Author's Note:
Hope everyone had a good Easter! Mine was busy — I worked every day, but I did manage to squeeze a little writing out on Sunday night so, yay me! Was going to wait to post this tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I will be home — so to those who celebrate — Happy Easter! And for those who do not — Happy Monday!
Reviews and Comments: To trekkifulron: I completely agree with that sentiment of homebrew hooch, but let's let Colt think it's good LOL. Thank you! To Steelcode: Ha, I feel sorry for Harry as well, getting that ghost pepper! I love that Zee entering Sirius into the dog show made you laugh so hard. It was fun to write. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To alix33: Thanks for that awesomely long review! Homebrew hooch is definitely not something that I'd want to drink, but I thought it was fun for Harry. As for the ghost pepper, anyone ever tried Flashbang? That stuff is hot! And as for the camera — it's a magic one with a waterproof charm on it (obviously LOL) so, no worries, it was all safe! To scrappy8: Thank you! To purplevictory: Thank you! Yes, Zee definitely earned some mothering points for breaking up Harry and Harley in the barn. Thanks for saying the Ginny side story is starting to build ever closer to merging with Harry's. I am trying. Thanks for loving my Percy and Ginny relationship. I like to show that despite his flaws, he is a loving brother. It was a good holiday for them and yes, they are ready to return to the real world! Thank you!
To azphxbrd: Thank you! They will definitely remember that holiday! To HinnyMe: Thanks for loving the fluffy fun! Sirius and Zee are definitely very hot! Yes, when Zee caught Harry kissing Harley's breasts, I was a bit embarrassed for him myself! Thank you for loving my Sirius so afraid to admit to commitment. He's so fun to write as a scaredy-cat. Thank you! Thanks for the second review — yes, when Sirius finds his first grey hair, I do think it will be epic. LOL! To Guest: Thank you for loving my sex scenes! I'm glad you think they are so hot and that you love that Remus loves to give Dora oral. Padfoot in a pink bow getting his butt stuck in a hoop is true love LOL. It's true. Sirius definitely wouldn't do that for anyone. Thanks for loving those family moments! To Cf: Thank you! I'm glad you think Sirius and Zee are so heartwarming! I'm glad you enjoyed the mothering moment by Zee and how Zee then pulled the mum card by asking Sirius to talk to Harry. They have both become parents to him. Ha, yes, when will Sirius get off his high horse and marry that woman? Thanks for loving my smut scenes.
To Guest: Ha, yes, I did have Sirius make a deer pun. I couldn't resist. Thank you! To darkhk: Good to know you would be upset if Sirius died. You think Harry would go back to live with the Dursleys? Interesting. Yes, I did see Shazam. It was hilarious! To coloredwords: Thank you! I loved Harry's confession about Zee as well, but yes, Sirius definitely needs to get his head out of his arse. Thanks for loving my details. Yes, everyone always assumes Sirius is the horny one, but they clearly never met Remus — he adores his Dora! Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: Wow! Thank you for that long review! Don't worry, they had a water repellant charm on the camera, in case it got wet. Neville will definitely love the plant pictures. You can't decide if Colin has class or if he's gay? Interesting. You think Theo will go after Seamus now that he's learned that Ron thinks he's gay? Interesting theories you have. We will see Remus' reaction to the photos in this chapter and yes, Misha wants them to go to Russia to meet his parents! It is hard for Zee to parents a teenager, but they are trying to make it work. I can definitely divulge the recipes! No problem! Thank you for that beautiful review!
To Moony The Sheep: Endgame is a must for sure! I can't wait! Thanks for smiling while reading! Harry getting to kiss a breast for the first time, he is a bit young, but I couldn't resist and it was through her clothes. Remus will open up more eventually, but Tonks knows he has to deal with it on his own a bit first. I loved writing Zee being motherly over Harry, thank you! To WarMunger98: Harry has picked up a few tricks from Sirius and yes, I don't think James was a slouch either in that department. You think Ginny and Colin will date? Interesting. To Ana: Thank you! Sirius, Harry, and Zee really are the perfect little family! I love them! I'm glad you loved the dog show and pie-eating competition. They deserved to have a little fun! It is nice for Ginny to spend some time with her friends away from the Burrow, she deserves that. Yes, that argument between Harry and Zee was important because it shows Harry that Zee won't hesitate to put him in his place when he deserves it. Sirius' behaviour surrounding it was fun. Him stuttering was adorable? Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!
To ris368: Thank you! It was a great holiday and exactly what Harry deserved! Thank you for saying that I can "readily translate feelings and actions into beautiful sentences and paragraphs." I really appreciate that. Thank you very much for the kind words! To : Thank you! To Saz J: Thank you! I definitely used your advice! Yes, Harry definitely knows Harley is only a fling and so does Sirius. I'm glad you loved my Remadora smut. Thank you! To teachergirl: Again, you completely missed the point of Zee's reaction. She did not ban Harry from ever seeing Harley again. She merely said they shouldn't be alone in the loft of the barn because they are young. She was being a parent. I'm sorry that you are not enjoying this story. I don't know what else to say except that I really don't understand why you are still reading if you dislike it so much. Thanks for your thoughts. To Wolf's scream: Thanks for loving the horseplay by Cherokee Falls, they had fun! Sirius is really getting his own taste of what a great extended family is like and yes, he is liking it. I'm glad you liked Sirius being tongue-tied at the end of his conversation with Harry. Thank you!
To Menna Taha: Thanks for missing Georgia already! There is some more happiness and fluff coming, so don't worry. I'm glad you liked Harry and Zees fight because I agree, every relationship has it's ups and down. James would definitely have signed Sirius up for the dog show and you know he was laughing watching Sirius go through that with Zee. Thanks for liking Colin and Ginny's platonic relationship. Yes, the opening to the Games of Thrones this season was really cool! I agree! To Julie: Thank you. I liked the men bonding over alcohol as well. Hinny will be coming, but as I've said, it's a slow burn. To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thanks for catching up! I'm so glad you're enjoying ASC! To Matt9917: Thank you!
To Leaf Ranger: Thank you for catching up! I'm sorry that you think it drags on too much at times. There is a lot to go. Hinny is a slow burn and won't be happening for a bit, but I am glad you're enjoying them being friends in the meantime. Thank you! To supersandman86: Thank you! It was so nice to give them a holiday together! It is worrying Sirius by how much Zee and Harry have bonded and it's making him wonder what step he needs to take next. He's too comfortable and afraid to jump to the next level just yet. Harry is very powerful and hasn't reached his potential yet nor his ability to control that power in full yet. He has a long way to go. Thank you! To Jmcglynn522: Thanks for loving Sirius freaking out over a grey hair he doesn't even have! It was fun to write! Thank you!
