Disclaimer: HP and Co. belong to J.K. Rowling, not myself.

A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the long wait, I hope it was worth it. I'm also on the hunt for a new beta so if you're at all interested PM me!

R/R!

Chapter 19: Summer

Fred and George Weasley settled in quietly at the Gryffindor table. A few other Gryffindor students gave them a wide berth, when the Weasley twins were quite, you kept your head down and watched what you ate. Ignoring their table-mates, the twins went about their morning business, talking in soft voices as they cast the occasional glance at the Slytherin table.

"Why hasn't he answered yet?" Fred asked as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"Maybe Remus hasn't given him the letter yet?" George offered, eyes tracking the smaller blond that both of them were covertly watching.

"Maybe..." Fred trailed off with a small frown. "He just looks lonely Forge, he's our little brother and I want to be there for him"

"I know, I know" George said with a sigh, he looked at Orion again. "We'll slip him a note, ask him to meet up with us later and we'll work this all out. I'm sure Remus just forgot to give him the letter"

"Good" The twins shared a look and dropped the conversation, not wanting any unsavory characters to overhear.

"And what are you two whispering about? Put something in the potatoes?" Ron asked loudly as he thumped into a seat next to Fred, or was it George?

"Maybe Ronniekins, you never know" Fred said, waggling his eyes brows suggestively.

Ron gave the potatoes a disgusted look and proceeded to avoid them like the plague. Instead he loaded his plate full of bacon and eggs and gave the entire table a rather lovely view of pre-digested food as he tried to start conversations with other people at the table. Fred and George took note of the students around them, most of them ignored Ron or gave him disgusted looks, a few people gave him half hearted responses or greetings except for Ginny who seemed fine with carrying on a conversation with Ron.

"I think Orion may have more friends in Gryffindor then anyone expected" George whispered to his twin. Harry had had a lot of friends in Gryffindor and a fair amount of them had seen what Harry had gone through the last four years. So it wasn't surprising to the twins that most of Gryffindor, especially the older students, supported Harry getting a family, even if it meant becoming a Malfoy.

"I would agree my dear brother" Fred said as he and George rose simultaneously from the table and headed off to their first class.

-Blood-

Orion glanced up from his breakfast, his silver-blue eyes meeting those of one Fred Weasley. Frowning for a second, the young Slytherin turned away confused. The twins hadn't looked angry or anything, but with those two you never knew. Smirking slightly as he thought of all the different things the twins had done over the years. The twins had always been nice to him and their antics had cheered him up numerous times in the past but now that he was a Malfoy and a Slytherin, he just wasn't sure what his old Gryffindor friends thought of him. Of course Neville and Luna were newly re-discovered friends but that was different. The quiet pair had silently stood by him through numerous things and he had been remiss in thinking they would hate him. A private conversation with the pair on the grounds a few days previous had set him straight and he felt a thousand times lighter knowing he had them.

"Orion?" Draco asked curiously as he sat down next to Orion at the breakfast table, his younger brother was staring intently at the Gryffindor table but with a slightly dazed look on his face.

"Huh? Oh Hi Draco" Orion said, his brother's voice jerking him from his thoughts.

"You okay?" The taller blond asked curiously as he poured himself a glass of juice.

"Yea m'fine Draco, just thinking" Orion reassured, he offered Draco a small smile before he gathered his belongings and headed to Charms class.

Draco watched Orion go before he slid down the bench till his thigh pressed against Blaise's.

"Where's Orion going?" Blaise asked curiously while accepting a bowl of fruit from Theo.

"Class I'm assuming. He's in a bit of a mood" Draco said with a shrug.

"Gryffindorks still giving him a hard time?" Theo asked curiously, he hadn't interacted much with the youngest Malfoy but the few times he had, he enjoyed it.

"Dunno, if they have he hasn't said anything" Draco said with a slight shrug. "He's been fairly quiet lately"

"That old Harry Potter stoicism raising its head?" Theo asked with a chuckle.

