Disclaimer: I don't own Lucius Malfoy, he belongs to J.K. Rowling. I don't
make any money writing this.
A/N: I want to thank Alys and Joal. They were brave enough to read it, edit it and they've made wonderful suggestions. Thanks ladies!! Cheeselovers for ever!
Alice was a standard young lady. She was 24, had a boring job and lived alone in a small apartment just outside the city.
It was Friday evening and she just went to the movies and for a drink with friends. She was on her way home when she passed an alley and suddenly stopped. A man stumbled, then fell to the ground. Alice didn't hesitate and ran over to help him up.
Although she was smaller than him, she used all her strength to lift him and put him against the wall. The man looked like someone has beaten the living daylights out of him. His clothes were ripped and his head and nose were bleeding. She looked up at him in his bright blue eyes and he gave a little smile. He almost collapsed again but she was able to prop him up.
Alice put his arm around her neck and, as they set off to walk, he moaned out of pain. "Hold on, sir, I'm going to get us a cab and I'll take you to the hospital."
He stopped right away: "No hospital -- they'll ask too many questions." Alice hesitated, then said: "All right, I'll take you to my apartment but I'm not a doctor." He laughed faintly and she assumed that he agreed.
They started walking to her place, only five blocks further though it seemed longer because every step pained him. When they got to her living room she helped him to a chair, then took off her coat and fetched a bowl of water and a washcloth to clean his wounds.
She tied up his long blond hair to get it out of his face.
She took his cloak off and started to strip off his clothes. They were odd- looking, yet stylish. It wasn't until she saw his bare chest that she realized the severity of his condition. Bruises and cuts covered his torso.
Using the washcloth, she began to clean the blood away. He moaned and twitched with every touch because the water stung the open wounds. Afterward, she dressed the cuts with ointment and bandages.
"You can have my bedroom until you're recovered," she said. She lifted him again and gently laid him on her bed. "By the way, my name is Alice."
"Hello, Alice. I'm Lucius."
She was on her way to the door when he suddenly asked, "Can't you stay with me tonight? I don't like being alone."
Nodding, she pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed. "Thank you," he murmured, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, Alice suddenly awoke to noise. Lucius was gone from the bed. She went to the kitchen but found it empty. He wasn't in the living room either.
When she opened the door to the bathroom, she found him on the floor next to the toilet. He had vomited all over the room. When he started to throw up again, she kneeled next to him and held his hair out of the way. When she touched his head, she realized he was shivering and burning with fever.
Helping him up, she cleaned his face and led him back to bed. As she covered him Lucius turned to face her. "Please stay close to me tonight," he pleaded. She slipped into the bed next to him and held him tight. He whispered his thanks and fell asleep again.
She couldn't explain why she was doing this. She had a complete stranger in her arms and in her bed. Maybe her untapped maternal instinct made her do it. Maybe she was simply lonely and enjoyed the company of a rather good- looking man. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The next few days, Lucius only slept. Alice washed his chest and changed his bandages twice a day. She only woke him up to give him something against his fever. She slept by his side every night.
Alice was sitting on the sofa reading a book and listening to some music. She suddenly heard a noise and when she looked up, Lucius was standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but his breeches.
"Hello Alice," he said, smiling at her. She put her book down, stood up and guided him to the sofa. "How long have I been sleeping?" He looked confused.
"You have been out for three days," she said. "How are you feeling?"
"Hungry," he answered. She went into the kitchen and made a large pan of fried eggs, then sat and watched him as he ate. Alice had been alone for such a long time that she enjoyed the company, although she didn't knew anything about her guest except his first name.
After he finished, she suggested it was time to change the dirty bandages. He followed her to the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub. Slowly she removed the bandages and saw some of the cuts already had healed. Others were still open, and he twitched in pain when she took of the bandages. A few of the bruises were turning yellow.
She left him in privacy to wash up while she went to look for fresh clothes for him to wear. The only things she could find was a pair of jeans and a T- shirt that had belonged to her ex-boyfriend.
When Lucius joined her in the living room, Alice couldn't hide her curiosity any longer. "Tell me something about yourself, Lucius," she said. She could tell by his facial expression that he didn't expect this question.
After a long pause he spoke, a hint of irritation in his voice. "What do you want to know?"
"Anything you'd like to tell. What's your last name? Are you married? Do you have children? Where do you live? What do you do for work? What happened to you before I found you?"
He looked surprised by the barrage of questions but she didn't care. After all, she was the one who picked him up from the street, taken him into her house and nursed him for the past several days.
Lucius considered what to tell her. She was a Muggle and he didn't want her to know the truth, or at least not everything. He found himself annoyed by her questions. How dared that filthy Muggle to quiz him? Yet somehow, he felt he owed her an explanation.
