Marrying Lucius Malfoy

The next morning, when Selina awoke, she wasn't in the hotel room, as she had been the night before. Instead she was in a large, fancy bedroom lying on a large, fancy bed. She was dressed as well, in a stiff nightdress and gauzy pink bathrobe. Still sore from the night before, Selina sat up and yawned. Her new 'husband' was nowhere to be found, but there was a note pinned to the pillow beside hers. Written in a messy, girlish script that most likely belonged to Lucius's latest secretary--Riley had told her all about the pretty young secretaries that Lucius 'favored' so much--it read: Selina, So sorry that I could not be there to greet you on our first morning as husband and wife, but you understand, I'm sure. As your godmother undoubtedly told you the two of us will not be going on a honeymoon for I believe that such things are trivial wastes of time. Don't expect me home this evening; if you are truly lonely then go and spend the night with the friend of yours. Signed, Lucius Malfoy.'

Selina threw the note down on her bed and looked out her window. It wasn't as if she would have wanted to go on a honeymoon with Lucius Malfoy, but he made it seem like she was the trivial waste of time. To herself she wondered if this was how Narcissa had felt.

'Maybe,' Selina thought, 'Narcissa Malfoy was like me when she married Lucius, but then all the neglect led to her turning into a cold, icy, hardened woman.'

She shook her head and moved for the bathroom, silently promising herself never to turn out like Narcissa Malfoy. However, all thoughts of Narcissa Malfoy were driven from her mind when she stepped into the bathroom. At a first glance it had seemed like nothing more than a very luxurious, very big bathroom, but when Selina had gone to draw a bath she found that there were no knobs to turn the water on with. After look over the rest of the bathroom--the sink, the toilet, and the cabinets--she found that they all lacked handles and knobs. This proved to be too much, and Selina began to kick the gigantic bathtub which was built into the wall. Really, it was more like a small pool, complete with steps leading down into the depth of the tub.

"Heavens almighty!" she cursed. "All I want it a nice, warm bath to start my day off! What in the world is so hard about..."

Selina trailed off, though, when the bathtub was instantly filled with water. After sticking two fingers into the water Selina found that the temperature was just right--not too cold and not too hot. And all she had had to do was wish for it...

"I wish that I had a bubble bath," Selina said and, just like before, her wish was granted, and the water was filled with soapy subs. Smiling to herself and shedding her clothes Selina climbed into the bathtub and sat on one of the little seats built into the wall. She had been soaking for a few moments when the door to the bathroom swung open. In strode a very plump, very stern looking woman. She was clad in a simple but elegant velvet blue dress trimmed in white lace, and for a moment Selina thought that the woman might be a friend of Lucius's.

But then the woman said, in a rather snippy tone, "You must be Ms. Selina. I am Ms. Delilah Laverne, and you will call me Ms. Laverne. I am to be your personal assistant, planner, fashion advisor, etcetera."

Selina blinked. "I'm going to need all that?" she asked.

Ms. Laverne gave her a very critical look. "Oh, you'll need much more than that," she said coolly, "which is why I have requested that you be assigned a personal maid, just to look out for you." Ms. Laverne turned to the doorway and clapped twice. Not two seconds later a handmaiden--she looked even younger than Selina herself--appeared. She was dressed in a much simpler dress than Ms. Laverne--a plain lavender dress with a cinched waist--and her long blonde hair fell out of her colonial-like cap. "This," Ms. Laverne said, "is Pamela. She's very young--only eighteen--and she hasn't been with us very long, but she knows enough etiquette to keep you out of trouble."

Selina was beginning to feel as if Ms. Laverne greatly disliked her, but she could not fathom for what reason. The elderly woman began to bustle around the bathroom, rearranging the few items that were on the counter and radiating disdain. Pamela stood awkwardly in the doorway, staring at the ground. After a few moments Selina went back to soaking, though she was a little unnerved by the presence of two other people in the room, even if neither of them seemed to be paying very much attention to her. After a good thirty-minute soak, when the pains of the night before were just beginning to fade away with the water, Ms. Laverne turned to the bathtub and frowned deeply.

