#he recognizes that he can't use blood purity to get power

[could-have-beens]

If By Happenstance

Because you could have loved me forever. And maybe in another universe, I let you.

One of the unfinished WIPs I unearthed recently is what was supposed to be a collection of standalone one-shot AUs, each with a different theme and centered around Tom and Ginny. I never got around to writing the whole series, but I did finish some of it, so I thought I would post it while editing TLoCC.

Fair warning, I haven’t proofread this in two years. Enjoy at your own risk!

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"Coward," hissed Ginny. "I can't believe you! After all that talk about being polite and honouring your promises —"

"I stand by what I said," said Harry, with an unrepentant grin.

She glowered. "You're hiding."

"I'm not. You just happen to be in a room full of adoring fans."

Ginny rolled her eyes. She thought her days of humouring Slughorn and attending his get-togethers were over after graduation, but he hadn't stopped badgering her since she started playing for the Harpies. If she had known she was going to be accosted by wide-eyed teenagers and stammering old men, she wouldn't have bothered coming to the party at all.

"You should be the one being pestered by Slughorn," Ginny groused. She plopped herself down gracelessly on the empty chair next to Harry. "I'm just the plus one. You're the one with the bloody invitation."

Harry shrugged, but his eyes were dancing. "I guess Quidditch stars have more clout than us lowly, underpaid Aurors."

"What about the Minister's son?" she teased.

He grimaced, casting a shifty, alarmed look around the room to check if anyone had heard her. "Don't even go there. I'm not supposed to get into fights with old men over politics."

"You could not fight and turn the other cheek," suggested Ginny.

Harry snorted. "I'll do it when you do."

"Well, I don't think Slughorn's noticed you yet, so you're safe for the time being."

"As long as he keeps fawning over Riddle, I'm good."

"Who?"

"My boss." Harry leaned back and discreetly inclined his head toward the center of the room. "The pretty boy with dark hair."

Ginny followed his line of sight and found the man in question, and thought pretty was a massive understatement. Riddle was caught in what looked like a heated discussion with a flustered-looking Slughorn, a stout, bespectacled man, and a tall, stern-looking woman — politicians, the same people Harry had been avoiding since he and Ginny arrived. They were too far for Ginny to hear what they were saying, but she could see that the older man and woman were red with anger, talking a mile a minute, and Slughorn was trying to placate them, only to be cut off at every turn. Riddle, though, looked relaxed and even faintly amused, and he carried himself with all the grace and arrogance of a typical Slytherin. He didn't seem to falter as he spoke, calm and composed even as the man and woman grew more and more irate and Slughorn grew increasingly bemused.

"That's the Head Auror?" said Ginny, incredulous. Riddle couldn't be that much older than her, maybe around Percy's age at most. "He's a bit young, isn't he?"

"No, not the Head Auror," muttered Harry. "Head of the Department."

Her eyes widened. No wonder Slughorn wouldn't leave the guy's side.

She tried to remember if Percy had ever mentioned him. The way her brother rambled on about his job at the Ministry, she didn't doubt that he knew — or, at least, knew of — the other man, being so close in age and a Department Head himself. It wasn't exactly common, having such a high-ranking job in the Ministry at their age.

"I think I've seen him before," mused Ginny. "What did you say his name was?"

"Tom Riddle," said Harry, in a tone that reminded her of how he used to say Malfoy when they were kids — not quite sneering, but heavy with exasperation.

"Tom Riddle? The guy the Prophet keeps calling the next Minister of Magic?"

"That's the one," he grumbled. "The next Minister . . . my mum just got elected and they're already calling him the next Minister. . . ."

"Well, he is cute," she said offhandedly. "Bet that's why. You don't get a lot of handsome men in politics."

Harry stared, brows pulled together as he frowned.

"What?" Ginny raised her hands in mock defense. "I'm just saying. I do have eyes."

"He's a bit of a prat though."

"Is he? I think he seems nice."

His eyes narrowed. "Seems nice or looks nice?"

She nudged his leg with her foot. "They don't have to be mutually exclusive."

"You don't work with the guy."

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Well," he said, considering the matter. "He just always seems — I don't know, a bit fake, I guess? Maybe that's just me."

Ginny tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Wasn't he Head Boy? The one before — no, after Percy."

"I think so. Can't say I remember much of him from Hogwarts."

She scoffed. "I don't think you remember much of anything that doesn't involve Ron and Hermione."

"Hey, I remember plenty," Harry protested.

"Like what?"

As if on cue, a Celestina Warbeck song started playing, and there were excited murmurs and sudden exclamations as the guests recognized the music.

"Like how much you love this song," said Harry cheekily. He held out his hand. "Dance with me?"

"Of course," Ginny said, putting her hand in his.

They stood and, without caring whether anyone else was dancing or not, they swayed along to the music slowly, careful to stay along the edges of the dance floor. When the song was over, they returned to their table, off in a nice secluded corner of Slughorn's party. Unfortunately, no more than a minute after, Ginny was swept up into a dance by another guest, and for the next hour, she was approached for pictures, autographs, and more dancing.

To Harry's credit, he didn't leave their table and kept her company throughout it all. Of course, he found the whole thing amusing, and took every chance he got to rib her mercilessly.

