FHB: Chapter 26

“Father!” Lucius called.

Abraxas Malfoy stopped in his tracks, almost unwillingly. He rested his hand on the doorknob before turning to Lucius.

“Is something wrong?” Lucius asked uncertainly.

His father shook his head and was ready to leave.

“I know something is,” Lucius quickly said.

His father let go of the knob, and said, “No, you don’t.” Before Lucius could prove his point, his father apparated without another word.

Knowing there was nothing he could do to find the answers he wanted, he sighed and exited the basement. He was so sure of leaving the dingy shop empty handed when he saw a familiar face at the counter.

The boy rang the rusted bell on the wooden surface, but no one came out to greet him. Disappointed, the boy turned towards the door and caught the reflection of Lucius in an old copper cauldron. Immediately, he stopped in his tracks.

Lucius caught the boy’s surprised expression and walked up to him.

“What are you doing here, Severus?” Lucius asked. “Who gave you permission to visit Hogsmead?

“Professor Slughorn. I was looking to buy a new cauldron, but…” Severus trailed off.

“What happened to your old one?”

“It…”

A boy with talent in potions could not have blown up his own cauldron.

“It?” Lucius asked.

Severus shrugged. Lucius knew he was too embarrassed to admit he was still being bullied. Maybe if Severus joined the Dark Lord, he would find a reason to stand up for himself.

Walking up to the counter, Lucius gave the bell three rings. When not a soul showed interest in selling a cauldron, Lucius took out a few galleons from his cloak and placed it on the counter.

“Take that one,” Lucius said and pointed at a new silver cauldron seated by the window.

“But…” Severus only managed a word.

“Thank you would suffice,” Lucius simply replied.

Severus nodded his head and muttered the softest ‘thank you’ Lucius had ever heard. He then hurried towards the cauldron, but before he could reach for it he stopped and picked up something from the floor.

“What is it?” Lucius asked.

“I don’t know,” Severus answered, as he handed the piece of paper to Lucius.

While Severus struggled to find the right position to carry the cauldron, Lucius examined the piece of paper. The only thing written was, “Dr. Maddock. Highly recommended” and it was signed off with D.B.

Something about it felt familiar and when he thought it through, he recalled the last time he fell ill. His mother called the family doctor who signed off a few exotic herbs with ‘D.B’. At the memory of it, Lucius wondered if the piece of paper belonged to his father. Something was definitely wrong and Lucius was beginning to worry. Yet at that very moment, he kept his cool and headed back to Hogwarts with Severus stumbling beside him.

That night, Lucius could not fall asleep. He wrote a brief letter to his mother asking if everything was fine back home before he rested his head, but that only made things worse. His worry would not die down and when the sun came up the next day he decided to act on his own. He did not have a plan but he hoped the day would work to his favour.

When afternoon came, day was on his side as Lucius stumbled upon a prefect reprimanding a group of students. It was not hard to guess what had happened as the students were split into a group of three boys against one. Picking up speed, Lucius closed in on the debate on ‘who started it’ before saying, “I know who the bullies are.”

Little did he know, he was wrong with his assessment. The three boys were Avery, Mulciber and Severus, and the one they were against was a Gryffindor boy; a boy he had not seen before. He was probably someone no one noticed, making him an easy target.

“You do?” The Hufflepuff prefect asked.

Lucius was not sure if he should sell out his own to save this new face, so he played it safe and said, “Better they confess to lighten the sentence.”

“He did it!” the Gryffindor boy said, and pointed at Severus.

It was unbelievable as Severus was commonly the target of bullies, not the other way around.

“He jinxed Severus’ cauldron!” Avery responded in accusation.

“We just wanted justice,” Mulciber added, in the most threatening tone.

 When the Gryffindor boy hesitated to defend himself, Lucius knew it was true.

“What’s your name?” Lucius asked him.

“Peter.”

“Peter what?”

“Peter Pettigrew.”

“Detention Mr Pettigrew. And if you jinx another cauldron, you’re paying for it,” Lucius said.

The Hufflepuff prefect looked at Lucius uncertainly and Lucius doused his suspicion of biasness with, “Ask Professor Slughorn about the cauldron. As for the fight, we can just let it go.”

Reluctantly, the Hufflepuff prefect nodded his head and took Pettigrew with him. When the two were out of earshot, Avery and Mulciber began high fiving and praising Lucius. Severus on the other hand, thanked Lucius and turned on his heels.

“You owe me, Severus,” Lucius simply said.

It was then that Lucius had an idea. Maybe he could use Severus once more, and do the Dark Lord’s bidding at the same time. After all, Severus was indebted to him, and Tanya was no longer around to question his motives.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should use Severus again or let him go!)

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FHB: Chapter 14

“He’s my father’s friend,” Lucius replied.

“Oh, he is? Does he work in the ministry?” Tanya asked.

“Yes. My father asked me to return him some money.”

“Can’t your father do it himself?”

“He’s busy.”

“I see. Well, I thought you should know that the professors think some students are buying papers. Apparently, the deal is always struck here.”

“Really? I didn’t know.”

“Of course not. You’re not the type to be buying papers.”

Lucius chuckled and said, “You know me so well.”

Tanya replied with a smile and Lucius nodded before hurrying down the stairs. When he was back on his chair surrounded by his housemates, he found the uneasiness had not left him.

Entering the great hall the next morning, Lucius took quick glances at the professors and found them acting suspicious. He briefly wondered if his perception was altered by his cautiousness, and found it to be true when Professor Dumbledore left the hall just before the arrival of the owls.

Lucius caught himself heaving a sigh, as the professors did not act out of the ordinary when the parcels began falling. His attention was so focused on them that when a parcel fell onto his lap, he jumped out of his seat.

Students turned their heads almost immediately, but when Lucius glared back they quickly looked away. Not thinking twice on how suspicious his next action may seem, Lucius slid the parcel under his cloak and left the great hall.

There was some time before his first class, so Lucius hurried back to the common room and unwrapped the parcel on his feathered bed. Beneath the string and brown paper, Lucius found three thick parchments, each binded with string. The cover page had the official ministry chop and right below it was the name of the subject.

