Chapter 25: Hazard Of A Fool
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{"Lost it on the chesterfield...Or maybe on...A gamblin' wheel...Lost it in a diamond mine...It's dark as hell...And hard to find...You can climb to the...Top of the highest tree...You can look around...But you still won't see...What I'm lookin' for...Where the good times gone?...Where the good times gone?...All the stupid fun...And all that shit we've done...Where the good times gone?...Well I still don't know..."}Good Times Gone, Nickelback
Back Of A Pub, Knockturn Alley, Wizarding World...
The stumbling form of Lucius Abraxas Malfoy had been tossed into a nearby stone wall. He had his fill of drink before a group of would be defenders of the wizarding world decided to show up and give him a hard time about his former death eater status. One of the assailants spat some rubbish about having suffered unimaginable horrors in the wake of the Death eaters assaulting their family.
Lucius had only been interested in his drink and wanted no trouble. He had had enough trouble given how things turned out. He barely survived the second wizarding war after becoming the prime target of his former master. It had not been a secret that he would have died in Azkaban if it had not been for Severus.
The anguish that filled him from the moment the news fell from the lips of the brat Harry Potter, Severus Snape was murdered by the so called "dark lord" Voldemort. Severus had done the impossible once Potter stood victorious and the ashes of Voldemort blew away in the wind. The tears streamed down the ghastly pale cheeks of Lucius even before the dust settled.
His home was in tatters but it was intact.
His wife was shaken but not violated due to the efforts of her overprotective sister and Severus.
His son was forever changed in the wake of the tragedies finding strength unheard of to openly defy the dark lord at the height of his power and aided Potter in ending the madness once and for all.
Severus would have been proud of him.
Lucius certainly was but the lingering truth kept them all silent in their grief. Had Severus not chosen to die in his child's place, it would have been Draco's grave they would have been visiting in the wake of the final battle.
Finding himself drowning in his own guilt given his "brothers" had both given their life for him and his family, Lucius looked for answers in the bottom of the bottle more often than not.
At the present moment, Lucius felt the stinging blow shoot across his cheek as he stumbled backwards into the cold stone wall once more.
He had not known how long he had been dazed as a younger wizard with raven hair, pale flesh and enraged obsidian eyes came jumping into the fray.
"You look like you can use some assistance, Uncle Lucius." said the voice of a drunken Regulus Snape.
A small smile filed across Lucius face it was strange to see the boy his little brother left behind despite all the secrets and the pressing business of the war, Severus Snape had managed to sire a child.
"Much appreciated nephew." replied Lucius getting to his feet with his resolve strengthened as both he and Severus Snape's grown son proceeded to teach these rude fellows a lesson in manners.
The fight had been over rather quickly with both well trained wizards dropping the ambitious attackers on their backs and making their way out of the alley.
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Open field, Wizarding World...
Regulus smirked at Lucius as the two drunken wizard's landed in the center of a vast and open field. They had taken turns vomiting given how quickly they traveled after ingesting much too much alcohol.
Lucius laughed recalling how he and Severus would get into trouble during their younger days.
"What's so funny?" asked Regulus with a serious expression filed across his pale face.
This only seemed to amuse the Senior Malfoy all the more.
"I-I apologize if you've taken offense...it's just...you have no idea how much you remind me of your father at your age." replied Lucius amused. "He and I use to get into more than our fair share of scraps here and there...and what you and I just did was the two of us on a good day."
Regulus shook his head.
"You are one strange old man." he said. "Good looking by all acounts but strange."
Lucius couldn't help but chuckle at this.
"I swear it's as if I was looking through a time portal." he replied.
"I wouldn't doubt it." said Regulus. "I suppose it's worth mentioning that me and dear ol' dad didn't end things on a very positive note."
Lucius nodded turning serious for the first time since they landed.
"That was Severus for you." he replied suddenly seeming like an exhausted old man in place of a rowdy teen age wizard. "He kept everyone at a distance given his upbringing it was a wonder he learned to love or trust at all."
"His upbringing?" asked Regulus inquisitive in his own right.
"What you thought he was born a stone faced arse with an attitude problem?" asked The Senior Malfoy. "There is truly so much about your father that you still do not know isn't there boy?"
The raven haired wizard sighed then nodded in response.
"It wasn't like he was the kind of dude that spoke about himself all the time." replied Regulus.
Lucius had been puzzled by the son of his little brother's strange accent.
"So he hid you in America."he said observing the younger wizard.
"Yeah." replied Regulus massaging his bruised knuckles. "The place must have had charm otherwise I would have been walking about being prim and proper."
"No one even suspected...it would have cost a good deal of coin to..." began Lucius with a grin. "Of course."
The younger wizard looked at him puzzled himself for the first time in a long time.
"Of course what?" he asked.
"I paid for it." replied Lucius. "My families horded galleons paid for your mother and you to have safe passage into America not to mention the house and minor expenses."
"What do you mean?" replied Regulus with an arched brow.
"Your father...never leaving anything to chance." said Lucius albeit bitterly. "He must have wiped my memories of you and your mother in a bid to keep you both safe from the dark lord."
"I recall you saying something about that before." said Regulus kneeling down a plucking a bit of the grass from the ground.
"It is, true." said Lucius looking the boy over. "Although I admit to being in a state of shock when you first arrived."
"Understandable." replied Regulus standing up and reaching into his pocket.
He pulled out a cigarette and attempted to put it to his lips before Lucius seemed to transmit a silent spell incinerating it before he got the chance to taste it.
"Hey what the fuck?" said Regulus in shock.
"Those things cause cancer you know." said Lucius in a charming yet causal tone. "No nephew of mine is going to end up some cancer ridden husk due to those things."
"It's not like I'm five Uncle Lucius." replied Regulus bitterly. "I can take care of myself...been doing it for nineteen years."
The gray eyed wizard looked the rugged looking boy up and down before smirking rather wickedly.
"If this is what you call taking care of yourself then I'd hate to see what neglect looks like from your point of view." he replied.
"So now you're a comedian." said Regulus rolling his eyes.
"From time to time." replied Lucius. "Listen boy, my family home is west of here and I would love for you to meet my wife and my son...be warned...it's been quite difficult for my family since the war's end and we are still mourning the loss of your father after all...he was very dear to us."
"I'll think about it." replied Regulus.
"No time like the present." replied Lucius. "Besides what have you got to loose?"
The raven haired wizard sighed meeting his uncle's gray eyes.
"I guess nothing, except my life and let me tell you it's not that great to begin with." he replied.
Lucius laughed at this putting a hand on the younger wizard's surprisingly broad shoulder.
"You are indeed Severus' boy." he said seemingly proud.
The two wizards disapparated from the field bound for Malfoy Manor.