"Oh, the price of being famous," said Harry, snickering.

Ginny threw him a withering glare. She was just able to tell him to bugger off before she heard another set of footsteps approaching. Stamping on a smile, she turned around to greet the fan, but was stunned to find herself facing Tom Riddle instead.

At once, Harry straightened. "Good evening, sir."

"Potter," Riddle said, smiling amiably. "Shouldn't you be enjoying the party?"

"I'm enjoying it just fine, sir," said Harry glancing at Ginny for a beat too long. Harry turned back to Riddle, as if suddenly remembering he was there. "Er — Gin, this is Tom Riddle, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Sir, this is —"

"Ginny Weasley," Riddle cut in smoothly, extending his hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Ginny blinked, a bit thrown by the sudden weight of his attention, and shook his hand.

"What gave it away?" she said with a wry smile.

Riddle gestured to her hair, chuckling lightly. "You must get that a lot."

"Unfortunately, yeah."

The first notes of the next song began to play, and Ginny realized that Riddle was still holding her hand.

"Would you care to dance?" said Riddle. His dark eyes seemed to glitter in the light.

Ginny cast a questioning look at Harry, who had a pinched expression on his face. For a moment, it looked like he was going to say no, but then he gave a little shrug, his mouth set in a grim line.

"If you want, Gin," he said tightly.

"All right," she said, hesitant, and suddenly Riddle was leading her to the dance floor.

A kind of ripple crossed the room as a few heads turned in their direction, but whether it was because they were looking at Ginny or at Riddle, she wasn't sure. There were more couples dancing now, blocking her view of Harry, and though she tried to look for him, her eyes were drawn to her dancing partner.

Riddle really was quite beautiful up close. Dark hair artfully coiffed, high cheekbones and a strong jaw, lips curled in a crooked smile. It almost hurt to look at him — it was like looking at the sun bouncing off snow.

And yet Ginny found that she couldn't turn away. There was something about his eyes, dark and intense, that seemed almost challenging, as though he was daring her to look away, as though waiting to see if she would bristle under the intensity of his gaze.

His eyes never left hers, even as he bowed low and lifted her hand to his lips.

"A bit forward, isn't it?" said Ginny, raising an eyebrow.

His smile didn't falter. "Is it? I thought it would be romantic."

She snorted. "Romance already? You barely know me."

"But I would like to," he said, lowering his gaze to the floor. "I admit, I've heard all about you, Miss Weasley."

Riddle couldn't quite meet her eyes, and if it had been anyone else, Ginny would have thought he was nervous.

Being coy more like, she thought, as Harry's words rose unbidden. Even if he was shy — but no, he didn't seem the type, and there was something . . . Ginny didn't know what it was, but something about him seemed off. Maybe not fake, like Harry had said, but Riddle had that indefinable air of someone wearing a facade.

Ginny would know — she too had worn her fair share. Or maybe it was just the politician in Riddle shining through, underneath all the charisma and pretty smiles.

He was a good dancer, if nothing else. He was all grace as they glided across the room, his movements effortless and elegant.

"Have you?" she said dully. "Big Quidditch fan, then?"

"Can't stand it, actually. No offense."

She couldn't help but laugh at that. "Points for honesty. Why are you dancing with me then?"

Riddle arched an eyebrow. "Do I need a reason?"

"Generally, yeah. Otherwise I'm gonna think you're out to get me or something. Haven't ruled that out yet, mind you."

He chuckled. "I think I've already told you why."

She grimaced. "Yes . . . romance."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

Well. 

There wasn't. Not really. It wasn't like Ginny was seeing anyone, but . . .

She thought of Harry, who had cajoled her into coming to this bloody party, with his too messy hair and his kind eyes. The thought of coming tonight hadn't even crossed her mind until he asked her, and a little part of her had always thought —

Ginny shook her head. No sense in thinking about what-ifs and could-have-beens.

"You said you've heard of me," she said coolly. "Should I be worried?"

"You probably don't remember," said Riddle, "but we were in Horace's club at the same time, back in school."

"Were we?" It was possible. Riddle seemed old enough that they must have been in Hogwarts together at some point, though Ginny would have been too young to attend Slughorn's parties then.

Riddle nodded. "Horace kept inviting me back after I graduated, and I couldn't turn down the chance to see Hogwarts again." He smiled, and again she was taken aback by how unfairly charming he was. "He talked about you a great deal, but we were never formally introduced."

"What a loss for you," said Ginny.

Riddle met her gaze daringly. "I agree."

[hxuse-xf-black]

People give Draco a lot of shit for his actions. And they're not excusable, they weren't good (from bullying to being a Death Eater).

But it was all he'd ever known. Draco was probably told bed time stories about the brave Dark Lord, fighting for the purity of blood. If you're raised by wolves, you have certain tendencies. It takes a while to adjust to society. And that's exactly what we saw.

In his first year he's a dick. No one can deny that. But he's never met kids that had a childhood before. He'd been surrounded by 'purity' his whole life. He didn't have a Sirius or a James or a Ted to tell him, no, you can't just treat people like that. He had the weight of both the Malfoy family name and a name that had lost a lot of its respect and had gained fear (the Black family name). From so young, he had had so much pressure on his shoulders.

