Marrying Lucius Malfoy

"Lucius, come and play! I'm bored."

Lucius looked up from the important contracts he was scanning over and raised a fair blonde eyebrow at the willowy girl lying on his hotel bed. "Arielle," he drawled, "you know what will happen if I don't get these contracts signed by tomorrow. And besides, I'm not in the mood for play." He ignored Arielle's frustrated moan and picked up his expensive eagle feather quill.

"You never want to play anymore," Arielle muttered, rolling over to the far side of the bed. She picked up her bright pink slip and pulled it up over pale blue panties. "You'd think that a man of your power would have a million mistresses," she continued, unaware of Lucius's poisonous glare. "I mean, when you were married to Narcissa it was as if you couldn't get enough of me but now that this Selina girl has entered the picture... and you don't even like her! You were bloody awful to her this morning!" Now Arielle was buttoning her chic, elegant designer robe. "You confuse me, Lucius Malfoy. You really and honestly do." With a taunting smirk Arielle finished redressing and strode over to the ebony hotel desk. "If you want me I'll be in room thirty-eight, writing up those letter you asked me to, like a good girl." Having said that the lithe "secretary" stepped purposefully out of the room.

Lucius sighed thankfully when he heard the double doors to his hotel suite slam shut. Arielle had been his official mistress for the past five years, and she had been his off-and-on secretary for the past three. Ever since Narcissa's murder, though, she had been reduced to the mere role of his secretary. Somehow, whenever he had tried to have sex with Arielle, he pictured either Narcissa's dead corpse or Selina's stiff, magically bound body in her place. Needless to say, both mental images killed the mood almost instantly. Sighing tiredly Lucius set down his quill and thought back to Arielle's chiding words about Selina.

"You don't even like her! You were bloody awful to her morning!"

Had he really been? Well, she deserved the cold shoulder, then. She and her uppity friend and her maid had been gossiping about him! Yet, she was so young-only three years older than Draco-and he had been rather rough with her...

As Lucius prepared for bed he resolved to have a halfway decent conversation with his new wife. Who knew? Maybe it would do their marriage good.

Maybe she wouldn't turn out like Narcissa...

~*~

Both Selina and Draco had staid quiet throughout the entire journey to Hogwarts. Selina had just followed her stepson wordlessly through the brick barrier to the Hogwarts Express. Now the scarlet train was slowing down at a small train station, and Selina felt it best to break the eerie silence. "Did the headmaster of your school say that he would send down a carriage?" she asked softly, drawing Draco out of his own little world.

"Yes," he muttered. "It should be waiting not far from here."

Selina nodded and stood up. Stretching her stiff joints she slid open the compartment door and stepped out into the corridor of the train. Allowing Draco to pass in front of her Selina had to trot to keep up with his long strides. He surprised her pleasantly when he jumped off the train and extended his hand to help her down. After a muttering a quick 'thank you' Selina followed her stepson to a stone gray horseless carriage. The insides were pale cream, and the seats were soft and cushiony. The second Draco slammed the door shut, the carriage took off, and it was only a matter of minutes before a grand castle-much larger and grander than Serendipity's-came into view. Draco seemed unimpressed by the splendor of what could only be Hogwarts castle, but then again he had been born into such regality.

A lone figure stood on the sprawling lawn of the school grounds, though Selina saw three students approaching the castle in the distance. The carriage halted only a few feet away from the man, and a shiver went down Selina's spine as her eyes traveled up and down the lean figure. This man had attended the wedding only long enough to drop off a gift, and he seemed to be on the outs with Lucius. Selina had breathed a silent sigh of relief when he had left. His billowing black robes-they seemed almost identical to the ones he was wearing now-had been very much out of place at the wedding, if not the slightest bit ratty. He had greasy, stringy black hair that had been tied back for the occasion with a silver ribbon, and his sour milk skin had turned an odd pink when he had brushed up against Riley. He had a hooked nose that was too large to be fully in proportion with the rest of his face, and, in her over all opinion, Selina had written him off as a fellow as odd as Draco.

"Professor Snape!" Draco called, swinging the door open and jumping down onto the lawn. "I'm so sorry that I overslept! The house-elves forgot to awaken me on time, and you know that I hate getting up early in the morning..." The pale, handsome young man trailed off at the stern look he received from 'Prof. Snape'. In an attempt to get the attention away from himself, Draco motioned to Selina, who was stepping daintily out of the carriage. "Professor, this is my stepmother, Ms. Selina. My father had business to attend to so he sent her along to make sure I got here alright."

"Is she a legal guardian?" Snape asked, and he seemed a good deal more together than he had been at the wedding.