This is mostly a fluffy chapter as well with some fun Jily memories that I hope you enjoy, but you can see the next part of the story beginning in the last scene. The World Cup is coming and there are some changes there and not just for Harry, but a few things are staying the same as well.
Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!
My posting schedule: Weekly and sometimes on weekends.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR:
The One Where Zee Takes Harry Shopping
After filling Remus and Tonks in on how much he didn't enjoy the portkeys to and from Georgia, Harry pulled out the tokens that he had bought for them. He gave Tonks the candy and the white gold and turquoise wolf bracelet that he had picked out for her. She kissed his cheek and slipped the bracelet on her wrist, grinning at Remus when he examined it with a smile.
Harry grinned widely at Sirius when he reached for Remus' gift, pulling out the framed photo of the two of them from the Uncle Remus Museum and passed it over to his father.
"Ta-da!"
Remus glanced at his son quizzically, taking the frame from him. He looked down at the photo of Sirius and Harry each standing alongside a statue of a rabbit and behind them the sign read: Uncle Remus Museum. Across the top in glowing letters it read: Home of Uncle Moony's Furry Little Problem.
Tonks immediately busted into laughter. "Merlin! How did you two find this?"
Harry quickly launched into the story about the museum pertaining to the life of Joel Chandler Harris and his well known stories about the Br'er Rabbit and who Harris was in terms of American folklore. Tonks unwrapped the book with a smile and passed it to her mate, who looked upon it in interest.
"And you thought that it would be funny to title the photo 'my furry little problem?'" Remus asked, his eyes dark in annoyance.
Sirius nodded. "It was Harry's idea, but I did find it an odd coincidence, Moony. I mean, a museum with your name and a badly behaved rabbit? Oddly perfect." He stared at his friend. "Are you upset with us? It's just a joke."
Remus pursed his lips, placing the framed photo and the book on the table. "A joke at the expense of me being a werewolf — how original."
Harry frowned. "Uncle Moony, I thought that you would like it. I didn't mean to — hey!"
Remus had grabbed him, yanking him forward and wrapping his arms tightly around him before he kissed the top of his head. "You are a brat, but I love it," he said, kissing Harry again. "And my furry little problem has grown exponentially to include a sassy little PITA and his equally larger snarky little plonker!"
Harry laughed as Remus continued to cover him in kisses, not letting him go. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he squealed when his father began to tickle him. "Snuffles! Snuffles!" Harry shouted in an attempt to get away from his father's long tickling fingers at his ribs.
Sirius grinned widely as Remus merely rolled his eyes at him and stopped ticking their son. "Did you just call me a plonker?"
"And Harry a pain in the arse? Damn right I did, you prats. Leave it to you two Marauders to go all the way to bloody America and actually find this!"
Zee, who had been in the kitchen making tea when Remus was presented with his gift, leaned against the doorjamb with a smirk. "It was actually my idea to take them there."
Tonks howled in laughter as Remus merely shook his head.
"You three deserve each other."
Harry grinned and hugged Remus again. "You're not actually cross?"
Remus kissed Harry's forehead. "Not even a little bit. I can't wait to hang it in my living room."
"Nah, hang it in your office," Sirius said. "It's not like that furry little problem is a big dirty secret anymore. Everyone knows that you don't actually have a badly behaved rabbit."
Remus smiled and nodded. "True. Instead I have an old mutt and untrained puppy."
"Hey!" Harry said, earning a grin from Remus.
Sirius chuckled. "I also take offence to that! The furry little problem is a much better story!"
Tonks grinned widely, slipping her arm around her mate's waist. "I would just like to say that for the record, absolutely nothing about this man is little and I mean, nothing."
Harry frowned in confusion and then his eyes widened. "Ew, Tonks!"
Tonks busted into laughter as Sirius and Zee chuckled along with her. Remus merely flushed in embarrassment.
"All right, all right, enough with the jokes at my expense!" he said, grinning at his son. "Nymphadora and I want to hear everything about your trip."
Zee smiled as the kettle began to whistle. "I'll grab the tea and Harry can tell you all about Harley."
"The motorbike?" Tonks asked in confusion. "Like the picture that Sirius has in the workshop?"
Sirius grinned. "Hey, you know a motorcycle, Tonks! I'm so proud!" he said, pretending to a wipe a tear from his eye. "But no Harley, as in the girl that Harry was snogging all summer. You should have seen the lipstick smears on our boy's face."
Harry's face heated in embarrassment. "There wasn't that much lipstick! He's exaggerating."
Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "No, I'm not. There were quite a few love bits as well and oh, he also managed to have a right gob full and not just with his hands."
Harry's face was so red that he felt like he was going to melt right into the floor. "I hate you right now."
Remus chuckled and put an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Was she pretty?"
"Yeah," he said with a grin. "And she smelt like peaches."
Tonks smiled. "Well, let's hear all about Harley."
Harry simply grinned and spent most of the evening telling Remus and Tonks all about Georgia, about Harley and Cloud Dancing, about Colt and Flo, about Misha and Sorcha, about dancing lessons and magic lessons, and everything that they had seen and done. By the time they were finished dinner, the potion covered photos were ready and they all laughed as they watched Padfoot perform in the dog show, Sirius get pushed into the lake, Harry horseback riding, and all of the other photos that detailed their summer.
Harry took the last one from the summer, of himself standing in between Sirius and Zee, their arms around him as they stood on the porch of the farmhouse and sat it on the table by the wall near the kitchen. "Uncle Siri, I think that we need a frame for this one. We can put it over the fireplace."
Zee's eyes filled up with tears and she jumped to her feet to kiss his cheeks. "I love you, Harry. Thank you so much for letting me share Georgia with you."
Harry hugged her back as Sirius beamed at them. "Thank you for inviting me."
Remus and Tonks smiled at them as Sirius cleared his throat, loudly.
"Well, we'll definitely get a frame when we go to Diagon Alley for your school supplies. Who wants pie?"
~ ASC ~
The next day was Ginny's birthday and Harry was happy to head to The Burrow to help her celebrate. She loved her gifts, immediately putting on the necklace, hugging him tightly and wanting to know everything. Ron had commented about the bruise on Harry's neck and once Ginny had hurried off to talk to Colin and Luna, he had told Ron all about Harley Mills.
Ron grinned at him. "You would spend a good portion of your summer snogging."
