Willow Point was quite the creepy place. As Lucius and Fenrir stood in the entry way they heard creaks, bumps, and whispers. Lucius wasn't sure where the whispers were coming from but they were thoroughly rattling him. It sounded as if there were people in the walls.

"How long do you think they'll make us stand here?" Greyback asked. Lucius would have shrugged if it wasn't such an undignified gesture. He settled for simple silence. Thankfully, Greyback followed his lead and didn't ask another question.

Lucius almost jumped at the sudden thump he heard to his right. The noise was just loud enough to penetrate his human hearing but Greyback followed noises that Lucius didn't have a prayer of comprehending. He watched as the werewolf's eyes grazed along the wall of the entryway, finally coming to rest on a spot just above the first step of the stairway.

"What's there?" Lucius asked.

"I'm not sure."

They decided to ignore it and then ignored each other. It was awkward to simply stand in the front entry for an hour with no idea of what was happening, what or who was in the house, and too insecure to speak to the only other person in sight.

It must have been at least a few hours before they heard a door open somewhere on the second floor. There was the briefest of moments where raucous debate could be heard before the door was closed again, pitching the house back into silence. Footsteps. Lucius unconsciously held his breath. He was in a place filled with what had been his enemies not but a few days ago. It felt like it had been longer than that.

The footsteps continued towards the stairs and eventually they saw Granger. She looked tired, frustrated, and maybe just a little bit shocked.

"Well?" Lucius asked when she seemed content to just stare at them from the top of the stairs. She sighed and quickly descended in order to stand with them in the entry way. This didn't seem good.

"Obviously no one really trusts your word," she said. "And Dumbledore is reluctant to grant you guys much mercy."

"Is there anything we can say?" Fenrir asked. She shook her head.

"They won't abandon your families to die," she said. "Dumbledore's people are cautious, not cruel. But you two specifically will probably be left on your own. Too much bad blood and all that."

It seemed like an expected outcome. Lucius didn't know who was up there, deciding the fate of his family but it made his skin crawl thinking there was nothing he could do, nothing he could say. If he had known that getting involved in this war-from any side-would have resulted in such helplessness he would have fled the country. And he would have drug Narcissa and Draco away with him kicking and screaming.

"It's not ourselves we're concerned about," Fenrir replied and Lucius had to literally bite his tongue in order to stop himself from objecting to that statement in some way. There was no way that the Muggleborn Gryffindor in front of them would find that objection as anything other than completely selfish and coldhearted. He wondered how people lived in a world of black and white, dark and light. He found the concept exhausting considering he'd been in a grey area since he was old enough to understand the concepts of trickery and bribery.

"Well good," she replied. "Muggleborns meet at Willow Point a lot. You'll probably run into someone you cursed or tried to kill at one point."

"So we can expect some retaliation?" Lucius asked. She nodded.

"Some people might be more forgiving than others," she told them. "But I'd be careful about which wall you put your back to. This place has more secret passages than Hogwarts." She gave a small smile at the uncomfortable look on their faces and quickly sprang back up the stairs. They didn't bother trying to follow her.

"Well that explains the whispers I heard," Fenrir replied. Lucius's eyes darted around, wondering which corner would be the safest to stuff himself into.

Great. Why, oh why, did the Dark Lord insist on causing complete and utter chaos?

It was rather inconvenient.

00000

The next person to visit them in the entry way of Willow Point was fully expected and utterly unwanted.

"Lucius. Fenrir," he greeted. Dumbledore sounded pleasant enough but Lucius wasn't fooled. The man was looking for a reason. Any reason to draw his wand and personally cart them to Azkaban. There was an edge of steel in his voice that worried Lucius. He tried not to gulp.

"Headmaster," Lucius greeted, matching the man tone for tone. He had tangled with Dumbledore in the past. But that had always been in the Wizengamot and the Hogwarts Board of Directors where politics and back room deals were the weapons of choice. Here, in this place, the weapon of choice was a wand and Dumbledore could easily crush them into the dust with raw power alone.

There was a reason the Dark Lord feared this man. Lucius had no desire to personally experience that reason. But he was a Slytherin. He was compelled to play the game. At least, until it got too out of his depth. Then he would send Fenrir for Granger's intervention. The werewolf and the Muggleborn seemed to be developing a camaraderie and Dumbledore would never cast a spell on the off chance it hit her in this tight of quarters.

