Lucius Malfoy And The Gift Of Mercy

Chapter Four

By Libertine

       

"Get out of the bathroom, Sirius," Remus grunted.

"Wait. I'm – indisposed."

"That's a euphemism," Lucius commented, dryly. He remained on the couch, lazily regarding James over the steepling of his fingers. Since making the bargain, he'd made no move to tell James where – or when he wanted James to play his sordid part. James wondered if the waiting was part of Lucius' torture; it was certainly driving James nuts. He wished now they could just get it over and done with, so he'd never have to think about it again.

But how could he stop himself from thinking about it? About Lucius' hands, and Lucius' body? Already James' mind was filled with images, nightmare-fantasies, about what might happen, once Lucius got him alone. He clenched his thighs, adjusting his robe over his bosom – it was frustratingly tight, almost so much that he couldn't breathe.

He was half wondering if he shouldn't sneak into the girl's dormitories (as he had, many times before, in his invisibility cloak) and steal someone's bra. Or better still, ruffle through the secret drawer in Sirius' warderobe and see what other lacey undergarments Sirius kept in there. Pity pink wasn't exactly James' colour.. James groaned.

"Padfoot, quit playing with yourself," Remus snarled, and banged his fist hard against the bathroom door. James looked up, surprised – it wasn't like Remus to lose his temper. A sudden thought struck him – how long had it been since the last full moon? He shuddered. "Moony..?"

"What?" Remus growled. "The little bitch has been in there for hours parading up and down infront of the mirror, staring at himself. Herself. And I need him. Her. Whatever." He threw up his hands.

"Why?"

"It's almost time," Remus' shoulders slumped. "I've maybe an hour before.." he glanced at Lucius, who'd raised an eyebrow. "Before you know what happens," he finished, darkly. "And I don't want to leave you two alone here, still in the state you're in. Where is Peter?"

"Still with Snape in potions, I'd guess," said James. "Shouldn't you – go?"

 "Please do," Lucius agreed. "You're rather – bringing down the vibe." He began to inspect his nails in a delicate, purposefully effeminate fashion. "I'm sure you can leave me alone with the ladies. I'm hardly the type to take advantage of them in their – sorry condition. Our deal excluded."

Remus shifted from foot to foot, angry at himself – James knew it must be taking his friend a great deal of willpower not to strike out directly at Lucius. "You won't do anything cruel to them?" Remus grunted, finally.

"Me? My word. What do you take me for?"

"A Slytherin."

Lucius smirked. "A fair point. Sadly, however, I think you'll just have to trust me. You don't appear to have any other choice, if you're so desperate to dash off. Which is, as I said, a good idea." He wrinkled his nose. "I feel sorry for you, Lupin. You got splashed by the potion too and all you ended up with was terminal PMS."

"RAaAAargh," said Remus, lunging for the couch, and Lucius was forced to make a nimble leap behind it for safety.

James rose to his feet. "Go, Moony – let him handle it," he yelled, quickly, before Remus lost control. "And it's not as if Padfoot and I are completely hopeless, just because we have – breasts. It'll be okay.. we'll be okay."

Remus shot him a look, wild-eyed. His hair seemed to bristle – he'd left it far too late, and James prayed Remus would make it to the chamber under the Whomping Willow in time before he changed completely.

"Trust me, Moony," he said. "Please."

Remus nodded, breifly, then dashed out the door, so fast he nearly tripped over the scruffy tails of his robe. James pressed his hands to his forehead – his slim, feminine hands. It was all going horribly wrong. He was regretting he'd ever let himself get caught up in the Transgender mess, and even felt slightly guilty that he'd wanted to cause such greif to Lucius, too. The Slytherin had done some fairly cruel things in the past, but the Marauders had always started their battles – Lucius just happened to be the only kid who'd retalliated to their bullying.

The Slytherin emerged from behind the couch, stroking his fingers through his silver-blonde hair. He didn't appear phased by Remus' behaviour.

"Talk about anal retentive," he said, and then smirked. "Literally."

"Those rumours about him aren't true," said James, shortly, peering between his fingers.

"Which rumours?" said Lucius, blithely.

"The ones about him calling out Snape's name when he's asleep."

"Really? How often does he do that?"

"Well, once or twice a week, usually."

Lucius looked at him.

James grunted. "I mean – that's what the rumours said."

"Of course, Potter. I completely understand." Lucius tittered.

"Good grief." James looked toward the bathroom door, wishing Sirius would come out soon. "So – when are we going to do this?" he asked. "I mean – finish the deal. I don't know how much more time I have like this."