"I am," Selina murmured, and Snape nodded curtly.

"Well, then, come with me, the both of you. Prof. Dumbledore wants to talk to you, Mr. Malfoy, and then he wants Mrs. Malfoy-"

"It's Ms. Julliard," Selina corrected, earning a raised eyebrow from Snape and a reproachful glance from Draco.

"Just come with me," Snape snapped, turning swiftly on his heel and marching off towards the grand castle doors. He walked even faster than Draco, so both he and Selina fell behind.

"Ms. Julliard?" Draco asked softly, taking care to keep his voice and expressions calm.

"It's what I preferred to be called," Selina replied, taking care not to lock eyes with her stepson.

"I know you don't want to be married to my father, but must you be so obvious to the public? In case you have not noticed, Ms. Julliard, you now live in a word where image is everything. If my father, your husband, ever caught word that you were instructing people to refer to you by your maiden name he would go mad with anger." Draco paused for a moment. "My father's very dangerous when he's angry."

Suppressing a nervous gulp Selina played it cool. "The death of another wife," she murmured quietly, so that Snape wouldn't overhear, "would not look so good on your father's track record. And remember, I'm American. It would greatly upset the American Ministry of Magic if I were to acquire bruises from my 'husband'. I think I can handle myself."

That shut Draco right up, and the rest of the walk to the headmaster's office was spent in silence. Soon the three of them reached a large stone gargoyle, and, the moment Snape said the password-Chocolate Frogs-the gargoyle began to spiral away to reveal a winding staircase.

"Ladies first," Snape said in his soft, unnerving voice. Selina nodded in thanks and stepped carefully up the stone stairway, arriving quickly to her destination.

The office that she stepped in to was circular in shape, with many portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses hung on the walls and silver contraptions whirling away on the shelves. A beautifully colored bird-it had to be a phoenix-slept peacefully on a perch, and a fire crackled in the fireplace, but Selina noticed none of that. From the first moment she had stepped in the amazing room her eyes had been drawn to the elderly man sitting behind the grand oak desk. He had a long silvery beard that went down past his knees and hair just as long. Perched on his long crooked nose was a pair of spectacles, and warmth radiated off his body. This man could be only one man: Albus Dumbledore. The second Draco and Snape followed Selina in, Dumbledore was out of his seat, merriness sparkling in his blue eyes.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy! Severus! I've been expecting you two...But who's this young lady? A cousin, perhaps?" Dumbledore's smile was so sincere that Selina couldn't find it in her heart to despise him for being so naïve.

Instead she extended her hand to the old man and said, "Actually, Professor Dumbledore, I'm Draco's stepmother, Selina Julliard."

Draco made a warning coughing noise behind, but Selina pretended not to hear. "Julliard?" Dumbledore asked softly. "Wouldn't that be Malfoy?" He got his answer when Selina winced involuntarily. "I see," he said in an even kinder voice than before. Turning to Draco and Snape he said, "Severus, Mr. Malfoy, you two shoud go now to discuss Mr. Malfoy's punishment. Ms. Julliard will sign the form and be on her way."

Draco looked as though he wanted to protest, but Snape grabbed his elbow roughly and all but dragged him out of the room. As soon as Dumbledore heard the gargoyle swivel back into place he sat down at the seat behind his desk. He motioned for Selina to sit in the one in front of his desk, and she did so nervously as he opened a desk drawer and brought out a piece of thick parchment.

"Sign this, please," Dumbledore commanded, pushing the parchment and a quill towards the young redhead. "It will merely state, for any future need, that Mr. Malfoy was returned to Hogwarts in the company of a guardian. The school board likes us to keep such documents at hand." Dumbledore watched Selina write her first name but stopped her as she was about to add a fancy, loopy J. "I would advise, Ms. Julliard, that you use your married name. Your husband sits on the school board. He would be less than pleased to come across this slip of parchment and find that you signed what I am assuming is your maiden name."

Selina sighed deeply but finished her signature with a quickly scrawled 'Malfoy'. Shuddering at the very sight, Selina pushed the form back over to the elderly headmaster. She made a move to stand, intent on escaping the sudden prison that Dumbledore's office seemed to impose, but he stopped her with a mere nod of his head. Sinking back slowly into her seat Selina folded her hands gracefully and sat with the refined posture that Serendipity's had bred into her very being.

"Whatever do you wish to discuss?" she asked, adding charm and grace to her Southern drawl, becoming the well mannered Southern belle that she had been molded into in a matter of seconds. "Is Draco doing well in school?"

