Aurelia's Story

“And you've got me feeling good
'Cause I'm under your control
And you've got me feeling fiiine
Stranded here in time”
Hey Let’s Get It On, AntiProduct

Aurelia looked up at Lucius, her panic evident in her eyes. He merely smirked at her, and pulled her closer to him.

“Minister Fudge,” said Lucius. “How are you?”

“Well, thank you Lucius,” replied Fudge, though it was clear that he was irritated in the extreme. Aurelia hoped dearly that it was not due to what he had just come across. “Who is this young lady with you?” He raised his eyebrows, and clearly disapproved.

Lucius looked down, and Aurelia could have sworn she felt a spell go shooting past her towards the minister. “Cornelius, may I introduce to you Lady Cornwall, Aurelia Pendragon. Aurelia, this is the Minister, Cornelius Fudge.”

Fudge walked towards them, and shook her hand. “And you two are…good friends?” he asked, disbelief evident on his face.

Lucius sighed, and stroked Aurelia’s hand. “It may seem sudden, Cornelius, but I have been fortunate enough to fall in love with the most wonderful woman in Britain. Aurelia came to comfort me upon hearing of my wife’s murder – we had a slight acquaintance through Hogwarts previously – and since then, we have grown close. She has helped me through the pain; my marriage was not a happy one, but that does not mean I felt Narcissa’s loss any less keenly.”

Fudge seemed surprised, but accepted what Lucius was saying. “Your marriage was unhappy? But you two always seemed alright…”

Aurelia glanced at Lucius’ face, and was shocked to see a tear slowly falling down his face. “I did not marry through choice, Cornelius. As you know, the pureblood families can be very forceful with their children, and mine and Narcissa’s families agreed upon our marriage before we were even at Hogwarts. Now though, I have discovered how wonderful love can truly be.” He looked back down towards Aurelia, and kissed her gently on her forehead.

Fudge shook his head slightly as if composing himself, then said gruffly, “In that case, I wish you all the luck in the world. Excuse me, Miss Pendragon, Lucius.” He hurried out of the Atrium.

Lucius chuckled. “That was easy, wasn’t it darling?”

Aurelia stared up at him. “You were forced to marry Narcissa?”

Lucius nodded. “Yes, that was common practice for the Malfoys. Do not concern yourself about that though darling, for I was not quite as upset about it as I made out. Narcissa was an attractive woman in her day, and I have had you for the last three years now.” He stroked her face with his finger, and then shocked her by grasping her arm firmly, and somewhat painfully. “Although you, my love, have been noticeably absent for the last five weeks. Perhaps you’d care to take a walk with me whilst we talk?” Aurelia got the distinct impression that this was not optional.

Lucius put his arm around her waist possessively as they descended through the Ministry. “I have a little job to do for our Master before we leave,” he whispered in her ear. After five weeks apart from him, the feeling of his breath on her skin was enough to make Aurelia’s heart beat faster.

“What makes you think that I will be leaving with you, Lucius?”

He growled, and strengthened his grip on her. “After leaving me in the lurch for five weeks, Aurelia – five weeks, for Merlin’s sake! – you think you can just show up then run off again? Don’t make the mistake of thinking that I will let you go that easily.” Lucius quickened their pace.

“Where are we going, my Lord?” Aurelia questioned him.

“The Department of Mysteries,” he replied bluntly.

Aurelia’s face tightened. The Department of Mysteries was where the records of the prophecies were kept – if Lucius saw the prophecy with their name on, he was bound to pick it up, and Voldemort would certainly find out. She had to stop him from going there. “Do we really have to walk for so far, darling?”

Lucius paused. “What do you mean?”

Aurelia dropped her eyelashes, and looked up at him coyly. “You mean to say, my Lord, that after five weeks apart you only want to walk with me? There isn’t anywhere a little bit closer where we could perhaps…rest?”

Lucius smiled hungrily. He glanced around, and then pulled her into a little room to their left, locking the door with his wand as they went through it. They held each other’s gaze for a few moments, before Lucius lifted her easily and placed her on the desk in the middle of the room. Effortlessly, he climbed up and joined her, pinning her down with one arm. The thrill of knowing they could be interrupted at any time was making it even more enjoyable for Aurelia, and she was already beginning to writhe with excitement and desire. Lucius bit her neck, and then continued down her body, sliding his hands under her clothing and caressing her roughly. Aurelia moaned, and pulled his hips towards hers insistently. Lucius hitched up her robes and hurriedly pulled off his trousers, and thrust into her. Aurelia rocked her hips in time with his thrusts, and they both came quickly and violently, rolling off the table and landing in a tangled mess of limbs. Aurelia exhaled deeply, and wrapped her arms around Lucius, whose satisfaction was evident on his face.

