A/ N : Chapter Eight! In which Bella is a bitch and Lucius finds himself in a rather odd conundrum. And chess pieces pop up, for no apparent reason. Again. Enjoy!

Disclaimer – I still don't own anything. Keep asking though, JK might sign all the rights to a billion pound franchise over to me. In my dreams.

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One Way Or Another

Lucius had put off returning to Hogwarts for three days, hoping, in the process, to avoid running into Bellatrix Black. He had apparated to Hogsmeade late that evening and walked the distance to the school, rather than taking the Floo Network directly into Slughorn's office. He had needed the extra time to think, although he had not, in the event, come any closer to a solution. Visiting the Headmaster had wasted more time, though not nearly enough. Dumbledore had readily accepted the story of his father's illness, and why wouldn't he? It wasn't really a lie, after all. Abraxas really had collapsed after Lucius' party, complaining of pains in his torso. Lucius would have suspected a heart attack, if he'd thought the old man had enough of a heart. As it transpired, his father had simply forgotten to take the potion which stopped his liver turning into stone after decades of alcohol abuse, meaning his cirrhosis had kicked in. Perhaps I shouldn't have offered him that drink, Lucius remembered thinking, as he sat on a rickety wooden chair in the St. Mungo's waiting room. The thought hadn't bothered him for long, though, as it was another face entirely that swam to the forefront of his mind as he stared, unseeing, into the depths of his coffee cup. Bellatrix Black.

Sighing, Lucius left the Headmaster's office and began the long climb down to the dungeons. He walked quickly, untroubled by the prospect of bumping into Filch. The Head Boy's badge gleaming on his chest gave him as much right as any teacher to prowl the corridors after dark. Lucius smiled, fingering the corner of the badge. He really did love being Head Boy. It had been his first real taste of power, and he frequently found himself impressed by the instant respect the tiny scrap of silver provided. His master, he knew, found this rather amusing, for reasons he had never specified. Lucius didn't mind. It had been over ten years, after all, since a Slytherin had attained the position, a fact that made Lucius rather proud of himself.

Eventually, he came to a halt opposite a bare stretch of stone wall. It was past midnight. Surely Black would be asleep by now? He could face her tomorrow. "Parselmouth." He spoke the word to thin air, and sure enough a section of the wall slid away, granting him admittance to the common room. Wincing slightly at the loud grinding noise made by stone on stone, Lucius stepped inside.

"Malfoy! Come and sit down."

The voice that sounded was the one he least wanted to hear. Bella Black was sitting in front of a dying fire, exuding triumph. For one wild moment, Lucius considered ignoring her. But that would be rude.

"Sit down," she repeated, pulling up a chair to emphasize the point.

With no way out, Lucius was forced to sit down opposite her. "What do you want, Bellatrix?" he asked warily. She smiled maliciously in response.

"Well, that's not quite the right question, Malfoy. Why don't you try 'What can I do for you, Bellatrix?'"

"What can I do for you, Bellatrix?" Lucius parroted stiffly. He was starting to feel as though he were trapped in a waking nightmare. Why couldn't he have modified Black's memory that night at the party? But of course, there had been witnesses. Her mother had been there, for a start, and anyone could have looked out the window . . .Even now, he couldn't be sure she was alone. Black, meanwhile, was watching him, contemplating. At last she spoke.

"Alright," she said carefully, smoothing down the front of her robes. "Let's establish the facts, shall we? You're a Death Eater. One of his followers. I assume you're not going to deny it any more?"

Lucius shook his head, defeated. There wouldn't be much point, after all. She had seen the Mark.

She smiled again at his response.

"Good," she said. "I didn't think you would. So. . ." she hesitated. "When did you become one?"

Lucius gaped at her. Of all the questions he had been expecting her to ask , this one had not been high up on the list. And there it was again, in her expression. . . .that strange longing. That hunger.

"During the summer," he admitted, pushing away the creeping feeling of apprehension. "Of course, I haven't been able to do much, at school. I was given the Mark a few months ago."

"So you were sixteen when he recruited you?"

Lucius nodded. Was it his imagination, or was she breathing much more quickly now?

"It's not a game, Black," he said forcefully. " This isn't school or anything like don't know what you're dealing with."

"Maybe not," she conceded. "But I intend to find out."

"What are you -"

"Take me to him."

"What?!" Lucius exploded. "Take you to him? Do you have any idea what you're asking?"

"A chance! That's all I'm asking for! Just bring me to him, and let him decide. That's all I want!"

"Absolutely not."

Lucius got to his feet. The girl was mad. She had to be. She was glaring at him now, furious, but Lucius didn't care.

"I'm going to bed," he said. "I'd advise you to do likewise." He turned to leave.

"Not so fast."

Bellatrix had jumped to her feet, determination clear in the set of her jaw. He laughed.

"Give up, Black. There's nothing else you can do. You can tell people about the Mark if you want, but I can assure you my master will be less than pleased with you if you do."

She scowled, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Okay. So I can't tell people about the Mark. That doesn't mean I can't tell them you're gay."

Lucius stared at her. The girl had lost her mind, clearly. He laughed uncomfortably.

"Except that I'm not."

She smiled unpleasantly. "Aren't you?"

"Just because I'm not currently seeing anyone doesn't mean I'm homosexual, Bellatrix."

She raised an eyebrow. "No, I suppose not. I mean, people would only think that if word got out that you'd done something crazy. That you'd turned down Bellatrix Black, for instance. Because let's face it, what straight man would do that?"

Lucius felt his mouth go dry. "Bellatrix, you know I'm not gay," he said, fighting to keep the desperation out of his voice. "You can't start that sort of rumour about me just because I . . .turned you down? Do you know how insane that is?"

"Of course. And don't flatter yourself, Malfoy. This is hardly just because you turned me down. As if I'd be so petty. You know what I want."

"And you know I said no way."

Bellatrix shrugged. "Looks like you're a homosexual then. For the foreseeable future. And even if you change your mind. . . .well. You know how persistant those gossips can be. Some of those rumours can stick around for years." She yawned, and bent down to gather up her things. "Goodnight then."

Lucius hadn't moved an inch. He could feel cold sweat on his forehead. The problem was, he knew exactly how persistant those gossips could be. He had grown up surrounded by them, in pureblood society. They were still making up nonsense about Black's sister, over a year after she had left. Hell, they were still gossiping about Abraxas, and they didn't even know half of what he knew about the old man. Lucius knew, therefore, that they wouldn't let a small matter like the truth stop them. He was caught, and he knew it.

"You win," he said quietly.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you. Sorry Malfoy."

"I said you win, alright?" Lucius forced the words out through clenched teeth. "I'll take you to him."

Bellatrix straightened up, smiling again. Picking up a chess piece from the abandoned board she tossed it into the air, catching it gracefully in one hand. "Checkmate, Malfoy," she said, opening her fingers. Nestled in the palm of her hand was the black queen.