An Interesting Lunch:

Draco kicked the corner angrily. He hated his Father's babyish punishments. He was twelve-years old for Merlin's sake! Way too old to be standing in the corner and way to old to be waiting for a bum smacking. But no matter how many times he argued the fact with his Father, it never changed the outcome.

He really didn't understand why his Father was so angry. He had every right to protest the fact that his greatest nemesis was moving in down the hall. This was his home! Harry Potter had no right to live in Malfoy Manor. How would his Father like the Dark Lord moving in or worse Dumbledore?

Besides there was no way that Harry Potter was Uncle Sev's son. They would've known. Nymphs were supposed to be able to sense each other and he never felt that Potter was a fellow Nymph. This was all some lie that Potter made up so that he could stop being an orphan and take away his Uncle Sev. Well, it wasn't going to work. Uncle Sev is a smart man and he's going to see around Potter's lie, even if Draco has to point it out to the man himself.

"Have you calmed down yet?" Lucius asked as he walked back into his study. Dealing with Harry hadn't left Lucius in a stellar mood, so he hoped Draco would have enough sense to admit that he was wrong.

"Potter isn't Uncle Sev's son and there's nothing you can say or do that will…"

"I take that as a no," Lucius interrupted. "Maybe another fifteen minutes looking at the wall will help persuade you, if not to believe, than to keep your opinions to yourself."

"I can keep my opinions to myself without another fifteen minutes, Father."

"No, I think the fifteen minutes will do you good," Lucius said as he walked over to his desk to take a seat.

"Father, you're being unfair!" Draco pouted, kicking the wall for good measure.

"Would you like to make it twenty minutes Draco, or would you like to stop complaining and take your punishment like the strong young man I know you are?"

Draco didn't answer. He just huffed and turned towards the corner. He would just bide his time quietly but the second he could prove that Potter was lying, then he would demand that his Father apologize for treating him like a baby and not believing that he knew the truth, Potter was a big fat liar.

Fifteen agonizing minutes later, Draco heard his Father standup and walk towards him.

"Are you finished with your tantrum now?" Lucius asked.

Draco bristled at his Father's words, but decided to keep mum. He didn't want to spend another second in the stupid corner.

"Come here Draco."

Draco turned and slowly walked to his father. "Are you going to give me a smacking?" He was well aware that he was whining but his Father's smacking hurt so he had every right to whine.

"No, I can understand your dismay that one of your biggest enemies is joining not only out household but our family, but I want your promise that you will welcome him with open arms and treat him kindly."

Draco's shoulders slumped. He knew that his Father would expect that, but Harry Potter didn't deserve his respect and The-Boy-That-Lived would never be a member of the family if Draco had anything to say about it. Unfortunately his bum was on the line and he wasn't going to risk it, so he forced himself to say,

"Yes sir."

"I mean it Draco, you will treat Harry with the respect every member of this house deserves or you will find yourself not only grounded to your room, but nursing a sore bum to boot."

"Yes sir."

"Why don't you head on up to your room until lunch? That way you can think of ways to change your thinking about Harry. Look for the positives in this situation."

"There isn't anything positive about Potter living here."

"No? How about someone to play Quidditch with or someone to bounce homework questions off of?"

"Yeah, maybe the Quidditch thing will be cool," Draco admitted reluctantly.

"By lunch, I want ten different fun things that you and Harry can do together."

"Is it punishment?"

"Yes. So you will give it to me before lunch or you can consider yourself grounded for two days."

"Yes sir," Draco said walking towards the door.

"Oh and Draco."

"Yes sir?"

"Ten things beside Quidditch and homework."

"Yes sir," Draco sighed.

Draco pouted as he walked to his bedroom and closed the door. What he really wanted to do was to slam the door and let his father know exactly what he thought of the stupid punishment, but he knew better. Instead he walked over to his desk and sighed before pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill.

XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO

Harry couldn't believe how nervous he was. He had a feeling that lunch with the Malfoys was always some big to do with different types of forks and spoons and full of stupid etiquette that Harry had no idea how to follow.

Severus looked at his son and could tell something was bothering him,

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not hungry," Harry lied.

"Harry, I didn't ask if you were hungry. I asked, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harry lied again. How was he supposed to tell this man, one that he didn't trust or even like that he was afraid of looking like a fool during lunch with the pure blood elitists? It was stupid and honestly it was making him angry for some reason.

"I don't appreciate being lied to."

"And I don't appreciate being interrogated," Harry snipped.

"Harry, listen…"

"I've been listening to you all morning and this is too much. I need some time."

"I understand you need time and I plan on giving you that."

"No, I need time now, not lunch with the Malfoys," Harry said turning around and started running towards his room.

Severus sighed. He wondered if he should go after the boy or if he should just continue on to lunch. He decided to go with the latter option and walked quickly towards the dining room.

Lucius wasn't surprised when Severus walked into the dining room alone, but he also wasn't going to allow Harry to miss a lunch with the family. The question was who was going to go and get the stubborn child?

