A/N: Super protective Draco, defensive Lucius, and confident Harry. Sounds like a chapter to me! Enjoy :)
Harry's POV
We landed in the back garden of the Malfoy Villa. The garden was beautiful and there were the same kinds of roses as at the Manor. I brought my wand into my hand from my holster and looked around. I didn't see anyone lurking in the garden. Tibbles was still next to me and it looked like he was trying to leave, but couldn't.
I looked down at him. "Tibbles, what's the matter?"
"I can't leaves, sir. Is being blocked," he responded fearfully.
My stomach dropped and I crouched down. Shit. I looked around, still not seeing anything suspicious.
"Are you going to stay out there all day, Potter, or are you going to come in?" I heard Lucius call out to me from the porch. I looked over and saw him standing on the porch looking as regal as ever.
"Well, that depends. Why can't Tibbles leave?" I called out still crouching behind a bush.
Lucius laughed. "I'm assuming that my son was with you when you got my note and I knew that he wouldn't let you come alone. I want to have a conversation with you without him being here," he replied.
I felt anxiety building in my stomach at this. I was so stupid to suggest I go first, but I was also so right that he wanted me alone. "Yes, well, you know that he is figuring out a way to get here as we speak. I'd rather he not do something drastic," I called out.
"Lucius, what are you doing?" Narcissa demanded as she came out on the porch. She peered towards me and when she saw me, recognition settled on her face, and then she turned to glare at her husband. "Did you summon Mister Potter?" she demanded of him.
I watched Lucius cower slightly and blush a bit. "I told you I wanted to talk to him," he reminded her, sounding like a child.
"Are you preventing Tibbles from leaving?" she accused.
Lucius blushed further. "Well, I didn't want Draco interfering," he insisted.
She threw her hands up in a gesture that was very similar to Draco's. It made me smile and also soothe my anxiety some. "Mister Potter, come up here. I will get a message to Draco that you are well and that he doesn't need to panic. Of all the things to do, Lucius," she scolded. She went back into the house. I came out from behind the rose bush and started inside. Tibbles followed me closely. Lucius watched me for a moment before he stormed inside.
I followed Lucius into a sitting room where Narcissa was leaning down in front of a fireplace. She sat back on her heels, realizing that she didn't know how to call him. "Grimmauld Place," I offered. I could easily block them when I got back.
Her face showed recognition at the name, but she merely nodded her thanks and threw in the floo powder, leaning down into the flames.
"Draco, are you there?" she called out. I saw her looking around and then saw her smile. "Hello dear," she started. What came next was a very irate Draco Malfoy. I was suddenly very glad I wasn't on the other end of that.
"Mother! Where the hell is he? What have you guys done with him?" he demanded angrily and also slightly panicked.
"He's here and he's fine. Your father is apparently blocking Tibbles from leaving because he wants to talk to Harry without you interfering." she explained.
"Are you out of your mind, old man?" Draco cried, knowing that Lucius was nearby. I watched as Lucius bristled and stormed over to the fireplace.
"Watch your tone, young man. This is exactly why I don't want you here. How can I have a civil conversation with him if you're here yelling and screaming?" he questioned.
"Let me see him, dammit," Draco demanded.
Narcissa and Lucius both looked over at me. They both had differing expressions. Narcissa looked pleased with how protective Draco was being and Lucius looked as if he swallowed something gross. I walked over to the floo and knelt down next to Narcissa. I leaned forward and put my head into the flames.
I saw Draco looking at me and he looked absolutely relieved to see me. "Merlin, are you alright?" he asked in a much softer tone than he had with his parents.
I nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Your mother is being very kind while your father is making me have an anxiety attack," I replied in a joking yet truthful tone.
Draco growled and then scowled. "If he harms one little hair on your head…." he trailed off because his father immediately interrupted him.
"I'm not going to hurt him! I just want to talk to him. I will send him and your elf back in one piece, alright?" Lucius replied in annoyance.
"You better," Draco seethed.
"Hey, look at me," I began. I felt my face warming at what I was about to say in front of his parents, but I needed to soothe Draco somehow. He turned to look at me. This time he looked tormented. I sighed and smiled at him. "I'll be back in a bit. I love you," I said quietly.
I heard Narcissa gasp next to me and Lucius make a noise that I couldn't really describe. It seemed to be like a choking sound almost. The lines in Draco's forehead disappeared and he smiled at me. "I love you," he replied just as quietly. I smiled once more before I sat back on my heels and stood. Narcissa broke the connection, patting at her eyes with a handkerchief. I turned to face Lucius who was scowling.
"Now, what do you need to talk to me about?" I asked. I really liked how protective Draco was and it made it very obvious to Lucius that he didn't want to mess with his son.
"I want to talk to you about a lot of things, Potter," Lucius stated, regaining some color in his cheeks and his composure.
"Mister Potter, why don't you have a seat over here and I will get us all some tea?" Narcissa suggested. I nodded my thanks and walked over to sit on an ornate chair. I looked over at Lucius, feeling more confident than when I got there.
