Dolasitas

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Lucius joined his fiancée on the bed, and pulled her into his arms with a satisfied sigh of pleasure. “Speaking of courtship…Lexy, would I be correct in stating that your wardrobe consists mainly of school robes?”

She nodded, bemused. “I have a couple of dress robes and some casual garments, but not much more.”

“In that case, princess, we need to visit Diagon Alley.”

Lexy blushed. “Lucius, I feel uneasy about accepting gifts from you.”

He shook his head impatiently. “You are to become my wife, Lexy; what is mine is yours. Anyway, not only will it please me to buy you a new wardrobe, it is a necessity. Once you are Lady Malfoy, you will be the highest ranking woman in wizarding society. Only the Dark Lord has a higher status than ourselves. Such a role comes with obligations, and one of those is to be well presented at all times. Dress robes will be your standard attire, and thus you will need a large variety of them.”

Lexy was worried; she knew nothing about the obligations such a role brought. The Beaumonts had been more than comfortable financially, and were a well respected family, but her parents had chosen to disassociate themselves from the wizarding nobility, disagreeing with many of the prejudices and traditions. Not only that, but she had heard disturbing tales of how the wives of Death Eaters were treated. “Lucius,” she asked hesitantly, “what else will I be expected to do as your wife?”

He frowned, his satisfied expression dissipating. The apprehensive look on her face told him that she had heard of some of the ‘obligations’ of the Death Eaters’ wives. Whilst he did not want to lie to her more than necessary, Lucius knew that a full explanation at this stage would terrify her. Narcissa and the other wives had, he was certain, never possessed the innocent naivety that Lexy exuded, and as such had never struggled to perform as was expected. Lucius found, however, that the mere idea of Lexy being shared amongst the Death Eaters as was the custom infuriated him, awakening a roaring monster inside his chest. “I shall protect you from the more… ah… unsavoury aspects, I assure you, Lexy,” he assured her fervently. “You will be required to play the part of hostess regularly, and I do not doubt that the other wives will look up to you to set a good example.”

“That, at least, I feel confident I can do,” Lexy said quietly. “When will you have us go to Diagon Alley?”

“I see no point in waiting further. We shall go now whilst your brother is sleeping; if he wakes before our return, the house elves can take care of him,” Lucius said decidedly. Though he was tempted to make her dress in front of him, he restrained himself for the time being. “You will find a selection of clothing in the bedroom next door; dress yourself and then meet me in the reception hall.” He rose and walked downstairs to wait for her, his mind solely focused on the lady he had just secured to become his bride. Contrary to the feelings of acceptance and resignation he had felt when his marriage to Narcissa had been arranged, Lucius was surprised to find himself feeling excited and proud to be marrying Lexy Beaumont. She was a beautiful, intelligent young woman, and he was glad to find that his plans seemed to be succeeding. She had already consented to marry him of her own free will; but the ultimate challenge was still left for him. Lucius was determined to make her fall in love with him; the Beaumonts had stubbornly and consistently refused to join or sympathise with the Dark Lord. Taking the love of their daughter would be the perfect revenge, he mused as he reached the hall and turned to wait for his bride to be.

Lexy dressed herself quickly, thankful for the brief solitude in which to gather her thoughts. The knowledge that Will was safely in his family’s care again was wonderful, but it was tinged with worry about what had happened to him in the year he had been away; and, of course, her confused feelings regarding her upcoming nuptials. She had heard so many tales about Lucius Malfoy, one of the Dark Lord’s most trusted servants, and the atrocities he had committed, and she herself had seen flashes of the dangerous and violent man. However, she had also seen the look in his eyes in his more unguarded moments that told tales of a man who was infinitely more complex than he was portrayed. And the way he had kissed her… Lexy shook her head in frustration; she could not allow herself to be taken in so. This was probably exactly what he had planned, to fool her into imagining him to be the kind of husband she could desire, so she would be more pliable to his plans. Well, she thought angrily, she would not be so gullible. From this moment on, she would not allow romantic notions to cloud her thinking. She could not allow herself to forget that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater, and nothing he could do would change that. If she gave him her heart, the valuable position she had would be wasted. Lexy had to be strong. This fixed in her mind, she walked down the stairs to meet the man whose world she had to destroy from within.

Lucius offered her his arm as she reached the bottom of the stairs. “Would you prefer to Floo or Apparate, Lexy?” he asked her cordially.

“Oh, Apparate, please,” she replied, wrinkling her nose. “I have never enjoyed Flooing.”

“Quite,” he replied with a small smile. “I am perfectly in agreement with you on that point. We need to go outside the bounds of the property to Apparate, as I am sure you are aware.” She nodded, and they walked out of the gates and Apparated to Diagon Alley. Lexy was, as always, struck by the change the shopping area had undergone in the last few years. Gone were the cheerful displays and independent stores; the only ones remaining were those that had submitted to the control of the Death Eaters. Sighing slightly, she turned to Lucius.

“Which store are we to visit, Lucius?”

“Twillfit and Tatting’s, princess. They cater exclusively for the upper-class members of society,” he replied with a sneer. Abruptly, he seized her arm again and pulled her into the shop, seemingly relieved to find it unoccupied. “Madam Twillfit?” he called sharply.

A buxom woman entered the room, her eyes lighting up as she saw Lucius. “Lord Malfoy, a pleasure. What can we do for you today?” she asked, her eyes narrowing when she noticed Lexy.

