Updated 5/25/2008 - Cookies to HeavenGoddess and ahreada for correcting my manners! (grin) Cookies to luel for catching a misnamed character.
perqs – short for perquisites (benefits)
A/N: For those of you who asked about Lucius – there is some explanation about him here.
Cookies for iluvchocs, GreenEyedCatDragon, Cari Marie, and Honighase for inspiration on additions in this chapter
Chapter 28 – Harry's Summer II
--August 16--
"So that's what happened," Harry said with a slightly hysterical laugh. "I thought I'd been so careful and come to find out I messed it all up months ago! All that planning! All those meetings! Those dates! For nothing! The second I touched that bracelet it was all over!"
"Harry!" Hermione called sharply. "Stop that this instant! There is no way you could've known what would happen."
"I should've known," Harry protested. "I…"
"How?" Hermione demanded.
"I just…" Harry started.
"Just what?" Hermione challenged. "The only evidence available about baby charms says that children become less dependent, not more. There was no reason to suspect that you would be any different."
"I'm always different," Harry said bitterly.
"Yes, Harry," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "You have some odd luck, that's true. But this was such an unusual situation that nobody thought anything of it. Nobody thought that the effects would be any different on someone older. It's nobody's fault, Harry. And certainly not yours."
"Do you think Malfoy knew?" Neville asked thoughtfully then immediately regretted his question when Harry became wild-eyed.
"Oh, I hope not," Harry groaned. "I don't want to be tied to someone who would trick me. Though, it's not like I have a choice now."
Hermione sighed and said. "Maybe not, Harry. I doubt Malfoy knew, though, so don't worry. How would he know? You've had another date with him, right? Did you ask?"
"I…no," Harry said hesitantly. "I…rescheduled his date to next week. Grandfather thought it might be a good idea if you guys came with me. Will you?"
Both Hermione and Neville blinked in surprise. Neville finally ventured, "You want us to go with you on your date?"
Harry nodded. "It's a meeting with the family. At the Malfoy estates. You'll come with me, won't you? I asked Lavender, too, but she's off floating in the Caribbean. We already asked if we could bring you and they said yes. You'll come, won't you? Please?"
Hermione and Neville exchanged worried glances. "Of course we'll come," Hermione said soothingly.
"Oh, good. Good," Harry said in relief. "I just… Now that I know it's him…I don't think I'll be able to stay away from him. I'm going to need someone to hold me back, I think. Grandfather thinks so, too. It was his idea. And what am I going to do at school. Maybe…"
"Harry, slow down," Neville said and clasped one of Harry's hands in an effort to settle his friend. "We'll come and keep anything from happening. We both know that you have to wait. We'll take care of you. At school, too."
"All right. All right," Harry said and took several deep breaths. It took him several minutes before he was able to calm his frantic thoughts. "So, your turn, Hermione. Tell us about the fight with your parents and what you've been doing with the Unspeakables," he said once he was calmer, even if only by a little bit.
Hermione snorted her frustration. "They wanted to go to Spain for vacation. I told them I would love to but couldn't because I had just acquired a wizarding job. They were not pleased. We had a big fight about how the wizarding world is taking over my life. I told them it was my destiny and, in retrospect, that wasn't such a good idea."
Harry laughed slightly. "Destiny is a bad word," he said. "You should never say bad words around your parents."
Both Neville and Hermione grinned at Harry's semi-joke. They both knew he was mostly serious given how destiny was affecting his own life.
"So, there we were, three stubborn people, arguing about my life," Hermione said with a sigh. "Needless to say, things were said, threats were made, we all left in tears, and I left that night for a stay in The Leaky Cauldron. The next day I took up my destiny." The last word was said in a mockingly mystical tone.
Everyone snickered.
"I was only at the Cauldron for one night, though." Hermione said eagerly. "One of my perqs is this house…"
"You got a house?" Neville asked in surprise.
"It's gorgeous," Hermione gushed.
Neville and Harry raised eyebrows at each other then stared in disbelief at their friend. Hermione never gushed.
"Does it have a nice garden?" Neville asked.
Hermione grinned and launched into a very detailed description of her new residence. There would be time enough tomorrow to address Harry's obviously agitated mental state and work on calming him back down to a reasonable level.
