Author: enchanted nightingale
Beta Reader: pussycatadamah
Timeline: Book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Pairs: Harry/Lucius
Disclaimer: The characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I merely use them in my plot for fun.
Chapter Ten
Severus was not surprised to see Lucius Malfoy appear at Hogwarts two days after Potter's name was drawn out of the Cup. Frankly, he had expected the wizard sooner. What surprised him was that the blond did not ask to see the Headmaster.
''Why so surprised Severus?'' Lucius asked.
Severus frowned at how the blond had made himself at home in his office. All that was missing was a tumbler of brandy and Lucius would be set.
''What do you want from me?'' the Potions Master enquired.
''Your office, for two hours,'' Lucius replied. ''And of course Harry's company.''
''Are you completely out of your mind?'' Severus demanded.
''Are you perhaps afraid he will realise that you know?''
Snape's lips curled in a sneer. ''Absolutely not''
Harry had never thought Snape would track him down and just assign him detention like that. He was further spooked and angered that the man had demanded he went to his office immediately.
What the teen never expected was seeing Lucius in there. When Snape led him in and closed the door without entering Harry felt mortified.
''Snape knows?'' Harry incredulously asked. ''He knows?''
Lucius rolled his eyes. ''Hello to you too, brat.''
Harry glared.
''I have news for you,'' Lucius drawled.
The teen looked interested but also petulant about Snape. Then he smirked. ''Fine,'' Harry finally said. ''You get Snape; I get Bill, who's also much more useful.''
Lucius frowned. ''Harry,'' he warned. He stood and pulled the teen to him, cupping Harry's chin and staring into green eyes.
The Gryffindor could not look away. When Lucius hunched down a bit and kissed him Harry forgot why he was annoyed with the blond. The magic flared a bit around them.
Lucius, mindful of the location they were in pulled back.
''Minx,'' he whispered against Harry's lips and then he regretfully took a step. "Come sit with me. We have much to discus."
The blonde took a seat again and invited the teen to share it. When Harry did not budge, Lucius lengthened the armchair into a loveseat and the teen joined the man.
"You found a way to get me out of the tournament?" the teen said with hope.
Lucius shook his head and Harry's face darkened.
"I searched my library," the blond began saying. "About five centuries ago a Malfoy entered on behalf of Beauxbatons. The contract drawn by the cup is absolute. The cup does not have a set number of schools that enter. The Triwizard title concerns the number of challenges, not the schools. Around 23 AD about five schools participated in the Tournament. Not the same schools either. It is not impossible to enter a name under a new school."
Harry frowned. "Damn."
Lucius just nodded. "However," he said, in a much graver voice that made the teen look troubled. "There was a way to nullify the drawing."
Harry's eyes were wide. "What? Why then did they not do anything?"
The blond sighed. "The book was… obscure."
"You mean dark or at least Ministry banned."
"Yes," Lucius replied. "Having it earns people a year in Azkaban, fine excluded."
Harry winced.
"Exactly," Lucius muttered. "Also, the Age Line was not a novelty Dumbledore added. It existed and did not let students under thirteen enter. The old coot simply raised the line."
"So I was right, I was entered to die," Harry whispered.
"Yes," Lucius replied, not about to sugar-coat anything.
Harry tried to ignore the newest threat on his life and well being. He had two maybe three years worth of attempts on his life to get used to it and the novelty of being in danger was fading.
''I don't see how I can benefit from a situation where my life is in danger and I do not get anything out of it,'' Harry declared.
Lucius lips curled. ''You would be surprised.''
Harry cocked his head to the side in a clear gesture that the blond should elaborate.
''Basically,'' Lucius sounded so gleeful that Harry felt alarm, ''they declared that only adults should enter the tournament. In magical Britain, adults are seventeen years old. In France, Germany and Eastern Europe too. In Italy they are adults at eighteen, in Egypt at fifteen and in most Asian countries wizards and witches do not earn adulthood before their twenties. However, other schools consider their students adults from age eleven.''
