FHB: Chapter 30

Lucius took one quick look around before he decided to follow the stranger. Still unsure on whether he could trust him, Lucius kept a safe distance. The stranger led Lucius on a long walk and when they finally stopped, Lucius found himself in a dark alley.

There was no one around, not even a poor muggle on the street, and Lucius felt uneasy. His hand slowly reached into his jacket for his wand and just when he was about to pull it out, the stranger spoke.

“No need for that.”

“Who are you?” Lucius asked.

“No need to tell you either. I’m just here to escort you,” the stranger answered.

“I have not seen you before,” Lucius stated.

“You can’t see everybody, little Malfoy.”

Lucius narrowed his eyes with his hand still tightly wrapped around his wand.

“No time for dilly dally. Come now, the Dark Lord is waiting.”

The stranger waved for Lucius but he stood his ground. It could very well be a test and he did not want to take a risk.

“Having trust issues, eh?”

“Show me,” Lucius simply replied.

“Show what?”

“You know what.”

The stranger chuckled and swaggered towards him. Lucius’ palm was already getting sweaty as he tightened his grip on his wand. The way the stranger smiled as he made his way closer to Lucius was nothing close to friendly. The stranger also showed no signs of wanting to show Lucius what he had asked for.

When the stranger stopped two feet away from Lucius, he slowly lifted his left hand. Lucius watched closely, but what happened next was something he least expected. The stranger roughly grabbed him on the arm and in a second Lucius felt himself being pulled into a strange motion. His world became a blur and when it finally refocused, there was an uneasiness in his stomach. Thankfully, he had not eaten anything since he left Hogwarts.

Coughing in response to the gagging sensation in his throat, he felt someone snatch his suitcase from him. When he looked up to see who it was, he found himself looking at a familiar face. It was someone whose name he did not know but face he recognized.

“Follow me,” the man said.

The stranger had disappeared and Lucius assumed he took his suitcase with him.  Not sure if he should ask about it, he remained silent and followed after the man. Lucius had arrived in a dimly lit, old dusty house. The air was thick and stuffy, and by the time he made it to the top of the stairs, he was panting. The man did not seem to care about his well being as he continued down a hallway. Lucius was a fool to think he would be treated well.

Once at the end of the hallway, the man knocked on a door and said, “He’s here.”

There was a muffled reply before the door swung open. The man gestured for Lucius to enter and when he did, the door shut behind him almost immediately.

“You must be hungry. Come, have some food,” a voice said.

A single candle on top of an unlit fireplace was the only light in the room. It took Lucius awhile before his eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was someone seated on an armchair, which Lucius assumed to be the Dark Lord, and a few others standing around. There was also something moving on the ground, and Lucius did not need to guess what it was. Cautiously, Lucius made his way to the Dark Lord.

“I don’t have much, only some bread, but that should be enough,” the Dark Lord added as he waved at a table beside him.

“I’m not hungry, my lord,” Lucius lied. He lied because he was too afraid to reach out into the darkness… afraid a slithering creature might bite his hand off.

“Very well. You will follow Polkus here,” the Dark Lord replied and the figure of a man took a step forward.

“Now?” Lucius asked softly.

“Yes, now. Tonight, you become a death eater,” the Dark Lord said.

Lucius swallowed dryly as he nodded his head. Seeing his reaction, the Dark Lord waved Polkus over. When Polkus grabbed on to Lucius’ arm, Lucius felt the strange motion again. This time it lasted longer, and when it ended, Lucius found himself in a forest.

“Stay close, stay quiet, and keep your eyes open,” Polkus whispered a second after their arrival.

Lucius wanted to know if they were the only ones sent on the special mission, but the still forest forced him into silence. He wished he knew what he was supposed to do or at least an idea on what was going on, but it seemed like the Dark Lord kept him clueless on purpose. Maybe it was a sick joke, maybe there were no Dementors? Lucius could only hope.

As Polkus took the lead and crept carefully through the thick forest, Lucius stayed close behind. He also did what he was told and he kept his eyes wide open, but with the little moonlight seeping through the dense tree leaves, it was pretty pointless.

Finally, after a few minutes, Polkus stopped and waved for Lucius to crouch behind a tree. Doing as he was told Lucius quickly got into position, and that was when he knew it was not a sick joke. Up ahead was a small clearing and hovering above it were a few of the hooded soul suckers. Hoping he was not forced to greet them, a wave of relief swept over him when a few death eaters walked into the clearing from the other side.