--August 21--
Robert looked over his grandson carefully. The young man was pacing off some restless energy but didn't appear to be too highly agitated. Hermione Granger's lectures over the last five days had finally sunk in to his grandson's stubborn skull. She had succeeded in doing in five days what he hadn't managed to accomplish in over two weeks. He figured it must be because of their long friendship; Harry had gotten used to the idea that his friend was almost always right.
He sent his gaze over to the young woman in question. Hermione Granger had arrived in jeans, t-shirt, sandals, and hair in worse shape than his grandson's. Now she wore a royal blue dinner dress with matching flats, sapphire jewelry, very light makeup, and had tamed her hair into a French twist with a few escaping curled tendrils. She was quite lovely. The dichotomy was amazing. And he was still wrapping his head around the fact that the young woman was head of the Unspeakables.
The last teen in the room was sitting on a chair and calmly repairing a button that had popped off his robes. Robert found Neville Longbottom to be an impressive young man, in a quiet, understated way. Neville supported Harry completely and didn't try to hide that fact, but neither did he trumpet it. He accepted advice easily but didn't follow it blindly; instead, he took that advice into consideration with his own views before making a decision and sticking to it. And he acted upon his faith and beliefs; Robert was still in awe over the sheer amount of faith it must have taken to sign a betrothal contract without even glancing at the wording.
Robert's watch pulsed and he stepped away from the section of wall he had claimed as his own wait-spot and said, "Time to go." He watched in amusement as Harry tried to help Hermione into her cloak while the young woman was shrinking and putting away her book into her handbag. Neville just rolled his eyes and donned his own light cloak and stepped over to Robert to wait out the others' antics.
"You all remember what to do?" Robert asked once all three teens were clustered about him. The teens nodded and Hermione and Neville both took one of Harry's arms in their own and used their free hands to touch the portkey Robert held out. The two guards reached a hand each into the loose circle to also grasp the portkey. Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly then also touched the portkey. "Malfoy Estates," Robert intoned and the six of them were whisked off to their destination.
The trip ended with yelp, a grunt, and a high-pitched indignant cry as Harry landed flat on his back and his friends fell on top of him.
"Maybe you holding on to me before we set off the portkey wasn't such a good idea," Harry gasped out from the bottom of the stack.
Hermione scrambled to her feet immediately, her face bright red in embarrassment. "Really, Harry," she said as she tried to unobtrusively fix her clothing and make sure her hair was still in place.
Neville was just as red-faced as he gained his feet and held out a hand to help Harry. "Sorry," he mumbled, completely mortified. "Not a very dignified entrance."
Harry snorted as he allowed himself to be hauled to his feet. He glanced quickly at those Malfoys that were there to receive them. Gaius, Draco, and Pansy had on polite masks of concern, but he thought he saw a twitch on the mouth of Chloe Malfoy. He grinned at the woman before saying. "It's all right, Neville. Welcome to my life of undignified portkey landings. I suck at them."
"Language, Harry," Hermione said primly as she resumed her previous position on Harry's left. Neville took the hint and stood to Harry's right and put a hand on Harry's right shoulder.
Robert watched as introductions were made. Yesterday the four of them had pulled out the Malfoy family charm necklace Harry had received at Christmas and had worked with Harry on touching and releasing each of the charms. It had been their hope that doing so would help prevent Harry from being "clingy" today when he shook or kissed various hands. It looked like their preparations had been successful as the introductions went without incident.
Draco Malfoy stepped forward towards Harry and offered his hand then dropped it and stepped back a pace in confusion as Hermione stepped forward to block him. Robert noted in approval that the young man took the unspoken warning to heart even if he didn't understand.
"Would you like to tour the manor and grounds and meet the family?" Draco asked politely. "We've separated out family units into different areas so as not to overwhelm you with so many people at once."
Harry smiled and said, "Thank you. I appreciate the thought. I'd like to ask a question first, please."
"Of course," Draco said immediately.
"Why did you send me the baby bracelet in October?" Harry asked boldly.