In second year, he calls Hermione a mudblood. Not good. But think of Walburga Black's portrait. She doesn't refrain from calling someone a slur. Narcissa grew up around Walburga and a lot of other sketchy racists (Bellatrix, etc.). And when we think of Lucius Malfoy in this book, is it really much of a stretch to assume he did the same? Calling werewolves half-breeds and muggleborns mudbloods? Draco might not have even known there was another word for it until his first year. Still, not cool. (Although I think we can excuse him hoping Hermione dies because who here hasn't wished one of their classmates would just drop dead?)

In Prisoner of Azkaban, Draco bows to Buckbeak and does everything he's supposed to do. Until he he says 'not too bad for a brute' or something like that and we all know what happens next. Trying to have him killed was way out of line, but once again, with the name he had and his family history, it's not hard to imagine he was doing it so he wasn't looked down upon, he had a reputation to uphold and everything was at least done legally (on Draco's part at least).

In the next book, he knows the Death Eaters are making a comeback. Lucius was one of them. Draco did nothing majorly horrible in this book that I can think of and if he did I think the ferret scene made him keep his head down after that.

Next, he joins Umbridge's posse. It was the wrong thing to do. The right thing to do would be to join the DA, but no one would have let him even if he had wanted to. Joining the DA would be the right thing to do, but instead he did the smart thing. Umbridge was fully willing to break the law to enforce it. She almost crucioed Harry to get information out of him. She used blood quills. The smart thing to do is to remain on her good side.

Half-Blood Prince is when he fully begins to adjust to civil society. It's also when he starts to realize his Aunt Bella and his father and so many others that influenced him were wrong. The Death Eater life was not one of glory. But he couldn't back out. He was caught in the middle of a war. And he tried to murder Dumbledore through someone else. So if things got uglier, he could plead innocent as he hadn't technically been the one to kill him. But in the end, he brought a bunch of murderers to a castle full of children only to fail at his task of killing Dumbledore. Snape had to do it.

It was only when Harry, Ron, and Hermione were captured by Snatchers that he really turned his back on the Death Eaters. When asked, he said no, that wasn't Harry Potter. But Ron and Hermione were recognized. He couldn't exactly deny it and say they weren't. If he had, they would have all been caught and killed, instead of just Ron and Hermione. If someone were to think about the big picture, Harry was the only one with the power to stop Voldemort. If only Ron and Hermione die, there's still a shot that the Dark Lord will fall. In a split second, Draco realized this and went through with it anyway.

Draco didn't make the right decisions, but he did make the smart ones, and we should at least give him credit for that. Besides, he did the right thing in the end at least.

[charliedawn]

Imagine being an old classmate of Lucius and him stumbling upon your shop

As soon as the blond boy enters your shop, you know that trouble is not far behind. The boy is touching an item when another man comes in and warns the child by hitting his hand that was handling said item with his cane, sending him a stern look.

" Come on, Scorpius. Stop acting like a child. You shouldn't touch things that aren't yours. Your father would be ashamed.."

The voice, the look, the hair..Oh no..You would have recognized that condescending tone anywhere. You are about to back away slowly and hide in the back shop when the man coughs from behind you to get your attention.

" Shopkeeper, I am searching for a crystal ball for my grandson's class of Divination. Do you have any of those ?"

The hair at the back of your neck stand on edge at the pompous voice dripping with disdain, but you force yourself to smile and turn around to greet the client.

" For sure, sir. Please, follow me."

He doesn't seem to have recognized you yet and you thank Merlin for that miracle. You show him the different crystal balls and he inspects each one of them with the minutiae of a true expert, but you know that deep down, he is absolutely clueless. You almost let out a snort when he chooses the most useless of the crystal balls to buy, surely because it is the most expensive one and that the Malfoys ever had only one motto : Higher is the price Better quality it must be. You still cash it in and try to contain your laughter at the bad deal the man had just bestowed upon himself. However, you fail to see his brat outside, practicing the Alohomora spell on your front door and before you could truly comprehend what had happened, your door shuts close and traps you both inside. Lucius pales at his grandson's action and immediately withdraws his wand to open the door, but the spell doesn't work and he groans in annoyance.

" What is this ?! Why don't my spells work ?!"

You sigh before looking at your watch..6 o'clock. Of course.

" It won't work. Because of the many thieves roaming the street at night, I spelled this door to not succumb to any spell after 6 o'clock at night..It won't open until 6 o'clock tomorrow morning."

He turns towards you, obviously unnerved and is about to yell at your incompetence when a sudden glimmer of recognition lits up his eyes.

" Wait..I know you..You were in my house. Your name is Y/N, isn't it ?"

You scoff before mockingly clapping.

" Bravo ! Took you long enough.."

He growls at your mocking gesture before looking at the door with a scowl.

" Were you always that irresponsible ?"

You rise an eyebrow before rebutting.

" And you, were you always that annoying ? On second thoughts, don't answer that..this is why nobody invited you to the Yule Ball !"

He blushes in embarrassment and mumbles angrily.

" Why you little..Because I had Narcissa !"

You roll your eyes before replying with a jeering tone.

" Thanks Merlin, you had her ! Or you would still be a virgin !"

