Times Of Surrender

Chapter Nine

Narcissa lounged on a cushioned bench seat that sat before the master bedroom windows. Plush pillows were surrounding her body in a comforting tide of grey, black, and white. A thick, leather-bound book sat open in her lap and she was currently reading about the beginning stages of a magical pregnancy. Her blue eyes took in the information that she had read almost eighteen years ago, refreshing her mind once again. She knew that she shouldn’t be looking at it. Her only grandchild wouldn’t be born, not if Lucius had his way, and there really was no reason to hope that that would change. But she couldn’t force herself to look over the fact that she was a soon-to-be grandmother.

Her talk with Draco had softened her. She had known that there was the possibility that her son was the father of Hermione Granger’s baby. She’d even tried to steel herself for the talk, knowing that if she didn’t, she might not be able to push him any farther. Yet he had thrown the wizarding DNA test results at her and her heart had hurt. All of the steeling in the world couldn’t have stopped the ache in her chest when she had seen those results. She had had only one child, a personal decision, and had loved and protected him dearly. Hearing news of a grandchild had thrown her through quite a loop. But wanting the grandchild and being able to keep it were two different things. Lucius wouldn’t allow it; there was no way around that, not even the slightest chance.

Absorbed in what she was doing, she did not realize that somebody had entered the room, or that that somebody was in fact the man she had just been thinking about. She jumped suddenly when Lucius cleared his throat. Not wanting him to see what she was reading, she shut the book and pushed it off of her lap as she swung her legs around to the floor.

“Good morning, my love.” Narcissa said in much the same way she’d always done each morning over the years of their marriage.

“Narcissa,” Lucius said stonily, as he paced farther into her sleeping chambers. “Have you seen Draco?”

“No, I haven't seen him since our talk yesterday.” She moved a pillow to hide the title of the book. Lucius didn’t seem to notice at all, as if his mind was in a completely different world.

“Yes, a very unacceptable talk, indeed. I grimace at the thought that my own wife would feed such temptations into his mind. You’ve no idea how disappointed it makes me to think that my own son loathes my decisions.” Lucius gave his wife the faintest of cold smiles as he leaned his weight onto his silver snake head cane.

“I’ve told our son nothing but the truth, Lucius. You’ve made many decisions that I’d never have agreed with. He sees that for himself, and he sees that you’ve made bad choices. He is an adult, and he is allowed to think what he will.” Narcissa said, not meeting her husband’s inquisitive silver eyes.

“I’m curious as to what you’ve taught him while I was absent throughout his life. I had a feeling that leaving him at home with his mother would not be a good idea. I believe you’ve made the boy soft.” He pointed his cane at her accusingly. His long blond locks of hair fell around his anger-reddened face.

“I may be many things, Lucius, but weak is not one of them. I’ve never said anything against you to our Drake. He’s just done what he said he’d do yesterday; he has learned from his father’s mistakes and no matter how much you’d wish it, he is not you and he never will be. He has made his own path.” She couldn’t believe that her husband was actually blaming her for her son’s opinion. Normally, he’d share a few mean remarks and move on. He’d never been one to delve so deeply into Draco’s life.

“His path would be mine if you’d have let him travel with me when he was younger. He’d know the difference between right and wrong, just like every Malfoy before him. I fear that you have made him weak beyond repair…a hopeless waste of time.” The last was said very quietly.

“Your path has been that of the Dark Lord. He is gone! There is no more that you can do or expect Draco to do for him. I wouldn’t have my son’s soul sold to the Dark Lord.” Narcissa claimed savagely. Her blue eyes were filled with anger that she had always suppressed around her husband - anger that a good wife would never express towards the man that she loved, as it would be unacceptable.

“The Dark Lord might be gone, but who is to say that another might not arise?” Rage had contorted his features into something ugly, something his wife had never seen before. There was something unquestionably wrong with him.

“Nobody will ever be as evil as that man was! Nobody would stoop so low.” Fear started to blossom beneath her breasts. Something cold and dark that she’d never felt before.

“I’m great enough to rise above the peasants of our world! Only those who are worthy would worship me. The rest would run in fear!” He cried furiously. His knuckles had turned white where they grasped the black cane in his hands. It was shaking with his anger.

Narcissa had the feeling that her husband had finally gone crazy. The power, the wealth, and his sense of self had finally pushed him over the edge. Or maybe it was all of those and the fact that he had spent the past couple years in Azkaban. Whatever it was, Narcissa felt that he had truly gone fanatical.

“As you say, Lucius.” She said calmly and stood. Her grey skirts swished around her ankles. She moved to her dark vanity and sat on the matching pillowed bench to look at herself in the mirror. She had never been a vain woman, but she played the part very well. She took up her silver soft bristle brush and ran it through her luxurious hair.

“Draco has become incompetent and irresponsible as far as I am concerned. I mustn’t be troubled by such weak links. What to do, what to do.” He tapped a ringed finger against his jaw and rolled the words slowly around his mouth.

