Chapter 24: Not entitled Back to the Future because that would be cliché

Lucius hurried out, trying to keep his face impassive while keeping the contents of his stomach down. He had felt the Cruciatus before; you learned everything first-hand at Durmstrang, but it had come as such a surprise that Lucius was still shaking.

And Harry was still in there, with that insane man, and young James Potter too. Lucius didn't look at the two Death Eaters standing watch. He went across the entrance hall and into the same salon he had spoken to Dobby in. Once alone he let out a whoosh of air and allowed himself to breathe heavily.

He had not been alone ten seconds before Dobby popped into existence in front of him.

"Master Lucius," he said quietly. "Dobby has completed the mission."

"You put the potion in his goblet?" The house-elf nodded eagerly. Lucius felt a tiny stirring of hope within him. He had seen the Dark Lord drink the whole goblet down, so it would only be a matter of…

But wait, how long had Severus said it took for the potion to work? Damn, Lucius had never bothered to ask! Of course not, he hadn't been planning to actually use the potion. Lucius looked down at the house-elf and saw Dobby's eyes were wide with concern, obviously thinking he was the reason for Lucius' displeasure.

"You've done well, Dobby," Lucius forced himself to say. "Go home. No, wait." Lucius' mind was spinning with ideas, possible escape routes, but none of them were very likely to succeed. There had to be some way… "How well can you spy on wizards without being noticed?"

"Dobby can be almost invisible, Master!" the elf explained, then ducked his head suddenly. "Begging Master's pardon, Sir, but wizards don't want to notice house-elves, Sir." Lucius raised his eyebrows at the rather perceptive statement.

"Stay hidden and watch," he ordered, cursing himself for what he was about to say. "There's a boy, James Potter, in there with the Dark Lord. If you see an opportunity I want you to take him back to Hogwarts, can you do that?"

"Yes, Master Lucius, Dobby will stay hidden and take boy."

"Only when he's completely alone, understand? No one must see him disappear with you. If the Dark Lord ever suspected a Malfoy house-elf…" Lucius let the sentence hang. Dobby nodded and disappeared with a pop. Lucius would have preferred telling the elf to take Harry as well, but something told him Harry wouldn't appreciate it. No, Lucius had to respect the man's wishes, and that meant getting the boy out of danger first. It would be much easier to get James alone than Harry. Besides, if James Potter died Harry would never be born. Voldemort was most likely to kill James first and keep Harry around, trying to either convert him or control the man's magic.

Lucius took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. He would remain for a while longer. He couldn't find it in himself to leave Harry here, even though he was probably putting his "career" as a Death Eater in jeopardy.

Lucius closed his eyes for a moment. The sharp image of Harry staring up at him from the floor was burned behind his eyelids. Harry's eyes had held betrayal and disbelief when Voldemort had been studying the cloak. At first Lucius had not understood the look, but then later it had occurred to him that Harry must have thought Lucius had been the one to turn over the cloak he had. Harry didn't know it was James' cloak the Death Eater had brought up with the boy. Two cloaks that were one and the same, and now Harry thought Lucius had betrayed him. That hurt more than the Dark Lord's curses ever could.

Pushing the thought to the side, Lucius turned and crept up to the door. He cast a spell wordlessly and watched as the door became slightly transparent, but only from his side of course. Because the house was so well warded, no one had thought to protect the doors inside. Lucius fixed his gaze on the two Death Eaters standing watch, and waited.

xxx

"Shit," Harry stated, thinking fast. He rose abruptly and started slashing his wand at the door, casting warding and protection spells. He heard one last, "My Lord?" before his silencing spell fell into place. Even though his spells were weaker than usual due to his current state, he hoped they would hold a while at least, though he didn't know if there were any professional curse-breakers among the Death Eaters. Once done, he knelt by James again and started assessing the damage to the boy.

"Professor," James whispered, too weak to speak properly. Harry's eyes were focused on the wounds. He wasn't a medi-wizard, but had considered himself a good student back in his own time. Unfortunately, since he didn't know if the Death Eaters outside were any good at breaking wards, he would have to patch up James as best he could as quickly as possible, and leave the proper work for when James was safely back at Hogwarts.

