Chapter Twenty: Sink
Lucius stayed all night, weaving a great and epic story for Regan. He told her a story that she was almost sure that nobody else in the entire world had ever heard, perhaps not even his wife. He had married Narcissa shortly after he had graduated from Hogwarts, but he was never able to completely forget about Lily. He didn't love her, he made that quite clear, but he was infatuated with her. He had never stopped fantasizing about her lithe body and glorious red hair, not even after she had been killed. Regan had been an answer to his prayers, so of course he couldn't let her go. It chilled Regan, but she had been put off by his sincerity. He sat there and made her eat what he had brought her, remaining until the next morning when Mrs. Harvey arrived with breakfast. She quickly removed the other tray, leaving them alone once more.
Lucius didn't stay much longer after that. He made sure that she ate her breakfast before bidding her goodbye and slowly walking from the room. As she watched him, it suddenly struck her how old and frail he was. In a moment of weakness, she actually felt sorry for him.
Although, to be honest, the pity didn't last long.
Astoria arrived soon afterwards bringing Scorpio and more bridal magazines. Regan frowned at the prospect, but Astoria just shrugged her shoulders.
"At least you get to pick out whatever you want." She remarked. Regan took Scorpio while Astoria turned to several dresses that she thought would look very nice on Regan. She agreed on the first thing that Astoria showed her and the day progressed virtually in the same manner. Astoria chose almost everything with Regan's "approval". By dinner time, they had completely planned the wedding, much to Lucius's delight. It was going to be a far less lavish wedding than Draco and Astoria's, but that didn't seem to bother anybody. The wedding date was set and Regan was finding it more and more difficult to find a chance to escape. Once she was officially married to Lucius, he would have total access to her and there would be few moments of privacy for her. And they would have to share a bed…oh God, please let him get drunk every night so that he would just pass out and forget that he had a dick.
"Do you have any family that you want to invite?" Regan suddenly perked up, her eyes settling on a very focused Astoria. She had finally been given the go-ahead to get out of bed by the doctor and her days were filled with sitting with Astoria and making wedding plans.
"Not that I know of." She said. Astoria's face softened, her eyes going back down to the guest list and accompanying seating chart.
"Well, I can put my family there…and Draco's friends can sit there as well. Have you given any thought as to who you'd like to give you away? I was thinking Draco. I've already asked him and he said that he wouldn't mind if you had nobody else to do it."
"I can go alone." Regan said, looking away again and becoming distracted by the flickering sunlight filtering in through the windows.
"You know, I think that Draco would really like to." Astoria said with a small smile. She was trying to keep Regan from looking like the most pathetic thing on the planet. At least with Draco and Astoria, she wouldn't be completely alone.
"Well, if he's got his heart set on it…"
And the matter was settled. Astoria was going to be her only bridesmaid, Draco would give her away, and she would marry Lucius; it was a family affair.
"I have something for you." Astoria suddenly whispered, packing up her papers and pushing them aside. Regan quirked an eyebrow when Astoria presented her with an expensive looking bottle of French perfume.
"I told you that you didn't need to buy me anything." Regan said, but Astoria quickly shook her head.
"No, no, not a present…put two dabs behind your ears every week, it will keep you from getting pregnant." Regan's eyes widened as she slowly took the bottle into her hands.
"How did you-?"
"It's from Draco," Astoria quickly explained. "He thought that you would find it useful." Regan nodded, closely examining the bottle. "He and I both agree that Lucius should not be having any more children…and we have both agreed that the less you can attach yourself from Lucius, the better." Regan quirked an eyebrow.
"I thought that you two weren't going to try and get me out of here again."
"This time, it's not about you." Astoria whispered, leaning forward. "There is a plot to end this all…Draco and I are helping, but there will come a time when you will also be needed…will you help us?"
"You have to tell me more." Regan insisted, though she was going to agree to help regardless of the plan.
"I can't give you specifics, but I can tell you that this has taken almost ten years of waiting and we intend to strike soon."
"I'll do whatever you need me to do." Regan said before Astoria could say another word.
"Good, I'll let them know." While the curiosity was driving Regan up the wall, she was willing to take a chance and trust whoever Astoria was talking about. "But they can't stop the sex that Lucius expects from you, you know that, right?" Regan nodded.
