Disclaimers: I don't own Harry Potter, or any of his friends and enemies
A/N: Arrrgh! I can't believe it! This morning when I was about to upload the new chapter, the computer crashed! And it isn't anything I can do on my own, but I have to send it away to get it fixed! And the computer is barely a year old!
The good news are, that I had a copy of the chapter on my old computer. The bad news are, that I lost my Betaed version of this chapter. So, the choice is yours. Do you read it now? If you do, be aware that it is atroucious, it isn't even properly spell checked since the thing doesn't work on my old computer -- one of the reasons we got a new one. Your other choice is to wait a few days until Vaughn has had a chance to re-send the fixed chapter to me. (When she does, I will immediately upload it, I promise.)
Knowing how many of you are eagerly awaiting an update, I just hated disappointing you by not uploading anything this Monday.
A/N 2: I have created a Forum -- see Bio for address -- where you are welcome to write me and talk about my stories. (See topic Rant to find out more about why.) I promise to do my best to answer your questions in a timely fashion.
Mail Call
Lucius returned to Hogwarts, pleased to find that no suits of armours where laying in wait for him. Walking down the hall, he was tempted to head down into the dungeons for a littel more quality time with Severus. Only the knowledge that the man was teaching, and wouldn't havetimefor him enabled the blond aristocrat to pass the entrence to the lower regions and move up towards his own rooms.
Walking past the portrait of Salazar Slytherin, Lucius was surprised to have the Founder hailing him. Stepping closer to the painting, the blond raised an eyebrow.
Salazar chuckled. "In all my time, I have neve encountered a Malfoy who could not speak volumes with a mere tilt of their eyebrows. I'm glad to see that your family hasn't lost that skill."
"I thank you," Lucius said regally, performing a small bow.
"I thought you would like to know that the boys are inside," Salazar said, making a small jerk with his head, indicating the rooms behind his portrait.
"Did something happen?" Lucius asked, getting concerned.
"Nothing serious. I understand there was an alternation between your son and the girl who behaved so rudely towards me the other day. Obviously, she hasn't learned her lesson since she was behaving in a most shocking way."
Lucius groaned. "Granger! What did she do this time?"
Slazar got a wicked look on his face. "I understand she took umbrage when young Draco sent one of the chits panting for his mate into the lake. Did her no good though. Ended up being turned into a donkey. Of course, Hogwarts decided to give the lad a helping hand, so the end result might have been somewhat different to what he had planned. Everything worked out fine though, and she is now residing in the stabels until the spell has worn off."
Torn between the urge to laugh and groan in despair, Lucius settled for hanging his head, shaking it wearily. And to think that he had hoped that once Draco found his mate, his more... childish tendensies would taper off. Seemed he instead had found a perfect match in Harry. Lucius shuddered to think what trouble the two would havock on unsuspecting people -- not to mention on him and Severus! -- once they had gotten comfortable together.
"Dragons and Parselmoth," Lucius sighed. "I might as well go and check on them."
Salazar nodded in understanding and swung open, allowing the blond to enter.
Manouvering around the stacks of books, Lucius made his way to Draco's bedroom after a quick peek had informed that Harry's room was empty. Climbing the few steps, he couldn't help but wonder what Hermione Granger's problem was. From what Draco had told him, the girl had always been levelheaded. A know-it-all who thought she knew best just because she had read half, if not more, of the Hogwart's library, but still, she had always been levelheaded. Or had that just been a front?
If she had done any research at all, then she should know what a Veela bonding was, and that it was almost futile to come between a Veela and his or her willing mate. True, the boys hadn't bonded yet, but they were comitted to each other, any fool could see that, even a blind one.
No, the girl must have an agenda of her own, one that did not include Draco Malfoy. But what could it be? Listing in his mind the things he knew of the witch, Lucius was scrunching up his face in thought as he tried to recall what that spew thing Draco had mentioned in third year was. Or had that been during their second year? It had something to do with the house-elves that much he remembered. Was the girl aspiring for a position in the Ministry? Was she hoping to use Harry as a mean to climb the social ladder? Then why did she object to Draco so much?
Shaking his head in frustration, woving to keep a close eye on the girl and to try to pick Severus' brain for his opinion at earliest opportunity, Lucius came to a halt as he took in the cute scene before him. Draco was laying on his side, curled up around Harry, holding the brunet in a protective embrace, while Harry was curled up around Draco, resting his head on the blond's chest.
They were both sleeping peacefully, and the feelings Lucius got from the necklace were those of happiness and content. Sitting down on the edge of the matress Lucius knew he should head off to his own room for a change of clothes and something to eat. Still, taking in the sight before him, the blond aristocrat could feel how the serene picture the two teens made was healing a few of the wounds in his soul.
Against all odds, Draco had found happiness. He had found his mate, and even though Lucius had been dubious in the beginning -- this was after all Harry Bloody Potter! The bane of the Dark Lord -- he had come to care more and more for the orphaned boy. Each day the brunet wormed his way deeper into Lucius' heart, and he was powerless to stop it. Not that he wanted to, Harry was a very lovable young man, who had risen above events that would have caused most people to crumble.
Not Harry though. Harry had taken what life -- not to mention Dumbledore! -- had thrown at him, and somehow he had concured it all, while keeping his sweet loving nature. Oh, the boy had a lot of issues that needed to be dealt with. He had a lot of healing to do, before he could fully put the past behind him. But that was all righ. He had Draco now. Not to mention Severus and himself. They would all happily behind by the youth's side, gladly giving what ever the teen needed. Willingingly do whatever was required to help him accept who and what he was, and to do what he needed to do, no matter what that turned out to be.
Taking one last look at the boys, Lucuius climbed to his feet. He had things to do, papers to read. Mercury, the kind soul that he was, had given him an armful before he left the solicitor's office, stating that all of them were urgent and needing his signature, preferably the day before yesterday.
Shaking his head, the blond made his way to the doorway. Looking back over his shoulder to make sure that he hadn't disturbed their rest, Lucius found that he didn't want to leave. He liked watching over the boys. He found that he even needed to be near them, making sure that nothing was plaguing them; that nothing was causing them distress.
Duty and need warred within him for several long seconds. Then Lucius shrugged and quitely conjured a large, comfortable black leather armchair. He was Lucius Malfoy, he could do whatever he wanted. And if he wanted to watch over his boys, who was to stop him?
Nodding his head in satisfaction, Lucius spelled his clothes into somthing more comfortable and settled in the chair, putting his feet up on the foot of the bed. Leaning his head back he breathed deeply as the calm of the room settled over him, feeling tense muscles start to unknott. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
HPDM
Harry woke up slowly with a large, goofy grin on his face. That had to have been one of the best dreams of his life, and as he lay there in bed remembering, he found himself hoping that he and Draco would dream together again, only without the aid of potions this time.
