Blondel: Were you named after Richard's minstrel? Plus - do I know you? You sound like someone I think I know - but the friend I asked 'is this you' denies it. (Although she DID say it sounds so much like her that she is beginning to suspect herself. grin back ) You didn't leave an e-mail addy.

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Empire and Exigency

Chapter 15: Going Underground.

by Annie B

Rated PG-13

JKR owns all things Hogwarts. I only wish I did.

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Lucius rose, the very image of pure-blood self-possession. Crossing the rune-marked sand until he stood inches before the serpent throne, he sank gracefully to one knee. "My wand is your's, Lord Potter."

Actually, he had no wand. That would be the first matter to be dealt with, once Lucius had managed the basic necessities of securing his own position. For once, being at Hogwarts might prove an advantage. The school was a treasure chest of magic items. True - Dumbledore kept an eagle eye on all of the schools magical artifacts. Unfortunate - but offset by the sheer number of trinkets, trophies, and talismans here to be watched. Hundreds upon hundreds of students had passed though these halls. Surely at least one had left a wand behind. Or some current student could 'lose' a wand. Perhaps one of the older Slytherins?

Wand were matched to their Wizards - but that marriage was not unbreakable. The same foresight that had led Lucius to stash pounds and galleons had also led him to practice with 'borrowed' wands. Crabbe's. Goyle's. Even Snape's wand once. ( That was a true 'learning experience' - once Lucius had no desire to repeat.)

A 'borrowed' wand would be less then ideal - but better then nothing. Nothing was what he currently had. Therefore?

Lucius placed his left hand under Potter's.

His son Draco grasped his right, acting as sponsor and guarantee. By Wizarding law, if Lucius swore falsely, it would be Draco's duty to seek vengeance in Lord Potter's name, even as it would have been Etherius Sinestro's task to avenge this shift in loyalty. Fortunately ( under the circumstances) Old Effie had managed to drink himself to death in the time between Voldemort's first death and his most recent resurrection. One less reason for Lucius to be looking over his shoulder.

Not that he would not have enemies enough. So what. A great wizard always had enemies. That is how you knew his magic mattered.

Harry Potter drew his wand.

Lucius braced himself. This was going to hurt.

"DEMEONSTRO"

The Dark Mark that Lucius Malfoy had hidden under so many glamours rose on his forearm, first as smoke and then as soot or night.

Potter touched his wand to the center of the black skull tattoo.

The snake writhed ominously. It's black-ink mouth opened, hissing silently.

Potter hissed back.

The snake froze.

"DESERO"

Potter's voice was low, but firm.

The snake slithered free of the skull.

Lucius could feel his skin burn as the animated ink twisted.

"DELEO"

The drawn snake turned, mouth open and fangs extended. Rearing back, it lunged at the inky skull.

Lucius jerked. His fingers clenched on his son's wrist.

Sharp fangs seemed to pierce him to the bone.

Where the snake had struck, a large bite was missing from the skull.

A mad corner of Lucius's mind noted the odd resemblance to the Macintosh logo. In his rebel days, there had been the occasional speculation that Steve Jobs was a wizard. A dark one, or so Rudolfus had insisted. Of course, that had probably been the potions talking. The seventies had been a time for more than political radicalism.

In that case, another mad corner answered, what was Bill Gates? Voldemort in disguise?

Lucius forced himself back to sanity.

The snake struck again.

Then again.

Every bite was as painful as if the snake was alive and indeed gnawing at his arm. Only pride and fear kept him from whimpering.

Only Draco's arm kept him upright.

He bit his lip. tasting blood.

When the last trace of the the skull had been consumed, Harry Potter rubbed his wand three times over the snake.

"DEFINIO"

The animated snake blinked. Slithering up Lucius's arm, it spun three times around his biceps before settling comfortably into a bracelet pose. The serpentine body twisted into a neat Celtic knotwork design, with the tip of the snake's tail clamped firmly between it's own fangs.

"ET DUCTILIS ET DEFENDO"

Harry touched his own arm.

The pain stopped.

"It's is done." Draco sounded... relieved.

Hermione blinked back tears. "Welcome to my family."

Gripping the now unmarked forearm, Harry Potter drew Lucius Malfoy to his feet. "You're one of us now, and we don't kneel."

"Although." Ron Weasley stepped up. "For you we could make an exception." Like Draco and Potter, Ron shook Lucius's hand. Unlike Potter or Draco, he did so without a smile.

So, Lucius thought, Lord Potter has his own Sulky Snape. Now all the kid needed was a small rodent and a large ill tempered pet, and it would indeed be Tom Riddle and the 70's all over again.

A shadow moved across the cave roof. Aragog.

