Family Rules (3/5)
Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of physical, mental and sexual child abuse. There is nothing pretty about it; and if you have the slightest doubts whether you want to read it or not, please stay away! There are also graphic descriptions of dying and wanking.
3. How to Nurse Your Nightmares
With Abraxas Malfoy made a widower early in Lucius’ childhood, many a mistress had frequented the manor. If a woman so much as laid motherly eyes upon young Lucius, his father would erupt in a mixture of fierce jealousy and the manly taunting that Lucius should go and take care of his needs with someone else. The sexual innuendo disgusted him and he would knot his hands in his lap, while the adults’ laughter washed over him.
Of course, he could never manage to be attentive enough, polite enough and invisible enough at the same time. Abraxas made sure that Lucius wouldn’t forget his own inadequacy. Every kind word or friendly touch had to be paid for dearly. Often, the boy stood waiting in his father’s study, listening to the sounds of the big manor house that drifted through the high wooden doors, torn between reliving the gentleness he had been given and anticipating the punishment he would have to endure. When, finally, his father opened the doors, Lucius found himself nearly drowning in a maelstrom of relief and fear. Yet, during all his years at Hogwarts, he held with the determination of a survivor onto these tidbits of a stranger’s warm gaze grazing his features or of her hand caressing his cheek.
In the summer of 1976, with Severus as his best man, Lucius married Narcissa. She was a fair and graceful witch from the noble and ancient house of Black. Her kind nature and traditional upbringing more than met his father’s expectations of an obedient pure-blood wife. But Lucius knew she possessed a bright mind, and he had more than once admired her charms work at Hogwarts. And whenever someone dared to comment on her oldest sister’s antics, he had seen glimpses of a determined, passionate defender hidden under Narcissa’s refined manners. He wouldn’t find a finer partner and mother for his children. Lucius took her from her father’s arm and led her to the Malfoy family home, as tradition required.
Lucius didn’t like the way his father’s eyes rested on his young bride or how Abraxas’ hand crept onto her arm as he welcomed her into the family. But Narcissa had been brought up well and bore his father’s attentions with regal grace.
Severus watched without comment, as long as Lucius himself remained silent.
Things quickly threatened to get out of hand. Narcissa, still a little intimidated by her new surroundings and the unfamiliar task of being the first woman of the manor, soon became afraid of Abraxas, but tried to handle the situation with delicate grace. It was worst when Lucius’ work for the Dark Lord kept him away. Inevitably, when he came back to the manor, the silence that greeted him would ring in his ears as loud as a fire bell. He dreaded the dark patches under Narcissa’s eyes, the slick wetness on his father’s lips. Abraxas was cunning and would never have touched her in earnest, but his presence lingered around her and polluted the air she breathed. For someone as sensitive as Narcissa, this was enough to suffocate her. At night, lying beside her in their elegant bed, Lucius pretended to be asleep while he listened to her stifled sobs. He longed to hold and comfort her. But they never talked about it. It was something to endure. You couldn’t fight the family.
There came a time when Lucius dreaded coming home. Home was the woman he loved. But home was the father he detested as well. Lucius began to hate his own inadequacy, his paralysis to deal with the situation. Here he was, expertly running the family’s business affairs, a powerful wizard feared in his own right and a Death Eater high in the Dark Lord’s ranks - yet at Wiltshire he did not dare to contradict or, even less, take measures against his father.
One evening in Hogsmeade with Severus, Lucius was quieter than usual. Severus, noticing his friend’s reluctance to leave The Witching Hour and Apparate home, was tense from their long day of talking tactics and training for combat. He finally broke the silence. “You’ve been quiet tonight. Is everything … all right?”
Lucius closed his eyes. He had never told his friend about his father’s methods of parenting, or about the greed that ruled the old man’s actions, whether they concerned business or his interactions with beautiful women. Yet, Severus always sensed when Lucius was worried or hurt, and on rare occasions, Lucius would let him take a brief glimpse into his mind to check that it wasn’t all too much, that Lucius could still handle things.
Tonight, however, when Lucius felt Severus probing his mind, he forced the thoughts of his father into the deepest corners. He could barely control himself or his fear. Twenty-three, a fully grown-up wizard, already married for one year - and this uneducated half-blood threatened to walk the folds of his brain as if they were paths in the garden on a lovely summer evening. But they were not. And the feelings they contained - fear, love, disgust, and hate - could not easily be held at bay.
Severus retreated at once from the fragile boundary. “Say hello to Narcissa from me, will you?” He stood up and prepared to leave. “And remember, there is more than one way to repair a cloak.”
Lucius nodded. “I know.” He took the last liquorice-fire drop from his box and followed Severus to the door. “But there is only one way for pure-bloods.” Severus simply sneered, and Lucius Apparated home to find his young wife staring into the fireplace with red-rimmed eyes.
