Apparating to an alley near to the address Harry had, Lucius and Harry gave each other looks which reflected just how surreal they were both finding it to suddenly be working together in helping Harry's relatives.
"This is weird." Harry muttered, pausing to think before moving at all. "And we should really tell Narcissa and Draco that you're going to have guests before just turning up with them."
"How do you plan to do that? Our house elves got rehomed by the ministry and any other way to send messages will get noticed by the muggles." Lucius argued turning to Harry.
Harry looked thoughtful. "I wondered why I suddenly had the ministry insisting I needed more house elves. I think a lot of yours got given to me by force. Anyway, I'll send Kreacher over for now and get the others to you as soon as I can, except for Dippy, and Winky. Those two were friends of Dobby's and like working for the guy who Dobby worshipped. Yes I know Winky was Fudge's, not yours." Harry decided, thinking quickly over what he could do to help the Malfoy's deal with their after the war punishment.
"You're giving us back the house elves?" Lucius asked, disbelievingly.
"No, because then the ministry will just claim them back. They belong to my family though, so they'll work for Aunt Petunia and Dudley. If anyone at the ministry argues with them being in your house and helping you, the house elves I mean, send them to talk to me. Keep Dudley and Aunt Petunia's presence as quiet as you can, particularly from my friends." Harry grinned at Lucius' questioning expression but didn't answer the silent question. "KREACHER!" he then yelled.
The house elf appeared before Harry, bowing respectfully, with the locket brushing the floor. "Yes Master Harry, what can I do for you?" Kreacher asked.
"I need to get a message to Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. They are going to be recieving my aunt and cousin as guests for an as yet unknown amount of time. Lucius has approved the plan and was the first to suggest it, which they should also be told. Also please tell Draco that however much Dudley might happily insult me all day long I'd rather that wasn't why they got along, since I'm going to at least attempt to befriend both of them."
"Yes, Master Harry. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Harry sighed, "Check the other elves haven't been punishing themselves, and tend any injuries if they have." He decided, before grinning at his elf. "You're going to be helping the remaining members of the Black family by helping the Malfoy's with what they need as well, so please stay with them after making sure the other elves are well enough."
"I will Master. Goodbye." Kreacher was gone with a deep bow and a smile at Harry which managed to shock Lucius.
"I've never seen an elf smile like that before." He muttered, but heading in the direction he'd worked out the house they were looking for was in. "Let's go and find Dudley."
"They smile like that when you're nice to them, give them something they want, like freedom for Dobby or a family heirloom for Kreacher and don't beat or threaten them. Dudley didn't leave a name for who his friend was." Harry replied, matching Lucius's pace easily as they approached the house which looked quite well off.
Lucius simply nodded, before knocking on the door.
"Coming. Dennis, calm down and be quiet in whatever games you're playing." A woman's voice called, getting louder as she moved towards the door. "Hi, how can I help you?" The door was opened by a fairly short, frazzled looking woman with straw coloured hair.
Harry stepped forward. "Erm, Hi. I'm looking for my cousin, Dudley and he said he'd be around here. Can we come in?" He asked politely, but his eyes flickered with recognition as he saw the face of Mrs Creevey after meeting her at Colin's funeral.
"Harry Potter? You're Dudley's cousin? And who's your friend?" The woman gasped, ushering them into the lounge, seemingly dazed by Harry's appearance.
Harry smiled a little. "Yes, I'm Dudley's cousin, and this is Lucius Malfoy, but please don't worry over anything you might have heard to be negative about the Malfoy's from your sons. Currently he is helping me out, which is why we need to find Dudley. I hadn't realised your sons were one of the few who the order provided a school for during their year of hiding."
"I'll just fetch the boys then." She replied, smiling only a little, before hurrying out of the room. "Dudley! Dennis! Can you come downstairs for a moment?"
Lucius took the pause to look around the room, noticing a small photo of Harry in one corner, easily overlooked, but signed in one corner. "Why give them that?" He asked quietly, staring now at the large picture on the mantle piece of a boy who looked to be about 16.
