Chapter 4

It was some hours later that Harry stumbled back upon the group as he followed after a carefully neutral faced Lucius, who paused every now and again to allow Harry to keep up, but otherwise made no move to help him. As Narcissa took a moment to study the pair, she slowly released a sigh of relief and smiled slightly at her husband. "Lucius, you had me worried I was in need of a new husband."

"No, dear." Lucius smiled slightly back at his wife as he drew over to the woman and bent down, brushing his fingers against her cheek a moment before kissing her atop her head. "Mr. Potter and I merely had a talk, before I showed him the room I use to... regain my composure." Turning his head he brought his eyes to nod quietly to a coolly neutral looking Andromeda. "Mrs. Tonks... I know it means little, but I was not one of them."

Andromeda narrowed her eyes a moment as she met his look before inclining her head slightly in answer. "Mr. Malfoy... I do hope for my sister's sake you're telling the truth."

Nodding in acceptance Lucius turned and bowed his head slightly to the boy now sitting next to a relieved looking Daphne. "Mr. Lupin. I hope you enjoy your stay in our home."

"... Who're you?" Teddy's hair had shifted to a brilliant green for the current moment as he stared up at the stiff necked man.

"Lucius Malfoy." The man lightly inclined his head towards his son as he took a seat next to his wife and lightly took her hand. "Draco's father and Narcissa's husband."

"And an overstuffed peacock." Harry added helpfully as he sat down and lightly ruffled Teddy's hair again.

Draco groaned softly and closed his eyes, fully expecting his father to make some sort of snide comment to escape his father's lips, only to blink in surprise when he heard Lucius calmly address Teddy instead of Harry. "And I will trust that you, Mr. Lupin, will be able to behave with a degree of decorum that your god father lacks."

"Um, what's he mean, Granny?" Teddy sheepishly looked over at his grandmother, his eyes displaying nothing but confusion.

"He expects you to have a better grasp of manners than Harry does." Andromeda couldn't help but smile slightly back at her godson. "As do I."

"Oh, why didn't he just say that?" Teddy asked with a look of wide eyed confusion on his face.

"Because, like I said, he's an overstuffed peacock," Harry said with an absolutely straight face. "Just don't pick up too many bad habits from him. Otherwise you'll end up like your cousin there." Gesturing towards a suddenly indignant looking Draco, he couldn't help but smirk slightly as he leaned back tiredly in his chair. "So, Lucius already informed me that you've evacuated the alcohol."

"You seem remarkably... Calmer now, Potter." Daphne noted carefully as she watched the man just sit where he was, a look of complete exhaustion on his face.

"Yeah, well a couple of hours of destroying things works almost as well as alcohol to keep me occupied." Harry shot back easily enough before glancing over at Andromeda. "You did bring my broom at least, right?"

"Yes, Harry, I brought your deathtrap," Andromeda answered easily enough as she shook her head. "What Sirius was thinking getting you that I will never know."

"Sirius had a better understanding of a young seeker's needs." Harry answered as he lightly closed his eyes. "And it's only when people interfere that I get hurt, Romeda. Otherwise, it's only people who tried to follow me too closely that do."

Draco flushed slightly at the subtle barb, before sighing as he grumbled out an answer. "Fine, you're a better flyer than I am, are you happy, Potter?"

"Draco, I've spent the better part of three years drunk off my ass at every opportunity I could get. Does that SOUND like someone who's happy to you?" Harry answered with a sarcastic hiss, before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Though, I don't even want to think about some the times I woke up and I WASN'T alone."

"... How bad could it have been?" Astoria asked with a wide eyed innocence as she smiled back at Harry.

"Well, one of the more notable ones was your fiance's ex," Harry answered with a bitter little laugh. "Oh, now that was pleasant, let me tell you! Especially the next couple of months she tried to get a repeat."

"Harry, we really need to talk about watching your language in front of my grandson." Andromeda stated with a hard glare as the younger adults all stared in shock at Harry's admission.

"Just doing my god fatherly duty of corrupting my godson." Harry quipped cheekily. "Do remember the only example I have to go on was Sirius."

"You slept... with Pansy?" Daphne paused a moment, blinking owlishly, at the boy. "She was telling the truth?"

"Well, as I don't know what she said, I can't say." Harry paused, before suddenly grinning downright viciously at a rapidly worrying Draco. "If she said something like it was the best night of her life, she's either lying, or she's had really, REALLY bad experiences... Which really doesn't bode well for your little sister, Greengrass."

