Title: An Enchantment Most Foul
Authors: elfflame, iamisaac, ceria and lee_west
Characters: Lucius Malfoy / Gideon Prewett and Sirius Black / Kingsley Shacklebolt
Rating: NC-17.
Warnings: Semi-public sex, part one of two
Themes/kinks chosen: Kinky Kollaboration!
Word Count: about 10,000 total
Summary: "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." - Napoleon



Lucius couldn’t believe his luck. He’d always known he would be the one to bring the elder Black brother to his Lord, but he’d assumed he would have to send for the boy before seducing him with the potion Severus had provided him. He’d never thought he’d practically stumble across Sirius on one of his regular visits to the Ministry. He knew that Sirius was training to become an Auror along with his friend Potter, but he hadn’t thought the young man would just be wandering the halls of the Ministry alone.

It was quite the easiest thing to subdue the boy temporarily and drag him to a nearby storeroom so that they wouldn’t be disturbed. It was a far more difficult task, though, to actually dose Black with the potion Lucius always carried on his person, just in case.

Severus had told him the potion worked like a one-time Imperius, and left the person in a state of natural susceptibility. Once the boy was dosed, it would be easy enough to convince him to come with Lucius to “meet a new friend.” Lucius would have rather used the Imperius, but casting a spell of that sort in the confines of the Ministry was too dangerous these days, and there was no way he wanted to end up in Azkaban. Even if they hadn't been in the Ministry, the boy had always been foolhardy and hot-headed. Lucius doubted the boy would be susceptible to the spell if he were to try it on him.

The problem was, Black didn’t seem to want to keep still. Not a particular shock. He and Lucius had never gotten on too well, what with Sirius’s preference to rebel against what society and his family expected of him. Still, he was Narcissa’s cousin, and if Lucius could bring him to the right side, his new bride would be far happier with him. Now he just needed to find a way to immobilize the boy.

---

What the…?

Of course, Sirius had known that Malfoy spent time hobnobbing with the great and the good at the Ministry – well, the great, anyway. But it had still been an unpleasant surprise to spot him at a distance. At least Sirius had been able to slide away down the nearest corridor -- oh, the wonder that was Auror training, that had given Sirius the ability to fade into the background, as opposed to his schooldays approach of always being at the centre of everything! He preferred to avoid a face-to-face meeting with Malfoy, but never expected the man to follow him.

And that would have been bad enough in itself, without the bloody man grabbing him and dragging him into… what the fuck was this place? Some kind of storeroom or something…. and holding onto him like he didn’t want to let go.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sirius demanded.

“Keep still.”

It was the only thing Lucius said, and Sirius did not feel that it was commensurate with being grasped by a man apparently trying to take him prisoner in a Ministry of Magic store cupboard.

“For fuck’s sake, Malfoy, this is the Ministry of bloody Magic. What are you playing at?”

Lucius didn’t reply, his face set in concentration, one of his arms grasping at Sirius and trying to hold him immobile whilst the other delved into a pocket.

“Damned if I’m going to let you curse me,” Sirius muttered breathlessly.

“As if I would, you stupid boy.”

And that phrase was like a red rag to a bull. Sirius had thought that he was using all his ability to shrug Lucius off before hand, but he was damned if he was going to put up with being called names by a servant of Voldemort. Especially one who had had the bad taste to marry into his family.

“Get off me.”

Why, oh why, did he not have his wand at the ready? What was the point of being an Auror and then finding yourself caught out on your own territory? Sirius’s anger was directed at himself as much as at Lucius. But he was certain that his fighting skills were better than Malfoy’s. Sirius had learned many things at Hogwarts that pure-blood snobs like Malfoy probably hadn’t come across. How to fight dirty, for one. Slytherins might be the experts in underhand fighting when it came to wands, but if hand-to-hand combat was the method… Sirius would back himself against most people.

Part of his brain was aware of sounds outside the storeroom, but he was too intent on Lucius to give much attention to anything else. Lucius’s left hand was withdrawing from the pocket of his robes when Sirius caught it with a swift uppercut. The vial of potion arced through the air as the door to the cupboard smashed open…

---

Working for the Ministry of Magic wasn't a dream job, but it provided access to several interesting things. Being in the office of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes gave Gideon a chance to check paperwork for the Order that they might not otherwise have access to. Any project deemed not Auror-worthy was handled through his office, and in the end, Gideon was responsible for filing the final paperwork.

