Title: In The Interests Of …

Author: I_nv_u50

Pairings: DracoXHarry

Disclaimer: Welll… let's see… are the canon characters gay? Well then, there you go! T.T

Chapter Rating: PG13, cuz I can't think of anything better…

Author's Notes: Whee!! I got my votes!!

Harry: Chee. I wonder what one.

Draco: Gosh. I don't know. Whatever could it be.

Harry: Yes. Let's go find out.

Draco: This is bullshit. Who wrote these scripts?

Harry: I'm betting someone who planned to make us look like idiots….

(insert three second pause)

Draco&Harry: Sirius!

Sirius: It wasn't me! It was Moony!! Moony I tell you!

Remus: You really have to stop blaming me when all evidence points otherwise.

Sirius: No I don't.

Lets proceed without them then, shall we? Anyway, The extra long story votes won out (because mine counted for at least 10)

Draco: Now that's what I call subtle favouritism.

So, roughly (aren't you proud? I now have the basic outline.) this story is going to be about 50-57 chapters, depending…

Anyway, This is chapter 14, I hope you enjoy it, and please review!!

PS: For those of you in Canada, happy thanksgiving!! I had turkey. Did you? :D

PPS: Kellan is the young sorceress. But I'm sure you could have figured that out O.o;

Thanks to all reviewers who have reviewed! I was really thankful for you today, and everyday! ^^

Harry: Aww…

Draco: Hey, why isn't she thankful for us? I mean, we do all the work.

I_nv_u50: What work?

Harry ran straight to one of the common rooms, which was the usual meeting place of families that came to visit their relatives in SeeD. Well, those that still cared anyway.

Sirius and James and Remus were merrily singing karaoke to no music, and Lily was talking to Hermione, just as cheerfully pretending she didn't know them, while Ron and the other people in the room stared in bemusement and laughed.

Harry joined his mother, sitting on the bench beside her, leaning against her for an affectionate second before sitting up straight again. He determinedly put his flushed face and breathlessness to his sprint down here.

Harry couldn't believe the thoughts Draco had sent through. They were so dirty!

… Actually, he could. What was worse, he could really see himself and Draco in those thoughts and scenes.

And although he wasn't so sure he wanted to be happy about that, something inside of him was dreamily considering the possibilities and options, even as the bond kept reliving the feverish kiss from earlier… which had never happened.

At least, as far as Harry was concerned. And as he had been the one to not initiate the entire thing, surely it was what he thought that counted. Despite his tried optimistic thinking, Harry was sure Draco wouldn't see it like that.

"Harry! Come on! Come join you old man!" James called across the room, mid line, and he had to dodge the slaps that both Remus and Sirius aimed at him for interrupting the song.

Lily patted Harry's shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry, Harry. I won't blame you if you claim no relation with him, or any knowledge of him."

Harry laughed, relieved and grateful for the excuse to stop thinking and analyzing. He didn't want the results, that much he was sure of. "No, that's alright, I'll pretend to be Remus' son."

Lily hummed and hawed. "I don't think that'll work. You look too much like Sirius to consider that."

"Well, at least people can't say I look like dad." Harry grinned, and edged past her.

Lily caught hold of his arm before he could get out of reach. "Seriously, Harry, I'd like to talk to you and Draco later."

Harry nodded absently then, feeling Draco's approach, wiped his hands on his pants and walked over to join his father.

When Draco walked in, still smirking, the first thing he saw was Harry, laughing happily and trying to hold up Sirius' weight.

Sirius himself felt Harry tense up ever so slightly and, guessing the reason, started to really lay on the obvious contact. He had already decided that teasing the possessive sorceress would be a great game.

He was rather disappointed when all Draco did was narrow eyes that had flared molten silver and stalked over to a table that was a little away from the main group. He plainly did not want company.

Lily also observed this, and hastily took her leave on Hermione and Ron to go sit with Draco.

"I've got to go talk with someone, I'll see you two later, alright?"

Hermione caught her sleeve before she could go. "Wait, Lily, be careful if you're going to talk to Draco."

Lily watched her. "Why?"

Hermione took a deep breath, but Ron cut her off. "Because he's a possessive bastard, that's why. Don't get him angry, he almost killed half the SeeDs in this place. He should have that stick removed from his-"

"Ron!" Hermione broke in. "He's right, Lily. Don't upset him, because Harry's the only one who can really calm him down, and Harry's a little busy right now."

