The Death Eater's Daughter

Chapter Nine - Dragons vs. Cats

The darkness was Bertha's green torso. Luci took an instinctive step backwards. The dragon was massive, covered in dark green scales, ominous and dominant, yet there was currently a very docile expression on her horned face.

Next to Luci, Charlie chuckled. "No need to be alarmed."

She glanced at him. "She doesn't know me. That's never easy for animals."

He cocked his head. "Did you learn that at the hardware store?"

"No!" she laughed. "I have a cat."

Charlie patted the dragon's underbelly and said, "Well, Bertha is not a cat. Just give her a little rub around this area and she'll take to you in a flash."

Luci stepped forward again, tentatively, and caressed the area that Charlie had demonstrated to her. The scales were smooth and shiny, and Bertha made a strange sort of purring sound in response. Not terribly unlike a cat, in fact.

"See!" Charlie encouraged. "Best mates already!"

"Yes, we monsters have to stick together," Luci smiled softly.

He frowned. "You can't possibly believe that about yourself, just because one very frightened person said it a long time ago?"

She shrugged.

"So this... Mark guy? He didn't know you were a witch? He didn't even have a clue?"

"Nope. I fake the Muggle thing pretty well." Then something struck her. "You obviously know the truth about me, the Muggle born thing. So are you kind of part of the Order then?"

"Kind of," he answered. "Bill keeps me up to date, mostly through letters. But Tonks filled me in on you."

"Why?" fumed Luci suddenly, and then found her cool, "I mean, what was her motivation to fill you in on me?"

She didn't know why it had angered her. She supposed that she felt like she was trying so hard to keep this secret, to live this lie, and to have people nonchalantly going around spreading her story without her consent...

"I guess she thought we could be friends," Charlie suggested cautiously.

"Hmm."

"You don't agree?"

"Of course, I agree, you dork!" she said, as though it was obvious. "I'm telling you things that I never tell anyone. So... yeah, we must be friends already."

"We must be," he grinned.

"Me and Bertha too. What breed is she?"

"Longhorn, a native Romanian breed. We keep all sorts at the center, but Bertha here is definitely my favorite. Don't tell anyone though. Especially her. She tends to get a big head." He stroked one of her clawed arms affectionately, and she cooed at him.

Luci laughed. "I'm sorry, but you must not know much about cats, because I'm not really seeing many differences between my Persephone at home and your Bertha."

"Scales?"

"Yeah, maybe scales," she concurred. "But not much else."

"So that must mean that she's harmless and you're ready for a ride then?" teased Charlie, his eyebrows raised.

Luci narrowed her eyes sarcastically at him. "I didn't say she was harmless. God knows Persy isn't. But... yeah, okay, I think I could manage a ride. Not without you though."

"Of course not," he smiled, and then he gave Bertha a firm slap on the highest point of her neck that he could reach, and the dragon obediently lowered her head and crouched to the ground.

Charlie clambered onto her shoulder blades and reached out his hand to Luci.

She vacillated, and he prodded, "Come on, you're not afraid of a little kitty cat, are you?"

Shaking her head in defeat, Luci reached up, took his hand, and climbed her way up next to him. As she wrapped her arms around his waist, he asked, "You ready?"

And she could only nod, because the wind was knocked out of her as Bertha sprung forward and into the air. Luci closed her eyes on the swooping sensation in her stomach, and when she opened them, only a few moments later, they were high over the trees. The wind was in her hair, and her body felt weightless, and she suddenly burst into laughter.

"This is surreal!" she yelled to the back of Charlie's head.

He turned slightly. "Isn't it amazing?"

"Yes! Completely!"

She felt her body relax and she leaned her head against Charlie's back for warmth against the cold bluster of air. She took in everything around them - the scents, the different types of trees, how she could almost touch the startled birds scattering nearby, the feeling of scales beneath her legs, the way her arms tingled from holding on so tight, and even Charlie's messy hair blowing onto her forehead. Then she noticed that they were flying over cottages and sheep and those poor souls on foot.

"Can't the Muggles see us?" she screamed to Charlie.

He shook his head. "I always use cloaking charms, especially when we have to travel such a long distance."

Luci nodded in comprehension and went back to enjoying the sensation of soaring. She'd been so hopeless and lonely for so long, and now here she was, in the sky, with a beautiful creature and a potentially wonderful friend. Part of her kept reminding her brain that it would be over soon, and she'd be back in that gloomy house with people who hated her. But she pushed it aside and tried to live in the moment. She'd never been very good at it, but it was nearly impossible not to be alive in the here and now when the here and now was so physically intoxicating.

She wasn't sure how long Bertha carried them, but it certainly wasn't long enough. Before Luci was ready, the dragon was sailing towards the earth. When they touched down, her landing was not nearly as bumpy as Luci would have expected. Disappointed at the conclusion of their adventure, Luci allowed Charlie to help her down from Bertha's back. She stroked the dragon's neck in appreciation, and Bertha gave her a friendly blink.

"You were pretty quiet up there," Charlie interrupted. "Did you not enjoy it?"

Luci scrunched her nose at him. "Are you kidding? It was incredible, Charlie, thank you. I was quiet because I thought talking would spoil it. Or I'd lose my voice. Or I'd swallow a bug. The last one was compelling all by itself."

He beamed, glanced at his watch, and then his face dropped. "The two of us should be going. I have to work tomorrow."

