lucius malfoy (loucius) wrote in disorderic, @ 2018-02-04 17:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | barnaby snell, lucius malfoy |
WHO: Baz Snell and Lucius Malfoy
WHAT: Casual run-ins at casual bookstores
WHEN: February 4, afternoon
WHERE: Flourish and Blotts
WARNINGS: Dark magic, torture
Baz inspected the shelf of adventure novels with a tight-lipped frown. He was picking up a few things for Jeremy — tea from Rosa Lee Teabag, chocolates from Sugarplum’s Sweets Shop rather than Rosier’s, roses from the flower vendor on the corner of Diagon — and he wanted to cap off his gift with a new book. But Flourish and Blotts didn’t have anything that jumped out at him. Perhaps he would’ve been better off going to a muggle bookstore. He set Kiss Me, Bite Me, a vampire romance novel, back on its appropriate shelf with a sigh. He weaved his way through the rows of shelves, his eyes on the door at the front of the shop. In his haste to leave, he accidentally jostled the bags of a man standing in the philosophy section. “Oh, sorry,” Baz said absently, only sparing the man a brief glance before recognition dawned on him. He did a rather dramatic double-take, his eyes narrowing as his gaze settled on Lucius Malfoy’s sharp features. “You.” The words rushed out before he could stop himself: “Having a nice day out now that you’ve ruined Quidditch?” Lucius recognized Barnaby Snell immediately because he'd always been good at remembering the faces of the people who hated him, but rather than let the recognition show, he acted like he couldn't place the man in front of him. Finally, after a pause wherein he kept his eyebrow lifted for a long few seconds, he said, "Ah, Snell. It has been quite enjoyable now that I don't have multiple crises over inept Quidditch players to solve. How's unemployment treating you?" Baz drew himself up to his full height as he lifted his chin. “I’m not unemployed yet,” he snapped. “How’s unemployment treating you?” He wasn't about to tell him that he wished he was unemployed, but that, unfortunately, the end of Quidditch didn't mean he could leave his job. Peering at him with disinterest, Lucius only said, mildly, "I wouldn't know, but I would imagine you'll have a lot to say about the subject. You do have to find a way to fill your free time." “You haven’t managed to ruin international Quidditch,” Baz grumbled, mentally tacking on a yet. He wasn’t sure about his future at the WWN — there was only so much Quidditch history to go over — but he wasn’t going to let Lucius Malfoy in on that uncertainty. “And my skills as a broadcaster are highly in demand,” he continued. “I have fans.” Did people care about international Quidditch?, Lucius almost asked, but that would mean he'd have to spend even more time thinking about the topic than his maximum two minutes allowed. He chuckled lightly, without feeling behind it, and scanned the books next to him to let Barnaby think that he had plans to do so. "How strange. Whenever I've spoken to your bosses, I've heard the opposite." Baz gave Lucius a withering look. “My bosses are primarily concerned with appeasing the Death Eaters, so that doesn’t surprise me. They wouldn’t want you to think a detractor was popular.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Baz realized he was doing something very stupid. There was nothing stopping Malfoy from making an example of a detractor right in the middle of the store. "Is that how your unemployment delusions are playing out?" Lucius made a falsely sympathetic face at him. "Perhaps you just need to find a different avenue for your interests. The Department of Magical Sports and Games is hiring." “Been there, done that,” Baz groused, adjusting the strap on his shoulder. “I was a statistician for years. Besides,” and he met Lucius’ gaze with a glare, “I would never work for a Death Eater.” An insincere smile flickered across Lucius' face. "Principles like yours," there was an air of distaste attached to his words, "are admirable to some." (Though it was clear he wasn't including himself in that.) "But often more dangerous than they're worth." He reached out to brush away imaginary dust off the strap Barnaby had just adjusted. Instinctively jerking away, Baz felt a pinprick of fear at the base of his neck. Lucius Malfoy was a dangerous man. And yet… “Are you threatening me?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Because I heard you were bested by fourteen year olds.” His face tightened and his eyes narrowed for a second before his smile returned. It had been the reinforcements that had turned the tide. "Of course not," Lucius said. "You'd know if I was threatening you." “Except I know you were the one fucking with me last month,” Baz retorted, his own eyes narrowing. “Did you have a laugh with your wife about it?” If someone was responsible for that, it wasn't Lucius. However, it was satisfying to know someone was taking matters into their own hands. His smile came more easily this time. "Yes, my wife and I had a nice lunch as we reminisced about it the other day," he said, "but it's unfortunate your voice recovered." For a moment, Baz glared openly at Lucius, a sudden wave of anger surging within him. A slanting muscle in his jaw betrayed high tension, and he seemed on the verge of snarling at Lucius — but then the moment passed. Instead, he gave Lucius a tight-lipped smile. “It’s unfortunate your wife is still ruining the Daily Prophet, but hey, what can you do?” In an instant, Lucius' smile dropped. He raised his wand, pointed it right against Barnaby's throat, and pressed hard against it. "You've three seconds to recant." Baz swallowed against the tip of Malfoy’s wand. There was a flash of fear in his eyes, and a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Nora’s told him to recant, recant, recant. But adrenaline paired with exasperation at the state of the media made him shake his head. “I’m not wrong. The Prophet wasn’t without its problems, but she’s turned it into a complete joke.” The incantation for the Suffocation Curse was barely heard it happened so fast and with his wand at such close range, he knew that it would take only a short period of time to cause the right amount of damage to his vocal cords. After a count of ten seconds, he lifted the curse, but not the wand, and gave him a chance to breathe. "Now, would you like to disavow your statement?" “Fuck off,” Baz rasped between desperate gasps for air. His throat was seized by pain and a lump of anger, and he found himself gripping his own wand before he realized what he was doing. But he couldn’t duel a Death Eater — he wouldn’t last a minute. Other Flourish and Blotts patrons were gaping at them. A child was crying. Baz’s ears were ringing. “That’s a no, by the way,” he managed, his voice barely audible. Lucius had noticed the gathering crowd and waved at them. "Just a minor disagreement," he said easily, but his tone belied his hard eyes, the warning for them to scatter. Most of them did and he didn't care about the rest that lingered but pretended not to be. They wouldn't be interfering anyways. "Like I said. Your principles may be admirable, but they're also dangerous." He eased the pressure of his wand for a second before casting a Silencing Charm on Baz. Then, "Crucio," he said, almost lazily. The younger man immediately crumpled to the floor, his legs buckling from the dizzying agony. All thoughts scattered as he bit down on cries of pain, and his body longed to submit to the pain. It was searing agony, and his hoarse screams soon filled the room. The problem with the Cruciatus was that it always happened too quickly for Lucius' liking. It became boring quickly and he released it after just a few moment's application. In a detached sort of way, Lucius observed Barnaby Snell, crumpled on the floor, and raised an eyebrow. He hoped he had learned a lesson from this. Crouching down, he didn't care if he couldn't hear him. "I'll be sure to pass along the message." A second later, he was sweeping towards the cashier, a frightened boy who visibly gulped as Lucius came closer. "I'd like to purchase all the books in your window display and I'll pay for the rest of your customers' purchases as well," he said. It took ten minutes for the transaction to be completed and, satisfied with their silence, Lucius left Flourish and Blotts without a look back. |