Lucius flipped through the pages quickly and was convinced he was holding the real deal. Hiding the papers at the bottom of his trunk, Lucius hurried back to class and lied about handling a sick student.

As the day carried on, Lucius found himself counting down the hours. He was both fearful and excited at the same time, and that concoction of emotions sent him straight to his feet when the last class of the day ended. But as he strode out of class, he found himself stopping in his tracks. Down the hallway were three older prefects, and they were storming towards them.

In his mind, Lucius weighed out the option of running or waiting, and when he chose both he walked towards the perfects and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Do you know who Gilbert Puffett is?” the Gryffindor prefect asked.

It was hard not to know Gilbert Puffett. He was the Hufflepuff boy that bragged about his mother’s self-soaping dishcloth all the time.

Nodding his head, Lucius led the prefects to the group of Hufflepuffs he just had class with and pointed at the unsuspecting boy.

“Gilbert Puffett, you’re called to the disciplinary office,” the Hufflepuff prefect said with a croak, clearly embarrassed at whatever offence Gilbert had made.

“Why? What did I do?”

“You know what you did, unless you want us to tell your friends?”

Lucius saw Gilbert hesitating, but eventually he nodded his head. Just as the prefects were about to escort Gilbert, one of them turned to Lucius and said, “We need an extra hand. Could you head to the prefect’s lounge right away?”

Lucius was tempted to ask what for, but instead he said, “Sure.”

The prefect’s lounge was just beside the teachers’ office. As Lucius entered the cosy room, he saw a group of prefects his age. An older prefect was briefing them, and when they saw him they gestured him over.

“Split up in twos or threes and take a list. Leave the N.E.W.T students to us,” the older prefect ended.

“What’s going on?” Lucius asked.

“There was a spot check and O.W.L and N.E.W.T exam papers were found in students’ possessions. Weren’t you assigned to do the checking?” a Ravenclaw prefect asked.

Lucius shook his head as his throat dried up. He wished he was among those assigned for the spot check and couldn’t help but wonder if his name was on the list.

Just as he decided to find out, a group of prefects returned and among them was Tanya. Tanya waved him over and gestured to leave the room. Without hesitation, Lucius hurried after her.

Once outside and out of earshot, Lucius asked, “You knew about the spot check?”

“I told you at The Three Broomsticks didn’t I?”

“Well, not exactly,” Lucius replied, struggling to hide the internal turmoil.

“Why are you so nervous?” Tanya asked.

“Were you assigned to do a spot check?” Lucius asked in reply.

“I was given the Slytherin common room.”

“Did you find anything?”

“We found quite a fair bit. I found yours too,” Tanya answered so casually that Lucius felt his heart falling out of his chest.

Immediately, his head began ringing with his mother’s disappointed voice and his father’s angry shouts. A wave of nausea also swept over him but before it did any damage, Tanya said, “I burnt them.”

“You… what?”

“I burnt them. Or did you want me to hand them in?”

What she did was very unlike her. Lucius could not believe how a law-abiding witch would break the rules for him. But just as he was about to thank her, Tanya added, “So, are you going to turn yourself in?”

“What?” Lucius asked in disbelief.

“What you did was wrong. You should turn yourself in.”

“I’m grateful you helped me, but you can’t tell me what to do. Friends don’t tell each other what to do,” Lucius quickly replied.

“I’m telling you as a friend, you have to make up for it.”

“Hey, what you think is wrong might not be wrong to me.”

“Your choice, Lucius,” Tanya simply replied.

“Is that a threat?”

“I burnt your papers, what can I threaten you with?” Tanya asked before turning on her heels and heading back to the prefect’s lounge.

Lucius knew the easiest decision was to return to the group and pretend nothing happened, but something inside him urged him to do the right thing. Lucius hated his conscience but in order to shut it up, he had to make a firm choice.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should say something or leave it as it is!)

FHB: Chapter 13

“Friends?” Lucius paused and with slight hesitation before he continued, “sure.”

“Great! Well as a friend, I’m encouraging you to do your prefect duties,” Tanya replied with a small smile.

“Right,” Lucius simply said as he awkwardly waved Tanya goodbye.

Of course, Lucius didn’t return to his duties but straight to the common room instead. Friend or not, nobody told him what to do. As he lay in his bed that night, he found himself wondering what being friends really meant. By the time his eyes shut, he still did not have the right answers.

The following morning came as fast as the end of Quidditch season. Slytherin took the Quidditch cup with Hufflepuff not too far behind. The Slytherins found no reason to rub salt into the Hufflepuffs’ wounds, so they jeered at the Gryffindors instead. Slytherin and Gryffindor were always rivals, and many being friends with each other made no difference.

Lucius who went along with the celebration still did not understand the meaning of friends. He was too proud to ask and he decided that it was best if he continued pretending not to have any. When those around him asked about Tanya, he simply said he was being nice to her for the sake of her intelligence. After all, O.W.Ls was nearing and Lucius was not the best at every subject.

As the months flew by, Lucius found himself studying more than he usually did. Tanya had encouraged him to work hard instead of cheat his way through, and he had no idea why he thought it was a good idea to do as she suggested. Clearly, after days of pouring over boring Divination Lucius realized it was a bad idea.

Jumping from the armchair near the warm fireplace, he headed to the older group of Slytherins gossiping at a corner.

“Interesting conversation,” Lucius merely said.

“Er, yes. Would you like to join us?” a male student replied.

“No.”

“Then how can we help you?” a female student asked.

“Slytherin was second to Ravenclaw last year in the Owls outstanding grade. I want to know who helped,” Lucius answered.

“Helped? Well, we studied,” another male student said.

“Everyone in this group did not study. The ones that actually did are asleep now,” Lucius replied.

“We didn’t use a memory spell if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“I’m not wondering. You’re telling me,” Lucius went straight to the point.

There was a moment of hesitation, but it didn’t last long.

“We bought the papers before hand,” the same student replied in a lower voice.

