Draco tried not to fidget on the Weasley's doorstep as he rang the doorbell. All he really wanted to do was burst through the door and throw himself into Harry's lap (wherever that might be) and beg and plead for forgiveness.
"Hullo, there! You're not Blaise back for another go, are you? Because we've still got some balloons left!" came a menacing voice from above.
Draco stepped back off the doorstep and shielded his eyes from the sun to see Fred (or was it George?) leaning out the 2nd storey window.
"Twin A? Is that you?"
"It's Blondie!" the twin shouted happily to whoever was behind him, and voices echoed his animation. In the next moment the door was swept open and Draco was dragged into four coinciding embraces.
"Blondie! You're here to save the day!"
"Draco! Oh—thank Merlin!"
"Draco—what took you so long?!"
The blonde pulled himself away from the multitude of arms to see nearly nearly half the Weasley clan, plus honorary Weasley, Hermione.
"Where's Harry? Why did you ask me about Blaise? Was Blaise here?"
"He's still here," whispered Hermione.
"He's talking to Harry out back." Ron explained.
"What?!"
But before Draco could storm onto the back lawn, Ginny Weasley scrambled and slid down the stairs screaming, "Harry just shoved Zabini flat on his arse and Apparated away!"
"What?!" every shouted in chorus.
"He was on his way back to the house and Zabini grabbed him and he shoved Zabini and then he Apparted aw—what the fuck is Draco fucking Malfoy doing here?!"
Draco clenched his fists to keep himself from strangling the young girl.
"He's here to save the day!"
"Malfoy to the rescue!" Fred and George did an intricate, happy little two step around Hermione.
"How's he going to save the day with the damsel run off?" Hermione groaned.
"How come Harry's the damsel? Why can't Draco be the damsel?" Ron sulked.
"Hold on, hold on. Let me get this straight. Everything I did to Harry (and I'm assuming that you know), and you're all happy to see me?" Draco asked in shock.
"I'm not." Ginny grumbled, but her voice was mostly overwhelmed with everyone else's resounding, "Yep!"
"But—I—but you guys hated me!"
"You got that right." Ginny muttered.
"Hate you? Oh, you poor, confused little soul." George sighed, throwing a heavy arm over Draco's shoulders.
"Perhaps, in your younger, more ignorant years, you were our least favorite person," Fred started.
"But many a thing has changed since those dark times!" finished George.
"Draco, you're still more of a prick than I like in people I have to hang out with every day, but Harry loves you to freaking death." Ron stated.
"We can't love Harry and hate you." Hermione reasoned.
"I can," said Ginny hotly.
"Oh shut up, Ginny!" Hermione responded. The redhead only pouted more pronouncedly, her bottom lip nearly breaking free of her mouth.
"Why the hell didn't you all tell me this before?! I'd have been a lot nice if I had known that you didn't hate me!"
"Puh-leeze! What are we, Hufflepuffs?"
"We're still men."
"We don't' talk about…feelings."
"Well I'm not an idiot, so you knew already that I didn't hate you." Hermione sniffed.
"Well, since we're men and we're never going to talk about this ever again, nor will any of it be repeated outside of this room…I didn't dislike you guys because you're poor. Most people are poorer than me. I was mostly mean to you because…oh god…becauseIwasjealous." When this wasn't met with sniggers, Draco hesitantly went on. "I always thought that one word from you guys and Harry would drop me faster than a Troll and soap. I just didn't like having that over my head all the time."
"Now might be a good time to tell you that I did tell Harry to drop you faster than a Troll with soap. He told me to shove it, so I never brought it up again." Ron admitted flatly.
"Oh…well, then…I guess I'm an idiot."
"Amen," muttered Ginny.
"One more word out of you and I'm going to skin you like a rabbit!" Draco growled.
"Are you going to let him talk to me like that?!" Ginny screeched to her brothers.
"Well, you are being pretty bitchy." George informed her.
"I personally like him better. He's friggen adorable," said Fred.
"Are you going to sit around here all day while the love of your life is who knows where, pining after you like nobody's business or are you going to get something done about it anytime soon?" Mrs. Weasley shouted, leaning out of the kitchen.
Draco jumped at the thunderous bellow.
"Oh! That's right! Um…does anybody know where he went?" Draco asked, one foot out of the door.
The group of redheads (plus Hermione) twisted their mouths around thoughtfully and scratched their heads.
"Maybe he went to the Manor to look for you?" Hermione piped up.
"Or maybe he wanted to be alone…he did lose his boyfriend and discover a nefarious plot by his supposed friend all in just a couple days." Ron guessed.
"Oh, how am I ev…actually…I think I know where he'd go at a time like this." Draco said, brain lit with the epiphany.
"Go! Go to him, then!" the group urged.
"I personally think it's a fool's errand and that Harry will never take you back, so you might as well not go to the trouble of rushing," sighed Ginny.
