Title: Seeing the Light (4/?)

Author: QueenC

Feedback: queenc@HotPOP.com

Rating: R

Pairing(s): Cordelia/Lucius. Mentions Draco/Hermione.

Disclaimer: AtS belongs to Joss Whedon and the Potterverse is J. K. Rowling's playground. Any original characters belong to my muse. I'm making no money from this so please don't sue me.

Distribution: Anywhere I send it. Anyone else wants it just let me know.

Spoilers: Goes way AU after 'Birthday' on AtS. All four HP books, although this takes place long after Harry and co. graduate from Hogwarts.

Summary: Five years later, the PTB decide to intervene once again. Sequel to 'Shadows and Glimpses'.

Author's Notes: Okay, as stated above in the summary, this fic takes place five years after 'Shadows and Glimpses'. If you haven't read that fic already, you might want to do so before reading this one. Otherwise, you'll probably be a little confused. The same basic changes apply here that did in that fic. No Cordelia/Angel romance, no Holtz, no Quor-toth, no ascension. I think that pretty much covers it for the Angelverse. Now, about the Potterverse. Basically, I'm making up everything after GoF. Anything you need to know between their fifth year and now, I'll explain in the fic. 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!

Dedicated: To Child for all the help. You rock my face off, hun!

Special Thanks: To the wonderful people who reviewed 'Shadows and Glimpses' and gave me the encouragement to continue. Especially to 'houses', who gave me one of the nicest reviews I've ever received. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

******

Draco and Hermione were just getting the last of their supplies together when a scream rang through the Manor. Glancing at one another, they turned to Cordelia.

"Bella!" she gasped. Then, before anyone could do or say anything else, she was out the door and down the hallway. Quickly, Lucius followed. Draco glanced at his partner, and sighed in relief when he saw she was putting down the potions she'd been bottling.

"Harry and Ron will wait at the rendevous point for us. Let's go," the young woman ordered. Side by side, the duo chased after Cordelia.

Cordelia ran blindly up the stairs, and made a sharp turn. Tearing past the room the twins were supposed to be asleep in, she barely registered that the door was open. Then, just as she rounded one of the corridors, the screaming stopped.

Pausing, she looked around, her senses on heightened alert. Somehow knowing that Lucius was behind her, she turned to face him. "What's in this wing?" she asked, her voice sounding shrill to her own ears.

"Nothing that could be of any danger to her," he assured the woman. "She more than likely managed to get herself lost and became frightened. We will simply do a spell to locate her."

Draco nodded, pulling out his wand. However, before he could utter the words to the spell, he heard soft giggling. Frowning, he turned his head toward one of the many paintings of his ancestors, this one being a little girl.

The girl looked at him, winking. "You can't find the shadow," she said in a false whisper. Then, she turned back to her tea party, ignoring them.

Draco gasped, stumbling slightly. Instantly, images from his childhood came rushing back.

He'd played in this area as a small child. He could remember feeling as though something were there, watching him. He'd asked his mother about it, but she'd told him not to worry himself over such foolish things. However, he'd seen the concern and fear in her eyes.

The next day his father had come home. After having a long talk with Narcissa, Lucius had told him he wasn't to play in the house anymore. They had plenty of land outside where he could run around.

It took him a full month before he risked his father's wrath to chance the hallway one more time. He'd followed *something* to a doorway that led to some stairs. He'd gone down them and... He woke up three days later in his own bed, apparently suffering from a concussion.

His parents never did tell him what had happened.

Draco was pulled out of his memories by Cordelia's frantic voice. Looking around, he saw her standing in front of Hermione, murder flashing in her hazel eyes.

"What do you mean the spell won't work!" she cried. "I thought this was what you *did*! Said spells, waved your wand, and helped people!"

Lucius placed a calming hand on the Seer's shoulder. "Cordelia, try to remain calm. We will find her," he soothed. However, Draco noticed that his father's voice was shaking slightly even as he said the words.

Cordelia whirled on the man. "Remain calm?! Bella is in trouble! Calm is the *last* damn thing I'm going to be!" she exclaimed.

"I know where to find her," Draco said softly, his voice drowned out by Cordelia's continued rant. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "I know where to find her."

"And I can't believe that you would tell me to stay calm! This place is *huge* and there's no telling where she is! And she was screaming and then she stopped! I've been saving people for a while now and believe me, when the screaming stops that is never good!" the brunette shrieked. Freezing, she replayed her own words in her mind. "Oh God," she whimpered. "My baby..."

Draco sighed, shaking his head. "Bloody hell. If you would stop your hysterics, I said I think I know where to find her!" he growled.

Ignoring his insult, Cordelia looked at him, tears leaking out of her eyes. "What? Where? Why didn't you say anything?" she questioned.

