IV. The Trials
"Yes?"
It was very early in the morning, but Lucius had not slept all night. Perhaps Riddle had not either, for he answered his door fully dressed, wavy hair combed into place, as though he looked that way all hours of the day.
"I want to know more," said Lucius.
Riddle let him step inside.
There was no such thing as daylight in the Slytherin dungeons, only the water lurching outside Riddle's window was a slightly lighter green.
"I don't have an answer," said Lucius, looking into Riddle's dark eyes. "I am tempted by you, but you knew that, when I was eager to jump on any chance I had to be close to you. I am tempted by what Rosier said. But if I am to think for myself, I think I'll need more than that to build my decision on."
"Walk with me," said Riddle. He opened the door again, and Lucius followed him out of his room, out of the dungeons, and onto the cold, early-morning Hogwarts grounds.
Frost clung to the grass, crunching underfoot as they walked down towards the lake.
"Your father disowned you. What do you plan to do about that?" Riddle asked.
"Er," said Lucius. "Go home and try to talk to him?"
"If he has in fact burned your name off your family tree, you will not even get through your own wards. Has he done that?"
"I don't know. He hasn't replied to my letters."
"He hasn't. Do you know why?"
"I'm…his only son. My mother is dead. It would be inconvenient for him to beget another heir. If he disowns me, the English branch of the Malfoy family ends and our fortune will go to my cousin Emmanuel. He doesn't want to see that."
"Yes. And so, what reception would you expect when you go home for Yuletide?"
Lucius paused to think about it.
"He will expect me to beg for forgiveness. Then…ah, he'll tell me to renounce my ways. He'll probably throw a ball so I can canoodle with pureblood girls and prove that what I did was only a momentary indiscretion. He'll probably expect me to announce my engagement to some nice, respectable pureblood girl the moment I turn sixteen. Probably a Black, my father has been hoping to lend prestige to the Malfoy fortune for some time."
"Exactly. It is ridiculously easy to predict the actions of a pureblood patriarch, their motives are so clear. Purity. Prestige. Fortune. Aren't they tiresome? I know exactly what I need to say and do to impress one, though I am a parentless half-blood."
"He acts for the good of the House," Lucius said, realising as he spoke that he was only giving voice to what he had been taught.
"Ah, the good of the House," said Riddle with a sardonic smile. "What constitutes 'the House'? Your father and you are the only living members of the Wiltshire Malfoys. Is House Malfoy, then, that burden of heritage and expectation that you bear? Or is it you? Your happiness, your interests?"
"The expectation is that they are one and the same."
"But is it? What you just described, Lucius, is that what you want? Married straight out of school to a respectable pureblood girl. Bear an heir as soon as you can and teach him the exact same things. Learn to take on the mantle of the patriarch as your father releases it to you. It is a fortunate lot to be born a Malfoy, but the story is quite decided. What do you really want?"
"I…" Lucius cut himself short, afraid to sound childish again, but as always, Riddle was not fooled.
"You want me," said Riddle, "But you don't quite understand why you are so fascinated with me. You must know other powerful, attractive wizards. Would you have allowed them to do to you the things I have done?"
Riddle's voice was soft, hypnotic, seductive despite the fact that he was addressing how much he had abused Lucius.
"I didn't know refusing you was an option."
"It's not. I do exactly as I please. That tempts you, does it not? You are drawn to it, even at your own expense."
"Yes," Lucius whispered.
"You have desired me, but thought it impossible to have me, and locked your desires away, stayed still and quiet in your place. When I wanted you, I had you. Nothing stands in my way. This is what I offer you, when you call me your lord. Excess, decadence, immediate gratification of your every desire. There is no other way of life that can compare."
"Does that mean I can have you?"
Riddle smirked, drawing so close Lucius could feel Riddle's breath on his lips.
"If you deserve it."
Lucius had never felt such pounding desire, blood surging, mind clouded, cock swelling uncomfortably in his trousers. He wanted badly to kiss Riddle. And why shoudn't he? Riddle had just said he could do anything he wanted. He grabbed Riddle's tie as he pulled away, and pulled him back for a kiss. It was everything he wanted.
"Good," said Riddle. "Now you have a desire that drives you. Act on it."
"How?"
Riddle snickered. "You need to work on the thinking for yourself part. But I shall generously offer some more guidance. Two o'clock tomrrow afternoon, come to the seventh floor corridor with the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Don't be late."
