Disclaimer: The only thing I can lay claim to are – the plot, the gratuitous sex scenes, the use of man-love and squicky things, and the really bad chapter titles. I'm struggling for the rhymes now O.o So I may give up after the next chapter. (Hot news – the next chapter will be entitled 'Inflection', which means an intonation or change in the voice. Odd, no?)
In the last chapter I wrote...urm...yes, that. And it was bad and jumped around a lot. Because it was that. And I had no idea what I was doing. For which I apologise... However, now, for your viewing pleasure, we get to see a disoriented Lucius (who is, as yet, still without a shirt), being comforted by Draco, the pyjama wearing and adorable little Malfoy. Hurrah!
Reason for starting to write chapter at such an early hour of the morning (it's about five am.) My cat hates me and brings in mice that are still alive, drops them on my head, and then expects me to thank it...stupid creature! It's also forecast to rain like mad today, so I can't go outside – hence the Malfoy boys are now being puppets to my will! [Evil laugh.]
"Draco?" Lucius breathed, screwing his eyes up against the hazy world before him, to try and focus upon the only solid shape, which was indeed his son.
"Yeah, it's me," the boy answered easily, reaching out again to lay a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring manner. Lucius unsteadily reached up and grabbed onto it, savouring the few calm seconds of post-sleep bliss, along with the feeling of warm skin beneath his fingers. All to soon, however, things caught up with him, and he felt a wild panic on finding himself on the floor, shirtless, in his study, with Draco there. Just like the dream... I...
"Father – hey!" Draco shook him slightly, and Lucius looked up from where he had been studying the bottle of tonic water on the carpet. "You said you quit," Draco said coolly, pursing his lips in disapproval. Lucius, mind still muddled with drugs and alcohol, furrowed his brow as he tried to figure out just what the boy meant.
"I...what do you...what?" he murmured, shuffling backwards and away from Draco, seeking the safety of the overstuffed chair behind him.
"The drugs, father. The drink too – you said you'd stopped, but obviously that was just another of your lies!" the younger Malfoy's cheeks gained a slight tinge of pink, and Draco stood up. "I bought your wand back for you," he told his shivering father as he walked through the door. He stopped just outside the threshold, and turned around. "It's not the fact that you still do these things that pisses me off dad... It's the fact that you lie about it."
With that final, bold statement hovering in the otherwise still air, Lucius was left alone. He leant heavily upon the chair, tipping his head back so that it rested upon the seat cushion. Bravo, you idiot, he thought, massaging his temples with his fingertips. Draco's dressing gown, which had still been partially covering him, now slid off completely, exposing him to the cool late-afternoon air. He grabbed onto the soft velvet, and pulled it up to his chin, savouring the warmth it provided.
It smells like daisies...just like the flowers he used to get from that old toy...he thought, smiling slightly and wrapping the material around his shoulders, before again leaning back on the chair. He closed his eyes, and sank into the soft cushioning...
Do you think he'd smell like daisies, hrm?
...what?
You know there's only one way to find out. But, of course, we've already established you're not man enough to do anything.
Shut up... I'm not going to be like my father. No one deserves that, him least of all!
But what about you? Don't you deserve something?
Lucius opened his eyes and shook his head, trying to shake the hissing, calculating thoughts away. I think I'm going mad! He looked around the room to try and find someone else there, someone who could have been saying those things. But, there was no one. I am going fucking mad...
The clock on the mantle above the fire told him that it was already five o'clock. Which means Narcissa will be home any minute now... He groaned, and shakily picked himself up off the floor.
That task done, he wobbled along on shaky feet into his bedroom, grabbing the dress shirt and black trousers he had earlier discarded. Gracelessly, he sank down onto the edge of the bed, and started pulling off the trousers he had magicked up to fly like an idiot through the rain in. He didn't even manage to get them halfway off before there was a timid knock on his door. "What?" he called out sharply, yanking the material off with impatient hands.
"Mistress Narcissa is home sir," a timid voice answered. "She has bought guests."
