Maledictus

Ch.26 - Lucius

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"WHAT'S THAT
SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

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"You ungrateful BASTARD!" he shouted, throwing her to the ground, and kicking her in the stomach. "Draco, get out!"

"Father-" Draco began.

"Out!"

Draco left, feeling horrible.
He gave Alice a look of hope which she turned down.

Lucius drew his wand and pointed it at her forehead.

"What house were you sorted into?" he sneered, even though he knew very well what house she was put in.

Alice stayed silent.
She didnt cry out.
She stayed still, breathing heavily.

"ANSWER ME!" he shouted, causing her to flinch.

"Gryffindor!" she shouted.

He smirked, bringing the wand away from her forehead.
She lifted her head slightly, and all she saw was was his smug smile and then a bolt of red.

And all she felt was pain for the next two hours.

"I want this place spotless!" he announced, kicking her hard in the stomach before leaving her alone with the same blue bucket.

There was a weird taste in her mouth.
Blood.

She tried to stand, but it was almost impossible.
Pain still seeped through her body, and her stomach was black and blue from the kicks.

She wanted to cry, but that would be giving him the satisfaction he didn't deserve.

The hall was huge, and it had to be clean by tonight.

Trying to forget the pain, she crawled along the floor on all fours with a small dirty washcloth.

Her scared arm was burning with pain, but she didn't stop because if she did, she knew that she would pay.

She tried to stand, falling to the ground minutes later twisting her arm in the oddest way.

The door burst open and Lucius marched in.

"Please, please" she pleaded, as he slapped her.
Her cheek was burning, but she didn't let it bother her.
He looked around the room, noticing that it wasn't at all clean.

"Do you call this clean?" he sneered.

"No sir, sorry sir" she replied, hiding behind her hair, clutching the cloth in her frail boney hands.

He raised his wand.
Alice shielded her face, using her hands.

"Please, don't" she wimpered, showing her face.

He placed his wand in his breast pocket, and knelt down to her level and grabbed her chin so she was looking at him.

"Why shouldn't I do this, when you know deep inside that you deserve every bit of pain that comes your way"

He kicked her again, and blood could be spotted in the corner of her mouth.
But Alice didn't cry,
She didn't complain.
She just lay there, and felt the red bolt hit her again and again, until he was satisfied.

She couldn't move.
She still had the whole room to clean, but she could barely raise a finger.

Weak as ever, she started again, breaking every so often to give her arm a rest.

After five hours of cleaning she was finally finished cleaning the floor.
Alice curled up into a ball and cried.

Draco came in and sat down beside her.
He put his arm around her and soon his sleeve was wet with her tears.

"Its all going to turn out alright" he said softly, placing her long hair behind her ears.

She didn't say anything because she knew it wasn't going to be okay.
Not as long she was stuck here.
While she was here, she was a pain magnet.
Everywhere she went, pain seemed to find her.
Everywhere she went, she didn't have a choice.

"Not everyone's life is as easy as yours" she replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, hurt.

"Its all well and dandy for you to say it's going to be alright, but when you've actually gone through it, you know, that nothing will change"

She wiped a stray tear and slowly rose to her feet.
The floor might've been clean, but there were vases filled with dust and grime.

"You should go" she said quietly.

"Alice-"

"I said you should go" she said again, holding onto the wall for support, for fear her legs would buckle under her.

Draco stayed where he was.
He couldn't stay there.
He would get into trouble, but Alice would be punished.

"You should have listened to her Draco" sneered Lucius, as he sauntered in as quiet as a mouse.

"Leave her alone! Haven't you hurt her enough?" Draco shouted, blocking Alice from view.

"Step aside Draco" sighed Lucius.

"No, you can't hurt her!"

"No? NO!" Lucius shouted. "Get out!"

Draco left reluctantly.
Glancing back at Alice before he closed the oak doors shut.

"Sir, may I ask you something?" she asked timidly.

"Make it quick mudblood" he sneered.

"You know where my brother is, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Where is he?" she asked, getting braver.

Lucius didn't answer.
He tried to find a reason to punish her but he couldn't find one.
So he did it anyway.

The red streak hit her right temple and she fell to the ground.

"He's my only family" she cried.

"We are your family now" he sneered, tucking his wand away.

"I'd die before I'd ever become your family!" she shouted, as he kicked her.

"That can be arranged" he smirked.

Alice assumed he'd take out his wand again.
But no.
He had other things in mind.

He left the room for a moment, leaving the door open.
If Alice had enough energy, she would've dashed for it.

Her heart stopped when Lucius walk back in.
He was holding a whip.

Alice squeaked as he pulled her to her feet by her hair.

She stood there shaking.
She waited for the lash of pain.

And when it came, she screamed.
He hit her over and over again, until she could feel blood running down the side of her face.

She placed her hand onto the gash, trying to stop the bleeding, but it didn't make any difference, because her hands were covered in bleeding cuts too.

She fell to the ground, earning another kick before Lucius left her there, hoping she wouldn't wake up in the morning.

She couldn't move.
Her back was covered in scars, she could feel it.
She knew she deserved it.
She had opened her bloody mouth, and she paid for it.

She felt something land on her leg.
It was a letter.
But it wasn't Henry's handwriting.

It was David's, David Baxter.
Owner and Ringmaster of Britains Circus for oddities.