Title: Family Matters
Sequel to Something Worth Hearing
Author: Dragonsbane
Summary: Lucius Malfoy a chat with a Weasley and another poem.
A/N: Sorry this one took so long to upload, Fanfiction.net wouldn't let me upload any documents at all. Silly. So im sorry for the delay and here it is.
Thank You's at end
Three hours since Lucius had arrived for Draco in potions had passed and no one had any idea where the two men were.
Harry was worried, he was more than worried; he felt physically ill.
Hermione, despite herself was worried about the Slytherin and Ron was only worried for Draco as he knew how much Harry felt for him. Draco being hurt would mean Harry being hurt.
That wouldn't do
However,
They need not have worried.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lucius had taken Draco to the Three Broomsticks and they sat in a secluded corner of the bar. Draco was slightly confused but followed his father and they sat quietly for a few minutes both drinking their drink wondering exactly where to start.
Lucius sat back in his chair and studied his son. He was every bit the Malfoy, tall, blonde, lean and blue/silver eyes. Lucius frowned.
"How long?"
It was a simple question, but difficult to answer as there was so many things Draco had to answer to that particular question.
"How long what father?" He asked not looking at Lucius.
"You and Potter… how long?"
"Over seven months."
"So that's where you were in the summer…"
Draco watched his father to see what he was thinking. "I wont pretend I'm happy with this Draco, I'm extremely displeased. Your choice of partner leaves a lot to be desired. However… you are our only son…"
Lucius' thoughts drifted to Narcissa and her barren womb "…and the only son we shall ever have. Family matters more than… a job. Narcissa wont ever tolerate him, you know that…"
"And you?"
Lucius looked Draco straight in the eye. "I want to know how this arrangement came about. Then we shall see."
Draco looked at his father "I…I need some time, to gather my thoughts. If…If you come here during Christmas, tell Voldemort that my relationship with Harry is a ploy if you want. But if you come here in the Christmas holidays I'll tell you everything."
"Everything Draco or I will tell Voldemort exactly what's going on"
Draco nodded "Everything dad."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"The Dragon of Bad FaithA Dragon is a creature
Fire is its name
It kills and swamps and decimates
Like a lion
Earns its name
Dragons and fire together
Are much like wolf and moon
One is always with the other
But not always this is its tune
A Dragon I have come to know
The Dragon of Bad Faith
He is not as some would say
A fire
He is a lake"
Hermione looked over the piece of parchment
"Its hardly transfiguraton notes Harry."
"I was distracted, where did Lucius take him?"
Hermione frowned "I don't know Harry." Harry sighed and added one more verse to the end of the poem
"He is the water, to my fire
My boat upon the sea
I am forever grateful
He swears to stay by me"
Harry sat quietly and looked around the library. Ron was away with Dean and Seamus on detention. They had got one for not handing in their homework again in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Remus had already cut them some slack and unlucky for them it was the full moon today and Snape had the class.
Hermione sighed as she saw Harry's mind was most certainly not on studying. Draco had been gone all day and she had to admit she was worried. She was also worried about Harry. He seemed very agitated, she had heard about his meeting with the elder Malfoy in Hogsmeade so naturally he was worried.
It was raining heavily outside and she sighed and closed her transfiguration notes and copied them and handed them to Harry. Ordinarily she wouldn't do this but today was exceptional circumstances. Harry looked at the notes and then at Hermione questioningly.
"If I don't give you them you wont copy them and these ones are important. Just, don't tell Ron, he'd go in a mood with me as I never let him just plain copy."
Harry smiled "Thanks Mione"
She gave Harry a hug and whispered "I'm sure he's fine Harry, try not to worry. Come on, back to the dorm you need to relax."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hermione sat in the prefect common room reading the notes on Arithmancy that Draco had given her. Harry had gone to bed early to try sleep off the anxiety he was feeling about Draco.
The clock struck 10:05 and the portrait opened.
Draco walked in, soaked and tired looking.
Hermione looked at him "Draco… what happened?" she asked in a worried tone "Harry's been worried sick all day."
Draco took his cloak off and hung it up on the pegs next to the portrait hole.