Keepings his eyes closed, Harry listened to the steady heartbeat under his ear, taking comfort in the way his head and upper body was rising and falling with each breath Draco was taking. To think he had been so afraid of getting close to another human being. To allow someone, anyone, to get close to him. Harry wasn't sure what had changed, he only knew that his connection with the Veela had changed. They had become closer somehow.
Not feeling up to trying to figure out what had changed, or even how he knew that somethign had, Harry was content to just lay there and be. Inadvertadly however, his thoughts soon turned to his past. Specifically to the Dursleys. Thinking back on the way they had treated him, comparing it to the way they had always coddled Dudley, Harry remembered all the times he had felt jealous of his cousin. How he had wished that just once, his Aunt would lavish attention on him the way she was always doting on her son.
He had never wanted the gifts or the money they had always given Dudly. Oh, he had been jealous of that as well, especially at Christmas and on Dudleys' birthdays, but what he had truly wanted was for them to say that they were proud of him. To show him in some way, no matter how small the gesture, that he mattered to them. That they cared.
It had never happened, of course, and Harry knew deep down in his heart that it never would. The Dursleys would always consider him a freak, an unwanted burden that had been foisted upon them. And Harry couldn't help but feel a deep sadness about that. He would probably always mourn what could have been.
But thinking back on the two weeks he had spent with the three Slytherins, Harry couldn't help but feel that there was more to his relatives behaviour, something he hadn't been able to disgern before. Probably due to being too young and too inexperienced.
Picturing Lucius Malfoy in his mind, Harry couldn't help but smile. The blond aristocrat had been so totally different to what he had thought him to be. Lucius' public face was flawless, only showing his indifference and disdain for those he considered beneath thim, and since he considered just about everyone to be beneath him...
Harry chuckled softly, sighing in contentment as the arms around him momentarily tightened. He refused to get sidetracked though, and went back to thinking about the older man.
The face Lucius Malfoy presented when alone with family was a complete opposite to what he showed the public. He was never coldhearted, cutting, or cruel. He didn't sneer, or in any other manner made you feel inferiour or worthless. No, the private Lucius Malfoy was warm and caring. He could laugh and goof around with his son, not caring about his dignity one bit. He was also great at giving hugs, and didn't mind giving emotional support when needed. He didn't even mind when Harry was blubbering all over him for Merlin's sake. He just continued to show that he was there for Harry, and that he would always be for as long as Harry needed him.
And Severus... The man was a lot less snarky now when they were in private. Harry couldn't see himself turning to him when he was in need of a hug though. The man was just not... huggable. Then suddenly he flashed to the previous day when Harry had sobbed all over him and how Severus had just put him on his lap and soothed him until Draco had returned.
Harry was shocked to realise that Severus did care. Oh, he had known that the Potions Master cared about Draco and Lucius, but Harry had been so convinced that Severus merely tolerated him for the Veelas' sake. But the man who had comforted him yesterday, who had shared painful memories of his past... That was not the actions of a man who barely tolerated someone. That was the actions of a man who cared deeply about what happened to him.
Harry blinked in astonishment. Somehow he had gone from being alone without someone to turn to, to having three staunch supporters who would do anything for him. And Harry found that he would do anything for them. No matter what, if is was within his power, he would do it.
And that, Harry realised with sudden startling clarity, was the difference between the Dursleys and his new family. Draco, Lucius, and Severus would all do anything to help him, no matter the personal cost. Harry doupted very much that Dudley could say the same for his family. Oh, his parents wold shower him with money and wordly possesions. Vernon would tell him how proud he was of him, even when he came home with lousy grades, and any bad behaviour would be explained away or even blamed on Harry.
But if push came to shove, then Harry doubted that either parent would stand by their son. In fact, hadn't their behaviour already shown that they didn't care about the welfare of their own flesh and blood? If they cared about Dudley's future, wouldn't they have put a stop to his tantrums and such while he was still a toddler? Wouldn't they have demanded he exhert himself in school, helping him to improve himself and his grades?
Having experienced true love, care, and support, Harry for the first time could see that what Vernon and Petunia Dursley had done towards their son was not love. Dudley was woefully unprepared to face the real world. He was a bully and well on his way to become a thug. His grades weren't good enough to enable him to get into a good school, and without edcucation he would get nowhere in this world.
Slowly it was dawning on Harry that the Durlseys were incapable of love. The faces his aunt and uncle showed the world, were the same ones they showed at home. They showered their son with money, sweets, and gifts since that was easier than giving him love. To love someone, you first had to care for them, and Harry had a feeling that neither adult had any true feelings for anyone but themselves. He had no reason to be envious of Dudley. On the contrary, he had every reason to pity his cousin, because all he had was fool's gold, while he, Harry Potter, the freak, the unwanted burden, had the real thing.
For long moments Harry lay there, stunned by his realisation. Then relief and happiness flooded through him, and he had to bite back an urge to giggle madly. Burying his face in Draco's chest, Harry took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down, he didn't want to wake the other boy up. If he was still sleeping, then he probably needed his rest. Harry on the other hand found himself too filled with energy to stay in bed a moment longer, and he began the slow process of extradicting himself from Draco's arms.
It took a while, since Draco seeme determined not to let Harry go, but eventually the teen was standing on his own two feet. Seeing Lucius sitting there sleeping in a chair caused him to pause and lift an eyebrow, but Harry couldn't truly say that he was surprised.
Making sure to keep quiet, Harry started to move towards the door, but then he paused, a mischievious smile gracing his lips. Draco was laying in bed, looking all alone and abandoned. Lucius was sitting in an armchair, looking uncomfortable. Why not solve two problems in one go?
Pulling out his wand, Harry aimed it at Lucius and carefully he moved him from his seat to rest comfortably on the bed. Spreading a soft blanket over the sleeping man, Harry stood still for a few moments, wanting to make sure that neither of them had awakened. Fortunately, both slept on, dead to the world.
Smirking slightly to himself, Harry turned away to leave when Draco moved slightly. Hodling his breath, the brunet waited to see what would happen next. What happened was that Draco moved closer to his father and snuggled into his side, ending up with his head on Lucius' chest, while the aristocrat enveloped his son in a reassureing hug, much as how Draco had done to Harry only moments before.
Feeling sentimental misty eyed, Harry's smirk morphed into a tender smile, and it was with a lighter heart that he left the sleepers alone. They would both be fine now. They would all be fine now.
HPDM
Bounding down the steps to the living room, Harry looked around trying to decide what to do. Seeing all the stack of books, he chuckled knowing exactly what he would be spending his time on while waiting for Draco to wake up.
Walking over to the spot where they had ended up sleeping the previous night, Harry cleared the space by sending the unsorted books back into the trunk. Shrinking the steamer trunk and moving it over to the wall, Harry pulled off his armband, waiting impatiently for it to transform back to a trunk.
Climbing inside, he swiftly made his way over to the room next to the main library. Harry hadn't been lying when he told Draco that he wanted the books from the junk shop in their own library. The books originating from the Black Manor was so many that they alone could have filled up the entire Hogwarts' library, including the Restricted section. Which was why he had never intended to include any other books into it. It was difficult to manage as it was.
