Nineteen: got this feeling in our souls that we carry

Previously: We see a glimpse of Harry's life just after the war, in 'year eight' as Draco is back at Hogwarts and Ron is Auror-training, as he writes with some people. After Harry gets possibly poisoned or drugged at the Burrow during Christmas, he has Kreacher swap his food and send some samples to Severus. During his own Yule party, Harry has to deal with an unknown marriage contract, and decides to call upon Lucius for aid with the help of Heir Weasley.

Fuck that Potter-luck indeed.

In the present, Shane and the men from Luna Park have some 'men-time' and bond while working on the plans for the grounds. Life is simple but good.

A/N:

Thank you for all your loving messages, kudo's or just appreciation for this work. This part is almost nearing an end (don't worry, part two is being written on as we speak), and I must admit that I hadn't expected this to blow up as much as it did. I started while being insecure of myself writing in English since Dutch is my native language, and ended up with writing a multi-part story.
A lot of that confidance came from you guys as my loyal readers, but most of it is thanks to Salllzy, who listens to me rant about my English, the differences between Dutch and English, and just helping me become a lot better.

So thank you :) I hope you enjoy this second to last chapter before we move onto part two.

Musical notes:
A. Change on the rise by Avi Kaplan

Ps. does anyone care for the music? Does anybody listen to it? I'm curious. Let me know!
Also, did you listen to music or a playlist that worked for you while reading? Also let me know. Music is usually my biggest muse.

Past time Lucius Malfoy gets called to aid

Lord and Lady Malfoy were very surprised when Harry's Patronus glided through their wards as if there weren't any. Not that he was surprised that his young charge could manage it, but this spelt trouble as they had been invited to go over in an hour or two for tea, and he instructed Draco to collect the paperwork, as he listened to his message. When that ended, he simply sighed, and hefted himself back on his feet with his cane. A leftover from the war.

Narcissa looked even paler than she did before, hiding her anger under her refined masks only a Black could manage. No words were spoken as Lucius held out his hand to escort his wife and soulmate towards their apparition point in the Manor. Draco nodded, as his father and mother disappeared before him, and he set out to his rooms to gather the stuff he would need. He had a gut feeling.

They arrived through the wards of the townhouse with practised ease, and they advanced on the door nodding towards the Heir, who had permitted them to be the aid to Harry. The house immediately seemed to recognize Narcissa as a member, and Lucius felt the heady, protective blanket that was part of the Black magic. It was the complete opposite of the Malfoy magic, which always seemed to swirl around them in a light breeze.

They elegantly entered a tense dining room where Ron protectively stood before Harry, and George flanked his other side. There was shouting between the youngest two of the family, whereas Miss Granger was sitting off to the side, looking torn. The quarter-Veela, Fleur had a flaring magical aura that she barely held under control, and the dragon tamer had his wand whipped out, and seemed to contain a certain ward that the eldest had placed.

It was safe to say that there was chaos, and in the midst of all that, was Harry who just raised his eyebrow towards Lucius, who then led his wife close to her nephew, and Harry fake-kissed her on the cheeks as was a custom for family. Lucius shook his hand, and then looked at the scroll on the table.

"Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, aid to the Potter-Black legacy. I thank you for following the Olde rules, Heir Weasley. I will not act upon our feud until this case has been solved."

"The House of Weasley finds that acceptable." William Weasley was a very strong wizard, who had not hesitated to take over from his father, and Lucius already felt that the magic found its Heir more interesting than its Lord. Such a shame for Arthur, but a welcome change.

He gave the dirty, rolled-up contract on the table a trademark Malfoy sneer, and then elegantly released his wand from his cane - both had been gifts from Harry -, as he unfolded the contract with magic. He magnified the words for his reading purpose only, and then connected his eyes with his wife. After all those years working for a madman, they were excellent in conveying quick messages through a secret way of family legilimency. It had saved their lives and their family more than once.

Only because he knew his lovely wife as well as he did, did he see the disdain in her eyes, before she started mothering Harry in a way that would put the Weasley matriarch to shame, and he relaxed. Marrying a Black had been his best decision in life, but also his downfall.

Nothing went past them.

