The Bird Having Flown

Chapter two...

The sound of happy voices broke into the silence. They looked towards it to see
Draco and Harry leaving the room hand in hand, followed by Lucius and Narcissa
first with everyone else trailing behind them. Starr couldn’t help it, she looked
straight at Lucius, only to find him looking at her. He looked angry. Good. At least
she’d got a reaction out of him.
House elves appeared with glasses of champagne, while the guests made their way
through to the dining room, where the reception was to take place. Starr took two
glasseom aom a passing elf, offering one of them to Snape, which he declined. “I don’t
drink.”
She laughed. “I do.” she downed one of them rapidly, setting the empty glass on the
floor. A habit of hers which she knew drove Lucius mad. She was fed up with him
ignoring her and was determined to be annoying enough so he’d have to talk to her,
even if it was in anger. The second glass joined the first and she summoned an elf for
another. She reached up and kissed Snape’s cheek. “Thankyou for listening to me.”
“Don’t drink too much. Remember the baby.” Snape watched her walk away from
him, over to Harry and Draco and the rest of her friends. He personally thought that
she was losing what little grasp she’d had on reality to begin with. Pregnant with
Lucius Malfoy’s baby! Was she insane? If he didn’t want another little Malfoy
around the place, he’d have no hesitation in ridding her of it. She was his
mistress...his plaything. Malfoys didn’t have illegitimate children...only wives bore
Malfoy babies. Of all the stupid things she’d done, this would have to rate as one of
the stupidest. She threw her arms around Draco, kissing him and congratulating him,
then Harry, who received the same treatment, except that she didn’t let go of him,
keeping her arm around his waist as she stood next to him. Harry dropped his arm
around her shoulders, pulling Draco closer to him at the same time. “Smile for
Remus.” he told them.
nkyonkyou children.” Remus snapped a photograph of the three of them.
Starr caught sight of Lucius across the room and moved away from the boys, who
were now more engrossed in each other. She watched as Lucius whispered something
to his wife, who nodded and continued talking to their friends. She took another glass
of champagne, putting her third empty glass on the floor, by the wall and looking up
just in time to see Lucius frowning at her. She raised her full glass to him, in salute,
and threw back the contents quickly, desperately wanting to get so drunk she’d just
pass out somewhere and forget this evening. That empty glass joined the one that was
already on the floor. She looked up, hoping Lucius was still watching, but he wasn’t
there, though Narcissa still was. At least they hadn’t disappeared together.
A cold hand brushed the stray hairs at the back of her neck. “You know I don’t like
you drinking.”
Starr looked over at Narcissa. She hadn’t noticed her husband standing behind his
mistress, so close that all she had to do was reach her hand back and she’d be
touching his thigh. She didn’t. “I don’t like you touching her.”
He laughed and kissed the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine, before
moving on to speak to Draco and Harry.
Starr picked up another glass of champagne and surveyed the room. Hermione was
sitting near a table which had a plate of dry biscuits on it, which she was picking at.
Ron was hovering close to her, quite the devoted husband and soon to be father.
Ginny was chatting animatedly to Blaise Zabini, who was listening attentively. She
tried to remember when her life had been as uncomplicated as that...being chatted up
by a boy you had a crush on. She and Ginny were the same age, but years apart in
experience. How the hell had she got herself in a situation like this? She should be
like Ginny, experiencing teenage crushes and first romances. Not pregnant and
having to watch her lover with his wife. She took a deep breath and walked over to
Hermione.
“Ginny and Blaise?”
Hermione nodded. “Ron’s not to happy about it.”
“There’s planty of perfectly nice Gryffindor boys.” he grumbled. “I’ll never
understand what you girls see in these Slytherin gits.”
“Does that include Harry?”
He scowled. “I’ll never understand him.He’sHe’s happy.”
“Yeah...with Lucius Malfoy for a father-in-law...” he trailed off, with an apologetic
look at Starr.
She shrugged. “It could be worse. At least he hasn’t got him as an uncaring bastard
of a lover.” she pulled up a chair and sat next to Hermione. “Have you got any
names picked out for the baby yet?”
“Ron likes Susanna for a girl and Michael for a boy. I’ve got two lists, both with so
many names on them, except for those two.”
Starr laughed. Ron kissed his wife. “She’ll get her way, she always does.”

