Chapter Twelve
Corvus stood glumly in his room at Malfoy Manor and shut his trunk with a thump. It contained more new, fitting clothes than he had ever had before in his life. He also had new ink, quills, parchment, a new school bag and all the books he needed for the next term; everything he could possible need.
Lucius stood in the corner, desperately fighting the tears that were threatening to over spill again. He'd lost Draco, and now he was about to lose Corvus who had become a strangely strong part of the family, really like a second son.
"You don't have to go. We can keep you safe here." Lucius told him, not for the first time.
Corvus gave him a small half smile. His mother or father, with at least one other Death Eater, had been standing at the edge of the Malfoy Blood wards since the Ministry had fallen a week ago, demanding they returned Corvus to them.
"I know, but I can't stay here forever just because it's safe." Corvus sighed, "I need to go back to school, I need to help… if I can."
He wanted to hide. He would have been quite happy to stay there, but his parents were fighting to bring down the wards, even blood wards would struggle to last forever and once they fell, everyone was in danger.
He knew that his parents didn't really want him back. They just wanted to own him, to control him and weren't happy while that role fell to Lucius, no matter how much better at it he happened to be. If anything that made them more desperate to get him back.
It was a message, clear and simple; they were in charge now. If they said jump, you asked how high.
"You have everything?" Lucius double checked.
"Yeah, I've got it all." Corvus smiled.
Danica had drawn him pictures, very annoyed Harry had taken the best colouring pencils with him. Lily had gotten him a Slytherin jumper that matched the one she'd gotten Harry. Tonks and Remus had gotten him a small sneakoscope, it was silent once pressed on the top so it was far easier to hide than the older models. Nikka, who had been very impressed with his origami had given him a large pad of paper in all different colours and patterns for him to use.
Even Andromeda and Ted, who Corvus hadn't been too sure about, after hearing his parents rant about them for years, had gotten him a book filled with short stories, muggle ones in the back, wizarding ones at the front.
Corvus had been truly touched. There had been no grand gesture, nothing that he felt he was indebted to, just basic family kindness, knowing that the next stage of his life was going to be tough, but he'd never had family kindness before.
Corvus clipped his new, thick woollen travelling cloak into place and grabbed the handle of his trunk, pulling it from his bed.
He really didn't want to leave.
As he'd asked, everyone but Lucius had stayed in their rooms. He didn't want a fuss. A fuss would make him cry and he would not let his mother see that. A fuss would remind him he was leaving somewhere where he was loved, walking back into the life of being unloved and mostly unwanted.
Danica couldn't help herself though. She ran out from her room to wrap him in a hug. It hit home for Corvus just how much he'd grown over the summer, Danica was a good two inches shorter on him than when he'd arrived and he was pretty sure she hadn't some how managed to shrink.
"Be careful." Danica cried into his side, "I can't lose you too!"
Corvus knelt down to pull her into a proper hug, "You're not going to lose anyone Danica. They'll come back."
"Will you come back?" Danica asked.
Corvus looked down into her large green eyes. He didn't know. It wasn't like he'd chosen to be there in the first place, he was forced to live there and had been forbidden to leave. He could only leave now as there was a whole new government in charge.
Plus his family was out there. It was more complicated than he could process; every time he thought about the future it was a blur. He just didn't know.
"I… I'll make sure I see you again." Corvus said, hoping it was enough of an answer.
"Danica, get back here!" Lily called, peaking out of her doorway.
Danica looked back at her mother before giving Corvus one last hug and running down the hall. Lily caught her daughter and stood stroking her hair with one hand, giving Corvus a small wave with the other.
And then they were gone, back safe and sound in their rooms. Rooms that would always be warm and clean. With fresh bed linen and more toiletries than you could ever use.
Corvus and Lucius walked in silence down the stairs and out the door into the warm August air. Bellatrix was waiting for them at the end of the path. She couldn't see them as she wasn't invited in the Fidelius Charm.
She paced backwards and forwards, screaming towards the house and shooting off spells.
Narcissa stood next to her, making Lucius's breath catch in his throat. She looked pale and had a slightly messy look about her that she normally didn't but otherwise she looked unharmed.
"They're coming." Narcissa said, giving Lucius a small smile that to Bellatrix just looked like one of smugness, "I told you he would give Corvus up; anything to protect his little mudblood."
It wasn't the truth, Corvus knew it, Lucius knew it, Narcissa knew it but it was exactly what Bellatrix wanted to hear.
Bellatrix grinned, everything was going exactly how she wanted it to.
Corvus stopped just before crossing the barrier, running his hand over the magic.
"If you need to come back, just get here. I'll keep an eye out for you." Lucius assured him, "Please stay safe."
"I will try." Corvus smiled, "I… I wish I could… I don't know."
Lucius gave him a tight hug. Corvus hugged him back, wishing to stretch out the moment for as long as possible
"I want my son!" Bellatrix screeched, slamming her fist against the ward causing a small scatter of sparks.
"I… I'm coming, Mater." Corvus called, forcing his voice not to shake.
Reluctantly he let go of Lucius and stepped through the wards. There was no going back now.
Bellatrix's face lit up when she saw him, holding out her arms. Corvus stepped forward to give her a hug but she held him at arms length, looking him over.
"You've grown." Bellatrix said.
"Kids tend to do that." Corvus said.
Bellatrix's face fell and she gave him a sharp cuff on the ear, causing Corvus to wince.
Lucius forced himself to stay still, not to jump through the ward himself and defend the boy.
"Sorry, Mater." Corvus said quietly.
