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!)

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FHB: Chapter 17

“Who’s there?” Lucius asked, with his words barely escaping the dryness of his throat.

Silence remained with no response to his question. Lucius propped himself up and squinted at the figure. There was definitely something at the end of his bed, but he could not make out who or what it was.

“Mother?” Lucius asked.

When there was no reply once again, Lucius shifted under his warm blanket and slowly edged towards the dark spot. He was now fully awake and was determined to prove that no one else was in his room except him. It was something he used to do as a child whenever he woke up in the middle of the night and see a strange shadow in his room. Every time that happened, he would end up laughing at himself for being afraid of his jacket hanging on the door or the stuffed toy on the armchair. That night should be no different.

As Lucius made his way to the foot of his bed, he stretched his hand out towards the figure. When he was almost close enough to touch it, he heard a whisper saying, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Immediately, Lucius stopped in his tracks. His hand remained frozen mid-air as his eyes darted around his room. Seconds later, the fireplace lit up and the figure at the end of his bed became fully visibly. At the sight of what it was, Lucius quickly pulled his hand back just as the giant snake struck forward. Falling on his back, Lucius scrambled to the head of his bed with his eyes wide in horror.

“She doesn’t make friends easily,” a voice said.

Now that the room was brightly lit, Lucius was finally able to put a face to the voice. Sitting on the armchair beside the fireplace was the Dark Lord.

“I’ve heard a lot about you Lucius,” the Dark Lord said.

Lucius immediately stumbled off his bed and stood against the wall.

“And not from your father or the pictures on these walls,” the Dark Lord continued.

“What-what have you heard, my lord?” Lucius asked softly. Lucius tried to keep his eyes on Lord Voldemort but he found himself staring at the fireplace while taking quick glances at the snake.

“My little eyes and ears have told me you’ve accepted an internship with the Ministry of Magic.”

“Yes-yes my lord. But-but I’m not going,” Lucius replied. Lucius was beginning to hate himself for his lack of fluency in carrying his words. He sounded just like that annoying first year named Pettigrew.

“Why so?”

“I-I don’t think it’s a good idea, my lord,” Lucius said. He did not want to offend the Dark Lord over a silly internship. “My parents do not know about it either. I think, I think it’s best if I stay home.”

“Lucius, Lucius, Lucius,” the Dark Lord said.

Goosebumps immediately rose on Lucius’ arms at the sound of the Dark Lord repeating his name.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea. Don’t turn it down just because I loathe the ministry.”

Lucius swallowed hard, not sure if the Dark Lord was being honest or sarcastic.

“You should also not go back on your word once you’ve made a promise,” the Dark Lord added.

“I…” Lucius did not know what to say.

“Go. It would be good for you. It would also be good for me, once you’ve joined me. You ARE joining me aren’t you?”

“Yes, yes, of course, my lord,” Lucius quickly replied.

“Your father says you are very keen. Though, I’m starting to wonder if he’s telling the truth.”

“I’m keen my lord. It’s just that my mother, my mother thinks…” Lucius paused, suddenly unsure on how to continue.

“Your mother thinks school is more important?”

“Yes, no, I mean no, my lord. She thinks-”

“I agree with her. School is important, but one is never too young to have dreams.”

“Yes, yes, my lord. I do have dreams, I do want to join you,” Lucius replied, but there was something in his expression that betrayed him.

“But?”

Lucius never meant to show contemplation, as he had always wanted to join the Dark Lord. He had dreams of becoming powerful but he also wanted to consider his mother’s feelings. At that moment, he was forced to make a decision he had avoided the whole year. There was now no room to run away from it.

“But nothing, my lord,” Lucius replied.

The Dark Lord seemed pleased with Lucius’ response and waved his snake over to him. As he got to his feet, he said, “Good. Tomorrow at noon, I will be having a meeting with my loyal subjects. Would you be able to join me?”

The question caught Lucius off guard, and his throat began to tighten. He wanted to say ‘yes’ but something within him was saying ‘it’s too soon’. Lucius did not want the dark mark on his arm just yet nor did he want to wait any longer. What was he to say?

To Be Continued…

(Vote or leave a comment below on whether Lucius should join the Dark Lord or turn him down!)

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 8

As quickly as her words left her lips, as quickly Lucius made up his mind. No, he was not going to fail his potion’s test. Especially when a goody-two-shoes was involved. Did Tanya really think a Malfoy would give in? Lucius could not blame her ignorance. Her morality, however, was starting to bother him.