"Heaven almighty!" she murmured. "Have you found a new home in there? Get out now! We have many things to do today, to prepare for the ball-"

"What ball?" Selina asked, and she received a cold and degrading scowl from Ms. Laverne.

"Your husband throws a ball every year around this time. Narcissa used to organize it, being the lady of the house, but now that you're in charge of things I see that I have my work cut out for me. Now hurry and wash your hair and get out! Pamela will help you find a suitable dress or robe to wear. I won't allow you to walk around in the Southern monstrosities that you brought over from the States. They're terribly ugly and much too revealing for a married woman. The master of the house would hardly approve." Then, with a sweeping twirl, Ms. Laverne turned and stalked to the open door. Just as she was leaving, though, she called over her shoulder one last order. "And don't you ever interrupt me!"

As soon as the door to Selina's rooms had been slammed shut it was as if a great tension had been lifted from the room. Pamela straitened up and lost her stricken look. "Hurry up now. Ms. Laverne wants us to begin to pull together the menu for the ball today. The bakery in the Muggle town not too far from here opens in an hour. I also need to give you a small, semi tour of the manor, so we need to get a move on it, Mrs. Malfoy."

Selina inhaled sharply. It hadn't been too bad when Ms. Laverne had referred to her being the mistress of Malfoy Manor, but to actually be addressed to as 'Mrs. Malfoy' was a terrible reminder that she would be bound to Lucius for the rest of their lives. Pamela sensed that for immediately she had rushed to the bathtub and began to apologize profusely.

"Oh, Ms. Selina! I am so sorry! I should have guessed that you wouldn't want to be called that. Oh, no! You're shaking like a leaf." Pamela dragged Selina out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a fluffy green towel. After herding her into her room and sitting her down on a chair Pamela disappeared through a door. For a moment Selina thought that Pamela had gone to retrieve Ms. Laverne, but she only emerged a few minutes later with three fancy robes in hand. "We should get you warm and dressed as soon as possible," Pamela was saying, more to herself than to Selina. "Which one do you like best?"

Selina pointed to the simplest of the three, a blood red robe with black flowers sewn into the bodice and black lace at the cuffs. Pamela nodded and, after handing the robe to her, pushed her behind a large screen.

"Just change behind there," Pamela instructed. "I'll be back in a few moments with a some matching jewelry to choose from."

Selina poked her head out from around the screen. "I have to wear jewelry?" she asked.

Pamela nodded and smiled softly. "It's highly expected of the wives of high-class wizards here," she explained, "to wear old family jewelry. The more expensive a woman's trinkets, the higher up she is thought to be. The late Narcissa Malfoy wore more jewels than humanly possible." Pamela turned on her heel and left the room through another door. It took her fifteen minutes to return, and this time she was carrying a large, heavy looking wooden box with Latin inscriptions all over it. Selina, despite the intricate lacing-up her robe took, was dressed by then and looked at the box apprehensively.

"Pamela," she said, "I don't want to wear a dead woman's things."

Pamela nodded knowingly. "Ms. Laverne thought as much. She asked Mr. Malfoy to dig up some jewelry that Narcissa had never worn. It took a while, but he found a whole trunk full of necklaces and brooches and what not. I took the liberty of sorting it all out into different types of gems. Here's the emeralds--they'll compliment your eyes nicely."

Selina, glad she wouldn't have to tromp around in Narcissa Malfoy's things, opened the box and gasped. It was the type of box with several levels that all folded out when the top of the box was opened. Carefully arranged in each of those levels were dozens of emerald trinkets, each grander than the one before it. After avidly examining each piece of jewelry Selina settled on an elegant necklace in the shape of a swan. Two small diamonds made the swans eyes, and Pamela assured Selina that it went very well with her outfit. After choosing out her accessories for the day Pamela styled Selina's thick red curls into a complicated and immaculate bun. Satisfied that her mistress was presentable to anyone they might cross that day Pamela led Selina down to a large, drafty room in which the only furniture was a long wooden table.

