A Single Choice
Chapter Three- Beginnings of a Headache
By- IceWind
A/N:
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.
Warnings: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^
*smiles gleefully* So many people reviewed! *hugs you all* Yay! Now if we could keep this up… *coughs*hint*coughs* hehe, sometimes I amuse myself. O.o;; Okay, so I'm slightly hyper right now, me channel all energies into writing! You'll see what pets they receive in this chapter, I though about all of your ideas (really I did) but except for a snake for Harry (sooo not cuddible, though I love them) you didn't agree with each other. Heh, so instead of favoring one over the other, I thought up of something myself.
Tat: Intriguing hmmm? I think I like the sound of that ^_^ I'll try to keep it up then, try to shove a nice, complex story line in there as well. (I'm very big on those… -.-; but this won't be as hard to understand as say… Torn Asunder or even my Tamora Pierce fic Aether Winds)
(person with nothing there): You know, sometimes its fine just to give a letter as a signature, makes replying easier… but it's okay! Hehe, as long as you reviewed I'm happy. You're tired of seeing a light and happy Harry? *large sweatdrop* I really cannot say if he will or will not be happy.
Taggurit: *chuckles* Original? Not really, I think several other people before me have done the same thing I'm doing. And the probability of this being slash is extremely high, so almost no worries there! But that won't come until much later in the story, they're still little kids!
Dark-Moon/Iris: Thank you!
DragonShimmer: *twitch* Only you would come up with an albino hamster and a ferret. *giggles* Ah, what would I do without you? Probably have saner reviews :P Joking, joking! Yeah, I would definitely want a manor like that *sighs* but I can't ;.;
Tir-synni: Hehe, the best you ever seen? *grows teary eyes and glomps you, wailing* thank you! *coughs and quickly regains composure* Yeah, I love Lucius as well… not as much as Draco and Harry but up there. I got kind of annoyed with all of the 'Lucius is a terrible father and should burn in hell because he beats his kid and starves him and forces him to do nasty things like killing people' *coughs and takes a deep breath*
MissPatriciaPotter: *grins* Thanks for reviewing and I was sort of thinking of giving them something similar to that… but then I decided it wouldn't work for what I want to do later on. *evil grin*
Serena Cherry: *laughs* Suggestions aren't bad… interesting creatures btw. I made up my own a while back called a siryuu… and let me tell you that it would have been biologically possible if it could have existed. *giggles* that's because I also gave a description of its framework, structure, internal organs, *rambles on* Yeah, so when I was done I had a lot on it.
Hippy Flower=Voldie's Kid: Thanks! And hmm *rubs chin* I could use some anime stuff, books, or just plain cash… *trails off and grins sheepishly* Ah well, just joking.
Fireangle: *grins* I love writing this story, so much fun, and I love the house, I wish I could have one just like it… Thanks for your input on ideas.
Cynic: *slight bow* Thanks! And naked? *smirks evilly* I'll see if I can squeeze that in, but no promises! ^.~
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Slowly, methodically, Lucius paced down the hallway of the Malfoy manor, his eyes barely glancing at the portraits on the wall as he walked. A faintly rueful grin appeared on his face as he approached a sturdily made, beautifully carved oak door, his steps quickening slightly as he neared. All he had to do was hope that the boys forgave him for arriving back so late. He was visiting Harry first, his room being the closest, and then he would visit Draco… yes, that was the plan at least.
A thoughtful look entered his gray eyes as he wondered how long it has been since he had last seen them all, his work taking too much of his time to come visit. Of course that would soon all change, especially with Harry and Draco having reached five years old. A slightly wry grin appeared on his face at the thought, tinged with a little sorrow for having missed a lot of time in their early childhood. Of course that didn't matter now, the past was past, and there was nothing he could do to change it… unless he obtained one of those time turners of course.
Finally he reached the door and opened it, peeking inside the elegant room as his gaze was drawn towards the bed where a little lump under the blankets should be, signaling a slumbering little scamp by the name of Harry Potter. He arrived early in the morning, perfect for surprising the boys with his return.
Suddenly he stopped and stared at the bed, faint slivers of panic starting rising as he absentmindedly noted that his life became more and more hectic with the arrival of both boys. "Harry?!" his gaze flew frantically towards the bed as he didn't see the familiar mop of black hair and the little boy who was supposed to be sleeping. Draco… Lucius bolted out of the room, not caring overly much about the way he was panicking and the fact that Malfoy's weren't supposed to panic, and went quickly next door.
