You must make your heart steel.

[lucxmalf]

ritxskeeter​:

“They are from where I’m sitting.” She murmured off handedly, a single chuckle falling from her lips with the admission. She froze after a beat though, as she heard how it must have sounded to him. Rita hadn’t really meant anything by it, and she’d hate for him to get the wrong idea. 

“Sorry.” She grimaced, ducking her head slightly as she met his gaze again. “I just meant they could do a whole lot worse. You’re kind of the whole package - you do know that, right?” This time, it came off exactly how she meant it - a simple statement of fact. She smiled ruefully, a twinkle in her eye as he explained himself, and she nodded. “See what I mean?” She gestured vaguely between them, his sentiment only proving her point. Some people might be surprised to hear such things coming from him - but she liked to think she knew him at least a little bit better than that. 

Rita was thankful for the moment of silence between them as she collected her thoughts, as it might have been just the thing to save her from any more embarrassing comments falling unbidden from her lips. As her gaze made its way back to his, she held it for a moment, wondering what he was thinking as he looked at her. It was like he could see her - in a way that other people normally didn’t, in a way that was more Rita and less Prophet. Perhaps that’s what happened when you opened up around people, although she wasn’t about to make it a habit to find out.

Still, she was getting off topic and she straightened slightly, committed to getting what she came for and not having to waste another of his mornings. After all, an unshakable and unhealthy work ethic - that was what she was known for, was it not? “Gerard…” She murmured, flipping through her papers. “Mhm. Right. So she did it for your family. I can’t say I’m surprised. Did she continue to work, after the move? I’ve got a bit of conflicting stories there, as well.” Really, she was ready to wring the neck of the man she’d taken over for. She only wished she had known all of this beforehand, and didn’t have to bother Lucius at all with such basic questions. 

“Please, remember who you’re talking to.” She scoffed, although she was laughing, not actually offended in the slightest. Her eyes sparkled as she grinned - this was the part she loved. The upper hand - knowing something the others didn’t. And it didn’t happen very often with people like Lucius Malfoy, so she was going to enjoy it. “Of course I know who did it.”

"It's fine," he assured, seeing that Rita got a bit flustered because of the words that slipped out of her mouth. Someone else would say she got carried away and consider it unprofessional, but he knew how serious she always took her work. Besides, there was no need to took all the fun out of their conversation. "I'm just teasing you. Forgive me, I couldn't help myself."

Lucius understood those matters and her worries better than anyone- being in the constant spotlight he also had to choose his words very carefully. At this point, the cautiousness was a habit- even though they knew each other well enough to be more casual, it was hard for both of them to let the guard off completely. 

"I guess it depends on what someone considers the whole package," he chuckled. He was aware it's how the majority perceive him- Lucius Malfoy, the poster boy, a perfect match that any respectable family would greet with open arms, and the reason behind it was obvious. "What's your opinion on it?" he asked, genuinely curious. Rita was probably the only one he knew who will answer this question honestly.

He didn't give much thought to his future marriage until he returned home, but now it was almost impossible to avoid it since the future came way earlier than expected. Lucius, unlike his father, hadn't found the one while being abroad. Paris was different now, more liberated and full of distractions. He was young and wanted to live his life at that time.

"I guess every marriage, arranged or not, requires sacrifices from both sides. And yes, her decision to come to England with my father definitely was a huge one," he admitted. "My mother was an artistic soul and a painter. After getting married, she became a patron to many artists and still created her paintings," Lucius pointed at the one Rita watched when he approached her earlier this morning. "She was very proud of it," he smiled softly. "I would love to show you more of her works, but one of the charities she funded put them on exhibition. This evening is the official opening in the gallery. Today's event is planned only for the French press and other patrons, but you could come with me if you're interested," he offered. 

It was obvious to Lucius that she knew who did the prank with the paintings, but he pretended otherwise to let her enjoy the moment and shine. "Believe me, I do," he smiled, as Rita didn't even try to hide how pleased she is. "And what do I have to do for you to spill the tea?"

[lucxmalf]

regulus-blxck​

Regulus had been avoiding leaving the house since his fight with Sirius. His black eye was taking longer than expected to heal and the split on his lip had only been closed for a day or two. His broken nose was fixed easily enough, but bones could be fixed with simple spells, bruises just had to fix themselves. It was such a beautiful Friday evening, though, and even if Regulus was a little embarrassed about his injuries, he wasn’t going to waste it sitting around at home. Deciding to keep a low profile, he found himself at the Hog’s Head - a sigh of relief at the sight of Aberforth behind the bar as opposed to Sirius. Ordering a drink and taking a seat near the back of the bar, he sat back and watched people come and go for about an hour before somebody interesting had walked in.

He heard that Lucius was back in town, Severus had told him a few days ago, but Regulus felt it was rather odd that he hadn’t visited the Black family since he returned. The Black’s and the Malfoy’s were rather close families. Picking up his nearly empty glass, he stood and wandered up to the bar, plopping himself down in the seat beside Lucius. “Shh!” He hushed, placing a finger over his lip for a moment with a grin, “No, I’m technically not old enough. But it’s kind of hard to say no with a face and a name like mine.” Maybe it was less the face over the name, but regardless he was in the bar and having a drink even if he wasn’t supposed to be there for another four months or so. “Been some time. Dad told me you were in Paris, how was France?”

