DISCLAIMER: HP belongs to JKR. The storyline and all new characters, new character development, new developments are my intellectual property.

Lucius and Real Life

He had forgotten about all the friends, their children, and their affiliations. So many things had happened in such a few days that he had lost perspective. Many were gone, traveling to their continent properties, taking their families for the summer months, and it had been easy. But it would change when everyone was back.

He had not been here at wirk in two weeks, although it felt as if two years had gone by. He smirked happily thinking how much better he was without the Dark Mark. His nightmares had gone away. And sleeping better, he had more energy in the morning. Well until the last three days worrying about the children.

He inwardly smiled at the thought that Rabastan, and probably Rodolphus had been playing with the young witch. His Mark had been touched a few times, and not once had he felt anything but wellbeing spring forth from what was once something so vile and wicked.

He would need to remember with Cissy who had decided to give a lot of oral attention His Mark. At least nobody knew who was doing what. But he needed to discuss it at the meeting. The Mark could be used to communicate with the ones who had it.

Back to business-

He wasn't going to do what he needed to get done if he wasn't focused on the tasks at hand. He was going to make sure to leave all his instructions with those most capable. He considered Davies as a suitable proxy, maybe; he wasn't sure. Ideally, he would've preferred to have Theo Sr. at the helm in his stead, but Theo wasn't an option.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to see who was waiting at his office waiting room.

"Oh no, triple bollocks," he murmured. No aggravations today, please Salazar, an easier day for a change?

Yaxley, Cissy's and also Evan's cousin, and, oh no, Avery, sat at the waiting room waiting for him.

Lucius felt the beginnings of a monstrous headache building behind his eyes. He sent a plaintive missive to Merlin: Now what? What could these two arses want?

He wanted to rub his temples, to massage away the dull throb that pulsed underneath his skin. If he did, that would convey weakness. Lucius Malfoy wasn't weak. Instead, he waved at his secretary, Miss Schneider, and told her to fetch him a headache potion.

The girl was a recent Hogwarts graduate and was very afraid of his wicked temper, but, she knew to hurry. She collected the potion, the glass of water, the slice of lemon, a chocolate biscuit, and knew enough to forgo a small bag of ice for his head.

Without breaking his stride, he motioned for Yaxley and Avery to follow him into his private office. To his secretary, he called out once more, "Miss Schneider, bring them a cup of tea, or coffee, please tell her how you take it while I sit."

He felt as if a knife was going through the eye; at least Schneider would assemble a tray quickly and efficiently.

He assessed the two wizards arriving at his office to seek him, Lucius put his documents inside the desk, and locked them with a protection ward.

He sat at his desk and unabashedly appraised each of the wizards in front of him. Avery was Sirius age, Yaxley was a little older. They were both hot-headed bigots, both inclined to kill on sight, and shared a hatred of Muggle-kind. He was clearly smarter and cleverer than them, but it didn't mean he could let down his guard or become over-confident. He would need to move carefully around these two; there wouldn't be any converting these two.

"Yes, Avery was beaten up rather badly. He had to go to Mungo's. An undetermined animal bit him. He was full of little punctures, scratches, and bruises on his bum. He cannot sit well." Yaxley told him, as a way to explain the physical state of the man seated next to him.

"Or a hungry and domineering witch," Lucius smirked, his sexual innuendo deliberate and salacious. Privately, he gave credit for Avery's comeuppance, to a little angry Veela and his future bride-to be. He could still see Draco's little fangs. The remaining pain was due to the fact that the healers didn't know Veela bites could take a while healing. He wanted to guffaw remembering the angry Pixies.

Avery laughed, clearly relishing what Lucius insinuated. "I wish! My wife is colder than a glacier. I wish she was like your Cissy."

Lucius tensed. He didn't like references to his wife, and definitely not one with sexual innuendo. His inner-Veela was very possessive and most assuredly protective. Should anyone slight his Narcissa, his Veela would manifest. Merlin wouldn't be able to help the poor sod who harmed, in any way, shape, or form, Narcissa.

Lucius stood and walked around his desk. He crossed his arms and leaned against the well-polished top. As much as he wanted them out his office, he also needed to know why they had descended upon him.