"Draco!" His frantic voice rang out and he strode hurriedly through the door, immediately looking to where his son was supposed to be before he stopped and stared. There were two little boys sprawled out on the bed, limbs entangling themselves with one another, both in the throes of deep slumber. Harry had his head on Draco's chest and his arm flung around the other boy, while Draco was clutching Harry as if he was a pillow. Even though Lucius' voice was rather loud, neither woke up though Harry gave a soft murmur and buried himself deeper into Draco and the bed.
Cute…wait a moment. Immediately Lucius shook himself out of his thoughts, relief foremost among his mind while he idly wondered why Narcissa didn't inform him that the boys still slept in the same bed. A bad habit, he really ought to break them of it. Of course, they both looked absolutely adorable and peaceful sleeping like that…
A light grin made itself visible as he walked slowly towards the duo, struggling to regain his composure from his earlier panic. No, not panic. Malfoys do NOT panic… right. He gave a mental nod to himself and suddenly grabbed the edge of the blanket, gazing at the little boys for a moment before he gave a great yank and threw the blanket off, barking out, "Wake up!"
Harry stirred once again, mewling softly in the cold as he grumbled to himself and opened one wide emerald green eye and suddenly bounced from sleepiness to awake in several seconds when he saw Lucius. "Luwcius!" Immediately he jolted from the bed and flung himself into the older man's arms, wiggling around excitedly as he called out, "Dwaco! It's Luwcius!" Excitement shone from his bright eyes as he twisted around in Lucius' grasp and looked impatiently towards the still sleeping Draco, "Dwaco! Wake up!"
Draco mumbled to himself in his sleep and threw an arm over to where Harry was supposed to be laying. He opened his eyes blearily when he couldn't feel his companion and looked towards Lucius with an impertinent glare, "I was sweeping!" He then looked towards Harry and pouted, an adorably cute pout with the lower lip trembling slightly.
Lucius looked towards his son in confusion, sweeping? … Oh! Sleeping! Note to self, get the boys speech lessons or something of the sort. He chuckled lightly to himself, raising a brow at Draco and asking archly, "And I don't get a hello?" He struggled to contain the excited, bouncing Harry, looking at the little boy with amusement, "Miss me?"
Suddenly Harry dropped a messy kiss onto the man's cheek and wriggled out of his grasp, running back towards Draco and dropping down next to the sleepy little boy, "Don't be sad, Dwaco! Pwease?" He started to pout as well, his figure drooping slightly, a sad expression in his eyes as he looked at his counterpart.
Apparently it was something he did often because Draco looked at him impassively for a moment and spoke, "You woke up without me!" Suddenly his gaze softened as Harry managed to look even sadder than before and he sighed and giggled, "So'k!" With that he gave the slightly younger boy a hug and looked towards his father, "You's late!" He declared this with a slightly regal air before he collapsed into a fit of giggles when Harry started to poke his stomach. "Hey!" Immediately he retaliated by tackling the other boy and started to tickle his sides.
All in all, they had forgotten about Lucius who was still standing at the foot of the bed, slightly chagrined at how quickly the boys forgot about his presence. He cleared his throat loudly, and seeing when that had no effect, suddenly sighed and spoke lightly, "I got presents." Inwardly he smirked when he saw both little bodies still and two heads peek up at him.
"Pwesents!" Harry surged to his feet first on top of the bed, nearly falling down until Draco reached out an arm to steady him. He gave Draco a cheerful smile and darted towards Lucius once again, demanding, "Where?!"
Draco followed at a statelier pace, as suited for a Malfoy heir, before he heard Harry threatening that he would get all of the presents unless he hurried up. At that he bolted forward and collided with the back of the dark haired boy, rubbing his head and whining, "I want some too!" He tugged lightly on Harry's hair and the other boy stepped to the side slightly to make room for him.
"Here you two," with that, Lucius pulled out two figurines, one of a dragon and another of a gryphon. Each one was intricately done, as they say, nothing but the best for a Malfoy… or those living with the Malfoys. The dragon was jet black in color with silver eyes, wings slightly out furled, features peaceful and serene, which was kind of surprising to see. The gryphon was golden brown in color, emerald green eyes looking regal, in the same position as the dragon was in.