There were only a few people in the common room that night and Lucius wondered why he was whispering.

“From who?”

“You don’t know him, but I can introduce him to you. You have a trip to Hogmeads coming up, right? I can sneak out to join you,” the student suggested.

“Sound good,” Lucius simply replied. He patted the boy on the shoulder before heading up to his room.

On the day of the Hogsmead trip, Lucius headed out with the usual boys. A lot of the students decided not to go, as they preferred staying indoors to study, but Lucius went mainly to find a way to make him breeze through a few of the subjects he was struggling with.

Surprisingly, as Lucius and his posse settled down in the Three Broomsticks, he saw Tanya entering with her friends. Tanya was behind in her studies, so she must have caught up being that she was out. As he watched her, the Slytherin boy that promised an introduction came walking in.

Lucius did not wait for him to walk over as he headed to him instead.

“Let’s make this quick,” Lucius said.

“Of course,” he replied and went straight to the stairs.

Lucius took one look at his fellow housemates and gestured for them to remain seated. Once he and the other student were on the first floor, the student pointed to a man in a suit at the table near the window.

“He knows you’re coming,” the student said.

“Good,” Lucius replied and thanked the student with a nod.

Lucius swaggered to the table and took a seat. The man acknowledged him with a fake smile and said, “So, how can I help you?”

“I need papers…owl,” Lucius said.

“One paper does not come cheap.”

“Money is not a problem, and I only need a few.”

“Oh? If you’re so clever, why don’t you just study?”

“I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”

The man chuckled and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just trying to do business here.”

“So how much for a paper and when can you deliver?”

“20 galleons, 13 sickles, 13 knuts. And I’ll deliver tomorrow if you pay today,” he replied with a sly smile.

“Fine. If you cheat me, you will pay for it.”

“Oh, I’m not the cheater here.”

Lucius narrowed his eyes before paying the man and informing him on the papers he needed. When the deal was done, he did not stick around and headed straight for the stairs. That was when he bumped into Tanya.

“Hey,” Tanya greeted.

“Hello,” Lucius replied as he edged towards the steps.

She looked at him and then at the man in the suit. Casually, she asked, “Who is that man? What were you paying him for?”

Lucius’ head screamed at him to cook up a lie, but he had a strange urge to tell the truth, as though lying was just going to make things worst. It now came down to what he was going to say to the only friend he had.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should lie or tell the truth!)

FHB: Chapter 12

Lucius did not want to do it, but the grip he was losing on the banner forced him into action.

“Tanya!” Lucius shouted, hoping his words could cut through the deafening crowd. And to his surprise, it did.

Tanya swerved her broom towards his direction and hesitated for a few seconds before coming to his aid.

“What on earth are you doing here?!”

“Wild bludger. I need your help,” Lucius replied as he struggled to hold on.

“Why should I help you? You’re not my friend,” Tanya said, turning her broom away.

Lucius was in shock at her response but he still managed a few words. “Please, I could die!”

“Why don’t you call your friends for help?”

It wasn’t the right moment to make a point but it was the perfect moment. Lucius was starting to think of descending by himself when the question caught him off guard. No matter who he was or how influential he became, Lucius did not have friends. It was the way he did things that put him above his housemates but made him alone.

As he shook his head in reply, Lucius felt his sweaty palms slipping from the banner. When he realized what was happening, he was already sliding down with his hands barely gripping onto the cloth.

“I can’t die like this!” Lucius thought out loud.

Just as those words escaped his lips, Tanya swooped down and reached for the back of his cloak. She was not strong enough to pull him up and her broom began tilting to his side.

“Grab the broom!” Tanya yelled.

Lucius flailed his hands and managed to grip onto the broom with one hand, but that did not stop them from the fall. As Tanya struggled to pull him up and control her broom, Lucius’ attempt to climb up made it worse.

“Stop! Just hold on!” Tanya said.

For once in his schooling life, he listened to another student and halted his attempts. Tanya tilted her body to the other side and slowly descended towards the black lake. When Lucius’ legs touched the waters, the drag pulled them both in.

 As the two of them pushed their heads out of the water, Tanya said, “Great! We’ll lose the game now.”

“You can still get back in,” Lucius replied.

“And what? Leave you here for the giant squid?”

“He’s quite docile,” Lucius said.

“I’m not that kind of a person,” Tanya simply replied and reached for her broom that was hovering above the water.

As she climbed on, she said, “Come on, I’ll get you back on solid ground.”

Lucius did not need to think twice about following her orders and he pulled himself up. He did however, hesitate on holding her waist but when they took flight there was no hesitation left.

When they finally landed in a school courtyard, Lucius awkwardly thanked Tanya for saving his life. Tanya merely responded with a nod before disappearing into the sky. She had a game to get back to, and when Lucius heard that the match dragged on for another hour, he didn’t feel so bad about the handicap he caused Ravenclaw briefly.

Strangely, when he found himself feeling sorry, he did not stop himself. He used to shut out thoughts that would alter his judgement, but he could not bring himself to do so that day. The thought of almost dying or being at risk to death made him think about his life. Maybe Lucius really needed friends after all? Maybe they were more of a help than a liability?

As the match ended and the news of Slytherin’s victory reached Lucius’ ears, he decided not to gloat over it. And during dinner that night, Lucius kept to his own promise.

The Slytherins were having a celebration, while the Ravenclaws tried not to look too upset. There were still a few more games to go so neither Gryffindor nor Hufflepuff felt the sting of the win. It was a pretty ordinary night in the great hall, except for the occasional cheers.

When dinner was over, everyone headed back to their common rooms in a not so orderly manner. Lucius neglected his prefect duties again and decided to have a talk with Tanya.

“Tanya, wait up,” Lucius called out when he saw Tanya monitoring the Ravenclaws.

“I’m on duty, you should be too,” Tanya pointed out.

“Just one second.”

“You don’t owe me alright, I don’t keep tabs when I help someone,” Tanya replied.

“No, that’s not what I wanted to say,” Lucius quickly said.

“Then?”

