FHB: Chapter 20

Lucius shifted his weight uncomfortably, contemplating on making a move. When he found a short burst of bravery matching up his desperation, he strode up to Tanya.

“Tanya,” Lucius greeted.

Tanya turned to see who it was and replied, “Why am I not surprise?”

“I take that as a compliment,” Lucius replied.

“Well, you should go find someone to pair with.”

Lucius shifted his weight again, this time too obvious too ignore.

“Wait, are you here to ask me to be your partner?” Tanya asked, drowning the pride Lucius was attempting to keep afloat.

Before Lucius could reply, Tanya added, “But I already have a partner.”

The girl standing with them smiled and said, “It’s alright. I don’t mind making new friends.”

When the girl left, the sharp pinch from her words remained. But instead of defending his already hurt ego, Lucius turned to Tanya.

“You didn’t have to say that,” Lucius said.

“Say what?”

“Point out that I’m here to ask you to be my partner,” Lucius answered almost immediately.

“Why? Isn’t that so?”

Lucius narrowed his eyes, and then he said, “Sometimes, I’m not sure if you’re really that naïve or just playing me.”

Tanya shrugged in reply and began walking towards the exit. Lucius simply followed her, and continued doing so as the group broke off in their pairs and headed to the ministry headquarters.

The city was bustling that day, and it took Tanya only ten minutes to find the lifeless boutique they were instructed to find. Her sense of direction amidst the rushing muggle crowd was rather impressive.

Once in the shop, Tanya whispered the numbers ‘62442’ to the shopkeeper and they were immediately led to a fireplace in a hidden room behind an old bookshelf.

“Ladies first,” Lucius said.

Tanya took a handful of floo powder from a deep bowl, stepped into the fireplace, and said the magic words. When the flames shot up and died down, Lucius went next.

The heatless flames engulfed Lucius and a second later he arrived in the ministry headquarters. The ministry was as busy as the streets above, and Lucius began imagining what it would be like to be a minister. He could see himself climbing his way up and achieving greatness, and the thought of controlling the magical community gave him shivers of excitement. Unfortunately for him, his imagination was cut short with Tanya’s call.

“Lucius, come on! Which department are you in? We can’t be late.”

Despite the urgency in her tone, Lucius took his time. When they finally arrived at the elevators, Tanya said, “You could walk faster.”

“We’re not late,” Lucius replied with a shrug.

“We have five minutes to get to our departments. We will be late. Anyway, which department are you going?”

“Department of Magical Education,” Lucius replied.

The answer gave Tanya a strange look on her face. She seemed to be having a hard time digesting his words.

“Don’t look so surprise. What department are you in?”

“I’m hoping you have no ulterior motive for choosing that department.”

“You can’t choose where they place you,” Lucius pointed out.

Tanya chuckled and said, “I’m sure YOU were given an option. Well, I’m off to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I don’t want to be late, so you can take the next ride. Meet you here at five!”

With that, Tanya squeezed into a crowded elevator and waved goodbye. The elevator shot backwards and then sideways, with Tanya’s startled scream bouncing down the tricky elevator tunnels. Shortly after that, Lucius found a rather empty elevator and headed to his department.

The first day as an intern was rather satisfactory for Lucius. He was the only one placed in that department so there were no other interns outdoing him. The people also knew who he was, and they praised him for his little act during the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s examination. Lucius was sort of an ideal intern in their book, and they treated him way better than he had expected. He did not have to make the coffee or copy letters, he simply sat in their meetings and discussions, taking in more information than he should.

When the clock on the wall finally ticked five, Lucius left his bare desk and met up with Tanya at the atrium.

“So, how was your first day?” Tanya asked excitedly.

“It was fine. How was yours?”

“Splendid!” Tanya continued on with how much she had learned about the dark arts, which made Lucius a little uncomfortable. He was no stranger to it, but the fact that the ministry knew so much was not comforting.

Tanya recited her whole day while they had dinner in a cafe in the ministry headquarters, and then she went into the littlest details as they made their way to their muggle apartment. Tanya only stopped her ‘daily report’ when they entered their living quarters and found it ten times larger than what it seemed from the outside. That would explain why they placed all the interns in one place.

“This is amazing!” Tanya said in awe. She was acting like a typical mudblood the whole day and Lucius was feeling a little sick from it.

Excusing himself, Lucius went to look for his room. When he finally found it, he wondered how he was going to survive for the whole month. Sharing the tiny room with a stranger put a lump in his throat.