"Well, I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised, Gryffindors do tend come up a bit... short of what they claim." Daphne shot back as she glared at the smirking man. "And with all that rushing in... I'm sure you were over and done with before she even knew you were there."

"Granny, what're they talkin' bout?" Teddy asked curiously as he glanced between Harry and Daphne.

"You'll find out when you're older, Teddy." Andromeda paused as she sent Daphne a reproachful look. "Much, much older."

"Nah, couldn't feel a bloody thing. I ended up given up and passing out without trying." Harry waved it off, before smirking just a bit. "Plus... it was Parkinson. No bloody way I could bring myself to give it that much enthusiasm, even as smashed as I was."

"Narcissa, dear... Have things truly changed so much from when we were their age?" Lucius glanced towards his wife before his eyes flicked back towards the younger generation.

"No, not really, Lucius. We simply like to believe that we had more class and decorum than we truly did," Narcissa responded as she fondly patted the back of his hand.

Sighing softly, Harry spoke up again before Daphne could further the conversation. "Merlin, this is just going to be one of those days." The man turned and looked longingly towards an empty glass before he just sank back into his chair. "Does anyone actually WANT to hear about how spectacularly I've managed to bugger up my life? Because the list goes on and bloody on."

Draco yelped slightly when Astoria dug her elbow into his ribs as he began to lift his hand in agreement. Lucius needed only the slightly more firm grip of his wife's hand on his own to keep his mouth shut, not that he didn't already know most of the more spectacular events. Still, that didn't stop the speculative smirk that curled across Daphne's lips as she arched a brow back at the man as she spoke. "I think, Potter, that while several of us might very well enjoy the tale of those exploits, the better trained of us are going to refrain from asking."

The woman paused a moment, before lightly resting her elbow on the table as she arched a brow back at the man while settling her chin on her palm. "Which means you'll have plenty of time to fill me in on those juicy details while we work on what we're going to do to my sister and soon to be brother-in-law."

"Huh, you're braver than I thought, Greengrass." Harry lazily matched her gesture, catching his own chin as he lightly tilted his head to the side. "Here I thought I'd already taught you about dealing with me."

"What can I say?" Daphne shrugged just the slightest bit as she met his eyes challengingly. "I never was one to take too well to training."

"What a coincidence," Harry drawled back in a tone that echoed so close to the Malfoys that both blonde men stared at him in shock. "Neither am I."

"Oh, this is just going to be grand." Narcissa murmured as leaned back and sighed slightly as she watched the way the pair stared challengingly into one another's eyes. "Positively grand."

"It does seem to be a familiar scene, now doesn't it?" Lucius noted with a slight curl of his lips even as he would let his wife's slight glare flow over him.

"Too familiar." Narcissa agreed as she frowned sourly and leaned back, and lightly sighed as she caught sight of the bemused look on her sister's face. "Not a word."

"And miss out on the fun of seeing their expressions when they realize you're comparing Harry and Daphne here to yourself and your husband when you first began courting?" Andromeda smiled sweetly as Harry's head almost violently ripped away from Daphne's gaze to stare in shock at first Andromeda, then with growing horror towards Narcissa and Lucius. "Never."

"That was cruel, Romeda." Harry grunted as he turned his head once more and glared slightly towards the graying brunette. "Cruel, twisted and unbecoming of a woman of your standing."

"I like to think of it as recompense for the last few years of you acting so far beneath a man of YOUR standing." Andromeda countered as she lightly chided the man with a brow raised upwards.

"The difference being, I honestly don't care about those things, and you do." Harry shot back with that same sour look on his lips while crossing his arms again about his chest before twitching just a bit as he caught sight of Teddy whispering animatedly with Draco. "Oi, Malfoy! Quite trying to corrupt my godson, that's my job!"

"Yes, but as you're hardly in a state to set a proper example for the young man, someone has to." Draco countered with a benign smile on his lips. "So, as you're currently indisposed in that regard, someone has to set a proper example for him to follow."

"... I thought we were talkin about how you wanted my help to get Unca Harry before he gets you?" Teddy asked as he scrunched up his nose just a bit then looked wide eyed up at his cousin. "I wanna be like Unca Harry, I just dun wanna be sick like him."

"That was supposed to be a secret, cousin." Draco stated with a simple sigh as he lightly hung his head.

