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All Within, part 4
Title: All Within
Disclaimer: The characters belong to J. K. Rowling.
Rating: PG13
Category: Angst
Pairing: Lucius Malfoy/Luna Lovegood
Summary: He had forgotten about the girl in the cellar. Lucius Malfoy is given a price, but Luna Lovegood is not an ordinary girl and perhaps Lucius isn't quite who he was either. Not exactly a romance. An AU-fic taking place after Deathly Hallows.
Molly Prewett had been a student a few years older than Lucius, one of those pretty, vivid girls that everyone know who they are, but he had never really known her, despite her good lineage. And then she had married Arthur Weasley who had given Lucius so much more to fret over than a woman who seemed to devote all her time to her children. He had noted that she turned dull and plump, though now, in a dreary cell in Azkaban prison there wasn't much left of her plumpness and not much left of the red in her hair, either. Her face bore the marks of grief after losing both a son and her husband on the same ill-fated day that Lucius had lost his family. He felt no sympathy for her, however. She still had children and a family, when he had nothing left. But though dressed in threadbare robes and with bruises on her face and neck that spoke of the treatment a witch could suffer in Voldemort's prisoner, her eyes where the same warm brown and though they looked at him with weariness and suspicion, her imprisonment had clearly not broken her.
"You want me to take care of your house? Why?"
"Why? I should think it would be a more pleasant way to serve your imprisonment than here."
She gave him a shrewd glance. "Exactly. There is no love lost between our families, so why should you care about my well being? It isn't like you would have a hard time finding someone else, so there must be a reason for asking me."
Lucius sighed. He had to admit that he somewhat dreaded telling her, but it was something he must say, sooner or later. "Very well. After my wife's death, the Dark Lord saw my need for a new heir. There is currently a young woman residing with me, who I hope will bear me a new son in time. She is in need of some companionship, for which I think that you would be suitable."
"Why me, anyway? Molly's eyes narrowed dangerously when a new suspicion hit her. "Not my daughter again. Lucius Malfoy, if you have harmed Ginny in any way…"
"No, not your daughter. Luna Lovegood."
"Luna! She's as young as Ginny! What a disgusting man you are. How can you stoop so low that you rape a child just for some ridiculous family pride?"
Feeling that the interview was slipping out of his control, Lucius felt compelled to defend himself. "I have never hurt her! Do you think she would have fared better if I had declined? She wouldn't have been given a pat on her head and sent back to school, she would have been given to someone else. She could have ended up chained to a bed, broken and beaten, while I have treated her kindly and with as much freedom that I could possibly give her. I can assure you that she has not raised any objections to my treatment of her."
But Molly was not appeased. "Are you such a fool that you think that you only abuse someone if you use violence? You separate a young girl from her friends and family, and you think she appreciates your attention? Do you think she would dare to object the tiniest bit when she must be terrified that her actions might lead to repercussions against her father?"
Lucius, who up till this point had completely forgotten that Xenophilius Lovegood even existed, was completely taken aback. "I have never even suggested to Luna that her behaviour could affect her father. I never even considered it!"
"But does Luna know that?"
Lucius held up a hand. "Enough! That is not what I came here to discuss. Will you accept my proposition, or shall I leave?"
For a moment Molly looked like she would have liked to say a few things more about Luna, but she swallowed and nodded instead. "Yes, I accept. How could I possibly say no?"
When they came back to Malfoy Manor, Lucius handed over a wand to the surprised Mrs. Weasley.
"You are giving me a wand?"
"Don't get any ideas. This wand has been stunted. You can perform menial household tasks with it, but try to do something else and see what happens."
Molly's eyebrow rose, but then she quickly pointed it at him. "Expelliarmus!"
The effect was instant, but not the intended one; the wand flew from her hand into Lucius'. "You see?"
She rubbed her hand and grimaced. "I see. May I see Luna now?"
"Of course."
When they entered Luna's room, Molly rushed past him and embraced the girl fiercely. The effect the older woman's entrance had on Luna startled Lucius who had become used to her eternally serene expression, but now her face flushed with a sudden happiness as she returned the embrace. Feeling very superfluous, Lucius retreated. The joy he had seen on Luna's face had made him realize something that he until now hadn't thought about. When losing his family, he had lost the only people in the world who loved him. There were no one left to be happy when he entered a room and no one who would miss him when he was gone. It was a bleak thought and the knowledge that he might be respected did nothing to comfort him.