"You're missing someone," Lucius said casually.

"He needs time."

"I agree, but hiding isn't the way and you know it. This is something we should work on as a family."

"What do you expect me to do?" Severus asked angrily.

"Go and get him."

"No, I'm giving him the day. He'll eat with the family tomorrow," Severus announced.

Draco looked between his father and uncle knowing this was going to lead to a fight. He hated when they fought, so he decided to volunteer to go get the prat.

"I'll go get Potter."

"Nicely Draco," Lucius warned.

"Father, I'm always nice," Draco said with an evil grin, not noticing the nonverbal spell his father threw his way.

Draco walked up the stairs, thinking about his strategy. He decided to go with the concept of keeping his enemies closer. He would build up Harry's trust before he exposed him as the liar he was.

Harry's stomach protested his decision to not go to lunch and honestly he didn't know if he was happy or irritated when someone knocked on the door. Stubbornness over rode his stomach.

"I told you I'm not hungry," He snapped.

"I honestly wouldn't care if you starved," Draco snapped back opening the door without permission and leaning against the door way casually.

"What in the bloody hell do you want?" Harry asked sitting up quickly. At that second he wished he had his wand. There was no way he would ever trust Draco Malfoy.

"For you to come down to lunch with the family. My Father is pretty strict about such things. He takes it as an insult when someone doesn't accept his invitation."

"I don't give a rat's arse what your Father thinks."

"How about yours?"

"My Father's been dead for almost eleven years, so I don't think he would care too much about Lucius Malfoy's feelings."

"I was talking about Uncle Sev and you know it."

"Look, I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I'm finished with it. Snape is not my father!"

"So you're going to be a baby and stay in your room all day pouting?" Draco asked.

"Better than having lunch with a bunch of…" Harry stopped himself. Saying the words would make him as much of a bigot as Draco was and he wasn't going to let Draco have that much power over him.

"Bunch of what? Brilliant wizards? Power wizards? I know you're used to eating with blood traitors and mudblood scum…"

"Draco."

Draco cringed when he heard the warning sound of his Father's voice. Shit he had forgotten that his Father tended to put a monitor spell on him when he didn't trust he would do the right thing, another baby spell that he hated.

"Daddy has you on a tight leash," Harry teased not realizing that the spell Lucius was using could pick up on what he was saying too.

"I have you on one as well, Mr. Potter. Now stop your childish pouting and come to lunch. Draco we will deal with your swearing after."

"Potter swore too," Draco protested.

"Mr. Potter doesn't know the rules yet. Now the two of you have three minutes to join us in the dining room or I will come and collect you. You do not want that to happen."

Draco didn't bother to ensure Harry was following him. For Potter's sake he hoped he was.

Harry watched Draco walk out of the room debating the pros and cons of following the kid. His stomach grumbled again, so he decided that he would go not because Lucius said so, but because he was hungry.

Severus breathed a sigh of relief when he saw both boys walk into the dining room. He honestly didn't know what he would've done if Lucius had left the table. He hated fighting with his brother, but he didn't want Harry's stay here to start off on the wrong foot. Sure Lucius was right and Harry shouldn't hide away, but the boy needed time to sort everything out.

"So Harry, how did you like Hogwarts?" Narcissa asked smiling politely.

"I loved it," Harry said honestly. He really didn't want to be here but so far this woman hadn't done anything to him and he really didn't want to appear to be rude.

"Anything's better than living with muggles, Mother," Draco said snidely.

"There's nothing wrong with being a muggle," Harry snapped.

"I didn't say there was. I said it's better than living like a muggle. You have to admit that magic is way cooler," Draco said. He didn't miss the glare his father had shot at him the minute the first sentence left his mouth. He didn't want any more trouble from the man tonight, so he hoped this would help his cause.

"Yeah, magic is wicked, but we can't use it when we're not in school, so it's just like being a muggle," Harry said.

"Sure we can't use magic, but our house elves can and so can my parents and Uncle Sev. So I don't live like a muggle," Draco said.

"In some ways you do Draco," Severus said wanting to stop any arguments that might creep in.

Draco shrugged deciding to let it go.

"What are your plans this summer, Harry?" Lucius asked.

"I don't know," Harry said honestly.

"Draco, you thought of some things that you and Harry could do together this summer. Want to share them?" Lucius said.

"I plan on showing you up on the Quidditch Pitch that's for sure," Draco said smiling brightly.

"You have a Quidditch Pitch?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Yep and I'm going to fly circles around you."

"There's no way you can fly circles around me."

"Let's test it after lunch," Draco challenged.

Lucius and Severus smiled at each other. Maybe letting the boys play together this afternoon would be a good thing and would help them to accept each other.

"I don't have my broom," Harry said dejectedly. That was the only thing that he couldn't sneak out of the house.

"Don't worry, we have extra," Lucius said.

"I'll go back and get your broom sometime this week," Severus promised.

"Really?" Harry asked sounding so young that it made Severus' heart hurt.