The implications of Lucius' words hit Harry.
''I'm an adult?''
Lucius nodded. ''By being nominated. The Cup practically emancipated you. Had Dumbledore not been Supreme Mugwump and had he not allowed you to participate, your emancipation would have not been legal. When two Ministry employees failed to ask for the drawing to be nullified, they recognized you as adult. That is three times you were declared adult. Three is a magical number.''
Harry knew that his jaw had dropped.
''Are you... They cannot be that idiotic.''
Lucius rolled his eyes. ''Trust me, I know the Laws Harry. But just to be completely certain, I asked a friend of mine to subtly check your status. I was completely right of course. With a bit of gold going to the right pocket I made certain that no one will contest the emancipation, namely Fudge or Dumbledore. Congratulations Harry, you're an adult. And I am no longer breaking the law because of this lovely technicality.''
''Lucius,'' Harry groaned.
''What? I would actually like not to step foot inside Azkaban, thank you very much.''
The teen sagged against Lucius. ''Ignore me. It's the shock grouching and talking.''
Lucius pulled Harry closer and kissed the green eyed teen's temple, noting how the youth was soaking up the attention.
''That still means I need to compete,'' Harry muttered. ''It sucks.''
''You are not alone,'' the blond told him. ''I will make sure you survive this Tournament and I wager that you can even win.''
Harry did not share the man's optimism but he did not contest it either.
''Harry?''
''Hm?''
''Who is this Bill?''
''Weasley, Bill Weasley, Curse Breaker.''
Lucius grimaced. 'Arthur's son?''
''He noticed the hickeys you left after the World Cup,'' Harry stated in a tone that made it known to the older wizard not to badmouth the eldest Weasley son.
Lucius made a noise in his throat. ''If you can have Severus knowing I can tolerate Weasley knowing.''
''But my guy is better,'' Harry declared. ''He actually explained why we are drawn to each other and what that energy is.''
Malfoy never expected to hear that. ''He explained sex magic to you?''
Harry nodded in agreement. ''Not only explained; he even found books on the subject.''
Grey eyes went wide. ''You have them?''
''How are you on Ancient Greek?''
''You confuse me,'' Hermione told Harry over dinner.
The First Task was only a week away. The majority of the school still thought Harry had cheated and they made their displeasure and jealousy known in whatever way they could. Those badges were rather tacky in Hermione's opinion.
However, Harry did not seem to mind at all. He acted like nothing bothered him. She noticed that he got a lot more detentions with Snape lately. Never over something he did in class. She had been worried about the Potion Masters attacks on her friend (three detentions a week every week up until now were a bit too much, even for Harry). But the green eyed teen insisted it was not that bad and he was not merely scrubbing cauldrons but making potions as well.
''It helps me hone my skills,'' Harry told her and Hermione calmed a bit.
The next thing that worried the bushy haired witch was that Harry had been reading very odd books lately, in two languages she did not understand.
''Practice,'' Harry had explained. ''I am preparing for the Tournament. I won't win, but I will survive.''
''I can help,'' Hermione had jumped at the chance to read more books but Harry denied help.
''Those are the rules,'' he told her repeatedly.
Another thing Hermione noticed was that Harry seemed to be getting a lot of mail. Some of the letters he had admitted were from Bill Weasley. Others, very few, from Sirius. The rest were a mystery. The witch tried valiantly not to be nosy; she had finally noticed that Harry did not like many questions and he tended to get shifty and changed the subject.
The day of the first Task, came too soon for Harry's peace of mind. The teen had been prepped all this time by Lucius. The blond had been appalled by Harry's lack of knowledge in many aspects of life in the magical community, his lack of knowledge in most grooming and house charms and generally magical culture. Harry had not grown up inside the magical community and things Lucius thought self explanatory the teen was in the dark about. What the green eyed youth was glad about was that there were no books on the subjects, only family grimoires and traditions passed down from generation to generation. And Harry received a crash course on them. And not only was Lucius a knowledgeable person, but also in offensive magic as well. A week before the task Bill had written Harry, warning the Gryffindor about the First Task.
