Chapter One

April 2005

And yet, he didn't. It was almost exactly four years later and Seth was almost six and Draco close to twenty–five and he still couldn't stand the child. He was at the manor to talk business with his father and yet, there was Seth, little untroubled eyes dancing as he told Draco what he was learning about in lessons. 'Have you got a wand yet?' Draco asked. Why was it such a long walk to his father's office?

'Well…no. But father says, for my birthday, he'll bring me to Salem and we can choose a wand and–'

'Funny. I got mine well before I was six.'

'Really? Not…not on your fifth birthday?'

'No, no, it wasn't a present. More a reward really, for turning somebody into a bat.'

'What? But that's not nice!'

Lucius had spent the years after the war trying to distance himself from his bad reputation and pretend as though he had a conscience, even make an effort with the whole family–man thing. The result was that Seth had a rather sugar coated view of the world, which Draco always felt sorely tempted to tear down. Instead he only said, 'It certainly isn't little Setheus. But it was still a smart piece of magic and father was very proud. He took me to Ollivander's right that evening.'

'Ollivander's?' Seth's face fell. 'I've got to go to America.'

'Oh.' Draco fixed his face into an unconvincing smile. 'Well, I'm sure that'll be just as good.' Was Seth about to cry? That would be too funny. 'Anyways, father and I need to discuss some things, so... go on. Shoo.' But before Seth moved the door of the office swung open and there was Lucius, smiling widely.

'My two boys,' he said, then caught sight of the younger's face. 'What's wrong?' he asked. And then Seth burst into tears and ran into his father's arms, spouting something along the lines of, 'IhavetogotoSalemn'Dracowasfiven's'notfairI'msixandIwannagotoOllivander's!'

Lucius glared at Draco, who only stepped past him and leaned on the edge of the heavy old desk.

They wasted so much time calming Seth that Draco almost regretted winding him up. Still, eventually they got down to business with Seth still on his father's lap. Draco spent most of his time managing the family finances, investing the money that had been passed down from generation to generation. Lucius was always looking for good investments and opportunities for furthering the Malfoy name. There was hardly a charity venture they weren't attached to. The Malfoys had one of the largest private art collections in Britain. Lucius was never happy with art buyers though and for a number of years Draco had been building the collection. He had, since coming out of prison, slowly begun taking over the empire.

There was a collection of items coming up for auction shortly. The market for rare antiques and valuables had been fat in recent years. During the war people who'd been short for money had sold their heirlooms for cash or offered them as bribes to Death Eaters. These had all been seized after the collapse of Voldemort and were only now, after years of bureaucracy, being sold off by the ministry.

'Where's it from?' Lucius asked.

'There's bits from Macnair's Scottish castle. There's a giant skull you might be interested in, they've got a lot of medical benefits and we could probably sell abroad for a good profit.'

'Anything else in the catalogue?'

'Not much.'

'Mmm. The Macnairs were rather nouveau riche, weren't they?' Lucius wrinkled his nose, toying with Seth's white blonde hair.

'Yes. There is something else though.'

'Out with it.'

'The personal effects of Snape. Spinner's End is on the market.'

'Spinner's– oh! Snape's old hovel. Is it the ministry selling?'

'Yes, it's not at auction yet though, they still have to go through the claimance stage.'

The system was quite straightforwards when people died with no next of kin and no will. After a tedious process of cataloguing items, removing wards and checking for curses, properties and everything in them were sold to the highest bidder. However, first there was a period of time in which friends or loved ones could submit a claim through the courts to inherit things.

'We have a good chance if we go through the courts, do we not?' Lucius said.

'Yes, I've spoken to Struthers and he said in usual cases the photos of him as your best man and you two at Hogwarts would be enough evidence. We've got plenty of witnesses as well, and not all of them are in Azkaban.'

Lucius smirked. 'You know, I'm looking forward to this. Seth, would you like to see Snape's old house?'

'Yes, of course,' Seth said obediently. He had grown up on watered down versions of Lucius' war stories since he was in a pram and Snape had featured heavily in all of them.

'We should try to leave it exactly as it was,' Lucius said fondly. 'A kind of memorial to Severus.'

'There is a problem though,' Draco said. 'We won't be the only ones claiming.'

