A/N: Oh dear another story. Hm, I really need to learn not to start new one's before I finsih other ones. But all my lovely reviewers I will say that I am almost done with another chapter of The Trouble With Mating. Unfortunatly, I have only written about a page and a half of Little Steps. Although I could still post it almost like a teaser or something. I'll think about it. Well anyway hope you enjoy this new story. I actually have two more chapter typed and waiting to be posted but I think I'll hold off a bit until I finish the 4th as well before posting both of them. But until then enjoy!
Harry was sitting alone at a small circular table in the Great Hall, idly reading the recent depressing headlines of the Daily Prophet. Hogwarts had been changed into a safe-house for the wizarding community at the beginning of Harry's 7th year and he was still trying to get used to it 8 months later. He never thought he'd have to see the once great school be used as anything other then a place of learning, but here he was, now patiently waiting for his friends to arrive. Friends he hadn't seen since the last day of his 6th year. Sure they had still managed to get letters to one another via Fawkes, but it just wasn't the same. Now, finally they were forced from their safe-house and were coming to stay at Hogwarts. And Harry couldn't be happier. Or at least that's what he was trying to convince himself of.
While he really did truly miss his friends he was also a bit afraid to see them again. After all, how would he feel if he hadn't found out about them getting married? He absentmindedly gazed down at his diamond-encrusted wedding band and sighed. It wasn't like he had intentionally forgotten to mention the small insignificant fact that he had gotten married over seven months ago. It was more his fear of their reaction to who he had married. After all it wasn't every day that the boy who lived got married, let alone got married to one of the most infamous Death Eaters around. He sighed softly and folded the newspaper then tossed it across the table.
'Where is he?' Harry wondered for the millionth time in the last 3 hours since the Death Eater meeting had been called. He glanced towards the entrance hall in hopes of catching a glimpse of the familiar blonde hair he so longed to see. Sighing, this time in frustration, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. More time must have passed than he had thought because suddenly someone nearby was clearing their throat to get his attention. Cracking open his eyes to see who had caused this slight disturbance, he almost fell off his chair in surprise.
"Ron, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed in surprise. "How long have you two been sitting there?"
"We just got here, Harry." Said Hermione cheerfully, sitting down across from him. "Would you believe me if I said I almost didn't recognize you when we found out you were waiting here in the Hall?"
Harry laughed, momentarily casting off the worry that had been plaguing him all day in favor of just catching up with his friends. "I knew I had changed, but not to that extent."
"Well, you have." Ron said sitting down next to Hermione. "This place has changed as well." He remarked looking around the Great Hall.
"You have no idea." Harry muttered, looking towards the entrance hall as he had heard someone go running into it. His eyes widened as he saw Severus and Draco talking in what looked like frantic whispers to Dumbledore, who spared a worrying glance towards Harry. Harry didn't like the look he had received. It didn't bode well with the subsequent vision he had had early that morning.
"Are you ok, Harry?" Hermione asked, reaching across the table grasping his hand in hers. He drew his nervous gaze from the door and settled it back on Hermione. She squeezed his hand once reassuringly before letting go.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He said distractedly, his attention once again placed on Draco who was striding determinedly towards him. Harry gulped, not liking the look in Draco's eyes one bit.
Without even sparing a glance at the new presence of Ron and Hermione, Draco pulled a chair away from the table and turned it so it was facing Harry.
"Harry, don't worry." Draco began uneasily, already hating the job he had just been assigned.
"'Harry, don't be worried'." Harry mocked a bit hysterically. "Don't worry? You can't just ask me not to worry, Dray. You and Sev are back, so where the bloody hell is he!"
"Harry, listen to me. Voldemort asked him to remain behind after the rest of the inner circle had been dismissed." He held up a hand to stop Harry before he could speak. "Listen, this isn't the first time this has happened before and it probably won't be the last."
"But you remember what I said this morning." Harry said unsteadily.
Draco sighed, grabbing Harry's upper arms and rubbing them reassuringly. "Yes, I do remember, but, Harry, you knew it was a chance we all had to make."
"It's so unfair." He muttered miserably, not bothering to hide the fact that he was freely crying.
"Nothing is anymore, Harry. All we can do now is wait."
Harry nodded listlessly, tears still streaking down his cheeks. Draco drew Harry into a tight embrace just holding him for a moment. When Draco felt he had held Harry a bit longer than prudent, he let go of the still quivering young man, wiped the tear streaks off his face, and stood up.
"Don't worry, Harry." Draco said gently. "He's faced worse than this before. He'll be ok."