"Oh. Um, sorry?" Teddy shifted just a bit as he looked around nervously. "You're still gonna help Unca Harry get better, right?"

The sudden tinge of worry in Teddy's tone made Draco wince a bit before he nodded his head. "Of course, cousin, of course."

"Teddy." Narcissa spoke up softly as Harry rolled his eyes just slightly at the antics of godson and Draco, cutting the black haired man off before he could speak up. "Why don't we show you and your Granny where you'll be staying." Turning her head, she looked directly at the Greengrass sisters before asking a question her eyes conveyed had only one acceptable answer. "Astoria, Daphne, why don't you join us?"

For a moment, Daphne's eyes flashed over towards Harry, a brow arched as she sent her own unspoken statement to the man. A statement Harry responded to with a rolling of his eyes and a negligent, dismissive wave of his hand. Narrowing her eyes back at the man, Daphne inclined her head in acceptance before speaking. "This isn't over, Potter."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Greengrass." Harry shot back with a bemused smirk on his lips. "So don't get em in a bunch. I wouldn't want to miss seeing you get all worked up over it."

As the woman scowled back at Harry as she stood up her nose lifting firmly into the air as she sniffed daintily. "Then keep waiting, Potter, because you're a long, long way from getting them in a bunch."

"Don't worry, I was planning on getting them out of the way before it got that far anyway." Harry answered back with a challenging smirk as the rest of the women seemed to sigh in a combination exasperation and amusement. "Now, shoo. I know how much you girls love your gossip. Try not to traumatize Teddy too much while you leave Draco and his daddy dearest here to gang up on me."

Astoria sighed softly as she watched the familiar fire of her sister's temper start to reach the older woman's eyes and she looped her arm around Daphne's "Come along, Daphne, let's leave the boys to whatever it is boys do when we're not around to make sure they behave."

Daphne sent one last, withering glare at Harry, who just flipped his wrist dismissively with a flippant smirk on his lips that set her teeth on edge. "Fine, sister. I'll finish playing with Potter later."

"Well, if you really want to play, you should bring a broom and a much, much shorter skirt." It was a parting shot heedlessly sent past Harry's lips as Daphne immediately stiffened and her hand slipped towards her wand. "It would make it so much easier to get them off."

The downright glacial glare she sent back at him was answered back a soft, hollow laugh.

-o-o-o-

"So, let's have it then." Daphne half demanded with a sour twist on her lips.

"Have what?" Narcissa offered with a curious little lift to her brow as she studied the woman oh so casually. "Is there something we should be talking to you about?"

"Mrs. Malfoy, I've already managed to piss Potter off to the point where I literally ran away in fear today." Daphne shot back sourly as she glanced slightly away, with a slow flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "I'd rather not waste anymore time beating around the bush."

"Then, I suppose I'll say it." Astoria spoke up as she lightly glanced at her elder sister. "This isn't the time for you to try and act out your old fantasies from when you were in Hogwarts."

"Oh, believe me, the fantasies I have these days are much MUCH more imaginative than they were back then," Daphne countered with a slight smirk on her lips. "Besides, I'm fairly certain THAT Harry Potter isn't going to be swooping in on a white horse to carry me off to a castle in the clouds."

"The whole prince charming on the white horse angle?" Narcissa paused before glancing at the girl without even attempting to keep the smirk off her lips. "I thought you more imaginative than that."

"That was when I was a 12 year old girl with a crush on the Boy-Who-Lived-And-Spoke-To-Snakes." Daphne kept her voice quite reasonable as she lightly nodded her head and smiled blandly back at Narcissa. "As I said, my fantasies have become much more inventive since then."

"Merlin, did they ever." Astoria muttered with a sudden blush rising up on her lips she felt the others eyes turn onto her. "She forgets her silencing and privacy charms at times."

Teddy stared up at the women, before shaking his head as he pressed more closely against Andromeda's side. Her lips lightly threatening to break into a smile Andromeda soothingly ran her fingers through his hair. "Something wrong, Teddy?"

"I think I know what that big word Unca Harry used means now," the boy responded simply before his face scrunched up. "It's not good."

"Don't worry, little one." Narcissa chuckled just a bit as she watched the boy swivel his head around to watch her. "We're only going to tease Daphne here about liking your godfather. And remind her that she needs to be careful around him, for both their sakes, until he's healthy again."

