Spoiler Warning: This story is a sixth year fic that follows on from the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a conseqeunce this story contains *major* spoilers for book 5. You have been warned.
SNAKE HEALER: THE MALFOY MUGGLE LOVER
CHAPTER 14: DEFIANCE
The days following Harry's insight viewing of Lucius' pensieve passed without much controversy. Lucius had recommenced Harry's Occulumency lessons the very next day, although only after Harry had promised not to use Legilimency against without permission. Although, Harry's father had promised to teach Harry how to be a proper Legilimens. Just like Snape though, Lucius was a hard taskmaster, although unlike Snape, he was a fair teacher as well. As such, Harry was actually beginning to learn something, although having daily lessons certainly aided his progress.
The other significant event of that tumultuous day, Harry's encounter with the alive James Potter, had a far dramatic effect than his insight into Lucius' past. Whilst his patchy knowledge of James Potter, had hardly endeared Harry to the man he had called his father for so long, their meeting had shifted his opinions dramatically, by making Harry realise how detestable his mother's husband truly was – to Harry his personality was the combination and magnification of the gravest faults of his Gryffindor housemates. At the same time, the huge burden of anger and resentment he had held against Lucius had effectively crumbled as he began to realise that he could actually trust Lucius to a degree. That didn't mean Harry actually liked his father, merely that he was prepared to tolerate and trust him.
He had certainly trusted Lucius enough to tell him of the continued existence of James Potter and the threat that Harry though he held. Whilst he had expected Lucius to be angry at Harry's mother, he had not expected the news to send him into a rage of red hot indignation, the intensity of which was easily equal to the hatred against James borne by both Caranthir and Harry. Lucius' solemn vow to kill James Potter on sight was as shocking for its coldness as it was deserved. Lucius, like Harry, regarded James' survival of the attack on Godric's Hollow as well as his subsequent failure to aid Remus and Harry as a betrayal of friends and family, a crime which Lucius regarded as a capital crime. Of course, this reaction to the news surrounding James had only made Harry trust his father even more, it had also made him think that being known as a Malfoy was preferable to being in anyway associated with a man Harry regarded as being little better than Voldemort, whatever the respective public reputations of the Malfoy and Potter families. As it was Harry had decided to dodge the question by changing his name, aided by Lucius' refusal to call him anything else, to Leo Jason Evans. Whilst Lucius had made it clear that he would prefer Harry to bear the Malfoy name, he regarded Harry's use of his mother's maiden name an acceptable alternative.
"It was the name your mother wanted you to be known by, she thought that Leo was too pretentious," Lucius had responded when Harry had first inquired as to why Lucius had began to call him Jason. This was, of course, before Harry had been any decisions of his own regarding changing his name.
"That wasn't my question," Harry had replied testily. Lucius had scowled in response, courtesy of his unwillingness to mention of Harry's association with James.
"James Potter forfeited any rights concerning you on the night he left you and your mother to the mercies of the dark lord. Therefore, I am under no obligation to call you by the name he chose for you, a name that is tainted by his treachery." Lucius had replied his tone fierce and angry. His decision to change his name was made an hour later, his reasons for doing so identical to the ones Lucius had described. The fact that Jason Evans happened not to be the famous 'Boy-Who-Lived' was a bonus.
However, the tranquillity of life at Malfoy Manor did not last as about ten days after Harry's first Occulumency lesson tragedy struck, when an apprehensive Lucius was summoned to a death meeting, knowing full well that the dark lord had found out that he was a spy. He went anyway and Harry saw the meeting through his scar and its link with Voldemort.
"Ah, my ever faithful Lucius," the dark lord hissed as he turned to face the head of the Malfoy family, "the true Slytherin, as slippery as a snake, as cunning as the fox and as honourable and proud as the lion. You would never betray me? Would you?" The question hung in the air, almost gaining a rhetorical air to it. Every single one of the observers, loyal to the dark lord or not, knew exactly what the asking of the question of the question meant, be they, in the masked circle of death eaters, the teenage boy hiding under a invisibility cloak in the corner of the meeting room or the other boy experiencing the events as a vision within the safety of Malfoy Manor.
