Symbiosis 6

Hermoine stood between Harry and Draco as she watched the lions through the fence. Three cute and fuzzy lion cubs tumbled together on the grass, playing. They were still young enough to have dark spots amid their tawny fur. "They are so cute!"

"They are kind of cute." Draco admitted.

"Lions live in prides, in family groups." Hermoine stated as she threw one arm around Harry's shoulder and drew him close. The other arm wrapped around Draco's shoulders and drew him close as well.

"Hey!" Draco squawked, surprised. He hadn't expected her to hug him and certainly not in public.

"You better get used to it," Harry advised the Slytherin. "She's always hugging me or Ron."

"We can be just like those cute little lions and have a pride of our own!" Hermoine happily said, a smile on her face. "Lions spend their entire life in a pride, you know, unlike snakes who are solitary."

Lucius silently snuck up on the three teens from behind. Their behavior since they arrived at the Muggle zoo has been strange, to say the least. He had been sure Potter and Granger had been trying to escape but they had only dashed ahead to look at lions. Odd. And now Granger was hugging his son and blabbing nonsense about being in a pride…Gryffindors! Satisfied that his appearance had been restored to his high standards, he forced an innocent smile onto his face. Potter, of course, knew him better than to be fooled by a fake smile but still, they were only children. And any good villain knew you got more with sugar than with vinegar. He wasn't exactly sure what this pride business was about, but perhaps he should go along with it for the moment. "And do I get to be in this pride?"

"Of course!" Hermoine replied. Just then the father lion appeared from within a man-made cave and settled onto the grass under a tree, his thick red mane blowing in the warm breeze. He watched his cubs play and chase each other across the grassy expanse. Satisfied that all was well, he propped his head upon a paw and closed his eyes.

"I do?" Lucius blinked, surprised.

"Yes." Hermoine repeated. "Definitely."

"Oh." Lucius gazed at the bushy haired teenager. "And may I inquire as to what a pride is?"

"It's a group of lions." Hermoine explained for the second time, her arms still wrapped around Harry and Draco.

Harry's green eyes stared at the lions, them suddenly widened as a flash went off in his head. But it was a totally crazy thought! Surely his best friend would never think up such an idea! "Hermoine, surely you're not suggesting that…"

Her arm tightened around his neck, almost choking him. "It's perfect!"

"It's totally crazy!" Harry protested as he allowed his head to be pulled down onto Hermoine's shoulder. His mouth near her ear, he whispered. "And it's dangerous!"

"Don't be silly. It'll work out fine." Hermoine replied her voice filled with confidence. Anyway, she was pretty sure it'd be fine. Maybe.

Lucius watched the exchange between the two Gryffindors with interest, still slightly confused. Could they perhaps be talking in some secret code? "You wish us to be a group of … lions?"

"Yes." Hermoine turned around to face Lucius, forcing the two boys to turn around as well. "Shall we go eat lunch? I do believe there's some nice picnic tables up ahead along with hot food."

He nodded, still not sure what was going on.

Hermoine released the two boys and started towards the picnic area. If they were lucky, there would be an empty table. She quickly checked her watch and saw it was almost two PM. Within a few hours the zoo would be closing and they still hadn't seen everything.

Harry rubbed his slightly sore neck, winching. His friend's hair-brained schemes were going to get him into deeper trouble with the Malfoys! He was about to head after Hermoine when Lucius blocked his path.

"Tell me, Potter, what this pride business is about." Lucius demanded, his long fingers idly running along the cane his wand was hidden within. "Is this another idea so she can save her precious Muggles?"

"Umm, no." Harry muttered nervously as his mind whirled around. Then he stared Lucius in the eye bravely. "It's a Gryffindor thing. I'm sure you wouldn't understand."

"So you came to look at your House mascot? How sweet and touching." Lucius allowed Harry to pass him, and then he and Draco followed. A few minutes later they found themselves staring at a pale pink plastic table that had a huge open umbrella above it. The table itself was round and made from a smooth plastic that Muggles seemed to love. The umbrella itself was green and white stripped.

Draco sneered at the table. "Surely you don't expect us to sit there, do you?"

Lucius also stared uncertainly for a moment at the table, then shrugged. He sat down at the table across from Hermoine. "Well, Draco, this place is run by Muggles. It's bound to be different than what we're used to. But you are getting an education, I hope."

