SECOND YEAR

FLOURISH & BLOTTS

Lucius had planned to play a cruel game with one of Arthur Weasley's children, by placing a dark artifact in her care. It served the double purpose of getting said artifact within Hogwart's walls. Admittedly, Lucius did not know everything about the book but he knew it was key to opening the Chamber of Secrets once more. He could have sent it with Draco, but the book could very well be dangerous. Besides, it seemed fitting irony that the blood traitor would be instrumental in his plans.

It was after dropping the book in the youngest Weasley's caldron that he laid eyes on Harry Potter for the first time. Harry stepped around the corner of one of the rows of bookcases with a red-headed boy and a bushy-haired brunette with him. However, Lucius could only see Harry.

It was as if everything in the world had been adrift and he had not realized it until everything suddenly snapped into place, in an entirely different arrangement than before. He was stunned to find that center of his universe wasn't what he had thought it was at all.

Harry was so beautiful Lucius ached. He recognized the boy from Draco's descriptions of him, but his imaginings did Harry no justice. In the flesh, the boy was staggering. He was still young, far too young, but Lucius could see in him the man he would grow to be. More importantly, he knew what Harry would be to him in the future.

Suddenly, he regretted his actions and wished to take the diary back from the Weasley girl. She was clearly a friend of Harry's and Harry would undoubtedly be upset if she were to be hurt. Lucius could care less about the girl or her rotten family, but the idea of Harry's pain was entirely unacceptable.

The Weasley boy walking with Harry got red in the face immediately when he saw Lucius and demanded in outrage, "Are you bothering my sister?"

The impertinent Weasley boy lumbered forward purposefully, though it was obvious that the foolish child hadn't decided what exactly he was going to do about Lucius when he reached him.

Without another thought, Lucius yanked the caldron from the red-headed girl's grasp, ignoring her immediate cry of protest in favor of getting back the dark artifact, "I am merely reclaiming what is mine. Do be mindful of where you are and quiet yourself."

The girl flushed and blustered, "I don't know how that got in my caldron but I didn't take it! I've never even seen it! What would I want with that ratty old book anyway?"

Lucius cast a disdainful, insinuating look at her ratty old hand-me-down clothes and he replied caustically, "I could not possibly imagine, Miss Weasley. However, this book, despite its appearance, is worth a great deal more than the Weasley vault has ever seen."

The girl was beat red now, fidgeting with her mottled skirt. It was an disadvantageous trait of the red-heads, to have their emotions revealed so obviously by their skin. The bushy-haired girl embraced her, whispering softly to her in a conciliatory tone. The red-headed boy shouted, "Don't you dare speak to her like that, you git! You've no right!"

"Language, boy, and mind your volume," Lucius replied in a cool, unimpressed tone. "You are making a spectacle of yourself."

Lucius allowed himself a glance at Harry. The boy was looking between his friend and Lucius with eyes that missed nothing. Those emerald eyes met and held his own. They were eyes that had seen too much, that knew too much, and that saw right through him. They were not a child's eyes.

Harry looked away first, reaching out and grabbing his red-headed friend's arm before saying quietly, "Let's purchase our books and leave. If you don't like what he says, there is no reason to stay here and listen to him. You can't lose your head over such impersonal pettiness."

The bush-haired girl eyed Harry with a look of surprise and confusion. Harry stepped past Lucius and Lucius caught a waft of his scent in the boy's wake. He committed it to memory.

The male Weasley and the two girls followed Harry automatically. The Weasley boy glared at Lucius until he was past him then looked at Harry and questioned, "Since when do you act so smart, eh? You sound like Hermione. 'Impersonal pettiness'? Hah!"

The bushy-haired girl slapped his arm and the younger red-head giggled. Harry threw a grin back at his friend and said proudly, "It sounded impressive, right? I was trying to channel Snape. I remembered the bat saying something like that once. Who was that blond bloke? He was a right git."

The bushy-haired girl lost her contemplative look and rolled her eyes.

