A/N: In an unusual author's note for Always, I would like to thank the amazing guest reviewers I cannot reply to. Your reviews mean a lot to me. Thank you very, very much.

Disclaimer: None of my work belongs to me, it is solely the property of the one and only J.K. Rowling and any other company which has the copyright of Harry Potter, including Warner Bros. Nothing here belongs to me; all the characters are J.K. Rowling's originally, though any new character not part of the Harry Potter series belongs to me.

Title: Always

Author: hpjkrowling4ever

Chapter Ten

Draco landed in the familiar receiving room of Malfoy Manor first and did not even glance at his parents or the bags that had arrived before them, but instead waited, his hands trembling, for his mate to come through the grate.

It was an ornate, beautiful fireplace made of the finest marble intricately carved with the Malfoy Crest and Motto. On the mantelpiece were photographs taken by professional photographers. No visitor into Malfoy Manor would see the Malfoy Family uninhibited –there was always a mask. The real photographs were upstairs, in the private rooms. A large painting of the Manor, priceless in its value, stood imposingly behind the photographs.

The fire flared to life again and Draco hid a smirk of amusement when his mate tumbled inelegantly through the gate and into his waiting arms. Still hiding Harry from his parents, he brushed him down and kissed his forehead. Giving each other reassuring smiles, they turned to look at Lord and Lady Malfoy, the former who gave a sudden start at seeing Harry Potter in his house.

"Mr. Potter."

"Lord Malfoy."

Both men looked at each other for what seemed like forever, before Lucius turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

The rejection of his mate stung. It hurt Draco deep inside him and he was almost about to storm out in anger before a sudden thought struck him: what about Harry? He must be feeling terrible. Draco turned away from his mother to look at Harry, whose mouth was pursed into a thin line and who was looking at him anxiously. Draco felt a warm feeling spread through him when he realised that his mate was worried for him, even though it had been his father at the Department of Mysteries in their fifth year.

"Mr. Potter, if I may have the pleasure to make your acquaintance." Draco turned around again to look at his mother, who looked serene but he could tell by the tiny crease in her forehead that she was not impressed by her husband's behaviour.

"Lady Malfoy." Harry stepped forwards and took her hand and kissed it softly. Draco was surprised that Harry knew that subtle pureblood mannerism and he could tell that his mother was impressed. "I do not believe that I have had the delight of meeting you before."

"No, I have not either. I am truly overjoyed that Draco has found his mate."

Draco breathed a soft sigh of relief –his mother accepted his mate.

Harry knew that seeing Lucius Malfoy in the flesh would be difficult after Sirius' death. He hadn't anticipated just how difficult it had been, and it was only exacerbated after Lord Malfoy's sudden departure from the room. It hurt him hard to think that Lord Malfoy could not accept him as Draco's mate, as the one who was supposed to be loved and cherished by his son for the rest of their lives. It made him angry, it made him want to go after Lord Malfoy and kick him. He had seen Draco's face fall and then had watched him turn around to see if he, Harry, was alright, when it should have been him asking Draco if he was alright. He was already getting a headache and the weekend wasn't even in full swing yet.

However, Narcissa Malfoy was a breath of fresh air. She was sweet and kind and heartbreakingly polite and Harry could see how Draco had some ounce of compassion and selflessness in him despite him being hopelessly spoilt –his mother was a sparkling example of it.

"Mr. Potter, I've put you into the room right next to Draco's normal bedroom. There's an adjoining door we had put in when we knew that Draco would be a Veela so you'll both be able to see each other. Draco, if you would bring Mr. Potter to the room and then we can adjourn for dinner in about an hour." Lady Malfoy, while saying this, had clapped her hands imperiously and Harry watched as their bags disappeared, most likely taken by house-elves.

Draco seemed to shake himself out of some torpor and grabbed Harry's hand and Harry could only nod at Lady Malfoy before he was dragged away on a grand tour of the Manor.