Seeing that his father accepted the table, Draco slid onto the plastic bench next to Hermoine. "So, Granger, what exactly do they serve here?"

"Well, it's not exactly what we get at school…" Hermoine admitted. She had already checked out the menu that was posted next to the building that served the food. The building had four open windows where one could purchase cooked meals. The dining area was totally outside with about twenty tables with umbrellas. Restrooms were located on the other side of the building. "Mainly its food that can be quickly cooked. Simple stuff like hot dogs and French fries…"

"Dogs?" Draco asked, shocked. "I didn't know Muggles resort to eating dogs."

Harry smirked.

"You think that's funny, do you?" Draco glared at Potter, forgetting for the moment they were supposed to be friends. "Although I suppose you're used to eating dogs…"

"I'm afraid my cousin Dudley eats all the dogs." Harry teased the blonde Slytherin. "If I'm lucky my Aunt may be generous and give me a quarter of a grapefruit."

Draco stared at Potter. "And this Dudley, he really eats dogs?"

"OH, there's no dog meat in a hot dog! Harry is just teasing you!" Hermoine rolled her brown eyes. "A hot dog is made out of chicken or beef, along with a few other things. They cook it and put it in a bun. Then you can add relish or catsup or mustard."

"Well, I'd like a hamburger." Harry told her, his mouth watering at the rare summer treat. He eyed the Death Eater next to him and briefly wondered if the man was enjoying his visit to the zoo.

Hermoine sighed, and then went into the explanation. "A hamburger is a cooked patty of beef on a bun. It can include cheese, catsup, mustard, pickle, onions, tomatoes…"

After a short discussion, it was decided that they would all have hamburgers with French fries. Hermoine left the table and got into the line of people waiting to buy food.

"So," Lucius said as he shifted on the plastic bench to better look at Harry. "What is this pride thing really about? I'm sure it's more than you two looking at your House mascot."

Harry stared at the older man. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, of course," Lucius replied. "Why else would I ask?"

"Well, I think she kind of wants us all to be friends…" Harry finally admitted, feeling totally stupid saying such a thing to a Death Eater. Surely the man didn't believe in things like friendship or loyalty. "Like a pride of lions."

"Like a family." Lucius corrected, very much aware that Harry's family had in fact thrown him out. "Tell me, Harry, why was the Muggle so eager to hand you over?"

Harry stared at the smooth top of the table, unsure if he even wanted to tell such personal things to his kidnapper. And not to any kidnapper but to Lucius Malfoy, the one who had owned that dangerous, crazy house elf! He glanced up towards the long line at the tiny restaurant but to his dismay saw that Hermoine wouldn't be returning any time soon. The man was too nosey and asked too many prying questions. He sighed, knowing that he'd have to give some sort of answer. He lifted his head and boldly stared in Lucius' blue-gray eyes. "You want to know why? Well, I'll tell you. My Uncle was glad to throw me out because I'm a troublemaker. OK? Like the time I dropped a cake on a dinner guest's head. Except it wasn't really me but your stupid house elf that did it and I got blamed! Of course, Muggles can't see house elves and my Uncle wouldn't believe me anyway because I'm abnormal. So I got bars on my bedroom window and about ten padlocks on the bedroom door so I can't even use the bathroom during the night because I'm not to be trusted. I'm not even trusted with the mail. The school had sent over a thousand letters and my Uncle kept burning them in the fireplace. What else? Oh, my Uncle hates owls because they make sounds and I can't do my summer homework because my Uncle has a No Magic rule, which means I resort to doing it in the middle of the night under the blanket, which resorts in my Uncle checking on me every five minutes and then I have to pretend I'm asleep and it's driving me crazy! No wonder I blew up my other Aunt a few years ago…"

Both Lucius and Draco were staring at him in shock.

"You blew up your Aunt?" Lucius finally asked after a long moment of silence.

Harry nodded. "She deserved it. They don't send you to Azkaban for blowing up family members, you know."

"And do you really have bars on your bedroom window?" Draco asked, still not believing that the famous Potter could have such a horrible family life.

"I did," Harry admitted. "Until the Weasleys pulled them off with a flying car and my Uncle fell out the window. Of course, he survived the fall thanks to the shrubbery."

"Why Harry, you really surprise me." Lucius finally stated. "I didn't think a Gryffindor would have the guts to blow someone up. That's very … admirable."

Harry just stared at Lucius.

