from prince to king

—

Thea rarely spoke about her views on their fight too much. It all felt so political, and she dealt with enough of that at work. She mostly spoke about these issues to Rodolphus. Sometimes it was rants. But she tried to be careful. One could never be too sure about how someone would twist ones words. She barely trusted anyone, only really Rodolpus and Evan. So she had to be careful.

“Of course it is” There was no more worthy cause. The desire to make their world better. For people to see and be in their rightful places. The fight was worth it. Of course, she’d only joined the fight withi the last three years, but she’d been a supporter for her entire life.

It made sense. Thea loved the dark arts. She had for a long while, and had a natural talent for it. It was why she was so useful as a death eater. But, the ones against their cause wanted to stop them using the dark arts. And she would fight till the end of her life to make sure that never happened.

“Hopefully our work will be done before Draco has to join. But even then…. I can see people dragging this out, and fighting against it for a long time, even when we do win” So, she figured they’d have work to do for a while yet.

Lucius nodded, a solemn expression washing over his face as the conversation grew more serious. There weren’t many times outside of official Death Eater business and private conversations with his wife where he could be candid about the subject.

“No, I think you’re right. Even if we’re in power by then, there will be stragglers. Those left over from this administration who will still be clinging to what was and the misguided minority who genuinely believe things are better as they are now.”

From time to time when a colleague pissed him off or a bill passed that he was utterly opposed to, he was comforted by the fact that eventually those currently in power would be removed. If opposed any survived the takeover, they’d be ostracized, clawing for what they once had from the gutter.

—

To be honest Lucius Malfoy was the last person one earth that she wanted to be having this conversation with. She really could not stand the man. But he seemed to be being pleasant, so maybe she was wrong. Dorcas was rarely wrong though, so it would remain to be seen whether this conversation would end up being worthwhile or not. She wasn’t so sure.

“Mmm. Probably after” She would feel bad by asking someone to cover her shift, even though she knew that people would. She looked exhausted, so she knew someone would cover for her. She would just feel guilt. “Friends would understand. I need some time off from work though. I might book some” and then maybe she’d get a good nights rest then

So he would get his answer after all. That was, if he believed what she was saying. In this case, with her being a healer and St. Mungo’s being such a public place, he doubted she was covering for something else. It wouldn’t make sense. Even though he didn’t care enough to check, if he did, it would’ve been too easy for him to do so, making lying not particularly worth it.

“Hm,” Lucius hummed, nodding. “That’s good. It’s important to take breaks from time to time. If you’re able to take a whole week, there’s a lovely vineyard on La Loire. You could try to visit it over a weekend, but with the surrounding countryside and amenities it really deserves a full week.”

—

Thea adored parties, but she wasn’t really one for hosting. Not big parties like this anyway. The Carrows had always held big parties during the summers, and she wondered if that was why she didn’t like them. Thea much preferred to host small, intimate things with her close friends. It was much more her scene. She did like attending big parties though. Sometimes anyway. Her main issue with them was that she couldn’t attend with the one man she actually wanted too. She supposed it was her own fault for falling in love with a married man. But it really did make her really not want to go to some of these parties. She’d been on her future husband’s arm at the Rosier Ball, and that hadn’t made the evening much better.

“It is nice to see everyone” Thea agreed with a nod. She missed those times when she could go around and see everyone. But she was a busy senior journalist now. She didn’t have much time for seeing people anymore. Especially not when a lot of her spare time was spent with Rodolphus. And now she was getting a few new job opportunities outside of her work with the WWN, so she really had no spare time. 

Thea couldn’t really relate. She had no children, and she couldn’t imagine herself having any children. Not with how her life had worked out. “I can’t relate…. but I can imagine it’s hard thing to imagine your children joining our cause….” Of course, it was highly honourable. But also, had to be hard. 

Lucius was taken aback at Theadora’s comment. He was aware that not everyone felt the same as he did about the cause. The love he felt for the work they were doing was passionate, persistent at a level that wasn’t matched by many others, and there was even variance in those who felt as strongly as he did. Lucius showed his dedication by being meticulous, whereas Bellatrix sometimes cared so strongly she acted in a fury. He just hadn’t expected to hear a different point of view in that moment.

“It’s a hard fight, but the goal we’re fighting for is worth it. The only part of me that doesn’t want to see Draco to join is the part of me that’s optimistic that our work will be done by the time he comes of age.”

If there was still work to do, which he was sure there would be, he wanted his son to take his place leading the charge. Societal restructuring was never easy, and even if they ‘won’ the current fight, Lucius wasn’t underestimating the other side. He was sure there’d be dissenters potentially for decades after they won.