"Very good," he called back, listening as the house elf pattered away down the hall. Now that's a sound I used to hear a lot back then... The dream had succeeded in refreshing his memory, and he now found it quite a struggle to relieve himself of the terrible images plaguing his mind. She was only property to him. Just a woman. As I was just 'the boy'... Face set in the usual grim serenity, he hurriedly donned his clothes, and went over to the mirror to check his appearance.
I look terrible. Lucius stared at himself in the mirror, taking in the pallid skin which showed up every single bruise and cut like blood against snow. He looked as nauseous as he felt, and reached out to grab his wand from the dressing table in order to cast a glamour charm. After all, that stupid wife of mine just had to bring guests home, today of all days! But, his fingers closed around thin air. "Where is it?" he questioned aloud, looking down at the spot where his wand should have been.
Hang on, Draco said something about my wand... He hobbled back into the study, his cut foot throbbing painfully with each step. He reached the door, and immediately caught sight of his wand lying upon the thick carpet just inside the entrance. Gratefully, he scooped it up, and hurried back to the mirror, in order to cast the spell before the woman came up to get him. No doubt she'd found a few of the richest people she could find together for a nice 'intimate' dinner, which she would follow by choosing a pretty, rich playboy to spend the night with.
Same old, same old. Lucius raised the wand above his head, and whispered, "Alterum commutatus." A shower of fine silver sparkles rained down from the tip of his wand, seeking out all the cuts and bruises and covering them up, before then adding a healthy glow to his whole self. He closed his eyes, not wanting to watch as his mask was re-made, and turned away from the mirror, lowering his wand as he did so. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself looking at the old shirt and jeans he had discovered earlier, lying in a heap on the floor, along with the self-shuffling cards.
He pointed his wand at the items, and magically pushed them beneath his bed, to join many other things he would rather his wife never see. Then, with the last scrap of self-control he had left, he ducked back into view of the mirror, to ensure that his hated façade was back in place. When he saw that it was, he put on his most charming smile, and shoved his wand through his belt, awaiting the arrival of the blonde vision that was his terrible wife.
After a few minutes, he wondered whether she might have skipped the dinner altogether, and decided to go and see what 'guests' she had bought home for himself. So, after another last glance in the mirror, he grabbed his usual dress robes, and threw them on over his clothes, leaving the things unbuttoned, so as to look fashionably 'casual'. This done, he left his chambers, closing the doors behind him, and started down towards the entrance hall.
Draco stormed from his father's chambers, muttering swear words and curses as he went. How dare he lie to me! That no-good – I can't believe he'd – eurgh! He shook his head violently, and almost tripped over a house elf that had just emerged from one of the many servant-passages in the manor. "Sorry," he said without thinking, righting himself and carrying on.
"Master Malfoy," the house elf quickly turned on its heel and politely awaited permission to speak.
"What is it?" Draco asked, having to force himself not to take his anger out on the faultless servant.
"Mistress Narcissa is home sir – she requests that you go down in a few minutes to greet her guests."
"I see – thank you elf," Draco nodded stiffly, before continuing on his march back to his own rooms. The temptation to turn up downstairs in his pyjamas was amusing, but he didn't really fancy the idea of his father shouting at him for such an act. Besides, I'd probably end up shouting right back, and God only knows what could happen! He always made it a point never to make Lucius angry, ever since he'd been able to understand what being a death eater actually meant.
He hurried across the upper landing, catching glimpses of finely attired people, most of whom he had seen before at some function or other. Thankfully, they were all so occupied with their own discussions that they didn't notice him scampering above their heads in nightclothes. His mother was nowhere in sight, and he wondered where she was, and why she'd left her guests alone. After all, that is, apparently, bad etiquette.
Not really caring to figure out how his mother worked, and too annoyed with his father to even think about him, Draco's mind fell upon a delicate subject. Some of those people down there are bound to be death eaters... What if this is it? He thought back to the radio-report from earlier, which had shown him how much more active the Dark Lord and his followers were becoming. Maybe they need new blood. New, Malfoy blood!