"He was a stubborn bastard" Draco said with a chuckle, "Orion is stubborn as well, he's just more quiet about everything then Potter was. It's his Slytherin side coming out"

Theo and Blaise chuckled quietly, they had both seen the stubborn streak the younger Malfoy housed and it was rather formidable.

-Blood-

Orion grinned tiredly as he flopped bonelessly down into his favourite chair in Slytherin Common Room. It was a large, leathery and super comfortable and he loved it. Rising his feet up into the chair, he pulled his herbology textbook out of his bag and settled down to read the assigned chapters. Sighing contently, Orion allowed himself to get lost in the world of plants and plant-life. Slowly other students came in and began their homework as well, exams were coming up in a few weeks and most students were beginning their revising. The OWL students and NEWT students were far more stressed but in Slytherin house it was barely noticeable though he was sure it would worsen with time. Orion was continuously surprised by how calm Slytherin students were when it came to homework and exams, it was a complete one-eighty from Gryffindor House. Snape, unlike McGonagall, made sure his students did assignments and studied. He checked homework regularly and had enforced office hours so his students could speak to him about anything from homework to home problems.

"Studying?" A voice sounded from behind him causing the young Slytherin to startle slightly and whip his head around, only to see Theo standing behind him, grinning.

Blushing slightly at being caught off guard, Orion inclined his head.

"Just reading my herbology book, we have three chapters for homework" Orion explained as Theo sat down in the chair next to his and dug around in his own bag.

"Do you mind if I join you? I need to do some revising for my OWLs"

"No of course not" Orion said shifting in his chair a bit though Theo seemed to already be immersed in his own notes. Smiling to himself Orion returned his attention to his book and the pair lapsed into a comfortable silence.

The weeks flew by rather quickly and before Orion knew it exams were over. It had been a trying few weeks, he had seen a few unshakable Slytherins become extremely shaken by the OWLs, not to mention the seventh years and the NEWT exams and he was continually surprised that Draco didn't have a bald spot from all the tugging he had done on his hair while studying. Having seen all the fifth and seventh years panicking, Orion was once more glad he wouldn't be taking his OWLs until next year. Now that Draco had done it, Orion would be able to bother his brother for his advice and help studying which seemed remarkably useful.

-Blood-

"Ready?" Draco asked from the doorway of their shared room.

"Yupp" Orion said with a grin as he shouldered his bag, leaving his trunk next to Draco's in their room. The house elves would deliver them all to the train once the students were loaded.

"Did you have a good time at the feast last night?" Draco asked his brother as they walked shoulder in shoulder out of the Common Room. Orion paused to look back at the Common Room, he was actually looking forward to returning next year, but he was even more anxious to spend his first ever proper summer with his family.

"Yea, I spoke to Fred and George actually" Orion said with a grin. That had been quite the surprised, the pair had been watching him over the past few weeks and then suddenly, out of the blue, they had approached him last night as he spoke to Luna and Neville.

"And that went alright?" Draco asked cautiously, he was trying to curb his overprotective tendencies though he was still plotting Ron Weasley's ultimate demise. He knew that the red-headed teen was responsible for Orion getting hurt all those months ago and as soon as he could prove it then Ron Weasley was going down.

"Yea it was fine" Orion grinned at his brother, "I guess I have more friends in Gryffindor then I thought" He added as the pair clambered into a carriage holding a few more Slytherin students.

"Oh?" Draco asked curiously, he was happy that his brother still had friends in Gryffindor but he wasn't sure how he felt about Orion associating with Weasleys, they had hurt his brother rather badly before.

"It's fine Draco, the twins are different from the other Weasleys, actually Charlie and Bill aren't that bad either" Orion reassured his brother with a small chuckle.

"If you're sure" Draco said cautiously, eyeing Orion with a bemused expression.

Orion just rolled his eyes and settled into his seat letting his mind wander back to the night before.

-Flashback-

Orion had finished eating and was finishing off his juice when Neville and Luna approached the Slytherin table.

