Author's Note: Another chapter! Yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, characters, universe, etc. I make no money from this.

Warnings: Yeah, I can't think of anything...

Acknowledgement: Another hugenormous thank you to my beta, bluefirefly5, for being generally awesome. And for providing her services despite being sick. And for being super speedy. Big Giant Hugs!

Chapter X

"Welcome To The Vanguard"

x_x…L_M...x_x

23 July 1996 – Tuesday

"Now, Mr. Potter, you testified yesterday that Lucius Malfoy saved your life when you were attacked by Death Eaters in June. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Potter replied in that dull voice characteristic of a person under veritaserum.

Lucius' heart stuttered, though his face remained blank. He thought back over the events in the Department of Mysteries, but he could not think of any time during that that he'd done anything that could possibly be interpreted as saving the boy's life. In fact, he'd tried quite diligently to capture the boy and deliver him to the Dark Lord. So either Potter's memory had somehow been altered, or… Or he was lying. Under veritaserum. What in Hades was going on?

"Can you please tell the court how that came about?"

"Yes. On June 18th of this year, myself, with five of my friends discovered that Voldemort was trying to steal a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries. We left Hogwarts and came to London in an attempt to prevent him from succeeding. Upon arriving, we discovered that it was a trap. There were Death Eaters waiting for us. We fought them, but they were fully trained witches and wizards and we're not. We were overcome. At one point, we were held completely at the mercy of the Death Eaters. Lucius Malfoy managed to stall them long enough for help to arrive in the form of Albus Dumbledore, some aurors, and some other adults. He risked his own life and that of his family in order to save me and my friends."

"And can you tell the court why Lord Malfoy didn't speak out in his own defense when he was put on trial last month?"

"If Voldemort had discovered that Mr. Malfoy had helped me, his family would have been killed."

"And that's why you didn't speak out sooner, as well?"

"Yes."

The barrister nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Potter. Master Lockwood, you can administer the antidote now."

Lucius wasn't sure what to make of that. He supposed it was possible that one could twist the events of that night into the lie the boy had just told. After all, the Order had arrived after Lucius had spent a few minutes speaking with Potter. Not that he'd been trying to stall in any way. He'd actually been trying to hurry it along as much as possible. He couldn't see any possible way that Potter could actually believe that Lucius had wanted to protect any of them that night.

Lucius watched in silent, stone-faced disbelief as Potter was followed onto the witness stand by each of his little friends that had been there that night. They each gave a version of the same story – each just different enough that it didn't seem rehearsed. And then Draco was called to stand witness, and the story that he gave, nearly made Lucius lose his composure.

Evidently Draco and Potter had been friends for over a year. They'd apparently kept it hidden for Draco's safety and the safety of Lucius and Narcissa, but they really were the best of friends now. Draco even told of how devastated Harry had been that Lucius had been incarcerated unjustly. Narcissa went next, and then Severus. By their stories, they'd both been aware of the friendship between the boys. They'd also both known all along how desperately Lucius had tried to protect his family from the "insane Dark Lord" who'd held them hostage against Lucius' good behavior.

Finally – and it was lucky that Lucius was numb by this point – Albus Dumbledore admitted to having been aware of everything. He looked at the Wizengamot with wide, watery blue eyes and told them how difficult it had been to preside over Lucius' last trial, knowing that he was innocent. Lucius was beginning to get a little worried. What in Merlin's name could Narcissa have promised Dumbledore to get him to throw his weight behind this beautiful conspiracy?

Of course, he'd be willing to give a lot in exchange for avoiding a long, slow death in Azkaban or a swift demise via the Kiss, but… But. He really hoped that they weren't now official members of the Albus Dumbledore Fan Club. That would be its own form of torture, not to mention the damage that could be done to his family, his name, and his fortune while he was in debt to that old fool.

The vote was given right after Dumbledore's testimony. And it was unanimous. That was nearly unheard of, but Lucius supposed that Dumbledore and Potter together carried a lot of weight, particularly immediately after the Dark Lord's second fall. Between all of them, they'd made Lucius sound like a great, tragic hero who'd given as much or more to the war than anyone.

His mind was already turning with ways he could use this to his advantage. Assuming Dumbledore didn't put him on too tight a leash.