Then there was Molly's words about Luna that rankled him. He had never had to resort to cajoling a woman into his bed; they had always come, more than willingly. Knowing that he was a handsome man, he had assumed that when Luna was so compliant she had not been so averse to his advances after all. He had always faintly detested those Death Eaters who participated in rapes, feeling that a man who has to resort to brutal force was sorely lacking. Now Molly had placed him in the same boat and he did not like it at all. Later in the evening when he found Luna in the bedchamber, he decided to do something about it.
"It has occurred to me that you might wonder a bit about your father." Luna looked at him and Lucius could feel a sudden tension in the room. Without saying anything, it was clear that Luna was very keen indeed to hear news about her only parent. He is still in Azkaban, but he is quite well. In fact, he will probably be released in a not too distant future, though he will not be allowed to run his paper anymore. You must understand that nothing you may do here will have any effect on what happens to him. He will not get a better treatment, but not a worse one either. You do understand that?"
Luna looked very intently at him as if she was determining if he was serious and eventually she nodded and give him a small smile.
During the following weeks the conditions in the house improved. It grow clean and tidy, the laundry got done and the quality of the food became remarkably better. The quiet hostility Lucius felt from Molly didn't bother him, as long as she fulfilled her tasks she could feel whatever she liked toward him. Luna seemed happier, quite frequently giving him her small smiles and nods which made it easier to feel that there actually were some kind of communication between them, though she still refused to speak to him. Lucius had purposely not said anything about Luna's silence to Molly, knowing full well that she would raise concerns if she couldn't get Luna to speak, but Mrs. Weasley said nothing about it. The conclusion could only be that Luna did talk to Molly when Lucius wasn't around, a thought that nettled him, but that he didn't know what to do about. Perhaps he could use crude force to make her, but it became increasingly important to him that she would choose to speak to him on her own accord, even if that day would never come.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to J. K. Rowling.
Rating: PG13
Category: Angst
Pairing: Lucius Malfoy/Luna Lovegood
Summary: He had forgotten about the girl in the cellar. Lucius Malfoy is given a price, but Luna Lovegood is not an ordinary girl and perhaps Lucius isn't quite who he was either. Not exactly a romance. An AU-fic taking place after Deathly Hallows.
Molly Prewett had been a student a few years older than Lucius, one of those pretty, vivid girls that everyone know who they are, but he had never really known her, despite her good lineage. And then she had married Arthur Weasley who had given Lucius so much more to fret over than a woman who seemed to devote all her time to her children. He had noted that she turned dull and plump, though now, in a dreary cell in Azkaban prison there wasn't much left of her plumpness and not much left of the red in her hair, either. Her face bore the marks of grief after losing both a son and her husband on the same ill-fated day that Lucius had lost his family. He felt no sympathy for her, however. She still had children and a family, when he had nothing left. But though dressed in threadbare robes and with bruises on her face and neck that spoke of the treatment a witch could suffer in Voldemort's prisoner, her eyes where the same warm brown and though they looked at him with weariness and suspicion, her imprisonment had clearly not broken her.
"You want me to take care of your house? Why?"
"Why? I should think it would be a more pleasant way to serve your imprisonment than here."
She gave him a shrewd glance. "Exactly. There is no love lost between our families, so why should you care about my well being? It isn't like you would have a hard time finding someone else, so there must be a reason for asking me."
Lucius sighed. He had to admit that he somewhat dreaded telling her, but it was something he must say, sooner or later. "Very well. After my wife's death, the Dark Lord saw my need for a new heir. There is currently a young woman residing with me, who I hope will bear me a new son in time. She is in need of some companionship, for which I think that you would be suitable."
"Why me, anyway? Molly's eyes narrowed dangerously when a new suspicion hit her. "Not my daughter again. Lucius Malfoy, if you have harmed Ginny in any way…"
"No, not your daughter. Luna Lovegood."
