Aurelia's Story

"I feel a little inside out, but that's ok baby,
I feel a little inside out, but I'll make it through baby"
Inside Out, Silver Ginger 5

Aurelia soon realised the extent to which her life had been irreparably changed. She existed now purely to bring about Voldemort’s return. Whilst she insisted to herself that she merely wished to hasten his full defeat, the voice in the back of her mind knew that the selfish reasons were the ones that truly took precedence. Without Voldemort, she could not be with Lucius. Without Lucius, her life was not worth living.

Those around Aurelia were shocked when she declined the Potions Mistress apprenticeship offered to her. However, Aurelia knew that that required more commitment than she was able to give. What she needed to study more than anything was History of Magic, and the paths to power of the previous Dark Lords. She had already begun to study Voldemort’s first rise in depth, and had recently begun to analyse the weaknesses in his campaign. One thing she had inherited from her great-uncle, if not his integrity, was an analytical mind, and Aurelia was determined to put that to use to make herself a useful servant for Voldemort. After all, there was no way that he would bind her with Lucius, who was arguably his most powerful Death Eater, if he did not believe her to be valuable, and she could not rely on her lineage alone to prove that.

Aurelia spent the year alertly watching for any sign of Voldemort’s movements. She had managed to trace him to Albania, but after that, the trail became more difficult to track. Unfortunately, she could not reveal what she was doing to any of her friends and family, for obvious reasons, and she had to mislead them about what she was doing when she was away from Hogsmeade. Lucius was perhaps the only person she could have confided in, but she simply could not trust herself around him. With Lucius around, she would become distracted. Her sole objective was to assist with Voldemort’s rebirth. After that, when she and Lucius were together, she could relax and move back towards her family and what was right. Aurelia knew that those she loved would not understand.

As for Lucius, he spent the months of the Triwizard tournament as a bitter man. Being with Aurelia brought out the worst of him, but she was the best of him as well. Knowing that she was alive and he was without her was like a sharp ache in his chest all through the day, and there was no escape at night either, for he dreamed entirely of her. Lucius merely existed until the day that the Dark Lord rose again.

The area in which Aurelia felt that Voldemort would be most likely to strike was that of her cousin, Harry Potter. The fact that Harry was in the Triwizard tournament was clear evidence of dark wizard activity. The problem was not only determining who was responsible, but also in assisting them without anyone else finding out. In the end, Aurelia decided, having studied Voldemort as closely as she had, he would not want anyone else to kill Potter for him. Therefore, it was most likely that the aim of the tournament was in some way to bring Harry to Voldemort. Aurelia resolved to attend each of the trials, to keep a close eye on the events as they unfolded.

However, nothing particularly untoward happened until the final task, when Aurelia and Lucius came face to face for the first time since the ball. Aurelia was seated with Albus Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers, so could do little, but their eyes didn’t leave each the other’s until their private silence was intruded upon by a gasp from the crowd.

“The boys… Where did they go?”

“Did you see that? They disappeared!”

“What’s the point of that? Not much of a spectacle if we can’t see what’s happening!”

Aurelia knew that this was not a part of the plan from the look on her great uncle’s face, and the look of triumph that Lucius threw her before disappearing from the stadium. All she could do was wait, and it was the longest fifteen minutes of her life. As she looked around, she saw Severus Snape clutching his arm, and he muttered something to the Headmaster. That confirmed it in her mind – Voldemort was calling his death eaters to him, and the prophecy could finally be set in motion. Aurelia silently rejoiced.

Finally, Harry and the other boy, Cedric Diggory, appeared back. It was obvious that something was wrong, for Harry was sobbing, and Cedric was not moving. Aurelia moved forward with the teachers towards the boys. Harry was her cousin, after all, and she did feel a familial bond towards him. As Dumbledore cradled Harry in his arms, a prickling on the back on her neck made her turn round. Aurelia came face to face with Alastor Moody, the ex-Auror who was teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts this year. She was shocked to see that the look of triumph in his eyes matched that which she was currently struggling so hard to keep hidden. Her eyes widened, and he quickly looked away. Her mind spun as she debated what to do; if Moody were a spy, then Voldemort would not want him to be revealed. She was torn between doing what was right, and what was easy. Whilst she debated, Severus tapped her arm, his pain evident in his eyes.

