Author's Note: I apologise for the wait for this chapter. Both my beta and I have been busy in real life so fanfiction has taken a backseat. There will probably be a similar wait for the next chapter – so sorry about that in advance.

This chapter is the first one I've ever written that features neither Hermione nor Draco. I know you're all waiting for their next meeting – it's in the next chapter, promise. This chapter gives much needed insight into Lucius' character and motivations.

Thanks for all your continuing reviews and to pagan for betaing this chapter.

The Sins of the Father

Lucius frowned at the knock on the door. He really needed to finish drafting this latest version of his will before it was too late.

"Come in!" he barked.

His frown deepened into a scowl as the door opened and revealed his daughter-in-law.

"What do you want, Astoria?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you."

"I gathered that, otherwise you wouldn't be bothering me when I'm busy."

She flushed but came into the room anyway. He sighed as she perched on the edge of the chair opposite his desk. It appeared that this was going to be a lengthy visit. He put away the parchment he was working on, making sure her prying eyes couldn't see it. Astoria might not be in the same league as the Malfoys when it came to intrigue, but she was still a Slytherin.

"How can I help you?" he asked.

"It's about Draco," she replied.

"What about him?"

Astoria gnawed on her lip, obviously not too sure how to proceed. He was the one person in the household she was careful around. It was almost as if she knew he'd destroy her if she put a foot wrong. "I heard something the other day."

"And what was that?"

His daughter-in-law looked up from under her lashes at him, attempting to play off her wiles. She'd have to try a lot harder than that, as she wasn't a patch on Narcissa.

"That there will soon be a half-blood Malfoy."

Lucius paused and narrowed his eyes at her. Astoria obviously wasn't aware that he already knew, which meant she was coming to him in order to cause mischief.

"Is that so? And how exactly has that come about? As far as I know—and believe me, I would know—my son has always been faithful to you."

Astoria didn't question how he would know. She already knew that he had a nasty habit of being aware of everything that happened within the Malfoy family. It was one of the perks of being the head of the household—the house-elves were obliged to tell him any titbit of news they heard and house-elves heard more than anyone gave them credit for. Look at that pesky Dobby.

"Has Draco not told you?"

"Told me what?"

Astoria looked at him for a brief moment as if she was analysing his answer. Lucius wasn't giving anything away, though.

"Well, there was a mix-up with the sperm donations at the clinic and Draco's sperm went to a different woman," she explained informatively, then paused, giving him an opportunity to respond.

He said nothing, just gestured for her to continue.

"He got Hermione Granger pregnant. She's carrying the next Malfoy heir," she said dramatically.

Lucius steepled his fingers and stared across at her. "I take it you're coming to me so I do something regarding this. What exactly do you have in mind?"

It was never a bad thing to work out what others wanted from you before revealing your hand. But he was having a hard time not putting her firmly in her place and sending her on her way.

She threw her hands out. "Stop this from happening! It's ridiculous: a half-blood Malfoy and not with any Muggle-born, but Potter's best friend. Get rid of it."

There was a loaded silence. Astoria looked eager, almost as if she was expecting him to start brainstorming some ideas. But, he was more concerned with trying to rein his temper in. How could this chit of a girl come into his study, sit down and tell him to get rid of an unborn Malfoy? Whether the baby was of tainted blood or not, family meant everything to him.

"Get rid of it?" he hissed menacingly, leaning forward across the desk.

His daughter-in-law drew back in alarm at the suppressed anger on his face.

"Are you really so stupid that you think I wouldn't be aware of this? That I wouldn't be the first person Draco came to? Do you really think that you would be the one to bring this news to me?"

"I… er… I—" she stammered.

"And you dare sit there and tell me to get rid of it? Who are you to dictate what the Malfoys do? You are nothing!"

"I'm his wife!" Astoria fired up.

Lucius snorted. "Some wife you are! You denied him a child and have used this family as a stepping stone for your own gain."

"I made him! It's because of that me that's he—and, in association, you—is anything at all."

He laughed curtly. "You stupid little girl. You think you had anything to do with the revival of the Malfoy name? That the Greengrasses are so important they have reinstated a great family like mine?"

