Draco had barely made it through the entrance hall that day when he heard his mother's cries coming from somewhere upstairs in the manor
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She hadn't yet heard from Ron about his initial interrogation with Draco and there was already a letter waiting for her at the window. Still, as she took in the shaky handwriting, no doubt Draco's, she couldn't help but feel a little bit relieved that her hunch had been correct.
If only because that meant she wasn't going crazy, herself.
Still, she knew that just up and leaving to go to Draco probably wasn't the smartest idea considering he had until very recently under the Imperious Curse. But if they had released him-
Well, he must be back to normal.
She grabbed for a spare bit of parchment and a quill, jotting a note to send to George just so he knew where she was. There was an inkling in the back of her head that not alerting someone was probably a pretty poor idea.
George,
Draco's been released- I'll be at the Manor.
-CeciliaIt was short, simple- nothing else Cecilia thought she could write down that she thought would make any sense, or wouldn't worry him in some way
( ... )
In all the years she had known Draco, she never would have expected him to answer his own front door. Typically, it was one of the house elves working in the Manor. But with what Draco had just been through, living the last two weeks in Azkaban, Cecilia was sure that the little things were probably something he'd missed very much.
She followed his gaze, taking in the sight of the man in robes just outside the Manor and something in Cecilia floated away, the tension settling in her shoulders seemed to vanish. At least someone was here to watch over them.
"Draco-" she said. Once they were inside, she barely took a moment to look him over before reaching out to hug him. "Merlin- I'm so glad you're alright-"
Of course Draco had to get the door, Cecilia couldn't see Keeley in her present state. That would give away all the fun before it even started.
He promptly closed the door once she was safely inside.
Draco placed his chin on her shoulder and squeezed back. "Me too," he said with a slight grin.
"I have some tea waiting in the Drawing Room, we can sit and catch up," he offered his hand leading toward the back of the manor. "Just leave you things on the chair, Keeley will be by to hang it up soon."
With the emotional attachment Cecilia had to her own house elf from her childhood, Toffee, seeing Keeley looking under the weather wouldn't do her well at all.
She nodded, removing her cloak from her shoulders and draping it on the chair in the foyer. She adjusted her sweater, tugging at it to lay properly against her as she followed Draco toward the back of the Manor.
It had been ages since she'd been inside- she hadn't been to the Manor in months, at least as far as she knew. All her interactions with Draco had been outside his home.
"When did you get back?" she asked him, her eyes taking in the tension in his shoulders. "I was hoping to hear from Ron this morning about the decision- but I never expected it to happen this quickly-"
Draco led the way as he gave her a simple answer, "Not long."
He didn't answer immediately, instead seemingly choosing to make his way to the back room. Once in the Drawing Room, he took a seat at the table, with the tea waiting for them.
"Apparently your man knew what he was doing after all," Draco said in his usual silky voice when he was trying to hide his contempt for a person. He made his tea to his liking and raised the cup to his lips.
She followed him inside the drawing room, watching him as he took a seat at the table. Her brow furrowed as she mimicked his movements, taking the seat across from him, crossing one ankle over the other.
"My man?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't-" she wasn't sure what he meant by that- "Well, Ron did what he could-" she added, finally. "I'm sure the guard out front isn't the most comforting-"
She realized she wasn't all that thirsty, but still took a spoonful of sugar and began to stir it into the hot liquid.
Draco placed the tea cup down onto its dish when the sound of heavy footsteps started approaching them. "Yes, well, fortunately, he also is not too bright. So I really should thank you for going to him of all people."
He laughed, "I really thought more Aurors would have volunteered to surround my property, just itching to throw me back in that prison."
The footsteps stopped once a figure was in the door. "I should thank them, really, I suppose," the pair said in unison.
Lucius had his wand out, and within a few moments not only was he holding Cecilia's wand, but the wooden chair arms turned themselves up and around her wrists. Then hexed her voice so that, if she chose to scream, it would hardly be loud enough to alert the guards outside.
Of course he didn't rid of her voice entirely. He had waited far too long to hear it again.
