Addictive Conflict

They continued on in silence for much of the return trip; Remus had decided some fifteen minutes ago that Malfoy was sober enough to walk unaided, and so they had gradually drifted apart on the path, their mutual mistrust evident.

Remus bit his lower lip thoughtfully and gazed down at the pebble path as the Castle started to draw closer. Eager though he was to regale his friends with the tale of his little 'discovery' this evening, he still couldn't help but be curious as to what exactly had caused Lucius to lose himself in drink like that. Truth be told -- Lucius was actually renowned for being a law-abiding student, the way most Prefects were.

As he'd become older, Remus had started to notice how the trait lines between the Houses blurred and overlapped. Slytherins were notorious for their ambition, deceit, and tendency to lie, and Gryffindors for their bravery, loyalty, and friendliness. Yet these stereotypes were not set in stone, as many of them had come to understand. Lucius, for example - as Remus noted - was extremely ambitious; the fundamental Slytherin quality. However he was also highly loyal to both his house and his close friends. His love of rules and setting boundaries, then, gave him a dislike of the deceitful.

Remus certainly didn't know Lucius well; before tonight, they had barely said ten words to each other. But even so, Lucius was quite widely known among the lower years due to his tendency to 'interfere' if he ever thought some students were up to something suspicious.

He pulled his gaze up from the ground, and directed it across at Lucius' face, cloaked in shadows. So...what had been the cause of his behaviour this evening? Remus just shook his head darkly, and told himself he didn't care.

'Just morbid curiosity,' he muttered, suddenly finding the ground-vegetation fascinating.

"...Hey, Lupin," Lucius abruptly spoke, striding back over to Remus to fall into step with him once more. The shorter boy glanced up at him questioningly, the light from the thin slice of moon giving his skin an unearthly tinge. Lucius shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny, and cleared his throat. "Just wanted your confirmation that you won't tell anyone else."

It was not a question, and Remus rolled his eyes at Lucius' - in his opinion - completely unrealistic presumption. "Well, no. That is, I certainly won't tell any of the Professors..." he edged away slightly from the tall Prefect next to him.

"Lupin," Lucius' voice was dangerously quiet.

"Yes?" Remus asked airily, making an effort to avoid eye contact and found himself wishing - not for the first time - that the distance between Hogsmeade and the Castle were not so great.

Lucius quickly snaked out a hand and grabbed the other's shoulder, pulling him quickly backwards until Lucius' mouth was hovering just over Remus' ear, and the younger boy was frozen in shock. "No. You tell no-one." Lucius whispered harshly, glaring savagely as Remus squirmed away.

"You can't -- you can't tell me what to do, Malfoy," he replied, determined not to be intimidated. Lucius made an exasperated noise and released him.

"What do I have to do to make you understand? No one can know. In fact, it probably would have been better if you hadn't attempted to 'help' me at all..." he frowned bitterly as though going over something in his mind, before returning his gaze to Remus. "Well?"

"Well...what?" Remus muttered glumly, knowing that he was awful at refusing people things when they asked for them. And maybe it wasn't such a good idea, since Sirius was surprisingly gossipy...

Lucius just watched him silently with his pale eyes glinting in the moonlight, and expression guarded.

Remus sighed.

"Alright...I won't tell anyone. But --" He held up a finger to stop Lucius from speaking, and continued, "-- if I'm not going to be saying anything to anyone...then I think I at least deserve to know why you were willing to take such a big risk by getting so completely drunk."

Lucius just looked at him in surprise, before being seized by indecision. Was it worth it? He really needed to keep what had happened tonight quiet -- if anyone found out, and then his Father was somehow informed... "...Can I trust you, though? It would just be another thing you'd have to try and keep to yourself. Because honestly -- if you told anyone..." he trailed off darkly, crossing his arms and looking down at Remus stonily.

Remus paused for a moment before nodding his acquiescence, a small smile creeping onto his face. "It's alright, I'd keep it to myself. I understand how to do that when I have to..." he adjusted his robes a little and started walking again, "besides; you're older than me. One strong hex and you could finish me off for good!"