Lily grinned at her. "I'm guessing Sirius doesn't really help Draco's mood, does he."

Hermione shook her head. "No. It's one of his major faults."

Lily nodded. "Ok. I'll go talk to him now, and I'll be careful." She grinned again. "Don't worry. I'm more subtle and tactful than my husband or Sirius."

Hermione smiled at her. "We know."

Draco watched Lily come closer warily, determinedly ignoring Harry's good looking godfather because he sensed that Sirius was only doing it to annoy him.

To let Sirius see his irritation would be to lose the silent challenge and to give in to the common peasant, and that would be unforgivable.

It would be better to fight when Harry was being irritated or annoyed by his godfather, and as that particular situation was showing no signs of arriving, Draco couldn't really do anything about how Sirius was annoying him without looking smaller than Sirius.

As for Harry's mother, Draco had no doubt that she wanted to talk about Harry, and while he was perfectly prepared to do that, he also wasn't sure what he felt about her, and that alone made her untrustworthy for the moment.

That Harry adored her was obvious, so she had something going for her, at least. But she had better come prepared to be disliked. Of course, Draco would make an effort to like her, if only for Harry's sake. Harry would be hurt and angry if Draco insulted his mother. Draco assumed that Harry's and Lily's relationship was much the same as his and his own mother's had been, and that alone was worth the effort as well.
Draco just wished he knew what Lily's good traits were so he could get a better reading of her.

"Hullo Draco. Do you mind if I sit?"

He stood up automatically, the cool politeness that was ingrained into him from an early age making him pull out a chair for her silently.

She blinked and then laughed. "Thank you! It's been years since either James or Harry have done that."

Draco smiled vaguely as he sat as well. "I was trained to always be polite."

Lily smiled a no nonsense smile, and Draco had the sudden impression that this lady would be a hard one to beat in a verbal match. He wouldn't like to get on her bad side, she could probably give as good as she got.

"Draco, I'd like to talk to you in private. Where can we go to be alone?"

Draco stood up again, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgement. "We can go to my wing. Please follow me."

He led her to his Public Chambers, where he lit the fireplace with a careless word and gesture.

Lily looked around in interest at the decorative drapes and wall hangings, the comfortable looking chairs and the welcoming looking carpet in front of the crackling fireplace. "This is a beautiful place. Not just this room, but also the entire mansion. Is it yours?"

"It was." Draco replied coolly, gesturing for Lily to take a seat.

She took the left armchair in front of the fire and stared at him when he sat down opposite her.

"Tell me, Draco. Will Harry be in any danger because he is your knight?"

Draco thought for a second, and then shrugged. "I honestly can't say. He will have all my protection, whereas if he were a SeeD, he'd just have himself and his teammates. It'll probably be as safe for him being my knight as it would be if he were just an ordinary SeeD, because although he will have my protection, when he does fight, it will be tougher battles."

Lily nodded slowly, taking it all in. "What do you mean, 'when he does fight'?"

Draco gave a self-satisfied smile. "He won't be allowed to fight unless I give my permission, it's an emergency, or I have been called to fight."

Lily gave him a secretive smile. "You wont let him fight without those reasons, will you."

Draco smirked. "Of course not. I am exceptionally worried about his life."

"Oh?" Lily's gaze searched his. "Do you love him then?"

Draco scowled, preferring not to think about it. "I respect and admire him, if that's what you mean. But I don't believe in love. The only reason I'm worried about his life is because if he dies, I will die."

"I see." Lily murmured, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she searched Draco's face.

Draco wasn't sure what she found there, but she seemed satisfied with the results, because she relaxed again and smiled.

"So. Have you slept with him yet?"

Draco's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the question before he scowled. "I really don't see how that's any of your business."

Lily shrugged, smiling, and she stood up. "I'll ask Harry. He usually tells me if I bug him hard enough. Or I can ask James to do it for me."

Draco blinked at her, surprised. He hadn't been expecting that question. He shrugged. "We're not. Not for lack of trying though."

"Lack of trying on whose part?"

"Your son's."

Lily smiled with open friendliness. "I'm glad. It'll be a good challenge for both of you. I'd better go check up on my husband then. You never know what they're getting up to."

Draco nodded indifferently; as long as they weren't annoying Harry, he could tolerate them. But Harry was happy now, and the bond was transferring every little nuance of the emotion to Draco.