Today had been such a quiet day that he'd asked permission to clean the three-year-old files and take them to storage. He worked quietly, shaking his head when Melinda Peasegood asked him if he needed help moving them. If she followed him, he wouldn't have a chance to open the three he already marked as possible information for the Order. If he was alone in the storeroom, however, he could check them quickly enough.

Reaching the correct level, Gideon wasn't paying attention beyond the four boxes floating behind him. He exited the lift and watched them follow him out, then began walking and turning at the same time, smacking directly into a broad chest.

"Oh, sorry," Gideon said, glancing up to see Kingsley Shacklebolt glaring at him.

"Watch where you're walking, Prewett," he said, his rumbling voice making Gideon grin politely, briefly thinking he wouldn't want to cross that man outside of work.

Excusing himself, Gideon stepped around him, maneuvering the boxes awkwardly, taking long enough to make Kingsley miss the lift. Instead of apologising again, Gideon sighed and tugged the boxes along with his wand.

The storeroom was only a few metres away now. Hopefully he could make it there without any more incidents. Stopping outside the door, he waved his wand, piling the boxes haphazardly onto the floor while he opened it. They almost fell over, which would have made all his careful selection all for naught, and Gideon leaped forward to catch the boxes, waving his wand at the door, whipping it open. As soon as the boxes were stable again, his attention completely on them, he waved his wand to lift the top box again and stepped inside threshold of the door before looking inside the room.

"Oh, Merlin!" he muttered, at first mistaking the two flailing men already inside the room as a couple having a secret tryst. Then he realized that they were fighting, and not actually having sex, even though they looked as though they were groping each other.

"Hey!" Gideon yelled, "What's going on?" He stepped further through the doorway and began to separate the men, one hand on the blonde's shoulder and his other hand on the other one's forearm. He was concentrating on what he was doing and didn't immediately notice who it was. He completely ignored the box as it fell to the floor, scattering parchment everywhere.

---

Fuck! Kingsley thought as he saw the lift closing in his face. He was late for his meeting with Scrimgeour and, as he stood there, his eyes followed the numbers going down on the top of the closed door. The lift was notoriously slow and he made an executive decision: he would take the stairs. After all, he was quite fast and in good shape and he would be able to get to his boss's office long before the damn lift returned to this floor.

Glancing to his left, he saw Gideon leading the boxes to wherever the fuck he was going and was already starting sprinting to the right, towards the stairs, when he heard Prewett mutter something. He didn't even look back: probably the other man had found the door locked or something unimportant like that. But then Gideon yelled and Kingsley snapped his head around. The words 'What's going on' caught his attention and he forgot about Scrimgeour momentarily, striding back towards the room, to see what had made Prewett that frazzled.

After all, he was already late and, if there was something threatening in that room, Scrimgeour would understand.

---

Lucius snarled at the boy as he continued to fight with him, and then he heard the creak of the door—just enough to distract him from what he was doing for Sirius to knock the precious vial from his hand. He felt it slip from his fingers, and turned in horror to watch it shatter on the floor, the sound ringing strangely in the small room.

All he could think of was that the potion was gone and his Master would punish him should he find out this failure. “No! You fool! What have you done?”

Then he heard another voice, and turned back to the door he’d forgotten. Gideon Prewett was standing in the doorway, looking alarmed and outraged. Then the world…shifted. Prewett was from one of those families. The sort Lucius had always hated and was now fighting against. And yet, for some reason, all he wanted to do was thread his fingers through that hair find out if it was as hot as the flames it looked like.

He abandoned Sirius, leaving him forgotten as he approached his new prey, his true purpose lost in a haze of whatever it was now filling his head.

One pale hand reached out to tug at the red locks, and he smirked. “Is your temper more fiery than your hair, Prewett?” he purred at the younger man. Yes, he would definitely have to taste this one. Maybe there was a way to turn him for his Master?

---

He heard the tinkling of shattered glass on the floor and fleetingly wondered what it was, but Gideon's next thought overrode any concern. Lucius and Sirius? Since when were they involved? And what was Black thinking…

Then Lucius was walking – slinking – toward him much like some siren, his hand raised to touch his hair, his mouth uttering something. But Gideon didn't care about the smooth words, even though part of his mind registered that Malfoy was flirting with him.