"It's been a long time, Ms. Jacobs," they said together again.
She choked out his name, the shock weighing heavily in her bones, her body tensing as their voices blended together. She looked at Draco, wanting to kick herself for not taking notice of the look in his eyes sooner, so happy to see him that she didn't even pay attention to that dead look in his cool, grey eyes.
She wriggled her wrists against the arms, her teeth grit as she looked back to a man she hadn't seen in nearly a decade.
"It's been you the whole time?" she asked, anger rising in the back of her throat. "Bloody hell- what is your damage-"
Lucius placed his own wand into his robes and began to flourish Cecilia's around his fingers. Every few seconds it shot out angry sparks, but he gave them no mind.
He made his way to the table and took the third place setting, completely dismissing whatever gabber was pouring out of Cecilia's perfect mouth.
"My, my, how you've grown," they said together. He pointed Cecilia's wand at Draco. It was quite enough of that. He let his eyes completely take her in, from her toes up to her crown, though his eyes lingered at her shapely breasts beneath the sweater. He grinned, "A real woman now."
She stared hard at her wand, the one she'd only just gotten for herself as her original one was gone. Seeing it brandished between his fingers, she felt a sick churn in her stomach as she locked eyes with him.
Somehow, he hadn't changed much from what she remembered. That same smirk, the same dark look in his eyes and now they were locked on her- looking her up and down.
"What do you want?" she snapped, her hands gripping at the edge of the arms of the chair.
She was trying to figure out her next step, how she was going to free herself from these binds, her eyes flickering back toward where her wand pointed at Draco.
Lucius eyes then followed the lines of her face. There was an odd beauty in her anger. It aroused something that it was directed at him.
"Don't even try your pathetic little parlor trick," he gave her his most mocking tone when he followed her eyes back to her wand. "I let you have it last time."
He poured some milk into the teacup and added in the tea from the pot.
"It was time for Draco to serve some time. To toughen him up," he explained. "You created the perfect opportunity by calling for your friends."
His eyes twinkled, "Oh yes. That's what all this trouble is, isn't it."
A parlor trick she knew he couldn't even manage himself. Her face set, her jaw even as she looked up at him. The whole time she had been trying to figure out who was behind this whole mess, who was torturing Draco after all this time- she should have known it was the same monster who abused him his entire life.
"I called the Ministry," she said, her brow furrowed. "Can we quit it with the vague villain talk- what do you want-"
Lucius drank a good deal of the tea in his cup, it had been quite some time since he had last enjoyed his family's brew. "Fine, forget the pleasantries," he said as he rose to his feet
"I had a few thoughts," he walked over and kneeled beside Cecilia, placing his hand upon hers, and let the other glide down the side of her face.
She turned her face away from him, nearly whipping it as she tried to recoil from his touch. Every inch of her body crawled as his hand fell over hers. She closed her eyes, swallowing, trying to ignore the warm breath on her skin.
"Not happening-" she said, her tone as even as possible. "Get away from me-"
Whatever this game was he wanted to play, there was no way she was going to go along with it.
She hadn't yet heard from Ron about his initial interrogation with Draco and there was already a letter waiting for her at the window. Still, as she took in the shaky handwriting, no doubt Draco's, she couldn't help but feel a little bit relieved that her hunch had been correct.
If only because that meant she wasn't going crazy, herself.
Still, she knew that just up and leaving to go to Draco probably wasn't the smartest idea considering he had until very recently under the Imperious Curse. But if they had released him-
Well, he must be back to normal.
She grabbed for a spare bit of parchment and a quill, jotting a note to send to George just so he knew where she was. There was an inkling in the back of her head that not alerting someone was probably a pretty poor idea.
George,
Draco's been released- I'll be at the Manor.
-CeciliaIt was short, simple- nothing else Cecilia thought she could write down that she thought would make any sense, or wouldn't worry him in some way ( ... )
Reply
His eyes tailed to the grounds, spotting his ministry appointed guard. "Please, come in," he said gently, putting his eyes back on her.