You would have never thought to see such passionate hatred in Lucius' eyes, him who usually remained so calm and who always had the perfect comeback. But, as you are both trapped, you sigh before getting two chairs and placing them next to each other while he stands still. You sit down and cross your arms before sighing exasperatedly at him.

" Are you going to stay up all night ? Come on, I don't bite..often."

He humphs at that last part before looking at the chair, maybe trying to decipher if there are any traps under the cushion. But, he finally indulges. You both sit next to each other in silence until Lucius sighs and admits.

" You're wrong, you know ? Someone did invite me..I never knew who it was though ? However, what I do remember, is the effort they had put inside the letter..The silver lines moving like snakes around the paper and the green velvet envelope..They even used perfume: a rich fragrance of mint, leather and a hint of fresh nightingale. No name had been written though and this is why I thought it was Narcissa, since she had been trying to find a way to invite me for a while..But then, I asked her about it and she never dared to admit that it was her who wrote it, I found it cute at the time..But now that the divorce is in motion, I really doubt that it was her."

He sighs loudly before pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers, exhausted. You had noticed the heavy eyebags and could only imagine what a single grandfather Lucius could be like. No wonder his grandkid locked him inside. But, since he had been nice enough to share his worries with you, it's only normal that you do the same.

" My shop is on the verge of collapsing, nobody is interested in buying quills and papers now that they have those damn muggle phones..It must be me ? I live in the past and now, reality is hitting me hard in the face.."

He listens to you without interrupting and smiles nearly compassionately at you.

" Guess muggles aren't that great anymore, huh ? I knew that, at some point, our worlds would merge, I just didn't want the Wizarding World to be lost forever..It's sad really."

You can't help but laugh bitterly at his comment.

" A Malfoy will remain a Malfoy ! Always with your ideas of purity and against any kind of change ! If you had just been a little more open-minded, maybe you wouldn't be the most hated family in all the Wizarding World ?"

He only scoffs dismissively at your comment.

" What is the point of being liked when you have power ?"

You look at him and smirk.

" Power ? True power doesn't come from money, Lucius..If you had been paying a little bit more attention, you would have known that power comes in many different shapes and forms..Everybody could have power over anybody, if they only know how to play their assets.. "

He arks an eyebrow at you before smirking as well and asks almost daringly.

" Really ? And what power do you have over me then ?"

The both of you ferociously stare at each other for a while and then, you finally decide to jump on him and tackle him to the ground, to his greatest astonishment. Before he can do anything, you take his cane and throw it away. You then take some nearby rope and, in a few minutes, Lucius is defenseless. When he tries to speak, you put your hand around his throat and squeeze. He grits his teeths and you smile victoriously.

" What was that you were saying about true power ? See how easy it was for me to take the upper hand ? You Malfoy men, always playing the same dangerous game..Over and over again. Never learning that it takes a woman to truly feel powerful..Now that Narcissa is gone, it would be a shame if I were to bite your head off ? Who is going to save you ? Your son ? I doubt it..He hates you. Your wife was your best protection, people always underestimate the power of a mother..But, dear Lucius, you should have known better than treat everyone you come across as pathetic worthless worms..Now, you can either tell me that you were wrong, or I'll tell everyone that a mere half-blood has put the great Lucius Malfoy on his back.."

His eyes widen at the revelation before remembering that he had never seen your mother..Your father was a metamorphmagus and many respected him and that had always been enough..He should have definitely digged deeper. He groans, trying to free himself, but to no avail. He finally glares up at you with everything he feels: disgust being a very distinctive look on him.

" Let me go this instant, you filthy mud..!"

But before he could finish his sentence, you bit his shoulder so profoundly that he finds himself on the verge of screaming..He only hisses instead and you then whisper in his ear.

" Ask nicely..and I may consider it."

He sighs, how could he have been so stupid ? And now, he is pretty sure the memory of submitting to the halfblood would stay in his mind forever..

" Could you please let me go ?"

He finally asks politely but, he is surprised when you start kissing up the side of his neck.

" See ? You can be nice when you want to.."

He groans, still frustrated, but also strangely aroused by all this..But, of course that, he would never admit it to you. He only closes his eyes and hopes that you will stop when you notice that he isn't paying attention to you anymore. However, you aren't going to let him go so easily. You take him suddenly by the chin to force him to look back at your flashing yellow eyes and, to his surprise, you growl.

" Eyes on me, pretty boy..You wanted to see real power ? I'll show you what real power looks like.."

Again, you attack his neck and grind against him until he sees stars.

" You..You will never.."

He tries to speak, but his words get lost when you get him out of his coat and throw it to the ground carelessly.

" Hey ! That coat costs more than your whole damn muggle shop !"

You bite him again, a little less hard on his clavicle, only to shut him up again and roll your eyes playfully at him.

" Me who always thought that you were an ice king, you are just a snow princess.."

He opens his eyes wide at the nickname before glaring at you.

" What did you call me, parasite ?"

You dramatically put your hand at the level of your chest, as if the insult had hurt you before smirking down at him.

" What ? Is that the best you got ? Parasite ? Well, don't forget that said parasite is the one who is making you harder than rock right now..Must hurt, isn't it baby ?"

