Introduction:
After the Wizarding War, Lucius Malfoy is forced to live among Muggles in order to redeem himself. Will he be able to do it? Or will he end up going crazy?
This is not a request.
I hope you enjoy!
Published: 9/30/2022 ———————————————
Word count: 3.8k
Warning: People assuming one's gender and mentions of hexing someone
The Wizarding War is finally over - the Boy Who Lived defeated the Dark Lord. While the castle of Hogwarts has slowly been repaired, all Aurors have been looking for any Death Eaters that escaped that night.
Lucius Malfoy and his family went hiding for a few days. When they were caught, Lucius was actually relieved as they no longer had to live in fear of running into any Aurors.
Every day was a struggle - it was difficult to sleep, it was difficult to get something to eat... They always had to be aware of their surroundings. It was really exhausting, but now they can finally breathe.
Well, that is until the Ministry chooses a fitting punishment for everyone who helped the Dark Lord. Lucius fears the worst. He knows they will be sent to Azkaban, he just knows it. What else would they do, give them a second chance? There's no way they would do that.
Not only is Lucius stressed out about receiving his punishment, but there's also an awful lot of paperwork to sign. He and Narcissa have decided to get divorced.
They fell out of love a long time ago, plus the years of living with the Dark Lord has destroyed them as a family. They kept fighting and fighting about the missions, about Draco's well being...
Truly, the only way to restore their relationship is by getting divorced. They will never get together again, but hopefully they will stay friends. That's what Lucius wants, that's what Narcissa wants, and that's what their son wants, too.
Draco wants them to be happy again, even if it means they won't be together. The boy understands, having listened to their fighting while they had no idea he was there. He will never be able to tell them - it would simply break their hearts, knowing their son has heard every heated argument between them.
A week after all the remaining Death Eaters have been caught, the Ministry is going to tell them their punishment. All of them are in the hall, waiting for the trial to begin.
Lucius sees a glimpse of familiar black hair among the others - Severus Snape survived Nagini's attack. Lucius can't help but smile, feeling happy that his friend is still alive. Maybe everything will turn out okay.
The new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, clears his throat in order to get everybody's attention. "We are gathered here today as we, the Ministry, have been discussing a proper punishment for those who helped aid You-Know-Who during the Wizarding Wars," he starts as he looks at all the people in the room.
"We have come to a decision. We have decided to give the Death Eaters a choice - either, you will be going back to Azkaban..." he says, making Lucius close his eyes shut. He can't go back... He won't survive it.
"Or, you will be living among Muggles until you have proven yourself and learned to accept them" Shacklebolt states, immediately demanding people to be quiet as a lot of the Death Eaters protest in disgust.
"Muggles?! You want us to live among Muggles?! I would rather die!" one of them screams.
Shacklebolt sighs in irritation. "The choice is yours. We will take each of you to a room where you will be given fifteen minutes alone to think about your decision" the Minister declares. The Aurors then bring them to different rooms of the Ministry's building.
Before Lucius enters his, he spots Severus on his way to his own room. The blonde-haired man offers his friend a smile, showing how happy he is to see him alive. The corners of Severus' lips slowly turn upwards - not quite a smile, but it means everything to Lucius.
As Lucius is left alone inside the room, he sighs to himself. There's no doubt about his decision, but he still can't help but think - will he be able to live among... Muggles? Will he have to speak to them? Merlin forbid, will he have to live like them?
Once the fifteen minutes are up, an Auror enters the room. "So, Lucius Malfoy... What is your decision?" he asks.
Lucius looks up at him, a determined look on his face. "I'll live among the... Muggles" he tells him.
Well, he will soon regret that decision.
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Lucius has just moved into his new home... If you can call this a home. He has to live in an apartment where all of his neighbours will be Muggles.
He's wrinkling his nose in disgust as he's looking around - the place is old, small and dirty. It's definitely not what he's used to back in Malfoy Manor...
He dares to sit down on the dusty couch, his hands on his face as he's thinking about his life decisions. Perhaps he should have chosen Azkaban... No, that wouldn't be worth it. This place is HORRIBLE, but it doesn't compare to Azkaban... That place was a nightmare.
He takes a deep breath. Most of the Death Eaters chose Azkaban... As his ex-wife was the reason that Harry Potter was able to defeat the Dark Lord, she was pardoned.
Draco was given the choice of coming back to Hogwarts to finish his seventh year with the condition of taking Muggle Studies. He accepted.
Meanwhile, Severus was pardoned as well since he was on the Order's side... Lucius likes to think that it surprised him, but really, it didn't. He doesn't blame his friend at all - clearly, he was the smart one working for the winning side. Besides, the most important thing is that he survived.
