Ghostly Curse

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Harry Potter. Everything you recognize belongs to JKRolling. I make no money in the sharing of this or any fan fiction story.

Chapter 1 -- The Making of the Slave

Lucius sat immobile in his most comfortable chair. There were too many things to think of. Too many voices screaming in his head. What was he supposed to do now? If he was a coward, he would have hidden. He would run as fast and as far as his magic and legs would carry him, and hide until the dust settled.

But he wasn’t. His very upbringing had taught him that hiding never solved any problem. Just as he’d always believed that real men stood by their convictions. But what did one do when that which he believed in no longer meant anything to him?

The Dark Lord had placed a great deal of trust upon him. He had made Lucius his right hand man just as Severus had become his left after he had cast the killing curse upon Dumbledore. But the night before the final battle, Severus had told showed Lucius something that had changed his entire life.

It had seemed that Dumbledore had asked Severus to take his life, rather than allowing him to suffer through a disease that was far worse than any Crucatius Curse could be. He had also requested that Severus show Lucius the future as Dumbledore knew it would be if the Dark Lord was allowed to win the upcoming war.

Closing his eyes, he tried valiantly to banish the memory of the sights he’d seen from his mind. Funny to think the old man had known all along that Lucius would be the willing one to change sides at the last moment. He hated Muggles. He had been given enough reason to hate them early on in his life, when he heard his fathers tales of all the terrible things Muggles did to each other. He had never wanted to give the disgusting creatures any chance to do the same things to the Wizarding community.

So, when the battle started, Severus had he had waited until Voldemort had his back turned from them and exchanged a single glance between each other before they had attacked him from behind. When Harry had seen that they had disabled the Dark Lord, he took his cue and cast the killing curse at his enemy. Then, the two dark wizards joined Potter and the Order to help destroy the remaining death eaters. All were captured and sent to Azkeban, save one.

Bellatrix had fled after seeing the destruction of her lover. She had all but disappeared from them with no telltale signs of her whereabouts. It was almost as if she had never existed at all.

With the end of the war, Lucius had been left in peace by both the Ministry and the Order. It seemed they had forgiven him any past wrongdoing because of his willingness to help in the destruction of Voldemort.

He should have been relieved. He was a free man. He had the rest of his life ahead of him. He could live out the remainder of his days peacefully, with no fear of imprisonment. Why then, he wondered did he have this unsettling fear in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong… So very wrong…

Narcissa prepared for bed with a soft smile on her face. All was right with the world. Her husband had been cleared of all charges. Her son was safe. Voldemort was dead and therefore no longer able to wreak havoc in the Wizarding world. Perhaps in time, all the animosity of the past would be forgotten and life would be a happy place for everyone. Wizard and Muggle alike.

There was nothing else she could desire, save maybe Lucius’ hands on her at this moment. She studied herself in the mirror. The green silk and lace covered her body like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination. With a small smile, Narcissa turned to leave her room, only to stop short at the sight before her.

“What? No hug for your dear sister, Cissa? But it’s been so long. We have so much to discuss. Aren’t you happy to see that I’m not dead?” Her voice turned colder as she sneered. “Not murdered and betrayed by that traitorous husband of yours!”