Chapter Seven…Lucius Malfoy

Buffy and Remus sat at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

Buffy swallowed a mouthful of their famous Chai tea and ginger mix. "This is nice. We don't have anything compared to this back in Sunnydale."

"What?" Remus asked.

"Diagon Alley. We don't have anything like it back in CA. just a few magic shops scattered round here and there. But nothing like this. It's amazing."

Remus smiled. "Yes, I suppose it is. I know I myself was shocked my first time here." He took a bite of his strawberry ice cream. "I need a few more things here, if you don't mind. Hermione asked me to get some food for Crookshanks." Off her look he added, "Her cat."

"Oh." Buffy nodded. She swallowed the last bite and dumped the paper cup into a trash bin beside their table. "Well, where is it that you get it from?"

"The Magical Menagerie." He trashed his own cup, standing. "C'mon. Let's go."

Getting up, she followed him off. She stared round at all the shops as they went passed, shocked at how many different ones there were, for so many different things. Then the shop Magical Menagerie came into sight. She knew what it was not because of the sign but because of the cages of animals standing outside. There were an assortment, and Buffy do nothing but stare at them, one of them being a small white cat with wings. With wings!

So entranced was she by the winged animal that she didn't have the time to move out of the way before she slammed into something. Or, really, someone. She stared at the tall man she had bumped into. He was pale, with long silvery blonde hair and cold blue eyes. In his hand was a long black cane, the top a silver serpent's head.

He glared at her. "I'd watched where you were going, girl."

Buffy felt her face flush in embarrassment. "I…I'm so sorry. I didn't see you…"

"Well you do now, so how about you get out of my way?"

His words his her like a slap, and her eyes narrowed. "I just apologized, OK? The least you could do is be a bit nicer."

Remus went up to them. "Come on Buffy. Let's…" He faltered at the sight of the man. "Lucius…"

Buffy frowned, looking at the man, Lucius. She'd heard a low of info on him, Lucius Malfoy. None of it was good. "Sorry Remus. I was just apologizing to this man, but he doesn't seem to want to accept it."

"Of course I don't," Lucius growled. "Why should I lower myself to your level, mudblood?"

She blinked, shocked. Then her eyes narrowed. "Mudblood? Is that right?" She glared at him. "My parents were both purebloods, thank you very much. And why should that even matter?"

"Because," he said slowly, as though she were handicapped and stupid, "the mixing of blood is filthy, unlike us purebloods."

"You really are a big idiot aren't you?"

Lucius's eyes widened at her remark. "Wha…? You dare talk to me like that?"

"Yeah, I do." Buffy stared him in the eye, not backing down.

He glowered at her, but before he could speak she interrupted him.

"I mean, seriously! 'The mixing of blood is filthy'? Come on! The only thing filthy right here is you."

Lucius was shocked, she could tell. It was obvious that no one talked to him like that. "You…you will pay for that!" He raised his cane to strike her.

"No!" Remus whipped his wand out just as Buffy did, but it was she who threw the first spell.

"Locomotor!"

Lucius found himself rising up in the air, arms and legs bound uselessly. His eyes widened in fury as people stopped to watch the scene. "You bloody bitch! Le me down this instant!"

"Why?" She watched him. "So you can attack me again? I think not."

He glowered at her. "I'm going to kill you! Mark my words, I will!"

"Can't get my now, though, can you?" she taunted. "Big scary wizard ain't so scary anymore, now is he?"

Remus laid a calming hand on her shoulder. "Buffy, let him down."

Buffy looked at him, then sighed. "Oh, all right." She muttered the incantation that countered her spell, smiling when he dropped to the ground with a thud. "There ya' go."

Lucius stood, straightening his robes, and glared once more at her before turning away. "This isn't over."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Looks like it is." She glanced over at Remus, who looked scared to death. "What? He can't be that bin 'n scary."

Remus just shook his head. "Come on. We still need that cat food."