Lucius noted the shift in Harry's tone and manner. The boy was a good actor and good at blending in with his peers. Yet, Lucius recognized the boy was a great deal more intelligent and perceptive than he put on. As the group exited the store, Harry paused in the doorway and looked back, meeting Lucius's gaze directly. Harry looked back outside at his friends and he said, "I'll meet you there in a minute. I forgot one of the transfiguration books."

The door fell closed and Harry strode across the bookstore, ignoring Lucius entirely.

Lucius doubted now that the boy had intended to speak with him privately, but he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity irregardless. He waited a full minute then followed the boy to the back of the store, to the transfiguration aisle. Harry had a textbook tucked under his arm and he had another heavy book spread in hand, glancing through it with voracious curiosity. Lucius noted it was an advanced book on the animagi arts.

Lucius murmured quietly, "An indisputably advantageous and laudable skill. Your interest is commendable."

Harry closed the book and set it back on the shelf with reluctance, giving Lucius his full attention. Lucius could see that the boy had expected him and had waited for him. His pulse hammered in his veins and he was thrilled to have captured the interest of the boy who would one day be his mate. Harry replied just as quietly, "I agree. The uses of an animal form would be limited only by a lack of imagination. Unfortunately, I am too young to purchase books on the subject and if there are any books about it in the library at Hogwarts, they are hidden in the restricted section and I have not found them."

Harry was considering him with a serious expression, "Admittedly, I am more interested in the dark artifact you're holding. Or rather, why you would give it to Ginny only to take it back a moment later. I watched you slip it into her caldron."

Lucius let out his breath slowly and silently, then replied, "Call it a change of heart."

"You do not seem to care about the Weasleys in the slightest."

"I do not," Lucius replied, holding Harry's gaze. He would never lie to his mate, even to gain his mate's favor. Lucius raised the book in his hand, taking two steps closer and whispering softly, "This belonged to the one who gave you your scar. It is the key to opening Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets. I have been instructed by one I must not name to see that the book is placed within the walls of Hogwarts. I have only conjecture beyond that."

Harry frowned slightly and his expression was carefully guarded, "Why tell me this?"

"I want you to be prepared," Lucius replied earnestly. "The familiar of Salazar Slytherin lives within the Chamber. Those of mixed blood will be endangered when the Chamber is opened. The last time it happened, a muggle-born student was killed. In the unlikely event you happen upon the creature, you must never meet its gaze - directly or indirectly."

"You are talking about a basilisk," Harry said gravely.

Lucius inclined his head. Harry questioned, "Why would you release such a monster?"

"I have little choice in the matter, Harry. My master will return and I must not be found to be disloyal. I must obey the commands I have been given."

"What is to stop me from going to Dumbledore?" Harry asked curiously.

"I dearly hope that you will, Harry. No one knows the location of the Chamber of Secrets, not even me, but if you act quickly Dumbledore will take steps to protect the students."

Harry questioned bluntly, "Why are you really telling me this?"

Lucius knew what he was asking but he replied evasively, "I am of mixed blood. Draco is of mixed blood. We have creature blood - veela blood."

Harry nodded and seemed to accept this explanation at face value, but Lucius knew that Harry would believe that the truth was something other than the truth Lucius had actually been alluding to. Harry would think that Lucius was worried about Draco's safety. Only, Draco would not be at risk when the monster was released. Their bloodline might not be entirely human but it was purely magical and that was all that Salazar's monster would care about.

No, Lucius was telling Harry these secrets because Harry was meant to be his one day and Lucius would always protect what was his.

[][][][][]

A/N: If you like what you read and you would like to read more, please consider leaving a review! Thank you for reading!

[][][][][]

UPDATE: Thank you Ann for pointing out my silly timeline error. I can't believe I didn't notice that! Of course Lucius couldn't possibly know Harry is a Parselmouth yet - Harry doesn't even know yet, haha. I wrote this story quite a while ago but I don't think I intended that deviation to be any kind of plot device. I think it was just a mistake. I thought about writing around it (because obviously this story won't be strictly adhering to the events in the books) but I decided that it made more sense to just go ahead and fix it instead.

If anyone else notices any mistakes in this story or any other, please feel free to point them out! I'm definitely not perfect. I edit my stories as best as I can but after proofreading for an hour or more, I start to feel a little crazy, lol.

Mad Mandy