Unforeseen Circumstances

Unforeseen Circumstances

Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I just use them as I see fit.

Pairing: Lucius/Harry

Rating: N17

Summary: Harry has a vision of Lucius being tortured by Voldemort after being discovered as a spy for the Light. Harry goes to save him.

Chapter 1

“Harry, are you planning on staying at Hogwarts over Christmas holidays again?” asked Ron, studying his best friend intently.

“Yes, why?” asked Harry, dressing for bed and ignoring the looks Ron was giving him.

“You know you are welcome at the Burrow. Why don’t you ever stay with us anymore?” asked Ron quietly.

“Voldemort is less likely to attack the Burrow if I’m not there. He’s been far more active for the past year, and I don’t want to see any of you hurt just because I’m present,” said Harry seriously.

“Have you not considered that he may attack us just to get to you, and that your presence with us may be the only thing saving us?” asked Ron reasonably.

“No, but I’m still not going. I want you and Hermione to spend your Christmas together without me getting in the way,” said Harry, smiling at the blush that crept across his friend’s cheeks.

“You’re such a prat. You don’t get in the way and you know it. Besides, mum and dad would love to see you again,” said Ron, slowly wearing the brunette down.

“Fine. I’ll go but don’t blame me for you not having any alone time with Hermione,” said Harry with a long-suffering sigh.

“At least I get to owl mum with your acceptance instead of a refusal. Last time you refused to come home for Christmas, mum lectured me about leaving you at the school alone,” said Ron brightly.

“Poor Ron, you just have such a hard life,” said Harry unsympathetically.

“Prat,” said Ron, leaving the room to take his letter to the owlery.

Harry just shook his head and climbed in the bed. He was extremely tired. He hadn’t lied to Ron when he said that Voldemort had been far more active this year. Even with the added benefit of Occlumency, he still dreamed of Voldemort’s activities. He had seen a muggle family tortured just last week. And when he wasn’t dreaming about Voldemort’s activities, he was having nightmares about Sirius and Cedric. All in all, he slept maybe two to three hours a night.

*****

“Harry dear, it’s so good to see you,” said Molly, pulling him into an enthusiastic hug.

“Hello, Mrs. Weasley,” said Harry breathlessly, reeling from the strength of the hug.

“Come in, come in.” She ushered them all into the house and up the stairs. “Harry, you’ll be in Ron’s room, of course. Hermione is also spending the holidays here, and she’ll be rooming with Ginny.”

“Come on, Harry. Dinner’s almost ready,” said Ron, throwing his things on his bed.

“I’m kinda tired, Ron. I think I’ll just take a nap,” said Harry, pulling off his robes and climbing on the bed.

“You want me to wake you when dinner’s ready?” asked Ron.

Harry just shook his head ‘no’ and watched Ron leave the room. He settled down into the bed and closed his eyes. He was asleep within minutes.

He slept deeply for the first three hours of his rest, but that soon changed for the worse. He was suddenly pulled into a vision. He saw Voldemort throwing curses around as usual. He heard Voldemort call Lucius to him.

“Luciusss,” hissed Voldemort.

“Yes, lord?” replied Lucius, kneeling and kissing the hem of the Dark Lord’s robe.

“I have heard sssome disssturbing newsss about you, Luciusss,” he hissed.

“Disturbing news, lord?” asked Lucius, trying to desperately to think of anything that had given him away.

“Wormtail sssaid he followed you ssstraight to Dumbledore, Luciusss. He heard you tell our sssecretsss,” he hissed.

“I don’t know what you mean. When did he hear me tell any secrets?” asked Lucius, keeping his face emotionless.

“You will pay for your treachery, Luciusss. Crucio,” he hissed, holding the curse on Lucius for two minutes.

Lucius managed to not scream, but he was writhing on the floor because of the pain. Voldemort didn’t give him time to recover before casting the curse again. The next hour became a haze of constant pain as Voldemort took delight in inflicting this pain on him relentlessly.

Harry jerked awake, and without thought, he apparated directly to Lucius. By this time, Lucius had been dragged into the forest where wild animals, smelling the scent of blood, were gathering to feast. Harry grabbed Lucius and apparated just as a wolf lunged at the helpless blonde. He landed in Hogsmeade, placed a levitation spell on Lucius, and floated him to the castle. Carefully making sure no one was around, he quickly took Lucius to the infirmary
.
“Madame Pomfrey? Are you in here?” he called softly.

Poppy rushed into the room and gasped when she saw Harry with a floating Lucius beside him. “What is going on? I thought you had gone to the Weasley’s for the holidays? What happened to Mr. Malfoy? Why are you with Mr. Malfoy?”

“I had a vision, and Mr. Malfoy almost died. I was at the Weasley’s, but I left to get Mr. Malfoy. Seeing the state he is currently in, I thought the infirmary was probably the best place for him,” explained Harry.

“Do you know what all they did to him?” she asked, running her wand up and down the length of Lucius’ body.

“Lots of cruciatus, I know. Other than that, I’m not sure,” said Harry, shrugging helplessly.