''Dragons'' a pale Harry had yelled at the blond wizard. ''Those idiots actually expect us to face Dragons. A baby is dangerous, never mind an adult.''
''Harry, calm down,'' Lucius had tried to make the teen relax as he was hyperventilating from his nerves and shock.
''This is me calm.''
Lucius had rolled his eyes and called Harry a drama queen, but the green eyed teen had seen the concern in those grave eyes. It was not a coincidence that after that day the blond focused on teaching Harry powerful spells that could hurt a dragon.
By the time he left Lucius' company and not so tender mercy, the raven haired teen was ready to sleep, that is how exhausted he was.
Hermione was worried about him and she kept hovering at his side, not oppressively, just stating her intentions to stay by him.
''Are you certain you are ready?'' she stressed at Harry that morning.
The green eyed teen shrugged and swallowed his toast. Harry knew why she was so stressed. He normally never ate before a game of Quidditch but now, when the situation was so deadly, he was very blasé about this.
''Hermione,'' Harry sighed. ''Your hair is frizzier.''
The witch blinked in surprise, her jaw dropping.
''Harry! I'm serious!''
The teen squinted at her. ''Snuffles? You truly took Polyjuice?''
Hermione spluttered. "Harry."
The teen shot her a smile. "Relax, I won't die today," he told her.
"That is not very reassuring," the witch told him darkly.
Harry shot her a grin and Hermione sighed.
"You are a prat," she told her friend.
"Love you too Mione," Harry replied. "Now pass me the juice."
The witch scowled, but it then turned into a smile. "I hope you win this," she admitted. "I really want some people to just shut up."
"Ron was a pain again?" Harry's guess was spot on.
The girl sighed. "All he talks is about how great you are not," Hermione muttered. "All the damn time."
"Cussing?" Harry shook his head.
"There's no other way to call it!" the witch told him. "And the posturing! He acts like's he's Merlin's gift to wizards! Even the people who think you cheated are getting sick of him."
Harry's attention left his plate for a moment. "Did he ask you to choose again?" he asked her.
Hermione shrugged.
"If you want to be with him…" Harry started.
"Don't you dare," Hermione warned the green eyed youth. "Ron… When I met you, truly met you, after the Troll incident, you became my brother and friend. Ron, I never felt him as close, as friendly, certainly not like a sibling with all the disregard he has for his family. It was never really a crush Harry. And now it will never be. I won't have anyone give me ultimatums about my friends."
Harry's eyes were wide. "Oh! Did you punch him?"
"Harry!" the witch lost her temper again. "I am being serious here! And no jokes this time or I will hex you."
"No jokes," the wizard promised. "Did you punch him?"
Hermione smirked and nodded at the door.
Ron walked in with a black eye and the Twins snickering as they followed their sibling to breakfast.
Harry laughed. "You are amazing!"
Lucius was amongst the crowd waiting for the First Task. The moment they announced the Champions had to face Dragons, that the beasts would be in the arena, the majority paled and quailed. Severus had been sitting next to him and had scoffed at this.
"Well, they are really trying to kill the brats," the Potions Master commented with his dry wit.
The aristocrat shot him a venomous look.
"Yes, I forgot your pet," Snape commented. "I'm sure disfigurement won't deter you."
"Drop it," Lucius growled. "This is hardly the place for such a conversation."
Severus conceded the point to his friend. "So the book he gave you…?" he prompted.
"I just finished it," the blond replied. "It was… informative."
Snape quirked an eyebrow.
"I will give you a summary," Lucius sighed.
"I would rather have the book."
"Ask the brat."