Lucius ran into Rosier and Selwyn on his way to the seventh floor. They looked at each other knowingly, and allowed him to walk with them. Lucius had thought that perhaps Riddle planned on another Dark Arts tutoring session, but evidently, the entire group was invited.
"Do you know what we're doing today?" Lucius broke the silence.
"Things beyond your wildest dreams," said Rosier sarcastically, "though that's a poor qualifier, given you don't seem to have much of an imagination."
Selwyn laughed. "It's going to be an interesting day. Settle down, Rosier."
"Is he going to do what I think?"
"Why yes, I daresay he is."
"If this is another one of your dud predictions, I will tear your inner eye out, Selwyn. Nothing would please me more."
"I'm sure our lord will satisfy your bloodlust."
Lucius pushed aside his curiosity about what was to come to ask about the more immediate question.
"How does your gift work, Selwyn? I understand that the divination gift manifests itself in erratic ways."
Selwyn eyed him as though considering if he was worthy of the information.
He said, "My gift is my intuition. I don't see visions or make prophecies, but I know things that be. It's generally considered a weak form of divination, but my manifestation is unusually strong. I can sense things from what I hear and see."
"You know things that be," Lucius repeated, confused.
"When I get the Daily Prophet and I read an article about a break in at Gringotts, I know who did it and where they are now. When I brush past a suit of armour, I know that it was worn by Sir Callum the Great in battle with the goblins."
"That's astounding," Lucius admitted.
"Is it? What I find interesting is how much things can change. When I saw you the day pictures of you in the nude were cheaper than owl droppings, I sensed you were going to get raped. That didn't happen. Now, I sense you're going to get really fucking bloody."
Selwyn sounded gleeful at the thought. Deeply disturbed, Lucius couldn't muster a response.
"By the way, I learned entirely too much about your sexual preferences from touching that picture. Divination does have some gross side-effects."
"That is...unfortunate. For both of us." Lucius grimaced.
"Oh, not necessarily. I could always let our lord know what you like in bed if you're too shy to tell him."
Lucius stumbled a little.
"But really, Malfoy. What are you doing with our lord?"
"Yes, quite frankly, all of us are getting quite voyeuristic in our curiosity," said Rosier. "I never expected to ever have a discussion about how two men fuck."
"I appreciate your concern," Lucius said dryly. "Unfortunately, I have about as much idea as you."
"What's the deal, though?" Selwyn pressed. "At first I thought he was just bored and you were just an uppity little faggot. Not that I changed my mind on that, but he seems to be a lot more invested than I expected. Are you trying to be one of us or are you trying to be Riddle's whore? Because being both seems like a very fucking strange position."
"Merlin and Morgana," Lucius muttered. "I don't know. Aren't you the Seer?"
"I see outcomes, dipshit, not choices."
At this point, they reached the seventh floor corridor Riddle had told him to come to. There was a single small black door in the middle of the wall. The three of them fell silent, and entered one by one.
The space they emerged in seemed so unlikely to be a part of Hogwarts that Lucius wondered if that door had been a porthole. They were in a spacious Grecian hall with marble pillars down both sides and floating torches lighting up the place. On either side were double doors, all of them closed. Right ahead on a raised platform sat Tom Riddle on a throne, and in front of him knelt several others in the group. As he walked closer, Lucius found that none of them were wearing their Hogwarts uniforms. Riddle was in a deep green dress robe, and all the others were in black dress robes with matching cloaks. Riddle had never seemed so much like a lord. He looked around at Rosier and Selwyn, and found that they, too, had suddenly become dressed in black robes and cloaks. Only he still wore his uniform.
"Welcome to our lord's Court," said Rosier. "In the common room, in the corridors, we are students, but here, we are the Knights of Walpurgis."
As he spoke, the door swung open again to admit Avery and Macnair, and the group was completed. They moved forward to what must have been their assigned places. In the first row knelt Avery, Selwyn, Rosier, and Lestrange , in the second row, Macnair, Yaxley, Rookwood and Dolohov. Lucius was left standing behind them, disconcerted yet fascinated.
"My knights are gathered," said Riddle in a soft voice that carried down the hall. "Tell me, what is our mission?"
"To build the kingdom of truth," answered Rosier.
"And our creed?"
"To fight for liberty, for order, for might," said the first row.
"To empower the deserving, enlighten the enslaved, and rule the masses," said the second row.
