A/N: Here's chapter eleven. Harry goes to deal with the Lucius and Remus situation, and Draco spends the day with Hermione.

This is Harry/Draco, post-Hogwarts, though the slash content is extremely light. There are very vague suggestions of other relationships as well.

I've got this all written out, and am posting one a week. There will be 23 chapters total. All that's left is the editing.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Dedication: To Foodie, who still betas me despite my predilection for slash, and for FionaFawkes, who read and reviewed every single chapter, and gave me such excellent feedback. Also, for everyone who's read and loved my Harry/Draco. This one's for you.

-----11

Draco woke to Harry opening the door to his room early the next morning. "You don't need to get up yet," he said before Draco could ask what time it was. "I'm going down to the Ministry. I need to convince Remus to come live here with me. It's time he stopped trying to make do."

"What about my father?"

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't know," he said. "I won't be surprised it they send him back, Draco. And you shouldn't either."

Draco sighed. He knew Harry was right. His father deserved it, even. But it didn't make it any easier to swallow. "I know. But what if they decide that Lupin's still got custody of him? There are rules against us even being in the same room, let alone living in the same house…"

"We'll see, okay?"

Draco nodded, and was about to settle back down when he thought of something. "Harry?"

Harry nearly closed the door behind him, but turned back so he could face Draco. "Yes?"

"You can't leave me here alone, can you? I mean, you're not allowed, are you?"

"You won't be alone, Draco. Hermione's out in the living room. Be nice, okay? I'll be back as soon as everything's been dealt with." He turned again, and shut the door behind him.

Draco rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but after tossing and turning for several minutes, gave up and got dressed. There was obviously no way he was going to be able to get back to sleep, now that he knew his father might come to stay. Besides, he could at least find out how Greg was doing from Granger. He hoped Weasley wasn't giving him too hard a time.

Granger was sitting on the sofa, her feet tucked under her, reading what looked like an encyclopedia. Draco watched her for several minutes with her none the wiser before he finally cleared his throat. She let out a squeak, and jumped, twisting around on the couch so she could see where Draco stood. "Don't do that!" she huffed.

"Sorry. Should I have tapped you on the shoulder instead? I'll remember that next time…"

Her eyes narrowed. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"If you say so, Granger," Draco said, sitting down across the couch from her.

"Doesn't Harry have a rule about first names?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"So far that's only referred to myself and him. Not our visitors," Draco replied. "He still calls Severus 'Snape.' Why should I call you anything other than what I've always called you? I mean, I'm hardly using that other word. I'm being polite. Surely that's not something I should be getting into trouble over."

"You seem to have examined the matter thoroughly, anyway," Granger said, turning back to her book and trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile.

"What is that thing you're reading, Granger? It looks as though it could contain the history of the world, from the size of it."

She looked up again. "Just some research."

"On what? Maybe I can help."

She looked confused for a moment. "You'd do that? Even though it has nothing to do with you?"

Draco shrugged. "I'm bored." And he needed to find a way to keep from thinking about what was going on with Harry and his father. Not that he wanted to tell her that.

Granger nodded. "Fair enough." She shifted so that Draco could see the book which lay on her lap.

"Psychology?" Draco asked, amused.

"I've been having trouble figuring out how to approach Greg. I figured I'd do some studying up, and see if I could find anything that would help me decide how to approach him."

It took Draco only a moment to think of an answer for her. "Teach him to cook," he said with a grin.

"What?"

"Teach him to cook. Greg loves to eat. Anything about food would get his attention. And once he's started talking to you, teach him the history of what you're making. Take him to Muggle restaurants. The way to Greg and Vince is through their stomachs."

She looked at him warily. "Is that how you got them as your bodyguards?"

Draco glared at her. That had been totally uncalled for. Draco had been trying to be helpful, and Granger had to go and intimate something like that? "They weren't my bodyguards. They're my friends. Just because of how they look…"

Granger snorted. "Please, Malfoy. You can't honestly expect me to believe you enjoyed spending time with them, do you?"

"What would you know about it, Granger?" he growled. "If Harry and Weasley hadn't decided to adopt i you /i in first year, you probably would have gone all seven with your nose permanently stuck in a book!"

