Complementary

Title: Complementary
Author: rotschopf
Type: FPS
Pairing: Lucius Malfoy/ Harry Potter
Disclaimer: nope, still not mine; pity, though...
WARNING: If you haven\'t read Book 5 this story is not for you.
Note: Please review. It\'s my first HP story and I want to know if I do a gjob job or not.
Note2: Thx to all you lovely people who review this story. Sorry that it took me so long to update. Real Life can be a real bitch.

@Rena: I\'m trying to avoid unintended puns. You are helpful, no doubt about that. Shows me that someone actually thinks about what I write
@chantalmalfoy: Nope, no snogging.
@Leviathan: I\'m a Drow, what did you expect?

~o0o~

Chapter 7: An interesting man

~o0o~

The weeks passed quietly. Harry only once received a note from Lucius which said \'I guess we have a date, then\'. A date, indeed. He wondered what he should expect. If he could expect anything at all. He found that he wasn\'t able anymore to judge Lucius\' character. Before all this he would have said that Lucius was as evil as Voldemort. But now... now, Harry seemed to have a very interesting man at hand. And he really wanted to meet this new Lucius Malfoy.

Thoughts of Lucius usually brought Harry automatiy bay back to his son. The younger Malfoy still wasn\'t taking his meals with the rest of the students. He also had dropped out of the Quidditch team with the comment that he definitely didn\'t have a death wish. He was indeed taking the same classes as Harry which resulted in Snape and Malfoy waiting for Harry in front of the Great Hall after breakfast every day. The rare Malfoy-free times were the weekends and Harry began to appreciate every second he was allowed to spend without the arrogant blonde.

The only time he actually enjoyed Malfoy around was DADA. Especially the four days Remus was off and gone during the full moon. Malfoy finally had admitted that he knew why Harry had stopped to fear the Dark Lord at one point. He was more than capable of defending himself and attack efficiently.

~o0o~

\"I still can\'t believe you didn\'t take your chance with Malfoy, Harry.\" They were walking to dinner after the last DADA class Harry had to give for this month. \"I mean, he was right there. You could\'ve done anything to him.\"

\"I know.\" Harry sighed. \"But I\'m not Malfoy. I don\'t kick people who already lie on the floor.\"

\"Pity, in that case,\" Ron huffed. He made no secret of how much he hated Malfoy.

\"Ron!\" Hermione elbowed him.

\"Ouch! What was that for?\"

\"For levelling yourself down to Malfoy\'s standards.\"

\"I wonder what you would do, Lucius,\" Harry thought. \"The Lucius I knew wouldn\'t hesitate to kill me. But now I am not so sure anymore.\"

\"Harry? Are you okay?\"

\"Yes, Ron. Why\'re you asking?\"

\"Because you looked quite distant for a moment.\"

\"Just thinking. Nothing special.\"

\"What are you doing tomorrow?\" Hermione asked.

Harry looked puzzled. \"Tomorrow?\"

Hermione giggled. \"Hogsmeade weekend?\"

\"Oh.\" The weekend had been arriving faster than he thought it would. \"I... I don\'t know yet. I have to ask Professor McGonagall if I can go. You know... With Sirius gone....\"

\"We understand, Harry.\" Hermione hugged her friend. \"But you\'ll let us know if you can come, yes?\"

\"Yes, yes I will.\"

But Harry wasn\'t so sure he should tell his friends. Because telling them meant going with them. Going with them meant sneaking away. Sneaking away meant more questions he didn\'t want to answer.

~o0o~

Harry was a bit nervous when he went to see Professor McGonagall for the permission to visit Hogsmeade the next day. Indeed, the head of his house looked at him sternly.

\"I will give you permission, Mr Potter. However, I must insist on uttermost precaution on your behalf. Not only because of You-Know-Who. Until we know what plans Lucius Malfoy pursues I am worried about your safety.\"

Harry nodded. \"I understand, Professor. Do you know anyt abo about Mr Malfoy\'s whereabouts?\"

\"Nothing. Even Draco doesn\'t know where his father might be. And I must insist that you don\'t go searching for him.\"

Harry tried to look innocent. \"I understand. Thank you Professor.\" Harry stood up and left McGonagall\'s office. The Scot sighed. \"Do you really think it\'s wise, Albus?\"

\"I believe everything will turn out just fine, Minerva. Just fine.\"

~o0o~

Harry made his way back to the dorms. He was frantically searching for a way to not tell his friends the truth. If he told them he was allowed to go they most certainly would want to spehe the time with him. If he told them he wasn\'t allowed to go they would find out the truth anyhow.

