Covered in Crimson

Six Years Ago

“Lucius, I’m telling you, your heir will not be the man you are. His mother has coddled him for far too long, and he’s soft,” the dark-haired man sneered as he spoke.

“He’ll be fine, Rodolphus. He’s coming along nicely. You hear how he talks about that Mudblood in his class. He knows what we believe, and he’ll do what he needs to when the time comes.” Lucius leaned back in the massive chair behind his desk, lifting to his lips a crystal tumbler containing exactly two inches of Ogden’s, neat.

“So you say. I’m not convinced. I’m thinking we should introduce a few inducements to ensure his loyalty and keep him appropriately focused.”

Lucius rose to his feet rapidly and lifted his cane to point at his brother-in-law’s throat. “You will keep your nose out of my business, or I’ll make sure that you’ll not have a nose left. I will handle my son. He’s a Malfoy; he will do what he must. Now, leave it!”

Rodolphus was no genius, but he was not stupid either. He knew when he had pushed too far. “Fine, Lucius, fine. I’ll leave him to you. But just know that the Dark Lord has noticed that Draco is reluctant to participate in our raids, and seems to find our methods distasteful. That’s not going to fly when he’s called to be a leader in our war. And you know that will happen. Think about it.” With that, the elder Lestrange brother rose from his seat and stalked over to the fireplace. Picking up a pinch of Floo powder, he dropped it into the flames, turning to leave his parting shot. “We’ll be watching, Lucius.” He stepped into the green flickering mass, speaking the name of his destination, “Leaky Cauldron.”

Lucius Malfoy dropped back into his chair and bellowed for a house-elf, “Tuppy!” who appeared at his feet immediately. “Find my wife and ask her to join me here.” It was only a moment later that Narcissa Malfoy rapped once on the closed door, and then opened it to meet her husband’s summons.

“You wanted to see me, Lucius?”

“Your sister’s husband just left. He came to talk to me about Draco.”

“And?” Narcissa could only imagine what mission, complaint or concern Rodolphus had manufactured today. He was constantly complaining about Draco’s lack of enthusiasm for Death Eater activities. She’d often had to bite her tongue to forestall an argument with the irascible man over the fact that Draco was still just a boy. He wasn’t even fifteen yet, and she hoped that someone would find a way to end this dispute before Draco had no choice but to be immersed in it.

“As I’m sure you’ve heard from him before, he doesn’t believe that Draco is tough enough, that he hasn’t displayed enough loyalty to the Dark Lord and his cause.”

“Yes, I certainly have. Both he and Bellatrix have been quite vocal in wanting to drag Draco into this fight before his time. Lucius, he’s only fourteen. Can’t we let him be a boy for a while longer?” Narcissa pleaded.

Lucius sighed deeply. “He may be a boy, but he’s a Malfoy. He has responsibilities and a position to uphold. If our family loyalty is questioned, it wouldn’t just go badly for Draco, but for all of us, Cissy. I’d rather not expose us further than necessary.”

“The Dark Lord has only just returned, Lucius. Surely it will take some time to amass his forces and organize a strategy. He’s not a fool, and there’s still substantial opposition from the Order and the Ministry. Regardless of our position or Draco’s involvement, this will not be a quick or an easy fight. I’d like to spare him as long as possible.”

“I understand your viewpoint. But you must also realize that the sooner he gets involved, the more likely he will rise in the ranks, and the less likely he’ll be battle fodder. He has the potential to be a leader, Narcissa, and I’ll not sacrifice that opportunity for him either.”

“It seems we’ve reached an impasse. I promise you this, Lucius. I will do everything in my power to shield him as long as possible. I will not lose my only son.”

“If Draco decides differently for himself, Narcissa, you’ll not have much choice, now, will you?”

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In a dark corner of a dingy pub, husband and wife spoke in harsh whispers. Their cloaked and hooded forms, with a liberal dose of Disillusionment and Muffliato spells, ensured their privacy.

“It was not a particularly productive meeting, Bella. Lucius has not been willing to commit Draco’s services to the Dark Lord to the degree that we’d hoped. I feel quite certain that your sister is influencing him heavily to keep Draco away from our cause. She’s shielding him once again, as she always has. We need Draco to be more involved in keeping an eye on Potter and Dumbledore, and we can’t even get cooperation on that.”

Bellatrix pouted, her full red lips forming a moue of distaste and disappointment. “I told you my sister would not be helpful in this. She’s no stomach for a fight of any sort; always wants to find the path of least resistance. And where Draco is concerned, she’ll not let loose of those strings until her hand is forced somehow.”

“Maybe we need to find a way to force that hand, Bella. Up for a little brainstorming?” Rodolphus’ face was split by a nasty grin as his devious thinking began to take shape.

“What did you have in mind, husband?” Bella’s full-throated laugh pierced the stagnant air around them, drawing the attention of the barkeep even through the many layers of concealment they had placed around them.

“A potion. In fact, a series of potions. Maybe reinforced by a spell or two.”

“Do tell!” Bella nearly bounced with glee.

“What if we could use a potion form of the Imperius curse? And maybe layer in something that reduces inhibitions. Keep him suggestible. How would we get it to him, though?”

“Hmmm. Interesting. I like the concept, but potions need to be constantly re-administered, unlike a spell that you can cast that only needs reinforcement once in a while.”

“True, that could be a problem for longer term effect.” Both were quiet for a while as they absorbed the potential benefits and issues of the approach.

Bella clapped her hands together and shrieked in triumph. “I’ve got it, Rod – I know how to do it. Lucius and Narcissa will give us their son, and they won’t even know it.”