No, Harry had planned ahead for this day, and had prepared a second library where he would add his 'junkshop books'. Ever since he had heard about Bartholomew's success in finding rare finds while visiting junkshops, Harry knew that he would follow in the man's footsteps, doing the same. Besides, he found it extremely interesting to read about other people's lives, and it was much more fun to learn about history in this manner. He would take reading diaries anyday over listening to Professor Binn's mindnumbing lectures.
Whisteling a merry tune, Harry walked up to the pedestal standing in the middle of the floor, and the stack of books waiting on it's surface. Vacalliating slightly, Harry picked up the ledger bound in a deep red leather. Carefully he crafted the word Diaries onto the front of the book's cover, careful not to carve too deep.
Putting it to the side, Harry next picked up the ledger done in a pale blue leather, and carved just as carefully Work Journals onto it. Scrunching up his face while he tried to figure if it was worth to prepare a third ledger, Harry eventually shrugged and picked one, not caring particularly what colour it had.
Grasping the three ledgers, Harry walked over to one of the wooden bookcases that were covering the walls of the room, reaching from the floor to the ceiling. Taking out his wand the teen carefully tapped the four corners on the front of the ledger marked Diaries, using a clockwise motion, starting in the upper right corner. He then tapped it twice in the middle before turning to the bookshelf, tapping it smartly twice as well with his wand while stating 'Connect' in Parsletongue. Taking in the size of the bookcase, Harry did the same for four more bookcases, finishing the spell by flipping the ledger over, tapping it in the middel of the back twice, ending with tapping the four corners, starting in the bottom right one and moving anticlockwise. Putting the ledger down, Harry did the same for the blue and the golden coloured ones, moving around the library as he chose different bookcases in the room to connect to the ledgers.
Carrying all three ledgers, Harry exited the library, and after a quick check on his conservatory, noting that it was in need of attention, Harry left the trunk alltogether. He felt a little bad about breaking his promise to Lucius and Draco, but he couldn't very well wake them up now could he? Not when they so clearly needed their rest. And he was sure their happiness at getting the clutter dealt with would outweigh his small transgression. Besides, the sooner the living room was empty, the sooner they could start plotting on how to get their hands on Dumbledore's hoarded treasures.
Nodding his head in satisfaction, secure in his knowledge that he would be able to talk himself out of any tight spots this might cause, Harry moved the trunk back until it rested against the far wall, well out of anyones way. Picking up one of the throw pillows placed at the end of the nearest sofa, Harry changed it into something much bigger and more supportive. Placing it on the floor next to one of the sofa tables, Harry plonked down onto the pillow and made himself comfortable. Shriking the legs of the table until they were of a comfortable hight was only a moments work, and Harry shifted on the pillow as he placed the three ledgers onto the tabletop.
Contemplating the stacks closest to him, Harry decided on starting on the diaries since they would take the longest to deal with. Aiming carefully, he pointed his wand to one of the stacks and carefully manouvred it until it was sitting next to him. Cancelling the spell that held the mitchmatched books together, Harry summoned the one on the top and opened it.
Squinting slightly as he struggled to read the words written on the first page, it took Harry a few moments to puzzle out that the diary had been written by a girl named Lucretia Darkmoore, and that she had began writing in 1042. Recording these facts carefully into the ledger, Harry allowed the diary to fall close. Gently he tapped the ledger with the tip of his wand, next he tapped the diary, and lastly he tapped the ledger once more. There was a soft flash, and then the diary was gone.
Chuckling softly, Harry saw in his mind's eye how the diary had been placed on one of the shelves in one of the bookcases he had assigned this ledger to. He almost whished he could do this down in the library, he didn't think he would ever grow tired of witnessing this bit of magic. Unfortunately, it would be too much of a hassle to drag all the books down into the trunk now. He should have thought of that sooner. Besides, he didn't think Draco would take kindly to finding him down there, on his own, even if it was for a good cause.
Pushing the useless musing to the side, he called the next diary to him. Opening it he was relieved to see that it was written in runes, and in one of the languages he was fluent in at that. Swiftly he entered the name Dougal O'Hara, and the year 1501, ending with the connection spell that sent the book on its way.
Due to his time spent in the Black library, Harry was skilled in reading Latin and several different styles of Ancient Runes -- though not the one Killian Longbottom had used in his work journal. He was also sufficient in reading French and he could stumble his way through a text written in German. Old English and Old Latin was still giving him troubles though, much due to the way they were spelling words. Or should that be the way they were not spelling their words? Nothing was constant, and often the spelling depended on what mood the author was in when they were writing down their thoughts and ideas. Far too often Harry was forced to guess what word the author had used, using the context to figure out what word the author ment to use. Could you spell migraine?
Determined not to think of that now, Harry plucked the next book from the stack, humming softly as he worked.
HPDM
Draco was starting to wake up when a most heavenly smell reached his nostrils. His nose twiched, and his brain was happy to inform him that, yes, that was indeed Dobby's extra special Chineese food he was smelling.
Groaning slightly, Draco pondered on what to do. On one hand he had no desire to get up, he was warm and comfortable, and he had no wish to move whatsoever. The arms wrapped around him only added to the feelings of contentment and safety.
On the other hand, both he and Harry had missed lunch, and now that he remembered its existence, his stomach was only too happy to inform him of its far too empty state. In the end his hunger won out, as he had known it would, and Draco began to extract himself from the arms holding him securely to a broad chest.
Blinking his eyes open, Draco looked down at the body he had been curled up against. Gazing into his father's sleeping face, the blond wondered when he had arrived, and where the hell was Harry? Feeling fear clench his heart, Draco swiftly scrambled from the bed, his jostling waking Lucius who watched him with an irritated glare.
"What is your hurry, son? I don't think you have to worry about classes today," Lucius said with a wry twitch of his lips, snuggling back under the blanket.
"As nice as it is sleeping next to you, Father, I am at the moment more concerned about where Harry is. How did you end up sleeping with me anyway? Last thing I remember, I was with Harry, not you!" Draco growled, his worry making him shorttempered. What if Harry had woken up and freaked? What if he decided that he no longer wanted to be Draco's mate? What if...?
Lucius sat up and looked around. There was no sign of Harry, but the aromas coming wafting through the open door made it easy to guess where the wayward teen was. "The last thing I remember is watching you and Harry sleep, curled up around each other. You made such a cute picture I didn't want to leave, so I settled down in the chair standing over there," Lucius said, indicating the armchair still standing next to the bed.
"Oh," Draco mumbled, blushing slightly. Running a hand through his hair, he finsihed crawling out of the bed. Standing up, he streightened out his sleep rumbled clothes while studiously avoiding looking at Lucius.
"What has happened to make you this anxcious? I don't think I have seen you this nervous since you and Harry found each other."
"Well... You see..." Draco stuttered, not sure how to explain what had happened while he and Harry slept.
