The Quidditch League Fanfiction Challenge - Finals Round 1 - Chaser 2 quote: "It must unscrew this way... No, that way...", "(Word count) 2323, (Word) Blush, (Word) Tear.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Astronomy - Write about a day that has certain significance to someone, even if it means nothing to anyone else.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Scavenger Hunt - Arthur Weasley
I own nothing.
Lucius Malfoy strode through the Ministry and over to the lifts. He waited for one to arrive and quickly stepped in, his eyes moving down the lift of departments on the wall.
'Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office - Level two.'
He pressed the button and waited for other witches and wizards to get into the lift with him. His chin stayed raised and his eyes stared forward, not giving the other occupants the time of day. There was only one person that Lucius wanted to see, and that was Arthur. The only person worthy of his time.
The lift stopped on the second level and Lucius stepped out. He looked around and spotted the sign for the office, one that was falling down from the wall. With a quick check that there was no-one nearby, Lucius used a spell to fix it.
The department had been glad to hire Arthur, who had a very good grade in Muggle Studies, but Lucius didn't understand why Arthur had chosen this department over any of the others.
Lucius had told Arthur he'd put a word in when the redhead had mentioned getting a position at the Ministry. Lucius already had connections and his father was a prominent figure there, but Arthur had refused. He had wanted to start from the bottom and work his way up. He wanted to earn his promotions.
Lucius just saw starting at the bottom as a hinderance. His father had easily managed to get Lucius a higher up position. All Lucius needed to do was say the word and Arthur would have a better job himself. But Arthur would know it was Lucius' influence, and Arthur would not appreciate it.
Bloody Gryffindor.
But there was nothing stopping him from having a word with contacts around the Ministry. Maybe taking a visit to the maintainance team and explain to them that he had better not see Arthur's department in a run down state again. They would be too scared to ignore him.
For now he'd make do with visiting his friend and see how he was settling in since leaving Hogwarts a few months before. They hadn't had a moment to spend together since Hogwarts. They had nowhere to meet up, and no time to spare. But Lucius was making time.
Especially today, the eleventh of November. It had been two years to the day since they had gotten together, and he was definitely spending it with Arthur Weasley.
It was lunch-time and Lucius was eager to find somewhere to spend the hour with him. Maybe a bit longer. After all, he was Lucius Malfoy. Arthur wouldn't be reprimanded for returning late after lunch with a Malfoy.
He knocked on the broom-closet sized office with Arthur's name on, before opening the door to find Arthur fiddling with an item.
"Lucius, just a moment," he said, smiling at the blonde in the doorway. "I was just trying to open..." Arthur trailed off as he lined the screwdriver up to unscrew it.
"We took an enchantment off a plug today. A plug. Funny things, plugs," Arthur said. "They make electricity work. This is where the magic of electricity runs from." The screwdriver was in place again and Arthur tried to twist it.
"It must unscrew this way... No, that way..." Arthur muttered, changing directions with the screwdriver, and changing again, trying to open it, but to no avail. After a third try, the screwdriver slipped, catching Arthur's finger, and Arthur swore, putting his finger to his mouth.
Lucius took his hand and saw there was a mark on the side of his finger and it was bleeding. Lucius raised his wand, quickly healing Arthur's finger and moved so anyone outside the room couldn't see his hold on the redhead's hand. His fingers linked through Arthur's.
This is what he had been missing for the past few months. Arthur. Touching him, being close to him. Listening to his eccentricity over muggle objects of all things.
"Lunch?" Lucius asked, and Arthur nodded, setting the items on the desk. Lucius took a look at the plug. A plastic item with three metal prongs was the key to this electricity that muggles used in place of magic.
He thought it looked terribly uninteresting himself, but Arthur loved it all, and it made him happy, so Lucius didn't voice his own opinions.