Muttering under his breath, Lucius dragged his legs in and slumped on a bed. Just as he did, an envelope bounced off the soft comforter and landed gently on the floor. Was the letter for his roommate, or was it for him? It was addressed to no one and Lucius wondered if he should take a peek.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should read it or leave it!)

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FHB: Chapter 18

Different responses popped up in Lucius’ head as he quickly weighed out the consequences of the different answers. When he found one that did not sound like a ‘no’, Lucius said, “I would be honoured, my lord, but-but my mother and I will be going to lunch with, with a ministry official regarding my internship tomorrow.”

The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes as his snake slithered towards him. He seemed to be waiting for Lucius to add to the excuse.

“My mother says it would be good. I…” Lucius paused as he gathered whatever words he had floating in his head before he continued, “I could pick which department to intern in.”

There was no reply from the Dark Lord, as he simply studied Lucius’ terrified expression. After what felt like an hour of petrifying silence, the Dark Lord said, “Department of Magical Education would be a good choice.” And with that said, the Dark Lord left.

Once Lucius was alone again, he found it impossible to return to sleep. His mind was full with strange questions on the Dark Lord’s visit, and his emotions were all over the place. Lucius did not know if he should be happy or scared, and he decided to hold on to both emotions when his room began to brighten up.

That sunny morning, Lucius entered the grand dining room to find his parents seated at the long table.

“Good morning father, good morning mother,” Lucius greeted, before taking his seat.

“Did you read the report I left for you?” his father asked.

“Yes, sir,” Lucius replied.

“Good,” his father said. Then getting to his feet, he excused himself.

Lucius watched as his father strode out of the room before turning to his mother across him.

“Did you sleep well, dear?” his mother asked.

Lucius wanted to tell his mother about the Dark Lord’s visit but he hesitated. What if his mother thought it was just a dream? It could actually be one, the longer Lucius thought about it.

Finally deciding that he needed to, he answered, “Not very, mother. Someone visited me last night.”

His mother stopped buttering a scone and gave him a questioning look.

“He asked if I would like to join him today, but I told him we had lunch plans,” Lucius continued.

Almost immediately, horror swept across his mother’s face. Seeing her reaction, Lucius quickly added, “I told him about the internship. He said it was a good opportunity for me to help him. When I told him about lunch, he said I should ask Mr Pepsworth to place me in the Department of Magical Education.”

Even though their lunch with Mr and Mrs Pepsworth had nothing to do with Lucius’ internship, Mr Pepsworth was a high-ranking ministry official. They could simply slip a request during lunch, since the Pepsworths and the Malfoys were always scratching each other’s backs.

“I see,” his mother said with a thin smile. Just before she returned to her scone, she added, “We better make sure you are accepted into that department then.”

As that subject closed, a strange relief swept over Lucius. It was as though he was carrying a burden the whole night, and being able to share it with someone put him at ease. He was neither scared nor happy now, he was simply hungry and the exhaustion from the lack of sleep left him.

“Roacher!” Lucius yelled. “This tea is as cold as your dead father!” Lucius threw his teacup at the house elf that ran into the dining room. Moments later, Lucius had a fresh cup of tea and a pleasant breakfast.

Lunch that afternoon was at an exclusive and overpriced restaurant. Mr and Mrs Pepsworth wanted to see Mrs Malfoy and Lucius because their youngest son was enrolling in Hogwarts. They wanted Lucius to keep an eye on him, and to make sure he does well. Not having much of a choice, Lucius promised to do his best but he took that same moment to bring up his internship. When Mr Pepsworth asked which department he was interested in, Lucius told him without a hint of hesitation.

By the time their plates were clean and their cups were dry, Mr Pepsworth told Lucius he would soon receive his internship letter. It was safe to say, his words were as good as the official letter itself. At his assurance, Lucius reached for his mother’s hand and gave a gentle squeeze. There was no doubt that she was secretly afraid of Lucius’ fate, and he didn’t want her to worry when she didn’t have to.

The next few days, Lucius waited for the letter’s arrival. Though it did not swoop in as quickly as Lucius had expected, the days went by pretty smoothly with his father absent for most of them. His father was either out for business or with the Dark Lord and the others. The Dark Lord also did not pay Lucius any more midnight visits, but Lucius’ bedroom was still unwillingly opened for guests.

One night, Lucius entered his bedroom ready to hit the sack when he found his father standing by the window. The moment Lucius saw him, his father asked, “Do you have anything to tell me?”

Lucius was not sure what his father was referring to, and the letter in his hand did not make his question any clearer. Was it the internship, the Dark Lord’s visit, or befriending a mudblood? Lucius had to pick one answer and he could only hope it would not turn their conversation ugly.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on which answer Lucius should go for!)