"Something happened, I knew it!" Lucius groaned, climbing out of the bed as well. "So who was it that upset you this time? Granger? But from what I heard, you have already dealt with her."
Draco's head shot up. "You've heard what happened to Granger?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes, son. Salazar was only too happy informing me of the altercation. I'm sure Severus will be only too delighted in filling in the remaining details." Lucius gave his son a screwed look. "If it isn't that Mudblood, then what has gotten your knickers in a twist?"
"Dad!" Draco groaned in exasparation. "I had one of my dreams, you know, a Veela dream. But then it changed, and I found myself on Kitsune, riding towards my favourite place in Austria. Somehow Harry was there, and we kissed and it was wonderful, but what if he woke up and freaked out? What if he doesn't want to be my mate anymore? What if..?"
"By the sound of it, you are the one who woke up frekaing out, as you so aptly put it. Why don't we find that mate of yours and ask him?" Lucius asked, wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders, stearing him out of the bedroom.
They both came to a halt at the top of the staircase. The living room had undergone a change while they had been sleeping. While there were still a lot of stacks cluttering up the floor, it was now possible to mover around without feeling like you were treading around a maze. Harry had clearly been hard at work.
"Harry?" Draco asked, bounding down the steps, his panic momentarily forgotten.
"Hi there, sleepy head," Harry replied, twisting around and sending the blond youth a teasing smile. "I figured the smells would wake you up, fortunate for you, I asked Dobby to double everything."
"I must say that I am impressed," Lucius commented, walking over to where Harry was sitting as well, only he used a much slower and a much more dignified pace.
Harry sent him an amused look, but didn't comment. Instead he turned back and finished the diary he had been working on, startling both of them as it dissapeared with a muted flash. Lucius looked over at Harry, lifting an eyebrow, but the teen just grinned and climbed to his feet, vincing slightly as abused muscles protested movement after being still for so long.
"Anyone hungry? As I said, I asked Dobby to bring a lot," Harry said, limping over to the table that was all but groaning under the wieght of all the foods. "I got hungry, and then I rememered that I never got Draco his Chinese, so I figured I'd get it now instead," Harry explained with only a slight hitch in his voice when he recalled why the promised meal had been postponed.
Not liking it when hsi mate was in distress, Draco walked over to Harry and wrapped his arms around him. "Hey, it wasn't your fault, you know that, right? I am back, safe and sound. And I am never going anywhere without you again, not if I can help it!" he woved firecly.
Harry smiled tenderly and reached up to push a lock of hair away from Draco's eyes. "Yeah, I do know that. It is the times when you can't help it that worries me," he confessed, looking deeply into Draco's silvery eyes.
Lucius pointedly cleared his throat. He was all for the boys getting closer, but they could do that after they had eaten. As if they had hear his thoughts, two stomachs chose that moment to grumble, and the two teens cracked a smile.
Giving Draco's cheek a quick caress, Harry reluctantly stepped away and made his way over to the table. Draco following behind him. Together the three sat down and took stock of the treasures the table held. Picking their favourites, the three loaded their plates and they all dove in, too intent on their hunger to even bother to try keeping a decent conversation going.
HPDM
"So," Lucius said with a glint in his eyes while dabbing delicatly at the corner of his mouth with his napkin. "Do I want to know what it was you dreamed aobut?"
Draco shot his father a dark look, while Harry promptly choked on his drink and his face heated up in a blush. Getting his breath under controll, Harry buried his face in his hands. "Can we talk about this after Severus has arrived? Knowing him, he will want to know every tiny detail, and I am sooo not talking about this twice!"
"Severus? Why would he want to know about this?" Lucius asked, feeling like he was missing something vital.
Harry sighed softly, he didn't like admitting to weakness, but Lucius deserved to know. "When we returned to our room after the... argument with Hermione,"
"That was no argument!" Draco protested vehemently, taking hold of Harry's hand. "She called him a catamite, Dad. She all but accused Harry of being my boy toy. So, yeah, I hexed with that niftly little hex Mercury showed me last year," he told Lucius defiently. Then he frowned, "Something happened though, I'm not sure what."
"Hogwarts is what happened. Apparently the castle wasn't happy with the girl either."
Draco looked surprise, then he looked smug. He had a feeling Hermione Granger would find things most difficult in the future, and it couldn't have happened to a more deserving girl.
"But this still doesn't explain about Severus," Lucius presisted, promising himself to have chat with the girl once she was back to herself.
"I took it pretty hard," Harry said simply, looking down at the hand that was entwined in Draco's. "Draco fell asleep quickly, but I just couldn't relax enough to drift off. Severus came and checked on us when we missed lunch, and he gave me some Dreamless Sleep, promising me that it was safe to take. But something went wrong becuase I ended up dreaming anyway."
"Yeah, and what a dream," Draco broke in with an exagerated dreamy look on his face.
Harry glanced at him, shaking his head in exasperation, all the while fightind down an amused smile.
Lucius watched the byplay, but his mind was busy analysing what he had been told. "That is most unusal indeed. I can see why you'd want to fill him in. Since it probably will be a while before Severus arrives, I suggestions we find ourselves something to do while we wait."
Harry nodded in agreement, getting to his feet. "I'm going to get back to the books. Want to help, Draco? You could do the work journals."
Draco nodded his head in agreement with a smile. He had looked a few of them over the previous night, and several had looked extremely interesting. He couldn't wait to take a second, much closer look.
Lucius watched them settle down at the low table, not understanding why they were sitting on the floor when there was plenty of comfortable chairs available. Shrugging his shoulders he didn't bother to ask them, it probably was a teenage thing. He could vaguely remember how he and Severus had spent several nights on the floor, studying peacefully together.
Toying absentmindedly with his napkin while watching as Harry showed Draco how to record the books and connect them to the ledger, Lucius tried to come up with something to do. He didn't feel like returning to his own temporary, not to mention very empty rooms. He had spent far too much of his life alone, and he never wanted to be that again if he could help it.
Watching the two heads, one dark and one blond, bent down as they diligently worked on their tasks, Lucuius couldn't help but shudder as he remembered how close he had come to lose them. Closing his eyes, he sent a prayer of thanks that they had both been returned safely to him.
Remembering the blasted thing, Lucius suddenly knew what he would do. He would sort through Harry's mail, making sure that it was safe for the boy to read. Banishing the leftovers and the dishes back to the kitchen, Lucius stood up and strode over to Harry's bedroom with determined steps.
Draco looked up briefly, but he didn't bother to ask. Recognising when his father was on a mission, he simply waited and went back to work. If it was something that concerned him, he was sure Lucius would let him know. Besides, he had an inclination what his father was going to get.
Stepping inside Harry's bedroom, Lucius was surprised to find the large amount of mail that had accumulated. The youth hadn't been laid up sick that long. Having no intention to pick the mail up by hand until he was absolutely sure it was safe, the aristocrat turned a sheat of parchment into a box and moved all the letters into it. Levitating it before him, Lucius returned to the living room and sat down at the now empty table.
