Dolasitas

*****************

Lexy stumbled out of the dizzying Floo network into their bedroom and almost fell into Rodolphus. “Where is he, Rodolphus?” she demanded hysterically, thrusting Will into his arms.

Rodolphus took Will and moved aside, and Lexy was able to see Lucius on the bed, apparently unconscious. “I’ll take Will through to the nursery and wait for you there,” Rodolphus said quietly, but Lexy barely heard him as she rushed to Lucius’ side.

She immediately climbed onto the bed and laid her hand on his forehead, dismayed by the large gash which was still trickling blood onto the sheets. Lucius groaned quietly, and Lexy seized him by the shoulders. “Lucius, can you hear me?” she asked him urgently. When he did not respond, she called for a house elf and Mobby appeared instantly.

His eyes widened at he took in the scene in front of him. “Was it the Dark Lord?” he squeaked, his eyes startlingly protuberant.

Lexy nodded. “Do you know what to do for him?” she asked brokenly, feeling utterly helpless and at a loss.

Mobby nodded reassuringly. “I has seen him come back much worse than this mistress, do not worry. I will go run a bath for him, and you can clean him up. Then he just need to sleep it off.”

Lexy nodded as Mobby hurried into the bathroom to get it ready, her gaze instantly settling again upon Lucius, who had still not regained consciousness. Tears stinging in her eyes, she conjured up a damp cloth and began dabbing at the wound on his head. “Please be alright, Lucius, please,” she murmured to herself as she tended to him. “Wake up, my love.” A tiny tear splashed onto his face, and one of his eyes opened a crack.

“Lexy?” he groaned hoarsely.

“Oh, thank Merlin,” Lexy sighed, resting her head on his chest. “How do you feel, Lucius?” she enquired anxiously.

Lucius looked around what little of the room he could see through his one good eye. “Am I home?” he asked, clearly dazed.

Lexy nodded. “Yes, Rodolphus brought you home, my love, everything’s fine,” she replied tenderly. Lucius noted the use of the pet term and struggled to respond, but the smile he was attempting to form only resembled a grimace, and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Mobby returned into the room. “Is all ready now, mistress,” he said respectfully. “Mobby shall wait in the hallway in case you need him.” He bowed and backed out of the room.

She withdrew her wand and pointed it at Lucius, her hand shaking. She removed his clothing with a wave of her wand before muttering, “Levicorpus!” Lucius rose off the bed, coming to rest upright a few inches from the ground, and Lexy directed him into the bathroom, gently lowering him into the tub. She then proceeded to wash him down, careful to keep his head above the water. When she was satisfied, Lexy levitated him out of the bath tub again, dried him off with one of the large towels that Mobby had put out, and directed him back into the bedroom. Only then did it strike her that she could easily have used her wand to clean his wounds; strangely, though, she was glad that she had taken the time and effort to do it herself.

Pulling back the sheets, Lexy tucked Lucius into the bed, pausing only to kiss him softly before calling Mobby back into the room. “Will you watch Lucius whilst I go across to the nursery, Mobby?”

He nodded and she quickly crossed the hall and entered the nursery. Rodolphus was lounging against the far wall watching Will quietly playing with his toys, but he instantly moved forwards towards her. “He will be fine, Lexy, I’ve seen him go through much worse than that,” Rodolphus assured her, staring into her eyes anxiously.

She sighed and kneaded her forehead, tiredness and frustration evident on her face. “I know, Rodolphus, he’s sleeping it off now. I apologise for being so short with you just now, but I had no idea what had happened.”

“You don’t need to apologise, Lex, it must have been terrifying for you to see him in that state,” Rodolphus replied sympathetically. “To be honest, though, it’s not as unusual as it seems; the last year or so the Dark Lord has been strangely restrained. It would appear now though that everything is moving forward again.”

“Was he punished for killing Professor McGonagall?” Lexy asked in a hushed tone, a wave of nausea washing over her.

Rodolphus looked at her sharply. “It’s not really my place to say, Lex,” he muttered.

“He’s my husband, Rodolphus; I have a right to know!” Lexy exclaimed, her voice rising. She was fully aware that Lucius kept from her the details of his work, and the events of the last twenty-four hours had been too much for her to take it any longer.

“Calm down, Lexy,” Rodolphus commanded, laying a hand on her arm. “He did not kill McGonagall, that much I can tell you.” He did not even want to give her that small piece of information, as Lucius had told him that Lexy was to be kept in the dark about their roles for the Dark Lord, but he could see her growing anxiety and knew that it would not do any good for the baby if he frustrated her.

“Then why did he return in such a state?” she retorted, confused.

“He was in charge, and he failed to prevent Avery from killing McGonagall.”

