A/N – As I said, fast forward to seventh year. I am grimly determined to finish this story eventually.

Disclaimer – I don't own any of the canon characters or concepts. Don't sue me.

Chapter 10

1977

At the beginning of their seventh year, Luc and Lucius were accompanied to King's Cross Station by their father, who had grown inured to the thought of his son protecting and defending a mudblood. Since Luc had refused to give her up – quite vehemently – Marcus had resigned himself to the inevitable, and had set about controlling the damage that was sure to come, one day.

If his son thought this Katherine worth all the trouble and heartache…well. Trouble and heartache would come, whether because of this mudblood girl or not. He knew them well enough for that…

So let the boy enjoy his illusions while he could.

Only Luc was not quite a boy anymore, and nor was Lucius. They were stuck in that awkward halfway stage between boyhood and adulthood, between childhood and full maturity, when such illusions become so very important to their sense of self-worth and their pride and honour, which was touchy now, as it would never be again, after they gained experience of the real world.

They were seventeen years old, and they had grown tall and strong – Lucius was taller than he by a few centimetres, now – and soon they would be young men, ready to take on the world: a world of suspicion and fear, of terror and violence, where his own power and influence was not enough to protect him against the mounting pressure – mounting swiftly and terribly – and so how would they fare, when he himself was on shaky ground?

Young and as yet unformed as they were, they were more flexible, more amenable to change – but that was exactly what he was afraid of.

Luc's head came up, as if he had just caught a scent on the wind – in the distance, he saw a muggle pair mount the platform, two girls trailing behind them. The dark haired girl turned in their direction, and Luc moved across to meet her, drawn irresistibly by her smile. Marcus frowned, just a little, and exchanged a glance with Lucius, who was looking quite sternly disapproving.

He dropped a hand on his son's shoulder, squeezing just a little. "Don't be so sour, Lucius bach. Let them have their happiness while they can."

"Why, Father?" Lucius turned to look at his face. "What have you seen?"

Marcus shrugged elegantly. "Nothing. But some things are too fragile for this imperfect world…"

For the very last time, Kate and Lily mounted the platform at King's Cross, escorted by their parents just as they had been the very first time. For some strange reason it pleased Kate's sense of symmetry – or perhaps it was just that she needed this very last farewell. She was no clairvoyant, but she knew better than to ignore any last chance to say goodbye. Far too many students had learned that too late…

A tickling on the edge of her senses – she looked up, to see Luc and his father and brother watching them. She smiled –

And he walked forward to meet her.

She watched his progress, this bastard prince, watched as he came straight towards her, making way for no one, automatically assuming that others would step aside for him. Seventeen years old, and even more – self-confident – than he had been at eleven. Hogwarts had been good for him, she realized, given him a chance to establish an identity beyond that of the Bastard Malfoy, to become more than he could ever have been had he stayed within his own Clan. Because like all Malfoy, he was ambitious…

And she? The Slytherins had accepted her, eventually. It had not been easy, of course, and just as Lily had feared, it had required a complete repression of her own personality. If she was to shelter behind Luc and the Malfoy, then she must act the part of a girl in need of protection – a girl worth protecting – and so Kate learned to camouflage herself. From the very first she had adopted Slytherin ways, but by now no one – not even the most hardcore traditionalists – could find any fault in her but her blood.

It was a pity that it was such an unforgivable sin.

In all other ways, she was beyond fault: she was well-behaved, and knew her place – which was firmly in Luc Malfoy's shadow and well out of sight – well enough to keep to it without complaint. She occupied a peculiar place in the Slytherin hierarchy; grudgingly accepted by the wider circle of the House so long as she kept her mouth shut and her eyes lowered, but in the smaller, more intimate circle of the Malfoy and their closest companions, she had a very different place…

Within their little circle of friends, Kate – the only girl, really, in an exclusively male club – was accepted, protected, even cosseted by the young men who, once they had discovered her intelligence, her strength, and her laughter, had come to treat her like a particularly beloved sister. And Kate – no fool – allowed it, pandered to it, actively adopted the role and the attitude that they responded to best.

She was Luc Malfoy's mudblood. And as long as there were clear boundaries and everyone knew and respected them, they all interacted smoothly…

Only with Luc were there no secrets, no masks.

The Bond had grown slowly, incrementally, almost creeping up on them both without their noticing it. By the time it had been established – born of shared companionship, friendship, trust and heightened mental proximity – they had already shared an odd intimacy. Protector and protected, mentor and student, and confessor and confidant… Years of forced companionship had engendered an understanding of the other that no one – not their parents, not their respective siblings – could match.

And yet there were secrets, unknown, unmapped parts of the soul – of course there were; they were from such different backgrounds – but surely that didn't matter, did it? Even such hardened cynics as they were brought to believe, with all their hearts, that it was possible, that a Malfoy could love and even marry a mudblood…

Looking back years later, Luc would wonder whether it would have endured, would have stood up against adversity – whether, in fact, it should have been formed at all.

