Marrying Lucius Malfoy

Selina's curly red hair blew wildly in the wind. The thin green ribbon that had held her hair in a tight bun had blown away in the storm's bluster, and she had long ago stopped trying to keep her hair presentable. Her pale pink dress was ruined as well. She had tripped and fallen in a muddy puddle ten minutes ago, and the front of her dress was absolutely soaked with dirty water. She would, no doubt, be in for quite a telling off when she returned to the manor. Ms. Laverne had been very critical of her lately, ever since she had arrived back from the Hogwarts competition. Selina had started to suspect that Lucius was involved with that. He had been strangely distant from everyone, and he was often away on "business."

"Oi, Selina! Wait up!"

Selina turned around to see Pamela dashing towards her. Pamela had finally begun to call her by her first name, and she now they acted more like sisters than a maid and her employer. Riley rounded out the trio, and she stopped by the manor as often as possible. However, Riley was getting bored of being cooped up in a mansion bought by Lucius Malfoy. She had confided in Selina her urge to begin her own business, and so she had set off two days ago to haggle over the price of an empty building in Diagon Alley. She was expected back in two days, and Selina had been rather bored without her wisecracking best friend.

When Pamela caught up with her Selina found that she was not much better off than she. Pamela's simple lavender dress was covered in grass stains and the entire hem was dripping with muddy water. Pamela's usually stick straight gold-blonde hair had twigs and bits of grass in it, as if the woman had taken a nasty fall a ways back, and her hands were covered in mud.

"Selina, why are we out here in the storm?" Pamela's sky blue eyes were squinted nearly shut, and her thin arms were wrapped tightly around her shivering body. "Ms. Laverne will go mad when she sees the mess we've made of ourselves."

Selina smirked in a way she had just recently picked up from her 'husband'. "Let her have a fit," she muttered. Ms. Laverne was the least of her worries at the moment. "And besides, I didn't ask you to come. I gave you the afternoon off."

Pamela rolled her eyes. "Stay around and let Ms. Laverne glare moodily at me? I think not!" She looked around the expansive back lawns of Malfoy Manor. Selina had wandered off from the cobblestone path that led from the maze of gardens and small courtyards down to the lake behind the manor, and she was headed for the small, weathered shed that Lucius had told her all the garden supplies were held in.

"Remember yesterday when you weren't feeling well? And I told you to go and have an early evening?" When Pamela nodded Selina went on. "Well, as you might imagine, with nobody to talk to, I grew quite bored. Ms. Laverne got tired of me wandering the halls of the manor, exploring the place, so she told me to go to the library and poke around in there."

"I take it you found something of interest." It had begun to rain, and Pamela, who had been clutching her colonial cap in her right hand, pulled it over her head to keep the rain off. The flimsy cap was exceedingly ineffective, and she began walking more quickly towards the shed.

Selina simply nodded, then grinned sheepishly. "Well, not at first," she admitted. "In fact, it took me three hours to find anything to captivate my attention. I had been looking through old volumes in the farthest corner of the library, and one happened to catch my eye. It was a thick, medium sized green handbook, or so I thought at first. Upon opening it I found it to be the diary of Havana Malfoy." Selina produced the green diary from under her dress. "She lived three hundred and fifty years ago. She, like I, was married at a very young age, only sixteen. She was an orphan also, but her uncle had raised her until the time she was married. He had died of an unnamed disease, and Gregorio Malfoy seized this opportunity to get her to marry him. Her uncle hadn't been very rich, so Havana had no choice but to marry the man."

"Sounds like a certain someone I know," Pamela quipped.

"I thought so too! Well, it turns out that Havana wasn't treated very well. Her husband didn't even provide her with a maid in hopes that she might make a new friend. Well, eventually, after being married to Gregorio for two years, I came to this entry." Selina opened the diary and handed it to Pamela.

April 8^th, 1646

Dearest Diary,

It saddens me to see the sun break through yonder clouds. Now, understandably, I should be greatly pleased with the least bit of sun after the torrents of rain that ruined Sir's crops.

"Sir?" Pamela asked. "Who's he?"