At last, the restraints fell away and Lucius rose proudly from the chair, determined to look his best for the front page photographs the reporters were currently snapping. He badly needed a bath, a shave, and a change of clothes, but there was nothing to be done about that.

Draco and Narcissa managed to push through to him – without actually "pushing" of course, because that would be terribly plebeian – and they exchanged warm though refined greetings, all of them aware of the audience.

They made swift progress through the throng of reporters and the surprisingly large number of well-wishers. Lucius had not been this well-liked since before the Dark Lord's first rise. He'd never been this popular and well-liked. He would have to, of course, give a few interviews after this, but not until he'd had a chance to clean himself up properly. There might be something to be gained through sympathy given his current appearance, but it simply was not worth besmirching the pride of the Malfoy family.

They managed to make it to the floo without actually saying anything meaningful to anyone, and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he was safely within the manor again. Narcissa wrapped herself around him almost immediately after stepping out of the floo, and even Draco embraced him briefly.

"How did you do it?" Lucius asked while he accompanied his wife toward their suite so that he could clean up.

She shook her head, "I'm not at liberty to say just yet. You get cleaned up and eat something, and then we'll discuss it."

Lucius frowned at her. It may be worse than he thought if she wasn't "at liberty to say". He could see by the set of her face that he wouldn't be able to persuade her otherwise, so he reluctantly let it drop.

Getting cleaned up took a little longer than necessary, as Narcissa determined that he would need help bathing after spending a month in Azkaban. His wife had never been more beautiful. For a little while, he didn't even care that he had no idea what his freedom would cost them. He took his time reminding himself of every centimeter of her beautiful body and allowed her to scrub him clean before he took her against the shower wall.

Though he'd have loved to take his wife to bed and continue their more enjoyable activities there, he knew that there was much to be done. Once he was again ensconced in the luxury of his own fine robes, he and Narcissa shared a lunch in their suite. It was perfect, but… quiet. She still wasn't talking about any of the things that he wanted to know. He could tell by her face and her tone that it wasn't her decision to keep him deprived of information. She clearly could not tell him.

"Draco has been well?" he asked instead of giving into the urge to pursue questions she wouldn't answer.

She nodded. Smiled a little. "He didn't take the Mark," she said with satisfaction.

Lucius' eyes drifted closed in relief. He'd been certain that Draco would be forced into taking the Mark this summer. Lucius himself had once taken it with pride. Of course, the Dark Lord had been much saner then. In the final years before his fall – his first fall – and since his return, the Dark Lord had killed his own followers on a whim. His orders had rarely made sense.

He'd lost his mind entirely.

And there was no power to be found in following a madman. There was little wealth. And his family had been constantly in danger. It was around the time that Draco was born that Lucius had begun to wonder if swearing to the Dark Lord had been a mistake. Recently, he'd been convinced of it, though he'd not found a way to extricate them from it without selling their souls to that fool Dumbledore.

And now the Dark Lord was gone once more. And Draco did not bear that damning Mark. His future would not be dictated by it. The Malfoy family would persevere. Nay, they would flourish.

Several more minutes of silence passed as Lucius failed to think of any questions that he thought Narcissa could answer. He had no mind for meaningless pleasantries now, and no need for them in this company.

At last, the meal was finished, and Lucius gratefully accepted the Pepper Up potion that was wordlessly handed to him. Even a single month in Azkaban took its toll, and a full stomach had been urging him toward his bed. It wasn't time to sleep yet though, and he wanted a clear head to deal with whatever was coming next. He could tell by the way Narcissa's shoulders were steadily tensing that he had cause for concern.

Cissa led the way back out of their suite and across to the guest wing. She stopped before the second finest guest suite, turning to face him. He read the fear growing in her eyes with mild alarm.

"Cissa, what…?"

She shook her head sharply, "I can't, Lucius. Just…" She took a deep breath and put on a deliberately cheerful smile. "Don't make assumptions. Be polite. Be cautious. You'll be fine."

Lucius studied her carefully. She was deathly serious, he could see. He nodded slowly. "I will be."

She nodded again, then took a breath before turning to knock briefly on the door.

There was a moment of silence and then the doors were pulled open.

Lucius blinked in surprise when Severus was revealed. Surely Narcissa couldn't be this worried about Severus. They'd been friends for decades. Then he realized that Severus looked tense as well.

Severus gave a brief nod, and turned around so that he was facing the sitting area of the suite. "Lucius is here, my Lord."