The hand touched him and Gideon tilted his head, leaning into the caress. Hell, Gideon didn't care what the man said if he was going to pull his hair like that. He was aware enough to realise that someone entered the room behind him and Gideon stepped forward to allow him further through the door. How convenient that moving also put him that much closer to Lucius.

Reaching up, Gideon tugged on the collar of Lucius' robes, closing the distance between them until his lips were touching the soft skin at the base of Lucius' ear. "Most likely too much fire for you to handle." He could hear the crunch of tiny pieces of glass beneath his feet.

---

With a vague memory that that crunching glass was important, Lucius dismissed it, turning his thoughts toward the man in front of him. Mmm…Yes, Gideon was quite a handful. But then, Lucius had dealt with much more before. “You think so? I’d imagine I can handle quite a bit.”

He’d entirely forgotten about Sirius and didn’t even think of him until he shifted to press Gideon against the wall and saw the younger man snogging a tall black man he recognized as an Auror—Longshanks or something like that—rather heavily.

He had a feeling there was something wrong with that image, or the Auror’s presence, but damned if he could remember it right now, while there was such a willing body pressed against his own. It didn’t matter. He’d figure it out soon enough. As soon as he’d shown Prewett his place—under him.

Nipping down Gideon’s neck, he curled his fingers in the other man’s hair and used his grip to pull his head to the side. “Tell me, Prewett…Have you ever been with a pureblood before? I assure you, they’re quite superior to those Mudbloods you usually waste time with…” He nipped and licked at the other man’s neck as he talked, his free hand reaching down to stroke over Gideon’s groin, and smirked at what he found there. “Eager, are you?” He asked, pulling back so that he could meet his eyes. “I can’t wait to hear you cry out for me. You’ll never have better.”

---

His feet slipping beneath him on loose parchment and broken glass, Gideon briefly wondered why he wanted to keep that parchment organized. However, being pressed against the wall quickly made him forget about such things, and Lucius' hand on his groin only distracted him more. You’ll never have better. Gideon heard the arrogant tone and instead of cowering to the smug words, he laughed, his throat vibrating against Lucius' lips. "Your blood is no purer than my own, Malfoy"

Yanking his head free of Lucius' tight grip, Gideon tangled his own hands in the white-blond hair and pushed the two of them sideways, giving himself some space to maneuver, until his hand bumped into a cabinet. Pressing forward, he tilted his hips into Lucius' hand. "You seem to know what to do with that hand, Malfoy. I hope you're as talented with the rest of your body."

He was having trouble remembering why he was in this room to begin with. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sirius melting into Kingsley's thick arms. He admired the view for a moment, turning his head further to watch as Kingsley bared Sirius' shoulder, until Lucius bit his collarbone hard.

Gasping, Gideon narrowed his eyes, turning his attention back to Malfoy. "What? Are you needing some attention of your own?"

Pushing against him, sure he was smashing Lucius's perfect hand between their bodies, Gideon sucked on the tender skin of Malfoy's neck, just below the ear. The scent of his skin was intoxicating and Gideon breathed deeply, pushing his hips forward in response to his desire.

---

Lucius groaned at the lips on his neck, despite trying to repress it. The spot was definitely a weakness for him.

“I assure you,” he managed to snarl, his hand fumbling to get Gideon’s trousers open, “Malfoys are never less than the best. And I definitely think if you want a taste, you had better pay attention, or I’ll just be finding someone else to gift with my presence.”

He licked at the bite mark he’d made on Gideon’s collarbone as a reminder, then slid his hand into the man’s trousers, then curled his fingers around his shaft, giving it a hard stroke. “Your body seems to agree with me. But do go on protesting. The fight is always fun.” Lucius smirked. “And I always win.” If there was anything he lacked, it most certainly wasn’t confidence.

Pushing Gideon’s trousers down, he let the hand that had been tangled in that flame-red hair pull at his shirt and robe, trying to get them open. All else faded away from his notice, the sounds of Black and that Auror, the crunching of broken glass, the loose parchment floating about the room.

---

Laughter bubbling in his chest, Gideon let Malfoy say whatever he wanted. It was obvious that the man wasn't going to walk away from him. Lucius was too interested if that groan was any indication. Gideon didn't even bother to correct him. Why? When all he had to do was step out of his trousers that Malfoy was very quickly removing for him.