He clenches his jaw hard at your taunting tone before suddenly raising his pelvis to hit yours, making you moan loudly. When you open your eyes again, he is grinning up at you and asks mockingly.

" What was that ? I thought you said you were going to show me power, but all I hear are the purrs of a pitiful kitten who thinks she is a predator.."

You growl and put your hands around his throat. You aren't playing anymore and want to kill him..To kill him for everything he had done, everything he was..

" Die, you piece of trash !"

But, far from being affected by your sudden death sentence, Lucius only smiles weakly at you and takes your wrists that are shaking around his throat. He takes your moment of inattention to flip you under him, your wrists pinned to the floor.

" It isn't fair.."

You mumble almost in tears as he frowns in incomprehension at you. Why are you crying ? You are the one who had attacked him first, and now you are the one saying that it isn't fair ? As if you could read minds, you try to explain.

" I tried so hard to escape..To escape from you Malfoys and the misery that you seem to surround those who try to get close to you..But even years later, I still end up crossing your damned path !"

He tilts his head to the side, surprised by your sudden outburst and stares at you while you start sobbing and wiggle to set yourself free. When he is sure that you aren't going to attack him again, he slowly shifts his hands from around your wrists to gently wrap them around your waist. He then cradles you in his arms and puts his chin on the top of your head before closing his eyes, calmly stroking your back with his hand to soothe you. It takes a few moments for the both of you to calm down and get back to a normal regular breathing rhythm.

" Soon, I'll be out of your shop and you will never see me again.."

You know that he is trying to reassure you, but the realization makes your heart skip a beat in fear. You would not see him again..He would never know who wrote him that letter all those years ago..He would forget about you. Narcissa had been clear on what would happen to you if you ever dared tell him who was the true writer of the letter..But, would it really matter now ? Narcissa was gone and Lucius was there, his arms wrapped around you. Also, surprisingly, had not make a move to get his wand back to Avada Kedavra you yet. It was a good sign, right ? You look up at him and as soon as your eyes meet, you know that he isn't going to hurt you. You then look at the crystal bowl that he had bought, broken and splattered on the floor. You sigh before reluctantly standing up and getting your most precious crystal ball out of the shelf and giving it to him. He frowns in confusion at your gift.

" What are you doing ? I haven't paid for that one.."

You smile genuinely up at Lucius before silently picking his coat up and running your hand on the soft material before giving it back to him as well.

" I think it should be better if you would take a moment to rest, Mr Malfoy..My behavior was inappropriate and I shouldn't have acted the way I did. It was foolish of me and I humbly ask that you do not sue the shop for my mistake. It is already in a very bad condition and I do not have the money to pay you back for what I did to you.."

He opens his eyes wide in shock before looking at the items in his hands, and finally lays them on a nearby table.

" I do not care about all that now. I don't even understand you. At first, you say that you hate me and try to kill me, then you bite me and try to seduce me in a very odd and savage way, and now this ? What are you trying to tell me, Y/N ?"

You bawl your hands into fists and bite your inner cheek in order not to say anything and turn around to leave. He is to never know who you are or why you are angry at him..You thought he was smart, but you had to admit that he was not the one you thought he was.

" This is where we part ways, my ice prince. Tomorrow, you will come back to your kingdom of paper people and fake happiness and I'll be just another insignificant person that you will forget..Until then, I suggest we both sleep our separate ways. The sofa on your right will be just enough comfort for you and I'll be sleeping in the back with the best company one can have: books."

He stares at you for a few seconds, dumbfounded, before following you and locking the door behind him. You squint your eyes suspiciously as he flashes you a dark grin.

" After all this time, I finally found you.."

The dangerous vibe he is giving you makes you quiver in fear and you step back until you hit the wall. He chuckles at you poor attempt to escape and when he looks up at you again, you can see that his icy blue eyes are nearly glowing in the dark. He gets out his cane that you regret not having taken and slowly makes his way to you, running the tip of his wand on the many books kept on the shelves. You suddenly feel cold sweat running down your back, is he going to kill you ? You wonder as he stops just in front of you and his eyes brighten as he slowly makes a mental map of your body with his eyes that give away a certain appreciation..Is he planning on disposing of your body piece by piece ? Suddenly, he take you by the jaw and forces you to look directly in his eyes as he runs the tip of his wand on your cheek, neck and collarbone. He then leans forward and whispers in his low baritone voice.

" I hope you had fun teasing me..Because it will be the last time I'll ever allow you to make a fool out of me..What ? You thought I wouldn't recognize the perfume ? You stink of the same thing you sprayed that letter ages ago..And, if it wasn't for that, there is only one person that I've ever heard call me ice prince."

He knew. He knows. Oh no..You feel your eyes sprinkle with tears in front of the truth. When you think things couldn't get any worse, he summons said letter with his magic and smirks at your horrified expression.

" I kept it. Want me to refresh your memory ?"

He doesn't wait for an answer before starting reading out loud the subject of your embarrassment.

" My ice prince, I have been considering over the past few months to ask you humbly to accompany me to the Yule Ball. My dreams are filled with your scent and marvelous blue eyes that seem to light up a path to Heaven. When I close my eyes, my thoughts are filled with images of your delicate..Oh my !"