Harry grinned widely. "She was so fit and I liked her. I was a little sad that I had to leave her as much as Georgia if I'm honest. She was a great kisser. She let me touch her tits."
"Really?" Ron said in surprise. "Was it brilliant?"
"Yeah," Harry admitted, grinning sheepishly. "How's your summer been? Did your parents tell you about the World Cup?"
Ron nodded. "Yeah, just before you lot came over. Dad said that Sirius got us all free tickets from the Ministry."
"Uncle Sirius told me. He has to do some favour for Bagman, but it's worth it. We're in the top box, mate! I can't wait to see Ireland kick butt!"
"But Bulgaria has Krum!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide.
Harry shrugged. "Doesn't matter mate, Ireland's the better team and you know it!"
They argued Quidditch semantics for a while and then Ron explained how he had been practicing turning into a wolverine and about how Ginny had changed into her red panda, snuck into Fred and George's room and swooped down on them in the middle of the night. They shrieked and she changed back into herself, making them stare at her in awe.
Now they had apparently been trying to come up with a new nickname for her. Fred, who already called her Gem, was trying to make Gempanda stick, but Ginny wasn't having it and George, who often called her Nevra, was leaning towards Pandanevra. Ginny wasn't impressed with either choice, but her brothers certainly were with her becoming an Animagus and they promised not to let their parents know. They were even more impressed when they found out that Ron could turn into a wolverine as well and kept trying to make him do tricks after they had found him trying to sneak back into the house naked.
Ron filled him in on Percy's new job as a Junior Assistant to Mr Crouch in the Department of International Magical Cooperation and how he kept claiming that he had super important reports to write on things like cauldron thickness. Fred and George had also taken to spending a lot of time in their room as of late and a lot more explosions were being heard, but they wouldn't tell anyone what they were doing.
"I suspect Din knows, but she won't tell me. That girl will keep a secret until her grave," he said, bitterly, making Harry laugh.
He said goodbye when the party ended, promising to see him at the World Cup in two weeks and headed back home.
~ ASC ~
A few days after returning home, Harry decided that he wanted to watch another memory or two from the Pensieve with both Sirius and Remus. They were happy to oblige him and suggested doing so after dinner. Harry stared inside of the chest, his eyes poring over each memory. He had put a red sticker on the lid of each memory that he had already viewed and his eyes poured over the large amount of them that he still had to see.
Remus came into the sunroom, smiling at him. "Did you choose one?"
Harry pulled one out randomly. "I think so."
"Sirius will be here in a minute."
Harry nodded and carefully poured the memory that he had chosen into the Pensieve.
Sirius came in, stifling a yawn. "Sorry, long Ministry day today. I know that I promised to help out Bagman in return for those tickets but I am regretting it. He's rather annoying and likes the sound of his own voice. I think I could sleep for a week."
Remus grinned. "Never thought I'd see the day that Sirius Black was an official Ministry employee and actually enjoying it for the most part."
Sirius shrugged. "Neither did I. All right, Harry, what memory did you choose?"
He grinned. "I don't know."
Remus smiled and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Let's find out then, shall we?"
Sirius placed his hand on Harry's other shoulder and the three of them leaned forward and fell into the memory.
Sirius was lying on an incredibly ugly orange fuzzy sofa, his feet hanging over the edge. "Prongs! What is taking you so long?"
James came out, his hair sticking up even more than usual. "Sorry."
Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You two are like rabbits."
Lily came out from the room, her own hair a bit tousled as she attempted to pull the top piece back. "Sirius, as annoying as ever."
He grinned and grabbed her hand, tugging her down to kiss her cheek. "You love me, Evans."
"It's Potter now," she corrected with a grin. "Now get your feet off of our sofa."
Sirius grinned and sat up. "This sofa is an atrocity to the human eye, my feet can only improve it."
"Trust me, I know," Lily said, pointedly looking at James.
He grinned and shrugged good naturally, moving to sit in the brown armchair and tugging his wife down into his lap. "They were just giving it away!"
"With good reason," Lily said, making him laugh. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him softly. "We're going shopping for a new sofa this weekend and then we're going to burn this one."
James smiled at her, his eyes full of adoration. "Whatever you say, dear."
"Ahh, he's whipped already," Sirius stated, ducking as James threw a pillow at him.
"Are Moony and Wormtail on their way over?" Lily asked.
"Should be here soon," Sirius said. "Moony said that he had to stop by his dad's and Peter had to work until four."
The front door opened and Peter came in. His dirty blond hair waving over the tops of his ears. "Hey. Work took a bit longer than I planned. Is Moony here yet?"
"On his way," Sirius said, grinning as Peter made his way into the kitchen and came back a moment later with a beer in his hand. "Hey, get me one, too!"
James rolled his eyes. "Nice of you to be so comfortable in my home."
Sirius grinned as Peter came back with a second beer and a bag of crisps. "Our home, Prongs. Besides, I bought the beer."
Lily smiled at them. "We're having lasagna for dinner so, don't eat too many of those."
Sirius blanched. "Evans is cooking, is that safe? Pass me the crisps, Pete."
Lily threw the other pillow at him and he laughed as he caught it. "That was one time, Sirius Black!"
James grinned and kissed his wife's cheek. "It was great, Lily. You're a wonderful cook, darling, and we ate every bite of it."
"Could my mum not cook?" Harry asked, looking at Sirius.
Sirius grinned. "She could, but the first time she invited us all over for dinner after she and Jamie had been married for a few months, she burnt the chicken so bad that it was black and pretty much inedible."
"And you ate it?" Harry asked.
Remus grinned. "We ate every bite of it because your father made us. Lily spent the entire dinner crying in the bathroom."
"Just because she burned dinner?" Harry asked in bewilderment, turning his attention back to the memory as the memory version of Sirius spoke.
"Well, it was only a few weeks ago, Evans, I don't know if I'm ready to be poisoned again so soon in my young life, I have so much to live for!"
Peter rolled his eyes. "He's not going to live much longer if he doesn't learn to place silencing charms on his bedroom."
James laughed. "I see some things haven't changed."
The front door opened again and Remus came in. "It's raining cats and dogs out there," he said, hanging up his raincoat. "Sorry, I'm late."
"You're not late," Lily said with a smile. "You're just missing Sirius being a prat."
"I'm merely stating that the thought of Evans cooking lasagna has me worried for my health."
Remus chuckled. "We survived the chicken, I can't imagine that this will be much worse."
Lily scowled. "Remus, you're supposed to be on my side!"
