Mala Fide: In Bad Faith

Mala Fide: In Bad Faith - Chapter 19

Dinner that evening at the Malfoy home was rather a tense affair, something that did not go unnoticed by the lord of the manor.

"Ginevra, my dear, you seem worried. Is anything the matter?" he asked, his voice calm and seemingly filled with genuine concern.

"No," she lied in response. She recanted quickly, saying, "It's just that, well, those bumblers in the Marriage License office have misplaced our application! I mean, goodness, we've already waited a month, haven't we?"

Lucius scoffed. He looked down at his plate and offhandedly pushed at the remains of his dinner with his fork. "At least a month. I take it from your tone you were sent on a wild goose chase?"

"Naturally. Why does the Ministry have to make everything so difficult?" Ginny grumbled, setting down her water glass with a bit more force than she intended.

"Careful, darling. Would you like me to drop by and speak with them tomorrow?" She shook her head, knowing it wouldn't matter if he did. "Fine, I'll let you deal with the bureaucrats, then. Maybe they don't know you're not a witch to be trifled with," he finished with a smirk.

Eyes and mouth agape, Rhiannon asked, "Did you really chase a goose, Mummy?"

Her mother smiled. "No. It's just a phrase, sweetheart."

"But what's in mean?"

"Meeean," Lucas vocalized, imitating his sister, whom he was observing with keen interest. When the children learned that there was no goose or chase, they seemed mildly disappointed.

After the desserts were consumed, Ginny called one of the house-elves. "Shilla, get the children their baths and ready them for bed. Then let them play with their toys, and I'll be up in a while to read their bedtime stories." The obliging house-elf bowed and did as she was told.

Soon Lucius and his fiancée were alone at the large table. She gazed at him with a faint, slightly sad smile upon her lips. Perplexed by her stare, he asked, "What is it?

She shivered slightly. Bracing herself, she stood up. "Nothing, dear," she assured him.

"Look, if it's the Ministry and the license, don't worry. We'll be married as soon as you like - in some other country, if need be."

Even though she herself had thought the very same thing, she couldn't imagine getting married anywhere but England. Still, she mused, "Perhaps."

Summoning her bravery, she asked, "Would you like me to get you some brandy?"

"Thank you, my love. After the day I've had, a brandy would be heavenly."

He watched her as she moved fluidly to where the liquor was kept, his eyes on her bum the whole time. He swallowed in anticipation. Sending the kids upstairs often meant that she was in a playful mood and just might end up dropping her knickers on the dining room floor and straddling him where he sat.

It certainly wouldn't have been the first time.

Ginny brought him his favorite snifter partially filled with the amber liquor he loved so much. "Ahh, thank you," he said as he took if from her. She sat next to him then latched onto his free hand and held it as if she would never let go. She looked upon him silently, studying his features down to the last line.

Swirling the contents of the snifter, he inhaled its rich scent and then took a drink. "You're quiet this evening. Other than fighting with buffoons at the Ministry, is everything else going all right?"

"Yes, it is." She paused to allow him time to enjoy his brandy. "As a matter of fact, I have some splendid news."

"Really?"

She squeezed his hand and announced, "We're having twins. A boy and a girl."

"That's wonderful, but how did you - that is, who told you?" He looked at her skeptically. "Not that five-knut fortune teller down on Diagon Alley? Or even worse, your crazy friend, Luna?"

Ginny smiled and rolled her eyes. "Hardly! Now, I know you don't approve of her methods, but I saw Dr. Winterbourne recently. You know, the Muggle whose cousin works at St. Mungo's?"

"Again?" Lucius asked, perplexed. "Why?"

"Oh, I ran into her, and she just wanted to check on my health. Since I was already there, she did a test to see if I was having a boy or a girl."

If he was annoyed, he didn't mention it. "You are healthy, aren't you? No problems, I hope?"

"None whatsoever." She couldn't keep the smile from her face. "We're all in perfect health. I was so relieved to know they're going to be all right."

"Why wouldn't they be?" he asked then took another nip of his brandy.

"No reason, I guess. Still, every mother worries."

She took a deep breath and contemplated how she would actually go about getting the information that Goodspeak and Petree had requested. Evading the issue, she stood up once more and held out her hand. "Another brandy?"