"Professor?" James repeated.

"Conserve your strength," Harry chided, starting to close the wounds again.

"Harry." Hearing his name, he couldn't help but react, his eyes widening in surprise as they snapped to James'. "So that is your name," James murmured. "You called 'Harry Potter's wand,'" he explained.

"Now is not the time for this conversation," Harry said with as much finality as he could muster. He tried going back to work, but James spoke up again.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Why is your name Harry Potter? People say I look like you… even Sirius said it…"

"I can't explain now," Harry said apologetically.

"Why did you lie?" James demanded to know. Harry sighed, casting another healing spell.

"You need potions," Harry said, ignoring the question. "And we need to find a way out of here." A thump, followed by a rumble, reached their ears and Harry looked at the door warily. James tried to sit up, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"What about a portkey?" James asked, and Harry heard the fear in his voice for the first time, and no wonder; Harry was beginning to lose hope himself.

"Lucius said the place was warded beyond measure. Protection against portkeys is surely within Voldemort's talent. If only we had a house-elf," Harry said softly, slightly nostalgically.

"A house-elf?" James asked incredulously.

"Voldemort has a tendency to forget them, but you shouldn't, just because they're small. Come on." Harry helped James to stand, and was pleased that the boy wasn't quite as pale, but he badly needed proper medical treatment. He led James over to the throne and pushed the boy down behind it.

"I'm not hiding here like a coward," James protested.

"You're in no condition to fight," Harry returned. "Just stay here for a moment while I-" The rest of Harry's plan was never heard, because the door burst open, splintering into pieces and falling off its hinges. The two Death Eaters from before hurried inside, stopping short at the sight of their Lord on the floor. Two men followed, presumably Rowle and Mulciber, the former had a bag with him, and all of them had their wands drawn.

Harry swallowed, his wand trained on the four men. The odds weren't looking too good.

One of the Death Eaters stepped forward cautiously. Harry realised they were afraid of him, thinking he had once again overpowered Voldemort while bound and wandless.

"Who's he?" Mulciber asked, stepping forward. "Dolohov?" The Death Eater knelt by the Dark Lord, checking the man's pulse.

"I don't know what he is," he muttered.

"Well then," Mulciber said mockingly. "You best sit this one out. Rowle, take care of the Lord." He moved forward and Harry stepped to the side, away from the throne. Rowle sprang into action immediately and started checking over Voldemort. He pulled several potions from his bag. Harry knew he needed to act before the Dark Lord was revived, though he still didn't know how the man had fallen asleep in the first place.

"I wouldn't," the second Death Eater warned. "His magic's all wild." Mulciber, easily the biggest of the four, barked a laugh and sneered at Harry.

"I'll be sure to tell the Dark Lord how you let his attacker go unchallenged."

Harry chose the exact moment Mulciber cast a half glance back at his comrades. 'Stupefy,' he thought fiercely. A red flash shot out of his wand and hit the man right in the chest. He fell over unconscious with an ominous thud. The two Death Eaters stepped in front of their Lord and Rowle, wands raised, but Harry could see the fear radiating off them. He tried to seem as calm and collected as possible. He was dead tired, but he couldn't allow them to see it.

"We take him together," one of them whispered to the other. Rowle, one eye on the impending battle, started pouring potions down Voldemort's throat. Potions intended for James. Harry gritted his teeth and prepared himself again.

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!"

"Confringo!"

Harry ducked and rolled, making sure to keep well away from the throne.

"Impedimenta, Expelliarmus, Stupefy!" Harry shot off spells as quickly as possible, and by focusing the spells on one Death Eater he managed to break the man's shield and stun him. This meant, however, that he only just managed to roll away from the other Death Eater's curses. When he got to his feet again he felt a wave of dizziness overcome him, and was sure this loss of concentration would be his end.

"Stupe- OW!" Harry found his equilibrium and saw the Death Eater holding his head, a goblet lying on the floor beside him. James was leaning heavily on the throne.

"Gotcha," he said. Harry took his chance.

