Title: Shadows and Glimpses (5/?)
Author: QueenC
Feedback: queenc@HotPOP.com
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Cordelia/Lucius
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. AtS belongs to Joss Whedon and HP belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Distribution: Anywhere I send it. Anyone else wants it just let me know.
Spoilers: Through 'Birthday' on AtS. The first four books of HP.
Summary: What happens when you mix an amnesic Death Eater with a recently demonized Seer?
Author's Notes: Okay, so I'm changing a few things in the AtS world to make this fic work. First of all, Angel and Cordelia are not in love. They are just extremely good friends. Second, Holtz was never pulled from the past. Connor is still here. He's just a baby and staying that way. And finally, Cordelia's apartment is a two bedroom. I think that's it, for now. I'll let you know if anything changes. As always, Angel is Spike's sire. Words in *'s are emphasized, words in ::'s are thoughts, words in ~'s are dreams, and words in ^^'s are flashbacks. Enjoy!
Special Thanks: To everyone that reviewed this fic so far. It's good to know that I'm not just writing this for the sake of my muse. You all are great!
******
Speeding away from the curb, Cordelia gripped the steering wheel tightly, her lips pressed together in a fine line. She was so angry she could hardly see straight.
How *dare* he tell her what to do! She was Cordelia Chase, damn it! She did what she wanted, whenever she wanted, and to hell with what other people thought.
Except, she knew that wasn't the real her. At least, not anymore.
But still! It didn't matter. Angel had *no* right to speak to her like that. He wasn't her boss. And, if he kept acting like a thick-headed caveman, he wasn't going to be her friend for much longer, either.
Sighing, she cast a quick glance at the man sitting beside her. She wondered why he had been silent for so long. However, one look at his face and she knew.
He was scared to speak to her.
Forcing herself to calm down, she quietly asked, "So, did you and Fred have a nice lunch?"
Lucius gave her a hesitant look, finally relaxing slightly when he saw that her scowl had disappeared. "It was rather uneventful," he said nonchalantly. "What about you? Did you manage to get something to eat after determining your apartment suitable to remain in?"
Cordelia laughed softly, shaking her head. "Actually, no I didn't. And, seeing how it's nearly dinnertime, how would you feel to getting a pizza and just hanging out? I'm really not up to a restaurant and I *don't* cook."
Lucius smiled, his discomfort fading completely. This was the woman he wanted to get to know better. Happy, go lucky Cordelia. Not the scary, bite- your-head-off version he'd just witnessed. Nodding, he replied, "That sounds lovely. Although, I must admit...I'm not certain if I've ever had pizza. Or, if I have, I don't remember if I like it or not."
The brunette raised an eyebrow. Glancing in her side mirror as she changed lanes, she exclaimed, "Not like pizza? Now, see, that's not possible. People who don't like pizza are evil. And you are *not* evil."
"How can you be so certain?" The question was asked before he was even aware he'd said anything. His eyes widened and, unknowingly, he held his breath. Why did he have to question her? Furthermore, why did he have to point out that it could very well be the Devil himself that she was inviting to spend the evening with her?
Cordelia chuckled, pulling her car into an empty space in front of the pizzeria. Turning to look at him, she answered, "I'm Cordelia. I'm *always* certain." Grinning, she added, "Ok, so after we order the pizza, we'll go rent a few movies. If we're going to be sitting around like a couple of losers on a Friday night, we might as well make it complete. And nothing says 'I have no life' like take-out pizza and a $1.99 special at the video store!"
******
Draco sighed heavily. His feet hurt, his head was pounding, and they were no closer to finding his father than they had been when they'd first arrived. Resisting the urge to stomp his foot and begin pouting, he glanced at the young woman beside him, taking solace in the fact that she seemed just as upset as he was.
Hermione craned her neck as far as she could, trying to see if she could spot Harry, Ron, and Professor Snape through the quickly approaching darkness. She could feel Draco beside her, tense with frustration and anxiety. Surprisingly, she found herself actually feeling sorry for him. After all, Lucius may have been a complete bastard, but he was still Draco's father. Hermione could only imagine how she would feel if her parents were to suddenly go missing.
Especially with Voldemort being involved.
Shivering, she pulled her jacket tighter around herself, frowning when there was still no sign of her best friends or the surly Potion Master. Where were they? They were supposed to have met up nearly fifteen minutes ago. And, while Harry and Ron may make a habit of losing track of time, somehow she just couldn't picture Snape being anything but punctual.