If she hadn't taken him home, he might have been caught by Ministry Officials and dragged to Azkaban. He had been in a fight with six of his fellow Death Eaters -- or at least he thought that was who they were. He'd discovered they were spies and was about to tell Lord Voldemort when they cornered him in an alley of Hogsmeade. Outnumbered six to one and already pummeled, Lucius realized he didn't stand a chance against them so he disapparated and reapparated in a Muggle-city.
It was well known in the magical world that Lucius Malfoy hated Muggles so he thought it was the best place to hide in case of injury or the fall of the Dark Lord. Over the last few months he had studied these awful Muggles and their habits and already made up possible stories.
After another few minutes of silence, he started to talk. "My last name is Johnson, my wife died a few years ago and I've been alone since then. We didn't have any children. I work for the Secret Service and I was working undercover to expose drug dealers. They must have found out somehow, for they beat me and dumped me in that alley."
He paused for a moment, moved closer to Alice and took her hands in his. He looked into her brown eyes. "I have to trust you that you won't tell anybody that I'm here. My life and my job might be in danger if anyone finds out."
Alice saw the seriousness in his blue eyes. "You can trust me. I won't tell."
He smiled, relieved that she bought the story. Feigning interest, he asked her the same questions. She told him that her boyfriend left her two years ago, that she worked for a bank and that her three-week holiday had started the night she found him. For the next several hours, he let her do most of the talking so as to draw as little attention as possible to himself.
The next few days passed quietly. Lucius slept most of the time and when he was awake, he read or watched movies with her. She was surprised by his choice of books; many of them were the same volumes about witches and wizards that she had read as a child.
And every morning and evening, she changed his bandages. His injuries were healing well.
One Saturday afternoon Lucius was resting in his bedroom and Alice was watching a movie when the doorbell rang. She opened the door to two men, both wearing long, dark cloaks.
"Good afternoon, miss. We're from the fire department, checking the safety in this building. Can we come in?"
She knew Lucius didn't want anyone to know he was there but she felt she didn't have a choice. She would simply tell them that he was her older brother, newly returned home abroad, if they asked questions. "Please come in," she said, opening the door.
Lucius woke up when he heard the doorbell. Instantly alert, he put on his pants and retrieved the wand he'd hidden under his pillow when Alice had taken his clothes. He heard three voices and knew there could be only two men. Not too difficult for Lucius Malfoy to handle.
He stood against the wall, next to the door to the hall, so he could take them out by surprise. Slinging the door open suddenly, he recognized them as Ministry Officials at once. Without hesitating, he lifted his wand and shouted "Stupefy!" at the first official that walked in.
A jet of red light hit the man in the back and he fell. The second man ran in with a raised wand. Lucius pointed his wand again and yelled "Avada Kedavra" at him. A flash of green light hit him and he, too, fell to the floor.
Alice was standing in the middle of the living room, trembling with fear and barely able to speak "How... what... who...?"
He lowered his wand and started to talk. "I've lied to you all the time, Muggle. My name is Lucius Malfoy and I'm a wizard. I'm married and I have a son. I was in battle with some of my ex-colleagues but I was able to disappear from the battle and reappear in the alley where you found me."
Lucius paused and Alice sat down on the sofa, totally confused. "What's a Muggle?" she asked. He laughed coldly before answering. "Well, Alice, you are. Non-magical people are called Muggles, and I can't stand any of them."
"So... you've only been using me to fix you up again?" she said.
"Of course I did," he replied. "Hiding amongst Muggles has its advantages. And I needed to get my strength back before I could return to the magical world. Yes, I abused your kindness because I needed a safe place to hide. You Muggles are a bunch of good hearted fools."
Alice felts stupid and angry at the same time. She wanted to strike him but when she took a step toward him, Lucius raised his wand again: "Crucio."
She fell to the floor, screaming in agony. She never thought that a person could feel such intense pain. After what felt like hours, Lucius lifted his wand again and stopped the pain. Alice lay on the floor, panting.
"You see, Alice, I can't afford a filthy Muggle talking about the magical world," he explained, then turned toward the kitchen. She didn't know what to feel first. Stupid for taking care of him. Agony from the spell he cast. Angry with him for taking advantage out of her. And, most of all, fear of what he would do to her next.
When he returned from the kitchen, he carried a knife. Grabbing her by her hair, he pulled her up and made her sit on her knees. He knelt beside her, still holding her hair, and whispered. "I've been bored all this time but I certainly learned something about your kind. They've got brutal ways to kill each other."
In an instant, she felt the cold steel entering her stomach as he stabbed her. He let go of her hair and stood up as she lay on the floor, her hands clenched to her stomach. Her blood was already soaking the carpet, her eyes filling with tears. She knew she was dying.
Lucius stripped the taller of the men of his clothes, put them on then knelt next to Alice one last time. Leaning over her, he kissed her hard on her mouth.