The Pink Lady smiled at Harry.

\"You look nervous
\
\"I am.\"

\"First love?\"

Harry laughed. \"Hell, no!\"

\"Password?\"

\"Chocolate frog.\"

The portrait swung open to let Harry pass. As Harry had anticipated, Hermione, Ron and Seamus were waiting for him. Seamus and Ron played chess, Hermione was making an indefinable thing out of wool. House Elf clothes, Harry assumed.

\"Harry!\" Ron looked up from the chessboard. \"How did it go? Can you come?\"

Harry reached his decision. \"Yeah, I can.\"

\"Great. We can go to Zonko\'s and...\"

\"Ron, I won\'t come with you.\"

Ron stared at him. \"What do you mean, you won\'t come?\"

\"Well, I will go to Hogsmeade, but I won\'t spend the whole day with you.\"

Hermione looked up from her needles. \"Why not?\"

Harry blushed. \"I... I have a date.\"

\"You have a what?\" Ron looked flabbergasted. \"But... you said you weren\'t seeing anyone.\"

\"I am not. And it\'s not a real date actually.\"

\"You\'re meeting this wizard that sends you the letters, aren\'t you?\" Ron wasn\'t paying attention anymore to the game.

\"Yes.\" Harry\'s face was tinted red. \"Look, it\'s not what it seems.\"

\"Then tell us what it is,\" Seamus suggested, making his move on the board. \"Check mate.\"

\"What?\" Ron\'s focused on the board again. \"How did you do that?\"

\"Why, I made better moves than you.\" Seamus grinned. \"Honestly, Harry. You\'re getting those strange letters on extremely expensive parchment. You have this giddy grin plastered all over your face whenever another letter arrives. \'Tis \'k. I don\'t mind if you\'re gay.\"

\"I am not gay,\" Harry said slowly, determination evident in his voice. \"I prefer both genders. And I\'m certainly not seeing this wizard in particular. I\'m meeting him.\"

\"Can we come with you, then?\"

\"No!\" Harry said a bit too quickly. He swallowed. \"He asked me to come alone.\"

\"Harry.\" Hermione put away her handiwork and moved to stand before her friend. \"You do realise that there\'s a wizard out there that is more than determined to kill you right now? And I\'m not speaking of Voldemort. - Oh, get off it, Ron,\" she said, an impatient note in her voice.

\"I know, Hermione. I\'ll be careful.\" Harry sighed. \"I\'m tired. I\'ll see you in the morning. G\'Night.\"

\"\'Night, Harry. - Rematch, Ron?\"

\"Sure. G\'Night, Harry.\"

~o0o~

Harry couldn\'t sleep. He hated lying to his friends. But it was for the best. He was very sure that they would not only try to keep him from meeting Lucius, but also would inform Dumbledore and the Ministry. And he didn\'t want that. He wanted to try first. He grinned wryly. He was so Gryffindor sometimes that he did wonder why the Sorting Hat had ever considered putting him in Slytherin. Brave enough to look the snake in the eye before it bit him. And, never being the resentful kind of person, he would gladly let himself get bitten if this meant that Lucius would, at least, fight along with them.

He heard Ron and Seamus coming up the stairs to the dorm, frantically trying to persuade the other into being quiet. The door opened, and Harry could see both boys undressing quickly before falling into their beds. Ron turned to him and smiled when he saw him awake.

\"Hey... Thought you were tired,\" he whispered.

\"Am. Can\'t sleep, though.\"

\"Nervous?\"

\"A bit.\"

\"Met him before?\"

\"Nope,\" Harry lied.

\"What\'s he like in his letters?\"

\"Kind. Caring. Thoughtful, even philosophical.\"

\"Harry?\"

\"Hmmm?\"

\"Ever... uhm... done it with a man?\"

\"No. You?\"

\"No!\" Ron sounded panicked. \"I\'m straight. Straight as a line, that is. No desire to fuck men. No, none whatsoever.\"

\"Ron?\"

\"Hmmm?\"

\"Shut up.\"

Ron snickered. \"Sleep tight, Harry.\"

\"You, too.\"

~o0o~

Harry woke before sunrise. He hadn\'t slept too well and was still groggy. He knew, though, he couldn\'t go back teep.eep. He might as well get up and shower before everyone else did. Somehow, he dreaded the meeting with Lucius. The rational part of his brain told him how foolish he was to meet with a powerful dark wizard - alone. But his emotional part, which obviously had a greater say in everything he did recently, looked quite forward to meeting the Lucius Malfoy he had come to like through the letters he wrote him.

