The Virtue of Decision

The large porcelain tub gleamed in the dim candlelight, the tiny flames dancing across the smooth black surface. Powerful legs topped the corners of the tub's rounded belly, curling into dragon clawed feet on the cold mosaic tiled floor. Columns of polished marble arched gracefully towards the dome shaped ceiling; whose elaborately painted fresco came to life under a Mediterranean moon.

Sinking further down into the tub, Curio sighed as the hot water washed over his sore muscles. Leaning his head back against the cool porcelain he watched with tired eyes as a shooting star flew across the fresco. Letting his eyes drift close he tried to chase all of the nervous thoughts from his mind; desperately wanting only a few moments of peace.

"Curi!" The high-pitched screeched quickly shattered the serene quiet of the bathroom, and ruthlessly pulled Curio from his cherished relaxation.

He sat up with a start, splashing water over the edge of the tub and onto the floor. He sighed at the sound of small feet padding quickly across the tiles towards the tub.

"Curi! Oh, Curi is home!" The tiny house elf exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together in excitement, as she attempted unsuccessfully to scale the side of the tub. "No one told Snug Curi was coming home!"

"I thought you knew everything Snug," he replied with a small smile, leaning back against the tub wall, the water lapping gently at his chest.

"Oh Snug knows plenty Curi," she nodded strongly. "But Snug did not know Curi was coming home. What a great surprise," she started to drag a small stool over to the tub, and crawled up onto it so that she was face to face with him. "You look awful Curi," she made a tsk, tsk noise. "That's what happens when Curi doesn't have Snug to take care of him."

He laughed, letting his eyes drift close again. "Is that so Snug? You think I'm that incapable of taking care of myself?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "All humans is Curi," she stated matter of fact. "Not just Curi," she reached around to the small shelf at the head of the tub, pulling down a bottle. "Master Alonzo should have let Snug go with Curi when he left."

"Well you know father," Curio muttered with a slight frown. "He lives to make my life miserable."

Snug frowned, poking Curio in the shoulder with one tiny finger. "Don't be talking about your papa that way Curi," she insisted, and then added as she straightened the frilly pillowcase she wore. "He is Snug's master after all."

Snug had been a house elf for the Nym family since her birth. She was assigned to Curio when he was a baby and acted as an impromptu nanny for him while he was growing up. She looked as most house elves did, with floppy bat-like ears and large expressive eyes, her nose was skinny, but on the short side, and it sat directly between her brown eyes.

"You deserve better," Curio mumbled, hating that his father had so much control over anyone.

"Master Alonzo is quite good enough," she insisted, pouring soap out of the bottle she held, into her small hands. "And Curi would do good not to insult him."

Curio snorted an indignant reply, sinking further down into the bubble filled water.

"Is Curi staying long?" Snug asked, scooting behind him on her stool as she started to wash his hair.

He blinked up at her. "I can do that myself you know," he smirked slightly at the unbelieving look on her face.

"Snug always helps Curi with his bath," she replied, pouting.

"Yes...when I was six," he argued, but did nothing more to stop her, leaning back against the smooth porcelain of the tub. "And no, I won't be staying long."

"Why not?" she asked, unable to keep the anger from her voice as she continued, slightly less gently.

"Ow...because, I have to get back to work, ow, stop pulling my hair Snug," he tried to swat at her half-heartedly but received a small smack atop his hand in reply.

"Curi should stay here," she pouted, reaching for a small pitcher. "That work isn't good for Curi," she filled the pitcher with water, and promptly dumped it over his head.

"It's...fine," he sputtered, pushing his now wet hair out of his eyes.

"Curi could hurt himself," she hopped down from her stool, staring up at him from the floor. "Curi should dry himself off...Snug will get the dress robes all ready," she scurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.

He sighed heavily, pushing himself to his feet, and stepping gingerly out of the tub. Shivering in the cool air he quickly grabbed his bathrobe from its hook and wrapped him self in the warm terrycloth.

"Hurry up Curi!" Snug called from the other room. "Curi can't be late tonight!"

He took a clean towel from the closet and made his way into his room, where Snug was scurrying about, gathering his clothes for the evening. "What's the rush?" he asked, drying his hair roughly with the towel. "It's just a dinner party," he smirked. "I can be fashionably late."