Robert noted the tenseness in Harry's, Neville's, and Hermione's shoulders as the single most important question of the evening was put forward. He also noted that Draco Malfoy seemed nothing but confused and worried. Good. None of them had really thought that the baby bracelet had been sent with nefarious intentions, but there was lingering doubt nevertheless. Draco's response should settle Harry's nerves just that much more.
"So that you might feel my magic," Draco answered easily. "I knew you were having the meetings last year in part so that you could feel everyone's magic. I was…concerned you would reject me out of hand if I attended one of your meetings. And I felt it was too early to ask if I could use a glamour. The bracelet was my solution."
"No other reasons?" Harry asked intently.
Draco seemed uncertain under the intense regard of all three of his schoolmates and glanced at his great-grandparents before answering. "I was still under the control of my father and I was worried I wouldn't be able to convincingly hide an absence at school if I was required to attend a meeting not on a Hogsmeade weekend. I've always wondered if you picked the first Hogsmeade weekend for the first round so as to accommodate any suitors from Hogwarts."
"No, I didn't," Harry said. "It was purely for the purpose of showing that I actually was trying to minimize my absences from school. Are there no other reasons?" Harry pressed, returning relentlessly to the previous topic.
Draco shifted nervously and haltingly admitted, "I had hoped you would see the gift as a representation of my willingness to support you, to always be there for you if you needed me."
"No other reasons?" Harry asked again.
Draco shook his head helplessly, obviously not understanding the thrust of the question.
Harry glanced at his friends, who nodded at him, then at Robert, who also nodded. Harry turned back to Draco and smiled. "Please do not touch me today. I'm…a little unbalanced. I would love to have a tour and meet your family."
Robert stayed in place as the teens, including Pansy, and the guards left the receiving room.
"May I help you?" Gaius Malfoy asked curiously.
"Yes. Do you have a place where we can speak freely?" Robert asked politely.
"Of course," Gaius replied then turned to his wife and asked, "Dearest? Could you see to it that tea is brought to my study?"
Chloe Malfoy nodded once then said, "Of course. I will see you at dinner." She curtsied to Robert then left the room.
There was no conversation as Robert followed Gaius through the manor and to a well-apportioned masculine study. He admired the carved paneling as Gaius brought up the security wards.
"Please make yourself comfortable. Would you care for some tea?" Gaius asked politely.
Robert turned to fully face his host. He wondered how much shock the man would reveal when presented with the identity of the chaperone. Well, time to see. Maybe Harry had the right idea about these harmless little amusements. Robert lifted his hands and pushed back his hood.
Gaius' eyes went wide and his breathing quickened just a little bit.
"Thank you," Robert said with a smirk. "I would love some tea. Please join me. No need for extraneous niceties." He removed his cloak and laid it over the arm of the loveseat then sat in one of the leather upholstered chairs.
Gaius silently took the opposite seat. He used the next several minutes of standard etiquette practices to completely gather his wits. When he felt sufficiently calm, he asked, "What can I do for you?"
Robert smiled and said. "We have much to discuss, Gaius. One of those things is the significance of the question my grandson asked."
Gaius eyes went wide yet again. "Oh. Oh, my."
"You are curious?" Robert asked. He considered the possibility that he was taking too much pleasure in unbalancing the man.
"Yes, of course," Gaius murmured, stunned again by this latest revelation.
"When Draco sent that bracelet he set into motion a series of events that led him to become the only viable mate for my grandson," Robert said. "The question was to ascertain whether this was done deliberately or, as we presumed, without knowledge of the true consequences."
Gaius blinked in surprise. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he said. "I do know that there were no intentions of trickery when the bracelet was sent. The same is true of the charms that were sent for Christmas."
"I believe you," Robert said. "And, more importantly, given Draco's response, Harry and his friends also believe this to be the case. Draco's response has eased all our minds. Nevertheless, the consequences are as they are and Draco will be my grandson's mate."
Gaius nodded. He was torn between jubilation that Draco had won his suit and the horror of the implication that it hadn't been a fair determination. "Are you willing to explain?"
"Yes," Robert nodded and took a sip of tea. "As I'm sure you are aware, a young child invariably grows out of any dependence they may have had on a baby bracelet. Undoubtedly, this is because the child becomes more confident in themselves."
"They do become more interested in asserting their independence," Gaius agreed.
