Draco checked himself in the mirror once more before he set off to find his father. He was only halfway there when he really began to regret not slipping into a cozy sleep in his bed. He slowed hoping to ease some of the pain very thankful to the potion that was taking the edge off the discomfort. It helped a little bit but he still relaxed a teeny bit more when his father's room came into view. The man he was searching for was seated behind his desk looking over a pile of papers with a pensive expression. Draco knew this meant that he wouldn't have long to explain things properly because his father seemed to be on the verge of making a decision and he really didn't know everything to be doing things like that.

Draco didn't stop to knock just strode forward pushing his thoughts and the noise his own body was making to give the swagger his father would expect from him. "Father, I need you to get out your pensive. I have some memories you need to see."

Lucius took a moment to look at his son setting his files down, noting all the little changes. "Are you alright, Draco?" He asks without thinking, making no move to retrieve the object of his son's desires.

"I'm fine, father. I will likely be even better tomorrow. The pensive, please?" Draco settled himself into one of the chairs in his father's room gently, though he couldn't hide the wince.

Lucius had a moment of realization before moving, there were some things in life that he didn't need to know about and his sons' sex life with their mutual mate was one of them. A thought popped into his head as his hand touched the pensive, was his son about to show him the consummation? He fought not to pale if that was what his son wanted him to see then so be it. He seriously hoped it wasn't.

"It is rather late, what could be so important as to come so late?" Lucius pondered allowed attempting nonchalance. Lucius didn't get a verbal answer just pearlescent blue memories pour into the bowl. Any other day any other time and he might have snapped at his child for his insolence but for now, he allowed it. These were probably not going to be pleasant memories to view and he wasn't sure he wanted to spend all of his strength lecturing his adult son on the proper decorum a Malfoy should have. The two men locked eyes before going in, face first to the basin of water.

**Line**

"There is nothing I can say that will fix the damages to our relationship. No apology sincere enough, no excuse worthy, no reasoning, no paltry hopes, there is nothing that can change our past from what it was but perhaps we can change our futures?" Harry traced the rim of his teacup while he spoke unable or unwilling to see the expression on Severus' face. Until finally he couldn't take the suspense and as he spoke of their futures he glanced up. True to reason Severus was closed to everything, expression unreadable the other man sat.

"It's good to know the Great Harry Potter realizes when he is utterly out of his depths." The man returned with a sardonic look. "Between your father and your behavior, there is too much watch under the bridge to ignore such things. I have witnessed your foolhardy and downright reckless behavior for the last five years and I must say, Potter, you have simply outdone your father in the regard."

Harry set his tea down, he would listen to the man's remarks in an effort to make an accord but he could no longer sit idly by and let their mutual past cause such a rift between the five of them. "James Potter is a man I never met, I only know of him through his last moments. I cannot claim to know him thus I cannot comment on his actions, only my own. I will not offer any words of regret or the like because while I have few they are not something an apology to you will fix."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment because the pat was all they had between them and it was rife with discord.

"You wish to ignore the fact that you knowingly endangered not only yourself but others in the course of your Gryffindor Adventures! That I and others had to put themselves at risk to help you!" Severus spat, specks flying across space between them. "You think yourself above the rest of us! You act like nothing affects you as if our above it all!"

"Perhaps we should spend some time getting to know each other as we are instead of what the past has painted us as? Move away from the negative towards our mutual future?" Harry offered after a tentative moment. There was nothing else Harry could say to the man, who hardly knew him even if he could say the same about the potion master. They were strangers pitted against each other by forces outside their control and that leant to a plethora of issues between the two of them. It was as Harry had said nothing could be uttered in any way to ease the turbulent waves that crashed between them. Severus seated himself once more, composed behind a mask of disinterest. Harry had a feeling he would need to offer more than just a truce between them.

"Between the two of us, we are strong enough to bring down several overhanging plans by a number of people, including Dumbledore and the Minister. All five of us working together could be a revolutionary change the Wizarding world has been begging for. Tom had plans, ideas to modernize our world while respecting the roots we came from. I-" Harry took a deep breath centering himself, not even Mia was entirely aware of his plans. "I intend to see most of his plans come to fruition."

