With you in my Arms

90. What does he eat?

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Henri Shaw had tried to send Draco home to his witch, but he had refused. He wanted to find out what ever else his father had tried to put into his will in order for him not to inherit. So he was now sitting in an office with a weather beaten middle aged auror going by the name of William Allerby. There were papers laid out all over the large desk, neatly arranged in different piles. The older man was going through all the parchments on the left and move d them to a specific position on the right. It looked a bit chaotic, but Draco had realised early on that there was a system as to where each sheet was positioned on the right hand side half of the table.

After about two hours all papers had been gone through and a face betraying its owner to be lost deep in his thoughts was glancing at the younger wizard opposite him.

"This is rather unusual." he finally said.

"What have you found? Anything we don't know about yet?"

Allerby pursed his lips, "I better see the Minister right away."

"I'll come with you."

The look Draco was given would have probably prevented most people from pursuing this ambition any further. It didn't work on the intended person though.

A curtly nod was the only response.

Kingsley Shaklebolt had been wondering, if he should wait until he heard the good news of Lucius Malfoy's more than timely demise before he had another glass of alcohol free Firewhiskey or not. A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in."

"I'm sorry to trouble you personally, Minister, but as things are..."

'Oh-oh... more bad news. Just as things were supposed to look up.' the minister thought.

"Come in, Allerby, might as well get it over with."

To his surprise the auror didn't enter alone. Young Mr. Malfoy was with him.

"It is about the Malfoy estate."

Kingsley's brows creased. Wasn't that supposed to be all done and dusted?

"Wasn't Lucius Malfoy supposed to be..." a glance was aimed at a stone faced Draco, "Why have you been involved with the Malfoy estate?"

A rather nasty suspicion made its way into the foreground of Kingsley's mind.

"Don't tell me something has gone wrong."

"There seems to have been something happening as back-up was summoned. I suspect, the prisoner tried indeed to flee. He didn't get very far though. The last time I saw him Mulligan was knelling on top of him and he was unconscious. There were no serious injuries and Mr. Malfoy here and his family were unharmed."

"That's at least something. So, why has your boss asked you to look into the estate? Isn't Snuggens doing that?"

"Well, it turned out in time that Mr. Snuggens has been... compromised shall we say. Shaw had me go over the papers again because of it."

"Why do I think he was right to have you do that?"

"Because I found some rather unexpected, not to say unusual, stipulations in that will."

The Minister sighed. He would make the day they finally got rid of Lucius Malfoy a public holiday.

"Go on, what have you found?"

"I made a list of all the stipulations."

1. Draco must not have the Dark Mark
2. Draco's offspring must be shown to Lucius
3. it has be a son, a daughter would not secure the inheritance
4. Draco's wife and mother to his child has to be a Muggle born
5. Narcissa must be present while Lucius is being despatched
6. there has to be a wizard present that genuinely loves her

There is one more thing I found... Well, two actually."

The Minister looked at the auror. The deep frown on his face spoke volumes.

"What else did you find?"

"Something I wouldn't have expected really as it is in regards to the sister-in-law of Lucius Malfoy."

"Which one? Andromeda or Bellatrix?"

"For some strange reason it's Bellatrix."

Kingsley wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say to that. That evil witch had been killed at Hogwarts, by Molly Weasley. He could only hope that she hadn't to be anywhere or do anything that required her to be alive.

"Shall I continue?" Allerby asked.

"Yeah, get it over with."

"Bellatrix Lestrange has to be dead in order for the rightful Malfoy heir to be able to inherit the estate."

"Excuse me?"

"She has to be dead. It isn't specified how she's supposed to have died, but..."

"Right. That must be the first requirement in that wretched will I'm actually glad about. I wouldn't want that evil creature walking the earth any moment longer than I could help it."

Kingsley took a deep breath.

"You said there were two more things. What is the other one?"

Now it was the auror's turn to take a deep breath. It was obvious that he was bracing himself for what he was to say next.