"Tell me, Harry, have you done any other things of that nature? You know, things you really shouldn't be doing?" Lucius asked, interested to hear the answer. This little detour to the zoo was becoming far more fascinating that he had ever dreamed it could be.

"Well, I break school rules all the time." Harry uncomfortably admitted.

"Really? Which ones?"

"Well, I roam the halls after hours," Harry started. "I've been in the Forbidden Section, sneak out of the castle at night to visit Hagrid, been in the Forbidden Forest on my own, snuck to Hogsmeade when I wasn't supposed to, done spells I wasn't supposed to, been in other Houses common rooms, spied on people, need I continue?"

Lucius gawked at him dumbfounded.

"Does … does Dummbledore know you do all those things?" Draco finally asked.

"Of course." Harry replied. "He gave me a reward for some of it…"

Draco's bottom jaw dropped open.

"Oh!" Harry smiled at the senior Malfoy. "I forgot to say I stole a car my Second year. That's Grand Theft Auto. The car ran into the Forbidden Forest and we never did get it back. Me and Ron, I mean."

Lucius' mouth hung open in utter surprise.

"Hey!" Hermoine joined them at the table, placing a heavy tray of food and drink in front of them. She quickly handed out the hamburgers, containers of French fries and big plastic cups of cold soda. "What's going on?"

"Oh, I was just confessing all my illegal activities." Harry said as he eagerly unwrapped his hamburger and took a bit bite.

Draco snapped out of his state of shock, the delicious aromas of hot food reaching his nose. Sure, he knew Potter did a few things like sneaking out to see Hagrid, but some of the revelations were totally new. And he had to admit; he admired Potter for a few of them. Sneaking into the Forbidden Section was worthy of a Slytherin! He carefully examined the food that Hermoine had placed in front of him. Picking up a fry, he bit the tip off and cautiously chewed. The thing tasted pretty well and so he settled down to eat.

"Oh, were you?" Hermoine asked. She smiled at Draco as she watched him eat the French fries. "They taste even better if you add some catsup."

Hermoine handed Draco a few plastic pouches of catsup, then shifted her attention back to Harry. "Did you say how we stole potion ingredients from Snape's office our Second Year?"

"No, I didn't," Harry said as he tore open a package of catsup and squeezed it out onto his fries. "Because you stole it, not me."

Lucius looked from Harry to Hermoine. "But … but your Gryffindors!"

"Oh, I'm a bad influence on her." Harry admitted. "So it's not totally her fault."

"You better eat your food before it gets cold." Hermoine pointed at Lucius' food, reminding the elder Slytherin that it was there. "And yes, we are Gryffindors. So we have established that some Gryffindors have a bit of Slytherin in them. The question is, do you have a bit of Gryffindor in you?"

"What?" Lucius asked, taken aback by the unexpected question. He picked up his hamburger and started to unwrap it, just so he would have something to do. He really hadn't expected them to be so forward in admitting things, especially illegal things. "What do you mean?"

"Well, are you brave? Gryffindors have bravery…" Hermoine innocently stated.

"Of course I'm brave!" Lucius replied as he took a bite out of the Muggle sandwich, chewing. "I certainly wasn't scared to go wrap at that Muggle's door now, was I? I seem to remember you cowering behind me."

Hermoine just smiled, letting the remark slide past. "All right, so you're brave, but what about friendship? Gryffindors also value friendship. It's why lions live in prides you know. They value family and friendship."

"If I wouldn't know better, I'd say you're trying to turn me into a Gryffindor." Lucius stared at Hermoine, thinking she was the cleverest witch of her age.

"Oh, don't be silly. You can't turn a snake into a lion!" Hermoine laughed as she took a long sip of her soda. "But there's nothing wrong with sharing traits from two Houses now, is there? And there's certainly nothing wrong with friendship between Houses. Slytherin and Gryffindor used to be friends, you know. In fact, things work out better if people who are different work together because each has different talents and when put together, it makes a much better whole, if you know what I mean? By the way, where are we going to stay for the night?"

Lucius blinked.

"Well, if you remember you kind of captured us," Hermoine pointed out. "While I certainly could go home, Harry certainly can't. His Uncle thinks you took him for the summer."

"You'll stay in my home, of course." Lucius stated. "I'll not have you sneaking off home after the trouble I went through to get you."