"I personally think that you're living in a dream world where Harry suddenly relinquishes his firm hold on homosexuality, somehow ignores all the pretty girls who don't get unnecessarily trapped in dangerous chambers throwing themselves at him, and settles down to raise slut children with you." Draco responded. "Everyone else, it's been a pleasure, and I'm going to beg my heart out now. If he doesn't take me back…well, I hope you guys won't drop me, too."
"Pshh—we'll do better than that!" George promised.
"We'll beat him about the head until he swears to go back to you!"
"We'll fill his bed with locusts!"
"We'll turn all his robes pink!"
Draco accepted another round of hugs and well-wishing, and Apparated, catching his footing before looking up at the daunting image of the Shrieking Shack.
He took a deep breath and approached, despite the chill grabbing hold of his spine and shaking it—"Don't you fucking go in there! It's creepy!" the chill screamed, but he kept moving forward.
XXX
Harry hit the ground running, and went through the gate unfazed for once.
He hadn't exactly decided if he should make a grand entrance by shouting Draco's name and snatching the boy into an embrace when he found him—probably in full Malfoy, mini-Lucius regalia and in parlay with his father, or sneak about and find Draco on his own.
The Gryffindor knew that eventually he would have to meet his enemy, but that didn't mean that he was looking forward to it.
Stop calling him the enemy. He's Draco's dad and he loves Draco. If Draco still wants to be with me then Lucius will back down; there's no way he's evil enough to purposefully destroy his only son and heir's happiness…Right?
Harry didn't actually have to come to a consensus between the two warring factions of his Draco-related behavior, because even before he got to the house he could hear screaming.
Wand drawn and cold sweat jumping to his skin, Harry burst through the front doors, and snuck silently towards the wailing.
Outside Lucius' study about ten grimy house elves were milling about, whispering nervously to one another and pulling their ears down under their chins.
"Oh! Mister Harry Potter, sir! Thanks goodness you's here!" one whispered anxiously to him.
"You's gots to save him, sir!"
"What's going on? Where's Draco? Who's sobbing?"
"Master Draco did a very bad thing, Mister Harry Potter! And now the mistress and the master are having an Argument!"
"You have to do something, Mister Harry Potter! Before it's too late!" one of them wailed loudly.
The shrieks from inside the office were renewed, and it was hard for Harry to not cover his ears to the wordless wailing.
"Alohomora!" he hissed, and shoved the door open, wand drawn.
He nearly dropped it with shock.
"Oh God, please—save me!" Lucius wailed, dangling by a white ankle.
Narcissa, merciless, chopped off another long lock of hair, close to the skull. Lucius, hearing the chomp of her gardening shears, gave out another shriek.
"Mrs. Malfoy! What are you doing?!" Harry cried, looking at the foot-long strands of hair scattered over the desk and chair and ground.
"Getting him where it really hurts!" Narcissa growled.
Harry, breaking his eyes away from the sight of Lucius' luscious hair chopped short, saw that his eyebrows were missing, but had been replaced by painted-on scribbles of black that made him look surprised, as they were half an inch above where his eyebrows should be.
"Stop it!" Harry shouted, as her shears were set around another lock of hair. Lucius, eyes clamped shut with dread, popped them open in surprise.
"What?" Narcissa asked dangerously.
"I said stop it. God—how did you even get him up there?"
"I didn't. Draco did."
It was Harry's turn to be shocked.
"Draco?"
"He strung him up and booked it out of here—looking for you, it sounded like. You two didn't meet up?" Narcissa asked, cleaning stray strands of white-blonde hair from her gardening shears.
"We must have missed each other. I have to go find him. Um…good luck, Mr. Malfoy."
"Wait!" Lucius cried at Harry's departure. "Narcissa! Put me down this instant!"
Narcissa, showing Harry where Draco had gotten this from, took her time and lazily set him right as if it were her sudden whim to do so.
"Do you mind? I'd like to talk to the boy." Lucius said tightly. His hair, if it was possible, looked even more ridiculous when it wasn't upside down.
Narcissa had chopped randomly, and had progressed pretty far by now, so there was only a long patch over Lucius' left ear and at the back of his skull.
He still stood with rigid self-importance, although the black scribbly eyebrows detracted from this haughty stance.
"You better drop to your knees as soon as I close that door and beg him to spare your life." Narcissa warned her husband, and strolled languidly from the room.
Lucius immediately collapsed back into his chair, pouting grievously as he stroked his remaining two locks.
"Um…thank you. A word from you and she probably would have gotten and ear along with my hair." Lucius said almost sheepishly.
"Yeah, well…I'm not sure why I did it. Sometimes I'm too much a Gryffindor for my own good." Harry grumbled.
"Ah…yes…about that whole…well, I'm assuming by your glower that you already know about what Narcissa suspects me of."
"Blaise told me."
"Ah."
"Why did you do it?" Harry asked, trying to keep the petulance out of his voice.
"Oh, er…well, I had my misguided reasons but…Draco told me about you two planning on getting married." Lucius sighed, rolling his shoulders.
"Oh…so, are you going to murder me now?"
"What? No, no. I just…well, with the way your relationship started out, can you blame me for thinking that you and Draco weren't too invested in each other? I mean, yeah, you said you were in love, but you're only seventeen! I'm not in the habit of trusting everything a seventeen year old says, or thinks he feels."