Lucius grinned when he saw both pairs of eyes widened and waved the two figurines in front of the boys, "Now who gets which?" His voice was light and teasing, knowing full well that Draco would probably want the dragon and Harry the gryphon. Surprise flickered in his gray eyes when Harry's arm shot out and grabbed the dragon carefully.
"Mine!" He turned towards Draco and put on his most adorable, you-can't-deny-me-anything face, "Pwease Dwaco?" He cradled the miniature dragon lovingly in his arms, looking at the other boy with the beginnings of a pout about to form, "It weminds me of you!"
In reply, Draco nodded once and nearly gasped as Harry's arms snaked around his neck and the other boy squeezed him in a hug. He giggled softly and gently extracted himself from Harry's arms, grabbing the gryphon from his father's hand.
"Hello, love. Perhaps next time you could visit me first?" Narcissa smiled slightly at Lucius' guilty look, walking over to the trio slowly as she took in Harry and Draco's forms. "You two have to get changed," she spoke mock sternly, chuckling lightly at the woeful looks the little boys shot her way, "Now give me your new toys and I'll put them in your rooms so you can play with them later… Milly!"
At her voice, a house elf appeared, looking at Draco and Harry with something akin to guilt, "Sorry ma'am! Milly will get young masters Harry and Draco changed!" The house elf had large, doe like brown eyes and enormous ears, her stance slightly uneasy.
The house elves at the Malfoy manor were those not known to others, in fact completely separated from the outside world. They were happy though; the Malfoy's usually ignored them and didn't deign to punish them, rather ignoring them mostly. Draco and Harry played with the elves at times though, mostly because they never left the manor grounds. In conclusion, the elves were rather happy with their living status and serving the family, some of them boasting how long their family had served the Malfoys, and all extremely fond of the two boys who ran amok about the manor.
Reluctantly the boys placed
their toys in Narcissa's hand before running out the room following Milly. Narcissa
gave the retreating figures a small smile before looking back towards Lucius,
chiding lightly, "You're late, love."
He laughed and strode over to her, giving her a light kiss, "I know, I know.
Draco told me the same thing. Now tell me, do they sleep in the same room every
night? Harry nearly gave me a heart attack when I saw that he wasn't in his
room." He brushed a strand of blonde hair away from Narcissa's eyes, tilting
his head slightly.
She gave him a smile and stepped away lightly, "Of course they do! You can't pry them apart unless with magic and even then they won't be apart for long. Don't you think they look so adorable together?" Suddenly her lips pursed and a gleam entered her eyes, "Nearly had a heart attack? Not seemly for a Malfoy, love."
For a moment Lucius seemed to be at a loss for words before he gave his wife a rueful grin and a mock bow, signaling his defeat. "I'm going to be around much more often, my dear, can you put up with me?" He grinned devilishly at her when her eyes widened slightly at the statement, "Oh and I'm taking the boy's out for a walk after breakfast, I'm sure they'll enjoy that."
Quickly Narcissa regained her composure, a touch of amusement appearing on her face as she spoke, "Of course, love."
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"Now boys, don't run off too far? I rather not have to find you two in little pieces." Lucius smirked to himself as the two boys looked at him with wide eyes. It wasn't necessarily true, for the creatures that inhabited the manor grounds would never hurt those of Malfoy blood… or ones accepted like Harry had been. But it didn't hurt to add in the little threat, who knew where the boys would run off to? What if they got lost or fell down some hill or something such as that? Not only would he be besieged with worry, but Narcissa would kill him as well.
He gave an internal sigh as he casually leaned against the tree, trying to look as if he was not tired and aching… it was getting harder and harder to prove himself to be a loyal Voldemort follower even if the man… or creature, whatever he may look like, was not there. Not to mention he still had his work in the ministry to do and being a Malfoy in general. Lucius closed his eyes and listened to the sound of little feet softly moving away and his lips upturned slightly in a smile.
Who would have guessed that he would grow to be as fond of the Potter boy as his own son? He knew that Narcissa felt the same way about them both and they worried about what they would have to do later on… but that was in the future, and there was no need to worry about that until it came up, he refused to even think about it. Well, except for the fact that they were going to get revenge against Voldemort, if there was one certainty, that was it. Now if only the boys weren't so much of a handful…
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"Dwaco!" Harry tugged at the edges of Draco's black robes, his emerald green eyes sparkling with excitement, "Let's go!" He gestured haphazardly towards the surrounding forest, sneaking a guilty eye towards Lucius before darting his gaze back to his blond companion. He knew that they weren't supposed to not go out far… but Lucius wasn't being any fun at all!
