Even Lucius Malfoy has bad days WHO: Lucius Malfoy and Kahlan and Gil WHAT: Lucius' arrival in Enchantia WHERE: at the Inn WHEN: Day 16 WARNINGS: probably none STATUS: open and ongoing
Lucius Malfoy was having a bad day. Or rather another one, surprisingly. For someone in his position, with his wealth, and his power, and his comfort level... well, he didn't expect to be told what to do at his age. He was twenty-one, happily married to a woman he adored. He had his position at the Ministry. Okay, maybe it wasn't a real job in the sense that other people had gainful employment. Few people had any idea what he did there, and he wasn't about to enlighten them. But neither did they speak against his presence, because of who he was and who he was connected to.
Money... and more.
Lucius had wed Narcissa Black just as soon as she graduated from their mutual alma mater, Hogwarts. Or, as Lucius liked to refer to it, that nasty place run by that stupid wizard named Dumbledore. It had been an arranged marriage - weren't they all? But Lucius had been surprised to find himself falling in love with his new bride, and he was delighted with her in every way.
But despite all of the advantages which Lucius enjoyed, he still found himself pressured, and he hated it. He was too used to doing as he pleased. His parents had basically turned over Malfoy Manor to him at an early age, preferring to be the jetsetters of the wizarding world. He took the house officially at his marriage. He was a loyal follower of Lord Voldemort. He recruited followers when and where he could, and he believed in him. What more could anyone ask for?
Apparently a lot.
Today, he'd had a surprise visitor. Well, two visitors. First Rodolphus Lestrange. Certainly not his favorite person, but married to Cissa's obnoxious sister, Bellatrix. Personally, Lucius found Rodolphus to be a bit psychotic, but he held his tongue. Today, Lestrange was haranguing him on Bella's behalf. First about working for Lord V. Said he should do more. What more could Lucius do? Then secondly about having babies. Quickly. So they didn't have to. Then, as if that was not bad enough, his father Abraxas had paid him another surprise visit. On the same damn subjects.
Once his father had left, Lucius had yelled at every single person who crossed his path, house elf or not, which made for quite a clear path when he left the Ministry as everyone scurried away at the sight of him. One person didn't move quite fast enough, and Lucius barreled directly into him. They both ended up on the floor. When he was helped up from that undignified position, Lucius recognized an apologetic Arthur Weasley.
"Sorry, Lucius, I was showing Miss Florenz in accounting some pictures of the boys. Would you like to see? Bill and Charlie. Growing like weeds they are..." When he reached for said photographs, Lucius wanted to scream at the indignity of it all. All anyone talked about was babies. Babies everywhere! He was sick to death of the subject.
He kept his cool, surprisingly, and exited the Ministry, his dignity a little the worse for wear. "I wish there was a place where we could go away, just Narcissa and me, where no one would bother us," he muttered to himself.
And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he wasn't in the Ministry any more, although he didn't remember apparating. But he must have, surely. He had just done it as a matter of course, without thinking. He'd done it so many times he could do it in his sleep, surely.
But this was not Malfoy Manor. Most assuredly not. This was some sort of poor person's establishment, much like the Leaky Cauldron. But what was he doing here, his serpent-headed cane in one hand, and a strange valise in the other?
Lucius wanted answers and he wanted them immediately!