“My fiancée requires a full wardrobe. No expense is to be spared; I envisage perhaps fifty standard dress robes, five of which to take today, ten evening wear dress robes and your best underwear and nightwear. Also, she will require a wedding dress,” Lucius commanded. Lexy’s eyes widened at the expense he was going to, evident by the small speck of drool on Madam Twillfit’s lips, but stayed quiet.

“Anything else, my Lord?” Madam Twillfit asked hopefully.

“Yes, of course – clothing for a three year old boy; a full set again, if you can.”

If she was surprised by these instructions, Madam Twillfit managed not to show it. “Very well. If Miss…”

“Beaumont,” Lucius supplied, settling himself into the chair nearest the back room.

“Miss Beaumont will come with me to the back room, I will take her measurements and begin the work. We will about an hour today to prepare the robes to take away, then I will send the rest along in three days time, if that is suitable?”

“Perfect. I shall be waiting here,” Lucius said, flicking his wand at the door so the sign flipped to ‘Closed’.

Madam Twillfit smiled gleefully and escorted Lexy to the fitting room. “If you would take off your outer robes then please my dear, and I shall start the measurements whilst I collect the materials,” she said, bustling around at the back of the room. Lexy did as she said and the tape measure began whipping around her, a quill on the desk writing furiously on a piece of parchment as she did so. Finally, the woman returned with her arms full of swatches of material.

“This will be easier if you just pick out the ones you do not like, Miss Beaumont, and then separate out the ones you like the most that I can make the evening wear from. After that has been started, we can begin work on the wedding dress. How soon will you need it?”

Lexy blinked, feeling a little overwhelmed. “Er… one month’s time,” she said shyly.

Madam Twillfit squawked. “So soon?!” she exclaimed. “Never mind, never mind, I can do it, I am sure.” Yes, Lexy thought sullenly, the galleons that Lucius would be lining her pocket with would be sure to speed her along.

“I hope so,” Lexy replied brightly, “I am certain you know that Lucius simply hates to be displeased.”

Madam Twillfit twitched nervously, and dropped a few swatches. “Quite, quite,” she muttered. “Here are the swatches, if you could make your selections please.”
Lexy chuckled inwardly at the woman’s reaction; whilst she felt a little mean, it was clear that Madam Twillfit would be making an exorbitant amount of galleons for her trouble. She did as she had been asked, and the swatches zoomed across the room and through another door; presumably, the robes were being created in there.

“And the child’s clothing?” Lexy asked.

“I will send that along with the bulk of the order, my Lady,” Madam Twillfit replied. “Ah, good, you are done with the swatches. Do you have any ideas about your wedding dress that you would like me to adhere to?”

Lexy blushed. She did have an image in her mind, and walked over to the table to sketch it out. Mutely, she handed the finished sketch to Madam Twillfit, who clapped excitedly. “Oh, that is simply beautiful! Pure white material, of course, with lace trimming… you will look divine, I am certain of it. If you could pop along for a final fitting for that one in two week’s time, I shall have it ready for the wedding.”

“Thank you,” Lexy replied. “Are we nearly done for today, then?” she asked, anxious to be back at the manor when Will awoke.

“Nearly, my dear, I shall just go and check on the robes for you to take today.” Madam Twillfit hurried into the back room, returning with five beautiful garments draped over her arm. “All ready, my Lady. Would you like to wear one home now?” she asked shrewdly.

“Please,” Lexy replied, selecting a shimmering grey robe and slipping it over her head. It clung to her body perfectly, and her mouth formed a small ‘oh’ of approval as she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

Madam Twillfit clapped delightfully. “Oh, Lord Malfoy will be delighted, I am certain. If you will follow me, my Lady.” They moved back in the main room, where Lucius rose from his chair.

His eyes widened as they swept over her body appreciatively. “Simply divine, princess,” Lucius murmured, breathing a little heavily for one who had sat in a chair for an hour. “There is no doubt in my mind that this was money well spent. Madam Twillfit, if I could have the bill please? I am most anxious to get my fiancée home,” he said a little more loudly, Lexy blushing again at what he implied.

“Certainly.” They moved across to the till, Lexy determinedly trying to avoid hearing the total; the beam on Madam Twillfit’s face revealed the truth though. Finally, Lucius returned to her side, taking her arm. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it, shaking his head again as he stared at her.

They left the shop without speaking – Lucius seemed to be in a haste to depart. He glanced around sharply before turning to Lexy. “We Apparate now,” he muttered, and they did so, Lexy stumbling slightly as they arrived outside the manor. “Are you alright?” he asked concernedly.

“Yes,” she said, embarrassed, “I am simply a little unused to Apparition still.”

“Yes, a new sensation like that is always a little unsettling at first,” Lucius said intensely, staring into her eyes.

Lexy dropped her gaze instantly, and moved towards the manor. “I shall go and see if Will is waking up yet, if you have no objection.”

“Not at all, princess. I shall go and take a bath and put your robes away; come to our bedroom when you are ready,” Lucius replied pleasantly. They walked together to the third floor, pausing outside the closed door of the nursery.

Her heart pounding, Lexy turned to Lucius. Try as she might, she had been unable to stop thinking of that kiss all day, and was desperate to experience it again. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. “Lucius,” she asked hesitantly, unsure how to word her request.

She did not need to. His eyes darkened and he pulled her close to him, sweeping back a stray tendril of hair with his finger. Lexy trembled under his touch, and Lucius tilted her head up to meet his, gently meeting her soft lips with his own. She moaned slightly, and his hold on her tightened as he deepened the intensity of the kiss, biting her bottom lip just a little. Just as she began to respond fully, he drew back, smiling slightly. “Until later, then,” Lucius said, kissing her hand before sweeping into the bedroom, leaving her leaning against the wall.

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