"Right," he chuckled, taking a sip from his glass. Having a well-known name certainly has its benefits. Back in the days, he used it the same way Regulus did it now- to get to places he shouldn't be allowed to. As a teenager, it felt like he had a superpower, and he took pride in it. "Come, and join me then."

Lucius didn't notice bruises on Regulus's face until he took a seat next to him and the lamp on the bar lightened his face. "This one looks nasty," he said. "Unless you don't want to wear it like a badge of honor, I can show you how to cover it if you like." he offered and drawn on a cigarette again. It was a simple spell- Lucius refined it slightly and used it almost every day to hide any sign of tiredness after long work during the night. He wasn't comfortable with people knowing how he felt, and he rarely showed anything even to those the closest to him.

"Warmer than England," he admitted, downing his glass and ordering another round for them. "France is amazing, and it has so much to offer. You should go there and spend some time. I promise you wouldn't want to come back." Lucius wasn't much older than Regulus when he went abroad. Staying so long away from home on his own allowed Lucius to grow up faster and develop himself in ways that couldn't be possible here, in England. "How about you? What are you up to now? How are your parents? I missed a lot of things during my absence, and I'm slowly trying to catch up."

[lucxmalf]

sevrustobias​:

Severus snorted, rolling his eyes. He didn’t doubt that every word from Lucius was absolutely true. Even though Severus himself had never cared one way or the other about his position (although he did acknowledge that it could be useful to have such a friend) and it had certainly not ever been his intention to use him for it. If the others couldn’t see the value of Lucius Malfoy outside the title on his office door, then it was their loss. “That would be counterproductive, yes, I see your point.” He smirked. He was certain that if he applied himself to it, he would be brilliant at potions - maybe not on Severus’ level, although if you asked him no one was - but brilliant all the same.

“Shame.” He drawled, although there was a distinct lack of any emotion to his words that showed just how very little he cared about the fate of said ambassador. Caught with muggle girls - a man of his position. He was lucky if all he lost was his job. “Potter?” He spat, no small amount of venom seeping into his tone as he sat forward rather quickly, the hairs on his arms stood at attention at the mere mention. It was a reaction he had no control over, just the thought of the other man sent his blood boiling but he took a breath, relaxing. It was Lucius, after all, it wasn’t like the man had brought him up to sing his praises like everyone else. No, this would be something he very much wanted to hear. And he was right - the mental imagine his friend gave of the great James Potter had a grin tugging at his lips. “We never had anything to worry about from the Order. A bunch of insolent, whining children who are doing nothing more than throwing a tantrum because they didn’t get their way. You should have, you know. Cursed him. The whole of the Ministry probably’d have thanked you for it.” 

As the conversation turned back to Daisy, he thought about the question. How opposite? About as opposite as two people could be, he was sure. But still, they had some things in common, he supposed. They were both passionate about their work and enjoyed a quiet night in - they both appreciated plants and their uses, even if it was in different ways. “Pretty opposite.” He finally answered with a sigh. “We even look like opposites.” He’d never really thought about it before, what they must look like walking hand in hand - she, the epitome of bright and bubbly down to her hair, and him - well, he was dark from his head to his toes. “You’ll just have to see for yourself.”

"How's the shop, by the way?" he asked. "You've got many customers?" Back in the time, Lucis always made an order for certain potions for himself and his French friends when he visited London. There were not many places in Paris when you could get formulas brewed with such quality. The supply Lucius had from Severus saved him many times. "Your hangover cure is famous abroad, that I can tell," he said with a grin.

"Well," Lucius curled his lips. "He certainly should better keep his dirty little secrets." As far as he knew, the man was still on the run but was short on options- his whole family disowned him after the news appeared in the papers. And you can't hide forever from the Dark Lord and his followers. "He was lucky that he stayed in France. I'm sure he wouldn't be able to hide it for so long being in England with Rita Skeeter around," he said and laughed.

Lucius could feel the tension rising in his friend when he mentioned Potter. It was rare for him to react so emotionally. Severus never told him the whole story behind his quarrel with James and his clique, and he didn't force him to do so. Nagging wasn't an efficient way to get something out of him. Besides, he respected his privacy and choice to keep it to himself. "I considered it, but I didn't want to get blood on my carpet," Lucius joked. "And torturing him with lengthening the time he had to sit in my office seemed a better idea. I don't know how he survived this long with his complete lack of self-control. Merlin, I thought he's gonna throw a tantrum because of the slightest inconvenience. No wonder why the Potters got excluded from the Sacred Twenty-Eight. No one wanted to put up with their shit." Lucius despised Potter, but his reasons were probably different than Severus. James was his exact opposite- he didn't respect the traditions and obviously didn't care about the discipline and responsibilities that came with being a pureblood heir to the family.

Thinking about his friend and his new girlfriend gave Lucius some weird sense of comfort, the feeling like at least something good happened recently to someone he cared about. "As they say, the opposites attract," he said. "I can't wait to meet her."

