Chapter 4
A grey morning had fallen over the Malfoy morning as Lucius got ready for his first day back at working.
"Eliza. That is her name. And she is going to be taking good care of you while daddy is away, but he is going to come back at the end of every night, and he is going to take good care of you. I'm going to give you your bath and your feed, and then you are going to be a good boy and go to sleep quickly." Lucius told Draco.
He didn't believe he was going back to work so soon. It had been his choice, but still it was a shock to the system. He felt he hadn't had enough time yet to get over the death of his wife. Maybe he really was going too soon. When he looked at his boy all he saw was Narcissa and her legacy. What she had left him with. He shook his head. He missed her to much to think about her. It still hurt too much.
Draco lay on his fathers bed dressed in a white baby grow, babbling having woken up half an hour ago and was quiet contented to lay there all day with the familiar voice of his father surrounding him. He had no troubles, thought his father. He was the most innocent thing in the world. He had to keep it that way. He should stay home….
It wasn't to be though, thought Lucius as he got all his papers together for the office.
At least he had managed to find some one he could trust to taker good care of Draco while he was at work, he thought to himself.
Eliza was a good woman. She had been one of the nanny's who had taken care of him when he had been young. She had been his favorite. A bit like a second mother, so when she had heard her young master Lucius had been in need of her again she had come running. She knew he wasn't straight of course. He was a supporter of the Dark Lord. But ever since he had been a boy, he could charm her into doing whatever he wanted her too, the little devil. She knew his son was going to be just the same but she felt as if she had a duty to help the two of them as they had no one else.
"Now don't you worry," she said to Lucius as she walked in to the living room that was still so familiar to her as nine approached. "You just go to work. I am going to look after your young master Draco as if he was you." she said taking the baby from him.
She was a lot older than she had been when she had looked after him though. Or at least she seemed older to his eyes. She had got more wrinkles since he had been at Hogwarts. And her hair though in a bun was viably greyer than it had been when he was young. She still had the same kindly, green eyes that had often been such a comfort to him when he had been in trouble with his mother and father though.
She was also more portly than she had been when she was looking after him. It gave her over all the appearance of a kindly grandmother which was mostly likely exactly what the baby needed.
"Very well." said Lucius as he kissed his son, stroked his cheek and went to the fire place. It was a new experience for him. Leaving the house with out his son for the first time. He drunk in the appearance of his boy one last time, those grey eyes, that blonde hair.
Here went nothing…
"My Lord, I am sorry I have been absent of late." said Lucius to his master. He had not been called to him once. Perhaps he had heard he had been in a state of mourning.
"Death eaters whose minds are only half on the job are no good to me, Malfoy you know that. But you have returned to me…" said Voldemort.
To his master had been the first place he had gone when he had left the manor despite telling Eliza that he was off to the ministry.
He had had to get back to him. He had been pulled to him. He had to know that he was still his servant completely. He had too.
"Yes master." he said as he knelt before him, basking in his radiance.
"Much has happened in your absents." he said to him.
"Has there been a development that involves the weapon?" he asked.
They had found out about it thanks to Snape on the night before his wife had gone in to labour.
"Yes. We have managed to infiltrate the Order of the Phoenix. We think we have found he who it referred too." he said to him.
"So we will kill the boy and his parents." He asked. He wanted to get back out on the field. He needed action in his life. And he was so angry about everything in his life. He was angry he had lost his wife, his best friend, his soul mate. What he needed more than anything a release for that anger... There was only one way he knew to get rid of all the anger.
"How do you know it is a boy Lucius?"
"I do not sir. I just assumed."
"Assume nothing."
"Of course." he said to him, humbled. He had a feeling coming back into the fold was going to be harder than he thought it was going too.
"Everything is going as well as it can for now Malfoy!" the Dark Lord said to him. "There is nothing you can do. I shall call when I have need of you." he said.
Knowing he had been dismissed Lucius left the room.
He had not got what he had wanted out of the meeting at all. But at least he had proved his loyalty.
Lucius arrived at the office by ten. He had not missed the Ministry of Magic, he decided. He would far rather be at home. He got far more intelligent conversation out of his son than he did these ministry idiots.
"Welcome back." he heard a voice from the door. It was Stephanie.
Steph, as she was known about the office, had been his secretary for two years. She had been a school friend of his and had got on well with his wife. They had been quite close. When he looked at her he saw a clear sympathy for him in his eyes. And he was sick of the sympathy. That had been what had been good about seeing the Dark Lord. He had been expecting to get no pity there.
"Thank you." he said to her as he sat down. "The office is still standing with out me then?" he asked her.
"Just about. You missed a lot but that is hardly your fault, you have had a lot on your mind. How is the baby?" she enquired.
"Draco is well, he has his father to watch him." he said defensively.
"Good," she nodded, knowing his son was bound to be a sensitive topic for him right now. She was not going to dare mention Cissy then. "Right shall we get on then. Can ii get you a coffee before we start?"
"Yes, coffee would be good."
In the end the coffee proved a good choice. He needed something to keep him awake. He forgot how boring paper work was, which was clearly what Steph was giving him on his first day back in the office of international wizarding relations.
"You know I would rather you didn't break me in easily." he said to her. He was capable of much more in his head.
"Not my choice, the bosses." she said to him.
He wished he could go in to his bosses office and stick his wand in a place where the sun did not shine at that moment. Keeping his range under wraps, he thought about is baby son at home. There was only five hours to go and then he could get back to him, he thought. He hadn't realised it was going to be so far. He certainly hadn't realised he was going to be counting down the hours.
He was going to be so pleased to get back.
Sods lord declared that when you were looking forward to some thing it didn't come fast. And so it seemed an eternity before he could at last get out of the office and get home.
Going in to the living room having flued back he saw his son and Eliza were there already waiting for him it seemed.
"You took your time." she said to him.
He knew she was being sarcastic. She had heard him make similar remarks to his mother and father when they had got home sharp.
"How has he been?" he said as he walked into the room and immediately took Draco from her. Taking his son in his arms he felt the stress and the worries of the day leave him. All he had wanted to do all day was hold him. How he had missed him when he had been in work! It had been awful. He had been wondering what his boy was doing most of the day. He couldn't have been much help to Stephanie.
"He has been a good boy, much better than you were at his age." she teased.
He had the good grace to laugh thinking what she was saying was probably true.
"Well good, I'm glad he didn't give you too much trouble. Though he doesn't normally. He doesn't cry a lot except in the middle of the night." he said.
Was this the hard as nails Lucius she had raised with the late master and mistress of the household. She didn't think so. He had really got fond of the boy very quickly. But then he was his son. She hadn't ever thought he would be the paternal sort. It was a comfort to know he was. Both father and son were going to need each other for a long time to come.
"He is a good baby, yes." she said to him. And she should know. She had been a nanny for the best part of forty years now. Draco was a good boy.
"Good," he said as he held the lad up to his chest and begun playing with his little hands.
"Well then sirs I will see you in the morning." she said to them as she prepared to flu out.
"Good night Eliza," he nodded as he took Draco up to the office with him.
It was good to be home.