He hurried through the open doors into his room, and then speedily threw them shut behind himself. He walked over to his wardrobe, and took out some dress clothes (being black trousers and a green shirt with real silver buttons). Then, he went over to his school trunk, and rummaged around until he found his own wand, put into its wooden box for safekeeping. In order to comfort himself, he twirled it in his fingers, and assumed the normal duelling position, one hand out before him, and the one holding the wand curled up above his head.
After that, he dropped his hands, and started to climb into his stiff formal wear, putting the wand into his right pocket, and then leaving the shirt un-tucked in order to cover the protruding tip of the weapon. Luckily, the style was in fashion, so Narcissa wasn't likely to question him as to why his shirt wasn't tucked in.
These actions completed, the Malfoy heir took a few moments to sit in the chair before his desk, and take stock of the situation. If it comes down to it, and I have to fight, I probably won't win. But I'll be damned if I don't at least take some of them with me. Despite his obnoxious and sometimes downright rude behaviour towards muggles and mud-bloods, he had no real problems with them. And the idea of killing them because they had 'dirty blood' just reminded him of the ideas of ethnic cleansing put forward by hundreds of leaders in both muggle and wizard history.
Draco pulled one of the many textbooks on the desk towards himself, and opened it. Instead of pages covered in writing, the book contained only blank pages, each of them with a large hole in the centre, which formed the perfect hiding place for certain things Draco wished to keep private. He reached into it, and took out a small statuette made out of bronze, which showed a phoenix about to take flight. On the small pedestal the magical bird was sitting on, were carved the words, 'The Order'.
I guess father isn't the only one with embarrassing secrets... Draco quickly put the small metal object back into the hollow book, and replaced it underneath his many textbooks. If the worst comes to the worst, then I could always try and Parlus Dumbledore. He hoped that he didn't have to. He'd never live it down at school if it was found out he didn't support You-Know-Who; he was willing to bet he wouldn't last more than a couple of weeks back in Slytherin house...
I'd better get going. He heaved himself wearily from the chair, once again finding himself wishing that he were more like the Weasel. At least then my family might be slightly more normal. He checked to make sure that his wand was hidden, and then exited his chambers, walking through the hallways that echoed with eerily cold laughter from his mother's guests in the entrance hall.
Just as he turned the corner onto the main landing, he bumped into someone coming in the other direction. As he was still weak from the earlier events of the day, he managed to topple over backwards, and groaned as his head hit the floor. "Why don't you watch where you're going?" he snapped, sitting up and rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head. Looking up, he froze as he met the cool black eyes of his potions-master.
"I believe you should be the one watching where you are going, Mister Malfoy." Severus extended a long tapered hand, and Draco bashfully accepted the help to get back onto his feet.
"Sorry professor, I was just in a hurry to-" he began, whilst mentally yelling something along the lines of, I cannot believe I just snapped at a professor. Crap, bugger, shit. I'm so glad I'm not in school right now.
"Calm down, Draco, you're not in school. Just...try to be a little more careful, hrm?"
"Yes professor," Draco answered, falling back on the usual teenage ploy of sounding as disinterested as possible.
"Is your father about, by any chance?" Severus asked, seeming to take great interest in something on the floor. Draco followed his gaze, and his heart almost stopped when he saw that his wand was lying on the floor just by the black-haired man's foot.
"Urm – yeah. He- he's in his study I think. Do you want me to show you?"
"No, that's all right, I know the way. Thank you Draco." Just before he went, he bent down and picked up the wand. "I believe this is yours. I won't ask you why you're carrying it around, but I trust that you don't plan on using it," he rose an eyebrow as he handed Draco's wand back to him.
"Of course not!" Draco assured him, taking the wand and stuffing it back into his pocket. Severus just nodded, and then headed off down the corridor. As Draco watched him stride off, he added, under his breath, "Not unless I have to."
Severus heard Draco's addition, years of teaching having honed his hearing very well. He didn't turn around, and instead smiled slightly at his student's attitude. At least you seem to have the right idea, young man. It was a pity the same couldn't be said for Lucius – he was slowly killing himself trying to live up to man he had once been. Strange to think we both used to believe what we were doing was the right thing. Ah well, c'est la vie.
