FICLET: The Fear of Public Humiliation (Lucius/Amos)
Title: The Fear of Public Humiliation
Character Pairing: Lucius/Amos
Prompt: one by one
Rating: PG
Word Count: 996
Summary: One by one, the Quidditch players stepped back, moving with curious stares at the pair of them, Malfoy and Diggory at the center of the circle.
Author's Notes: The sixth fic!
Link to Prompt Table: http://briony-tallis.livejournal.com/34122.html
"Look, mates, it's Diggory." The Slytherin Quidditch team lounged about in the Charms corridor, tossing a snitch back and forth amongst them. Their captain, Selwyn, gave Amos a dirty look as he approached. "The Pointless Prefect." The team snickered.
"Don't you lot have a class to get to?" Amos asked harshly, puffing his chest out in his Prefect manner. "I'm certain you have better things to do than harass other students. I could always report you to Professor Slughorn, you know."
Selwyn pushed off from the wall and moved closer to Amos, leering down at him with a very unattractive stare (not at all like Lucius Malfoy). "Is that all you do, report people? I'd wager you've never just jinxed anyone; you're too much of a coward. Everyone says Slytherins hate Gryffindors the most, but at least they've got the guts to face us man to man. Not like you pathetic little badgers."
Amos felt his anger like a rising tide, like a stinging hex aimed at his heart. "Prefects are above jinxes and duels," he said, even as he reached for his wand. "It's against the rules to fight in the corridors."
The boys of the Slytherin Quidditch team laughed at him, quickly surrounding him in a tight circle. Amos swallowed hard and considered his options; if he did not fight back, they were sure to ruin him. He had been working all year to create a better image for himself, a stronger vision. No more was he the coward who hid in the shadows, the useless one only good for answering questions in class. He was a Prefect now, a good one, and they would respect him. They had to.
Amos pulled out his wand and pointed it straight at Selwyn's face. "I may not hex people in my spare time," he said angrily, "but I do know a few."
Selwyn grinned. "We know a few more."
But just before the corridor exploded with magic, Lucius Malfoy strolled into their midst as though he simply owned this particular part of the castle. "Engaging in a little extracurricular activity, are we, boys? And not one of you thought to invite me; I'm devastated." He stood beside Amos, at the center of the circle, smirking wryly at the lot of them.
Amos spluttered and stared at Lucius, though his wand remained pointed at Selwyn, who continued to glare at Amos. "Why are you always here?" He asked, forgetting about the others for a moment as he lost himself again to Lucius. "How do you always know where I am?"
Malfoy's smile twitched slightly, but he did not answer. Instead, he lifted his wand and pointed it towards the ceiling. "If anyone should wish to cast a spell about now, I will retaliate with an explosion large enough to draw the attention of every professor in this building. And I can't promise it won't hurt, either." He eyed Selwyn dangerously. "Stick to practicing on the Quidditch field, won't you, Selwyn? You wouldn't want to attract any unwanted trouble."
One by one, the Quidditch players stepped back, moving with curious stares at the pair of them, Malfoy and Diggory at the center of the circle. And with glares and angry mutterings, they disappeared, save Selwyn, who stood his ground before them. "Why are you defending Amos Diggory, Lucius? You laugh at him just as much as the rest of us." Amos stiffened but forced himself to remain silent. "You hate him, don't you, just as much as the rest of us."
"My feelings are irrelevant," said Lucius, who did not look at Amos, despite Diggory's angry trembling and his disbelieving stare. "I simply have a large amount of gold on you in the upcoming match against Gryffindor. I'd hate to lose my money just because you managed to land yourself in detention."
Selwyn frowned and stuffed his wand back into his robes; beside Amos, Lucius did the same with his own wand. "Next time, Hufflepuff," Selwyn snarled, pushing his way forcefully between Amos and Lucius as he stormed off down the hall.
Amos slowly lowered his wand and gaped at Lucius with a mixture of anger and disappointment. "You should have let me hex him," he said.
"You would have been severely disfigured in the ensuing battle, Amos," Lucius said, sounding irritated. "I much prefer your looks as they are."
"He said you laugh at me," Amos cried angrily. "Why should you care to protect me?"
"Don't be an idiot, Amos. Can I really tell them the truth of our encounters? You know as well as I that our housemates wouldn't take to it very well." Lucius smiled at him and grabbed hold of Amos tightly by the shoulders. "It's not time yet. You know this. One day they will know."
"Maybe I never want them to know," Amos said gruffly. "It's bad enough I have to fight to prove myself to your Slytherins. If the Hufflepuffs knew what I was doing with you, they would hate me, too. One by one, they would turn on me, just as your lot has."
"Then our secret suits the both of us," said Lucius, grinning, "for I, too, wish to avoid public humiliation."
"Because I'm too pathetic to be seen with," Amos spat, pulling away from Malfoy's grasp.
"They may think so," said Lucius cautiously, his grey eyes glittering as they searched Amos's own dark ones. "It doesn't mean I agree with them."
He kissed Amos then, harsh and demanding, as he usually did. Amos allowed it, enjoyed it, as he usually did. He was late for Charms and he was worried about his reputation, but Lucius Malfoy had a way of removing Amos's logic with his kisses. Still, somewhere in the back of his mind, he worried, for he did not know how this thing with Lucius would end. It was sure to go horribly wrong somehow, and the days until disaster were slowly ticking away, one by one.