James wrapped his arms tighter around her, nuzzling her neck. "We're all on your side."
Remus took a seat next to Sirius on the ugly orange sofa. "So, what's going on? You stated in your invite that this dinner was very important."
Lily moved into the kitchen to get Remus a beer and he thanked her.
James stood up, moving to wrap his arms around his wife, holding her back against him, his hands flat on her stomach. "We have some news."
"What kind of news?" Peter asked, drinking his beer.
"First of all, despite the fact that I burned the chicken last week, I can promise you that the lasagna will be delicious and not poisonous," she added, earning a snicker from Sirius. "I'm sorry that I overreacted. I wasn't quite acting like myself."
Remus nodded, his eyes solemn. "Lily, we get it. We know how much that big fight with your sister hurt you."
She nodded. "It wasn't only that. I mean, yes, the fight with Tuney was bad, but… I always knew that one day she would push me away for good. I just didn't expect it to be so soon and now I won't even get the chance to meet my niece or nephew." Her hands slid over James', squeezing lightly. "And I'm sorry that I reacted the way that I did, crying in the bathroom like a child just because of the chicken. You blokes are amazing and I can't believe that you ate that whole chicken."
James grinned and kissed her cheek. "We didn't want to hurt your feelings. We didn't want to see you cry."
"Also, Jamie made us," Sirius said, earning a dirty look from Lily.
"And threatened us if we didn't eat it," Peter said, earning a glare from James.
"Accurate," Remus said with a smile. "But you're all right now?"
She let out a slow breath and a bright smile bloomed across her face. "Very all right. Better than all right, actually."
Remus merely raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
Lily nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Jamie and I wanted to wait until I was in my second trimester before we made an official announcement and after last week's dinner fiasco, I don't think that we can keep it a secret much longer even if we wanted to as my hormones are obviously already out of whack. I'm pregnant."
Sirius' eyes widened in horror. "It wasn't me!"
Lily laughed. "I'm well aware of that, Sirius, but thanks for clarifying."
James turned her around, kissing her deeply. "She's beautiful, isn't she? And she's carrying our boy in there!"
"Or girl," Lily said with a smile.
James fell to his knees, pressing a kiss to her stomach. "Hi, again, my little Bludger , it's your Dad. I can't wait to meet you and introduce you to these crazy gents. They're going to love you so much just like I do."
Lily smiled, her hands stroking her husband's hair. "Jamie."
He smiled up at her from the floor, his arms around her waist, his cheek resting against her abdomen as he turned to look at his friends. "That's how big is he, the size of a Bludger — can you believe it?"
Sirius looked pale now, moving to stand up. "Fuck! You really made a baby! This isn't a joke? There's a real fucking baby in there?"
Remus stood up, kissing Lily's cheek. "You two are going to be incredible parents. Congratulations!"
"Wow!" Peter said, his eyes wide. "A baby! That's brilliant, Prongs!"
"Thanks, Wormy," James said, grinning hugely.
Lily was smiling at Sirius, who still looked rather horror struck. "Come here, Sirius."
He moved towards her, swallowing slowly as she took his hand and placed it over her stomach.
"Jamie and I are going to have a baby."
His eyes widened as something, a flutter almost, moved against his hand, staring down at his friend, who was still kneeling in front of his wife adoringly, and he smiled. "Was that —?"
"Yes," Lily said with a smile. "Our little Bludger is moving around in there. It kind of feels like gas bubbles right now, but it's the baby."
"A little Baby Prongs. That's almost scary," Sirius said in amazement, his hand still on Lily's stomach.
Lily kissed his cheek. "You'll have a niece or nephew."
He grinned, his eyes widening in delight. "I'm going to be an uncle?"
Lily pulled him close for a hug and Sirius made to let go, but she wouldn't let him. "Not yet."
"It's not your fault, but I feel really uncomfortable when a hug lasts more than two seconds," Sirius told her.
Lily only burrowed closer. "Don't care. I'm pregnant."
James tugged Sirius into his arms for a one-armed hug before he turned to his wife and kissed her stomach again just as it grumbled loudly. He stood up, grinning at his friends. "Now, the Little Bludger wants lasagna."
Lily grinned and kissed her husband. "Our Little Bludger can't wait to meet all of his or her uncles."
Sirius was grinning hugely, his eyes still wide in amazement.
Remus put a hand on his friend's arm. "A baby? Can you believe it? Prongs made a baby!"
Peter grinned, smiling at his friends. "And leave it to Jamie to call him by Quidditch names."
Lily turned to smile at them from the doorway to the kitchen. "Come along boys, dinner's on the table."
Harry turned to look at Sirius and Remus, his eyes wide. "They called me a Little Bludger?"
Remus grinned. "The whole pregnancy Jamie gave you a different Quidditch name. Lily said early on, before they had even told anyone about you, that you were their little Snitch, then a Little Bludger, and when you kept your mum up kicking her, he called you his Little Beater."
"Lily said that he used to spend hours talking to her stomach late into the night. He would sing and tell stories and just tell you how loved you were," Sirius said with a smile. "She told me that sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night and he would just be resting his cheek against her stomach. He was completely head over heels for you before you were even born."
Harry grinned at that, his heart swelling at the thought that anyone could have loved him so much before he was even born.
Remus draped an arm over his shoulders. "Want to watch another one?"
Harry nodded and moved to the chest, grabbing another phial at random and dropping it into the Pensieve. The three of them moved forward and dipped into the memory.
The Gryffindor common room was mostly empty, but James, Remus, Peter, and Sirius were lounging on the floor in front of the fire. Three girls that Harry didn't recognize were also there with Lily.
"Can you believe that we go home in one week and then it's seventh year?" Remus asked, crossing his long legs out in front of him.
The pretty brunette who Harry now remembered was Mary MacDonald smiled at him. "Then we'll be adults, it's pretty crazy."
Sirius was grinning hugely. "Come on, it's late; let's play a game of Truth or Dare."
"No," everyone said as a whole and Sirius pouted.
"Why not?"
Peter rolled his eyes. "Because it's always the same, Sirius. We'll dare Evans to kiss James, she'll refuse, Jamie will dare her to kiss him, she'll refuse. Same old story, mate."
"But it will be fun, right Jamie?" Sirius asked.
James shrugged. "I'm in."
"No," Peter said a second time.
"I think truth or dare sounds fun actually," Lily said, biting her bottom lip. "Let's play."
"Ha!" Sirius said triumphantly, sitting up. "Prongs, you start!"