"She likes Unca Harry?" Teddy blinked slightly at the way Daphne rolled her eyes just a bit, studying her speculatively.

"Lots of witches like your godfather, Teddy," Daphne answered with a slight little smirk on her lips. "I'm hardly unique."

"Yeah, but most of them get all upset and leave once he opens his mouth." Teddy stated with a simple shrug of his shoulder before freezing in place as he realized just what he said. "Um… Please don't tell Unca Harry I told you that, please, Granny?"

"What, exactly does he say to them to upset them, Teddy?" Immediately, Teddy's danger sense went on high alert as he realized he was in trouble.

"Um, I dunno, stuff? A lot of the times it's like he's talking to cousin Draco, others like he was talkin' to Ms. Daphie, only, I dunno, meaner?" Teddy shrugged slightly as he couldn't quite meet his grandmother's piercing gaze. "Then he tells me to never act that way to girls, because I'd get slapped, and you'd be really upset with me."

"What words does he use, Teddy?" Narcissa asked as she arched a brow curiously while studying the boy carefully.

"Um, normal ones?" Again the vibrantly haired boy shrugged his shoulder helplessly as he looked up at his great aunt. "It gets really confusing, because he always talks about stuff like he means something other than he's saying…" The boy paused, before blushing brightly. "But sometimes some of the witches say very very bad things back to Unca Harry."

"For some reason, I can only imagine." Daphne was actually chuckling now as she looked down at Teddy for a moment, before crouching down and looking into the boy's eyes. "So then, Teddy, do you think he likes me?"

"I dunno." The boy's tone was completely honest as he looked back into Daphne's eyes. "But, you're gonna have to make sure he gets better first to find out."

"Rats," Daphne muttered the word sourly as she nodded reluctantly then lightly ruffled Teddy's hair. "Yeah, I kinda figured. At least I know he's human now." Standing up, she stretched out a moment before glancing over at Narcissa and Andromeda. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to send over a Healer anyway? If he's slummed enough to sleep with Parkinson…"

For a moment, Teddy tugged on Andromeda's robes, before she leaned down and looked at her grandson. "Yes, Teddy?"

"I like her, she's like Unca Harry is when he's not as sick."

"I know." Andromeda smiled as she lightly stroked his hair before glancing over at Daphne. "That's what worries me."

-o-o-o-

"Mmm, so then, you finally have me where you wanted me all through school, Draco. Alone in your home, with just you and your daddy." Harry noted as he lightly arched a brow towards the grey eyed man. "Do keep in mind, I don't think your fiancé would approve of you trying to make such untoward advances on me."

"… Must you be so vulgar, Potter?" Draco made a face as he sullenly glared back at the man.

"I don't know, why don't you ask your daddy-dearest. He's the one with the muggle psychological profile on me." Harry snapped back carelessly as he grinned at the way Lucius' eyes narrowed in response to the words.

"Wait, what?" Draco turned his head towards his father and stared absolutely incredulously at the man as suddenly something clicked behind his eyes. "Bloody… you set me up!"

"Yes, yes, we both know your daddy dearest is a manipulative bastard, Draco. We've known this since we were ickle kiddies and you went whining to him at every chance you got." Harry answered with a wave of his hand as he leaned back and watched the anger flash in Draco's eyes.

Only, to be smashed by a flash of confusion as Lucius proceeded to quietly clap as he looked back at Harry with a slight measure of… what seemed to be approval? "Bravo, Potter. Bravo. So very close to working too. If I had been a few years younger, I'm sure I would have let myself get drawn into the conflict with my son, and allowed you to slip into the background to be almost completely unnoticed."

"Eh, I figured it was worth a shot. You used to be a lot easier to deal with." Harry waved his hand negligently as Draco began to flick his eyes in absolute confusion from his father to Harry. "But it seems Draco's still a bit slow on the uptake."

"It's really quite simple. Mr. Potter wishes to make things as absolutely difficult for us as possible. Which means he will use every weapon he has available to him, save outright violence, to distract and mislead us." Lucius drawled as he lightly steepled his fingers together before his lips. "Correct, Mr. Potter?"

"I didn't expect your newly grown brain to have developed this far," Harry admitted as he lightly shook his head. "Now, if only you had been this smart when you sent a soul eating diary to the same school as your son."

"The folly of youth."

