Author: Becka
Chapter 9: Making Old Friends
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Somehow he found himself in the Leaky Cauldron, and while not his first choice, Xander believed drinking himself stupid was as good a pastime as any. He'd dumped a handful of Galleons in the bartender's hand and informed the stunned man that as long as the drinks were strong and kept coming, he didn't care what they were.
The man hadn't disappointed him.
It was getting late, and the Leaky Cauldron was empty. In a way, he was grateful; he didn't like people to see him like this. On the other hand, he'd never felt more alone in his life.
He felt someone staring at him, and without looking up from his drink, he sighed, "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Not really," came the amused response.
The blonde man whose wand he'd broken slid onto the barstool next to his. He hailed the bartender and ordered a drink.
His smile was all teeth as he said, "We didn't exactly get a proper introduction last time we met. I'm Lucius Malfoy."
"Xander Harris. The pleasure's all yours."
"Hm." Lucius took a sip of his drink. "I don't suppose you'd care to tell me how you did it." He indicated his arm where the Dark Mark was hidden.
"No," Xander responded sullenly.
Still smiling, Lucius coaxed, "Then perhaps you'll tell me why you're sitting here drinking yourself to death."
The dark-haired man snorted. "'Cause I got nothin' better to do."
"Hm. Is that the only reason?" Blue eyes studied one visible bloodshot eye intently, and noted that a bruise was just beginning to form on Xander's face.
Noting the man's interest, Xander tried to explain, "I walked into a series of doors, or one door repeatedly. It depends on which door you ask." Seeing Lucius' confusion, he elaborated, "Hogwarts didn't want me to leave. She kept slamming doors shut in my face, but when she realized she hurt me, she relented."
"Curious. The question remains, though."
"Which one?"
"Both."
Rather than answer directly, the dark-haired man stared blankly and the wall and asked, "Have you ever heard of the Shadow?"
"I don't see how this answers either of your questions," Lucius said, "But, yes. I have heard of the Shadow. Legends, mostly... the Shadow is supposedly the keeper of the divine balance, able to act outside of the theorized laws of balance to change the course of history. There isn't much documentation, but supposedly if the Shadow decides to change something, there is no power on this earth nor in heaven who can stop it." The blonde sighed, pushing a bit of hair out of his face and continued, "No one knows the true extent of that power, and as far as I know, no one has ever met one."
"You're looking at one, if it helps put things in context."
Lucius' glass dropped from numb fingers and shattered on the ground. He stared at Xander, then at his Mark, his jaw flapping comically.
Ignoring the effect of his words, Xander continued, "As for why I'm here... let's just say I have terrible taste in men."
Pausing only to sip his drink, Xander proceeded to tell Lucius how he came to Hogwarts, his bizarre relationship with Severus Snape, and his final conversation after the Potions Professor had tried to humiliate him.
Confused, Lucius finally asked, "Why are you telling me all of this?"
Xander looked up and Lucius met two pools of pain, nearly black. For a moment, the dark-haired man seemed to be something more, something that had no place on the mortal plane. Then Xander blinked and the moment was broken. Suddenly he was just a boy again, a single tear streaking his face.
The dark-haired man laughed, a bitter, broken sound, and said, "Because you're the only one who bothered to ask."
They sat in silence. Xander ordered another shot, as Lucius said, disbelievingly, "So, you mean to tell me that idiot, Snape, treated you, debatably one of the most powerful forces in existence like... like a cheap _whore_?"
"An expensive whore, actually," Xander said, a wry smile twisting his lips. He raised his glass in salute, downed it, and promptly passed out on the counter.
It was dark, cold, and raining. Under normal circumstances, he'd be in bed, under the covers where it was warm and comfortable. Of course, as the mattress of his bed had kept flipping him onto the floor every time he tried to close his eyes, that wasn't really an option.
He wanted to go after Xander; he really did. But he couldn't quite work up the nerve.
Hogwarts hadn't given him much choice in the matter, though. When he tried to sit down, the chairs bounced around like wild horses until he fell off. When he tried to go into the bathroom, the door kept slamming shut in his face. Moreover, on the few occasions he'd been dumb enough to walk on any of the carpets, said carpet would stealthily try to maneuver him to the entrance of the school.
Finally, he'd been so frustrated that he'd grabbed his cape and stormed out of the building. The Leaky Cauldron would still be open, and he figured a stiff drink could only help to improve his temperament.
