'If Thine Enemy...'

{ If Thine Enemy... }

Chapter Three: The Awakening

Light brushed his eyelids with a soft orange glow, and Harry turned over to avoid it. It only grew stronger, though--he must have turned in the wrong direction. He grumbled softly, still not opening his eyes. When had the barred cupboard window moved over here?

Come to think of it, the sheets beneath his bare arms were deliciously soft. And had a lovely, soothing scent. Rather like rain. What?...

Harry Potter blinked open his eyes.

And froze.

* * *

When he had sensed the sleeping spell fade from Potter, Lucius had strode back to the room. It wouldn't do, after all, to deprive his... guest... of a proper welcome. The constrictus might have been satisfying for Lucius, but he'd have to make amends with the boy if he wanted any information.

He'd entered the room just as the slight body had begun to stir. He placed himself in a shadowed corner that would be the last to be noticed, and waited. He smirked at the boy's childish tossing as he tried to avoid the light. Wrong direction, Potter.

Then, with a last resentful grumble, the eyes had opened.

And Lucius was transfixed.

Brilliant emerald shone in the early morning light, eyes widening in confusion and panic. Lucius saw them dart about the room: the ornate dresser, the high window, the cream walls with their carved lattices. One pale hand reached instinctively for the side-table, and hovered hesitantly when it didn't find any spectacles there. Lucius saw the pupils dilate in that impossible green, a biological reaction somehow excessively beautiful to watch. The reaction of prey trapped where there is insufficient light. The weak sun somehow ignited those green eyes to an even greater depth. No lack of light there, not at all. Such light. Light. Oh, light.

Finally, the eyes turned to his shaded corner. He saw them narrow; the effort tightening that young face. Lucius pulled himself together with unaccustomed difficulty, frowning in displeasure at his own reaction. Enough watching, he told himself sharply. It's time to make an entrance.

Slowly, he stepped out into the light. A startled gasp greeted him, the unguarded fear in those eyes rippling through him with a pleasure clear as water. How long had it been, in the world of Death Eaters, since he'd seen an expression that wasn't mere pretence?

'Your glasses,' he said in an impeccably calm voice. 'Are in the first drawer of the dresser.'

* * *

Harry unconsciously shrank back. The room had been strange enough--spare and rich at once, totally unfamiliar. He felt his pulse beat in shock--stared at the blurry shapes of the side-table and the large dresser. He felt he'd woken up in the middle of a very strange dream, in this silent and intimidating place. But the air around him was all too real, as were the sheets beneath him. His throat was extremely sore for some reason; and the blur that surrounded everything assured him that he couldn't be dreaming. In his dreams, Harry always had perfect sight.

Then his eyes had settled on that dark corner, out of which had stepped...

... This tall shadow.

Harry hadn't been able to hold back a gasp, his hands tightening on the sheets as he shrank back. He squinted; but as if obliging him, the figure moved closer. The edges sharpened around it and Harry could now see it clearly.

The shadow was... a man. In a black cloak. Tall, tall... Harry looked up. The cloak fell like a dark waterfall around straightened shoulders, sleeves cut to expose half the arm. A darker linen shone underneath, continuing to fall to the pale wrists. Black boots with silver buckles, placed as if anchored on the floor. Long hair, gleaming whitely in the light, bound back with a plain leather band. Also black.

But it was the eyes that trapped Harry. That frightened him. Such sharp, silver eyes--honed with alertness and sheer will--as if a mere command from them would bend the world. They crackled with a hidden light. If Harry had ever imagined that grey was an impassive colour, he was sorely surprised. The grey of this man's eyes was dangerously alive--the silver of lightning, the sharp glint off the edge of a blade. Harry shrank further. He felt himself assessed, more like prey than a human being. The shock of meeting those eyes was palpable. Harry almost fancied he heard the ring of steel.

And then, as it happened, he did.

'Your glasses,' said the man calmly; absolutely no inflection to that metal voice. 'Are in the first drawer of the dresser.'

* * *

Lucius felt a shock of pleasure run through him again at the tangible fear surrounding the boy. His mouth twisted slightly in disgust at himself. Why was he acting like a young man on the hunt again? This prey was to be picked apart, not torn at the instant. He had to be careful. His voice should betray nothing. Straightening his face again, he ventured a slight smile. The child had to be put at ease. Information, he reminded himself, is like water. It only flows easily through an open channel.

But the young Gryffindor kept staring at him as though frightened out of words. This, Lucius thought incredulously, is the legendary Boy Who Lived? The green eyes were beginning to unnerve him again; he nodded quickly in direction of the dresser.

'Your glasses,' he reminded the boy. 'Shouldn't you get them?'

Finally, the eyes blinked and looked away towards the dresser. Lucius felt himself relax, and cursed himself. It's just a colour, you fool. Those damned eyes. Just a colour. He saw the boy climb shakily out of bed, still carefully facing his way, not daring to turn his back. Well, Lucius reflected, at least he isn't all stupid.

The boy's throat was working; trying to get his voice past it was obviously painful. Lucius remembered the constrictus debacle--apparently, the boy didn't recall it yet. Could be the effects of the sleep spell. Must send some throat salve for that...

'You...' Potter was trying to form words. How quaint. He stopped, throat working once more. He began again: 'You...'

'I what?' Lucius couldn't keep the dark amusement from his voice, and saw the green eyes flash in anger. Ah. So here's the temper. Mustn't aggravate him too much though. He returned his voice to the polite monotone. 'You want to know who I am?'

Potter's throat was working again, but he couldn't answer. He nodded.