Snug shot him a less than amused look. "No Curi can't," she replied sternly, rummaging through a small chest of drawers. "Now where did Snug put that clasp," she mumbled quietly.

"Why not?" he asked, taking his clothes off the bed where Snug had laid them out. "What's so special about tonight anyway?" he went behind the changing screen and began to dress.

"Snug doesn't know for certain Curi," the small elf replied truthfully, scrunching her head in thought. "But Master Alonzo and Mistress Helena are very anxious about something," she grinned; pulling the clasp she had been searching for out of the drawer. "So Curi will behave himself tonight," she set the clasp on the bed. "And he will be on time."

"You're no fun," he muttered, heading back into the bathroom to hang his robe back on its hook.

"Snug is lots of fun," she pouted, crossing her spindly arms over her chest. "Curi is just a trouble maker."

Chuckling slightly he came back into the room. "Is that so?" he asked, sitting down on his bed as he laced up his boots.

"Yes it is so," Snug insisted, crawling up beside him. "But Snug loves Curi anyway," she smiled wrapping her arms around his waist in a quick hug. "Snug misses Curi when he's gone," she shook her head sharply, pushing away between small sniffles. "Button the top button Curi," she instructed, obviously ashamed at her tears.

He smiled down at her, and although he would usually argue with this request, he quickly did as he was told, and stood up to allow Snug to inspect his outfit. "Do I pass inspection?" he asked, smirking slightly.

"Hmm," she tapped her finger against her chin in thought. "Turn around," she hopped down from the bed, scurrying over to him. "Dark blue is a good color on Curi," she deducted, smiling happily as she tugged on the edge of his robe to make sure it was even. "Makes him look all handsome," she swelled up with pride, as she reached up to hand him the clasp. "Curi will make quite the impression on Mr. McDuffs daughter."

Curio groaned outwardly, attaching the clasp to the front of his robes. "Bianca is coming?" he asked, grimacing at the thought.

"Oh yes," Snug replied, nodding excitedly. "She is beautiful; Snug thinks she and Curi would make a good match."

Frowning deeply Curio looked down at her. "Well I don't think so."

Snug scrunched her little nose up, sending crinkles up to her forehead. "She is beautiful Curi..."

"Yes, and conceited, and mean, and doesn't have an original thought in her head," he glanced quickly at himself in the mirror, where his reflection gave a quick thumbs up sign in response, grinning as he did so.

"Snug thinks Curi is just too picky," she muttered. "Snug thinks Curi should settle down and start a family so Snug can come and take care of them," she grinned excitedly at the thought.

His eyes grew wide and he shook his head no vehemently. "I'm still young yet Snug. It'll be awhile before I even think about starting a family."

She pouted at this, tugging on the bottom of his robes again. "Snug thinks if Curi is old enough to leave home, he is old enough to get married," she stepped back to inspect her work. "And Mr. McDuff's daughter is a good match. Good old wizarding family."

Curio frowned at her. "There are more important things than lineage Snug," he muttered, taking a comb off his nightstand.

"She would give Curi a son, Snug is sure of it," Snug insisted, following at his heels.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm only twenty Snug, I don't think I need to worry about children yet," he looked into the mirror to comb his hair.

"Curi is nearly twenty one, how much longer is he planning on waiting?" she asked smugly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Until I meet the right girl," he replied, setting the comb down and messing his hair up with his fingers.

Snug frowned at his hair. "Curi knows his mama hates it when he does that."

He grinned down at her. "That's right, I do," he winked, heading towards the door.

"Behave yourself!" Snug insisted, running after him, her tiny legs doing their best to keep up with his long strides.

"Snug, I always behave myself," Curio smirked, closing the door behind them.

"No, Curi doesn't," she frowned, pointing up at him. "Snug is serious, behave yourself."

He held his hands up in defense. "All right, I will, don't worry."

She grimaced, looking as though she didn't quite believe him, but nodded slowly just the same. "Good," she straightened the hem of his robes one last time. "Snug has to go help in the kitchen now," she then added once more. "Be good," before disappearing out of sight.

With a deep sigh and a roll of his eyes Curio slowly made his way down the hallway to the stairs. The staircase was lined with floating orbs of soft light that bobbed along the railing in a lazy fashion. The large chandelier that hung from the ceiling in the foyer was ablaze with dozens of burning candles, each bewitched so as not to drip wax on unsuspecting people below.