“I just wanted to say thank you, again. And you’re right, I don’t have friends.”

“You’re welcome. Maybe you should start making some.”

Lucius gave an awkward chuckle. “It doesn’t work that way for me.”

“Right, because you’re a pureblood and all that.”

“No. It’s just not the way I was brought up. My father always said that friends would do me more harm than good.”

“No offense to your bloodline, but your father is wrong.”

“Maybe…” Lucius trailed off as he recalled his father’s story about the Dark Lord while he was in Hogwarts.

“You know what, let’s prove your father wrong. Do you want to be friends?”

Lucius was not sure if he heard her right, as he last recalled Tanya hating him. Was she really offering her friendship? There was an internal tug-of-war, and Lucius could not believe it was such a difficult question to answer.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should say yes or no to Tanya’s offer!)

FHB: Chapter 11

Lucius got out of bed the next morning so close to forgetting about Severus’ little problem.  It was only until he witnessed the bullying himself did he act on it.

It was right after breakfast. Students were heading to their classes and Lucius was heading to his. As he walked past a small garden within the school compound, he spotted three boys standing by a tree.

Curiosity struck him as he walked towards them.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” Lucius asked.

The boys spun around immediately, and behind them was Severus sitting against the bark of the tree.

“Oh yes, we should get going,” the boy with messy black hair said as he signalled his friends to follow after him.

Though they took big strides, they did not manage to escape. Oddly, it was not Lucius who stopped them but Ms Evans.

Ms Evans walked up to them and demanded, “Apologize.”

“For what?” the boy replied.

“Apologize, Potter,” Ms Evans repeated.

The Potter boy chuckled and said, “I did nothing wrong, Lily. Why should I apologize?”

Ms Evans seemed to be struggling in holding in her anger, and when she gave up, she swung her hand right across the boy’s cheek.

Severus scrambled to his feet at the sound of the slap. The Potter boy said nothing while his friend turned to Lucius and said, “She hit him! She should be punished!”

Lucius had no problem punishing them both, after all, it was Gryffindor losing points.

“Fifteen points from all four of you,” Lucius said, and before the boys could question why, he continued, “Fifteen points for bullying a fellow student and fifteen points for physical violence.”

“That’s sixty points from Gryffindor!” the Potter boy finally spoke.

“You count well, Potter. Next time, think before you act,” Lucius merely said before ushering Severus away from the scene.

When Severus tried to protest, Lucius held on to his shoulder and led him away.

Lucius brought Severus to class before heading to his, but the day was not over. During lunch, Lucius invited Severus for a walk and he intended to give a pretty good lecture.

“Do you know why those boys keep bullying you?” Lucius asked.

“Because I’m weird?” Severus replied.

“Well, partly. I think they bully you because you need a girl to stand up for you,” Lucius pointed out.

“Lily was just helping me. She’s a good friend-”

“She’s not worthy to be your friend. In fact, you don’t need a friend like her. She’s a mudblood after all,” Lucius interrupted.

“What’s wrong with mudbloods? They are just like us,” Severus asked innocently.

“They’re not. They are outsiders hoping to take what is rightfully ours. They don’t deserve it. Your friend, Lily, doesn’t deserve it.”

“But I can’t leave her,” Severus almost whispered his words.

“Make new friends Lucius, then you can leave her,” Lucius advised.

As Lucius left Severus pondering, he began to wonder. Why did Severus need Ms Evans? What kind of a friendship did they have? Was it something so inseparable that the thought of parting ways sounded impossible?

Lucius never had a friend that meant that much to him. He didn’t like being tied down. He was the lone ranger who preferred working by himself, and that worked well for him all these years.

Friend, who invented that word anyway? Lucius silently asked himself.

As Quidditch season started drawing in, Lucius noticed Severus taking his advice. Severus stopped hanging out with Ms Evans as much as he used to, and started hanging out with other Slytherin boys. He also started using the word ‘mudblood’ when Ms Evans wasn’t around.

Lucius had a feeling that one day, a slip of a tongue would end Severus’ ties with Ms Evans altogether. Now wouldn’t that be something to celebrate? Lucius smiled at the idea.

But that was one celebration he would reconsider in due time.

One sunny morning, the match between Slytherin and Ravenclaw began at the blow of a whistle. Lucius enjoyed watching a Quidditch match, but he never liked the idea of playing it. Let’s just say he wasn’t a big fan of heights.

As the quaffle changed hands and the bludgers shot at unsuspecting players, something unexpected happened.

Lucius was climbing up to the professors’ watchtower when a wild bludger crashed into the wooden structure. It rammed against the stairs and the inner pillars like a loose cannon, and it cut through Lucius’ path. Immediately, Lucius scrambled for his wand but before a spell could be cast, the bludger hit him in the stomach and forced him through the supposedly thick wooden panels.

The bludger free itself from him and swerve back into the Quidditch field while Lucius madly waved his arms and grabbed onto the Ravenclaw banner around the tower.

When he finally had a firm grip, Lucius braved himself and took a look down. He was dangling high above the dark waters of the lake, and his heartbeat rose almost instantly. When Lucius tried calling for help, the loud cheering students had their back against him and he was completely out sight.

Nobody knew he was there, not even his ‘friends’.

He thought of climbing back up to the platform or lowering himself to the lake, but while he tried to rationalize both options he saw a Ravenclaw player swerving around a nearby watchtower. Without having to squint much, he knew who it was.

What should he do? Lucius would rather save himself, but a broom ride to solid ground was much more safer. If only that player wasn’t Tanya, he wouldn’t have to contemplate so much.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should save himself or ask for help!)

FHB: Chapter 10

“Can I speak with you?” Ms Evans asked.

“Regarding?” Lucius replied, as he watched Tanya say her goodbyes and leave.

“I want you to leave Severus alone,” she said.

“Who?” Lucius responded. His honest question for being temporarily distracted came off sarcastically.

“Severus, my friend?”

Lucius gave her a long look before asking, “Why?”

“You’re bad for him,” Ms Evans answered boldly.