Lucius felt his body go rigid at the implication. Was he wrong about the Dark Lord being gone?

"Well, don't linger in the doorway, Lucius."

He cast a quick glance at Narcissa, but her face was blank, turned toward the voice that sounded relaxed and amused and definitely did not belong to the Dark Lord. Lucius cautiously stepped forward. Only the fact that he'd been prepared for just about anything kept his eyes from widening when they settled on Harry Potter lounged in an armchair with his booted feet resting carelessly on the five thousand galleon sofa table that had been in the Malfoy family for at least six centuries.

Potter was still wearing what he'd worn to the trial. There was still more maturity and confidence in his demeanor than any sixteen-year-old should have. Yet the difference was impossible to ignore. Where, at the trial, he'd been coolly controlled and somewhat grim, he was now relaxed. A small smirk curled his lips and his almost glowing green eyes danced with sardonic mirth.

"Mr. Potter," Lucius said cautiously, struggling to figure out what was going on. Narcissa seemed afraid of him. Severus had called him "my Lord". He fought the urge to swallow nervously as he wondered if perhaps the Dark Lord hadn't died, but rather moved into a new body.

Potter's smirk twitched a bit larger. "Have a seat, Lucius," he nodded toward the sofa opposite him.

Lucius decided that it would be best to not hesitate. At least until he had a better grasp on the situation. By the time he was seated, Severus had taken the armchair next to him and Cissa was lingering near the arm of the sofa where Lucius sat.

Potter's eyes narrowed slightly, though he still looked mostly amused, as he glanced at the other two. "You two can go."

They both stiffened and hesitated.

"My Lord…" Narcissa tried.

"Narcissa," Potter said with almost fond tolerance. "Hermione's waiting for you in the library."

"Yes, my Lord," she relented, casting one more concerned glance at Lucius before taking her leave.

Potter then looked at Severus and raised his eyebrows in silent question.

"I have been acquainted with Lucius for many years, Harry. I believe I may be able to offer some insight…"

"Severus," Potter smiled at him as though the man was doing something unaccountably adorable, "You'll spoil all my fun. Leave."

The man stood stiffly, but without hesitation. "As you wish, my Lord," he bowed, then quickly left the room. The doors swung silently shut behind him.

Potter chuckled quietly as he settled his eyes on Lucius again. "Now. I imagine that you have questions."

Lucius inclined his head slightly, trying to decide where to start. Potter may not be entirely sane – he couldn't yet judge well enough – but he certainly didn't bear the insanity that had plagued the Dark Lord or Severus and Narcissa would have been writhing on the floor for their minor show of independence. "I appreciate your part in my release, Mr. Potter," he began carefully, "though I admit that I am uncertain as to how it came about."

Potter's lips twitched with amusement. "Ah, yes. Well, frankly, I'm in need of someone with your political power and expertise."

Lucius nodded slowly. That, at least, was something that he could understand. "I see. Is there something specific you hope to accomplish?"

"There is much," Potter smirked sardonically. "My most immediate concern is the Defense post at Hogwarts. The applicant I'd planned to submit has fallen through – health problems. With connections such as yours, I'm sure you can find me someone controllable."

Lucius blinked once, struggling to make sense of what he was hearing. "I… may know a few people that I could approach," he allowed, fighting the urge to simply demand to know why Potter was in his house, why his wife was afraid of the brat, and why everyone seemed to call him their "lord". Though Potter was no older than his son, there had to be a good reason for Severus and Narcissa's treatment of him.

Potter just nodded and waited, as though he knew exactly what Lucius was thinking but was content to wait until he figured out how to broach the subject.

"May I ask how you came to be staying in the manor?" Lucius finally settled on.

Potter's nod looked almost… approving. "Narcissa has been very hospitable since I got rid of her unwanted houseguests," he said with a smug undertone to his smirk.

"Which guests would those be?"

"Oh, Voldemort, Bellatrix, Dolohov… She could give you a list," Potter said offhandedly.

Lucius couldn't prevent an uneasy swallow this time. "You… 'got rid of' them?"

Potter hummed an affirmative. "The Killing Curse. Voldemort is clearly much more susceptible to it than I am." That last bit seemed to deeply amuse the unnerving young man.

