Broken

Chapter 4

Narcissa Malfoy was a very furious woman. No. Furious did not cover what she felt. Narcissa Malfoy was murderous.

The many items currently being shattered as she passed them were proof enough of this little fact. Even the portraits were running from their frames, knowing full well, being painting would not help them.

She storms down the hallway towards her husband's office. Using wandless magic, she slams the door open, uncaring of their guest at the moment. "Lucius. Out here. Now." Without getting an answer from the stunned man, she turns on her heels and marches to the lounge.

Lucius immediately went after her, knowing well not to ignore his wife when she was in such a state.

"Cissa? What has happened? Why are you so upset?" She spins towards him with a finger raised, causing him to step back with surprise, almost tipping over in his haste to get away.

"What happened? What happened!? Well, I will just tell you what happened. I just witnessed the most heartbreaking thing in my life!" She turns away again and begins to pace, her neat bun starting to unravel.

"I took Harry to get washed up, but, on the way, it came to my attention that he was hurt. Let me tell you. Not only is that little thing thin enough to count every rib, but he is also littered with scars. Those are both fresh and old. The most concerning wound as of now is what looks like a burn covering his back." She turns to face him, tears gathering in her eyes.

"The worst part about it all was that he apologized. Lucius, he apologized for something that was not his fault. I just spent over five minutes just sitting with him, trying to calm him down." Slowly, the sadness in her eyes is replaced with rage once more. "You are going to cancel whatever meetings you have planned, and we are getting guardianship of this child. Merlin only knows he needs to see a healer. I will be contacting the family healer as soon as I can, and we will take him out. He needs a new wardrobe and some other things as well."

Lucius can't do anything but blink and stare at his wife. For once, stunned speechless. The silence drags on for a few more minutes before he finally speaks again. "Cissa. Love. Calm down. Breath, and then we will discuss."

He slowly goes towards her as if at any moment she will go off again. When she finally gets control of herself, he wraps her into a hug, rubbing her neck. "We will do everything in our power to help him. But you need to stay calm. I have already canceled my meetings for this week, and I have already sent a letter to get everything started with the transfer of guardianship. We just need to have those muggles sign over their rights to us. That and Dumbledore will be our only obstacles right now."

She takes a deep breath and relaxes into her husband's arms. "Alright. You are right. I am sorry for losing my composure." She pulls away and gives him a shy smile. "You always know how to calm me down." He smirks and gives her quick peck on the lips.

"What type of husband would I be if I did not?"

He begrudgingly pulls away from her and sighs. "Now I need to get back to my guest. I do believe you almost gave that man a heart attack."

She looks sheepish as she fixes her hair. "Do apologize for me. Who is your guest anyway?"

"It is just Severus. He was worried about why Draco was pulled for the last week." She nods and smiles softly. "He was always protective of that boy. It was a wonder he made it through school without the man hovering constantly." She chuckles softly and starts making her way to the stairs. Lucius gives a very unsophisticated snort as he watches his wife leave.

He loved his wife, even when she scared the life out of him.

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Harry was lost. He finally had to just admit it to himself. He had no idea where to go, and he was scared.