[deborah-woll]

To Walt Whitman. You dirty bastard. Kill Your Darlings dir. John Krokidas (2013)

[lucxmalf]

@regulus-blxck​

The last few weeks had been overwhelming for Lucius, and he needed a break. Part of him wanted to leave London and visit Paris, even just for a few days. He knew it wasn't a good idea, as he already stayed in denial with the current situation way too long. His return to England was permanent, and it was time to accept it. It was time to go back to social life and meet people in a different place than his work office since most of his excuses worn off. Avoiding people wasn't his usual thing, as he was an outgoing person, but recently he didn't feel like attending events.

This Friday night wasn't as cold as the last week, and he finished all his paperwork, so Lucius decided to go downtown for a drink. A glass of firewhisky or two seemed like a good idea. He went to one of the pubs he always visited while being in London. All eyes were on him the moment he stepped through the door, but he ignored it as he gets used to people reacting like that in his presence. He sat at the bar and ordered a drink. He lit a cigarette, another bad habit he got during his stay in France. When the bartender put a glass with amber liquid in it, he got approached by a familiar face. When he saw him for the last time, Regulus was still a kid. "Are you sure you're old enough to be here?" he teased with a smirk and blew a cloud of smoke. "Long time, no see."

[lucxmalf]

dxisy-hxxkum​:

Daisy couldn’t stop herself from laughing as he recounted the story of the devil’s snare in the greenhouse of Hogwarts. She remembered it all too well. "Oh, I remember.” She nodded, her smile unwavering. “It was a boy in my class. I warned him not to get too close, but you know how boys are at that age, they don’t listen to anybody let alone a girl in their class.” Her head shook slightly as she thought back on the incident, it upset her that herbology was cancelled and Daisy had done a lot of extra credit work to ensure she wouldn’t fall behind. “I’ve never seen Professor Sprout so angry - she took twenty points from Hufflepuff. I earned them back by helping her deal with the devil’s snare, though.”

He remained quiet after her answer, which worried her. She knew that ignoring the war was rather naive of her, but it was the only way she could continue living without being in constant panic. Daisy knew she may eventually have to pick a side, and when that day came it would be against the Death Eaters, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t ignore the things they were doing for the time being. “I know it’s not smart.” She admitted softly, “I know it might get me into some trouble. But I really can’t bring myself to get involved.” Daisy always wanted to see the best in everybody, ignoring Codes and labels made that much easier for her. 

Desperate for a change in subject, Daisy cleared her throat. The war made her uncomfortable and uneasy, she didn’t really want to talk about it. “So, have you done anything exciting since coming back home?” She questioned, genuinely curious. Daisy always liked hearing what other people did for fun, sometimes it gave her ideas for new things to try. “The festival of lights is coming up, which is very exciting to me. Should I expect to see you there?”

"His parents even wanted to sue the school," he said. "My father was a chairman of the school governors that times and they had a problem with convincing them to do otherwise. They didn't want to believe that he caused the situation. So much trouble with a small incident." Lucius wasn't very concerned with the lack of Herbology classes during that year since it gave him more time to focus on studying his favorite Transfiguration.  At this time, he had mastered ancient Greek, which allowed him to translate riveting spellbooks, received as a birthday present from his uncle. "So, if you handled the devil snare once, I'm sure you'll figure it out again. Do you remember what you did to get rid of it then?" he asked.

The more time Lucius sits here with Daisy, the more he understood what Severus had in mind telling him they're the opposites. The girl almost radiated with enthusiasm and seemed so delicate, like the flowers she loved so much. On the other hand- his friend was a rather pragmatic and more down-to-earth person. He saw the things as they were without sugarcoating. Lucius didn't get the chance yet to see how their dynamics really work, but certainly, it was an interesting one. "I'm not judging you," he assured her with a smile.  "I'm sure Severus does his best to make you safe. There's no need to force yourself into something that makes you uncomfortable. I'm just trying to tell you to be careful."

Lucius didn't object to the change of the subject, as he saw his companion got a little tense. "Not much honestly," he admitted. "I have to adjust to my new workplace. There's a lot of paperwork." Indeed, his friend mentioned the festival organized to 'boost morale', but he wasn't sure if it was his thing. Lucius hadn't exactly the reason to celebrate anyway. "What excites you about it the most?" he asked. "I have a lot of work and wasn't planning to attend it, but maybe I'll show up if you convince me it's worth it."

[lucxmalf]

ritxskeeter​:

Rita giggled as he winked, shaking her head. “Lucky girls.” She couldn’t imagine - quite literally of two minds about the whole idea. On the one hand, it seemed repulsive, to be set up. But on the other, for someone who didn’t really have the time to get out much and meet people, it was almost appealing. Although she thought all in all she was glad not to have that pressure put on her as well. Rita couldn’t help the small smile at his admission - she got it from me. Of course, she knew people all over had read her book, but it still sent a small thrill through her to hear it first hand. And not only that, but to recommend it, and to a woman of her position… 

Glancing over her shoulder, her gaze fell on the portrait of Isabella - she really had been beautiful, not that anyone would have expected anything less. To think that Lucius might see anything in common between the two of them, even something as menial as wearing a certain color, well, it meant more to Rita than she let on. After all, her own mother didn’t even have any compassionate words for her anymore, that someone else might…. His voice jarred her from her thoughts, and she turned back suddenly, trying to readjust her features back into their normal, neutral smile as he continued. 