There was danger in doing what they were doing, but Draco was a Malfoy.

—-

Dorcas really was tired. She never usuallay was like this in public. She liked to keep herself to herself. She’d always been that way. She was a bit of an introvert really. More so lately she’d been keeping herself to herself. She didn’t have much spare time really. When she wasn’t at St. Mungos she was doing things for the Order. It didn’t leave her much spare time to be hanging out. Today, she was looking for a healing book though. She wanted to continuely improve in her career, and so wanted to do some studying when she had time anyway.

“Sorry….” She mused, with a little shrug. She knew who he was. Of course she did. He was Lucius Malfoy. She didn’t particuarly like him. But she wasn’t about to be rude in public. Although sher eally didn’t get care too much about floral arrangements.

“Hmm…. Maybe….” She mused with a little laugh. “Unfortunately I have an appointment to be at shortly, so have no time for napping”

With the war not over yet, Lucius loved the veil he kept over his true allegiances and ambitions. It allowed him to continue on in the world as usual and no one could definitely say anything. He had to feign ignorance or emotion at times, which some colleagues of his found to be a burden, but he didn’t mind. In a way, he enjoyed it.

“After then? Or perhaps the people you’re meeting would understand if you rescheduled?” Lucius was curious who Dorcas was meeting with, but he couldn’t outright ask. “If it’s work then perhaps not, but if it’s friends they should understand.”

—

“Mm. Clearly” Thea wondered if her taste for christmas might have been different if her life was different. If she was honest she was the mistress. Her relationship with Rodolphus might have been a lot more than just sex, but she was the other woman. She wondered if celebrating the holidays would feel different if she wasn’t having to hdide her love for the man. But it would never be that way, so she tried to not think about it.

“They really out did there selves. I can’t imagine anyone else ever holding a christmas ball that would outdo what they do” And she couldn’t imagine anyone trying. The Rosier’s really had set the bar high. “I do love going there” And she’d never tire of being there. She adored the Rosier’s.

“Oh. Yes. I did. They were lovely. The spread of food was lovely”

Lucius disagreed, but held his tongue, offering a hum and a nod instead. The Rosiers held the best Christmas event of pureblood society, there was no denying that, but whether anyone could out do them if they wanted to was a different conversation. The Rosiers were the only one who put in the effort, but if Narcissa wanted to, she could put together something on par, if not better - though he was heavily biased. Even the Lestranges could potentially throw an elegant, astonishing Christmas party. When Bellatrix set her mind to something, Lucius knew there was no stopping his sister-in-law. However, it was highly unlikely his wife would ever step on the Rosier’s toes like that and it was even less likely that Bellatrix would develop a sudden interest in party hosting, so it was a moot discussion.

The only drawback of the Christmas party, though some wouldn’t call it a drawback, was that he had to leave his son at home. For other events of the same calibre, it made sense, but the added element of Christmas pulled at his heart. He knew he’d get to spend time with Narcissa and Draco in the coming days, but he hadn’t gotten to in the past weeks and it left him impatient for his well-deserved time off.

“It was a nice chance to get to see everyone too. I see most of the other fathers on a regular basis, but I hadn’t realized how big some of the children had gotten. Thomas Dellandrea and Tyler Bishop especially, they’re going to be fighting the good fight soon enough, which is...” He trailed off, ending with a sigh as he thought about how it would be years before Draco was there, but if the clichés were correct, it would go by in a flash.

“No. I actually find Christmas terribly boring” Theadora mused, not looking up from her pocket mirror as she reapplied her mirror. She had a break from intervewing for the newest feature for WWN. To be honest it wasn’t that she was a scrooge, she just didn’t really get to spend Christmas with the man she wanted too. And that sucked. But obviously, she couldn’t actually talk about that. So she just was a scrooge instead. “The highlight is always the Rosier christmas ball though. The Rosier’s out did there selves this year”

“It’s not for everyone.” Lucius couldn’t stop himself. He personally loved the holidays, but it was instinct for him to respond with a nothing answer rather than oppose the other conversationalist. Evan joked that it was his ‘politician’s reflex’.

“That they did.” A smile broke on his face as he and Theadora found common ground. “The red of the holidays suits the way their estate is already decorated, and Isabella always does such a fantastic job building upon that.” The only hostess Lucius thought more of was his wife, but now was not the time to shamelessly compliment her.

“Did you get a chance to try the salmon puffs they served this year?”