"Indeed," Robert said. "Looking back, it is easy to see that Harry was a different case entirely, however."
Gaius leaned back and thought about what, other than age, might be so drastically different about this scenario to have caused problems. He drew in an alarmed breath in realization and tensed in his chair. "He became dependent?"
"He did," Robert acknowledged.
"As he entered Désespoir, his dependence started to increase instead of decrease," Gaius continued then stopped when the other man shook his head.
"We believe that Harry was dependent upon the charm by Christmas," Robert said.
"The magical sensitivity," Gaius said in understanding.
"Exactly," Robert agreed. "It was quite a source of consternation for Harry to realize that all those hundreds of dates he went on were, basically, a wasted effort."
"Not a wasted effort," Gaius said, shaking his head. "There would have been quite the outcry if he hadn't proceeded as he did."
Robert chuckled. "Yes, well, it took the better part of three weeks to convince him of that."
Gaius smiled slightly. "I presume that his dependence upon the charm was only recently discovered?"
"Yes," Robert acknowledged. "There was an accident the last week of July and Harry lost contact with the bracelet for nearly an hour. By the time the bracelet was retrieved he was completely frantic. And that was just due to the loss of the charm. He nearly had a total nervous breakdown when he realized the implications; that, despite all the care that we had taken to be fair to everyone, the courtships were over the moment he put on the bracelet."
"I thought you said he was dependent by Christmas, not immediately?" Gaius asked with a frown.
"Harry was not thinking clearly after the accident and believed differently," Robert said dryly. "It was another three-week effort to convince him otherwise."
"I see," Gaius said. He sighed. "I am pleased that Draco has won Mr. Potter's hand but I wish it had been a true victory."
Robert laughed in amusement. "Do not fret so. I was already writing the alliance contract for our families in March."
Gaius looked quite surprised. "Indeed?"
"Oh, yes," Robert said with a chuckle then leaned forward conspiratorially. "It was always Draco this and Draco that. So-and-so's gift wasn't as nice, as well thought out, as appropriate, as Draco's. And after January's date, it was so-and-so wasn't as interesting a conversationalist as Draco or didn't set up as unique of a date as Draco. Draco, Draco, Draco."
"He was aware of Draco's identity?" Gaius asked curiously.
Robert laughed again. "He's always known. I think he plans on revealing that during dinner for everyone's amusement," he said then returned to the previous topic. "And then there was Harry's date with Martin Goyle."
"Oh?" Gaius asked. He'd heard from Martin that the date had gone well and that Mr. Potter had seemed accepting of the information he had received about the Malfoy family. Martin had withdrawn in late June after receiving a mysterious letter. Martin had told the Dark Lord that he had been eliminated, but had informed Gaius that the requirements delineated in the letter contradicted his sworn duties. He understood that reason now that he knew just what Mr. Potter's status was within Veela society.
Robert raised his eyebrows pointedly at Gaius' attempt at innocence in regards to his admittedly benevolent interference.
Gaius smiled slightly and said, "I think I'd like to pretend that I had nothing to do with that date."
"Of course," Robert said with a smirk. "We'll all just ignore the vassal oaths, then, that would have held the man to secrecy without express permission."
"Of course," Gaius said, still smiling slightly.
Robert chuckled. "After that it became Draco this and Draco that and do you know what his family is doing? I assure you that I was already certain of Draco's win, barring any nasty surprises, of course. His friends agree with me as well, should you feel inclined to ask them. None of us informed Harry, however, and let him keep his illusion of fair play. And he was fair. He just didn't realize he had already subconsciously made a choice."
"I am glad to hear that. Thank you," Gaius said in relief. "May I tell the rest of the family about the situation with the bracelet?"
"I would prefer you tell only your wife and those whom you deem need to know the information," Robert answered. "Harry will inform Draco himself at some point after their mating. This information could be damaging should it accidentally reach the wrong ears."
Gaius nodded his understanding and obedience. "So be it. Did you bring the alliance contract with you? Has a date been chosen for the mating?"
Robert pulled a scroll from his robes and held it out but did not release it when Gaius grasped the other end. He looked the other man in the eye and said, "The mating will not happen until Christmas and I will tell you why." He released the scroll and waited for Gaius to compose himself from yet another shock.