“And what did your uncle do?” She asked, furrowing her brow as she shuffled her papers around in search of his name. “Why did she finally agree to come? I can’t imagine Paris is an easy place to leave.” She went on wistfully, having only been once herself, when she was fairly young. But from what she remembered, it was absolutely lovely. “Do you remember….. merlin, it must have been - what? Your fourth year? When someone bewitched all the portraits along the seventh floor to speak nothing but French? The Gryffindors went right mad, none of them out of the whole lot could get into the common room.” She chuckled as she remembered it, shaking her head, surprised not for the first time at just how easy it seemed to talk to him - things seemed to just bubble up and out of her. 

"Are they really, though?" the question unintentionally slipped from his mouth. He probably should bit his tongue and agreed with her, as he never questioned his duty to get the perfect match, but the desperate measures his father took to force him to speed up the whole thing made it feel like a burden.

Obviously, he never argued that his future wife has to be a pureblood witch. However, Lucius couldn't stand the idea of getting married to someone who'll praise the ground he's walking on only because he's a Malfoy. The witches his father tried to set up him with were ready to do so, only to get his name. And he didn't want that.

He worked so hard to become the man he was now, and part of him wanted to be acknowledged by it. "I don't think rushing in those matters is a good thing. I'd rather put an effort to get to know each other before I put a ring on her finger," he explained with his usual smile.

Lucius gave Rita a moment as he realized his words clearly made an impression on her. He observed his friend in silence, as the features of her face changed- the pictures in the Prophet didn't do her justice, as she was even more beautiful in person. It's been a while since they had the chance to speak face to face, and it was so nice to discover it all over again. He looked down when she turned back to him, a little smile still on his face. She probably caught him staring, but he didn't mind.

"My uncle  Gerard worked as a translator in the embassy. My mother decided to move to England with my father so they could send children to Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons in the future. Everyone insisted on that, but she came willingly. I don't believe anyone could force her to do something she didn't want to. It had to be a big change for her, but maybe she saw it as another adventure. I can only guess." Lucius explained. His thoughts came to French Rivera when Rita mentioned France once again. "France is a beautiful place, so different than England. I heard opinions that Paris is not as great as it seems, but that's not true. Paris is magical. I miss it a bit," he admitted.

Lucius burst out a laugh at the memory. "I do! Merlin, they all were so pissed, I remember their Prefect even tried to pursue his own investigation on it," he chuckled and glanced at her. "Do you know who did it?" he asked.

[lucxmalf]

sevrustobias​:

Severus chuckled, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "Sounds like I might have to stop by more often, if only for the sake of your sanity.” He replied smoothly, although he figured they both knew he would regardless, now that Lucius was back in the same country. Before he’d left, it felt like Severus was at the manor as much as he was at his own flat. Now, he had to stop in to see Daisy, but he didn’t want to let that diminish his time with Lucius. “You could always come help me at the shop. Although I think a good day of brewing might have you begging for the desk back.” He smirked, shrugging easily. 

He furrowed his brow for a moment, thinking. Who could possibly have had business with Lucius Malfoy that might pique his interest? “The magical ambassador to Luxembourg?” He drawled sarcastically, draining the last few drops of coffee from his mug and setting it down gently before him. He waved a hand in dismissal as an elf came to refill it, murmuring a request for water instead. “I do hope you’re about to tell me something more interesting than that, I feel like I’ve been starved for any good gossip.” There was a very good chance it was due to the fact that Severus actively tried to avoid talking to most people, and he was certainly not their first choice for sharing other’s secrets, but still, it was another reason he was glad to have Lucius home again - he was certainly well connected. 

Relaxing fully as the conversation went on easily enough, he leaned against the chair, visibly more comfortable speaking about Daisy now that they’d gotten past the initial revelation. “We’ll have to do lunch so you can properly meet her.” He offered, and he meant it. He had tried to avoid introducing Daisy to his other friends, but Lucius was different. He fully believed he wouldn’t pose a threat to her, not in the ways the others might at least, if things went south. He trusted him more than that. “We met through work, actually. Her greenhouse has the best raw ingredients in the area. She agreed to exchange plants for potions quite some time ago, I guess it all just sort of …snowballed from there.” He furrowed his brow, a small sigh escaping him as he thought it all over - no less baffling to him now than it had been when they’d first gotten together. The appeal Daisy had was obvious, but he still had very little idea why she might feel the same about him. Still, he certainly wasn’t about to complain. “We’re…. quite opposite, really." 

"Oh, yes, please. Come whenever you want. I don't have many guests who actually come here to see me. They're usually interested in what I can do for them," he admitted with a shrug. "I'm like a god. Old acquaintances turn to me when they need something. And now, since I work in the office, they mostly wish to cut the red tape and speed their cases."