"That's what Havana called her husband. She said it was because he was so stiff. He thought of it rather as an endearment," Selina answered.

But still, it saddens me. Such is it in this drafty manor that sun barely ever shines through the curtains. I was told that it was because Sir's grandmother--she died three years before the two of us were wed--hated the sunlight. Some whisper that the old crone was a vampire, but that is far beside my point.

I am so lonely here at Malfoy Manor. Sir loves me, I know, but it is his own, cold, distant sort of love. The servants barely talk to me, and I am left much to my own accords. I have asked quite often for a pet, maybe a puppy or an owl, but Sir is allergic to most animals, and besides, I doubt he would appreciate me coming to love anything more than he.

And then the idea stuck me! Why not begin my own garden? And not any trifle by the manor, mind you. As I previously mentioned, some three months ago, when I explored the woods behind the manor I discovered there to be a broken down fort, most likely made for the pleasure of Malfoys past...

"She goes on to say that she created the garden. It was an escape for her. Eventually, however, she had children, three boys, three girls, and left the garden in permanent bloom. She wrote that, to any woman who had been in her state, would be able to find the garden and pick up where she left off." Selina flipped to the back of the book, where a note was scribbled in Havana Malfoy's scrawl.

To all the future Mrs. Malfoys,

If you have found my diary and read it over than you must know that, for the first five years of my marriage to Gregorio Malfoy, I was very unhappy. I had no family left, and no friends to speak of. To any woman in my state of despair, take comfort in this book. The garden will be open only to you, and your names will be recorded in silence. We are the Lonely Ones, and we will not be forgotten.

With All My Good Wishes,

Havana Dianna Malfoy

Under her names there were five others: Siana L. Malfoy, Tyrana C. Malfoy, Cerpathia K. Tryce, Juliet G. Malfoy, and, most recently, Selina A. Julliard.

Pamela raised an eyebrow. "Why are you and Cerpathia Tryce the only ones to retain your maiden names?"

"Because, once you become at peace with your husband the name you signed changes to Malfoy."

"But Cerpathia Tryce lived two-hundred-thirty years ago. What happened to her?"

They had reached the shed, and Pamela had stepped under the shelter, but Selina paused uncomfortably, still in the now pouring rain. "I did a bit of research, and I found that Cerpathia Tryce committed suicide. By hanging. And her husband married another woman within the month."

Pamela snorted distastefully and opened the shed's door. "What a pig."

"Just like Lucius," Selina muttered, and Pamela fell silent. They began rummaging through the garden supplies, selecting spades, hoes, and shovels, and dropping them into a box until Selina let out a startled cry.

"Dead dog!"

Pamela was swift to join the young red head's side, and she pushed Selina aside gently and knelt beside the lifeless animal. "It's still warm," she said, "so I estimate that it passed on only this morning." Then Pamela frowned. "But its teats look full..." And then she gasped. Selina saw it at the same time.

"Puppies!"

~*~

"A puppy?" Lucius stared at Ms. Laverne with a blank expression, as if puppies were entirely foreign to him. "She wants to keep a puppy she found by the lake?"

Ms. Laverne pursed her lips and nodded. "Truthfully, Mr. Malfoy, it's crups. She wants to keep two baby crups."

Lucius gripped his cane and sneered. "Baby whatsists?"

"Baby crups. Don't tell me you've never heard of crups." Lucius's expression could have stopped a clock. Ms. Laverne bowed her head in apology. Her years at Malfoy Manor had made her haughty for a servant, and she should best remember her place with Lucius Malfoy. "Crups," she said, "are little magical creatures that look like Jack Russell terriers, save the fact that they have forked tails. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them says that crups are ferocious towards muggles but that they're steadfastly loyal to wizards. Miss Selina found two young crups, only a few months old, out in the fields earlier this afternoon. Their mum's dead, and she wants to keep them."

Lucius's sneer deepened. "We shall see about this," he growled before throwing his study door open and storming down the gloomy hall. He didn't have to seek his wife out, as he had thought he would, however, for she came to him. For a moment, though, Lucius wondered if the woman before him was even his wife.

