Pairing: Lucius/Harry
Warnings: Obviously this is m/m slash. The beginning starts out quite tame but within a few chapters, will be very NC-17. For those readers who are squicked by infidelity, you probably don't want to read this one. There may be character death toward the end. You have been warned!
Categories: Romance
Summary: Post-DH. Lucius Malfoy has hit rock bottom but from the bottom, the only way to go is up. For Harry Potter, life is finally running smoothly but that is always when things start to go off track.

A man with stark white hair sat in front of the fireplace in his manor, his pale eyes watching the dancing flames though not really seeing them. The hair had once been a shimmering platinum blonde but three years of stress, imprisonment and hardship had drained the pale gold from it. (Even so, it was no less striking than it had been before.) Life had not been very kind to Lucius Malfoy after the Dark Lord's return and now that his master was gone – apparently for good this time – the wizard found himself adrift.

Because his beloved Cissa had saved the grand hero of the hour, the Ministry overlooked her involvement with the Death Eaters during the Dark Lord's short reign, especially after Potter had spoken on her behalf. Lucius assumed that the boy had felt some sort of obligation, Gryffindor honor or some such nonsense. The Wizengamot had no such qualms over Lucius and would happily have sent him back to Azkaban. However, as his wand had been destroyed, and he had taken very little part in anything that had come after that devastating event, the Ministry saw no just cause to further confine him in prison.

Snorting at that thought, Malfoy lifted the tumbler to his lips and took a great draught of firewhiskey. Not that he wasn't in a prison now; a wizard without magic. If Narcissa hadn't loved him – hadn't pitied him – he would never have survived the intervening months since the Dark Lord's defeat.

Perhaps the worst part of all was seeing the emotions that warred in his son's eyes every time Draco looked at him: pity, shame, embarrassment and love. Lucius knew that the boy still loved him and still wanted to make him proud, but it had to be hard to have a father that was such a failure. To be a Malfoy now invited scorn and ridicule; not at all what Lucius desired for his only son and heir.

Heaving a deep sigh, Lucius let his head drop back against the worn leather of the wingback chair in which he sat, alone with his bitterness, as had become his custom. He would find his way to bed soon, he thought. He would be unsteady on his feet but tonight he was sober enough to find his way without assistance from one of the house elves.

Cissa would probably be asleep already. Some nights she waited up for him, reading until the wee hours and only going to sleep when he crawled into bed. Tonight, however, she had called an early night saying that she didn't feel well. Not that he blamed her in the least. She worked as hard as ever to keep their family afloat and did whatever was necessary. A strong Slytherin woman was his Narcissa. A hint of a smile quirked the corner of his lips. She was an ice queen to everyone except the Malfoy men – for Draco was a man now, despite his youth – but to them she was a warm and solid strength in time of need.

Shaking his head at his own sentimentality, Lucius drained the glass and made to rise. It was at that moment that Draco entered, looking quite put out. The boy passed at once to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a generous measure of whiskey. His father watched without comment. He understood the need, after all.

Once Draco sank into the vacant chair at his father's side, Lucius broke the silence with a simple, "Problems?"

The boy grunted a two-syllable reply, "Potter."

Lucius' teeth clenched at the name but he leaned back in his chair with only a murmured, "I see." As silence lingered, he was forced to prompt Draco further, "What has he done now?"

Lucius hated Potter almost as much as Draco did, though for much different reasons than his son's. The elder Malfoy saw Potter as an inferior who had brought nothing but trouble to the Malfoy family. That and the boy was most definitely undeserving of all the attention that was heaped upon him. By contrast, Potter had always been Draco's rival and the young Malfoy was jealous of Potter's abilities and fame. Lucius wished – not for the first time – that Draco would stop giving Harry power against him by treating him as an equal.

It seemed the younger man's problem on this occasion wasn't just with Potter however, because Draco shook his head and muttered something about the Granger girl. Ah… Lucius had long suspected his son's feelings for the mudblood and he wondered if Draco would ever admit that he fancied her. Upon further reflection, Lucius doubted such a thing would happen. It wasn't as though the boy's crush could ever be more than that and Draco knew it.

Rising without a word, the older wizard took a moment to steady himself and then gave his son a pat on the shoulder, "You'll sort it out."

That was all he said before making his way carefully up to bed. It was probably just as well that he couldn't see the troubled expression on his son's face as the young man watched him weave his way out the door.

oOoOo

Harry Potter found that an inordinate amount of his time these days was taken up with keeping as much distance between him and the Malfoy family as possible. On some days it was easy, other days not so much.