“Shall we go straight back to the manor then, my Lady?” he asked.

Aurelia realised she had reached the point where she had no choice. “Tonight, my Lord, I will come to Malfoy Manor, and I do not intend to leave you again. Today, I need to go back and make some arrangements, but I shall come to you for dinner and we shall take it from there.”

Lucius smiled with pleasure. “In that case, I will go and prepare the manor for your arrival, my darling. Until this evening.” He kissed her hand, and strolled out of the room.

Aurelia walked back to Grimmauld Place with a heavy heart. Whilst she loved Lucius and wanted nothing more than to be with him all the time, she knew that today would be the end of the freedom to which she had been accustomed. Living at Malfoy Manor would undoubtedly bring her into frequent close contact with Voldemort, and remaining in a position of safety would become infinitely more difficult.

As she reached headquarters, the door swung open and Severus Snape stepped out. “Good morning, Aurelia. I was just on my way to look for you – Potter and Weasley came back without you, and I presumed something serious must have happened to distract you from your task.”

Aurelia nodded, and sighed. “I am moving into Malfoy Manor tonight, Severus.”

Severus’ eyes widened, and he took her arm and pulled her into the house. “So soon?” he asked. “I did not think you were ready yet.”

“Neither did I,” Aurelia replied. “But I have run out of delaying tactics now, and after the terms of our agreement, Voldemort would become suspicious if I put it off for much longer. I met Lucius in the Ministry this morning, and we agreed that I would go to him tonight.”

Severus looked worried. “Did Lucius tell you what he was doing in the Ministry?”

“He was going to the Department of Mysteries. Fortunately, I prevented him from going there, but it seems that Voldemort is determined to get there. Severus, why is it so important to Voldemort to get this prophecy?”

Severus’ face immediately closed over. “There is only one alive who knows the prophecy in its entirety. However, the part that the Dark Lord knows of tells of one who has the power to defeat him. The Dark Lord believes that that refers to Potter.”

Aurelia gasped. “Does it?”

Severus nodded. “Yes, because the Dark Lord believes that it does. Prophecy is a complicated subject, but by marking Potter out in the way he did, Albus believes that he in fact supplied him with what he needed to defeat him.”

Aurelia struggled to take in all that she was hearing. “But if he knows this already, why does he need the rest of the prophecy?”

“He believes that the rest of the prophecy contains the information needed to defeat Potter and ensure immortality.”

Aurelia bit her lip. “He… he believes in prophecies then?”

Severus immediately realised where she was heading. “You are right, Aurelia… We should arrange for the removal and destruction of the record of the prophecy regarding you as soon as possible.”

She frowned. “If it is that simple, why can’t we just do that with Harry’s prophecy?”

Severus scowled. “It seems that only those who are mentioned in the prophecy can take the record of it. Albus does not want Harry to know of it yet; therefore, he cannot ask him to remove it. The boy is too nosy not to insist upon knowing its contents once he knows of its existence.”

Suddenly, Severus was distracted by a burning sensation on his arm. He paled, and the look on his face said all that it was intended to. Aurelia briefly hugged him, and then he left. She walked through searching for Remus and Sirius. She encountered Sirius first as he stomped out of the kitchen, a despondent look on his face. As he saw her, he plastered on a fake smile. “Harry got off – great, isn’t it?”

Aurelia frowned. “Got off? – Oh, the trial. Yes...” she trailed off, a dazed look on her face. Sirius immediately realised that something was wrong, and pulled her into his arms.

“What’s happened, Aurelia?” he asked concernedly.

Aurelia closed her eyes, feeling safe in Sirius’ arms. “I have to leave, Sirius. I’m moving into Malfoy Manor this evening.” Her chest tightened, and she felt dangerously close to tears.

Sirius swore. “I wish you didn’t have to do this, sweetheart.”

Aurelia smiled faintly. “In a way, so do I, Sirius. But at least I’ll be with Lucius, and I know I’ll be doing something against Voldemort. I just wish I didn’t have to be so…alone.”