"I find this contact to be false, as the late Master Dumbledore wasn't Lord Potter-Black's guardian, since that was the late Lord Black, Sirius Orion Black II." Lucius then looked over towards Harry, who eyed him carefully, but seemed to know which direction Lucius wanted to take in this situation.

"On behalf of the joined houses Potter-Black, I suggest we either take this to the Wizengamot, or we let mother Magic judge its validity. The house of Weasley gets to choose."

It stayed silent, before Arthur finally found the courage to speak up.

"Since my wife has signed this contract on behalf of our daughter, I think the Wizengamot should suffice. I do, however, think that this could be a fruitful marriage, and I will not dissolve this notion." Arthur softly swayed on his feet, as he spoke the words very clearly, but didn't meet anyone's eyes. He did not even look towards Harry. "My daughter has given her explicit consent for this marriage, and has agreed to at least three children, as stated. I don't see any problem."

"Have you gone mad, father?" The former twin spoke up. "Since when does this family believe in marriage contracts? Why on earth would you do this to Ginny as young as she is? She hasn't even finished school!"

"I agree with George," another son – Percival he believed – spoke up. "With or without a contract, Ginevra is too young to wed." This a neutral answer, but politically correct. Lucius had seen the man work the Ministry for years, he wasn't bad at what he did. The boy loved his facts and laws.

"I think it's completely bloody ridiculous." This was Ron, and Lucius felt sorry for the young Auror-in-training, as he watched the Vassel protect his chosen Lord against his own family. This could cause a rift within the family, no matter the outcome.

"I'm with Ron and George, we should dispel this immediately. We have everyone present, this is the easiest solution." This was the second-eldest son, the dragon tamer if he remembered correctly. A rugged man, who held his wand with confidence as a right hand to his brother.

"I refuse to dispel it," Arthur said almost too fast, but Lucius would always recognize a man under the Imperius curse, as he had used it himself way too often. He was far from a saint, but he tried to make up for it by aiding Harry.

The blonde wizard kept silent, while he tapped slowly on his cane. He judged the opposition if it should come to a duel, and knew that he could handle Arthur with ease. The heir, William, would be a challenge for him in his current state, but Harry could handle both of them with ease.

The heir seemed to be weighing his words, but then looked at his wife who nodded firmly, and even Narcissa seemed to be eager for the answer.

"Then I will challenge you for our Lordship, father," William spoke deliberately and slowly after he had taken a deep breath. "I will not let you do this to either Ginny or Harry. Not now, not ever."

His words caused an eruption, and before Lucius knew it, a certain set of wards fell around the house, and protective barriers sprung into place. Harry had let loose on his magic, which caused a rippled effect that was only visible for those selected few that were sensitive through magic.

A few stray spells had gotten through, but nothing his shields couldn't handle. He looked over to his wife, who had been pushed behind Harry, as the powerful – but young lord - had the Elder wand out in the open, with the biggest and strongest shield Lucius had seen him erect until now. Even Ron had been pushed behind it, and those green eyes glowed dangerously.

If anyone ever wanted to know what true power looked like, this was it. Even his former Dark Lord had never felt like this. If Harry wanted, he could erect a following without a thought.

Arthur looked like he had been hit by a crucio, and for all Lucius knew, that could be the case. He probably never realised how much he had come to rely on the family magics, as he seemed lost without the Lordship, and was now nothing more than a regular family member.

As the protective wards were slowly dropped by Harry, the now Lord's magic seemed to seep from William, and into the house. An agreement between Black and Weasley was obvious, since it had taken Ronald in as well. Magic had chosen.

"WILLIAM ARTHUR WEASLEY," the matriarch started screaming, but Lucius felt his wife's magic cover his ears for the worst. He had always been sensitive to sound. "How dare you be so insolent and ruin a perfect pla-"

The quarter-Veela seemed to have heard enough, and had silenced her mother-in-law with a huff, and soft-spoken incantation. Wandless at that. There was a reason why she was feared for her magical prowess. She was now the Lady of her house, and knowing her heritage; she knew exactly what to do. Her husband only looked over at his wife to assess the fire in her eyes, as he tried to find words.