James simply shrugged and leaned back against the brick of the fireplace. "Fine, Marly, Truth or Dare?"
The dark haired girl let out a long dramatic sigh. "Fine, Dare."
James rubbed his hands together. "I Dare you to Dare Evans to kiss me. Oof," he said as Sirius smacked him in the face with a couch cushion hard enough to knock his glasses off. "Kidding! Marly, I Dare you to snog Peter."
She shrugged and tugged Peter, who was spluttering in surprise, towards her by his shirt and kissed him. When she pulled away, he looked dumbstruck.
Marly licked her lips. "Sirius, Truth or Dare."
"Dare," he said, examining his fingernails as if he was bored.
"I dare you to pick truth for once."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Fine, Truth."
"Are you really going to buy a motorbike this summer?"
"Definitely. Evans has been helping me do some research in the Muggle world, it's going to be so bad-arse."
"Mum's not going to like that," James said on a grin.
Sirius shrugged. "She will once I take her out for a spin. Evans, Truth or Dare?"
"Truth," she said quietly.
"What you told me yesterday, that still true?"
"Yes," she said, her eyes on his grey ones as she bit her lip nervously.
He nodded, grinning. "So, here's your chance then."
Everyone was staring between the two of them in confusion and Lily let out a slow breath.
"James, Truth or Dare."
"Dare," he said smartly, his hazel eyes grinning at her.
"I Dare you to kiss me."
The entire room was so silent, a pin could have dropped.
James stared at her, his eyes wide in shock. "You — ?" He crawled across the floor, eyes never leaving hers. "You dared me to kiss you," he said, his gaze moving to her lips.
She nodded. "Are you man enough to do it?"
He leaned in and touched his lips to hers softly and without hesitation as their friends cheered.
Lily bit her lip when he pulled away. "James?"
"Yeah?" he asked, a goofy grin on his face.
"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"
James looked absolutely gobsmacked as he stared at her and Sirius grinned from next to his friend.
"He'd be delighted, Evans." He slapped James on the back.
Lily just grinned at James, grabbed him by the hair, and kissed him again.
Harry looked at Sirius and Remus. "My mum asked him out? That's how they got together, in a game of Truth or Dare? I thought that Dad asked her out?"
Sirius grinned. "Evans and I had actually planned it the night before. She finally admitted to me that she fancied James and by this time, he had stopped asking her out. They had become friends and she was scared that he didn't fancy her anymore; that she had lost her chance. I told her that I would arrange the opportunity for her to ask him out and that she had to take it."
Remus grinned. "They went to Hogsmeade the next day and spent pretty much every moment of the last week of school together. They exchanged letters all summer and Jamie used to go down to a phone booth in the nearby Muggle town and call her; talk to her for hours on the phone just to hear her voice. By the beginning of seventh year, they were inseparable."
Harry smiled at the thought. "I'm glad."
Sirius squeezed his shoulder. "Come on, let's call it a night. We're heading to Diagon Alley early tomorrow to get your school shopping done."
Harry nodded and carefully put the memory away, marking that he had watched it. The memories of his parents giving him a big smile on his face.
~ ASC ~
Ginny was grinning widely when Charlie came into kitchen that night. He was supposed to have arrived the day before, but something had happened at the reserve and he had been detained.
"Jitterbug!" he exclaimed, grinning when she ran into his arms. "What are you still doing up?"
"Waiting for you, obviously," she said with a smile.
He hugged her tightly and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "Look at you, thirteen years old and growing more beautiful every day. When did you grow up on me?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm hardly grown up!"
He just grinned. "I don't know, Ginny, looking more like a young woman now. You been doing okay? Your last letter was full of this and that and Theo and Colin and I'm starting to worry that we need to have a talk about boys."
"I don't have a boyfriend!"
He grinned. "And when you do, I think it's important that they know that your big brother has dragons."
Ginny only crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Why? Do you think that I can't handle myself?"
Charlie grinned at the dangerous glint to her eye. "Never. But if you want to throw the pieces at me when you're done with them, I'll stomp on those for you." She laughed and he pulled her close for a hug. "Everyone else sleeping?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Good, I have something to show you." He glanced back towards the stairs to make sure that no one was coming before he tugged off his shirt and Ginny's eyes widened.
"Wow!"
He grinned as he proudly asked. "Isn't it gorgeous?"
Ginny's fingers reached up to trace the Chinese Fireball over his shoulder and back, eyes widening at the lick of flames and smoke that seemed to shimmer down his side. "It's amazing!"
"It's Chi."
Ginny's eyes widened. "That dragon you loved who was killed? Oh, Charlie, what a beautiful way to preserve her memory!"
He smiled at her. "It's actually tattooed with part of her ashes so I feel like her spirit is still with me. She moves all around my body too, and when she moves, I can feel her, it's warm. It's like she's a familiar almost."
"It's incredible!" she told him, her fingers touching the warm skin. "Wherever Chi is, your skin is hotter."
He grinned. "I know." He pulled his shirt back over his head and grabbed his bag. "What room is Mum putting me in?"
"Ron's," Ginny said with a smile. "Hermione is in with me. Luna's coming over tomorrow night to stay before we head to the Cup and Harry and Neville are meeting us the day of. Bill is staying with the twins. He arrived yesterday."
"What about Percy?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Mum says that his new job keeps him so busy that he doesn't have to share a room. Don't ask him about his new boss, I think he wishes his lips were permanently attached to Mr Crouch's arse."
Charlie laughed as they headed up the stairs. "Ah, so not much has changed then."
She grinned at him over her shoulder. "Welcome home, Charlie."
He smiled and kissed her forehead. "It's nice to be back. And Gin?"
She grinned at him. "Don't worry, secret's safe with me."
Charlie only smiled. "Thanks."
"Oh, Charlie?"
"Yeah?" he asked, turning on the stairs to look back at her.
Ginny grinned and then transformed into her Animagus and watched his eyes widen. She shimmied up his leg and snuggled into his shoulder.
"Ginny! Wow! You're an Animagus!" He pet the panda in amazement, examining her fluffy little face and her baby claws with a grin. "This is incredible!" He put her back on the stairs and she transformed back into herself.
"Thanks. Wait until you see Ron."
Charlie goggled at her. "I leave you two alone for a few months and you lot grow up on me!"
She smiled. "Just a little. Oh, and Charlie?"
He bent his head down to kiss her forehead. "Don't worry — secret's safe with me."
Then he winked at her and continued up the stairs to Ron's room, leaving Ginny grinning up at him.
