A/N: Written for QLFC Round 11 using the prompt "So You Think You Have Superpowers" and for Banned Together Bingo for "Sympathetic Villain."
Word count: 1,021
Harry stood across from the supervillain, analyzing him as if his motives might reveal themselves. Grey eyes stared back through the holes in the man's mask. That and his thin lips were all Harry had ever seen of the man's face, and though that was par for the course in his line of work, he'd never before been so curious about someone's appearance.
Dragon Man. That was what the villain had taken to calling himself over the past several months as he set fire after fire in the same neighborhood of town.
"What's your endgame?" Harry called to him.
The villain's eyes narrowed behind his mask.
"What do you mean?" he snapped.
His accent sounded posh. It always left Harry wondering if this was one of those supers who had bought their way into powers through the expensive—but risky—surgeries. Harry shivered. His powers hadn't been something he chose, and he hated the thought of people risking their life to have the same.
"Did you ever think that I just want to cause mischief?" the man asked with a shrug. "If I have the gift of fire, why not use it?"
It was a fair question. That sort of villain definitely did exist, but they didn't operate with the clear precision that Dragon Man had shown.
"You're not the type," Harry said, taking several slow steps forward.
Dragon Man held his ground, his chest puffed out and his posture stiff. Harry kept his muscles tensed himself, ready to use his superspeed at a moment's notice if necessary.
"You really think you're something, don't you, Chosen One?"
Harry couldn't help but groan at his superhero name, especially when said in such a mocking tone. He wasn't one of the lucky supers who had gotten to choose their name. No, Harry hadn't bothered to think of a name for himself at all until it had already been put on his shoulders. The Daily Prophet had run an article singing his praises and claiming he was destined to save the city, and the next thing he'd known…
He couldn't even blame Dragon Man for his disgust with that one.
"Look," Harry said, "I really don't want to do anymore than I have to, so just go ahead and tell me why you're setting fire to houses without me having to take you in for questioning."
Dragon Man snorted, but he looked conflicted. He really wasn't that great of a supervillain all things considered. The countless fires he'd set hadn't even managed to kill a single person. Not that Harry was complaining. It certainly made his job easier.
"This whole area is already unlivable and no one has a single clue," he said.
It took Harry a moment to digest the words.
"Unlivable?" he asked. "You're the one setting fire to the place!"
"A place that's already been ruined," Dragon Man shot back. "Malfoy Industries has been secretly leaching chemicals into the water supply around here for years. These people are drinking poison, and they don't even know it."
Harry narrowed his gaze.
"How would you know that?" he asked.
Dragon Man shrugged, but Harry had figured it out by the time he'd finished asking the question. Lucius Malfoy had the same grey eyes and blond hair as the villain in front of Harry. He also had a son who he liked to stage at his side during official events.
The two men stared at each other in silence.
"Don't say anything," Draco Malfoy snapped. "Don't think I'm above setting fire to your house, Potter."
Harry's gaze widened. No one had ever figured out his secret identity before, at least not to his knowledge. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised that a Malfoy would manage it. They were more than willing to throw their money around.
"I won't," Harry said decisively. "Consider it a payment of sorts. But I do have one question: How did you make sure that no one got killed?"
Draco scoffed.
"Timing isn't that difficult to figure out," he said with a scowl. "But other than that, I just trusted that the holy Chosen One would do his job."
"You gambled with their lives!"
Though everyone had survived, Harry's heart raced at the thought.
He could just barely see Draco roll his eyes behind the mask.
"This is exactly why I fashioned myself as a villain," he said. "I don't need your self-righteousness, Potter. I get enough of it when you're coming after my family in court. My plan worked. There's nothing more to it."
Too angry to think much of safety, Harry walked straight up to Draco. The other man didn't move as Harry got in his face. At such proximity, his identity was obvious. Harry couldn't believe that he'd never considered it before.
"I should have you arrested for reckless endangerment no matter what your intentions were," he bit out.
It would have made him feel good too. For far more reasons than just the fires.
"Do it," Draco dared, cocking his head to the side. "Give my father ample warning to hide all of the evidence before you get to him."
Harry growled and took a step back. It was exactly what Lucius Malfoy would do, and they both knew it.
"They'll give me immunity for helping with the investigation," Draco said with a satisfied smirk that only made Harry want to fight him even more. "I'll get off scot free, and we both know it, Potter. I can't give you too much satisfaction."
They stared each other down for what felt like ages before Harry turned from Draco with a growl.
"Go," he said. "But if you ever set a fire again…"
Draco snorted.
"Trust me. I have no desire to do anything of the sort. You think it was easy doing all of this? Getting the entire town out of here before someone died from the water or something? I've worked my arse off for this, Potter, with no praise. You may not know what that's like, but believe me, I'm done with this."
And with that, he vanished, leaving Harry cursing at the air.