"Is there anyone you are expecting a letter from?" Lucius asked, casting a common detection spell that would tell him if anything Dark was present. The spell came up empty.
Harry looked up from the diary he was currently desiphering and twisted around until he could see the older man and what he was doing. Understanding lit his eyes and he tried to remember if he was expecting anything from anyone. "Um... the only ones I can think of is Remus Lupin and Abigail Sweetwater. She is the lady with the junkshop," he added when it became clear that Lucius had no idea who he was talking about. "There might be a letter from the Weasley twins, but other than that... no I'm not expecting anything," he added with a small shake of his head.
"What do you wish me to do with the other letters?" Lucius asked, casting a more finetuned detection spell that would tell him if there was anything dangerous present, like hexes, jinxes, and curses or other hazardous things such as Portkeys.
"I don't know?" Harry replied giving Draco a helpless look. "I mean, I'm not interested in reading anymore marriage proposals. And I definitely don't want to know who is interested in carrying my children!" he added, wrinkling his nose in distaste, ignoring the angry growl coming from the blond boy.
"Do you mind if I skim them through, taking stock of what type of letters they are?" Lucius asked, turning his full attention to Harry, wanting to make sure he got his true feelings on the matter.
Harry shrugged. "Feel free, just, don't tell me any of the drivel, okay?"
"I promise not to tease you, too much," Lucius said with a chuckle, turning back to the mail. But not before catching the dark look sent by his son. No, Draco did most certainly not find this situation the least bit funny. Lucius probably wouldn't either if he had been in his son's place, but he wasn't. As a father, however, it was his right to tease his son, and his soon to be son-in-law as well.
Opening the first letter he scanned it quickly, making a face. Marriage proposal. Toying with the letter, Lucius considered what to do with it. In the end, he took the envelope and transfigured it into a box, marking it with the word 'Marriage'. Putting the letter inside, he picked up the next one. Expecting another marriage proposal, the blond aristocrat choked when the true message sank in.
"That bad, huh?" Harry asked with sympathy.
"Worse," Lucius coughed, struggling to get his breathing under control.
"What could be worse than a marriage proposal?" Harry wanted to know, not understanding how anything could be worse than that. Unless... "Is it a letter from the Dark Lord?" he asked almost fearfully.
"No," Lucius said, shaking his head and sending the youth a reassuring smile.
"They want him to do what?" Draco shrieked in outrage, waving the letter he had yanked from his father's hand around in the air. "Who do these people think they are? When I get my hands on them I'll... I'll... do something. Something nasty! I know, I'll dose them with Black Truth!" Dracco said, finally coming up with someting really bad.
"What in the world..?" Harry asked, as the normally composed boy came completely unravelled before his eyes. "Lucius? What is in that letter?" he asked, not about to come within ten feet of it. Harry just knew that he so did not want to know what the commotion was about, but still... The curiousity was eating him alive.
"It is from a company that makes... well, they make calendars, and they are wondering if you would agree to pose as a model for them," Lucius said, looking and feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Harry lifted an eyebrow. That was all? The way Draco was going on about it, he had thought it was a death threat from the Dark Lord himself. At the very least. "I don't understand. We will just tell them no, right?"
"You bet your sweet ass, we will tell them no!" Draco snarled, rounding on Harry, his eyes flashing.
"Draco!"Lucius snapped, staring his son down with ease.
Draco lowered his eyes and took a deep breath. Holding it in, he slowly counted to ten in ancient Greek. "I'm sorry for snarling at you, Harry," Draco said in a low voice once he had managed to rein his temper in. "But can you blame me?
Harry just looked at him warily, chewing on his lower lip.
"Oh, love, I'm so sorry," Draco whispered, falling to his knees next to Harry, taking both of his hands in his own. "I'm so, so sorry for snapping at you, but... that company, the calendars they make..."
"What my son is trying to inform you, Harry, is that they are mostly famous for their nude photos of male wizards," Lucius said once it became clear that Draco had difficulties in finding the words to tell his mate why he had gone ballistic.
Harry's eyes widened almost comically. Then he blushed. Hotly. "You mean they wanted me to..? Oh, Merlin!" Harry groaned, hiding his flaming face in Draco's chest.
"Yes. But that is never going to happen," Draco stated in his most no-nonsens voice. Free will be damned! His mate was not going to be exploited by those vultures!
"I would never do antything like that!" Harry said, sounding mortified, still hiding in Draco's chest.
"We know," Lucius said in an attempt to reassure both boys. "And Mercury will inform them of that fact. Trust me, they will not be bothering you again!"
Suddenly Harry streightened, socking the other boy in the arm, hard.
"Ouch! What was that for!" Draco cried out, rubbing the sore spot while pouting.
"This is all your fault, Draco Malfoy!" Harry hissed, looking livid. "I told you that telling Nott about me designing the clothes was a bad idea! If you hadn't told him, the Daily Prophet wouldn't have written that bloody article, showing those bloody pictures, and none of this would have. Bloody. Happened!" Harry said, ending up screaming the last, socking Draco in the arm once more for empasis.
"Ouch! Hey, cut it out will you? How was I suppose to know that things would get so completely out of hand! I was proud of you, you pillock! Yes, I wanted the world to know what a beautiful and clever mate I got. So sue me!" Draco said, starting to get annoyed.
"That is enough!" Lucius said with finality. "None of you are at fault. Word would have gotten out sooner or later that you were the one designing your clothes. The article would have been written, and things would have been put in motion, regardless. With Draco telling his fellow Slytherins, he had some meassure of control what was revealed, and more importantly, how it was revealed. Trust me, it could have been far, far worse."
Harry paused and thought that statement over. He wanted to remain angry with Draco, but what Lucius said was true. Considering his past with the press, he could just image the headlines Skeeter could have come up with if she had gotten her information from other sources.
Sighing in defeat, Harry glanced over at Draco. "I'm sorry," he muttered, still not happy, but no longer mad at the blond.
"I forgive you, if you forgive me?" Draco said with a hopeful look.
Harry tilted his head to the side. Then he broke into a smile and nodded. Hesitating only briefly, he leaned forward and enveloped his boyfriend in a warm hug.
Beaming happily, Draco returned the embrace, ending it with a swift peck to tempting lips. Pulling away reluctantly, Salazar but those lips were scrumptious, Draco moved back to his side of the table and started working again, glancing surreptiously over at Harry to gauge his reaction.
Harry pressed his fingers to his lips, looking stunned. Then he broke into a grin, and humming happily he returned to his own work, casting frequent glances over at Draco.
Lucius breathed a sigh of relief. Another catastrophy diverted. Looking down at the mail with a look of utter distaste on his face, the blond decided that he would go through the rest of it in private. There was certainly no need for Draco to find out what this drivel contained.
Flipping through the letters, looking for the names of the people Harry had mentioned, Lucuius hand paused when he came to one unexpected sender. Smiling slightly, Lucius looked up at where Harry was sitting and called out in a teasing tone, "Harry, this is a letter I think you want to look at."