Sirius held her tightly. “If you ever need me for anything, Aurelia, anything at all, all you need to do is ask and I’ll be there,” he promised fiercely.

Aurelia nodded, and leant into his chest. The door to the kitchen opened again, and Remus came out of it. “I was looking for you two,” he greeted them. “Is something wrong?” he asked, frowning.

“Aurelia’s going to Malfoy tonight,” spat Sirius. “And she won’t be coming back to Headquarters afterwards.”

Remus’ face dropped. “We knew it would happen soon,” he replied reasonably. “Just perhaps not quite so soon. Are you alright, Aurelia?”

Aurelia frowned. “I think so… I know that I will be happy with Lucius, but the price I have to pay for that happiness is so high, and I’m scared.”

Remus’ face suddenly brightened, and he looked at Sirius. “The mirrors!” he said excitedly.

“Of course!” replied Sirius. “How did I forget? Aurelia, when James and I were in Hogwarts, we had a pair of mirrors that we used to communicate with each other when we were in detention. I still have them both. If you ever need to speak to me, just say my name into the mirror, and I’ll reply.”

She hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Sirius! This way I don’t have to worry about being so lonely.”

Remus smiled. “Perhaps you should start to pack, then before you go we can discuss the logistics of your move.”

A few hours later, and the grandfather clock chimed for 6pm. Aurelia knew that she had to leave. Everything was packed and shrunk into her trunk, and she had arranged to check in with the Order every other day to update them on events in Malfoy Manor. She quietly moved down the stairs with her trunk; she did not want to go through the painful goodbyes with the whole Order. One person, however, heard her. Harry Potter came out of his bedroom, and silently took her trunk from her and carried it down the stairs. Aurelia looked into her cousin’s face.

“Thank you, Harry.”

Harry looked up at her, and frowned. “How can you love a man like that, Aurelia?”

Aurelia started. “Sorry?”

Harry sighed. “I used to watch you when you were at Hogwarts. You remind me of someone I used to know,” he said sadly. “So I’d watch you, and you always seemed so intelligent. I used to like the way you would help the younger children with their homework, and if someone were being bullied, they would always go to you. How could you of all people fall in love with a man like Lucius?”

Aurelia sat down on top of her trunk, and looked at Harry thoughtfully. If things had worked out differently, this young man would have been her younger brother in all but name. Now, he knew her only as the mysterious woman who had fallen in love with Lucius Malfoy. “I never wanted it to happen, Harry,” she replied softly. “Unfortunately, fate rarely gives you a choice in these matters.” Strange, she thought, how fate had dictated both their lives.

Harry looked at her, and bit his lip. “I – um – overheard Sirius and Professor Lupin talking earlier. They said that you would have to be careful around Voldemort, that there was something strange with the way he spared you when you were a child. I didn’t think that he spared anyone. I suppose you will have to deal with Voldemort a lot, living with Malfoy.”

Aurelia raised her eyebrows. Sirius and Remus had not spoken to her about that. “It seems that I was lucky, Harry. Do not fear, though, I will get to the bottom of it, and I can certainly take care of myself.” She surprised him by suddenly rising, and hugging him tightly. “Take care, Harry dear,” she murmured. “I will see you soon, I’m certain, but until then, for your parents’ sake if not your own, be careful.”

Aurelia hastened out of Grimmauld Place, leaving Harry staring open-mouthed after her.

The cold air seemed to cut through her as she walked up to Malfoy Manor, levitating her trunk in front of her, and Aurelia tightened her robes as she shivered. The front door swung open as she approached, and a house elf hastened out to take her trunk. “Thank you,” she said quietly, and the house elf’s eyes widened as it rushed back through the door. She walked through the door, and Lucius took her hand and kissed it.

“My Lady,” he said reverently. “I cannot believe that you are finally here.”

Aurelia exhaled. Despite everything else, she was with Lucius, and none could now separate them. Wordlessly, she pressed herself into his chest, and stayed there for a few moments as he stroked her face gently. Lucius slipped off her travelling cloak, and nodded in appreciation of the formal robes she was wearing.

“Come, my darling, Draco is waiting for us in the dining hall.”

“Draco?” Aurelia had not realised she would have to meet Lucius’ son tonight.

“Yes, Draco,” he replied impatiently. “Come on, darling.” Lucius took her arm, and led her through the corridors.

