Chapter 10

Oliver dropped off a file two days later. He walked in on breakfast and rocked back a little. "Hi Uncle Oliver!" Lexie chirped and waved. Niki let out a soft 'hi' and Damian nodded from his mouth of oatmeal. Oliver eyed Draco and Draco eyed him back. "Hello" Draco said softy. Oliver smiled and thought that his inner thoughts of shock and almost disbelief were better kept internal. "Hello there. I'm Oliver." He stuck out his hand and the blonde took it after a heartbeat. "Draco" Harry smiled at how he was getting better at introductions.

Oliver turned his attention to Harry. "Got the info you wanted. Hel-Heck of a time of getting it though" he caught himself at the last second. No need for Niki who was relearning words to learn that one. "Got most of it, hopefully enough to help you. Already for you to look over. Call us if you need anything else. No charge for family."

He winked at the kids. "Gotta run. See you kids on Saturday."

Just as quickly as he arrived, he disappeared. Harry was thought that how thin the folder was wasn't a good sign but he resolved to try. "I might be going on a trip soon." He announced. Niki's little voice (which Harry thought was one of the most amazing sounds in the world) piped up. "Where?"

Harry smiled at her, silently rewarding her. "I can't tell you where but it's a ah… field trip." Immediately, three sets of eyes landed on a confused Draco who felt this was one of those things he's supposed to know that has something to do with him.

Lexie opened her mouth to supply the definition but Harry's look quickly shushed her. "I also need to go on another trip by myself this weekend and the field trip will be next weekend."

The conversation was quickly averted after that and Draco spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what a 'field trip' was and what it had to go with him. No one would tell him (though it seemed Lexie really, really wanted too but Harry walked in before he could bribe her with a chocolate chip muffin.) and he was starting to worry that it was a bad thing when Harry told him over their chess game.

"I can see you're dying to know." Harry said absent mindedly as his knight pummeled Draco's pawn. "You're so distracted I'm actually winning."

Draco snorted and brushed his pawn off the board. "What is it?"

Harry sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "A field trip is when I take you and bring you to a place from your past. It's kind of like facing your demons. Like how we went to Hogwarts." Draco had started sending letters to Snape again, but Harry could see than the nightmare had shaken him. Harry wanted to really step up his healing since he's gotten to know Draco better. He also wanted to be prepared for when another nightmare came around. And they always did. This was when the healing process got into a vicious cycle. With every trip into the past came a new nightmare but stronger defenses and healing. Only with every step forward, there came a new trip to the past. Harry thought Draco was ready for this step though. Hopefully it would end as well as it did at Hogwarts.

Draco had stilled. "Where?" his voice was soft and quiet. Draco wasn't scared exactly. Worried or nervous. Who would he see where they were going, how much he was going to see, so many things to worry about, and so many chances that something will go wrong. Draco was terrified about things going wrong. He had to have everything planned.

His life had turned disastrously wrong because of one miscalculation. He wasn't going to have another mistake take him down again.

Harry tugged on his hair. "I'm not exactly sure where but when I know I'll tell you."

Draco cornered Harry's rook. "Was not an answer."

Harry smiled and then his smile turned rather evil as he moved his queen. "Check. Well, well, well, looks like I beat you for once." The evil look turned concerned. "Are you really that worried about it?"

Draco was worried but he had been mollified somewhat by Harry's demeanor. If Harry was calm than he had no reason to be worried. He smugly used his knight to take down Harry's king. "Check-mate. I am worried," Harry saw a reflection of the old Draco peek out with a smirk and a leer, barley deterred by the broken speech. "But not eno-ugh to lose chess"

Scarhead

He ended Draco's session early so he could look over the file before dinner. And damn if it wasn't vague.

. Lucius, after he'd been released from jail, (most likely bribery in the corrupt Ministry) had traveled with his wife to France for the Holidays at their son's insistence almost eight years ago. And they hadn't left.

They stayed in an unplotted cottage. The boys had traced the bank account and there had been no notable purchases. The house elves (no one knows how he did it but Draco had gotten them all to leave during the Burning) had either been freed (doubtful) or given to other branches of the family. All letters sent were returned unopened and the owls confused. Percy had found the name of their attorney and found that they sold almost every plot of land they owned and the money was given to the same charities Draco had given his account too. (Harry hadn't wanted to tell Snape that while he didn't know if Draco had wanted to kill himself, draining his bank account sure swayed the odds.) With the no purchases and the selling of land (and flirting with the attorney) had gotten Oliver to narrow the odds to three pieces of land in France.

Harry snorted at Oliver's witty comments around Percy's bland handwriting. Percy said that one was close to a muggle village and the other in a Wizarding one. The last, however, lived in a secluded coastline just touching a town that was upper-class Wizarding society fixed with muggle tourists, not caring if the local folk were odd but just welcoming the beautiful vacation.

