LANDSLIDE, james potter [2]

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Lyra had hoped that the meeting her family was going to have with the Dark Lord would never come. She had tried to put it off by using excuses about how aurors were watching the house and if she were to go a strange location (or if, God forbid, they were to have the meeting at Malfoy manor) then it would be extremely suspicious. 

But they stopped watching them eventually. Voldemort found out easily, of course. The Ministry wasn't the only ones interested in the Malfoys, after all. And he sent a letter directly to her, saying that him and her family would appear at her home that night. Draco would need to be there. 

Lyra didn't want Voldemort in her home. She wanted him dead. She wanted him to be nothing more than a painful, distant memory. But before that, she wanted him to suffer after all that he'd done. 

Bellatrix and Narcissa had arrived early as usual. Marcus was supposed to come at any minute but he was never as punctual as his parents. Lyra hadn't expected Rabastan to come, but she supposed it would be fitting. She hoped he'd spoken to the Dark Lord on her behalf.

She hadn't outright told Rabastan to intervene on her and Draco's behalf. He had promised to protect her. But then she'd kissed him, something she never thought she'd do. After that they hadn't done much talking. 

She smiled slightly at Rabastan as he arrived into her home. The home that actually belonged to her husband. Lyra tried not think about him because it would only remind her that she was cheater. She was cheating on her husband to stay afloat. She didn't ever think she would be that kind of woman. 

Draco still hadn't seemed to notice that something was going on between her and Rabastan and she was thankful for it. While her son hadn't always grown up in the healthiest of environments she always wanted him to feel loved and happy. He wouldn't understand why she was doing what she was doing. He was only a child. 

"Hello, Lyra," Rabastan greeted her with a nod, though smiling slightly in return. He didn't bother to look at Bellatrix and Narcissa, only turning to look at Draco. "You must be Draco. You do look a lot like Lucius. A bit too much for my taste, though. I haven't seen you since you were a baby."

"Yes, that's me," her son responded, trying his best to stay confident. He knew Rabastan's reputation well. He was sadistic and cruel. He had tortured and murdered. Yet he was a close friend of his mother's. "It's good to see you again."

The older man grinned widely at the boy before turning to look at one of the sisters sitting on the sofa in front of him, looking slightly less happy. "Is Marcus here yet, Narcissa? The Dark Lord doesn't tolerate tardiness."

Narcissa's dislike for him was evident. She hadn't minded him before but when he became the reason her husband had landed himself in Azkaban then she started loathing him. "He'll be here, Rabastan."

"For your sake, I truly hope so," Rabastan said smugly, obviously unbothered with how much she disliked him. He had gotten quite used to it in the past few days as he had been staying at her home. 

"Rabastan," Lyra said warningly, sending him a stern look. She wasn't in the mood for any arguments or petty squabbles. This was an important day. One she didn't want to live through at all, much less with these extra complications. 

He turned to her and his smirk softened slightly. "Alright. He'll be coming soon. Marcus should really be here on time. Your family really can't afford any more mistakes, no matter how small."

"And we understand that," she responded sharply, surprising him. She hadn't been anything less than sweet towards him for the past few days. He didn't seem to understand why that day would be so stressful for her.