Selina was smiling. He had seen her smile before, of course, but never at him, and never so widely. Her green eyes shone happily, and there was a new bounce to her step. In each arm she cradled a tiny puppy of a creature. Like Ms. Laverne has said, the crup looked like a Jack Russell, but they were both black, which Lucius knew no Jack Russell terrier to be, with floppy ears and a shot of a larger breed in them. They appeared to be only partly crup, but the purity of their blood mattered not to him at that moment.

All that mattered was the smile.

Lucius actually felt the sneer disappear, and then, even more bizarrely, he felt himself smile softly. Behind him Ms. Laverne stood stiffly, watching in disbelief, as Lucius extended his arms. "May I hold one?" he asked.

Selina's smile broadened, and she extended the one with smaller crup. "That's the girl," she explained, in her heavy Southern drawl. "She's Artemis, and this little fellow is Apollo." In case Lucius was too stupid to understand what she meant, she added, "You know, like the Greek gods."

Lucius cradled the crup and nodded. "I suppose you'll want to keep them?" he asked.

Selina's eyes brightened even more. "Oh, could I? I swear they'll be no trouble to you!" Before Lucius could reply she had thrown her arms around his neck in a shocking display of affection. The little crup pups gave small whimpers at their precarious positions--pressed in between the bodies of their new mother and that of a strange man--and Selina backed away slowly. She scooped the girl crup from Lucius's arms and turned back towards the direction of her own rooms. "Thank you, Lucius. Thank you. You don't know what this means to me."

Lucius could only nod. Never in his life would he have expected Selina to treat him so cordially. She had been quite the little wench since their arrival back from Hogwarts, dropping hints about old beaus and smiling flirtatiously at any man who crossed the threshold of Malfoy Manor, including his own brother, Lucifer, who had stopped in two days ago. A strange glint of pride came over Selina whenever Lucius began to turn a pale shade of red, especially in Lucifer's case.

Ms. Laverne noticed too. "Quite a change of heart," she said slowly, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"Quite." Lucius shook his head quickly and turned towards his study, in the opposite direction. "She's so sparkly when she's happy," he observed aloud, to no one but himself.

"Sparkly, Mr. Malfoy?" Ms. Laverne asked disbelievingly. "This is Miss Selina we're talking about, correct? She can hardly be considered sparkly..." But she trailed off when she saw her master shrug and continue to saunter off. He seemed his regular self now, no longer mumbling or smiling softly in a way that did not at all suit his pale face. If she herself had not seen the strange, tingly look in his eyes than Delilah Laverne would never have believed it possible.

Lucius Malfoy was falling in love...

~*~

Selina hated doctor's offices. She hated the too sterile rooms, the long waits, the unearthly quietness that befell them, and the strangers that insisted on prodding her with all sorts of gizmos. However, Riley and Pamela insisted, and together the two made a force to be reckoned with. She had no choice but to make an appointment with Lucius's pricey but "brilliant" doctor, a man by the name of Carkfunkell.

"It's not as if I really have a sickness," she complained for the millionth time while sitting on Carfunkell's large, shiny, silver examining table. Pamela and Riley, tired of her thousands of complaints, didn't listen. "I've only thrown up a few times over the past few days, and the nausea is sure to pass."

"The doctor will be here in a few moments," Pamela snapped, and Selina made a good show of being hurt.

As if on cue the door to the small room swung open and a handsome young man stepped in. "Dr. Reginald Carfunkell," he said, grinning toothily at the room full of young women. "Which of you is Mrs. Malfoy?"

"I am," Selina said. She couldn't help but feel her day was perking up. Dr. Carfunkell was much younger and much handsomer than she had expected him to be.

"Of course," he said. "The most unique one of all." He strode over to Selina and continued speaking. "My family's been doctoring the Malfoys for three centuries, and they've always had the most unique wives." He took out a stethoscope and, after lifting up the thin paper hospital dress, began to listen to her breathing. "Josiah Malfoy's wife was half fairy. Now that was an unusual pairing if I ever saw one! God only knows how it happened, but the woman had blue hair and tiny wings! She was quite the rarity, and so he convinced her to marry him! Horatio Malfoy married Inga Svanson. Not physically unique, but she was the first woman ever to play national Quidditch. That was back when Malfoys weren't sexist, of course."