Severus looked like he swallowed a lemon and Lucius bit back a chuckle. Severus knew that Harry was aware he was informed about the affair with Lucius, just like Bill knew all the details. Snape considered the Curse Breaker a surprisingly sensible choice for the teen's confidant and a wealth of information. That a book existed on sex magic and a Weasley had it was an amazing feat.
"Honestly, a Hufflepuff representing Hogwarts," Lucius scoffed as Cedric Diggory entered the arena to face the Swedish Short-Snout.
Diggory used Transfiguration to change a rock into a dog to distract the dragon. It was a smart attempt too, Lucius inwardly admitted, though halfway through, the dragon turned its attention back to Cedric, and burned the badger's face. He passed the task in the end and returned to the mercies of the resident medi-witch.
The Beauxbatons' Champion was next. She used an enchantment to make her dragon sleep, but as luck would have it, the dragon snored. A jet of flame set her skirt alight but she continued on, extinguishing the flames and retrieving her egg.
"Is that witch a Veela?" Lucius asked.
"I think so," Snape replied. "Krum is next."
Lucius nodded. He hardly paid attention as the Durmstrang wizard used the Conjunctivitis Curse to blind the dragon and retrieve his egg, making the nesting mother stumble and smashing half of her real eggs.
"No class," Snape muttered, while he eyed the eggs with an eye only a Potion Master could. "I wonder."
"Harry's next," Lucius commented.
"About time too," Severus sighed. "The Horntail is ready."
Lucius eyed the Dragon. He was certain Harry could make it but he was still worried about the Dragon.
And Harry finally came into the arena and proceeded to stun the masses.
"Did you teach him anything legal?" Snape thought to ask before the teen raised his wand.
Lucius smirked.
His Harry stood far from the Dragon, wand raised when he started reciting the enchantment Lucius had discovered. It was a bit of a wager because it needed strength to be cast. If Harry managed it, a feat Lucius thought possible, then the Dragon's flames would not touch the teen.
"Era permissum mihi obduco quod perficio meus negotium.
EGO mos causa vos haud vulnero.
In meus animus EGO sudo.
In vestri incendia EGO sudo,
Tribuo mihi tutus obduco," Harry chanted, his wand tip glowing a bit. The words had power and as the spell wove itself around Harry, the Horntail recognized the magic and nodded her snout. She did not open her mouth to bite or burn him to a crisp.
Lucius nearly smiled at this little victory. He knew what was coming next. He and Harry had suspected that the Champions would not be able to just summon their prized egg. Not with the Accio at least.
The green eyed teen's voice carried.
"Adeo mihi", He cast.
The egg glowed and sailed towards him. The Horntail made no move to chase it, instinctively recognizing it as not one of her own.
Harry now had his egg in his palms and the crowd could only stare.
"He summoned it," Snape stated.
Lucius continued smiling smugly.
"He just summoned it!"
"I saw that, Severus," Lucius replied.
"What spell was that?" the raven haired man asked his friend.
"An enchantment. He learned that words and intent matter. He asked the magic to make the egg come to him and his magic made it possible," Lucius explained.
"The Ministry…"
"Can do nothing," Lucius cut Snape off.
"I thought it was borderline dark?" Severus commented.
"Not if you have permission from the Department of Mysteries," Lucius stated.
Snape turned to stare at his friend. "You …"
"Yes."
"He has you wrapped around his little finger." Snape commented.
Lucius ignored the comment and rejoiced in the fact that Harry was alive and well in the aftermath of the First Task.
When the awarding points came next and Harry got first place, above Krum, Delacour and Diggory, Lucius was smug as well.
End of chapter
A/N:
Harry's poem:
"Lady let me pass and achieve my task.
I will cause you no harm.
On my soul I swear.
On your fire I swear.
Grant me safe pass."
I used an online translator for this (check my author profile)
Don't forget to take out the spaces
The spell Harry used:
adeo mihi: come to me