An: so of 18 reviews, only 4 voted, well there was one for Harry (not happening) and one for either one. Of the four actual votes, split 2 for 2. So you will just have to wait and see. And no it will not be Harry/Nick, they will be friends eventually.
Lucius was worried when Moody came to him. He knew something was seriously wrong for he and Nick were meant to come and go He had made it clear he didn't wish for his brother to be in London any longer than he had to be. Moody quietly told him what was wrong, and how urgent it was. Lucius knew he needed to get his brother somewhere safe but there was no time. He was reminded Adrian had come back with them, he was collecting something from his dad. The manager agreed to summon Adrian to the bank, who was to take Nick to Malfoy manor. For a member of the Malfoy family, the manor was safer than school and the bank combined. If he knew how long he'd be gone he'd have left his brother there, but he knew it better Nick at the manor. Nick wanted answers, but he promised them when he came back.
Lucius headed for the Burrow with Moody praying the wards had held. Fred had made it out, through a hidden tunnel few knew of, and alerted the order. The wards on the house were holding before, but all floo and apparition was cut off.
Moody looked at Lucius as they arrived. "Fred just got out. He was almost caught, the place is surrounded, no one could get out the tunnel."
Lucius smelled something, they had apparated into the orchard for covering. "Do you smell that?"
Moody snarled. "Smoke, and lots of it."
The two of them headed towards the Burrow, and before they entered the clearing they knew it was bad. There was a fight going down between the order and what looked to be a dozen Death Eaters in the area. One or two red heads could be seen fighting, but Lucius couldn't make out which ones. Fred wasn't there, he had suffered a hex before he escaped, and was being seen to at Grimmauld.
Lucius and Moody moved into the fray and he prayed for Nick's sake that George was safe here somewhere. They didn't know how much the others knew about the decoy, but Bill had told them his parents knew how much Nick had been set up.
The house was raging in flames as one of the last attackers was subdued, but the other got away. Lucius looked. "Is anyone in there?"
Charlie and George were the only red heads who came to his side. "The kids, they are all in there."
Albus had appeared and paid no attention to the fact Lucius was there. "Harry, Harry is in the house? How the hell did you leave him in there."
George rounded on the old man. "I thought you swore the wards were safe. That is our entire family who was in that house."
Lucius knew George was seething because of more than the man's words. If it was Nick who had been in the house, George would not be so upset. He loved his little brother, and the family would protect him. But as much as they promised to help the other kid, he was not family. He was lying to them, and George was sure his parents didn't know. Molly and Arthur put their lives on the line for a child who was a lie to them.
Moody had managed to get the flames under control with the help of Albus and some of the men. They needed to get into the house and make sure the others were okay. They were searching the house looking for any sign, when Severus noticed some banging from under a board.
Lucius pointed. "The trapdoor?"
Charlie nodded and ran towards the door. "You don't think?"
The trapdoor flew open when cleared and Ron's voice could be heard. "Get us out of here."
They worked quickly and managed to retrieve Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Luna from the tunnel. There was a panic when they noticed Harry was not among them anywhere, and were worried he had been captured before they got there. They heard footsteps behind them, and as the kids were telling them what happened, they turned to see who had come in from the living room.
Arthur cut and bleeding looked bad, and the ashen look on his face, and blood, they knew something was wrong. They could see that the blood was not his own. With Bill in France, there were only three in the house who were unaccounted for at the moment, Percy, Molly and Harry.
Albus rushed over to the man. "What happened? Where is he?"
Arthur sunk down into a chair in total shock, not noticing half his house was nearly destroyed. "I…"
Hermione chimed in. "Harry heard Molly, he left the hole and warded us in, to make sure none of us could get in."
He had heard Molly scream, and Harry had fled out of the hole to find her. No one had seen him since. Hermione was holding a bag in her arms, the bag that Harry had pressed into her hands before he had gone. It held all of the items which meant anything to him in it. The pictures of his family, the journal he kept in contact with Travis in, the few gifts he had and his cloak. He asked her to send it to Boston, the cloak to Nick, if he didn't come back. He may not have been her best friend, but he was a good person and sacrificed himself for them.
Lucius shared a look with Moody. "We need to find them."
Nick was scared about what was going on. His brother wouldn't tell him anything and that just made him more upset. Adrian came through to the bank, and had the passwords to Malfoy manor to take Nick there. The manager opened the floo network to allow them to travel through. Nick was uneasy there. One day he wanted to be there at the manor, if his eyes ever worked again. He wanted to see the home where he was born, where his dads had been married, and shared their love. But it wasn't simply about his inability to see which made the trip not what he hoped for.
Adrian was trying to keep him calm and took him out into the gardens. There were stables there, and they found their way into them. Nick was stroking the nose of one of the horses, drawn to it, not sure why, when someone came in.
He had a flash for a moment and he knew it was his brother. "Luc, what happened?"
Lucius came to his side. "How did you know it was me?"
Nick scratched the horse's nose. "Another flash I guess."
Lucius squeezed his hand. "That is our father's horse's last foal. He hasn't allowed anyone to touch him but you. Like his sire, he is wild."
Nick had never been around horses before. "I thought Adrian was the one who could see through horses."
Adrian laughed. "I have a bond with them, and can nearly share thoughts, but not their eyes. Besides you are the earth elemental."
Lucius agreed. "When we get back to France we're going to take you for a dog. Perhaps a real seeing eye dog can work for you."
Nick was not to be distracted long. "Luc what happened? What is wrong?"
Lucius hated to tell him, but he knew he had to speak to him. The others were waiting for him in the manor. The news was not as bad as it could have been, considering how many people Nick loved had been in the house, but it was bad. He knew even the destruction of the house would hit Nick hard. Before he found out who he was, the house had been one of the places Nick had felt safe, like he was at home.
He led his brother into the house, wishing they could just go back to France and think about the possibility of a dog for him. Nick was no longer in the war, and either was Lucius for that matter. They would both be going home to France, but he couldn't lie to Nick either.
Nick was barely down in a chair until he demanded from his brother. "What happened?"
Lucius tried to calm him down. "We will tell you, just calm down please."
Nick was not about to feel better until he knew. "Please."
Lucius sighed. "Nick the Burrow was attacked. The wards held for a time, but the order got there after they broke through the wards."
Nick was shaking badly when he heard that. "Please tell me they are okay, please."
He knew he had his doubts about them, and that Bill hadn't been there. But he loved them, they had been his family, and his friends. He didn't care at this moment if any of them may have known the truth. And he knew the twins and Hermione were in the house as well. If anything had happened to either of the twins he'd never forgive himself. They had never been meant to be at home. He knew their stores could be attacked as others, but they'd never have been in the house if he hadn't asked them.
Nick was starting to panic again when his brother wouldn't tell him. "Who was it? I know someone was hurt, just tell me. Please not the twins."
George's voice came from the chair next to him. "No, Fred had a minor injury, but we're fine I promise."
Lucius didn't know how to tell Nick. "Molly is in the hospital, and they're not certain she will make it."
Nick shook from head to toe. "What? Why? How?"
George tried to explain. "Percy was attacked, and she protected him."
Molly had gone up the stairs, she had remembered an old portkey, not sure if it would work as there were wards against apparition and floo. Percy had come down, and he and his mother were being attacked, and he was hit. When Harry had come to help, Molly had forced the boys into the master bedroom, with the portkey. It activated, but it had taken time to work, to get through the wards the attackers put up. She had held them off, but she had been found nearly dead by her husband. Tonks had rushed to take her to the hospital, as Arthur went to tell the others.
Nick shocked them. "I want to go to the hospital, I have to see her. Please Luc I have to."