"Are you drinking with me?" he asked, his voice sultry.

She rolled her eyes again. "You know I can't. It's bad for the babies."

"In that case, perhaps I should drink enough for both of us." She took the proffered snifter out of his hand and headed back toward the liquor cabinet. "Mmm, I love watching you walk," he drawled. "It reminds me how very lucky I am."

She stopped in mid-step, looked over her shoulder at him, and raised an eyebrow. A moment later, she returned with his snifter and sat down at his side.

Fighting down her nervousness at last, she began. "Darling, I need to talk with you. Now, don't think I don't trust you, because I do - but I just need to clear a few things up. It's very important, so please . . . hear me out."

He looked from her eyes to the contents of his glass. "Go ahead. Ask me anything."

"All right. Tell me about the last time you saw Severus Snape."

He looked at her dumbly. "Severus? That would have been the day I got out of Azkaban."

"Why did you go see him?"

"I needed a potion. One to ensure I would be able to, you know, perform in bed. Men do sometimes need help." The instant the words were out of his mouth, he couldn't believe he'd said them - and to her, no less! Most men would sooner die than confess to their soon-to-be wife that they weren't always virile and ready to go at the drop of a hat.

But then, he knew his Ginevra was no ordinary woman. She made him feel so comfortable and loved, that talking to her came very easily for him.

"Did he make this potion for you?" she asked.

"Yes, he did."

"Did you two quarrel while you were there?"

"Yes," he replied, seeming a bit surprised that he was so forthcoming.

"Why?"

He swallowed. His heart started to race as his mind was flooded with the memories of that day, memories he hadn't thought about in months. "I needed another potion, but he said he wouldn't make it for me."

"He refused? Were you angry?"

"Of course, I was angry! The slimy git had fucked my wife!"

Ginny's eyes widened as she looked at him with concern; it was the first time he'd raised his voice with her since they'd been together. Still, her tone was level. "He told you he'd slept with Narcissa? He said those words?"

He lip curled in disgust. "No, but I knew. I knew it all the same, just as if he had told me every detail of her body; how she felt, how she smelled, the shape of her--"

She interrupted him, asking, "What did you do next? Did you confront him?"

"I killed him," he announced as casually as if he were predicting tomorrow's weather.

"How?"

"I stunned him, put him in a full body bind, and levitated him to a nearby well. Then I dumped him in, raised him back to the top, and dropped him again, over and over. When he went completely limp, I let his lifeless body fall to the bottom."

"So that's why we never heard from him again," Ginny said with a quiver in her voice.

Lucius averted his eyes. For the first time since Severus's death, he felt something akin to regret, or perhaps shame. Yet however painful this was for both of them, she went on. "What happened after that?"

"I went to another potion maker I knew, Walden Macnair."

"Was he more cooperative?"

"Yes, much," Lucius offered freely. "One thing about potion makers who live on the fringe: they can always be bought for a price."

"So he made your potion?"

"Yes."

"And you gave it to your wife, so she would become ill and eventually die?"

"No."

This surprised her. "No? Then what caused her health to decline so rapidly?"

"It was from some Muggle disease that's usually transmitted by sex, but not always. I can't remember what it's called offhand. It starts with an A."

Ginny gasped. She felt like fainting: had Hermione, Brian, Stella - everyone - been right all along? Was she about to make the biggest mistake of her life?

"If I understand how it works," she continued, "you could have been infected as well, and yet, you're not. Was magic somehow involved?"

"Actually, the disease was transmitted by a needle, like the ones your friend Stella uses in her work. But it was enhanced by magic."

"So you're saying you made your wife become ill and then intentionally made her worse?"

The realization that he had deliberately killed the beloved Narcissa, the woman Ginny had come to think of as Mother, was too much to bear. She bit back a sob as she tried unsuccessfully to keep her tears from spilling over her ginger lashes.

Seeing her cry, Lucius began to fidget. He wondered if there could have been Veritaserum in the brandy - but if there was, it was already too late. Soon he would be telling her all sorts of things, secrets she should never have heard. It would all depend on what she asked him.

But he didn't blame her; he knew that she would never betray him like that. He fell to one knee beside her, took her hand in his, and confessed his feelings openly.

