Our Little One

Draconn Malfoy

Story Summary:
Remus and Lucius have adopted a 15-year-old girl, Olivia, who can't do magic. Not everyone likes the fact that the Malfoys are having a happy family - and somebody decides to change it. However, the extended Malfoy clan isn't about to give up easily, and Severus' hidden talent becomes very useful...

Chapter 09 - Crystal Angels

Chapter Summary:
Remus is mad and fights with Lucius. Loudly.
Posted:
02/19/2004
Hits:
1,479
Author's Note:
I'm sorry for submitting this so late! But, you see, my brother and father decided that the comp didn't run smoothly. So they deleted everything.

.~*~.Our little one.~*~.

Chapter Nine

Crystal Angels

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This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

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Draco stared at Harry for a while. Then, just as the bespectacled man started to feel nervous, he broke into a broad smile.

"Yes, Harry," Draco whispered, tiny glower of tears of joy appearing in his eyes. "Yes, I will marry you."

"Good," Harry said, and smiled. Then he slipped a ring into Draco's left ring finger. The Slytherin brought the hand nearer to examine the jewel.

It was beautiful. It was a silver Chinese dragon, biting its own tail. Its eye was made of a tiny emerald, exactly the same color as Harry's eyes. All in all, it was stunning.

Draco grasped Harry's hands and pulled him up. "Thank you," he whispered to his boyfriend. "I really, really love you, Harry."

"And I love you," Harry said, and smiled.

Then he wrapped his arms around his just engaged husband-to-be, leaned forward, and sealed their new bond with a fierce kiss.

***

"Why are you mad at me, love?" Lucius asked, highly confused. He couldn't recall doing anything that might upset his usually so calm husband this way.

"So you don't even know?" Remus snapped, his fingers tapping at the arm of the chair even more furiously than before. "I'm impressed, Lucius. Only you can come up with something like this and then tell that you don't even know what I'm going on about!"

"Well, I don't," he said, keeping down a heavy sigh. "So, humor me and tell me what I've done to upset you."

Remus snorted sharply. "I overheard a conversation of Severus and Olivia's," he said with a bitter tone. "Is it true that you're encouraging her to brew potions that explode?"

Lucius paled. ‘Oh, shit,' he thought. ‘This can’t be good.' "Yes," he said aloud, trying hard to keep his voice blank and free of all emotions. "It is indeed true."

"Don't you even CARE?!" Remus cried out, his comment starting as a normal speech but ending up in a scream. "Don't you care about what happens to your DAUGHTER?" He flung up from his chair, taking a short step towards Lucius.

"Remus, calm down," Lucius sighed. "You know that any magic can backfire if not used properly. And you know that Olivia is excellent in potions."

"Yes, I am well aware of that. But according to what I was able to catch of their conversation, they explode when she does them right. Olivia said she knows she's found a new thing as she blows up something!"

Lucius bit back a curse. This indeed wasn't going to be pretty. Despite all his mild behavior, Remus was Hell in one man when he got really furious. And this was definitely one of the times.

"You don't even bother to answer!" Remus shouted at him. "Lucius Malfoy, if you don't right now say anything, I'll take that as a sign that you no longer care about anything that happens to me or Olivia!"

"I'd never say that!" he exclaimed in response. "You mean the world to me, Remus. All of you - you and Draco and Olivia and Harry and Severus and Sirius. I don't have many people left. I'd never hurt any of you in any way, nor would I want you to be hurt!"

"Well, you have a damn odd way showing it," Remus said accusingly. "You seem to be doing all but straightforward killing her!"

"She wasn't in danger of death!" Lucius tried to defend himself. "She never was! I put all the required Shielding Charms on her! She never did anything that Severus, I, or both of us haven't done already!"

"Right! And look at what it's led you to! Pray tell me, Lucius, exactly how much did the Shielding Charms help you the last time?"

Lucius flinched. Remus' words hurt him, and a lot. "I'm alive!" he shouted, despite his inner urge to stop the fight and use all his force for keeping the tears off his face. "Isn't that enough of an evidence of their capability to keep one safe?"

