Mr. Lucius Malfoy of Wiltshire Manor had not lived his life as an honest man- in fact quite the opposite, acquiring massive wealth and high social standing with lies and deceit. But for what it was worth, he loved his wife with all his heart. She had given him his son and the best years of his life, but she was not an easy woman to live with.
Full of melancholy and an increasing sense of dread, she began to wilt away with every passing year of her life. With her, the Manor of Wiltshire wilted too-wallpaper colors becoming bleaker, the windows having a thin layer of milky mucus on the glass no matter how hard one scrubbed and the floorboards creaking with every step.
The Manor was the haven of the female counterpart of the Malfoy heir and Narcissa was its current mistress. But as her condition grew more dire, the house responded in like.
Of course, this was no surprise, with her past mistakes coming back to haunt her - the both of them- Narcissa slowly turned into a shell of the woman she once was. No longer caring, or warm or affectionate, she took to eating dinners by herself in her separate bedroom and spending her days reading in the library or taking solitary walks around the property of the Manor. in truth, Lucius could not be certain she was reading at all for she stared into the single page of a book on Plants and Magical Herbs for hours until it was time for lunch or her afternoon walk to see her rose gardens.
Still, she was his wife and he loved her and felt his duty to make her feel comfortable. So he kept ordering her the latest wizarding fashions from Madam Malkin's (for she liked to dress up) and ordered the House-Elves to keep a bottle of her favorite wine for dinner (though she didn't drink much these days) and made sure they kept the fire lit in her bedroom at all times. His dear Cissy didn't like her feet to be chilled as she slept.
It hurt Lucius that he did not know what to do to improve his wife's mood. He felt so helpless and incompetent. This was his wife, for Merlin's sake, he should have known how to make her happy. It was his duty as a husband. Yet all his attempts appeared to go unnoticed and Narcissa remained as she was: a shadow against the fading wallpaper of the Manor who sulked through the day only to climb into her bed at night and toss and turn under the sheets until sunrise.
Not that Lucius saw her in her restless state, but he heard the whispers of his House-Elves relay the information to him in their broken elvish vernacular.
The only thing that brought her any sliver joy was her daily walks into the rose gardens behind the Manor. She'd always go alone, an Lucius watched as she fell into a mindless trance as she'd run her fingers through the petals of the blooms, water the bushes and prune the loose odds and ends of the stems.
And always alone.
Lucius was left to lay in his bed and nap in the afternoons.
Always alone.
In time he grew to hate the roses. Almost as much as he hated the rain.
It was raining that afternoon. It had often worried Lucius that his wife had not stopped her daily afternoon ritual in the dreary days of spring. He worried she'd catch a cold, but talking to her proved fruitless- she appeared to stonewall him, nodding along to his warnings and saying "yes darling" and "I'll be careful". Lucius knew those words to be meaningless and always were ignored.
Lucius lay in bed, anxiously listening for her footsteps in the hallway to walk up to her bedroom.
When he heard them, could not help but remain on guard. Something was different about the way she walked today, and he couldn't put a finger on it. Lucius had risen from his bed and as he walked down the corridor with a small candle in his hand, he noticed a peculiar smell coming from his wife's bedroom. She did like to light her scented candles and the smells of their perfumed wax were often quite strong. It was likely nothing just the burning candles, he thought to himself as he went to do his business, however upon his return he smelled a distinct burning that was unlike the familiar perfumes of lavender and sandalwood.
His heart pace quickened and he ran to her room and began to pull on the knob nervously shouting «Narcissa? Cissy!» Finally, wand out of his pocket, he swung open the door and noticed his dear wife amidst the flames. The entire room was smoking and her silken bed had gone ablaze.
He grabbed his wife by the hand and pulled her away from the heat, gently whispering, «Oh dear Cissy, you must have forgotten to take your wet slip off from the mantle!»
Gently scooping her up in her arms, he struggled to lift her from the ground and out the door into the corridor. She hung loose in his grasp like a bundle of fabric, soaking wet from the rain in her thick robes and coughing furiously.
«I"ll call up the elves to open the windows once I disperse of the flames.» Here Lucius lifted his wand and pointed it to the window, and finally his dear Cissy croaked out, «No.»
«Let me put you in the library-»
«No.»
«No?»
«Don't.» Cissy's eyes welled up wig tears and she hung her head over his arms, slipping out like a rag doll-so thin and frail.
«You are unwell...let me take care of you,» Lucius said firmly, his voice shaking despite his resolve.
He practically dragged her out of the room, stopping in the corridor to call for his elves to come to his aid. He lowered Cissy onto the carpet and then pointed his wand to the mantle, removing the evidence of the accident.
«Go... please...» Cissy all but whimpered behind him.
With all remaining conviction, Lucius said, «You are my wife.» That had to stand for something.
Her condition being more dire than he expected, Lucius picked her up decisively and carried her down to the guest bedroom where he put her on the bed, and ordered the elves to open the windows and bring her a small glass of ratafia for her nerves. She spluttered and spat before he could force her to drink but a few drops of the liquid and then sat by her bedside, patting her forehead with a damp, cool cloth.
