Author: enchanted nightingale

Beta Reader: pussycatadamah

Timeline: Book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Pairs: Harry/Lucius

Disclaimer: The characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I merely use them in my plot for fun.

Chapter 31 – Loose Ends

The Boots had been lawyers to the Malfoy family for the past three centuries without fail and it was Julius Boot that was in charge of Lord Malfoy's newest request.

"The papers have been finalised, the contracts were rather clear from the start and the sum is generous enough," Julius commented as he handed the draft to Lucius for the blond wizard to check it out.

The brown haired, brown eyed wizard was regarding Lucius Malfoy with some alarm, just as the first time the man came to his office for this personal matter, his divorce.

"Are you certain you want to separate from Narcissa?" Julius asked again. The long time acquaintance he had with the blond wizard allowed him certain privileges, asking questions being the most prominent. They were not friends by any stretch of the imagination, but as any good lawyer, Julius was thinking about his client first. Divorces in the magical community were scandalous because they were not a regular occurrence. Usually wizards and witches married for life, even in arranged matches such as that of Lucius Malfoy with Narcissa Black.

"I think the time has come for me to fix my life," Lucius told the other wizard. "Narcissa, I don't think will have a problem. Her current attentions are already focused elsewhere. Our son, Draco, is grown up and in two years he will be an adult. The contract has been fulfilled already. I do not see why I cannot relinquish her and myself from this prison that is our wedding."

"There will be rumours no amount of legal work will be able to stifle."

"There are rumours already," Lucius responded. People talked and whispered about his and his wife's companions from time to time, a few brave souls had even tried to drop barely disguised slurs but a glare from the Malfoy's had been enough to cower those fools. Draco had been much younger and neither of them had wanted their, at the time, five year old son to be worked up about the unfortunate reality that was their wedding. He knew that the moment the divorce became public knowledge that there would be an uproar and public scrutiny would practically fall on him. Not to mention Narcissa's wrath because however civilised she was, Lucius did not entertain any thoughts that his current wife would go down without a fight. She would demand more money, more privileges and perhaps out right refute the divorce, being Lady Malfoy had been her main perk from their union, aside from having Draco of course. There were two things Lucius could not deny about his wife, how she loved their son and how she loved her husband's fortune.

''She is getting the house in France?'' the lawyer asked.

''Only one apartment,'' Lucius responded. ''It is big enough and upscale enough and the only property that is not a traditional Malfoy residence. Same with the salle in the Alps.''

Julius nodded.

''Should she prove to be difficult,'' Lucius mused,'' You can add the loft in London, the one near Diagon, but nothing else. Also, she needs to be reminded that her dowry never left her hands and that I have no further obligations to her.''

''Are you sure she will accept?''

Lucius' eyes were like steel. ''Believe me, she will.''

Draco entered his mother's rooms. One of the houselves had been frantic to get him for her and the teen had dropped everything to go to her side. He found her dressed as regally and elegantly as ever, a thunderous look in her eyes and what seemed to be a contract in her grip.

''Mother?'' Draco kissed her cheek in greeting and she hugged him in response. Her eyes were warm for him but the moment they caught sight of the papers they hardened.

''My son,'' the witch whispered.

''What has you so upset?'' Draco asked.

Narcissa sighed and pulled him to the nearest couch so that they sat side by side. Then she handed him the papers she had received earlier that day. The teen saw the papers and his eyes went wide.

"Father gave you the divorce papers," Draco stated in an even tone. He had been expecting this for nearly three weeks now. August was coming and soon enough he would be back to school and his mother would likely be out of the country, busy with her social life and friends.

"I see you are not surprised," Narcissa noted. "Has your father spoken to you?"

Draco, unable to lie, he just nodded.

Narcissa pursed her lips, a look of disapproval on her face.

"He wanted to know that should this happen, it changed nothing for me or my relationship to you," Draco told the beautiful witch. "And let us face it; mother, you and father are practically strangers to each other. You do not even live under the same roof most of the time. It is a formality."

"It is an embarrassment Draco, that's what this is."

The teen shrugged. "But I thought you were happy with your current lover, happier than you had been with father or the previous ones," Draco bluntly and boldly commented, making Narcissa's eyes widen. "I'm not trying to be impertinent," the teen hastened to explain. "I just thought you would like to stop hiding it, perhaps make your life from the start. Reginald is... well, he makes you smile."

Narcissa stared at her son. "Are you saying those things because you believe them or..."

"Father did not put me up to this," Draco firmly told her.

The witch stood and started pacing.

"But he has told that he plans to start over," she guessed. "He found someone."

"You have as well."

"It's not the same!"

Draco sighed, hating to see his mother so agitated. "What did he ask of you?"