"Yes, you are alive! And at what cost, pray tell? What did it cost you to get yourself away with it?"

"Well, even if I had died, it at least wouldn't have happened on my own attempt! Why should I be worried about you? You'll end up dead by your own hand some day despite all my attempts to keep you safe and healthy!"

"Safe and healthy indeed! I can recall you doing it very well to, too many people to count! Exactly how many you have murdered?" Remus roared.

"That doesn't matter right now!" he yelled back. "What I've done in the past isn't the point. What I'm not doing right now should matter a hell of a lot more!"

"Well, it doesn't seem so!" Remus screamed. "Because you're doing exactly the same thing now! I really can't see the difference in pushing someone into acid and telling them to jump there!"

"Then we're lucky that I can! And we're also damn lucky that I can tell the difference between doing either of those and not doing them! Olivia has been perfectly safe all the time!"

"So all the times you've almost got yourself killed you have been perfectly safe, right? You were only faking all those injuries?"

"It has been three years already! It has nothing to do with this! Besides, those have always been potions that only Potions Masters are licensed to brew! There's not a chance that she'd even get their recipes. Leave alone be stupid enough to try them!"

"So they're the only potions that could harm anyone?" his husband asked sharply.

"I didn't say that. I only said that she isn't doing anything even relatively dangerous!"

"Yeah, and I said that dragons are almost harmless!" Remus mocked. "If you didn't want a child, you could have just told me! You don't have to try and kill her off!"

Lucius couldn't come with a reply for that. He just stared at his husband, his jaw hanging open.

"Maybe it’s for good that neither of us can carry babies even with the special potions," the werewolf said bitingly. "I'd be surprised if they survived a single month under your care!"

"Remus!" Lucius exclaimed, now getting really angry himself. This was going too far. "I swear, if you go on about that, I will -"

"What? Kill me as well?" Remus snarled, glaring at him.

"For the last time, Remus, I didn't try to kill her!" the Slytherin yelled. "I'd never hurt her on purpose! I just wasn't thinking! I was stupid and careless and a total idiot and nearly got her hurt. Fine. Settled. But I'd never do it ON PURPOSE!"

"And are you suggesting that I MIGHT?" Remus shouted. "Well, I might remind you again, Lucius, I'm not the one who's inclined her to life-threatening situations! I'm not the one who's trying to KILL HER!"

"Well, NOR AM I! So STOP ACCUSING ME OF IT!" Lucius's rage was boiling also. Almost nothing could make him furious - he usually preferred cold, threatening anger - but if something could really piss him off, it was Remus.

"So you think you've done nothing wrong?" Remus asked, suddenly surprisingly calm. "You claim that you're perfectly innocent and have done nothing that I should be angry about?"

Lucius cursed in his mind. If anything, these sudden swirl-arounds and changes of view made it impossible to win Remus in a fight. "No, I'm not saying that," he said, forcing his voice even. "I already admitted that I was careless and stupid to tell her to do it. But I'm not in Merlin's name trying to kill her!"

"But seemingly you wouldn't even care if she died," Remus pointed out bitterly. "If you did care, you wouldn't put her in danger."

"I didn't purposely put her in danger," Lucius snapped. "And talking about killing, I'm not the one who the Ministry wants to lock up every month!" He regretted the words at the same second as they left his mouth, but it was too late to pull them back. He saw the highly hurt expression on Remus' face, but chose to ignore it. He was hurt also, hurt and upset. How could Remus say that to him?

"Well, at least I'm yet to kill someone!" Remus raged, Lucius's words only angering him more. "And even if I did, I wouldn't do it voluntarily! I could name some people who can't say the same!"

"THE HELL I CARE!" Lucius roared. "I'm not going to listen any more of this! I've paid for my mistakes already. I don't have to discuss them with you!"

"Yes, paid dearly indeed! How many Galleons does one murder cost to be wiped off your crime list?" the Gryffindor spat.

"What interest does it have on you? You couldn't even pay it if it was in Sickles!"

"Then it is good that I don't have anything to pay for! I may be a werewolf, but at least I'm not a Death Eater!"