"This," Pamela informed Selina in her prim British accent, "is the dining hall. You will eat most every meal here, except when you are too sick to come down here and at parties. When you throw parties you will dine in the ballroom."

"We have a ballroom?" Selina asked, and Pamela could have sworn she heard a rise in her mistress's voice.

"Yes, Ms. Selina. Malfoy Manor has had the same old ballroom for the past three-hundred-and-thirteen years. It's made entirely out of black marble, you know, and there are gargoyles built into the ceiling." Pamela leaned in closer to Selina. "Really, it gives me the creeps. Those gargoyles have enchanted eyes, I think, and so it's always like someone's watching you."

Selina shivered at the thought but managed to smile. "Back at home, in Alabama, my family had a big plantation house built way back in the eighteen-hundreds. We had a ballroom too." Selina paused and got a far off look in her eyes. "But it wasn't creepy at all. My family's ballroom was made out of marble, like this one, but the marble was white, so the ballroom always seemed light and cheery. There was a big, sweeping staircase that people walked down to get to the parties. And the wall that led from the ballroom to outside was made almost entirely of magical glass. Really, it was the grandest room in the whole house."

"That really sounds lovely, Ms. Selina."

Both Selina and Pamela jumped when they heard a voice behind them. They both whirled around only to find a tall, pale, handsome boy standing in the doorway of the dining hall. He was dressed in fine, stately black robes, and he looked right at home among the dark and chilly manor. Selina knew who the boy was almost immediately. Draco Malfoy, her stepson. Really, he was only three years younger than her...And a good two feet taller. She could have passed off as his little sister.

"Mr. Malfoy," Pamela murmured, and Selina wondered why the young woman's attitude had taken a sudden damper. Pamela's eyes were trained on the floor again, and she looked very subdued. "I was just giving Ms. Selina the grand tour of the manor, and then we'll go to town and make arrangements for the ball."

Draco nodded slowly, but his eyes were glued to Selina. A strange look played on his pointed face, and Selina wondered if her 'stepson' hated her. "She really ought to tend to those wedding presents before she goes to town," Draco said, and he finally looked away from Selina. "They're all piled up in the study, and my father will want them opened and sorted before he returns tomorrow evening." Again he turned his steely gray eyes on Selina. "If you want," he said softly, "I'll have a few of the house-elves pack them up into some carriages, and they can be sent over to your friend's house. I'd wager that she'd be only too happy to help you open them."

Selina smiled faintly. "That would be nice," she said. "Thank you very much, Draco."

Draco only nodded. "It's no trouble," he drawled. "My father instructed me to help you in any way possible while he was away." He passed the two young women then, making for a lone bowl of fruit that had magically appeared at the center of the table while they were talking. He grabbed an apple, bit into it, and then disappeared through a large door across the hall.

"He's a strange one, isn't he?" Pamela asked the moment the door had slammed shut. She wore an amused expression.

"Oh, he just lost his mother, and his father married a woman only three years older than him yesterday. He has every right to act strangely. I just wonder if he dislikes me at all." Selina said all that very slowly, and there was a touch of pity in her voice.

"Oh, I'm sure he doesn't hate you. After all, this is the way things work in the high-class, European wizarding world. When a woman dies her widower is instantly on the rebound to find a new, younger wife." Pamela led Selina to the table where she pulled out a chair for her. After making sure Selina was settled Pamela sat down herself. Within seconds a large plate of eggs, bacon, and country potatoes--Selina's favorite--had appeared before her while a bowl of porridge materialized in front of Pamela.

Selina swallowed her questions of the whole arranged marriage bit and focused on their food. "Pamela," she said, "don't you like eggs and bacon and such?"