The Great Hall was still empty at this hour of the day, though the house Elves already were up and about to prepare breakfast. Harry grinned when he spotted Dobby who cleaned the Ravenclaw table together with two other house Elves.

\"\'Morning, Dobby.\"

\"Harry Potter, sir!\" The eyes of the Elf shined with happiness. \"I is so happy to see you, sir. You sits down, sir. Dobby brings breakfast, sir.\"

\"Thanks, Dobby. But I can wait.\"

\"No, no. Dobby glad to help Harry Potter, sir.\"

Harry sat down at his usual place at the Gryffindor table, starting when his breakfast appeared in front of him, together with a joyful Elf.

\"Thanks, Dobby.\"

\"Dobby always helping Harry Potter, sir. Is there anything Dobby can do for Harry Potter, sir?\"

Harry shook his head first, but thought better of it, then. \"Can you prepare a lunchbox for me? For two people actually?\"

\"Dobby will gladly does so, sir. Harry Potter waits here, sir.\"

Again, the Elf vanished into thin air, and Harry started eating, slowly. He stared up at the enchanted ceiling, enjoying the first slivers of light cracking the sky, tinting the clouds pink and orange and golden. He loved this hour of the day, when the sun started to rise, stars and night-sky still wrapping the world in their calming embrace. It had something magical, and it was the only hour of the day when Harry could be at complete ease, despite all the worries lying heavily on his shoulders; he cherished those quiet moments.

Harry finished his breakfast, watching the first sleepy students trotting into the hall. The Elves had vanished at some point Harry couldn\'t recall. Harry grinned at Ron, Hermione, Neville and Dean. Most likely, Seamus was still asleep; the Irish boy always slept in on Saturdays, Hogsmeade weekend or not.

\"Harry!\" Ron called cheerfully. \"Man, you\'ve got me worried when I woke to find your bed empty.\"

\"Good Mng tng to you, too.\" Harry grinned. \"Couldn\'t sleep anymore. Besides, having breakfast with the sunrise above you is quite cosy.\"

\"Like my bed better, thanks.\" They sat down. \"So, when are you meeting Mr Secret?\"

Harry blushed. \"At noon.\"

\"Plenty of time to spend with us before, then,\" Dean concluded, filling his plate with toast and beans.

\"Sure.\" He stood up. \"I\'ll meet you in the entrance hall.\"

\"\'K.\"

~o0o~

Nervously, Harry made his way up to the cave they had set as a meeting point. We wasn\'t sure what to expect there. Doubts, if he was doing the right thing, rose in him again. Only now it occurred to him that he possibly might run into a trap. That this was all an elaborated plan of Voldemort to capture him. But then, he thought of the pictures in the Daily Prophet again and decided that it wasn\'t a trap. Damn it! He really was far too trusting, even for a Gryffindor. He should at least have brought his Invisibility Cloak. Checking if it was safe. Too late now to ponder that.

He reached the cave; it was empty, but signs of inhabitance clearly visible. Something like a backpack rested against the wall; a bedroll laid on the stone floor; books were piled up on a low stone table. Harry reckoned that Lucius must have transformed one of the erratic blocks. He started when he heard a silken voice behind him, turning around to be greeted by an amused Lucius Malfoy.

\"You must be very brave. Or very foolish indeed, Mr Potter, to walk into the den of a snake, unarmed and unaware of the dangers that might sneak up on you.\"

Harry smiled, taking the sight of Lucius in. The man looked nothing like he remembered. He wore simple black leather breeches, a black button down shirt and simple black leather boots. His silver-blond hair was plated into a loose braid, some stray tresses framing his angular face. \"And good day to you, too, Mr Malfoy,\" he smirked.

