Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone for reading this story! Makes me so happy 😇😄😄
CHAPTER 22 Doubts
WEDNESDAY morning came in unusual silence at the Wonka's mansion, especially during breakfast. Instead of the usual table full five people, there were only two people at the long dining table.
"Has the Minister Shacklebolt mentioned anything about the so called Lord Voldemort's daughter?" Willy Wonka asked while wiping the small bits of leftover eggs at the corner of his lips.
"None. Shacklebolt has been locking himself in his office for days, settling the captured Death-Eaters. I've informed Potter about it though. He said he and his friends would take a look into the matter." Severus Snape replied almost bitterly as he sipped on his cup of black coffee.
"I see." Willy put down his fork and sighed deeply. His eyes roamed around sadly at the empty seats around them.
On his left, Severus wiped his lips with a clean cloak before he excused himself. Leaving the Wizard all alone at the dining table.
Again, Willy sighed, louder this time.
"Ginny! Hermione! Luna! Good to see you girls again!" Claire gave the girls a hug the moment they walked into a small cafe in the Muggle World.
The girls shared a moment of laughters before they seated at their reserved table.
"It's been over a year. How time flies!" Ginny commented, waving her bright red hair over her shoulder. Beside her, Hermione nodded, agreeing.
"Oh, I don't know about that. I've met Miss Rollins the other night at Professor Snape's Fragrance Launch Party." Luna stated.
"Indeed we did." Claire nodded before she excitedly changed the topic. "So, tell me everything! How's it feels like to finally graduated from school?"
Ginny and Hermione left out a rather long sigh. They looked at each other.
"I dunno... Too many things have happened there, it's hard to forget everything, you know?"
"Indeed." Hermione drank her iced lemon tea. "Nevertheless, I do feel relief that I've finally finished my studies. Now, I can focus on finding a suitable job at the Minister of Magic's office."
"I'm sure you'll get a good job over there, Hermione. You are after all, the brightest student in Hogwarts."
"And you, Ginny? What's your plan after this?"
"Qudditch, of course." Ginny said proudly. "In fact, I'll be auditioning for the Holyhead Harpies for the Chaser position next week."
"Good luck to you then, love. You Luna? I remember you told me at the ball that you are going to be a future Magical Naturalist?"
"Yes. I will be joining my father in one of his expeditions soon."
Claire nodded understandingly. Truly she was happy for her younger friends and prayed all the best for them.
Hermione cleared her throat.
"Now that we've talked about us, what about you, Claire? How are things with you and your...Beau?" She raised an eyebrow.
Claire had told the girls everything that had happened in her life, including her involvement with Lucius Malfoy.
Luna, Ginny and Hermione had all reacted differently; Luna had been delightful and wished her all the best, whereas Ginny had wanted to choke the life out of her for dating her family's long-time nemesis, had it wasn't for Hermione's quick-thinking and stunned the younger girl to her seat before she could attacked Claire.
To Claire's own surprise, the brilliant Muggle-born witch had taken the news quite well after all the bad blood that had happened between her beau and them.
In Hermione's defense, Claire was after all, a grown woman who could on her own. Her only concern and fears were the prejudice Claire would have to face once the words got out in public－even worse when it reached to the ears of the narrowed minded Pure-Blood Society.
Claire had reassured them everything will be fine and told them not to worry about her before she quickly changed the topic to a more lightful one.
Claire had told them everything that had happened, with an exception for her new-found Elemental abilities and the unexpected addition to the Wonka's mansion, which she rather not talk about it at the moment.
Unknown to Claire, her young friends however, were a bunch of considered, yet noisy and sharp minded young women when it comes on hiding things; especially when it's relationship related. They knew something was wrong the moment Claire had hollered them into this gathering - and it wasn't even the weekend!
Claire cleared her throat and began to talk about other things.
Yes. Other cheerful things.
After all, that was what this gathering for, wasn't it?
To forget about all the stressful things that was happening in her life. Best of all, to forget about the additional member in the manor that was making her feel very uncomfortable at home.
WHEN Lucius stepped into the living room in the afternoon to have some peace in order to clear his head, he was expected to find no one there.