She twisted her hands and looked down, unsure of what to say.

"Your silence speaks volumes, my dear. Your father is only able to support his lavish lifestyle thanks to Malfoy money and business acumen. Draco turned the Greengrass fortunes, not the other way round. We would be in the position we are in with or without you."

"If that were true, then how come Draco was so desperate to date me?"

A small, mean smile played around his lips. "Do you really want me to answer that? Lust can make a man do all kinds of silly things. And you are a tidy little package who can be entertaining at times. I've particularly enjoyed how you've tried to surpass my wife—failing miserably, of course. My Narcissa has the brains and cunning to match her beauty. That makes her rather formidable. You are nothing but a silly little girl playing in a world she has no clue about."

Astoria looked put out by that. She pouted and seemed unable to answer. Her father-in-law used this opportunity to drive home his point and get rid of her once and for all.

"But now Draco has another woman pregnant, you've outstayed your welcome and I have no further use of you. I want you gone by the end of the week."

She stared at him in shock. "What do you mean?"

"Do you really need me to spell it out to you? You are no longer welcome in this house and if you are still here by the end of the week, I'll instruct the house-elves to remove you—by force, if necessary."

"You can't do that!"

He smirked. "I'm the head of the house. I can do whatever I want."

Astoria's face mottled red in anger as she heaved herself out of her chair and slammed her hands, palms down, on his desk. "You'll regret this. If it's the last thing I do, I'll make you pay."

He rolled his eyes. "Girl, I've lived through the Dark Lord. Do you think I'm going to be afraid of you?"

"You'll see," she snarled at him before turning and flouncing out of the room.

Narcissa silently slipped into the shadows across the door and watched as her outraged daughter-in-law stormed up the corridor away from Lucius' study. She'd followed Astoria, disliking the spiteful look she'd had on her face all day. And her gut feeling had been right. The younger witch was up to no good.

Now, she stood uncertainly in the doorway as she watched her husband sigh, pull a piece of parchment towards him and started writing.

She waited until Lucius had finished whatever he was working on so furiously. She knew better than to disturb him when he was busy. If she wanted his full and undivided attention, then it was better to wait until he wasn't distracted by a business interest. The converse was true when she wanted him to agree to something that he wouldn't normally approve of. It wasn't always easy living with a domineering male, but Narcissa had found ways around her husband's intractable character. But now she waited patiently, mentally worrying about what trouble Astoria could cause for the family and her son.

Lucius finally lifted his head and spotted his silent wife. "Cissy! How long have you been there?"

"Not long," Narcissa lied. She enjoyed getting to observe him when he wasn't aware of her presence.

"You should have interrupted me," he said.

"You looked busy. I didn't want to break your concentration."

Lucius smiled the tender smile only she got to see before standing up and coming around his desk. He kissed her hand before leading her over to the sofa seating area under the large windows. Even after all these years, the old-fashioned courtesy always made her heart beat faster.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"I overheard your conversation with Astoria."

He sighed and smoothed his hair back. "I don't want you to worry about it. I can handle any pathetic attempt at revenge she throws our way."

"I don't doubt that she's not in your league when it comes to such matters, but she could still cause damage. She knows about Granger and that could hurt us."

He shook his head. "I don't want you getting anxious over this. She'll pout and rant and rave for a few days, but with some choice words to her father, she'll be gone and out of our lives."

"I think you're wrong, Lucius. You haven't spent as much time with her as I have, and around you she's always been so careful, but that girl is as spiteful as they come and she'll want to destroy this family."

He laughed, amused. "Come, Narcissa, it'll take more than her to achieve that. Look at what we've been through in the last decade."

"She knows things. Draco talked to her at the beginning. She could do a lot of damage to him."

He squeezed her hands. "There's no need to be anxious. Whatever she throws at us, we'll confront head on."

"You need to be careful, darling. This is already a messy situation and she could muddy the waters further."

"We have to concentrate on the problem with Granger first."

"Why are you being so accepting of this pregnancy? I've never known you to even suggest that a half-blood Malfoy might be okay."