"Their eldest always wanted one, but died for me in battle before I could give him one. I'd thought they'd been at Hogwarts during that year during the battle but they couldn't have been since they're muggle-borns." Harry replied, nearly whispering, with tears sparkling in his eyes at the memory of the young Colin Creevey.
Both men turned their attention to the yelled conversation happening outside the room. "Why? We're just at the best part of the game. Dennis has managed to make monopoly a million times more interesting with this spell he found." Dudley's voice came down the stairs, making Harry chuckle a little.
"A cousin or something of yours has come looking for you. I think it's important."
"Can't Harry wait till we finish our game?" Came Dudley's petulant yell.
Harry had walked over to the door and decided to join in the conversation. "Why don't you bring it downstairs? I'd love to see Dennis again, and you really do need to be filled in on what's actually happening since there's been a change of plan today." He yelled, grinning and waving when Dudley and the younger boy appeared at the top of the stairs. "Levitate it down Dennis. I know you have one of the most reliable levitating charms in your year."
"Harry Potter is your cousin?" Dennis whispered urgently as he walked down the stairs behind Dudley and the monopoly board a few moments later.
Dudley was carrying their money and property cards, and hissed back, "Yes, and meant to be helping mum and dad move back to privet drive today."
Harry was still stood in the doorway, and stopped Dennis before he got into the lounge. "I know the pasts of the Malfoy's are a sore point for you, but please don't hold it against Lucius. He's helping me right now, and my aunt. That's why we're here." He said quietly, while Dudley demanded to know who the blonde skinny guy was.
"Lucius Malfoy, pleased to meet another relative of Harry Potter's." Lucius answered, cordially enough, just as Dennis gave a nod of understanding and followed Harry into the room, setting the board game down on the carpet easily enough. "And this is Dennis Creevey. My son has mentioned how brave your brother was in sneaking back to fight for the right reasons where he couldn't, even if throwing oneself into battle is still something I hope no Malfoy will do should there be a high chance of their death." He added turning to hold his hand out to Dennis in a gesture of respect
"That's a shock. I always got the idea that Draco hated my brother and I, Mr Malfoy." Dennis managed to reply slowly, not quite believing his ears.
Lucius smiled, a slight small smile of a parent who had seen the mistakes he'd made towards his son be painfully corrected in a bad way. "I'll just say that a lot of our views have changed since the end of the war, in fact they changed dramatically even while in the war."
Harry looked at them carefully for a few moments, letting them come to a silent understanding as Dudley pointed out the ways Dennis had enchanted the monopoly board.
"...And if we had the space big enough, like a field then it could even be possible to make a version where we play it in real life each week, keeping the land that we own to do with as we pleased on, even erecting buildings, although that would only work for people with magic and not muggles like I am." Dudley finished the explanation of how the magic could be added happily a few minutes after Dennis and Lucius had sat down on the other sofa to Harry and Mrs Creevey.
Harry grinned in amusement at the change in his cousin. Never had Harry expected to find his cousin excited by anything magic, but now it just seemed to be something he spoke about without thinking. "Would you like to tell me about your year under the Order's protection or shall I tell you what's changed in where you're staying?" Harry suggested, knowing he needed to say something soon and guessing Dudley had forgotten he had actually been playing the game he was ranting about.
"Yeah, what's changed with where Dudley's going to stay? I thought he was moving back to the house they were in before going into hiding." Dennis asked, before Dudley had a chance to choose.
"I got into a bit of an argument with Uncle Vernon which Petunia joined in with on my side. During the argument Lucius got involved through over hearing it since we were shouting quite loudly and his manners demanded he defend Aunt Petunia once Vernon turned a little too threatening." Harry began, focusing on Dudley even though Dennis had asked the question.
Dudley had visibly paled at the last part of the sentence, clearly worried. "Is Mum alright? Dad got a bit, erm, hands on in arguments over the year when we started becoming interested and friends with Hestia and Dedalus." He checked, quietly, biting his lip.