'What? Who else?' Lucius sat up so suddenly Seth almost tumbled off his lap. 'If it's any of those museum trusts we can buy them out. They all owe me anyways.'

'I'm afraid not. It's Harry Potter.'

The inevitable explosion occurred. Seth stood beside Draco as Lucius fumed and paced. 'What right has that little dunderhead to interfere? Severus despised the boy!' and, 'Probably wants to knock the place down and turn it into a casino. Can we never escape from him?' Eventually, as Lucius built into a rage and Seth was beginning to get frightened, Draco cut in. 'We've got a better case than him father.'

'Ah, but who has ever won in a fight against Harry Potter?'

'Well we can try.'

'Mmm. Might not be worth the bad publicity. Let me think about it. I'll be in London Tuesday and I'll call over then.'

Lucius agreed to go for Spinner's End, as Draco knew he would. His father was a sentimental man and to see Potter winning it uncontested was more than he could endure. The date in court was set for that Friday and Draco, about to head out for the opera, Flooed his head through the fire to deliver the news. He had got straight through to the main drawing room where Lucius, Narcissa and Seth were already relaxing after supper.

'We've got a court date. The whole thing is being rushed through because Potter's name is on it,' he said.

'So when is it?' Lucius asked.

'Friday.'

'Oh.'

'What?'

'Daddy can't go it's my birthday and he's bringing me for my wand,' Seth said.

Draco paused a moment, fully expecting his father to cancel the trip. 'Well, mother can take you, can't she?' he prodded.

Seth pouted and Lucius said, slowly, 'You know Draco, I was thinking it might be better for you to stand in my place. There'll be less bad press and there'll be less of a fuss if we lose.'

'But–'

'He was your godfather. I can give you some memories and anyways, there's nothing I can tell them that you can't.' And it was decided.

Draco did everything he possibly could to influence the day's events. Never before had he chosen his clothes so carefully or gone through a presentation so many times. It had to be polished without appearing over–rehearsed, touching and sweet without being unbelievable.

It was an art, the way he spoke. Not for the first time he thanked his parents for all those years of elocution lessons. The process of the court was straightforward, almost infantile in it's simplicity. First Draco told his side, then Potter, then the council voted. They had the use of a pensieve, though the council were warned to be aware of altered memories. Draco had no need to mess with the memories he had chosen. First he had a range of photographs, one showing his parents, beaming on their wedding day and Snape with the slightest smirk on his face acting as best man. Bellatrix, the fourth member of the wedding party, had originally stood next to Narcissa but she'd since slunk out of the frame.

'Severus was in all my earliest memories, a piece of my childhood,' Draco said. 'He was always a welcome guest at our house and I can't count how often he was at our dinner table. We had no contact with any of my aunts, but he was an uncle, there for every Christmas and birthday. He was intimidating, yeah, but when you won his approval it really meant something.' There was a memory. Draco's floating head appeared to the room, aged about thirteen. 'Do you think I'll ever be any good?' he said. Snape narrowed his eyes, judging him. The two were slowly circling the pensieve, their shoulders enveloped in mist. 'Yes, if you keep working I have no doubt one day you'll make a very fine Occlumens.' The two heads faded as Draco broke into a wide grin and Snape let a shadow of a smile flicker over his face.

'There's no monetary value in Spinner's End, but I feel like I owe it to him to preserve it and not only that but to keep it from Harry Potter. I have nothing against Mr Potter,' a bare–faced lie right there, 'but Severus couldn't stand him. He helped him, but I doubt Potter ever played cards or…or went on holidays with him.'

There was a memory again, Lucius and Snape this time. 'You have him for potions, don't you?' Lucius was saying. Both men held wine glasses and looked relaxed.

'Unfortunately, yes,' and Snape rolled his eyes, typically droll. Lucius laughed.

'Oh surely he can't be that bad,' Lucius said fairly. 'I recall Professor Slughorn waxing philosophic about Lily Evans, she must have been quite bright.'

'Well she was, but you're forgetting James Potter. A dunce, among other things.' And then they both laughed, as if sharing a private joke.

Draco, knowing his time was drawing to an end, began his conclusion. He felt, as he went back to his seat, he had said all he could. Let Potter do his worst.