The Fearsome Name of Riddle

Coward Or A Child

1971

"My Lady." 

Enoch Nott called over to Victoria as she knelt beside her youngest son. With the war started, the Dark Lord called meetings of his inner circle near daily. Plans changed and developed far more rapidly as the Ministry strengthened their response to the Death Eater threat. 

"The Dark Lord has requested your council on the recent development." 

Victoria nodded, combing her hands through Octavian’s hair, trying to flatten his curls which kept bouncing right back into position. "I'll be right there, Enoch, thank you." 

Octavian pulled away from his mother's hands with an annoyed expression. He had no interest in going to Cygnus Black's birthday. A boring adult party meant that even if he did get to see his friends they couldn't do anything. There would be a lot of talking and being ushered into side rooms so that the younger children didn't interrupt the others. And without his mother, there was no one there to protect him from how vicious everyone else's parents were. 

"Why do I have to go?" He whined, leaning back as Victoria readjusted his tie tight around his throat. "I have nothing to do with any of his daughters. I don't know him at all." 

"You'll be fine, we need to show goodwill from the family," Victoria said, standing up and brushing over the shoulders of his suit jacket one last time. "Have some fun with your friends. It won't be as bad as you think." 

“Why aren't you going?” Octavian kicked his shoe on the marble floor until her brown pinch into a frown and he stopped. 

“Because I'm busy.”

"He really is quite insistent," Enoch reiterated, reaching out to guide Victoria from the entrance hall. "Victoria." 

"I know, I'm coming," Victoria said, stroking her hand across Octavian’s cheek before turning with Enoch. 

"Mother." Lucius looked hopeful as he quickly stepped through the heavy wooden door to the rest of the house. "I—" 

"I don't have time, Lucius." Victoria waved him off as she reached up to straighten his collar. "I'm sorry, look after your brother please." 

"But I—" 

"Lucius," Victoria said more firmly, letting Enoch step into the Manor before her. "Please." 

"Yes, Mother." Lucius gritted his teeth and bowed his head as his mother left him and his brother alone in the entrance hall. 

The click of the small heel on her boots bounced off the dark green walls as Victoria strode out ahead of Enoch, making their way back to the dining hall where most meetings took place. It had been irritating but it was what she agreed to. She should have expected it. If she would only see him when performing her duty for the cause then of course Tom would include her in every developing decision. 

As they reached the large, dark wood doors, Friedrich Mulciber met them in the hallway. 

“There you are.” He let out a sigh of relief, his dark skin looking a little pale. Worked to the bone like the rest of them. Fight after fight with little care for rest. “He's furious.”

“About what?” Victoria asked, looking down when Friedrich passed her a newspaper with a large headline printed across the front: Light in the darkness. 

“Albus Dumbledore made a speech at the Ministry,” Friedrich said, pushing open the door for her. 

“Thank you, Friedrich.” Victoria made an effort to offer a smile as she touched her hand lightly to his arm. They didn't get to see each other much anymore, their friendship from their school days placed to the side in the heat of the war.