Lucius gave a false chuckle. “I think you are mistaken. The poor boy has no other friend but you, and one day you’ll leave him too. When that happens, I’ll be the only one he has left.”

“I won’t leave him.”

Lucius smirked. “We’ll see.”

He didn’t bother to stick around and argue with the girl any longer, as he walked off and politely excused himself from Professor Slughorn’s dinner party.

Lucius thought he had managed to leave Ms Evans behind, but when she left the office after him, he knew she was not done.

“Malfoy!”

Did she just call me by my family name? Lucius asked himself silently. She was not going to get away with it.

“I’ll have points deducted from your house for your lack of manners,” Lucius immediately replied.

“I don’t care. I don’t know who you are or why you act like you own this school, but I’m not letting you bully me,” Ms Evans shot back.

“You don’t know who I am?” Lucius asked, curious as to why.

“Why should I?”

“Don’t your parents teach you?”

“They taught me well enough,” Ms Evans paused before she continued, “just not about this world.”

“Oh, so you’re a mudblood too.”

What’s wrong with Dumbledore? All these mudbloods are ruining our prestigious institute. Father must hear about this, Lucius told himself.

“What’s a-”

“Dirty blood. You don’t belong here. You’re not a real witch, you’re filth to our society,” Lucius answered her unfinished question.

“That’s discrimination! I’m just like you, I-”

“Don’t ever compare yourself to me, Ms. Evans. You are nothing like me. I’m of noble birth and my bloodline is pure. Yours however, won’t account for anything if it’s spilled,” Lucius spat.

Ms Evans innocent looking face flared up. She looked like she was about to throw a punch.

“Touch me, Ms Evans, and you will be expelled,” Lucius warned.

“How low can you go to threaten a child?” a familiar voice asked from behind him.

When Lucius turned his head to look, he saw Tanya standing a few feet away. Almost instantly, his anger turned towards her.

“You lied to me! You almost made me a fool!”

“You are, for thinking yourself better than everyone else,” Tanya replied.

Lucius shook his head to calm himself down. After weighing out the different replies he had in his head, Lucius said, “You see, that’s the problem with you mudbloods. You are all ignorant fools, thinking you are special being here. Go on and live in your fantasy world, but be careful, you don’t want death bursting your little bubble.”

Lucius did not stick around to explain further and he stormed off. When he finally returned to the common room, he swung his hand at a lamp on the nearby table and with a crash the room fell silent.

“What, what happened?” one of his so-called friends asked.

“Severus!” Lucius called out instead. When nobody responded, Lucius demanded, “Where’s that boy?”

“He’s not back yet, I think,” another so-called friend replied.

Just then, the common room door swung open and Severus entered. His eyes were locked on the ground and he only looked up when Lucius blocked his way.

“What’s with you?” Lucius asked.

Severus looked as though someone had called him a mudblood. It was the kind of reaction Lucius was hoping from the little brat just now.

Severus gave no reply as he looked at everyone in the room. All eyes were on him, and his mind was visibly blank.

Noticing the problem, Lucius turned and asked, “What are you guys doing standing around? Shouldn’t you all be in bed?”

An older prefect immediately started ordering the crowd to their warm beds, and soon Lucius and Severus were the only ones left.

“So, what’s with you?” Lucius asked again.

“Nothing,” Severus replied softly.

“What do you mean nothing?” Lucius gave Severus’ shoulder a squeeze in hopes to lead him to the sofa by the fireplace, but as he did Severus quickly pulled away and yelped in pain.

“What happened? Did you forget to jump on the enchanted stairs?”

Severus shook his head, but his lips were still sealed.

“Stop being a coward and tell me what happened,” Lucius demanded.

“I- I- the other boys were rough,” Severus managed a reply.

“What other boys? Boys from our house?”

“Gryffindor,” Severus said softly, as though saying the house name might do more damage.

“Name,” Lucius merely said. It sounded like a statement more than a question and Severus took a while to get it. When he finally did, he muttered, “Potter.”

So the rough little boy went by the name of Potter, eh? Lucius thought as Severus stood awkwardly with a hand rubbing his shoulder.

“I’ll handle this, Severus. But tomorrow, tomorrow you’ll be hanging out with Avery and Mulciber. They are very funny boys,” Lucius simply said.

Severus nodded and headed straight to bed. Lucius however, stayed a while longer. What should he do? Should he leave it to the professors or should he handle it himself?

“You see Ms Evans, Severus needs me,” Lucius whispered just as the flames in the fireplace puffed out.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should leave it to the professors or handle it himself!)

FHB: Chapter 9

“Well, how about you join me for dinner this Friday, at Professor Slughorn’s office?” Lucius casually asked.

“Why does Pro-”

“Oh, he likes bonding with his students,” Lucius interrupted.

“Can anyone join?”

“Anyone I invite can join.”

Tanya’s eyes dropped to the floor as she thought silently.

“Stop thinking so much, I’ll see you on Friday,” Lucius said, and hurried off before Tanya could say anything else.

That Friday’s dinner was a special one, as Professor Slughorn had previously informed Lucius that he would be introducing new members to the Slug Club. Did Lucius forget? Of course not.

So, when the day finally arrived and the anticipated hour chimed down the hallways, Lucius met Tanya outside the great hall and walked with her to Professor Slughorn’s office.

“Are you sure about this?” Tanya asked, as they neared the office door.

“Of course,” Lucius said with a grin. “But just to play it safe, I’ll go in first and you’ll come in later.”

“Why? I’m your guest, shouldn’t I-”

“It’s best I inform Professor Slughorn first,” Lucius quickly said.

Tanya did not have much of a choice, so she nodded her head in reply.

As Lucius entered Professor Slughorn’s office, he realized the rest had already arrived. Some of them he did not bother to learn their names, while others he gave a thin smile. Lucius also spotted two new students sitting awkwardly near the fireplace.

He could not see their faces from where he was standing, but when he tried to take a look, Professor Slughorn placed his hand heavily on his shoulder.

“I thought you weren’t going to make it!” Professor Slughorn said.