"I never thanked you for taking care of me," he hissed. And with a loud crack he dissapparated.
The End.
A/N: I want to thank Alys and Joal. They were brave enough to read it, edit it and they've made wonderful suggestions. Thanks ladies!! Cheeselovers for ever!
Alice was a standard young lady. She was 24, had a boring job and lived alone in a small apartment just outside the city.
It was Friday evening and she just went to the movies and for a drink with friends. She was on her way home when she passed an alley and suddenly stopped. A man stumbled, then fell to the ground. Alice didn't hesitate and ran over to help him up.
Although she was smaller than him, she used all her strength to lift him and put him against the wall. The man looked like someone has beaten the living daylights out of him. His clothes were ripped and his head and nose were bleeding. She looked up at him in his bright blue eyes and he gave a little smile. He almost collapsed again but she was able to prop him up.
Alice put his arm around her neck and, as they set off to walk, he moaned out of pain. "Hold on, sir, I'm going to get us a cab and I'll take you to the hospital."
He stopped right away: "No hospital -- they'll ask too many questions." Alice hesitated, then said: "All right, I'll take you to my apartment but I'm not a doctor." He laughed faintly and she assumed that he agreed.
They started walking to her place, only five blocks further though it seemed longer because every step pained him. When they got to her living room she helped him to a chair, then took off her coat and fetched a bowl of water and a washcloth to clean his wounds.
She tied up his long blond hair to get it out of his face.
She took his cloak off and started to strip off his clothes. They were odd- looking, yet stylish. It wasn't until she saw his bare chest that she realized the severity of his condition. Bruises and cuts covered his torso.
Using the washcloth, she began to clean the blood away. He moaned and twitched with every touch because the water stung the open wounds. Afterward, she dressed the cuts with ointment and bandages.
"You can have my bedroom until you're recovered," she said. She lifted him again and gently laid him on her bed. "By the way, my name is Alice."
"Hello, Alice. I'm Lucius."
She was on her way to the door when he suddenly asked, "Can't you stay with me tonight? I don't like being alone."
Nodding, she pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed. "Thank you," he murmured, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, Alice suddenly awoke to noise. Lucius was gone from the bed. She went to the kitchen but found it empty. He wasn't in the living room either.
When she opened the door to the bathroom, she found him on the floor next to the toilet. He had vomited all over the room. When he started to throw up again, she kneeled next to him and held his hair out of the way. When she touched his head, she realized he was shivering and burning with fever.
Helping him up, she cleaned his face and led him back to bed. As she covered him Lucius turned to face her. "Please stay close to me tonight," he pleaded. She slipped into the bed next to him and held him tight. He whispered his thanks and fell asleep again.
She couldn't explain why she was doing this. She had a complete stranger in her arms and in her bed. Maybe her untapped maternal instinct made her do it. Maybe she was simply lonely and enjoyed the company of a rather good- looking man. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The next few days, Lucius only slept. Alice washed his chest and changed his bandages twice a day. She only woke him up to give him something against his fever. She slept by his side every night.
Alice was sitting on the sofa reading a book and listening to some music. She suddenly heard a noise and when she looked up, Lucius was standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but his breeches.
"Hello Alice," he said, smiling at her. She put her book down, stood up and guided him to the sofa. "How long have I been sleeping?" He looked confused.
"You have been out for three days," she said. "How are you feeling?"
"Hungry," he answered. She went into the kitchen and made a large pan of fried eggs, then sat and watched him as he ate. Alice had been alone for such a long time that she enjoyed the company, although she didn't knew anything about her guest except his first name.
After he finished, she suggested it was time to change the dirty bandages. He followed her to the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub. Slowly she removed the bandages and saw some of the cuts already had healed. Others were still open, and he twitched in pain when she took of the bandages. A few of the bruises were turning yellow.
She left him in privacy to wash up while she went to look for fresh clothes for him to wear. The only things she could find was a pair of jeans and a T- shirt that had belonged to her ex-boyfriend.
When Lucius joined her in the living room, Alice couldn't hide her curiosity any longer. "Tell me something about yourself, Lucius," she said. She could tell by his facial expression that he didn't expect this question.
After a long pause he spoke, a hint of irritation in his voice. "What do you want to know?"
"Anything you'd like to tell. What's your last name? Are you married? Do you have children? Where do you live? What do you do for work? What happened to you before I found you?"
He looked surprised by the barrage of questions but she didn't care. After all, she was the one who picked him up from the street, taken him into her house and nursed him for the past several days.
Lucius considered what to tell her. She was a Muggle and he didn't want her to know the truth, or at least not everything. He found himself annoyed by her questions. How dared that filthy Muggle to quiz him? Yet somehow, he felt he owed her an explanation.