Looking behind her, she frowned at the building they were standing in front of. Knowing that she was just begging for a fight, she glanced at a sullen looking Draco. "This *is* the right place, isn't it? It isn't, perhaps, a street over?" she asked softly, worry lacing her tone.
Draco gave her a dark look. "You tell me, Granger," he spat. "You're the one who's been leading us around all day. Don't tell me you're finally admitting to being as lost as the rest of us."
Hermione's frown deepened as she considered his words. "I never said that I was any more familiar with this city than you were," she argued, mentally wondering why she couldn't just *shut up*.
The blonde raised an eyebrow, a cruel smirk crossing his face. "Really? What happened to you were possibly the only person who could find my father? Or were you just saying that so you could spend the day sight seeing instead of actually *looking* for him?" he snapped.
He knew he was being overly cruel to her. She really had been trying to find Lucius, just as he had. In fact, it was because of her that they had covered as much ground as they had, instead of merely wondering from place to place looking for a tall, blonde man wearing black robes and carrying a cane. However, he would be damned if he admitted that to her. No, as long as they were fighting, then he could hold onto that one bit of normalcy in a life which had so recently spun out of control.
Hermione narrowed her eyes, her mind pulling up all sorts of curses she could use him. Finally, though, she settled for merely rolled her eyes and gave him a bored look. "Really, Draco. Can't you do any better? Accusing me of sightseeing instead of looking for the Death Eater, Muggle hater, sorry excuse for a human being that is your father? Why, I could almost take that as a compliment, rather than an insult." The moment the words left her mouth she wished she could take them back. Biting her lip, she watched as his face paled even more than usual and a look of raw fury filled his steely eyes. Placing her hand on his forearm, she sighed. "Draco, I'm sorry. I..."
Wrenching his arm away from her, he gave her the darkest look he could muster, silently smirking when she took a step away from him. "Keep your filthy Mudblood hands to yourself, Granger," he hissed. "And I'll make sure to tell Professor Snape how you really, considering it may hinder your ability to search properly."
Hermione opened her mouth to reply, then closed it with a snap. Staring at him, she finally said quietly, "Draco, whether you want to hear it or not, I am sorry for what I said. Although I believe Lucius Malfoy to be exactly how I described him, the fact remains that, in the end, he did the right thing. As did you. So, if you wouldn't mind keeping this conversation between us, I give you my word that I will stop at nothing to find him."
Before Draco could respond, he saw Harry, Ron, and Snape walking toward them. Nodding once at Hermione, he tried to keep his face neutral as he waited to see what the others had found. One look at their faces, and he had his answer.
His father was still missing.
******
Severus Snape was not a stupid man. He knew when something wasn't quite right. And, considering the looks that Hermione and Draco had been exchanging for the better part of an hour, his guess was that something had occurred between the two of them during their time together.
And he intended to find out what it was.
It wasn't that he wished to meddle in their affairs. In fact, he prided himself on his ability to remain as *uninvolved* with people as he could. However, if they were having a problem working together and it was prohibiting them from fully utilizing their ability to find Lucius, then he had no choice but to step in and correct the problem.
He knew that he could easily fix it by having Harry and Ron go with Hermione, while he went with Draco. But the thought of sending the 'Golden Trio' out into the streets of Los Angeles caused him to shiver. Knowing them, they'd end up as hostages in a bank robbery or some other ridiculous plight within ten minutes of leaving his side.
No, he firmly believed that it was best to keep the three friends down to a mere duo until they were at least back in the wizarding community. Which, of course, led him to his other reason. The only two out of the group that had ever truly been around Muggles was Hermione and Harry. And the thought of sending Ron with Hermione and keeping Harry with himself and Draco caused the pain in his head to begin pounding harder. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were sworn enemies. They would survive about as long together as himself and, say, Sirius Black.
Which meant they would kill one another without a second thought.
Sighing, Snape took a drink of his tea, wincing at the awful flavor. His decision made to keep the search parties the same, he took a moment to peer around the small diner that they had come to for dinner. To his relief, he noticed that no one was paying them any attention. Finally, his gaze swung back to the group.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all sitting on one side of the circular booth, talking quietly amongst themselves. Draco was sitting as close to edge as he could manage without actually falling off, trying to distance himself between the three friends and Snape.
Snape silently watched the young man that had changed so much in the past seven years. He could still remember when Draco had first arrived at Hogwarts. Cocky, cold, and arrogant, he had quickly set out to make the school *his*. Of course, that was no easy task when the famous Harry Potter was also there.
