A Flower's Magic
Summary: Translated from Umbre77's. Captured by Voldemort, Harry has no other choice than accepting defeat. But Draco Malfoy, for his part, doesn't want to die! Even if it means changing the past to save himself! Slash
PS: This takes place before the Deathly Hallows
Author's Note: Well… I'm late, I know! But I had a reaallly busy weekend. And so, still no answer to reviews… I should get to it or else I'll end up with 50 RAR to do! I've come up with a plan to do 5 per day (starting tomorrow, today's getting late).
Hoping that no annoying family meeting, birthday party, friends outing or anything else gets thrown in my way… I'll see you in two weeks, meaning 10th April!
Translator's Note: Warning! Mention of torture, gore and a bit of swearing. Otherwise, everything's fine and it's a long one, as I said: more than 6,000 words ;) So enjoy, and tell me what you think!
Beta: SanguisRubeus
Warning: This is a translation from Umbre77's fiction; I own nothing (except the mistakes you might find)
oOo
Chapter 10: Malfoyan instincts
Five minutes. That was exactly the time they took to destroy the Horcrux. They would have had ample time to start the new school map or do lots of things. Instead, they passed the time slouching on Harry's couch.
"Damn, that thing just screamed and poof it was gone!" Draco pointed out.
"Yeah", Harry replied.
"Is it always this easy? Isn't it supposed to be dangerous with a whole load of traps and curses?"
"I don't know. The ring killed Dumbledore inch by inch, but that's because he had the brilliant idea to put it on. The medallion... well, it almost killed Ron, once. The diary has the ability to possess the person in any relationship with it. Nagini is deadly, but hey, it is a snake, too! The real difficulty with the cup was getting a hold of it; otherwise it was destroyed very easily."
"I see", Draco muttered. "Plain bullshit. In the end, we run around just for a fucking scream!"
"Are you complaining of the lack of danger?"
"Damn no! It's just a little disappointing. Extracting the soul piece from your body was the scariest thing of my life! It was really impressive. And when we destroyed it with the potion... well, actually, Fixe did that, so I didn't see anything. I was busy warming you up."
Harry vaguely smiled at that. He would never forget how his friend had held him desperately in the bathtub. Draco's body heat had helped as well as water.
"In any case, don't think it will be easy. The ring will be recovered quickly; it's just hidden in a house but I do not know what kind of trap the crazy megalomaniac placed there. As for the others, it will be a real treasure hunt to find them. They will be given away, hidden and no one has any idea of where they will be, since we're changing everything."
"Whoop", Laughed Draco. "I can't wait, you know?"
Harry laughed at that thought only to be silenced by a knock at the door. They looked at each other, checking the time with a glance.
"Either Lucius is early or we have another visit", said Harry.
"We really should make that damn map!" Draco grumbled.
"Come on in!"
They both stood up when the door opened and to their surprise, it was Hagrid who entered.
" 'Scuse to fer botherin' yeh, but I was wonderin' if I could speak ter yeh fer a little?"
Harry and Draco exchanged a surprised look.
"Uh, yes, of course", Harry replied. "We have an appointment at ten o'clock, but you can keep us company in the meantime! Can I offer you something to drink?"
"I'd like some tea, if yeh have some", said the half-giant entering and closing the door behind him.
With a flick of the hand that surprised Hagrid, Draco enlarged one of the chairs he designated to him politely.
"Yeh can do wandless magic?" asked Hagrid, watching Harry bring up a tea set with a slightly larger cup.
"No, not exactly", Harry replied. "Let's just say our wand is well hidden!"
He smiled politely while serving the three teas. There was a silence, until Hagrid decided to speak.
"Yeh both have really changed. Not jus' physically, mentally as well. Yeh seem much better than six years ago. When I saw yeh the firs' time, yeh seemed both desperate. Now I have the impression that yeh took the bull by the horns."
"I guess you can say that", Harry replied with a soft smile. "We spent a lot of years healing past wounds and now we are in good shape for the w... - I mean, to assume our position."
Hagrid looked at him for a moment before sighing.