He stops abruptly and glances at you with a sinful smile.

" I had forgotten how detailed the letter was..I remember making Narcissa very happy the following day. To think that it could have been you..You must be feeling so disappointed.."

You blush vividly and try to get out of his grip by scratching his face, but he takes both of wrists and pins them above your head with one hand before continuing reading, not the least bothered.

"Oh no, my darling..You'll stay right there and listen to every word you wrote me..You'll listen and I'll make sure that you remember all of them by heart by the end of the night.. That way, you can shout all you want about how you've put the great Malfoy on his back, but I'll have the immense pleasure to tell everyone who I've succeeded in bringing to her knees."

Your heartbeat quickens at his words and you try to get back up, but Lucius doesn't let you. He pins you down to the table while motioning you to stay quiet.

" You..You're evil.."

You manage to gasp out and he chuckles, as if the insult in itself was some kind of hilarious joke.

" Coming from you ? It's a compliment, my dear..You bit me and tried to kill me. Now, where was I ? Ah, yes..Your delicate hands around my throat and your tongue against the crook of my neck.."

He leans in and slowly and sensually licks your neck from your collarbone to that place behind your ear. He then proceeds to whisper in the shell of your ear.

" I must admit, you are far more responsive than Narcissa at the time.."

His hand lowers itself agonizingly slow down your waist until he reaches your waist and suddenly uses it as leverage to drag you towards him brutally, as if to make you realize that it is happening, that he is here, that it isn't all just a dream..

" Your lips look irresistibly pleasing, my dear..Mind if I get a taste ?"

Before you can say anything, his lips are upon yours and his tongue is invading every crevice of your mouth. You roll your hips against him as a response and he slowly drags his other hand from your wrist to your throat. He squeezes lightly and with your free hands, you cradle his face for him to stay still.

"..I've never seen such beautiful sapphire eyes and only the thought of you makes me want to sing and dance.."

The letter falls from his hand as he understands that he doesn't have to remind you..as you've never truly forgotten. He kisses you again, but sweetly this time. Before you can continue however, he stands up and gets out of the room, leaving you hot and bothered.

" What are you doing ?!"

You yell, almost in despair and he only chuckles before closing the door behind him.

" I did what I said. You won't forget that letter any time soon..However, I can't allow myself to be seen with an half-blood..It would be improper."

" Im..Improper..?"

You repeat, as if dumbstruck by the fact that you may have been played with..You look at the door with a glare before getting up and walking determinedly towards the door. You try to open it, but find it locked.

" Lucius ! Open this door right now !"

But you are only met with a laugh from the other side.

" Good night."

You try to open it by force, but it doesn't work and you can't do anything but declare defeat. You get back to the table and sit on it before burying your face in your arms, trying to muffle your tears as Lucius had, once again, tricked you. But, to your surprise, you hear the door opening and see Lucius standing there, guilt written all over his features.

" I..I didn't think that you would actually cry.."

You don't know what angers you the most : his genuine shock or the fact that he is now staring at you, completely lost ? You try to get past him, but he doesn't let you and cages you in his arms.

" Come on..You know I was only playing. I was going to open it soon enough.."

You try to get out of his grip, but the man is not ready to let you go any time soon. He even tightens his hold on you and you finally lean back, inhaling his very expensive cologne.

" Am I just a game to you, Lucius ?"

You ask with a heavy heart and he decides to answer truthfully.

" At first..you were. But, now ? I don't think so. After the war, I understood that I may have acted wrong. I'm still trying to get better. I may have had very bad ideas over this concept of pure-blood supremacy and other..But, I know now thanks to my son and my grandson that I acted out and I wish to make amends. I truly do. This is why, I think I want to give it a try..Will you help me ? Please ?"

You are taken aback by such honesty in Lucius, but still nod in agreement.

" I have had many phases in my life, some when I hated you and some when I lov..liked you. I don't think that you are a bad man, Lucius. I just think that you are a very ambitious and very proud person. If you could just spend some time with people like me..You would see that we aren't so different..This is why I'm willing to make the first step."

He looks at your outstretched hand for a moment before finally taking it with a small smile.

" I'm looking forward to working with you, Miss Y/N."

The next day, Lucius is finally free from the shop and remains courteous. He even apologizes on behalf of his grandson and Draco seems surprised by his sudden change in behavior.

" Did you use magic on him or what ?"

He asks you in a whisper, but you only laugh heartily and shake your head.

" No. I just talked to him..and he listened."

Lucius smiles, his eyes creasing a bit and you glance at each other with a knowing look. Lucius would be back. He had still much to learn afterall..

[rourhksapocolypse]

So Many Things Go Wrong - and yet we've hardly begun.

A/N: I've tried for the better part of a year to get this created - and on the day I finished getting a new job, this just comes out in one sitting. Not a terrible way to get back into writing though.

Simple summary: living in Star Wars isn't as easy as living is assumed to be. A connection to the Force changes you, living in the last years of the Galactic Republic's strife changes you, and it can be so hard to adapt, even or especially when you know what's coming. And you know you can't change it. SI-OC, original & Prequel trilogy - background stuff to be expanded on later and told largely by said SI.

"Operation sigma delta lambda." A ice cold voice rang out and she frowned at the Command Crew.