Draco chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, looking at the other boy with a serious expression before whispering in a dramatic voice, "What if Luwcius finds out? We'll get in twouble!" He snuck a 'covert' glance towards his father, forgetting once again that he was supposed to call the man 'father' and Harry was the one supposed to call him 'Lucius'. At the appearance of Harry's patented -or should be patented anyway- pout, he felt his small resolve crumple instantly and he flashed the slightly younger boy a cheeky smile, "Okies! Let's go!"
A cheerful smile became a fixture on Harry's face as he and Draco snuck away into the forest, both of them erupting into random giggles almost every five steps before they looked back towards where Lucius was resting guiltily. It was a gorgeous day, marred with only the small amounts of clouds that drifted lazily across the sky. The sun beat down upon the ground almost relentlessly, but both boys were shaded by the large foliage in the forest and they wandered down further and further happily.
Suddenly Harry stopped and clung to Draco's side, eyes growing wider and wider as he looked around. The other boy stopped abruptly and cast his companion a puzzled look, "What's wong, Hawwy?" He gave the smaller boy a slight hug, silver eyes looking both worried and amused at the dark haired boy's actions.
"I dunno whewe we are!" Harry shivered slightly and buried his head into Draco's side, earlier excitement and courage melting away at this new dilemma that faced them. In truth, Harry was much more sheltered than Draco, never allowed to leave the manor or go alone in the surrounding areas without an adult. It was more for security reasons than anything else, but Harry didn't know that.
Draco suddenly grinned and lifted Harry's chin up slightly, proclaiming in a proud voice, "I'll prowtect us!" He gave an empathic nod at Harry's hopeful look and looked pleased when Harry giggled and hugged him tightly. "Ok! We go… that way!" He pointed in the direction of some nearby cliffs, marching towards there proudly, while ignoring his own fear; he had to protect Harry didn't he?
Harry suddenly ran ahead of him, skipping in the sun, the light making little dapples on him as he spun around and broke through into a small clearing. Suddenly he stopped short and stared, a delighted look creeping up into his eyes as he looked back towards Draco and spoke excitedly, "Look Dwaco! Doggies!" He looked around, his eyes shining as he watched something just out of Draco's sight.
"Doggies?" Draco questioned softly to himself, confusion appearing in his eyes as he hurried towards Harry. He watched Harry giggle and smiled brightly at the site, bursting into the clearing himself and blinking in the sudden burst of sun as he looked at what the other boy was currently petting. "Doggies!" He squealed softly and rushed forward to where Harry was petting a black canine.
The wolf cocked its head slightly, ears pricking as it heard the word 'doggies'. He whined softly and suddenly trotted over to where others of his pack were watching the proceedings, nudging out two roly-poly pups, one jet black in color and the other a pristine white. The pups looked at their father with curious eyes before they suddenly spotted the two little boys who were watching them avidly. Suddenly as if they forgot the rest of their pack, they sprang forward into each boy's arms, barking loudly and wagging their tails.
"Mine!" Draco clutched the white-pelted one, giggling as a pink tongue lolled out and licked his face. Suddenly he stilled and tilted his head slightly, silver eyes curious as they looked deep into the light azure ones of the pup. Next to him Harry was doing the same with the ebony pup, both of their small bodies huddled together as two voices suddenly clamored in their heads.
We're pack!
Apparently it only got Harry and Draco confused, for both little boys blinked and looked each other incomprehensibly, not noticing while the rest of the other pack melted back into the forest. Finally Harry spoke, eyes suddenly gleaming with slight understanding, "Pack? You and me and Drawco and the other one?" He giggled as the black pup licked his face, holding the squirming wolf in his arms, "Okies! I'm Hawwy and that's Dwaco! Who you two?"
The white one spoke up arrogantly, his eyes gleaming brightly as his tail wagged as fast as it could go, I am Tyr and he is Ayrin. You are interesting, we like you! His sleek head butted Draco's and suddenly Draco's head was filled with the pup's laughter.
"We gotta go and find Luwcius!" Harry turned towards Draco with shining eyes, "Which way?" At Draco's silence and blank look, Harry shuffled nervously as he struggled to keep Ayrin from breaking loose from his arms. "Dwaco?" he questioned the pale-haired boy softly, eyes holding glimmers of fear, "We lost?"