Remaining still was difficult, Gideon had to admit. Not only was Lucius tugging hard on his clothes, but Gideon's sense of self felt as though it was fading behind a fog of lust. He couldn't see anything beyond Lucius, or hear anything outside of grunts and groans. Most likely his own, since Lucius was pulling at his clothes hard enough to rip them.

Hissing briefly as Lucius scratched him, Gideon pulled away, undoing his own robe and let it fall to the floor amongst the loose parchment, quickly followed by shirt. He stood there proudly naked, hands on his hips for a moment, letting Lucius look at him.

Then he realized it wasn't fair at all. He'd never seen Malfoy naked and with fumbling fingers, he immediately began to divest Lucius of his clothing. "Want to see your pretty skin," Gideon mumbled, overcome with desire to touch Lucius' nipples, to bite them, to watch Lucius writhe with need as Gideon knew he could make him. In his hurry to undress Malfoy, Gideon awkwardly rushed through it, the crystal buttons sliding against each other, reminding him of broken glass.

---

Lucius had forgotten all about the others in the room. And almost completely about Sirius and his mission. His focus was wholly consumed by the vision that had been revealed to him. And when Gideon began to undo his clothing as well, something inside him urged him to help. After all, wasn’t it best if the clothes were out of their way so that they could focus on more important things? His heavy robe dropped to the floor, and soon after, his silk shirt and his trousers followed.

Freed of cloth, it was easy enough to push Gideon against the wall again, chuckling when he grabbed the top of the nearby cabinet to remain standing. He ignored the loose parchment fluttering off the top of the cabinet; it only distracted him from his present mission. His fingers explored all the bits of Gideon that had been beckoning him ever since the man had pulled off his clothes. A brush of a thumb over a nipple as he sucked at his neck, his other hand moving lower, tracing the lines of his stomach—hadn’t Prewett played Quidditch in school? Lucius couldn’t recall for certain. One of the brothers had: he remembered that much, at least.

Shaking off his meandering thoughts, Lucius traced down over Gideon’s hip, his lips coming down on the other man’s almost brutally. Here was something he couldn’t do with his wife, but Prewett seemed to accept it eagerly. It was one of the pleasures of being with other men. Being able to play more roughly.

---

The only thing that made Gideon hesitate was the silk shirt. The material was just so fine he had been tempted to leave it on Lucius, unable to decide which he wanted to touch more, the shirt or his skin. Thankfully Lucius made the decision for him and Gideon, as he was roughly pushed against the wall and kissed, dug one hand into Lucius' hips, sure he'd leave five fingertip-size bruises. Let Narcissa make of that as she would, if she even slept with her husband still. Which Gideon had to wonder about considering the way Lucius was desperately kissing him. His hand slid off the cabinet, pulling down more loose files, sending them floating through the room; he watched them briefly until they settled on the floor before Lucius reclaimed his attention.

His sudden need to claim Malfoy still seemed… off, but Gideon wasn't in any state to argue with his desire. The only thing he wanted to argue with was Lucius' apparent craving to lead. Because that wasn't happening. Gideon wanted nothing more than to see the man turned around, bent at the hips, fingers hanging on to the filing cabinets that were currently digging into Gideon's skin.

He couldn't separate them with one hand, and Gideon placed his other hand on Lucius' hips, pushing him away, partially to catch his breath, and partially to take a look at the man he wanted. Besides, Lucius needed to learn he couldn't lead in everything.

---

Being pushed away like that rather upset Lucius, and he was quick to pin Gideon to the wall, his face close as he growled at him. “Oh, no, Prewett. I don’t think so. You want me? You’ll have to have me on my terms only.” His words were echoed by the sounds in the room, grunts from whoever was across the room, by the broken glass on the floor that sounded like the distant nattering of mocking laughter.

Leaning in, he sucked at a spot at the base of Gideon’s jaw line, then let one hand stroke down over the other man’s arse. “Besides, this arse of yours was just made to be fucked,” he added with a husky whisper as he gave it a squeeze.

He wanted Gideon so bad, he could taste it, but not if he couldn’t have it the way he wanted it.

“So,” he purred. “Do we do this my way, or do I find another friend to play with?”

---

Tremors rippling down him as Lucius bit his jaw, Gideon groaned. Why did Malfoy keep talking? His words make no sense, just the prattle of broken sound. As if Gideon was any frame of mind to carry on a conversation right now. He squeezed his arse tight, obviously enjoying the feeling of Lucius' fingers there, teasing him.