"Dumbledore spoke a lot about yeh ter us, The Order of the Phoenix. He formed it a year an' a half ago but from the beginning, he said: 'I am not the founder of this order. The real founders are Drake Manfred and Ash Promise and when they will join us, the war will really begin.' So I will not lie to yeh, they asked me ter come an' see how yeh were. I remember two kids in poor condition an' depressed an' now I see two self-assured, magically powerful men... an' physically too, from what I can see. The Order looks forward ter meeting yeh!"
The pair were silent a moment, then Draco spoke.
"You should not talk about this so freely, Hagrid", he said. "What if we were not the real Ash Promise and Drake Manfred?"
"In this case, it would difficult for someone to have already taken our appearance, but Drake is right. Speaking so freely of such an important subject is not a good thing. It could get you into trouble. Keep your tongue in your pocket from now on, okay?"
"As for the fact that we may or not be the founders of the order, is it really important? The only interesting thing about it is the fight against the crazy jerk. Let's not talk about it again."
Hagrid looked at them surprised. Though it was hard, they tried to keep an air of indifference. It's not that they did not want to talk about the Order with Hagrid. They just wanted to avoid having to repeat the same thing dozens of times. No doubt Hagrid had tons of questions about their identity and their motivation to face Voldemort. When they met the order in full, they would be throttled with the same questions, might as well keep the answers for later.
"You're right, I'm sorry. It's jus' I was so surprised when Dumbledore introduced yeh as the founders of the order. As I have said, I had the memory of crushed teens, when I thought of yeh. But now that I see yeh, I am sommat reassured. I hope things will go in the right direction."
They merely smiled in response. What to say, anyway? They also hoped that the war would go in the right direction and this time they actually had a chance for it to do so.
"Well, now that we've talked about tha', Ash, yeh can talk ter creatures easily righ'?"
The concerned nodded, a cold sweat flowing down his back, thugh he pretended he didn't.
"So, yeh wouldn't mind ter accompany me tomorrow in the Forbidden Forest? I have unicorns that look a bit sick, but they refuse ter approach me. With any luck, they'll let yeh... "
Harry relaxed his muscles unconsciously, under Draco's mocking eye.
"Yes, with pleasure", he replied.
"If yeh want, I could show yeh some of me babies... They're adorable, yeh'll see!"
His nerves jumped right back up again at those words.
oOo
When Hagrid finally left, Harry threw Draco an almost tearful glance.
"Shouldn't have boasted", replied the blonde, while calmly sipping his tea. "And at least, you will have something to pass time tomorrow. Meanwhile, I will walk around the castle for the map."
"Traitor!" Harry replied. "Aren't you supposed to help me?"
"To defeat Voldemort or bring back the lost sheep, certainly", replied the old blonde in a mocking tone, "anything extra is your problem, not mine."
"You're a coward!"
"I agree wholeheartedly!"
Harry replied with a grunt. Another knock on the door brought the silence back once more. This time as they looked at their tattoos, they realized that the time had come.
"Well", Draco said. "The first sheep has arrived."
"Together with the goat, I think" Harry said. "You're ready?"
"We don't really have a choice, do we?"
Harry nodded. He made sure his black and silver robes were well organized and cast a spell on the tea, the latter filling up again as a new cup appeared. Hagrid 's chair resumed its original appearance. He glanced at Draco, the latter nervously playing with the fold of his black robe. He nodded at him and said:
"Come in!"
There was a moment of hesitation before the door opened to a smiling Dumbledore. Behind him were Lucius, and also Narcissa. The two travellers exchanged a glance; both of them hadn't expected this. Draco should have guessed. Lucius always took Narcissa with him. She was his wife and he blindly trusted her. He had probably told her everything about the visit on their wedding night.
"Please sit down", Harry said politely, rising. "My name is Ash Promise. I am happy to see you or –uh - meet you."
He cast a dubious glance at Lucius and he quickly nodded. He understood the allusion, as did Narcissa.
"Hello", he said, extending his hand to shake Harry's. "I have waited to meet y... "
He was about to shake hands with Draco when he went silent. The expression on his face changed quickly. First there was surprise, then, a kind of fascination and finally, the anger came.
"I see you have not hesitated to lie to me."