Lucius sat across from me and took his time to smooth out his robes. I sighed wondering what Draco was doing right now. I imagined that he was pacing with nervous energy and would continue to pace until I walked through the door. I glanced over at Tibbles who had taken a seat in the corner.
Narcissa returned with a tray and served us all tea and biscuits. She sat down gracefully on a small couch and smoothed out her robes. She looked at Lucius expectantly. He blushed slightly and then looked over at me.
"Alright then. First of all, what are your intentions with my son?" he demanded.
I lifted an eyebrow at this, kind of surprised that he would start there. "Um, well, as you heard, I love him," I pointed out.
He paled again. "Yes, I'm fully aware of what you said to one another. You can love someone and still have bad intentions," he responded knowingly.
"You would know that, wouldn't you?" I responded in a snarky tone. Lucius glared at me and I saw him reach for his wand. I reached for mine as well, but Narcissa cleared her throat. I moved my hand away and placed it in my lap. "I have nothing, but good intentions with him. I did not go to him a week ago to use him or even fall in love with him, but I did fall in love and I've never felt like this about another person before," I explained.
"How can you possibly be in love with him? You don't even know him," Lucius replied.
I laughed at this. "Actually, I know him better than you think I do. I spent most of my years at Hogwarts observing him and dealing with him and I noticed things about him that made me realize that he was a victim of circumstance and that how he was then was not the person he truly is. Today, the Draco I know today, is the real Draco. He's the man who separated himself from all the horrible things in his life including his parents that I know, despite everything that you especially have done to him Lucius, he still loves very much. He is the man who gives back so much to the community that he nearly helped destroy. He is the man who cares enough about what happens to me that he floo called you after two years of not speaking to you. He is a very special man and I am very lucky that he loves me of all people and that he wants to be with me."
Narcissa and Lucius both had similar expressions on their face. They looked rather surprised at my proclamation. Narcissa recovered first and got teary eyed again and started wiping at her eyes. Lucius paled again, but he also looked pleased, in a positive way.
"I see. Thank you for that. However, I do have a couple of more questions about your relationship with him," he began.
"Alright," I replied unsurely.
"Do you plan to marry him some day and have a family with him? Obviously you wouldn't have a traditional marriage or relationship, but if what you're saying is true and from the reaction that my son had earlier as well as his declaration of love for you is any indication, he fully intends to marry you. I want to know if you feel the same," he finished.
My eyes widened and I felt my face burning. I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I mean, we were just less than a week into this and most of it was spent worrying about whether or not I was safe. Yet, somehow, I felt deep within me that yes, I fully intended to be in this for the long haul with him. I had never felt the way I do about him about anyone else. "Yes," I stated firmly.
Lucius shifted, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I see. Now, moving on. Explain to me what your business is all about," he requested, changing the subject much to all our relief I think. Narcissa was still crying softly.
I launched into my pitch about what Dream Big was all about. Lucius actually seemed rather interested as did Narcissa who had finally stopped crying. Once I was finished, I took a sip of my tea and let them mull over what I had told them.
"Are there other former Death Eaters involved?" Narcissa asked uncomfortably.
I nodded. "Yes. The Notts and Parkinsons are involved. Draco, of course. There are also a few others that I don't really know, but they supported Voldemort at some point so they fall into the same category," I explained. Lucius and Narcissa both cringed when I said Voldemort's name. I wanted to roll my eyes at their reaction, but didn't.
"I'm surprised that the Notts are involved," Lucius commented absently.
"They are actually excellent recruits. They are working on a few other families right now. We're hoping to have twenty or so by the end of the month with more prepared to join us as well," I replied.
Lucius lifted his eyebrow in question. "Really?"
"Yeah. We think it's pretty great," I replied with a smile.
"Do you offer them anything? Perks? Get out of jail free cards? Records wiped clean? Money?" he asked in disbelief.
I shook my head. "No. They want to do it. They realize that the ideals they had before were wrong and they want to have good lives here. They don't want to be in hiding for the fear that people will shun them from society. It's interesting for them to be on the other side of the coin. Before they shunned half bloods, muggleborn, and squibs, and since the war, they were the ones who were the outcasts. Now they work with all the people they hated before and have realized that despite your blood, you're still magical. We've done a lot of good," I replied.
"I see," he replied. He looked perplexed by this which I understood. He had used money many times to pay people off or to get what he wanted. To not have to offer a single thing to be a part of Dream Big was a foreign idea to him.
"Draco didn't want this at first though," Narcissa commented.
I frowned slightly. "No, he didn't. He thought that I wanted him to be a poster boy or something for it which wasn't true. I reached out to him because I had heard that he had taken himself completely out of our world and I didn't think he should do that. He was actually the exact example of why we created Dream Big. Draco didn't feel like he belonged. He thought it was safer to hole himself up in the Manor, than to be a part of the Wizarding world. I got lucky that he changed his mind in more ways than one," I replied. I smiled to myself realizing that I was definitely very lucky.