“I am literally running on like 2 hours sleep” Dorcas grumbled, taking a long gulp of the coffee that was in her hand. “And this is my 3rd coffee, and it is still not enough. So I really hope you’re not going to ramble on for too long because I really do not have the brain capacity”

Lucius was taken aback by Dorcas’s comment. While browsing the shop, he’d been speaking under his breath to himself. Or at least he thought he had been. Apparently his quiet chatter had been louder than intended.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t intending-- I’m done.” It wasn’t anything important. Sometimes it just helped to discuss which flowers went together better aloud. Floral arrangements weren’t his specialty, by any means, but he did like to think he had an eye for it since he’d been surrounded by beauty and grandeur his whole life. That, and there wasn’t much he liked to think he wasn’t good at.

“Perhaps rather than keep ingesting caffeine, you should have a nap?” Lucius was in no position to offer advice, especially advice he rarely followed, but he did anyway.

Bellatrix’ had been fed a feeling of superiority from birth. She was a Black, a Rosier, the oldest of her generation ––– that demanded respect, according to her parents, and now according to herself, too. Her confidence, though, was self-made, supported by this feeling of superiority, but built up all on her own. She was more than her parents could have ever bargained for. She had clawed herself up, and now thought herself better than them.

“Oh, perhaps when Draco is off to Hogwarts, hm? She would make a fantastic politician,” Bellatrix nodded. She wouldn’t, unless the Ministry was overthrown and turned into a dictatorship. Sure, she could spin words into honey, but she dealt better in venom. “Much better than some of the fools running around the Ministry.” 

Distaste painted her face, and Bellatrix imagined the place burned down and something new built on top of the ashes. She wasn’t one for politics, but perhaps in that way, she could get into it. “The two of you would make quite a pair, if you were to work together.”

“Yes, perhaps. She certainly would. She’s more charming than most of the people I work with and she has a genuineness about her that would win her the favour of the people. Plus she doesn’t have much of a history in the public eye outside of being a wife and mother, so she doesn’t have much working against her.”

Lucius waved his free hand as he bowed his head and smiled. He couldn’t delve further into the subject without the entire conversation becoming solely about that, and at the moment, there was no point. Bellatrix and he could muse all day about what Narcissa may or may not do in the future, but it was pointless because all it would ever be was speculation. Only Narcissa could answer the questions they posed and, even then, she was also potentially just taking guesses. Draco attending Hogwarts was so far off in the future. So much could change in the time it took for him to grow up and start school. If he and Bellatrix accomplished the Dark Lord’s goals, they could all be living in an entirely different world.

“The person I’d really like to see get into politics one day, if he wants to of course, is Draco. It’d be great to keep the family tradition going.”

Lucius strolled around Carkitt Market, unaccompanied and without clear aim. It was contrary to how he usually spent his afternoons recently. Typically he was holed up in his office, drowning in paperwork with only Mina to save him, especially as of late. However, as the holidays approached, he and his colleagues seemed to all have the same thought. The pressing, life or death issues that they were working to solve, or in Lucius’s case sometimes working against, could wait until the New Year. Nothing they were fervently debating would impact his Christmas, so as important as his work was to him, it could wait. His family would always matter more.

Narcissa had done most of the Christmas shopping already. Not only she seem to enjoy it, but, in earnest, she was better at it than he was. She was thoughtful and perceptive, leading to her finding the perfect gift for all of their friends and extended family. With him being as busy as he’d been the past few weeks, she’d also done most of the shopping for Draco. It was necessary given how his schedule had been, but it was something Lucius hoped to remedy if he could.

As he browsed the shops, snow fell gently around him, gathering on the ground to form a thin blanket over the uneven cobblestone. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking for, relying on the hope that he’d know the perfect gift for his son when he saw it. However, before he could find what he was looking for, Lucius bumped into a familiar face he couldn’t ignore, nor did he want to.

“What a surprise to see you here.” It was more out of the ordinary that he was there, but seeing Priya was still a surprise to him nonetheless. “Are you caught doing last minute Christmas shopping like I am?”

Bellatrix gave Lucius a small smile. “Thank you. I know.” With him, she could afford to respond with a bit more honesty, a bit more edge. Around most of these people, she played the perfect pureblood wife role, of course, all polite words and smiling eyes. Lucius knew about all that hid beneath those smiles, and she felt less pressure to pretend with him. Of course, being a bit cocky and talking about how murderous she was feeling were two different things, but it was something at least.

She rolled her eyes at that, distaste clear on her face. “I’m not sure how she does it. Making friends with everyone, talking with people as if it’s … fun rather than a requirement.” Bellatrix took a sip from her drink, looking around to see if she could spot her sister. Sometimes she was quite sure Narcissa was the smartest of them all. 

