Lucius Malfoy

[softboi-malfoy]

levibulstrode​:

Levi knew Marcus and Millie were around somewhere, and he hoped they were having a good time. He’d wanted to check out the little petting zoo. While he did want to find his family again at some point, he loved the excitement of the fair enough to just get lost in wandering. 

He snapped to attention at the mention of his name, offering Lucius Malfoy a tight smile. He suspected this wouldn’t be a great conversation. “Lucius,” he said, not bothering with surnames. “I am actually. This was a wonderful way for people to have something a little different for a while. How are you?” Even if Levi was uncertain about Lucius himself, his eyes lit up as he remembered seeing their birth announcement. “How are Narcissa and the baby? You two must be so pleased.” Levi thought back to Millie’s itty bitty days. She’d been a couple months old before they got her, so they’d still loved every moment of those early days. Levi knew they both still loved every moment.

Lucius’ bland smile stiffened at Bulstrode’s familiarity, at how entirely unearned and unwelcome it was. It took a concerted effort not to let his lips curl, to snap a correction at the man. But this was entirely too much of a public space for that, for some uppity do-gooders to see Lucius’ behavior and complain about “unearned” superiority. Or whatever it was they were always mad about. Whatever. 

Lucius wanted to be short; an I’m fine would suffice. But before he could summon the simple words Bulstrode had asked about his family, and he was at once melting at the thought of them and stiff at the idea of discussing them with Bulstrode. 

“We are,” he said. He paused then, gaze glancing beyond Bulstrode to make sure that both Narcissa and Draco were still within his line of sight. They were, and he relaxed again, anxiety uncoiling in his chest. “Such things are never easy, but Narcissa was sublime. Draco is everything we could have hoped for, and more.” An awkward pause. “If my memory serves, you have a daughter, yes?” There, he was making polite conversation. Go Lucius. No-one could fault the generosity of his manners. 

[softboi-malfoy]

Lucius hovered nervously as close to Narcissa and Draco as he dared without appearing to be hovering. They were here as a family of course, but all too often he felt like he was just there, looming, even if they were his own wife and child. He’d taken the time to find and speak to a few Ministry officials though, and other contacts, while Narcissa and Draco simply enjoyed the day. He’d been headed back to them- could see them now, picture-perfect beneath the bright summer sun- when he caught sight of a familiar face and his step paused. 

“Bulstrode,” he greeted coolly. Though he held a general antipathy for Levi Bulstrode, they had been ministry co-workers, and now Lucius was on the Hogwarts Board of Governors, so he had a vested interest in how Hogwarts ran its staff. “Enjoying the afternoon?”

@levibulstrode

[softboi-malfoy]

Afternoon light filtered past the nursery curtains, but the room was quiet. Lucius practically held his breath as he looked down at the infant resting in an ornate wooden crib. There was a silver and blue dragon painted all across the wall behind it, eyes glowing with enchantment, and stars danced across the ceiling. It was altogether another world, but it was fitting for the only son and heir of the Malfoy family. 

“He’s so small,” Lucius murmured, not even glancing at his wife because it meant he’d look away from Draco. It had been almost a month now, but Lucius still sometimes couldn’t believe that they were parents. More than ever before, the skull and snake tattoo on Lucius’ forearm filled him with dread, because he had more to lose now that he ever had before. 

@narcissa-istic

[softboi-malfoy]

hildaxdf​:

As Lucius guided Hilda into the sitting room, Hilda felt as though gravity grew lighter. It hadn’t of course; there were many magical things about Malfoy Manor, but that wasn’t one of them. The airiness that Hilda felt came from the grandeur and luxury of the space. Even if her life was possibly the most complicated it had ever been, the aesthetic took her back to a simpler time.

“Of course.” Hilda understood the demand of one’s work, but she was surprised to hear about it here, in Malfoy Manor.

“Moving the crib would be lovely, thank you. With him still being so small, I like being able to be there right away when he cries. And thank you for setting everything up.” Hilda couldn’t truly express the amount of gratitude she had without breaking the bounds of etiquette, but she hoped her cousin discerned her sincerity.