"Why wait so long?" Gaius asked eventually after setting the scroll aside. "Why risk entry into stage four?"
And so Robert told Gaius about Harry's link with Voldemort and what they thought would be necessary to eliminate it. Understandably, Gaius did not appear pleased.
"This is a desperate gamble you are taking," Gaius said somberly.
Robert smiled grimly. "Desperate situations call for desperate measures."
Gaius poured himself and his guest more tea and thought about all he had been told. "Will Draco be told why he is going to be tormented for the next four months?"
"We leave that to your discretion," Robert said. "If he is told it might lessen his reactions and reduce the power behind the completion of the bond in December. Therefore, perhaps it is better if he remains ignorant. On the other hand, he is an intelligent young man and may figure it out anyway, thereby eliminating any benefit in not telling him."
Gaius sighed and nodded. "That is true. He has told me about your grandson's link to the Dark Lord Voldemort and so I know he is quite aware of it. I believe that, even if he was not told, he would figure out the puzzle before the start of school. Then he'd just be annoyed. It will be best to simply tell him. I will take care of that tonight after your departure."
"Thank you," Robert said as he picked up his tea. "I apologize for my abruptness, but I find myself quite curious about something and would like to ask you a question. We do have limited time until dinner is served and much to discuss."
"Please ask," Gaius said then added dryly, "A few more shocks to my system today shouldn't do me any harm."
Robert chuckled appreciatively then said, "I wonder about your grandson Lucius. With your family's activities, I find his…public opinions to be odd. Is there some reason he split with the family? Will it affect his son and therefore Harry?"
Gaius sighed sadly. "Lucius…," he started then sighed again. "Lucius is proof that I am as capable as anyone at making big mistakes. Abraxas, my son, died when Lucius was six years old. Officially, Abraxas died from dragon pox. However, that is only the partial truth. Abraxas contracted dragon pox while on a business trip to China, as he had several times before, and realized that fact soon upon his return. He immediately went to St. Mungo's for treatment, a treatment that entailed a curative potion and a night in the hospital for observation."
"He had a bad reaction to the potion?" Robert asked curiously.
"No, not exactly," Gaius said and poured more tea. "He had a bad reaction, yes, but it was to the wrong potion. Dragon pox comes in as many varieties as dragons and giving the wrong curative can be fatal."
"All right," Robert said. He wondered what this had to do with Lucius' current opinions but held his tongue.
"The assistant that chose the potion and administered it did not take proper care," Gaius said distantly as he swirled his tea. "It was a stupid mistake. A preventable mistake. A mistake made due to laziness and carelessness. A mistake made by a muggle-born."
"Ah," Robert said, beginning to understand. "And he blames all muggle-borns for his father's death."
Gaius nodded. "Catherine, Abraxas' widow, took Lucius to live with her family. This, in and of itself, was not a bad thing. However, Catherine became bitter over the loss of her husband and blamed not just the lazy assistant but all muggle-borns. Her hate eventually expanded to include all muggles as well. She taught her hate to her son. As Lucius was always polite when visiting, I did not become aware of the damage until much too late."
"Does he work against the family, then? Against their goals?" Robert asked with a frown. "Should Harry get involved in your activities, should I be worried for him?"
"Lucius does not know our goals," Gaius said firmly. "The family's activities, sensitive as they are, are not revealed to any member who has not yet graduated from school. This is especially true if they are attending Hogwarts."
"Draco doesn't know?" Robert questioned in surprise. "But the ideas he spoke of to Harry…"
Gaius smiled proudly. "Draco is a good boy. Lucius and Narcissa never did spend much time with him and he often came here. Draco, unlike Lucius, picked up on many of the family beliefs. He will be told the truth after he graduates."
"Then why does Lucius not know?" Robert asked curiously. "Martin Goyle knows and, I presume, so does Clement Crabbe."
"Martin and Clement know because they took their oaths when they were fourteen, long before they swore allegiance to Voldemort. Lucius does not know because he swore himself to that monster before he even graduated school," Gaius said sadly. "Because he did, he was unable to swear his oaths to the family and the family secrets were not revealed to him. He was very angry at that."