When Professor Slughorn shook his little golden bell to start the test, Lucius turned to Tanya and smiled. He nodded his head gently and Tanya misunderstood immediately, just as how he wanted her to.

Lucius had to admit that it was rather fun playing her. He also did not feel a single pinch of guilt and wondered if he ever would. He had feelings after all, just not enough to move him.

As the test carried on, Lucius did everything he memorized from Professor Slughorn’s special instructions. He did not miss a single ingredient, and his steps were almost flawless. That would have been a dead giveaway that he cheated, but Professor Slughorn never saw past Lucius’ false gratitude.

You see, he had a habit of thanking Professor Slughorn whenever he did well. Those praises not only made Professor Slughorn blush but extremely proud. And Lucius knew his weakness all too well to use it to his advantage.

When the bell on the table rang for the second time, everyone pulled their hands away from the cauldron and waited. There was a strange smell in the air as the different coloured brews evaporated above their heads. Professor Slughorn scrunched his nose as he went from one cauldron to another. His words were simple, and those who have had him before would know exactly how he judged random tests as such.

“Fail. Fail. Not bad, ten points for Slytherin. Fail. Fail. What is this? Ah, good job, ten points for Slytherin. Terrible. Could have been better, 5 points for Slytherin. Fail,” Professor Slughorn went on.

No one found it suspicious that the only students scoring points were the Slytherins, as the common misconception that Slytherins are naturally good at potions have been around for ages. Tanya however, thought it strange and decided to bring it up.

“Professor, can I say something?” Tanya asked.

“Sure. Your potion is not too bad, but I’m afraid it’s not worthy of points,” Professor Slughorn replied.

“No, that was not what I wanted to say. I’m just wondering, why are all the Slytherins doing so well?”

Immediately, the Slytherins in the classroom turned to her and demanded an explanation for her statement. Professor Slughorn had to quiet them down by saying, “Ms. Lovegood, that is a very rude thing to say. My students always do well.”

“But-“

“It is not their fault that you are not prepared,” Professor Slughorn cut her off. “Ten points from Ravenclaw. You may be clever, but that attitude of yours is unacceptable.”

Tanya was dumbstruck and Professor Slughorn left her as she was. He then headed up to Lucius and his frown immediately turned into a wide smile.

“My boy! You did it!”

“I did?” Lucius tried to sound clueless.

“Yes, you did! Twenty-five points for Slytherin!”

“Thank you, sir. You’re a good teacher,” Lucius said.

Professor Slughorn blushed as he gave Lucius a squeeze on the shoulder. Just then, Lucius caught Tanya looking at him in a look he had not expected. She didn’t look angry or shock, she looked worried. The strangeness of her reaction made Lucius rather curious, so he decided to find out after class.

It was not easy though, as Tanya left the class the quickest. Lucius had to gently excuse himself from Professor Slughorn, and when he finally managed to leave, he saw Tanya turning a corner.

“Tanya, wait up!” Lucius shouted.

Tanya did not respond, so he chased after her. When Lucius finally caught her, he asked, “Didn’t you hear me?”

“Yes, I did,” Tanya replied.

“Why didn’t you stop?”

“Is something wrong with Professor Slughorn?” Tanya asked worriedly, ignoring his question.

“What?” Lucius was honestly confused.

“He doesn’t seem right,” Tanya said thoughtfully.

Was she for real? Lucius was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with Tanya instead. Can someone be that straightforward?

“He’s alright. Don’t worry,” Lucius responded after a few minutes of hesitation.

Tanya was not convinced but she nodded her head anyways.

“Professor Slughorn is a special kind of teacher. If he likes you, he’ll help you,” Lucius added.

If Tanya could not catch what Lucius was saying, he knew she was definitely one of a kind. True enough, she was.

“I don’t… understand.”

“Do you want him to help you? Well, obviously, you need his help. O.W.Ls won’t be easy. I can help you make it right with Professor Slughorn if you like?”

No, he was not genuinely helping her. To Lucius, Tanya was a toy that just upgraded with her innocence.

“I don’t trust you, Lucius. You lied to me, you used me, and you cheated,” Tanya said.

“Hey, nobody’s perfect. I just want to make it up to you,” Lucius simply replied.

Tanya thought for a while before she asked, “What do you have in mind?”

The thought that had been lingering at the back of his head shot forward immediately. But even so, he wondered. Should he invite Tanya to Professor Slughorn’s Slug Club dinner? This was not an easy decision.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should invite Tanya to the dinner or not!)

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!)