Oh, but it had been sweet while it lasted…

Their meeting had not gone unnoticed; indeed, Severus Snape rather thought the whole platform had seen the way she had brought him so neatly to heel. A look, a smile, and Luc Malfoy obeys a mudblood's summons with alacrity – that was how it would be interpreted, and by far more malicious eyes than his.

Truly, he was fond of Kate. But what were mild affection and liking to the relentless pressure his father was bringing against him? Augustus Snape was neither a tolerant man, nor a patient one – unlike Marcus Malfoy, who was largely indifferent to them, he was fiercely anti-muggle, and his loyalty to the Dark Lord bordered on the fanatical. Fanatical enough to drag his only son into servitude with him – unconsciously, Severus' fingers pressed and rubbed against the numb spot on his left forearm, where he had been branded nearly two years before.

They knew, his companions in Slytherin. They all knew, and none of them mentioned it, partly because of his own fierce reserve, partly out of courtesy and a sincere desire not to know, not to be told. Perhaps if he could have talked about it, he would not have felt so isolated, but the atmosphere in their House, even in their charmed circle of friends was…cautious.

As well it should be – they all had something to lose.

Slowly, they gathered in one of the cabins near the front end of the train, one that they had claimed as their own for years now. Kate and the two Malfoy brothers had yet to arrive, and with the rest of the group – Lestrange and his cousin Andahni, Avery and Courtney – he took the chance to discuss the morning's happenings.

Courtney – poisonous, malicious Courtney – began. "I wonder that Marcus Malfoy doesn't put a stop to such recklessness." He was loyal to Luc, but it was Slytherin loyalty that only went so far…

Snape shrugged. "He has long been known for his tolerance. Even the Ministry acknowledges it." The words were neutral, but the tone was not.

"No one has ever called him a fool." Brandon Avery, when he chose to speak at all, spoke with quiet authority and perception. "And, but for Kate, no one has ever called Luc a fool either. If he believes he can protect her, then perhaps he can. And if his father allows it…"

"Yes, but at what price?" Courtney asked, perhaps a little fearful of losing his powerful protection. "She will drag them all down."

They loved her like a sister. But they were not fools, and they could not – would not – put the interests of the Malfoy before those of their own Houses.

"Perhaps he thinks it worth it. If he loves her…" Shan Andahni trailed off, remembering all the legends of fierce Malfoy lovers. The Malfoy were cursed with hot blood – it was one of the great contradictions of the High Clan that they counted among the coldest of the Houses.

Lestrange snorted with disgust. "Luc may count the world well lost for love, but I'm quite sure that Lucius and his father don't."

Of all those present, Snape was in the best position to comment on the Malfoy family. He laughed. "Oh, indeed they don't. But though they disapprove, they will not take any action in this matter – they will allow him to forge his own destiny, without interference…"

"Why?" Courtney asked – as they all asked. But it was not a simple question, and there were no simple answers.

There were no longer any simple answers left, in their world…

Lucius snatched the opportunity to talk to his brother in private.

"Do you remember, when we were younger, how we spoke of ruling the High Clan between us?" He slouched against the paneled walls of the corridor; his hands shoved in his pockets, and spoke casually, looking away.

Luc paused, taken aback, and looked at him in some surprise. And then he laughed. "Yes," he said in rueful amusement. "Yes, I do. With you as the Malfoy and I as the de Sauvigny, we could have dominated them all…"

"Could have?" Lucius asked. "Would have? Is it not so important to you anymore, then?"

Luc sighed, shoved his own hands in his pockets – an unconscious mirror of Lucius' attitude that made them look, suddenly, very much alike. "Perhaps the driving ambition has lost a little of its urgency…"

Lucius turned his head, sought and found Luc's eyes. "You've lost your focus."

Luc shrugged insolently. "I've found other priorities."

There were many answers to that, most of them unnecessary – even blinded by Kate, Luc was supremely aware of the political situation. He simply didn't care. Finally, Lucius sighed. They had been over this again and again, Lucius advising Luc to give her up, warning him of the dangers, and Luc calmly refusing, insisting that he knew what he was doing, and that he could – and would – protect her against the whole world, even his father and brother if it became necessary.

He had given his word, and he considered himself bound by it. And more than that – he loved her. And a Malfoy in love – even (or perhaps especially) a seventeen year old boy – would commit any sin, pay any price…

So be it.

"Just," he paused, uncharacteristically, "be careful, Luc. Don't give too much of yourself."

But Luc only laughed, bright golden confidence surrounding him like an enfolding aura. Still smiling, he opened the door to their usual compartment and entered, greeting the others almost gaily, buoyed on a cloud of his own good mood.

When the Malfoy chose to spread their light and laughter, there could be no one more enchanting…

Lucius remained outside, a bitter, rueful smile on his lips.

Any comments would be greatly welcomed. Thanks to all who reviewed before.