"Hey guys" Orion greeted setting down his goblet.

"Orion" Neville greeted while Luna gave him a hug, draping a daisy chain around his neck.

"Thanks Luna" Orion said with a chuckle, groups of students were breaking off, speaking with friends from other houses before they all departed tomorrow for summer holidays.

"Want to go outside?" Neville asked, he also had a daisy chain draped around his neck.

"Sure" Orion grinned, nodding goodbye to his friends in Slytherin house before joining Neville and Luna.

As they stepped outside Neville turned to Orion and smiled sheepishly. Standing a few feet away was Fred and George Weasley.

"They've been wanting to talk to you for ages" Neville said in explanation as him and Luna moved off to have a private moment while Orion faced the twins apprehensively.

"So..." Fred mumbled, looking ashamed, his eyes downcast, it wasn't a look that suited him.

"So what?" Orion asked, a lot braver then he would have been even three months previous. A year surrounded by friends, family and people who cared about him even through some of his roughest times had really allowed him to come into his own again. He was nowhere near as loud or brash as Harry Potter had been but that had always been a bit of a front, hiding behind his loud Gryffindor exterior.

"So we wanted to apologize..."

"...For not talking to you sooner..." The twins said, finishing each others sentences, a habit they fell into when they were anxious or out of sorts.

"What do you mean?" Orion asked curiously.

"So...Remus didn't give you a letter from us?" Fred asked rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"What letter?" Orion asked cocking his eyebrow at the pair of them. Suddenly he found himself surrounded by the twins, both of them crying and begging him for forgiveness in typical Weasley twin fashion. Orion tried for a moment to remain stern before he began to giggle. He couldn't stay mad at the twins, they hadn't really done anything to him.

"I take it the letter was saying you guys aren't mad at me?"

"Orion! Orikins! We could never be mad at you, especially not for your family name" George said, pulling himself from the hug. Fred did the same and the pair of them looked Orion in the eye, expressions serious.

"Orikins?" Orion asked, trying to break the tension.

"Orion..."

"...Forge is correct. We could..."

"...Never be mad at you..."

"...And we will always be here for you..."

"...You're our little brother..."

"...And we love you" Fred finished, him and George grinning at Orion now.

"Love you guys too" Orion mumbled, letting the draw him back into a hug. He felt another weight lift off of his shoulders, he had always loved the twins and had always felt close with them, it meant more to him then he had realized that they supported him. Leaning his head on Fred's shoulder, he let himself soak up the comfort of familiar friends again before he finally pulled back, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his robe.

After a few more minutes of conversing, Orion bid the twins goodbye as they had to go last minute pack and leave a few 'surprises' in Ron's bed for him to find in September.

"We'll write you little brother" George said, ruffling his hair and snickering at the very Draco-like expression that crossed Orion's face as he tried to straighten his hair.

"Bye" Orion muttered, cheeks flaming slightly as the trio wandered back inside and went their separate ways. Ron eyed the twins as they entered the Great Hall again, most of the other students had already left their tables but Ron was known to stay until the food disappeared. He watched the twins head upstairs and that Malfoy brat disappeared down the hallway that lead to the dungeons and frowned. He knew something had happened between the three and he would have to keep an eye on that, he couldn't let that Malfoy spawn corrupt his brothers. It was bad enough that they had gotten to Neville. Resolving to work on the problem over the summer, Ron returned to his miniature feast before cursing in surprise as the food suddenly disappeared.

-End Flashback-

Draco nudged Orion out of his daydream as the carriage came to a stop at the Hogsmead train station. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts Orion followed Draco out of the carriage and the group of Slytherin quickly boarded the train intent on getting a compartment before they all got filled.

Settling into his seat on the train, Orion stared out the window at the gorgeous summer day and smiled. He was so happy to be going home.