He was surprised however to find Willy was doing some reading and Severus was marking some paperworks at the desk with his back facing him.
"Aren't you working today, Wonka?"
Willy shrugged. "I can afford not to open the store for just a day. It's not like the people would starve to death."
On a contracy, many of the people who were mostly children, had gathered in front of the Willy Wonka Ice-Cream Patrol with a big signboard that said "CLOSED".
They all were quite dissapointed when their favourite ice-cream and the kind lady that served them were not available today.
Back to Lucius and the others, as soon as the wizard spoken those words, Lucius looked taken back but remained silence.
Clearing his throat, he suddenly remembered something.
"Where is Claire? I hav not yet see her today even during breakfast."
"Out." Severus answered fo him, roughly scrubbing something on the papers.
"What? Since this morning?"
"She dubbed it as 'Girls' Day Out' with Granger, Lovegood and Weasley."
Lucius eyebrow rose at the names of her friends. Again, he said nothing.
Walking toward the bookshelves, Lucius took out a book and then rested himself against a soft sofa, on the opposite side where Willy was sitting and began to read.
Unknown to him, both men had stopped doing their works and was focusing on the Malfoy's Partriach.
Willy shut the thick he was reading and put it on the coffee table before him. He then sat straight with his legs crossed, and hands on his laps as he addressed the man.
"Malfoy."
"Yes?" Lucius didn't bother to look up.
"You're reading it upside down."
Lucius quickly turned the book around before he sighed heavily. There was no use to cover it up his embarassment.
From the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw Severus smirked.
"How's the Madam?" Something about the way Willy asked the question madeLucius' blood turned cold.
It wasn't the question itself, no. It was the way he said with a Cheshire Cat's grin that troubled him.
What disturbed Lucius the most was the way he looked at her with hard, intimidating cold pair of eyes that pierced him.
Like a predator.
Lucius had not felt so intimidating by anyone since the Dark Lord's passing.
"I hope the medicine I've provide for are keeping her well?"
Lucius cleared his throat.
"Yes. The medicines are keeping her well, thank you. Narcissa is asleep. She had woken up early this morning and ate a bit of porridge before she went back to sleep."
"Glad to hear that. It was truly a gruesome sight when you walked into the dining room on that Sunday with her bruised and battered in your arms.. Truly shocking indeed."
Lucius briefly nodded. He remembered it clearly as a day how it happened:
He had been watching Claire duelling with Draco, all the sudden, he felt someone Apparated near him - Mimi, the Malfoy's House-Elf.
"Master Malfoy! Come with Mimi quickly! Something bad happened to Madam Narcissa! Madam won't wake up!"
Lucius apparated instantly to his manor with the House-Elf. Once he arrived, to his horror, his manor was in ruined and a wreck mess.
Holes were everywhere on the walls. The once beautiful manor looked nothing like it had been before. Worse of all, the shield he had created around the manor was broken.
Someone had broken into the manor and assulted his enstranged wife.
"Narcissa? Narcissa!" Lucius shouted from the front door as he carefully entered the manor, with a wand on his hand.
"Narcissa!"
There was no reply.
Lucius climbed up the stairs and did a search at each and every bedrooms on the floor. Eventually, he reached to the Master bedroom, his bedroom.
When he and Severus had left in search for Master Gou's Apparentices, Narcissa had spoken to him the night before that she would stay at the manor for three months until their wedding termination had been finalised.
Lucius thought nothing of it.
Perhaps she felt a sense of nostalgic after leaving the place they'd called as 'home' for so long. After all, he could always sleep in at the Wonka's manor where everyone was staying at the moment.
Where his love was currently staying and living there as well.
What Lucius did not expect the moment when he walked into the Master bedroom, was that his enstranged wife might have changed her mind.
Rose petals were scattered from the floor, all the way to the bed. There were fresh rose candle-scented filled in the air.
To say Lucius had been stunned was an understatement.
He had gawked at the room for a moment, before he came to realise his intention of coming here in the first place.
"Narcissa?" Lucius called her out again. He searched every inch and corner of the room for her until he came upon the bathroom with the door slightly ajar.