"I'm willing, but not too long."
"Don't worry, everything will work out just fine." Regan nodded, actually feeling some relief as she stared down at the fancy bottle.
"If you had this plan…then why did you send me away with Oskar?"
"We had never planned on Lucius becoming interested in a girl. Oskar was a plan put together at the last moment…but now that we know that we can trust you, you will play a bigger role in the end…but with that role comes death, and this is something that you must be prepared for." Regan nodded once more.
"I understand, and I am prepared to make that sacrifice." She said evenly, making Astoria smile.
"Good…I knew that I could trust you. I'll make arrangements for you to go to them and speak with them. They're eager to meet you." Regan also smiled, letting eagerness grip her heart.
"I'm looking forward to it."
…
The wedding plans were progressing as well as could be expected. Planning an event at the Manor proved to be easy since there was a built in staff ready to serve. They were wary of Regan, though, now that Natalie was gone. She had been quickly convicted of attempted murder and the misuse of potions. While she would no doubt spend a huge chunk of her life in Azkaban, her death would not be determined by Lucius, which Regan was pleased about. Natalie was no longer right in the head; Lucius had caused her to lose her mind and become driven to kill out of her need for him. She didn't deserve to die because of her lack of mental competency.
Two weeks before the wedding, when things were set and ready, Astoria informed Lucius that she would be traveling with Regan to Paris for her hen's night. Regan knew that this was the moment that she would leave for whoever was planning this and she was very excited to go. Lucius was hesitant to let Regan go considering what had happened last time she was out of his sight, but he seemed reassured when Astoria promised to hire two bodyguards that would be with them at all times. So they packed for a glamorous week in Paris, but there was another suitcase that was not packed with beautiful designer clothing, but things that seemed far more practical. Astoria had her pack sweaters, jeans, and thick wool socks. She packed her boots as well, lingering on them for just a moment before tucking them in the bottom. She was so glad that she still had them; if Lucius had known that they were from Oskar, he would have burned them.
The morning the left for the PTH, or the porkey transportation hall, Lucius had hugged her, but surprisingly he did not try to kiss her. He just embraced her before she and Astoria got in the car. The PTH was located at the Ministry, so when the pair arrived they were taken there straight away. People parted as they passed, staring out of awe and curiosity. While it was always thrilling to catch a glimpse of Astoria, they were even more eager to see Lucius Malfoy's future wife. Regan detested the attention, but she stayed close to Astoria with her eyes looking straight ahead. They were greeted by the conductor of the PTH, a tall skinny man with a broad smile. She was put off by how happy he appeared, but Regan kept cool as Astoria curtly nodded to him.
"Mrs. Malfoy, Ms. Westwood, we are all so pleased and honored to have you here today."
"Thank you for being so kind in accomidating us today." Astoria replied with a forced smile as she shook his hand.
"It is our pleasure, especially if this is for Minister Malfoy and his lovely future bride." Astoria nodded, glancing to Regan before looking back at the man.
"Would you please take us to our porkey, Mr…?"
"Wickersham, William Wickersham." He stepped aside, opening the rather large door. "Right this way ladies."
PTH was an interesting and fairly recent invention of Lucius's own mind. Very wide, partitionaed areas stood under dull green lights, each one managed by a single attendant that was dressed in a dark green suit. Each area contained some random item that was sitting beneath a glass dome. With a small spell, the attendant was able to change the location to wherever the person wanted to go. The room had been cleared for them with every attendant standing at attention as if they were waiting for their approval.
"Our porkey attendants are specifically trained to handle our porkeys. I assure you, ladies, that you are in perfectly capable hands and will arrive without a problem."
Regan remembered when they had first started up how people had been popping up missing arms and legs. It had something to do with the constantly changing locations that the object had been forced to take on. The majority of their body would arrive at their destination, but their arm would drop in some random location. It had caused quite the scandal.
"I'm sure that it's perfectly safe." Astoria said with a small nod. "Will you please show us to our porkey? We are rather eager to begin our vacation."
Wickersham took them to a neatly cleaned station where a middle aged woman was standing there waiting for them. She smiled at them brightly, her red lipstick appearing purple under the green lights.