"I imagine," Robert murmured. "Then Draco's beliefs are all the more to his credit."
Gaius inclined his head but didn't comment.
"That alleviates some of my fears," Robert said. "May I presume that Lucius doesn't visit often?"
"Once it was discovered that his first allegiance was sworn elsewhere, Lucius was banned from all Malfoy estates but his own home," Gaius said grimly. "You need not fear for your grandson's safety should he choose to live or visit here."
"And Narcissa?" Robert asked.
"Has not been keyed in to the family wards," Gaius said. "I never did approve of her."
Robert relaxed slightly. "I am glad to hear that, though I am also sorry at the essential loss of your grandson."
Gaius gave a small bitter smile. "I thank you."
"Will they cause problems for Draco and Harry once the mating is made public?" Robert asked.
"They may try, but between us I am sure we can provide safety for the boys and any family they have," Gaius said indifferently.
Robert nodded and sipped his tea.
"Do you have any other fears for your grandson's happiness?" Gaius asked politely.
"Not at the moment," Robert said with a smile. "I do have a question related to your family's activities."
"Please ask," Gaius said. "I will answer whatever you wish.
"Do you have many vassals in Britain?" Robert asked boldly. This was actually Harry's question – he had been worried about the future safety of the myriad of nameless vassals that came with his new family.
"About a quarter of our vassals are in Britain," Gaius answered easily. It wasn't an unexpected question, after all.
"As a mark of our forthcoming alliance – and as a secret in return for the secret of your family's clandestine activities – let me tell you about a prophecy and the danger it presents to you and your vassals…"
The two men spent the remainder of the time until dinner in deep discussion about the future of Britain and how they might prevent the destruction from spilling too far into other countries.
--Dinner--
Pansy studied her dinner companions as she solidified some ideas in her head. She'd come to a variety of conclusions, and not all of them from just what she had observed today.
For instance, the meeting had been rescheduled from August 6 from 10a.m. to 2p.m. to August 21 from 2p.m. to "no later than 10p.m." Just the rescheduling from a four-hour window to an eight-hour window had twigged her suspicions. At the very least, Draco must be in the very final running. And then there was the request for the invitation to be extended to include Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. To her, that seemed that Harry Potter was looking for the approval of his friends for the final contestants.
She wasn't sure about that last conclusion, though, once the party had arrived. She'd heard from Draco that Potter had a hard time with portkey landings, but she hadn't expected the boy to go sprawling and take his friends with him. It had been a very amusing sight and she'd had to exert a great amount of control not to laugh at the people-pile on the floor of the Malfoy's reception room. But once the three had righted themselves, Potter's two friends had taken up positions of protection to either side of him. That had twigged her suspicions, too.
She'd watched Potter very carefully then. The boy hadn't had any problems when greeting herself, Chloe or Gaius, but then Granger had stepped forward to block Draco when Draco had offered his hand. Granger hadn't seemed hostile in any way, though it was quite obvious in her expression that Draco would be getting to Potter only over her dead body.
To refuse Draco contact was…odd. Potter was still wearing Draco's bracelet so the problem obviously wasn't fear of incompatibility. The only other viable reason she could come up with was that Potter was truly getting desperate for a mate and feared that touching an acceptable suitor might make him throw rationality to the wind and try to mate that instant. This conclusion was supported when Potter had had to be pulled away by his friends from a good dozen different family members. If Potter found some of the non-suitor Malfoys so desirable then how would he react to Draco? It was no wonder they weren't allowing Draco any contact.
One thing she'd concluded from that behavior was that Potter was not just a little unbalanced – he was a lot unbalanced. He seemed calm and rational on the surface but she'd noted on several occasions that Potter's hands were shaking. Plus, his friends were extremely attentive, much more so than could be accounted for if they were there simply to offer their opinion or approval. Third stage Désespoir must really be affecting Potter badly. She'd read about third stage, of course, but none of the Malfoy half- or full-Veela had ever progressed so far into Désespoir and so she'd no real-life experience to draw upon for comparison.