"Very good. Today we have a new friend among us. Lucius Malfoy, come forth."
Lucius walked through the gap between Selwyn and Rosier and came before the throned Riddle. Without being told, he knelt. Riddle gave him an approving nod.
"Malfoy. You have asked repeatedly to serve me, without even understanding who I am and what I stand for. Yet despite your rashness, I see your potential, and I have shown you glimpses of what I can give you. The time has come to make a decision."
He drew his wand, and in the air before him, spelled out his full name. The letters in 'TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE' replaced each other in line until it read 'I AM LORD VOLDEMORT'.
"I am Lord Voldemort. I stand for liberty, for order, for might. You know what I can offer you. Do you wish to serve me?"
"Yes, my lord," Lucius said, trying not to shake visibly. It was suddenly cold.
"I have challenged you to impress me and you have not disappointed. But that will not be enough. To become one of my knights you must undergo three trials. The first, is the Trial of Endurance. You are tested on your endurance of pain. You must be silent. Make a sound, and the trial ends. Endure, and I decide when to stop. Do you wish to procede?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Rise."
Riddle stood up as he spoke, and behind him, Lucius found that behind him, the eight Knights had also stood and moved to form a half circle. Some of them were smirking. Macnair looked entirely too happy that he was about to witness Lucius suffer.
Riddle stood on the edge of the platform, towering over Lucius. He raised his wand and Lucius flinched.
"Crucio."
Lucius almost screamed immediately, but just managed to hold it. He fell down, jerking, biting his lip until he drew blood, and when that wasn't enough, he put both hands over his mouth, breathing heavily through his nose, flailing on the ground. It was too much, the pain was consuming, even the one thought of staying silent was too hard to hold onto. He could remember nothing but how much he needed this pain to stop. He must be on fire now, he had to be dying. It was no good, he couldn't do this anymore…
"That was one minute," said Riddle, lifting the curse.
Lucius broke into loud sobs. After a few moments, he began to register the laughter, and tried to contain himself. His body ached. Slowly, he pushed himself up, and looked up at Riddle tearfully. He had been in this position rather too much lately. Riddle offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet. Lucius stumbled against him, shaking uncontrollably.
"I appreciate your endurance. In my service there may be times when pain is inevidable, and the ability to bear it will be an asset. You have shown yourself to be worthy. Now, you can proceed to the second trial, the Trial of Valour. You and I shall duel."
"D-duel? With you?" Lucius stammered.
"Yes. I will not aim to kill, of course, though you may, if you so wish. If you yield against me, you fail. Again, the duel ends when I say so."
Lucius stood no chance against Tom Riddle even with a double dose of Felix Felixis, he knew that. He wondered weakly if this was all an elaborate game of torture for Riddle.
"Can I have a few moments to...compose myself?"
"Certainly." Riddle conjured a goblet of water and handed it to him. "Take your time."
He sat back down on his throne, and Lucius sat gracelessly on the floor. Rosier walked up and offered him a chocolate bar. Lucius stared at him, stunned.
"I want to see you get really fucked up. I'm rooting for you to last longer," he said.
"Touching," said Lucius, and took it anyway.
"Selwyn lasted the longest, because he could predict how it was coming. Doesn't help him defend himself, though. Aim to kill, Malfoy, aim to kill. Shoot Killing Curses at his face."
With that disturbing advice, Lucius stood up and looked towards Riddle, sprawled over his throne and spinning his wand between his fingers.
"Ready?" He asked.
Riddle got up and stepped off the platform. The other eight Knights moved back towards the pillars, giving them more space, and Lucius backed up an appropriate distance. They bowed.
Riddle's spells were all silent. Lucius immediately fired a Killing Curse, but when he spoke the incantion only a puff of smoke emerged from his wand. He tried to dodge Riddle's first spell, but he moved too late and a deep gash opened along his shoulder. Just a Cutting Charm.
"Shit," he groaned.
He put up a Shield Charm, which Riddle's next spell bounced off, and fired off a range of the mid-level combat spells he knew. Stunning Charm, Bludgeon Curse, Full-Body Bind, Jelly-legs Jinx. Riddle waved them off like they were nothing, and his next spell shattered Lucius' shield. He dove to the ground, and the spell whizzed over his head, whipping off a lock of his hair.