"Stupefy!" The Death Eater only got halfway through a shielding spell before he too was unconscious. Rowle was staring at Harry in undisguised fear, even as his patient was beginning to stir. Harry didn't hesitate; he turned to the wall with large windows facing the garden, and shouted: "Deprimo!" His blast opened up a large hole, large enough for two people to get out easily. Harry turned back to the throne, but James was already halfway to him, clutching his stomach as he hurried over. Harry pushed him towards the opening.

"Go, I'm right behind you," Harry ordered, and this time James didn't hesitate. Perhaps it was the gleam in Harry's eyes, but the boy wasn't going to argue now. He hurried outside as fast as he could, and Harry did indeed follow.

They broke into a jog when their feet hit the grass, but Harry had underestimated how far outside the building the wards were. They had only gotten a few yards when Harry heard a scream of rage.

"Valen! Crucio!" Harry spun around, hoping to Merlin that James didn't stop. He fell to the side as the curse just flew past him, though luckily it didn't hit James either. "Running away, are we?" Voldemort tried to taunt. Harry got up, breathing steadily and feeling oddly calm. He didn't dare glance behind him, but something in him told him James was continuing on.

"Alright, Riddle, enough," Harry said, taking deep calming breaths and feeling his heartbeat slow. "We'll finish this in a proper duel." Voldemort stepped out onto the grass, an ugly smirk on his face. Harry held his wand by his side, even though Voldemort's was raised. Was there enough energy in him for this, Harry wondered and wished he could close his eyes so he could focus better, but he thought he just might have enough energy to keep fighting, at least enough to make sure James was far away.

Rowle was coming out, almost tiptoeing along the wall of the house so that he could watch from farther away. Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw the front door open and a blond person coming out, but he couldn't let himself be distracted.

"Very well, Professor. A duel," the Dark Lord declared. He straightened himself regally and took a bow, all the while keeping his eyes on Harry.

Harry allowed himself a longer than usual blink, summoning all his strength for one final push, and then returned the bow.

xxx

Lucius braced himself when he walked outside. He had spied on the proceedings and had almost stepped in, but Harry had incredibly handled three wizards and was now about to duel the Dark Lord himself. Lucius scanned the garden and grounds in search of the boy, but he was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had reached the bushes further down the hill. Lucius doubted the stubborn Gryffindor would leave without knowing what happened to his Professor. Hopefully, Dobby would be able to reach James if he was hiding.

"Very well, Professor. A duel." Lucius watched as the two combatants bowed to each other, his own heart racing. He got as close as he dared, noting absently that Rowle had chickened out and was heading for the path and outside the wards.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, but Lucius heart seemed to beat in double speed. Should he step in? He hardly stood a chance against the Dark Lord. His wand was drawn, but what on earth could he do?

But it was too late, for both men suddenly raised their wands above their head, thrusting the spells forwards to meet right in the middle.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Stupefy!"

Green and red, but soon neither. Lucius watched in awe and slight terror at the sight of the two beams of light meeting and coalescing into one single bright connection. Lucius was almost blinded by the light. There was so much energy…

It had to be… Lucius racked his brain to try and understand what he was seeing. The only thing that came close had to be Priori Incantatem, but that was impossible! It would mean the two wands were brothers.

Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Hero and Dark Lord. Lucius couldn't deny the way fate just seemed to fit.

Lucius looked to Harry and saw the man was probably near collapse. Lucius had to do something, but what could break such a connection besides the two wizards themselves? It was surely impossible to break it, but what happened if Voldemort won this crazy magical tug-of-war? Lucius didn't remember much of what he'd read on the subject, only that vast amounts of energy was being taken from the wizards, the wands themselves, even from the magic in the nature around them according to some sources…

"The scroll describes how to create a device much like a Time-Turner, and then how to reverse its affects by a complicated ritual that could draw magical energy from many sources."

"There are only a few situations where so much energy is in play…"

Lucius would never understand how the thought entered his mind, how he could possibly think it would work, but suddenly his free hand was digging into his pocket and pulling out the Time-Turner. He held it up, the light from the impossible duel making it easy to discern remaining words of the half melted inscription: 'Not for … use.' He quickly turned it several times, trying to count as best he could. Twenty-seven years… he turned and turned and turned. Finally, he thought he had it.