Now that he had passed his exams, finished his training and was officially an auror, his plate was full, especially as he helped Minister Shacklebolt to reform the department. Harry's experience were proving invaluable when working out plans to ensure another reign of terror like Voldemort's would never happen again. He didn't have time to make nice with the dark wizard's former followers.

Being in the presence of Narcissa was usually tolerable. She treated him with a modicum of respect and gratitude for what he'd done for her family. Unfortunately for Harry, he seemed much more apt to run into Draco.

Despite his actions during the Battle of Hogwarts and continuing horrible attitude, the Slytherin had managed to score some sort of position in the Ministry. Not that he needed a job. His family was still stinking rich. To be honest, they were better off now than they had been before the war. In her will, Bellatrix had left the entire contents of her vault at Gringotts to her favorite sister.

Harry figured that Draco had gotten a job at the Ministry just to annoy him. In fact, he said as much to Ginny at least once a day. She'd taken to simply shaking her head and giving a sympathetic little chuckle every time Harry made a comment like that.

Lucius Malfoy was another matter altogether. Harry hardly saw him at all. The disgraced lord of Malfoy Manor rarely ventured out these days. He especially didn't make efforts to visit the Ministry where Harry spent most of his time. Therefore Harry was more than a little surprised when he saw the man in question heading toward his cubicle one morning. Lucius paused before the auror's desk and looked down at him with the old familiar sneer.

"Potter," Malfoy gave him a polite yet mocking incline of the head.

Harry made a point of looking the older man up and down before replying in a neutral tone, "Mister Malfoy."

He had to hand it to the fellow; Lucius still managed to cut an impressive and imposing figure. The ever-present cane that had once housed his wand was part of the ensemble of rich clothes he wore. Harry knew that the walking stick was now empty, of course, but his eyes instinctively tracked to it anyway; a glance that was not lost on Malfoy.

"I've come to ask you to stop harassing my son, Potter."

Harry wasn't sure he'd heard correctly and could only sit there, staring dumbfounded up at the white-haired wizard, "Excuse me. What?"

Lucius leaned down toward him, his entire bearing exuding a dangerous menace. Even the pale eyes had darkened like an impending storm but Harry thought he spotted something besides anger or hatred lurking in them. Hell if he could figure out what this emotion was but he didn't have much time to ponder it. The older man was so close to Harry now that the young auror could feel the body heat radiating from him.

"I said," every word was a low hiss, though quite obviously enunciated, "stop harassing my son. The Dark Lord is gone now. Leave my family alone."

Harry barely kept from laughing at the absurd statement. Then he was captured again by that stare. Swallowing hard, he leaned back in his chair – the most nonchalant action that he could think of – and quirked an eyebrow. "Perhaps you'd be better served if you told your son to stop harassing me. He's the one always making flimsy excuses to come down here and bother me or Ron."

Harry didn't know that what he'd just said was true exactly but Draco did seem to be in the office far more than coincidence would account for.

The elder Malfoy's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. Harry saw his hand twitch toward the cane and even though he was sure that Malfoy hadn't been allowed a new wand, his hand flew his own wand, kept within easy reach. The rational part of Harry's brain knew that he was safe at his desk but old habits died hard.

"I would suggest that you leave now, Mister Malfoy," his voice was cool, professional, and polite though it held an unmistakable air of command, "before somebody does something that he might regret."

Blue eyes met green for a long moment. Harry could still feel that same uncomfortable sensation of being too close and then Malfoy abruptly stepped back. "This is not over, Potter."

As Lucius spun on his heel and stormed out with his nose in the air, Harry sighed. No, he figured it wasn't.

oOoOo

Lucius stepped out of the fireplace in his study and had to lean against the mantle for a long moment. He felt more alive than he had in months. And when had Potter gone from being a scrawny, half-starved boy to the man that he'd encountered today? Surely such changes couldn't have happened in the brief time since Lucius had last laid eyes on him.

The more Lucius thought about the encounter, the more the blood surged through his veins. He couldn't explain it but he felt so invigorated that he went in search of his beloved Cissa. It had been some time since he had any interest in performing his duties as a husband but he found that he had more than enough interest today. Maybe he would have to orchestrate a few more such meetings with Potter.

Lucius mused on that for a bit while looking for Narcissa but once he found her, he pushed all such thoughts out of his mind to concentrate on the pleasures at hand; a concentration that was broken only a few times by the memory of a pair of glimmering green eyes.

oOoOo

Somehow a woman can always tell when something has happened with her man. Ginny must have sensed something amiss when Harry walked into the flat because she called to him from the kitchen, "Hullo, Love. Hard day?"