"You must believe me, my love, that I regret these actions that now grieve you with all of my being, except that they brought me to you. We would never have been together if it weren't for . . . everything I did." As he said this, tears were streaming down his pale cheeks.

"I know," she said flatly, ignoring his pleas for clemency. "Did you ever sleep with Narcissa again?"

"A few times, but I used what Muggles call 'protection'," he explained as he resumed his seat.

She nodded knowingly then looked at him. "Then where were you going to have your, umm, needs met?"

"To Nicolette."

"That horrid servant?" she scoffed.

He nodded. "One could say that, but she has her uses. I always keep a batch of Polyjuice Potion hidden in my wardrobe. Stored properly, it can be kept for months."

"What?" Ginny asked absently.

"Polyjuice Potion. Haven't you ever noticed your brush missing now and then, or laying in places you knew you hadn't left it?"

Her mouth hung open as she realized the implication of this latest admission, and for the first time since she'd become his lover, she began to seriously question her own judgment.

"Oh, so you've been 'sleeping with me' for longer than I thought," she said, her tone a bit more cross.

His emotions suddenly rushed to the surface, begging to get out. He wept contritely as he tried to justify his thoughtless actions to the beautiful, lovely woman at his side.

"God, I hoped you'd never find out! It wasn't done to betray you - Narcissa was still alive, and you and I were little more than acquaintances. Still, having had you before, I . . . I wanted you so badly!" Avoiding her gaze, Lucius looked down at the table.

Ginny took a moment to let this soak in. She knew what he'd said was the absolute truth, the core of his feelings. He couldn't have lied, not having taken the Veritaserum.

"This potion," she said intently, "the one that Snape wouldn't give you . . . was it for Harry Potter?"

The mere mention of his name caused Lucius to sit up straighter. "I never needed a potion to deal with Harry Potter. He was always very easy to manipulate."

"Did you see him that night?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"In his hotel room. His Quidditch team was in Frankfurt for a game."

This perplexed Ginny. "But didn't you always hate Harry? Why would you go all that way just to see him?"

"Yes, I always despised that self-important twat. I only went there to rub it in and see the look on his face - and to let him know how grateful I was for his part."

This remark took Ginny by surprise, not to mention the effect it had on Lucius: he cringed almost the moment he said it. She shook her head and furrowed her brow. "His part?" she echoed. "Why? Had Harry help you kill Snape or obtain the virus you'd wanted?"

By now, he was visibly struggling to keep from saying the words that were on the verge of spilling out.

He let go her hand then swiped at his eyes. "Neither."

"I don't understand. Who was the potion for?"

"It was . . . for you."

"Me?" she laughed. "Why? What was it?"

He fought the urge to tell her, but the Veritaserum was already forcing the words out of him. "A Confundus locking potion," he revealed at last. Guilt-ridden, he looked away from her.

"But who had Confunded me, and why?"

Lucius tried to resist once more, but to no avail. "I did," he choked out as he hid his face in his hands, "to make you think it was Potter instead of me."

"You?" The tiny word spoke volumes.

His revelation both angered and frightened Ginny. For several seconds, she thought about walking out, of just taking the children and running, but she stayed put. She knew she had to finish what she'd started. This was no longer about getting the Aurors what they wanted; this was about getting the truth for herself - enough to make an informed decision about the man she had planned to marry.

Gazing at him, she said, "So it was you all along." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, it was, but I-I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me, Ginevra," he begged her tearfully.

"And Harry wasn't there at all . . . he was in Germany the whole time."

"Yes."

"But Lucius, what could have possessed you to be so cruel? To ruin so many lives . . . how could you have done that?"

He growled, "You couldn't possibly understand - you've never been to Azkaban!" Frustrated that he'd lost his temper with her, he blinked away a few more tears and swallowed hard.

"I felt like my power had been stripped away there, and I longed to get it back. Using you to crush my enemies - your family, your friends, even my son - made me feel avenged, whole again. But my ultimate goal was to impress the Dark Lord."

"What? I thought he was gone."

"Not completely."

