Chapter 3
Lucius found himself scowling yet again that day. This time it was at his dinner plate. This had turned out to be the week from hell. He'd been assaulted by the wretched chickens, harassed by the damned pig and had his feet trampled by the blasted goats as well as being butted around by their hard heads.
And to top it off, the clothes Harry had been walking around in left far too little to Lucius' imagination. He did not need to think about Harry walking around in a shirt that barely fit him and decided to cling in all the right places. Or the shorts that revealed so much tantalizing leg. Or the way his eyes seemed to sparkle when he found something Lucius did highly amusing. Lucius did not need think about any of this in the slightest. He'd already found that he was thinking about Harry far more than he was comfortable with at the moment.
In addition, the incident earlier on the week remained unspoken between. Lucius hadn't even known the small massage had turned into caresses. Not that he had been complaining. After so many years of a frigid marriage, it had certainly been welcome. Of course, his marriage could have been frigid due to his sexual preference but Lucius had been young, foolish and not exactly inclined to incur his parents' wrath.
Lucius gave a small huff as he pushed around his rice. It seemed that this truce was well on its way to working out.
"Lucius?"
Lucius broke out of his thoughts and looked at Harry who was looking at him intently, fork forgotten in his hand. He gave a questioning sound from the back of his throat. He was not up to talking at the moment. He could see Ernesto and Valencia glancing at him as they ate, but chose to ignore it.
"Nothing's wrong," Lucius said; how the hell did he always seem to know these things?
Harry looked as if he didn't buy that for a moment but he didn't comment on it. "I know you want to get out of here."
Lucius shot him a scathing look before he looked back at his plate.
"There's probably a town close by, a Muggle town. We can go there if you like." Harry's lips curled up in something of a sardonic smile. "Get you away from the animals."
Lucius didn't say anything for a moment. "Are you always this…"
"Considerate?" Harry supplied after a lengthy silence.
"Accommodating?" Lucius finished.
Harry shrugged. "I've had a week to get used to you. Foul morning temper aside."
Lucius nodded. That was probably the closest thing he was going to get in terms of an answer. The silence came once more, but Harry eventually broke it with a light chuckle that was an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.
"Besides," Harry said. "I think we'd be, at least, somewhat used to or adjusted to one another. I mean, we've been sleeping together."
Lucius simply raised an eyebrow at that statement. Harry's expression had gone from smiling to mortification in less than half a second.
"I-I mean in bed," Harry's face went bright red. "I mean sharing in bed. I mean a bed! Sharing in a bed! Oh God, I mean-"
Lucius simply sat there watching as Harry's face grew progressively redder and he deepened the hole he suddenly found himself in. The way he was going, he may as well throw in a coffin and spell it shut indefinitely.
"Put yourself out of your misery," Lucius said abruptly. "I know what you mean."
Harry snapped his mouth shut, staring the remnants of his dinner. Lucius fought the amused smile that threatened to come to his face. They went back to dinner in peace, leaving one another with their thoughts. It was then that something occurred to Lucius, something that he hadn't thought of before.
"Did that crazy old bat place a Locator Charm on you?" he asked suddenly.
"Huh? Who? What are you talking about?" Harry looked at Lucius as if he was crazy.
"Dumbledore," Lucius stated. "Did he place a Locator Charm on you?"
Harry frowned, thinking. "I don't think so. Besides, even if he did, he did it in my best interest."
"Undeniably," Lucius couldn't the curl from coming to his lip.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry demanded in a clipped voice.
"That I leave to you to discern," Lucius said in a slightly biting tone.
"I'm not going to sit here and let you badmouth Dumbledore," Harry threatened.
Lucius regarded him for a moment. "If you think I am simply going to add to your 'moral' indignation, you may as well continue to bluster," Lucius replied. "You wouldn't like some of the things I think, or even perceive, about your beloved Headmaster."