"No, my lord," Lucius replied, meeting the dark lord's eyes in what he hoped was a sign of submission. He knew that game was up, hence his lack of other submissive gestures, but he was least going to try and mislead the dark lord into thinking that he was loyal. It didn't work.
"Really?" The dark lord sneered, his fragile temper showing signs of fraying. "Imagine my reaction to the news that one of the supposedly worthless secrets that you've been feeding the ministry was my plan to obtain the Hogwarts Register in direct disobedience of my orders. Or imagine my surprise when Bletchley informed me that your movement record shows that you aided Snape in stealing Harry Potter from under my nose. Then, of course, there are all those speeches you've been doing, proclaiming your support for those worthless fools in the ministry. Did you honestly think the great Lord Voldemort would fail to notice your pathetic attempts at spying."
There was a moment of silence, as the angry red eyed glare of the dark lord bore into the blond haired spy. During which the later tried to surpress his fears and carry out his intended course of action, despite all the risks it involved. To the observers the tension was unbearable, especially for the spy's eldest son, who was hiding in the corner of the room, torn between overwhelming fear for his father's safety and his loyalty to the dark lord's cause.
Then the spy confidently stepped forward and tore the bone white death eater off his face, his eyes and voice burning with the aristocratic pride and fierce hatred that he had used to surpress his fears. "I thought you would find me out eventually," Lucius responded, speaking in a fierce, fearless manner that the death eaters had only heard once before against their master, by Harry Potter. "I was never as good a spy as Severus. I had too much at stake, a family to protect. Severus had none of those, he wasn't even afraid of dying. That's why I always used first Montaron and then Severus as an intermediary for my spying. It was easier and safer, because if you found out about them then there would be someone else to take their place. I wasn't the only one who passed on information to Severus though; we all did, just as we still do. Of course, they were all too weak and cowardly to take it one step further," Lucius continued dismissively, "which meant that I had to take over when Severus was forced to reveal himself."
The red eyes turned away from the unmasked traitor with his confidant manner and proud bearing to the ranks of masked followers who cowered as their master's gaze, he didn't need to be a Legilimens to detect their fear and guilt – it was obvious even to the casual observer. Once the traitor had been dealt with, Voldemort made a mental note to dish out some severe punishments to the remaining death eaters, ones they would not forget in a hurry. "You surprise me Lucius," Voldemort commented blandly, his anger failing to seep into his voice. He knew better than to try to intimidate the Malfoy Patriarch, it didn't work, "I would have expected you to try and lie your way out of trouble."
Lucius made no reaction, as the dark lord's assessment was reasonable: in situations such as this lying was his normal course of action. "I thought I made it clear that I have a family to protect, Voldemort," Lucius continued, surprising himself when his voice didn't shake with fear when he spoke the dark lord's name, "They need me and for that reason I intend to survive tonight. Besides, I thought you might like to hear the reasons for my actions."
The dark lord made no reaction, a sign, which Lucius correctly took as permission to carry on with his speech. As far as Voldemort was concerned, nothing the traitor could say would affect his standing among his followers, whilst Lucius' forthcoming death would only serve as a deterrent for any future traitors. More importantly, however, Voldemort wanted to hear Lucius' justifications so as to find other ways ensure that his more independent minded followers did not copy their comrade's actions.