"This is Aimee, she'll be assisting you today."
"Pleased to meet you." She said, shaking their hands. "And congratulations on your engagement, Ms. Westwood." Regan quirked an eyebrow when the woman's smile seemed to falter.
Was she jealous?
"Is this our porkey?" Astoria asked after she noticed the woman's expression. Aimee seemed to pop back and eagerly nodded.
"Yes ma'am, would you care to go first?"
"No, Regan can go first." She said, smiling at Regan. Good idea, keep her far away from Aimee. She stepped forward, watching Aimee lift up the glass dome to reveal a silver cup. Regan let out a shaky sigh, her body tight as she grasped the cup. If she had blinked, she would have missed her trip. She suddenly found herself standing in a beautiful hotel room with two large plush beds. Their luggage was already there and Regan took a moment to adjust. The last time she had been in Paris, she had been with Oskar. She momentarily wondered, as she walked out to the balcony to take in the view, what had happened to Oskar's apartment.
Had Lucius gutted it or had his family been allowed to go through it carefully and pack his things? What would his family say to her when they came to the wedding? Would they hate her, or would they know the truth and allow her to quietly mourn with them?
"Too bad you won't be able to stay." Astoria said as she joined Regan on the balcony. She must have arrived when Regan wasn't looking. "But don't worry, I'll buy you lots of clothing so that it looks like we went shopping." Regan quirked an eyebrow as a soft breeze blew past them.
"How are you going to do this?"
The knock on their door was Regan's answer. Astoria smirked, walking to the door and opening it to reveal what appeared to be a female hotel employee pushing a cart. It was a woman not much older than Regan and she was quickly shown into the room only to have the door locked behind her. The woman smiled at Regan with a whimsical look in her big blue eyes.
"Regan, I'd like to introduce you to Luna Lovegood, she will be pretending to be you for the next week." They shook hands, Regan instantly seeing why they had chosen Luna. They were the same height and had similar figures.
"Polyjuice?" Regan asked, only to receive a nod from Luna.
"We are very pleased that you agreed to help." She said, her voice just as dreamy as her eyes.
"I suppose you will need some of my hair." Regan muttered, but she found that the pair were one step ahead of her. Luna reached under the linen tablecloth and pulled out a case containing twenty small viles that held already mixed polyjuice potion. Astoria was careful about cutting her hair, placing the trimmings in a small plastic bag.
"Luna has already read all that she needs to know about you; this should go off without a hitch." Astoria told her with a bright smile. She reached under the car once again and pulled out Regan's other suitcase. "Put on a sweater, jeans, thick socks, and your boots. It's still snowy where you're going."
Regan did as she was told, retreating to the gorgeous marble bathroom with clothing in hand. She changed quietly, also braiding her hair over her shoulder and wiping off some of her makeup. When she emerged, Astoria and Luna were sitting on their respective beds. They smiled at Regan, but she could see the worried doubt in their eyes. They didn't know if this was going to work, but they were equally hopeful that Regan would be able to help them.
"When you get there, somebody will be there waiting for you. Don't be overly aggressive; just do as they say and wait for them to properly identify you." Luna instructed as she lifted the silver dome to reveal what Regan assumed to be her porkey. It was a worn textbook, an introduction to potions.
"You've got your wand?" Astoria asked nervously. Regan nodded, pulling up her sleeve to reveal her wand strapped to her forearm. "All right then…you should go, they're waiting for you." Astoria slowly got up and hugged Regan tightly for a long time. "Be safe…and don't leave them, whatever you do." Regan nodded, giving Astoria some sort of reassurance so that she could let her go.
"I'll be okay, don't worry…I'll see you in a week." Astoria smiled, stepping away while Luna waved innocently. Regan sighed, picking up her suitcase before picking up the worn book.
If she had blinked, she would have missed her journey…
...
A/N: Opening night for Sweeney Todd went very well, because I'm sure that you're all very curious :)
RashaTemple: Thank you :) I know, Lucius is quite the irritant in this story...
Dragoon Dave: lol well you are a genius, so of course you called it. Hope you like how I resolved the whole Lily thing; I'm pretty sure I'm not stepping on anybody's toes by doing this. All right, bring on the argument: why are you not twisted?