Suddenly so small and helpless, and though he had once been in charge of large-scale war operations, Lucius felt at that moment like he couldn't do anything at all to help his wife but mutter that she will be alright and wipe away the sweat from her forehead like an incompetent fool.
The night was the longest in his life with elves continuing their prattling, saying «Missy this» and «Missy that», carrying various potions to and from the room and all in vain. Cissy refused to drink and when she did, let the liquid trickle from her lips and down her cheeks.
By light of the morning, Lucius startled himself awake at her side, her hand still in his, but now cold and limp and her eyes were left staring into space. He knew this would happen, in a way, he felt relieved it had happened so quickly. Narcissa had been unwell for so long that her death felt more like a relief than a consequence.
He hoped, selfishly that she would gaze at him in her final moments. After all, they had been married and although not always happily, they had a beautiful son they cherished and loved. But her gaze was fixed on a painting of a field of red roses on the wall and her face in a perpetual frown, like the roses had been her undoing. And it felt like a dark spell had struck him to his heart. His Cissy had once loved roses, loved her garden, but with passing years, the rose garden on the Manor grounds seemed the only thing that brought her joy. Lucius knew he shouldn't have been jealous that the flowers saw more affection from his wife than he did, but he couldn't help himself.
Releasing her hand, Lucius rose from the bed, all dreary eyed and awake, as though he was in a sedated haze and left the room. Shutting the door behind him, he stared off into the window across the hall into the sunrise and called his House-Elf Twinkle to him.
«Master Malfoy wish for final arrangement for Missy?» twinkle whispered.
Lucius parted his lips. «Yes. But first, I need you to come to the gardens with me.»
That was the last day Master Malfoy visited his roses gardens and the last day he opened the Manor's gates for any visitors. The Manor sulked and had all but collapsed in agony, but Lucius' resolve was firm. He wished to be left alone.
He secluded himself in isolation, only occasionally sending out cheques to various charitable foundations and assisting in war rehabilitation efforts. It seemed moot that he should do anything to improve the condition of his home since the only use that came from it was the address on the back of the envelopes Lucius penned out and sent by owl to his beneficiaries.
It took Lucius little to no effort to quill out the cheques and matching letters. No charity bothered replying, taking advantage of the infamous Malfoy wealth with silent gratitude. But occasionally, one or another secretary would write back with a standard, curt thank you note. After all, money given freely was money and did not guarantee friendship. Nobody bothered to inquire how Lucius Malfoy was doing or on his state of affairs and his condition.
But one such letter surprised Lucius. It read:
Dear Mr. Malfoy,
Thank you kindly for your generous donation to the foundation of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Father and I will certainly put it to good use during our trip this summer to Sweden to save two calves held in captivity. I wish to express my condolences for the passing of your wife. Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult events that one can experience and I hope you are doing well.
Sincerely,
Miss Luna Lovegood
Lucius stared at the letter in disbelief. He didn't remember sending any galleons to that particular foundation. In truth, he sent out so many donations, he could barely keep count. And then a faint smile crossed his lips. Dear. She called him dear. Nobody had called him dear in many years, naught but his own grandmother many decades ago and his wife during their first decade of marriage before her condition worsened. That and she inquired on his condition and feelings-which was much more than anyone else had done. In his pleasant state of shock and mild amusement, he quickly composed a response and sent it by owl.
Dear Miss Lovegood,
Thank you for your kind words regarding the passing of the late Mrs. Malfoy and inquiry on my condition. I am doing better with each passing day.
It pleases me to know my galleons have gone into good hands. Two calves in captivity that you plan to rescue? You are far braver than I am and I wish you luck in your endeavors. Do let me know the result of your operation.
With much curiosity,
Lucius Malfoy
The response came back four weeks later:
Dear Lucius Malfoy,
We have just returned back from Sweden and have brought the calves with us. You'll be pleased to know your donation funded all the equipment and special documents required to release them from captivity of the zoo. They are currently resting in our yard, tended to by me and father and receive plenty of milk formula and belly rubs. The poor creatures were struggling to even come out of their carrier the first few days. What a long way a bit of patience and kindness goes.
I have attached a small lock of their fur from a hair trim in a vial for a keepsake of this moment. Did you know their fur is meant to bring health and prosperity?
You, I believe, are quite fond of animals yourself (peacocks if I recall)?
Truly interested,
Miss Lovegood
Lucius removed the tiny vial attached to Luna's owl's foot and examined the soft fur inside it. He would keep it in his library in his glass cabinet filled with curiosities. It only seemed appropriate. And he responded with:
My dear Miss Lovegood,
What a sharp memory you have. And what a unique gift. I will certainly add it to my collection. I had once enjoyed collecting such souvenirs on my many travels.
Unfortunately, I have not had any peacocks on my grounds for many years. They were the late Mrs. Malfoy's favorites. I don't believe I possess the patience and kindness for their upkeep, the patience that appears so natural to you. But if I can help one with more aptitude than I with a charitable donation, I consider myself just as much a benefactor to their improved condition.
Are there other animals in your care at the moment?
With affection and regard,
Mr. Malfoy
And like that, the strange letter exchange with Miss Lovegood continued on and on, with one letter leading to the next and so on and so forth. By the end of the year, Lucius had a large stack of them laying in a box on his writing desk.