"You do realize that you're responsible for him for the summer now, don't you?" Hermoine asked as she picked up her hamburger. "I'm sure Dummbledore knows where we are. It's actually sweet of you taking us to the zoo like this, don't you think? Here we are sitting at a table like a real family. And like a real family, I think we should go see a movie later. There's one playing now that looks really good. You'll like it. It has lots of magic in it."

Lucius was unsure of what to say, so he remained silent. Somehow the Muggle-born had maneuvered him into the position of being responsible for Potter! Why, it was almost like he had three kids. How in the name of Merlin did he get into this mess? He just wanted to kidnap Potter, not become the boy's father! So he decided to concentrate on eating his food for the moment.

The odd thing was, he was beginning to like the two sneaky, rule-breaking Gryffindors.

After they finished eating, the group left the eating area and headed towards the polar bears. Draco, Hermoine and Harry stood by the metal fence watching the thickly furred mammals. According to Hermoine's schedule, soon it would be feeding time for the great artic beasts. They stood close together and waited. Mr. Malfoy stood a distance behind them, uninterested in watching bears eat.

Lucius was beginning to wonder who was in charge, he or the Gryffindors he had captured. He was supposed to be in charge but then how did he end up being responsible for Potter? He didn't want to be responsible for Potter! He just wanted to kidnap him so he could hand him over to the Dark Lord to get the whole sticky mess over with and then they could continue on with eliminating Mudbloods…

That IS what he wanted, wasn't it?

"Of course," Lucius muttered under his breath as he trailed after the three teens. "That's before I found out how much like a Slytherin he is. The boy has potential, perhaps more potential than the Dark Lord."

A shocked expression appeared on his face, his blood running cold despite the warm sun shining down on him. Surely he hadn't just said that, had he? Why, the Dark Lord could kill him for such an offense! He certainly has killed others for much less.

"I'm letting that Muggle-born affect my thinking." He told himself. "She is trying to outsmart me, to contaminate how I think! It's what this whole outing, this entire weekend, is about. She thinks she can get me to be lovey-dovey…"

The thought twisted his stomach.

No, Slytherins were NOT lovey-dovey. They thrived on treachery, crookedness, scheming and all sorts of dark dastardly plans. Yes, a Slytherin's heart was dark, dark as a moonless sky without stars. That's not to say he didn't love or care for his own son. Draco meant the world to him for he was his heir and someday would carry on the Malfoy name. But just because he loved Draco didn't mean he had to love others. And certainly not Potter!

"The boy is not my responsibility!" Lucius firmly told himself. He stood a distance behind the three teens as they watched the polar bears. "He is not related to me at all! Just because that fat Muggle was dumb enough to hand him over means nothing. I signed no papers…"

He uneasily glanced around. The girl's statement that the old fool knew where they were had him spooked. Did Dummbledore really know? Surely the Muggle zoo would be the last place they would look for an Azkaban escapee! Had they put a tracking device on his carriage? He hadn't noticed any unfamiliar spells but one could never tell these days. Perhaps it was a good thing he had taken the kids to the zoo. The Ministry of Magic was very unlikely to allow the dangerous creatures to enter the zoo. No, there was the chance of too many Muggles getting hurt or attacked by the living ripped rags. He shuddered as he remembered the affect they had had upon him. It had truly been miserable and he never wanted to go back there again.

Yet he was a prison escapee.

How was he to return home with the Ministry looking for him? Even if he did have secret rooms in the Malfoy Manor, who is to say that the Ministry wouldn't find them?

For once he wished that he wasn't so honest and noble. The Malfoys kept their word. They were, after all, nobility. Even if he was a prison escapee didn't mean he could break the family code. Of course, most Death Eaters didn't care about lying. They'd lie right to your face and stab you in the back as soon as they could. The thought sickened him but what could he do? Some people had no honor and would do anything at all to reach their goals. He just happened to share some of the same goals with scruple less people, that's all. So now he here was stuck for three whole days of learning about stupid Muggles!

Yes, the hamburger had tasted good, as did the fizzy drink. But why in the world was he getting so jumpy? He really doubted if the Ministry would find him here.

An old man with a long white beard moved to stand next to him. The man looked out of place in his purple T-shirt and black pants. He happily chewed a mouth of salty popcorn, and then swallowed. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Lucius did a double take. Those half moon eyeglasses… "Albus?"

"Lucius." Dummbledore replied. "It was nice of you to take the children to the zoo. The fresh air and exercise will do them good. But I do believe we have a few matters to discuss."

