Author's Note: Silverthreads: Thank you for your review. I love hearing from readers! As for Lucius liking muggle cars that will be explained later on, but the short answer is that Lucius sees the need for efficiency and blending in. A limousine, while not common at train stations would be less noticeable than say a person flying on a broom. Plus a portkey just doesn't have the same style as a limo, and Lucius is all about appearances!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters; they belong to Warner Bros and J. K. Rowling. I do however own any original characters that may appear in this story and the plot.
Warning: This story will be SLASH. If you do not know what this means you should look it up before reading this. While it will not be apparent for quite a while this story is going in that direction.
Summary: Someone has a highly addictive and deadly drug and the only cure has been lost to the wizarding world. Who has it? Who needs it? And who will be its first victim? Two men are locked into deadly situations and as their journey continues they will learn the true meaning of..
Coercion
Later that day...Malfoy Manor
A groan echoed through the room, bouncing off the cold stone walls that encircled the form lying on the ground in the center. Where am I? What happened? The last thing I remember was.... Lucius Malfoy! I should have known. I had a bad feeling about this from the start. How long have I been out? I don't feel too stiff so it must not have been for long. Carson slowly sat up, his thoughts racing through his mind. I must get out of here quickly, who knows when Malfoy will be returning. He looked around at the bare cell and started strategizing.
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Lucius, at the other end of the house, was strategizing as well. He had just placed a call to his lord and would soon be in possession of the item he sought. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he watched the hands of a clock strike 2:00 pm. Suddenly a vial appeared before him, a note attached to its neck. Lucius grabbed the bottle quickly from the air and detached the note. Opening it, he read:
Lucius,
Here is the potion you requested. I hope that I do not have to remind you to be extremely careful of it. I have a limited supply and I would be most unhappy if this was to go to waste. Once you have administered the first dose, the next needs to be given within six hours or fatality may occur. Inform me of your progress. Do not disappoint me.
V.
Lucius smirked, not at all bothered by his lords warning. Now that I have the potion, the next steps will be child's play. I will soon have my very own spy deep in the heart of Hogwarts. That fool Dumbledore will never suspect! Walking quickly, he left the room and headed towards the dungeon, vial clasped firmly in his hands.
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Back in the dungeon....
Carson was exhausted. He had tried every possible method he could think of to break out of the cell but the locks were too sturdy and as his wand was....indisposed at the moment he could not attempt magic. Besides, even if he had his wand, he doubted Malfoy would have overlooked magic dampening spells on his personal dungeon. Then he heard the creak of a door opening and looked warily at the approaching figure.
"Malfoy," he stated, glaring at the man. He then noticed the vial in Lucius' hand and quickly deduced that it would be a very bad idea to ingest it. The other man acknowledged his greeting and began talking.
"I hope that you are not too uncomfortable but I am afraid that I had no choice in putting you down here. You were most uncooperative. Now as to what is going to happen, you are going to drink this vial and then do exactly what I tell you to."
"No I won't!" Carson exclaimed, moving away from the man.
"Oh I believe you will." Lucius said smirking. "Does the name David Langley sound familiar to you? Or if that does not, how about 108 Creek Boulevard, Rushing, VA?"
Carson stared, eyes suddenly terrified, "You wouldn't," he said, fear lacing through his voice. "Yes, I would." Lucius stated. "Either you drink this, or David will. Your choice."
Carson was cornered and he knew it. He eyes went blank for a moment, then cleared, defeat showing in every line of his body. "Fine, hand it to me." He said. Lucius gave him the vial and he only hesitated briefly before unstoppering and downing it in one gulp. He gasped as the potion trailed a fire down his throat, sending short bursts of pain throughout his body. Finally, after several minutes of this, the potion finished its course and Carson leaned heavily against one of the walls. "Now that I have taken your vile potion, would you mind telling me what it was?" He inquired.
Lucius smirked and said, "Certainly. The potion you just ingested was a highly addictive drug that can be quite fatal if another dose isn't taken every six hours. The specific potion that you took is very rare and its cure has been lost to the wizarding world for centuries. Unluckily for you, my lord recently discovered the instructions for the making of the potion and thought that it would be quite useful in the future. How right he was. Now I would suggest that you refrain from trying to run away as I have the only bottle of the potion in existence and without it you will, quite frankly, die. And you would be of no use to anyone dead, now would you?"
Carson stared at him for a moment shell shocked by the words he had just heard. So essentially that means I am Lucius' slave for however long he wants me. What am I going to do? These thoughts were tormenting him and he briefly blocked out what Lucius was saying when he began speaking again. Once he had brought his attention back to the present he only caught the tail end of Malfoy's instructions.
"...is to spy on Severus Snape. He is the potions master there and is also a servant of my master. However, my master has recently begun questioning his loyalty and as such directed me to insert another spy inside Hogwarts. He usually just kills those he is unsure of, but he is fond of Severus so is giving him the benefit of the doubt. Do you understand what you are to do?" Lucius inquired.
Carson nodded but stayed quite as Lucius continued. "Also I want you to give my son advanced tutoring in Defense Against the Dark Arts. His previous teachers have been imbeciles and his knowledge is severely lacking. That is all for now. You may leave as soon as you wish. However, I will remind you that you must take a dose of this potion every six hours, if you do not you will not survive. The vial I am going to give you has enough doses for the next 3 months; it refills itself automatically. Hogwarts opens in three months as well. I will give my son your next batch. In order to receive it you must be at Hogwarts and in the position of an instructor. I will be giving my son strict orders. So I suggest that you quickly fill out an application to be an instructor before Dumbledore hires someone else. Your life is riding on getting that job. Good luck and have a nice day." With that Lucius swept out of the room, leaving the door wide open.
Carson was in a daze. How could this happen! I must accept it and get over it though or I will die. First things first, I will get a room at the Leaky Cauldron then contact Dumbledore about a job. I have heard that they are quite desperate so it should not take much to be accepted. And I do have the necessary credentials. I though Lucius was to give me a vial of that potion. I will have to find it before I leave. Also, didn't Malfoy mention that I had to receive a mark? That was the whole reason I'm in this mess in the first place, and now he doesn't even mention it! Maybe he figures that since my life rests in his hands I don't need one now. Who knows? I've got to get out of here! With that Carson left the room and headed up the stairs that appeared before him until he entered the main part of the Malfoy manor.
Please R&R! Please.....