"I really wanted to see inside," Arthur sighed, putting his cloak over the chair, and pulling on a long muggle mens coat. Lucius was wearing a muggle coat, so he knew they were heading out into Muggle London.
Lucius hesitantly reached for the screwdriver and the plug. The things he would lower himself to for Arthur Weasley. After a minute, he had all of the screws out and put them on the desk along with the screwdriver. "I noticed a pattern. Turning this to the left," Lucius said, gesturing to the screwdriver, "loosened them. I would assume that when you put it together again, you would turn them the other way to secure them."
Arthur reached for it eagerly, opening the plug and stared at the coloured wires.
"Fascinating," he whispered, his eyes flicking from prong to prong. "I can't wait to take this apart further."
"Well, that would have to wait until later," Lucius replied. "I think you owe me a thank you for opening that muggle item for you."
Arthur caught the smirk on Lucius' lips. "I think I do," he replied. "Is an hour enough?"
Lucius' smirk never dropped. "An hour is never enough with you, Arthur... but it's all we have, so let's make the most of it."
He loved the blush that overtook Arthur's face at the words.
...oOo...
The two men headed from the Ministry side by side. No-one questioned it. A few people knew they were associates from school, but no-one guessed the true nature of their relationship.
"So, I saw details of your engagement to Molly," Lucius said, as they stepped out of the building and into Muggle London.
Arthur sighed and nodded. "The Prewetts are a good family," he replied. "My father thinks it's a good match for her to carry on the family name. Molly has two brothers to carry on the Prewett name."
Lucius nodded, leading them up towards the B&B on the corner, and smiling at the girl on the counter.
"I require a double room for a week," he said, pulling out some muggle notes and handing them over. The woman glanced at him and looked around, but Arthur had cast a disillusionment charm on himself. A minute later, Lucius stepped away from the counter holding a room key.
He approached the stairs, and smiled as Arthur took the disillusionment charm off himself.
"The room is ours for a week," Lucius said. "I'll get a small apartment set up around here soon."
"Won't Narcissa question it?" Arthur asked.
"Narcissa is wrapped up in our wedding plans," Lucius said. "I believe she may realise my preferences after my hesitation to touch her, but her upbringing tells her that she fulfil her duties. I provide her a good lifestyle and she provides me a heir. She won't question it."
Arthur nodded. "Molly is the same, she's so busy with the wedding. She's already informed me that she plans to have a daughter from our union."
"And the heir your marriage contract requests," Lucius added.
Arthur frowned. "That's right. I don't want... Molly is wonderful, I do care for her, but I'll never love her. I don't want to have to father more than one child, because it means more nights with someone I don't love. My dad has already agreed to the change in the agreement."
"I don't love Narcissa," Lucius replied. "But we are the ones to carry on our family names, therefore it falls to us to provide heirs. We both know each other's situations and are in the same boat. Just know that I won't enjoy bedding Narcissa."
"I won't enjoy it with Molly, just you. Only you," Arthur assured him. Lucius stopped outside of a room.
"This is what I miss about Hogwarts," Lucius said. "Prefect duties. Taking the last shift and finding ourselves in a classroom, just me and you. No other students around. We'd have the whole night if we wanted to."
"Now we'll only have stolen lunchtimes and a few minutes after work," Arthur mumbled, bitterly.
"Remember, I'm in a higher up position than you, Arthur. Should we make arrangements on the occasional evening for a magical item need collecting, I'm sure that would take a while..." Lucius fiddled with the key, opening the door.
Arthur smiled. "I'm sure that mundane task that takes no more than an hour, could potentially take hours next time."
Lucius straightened up. "I'll have you know that there is nothing mundane about spending time with me."
"Well, that I believe," Arthur replied as they walked into the room of the B&B. He pushed the door shut behind them and they quickly moved towards each other, their lips eagerly meeting, and their hands pulling each other closer.
They didn't have a lot of time after all, and it had been a month since they had been together. They didn't want to waste another moment talking.
