Sorry for being gone so long. RL sks. But I'm back. So is this.
:-)
Empire and Exigency Chapter 13: Room at the 'In'
by Annie B

Rated PG-13

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

Harry leaned forward. "I always have room for another Malfoy."

Lucius clutched the chair arms, refusing to be pushed back. Much as he loathed the invasion of his personal space, he hated and feared the thought of showing any weakness. This was the endpoint, the close, the moment of do-or-die - and as Lucius had no intent whatever of conceding to the die option?

"As?" He covered what involuntary twitch might have been seen with a oh-so-casual stretch, crossing his legs as if this were an investment review at Gringotts.

Draco rolled his eyes - the thankless brat. How sharper than a serpents tooth indeed.

Fortunately, Harry's attention was focused dead ahead.

"Well." Harry held out his left hand. "Hermione here is my Head of Research."

The Granger girl took a half-bow.

"Ron here is my tactician."

The Weasley brat managed to preen and glower at the same time. And here Lucius had been convinced the family had no talents.

"Draco is serving as my Financial Advisor."

Lucius's did not quite muffle his gasp of surprise. Nimue! Death must have shaken him more then he had realized. Either that - or the spider had bitten and Lucius was now dying in the throes of raving madness. The last seemed frankly more probable. Draco had a rich child's appreciation of money. that is to say, he appreciated spending it - as much and as often as he could. Unless the Potter boy needed advice on food and fashion ( which he did, the little voice in Lucius's mind snarked before being told quite severely to shut up ) and how to owl-order overpriced broom accessories...?

He looked up at his son.

Draco laughed.

"Someone has to know how to being in the cash." Harry explained. "What good is running the world if you don't run it at a profit?"

Well, yes. That made a certain sense - for all that Lucius had never considered the matter from quite that angle before.

Dark Lords traditionally lived off the great families in their service, who quite simply supplied whatever their Master might desire. The great families used the Lord's power demand tribute from the lesser families, who in their turn terrorized the peasantry who... well... He supposed they worked. Lucius had never really concerned himself with the petty details.

"Not to mention" Harry grinned at Weasley. "The hassle the Goblins give me if I try and overdraw my allowance."

Well, yes. He had also not previously considered the difficulties intendant upon having an underaged Dark Lord.

Knockturn Alley might well offer tribute. Honeydukes would probably want sickles.

With him dead, Draco would officially command the Malfoy millions. Officially, but not effectively. Until the boy was of age, Narcissia and whoever else was named would overrule any unapproved expenses.

One must assume that anyone who the current Ministry would confirm as guarding would not considered 'tribute to my Dark Master' a legitimate expense.

Lucius rubbed his chin.

The official vaults were most probably out of reach. So? No Malfoy ever stashed all his eggs in one basket. Or one vault. There was the hollow book in the library that Draco might not know about. Get-away cash in case matters went horribly wrong. Which - one might say - they had. Only a few hundred gallons, but to a child?

Definitely enough for candy and quaffles.

Or - given that Potter seemed... laudably ambitious?

There was the strong box in the conservatory, the one his grandfather had planted under the Giant Snap-Dragon. Seed money, so to speak, in case the family ever had to start over without the Manor. That would be a few thousand more.

Or even?

There were even those utterly secret Muggle bank accounts Lucius had arranged though now-Obliviated minions. Doomsday money in the unthinkable event that both He-Who-May-Not-Be-Named and He-Who-Can-Not-Be-Tolerated (aka Dumble-snore ) managed to bollox the political situation so thoroughly that there was literally nowhere in the Wizarding World left safe for a rich but not over scrupulous mage to live in wealthy indulgence? Or even - Lucius shuddered internally - live at all?

Which - given that Lucius was now officially dead- might fairly describe matters.

Even those last funds were not great. At least not compared to the vastness of the Malfoy fortune. But they were - Lucius had been determined on this point - enough to buy off most trouble.

Well - this was trouble.

Serious trouble.

And Potter - Harry Potter of all people - was seriously looking like he was willing to be bribed.

In which case?

They were back on turf that Malfoy knew well.

He forced that confidence into his voice. "So my place would be?"

The Weasley boy started to say something.

Hermione stopped him with a look.

The girl definitely had her ... witch... side She reminded him of a young Narcissia. Not in looks, of course, but a decent stay at a Wizarding Spa and a few cosmetic charms could take care of the beauty details. The inner bitch? That had to be branded on the bone.

Harry raised his goblet - a half toast.

"I seem to have an opening for a Minister of Magic."