Chapter 11 part 2.
Note: chapter added for consistency. Features a missing duel scene.
Chapter 11 part 2: Aptly Named 'Missing Scene'
Note: The POV changes a lot in this scene. I'm sorry if it's confusing, but I wanted both of their reactions. So it's omniscient narrator for this chapter.
Lucius knocked on the door and cursed himself for the weakness in the sound he produced. Perhaps it wasn't something that Harry would notice, but Lucius was annoyed and told himself to get a grip. He felt in his gut that this was a bad idea. Something had changed since their meeting by the lake. But he had asked for it, so he wasn't about make up excuses. He cleared his throat and made sure he was standing straight and confident. He was so preoccupied with his appearance that he almost didn't catch the soft 'come in'. He entered the room and found all the desks cleared away off to the side, Harry standing at the front by his desk. He looked up when Lucius entered.
"Please come in." Harry was wearing muggle clothes again and Lucius appreciated the view it gave him of Harry's well-formed body, though the Professor was a tad on the short side. Lucius stepped fully into the room. Harry put the paper he was holding down on the desk and came towards Lucius. He looked his student in the eye.
"Shall we get started?" Harry asked, he noted the nice duelling robes Lucius had on, close fitting and complimenting Lucius' form. Harry himself regretted not putting on something nicer, then berated himself for ever caring what he had on. He had never done that before. The pair walked simultaneously to the middle of the room. They looked each other over by some unspoken agreement. Lucius' hair was pulled back with a tie and only a few strands were loose and framing his face. The word 'beautiful' popped into Harry's head before he could stop it. He drew his wand. Lucius did the same. "Nothing Dark or borderline Dark, alright?"
"I thought you weren't going to judge me, yet you assume I'll use some Dark curse?" Lucius raised his eyebrow to show he was amused and not offended. He would probably have slipped into the grey area if Harry hadn't told him not to. The Professor shook his head, bemused.
"Shall we?" He asked and bowed. Lucius followed suit, keeping his eyes on Harry. The slightly shorter man looked good despite his muggle clothes, which were surprisingly growing on Lucius. Harry's hair was messy, as usual, as if they had already duelled. Lucius smirked at the image of Harry's rumpled form on the floor after Lucius had finished with him... though what they had just finished in that scenario Lucius decided not to imagine too vividly. He had heard students compare the Professor with James Potter, though they of course didn't know they were related. Lucius had to admit there was a resemblance, but Harry's face was softer and at the same time had a maturity James Potter utterly lacked. And the eyes of course blazed with a fire Lucius found absolutely fascinating. When they righted themselves Lucius didn't hesitate and he let loose a forceful hex with perfect aim.
Harry didn't even shield against it, he actually diverted it with another spell. Lucius didn't pause despite his slight surprise and kept right on, but made sure not to do any spells above seventh-year curriculum. Nothing that couldn't be learnt at Hogwarts. He wanted to impress his teacher, he admitted, but he wasn't going to compromise himself.
Harry seemed to realise what Lucius was doing and also limited himself. He kept to shields and counter-curses he taught to students. They duelled like that for about ten minutes, neither of them winning or losing simply because it wasn't a challenge for either of them.
"Stop," Harry said, holding up his free hand. Lucius bit back the curse he had been about to speak and stood straight. Harry looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You're holding back." It was a statement of fact, not an accusation.
"I thought I was doing rather well," Lucius replied. Harry raised his eyebrow and Lucius was forced to speak again, trying to put a tone of defensiveness into his voice. "I don't know what more you can expect from me."
"From our conversations I know your knowledge of the Dark Arts-"
"You said I'm not to use anything remotely associated with the Dark Arts!" Lucius interrupted.
"And your knowledge of duelling," Harry continued in a slightly annoyed voice. He was clearly the Professor now, and had gotten used to not being interrupted. "goes far beyond that of a seventh-year student. You seemed to be pointedly sticking to seventh-year spells. Why would you do that? I thought you wanted me to evaluate your skills?"
"And what is your opinion on my skills so far?" Lucius asked, ignoring everything else Harry had said.
"They're exceptional," Harry said softly, sounding resigned. Lucius sighed. He had known this was a bad idea. Somehow he was starting to care what this man thought of him. And not in the sense that he wanted to impress him with his perfect duelling or vast theoretical knowledge, but his… character. Lucius frowned. This could not be good. It would surely get in the way of his plan, these feelings. It would do him no good… then again, perhaps if Harry was convinced that Lucius was 'making his own future' as it were, he would fall right into Lucius' arms… it was a possibility Lucius' Slytherin mind liked.
"I assure you I am trying my utmost," Lucius murmured. "Thank you for your time. I must be going now. I'll see you in class." Before either of them knew what was happening Lucius was out the door and down the hallway. It wasn't until he was going down the stairs to the dungeons that Lucius wondered what on earth he was doing. He had done the exact opposite of his plan. Why? Lucius shook his head, trying to clear it. Potter was continuing to irritate him, but now instead of annoying him by practically running away every time Lucius tried to flirt with him, the man had somehow affected him, and the Slytherin in Lucius did not like it one bit. He went to his room and lay on the bed, pondering why he had left like that. No answer was forthcoming, and before long his mind was once again on their strange meeting by the lake. It seemed all he could think about. 'I know you Lucius.' He closed his eyes to ward off the shivers.
Back in the classroom Harry was very puzzled. Obviously, Lucius was hiding something, but when was Lucius Malfoy not hiding anything? Something was also bothering his student, and Harry found he was concerned. He tried to keep an open mind as well, and not jump to conclusions, just as he had promised he wouldn't. It was not certain that whatever Lucius was up to was something sinister. Perhaps he was having personal problems? Harry snorted. He could not imagine Lucius Malfoy having any sort of personal problems… but what about this Lucius? The thought nagged at him all day, and he didn't manage to do any proper work at all.
-:-
Hope you liked the little scene. I spoke with my sister on the subject (she's read to chapter 14) and she agreed this helped the flow of character development... then she yelled at me for not writing the next chapter quick enough... She's like a fanfiction nazi! (good thing she'll probably never read this.) To Rokkis if you do: you know I luv ya hon! right?