In that one slap, all of the strength he'd gotten over the last year drained away. He felt small and helpless once again. He also felt a sense of determination- determination to get that strength back. He knew what it was like to be loved, wanted and the strength that gave you; he'd spend his whole life craving that now.
"Typical of someone like Lucius and that mudblood to turn you into a cheeky, worthless sod!" Bellatrix hissed, "It will stop right now!"
Corvus simply nodded, no words were needed and rule number one of living with his parents was only speak when you absolutely had to.
"That's better." Bellatrix said sharply, "Now, aren't you happy to see me?"
"Of course I am Mater." Corvus said quickly, as the words left his mouth he couldn't tell if it was a lie or not. Why did everything have to be so complicated?
"We need to get going." Bellatrix sighed, checking her watch, "This had taken too long already."
She reached out a hand, which Corvus took silently and felt himself apparate away.
The three of them arrived in the garden of Lestrange Manor, Corvus gasping for breath as he wasn't used to apparating.
The second his feet touched the ground Bellatrix's interest in him vanished, "Your room is where it always was. Go and unpack." she said absently.
Corvus sighed, watching his mother walk away and wondered why on earth he had even hoped it would be any different.
"I'll help you to your room." Narcissa said kindly.
Corvus gave her a smile and nodded, grabbing hold of his trunk.
The house had never been so busy, or clean, before. Corvus forced himself not to shy away from the Death Eaters he walked passed; they greeted Narcissa occasionally but completely ignored Corvus.
"This is my room." Corvus said, stopping outside the door.
"I made sure they spruced it up as well." Narcissa said, "You might have noticed the house has had some work."
Corvus nodded, "I've never seen it look so nice."
Narcissa wished she could say something to help him, to tell him that it would all be all right, but she didn't know that it would be and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to tell him and risk revelling herself.
"I'll leave you to settle in." Narcissa said, giving him a small nod, "My room is next to your mother's if you need anything."
Corvus gave her a smile and watched her walk away before hurrying into his room. It hadn't changed much but the walls had been repainted, the same baby blue as before but fresher and no longer covered in dust.
The worn skirting boards and picture rails had been replaced, the ripped curtains on his bed were gone, replaced with new heavy, green velvet.
The bedding was still the same as before but it was clean, although not as clean as the sets at Malfoy Manor.
He looked around; it was strange to be home again. If he ignored the sounds of people outside his door he could have pretended that it was years ago, nothing had changed.
But it had.
Everywhere he looked made it painfully clear everything had changed.
He shook his head, it wouldn't do any good to dwell on where he had ended up now, now he needed to get unpacked and try not to get on anyone's nerves, his ear was already sore enough.
Corvus had just finished putting the last of his things away when there was a knock on the door. They didn't wait for an answer, but opened the door, Gemini stood, blocking the doorway and leaning against the door frame.
"Well, well well…" She said looking him up and down, "Mater said that you were back. Happy to be home?"
"Of course Gem." Corvus said, even managing to sound sincere.
She rolled her eyes, "You've missed a lot this summer you know."
"I'm sure I have." Corvus said, not bothering to even think about disagreeing.
Gemini flounced into the room and sat down by his desk, "You have all these nice things now. They clearly wanted to spoil little baby Corvus."
"They're just Draco's old things." Corvus lied.
Gemini narrowed her eyes, trying to work out if he was lying or not.
"What are you wearing?" Corvus asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Don't you like it?" Gemini smirked, standing up to show off the tight top that highlighted her waist and pushed up her breasts, the flared skirt exaggerating her hips, "Mater says it makes me look grown up."
"You're fifteen, Gemini." Corvus pointed out, "You don't need to look 'grown up'."
Gemini glared at him, "Well I like it! Things have changed since you were last here. Our family was not in good stead when Mater lost the prophecy, we have had to work hard to change that."
Corvus nodded, there wasn't anything to add, he wasn't even sure where she was going with this.
"You will not mess it up." She hissed, "I have to watch Rodolphus already as it is. He is heir to the family estate, and therefore is allowed a little more leniency, you have no such honour!"
"I understand Gem." Corvus said.
"I wish you wouldn't call me that!" Gemini snapped, running a hand through the hair on her scalp, pulling out several stands of hair in annoyance.
"I'm sorry, Gemini." Corvus corrected himself, "I plan on keeping my head down. I wont get in your way or anyone else's, I promise."
Gemini nodded and paced for a few minutes before turning to stare at the door, longingly, almost lovingly.
"He's here you know." she said, in the softest voice Corvus had ever heard her use.
"Who?" Corvus asked, shaking his head in confusion.
"The Dark Lord of course." Gemini said, letting out a tinkly laugh, "He stays here, nearly all the time. I've met him several times now…"
Corvus found himself feeling slightly sick over the way she was talking about Voldemort, "I see."
Gemini seemed to snap out of her day dream, shaking her head, "Dinner is at eight. Dress nicely but not as over the top as we did at the Mafloys."
Corvus let out a loud sigh, "We only dressed that way because of the fuss that Rod made."
Gemini sneered at him, "Aww… didn't you get all dressed up when it was just the blood traitor and his little mudblood?"
Corvus took a deep breath, he wasn't about to get another sore ear, "I didn't mean it like that. I mostly just ate in my room is… what I meant."
Another lie he managed to tell just a little too well, a skill that was only going to get better as the year when on.
Gemini relaxed slightly, "They were overly cruel to us. And there's miss prissy Lily boasting herself as the hero of everyone." she shook her head in disgust, "I'll see you at dinner."
She flounced from the room, shutting the door behind her with a click.
Corvus flopped back onto his bed, the old springs digging into his back, wondering why on earth he'd chosen to leave the safety and comfort of Malfoy Manor.