Dumbledore gave her a questioning look but shook his head. "No, Ms. Julliard. I wish to ask you about your...other half." The way he avoided calling Lucius her husband greatly eased Selina's nerves. Maybe Dumbledore understood her. "If you don't mind me asking I'd like to know how Lucius Malfoy found such a lovely young wife. You can't be much older than twenty-five."

"I'm nineteen, Professor Dumbledore. In that United States I'm considered an adult."

"Then you chose to marry Lucius Malfoy?"

Selina shook her head. "My parents were in great financial trouble, and, after they were murdered, the only way to keep their land and wealth was to marry Lucius Malfoy. My godmother arranged this all."

Dumbledore's eyes suddenly changed from worried and perhaps pitying to understanding. "Selina Julliard! Second daughter of Simon and Esme Julliard, am I correct? I had heard of your sister's work quite often through the grapevine." There was a long and awkward silence then. A look was playing on Dumbledore's face that hinted that he wanted to ask more about Lucius but that he felt it would be impolite.

Before he could ask any more personal questions, however, Selina made the decision that it was high time to go. It was probably getting dark outside, and she truly hated traveling alone at night. "Well," she said, standing up and gathering her skirt about her, "I'd best be off now. I really do need to get back to the manor, and it's a long journey."

Dumbledore seemed to sense that he had overstepped an invisible boundary, and he extended his hand to Selina's. "Allow me to escort you to your carriage. This is a big castle, and you might get lost."

Selina knew better than to reject Dumbledore's offer, and she walked silently down the swiveling staircase. The walk down to the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts was a silent one. The few times that Dumbledore might have asked a question Selina sped up ahead of him, and the elderly man got the message.

By the time they reached the Entrance Hall it was dinnertime. Students were already filing into the Great Hall and sitting down at their house tables, and a few hormone-ridden young men stopped and made eyes at the pretty redhead walking alongside their headmaster. Selina even caught sight of Draco, plodding along with a ditzy blonde girl. When he saw her he looked away quickly.

A boy not far behind him winked 'roguishly' at her though, and Draco whirled around and snapped, "You're making eyes at my stepmother, you fool!"

The boy gasped in what Selina perceived as utter horror-he must be scared of the Malfoys-and dashed into the Great Hall without so much as looking back. "I was having fun with these schoolboys," Selina muttered to Dumbledore, and he chuckled amusedly.

"You're quite a pleasure to get to know," the old man said, and he veered unexpectedly into the Great Hall, leading Selina with him. "I hope I'll have the honor of getting to know you further. You know, this year Hogwarts has decided to try something new. On Halloween we're having the families of all our students come to the castle for a sort of all-day festival. The parents will arrive in the morning and immediately be assigned into teams. The rest of the day will involve a quidditch match, a treasure hunt, and other such games. Points will be awarded to each team for its good achievements and, in the end of the day, the points will be tallied. The winning team is each awarded a special prize, and in the evening there will be a masquerade. You'll also get a chance to tour your child's common room and classrooms. I'd love for you to come, as well as your...As well as Mr. Malfoy."

Selina frowned slightly. "But I don't have a child here," she reminded him. Then it hit her. "You mean Draco? But he isn't my child! He's just my stepson, and I don't think he'd like it if I just showed up on a day meant for parents. I mean, it's so soon after his mother passed on, and..." She trailed off hopelessly. "His father probably wouldn't be able to make it, and if his new stepmother, a woman only three years older than him, showed up alone then you can be sure he'd be upset about it."

Dumbledore put his hands together and shook his head. "I wish I could convince you otherwise, Ms. Julliard," he murmured, pushing open the doors to the castle and walking down the steps with the young Southern belle. "As I before mentioned, it was delightful meeting you."

"Likewise," Selina countered.

"I hope you'll change your mind about the Halloween Festival. I think Mr. Malfoy would appreciate your attendance, whether you're his nineteen-year-old stepmother or not." With a kind smile he helped Selina into the carriage. "Good evening, Ms. Julliard. Have a safe trip home."

Selina smiled pleasantly and nodded. "Same to you!" she called as the horses drawing the carriage began to trot a bit faster. She watched Hogwarts and its beautiful splendor fade into the night, and eventually she forced herself to face forward. Thoughts swam in her head about the day's happenings, and all the strange things that had taken place. What was it about that Snape fellow that made him so nervous around Lucius? Why was Dumbledore so intent on having her back to Hogwarts? And was Lucius really some ex-Death Eater? Or, worse yet, was he currently carrying out You Know Who's biddings? Just how many ex-Death Eaters had attended her wedding altogether?

That night when she climbed into her large, empty, lonely bed she didn't stop thinking. Next time, when she saw Lucius, she'd confront him. She'd ask him about everything that had been bothering her. She'd ask him if he were willing to separate so she could go home. Sleep came easily after she had decided that, and Selina had all but forgotten the terrifying dream that had awoken her that morning.

