Disclaimer: I am poor so therefore please do not sue me for borrowing the characters for a little while. All Characters belong to JK Rowling, a brilliant and talented woman. All characters you don't recognise belong to me.
Chapter 7
"Lucius?" a woman in a hood asked
"Bella." Lucius replied hiding behind his own hood
"So it is true then. You have returned to the cause."
"How could I stay away?" Lucius asked.
"Does Cissa know?"
"Yes, but she will be watched closely. She will not be active any more. She has to think of Draco." Lucius replied
"Of course. You know he will understand Lucius; you escaped and have come back to him. You are true to him. He will reward you well."
"I would settle for some clean clothes and food." Lucius replied.
"How did you escape?" She asked
"It is something I would rather not think about." Lucius replied as Voldemort walked into the room in his most recent host body
"Who is that Bella?" He hissed
"Lucius." She replied
"Malfoy?" He asked walking towards Lucius and Bella
"Yes, my Lord." Lucius said bowing
"You escaped from Azkaban and have returned to me. You are a true follower. Come, sit next to me. You have proved that you deserve the honour I bestowed upon you long ago. Where is you lovely wife? I trust you have been able to get a message to her."
"I am afraid my lord, that she will not be able to attend as the ministry are keeping her under close watch since my escape. I have sent a message to her saying I am well, but have told her for the cause's sake it would be better for her to stay away."
"Yes of course. That is most wise." Voldemort replied mulling the words over before the meeting began.
"He'll be back soon sweetheart." Aggie said watching Hailey as she sat on the newly arrived bed in Lucius's room. "Why don't you come and play in the garden, its beautiful outside."
Hailey sat still for another few minutes and then climbed down off the bed and wandered through the house to look for something then getting bored and running outside and lying down on the grass and falling asleep.
"Is he not back yet?" Sirius asked walking out into the garden and towards Aggie who was sat under a tree reading
"Not yet. He's only been gone 6 hours." Aggie replied
"6 hours is a long time when he's a death eater who has gone back to other death eaters and it's…"
"Bloody woman!" Lucius growled as he walked out into the garden
"Language around the little one." Aggie told him sternly
"I think it's more likely insanity before 30." Lucius told Sirius who was propped up on his elbows lying in the sun.
"Well Bella always was an over achiever… or she tried to be." Sirius smirked. "I see they fed you, washed you and gave you a nice new outfit." Sirius said gesturing to the new set of black robes he was wearing and the white mask just peeking out from under the robes
"Some how it feels worse wearing these than the state I went in." Lucius said going back inside
"If you're going to have him spy for you, don't taunt him." Aggie reprimanded
"It's force of habit. We've always been at odds with each other. He's Slytherin and I'm Gryffindor. It's in the blood. Especially since I'm the black sheep of the black family… no pun intended."
"Are you still hungry?" Aggie asked as Lucius walked back outside in black pants and a crisp white shirt.
"You're going to rue that choice of shirt." Sirius smirked
"Actually I am still hungry. It comes of being starved for 4 days and not fed properly for months." Lucius replied as Aggie walked inside the house to make some food
"But its done wonders for your body. Do some exercise and you could look like you did in school." Sirius winked. "I would keep in shape if I were you, make an effort. You never know when you might get a conjugal visit from the wife. Even just a visit from the wife and son."
"When?" Lucius asked
"What have you got for me?" Sirius asked as Lucius sat down under the tree and leaned against the trunk
"Well as you might imagine he is less than happy at the failure of the last 2 attempts to get James and Lily Potter as well as their son. They are planning another one and he's going to do it himself."
"They've gone it to hiding." Sirius replied. "What else?"
"He knows they've gone in to hiding and he knows where." Lucius replied leaning forward and smacking Sirius on the head to get his attention. "He knows where your friends are and is getting ready to strike."
"How can he know?" Sirius asked
"I'm not sure, I'll find out but he's going to do it soon."
"Ok, but what else do you have?" Sirius asked trying to hide his anger and is fear for his friends.
"They seem to be his immediate targets, apart from that he just told everyone happy torturing." Lucius sighed
"That's all you got from 6 hours?" Sirius asked loudly sitting up and turning to look at Lucius, waking Hailey in the process
"You don't just walk in there and demand to be caught up with everything happening. There are certain things that have to be done and if I act out of character they are going to know something is up." Lucius pointed out
"What exactly were you doing?" Sirius asked
"I will not tell you in front of her." Lucius said pointing at Hailey was playing ping pong again as the 2 men spoke
"Hailey, go inside with Aggie." Sirius said softly looking at the 3 year old who proceeded to stay where she was lying on her stomach with her head propped up on her hands
"Hailey do you want some chocolate milk?" Aggie called from the door and Hailey shuck her head no. "What about strawberry?" Aggie asked with a smile as temptation and her inquisitive streak fought each other. "With Strawberry ice cream." That sealed the deal and Hailey went off running to the house
"They have a competition every week and count up how many deaths, torture's and how many times they've used each unforgivable. From that Voldemort decides who he wants to do things, and who is his latest pet."