~ ASC ~
When Harry woke up the next morning, he found Sirius making breakfast as Zee sat at the kitchen table, Lady Godiva's head resting on her leg as she read a letter.
"Morning," he murmured, taking a seat at the table as Sirius put a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him.
"Good morning, Harry," Zee said with a smile. "Papa called me this morning and told me to say hello to you. He wants to know if you've learned any of the spells from the book he gave you yet."
Harry smiled at her. "I'll write to him later this week. I think have the theory down pretty good on a few of them, but I haven't quite mastered the spell work yet."
Zee grinned. "You'll get there." She passed him his Hogwarts letter. "School supplies."
"We're going to Diagon Alley today?"
Sirius nodded. "I have to run into the Ministry this morning; something about an incident with a missing Ministry employee. But I shouldn't be too long and then we can head out. If I'm not back by two, you'll have to see if Remus can take you."
"I can go," Zee said with a smile. "I still have holiday time so I took the whole week off for the cup. That is, if Harry doesn't mind going shopping with me?"
Harry smiled at her. "No, that would be great, thanks Zee." He turned back to Sirius as he sat down to eat his own breakfast. "Who's missing?"
"A woman who works with Bagman in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I remember her from school, she was a few years ahead of me, but a really big gossip. She was on holiday and was supposed to be back to work two weeks ago now, but no one seems to know where she is. Bagman asked me to come in and help with some of the preparations for October since he's down an employee and since he gave me sixteen tickets for tomorrow, I can't really say no."
Harry smiled at that. "I can't wait for the World Cup tomorrow, Ireland is going to be amazing!"
Sirius grinned. "Should be a good match. The key to your bank vault is in the top drawer of my wardrobe. You need dress robes this year."
Harry frowned. "Why?"
"Yule Ball in December," Sirius said with a grin. "It is being officially reinstated, fourth years and above so, you'll need to look your best for your date."
"Why is it being reinstated?"
Sirius smiled at him. "Something special is coming to Hogwarts this year and there's going to be all sorts of interesting things happening."
"Like what?" Harry asked, spreading jam on his toast.
"I'm not supposed to tell so, that you can be surprised on the first of September like everyone else."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! If I promise not to tell anyone else?"
He grinned. "Ah, what the hell, it doesn't apply to you anyway. The Ministry of Magic has reinstated the TriWizard Tournament."
Harry's eyes widened. "Really? I remember Uncle Moony telling me about that. People died!"
"That they did," Sirius said. "They've made it safe this year, well, as safe as it is possible to be. Also, there's an age limit. No one under the age of seventeen will be able to participate. Three schools will compete, one champion from each school in three tasks and the winner gets a large sum of prize money and eternal glory. It's good press for the school as well as a chance to help bridge international relations."
"Wow," Harry said, smiling at him. "What are the tasks?"
"That I can assure you, I do not know. That's for the Tournament Committee only so that word doesn't get out. But there will be a Yule Ball in December so, you need dress robes. There used to be a Yule Ball every year at Hogwarts when I went there, but when the war started escalating, they cancelled it and it was never reinstated."
Zee smiled. "We always had Yule Balls at my school. They were wonderful. The food, the dancing, the ballgowns… I have some great memories from those days."
Harry smiled at her. "So, dress robes, got it. I guess it's a good thing that Grandmama taught me to dance this summer."
Sirius chuckled. "And then some. How many books do you need this year?"
Harry tugged out his supply list and browsed it. "Just two, one for Charms and one for Defence Against the Dark Arts, but I need more potion supplies and ink and notebooks and all that."
Sirius nodded. "What about your uniform?"
"Shirts are okay, I think, but my trousers are too short again and so are my robes."
"Try on one of your shirts before you go shopping if you're not sure. Whatever doesn't fit, we'll donate."
Harry nodded, smiling at his godfather. "All right. I also need more shampoo and soap and stuff."
Sirius grinned. "You can take out whatever money you need and make sure you have some spending money for the year too, for Hogsmeade trips and potential dates."
He grinned as he thought about Harley. He didn't think that he wanted to be with any other girls for the moment. "Okay."
Sirius dropped a kiss to the top of his head as he stood up. "All right, I'm gone. Have fun." He kissed Zee. "Thanks."
"No problem, I love to shop."
Sirius grimaced. "Harry, I'm sorry in advance."
Harry laughed as his father hurried out of the room.
~ ASC ~
An hour later, he and Zee arrived in Diagon Alley. They went to Gringotts first and Harry took out money from his vault, meeting Zee in the atrium of the bank when he returned. They went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and Harry was measured for his new uniform — he did need new shirts. Zee grabbed him new socks and piled some undershirts in the basket as well, making him smile. He grabbed some new boxer briefs (in Gryffindor colours as well as a few pair with Quidditch balls and broomsticks on them), some Hogwarts athletic gear for Quidditch practice, new dragon hide gloves (since he'd burned a hole in the ones from last year), and new dragon hide boots and then wrinkled his nose when they got to the section of dress robes.
Zee smiled at him as he looked through the selection. "Why don't you let an expert help you out with this?"
Harry nodded gratefully at her and she looked through the racks before pulling out the green material.
"The green will make your eyes pop," she told him, holding the robes up to him. "And let's choose… ooh, the white shirt with the grey pinstripes is very nice," she murmured, holding it up to him with a smile. "And yes… this solid navy tie. You're going to look very sharp."
He blushed when she grabbed a cloak to go with it and chose a chestnut brown belt and brown oxfords before pushing him into the fitting room. He undressed, pulling the dress shirt on and buttoning it carefully, hanging the tie loose and draped the green material over his shoulders. When he turned to look at himself in the mirror, he had to admit, the green looked really good on him.
"Can I see, Harry?"
He rolled his eyes at her when he opened the door and she laughed.
"Ooh, you look wonderful. What do you think?" she asked, standing next to him, her hand on his arm as she grinned at him in the mirror.
He shrugged, staring at his reflection. The navy and brown accents looked really good with the deep green which genuinely did bring out the colour in his eyes. "I like the green."
Zee stood next to him, touching the collar of the dress shirt. "The light grey pinstripes just adds something, you know, and the navy tie… I mean, you're the one that has to wear it — so you have to like it."
"It's fine, Zee."
She smiled at him. "Well, I think that you look incredibly handsome."
He blushed and she smiled, tugging his face down to kiss his cheek.
"If you're happy with it, let Madam Malkin measure you and we'll get a suit made in your size. Or we can pick out something different if you prefer?"
He smiled. "Nah, this is great, Zee."
