See the end for Author's Notes.

Chapter Eight

Harry spent quite a bit of his summer dodging the attempts of Lucius Malfoy to speak in private (of which there were few, but considerably more than should be appropriate given Harry's political standing being non-existent), learning old world traditions the like of which houses Black and Malfoy observed, and getting along with Draco a bit more than he would have expected possible considering their original relationship. (And by relationship Harry meant the insufferable prat that had first greeted him upon entering Madam Malkin's. It was rather refreshing that Lady Malfoy had perfect control of both of the males of her household.)

He also spent a tragically large amount of time doing what Draco had unabashedly referred to as 'pampering one's inner lord'. Harry would have been scandalized at such a moniker if he hadn't been in the middle of being dragged to his trunk to unearth the hair potion sets he had meticulously buried in hopes of avoiding this very situation. Unfortunately after Lady Malfoy had termed his stereotypical rat's nest as 'bed head', it was obvious that Draco was not to be deterred any longer.

Said pampering of one's self was tragically not limited to the monstrosity of hair care items that the blond had pulled out. There was also his eye potion (which he had to only take every three days at this point rather than every night), some skin care concoction Draco insisted he lather himself with after bathing, and a paste which apparently served as the wizarding equivalent of deodorant. Harry-- who had up to that point had been using the body spray the Dursley's had always bought him-- was hesitant on that last bit but was convinced by the lack of fruity scent the paste created.

(He was less convinced that some variation of this routine needed to be completed nightly, but had remained resolutely silent when Lady Malfoy had complimented his 'princely appearance' the following morning.) ((Draco was rather smug when he checked on Harry later that night and he had already started what would become a nightly routine.))

Although Harry was irritated by such a show, Draco was still the first person he thought of when Lady Malfoy brought up the fact that they would have a small gathering of his classmates to celebrate his birthday at the end of the month. The blond may be a tad annoying at times, but he knew what was proper attire for such an event and since Harry didn't have a single pair of denims left he thought it best to ask the other boy rather than throw on whatever he came across in his closet. Surprisingly enough, his ally hadn't been an absolute snob about the entire situation.

Draco did however refute every option that Harry had suggested for nearly thirty minutes before he picked out everything himself. "And the boots will just about do it. Now go bathe again-- you'll want to after spending all morning in the library, trust me-- and I'll be back in a bit to do your hair."

Harry did feel a bit dusty if he was being honest. It seemed like no matter how fancy a library was-- if you had enough books in one place there was sure to be a plethora of dust. (Draco claimed it had something to do with the spells needed for proper preservation of old thomes having a negative interaction with basic cleaning charms but Harry had his doubts considering the Hogwarts library was a tad cleaner.)

In the end, he followed directions without his usual grumbling. He was becoming quite fond of the fact that the Malfoy estate didn't have actual showers and he had daily baths. (And he put on the lotion-potion thing as well, enjoying how soft his skin had become in just two weeks time which made the appallingly luxurious material his clothes were made out of feel that much softer against his skin.)

Unfortunately, Harry had quite forgotten in the meantime as he lounged around in a pair of pants and his tunic that Draco took the absolute longest out of every boy in their dorm to get ready. By the time the blond returned to help Harry-- aghast that he hadn't been fully dressed and sitting in his front room with tea awaiting Draco's return-- they were pressed for time.

When the eccentric blond dubbed Harry ready for the public they were probably running more than a tad late. "Come on, Harry," the blond rushed as he strode down the corridor at much too fast a pace to be anything but a mad dash. "Mother will disown me if I have you arrive after your guests do."

Harry rolled his eyes, thinking rightly that the Lady of the house doted on her son and would never do anything of the sort, even if they were late to his own party. As they passed the large windows that lined the eastern corridor he glanced out at the albino peacocks that grazed upon the estate grounds. An unusual spark of magic had him come up short.

Further out past what he was sure marked the estate grounds were two auras. This was a bit strange as he had been assured by Lady Malfoy that everyone would be making the trek via floo into the eastern parlor where a vast majority of the festivities were to take place tonight.

"Harry!" Draco positively whined.

He shrugged, ignoring the anomaly for now and hurrying after the other. Maybe someone changed their mind. It wasn't really that important.

When the two entered the eastern parlor to the penetrating stare of Lady Malfoy both stopped in their tracks and tried not to look as guilty as they felt. "Cutting it a bit close aren't you two?"

Harry flushed in embarrassment but the sound of the floo activated drowned out any apologies he might have voiced anyway. 'Cutting it close, indeed,' he thought as Draco started tugging him closer to the floo.

Vincent was stepping out-- Goyle quickly on his heels-- as they came to a stop in what Harry assumed was the proper place to greet guests coming via floo. "Why does it look like you've been rushed?" Vince asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Nonsense," Harry refuted, coming forwards to clasp forearms with the two heirs. "You two look like you're to dine with the Minister."

"Oh please," Draco scoffed as he came up to do the proper welcoming as the heir of the house, "Harry is much more interesting than Cornelius Fudge any day."