It sounded a bit harsh, but Lucius didn't try to pity himself. The fact, he still was in the game even after years of absence showed his true power. He was irreplaceable, and it wasn't just that he's a Malfoy.

But Lucius longed for something more ambitious. Sitting still wasn't his thing. Years of hard work paid off with great skills in the long run, but now he felt like all learning went to waste. "It's a very tempting offer, but I'm not sure if you want me anywhere near your cauldron unless you want me to transfigurate it into something else," he joked. Maybe he wasn't completely useless when it comes to Potions, but they were things he was certainly better than that.

"No, the ambassador to Luxembourg actually resigned two months ago after the press caught him with some muggle women and took pictures. I guess he won't show up anywhere anytime soon," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Lucius didn't mention it was him who actually tipped off to the reporters. The man should see that coming giving him such a hard bargain during negotiation. His superiors weren't pleased with the delay, so he had to speed up the process by removing the obstacle. "I meant James Potter. He came to my office to file a motion. Honestly, what's the fuss about this kid? He almost pissed his pants before I even asked him to give me the papers, like he thought I'm gonna curse him or something," Lucius rolled eyes. "If this is the future of the Order, then we have no reason to worry 'cause this phoenix won't rise from the ashes."

Severus rarely mentioned Potter to Lucius, but he was well aware that these two didn't get along, and he wanted to cheer him up with this news.

His friend relaxed again, and the conversation got back on track. Lucius smiled gently, carefully listening as he spoke. Daisy seemed a nice girl, and with her knack for plants reminded him a bit of his mother.  Severus was obviously head over heels with her. "Of course, I would love to meet her. Whenever you're ready. I promise to behave," he assured with a grin. He tried not to interrupt his words, but it caught his attention when he mentioned the differences between them. "Opposite? How opposite?" he asked.

[hijacker-deactivated20160621]

that wasn't very Versace of you

[lucxmalf]

dxisy-hxxkum​:

Perhaps she shouldn’t have taken his offer without speaking to Severus about it first. She knew he wasn’t overly fond of her getting too close to his friends - but she didn’t see any harm in visiting for a tour of his garden. "I’m sure it’s still lovely,” Daisy smiled. It didn’t matter what phase of a plants life it was in - she still found the beauty in it.

On any other day, she could talk about her job and herbology for hours completely unprompted. But now that she was put on the spot she was drawing a blank. “A little bit of everything, really. Some magical, some more mundane. My greenhouse is mostly full of things that can be sold, potion ingredients and such. But my home and gardens are just a mess of anything I can get my hands on.” Being surrounded by nature made her happy, it always had. Gardening was something that everybody could do, but Daisy had spent many hours becoming an expert on the subject. “Although, I’ve recently come about some Devil’s Snare. It’s basically taken over my entire basement, I’m not quite sure what to do with it. I’ll figure something out, I’m sure.”

“Well, that was quite nice of you.” Daisy smiled with a small giggle. She was glad to know that there was somebody looking out for Severus when he was young. He didn’t have a lot of friends, perhaps Lucius and Regulus were the only two people he would consider friends. As far as Daisy could tell, he was lucky to have both of them.

Her eyes widened at his question. It was rather forward and she didn’t quite know how to answer. She didn’t want to offend Lucius, knowing he was Code One as well, by saying she didn’t agree with their views. But the truth was that she didn’t. Clearing her throat, she stared into her bowl of soup as she answered. “I try my best to keep my distance from everything.” Daisy said softly, “I don’t pay attention, I don’t read the paper. Severus promised not to speak of any war related matters to me. The less I know, the safer I feel.”

Lucius nodded, listening as his companion spoke about her job and interests. He already told about himself more than he usually did, so shifting focus on Daisy seemed to be a good idea. "The Devil's Snare, that's a nasty one. I remember there was an accident caused by it in one of Hogwarts' greenhouses. I was in my fifth year, and we had the Herbology classes suspended for the rest of the semester," he glanced at her. She should remember that too since she was only a few years younger. One of the students stepped on a  stalk hidden under the shelf, and things got pretty ugly.

"I have my moments," he chuckled. Indeed, Severus was the person he made the most exceptions for, and he treated him more indulgently than others. It's fair to say he even felt a bit responsible for him, but not in a mentor way, rather like an older brother. "I hope we'll finally catch up properly, as I came back to England."

Her answer to the question was surprising, but his face remained neutral. Lucius wasn't here to judge Daisy's views or try to convince her about the rightness of his own, but the fact she decided to stay in denial of the current state of reality wasn't something he expected. The war and its aftermath were part of their life, and avoiding it to feel safe didn't seem very reasonable for him. Usually, he wouldn't get concerned, but she was Severus' girlfriend, and his friend cared for her.  "I see," he said after a short pause. "I didn't have anything wrong in mind. I asked because you're close to someone who clearly picked a side in this conflict. Some people won't respect that you don't want to get involved."