"No, you aren't! But still you cast successful Unforgivables at the age of fifteen!"

"Makes me wonder WHO TAUGHT THEM TO ME?!"

"The one who saved you when you sliced your wrists the last time! Suicidal FREAK!"

"MURDERING MONSTER!"

"MINDLESS BEAST!"

"HEARTLESS BASTARD!"

"LYCANTHROPIC GOOD-FOR-NOTHING!"

"Lycanthropic I MAY BE! But at least I've never KILLED CHILDREN!"

After saying this, hurt and furious Remus left the room, leaving the hurt and furious Lucius behind.

***

"Welcome to the Black Manor," Sirius said, smiling at Olivia, who was just trying to clean the soot from her clothes. "Welcome to our home."

"Welcome to the house where's the largest and best equipped laboratory outside the Alchemist's Guild's Headquarters," Severus added with a dry chuckle. "I suppose you'd be interested in seeing it?"

Olivia's eyes lighted up. "I'd love to," she said, sighing dreamily.

Sirius let out a hopeless sound and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. Severus merely smirked before starting to lead Olivia towards his laboratory.

They reached it pretty quickly. Severus stopped in front of the door, then, dramatically slow, opened it for the excited girl.

Olivia gasped as she saw the inside. The laboratory was full of cauldrons, test tubes, recipes, notes, half-prepared ingredients and ready potions. There weren't any potions being prepared at the moment, because they had only arrived the day before, but it was still quite an impressive sight.

"Unbelievable," Olivia whispered, taking a couple of hesitant steps inside the laboratory. She stared around her, her eyes wide with wondering. As Severus nodded at her encouragingly, she walked further inside and began examining all the equipment there.

Severus took great amusement watching her awe over the laboratory. He had spent years taking it up to perfection. All the equipment was silver, excluding some equipment he used for potions that didn't stand the metal, and everything was also decorated with snakes. And everything was, despite the seemingly disorder, in perfect order for work. If Lucius had taught the girl anything, she should be able to see how well planned the mess actually was. And he had taught more than just anything, Severus had seen that from her own little lab.

"And Olivia?" Severus asked, after watching her wondering for a while.

"Yes?" the girl replied, turning towards him.

"While I take no offense for being called Snape," he said with a little smirk, "the correct form is Black. I took Sirius's name when we were married, since the Snape Manor was anyway going to my sister Lillian and I had no other ties to my family."

Olivia blushed deeply. "I - I am sorry," she stammered. "But I've never heard your family name in other occasions but Harry's and Draco's stories, and in those you're always Snape..." Her voice trailed off, but her blush only deepened.

Severus laughed a little. "As I said, it doesn't really matter," he said in a soothing manner. "Half of the Wizarding World calls me Snape anyway, and the other half and I are not talking."

"I'll never forget that we had to get our marriage certificate fixed because it stated ‘Sirius and Snape Black' in it," Sirius grinned from the doorway. "The poor official nearly bit her tongue in half as she realized what she had done..."

"Or when the Daily Prophet talked about ‘the Blacks, Severus Snape and Sirius,'" Severus added at that with a snort. "Really, it isn't like ‘Snape' was written all over my face, is it?"

Olivia dared to giggle. "I suppose not," she said, and smiled.

Despite Sirius's various attempts to else, they spent a good hour in the laboratory. Severus showed Olivia all his special equipment, rare ingredients, and hardly legal self-varied recipes, and the girl stored everything in her mind, clearly learning something at every moment.

At last, they left the laboratory. Sirius let out and exaggerated sigh of relief, making Severus smirk and Olivia giggle again a bit.

"I'm going to try and contact Lucius," Severus said then. "Can I trust that you won't get her killed while I'm away, Sirius?"

The addressed man rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "I'm not a child anymore, Severus," he said with a mock-desperate tone. "I have grown up after I was twelve, after all."

"Really?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Somehow I seemed to miss that."

"Very funny," the Animagus snorted, and Severus laughed.

"No, I think you can manage," the Slytherin said then. "Show her your pet, for example."