Harry's head shot up, as did Draco's. "What is it? Is it the letter from Remus?" Harry asked, climbing to his feet.
"No, I havn't found his letter yet," Lucius replied, hoping for the wolf's sake that there indeed was a letter from Lupin somewhere in this mess.
"Then what is it?" Harry repeated, accepting the envelope from the aristocrat. Turning the letter over and over, the brunet looked at the sender with some confusion. "Loreleis? Who is that?" he asked, having a vague notion that the name sounded familiar to him.
"Not who, what!" Draco said with excitement. "Don't you remember? The chessmen! Severus suggested that you get in touch with them about the chessmen you created in class."
Harry's eyes widened as he remembered. The Potions Master had been most insistent that Harry send them in, and Harry, not believing him for a moment that the company would be interested, had ungraciously given in and told the man that he could do it for all Harry cared. Looking back down at the envelope, holding it as if it was about to explode any second, Harry turned worried eyes onto the Malfoys. "Why do you think they are writing me?" he asked, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.
"Are you kidding?" Draco asked, looking at Harry like he was crazy, not understanding why the brunet wasn't excited about this.
"I think that what my son is trying to state is that he is sure, as am I, that the company loved your idea and are asking for your premission to start producing chess figures, using your design," Lucius said dryly, noting carefully the different emotions flitting across Harry's face. Salazar, but the boy was insecure in himself and his own abilities.
Harry just shook his head. "How do you know that they aren't just writing a polite letter telling me that they aren't interested?" he countered, more sure of that outcome than Draco's optimism.
Lucius tilted his head slightly to hte side. "Why don't you open the letter and find out?" he asked gently.
Harry opened his mouth, about to ask one of the others to do it. But then he closed it again. He was supposed to battle the Dark Lord, and he couldn't even work up the nerve to open one, small little letter? Feeling disgusted with himself, Harry tore the envelope open, ignoring the letter knife the older Malfoy held out to him.
Pulling out the sheat of parchment Harry unfolded it slowly. Doing his best to ignore Draco who was trying to read over his shoulder, Harry took a deep breath and began to read. Draco whooped with joy, raising a fist into the air before starting to do a victory dance around the room. Grumbling under his breath, Draco shout had all but deafened him on that ear, Harry handed the letter over to Lucius while rubbing the offended ear.
Dear Mister Potter,
I am very pleased to be sending you this offer. Your chess figures has delighted us, causing us to marvel at the excuisit detail and at the thought put into the work. We, the company of Loreley, wishes to purchase the rights to include your idea in our next line of chess pieces.
We also feel that your design deseve a special chess board. Do you wish to create this yourself, or do you wish us to do it? Below is included a few ideas that our creators got, but the last word on the subject is of course yours.
Please look over the included contract and get back to us at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely
Betthany Loreley
Director of the Loreleis.
PS. I understand you had some concerns about being evaluated for your skills and not your name. Let me assure you, that Severus Snape when he contacted us kept the information of the creator of the wonderful figures kept in a locked envelope. It wasn't until the decision had already been made and written down on a specially charmed paper that ensured that we couldn't change our minds once we knew the name of the creator that the information was made available to us.
Your work truly is remarkable, exuisit, not to mention new and invigorating. If it wasn't for the fact that you are still in school, I would have offered you employment right away. If you get any other ideas for chess figures, please, do not hesitate to send it to us. I would love to include them in our collection.
Lucius looked up from the letter with a pleased look on his face. "I do not wish to be crude, but I do believe that a 'I told you so' is in order here," he stated with a teasing smile.
Harry's head whipped around to look at Lucius with astonishment. Then he ruefully smiled. "Prat," he said fondly, the reality of the letter yet having to sink in. Taking the letter back from the older Malfoy, Harry once more read it through, this time much more slowly, taking his time to ponder the words and looking for hidden meanings.
Lucius in the meantime was looking over the contract. It was very generous, and looked to be straighforward. Still, he would send it off to Mercury for him to look it over. You could never be too careful when it came to business.
"Do you think I should do the chess board?" Harry asked, looking up at Lucius, breaking the man's train of thought. "I mean, there is nothing wrong with their ideas, I just..." Harry trailed off, not sure how to put his feelings into words. Especially since he wasn't sure what his feelings on the matter were.
"Oh, will you stop that you big baby!" Harry snapped, glaring over at Draco who was still doing a victory dance around the room, adding a 'Yes!' or a whoop now and then for empasis. Unfortunately for the Veela, Harry's emotions were stirred enough for his words to have an unexpected sideeffect.
Draco froze midjump, coming down hard and awkward, and he could feel pain shoot up his leg as he landed wrong on his left foot. Spitting out the object that had suddenly appeared in his mouth, the blond hardly dared to look down at his own body. At least he hadn't shrunken in size, but by the sudden draft he cold tell that he no longer was dressed in his own clothes.
Harry and Lucius were frozen in shock as well, their eyes wide as cantalopes, and their mouths hanging open in silent horror.
Just then the portrait banged open and Severus entered, grumbling under his breath about idiotic dunderheads and prepubic imbecilles. Looking up he stumbled, but managed to righten himself before he ended up flat on his face. Standing there, not sure if he was to believe his eyes, or if the explosion after lates blown-up cauldron had had more effect on him than he had realised, causing him to see strange, nightmareish vision while not sleeping.
"Draco?" Severus asked tentativly, reaching out a hand to... he wasn't sure what he'd intended to do. Take the boy into his arms and comfort him perhaps?
Draco pouted -- perhaps not the wisest move under the circumstances -- and folded his arms across his chest while huffing in annoyance.
His actions broke the frozen state the others had found themselves in. Harry clamped his hands over his mouth in an attempt to stiffle his mirth, doing a poor job of it. Faced with Harry's infectious giggles, it didn't take long for Lucius to lose the battle with his own hilarity, and he ended up holding his ribs while fighting to breathe.
Severus was for some reason the one who was hit hardest. The normally dour, controlled man doubled over with hysterical laughter, hugging his midriff in an attempt to hold his aching ribs together, while tears streamed down his face.
Neadless to say, it took a very long time before any of the three was coherent again.
HPDM
"Alright, alright, you've had your fun, could you please change me back now? It's getting cold, and I want Severus to look at my ankle, I think I've twisted it," Draco said plaintivly, looking pleadingly at his mate who immeditely got a contrite look on his face.
"I'm sorry, Draco. Does it hurt? Want me to get you a potions or something? As for changing you back... what happened? I mean, how did you end up...?" Harry waved a hand over Draco's much changed appearence.
Severus held back a giggle as he walked over to where his godson was standing, picking him up with little effort and carried him to one of the sofas. Prodding the tender foot it didn't take him long to agree with Draco's prognosis, the ankle was indeed twisted. Reaching into his pocket for the apropriate salve, the Potions Master began treating the foot while waiting for an explanation.