Still, Draco had tried. However, at every turn he was faced with either The Boy Who Lived or his two sidekicks. So, he'd eventually fallen back on what he did best.
He'd become their worst enemy.
Now *that* he had excelled at. Between tormenting Ron about his family's finances to Hermione's bloodline, to Harry's scar, Draco had tossed every insult, rude comment, and general nastiness toward them that he could. Then, something happened their seventh year.
Snape still wasn't certain what had caused the change, but it had been clear the moment Draco returned from the Christmas break that he was no longer the snobby, spoiled brat that he had been. Instead of going out of his way to insult people, he merely stuck to himself. His grades improved, to the point that he was rivaling Hermione for the top points in every class, and he didn't instigate one single duel.
Of course, Dumbledore had been thrilled upon hearing the news. Was it possible that Draco Malfoy wasn't doomed to become a follower of Voldemort? Was their some hope for him?
Snape hadn't been so sure. Oh, he had hoped so. After all, he wouldn't wish the life of a Death Eater on anyone. And that included Sirius Black. So, of course he had hoped that Draco had finally grown up and was becoming his own man. A better man than Lucius.
Then, graduation had come and gone and, to the surprise of everyone, Voldemort didn't attack. Draco Malfoy collected his diploma and apparated away from Hogwarts, his parents flanking him on either side.
Snape didn't see him again until six months later, when Voldemort finally made his move.
Shaking his head, the Potions Master forced aside the memories of that night, instead focusing on the food that was placed in front of him. He had more important things to do than to become nostalgic. Like eat his dinner, find a hotel to stay in for the night, and resume his search for Lucius in the morning. That was his top priority.
Find the man that was unknowingly responsible for the downfall of Voldemort.
******
A/N: Sorry about the shortness of the chapter, folks. What can I say? My muse decided this was the best place to end this part. Lol. Oh, and I am NOT going to apologize for the slight cliffhanger. From what I can tell, it's dang near a requirement amongst fanfic writers. Hehe
Feedback feeds my muse. A full muse is a happy muse. A happy muse means more parts, sooner! (Yes, I know. I've resulted to begging. *sigh* What can I say? I'm weak.)
Author: QueenC
Feedback: queenc@HotPOP.com
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Cordelia/Lucius
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. AtS belongs to Joss Whedon and HP belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Distribution: Anywhere I send it. Anyone else wants it just let me know.
Spoilers: Through 'Birthday' on AtS. The first four books of HP.
Summary: What happens when you mix an amnesic Death Eater with a recently demonized Seer?
Author's Notes: Okay, so I'm changing a few things in the AtS world to make this fic work. First of all, Angel and Cordelia are not in love. They are just extremely good friends. Second, Holtz was never pulled from the past. Connor is still here. He's just a baby and staying that way. And finally, Cordelia's apartment is a two bedroom. I think that's it, for now. I'll let you know if anything changes. As always, Angel is Spike's sire. Words in *'s are emphasized, words in ::'s are thoughts, words in ~'s are dreams, and words in ^^'s are flashbacks. Enjoy!
Special Thanks: To everyone that reviewed this fic so far. It's good to know that I'm not just writing this for the sake of my muse. You all are great!
******
Speeding away from the curb, Cordelia gripped the steering wheel tightly, her lips pressed together in a fine line. She was so angry she could hardly see straight.
How *dare* he tell her what to do! She was Cordelia Chase, damn it! She did what she wanted, whenever she wanted, and to hell with what other people thought.
Except, she knew that wasn't the real her. At least, not anymore.
But still! It didn't matter. Angel had *no* right to speak to her like that. He wasn't her boss. And, if he kept acting like a thick-headed caveman, he wasn't going to be her friend for much longer, either.
Sighing, she cast a quick glance at the man sitting beside her. She wondered why he had been silent for so long. However, one look at his face and she knew.
He was scared to speak to her.
Forcing herself to calm down, she quietly asked, "So, did you and Fred have a nice lunch?"
Lucius gave her a hesitant look, finally relaxing slightly when he saw that her scowl had disappeared. "It was rather uneventful," he said nonchalantly. "What about you? Did you manage to get something to eat after determining your apartment suitable to remain in?"
Cordelia laughed softly, shaking her head. "Actually, no I didn't. And, seeing how it's nearly dinnertime, how would you feel to getting a pizza and just hanging out? I'm really not up to a restaurant and I *don't* cook."