"My father wanted some answers…that's all. Where's Harry?"
"Upstairs in bed, I told him to get some sleep."
Draco nodded "His room or my room, where did he go?"
"Your room."
Draco nodded and went upstairs to his room after bidding Hermione a goodnight. He opened his room door and looked in. Harry was in bed, the drapes around the bed were still open and he had the covers bunched up round himself, Draco also noticed Harry was sleeping on his side of the bed, not his usual side.
Draco moved over to the bed "Lover, wakey wakey"
Harry awoke and looked into the smoky grey eyes of Draco. "Drake… where were you… I was worried."
Draco kissed Harry's forehead. "My father wanted to know about us, wanted me to go with him to Voldemort. I said no."
Harry frowned "And he left just like that?"
"Not exactly… he wants to meet me in the Christmas holidays next week, I have to tell him everything. About us, how we got together… why we are still together."
Harry nodded "And if you don't?"
"He'll tell Voldemort the exact nature of our relationship, endangering my life. He seemed pretty calm about it actually considering."
Harry nodded and saw the pain light Draco's face for a moment and then disappear again. He was the master at hiding his emotions and Harry was now able to see past them.
He moved over to his own side of the bed and Draco got ready for bed and joined him. "You were sleeping on my side. Why?"
"It smelled more like you than this side" Was Harry's quiet and sincere reply.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Silence…
The tick of a clock, crackle of pinesap on the fire, the howl of the winter wind outside. But…
Silence…
Tuesday night in the Prefect common room. Hermione was at a study club with some third years, she had started it up last year. Harry was with Professor Remus Lupin who was tutoring him on DADA again. The Ravenclaw Prefects stayed in the Ravenclaw common room as tonight was their quiz night. The Hufflepuffs were also at the study group.
The only person that should have been in the common room that night was Draco, for even Blaise had gone off somewhere.
But he sat not alone…
Across from him on one of the other sofa's, separated only by a coffee table was Ronald Weasley. Harry's best friend, Draco's worst enemy. The tension was tangible.
They both stared each other down, each assessing the other, Ron refused to just accept Malfoy into his life right away. That would be stupid. Draco was absolutely adamant that the blood feud between him and Ron was permanent.
Yet here they were.
10 minutes had gone by and they had managed not to curse, hex or insult each other. They hadn't meant for the meeting to happen, Ron came to the common room looking for Hermione, forgetting the fact she had a study group. Draco had opened the portrait, explained where she was and Ron had moved off. However Draco called him back.
"He needs us to try get along… or at least say we tried… no one is here."
And that was the beginning of the 10 most uncomfortable minutes of Ron's life. Not including any times he had been in mortal peril of course.
Draco had his arms crossed across his chest, Ron was sitting straight in his chair, arms sitting on his lap. The clock ticked past another minute. The atmosphere was reaching breaking point.
"I don't like you, in fact I cant stand you or your family Malfoy." Ron said angrily.
Draco nodded "Good, as the feeling is more than mutual."
Ron glared "Cant possibly be."
Draco raised his eyebrow sardonically "Of course not."
"Trust me I fucking hate you"
"Very common of you, resort to foul language."
Ron stood and hissed "That's what it is, you always have thought you are better than me. You even said that to Harry in first year."
Draco nodded "I believe I am better than you though, that's the thing, I am better than you."
"And Hermione? Is she just a common mudblood? Now that there is your own foul language!"
Draco took a moment to form an answer.
"She is a half blood but she's caused me to see some things aren't always as they appear to be."
Ron shook his head "Your fucked up… seriously, just like Lucius."
Draco stared at the Weasley, real danger in his eyes. He was close to cursing the Weasley but knew he couldn't, or risk loosing Harry. He said calmly.
"Lets get one thing absolutely clear Weasley. I am not my father. I am nothing like him."
Ron smiled slightly "Yes you are, you're an evil bastard, just like him."
Draco's eyes blazed and Ron was startled at the reaction this had caused. "You think I am evil? No, im not. I'm just a pain in your arse is all I am. I am cursed with the name Malfoy. My father has shown me many things, murder, torture and yes, even rape. I have seen things that you could never comprehend!"