"Lucius!" Narcissa stormed into his study angrily. She had never felt this angry –not since Lucius lost Draco in Diagon Alley when he was seven. Even then, she had been more worried than angry. This time she was furious.

Her husband was leaning against the windowsill, his knuckles white as he pressed them against the panes of glass. She could see that he was breathing heavily and her anger subsided a bit. He was terrified.

"Luce." She murmured, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Luce." She kissed the back of his neck and felt him shiver in response, some tension bleeding away from his body. "What's wrong?"

"I can't believe that his mate is Harry Potter. Of all people." Lucius whispered brokenly. "I knew I'd have to make a choice in my lifetime, Cissy, but I wasn't aware that the choice would be this life-changing, this life-affirming. You know that means that the Dark Lord is either going to ask me to disown Draco or to stop being his follower."

"You knew that there would be a very real possibility of Draco's mate being someone the Dark Lord did not approve of. But you saw them together, Luce. You can't deny what you saw with your own eyes."

Narcissa remembered waiting with baited breath beside the fireplace, her hand clutching Lucius'. She had known just as much as her husband what was at stake; the main difference was that she was willing to give everything up for her son. Their life might be more dangerous, but at least her son, her family would be happy. Then when Draco had come through the fireplace, she had stepped forwards to embrace him, but he had ignored Lucius and her, instead turning back immediately to face the fireplace, blocking the view of who would come through from them.

She didn't think that she would ever forget her son's smile when Mr. Potter had stepped through the grate –or stumbled through, depending on your view of the situation. He had stepped forwards at once and taken him into his arms, kissing his forehead gently before finally turning around, beaming –only for his smile to fall off his face at his father's frosty reception of his mate.

"Luce, you promised Draco that you'd accept his mate."

"I thought it would be someone else." Lucius whispered, his breath fogging up the glass.

"You can't make conditions like that. You love Draco, do you not?"

"How could you even doubt that, Cissy?" Lucius cried out, turning around and finally facing her. She grabbed his hands and squeezed them tightly.

"You're not showing me otherwise, Luce. I know you're living a good, stable life. I know you're happy to support the Dark Lord and support the Ministry and then you'll be fine either way. Isn't that cowardly, though? Maybe you shouldn't follow Abraxas' path. Maybe you should forge your own, Luce." Narcissa leant her forehead against her husband's, remembering the insane shouts of her sister as she sunk farther and farther into the Dark Arts. She did not want to see her husband go that way.

Sensing her dark thoughts, as he always did –it had to be a Veela thing, Lucius pulled her to him and held her tightly in his arms.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even think. I know that your sister did some terrible things and will continue to do so. I'm being tactless, even contemplating the ease of my life over my family. Forgive me." Lucius kissed her temple and leant his head on top of hers, tucking her into his strong chest. Narcissa breathed out, feeling the safety she always did around her husband envelop her.

"You'll accept Mr. Potter, then?" she asked. There was a very long pause and she could almost feel his mind working, mulling over the many possibilities of an influential family like the Malfoys turning their backs on their Dark heritage and turning Light. Narcissa could almost feel Abraxas Malfoy turning over in his son's grave.

Her husband's hands tightened around her waist and Narcissa knew what his decision would be.

"I'll be honoured to." Lucius pulled away from her almost immediately after saying that and rummaged around in one of his many drawers, and with a flourish pulled out a very familiar mahogany and velvet box. Narcissa gasped and put her hand to her mouth, stepping forwards tentatively.

"You won't…"

"I need to show Draco that I won't turn on him." Lucius took a very deep breath. "That he can trust his father."

Narcissa nodded and went over to him, helping him to pull open the old box. Encased by the sea of rich purple velvet, the magnificent signet ring of the Malfoy Family heir's partner sat, proclaiming to the world in its' majestic glory that the wearer had the support and power of the Malfoy Family at his disposal.

"It's the pair to Draco's signet ring."

"It's the best way I can show him that I will accept Mr. Potter as the future husband and life partner of Draco. The future of the Malfoy Family will be in their hands."