“I’m really sorry for being late, sir. I was being followed,” Lucius replied.

“Followed?”

“Yes, sir,” Lucius said with a sigh.

“Who is it that followed you?”

“Tanya Lovegood, sir. She wants you to like her,” Lucius answered in a sympathetic tone.

Professor Slughorn gave a chuckle, and just then Tanya walked through the door.

“Sorry I’m late,” Tanya said cheerfully.

Before Professor Slughorn could address her, Lucius quickly whispered to him, “Professor, she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Let’s just carry on to spare her the embarrassment. After all, she’s still new.”

Professor Slughorn thought for a moment before he gave Lucius’ shoulder a squeeze and announced, “Take your seats everyone!”

Everyone quickly sat themselves at a brown oval table that was filled with all sorts of dishes. A tall pudding sat in the middle, two roasted turkeys at both sides, a beef casserole not too far away, sausages and bacon stacked up high at a corner, a large bowl of magically bubbling beef stew that was a little out of reach, a small custard tart by each plate, and a shepherd’s pie right in front of Lucius. The steam was rising from its golden crust and it made his mouth water immediately.

Lucius would have been easily distracted by the food that evening, but when he saw a familiar looking girl staring at him from across the table, Lucius was completely oblivious to the fact that Tanya had seated herself next to him.

“Wow, look at the food!” Tanya whispered.

Yes, the food was good but he was so close to figuring out who the new girl was that he ignored their calls to be eaten.

Finally, when his stomach gave his brain a wake up call, the memory that was trying so hard to stay hidden popped right in front of him.

That first year Gryffindor girl with green eyes, was none other than Severus’ little friend; the one that tried to protect him from Lucius. Ah, that brat! Lucius thought.

As Lucius continued watching her, Professor Slughorn decided to be a little more observant that night and asked, “Aren’t you hungry, boy?”

Just like that, everyone stopped eating and looked at him. Oh, how Lucius hated it when everyone was trying to be the teacher’s pet at the same time.

“I was just wondering, sir, who are the new students that are joining us tonight?”

“Ah, I almost forgot! Thank you for reminding me,” Professor Slughorn said with a smile, before getting up from his seat.

As he stood at the front of the table, he cleared his throat and said, “Today, I’ve invited a few special guests to join us. Most of you don’t know them because they just enrolled, but my eye for spotting talent has not rusted!”

There was a short pause; enough time for everyone in the room to mumble praises, before Professor Slughorn continued, “So let me introduce Ms. Lily Evans, Mr. Dirk Cresswell, and Ms. Tanya Lovegood. Three extraordinary students!”

It was a big mistake to be taking a gulp of sweet sparkling juice at that moment, as Lucius almost spat his drink out. Did he hear him right?

When Lucius turned to Tanya, she gave him a smile and almost immediately he felt betrayed. She played him, and he fell for it thinking he was the game master!

What a fool! Lucius silently scolded himself.

The night went on ignoring Lucius’ raging emotions, but when it was over, Lucius was so tempted to confront her. Except that before he could, sweet little Ms. Evans requested to talk to him.

Now, he had to choose between the bold little Gryffindor and the not so innocent Ravenclaw. Who should it be?

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on who Lucius should pick!)

FHB: Chapter 7

“Hey boy, what did I say about lurking around the Gryffindor table?” Lucius called out to Severus.

Tanya narrowed her eyes at Lucius before taking a quick glimpse behind her.

Severus, who had no idea what was going on, nervously walked up to the two of them.

“I didn’t ask you to come here. Get back to your seat,” Lucius shot.

The look on Severus’ face was rather pitiful, and as expected, Tanya stood up for him.

“You shouldn’t treat first years like that,” Tanya said.

“I’m only following the rules,” Lucius replied with a shrug.

“There is no such rule.”

“You have to read the rule book again, Tanya,” Lucius casually said as he reached for Severus and pulled him towards him.

Before Tanya could defend Severus once more, Lucius quickly whispered in his ear, “Get the parchment and run.”

“Let go of him!” Tanya demanded as she gently pulled Severus away from him.

Then turning to Severus she said in a gentle voice, “Go back to your seat. You’ll be safe there.”

Lucius wanted to laugh. He could not take her seriously, and her mother duck gesture tickled his funny bone.

“Tanya, please. I was not going to hurt him,” Lucius said with a chuckle.

“You don’t need to pretend anymore, Lucius. I know what kind of a person you are. My friends told me about you.”

“Your friends? I was your only friend when you arrived. Is this how you treat friends?”

Lucius had a guilty pleasure of making people feel bad about themselves.

“I thought so too, until I realized you were just using me,” Tanya pointed out.

Enough talk. Get a move on it boy, Lucius thought as he made eye contact with Severus.

“Friends help each other. If you don’t want to help me, you can just say so,” Lucius replied, hoping to buy more time for Severus to act.

Unfortunately, Severus was going back and forth with his decision. It was agonizing to watch this first year struggle with such a simple instruction.

Unable to take anymore of Severus’ hesitation, Lucius turned to him and asked, “Didn’t we tell you to get a move on it?”

That question must have set off the ‘go’ switch in his brain and immediately, Severus snatched the parchment from Tanya’s hand and ran out of the great hall.

Tanya watched in shock as Lucius shrugged and said, “See, I told you he was trouble.”

Lucius did not wait for her reply as he walked back to his seat. He noticed Tanya contemplating on going after Severus, but she soon made up her mind to return to her newfound friends.

The bunch of giggling girls stopped when they saw her and quickly got the juicy story out of her. Lucius noticed that after Tanya was done, three of them turned to his direction and gave him a glare.

Ignoring their obvious finger pointing and dissatisfied expressions, Lucius went back to his meal. He knew they could not do anything about it, but he also knew Tanya was no longer useable. Well, at least there was still that first year, right?

After dinner, Lucius decided to head back to the common room. He had rounds to make, but the parchment was much more important. Upon arrival, he asked the head boy for the room list before asking if he could do his rounds for him. Of course, the head boy had no objections to either request.