Pointing his wand onward, Lucius carefully took a few steps forward and walked in - to find an ugly sight of his enstranged battered wife on the bathroom's floor.
"Narcissa!" Lucius rushed over her. The first thing he checked was her pulse.
Weak, but still there was a pulse.
Next, Lucius took noticed of her condition.
Crucio.
Someone had crucio-ed her. That explained the bruishes on her body.
Scooping her in his arms gently and carefully, Lucius then apparated them both back to the Wonka's manor instead of where she would be a lot safer.
Lucius blinked his eyes, away from his deep thoughts. Since the day he had brought Narcissa to the Wonka manor, things had been really tensed and awkward around everyone, especially Claire.
He would never forgotten the look on her pretty face when she had seen how bad Narcissa's condition had been when he first brought her in.
Lucius knew, deep inside, there was all sort of emotions went through her head by the look in her eyes as he laid Narcissa down on a bed of the many empty guest-rooms.
He wanted to explain to Claire; to tell her nothing would ever changed between them, that he still loved her.
However, it seemed at that time, he had been mainly focused on getting his enstranged wife alive again.
Once Narcissa's condition had stable, with lots of efforts from Willy and Severus, Draco had taken Lucius' place and refused to leave his mother's side since then.
For the rest of the next two days, the Malfoy family had been occupied by making sure that Narcissa's condition improved and not making it even worse, now that she suffered from a high fever.
Willy Wonka had been very kind and helpful to the Malfoy family by allowing them to stay over his manor until Lucius could his home rebuilt.
As for Lucius, well, he had been busy taking care of his family. He had not be there for Draco before and he intended to be there and supported him this time around.
Today since the day he bought Narcissa over, was the first time Lucius realised he had not seen Claire for days.
Thus, his quest on finding the Muggle. However, it turned out to be frutile when Severus had informed him she had been out with her friends since morning.
Lucius sighed in dissapointment. Nevertheless, he dragged his feet up the staicases to check how Narcissa was doing and to see if his son in need for a meal.
MEANWHILE, Claire's Girls Day Out turned out to be more than just a typical hang out. After successfully being persuaded by the girls, they had managed to drag the reluctant Claire to a nearby night club to have some fun.
Claire was not the type who goes out at night. She found night club to be extremely noisy and a bored. However, for the sake of her younger friends who really just wanted to release some steams, she decided it was okay to have some fun once for a while.
How dearly wrong she had been and how deeply she had underestimate her friends' toleration against alcoholic drinks.
By nine O'clock, most of the girls were drunk out of their heads!
Even Hermione, the ever so smart witch got wasted for the first time in her whole life.
Claire lose counts on how many times she needed to hold the poor girl's hair as she emptied her stomach.
Out of all the girls, to Claire's great surprise, it was Ginny who got drunk the most even when she consumed the least, and Luna was the most sane one even though the girl drank the bottle like there's no tomorrow.
It was an interesting sight to watch at the very least.
Claire was lucky she had managed to somewhat got them all back to Ginny's home at the Burows where all the girls were staying that night.
With Ginny slung her arms behind her, Claire knocked the door, all the while trying not to let the young girl fell.
The door opened and along came Weasley.
"Good Heavens!" The shock expression on his face was a memorable one as he took a look at each one of them. When his eyes fell on his daughter, he nearly screamed but was cut short by his wife's howling.
"Ginerva Weasley, what have you got yourself into?!"
Molly Weasley walked toward them and opened the front door to the fullest.
"G-Greetings, Ma'am..." Claire smiled scarily at the older woman.
Ginny had told her about her family, especially her mother whom she both loved dearly and scared of at the same time.
"I.. Hope you would save your yelling later, Ma'am? Your daughter's quite heavy and I'm pretty sure she's already broken my back bones many times.."
"Oh dear, come on in then!" Arthur hurriedly invited them in. He took his daughter from Claire's back and carried her to the living room before laying her down on the sofa. The other two girls followed as well, nursing their headaches.
He then walked to the kitchen where Claire was with Molly and shook her hand.
"Claire Rollins, isn't it? My daughter talked a lot about you. In fact, I think all of them whom have met you have something to say about you." Arthur smiled gleefully.
