Chapter 10

The sitting room was a complete and utter mess. The book bag that Harry had brought with him was open and the contents had been poured onto the floor. There was parchment and no-spill quills, markers, wizarding crayons, coloring books, regular books, a very ratty looking stuffed dragon, and six soldiers dutifully marching around the lot as though guarding it. Evan lay on his stomach in front of the mess, pointedly ignoring Lucius' presence as he colored.

The house elves had informed him upon arrival that the two were still in the sitting room, but that Harry had eaten little of either lunch or dinner, instead moving the contents around the plate for a while before having it sent back. Lucius had intended to come in and demand to know whether he was intentionally starving himself, when he'd been stopped by the minefield of toys on the floor.

Actually, now that he got to look, it was a very organized minefield. The crayons, all 86 of them, had been laid out by color in four rows directly in front of Evan, who was currently putting one back in it's exact place and trying to pick another from the reds. Everything was laid out like that now that he looked. The markers were in two rows, as there were fewer, the still rolled parchment was fanned out with exactly the same amount of space between each, even the soldiers appeared to be doing a well practiced drill, all with extremely bored looks on their tin faces.

Evan sighed as he took his small hand away from the red and instead picked up a pale orange color and began meticulously filling something in with tiny strokes. While Lucius may not have had much experience with children, he was fairly certain that this was unusual.

Finally seeming to give in to something, the child looked up, an annoyed furrow across the brow, "What are you doing here?"

What was he…? Lucius gripped his cane firmly, forbidding himself to walk over and slap the insolent child across the face. Harry would most likely have a very adverse reaction if he did that. "You should mind your manners or people might begin to think your father never taught you any."

Evan looked back down at his book, making one precise mark and surveying his work. "My father taught me to be polite, just not to you."

A pale haze seemed to momentarily flitter across Lucius eyes before he could force himself to calm down. He could not, however, keep his voice from rising slightly in his anger, "Common sense…"

"Shhhhh!" Evan put his hand up, his eyes wide in something that was not quite fear. No, it looked more like concern, the way he turned around to look at the couch, not taking his finger away from his mouth.

Up until then, Lucius had not noticed Harry, who appeared to be in a very deep sleep, curled into as small a ball as the little couch would allow. His face had tensed up momentarily, but quickly relaxed again as he shifted slightly, turning onto his back and flinging an arm over the edge of the sofa.

Lucius had not watched Harry sleep before; it had never occurred to him to watch anyone sleep. It was entrancing. Harry looked so vulnerable like that, so untroubled; as though the last two days had not even happened. It was going to be very satisfying to see his face when he woke up.

Evan sighed in relief and looked back at Lucius crossly, "You have to be quiet; he's very sleepy."

It was disconcerting to be more or less told to 'shut up' by a five-year-old child who should have, by nature, been noisy himself. But he got the feeling that nothing about this child was normal. Save the brilliant vocal talent he'd displayed the night before, Evan had been very quiet and well behaved, he ate meticulously, and even played in an orderly manner.

Lucius carefully stepped over the tin soldiers who began frantically poking at his feet in an attempt to keep their parameter clear of intruders. He tipped one over with the toe of his boot and watched, slightly amused as the others scrambled to help up their fallen comrade.

"That wasn't very nice." He turned abruptly to the boy, whose face was sour as he got up onto his hands and knees and reached over to assist the toys. "You shouldn't be mean to something just because you're bigger than it."

The little men stared coldly up at him for a moment, clearly annoyed, before continuing about their march. Lucius knelt down, looked at the coloring book Evan was once again hovering over. It was a picture of a unicorn, its white coat shining in shades of opal blue and pink. On the floor next to it was a picture of a real unicorn, which Evan seemed to be using as reference.

Now that he thought about it, Draco had been interested in art at one point, but a few stern lectures had quickly taken it out, or at least suppressed it long enough for more masculine traits to take hold. Lucius turned his attention to the other books, all of them featuring various animals; one was dedicated entirely to dragons. He picked it up and opened the front cover, on the inside was a passage in the neat script he knew to be his son's. 'Remember, what they don't know can't hurt you-Big Brother Draco.'

Lucius chuckled to himself and turned a few pages. Each finished picture was accompanied by a photo or magazine clipping of a dragon, and the finished products were surprisingly good; the crayon never once went outside the line.

Evan picked up a miniature wand from the floor and tapped the one Lucius had stopped at. The green and blue beast began moving around its page, throwing its head back and opening its mouth as though to roar. "The magic's starting to wear off, so it will only last a minute or so."

As it slowed down and stopped moving, Lucius closed it. "You are very good for your age."

Evan snorted, "I'm very good for most ages."

Lucius was in the process of opening his mouth to comment on exactly how much that sounded like something Draco would have said, when a drawn out "Noooo." sounded to his left. At first, he thought Harry had woken up, but when he looked over the green eyes were tightly closed. The smaller man was tensed all over, and his hands were gripping the sofa desperately.