Lucius\' grey eyes glowed with mirth and amusement. \"Now, that etiquette and courtesy have been served... It\'s good to see you, Harry.\"

\"It\'s good to see you, too, Lucius,\" Harry replied sincerely, answering the smile on Lucius\' face with one of his own. \"I see, you moved in?\"

\"One can assume this, yes. No one would think of looking for me here. Please,\" he motioned to two stones that looked comfortable despite their rough and cold surface. \"Have a seat.\"

Lucius sat down opposite to Harry, resting his broad back against the stone wall. Harry produced the generous lunch package ano boo bottles of butter beer he had bought earlier. The ate and drank in amicable silence, regarding each other. After they had finished Harry unpacked and re-sized his chessboard and men. He set the board up and made his opening move.

\"So, tell me about these Red Robes you wrote me about.\"

Harry took Lucius\' first pawn. \"Well, as I told you. They stand for neutrality. Keeping the balance of magic.\"

Lucius quirked an eye-brow. \"Nothing more?\"

\"What do you want to know? Their Gods, their moon? Hell, I think the easiest way to tell you about Red Robes is to bring you the books.\"

Lucius let out a short barking laugh, moving a bishop to take a knight. \"And you expect me to read muggle literature?\"

\"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact.\"

\"You more naive than I thought.\"

Harry smiled wryly. \"I stopped being naive when Voldemort tried to kill memy fmy first year.\"

Lucius took in a sharp breath. \"Right. I forgot. You\'re the boy who managed to cross every single attempt of that nutter to kill you.\"

Harry ignored the sarcasm in Lucius voice. \"Why, right, that is. There\'s a reason they call me \'the Boy that refuses to die\'.\"

Lucius chuckled, a sound, Harry had never heard before from the man in question. \"Yes, you\'re the one stubborn case the madman is obsessed about.\"

Harry frowned at the constellation on the board; he was losing the match. \"I can\'t understand why, though. I\'m just a normal 16 year-old boy.\"

\"Who survived the Killing Curse, no less.\"

\"\'K, I guess I would be pissed about that, too.\"

This earned Harry a sincere laugh. Something, Harry instantly liked. \"More than pissed.\" Lucius made his last move. \"Check mate.\"

Harry stared at him. \"Merlin, I didn\'t know I was that bad a chess player.\"

Lucius shrugged. \"You have potential. But you don\'t plan your moves. You move on instinct.\" He paused and looked Harry directly in the eye. Harry shivered at the honesty in the grey gaze; he\'d never thought Lucius capable of something like that. \"And I guess, instinct is what brought you here. What made you write the note, isn\'t it?\"

Harry nodded and grinned sheepishly. \"I guess so. Perhaps I shouldn\'t have.\" Lucius agreed with a nod. \"But that\'s what I am. I\'m acting on instinct. Which cost my godfather his life,\" he added quietly, hanging his head.

\"I won\'t argue with you about that because I would\'ve to agree with you.\"

\"Thanks, Lucius, you\'re very helpful.\"

\"It\'s not my style to be helpful or even kind, Harry. I\'m a Malfoy.\"

Harry looked up sharply. \"Then why are you being nice to me? Why have you answered my note? Why did you want to see me?\"

Lucius stood up and turned his back to Harry, clasping his hands on the small of his back; Harry noticed that he wasn\'t wearing gloves as he usually did. \"I don\'t know, Harry. Guess solitude does something like this to a man like me.\"

\"Why did you send Kreacher back?\"

\"Because Voldemort ordered me to.\"

\"You didn\'t want to, though?\" Lucius shook his head. \"Why?\"

\"I cannot tell you.\"

\"Same reason why you won\'t tell me why you killed Bellatrix?\"

\"Yes.\"

Harry sighed. \"You\'re being stubborn, you know that?\"

Lucius turned around, grinning. \"That\'s one of my more amiable virtues, I fear.\"

\"Merlin, I don\'t want to know about your other virtues, then,\" Harry answered smugly.

\"I think you already know a few of them.\"

\"Guess so.\" Harry stretched. \"Do you still feel the Dark Mark burning?\"

\"Yes, I do.\"

\"So, do tell me. Have there been any recent activities I should be aware of? \'Cause it\'s been unusually quiet.\"

Lucius shook his head, a smile quirking his lips. \"That\'s almost a Slytherin move, Harry. Trying to retrieve information like this.\"

Harry blushed, something he had done quite often the last two days. \"I guess so.\"

\"No, there hasn\'t been anything. The Lord only called once for a meeting. Other than that, I have no clue anymore.\"

Harry nodded.ow mow much does Draco know?\"

\"Why?\"

\"He passed a comment, like he knew we were corresponding.\"

\"I didn\'t tell him. What did he say?\"