Harry jumped and Draco refrained from swearing. He understood their mistake in an instant: no matter his physical changes, he still had the Malfoyan traits. To an outsider, it might pass as mere coincidence. But for a person knowing they were from the future and in addition to that, was a Malfoy, it was obvious. Especially as Lucius and him practically had the same age, give or take a few months. If Draco had kept his hair colour and natural skin, he would have been a perfect clone of Lucius.
"We did not exactly lie", answered Draco. "We just made sure to have your attention."
"You would have had it by telling me the truth!"
"Oh I don't doubt it", said Draco. "But things would have been far more dangerous, especially since we do not know whether you will have the intelligence or not to listen to us!"
Lucius didn't answer. He continued to stare at Draco with a sort of rage mixed with a touch of envy.
"Lucius, what's happening?" Narcissa asked.
Clearly, unlike her husband, she had yet to understand.
"Sit down", Harry offered. "Would you care for a spot of tea? I think we will take the whole morning now."
Draco sighed too. Yes, this was going to take some time. They would have to tell their past, probably... Damn, what was this spell that allowed spreading things? It would be so much easier, that way.
"I think it's best to start from the beginning", Draco said while Lucius, Narcissa and Dumbledore took place in different chairs facing the sofa. "I am Draco Lucius Malfoy. Although here, I call myself Drake Manfred."
Narcissa gasped at that. This time, her wide eyes examined the former Slytherin with much more attention.
"But did you not say that our son had died in your – uh - time?" she asked.
"We lied", Harry replied. "Do not take it the wrong way. We know it would have been easier to tell you the truth. You'd probably follow Drake's advice much more easily, but we weren't sure that it would work. We still aren't, and it is possible that you would report us to the Ministry"
"Report you?" Lucius asked.
"Going back in time is liable to the death penalty", intervened Dumbledore. "It is considered a crime against humanity, even if one goes back in time to save the world. Your son and Ash, if discovered by the authorities, would be immediately placed under arrest and killed. When they came to see you, they wanted to save you from an allegiance that you visibly deeply regretted in your last years. But they were not sure you would accept not to join Voldemort, if not to join me. And if you got the idea to report them, then all their efforts would have been in vain and they would have gone back in time for nothing."
"Save the world?" Narcissa asked sceptically.
"We have not lied about everything", said Draco. "I can swear to you that what awaits us if Voldemort takes power, will be worse than anything! I have not lied in telling you that you were dead, both. I have not seen your deaths, contrary to Ash, but Voldemort boasted to me well enough when torturing me down in the dungeons to have an idea on it."
Narcissa blinked at him, she seemed fascinated by his face clearly. Draco smiled indulgently.
"My appearance must seem strange to you. You still managed to recognize my features, which surprises me."
"You look just like me", said Lucius.
"Yes, I know", Draco smiled proudly, to his parents' surprise. "And I would look more so if I hadn't changed my skin and hair colour in order to keep my identity secret."
"Then this is not your true colour?" Narcissa asked.
"No. Normally I have quite white a skin. And my hair is in all respects similar to Father's – er - I mean Lucius'."
The mentioned shivered at being called that.
"I'm having some difficulty with all this", he said. "It was already difficult for me to condone your nightly visit, five years ago. And now this? It's too much to take in all at once."
"I know", said Draco. "Unfortunately, I cannot give you more proof. I can only hope that you'll decide to join us."
He went silent, unable to speak. His old selfish dream widely floated around him; if Lucius was willing to trust him, if he agreed to join Dumbledore then he would have a part of his family with him.
"I can tell you about your death", Harry interjected. "I saw both of you die. I know exactly how and why it happened."
"Why?" Narcissa asked.
"You had joined Voldemort and should have been his most beloved servants", Harry began. "But a series of failed missions triggered his anger so he ordered Draco to kill Dumbledore. In exchange, he promised not to hurt any of you though Lucius was protected from being in Azkaban at that time."
"Azkaban?" asked the man, stunned.
"You had been taken prisoner at the Ministry, the authorities had uncovered your Death Eater activities and you were arrested. In short, Draco had the mission to kill Dumbledore. But he has never been a murderer and such a mission, given to a sixteen year old, had no chance to succeed. Still, he tried all year. From fear of his failure, Narcissa, you asked a friend to take on Draco's mission if he could not. You even made him give you the Unbreakable Vow. Trapped, this friend had no other choice but to accept and help Draco. So in June of our sixth year, Dumbledore died, killed by the hand of one of your most valuable friends, to save your son, who had not been able to fulfil his mission."