The arrival of Miss Schneider and the consumption of cups of coffee and tea revealed nothing new. Avery and Yaxley had wanted to discuss a series of investments. From there, the conversation transitioned to talk about the rumors they had heard about the Dark Lord. For the umpteenth time, they proposed to Lucius to keep Voldemort's torch burning bright. They even intimated that Lucius should be the Dark Lord in the interim.

He put them off as best he could without arousing their suspicions. Two more and a half more days, and they, the Malfoy's and the Grangers, and those affiliated with them would be gone. He needed to buy enough time to ensure their escape. The two dunderheads in front of him were costing him valuable time; too bad that he couldn't afford to make them suspicious of him. It was a delicate balance; namely, hurry them out of his presence without making them feel unwelcome.

So caught up in his dual role that He nearly miss when the conversation suddenly took a deviation that he didn't anticipate.

Yaxley dropped the question that made his headache come back with a vengeance.

"Lucius do you remember Evan's girlfriend, Eleanor?"

"Evan, was he your cousin and also Narcissa's, the one who got killed, right? Rosier had so many girlfriends… I didn't pay attention to them all. Maybe Cissy would be able to recall better than I." Lucius feigned mild surprise.

He couldn't flat out deny that Evan Rosier had a social life that they shared, but he could do his best to muddy the waters, so to speak, by alluding to the man's various paramours rather than single out the one woman that Avery and Yaxley had deliberately alluded to. Well, it was hard to pretend because he had only seen him with Elly, damn.

"The chit who bore his children," Yaxley waved his hand as if he were pointing to the woman who he referred to. "Rosier's parents should be allowed to meet their grandchildren. It's only fair! Evan was an only child, and it kills me to see his mother and father so upset."

His distaste for the mother was evident in way he curled his lip in a snarl. "It would do Eleanor right if they took the children away, don't you think?" Yaxley's voice was full of poison.

Lucius didn't know Yaxley had been after Elly, and she turned him down, but to him it looked rather personal.

Lucius kept his face impassive. Internally, his thoughts churned. For little Frankie to be reared by people like the Rosier, who subsequently would offer him the child to Voldemort, would be a nightmare of epic proportions. All the magic for a monster like him, he could only imagine.

He again found himself struggling for a way to sway the men from their intentions without going to far so to cast any doubt about himself or his family; a family which now included Frankie, Evie, and their mother. Couldn't things get more complicated?

"It is hard to tell what happened to the chit, don't you agree? I will ask Cissy and check all around. Maybe she is hiding from the Order, who knows, who was the witch? Certainly a Rosier wouldn't see a Mudblood would he?" Lucius looked at his nails, checking an imaginary imperfection. He peeked out the corner of his eye. "How much do you know about her?"

Yaxley had a slight blush, "I, ehem, have seen her a few times. Taken her to eat to talk, it has been hard on her. She is part Muggle, but more than a Half-Blood. She is from America, but has lived here for a while. Evan would not have seen a Mudblood, he was better than that. And before you ask, she no longer lives at the same flat."

"Ah, so you like her romantically?" Lucius saw an entrance and took it.

"No, I don't. If I did is none of your business. This is not about me; it is about my uncle and aunt. They should know that they have two grandchildren. I met them; they already display great magical abilities." Lucius nearly choked in his lemony water.

"You don't say, I just thought," Lucius saw Avery smirking, good; he had planted a seed of doubt. "Maybe she left for America, maybe she is afraid for the children, I will ask around."

"Yaxley, Lucius has a point. She might be running scared from the Order. And I didn't know you were seeing her. I cannot blame you, she was a nice bird." Avery was observing his flustered friend.

"As I said, I will ask around, and if I find out, I will tell you. It is your call to tell your uncle but it would be cruel to create hopes; but it is of course your call. Now, please help me to pass the word around, in your perspective departments, that I will be going in a long trip with my wife and son, and my great grandfather Serpens and his wife. We will be celebrating his ninety-fifth birthday and his seventieth wedding anniversary." He smiled and they smiled back.

