The White Sparrow {Draco & Lucius x Reader}

chapter nine - charmed

Your heart dropped to your stomach as you shamefully opened the door all the way and presented yourself in front of Lucius.

"I-I..." you stuttered, frozen in fear. "I was alone and escaped the war. Draco found me and brought me here, only as a kind gesture. I'll leave immediately, I promise," you blurted out, already desperate to clear Draco's name so Lucius wouldn't hurt him, knowing the rumors from school.

"You're a friend of my son's... how interesting." Lucius replied slowly.

He continuously looked you up and down as he analyzed every inch of you. You stood still and silent under his wandering eyes.

But you were starting to grow quite distraught under his intense eye contact.

"The house elf said there was another person here, perhaps I should've listened before throwing him out," Lucius said nonchalantly, although it made you cringe to think about the poor elf being tossed out so carelessly.

You looked away from Lucius to break the stare finally, and nervously tucked your hair behind your ear. Clearing your throat before answering, you were worried any way you answered was going to be wrong.

"Yes, Draco brought me here a few hours ago. I can leave right now though, if you'd prefer. I hope I haven't upset you sir."

"Hmm," Lucius pondered, still enamored with your beauty. "Love, stand up straight for me."

Doing as he asked, you obliged and fixed your posture.

"Quite marvelous," he said under his breath.

Noticing your outfit, his pursued lips turned to a smirk.

"Ah, a Slytherin as well? How lovely!" he beamed, a grin stretching across his face.

"No, this uniform's not mine," you corrected him, defensively. "I mean, I'm actually a Hufflepuff."

Squinting his eyes, you could nearly see the gears turning in his head as he redetermined what this would change about his perspective on you. The already existing stereotypes about your house made you wonder if that was all he would see you as.

"I see. Loyal enough to fight for Hogwarts in the war I'm assuming?" he asked with a certain distaste in his tone.

"I..." you paused trying to block the memories already rushing in. "It doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done."

"And you're of pure blood I would hope?"

"Yes," you replied uneasily, knowing how much that specific thing meant to him.

He smiled in response and his mood seemed to change entirely.

"Well dear, I'm sure you aren't aware," he started, coming up closer to you. "But Hogwarts was completely destroyed after Potter returned. Nothing left of it but ash and bodies I'm afraid."

Lucius' tone was very convincing. In such a way that you didn't even think to question if what he was saying was true.

But you truly felt nauseous after learning Hogwarts' fate after you left.

Voldemort must have won. His army had to have burned the castle to the ground completely. There's nowhere for me to go now, no school left. What am I going to do?

"Don't fret, I'd be happy to continue housing you here darling. On one condition of course," he proposed, making your thoughts scatter for the time being.

"Yes?" you squeaked.

"You stay on my side of the manor."

Before you could even begin contemplating, Draco walked into the hallway. His eyes widened when he realized Lucius had caught you. Increasing his pace, he was quick to intervene.

"Father, I can explain," Draco said immediately, moving in front of you.

"Draco, stop at once. Your friend is welcome here. Our guest will be staying on my side of the manor though, right dear?" he asked, looking at you to confirm this to Draco. "Given the destruction of Hogwarts of course."

Draco was confused at first, before catching on to what his father was saying. Even though he didn't want to lie to you, he knew his father would kill him if he didn't go along. And worse than that, he knew trying to tell his father 'No' which in turn would humiliate him in front of you, was absolutely out of the question.

So, he followed Lucius' lead.

"Right, how could I have forgotten," Draco murmured clumsily. "Yes father, whatever you'd like."

Your opinion was no longer considered as Draco affirmed to you that you would be moving to Lucius' side of the manor. It was amazing how much Draco was willing to do to make his father happy, in your eyes. Even though you didn't really know the truth.

"Our house elf will escort you to your new room," Lucius said proudly, his staff clicking against the tile floors as he walked away.

Closing the door behind you, you had to take a minute to register what just happened. The entire encounter was so uncomfortable, and the relationship between Draco and his father was even stranger.

But there was something about the way Lucius looked at you that made your stomach go in knots. It was so odd, yet you couldn't help but want to feel that way again.

It was almost... exhilarating, to have the attention of such a powerful man.

The little house elf let himself in, stumbling over his own feet nervously.

"Master said I am to help you move to the west wing."

The elf wrung his hands together anxiously and spoke in a high-pitched voice. Your family never had a house elf, but you had so much compassion in your heart that you could never treat them poorly.

"Thank you. What is your name?" you asked him kindly.

"Alfie, miss."

The elf looked young, he hadn't even grown into his ears yet.

"Okay Alfie, how about we stack these extra clothes and books in a bin so we can carry them easier up the stairs?" you suggested to the small elf.

"Oh yes miss, that would be great," the elf said appreciatively. He couldn't have been more than three feet tall, you never would've let him carry all of your new items up the stairs by himself.

You knew the poor thing had to have been terrified to be working under Lucius. Even though Alfie was young, he would not be spared Lucius' cruelty which broke your heart.

Once you were in the west wing of the house, Alfie brought you to a large bedroom. It was larger than the one you had been in before on the first floor, and the linens had clearly been freshly laundered. If it had been destroyed by the death eaters before, you weren't able to tell now.

It was beautiful, you were almost in shock that it was for you to stay in.

"If you need anything miss, please let me know," Alfie said before leaving you alone once more.

Curling up into the soft forest green chaise, your chest felt heavy thinking of all of the unknowns. All of the possible outcomes from the war, who was alive and who was dead. You were so grateful that Jameson had left when he did and hoped he was happy in the U.S. no matter what you were dealing with right now.

But what made you the most worried, was what had happened to your mother. You were so ashamed, knowing she waited for you at Hogs Head Inn to never end up seeing you or knowing your fate.

It killed you inside that your parents didn't know if you were alive or dead. The amount of worry they must've exhausted already with neither of their kids being home, and the wizarding world in shambles... you were mortified.

But what could you do?

Staring quietly outside the window at the lush forest, a white sparrow flew across and landed on a tree branch in front of you.

So peaceful, and quaint. Able to fly away whenever they chose.

In that moment, there was nothing you wanted more, than to be that bird.