That had been the plan until he'd seen Lucius Malfoy carrying an unconscious Xander over his shoulder like rag-doll. He'd tried to follow the blonde, but the other man had apparated out of sight.
It was nearly impossible to follow an apparating spell.
But then, Severus Snape was a persistent bastard.
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Lucius Malfoy stared at the young man in his bed thoughtfully.
When he'd first met Xander, the boy had broken his wand. Lucius had killed men for less. And then the boy had touched his Mark, had burned him with his connection to the Dark Lord, a thing that no one but his Master should be able to do.
Impossible, but then, hadn't he believed that the legends about the Shadow were just as farfetched?
/ Snape was a fool to let you go. Powerful _and_ beautiful. /
Lucius smiled darkly, eyes hungrily roaming over the boy in his bed. Powerful and beautiful indeed.
Indulging a whim, he leaned over to gently kiss the boy's lips, and found himself staring into one wide eye.
"Why?" Xander asked, confused.
A good question. Lucius bit his lip and answered honestly, "Because you're not a whore."
"Show me," came the soft response, and the dark-haired man held his arms open.
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After nearly two hours, Severus finally succeeded in tracing Lucius' spell. He wasted no time in apparating himself, and he hoped that he'd reach Xander in time.
The older man had a moment to take in his surroundings, the lush red carpet, the ornate mahogany dresser and matching desk, the heavy black curtains, the sinful king-sized bed, before he realized exactly where he was - the Malfoy residence, and undoubtedly, Lucius Malfoy's bedroom.
He'd speculated on several reasons why Lucius had taken Xander, but none of them prepared him for the sight that greeted his eyes. The blonde man was naked, curled around Xander's sleeping form. The bed's covers were draped lazily across them.
Anger took hold as he met a pair of smug, blue eyes. "What have you _done_ to him?" Severus demanded, his voice unsteady.
"What you should have done when you had the chance," Lucius replied, still smiling.
Xander stirred at the sound of their voices, and he made a tiny noise as he yawned. His visible eye was still glazed with sleep, and he mumbled, "Mm?"
"Shh," Lucius said softly, and to Snape's horror, the blonde gently ran a hand through Xander's hair. He turned his eyes back to the furious man and continued, "_You_ treated him like a whore. He gave himself to you and _you_ cheapened that act. He's with me now, where he belongs."
Snape clenched his fist. "He is _not_ yours."
"I made love to him with the respect he deserves." Lucius quirked his brow, amusement plain on his face. "You had your chance, Severus, and you wasted it. You didn't really think you could simply come after him, apologize, and forget about it, did you?"
The dark-haired man's expression clearly said that was exactly what he'd thought.
Lucius laughed as he gently untangled himself from Xander and stood up. "Please, Severus. Just leave and save yourself the embarrassment."
"You don't love him," Snape snapped back.
"Hm." Lucius' expression was thoughtful. "Perhaps not, but I believe in time I can. Time that I think I'll spend wooing him, as you should have done. I won't make your mistakes." The blonde's smile deepened. "I don't know that he would have come to me before, but now? I suppose I have to thank you for your stupidity."
Severus lifted his wand, so angry he couldn't see past the other man's knowing smirk.
"Adava Kedavra!" he hissed, knowing full well the punishment for using the forbidden killing curse. In that moment it didn't matter to him. He just wanted to wipe the damned smirk off Lucius' face.
The blonde man's eyes widened in surprise, and he flung his hands up to try to defend himself.
It didn't matter. The curse never reached its mark, because Xander stepped between them.
The curse hit the dark-haired man dead on, even as Severus let out a cry of denial.
Then Xander did something that had never been done before. The curse hit him, and he just shrugged it _off_.
The air around him seemed to shimmer, and he became. He was more than a mortal, more than a God. He wasn't simply power; he was _force_. He was every possibility of any reality, every "what if" that had been muttered. He was.
As he stared at them, his one visible eye a shadow of black, they saw him for what he truly was. In that moment, Xander Harris ceased to be.
The Shadow.
The Balance.
Both Lucius and Snape hit their knees at the same time.
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Note: "I walked into a series of doors, or one door repeatedly. It depends on which door you ask," is a quote (slightly altered), from one my favorite authors, Robin Hobb and the stunningly well-written Assassins Trilogy. Simply amazing, and so I give credit to Robin, and mean no disrespect.
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