Pamela, who hadn't mastered the arching of one eyebrow yet, raised both. "And how is she so unique?" she asked.

Dr. Carfunkell paused. He had taken his wand from a loop on the belt and had begun to trace it across Selina's abdomen. So far he had not asked a thing about Selina's symptoms, and, what with his talkative manner and sociable ways, the young redhead wondered if he even was Dr. Carfunkell.

"Why, can't you see it?" he asked. "I thought that it was plain as day..." His gray-green eyes were boring into Selina's belly, and she had the distinct feeling that he saw her as a totally different person than she really was. "My grandmother, she used to tell me about the Lovely Ones. Gods among us all, and she is..." Selina had pulled her hospital gown closed and stared at Dr. Carfunkell with unabashed resentment. Recovering himself Dr. Carfunkell shook his head. "Naught but old wives' tales. Forgive me, Mrs. Malfoy. I shall proceed with your checkup now, if that's all right." He seemed quite apologetic, and Selina allowed him to resume his procedure. "Now, you said here that you've been feeling nauseas, and your friend, Ms. Duraford, says that you've thrown up no fewer than eight times in the past three days."

"That's correct." Selina smiled weakly. "But it's just stress! You see, I've been planning this ball for the past few months, and it's been postponed three times. It's on New Years Eve, and I have so many deadlines to meet. And my crups are tearing up the home, so I've had to make all these repairs..." Selina trailed off when Riley put a comforting hand on her arm. The stress was showing on her face, and Dr. Carfunkell nodded.

"Well, Mrs. Malfoy, I have a theory as to what you might have, but I'll have to run a test first. It's a quick procedure, done with a small machine, but it sends a little jolt throughout the patients. Do I have your consent to continue?" Selina was surprised by the man's sudden stiffness, but she nodded wordlessly.

"She's not going to die, is she?" Riley asked. "Her husband's a damn idiot, and God knows what that man's been feeding her-" Pamela clamped her hand over her friend's mouth and made a 'not-here' face. Riley quieted down, but the same angry look remained on her face.

"She won't die, Ms. Bryce," Dr. Carfunkell assured her, and then he dimmed the lights and began to explain what he was going to do. "Using a rather simple little gadget," he said while placing a camera-like machine on Selina's bare stomach, "I'm going to take a very accurate picture of her insides."

"Like an x-ray?" Riley asked suspiciously.

"The picture that will be taken is much more accurate than the most advanced of x-rays or muggle contraptions," Dr. Carfukell said testily, eying the camera-machine with great pride. "I developed it myself."

"Good for you," Riley muttered, frowning moodily at the wooden floor.

"Let's just get it over with," Selina sighed tiredly, and everyone quieted as Dr. Carfunkell pressed a button on the camera-machine. There was a bright flash of magenta light, Selina let out a squeal, and a glossy picture slid out from a slot on the camera-machine. Selina clutched her stomach, but she insisted that she was fine. "I just want to know what's the matter with me," she told a concerned Pamela.

"Nothing's the matter with you, Mrs. Malfoy." Dr. Carfunkell was studying the picture with an intense interest. "Quite the contrary, in fact."

Selina held her hand out for the picture. "May I see it?" she asked.

Dr. Carfunkell nodded quickly and handed her the picture. "Of course, of course. It's pretty self-explanatory. You understand, now, what's been causing your illness?"

Selina didn't answer though. She stared in silent shock at the picture, and, out of an unknown and developing instinct, her hand when strait to her belly. She didn't talk for a long time. Her green eyes seemed to be memorizing every inch of the picture, and her friends could tell if she was pleased or not with the results. After the suspense grew to be too great, however, Pamela broke the silence.

"Well?" she asked uncertainly, as if unsure whether to pursue. "What's the matter?"