Harry smiled weakly and nodded, watching Draco once again leave the Hall. It was then that he realized that Ron and Hermione had been sitting across from him the entire time and were probably expecting answers.
"What the bloody hell was that!" Ron exclaimed looking both disgusted and very concerned.
"Er…" Harry said not really sure how to explain to his two best friends his new found friendship with their former blonde antagonist.
"Malfoy was…nice." Hermione said for lack of any better describing word.
"Yes, well-" Harry began, but was cut off.
"And you let him near you!" Ron shouted, disgust apparently overpowering his concern. "He actually held you!"
"Ron, there's a perfectly good-" Harry tried again.
"And who were you two talking about?" Hermione asked. "I've never seen you get so emotional over anybody other than Sirius before."
Harry was beginning to get a bit frustrated. "That's because-"
"It was bloody disgusting that's what it was." Ron continued. "I mean if actually holding you wasn't disturbing enough he then wiped the tears off your face."
"HARRY!"
Ron and Hermione went silent as Harry jerked his head around to see who had shouted his name. He saw Draco standing nervously at the entrance to the Hall beckoning him over.
Harry stood up immediately and heard two distinct gasps. He sighed, not even bothering to explain, and went over to Draco.
"What happened?" He asked frantically.
"He just got back."
Harry's eyes widened. "And?"
"He's in a bad way, Harry. They had to take him to the hospital wing."
Without saying another word Harry began running toward the hospital wing -Draco right on his heels. His mind a continuing litany of 'oh gods'. He slowed down his pace when he neared the hospital and cautiously, almost frightened of what he would see when he opened the door, he opened the door and peered inside. He saw Madame Pomfrey hovering over a bed in the far end of the wing and instantly moved towards that bed. His stomach twisted and tied into knots as he got closer and closer to the bed. He almost threw up at the sight that greeted him.
From what he could see, Lucius' perfect complexion would never be perfect again, the long lacerations criss-crossed his face making him look like he had been branded by a chain link fence. The tip of his left ear seemed to have been cut off and it was still bleeding profusely. Lucius was also now sporting two black eyes, a cut upper lip, and what looked like a broken nose. If this was what the top of his husbands body looked like he wasn't sure he wanted to know what the rest of it looked like. The spasms that were racking through Lucius' body weren't helping the matter either. There was only curse that could still be causing the convulsions and Harry felt his stomach roil.
"Lucius." He gasped, having gotten over his initial shock. Draco seemingly materialized by his side as his knees buckled out from under him. Grabbing onto Draco he allowed himself to be led to the chair beside the bed.
"Mr. Potter." Poppy said in greeting, before continuing casting healing charms over Lucius' body.
Harry shuddered and picked up Lucius' hand once Pomfrey was done healing.
"When will he wake up?" Harry asked fretfully, raising his green eyes to meet the worried ones of the nurse.
She sighed. "It's up to him."
Harry nodded in understanding and returned his attention back to his unconscious lover. "You better wake up you inconsiderate git. You hear me?"
Draco chocked back laughter at that comment and settled himself in a chair on the opposite side of the bed. "You better do what he says, Father, hormones and all that."
Harry scowled at Draco. "Don't make fun of me, Draco, or I might just ground you."
This time Draco did laugh. "You would too, wouldn't you?"
"Shuddup." He mumbled, looking uncomfortable.
Draco smiled apologetically and gazed down at his father. "You better wake up."
Harry looked across the bed at Draco and smiled weakly, before slouching in his chair. His thumb tracing the small scars on the back of Lucius' hand and before either boy knew what happened they were asleep.
"Harry," A voice called out softly. "Harry dear, you need to wake up."
Harry groaned and cracked open an eyelid to see who it was. Poppy smiled down at him gently and had him sit back up. It seemed that Harry had slumped forward onto the bed when he had fallen asleep. All feeling in his left arm was gone. He glared at the offending limb and started applying pressure with his right hand in attempts to get the blood flowing through it. Unhappily, he allowed the irritating tingling sensation to continue until he got the feeling back in his fingers.
"How are you feeling?" Poppy questioned, handing Harry a glass of water.
He rolled his shoulder and turned his head side to side a few times before answering, "I've been better."
She rolled her eyes and patted his cheek gently. Harry smiled and looked down at Lucius' unconscious form.
"Did he wake up yet?"
Poppy shook her head 'no', before going about her daily routine. Harry sighed and captured Lucius' hand with both of his. He brought it up to his lips and kissed it tenderly.
"You just have to wake up." He said quietly with a yawn. He got up off the chair and sat down on the edge of the bed. "You have to."
He heard a murmur of agreement across the bed and looked up and met Draco's familiar gaze. They grinned sleepily at each other.