He looked up to the duelling wizards and walked forward. Without further thought, without knowing what would happen, Lucius clutched the device tightly and pulled back his arm, hurling it as close to the end of Harry's wand as he could.

His aim was true; the Time-Turner connected with the beam of light just beyond the tip of the Phoenix feather wand.

And then everything went white.

xxx

Lucius woke in a cold sweat, sitting bolt upright in bed, his chest heaving. It was still dark outside. It was always still dark outside when he awoke from that particular dream. No matter how many times he had it, it never failed to leave him terrified. It was a miracle he had managed to keep his nightmares a secret for so many years.

He knew there was no point in trying to go back to sleep without a potion, but Lucius didn't feel like drugging himself. He didn't want to sleep late. So he got up instead and padded to the bathroom.

He splashed water on his face and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Twenty-seven years and not one year had passed without a nightmare. One on the day he had thrown the Time-Turner into the Priori Incantatem connection, and one on the night after Harry had been thrown back in time.

Perhaps today would be the last time.

He remembered that night so vividly, even after all these years. How he had recklessly thrown the Time-Turner into the magical connection, and how after the blast of magical energy the Dark Lord had been left unconscious. Lucius had first checked that Dobby had indeed taken James back to school, and then "cared" for the Dark Lord, who would never understand what had happened that night, or rather, he wouldn't suspect the truth until years later after his ressurection.

Lucius took his time grooming himself, dressing in his best robes. When he was done he went to stand in front of the floor-length mirror in his bedroom.

He was forty-five years old and he was still waiting for his lover to return to him. He didn't even know for certain if that was possible. Worst of all was wondering what Harry would think when he saw Lucius. Would he still believe Lucius had betrayed him? Would he be disgusted to learn how Lucius had become the Death Eater Harry had told him about? Would Lucius even get to explain how he had spied secretly and tried as best he could to make sure the future turned out right?

He had made sure the things Harry told him about came to pass. He had given the cloak he still had on him to Dumbledore, and told the wizard how Harry expected it his first year at Hogwarts.

Lucius didn't know how Harry would react, and if there was one thing that scared a Malfoy, it was uncertainty.

The sun seemed to rise slower than usual. Breakfast tasted like ash. Paperwork and correspondence was close to torture. Finally, Lucius couldn't take it any longer, and left the Manor in a hurry.

He found the house as it had been the last time he had seen it: abandoned and derelict.

Lucius waited all day at Riddle Manor, watching for any signs of temporal distortions. Maybe he had been hoping too much, placing too much faith in fate. Lucius was never one to hope blindly, but something in him had been so sure Harry would turn up here, now, and things would finally come full circle.

But Harry didn't come, and Lucius finally went home at one o'clock that night.

For the first time, Lucius' nightmare visited him a second time in a row.

Once again he got up and dressed immaculately.

His breakfast this time, however, was interrupted by a storming blond. Draco burst into the room. It looked like he hadn't been sleeping well, either, but it was the fact that Draco hadn't taken the time to conceal this that worried Lucius.

"Father," he said as he walked hurriedly into the dining room to his father, who was seated at the far end of the table. "Harry's gone."

"Gone?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow, keeping all emotion locked away. "Perhaps he decided he needed some time away, considering…"

"No, he wouldn't leave like that, without informing anyone. Not even Granger or Weasley know where he is! I let him cool off yesterday, but today I went to his flat and it was empty. I checked Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place, everywhere!"

"Perhaps he wanted to be alone…" Lucius tried.

"No, you don't know him father," Draco seemed desperate, "he wouldn't let people worry about him." The younger Malfoy started pacing. "Something must have happened to him. Merlin, if he did something reckless because of me I'll never forgive myself. Father, you've got to help me find him!" Lucius sighed; obviously the time had come to explain a few things to his son.

"Draco, sit down," he ordered quietly. Draco obeyed, though it looked like he was itching to go out and search more. "There are some things you should know…"

tbc…

Note: hope everything is clear in this chapter. I got a few reviews last time that made me wonder if some of the plot had been too vague. Anybody wondering about Voldemort and the potion is welcome to ask in a review/comment.