You're right not to ask him straight out, because he would probably take it the wrong way.

I won't tell him you asked.

I think there's lots of reasons why people sometimes stay in separate places. Usually, Lucius stays at St James because he'll be doing business til late, and he doesn't want to be a bother. And sometimes it's because it's more convenient to have me in the St James house when I'm visiting with just him instead of with the whole family, because that's a different sort of visit.

And St James is a Malfoy residence, so it's his family holdings, which makes it more his, and Kensington is more Aunt Narcissa's, so that means that she likes to keep it in a specific way, and have things just so.

And there's the Manor, too, of course.

I know that my mother doesn't always stay with Mr Campbell, my stepfather. Like when she wants to do shopping in New London or go to the theater there or something, she'll stay there for a week. So there's that too.

And I'd imagine there are other reasons too. Like a fight. Or something. But there usually is a reason.