He looked torn for a moment—almost as if he was debating whether or not to tell her something. She let him play it out in his head, knowing that she couldn't rush this decision. He stupidly liked to think she was delicate and unable to handle bad news. He'd become worse since the Great Battle, irritated at how his decisions had put his wife and son in such danger.

He finally opened his mouth. "There's something I've been keeping from you."

Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I've been unwell."

"What do you mean, unwell?"

"I've been having regular treatment at St. Mungo's for a potentially life-threatening disease. In fact, it's killing me and the Healers are unsure how to treat it."

Narcissa stared at him for a long moment whilst she tried to digest the news. How had she not known her husband was sick? And not just a little ill but seriously sick? She suddenly became angry, jumping up from the sofa and pacing in front of him.

"I can't believe you, Lucius Malfoy. I've put up with this ridiculous idea you have of sheltering me from everything for the past decade, but this? This is going too far. You cannot hide such things from me."

He rested his elbows on his knees and put his head into his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to see the fear in your eyes once more, Cissy. It nearly killed me the last time that happened."

She dropped down in front of him, lifting his head up so she could stare into his eyes. "We will get through this and we'll do it together."

"They aren't too hopeful at the moment."

"How long have you known?"

"About three years. I started feeling the effects around five years ago but it took me a while to go to St. Mungo's."

Narcissa rocked back on her heels. "That long?" she whispered.

Lucius picked her up and sat her on his lap. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, her hands wound around him. They sat like that for a long while, neither moving nor talking and just taking comfort in each other's presence.

Finally, Narcissa sat up, straightened her robes and dried her eyes. "Okay, we can deal with this."

He smiled at her. "That's my girl."

She turned to him. "Tell me what they know."

"They think it's a result of being exposed to too much unusual dark magic. I was there when the Dark Lord started experimenting with new spells."

"And this could be fatal?"

"They aren't really sure, but my symptoms aren't encouraging. It appears that each time I have an attack, my body gets a little bit weaker."

"Attacks?"

"I get painful attacks, where it feels as if I'm under the Cruciatus spell. It results in shaking, sweating, breathlessness, and sometimes I black out," he outlined bleakly.

Narcissa gasped. "How have you hidden this from me?"

"With lots of luck, and the fact that I start to feel dizzy before the attack fully hits. It means that I can usually make my excuses and either get to the hospital or isolate myself."

"How can the Healers not know what this is? Are you the only person suffering?"

He shrugged. "They're not sure. They think anyone who was present when Lord Voldemort was experimenting could be affected."

"Think! They only think? How can they not know? You're hardly the only person left alive who was present at those sessions."

Lucius sighed. "Most of the inner circle is in Azkaban, which isn't known to have positive benefits for your health. Look at how many have died in the past decade. Rabastan, Avery, Mulciber, Dolohov, and Rawle, to name a few. They could have died from the sheer despair of Azkaban or due to this illness."

"Rodolphus?"

"Who knows? He's sick but that's to be expected with how long he's spent in Azkaban."

"Are they not checking his symptoms against yours?"

He gave her a level look. "He's in prison. He's not exactly being given the best medical care they can offer."

She bit her lip. "So what happens now?"

"We continue the same as we were."

"You have to tell Draco."

"No, I won't put this on him."

Narcissa glared at him. "He deserves to know! You've allowed this to affect his life already."

"I've kept this quiet precisely so it won't affect him!" he snapped.

"How can you say that when you've pushed him to stay with Astoria and try for a baby?" she bit back.

He slumped back and ran his hands through his hair. "I want to make sure we're prepared if the worst happens."

"Exactly! This is why he needs to know."

"He's stressed enough as it is."

"Lucius, don't treat him like a boy. He's not stupid. He's already wondering why you are completely accepting of a half-blood Malfoy."

"I know! But I don't want to add another burden to him."

"But you already have. You're making decisions that affect him directly. You just booted his wife out."

"Are you really going to be angry about that? You've been wanting to get rid of her for years."

"I want him to get rid of her. It's not your decision to make. It's Draco's, and he kept her around already because you wanted him too."

"I want what's best for this family and right now, we need another heir. Just in case."