\"That people can change, as I might know.\"

Lucius tapped his lips with his fingers. \"Perhaps he thought of my ch of of attitude towards the Dark Lord.\" Mesmerised by the movement, Harry watched Lucius stroking his bottom lip with his thumb. \"We will see.\" He stopped. \"So, you\'ve been watching out for my Dragon, then?\"

Harry snorted. \"Not very difficult. We\'re taking the same classes and Snape practically ordered me to watch him \'cause he isn\'t trusting anyone in Slytherin as far as he could throw them.\"

\"Good, good.\"

\"You know that your son wants to kill me, right?\"

Lucius laughed again. \"Yes, he told me more than once. Also, that you didn\'t seem very impressed by his threats?\"

Harry quirked an eye-brow at Lucius. \"Should I be impressed? I mean, look at your son. He\'s not really Lord Voldemort, is he? And I stopped being impressed by him when I was a baby.\"

Now, Lucius was really laughing. Not the cold laugh Harry was used to. Rather a heartily, good-natured laugh. \"Who would\'ve thought that the famous Harry Potter would manage to honestly amuse an ex-Death Eater?\"

\"Well, I\'m full of surprises.\"

\"Looks, like.\"

A moment of comfortable silence settled between them. Lucius motioned towards the chess board. \"Re-Match?\"

\"Gladly.\" Lucius re-took his seat. \"Try to think in advance. This is no Quidditch Match. You can\'t feel around the board. You have to conquer it.\"

\"That actually sounds like leading a war.\"

\"It is in a way. You try to develop the better strategy to out-move your opponent.\"

Harry sighed. \"Guess I should work on this, then.\"

\"What do you mean?\"

\"They all expect me to lead the war. To coordinate our moves. Just because a fucking mad man gave me a fucking ugly scar when I was two years old.\"

Lucius opened the match. \"Language, Harry.\"

\"What?\"

\"Language.\" Lucius looked at him. The scrutiny in his gaze made Harry shiver. \"You are the natural born leader. Just as your father was. Your instincts are one of the qualities that make you the perfect leader.\"

\"But I don\'t want to lead them, Lucius.\" He took Lucius\' second bishop. \"Check.\"

\"Who else should do it?\"

\"I don\'t know.\"

\"There you are. You are the logical choice. That\'s what Draco despises most in you. You didn\'t do anything but survive the unsurviable.\"

\"And you don\'t despise me?\"

\"I do.\"

\"Then why are you meeting and playing chess with me?\"

\"Why not?\"

Harry rolled his eyes. \"So, your actually saying, you don\'t like me but meeting me and beating me in chess is okay?\"

Lucius laughed. \"Come off it, Harry. I have to get used to the feeling of having you around.\"

\"But you still loath me?\"

Lucius sighed. \"No, I don\'t.\" He made his move. \"Check mate. - Better this time.\"

Harry shook his head. \"You\'re one big enigma, you know that, don\'t you?\"

\"I\'m a Malfoy. If you were able to decipher me over two chess matches I\'d be worried.\"

\"Why, Lucius?\"

\"Because you accept me. You know what I am. Who I am. Still, you accept me.\"

\"The last time we met you wanted to kill me.\"

\"I know.\"

\"Do you want to meet me again?\"

\"Do you?\"

Harry didn\'t hesitate. \"Yes.\"

\"Good.\" Lucius stood up. \"It\'s getting dark already. You should return.\"

\"I know.\" Harry shrunk his chessboard with the men and packed it into his bag. \"Next Hogsmeade weekend is in two weeks.\"

\"I\'m looking forward to it.\" Lucius surprised hlf blf by extending his uncovered hand to Harry. \"Thanks for coming, Harry. The afternoon was quite... delightful.\"

\"Yes, I can agree on that.\" Harry took the proffered hand and let go with a yelp. A blue surge of energy had went from him to Lucius. Or from Lucius to him. He couldn\'t tell. Lucius stared at him, obviously in shock. \"What the hell was that?\"

\"You have to go, Harry. Now, please.\"

\"Lucius...\"

\"Now, Harry. Staying would be too dangerous. For both of us. Perhaps we can prevent it. Stop it.\"

\"Stop what?\"

\"Go, Harry. Now.\"

Lucius had backed against the wall, looking almost terrified. Harry stared at him for another moment, then shrugged and left.

What the hell had just happened?

~o0o~

tbc...