A/N: no, I'm not getting back into writing a bunch of Harry Potter fanfiction again. This is for a writing event on the TDRPU. The theme for today was a family gathering and I kind of stretched it a little but the prompt is there, kind of.

Forgive me for any OCness. It has been a hot minute since i wrote any of these folks that I don't own. The only character I own is Jessica.

This is a weird AU up for interpretation.

Enjoy!

A house elf opened the door to Malfoy Manor. "Welcome home, suh," he grumbled, moving aside.

The man of the house seemed to notice the new arrival's presence because he materialized by the door. "Hello, Draco," he greeted.

Draco managed a grimace. "Hello, Father..." he replied from the other side of the door.

"I see you accepted the invitation to spend the holiday at home with our illustrious family..."

"Well, you didn't give me much choice," Draco muttered quietly.

"Speak up when you address me," Lucius chided.

Draco's throat tightened and he nodded.

"You got another one out there with ya?" the house elf asked, noticing a shadowy figure behind Draco.

"Oh, um, yes," Draco replied with a nod, turning his head briefly and beckoning his apparent companion to come in. "This is the girlfriend that I told you about," he said to Lucius.

Lucius raised an eyebrow-he'd never truly believed that Draco had a girlfriend- and looked her over critically once she'd entered the manor.

Draco's 'girlfriend' was quite beautiful. She was just a tad shorter than Draco, with lovely olive skin and the darkest of brown eyes. Her hair was pitch black, long, and straight. She wore a simple but refined black outfit under a black coat. She seemed to be trying not to squint. She took Draco's hand once she entered. "Quite the little place you have here," she remarked. "Draco's told me so much about it."

"Hm," Lucius hummed with a small frown that quickly faded. He extended his hand out. "It's an absolute honor to meet you," he said cordially. "Draco has spoken of you rather highly."

Draco's girlfriend returned the handshake after the slightest bit of hesitation.

"What is your name?" Lucius asked.

"Jessica," she replied.

"Interesting...how did you meet Draco?"

"Father, we've just arrived, and you're already interrogating her?" Draco remarked with a frown.

"We met at Hogwarts," Jessica replied cooly, ignoring Draco for the time being. She wasn't making direct eye contact with Lucius, which caused him to frown slightly.

"Hm, well then...please, make yourself at home," Lucius insisted. "I'll have the elf bring your things up."

Draco quickly led Jessica away from the door and his father. They spoke to each other quietly.

By the end of the first evening Draco had introduced Jessica to most of his family who were at the manor over the holiday, unfortunately including a one Bellatrix Lestrange. Who even knew why she was there.

"Hmmmmmmm. Draco, you picked up a real fine girly, didn't you?" she asked as she paced around Jessica. She poked her in the ribs and then gazed into her soul via staring her in the eyes. "We'll get along splendid, I'm sure," she decided with a grin.

Jessica was very uncomfortable during this exchange.

At dinner Jessica sipped from a bottle she'd carried with her the whole time and barely touched the drink that had been set in front of her. The Malfoys looked at her oddly, but Draco seemed to ignore it. Everyone talked around them and the couple stayed fairly quiet. Lucius watched them closely from the head of the table.

When it came time to finally go to bed, Draco insisted that he and Jessica shared his room. No one really tried to deny him that.

Lucius looked on as Draco seemed to help Jessica up the steps to his bedroom-almost like she couldn't see where she was stepping. He narrowed his eyes. "Hm..." He became suspicious.

It was only after three days of this that Lucius' suspicions were confirmed. Or rather, they were justified. He certainly didn't expect to be presented with the sight that he was.

He stared blankly, in horror and shock, into the mostly-darkness of Draco's bedroom. It was around eleven at night, four days after Draco and Jessica's arrival. Except he was not looking at Jessica next to Draco...

He ran off just before Draco could spot him in the doorway. Lucius didn't sleep that night.