Always chaste and lively, the letters had seemed to come by owl at the most appropriate times to Lucius and made his waking hours tolerable and even...joyful. Miss Lovegood would include a keepsake of one kind or another in each one and Lucius would add them to the glass cabinet in his library that was once filled with dark curiosities, but now contained little dried flowers and pebbles and woven bracelets with charms. So strangely endearing and pleasant to the man who had once only valued that which cost half the contents of his wallet.
The little keepsakes made living in the ruined ramshackle manor all that livelier. Lucius dared say that the house itself felt the presence of these little trinkets and seemed to perk up at their appearance not only in the glass cabinets but on the tables and counters on even on Mr. Malfoy's bedside table. One particular keepsake was a pressed flower Luna had sent him from her garden and was meant to ward off any of the nightmares Lucius once mentioned in his letters. Whether it was wishful thinking or the letter, Lucius did not know, but the flower did help him sleep more soundly.
He began to imagine that if the little keepsakes improved the manor, what having a new mistress in the house would do to its condition. The Wiltshire manor was centuries old and a real historical building that was the pride and joy of the Malfoy family for many generations dating as far back as the medieval period. Lucius Malfoy needed to find a mistress to tend to the manor once more. Since he was a recluse and hardly ventured out much, he was not entirely sure where he would find such a woman. But the more he corresponded with Miss Lovegood, the more starkly the brilliant idea had begun to weave in his head without his own knowledge until the creature suddenly grew feathers and wings and flew right into his vision.
Luna Lovegood had never thought much about the letters she penned day in and day out. Between her studies at home and her care for the magical creatures in her menagerie, and helping with her Papa's writing for the Quibbler, she was happy to have a hobby that allowed her to stay in touch with the outside world and hone her love for writing.
Before, she was considered a recluse and an oddball, especially during her school days at Hogwarts. She could only fantasize about having at least one consistent friend with whom she could talk to but once a week. In her daily life, her peers hardly approached her and she spent her days on the castle grounds talking to the magical animals and helping the school groundskeeper Hagrid with many little odd jobs. The only person she'd stayed in touch with was her friend Neville who had studied Herbology after completion of his studies and would often exchange interesting studies and books with her.
Now that she was a hero of the war, many recipients of her letters were at least polite enough to send Luna a thank you note in reply and inquire on her and Papa's condition. It pleased her to think she might have penpal friends in every corner of magical Europe and even the US. But still, it would have been special to call one of those pals a true friend, someone she could count on.
While most of her letters were submissions of her academic findings to various journals, replies to contests in her subscriptions and correspondence with her father's clients (her father being the head publisher of an independent journal titled The Quibbler), only few letters led to a constant dialogue beyond «Thank you and hope to stay in touch with you soon» only to never be heard from again.
And one such dialogue was from none other than Lucius Malfoy.
Luna did not know him personally before, and her few times in his presence had been murky and unpleasant and left an odd taste in her throat. She was surprised that he was so gracious in communication, and so polite and punctual with his replies. It almost made her wonder whether the Lucius from her past and the Lucius in her letters were two entirely different men altogether.
Nevertheless, her chaste communication continued for a year over which they both told each other about things they hadn't told anyone else. He told her about his days as a school boy and she confessed to him about her mother who passed in an unfortunate experimenting accident. He told her about his wife and their decaying relationship and she told him about her many failed dating endeavors. There were some laughs and many insightful pieces of advice from his end and uplifting quotes from hers, so much so that Luna thought that Lucius was becoming her friend.
But she couldn't be sure.
She tried to make friends before many times but each time ended in failure or the other party growing distant.
Besides knowing someone for real and knowing them through writing were two entirely different ways of knowing.
Besides, as she immersed herself in her studies to become a Magizoologist , her need for friendship transformed into a desire for more professional relationships-and those, she discovered, she was good at forming. Luna was a good listener and she could tell what people truly needed just out of a single encounter. She was willing to please, but able to set her standards just as well as any of her colleagues.
So Luna was little to say...surprised to read Lucius' latest letter which revealed a desire of his she could not predict in her wildest imagination.
Dear Miss Lovegood,
Thank you for your latest photographs of the Australian Pygmy Puffs. What an exciting subspecies you were able to encounter and document. It does not surprise me that they are far larger than their British counterparts and reproduce much more frequently.
I admit all of your letters have awoken in me a desire to travel the world as I had in my youth as boy with my parents. Perhaps the world has changed much since then.
I hope that I am not making any vast assumptions when I say that your menagerie of rescued creatures has grown quite large -much larger than you have originally expected. I myself have no need for such a large property at the moment as I am considering traveling outside the realms of magical Europe. So, I would like to propose a mutually beneficial deal that will likely interest you.
My home, the Wiltshire Manor, requires a new mistress that would aid in its upkeep. Since this job has previously fallen on the last Mrs. Malfoy, who is no longer with us, I am in need of a new keeper of the manor who can liven up the place with a special touch. I believe that you would do a splendid job in converting it into a sanctuary for your many fantastical beasts.
In return for your help with the manor, I am willing to offer you free lodging, anything you require for your own upkeep and of course, all costs of raising the creatures would be my courtesy. I think it is time your charitable foundation found its new base and I am happy to provide my manor to your care.