"I, like many," Lucius said his tone just as dignified and as fearless as it had been previously, "joined you because you promised a crusade against the corrupting influence of mudbloods. I did not expect to find myself, therefore, committing mindless murders of various purebloods, most of them against pureblood families sympathetic to our side. I say 'our side' even though it is clear that our goals and allegiances differ. You bear no concern for the future interest of our world, you bear no allegiance to those of us you wish to maintain the purity of our kind, nor do you bear any allegiance to the goals and ideals of Salazar Slytherin. You claim to be his heir, yet you seek to destroy Hogwarts. You claim to be fulfilling his mission, yet you destroy our kind. You claim to represent our best interests, yet you seek only power, control and murder. What more should we expect from an orphan halfblood, descended from a family of only marginal purity? Why do we expect to care about our world? Why do we expect you to know what is best? Why do we expect you to handle the power that dark magic gives you? Desperation and wishful thinking." Lucius paused momentarily for rhetorical effect; he wasn't speaking to the dark lord, but to the death eaters and to his son, who he presumed was spying on the meeting, presumably with the dark lord's tacit permission. He fully expected and half hoped that Voldemort would interrupt him with an angry refutation that would only prove his point. It didn't happen though. The angry red eyes only focused on the Malfoy patriarch with intense maliciousness that imbued Lucius with fear of his former master. It was only the memory of his family and of Harry's defiance at Voldemort's rebirth that meant this fear did not outwardly affect him.
"We see the power and influence of Dumbledore and look for a champion. You know this and charm us with your words and rhetoric, assuming that we are too desperate to look beyond them and consider your actions. You presume incorrectly, we merely give you the benefit of the doubt. We aid you in the hope that you will help us in return, once you have amassed the power you seek. You won't and even if you did it would be too late. Too many people would have died; there would be too few people alive to sustain a viable wizarding community. Every dead pureblood only destroys our dream."
"So, it is a challenge that you seek?" Voldemort hissed the hatred in his tone promising painful death, lengthy torture and complete destruction. "Then I give you a duel against the great Lord Voldemort for the title of the Champion of Slytherin. If you wish to replace me then you must kill me first." The dark lord's features twisted into a dark smile, he evidentially to Voldemort the idea of Lucius winning so unlikely that he found it amusing.
Lucius accepted without hesitation. He stepped forward and adopted a duelling stance, without waiting for a response from the dark lord, before giving a small bow. Ignoring convention, Voldemort's response was not the reciprocating bow he was supposed to give, but rather the Cruciatus Curse. It hit its target just seconds after Lucius had fired off a spell of his own: an extremely advanced and powerful version of the stunning charm, which also hit its intended target. The pain was blinding and momentary, because he too found himself the victim of a stunning hex, cast by one of the gathered death eaters. The two curses combined to knock unconscious. He awoke about twenty minutes later to find himself sitting in a prison cell, with Antonin Dolohov for company, eager it seemed to ask Lucius a few questions. The next half an hour was literally torture.
"Spy on the meeting," she had said upon handing him the invisibility cloak. Where she had got it from Draco had no idea, but its absence would not have stopped him from following Aunt Bella's advice, especially if she knew that something important was going to happen. Of course, none of the other death eater's had regarded the meeting as anything significant, but then they did not have fore knowledge of what would happen. On the other hand, the other death eater's did not share the dark lord's bed.
The meeting had certainly been significant, and eye opening too. The results of it had also caused him a significant amount of angst and worry, although the former had disappeared after a brief talk with his aunt, that had cleared any hint of conflicting loyalties from his mind. It was precisely because of this meeting that the young Malfoy heir found himself in the gloom filled corridors of the converted cellar storerooms that served as the dark lord's dungeons. Most of the cells were empty, but those that weren't held worthless muggle trash that was beneath his concern and generally served as toys for the dark lord's most sadistic followers and as practice dummies for the rest. Then there was his father – the traitor – held in the only proper prison cell, in the deepest and darkest part of the dungeons with only a guard and a candle for company. He was surprised to notice that the guard was human rather than Dementor.
"Are you here to see your father?" the guard asked him as he approached. He may have been masked but Draco recognised the voice as belonging to Julius Flint, who was a close personal friend of his father, who Draco knew could be trusted. Upon Draco's nod he unlocked the door and let Draco inside, he didn't lock the door again though as he was supposed to. Not that his father would have tried to escape, unless Draco had already incapacitated all the guards in the dungeons, especially Lacetter who guarded the entrance to the dungeons. As it was his father, who was sitting regally upon the dungeon floor, looking as if he were a honoured guest rather than a prisoner, merely gave a polite thank you to Flint as Draco entered, but then he'd only been a prisoner for an hour.