"There must not be more than one male Malfoy left in young Mr. Malfoy's generation here. Only a sole survivor will be able to lay claim on everything."

Suddenly Lucius siring a child with Rita Skeeter made a lot more sense in a rather unsettling way. She had no recollection of the event and wouldn't have known that her child, which would have probably been a son as well, was preventing any other male Malfoy heir to inherit. So, it seemed that the son from France had only ever been another pawn in the game. He had been the plan C, if plan B should flop. Which it had in a big way.

Shaking his head the head of the British wizarding community looked at the young wizard sitting slumped in his chair before the large desk. How had this youngster managed to survive in a house where something like Lucius Malfoy had been the head of the family? No wonder he had been showing such a despicable character. Kingsley was convinced that there was more to Draco than met the eye and Hermione of all people seemingly had managed to see it when all others failed. She really was an exceptional witch.

It was in this moment that Kingsley realised why there hadn't been any comment from the third wizard in the room by now. Draco was fast asleep. He waved his wand and levitated the sleeping youngster onto the couch in the corner then he motioned for the auror to follow him out off the room. The lad deserved all the rest he could get.

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As James Mulligan reached his flat in order to inform Narcissa about the latest developments he was greeted with a loving embrace and a passionate kiss. It wasn't that often that the witch of his choice was expressing her feelings for him quite as explicit as this. But who was he to complain? He just wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.

In the back of his mind though was the knowledge of what they would have to witness as soon as Allerby had made sure there was nothing else standing in the way of young Malfoy inheriting.

"What are you thinking, Jay?" a soft voice whispered into his ear.

"I was thinking of us having to watch Lucius being... you know." he looked at the face of the woman he had hoped for for the most part of his life, "I would have preferred not to have to do that."

"After all he has done he doesn't deserve anything better. A fast death would be too... fast."

James kissed her.

"Don't allow him to make you as vengeful as he is. Don't allow him to drag you down into the gutter. You're better than that, Cissy."

She sighed. It was hard to stay impartial when your own husband had done what Lucius Malfoy had done. It was way easier to just let emotions overrule any logical approach, but she knew she couldn't allow herself to let that happen. She had to be seen as as a person who kept her integrity intact, just as she had always tried to. Regardless of what had happened to her and her son. Draco, her son. A smile appeared on her face. Her boy who was now a married man with a boy of his own. Turning to the wizard holding her she whispered, "Jay?"

"Yes, Cissy?"

"When all this is over I want us to go away for a while."

"An extended holiday?"

"An extended honeymoon."

The grin on his face reached from ear to ear.

"I second that."

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Allerby had been following Kingsley Shaklebolt down the corridors on their way to see Henri Shaw. They hadn't quite reached the Auror Office as the auror caught the Minister's arm to stop him.

"Kingsley."

The addressee turned round. Surprise all over his face.

"I need to tell you something." there was an imploring look on his face, "Something about the death of Lucius Malfoy."

A silencing charm surrounded them a moment later.

"What about his death?"

"He can't die having the Kiss performed."

Silence.

"What do you mean?"

"It clearly states that, if we have the Kiss performed, the lad is not getting a Knut. That bastard knew that sooner or later he would either be punished by Voldemort, in which case he didn't need to worry about his estate any longer, or us. He knew what the punishment would be should we win the war and put him on trial. It's a no brainer really, but to use it in this fashion..."

"But that will also states, that Narcissa has to witness him being punished. Which in his case means death."

"Yes, but it doesn't state her to have to watch him being killed by the Dementors. It just says she has to be present when he dies. Nothing more, nothing less."

"So, if he would have been punished by Voldemort for any failings and this would have resulted in his death she would have had to witness it."

"Yes."

"Which means in theory we could just... use poison?"

"As long as she and James are there it'll be fine."

Kingsley thought about it for a moment. Did dear Lucius actually know that he had been providing his executioners with an easy option so to speak? They could have him drink a lethal dose of the Draught of Living Death and nobody would have to endure the Dementors having some fun with him.

This was the first good news in this sorry saga. If you could call it that.