“He isn’t a weak relation, he just doesn’t see eye to eye with you. I’ve not seen eye to eye with you many times over the years.” She said, tossing blond hair over her shoulder to look at her husband with narrowed eyes.

“Yes, I recall many such times…very displeasing indeed. I must say that there is much that I should consider before being rash. But, I’ve come to the decision that I’m done considering. My actions will be based off of first thought. And that Granger girl needs to be dealt with. If Draco cannot put a stop to this abomination, I will see to her and him both.” Lucius turned on his heels and ambled out of the brightly lit room.

Narcissa sat for a few long moments looking into her mirror. Lucius wasn’t normally like this, not at all. He might be a devious man who kept many secrets, but he wasn’t one to talk so lowly about his own blood - or his wife, for that matter. She would have to keep an extra close eye on him until this situation with Draco was over. His remarks and his attitude had been enough to cause concern.

Her son was far from being weak. Throughout his childhood he had run her in circles with his witty repartee and his sardonic attitude. It was an everyday struggle just to beat him at his own game, and that didn’t even involve the portion of day in which she acted as Mother and not the queen of wordplay. When she was Mother he knew how far he could push her without getting himself into trouble and he knew just how much room he had to run. He may have many sides, but weak was never one of them. Narcissa couldn’t even remember the last time she had seen him cry; had it been so long?

Draco had been the sort of boy that if he wasn’t getting his way he would look at you defiantly and just nod his head accepting the final say. He had never really thrown temper tantrums, and if he had, he was punished. He quickly learned that being weak wasn’t acceptable. Lucius had seen this and had been proud of young Draco. If the boy could take his punishment by gritting his teeth and trudging through it, he was being strong. He was being just what his father wanted.

So why then was Lucius being so harsh? Narcissa needed to find Draco before he did and speak with him.


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Draco was glad that he had a fireplace within his chambers. He didn’t have to leave his room to make a floo call and he wouldn’t have to run into his father. His father had looked all over the house for his whereabouts and hadn’t been able find him anywhere. That’s what he gets for living in such a large house, Draco thought with a smirk playing on his lips. He had been hiding in a room his father hadn’t even thought to look - the attic. There were large windows in the attic that lit the dusty room brightly and Draco had taken his recently purchased books up into the unvisited room to spend his day.

There weren’t any house elves in the attic, and they couldn’t get through the wards or the locked door. There was no way for his father to find him at all and he’d stayed there until he knew his father would be in his own chambers. Then he’d slipped down into his own rooms and had cast not only a locking charm, he had cast a sound blocking charm as well. Not even the elves would be able to hear anything in the room from their passages that ran beside his room. He had thrown some floo powder into the fireplace and had waited for the arranged time to make his floo call; his face was now in the fireplace of the Burrow.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny were sitting closely around the fire looking at him with guarded expressions. His face bobbed around in the fire so that they could see him and hear him as well. He could see the inside of the shabby living room that was indeed the Weasley’s. Though they were a poor family that had hand-me-down things, Draco had to admit that the house looked homey and comfortable.

“What is it that you wanted, Malfoy?” Harry asked distrustfully from where he was kneeling. He was dressed in his everyday muggle clothing; he wanted to be prepared if Malfoy decided to come through the flames and cause trouble.

“Something I probably shouldn’t trust you with at all, Potter.” Draco said with a furrowed brow. To the others kneeling around the fire, it seemed obvious that Draco wasn’t going to cause trouble as his attitude wasn’t the same as he had always displayed in the past.

“Then why’d you bother to niggle us?” Ron asked huffily. His mum and dad didn’t know that they were having this meeting. If they had, they would most definitely want to be present. Thankfully, his parents were in bed for the night.

“Niggle, who uses the word niggle anymore, Weasel?” Draco asked with a snort. Ron turned various shades of red but kept quiet. “I’ve come to ask a favor, actually.”

“Why would we want to grant you any favors, Malfoy?” Ginny asked skeptically with narrowed eyes.

“Don’t get so cocky, Weaselette. I would think you’d grant me this favor, as it has something to do with your precious Granger.” Draco knew that he had their solemn attention and gave them a boastful smile.

“What about her?” Harry bit out with a raised eyebrow. His green eyes pierced Draco with a very serious glare.

“My father’s back from Azkaban and he knows about Granger. He’s told me to ask her to terminate the disgrace or he is going to deal with it himself. He’s not himself…” It hurt him to say such about his father, but he truly believed that he had gone mad.

“That sounds just like your ruddy father.” Ron protested under his breath.

“Watch it, Weasley! I haven’t come to play games. I’m trying to find a way around my father for my child. Granger might not be safe alone while I’m doing so. My father could try to attack her in the meantime.” Draco said coolly.