"Of course. Is there anything else you left there?"

"Um, my stuff for potions," Harry said honestly and hoped that the Potion Master wouldn't yell at him for the oversight.

"Were you planning on dropping the class or something?" Draco asked. "You know that you can't right?"

"Yeah, I know, but I just couldn't carry it all," Harry said trying to defend himself.

"Don't worry, you can borrow some of my things, when it's homework time," Severus said.

"Homework time?" Harry asked.

"Yes Harry, homework time. Draco and you will study for two hours everyday this summer," Severus said.

"Even on the weekend?" Harry asked trying hard to hide his disgust with the idea.

"Yes Harry, even on the weekends," Severus said trying not to laugh at the look of horror on his son's face.

"Now would be a good time to go over the rules," Lucius suggested.

Severus looked at his brother before saying,

"I guess you're right. Draco, do you want to let Harry know what's expected of you both?"

"Why me?" Draco complained.

"Because it would be nice and a good reminder for yourself," Lucius said sternly.

"Fine. We can't put ourselves in danger, we have to be respectful at all times, no lying or swearing, no fighting and follow directions the first time they are giving," Draco said.

"And what happens if you break a rule?" Lucius asked and almost smiled at his son's blush.

"Depending on the infraction. We can get a smacking, grounding, corner time, or our mouth's washed out with the Scourgify."

"You will always get a smacking if you put yourself in danger. So you might want to keep that in mind before you go after the Dark Lord again," Lucius warned.

"I didn't know it was Voldemort! I thought it was Snape," Harry said without thinking.

"You thought it was me?" Severus asked.

"Well ya, the night of the Troll it looked like Fluffy bit you. There wasn't any reason for you to be up there. The teachers were supposed to be fighting the Troll."

"Actually, you had no right to be up there. How did you find out about the stone in the first place?" Lucius asked. It was something that had bothered him since he heard about Harry going after the Stone.

"I'd rather not say," Harry said. He didn't want to get Hagrid in trouble.

"You're not going to let him get away with that are you?" Draco asked. He wanted to hear the whole story too.

"No, I'm not. Harry, I promise whoever you're protecting will be fine," Lucius said. Hearing all of the stories about Harry throughout the year, lead him to believe that the boy was trying to protect someone.

"How do I know that?" Harry asked. He didn't trust anyone at this table.

"You have my word as a Malfoy and that something I don't give easily," Lucius said.

Harry looked at the other's siting at the table and decided that he really didn't have a choice in the matter.

"When Hagrid picked me up, he got the stone out of Gringotts. I didn't know what it was and I didn't care until we came across Fluffy."

"Whose Fluffy?" Narcissa asked.

"Hagrid's three headed dog," Severus said.

"You ran into a three-headed dog?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes ma'am," Harry said.

"Do you know how dangerous they are?" Narcissa asked.

"Not at the time and I really didn't know what was in that room."

"Professor Dumbledore warned you not to go up there," Severus said.

"We got lost and didn't mean to," Harry said.

"Well make sure you are more careful from now on Harry. We wouldn't want to lose you," Narcissa said in what Harry could only classify as a motherly tone.

"I'll try."

"No you will or your bum will pay a hard price," Severus warned.

"You don't have the right to punish me," Harry said angrily.

"As your father I do."

"Your not my father!" Harry said getting up from the table knocking over his chair in the process.

"Mr. Potter, please sit back down," Severus said.

Harry turned and walked away. Severus debated for only moments before chasing after his son. Five long strides later he grabbed his son's arm turning him to around so he could look into Lily's bright green eyes.

"Harry, running away doesn't solve anything. Now stop your tantrum and come back to the table."

Harry's anger got the better of him seconds later and found himself pulling with all of his might. He had to get away and he really didn't know why.

Severus' response was five hard swats that took Harry's fight away altogether and even more shocking was the tears Harry felt falling down his cheeks. The swats stung, but his uncles' punishments were 100 times worse. Harry didn't know why but he started crying and couldn't stop. The next thing Harry knew he was being pulled into his father's arms making him cry all the harder.

"Harry, it's ok. Just let it go," Severus said holding the boy tighter.

For the first time ever, Harry willingly listened to the Potion's Master. He let everything go. All the times he wanted to be held, but wasn't, all the times that he wanted to eat and wasn't allowed to, every unfair thing his Aunt, Uncle, and cousin ever did to him, every teacher that looked the other way and finally the loss of his parents. When he was finished crying he felt exhausted. To his amazement, Severus picked him up and carried him to his room, tucking him into his plush bed.

"Why don't you take a nap and when you get up, you can kick Draco's bum on the Quidditch Pitch," Severus said with a smile.

"Why are you being so nice?"

"You're my son and no matter how much you don't want to believe it, it's the truth."

Harry shook his head and closed his eyes falling asleep almost instantly.

Severus watched his son for a few minutes before walking into the hall and seeing his brother leaning against the wall.

"You're going to be great at this," Lucius said giving his brother a smile.

"I hope so. I really hope so."