Harry woke the next morning slightly anxious for visiting the Malfoys later that morning. He quickly dressed in a crisp black button up shirt and a pair of straight legged dark jeans. He carefully tucked in the ends of his shirt and grabbed a white military styled belt from his dresser.
The dark haired wizard moved into the bathroom connected to the master bedroom and turned the faucet until he felt warm water under the nozzle. He splashed the water on his face and ran a brush through his hair. He sighed, his hair would never be tameable unless it was long and flowing. Checking his appearance once more in the mirror, Harry was glad he had gotten his sight fixed when he began disguising himself. His brilliant green eyes shone even brighter without the hindrance of glass and steel frames.
Harry walked across the hall to wake up his godson, knowing Luna would be coming through his floo any minute to pick up Teddy. Harry had owled the woman the night before, apologizing for the last minute request of watching Teddy for a couple hours while he visited Narcissa and Lucius. Cutting an apple for Teddy's breakfast, Harry heard the floo roar to life just as Teddy jumped off the last step with a backpack in his arms. He handed the resealable bag of apple slices to Teddy and kissed Luna on the cheek as she stepped into the kitchen area.
"Hello, Harry. It's good to see you again. I do love what you've done to your ear. I had the impression it was only part of your disguise."
Harry ran his fingers across the seven small rings along the side of his ear. "Body marks don't disappear with the spell. I've had a piercing for each time I changed my appearance. Although, I'm not sure I can fit another without having my ear fall apart," he joked.
Luna nodded. "It is lovely, I must say. That snitch you had on the other night was especially beautiful."
"That's the only one I have other than these smaller rings. I don't change them out much often."
"Oh, would you like one of my dirigible plums? They would be lovely with your pale complexion. Plus, father says you will become wiser with these." She took off one of her earrings, holding it out for the wizard to take.
"That'd be wonderful, Luna, but I couldn't let you walk around with only the one on your ears." He pulled his wand from his sleeve and duplicated the radish still be held in the pale woman's thin fingers. He took the earring and placed it on the counter, returning his wand to it's original spot. "There, perfect, since I only need the one," he smiled and ruffled Teddy's bright green hair. "Be good," he said. Teddy nodded and took Luna's hand after they bid their goodbyes. The pair stepped through the fireplace once more, leaving Harry to sip at his lukewarm coffee.
The grandfather clock chimed moments later, indicating it was now 11 o'clock. Harry grabbed a package from the coffee table before grabbing a pinch of floo powder and shouted, "Malfoy Manor."
He watched several fireplaces zoom by him before landing in the parlour of Malfoy Manor. He stepped out unsteadily from the fireplace, nearly falling over before he caught a hold of his balance. Harry spelled away any residue soot from his body and made his way over to the glass paned doors to his left.
He stepped onto the smooth stone path, maneuvering carefully around a low wall of Spiky Bushes. Spotting the two blondes sitting at a round stone table facing away from him, Harry quickly made his presence known by stepping into their view.
"Good Morning, Lucius, Narcissa." Harry bowed his head at each of his elders and took his place at the table. "I've brought you something from the new shipment I received yesterday." He handed the package to the fair haired wizard, receiving a thanks, and poured the dark coloured liquid into his tea cup. He picked up a cube of sugar with the small tongs and released it gently into the liquid, stirring his tea with idle turns of his wrist. He picked up another cube of sugar and set it on his saucer as he turned to the Malfoys.
"I've recently come across news that you've been seeing my son." Lucius said after a bout of comfortable silence.
Harry flushed slightly and nearly choked on his tea at the implications of the words Lucius chose to use. "I'm not, uhm, seeing him, sir. I merely met him again at the Ministry function a few days ago. He came by my shop the other day and gave me treats for my dragon. I didn't even know there were places to buy such things."
Lucius smirked to himself behind his cup, finally understanding his son's reason for asking about those items a couple days ago.
"And are you going to meet with him again?" Narcissa spoke up after sipping at her tea.
"Yes, next weekend. Wants to get to know me better, he said. I wouldn't mind becoming friends of sorts. We certainly didn't get the chance when we were boys."
"Yes, but, to his knowledge, the one Draco is befriending is not Harry Potter; it will be Lily Black." Her eyebrows creased lightly, paraphrasing her husband.
Harry sighed. "I know, but he won't ever know it's me. I feel that it's better that he doesn't. None of the past prejudices, you know?" He picked up the sugar cube on his saucer, placed it between his teeth and sucked lightly at it.
"You realize he will find out. Unless you lie to him, of course. However, I'm sure you must have a feeling about how Draco feels about dishonesty," Lucius said, eying the dark haired wizard before him.
"He won't find out. I'm not going to lie to him, just not mention certain things." Harry huffed, not liking the way everyone kept discouraging his new friendship.
"And if he asks about your childhood? Your personal life? What then?" The elder Malfoy prodded.
"He doesn't know me well enough to draw conclusions if there are similarities between myself and Lily Black." He said, trying to establish that there was a difference between himself and his fictional female persona.
"You'd be surprised." Narcissa spoke with an odd tone to her quiet voice.
"What?" Draco couldn't possibly know much about Harry other than what the rest of the Wizarding world knew.
"I'm just saying, Harry, you never know what to expect, especially from Draco." Narcissa smirked.