His shoulders were already against the wall, so Gideon pushed his hips back as well, knowing he'd pin Lucius' hand there, hopefully long enough to make his fingers stop moving, giving Gideon the chance to think. Letting go of Lucius' hips, Gideon threaded his fingers through the long, silky hair, yanking on it hard enough to tilt Lucius' lips away. Then he could concentrate on these arrangements Lucius wanted to discuss.

"I'm not your friend, Malfoy, but yes, name your terms."

---

Lucius laughed harshly, sounding like parchment shredding over the sharp edge of glass, not even noticing their audience. “Ah, Prewett. I’m hurt. Don’t you like me?” He certainly had no problem having his hand trapped the way it was. He simply circled the tight muscle his fingers managed to find, watching to see how Gideon would react.

“I’d say this will do. Or would you rather turn around so I can’t see that pretty face of yours?” he asked with a purr. Really, either would do. Right now, he was so hard just rubbing against the man would get him off, but Malfoys did not rub against others like impatient schoolboys. Fuck others against walls, yes, but most definitely more than rubbing would happen here if he had anything to say about it.

If he’d had more time, he’d have Apparated the man to his London flat to do things properly, but right now, he needed sex, and he needed it now. With Gideon. He tried not to think too much about why.

---

Gideon was confident that Lucius wanted more than to just grope him. Grinning at him, Gideon asked, "You want to grab my arse and stare at my pretty face? That doesn't sound like much fun at all. Why don't you turn around and I can show you what fun is?"

At this point, he didn't much care who did what to whom. Gideon liked being the bottom, but the whole idea of rolling over and giving in so easily bothered him. At least with Malfoy. He glanced at Sirius and Kingsley and felt his knees go weak at the image the two men made together. The large black hands against that tanned skin was sensuous and actually made Gideon whimper brokenly, wanting to be in that position right then.

Cutting off the embarrassing sound quickly enough, he turned back toward Lucius, pressing the palms of his hands against his chest, nodding once, acquiescing because his desire to feel Lucius' cock was overwhelming.

---

Lucius saw Gideon glance over at the other occupants of the rather small room, and followed his gaze. The two were, quite admittedly, inspiring, and he felt his cock throb a bit in response. When Gideon whimpered, it drew his attention back to the other man. The nod of agreement from him made Lucius smirk. Apparently he had been quite affected by the sight.

But first, Lucius needed to prepare the way. He whispered a few handy spells slicking them both up, and stretching Gideon. His patience had most definitely begun to wane, so he wasn’t about to try to stretch the man by hand. Not when magic could make things so much simpler.

Having Gideon pressed up against the wall this way would be a bit difficult on both of them, but damned if he wanted the other man forgetting who he was with. He pulled one of Gideon’s legs up, propping his foot on an empty box on the floor, indicating to the other man what he was going to do, and began nipping and sucking at the man’s neck, his hands on his arse pulling him up so that he could press against Gideon's entrance.

---

Gideon quickly forgot everything else - noises faded away and his eyes were incapable of seeing the chaotic room - Lucius' fingers teased him as he lined up to push inside, his the other hand lifting Gideon's leg. Uncomfortable it might be, but who really cared about pain as Lucius made it clear he was ready.

Preparing himself, Gideon looked down, murmuring nonsense to encourage Lucius, anything to keep Malfoy biting him, distracting Gideon from the uncomfortable pressure that faded quickly enough.

He could hear others in the room, the sound of skin striking, the grunts of pleasure being found, but he didn't care to look. He vision was filled at the moment by Malfoy's perfect, pale skin. He raised his hands, settling them on Malfoy's shoulders for balance. Bending his knees, he silently urged Lucius to move.

---

Hearing a grunt behind him, Lucius turned to glance over his shoulder before beginning to thrust into Gideon once more, his hand shifting from the man’s hip to his cock, stroking him in time with his thrusts. “Do you see them, Prewett? I imagine they make quite the sight. All that dark skin against pale…” He grinned wickedly, nipping at the other man’s neck again.

“Have you ever thought of it?” he murmured sotto voice in Gideon’s ear. “That cock inside you, fucking you hard? You do work with the man, after all. It had to have occurred to you. The image of him fucking you just. Like. This?” With the last three words, his thrusts increased, trying to find the man’s prostate. He wanted to make him wail. See him come on his cock before he let go his control.

