Chapter 11

High Tea

"Would you like another scone, Sir Humphrey?" Lucius offered a plate of imaginary pastries.

There was no reply, for Sir Humphrey de Fluffsy-Teddington was a small stuffed brown bear. Lucius delicately lifted another "scone" and placed it on the small china plate in front of him. He then turned to the other "guests" at his table, all of various sizes and colours. His entire teddy bear collection, a group of friends not even Narcissa knew about. If she did, she'd obviously tell her sister, then he'd never hear the end of it.

"More tea, anyone?" he lifted a completely empty teapot, offering it to the small blue bear on his right, "Mr Berry, your cup is almost completely empty, you should have said something, dear fellow! Let me refill it, there's a good chap."

After he had "refilled" the bear's cup, he took a look in the pot and gave a sigh.

"We're fresh out of tea, bear – forgive the pun – with me, ladies and gentlemen, whilst I get some more," Lucius turned away from the table, "Dobby!"

With a crack, the small House Elf appeared, bowing low.

"Master sent for Dobby?" he muttered.

"Yes, fetch us another pot," Lucius handed the one he held to the confused Elf, "we're completely out of tea."

Dobby took a look in the pot. The Elf blinked, not only was the pot made of flimsy plastic, therefore, most likely unable to carry tea, but it didn't smell like it ever had tea in it and there were no stains to suggest it had ever held tea. The Master wanted Dobby to go away and bring back another completely empty pot?

Dobby scanned the table the Master was sat at. There were no humans there, only stuffed animals that Dobby had seen children play with before. That made no sense, the Master was no child and certainly didn't play...

"Do you understand, Dobby?" Lucius asked, "bring us another teapot."

"Yes, Master..." Dobby turned away, so no one could hear him, "the Master has gone mad..."

He Apparated away and Lucius turned back to the table.

"He won't be long," he told them.

"That's a relief, I'm almost out of tea!" squeaked a voice.

"Ah!" Lucius jumped, almost falling backwards out of his chair. He glanced around, but no one was there. He shook his head.

"I must have been imagining things," he reassured himself.

Dobby Apparated back into the room, a tray balanced in his hands, Lucius flinched slightly, before realising it was only the House Elf. He set it down on the table, before turning to Lucius.

"Will that be all the Master requires?"

"Yes, for now," Lucius dismissed him, "you may go, Dobby."

The Elf left again and Lucius was alone. He chatted absentmindedly to his friends, about the weather and the state of politics these days.

"That is a lovely gown, Miss Susie," he gestured with his hands to the pink ball dress worn by a honey coloured bear opposite him.

"Why thank you, Lucius," the voice spoke again, "I got it in a sale!"

With a loud scream that some say could be heard as far as 15 miles away, Lucius leapt from his chair, bolted down the stairs and into the garden, where Narcissa found him cowering under a rose bush.

If, however, he'd taken time to look, Lucius would have noticed the gap in the not- completely-closed wardrobe door, where the slight glint of the lenses of a video camera could be seen in the light. If he hadn't screamed so loudly, he would have heard Bellatrix's mad cackle and if he hadn't run off so quickly, he would have seen her climb out of that very wardrobe, video camera in hand and head towards the computer.