Author's Note: Updated finally Note that Sirius is going to be staying right where he is, for now.
"Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the nature of trouble, and in choosing the lesser evil." ~Machiavelli
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Harry stepped through the floo and into a massive entryway. The floor was pale marble and an intricate, and likely expensive, rug ran the length of the entrance way. He looked down and realized there was no soot on his clothing and smiled a little. He heard footsteps and looked over to see Draco coming towards him.
"Potter." He nodded to the other boy.
"Malfoy." Harry said in turn. Other than Draco's letter, he'd not really had any contact with the Malfoys since their dinner out. There had been some suspicious things happen that he was attributing to Malfoy's father, but he couldn't be entirely sure. The day after their dinner, he'd come back from exploring the Alley to find several parcels on his bed. Inside had been new clothing, both casual everyday robes and brand new muggle clothing. There had been no note to identify his benefactor but he wasn't about to question it. He'd picked a set of dark blue robes to wear today to visit Malfoy in.
"My mother has tea waiting for us in the sitting room, it's just this way." He said, clearly uncomfortable.
"Thanks, tea sounds brilliant." Harry answered trying to lighten the tense atmosphere. "Do you have friends over often?" he asked.
"Usually on the weekends," Draco said. "But this summer everyone's been away with their families so it's been pretty quiet, I guess. I suppose Weasley and Granger visit you all the time?" He made a bit of a face.
"My family never let anyone visit." Harry shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. "But I got to visit Ron at the Burrow last summer. It was interesting." He said.
Malfoy bit the inside of his cheek to avoid saying something rude. "What's it like living with…muggles?" He said with a kind of morbid curiosity.
Harry made a face. "I don't know what it's like to live with most muggles, but I hate going back to the Dursley's every summer. We don't get on." He said as they turned down a hallway.
Draco nodded, wondering just was he meant by that. "The sitting room's just here." He said and opened a door, motioning for Harry to enter first.
"Mr. Potter, I'm glad you could make it." Narcissa smiled warmly. "Do come and sit down. I'm afraid Lucius won't be joining us today, business at the Ministry you understand." She said and called for her House Elf Dippy. "Dippy, tea for three." She said and moments later tea, sandwiches, and cakes appeared on the table.
"Thank you, for letting Draco invite me," Harry said and sat down, taking a cup of tea as it was passed to him.
"Nonsense," She chuckled, thinking that he should be thanking her for making her son invite him. She was pleased to see her son at least attempting to be nice to the other boy, she knew that she and Lucius were asking a great deal of him. "Draco, your father said that Mr. Potter is welcome to use the spare Nimbus while you two fly."
"Yes Mother." Draco said respectfully. "It's not as big a pitch as there is at school, but we have a set of goal hoops and a warded flying space." He said excitedly to Harry. Neither Crabbe, nor Goyle were particularly talented on a broom, so it would be nice to have a little challenge for once.
"Do you want to play a game of pick-up?" Harry suggested, "We can trade off Keeper and Chaser." He did that sometimes with the other Gryffindors at school outside of formal practices.
"Sure, sounds good." Draco said, enjoying the sweet cakes.
Narcissa sat back and let the boys rattle back and forth about Quidditch, not interrupting. She was honestly surprised; she had anticipated more reluctance from her son. Clearly she needn't have worried, dangle a broomstick in front of a thirteen year old wizard and all previous issues seemed to disappear.
"Before you go, I'll show you my Viktor Krum poster. He just got named to the Bulgarian team as reserve seeker, but he'll be their number one by next season. He's still in school too!" Draco said excitedly. "Mother, can we go out to the pitch?"
"Yes dear, run along. I'll be down in a few minutes to supervise, no flying until I'm there. Understood." She gave the two boys a look.
"Yes Lady Malfoy," Harry said, echoing Draco's 'yes mum'. He got up and followed the other boy outside, seeing the goal posts from the back door. "Do you get to fly every day?" Harry asked.
"Not every day." Draco admitted. "Only when mum or dad can watch me, and only if I've finished all my summer assignments and readings."