More people drifted in to the dining room. The long table at the side of the room was
laden with food of many different types, not unlike a Hogwarts feast. Just more
elaborate as befitted a Malfoy celebration. Small groups stood, balancing plates of
food and chatting. Many others sat at randomly placed tables. Hermione and Ron
had gone to get some food, promising to come back and sit with Starr, who had got
herself another glass of champagne. A plate with some sliced chicken and a small
amount of salad on it was placed in front of her. “Eat something.”
She turned in her seat to look up at Snape. “I’m not hungry.”
“If you insist on drinking like you are, then you should eat.”
“Why this sudden concern for my welfare? Leave me alone.”
Snape sat in Hermione’s vacant chair. “Eat.”
She picked up a piece of chicken and took a small bite. “Go.”
“Please tell me you’re not annoying the guests, Severus.” Lucius’ drawl came from
behind Starr, his fingers caressing her bare shoulder.
“No, just ensuring they eat...as well as drink.” He wisely left.
“Don’t drink any more champagne.”
She avoided looking at him. “Go away.”
His fingers stopped their gentle movement and gripped her shoulder, hard, She closed
her eyes and breathed deeply against the pain. His voice was soft, right next to her
ear. “We will continue this later, once I have decided on a suitable punishment for
your insubordination.” The fingers ran across the back of her neck softly and he was
gone.
She opened her eyes and exhaled. At least he wasn’t ignoring her any more. She
picked up a piece of celery from her plate and chewed absently on it. She’d actually
pushed him a lot further than she’d meant to, courtesy of the alcohol in her system no
doubt.
Ron and Hermione returned, Ginny and Blaise sat with them. Starr continued to
munch on her salad vegetables, responding when a response was required. The
conversation and the company were good. She cheered up, but still ate little.
After dinner, there was dancing, for those who felt so inclined. Molly and Arthur
Weasley were among the first on the dance floor and tried to get Ron and Hermione
up there with them. Ron insisted that he needed a few more drinks before he was
ready for dancing. Before too long a drunk Harry was seen dragging an equally
drunk, and protesting, Draco up for a dance. Harry gave Starr a wobbly smile when
he saw her laughing at them. Draco glanced at her, then beckoned her over to them.
“Here...” He moved Harry’s hands from his waist to Starr’s. “You dance with him. I
need to sit down.”
They watched Draco walk away to sit with his mother and aunt. “You don’t mind?”
Starr asked, her arms sliding around his neck.
Harry shrugged, tightening his hold on her. “No.” His hands travelled down, over her
bottom, then back up her back. “It’s nice to know what I’m missing sometimes.”
“You don’t remember?” She tried to appear hurt.
He laughed. “Well, it’s been a long time...”
They swayed gently to the music, each lost in their own personal musings. Both were
thinking about the relationship they’d shared five years earlier, and how different
things would be if they had both been what the other was looking for. Starr had loved
Harry, still did, but now it was more like a brotherly love. Her love for Lucius was all
consuming, unhealthily so. It gave him the power to hurt her. Not physically...she
wasn’t worried about his punishments. They usually involved some sort of kinky sex
act, usually degrading, sometimes painful, but not life threatening. No, what he was
doing now hurt more than anything else. Ignoring her, allowing his estranged wife to
drape herself all over him and touching her. That was the worst one. She didn’t want
to imagine his hands on any other body but hers.
The music changed and she pushed herself away from Harry. “Sorry, I’m still
thinking. I’m going to find something else to drink, to stop that from happening.”
She kissed him. “Have a great night. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She left the dining
room.