"Honestly, Sev," Sirius groaned. "I'm not a five-year-old who needs to be told how to amuse his little friends!"

"No, you aren't," Severus admitted. "But do you have any better suggestions?"

"Well... If you put it that way... No." He grinned sheepishly, then shrugged and beckoned Olivia. "Come on, little one. I'll introduce you to my Kneazle. She's called Minerva."

"Minerva?" Olivia echoed. "That's a weird name for a pet."

"Well, it's kind of an in-side joke," Sirius said, and chuckled slightly. "My Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts was Minerva McGonagall. She's a cat Animagus."

"Really?" Olivia asked, looking amused. "Does she know about your pet's name?"

"I suppose not," Sirius said, shrugging. He stopped in front of an oak door. "She wanders freely in the East Wing," he explained the girl as he started to open the door. "As a feline creature, she likes to have much space all for herself. Besides," he said then darkly, pushing the door open, "that way it's easier for Remus to avoid her. As magical creatures, Kneazles can sense werewolves, and in general, they hate them."

"Oh," Olivia said quietly. She stepped inside. Sirius followed her, closing the door behind them.

"Minerva!" he called then, after lighting up the candles in the room with a flick of his wrist. "Minerva, come here!"

In an instant a creature resembling a small cat ran from the nearby doorway. It had blue spots all over its pale fur, a tail like a lion's, and over-sized ears. It jumped right away to Sirius's lap and began purring.

Sirius laughed. "Kneazles in general are pretty aggressive," he said, "but when they like someone, they like them well. Do you want to pet her?" He must have noticed the cautiousness in Olivia's expression, since he added, "Don't worry, she won't attack you. She does nothing as long as I am safe."

At last, Olivia dared to reach out a hand to pet the animal. She eyed her curiously, but not aggressively. After a moment the girl dared to scratch behind the large ears, making Minerva again purr in satisfaction.

Sirius grinned. "She seems to like you," he observed. "That's good. Kneazles only like trustworthy people."

"I'm glad that it finds me trustworthy," Olivia smiled. Then she continued petting the long, spotted fur, making the purring increase the whole time.

They played with the animal for quite some time. Sirius took that time to tell his animal that Olivia indeed was really safe, and eventually she'd even sit in her lap. This, of course, made Olivia more than delighted. She smiled broadly and petted the soft animal, Sirius watching them from the side, smiling.

Suddenly, a busy-looking house-elf came inside. "Young Mistress Malfoy," the house-elf said. "Master Severus says that there is a firecall for you, Mistress Malfoy. It's your father, young Mistress Malfoy - Master Malfoy, it is.."

Olivia nodded, stood and, after giving Sirius a bit questioning gaze and receiving a nod in return, followed the creature.

She shortly came to the room of the nearest fireplace. Severus was there already, and, as he saw her coming, he nodded to her, pointed at the fireplace, and left the room.

Olivia walked in front of the fireplace and saw Lucius in the flames. "Hello, Father," she said softly. "What's the matter?"

"Olivia," he said, looking very tired and upset. "From this day on, you aren't allowed to make anything explosive in the laboratory. You'd preferably not brew anything that even might explode, and if you blow up anything, you'll receive a month's prohibition against all breweries in the lab."

Olivia just stared at him, stunned. "But... How... Why..." she managed, then shook her head like in an attempt to clear it. "But this doesn't make any sense," she said. "At first you insist it, then you forbid it!"

"I'm not the one forbidding," Lucius said and frowned slightly. "Remus is."

"Whatever for?" Olivia wondered. "I haven't hurt myself a single time. Not with the shielding charms you've put on my robes."

"Ask him," the blonde wizard snapped sharply. " He and I are not talking." Then he noticed Olivia's upset expression and said with a bit softer tone, "I'm sorry, Olivia. I didn't mean to snap at you, and I shouldn't have done it. You aren't the one I'm mad at."

"You two are fighting over me, aren't you?" Olivia asked with a tiny voice. "Because you're letting me do something he doesn't want me to do." Tiny tears of fear more than sorrow formed up in her eyes. "And now you're not talking, and it's all because of me!"