[lucxmalf]

andrmdablck​:

If there was one thing Andromeda knew for certain, it was that she loved her job. It was tiring and strenuous and ate into her personal life with no mercy – but she couldn’t picture herself doing anything else. She had to do something that was rewarding to get her through the day. A reminder that she had a purpose here, that she had a life that meant something beyond what the Blacks wanted. That just because she threw their expectations out the window, it didn’t mean she was worth any less.

She mattered. Her sisters mattered. They took different paths but she would be damned if she ever regretted hers – and while her sisters were entirely different, she assumed they felt the same. She hoped otherwise, but assumed it none the less.

So on days such as these, when she was running around and tending to as many people as she can – on days when she hadn’t eaten in hours and couldn’t remember the last time she slept – she still found little moments to be thankful. After all, if she could help someone else, she would do days like these for as long as she could. There was always more to do, and she didn’t have much going on for her otherwise.

Then that all came to a halt as she was placed on a home call, a little groan escaping her lips at the address. One she knew well, and one that she had not been to for many years. The reception was a bit more… icy than it had been before. Such as it was with almost everyone from her past, and she wasn’t entirely sure how this interaction would go.

She also wasn’t sure that she wanted to find out – but Andromeda knew she had to.

His initial reaction came as no surprise, her eyebrows merely raising ever so slightly. “It is. You don’t sound too enthusiastic, but I’m very good at my job, Lucius.” Andromeda was a humble person, but she was also acutely aware of her strengths and refused to shrink herself to satisfy others. “So why don’t you tell me why I’m here so that I can help you?”

"Forgive me for not being very enthusiastic about this situation," Lucius said, trying to hide his irritation. Throbbing pain in his head slowly increased, and he had to cover his eyes with hands, as the light made it even worse. "And I'm not questioning your capability to do your job or your magical skills. I never did. I thought you know me better than that."

The Malfoys and the Blacks didn't just share the same pureblood social circle- they regularly kept in touch, even if it was only a courteous visit now and then or an owl. It wasn't the first time Andromeda came to the manor, but now the circumstances were entirely different. Lucius wouldn't say they were close friends, but they knew each other well enough to have a decent relationship during school times and even stayed in touch for some period of time after graduation. The thing he remembered about her the best was those little glimpses of an attitude she showed, which wasn't very common among the pureblood ladies. Lucius never approved of forcing women to shrink themselves for others' convenience, so it was fair to say Andromeda earned his respect for refusing to do so. 

And then, everything changed. When Lucius heard the news about her sudden decision to leave the family, he thought it's just another rumor and didn't want to believe it. He even wrote to Andromeda, but when an owl came back without the letter, it confirmed it was true. Now, she was standing here, as nothing happened. There was no actual bad blood between them, but Lucius still held a little grudge about the way she cut ties with him. Not that he had the right to expect any explanation from her, but it still hurt a little more than just a bruised ego. After all, he never did her wrong in the past.

They were many things Lucius wanted to say to her, but in his current condition, he wasn't able to find the right words. He wasn't even sure if it could change anything, so just focused on the problem. "I had to pull a few all-nighters at work, and I used this potion a few times too many," he waved at the flask on his desk without even looking at Andromeda. "Do you think you can fix this, so I could go back to work today?"

[lucxmalf]

ritxskeeter​:

Rita smiled sweetly at him. “The Malfoy charm.” She nodded, laughing once under her breath. “It is rather famous.” It was true - while she was sure that more happened behind closed doors within the Malfoy family than most people could even imagine, the whole family was polished and charming, always the picture of grace. “Hm? Oh, thank you.” She blushed slightly, although the wide grin that overtook her features was a dead giveaway to just how proud of herself she was. Her name, splashed across the front page - one of the biggest stories to have broken all year. 

She opened her mouth to speak, but almost immediately forgot what she had been about to say as he spoke about his mother. “Really?” She asked, touched at his words. She knew, realistically, that people of course read what she had written, but it was still hard to grasp sometimes that there were a lot of people that read it - and important people, at that. It made her feel warm inside. “I’m glad she would have been pleased.”

Sitting up straighter after the praise, she had a renewed vigor as they went on, her confidence boosted even though it was already inordinately high. Rita waved away his concerns, digging in her bag for her Quick Quotes quill as he spoke. “Please, I’m used to it by now.” She tapped it once with her wand to set it floating over her notebook and making sure it only transcribed exactly what was spoken before she crossed her legs and turned to face him fully. “Beauxbatons…. was her family from France?” She asked, leaning over to make sure the quill wasn’t embellishing. “I love that - you know, everyone thought I would be in Ravenclaw. It seems your mother and I might have had more in common than I would have thought.” She smiled softly, putting a few of the papers toward the bottom of her stack as she finished with them. “Your father was a Slytherin too, then? How did they meet?”

"I guess it's not famous enough since my father considers it necessary to set me on blind dates," he winked, pretending to look a little ashamed. Obviously, Lucius didn't need a matchmaker, but the constant pressure to get married he faced made him more hesitant to settle than usual. Not minding other reasons against rushing with those matters, but it wasn't the time and place to think about it.