“Avery?” Lexy spat, her eyes flashing furiously. “If that bastard causes any more trouble for my family…”

“Unlikely. He’s dead,” Rodolphus cut in.

“D-dead?” Lexy replied faintly. Suddenly, more than ever she was realising the danger of the life that her husband was living every day, and she could not understand why that terrified her so when she had been told about it so graphically before.

He nodded soberly. “The Dark Lord is aware that he has given too many second chances. From now on, mistakes will not be forgiven.” Lexy did not reply, and Rodolphus pulled her into a brief embrace. “I’ll take my leave of you now, darling girl. Let Lucius know that I’ll call in tomorrow afternoon, okay?”

Lexy watched him leave the room before moving to return to Lucius’ side, but she was interrupted by the appearance of another small house elf. “Mistress, there is one of the master’s friends downstairs wanting to see you.”

She swallowed hard and withdrew her wand as she exited the nursery. “Mobby, please ensure that Lucius is not disturbed by or made aware of our visitor unless I command it,” she directed the house elf as she strode through the hall.

As she reached the last flight of stairs, her right hand outstretched holding her wand and her left hand lying protectively across her abdomen, Lexy looked down into the hallway and was deeply relieved to see only Remus Lupin standing there, his expression downcast. “Oh, thank Merlin it’s only you,” she exclaimed as she walked down the stairs to meet him.

“Who were you expecting?” Remus asked, looking around him alertly.

“The house elf only said that it was one of Lucius’ friends, that’s all,” Lexy explained. “Had I known it was you, then I would not have greeted you with the tip of my wand.”

Remus smiled in response, but the sadness in his eyes was overwhelming. “I wanted to come here and check on you before we try and decide what is happening with Hogwarts.”

Lexy met his gaze and sighed. “Come on through into the parlour, Remus, we won’t be disturbed in there.”

They entered the room in silence, both still shocked from everything that had just happened. After a few minutes, they both spoke at once.

“Can I get you anything?”

“Is Lucius alright?”

Lexy relaxed and smiled at him. “He’s sleeping it off, he’ll be fine. Rodolphus told me he’s been through much worse than this before.”

Remus nodded soberly. “Did either of them tell you anything about what happened today?”

“Not as much as I want to know. I know that Avery was the one who…” Lexy hesitated, unable to enunciate his crime, “…you know. But nothing else. And I still want to know about Mikael and Valentina.”

Remus hesitated. “The Volkarovs are safely back in Russia, with a full understanding of Voldemort’s plan for them. Mikael was horrified and a little ashamed to be taken in so easily, but he came to understand how easy it is to be seduced by Voldemort and his Death Eaters.” Lexy refused to meet his angry glare. “Speaking of which, Draco told me of your pregnancy,” he said curtly.

Lexy gasped. “Why do you talk of the baby as if it is bad news?” she demanded, astonished.

Remus shrugged, biting his lip. He had not meant his irrational jealousy to spill out so obviously, but it seemed as if he just could not contain himself around her. “You shouldn’t be having a child, Lexy, when you are little more than one yourself,” he replied eventually. “I feel as if I have failed you and Ginny, and the fact that you are carrying Lucius’ child is a reminder of that.”

“It is a long time since I was a child, Remus,” Lexy gently reminded him. “I have been a wife for nearly a year, and my childhood was ended the day that my parents were killed. You have not failed me or Ginny; we are still alive, after all.”

Remus stared straight ahead. “The Volkarovs asked me to pass on their regards to you, and Valentina wished for me to remind you that you are welcome in their home at any time.” Lexy tried to interrupt him to protest against his changing of the subject, but he continued regardless. “The president has also decided to call an emergency meeting of the International Confederation.”

Lexy’s eyes widened – the news was enough to divert her attention. “Merlin… the Dark Lord must be angered by that.”

“Indeed. Volkarov is determined to move the confederation to declare war upon the Dark Lord and remove him from power. However, whether he gets the support that he needs…” Remus trailed off, throwing his hands in the air. “France is the country that we most need to stand up, and their Minister of Magic is notorious for ignoring the problems of other countries. All we can do is wait and see, I suppose.”

“And in the meantime?” she questioned him, frowning slightly.

“Hogwarts has to be the priority. The students are at greater risk now than ever before.”

“Because of losing Professor McGonagall?”

“Partially that,” Remus replied, inclining his head, “but mainly due to the reason she was killed. Lexy, have you heard of the Book of Magical Learning?”

Lexy struggled to remember. As the pregnancy was progressing, she was finding it increasingly difficult to retain or recall information. Finally, though, she knew where she had read about it. “There was something about it in Hogwarts, A History, wasn’t there?” she mused. “Doesn’t it list the births of all magical children?”