"Wouldn't know, didn't get to be one." Harry shrugged before lightly closing his eyes. "All right, bloody well get on with it."

"Get on with it?" Draco was still riding the confusion as he glanced between his father and Harry his eyes almost completely blank with incomprehension.

"Mhm. The interrogation? You know, where you try to get answers out of me, while you cackle like a poncy git about your grand scheme and I can't do anything to stop you?" Harry rolled his eyes just a bit as he leaned back, arms crossed about his shoulder as he lightly glanced over at Lucius. "You know, this would have gone so much faster if you'd just had him read the file."

"Is that even an option?" Lucius asked with a definite wariness in his words. "I was trying to keep its existence a secret. I even expected you to simply burn it on the spot."

"What do I care? One of my greatest enemies from my youth has already read the whole thing, what, a dozen times? What's it matter if another one reads up on what a sad, broken little boy Harry Potter is." Harry shrugged once more as he let the sarcasm roll off his words before finally just shaking his head. "Of course, Draco here might just be human enough to try and show me some pity, which really, really would be a bad thing."

Lucius paused and then pinched at the bridge of his nose as he sighed and glanced towards his son. "This, is why you leave someone with their friends to deal with instead of bringing them home, Draco."

"Oh, don't be too hard on him, Lucius. If he'd just have dumped me off on Hermione and Ron, he knows how utterly pissed I'd be."

"You mean, even more pissed out of your gourd then you were when I found you?" Draco shot back as he finally seemed to regain his senses.

"Meh, yes, but then I'd be an angry drunk." Shaking his head, Harry reached into his pocket then pulled out the shrunken folder as Lucius merely arched a brow to which the man shrugged. "What, you expected me to leave this with you?"

"I'm merely surprised you didn't completely obliterate it."

"Eh I figured it would make for a laugh later on." With a shrug he tapped his wand on the item then slide it across the table to Draco as it swelled up to its proper size. "Plus… I have a feeling I'm going to want to remember this."

Watching the way the confusion on Draco's face faded into a look of silent, intense concentration as he began to read through the folder's contents. Harry watched silently as his fingers lightly flickered with motion, moving this way and that, dancing with a flowing kind of staccato rhythm that never quite impacted the table. Watching as Draco's brows furrowed before the rippling changes in expression overtook him. There was surprise and shock, that much Harry had expected, though the looks of anger, outrage and hints of horror made his lips lightly dance upwards in amusement.

"Methinks your son has begun to see just how heavy the task he's set himself on truly is." Harry noted with a chuckling little drawl as he lightly glanced towards Lucius for a moment, studying the man who had remained as equally silent.

"Perhaps." Lucius allowed as he lightly nodded his head, watching the way the smile never quite reached Harry's eyes, eyes that watched him with the quiet knowledge that Lucius was well and truly on his last chance.

Sighing slightly, Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, before muttering slightly under his breath, "Fuck it! Accio Whiskey!"

As both Malfoy's immediately turned their heads, their eyes widening in shock for a moment before they heard the sound of liquid splattering across the window. Instantly turning their heads, the three blinked slightly at the sight of the summoned whiskey splattering on the panes of glass. Staring in stunned shock, Harry paused a moment, before cursing loudly under his breath.

"Heh, didn't think that through, Scarhead?" Draco couldn't keep the smirk off his face, even under the downright murderous glare Harry sent his way.

"Accio Bottle of Whiskey!" Harry snarled out as he jerking his wand into the air, pointing in the direction of the window.

Harry only had a moment to blink at his own stupidity, before a bottle of whiskey flew, crashing through the window, directly at him. A full bottle of whiskey, flying at high speeds, shattering the weaker glass in its path. A full bottle of whiskey that smashed straight into his face, sending him flying backwards as it shattered on impact, knocking his head solidly against the cold, stone flooring.

The man barely had a chance to recognize the sudden flash of pain from the shattering glass ripping lines into his flesh followed immediately by the stinging bite of alcohol before unconsciousness claimed him.

Rising up from where he'd reflexively ducked under the table, Draco stared in absolute shock at the man sprawled out, surrounded by glass and a mix of blood and whiskey. Turning his head then, Draco glanced over towards where his father was stifling a full blown smirk of triumph before sighing softly. "Oh, this is going to be bloody marvelous."

Lucius finally began to laugh when his son went to work repairing the damage Harry had done, both to their home and what the man had done to himself.

-o-o-o-