Lucius was extremely grateful that he was merely a watcher, but before he could calm his racing heart, he heard a sound. Turning to Polkus, it seemed as though he had not heard it. Lucius wondered if he should check it out. It could be nothing, but it was better to be safe than sorry, right?

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should check out the sound or ignore it!)

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FHB: Chapter 27

The once busy hallways of Hogwarts had cleared up an hour after dinner. They sat empty and silent, with paintings slumbering in their frames; all except for one. At a corner of one isolated hallway were two figures whispering in the shadows. They were whispering not because they were afraid of being caught by a prefect, but because Peeves was still lurking around.

“Do it tonight,” Lucius said.

“Tonight? But we’re not suppose to be at the owlery at this hour,” Severus replied.

“You owe me, Severus. And I’ve done more for you than you’d ever be able to repay.”

Severus sighed.

“A short and simple letter will do. Just verify what this doctor does. Do you need me to spell it out for you?”

Severus shook his head.

“Good. When you show me his letter, I’ll let you in on a secret.”

Severus nodded in reply.

Lucius took a quick look around before waving Severus off. The task was not hard and Lucius could have done it himself, but he was afraid his mail would be intercepted. He did not want the Dark Lord to know what he was doing, nor did he want his father to discover he was snooping. If it was possible, Lucius was going to find out what he needed to know without his parents ever knowing.

The following morning, there was no news from Severus. It was expected, unless the doctor was a night owl. However, Lucius did receive a letter from his mother. It was short but it told him more than he should know.

‘Everything is fine. He is fine. Don’t worry. Love, your mother.’

Lucius patted himself on the back for cleverly wording his letter to his mother. He merely hinted as though he knew what was going on, and his mother confirmed his suspicions. Something was going on, something revolving around his father.

Two days after that letter, the rush of owls into the great hall brought along the letter Lucius was eagerly waiting. When it fell on Severus’ lap, Severus hurried over to Lucius and handed it over. Lucius did not open the letter immediately, even though he was dying to do so, and waited till night came. When he and Severus were the only two left standing in the isolated corridor again, he tore the letter open.

It may seem strange to some that Lucius had company at such a private moment in his life, but he had no choice. Severus stayed by his side after dinner and insisted that Lucius tell him the secret he promised a few nights ago. Severus was getting bolder around Lucius and Lucius should have shooed him off, but something convinced him it was better to have someone around when he read the letter. So there he was, with Severus.

“What does it say?” Severus asked, just as Lucius pulled out the parchment.

“What did you write to him?” Lucius asked in reply.

“I said I had a problem and I needed his help. I asked him about his area of expertise too.”

Lucius nodded and began to read the letter silently.

‘You must have heard of me from my colleague. Rest assured, I am the best in this field. My expertise is anything and everything under the sun of dark curses. May I know if you are enquiring for your sake or for someone else’s? I would need to see the victim in person. Don’t worry, I’m a very discreet man.’

Severus was peering over the letter and he did not hesitate to ask, “Is someone cursed?”

Lucius slowly folded the letter up before pocketing it. He remained silent for a while, and when he finally spoke, he complete ignored Severus’ question.

“What cures dark curses? Spells, potions, or rituals?” Lucius asked, not ashamed that his question was directed at a boy years younger than him.

“It depends, but all cures need a potion. Potions for dark curses are very complex and they contain a handful of rare ingredients. Sometimes even dark ingredients. Who’s cursed?”

“My father.”

Lucius’ answer caught Severus off guard. With Severus unsure on how to respond, a brief moment of awkward silence lingered between them. And then, as though the subject on curses was immediately dropped, Lucius said, “I’ll tell you the secret now.”

Telling Severus about the Dark Lord and his plan to take over the wizarding world briefly took Lucius away from the fact that his father was in danger. It was effectively detouring his thoughts, so Lucius held nothing back. By the time Lucius sold it all to Severus, he was sure the boy would be on board.

“So, are you with me?” Lucius asked.

“Yes,” Severus replied with a smile. It was the kind of smile that came from a belief that life would get better, even though he was extremely naïve to think so.

“Good. Time to-”

“You say the Dark Lord is a powerful man and he knows your family well. Why don’t you ask him for help?” Severus interrupted.

Lucius overlooked the rudeness out of curiosity and asked, “Ask for what help?”

“Your father. The Dark Lord should know a lot about dark curses. The doctor is probably not as good as him too.”

Severus made a good point. He was right about the Dark Lord, but Lucius contemplated. Was he bold enough to ask for help? Will there be a price if he did? Lucius knew the Dark Lord enough to know he never does favours.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should ask the Dark Lord for help or stay out of it completely!)

