𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓔𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻 | | LM & SS

Chapter 1 - Safe

Ophelia's slender legs dangled over the edge of the tall wooden bed, her feet swinging as she stared out of the large glass window of the Malfoys mountaintop chalet in the heart of the alps. Just a beautiful girl, daydreaming about the picturesque scenery, that's what most onlookers would think. But Lucius knew, from where he leaned in the doorway, that her troubled mind wasn't admiring the green valleys, or the snow sprinkled peaks of the mountains. Her legs weren't swinging blissfully, it was a nervous tick, as was how she chewed her bottom lip to the point of drawing blood, something he could spy her doing in the windows reflection.

"I brought you a glass of water, you look parched my dear." He spoke up eventually, holding out the glass tumbler, it was Italian handblown and incredibly expensive, though he doubted she noticed, or cared.

"I'm fine, thank you." She eventually replied, her distant tone confirmed to him exactly where her brain was in that moment.

Downing the glass of water he set it aside on a trunk by the door. He had managed to continue his sobriety through it all, through the events of that night, through the summer from hell hosting the Dark Lord in his very house, through stressful planning and scheming, and of keeping his son safe from the Dark Lords clutches. Draco had refused to join Ophelia at the chalet, opting to stay at the manor with Lord Voldemort's not so merry band of followers, the boy was going through the worst of his teenage years, he was confused, angry. Angry at Ophelia, angry at the world, and most certainly angry at his father.

Entering the room, he sat slowly on the bed, careful not to get too close, Ophelia had made it obvious that whilst she chose to go with him, that it was not a romantic choice, but rather a choice of a lesser evil. That had been a stab to the heart, but Lucius opted to look at the positive, she preferred him to her other lover.

"You have a letter." Lucius observed, the crumpled parchment hung loose between her fingers. She nodded in response, her emerald eyes still firmly staring out of the window. "May I?" He asked, reaching for it. She didn't agree to him reading it, but she didn't protest either, as he took it from her loose grasp. A burgundy seal hung from the edge of the pine scented paper. The Hogwarts crest was stamped into it.

"It is from Severus?" Lucius asked as he unfolded it, the distaste in his tone was obvious, though he did try to sound as neutral as possible.

"Dumbledore." Ophelia replied with a heavy lump in her throat. His eyes flicked to her, and then the to the parchment between his fingers. In that moment even Lucius Malfoys heart sank a little. He had a feeling he knew exactly what this letter was going to say, and why Ophelia had taken a step back in her recovery from that fateful evening in the cemetery.

After he had first spirited her away to the chalet, Ophelia was beside herself, for the first few days she wheeped and cried. She cradled her knees and wept so hard her skin was sore from the salty tears wetting her face.

And then she got worse.

She stopped crying. Stopped doing everything. For weeks she didn't get out of bed, wrapped up in the duvet she'd lay and stare out at the very view he laid his eyes on now. She didn't speak, especially to the house elves he had ordered to keep an eye on her whilst he dealt with the ongoing palaver at the manor. She didn't eat, bar a few bites now and then the house elves told him. And they were right, every visit she got thinner, frailer. He arranged Alexander to visit and that only made matters worse, she refused to see him. Lucius knew it was because of what happened, what she did.

The past few weeks of the summer she had seemed to begin recovery, at least on the outside, she showered, her once limp and tangled curls were back to their bouncy bountiful self. She'd gained back some of the shape she had lost, but still had progress to be made. She spoke to him, and the house elves, though her words were few and far between they were words none-the-less. But Lucius could tell the subtle signs of healing on the outside, did not match the slow decaying of her heart and soul on the inside.

Distant, withdrawn and drained of the fight and feistiness he loved her so dearly for. He tried to coax it out of her, little niggly comments here and there, a lewd joke about their tangled past, but no matter how much he poked the bear, she did not bite.

Lucius sighed as his eyes scanned over the letter. It was a job offer, to teach Herbology at Hogwarts. It seemed Severus' honeyed words in Dumbledores ear had done the trick, convincing him to offer the job to the young Professor. It had been a week since the Dark Lord had sent out his old bounty hunter, Fenrir Greyback, to permanently remove Professor Sprout, he brought back her severed hand the next day, as proof the deed had been done. The Daily Prophet had described it as an unfortunate and random werewolf attack, what fools. Lucius had omitted this from Ophelia, ensuring no Daily Prophets were delivered to her at breakfast that week. He hadn't planned how to tell her Sprout had been dealt with, he knew it would come with a relapse, a dark guilty cloud hanging over Ophelia's head as she was the one who effectively chose who was to face a horrifying fate.

He hadn't expected Dumbledores letter to come so quickly, or he would have intercepted it and given her the news in a softer way...

"I guess a congratulations are in order, you finally have your dream, Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts." Lucius forced his lips into a half smile.

"How did she die?" Ophelia asked, ignoring his words, her blank face still staring ahead out of the window.

Lucius cleared his voice. "Peacefully." He lied.

"Cut the shit Lucius, tell me what he did to her, tell me what... I did to her." She told him firmly, the first time she had spoken his name in weeks, he wished she wasn't saying it like that.

Lucius rolled his lip between his teeth, the truth would be hard for her to bare, it was so close to home, he was terrified she would simply fall apart upon hearing it.

"The Dark Lord sent one of his old contacts to deal with her, he couldn't risk it being a follower, just in case they were caught." He told her vaguely. Hoping she wouldn't question it further.

"Deal with her?" Ophelia shook her head, a tear slipping from her right eye. "You mean kill her, in cold blood."

"The Dark Lord has killed many, and he will kill many more in this upcoming war, you will never get used to it... it is hard. But we must do what we can to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe." Lucius told her as he placed the letter gently onto the bed.

Standing he straightened his black jacket. Adjusting the cuffs he inhaled deeply, desperate to change the subject onto something with a cheerier note. "The new school year begins next week, perhaps we should start planning for it now that you are to be an official Hogwarts Professor. Put together a list of all you need, and the servants will arrange their delivery, I'll pay of course..." He told her as he moved towards the bedroom door. "I must return to the manor now, I feel the call... if you need me, for anything, please write. Otherwise, I will be back in a few days, but once the dust has settled from the Dark Lords arrival, I will be available to you indefinitely... should you want me."

Ophelia did not answer, and so Lucius just gave her a curt nod, before taking his leave, he had much to do.

As the air stilled and Lucius' footsteps had long fallen out of hearing, Ophelia spoke sadly into the silence: "No one is safe."