-Blood-

Lucius grimaced as he heard Sirius Black's loud voice echoing down the hallways of the Malfoy ancestral home. They had to go pick up the boys in about two hours but of course his wife wanted everything to be perfect which meant allowing Orion's deranged dogfather and his pet werewolf into the mansion. In actuality Lucius didn't mind Remus and Sirius, especially after their bonding' session when Lucius had hidden out at Sirius' manor in order to escape his angry wife and then had gotten ridiculously drunk with the man.

However he didn't understand why the man had to come two hours before the boys arrived home, but even he wasn't suicidal enough to tell the Dark Lord's boyfriend to leave or tone it down. Besides if he knew Tom at all he knew the man would probably be cursing Sirius soon enough anyway. Yes Tom was far more sane then his Lord Voldemort persona was but he wasn't exactly a safe person to aggravate. Grinning as he suddenly heard Sirius' whooping turning into a loud yelp, Lucius carried on making sure everything was in order for the boys return otherwise he'd be the one yelping as his wife cursed him into oblivion. Everything had to be perfect for her babies.

Sirius pouted at Tom as his lover slid his wand back into his wrist holster.

"You know you were behaving ridiculously" Tom admonished the man who had a remarkable puppy dog pout, probably something to do with his animagus form.

"I was excited. I am excited. Orion's coming home today, my pup Tom!" Sirius said glowering at the man.

"I am looking forward to the return of the boys as well Sirius, but that doesn't mean you have to act like an overgrown child" Tom said with a smirk, he normally didn't mind his lover's childish behaviour, he was entitled to it after twelve years in Azkaban but even he had his limits and Sirius' energy was limitless.

Sirius frowned pulling slightly away from Tom.

"Sorry my happiness was offending you" He sniffed, turning on his heel and going to search for Moony. Tom sighed and leaned forward, snagging Sirius around the waist and pulling him back, holding him flush against his body.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings" Tom said lowly, he only ever spoke like this to this man and perhaps the Malfoy children whom he saw as his nephews. "I'm sorry" Tom added, ignoring the slight widening of Sirius' eyes as he gently kissed the man. "I just wish for you to tone it down, just until the boys arrive" He said as he broke the kiss. Sirius broke into a massive smile, grabbing Tom's hand and dragging him down the hallway towards his and Tom's private rooms at Malfoy Manor.

"I know what we can do to kill time till the boys arrive then" The man said with a smirk. Tom's red eyes widened slightly and he grinned dangerously as he followed Sirius down the hallway.

Remus poked his head out of the library, shuddering as he did so.

"Like perverted teenagers" He groaned watching the retreating pair. He had been sitting in the library enjoying the Malfoy's rather large collection of first editions when he had heard Sirius' yelping in the hallway. He had gone to investigate only to find his best mate and his lover canoodling in the hallway. Shaking his head he glanced longingly at the fully stocked bar in the corner but denied himself, Orion and Draco would be arriving in two hours and he wanted to be able to greet them without the aid of a sobering potion.

-Blood-

As the Hogwarts Express pulled into Kings Cross Station Orion could barely keep a smile from his face though he didn't really bother trying. He was happy and he was damn well going to show it. He was so excited to spend the summer with his brother and family, last summer had been such a disaster and filled with emotional upheaval that he hadn't enjoyed it in the least, and all the summers before that, spent with the Dursley family, had been horrible. This would be his first ever proper summer vacation and he couldn't wait to start it.

"Have a good summer" A voice sounded in his ear causing Orion to whip around, only for his forehead to collide with Theo's nose, sending the older teen backwards.

"Oof" Theo gasped, hands flying up to his nose.

"Oh my god Theo!" Orion gasped, "Are you okay? Oh god, I'm so sorry!" He scrambled about while Draco and Blaise laughed, he shot them both a scathing look but clearly he lacked the intimidation factor held by the others in his family.

"M'fine, didn't mean to startle you" Theo gasped, eyes watering. "Just meant to wish you a good summer and ask you to keep in touch since Draco's awful at writing letters" He added. Orion nodded vigorously, cheeks flaming, he couldn't believe he'd nearly broken Theo's nose.

