Part 3

Harry stood in front of the mirror and adjusted his new casual robes one last time. He'd had time to visit Gringott's and Madam Malkin's when he arrived in Diagon Alley. While it wasn't strictly necessary, the young man wanted to look good when he greeted Lucius Malfoy. True, they had met on several occasions in the past, but this would be the first time as father and son. And Harry was determined to make a decent impression.

Wishing that tamable hair were one of the traits he'd received from the Malfoy line, he ran his fingers through his unruly blonde locks once more before giving it up as a lost cause. He was happy enough that, with his changed appearance, he was virtually unrecognizable in public. He'd kept most of his Dad's facial features and need for glasses, but with the ice blue eyes and blonde hair no one had given him a second glance. He'd had to be careful to keep his scar hidden but that almost came naturally after so many years.

Stepping out of the dressing room, Harry quickly paid the shop matron, collected the parcel containing several new robes, and headed back up the Alley. He only had a few minutes before he was due at the Leaky Cauldron.

****************

Lucius Malfoy paced the length of his room for what seemed like the thousandth time. He was more nervous than he would have thought possible. Here he was, a forty-one year old man, meeting his sixteen-year-old son for the first time. He waved off the incongruous thought that he'd already met Harry.

The blonde aristocrat had an idea that would help the boy, but he worried that Harry might not agree. He had no idea what his son's intentions were but hoped that his advice would be welcomed. Lucius feared the idea of sending him back into the clutches of that bastard at Hogwarts but he knew that Voldemort would destroy the boy if he were to remain unprotected. And the damned mark burned into his arm prevented him from using his own magic to shield Harry. His idea, however, would solve both problems easily.

About to traverse the room yet again, Lucius was stopped by a knock at the door. Glancing at his pocket watch, he realized that it was finally 8 o'clock. Schooling his features to hide his anxiousness, he stepped forward and opened the door.

Had he not trained himself to suppress outward reactions, Lucius Malfoy's jaw would have dropped at the sight before him. As it was, his eyes merely widened a fraction at the apparent changes in the boy. There stood Harry Potter. The face was unmistakable, as was the scar peeking out from behind his fringe. But no one who did not have intimate knowledge of that face would have realized who the boy was.

Finally breaking out of his shocked stupor, Lucius opened the door farther and allowed Harry access into the room. After firmly shutting and locking the door, the man led his newfound son to the sofa where they sat in front of an unlit fireplace.

Harry fidgeted nervously as he sat and faced his Father. He'd seen the man's outward reaction to his change in appearance and had smirked inwardly. Now all humor was gone and he found himself almost in shock. The day had been a whirlwind and everything was finally catching up with him.

Seeing the turmoil in Harry's eyes, Lucius moved closer to the boy and tentatively placed an arm around him. He could feel his son shaking but he didn't have a clue as to how to stop it.

"Harry, talk to me, "Lucius whispered. "I know this must be hard for you. It is for me as well."

Harry was surprised at the sincerity in the older wizard's words. He knew Lucius was just as shocked as he. He wanted to talk to this man. A man he'd hated until that morning. A man he knew had hated him. Now here they were, in an awkward embrace as father and son. The irony struck Harry at that moment and he couldn't stop the chuckle that erupted from his lips.

"Do you know," Harry began, "that I have no idea what to call you now? I mean, Mr. Malfoy seems a bit formal and Lucius is too informal. This morning our roles were well defined. One glance in the mirror and that was wiped away. How is it that you are still so calm and collected?"

Lucius raised one elegant brow and smirked. "Just because you do not see a nervous wreck before you does not mean that I am unfazed by all of this. I learned at an early age to hide my emotions from the public eye.

"And as for what you should call me. . . I feel it is best to begin as you intend to carry on. 'Mr. Malfoy' would obviously be inappropriate now. However, 'Lucius' would suffice. I also would not object to 'Father' but ask that you never refer to me as 'Daddy'."

Harry laughed at the look of distaste that showed on the man's face at that request. "Why would any self respecting sixteen-year-old boy still use the word 'Daddy'?"

"Per Narcissa's request, Draco has yet to call me anything else since the day he began talking. And, while I love my Dragon dearly, I abhor the title he has bestowed upon me."

"Sorry, sir," Harry said. He felt like he'd crossed the line and did not want to anger the man. "I didn't mean any disrespect."

"Your apology is appreciated, Harry, but unnecessary. I, too, find it ridiculous that the boy is still happy using such a childish colloquialism."