***
Draco arrived at the table for supper still subdued, but he conducted himself well during the course of the meal, addressing the adults in a respectful and polite way. The conversation quickly turned to politics, and Draco surprised Lucius with a question about Professor Umbridge. “Why would Fudge care to let someone like her come to power, Father? She has an iron grip on the school, but she’s so very keen on rules. She might be a hindrance once one would need to be more subtle, might she not?”
Lucius beamed at Draco, nearly missing the amused look that Severus exchanged with Narcissa. There! Draco was starting to see that there was more to politics than forcing others out into the open. He still had to understand the potential for treachery that someone like Dolores Umbridge was capable of, but this was a beginning.
“That’s a good question, Draco. Now, think about it reasonably. What might be the dynamics behind Professor Umbridge’s position at Hogwarts and in the Ministry?”
Half an hour flew by with Draco musing aloud about the idea of power in the position of a Senior Undersecretary and Hogwart’s High Inquisitor, while Severus and Lucius gently hinted at the fact that even allies weren’t to be trusted completely.
“Are you implying that she’s acting behind the minister’s back?” asked Draco, and his jaw went a little slack.
“We imply nothing, Draco,” answered Severus. “But when such precarious situations occur, every possibility has to be taken into account.”
“Trust no one?”
“If you want to make sure, trust no one.”
Draco’s eyes widened. “What about-“ His gaze went towards Lucius, then towards Severus and back to his father again. “Nothing,” he murmured.
“What about friends, Draco?” Lucius voiced his son’s concern.
Draco had straightened up and sat perfectly still, his attention concentrated completely on Lucius.
Lucius gazed into those eager eyes and gently rested his hand on Draco’s shoulder before he glanced to Severus and then back into his son’s face. “True friends are like family. But you have to choose them well.”
He saw realisation dawn on Draco and sensed Severus stirring slightly at his side. Narcissa said nothing, but he sensed her approval and, for a moment, he felt truly satisfied. He had those he most cared for beside him.
After supper, Draco was sent to bed early: he needed to rest from his morning punishment and from working on his assignment all day. He had handed his father a revised version of the essay which Lucius planned to read through in the evening.
Narcissa was perhaps the only other person in the world with whom Severus was able to keep up a kind of light-hearted banter, so when the two of them retired to the music chamber, Lucius retreated to the smoking room to read Draco’s essay. Afterwards, he let his thoughts wander. Maybe it was Severus’ presence in the manor or the pressure that had been building up over the last few months, but Lucius soon found himself drifting back to the events of the year preceding the Dark Lord’s first downfall.
Chapter 4 - How to Protect Your Family
3. How to Nurse Your Nightmares
With Abraxas Malfoy made a widower early in Lucius’ childhood, many a mistress had frequented the manor. If a woman so much as laid motherly eyes upon young Lucius, his father would erupt in a mixture of fierce jealousy and the manly taunting that Lucius should go and take care of his needs with someone else. The sexual innuendo disgusted him and he would knot his hands in his lap, while the adults’ laughter washed over him.
Of course, he could never manage to be attentive enough, polite enough and invisible enough at the same time. Abraxas made sure that Lucius wouldn’t forget his own inadequacy. Every kind word or friendly touch had to be paid for dearly. Often, the boy stood waiting in his father’s study, listening to the sounds of the big manor house that drifted through the high wooden doors, torn between reliving the gentleness he had been given and anticipating the punishment he would have to endure. When, finally, his father opened the doors, Lucius found himself nearly drowning in a maelstrom of relief and fear. Yet, during all his years at Hogwarts, he held with the determination of a survivor onto these tidbits of a stranger’s warm gaze grazing his features or of her hand caressing his cheek.
In the summer of 1976, with Severus as his best man, Lucius married Narcissa. She was a fair and graceful witch from the noble and ancient house of Black. Her kind nature and traditional upbringing more than met his father’s expectations of an obedient pure-blood wife. But Lucius knew she possessed a bright mind, and he had more than once admired her charms work at Hogwarts. And whenever someone dared to comment on her oldest sister’s antics, he had seen glimpses of a determined, passionate defender hidden under Narcissa’s refined manners. He wouldn’t find a finer partner and mother for his children. Lucius took her from her father’s arm and led her to the Malfoy family home, as tradition required.
Lucius didn’t like the way his father’s eyes rested on his young bride or how Abraxas’ hand crept onto her arm as he welcomed her into the family. But Narcissa had been brought up well and bore his father’s attentions with regal grace.
Severus watched without comment, as long as Lucius himself remained silent.