Feeling thirsty, Lucius is searching the cupboards for any clean drinking glasses. "Where are the house elves when you need them?" he mutters under his breath, wishing he could have brought them with him.
He finds one glass that seems cleaner than the others. "Aguamenti" he says, loud and clear. He sighs in frustration as it doesn't work. Blasted Ministry!
When they sent him here, they took away his wand and gave him a magic-blocking bracelet. It's invisible to Muggles, but he sees it clearly. Stupid thing! He can't use magic, not even the simplest of spells.
"Wingardium Leviosa" he growls, focusing on a potted plant. Nothing happens, absolutely nothing. A first-year student can do more magic than him now!
Cursing under his breath, he tries to make the most of his stay. He now has to live like a blasted Muggle... How hard can it be?
He quickly finds out that it's really difficult to live like a Muggle. He has no idea how to cook, so he has to buy ready-meals. They are cheap and clearly not that healthy... He truly misses his fortune.
Feeling dirty, he decides to take a shower. Unfortunately, the water is ice cold, and it won't heat up. Great, he will need to let the caretaker know...
There's just one problem. How do you contact the caretaker? He's sure they don't use owls. Do you just knock on his door?
Huffing, he puts on some clothes before leaving his apartment and walking out in the hallway. He spots one of his Muggle neighbours.
"Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me which room number the caretaker lives in?" Lucius asks as politely as he can, giving a forced smile.
"Why don't you just call him?" the man grumbles almost inaudibly, shutting his door in Lucius' face.
"What a rude Muggle" he growls under his breath, walking down the stairs in hope of finding someone who will tell him.
After asking five people, an elderly woman is so kind to tell him that the caretaker lives in the first room down on the ground floor.
The same lady kept calling him 'miss', thinking that he's a woman just because he has long hair. After telling her fifteen times that he's in fact a man, the woman still doesn't listen and tells him that she has to check on her cats.
"Have a good day, young lady" the elderly woman says, giving Lucius a smile before closing her door.
Lucius facepalms himself. He truly hopes that he won't have to live here for too long...
He finally knocks on the caretaker's door. He follows Lucius to his apartment room and fixes the water. "There you go, sir. Next time, you can just call me. It's so much easier than for you to go all the way down to the ground floor just to knock on my door" the caretaker tells him.
Lucius raises an eyebrow in confusion. "Calling?" he asks. What does the Muggle mean? Does he have to shout out in the hallway?
"Yes, you know, using the cellphone. There's a technology shop not too far away from here if you don't already have one. Anyway, I have another task to do. Have a good day, Mr. Malfoy. I do hope you like it here" he says before he's out the door.
Meanwhile, Lucius is still standing there, looking more confused than ever. "Technology...?" he questions out loud to himself, having no idea what that is.
Once he finally realises that the caretaker is gone, he shakes away the thought. Hopefully he won't need his help again...
At last, he's having a decent shower. He unfortunately has to use cheap products... He prays to Merlin that his hair will turn out all right.
He almost punches the wall when he realises there's no hair conditioner. Who in the world doesn't have a hair conditioner?!
Once the torturous shower is finally over, he decides to go to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day...
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He has now been in the apartment for a week, and every day gets worse. He hates the building, he hates his Muggle neighbours, he hates himself... Overall, he hates his life.
When will the Ministry accept his efforts and let him return to Malfoy Manor? It better be soon... He might not be able to survive here much longer.
That senile old woman has invited him for a cup of tea. She keeps telling him he wouldn't look so tired if only he used some makeup to hide the dark circles under his eyes. And he should try a blue dress, it would surely suit him and make him look like such a beautiful woman... She still believes that he's a woman!
Not only that, but her blasted cats keep playing with his hair... He wants to hex her and her pets so bad.
He finally has enough when she suddenly asks whether or not he was on his period since he looked so tired.
"Look, madam... I am NOT a woman" he says through gritted teeth, taking off his jacket to show off his figure to prove his point.
One can clearly tell that he doesn't have breasts, plus he's not lacking in size, so it would be obvious to any human being, Muggle or not, that he is a man. Well, everyone except for this crazy cat lady.
"Oh, don't be so sad about the size of your breasts! You are still a lovely, beautiful young woman" the woman says, giving him a sympathetic smile.
Lucius is staring at her, dumbfounded. Is she blind?!
Having enough of the conversation, Lucius excuses himself and quickly leaves the crazy lady's apartment. As he's about to walk back to his own apartment room, one of the neighbours spots him.
"Are you still here?" the man complains, not looking pleased.
Lucius huffs. "Unfortunately, I am" he growls. After that, he hurries inside his home.