"Voldemort did not appreciate my cowardice", Draco continued. "I was locked up for that and tortured, too. Mother tried to intervene, but Voldemort didn't want to listen. Yet you pleaded my cause. Finally, a month later, he gave me another chance. It was still a murder and I still failed. I was sent to the dungeons and as further punishment, Mother was killed."
He stopped there, unable to continue. Harry took over.
"Draco did not see you die", he said, looking Narcissa, "but I did. Voldemort was in a very bad mood that day and you had once again tried to save your son. But the Lord got angry with you and cursed you with a Doloris. He made them last and only stopped to start anew. If you had survived, I can assure you that you would have been mad. But you did not survive; the pain was too much. You bit your tongue to death and chocked on it... Your blood, I mean. There was a lot of it. I think the Doloris gave you internal injuries, otherwise there would not have been as much."
"Please, Ash, stop!" Draco moaned, his head in his hands.
Harry bit his lip and shut his mouth. He had not told Draco how his parents had died, so far. He had said he had seen many deaths. He had once confessed to Draco that he had also seen his parents die but he never spoke of it, until now.
Awkwardly, he reached out to rest a hand on Draco's, pulling it away from his face to grasp it firmly.
"For you, Lucius, things were different," Harry started to explain.
"Shit no, I do not want to hear that either!" Draco got mad.
"They asked" Harry replied. "Get out if you are not able to listen."
His partner hesitated. He looked at his parents and then stood up.
"Call me when you're done," he said, leaving the room.
Harry watched him and then turned to Lucius, only choosing to speak once the door was closed.
"You had been released from Azkaban shortly after your wife's death", he said. "Voldemort made you believe she was killed by a member of the Order of the Phoenix and prevented you from seeing your son. Only he, Voldemort and myself, knew the truth about Narcissa's death. When you learned of her death, I remember seeing the pain on your face. Voldemort revelled in it, I would say. He really liked that expression on you."
Narcissa wept a hand over her mouth. Harry sighed at the sight. He conjured a handkerchief box and handed it to her. He then looked at Lucius, who from time to time threw little glances at the closed door of Draco apartments.
"He did not kill you right away. He let you live, convinced that the other side killed your wife. You became a fierce fighter. I think you were looking to avenge her, though you did not know who was responsible. Many of my friends died because of you."
Harry had to be silent a few seconds. He still remembered the expression on Arthur Weasley's face when Lucius had hit him with a powerful spell that had almost cut him in half. Or Seamus' as his head was detached from his body. A part of him almost wanted to hit Lucius, even though he knew the man before him was not yet that monster.
"In short", he says, his voice shivering, "everything could have been fine for you if I hadn't told you the truth."
He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering that day as if yesterday.
"It was during one of many battles between your side and mine. I found myself in front of you by chance. It was not you that I wanted to kill, but Bellatrix Lestrange."
Narcissa gasped at the name, but Harry paid her no attention.
"But while I was aiming her, I found myself facing you. You were in a rage. I do not know why, though. You attacked me. You screamed you would kill me once and for all and then Voldemort would finally have his victory. Thus, your son would be safe. And I replied that he would not be safe as long as he was next to Voldemort. It was enough to see what he did to your wife to realize it."
Harry sighed again.
"When I spoke, you did not believe me immediately, of course, it would have been too easy. We continued to fight, and my camp retreated. I could not tell you what I had seen, but a seed of doubt was already in your heart. Although I think you had already guessed before, you finally started asking questions to some of your friends, sometimes even Voldemort himself. Naturally, he grew edgy, but mostly said nothing. You were beginning to wonder where was your son, you started to fear for him, I think...
"It's your precious friend that allowed you to see him. I do not know what happened in those dungeons, all I know is that you went back up to see Voldemort, in a crazed state. You demanded that he release your son, but you also asked whether or not he had killed Narcissa, to which he replied yes. This, I believe, was his biggest mistake. He thought that fear would prevent you from attacking, but you did. That day, I felt a lot of admiration and sorrow for you. This was the first time I saw you act so boldly and impulsively. You really Voldemort attacked so suddenly, he did not expect it, poor sod..."