Draco found that it was impossible to tear his eyes away from his mate's face as he showed him the wonders of his home. The ancient manor had never been anything but home to him and to see the amazement at the luxury Draco lived in on his mate's face made him want to show Harry that it could, and would, be his home as well.

Draco brought Harry into the cosy, family sitting room. There was a more homely feel to it –the cushions were plumper and the walls were covered in pictures of Draco, his friends, his parents and his grandparents with some occasional photographs of relatives. The fireplace was sparkling merrily and some books were lying around haphazardly or tripping over each other on the bookshelves lining the walls next to the fireplace.

Draco brought Harry to sit down on one of the sofas. His mate sat down carefully, as if scared of breaking anything and it made Draco long to see his mate lie down with his feet on the sofa one day. To be truly at home. Instead, he sat next to Harry and pulled him closer, loving their newfound intimacy and smiled as Harry sank into him, curling up closer and bringing his legs onto the sofa once he saw Draco do the same.

"How do you like Malfoy Manor?"

"I'm completely lost." Harry admitted. "It's huge."

Draco chuckled.

"Yeah, I can see how it would seem pretty huge to someone who hadn't lived here. Don't worry, you'll soon get used to it, I promise you."

Harry sighed against him.

"Not with the way your father reacted."

"It's understandable; you and him have some enmity to work through."

"It's difficult to forget seeing him there. Really difficult." Harry looked up from where he was leaning against Draco's shoulder to look him in the eye. "I can't ask you to choose between your father or me."

"Nor will you have to." Draco murmured, pulling Harry back to his side. "Nor will you have to. Mother will make him come around, don't you worry."

"Is the Black Family not quite dark?"

"If you look at Walburga Black or Aunt Bellatrix, then yes. If you look at your godfather Sirius or his cousin, my Aunt Andromeda, then no. It all depends on which walk of life they chose. And the Dark Lord truly believes in his cause. He believes that what he's doing is right. My father doesn't. He will choose what is right in the end, don't you worry."

The door opened slowly to reveal the topic of their conversation himself: Lucius Malfoy. Draco untangled himself from Harry and stood up, quickly followed by Harry. He could see his mate's hand tapping anxiously against his thigh and he sidled closer to Harry and held his hand in his own.

His father stood unsurely in the door and Draco could tell that he was nervous. Then before he could say anything Lucius stepped forwards, standing up straighter and stronger and walking further into the room until he was facing Harry. Draco watched their silent staring for a while, feeling their anger, their distrust of each other thick in the air before his father suddenly snapped and extended his hand.

"Mr. Potter, I would like to apologise for my conduct. It is not how I should be greeting my son's future lifemate."

Harry took a deep breath and felt his hand being squeezed in encouragement. He let go of Draco's hand and shook Lucius' slowly, carefully.

"Thank you, Lord Malfoy." Harry replied, inclining his head. "Please accept my thanks at having me in your house this weekend."

Lucius stepped forwards and waved his hand. Draco and Harry sat down and Lucius started pacing in front of them.

"There are many positives about having a wife who talks a great deal of sense into me. She reminded me that her sister has gone the wrong path from choosing the Dark Arts over her family ties. I have been persuaded not to go the same way." Lucius pulled out a small mahogany and velvet box from his robe pocket. Draco brought his hand to his mouth, mirroring his mother's movements minutes earlier.

"Father…" he murmured, awed by the sign of his father's acceptance. It showed to him most of all that his father would not abandon him and that he was happy with the decision that Harry Potter would one day be in charge of the Malfoy Family along with him, Draco Malfoy.

"Mr. Potter, this is a very important box, one that has not been opened since I last started courting Narcissa. It is now for you to open."

Draco pushed Harry off the sofa and watched as his mate stumbled a bit before walking gingerly over to Lucius Malfoy, who hesitated a moment before handing the box over.

Harry opened it.

A/N: Want to know what'll happen next? Do tell me!