INSTEAD, james potter [1]

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Lyra didn't think it was possible but Malfoy Manor was even larger, emptier, colder and lonelier than Black Manor had ever been. She considered that an impressive feat for a girl who's only joy during her childhood was her sisters, where the memories now were haunted by the knowledge of who they'd all become. 

It had also been a bit difficult to adjust. She was used to being surrounded by people at ever turn, always having something to chitchat about, even if some wouldn't considered it worth discussing. 

But Lyra lived alone with her fiancé, who was always out on some sort of business. With business, she was sure he was at meetings or missions with or for the Dark Lord and his terrifying cause. 

The only company she actually had was Lucius's house-elves, who usually seemed too scared to speak to her if it wasn't about some orders or needs she had. She was getting lonelier for every single day. 

Lyra was sitting alone in her bedroom, which she thankfully didn't share with Lucius. He seemed to have quickly realized that she wasn't ready to act like a couple. She didn't really consider them one, either. 

She had been looking through her vanity, which was filled with unfamiliar jewelry that she was sure had belonged to his late mother, who was supposedly the biggest reason for him even proposing to her. 

She also been thirsty, so she had asked one of the house-elves for pumpkin juice, which she hadn't had since her last breakfast at Hogwarts. The house-elf, Dobby, nervously handed it to her. She smiled kindly. "Thank you, Dobby."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Dobby's eyes filled up with tears, beaming up at her brightly. "Mistress is so kind to Dobby. Dobby hasn't ever been thanked by a witch or wizard before. Mistress is so kind."

"Dobby, please don't cry!" she exclaimed, looking around helplessly. She had always been kind to house-elves, like the family elf, Kreacher. Mostly because Regulus would yell at her if she sounded mean. "I was just saying thank you!"

Somehow, he seemed much more frigid at her words, only crying even more because of them. "Dobby is very sorry for upsetting his mistress. Dobby should not have made his mistress uncomfortable."

As Dobby leaned back to hit his head on her desk, her eyes widened and she grabbed him, pulling him closer and looking deeply into his eyes. "Dobby, please don't hurt yourself. I don't want you to hurt yourself because of me."

It was, of course, at that moment when Lucius had returned to the house and gone to greet her. He seemed to have heard the end of the exchange and eyed the house-elf meanly. "Why do you bother treating filthy servants as you do?"

Lyra wasn't in the mood to argue. She had managed not to fight with him for the weeks she had been living with him, but that was only because she knew to hold her tongue. She wasn't supposed to be kind to house-elves, or anybody who wasn't a pureblood supremacist for that matter. "Sorry."

"It's alright. You didn't know how we discipline our house-elves in this house," he smiled at her before he grabbed Dobby harshly by his neck, opening the door and throwing him out, yelling after him.  "Don't you dare come back unless asked! I'll punish you severely."

She looked away, wishing he didn't have to be so cruel to the poor elf, who looked absolutely terrified every time he was approached by a witch or wizard. Even Lyra, who had only treated him kindly, seemed to scare him. 

"Well, not that's settled," Lucius sighed, wiping his hands on his robes after touching the house-elf. He turned to smile charmingly at her again, turning into a completely different person. "It's good to see you. How has your day been?"