"And what would you know of His plans, Potter?" At times Severus was like a dog to a bone when he was after information and it was something Harry was slowly coming to understand and resent.

"You understand the information of Horcruxes we discussed earlier, yes?" Harry didn't wait for an answer. "I have been privy to private conversations with Marvolo for many years now. With his soul in the state that it was murdering someone in cold blood on the night, the veil is thinnest caused him to leave a piece of himself behind without even realizing it. Marvolo's continued exposure to my whole and rather saner soul has healed some of the damages done the piece I carry with me. We only truly began to discuss everything when I found out the truth about the wizarding world for myself, he pointed myself and Mia in the right direction from books on just about anything, to how to handle ourselves until we could find the information for ourselves."

"So this makes you think you are indebted to the madman that murdered your parents and has made repeated attempts on your life since then?" Severus for once sounded slightly dumbfounded.

"Hmm, oh no. I think you will find that it is Marvolo who owes me a great deal even if I do intend to accomplish his previous goals that do not in any way mean I am doing it for him but more for the fact that wizarding world is full of sheep who need to wake up. I will see them into an age where change is more readily available, easier to accomplish so that we are able to protect ourselves from the harsh truth."

Harry sipped at his cooling tea while he waited for all this information to settle into Severus's comprehension.

"And what, Potter, do you think this harsh truth is?" Severus finally bit out when he realized the other man was waiting for him to speak up. Harry could see thoughts and impressions and even decisions flicker across dark eyes, Severus was thinking on this much more seriously than he had thought the dour man was willing especially since it had come from a source the man probably saw as entirely unbelievable.

"The world is changing without us. As we are now, we are weak to the muggle designs. In the last war, muggles created a device that could wipe us from the planet in one fail swoop that is if they don't decide to dissect us first." Harry informed the man. "Magic is the Earth and the Earth is our home. We need to respect that in order to maintain the earth we must also maintain a balance. Things will change a great deal in the next year and I would like your help in this." Harry made his final play. Severus was a long gone bitter man who had seen too much bloodshed, bowed to whims of other men far too many times and besides all of that he was a man who had lost his clutch, his best friend. The younger man knew there was something to be said of a man as world-weary as Severus but nothing came to mind. For now, he would trust in the potion master to always have his back as he had before, even if this conversation turned to failure.

Severus did as he always did, he observed. Harry could feel the other man's eyes on him like hot coals. Suddenly the previously ignored teacup rose in a toast, "To our mutual future." The two men shared a quick nod before sipping at the cold tea, only then they shared a grimace of distaste.

"May it be sweeter than these cups." Harry choked out.

"Indeed," both men abandoned the cups, for now, a house elf vanishing them to Merlin knew where.

"Now Potter, in the name of our new found," He paused as if searching for a word. "Comradery." He teased the word out with a dark pleasure as if it was new and utterly foreign to the man. "Tell me why this infernal curse chose me as your body's perfect match."

"I think this conversation calls for something stronger than long cold tea." Harry paused. Once more he would have to explain his childhood or lack thereof, he could only hope Draco and his scheme would help this along and the conversation would not have to be repeated once more considering Tom would have all of his memories from being in the scar when he returned to limit his time-skip dysphoria, Harry wouldn't have to explain anything to his magical match. After all, the man had lived it right alongside him.

Severus gathered tumblers and one of his lesser bottles of firewhiskey, no need to spoil the night especially since Potter appeared to be in the mood to share. The sat in silence for a moment, Severus poured them each a finger. Harry downed it immediately.

"First and foremost I should explain that Dumbledore left me on Petunia Dursley nee Evans doorstep with a letter threatening them, take me in or else. So they raised me if how I was treated could be considered raising a child. I was little more than a house-elf. When I was seven years old I ran away…" They talked, well Harry talked and Severus listened in dumbfounded silence, through the rest of the night. In the end, they finished most of that bottle too.