"Here, here," Goyle called.

Harry's scoff was drowned out by the sound of the floo flaring. Prefect Dodderidge's greeting was a rather rambunctious-- "Harold!"-- followed by Daphne's scolding. "Inside voices, Helena darling."

Harry smiled eagerly. While Daphne was technically the one who sponsored him in Slytherin Prefect Dodderidge acted just as invested in his well being and had hexed more than a few upper years last year that were a tad closer to the Dursley's in behaviour. She was a bit fearsome (he was still unsure whether she was part-monster or not) but was kind to Harry. Kinder then even Vincent or Draco had been and they were arguably his closest classmates.

"Welcome Daphne. Prefect Dodderidge. Thank you for coming."

"Nonsense, Harold," Helena grinned her sharp roguish pirate grin, "I'd have liked to see you keep me from it. Anything to see you all done up."

"You do look rather dashing, Harry," Daphne added her own opinion, accepting his formal bow over her outstretched hand as was proper of a lady of her stature."

Harry flushed at the compliments. Thankfully Lady Malfoy stepped forward to gain their attention. "Refreshments are set out in the parlor. If you would follow me."

What the Lady of the house meant when she said refreshments apparently referenced a party spread that was more ostentatious than anything he'd eaten all break. There was cake-- or a gâteau as Daphne had to correct him twice-- that was better than even the sweets at Hogwarts. The round of birthday presents he received were enough to ruin whatever attempt at a socially appropriate smile Harry had managed to keep up until that point. (Luckily enough neither Vincent nor Daphne seemed to hold it against him and remained silent about his faux pas.)

There were also more than a few compliments concerning his looks during the festivities. It was the best birthday ever-- even better than when he discovered he was a wizard. By the end of the day he was smiling unabashedly. Even Lady Narcissa's announcement that their time was coming to an end could not abate his joy. "You really do look lovely, mon petit chou," Daphne said once more as she held her hand out for a proper farewell.

Harry smiled abashedly. Almost everyone had commented one way or another about his well-managed appearance tonight. Even Lucius Malfoy had nothing but a pleasant nod of approval when he had joined them to await the arrival of the guests. Him and Draco had spent almost a full hour ruffling through his wardrobe to find a sufficiently appropriate birthday outfit. The moonbeam of his vest and trousers offset the vividness of his green top that brought out but didn't quite match his own gaze. His short cloak-- cut to fall just about mid thigh-- was the same ink black as his boots and both shone brilliantly when the light hit it-- a testament to the acromantula silk that had been used to stitch both together.

When matched with his tamed curls and eyes unhindered by spectacles and he had been assured by Mibby that he looked 'right proper'.

All the women preferred to call him lovely instead, which although was a step up from the pretty moniker he had expected, was still not exactly the effect he had been going for.

"Thank you, Daphne," he said as he bowed over her outstretched hand. "Most of it's due to your gifts though. Really you should be congratulating yourself."

She giggled that windchime laugh that brought a smile to everyone who heard it. "Trust me, I am. But it helps when one has a beautiful image of which to paint."

Harry flushed in embarrassment. He wasn't entirely sure but he thinks Daphne had just called him beautiful. "Aw, you've made Harold blush. Look how cute he is!"

He was mortified. "Now ladies," came Lady Malfoy's voice, "It is getting dark and it is best everyone returns home before it becomes too late."

Thankfully everyone made quick goodbyes following her reminder and Harry was once again alone with Draco as the two adults quickly excused themselves. "Well that was fun," Draco said as he turned to leave the parlor.

Harry rolled his eyes, not bothering to ask the blond for help with his presents. He would surely point out that the house elves would take care of relocating the small pile and call Harry an idiot for insisting all the same.

It took Harry all of two tries to realize he couldn't float all seven items at once. Putting a sticking charm on several of them and floating three, was well within his capacity for wandless magic. He didn't notice Lucius' pointed stare as he and Draco led the group to the fireplace to floo home.

"You've said your practical lessons with him are going well?"

Narcissa nodded as the sound of the children faded as they continued down the hall. "All of his practical charms are satisfactory for his age and while he doesn't appear to have an affinity for conjuring like Draco, his wandless and nonverbal casting improved by leaps and bounds in the time he has been here. As you know, I was only able to teach him the most basic occlumency shields before ending those particular lessons."

Lucius' gaze returned to his wife yet again at the mention of the mysterious ending of the mind lessons with the Potter Heir. She had never revealed what exactly had transpired to end his lessons and while he found the thought untenable the more time he spent with the young man the more he thought that his upbringing wasn't what popular rumor had it out to be. It was obvious that the boy had not been brought up by any wizarding family of any note but he was starting to consider that perhaps he wasn't brought up in the wizarding world at all. Even without his son's constant updates he would notice how surprised and amazed young Harry was by everything around him. The thought seemed impossible initially but could Harry Potter have been raised by muggles? And unsatisfactory ones at that?