"By the point he would have tried Mr Potter and myself were stood between the whale and his wife. Also it was about then when Petunia actually mentioned his use of violence towards herself and you. Hence why we are changing the arrangements of where you and your mother are staying until we can secure the house back from the whale." Lucius coolly cut in, certain from Harry's expression that allowing him to talk about the abuse which his uncle seemed prone too would not be a sensible idea.
"Where are we staying then? And does that mean Mum is going to divorce Dad or just separate from him for a while?" Dudley asked, his concern fading with the knowledge Petunia was definitely safe.
"You're staying with Lucius, his wife Narcissa and his son Draco in Malfoy Manor for as long as is needed to keep you safe. It's for your mother to decide if she divorces Uncle Vernon, and I'll try my best to stay in touch with you as well." Harry answered, forcing his expression to stay serious as he tried to imagine Dudley living so close to Draco. The 2 biggest tormentors of his childhood now set to live in the same house with Harry visiting a lot.
Dudley nodded, pausing to think and glancing around the Creevey's living room.
"There's no TV because magic and technology doesn't mix well." Dennis said quickly, blushing slightly. "Mixing my brother and me arguing as children with accidental magic and mum gave up with televisions while dad explained it was getting too expensive to keep replacing them. My guess is the Malfoy's have never ever thought of looking at muggle technology let alone have any in their house."
Harry snorted. "Lucius do you think we could try to fix that? Dudley could probably quote a TV guide from memory and that isn't an exaggeration. He could when I was eleven why should that have changed in the time we've spent growing up?" He asked, teasing Dudley a little.
"I'll see what we can do. Some of the guys I have to work with enjoy a few shows. I think the ones mentioned most often are Doctor Who, CSI and cooking shows." Lucius replied, who had truthfully wondered what his muggle colleagues were talking about.
Dudley nodded grinning widely. "When can we go? Once we've got TV sorted this manor sounds amazing, and you definitely need introducing to Doctor Who. All of the wizarding world fails to beat the Doctor's TARDIS, hands down."
"If the Creevey's don't mind we'll go and pick up Aunt Petunia and head over there straight away. Although I have one thing I've already asked of Lucius's son, to ask you." Harry made the spilt second decision to ask Dudley the same thing his message had asked Draco.
"What is it?"
"Please do not, however much you or he might enjoy it, become friends over insulting me." Harry grinned when Dudley looked blank at that request.
"Umm, sure. I guess I can manage that, but it does make me curious over who this Draco is." Dudley agreed, looking curious.
Lucius had stood up again, walking towards the door, "Well then, Shall we go? Or should I go and pick Petunia and your luggage up while Harry takes you straight to the manor?" He asked.
"Can I go straight to the manor please? Avoiding Dad whether you'd knocked him out before leaving or not is something I'd prefer to avoid" Dudley asked.
Harry raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Lucius.
"Apparate to the gates, I'd expect Narcissa or Draco to be waiting to let you in if not both of them, after the message Kreacher took." Lucius explained, disapparating once he'd finished speaking, with a bow to Mrs Creevey and a nod to Dennis.
"That was quick." Dennis muttered. "So does this mean Dudley is leaving now?"
Dudley shrugged, "I guess so, it also means that you might be more able to practise duelling in the manor grounds than you can here."
"Agreed if I can visit the manor to see you." Dennis looked enthusiastic, but not too hopeful of being able to.
"I'll see whether I can convince them to allow it. Come on Dudley, I need to introduce you to your first purebloods as far as I'm aware. We'll see you soon Dennis, Mrs Creevey. Please pass on my best wishes to Mr Creevey as well." Harry decided, knowing he could promise only to try and gain Dennis access to the manor, however accomodating the Malfoy head had seemed so far.
"Don't be a stranger Harry, and you're still expected for lunch and tea next week Dudley." Mrs Creevey said, smiling at the boys in a motherly way.
Dennis jumped up to shake Harry's hand and pat Dudley on the back. "Thanks for visiting, we'll see you soon."
"I'll see you next week if I can't see you before then." Dudley agreed, leaving the house just behind Harry.
Harry gripped Dudley's arm and apparated them away with one last wave back at the Creevey's watching from the doorway.