Ginny stood up and started to pace. She had much to think about. With Lucius's startling confession, many of the beliefs she held about him - beliefs she had trusted emphatically and would have staked her life on - had simply evaporated like steam over a cauldron. The thought that the Dark Lord was still around and possibly held sway over her fiancé made her head swim and her stomach all woozy. She felt like she would throw up.

She also felt the one thing she hadn't in a very long time: helpless.

"If you felt compelled to do something like this, why did you pick me?"

"You were the obvious choice. You were a long-time friend of the Potters; you were married to my traitorous son, and you were the only daughter of the Weasley family. Through you, I could hurt them all in one fell swoop. It was payback for what I'd gone through in Azkaban."

"That's it?" she asked, stunned. "I was a victim of my circumstances, and you risked returning to prison, just for a few hours of pleasure? And then you pursued a relationship with me! How could you do that? Did you think I wouldn't find everything out one day?"

Ginny's heart wrenched. The dizziness was gone, but her head was starting to throb. She sat back down, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples.

"Didn't it matter than I was your son's wife?"

"No, it mattered a great deal."

"Yet you still chose me? Surely, you didn't intend for him to be killed like that!"

"As it happened, his being killed turned out to be a rather happy coincidence."

Dumbfounded by his cavalier attitude, she spat, "Happy? How can you say that, Lucius? He was your only child!"

"Yes, he was. But he turned his back on me. And when the time came, everything just fell into place."

"What do you mean?"

"Draco had always been jealous of Potter, but I knew that Potter was a better dueler. If my son got angry enough to want to kill him, then the chances were good that one or both of them would end up dead - at the very least, Potter would be sent to Azkaban forever for his crimes against you." Sounding rather pleased with himself, he added, "Think of that loss for The Order of the Phoenix, and all without bloodying my own hands. The Dark Lord was ready to welcome me back with open arms."

"So, are you his loyal servant?"

"No, and yes. I don't want to be anymore . . . but it can't be helped."

She nodded, trying to pretend she understood, then returned to her questioning. "When did you use the Confundus locking potion on me?"

"Later that night, when I visited St. Mungo's. I posed as a hospital worker."

Ginny's mouth dropped open. "The old woman, with the bright blue eyes? That was you?"

"Yes. I couldn't take a chance on the Aurors getting to the truth."

"Oh, Merlin . . . My family, my friends, they were all telling me the truth? It really wasn't Harry?" Her cheeks colored as she voiced the realization.

"No, it wasn't."

She gasped. "So Lucas - is he yours?"

"Without a doubt."

Trying to decide how best to use the remaining time the potion would be effective, she got to the heart of the matter. She looked at him intently and asked him, "Lucius, do you honestly love me and really want to spend your life with me, or has this all been just a sick, twisted game to you? That is, do you have any regrets or doubts about us?"

"Yes, I love you as I love life itself, and I do want to be your husband. I feel I would die if you left me. And I regret most of my actions, except those that have brought you to love me."

When she rose to her feet, he did likewise. "Show me how you contact the Dark Lord," she ordered.

Without saying a word, he turned around and walked toward his study. He unlocked the doors, swept them open wide, and strode to the desk. She followed close behind. Sitting down, he withdrew the key from its hiding place and silently unlocked the drawer, the one that was always locked. He picked up the velvety smooth bag with the glass orb that served as the portal to the dimension Lord Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew lived. He set it on the surface between them.

"What is that?" she asked, perplexed.

"An orb, charmed to be a portal. It was a gift from my late father."

"Can you show me what it does?"

"No, I can't. If I use it, the Dark Lord will expect me to enter. And as you can see, I'm in no condition to meet with him just now." He paused then asked her, "Just how much Veritaserum was in that brandy, Ginevra?"

"I-I don't know." Sitting down in one of his stately guest chairs, she bit her lip and started to cry once more. "The Aurors made me do it, Lucius! You know I would never have done this on my own. They said I had to get you to confess, put my memories of it in a Pensieve, and if you were innocent, only then we could get our marriage license," she finished with a sob.

"I see. How very cruel of them." A solitary tear slipped down his cheek. She couldn't bear to watch him cry anymore. Instead, she stared down at the smooth round object on the desk. It was a rather pretty thing. She reached out and felt it cautiously.