A nightmare, then, and something fairly horrible from the heart wrenching cry that quickly followed. Lucius reached out, intending to shake him awake, but Evan grabbed his arm, "No, you can't."

Although he was tempted to show the child exactly what he could and could not do, he stood up instead, and walked over to lean against the wall. Evan quickly picked up the little wand and tapped his picture, taking only a moment to watch the unicorn rear back on the page before scrambling over on his knees to the sofa.

Harry let out a soft pained cry that sounded suspiciously like 'Draco.' Evan stopped for a moment, a concerned look on his face, but reached out and shook his father. "Father, wake up! Father, I finished it!

The small wizards eyes shot open and he stopped breathing for a moment, staring at the ceiling as though shocked. Evan put on a concerned frown, "Father?"

Harry jerked his head over and the pain and fear seemed to melt from his face, his lips opening in a relieved smile, "What's wrong, Evan?" His eyes did a quick scan of the room and fell on Lucius. They glinted dangerously as he focused back on his son, "Are you okay?"

Evan nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah. I finished!" He held the picture out, the unicorn was barely moving, making muted attempts to stomp the ground majestically. "It's a unicorn."

"Yes, it is." Harry took it from Evan and smiled, running his hand over the page, "You'll need to do more in the background, you left the trees blank. Remember what Draco told you, it's never finished until you've covered the whole page."

Evan's proud smile didn't waver. He nodded, lying himself back on the floor and began picking out a color from a collection of pale greens. Harry sat up stiffly, stretching his arms over his head, glaring at Lucius from the corner of his eye. "You look like crap; late night at the office?"

"Your disappearance has caused quite a stir in the ministry, as I'm sure you know."

"Actually, I don't." Harry turned away abruptly and stood up, "Evan, put your things away, it's time to get ready for bed."

Lucius stepped forward, "That is what the house elves are for, love."

Harry didn't look over, or acknowledge the comment. Instead, he knelt down and began helping. Evan was sending furtive looks to Lucius as he poured handfuls of crayons into a leather pouch.

"Harry."

Still nothing. The soldiers stopped waiting to be put in the bag and started trying to find a way in by themselves, occasionally looking nervously behind them. Strange.

"If you do not answer, now, you won't see your son for a week."

Evan's eyes got wide and he looked as though he wanted to protest, but instead doubled his efforts, shoving the crayons in the bag and scooping the last soldiers in as well before grabbing for the quills. Harry still refused to say anything.

"I do not appreciate being ignored, Harry."

"And I do not appreciate being threatened!"

The glass vase sitting on the table beside the sofa broke and Evan stopped moving, in mid reach for his coloring books. Lucius stopped moving as well, his glare plastered to his face. The entire room was radiating with wild energy, the aura around Harry had become visible, shining in an opaque red.

"Hum Evan."

This time there was no mistaking the compliance, it was obvious he not only couldn't hear, but didn't want to. His little hands were white with tension as they gripped his head around his ears. Harry didn't stand up he simply locked eyes with Lucius from where he sat on his knees.

"This little… scenario you've managed to create, Lucius, this whole bloody situation has been the subject of my worst bloody nightmares for five years. This… you are the reason I woke up in the corner of hospital wing on more than one occasion with absolutely no memory of how I got there. And I am not taking it well!"

Harry's eyes had started glowing, his breathing was shallow. "The only reason I have not lost my bloody mind is my son. He needs me here, all of me, but I am hanging on by a thread. I get that you can take him away. I get that I have no wand, that I am impotent to stop you from doing anything to me or him that you want, but so help me Merlin, if you threaten me with him one more time I will find a way to make you pay.

Lucius refused to let his legs take him back those few steps to the wall. It was very tempting to get as far away as possible from the seriously pissed off Potter, but it was also not a wise move if he planned to continue to stay in control. The antique crystal ball on the built in bookcase shattered and several books fell. Harry seemed to be startled out of his anger by the sudden noise. He looked at Evan, still hunched over, hands white over his ears and reached over, pulling the five year old into his lap.

Evan did not look the least bit unnerved by his father's outburst. The panic he had shown before began wilted into lose tension as the energy in the room dissipated and he wrapped his arms around his father's neck. Harry ran his fingers into Evan's hair and rocked almost imperceptible.

"Shhh, it's okay." He looked back at Lucius, his green eyes tired and worn, as though he had not just woken from a nap, "Lucius, I am begging you. I will do what you say; you have my word, but do not make me spend more time away from my son than is necessary. I need him."

Evan had slowly begun to relax, curling further into Harry's embrace. While the last of the wild magic was busy evaporating into the atmosphere, Lucius watched the two in detached interest. He had never been so close to another living person as they were. He may have had feelings for his wife, but they expended only as far as was needed for the two of them to live together. Even the relationship between his immediate family when he was growing up had been strained and distant.

Sighing deeply, Lucius nodded to Harry purposefully, "You may get him ready for bed and tucked in. I will wait for you here."

