the girl who lost it all [d.m]

seventy one: requiem

"Where else should I be, Draco?" Lucius chuckled, a high-pitched sound, his eyes still glazed over. Like he wasn't fully present in his own head. "This is Malfoy Manor, is it not?"

"You're not supposed to be here," Narcissa said, steadily, seeming to have recovered. She stepped out from behind Draco, her wand drawn. "You're supposed to be in St. Mungo's."

"St. Mungo's." Lucius smiled. "Am I? Am I really here at all?"

Draco sent a quick Stupefy at him without a word. The spell sent Lucius spiralling backward, colliding with the wall behind him with a loud groan.

"Yes," Draco said even as Narcissa sighed. "You are."

His father struggled to his feet, wheezing for breath, one hand pressed to his sternum. "Not polite. Not polite at all. No, no, no. This will not do. My own son? My own—He's not your son anymore. Yes, he is. Of course, he is. Look at him!"

"Oh." Elara's voice was small.

Lucius' head snapped towards her and instinctively, Draco stepped in front of her, blocking his view. "Is that the girl? Is that the—It is. It is. I recognise her voice—forget her. No! No, she's the reason I'm—"

"You do not know her," Draco said, calmly. "Why are you not in St. Mungo's?"

"I do, I do—Mungo's? Mung—That hateful place. Hate it. Hate it, hate it, hate it." Silver eyes gleamed, his hands shaking, violently. "Such a—No, not a good place at all—"

"Lucius, my love." Narcissa stepped forward, her tone soft and almost loving, tucking her wand away. "Why are you here?"

His eyes slid to Narcissa and something in his face softened. "Cissy. Cissy, my jewel. I have missed you. I have missed you very, very much—"

"As have I," she responded with a smile. It seemed to fill Lucius with glee. "But I just visited you last week. Remember? In your room?"

His brow furrowed. "My room? No, my room is in the right wing, Cissy. Here in Malfoy Manor."

"No," she cooed and Draco wanted to reach out and haul her back when she held out a hand for Lucius. "I saw you in St. Mungo's, remember? I brought you flowers. Tulips."

"Flowers," he muttered under his breath and then his eyes lit up. "Flowers? Tulips! I remember. Of course I remember! We had tea!"

Narcissa nodded, a gentle smile on her face as Lucius placed his hand in hers. "Yes, we did. Would you like to have tea now?"

Draco had never visited his father in St. Mungo's. After Elara had practically left him to die, he'd been dug out of the rubble of Hogwarts a different man. A man who barely recognised who he was or who anyone else was. It had taken months for him to even recognise Narcissa.

But at the end of the day, she'd been the only one to visit him. She'd learned how to handle him—so Draco took a step back although he kept his wand firmly in his hand.

"Tea?" Lucius frowned, blinking rapidly. "No, no, that won't do. I'm not supposed to have tea. I'm supposed to—I'm supposed to—"

"What, dear?" coaxed Narcissa, squeezing his hands. "What do you have to do?"

"Supposed to—" Lucius suddenly straightened, realisation dawning on his face. "To stop you. From getting to—" His eyes turned ravenous as he laid them on the box beside Draco. "That."

Narcissa gave a nervous laugh, shuffling sideways to block the view of the box. "Now, Lucius. Don't you want to help me? Help our son?"

His eyes flickered, confusion warring with determination on his face. "Our?"