"Quite the improvement Master Curio," Edmund nodded approvingly from his post by the front door, he tilted his chin in the opposite direction. "Your family resides in the drawing room. The guests will be arriving shortly," he motioned for Curio to go join his family, calling after him. "And do try to behave yourself tonight Master Curio."

With a slight glare back at Edmund, Curio made his way through the expansive mansion to the drawing room.

Helena Nym sat lazily on a high-backed chair, her head held high as she gazed around the room in disinterest. Alonzo stood by the tall windows lining the far wall of the room, his slender fingers pulling back the heavy drapes slightly as he peered outside at the falling rain; a smooth black pipe held firmly between his teeth. Miranda sat atop the bench at the small piano in the corner, her feet hanging just above the floor; swinging back and forth idly.

"Our guests will be arriving shortly," Alonzo said quietly, not bothering to look at his son as he spoke.

"I know, Edmund told me," Curio replied, plopping down next to his sister on the piano bench, laughing quietly as she playfully elbowed him in the ribs.

"I don't believe I need to remind the two of you that tonight's dinner is an important one," Alonzo said quietly, although soft, his words demanded respect.

He was responded with two rather half-hearted 'yes sirs,' and a muffled giggle as Mira managed one last jab at her older brother.

"Ladies don't hit people with their elbows Miranda," Helena hissed, pursing her lips in disapproval.

With a look of complete innocence on his face Curio asked. "Well what do ladies hit with Mother?"

A sarcastic little smirk slithered its way across her thin lips as she sneered. "I do so love it when you visit Curio; it always seems to bring out the best in everyone."

Before he was able to remind her that she was the one who had insisted he come over, Edmund walked into the room, clearing his throat to gather everyone's attention.

"Mr. Nym, may I present the McDuffs and their guests, the Malfoys," he stepped out of the doorway, allowing the two families to filter into the large room.

Alonzo walked over from the window, obviously taken aback by the presence of the Malfoys. "Lucius, what a pleasant surprise," he said calmly, all accounts of surprise or pleasantness absent from his voice.

"Yes, Edgar insisted that we join you tonight, I hope we are not intruding," the other man replied, his voice equally as expressionless; as though he were reading out loud from a rather boring book.

"No intrusion at all," Helena said quickly, standing up beside her husband she held out her dainty hand to Lucius. "Quite the contrary actually," she offered a less than innocent smile.

Alonzo stiffened, clearing his throat. "Have you met Lucius' wife, Narcissa, and their son Draco, dear?" Alonzo asked, pointedly emphasizing the word wife.

Helena pulled her hand back slowly, eyeing the aforementioned woman as though she had just appeared out of thin air. "No Alonzo...I don't believe I have."

Narcissa offered a thin-lipped smile that instead of appearing friendly came across as pained. "You have a lovely home," she said icily, slipping her hand into the crook of her husband's arm possessively.

"Put those claws away ladies," the rather large man to her left chuckled heartedly, slapping Lucius playfully on the back. "Quite the hit with the ladies, you old dog," he hissed in his ear, grinning rather idiotically.

"Ah Timon, it's been too long, how are you?" Alonzo asked jovially, shaking the man's hand.

"Not nearly long enough dear," Helena smiled sweetly, but couldn't keep the malice from her words.

Choosing to ignore Helena, Timon charged on, clapping one beefy hand onto Draco's shoulder, who stood staunchly next to Lucius. "I'm grand Alonzo, just grand," he grinned wickedly. "Especially since the little woman had to stay home tonight," he leaned down, elbowing the boy in the ribs. "Always a good night when you get rid of the old ball and chain, aye Draco?"

He turned cold gray eyes towards him, his voice nearly a sneer. "I wouldn't know," he took a small step away from Timon, straightening his robes as he did so.

"Hmm, you will when you're older," he mumbled, straightening back up himself. "But I have Bianca with me tonight," he continued, barely missing a beat. "She's quite the vision isn't she?" he asked, his eyes filling with pride.

"Daddy, you're embarrassing me," she said quietly, but held her head high like a show dog just entering the circle.

Bianca McDuff was in fact, as her father boasted, quite the vision. Her hair was a fiery, almost unnatural shade of red, but unlike her father's bushy mane, it fell gracefully down her back in soft curls. Her skin was flawless from years of carefully avoiding the sun, and her slender hands were as smooth as the day she was born, from years of avoiding manual labor.