But the causer of the dream hadn't forgotten her.

They never would...

***

Scared you last night, didn't I?

Thought I was just some nightmare, did you?

Oh, poor, poor, naïve Selina...You're going to be so much fun to toy with. Even more fun than your meddlesome older sister. You see, my dear, your sister was prepared for me. It took me months to break down her defenses enough to torture her and drive her mad. Bu you're just the prissy, haughty, weakling of a proper lady that your sister never was. And proper ladies are never used to pain...

And I can cause you such great pain. When I'm through to you death will seem like a precious gift. Sweet dreams, Selina...I'll see you soon...

***

"Leave me be!"

The eyes...The piercing, icy blue eyes! They were back! There were after her! Selina rocked back in forth in her bed, letting out faint whimpers and clutching her hand to her mouth. This time she couldn't forget the way those icy, piercing blue eyes had stared her down...This time the panic wouldn't subside.

Sweet dream...Sweet dreams...Sweet dreams...

A voice as equally chilling as the blue eyes kept laughing and chanting in the back of Selina's mind. There was a certain familiarity to it, a certain memorable bite that she couldn't quite place. The voice kept taunting her, repeating phrases over and over again.

I'll see you soon...I'll see you soon...Sweet dreams...Sweet dreams...

***

"You said she kept chanting something?"

"Screaming it, rather."

"What did she scream?"

"She kept screaming 'sweet dreams, I'll see you soon'. Finally Ms. Laverne stunned her."

"And what about her accident? Can you describe it?"

There's a lengthy pause between the two people...A man and a woman...

"She...She was very upset about something. I found her at the bottom of the staircase up to the third floor. Her room is on the third floor, just a few doors down from the staircase, so I suppose she got so disoriented that she bolted down the hall and then...It was a long fall down those stairs, Doctor Pierson. How is she?"

"Battered, bruised...Well, you can see for yourself. She cracked a few ribs, but we healed those right up. Broke her leg, too. But other than that it's not to bad. At least we think so. We still have a few tests to run over. Procedure, you see. Now, could you fill out-Ah, Mr. Malfoy! I'm glad that you've arrived."

Another person entered the room...

"My god, what happened to her? What happened to my wife?"

"She had an accident-"

"Will she be able to have children? Will she be able to give me children?"

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy. Her reproductive organs were not harmed. But really, you should be more concerned about Selina. She was quite out of sorts when Ms. Duraford found her."

Selina's awakening now...She's foggy, but she remembers the terror she felt before...She remembers the bad feeling in her room that drove her towards the stairs, that drove her crashing down the staircase...Those blue eyes were so haunting, and they're still fresh in her memory...Will they come after her again?

"Mrs. Malfoy? Are you coming around?"

Suddenly everything was very clear and very bright. Selina sat up in bed and stretched lazily. Her joints and body were a little sore, but she felt rested and relaxed. Where was she?

A hospital room? Had Pamela taken her to a hospital? And, oh Merlin, Lucius was here...He looked pale-so much paler than usual-and he was gripping his cane tightly. A strange emotion was playing in his eyes, something that was so foreign to this man that it looked almost creepy.

"Everyone out," he commanded. "I want to speak to my wife."

The doctor sighed and left stiffly, while Pamela shot Selina a worried glance before tromping out. When they were gone Lucius sat down on her bed. He looked at her for one long moment, and his gaze has a smoldering feel about it. Selina squirmed away towards the wall. She didn't like the way he was looking at her.

"You gave me quite a scare."

Selina blinked at her 'husband's' words. She had given him a...scare? He was serious about it, too. Did her health really worry him that much?

"I thought you were dead when I came in. You look very pale, Selina." Lucius sighed and reached out to put his hand on her cheek. There was surprising warmth to his touch that Selina never would have associated with Lucius. "The pink color was gone from your cheeks, and you were so still. And there was that terrible scar across your eyebrow...I suppose it'll never go away."

"Dead women can't have babies, you know," Selina replied coolly.

Lucius looked a little shocked at her cheek, but he bowed his head as if he knew she would be angry. "No they can't," he murmured softly. "But I was worried for your safety. You're my wife."

"Narcissa's death raised enough suspicion. Two dead wives within two months? Even for a Malfoy, that'd be pushing it." Selina jerked her face away from his touch. "You would be worried for my safety simply because, if I die, you will be investigated to some degree. And even if they found that you weren't responsible for my death they might find other things." If he didn't get her point she added, "Whether legit or not."

Lucius then made a face so sour that, for the first time since her parents died, Selina truly laughed.