"No, no, sweetheart," Lucius sighed. "It's anything but your fault. It was my fault, for not thinking about how he might feel about it." He even managed a little smile. "Don't worry, little one. None of us are mad at you, believe me. You did only what you were told to do."

"You're upset," Olivia observed. "You never use petnames if you aren't very badly affected by something."

"I don't?" Lucius looked a bit surprised. "Oh, my. I haven't even noticed." Then he again looked serious. "Well, then... Do you want to stay over there for a couple of days? Severus has already agreed, so it's entirely up to you."

"I - I'll stay," Olivia replied after a bit of hesitating. "If that's okay with you?"

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't." Lucius smiled, then waved very un-Lucius-ly. "Goodbye, little one," he said, then vanished from the fire.

Olivia sat there for quite long time, staring at the flames.

After a while, Severus and Sirius came to the room. At first they waited for her to say something, but as she remained quiet, they began to feel the urge to break the pressuring silence.

"Well..." Sirius said. "What did he say? And will you stay here?"

"Yes, I will," she answered quietly the second question. "And he told that I'm not allowed to do anything explosive in my lab anymore. Remus has decided that it's too dangerous for me."

Severus breathed in sharply. So Remus had heard their conversation.

Sirius, however, stayed calm for once. "That's not a surprise," he said with almost as quiet voice as Olivia. "Remus doesn't like explosions."

Olivia snorted. "What's disturbing him so much about them?" she asked, sounding almost irritated but not quite - must be all the experience in hiding all negative feelings, Severus thought sadly. "I'm yet to hurt myself, and there's no need to be worried. Why he wouldn't let me do those potions?"

The two men glanced at each other seriously. "It's a quite long story," Sirius said then slowly.

"Three years ago, there was an international Potions Masters' meeting," Severus told with a quiet, thoughtful voice. "There were people from all around Europe. Some had taken their spouses, and there were also children there - one Potions Mistress had even brought her week-old baby."

Olivia nodded, her eyes fixed on the pale man. She was obviously waiting for more.

"There was - there was an explosion," Severus went on. "A large one. I myself was, luckily enough, far from the place of the accident and got away nearly unharmed. I was one of the very few ones, as I got no injuries. But 173 were seriously injured. Eighty-seven died. All the children, every single one - there were thirty-four of them - were among the dead. And Lucius - he was in a deep coma for three weeks. We didn't know his fate until he woke up."

Olivia didn't say anything. She merely cast her eyes downward, then, very slowly, nodded. "I understand," she said quietly.

"Since then, Remus has been extremely sensitive about explosions," Sirius explained softly. "He nearly lost Lucius that day, and he's afraid of something similar happening again. And he's reminded of it every single day as Lucius has to use his cane for walking - even the best medi-witches and wizards couldn't prevent his limp."

"Oh," Olivia said quietly. "So that's why he always has his cane with him."

"Right," Severus nodded. "He used to have it before merely for the effect. He rarely even used it anywhere else but in the public. But I haven't seen him taking a single step without it for the last three years."

It was a long time before any of them said anything.

***

Afterwards, Draco and Harry laid on the bed, their limbs intertwined, their skins covered with thin layers of sweat. The both of their minds were lost in thoughts - happy thoughts.

"I want a summer wedding," Draco said. "We can get roses all over the place."

"And lilies," Harry said quietly. "We have to have lilies."

Draco nodded. "Can we get the little Narcairs for a grooms maid and a ring bearer?" he asked then. "I know that Mum would be delighted to dress her little sweethearts. Besides, Maria adores you. She'd die of happiness if we chose her."

"Then we shouldn't do that, right?" Harry chuckled. "Because your mother would get our hide if we harmed her only daughter in any way, leave alone killing her."

"Stupid," Draco smiled, then kissed him on the nose. "Who we'll ask for the best mans?" he asked. "Plus, we need another grooms maid."

"I don't think Olivia would disagree too forcefully," Harry said, smiling also. "As for best mans, I don't know. We don't know many wizards that well, after all." He counted with his fingers. "Lucius, is your father. Remus, as good as. Thomas, your stepfather. Sirius, my adopted father, and Severus, his husband and your uncle. Then there are other relatives, of course - for example Jonah and Malcolm."