Human smell is over there Ayrin spoke lightly in Harry's mind, nudging the boy with his nose as the pup pointed his head towards the smells of the manor. We live there with you, yes? His dark blue eyes looked into Harry's gleefully, suddenly squirming out of Harry's hold and darting ahead before stopping and waiting patiently for them to catch up.
Harry giggled as Tyr broke Draco's hold as well and darted forward to join his brother. With swift movements, Harry grabbed Draco's robe and started to drag him forward, saying excitedly, "Luwcius is going to wuv them!"
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You have to be joking… Lucius groaned and rubbed his head, feeling the beginnings of a headache to set in. Finally he spoke, eyeing both boys and their squirming bundles warily, "Let me ask you this again, you both picked up wolves and are bonded to them?" At the twin blank looks on both little boys faces Lucius sighed, "You are now 'pack' and can hear one wolf in your head."
Harry giggled and buried his face into Ayrin's soft fur as Draco answered for them, his voice rebellious, "Can we keep 'em?" Idly he decided not to tell his father that he could hear both Try and Ayrin in his head, Harry could as well, and smiled his most charming smile at Lucius. "Pwease?" he made sure his eyes were as wide as they could go, if it could work for Harry, it could work for him right?
"Why not?" Narcissa's voice floated lazily over the garden, her steps slow and dainty as she walked up to both boys and kneeled down next to them, rubbing the heads of the wolf pups. "Aren't they just darling, Lucius? They remind me of Draco and Harry… don't they remind you of them too?" She shot a dangerous look towards her husband, making sure to stress his name.
Seeing that he was beaten, Lucius sighed and muttered to himself, "And I guess I have no more say in this household hmmm?" At the innocent looks the rest gave him, he let loose a light chuckle, eyes stern, "Just take care of the Astrali wolves and make sure they don't run amok about the manor." Once again Harry and Draco looked at Lucius blankly and he gave a slight shake of his head, simplifying things, "Your 'doggies'." At their bright looks he spoke on hastily, "Of course, now that this has happened, don't think that I'm going to let you slide in your lessons. In fact, I'm going to double your work load."
Draco pouted but sighed, nodding, seeing as if this was the only way to keep the two wolves… of course he had no idea that Lucius probably wouldn't be able to part them anyway. He looked down brightly at Tyr before looking towards Harry and Ayrin, "It's ok, right Hawwy?" At the nod from the other boy, he looked back towards his father and gave a simple smile, "Okies, Luwcius!"
"Father!" Lucius corrected the boy in exasperation, feeling the headache beating down harder upon his head. This on top of everything else. Why couldn't his own son figure out that he was supposed to call him father and that Harry was the one supposed to call him 'Lucius'? Idly he regretted the fact that he let the Astrali wolves live on the manor grounds… but they were helpful in guarding and fierce as well.
Of course, they weren't supposed to bond to anyone as well, they usually were solitary creatures. Astrali wolves behaved like normal wolves, perhaps a bit faster, larger, stronger, and smarter. That is before they bond of course, and when they bond they suddenly have a whole myriad of abilities appear, not all of them were things that Lucius knew. Such as the sudden ability to speak to their bonded, their lives are now extended to match those of the wizard they bonded to, and they could now perform slight, extremely slight, magical abilities such as lighting one's way. If they did anything else, then Lucius didn't know about it, though he was now going to research it. Ah well, perhaps this won't be as bad as he feared?
He heard the suddenly giggle of Harry when the black wolf pup suddenly pounced towards a house elf, scattering it back to where it came from…
Nope, it was going to be as bad as he feared.
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I just discovered that I am dismal at writing about little kids. *dies* So do you guys just want me to bump up their ages to seven or something in the next chapter? ^_^;; I can do that! Really! Anyway, do you like my wolves? Personally I love wolves myself and I'm rather good at writing about them. Poor Lucius, you could just hear the headache forming couldn't you? Ah well, I love torturing the guy. Just a note, Lucius is only nice to his family and Harry, he is in no way changed from his nasty self when any of the Weasley's are around or Dumbledore gets introduced in a conversation, or anything like that. I'm just trying to show the lighter side of them all for now until I get into the heavier stuff…
Now remember to leave a review, they make the world go 'round!
Important: (This'll happen later on in the fic) Should Draco go to Hogwarts before Harry? (I'm letting Harry go in later) I'm having a tough time deciding, and yes, this time the votes do count lol.
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My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please?