“He’s back, Aurelia.”

Despite the fact she had realised it by now, hearing the fact confirmed out loud by Severus caused her chest to constrict, and her eyes to close. “Are we certain?”

He nodded. “Yes. Potter saw it himself, and I can feel it…” he shuddered.

Aurelia glanced towards Harry, and saw to her consternation that he was gone. Surely Albus would not have let him out of his sight? “Uncle, where’s Harry?”

Albus’ head whipped round, and as his eyes searched for Harry, Aurelia realised that Moody was missing as well. Their eyes met, and he came to the same conclusion.

“Severus, Minerva, with me now. Aurelia, stay here and watch the students.” The three of them sped off towards the castle, and Aurelia placed her head in her hands. At this very moment, the man she loved was again in the presence of the most evil wizard of recent times, and she longed for nothing more than to be there beside him. However, she could not go; she would be more valuable to Voldemort if she remained at Hogwarts, and she doubted that she would be able to find Voldemort alone even if she tried. Besides, her family was here. She had no doubt that Lucius would bring her to Voldemort as soon as possible.

Aurelia woke up the next day with a weight on her mind. Last night, she had been sworn into the Order of the Phoenix, a band of wizards sworn to fight against the Dark Lord. Albus, Severus and Remus were the only other members who knew of her involvement with Lucius, but even they did not know how she planned to ensure the fulfilment of the prophecy. She knew that she could not stay in Hogwarts now. If she remained close, they would certainly notice it, and they would neither approve nor understand. Yes, her mind was quite made up. She would move to Tintagel Castle, where Lucius would be certain to find her.

Aurelia left a note for Albus to find after he had spoken to Harry, and left immediately. This was the first time she had been to Tintagel for any length of time, and she was gratified to find that it was exactly how she would imagine it. The head house elf, Tosey, had taken good care of the castle whilst it had been uninhabited, and the castle was ready to move into.

She spent most of the next two days in the library studying ancient defensive spells and charms that were no longer taught, but found it difficult to focus knowing that her life was at a crossroads. Finally, three days after Voldemort’s rebirth, she spotted Lucius’ eagle owl bearing a scroll at her bedroom window. Aurelia hurried over, and slit the scroll open with a trembling hand.

“My Lady,
I have arranged for Narcissa to take Draco away to visit relatives for a week, in the hope that you will join me at Malfoy Manor for a few days. We have much to discuss. I believe that I am not being overly optimistic in stating that we may well find our positions dramatically improved with…recent developments, shall I say.

Narcissa and Draco are leaving this afternoon, so arrive as soon as you can after that.

Forever yours,

Lucius, Lord Wiltshire.”

Aurelia would have to hurry, for there was much to be done before she saw Lucius.

The sun had set before she was ready. Finally, she Apparated to Malfoy Manor. Having never been there before, she did not know what to expect, but she was in no way disappointed. Tintagel was grand, but in an ancient style, similar to that of Hogwarts. However, Malfoy Manor was in a league of its own. Tall and imposing, it had a gothic grandeur that set it apart from any building she had been to before. Aurelia walked up to the entrance, and took a deep breath before raising the knocker. A house elf immediately opened the door.

“Lady Cornwall?” it squeaked.

Aurelia nodded, and stepped through. She was entirely overawed by the splendour of the manor. The furnishings were extravagant yet tasteful, and she immediately fell in love with the building.

Lucius walked through the door, and stared at her. He smiled softly, and they came together without words. Lucius kissed her softly on her lips, then picked her up and carried her through the manor, all the while kissing her gently. They still did not exchange words until they reached the master bedroom, and he set her on the floor and sat down next to her.

“My darling.”

Aurelia raised her eyes to his, and picked up his hand and held it in hers. “My Lord… It has been torture being without you for so long. I cannot believe that I am finally here, with you, just the two of us.”

Lucius stroked her face with his fingertip. “We have all week, my love. However, I understand that you will perhaps feel uncomfortable with us staying in this room.”