At last, she said, "Lucius, I know this is a family heirloom, but what would happen if I just, er, threw it against the wall and smashed it, just so he can't touch you anymore?"

"It wouldn't work. He'd find another way, and then I'd be dead."

"Can I - may I give it to the Aurors?"

He looked at her seriously. "If keeping it will tear us apart, then I wish you would."

Lucius waited for her to say something; she remained silent. Finally, he posed one question to her, one he could scarcely dare to ask, but that he needed her to answer. "Do you still want to marry me, Ginevra?"

"I don't know. I know your feelings are true, but you've hurt so many people I love . . . I just - have so many things to work out."

"But do you love me the way I love you?"

She laughed. "Why should I? Haven't you manipulated everyone and everything to go your way, lied to people who were, and should still be, my friends? Killed people whom I cared about, some very deeply?"

"Yes."

"Yes? Is that all you have to say for yourself?" she asked in disbelief.

He took her hand and interlaced her fingers with his. "Darling, I know what I did was wrong. It was incredibly selfish of me, and I deeply regret that my actions hurt you. Now that I know your heart, how full of love you are, the way you look at me as if I was the only man in the world - I feel sickened that I took it in this way."

Ginny leaned across the desk and murmured, "Do you think you still deserve it?"

"I can't imagine that I do," he replied, his face clearly showing the pain he felt inside. "But that doesn't change the fact that I still need it."

She stood upright and backed away. Wiping at her tears, she informed him, "I'm going upstairs now. I told Shilla I'd sit with the children." He started to follow, but she raised her hand. "No, please don't come. I need to think; I have a lot to contemplate. I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast, or maybe at lunch."

"Should I stay home from work?"

"If you like. Oh, I almost forgot." Walking back to the ornate desk, she reached down and picked up the orb and its velvety bag. "I'll be taking this. Good night, Lucius," she said as coolly as if he were more an acquaintance than a cherished lover.

Once she was gone, he cried in earnest as he whispered, "Goodbye, my darling."

* * * * *

Ginny's dreams afforded her no peace, nor did they give her any answers to her dilemma. It was clear there was no simple solution: although she felt she still loved him, she couldn't explain why. He had no right to her love. He hadn't earned it - he'd stolen it by the most devilish means possible. She knew she ought to slash his throat as he slept.

But she also knew she could nothing of the sort. And what of the babies? He was so loving to her children - naturally, considering that one of them was his and the other was his grandchild - yet if she were to leave him, where would ever she find such warmth and affection again, especially now that she would have four little ones in a short while? They needed a father, and she needed him.

It wasn't that she didn't want to live alone; she didn't want to live without him. What Ginny wanted - desperately - was the man she'd fallen in love with. And yet, wasn't that the very man she saw tonight?

It was a question that haunted her restless dreams.

* * * * *

While Ginny had tossed and turned all night, Lucius had trouble getting any sleep at all. He was angry that she had agreed to the Aurors' demands of giving him Veritaserum and then interrogating him. He tried to understand why she had done it in the first place. But if they suspected him of half of what she'd asked him . . . surely he was only weeks, perhaps days, away from going back to Azkaban, never to see the light of day again.

Was she trying to protect him? Would she end up hating him?

Yes, the interrogation had been painful. But as the truth continued to come out, and he realized there was a slim chance that she might still love him, he felt oddly relieved.

Lucius stared at the fire in his room and mulled it all over: what he'd said, her reaction to it, and the consequences he would surely face tomorrow. There was a glimmer of hope. She knew - she knew what he'd done, and yet, she hadn't cursed or hexed him. Was it possible that, despite all he'd done, she was still considering his offer of marriage?

Was he blessed by the gods beyond all others? He had to be; it was the only explanation. It was a gift that, if given again, he would not take lightly.

Still, he knew that fate was a cruel mistress. He wondered if Ginevra and the children would be gone in the morning.

Finding sleep elusive, he got out of bed and sat in the chaise lounge across the room. He settled in with a rather dry book and started to read. When the morning light crept in through the slit in the drapes, he woke with a startle.

"Ginevra," he said reverently as he sat up straight.

"Good morning, Lucius. No, don't get up. I'm here to tell you I've made my decision."

~End of Chapter~