Lexi Layyer my only weakness*hp fanfic*

The Letter

The breakfast room is quiet. Narcissa slowly pushes the remainder of her poached egg around her plate.

Behind me, the great oak grandfather clock that’s been in our family for three generation ticks away. Every tick indicates another second lost, and I cannot shake the feeling that our time is slipping away, trickling through our fingers.

Even though Draco completed his task by kidnapping the girl, there is an uneasy feeling inside me that this isn’t over.

The Dark Lord is convinced that I “betrayed” him last summer after failing to extract the prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, and he’s determined to get me back, one way or another. At first I assumed he’d take it out on me, but he instead chose something much worse.

“…I have a task that needs completing, Lucius,” he’d uttered coolly to me last summer.

I’d been waiting for that. “My Lord,” I murmured, not even bothering to hope that perhaps this ‘task’ wouldn’t involve sacrificing myself for its completion. “I – I’m honored, my Lord,” I stammered, “I – after failing to complete your previous task in the Department of Mysteries, I – I have been praying ever since that you’d – you’d grant me an opportunity to redeem myself…”

“Don’t be a fool, Lucius, the task is not for you,” he’d interrupted silkily. “You have already proved yourself incompetent of fulfilling any tasks I set for you... No – I have turned my attentions to… others… who might prove more efficient.”

My heart skipped a beat. “…My Lord?”

“Your son, Lucius,” he continued. “He’s been waiting all his life to be a Death Eater, has he not? Well – here is his chance.”

That’s when my whole world fell apart.

Narcissa and Draco are my main priority – above my reputation, my wealth, everything. Though I may push them and take out my personal aggravation on them, they are my world.

But he knew that. This meant he also knew that the best way to punish me for failing him was not to take it out on me, but through my son.

And the task of just kidnapping the girl and bringing her back to the Manor… it just seems too simple.

Although I’ve never directly voiced these concerns to Narcissa, I don’t need to. We’ve been married long enough to be on that level of understanding where we can just about read each other’s minds anyway.

There’s a pecking sound on the window. Narcissa is still too absorbed in pushing her food around her plate, lost in her own thoughts, to notice – I stand up at walk over to the window-pane, where a majestic grey owl is waiting with a letter in its beak.

I rip the letter open immediately, though I can already hazard a guess on its contents. The letter is written in jagged, urgent and familiar handwriting.

“Lucius,

Congratulations once again on your actions over the last couple of weeks. For a start, your family and especially Draco have displayed such heroic bravery and loyalty to the Dark Lord...

But, most importantly, Draco has succeeded his task. We have the girl, and it’s over. We’ve done it!

The Dark Lord plans to return to Malfoy Manor to collect the girl in exactly three days. I beg of you to be careful and watch her - make sure she doesn’t make a last minute escape – we’re so close now, and to lose her now would be… unthinkable.

Once the Dark Lord collects Lexi Riddle, our lives can somewhat resume to the way they were. I know Cissy is very concerned about Draco, but once the girl is gone he can go back to Hogwarts and continue with his academic career!

All we need to say is that he was suffering a particularly bad case of Dragon Pox over the last couple of weeks, and there you have it - his failure to return to school after the school holidays is explained. I know Snape has already been putting in words to his teachers, and could easily get hold of all the homework he needs to catch up on…

Lucius, the worst is over. Draco has completed his task and redeemed your whole family, and proven you all as loyal supports of the Dark Lord. Please reassure Cissy and give Draco a big hug from me. He has proven himself to be a truly valuable young man and you should be proud of him.

Just make sure the girl is ready.

Send my love to Cissy and Draco, and Draco’s loyal friend, too – Blaise, is it?

Bellatrix”

I read the letter over a couple of times, letting the words sink in. I know I should relax, but I can’t. I have a terrible feeling there’s something else. Although I can’t place it yet, I know there’s something. I just feel it.

“Lucius?”

It’s Narcissa. Finally, she’s drifted out of her thoughts and noticed the letter. “Who’s it from?”

Unable to keep anything from her, I turn around. Looking at her frantic eyes, wild with worry, I try to smile reassuringly. “It’s Bellatrix.”

She flinches. “And?”

“He’s coming in three days,” I say, looking back down over the letter before striding over to her, placing it in her hands. “He’s coming to collect Lexi and then everything can go back to normal.”

“Collect her?”

I was so absorbed in my own thoughts I failed to even notice Blaise sitting in the corner, reading a book by the fireplace.

I frown at him as Narcissa reads the letter for herself. “Collect Lexi, yes,” I murmur.

“ ‘Collect her’?” Blaise repeats, shutting his book. “And take her where?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. “Somewhere he can keep an eye on her, I assume. No doubt he has plans for her of his own.”

Blaise’s eyes dash around the room as he swallows the news. “How long?” he repeats and I frown, wondering why he suddenly seems to care so much.

I suppose he’s just anxious to get back to school and resume normality. It’s nice, that Draco has such a good friend looking out for him. “Three days,” I tell him.

Blaise’s eyebrows furrow together in a deep frown. A moment later, he’s thrown his book aside and dashing to the door.

“Blaise?” Narcissa says in a small voice. “Is everything all right? Wouldn’t you like to have some breakfast?”

“No, no,” Blaise mutters, “I – I just have to – get something –” he seems to give up on his excuse half way through saying it because next moment he’s dashed through the door.

I can hear the sound of his footsteps sprinting across the cold marble floor of the hallway and up the staircase, and then nothing.

Narcissa and I glance at each other, and then she lets out a small noise of relief. I massage her shoulders as she holds her head in her hands. “It’s all over,” she says, her voice breaking. “It’s over. We’ve really done it, Lucius. Draco’s done it. He saved us.”

I can’t find it in myself to reply.

“I wonder what Blaise wanted,” Narcissa murmurs fondly. “What a nice boy. He’s given up a lot for our family.”

“He probably wanted to find Draco,” I shrug. “They are great friends.”

“Yes,” she says softly, and then she looks up and smiles at me. “Oh Lucius, I can’t begin to explain how relieved I am that it’s over. We’ve really done it.”

“We have,” I murmur quietly, trying to push away that nagging feeling of doubt that it’s not over at all. It hasn’t even begun.