Harry glared at Lucius, his face tingeing slightly as the fork in his hand trembled rather rapidly. He slammed it down rather abruptly, startling Valencia and Ernesto. "I've lost my appetite." Harry said, glaring at Lucius as if he wanted to impale him on something rather sharp. Then he rose and stalked away from the table.
The door closed behind Harry with a slam. Lucius turned back to his meal, suddenly finding it unappealing as well. But he still sat there, pushing around the rice and staring at his plate. The silence dragged on and he could feel Valencia pegging him with a rather harsh look. It didn't take an idiot to know that she wasn't pleased with him. There were just some things that didn't need language to get across.
Finally threw down his fork with a disgusted sigh and stalked off from the table. That dratted woman wanted him to go and apologize for whatever callous thing he had probably said. And he had even said one single truly upsetting thing.
"Damn fragile brat," Lucius muttered as he started to look for Harry.
Harry lay flat on his back staring up at the darkening skies. He gone outside and wandered up into the dusty hills and found a secluded spot. He should have known that it couldn't have lasted. He was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, that Lucius wasn't a prat. That Lucius wasn't evil. That Lucius was tolerable, and even likable. Hell, Harry was starting to like him more and more as the week had passed.
And then Lucius had shattered it all with that disdainful curl of his lip and biting words.
Harry certainly didn't need to be reminded of Dumbledore. He knew just what he was facing when he gone to fight Voldemort. He realized there was a very good chance the he wouldn't come back alive from that battle. It took him awhile, but he realized and accepted it. Dumbledore had done nothing but tell him the complete truth and be there when Harry wanted to talk. Dumbledore was the only one that Harry could talk about it. Ron and Hermione where already worried enough as it was; he didn't want to burden them with his own problems.
He closed his eyes, feeling a stabbing hollow feeling the pit of his stomach. Here he had been actually enjoying himself and who knew what had happened back in England. Were his friends all right? What had happened in the battle? Had Voldemort been defeated? Or…vice versa?
"Look at me," Harry said, suddenly disgusted at himself. "Sitting here like this when they could be dead or dying."
But he didn't move, still staring at the sky. The stars were starting to come out now. He wanted to get back to England, get back to Hogwarts. But he had no immediate means; he couldn't use magic or else he'd be trussed up and carted back to Voldemort like stuffed pig by triumphantly crowing Death Eaters. And he didn't know a lick of Spanish. Well, he was starting to pick up on simple words such as 'pollo', 'cerdo', 'cabra', and Ernesto's favourite 'vaya*'. But he doubted he could make his way back to Britain armed with the words of 'chicken', 'pig' , 'goat' and…well he wasn't sure the last one was, but it always sounded interesting.
He pursed his lips a bit, thinking about what Lucius had said. Maybe Dumbledore had placed a Locator Charm on him. If that was the case, it was only a matter of time before he was found. But even Harry found that to be a hard stretch. A week had passed. If Dumbledore had done such a thing, he would have been found by now.
Even if he could find someway to get back, he'd travel the Muggle way, and since he didn't have a passport, he was left with the option of being stuck here until someone found him. He sighed and rubbed his face briskly. He wasn't ready to go inside yet. He did not want to see Lucius yet.
Lucius gave a growl of frustration as he surveyed the farm once more. He'd looked through the house, the barn - where the goats decided to give him a bit hell - and he had even looked in the truck. No Harry. That meant the fool boy had probably gone up into the hills, in the coming night.
"He's is asking to break his neck," Lucius growled as he started towards hills.
He didn't know exactly why he himself was coming out here, looking for Harry. He should leave him be. That's obviously why he left. But no, Lucius came out here to check up on Harry; he had a weird niggling feeling in the back of his mind that there was something else wrong here. It hadn't failed him yet, and so he was out here, in the growing chill trying to find Harry. But, strange as it was, Lucius was sure it wasn't that niggling feeling that drove him out here.