They hadn't been cohabiting long but it hadn't taken much effort for her to become familiar with his routine. She looked up from the pots on the stove and offered him a smile as he came in and kissed her cheek. Her eyes searched his face.

"Not bad," Harry took a seat at the table before continuing, "had an interesting visit from none other than Lucius Malfoy."

Ginny went very still at hearing the name. She'd never forgiven Malfoy for slipping Tom Riddle's journal into her cauldron during her first year – not that Harry could blame her. That action, along with the animosity between their two families, sealed his fate as far as she was concerned.

"Oh? What did he want?" Her tone was nonchalant but Harry knew that the question was anything but.

"He warned me off of harassing his son," he laughed. "Can you believe it? Me harass Draco!"

Ginny shook her head. "The other way around, I'd say."

"That's what I told him."

"Hmm."

Harry watched Ginny, observing the tension that still lingered in her shoulders and back, and thought of a way that he might ease it. Perhaps the solution might also help Harry banish the preoccupation that had hounded him since Lucius Malfoy's visit that afternoon.

Rising, Harry moved behind his fiancée and kissed her on the neck. His hands settled gently on her shoulders and started kneading.

"Turn down the pots so they don't burn, Love," he murmured between kisses, "I want dessert first." Maybe then he could get rid of the vision of Lucius Malfoy's arrogant face staring at him every time he closed his eyes.

oOoOo

Lucius sat across the table from his son and sipped a small cup of café au lait. There had been no difficulty in getting Draco out of the office for lunch. Not that he thought there would be. The boy took any excuse he could to get away from the Ministry, although this particular café was popular with the younger Ministry workers – especially the aurors. Lucius had been meticulous in his research. Every time he ventured away from his manor he invited scorn and ridicule, so he might at least make sure it was worth the trouble.

His eyes moved restlessly over the crowd, scanning but trying not to make it too obvious. At least Draco seemed to be oblivious because he continued to share the gossip he'd gleaned from others in his department. Some things were petty, others quite interesting if Lucius had a mind to meddle in Ministry politics. At the moment he didn't really care about any of it but he listened, interjecting comments to keep the conversation flowing.

It took some time before he was rewarded for his patience. Lucius first spotted the mop of black hair across the crowded room and then he noticed the tall redhead at Potter's side. With Weasley along this would be too easy…and too delicious.

The elder Malfoy's gaze must have lingered too long, or perhaps he'd neglected a response in the conversation, because Draco followed his eyes and spotted the newcomers as well.

"Great," the boy's voice was a bad-tempered grumble, "Weasel and Potty Potter. Just what I needed."

"Now Draco," Lucius tried to keep from sounding too content but he was afraid that he might have purred, "we shouldn't allow that sort to spoil our lunch, should we?"

Draco gave his father a suspicious look but he obliged with a grudging nod. "No, Father."

The elder Malfoy graced his son with an approving smile. The boy was well trained. That had always been something that Lucius counted on.

Turning his attention back to the pair across the room, Lucius waited for an opportunity to present itself. Draco lapsed back into his conversation but he too kept an eye on his former classmates. Weasley and Potter hadn't noticed the Malfoys sitting there and having placed their order with the pretty young witch at the counter, they moved past the Malfoys' table.

Choosing a very precise moment, Lucius stretched his leg forward as though he was fishing around in his trouser pocket for something. Weasley tripped over Lucius' leg with one clown-sized foot and fell heavily against his friend.

"Hey! Why don't you…" the words were lost as Weasley turned and saw just whose limb he'd fallen over. He flushed an angry scarlet and even his ears went red. "Malfoy!"

Lucius shot him a cold look, accompanied by a proper sneer. "I do believe it is you who should be watching where he's walking, Weasley. I wouldn't want you to have to pawn the ring you bought for your mudblood just to replace my shoes."

There it was, just as Lucius had hoped – the flash of anger in Potter's eyes when the elder wizard had called Granger a mudblood. Of course Weasley was livid, already drawing his wand by the time Lucius finished speaking. Lucius was dimly aware that Draco had drawn his wand too. Secure in the knowledge that his son would protect him – and ignoring the shimmer of frustration inside that he needed protecting – Lucius kept his focus completely on Potter.

The low burn had begun anew in Lucius' body, a sweet dull throb. This is what he'd been missing. For two years he'd been little more than a beaten cur, slithering on his belly, licking his master's boots and taking what scraps he'd been carelessly thrown. Then afterward he'd been obliged to let his wife and son support him.

But this…

This was what power felt like.

Lucius drank it in like a fine wine. He swirled it, savored the texture, let the desire for more build and fill him. He knew what buttons to push now, the ones that would fill those vivid green eyes with anger and bring a flush to those young cheeks that were still so smooth despite the other changes in Potter's demeanor and physique.