Despite his not-so-obvious state of unsettledness, Potter had comported himself very well through all three hours of the family introductions and meetings – she'd been impressed. Potter was also very good with the children. Little three-year-old Zyllah had asked to touch Potter's scar and while the Malfoy adults had all tensed in expectation of Potter becoming offended, Potter had simply kneeled down and let the little girl touch him. When Zyllah had declared the scar ugly and told Potter that he should get rid of it the Malfoys had blanched, but all Potter had done was nod solemnly and say he'd see what he could do.
She'd watched the responses of Neville and Granger during that little interchange and had seen them grimace and twitch respectively. She'd wondered, then, if there was already something Potter was planning in an attempt to get rid of his scar. Then she'd wondered just what it was, as neither of his friends seemed best pleased over the idea.
She'd also not missed the fact that the chaperone had not accompanied them. Draco hadn't missed that fact either and had gotten a hopeful look on his face. She'd glared him back into sensibility, but she, too, found the chaperone's absence to be a promising sign. After all, why else would the chaperone need to speak to the head of the Malfoy family except to discuss an alliance?
Now they were finally sitting down to dinner and Pansy was watching their guests suspiciously. She knew Neville had been raised with etiquette lessons and so wasn't surprised that her fiancé was acquitting himself well at the formal dinner. She had thought that neither Granger nor Potter had, however, which made it quite surprising that they were also doing well.
Granger was making occasional small mistakes, which Pansy took as an indication that her knowledge was new; proper formal dinner etiquette was not yet a habit for her. Still, Granger was doing acceptably well enough to not cause any offense. Potter, however… Potter was doing very well. Surprisingly well, really. Just where had Potter been taught proper table manners? Who had taught him and why? And just where had Potter had a chance to sufficiently practice so that those manners were now habit?
Some of the questions she still had about Potter were quite frustrating.
Of course, she still wasn't sure she liked him. She knew, though, that that was mostly because she was nervous about how Potter would view her relationship to Draco should the two mate. Would he accept her? Or would he try to push her out? Just because she was going to be married didn't mean that she didn't want Draco in her life. Perhaps she ought to take the Gryffindor approach…
"Potter?" Pansy said at a break in conversation.
"Yes?" Harry asked politely, turning his attention from Chloe to the girl sitting across from him.
"How do you feel about my relationship with Draco?" Pansy asked, unable to keep all the defiance out of her voice.
Harry blinked in surprise then smiled slightly. "I think it's fine."
It was Pansy's turn to blink in surprise. "You do know that I'm his daughter by magic, don't you?"
"Yes," Harry said with a nod. "Draco told me in his letters and then Neville told me about his conversation with Draco. Best wishes, by the way."
"Pardon?" Pansy asked, unable to reconcile what appeared to be Potter's easy acceptance of the odd situation between her and Draco.
"Best wishes on your betrothal," Harry clarified. "I haven't received your present yet so I wasn't able to bring it tonight. Forgive me?"
"Of course," Pansy said reflexively. "You're fine with this? With the fact that if you and Draco mate that I'd be your step-daughter?"
Harry laughed lightly. "Yes, I'm fine with it. I do admit that it seems a bit odd that I would have a daughter older than me, though. Still, should we mate, there would always be a place for you in our home. If you've been worrying about that, please don't. Family is very important to me, and you would be family."
Pansy smiled slightly at Potter's response. Perhaps he wasn't so bad, after all. "May I ask another bold question?"
"But of course," Harry said with a grin. "I'm a Gryffindor. We thrive on bold questions."
Pansy smiled back. "What was your reaction when you read Draco's first summer letter and discovered his identity?" she asked. She was very curious about this topic and knew Draco was as well, though he would never ask. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion when Neville choked on his water and Granger picked up her napkin to hide her mouth. She stared at Potter, who now had smirk on his face.
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Harry asked innocently, trying not to burst out laughing. He glanced at Chloe Malfoy and winked. The matriarch raised an eyebrow at him but also started to smile.
"You know what I mean," Pansy said suspiciously. "What was your reaction when you first realized that it was Draco courting you?"
Harry smirk grew into a grin. "Why, I thought that his choice in rings was most excellent. A most practical gift that I still appreciate greatly. Hedwig likes it, too."
Pansy stared uncomprehendingly for a moment. Then she realized just what it was that Potter was saying and started grinning back.
Draco started sputtering.
Granger and Chloe started giggling.