FHB: Chapter 15

Lucius thought over what Tanya had said and though he disagreed with the way she looked at things, he decided to make it up for his failed attempts at cheating. In all honestly, Lucius would have dusted his palms and pretended nothing happened if not for the sudden arrival of a clever idea. He had a special gift of turning things around for himself, and his gift was about to make his situation a win-win.

Walking past the perfect’s lounge, Lucius headed straight for Professor Slughorn’s office. With each step came a string of words he could use to buy favour, words his father failed to teach him while the Dark Lord did.

No, Lucius never had a real conversation with the Dark Lord before. Lucius had only seen him a few times when he came to stay in Malfoy Manor. But every time he came over, Lucius would stand outside the hidden room door and listen to the discussion he had with his followers. Everything he said was full of confidence and conviction, and Lucius wanted to emulate him.

Even though Lucius was not sure if he really wanted to join the Death Eaters, he knew he wanted to be as great as the Dark Lord. If it meant making a name for himself and bringing pride to his family, then he wouldn’t mind being under a ludic lover of power. How bad can things go, right?

By the time Lucius was outside Professor Slughorn’s office, the door opened and the two found themselves face to face.

“My dear boy, what are you doing here?” Professor Slughorn asked.

“I need your help, Professor. I think I made a mistake,” Lucius replied.

“Come on in. Would you like a drink?” Professor Slughorn said, as he ushered Lucius to the armchair near the fireplace.

“No, thank you.”

“Very well. Tell me what happened.”

“As you know, students have been buying O.W.L and N.E.W.T papers for the upcoming examinations. I happen to be one of them.”

“My God!”

“Sir, you know I’m not a cheater,” Lucius quickly continued, “I only bought the papers to find out who was distributing them. I know it was foolish of me to take things into my own hands, but I knew the culprit had to be caught.”

“I see,” Professor Slughorn replied. He showed no expression of belief or disbelief, which made Lucius a little worried.

“This man does dealings in The Three Broomsticks. I don’t know his name, but I remember his face. I was planning on telling Professor Dumbledore tomorrow, but the spot check this morning made me look guilty.”

“Who found the papers you bought?”

“Tanya Lovegood. She did not report me, but she told me to admit to my actions. If I told her I am innocent, she would not believe me. That is why I came to you, Professor. If you tell them you told me to find out who the culprit is, we could both get a good rapport with the ministry,” Lucius said. His words were a mess and they came out all wrong, but it seemed to be working.

“Well, honestly boy, you shouldn’t have gone snooping around. You will make your parents very disappointed with you! But I won’t let a good student ruin himself over the urge to be a hero. Tell me who this man is and we will see Dumbledore together.”

Lucius nodded and described the man to the best his memory could recall. When Professor Slughorn bewitched a quill to draw according to Lucius’ words, the result was surprisingly identical. After Lucius confidently said the drawing was spot on, the two of them went to see Professor Dumbledore.

That night, Professor Dumbledore’s office was graced with stacks of illegal exam papers and the company of a few Ministry of Magic officials. Lucius had seen them in newspapers before, and by the way they tilted their heads upwards he knew they held quite a status.

When Professor Slughorn handed them the drawing of the man, they were rather shock. They questioned how certain he was and Professor Slughorn gave Lucius the chance to explain what had happened. Though Lucius knew Professor Dumbledore was sceptical, the officials looked pretty convinced.

“This is shocking, Albus. He is one of our trusted advisors in our education department,” one official said.

“Are you very sure this was the man that sold the papers to you?” Professor Dumbledore asked, still unsure on what to believe.

“Yes, Professor. I have never seen the man prior to purchasing the papers.”

“Trust me, the boy has a good memory,” Professor Slughorn said.

“We believe you, young man. What is your name?” another official asked.

“Lucius Malfoy, sir.”

“Ah, Abraxas’ boy. Your father would be proud.”

Lucius replied with a smile and a nod.

“Well, then. We better get this issue sorted out. Thank you for your effort, Horace. We could use people like you in the education department.”

Professor Slughorn chuckled before saying, “My heart is with my students.”

“You taught a fine one,” the official pointed out.

“Why, thank you.”

“You know, the ministry is looking for fresh faces,” the official said as he turned to Lucius, “would you be interested in an internship? It would do you good if you ever want to work with us in the future.”

Lucius could not believe what he was being offered, but at the same time he was unsure if he should take up the offer. His father wanted him to be a Death Eater, and there was really no need to get a job after graduation. If only Lucius could ask his mother what she thought… she always had the best answers.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should accept or decline the internship!)