Once he had learned of Severus’ room, Lucius got his hands on the parchment almost immediately. Thankfully, Severus had safely returned to their common room, and when he handed the parchment to Lucius he did not ask what it was but pulled his blanket over his head.

From the look on his face, Lucius know he was still hungry. Strangely, he felt sorry for the boy. So he pulled out a chocolate bar and placed it on the side table.

“Eat this,” Lucius merely said before he left.

That night, Lucius spent a few hours memorizing Professor Slughorn’s instructions. By the time the clock stroke 12, Lucius went to bed.

The following days went rather well, and Lucius did short revisions on the potion before bed every night. It was until the night before his next potion class that he gathered his classmates.

About thirty-five of them stayed up in the common room after everyone else had gone to bed. Lucius was sitting near the fireplace when he told them that the potion’s test would be a Polyjuice Potion. No one bothered asking where he had gotten the information from, but they thanked him instead.

It was a common practice for Lucius to share last minute tips with his classmates. He knew none of them could outdo him and most of them would barely pass. But even so, that would mean more house points.

When Potions Class was in session the next day, Lucius was confident in acing the test. That was until Tanya came up to him.

“I’ll give you the chance to do it right, Lucius,” Tanya whispered.

“Do what right?”

“You cannot cheat,” Tanya replied.

“I’m not. In fact, you’re cheating. You stole the parchment after all.”

“I know you have the parchment. I’m not stupid.”

“So, what are you saying? You want me to fail?”

“Yes. You’re not supposed to know about the potion before the test. It’s not fair.”

“I’m not going to fail. Instead, I’ll do so well that Slytherin will take the lead in house points again,” Lucius replied with a smile.

“Then I’ll have to tell Professor Slughorn,” Tanya said.

Was that a threat? It sure sounded like one. Lucius thought about it and it became a little worrying. If Tanya told Professor Slughorn, it could go two ways.

One, he would brush it off because he did tell Lucius about it to begin with. But, he might no longer give Lucius hints. Two, he would ask Lucius about the missing parchment and stop trusting Lucius all together.

Lucius wondered if he should actually fail this time, or just wiggle his way out of Tanya’s blabbering words later.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should ace the test or fail it!)

FHB: Chapter 6

It was barely a second of hesitation before Lucius broke into a sprint.

The first year was a clumsy one as he nearly skidded into a wall as he made a turn. He was also rather short for his age and Lucius was slowly gaining on him. When the boy made another turn, Lucius heard him run into his friend.

“Where have you been?” the girl demanded.

Lucius stopped in his tracks to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Let’s get to class,” the boy simply replied, trying to hide the urgency in his voice.

“Come on, then. We’re already late. If Professor Binns doesn’t give us detention, a prefect will.”

Just as Lucius heard them walking, he turned down the hallway and asked, “Why aren’t you two in class?”

The boy and the girl spun around, and the boy quickly dropped his head, as though it would hide his face.

“We’re heading there right now,” the girl quickly answered.

Lucius looked at her closely. She had dark red hair and bright green eyes. She was also a brave one; seemingly not afraid of whatever Lucius might throw at her. That would explain the red house crest on her robes.

Lucius then turned his attention to the boy. “Stop cowering boy, I’m not going to eat you.”

The boy looked up and the first thing Lucius saw was the Slytherin house crest. The sight of two opposing houses coming together amazed him briefly.

“Do you two have the same class?” Lucius casually asked.

“Yes. My friend was lost, so I came looking for him,” the girl answered.

Lost? Of course he was, Lucius thought to himself.

“Well then, you can head on to class little missy.” When the two turned, Lucius added, “Except for you, boy. I want to have a chat with you.”

“He didn’t do anything wrong,” the girl immediately said.

“He didn’t. But you would if you don’t get to class now.”

The boy looked at the girl pleadingly, but she had no other choice. She gave him a squeeze on the shoulder before she walked off.

When the girl was finally out of sight, Lucius walked up to the boy and guided him to a corner. The boy kept his head down the whole time, and his cowardice was starting to bother Lucius.

“What’s your name?” Lucius demanded.

The boy’s whisper was inaudible to Lucius’ ears, and it made him slightly annoyed.

“Look up and tell me your name!” Lucius gave the boy a rough shove.

The boy’s black hair fell over his eyes as he attempted to look at Lucius. And when his eyes finally made contact, the boy was tongue-tied.

“You don’t deserve to be in Slytherin if you act this way,” Lucius stated.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” the boy apologized.

“I didn’t ask for an apology, I asked for your name.” Lucius was already struggling not to lose his temper.

This boy was a weakling, and Lucius found it extremely unacceptable. It was fine if he wished to be a coward, but no Slytherin should act like one.

“My name is… Severus,” the boy answered.

“Why did you run, Severus?” Lucius asked in a gentler tone.

“I… I don’t know,” Severus answered.

“Wrong,” Lucius replied.

“I… I really don’t know, sir,” Severus said.

Did he just call me sir? Lucius asked himself silently. Lucius was about to laugh when a brilliant idea came to mind.

“I’m not a sir. But I can make you one,” Lucius said.

“What… what do you mean?”

“Just follow me, and I’ll teach you everything I know. Soon, you don’t have to hide behind the shadows of that little Gryffindor girl anymore.”

“I’m not hiding. She… she’s my friend,” Severus replied.

Lucius was surprised at his sudden boldness, but he chose to ignore it.

“It seems to me she’s protecting you. A Slytherin does not need protection; a Slytherin gives protection. Now, go back to the common room,” Lucius ordered.

“But I have class.”

“I don’t need you losing points for our house. Just go back to the common room,” Lucius snapped.

When Severus obeyed, Lucius knew he had a new clueless follower who would do whatever he told him to. That poor boy surely needed to learn the ropes of being a Slytherin, and Lucius was going to teach him for his own benefit.

The day went by rather smoothly after that, and Lucius did not see Severus or Tanya until dinnertime. In the middle of people chomping down the glorious food, Tanya waved Lucius over. They met at the back of the hall where, instead of handing Lucius the potion’s instructions, Tanya confronted him.

