I.18. – Lucius Gets the Kick

But heaven knows I’m miserable now. “You’ve been in the house too long,” she said, and I, naturally, fled. In my life, why do I give valuable time to people who don’t care if I live or die?

THE SMITHS

He had meant no harm. As a matter of fact, he had thought it to be an act of courtesy and a sign of affection to call on her that morning. He was in no way prepared for the reception, and the habitual discretion of the serving house-elves was no help in that respect either. He had no idea about Andromeda’s engagement, or pregnancy, or exile, or Mrs Black’s cardiac arrest, when entering his adored Narcissa’s room in awe and thrilled anticipation, with a big smile on his face.

“Good morning, Narc-”

“What do you want here! Out! Get out!”

This was the first time that he was perplexed, and many more were to come yet. “I beg your pardon for intruding, but I wished to inquire after you. You –”

Narcissa was tired, exhausted and desperate, and if her own father had abused her to get that weight from his chest, she didn’t think it unfair to use that insolent person to ease her own worries now. He had a thick skin, he could take it much better than she had! For three hours, she had been compelled to listen to her father’s outraged ranting about the ‘debauched cad that she hadn’t been ashamed of to associate herself with!’, and seeing that ‘cad’ standing there now, smiling at her expectantly, she would have liked to curse the living daylights out of him.

“What do you want, Malfoy? How dare you come here! I couldn’t prevent you from molesting me in school, but this is my home! You have no place here!”

He faintly registered that she was looking pale and rather unhealthy, but his mind was too much engaged with the sudden change of mood. Last night, she had been charming and easy-going, she had appeared to like him to a certain degree. He didn’t understand what had happened since then – had he misinterpreted her behaviour so completely or –

“I apologise if you find my visit inappropriate, Narcis-”

“Miss Black for you! In my own house I want to be addressed by my proper title!”

“That’s fine by me!”

In all truth, he had never been dressed down the way Narcissa did in the following ten minutes by any of his ex-girlfriends, who admittedly had had sufficient reason to be mad at him. What had he done now to Narcissa to make her so venomous and hostile?! She hurled all sorts of reproaches and allegations at him, leaving him no chance to defend himself, and while still yelling that a ‘smooth scoundrel’ like him was the last man on earth whom she would allow to misuse her, she rang for a couple of servants to have him thrown out.

He left without protest, frog-marched by some ridiculous house-elves, but in the hallway, her father suddenly stepped in their way, looking even fiercer than his daughter. “You,” he spat, gesturing him to follow, and slamming the door to his study. “You! You will stay away from my child, young man, or I swear, I will make you regret the day you were been born!”

“Sir, I –”

“I know you! I know what you are! I know how you treat innocent girls, what you do to them! But mark my words, you won’t succeed with my Narcissa! How dare you enter my house! I might have failed in the past to protect my daughters from villains like you, but that won’t happen again, and certainly not under my own roof!”

“I merely came to inquire after her well-being, sir!”

“Silence! Don’t you talk back to me! I know your kind, Mr Malfoy, and even though I’m an old man, you want to know that you better not mess with me! My daughter has no interest whatsoever in you, don’t you get that?! You’re not in her league, she knows that, so why don’t you just leave her in peace!”

“Sir, please let me just say –”

No, Mr Black did not let him say just anything. Like his daughter before, he heaped threats upon reproaches, hardly catching his breath, culminating in a fulminating, “And if I ever see you within a hundred feet of my daughter, I will make you pay and all your father’s wealth won’t help you then! Out! OUT!”

Lucius obeyed numbly. His head was spinning. Not even his own father had ever managed to yell at him for one and a half hours straight, and so totally without reason. He hadn’t done anything to Narcissa Black, and what was more, he hadn’t the least intention to take advantage of her in any way!

He felt something like remorse. His father had often warned that his bad behaviour would one day fall back on him, and even though he was perfectly indifferent towards all those girls he had been with, he was sorry now. The only one he had ever really wanted – she wanted to have nothing to do with him because of those useless affairs.

He returned to Malfoy Manor, groaning when meeting Abraxas, who showed a malicious grin and snarled, “You’ve gotten up very early for your own standards, sonny.”

“Not now, Father. Not now! I’m not in the mood to quarrel with you!”

“Quarrel? Oh my! There I go, for once wanting to congratulate you, and you presume I wanted to quarrel?”

Lucius sniggered mirthlessly. “Spare your scorn, Father. I know my results don’t meet your expectations, but I’ve done well enough, I’ll start College in autumn and you’ll get your will, as always.”

“Who’s talking about your academic mediocrity?”

“It’s one of your favourite topics, so it’s a fair guess.”

“So tense, sonny? I know you didn’t get it last night, but I wouldn’t have thought that you’re so needy!”

“Oh, shut up, Father!”

He meant to walk past, but stopped in his tracks when Abraxas continued regardless, “I was quite impressed with that Black girl. What have you done with her? Did you jinx her?”

“What?!”

“She appeared a very good girl, and witty to boot. Such a girl wouldn’t deliberately go out with someone like you.”

Lucius took a deep breath and looked his father in the eye. “Too right, Father. She won’t go out with someone like me, and as you’ve already stated so tastefully last night – you won’t meet her again, and neither will I.”

“Oh, so that’s where you’re coming from at this time of day? She’s ditched you?” Abraxas laughed merrily. “I’d say it’s a pity, because that one was worth a hearty damn. But on the whole it serves you right. You were overdue to swallow a dose of your own medicine.”

Lucius’ hand was in his pocket, fumbling with his wand, but he fought down the urge to curse Abraxas. He didn’t have the nerve for fighting; he just wanted to be alone with a bottle of Ogden’s Firewhiskey.

*****

Useful Links: previous chapter, next chapter, Dramatis Personae