The senior Malfoy was quite dumbstruck. Just seeing Albus Dummbledore wearing Muggle clothing was shocking! His eyes scanned the surrounding crowd trying to spot more hidden agents from the Ministry. No doubt aurors would be here ready to grab him and haul him back to that dreadful place! Just because he couldn't spot them among the Muggle families didn't mean they weren't there. "How … how did you find us?"

"Oh, it was quite simple really," Dummbledore admitted as he reached into the red-and-white striped box for another kernel of popcorn. "Harry has a rather unique magical signature."

"And?" Lucius nervously asked, still unsure why he was so jumpy. When he had been arrested and sentenced to Azkaban he had been very calm. His nerves were made of still and although he may get angry from time to time and loose his temper, he certainly wasn't one of those nervous wrecks. So what was causing this unusual anxiety?

"Like I said we have a few matters to discuss." Dummbledore mysteriously stated. The Headmaster's eyes flickered to the three teens that were still watching the polar bears. The zoo employees had just feed them a bucket of fish and the kids watched wide-eyed as the large carnivores feasted on the fresh bounty from the sea. It was quite a sight and one you didn't see all that often in person. "I find it interesting that out of all the places you could have dragged our young Mr. Potter you decided to come here. May I enquire why that is? I would have assumed as a Pureblood you would have avoided the London Zoo as if it were the Black Death."

Lucius considered his options. He could attempt to flee and leave his son behind. It may be the Slytherin thing to flee for one's own life but as a parent it was his duty to care for Draco. He certainly couldn't leave him here alone with these Gryffindors. That left the second choice, telling the old man the truth, far better to swallow his pride then to get struck down by aurors hidden in the crowds. He held his head high and gazed into Dummbledore's eyes. "No matter what you may think I still have my honor. I made a deal with Miss Granger and I intend to uphold it."

"Aaahhh." Dummbledore said as he gazed back at the Death Eater. "And that deal is?"

"That they have three days to convince me to like Muggles." Lucius spitted out. "It was Potter's idea to come here."

"Yes, his Uncle brought him here once." Dummbledore simply said as he chewed another piece of popcorn. "I think you will find most Muggles are not all that bad really. There are, of course, exceptions to that rule. I do believe you met Harry's uncle? A most callous Muggle I dare say who hates our kind as much as you dislike Muggles. I have already spoken to Mr. Dursley as to what transpired earlier today. I do believe he mistook you for one of the Weasleys."

"What!" Lucius cried, insulted.

"Yes. Mr. Dursley had the unfortunate incident of having his fireplace destroyed by one of the Weasley's just before the Quidditch World Cup. It's incidents like that that cause bad relations and misunderstanding between our two societies." Dummbledore continued to say. "Needless to say the Dursleys treat Harry horrendously out of fear and jealousy, mostly fear. And as you saw, they are quite happy to hand the poor boy over to anyone who shows up on their doorstep asking. Surely you would never do such a thing to your own son, would you?"

"Of course not!" Lucius replied, a bit confused as to why they were discussing the Muggle family and not snapping magical cuffs around his wrists. "Exactly where is this discussion going? Do you expect me to repent for snatching the boy?"

Dummbledore's eyes flickered to where Potter stood with Hermoine and Draco. "He seems happy enough to me."

Lucius stared at the old man in confusion. "And?"

"I have been considering the matter for some time…"

"What matter?" Lucius sighed in irritation. "Why must you always beat around the bush and hint at things instead of just saying what's on your mind?"

"Why, the matter of where Harry will live." Dummbledore explained as if it were as clear as a freshly washed pane of glass. "I have made many mistakes in regards to our young Mr. Potter, too many I'm afraid. Does that surprise you?"

Lucius could feel his stomach tie itself in knots. It didn't bode well that Dummbledore was admitting his mistakes, oh no. That was a very bad sign. All his Slytherin warning systems were screaming loud and clear but all he could do was listen to the old man talk. "And why are you telling me?"

"Then we have something in common, do we not?"

"You are referring to why I was sent to Azkaban?" Lucius asked, certain that were it.

"Of course." Dummbledore agreed as he gazed into the younger man's eyes. "But one learns from those mistakes. You have learned, have you not?"

"I certainly have no desire to return to that place. Ever." Lucius admitted freely.