"Hello Father," Draco said curtly as the door closed, "I trust you are being treated well."
"With Dolohov and Lacetter as hosts, I think not," Lucius retorted casually, "But then the dark lord hardly provides a good example." Despite his predicament, it seemed that Draco's father was still in good spirits, or at least he was happy enough to make a wry references to Dolohov's sadistic insanity and the awful parties that the Lacetter's insisted on inflicting on the wizarding world every summer. The other wry reference, to the dark lord, shocked Draco though.
There was a moment's tense pause as Draco waited for his father to say something more, except that he didn't, indicating that he wasn't quite as laid back and as confidant as he appeared to be. Most probably, Draco thought, because he wanted to know where his son's loyalties lay.
Reluctantly, therefore, Draco spoke first. Normally he would have refused to back down, but now was not the time to be engaged in a battle of wills with his father. "You certainly gave an impressive performance, father," he said, careful to keep his voice neutral in case one of the more fanatical duty guards was spying on them, "I think you convinced a few people of your case, not that this changes anything between you and I, you understand. You, as Aunt Bella quite eloquently described stated, are a 'dangerous and corrupt worm.'" There was, of course, the risk in trying to be opaque that not even his father would fail to understand his true meaning. Fortunately, despite the lack of verbal reaction, his father's facial expression showed that such concerns were groundless, the slight smirk and the barely disguised look of pride could only indicate total comprehension. There was, however, an evident expectation that Draco would impose conditions upon his previous words. Such an expectation was inaccurate; to Draco familial support was unconditional
"I am not here to discuss the nature of our falling out, father," he continued, trying to ease his father's concerns, without lying, bending the truth or being too explicit in his support, "That issue has been resolved, but here and now is not the place to discuss it." Indeed, he had received a letter that very morning detailing the successful resolution of his appeal against his low OWL results, detailing among other things that the minister had asked Dolores Umbridge to investigate the whole fiasco. He was sure heads would roll considering his results had been upgraded to 4 Os, 3 Es and 2 As, still below par but sufficiently high enough to be accounted for by a bad week, and in several cases, bad teaching.
"You shall be returning then?" His father asked, in the same neutral tone Draco was using. There was no need to add any particular reason for a return visit. That it would be a rescue was understood and deliberately not mentioned.
"Of course," Draco responded as his father got up from the cold, stone floor. There were no hugs or handshakes, there were no need of such things to mark their reconciliation, just understanding and familial love of an intensity that surprised both Lucius and Draco.
Without a word, Draco turned and walked out if his father's cell. In that one shared moment of complete Draco's future had been irrevocably changed. Old dreams had been destroyed, leaving only one certainty: a promise had been made, one which Draco would literally do anything to keep.
I suppose some of you might call that ending a cliffhanger, but its not, I'm merely being a little cryptic. The next chapter should be out soon, I've already got half of it written and the rest is planned out.
One reviewer made a comment about Harry's looks. Just to remind people, Harry's appearance changed in the first few chapters. I didn't say it in the actual chapter, but his new appearance is his true appearance. I'll say a little more about this issue in the next couple of chapters.
Another reviewer mentionned the Snake Healer side of the story. I haven't mentionned it much until now because Harry has had no interest in improving the slytherin's reputations. However, as Harry begins to trust his family more and more this will become an issue, particularly after Harry goes to Diagon Alley.
Next, whilst Harry has decided to use his real name in this chapter, for simplicity I shall still be calling him Harry in the narrative. The other characters, however, shall be referring to him as either 'Leo' or 'Jason' from this point onwards. I shall discuss this issue more in the author's notes to the next chapter.
Finally, a few words for those also reading my other WIP 'On Two Lords and a Prince'. I have not given up on that fic, I am merely prioritising this one and will be doing so for the forseeable future. However, I will update oTLaaP after I have released the next chapter of this story.
Thank You to all those who reviewed chapter 13, your reviews and your patience were most appreciated. If you want me to e-mail you when I update this fic leave your e-mail address in your review.