Pamela pushed aside her porridge and fixed Selina with a look that could only be described as bizarre. "Of course," she said in a voice that equaled her stare, "I like all those things, but I'm just a maid. That's how things work around here."

Selina couldn't help but be appalled. "You mean you don't good food?" she asked. "That's outrageous! Why don't you complain to Ms. Laverne or Lucius?"

"Because," Pamela said, and she sounded vexed now, "they're the ones who impose that rule!"

Selina frowned deeply. "But isn't Ms. Laverne a servant as well? Does she eat,"--she took a spoonful of porridge and let the lumpy, grayish material fall back into the bowl--"slop like this?"

Pamela looked uncomfortable now. "Ms. Laverne was Narcissa Malfoy's personal assistant as well, so she's been with the family for a while and has therefore gained a good deal of privileges. Narcissa Malfoy, I hear, demanded that Lucius Malfoy give Ms. Laverne good rooms, good food, and good clothing."

"Then I'll demand the same for you!" Selina cried.

Pamela didn't even bother holding in her rueful snort. "Oh, but Ms. Selina," she said. "Narcissa Malfoy had a good deal of power when she married your husband. She was rich, well known, and gave him an heir within the first year of their marriage. He would have given her most anything because of that. You, however, are a young Yankee girl brought over from Alabama. You and I have little power left in this household, and it will be long before anyone respects you as the real Mrs. Malfoy." Pamela looked around the large hall. "You see," she murmured, as if trying to make sure no one overheard them, "Narcissa Malfoy bought her reputation and power. You're going to have to work for yours."

~*~

Breakfast had been a solemn affair after Pamela's informative speech. The two women had gone to town after they had finished eating, and they spent a good deal of the day selecting the right kind of decorations and entertainment for their party. Pamela, being native to the small town they were shopping in, knew exactly what sort of things were to be expected at a Malfoy Ball. By the time they were finished it was getting dark.

"You know what, Ms. Selina? I'm going to send you over to Ms. Riley's. I have some things to tie up here in town, but I'll be over to Ms. Riley's early tomorrow so we can go to the caterer's and pick out a menu." Pamela smiled as she helped Selina into the carriage. "Good evening, Ms. Selina. Sleep well this evening, and don't forget to open the wedding gifts."

Selina smiled and nodded, waving to her maid as the driverless carriage got farther and farther from town. Selina knew that Riley's home--a mansion, she believed--was only a few miles from her own, but she had not expected it to be in the middle of the woodlands that bordered her manor. Riley's home was up a hill as well, and Selina began to feel nervous after a good thirty minutes had passed and there was still no sign of Riley's residence. The hairs on the back of her neck had begun to stand on end, and she had an awful feeling that these horses didn't know where they were going.

Her suspicions were confirmed when the carriage gave a jarring halt and she was thrown--actually thrown!--from it. Selina hit the leave covered forest ground with a heavy 'thump', and before she could recover her senses the horses gave a terrified whiny and bolted. Selina called after them, but it was all in vain. The horses and the carriage disappeared into the trees within a matter of minutes. Wondering fearfully what it was that had scared them so badly, Selina stood and brushed the leaves off her now ruined robe. With a nervous shiver she looked around the tiny clearing she had been abandoned in. Seeing no path that could have led her back to humanity Selina set off downhill, reasoning that she would have to reach civilization soon enough.

The woods were quiet that evening. Too quiet, in fact. No owls hooted back and forth to each other, no crickets chirped out their night song, and not even the wind seemed to blow. The stillness of it all unnerved Selina beyond anything describable, and she began to walk faster. It was almost as if she felt there was someone following her--someone who meant her great harm.

For one terrifying moment Selina thought of her parents' killers.

That was enough to get her running quickly through the woods, and when she heard another set of footsteps start out behind her she only picked up her pace. She didn't even stop when someone began to call her name.