She flushed angrily at that. "Look, Malfoy, if you don't…"

"No, you look, Granger. Greg's been a friend of mine since I was about four. I know him. Better than you ever will. So, you can either take my advice, or you can ignore it. Makes no difference to me. But if you want to begin to understand him, you might want to listen to what I have to say." He stood up, and moved to the kitchen. Stubborn freak. Just because she thought she was better than them… He pulled bread from the breadbox and popped it into the toaster. He could only imagine how Weasley was treating Greg, if that was what Granger thought of him.

"Malfoy?" Draco turned to see her standing in the doorway, and glowered at her. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I only meant…"

"You only meant that you thought the only way I would have friends is if I bought them, right?"

"No… It's just that they're—"

"So stupid?"

Granger sighed. "This isn't going well. I want to help him, Ma—Draco. Help me? Please?"

The toast popped, and he turned back to slather the bread with butter and jam before answering. "If you want to understand him, all you have to do is exactly what I said. He's a good guy. He's just uncomfortable around people he doesn't know. Just talk to him a lot. Tell him what you want to show him. He'll love it."

She nodded. "I'll try that." There was a long pause before she added, "Thank you."

"No, thank you for believing in him enough to take him in," Draco said, pausing for a moment before he added, "Hermione."

She smiled in response.

◦♦☼♦◦

Harry didn't return until very late in the afternoon. Draco had been showing Hermione several recipes that he thought Greg might enjoy learning when they heard the door open. Draco jumped to his feet and hurried to the living room. "Harry!" He skidded to a halt when he saw Lupin standing behind Harry, his hand on Lucius's shoulder. Draco swallowed.

Hermione came into the room and greeted Harry and Lupin warmly. "You okay now, or will you be leaving again?" she asked Harry.

"Nope, we're here to stay. Thanks, Hermione. Hope things went okay," he said, looking between the two of them.

She grinned. "Actually, we got along great. I think I know how to get through to Greg, now, too. Draco was a lot of help."

Draco avoided looking at Lucius as Hermione said this, but even so, he could feel the heated glare coming from him. He shrugged. "I want Greg to be happy, so I'll help out however I can," he said with a slight smile.

Harry blinked for a moment before smiling himself. "I'm glad to hear it. I think I'll need your help with someone else in the next few weeks…" He shot a pointed glance over his shoulder to where Lupin and Lucius were standing in the front hall before turning back to Hermione. "Tell Ron I said hi, okay? And I'll come and visit sometime soon."

"Of course, Harry." She gave him a quick hug, then left, moving carefully past Lucius, and smiling pleasantly to Lupin before closing the front door behind herself.

Draco looked at Harry, uncertain if he should ask, or even if he really wanted to know. "What happened?"

Harry turned to Lupin and Lucius. "Remus and Lucius will be staying here with us, now."

"Really?"

"Yes." Harry glanced at Lupin. "Remus, you've stayed before. The front two rooms are free. I figure you and Lucius can have those. We'll have to figure out how to deal with the bathroom, though. If Draco learned his habits from Lucius…"

"What would you know about it, Potter?" Lucius snarled.

"I've been living with your son for three months now, Lucius. And rule number one. Everyone in this household goes by their first names only. No last names. Got that?"

Lucius glowered at him. He folded his arms, but otherwise remained silent.

It was Lupin who spoke. "Lucius. I realize this isn't what you had in mind, but seeing as you wanted into this program…"

Lucius whirled on the werewolf. "I didn't want into the program, you simpleton. I wanted out of Azkaban. I thought—"

"That you'd be able to control Remus?" Harry asked.

Lucius turned to glower at him again, but otherwise refused to answer.

Lupin answered for the both of them. "Thank you, Harry. I'll get him settled in, then we can discuss rules, I think." He grabbed Lucius's shoulder, and Lucius, caught off guard, stumbled under the weight of his grip. "Come along, Lucius." He guided a grumbling Lucius from the room.

Draco turned to Harry. "They actually allowed you to have Lucius in this house with me?"

"Let's just say I made them an offer they couldn't refuse," Harry said, still glaring after the other pair. "Come on; let's start pulling out something for dinner."