"Uncontested divorce," she replied. "He is willing to buy his way out of the marriage," a bitter smile appeared on her face. "He has given me two residences and I bet there will be a third if I press and of course a bit of gold. But he is taking away my rights as Lady Malfoy, all the family jewels and rescinds my invitation to enter Malfoy property uninvited."

Draco bit his lip. His mother already did not visit most of the ancestral houses of the Malfoy's in Britain or the continent and most jewellery was sequestered away in a safe most of the time anyway. The teen rightly guessed that she was angry and hurt and it was not about the divorce. Yes, she was bitter about losing her position as Lady of a noble house, and the perks that came with it. But she was also angry that Lucius had found someone that was not her. She had been crushing after his father, that much Draco knew. He had heard his Aunt Cecile, from his father's side of the family, often talk about this. The family was unsurprised with Lucius' disinterest in women and his mother, while she knew that when she married him, had hoped to change that. The divorce was just reminding her in the ugliest way possible that she had remained wanting and now she would be passed over.

"Who is it?"

The grey eyed teen blinked. "Pardon?"

"Your father must have met someone," Narcissa stated. "Another man because I sincerely doubt there is another woman involved."

Draco shrugged, glad for the Oath he had sworn to his father. This way he could not speak even if he wanted to. Not that he did. After his second meeting with Potter just the day before, the Slytherin teen was ready to agree that the Gryffindor prat did have a certain appeal and a wicked, biting sense of humour when he wanted to. Also, he was not the idiot he acted out to be, though the Malfoy heir was at a loss as to why would anyone dumb themselves down. He had not asked yet, maybe sometime in the future. Another reason he did not want to betray Potter's identity was his belief that his father and mother were better off away from each other. This last belief he voiced making his mother stare at him.

"What did you say?"

"That you are better off separated," Draco repeated. "Father never ... cared properly for you and you are unhappy at his side. Don't you want to be happy? Have a new life?"

"There will not be another wedding for me, son. I will be in disgrace after the divorce. After all, a witch my age, no matter how good breeding I have, cannot have children or a future," Narcissa commented.

Draco sighed and stood, hugging his mother and smiling a bit when she hugged him back.

"Why are you taking his side?" Narcissa asked.

"Am I?"

The witch did not reply.

"Can you at least tell me what you are thinking to do?" Draco asked his mother.

"Milk it for all it is worth," she replied without hesitation. "I will not be cheated from what is rightfully mine."

"Mother?"

"What? Are you going to tell me to back down? Say yes and just bow my head in disgrace, let him drive me to another country so he can be happily busy with his toys? No one is ever good enough for a Malfoy," she said in bitterness. She regarded her son. "No one will ever be good enough for you either."

"Mother, you know that is not the case! Father spoke to me, he told me about the marriage contract between the two of you. You cannot contest it because you both had lovers on the side. The contract has been fulfilled. Asking for more might not get you anything. I don't want you to go up against father." Because Draco knew his father could still be ruthless with those he perceived as enemies. So far, Narcissa was still held in high regard from him. But if his mother tried anything, Draco would hate to see what happened because there was no doubt in his mind that Lucius Malfoy would destroy her.

And it seemed that the witch knew it as well, because when she saw the worry and fear in his face she sighed and her anger and bitterness melted away in a fond smile. Before he knew it she was hugging him again, this time in reassurance and she kissed his forehead.

"My darling, darling son," she whispered. "You really think this is best for me?"

"I do," he stated.

"Hm, you know your father too well."

"As do you. Please don't do anything to make him your enemy."

"As opposed to the charade of friendship we have now?"

Draco hung his head. "Did you ever tell him how you felt?"

Narcissa laughed, amused at this, as she stepped back. "Draco, your father does not deal with emotions. He reins them in and forgets about them. It is why I never thought he would do this, divorce me. I believed he never had a passionate bone in his body. It seems I am being proven wrong."

The teen had nothing to say to that.

After a while she spoke again. "Lucius... Draco, does he love that man he is with now?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"The truth."

"Are you happy with Reginald?"

"Yes," the witch replied. "You were right that he makes me happy but... Ego is an entity of its own, son. Don't hate me for my weaknesses."

"I could never do this, mother," Draco replied. "And I think that yes, father has feelings for that... man."

Narcissa sighed. "I see. The end was here before I even saw it. Perhaps you are correct and this is for the best." She picked up the papers again. "He is good with numbers at least," she mused.

Then before Draco's eyes she produced a quill and started signing the papers. The teen felt odd, seeing her do this and when she was finally finished he accepted them in his hands.

"Can you take them to your father?" his mother asked. "I think I need to step out for a bit."

"Mother?"

She kissed his cheek with fondness. "Do not worry. I merely need to make plans. And perhaps write to Reginald as well. We'll talk at dinner, my son."

Then she ushered him out of her rooms to prepare and Draco felt strangely relieved this was over. He stared at the papers in his hand and with a deep breath, headed for his father's office.

End of chapter.