Selina looked up quite suddenly, and she blinked dazedly at those around her. "Dear sweet goodness!" Her breath was short and her voice was stunned. "I'm going to have a baby!"

***

There had been many times over past month in which Lucius greatly regretted allowing 'Artemis' and 'Apollo' to stay. Nothing at all like the immortal namesakes, the crups were whirling dervishes. Lucius had checked up on their backgrounds to find that they were three-fourths crup, and one-fourth Great Dane. He had been told that the cross-breeding of crups and normal dogs was illegal, but that many rich folk paid millions of Galleons for such matches. Lucius couldn't fathom why. Crups were bad enough when they were small, but because of their "large" parentage Selina's were two times their normal size, and their large paw prints could be found all over the pristine floors of Malfoy Manor.

Lucius often came home from a long day at work--he had made his own fortune through wise investments, high-interest loans, and by holding various high positions at the Ministry of Magic--only to find that Artemis had peed all over his hand carved ebony desk and that Apollo had chewed his best Italian leather shoes beyond recognition. He always lost the urge to scream himself senseless, however, when he found his young wife bent over her puppies' latest mess, doing the best she could to repair the damage.

She'd see him watching her intently, and she'd smile apologetically. "They got a little rowdy today," she'd explain, and then she'd resume her scrubbing or mending or whatever. Little did she know the impact that her love toward her crups had on Lucius. The little scamps destroyed more of her property than anyone else's, and yet she never raised her voice to them. A firm reprimand was all they ever received. Such love Lucius had never before seen, and it rather enchanted him that two bundles of fur could invoke something within the woman that even he could not. Much to his embarrassment he had begun to envy the crup pups whenever Selina cooed over their wellbeing.

Ms. Laverne was far less understanding of them, of course. Often she raved to Lucius and anyone who would listen that the "demonic little brats" had destroyed some priceless vase or another. Ms. Laverne always insisted that she was a cat person, and both puppies had learned early on to avoid the heavyset woman.

However, neither of the crups were on Lucius's mind that evening. He had been gone two days on a business trip to Bridgington, and upon his arrival home Ms. Laverne had informed him of three things. Firstly, Artemis had eaten all the sample hors 'devours that the caterer had brought to the manor earlier that morning. Secondly, Apollo had urinated upon Mrs. Rich-New-Neighbor when the woman had introduced herself the afternoon before, and not only was the woman offended, but because she had tried to kick the crup puppy Selina saw it fit to send the woman a Howler. Lastly and most importantly in Lucius's opinion was that Selina had been sick.

"Ah, yes...Bouts of queasiness, a good deal of throwing up, and dear me but did she ever look pale at breakfast! I'm sure it's nothing too awful, Mr. Malfoy, but Ms. Duraford and Ms. Bryce both worked themselves into a right state and insisted that she see a doctor!"

"Young Reginald Carfunkell, I hope?"

"I wouldn't allow them to see anyone but him," Ms. Laverne had said, and then she had swept out of the room to attend to more ball plans.

As much as she had assured him that the only cause was a bit of stress Lucius couldn't help but wait up late for his wife. Her appointment, Ms. Laverne had informed him, had been at seven, and it was now ten. Whatever it was, he kept telling himself, it had to be serious. Just as he was preparing to go and seek her out himself the door in the front hall opened. Lucius heard two female voices conversing in the domelike entrance room, but they were low, so he couldn't catch what they were saying.

Without hesitation, the tall, elegant aristocrat made his way to the balcony that overlooked the front hall. He watched the scene below him without making a sound. Selina and her maid, whom she now treated like a sister, were talking quietly and secretively together, their heads close and their lips barely moving. Pamela was flushed whereas Selina was pale.

'Too pale,' Lucius thought, but he couldn't bring himself to go down and ask what was the matter. To ask that would be admitting that he had worried away most of his evening, and who knew what Selina would think if her cold, acidic husband developed feelings?

His attention was drawn back to Selina and Pamela then. Artemis and Apollo had just joined the group, barking joyfully at the return of their mistress, but Selina ignored them as they pawed her cloak and chewed at her shoes. Lucius knew something was wrong then. Selina would never ignore her "babies" unless something was truly not right. Now was the time to act.