"Stupid Muggles" he mutters angrily under his breath. He can't tell who he hates the most - the rude people or the weird ones, such as that old lady. She clearly needs glasses!
These people aren't making him accept Muggles - they are making him hate them even more! Hopefully his days will become better soon...
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The next day, Lucius decides to go for a walk. He's feeling like he's going insane if he stays inside this stupid building one more minute.
As he's leaving his apartment room, he notices that someone is moving in next to him. Great, another stupid Muggle... He truly hopes this one will leave him alone.
He walks for around thirty minutes. As he's still not that familiar with the area, he decides to head back before he gets lost.
Once he's inside the building and is about to enter his home, his new neighbour leaves theirs. "Oh, hello, sir. I'm your new neighbour, I just moved in today" they politely say.
As he's about to snap at them, he almost forgets how to talk when he takes a look at them. This one isn't an old, crazy lady nor an extremely rude guy... His new neighbour is a young woman. He can't help but admire her beauty, looking her up and down. He had no idea Muggles could be this beautiful. Well, he had no idea Mggles could be beautiful at all...
He finally realises that he's staring at her when he notices her cheeks are bright red.
He clears his throat. "I apologise, I didn't mean to stare. I just haven't seen such a beautiful woman before" he says as he silently asks for her hand.
Blinking a few times, she nervously lets him hold her hand. He slowly brings it to his lips as he kisses it like a gentleman.
"My name is Lucius Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss" he says, giving her a charming smile. Her cheeks are redder than a tomato. His way of greeting seems to make her very shy.
"I'm Y/N Y/L/N... Nice to meet you, too" she shyly says.
She gives him a smile. "It's nice seeing a friendly face. The other neighbours I have met so far have been rather rude" she whispers to him, clearly not wanting the neighbours to hear her.
He chuckles. "You have no idea... Well, Y/N- May I call you Y/N? If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to tell me" he states.
"Thank you, Lucius. You may always come to me as well if you need help with something. Have a good day" she tells him, smiling. He smiles as well.
As they part ways, he's still smiling. She seems friendly enough... Perhaps not all Muggles are bad.
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As the days pass by, Lucius and Y/N become friends. She's the only one in the entire building who's friendly towards him... Well, besides the caretaker and the crazy old woman. The old lady is nice, but she truly needs glasses...
Ever since Y/N moved in, Lucius has learned something new every day. How Muggles pay rent, how to cook, how technology works... She helped him buy one of those cellphones the caretaker mentioned. He's still not completely familiar with it, but hopefully he will in time.
Thank Merlin she believed each of his excuses as to how he doesn't know these things. He obviously can't tell her that he isn't a Muggle... She wouldn't believe him anyway as he can't use his magic thanks to the stupid bracelet.
Every evening they cook a meal together. Whenever he makes a silly mistake, such as not turning on the oven, she can't help but laugh. Her laugh is so sweet, so innocent, so beautiful. He can't even get mad at her for laughing at him. Her laugh is contagious, so he always laughs with her.
As they spend more and more time together, he has come to realise something. He doesn't hate Muggles - at least not all of them... Y/N is definitely his favourite Muggle, there's no doubt.
As they get more close, they reveal things from their past. "So, Y/N, how come you moved into this building?" Lucius asks one evening, curious to know why she has chosen to live here.
Y/N sighs. "Well, I broke up with my boyfriend... He was cheating on me. I felt miserable and wanted to move as far away from him as possible. This is what I could afford" she explains, shrugging.
Lucius gives her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to hear that. That fool has no idea what he lost. I got divorced before I moved in here" he reveals, not telling the exact reason why he moved in. It's only half the truth, but he can't tell her that.
"Oh, Lucius... I'm sorry to hear that!" she exclaims, wrapping her arms around him.
Chuckling, Lucius hugs her back. "It's okay, it's best this way" he replies, amused by her action.
She immediately lets go of him, her cheeks bright red. "I'm so sorry, I have no idea what came over me- It's just that I have developed feelings for you ever since I met you" she blurts out.
She closes her eyes shut, clearly not meaning to reveal that. "I-I mean..." she says, trailing off.
Lucius gently grabs her hands. "Y/N... I must admit I have developed feelings for you as well" he admits, looking into his eyes.
She widens her eyes. "Y-You have?" she stammers.
He hums. "I have. How could I not? You are such a beautiful woman" he whispers into her ear.
Her breath gets caught in her throat. "Kiss me..." she whispers.
"I thought you would never ask" he drawls as he covers her lips with his own, kissing her passionately.
From that moment on, their friendship turned into a romantic relationship. Who would have ever thought that Lucius Malfoy would fall in love with a Muggle?
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After dating for a few months, Y/N moves into the same apartment room as Lucius. Yes, that's right, she's moving in with him. He has clearly forgotten all about the Ministry. Right now, all he can think about is Y/N.
