mouse - Not a chance! (grin)

Sam - You want more? Here's more!

Daintress - Sorry. The return of Lucius Malfoy. (But hey - statute of limitations and all that. I could still kill him again - right? )

Empire and Exigency
Chapter 8 : Reunion
by Annie B

Rated PG-13

JKR owns all things Hogwarts. I only wish I did.

NOTE: Christine the Killer Cadillac belongs to Stephen King. Someone else suggested she might be the Weasley's wild car. (I don't remember who. If it was your idea, tell me and I will thank you. ) I didn't go that far, but I decided she was the flying car's girlfriend.

The last one was short, but this is an extra long chapter, so that should make up for it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Draco!" The shout was half welcome and the greater half outrage.

"Father." Draco held out his arms.

"You hexed me. You *murdered* me! My own son..."

"Suck it up, Malfoy." Ron Weasley tucked his wand into his robe pocket. "You're alive now. Which is more than you deserve."

"Ron!" Hermione had also been tucking away her wand, but stopped half way.

"Hey." Ron grinned at the girl. " He's had it soft. Heat. Air. Leather seats. Light from the headlights. Hot water from the radiator."

"The radiator." Hermione sounded horrified. Probably because she was. Being muggleborn, she knew that people did not drink radiator water.

"Christine here is a luxury car."Ron stroked the shinny paint of the black Cadillac. "Treat her right and you might as well be on holiday. Of course, if you insult the lady..."

The big engine growled.

Harry shook his head at the pair of them. "He was a Dementor. That should annoy anything."

"Not this girl." Ron rubbed a fleck of dirt of the chrome grill, making it very clear he was referring to the auto and not Hermione. "You know Christine. I figure they'd get along like Sweeney Todd and Springheel Jack."

"Without the meat pies, one would hope."

Hermione was beginning to think she should have been in charge of the 'capture and cage' part of this operation. Ron had the better DADA practicals ( and like all teenage males, got along extraordinarily well with cars ) but his grasp of Muggle Studies was... well... just say that Arthur and Molly were going to need to set up some summer tutoring.

"Dementors don't need to eat." Ron missed the allusion. Then again, he missed a lot of the things Hermione said. It didn't bother him any more. "Unless you wanted to feed him sonny here, and solve two problems..."

"Ron!"

"That's enough, weasel." Draco was reaching for his wand.

"Ferret."

"That's enough! Both of you." Hermione was reconsidering not just teenagers and jobs, but teenage males all together. Not that she didn't love Ron like a brother. Plus she just loved Draco *period*. (She couldn't help it. She had a weakness for blonds.Plus he was *so* snoggable. ) But sometimes, when they got like that, it was just *arrrgggg* . She gave them both her best Minerva McGonnagle glare. (Which was not quite a Snape-glare - but she was working on it. ) "This isn't the Quidditch field. We...Harry... has important business here."

"Thank you, Hermione.'' Stepping past the two boys, Harry spoke to the cars. "Thank you Christine. You and your mate have done well. Go with my thanks and my blessing, and know that you have earned my favor."

The cars revved their engines, turned, and disappeared down the long tunnel leading to the Forbidden Forest.

At the far end of the cave there was a large seat - almost a throne - carved between two stalagmites. Mostly likely it was carved - although it might have been some strange trick of nature that had molded the stone into the outline of a gryphon surrounded by a snake. It was part of a larger formation, and if you looked closely there were other perches tucked on either side of the central stone.

Harry settled into the center seat

"Mr. Malfoy." His nod indicated that he was speaking to Lucius Malfoy, not to Draco. "Welcome to my...realm. A small thing, as they say, but very much mine own."

Lucius had managed to push himself to his feet. In the remnants of a Dementor's rags, it was difficult for him to assume *quite* the aura of flawless superiority that he had managed on their previous meeting - but he was trying.

"I assume I have you to thank for my unexpected survival?"

"Actually, no." Harry fished out a small ice chest from below his throne. Dobby had been disappointed at missing the ceremony ( Harry wasn't sure if that was because he held some fond memories of the Malfoys' and so wanted to help his old Master, or it is was more a case of wanting to see Lucius finally beaten and ragged. Either way, Harry had enough experience of house elf 'assistance'. Dobby had been left behind with stern orders to do nothing and tell no one. As a consolation prize of sorts, Harry had allowed him to pack a picnic."Like Ron, I would have happily fed you to the Dementors, but your family voted against it."

"Three to two. Hermione abstaining." Ronald Weasley seated himself at Potters left, where the leg and tail of the gryphon formed a second seat just slightly lower than Harry's own.

Lucius looked at Hermione Granger.

"That would be the mu..."

"My fiancee." Draco finished, quietly but *very* firmly.

"You can't..."

"Actually, I can." Draco took the seat to Potters right, the back and seat formed by the body of the snake. "I am the Malfoy now."

"And I could change my vote." Hermione perched herself on the coil of Draco's snake.

"Which would make it three to three for stashing you under a rock somewhere." Ron smiled. clearly delighted at the thought.

"Plus Narcissia isn't here now."

"So I'm sort of hoping you'll piss her off." Ron's look indicted that by her he was speaking of Hermione. "And I can call the question."

Lucius Malfoy stared at Harry Potter "You run a Dark Lordship as a democracy?"

"I prefer to think of it as a constitutional monarchy." Harry opened a bottle of butterbeer and filled the gold goblet that had been tucked under the arm of his throne. " What? We can't all be monomaniacal madmen. Plus I'm still new at the while Dark Lord business. Sort of...working it out as I go along."

"Nothing new for you." Draco, keeping his voice low enough so that he could pretend Harry wasn't meant to hear that.

"We don't all learn Dark Arts in the nursery." Ron snapped back.