The problem was, he wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to last himself. The man was so tight. And the noises the other two were making were driving him mad now that he was focusing on them.

---

Glancing at the sweaty bodies, Gideon didn't reply at first. He had to admit the dark skin against the pale was attractive, but then he looked back at Lucius, his usually perfect self stood in front of him, naked, his hair disordered as if caught in a windstorm, his eyes crinkled in concentration, his skin damp with effort.

Smiling brilliantly at him, Gideon shrugged, "It's an interesting idea…" he admitted between thrusts, "But then, for you to assume I want him over you, or for me to agree, that doesn't say much for your skills."

Damn, it had taken too much concentration with that sentence and Gideon gasped, his voice fragmented and shattered, as Lucius found his prostate, the tip of his cock sliding back and forth over it. He threw his head backwards, hitting the wall hard as he dug his ragged fingernails into Lucius' shoulders for support.

"Fuck," he moaned, trembling as Lucius' hand tightened around his cock. Any moment now and he'd be finished.

---

The answer from Gideon was almost enough to make Lucius scowl for a moment, but at the reaction to his thrust, his smirk returned, and he made certain to repeat the action as much as he could. It was a gratifying response. “No? You don’t like my skills, Prewett? You seem rather to be enjoying them at the moment—unless you want me to believe that was a yawn just now? Perhaps I should see if Sirius would rather ride my cock instead?”

It was a bluff, of course. There was no way he was letting go of Gideon until he’d finished. As it was, concentrating on the other man was all that was keeping him from coming. And talking was the best way to manage that.

He continued to stroke the other man, his thumb sweeping over the head with each pass as he worked to graze the other man’s prostate, and smirking as he whispered to him, “Wouldn’t that be a glorious sight? He’s such a beautiful boy. All that pale skin and dark hair. He was made for this, don’t you think?”

Still, despite his best efforts, he was barely holding on, slowly unraveling. He knew it wouldn’t be long now. Not with the way Gideon was reacting to his thrusts.

---

He really couldn't take much more, words were fast becoming too much work. "Sure," he said, not quite confident what he was replying to. It felt so good, all he could do was throw his head back, fingertips digging into Malfoy’s shoulders. Too much stimulation and with that, Gideon gave into desire as Lucius flicked his thumb yet again across the tip and came with a groan, involuntarily tightening his legs around Malfoy.

He bit his tongue to keep from saying anything stupid, but he couldn't have remained quiet to save his soul. At least it was nothing but senseless noise.

---

Lucius was almost entirely unaware there was a conversation going on between the two men behind him, he was so focused on Gideon – all he could hear was the murmur of words. The sight of Prewett coming was electric, and Lucius lasted only long enough to watch him finish before letting go of his own control with a groan, pressing up into the other man as he came, then sagging against him. If he’d been anyone else, he would have sunk to the floor, likely dragging Gideon with him, but Lucius managed to keep his feet, instead shoving the other man against the wall as he caught his breath.

Unfortunately, with his breath came sanity as well. Now that his body was sated, he remembered why he’d come in here in the first place. He stiffened a bit as he remembered - the potion! Damn the boy! And damn Prewett and Shacklebolt too. He also knew he had only a few moments before the potion took hold again. How long had Severus made that potion last? Obviously, he was going to have to find Narcissa as soon as he returned home. He couldn’t have some Knockturn Alley whore finding out his little secret. Or even guessing at it.

Despite his thoughts, Lucius did his best not to let his reaction show. He pulled away a bit too abruptly from the other man and began to pull on his clothes as though he’d simply been changing.

Obviously, with two others in the room, there was no way he was going to be able to drag Sirius away now. Especially not with him in the arms of that…Auror. Oh, yes, he recognised the man well now. He’d seen him at a few functions, and remembered Fudge saying something about him being a rising star in the law enforcement department. Lucius scowled, trying not to direct it in the direction of the dark-skinned man now looking far too pleased with himself. If Lucius hadn’t known that there was no way the man could know what his plan had been, he’d have sworn Shacklebolt had planned it this way.

Still, rather than hexing the Auror like he deserved, Lucius straightened, shaking out his mussed hair, letting it fall back into place as the potion’s hold lessened. He tidied himself as gracefully as the situation would allow—then, quickly and quietly, he left, without drawing too much attention to himself from those who might be passing by.

His plan would have to wait for another day. Severus should certainly be able to manage another dose, shouldn’t he?