Hilda took a seat, crossing her ankles and placing Seamus on her lap. What she was most nervous about before they arrived was that his temperament. With the new environment and the new people, Hilda had mentally prepared herself for the possibility that he could throw a fit at any moment. While it could still happen, so far Seamus had been the perfect quiet baby.

Lucius waved away her thanks, at once bashful about the praise- a rarity, in his life- and genuinely believing it wasn’t necessary. Hilda was family; she deserved nothing less than his complete attention and thorough devotion to making sure she was properly accommodated while she stayed with them. If Lucius had exerted any less effort on her, it would have been a disgrace to social moors. 

“I’ll have it done by evening,” Lucius said of moving the crib. “Nonsense, Hilda. If there’s anything else you might need, just tell the house elves and they’ll arrange it for you, no matter the time. My home is yours.”

Lucius sat stiffly in his own chairs, and it was only a beat before full tea service appeared at the low table between them. 

“You should know that we’ve placed child-proofing spells on certain areas of the house, just in case. So that Seamus can’t wander out of doors, or into the greenhouse- Narcissa has a snake, and I’d rather not take any chances. We do also have several other familiars; you don’t mind cats, do you?”

Lucius was mostly worried about Seamus, honestly; he didn’t like the idea of his cats winding up in a chubby toddler’s fists, nor the idea of Seamus showing up bleeding because he’d been given a warning scratch. The cats were all fairly even-tempered, and surely capable of running away from a baby, but Lucius had always been prone to anxiety. Oh Merlin, what if the cats didn’t like Draco, when he arrived? Lucius would have to talk to Narcissa.

[vanja-novak]

One of the general inconveniences that came consistently with trying on and purchasing new clothing by yourself was the fact that there was never someone there to help zip you up. Normally Vanja was capable of doing it themselves, but considering the low cut of the back on this dress, it was at a rather unfortunate angle to where it would be uncomfortable to attempt. Manageable, but still. As Vanja looked up, however, there was another individual only a few feet away which they were sure they could coerce into helping them out. “You there, could you be a dear and zip me?” 

@softboi-malfoy​

[softboi-malfoy]

Lucius was picking up new robes from the tailor’s, and also planning on commissioning a few more in preparation for the celebration of his son’s birth. It was supposed to be a quick trip, but he’d had to wait for service, and now he was being asked for help. He was about to snap that there should be shop hands for that, when he turned actually found himself facing a half-dressed figure who was glancing over their shoulder at him with large eyes and a coaxing voice.

“I’m not- do I-” he was stammering in public, faster than usual, this was a nightmare, but he glanced around and realized that the shop help was actually probably busy digging up his orders. Too busy to help this stranger. “You look like you can manage.”

[softboi-malfoy]

hildaxdf​:

As she walked up the steps of Malfoy Manor, Hilda felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Though she had fled from Ireland on New Year’s Eve, she couldn’t simply show up on Lucius’s doorstep. That would be rude. Instead, Hilda covertly booked a room at a hotel in London and sent and owl to her cousin asking if she and Seamus could stay with him. Hilda included in the letter that she now had a son and that she was no longer with his father, which is why they needed a place to stay. She wasn’t sure what amendment her parents would make to the lie they created when she ran off with Patrick, but she was sure they would hear about her move to Malfoy Manor soon enough and update the rest of the wizarding world that she was back.

“Cousin,” she mimicked, happily accepting the hug he offered. As she pulled back, she tugged gently on Seamus’s onesie, straightening out the few wrinkles that were there. “Yes, this is.” Hilda couldn’t help but smile with pride at her son. Though Lucius wouldn’t have been her first choice, she never thought the day would come when she would get to introduce her son to her family.

As they spoke, a house-elf emerged from behind Lucius and took her luggage inside. Oh, it was nice to be back.

Lucius had no idea how to act around people in general, and even though children were really just smaller people, there was something extra-terrifying about staring at Seamus and having Seamus stare back. “He’s... lovely,” Lucius said awkwardly, not entirely sure how to compliment one on their child.