Percy had underlined it twice but someone (most likely Oliver) circled it with red, and drew arrows around it pointing out that this was the most likely place they would be.

Harry sat back from his desk and rubbed his neck. Now all he had do was convince Snape to lend him his owl. It appeared that only Snape's owl could enter the surrounding wards. .

If his polite request for a meeting didn't work, he was going to follow Snape's owl all the way to France by broom and knock on their front door.

And on Saturday, that was precisely what he was doing. He'd instead sent a request for a meeting with them and his only reply was apperating coordinates. The kids were with family, and Draco had been dropped off quite happily at Hogwarts and Harry left them deeply engrossed in a chess game. He found himself standing on the Malfoy's front door step. Turns out Percy and Oliver were right about the cottage. Cottage though wasn't the right word. It was a beautiful, spacious beach house that had the inner teenager in him screaming "beach party" but yet the feel of the house felt off. It felt like a museum. Big and beautiful, to look but not to touch. It was cold but mostly just sad. Big and beautiful and sad.

He rapped on the door and it swung open to reveal a cautious house-elf. "Chansy will take Mr. Harry Potter sir to her Master. Follow Chansy please sir."

Harry hesitantly crossed the threshold into a tastefully decorated but almost bare house and realized that; forget Voldemort, parenthood and Snape. Walking into the home of possibly two crazy purebloods who hate him, who are ex-death eaters, and talking to them about their only son who was not-really dead was probably not the best idea he's ever had.

He was shone to a living room with a view of the sea. Two white couches sat facing each other with a small table in-between them. The two figures looked up at him entrance. Chansy bowed low, gave Harry one last suspicious look and left.

Narcissa Malfoy was seated on the couch facing Harry, away from the sea like she couldn't bear to see the world outside. Her dress was simple, yet elegant and her hair flowed around her thin face and hallow eyes premature grey blending in with the blonde seamlessly. She wore no jewelry and her hands were clasped tightly in front of her.

"Mr. Potter" her husband said politely. "Is there a reason for your visit?" A pointless question but it was asked purely out of politeness. Lucius Malfoy seemed to only hold his head up out of habit. His face was withdrawn and his eyes sunken. He stood to the side of the couch, leaning on its side, his cane holding him up straight. Harry noticed that was the same way Draco stood and wondered if Draco's was going to have the same bad knee because of it.

His robes too, were simple yet obviously made to the highest degree. Harry looked at them and thought they too reflected the house. Lost and defeated. Lost and defeated and sad. Harry wondered how they had kept going too. That strength to keep going after all that was around you had been lost. Unlike Snape, they had each other. But like Snape, they probably thought that Draco's death was all their fault.

Harry stood directly in front of them. He knew they had questions. What was Harry Potter doing here? Why now? What did the director of a mental orphanage want with them? What did the Savior of the Wizarding World want with them?

How could you possibly tell parents that they needn't had grieved for seven years? You can't. There are no words. Harry took the picture he had out of his pocket. "I found something that's yours. It came to be in my possession a few months ago. I thought you'd want to know."

He handed Mrs. Malfoy the photo. It was Draco, after he'd feel asleep reading on the couch a few days ago. The book had fallen to the floor and Draco was stretched out, one leg scrunched awkwardly and one hand tracing the floor beside the book, the other resting on his chest. His head was to the side, blonde hair a halo, pointed ears showing, and a peaceful, content smile on his face. His rhythmic breathing was what Harry really wanted. The rise and fall that showed that he was alive.

Mrs. Malfoy stared at the picture in her hands and cried. She cried and cried and cried and Harry saw that even then it was elegant. Graceful quiet tears than ran artfully down her face in broken breathes. Draco stood like his father and cried like his mother. What did Harry have?

Lucius turned his head from the photo and starred out to the sea, contemplating. There was a single tear. He gazed out to the calm ocean, like the vast uncontrollable sea was calmer than reality. Narcissa spoke up softly. "If this is some kind of farce or trick…"

"It is not." Harry said as softly as he could. "He is alive. He was found a few months ago and has been recovering ever since."

"When can we see him?" Harry jumped at the strong tone. Mrs. Malfoy had dried her eyes and she clutched the photo to her heart. "I have to know."

I have to know it's real. I have to know I'm not dreaming.

Harry opened his mouth then closed it and thought. He stared out at the sea too. Lucius hadn't turned away. "He is not well enough or stable enough to see you yet. I am just coming to understand his past and his reasons. This will take time. I'm will send you photos if you'd like until I think he is ready."

Narcissa drew in a breath and gently rubbed her thumb over the sleeping figure. "We would like that very much."

Lucius still hadn't spoken when Harry left.