Very well, Lucius conceded. Harry Potter already had the large pet.

"And now, my Lord Potter?" Lucius brushed back the hair that had fallen over his eyes. Hopefully the 'and now' would involve a long bath. Or at least the 'and soon'. Not to mention a large bottle of shampoo. Lucius had been dead for two days, locked in a car for one, strung up for one, and frankly even the Wizard version of Right Guard was only good for so long. His underwear was getting decidedly wiffy.

Harry Potter smiled."And now..."

Beep beep BEEP!

"Soda!" Ron Weasley shouted.

"Pizza!" Draco raced for the cave entrance. His wand was out, and he was shouting 'Open Sesame' as a huge black shape lunged over the rocky ramp and into the main chamber.

Lucius nearly fell.

"Not another car?"

"Well" Harry's smiled grew wider. (And, Lucius thought, just a touch vicious.) "Not like that. Not entirely. This car belongs to..."

"Dr. Granger." Draco had reached the front passenger door. "And Dr. Granger."

The back passenger door flew open.

"Drakie-luv!"

Draco was grabbed and kissed thoroughly.

He wiggled. "Hello Mum."

"Oh it's so good to see my sweet baby boy again." Narcissia let Draco go, only to grab him again. "I got your owl, but after all the hours I spent worrying..."

"We just had to bring her with us." The masculine Dr. Granger emerged from the driver's side.

"Wise that we did." Hermione's mother - the female Dr. Granger - had stepped from the passenger side. Reaching back, she picked up several flat boxes and passed them over to Draco. "Dreadful signs. We almost missed the turnoff. Fortunately Sissi here..." She smiled at Narcissia.

Narcissia beamed back. "It's just those nasty nasty wards. They hide the off ramp."

"Another crime to attribute to Dumbledore." In the hubbub, Lucius Malfoy had made is way across the cave.

"Oh!" Narcissia let go of Draco. She straightened her blouse nervously. "Hello Lucius dear."

Lucius reached out - then stopped. "Narcissia."

"I hope you don't mind that I helped kill you."

"Not at all darling." Lucius held out his arms. "I would have done the same thing."

"You're looking well now." She took a half step forward. "Death seems to agree with you. Must be the vampire on the Tepes side. Mother always warned me about that."

"And you look as wonderful as always, my dear, if a bit..." Lucius stopped. Ambushing Aurors, defying Dumbledore, betraying Voldemort, plotting with Potter, raiding the Department of Mysteries... those were one sort of risk. One he could - even if not exactly Gryffindor - face undaunted. This? This was another. Even he wasn't rash enough to question women's fashion.

"Oh - the clothes." Narcissia gave a half turn, sending her school-girl miniskirt flying up. Fortunately, wealth and wizardry had assured she still had her schoolgirl thighs. "Very muggle. But practical. I've been in hiding From the Ministry, you know."

Well, yes. Even before the mysterious death of her husband, Narcissia Malfoy would have qualified as a 'person of interest'. With him strangely and suddenly dead and the Malfoy heritage descending onto it's last surviving heir, the question would multiply as fast at the legal papers.

Lucius took her hand. "I thought you would go to Romania."

"Darling." Narcissia raised his palm to her cheek. "Everyone goes to Romania. It's practically a dark-wizarding cliche'. You have to figure the Aurors would have caught on by now. I mean - they are dense - but not even Weasley here is that dense."

Ron Weasley looked up from the slice of pizza he was devouring. "Thank you - I think."

Narcissia ignore the interruption.

"So Dear Hermione" Narcissia nodded in the general direction of the girl named. "Such a clever girl. She suggested I stay with her parents."

"We have plenty of room." Hermione's mother broke off her conversation with her daughter. "Especially now that our little girl has... other interests."

"Gave us a chance to get to know the in-laws." Hermione's father held out his hand. "Matt Granger. Pleased to finally meet you."

"Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy." Lucius returned the handshake. "I must thank you for your care of my wife."

"Our pleasure." Dr. Granger reached out to include his wife.

"Truly. Narcissia is a delightful lady." Elizabeth Granger offered her hand.

Lucius kissed it.

Elizabeth Granger nearly swooned.

"Thank you." Narcissia simpered. She turned to her husband. "At first I was a bit nervous, but Lizzie has been wonderful hostess and a dear dear friend. We've had so much fun." Leaning closer, she whispered. "They have this special dungeon where they get to pull out teeth. And afterwards the victims even PAY them." She shivered happily. "I can hardly wait until you join me. The screams. The whimpers. It will be just like our honeymoon."

The rest of the evening flew by.