As the house elves moved in, Lucius waved Hilda farther into the house. “We’re in this sitting room; I’ve had tea made. I wasn’t sure how you wanted your rooms arranged so we’ve made the room across from yours into a nursery, but we can move the crib if you’d like Seamus to be in your room. You’ll have to forgive Narcissa’s absence; she’s eager to meet you, but she had work.”

It wasn’t precisely seemly for a Malfoy to have a job in the sense that Narcissa had one, but Lucius was helpless to resist his wife anything, so if he thought about it more like a “passion” than a “job” it soothed the parts of his mind that were constantly overwhelmed with propriety. 

[softboi-malfoy]

@narcissa-istic

[softboi-malfoy]

Flashback

January 1981, Malfoy Manor

Lucius hadn’t seen his cousin since he was very small, so he wouldn’t call them friends by any stretch, but his memories of her were all of the kind of innocent childhood fun he’d hardly had anywhere else, so when she reached out to him after years of distance he didn’t immediately shy away. She was family, after all, and family was the backbone of proper civilization. 

He just hadn’t quite expected- this. Hilda grown was quite an image all on her own, but the toddler on her hip was even more startling. Lucius knew she had a son, of course, and that the father wasn’t in the picture- it wasn’t polite to discuss it, of course- but that hadn’t quite prepared him for the reality of having them stay with him. He was staring at his future with Narcissa in just a few months, after all. 

“Cousin,” he greeted, striding over with a small smile before daring a hug, the kind of thing he never would have dared before Narcissa began to smooth away some of his more awkward edges. “And this must be Seamus?”

@hildaxdf

[softboi-malfoy]

That Couple

[softboi-malfoy]

narcissa-istic‌:

Cissa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, making a mental note to check the state of her braid in the next reflective surface she came across. The point of today’s outing was for people to see how wonderful they were doing after all, and that was going to work out if she didn’t look the part. 

“I know I’ve changed my mind on this twice so far,” she started, which was really an understatement. “But are we sure about the colour of the drapes? I really do love the green– I mean, I spent most of the last decade of my life surrounded by it– but is it too much green in the room? What if we went with silver, so it’d go with the blue and the dragon?”

Lucius’ smile was fond when Narcissa spoke. She’d changed her mind much more than twice, but he didn’t begrudge it of her at all. Their son was going to be a prince among wizardkind, so everything had to be perfect, no matter how many tries or changed minds it took. Lucius wasn’t exactly an expert when it came to interior decorating, though, so he mostly just allowed Narcissa to do what she wanted and only gave his input when explicitly asked. 

He hummed thoughtfully, then leaned forward and absently lay his hand over hers on the table, taking comfort in the small touch. “Most of the manor is already oriented around green, so it might be nice if he grows up surrounded by something different?” Lucius suggested. “Silver and blue for his room, and green for everything else once he gets to Hogwarts? There’s no need to rush the inevitable after all; there will be plenty of time for green once he’s in Slytherin. I’ve had a thought about the dragon, too, but I wasn’t sure if it would be too scary. We could have the painting enchanted, not only so it moves, but so that it acts as a ward of sorts on the room, alerting us if anything happens. Not that I expect it to, of course, but we can hardly be too careful, can we?”

[softboi-malfoy]

valentinanottt‌:

Snorting at his comment, Valentina rolled her eyes and felt certain that there would indeed be several fools up on stand before the trial was finished. “No one is a saint. Any virtue can become a sin if featured in abundance.”

Truthfully, Valentina wasn’t the biggest fan that Church had, even if he was her boss and work dad’s husband, but she knew that in this particular case, the man wasn’t guilty of the crime he was charged with and the Ministry just wanted to make an example out of him. Which coincidentally, was something that Valentina had experience with thanks to her own stint in Azkaban.

“They want me to testify for him, actually. Talk about his reputation at Hogwarts and possibly about what horrors await for him inside Azkaban. The defense thinks my false imprisonment will help soften the Wizengamot.”

“Precisely,” Lucius agreed shortly, although he hadn’t precisely meant something quite as profound as that. He knew Church wasn’t guilty, of course, but he personally thought the man was a naive fool and he deserved this if only because he just made it so easy. 