"Ms. Laverne mentioned that you went to see Reginald Carfunkell." Lucius's voiced was clipped yet concerned. It made for a strange blend that managed to startle both women and quell the overexcited pups.

"Lucius!" Selina's hands went to her stomach, and Pamela's blue eyes widened noticeably. Both women exchanged 'meaningful' looks, and Pamela backed away uncertainly. She was obviously unsure as to what she should do.

"Do you want me to leave, Selina?" The maid's voice was tender and worried. When Selina nodded yes Pamela added, "I'll be in my rooms if you want to talk."

"I probably will," Selina said softly, and Pamela left with as much speed and grace as she could. When her footsteps had faded away Selina's hands dropped from her belly. "Did you wait up for me?" she asked.

"No," Lucius lied. "I had some papers that the Minister wanted me to go over. I had a late night planned anyway, and when I heard you come home I decided that I might as well hear what was ailing you." He paused. "I would have found out anyway, wouldn't I have?"

Selina chuckled to herself, as if Lucius had just made a very witty joke. "It would be hard to keep this from you, Lucius." She looked down at her stomach and bit her lip nervously. "Beating around the bush won't make this any easier to say," she muttered to herself. "Though I do think we should sit down..." Her complexion was pale enough that Lucius agreed with her.

"Come with me. The parlor's nearby." He tried to move her in the direction of the parlor, but Selina wouldn't budge.

"What I have to tell you is big, Lucius. It's personal. My rooms would be better-"

"-But mine are closer. If you truly consider your news to be so important then we can sit down there." Lucius took his wife's arm and led her up the stairs and down the hall. She was tense and shaky, which only served to make Lucius more on edge. He was much more worried than he let on, and he was relieved when they finally reached the large, grand doors, the grandest in the whole damn mansion, in fact, to his chambers. People rarely ever entered those doors, save Lucius of course, and even the house-elves were prohibited to clean them. Narcissa had stopped coming to have sex with him soon after Draco's birth, and Lucius had never had many others to invite in. Allowing Selina to enter was, whether she realized it or not, a large monument in their relationship.

Selina was, to his relief, rather taken with his décor. The rooms, being his private ones, had been decorated in a variety of colors not usually associated with his dark personality. The walls were all painted a rich, cerulean blue, and the furniture was either plum purple or charcoal gray. During his travels he had collected a good number of silk tapestries, and he had to hold in a smirk as Selina ran her fingers over one in an awed manner. It was the redhead's turn to hold in a smile when she saw a baby grand piano in the corner of Lucius's sitting room.

"I had no idea you played," she commented, losing an inner battle and allowin herself a large grin. "You'll have to give me a concert in the future."

"Perhaps," Lucius said, and then he remembered why they had come there in the first place. He motioned for them to sit in to facing purple armchairs. "We had something to discuss? I believe it concerned your doctor's appointment today?"

Selina sunk into the chair, and all at once, she was trembling and sad again. "There's a good reason for my nausea," she said softly. "I...I really don't know how to say this. It's a great shock to me, and I still don't know how I feel about it..."

"Is it something serious or bad?"

Selina's eyes closed, and then they reopened rapidly. "Serious? Yes, I suppose it is. Bad? Well, only time will tell."

Lucius snorted. "Enough with the cryptic messages all ready! What's the matter with you?"

Selina took a deep breath and then said, with a hand on her stomach, "I'm pregnant."

Lucius must have looked very strange then, for Selina backed away from him rapidly, her chair scraping on the oak floorboards. "You're...what?"

Selina was beginning to tear up. "I said I was pregnant! With child! I'm expecting a visit from the stork." Lucius must have looked incredibly stupid right then for she screeched, in a tone he would remember for days to come, "I'M HAVING OUR BABY!"

Her outburst was enough to jar Lucius from the mindless limbo he had fallen into, and he quickly began analyzing the situation. "It had to be that night in the Three Broomsticks," he muttered to himself before looking wife in the eyes. "Are you sure?"

