Author's Note: This story takes place during the winter holidays in Sirius's first year and Lucius's fifth year.
After the adults finally excused the children, Sirius immediately made his way up to his room. He had wanted to spend time with Andromeda, but her parents had insisted that she stay with them and finally start acting like "a proper Pureblood lady."
Fortunately for Sirius, Bellatrix had also stayed with the adults.
Unfortunately for Sirius, however, Lucius Malfoy had politely excused himself from further discussions with the adults so that he could spend time with Narcissa and Regulus.
Sirius had no desire to spend any time with either Lucius or Narcissa, and he really didn't want anything to do with Regulus either.
Once he was in his room, Sirius began to write a letter to James. Why couldn't his parents have invited the Potters instead of the Malfoys? It was Narcissa that would be marrying Lucius, not Sirius or Regulus.
Sirius had just finished signing his name on his letter when the door to his bedroom suddenly banged open.
Sirius could not help but yelp slightly, as he had been taken by surprise.
Lucius Malfoy came walking into Sirius's bedroom as if it was his bedroom.
"What are you doing in my room, Malfoy?" Sirius snarled. "Get out. Now. You're not welcomed here."
"Do you treat all your guests this way?" Lucius drawled casually.
"You're no guest of mine," Sirius responded.
"That's not what your parents said," Lucius replied. "They told you that you were supposed to entertain me because I'm an honoured guest."
"Regulus and Narcissa can entertain you, Malfoy," Sirius returned. "Why aren't you with them anyways? I thought you liked spending time with them."
"I do," Lucius said, "but Narcissa is currently reading Regulus a story and I'm not really into story time."
"What a baby Regulus is," Sirius sneered. "I can't believe he still wants story time."
There was a brief flash of anger in Lucius's eyes. A moment later, though, he was smiling.
"I want to do something fun, Black," the blond-haired teenager then said.
"So you came to me?" Sirius responded, unable to keep the disbelief out of his voice. What was Malfoy up to?
"I may be a few years ahead of you and in a different House," Lucius spoke, "but I have still heard rumors about some of the adventures that you had with that Potter boy. You truly are a source of inspiration, Black."
There was no denying the sarcasm in Lucius's voice at his last statement.
"Ha, ha, ha," Sirius said. "I had no idea that you had such a sense of humour, Malfoy. I always thought that you were nothing more than an emotionless piece of stone that just happened to have the ability to walk and talk."
A look of amusement passed over Lucius's face.
"And you are more entertaining than I gave you credit for," he returned. "Come, Black. Let's go on a little adventure."
"What exactly did you have in mind?" Sirius asked cautiously. He had no doubt that the word adventure meant something different to Lucius than it did to him.
"I want a tour of this house," Lucius said simply.
Sirius blinked his eyes several times. That was the last thing that he had been expecting to hear.
"That's nothing that Regulus or Narcissa couldn't do for you," Sirius then said.
"But Regulus and Narcissa don't like getting into trouble like you do," Lucius smirked.
Sirius once again blinked his eyes several times. Then, he grinned.
"And to think," Sirius spoke, "everyone thinks that you're such a perfect little boy who always does what he's told."
"I can be a rebel just as much as you can, Black," Lucius said.
"Well, follow me then," Sirius responded, sliding off his bed. "There's lots to see."
They had been walking through the mansion for some time when Lucius said, "I want to see the dungeons next."
Sirius blinked his eyes several times. "Why do you want- Never mind. Of course someone like you would want to see the dungeons. You live in them at Hogwarts. All right. Follow me."
As soon as they stepped into the dungeons, however, Sirius immediately began to wish that he had had brought his cloak with him. The dungeons were always cold, but they were even colder in the winter.
Sirius glanced over his shoulder and saw that Lucius didn't seem to be bothered at all by the cold.
"Typical Slytherin," Sirius muttered under his breath.
Lucius began to look through the bars of the various cells.
"What are looking for, Malfoy, dead bodies?" Sirius asked. "Are you sure that you're not really Bellatrix under the disguise of Polyjuice Potion? Not that it would surprise me if it ever did come out that your father does keep people, both alive and dead, locked up in his dungeons."
Lucius looked at Sirius for a moment with an unreadable expression in his eyes. Then, the Malfoy heir turned and opened up one of the cell doors.
"You don't even keep them locked," Lucius remarked casually.
"Why would we keep them locked?" Sirius pressed. "There's no one in them. Are you sure you're not really Bellatrix? Or are you Malfoys more crazy then you let on?"