If you are free to visit and look at the manor in more detail to see if it is suitable for your endeavors, you are welcome to visit at your next convenience. I will be certain to provide you with a chaperone to ensure your comfort and I will ask my elves to prepare a room for your stay.
Yours,
Mr. Malfoy
She set the letter on top of the growing pile of letters on her desk with every intention of replying to it as soon as she sorted through the vast majority of other mail on her desk. But as it often happened with Luna, she got lost in creating a new bed for one of her rescued Thestral calves, then took to warming up milk for the Hippogriff babies and then a hundred other little tasks took up her time and attention.
She hardly noticed that two weeks went by and she hadn't replied to Mr Malfoy's invitation. Of course, this offer to use the manor for a new lodging was generous and Luna would have been foolish to not accept it. Her dear papa was growing quite old and he did not appreciate the noise created by all the magical beasts in his home and yard. Luna needed a place to keep the animals out of harm's way.
The Wiltshire Manor was just the place.
Rumor had it that the manor was haunted and had a dark aura about it. None failed to venture that deep into Wiltshire to risk encountering traces of very dark and ancient magic or upset some old Malfoy spirits on the grounds.
Of course, Luna hardly believed in such things until she saw them with her own eyes and felt them with her own presence. Mr Malfoy's letters held no dark magic that she felt could harm her. In fact, they made her feel warm and comfortable, like curling up by the campfire on a cold winter's night.
She did not see any reason Mr Malfoy would be tricking her. He was at worst lonely and sad man who was looking for a friend since the passing of his late wife.
His deal was beneficial for them both. The manor needed a mistress. But Luna doubted she would be able to be the one to bring it back to its original state.
Of course, she was well versed in running a household. Since her mother passed when she was young, Luna had taken care of herself and Papa and run the house when he was out working and writing into the wee hours of the night. But still, the manor was far larger than her house. She had never worked somewhere with Elves who tended to her every need. She was certainly sure she didn't want them to.
Perhaps this would be a learning experience for her. And it would be beneficial to the elves too. And Mr Malfoy. Employing creatures was a thing of the past, she was sure.
There was only one problem. Her Papa had much to say about the Malfoys and their terrible reputation (of their family and their home) and would be completely against her visit. This meant Luna could not tell him where she was going until she was completely certain she would be moving to live in the manor. And by then, she would have made it so warm and inviting, and her creatures would be so happy living in such a spacious countryside estate that her father would have no choice but to accept that she was now mistress of the Wiltshire Manor. Besides, Mr Malfoy would likely not even be in the manor at that point.
He did mention that he was not going to live in the Manor himself and would likely only visit it every once in a while to make certain it was in an acceptable state between his travels. She would make sure to keep the Manor in a more than acceptable state.
That is, if she decided to stay there. And it couldn't hurt to look, Luna decided.
She decided it would be best to leave on a weekend when Neville, her fellow friend and colleague would be coming to help her in the menagerie. She would leave Papa a note and Neville would take care of the creatures while she Floo'd herself to Wiltshire to see the manor for herself. She would only really take a few creatures with her to make certain they enjoyed the property and it was safe for them to live there.
It was a brilliant plan.
The morning her father left to on a visit with one of his latest subjects, she packed her trunk and after putting the note on the table, Luna threw a handful of Floo powder into the fireplace and stated «Malfoy Manor» in a poof of green flames she was gone.
Lucius lay in bed staring at the ceiling chandelier which had lost all its luster and crystals, contemplating his letter. He yawned and rubbed his eyes in a weak effort to rouse himself from slumber. Mornings always reminded him of the great variety of tasks he needed to do around the manor to keep it from falling apart. Literally.
He could have been in Venice now, floating lazily on a gondola with an espresso in hand or walking the streets of Cairo before the midday heat got to him, but he was here...in his crumbling manor.
And now that his brilliant plan had crumbled, he also had to search for a new mistress to revive the old building.
Foolish. he was foolish to assume Luna...Miss Lovegood would want his house for her endeavor. Had he really been so desperate and lonely that he all but begged her to come and save his ramshackle manor? She likely thought him a leery old man with secondary intentions, which he actually did not have and could not possibly have for any woman. After all, Narcissa was his only true love and first wife.
He thought not, proudly deducing that his letter was polite and firm and showing no indication his feelings would be hurt had she declined his generous offer.
And it was a generous offer. Lucius knew that the Lovegoods did not struggle financially, but Xenophilius hardly had the budget from his independent flyer business...err, magazine company to fund his daughters obsession with the magical beasts she loved so dearly.
Part of Lucius was also unsure if he would be happy having so many creatures in his home, even just the idea of it. He loved the menagerie of peacocks back in the day, but if the number of creatures in his possession quadrupled in a fortnight, he was not sure he'd enjoy the stench and the noise and bruit that resulted. Peacocks were loud and beautiful creatures. But ultimately-loud and cocky. Merlin knew what those other animals would be like in such near vicinity.
Now he would never know because Luna declined the offer.
Now he'd have to find a new mistress for the house which meant the past year of commutation with Miss Lovegood was a waste of time.
And she was perfect. Simply perfect.