"Of course," he confirmed, glad that the atmosphere of the room shifted to comfortable for both of them again. He didn't mean to made Rita feel tense in the first place- she was doing his family a favor after all. "She got the book from me, by the way." Since he remembered, his mother sought things that could force her to explore her knowledge and views on many things. Having bold and unpopular opinions wasn't something unusual in the place she grew up. Lucius wasn't as eager to question everything but certainly inherited her ability to think outside the box.

He shot a glance at the scribing quill, not really paying attention to the words that appeared on paper, then he focused again on Rita. "Yes, she was born and raised in Paris," he paused, listening carefully to what she added. "Well, I'm sure both of you would look great in blue," he teased playfully. "I guess, even my mother's portrait agrees with that statement." Lucius pointed at the frames. His father decided to leave all Isabella portraits hanging in the mansion to give her access to favorite places. It was easy to forget it's just a painting when she observed them from the canvas with chin resting on her hands. Lucius felt a lump forming in his throat, so he forced himself to turn around from the painting and focus on answering another question. "That's correct, my father was Slytherin, as the majority of our male ancestors. He met my mother when he worked as an assistant at the embassy in Paris after graduation. Diplomacy is a common path of career in our family," he explained. "He worked with my mother's brother, who introduced them. As far as I know, they started seeing each other shortly after, but they got married two or three years later because my mother didn't want to move to England at first."

[lucxmalf]

sevrustobias​:

Severus smirked. "Oh trust me, I remember.” If it wasn’t quite so early in the day, he might have even treated himself to a cup of spiked tea, but he did have other things on his agenda when he left the manor, and he didn’t like going about his business with anything other than a perfectly clear head. 

It was a poor choice of words for the current company, he had to admit. Lucius was one of the only people who didn’t see his insecurities as much as the others - they had grown close enough that Severus didn’t tend to feel self conscious around him. It was one of the reasons he’d grown so fond of their friendship, but still. Even now he couldn’t help a self depreciating joke from slipping through his lips. “And you think you’ll have the good fortune to die first, do you?” He asked with a laugh, ignoring his other line of questioning. 

More grateful than he could ever put into words (not that he would even try) for Lucius’ patience with him when it came to this sort of thing - he had taken his time arranging his breakfast, although he should have realized it would prove unnecessary. He breathed a sigh of relief, chuckling lightly at his friends easy acceptance of the news. He should have known - really, he had known that it would be fine, but it still had done little for his nerves. “Daisy.” Relaxing into his chair, he picked off a piece of his croissant, but he paused, furrowing his brows thoughtfully before it ever made it to his mouth. “You may remember her - she was actually closer to your year in school than mine.”

"Live fast, die young, and so on, baby," Lucius grinned and stretched himself to get more comfortable on the sofa. "Or, what's more, accurate if we talk about me now, live glued to your office desk. It's hard to call this work even decently entertaining. I may die of boredom rather sooner than later." he grumbled. Previously, as a diplomat, the majority of his job was communication with various people. Currently, he dealt mostly with bureaucracy on interdepartmental memos. Sometimes he had visitors, but those meetings were meaningless for his personal development. The last thought reminded him of the meeting he had at the beginning of this week. "But you won't guess who visited my office on Tuesday," Lucius teased him. He wasn't much of a gossiper, but this one definitely could cheer his friend up.

He got the impression that Severus was hesitant to tell him about the new relationship because he wasn't sure of his reaction. It got him worried a bit- was it possible that his long absence weakened their relation? Maybe his lack of presence made Severus question if he really cared about him? It wouldn't be the first person he failed somehow. "The name does ring a bell, but I don't think we got introduced to each other. I hope we'll catch up with it," he admitted, thinking about the places or situations during his school years he could meet Daisy. " So, where did you meet her?"

[lucxmalf]

dxisy-hxxkum​:

Daisy’s eyes hardly strayed from Lucius. It was quite interesting, she wished to stay as far away as possible from the war, from Death Eaters, and yet here she was. Dating a Code One and meeting his friends. She was curious what Lucius thought of their relationship - but Daisy was a Code Two after all. She supposed she could thank her bloodstatus for her Code, lately more than ever she found herself rather thankful she was a Pureblood.

Her smile shifted to a much more genuine one as he described his mother’s garden. If there was something Daisy could talk about forever, it was definitely plants. "I’d love to visit!” She agreed rather quickly, nodding her head, although she had no idea if Severus would be happy she agreed to visit his home. As much as she loved her own gardens and greenhouse, she loved to explore others. See what types of plants and flowers other people enjoyed and where they’re placed.

She couldn’t stop her smile from widening as Lucius described how they met. It was a rather sweet story, if she were being honest. It was somewhat comforting to know he still seemed to be the exact same back then as he was now. “That’s kind of adorable,” Daisy giggled, glad that she had gotten the story from Lucius, she knew she would never get the full story out of Severus. “I’m glad he has a friend like you. You seem to be good for him.” Words she never expected to utter to a Code One, but she wouldn’t have said it if she didn’t believe it. After meeting Regulus and now Lucius, she genuinely believed that he was surrounded by mostly good people.