She frowned at her callous husband. He could be very quick to dismiss Draco and his happiness. "Don't you want Draco to be as happy as we are?"

He shot her an impatient look. "Cissy, I know Draco means the world to you. He does to me, too. But the most important thing at the moment is securing the Malfoy heritage."

"What if Granger gives birth to a girl? You'd have an heir but she wouldn't continue the Malfoy lineage."

"There have been no first-born female Malfoys for centuries."

"Well, we also haven't had Muggle-born mothers before."

Lucius ran a hand through his hair, dishevelling it. "I'm not sure what to do about this situation and if Astoria was more acceptable, then I would have kept her around."

"Why?"

"None of this is simple or straight forward. Horatio has been looking into the law surrounding this and it's not looking good."

Startled, Narcissa looked at her husband. "What do you mean, not looking good? That child is a Malfoy and we have much more to offer than that Granger girl."

"Such a situation hasn't happened in the United Kingdom wizarding community before. This would be a test case. And to make matters worse, the laws in this area aren't fully developed. In fact, our courts aren't even fully functional. If this had happened before the judiciary system was set up, then it's likely we would have walked away with the baby. The Wizengamot is old-fashioned. The majority would've frowned on the Mudblood wanting to have a child out of wedlock, and I could've bribed any of those wavering. But these new courts are a different matter, and they are basing a lot of the law on their Muggle counterparts. Horatio informs me that in a Muggle court, the rights tend to go to the mother. They'll also be taking our past into consideration, which does us no favours."

"So that's why you've suggested Draco charm the blasted girl."

"I initially suggested that because I want this kept out of court. There is no need to drag the Malfoy name through the legal system and the papers. But since speaking to Horatio, I've come to the conclusion this may be the only way we'll get the child," he said

"It'll never work."

"Draco can be charming when he puts his mind to it."

Narcissa scoffed. "It's Granger. There is no love lost between them. She'll view him with suspicion."

"I know this," Lucius said tiredly. "But I'm at a loss at what to do. It's imperative that we have another generation."

She looked at her husband with sadness. She never thought she'd see the day when he was desperate for a half-blood Malfoy. This—more than anything—brought home how serious his illness was.

Astoria's heart was beating. How had this gone so wrong? Instead of being outraged and determined to get rid of that abomination of a foetus, Lucius had used this as an excuse to remove her from the Malfoys' lives. Where was the gratitude for her services to their stupid family? She had been prepared to become all fat and ugly just to give them another generation and what were her thanks? Divorce! Who was Lucius Malfoy to decide such matters anyway? She was married to Draco, not him.

Astoria sat down on her bed and tried to calm herself. It would do no good getting this upset. She needed to think, and fast, unless she wanted everything she'd worked for to be destroyed.

Lucius had been right in some instances. The Greengrasses did rely on their Malfoy connections to live as they did. They had never been one of the pureblood elite or particularly very wealthy, either. But she'd always had ambitions to improve her lot in life. Unlike Daphne, she wasn't content being on the fringe of society and marriage into the Malfoy family had offered her the chance to be plunged into the upper echelons of pureblood society. Something she'd revelled in.

However, now this was in danger of being taken away and she was prepared to fight tooth and nail for it. Whilst Lucius' word might carry a lot of weight, it wasn't always final. Draco could be stubborn at times and she needed him to want to keep her around.

It was time to start using her charm again. She could wrap her husband back around her little finger. She might even turn this pregnancy to her advantage. If they weren't worried about it being a half-blood then it would take the pressure off her to have another child. She could remain thin and brat-free.

She walked over to her mirror and analysed her features. She was only twenty-seven and she looked great, managing to retain her eighteen-year-old figure. Her features were more than pleasing, being both symmetrical and classic. She smiled; there was no way Draco would be able to resist her if she put her mind to it.

It was time to hit Diagon Alley and pick out some of the sexiest lingerie she could find, and to seduce her husband once more.

AN: I know you all hate Astoria and wish she was gone already. It is coming but things have to be put into motion first. And now you know why Lucius is willing to accept a half-blood and is going to such desperate measures to get Draco an heir.