“So, what, you want us to watch Hermione and keep her safe from your bloody father?” Harry asked, angry now. He didn’t mind helping out his dear friend. No, what really made him mad was that Draco’s father was threatening her.

“And what do you mean, your child?” Ginny asked quickly, a sly look on her young face.

“You do know that it takes two to make a baby right, Weaselette? I’d think you’d know considering the family you're from. It’s as much my child as it is Granger’s.” Draco said pointedly.

“She has a name you know, Malfoy.” Ginny snapped.

“Ah yes, but through our time together you’ve all been Potter, Granger, Weasel, and Weaselette. You don’t address me by my given name; I won’t show you that respect without it being returned - or earned, for that matter.” That smirk played on his face again as he spoke.

“What do you intend to do with your father?” Ron asked now.

“Don’t worry about my father, I’ll figure something out.” The pale haired boy stated matter-of-factly.

“Obviously we do have to worry about your father. Does Hermione know about it?” Harry asked with a sigh.

“Or about the fact that you are calling claims to her child.” Ginny interjected before he could speak.

“She knows that I won’t force her to get rid of the baby.” Draco said and frowned when he heard Ron say that that was a surprise. “She also knows that I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it and I am sure she knows I am calling claim to it since it is mine.”

“How long until you’ve found a way around your father?” Harry questioned. Mrs. Weasley would start to wonder about their actions if they were gone for too long. Maybe they could get Hermione to come visit them for a while.

“Potter, I don’t know. He’s a man of great power. I can’t just get by him in a day. I’ll have to speak with my mother. She’ll try and help, I’m sure.”

“Narcissa Malfoy? Helping a mudblood keep her child while her evil husband wishes against it? I doubt that!” Ron sputtered and pushed to his feet. This conversation was getting ridiculous and so was the situation. Hermione was in trouble and they needed to help her. All because Malfoy didn’t know how to keep it in his pants!

“Not everybody is who they portray themselves to be.” Draco stated crossly as he stared at the red headed boy’s back since Ron had turned his back to them while he stretched his long frame.

“She didn’t give a good impression when we last saw her.” Harry stated as if Draco should have already known.

“I don’t have time for games, Potter.”

“Why is it so important for us to protect Hermione?” Harry insisted defiantly.

“Because she’s the delivery service for my child and I’ll not have him or her harmed.” Draco was getting rather tired of this conversation. Those three were trying to play twenty-one questions with him when they should be on their way to Granger’s.

“So all she is to you is the carrier of your child?” Ginny asked as if she’d die from not knowing.

“This isn’t some sort of love story, Weaselette. I had a one night stand that resulted in something that might not be wanted, but is definitely going to be loved. There is nothing more than that. What would you have of me? Would you have me profess my undying love for Granger? I can’t do that because if there is anything there, it’s only attraction. Attraction isn’t love, its getting my rocks off when I need to.” Draco burst out, irritated by their bantering.

“Well your rocks got you into trouble this time ‘round Malfoy and poor Hermione has to suffer for it!” Ron shouted angrily. He cringed when he heard his mother thumping down the stairs. Draco heard it as well and looked towards Harry.

“Just take care of it, I’ll be in touch.” His face disappeared from the flames and Harry and Ginny were left staring at the orange licking flames. Ron was watching for his mum to appear at the foot of the stairs.

“What’s the shouting about, Ronald?” She called to them before she could be seen.

“Nothing, Mum.” Ron turned his eyes to Harry and gave him a look that asked if they should tell her the truth. Harry nodded his head once in confirmation.

“That’s not what I heard. You were clearly yelling at something, and at this time of night! What’s the matter?” She hustled into the room with her robe held tightly around her. She looked from one teenager to another for an answer.

“We’ve just been speaking with Draco Malfoy.” Harry said as he stood up from the floor.

“Whatever are you speaking with the Malfoy boy for?” She took a seat on the nearest chair.

“It’s about Hermione, she’s in danger.” Ginny claimed breathlessly, flashing a look at the boys.

“How?” Molly questioned quickly.

“Lucius is out of Azkaban and he isn’t happy that Hermione is pregnant.” Harry filled in when he saw the panic in her kind face.

“Oh dear, she’ll need to be watched! She’d best come here for a stay.” She was on her feet again, looking at the children with stern eyes. “I’m going with you. You’re not to go alone; you may all be in danger. I’ll tell your father.”

“No, Mum you don’t need to go.” Ginny protested quickly.

“If Lucius is threatening her she should go to the Ministry; and the Order would help as well. You want me to let you go alone? That’s crazy. Your father and I will go with you. Stay right here.” Molly darted out of the room to fetch her husband. The three children watched as she left and heaved a sigh. Hopefully Hermione would be willing to come to the Burrow.


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A/N: Hey everybody I am very very sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I have this new job that is taking a lot of my time up and I actually just got the next three chapters back from my beta. So I will try and update once a week or so. Anyways thanks for the reviews that you've left me so far.

-Leslie