"You're begging me for sex?" Lucius asked, clasping his thin hands at his waist, and tilting his head inquisitively onto one side. He was playing the innocent, now – and doing a nastily good job of it. James couldn't work Lucius out at all; the boy had been perfectly nasty when he'd made the deal with Remus, but now he was acting as if he couldn't care less. "I thought your usual schtick was to make other people beg – for mercy, in most cases."

"Yes, well. This is different," said James, looking shifty.

"You know, if you were actually a decent person, I wouldn't have had any qualms about keeping your secret without being reimbursed," said Lucius, in a deceptively pleasant tone.

"I am a decent person!" James snapped, putting his hands on his hips.

"Really? And why, pray tell, is it that every time you and your friends walk through the corridors, everyone makes a mad dash to get out of your way? Body odour nonwithstanding." Lucius pursed his lips. "Incidentally – have you ever tried to touch your elbows behind your back?"

James, confused by the turn of the conversation, attempted to so before he realised what Lucius was interested in seeing. He blushed, shamefully, and hung his head.

"Too damn easy," said Lucius, smirking. "This is going to be –fun-. Here's another suggestion - when I jump you, try using your knees to protect your face."

"Shut up, Malfoy," James said, heatedly. "Let's just – get it over and done with, okay?"

"If you insist," said Lucius, with a sneer. "Shall we adjourn to the boudoir?"

"My place or yours?" James asked.

"Well, I don't know," said Lucius. "Will two people fit under a rock?"

Still wearing his cruel smirk, he took James' hand. James didn't resist.

       

Serverus left Peter in the potions lab, and headed for the Gryffindor common room. He was incensed that the Marauders would dare to play such a trick on a younger student – especially with the terrible repercussions a Transgender potion could have. And on Lucius Malfoy, too. Serverus wasn't exactly friends with Lucius, but he did feel that, as a Slytherin, he should stick up for the younger members of his house.

Well, there was that and the fact Lucius was very close to Narcissa. Like every other boy at Hogwarts, Serverus lusted after the slim blonde – and on the day they both caught the train home during their second term at school, she'd even stooped to peck his cheek goodbye. A pity she seemed to fancy Lucius, now. Still, a boy could always dream..

Serverus stood in the hall below the steps leading to the common room, and waited. He had no doubt the Marauders would be up there, and they'd probably sneak down soon to pick up some extras for their supper, bullying the house elves into fixing them snacks. Serverus could wait – forever, if needs be. He'd find Remus sometime, no matter where the boy chose to hide, and give him a serious talking to.

Narcissa would be impressed.

There was a sudden wild shout from the top of the stairs. Sirius looked up, quickly. Remus was dashing down towards him, his fingers bunching into claws. Serverus' smart remarks died on his lips, and he jumped back as Remus barrelled on past him, snarling like a beast.

"L-Lupin..?" Serverus stuttered, but Remus was gone, dashing up the corridor and outside. For a moment, Serverus thought of chasing him, but with Remus looking fit to murder anything that came into his path, he wasn't so sure it would be a good idea. A very bad idea, really. Serverus hadn't actually thrown a punch before in his life, but he had a sinking feeling he'd probably be very bad at it.

Wait – what was he thinking? Narcissa would just laugh at him if he said he was scared of Remus – that little, weedy Gryffindor? Serverus banged his fist into the wall, angry at himself for pausing. But it was too late now; Remus would be long gone, and Serverus didn't feel like hunting the entirety of the school grounds for him.

       

Sirius Black stared at himself in the mirror. He couldn't quite get over it. He was beautiful. All his life, he reflected, he'd been looking for a woman just like himself. Someone who liked motorbikes, who knew all about cars, and who was built like the hourglass of proverb. And who didn't mind parading about in pink underwear to fulfill her lover's erotic fantasies.
 
He could have a lot of fun with a woman like himself. Infact – for the past three hours, he'd been doing just that. It seemed far too good an opportunity to miss. He wiggled his butt seductively at the mirror.

"That is an A-grade ass, you have there," said the mirror, approvingly.

"Oh you," said Sirius, winking. "Hee hee hee."

He was about to try out another coquettish pose when he felt a sudden sick twist in his guts. He groaned, clutching himself – it was an agony worse than indigestion, right in the pit of his stomach. His chest ached, too, and his face and scalp, as if tiny needles were trying to work themselves into his flesh. He slumped down against a cubicle door, whimpering.