He let the issue drop as he started making his way up the hill. Harry had to be here. This was the only place he could be. Lucius came to a stop, finding his quarry. Harry was lying down on the ground, stretched out like some offering to pagan gods. Lucius shook the thought away briskly; he had been thinking rather strangely ever since he'd been stuck here with Harry.
"This is where you managed to hide yourself away, hm?" he said, making his presence known.
Harry opened one eye and gave Lucius a baleful look. "Get lost."
Lucius chose to ignore that and he sat down, keep a small distance between himself and Harry. "Don't you think you've pouted enough?"
Harry's eyes snapped open and he gave Lucius a dirty look. "Didn't I ask that you get lost?" he demanded as he sat up.
"You might find that I won't listen to you," Lucius quipped.
Harry snorted and looked away, fiddling with the cuff his shorts. "Well, what the hell do you want now? Come to make more disapproving remarks?"
"I never made any remarks. I simply stated my opinion." Lucius corrected. "You obviously have a problem with them."
Harry opened his mouth and then promptly shut it, thinking over his words. "You know," Harry said shaking his head. "I never understood why Voldemort hated Dumbledore so much. And you know exactly what I am talking about. Why he really hates him. Dumbledore's…" Harry frowned, trying to think of the right words. "Dumbledore. He's there when you need him and…stuff." Harry finished off a bit lamely.
"I see," Lucius mused, his body tensing at the Dark Lord's name. "Have you ever wondered why that man knows things? Why he needs to know everything?"
"Well, both sides have been preparing for this battle." Harry said. "What kind of question is that?"
"No," Lucius said. "I'm not talking about the war. Dumbledore knows far more than he lets on. And he is controlling. I'm sure you've noticed how he masks his orders. And he issues quite a few of them to everyone under his thumb."
"Orders?" Harry echoed.
"He follows some strange logic that leaves you confused and then he asks you to simply 'trust' him and do it. Or he'll word it in such a way that saying no would simply be rude, and Merlin knows no one wants to be rude to the old man. Or, my personal favourite," Lucius said dryly. "He simply leaves you no room to protest when he wants something done. He'll barrage you with words until he hears a yes."
Harry mulled over Lucius' words for a moment, finding a rather disturbing truth in them. "Is that why you wanted Draco to go to Durmstrang?"
"They weren't taking any more students; local or foreign." Lucius said simply. "We had no choice but to send Draco to Hogwarts."
"You'd have sent him to Durmstrang and Kakaroff?" Harry asked a bit incredulously.
"Compared to Dumbledore, Kakaroff is the least of my worries." Lucius replied. "Kakaroff is quite simply a traitor, and not that bright when it comes to…finer points; that I can deal with well enough. I have no wish to attempt Dumbledore. That man is slipperier than wet gillyweed."
Harry didn't say anything for a moment. "You really see him like that?"
"You don't have to like it." Lucius replied. "Though, I'd much rather take my chances with Voldemort." Lucius said a bit dryly. "He at least stands a chance of dying sooner than Dumbledore."
Lucius glanced over at Harry who was looking at him with a strange expression. Then he started chuckling. A few seconds later it grew into a laugh, tears pooling in his eyes. Lucius looked a bit bemused. Just what had he said that was so funny?
"Was that supposed to be a joke?" Harry asked, trying to not laugh.
"I suppose so," Lucius said with a slight smile as he thought over his words.
Harry snickered and wiped his eyes dry. "I didn't honestly realize that Dumbledore is older than Voldemort."
Lucius simply nodded his head, tensing again, looking at Harry. "Are you quite done sulking out here now?"
"I actually kinda like it out here. You can head back in if you want," Harry said lying back down. "I want to look at the stars."
"And leave you to break your neck when you're coming back down? I think not," Lucius said easily.
"Then I guess you'll have to stay here with me until I'm ready to go then, huh?" Harry looked at Lucius and flashed a grin.
For some odd reason, Lucius could feel his cheeks starting to go red. He simply made a noise of agreement in his throat and looked up at the sky as well.
* vaya - damn it