If she hadn't taken him home, he might have been caught by Ministry Officials and dragged to Azkaban. He had been in a fight with six of his fellow Death Eaters -- or at least he thought that was who they were. He'd discovered they were spies and was about to tell Lord Voldemort when they cornered him in an alley of Hogsmeade. Outnumbered six to one and already pummeled, Lucius realized he didn't stand a chance against them so he disapparated and reapparated in a Muggle-city.
It was well known in the magical world that Lucius Malfoy hated Muggles so he thought it was the best place to hide in case of injury or the fall of the Dark Lord. Over the last few months he had studied these awful Muggles and their habits and already made up possible stories.
After another few minutes of silence, he started to talk. "My last name is Johnson, my wife died a few years ago and I've been alone since then. We didn't have any children. I work for the Secret Service and I was working undercover to expose drug dealers. They must have found out somehow, for they beat me and dumped me in that alley."
He paused for a moment, moved closer to Alice and took her hands in his. He looked into her brown eyes. "I have to trust you that you won't tell anybody that I'm here. My life and my job might be in danger if anyone finds out."
Alice saw the seriousness in his blue eyes. "You can trust me. I won't tell."
He smiled, relieved that she bought the story. Feigning interest, he asked her the same questions. She told him that her boyfriend left her two years ago, that she worked for a bank and that her three-week holiday had started the night she found him. For the next several hours, he let her do most of the talking so as to draw as little attention as possible to himself.
The next few days passed quietly. Lucius slept most of the time and when he was awake, he read or watched movies with her. She was surprised by his choice of books; many of them were the same volumes about witches and wizards that she had read as a child.
And every morning and evening, she changed his bandages. His injuries were healing well.
One Saturday afternoon Lucius was resting in his bedroom and Alice was watching a movie when the doorbell rang. She opened the door to two men, both wearing long, dark cloaks.
"Good afternoon, miss. We're from the fire department, checking the safety in this building. Can we come in?"
She knew Lucius didn't want anyone to know he was there but she felt she didn't have a choice. She would simply tell them that he was her older brother, newly returned home abroad, if they asked questions. "Please come in," she said, opening the door.
Lucius woke up when he heard the doorbell. Instantly alert, he put on his pants and retrieved the wand he'd hidden under his pillow when Alice had taken his clothes. He heard three voices and knew there could be only two men. Not too difficult for Lucius Malfoy to handle.
He stood against the wall, next to the door to the hall, so he could take them out by surprise. Slinging the door open suddenly, he recognized them as Ministry Officials at once. Without hesitating, he lifted his wand and shouted "Stupefy!" at the first official that walked in.
A jet of red light hit the man in the back and he fell. The second man ran in with a raised wand. Lucius pointed his wand again and yelled "Avada Kedavra" at him. A flash of green light hit him and he, too, fell to the floor.
Alice was standing in the middle of the living room, trembling with fear and barely able to speak "How... what... who...?"
He lowered his wand and started to talk. "I've lied to you all the time, Muggle. My name is Lucius Malfoy and I'm a wizard. I'm married and I have a son. I was in battle with some of my ex-colleagues but I was able to disappear from the battle and reappear in the alley where you found me."
Lucius paused and Alice sat down on the sofa, totally confused. "What's a Muggle?" she asked. He laughed coldly before answering. "Well, Alice, you are. Non-magical people are called Muggles, and I can't stand any of them."
"So... you've only been using me to fix you up again?" she said.
"Of course I did," he replied. "Hiding amongst Muggles has its advantages. And I needed to get my strength back before I could return to the magical world. Yes, I abused your kindness because I needed a safe place to hide. You Muggles are a bunch of good hearted fools."
Alice felts stupid and angry at the same time. She wanted to strike him but when she took a step toward him, Lucius raised his wand again: "Crucio."
She fell to the floor, screaming in agony. She never thought that a person could feel such intense pain. After what felt like hours, Lucius lifted his wand again and stopped the pain. Alice lay on the floor, panting.
"You see, Alice, I can't afford a filthy Muggle talking about the magical world," he explained, then turned toward the kitchen. She didn't know what to feel first. Stupid for taking care of him. Agony from the spell he cast. Angry with him for taking advantage out of her. And, most of all, fear of what he would do to her next.
When he returned from the kitchen, he carried a knife. Grabbing her by her hair, he pulled her up and made her sit on her knees. He knelt beside her, still holding her hair, and whispered. "I've been bored all this time but I certainly learned something about your kind. They've got brutal ways to kill each other."
In an instant, she felt the cold steel entering her stomach as he stabbed her. He let go of her hair and stood up as she lay on the floor, her hands clenched to her stomach. Her blood was already soaking the carpet, her eyes filling with tears. She knew she was dying.
Lucius stripped the taller of the men of his clothes, put them on then knelt next to Alice one last time. Leaning over her, he kissed her hard on her mouth.
"I never thanked you for taking care of me," he hissed. And with a loud crack he dissapparated.
The End.