Without hesitation Harry stood up, grunting very slightly under the strain of picking Evan up with him, and headed through the door into the bathroom. It took nearly thirty minutes for him to reemerge. The bags under his eyes were darker and the energy he had expended during his outburst had left him pale.

Lucius stood and held out his hand, ignoring the few moments Harry waited before taking it. There was something unsatisfyingly docile and complacent about his actions, as though he were complying because he was forced. Although, Lucius knew this was very much the case, there was still the part of him that wanted Harry to want him-that wanted Harry to need him the way he appeared to need his son.

The tension is Harry's body mounted the closer they came to the bedroom and, much to Lucius disappointment, by the time they reached the heavy wooden doors he could literally feel it in the air. Despite his own carnal urges it wouldn't do to fuel his captive's emotions so soon after an outburst.

Sighing inwardly, Lucius waved for Harry to go into the room before him. Of course, there was always tomorrow.

Lucius woke feeling distinctly grateful that it was a Saturday. Harry had been restless the vast majority of the night and only settled into a comfortable sleep a few hours ago, most likely from sheer exhaustion.

Watching the young man's face as he slept, Lucius contemplated the past few days. The strain was very clear on Harry's face, especially around the eyes. The dark eyebrows were knitted together even while the rest of him seemed too relaxed; there were dark circles under his eyes, and little crinkles at the corners.

There really was no way around it, if Harry did not get more rest soon he would probably either drive himself into an early grave or become seriously ill. The real problem would be in convincing him to stay in bed rather than run to his son the moment he opened his eyes.

As if to on cue, the green eyes blinked open, staring forward dully before focusing on Lucius. The tension made an immediate return and Harry began to push himself into a sitting position, clutching the blankets around his waste. Lucius had been very insistent the evening before that he was not to sleep in his robes.

Lifting up onto one elbow, Lucius raised an eyebrow as he watched Harry continue to pull blankets around him. "Morning, love."

Harry stopped moving and stared back, "…morning."

Lucius reached up, ignoring the flinch as he ran a hand from Harry's temple down his cheek and let it rest there. "You hardly slept last night, were you having nightmares?"

"That's none of your…" he stopped abruptly. "Yes, Lucius, I have them quite often. Evan usually wakes me up, though. It helps."

The hand moved across the jaw and a thumb traced Harry's lower lip, "Would it help if I were to wake you?"

The smaller wizard finally pulled back with a shudder and pressed himself against the headboard. "No."

"Why not?"

Harry glared at Lucius before dropping his gaze onto the finely made blanket. "I'd rather not."

"I'd rather you did."

"The nightmares tend to be about the people I've lost or… or you. Evan reminds me that there's a reason things have happened the way they have and that there is something for me to live for. That it's not all bad."

Lucius smirked as he stretched, watching every muscle in Harry's body bristling like a cat. How amusing. "You should relax." One dark eyebrow raised in what was probably an amused expression.

Getting onto his knees, Lucius sat in front of his captive and lowered his mouth onto the tightly closed lips. The early morning taste was slightly repulsive, but he was more than adequately rewarded.

Despite his tension, Harry was forcing himself to relax, and he found that the more he relaxed the more pleasant the kiss became. Not that he wanted to think 'Lucius Malfoy' and 'pleasant' in the same sentence, but it was very hard to deny when little shivers went up his spine every time their tongues touched.

He couldn't stop himself from pressing back, ever so slightly, and to his own surprise the hand that clamped firmly onto the back of his head, playing with his hair, didn't make him panic. Harry wondered if perhaps it had something to do with how little sleep he'd been getting, because every touch seemed to ignite something he did not want it to.

He wanted to be repulsed; he wanted to feel the tightness of panic in his chest; he wanted anything but this sudden urge to see exactly how good the kiss would fell if he were fight back with his own tongue and lips.

Lucius pulled back slowly, hot breath against Harry's fainted lips. "You should get some more sleep, love, you'll make yourself ill."

Harry opened his eyes, not having realized he'd closed them. "But Evan, I want…"

Pressing his mouth back against Harry's, Lucius began kissing him again. This time he couldn't help his tongue from lifting to meet the intruder, but he pulled it back just as quickly. Lucius didn't seem to mind, he simply continued about the business of making every nerve in Harry's spine shiver with unwanted delight.

The kiss deepened for a moment before softened into nothing and it was all Harry could do to keep from following the other man's mouth as it retreated. He'd closed his eyes again, but Lucius hadn't gone far, his mouth wrested so tantalizingly close enough that Harry could feel him smiling.

"You will see your son, Harry, after you've gotten a few hours of sleep."

"I…" Harry forced himself to pull further away, pressing his head against the headboard. "I don't think I can, not after I've just woken."

Lucius' smirk widened, "Well then, love, we'll have to see what we can do about helping to tire you out."

(scene omitted for the sake of posterity, and because I refuse to risk my ass)