"Ms. Selina! Please, stop! Ms. Selina! I'm a servant of Ms. Riley's!"

It wasn't until Selina allowed her ears to catch up with the rest of her that she realized just what the person was calling. She halted and turned to find a young boy--he could have been no older than fifteen--chasing after her. Immediately she felt very foolish. This boy? Her parents' murderer? Oh, Riley would never let her hear the end of it now...

"I presume that you are Ms. Selina?" the young boy asked once he had caught up to her. Strangely enough he was not out of breath, which Selina was.

"Yes, I am. And I am so sorry for running. It's just that, well...I thought you were someone else." Selina smiled brightly and the boy blushed bright pink.

"It's alright, Ms. Selina," he assured her, looking at his feet. "I'm just glad we were able to find you. Your carriage arrived in Ms. Riley's courtyard just twenty minutes ago, and I was able to trace their path back to you. Come with me. The carriage Ms. Riley sent for you isn't far from here. Oh, and by the way, my name's Wren."

Selina smiled and followed Wren through a large patch of forest shrubs before reaching another clearing where a second carriage awaited them. After helping Selina into the carriage Wren grabbed the sidebar on the carriage and swung up onto a small seat at the front of the carriage. Grabbing the reins he cried, "Go!" to the horses and they began to move rapidly. It took only a few minutes before they arrived into the courtyard. Riley was pacing there, and the second Selina stepped out of the carriage she found her friend's arms shaking her soundly.

"Don't you ever," Riley screeched, "scare me like that again! Wands and cauldrons, Selina! I even owled your little stepson, I was so worried!"

As if on cue Draco stepped out from the open doorway of Riley's castle-like home. "Yes, and I must say, what happened was quite peculiar. Did you stop and get out of the carriage?" he asked.

Selina shook her head and told Riley and Draco the whole story, save the part where she ran terrified through the woods. "What kind of carriages does your father buy?" Riley demanded, turning on Draco. "He ought to have them checked!"

Draco, quite taken aback by the furious Southern woman, backed away towards the gate. "I assure you," he muttered. "My father will have them all checked post haste. Now, if you don't mind, I'm off! I have to return to school early in the morning, and I still have to pack." With a bow to Riley and a nod to Selina Draco leapt into the carriage that Wren was still seated on. With another cry the carriage was off again, leaving Selina and Riley alone in the courtyard.

"Funny gentleman, that stepson of yours is," Riley murmured, her golden-hazel eyes clouded with an unreadable emotion.

"You know," Selina said, "you're the second person to say that about him today. My maid--Pamela--thinks he's a bit odd too."

"A bit off is more like it. He doesn't really walk, you know. He glides, sort of, and he slithers too." Riley turned to Selina. "I mean he actually slithers, just like a snake!"

Selina sighed. "I still can't believe I'm a stepmother. I'm too young to be his stepmother."

Riley squeezed her friend's shoulder comfortingly and led her inside to a warm entrance room. "You're to young to be anyone's stepmother, Selly," she said. "From what I can tell of your husband, he's a real jerk. He was horrid to the service last night at the wedding, and he just about blew a gasket when he found out you hadn't made it to the honeymoon suite." Riley paused and fixed Selina with a bemused expression. "Where exactly did you go? I was hoping that you had run off to hide, but apparently he found you."

Selina sat down on the large staircase and sighed deeply. "I hid in a motel, and Lucius was not at all happy when he found me." For a moment there was a flicker of pain of Selina's face as memories of the night before returned to her.

Riley cursed under her breath and sat down beside her friend, pulling her into a hug. "What did the bastard do you Selly?" she asked in a half whispered, half hissed voice. "What did the bastard do to you?"

Selina hadn't expected to actually relate to Riley what had happened the night before with Lucius, and she had expected even less to cry when doing so. Riley listened intently, though, like she always had throughout their years as best friends. When Selina was done with her wedding-night tale Riley was very quiet and very dangerous looking.