She smiled at me and then looked over at Lucius. He seemed to be deep in thought. I heard a banging noise and looked over towards the hallway. Narcissa looked as well and Lucius came out of his deep thought as well. He stood. "It appears our guest wants a word," he stated.
"Rabastan Lestrange?" I asked quietly. I felt my anxiety coming back.
"Yes. He is very much tied up, but even if he wasn't, I don't think he wants to leave anyway," Narcissa replied.
"Can I talk to him?" I requested suddenly.
Narcissa and Lucius exchanged glances. "I'm not sure Draco would appreciate you being in the presence of him," Narcissa replied.
I frowned. She was probably right. "Yes, well, I need to talk to him regardless. I'll explain it to him," I replied.
They looked at each other once more. She shrugged at Lucius. He sighed and gestured for me to follow him. I stood and followed him towards the back of the villa. He opened the last door at the end of the hallway. I peered around him and saw Rabastan Lestrange, tied up in a chair, looking towards the door.
"What do you need, Lestrange?" Lucius replied.
"Can't you let me out of these ropes?" he requested.
Lucius snorted. "Not a chance. You have a visitor though," he drawled.
Rabastan looked fearful. "Who?" he said in a quiet voice. Lucius stepped into the room, exposing me to Rabastan. His eyes fell on me and widened. He gulped nervously. "Potter," he said quietly.
As I looked at him, I imagined that this moment would be much more startling, but it wasn't. He appeared afraid and worn down. He didn't seem like a threat to me. I walked in and stood directly in front of him. "You don't appear to want to kill me," I stated calmly.
He shook his head rapidly. "No. That was my brother. I got involved to see what it was all about, to see if I could convince him that it was a bad idea. I was living a decent life and I knew I didn't want to go back to Azkaban. I also knew that I didn't want my brother to go back either. However, I have since figured out that there is no changing his mind. He is set on what Avery has planned for you," he explained.
"But you don't know what Avery has planned for me, correct?" I asked.
He nodded. "Only Avery knows."
"Do you care to speculate as to what it might be?" I questioned.
He sighed and glanced out the window. "In the past, Death Eaters have used kidnapping to get what they wanted," he mused.
I looked over at Lucius as realization settled in. "He's right, Potter. No matter what we planned to do to someone whether it was torture them for information or kill them, we always kidnapped them first," Lucius responded. His tone suggested that the reality of this was very alarming to him.
I gulped, but wouldn't show my fear to either of them. "Well, it's hard to kidnap someone when they are protected at all times," I responded confidently.
Lucius and Rabastan laughed sardonically. "There are ways to get even the most heavily guarded of people," Rabastan responded.
I felt my anxiety kick up several notches. An idea was forming in my mind, but I wasn't about to reveal it to either of them. "Well, then I guess I'm just screwed."
"You're not screwed if you, I can't believe I'm saying this, let the aurors do their job. Eventually someone will mess up and as Avery has proven time and again, he will screw up again, especially if he is more determined than ever to not screw up," Lucius replied.
"What do I do until that point?" I questioned.
"Wait. Go about your life and make sure someone is with you at all times, but all you can do is wait. There is no time table on this. No one knows when Avery is going to try to get at you," Rabastan explained.
"That's all I can do," I commented. Rabastan and Lucius both nodded in agreement, but Lucius also looked at me like he didn't trust me. I was very good at blocking my mind now so I knew he wasn't able to look through my thoughts. It didn't help me to not be worried about his scrutinizing.
"Is that all you wanted to talk to him about?" Lucius asked.
"Um, yes. Thank you for answering my questions," I started for the door, but then turned to look back at him. "You know, if you really want to do some good in this world and you really don't want the life that your brother is living, my business can help you," I told him.
Rabastan lifted an eyebrow. "The one that Avery is fighting against?" he asked.
"The very one," I replied. I turned back and left the room. Lucius followed shortly after, shutting the door behind him. I came back into the sitting room to see Narcissa still in her seat. She was looking at a book of some sort. She looked up when we walked in. "Everything alright?" she asked, looking at us both in concern.
"Um, yes and no," I replied quietly.
"What happened?" she asked, looking between Lucius and me.
"Rabastan suggested that they might try to kidnap Potter, just like the old days," Lucius replied.
She paled at this. "I was afraid of that," she whispered.
"I'll be careful and so will Draco. Is there anything else you need from me today? I want to get back to Draco," I responded quietly.
Lucius and Narcissa shook their heads. "Thank you for coming by. Narcissa and I need to talk about some things, but we'll be in touch soon," Lucius responded sincerely.
I looked at him in surprise. "Alright. Tibbles," I said as I turned to him, still in the corner. He walked over to me. I nodded once to both Lucius and Narcissa and then Tibbles led me outside to apparate back to Grimmauld. My mind was filled with the plan I was hatching, but there were many factors that needed to be sorted out before it would even remotely become an option. It was an idea that I knew Draco would hate. Tibbles took my hand and apparated us back to Grimmauld.