"But you believe me now? That I love Draco?"
"Well, I know for sure that Draco loves you—you don't hex your own father over trifling affairs. That's all I need to know. Come here. And you can put your wand away now."
Harry blushed and put his wand away nervously, approaching to where Lucius was now standing, in front of a painting of two entertwined cherry trees, undulating slightly in the wind.
The blonde man pulled the painting away to reveal a mahogany case resting in a small shelf there. Lucius pulled it out carefully and sat down in one of the chairs near the fireplace, setting the case on his knees.
Harry was half afraid of what he would see therein, but Lucius removed the lid and no dark spirits pooled out of it, so Harry relaxed.
Instead, Harry saw white satin covering a soft base with four slots in it.
Two of the slots were empty, and two were filled. One with a plain black ring. The other with a gold ring holding a cluster of sparkling diamonds and one black, pear-shaped jewel.
"I'm afraid the ancestors weren't too…what's that word you kids use? Hip? Or is it hep? They weren't to hep on gay couples, but Draco seemed very proud of his ring, so I doubt he'll be clamoring for his grandmother's ring. But this," Lucius slipped the black ring from the satin—it seemed more than black, as if it were stealing brightness away from the air around it. The eye was inescapably drawn to it—it demanded every attention. Harry noticed that an impressive, unadorned "M" was carved into it.
Harry stole a glance at Lucius' own ring finger—it was a stark white-gold ring, like the infamous Malfoy hair coloring.
"This I'd like you to have. The Malfoy signet ring. My father's ring."
Harry thought for sure that he was hallucinating. He had stepped out of the hallway and into an alternate reality.
"What?" Harry asked starkly. He thought he saw a slightly pinkish coloring to Lucius' cheeks—barely, but didn't trust his senses enough to be completely sure at this moment.
"Of course, if you already have a ring, I completely understand." Lucius muttered, putting the ring back.
"No—I don't. I meant…are you sure you want me to have this? I mean…you pretty much hate me."
Lucius' eyes jerked up to Harry's with surprise. "What? Hate you?"
"Don't you?"
"You believe that? I mean, Draco said…but I thought he was exaggerating…" Lucius chuckled and reached his hand out—it took everything Harry had not to flinch—and patted Harry's arm. "Harry. You're a seventeen year old boy. I don't hate you any more than I hate any other seventeen year old boy who's grabbing my son's arse. But of course, now that you're getting married, you can play grab-arse as much as you like. That's the difference between being married and being some hooligan that drools as my son's bits. Of course I take an old-fashioned notion of marriage," Lucius said darkly. "Don't you dare accept this ring if you don't completely plan on making Draco happy in every way conceivable, caring for him, and keeping him safe. If you take this ring and my trust and renege on this agreement, I won't be the only one planning your expedient demise; you'll have Narcissa and all of her imagination to contend with, too."
Harry eyed the man carefully, and reached for the ring, taking it solemnly and slipping it onto his ring finger where it shifted fluidly to fit his thinness.
"For as long as I live, my life will be devoted to your son. Whatever happiness I can give him, I will; whatever care he needs, he'll get; and I'll die before I let him come to harm. I swear it."
"Oh my freaking god are you adorable!" a woman's voice cried, and the next thing he knew, Harry was clutched in two deceptively frail arms.
"Hey! I said I wanted to talk to him—I meant alone!" Lucius said, obviously pouting.
"Oh please, like I'm going to miss out on this uber-darling reconciliation session. That's the most precious thing I've ever friggin seen!" Narcissa wailed.
"Um…Mrs. Malfoy—if you could let me go…I have to go track down your son." Harry said, his muffled voice barely audible through Narcissa's robes.
"Oh—right! You still have to clean up this mess my jackass husband's made!"
"Hey!"
"Oh, shut up, dear. Harry, darling, now listen to me—you have to think of a place that means a lot to you and Draco and go there, and he'll show up--I swear. That's what it says in all the books. It's much more romantic than Apparating all over the country trying to track him down."
"A place that means a lot to us? Umm…well, I guess there's—"
"Don't say it! If you say it it won't come true—that's one of the main facets of ancient magic. Trust me."
"Okay. Um, I guess I'll get going, then."
"Oh, one more hug! My baby's getting married! Oh-h!" Narcissa wrestled Harry into another bear hug, and only stopped when Lucius started to protest.
"Narcissa—they'll never get back together if you don't let him go!" When Harry was free he and Lucius looked at each other awkwardly and Lucius patted him on the back, letting his hand bear down reassuringly, and made a sort of stern, approving look that Harry thought might ahve been the Malfoy Wink, if it weren't marred by the freak eyebrows.
"Well—see you." Harry murmured, and Apparated.
XXXX
A/N: I'll try try try to get the next chapter out at a reasonable time! Not much happening in this chapter, I think. Mostly filler. Hope you don't hate it anyway! Thank-You shout-out to CrazyDudette—you're super helpful and I super appreciate it! Super!