A nod, then. “Slughorn has a lot of unearned bravery, thinking it a smart move to invite everyone. I’m sure some people will be rather displeased. I hope he won’t have to pay any price for it.”

“I know.”

If Lucius had ever said that growing up, Abraxas would’ve slapped him. He would’ve waited for the company to leave first, of course, but it would’ve been inescapable. To be so arrogant - if Abraxas didn’t slap him, Elisabeth would have. Lucius admired the trait in his sister-in-law, but mainly because she was his sister-in-law. He could admire her confidence from a distance, never directly being associated with it.

“I don’t know how she does it either. I mainly do it because the Confederation pays me too,” Lucius joked. “She’s a fantastic wife and mother, but if she ever wanted to try her hand at politics, I’m sure she’d flourish there too.”

Despite the changes he was trying to make in the world, Lucius wouldn’t have given his life for anything. From where he stood, his life was perfect. His work, his friends, his family - all stunning. Although, if Narcissa did ever join him in politics for some reason, how powerful they’d be...

“Poor Prospero,” Melaina simpered. “He does try.” With the implication thick in her voice that his endeavours fell short. It was very like the Slughorns to think a party could fix everything without even touching the real issue. “Some people just aren’t suited for events like this.” It reminded her of conversations getting to know Sturgis and the realisation that them being worlds apart was more than just the magical heritage of their parents. Him being here was screwing with her head, it seemed, messing up the perfectly segregated parts of her life. “It lowers the whole tone.”

She couldn’t help but smile when he spoke of Narcissa. It was rare to see a couple so happy in marriage but if she had any aspirations for a partner it was to find someone who could give her even a tenth of the love Lucius and Narcissa had for each other. But, that was one of the good things about her father not being here. No repeats of the Quidditch Final and being set up on some dull date with a man who would make an appropriate match. Cyrus had never been interested in marrying her off in the past, because she was his little princess. His baby. Until she had a baby of her own. “As it should be.”

The question of how she was doing was one she had been getting frustrated to hear all day but it was different from Lucius. It felt more like concern for her than a probe for gossip about her dad. She gave him a look that said how do you think? and then sighed. “Belby is supposed to be good, is he not? As lawyers go.” She figured that in itself would tell Lucius all he needed to know about where things appeared to be going.

Lucius’s heart sank, but he remained upright, as proper and emotionless as his father had raised him to be. If that was the expression she was giving him, he wished he could wave his wand and make the ball into a haven for her. It probably wouldn’t look very different on the surface, but the mudbloods and blood traitors would no longer be in attendance. The prying gossips and stuffy old women that were probably making her night a passive aggressive hell would be booted. And, most importantly of all, there would be no reporters present, trying to get a scoop on how she was managing. Unfortunately, despite his knowledge and skill, a spell capable of such miracles wasn’t possible. Instead, he could only offer her an ear to tell her problems to and safeguard from disingenuous conversation.

“He is,” Lucius replied. The Malfoys had traditionally stuck to one law firm that they’d had on retainer for years, but if he had to stray, Belby would be on his shortlist.

Lucius wished he knew better about what to say, but if anyone understood the cold, unemotional environment he was raised in, it was Melaina. She’d seen the real Abraxas and Elisabeth more than anyone else, save him and Draco.

“If there’s anything I can do...” Lucius was following what he could and was ready to pull strings wherever possible, but with how demanding both his jobs were, Lucius knew it was possible he missed something. If he did, he just hoped his cousin would let him know.

.

Narcissa knew that Lucius was a busy man when she married him. So she had to get used to the fact that there’d be days wherein Lucius would be coming home late. She has full faith in her husband and has never entertained the thought that he might not be worthy of anything less than that. Not even once. Narcissa remained patient. She found solace in knowing that at least Lucius was busy with his work, not running dangerous errands for the Dark Lord.

She was just about to finish reading a bedtime story to Draco when she saw her husband appear in the hallway. Her eyes lit up in acknowledgment before looking down at Draco whose eyes were already half-closed. She knew that even in this state, Draco could wake if she abruptly stopped. So she pressed on until the child was sound asleep. Narcissa gave her son a kiss goodnight before heading out of the room

Narcissa quietly sauntered outside of Draco’s room to look for her husband only to find him already waiting outside. With the door closed behind her, she walked towards Lucius who immediately gave her a soft kiss. Narcissa reciprocated with equal tenderness. He didn’t have to say a word for her to understand what he meant. As Narcissa pulled back, she laced her hands behind his neck and looked up to his eyes, giving him a silent pardon.