"I'll write for sure" He said softly as everyone began to gather belongings and get off the train. It took awhile since the platform was packed with adults and the ways off the train was crammed with students anxious to see their families and begin their holidays.

"Ready to go?" Draco asked Orion curiously after receiving his little brother's nod, the pair forced their way out into the hallway closely followed by Blaise and Theo, leaving the others to fend for themselves while they battled their way off the train. Finally a slightly ruffled Draco and a downright exasperated Orion made their way off the train and straight into the small corner of the platform that they knew housed their family. As soon as they arrived Narcissa pulled both boys into a hug completely ignoring Lucius' appalled expression at her lack of decorum.

Draco held himself slightly aloof, cheeks tinted pink at his mother's exuberance. Orion was the opposite however and completely fell into Narcissa's arms, snuggling against her as he relished the feeling of his mother's arms around him. After a few moments the pair separated and the family headed towards the communal bank of floos joining the cue of other families waiting to use them.

Stepping out of the fire into the family room at Malfoy Manor was an experience. Orion was barely able to get his barrings before he was swept into Sirius' strong arms for a bone crushing hug.

"Missed you too Siri" Orion muttered into the man's ear chuckling as he felt the strong arms tighten imperceptibly.

"Missed you Pup" Sirius croaked completely ignoring everyone else until Draco stepped through the floo and was subsequently pulled into the hug as well.

"Release me mutt" Draco demanded, struggling to free himself from Sirius' hold much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

-Blood-

Fred and George Weasley felt relief as they settled into their compartment on the Hogwarts Express. The pair was joined by best friend Lee Jordan and fellow Quidditch enthusiasts Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell. The conversation was light and easy interspersed with raucous laugher as one of the twins joked or pranked the group. All of them were done, minus Katie of course, and they had just finished at Hogwarts. Now they had to go out into the real world and find jobs, places to live and start their lives. Fred and George were planning on opening their own joke shop with the tri-wizard winnings Harry had given them. They had already secured the premises complete with a small flat over the main store which they planned on moving into as soon as possible. Lee was planning on helping them since he had no desire to do anything else and he knew that helping his friends would be rewarding and Angelina wasn't sure what she wanted do, though she knew for certain she did not want to work for the Ministry. Katie had just finished her sixth year at Hogwarts and was going into her seventh so she wasn't overly worried about her career just yet.

"So you guys told your Mum yet? About the store and moving out?" Angelina finally asked, breaking the comfortable silence they had all settled into.

"Nope" Fred said with a soft sigh.

"Not sure how to start that conversation..."

"...We were actually thinking of just up..."

"...And leaving in the middle of the night" Fred finished for the pair.

"Guys" Katie said with a sigh, "That's so immature" She added, sharing a look with Angelina.

"Katie..."

"...Dearest..."

"...You wound us!" The pair clutched their chests, falling onto one another as they gasped dramatically.

"Us..."

"...Immature..."

"...How..."

"...Could..."

"...You say such a thing" The finished together. Katie just rolled her eyes while Lee broke into loud laughter and the conversation was forgotten. The twins would handle Molly Weasley in their own way and hopefully things would work out, if not they figured they could always hide out at Charlie's, even there mother wouldn't be able to curse them in Romania.

Later that evening Fred and George stood in the dingy little flat above their new shop and beamed. It wasn't perfect by any means but it was home and they were both ecstatic. As expected Molly hadn't taken the news well, screaming, crying and caterwauling on about their futures but finally Arthur had broken in and Molly had caved. She wasn't happy but she understood, for the meantime, that the twins were going to do this and nothing she could say or do would stop them.

Falling onto the couch, George beamed. The couch had been purchased with some of their savings, along with a few other pieces of second-hand furniture most of their money was going into purchasing ingredients for potions and other things for the shop. The thousand galleons that Harry had given them had gone a long way but they still needed to manage their money wisely, at least until they took off, which they knew they would.

"Well brother, you ready for this?" Fred asked from the doorway a box of clothing in his arms.