Harry smiled, thinking about the expression of shock on his enemy's face. He came back to the present moment, plunging his eyes into Lucius'.
"Unfortunately, I don't surprise you by saying that you didn't have a chance. After a duel I would call honourable, an Avada set your fate. Voldemort regretted killing you without being able to revel more in your suffering. I still remember his exact words. "Too bad, I would have loved to see him scream like his wife... Go and get me his son!" He just showed your remains to Draco. Surprisingly, he did not cry. He just simply stared at you with a bewildered and empty air. Voldemort was very upset at that. He tortured him for it, then he put him back in the dungeons."
Harry was silent. He looked at Lucius, whose face was almost chalky.
"You can believe me or not", he said. "But that's what happened. I saw it- I lived it. I can even say that I participated, somehow."
"What do you mean?" Narcissa asked.
"For some complicated reason and which I prefer not to tell you, I had… a special bond with Voldemort. This link is now destroyed, which does not help me because it was very convenient. It allowed me to see what he did. However, it was not without danger as Voldemort could take control of my mind or send false visions. However, I know that these were real. There was no advantage to show me your deaths, as they did not affect me. He largely preferred to show me the death of my friends. Sometimes, even, he thought about it strongly just for the pleasure of mentally torturing me. Your deaths appeared to me once and as I told you, even if they were horrible and particularly violent, they did not affect me more than all the torture sessions he had fun showing me for over a year."
"You had a link with Voldemort?" Lucius asked, surprised. "Why? How?"
"Ah, that", Harry replied. "I did not understand it myself. Voldemort tried to kill me when I was a child. But he did not succeed and it is I who partially destroyed him."
At the stunned expressions of Lucius and Narcissa, Harry sighed.
"Would you wait a moment?" he said. "I'll call Drake back. We'll take till the afternoon, here!"
He got up and walked to the connecting door, calling back his partner. The latter was slumped in his chair, then got up and joined them.
"You finished with the gory tales?" he asked.
"Well, It depends. I was just about to tell my life to your parents."
Draco rolled his eyes.
"Great", he said. "What you want to eat for dinner? Or supper?"
"Don't exaggerate, it won't take so long!"
Dumbledore cleared his throat at that moment.
"I'll just tell them the basics", said Harry. "Like Voldemort's attempt to kill me, his failure thanks to my mother and I think that will be enough, right? No need to tell the story about the philosopher's stone, the Basilic, the Dementors, the Triwizard Tournament and the rest, right?"
"You mean when you got my father arrested when you talk about the rest?"
"Oh, shut it! I'm not the one who told him to go to The Ministry, am I?"
"No, but you're the one who put him out!"
"Not even true!" Harry replied. "I was 15 and your father had be what? 40? How could I put him out? Well, I may have helped a little... "
Draco rolled his eyes.
"Yeah right, play the innocent. Tell them your life, then. I meanwhile... Who wants tea?"
Narcissa agreed while Harry took a breath and began to tell how Voldemort had suddenly decided to kill his family, had finally found them through a traitor and then killed his father, his mother - who had protected him - and finally him. Except that he had failed, thanks to an ancient protection spell cast by his mother and had been destroyed, or at least his body.
"He came back in our fourth year, thanks to a strange magical ritual and a completely stupid servant," vaguely said Harry, while, as Draco had expected, dinner hour approached. "Still, because of his failed spell, I shared a special bond with him. Let's say every day was not a happy day."
"How is it that this link does not exist anymore?" Lucius asked, attentive.
"Ah, no doubt it was destroyed by our going back in time", Harry lied. "After all, Voldemort hasn't tried to kill me yet, in this time..."
"I do not appreciate your 'yet'," interjected Draco, triggering Harry's laughter.
"And it makes you laugh?" Narcissa asked, both startled and annoyed.
"I am determined", Harry replied. "We have gone back in time to stop him from winning, which necessarily means 'get in his way.' Do not delude yourselves; we will not be content with just bringing you to this side. Drake and I also made the decision to kill him and if we cannot do it immediately for a reason I cannot and won't reveal, the fact is that we'll still find ourselves facing him, at one point or another."
"And that does not scare you?" Lucius asked.