"It's nice to finally get to meet with you. Arthur Weasley. This is my wife, Molly."
"Likewise, Sir. Madam." Claire smiled.
"Well! I don't know what you girls have been up to, but surely there should be more control next time!" Molly frowned slightly to which Claire chuckled.
"You'll be glad to hear I've stopped your daughter from doing something very idiotic just a while ago."
"Oh? Prey do tell." Molly raised an eyebrow.
"Well, Madam, she was-"
"You traitor!"Ginny's loud voice boomed from the living room before she stormed to the kitchen rather haggardly.
"You don't get to tell my family what happened back there!"
"Ginny, you were about to kiss the bartender. I'm pretty sure his partner was about to start a cat fight with you if I didn't pull you away from him!"
"Yeah? Well, at least I didn't get to lock my lips with Lucius Malfoy, didn't I?"
Oh no she didn't...
In her angry drunken state, Ginny had told her parents and possibly the entire world Claire's deepest secret.
Everything happened in a blur as Hermione and Luna giddily rushed to stop the girl from shouting any more of their best kept secrets to the entire world.
When Claire turned her head at them, she saw how red faced both Weasleys were. Molly wanted to say something to her but was immediately cut by her husband.
"Miss Rollins, I think you and I need to have a little chat. How about a drink? Molly, make sure the girls sleep in Ginny's room and lock the door. I'll be back just lil bit. Miss Rollins, shall we?"
To say Claire was dreadful nervous was an understatement. She was a nervous wrecked when Arthur Weasley whom she never met before but knew how a good man he was, based on the stories told by Ginny and Hermione, stated he would like to have a word with her after Ginny had bluntly spurted out she was dating Lucius.
Claire knew what to expect from this talk though; the prejudice she would have to face once words got out that she was dating Lucius within three months. She had been preparing herself for it; the protests, the mean cruel things people would say behind her back, of how sick Lucius was and that a removal spell was needed to perform on her.
However, none of it was what came out from Arthur Weasley's mouth.
Instead of telling her she made a mistake for choosing Lucius, Arthur smiled briefly at her - a small smile but a smile nevertheless.
"Miss Rollins-"
"Please, call me Claire. Less formality."
"Miss Claire then. I have to admit before today, I've already knew of your involvement with Lucius Malfoy."
Claire gulped.
"Forgive me. It wasn't my intentional at all to eavesdrop on my daughter and Hermione's conversation that night. I'd simply wanted to ask Ginny something when the topic Malfoy came out. Initially, I'd thought something else might have happened to any of the children but when the conversation switched to how he was in a secret relationship with a Muggle, I got interested to know and well..." Arthur looked away shyly.
Claire laughed heartedly.
"No need to apologise, . I'm sure you're not the only one who would be interested to know about us. There ought to be plenty who would want to know about us in the future, I'm sure."
For a longest time, Arthur simply looked at Claire. Finally, gathering his courage, he asked the young Muggle.
"Forgive me for being blunt, Miss Claire, however I just have to ask: for someone like ypu who is obviously intelligent and could hold on her grounds, what makes you agreed to become his mistress?"
Claire burst on her drink and quickly cleaned herself up.
"Did he forced you? If he did Miss Claire, I can help you to-"
"He didn't do anything to me and I've never said anything about becoming his Mistress either!" Claire's voice increased.
"But you're not married. And he has a wife."
"In three months, he would get his marriage license terminated. He told me he just needed Minister Shacklebolt's approval. It's Shacklebolt's hectic schedule that mostly takes a lot of time."
Arthur looked at her straight in the eyes.
"What process? Hectic schedule? Young lady, what are you talking about?"
"Well, Shacklebolt is a very busy man isn't he? he IS the Minister of Magic. Anything related to magic must be directly address to him, is it not?"
"Why yes. I work very closely with him, Miss Claire. Each morning, I bought along papers that need his signatures and approvals. Never once did I see any marriage letter shown up on his desk..." He looked at her and frowned. "Three months you say? Did Malfoy mention when did he send the letter?"
Claire massaged the growing headache on her forehead.