"Hey." Harry passed around three more butterbeers. He knew how to handle this crew. "So far it's working."

Lucius Malfoy was neither distracted nor amused. "Draco. Is he serious?"

In the background, Ron muttered. "No, he's Harry. The one with the collar is Sirius."

The others all ignored that.

"About the Dark Lord Potter thing?" Draco shifted uneasily.

Hermione poured half of her butter beer into a glass, then passed the rest to Lucius. He looked like he needed it. Plus in-law. Well, future in-law. Time to make nice. "We're still discussing the dark part."

Ron nodded. "Sort of going for a medium charcoal, more or less."

Lucius looked like he wanted to reject the sticky bottle as beneath him, but, after a second, either hunger or diplomacy won out. He took a deep swallow before asking. "Dumbledore?"

"Nice guy, really." Harry leaned back, clearly enjoying his drink. " I know he means well and all that.... but..."

"Harry's not an entire idiot." Draco held out his hand for a sandwich. Cheese and pickle, Not his favorite. He passed it to Hermione, who passed it to Lucius. "Whatever he looks like sometimes."

Harry decided to take that as a complement, since from Draco it was. "Since the Path of Light seems to involve me heroically facing Voldemort and ending up heroically dead? I thought I'd give the other side a try. Well." He smiled at his two best friends. "Not the all the way other side. I'm not going in for robe kissing or unnecessary Unforgivables or any of that shite - but I am doing my own thing for myself."

"And about..." Lucius glared at Draco. Food had given him some of his old energy back.

"About me being sworn to him?" Draco dug out another sandwich. This was a more acceptable turkey and salad, so he kept it.

"Given that getting you out has been risky, illegal, expensive - not to mention that bit about asking people who don't much like you to give up body parts?" Ron snatched back the ice chest. It was late. He was hungry. Plus Draco tended to grab all the good sandwiches for himself if you didn't watch him.

Draco pushed up his pajama sleeve. There, thin as a scar in the candlelight, a pale white serpent ( matching his ring ) wrapped around his biceps. "Entirely."

Harry looked slightly embarrassed. "Not that Draco's not a nice guy and all."

"Even though he's not." If Ron was trying to keep his comments to a whisper, he wasn't succeeding. Probably because he wasn't trying.

"Ron!"

"Or that I'm not the sort to do a favor for a friend" Harry continued, ignoring the background commentary.

"If he was one," Ron muttered.

"Stifle it, Weasel."

"But I'd personally be a lot better off with one less Death Eater in the world so..." Harry held up his hands. The universal 'what do you expect' gesture.

"Draco was really upset when he heard what the sentence would be. I mean, he even cried. I hate to see my puff-dragon that unhappy." She stroked back Draco's white-blond hair. "But I knew I would be here to help him get over his grief."

Draco caught her fingers and kissed them. "You're so good to me, Hermione."

Hermione bent down, giving him something better to kiss. That ended their part of the conversation.

Harry took over again. "But then Draco came to me, saying he'd do 'anything-absolutely anything' if I could get you out."

Ron nodded. "Think he had in mind more talking to Fudge or whoever."

"Which I would have tried if I thought it would work, but... you know Fudge."

"He should. He owns the bastard."

"If so, he should return him to the store." Hermione had surfaced for air. "Clearly not a working model."

"True."

"Anyway - what with Draco being paired up with Hermione, and the way we have been working together better lately, I had to consider what he was offering. I mean. Malfoy. Big important ancient family and all."

Lucius caught himself agreeing involuntarily. The House of Malfoy *was* important.

"Plus there was the whole school is almost over and what am I going to do with my life once I off Voldy thing to consider. Assuming I actually have a life after the dying heroically bit. Which if you think about it?"

Harry pulled out a handful of cookies. He dunked one in his butterbeer and munched thoughtfully. "I mean - Dumbledore has been talking about me staying here - as sort of a junior teacher. Maybe Assistant Quidditch Coach. Or DADA, if this year's teacher dies or goes mad or something like they usually do. But..." He rolled his eyes. "That's no life for anyone. Look at Snape. So we all talked it over for a bit and I finally I decided... why not? Lets give the whole third party idea a shot."

"So you chose" Lucius was speaking slowly. "To become the new Dark Lord in preference teaching school?"

"Wouldn't you?"

Well yes, Lucius thought automatically. He would. Of course. Who wouldn't. But...? Harry Potter was supposed to be the Hero of the Light, and hero's of the light didn't worry about jobs or....

He considered his son. His son who had changed sides on him. Or maybe who hadn't. If the sides had changed. The matter was all very confusing. His son who was once again wrapped around the frowzy looking mud-blood. "And about...her." Lucius pointed at Hermione. "Are you with ...her...because he...?"

"Potter?" Draco sounded surprised. As if someone had changed the topic. "Potter doesn't give a rip who I marry. I'm the one serious about Hermione. Dead serious."

"As dead as you could still be, mate, if you spoke her wrong." Ron added. "Hermione being my friend and all."

"Legally, you're already dead, so..." Hermione went back to stroking Draco.

Lucius looked at Hermione, shocked. This fuzzy-haired little muggle-born bookworm was willing to stand in front of the Dark Lord's right hand and...? "You would kill to marry my son?"

Hermione batted her eyelashes. She was the picture of girlish innocence. "I would never put it that way."

Lucius Malfoy smiled. Truly and sincerely and with a whole heart. It was a terrifying sight.

"Then, under the circumstances." He held out his arms. "Welcome to the family."

As they embraced, Lucius's eyes met Draco's. "Son. I'm proud of you. She's going to make a wonderful Malfoy."

End Chapter Eight

NOT the end. Nowhere near the end. Trust me. *evil grin*