"Then if we may return to our previous discussion?" Dummbledore waited a moment, and then continued. "Like I said, I have made many mistakes with Mr. Potter. The biggest perhaps is when I decided to place him in the home of his aunt and uncle. I thought they could grow to love him or at least take proper care of him. Sadly, that has not been the case. Not only do they starve him and treat him as a slave but abuse him as well, especially his cousin. It has caused emotional problems, among other things. He had been quite happy when he met his Godfather, as that was a ticket out of the home of the Dursleys. Alas, his Godfather met with an unfortunate accident due to Death Eater activity."

Lucius blinked. "And his Godfather was?"

"Sirius Black." Dummbledore simply stated.

"Sirius Black?" Lucius repeated, a bit surprised that Potter's Godfather was a Pureblood.

"Yes. I do believe he was a relative of yours through your wife's family, was he not?" Dummbledore asked.

A hot flash followed immediately by cold flowed through his body as he began to suspect exactly where the old man was taking this insanely slow conversation. "Surely you're not suggesting…."

"I think it would be a wonderful idea." Dummbledore smiled as he once again reached into his popcorn box. "Of course, you must take proper care of the boy. If I understood correctly, you were going to take him for a few days anyway? Why not use that as a trial period, see how things go?"

"This is insane!" Lucius stated, quite shocked. "You're handing the boy over to someone that just escaped from prison?"

"Sirius Black was another prison escapee if you remember correctly?" Dummbledore reminded the Pureblood. "They got along just fine. But allow me to make one thing perfectly clear. Under no condition are you to hand the boy over to Voldemort. It is not often you get a second chance, Lucius. Do not think I will give you a third chance."

"But what about…." Lucius raised his sleeve, indicating the Dark Mark. "What about HIM? He'll kill me."

"You are Harry's next closest relative through Sirius Black. Do you deny that?" Dummbledore asked, his gaze intense.

"Black was my wife's cousin." Lucius admitted. "But surely there must be someone else?"

Dummbledore smiled gently. "Would you rather have Harry live with a werewolf? He could contract it during the summer and possibly pass it on to your son. They do have a habit of fighting you know…"

"No! Anything but that!" Lucius shivered. The idea was horrendous!

"Harry is quite good friends with the werewolf actually…"

Lucius' mouth dropped open in shock.

"Yes, I think you will find he's not prejudice against other species and he can be quite forgiving. He and Sirius grew to be quite close rather fast." Dummbledore said, a bittersweet smile on his face. "But you must remember the boy has been through a lot, far more than anyone else his age. He tends to solve things on his own rather than consult with adults. He doesn't obey rules. He has emotional problems and sometimes those cause his magic to get a bit out of control. Things happen then."

"Like blowing up his aunt?" Lucius asked.

Dummbledore nodded. "I'm surprised he told you."

"And the Ministry?"

"I will handle that." Dummbledore stated. "If you agree to take on his Godfather duties?"

Lucius sighed. He was getting into a mess here and he knew it. What good was staying out of prison if Voldemort killed him? "And Miss Granger? Must I take her as well?"

"Harry would feel more comfortable with her there." Dummbledore admitted. "And do not forget to keep your promise to her. I do suggest you change some galleons into Muggle currency for tomorrow. It's quite unfair to expect a child to pay for everything. You may consider the weekend a trial period to see how you all get along."

"I expect if this continues there will be Weasleys visiting my home." Lucius stated dryly.

"Perhaps…" the Headmaster smiled. "And remember I will be watching."

Lucius watched the old man, a part of him still not believing the conversation he had just had. It seemed too bizarre, almost like one of those odd dreams you had during the night when one thing shifted into another within a few seconds and made no sense at all. "And shall I tell him?"

"Why don't we see how the weekend goes first?" Dummbledore replied.

"Tell me, does Harry realize we're related?" Lucius asked, curious.

"He has seen the Black family tapestry and knows you are related to the Blacks, but doesn't realize that through Sirius he is also related to you. But then, the boy has a lot on his mind." Dummbledore explained to the Death Eater. "I expect you will put the appropriate wards on your home? Oh, and don't panic if you see a few people about on your property. They are there to protect you as well as the boy, as long as you keep the agreement that is."

"Well," Lucius said dryly. "They certainly didn't do much to stop me from snatching him now, did they? I suggest you hire more appropriate people. But then, if you're relying on help from werewolves…"

Dummbledore just smiled.

"It seems I will have to protect the boy myself." Lucius sighed. What a mess he had stumbled into! "And how will I ever explain this to Narcissa?"

To be continued…