Motioning down the hallway, he said, "There's a doorway to the right. It leads to some stairs. She's most likely down there."

Lucius frowned. "Draco, there are no stairs in this wing," he stated.

Draco gave his father a dark look. "There are stairs there, believe me. I found them myself when I was her age."

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "So there are some stairs here that you didn't know about, Lucius. Big deal. Place like this, I'm surprised you can find anything," she muttered. Then, she began walking in the direction Draco had pointed to, not bothering to notice if anyone else was following her.

Rounding the corner, she charged at the only open door she could see, skidding to a halt when she noticed the steep stairwell. Trying to peer into the darkness, she called, "Bella? Are you down there?"

Almost instantly, a light appeared a few feet down. Then, a pair of wide ice blue eyes shone up at her.

"Mommy?" came the little girl's whispered response.

"Oh, thank God," Cordelia gasped. Rushing down to meet her child, she pulled her up into a tight hug. Then, setting her down, she glared at her. "What is the matter with you! I told you to come get me when you woke up, not go running around in dark places! And why did you scream like that? You scared me half to death!" she fussed.

Bella lowered her gaze, blinking back tears. "Sorry, mommy. But, Korben scared me," she murmured.

At that moment, Cordelia felt her son grab her arm. Turning toward him, she frowned. "You went sneaking around too? I thought you knew better, Korben! And what's the big idea, frightening your sister like that?" she admonished.

The little boy shook his head, looking nervously around at the darkness. "It wasn't me, momma!" he insisted. "I saw Bella come down here and followed her. She said she heard someone calling for help, but I didn't want her getting lost in the shadows, so I grabbed her shoulder. And then she screamed."

Bella scowled at her brother, apparently forgetting where they were and how much trouble they were in. "It was you who was calling for help! I heard you!" she argued. "You said 'Help me, Bella', so I did, only you were hiding, then you jumped out and grabbed me, like a big old meany-head!"

Cordelia sighed, shaking her head. "Enough, you two. Let's go. Back up the stairs. We'll discuss this later. Right now you two are in some serious trouble," she ordered, gently leading them both back up the stairs, the kids arguing the entire way.

Lucius watched them come out the door and head down the hallway, Cordelia continuously admonishing the children. Shaking his head, he pushed the door closed, but not before frowning at the stairs.

He was *certain* there weren't any stairs in this part of the house. He'd studied every area of this house when he'd purchased it years ago. The servants chambers were in the back part of the house, although they weren't underground. In fact, the only area that was nestled under the house was the dungeons, and they were limited to the east wing.

But, if that were true, then where did these stairs lead to?

******

The news of Peter Pettigrew's capture spread through the wizarding community like wildfire.

At the Three Broomsticks, there was a full blown party being thrown, complete with the majority of the Ministry of Magic as well as quite a few familiar faces from Hogwarts. Everyone was celebrating the official end of the Dark Lord, reveling in the fact that the last surviving member of his inner circle was behind bars where he belonged. And, in the center of it all were the people responsible for one of the most spectacular captures in history, if only for its sheer simplicity.

The 'Formidable Four', as people had begun dubbing them, had merely apparated to the area where Pettigrew was holed up, then gone inside and grabbed him. A simple body bind and it was over. Of course, he'd never really stood a chance, since they'd arrived while he was sleeping.

The main question on everyone's mind was how they had found him. It was a well known fact that Pettigrew was better than most at evading capture due to his ability to transform himself into a rat and go places no human could go. So, how had they done it?

For some reason, Harry wouldn't explain, merely chalking it up to 'hard work and a dose of good luck and divine intervention'. He'd then given Ron, Hermione, and Draco a look that clearly said for them to remain silent, as well. Which, of course, they did.

Instead of talking, they mere accepted the free drinks being sent their way and joined in the festivities. Mingling with the crowd, they happily shook hands with their former proud Professors and students, as well as graciously accepted congratulations from their current employers and co- workers. All-in-all, it was a celebration that was a long time coming, and everyone seemed to be having a spectacular time.

Everyone, that is, except for Draco Malfoy.

Sitting in a corner booth, the young man stared into his glass of bourbon, his brow furrowed in thought. Oblivious to the excitement going on around him, he retraced Bella's disappearance from earlier.

Why had he forgotten about those stairs until today? Surely the place of such a childhood trauma would be forever imbedded in his mind, not locked away only to return when faced with such a similar situation. Which brought him to his next quandary. Why couldn't he remember the accident itself? Granted, he'd suffered a concussion, but wouldn't the memory have come back with the others?

More importantly, why didn't *Lucius* remember the entire incident?

Draco had spoken briefly with his father after the twins had been found. Lucius had insisted that there had never been any mention of the stairs when he was young, nor had Draco ever suffered a concussion.