For the role of mistress, that is.
She was a recluse herself, young and impressionable and would likely not pester him with many demands that couldn't be solved by galleons and a few polite niceties on his end. Besides, her fondness for letter writing meant he could stay in touch as frequently as he desired to make sure affairs at the manor were going well.
He was roused awake by a tiny knock on the door.
«Come in,» he muttered and saw his little elf Twinkle push her tiny head through the crack in the door, «What is it now?»
«Master Malfoy have a visitor.»
Lucius glanced at the clock on the wall. «At six forty in the morning?»
«I tell little corn girl to go home?»
Little corn girl? Corn. Yellow hair. Who did he know that had yellow hair? Then Lucius eyes blinked rapidly. Hadn't Miss Lovegood written about her hair in her letters being golden blonde?
«Twinkle, Tell Miss Lovegood to wait in the drawing room. Go to the kitchens and send for morning tea. And by all means, do not allow her to roam the house until I am there.»
With Twinkle gone, Lucius jumped out of bed and tore open his closet doors, pulling out his better dress shirt, morning vest and cravat and his over-robes. They had all been black of course to commemorate his wife, but it just so happened the shade suited him perfectly well. Next was his hair which he groomed into sleek long waves over his back and tied with a ribbon. He spent only what appeared to be a few minutes dressing and managed to look stellar. Those were the Malfoy good looks that he was glad to have on his worst days.
Walking cane in hand, he made his slow descent into the drawing room only to be met tete a tete with a large pair of odd shaped colored Spectrospecs and a girl dressed in what can be called nothing else but a corn dress. And yes, to approve of elvish vernacular, it was indeed a dress with giant yellow corn cobs drawn on the front and underneath was a pair of slender legs in pale green stockings with thick soled blue shoes. Lucius had seen the woman in passing before but here she appeared to him in a most spectacular sort of fashion that had never seen before. In his dark and bleak drawing room, she stood out starkly like a gem in a cave, all glowing and golden haired with a light dusting of Floo powder around her and the carpet.
"Mr Malfoy?» she asked quietly, removing the glasses to reveal two of the biggest silver eyes Lucius had ever seen in his life. He'd almost forgotten she was referring to him until she extended her hand and he hesitantly shook it, though he was in a dream.
«I trust your journey was good?» Mr Malfoy said in a controlled tone, hiding the obvious shock from her arrival.
«Splendid actually, very splendid. Did I wake you?»
«Cauldron no,» Lucius waved his hand in a laissez-faire fashion, «There is no greater pleasure than hosting at the rise of the sun on such a fine morning.»
Lucius had almost forgotten how startled he was at her appearance when she smiled at him and her eyes lit up brightly, though with a hint of caution, then her gaze threated to be overturned into a pout as she said in a wispy voice, «Oh no. You were sleeping.»
«I assure you that isn't the case. I never sleep past five.»
«Yes, it is. You've got Nargles in your hair,» she replied calmly but firmly. And Lucius, who did not like being shown his bluff, least not by the young woman he was supposed to tell how to run his household, swatted instinctively at his hair, then pulled a roman smile.
«Nargles? Cauldron, Miss Lovegood. Where would I be without your attentive eye? Will tea subdue them?»
She scrunched up her nose. «Perhaps not. But I do have some spray at home I could bring next time.»
«Excellent. Still, I cannot allow you to be parched at ten to seven in the morning because the abominable things decided to take root in my follicles." Lucius stepped out of the way, gesturing for her to follow and hesitantly she did.
They sat in the drawing room while Twinkle pattered over with the last of the warmed scones and strawberry jam the taste of which made Lucius' mouth shrivel. The gardens and grounds of the Manor had once housed many delicious berries, but all of that had gone to waste after Narcissa's passing. Either Miss Lovegood was very polite or had no tastebuds, but she ate her scone with a gentle smearing of the jam without change in her expression and in complete silence.
«You dislike the jam,» Lucius remarked. «I will have the elf bring an older canned marmalade from the stores for you.»
He snapped his fingers and in an instant, Twinkle appeared ready to take command and charge.
«It's not that.» Luna chewed slowly, blotting her lips in a pensive expressing after she swallowed the minuscule bite.
«No marmalade then,» Lucius prompted. «Then it is the scone that isn't to your liking. I'll have the sugar biscuits.»
«The scones are perfectly fine.»
«Then what, Cauldron tell?»
«It is that I do not eat food prepared by House Elves,» she said slowly, making Twinkle shrink into the shadows.
«I can assure you that my elves have always been suitable cooks,» Lucius said, shooting a now quivering Twinkle an icy stare and mentally reminding himself that he must go to the kitchens today and ensure that just because the former Mrs Malfoy was no longer with them, it didn"t mean they could serve mediocre food to the guests of the Manor.
«Well I think it isn't right to force them to cook. after all, they aren"t servants, they"re creatures with their own right to choose to live how they desire.»
Lucius and Twinkle exchanged equally mortified glances. To not want to eat food prepared by the creatures was one thing but to assert that the very thing they were bred to do was going against their right to choose was a whole other can of slugs the blond wizard was not willing to open. Twinkle blinked at him with her big brown eyes and Luna, with her big grey ones-each waiting for his response. He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly and nodding along in what he hoped could only come across as feigned sympathy and agreement with his guest. This was the first of many decisions he'd have to make by going back over the things he swore on his grandfather's dead Pureblood bones.