"You're no better than a muggle now yourself, Malfoy." The words were growled low, a man's voice in which the boy's fury was barely contained. "How dare you continue to call 'Mione that filthy name?"

"No better than a muggle?" Lucius delivered his reply smoothly, not missing a beat as he played his game. He could now see the changes in himself from the man he'd been only a week ago. It amazed him, though he doubted if any of the others had a clue. Perhaps Draco would have if he were not embroiled in his own battle with Weasley. "At least we are in agreement that muggles are beneath us."

Harry opened his mouth for an angry retort and then closed it again, frustration clear on his face. Lucius knew that many people thought him weak or stupid because of what had happened to him. Even though that assumption grated on him, it didn't keep him from exploiting it for his own gain, just as he did now.

"No, we are not," Harry finally managed to mumble. Lucius knew that Potter didn't want to concede anything to him, which suited Lucius fine. He wasn't after concessions, nor was he after vindication. He was after the rush that sparring with Harry Potter would give him.

"Funny, that is what it sounded like to me. If I am no better than a muggle without my magic, then surely you believe that I was superior to one while I had it – or that you, yourself, are superior."

It seemed like perfectly logical reasoning to Malfoy. He could tell, however, that the boy was trying to find a way to argue against it. The failure to do so was upsetting Potter even more.

Finally glancing over to Weasley for help, Potter noticed for the first time what was going on between Ron and Draco.

"Come on, Ron," he murmured to his friend, "we don't need any more trouble right now, especially with these two. Let's go find a table outside."

Ron looked at Harry with a rather stupid expression and Lucius assumed that it was because the Weasley boy hadn't often seen his friend turn from a fight. To tell the truth, that was not what Lucius had expected from the boy either; nor was it exactly what he wanted. However, he would allow Harry to withdraw this time. The game had only just begun.

As Potter turned away, Lucius spoke in an almost off-handed manner, "Give my regards to your little fiancée for me, Potter. I saw her picture in The Prophet recently and you know, she really has blossomed into a fine piece of arse. Too bad she's as big a blood traitor as the rest of that lot." He gestured vaguely toward the redhead at Potter's side.

Oh Merlin it was so gratifying to see how quickly that passion flashed back into Potter's eyes. Weasley went even more livid, if that was possible, and the older man chuckled again. Harry managed to drag Ron away from the Malfoys at last but the whole café stared at Weasley as he raved about Lucius' disrespect.

Once the two young wizards were outside, Draco turned to face his father. His eyes were full of questions. "Why did you say that about Weasley's sister?"

"Oh," the older Malfoy waved a dismissive hand and smiled into his cup, "I just thought it would be amusing to see their reactions. Didn't you find it funny?"

oOoOo

That night when he got home, Harry scooped Ginny up and dragged her into the bedroom. For the first time since they'd become intimate, Harry was not in the least bit tender. The events of the day had gotten him so frustrated that all he could think about was getting off. Not that he forced her or didn't pay attention to Ginny's needs at all, but he didn't take the time that he normally would have. Instead of gentle caresses, his lovemaking was hot, frantic and bordering on rough.

Finally, after he spent himself with a low cry and had Ginny snuggled against his chest, he stroked her back and apologized.

"I'm so sorry, Love. I didn't mean things to be like that."

Ginny looked up at him and Harry found that he couldn't meet her eyes. Shame and guilt flooded through him, made worse by the fact that only he knew that he'd really wanted – deep down inside – to punish Lucius Malfoy, not his darling Ginny.

He felt her soft touch settle upon each side of his face and he turned his eyes back to her. "Will you please tell me what's wrong, Harry? You've been acting strangely all week. Is it something at the Ministry?"

Her pretty eyes searched his and for a moment he thought he could get lost in them and never have to find his way back again. In such a moment he was almost tempted to spill his innermost troubles and feelings but he had just enough presence of mind to keep that from happening.

"Of a sort," he sighed. "I've just been going through a lot of stress lately. It'll be okay." Putting on a brave face, he hugged her and tried to hide all of the raw emotions that were still lingering. "Just as long as I don't hurt you. I didn't hurt you, did I?" Harry was afraid that he had.

"No, Sweetheart. You didn't hurt me. It was actually kind of…hot. Just…just warn me next time, will you, so that I know what to expect?"

"Hopefully there won't be a next time." Harry was surprised to hear that Ginny might have liked what just happened, though he wasn't quite sure whether she was just saying it to make him feel better. What he did know was that he hated losing control and hoped with all of his might that something like this would never happen again. Of course, that meant that he would have to get rid of Lucius bloody Malfoy.