The change didn't take long this time. Opening one bleary eye a few seconds later, Sirius saw himself in the mirror – a boy once again – lying half-sprawled in pink panties on the tiled toilet floor. He coughed, experimentally – gruffly.

The mirror seemed to be in shock.

"Um," it said. "Well – that was novel."

"Oh, shut up," said Sirius. He clutched his discarded robe to his body, protectively, and then scrambled to pull it over his head.

"Bloody female impersonators," said the mirror.

Sirius deigned not to reply. He jerked open the door the common room and stepped out.

The place was empty. Sirius guessed Remus must have gone to the cave underneath the Whomping Willow, and James and Lucius were – Sirius grimaced. He wished that James didn't have to do it, but there didn't seem to be any other choice. Sirius knew he'd owe James a lot for this – maybe too much. Sirius wasn't sure he could pay James back for offering up his body to save his closest friend.

Damn Malfoy. The boy would get what was coming to him, if Sirius Black had anything to do with it. He stamped out of the common room, pushing aside the picture door.

At the base of the stairs he noticed Serverus Snape – another Slytherin on Sirius' ‘black’ list. Serverus was hitting the wall and cursing under his breath, his eyes dark, his features coloured.

"Try, ‘Open Sesame?’" Sirius suggested, smugly, leaning on the bannister.

Serverus looked up. "Shut up, Black," he warned the boy. "Just tell me where I can find Remus Lupin."

"I'll give you a hint," said Sirius. "He's not behind the wall."

"I'm serious," Serverus snapped. "I'm not going to let him get away with this. I'll find him, pin him down, and give him a piece of my bloody mind."

"He'd probably enjoy that," Sirius mused.

Serverus was at boiling point. "Tell me, Black," he hissed. "Or I'll tell the entire school what you wear under your robe."

Sirius blushed the same colour as his undergarments. "You wouldn't," he growled.

"Try me. Where'd you buy them, anyway? The Witchoria's Secret catalogue?"

"Fine," Sirius snarled, too angry to restrain himself. "Remus is under the Whomping Willow. I hope he makes you happy."

"Under the Willow?" Serverus snickered. "He'll be beaten to death by it, more like."

"There's a button under the roots that stops the Willow from clubbing you," said Sirius. "And a gap – a tunnel to a secret room. That's where your precious Lupin is."

"If I find out you're lying to me.." Serverus warned.

"Oh, you won't," said Sirius, smiling nastily. "He'll be right there, waiting for you. I promise. Hope you enjoy your visit with Remus."

Serverus darted off. Sirius watched him go. Fool, he thought, with a smirk. That'll teach you, Serverus Snape, to make fun of me.

       

Lucius sprawled himself lazily on James' bed, spreading his body into a star shape. He was thin, and his pointed face made him appear almost elfin to James. If it wasn't for the grin on Lucius' face, Lucius might be – pretty? No, that was not the word James Potter was looking for. He groaned, internally. Damn these female brain cells, he thought. They're making me fancy bloody Lucius.

Still, in a way, James was beginning to feel excited about all this. He'd never actually had sex before, though he and the other Marauders talked about little else when they were alone together. The cutest girls in the school – Narcissa, Narcissa, Narcissa – and what it would be like, when it happened. Well, now James had the chance to find out, and the fact that Lucius was more than passingly attractive leant fuel to his curiousity.

He rested his hands on the end of the bed, and stared down at Lucius. This was going to be an adventure, James thought.

"Well?" said Lucius, mid-yawn. Lucius didn't seem to be as thrilled with the prospect of bedding James, despite the fact that he'd asked for it in the first place. Then again, Lucius rarely seemed thrilled about anything. The boy functioned on two levels: hysteria and complete indifference.

"Well, what?" said James.

"How much time do you think you've got left?"

"Don't know. It's been a few hours – probably a few more."

"I see."

Lucius hummed.

"What? You don't want me to do it when I'm a boy again, do you?" James said, shocked. "That's.. sick. And – I don't think it's biologically possible, anyway."

"Oh, anything is biologically possible, James," Lucius murmured. "It just depends on how hard you're willing to push."

James blanched. "The deal was –female- virginity," he said, shortly.

"So it was."

"So you have two or three hours."

"I suppose I do." Lucius yawned again. "I must say, your Gryffindor decor leaves a lot to be desired. This wand and hat motif is rather crass, wouldn't you say? We have snakes in our dorm. And green walls. And paintings. Then again, I doubt there's many Gryffindors who appreciate art. Far more interesting for them to pick on hapeless third years, am I right?"

"Lucius –"

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right."