Things quickly threatened to get out of hand. Narcissa, still a little intimidated by her new surroundings and the unfamiliar task of being the first woman of the manor, soon became afraid of Abraxas, but tried to handle the situation with delicate grace. It was worst when Lucius’ work for the Dark Lord kept him away. Inevitably, when he came back to the manor, the silence that greeted him would ring in his ears as loud as a fire bell. He dreaded the dark patches under Narcissa’s eyes, the slick wetness on his father’s lips. Abraxas was cunning and would never have touched her in earnest, but his presence lingered around her and polluted the air she breathed. For someone as sensitive as Narcissa, this was enough to suffocate her. At night, lying beside her in their elegant bed, Lucius pretended to be asleep while he listened to her stifled sobs. He longed to hold and comfort her. But they never talked about it. It was something to endure. You couldn’t fight the family.
There came a time when Lucius dreaded coming home. Home was the woman he loved. But home was the father he detested as well. Lucius began to hate his own inadequacy, his paralysis to deal with the situation. Here he was, expertly running the family’s business affairs, a powerful wizard feared in his own right and a Death Eater high in the Dark Lord’s ranks - yet at Wiltshire he did not dare to contradict or, even less, take measures against his father.
One evening in Hogsmeade with Severus, Lucius was quieter than usual. Severus, noticing his friend’s reluctance to leave The Witching Hour and Apparate home, was tense from their long day of talking tactics and training for combat. He finally broke the silence. “You’ve been quiet tonight. Is everything … all right?”
Lucius closed his eyes. He had never told his friend about his father’s methods of parenting, or about the greed that ruled the old man’s actions, whether they concerned business or his interactions with beautiful women. Yet, Severus always sensed when Lucius was worried or hurt, and on rare occasions, Lucius would let him take a brief glimpse into his mind to check that it wasn’t all too much, that Lucius could still handle things.
Tonight, however, when Lucius felt Severus probing his mind, he forced the thoughts of his father into the deepest corners. He could barely control himself or his fear. Twenty-three, a fully grown-up wizard, already married for one year - and this uneducated half-blood threatened to walk the folds of his brain as if they were paths in the garden on a lovely summer evening. But they were not. And the feelings they contained - fear, love, disgust, and hate - could not easily be held at bay.
Severus retreated at once from the fragile boundary. “Say hello to Narcissa from me, will you?” He stood up and prepared to leave. “And remember, there is more than one way to repair a cloak.”
Lucius nodded. “I know.” He took the last liquorice-fire drop from his box and followed Severus to the door. “But there is only one way for pure-bloods.” Severus simply sneered, and Lucius Apparated home to find his young wife staring into the fireplace with red-rimmed eyes.
***
Draco arrived at the table for supper still subdued, but he conducted himself well during the course of the meal, addressing the adults in a respectful and polite way. The conversation quickly turned to politics, and Draco surprised Lucius with a question about Professor Umbridge. “Why would Fudge care to let someone like her come to power, Father? She has an iron grip on the school, but she’s so very keen on rules. She might be a hindrance once one would need to be more subtle, might she not?”
Lucius beamed at Draco, nearly missing the amused look that Severus exchanged with Narcissa. There! Draco was starting to see that there was more to politics than forcing others out into the open. He still had to understand the potential for treachery that someone like Dolores Umbridge was capable of, but this was a beginning.
“That’s a good question, Draco. Now, think about it reasonably. What might be the dynamics behind Professor Umbridge’s position at Hogwarts and in the Ministry?”
Half an hour flew by with Draco musing aloud about the idea of power in the position of a Senior Undersecretary and Hogwart’s High Inquisitor, while Severus and Lucius gently hinted at the fact that even allies weren’t to be trusted completely.
“Are you implying that she’s acting behind the minister’s back?” asked Draco, and his jaw went a little slack.
“We imply nothing, Draco,” answered Severus. “But when such precarious situations occur, every possibility has to be taken into account.”
“Trust no one?”
“If you want to make sure, trust no one.”
Draco’s eyes widened. “What about-“ His gaze went towards Lucius, then towards Severus and back to his father again. “Nothing,” he murmured.
“What about friends, Draco?” Lucius voiced his son’s concern.
Draco had straightened up and sat perfectly still, his attention concentrated completely on Lucius.
Lucius gazed into those eager eyes and gently rested his hand on Draco’s shoulder before he glanced to Severus and then back into his son’s face. “True friends are like family. But you have to choose them well.”
He saw realisation dawn on Draco and sensed Severus stirring slightly at his side. Narcissa said nothing, but he sensed her approval and, for a moment, he felt truly satisfied. He had those he most cared for beside him.
After supper, Draco was sent to bed early: he needed to rest from his morning punishment and from working on his assignment all day. He had handed his father a revised version of the essay which Lucius planned to read through in the evening.
Narcissa was perhaps the only other person in the world with whom Severus was able to keep up a kind of light-hearted banter, so when the two of them retired to the music chamber, Lucius retreated to the smoking room to read Draco’s essay. Afterwards, he let his thoughts wander. Maybe it was Severus’ presence in the manor or the pressure that had been building up over the last few months, but Lucius soon found himself drifting back to the events of the year preceding the Dark Lord’s first downfall.
Chapter 4 - How to Protect Your Family