Lucius smiled, his discomfort fading completely. This was the woman he wanted to get to know better. Happy, go lucky Cordelia. Not the scary, bite- your-head-off version he'd just witnessed. Nodding, he replied, "That sounds lovely. Although, I must admit...I'm not certain if I've ever had pizza. Or, if I have, I don't remember if I like it or not."
The brunette raised an eyebrow. Glancing in her side mirror as she changed lanes, she exclaimed, "Not like pizza? Now, see, that's not possible. People who don't like pizza are evil. And you are *not* evil."
"How can you be so certain?" The question was asked before he was even aware he'd said anything. His eyes widened and, unknowingly, he held his breath. Why did he have to question her? Furthermore, why did he have to point out that it could very well be the Devil himself that she was inviting to spend the evening with her?
Cordelia chuckled, pulling her car into an empty space in front of the pizzeria. Turning to look at him, she answered, "I'm Cordelia. I'm *always* certain." Grinning, she added, "Ok, so after we order the pizza, we'll go rent a few movies. If we're going to be sitting around like a couple of losers on a Friday night, we might as well make it complete. And nothing says 'I have no life' like take-out pizza and a $1.99 special at the video store!"
******
Draco sighed heavily. His feet hurt, his head was pounding, and they were no closer to finding his father than they had been when they'd first arrived. Resisting the urge to stomp his foot and begin pouting, he glanced at the young woman beside him, taking solace in the fact that she seemed just as upset as he was.
Hermione craned her neck as far as she could, trying to see if she could spot Harry, Ron, and Professor Snape through the quickly approaching darkness. She could feel Draco beside her, tense with frustration and anxiety. Surprisingly, she found herself actually feeling sorry for him. After all, Lucius may have been a complete bastard, but he was still Draco's father. Hermione could only imagine how she would feel if her parents were to suddenly go missing.
Especially with Voldemort being involved.
Shivering, she pulled her jacket tighter around herself, frowning when there was still no sign of her best friends or the surly Potion Master. Where were they? They were supposed to have met up nearly fifteen minutes ago. And, while Harry and Ron may make a habit of losing track of time, somehow she just couldn't picture Snape being anything but punctual.
Looking behind her, she frowned at the building they were standing in front of. Knowing that she was just begging for a fight, she glanced at a sullen looking Draco. "This *is* the right place, isn't it? It isn't, perhaps, a street over?" she asked softly, worry lacing her tone.
Draco gave her a dark look. "You tell me, Granger," he spat. "You're the one who's been leading us around all day. Don't tell me you're finally admitting to being as lost as the rest of us."
Hermione's frown deepened as she considered his words. "I never said that I was any more familiar with this city than you were," she argued, mentally wondering why she couldn't just *shut up*.
The blonde raised an eyebrow, a cruel smirk crossing his face. "Really? What happened to you were possibly the only person who could find my father? Or were you just saying that so you could spend the day sight seeing instead of actually *looking* for him?" he snapped.
He knew he was being overly cruel to her. She really had been trying to find Lucius, just as he had. In fact, it was because of her that they had covered as much ground as they had, instead of merely wondering from place to place looking for a tall, blonde man wearing black robes and carrying a cane. However, he would be damned if he admitted that to her. No, as long as they were fighting, then he could hold onto that one bit of normalcy in a life which had so recently spun out of control.
Hermione narrowed her eyes, her mind pulling up all sorts of curses she could use him. Finally, though, she settled for merely rolled her eyes and gave him a bored look. "Really, Draco. Can't you do any better? Accusing me of sightseeing instead of looking for the Death Eater, Muggle hater, sorry excuse for a human being that is your father? Why, I could almost take that as a compliment, rather than an insult." The moment the words left her mouth she wished she could take them back. Biting her lip, she watched as his face paled even more than usual and a look of raw fury filled his steely eyes. Placing her hand on his forearm, she sighed. "Draco, I'm sorry. I..."
Wrenching his arm away from her, he gave her the darkest look he could muster, silently smirking when she took a step away from him. "Keep your filthy Mudblood hands to yourself, Granger," he hissed. "And I'll make sure to tell Professor Snape how you really, considering it may hinder your ability to search properly."
Hermione opened her mouth to reply, then closed it with a snap. Staring at him, she finally said quietly, "Draco, whether you want to hear it or not, I am sorry for what I said. Although I believe Lucius Malfoy to be exactly how I described him, the fact remains that, in the end, he did the right thing. As did you. So, if you wouldn't mind keeping this conversation between us, I give you my word that I will stop at nothing to find him."