«How right you are Miss Lovegood. And this is precisely why I so require your help with bringing this Manor back to its rightful state.»
«What is your name,» she asked leaning down.
«Twinkle,» Lucius said confidently, but Miss Lovegood appeared to ignore him, her question directed entirely at the quivering , gnarly creature. It looked at Lucius, as though waiting for approval, but Lucius was just at shocked that his own (usually dominant) reply was simply brushed aside.
«T-t-twinkle , missy.» the elf finally replied, exhaling deeply.
«Twinkle! « The young woman's eyes sparked and lit up so prettily. «That is a beautiful name.»
This is?»
«You are a very obedient elf,» Luna said giving it a pat on the head. «So you will let poor Twinkle go?»
Lucius blubbered, finally allowed to reply. «Into the wild?»
Twinkle"s toes curled up.
«Into the Manor.»
«Is that not precisely where you did not want Twinkle?»
«Well I do want her here. In her own separate room. Maybe we can make her a little bed and her own wardrobe. I"m sure she"ll want some of her own clothes besides those old rags on her now.»
Lucius nodded very quickly and reminded himself that she had indeed travelled by Floo to see him and the house meaning there was a very evident chance she was going to agree to his proposal. And by all means necessary, at that moment decided he would still try and convince her to stay in the manor after all.
Hand on his heart, «That is a simply brilliant idea. I will make certain that Twinkle has her very own room in the Manor and order for her a new little elf sized wardrobe straight from Malkins.»
This sent the house elf into hysterics. She clung onto Lucius"s feet and begged «Please Master Lucius, no leaving Twinkle with no job. No leaving!»
Luna left the cup and kneeled on the floor. «Oh nobody is leaving you Twinkle. I want to make you happy!»
«I is happy! You is bad corn girl. BAD!» Twinkle spat. «Go home corn girl and leave Twinkle.»
Lucius" expression darkened. «Now, you will speak to Miss Lovegood with respect. You hear me.»
«Master- why?»
Lucius scrambled for words. He had face-offs with many men and women before, but never with a hysterical house elf. He looked at a wide eyed Miss Lovegood and hit Twinkle with the best counter argument he could muster up in milliseconds. «Because I am not your Master anymore. You will now belong to Miss Lovegood.»
«Missy Corn-»
«-Miss LOVEgood. And as she is going to be the mistress of the Wiltshire Manor, you must treat her word with respect. And if she says you are to have your own room and wardrobe than so be it!»
Twinkle"s grip did loosen off his pants and she hobbled over hesitantly to Missy Lovegood. She gave Twinkle a pat on the head and whispered a few niceties in her ear that seemed to calm the creature down after which Twinkle scurried away into the corridor.
«Whatever did you tell her?» Lucius asked.
«Only that she needn"t use the wardrobe unless she really wanted to and that I could relook giving her her own room if she is careful enough not to dress me or wait on me without my consent.»
Lucius nodded, smiling. «That is a very clever suggestion, though you needn"t have made the thing stress so much if you weren"t going to follow through.»
«Elves need some firmness before they listen. Must be in their bred nature. But with a little coaxing they come to enjoy relaxing and being free and nature and even wearing clothing,» she said dreamily before she stood to brush off her dress from the Floo soot. «Weren"t you going to show me your grounds?»
«Your wish is my command,» Lucius replied, gallantly gesturing to the door in an „after you" fashion.
The two walked down the hallways and through to the back door that led to the massive grounds of the Manor. In the middle was a green maze separating the four corners of the courtyard and of course, there were paths leading to the orchard and the rose gardens. Before, there had been many peacocks that graced these pathways, beautiful and white with large intelligent eyes, only now after Narcissa's death most had flown off or been caught by foxes. Lucius was too besought with grief to care much about the animals and it made him happy to know most had escaped unharmed into the wilderness.
Luna was very silent throughout the walk and appeared rather disinterested. Lucius had been briefly acquainted with her before, but he had never actually seen her up so close. The young woman had very pale skin and strikingly blonde hair, much like the strands of his former wife"s. Only Narcissa always had an intent and focused air about her, like she was always one step ahead and her mind lingering either in the past or in the future. Miss Lovegood on the other hand looked like she had no other care in the world and there was nowhere else she"d rather have been than on this solitary walk through this old and dreadful manor Lucius was surprised she"d once again set foot in.
Luna noticed that Lucius had been quite stiff during their entire encounter and walk towards the gardens. She of course could not judge him, he had been through a lot in the past year. It occurred to her that it might pain him to see his home so disheveled and though he didn't outright express it, she imagined he was embarrassed of what the Malfoy Manor had become after the end of the great war.
It would take much more than a cosmetic fix to bring the entire building to life again. Of course, Luna had some ideas, but she still wasn't sure if she could really be the mistress of Malfoy Manor. After all, the Malfoys were known to be rather dark wizards and she herself was...well...the opposite. But a change in atmosphere might be exactly what Mr Malfoy would like.