"Miss Granger and Mr. Potter told us quite the story," the Headmaster said immediately going to the matter at hand. "About their journey here."

"We can explain," Fenrir started but Dumbledore silenced him with the most intense glare Lucius had ever seen. He wasn't sure if there was magic involved or not but Fenrir's next words were literally trapped in his throat.

"Neither of them have the knowledge of your past actions that I do," he told them. "But they both seem intent on vouching for your current actions and motives. They seem to think you are simply looking for a way out.

"I, on the other hand, am reluctant to let you continue on as free men."

"This seems like a trick," Lucius said cautiously. "But it's not. The thing that came back wasn't the Dark Lord that we signed up to serve."

"So you don't condemn past actions?" Dumbledore asked.

"I do not," Lucius replied. "I had a reason for what I did twenty years ago and that reason has not changed. However, I am willing to admit that the war of yesterday is not the war that is coming tomorrow. I-we-never agreed to genocide."

The old man eyed them, clearly thinking over what they had said.

"Mr. Potter insists that he can handle you on your way to Papa Odie," he said and both Death Eaters perked at the name. So Dumbledore knew who this person was too. And he seemed to think that Papa Odie was the best solution to their problem as well. Interesting. That could either be a good thing or a very bad thing. "Did you really allow yourself to be tricked into taking Muggle allergy medicine?"

Fenrir actually growled.

"We weren't tricked," the werewolf tried to insist. "We were ambushed."

"Mmm hmm," Dumbledore hummed and the slight twinkle in his otherwise hard eyes told Lucius that man was amused, just not enough to let his guard down.

"Potter is...good at distraction," Lucius said. He too was still smarting over the events that had started them on this rather insane journey.

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed. "He has always been rather good at Muggle trickery and distraction. I'm sure you've noticed the babbling? He is rather fond of using that to distract before he attacks. But you, of course, know all of this."

"Of course," Lucius said and he was positive that he wasn't the only one completely embarrassed by the situation they were in.

"Well gentlemen," Dumbledore said, suddenly sounding chipper and unconcerned. Lucius wondered if they had just passed some sort of trust test. He then wondered if Potter had picked up some tips from Dumbledore. He wouldn't be surprised. "I must be off."

He brushed past them and opened the door. But as he went through he turned to toss a parting shot over his shoulder.

"Try not to resurrect another genocidal megalomaniac while you're here or the next dose of Muggle medicine may just be a fatal one. These Muggleborns are rather fond of their lives and civil rights after all."

And with that, he was gone.

Lucius would have breathed a sigh of relief if he could find a reason to feel relieved.

00000

Ten minutes later and Lucius and Fenrir were still in the main entrance of the Willow Point Manor waiting for the next person to appear. They didn't dare move on their own. There was no telling what kind of traps Dumbledore and his people had laid down for intruders. After all, it was important to make sure that a safe house was safe.

Soon enough they heard footsteps.

A man they didn't know came down the stairs. He had light brown hair and eyes that almost looked yellow. He towered over the Pureblood but he was only a few inches taller than Fenrir. His blue jeans and hooded sweatshirt were purely Muggle. But the leather jacket and boots were made of dragon hide. He looked like a Muggleborn that Death Eaters lined up to fight and to prove their worth against. This man was a fighter, he could see it in the way he held himself.

"Hello," the man said when he reached them. Lucius could tell he was young, probably only just pushing mid-thirties. "I'm Inspector Reyna." He held out his hand for them to shake and they each shook it gratefully. Lucius because he was glad to cultivate any kind of ally he could and Fenrir because a human willing to shake the hand of a werewolf was a human worth knowing. At least in the eyes of a werewolf.

"Lucius Malfoy."

"Fenrir Greyback."

"Nice to meet you," the Reyna replied genuinely. Lucius wondered if he had been a Hufflepuff. He was very...nice. "Harry told me all about you. Well, I think. He went off about something else halfway through but I got the jist."

"You know Potter?" Fenrir asked. "He mentioned you earlier." Lucius remembered that as well. Granger had suggested calling this man when the two had been originally trying to figure out what to do with Potter's hostages.