"A month ago, if I'm not mistaken. A day before Severus Snape's launched his fragrance at a hotel in the Muggle World..."
Arthur looked paled all the sudden.
" ?"
"Oh sweet Merlin..." He pulled out his glasses and set it on the table while massaging his pitching his nose, like how Severus often does.
"What?" Claire's voice was shaking.
"Miss Claire.. There had been a letter delivered to Shacklebolt's office. An unusual letter of request to terminate a marriage vow with a consequences. The letter was unsigned. In the letter, whoever wrote it had explained about the usage of Repelling Vow on their wedding night. The writer had asked if though it is illegal thing to do by law, if it's possible for the wish to be grant after all."
Arthur took a big gulp on his tea.
"You have to understand, when Shacklebolt hadreceived the letter, it had been from unnamed or left any signs of tracks whom it belonged to. So, he rejected the letter at first."
"At first?"
"Yes. Until one of the Ministers finally traced down to the owner and all wands were pointed at Lucius Malfoy."
Claire gasped. "So.. Is he.."
"Guilty? In the eye of the Court, yes. In fact, they would do anything to drag him back to Azkaban if they could. They would take the first chance they could to lock him there for eternity, even if he had done a little petty thing like throwing trash at the road side."
"Shacklebolt had wanted to save Lucius from his fate. Even Harry was doing his best to make sure he wasn't going back to Azkaban anytime soon even as his probination time is out. That's Harry for you."
Arthur smiled fondly at the young man.
"Anyway, Shacklebolt's own hands were tied between saving Lucius and becoming a fair political Minister. Before the news reached to the other Ministers, he had told Lucius personally to step down. Marriage in the Wizarding World is unlike the Muggle world, Miss Claire. When you get married, you married for life. Or until death tears you two apart."
Claire's mind getting cloudly with each words said by the older man.
"Lucius gotten mad. He begged Shacklebolt to turn a blind eye and grant him this one last wish for him. When Shacklebolt rejected him again, Lucius gotten angry. As he left the office, he vowed one way or another, he would have his marriage terminated."
Arthu looked at his half empty cup before looked back at her.
"He sounded very determined, Miss Claire. I don't what he planned to achieve by the end of the three months, but if he get caught, they will lock him up in Azkaban. No one, no even Harry could save him this time."
"No..No! No! You must be mistaken! Lucius won't do such things! He won't do such desperate things just so he could be with me... T-that's outrageous! I-I know that he loves me, but this is almost to the point of obssession!"
"Malfoy is a manipulative man, Miss Claire. He has changed for a better, yes. But that side of him, that darker manipulative side of him will always be his demons. Take my advice, Miss Claire: do not go down that path. It's not worth the suffering. It's certainly not too late for you to find yourself a decent man. A better man."
"Are you... Are you telling me to break up with Lucius? Again?"
Arthur Weasley did not fully understand by what does she meant by "again".
"I refuse! I know he has his demons, I have them too! If you think I would just simply walk away by listening to this talk-"
"Then answer me this, Miss Claire, has Lucius ever mention he would announce your relationship to the Pure-Blood world? Without having the needs to be secretive as if you are his Mistress? If he truly loves you, as you had claimed, he would have to make a vow in front of the Pure-Blood society so that the world would know who you are. Has he mentioned that to you?"
"No... But that's because we've been busy trying to capture the bad guys!" Claire still protested. Even she knew herself thay she was just making excuses for Lucius.
Not able to stand anymore of the pressure that threatened to burst from within her, Claire stood up.
"I'd best get going. I-It's getting late..."
Arthur stood up as well. "I'll apparate you home."
Claire needed to think. She needed to get away from the place, to her home, her room, her little Heaven and think throughly about the conversation she had with Arthur.
Some of it does made sense when she pieced it together. But she lacked of any evidences to support her case.
As Claire was busily pondered about it, someone knocked on her door.
"Come in!"
The door softly opened, revealed the greasy black haired wizard. He had a big camping bag on his left hand.
"We're leaving."
"W-what?! Where?"
"We are to meet with Master Guo's Apparentice, Master Lee for your Elementarily training. Now hurry up and move it, woman!"