Draco sighed, leaning his head back. He supposed he had only himself to blame for this. He should have mentioned it sooner. Still, it could have been worse, he could actually have been turned into a baby.
"Harry, wath was you thinking when you said those words to me?" Draco asked, figuring that that was a good a place to start as any.
"Um...I was thinking that you were behaving like a baby, and..." Harry said, trying to think back on words said in a moment of heat.
"Yes?" Draco prompted gently when the other boy trailed off.
Ducking his head and blushing Harry said, "I got this image in my head, what you would have looked like dressed... well, like that," he admitted pointing to the baby blue knitted little cap securely tied under the blond's chin, completel with two baby blue tassels. On his feet was a pair of baby socks, made of the same blue yarn, and around his middle...
"What in Salazar's name is that?" Draco asked, having followed the progess of his mate's eyes as he took in once more how Draco was dressed. With disgust he fingered the strange material the diper tied around his private parts was made of.
"That is the kind of dipers Muggles use. I take it that wizards don't use anything like that?" Harry asked, momentarily sidetracked.
"No, we don't," Lucius said, his lips still twitching like mad. "And as amusing as this has been, I think it is time to allow Draco to dress more properly, don't you?"
"But, I have no idea how that happened!" Harry said, starting to get distressed.
"Hey, hush, come here," Draco murmured, pulling a resisting Harry into his arms. With his eyes he begged the older men to back off, and after only a brief hesisation, they complied, retreating to where they could still observe the pair, but not overhear what was being said.
"Look, Harry, I'm not angry with you. Well, not anymore," Draco amended his words, deciding to go for brutal honesty. "I know you didn't do this on purpose. In fact, I only got the idea myself this morning when the Weasel lost his hair. I think you are able of doing wandless magic, especially when your emotions are running high."
"I did that!" Harry squaked, suddenly flashing back to how he had tried to imagen what the redhead looked like without his hair.
"I suspect so. I also think you are the reason he was only able to sound like a jack ass the other day. You did call him an ass, didn't you?"
"Yeah! But... I never ment for anything like that to happen!" Harry protested. "Merlin, I'm a bigger danger than I thought! I need to get away from here!" he cried out, trying to jump to his feet.
Only Draco's strong grip held him in place. "No! You are not a danger! Remember what I told you before? That you don't have a mean bone in your body? Well, that still is true! You didn't know that you were doing it. Now we do know, and we can find a way to make sure that it doesn't happen again.
"Remember what the Founders told you? About you being a Dark Elf?" Draco continued, his mind spinning as he theorised while he spoke. Subtly he motioned for the men to rejoing them again, they would need to know about this as well, at it might be a good idea not to have to go over it twice the same night.
Harry reluctantly nodded, still tense and poised to get away as soon as Draco's arms slackened the tiniest bit. Draco sensed this and held onto his mate with all his might. "Remember what they said about Dark Elfs? That they were the warriors, but also that they were the builders?"
Again Harry nodded, not quite sure where the Veela was taking this, but prepared to listen, because a small part of his heart was hoping that Draco would be able to make this okay too.
"All Elves, but especially Dark Elves, have their magic tied to their emitions. You were irritated, agitted, call it whatever you want, but your emotions were running exeptionally high when these insidents happened, right?"
Harry paused to think, before he nodded his head once more in agreement.
"Do you see? You are not a danger to anyone. You didn't wish anyone to drop dead, or to be mutilated or anything. Ron Weasley was acting like a jackass, so he was forced to act the part for a while. I'm sure it was good for him, giving him time to think about his actions," Draco added dryly, pleased when he managed to elict a small giggle from Harry.
"Then there was the insident with the hair, you were not upset that time, but you were tired and cranky, weren't you? Not fully in control of your emotions and magic?"
"Hey! I was not cranky!" Harry protested, but there was no true heat behind his words and Draco ignored him.
"And then there was now. I obviously made your rather annoyed, and for that I apologise. I was just so proud of you! The Loreleis are the best in the business, and for them to offer you a contract and future employment if you want it, it's just... Wow!"
"Wow, huh?" Harry said with a weak chuckle, shifting slightly so he could look Draco in the eyes. "You mean that? Do you really, truly mean that?"
Draco frowned in confusion. "Mean what? That it is wow? You bet I do."
"No!" Harry protested in agitation. "Did you mean the part about not... not being afraid of me?"
"Oh, Harry, of course I'm not afraid of you! I know you! You would never hurt me, never."
"How can you be so sure? Look at what just happened," Harry said, gesturing towards Draco's prone body.
"How can you be so sure that I'm not going to hurt you?" he retaliated.
"Huh?"
"I'm a strong wizard. Hell I'm a strong, Dark wizard, who probably knows more curses and hexes than you do. How do you know that I'm not going to do anything painful to you as payback?"
Harry was taken aback. Draco would never do anything like that. Not towards him. The Veela just wasn't like that, not when it came to him, and that was not only because Harry was his mate. The teen wasn't sure how he knew this, he just did.
"Because that is not in your nature," Harry said with a fond smile as he reached up to gently caress Draco's face. "We were enemies for five years, Draco, and never in that time did you do worse by us than we did you. In fact, I have a feeling the three of us was much worse than you were. Ron did try to hex you to spew up slugs after all."
Draco chuckled. "See? Just as you know me, I know you. If you can't trust yourself when it comes to your powers, then trust me," he said sincerely, looking deeply into Harry's eyes, willing him to believe him.
Harry looked into Draco's beautiful, silvery eyes, looking for deception but finding only love. In the end, he cupped the other boy's cheek and murmured, "I will."
His eyes lightening up with happiness, Draco gently pulled Harry forward until he could kiss him, chuckling softly as he felt the baby clothes melt away and he was once more dressed in his own clothes. It was a relief, because getting a hard on in that diper thing had not been pleasant!
HPDM
"You, my friend, have raised one fine young man," Severus said as he and Lucius sat talking, watching over the two boys who was cuddling together on the sofa. They too were talking quietly, and Harry was basking in the love Draco was showing him. Then again, the Veela was doing some basking himself in the love coming off from Harry.
Lucius had filled his mate in on what had happened during the afternoon, and both men agreed that something had happened to change the dynamic between the boys. They seemed to have come to some unspoken agreement, and Lucuius realised that he needed to get that letter off to the Elven King before much longer.
"Have I thanked you for sending off that letter to the Loreleis?" Lucius asked, returning his attention back to Severus who chuckled.
"Yes, you have. Several times in fact. I knew they would like them, but I had no idea they would offer such a generous contract. And it was written before they knew who the creator was. I was rather specific in my demands. I even got a rather nasty note from Betthany Lorelei, asking if I wanted to tell her how to run her company as well. I just wrote her back and told her that if she wanted those chess pieces to be prodcued by her company, then she would have to do things according to my rules. Evidently, she did," Severus said with a smug little smirk.
"Evidently she did," Lucius agreed with a chuckle. "You might have done us a disservice thought," he warned, lowering his voice, making sure that the boys couldn't hear him.
