(A/N: Hey all, I'm back again with another chapter for you. I really do hope that you will enjoy it and that you will continue to stick with me! On with the show!)

The North Wind Blows

Part 31

Harry and Draco were in fact the first ones to arrive at the dinner table, they were so quick about it that the food hadn't quite finished being brought up to the table. At least that was what they had to assume as they watched platters pop into predetermined locations one by one. Harry had read about House Elf magic, but he had never seen it in action before, thanks to the adults he had been shielded from anything that was too sudden or unexpected. But now that he had witnessed it for himself he was quite certain that he wouldn't have minded meeting one of them in person.

Lucius visited with the Elves quite often as he made sure that they were happy and healthy, so it likely wouldn't be too much to ask for Harry to accompany him at some point. But that was for another day, Harry decided, getting to talk to Tom about Draco's dreams headed up the list of important things to do.

"Boys? Were you going to take your seats? Surely you are both hungry after being so busy all day," Narcissa's gentle voice roused the pair from their state of awe and both boys blushed rather fiercely. It seemed that the entire household had arrived just in time to see them stupefied by something as commonplace as House Elf magic.

"Yes, sorry Mother, I didn't realize that I had gotten so wrapped up in things," Draco apologized and quickly stepped forward to where his usual seat waited for him.

"I got distracted too, I'm not sure I've ever seen magic being done from another room like that," Harry admitted and found that he wasn't quite as embarrassed as he had thought that he would be.

"It can be fascinating, this is true," Lucius agreed as he helped Narcissa into her chair. Draco looked to his mother in concern, but she smiled gently and waved him off.

"Don't worry darling, my back is just a little stiff from brewing for so long. I will get used to it sooner rather than later," she said softly and Draco relaxed assured that his mother had not been in an accident in the short time that he had been away from her side. Not that Severus would have allowed an accident to happen in his lab, but it always worried Draco when he wasn't around to protect his mother, even if he had managed to get better about obsessively checking on her in the past few weeks.

Once everyone was seated around the table, they all reached for helpings of food at the same time. Luckily there were plenty of options and more than enough food to feed the four adults and three children that occupied the Manor. Even with all three boys on the verge of a growth spurt, the House Elves provided enough food that there were always leftovers to be eaten at a later date. One would not have expected a man as well-to-do as Lucius Malfoy to allow leftovers to grace his stores, but he rather enjoyed the cooking of his staff and refused to let any of it go to waste. And so there were several meals that had been served twice, and no one in the Manor seemed to mind.

No one seemed inclined to speak as they enjoyed their meals. It was those moments of quiet and calmness that really made Harry realize just what a different world he was living in than he had been just a handful of months prior. Were he not so busy eating his mashed potatoes and corn off the cob he likely would have cried with the relief and thankfulness that coursed through him in that moment. If anyone noticed that he was a little flustered, they kindly kept it for themselves.

About 20 minutes later they were all very nearly finished with their meals, dessert included. Dudley and Draco had engaged in something of a race to see who could devour the most roasted chicken drumsticks and by their very quiet official count it was revealed that they had tied. Had Harry participated he would have certainly lost as he liked to savor his food far too much to really race toward the end of anything.

"So, Draco, I see you managed to complete a few Nutrient potions today. What flavors did you come up with?" Severus asked, breaking the silence of the room. Draco wiped his face and hands carefully with his napkin before looking up at the Potions Master.

"I managed to make them taste like strawberries, since all of us seem to like those; I thought that they would be a safe flavor to start with. Are the potions up to your standards?" Draco responded and found that he was actually nervous to have his work evaluated by his Godfather now that he had started the customization process. Before he had only practiced brewing the basic potions, and while he had always managed them flawlessly, he was in new territory.

"They are excellent in quality. I think we may yet need to work on potency, but these ones should be sufficient to deliver the necessary nutrients for any growing child," Severus assured and Draco's face split into a wide smile.

"Thank you Godfather, I had been worried that they wouldn't be strong enough, but I can certainly apply what I have been learning lately to adjust them," Draco stated enthusiastically.

"Will we be allowed to try them?" Harry asked softly and Draco blushed, he hadn't considered that they would actually get used by him and his surrogate brothers. He hoped that they tasted as good as he thought they should so that the other two boys were not disappointed by his skills.

"Yes of course. You'll be able to take them before bed instead of your standard Nutrient potions if you so wish," Severus said plainly.

"Oh good. I love strawberries," Dudley chimed in as he continued to clean the mess that he had made from the table cloth. He was still getting used to cleaning up after himself; his parents hadn't exactly taken the time to instill a sense of cleanliness in him.

"Speaking of our various endeavors, Lucius how is Dudley doing in the Simulacrum department?" Severus asked.

"His work is excellent as always, we have nearly finished his and will be moving on to Harry's by the end of the week," Lucius reported with a sense of pride that they had been able to work together so wonderfully. Dudley had a penchant for the arts and it was well used in the sculpting of the clay that would later be transformed into their replacements.

"That is good to hear, you're very nearly ahead of schedule," Tom spoke up and smiled, he had planned to retrieve the current simulacrums in three weeks time, but if all worked out, they would be able to move that date ahead, giving them extra time to transfer the memories and personalities from them to the new ones.

"My latest project is another failure. But this one didn't shatter, so that's a step forward," Harry volunteered the information without being asked. He was slowly getting used to speaking up and actually participating in conversations.

"Indeed it is," Tom agreed gently.

"Oh, right, Tom, can Draco and I talk to you later tonight? There was something that we wanted to ask you," Harry said and was glad that he had remembered before they all dispersed for the night. Now that the three of them had consistently started sleeping in their own rooms and were following separate pursuits they spent less time together than they previously had.

"Of course you can. But for now why don't the three of you go and play in one of your rooms. After all that you've done today, I think you've earned some time to relax," Tom stated and the three boys cheered before they excused themselves and walked as quickly as they could up to Harry's room.

(A/N: Well there it is. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and that you will leave me a review or a comment to let me know what you thought of it. As always, thanks for reading and I will see you next time!)