Lucius smiled. 'You'll find out in good time; over breakfast perhaps.' He kept his tone courteous this time; and was rewarded with a wary, assessing glance. The boy's panic was fading, replaced with an urgent need to understand the situation. Pity he was still weak from the spell. Lucius smirked. 'You will, of course, be happy to join me for breakfast. You must be famished.' Confusion filled the boy's face again. Lucius glanced with mild distaste at the boy's clothes. All rumpled T-Shirt and Muggle jeans. Combined with the dishevelled dark hair and the wild green eyes, they made the child look like a stray animal. Prey, he reminded himself, and smiled again. 'Dinner isn't a formal affair here, but I'm sure you'll feel more comfortable once you've changed. I'll have a house-elf bring you some clothes.' Perhaps something of Draco's...

A brittle silence descended, with the boy trying to get his throat to speak again. Growing impatient, Lucius nodded politely. 'I'll see you at breakfast then.'

As he closed the door behind him, Lucius heard the dresser drawer being opened. Merlin knew why the boy hadn't cast a repario on his eyes yet; he certainly wasn't going to, if Potter couldn't think of it himself.

Spectacles, Lucius thought in disgust. What a ridiculous Muggle artifact.

***To Be Continued***

Note: For the observant among you, you'll be wondering why Harry reaches for his spectacles but not his wand. The reason I did this is because, for Harry, this is the more instinctual reaction. Notice also that he mentally reverted back to his cupboard at the Dursleys by instinct when he was still asleep, because that is where he spent most of his life. It's like the shock of the situation, combined with the sedation spell, has shifted him mentally to a pre-Hogwarts frame of mind (temporarily). He is even more of a child until both the shock and the spell wear off. Of course, Lucius just thinks of this as careless weakness, although Harry isn't a trained wizard yet and can hardly possess a wizard's reflexes at his age.

Next chapter: Coming very very soon! (Like, in two days.) Lucius and Harry have breakfast (or try to, anyway)... and Harry finally comes to his senses as the sleep-spell wears off. Don't worry, he's going to be the centre of action pretty soon--finding out you're under the roof of a Death Eater can't make any Boy Who Lived happy. Especially when said Death Eater's intentions seem too vague for comfort, and your own loyalties are thrown into question.

Real slash as well in the next chapter and bucket loads of homoeroticism, although neither Lucius nor Harry will be quite sure of what's going on until the end of it. *smirk* Ah, the pleasures of authorship. Will be R-rated.

Please review if you want more! I should be done with the next chapter soon, but still...

~THANKS TO ALL THE GREAT REVIEWERS WHO URGED THIS CHAPTER ONTO THE NET! MAY ALL YOUR APPARATIONS LAND YOU IN HAPPY PLACES!!~

Especially thanking my regular reviewers: hermionegranger, Kenna Hijja, Maeglin Yedi, Hippy Flower=Voldie's Kid, Lina Inverse, RaevensHalo, Isilme, Tinuviel and PissedOffEskimo (love yer name!)

To all of you, my heartfelt thanks--and apologies if I left out anyone. I appreciate your comments deeply, especially the insightful ones about Lucius' character. I know Harry seems to be out of it so far, but he's going to be very much in action (err... ahem) from the next chapter onwards. As will Lucius, of course. I can also warn you that things are going to get much stranger, and people who Harry regarded as allies may turn out to be his exploiters, and vice-versa... There *is* going to be plot in this. Trust me.

Lina: I'm glad my Lucius pleased you. I know I'm playing him as more ambitious and logical than evil, and I thought he'd make a good change from the usual evil Lucius. Evil is too easy, I think--quite one-dimensional. I wanted to try a more complex Lucius--he has something of the mastermind, something of the aesthete, something of the sadist and something of the gentleman as well. A strange man, but that's why we love him.

Kenna: you had me blushing with your compliments, and the genuine understanding you had for the flow of this fic! I did intend this fic to be on the darker side, but also focussing on the aesthetics.

Maeglin: Thanks for liking my strange little plot bunny of using 'apparate'! You're right, it's usually so damn hard to get Harry anywhere near Lucius; so I had him apparate there himself.

RaevensHalo: I totally agree! Lucius isn't written nearly as often as he should be--he's virtually a mine-field of gorgeous plot bunnies, not to mention some beautifully blistering Slytherin dialogue. And with a name like that... come on... he's just *asking* to be written. Lush Lucius, Luscious Lucius, Lucifer Lucius... whatever one wants.

e: I know many people will wonder why I chose a fourteen-year-old Harry. To be quite honest, I was going to choose an older Harry at first. But then I always wanted to write a truly impossible relationship... to see if anything could happen between people thoroughly different in every way--one a Slytherin, the other a Gryffindor; one a boy, the other a man; one an innocent, the other a jaded tactician; one an impulsive soul still capable of laughter, the other a blackened soul that has nearly lost the ability to smile (except at the misfortunes of others). I wanted to see if I could take the usual evil-infects-innocence theme and turn it all around. What if innocence is the truly infectious thing? Poor Lucius... :) And by the way, I do acknowledge that your review isn't a flame--it's a very observant and, for me, very gratifying review! Thanks!

Erin: Thanks for saying my Lucius is in-character. I'm not quite sure of that, but I'm trying! It's hard to try to develop some feelings for Harry in him, considering he's such a... errr... not pleasant person.

Dakar: Appreciate your enjoying the second chapter--I was afraid it would put people off because of its introspection. Glad to see there are people who can tolerate (and enjoy!) the crystalline intricacies of a Slytherin mind. Kudos to you...

That's it for now. More responses will come as more reviews come... so get on with you and write one!!