Remus nodded. “And that is now in the possession of Lord Voldemort,” he replied darkly.

She did not need the implications of this explaining to her, and she grasped the arm of her chair tightly for support. “What can we do to save them?” Lexy enquired weakly, knowing without a doubt what would be done to the witches or wizards born of non-magical parents.

“It is not as bad as it seems, Lexy,” Remus explained. “We had anticipated this move as long ago as before Professor Dumbledore’s death, and he assured us that Voldemort would be unable to use the book. Even we don’t know how to use it.”

“I can’t see him settling for that, though,” Lexy mused with a wry smile.

“Quite. He has tasked Severus and myself with decoding its workings. My first concern, above and beyond that, is who will be declared the new head of the school. Whilst McGonagall was in charge, it was fairly simple to ensure that the students were protected from the majority of what was happening outside the school; however, if Voldemort selects one of the Inner Circle to become the head… well, with the powers they would gain…” he let his sentence trail off as they both considered the horrors that the students could be subjected to.

“But when Umbridge was the headmistress, the office refused her entry, didn’t it?” Lexy suggested, her face brightening. “Perhaps the same thing will happen this time?”

“True,” Remus replied, although his expression held little hope. He rose from his chair, brushing out the creases in his shabby robes. “I must get back to the school now, Lexy. I just wanted to check that you were alright; Ginny said you were distressed.” He glanced at his watch. “I have already stayed longer than I should.”

Lexy nodded and rose to see him out. “I will try and get up to the school soon; I presume we will need a meeting to discuss everything that has happened?”

“Yes, I should probably call one after we know what action the confederation are planning to take.” Remus opened his mouth, knowing that he should probably say more, but yet again unable to. “I will send you an owl when I know the date.”

Without further discussion, he strode out of the manor, and Lexy stood staring after him for a few minutes before returning upstairs to check upon Lucius. He was beginning to regain consciousness, so she dismissed Mobby and lay on the bed next to him.

Lucius blinked and stretched out, groaning. As soon as he caught sight of Lexy next to him, he rolled over to face her. “Are you alright, princess?” he asked anxiously.

Lexy smiled at him, her heart swelling. “I’m fine, Lucius. Severus sent us home once he knew that Rodolphus had brought you back here. Do you feel alright now?”

“A little tender,” he replied with a small wince, “but nothing that a good night’s rest won’t cure. I hope you weren’t too worried about me, Lexy, I’ve –“

“Been through much worse, I know,” Lexy interrupted him with a guilty smile. “So everybody told me. I was afraid for you, though. Hearing your tales and then seeing you in that state…”

Lexy shuddered and Lucius pulled her into his arms. “You don’t need to worry about me, princess, I can take care of myself,” he whispered into her ear, his hands slipping underneath her robes.

“I am your wife, Lucius, it is my job to worry about you!” she replied indignantly, shivering pleasurably as he deftly unhooked her bra and began caressing her breasts.

“It is not a criticism!” Lucius interjected. “I am glad to see that you care for me.”

“Of course I care for you!” Lexy protested. “I care for you more than you realise, Lucius,” she said quietly, twisting her head to look into his eyes.

He met her gaze, his grey eyes unusually expressive, before pinning her to the bed and claiming her with a passionate kiss, ripping off the clothing that was separating them. Lexy gasped when he released her, and instantly pulled him back towards her, her legs instinctively parting to receive him as Lucius threw the last remnants of their clothing aside.

He positioned himself at her entrance, descending to kiss her once more whilst he slowly entered and filled her. Lexy moaned against his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck as Lucius began to move inside her. He pulled his head back and stared into her eyes once more. “I really do love you, Alexis Malfoy,” he vowed, maintaining eye contact with her. “I know that you find that impossible to believe, and that’s okay, because we have the rest of our lives together for me to prove it to you, darling,” he finished as her eyes filled with tears and she turned to look away from him.

Lucius took her head in his hands and turned it back towards him, holding it in place as his thrusts became more urgent. “I don’t expect you to fall in love with me yet,” he gasped, “after all, I forced to you to take me as your husband. But I know that there is hope for me, and that will do for now.”

Lexy slowly nodded as she began to approach orgasm, and finally acknowledged what had been building in her for the last year. “I think that… one day… I might be able to love you, Lucius,” she confessed, tears sliding down her face.

Lucius groaned as his orgasm overtook him with her confession, and he collapsed onto her, mumbling incoherently and sweat shining on his brow. Almost instantly, he fell into a contented sleep and Lexy slid out from underneath him, walking out of the room and onto the balcony, where she stood staring out over the horizon until long after the sun had set.


*****************