Aurelia felt uneasy. She had entirely forgotten about the boy she had deprived of a mother. All too soon, they were in the dining hall, and Draco rose to greet her, kissing her hand. “Miss Pendragon,” he said suavely. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Now now, Draco,” Lucius said lazily, looping his arm around Aurelia’s waist.

Aurelia smiled. “Call me Aurelia, Draco. It seems foolish to use such formalities when we are to be living under the same roof.” She was surprised but relieved to see that Draco appeared to bear her no malice, despite the fact that she was replacing his mother less than two months after her death. They sat down and began to eat.

The time seemed to fly by as conversation came easily. As they finished dessert, Lucius rose his glass. “A toast,” he said, “to the future.” Aurelia and Draco rose their glasses in unison, and Lucius smiled at her. As she sipped the wine, she felt Lucius’ hand slide up her leg, and begin to trace a pattern along her inner thigh. She slipped her hand under the table, and guided his further up. Lucius’ eyes widened. “You are excused, Draco,” he said, and Draco nodded to Aurelia and left the room.

Lucius rose from his chair, and stood behind Aurelia. “So.”

Aurelia rose as well, and put her arms around his neck. He ran his tongue over his lips, and wrapped his own arms around her waist. Lucius lowered his head to kiss her, until they were interrupted by a shared burning sensation on their forearms. “Is it…?” Aurelia questioned.

Lucius nodded. “Come on darling, it will not do to keep him waiting.”

Aurelia took a deep breath to steady herself, and grasped Lucius’ hand as they walked out of the manor to Apparate to the Dark Lord’s side.

They arrived in a dark cave, with the sound of the sea outside. Aurelia looked around, and saw Voldemort sat in a chair against the back wall. He rose. “Lucius, Aurelia. Thank you for being so prompt. Severus told me this morning that you were moving to Malfoy Manor today, Aurelia.”

Aurelia nodded. “That is correct, Master. I arrived there not two hours previously.”

“Good. Now, Lucius, how is the assignment I gave you going?”

Lucius bowed. “Well, Master. I have ascertained that the Order are posting guards on the room, but it seems to be only one at a time. I believe they can easily be overcome.”

“Excellent. If you would wait outside, Lucius, I require a private word with Aurelia.”

Lucius nodded, and left. Voldemort moved towards Aurelia, and smiled, a cold, cruel smile. “Aurelia Pendragon. You certainly are intriguing.”

Aurelia’s heart sank. “May I enquire as to what you mean by that, Master?”

“The ancient Pureblood lineages fascinate me, Aurelia, and I was recently doing a little research. Imagine my surprise, then, when I could find no record of an Aurelia Pendragon being born.”

Aurelia bit her lip, and remained silent.

“So I thought further, and my mind wandered to another child named Aurelia who interested me when she was younger. One Aurelia Potter, whose mother just happened to be the last living descendant of the Pendragon line.”

Aurelia’s temper snapped. “Whose mother you bloody murdered!” She jumped, and slapped her hand across her mouth, but the damage had been done.

“Ah,” said Voldemort softly. “You admit that you are the same Aurelia Potter then.”

Aurelia realised that he had known already, and there was no point in denying it. “I do. However, the fact that you murdered the majority of the rest of the Potters meant that I was slightly uneasy in revealing that to you. Pendragon is the name I have used since you killed my parents, so I did not lie to you.”

“True, true. Did you not realise though, Aurelia, that you had no reason to be uneasy? There was a reason that I spared you that night. I saw a great amount of talent in your mind, and even more importantly a thirst for power and knowledge. Something like that in the mind of a young child could be cultivated into something truly brilliant, and I had no desire to fully extinguish such a noble bloodline. Now that you have chosen to combine that with the Malfoy lineage, you are even more important to my plan.”

Aurelia breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Master. I will not let you down, I assure you.”

“That I am certain of.” Voldemort moved closer to her, and ran his fingertip down her face. Aurelia trembled, and Voldemort chuckled. He trailed his fingers down her chest, and slid a hand under her robes. “Normally, Aurelia, I do not suffer with the carnal urges that most men do. However, I can certainly appreciate why Lucius fell in love with you.”

Aurelia stood there, making no motion, but knowing that she could not deny what he would ask for.

Voldemort shook his head. “No, not tonight. Go to Lucius tonight, and enjoy it. Just remember, Aurelia, that I will collect what is mine one day.”

Aurelia fled.