The blonde knew it was entirely possible that his father had simply forgotten the ordeal. After all, it would have taken place immediately following Voldemort's defeat at the hands of infant Harry Potter, and Lucius Malfoy had been extremely busy trying to convince the Ministry that he had been under a spell which had caused him to follow the Dark Lord. Therefore, it was feasible that his son's obsession with shadows, an unknown stairwell, and subsequent concussion merely slipped his mind.

However, Draco knew that wasn't the case. No, something strange was going on at Malfoy Manor. *Something* was there, hiding in the shadows and biding its time.

And he intended to find out what it was.

Suddenly, the young man was pulled from his thoughts by someone sitting across from him. Looking up from his glass, he locked eyes on Hermione Granger, who was studying him intently.

Sighing, he gave her a dark look. "What?" he snapped.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Don't snap at me," she chastised. "I was merely coming over to find out why you look so upset. It's not like I'm going to ask you to actually enjoy yourself."

Draco's lips tightened into a thin line. "I am *not* upset. I'm merely enjoying my solitude. There, now you have an answer. Why don't you go back to your friends," he hissed. He knew he was being horrible to her, and that she'd done nothing to deserve it. However, he couldn't help it. Something was loose in his house and was possibly targeting two small children, his own half-brother and sister, in fact. And, if he stood any chance of figuring out a solution, he needed to be left alone, not forced to mingle.

"They're your friends too, Draco," she said softly.

He snorted, taking a sip of his drink. "Right. Something tells me Weasel wouldn't agree with you on that, Granger." Realizing he'd called her by her last name he paused, his eyes widening slightly. Then, he relaxed. If pissing her off was the only way to get her to leave him alone, he'd do it. He could always apologize later.

Hermione got a slightly hurt look on her face, which she quickly hid with a mask of anger. "So we're back to last names, are we? Hm, *Malfoy*?" she snapped. Leaning across the table, she glared at him. "For your information, Ron just finished defending you, your father, and your entire family name to quite a few former Gryffindors, with Harry and even Ginny assisting him. Now, I know that this may come as a shock to you, but we *are* your friends. However, in order for you to return that friendship you have to stop being such a...a...prat and let us help you when you need it!"

Finished with her tirade, the young woman stood up and prepared to make her way back to the party. However, before she had taken two steps, Draco's voice stopped her.

"There's something evil in the Manor, Hermione," he practically whispered. Looking up, he waited until she was sitting back down before he continued. "I believe, whatever it is, that it's after the twins. Possibly just Bella, although I doubt it."

Hermione frowned, her forehead wrinkling as she thought. "You mean this afternoon?" she asked in confusion.

The blonde shrugged. "I'm not certain. I remember...*something* from when I was a small boy. However, when I asked my father about it, he said he didn't remember anything. Still, I'm *certain* that I was injured as a result of the...shadow."

She gave him a blank look. "Shadow?" she echoed.

Draco nodded. "That's what the girl in the portrait calls it. I remember her telling me when I was small that I couldn't find it. The shadow had to find me." As he repeated those eery words, he shivered slightly, his hands trembling around his glass. When he spoke again, his voice sounded almost like that of a young child's.

"It must have found me. And now it's trying to get to Bella."

Hermione sighed. Without thinking, she reached across the table, placing her hand over his. Squeezing gently, she gave him a small smile. "Draco, I'm certain that it's nothing. I find it extremely hard to believe that something that...evil could be living in your home for so long without *someone* besides a young child seeing it," she tried consoling him.

Draco raised an eyebrow, giving her a knowing smile. "Hermione, are you forgetting who my father used to be? Part of the inner circle of the Dark Lord himself. The Manor was seeped in evil and dark magic for years. *Anything* could have been residing there, and we would scarcely have noticed."

She bit her lip, weighing his words carefully. After a moment, she nodded. "Very well. Then, whatever it is, we will work together and find it. *Before* it can possibly harm either Bella or Korben," she stated matter-of- factly. Rising to her feet, she glanced around the crowded room. "Now, I just need to go round up Harry and Ron..."

Draco watched with nothing short of amazement as she disappeared into the crowd, presumably searching for her two best friends. He hadn't expected her to believe him, much less offer to help him solve the mystery. And to offer Potter and Weasley's services as well? Slowly, Draco smiled, realizing that this must be what it felt like to truly have friends that would help you, no matter the risk.

Now, he finally knew what it meant to belong.

******

A/N: Alright, I know. Not much Cordelia/Lucius action in this part. But, it is coming, I promise. I just need to get the actual PLOT moving along first. lol

Sorry for how long it took to update. I just recently moved from Arizona to Minnesota, and I'm still adjusting to all of the changes. (Plus having to wait for my Internet to be connected.)

So...about that review button...