Before Draco could respond, he saw Harry, Ron, and Snape walking toward them. Nodding once at Hermione, he tried to keep his face neutral as he waited to see what the others had found. One look at their faces, and he had his answer.
His father was still missing.
******
Severus Snape was not a stupid man. He knew when something wasn't quite right. And, considering the looks that Hermione and Draco had been exchanging for the better part of an hour, his guess was that something had occurred between the two of them during their time together.
And he intended to find out what it was.
It wasn't that he wished to meddle in their affairs. In fact, he prided himself on his ability to remain as *uninvolved* with people as he could. However, if they were having a problem working together and it was prohibiting them from fully utilizing their ability to find Lucius, then he had no choice but to step in and correct the problem.
He knew that he could easily fix it by having Harry and Ron go with Hermione, while he went with Draco. But the thought of sending the 'Golden Trio' out into the streets of Los Angeles caused him to shiver. Knowing them, they'd end up as hostages in a bank robbery or some other ridiculous plight within ten minutes of leaving his side.
No, he firmly believed that it was best to keep the three friends down to a mere duo until they were at least back in the wizarding community. Which, of course, led him to his other reason. The only two out of the group that had ever truly been around Muggles was Hermione and Harry. And the thought of sending Ron with Hermione and keeping Harry with himself and Draco caused the pain in his head to begin pounding harder. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were sworn enemies. They would survive about as long together as himself and, say, Sirius Black.
Which meant they would kill one another without a second thought.
Sighing, Snape took a drink of his tea, wincing at the awful flavor. His decision made to keep the search parties the same, he took a moment to peer around the small diner that they had come to for dinner. To his relief, he noticed that no one was paying them any attention. Finally, his gaze swung back to the group.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all sitting on one side of the circular booth, talking quietly amongst themselves. Draco was sitting as close to edge as he could manage without actually falling off, trying to distance himself between the three friends and Snape.
Snape silently watched the young man that had changed so much in the past seven years. He could still remember when Draco had first arrived at Hogwarts. Cocky, cold, and arrogant, he had quickly set out to make the school *his*. Of course, that was no easy task when the famous Harry Potter was also there.
Still, Draco had tried. However, at every turn he was faced with either The Boy Who Lived or his two sidekicks. So, he'd eventually fallen back on what he did best.
He'd become their worst enemy.
Now *that* he had excelled at. Between tormenting Ron about his family's finances to Hermione's bloodline, to Harry's scar, Draco had tossed every insult, rude comment, and general nastiness toward them that he could. Then, something happened their seventh year.
Snape still wasn't certain what had caused the change, but it had been clear the moment Draco returned from the Christmas break that he was no longer the snobby, spoiled brat that he had been. Instead of going out of his way to insult people, he merely stuck to himself. His grades improved, to the point that he was rivaling Hermione for the top points in every class, and he didn't instigate one single duel.
Of course, Dumbledore had been thrilled upon hearing the news. Was it possible that Draco Malfoy wasn't doomed to become a follower of Voldemort? Was their some hope for him?
Snape hadn't been so sure. Oh, he had hoped so. After all, he wouldn't wish the life of a Death Eater on anyone. And that included Sirius Black. So, of course he had hoped that Draco had finally grown up and was becoming his own man. A better man than Lucius.
Then, graduation had come and gone and, to the surprise of everyone, Voldemort didn't attack. Draco Malfoy collected his diploma and apparated away from Hogwarts, his parents flanking him on either side.
Snape didn't see him again until six months later, when Voldemort finally made his move.
Shaking his head, the Potions Master forced aside the memories of that night, instead focusing on the food that was placed in front of him. He had more important things to do than to become nostalgic. Like eat his dinner, find a hotel to stay in for the night, and resume his search for Lucius in the morning. That was his top priority.
Find the man that was unknowingly responsible for the downfall of Voldemort.
******
A/N: Sorry about the shortness of the chapter, folks. What can I say? My muse decided this was the best place to end this part. Lol. Oh, and I am NOT going to apologize for the slight cliffhanger. From what I can tell, it's dang near a requirement amongst fanfic writers. Hehe
Feedback feeds my muse. A full muse is a happy muse. A happy muse means more parts, sooner! (Yes, I know. I've resulted to begging. *sigh* What can I say? I'm weak.)