I Was Younger Then

Yes--No. . .Maybe?

The front door swung shut, the sofa skirting back into place with a swish of Snape's wand, leaving nothing between Penny and Lucius Malfoy. She stared up at him, her teeth gritted in an attempt to qualm her shaking.

"You know you have to feed your pets, Severus." Malfoy said.

"Indeed, Lucius. As it turns out, Ms. Potter is residing here because of an ailment that has made it difficult for her to keep down much. My efforts appear to be helping, but the work is, nevertheless, tedious," Snape said, his eyes lingering on Penny, pointedly.

"How disgustingly charitable of you," Malfoy said, his lip curling. "I suppose the sickness is the result of ill-breeding."

"Or Voldemort murdering my boyfriend, but whatever helps you sleep at night," Penny said, finally finding her voice.

"She uses the Dark Lord's name?" Malfoy said, turning to Snape.

"Don't look so surprised, Lucius, she is a Potter after all, and all Potters think the rules don't apply to them."

"Rules? You mean like the law that says torturing a teenage boy in a graveyard should lead to a cell in Azkaban? Or is it just more convenient to refer to rules in the hypothetical sense?" Penny said, looking between Lucius and Snape.

She could see the warning flash in Snape's eyes but did not care she was throwing caution to the wind. He'd already invited them in without a thought for Penny or her feelings on the matter. Being harassed was not what she signed up for today and refused to let the three men before her trample all over her, Death Eaters or not.

Yaxley's horrendous cackle filled the air again. "I am the law, Penny. Come back to the Department of Mysteries and I can remind you of all the things I can make legal," he said, moving past Snape to make himself comfortable on the couch, his eyes not leaving Penny.

"Open your mouth again, Yaxley, and they'll be in need of your replacement," interjected the cold voice of Snape.

"Now, now, Severus, Yaxley meant nothing by it. But I do think we should correct our little friend here, who seems to be deluded into believing the lies of her brother," Lucius said, softly, moving forward to circle Penny like a vulture. "Haven't you read the Daily Prophet, Penny? It seems your brother is prone to episodes . But don't worry, the Ministry has assured the public his little fairy tale remains a figment of his imagination," Lucius went on, smirking at Yaxley as he continued his circle.

"So Cedric Diggory just dropped dead of his own accord then?" Penny spat, throwing a furious look at Snape, who remained fixed to the spot.

"He wouldn't be the first nor last to die from a moment of stupidity."

"I'll be sure to wait with bated breath for your moment. Voldemort can't stay in hiding for long, it's not in his nature, but I'm sure he just needs to recover a little after the shame of losing to Harry for the second time. Bit embarrassing, losing to a 14-year old and all," Penny said with a smirk of her own.

Anger flashed across Lucius's face, darkening all his features, stopping him dead in his tracks to change direction and begin taking slow steps toward her.

"You forget your place, Potter, but no matter, I can teach it to you. If the Dark Lord had returned, one would want to be careful of the company they kept, especially one as delicate as you," he said, continuing his advance on her.

Penny stumbled away from him, not taking her eyes from his hand, waiting for it to twitch to his wand. Her back pressed against a cold bookcase, having no room left to move. This did not stop Lucius, who pressed into her bubble.

"With that out of control magic of yours, if anything were to happen to you, it might be assumed it was a terrible accident," he whispered in her ear.

The strong smell of aftershave hit Penny, intermingling with spearmint. Up close, even for his age, his features remained smooth and handsome, much like his son, Draco. But the attractiveness could not hide the evil that lingered behind his grey eyes, the malice and intent to harm. Penny suddenly understood what murder looked like and it sent a spiral of fear up her spine. Her whole body shook against her will, reminding her of how pathetic she was, wand-less, defenseless, alone and foolish. Of course, Lucius knew all of this and soaked in the pleasure of watching her flounder beneath his power.