Harry knew instantly where Draco had gotten his own smirk from. It bore a resemblance to his father's but it was uncanny compared to his mother's. It scared Harry, just a bit. He sighed quietly and picked up another sugar cube to suck on, receiving a pointed look from Lucius. He mentally stuck his tongue out at the man, knowing if he was caught doing so in reality, it would be temporarily severed and accompanied by a lecture of proper etiquette from Lucius. He was already on the edge with his odd habit of eating the sugar cubes.
"I promise to be careful. There's no reason for me to reveal anything to him that may allude to my true identity," he paused looking at the parents. "Besides, don't you feel guilty not telling your only son is befriending his school rival in disguise?"
"Don't turn this on us, young man. We're not lying to Draco. We're simply not telling him unless he asks. Can you honestly tell me you would imagine him asking us what your true identity is? There would be no reason to. As far as he knows, Lily Black has no connections to us whatsoever." Lucius glared.
"Can't that apply to my case? I simply won't tell him anything revealing unless he asks. And if he does, I will skillfully avoid the question like you two have expertly taught me." Harry grinned.
"Flattery will get you no where, Potter."
Harry sighed and downed the rest of his cooling tea. The trio of wizards sat in comfortable silence for a short while before Harry opened and closed his mouth, searching for the right words to say. "Just have some faith in me, yeah? I don't intend to hurt anyone, least of all your son. I will admit I have had a sort of attraction to him, but I don't plan to pursue it. I don't want to complicate things. It's," he paused, thinking of the appropriate word to describe how he felt about just being friends with Draco while simultaneous lying to him. "comfortable. It's comfortable," he repeated, looking pensively into his empty cup, trying to reassure himself everything would be fine.
He knew admitting to himself that he was lying was not a good thing. He knew from the beginning he was heading into something that could potentially hurt himself, or worse, Draco. He knew, but he had to try.
Lucius' eyes bore into the young man before him. "Perhaps this is a good thing. He will find out and then you will be forced to confront him, if you don't want to lose him, that is. Perhaps, then, Harry Potter will stop hiding from the world. You realize you cannot continue parading around as a woman for the rest of your life. Take a hold of the public; control them instead of cowering under their gazes of admiration and superficial love."
Harry took in the words, rolling them over in him mind. He didn't look up at the two, opting for speaking to his hands in his lap rather than the two he knew cared deeply for him. "Maybe. If there's something worth anchoring me back into the public's eye, then yes. I'll stop hiding."
The clock inside the manor chimed, causing a house elf to pop in next to Harry. "Will Master Harry be staying for lunch?"
Lucius nodded to the elf, dismissing him after telling him to place the package he received from Harry in the Library.
After another half-hour of meaningless chatter about Harry's shop, Narcissa's party planning, and Lucius's potion brewing, the same house elf popped back next to the dark haired wizard. "Will Masters and Mistress be taking lunch here?"
Narcissa brushed her long blond hair behind her shoulder and gave an affirmative response. "It's nice out today," she reasoned.
Harry agreed when something occurred to the man. "Why do your house elves refer to me as Master? If I'm not mistaken, shouldn't I be called Mister? I don't live here, let alone am a master of your house." He was truly perplexed.
Lucius made a non-committal sound, levitating the dish of sugar cubes out of Harry's reach when he saw the other man was reaching for yet another sugar cube.
Narcissa altogether vanished the sugar dish and spoke solemnly. "It must have been because you looked after us for that first year or so and you continued to visit on a regular basis. Perhaps they thought you were Draco's fiance," she smiled as a fierce blush consumed Harry's face, ears and neck. "They do know who you are and it wouldn't be uncommon. Most pure-bloods mainly marry for power. Seeing as you are one of the most powerful wizards and our family is one of the strongest names, it makes sense to them. The Wizarding world does not frown upon homosexual couples as the Muggle world does at times."
Lucius nodded, placing a hand over his wife's. "One of the elves had a slip of tongue after you had departed one day. We did not correct them since it did no harm. That was, three almost four years ago, I believe."
Harry nodded, accepting the explanation. He watched idly as the tea settings were cleared away a moment later, replaced by steaming plates of food. They tucked in, occasionally commenting about something or other. When all the dishes were cleared once more, Harry stood and walked with the couple back into the main house.
"I really wish you would let me cook for you again, like I did so many years ago," he said stretching the stiff muscles in his back from sitting too long. "I miss cooking for someone else other than myself and Teddy."
Lucius laughed, "Yes, well, perhaps we will take you up on that offer in the future."
Harry smiled in turn, moving towards the fireplace. He stood at the hearth and blew a puff of air at his fringe. "I felt like this was more of an interrogation than simply having tea and lunch. Like being questioned by the parents of a girl I plan to court. I must say it's a bit unnerving."
Narcissa patted Harry on the shoulder affectionately. "Oh, Harry, you should know, Malfoys are never one to submit. Draco is definitely not going to be the girl in your relationship."
"That wasn't the point," Harry frowned, noticing the way Narcissa stated the last of her sentence. "You say that as if it's a fact."
"It is." Lucius stated, daring the much younger man to challenge him.
"I meant the part about us being in a relationship." Harry fidgeted under the intense combined gazes of Lucius and Narcissa, picking up floo powder.
"Oh, that is, too." At least it will be if I have my way. Narcissa smiled, as Harry's baffled and embarrassed features disappeared in a flurry of green flames.
This chapter is just a bit longer, but it's mostly dialogue. Happy reading~