"Quite the vision indeed," Alonzo agreed, nodding slightly, then, as though the idea just occurred to him. "You remember my children, don't you Timon," he turned slightly, holding out his hand towards Miranda. "This is my daughter Miranda; she's just finished up her second year at Hogwarts."

Miranda curtsied gracefully. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And my son, Curio..."

"Ah yes, the werewolf hunter," Lucius broke in, nodding slightly in approval. "As I'm sure you are aware I serve on the committee for the disposal of dangerous creatures," he raised one slender brow waiting for Curio to acknowledge that he was in fact aware of that. "We keep a close eye on your department," he pursed his lips. "Quite efficient actually, I'm sure Benedict runs a tight ship."

"He does," Curio replied evenly.

"Probably keeps that committee of yours busy, aye Lucius?" Timon chuckled, running a hand through his messy beard. "Hunting down all those beasts for you to kill," he curled his fingers like claws, laughing heartily at himself.

The Malfoy's regarded him with quiet disbelief, as his daughter flushed a brilliant shade of red in embarrassment. "Daddy, there's no need for dramatics," she hissed, trying to sound pleasant but failing miserably.

"Just having a bit of fun," he mumbled in reply.

"Sorry to disturb you ladies and gentlemen," Edmund announced from the doorway. "But dinner will be served shortly. If you would all kindly follow me into the dinning room, I will show you to your seats," he stepped out into the hallway, allowing for everyone to filter past before he calmly led the way to the brightly lit dinning room.

The chandelier that hung above the long table was ablaze with light, basking the entire room in a warm inviting glow. It was the kind of light that was rarely found anyplace inside the Nym's rather dim manor. Each place was set with painstaking precision, and Curio was willing to wager that Edmund had measured the distances between the settings himself.

Holding back a rather disappointed groan at the chosen seating arrangements, Curio quietly took his place between his father, who sat at the head of the table, and Bianca, who sat to the other side of him.

The dinner dragged on, each dish accompanied with forced conversation and pleasantries. When the first dish had been moved away things took a more serious turn.

"Have you heard the good news Alonzo?" Lucius asked calmly, cradling his wine glass gently in the palm of his hand; watching the blood-red liquid slide from one side of the polished surface to the other.

"What good news would that be?" Alonzo replied, glancing down the long table at Mr. Malfoy.

Lucius looked up slowly, a sick form of a smile on his lips. "That we're one step closer to ousting that ridiculous excuse of a headmaster," his smile turned into a grin. "Dumbledore's days are numbered."

Timon let out a hearty laugh. "'Bout time I say. That muggle lover has overstayed his welcome."

"Never was welcomed in the first place," Alonzo replied quietly, his voice heavy in comparison to Timon's jovial tone. "Are you certain about this Lucius? As incompetent as Dumbledore may be, he does have his share of supporters."

"A student died Alonzo," he smirked inappropriately. "It was a stroke of luck for us really."

"That's sick," Curio muttered, glaring heatedly down at his plate in disgust.

"What did you say?" Lucius asked calmly, turning his gaze on Curio.

"Nothing, just ignore him," Alonzo replied quickly, shooting his son a warning look.

"Let him speak for himself Alonzo," Lucius smirked. "Who knows, he might have something interesting to say."

Curio could feel the tips of his ears burn in a very unwelcome blush. "It was nothing," he muttered, staring fixedly at his plate.

Lucius folded his hands neatly in his lap, lifting his chin up as he smirked. "Oh come now boy, if you're big enough to insult me under your breath at least be a man and say it to my face."

Curio clenched his jaw, raising his head to meet Lucius' amused gaze. "I was only saying Mr. Malfoy, that I find it incredibly sick that you would be so pleased over an innocent person's death," he tried not to flinch as his father kicked him sharply in the shin under the table.

"That is enough Curio," he hissed. "Apologize."

"No need Alonzo," Lucius held up his hand, the pompous smirk still gracing his features. "It's only youthful ignorance," his gaze hardened considerably. "We're in a war here boy, there are casualties in any war; and it's always better when they happen on the opposite side," his smirk returned, bringing with it a calmer tone. "Do make sure you are on the right side Curio," he took a slow sip from his chalice. "I'd hate to think what would come of you if you were to choose the wrong one."