George glanced up and broke into a grin.

"Course I am. This is us Fred. Jokes and pranks, making people laugh. How could we not succeeded?" George said standing up and taking the box from Fred's arms. He knew his twin was worried, hell he was a bit worried, but he also believed in them, believed in everything they had done so far and he knew it would all work out in the end.

"We can continue our owl order service while we set up the shop and we have enough stock stashed away that when we do open the doors we'll be able to sell stuff right away, plus with Lee helping out we can focus on creating while he manages the sales floor. We have a plan Fred, don't let Mum's words get to you" Molly had said some rather harsh things about the twins and their abilities, George hadn't taken them personally but he knew Fred tended to be a bit more sensitive then he was.

"I know" Fred sighed but broke into a grin, "I know" He repeated, "I can't believe we have our place! Our own shop!" The pair shared a look before breaking into identical grins.

"The dream is coming true" George said before using his wand to direct the clothing to the bedroom and have the rest of the boxes unpack themselves.

"I love being of age" George said with a grin, earning a chuckle from his brother as the pair set about fixing up their new flat.

-Blood-

Orion grinned as he closed his potions text book and stretched. He was done his homework for the summer and he couldn't believe it. He'd never finished his homework this early in the summer and for once he knew it was well-written and well researched. Beaming he placed the essay off to the side to dry and bounced out of his room off to find Draco and badger him into hanging out. Perhaps they could play some quidditch, he was sure he could talk Sirius into playing as well and maybe Remus though he was pretty certain the werewolf preferred his feet firmly on the ground.

"Draco?" The youngest Malfoy called out, poking his head into various different rooms as he searched for his brother. Not paying attention to where he was, Orion wandered deeper into the manor, forgetting that he was able to call a house elf to his aid. Pushing open a door at the end of a long corridor, Orion wandered inside the dark room. It appeared to be a viewing room of some kind and further in was a large chamber filled with men and women in black cloaks and death masks. Orion froze, breath catching in his chest as he saw To-NO! Voldemort rising to his feet and whipping out his wand. Red light flew through the air and struck a man, sending him crashing to the ground as the Dark Lord wandered amongst his lesser followers sending the occasional curse into the crowd. The lesser Death Eaters only knew him as Lord Voldemort, they had no idea that this was all staged mainly for the benefit of Dumbledore and his Order.

Stepping backwards Orion wasn't aware of the large pedestal with a vase on it that collided with his back, sending the vase to the ground, shattering and drawing all eyes to him. Freezing Orion began to cringe in fear, eyes falling downcast as Lord Voldemort roared at his followers to get out. The floo flared to life as the masses panicked and tried to escape the angry man as quickly as possible. He had never seen his Uncle this way before, except in the grave yard last year and seeing him this way brought up all the emotions from that night. He knew Tom and Voldemort were the same person but he had been able to divorce that in his mind, plus he did know that Tom played the role of Voldemort and that this wasn't actually him but he wasn't thinking rationally at the moment. Sheer terror stole through his body and he crumpled on the floor, shaking in fear and begging the man not to hurt him.

Tom sighed as he approached his godson dispelling his Voldemort glamours as he did so. He had never wanted Orion to see him this way, not after what had happened in the grave yard during his resurrection. Gently leaning down he made a motion as if to pick up the young teen only to recoil as Orion shrieked in horror and tried to pull away from him. Cringing, Tom summoned an elf and asked them to get Lucius or Narcissa and to hurry.

A few moments later the door burst open and Lucius appeared. Taking in the scene the Malfoy Lord sighed knowing exactly what had happened, he had hoped to keep Orion away from Tom's business, something he normally didn't conduct in the Manor but for today's meeting he had needed a large room and this one had suited his needs.

"Thank you for calling me" Lucius said to the man who was still kneeling near his shaking son. Bending down so he was near eye-level with Orion, Lucius carefully placed a hand on his son's shoulder, frowning as he felt the small tremors running through the still small frame.

"Orion? Son?" Lucius spoke softly.