Character Pairing: Lucius/Amos
Prompt: one by one
Rating: PG
Word Count: 996
Summary: One by one, the Quidditch players stepped back, moving with curious stares at the pair of them, Malfoy and Diggory at the center of the circle.
Author's Notes: The sixth fic!
Link to Prompt Table: http://briony-tallis.livejournal.com/34122.html
"Look, mates, it's Diggory." The Slytherin Quidditch team lounged about in the Charms corridor, tossing a snitch back and forth amongst them. Their captain, Selwyn, gave Amos a dirty look as he approached. "The Pointless Prefect." The team snickered.
"Don't you lot have a class to get to?" Amos asked harshly, puffing his chest out in his Prefect manner. "I'm certain you have better things to do than harass other students. I could always report you to Professor Slughorn, you know."
Selwyn pushed off from the wall and moved closer to Amos, leering down at him with a very unattractive stare (not at all like Lucius Malfoy). "Is that all you do, report people? I'd wager you've never just jinxed anyone; you're too much of a coward. Everyone says Slytherins hate Gryffindors the most, but at least they've got the guts to face us man to man. Not like you pathetic little badgers."
Amos felt his anger like a rising tide, like a stinging hex aimed at his heart. "Prefects are above jinxes and duels," he said, even as he reached for his wand. "It's against the rules to fight in the corridors."
The boys of the Slytherin Quidditch team laughed at him, quickly surrounding him in a tight circle. Amos swallowed hard and considered his options; if he did not fight back, they were sure to ruin him. He had been working all year to create a better image for himself, a stronger vision. No more was he the coward who hid in the shadows, the useless one only good for answering questions in class. He was a Prefect now, a good one, and they would respect him. They had to.
Amos pulled out his wand and pointed it straight at Selwyn's face. "I may not hex people in my spare time," he said angrily, "but I do know a few."
Selwyn grinned. "We know a few more."
But just before the corridor exploded with magic, Lucius Malfoy strolled into their midst as though he simply owned this particular part of the castle. "Engaging in a little extracurricular activity, are we, boys? And not one of you thought to invite me; I'm devastated." He stood beside Amos, at the center of the circle, smirking wryly at the lot of them.
Amos spluttered and stared at Lucius, though his wand remained pointed at Selwyn, who continued to glare at Amos. "Why are you always here?" He asked, forgetting about the others for a moment as he lost himself again to Lucius. "How do you always know where I am?"
Malfoy's smile twitched slightly, but he did not answer. Instead, he lifted his wand and pointed it towards the ceiling. "If anyone should wish to cast a spell about now, I will retaliate with an explosion large enough to draw the attention of every professor in this building. And I can't promise it won't hurt, either." He eyed Selwyn dangerously. "Stick to practicing on the Quidditch field, won't you, Selwyn? You wouldn't want to attract any unwanted trouble."
One by one, the Quidditch players stepped back, moving with curious stares at the pair of them, Malfoy and Diggory at the center of the circle. And with glares and angry mutterings, they disappeared, save Selwyn, who stood his ground before them. "Why are you defending Amos Diggory, Lucius? You laugh at him just as much as the rest of us." Amos stiffened but forced himself to remain silent. "You hate him, don't you, just as much as the rest of us."
"My feelings are irrelevant," said Lucius, who did not look at Amos, despite Diggory's angry trembling and his disbelieving stare. "I simply have a large amount of gold on you in the upcoming match against Gryffindor. I'd hate to lose my money just because you managed to land yourself in detention."
Selwyn frowned and stuffed his wand back into his robes; beside Amos, Lucius did the same with his own wand. "Next time, Hufflepuff," Selwyn snarled, pushing his way forcefully between Amos and Lucius as he stormed off down the hall.
Amos slowly lowered his wand and gaped at Lucius with a mixture of anger and disappointment. "You should have let me hex him," he said.
"You would have been severely disfigured in the ensuing battle, Amos," Lucius said, sounding irritated. "I much prefer your looks as they are."
"He said you laugh at me," Amos cried angrily. "Why should you care to protect me?"
"Don't be an idiot, Amos. Can I really tell them the truth of our encounters? You know as well as I that our housemates wouldn't take to it very well." Lucius smiled at him and grabbed hold of Amos tightly by the shoulders. "It's not time yet. You know this. One day they will know."
"Maybe I never want them to know," Amos said gruffly. "It's bad enough I have to fight to prove myself to your Slytherins. If the Hufflepuffs knew what I was doing with you, they would hate me, too. One by one, they would turn on me, just as your lot has."
"Then our secret suits the both of us," said Lucius, grinning, "for I, too, wish to avoid public humiliation."
"Because I'm too pathetic to be seen with," Amos spat, pulling away from Malfoy's grasp.
"They may think so," said Lucius cautiously, his grey eyes glittering as they searched Amos's own dark ones. "It doesn't mean I agree with them."
He kissed Amos then, harsh and demanding, as he usually did. Amos allowed it, enjoyed it, as he usually did. He was late for Charms and he was worried about his reputation, but Lucius Malfoy had a way of removing Amos's logic with his kisses. Still, somewhere in the back of his mind, he worried, for he did not know how this thing with Lucius would end. It was sure to go horribly wrong somehow, and the days until disaster were slowly ticking away, one by one.