Title: For the Good of My Family
Team: Caerphilly Catapults
Position: Chaser 1
Round: QL Daily Prophet Expelliarmus Competition
Prompt: Finestra– [object] broken glass
Additional Prompts used: N/A
Word count: 780
Betas: Ikuni
A/N mention of off-screen canon character deaths
There was a lot of strange chatter going on today. Every shop Lucius went into, people were whispering about the Potters! Lucius never paid any heed to such gossip and he ignored it the first time, he ignored it the second time, but by the third time, he was starting to take notice. He left Flourish and Blotts and made his way back down Diagon Alley towards Quality Quidditch Supplies. He knew he had promised Narcissa not to buy their son a toy broomstick so young, but he had a feeling the boy would be a natural on a broom; so, he decided he was going to pick one up. Narcissa adored their son; she wouldn't stay mad for long. He smirked to himself and made his way into Quality Quidditch Supplies and picked up a toy broomstick. He was at the counter when he heard something that made his blood run cold.
"That's right! Lily and James Potter. They're dead," a short little wizard with a top hat squeaked.
"No!" gasped the witch beside him. "I can't believe it."
"Not only that," the wizard with the top hat continued. "The rumours are that You-Know-Who tried to kill their son Harry."
"Oh!" The witch clapped her hand to her mouth in horror.
"But he couldn't. They're saying that the curse rebounded and You-Know-Who is dead!"
Lucius' blood ran cold. The Dark Lord was dead? He almost dropped the broomstick. This was not good. If the Dark Lord was dead the Ministry would be trying to round up his supporters. Some of them would likely want to hand in unknown members, like himself, to save their own skin.
"What? Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"How?"
"No-one knows," the wizard with the top hat said. "Some people are saying the child must be a Dark wizard himself to have survived but I think that's nonsense. He's only a baby."
Lucius quickly paid for the toy broomstick and headed back to the Manor.
"Lucius, you can't! The Ministry is bound to be watching the place," Narcissa said. "Think of us. Think of your son."
"I am Narcissa. If the Dark Lord really is gone…I need to make sure I don't end up in Azkaban. What would you and Draco do if I was in Azkaban for the rest of my life?"
"But they'll be rounding up his Death Eater's, Lucius. What if someone has already traded your name to save themselves?"
"I'll use a Disillusionment charm, Narcissa, but I must check it out. If he is dead then…I'm going to have to say I was under the Imperius Curse. Plenty of people were…"
"Be careful, Lucius," Narcissa said, giving Lucius a kiss. "Your son and I need you and we love you."
"I love you both, too," Lucius said, tapping himself on the head with his wand and feeling the cold sensation like an egg trickling down his neck. He left the Manor and walked down the drive out of the grounds where he could Disapparate.
With a Pop, Lucius appeared, invisible, well outside the Village of Godric's Hollow. Walking as quickly as he could he made his way into the village, looking carefully at the houses for any sign of which one would have belonged to the Potter's, until he came across the house that was very obviously the Potter's house. The right-hand-side of the top floor had been blasted apart. Lucius felt his stomach lurch. He cast a detection charm; in case the Ministry had placed any jinxes on the place to catch potential Death Eater's. Nothing! He opened the gate and walked up the garden path, the front door was unlocked. Slowly Lucius climbed the stairs to the upper floor. The frosted glass door from the bathroom had been blasted off its hinges and was blocking the top of the stairs.
"Finestra," Lucius said, quietly shattering the glass so as not to attract undue attention. He climbed through the gap, and the broken glass crunched under his boots. He walked towards what, despite the destruction, was clearly a nursery. The child would be Draco's age. How in the name of Merlin had he survived? Lucus could sense the residual presence of evil magic here, but he could also smell death in this room. He had killed enough Muggles to know the smell of death. The Dark Lord was dead. He was gone! And now Lucius had to do what he must to protect his family and the Malfoy fortune. Starting with hiding that book the Dark Lord had given him for safe keeping only weeks ago. There was no time to lose. He turned on the spot and Disapparated.