Draco frowned. "They'd kill either each other or somebody unlucky enough to get too near them," he pointed out. "Besides, Jonah is a Black by blood. He couldn't manage without getting in some trouble."

"Maybe Malcolm could do it," Harry mused. "And then there's Bill Weasley, he's still rather civil towards us, and of course Charlie, and Percy and Oliver. Then there are others, but nobody we've really kept in contact with."

"You ask one of the Weasleys or Wood, and I'll ask Malcolm," Draco suggested. "It'd do good for Olivia to meet some peers, after all."

Harry looked doubtful. "Maybe it isn't the best idea to make Malcolm the first person trying to befriend her," he said.

Draco waved his hand. "Oh, I'm sure they'll get along," he said carelessly. "And if they don't, well, then we'll deal with it later. Right now, I have other things in mind."

Harry grinned. "And what might those things be?"

Draco grinned back, then kissed again his lover's nose. "Guess twice."

***

"This mirror is connected to a similar one in the Malfoy Manor," Sirius explained. "It can only be opened if it's touched with a ring of both of the Manors. We use it to get the luggage easily when we're visiting each other for longer time. You can get anything you need from your own room."

"Oh," she said. "Thank you."

"No problem," Sirius shrugged, and pressed his own ring against the mirror. Olivia did the same, although a bit hesitantly. The mirror went to the familiar blur.

"I'll send some house-elves over," Sirius said. "Just point at what you need and they'll pick it up. I'll then arrange it that they'll put all the stuff into your guest room here, and take them back when you return."

Olivia nodded. "Thank you," she said again.

Sirius nodded, and clapped his hands. In a second, several house-elves appeared from thin air.

"Sammy, Throbbie, and Leon," he said at the three nearest ones. "Follow Olivia and take her things here. You'll be given the further instructions later."

"As you wish, Master Sirius!" one of the elves squeaked. Then they turned all to look at Olivia, waiting expressions on all of their faces. Olivia watched them warily for a moment, then shrugged, turned around, and stepped through the mirror. The three house-elves followed her.

Sirius turned towards the last one. "Marty," he said to the elf. "Do we have a free room for Olivia? She'll stay with us for some time."

"Of course, Master Sirius," the elf said, nodding furiously. "What about the blue bedroom down the corridor, Master Sirius?"

Sirius hesitated for a moment. Then he nodded. "It's okay," he said. "Lead Olivia there once she's got her stuff from the Malfoy Manor."

"As you wish, Master Sirius."

***

When Olivia returned from her fast trip to her room, there was an important-looking house-elf waiting for her.

"Master Sirius awaits you, young Mistress Malfoy," the elf said. "Marty shows you?"

"Please do," she replied. She glanced sideways at the other house-elves that were carrying her things, feeling slightly worried.

"No worry, young Mistress Malfoy," Marty said as he noticed her gesture. "Your things will be brought to your room here. Marty shows you there now?"

Olivia nodded. She followed the elf out of the room and down the corridor. They found Sirius waiting in front of a dark, wooden door.

"Thanks, Marty," Sirius said briefly. Then he turned around and smiled at Olivia. "This is your room," he said, and opened the door. "Feel free to take a look inside."

Olivia did so. At first, she saw only darkness, but as Sirius spoke a quiet word, the curtains flew aside, baring the windows and letting the light inside.

"This room isn't used very often," Sirius explained quietly. "In fact, I doubt if anybody has even visited this for at least a year. But, I hope you like it."

"It's beautiful," she said, and meant it. It wasn't half as big as her room in Malfoy Manor, but it was still just as beautiful. It was decorated in blue and silver, a heavy four-poster bed in the middle of it. There were just a few windows, but they were large and cast a lot of the cool light of the winter day inside.

"The house-elves will bring your things shortly," Sirius told her. "The bathroom is behind that door, and I'll soon show you the way to the kitchens."

Olivia's attention, however, was caught by two little ornamental objects on the nearby shelf. She walked over to the shelf and looked at it.

