animagmus then." Sirius said.

"We all like you better as a dog." Snape said silkily.

"I do too that time of month." Remus added.

"You know you are the only man I know who even has that time of month. PMS, never knew a wizard could have it." Sirius smirked.

"One more word out of you and I hex every part of you not needed for the next generation!" Narcissa snarled her wand out pointed at Sirius.

It was saying something that Narcissa sided with Remus, then again she was a smart witch. What with the vaccine against the bite of a werewolf Remus was now safe to be around children and others who were vaccinated. When Rita printed the article on Remus there had been many letters of support for the werewolf. They did not want to see him fired and indeed as the law had been followed to the letter in his hiring there was nothing the ministry could do to stop him from teaching. He had a muzzle, was tagged and took not only the Wolfsbane but a muggle medication to control his moods all the time. He was loved by his students and Rita had been banned from the school after that cruel act.

"Yes do leave Remus alone." Came the voice of Flitwick and everyone looked down to see the tiny charms professor looking up at Sirius. "He is very sensitive about that you know."

"Professor Flitwick it is good to see you!" Narcissa said.

"And you Mrs. Malfoy, one of my brightest students as I recall. You have a way with charms my dear. Your son takes after you too."

"Thank you professor." Narcissa said. "Draco is a very smart boy, so caring as well."

She went off with Flitwick and Snape smirked at Sirius as he knew full well he got along best with Narcissa and was her favorite "brother" a title he was happy to have. Snape just kept scoring against Sirius and there was nothing that Sirius could do about it. He glared at Snape and stormed off clearly knowing when he had been yet again bested….

I see Lucius as a tragic figure. He is going to lose something he holds dear no matter what he does. All he can do as far as he can see is protect his family by going back to Voldemort. He doesn't want to as he now knows that Voldemort is evil and wrong but really does not see any other way. If only he would go to Dumbledore but he will not, at least he confided in Narcissa and she will protect their son.