As the sun sank below the horizon and darkness began to creep across the land, Lucius Malfoy grew increasingly tense. His anxiety was flaring, and the scowl on his face was deepening with each passing moment. He was deeply frustrated and irritated. The usual calm and cool expression on his face was absent from his face. It had been a difficult day, a rough and weary day for him and unless he used his occlumency, it was getting harder for him to keep his expressions under control.
Even so, he restrained himself from using it. He knew he would need it later that night, and he did not want to put unnecessary strain on his mind beforehand. Sometimes, letting his expressions and emotions show, letting him feel free as a person was a relief. It made him feel alive. And Lucius Malfoy was in great need of that kind of release.
"Lucius," his father Abraxas' voice drew his attention. "Have the preparations been made?"
"Yes, Father," Lucius replied.
Abraxas, unlike his son, was wearing a calm expression on his face. Lucius knew his father was maintaining the usage of occlumency at all times.
Abaraxas Malfoy never allowed his mask of his calm facade to slip away, not even before his own son. He was Lord Malfoy and he needed to appear strong. Normally, he would have berated Lucius for showing his nerves and the troubled expressions, but tonight, the Malfoy lord let it pass. His son needed to relax a bit.
"Mother?" Lucius asked after a few moments of silence.
"I just received word," Abraxas replied. "She has reached safety. Once this is over, you will personally go to retrieve her."
"Yes, Father," Lucius agreed. Abraxas gave a final nod before departing.
Yes. His mother had left the house, or, to use a more accurate word, fled from Malfoy Manor. Fled from the very estate where she was meant to reign as Lady of the house. Even though it was temporary, it was deeply embarrassing and unsettling from Lucius. He knew that his father also felt the same but he also knew that his mother leaving the Malfoy manor was the best course.
Why? Because a gathering of the Death Eaters had been called at Malfoy Manor.
And this was the source of Lucius Malfoy's unease and troubles. The last time the gathering of the death eaters had taken place, when they had learned that the attack on Edmund Bones had failed, Lucius had assumed the Dark Lord would abandon their stronghold and establish himself somewhere else. He had expected the next meeting would be at a different location. And his anticipation had proved to be true. But this… this was what he had not anticipated.
The Dark Lord had completely changed the rules of the game. There would no longer be a fixed stronghold for their organisation. No one would know where the Dark Lord resided. He would remain in permanent hiding… no the dark lord did not fear anyone to hide. He was invincible, the most powerful wizard on earth. His blood was superior to anyone else and so else was his magic. He would simply remain incognito. Not hidden.
Gatherings would instead be hosted in the manor of one of his trusted servants. Each time, at random, the Dark Lord would choose a household for the meeting. And the very first of these gatherings had been chosen to take place in Malfoy Manor.
His mother, Holly Malfoy, was a fine, graceful, and deeply loving woman. Lucius adored her dearly and so did his father. Abraxas Malfoy loved his wife with a devotion few would have believed of him, and she was a respected figure in the Malfoy household.
Yet, she had to be sent away. Holly was well aware of the work her husband and son did, of the organisation they belonged to, and of the ideology they served. Like most pure blood witches, she had little political ambition of her own, and she did not interfere in their affairs. Whatever they did, she supported them.
But she could not remain in the presence of the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters were notorious for running amok, and Abraxas understood, just as Lucius did, that there was no true camaraderie among them. For Holly to remain in Malfoy Manor with a dozen Death Eaters prowling through its halls was far too dangerous. Even the Dark Lord himself was prone to bursts of rage and madness. They could not have risked Holly to remain in the Malfoy manner. And thus she had gone to one of their distant relatives.
This was not the only risk the Malfoy family faced. More than two dozen Death Eaters were expected to attend this meeting, and their arrival was bound to stir commotion. A gathering or a small party at the home of one of the most influential lords in Wizarding Britain was not unusual but this would not be a normal gathering.
The Death Eaters would arrive dressed in their full regalia, and even Lucius and Abraxas would be forced to don the same attire. These were the laws of the dark lord and were sacred.
It was inevitable that such a sight would attract attention. It was dangerous, and people could notice. But there was nothing they could do. Abraxas and Lucius were nothing more than slaves to the Dark Lord.
And that was not all. The Dark Lord had special requirements. When he arrived, he would take temporary control of the Malfoy wards. The one thing that gave the father and son a sense of security within their own manor was to be stripped away from them. Their wards, an extension of their power and protection, would be under the Dark Lord's authority. And like the obedient servants they were forced to be, they had no choice but to obey.
With these thoughts gnawing at him, Lucius rose from his seat and began dressing himself in the robes of a loyal Death Eater. The preparations had already been done. He knew that hardly anyone would be in the mood to eat. Most of them would be happy with a couple of drinks but the preparation had to be done, nonetheless.
The tension on Lucius's face has only deepened and his movements were slow as he dressed himself.
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