Harry turned and looked the elder Malfoy in the eyes. He wished the man wasn't so good at hiding his true feelings. Unfortunately, there was no help to be found in those ice-blue orbs. Then a thought occurred to the teen. Should he choose to call the man 'Lucius', there would likely always be a barrier between them. But choosing 'Father' would probably eventually alleviate that barrier and allow them to interact as a true father and son should. And if Harry had learned nothing else from James Potter's letter, he'd learned that his Dad had wanted them to have that relationship.

"Father," Harry acknowledged.

Lucius allowed a smile and responded, "My son."

******************

After a late supper, the two Malfoys sat before the fireplace and began to discuss the betrayal of Albus Dumbledore. Both were of like mind. The man would suffer. Harry had told Lucius the details of the previous five years at Hogwarts and the complete prophecy, as shown to him by the Headmaster, while they ate. The tales he was told stunned Lucius. And with all the details, he was able to show Harry how the doddering old fool manipulated him each time.

Lucius agreed that the death of Sirius Black could have been avoided if Dumbledore had been honest with Harry. It truly seemed as if the old man had intentionally deprived his own Golden Boy of anything resembling affection and love. Could anyone possibly be so cruel to a child? The answer, of course, was obvious.

"As much as I hate to say it, Harry," Lucius said to his son, "the old man was clearly intent on making you dependant upon him alone. Even the growing relationship between you and your Godfather posed a threat to the influence he held over you."

Harry nodded his head in defeated acknowledgement. He was ashamed that he'd allowed himself to be tricked so easily and said as much to his father.

"You must not let yourself feel that way! Dumbledore began his deceit before you were even born. The fact that it was, indeed, you that the prophecy spoke of only made it easier for him to keep the truth hidden for so long. Had you not received that letter from James last night, he would have succeeded in his goals."

"You're probably right, Father. Even with the anger I already held toward him because of his apparent role in Sirius' death, I still would have joined his Order and trained to be his willing pawn against Voldemort." Harry paused for a moment. "I'm am curious about the charm placed on that letter from Dad that compelled Hedwig to seek it out. Where would he have kept it that an owl could have found it?"

"I would imagine he kept it at his family's estate. The charm for timed delivery is fairly simple and would have automatically drawn your owl it enough time for you to receive the missive by your birthday."

"But wasn't Godric's Hollow destroyed when Voldemort attacked?"

"Harry, Godric's Hollow was not the Potter estate-," Lucius paused and chuckled lightly. "It would seem that the old man kept more from you within the realized. The Potter estate, much like the Malfoys', includes a vast amount of land, a manor, staff quarters, stables and all the accoutrements of a wealthy pureblood family. I can only assume that Lilly did not feel comfortable in such a setting, thus leading to the purchase of Godric's Hollow."

Harry sat silently for a few minutes, obviously stunned by this new knowledge. His anger and began to peak once again at the memory of growing up with so very little. It was clear Dumbledore knew about this and yet allowed Harry to live as if he had nothing.

Lucius saw the flames of ire burning in his son's eyes and easily figured out at whom this anger was directed.

"Calm down, child. That old fool can wait. For now we need to focus on your immediate future. I have an idea of where you can go it that will allow you to avoid detection by the Ministry, Dumbledore and Voldemort."

"Will I still be able to train? I know I cannot return Hogwarts, if for no other reason than that I've likely already been expelled for using magic outside of school and in front of muggles. But I still have two years of schooling left and I'm eager to continue my education."

"An old friend of mine then graduated with me from Hogwarts lives in America. I have no doubt that he would be more than happy to teach you all you need to know. I must stress however, that you used extreme caution. The town in which he lives may prove to be more dangerous than any of your previous encounters with Voldemort."

"Are you sure the trust this man, Father?" Harry couldn't help but ask this question; it was no secret that a large portion of Lucius Malfoy's friends was Death Eaters.

"I do understand your concern, Harry, but there is no need for it," Lucius reassured his son. "While he was a Slytherin, he never even considered joining Voldemort. In fact, these days he could easily be called one of the 'good guys'."

Harry nodded his acceptance. "Have you already spoken with him? Will you be there with me? Does he already have other students? What is his name?" He ended his questioning only when the amusement became apparent on his father's face.

Struggling to contain his mirth, Lucius answered each of Harry's questions in turn.

"I have spoken with him already and he is more than happy to open his home to you and to teach you more than what you will be missing at Hogwarts.

"I have decided to accompany you to his home but will need to return within a few days to England.

"Because of his job, he does have a few young people in his charge. You've no need to worry about them, as he is certain they will welcome you into their fold.

"And his name is Rupert Giles."

TBC