"Luna! She's as young as Ginny! What a disgusting man you are. How can you stoop so low that you rape a child just for some ridiculous family pride?"
Feeling that the interview was slipping out of his control, Lucius felt compelled to defend himself. "I have never hurt her! Do you think she would have fared better if I had declined? She wouldn't have been given a pat on her head and sent back to school, she would have been given to someone else. She could have ended up chained to a bed, broken and beaten, while I have treated her kindly and with as much freedom that I could possibly give her. I can assure you that she has not raised any objections to my treatment of her."
But Molly was not appeased. "Are you such a fool that you think that you only abuse someone if you use violence? You separate a young girl from her friends and family, and you think she appreciates your attention? Do you think she would dare to object the tiniest bit when she must be terrified that her actions might lead to repercussions against her father?"
Lucius, who up till this point had completely forgotten that Xenophilius Lovegood even existed, was completely taken aback. "I have never even suggested to Luna that her behaviour could affect her father. I never even considered it!"
"But does Luna know that?"
Lucius held up a hand. "Enough! That is not what I came here to discuss. Will you accept my proposition, or shall I leave?"
For a moment Molly looked like she would have liked to say a few things more about Luna, but she swallowed and nodded instead. "Yes, I accept. How could I possibly say no?"
When they came back to Malfoy Manor, Lucius handed over a wand to the surprised Mrs. Weasley.
"You are giving me a wand?"
"Don't get any ideas. This wand has been stunted. You can perform menial household tasks with it, but try to do something else and see what happens."
Molly's eyebrow rose, but then she quickly pointed it at him. "Expelliarmus!"
The effect was instant, but not the intended one; the wand flew from her hand into Lucius'. "You see?"
She rubbed her hand and grimaced. "I see. May I see Luna now?"
"Of course."
When they entered Luna's room, Molly rushed past him and embraced the girl fiercely. The effect the older woman's entrance had on Luna startled Lucius who had become used to her eternally serene expression, but now her face flushed with a sudden happiness as she returned the embrace. Feeling very superfluous, Lucius retreated. The joy he had seen on Luna's face had made him realize something that he until now hadn't thought about. When losing his family, he had lost the only people in the world who loved him. There were no one left to be happy when he entered a room and no one who would miss him when he was gone. It was a bleak thought and the knowledge that he might be respected did nothing to comfort him.
Then there was Molly's words about Luna that rankled him. He had never had to resort to cajoling a woman into his bed; they had always come, more than willingly. Knowing that he was a handsome man, he had assumed that when Luna was so compliant she had not been so averse to his advances after all. He had always faintly detested those Death Eaters who participated in rapes, feeling that a man who has to resort to brutal force was sorely lacking. Now Molly had placed him in the same boat and he did not like it at all. Later in the evening when he found Luna in the bedchamber, he decided to do something about it.
"It has occurred to me that you might wonder a bit about your father." Luna looked at him and Lucius could feel a sudden tension in the room. Without saying anything, it was clear that Luna was very keen indeed to hear news about her only parent. He is still in Azkaban, but he is quite well. In fact, he will probably be released in a not too distant future, though he will not be allowed to run his paper anymore. You must understand that nothing you may do here will have any effect on what happens to him. He will not get a better treatment, but not a worse one either. You do understand that?"
Luna looked very intently at him as if she was determining if he was serious and eventually she nodded and give him a small smile.
During the following weeks the conditions in the house improved. It grow clean and tidy, the laundry got done and the quality of the food became remarkably better. The quiet hostility Lucius felt from Molly didn't bother him, as long as she fulfilled her tasks she could feel whatever she liked toward him. Luna seemed happier, quite frequently giving him her small smiles and nods which made it easier to feel that there actually were some kind of communication between them, though she still refused to speak to him. Lucius had purposely not said anything about Luna's silence to Molly, knowing full well that she would raise concerns if she couldn't get Luna to speak, but Mrs. Weasley said nothing about it. The conclusion could only be that Luna did talk to Molly when Lucius wasn't around, a thought that nettled him, but that he didn't know what to do about. Perhaps he could use crude force to make her, but it became increasingly important to him that she would choose to speak to him on her own accord, even if that day would never come.