[̲̅C̲̅] [̲̅R̲̅] [̲̅U̲̅] [̲̅C̲̅] [̲̅I̲̅] [̲̅O̲̅]; a Malfoy family novel

Chapter Sixteen

Malfoy Manor
Wiltshire, England
Date: July 2019

"Your wand, Lucius. I require your wand."
"I..."
Malfoy glanced sideways at his wife. She was staring straight ahead, quite as pale as he was, her long blonde hair hanging down her back, but beneath the table her slim fingers closed briefly on his wrist. At her touch, Malfoy put his hand into his robes, withdrew a wand, and passed it along to Voldemort, who held it up in front of his red eyes, examining it closely."
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows
________________________________

Malfoy Manor
Wiltshire, England
Date: Thursday , 14 February 2020

  Lucius Malfoy had always prided himself in one thing when it came to his family. Unlike many other pure-bloods in the Wizarding World, he had never taken a mistress. His and Narcissa's marriage had always purely been out of love and commitment to one another. They were not arranged either. They had met during his second year of Hogwarts and her first. The young couple have loved each other ever since or so he thought.

  Since the war, they had slept in separate rooms. They can't stand being in the same room for more than five minutes. Not that they're mad at each other, well, he has no anger towards her. He can't speak for Narcissa's feelings toward him. Bloody hell, they barely even looked at each other these days. It was awful. They both had agreed that Draco would never see them fight. He never had seen anything. They had always kept their anger and rather adult discussions behind closed doors. That was no longer a thing.

  He looked over at her reading in her chair. He stood silent in the door way, watching her continently. The stress and anxiety filled lines had left her face. Her tired eyes were filled with life again. Lucius also saw her smile more. The smile was of course never directed toward him. It broke his heart to see her stare past him. Taking a deep breath, he took a leap of faith, which he still has a lack of, and walked into the room.

  Narcissa did not look up from her book when she heard him approach. She acted like she had not seen him lurking in the doorway. It was rather odd for him and below his status. He would never dare let anyone see him do that. Never let anyone see past his cold facade and that despite what they thought, Lucius Malfoy loved his wife.

  She watched as he slowly put the weight he lost in Azkaban back on. His firm yet strong frame returning. Lucius's long hair had now returned to it's luscious blonde color. He had kept the five o'clock shadow these days. She had to admit that it did look good on him. But her Lucius always looked good. His hand on her thigh broke her from her thoughts. Lifting her head she saw her husband sitting across from her on the antique center table her aunt had given her as a wedding gift.

"May we talk, Cissa?" He asked in a soft voice. The walls over her heart fell in an instant and she nodded her head.

"Narcissa..." His voice trailed off. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. She didn't move and felt all of the air leave her body. What was he doing?

"When did we fall out of love?" He asked opening his eyes again. Her eyed widened in shock. She moved her hand to lace with the one that rested on her thigh.

"We didn't, my love. We just needed a break to keep our love for one another alive." Narcissa said with a soft smile.

  Lucius took his third deep breath of the day and practically dove into his wife. His knees were on the floor in front of her and his face buried deep in her chest. Her heart beating in his ears. A sound that had become so important over the years. A sound that he had fallen asleep to many times in his long life. He looked up as she placed a hand in his hair softly playing with it. Lucius placed a small kiss on his wife's lips and smiled against them. He had moved to where her body was pressed against his. His grip on her tightened and he breathed in the scent of her hair. It always smelled like roses.

"Lucius, our daughter is going to die before we see her again." She said sadly. Lucius pulled away and gripped her face in his hands. Her deep blue eyes were glassy from unreleased tears.

"No, she is not, Cissa. Merlin knows that I will do anything and everything to make sure that doesn't happen. As much as I hate to say it, Miss. DuBaer is a very powerful witch. She could have rivaled the Dark Lord. Mr. Williams is also a very powerful wizard. With them and our parents under one roof we will bring Ara back. I am sure of it." said Lucius.

Narcissa took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes closed. She would rather die than cry in front of anyone. Lucius took the time to walk away and give her some space. After twenty-five years of marriage he knew better than to try and comfort her while she was trying not to cry. No, it didn't bother him. His soft spot was Narcissa, whom he did anything and everything got. Hearing another deep breath he turned to make sure she was fine. In true Narcissa fashion, she was.