A/N – Written with the pairing prompt Lucius/Harry. I apologise in advance if Harry's out of character; I very rarely right him for this reason.
"No! I would rather- rather..." his voice trailed off.
"Your righteousness can only get you so far, Potter," Lucius sneered.
"But-"
"There comes a time when one must face the real world."
"I know what the real world is like!"
"Ah, yes. Of course. Because you defeated the Dark Lord."
"Yes! I defeated Voldemort, so-"
"So, what are you going to do now?" Lucius' voice was deceptively gentle.
"Well... I..." Harry stuttered.
"That's right. You don't know. Because no one needs you now, do they Potter. What do you do when there's no one to save?" Lucius stepped closer as he spoke.
"I don't need someone to save!" Harry spoke indignantly.
"Of course you do, Potter. You don't know anything else," his voice was soft, but he couldn't hide the hardness of his eyes.
"My friends-"
"You mean the Muggle girl and the youngest Weasley boy? They didn't need saving?"
"Well..."
"Ah. So you see, Potter," Lucius was well into Harry's personal space now, tracing a sharp fingernail down the teens cheek; the mark it left behind was red and itched slightly, small beads of blood forming. "You do need someone to save; something to save. It's ingrained into your very being."
He smirked then, stepping back as if nothing had happened.
"Isn't that right, Potter?"
Harry couldn't speak; he could barely breathe. He could only stand there and watch as Lucius Malfoy calmly walked away.
The entire situation seemed unreal. The only thing that convinced him otherwise was the stinging in his cheek.