1979, August fourth

Lucius heart was beating rapidly. He looked into the dark lord's cold eyes. There was no way he was going to win this fight. He felt more scared than he had ever been.

With a wave of his wand Voldemort takes Lucius wand in an almost bored fashion. Lucius did not want to die. He was barely in his twenties. He had barely set a foot outside of Hogwarts. His heart was jamming in his ears. "Please, my lord," Lucius spat out. "You cannot possibly believe I have defied you. I have always been faithful to you. I have made my mistakes. I wish I had served you better, my lord."

"You don't fool me," Voldemort spat. "You betrayed me. Thrice. And now you are going to tell me were you've hidden them."

In a flash Lucius decides. He barely registrates his own words. "My lord, I never betrayed you. I failed you. Please. I am nowhere near as capable as you are. Haven't I been loyal?"

Voldemort coldly looks at the man before him. Voldemort ponders on Lucius' words. "It doesn't matter." Voldemort then raises his wand.

Lucius feels disgusted by what he is going to do. "Wait, my lord. I am loyal to you. I am their secret keeper. I will tell you where they are. You can take my son, but let my wife live. Please my lord, Narcissa and I are completely loyal to your cause. I only failed because I am less capable then you." It was a lie, an extremely desperate last try to survive. He had not actively stood against him. Just been inactive in the right moments. Letting things go wrong. He could have another son with Narcissa. He could have a future. He could even serve the dark lord.

Even if he regretted his choice to get marked after two weeks. He was just seventeen. His father was so proud. He could not quite remember his father earlier uttering these words. I'm proud of you.

He'd let the order members escape. He simply had not cared. Of course it was not during his watch. Else, he might have cared. After all, Voldemort had not been pleased with Crabbe Jr.

He'd failed to keep his wand with him, which of course accidentally got in the hands of that McKinnon girl, allowing the Prewitt twins and the girl to get away. He just did not have the heart to see the blond girl get killed off the day after Draco was born. The McKinnon girl was pregnant.

Of course, he'd withhold information from the dark lord. He needn't know what the order had planned for him. It was a successful strike. Only Lucius himself had been prepared for it. A lot of death eaters had died or been severely hurt.

It feels like an eternity.

Voldemort lowers his wand. "I do not wish to spill magical blood."

"Yes. Yes, my lord," Lucius utters, feeling relieve and contempt for himself flow over him. "I have hidden them in Godric Hallows, number 27."

Voldemort smiles coldly to Lucius, who feels chilled down to the bone. "Do not cross me again, Lucius. You do not wish to disappoint me again."

Lucius bows down low. "Yes, my lord." Voldemort then apparates away and leaves Lucius behind. Lucius starts running. Lucius can only think of his son and his wife. How could he have been such a coward as to have sold them out? He cries desperately and runs through the forest. In his desperate worry he finds strength he never before had felt.

Voldemort looks into the house. Narcissa is trying to calm a crying Draco down. Voldemort then blasts the door down, puts anti-apparition wards on and calmly walks the house in.

Narcissa runs upstairs. She holds baby Draco close to her. "I love you," she whispers. "You will be alright."

Then Voldemort is there in the same room. His cold eyes focussing on the grey baby eyes. "Step aside, Narcissa, you don't have to die. I do not wish to spill magical blood."

"No please, my lord," Narcissa whispers crying. "My son is only a baby. He could never be a threat to you. You are the strongest wizard alive."

Voldemort smiles coldly. "Step aside, Narcissa, I will not ask you again. I would not wish a pureblood witch from such a noble family as the Blacks to die."

Narcissa barely registrates what is happening. She is crying. She is not moving. She does not understand it as the green light hits her, which comes from the dark lord's wand. It all just went too quickly. She did not even feel the betrayal of her husband.

Voldemort watches the life leave Narcissa's eyes and her body slump, allowing him to view her child. It is crying, like it understands how it last moment is coming near, Voldemort thinks smiling coldly.

Voldemort raises his wand. "Avada Kedavra." The spell rebounds.

Voldemort disappears, leaving a crying Draco behind.

