Our Prize (Harry Potter fanfic)

46

Lucius waited outside the tent. He knew he should be there to comfort his wife and that the healers had told him that he could now go visit her but to try not to wake her up since she was going to need it to get their strengths back up. But there was something holding him back from going in and seeing his wife. It was actually a someone. Draco. Lucius knew it was silly to let something like his own son from keep him seeing his wife especially in her hour of need, but after what Draco had said, he felt best to let him be alone for a bit. 

He still could silence his mind from what Draco had said to him earlier when he had arrived with Narcissa, who was injured. Draco didn't call him out when he was rushing over to them. He just called out for Narcissa. Maybe it was because at that moment he noticed his mother was injured but it still hurt. But what cuts him to the core was that his own son had not only called him a coward but claimed this entire thing was his own doing. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. He wasn't sure anymore. He thought he was doing good for his family but it seemed like he really wasn't. If he actually took a moment to think, it was actually Narcissa who was the tough one and was making the decisions that helped their family out for the better. After all, it was Narcissa who had played the Dark Lord as a fool for years and some of it even Lucius was stunned to discover. 

"Mr. Malfoy," Lucius darted his up to see a healer walking out of the tent, heading towards him, "If you want, Draco had fell asleep. You can go see your wife and check in on her." 

"Thank you," he mumbled with a light nod of his head. The healer proceeded to head off somewhere, probably searching for others to help. Lucius slowly approached the tent, paused before finally entering into the tent. The tent itself was rather larger than it appeared on the outside. It was filled with numerous hospital beds and supplies needed to help the wounded and sick. Lucius wandered about till he found his wife's bed in the far corner. He quietly tip-toed over till he was looming over the bed. He watched as Narcissa laid peacefully there, lightly breathing as her arm was wrapped around Draco, who was sleep right beside her. It was almost like the night when Draco had been born. 

Lucius felt tears forming in his eyes as he felt himself ready to cry. These were the two most important people in his life. And now here they laid all broken, defeated, and one was even about on death's door all because he had failed them. He was supposed to be the strong one in their relationship, the man who was supposed to protect his family from harm, to be a role model for his son. But what did he do? He drove a wedge between them. He made his son fear and hate him. He made his wife think he was unreliable. It was probably why she didn't even bother with waiting to talk about coming her farther with him. She didn't trust him at all. None of them did. 

Lucius pulled up a chair and sat down beside his family. He took hold of Narcissa's hand while he reached out and lightly brushed against Draco's head like he did when Draco had been very little. Then he mumbled a pair of words he had never said in his entire life for so long. 

"I'm sorry."