“You lied to me,” Tanya said. From her facial expression, Lucius knew she was angry.

“Lied to you about what?”

“There’s no such thing as a mudblood’s curse. AND this potion cannot cure it,” Tanya replied calmly, as she pulled out a parchment from under her robes.

Lucius tried to make a grab for it, but she was quicker than him. Tanya immediately placed her arms behind her, and the parchment was out of his sight.

As Lucius was scrambling for a new lie, he saw Severus walking nearby. Could Severus be useful now? Lucius was not too sure, but he was getting desperate.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should put Severus to good use or handle this situation by himself!)

Chapter 28

“You’re not worth it,” Joanna simply said.

Immediately, seeing that there would not be a duel, the crowd slowly dispersed.

“Typical Hufflepuffs, weaklings as usual,” Matilda shouted, hoping to attract only Joanna’s attention, but ended up stopping all the Hufflepuffs in their tracks.

Clearly noticing her mistake, Matilda quickly hurried off, with her posse following after her like lost puppies.

Just as Matilda disappeared around a corner, an announcement boomed overhead and Professor Dumbledore’s voice sent everyone silent.

“Attention all final year students, please proceed to the great hall immediately.”

“But we have class,” Annoria said in reply.

“No astronomy, I’m fine with that,” Joanna said, as they began following the small crowd towards the great hall.

Once they had arrived, the great hall had been rearranged. The tables and benches were stacked up against the wall, leaving a huge empty space in the center. At the teacher’s table was Professor Dippet, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Merrythought, and three people whom Joanna suspected to be the aurors.

“What is going on?” Annoria asked.

Asking the same question to herself, Joanna hoped it had nothing to do with Tom and his horcuxes. And when she spotted him at the corner of the teacher’s table, she sighed a small relief.

“Recruitment drive,” someone answered Annoria’s question from behind them.

“It’s not that easy though,” another student added.

“They didn’t do this last year,” Annoria said.

“Shortage in staff,” Joanna replied, and the students around her chuckled softly.

Some of the prefects began to ask students to move forward, as everyone was crowding at the back of the hall, and none dared to break off from the group.

“We are not going to hurt you,” the female auror said.

Cautious laughter followed with the crowd slowly shuffling forward.

“My name is Nyla and we have been told by Professor Merrythought that you are one of Hogwarts’ finest badge in defense against the dark arts. So, a few of us has decided to fish out the talented ones to join our force,” the female auror explained.

“You’re not going to try and kill us are you?” a Gryffindor student asked. He was bold enough to speak up, but clearly not so brave after all.

“Of course not. We’re going to run this recruitment test just like how we do it in the ministry. It is legal and safe, trust me,” Nyla answered confidently.

Nyla was a slim, tall and pretty, middle aged woman, and her two fellow colleagues were men, one of them taller than Professor Dumbledore, and the other slightly shorter than Nyla. All three of them had battle wounds, but Nyla did the best job at hiding hers.

Just as Joanna had finally studied them all, she noticed that the three of them had positioned themselves at the front of the hall. They were pulling their wands out so slowly that Joanna was certain she was the only one that saw. Instinctively, she pulled hers out slowly as well.

“What we’re going to do today,” Nyla paused when she spotted Joanna with her wand, and then she continued, “is to test your speed, accuracy and creativity in a combat duel, especially when you’re caught off guard.”

Immediately after she had spoken, her two colleagues started firing spells at the students. Screams and yells echoed throughout the great hall as students were running towards the exit.

Joanna, with her wand at hand, blocked off as many spells she could while she yelled for the ones around her to take out their wands.

“What. Are. They. Doing?!” Annoria yelled in between the piercing screams.

“Fishing out the talented ones,” Joanna shouted in reply.

A few other students started emerging from the crowd of hysterical students with their wands, defending the flying sparks of all colors that was heading towards them.

“I. Can’t. Keep. This. Up. I’m. Not. Good!” Annoria said, now losing breath as the aurors did not sop.

Having her attention diverted to Annoria for just a second, Joanna did not see a spell that was intentionally meant for her. The moment it hit her on the chest, she flew all the way to the back of the hall, and landed onto one of the stacked tables.

Pain rose from her joints as she tried to stand up. Being slightly above the crowd, she saw Nyla aim another spell at her.

“Why is she picking one me?!” Joanna said to herself.

Quickly dogging the red spark, Joanna fired a spell back at her. It was no longer a game of defense.

Joanna watched as Nyla blocked off her spells as they started heading towards each other. She was sure they would finally come face to face when one of Nyla’s colleagues decided to come to Nyla’s aid.

This is unfair! Joanna thought.

Joanna looked around to see if anyone would come to her aid, and when she saw Annoria on her knees, having given up, Joanna knew she was done for.

The next spell that hit Joanna sent her wand out of her hand as she landed on her back. As she laid on the ground, not wanting to move, she heard the spells stop and the screams slowly died down.

“Fished out the talented ones already?!” Matilda shouted from under her tears.

Joanna couldn’t help but laugh.

“I believe we have,” Nyla said. A loud click came from the doors of the great hall, and Matilda stormed past the once locked doors.

“She wasn’t very good, Nyla,” Professor Merrythought said as the crowd watched Matilda leave.

“You can all return to your dormitories now, class is cancelled for today,” Professor Dippet announced, and some of the angry and upset students decided to let go of their grudges immediately.

Finally sitting up, Joanna scanned the hall for her wand. When she saw it lying 10 feet away, it was being picked up by no one other than Nyla.

“I believe this is yours,” Nyla said, as she walked towards her.

“Thank you,” Joanna replied as she took her wand.

“You gave a real good fight.”

“Thanks.”

“Ever thought of becoming an auror?” Nyla asked.

Was that an offer? It must have been. Joanna had never thought of becoming an auror, considering her family’s background, but just the thought of finally being able to break her family’s curse was hope she never had before. Should she take up Nyla on the offer?

To be continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Joanna should become an auror!)