"Yes," Reyna said. "I work with Muggle law enforcement. It's my job to keep Muggleborn's out of jail for incidents of accidental magic. You'd be surprised how often Harry's brought in for destruction of property."

Lucius felt his eyebrows rise of their own accord. How much accidental magic was Potter still doing? He was nearly trained. Those outbursts should have ended years ago, even for someone as emotional as the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Are you a Sleeper?" Fenrir asked curiously throwing out one of those new words they'd learned on their way here. Lucius had learned other Muggle slang from listening to Potter and Granger bicker but he wasn't entirely sure how to use any of that in the correct context.

"Yeah, I am actually," he replied and got an odd look on his face.

"What?" Fenrir asked.

"Nothing," Reyna replied quickly. "It's just that Purebloods and Death Eaters don't normally know what Sleepers are or ask about them." Fenrir shrugged. Lucius simply didn't have anything to say to that. The Inspector was right. He certainly hadn't known what a Sleeper was a few days ago, nor had he cared to know. "Anyway, follow me. I'll show you where you're sleeping and you can get come fresh clothes."

Lucius had to resist the urge to hug him.

That would have been horribly undignified.

00000

The Malfoy patriarch was glad he had resisted the urge to be grateful about clean clothes. Apparently, people didn't wear proper Wizarding attire in Willow Point. Reyna had scrambled around some boxes stored in a broom closet on the third floor pulling out pants, shirts, and jackets he thought might fit them.

Fenrir's new brown pants were so ill fitting they hung off his hips but fell short of his shoes by two inches. The short sleeved shirt the Muggleborn handed the werewolf was white and clearly meant for someone twice his weight. Fenrir was large but he was fit. And he looked ridiculous.

Not that Lucius looked any better. Reyna had found him blue jeans that thankfully fit but were ripped on one knee and the blue button up was missing the front pocket. The buttons on the sleeves were long gone and the Pureblood was forced to roll up his sleeves to his elbows in order to avoid flapping fabric at his hands.

There was no chance of them remaining in their old clothes. Death Eater robes would not go over well in a place like Willow Point. Besides, they were dirty and ripped almost beyond repair. Lucius wasn't good with sewing charms. It was best to just suffer in these clothes. Fortunately, the jackets-made of some black slippery, thin material Lucius didn't recognize-fit well and covered their Dark Marks.

The next disappointment was the room. Reyna led them to a small bedroom-barely the size of his closet at home-that had two twin mattresses on the old wood floor. The blinds on the single, small window were white and hanging in a precarious way. The wallpaper was peeling and there were stacks of junk piled along one wall. It looked like an unused storage room. Lucius wondered if they were being punished. It wouldn't surprise him and, in all honesty, they did deserve it.

"I know you're probably used to more," Reyna said. "But this is all we have to offer."

"I've lived in worse," Fenrir said honestly. Lucius didn't want to contemplate.

"I haven't," he said. "But thank you."

Reyna nodded.

"Dinner is in an hour," he told them. "Maddie's making lasagna. The kitchen runs on a strict meal schedule here but there's always fresh bread and beans for anyone who can't wait." With that, he was gone.

Lucius sighed and collapsed on the nearest mattress. This was not a life he was used to. At the risk of being bratty, Lucius wasn't built for anything other than luxury. He had never known poverty or hunger. He had certainly never been worried about bills or feeding his family. Muggleborns as a majority worked a little differently. As a people constantly trying to prove that they deserved their place in the Magical World while surviving in it, they were much more willing to work. Construction, cleaning, and repair jobs were all reserved for Muggleborns and their children.

A good many of them worked in the Ministry and even as Hogwarts Professors, sure, but Muggleborns were willing to sacrifice more than Lucius had ever been asked to. And now he was relying on them for safety. For life. He didn't like that.

Fenrir, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease. After all, he'd lived in worse conditions.

There was the sudden sound of raucous laughter in the corridor followed by a delighted scream. Lucius didn't recognize that laughter but it was young. It was then that he remembered Granger warning her friends about the Hunters closing in on all of them. He wondered how many Hogwarts students were here. Here because they were hunted no matter what world they were in.

He wondered how they did it.

Perhaps they really were stronger than the Purebloods he'd grown up around. The Pureblood he'd grown up to be.

For the first time, Lucius was something other than proud of the man he'd become.