"I want a closer look, tour guide," Lucius spoke, motioning for Sirius to follow him into the open cell.
"Why?" Sirius asked. "It's four stone walls, nothing special."
"Are you scared, Black?" Lucius taunted.
"I'm not scared of anything," Sirius responded, bravely walking past Lucius and into the cell. "I'm a Gryffindor, not some pathetic excuse of a Slytherin."
"Perhaps," Lucius drawled, "but this pathetic excuse of a Slytherin is not the one locked up like an animal, now is he?"
Before Sirius could react, Lucius pulled out his wand and used it to close and lock the cell door.
Sirius immediately lunged at the door. He then stretched his arm between the bars and towards Lucius, but the blond-haired teenager was just beyond his reach.
"Let me out, Malfoy," Sirius snarled. "This isn't funny."
Lucius smirked ever so slightly, but his eyes were cold and empty.
"I mean it, Malfoy," Sirius growled. "Let me out or I'll-"
"Or you'll what?" Lucius said mockingly. "Claw at me through the bars? No, I think I'm going to leave you here for a while. I haven't been this amused in some time."
With that, Lucius turned and walked out of the dungeons.
"MALFOY!" Sirius bellowed, banging on the cell door with his fists. "MALFOY! OW!"
Sirius's banging had done nothing but hurt his fists.
Sirius then began to shiver. It was bloody cold.
"I'm going to get you for this, Malfoy," Sirius muttered angrily to himself. "I'll show you a real prank."
Sirius couldn't help but wonder, though, why Lucius had decided to play such a cruel prank on him. Did it have something to do with Snivellus? Sirius had seen Lucius speaking with the greasy-haired boy on several occasions at the Slytherin table.
Or did it have something to do with Narcissa? Sirius had insulted her earlier that day, and he did remember seeing her talking quietly with Lucius when he had first arrived with his father. Sirius had not thought much of it at that moment because it was not uncommon to see Lucius and Narcissa talking.
Lucius, though, must have noticed that Narcissa looked upset about something, which led to her tattling on her cousin.
Sirius shivered some more. It was bloody cold. If only he had his wand. Then, he could simply unlock the door and give Lucius Malfoy a piece of his mind.
Sirius didn't know how long he was locked in the cell before he finally heard footsteps approaching him.
Several moments later, Regulus was looking at him through the bars of the cell door.
"Regulus," Sirius cried in relief. He had never before been this happy to see his brother. "Quick. Go get your wand and get me out of here."
To Sirius's surprise, Regulus pulled out his wand.
Sirius blinked his eyes several times. Since when had Regulus started carrying his wand around the house?
"Lucius told me that you were down here," Regulus said in explanation as he used his wand to unlock the door. "I would have come sooner, but he didn't tell me about you until he had finished his chess game with Cissy. He wanted you to know that."
Sirius managed to resist the temptation to run out of the cell. Instead, he walked out of it with as much dignity as he could muster.
"Malfoy was playing chess while I was down here slowly freezing to death," Sirius snarled. "Oh, he thinks he's so funny. I'll go show him who's really funny."
"Don't be ridiculous, Sirius," Regulus spoke. "Lucius is a fifth year and a Prefect. You are only in your first year. Who do you honestly think would win a duel between you two? Don't make him angrier at you than he already is. Besides, Mother would lock you down here until it's time for you to return to Hogwarts if you do anything to mess with Lucius. You know that she adores him."
"I know that she wishes that he was her son instead of me," Sirius growled, "but one day people are finally going to realize that Lucius Malfoy is not as perfect as he pretends to be."
"Calm yourself, Sirius, or I will lock you back in that cell myself," Regulus said sharply.
Sirius looked at his brother in surprise. "How can you stand there and defend Malfoy like this?"
"He is kind to Cissy," Regulus said simply before turning around in order to make his way out the dungeons.
Sirius stared at Regulus's retreating back for several moments. Then, he began to follow his younger brother, somehow managing to keep his pace nice and steady.
What was the big deal that Lucius was kind to Narcissa? It wasn't as if she was a nice person. She was just like the rest of her family (with the exception of Andromeda), a Pureblood fanatic. She deserved to be taken down a few pegs every now and then.
And Lucius Malfoy was just cruel and twisted. Locking Sirius in the cell had just been his sick idea of a joke. Because there was no way that someone like Lucius Malfoy, who only cared about himself, could care enough about someone else to go to such lengths just to defend their honour.
The whole incident had nothing at all to do with Narcissa.