He hopped up onto the stool as the seamstress came in. Her eyes moved over Harry's attire and she smiled.
"About time someone chooses a nice fashion statement. Most boys have gone for black this year. So boring." She moved to measure him, adjusting the arm length and measuring him for trousers before she smiled. "You're all done, dearie, I'll have the dress robes ready for you with your uniform in an hour."
He thanked her and went to change back into his jeans and tee shirt. Zee led him lead her into Quality Quidditch Supplies next and he bought new Seeker gloves since he'd ripped the thumb on his old ones. They went to the Slug and Jiggers Apothecary so that he could refill his potions ingredients with the gold package, getting the extra ingredients that he needed. He bought Hedwig more owl treats and then they headed to Flourish and Blotts for his textbooks.
Harry was just stocking up on his ink, quills, notebooks, and parchment when he ran into Neville.
"Harry!"
"Hey, Nev," he said with a grin, adding four new notebooks to his basket. "How's Badger life?"
Neville grinned widely. "Pretty great. I grew half an inch in size so I must be progressing well."
Harry nodded. "I'm not tripping over my paws anymore so that's a plus, but I still think I'm a bit of a runt."
"Got all of your supplies?"
Harry nodded. "Think so. Just need some last minute things, you?"
"Same. Just got my dress robes. Gran wanted me to get plum, but I shot that down fast. I got navy, you?"
"Green."
"Nice."
Harry grinned as Zee came up behind them. "Harry, did you see they have quills that check your spelling? That could be rather useful, hi, Neville."
"Hi, Zee," he said. "I'll take one of those quills if you don't mind, I can't spell anything correctly."
She smiled and passed him the quill before adding another one to Harry's basket. "We're heading into Muggle London for a few things, Neville, you're welcome to join us?"
He smiled at her. "Thanks for the offer, but I have to go. Uncle Algie needs my help to finish organizing the garden before we go back to school. But I'll catch you two tomorrow at the World Cup?"
Harry grinned. "Definitely. We're leaving really early so you have to be at my house for five."
Neville nodded. "I'll be there. See you!"
Harry watched him hurry off before he held up his basket. "I think that I have everything."
"Good," she said with a smile.
He paid for his purchases and then they headed into the bath shop and Harry stocked up on soap and shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, cologne, aftershave, and shaving cream. He smiled at Zee when she tossed a few extra things in his basket like an extra tooth brush, lip balm, an herbal muscle reliever, and Epsom salts.
"The last two are for after a gruelling Quidditch practice or match — trust me on this."
He only nodded and bought his things.
They went into Muggle London next and Harry got himself a few new pairs of jeans and some new jumpers and long sleeved shirts. They went to lunch at a little café in downtown London and Harry grinned when Sirius showed up halfway through their meal.
"Hey, how'd the shopping go?" He eyed the bags and his eyebrow rose. "Overboard?"
Harry grinned. "I needed a lot of new clothes."
"Well, that's what happens when you grow like a weed," Sirius told him, smiling at the waitress as he ordered himself a turkey sandwich.
"How did everything go at the Ministry?" Zee asked him, drinking her water.
Sirius shrugged. "As well as can be expected, I suppose. No one has seen her. The last person who remembers speaking with her is a bartender in an inn in Albania. He said that she left with a tall dark haired man, which doesn't give us much to go on. I'd like to hope that she merely found herself a good tumble and is holed up somewhere having a good time, but it doesn't seem very likely."
Zee nodded. "Papa said that this is the kind of stuff that happened before, disappearances and such."
"We know that he's out there and we know that he has people who are working for him so, it's not unlikely either, which is something else to worry about. Not to mention the Albania connection. I suggested as much to Kingsley, dropped a hint that I heard rumours of Death Eater activity. He told me that he had heard the same, but that they have no evidence. With Lestrange still on the loose and Pettigrew presumed the same, they have nothing."
Harry nodded, staring at his godfather. "But they don't really know that something bad happened to her?"
Sirius shook his head. "No, they don't know, Harry. Like I said, she could be fine. Bagman seems to think so. Seems to think she wandered off somewhere and will turn up in a few weeks thinking it's still August, but not everyone agrees with him. We'll just have to take it one step at a time." He smiled when his turkey sandwich arrived. "So, what did you buy?"
~ ASC ~
Draco sat on the bed in the brothel that his grandfather had dragged him off to for the third time in his life. Despite his protests that he hadn't wanted to come and 'be serviced' as his grandfather called it, Abraxas had forced him to come anyway. His grandparents had shown up again a few weeks into the summer, claiming that their stay in Croatia had been lovely. He had mostly tried to stay out of his grandfather's way since his arrival and the summer had been fairly uneventful over all. He had spent most of his time with Blaise and Theo, some of it flying and most of it still trying to understand what his parents were up to.
But this morning when he had woken up, his grandfather was sitting on the end of his bed, watching him. He had told him that he still had a lot to learn and that Lucius obviously wasn't equipped enough to make him a man. He ordered him to get dressed and to meet him down in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor. Draco had been surprised to see his grandfather's friend Titus Avery in the hall waiting for him as Abraxas ordered him to Floo to Madam Sweetlings, telling Draco that he needed to enjoy life while he was young before purchasing a young blonde and young brunette to service his grandson for the morning.
Draco had decided that this was the perfect opportunity for him to do some snooping around. He accepted the two girls that his grandfather had bought for him and watched as his grandfather spoke to Avery in the room across the hall as a pretty brunette entered the room. He ignored the girls, watching the door to his grandfather's room, as it was only a few minutes before Avery came out and went into a room down the hall. One of the girls in his room had dark brown curly hair and she was unbuttoning his shirt, her hand slipping into his trousers and he pushed her off.
He had no interest in having sex with anyone at this brothel, he thought. He'd done that twice already and wasn't interested in experiencing it a third time.
"Kiss your friend," he told her with a smile, getting up and moving to stand next to the door where he could peek out at the room where his grandfather was in. "I want to see it."
The blonde grinned and tugged her dark haired friend close for a kiss. Draco stayed by the door. He left it open a crack so that he could watch for the pretty brunette while still keeping an eye on the two girls in his room. The blonde was kissing her friend's neck now and his breath hitched a little as he watched her mouth move lower and lick a nipple. His hand slid into his trousers to touch himself and then he saw the pretty brunette come out of the bedroom across the hall and all thoughts of the two mostly naked girls were gone from his mind. He opened the door and requested the brunette immediately. The two girls kissing on the bed pouted, but he shrugged and told them to go.