Selina nodded. "Dr. Carfunkell took a picture, and he said that the child's due next July."

"I see." Lucius folded his hands. "This was unexpected." He looked down at his lap. "It's been a long time since Narcissa was pregnant with Draco."

Selina was stoically quiet. Her head was bent, and her hand remained on her stomach. "Perhaps we should both sleep on it. I'll go back to my rooms-"

"No," Lucius held up his hand and stood. "Sleep in my bed. I'll stay here in the chair. In the morning, I'll owl a live-in midwife, and she'll be able to guide you step by step through the pregnancy. That's what I did with Narcissa." He paused. "I suppose you'll want for me to send for Ms. Duraford."

"No, please. I'd prefer to be alone, now that I've told you. Goodnight." Selina was even paler than before, and she rose with a weariness that was not healthy for such a young girl. She said no more as she retreated to his grand bedroom, and Lucius couldn't help but notice the way her shoulders slouched.

'She's too young to be having a child,' Lucius thought silently as he sat back down in his chair. Only nineteen and she was already married and with child. It was no small wonder that she was looked so sickly.

She hadn't yet turned twenty and her whole life was disappearing before her eyes. She was married to a man over twice her age, in a country that was not her own, made to follow new, foreign customs and traditions. The child would officially tie her to him, a thought that she was not likely to relish.

As Lucius lay back in his chair, preparing for sleep, his mind wandered back to his marriage with Narcissa. How different things had been, from beginning to end.

For starters, they had loved each other in the beginning. There had been no arrangements to be made between parents, or what was left of Lucius's parents by the time he met Narcissa. After seeing each other for only seven months, they married in a large, fancy, gorgeous ceremony.

Everyone from Lucius's brother Lucifer to Narcissa's sister Bellatrix told them they were rushing into things. But no one could ever have told Lucius Malfoy what to do, much less the woman fit to be his wife. They began to try for a child with the first month of their marriage, and they succeeded within the third.

Lucius was twenty-six and Narcissa was twenty-four when Draco Malfoy came into the world. Neither parent could be more pleased, and everything was well for the first year of Draco's life.

But then the Dark Lord met his downfall, and with him went Narcissa's beloved sister Bellatrix. In her own twisted way Narcissa began to blame Lucius for her sister's lifelong imprisonment in Azkaban. Guilty by association, Lucius always thought, and he began to adjust to the cold, resentful glares Narcissa sent his way.

Poor Draco never knew a world in which his parents loved each other. They always treated each other with borderline disdain in his presence, but he wasn't a stupid boy, despite what his father might believe. He heard the screams at night, the scathing accusations. He knew all about Arielle DeSanders and the others. He knew all about his mother's bouts of depression.

And now Narcissa was dead. There was a new woman to fill her shoes, Lucius told himself. It seemed to him that all the world was watching, judging, whispering about Selina. He could only hope that the pressures would not harm her, no his...No, their child.

Little did he know that Selina was not looking to fill anybody's shoes. She only wanted to make her own.

~*~

A child...No one could have predicted this!

I can take care of it. I can make it seem an accident...

No, you don't do a thing. I don't like the way you do things. That girl has been winning more fights than she should be.

I've been trying my hardest. You, of all people, should know that!

Don't you dare raise your voice to me! I am your Master!

Don't remind me. I was not made to serve.

You do it so well, though.

I have my own motives for wanting 'Miss Selina' dead.

And they would be...?

None of your business. Sins of her mother, you might say...and her sister, and her whole fucking family!

Bitter, are we?

I would not talk, M'Lord. Bitter is too little a word to describe that hate you feel towards that scrawny little four-eyed, scar-faced runt that you obsess over.

We are overstepping our boundaries, now aren't we?

I know no boundaries, M'Lord. Now, if you don't mind me, I have business to attend to.

Don't go after the girl. Not yet. That is an order!

Oh, but when it is the time, God have mercy on her, for I will not...Sweet dreams little Selina. I'm coming...

~*~

Selina awoke to the sounds of cruel, chilling laughter...