"D-Dad?" The soft voice croaked. "Wh-" He cut off cringing as he did so.

"It's fine son, you know your Uncle still has to play the role of Lord Voldemort. What you saw wasn't really him Orion, I know it was scary but you know he has to do that" Lucius said softly.

"I-I know, but graveyard" Orion said softly still unable to look at Tom. The dark lord sighed, regarding his godson sadly.

"I am so sorry you saw that Orion, I never wanted you to see me like that, not again" He frowned and peered closer. "Orion, why is your scar bleeding?" He asked curiously.

The small teen frowned, reaching a shaking hand up to touch his forehead, smearing blood around as he brought his hand close to his face to examine it.

"Sometimes when you're angry I can feel it, scar bleeds" He explained, his sentences still short and clipped.

Lucius and Tom shared a look, the latter cringing as he thought of explaining this to the Lady Malfoy.

Lucius carefully scooped Orion up, frowning as he felt how light his son was still.

"We'll talk later" He told Tom with a small frown, "He'll be fine and I'm sure things will work out" He added knowing that the man probably felt awful.

"M'sorry" Orion mumbled, tired after his scare and now that his Father was here and he could relax, he could feel the fatigue settling in.

"It's not your fault Orion" Tom said gently, "Everything will be fine. I'm so sorry you had to see this" He apologized again watching Father and Son leave the room.

"Damnit" He cursed, stalking out of the room himself. He needed a stiff drink and a talk with Sirius. He knew things would work out but he was still absolutely disgusted with himself.

Sirius glanced up as Tom burst into their shared rooms at Malfoy Manor.

"Tom?" He asked curiously as he regarded his lover's absolutely livid face, "Did it not go well with the lesser death eaters?" He knew what his lover had been up to, it wasn't exactly something he approved of but they had spoken about it and he understood what his lover was trying to do.

"Orion saw me" Tom rasped out as he grabbed a bottle of Ogden's finest and poured himself a generous measure before slinging it back and pouring himself another one.

"Orion saw you?" Sirius asked curiously standing up to place a gentle hand on the man's shoulder.

"In the meeting! As Voldemort! He was just starting to trust me Sirius, to get over the grave yard and now I've set all that back. Damn it" He cursed again flinging the glass of fire whiskey into the fire place not even flinching as it shattered. Sirius cursed softly under his breath, gently guiding the man away from the liquor and the fire.

"He'll get over it Tom. He knew who and what you were and he does care for you. He'll just need some time. Orion is one of the kindest, most forgiving young men I know and I know he'll get over this with time. Just maybe no more meetings here" He cautiously suggested. Tom let out a harsh breath but nodded his agreement.

"I just didn't want for this to happen. I never wanted him to see me that way, he deserves Tom not Voldemort" The man said sinking into Sirius' recently vacated chair.

"I know" Sirius soothed, "None of us wanted this but we all knew it was a possible. We'll just have to make sure it doesn't happen again and let him come to terms with it. Everything will work out in the end and we'll just have to make sure he understands he's safe here, with us. With all of us" He added sternly as he saw the man open his mouth as if to argue. "You gained Orion's trust at Christmas time you can do that again"

Tom sighed but nodded, admitting to himself and Sirius that the dog animagus was right.

"Okay" He finally breathed, letting his anger simmer down to a smolder rather then a blazing inferno. Feeling pleased with himself, Sirius poured himself a glass of whiskey before doing the same for Tom. The summer had just gotten a lot more interesting and Sirius was curious to see how it would all unfold. Plunking himself down on his lover's lap, he snuggled in smirking as one of the man's arms snaked out and wrapped around him resting comfortably against his hip. Letting his head fall back Sirius grinned.

"Everything will work out" He said again.

Back in the main part of the manor Lucius was lying Orion down on his bed. He had spent the short walk down the hall to his son's room reassuring the young teen and finally Orion had slipped off to sleep. The scare had taken a lot out of him but Lucius had little doubt that Orion would experience some major nightmares later that night.