"I… see," Lucius said slowly. So Potter had killed the Dark Lord. The way he said the – former – Dark Lord's name made it perfectly clear in Lucius' mind that this was not his lord in a new body. Voldemort would never have spoken of himself in such a way, even if he was attempting to conceal his true identity. There were still many extremely pertinent questions that he needed answered. Finding the proper way to ask them, however, was somewhat problematic.

The boy had evidently come into his house – somehow – killed the Dark Lord and various other Death Eaters, then just stuck around? He'd been involved in getting Lucius freed, but then so had Dumbledore – and he still didn't understand why the old man had done that. Potter was evidently looking to install the next Defense professor at Hogwarts – someone controllable. Severus and Narcissa called Potter "my Lord" and seemed frightened of him, but not as much as they'd been of the Dark Lord. Potter gave them orders that were obeyed, but at least he wasn't flinging around the Cruciatus on the slightest whim. Then there was the comment about Hermione… That Granger mudblood was in the manor?

All of this seemed to add up to one inescapable fact. Harry Potter seemed to be setting himself up as the next Dark Lord. So how – why – was Dumbledore involved in helping him?

"I admit, I was very surprised by the headmaster's involvement during the trial…"

Potter chuckled darkly. "Yes. So was I," he frowned thoughtfully. "He's another item on my to-do list, but he's been popular for a long time. It'll take a while to destroy him in the eyes of the public."

Lucius blinked slowly. Potter was working against – or planning to work against – Dumbledore. He shifted his perceptions of the whole day to account for that fact. Things started to make a bit more sense.

Potter glanced briefly at the door and a smile fluttered across his lips. He lifted his hand in a careless wave toward the door and Lucius looked back to see them swing open to reveal Draco standing in the corridor, his expression surprised and a little chagrined. "Did you need something, Draco?" Potter drawled. He still seemed to be enjoying himself.

Draco's eyes locked on Lucius for a moment before snapping back to Potter. "I, ah…" he cleared his throat quietly and made a visible effort at composure. "I did not wish to disturb you, Harry." Lucius watched as Draco assessed Harry in a way that Lucius himself had frequently assessed the mood of his former Lord to gage the likelihood of his getting cursed for giving a report. "It seems that Luna left the manor while we were at the trial…" he said carefully.

Potter's eyes narrowed thoughtfully and Lucius saw him actually looking serious for the first time since he'd walked into the room. After a moment, he just gave a faint shrug. "I'm sure she'll find her way back."

Draco nodded slowly, but didn't move to leave.

Potter's smirk returned. "Oh, do join us, Draco."

Lucius' son dipped his head a little as he stepped into the room fully and closed the doors behind him. He took the chair that Severus had vacated, sitting stiffly on the edge of it and looking between the two of them as he tried to gage the mood of the room.

Potter gave him a fond smile. "I was just about to explain the Vow to your father. Perhaps you'd care to do the honors?"

Draco swallowed and nodded sharply before turning his full attention to Lucius. "After Voldemort was killed, Harry offered Severus, Mother, and myself the chance to swear ourselves to him instead. Obviously, we all accepted. Everyone else in the manor has sworn the same vow."

Lucius refused to tense at the implication. He'd mostly expected it by this point, but the confirmation was not exceptionally pleasant. His family had barely been freed from one lord before swearing themselves to another. He could only hope that Potter was a more tolerable… master.

"The Vow is simple," Draco continued. "It is merely to bring no harm to Harry or his plans."

Lucius waited, but that seemed to be it. He glanced at Potter again only to find him observing amiably. Evidently he didn't feel the need to add anything.

"I've not forced anyone to take the Vow," Harry admitted, "but considering that you live here, and that I'd find it impossible to trust you without it…" he didn't bother to finish that.

Lucius nodded slowly. He knew that he didn't have a choice. Draco and Narcissa were already bound to Potter. His house had become the headquarters of a new lord. He wasn't sure what made Harry worthy of being followed by anyone, much less the Malfoy family, but if he really had killed the Dark Lord and however many Death Eaters… Well, he doubted that any of them had truly had a choice in this.

"I am prepared to give the Vow, if you wish," he said solemnly.

Potter looked at Draco. "You know the spell?"

Draco nodded silently.

Potter extended his hand and Lucius took it without visible reluctance. Draco cast the spell and Lucius was relieved to give a vow no more restrictive than the one Draco had suggested. He was considering exactly how limiting that vow would be when Potter spoke again.