"That's sick." Sirius declared. "I take it you used to come out on top every time?"
"I didn't have to do anything if I didn't want. I was always his most trusted follower."
"You were the brains." Sirius replied
"Yes." Lucius nodded. "As long as I came up with the plans I could stay in bed all day long."
"And now?"
"Now we'll have to see won't we?" Lucius replied. "He won't do anything other than kill and torture until he's got rid of James."
"Does he see James as that big of a threat?" Sirius asked
"you and James together he does, Lily and James together, he does, you and Lily, he does. But he's more scared of Harry."
"Why?" Sirius asked
"Because of the prophecy. Are you that in the dark?"
"What prophecy?" Sirius asked completely confused
"Does Dumbledore not share anything with his army of misfits?" Lucius asked. "The prophecy states 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.' Surely Dumbledore warned your friends, it was that twit Trelawney who told him. Though their choice of venue for a job interview was not the best. It was over heard."
"Does every death eater know about this?" Sirius asked
"The Prophecy? No. only his trusted few. But amongst them are some of the most twisted deviants you'll find. He won't tell everyone because then questions will be asked as o why he cares so much about a prophecy that might not even come true. He would have to face the fact that everyone around him would know he was scared of a baby. So instead he made it about your friends."
"Why are you suddenly being so forthcoming with information?" Sirius asked
"Because sleepless nights do things to you." Lucius replied as Aggie walked back out with a tray of food and drink and Hailey following after her slowly with a big strawberry milkshake
"She decided that everybody was having strawberry milkshake." Aggie said passing Sirius and Lucius a tall glass each
"You should feel honoured." Sirius told Lucius,
"Why?" He asked watching Hailey hand the glass to Sirius and run off inside again followed by a loud thump. "Is she ok?"
"Usually." Sirius replied. "Because Strawberry milkshakes are special because normally she doesn't let anyone other than herself have one. Even to the point that yesterday when I was here for her birthday party she drank mine and Aggie's before we actually got sat down."
"It was her birthday yesterday?" Lucius asked
"Yeah. So you can imagine where I was going after I had dropped you back here in day care."
"Harry's first birthday." Lucius replied
"How did you know that?"
"One of my many talents." Lucius replied as Hailey came running out of the house with a bloody hanky pressed to her lip and a book in her other hand
"What you done now?" Sirius asked picking Hailey up and took the hanky off the lip and looked at the split. "You'll live." Sirius said kissing her forehead as she sat back down and held her hand out for her drink.
Sirius picked it up and magicked a straw in to it and gave her the straw, for which he was rewarded with a smile.
"A Christmas Carol? It's August 1st and you want to read a book about Christmas?" Aggie asked to which Hailey nodded eagerly. "It's a long story. Do you want me to read you it?" She asked being answered by a shake of the head. "Who then?" Aggie asked.
Hailey stood up with the book and held the book out to Lucius who looked at it then took it from her.
"Me?" Lucius asked looking at Hailey who just smiled and winked
"Looks like you'll be exercising your vocal cords." Sirius replied
"She likes being read to." Aggie told Lucius. "We've both done it. Sirius ended up with the Jungle Book and I Oliver. You have a lot to live up to; Sirius did different voices for each character."
"I just hope she doesn't find War and Peace." Sirius joked
"Does she not read wizarding books?"
"No, she seems to prefer the muggle stuff. Plus so does Aggie so that's why there's so much around. I really think it's whatever she picks up. I might slip her a copy of Hogwarts: a history." Sirius laughed
"Don't you dare. I ended up having to read that for detention with the old hag." Lucius groaned
"Well I have to be going Hail's. I'll come and see you soon." Sirius said getting up and picking her up in a hug and spinning her around. "Tell Aggie when you're next summoned and she'll get a message to me." Sirius said to Lucius depositing Hailey back on the grass.
"Well I'm going inside." Aggie said picking up the tray and heading back inside.
"Do you want to go back inside?" Lucius asked Hailey after Aggie had gone in and received a shake of her head as she walked towards him and climbed on to his lap and gestured for him to begin. "Now?" he asked and she nodded. "Ok. 'Marley was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail…." Lucius began as Hailey rested her head against his chest and listened.