Title: Pretty Lights
Characters: Lucius and Abraxas
Prompt: Magical Coercion
Rating: PG
Word Count: 357
Warnings: Murder
Lucius was only thirteen years old when his father arranged for him to be brought along on a mission for the Dark Lord.
Abraxas was honoured among the Dark Lord's circle, one of the closest Death Eaters to him, and people expected Lucius to follow in his father's footsteps. He, Lucius, was wary, but Abraxas assured him that once he had been on a mission with him, he would learn to appreciate a life as a Death Eater.
The mission was a murder.
Lucius followed along, keeping out of sight in the shadows while his father cornered his victim with an almost frightening degree of ease, but he felt his stomach turn when Abraxas uttered the killing curse and his target crumpled to the ground.
Lucius looked away when his father approached the corpse. Murder was ugly and undignified, Lucius thought, and if that was how service to the Dark Lord was, then he wanted no part in it.
"Lucius."
"Yes, Father?" he said, his voice shaking slightly.
"Watch me."
"I can't–"
"Lucius."
"I don't want to–"
"Lucius!"
He glanced up unwillingly and met the eyes of his father, who gave one short nod, then raised his wand and pointed it into the air.
"Morsmordre!"
All the misgivings that Lucius had had a moment ago fell away.
He watched the spell his father had cast in awe. The murder had been ugly, yes, but this, what he was doing now… it was beautiful. Beyond beautiful.
Emerald stars shot from Abraxas's wand, filling the street with bright light and congealing in the sky, forming a vibrant, pulsating green skull, a snake twisting from between its jaws, hanging in the sky like a surreal constellation.
"Do you like it, my son?" Abraxas asked quietly, and Lucius, utterly transfixed, nodded.
"Would you like to learn to make it?"
Lucius had not even found a chance to think before he was agreeing.
He didn't realise for a long time how ridiculous it had been of him. How mad, that he had willingly given his life over to the Dark Lord, all for the sake of a few pretty lights.