"Draco…thanks for inviting me." He said quietly. "You weren't the only one who was a prat." He admitted. "I just hate how you talk about Hermione and Ron's family sometimes. Just because you have more, doesn't mean you should try and make people feel bad for having less."
Draco nodded quietly. "Look, I'm not saying I'll ever like them…but I'll try and be polite. At least to Granger." He said. "Weasleys and Malfoys have had issues with each other for generations, don't expect that to change any time soon."
"That's better than nothing, I guess." Harry said, surprised that Malfoy would choose to be nice to the muggleborn before a pureblood wizard.
"But that means you have to be nice to the Slytherins." Draco said in turn, a bit of a smirk on his lips. "Deal?"
"Uh…deal." He blinked, wondering just what the other boy was up to.
"Good." Draco and stopped at a little shed by the edge of the neatly trimmed field. "Ok, this is the broom shed." He opened it and led Potter in.
Inside there were at least a dozen brooms, resting on neat holders. Each was cleaned and polished and had a label with the model and owner noted on them. Harry smiled, and took a deep breath, smelling the broom handle wax in the air. He watched Draco go and pull a gleaming broom down and hand it to Harry. Then he got his own sleek, black Nimbus 2001.
"That's my dad's original Nimbus racer. He used that when was on the Slytherin team, he played Keeper for three years." He said with a smile. "Dad says it's still the best Nimbus model."
"Can you thank him for me?" Harry said and smiled, surprised that Lucius Malfoy would let him touch what was clearly a prized possession.
"I will." Draco nodded and headed out onto the pitch. "There's mum." He smiled and saw his mother settling into her usual chair with some letters to read. "See you up there, Potter." He said and quickly kicked off.
Harry laughed a little, typical Malfoy. Harry took a few moments to get to know his broom before kicking off. While it wasn't much to look at, this old Nimbus felt just like his. It was quick and agile, and he had a feeling that if he pushed it the broom would be lightning fast.
Narcissa watched with a small smirk on her lips as the boys played together. As the game progressed she could see some of the stiffness in their bodies melting away as they started to let go of their dislike of one another. She wasn't fool enough to think they would be friends, at least not at first, but she could hope for neutrality.
She sipped her tea and relaxed, seeing that both boys were skilled in the air. It had never been her strong suit, but she could appreciate talent when she saw it. She only hoped that this was a sight she would be treated to with more regularity. Harry Potter was most definitely an improvement over her son's usual companions. She would just need to ensure that Draco came to realize that for himself.
Harry and Draco finished their match, both exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time. Harry's cheeks were red from the breeze, but he wore a smile that could have lit up the night sky. It felt so good to be on a broom again. They took the brooms back into the shed and cleaned them before putting them away.
"That was brilliant." Draco smiled, honestly having enjoyed himself. He'd been dreading today all week but found that it had been needless. Usually by the end of a flying session with Crabbe and Goyle he was feeling incredibly frustrated because he was having to adjust down to their level…Potter had pushed him.
"It was." Harry smiled as he gave the borrowed Nimbus a last fond look and walked with his former nemesis back towards the house. He was left feeling off balance again, getting used to feeling like that around the Malfoys. They weren't warm and welcoming like the Weasley's, but they weren't the monsters he'd made them out to be either. It was confusing.
"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Draco asked as they walked back, breaking the silence.
"If your mum doesn't mind?" Harry couldn't help but look at Draco like he'd grown a second head.
"I'll ask her, if she says yes I'll show you around the house." He said and headed for his mother's sitting room.
She smiled as he came in. "Hello Dragon." She said affectionately. "That, Mr. Potter, was quite the aerial display. I shall have to make a point of coming to game this season, if this is a preview." She chuckled.
"Thank you." Harry smiled and sat down, accepting a cookie from the plate she offered him.
"Mother, can Harry stay for dinner?" Draco asked her, also taking a cookie.
