Bloodstone

Obedience

The bright morning sun arrived too soon and I silently cursed my decision to fall asleep under a glass ceiling.

As beautiful as it appeared at night, there was no escape from the harsh rays of daybreak through the iridescent panels of glass.

I turned over burying my head into Lucius' shoulder. His scent dizzying my mind and beckoning me back to sleep.

I felt his hand caress my back, before brushing through my hair.

"Are you awake little one?" His voice rumbled sleepily.

"No" I whined, not wanting to move, not wanting the inevitable end to our time together.

Lucius chuckled, curling his arms around me tightly and squeezing my body against his broad shoulders.

"I want to keep you here like this forever" he cooed, breathing deeply from beneath me.

"Then send an owl to Dumbledore and tell him there's been a terrible accident and I will not be returning for the end of the semester" I half joked, my voice muffled into his chest.

"As appealing as that is, you know you must finish the term little one" He tutted with a sigh.

I lifted my head to face him, taking in the way the sun illuminated his rugged features. His blonde hair hung messily behind his back with a few strands falling in front.

"Have you given any thought to what you'd like to do after you graduate?" He continued repositioning himself upright and bringing me with him.

"Not really, I have always enjoyed potion making, perhaps I'll intern at the Apothecary in Diagon Alley-"

"You're destined for far greater things than that little one" he interjected smugly, almost scoffing at my mediocre aspiration.

"I haven't decided yet Lucius, the only familial connections I have is in the field of criminality" I joked, half sad that I knew no one in my family with a serious, honest occupation.

"What about your brothers? What do they do?" He asked casually, I thought about it for a moment before answering.

"Well I'm not really sure what Alaric does, the last time I'd spoken with him he was in Bulgaria studying an almost-extinct dragon species" I explained, "and Ivan...well he's probably locked up somewhere as we speak" I sighed, repositioning myself to sit comfortably next to him, looking at his curious expression.

"Was it Ivan who was sent to Azkaban?" Lucius asked, narrowing his eyes in thought. "He was quite infamous for a time, the shortest stint in Azkaban to date" he added, quoting the headline of after his imprisonment.

"The very same" I answered uncomfortably, I never spoke about Ivan much to other people. He'd killed a wizard for muttering his name along with his charges in a pub one night, the fool making the mistake of whispering about our family in Ivan's presence.

Lucius noticed my heightened anxiety at the mention of my other brother, straightening his posture and looking over my face tentatively.

"What is it?" He probed.

"I don't really talk about Ivan, there's not much to say" I breathed, "I'm a lot closer to Alaric anyway" I added, trying to steer the conversation away from any further questions.

We remained silent for a moment before Lucius breathed deeply and suggested we have breakfast in the west courtyard.

I agreed, acknowledging my rumbling stomach as we both rose from the fur rug and returned to the master bedroom.

Deciding to shower before breakfast, I stepped behind the large glass door, the warm water greeted my skin as I lathered soap onto my shoulders. Lucius stepped in after me, pumping fragrant shampoo into his hand and massaging it into my scalp.