Lucius is still frantically searching through the forest. He needed to get back home. When the dawn approaches, he walks into an old man with a dog. Lucius is crying. "Please sir, you need to help me. I have to go home."

The old man looks curious at Lucius. "Young man, are you lost?"

Lucius does not know how to explain, that his world just broke down. "I am, sir, I need to get home."

"Follow me," the old man then says. "I know these woods on the back of my hands."

The old man keeps telling Lucius stories, about him and his former love, who had passed away a few years ago. Lucius does not mind, they drown out the pain. The old man neither minds that Lucius is not listening to what he is telling. They both somehow are comforted by each others companionship. Lucius holds tightly to his life line, as if to keep sane. The old man feels less alone for the first time in a long time.

It feels like hours have passed, before they come near a muggle village. He would never say anything derisive about muggles again. Not after today. Not after Lucius so desperately needed the old man's help.

The old man looks inquiringly at him. "You need to go," the old man says.

The old man looks sadly to him. "Since Elodie passed away, I have been rather lonely. Here have my car keys. Drive to where ever you have to go. Visit me. Even for just a game of chess. I would like the companionship."

Lucius looks at the strange keys in his hand and the muggle vehicle. He did not know how to drive. The old man realised that too. He hesitated, but then explained it shortly. "Be careful," were the last words the old man said to the very distraught Lucius.

Where would he go? Who could he trust? How would he regain his wand?

Three o'clock in the morning Lucius found his destination. Driving had been more difficult than he had expected. He looked at the manor. He hoped to run into Regulus first. He had no idea how Walburga would react. Or worse, Bella. He felt fear run through his spine. Best to do it at a bit of a run if you're scared, Lucius then remembers his mother say, the first time Lucius went through the boundary to platform 9 3/4. Best to get it over with.

He run towards the house and walked in. He immediately took the stairs up. He ran into a frantic Regulus. Regulus looked thinner, like he'd been wasting away. Regulus was pale. Regulus shakingly trained his wand on Lucius. "What are you doing here? You disappeared. The dark lord was furious."

"Please," Lucius begs, "I need to know how my wife and son are."

Regulus looks shocked. "I don't know. I haven't heard anything from the dark lord, so that might be good news."

Lucius nods hopefully. Lucius feels utterly broken. "I need your wand, Reg. To make sure they're alright."

Regulus hesitates. "There is something I have to do."

"Please," Lucius whispers, "I have no time left."

Regulus nods. Lucius sweeps Regulus into a hug. "If anything happens, take care of them. "Of Narcissa. Of Draco. Thank the muggle whose car I got." Regulus nods confused.

Lucius apparates home. He sees the door is broken down. Of course he was not on time. It was all his fault. Then he hears a cry and runs upstairs. Draco, he is all right.

Crack! Lucius looks outside. Bella, Rodolphus, Rabastan and Crouch Jr. appear. He feels anti-apparition wards being cast. Lucius has to protect Draco. He has to hide him. He silences Draco and casts him invisible. He casts protection spells. He stuns him.

Lucius has to. There is no other way.

Lucius runs downstairs. He'd protect Draco. He'd rather die than to sell his son out again. He faces the death eaters. Lucius feels strange. This is the first time he feels this brave. He has to.

Bellatrix disarms him. She looks menacingly at him. "Where is he?"

Lucius takes a step back. "Who?"

"Crucius," Bella screams. "The dark lord, Lucius. Where is he?"

Maybe Lucius son had a chance of living. "I don't know Bella, why don't you call him?" Lucius taunted.

Three days later it hit Regulus just as hard as the rest of the wizarding world. The dark lord had been defeated and whispers were young Draco had seen to his demise.

He had taken guardianship of the baby in a spur of the moment. Still, he was young, even younger than Lucius and Narcissa had been. He was too young. He could not raise a kid. He left Draco in the arms of the old man, who had helped Lucius, explained what had happened. He would be save there, where no one would know where he was. He'd make the world saver for Draco, for everyone, he decided, or would die trying. He called Kreacher, who apparates him to a cave in the sea.