“Run and fetch Severus, and make sure he brings some potions to counteract the cruciatus curse,” she ordered.

Harry didn’t even answer. He turned around immediately and ran to the Potion Master’s quarters. Knocking on the door loudly, he started to panic when he didn’t get an immediate response. Just as he was about to head to the professor’s office, Snape opened the door with a snarl.

“Potter! What the hell are you doing here?” he sneered.

“Madame Pomfrey sent me to get you. She said that you need to bring some potions to counteract the cruciatus curse,” said Harry, ignoring the sneers and scowls.

“Who’s been hit with the cruciatus curse?” he asked, retreating into his room and grabbing the appropriate vial.

“Lucius Malfoy,” said Harry tentatively.

“How did Lucius Malfoy get into the school?” he asked, pausing momentarily in his task.

“I brought him here?” said Harry, making the statement more of a question.

“And just how did you manage to be in a situation that enabled you to get Lucius and bring him here?” he asked in a dangerously low voice.

“I, uh, had a vision. When I woke up, I concentrated on Mr. Malfoy and apparated straight to him. He was barely alive and left in the forest for the animals to savage. I managed to apparate us out of there just as a wolf lunged at us. Then I brought him straight here,” said Harry, backing away from Snape slowly.

“And just why would you, a sanctimonious Gryffindor, bother to rescue the evil Slytherin Lucius Malfoy?” he asked with a sneer.

“Why did no one bother to tell me that he had become a spy for Dumbledore?” countered Harry. “You do realize we don’t really have time for this, right? Madame Pomfrey does need those potions and quickly.”

“Come on, you irritating brat. We’re going,” he snarled, grabbing Harry’s arm and marching him back to the infirmary.

Poppy was waiting impatiently for them to return. She scowled at Harry for taking so long. “Good, you’re here. Get one of those potions down his throat immediately.”

Severus tipped back Lucius’ head and poured the potion in his mouth, massaging his throat to get him to swallow. Once the entire potion had been consumed, Severus stepped back to make room for Poppy to run a few more tests.

“I’ve repaired most of the damage, but he’ll still be stuck here for a week, possibly two. I know one thing for sure. He’s going to be sore all over from the beating he took and the curses that hit him,” she said firmly.

“Let me know if anything changes,” said Severus, grabbing Harry’s arm once more. “This brat and I are going to have a little chat with Dumbledore.”

Severus dragged Harry all the way to Dumbledore’s office. Reaching the gargoyle, he snapped out “Cockroach Cluster” and dragged Harry up the stairs. Once inside Dumbledore’s office, he tossed Harry into a chair and moved to a corner with his arms crossed.

Dumbledore looked up surprised at the intrusion. He hadn’t really expected company this late. “Severus? Any particular reason you dragged Harry into my office so late at night?”

“He apparated away from the Weasley’s house and rescued Lucius Malfoy. Lucius in now in the infirmary recovering from a severe beating and several applications of the cruciatus curse,” said Severus.

“Harry, would you like to add to that?” asked Dumbledore.

“Not really. I’d rather go back to bed,” said Harry, glaring at Severus.

“Harry, I really must insist on a better explanation,” said Dumbledore.

“Fine. I had a vision of Lucius being tortured and apparated to his location. He’d been beaten and left in the forest to be devoured by wild animals, so I apparated us to Hogsmeade. I brought him to the infirmary and Poppy patched him up. That’s it,” said Harry.

“Why did you even save Lucius in the first place?” asked Dumbledore.

“Why did you never tell me that Lucius was a spy for you?” countered Harry.

“Voldemort discovered Lucius’ treachery,” said Dumbledore.

“You mean to tell me that Lucius really was a spy for you? Since when?” snapped Severus.

“Since the Ministry incident. He didn’t like his stay in Azkaban,” said Dumbledore.

*****

After the revelations in Dumbledore’s office, Severus marched Harry back down to the dungeons. He went right past the potion’s classroom and his office, and went straight back to his quarters. He snarled the password and pushed Harry inside.

“I can’t believe you just went into danger like that. Did the Ministry incident teach you nothing? If not, I’ll remind you. Black died that day. Here’s another reminder. Your friends were hurt, and you were possessed by Voldemort. Need I remind you anymore?” he snarled at Harry.

Harry flinched with every reminder Severus threw at him. By the end of the tirade, he had tears swimming in his eyes. “I just didn’t want anyone else on our side to get hurt.” He pulled his knees to his chest, buried his face in his knees, and cried.

Severus watched Harry cry for a moment, and then muttered, “Stupid Gryffindor brat.” He went over to Harry and pulled him in his arms, rubbing his back soothingly. “If you ever tell another soul that I hugged you, I’ll hex your nose off.”

Harry gave a watery smile and said, “Who would believe me?”

Harry and Severus had finally put aside their differences in Harry’s 6th year. Since Remus was always gone on a mission for Dumbledore, Harry didn’t have any parental figures he could trust. He broke down completely in front of Severus one day, and Severus just couldn’t hate Harry anymore. They started spending more time together, and Severus became more of a father figure to Harry.