After they have moved in together, they decide to invite Lucius' friend, Severus. As the doorbell isn't working, they are meeting him on the ground floor.
"Severus, my friend. It's so good to see you" Lucius says, smiling as he greets his friend.
"Lucius... It is good to see you as well. And this must be your partner?" Severus questions, looking at Y/N.
The woman smiles. "That's right, I'm Y/N. Nice to finally meet you, Severus" she says.
"The pleasure is all mine. From the letters Lucius has sent me, I can tell that you make him very happy" Severus states.
Lucius smiles as he kisses his girlfriend's cheek. "Exactly, she makes me so happy-" he says just as the person he least wishes to see enters the building.
"Oh, I had no idea you were lesbian! Good for you, young lady" the crazy old woman says, giving Lucius a friendly smile.
Both Severus and Y/N look absolutely confused while Lucius facepalms himself. "I'll tell you later..." he mutters to both of them as he drags them up the stairs.
"Have a good day!" the old woman shouts as she waves at them, smiling before entering her home.
Once inside in safety, Lucius explains to them that the old woman believes he's a woman... Severus snorts while Y/N bursts out laughing.
"Lucius, I had no idea... Is that who you have been avoiding this whole time?" Y/N asks, trying to stop laughing.
Ever since he and Y/N met each other, he has tried his best to never bump into the old woman while in Y/N's presence. He was successful until today...
Lucius sighs as he nods. "Correct, I have told her numerous times that I am in fact a man..." he grumbles.
Severus smirks. "Perhaps if you wore Y/N's underwear in front of her, she wouldn't be in doubt..." he jokes.
That makes Y/N burst out laughing again while Lucius huffs. "Very funny, Severus... Would you like some tea?" he offers. As his friend accepts, the three of them enjoy a nice dinner together.
Once it's time for Severus to leave, he requests to speak with Lucius alone. He casts the silencing charm so Y/N won't hear them.
"I'm sure you have been wondering why the Ministry hasn't contacted you..." Severus starts, raising an eyebrow when Lucius looks surprised.
"You have forgotten all about it, haven't you? Well, they have noticed you seem to like it here... They now know that you are no longer a threat to Muggles, so they will remove the bracelet on Monday and give you back your wand. You have redeemed yourself" Severus tells him.
"By the way, Lucius... I can tell that you love Y/N, which is why I must advise you to tell her about your past and what you are. You do not want secrets in your relationship" he warns.
Lucius nods. "You are right... Thank you, Severus. I had in fact forgotten all about it. I will tell her once you leave" he assures him.
Nodding, Severus turns around to leave. Lucius however wraps his arms around him before he can leave the room. "Thank you for visiting us, Severus. It was good to see you again, my friend" he whispers. All these months before he met Y/N, he had truly missed seeing a familiar face.
Blinking a few times, Severus awkwardly pats Lucius' back. "You are welcome, Lucius. It was good to see you again as well" he mutters, the corners of his lips slowly turning upwards.
After Lucius finally lets Severus leave, he tells Y/N everything. That he's a wizard, that he helped the Dark Lord, that he had to redeem himself...
Once he's done telling her everything, she hugs him tightly. "Thank you for telling me, Lucius. Now that you don't hate us... Muggles was the word, yes? Now that you don't hate us Muggles anymore, do you still want to live together with me?" she asks, fidgeting with her hands.
Lucius smiles. "There's nothing else I would rather do..." he assures as he kisses her.
Once they stop kissing in order to breathe, he sighs in irritation. "... I still hate that senile old lady" he growls.
That makes Y/N laugh. "I think she's nice, she just needs to understand that men can have long hair too... Do you want me to wait for you outside the building when you get your wand back on Monday?" she offers.
He gives her a grateful smile. "I was hoping you would say that" he says, nuzzling his nose against hers.
Lucius Malfoy's life is complete once again. He's got his magic back, but he didn't even miss it. Perhaps living like a Muggle wasn't so bad after all.
Y/N helped him understand that Muggles are likeable, she even helped him learn how to do things the way that they do. He now enjoys watching Muggle movies while curled up next to her on the couch. He also enjoys cooking meals with her.
He still hasn't gotten the hang of using his cellphone, but that's okay. He's so happy now that he's with Y/N.
They often visit Severus together. They even visit Narcissa and Draco as well. Both of them approve of Lucius' girlfriend and have welcomed her with open arms.
Lucius redeemed himself and even found love in the process. It's safe to say that he doesn't regret his decision about living among Muggles.
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Author's note:
The next one shot "Reborn as an Archangel" (Valtor) will be published on 10/4/2022!