Hand That Binds

1

He thought, once, that he would never survive to see peace. And for a while, he had had it after so long. It had been hard won, and he had lost almost everything, but in the end, he knew what it was to be able to sleep without fear, and without the crushing weight of his past actions.

Lucius Malfoy finally had something like peace. But like everything in his life, it was fleeting.

On the day the Dark Lord fell, he had finally doffed the heavy mantle of playing the second to a madman, and went to his family, to protect them. He had been so beaten down, almost crushed under it all, but love, it had been love, saved him. Even that had not lasted. When it was over, truly over, his wife left and then died rather suddenly, and his son, at the departure of his mother, anxious to be free of the past, left. For the first time in his life, Lucius Malfoy was truly alone.

The loss of Narcissa had nearly ended him, and his son's marriage to Astoria Greengrass, which should have been a happy occasion, was something that had to be told to him by a mutual acquaintance. Draco and his wife were in France, never letting him know where or how they made a living. Narcissa would have been aghast, but Lucius tried not to imagine his wife's thoughts or moods after a year of their son's marriage and her death.

Lucius lived alone in the family manor in Wiltshire, only the elves attending him, though he rarely asked it of them. He felt so much guilt that he could not stand even the eyes of the elves upon him. Instead, he busied himself with learning to do everything, as much as possible, on his own. Cooking, cleaning, washing, all of it, as if he had years to make up for. He went as far as tending to the gardens and to the Granians in the stables. He did it all as a type of penance, hoping that if he somehow were able to prove himself a capable man, Draco might return.

Six years after the Last Battle, he was still alone. Only by the seventh did he have a letter from Astoria, telling him to stop trying to seek them out. Lucius had been trying to send money, gifts, anything, through Gringotts or by owl. After twelve years, Lucius stopped trying, and by then, he had other things to consider.

Though he had not been to London in years, he received several summons to the Ministry, all ignored. And then Aurors were in the foyer of the Manor, demanding from the elves that Lord Malfoy come down and show his face. Lucius had almost hidden from them, seeing their red cloaks, their generic faces, obscured with glamors to keep them mostly anonymous. One face shined through, however, and Lucius sighed at the top of the stairs, and started down.

"Lord Malfoy, by order of the Ministry, you are hereby summoned to attend a meeting on July 1st with the Minister for Magic and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot concerning the new law enacted on March 1st. Failure to attend will result in the seizure of assets, and possible detention in the Ministry jail or Azkaban. This is your notice, sir."

Harry Potter looked annoyed, that was the only way to put it to Lucius. He had only seen the boy's face in The Prophet from time to time when he did look at it and knew he was slated to be the new Head of Magical Law Enforcement in short order. Lucius stared at the boy, no, man, and sighed.

"New law?" he drawled, straightening. He knew he looked ridiculous with his bare feet, his old pair of brown corduroy trousers, and his worn gray and collarless Edwardian shirt that kept him cool while he worked in the house and gardens.

Potter cleared his throat. "They are calling it the Pureblood Marriage Law, sir. Surely, you have read about it?"

Lucius dipped his chin and clenched his fists. So, he thought, it had passed.

Potter lifted a glove hand with a roll of parchment toward him and Lucius sighed, smoothed his hair from his shoulder to fall down his back, and stepped forward. He noted that the Foyer needed dusting, looking at the footprints on the dark parquet floor. Lucius rarely entered the main part of the house, and certainly not the front rooms.