Anger and Alcohol~*
Lucius stormed through the hallways and up onto the promenade deck. He gripped the railing until his knuckles turned white. This was probably the hardest situation he had ever had to face. He had kept it a deep secret that things with his wife, Narcissa had not been going well. His closest friends, not even his son knew how bad it really was. Divorce for muggles was easy compared to the paperwork and magical conditions required for a wizarding divorce. Not to mention that a divorce of that magnitude would have cataclysmic effects on the Black and Malfoy family relationship. Both families reputation would be tarnished irreparably. That was the reason Lucius had decided to not go through with it. They had agreed sometime after having Draco that they would have no more children and that there marriage would be a civil affair. There had not been an ounce of affection between Narcissa and himself for years. Rage boiled inside of him as he thought back to that kiss with Hermione... it had been... so passionate. There was more passion and anger in that kiss than he had felt in years and he hated himself for liking it... even, wanting more of it. He growled under his breath and squeezed the railing harder, staring down at the dark churning sea below. The night was cold and his hands had gone numb and looked almost blue in the dim lighting.
Lucius stared at his hands and that kiss played over and over in his mind. He was stuck here in this godforsaken time, on a ship about to sink, and all he could think about was a god damn kiss with his sons schoolmate? He was being absurd!
"This whole situation is absurd. Merlin, I need a drink." He groaned aloud and pried his freezing fingers free from the railing. He rubbed his numb hands and began to walk towards the lower decks when he paused, hearing laughter nearby. He walked over to the nearby railing and looked down to see a young couple laughing and running across the lower deck. The young man was dressed in a suit very similar to his own and was chasing after a girl in a long pink dress. He snatched her by the wrist and pulled her back into him, there lips meeting in heated passion. Lucius looked away from the private scene. A deep ache formed in the pit of his stomach and he headed for the stairs once more. A drink, that was exactly what he needed right now. Something to clear his mind.
Lucius pushed open the swinging door to the bar and sat down at his ussual place. "What'll ya have sir?" The lanky bartender asked as he casually wiped down the bar.
"The usual Gregory." The young man nodded.
"Scotch on the rocks it is then. Here to escape that lovely wife of yours again sir?" He asked as he poured Lucius his drink. Lucius picked up his glass and sighed.
"I guess you could say that Gregory." He downed the first scotch, wincing at the burn, and set his glass down for another.
"She looks to be a fine young woman sir. Heard about that brute tried to do her harm the other night. Such a shame. Pretty lady like that has to be careful at night." Lucius nodded solemnly and nursed his scotch. "Yeah, its tough times we live in for a lady, that's for right sure. She's lucky to have a good gent like you." Lucius barked a laugh and took a long swallow.
"A gent like me? Doubtful. Hermione could do so much better than an old bastard like myself." He sighed and placed his head in his hands.
"Don't you go selling yourself short sir. Why, in the few nights i've had the pleasure of talking to ya, you seem a real swell fellow. Your missus is mighty lucky. And so are you, why if I had as fine a lady as her i'd be the bees knees among my gents." Lucius grunted and downed the second glass, tipping it for another.
"Boy, If I was you though, ida had it in for any guy did my lady harm. But, o' course, I aint you sir." Lucius glowered at his glass of scotch.
"No, your right. You aren't me." He downed the glass in four swallows and rose from the bar. His skin prickled with anger.
"Leaving already sir?"
"Yes Gregory, I have some unfinished business to take care of."
Lucius left the bar and roamed through the many corridors of the ship. He stopped at the lift and handed the young man a few bills.
"To the brig please." The young man nodded and closed the gate, pulling the lever to lower the lift. Lucius stared at the gilded ornate walls, anger boiling beneath his skin. Hermione was under his protection whether she liked it or not and he'd be damned if that rat bastard got away with what he did to her. The lift stopped and Lucius got out. He made his way down the corridor and the attendant guarding the brig stopped him.
"Visiting hours are long since over sir. You'll need to go back to your room please." Lucius pulled a wad of bills from his vest pocket and placed them in the attendants had.
"Twenty minutes. I wasn't here. I won't be disturbed under any circumstances. Understood?" The attendant thumbed through the bills and smiled.
"Of course sir. Let me just unlock the door for you." Lucius stepped into the small room and the man lying on a makeshift cot looked up. His nose was still slightly swollen from when Lucius had punched him before. The mans eyes widened in recognition and sat bolt-upright.
"What do you want you smarmy bastard? 'ere to get more revenge for that pretty little bitch o' yours? My she looks purdy tasty. Jus' imagine the things I could've gotten up to wi' that little thing 'ad you not shown up." Lucius grit his teeth and his hand was around the mans throat in an instant. The man clawed at Lucius's iron grip and sputtered for breath.
"You think your safe in this little prison hole of yours? You think that your going to make it to New York in one piece and get off scott free don't you?" The man stared at him with confusion, still sputtering for air. Lucius released his hold on the mans neck and stepped back. The man coughed and wheezed.
"What the 'ell you going on about? I should report you! Guard! Guard, get in here!" Lucius smirked and reached into his inner vest pocket, withdrawing his wand. He twirled it lazily between his fingers and the pudgy man eyed him warily.
"The guard can hear you but he wont be interrupting us. I promise. I also promise that the pain you are about to experience is so much less than the pain you will feel from drowning. This ship is going to sink in less than three days time. I've heard tell that the ocean is so cold it feels like thousands of nails being driven into your body at once. Crucio!" The man convulsed in spasms and a bloodcurdling scream ripped from his throat.
"Crucio!" The man curled up into a ball and sobbed, inching away from him weakly.
"Y-your insane! Your bloody insane!" He sobbed, cowering against the wall.
"Perhaps so. But you'll believe me in three days, I promise you. Crucio!" He convulsed yet again, his screams ringing in Lucius's ears.
"This is the punishment you get for what you did to her! And you are lucky that you wont live to see New York, because you can be quite sure I would hunt you down and kill you if you managed to make it off this ship alive! Crucio!" The man was rocking back and forth balling uncontrollably.
"Please... please! No more! I beg you! I'm so sorry for what I did to your wife... but please don't do that again!" Lucius twitched his wand and the man screamed and huddled against the wall. Lucius sneered and stowed his wand back in his vest pocket.
"Good, now we understand each other." Lucius rapped on the door to the cell and the attendant opened it. Lucius stepped out, handing him another large bill and smiled cordially.
"I trust our agreement will be followed to the letter sir?" Lucius said amiably. The attendant nodded vigorously.
"Yes sir, of course sir. Have a good rest of your evening sir." Lucius smiled and nodded and walked back towards the lift to return to the first class deck. He could still hear the jailed man sobbing from down the hall as he left.