He hurried through the manor, as always finding the cavernous hallways overbearing and even a little frightening. True, Hogwarts was a lot larger, and had hallways very similar to this place – but Hogwarts was rarely, if ever, quiet. Whereas these hallways had always held a timely silence akin to a library, or a – he shuddered slightly as he thought of it – a morgue. All of the portraits on the walls on either side of him looked snootily down, not one of them sparing him a smile. They never moved from their own paintings, as the subjects in Hogwarts did, content to stay still and look as incredibly rich as they could possibly manage.
No wonder Lucius keeps these out of the way up here... Severus thought, shivering again as a particularly cool pair of eyes followed him up the short flight of steps that led to the last few corridors before Lucius' chambers. He turned around to confront the grey-eyed man, scowling as he always did at the sight of the now deceased Malfoy. You made him turn – he only did it to escape, and now... The sound of footsteps hurrying towards him cut his thoughts off, and he glanced up to see the very person he'd been seeking, walking down the hallway towards him.
"Lucius," he hailed the blond, waiting for the Malfoy to reach him. He looked as handsome as ever, and Severus had to contain his desire to kiss the man then and there. Lucius didn't look him in the eye, but then, he rarely did. "Narcissa invited me back – I said I'd come and collect you," he explained, the perpetual shyness that he always felt around Lucius making his voice higher than normal.
"Right," Lucius said distantly, also looking quickly up at the portrait of his father, before looking down again, trying to suppress a heavy shudder.
"Luc?" Severus reached out a hand, but then drew it back, as always wary about his actions. He didn't want to push Lucius away, and he knew if he pried too deeply, Lucius wouldn't like it. The Malfoy only ever gave Severus' answers by his own violation; asking for them was out of the question. He took a deep breath, and reached out again to gently brush the silk clad arm of the angelic demon before him. "Are you all right?" Perhaps I'm pushing my luck, but I know a glamour charm when I see one...
The Malfoy patriarch looked directly at him, taking him by surprise, and he stumbled backwards on the steps, nearly managing to fall down the whole lot of them. Luckily, Lucius reached out and grabbed the front of his robes before he could, and then crushed himself against the stunned potions-master. "Don't make me go down there," he whispered imploringly into Severus' ear. "I don't want to – not today."
Severus didn't know what to think, and just held onto the other, content just to be close. "I won't make you – nobody will," he assured him, gently rubbing soothing circles on his back. "Shall I go back and tell them that you're unwell?" Lucius' grip on him suddenly tightened, and he winced as the blond pulled on the short hairs at the nape of his neck.
"Don't go."
"...I must...or there'll be talk." For once, he found himself having to prise Lucius' hands from the back of his neck and his shoulder, carefully helping his lover sit down on the steps. He sat down next to him, and then threw an arm over his shoulder. "I'll be right back...I'll say I need to be back at the school, and then I'll come back here. How does that sound?"
"Please...just don't leave me alone," Lucius begged, his voice little more than a whisper. Severus turned to place a comforting kiss on his forehead, but stopped when he found tears rolling down Lucius' cheeks. Christ, what's happened? He wondered, momentarily squeezing the Malfoy, before rising from the floor, and worriedly walking away. I'll be right back – don't worry. Lance Malfoy watched the Snape boy go with disapproving eyes, and then looked in disgust at his son, whose glamour charm fell from him as he lay upon the steps and stared into nothingness.
Draco hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, unsure about what he should do. He'd never really taken to mixing with all these people, and it wasn't like there was anybody his own age around. So when his mother appeared, he discovered a strange sensation indeed. He was actually pleased to see her. Wow, this should be recorded, because it's definitely a first! He thought sarcastically as Narcissa placed air-kisses on both of his cheeks. "Darling, that shirt looks wonderful on you!" she exclaimed, tweaking the collar of it slightly.
"Thank you mother – are those new dress robes?" Why do I still ask? They're always new dress robes!
"Why, yes actually, they are!" Narcissa smiled, picking up the floor length skirt of black satin delicately between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand. "Nice, aren't they?"