Lucius was dismissed. Draco was commanded to show his father to the cave's bathroom. ( By Harry and his mother - a case of dueling authorities - but Draco was survivor enough to just do it and sort out the jurisdiction latter. )

Matt Granger had sent Ron to 'unpack the car' while the Grangers visited with their daughter.

Ron had produced a suitcase with clean - if Muggle - clothes. Not entirely what Lucius was used to, but they were new ( another thing he was no longer used to - but that was a difference in a good way) and they were here and they were packed in with several big fluffy towels.

Lucius might - in his luckier times - made a habit of not only looking gift horses in the mouth but of counting their teeth - but he was not a stupid man. He took the suitcase and he took the hint and he took off.

Narcissia went with him. To hold the soap. Or so she said.

Harry went to chat with Aragog. The monster spider appreciated the 'bread bones' of the pizza crust. Harry appreciated the need to stay on the creatures's good side - and off the dinner menu.

"Hey!" Ron shouted, drawing Harry's attention back to the central cave. Ron had been treasure hunting in the cars boot. "They remembered the Red Bull. " He waggled the familiar red and silver can in Harry's direction.

"How about the Diet Jolt?" Harry asked. "It's hard to keep up these late nights on just pumpkin juice."

"Not to mention all the fruit sugar." Mrs. Granger's voice was laden with disapproval. "I do hope you are keeping up your flossing. After seeing that picture of your chemistry teacher...."

"Potions Master, Mum." Hermione corrected. "And he's a special case. I mean, all the Malfoy's have lovely smiles."

"True." Mrs. Granger conceded. "I checked out Sissi. Not a single cavity. That's when I knew they were... our sort."

"Not that we don't trust your judgment." Her father added.

"But it's like your father always says. Good oral hygiene is the start of good character."

They chatted around for a while longer until Lucius Malfoy came back.

The man was looking better. Much better. Almost good enough to be a Malfoy.

His long silver hair was clean and shining again, pulled into a lose ponytail by a green velvet scrunchie. The prison rags were gone, replaced by the fresh clothing. The trousers and shirt were plain by Wizarding standards - as Marks and Spencer lacked the personal style of the Diagon Alley modistes - but Lucius carried them with the self-assurance that comes not only from one hundred generations of flawless breeding but also from the knowledge that one's boxers no longer have undetermined stains on them. He still wore the spider silk robe, but now it hung open. The silver fabric flowed casually from his shoulders, catching the torch light and reflecting the gleam of his equally silky hair.

"I thank you." Lucius's bow was towards Potter, but broad enough to take in the entire audience. "All that is missing now is my wand and cane."

"Wrong." Ron Weasley came up from the car. "All we're missing now is your rotting corpse."

"Ron!" Hermione frowned.

"Seriously." Ron pawed though his pocket. After a moment, he came up with a damp wad of papers. Not- fortunately - the ones Draco had dampened. This was a cluster of news clipping and owl-express letters, stapled together and tagged with post-it notes. "Percy might have been pissed off..."

"In more ways then one." Draco chortled.

"But I know my brother. He doesn't give up. Not even when it's smart to do so."

Harry nodded, remembering other Weasley's. Persistence was a family trait.

Lucius did so as well.

Lucius did not know Percy Weasley, other then as a shadow somewhere behind Fudge. That didn't matter. Lucius knew Arthur Weasley. Those words described Arthur perfectly. If the son took after the father?

"I figure it will be a day - two at most - before Percy gets back here with another exhumation order."

"I could..." Draco started.

Ron cut him off. "That's only funny once."

"You will have a vital part in our main plan." Harry spoke carefully, his full attention on Lucius."But first we have to deal with the little detail of your empty grave."

"We could transfigure something." Draco suggested. "Make a body."

Hermione perked up at the idea. "I could research a variation on the spell we used last night."

"No." Ron answered. "The Ministry is smarter then that." His eyes marched up and down Lucius Malfoy, as precise as a mortician fitting out a coffin. He fingered his wand. " We'll just have to give them the real thing."

Harry looked from Ron, to Lucius Malfoy, then back to Ron. "I suppose you're right." He pointed his wand. "Avada Korporalis"

A bright pink light burned across the air.

Lucius Malfoy. caught unprepared in the wand light, stiffened and fell. There was a loud thump as he hit the sand.

Draco Malfoy knelt down beside his father's unbreathing body. "Don't fret mother - we'll resurrect him before you know it."

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I would like to thank all my readers. I love you all. And - just in case the feeling is mutual? That's what the little button down there is for.

I also like constructive criticism. If you don't tell me what's wrong, how can I improve it?

And I'm sorry if the font keeps messing up. The posting process has changed again. I am still learning how it works.