“The healer could have been gentler.” Narcissa pursed her lips out of irritation for a second. Not at her husband but the memory of the pediatric healer not immediately listening to what Narcissa was saying about how her son should be handled. “But Draco was an angel, of course. Other than that, it went fine. He’s a healthy boy.” 

Narciss tilted her chin up to give Lucius another kiss. She wasn’t going to berate him for coming home late but she figured that he at least owed her this. “You could have joined us, you know? Our little angel was already falling asleep. I’m sure you wouldn’t have delayed his sleep by coming in.” 

Lucius listened, giving a soft smile as Narcissa detailed how the healer’s appointment went. He believed her, without question as he always did, but Lucius also had a feeling that even if the healer had been perfect, Narcissa would’ve said the same. The amazing mother that she was, Naricssa always wanted more for their son. She, like Lucius, wanted Draco to be given and treated the best life had to offer. It was one of the many reasons he fell more in love with her every day. Unlike what he experienced growing up, her devotion to family, to him and Draco, was unparalleled.

“Of course he was.” Lucius told the same to anyone he talked to when he got the chance, not that he got many chances on a day to day basis. With limited words, to keep the conversation polite, he’d do his best to impress upon them how remarkable Draco was. Even at age two, he was ahead off his peers, sparking pride in Lucius and sometimes even Abraxas, though the latter was quite rare.

Whoever Lucius was talking to never truly understood though. Not that it was their fault, they just didn’t get the same opportunity to see how special Draco was. The only other person who really did was Narcissa.

When Narcissa tilted her chin up, Lucius tilted his down to meet her halfway. At her question, he froze. His shoulders grew tense and his eyes cast down for a moment as he composed his response.

“Waking him was what I was afraid of.” At work Lucius was expected to firmly hold a position after he took it, but that wasn’t the case in his marriage. He wouldn’t be his father, refusing to change stance and admit when he was wrong, especially on something inconsequential. “But, I’m sure you’re right. It would’ve been fine.” His shoulders relaxed, releasing the tension he’d briefly held. “Next time.”

Lucius grabbed her soft hands in his own. Neither of their them had ever known real labour, but there was a delicacy to hers that Lucius’s didn’t possess. “Let’s have drinks in the southwest gardens. You can catch me up on everything I’ve missed in the last few weeks and I promise not to mention work once.”

Lucius hadn’t been completely absent the past couple of weeks, he’d never let himself get so busy as to not have any time for his family, but with his recent schedule, there wasn’t as much time for him to pay attention the social aspects of their lives. He was sure things had happened that Narcissa hadn’t mentioned out of concern for overwhelming him, but now he was ready to listen. The rest of his night was hers, and hers alone.

✧ * º •

“Oh, no doubt about that,” she said. “Draco has always seemed like the loveliest and most perfect little boy there is.” She didn’t need to spend time with other children to know that he was the brightest among them. The boy came from two well-established, pure bloodlines. Mina was certain that he was destined for greatness. The talk of children made her wonder though if she would get to have a child of her own, and what kind of mother she would be like. It was surprising to her that her parents haven’t thought of arranging anything for her yet.

Nodding her head, Mina added, “I agree. It is always necessary to stimulate the minds of children. This way you make sure he won’t be behind his peers. You and Narcissa are doing a great job as parents, in my opinion.”

Despite his best efforts, a smile appeared on Lucius’s face as he listened to Mina’s compliment. If he did receive non-work related praise, it was usually from Mina or Narcissa, but despite that, Lucius hadn’t grown any more used to it. Explicit praise, or even subtextual praise, wasn’t given often in Malfoy Manor when Lucius was younger. In earnest, there had been a drought of just about any kind of affection, which had lasted until Narcissa had moved in after their wedding day.

Lucius had become practiced at giving praise over the years, but he still had trouble receiving it. It didn’t feel natural. Instead, it felt too good to be true, even when it was about the smallest things.

“Thank you. We’re certainly trying our best.” Lucius sometimes entertained the idea that his parents had done the same. Maybe the unrelenting corrections and harsh expectations were the only way they knew how to parent, and could he expect them to do better if that was all they’d ever known? Sometimes he thought it wasn’t fair to expect more of them, but other times, when he was less forgiving, it made his blood boil. He’d been raised by them. No one showed him how to parent any differently, and yet that wasn’t the way he was parenting Draco. If he broke the cycle, why couldn’t have they?

Lucius refocused his attention on the present, on Mina. She was twenty-five now, if he wasn’t mistaken. Twenty-five wasn’t old by any means, but in terms of pureblood life timelines, she should’ve been married, or at least engaged by now. Lucius was promised to Narcissa when he was twenty-three, and compared to others, he was a bit late to the game.

“How are things with you lately? Outside of work.”