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She followed his gaze, taking in the sight of the man in robes just outside the Manor and something in Cecilia floated away, the tension settling in her shoulders seemed to vanish. At least someone was here to watch over them.
"Draco-" she said. Once they were inside, she barely took a moment to look him over before reaching out to hug him. "Merlin- I'm so glad you're alright-"
Reply
He promptly closed the door once she was safely inside.
Draco placed his chin on her shoulder and squeezed back. "Me too," he said with a slight grin.
"I have some tea waiting in the Drawing Room, we can sit and catch up," he offered his hand leading toward the back of the manor. "Just leave you things on the chair, Keeley will be by to hang it up soon."
Reply
She nodded, removing her cloak from her shoulders and draping it on the chair in the foyer. She adjusted her sweater, tugging at it to lay properly against her as she followed Draco toward the back of the Manor.
It had been ages since she'd been inside- she hadn't been to the Manor in months, at least as far as she knew. All her interactions with Draco had been outside his home.
"When did you get back?" she asked him, her eyes taking in the tension in his shoulders. "I was hoping to hear from Ron this morning about the decision- but I never expected it to happen this quickly-"
Reply
He didn't answer immediately, instead seemingly choosing to make his way to the back room. Once in the Drawing Room, he took a seat at the table, with the tea waiting for them.
"Apparently your man knew what he was doing after all," Draco said in his usual silky voice when he was trying to hide his contempt for a person. He made his tea to his liking and raised the cup to his lips.
Reply
"My man?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't-" she wasn't sure what he meant by that- "Well, Ron did what he could-" she added, finally. "I'm sure the guard out front isn't the most comforting-"
She realized she wasn't all that thirsty, but still took a spoonful of sugar and began to stir it into the hot liquid.
Reply
He laughed, "I really thought more Aurors would have volunteered to surround my property, just itching to throw me back in that prison."
The footsteps stopped once a figure was in the door. "I should thank them, really, I suppose," the pair said in unison.
Reply
Of course he didn't rid of her voice entirely. He had waited far too long to hear it again.
"It's been a long time, Ms. Jacobs," they said together again.
Reply
She choked out his name, the shock weighing heavily in her bones, her body tensing as their voices blended together. She looked at Draco, wanting to kick herself for not taking notice of the look in his eyes sooner, so happy to see him that she didn't even pay attention to that dead look in his cool, grey eyes.
She wriggled her wrists against the arms, her teeth grit as she looked back to a man she hadn't seen in nearly a decade.
"It's been you the whole time?" she asked, anger rising in the back of her throat. "Bloody hell- what is your damage-"
Reply
He made his way to the table and took the third place setting, completely dismissing whatever gabber was pouring out of Cecilia's perfect mouth.
"My, my, how you've grown," they said together. He pointed Cecilia's wand at Draco. It was quite enough of that. He let his eyes completely take her in, from her toes up to her crown, though his eyes lingered at her shapely breasts beneath the sweater. He grinned, "A real woman now."
Reply
Somehow, he hadn't changed much from what she remembered. That same smirk, the same dark look in his eyes and now they were locked on her- looking her up and down.
"What do you want?" she snapped, her hands gripping at the edge of the arms of the chair.
She was trying to figure out her next step, how she was going to free herself from these binds, her eyes flickering back toward where her wand pointed at Draco.
Reply
"Don't even try your pathetic little parlor trick," he gave her his most mocking tone when he followed her eyes back to her wand. "I let you have it last time."
He poured some milk into the teacup and added in the tea from the pot.
"It was time for Draco to serve some time. To toughen him up," he explained. "You created the perfect opportunity by calling for your friends."
His eyes twinkled, "Oh yes. That's what all this trouble is, isn't it."
Reply
"I called the Ministry," she said, her brow furrowed. "Can we quit it with the vague villain talk- what do you want-"
Reply
"I had a few thoughts," he walked over and kneeled beside Cecilia, placing his hand upon hers, and let the other glide down the side of her face.
Reply
"Not happening-" she said, her tone as even as possible. "Get away from me-"
Whatever this game was he wanted to play, there was no way she was going to go along with it.
She couldn't.
Reply
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