When Valentina mentioned that she’d be for him, Lucius frowned deeply. “What happened to you was an affront, of course, but Church can hardly be released on sympathy alone. As for reputation- well, I’m sure the prosecution can spin something about him secretly being a deviously good actor, or even abetting unwillingly if it’s really so difficult to believe he’d do this personally.” 

Lucius’ brow furrowed with thought. “This will hardly reflect well on you, since of course we’ll have to try to invalidate as much of what you say as possible.”

[softboi-malfoy]

Questions

[softboi-malfoy]

marcus-bulstrode‌:

Marcus gave the other a polite smile at the words of praise. “Thank you. I do enjoy my work, especially when it helps people.” 

He ignored the underhand comment about the DMLE. He wasn’t ever one to fall over law enforcement, but he did know some of the Aurors. He knew the pressure that they were under, and despite everything in his life he wasn’t necessarily held to the same standards. If he didn’t want to take a case, at least publicly he wasn’t held to it. 

Marcus nodded slightly. He would have liked more to ask Narcissa about the jewels, but she wouldn’t have grown up with the knowledge he knew. He was a bigger wealth of information and would be better dynamic alone. 

“Jewels,” Marcus repeated pulling out a notebook and quill. “I hope you don’t mind me writing things down. My notebooks are not subjected to DMLE knowledge and are only for jogging my own memory. If you would like at the end of the investigation I can destroy any of these documents.” He gave a small smile and continued. 

“What sort of curses do they have, if you know. I was researching into some of them, but frankly the museum staff weren’t very knowledgeable in the specifics. Frankly, some of them seemed downright frightened by them. From what I’ve gathered they hadn’t been doing much research in them. I only really ask because I need to know if they were taken by someone who was ignorant in the curse or are planning to use the objects as cursed objects. Knowing what they do can help make that determination. I am worried about them getting into the wrong hands in anycase, but tracking a thief is a lot simpler than a terrorist.” 

He gave a slight sigh and said softly, not believing a word of it said, “ Between you and me - with that Order organization being in the news so often, I - well I think we’d all feel safer knowing that they don’t have something so potentially destructive you know? Even if it was just a theft. ”

It was easy for Marcus to play with sympathies, and knowing that the man in front of him was not an Order member and at least had sympathies with the Death eaters it was a play to do. 

When Marcus took out the notebook Lucius waved his hand slightly. “Not at all. When the items were donated it was hardly under a promise of secrecy. Besides, if more people understood that often the legacy of the Sacred 28 is as dangerous as it is alluring, they wouldn’t dare to trespass in such a way. 

Lucius didn’t know everything perfectly, but his parents- despite their own general disinterest in him as a person- had ensured that he was at least schooled in the way befitting a Malfoy heir. He could recite family genealogy back to the beginning of their line, knew all of his closest relatives, and could probably still list- if not perfectly describe- nearly every heirloom that had passed through family hands. 

“There was a diamond necklace with a sleeping curse on it, a pair of sapphire earrings, though I’m afraid I don’t quite remember what they do. There was also a collection of rings whose curses correspond to the type of stone they’ve been set with; some are dangerous, and some are useful to the wearer. The danger lies in not knowing which ring is which.”

Lucius nodded at Marcus’ description of the Order, bought in completely. It was at that moment that one of the cats, Persephone, came into the room and chose to jump into his lap. He pet her absently as he responded. “You’re absolutely correct, Mr. Bulstrode. If only the Ministry were as sensible as you. Perhaps when more bodies start turning up, they’ll take this rogue group seriously. Ah, tea has arrived.”

[softboi-malfoy]

rowanmontague‌:

Rowan was completely unbothered by the man’s scowl, not considering what politicians thought to be particularly relevant to his job. Of course they could get him fired if they really tried, but they weren’t going to like him no matter what he did. Even if he was as polite as he could be, he was always going to be the one telling them no even if they were unused to hearing it.

“Start with that next time,” he said. An actual suggestion, not out of annoyance. “Helps to know how it works– if a stasis charm made it worse, it’s probably trapped and not accidental. Different ways to contain it.” Fairly obvious, yeah, but one never knew when it came to bureaucrats.