He tried a Serpensortia while he was down, but Riddle hissed at the six-foot python and it turned on him, looping its body around his leg so he couldn't get up. As the snake exposed its huge fangs to bite him, he hit it with a Killing Curse. It went limp immediately. He struggled to kick its heavy body from his leg, and as he was distracted, Riddle advanced, and another two Cutting Charms hit him in the chest, tearing his uniform open in an omnious 'X'. Lucius gasped at the pain and rolled aside as more spells were hurled his way. Lucius conjured a stream of angry little birds to bother Riddle, and it made him pause long enough for Lucius to get on his feet again. A whip of fire emerged from Riddle's wand to whip them all down, and when they dropped to the floor, he turned it on Lucius. Lucius put up a shield, but the whip slashed through it as though it wasn't there and hit Lucius in the face. He screamed, one eye blinded and the whip hit him again and again. With a last burst of strength, Lucius conjured a brick wall. The whip hit the wall with a satisfying crack. He stumbled as far back as he could, firing off random curses until he hit a wall, panting. His clothes fell off him in ragged pieces, revealing his bloody and scorched torso. Riddle strode towards him languidly, casually parrying Lucius' spells. Lucius ran and hid behind a pillar. Summoning all the pain and anger he was feeling, he fired another Killing Curse from behind the pillar. He heard a loud clatter of shattering glass.
"That will do," said Riddle.
He rounded the pillar cautiously to see Riddle with his arm around a very pale looking Rookwood, and the remains of a shattered mirror on the ground. Riddle looked amused.
"You almost killed Rookwood," said Riddle. "Did you just think of a different victim to make your Killing Curse work?"
Lucius didn't answer. Riddle let go of Rookwood and clapped his hands. All the damage to the hall vanished, and the other Knights emerged from behind pillars and stared at him incredulously.
"Not bad at all," said Riddle, smiling, as he trailed his wand along the bleeding gashes on Lucius' body, and they dried and scabbed over. "I need you to be my soldier, to attack and defend, and you have proven yourself capable. Now, only the last trial remains."
"Is it death?" Lucius said wearily.
Riddle laughed. "You might prefer that, hm? The last trial is the Trial of Truth. I want you to look into my eyes and let me penetrate your mind. I want you to trust me with all your secrets. Can you do that?"
Lucius stared at him in horror, immediately thinking of all his most embarrassing moments, his darkest, most stupid thoughts. There was nothing that could make him more vulnerable.
"Did they all have to do this?" Lucius looked round at their audience.
"Of course."
Lucius looked down, panicking.
"You said you were willing to offer me everything, Lucius," Riddle reminded him softly.
"Yes," Lucius said, "I know. But…"
"What are you afraid for me to see? Do you think that I will see through you and think less of you? Or that I will see your fears and use them against you?"
"Yes, I fear those things," Lucius admitted.
"I want to understand you. When I have seen what it is you desire, I will be able to give it to you."
Lucius took a shuddering breath. "Yes. Yes, my lord."
He stepped forward and looked into Riddle's eyes. Riddle smiled. For a second, Lucius thought his eyes flashed red, and a foreign presence entered his mind. It was uncomfortable and jarring, like the moment one was waking up from a nightmare, unable to discern reality and dream. Bits and scraps of unrelated memories floated to the front of his mind briefly, and then was replaced. He suddenly saw in slow motion him and Riddle standing on the grounds, as he pulled Riddle's head down to kiss him, and felt the elation and arousal as though he was in that moment. This was unfair.
When Riddle withdrew, smirking, Lucius found that he was in Riddle's arms. Riddle let go of him quickly and turned back to sit on his throne.
"Friends, welcome your new comrade. Our ninth Knight of Walpurgis is born today."
Filing back into their positions, the other Knights clapped and whistled. Riddle raised a hand, and Lucius found himself clothed in the same black robe and cloak as the other Knights.
"From this day forth, Lucius Malfoy is to be afforded the same privileges as the other Knights. You serve the same lord, and therefore, you will lend a helping hand to each other. Let bygones be forgotten. Are we understood?"
There was a chorus of, "Yes, my lord."
"Good. Resume your projects. I will talk to you later."
They rose and in ones and twos disappeared through different double doors on either side of the hall.
"What projects do they have?"
"I can show you later. Come here." Riddle crooked his fingers at him.
Lucius stepped up onto the platform, and Riddle pulled him into his lap.
"You have pleased me, Lucius. I have a reward for you."