"What the hell is that plan and why should we go along with it?" One of the men asks his neighbors.

"The plan." Her voice rings out again, crisp, clear, and undeniably angry at not having been immediately obeyed. "Is to abandon ship as I commit suicide to cover for you - and you are doing it, because I am your Inquisitor." She bent down to stare at the paling man who clearly hadn't been expecting such a... personal reply. "Now either abandon your post or I will run you through and toss your lifeless corpse out of the airlock myself. Is. That. Clear?"

"Of course it's clear." The Emperor replied genially as I drop to the ground from being Force Pushed by Vader. "It's clear to me that you were planning to kill me and install yourself as my successor." Eyes burning as his voice stayed like durasteel on Hoth - a change from its previously genial and genteel nature.

She wanted to laugh - she settled for coughing up blood. "I'd do a shit job as Empress." She said when she could speak clearly again. "But that would still be better than what you do now."

Force Lightning was her answer - and she screamed before she let go of the active power coupling, arms shaking from the mess the voltage had left of her nerves. She didn't know why she was tasting and smelling cucumbers - hell they didn't even exist in this galaxy! - but still she grimaced, stood, rolled up her sleeves, and tried again to imagine the pathways that Zuko and Iroh used to Lightningbend through their own bodies. Because Imperial or Rebel, First Order or republic - Hell, Ancient Sith or Civilian! - she was going to get everyone out of here SO HELP ME GOD!!

Meanwhile, she was leaving Second Sister and Isard gasping for breath because they deserved some kindness in their life, even if they're going to betray her messily and she knows she can't do a damn thing to stop it - and then she's walking forwards with cargo pants and a sports bra, looking at a young man with spiked black hair and handwraps, muttering to himself discontentedly.

"Roth, right?" The young man looked up, surprised.

"Um, hello there, um, Master Croft." He replied, taken aback.

She chuckled. "Don't worry about it - I didn't get to be Luke's second in command by seeking adulation. I got there by calling him a moisture farmer." She laughed harder at his dumbfounded look. "I understand you're Jaden Korr's friend."

He scoffed in disgust. "That's all I ever hear these days - Jaden this, Jaden that -"

"Jaden-" I interrupted sternly, laughter evaporating faster than water on Tattooine. "has the potential to be a great Jedi, or a terrifying Sith. And hasn't had many opportunities for one-on-one training. Solo action, yes, but barely anything for guidance. Go ahead and ask A'Lt how that worked out for him."

Roth paled. "A'Ltimer? The former Black Sun member?"

She nodded, deadly serious. "No father, no guiding influence until he hit the Sun, practically went Sith before I got to him." She shrugged uncomfortably, looking away. "not that anyone recognizes how far he's come since then. With A'Lt, it's either 'Merciless Gangster Murderer' or 'Unstained, Purity of the Light Jedi'." Snapping her attention back to the young man next to her, she put those concerns behind her. "But back to you. It's come to my attention that you treat everything like a game - a competition. One where being noticed and praised is proof of winning. Now, I'm not going to speculate on what this means about your home life before you ran away to join the circus, but this needs to be addressed."

"I didn't run away to join a circus!"

"You came here to Yavin IV." She responded dryly to his whining. "But seriously, this focus on power and praise as the only things that matter are going to drop you down a hole that doesn't have a bottom - unless you count the spikes in the walls."

"What, like the Dark Side?"

"No, I mean the Nihilism inherent to the Sith Religion - which means the meanest, nastiest, darkest parts of you will be the only things in control, and you'll be no better than the Empire. And everybody knows that Imperial Remnant or not, I stab those people in the back."

"Why?" He sneered. "Because you're afraid that I'll become more powerful than you?!"

"No, because people who focus on only power tend to not care who gets hurt in the process - and I don't want people, innocent people, to die when it could be avoided."

The intensity in her voice, quiet as it was, clearly startled him into silence.

"Oh, look, it's Ma- Kyle."

I sighed. "And he's probably going to bitch at me for stealing a training opportunity for him and one of his students, all the while beating himself up for not seeing something like this coming. Oh no, it's not the Cult of Ragnos' fault that we're all hands on deck as the only Light-aligned Force faction left in the galaxy, no it's his fault because you're his student, and therefore he has to be omniscient when it comes to his responsibilities, his students, his friends, and maybe he'll reccommend you talk to Luke because he's just a nice guy, and would gladly talk about everything going wrong in your life or at least listen, because he's a patient guy who knew things were wrong with his home from the very hurk"

Roth's face went even paler as a beam of red light exploded out of her chest - from the positioning given she couldn't feel the pain, it was goinng straight through her spine and out right under her sternum.

"Ragnos will rise again." A sinuous female voice said with what was clearly a sharklike grin from behind her back, even as the scenery changed to Imperial blocky grey, and next was the voice of James Earl Jones - Vader speaking through his vocoder. "And you will never replace me as His Apprentice."

And with that, her lifeless body fell to the floor once, twice, a dozen times more. Every single one some state of mangled and alone.

Every single one, be it lightsider or sith-yellow, dead from her own incompetence. Her own plans backfiring on her in the worst of ways. A massacre with only one victim; a graveyard as littered with broken bodies and broken, stupid, impulsive plans as Unlimited Blade Works is littered with blades, weapons of all sorts.