"Look, Lucius," James said, "can we please – just do it?"

Lucius relented. "Fine. If you insist."

James shifted uncomfortably. Lucius didn't make a move, simply lay there on his back, watching the wall.

"Do you – um, want me to take off my clothes?" James asked, finally.

"No."

"Oh. Were you going to do it yourself, then?"

"No."

"Then what are you–"

"I'm not interested in having sex with you, Potter," said Lucius. "You don't have to do anything."

James blinked. "Wh-what?"

Lucius put his arms behind his head. "Don't you Gryffindors understand anything?" he murmured. "There's no pleasure to be gained from a broken enemy. And certainly no pleasure to be gained from whatever it was you were thinking we would do in this bed. Any fool could have tortured the lot of you over this affair, no doubt in far crueler fashion. But only a genius would be merciful. You're in my debt, Potter."

"I –" James looked at the floor.

"Don't thank me. I don't want to hear you talk, because I don't like your voice any more than I like the rest of you. I don't want to hear you simpering over apologies, and I don't want you to think that I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart, either. I'm not weak. But nor am I doing it to torment you further. I don't get a kick out of seeing you brought down to the level of those other kids you bully. I'm not like you."

James couldn't meet Lucius' eye.

"So I'll choose to offer you the gift of mercy. Consider it a life's lesson. And maybe you'll do the same for someone else, too. One day," Lucius yawned, delicately – a pink flicker of his tongue,  "when you grow the hell up and start acting like a real wizard, and not some idiot groupie."

"I –" James tried again. Lucius gave him a severe look.

"I told you that you don't have to answer to me."

"I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry," James whispered.

"I hate that word," said Lucius. "Saying it won't make me feel better. You just feel guilt – that's all. It's a completely selfish apology. It won't make anything right. You and I are never going to be friends. You've hurt me enough – my pride, my dignity; I still have bruises. But I like to think I'm a little bigger than that – I'm bigger than you. Stronger, perhaps. Or just wiser. Maybe a bit of both."

He swung his legs from the bed and rose. "I think I might leave you alone for a while, with your own thoughts, James Potter," he said. "Considering everything, I think that's the harshest punishment I could ever dream of inflicting on you."

He left without another word, leaving James stuttering in his wake. James was desperate to say something – to offer something – but a sudden cramp, siezing down his right side, prevented him. Whining in pain, he curled up on the floor, as his body returned to normality.

       

James moved out into the common room, in a daze. Sirius was standing there, looking decidedly smug about something, but his expression changed as he saw James.

"You changed back too," he said.

"Y-yeah."

"Figured. Malfoy just left," said Sirius, and then frowned. "Did he hurt you, Prongs – you're okay, right?"

"Y-yes." James found he was having trouble speaking. "We – didn't do anything. We just talked, and he left."

Sirius raised his eyebrow, unsure if James was simply too ashamed to say what really happened. But James never lied – at least not to the other Marauders. "If you say so," said Sirius, shrugging. "He's a weird little shit," he added.

"Oh, he's not that bad," said James. "I think – I kind of deserved that, anyway." He saw Sirius' bemused expression, and sighed. "I mean, we've picked on him for three years.."

"Er, right," said Sirius, feeling that James' brain was still addled by the effects of the potion. "Hey, you wanna know the neat trick I played on Snape?"

James shrugged, uninterested. "What was it?"

"I told him where Moony was – told him how to get into the Whomping Willow and everything," said Sirius, beaming. "He'll get the shock of his life when he sees Moony in werewolf form."

James stared at him, agast. "What?"

"I said, I told him –"

"What the hell were you thinking, Padfoot? You know what Moony is like!" James yelled. "How could you do something like that? Moony might even kill him. Serverus' death, on your hands? My gods –"

"I never – really thought about it like that," said Sirius, frowning.

"No. You never think about it," snapped James. "You're always too ready to get your revenge on someone – you don't stop to consider the consequences, or how they feel, or what might happen to them. How long has Serverus been gone?"

"I left him a couple of minutes ago –"

James ran out before Sirius could stop him, almost breaking the portrait-hole in his haste.

       

As he ran for the Whomping Willow, James' mind was filled with thoughts of Lucius. He understood what the boy had meant, what the boy intended in his lecture. This was James' chance to prove himself, to show another person the gift of mercy that Lucius had showed him. He wouldn't stand back and laugh at another's misfortune anymore. He'd do something to help – even if they were an enemy, even if it meant risking himself in the process.

He only hoped he wasn't too late to save Serverus' life..

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