Aurelia nodded. Despite the fact that she had made love to him many times, doing so in the room he had shared with his wife for many years made her deeply uneasy.

“Yes, I thought as much. That is why we have our own private room, which no one else can access. I have placed the room under the Fidelius charm, and you will be the only one that I will reveal it to. Shall we?” He rose, and picked her up again, pausing only to deliver another deep kiss on her lips.

Aurelia gasped aloud when they reached the room. It was a lover’s paradise. Full of the deepest reds, black and cream, and sumptuously decorated with satin and silk, she could not imagine anywhere better to spend the night with the man she loved.

Lucius placed her gently on the four-poster bed in the middle of the room, and then sat on the bed beside her. In unspoken assent, they both removed their robes, and then Lucius lay down and pulled Aurelia onto him. His cold grey eyes sent a chill through her, but Aurelia was entirely certain that this was where she wanted to be. He slowly pulled her dress over her head, and released her hair so that it was fanned about her face. Lucius sighed with content, and then pulled his wand out of his pocket. He muttered a spell, and four black silk cords came sailing towards them.

“Trust me, darling,” he said softly, and rolled her off his body and onto the bed. Lucius secured each her arms and legs to the bed, then sat back and smiled. Aurelia moaned, and that seemed to push Lucius over the edge. He lowered himself on top of her, and removed the remainder of his clothing. Starting with the top of her head, he began to kiss her, gently at first, but then the kisses became harder and more bruising. Aurelia was powerless to stop him, but was finding that she rather enjoyed it. As she writhed under his touch, he slid his hand underneath her camisole, and moved his hands over her breasts, rubbing her nipples between his fingers. Aurelia’s moans became louder, and Lucius smiled. He moved his head down onto her chest, and softly bit her nipples. When she did not protest, he bit down harder, and rolled his tongue over them, delighting in how they stiffened underneath his touch. Aurelia did not know how much more she could take without exploding; it was as if her senses had been heightened tenfold.

Finally, he moved his hands downwards, and started to rhythmically rub her clitoris. Aurelia’s eyes rolled backwards, and she thrust her pelvis into his hands, demanding more from him. Lucius raised his eyebrows, and finally slipped her underwear off. He buried himself within her with a deep guttural cry, and he slid in and out of her, panting slightly, before they came together, each screaming the other’s name.

Once they had recovered slightly, he released her bonds. She sighed contentedly, and they slid under the sheet together. Aurelia spent the night in the arms of the man she loved for the first time.

Aurelia woke as the sun rose the next morning. Lucius was still sleeping, and she took the chance to study his face. She watched him breathing in and out, a soft smile on his face, for a few minutes before he woke. Lucius opened his eyes slowly, and the smile widened as he realised that he finally had Aurelia in his arms.

Aurelia sat up, and looked at him sadly. “I think we need to have that talk, my Lord.”

He nodded. “I’m sure you know by now, but Voldemort has returned. I went straight to him when he called, and we all witnessed his rebirth. Darling, you once promised me that when Voldemort was returned, you would be mine. That time has come.”

“It has, and for that I am more thankful than you can begin to imagine. However, much more still has to be resolved before we can be fully together. Your wife, for one,” Aurelia replied, a pained look upon her face. “I need you to take a letter to the Dark Lord on my behalf. If he agrees to my terms, I believe we can be openly together before the end of the summer.”

“Your terms? Aurelia, nobody sets the Dark Lord terms!”

She smiled wryly. “Oh, I believe that he will acquiesce to these.”

Lucius grimaced, and clutched his left arm. Aurelia looked at it, and saw the Dark Mark burning black on his arm.

“Is he calling you now?” Lucius nodded. “Then go, darling, and take the letter from my robes.”

Lucius rose, collected the letter, and then bent down to kiss her before he left. “I love you, Aurelia,” he murmured, then hastened through the door.

Aurelia decided to explore the manor while he was away. It was large enough to keep her occupied all day, and two hours passed that way before she grew concerned over Lucius’ continued absence.

Suddenly, she heard a faint noise in the corridor behind her, and she whipped her wand out. She turned around to see the Dark Lord Voldemort himself standing before her, wand raised. A red beam of light shot towards her from his wand.