She came into his room, a big smile on her face, watching the two girls leave in curiosity before she dropped the gown that she was wearing. Her lovely breasts sparkled with some sort of glittery lotion and she smiled sweetly at him as she crawled onto the bed.
"Hi, baby," she said softly, her fingertips dancing along her leg. "Come sit with me."
Draco moved to sit on the bed, taking her hand in his when she attempted to undo his trousers. "No. I want something else from you."
She looked at him in puzzlement. "What's that, baby?"
He sat up, taking her hand in his. "The man you were just with?" At her nod, he smiled. "He was talking about something to another man when you went in there, wasn't he?"
She nodded.
"I want to know what he was saying."
She bit her lip. "I hear nothing and I see nothing."
"I'll double your price," Draco told her.
The young woman looked nervous, but then she nodded. "He didn't say anything important anyway," she said shrugging. "I want the Galleons up front."
Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out the little purse. "You'll get them after you talk. What did you hear?"
She shrugged, her fingers sliding over her breasts, circling her nipples as she spoke to him. "He said that the worm tail's gone missing."
"Okay."
She stared at him, twisting her nipples now, her eyes on his. "Someone named Kata was being well serviced and that the plan was coming along nicely. Something about payments having to be made and that this time there would be no second chances."
"Anything else?"
She smiled at him, her eyes on his as she rubbed her nipples harder. "He told the man that with Selwyn taking care of the child, Kata was available for him to use if he wanted as Selwyn's father was already using Kata."
"And?"
"Then he told the man to leave and he shagged me."
"Thank you. You've been a great help," Draco told her, passing her the coins.
She leaned in, licking her lips. "Do you want to play with me now?"
"No," Draco said sternly. He didn't have an interest in the girls his grandfather had purchased for him, he definitely wasn't going to touch the one his grandfather had just used. "You can go."
He waited until she had left the room before he moved downstairs and used the Floo to get home.
His father was sitting in the drawing room when he stepped out of the fireplace, the newspaper open in his hands. His eyebrow rose slightly when Draco stepped into the room.
"Where have you been?"
"Is Mother around?"
Lucius shook his head. "No, she went shopping with your grandmother."
"Grandfather took me to Madam Sweetlings again."
Lucius swore. "I told him to not… are you all right?"
Draco nodded. It pleased him that his father wasn't okay with his grandfather taking him there any more than he was pleased with going. "I'm fine. I snuck out. He's going to be angry if the girls tell him."
"I'll deal with it," Lucius said, nodding to the seat next to him. "Sit down, Draco."
He did as his father asked, tapping his fingers on the side of the chair.
"You know that things have been happening around here. Your mother and I have been doing our best to shield you from it, despite how much you keep trying to find the answers yourself."
"I know," Draco told him. "I know more than you think I do."
"I know that, too," Lucius said carefully. "You've been practicing your Occlumency?"
"Yes," Draco told him hotly. "Every morning and every night just like I promised."
"Good," Lucius said, sternly. "It's very important that you never stop practicing that. There are people who are going to try to break into your mind, Draco; to see what you know. It is very important that you don't tell them. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Draco swallowed, carefully. "Grandfather has that woman, doesn't he? The Novak woman who went missing? I told Potter to look into it."
"You told — why Potter?"
"He knows more than he's let on and I think Sirius Black does too. Any information that I find out that could maybe put a stop to Grandfather hurting someone — don't you think that I should do it?"
Lucius let out a slow breath, his eyes on the door. "Your grandfather is a very dangerous man, Draco. He is one of the people from which you need to always shield your mind from. If he learns that you've spied on him, that you've discovered something that you shouldn't have; he will not hesitate to punish you for it." He tapped his fingers on the chair for the moment. "However, you are correct about one thing, he does have Kata Novak. She is being held in the Selwyn Manor in Croatia. Thaddeus and Wendall are keeping an eye on her for the time being. She cannot be helped, Draco. It is imperative that you know that — she is beyond help."
"Why are you telling me this? Why now?"
"Some things are going to start happening. Some good and some bad. Some of those bad things… I might be responsible for them."
Draco's eyes widened at that. "What? Father, what do you — ?"
Lucius held up his hand. "Practice your Occlumency, Draco. Keep your mind guarded at all times and remember, whatever I do, I am doing it to keep you and your mother safe. Nothing else is more important. Do you understand me?"
He nodded, slowly, his eyes wide. "Yes."
"Anything you learn that you think is important, go ahead and share it with Potter if you wish. Black doesn't trust me and maybe that's for the best, but maybe he'll trust you."
"Father, what are you talking about, doing bad things, what's happening? Why shouldn't Black trust you?"
Lucius stood up, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "A war is coming, Draco, and when the first spell is cast, we might be on opposing sides. It's very important to me that you understand that no matter what it looks like, I am always on your side. It might look like I am not, it might look like you can't trust me and you might question that, but I am always on your side. Nothing is more important to me than you and your mother. Nothing."
The fireplace lit up and Abraxas stepped out, his white hair in a plaited ponytail at the back of his neck.
"Ah, Draco, I hoped you hadn't gone too far. Were the girls good to you?"
"I asked you not to take him there again, Father," Lucius said, sternly. "He's a fourteen-year-old-boy and he doesn't need you to force him to have sex before he's ready to."
"Someone needs to turn him into a man and since you clearly aren't up to the task, I thought that I'd take him under my wing."
Lucius' hand closed tightly over the arm of the chair. "He is turning out to be an exceptional young man and I can assure you, none of it is because of your influence."
Draco felt pride bubble up inside of him at his father's words as he watched his grandfather sneer.
"A man needs to be pleasured from time to time, Lucius, and Draco needs to know what his options are in that case. He needs to learn how important it is to have control over his woman one day. To be a man a Malfoy can be proud of. You're too much like your mother; snivelling and pathetic, hiding behind the skirts of your wife. I won't have Draco growing up to follow in your poor footsteps," Abraxas said, boldly. "We'll go to the World Cup tomorrow and then I expect once for all to know where your loyalties lie."
He stormed out of the room, his black robes billowing behind him and Lucius let out a slow breath.
"What's happening at the World Cup, Father?"
Lucius smiled at his son. "Hopefully a wonderful match. Go on, get upstairs and change into your training clothes. I'll meet you in ten minutes and we'll go over your training."
Draco only nodded. "Theo and Blaise?"
Lucius nodded. "Yes, them too. Ten minutes, go on."
Draco had hurried off to find his friends and change his clothes, left with more questions than he had answers.