Then a spark of good willed fun and recklessness overcame Harry, and Draco suddenly smiled openly at what he was receiving, the cheerfulness too insistent to ignore.

Lily caught her breath at the sudden, honest beauty Draco had when he smiled and meant it.

Draco was extraordinarily and eerily handsome when he was cool and distant, distinctly and incorrigibly sexy when he smirked. But when he smiled and meant it, he was utterly, entirely, devastingly enchanting, with his rare silver eyes sparkling, his normally pale cheeks slightly flushed, and his whole demeanour friendly.

'Oh Harry…' Lily thought as she went ahead of Draco to the common room. 'I hope it goes all right for you. He's hopelessly stunning, and unruly too, by the looks of it. He might be too much for you. My poor boy…'

Dumbledore was a raving, foolish lunatic, agreeing to let that other sorceress visit when everyone knew that the escaped one would follow. And Kellan was too young to fight either.

He had been in the same room, checking some information on sorceresses when Dumbledore had received that phone call from the headmaster of the Winhill Garden.

"Albus, do you really think that's such a good idea?" Even Minerva had agreed with Tom, and she never did that.

Dumbledore had stared at them both, his normally twinkling blue eyes grave and serious. "Minerva, Tom, I have known Seifer Almasy since he was only knee high. I was a friend of their Matron. If he asks for help, I can not refuse it. It'll be good for Kelly to get to know some other sorceresses."

And that, had been that.

Although Tom wasn't scared of either of the sorceresses, he was genuinely fond of Kelly, even if she was irritating at times. But then, most five year olds could be irritating.

Tom continued to storm up and down and through the stone corridors of the house, before he eventually slammed the doors to the courtyard open and stalked through to the middle, by the fountain, to count deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down.

He had always liked the fountain, it was a really old statue of Anastasia, the first sorceress to achieve what she wanted. She was also the one who had ignited the fear of sorceresses and magic into most hearts. It was all because of her that sorceresses were hated.

Tom didn't like her for that, but he admired her strength for getting what she wanted. He wished he could say the same.

If he was honest with himself, and Tom was a steadfast believer in 'To thine own self be true', Tom had to admit he was jealous. He wanted power like that. He wanted to fight and come out victorious. He wanted people to know his name everywhere: Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Secretly, he admired the escaped sorceress. She knew what she wanted, and she was going full out to get it. She wasn't letting some blonde nobody stand in her way.

But then, Tom supposed, sitting down on the prickly grass, the sorceress coming to Centra was also supposed to have potential.

And Dumbledore had said they both had very good knights.

It was a good thing Kellan was too young and acknowledged as too young to have a knight, otherwise Tom wouldn't have the biggest influence on the girl.

Kelly hero-worshipped him, Tom knew, and he was quite sure that he was her favourite person. He was quite sure that she was his.

It had started out as boring, looking after the young girl, but she really was cute most of the time. He guessed that he might even have loved her.

That was probably the only reason that old fool Dumbledore let him stay. Tom was equally sure that Dumbledore, usually so trusting, didn't trust him.

He didn't know why. Surely Dumbledore couldn't know about that black core he felt sometimes. It scared him. And it hurt that, if Dumbledore did know, he wasn't helping.

He wasn't certain if that was the reason why, but, whatever the reason, something hot and black inside of him resented the fact that Dumbledore didn't like him when all Tom really wanted was to be liked and known. The black hole in him loved to hate, and it longed for more.

The pattering of small feet roused him from his somewhat bitter reflective moment, and he stood up, anticipating the happy little face with eager impatience.

The smaller girl ran through the doors. One of her red pigtails had come undone, and the hair was whipping out behind her. She would be breathtaking when she grew up. Tom hoped he would be able to see her then.

Tom mentally and hastily checked his defenses, as Kelly wasn't perfect or very good at handling her magic just yet, and frequent accidents did still happen, and when she jumped for him, he caught her and swung her around, smiling as she squealed with joy.

Deep inside of him, the blackness simmered for a second longer, then curled up tight, appeased by the love in the sparkling green eyes looking down at him.

But although it was pacified for the time being, it was waiting for something to happen so it could come out.

In Winhill, a stray knight was staring up at the palace, slightly saddened by what he was about to do. But it was what She wished, and he would do it, because it would help Her live longer if these two sorceresses died now.

His sorceress knew his plan, and approved. If he succeeded, She would reward him. If he failed, it would be all right, because there was always next time. But their time was running out.