"Very," Draco answered, already wanting to go back upstairs to his room. His mother grabbed his hand, and they plunged into the centre of the twenty-strong crowd, various people looking at him as though he were an animal in the zoo. He just ignored the stares, and stayed quiet, nodding and laughing at the appropriate places in the conversation. When people directed questions at him, he answered as graciously as he could, glad that he at least knew how to converse with these people. And that's about the only bonus I can see to shopping trips with mother.
"So, Draco, have you given any though to what you want to do when you've finished school?" Draco's heart sped at this question, as he knew the speaker was most definitely a death eater.
"Well, Mr. Crabbe, I can't say I've thought much about it yet. Hopefully something terribly lucrative and terribly easy," he answered, dodging the obvious trap – most of the circle tittered and laughed, and his mother waved her hand and chuckled,
"Looks like he's going to take after his father after all then!"
"Indeed," Crabbe murmured, just loud enough so that Draco could hear. He just smiled pleasantly at the man, and then turned to engage in a conversation about quidditch with a few of the younger men. He noticed his mother was paying special attention to one of them, and felt his blood boil when the man returned her affections with a lingering hand around her waist. However, he was so used to it that he didn't say anything, instead indulging in talking about the 'safe' topic.
The conversations lulled, and he looked around to see what had caused the sudden quiet. All he saw was his potions-master walking down the stairs, and shrugged it off, turning around to contest someone on the subject of the Nimbus/Firebolt competition standards. He heard Snape come over, and moved out of the way so that he could talk to Narcissa.
"I'm afraid Lucius isn't feeling very well," he told her in a low voice. "He sends his apologies, but he doesn't wish to make anyone else ill, so he'll stay in his rooms this evening."
"Oh dear... Oh well, I suppose we shall just have to make do without him. Would you care for a drink at all?"
"I'm afraid I can't – I too have to make my apologies, but I need to get back to the school before Dumbledore misses me."
"Oh, come now Severus, surely he'll allow you a night off in the holidays!"
"That as it may be, I would rather not stir suspicions," he said.
"Well, in that case, you'll need an escort to your carriage," she ignored Severus' protests, and turned around to see Draco standing behind her, trying to remain inconspicuous. "Ah, Draco darling, would you mind?" He internally cursed, but just smiled, and shrugged,
"No, that's fine. Professor?" Severus looked at him, and then smiled as well.
"All right, I'll accept an escort – lead the way Draco." Draco did just that, glad to plough his way through the people and get out on the other side. He turned left, and led Severus down the side corridor which led to the coach station for all the carriages in and out of the manor grounds. It was traditional for visitors to leave the grounds before apparition, in order to emulate the Hogwarts manner. But, as soon as they were out of earshot of the party, Severus grabbed his pupil's arm and pulled the both of them to a complete stop.
"You don't need to get back to school at all, do you?" Draco asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "What are you really doing?"
"That's none of your concern – however, I would suggest that you go upstairs to your father's chambers right away."
"What – why?"
Severus looked around the dimly lit hallway with furtive eyes. "I can't tell you here, but you'll understand when you go and see him. He needs you to help him." With that, Severus brushed past Draco, and carried on down the hall.
"What about you? Are you just abandoning him then?" Draco called, slumping against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought you were supposed to be his friend, but you're walking away." Now that he'd started to let his bottled up anger out, it seemed as though there was no stopping it. And, he didn't really care either; his recklessness was thrilling.
Severus repressed the urge to turn around and pin the boy to the wall by his throat. He hunched his shoulders, and gritted his teeth to prevent himself from shouting. "I would suggest that you go to your father now, Draco. And you'd better not be so impertinent when I next see you." Which will be sooner than you think. When the Malfoy heir didn't answer, he continued on down the hallway, and walked over to the coach at the front of the line.
"Hey – hey!" he tapped on the side of the door, and the snoozing coachman snapped awake. "If I give you this, will you tell whoever asks that you gave me a ride from the grounds tonight," he extended a hand and dropped two Galleons into the upturned palm of the driver.
