HARRY POTTER STORY: Lions in snake den

Part 34

The tension in the ballroom was thick enough to suffocate. Guests whispered behind raised hands, eyes darting between Draco, his friends, and the two wandless culprits still frozen under his aim. Narcissa's hand tightened ever so slightly on Hadrian's arm, a signal for restraint, while Lucius swept forward like a storm given flesh.
His cane tapped once against the marble floor, the crack of it silencing even the faintest murmur.

"Enough."

The word cut through the air with razor precision. His sharp grey eyes flicked across the scene—Blaise and Theodore still holding their wands trained with precise discipline, Pansy and Marcus visibly pale and trembling, and Draco himself: poised, steady, wand in one hand, and with a flick of his other wrist, Pansy and Marcus' wands clenched firmly between his fingers.

Lucius' voice was calm, but there was steel in it. "An explanation. Now. Why are Miss Parkinson and Mr. Flint held at wand-point by Zabini and Nott... and more importantly, why is my son pointing his wand at Miss Parkinson whilst holding two others that clearly do not belong to him?"

Draco did not falter under the weight of his father's words, though the scrutiny of the entire room pressed down like an invisible hand. He straightened his shoulders, his voice clipped but unwavering.

"They drew their wands on Hermione."
A ripple went through the crowd at the name—Hermione Potter, standing quietly at Draco's side, chin raised but hands clasped neatly before her. She met Lucius' gaze steadily, though she said nothing.
"They attempted to hex her from behind," Draco continued, his tone sharp enough to draw blood. "In the middle of your house. At my birthday."

Gasps followed, some shocked, others disbelieving. Narcissa's lips parted slightly, a faint trace of alarm in her otherwise composed features. Lucius' gaze flicked briefly to Hermione, then to Hadrian, who stood nearby, his own expression unreadable save for the faintest flicker of pride in his emerald eyes. Lucius turned back to Draco, his voice low, measured, dangerous. "And you are certain of this?"
Theo spoke up immediately, his words rushed but precise. "I saw them, Lord Malfoy. They were ready to strike. I shouted the warning—Draco protected Hermione before they could cast."

"And Blaise and I disarmed them," Theo added firmly, nodding toward the wands Draco held. Lucius' gaze swept the three boys like a blade, pausing briefly on each one before returning to his son. "So. You chose not only to expose them, but to humiliate them before every guest under this roof?" Draco's jaw tightened. His grip on his wand did not waver. "I chose to protect Hermione. They could have struck her down had we done nothing. What humiliation they feel is a result of their own disgraceful actions, not mine."

The silence that followed was deafening.
Hermione finally stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. "It's true, Lord Malfoy. Draco acted swiftly to shield me before I even drew my wand. Had it not been for him, Theo, and Blaise, I might have been harmed.

Narcissa's gaze softened as it flicked from Hermione to her son, her hand brushing briefly against Lucius' sleeve in a silent plea for temperance. Lucius, however, remained still as stone. His face betrayed nothing, though the faintest spark of calculation glimmered behind his eyes. Slowly, he extended a pale hand.

"Return the wands to me, Draco." For a moment, Draco hesitated—long enough for those closest to catch it—but at last, he stepped forward and placed Marcus and Pansy's wands into his father's waiting palm. He kept his own firmly in hand.
Lucius regarded the captured wands for a heartbeat, then lowered his gaze onto Marcus and Pansy, who were trembling under his scrutiny.

"Miss Parkinson. Mr. Flint." His tone was silk wrapped around steel. "You will remain silent until I decide what shall be done with you." Pansy opened her mouth to protest, but the sharp raise of Lucius' brow silenced her instantly. The entire room held its breath, waiting to see what the master of the manor would decree.