He pulled a piece of chalk out of the backpack he’d brought with him, bending down to draw a line in front of the floor on the door. “I’m going to build a wall right here out of charms so that I can open the door without letting it out. Don’t let anyone cross this line until I’m done.”

The rational part of Lucius knew that of course he should have started with that; he was just surprised by the figure in front of him, and he’d been difficult a little bit on purpose because of it. Not that he would acknowledge any of this consciously or out loud. 

“Of course it isn’t accidental,” Lucius said, disbelief coloring his tone. “I’m a sitting member of the ICW and I’m in charge of monitoring all magical schools on an international level. Things like this don’t happen in my office by accident.”

He stepped aside slightly as Rowan started to work, a little interested in spite of himself at the more physical and runic elements of the boy’s job. In another life, Lucius probably would have made a fairly good Unspeakable, and enjoyed work that didn’t require constant charm or interfacing with others. Alas, that was not this life. 

“Just do whatever you have to to save my office,” Lucius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Hestia had begun to squirm in his arms so he lifted her and allowed her to perch on his shoulder, her claws digging into the thick material of his work robes in order to stabilize herself as she pressed herself against the side of his head, watching Rowan curiously, tail twitching. “I don’t suppose you might be able to find out who did it?”

[softboi-malfoy]

& Cissa

It wasn’t often they were dressed down around each other, even at their most comfortable at home, but Lucius had dared to have his shirtsleeves rolled up to his forearms while he worked hunched over his desk. When a small hand curled over his wrist he nearly jumped out of his skin, although he knew it was only Narcissa, and he had to take a steady breath not flinch fully backward in the chair. 

“I’ve never noticed these before,” she murmured. She was in one of her richer velvet housegowns, hair loose, looking gorgeous but what passed, for her, as “casual”. Although she hadn’t asked anything, Lucius assumed the question, preemptive as always when it came to his wife. 

“They’re hardly important,” he brushed it off a bit, though he didn’t dare remove his wrist from her hand. To a stranger he would have given a lie, but that was impossible- and unwanted besides- with Narcissa. “Just souvenirs from my parents. You know how it is.”

[softboi-malfoy]

& Daisy

Lucius flinched slightly at the touch, even though when he looked at Daisy it was obvious she hadn’t meant anything by it. Of course she didn’t; she was probably Lucius’ most harmless acquaintance among the pureblood strata. He swallowed, and looked away from her open curiosity. 

“An old quidditch wound, nothing to fuss about.” He straightened his sleeve slightly, so the marks were covered. The cane marks, that his parents had never bothered to see properly healed. Why waste the magic and attention on a disappointment? 

[softboi-malfoy]

Lucius and Narcissa - moulin rouge AU

Lucius stared in awe at the pale figure floating above the crowd, her skin luminous in the lights, the dress shimmering like it was made of diamond dust, long blonde hair curling down her back while dark eyes surveyed those assembled and their obvious longing. 

The Sparkling Diamon, Narcissa Malfoy. 

His heart gave an uncomfortable lurch in his chest; she was his for the night, and he honestly wasn’t sure he was prepared.

@narcissa-istic

[softboi-malfoy]

The baby isn't yours

“Even if I were insecure enough to even begin to believe that, it couldn’t be anyone else’s, because-” because Narcissa’s never been with anyone else, I’d know “Wait, I don’t need to justify this to you. My marriage is perfectly happy, and neither my wife nor I have ever even dreamt of being unfaithful.”

honorable mention @narcissa-istic

[softboi-malfoy]

That Couple

Many of the other pureblood heirs Lucius’ age were already married with children, and he couldn’t deny that even though the constant pressure of his parents hanging over him was gone, Lucius still felt out of place about being so... behind. Except he wasn’t anymore. Narcissa was heavily pregnant and neither of them had even had to really work that heard to get there. The last few months had been stressful indeed but doting on his pregnant wife was one of Lucius’ favorite pasttimes now. 

That, and showing off. Which he was doing right now, sitting beneath the summer sun at an outdoor cafe with Narcissa across from him, having taken the day do last-minute baby shopping and also rub it into people’s faces that Lucius Malfoy was no longer to be laughed at. 

@narcissa-istic​