Narcissa smiled, inwardly pleased. "Normally I would love to have him, however we have a dinner engagement tonight." She said apologetically. "But perhaps I can bring Draco to Diagon Alley tomorrow and the two of you can have a day out together?" She suggested as an alternate solution. She knew that the Weasley's were due to return from Egypt in three days and that Dumbledore would no doubt send them to watch Potter. That left her precious little time to enact her plans.
Draco lit up and smiled. "That sounds great."
Harry nodded in agreement.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly and all too soon Harry was back at the Leaky Cauldron. He nodded politely to Tom as he headed towards the stairs.
"Did you have a nice day out?" The barkeeper asked the lad. He seemed to be in good spirits.
Harry nodded, still honestly surprised that he had. "I did, thank you." He replied respectfully.
"Dinner'll be in a bit." Tom said, letting the boy scamper off upstairs. He was feeling a lot easier about things since old Lord Malfoy had started slipping him galleons for the boy's care. After all he'd done for them the least that they could do was make sure he had what he needed.
Harry entered his room and stopped dead, seeing Lucius Malfoy and a strange witch sitting at a table in his room. "Mr. Malfoy?" he said questioningly, instantly suspicious.
"Forgive the intrusion, Mr. Potter, however I'm afraid a few things have happened that require a little secrecy. I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Miss Morwenna Lafaye, she is the head of the Department of Family Services at the Ministry." Lucius explained and gestured for the boy to come and sit.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Potter." She smiled kindly, her face softening a little. "I really do apologize for dropping in unannounced but…I think it is best in this situation."
"What situation is that?" Harry sat down, sitting uncomfortable with this.
"Whenever there is an incident of accidental magic that involves muggle family members, I'm required to do a home visit. It's simply procedure you understand." She said, wanting to put the boy at ease. "It's usually just a quick, routine thing but I'm sure you can understand why I needed to come and speak to you."
Harry colored and looked down. "It's not their fault, they just don't like magic…really they're fine." He muttered quietly.
Morwenna looked to Lucius, seeing that the boy was trying to cover for his family.
Lucius moved and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry…Morwenna is a friend, and she really just wants to help you. You need to tell her the truth." Lucius said gently. "She won't repeat a word of this to anyone, she is bound by wizarding law to keep it confidential. I'll wait out in the hall so you two can speak privately." He said and quietly left the room.
Harry nodded quietly, feeling absolutely miserable.
"As I said, I paid your aunt a visit and given what I found and what was said…she has agreed to cede her guardianship of you." Morwenna said.
Harry's head snapped up. "What?"
"You never have to go back to that place again." She said gently. "Now, I have a copy of your parent's will and they named several suitable guardians for you…I don't understand why the Headmaster ignored their wishes, but I fully intend to ensure that you are placed somewhere that you can be protected and where you will be properly looked after." She summoned every ounce of charm she had to try and make the boy trust her.
"You mean I never have to go back there?" Harry felt a strange surge of hope run through him.
"Never. At least, providing we keep this very secret. If the headmaster finds out what I'm trying to do, he could very well stop me and place you back with your relatives." Morwenna explained. "Until a new, appropriate, guardian is chosen and all the magical contracts finalized you must tell no one what we're trying to do. Do you understand?" She asked him.
Harry nodded, not sure he liked having to lie but the idea of never having to go back to that place again was worth it. He'd begged the Headmaster to let him stay at Hogwarts, to let him go anywhere but back to that place. Finally someone was going to do something and if they needed his help to do it, so be it. "Who will I have to live with?"
"I don't know yet, but I promise that I will make sure your parent's wishes are respected. I hope to have this settled before the end of your first term." She said gently. "Once I've interviewed everyone, I'll sit down with you and we can discuss how you feel about them…ok?" She asked. "Is there anyone you'd particularly like me to approach?"
Harry shook her head. "The only people I know well are the Weasley's and…I couldn't ask them to do that." He said quietly.
"Ok." She reached over and gently squeezed his hand. "It will be all right in the end, I promise. I'm just sorry it has taken so long for anyone to bring this to my attention."
Harry nodded, throat feeling tight. "Thank you." He finally managed to say. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel right now but anything had to better than the Dursley's.