"I feel the need to give you a warning," Potter said thoughtfully, causing Lucius and Draco to stiffen simultaneously. "I've no doubt that you can find ways around that vow that could annoy me. I'd advise you to avoid doing so. I'd hate to have to explain to Draco and Narcissa why I killed you."

Lucius stared into those bright green eyes, but he could see no hint of doubt. No suggestion that he was bluffing or exaggerating. There was only solemn honesty. He dipped his head in acknowledgement of the threat. The Vow may not be the most restrictive, but he clearly wouldn't tolerate disobedience.

He was beginning to understand why Narcissa had seemed so afraid.

Lucius had no idea what had happened to the naïve boy he'd met in the Department of Mysteries last month, but it was increasingly obvious that something had happened.

"Splendid!" Potter grinned suddenly. "Welcome to the Vanguard."

"Vanguard?" Draco inquired curiously.

Potter gave him a chipper nod. "Catchy, right? I figured you lot needed a name of some kind. You're the advance guard. Seemed fitting." He shrugged, then looked at Lucius and abruptly changed the subject. "Now, regarding my Defense professor. I need someone who actually knows the subject well enough to teach it. Someone with no love for Dumbledore, who may be convinced to take the vow that you've just taken. You may want to consult with Narcissa to determine which of your old friends are still alive."

Lucius gave a stiff nod and tried to put his mind to the task that his new Lord demanded. "I may have more success in finding someone appropriate if I have some idea of your long-term goals," he ventured.

"Killing ol' Voldie for good is number one," Potter shrugged.

Lucius blinked. Glanced at Draco. His son gave him a faint nod. So this was obviously something Draco had known about. "I was under the impression that he was gone," Lucius said, though he suspected that if his former lord had returned once…

"You and most of the world," Potter agreed. "Unfortunately, that's not true anymore now than it was the last time. He's… gone further along the path toward immortality than anyone before him… That's basically what he said in the graveyard, right?"

Lucius gave a slow nod. He'd really rather not talk about an event in which he'd had anything to do with Potter nearly being killed.

"He wasn't lying, unfortunately. There's several dark artifacts that we have to track down and destroy. The diary was one of them, but there's more out there. Maybe as many as four or five."

Yet another instance in which Potter had nearly died because of him. Lucius was glad that the young lord didn't seem inclined to hold that against him.

"We're working on that," Potter shrugged. "In the event that we fail to destroy them before he comes back, I plan to gather enough people to fight him. I'll be recruiting more when we get back to Hogwarts. I had a little Defense Club last year that I think may be ripe for the picking. Anyway. That's the basic goal."

"And… after that?"

Potter gave him a small, sardonic smile. "No solid plans yet. I might just disband the Vanguard once Voldie's finally, truly dead," he shrugged. "We'll see, I guess. Well, Voldie and Albus. Something's gotta be done about that old lunatic. Really, he's not much better than Voldemort. At the very least, he has to be publicly discredited. Loathed, ideally. Though I wouldn't be opposed to just killing him if I can manage it," he mused.

Lucius stared at the young man, but again, he seemed entirely sincere – almost offhanded – in his plotting to destroy Dumbledore. He wondered how the falling out between them had come about, but he wasn't going to ask. Perhaps Narcissa could explain it later.

Lucius frowned as he felt the wards announce new arrivals to the manor. He couldn't tell who any of them were, so they weren't people with whom he was well-acquainted.

A house elf popped into the room before he could say anything about it. The creature turned to Potter immediately and bowed deeply. "Mistress Luna is being back, Master Lord, sir," the elf announced. "She is bringing guests to the drawing room for you."

"Do you know who?"

"She is not saying, Master Lord, sir," the elf bowed again. "But they is having red hairs and matching faces."

Potter grinned and chuckled, "Thank you, Gabby. You may inform them that I will be there shortly."

The elf bowed again and vanished.

Lucius frowned at the place that she'd been. There were evidently Weasleys in his house. And Potter had thanked the elf. Salazar, he was going to have to be civil to the little beasts now. He just knew it.

A/N: Thank you to all of my lovely reviewers. You guys are awesome. Good news! Chapter 11 is nearly finished already! It should be up tomorrow or the next day at latest.

Please don't forget to review. I work so much faster when I've got evidence of the fact that I'm not just writing it for myself. ;-)