Chapter 21

Christmas was as it had always been for Lucius over the past five years. A time of conflicting emotions. He loved to see his son enjoying himself under any circumstances but he seemed especially joyous at Christmas. Eliza said it was because Lucius was even more indulgent of his son than usual.

That Christmas he knew it was true.

Yet he had a longing in his heart for his wife. It throbbed at Christmas.

His emotions had never been as conflicting as they had been that yet. He wanted to be there for his son exclusively. No one and nothing was ever going to come before the relationship he had with his son.

Draco was the centre of his life. But now he had the chance to do something for himself. And he did have to admit he did mss the quiet compassion ship his wife had given him. The comfort of settling down to a sweet silence at the end of the day with another human present.

Maria Pilak gave him the opportunity to have that again. In the five years since he had lost his wife he had never felt as if he was drawn to another person like he was being drawn to her. And he felt as if he was betraying the vows he had made to his wife on their wedding day.

Maria was going back to school for her last term in January he thought to himself. She was going to be at Hogwarts the whole year. That was not so far. He could apperate, flu up there to see her as he was already planning too. He wanted to see her.

But that was not going to cut in to the time he spent with his son of that he was insistent. He had to be careful. When Eliza and Jane had come into Draco's life they had come in on a professional capacity even if they had a emotional attachment to the boy now. But if he met a women coming into his life purely on a personal level he didn't know how he would react. The last thing he wanted to do was unnerve him.

But they didn't have to worry about that for a while. Even if something was about to develop, then she was not going to met him for a very long time.

Draco in the mean time was going to get on with his lessons. That was the most important thing at the moment. That his son got an education. He didn't think it was going to be too long until he was going to go to Hogwarts. Draco had to be ready for it. His father dreaded him leaving the manor full time. Then he really was going to be alone. Then a women might be of an even greater important to him.

So he made a lunch date with Maria when his son was doing his class. He had to get to know this girl much better.

-

"So why did you come over here from Russia?"

"Hogwarts is one of the best and my father didn't mind me going to England." she shrugged.

"And your mother?"

"She thought that the experience would be good for me."

"So you chose your own path here?"

"Yes."

Independent. He liked that, so long as it wasn't too independent. She was a teenager. If, and it was indeed a big if, something was going to develop he wanted her to be easy to lead.

"When do I get to ask questions?" she asked.

"Later, much later." he said seriously.

He didn't give a lot away she had noticed. She assumed that was because he had been alone so long. Five years to be alone was a while.

"It must have been a really terrible time. I mean when you lost your wife." she said to him.

"That is a question for much, much later." he sneered.

He was not about to talk about Cissy. Not to her.

Realising, she had hit a soft spot, she fell silent and ate some of the spaghetti that was in front of her.

"So what about you and your past relationships?"

"If your not talking then neither I am." she shrugged.

That made him feel angry. As if any little boyfriend of hers could be such a sensitive issue as Narcissa was to him. He didn't want her to have secrets from him. Maybe he had been wrong to come. She was nothing but a stupid little girl.

She knew she had pushed it. But what was life without a bit of space to it, a bit of passion.

-

"How was he today?" asked Lucius as he got home. Apart from the one mishap dinner had been quite agreeable. But never as agreeable as coming home to his son.

Draco trusting as ever jumped into his fathers arms with that cheeky grin on his face. Bringing him in close he kissed him on the forehead.

"Oh he did very well him his lessons today didn't you?" Jane gushed.

"Yes, I did really well, I got nine out of ten of my spellings right."

"Well that is very good indeed," he congratulated his son.

"Oh and we had a call in the fire. It was Mrs Tonks. She had requested that she has her nephew for the new year celebrations." she looked at him unhappily. That was one of the best things about Jane. She disliked his sister in law almost as much as he did.

"Well what do you think of that my little man. Do you want to go to your aunties for new years?"

He shrugged. He did miss Andy when he did not see her and he missed his big cousin even more.

"I'll think about it."

"Where were you today papa?" Draco whispered in his ear.

"I was at work son." he lied easily. He had planned what he was going to say if he asked.

It was odd thought Jane as she stood that he had worked in the holidays but she said nothing. In her time at the manor she had learnt to hold her tongue.

After taking Draco in that evening Lucius sat with him for a while as was still his habit and tried to figure out what he actually wanted out of life and more specifically out of women in general. He felt lust and a craving for comfort but that was all. He wanted a companion in a wife. But he would never have a true wife again.

As he looked at the boy who was his baby, son and heir, he saw Narcissa. Once again it hit him she had been once in a life time.