“Go sleep in the guest room. I’ll firecall Molly in a little bit so she won’t worry,” said Severus, pushing the sleepy Harry towards the guestroom he had added just for the brat.

“Thanks, Sev,” said Harry, yawning as he staggered into the room. The bout of crying had drained any remaining energy he may have had. He climbed into the bed and fell asleep instantly.


“Molly Weasley, the Burrow,” said Severus, tossing floo powder into the flames.

Molly’s head popped into the fire. “Hello, Severus. What did you need?”

“I’m calling to let you know,” he started. He was interrupted by Ron running down the stairs yelling “Mum! Mum, where are you? Harry’s missing. He wasn’t in bed, and no one else has seen him.”

“As I was saying, I called to let you know that Harry is at Hogwarts, and he’s perfectly fine,” he said, glaring at Ron for interrupting him.

“How did he get back to Hogwarts? Why did he go back to Hogwarts?” she asked, looking to Ron for the answers. Ron just shrugged his shoulders because he had no clue.

“I really can’t answer that right now. You should talk to Dumbledore, though,” he said, evading the line of questions. “Harry will be remaining at Hogwarts, so could you send his things back soon?”

“Yes, I’ll send them back this afternoon. Tell Harry I wish he’d stayed longer, and I’m glad he’s alright,” said Molly.

*****

Harry woke up three hours later and spent the rest of the day helping Severus with numerous potions for the infirmary. He actually enjoyed potion making when the professor wasn’t being a snarky bastard.

Harry decided to spend the night in the dungeons again because no one from Gryffindor house had stayed over the holidays. He went to bed late that night. Unfortunately his rest was interrupted by yet another nightmare. He climbed from the bed and walked to Severus’ room.

“Sev?” he asked tentatively.

“Hmmm? Harry?” asked Severus sleepily, rubbing his eyes to see Harry clearly.

“Can I sleep in here with you?” he asked quietly.

“What? No! You’re seventeen years old. You should be able to sleep alone by now,” said Severus.

“I had another nightmare and can’t get back to sleep. Please?” he pleaded.

“Why don’t I give you a potion to help you sleep?” asked Severus.

“They don’t work well. Please?” he asked again.

“Fine, but just for tonight. And if you tell anyone I will hex...” started Severus.

“Yeah, yeah. You’ll hex my nose off. Thanks, Sev,” said Harry, climbing into the bed beside Severus and curling up into his side. He put his head on Sev’s chest and fell asleep to the sound of his heart beating.

*****

Lucius had been awake for four hours, and he was already tired of the infirmary. He decided he would be more comfortable in Severus’ room than in here, so he waited until Poppy left for the night and snuck out of the hospital wing. He crept stealthily down to the dungeons until he reached Severus’ door. Since Severus always made sure to give him the password, he just walked right on in.

Hoping Severus might still be awake, he walked to Severus’ bedroom and quietly opened the door. He almost fell over in shock. There was someone in bed with Severus. He crept closer to see who the bedmate was, and got another shock. He couldn’t believe Severus was in bed with Harry Potter, someone he professed to hate.

Lucius started to creep back into the living room, but Severus stopped him with a question. “What are you doing here, Lucius? You’re supposed to be in the infirmary recovering from the torture you received last night.”

“I thought your room would be more comfortable. I didn’t expect to walk in on you and your lover,” he said haughtily.

“Harry is not my lover. He just couldn’t sleep because he has frequent nightmares. Calling Harry my lover is like saying Draco’s your boyfriend. It’s just not going to happen,” said Severus dryly.

“I guess I’ll go back to my room so you and Mr. Malfoy can talk,” said Harry, sitting up in the bed and rubbing his eyes. He had awakened as soon as Severus spoke his first words to Lucius. The vibrations of chest had tickled his ear. He calmly got out of bed and walked back to his room, shutting the door behind him.

“Since when are you and Harry Potter speaking amicably, much less well enough for him to come to you when he has a nightmare?” asked Lucius, staring at the door Harry had just shut behind him.

“It’s a long story, Luc. Why did you really come here?” asked Severus.

“Oh, I was serious about this room being more comfortable. You spy for Dumbledore, don’t you? That’s why you’re so close to Potter now,” said Lucius.

“I’ve always spied for Dumbledore. Apparently, I’m not the only one, hmmm?” asked Severus, looking pointedly at Lucius. “Does Draco know?”

“No, that wouldn’t be safe for him. We haven’t really talked lately. Between my visit to Azkaban and my divorce from his mother, things haven’t been pleasant,” said Lucius.

“It’s late and I’m tired. You sleep in my bed, and I’ll go climb in the bed with Harry. I don’t think he would appreciate it much if you climbed in the bed with him. I’m not sleeping with you because you like to steal all of the blankets,” said Severus.

“How do you know I steal all of the blankets?” asked Lucius, scowling at Severus.

“Narcissa decided to spill all of your secrets to me in revenge for the divorce,” said Severus, giving Lucius an evil grin.

“I never could stand that woman,” muttered Lucius, stalking into Severus’ bedroom and slamming the door.

Severus just snickered and went into the guestroom to climb into the bed with Harry.