"Oh. Of course. I should get back too. They'll all probably be waiting with torches to burn me at the stake."

Charlie threw a sympathetic arm around her shoulders. "Give it time. They're all really top-notch folks. But in the meantime, stop letting what other people think of you affect how you think of yourself, alright?"

"Only if you'll stop being all wise and shit," she responded.

He laughed. Then his expression went grave. "Before you go, I have to ask... And it doesn't alter our friendship or anything, but I'm curious... That man, with the knife? Was he... did he... live, after... all that?"

Luci sighed. "Yeah. I read about it in the newspaper. I... regretted not killing him then, but I'm grateful now. I mean, I'm not sure I could carry that weight along with all of the other baggage."

"Baggage gives you character!" said Charlie cheerfully, poking her in the arm. "Now get out of here. I'll make sure you Apparate safely before I'm off."

"Right."

"And it really was nice meeting you, Luci."

She grinned. "You too, Charlie. Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"Hey, I'll come 'round for Christmas, and if you're still at Headquarters, we'll take another ride," he suggested.

"I'd love it," she agreed. "And next time, I'll be a better listener. I've gone on and on all day and realized that I don't know a thing about you."

"I hadn't noticed that. But what do you wanna know?"

"I dunno." She paused. "Do you have a dark, tragic background?"

"Well... I once had my nose broken in a fistfight with Bill when we were kids. Does that count?"

Luci giggled. "That can count. And what's it like to have four hundred siblings?"

Charlie threw his head back in a roar of amusement. Then he calmed and answered, "It can be tough. Sometimes they break your nose."

"And the rest of the time?"

"It's pretty awesome," he said sincerely.

"Mmm. I wish I could feel that way about my sibling."

"Well, the Malfoys are pieces of work, but I hope you do. Someday."

"Me too," she replied with a tilt of her head. "And I guess I'd better get back to him. Fly safe, okay?"

"Will do," he said with a mock salute.

And then Luci focused on Grimmauld Place, reeled briefly, and found herself on the front step.

It was like walking out of sunshine and into gloom, and her mood instantly altered. Then she realized that, although this had been very, very good, this had been very, very bad. She had left Draco and his mother alone all day. Terribly irresponsible. She should be fired, and figured that she most definitely would be, if there were anyone else willing to take this shitty job.

She entered the house quietly through the front door and tiptoed into the kitchen, trying not to disturb the portrait, and also not to draw any attention to herself.

It didn't work. All eyes went to the small frame in the doorway. She found that she'd made it back in time for dinner.

Luci cleared her throat but didn't say anything. She merely walked in and plopped down next to her brother. She realized that she'd been grinning like an idiot, thinking about her afternoon with Charlie and Bertha, but the expression slid from her face pretty quickly upon arrival at the table.

"Where the fuck have you been?"

She took a shallow breath and met Narcissa's gaze. "No need for language. And none of your business."

"It very well is my business," she spat. "You have one duty and one duty only - to be here if Draco or I need you."

Her brother had yet to say anything, merely staring into his soup.

"It's about time," came a voice behind them. It was Molly. "If you aren't here to watch these two, I can't imagine what they might get up to." Her hands were on her hips, and she paused briefly before concluding, "Sounds like we need to talk."

Narcissa had shrunk in Molly's presence. Amusing. But as soon as the woman was gone, she growled, "Remember yourself, little girl. You have far too much to lose."

And down the table, Luci saw Remus's disappointed eyes staring in her direction. And she hated herself for letting him down. And he probably hated her too. Along with everyone in the room. All of the kids were also scowling disapprovingly at her.

She had to face it - the whole world was against her.

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Later that evening, Molly Weasley showed up at Luci's bedroom door in a huff.

"Unforgivable!" she began immediately.

"I know, I know," moaned Luci. She didn't even feel like putting up a fight with this heinous woman. She was tired, and besides that, she knew that she was guilty and had no excuse for it.

"Apparently, you don't!" patronized Molly. "I never trusted you, but I thought you were at least a responsible adult! Now I realize that you're just a stupid child who goes off and does whatever she wants whenever she wants, and with my son, no less!"

"Now wait a minute," Luci snarled, feeling fury boil to the surface. "First of all, your son invited me, and secondly, we just lost track of time. It was a mistake. And I'm sorry; it won't happen again. But it certainly wasn't on purpose, or because I forgot my responsibilities!"

Molly was growling softly. "And what, pray tell, were you doing with my son?"

Luci scoffed, affronted. "I think Charlie would agree with me that it's none of your business. But because I have nothing to hide, I'll tell you. He took me for a ride on his dragon. Nothing else. We're absolutely, completely just friends. He is very happy with some chick named JoAnn."

The woman frowned. "Why don't I know about this JoAnn?"

Luci threw her hands into the air. "Hell, I don't know! Why don't you ask Charlie? Instead of just accusing people of shit all the time? Maybe you'd have time to listen for once!"

"Watch your mouth," seethed Molly. "I am finished with this conversation, and I would prefer not to have it again. In the future, perhaps you could have a little consideration for someone besides yourself?"

Then she stomped out of the room.

"Well, I'm just a stupid child; I might forget!" Luci called mockingly after her, but the woman just kept going.

God, could Luci get along with anyone? At home, she made friends with everyone. Here, the lies were killing her. She'd lost Remus's trust, and she was still a little angry with Tonks, and Fleur and Charlie were both long gone. Now, she had no one left on her side. And she was utterly miserable about it.