"I heard you the first time." Came the slurred response.
Harry and Draco both jerked away from Lucius in shock. Before Harry practically flung himself onto him.
"Don't you ever ever do that again." Harry said in between sobs. Lucius grimaced and gently stroked Harry's back soothingly in attempts to get the pregnant boy to calm down.
"Shhh, Harry, I'm alright. See."
"You scared me you daft git." He sniffled, burying his head against Lucius' chest.
Draco just smiled down at the two of them. "I best go see if Granger and Weasley are all right."
Harry's head shot up from it's resting place looking exceedingly guilty. "Shit. I just left them there, didn't I?"
Draco snorted. "That you did; leaving me, once again, on damage control."
"Sorry, Dray." Harry said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it." He stretched and stood up. "I've gotten used to it."
Harry frowned and saluted Draco, who rolled his eyes and returned the gesture before leaving the ward.
"I'm glad you two get along so well." Lucius said after a time.
Harry smiled and kissed him on the nose, before sitting up on the edge of the bed. "Yes, well he kind of grows on you."
"I'm sure he does." He drawled, allowing Harry to help him lean up against a pillow.
Harry idly picked at the threads of the blanket before meeting Lucius' cool gaze. "What happened?"
Lucius sighed tiredly. "He was displeased, rather like you said he was. Claimed that I should have been able to get you to him by now, since we live in the same castle. Thankfully, he decided not to punish me publicly."
"Why's that better?" Harry asked concernedly.
"Let's just say when the Dark Lord decides to make an impression on his followers he does it with style."
"Kills them?" Harry questioned with as much detachment as possible.
Lucius nodded wearily. "Couldn't have that happen, now could we?"
Harry shook his head 'no' and leaned back against Lucius again. They were both startled when they heard the door opening again. Harry watched with a small bit of alarm as Hermione and Ron entered the room.
"Er, hey guys."
"Don't 'hey' us, Mister." Hermione said angrily. "First you ignore us, then you walk out on us without so much as an explanation. So explain."
Harry sighed, still eyeing Ron wearily. The redhead looked like he was about to erupt. He felt Lucius wrap an arm protectively around his waist, and he calmed down.
"Well, when you first got here I was already waiting for the spies to come back from the Death Eaters meeting that had been called earlier. It's normally nerve-wrenching on a normal day, but today it was worse because Voldemort was pretty pissed-off and I didn't know why. I had warned them before they left, but-"
"Wait, there are spies? Plural?"
Harry nodded. He knew that Hermione would be the most accepting, but Ron looked ready to kill someone. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Draco reenter the ward and felt better for it. "There's Severus -you already knew that one- then there's Draco, and Lucius."
"The Malfoy's?" Ron spat out, distrust evident.
Harry winced and nodded again. "Yes, they switched sides shortly before I left the Dursley's to come here to Hogwarts."
"And you believed them?" Ron asked, his face rapidly turning purple. Hermione scowled at Ron, but it was obvious he didn't notice.
Harry unconsciously snuggled closer to Lucius, who in turn tightened his grip around his waist. He really hated where this conversation was going.
"Of course he did, Ronald." Hermione said waspishly. Draco who had been watching this in the shadows knew Weasley would be sleeping on the floor tonight if he didn't clam up soon.
"Any other questions?" Harry snapped, feeling exceptionally upset and angry.
"Yes." Ron said, clearly not hearing the warning in both his friends' voices. "Why are you basically sitting on Lucius Malfoy's lap, and when the bloody hell did you become so fat?"
That was it. Hermione gasped in shocked outrage. Draco paled, realizing what Weasley had just said. Lucius winced and Harry looked dead calm. Extracting himself from Lucius' arms he stood up and walked right over to Ron. Ron who was still seemingly oblivious to the faux pas he had just transgressed, was completely shocked when Harry punched him hard before running out of the ward, tears freely flowing down his cheeks.
"What the hell did I say?" Ron asked and earned another sharp slap on the cheek. He watched in shock as his girlfriend ran after Harry, closely followed by Draco. A snort from behind reminded him that he still wasn't alone. He gulped and turned to see an irate Lucius Malfoy, wand aimed straight at his heart.
"Give me one good reason not to kill you right now." Lucius hissed, eyes flashing.
Ron squeaked and fled the hospital, leaving a very dissatisfied Malfoy in his wake.
A/N: Well...what did you think? Good, bad, confusing? I hope not too confusing. And look it's a new pairing for me as well. I like reviews they are nice and make me feel all good inside. So if you would all be so kind as to hit the pretty review button and leave a review I will be forever grateful.