As they rounded the corner of the long hedge maze and stepped into the herb garden, Mr Malfoy slowed his walk so she could get a good look at all the different herbs that had likely been grown on the premises some time ago. Of course, there were not many now, but little imprints of elf hands and feet were seen about the basil and oregano plants. She supposed Mr Malfoy had a taste for Italian foods, as he had mentioned in his letters.
« I must admit I had not been entirely myself earlier,» her host began in a low voice. «I am delighted to see you, but I admit your sudden appearance in my drawing room without a reply to my letter did leave me little time to make my home-» he paused. «Presentable.»
Luna gazed up at him from the oregano, «Isn"t that why I"m here?»
«I beg your pardon-»
«To help make the Wiltshire Manor to my creatures" liking.»
«Quite right.»
«I am sorry I didn"t send my reply by owl. I had every intention of doing so. I admit I had lost your letter.»
Now it was Lucius" turn to stare. «You lost ...my letter?»
«Under a pile of other letters.» She briefly mentioned her father's business and her many academic transcriptions taking up her writing desk space, but it did not change the look of mild shock on the man"s face. She added, «Admittedly, I was in a rush to Floo here. I am not sure Papa would have taken well to me being at the Manor without my full intent to stay here as the mistress...and explaining the logistics to him would have taken too long. Papa prefers the heavy truth in doses.»
«I admit, this puts me in a poor state as your host.» Mr Malfoy began. «I had every intention of asking for a female chaperone from one of my acquaintances to come and make you feel more comfortable.»
Luna blinked at him, a doe-like innocence in her expression. «As long as there are no Hinkypunks, I"ll be just fine.»
«I will personally make certain there is not a Hinkypunk in sight.»
«Wonderful!»
«But there are things far worse than Hinkypunks that might harm your reputation.»
«What could be more troublesome than a Hinkypuff? Oh.» She said frankly and matter of factly, «because I am woman half your age alone in a home in the middle of the English countryside with a man who is twice as old as I .»
«I prefer the term «well aged».»
«Moreover a gentleman,» She added calmly.
«What a pretty portrait you make of me Miss Lovegood,» he smiled.
«As I would of anyone who takes Hinkypunk kidnappings seriously,» she said sweetly. «Well then, let me try something.»
Lucius nodded and Luna withdrew her wand, waving it over the garden. She had learned quite a few botanical charms from her friend Neville who was now a very experienced Herbology professor and used them to lift a few of the wilted rosemary, thyme and sage patches to life. She then conjured up a few of the older posts and signs to separate the patches and lifted some stepping stones from the ground. With another wave, some colorful trinkets appeared all around the grounds: miniature glass mushrooms and mosaic birds and even a scraggly looking scarecrow wearing a tweed pink suit with a matching pink bonnet. No one could say Luna Lovegood had no sense of humour.
Standing back to watch her work, he became aware Luna was watching him intently. «Is it too much?»
«Perfect.» Lucius replied. And he meant it. Luna would be the perfect Mistress to Malfoy Manor while he was away on his many distant travels. He wouldn't have to worry about a thing. And if he was lucky, he would never have to step foot in England ever again.
«I didn't want to add too much on my first try.»
«You'll find that too much is not a word in my vocabulary,» Lucius said a touch too confidently leading her to the other parts of the grounds.
They walked around the orchard and towards the tiny greenhouse where Luna took many notes with a strawberry pen in a tiny notepad and tried a few spells here and there to begin to clear up some of the fallen branches. Already in full flavor of her new changes, Luna gripped Lucius" arm in excitement and said, «I have so much planned! The Thestrals would love a pond in the shade of the courtyard and of course, the crups would love a few kennels out back and...and...I"d need more space but perhaps...and I have a special thing planned for the rose gardens-»
And that"s where his arm grew stiff indeed.
«You are not to touch the rose gardens,» he barked in a voice he did not recognize.
Luna unhanded him, taking a big step back, but looked agreeable. Luckily it was noon. They both hardly noticed that it was already lunch time. Silently, they walked back to the manor.
Lunch was eaten in the small dining room, Lucius did not use the main dining room anymore for...reasons. He still felt chills as he sat at the long table in those stiff, hardwood chairs with the fireplace blazing behind him. Miss Lovegood insisted that she prepare lunch since the elves should not be tasked with such work and besides, she was a good cook (she was).
But now, the small dining had a tense atmosphere about it.
«I would ask you not to change my rose gardens,» Lucius said finally as he finished his finger sandwiches.
«But why?»
«Kindly.» He repeated, more firmly and solemnly.
Luna dabbed the corner of her mouth. Lucius noticed that she did most things very slowly but with a firm intention. She argued not, but continued to eat in very comfortable silence.
«Do pass the salt,» she asked finally.
Anything more?»
«I am beginning to feel tired,» she said.
Lucius agreed, he himself being a great supporter of the afternoon siesta. Of course, he had half a brain to not send Twinkle to lay the bed. Cauldron knows what sorts of reactions it would cause in Miss Lovegood since she had disliked the Elf serving her tea previously.
«Then I will...» Lucius said slowly, « ...allow you to prepare yourself a room?»
«Oh, but I don"t know where all the sheets are.»