And yet, Shirou stood, within the Reality Marble. And here it was the same, a single body moving, covered in Stormtrooper armor modified to hold the sigil for the Rebellion to Restore the Republic, moving towards some brighter place she could not see.

If only she could understand why.

Is how the better question?

-=-=-=-=-=

Gasping, wheezing, confused, angry, happy - so much feeling, so little context.

Little Leelah of dorm Croft on the mining ship Rhabbitta feels like she might have a panic attack.

So instead, she stumbles out of bed, holding her head as she tries to keep the images and pain inside, and blindly reaches for the few things that have ever kept her calm.

An Observation Bay where no one else is.

And Music.

Left ear first, then right ear, music picked at seeming random from her memories begins to flow, her head bobbing to a melody only she could hear as tears stream down her face.

"Fumbling is confidence and wondering why the world has passed him by..."

Starfields looking down on a nebula, soothing as weather formations heralding a heavy rain.

"Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments and failed attempts, to fly..."

Images pass her by, of failures, of droids ships and speeders all blowing up under her hands.

"Fly... We were meant to live for so much more, and we lost ourselves. Somewhere we live inside - somewhere we live insiiide..."

Images of killing Rebel and Imperial alike flash by - of killing both Sith Troopers in strange armor and civilians alike with a knife and no remorse.

"Dreaming about providence and about whether mice or men have second tries..."

A woman with crystalline white hair reaching for her becomes a man with utterly familiar black features and a menacing mask becomes a man in Mandalorian Armor from Knights of the Old Republic, a blood-soaked and blackened hand reaches back, even as the sigil changes from Republic to Rebel to something she didn't recognize.

"Maybe we've been living with our eyes half open! Maybe we're bent and broken!"

A ragged breath drawn as she tries to focus on the next step. The next word comes out as a whimper rather than the previous scream. "broken... Yeah, we were meant to live for so much more.. but we lost ourselves." She hiccuped on her next indrawn breath, making her cough on unshed tears as she missed the next line, simply listening to the words of Switchfoot.

A metal hand on her shoulder surprised her as the tears began to fall, looking up to see the face of Proxima, a droid more than a thousand years old with a personality of her own and a position as mother to them all.

"Please, don't let me stop you." Came the calm, soothing voice.

Her only response was to bury herself in the droid's padded stomach. It took a moment to register that a hand had moved to her back; she'd surprised the old droid.

After a moment of drinking in comfort, calm, and a guitar solo, she continued, voice hoarse from the effort. "We want more than this world's got to offer; we want more than this world's got to offer; we want more than the wars of our fathers - and everything inside, screams for second lives -" everything else broke down into sobs from her, and she lacked the emotional strength to focus on anything else but the "muscled" frame in front of her.

When the tears subsided, she shifted her legs under her and onto Proxima's lap.

"Now then, child, what has you so upset?"

"So many things went so wrong." She said with a sniffle. She could hardly breathe past the snot, and reached blindly for the mechanic's rag she used as a handkercheif. "Like my only possible future was killing myself without chewing a rifle." The annoyance of blowing her nose was a welcome distraction because the snot, would not, dislodge itself.

"Do you truly believe you have no hope?"

"Didn' say tha'." One last blow and she gave thanks to her God once again for having flashpan emotions - giving vent to them rarely allowed them to stick around. Even if it made staying happy awkward and grieving at a funeral a sham, because the emotions burned out so fast it looked like an act. "Just that it's really easy to die. Which is not new, but I have, like, half a plan to survive the upcoming turmoil."

"And what is that, little one?"

"Study like crazy and learn to mask everything Force Power. As if I'm just really lucky rather than manipulating the odds. And pray like a zealot that I learn everything I need fast enough."

"You've never had any difficulties with my lessons."

"I practice in bed. Oh, and I pray to God for guidance, because I sometimes need a Clue-By-Four or the answer provided to me for basic math, let alone manipulating the threads of the galaxy."

For a moment there is silence as mother and daughter ponder with mild depression.

The with the whirring of gears, Proxima tilts her head. "You have spoken perfect Basic this entire time."

She grinned. Mentally poking that thing she guessed was a Force Bond with the droid, she tried to pass along "I've been speaking English. Not my fault English and Basic sound the same to my ears." as best she could.

She must've succeeded - mentally giving herself a solid B on Force-based Telepathic Sending - because Proxima huffed in amusement. Likely recognizing as well that immersion in a foreign language is often the best way to learn it, and Kittat is most definitely neither domestic nor easy.

"Happy fifth birthday then."

"Please tell me I get cookie cake." Because let's be honest here: a giant cookie is infinitely better than cake.

-=-=-=-

Switchfoot has a lot of good songs, and childhood memories; not to mention that the lyrics are a pretty good match for her mental state, after seeing herself dead time and again from different plans I came up with for this fic, which makes it a good way to vent it all out - identify and burn with matching frequencies.

My biggest plans for her come up during and after the Clone Wars, so give her a chance.

In other news, Leelah decides she wants a sea salt carmel and chocolate cream pie for her sixth birthday, which has complications but she does, indeed, get what she wants.