There were two tiny angels on the shelf. They were about three inches in height and made of pure crystal. Every feather on the little wings was carved clearly. Every curl of their hair was like real. She lifted one of them from the shelf and studied it carefully. Light from the windows flicked inside the angel as she turned it around.

"Why are these hidden here?" she asked curiously. "They are so beautiful! Why don't you keep them somewhere to see?"

Sirius smiled a bit weakly. "Well..." he started, seemingly a bit uncertain. "It's for Severus. He doesn't like to have them around."

"Why not?" Olivia asked, seemingly puzzled.

"Because Severus was born with the same talent as you," Sirius explained, still very slowly. "But, unlike you, he still possesses the gift--he's still a Seer. He doesn't want to spread the word, it would only call people to us, and that is something he doesn't want, but he has the gift and knows how to use it.

"As you maybe know, to Seers, some objects bring memories. Visions. Dreams." The tall Animagus was quiet for a moment before continuing, "These angels contain the most painful memories - and the most powerful. Even visiting this room for more than a mere moment is enough to spoil a full night's sleep to Severus. Should he stay for longer, or, worse even, touch the angels, he'd get visions wide awake."

"Oh," the girl whispered. Then she stroked slightly the right wing of one of the angels. "But they still are beautiful," she said then. "How can something this beautiful be so evil?"

"You'd be surprised if you knew what disguises the evil can come about in," Sirius said joylessly. "And, the angels aren't evil, But they aren't good, either. They just exist. And the memories in them aren't evil, either. They are only those that we would prefer to forget."

"Why do you still keep these, then?" she asked. "Why not give them away or sell them or just break them?"

"Because sometimes, losing the painful memories would mean losing the pleasant ones also." The tall man looked sad for a moment, but then smiled again, not being able to mope around for a long time. "But what about now going and getting some dinner, okay?" he suggested. "I bet Severus is already looking for us."

***

"Remus?" Lucius called through the door. "Remus, please, talk to me. I told Olivia not to blow up anything anymore. Remus?"

There was no response. The thick door of his husband's secondary bedroom kept just as quiet, locked, and inanimate as before.

He pressed his ear against the door. He was only able to catch a couple of quiet scratches through the thick oak door. But, nothing useful could be heard.

"Remus!" he cried out again. "Remus, love, please... Don't do this to me. Remus!"

Still, he got no reply.

He turned slowly around and left the door. He walked through the corridor, his head bent down in depression.

Remus wouldn't talk to him. Remus, his Remus, who had even forgiven him for becoming a Death Eater, wouldn't talk to him over his mistake.

And he couldn't even blame him.

How could he have been so careless? He knew very well how Remus was about anything even relative to explosions. He knew that Remus was that way because of him. And now, not had he only allowed Olivia to use them as a learning method, he'd even encouraged her to it. Remus had every right to be mad at him!

He only wished it hadn't hurt so much.

He pressed his ring on the nearby mirror. "My study," he said quietly into the silvery mist that appeared in the glass. Then he stepped through it, ending up next to his desk.

He slumped down on his chair, every word of their row echoing clearly in his mind.

And as he pressed his head down in his hands, he remembered exactly what he had come through for Remus.


Author notes: Next chapter: What Draco's cat found from the front lawn the other day...
No, I don't think any of you fell to that. Let's try again.
Next Chapter: Redemption
Lucius was never really evil, just hungry for power. But he definitely wasn't good, either. So what could make he want to endanger his own and his family's lives by spying? None other than Remus Lupin. Also, the infamous silverburn and what caused it.
POLL is still going on! The open options (those which are yet to fit into the story) are:
1)Flashback: Sirius's proposal
2)Flashback: Blacks' wedding
3)Olivia sleeping with her plushies
4)A Hogwarts faculty member visiting - please specify who
5)A couple (HP/DM, SB/SB, RM/LM) in the shower together - please specify which couple (Only PG-13 only though, if it goes R, I'll post it as a separated one-shot in the AT!)
So, remember that reviews are really lovely and flames go to warm up my room! (It's freezing there!)