"Yes sir, of course!" the man doffed his hat, and looked down at the two coins, most likely blessing his luck. Severus just snorted, and then retreated back into the hallway (after checking that Draco had indeed vacated it). From here, it was an easy manner to apparate into Lucius' study, and then hurry out of his chambers in order to get back to where he'd left him. He broke into a slow jog, feet thundering against the floor, the sound echoing terribly in the high-ceilinged halls.
Finally, he entered the hallway where he'd left the Malfoy man, and stopped dead in his tracks, meeting the level gaze of a pupil who'd just moved very quickly indeed. The boy blinked, obviously confused, and bent down next to his father, who was lying prone on the floor, shivering. "Dad?" the boy tried, sitting down next to him and prodding him on the shoulder. Lucius didn't answer, instead continuing to stare blankly ahead.
Severus slowly walked over, and then descended the steps so that he could sit in front of Lucius, and look him in the eye. "Luc? It's me Luc." Draco obligingly shuffled sideways so that Severus could sit next to the Malfoy patriarch. He did so, and then lifted Lucius' head onto his lap, brushing the messy hair away from his pale face. "I told them you wouldn't be coming down."
"Father? Are you all right?" Draco leant across his professor, worry for Lucius leaving no room for embarrassment.
"Do you know if anything could have caused this?" Severus asked, soothingly stroking Lucius' hair as he asked Draco the question. He was surprised to see his student scowl, and sit back, yet again crossing his arms over his chest.
"Oh, I can think of a few things," he answered coolly.
"Alas, unlike Professor Trelawney, I don't claim to have the power of the sight, so could you enlighten me?" Severus hissed, nudging the boy in the side with his elbow.
"Fine, you want to know? Let's go for this shall we? Drinking excessive amounts. Taking drugs. Pretending that he's stopped doing both and lying to me. That sounds about right," the boy spat the last two sentences out bitterly, and again, Severus was shocked. Not because of the drink and drugs, that had been a part of his own life for a long time after all... But because of the hurt in his student's voice. He'd never really thought of Draco as the type to care so much for his father – but perhaps that was just because of the way Lucius had felt about Lance...
"Ah... I see..." he said. "I believe we'd better move out of this corridor, don't you?" Draco just nodded silently, standing up and going around to take up his father's legs. "No, don't worry, I'll do it." Severus shuffled away, allowing Lucius' head to drop gently onto the floor. Then, he reached down and threaded one arm underneath his bony shoulders, and then put his other arm underneath Lucius' knees. After that, it was an easy matter to hoist him from the floor, as Lucius had always been on the light side.
Draco stayed still, watching as Severus started off in the general direction of Lucius' chambers. Severus stopped, and looked over his shoulder at the boy. "Well?" Draco jumped, and the followed his teacher, casting worried glances at his father every so often, noting the way he clung onto the front of Severus' robes. Huh, seems like Blaise was right after all – Snape's gay... He stored this information in the back of his mind, to make connections with later.
For now, he put all his attention back on his father. As annoying as he may be, I'm still worried.
Fairdeviln1 (gosh, I talk to you a lot in these things...), I'd love to give you a clue about the plot...but as I still haven't decided what's going to happen yet, I can't. O.o It's the truth! There's about six or seven scenarios that I can foresee, all of them being plot ideas that I like...and I've yet to choose one.
As for the rest of you poor things that have forced yourselves to read this rubbish, I hug you! Gabo0, labpotter, Draco Malfoy-Potter (if this were to occur in the books, I would most likely die happy...yum...man-love), umi n secylia and JeanettePeredhil (no, you're right, the last chapter jumped around a bit too much!) Without you lot, it's likely this thing would have died out pretty quickly, and even though I know I'm terrible at updates and I leave loads of time between them, I hope you can put up with that and that you'll like whichever blasted plot I finally choose!
Hugs for all, and isn't man-love nice?
Soda
PS: Spells used are made-up nonsense, based on Latin words.
PPS: This chapter was...odd...to say the least. I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking. Blame it on the rain.