"Ah, Theo Nott is also gone until December, I haven't decided who will stay in charge, but it seems maybe Davies, or perhaps someone from the Australian division, not sure yet. I trust you two will hold your departments for me."

"Thanks Lucius, I think I will wait. Maybe, she went back to America. I will wait to hear from you. I think it is great you have one of your elders still around, enjoy them. And think about our idea, you would have our full support."

Finally, with all the imperiousness as befit Lucius Malfoy, Yaxley and Avery were escorted to the door and, in front of his secretary, promptly dismissed.

"Miss Schneider, bring me another pain potion, and a large glass of water with blocks of ice, make it fast, now! I don't pay you to ogle me, keep that up and you will find yourself without a job, and I will make sure you don't find another one."

Once his secretary brought him a pain potion, Lucius fell back on his large chair. He was afraid of the Rosier family coming into the picture. Lucius cheek twitched with concern. He wanted to be gone for a while. They needed to brainstorm.

The less that they had to hide the better it would seem. And there was the matter of Grant. Best to bright the Grangers as wizard family returning into the fold.

How to disguise Grant, he was Gellert's double, but for the curly hair, what to do? Albus would figure the relationship on sight.

And, even after the two potions, the headache was coming back. Maybe he needed to go to Muctis. He had mentioned glasses, uggh, like the Potters.

Maddy and Elly both had some crystals that lay right over your eye, something to look into. If Lucius Malfoy were to wear spectacles, he wouldn't look like Lucius Malfoy. Glasses restructured the shape of anyone's face, regardless of one's excellent bone structure. He wasn't vain, no, he just like aesthetic looks.

A gentle knock on his door, courtesy of Miss Schneider, indicated that his next meeting with his department heads was about to begin. He stood up, reached for a few pertinent files when a big smile, suddenly, brightened his somber face.

He forgot about the headache, it was all gone. A viable solution to the 'Grant Problem' stretched his lips into self-satisfied smile. A visit to Healer Muctis was certainly in order – but not for Lucius Malfoy.

He stood up to go and meet his other manager, the huge grin wouldn't go away.

"Glasses, Grant needs glasses, the family needs glasses," he whispered and chuckle. It was hard to be such a genius.

Preparations

Diagon Alley stretched out in front of him. His purposeful strides mirrored the thoughts that formed in his head. At the moment, he needed to go by the jeweler, one who was a family friend, and could be trusted to keep his secret. The rings he had designed had special magic; he had long discussed it with his friend.

There was the issue of the Dark Mark. Mr. Silvercoins was a talented half-goblin artist, he had the old knowledge of working with silver and stones, and had been good friends with his grandfather. One of the properties of the rings was to disguise the appearance of the Pixies' Mark and to make others see it as the original Dark Mark.

It was possible with the magic stones, albeit it had a shortcoming, it could not reproduce the dark aura.

Yes, he needed to pick up the rings commissioned for the Grey Knights. Or, was it Silver Shadows? He hadn't settled on the official name of his group just yet. He would put it for a vote and let the group decide.

So much was happening and dangers, literally, lurked around each corner. Now he knew, without a doubt that Voldemort was really out there. If they could only find him! If they did, he would kill the bastard with his own hands. If Serpens was right, the Right of Vengeance was something he was entitled. Time would tell.

Star Manor.

Harry was happily chasing one of the dogs when he saw the pretty lady that had not been around but once, since he got here. He had been told not go anywhere alone.

But she was there just past the fountain, half behind.

He moved with caution, it was her.

"Harry, my love," She called.

Harry remembered his new mommy and daddy telling him no to go to anyone. But this lady wasn't anyone; this lady was safe and had helped him before, besides he knew that she was good. The lady used to see him in the bad place from before.

"I haf to talk from here. I'm not allowed to go to strangers." Harry slowly shook his head, it wasn't clear to him as to what he should – or not should be doing – in regards to the nice lady standing in front of him.

"That's okay. You can sit there and we'll talk just like this." She nodded her head approvingly.

To Harry, the lady didn't sound mad; she seemed to approve his staying behind and doing as he'd been taught. He waited.