"You are more welcome, Mr. Potter." She stood. "We'll speak again soon." She said.
"Wait…umm, if they're not my guardians anymore…who can sign my Hogsmeade form?" He said, embarrassed that he was concerned with something silly like that.
Morwenna smiled then, remembering how it felt to be a student again. "Give me your form, Mr. Potter." She said and watched the boy eagerly go and get it. "Now, once your guardianship is seen to they will need to sign a new form, but in the mean-time," she winked and used her wand, perfectly forging his Aunt's signature. "I highly recommend Honeydukes as your first stop." She smiled and gave it to him.
"Thank you." Harry smiled and neatly put it away.
"I'll take my leave then." She said and headed out of his room, giving Lucius a sly smile as she passed.
Lucius knocked lightly on Harry's door and waited for the soft 'come in', before re-entering. "Are you all right, Mr. Potter?" He asked the young wizard.
Harry nodded and sighed, sitting down. "It wasn't a routine visit was it?" He asked, green eyes on the older man.
Lucius made an apologetic face. "No, it was not. I asked her to check up on things…my wife was worried about you. I must admit though, I thought she was being silly." He said down, deciding a half truth was better than a whole lie with this boy. "I understand this must be, unnerving for you…but I do believe that it is for the best. You should be in a home with people that take proper care of you, and can protect you adequately. There are people out there, Mr. Potter, that would wish you harm and a family of muggles that allows you to spend a whole summer living above a tavern…is no protection at all." He said, really unable to wrap his head around that. If he was truly the man that many believed him to be, he could have killed the Potter boy several time over in the last few weeks. It was only the fact that he had other plans in mind that assured the boy's safety.
Harry nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "My parent's really didn't want me with my Aunt and Uncle then?" He asked, just for once wanting to know what was really going on.
"No, they did not. They had five different families that they wished you to be raised by, in the event of their death. I also know that at least 4 would have made exceptional guardians. Sadly, the most obvious choice, your Godfather was arrested and sent to Azkaban the very day after your parents were killed." Lucius said, seeing from the look on Harry's face that he had absolutely no idea about Black.
"I have a godfather?" He looked even more confused and upset. "Why doesn't anyone ever tell me anything?" Harry clenched his jaw.
"His name is Sirius Black, and went mad and murdered a dozen muggles, as well as an old friend. As you can imagine, people probably thought it best that you not learn about him. It is rumored that he was the one that betrayed your parents to the Dark Lord." Lucius said. He had never been certain of that, given how appallingly loyal Sirius had been to the Potters, but it was what most believed and it was in his best interests that the boy believe that story.
Harry's features darkened but he nodded. "He's still in Azkaban then?"
"Yes, and will be for the rest of his life." Lucius said. "It is cold comfort, Mr. Potter, but at least he can never hurt anyone else again."
Harry nodded. "Thank you, for telling me Sir." He leaned back in his chair and sighed, feeling bone weary.
"Sometimes the truth, no matter how unpleasant, is best." Lucius said smoothly. "Now, how was your afternoon with Draco?" He asked.
"It was nice, thank you for letting me borrow your broom Mr. Malfoy." Harry said then, unable to keep from smiling. "Draco's coming to Diagon Alley tomorrow so we can explore." He said.
"Well, I hope that you both enjoy yourself. I should be going, as I would hate to be late for dinner with the Minister." Lucius stood and nodded to Harry. "Remember, secrecy Mr. Potter…we will be depending on you."
"Yes sir." Harry nodded and watched the older wizard leave. Everything was so confusing now. He ached to be able to write to Hermione about this, but deep down he knew that if anyone else found out he'd be back at the Dursley's before anyone could say kneazle. He took out the pocket watch that the Malfoy's had given him and stroked his thumb along the Potter family crest. He'd looked it up and it was indeed his family's crest, and it made him sad that the first time he'd ever seen it was on a gift from an enemy. If they were willing to do these things for him, were they really what everyone said they were? He wasn't an idiot, he knew that they weren't necessarily 'good' and there had to be something in this for them…but maybe they weren't as evil as his friends made them out to be.
TBC