The next morning, once Jessica and Draco were ready and went down for breakfast they were met with stares from Draco's family. Lucius had his hands tightly grasping his cane

"Well well well..." Bellatrix started. "Isn't this the most adorable thing."

"Draco..." Narcissa Malfoy looked at her son with a disappointed expression on her face.

Lucius was clearly tense.

Jessica got the feeling that she and or Draco were not exactly wanted there. Before she could start to leave with him, however, Bellatrix grabbed her arm. "You should stay awhile, Jessie, a long while..."

Jessica tried to get out of the grip but it was very tight. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"Let go of her," Draco said to Bellatrix, frowning.

"Aw, why? This ain't your girlyfriend, is it?" Bellatrix asked, pulling Jessica closer and wrapping her arm around her neck. "This is a lil imposter. Lucy said so."

"Please, stop," Draco pleaded, glancing at his father in confusion.

"Uh uh, darling..."

Jessica managed to get out of Bellatrix's grip. The stuff in the bottle was starting to wear off. "I think I should take my leave now," she said, her voice turning deeper.

"Nooooooo, stay!" Bellatrix demanded, trying to grab her again.

Draco put himself between the two. Bellatrix gasped.

Jessica at this point had lost her long hair. It had shortened significantly. Soon she clearly became a he, and sort of hid behind Draco for a moment while frantically trying to grab the oh so important bottle. Bellatrix reached around and snatched it.

Everyone in the room's eyes widened at the sight.

Bellatrix opened the bottle and sniffed it.

Meanwhile, Lucius stood up and approached the group. His cane hit the floor hard. He stopped in front of Draco, standing next to Bellatrix. "Explain yourself," he demanded.

Draco glared at them both.

A hand rested on his shoulder and 'Jessica' poked his head out from behind Draco. "Could I get my glasses before this altercation begins?" he asked. "I can barely see." His dark hair was in his green eyes, which didn't help.

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Fine," he grumbled.

'Jessica' quickly Apparated out, but grabbed Draco's arm at the last second so they both wound up back in Draco's room.

Everyone in the room blinked a few times.

Roughly ten minutes later, only Draco came back in.

Lucius looked at him, expecting an explanation.

Draco looked back at him. His expression made it clear he'd rather they be alone. "We're all waiting," was Lucius' reply, frowning.

"Fine," Draco replied, his fists clenched. "I don't actually have a girlfriend."

"We all saw that," Bellatrix remarked, a hand on her hip.

"So you lied...and had the audacity to try and trick me..." Lucius said, clearly angry.

"There weren't exactly many options," Draco replied. "And if anything we did trick you."

Lucius wasn't entirely sure what to do. Finally he made a somewhat difficult choice. "...get out of my house," he told Draco.

Draco looked at him in disbelief. "What?"

"I said get out...right now," Lucius replied.

Draco seemed to be in shock, but turned and ran out and back up to his room, to pack his things.

Lucius waited a few minutes, then Apparated to upstairs to hear everything.

He could hear crying, first off.

"I'm sorry Draco..." Lucius could hear 'Jessica' say to him. "But this was inevitable."

"It didn't have to be...I shouldn't have listened to you," Draco retorted, sniffling. "We could have kept up the lie."

"We really couldn't have, and you know it...it was eating you alive."

Draco was silent for a moment. "You have to be right about everything...don't you...Potter?" he asked quietly while shakily wiping his eyes.

"...only when it counts," was the reply.

After that there was silence. Lucius turned and walked away from the door, his breathing a bit shallow.

The two were out of the mansion soon after, having Apparated to a more pleasant environment. It was only two days later that they were gracing the pages of the Daily Prophet, having been spotted in Diagon Alley together and holding hands by one of those scheming reporters. At that point Harry didn't care but Draco was terribly uncomfortable being battered with questions. The photo accompanying the article proved this as Lucius stared at it. Harry was putting himself in front of Draco and telling the reporter to go away while Draco appeared grateful.

Lucius crumpled up the paper and threw it to the floor for an elf to clean up, then slumped down in his seat.

Thanks for reading :)