"Disservice to us?" Severus repeated, giving Lcuius a noncomprehending look.
"Yes, us. He has alredy talked me into helping him open a shop selling sweets, and he has you slathering at the mouth at the thought of the expedition to the rainforest. Money is the main thing that has held him back so far. That and a lack of faith in his own ideas.
"We both know that Draco won't allow him to back down from signing that contract, and yes, it surprised me as well as to how much money they are willing to pay him, especially if he designs the chess board, which I have a feeling he will end up doing.
"Now, with no worries about money issues, and an endless supply of loving support, what do you think that boy will end up doing next?" Lucius asked with a pointed look.
Severus opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, saying, "You know, I haven't the faintest idea. I do know, however, that I probably do not want to know. And yet, I can't wait to find out."
Lucius laughed, clapping him heartily on the back. "Then we are feeling pretty much the same thing. Glad to know I'm not the only one feeling confused on that subject."
Severus ignored him with practised ease. "There is still the problem with his temper. If I understood you correctly, the two of you had a good start on the meditation?"
Lucius thought back to their lesson, Salazar it seemed so long ago! "He had some problems, but that was only expected since it was his first time. He is far from ready learning Occlumency though, if that is what you had in mind."
Severus gave him an impatient look. "Of courese he isn't ready for Occlumency yet! Not to mention that none of us is in any shape to teach him at the moment. I was more thinking along the line of daily meditations. If they got into the habit of doing it everyday, then it would be a big step towards the day they do learn Occlumency. Ideally would be in the morning, but knowing teenagers, that is not an ideal time, not when you are just starting and there are enough things to destract you as it is. No, I was more thinking of having them doing it in the evenings. Perhaps just before going to bed?"
Lucius thought the suggestion over. It wasn't a bad idea, and it would help the boys relax, which should help them get a good night's sleep. "I think that is for the best as well. With Granger gone, things should calm down between Harry and the Gryffindors. Apparently, it is mostly her and Weasley that are stirring up trouble. The Longbottom boy is openly supporting them, and there are little strife in the Slytherin House, aside from Pansy of course."
The two men shared a smirk. The girl shouldn't be a problem for much longer. She was thick, but not even she was that dumwitted. Sooner or later she would come to realise that Draco was off the market.
Together they sat in a comfortable silence, relaxing after an eventful day.
"I don't know about you, but I always get this itching feeling between my shoulderblades when Draco is this quiet," Lucius eventually said, casting another glance at the boys who were talking quietly, a disturbingly gleeful look appeared on their faces every now and then, and the way they were giggling was not reassuring.
"I belive you are correct, Luce. It is our duty as father and godfather to make sure that our charges don't get in deeper than they can handle," Severus said solemnly, giving Lucius a grave look.
They nodded for a few moments, both looking seroious and grave. Then Lucius snorted, and the two dissolved into laughter.
Over on the couch Draco looked over at the two men, shaking his head in fond exasperation.
"What's up with them?" Harry asked in curiousity, trying to see what was so funny.
"Don't ask me, I don't know," Draco said, still shaking his head.
"Do you think we should head over and find out?" Harry asked, reaching for the blanket that was covering them both.
"Too late, thery are already coming over here. So, what's so funny?" Draco asked, giving his father a searching look, hoping to get in on the joke.
"You will understand once you have children of your own," Lucius said, not about to try and explain something to his son that he just could not understand until he had experienced it himself.
"It's a parent thing," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "It's his way of telling me what a hellion I was as a child, and not to come complaining to him the day I have my own kids."
"Oh?" Harry said, his eyes lighting up with mischief.
"No! We are not going to start sharing stories about what I did as a baby!" Draco said empathatically.
"Don't worry, Loveling, those stories are best shared when Draco isn't present," Lucius said with a wink.
"Then I am never letting Harry out of my sight! Problem solved," Draco returned, looking smugly at his father.
Not wanting to get a father-son argument started, Severus turned to Harry and said, "I noticed that there are a lot less books taking up space when I entered, finally did the sensible thing and threw the lot out?"
Harry drew himself up to his full hight, which was somewhat difficult since he was still in Draco's embreace, and said forcefully, "Bite your tongue, Professor Snape!" He would probably have taken offence, if he hadn't seen the teasing glint deep inside onyx eyes. Almost desperate for a change in subject, since he didn't want to think about the fact that he didn't have a parent who could tell embarrassing stories about his childhood, Harry was only too happy to play along.
Severus lifted a sardonic eyebrow. "Then where are they? You haven't put them in my room, have you?" he asked loooking aghast, as he imaged his immaculate sitting room covered in grimy old books.
Harry gave him an apologetic look. "But there was the only place with enough space," he complained, doing a remarkable authentic looking quiver of his bottom lip.
Severus' eyes narrowed, taking in the downhearted, downtrodded look Harry sported, and the laughing devilment that could be seen in his green eyes. "Brat!" he stated fondly, and Harry dissolved in giggles.
Taking a halfhearted swing at the boy, Severus admitted ruefully, "You almost had me there. So where are they?"
"In the trunk of course, where else would they be?" Harry asked innocently.
"Where else indeed," Draco said with a snort. "I've been working on catalouging the work journals, and I would like your opinoin on a few of them. Is it alright if I show them to Severus?" Draco asked, looking over to Harry. He had just realised that the books belonged to him after all.
"Sure, I don't mind at all," Harry said with a smile. "In fact, why don't you and Severus inspect my potions lab, I'm sure the Professor is dying to tell me how I've done the whole place completley wrong," Harry added with a teasing smile. He still had a lot of respect, hell, even fear for the Potions Professor, but Severus was an entirely different matter.
"And what will you be doing? If I may be as bold as to ask that is," Severus said haughtily, delighted that Harry was beginning to treat him the way he was treating Lucius. It showed promsie for their future life together.
"I need to start sorting out the DA," Harry replied with a small sigh. "I made a commitment to the students, and I need to keep it, even if I don't feel like it at the moment. Things has been so... weird lately," he complained.
"I know what you mean, love. But a few more hexes and I'm sure they will learn to keep their unwanted attention way away from us," Draco said with a ressuring smile. "A few dips in the lake, a few turned into donkies -- or worse -- and I'm sure they will see the wisdom of not pissing us off."
"Language, son, and you will not be turning anyone else into anything non-human until Granger has been returned to her normal self, is that understood? The professors are going to need to have some students to teach after all."
"Har, har, everyone's a comedien these days," Draco pouted, not happy that his fun had been curtailed. Then his mind registred what exactly his father had said, and he shared a glance with Harry. The brunet had heard and understood the order as well. Looking back at his father, Draco put on his best innocent smile, and nodded in agreement.
Seing the angelic smile on his son's face, Lucius felt ghostly fingers run up and down his spine. Draco was up to somthing, and he defineitely knew that he most empathetically did not want to know what that something was.
Next Time:
We find out if the hickey stayed or not, grin.
We also find out more about what different people are thinking about Harry.
Until Then...