Ron shook his head "And why the hell are you with Harry then? If im too thick to comprehend, why him?"
"Because he has been there and he has seen it. He and I have seen more than our fair share." Draco looked down "he has seen things that even I cannot comprehend but I can begin to understand some of it, and help him through it. You and I don't have to get along. We only need to co-exist. For his sake."
Ron crossed his arms across his chest. "How can I trust you, I know you love and care for Harry, but, how can I trust you with me and with Hermione?"
Draco looked at him "Because if I harmed you or Hermione that would harm Harry. That's a thing I would never do."
Ron sighed heavily "Mione seems to see something in you. So does Harry…" He frowned "There's too much between us to ever wipe clean."
Draco nodded "Personally I think it would take years for us to ever get on properly. In time we may, then again we may not. At this moment all I ask is you don't interfere with me and Harry."
Ron sighed again "He needs you… I know that… but…"
"But what?"
"We could be there for him too, why you?"
Draco saw now what the real problem Ron was having with this relationship. It wasn't the fact it was a man, it wasn't the fact that it was even Malfoy. It was the fact that he went to Draco first and not to Hermione and Ron. Now he understood.
Ron felt left out of his friend's life.
Draco sat down and Ron followed suit.
"He informed me he told you about the astronomy tower."
Ron nodded and frowned
"He opened up to me because I know what he went through. He saw you and
Hermione were there for each other to pull each other through when the darkness
comes. He had no one. He is stronger than I am, braver more admirable than I
could ever be and I'm glad for that as that means he can protect me. However
when Harry faces this coming battle he needs someone who loves him to pick him
up when he falls. And to catch him when his connection to Voldemort is severed.
That will almost kill him… it's a powerful bond, magical and blood. Its why he
has the visions every night still."
Ron looked thoughtful. Pondered the information, and digested it. He looked at Draco.
"Malfoy, that's the most sense I have ever heard you speak… I think I get it now…"
He looked at Draco "Malfoy… I don't like you, I hate you… but I can put up with you I think."
Draco smiled and Ron realised this was the first genuine smile he had seen the Slytherin use "Pleasure doing business with you Weasley." They shook hands and Ron went back to his dorm room and Draco sighed.
He had a tentative friendship with Hermione, a truce with Ron, every Slytherin still respected him.
All he had to do now was make his father see his way of thinking.
This was the largest task of all…
Firstly im sure you have all noticed that not all reviews are showing on the site. So I apologise if I miss you out, if I do please don't take offence the site is being strange.
Dragonsbane
Queen Li: A) it is your fault you opend the flood gate B) The story was My Journal my soul my escape C) Thank you for the review and HUG!
Sparkler: Thank you and this is literally as fast as I could update, I have tried for three fricken days!
Mystal: Abyss water fairy: Why do we leave it at the best place? He he he he, makes you come back enthusiastically for more and it means I can cackle evilly in the background! Listen MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA see? I aint stopped it in too bad a place this time though so *shrugs*
Serenitas: Me? Lead Draco into a trap? HA! Naaaaahhhh…..not yet anyway *snigger* and now you are paranoid :-D aren't I evil?
AlyBaby: Thank you, glad you picked up on the kind of relationship they have. I know what you mean as I was considering taking that route but I think that Lucius does truly only want whats best for Draco so I took this route instead. Glad you picked up on it I was actually dancing! :-D
Xirleb70: **SIGH** silly ff.net isn't showing many reviews, im looking through all my old emails *thanks god she doesn't delete any* I keep em all! Just in case! Thank you for your kind words and I hope you liked the newest chapter.
Fate: Yes I did and had Rowenna been awake and sent the betaed chapter that little mistake wouldn't have been there,, she said she sent it but I didn't get it. And I'll post until it comes to a natural conclusion as theres still a lot I can deal with on this fic (and I didn't have a plot I was asked by many people to continue it)
Thanks everyone and that's all the reviews I could find so if I missed anyone yell at me
OH Fozzy: In anticipation of your review thanks!