Neville, Gaius, and Harry started chuckling.
Several of the nearby family members also started showing their mirth.
Pansy couldn't hold it any longer and burst into loud, helpless laughter.
Draco was still sputtering but was also now turning a lovely red. "But…but…but…how? I was so careful! I made sure there was never anything in those letters that would make you suspect me! How did you…What betrayed me?"
Harry's chuckles graduated to laughter, as did Chloe's giggles, and he was unable to answer. Harry waved towards Neville who, thankfully, was now only occasionally snickering and could actually answer.
"You have very distinctive handwriting, Malfoy," Neville said with a grin.
"I don't!" Draco protested indignantly. "My handwriting's not any different than that of anyone else who learned to write using Anderson's Primer."
"You have this little curlicue that you add to your capital T's," Neville said, demonstrating with a finger in the air. "And your capital M's have a long tail," he added with a zip through the air.
"And your lowercase letters are more tightly packed than most," Hermione added, having gotten control of the last of her snickers. "Really, Malfoy, I recognized your handwriting right away once I finally saw it."
Draco scowled at his still laughing family, especially Pansy and his great-grandmother.
"Anything else give me away?" he asked irritably.
"Where to start?" Hermione said in amusement. "Your scent lingered on the letters…"
"But I de-scented them!" Draco protested.
"You must have done it after you folded the letter, then, hiding your scent between the pages," Hermione said. She ignored Draco's scowl and continued, "As if those weren't enough, there was your date. And before you think that Harry looked through your glamour, he didn't. And your scent-mask held, too. But, you hold yourself in a distinctive manner. Your walk and gestures are also distinctive. Have you never identified somebody from behind just by how they stand or move?"
Draco started to answer then thought better of it. "Why did you allow me to court you, then, if you've always known?" he asked sullenly.
Harry controlled his laughter finally and shook his head slightly in amusement at Draco's pout. "Because you impressed me, Draco," he said sincerely. "I liked your letter and what you had written. It was so very different than anything I would have expected and I couldn't help but be intrigued."
Draco lost his sulky expression and smiled slightly. "Really?"
"Really," Harry said and smiled back.
Pansy, and not a few other family members, hid their amusement at Draco's delighted expression.
The remainder of dinner passed in light-hearted conversation and Pansy had several opportunities to talk with Neville about small things. She looked forward to the first date with her fiancé, which was currently scheduled for December holidays. For now they were simply exchanging letters so as to get to know each other better. Enfiancéd or not, they were still virtual strangers to each other.
A bit after the clock struck nine o'clock it became apparent just why ten o'clock had been the limit; Harry Potter was fading fast. His eyes started drooping and he sometimes lost track of conversations. Everyone noticed and Gaius had the servants skip two courses of the meal and bring out dessert.
Pansy watched as Potter laughed at the strawberry and banana trifle that was presented and happily ate his portion. He then happily ate Chloe's portion when she offered after confiding that she rather detested bananas. Potter was properly commiserating before gladly accepting the additional dessert. Pansy wondered if Potter realized that Chloe was lying through her teeth.
Once dessert was consumed, Potter and his party were led back to the receiving room and Pansy observed in confusion the rapidly increasing tension in their guests and also in Gaius. It had been such a good visit – what was going on? She watched as Potter and friends said proper goodbyes to Gaius, Chloe, and herself. Potter then turned to Draco and took a hesitant step forward.
Pansy narrowed her eyes at the grip that Neville and Granger had on the back of Potter's robes and also at Gaius as he unobtrusively moved to behind Draco. What was going on? Draco didn't move from where he stood but did hold out a hand invitingly. Potter took a deep breath then stepped forward and placed his hand in Draco's and shivered slightly.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening," Potter said softly then stepped right up next to Draco, wrapped his free hand around Draco's neck, and kissed him full on the mouth.
The explosion of magic made Pansy stagger backwards a step in shock. She wasn't that powerful magically, but even she could sense the acceptance in the magic that swirled about Potter and Draco. A moment later, Gaius pulled Draco away from the kiss while Neville and Granger pulled away Potter. A moment after that the entire party disappeared.
Pansy cried out in shock and outrage then practically yelled, "What is going on?"