Wizarding World One Shots (Discontinued)

Arthur Weasley x Lucius Malfoy pt1

When Lucius Malfoy learned the Dark Lord had been possessing Quirinus Quirrell that June, it hadn't exactly been a revelation. He had felt his master growing in strength for the entire year. It wasn't outright obvious, his Dark Mark certainly hadn't changed at all from its faded state, rather it was the gnawing pressure of the Imperius Curse taking hold of him again. Its talons gripping deeper into his mind and free will. It was a sensation he'd nearly forgotten, like an itch demanding to be scratched that never would be satisfied.

The feeling resurfaced faintly the summer before his son, Draco, began his matriculation at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, presumably the moment the Dark Lord took possession of Quirrell's body. It came as such a surprise after ten years of peace, Lucius worried he'd been cursed by a Dark Object and went to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for treatment. Nothing was wrong with him, the healer said and sent him home.

As it continued to grow, he told no one, not even his wife. He didn't need his sanity questioned and he absolutely did not want to worry Narcissa with the possible reemergence of the Dark Lord. His return would be her worst nightmare realized.

Eventually Severus Snape updated him in a letter about Quirrell being 'not quite right.' Severus hadn't explicitly stated he could feel the Dark Lord's presence, of course, but the letter's message was clear. Lucius reassured him in a reply that all was fine on his end, but to keep him updated on any findings. Severus' main finding was that Albus Dumbledore was taking insufficient precautions against what he felt was a true threat. Their mutual disapproval of Dumbledore's methods was nothing new.

The last face-to-face interaction Lucius had with the Dark Lord was in the late spring of 1981, just before Draco celebrated his first birthday. He had given him an assignment to be carried out the next year, but when the Dark Lord vanished that Halloween, so too did the pressure the Imperius Curse inflicted upon Lucius. Now with it returned, he found himself at Diagon Alley on a Wednesday in August of 1992, burdened by the irrefutable urge to carry out the last task the Dark Lord had commanded of him.

"This, dear boy, is a weapon from my ancestor, the noble Salazar Slytherin himself." The Dark Lord had said back in 1981, holding up a slim black book. "I've embedded the way to open the Chamber of Secrets inside it. All you must do is find a pureblood headed for Hogwarts who is young and desperate enough to desire a secret friend. That is the person who can carry out the reopening of the chamber. Your task is to find the suitable witch or wizard and give them the diary before term begins."

"Yes, my Lord." Lucius had bowed, unable to refuse anything the Dark Lord asked of him. Admittedly, giving a Dark Object to someone was a dream compared to most of his first tasks when he still had to prove himself to the inner circle back in 1970. His own father wouldn't even vouch for him being worthy of the Dark Lord's trust.

Lucius shuddered at the memories, finally hearing his son's voice in the crowded alley, "Father? Father?"

"What, Draco?" Lucius snapped.

"The bookstore is full of unsavory types. Must we go in now?" Draco asked.

Lucius eyed Flourish & Blotts' gaudy banner: Gilderoy Lockhart will be signing copies of his autobiography Magical Me today 12:30 – 4:30pm. He had coordinated their trip specifically to coincide with this signing. There would be an exceptional amount of young, desperate people inside.

"Yes, we must. It is our final stop."

"What about my new broom?" Draco's voice hitched.

Lucius ignored him and pushed into the bookstore. Unsavory types indeed, he thought as his eye caught the bright red hair of a Weasley. The further into the store he went, the less young people he saw. Instead it was packed with middle aged women clamoring for a better vantage of that insufferable twat, Gilderoy Lockhart.