Closing the door carefully, Lucius went to find Narcissa and tell her what happened. He still had to speak to Tom about Orion's bleeding scar but that was an issue for another day. Orion clearly wasn't up to talking about it at the moment and he felt like there was enough going on to warrant putting a pin in the issue for the time being.

Finding his way outside Lucius paused for a moment, seeing his wife and oldest son sitting side by side in Narcissa's rose garden. She often let the house elves tend to the main gardens but she had always taken care of these roses, having planted the garden shortly after Orion's disappearance. Draco, once old enough, had begun to spend time with her out there, eventually beginning to garden a bit as well. It was a sight that had always warmed Lucius' heart and even know he enjoyed watching his son and wife bond over this shared activity.

Clearing his throat he draw their attention and once he was sitting nearby them, on a blanket of course, he didn't want to soil his clothing.

"What's going on Lucius?" Narcissa asked brushing her hands off on a nearby rag. She was wearing a pair of muggle jeans (something she only wore for this activity) and a loose blouse, Draco was attired as well in a pair of jeans but he had on a loose t-shirt which was smeared with dirt much to Lucius' disgust, he did not like dirt, not in the least. Rubbing a hand through his hair Lucius explained everything to his wife though he glossed over the bleeding scar, that was something they would tackle another day.

"Oh damn" Narcissa muttered in a very un-ladylike manner. "Is he okay?"

"Sleeping now" Lucius explained, "He had finished his homework and was looking for Draco, he's still a little unfamiliar with the Manor and I think he wandered a bit to deeply into Tom's wing without noticing"

"Poor kid" Draco said, he had seen his Uncle like that before, it was not for the faint-hearted and after everything Orion had gone through Draco imagined it had been quite terrifying for his younger brother.

"Poor kid indeed" Lucius said with a frown. "I'm sure with time he'll be fine but it sounds like Tom's appearance as Lord Voldemort reminded him of the grave yard" He shared a meaningful look with his wife, "So I anticipate some nightmares"

"I can leave the door between our rooms open" Draco offered, "I've shared a room with him all year I don't mind doing that again. But I don't think you two are giving Orion enough credit" He added, when Lucius raised an eyebrow at him the blond teen continued.

"He's a lot tougher then you two seem to think. Yes during last summer and at Yule this year he was a bit fragile, but he's gotten stronger all year. He doesn't let anyone push him around at school nor does he let Weasley or any of his followers get under his skin. He's reconnecting with his old friends and making new ones. I think he'll get over this pretty quick though I imagine he'll probably give Uncle Tom some serious trouble for the Lord Voldemort thing"

"Oh?" Narcissa asked, she hadn't thought that Orion had come that far. "I'm glad to hear that" She added belatedly.

"Indeed" Lucius nodded in agreement, "You'll have to tell us more about your school year over dinner Draco" He added, "All of your activities" Draco groaned, cheeks turning red as he realized Severus must have told his Father about him and Blaise

"Well what do you expect? Running near naked through your Common Room?" Narcissa admonished. "I mean I know your Father's done it before but really Draco you don't have to imitate everything he's done"

"Narcissa!" Lucius yelped.

"What Lucius?" The woman asked demurely though her ice blue eyes held wicked glee as her son cracked up nearly crushing some roses as he rolled about laughing.

Lucius finally cracked a smile and then begin to laugh softly, this was what he had missed while his sons' were away at school. The only thing that was missing was one more blond though he was resting after a very trying day. Finally the three headed inside, two to shower and get ready for dinner and one for a customary glass of wine while he contemplated the day and mentally prepared for a dinner with his two teenage sons and the unruly Black Lord who couldn't seem to make it through a single meal without flinging food of some kind.

Overall it had been an exciting start of the summer and Lucius could already do with a little less excitement.

A/N: There you have it! Hope you guys enjoyed the newest chapter of Blood Matters. Feel free to follow me on twitter ( BloodyRed_Queen) or friend me on FB (BloodyRed Queen).