"It does," Harry replied. "I am strong and I'm used to risking my life since my first year at school, but I'm scared. However, I don't have a choice. I don't want, no, I absolutely don't want history to repeat over again."
"And I am determined to help him", Draco interjected. "With or without your support."
He knew that challenging them was probably not a good idea. But he also knew that even if they knew he was their son, they did not consider him as such. How could they see a son in a man as old as his so-called father?
The silence stretched after this sentence. There was only the sound of teacups put down or spoons moving into the cups. Sometimes, Dumbledore cleared his throat nervously. Harry finally gave a small sigh. Lucius was lost in thought, sometimes watching Draco thoughtfully.
"I believe you completely, as to what you have told me", he finally said. "And even though it's really unsettling, I do not doubt that you are my son. You have my face! I know some potions could do that, but I know that you are my son. And then the duration of a metamorphosis potion globally lasts an hour. Well, unless it's permanent, but I doubt that you would have had the idea to definitely turn into my son."
"Why wouldn't I?" Draco replied with a smile. "My face is quite beautiful..."
"Drake, you're not helping", Harry interjected.
"I know, I was just saying."
"Let Lucius finish, won't you?" The Headmaster suggested.
The latter smiled at them both. He finally turned his attention to Harry.
"And you, sir?" he said.
"You, it'll be fine, no need to be so formal", said Harry.
"Yes, so, what about you, whose child are you?"
There was a great silence and Harry finally grinned.
"Aha!" he said, amused. "Can't you take a guess?"
"Ash!" interjected Draco, annoyed. "Seriously, you have nothing better to do?"
"Oh come on, let me play! For once that your father's not trying to kill me! Try to guess. I leave you say… a year! In one year, if you have not guessed, I'll tell you!"
Lucius had a thoughtful pout while staring at him, but nodded.
"I guess the hair and skin have also changed?" he said.
"Yes. The tattoo was also added. By the way, to prove my good faith, I confess that the letters in the centre of our watches represent our initials."
"I believe I guessed seeing Draco's."
The concerned shuddered at the name - a reaction that did not escape Harry's notice.
"Oh, Drake", he said, mockingly. "You won't cry, right?"
"Not at all!" he replied. "Why would I?"
"Because your father just said your name and you haven't heard him say it in years! I'm sure you missed it. That particular way your father has of saying your name."
"Shut it, you shitty troublesome Gryffindork! You're a real pain in the ass!"
Harry laughed as Draco glared at him.
"If it is not Voldemort, I will be the one to would kill you!"
"Keep talking!"
Once again, the Headmaster called them to order.
"You wanted to say something else, Lucius?" he said, still smiling.
"I will not join Voldemort", answered the blonde. "Your stories convinced me, although my son asking me would have been enough, I think. Thank you for the images of my death and Narcissa's, it was very pleasant."
Harry vaguely shrugged.
"I've seen worse", Harry replied. "Don't complain!"
Both Malfoy shook their heads.
"Well", Lucius said. "What should I do in that case?"
"Stay Alive", answered Draco, "I know that Bellatrix is on Voldemort's side. She may to take your refusal badly. So pretend to hesitate, as long you can."
"If you get any information from her, please don't hesitate to-"
"Ash, don't push my parents into espionage!"
"I wouldn't dare", innocently answered Harry. "In this regard, Lucius, would you like to offer me a nice gift?"
"A Gift?" asked the questioned while looking at him.
"Mhmm… I would highly appreciate having a house elf residing with you."
Lucius raised a sceptical eyebrow at hearing that, as Draco mumbled against sneaky and stubborn Gryffindors.
"One of my elves?" he said. "Why?"
"Well, because he was the most courageous elf that I met" Harry replied. "And I'm going to need him and his strength."
Lucius looked surprised, but he ended up nodding.
"Which elf?" he said.
"Dobby" Harry replied. "If you would give him to me, I would be delighted. It will really help me a lot."
"Dobby?" Lucius was astonished. "Uh, if that it what you want."
"Thanks!" Harry said with a wide smile. "I look forward to having him, Sir. If you knew-"
"No need for Sir", Lucius cut in, "We're the same age, right?"
Harry froze for a moment before shuddering with dread.
"Good God, it's true, I have the same age as Lucius Malfoy!"
