Author's Notes: My first foray into the world of HP fiction writing. ^_^ I've always been an avid reader...but never really felt inspired enough to write anything of my own before, yet here it is. It's not the most conventional of pairings, but one I've grown to love for various reasons. =) I apologise if it's OOC, I've tried my best, and I hope I'll improve with later fics.

Addictive Conflict

Chapter 1

By Ryou

       

He paused for a moment, squinting slightly across the bar in concentration as he enunciated his chosen words carefully, the way only thoroughly inebriated people do.

"You..." He attempted to rest his elbow on the wooden surface next to him, only to lurch forward unexpectedly as he misjudged the distance. Gazing up through the messy strands of pale hair which had fallen in front of his face, he tried to speak again. "You...I know you." His speech was softly slurred, though still coherent.

The world swam in front of Lucius' eyes. The faint buzz of other people's conversations and chatter echoed in his ears, but took second place to the person next to him that he was currently trying to focus on. The figure often morphed between clarity and blurriness, and it was with a faintly annoyed feeling that he lifted a somewhat unresponsive arm and attempted to swipe at the confusing sight before him.

"Sto' it....stay stil'..." Suddenly finding that he now couldn't move his arm at all, Lucius blinked blearily in confusion and narrowed his eyes, frowning at this most recent turn of events.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" A faintly amused voice seeped its way through the haze surrounding Lucius' mind, and he opened his mouth to reply, before finding he had nothing to say. It was then he noticed that the person who had spoken was also responsible for impeding the progress of his arm. In a futile attempt to gain freedom, he tried tugging his arm away, but found his strength to be frustratingly diminished.

The Voice, which Lucius had now determined was most definitely masculine, spoke again.

"I...think you've had enough to drink, Malfoy." He scowled and shook his head sullenly, certain that whoever this person was, they had no right to tell him what to do.

It was the night of the twenty-sixth of November, 1975, and Lucius N. Malfoy was verging on becoming paralytically drunk. Not that he would ever admit it, of course. No, as far as the Malfoys were concerned, they could hold their alcohol better than anyone.

"...You do realise that they could suspend you from being a Prefect for this, don't you?" Lucius grimaced slightly as his arm was abruptly released, and rubbed his wrist, ignoring what the Voice had said. However in the silence that followed, he reluctantly looked back up, and shook his head yet again.

"...No...they woul'nt da'e..." He nodded emphatically to prove his point. "My fa'er..."

"Oh, I think they'd dare very much." The Voice cut him off, sounding somewhat smug. "...And I don't think that your father would take too kindly to your being out-of-bounds and completely drunk on a night in the middle of the week."

Startled, Lucius desperately tried to make out who the figure in front of him was. Who were they, that they knew his name and that he was a Prefect? Glaring as best he could considering the circumstances, Lucius was determined to find a fault with the Voice's reasoning.

"Well...you...." He gestured vaguely, still managing to be surprised when his arm was captured yet again.

"Come on," The Voice now sounded cheerful, and he felt his arm being pulled at. "This can be my good deed for the day, I think. Well, that and the fact that the others will find this incident immensely amusing..." Not having much luck with attempting to get himself up, Lucius gripped onto the arm which came around his torso in relief; noticing somewhere in the back of his mind as he was pulled upright that the other person was smaller than him.

"I fee'...ill...." he murmured dully, as he was half-dragged and half-stumbled his way through the crowded pub to the door.

"Ick. Do you have to?" The Voice sounded more dubious about the task of helping him now, but just tightened his grip and led them both out of the small doorway. "There."

Lucius found himself being lowered unceremoniously onto a grassy patch of ground, and promptly retched, emptying the contents of his stomach out before him. He kneeled there for a few moments more, breathing heavily with his eyes shut, and gripping clumps of dewy grass between his tense fingers. After about a minute, Lucius slowly opened his eyes and wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sour taste left in his mouth. Unpleasant though the experience was, he had to admit that he did feel a lot less ill, and slightly more sober.

Tilting his head back, Lucius blearily gazed up at the dark night sky, the cool breeze washing over his warm flushed skin like a soothing balm.

"Hey." He heard footsteps crunching on gravel approach him from behind, and turned to find himself being proffered a hand. The fresh air lent some clarity to his fogged mind, and the shadowy figure which stood above him was suddenly slightly more recognisable.

"You...I do know you..." A low laugh sounded, and Lucius frowned.

"Yes, I suppose you do, in a way." Reaching out and taking the hand in front of him, Lucius was pulled to his slightly unsteady feet. The sliver of moon hiding in the sky then decided to emerge from behind its cloud and cast down illuminating beams of light, which caught and shone in the hair of...

"Lupin?!"

"Oh?" Remus raised an eyebrow curiously, his expression otherwise unreadable. "So you do know my name, after all." Now he was able to stand up straight, Lucius immediately took advantage of this by looking down at the other boy haughtily.

"Yes, well...I can hardly avoid it, can I - you and your trouble-maker friends in Fourth year..." Remus laughed lightly at this and grinned at the sight of Lucius' slightly put-out expression. "Oh yes...and being a fourth-year, you know full well that you shouldn't be out here either, Lupin."

Remus just shrugged this off and turned away, tugging on Lucius' wrist as he did so.

"Lucky for you I was though, wasn't it?" Still not fully in control of all his motor-functions, Lucius followed the younger boy as he was directed, stumbling occasionally. "Lumos", Remus muttered, having drawn out his wand to light the way.

"...So where are the rest of your little friends anyway?" Lucius sneered, finally starting to feel more like himself again.

"Oh..." Remus gestured vaguely in the direction of the castle as they walked. "Well you see, James felt like doing some late night Quidditch practice - and Sirius is always up for a game...but Peter and me, we didn't want to. So, we decided to pay a visit to the Three Broomsticks. Peter went back earlier, though. He'd had enough...but I stayed for a while longer." Considering this for a moment, Lucius absently reached up and started to smooth his mussed hair.

"I see...well, that's all four of you in breach of the school rules, then." His smile had a slightly malicious quality. Remus stopped for a moment and turned to face him, his scepticism showing plainly.

"Riiight...so you're planning to report us, even though you, a Seventh year Prefect is also in even more serious breach of the rules than us? Thought more of your intellect than that, Malfoy..."

Lucius just glowered, and nudged Remus to start walking again.

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