"I knew that he was a scumbag," she snarled, standing and pulling Selina up with her. "He nearly raped you, Selina! I mean, putting the full body bind curse on someone and then having sex with them--isn't that a tad bit pushy?"

Selina could only nod and wipe away her tears. It had felt good to tell someone else how bad her wedding night had been, and she felt a good deal better. "I'd just like to get those wedding presents open," she said softly. "Are there many?"

Riley stopped leading Selina down the hallway and snorted. "Are there many?" she asked, but she seemed to be in a better mood. "Selina, there are more presents in that room,"--she pointed to a door--"than the two of us have gotten for all our birthdays put together! I guess a lot of people want to kiss up to the 'great' Lucius Malfoy. Apparently in Britain and Ireland and Scotland and France it's a wizarding custom for the bride to rate the wedding gifts and pass her evaluations on to her husband. He then treats each family by the rating his bride gave their gift. A man like Lucius had a lot of power, and everyone wants you to like their gift."

Selina sighed. "I wish I could have married a boy back home. You know, I was supposed to go out on a date with Tommy Powell tomorrow, but I guess nothing will ever come of that. There are all these new customs I've never heard of, and I have to dress a certain way, and it doesn't seem like any of this is worth it!"

Riley opened the door to the wedding-gift room, which she told Selina was normally her study. "And I hear that you're supposed to pop out some kids soon," she informed.

Though this was probably the most surprising and unwelcome of all the new traditions Selina didn't hear her. She was too busy staring at boxes upon boxes of brightly wrapped presents. She had thought that Riley had been joking.

"Dear Merlin," she whispered, walking over to a package that was twice her height. It was wrapped in flashy silver paper and a small tag on the side said, 'To Lucius and his beautiful bride, Love Uncle Octavian and Aunt Pandora'. Upon unwrapping the gift Selina found it to be a gigantic statue of herself. She was sitting down on what appeared to be a stone loveseat, and she had a dainty parasol in hand.

"Jesus, Selina!" Riley was saying. "Where did they get a picture of you to carve something like that?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't have a clue," she murmured. Next she turned to a small sized black box tied with a peach colored ribbon. Pinned to the ribbon was another small note: To my new cousin-in-law, Selina: Diamonds are truly a girl's best friend! Sincerely, Dionyza'. A small gasp escaped the back of Selina's throat as she opened the box and discovered that it was chalk full of diamonds!

"Oh, Selly!" Riley muttered. "If that's a little preview of what's to come, then let's get opening these gifts!"

Selina was all too happy to oblige.

~*~

Sometimes I wonder if you know just how much danger you're in, Selina Julliard--or would that be Selina Malfoy now?

You can change names, but you can't change your bloodlines. I've found you, and it didn't take long. You think that little episode in the woods was frightening? Oh, you haven't seen the half of it yet!

Just you wait and see...

~*~

Selina sat bolt upright in bed, her right hand clutched to her breast. She was breathing hard and her whole body was soaked with sweat. She would have let out an ear-splitting screech but, when she opened her mouth, she found that there was no air her lungs. It took a few moments for the panic she had felt to subside, and when it did all she could remember of her nightmare was a pair of icy cold blue eyes. Knowing full well she would never be able to fall asleep again Selina rolled out of bed and trooped into the guest bathroom. It was exactly like her one at Malfoy Manor, and all she had to do was wish for a steaming hot 'wake-me-up' bubble bath.

Selina soaked in the sudsy water for a good hour before she was able to pull herself away from the warm haven. By then the nightmare and the icy blue eyes seemed like a thing of the distant past, so she didn't bother mentioning it to Pamela, who was waiting in her guestroom with a selection of robes. After selecting a stylish forest green robe and an emerald brooch Selina joined Riley in an early morning breakfast.