He wouldn't ask-- Narcissa would not tell him without permission and Lucius was much more patient than his son. That didn't mean he wasn't very curious about the Potter Heir they had taken to housing during the break.

If only it was easier to corner the skittish child.

Elsewhere Harry frowned as he gazed out the window again. The two auras he had noticed earlier in the evening had been joined by another three, all of varying strengths. It was probably about time he mentioned something to one of the Malfoys. (His frown deepened when it just so happened to be Lucius Malfoy he saw first upon venturing to the first floor.)

"Something ails you, Heir Potter?"

He sighed but didn't bother wasting the time searching out Lady Malfoy when it was just as likely that Lucius would be needed anyway if there were people trespassing on his estate grounds. "For several hours I have noticed several people at the edge of the wards watching the house. Just now the group has increased twice over and I'm sure if they had any legitimate reason here they would have presented themselves to you long before now."

Lucius' gaze had narrowed the longer Harry spoke to the point he now looked quite cross. "Dobby!"

A house elf appeared at their side and bowed low, its ears touching the ground. Harry recognized it as the dirty house elf he had first seen upon fixing his eye sight. "Yes Master Malfoy, sir! How can Dobby be--"

"Check the perimeter outside the wards silently with a contingent of two elves. Report back to me within five minutes." He turned back to Harry with a precursory glance, "Find my son and sequester both yourselves in the Eastern parlor until further notice."

Without another word Lucius strode down the hall without even so much as by your leave. Harry was a little surprised by the alacrity in which his news had been acted upon but upon further thought supposed he shouldn't be. Lucius Malfoy had been a member of his father's elite at the height of his reign and had probably experienced more than his own fair share of raids-- not that Harry thought this was in fact what was going on. Only that the man had gained the skills through experience and had probably learned it was better to be prepared for the worst in any case. (Furthermore Harry was sure the man had displeased more than a few people following the Dark Lord's downfall-- not the least of which were his supposed vassals.)

Even outside the man's experience in his father's army-- no one up to any good would have been monitoring the estate for such extended periods of time without the Lord's knowledge. (He wondered briefly if Harry was in any way responsible for the contingent of wizards at their doorstep but then thought it was unlikely. It seemed to be a well kept secret in the wizarding world just who his sire was and he doubted now would be the best time anyway to act upon the knowledge.)

As it turned out, it was a Ministry raid of some sort. "This is the greatest insult," Draco hissed as the two of them sat in the parlor with Lady Malfoy awaiting the end of the incursion.

"It is," the regal Lady agreed.

Harry was curious as to why exactly the Ministry would even try such a thing to begin with. The Malfoys were of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, the equivalent of wizarding nobility as Harry understood it. And Minister Fudge-- the current Minister of Magic-- was a bit of a pushover that owed his current position due to the quite substantial coffers of Lord Malfoy as Vince tells it.

Not a moment later Lucius appeared at the doorway with three men-- all of whom were dressed in ruby red robes. Lady Malfoy rose from her perch to approach the group. Draco rose as well and Harry quickly followed his lead. They both limited themselves to several steps behind the lady of the house. (Harry was hoping this would keep them from being sent away too soon.)

"-out of my hands, Lord Malfoy. As you know, I am simply following the chain of command."

"Of course Auror Savage. But I admit I didn't expect Scrimgeour to be so rash."

"And you would be right. This is an interdepartmental command. The guys over in the Misuse department are getting uppity and have pushed forward a bill to oust dark artifacts withheld on family estates previously granted clemency."

Lucius' eyes narrowed at that information. "An unfortunate turn of events. But as you and your comrades have seen there is nothing of the sort in Malfoy Manor."

"Of course, Lord Malfoy. I apologize again for the inconvenience."

"Think nothing of it," Lucius waved his hand and an elf appeared. "Mibby will show you out."

Harry watched those around him. Draco's wide eyed stare after the red-robed individuals. Lady Malfoy's careful gaze at her husband. Lucius ever turbulent aura that whipped around him. (Harry hadn't ever seen it so upset.)

They passed several minutes in silence before an elf appeared before them once more. "All of the wizards be off the property sir," she squeaked.

Lucius gave a sharp nod of dismissal and she once again disappeared.

"Lucius," Lady Malfoy spoke softly. "What is it?"

The sneer on his face was very reminiscent of some of Draco's worst expressions. "Weasley," he hissed.

Draco's own face scrunched up in distaste.

Lady Malfoy nodded once and turned to them at that moment. "Off to bed you two. We still have to go to Diagon in the morning. Harry-"

Harry met her eyes and was floored by the soft smile on her lips. "Happy Birthday."

A/N: I know it's been a long time coming by here are the rewritten chapters I promised last year. I'm posting a bunch of chapters all at once-- many of which have been rewritten and the last of which is an update. Because of this it might be helpful to reread at least from chapter 8 onwards where a lot of the additional scenes begin cropping up. That also means the author note will be identical for half of the chapters so every reader that's already started the story knows what's going on. I thank everyone for their patience.
Aerialas