Waiting | Lucius Malfoy

Chapter Seven | A Tale Of Two Cities

As she entered the library, Lucius was waiting for her, holding the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. He sighed deeply, flicking through the pages before stopping at something that caught his interest. He quickly folded the paper and pushed it angrily out of his sight before turning to greet her.

"Guinevere. How was your day?" Guinevere smiled warmly at him. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been asked that question.

"Long, but I got some correspondence completed ready to be owled to the French Minister of Magic. Kingsley seemed pleased with it." She tucked a stray piece of hair that had fallen out of place behind her ear. "He's a brilliant man, but he struggles to keep his composure in his letters." She laughed, thinking of the draft he'd handed her that morning. It was short, to the point and could have started a war within seconds. Guinevere had quickly rectified it and had possibly saved the British wizarding community from invasion before breakfast. All in a day's work.

Lucius appeared to wait for her to continue. She realised, with a sigh, that he was checking to see if she knew that Draco had fled the country. "Your son made sure to leave fairly quickly, didn't he?" Lucius raised a brow and collected his thoughts.

"Yes, it appears that Draco has returned to Mummy. Seems as though he can't handle the consequences of his actions. Silly boy." He fiddled with the black satin bow that tamed his white locks into a ponytail. "Anyway, my dear. Enough of that. Do you know what you're looking for?"

Guinevere nodded, pulling the notebook from the tote bag that was carefully slung over her shoulder. "I think they're mostly texts from the 1800s. Most should be in sections related to Divination." He pointed to the far right of the library.

"I think you'll find what you're looking for over there." She placed the bag down beside him and headed towards the section. She heard Lucius' footsteps following close behind her and held her breath. "Guinevere?" She turned, reaching out for the first text she had spotted. "You didn't happen to see Theodore Nott today by chance?"

"I did," she replied, unsure as to why he was asking. It was best to stay neutral.

"I received an owl from Mr Nott this afternoon, asking about Malfoy Matriarch. He's looking to book a trip soon to Lisbon with some of his companions and he wanted to check with me first."

"He didn't mention it to me." Guinevere kept her expression cool, despite the warmth flooding her cheeks. She was furiously reciting their conversation in her head, attempting to find any shred of mention of The Matriarch. She had steered clear of it. "Is there any reason you're mentioning it to me now?"

Lucius stayed silent for a minute. "When was the last time you visited the hotel?"

She thought back to her last trip. "November. I glanced over the books and checked how the refurbishment of the top floor was coming along. I believe, if they're still on schedule, work should be concluding this month."

"Excellent news. I think a trip to Lisbon is in order, to ensure everything is in place before Theodore's trip," he stated brightly.

"You're in luck!" Guinevere found herself matching his tone. "I've found this the best time to visit, as the weather is especially pleasant in the Spring. I'm sure you'll be pleased with what you see."

"You seem to be under the impression that I'd be going alone, Miss Grace."

"Oh, would Mrs Malfoy be joining you?"

"Narcissa doesn't concern herself with our smaller ventures. I was presuming that you'd be coming along. The hotel is yours, after all."

"Of course, I'd love to Lucius. It's just-," She thought of her work obligations, along with the potential awkwardness of travelling alone with Draco's father. "I'm not sure if I could leave Kingsley with no assistant at such short notice. I'm not sure he'd be able to survive." Guinevere let out a laugh, trying to ease the tension she was feeling.

"I've already cleared it with Minister Shacklebolt, Guinevere. There's no need to worry. I believe Miss Parkinson will be filling in while you're absent. We'll leave at the end of the month." She was silently livid. This was the exact opposite of what she had explained to Theo this afternoon. Lucius appeared to be meddling with her working life and she had no idea what his game was.

"That's great," she replied shortly, not wanting to cause a scene. He walked away, retrieving his cane from beside his chair and left the library with his paper underarm.

She spent an hour or so perusing the books, hoping that she could find enough to occupy her for the rest of the month. While she was appreciative of Lucius' gesture, she wasn't stupid. Until she had figured out exactly what it was that he wanted of her, she needed to keep a safe distance. Popping her chosen books into her bag, Guinevere made her way promptly back to the study. She found him there, looking out the window over the grounds of the Manor. Guinevere knocked on the door to let him know of her arrival. He didn't move.

"Do you know why I became a death eater, Guinevere?" Guinevere shook her head.

"I did it for my family, but I think I also did it for me. I wanted to do something great in the world, I didn't realise I would be on the wrong side of history."

"I don't doubt that, Lucius." She paused and met his eyes. "Have you been thinking about the war?" This was a risk. Lucius seldom spoke of his involvement in the war and still maintained that he had spent much of his time under the Imperius curse.

"I have. I think," he swallowed, "I think that if I could go back, I wouldn't join them. I'd have been happy with my wife and raised Draco away from it all."

"As tragic as it is, I don't think much would have changed," She replied gently, attempting to comfort him.

"Yes, perhaps you're right. But I would have spared myself the guilt, wouldn't I?" He picked up the Daily Prophet from his desk. "You know, whenever they talk about Draco or I, they still call us 'former death eaters'. I could be personally ending world hunger and I'd still be regarded that way."

Guinevere wondered whether this involved the article he'd been so enamoured at in the library. "Can I see?" He nodded and handed her the paper, his hand brushing hers as she reached for it.

FORMER DEATH EATER DRACO MALFOY MAKES WAVES IN PARIS

Former Death Eater Draco Malfoy has returned to Paris this week. It is said that tensions were high between him and his father, Lucius Malfoy - also a former Death Eater and avid Voldemort follower. He's been hitting the muggle headlines this week, seen with an unnamed woman. Does this mean that he is no longer tied to long-time girlfriend Guinevere Grace? We reached out to Miss Grace for comment but this request was declined.

"I wasn't asked for a comment."

"You were. I declined it on your behalf," he winked.

"Lucius," she scolded. "I'm more than capable of handling the Daily Prophet."

"I know you are. It was just convenience." He could read the scepticism on her face. "The request for comment arrived by owl at the Manor, you must still have it listed as your forwarding address." That made sense, but it still troubled Guinevere that he hadn't at least informed her before responding.

"At least now I won't have to break the news of our parting to anyone else, I suppose."

"I wouldn't be so sure. The Daily Prophet isn't exactly known for its accuracy."

"The pictures speak for themselves, Lucius." A huge picture of Draco and the 'unnamed woman' accompanied the article. They could barely keep their hands off each other and it looked like he had his tongue down her throat. The girl had his blonde hair grasped in her fist, with one of his knees separating her legs against the wall.

"I suppose that they do," he replied, looking troubled. Guinevere wasn't sure if he could sense that she was slightly hurt, but if he did, he didn't say anything to reassure her.

"I better be heading home." She tapped the bag against her side. "Thank you for the books."

"No need to thank me, Guinevere. It's the least I can do," he replied, sitting back in his chair and lifting his feet to sit with his dragonhide boots on the desk. He nodded towards the Floo powder and she retrieved a handful before standing in the fireplace.

"For what it's worth, Lucius. I don't think I see you as a death eater anymore." And with that, she was home, met in her bedroom by an unexpected guest.

"Narcissa!"