"You fell asleep last night," Riley said while biting into a cantaloupe, "while rating the presents, so I just finished for you. I gave everyone good marks, so Lucius can't get mad at anyone."

Selina smiled. "Thanks, Rile. I owe you one. I can't believe all the 'duties' I have now that I hold the highly sought after position of Mrs. Lucius Malfoy."

Riley set down the cantaloupe. "You'll be interested to know, I'm sure, that it is a highly sought after position. Lucius Malfoy holds a lot of power here in Europe. Whether it legit," Riley lowered her voice, "or not."

Selina set aside her food as well and leaned in closer to her friend. Pamela, who had been leafing through what Selina assumed to be her daily planner, was allowed to join the group. "You still think he's bad news, don't you?" Selina asked. "What've you heard now?"

Riley suddenly became very interested in her untouched eggs. "Oh, nothing much. Just that he runs with a dark crowd. Tell me, Selina. How many attendants at the wedding were prosecuted as Death Eaters? I'll tell you how many: thirty-eight. And I bet there were more who never even went to trial."

Pamela nodded. "I heard stuff like that too. My mother didn't want me to come and work here because of the Malfoys' reputation."

Selina leaned back in her chair and took time to process the information. Death Eaters had always been a far-away subject for her. Voldemort's terrible first reign had never truly spread to North or South America. Sure, those days had been dark times, but the Muggle killings and Death Eaters had been a whole ocean away. Serendipity's barely taught about Voldemort's first reign--partly because the American Ministry of Magic was embarrassed to admit that they didn't lend any help--much less what the Death Eaters had actually done. She did know enough, however, to understand how dangerous Lucius Malfoy could possibly be.

"What else have you heard?" Selina asked Riley.

"Lucius Malfoy is very much against Muggle-borns," Riley replied, making a wry face. "Guess I shouldn't tell him about my mother, should I?"

Selina nodded. She was about to respond when a high, frightened gasp escaped Pamela's lips.

"Mr. Malfoy!"

"Indeed," Lucius murmured. Selina shrank into her chair, her green eyes wide. Lucius had, since their last meeting, acquired a walking cane. She wondered to herself if he had ever hit his previous wife with the cane...But Lucius was talking again and she thought it best to listen. "I had decided to stop by this morning, to pick up Selina, and here I find you all having a warm little chitchat about me!" His fake smile disappeared, replaced by a look of cold indifference. "Hurry up, and get into the carriage. Draco overslept and missed his carriage. His school requires that a guardian now goes with him to the school and deliver him personally."

Selina's relaxed somewhat. Maybe he wouldn't be too upset. "We're going to go to the school with him?" she asked.

Lucius shook his head. "No, darling," he drawled coldly, "you'll take Draco to the school. I have to go over some important papers with one of my assistants, Arielle DeSanders. I'm afraid that you'll have to brave this journey alone. Ms. Duraford,"--he shot a venomous look at Pamela--"will be busy bringing together the ball, and I'm sure that Ms. Riley has better things to do."

With one last frightened look to Riley and Pamela, Selina was all but forced to the door. Two carriages awaited out front, and Lucius shoved Selina towards the second one. Draco was just barely visible through the cloudy-glass windows, but it was hard not to miss the rail thin top-heavy blonde in the carriage Lucius started towards. Without so much as goodbye her aristocratic husband stepped into the first carriage and, with a heavy thump to the side of the carriage, he was gone. Much more slowly than Lucius, Selina made her way to her carriage. To her surprise, when she reached it, the door swung open, and Draco helped her in.

"Couldn't make it, could he?" he asked, and this time Selina heard just the slightest tinge of hurt.

"No. He had to go to a meeting. I guess I'll be taking you up to--Where do you go to school? I always forget the name..."

"Hogwarts. I'm going to Hogwarts," Draco muttered. The carriage had started by now, and Selina lay back onto the soft velvet cushions. She could tell that Draco didn't want to talk, and, based on the events of the last fifteen minutes, neither did she.