Lucius' resolve to try and look intimidating broke a little at that, and his features relaxed into a more placid expression. "Hm. Alright then, I suppose. There's no time to talk now," Lucius checked his watch as they finally passed the gates into the school ground, "but...I don't know, come and see me tomorrow if you must. At five."

Remus nodded, and then started to look around carefully to try and make sure they weren't spotted as they returned into school. He couldn't help but wish that the map he and the others were working on was finished, as he didn't know all the passages well enough yet to find and use them by himself. It had been James' idea originally -- he and Sirius had made a habit of seeking out unknown passages in Second year. Their Second year had also been the time when Sirius, James and Peter had started trying to teach themselves how to transform into Animagi -- it had taken them an immense amount of time and effort, but at the beginning of this year they had finally managed it. Remus smiled happily to himself; his own transformations had become a lot more bearable since he'd had his friends join him on the full moons. Glancing up one last time at the night sky, Remus narrowed his eyes and studied the fattening moon. Only 16 days until the next one...

He jumped as he suddenly felt Lucius grab him and shove him to one side behind a pillar. "We have to be quiet!" Lucius hissed, motioning to the huge main doorway of the school. "Guin's there!"

Remus internally groaned, frowning in despair. "Why her!" he whispered, trying to peek around the corner to see, "and why's Professor Guin even out this late, anyway! And it just had to be my Head of House, didn't it..." he hugged his arms round himself glumly, staring at the stone floor. "She's bound to catch us..."

Professor Guin was the Potions teacher and stern head of Gryffindor house - a short, plump woman, with auburn hair, little round glasses and a tendency to lose her hairpins everywhere.

Lucius was looking thoughtful, before finally seeming to come to a decision. "This way," he announced, dragging Remus by the arm after him as he strode out into full view to meet Professor Guin.

"Mr Malfoy!" Professor Guin sounded scandalised as she recognised the blonde prefect emerging from the darkness. "What on earth do you think you're doing? And Mr Lupin, too. Dear me, this is disgraceful!" she was frowning and tutting at them, folding her arms in disapproval.

"So sorry, Professor," Lucius spoke calmly and seriously, even bowing a little, "but I was just finishing my nightly round of the hallways before bed -- checking all the students are where they should be, you know -- when I saw Lupin here running. Running down the corridor!" Professor Guin cast a suspicious glance at Lupin, who in turn was trying to inconspicuously glare at Lucius. "But!" he continued, as grave as ever, "he was too quick for me, and ran all the way out of school. But do you know what I found out? He was sleepwalking! Well...running...but anyway, he was totally unaware of it. He got a little further out and then collapsed, which is where I found him." Remus was now just gaping at him in disbelief -- who in their right minds would believe that story? Lucius patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, and Professor Guin spoke to them brightly.

"Oh! Well, of course Mr Malfoy, such a devoted Prefect to help poor Mr Lupin all the way back...and since he fainted, I don't suppose you'd mind helping him along to the Hospital Wing?"

"Not at all," Lucius replied graciously, putting an arm around Remus' shoulders in a show of 'supporting' him. "Come along, Lupin..." Remus allowed himself to be led inside, still looking dazed and confused.

Once they were inside and out of sight of Professor Guin, Remus shrugged off Lucius' arm and turned to face him in wonder. "Malfoy...how did you actually manage to convince her of that? It was completely ridiculous!" Lucius actually grinned, and just said,

"I know. But unlike some --" he gave Remus a pointed glance, "-- she actually trusts me. See you tomorrow, Lupin..." Giving him a slight, tired smile, Lucius then turned and walked a little way and held up a hand in farewell, before starting to descend the stairs into the dungeons.

Remus stood for a moment, watching as Lucius' form disappeared down into the darkness.

"Yeah," he whispered, "see you." Slightly confused, and still not entirely sure what he was even confused about, he shook his head wearily and headed up to climb the stairs leading to the Gryffindor Common Room.