"Then it's settled," he smiled gently. "I'll talk about it with Severus. The garden's not very impressive at this time of year, but the winter menagerie looks good as always." Maybe Lucius didn't share Daisy's radiating enthusiasm, but he recognized a familiar spirit and approach to life, similar to his mothers. Isabella never missed an opportunity to get excited about everything as well, no matter how ordinary it seemed. Strange, in how many things he could found her every day even now when she's gone. 

He felt a short sharp pain in the chest- it happened every time he was thinking about his mother for too long, but his face remained still. "Please, tell me more about your job. What kind of plants you're exploring?" he asked, making sure the tone of his voice remained neutral.

Lucius knew Severus preferred to keep things about him private, but this little story was innocent. "Well, he was a kid. I didn't want to crush his spirit and will to learn from the start. There's nothing better than experiments to explore the magic," he shrugged lightly. 

Lucius was surprised by what she said, as no one ever used the word 'good' referring to him. Describing him, people usually picked opposite terms, like 'cold', 'cynical' or 'privileged', and most of it was true. That's how he made himself- the best version of Lucius Malfoy, the only heir to his name, ready to do what's necessary without asking questions. But good? No. It was hard for him to accept that he could be good for someone. But yes, he cared deeply about Severus, as he was the only one he trusted. "I value our friendship very much," he said. "I know you're neutral, so how you feel about Severus alignment? No one bothered you because of that?"

[dragonfurs]

*crushes my emotions with my bare hands* as I was saying,

[lucxmalf]

@andrmdablck​

It's been three months since Lucius came back to England, and honestly, he didn't expect it'll be so hard to get used to this place again. During the stay in the embassy in Paris, he was in a constant rush, always surrounded by people. Switching this for desk work felt like a demotion, even though the position he got was a lucrative one.  

So when he finally got an assignment that required his active involvement, Lucius once again lost himself in work, hoping it'll give him at least a glimpse of his past years.

It didn't last long until he fell into his old workaholic habits. It was almost like the old times, except maybe the environment part- France had its spark and elegance. England was cold and well, didn't feel like home to him anymore. Lucius kept himself busy to not think about it too much, but it didn't bring him as much joy as it was before. His previous position let him develop himself and filled his constant urge to move forward, to learn new things. Since he came back, everything seemed so ordinary for him.

All those restless nights Lucius recently spend in his office accompanied only by his mothers' portrait slowly affected his productivity, so he asked Severus to prepare him a vitamin potion to boost his focus a bit. His friend warned that he shouldn't rely on it for a longer period of time, but Lucius was too blinded to realize that he's gone way too far.

This morning, when he woke up from the short nap on the office couch, Lucius realized that he's not able to get up. His head ached, and he felt dizzy when trying to lift himself on the elbow. Not wanting anyone to find out, he made a quick call at St. Mungo to send the healer to the manor to discreetly fix the problem so he could go back to work.

But Lucius certainly didn't expect it to be her.

"Oh," he muttered, still surprised. "It's you."

[lucxmalf]

pottersuptonogood​:

Legacy. James tightened his jaw as Lucius lectured him. What did he know about legacies? James had always been well aware that his legacy was far from his father’s. He had never been interested in potions and the thought of spending his days inside an office scared him to death. His father’s legacy was much more than hair potion, it was the discoveries he made, the free patents he gave away for medicine, the talks he gave for free to inspire young potioneers… James had always known his future was anywhere but there. Growing up, his one ambition had been to play quidditch, to fly high and shine bright. You stole my legacy, he wanted to tell Lucius. You and the death eaters. How many futures had they dimmed? How many lost lives, lost dreams? That was their legacy, nothing but death and terror. 

“Coming back is no problem if I can abuse your generosity. I just want to make sure everything is sorted out,” he said politely. “So if you could give me a list of all the documents you would like to see tomorrow, I’ll be on my way and get those for you. A list of the countries that should be taken out of the transaction list would be helpful as well, I will get in touch with my lawyers to figure that out.” 

Despite his impulses, James managed to not react to the way Lucius called him kid or his condescending words. Instead he just followed him around the room with his gaze, calmly. “Would that be alright?”

The last thing Lucius wanted to do is to waste more time on Potter, and even seeing the kid sweating in his office like he was holding on for dear life wasn't enough to make it up to him. Severus was right- James was by far the most annoying person he ever met, and they only spend together maybe half an hour. Unfortunately, since Lucius was the one who negotiated and prepared the new international trading decree, it was his responsibility to inspect its enforcement.

He swiped hand casually above his calendar to open it and glanced at the weekly schedule. "Tomorrow, I'll be at the office only in the morning," he informed. "If you make it to the Ministry before 9 am., I'll check the papers and initiate the procedure. I'm afraid it's the only meeting date I've left this week, and I won't be available for visitors until the next one." 

Lucius sat at his desk again and took his peacock quill. "Those are documents I need you to add to your motion," he filled the blank page with his neat handwriting and put the Ministry stamp under it. Next, he wrote a short note on an interdepartmental memo paper. "You'll give it to my assistant. She'll prepare a document excerpt from the decree." Lucius instructed him and hand the papers. "Is everything clear to you?"