...oOo...
Everything that happened was quick and frenzied. Arthur felt the blonde's hands tear at his clothing, his hands doing the same and they stumbled towards the bed, wanting the make the most of the short time they had available.
The pair left the room with only a few minutes to get back. They stopped to get sandwiches wrapped up from the shop to return to work with, both having worked up an appetite.
"What does it mean for us?" Arthur asked on the short walk to the Ministry.
"I don't understand what you're asking," Lucius replied.
"What does it mean for us? We're both getting married. We'll be bound by contract."
"I think you'll find that the contracts have had an amendment to them," Lucius smirked. "All the contracts now state that the man will not sleep with another woman. As we are both men, we're not breaking the marriage contracts that our fathers want us to follow."
"They used to say that we won't lay with anyone else," Arthur smiled.
"And once you have that son and daughter, you won't have to lay with her again," Lucius said.
"Then It'll be only you," Arthur said.
"I'll have had my heir by then, I'm sure," Lucius said. "Then I'm yours and only yours."
...oOo...
Arthur looked at the calender that afternoon, before pulling on his muggle coat like he did every single year.
11th November 1999.
He headed to the Hotel that was once their B&B. Every year he found himself returning on their anniversary.
Molly had only questioned him once.
He explained to her that it meant something to him a long time ago, before their wedding and Molly never questioned him further. She knew that the marriage had been an arrangement, and knew he had been with someone else when their fathers had agreed on the marriage between them.
She watched him disappear, wondering who it was that still had a place in Arthur's heart. He had never told her. She had tried to follow him once, watching him and seeing him sit alone all night and knew that he was just sitting there, remembering someone else.
She left him to his memories. Knowing that her husband wasn't having an affair was enough.
Arthur sat at the bar of the hotel and ordered a pint of Lager. He always enjoyed his muggle drink, and sipped it slowly, not paying attention to the stool next to him get pulled out and someone sit down.
"Arthur."
Arthur's head shot around. It had been years since Lucius had turned up. The first war pushing them apart, both of failing to convince each other to change sides. Finally Lucius had stopped coming altogether.
Arthur never stopped.
"Lucius," he replied. "Pint?"
"A pint of what?" Lucius asked after a moment's hesitation, his eyes fixed on the glass in front of Arthur.
"Muggle beer," he replied, signaling for the barmaid to bring one over.
The pair drank their beers in silence.
"I've been here every single year," Arthur finally said.
"I know... I've been here too," Lucius replied. "I just didn't know what to say to you anymore."
"Why this year?" Arthur asked.
"Because maybe since last year, we've both lost too much and maybe it's time to gain something. A truce between our families, perhaps?"
"You came here for a truce?" Arthur asked.
"No, I came here to try this disgusting muggle beverage," Lucius replied, pushing the half finished drink away, and ordering a whiskey instead.
"Why today?"
"Because I couldn't stay away any longer," Lucius said, his voice softer.
Soft how it had always been when they were alone.
"Because I can't even begin to explain how much I've missed you all these years," Lucius added.
Arthur struggled with words for a while, sipping his drink as he tried to make sense of it.
"I've missed you too, so much," he admitted.
"So, what now?" Lucius asked.
"I don't know," Arthur replied. "You've put me through a lot these last years... My children got hurt, Harry and Hermione too... I want to believe you mean what you say about the truce."
"And I will prove that," Lucius insisted.
"Just... don't leave me again," Arthur muttered quietly.
"I have no intention to," Lucius assured him. "I saw these in the shop on the way here." Lucius changed the subject, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing batteries.
Arthur stared at them curiously.
"Batteries," Lucius explained. "Electric items sometimes don't need a plug, they use batteries instead to work."
"Fascinating," Arthur whispered, reaching out for the offered items and examining them.
Lucius smiled slightly, watching Arthur stare at the batteries. Some things never changed.
2323 words
Review please :)