Draco let out a frustrated sigh and gave him a slap on the back of the skull.
"Hey!" Harry complained. "Stop, this is terrible! I always considered him old!"
"Yes, but in this case, he is 23 years old! Stop playing fool and be serious, a little!"
Harry vaguely shrugged.
"Anyway!" he said. "If you could send him to me tomorrow morn- uh, no, tomorrow night. If I'm still alive; Hagrid wants to show me some of his protégés living in the Forbidden Forest, tomorrow."
Dumbledore almost looked sympathetically amused.
"May I therefore consider you a member of The Order, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked, over his half-moon glasses.
"It would seem so", the man replied, sighing. "I do not have much choice anyway. Nevertheless, I continue to believe that nobility must have the power and not consort with Muggles."
"Let's not talk about political ideals", intervened Narcissa. "Let us focus instead on the destruction of Voldemort, then we may advise."
"Oh please, I will not defeat a Dark Lord to see another one coming!" said Harry. "Open up your mind. I agree that we should not get too involved with Muggles, but I can assure you that some of their technologies are more than welcome in the Wizarding world, especially medicine. But hey, as Narcissa said, let's not talk about politics; I don't want to argue. Let's talk meetings, right, Drake? I'm sure you want to spend some family time?"
Lucius looked at him sceptically but he then turned to Draco.
"If you do not mind spending some time with us", he said. "I think we would appreciate to get to know you."
Draco had a simple smile in response, but he quickly shook his head after a moment.
"It would be a pleasure", he said. "As the new school year has not begun, I still have enough free time."
"Hey now, don't forget the map", Harry interjected. "Since I'm on 'let's risk our life today' duty, tomorrow I'm counting on you to do it!"
Draco hissed irritably.
"You could as well do it yourself after tomorrow!"
"Don't be selfish, would you? We need both of us to win this war!"
"Selfish? You're the selfish one! I have the right to be with my parents, damn it! Although I'm going to have trouble to consider them as my parents, I think."
"If it makes you feel better, I have a little trouble to consider you as my future son", intervened Narcissa, Lucius then nodding.
"Well, Yes, it does, somehow", Draco said. "I'm not asking you to consider me as your son, I mean, the unborn Draco will be significantly different from me. Well, not at first, the way I was raised is the same, after all. Just, say, the last 8 years I have experienced."
"Awesome, another spoiled rotten brat will soon land on earth", laughed Harry.
"Oh you, you do not know how you would have turned up if you were raised by your parents so wait to see before making fun!"
"But that's obvious!" Harry replied. "Knowing my mother, I'd be a good boy!"
"You don't know your mother, stupid!"
"And you dare say I get low?" Harry was annoyed.
"It Is enough!" Dumbledore intervened yet again. "Merlin, Fixe told me about your tendencies to bicker along, but I did not know it was so common!"
"We do not bicker, we share our opinions", Draco replied with a mocking smile.
"Perhaps Fixe bought it, but I don't", the old man replied. "Lucius, I think you would be welcome, as your wife, the next days in this castle. Come discreetly, of course. That way, you will be able to chat with Drake and I'd also like to settle several things with you about The Order. Are sure you want to join?"
Lucius sighed and shrugged.
"Right now, nobody is asking me to officially take sides", he said. "But I know I will have to choose one day or the other. Might as well take the one my son from the future points me, he is there to save the world, right? And then if we win, I might be able to take advantage."
"I thought so, too", Harry laughed.
"Shut it", said Draco.
"You first", replied the other.
"Sweet Merlin", cut Narcissa. "Do you not get along at all?"
The two boys exchanged a look.
"What?" said Harry "Well yes, since we changed time, Drake and I get along quite well, really. "
A long silence hung in the living room.
"Well", Lucius said. "I wonder how were your interactions with your time."
"Ah!" Draco exclaimed. "You would still be here until June if we started on that!"
To be continued...
The chapters are longer, you noticed my little crabs?
A big thanks to LandlessLord and Lain Marie to be the first reviewers! I'll repeat myself but as I answered, the story is kept the same as the original because I find it great that way and making sense. As for the delay... sorry Lain, but two weeks is the best we can do for the translation and correction, though we appreciate the praise.
See you in two weeks with the Start of the school year !