«Of course,» Lucius cursed himself out stupidly. «Then I will prepare one for you myself. Your lowly servant.»
"That would be wonderful, thank you."
This pleased Luna and she continued on with her dessert, a strawberry shortcake, as Lucius mounted the stairs. And only halfway up he cursed himself out, again, what the devil had become of him? He"d never once made a bed. He only slept in them. He wasn't even sure what the main components of making up a bed were.
He roamed the halls in search for the linen room, surely there had to be a space for the sheets, opening up doors he hadn't touched in years in the process. Finally finding it, his eyes glazed over the hundreds of sheets in various shades of white and cream and grey. Of course, he was sure Miss Lovegood wouldn"t mind if her sheets were cream-puff cream or coffee-cream colored-she"d likely not know the distinction-but Lucius would. He cursed himself out for not asking the elves to keep track of the organization on the room. Narcissa had been the one to run the household and she would have known exactly where everything was. Although now it would be Luna"s job and that was fine by him.
As he took the correct colors up to the guest room, he realized his second problem as that he had no idea which part went where. In a mad tizzy of magic he began to tuck in one corner of a sheet under the mattress and the other...wait, was that not the corner of anouther piece? And why did it have a button on it? By Cauldron, was the button supposed to attach somewhere?
He glanced again and noticed the button was gone. In a flash on fur, Lucius could have sworn there was something in the room with him, something stealing the buttons off his bedding. Then again, he felt a tugging at the other corner of the sheet and again, a button had snapped off here too?
«What the Cauldron is this?» Lucius cursed flapping his hands around a now moving bulge under the bedding.
He hardly had a moment to cup his hand around it when a tugging sent him flying to the floor. In a mad fit, he screamed sending Miss Lovegood and a terrified Twinkle upstairs.
«Master Malfoy?»
«Something has got my leg!» Lucius whipped out his wand and aimed it on his ankle, when Luna dove forward and snatched the wood from his hand landing on his stomach.
«Oh dear, I forgot to warn you about the Nifflers.»
Lucius" eyes darkened. «Nifflers?»
«I couldn"t leave them with papa or Neville, they"re much too young and need to be looked after at all costs.»
«Cauldron damn."
Luna pressed herself up and rolled onto the carpet to gaze under the bed and sure enough, her two baby Nifflers: Pop and Pippin gazed up at her shivering. «Look at you two. Taking trinkets in our pockets are we?»
They were both little brown things with the sweetest and most mischievous eyes. But of course, Lucius did not know that. He certainly did not look like he knew that by the way he was glaring daggers at them.
She scooped them both up, squirming and asked Twinkle to fetch their case from the front hallway. As the elf went down, Luna held them upside down and shook them and Lucius watched in surprise as dozens of other shiny items fell out along with the buttons.
«I"m happy they are safe and sound,» Lucius looked anything but please , picking up himself from the tangle of sheets he looked like the gentleman he presented himself to be in his letters. But she couldn't be sure. I mean he practically was in infested with flying Hinkypuffs about his light hair and those always came about when one was not telling the truth.
Luna thought about gently pointing it out, but kept her mouth shut.
«I think I can take it from here. Sorry to have caused you trouble,» Luna said, before gently guiding him to the door and shutting it behind her and exhaling.
Despite what he said and did, Lucius Malfoy was upset. Then again Luna had never been particularly good at predicting people's emotions. She was so excited to see the Manor where all her magic creatures could finally have the space to be free. The way Mr Malfoy wrote his letters, with such ample curiosity and concern for her fantastic beasts she was sure that he felt the very same way.
Luna would have never stepped foot in the Manor had she known Mr Malfoy would react to her darling little Nifflers as he had: rolling about the floor in such an unbecoming Manor and prying the creatures off of him as though they were attacking him. Those little babies just wanted to play, and to toy with all of the trinkets on his neck and his robes and certainly meant no harm.
Luna was beginning to think her father had been right all along and coming to the Wiltshire Manor was a mistake.
With a heavy heart, she sat on the messy bed sheets and watched as Pop and Pippin weaved their way around her legs and in and out of the bed frame.
Just then, Twinkle the House-elf poked her head into the room. Truthfully, she had spent the morning thinking of all sorts of nasty things she would do to Missy Corn Girl to drive her out of the Manor and return to her beloved Master again. But when she say her Missy in such a sunken state, her little elf heart did skip a beat and her tune played differently.
«Missy Lovegood would likes a warm bath?» Twinkle asked hopefully.
Luna shook her head. She imagined leaving the room and Pop and Pippin getting up to more mischief in her absence. From now on, she"d have to keep an extra close eye on them. «I"m good enough, thank you Twinkle.»
Twinkle"s head twitched. She jumped to the bedpost and began to hit her head on the wooden post saying, «No, no, no!» until Luna grabbed her by the waist and yanked her off, setting her down on the floor.
«Stop that!»
«N-nobody had ever thanked Twinkle before! Twinkle must punish herselfs.»
«You will do no such thing!» Luna cried. «Or else I"ll tell Master Malfoy you are damaging his fine furniture and he will be very cross with you indeed.»
This unshakable argument did make Twinkle reevaluate and she slumped down on the floor.
«But there is one thing I"d like you to do,» Luna asked.