"Lord Weasley, if I may." To everybody's surprise, it was Harry who had spoken, with a soft voice. "I do believe that the magics have deemed you a better Lord for the Ancient House of Weasley." He pointed towards the ring on the redhead's right hand, which had just replaced itself from heir to lord. "Since you need two Lords to welcome you into the fold, would you allow me to be the first?"

"I would be honoured, Harry." William looked bewildered at his hand, and then back to his wife who spoke soft words into his ear.

Harry smiled softly, and then acknowledged the new Lord with all his titles. As that should be enough, Lucius decided that he quite liked the man, and dealing with a feud all those years was trying. Why not give him a little something?

"Would you accept mine as well?" He spoke, as he felt Harry's gaze upon him.

"I would be honoured, Lord Malfoy. But what of our family feud?" William seemed to take on his role better in his first few minutes than his father had done all those years before.

"I think we should be able to agree, don't you think?" He nodded.

"My father never gave me the real reason, so I can only ask that you give me your terms, Lord Malfoy." William still stood steady, his wand was held loosely in hand, but Lucius recognized the warrior in his opponent. It did not take long for him to form his answer. Somehow he felt very Gryffindorish today.

"It used to be a marriage contract between a second son, and a second-in-place heiress from the eighteen hundreds, that was never honoured, nor dispelled. Officially there is still one lying on the table, but I am willing to dispel it with you, after you dispel the one on the table right now on behalf of my cousin, Lord Potter-Black."

"I accept the terms you laid out, Lord Malfoy."

"As do I, Lord Weasley."

Harry let out a breath he did not know he had been holding, when they dispelled his contract first, and then the one that had started the feud, before he felt a spell hit him in the back, and everything turned black.

There was nothing left but a black void that he felt running through his whole body.

Oh no.

Present Daryl and Merle

"Oi, brother dearest." Merle was never someone for pleasantries, so this start of a conversation piqued Daryl's interest immediately.

Daryl sat on a wooden bench in the backyard feeding some magical being that Luna had dumped in his arms when he had walked out into the gardens after lunch. It was suckling on a bottle with a milky substance in it, and Daryl had to give Merle credit for not looking weird at his brother nursing a magical little thing.

He grunted, to let Merle know that he heard him.

"You okay, little brother?" The second endearment, in a short time. He needed something.

"Ya, I'm fine. How's life as a husband treating ya'?"

"Go fuck yourself Darileena." Merle played with the cuff around his wrist, as he sat down.

Bullseye! Daryl had just hit the rose with his arrow. He laughed while the damn thing he had been holding had decided that his hands were cuddleable.

"Well, since you're talkative, tell me what's up with you and Hadrian. Kissed him yet?" Merle gave him that big, Ol' Merle-trademark smile as he started eating his lunch from an outdoor plate in his hands that Carol probably had given him.

"Should I have been doing that?" He asked in all honesty, while he looked across the fields that were starting to show that they were going into winter, and had left fall slowly.

"I sometimes forget that kissing someone to show your affection is not your thin'."

"Big words, big brother," Daryl mumbled, trying to get out of the conversation.

"Shut it, Dar-Dar." Again no weird moniker, but almost something sweet.

"Carol is getting through that big ass skull of yours?"

It took a while for Merle to answer, so Daryl turned his attention towards the little animal in his arms. It cooed now and then while drinking, but it seemed satisfied enough. He hoped Luna would never give him something dangerous. But then he realised that dangerous had a different definition for the woman. Bugger him.

"Aight, she is." Merle paused, and shrugged. Dixons usually weren't so vocal about things, but being around the wizards for quite some time now had already changed them more than they both expected nor realised. "I like Carol a lot. So yeah, if I have to watch my tongue around the little tyke, I will."

"I wonder what she sees in your ugly mug." There was zero bite in his statement.

"Y'all keep saying that, but I don't think it's like that."

"You're whipped."

"You're stupid."

"Probably."

"Yeah."

"Yep."

Sometimes it was just easy to communicate like this.

Present Breakfast at Peverell manor (mood music: A.)

Daryl wondered about his conversation with Merle. His brother had a way of getting on his nerves without saying much.

He did think about Harry, as he had been calling after their conversation, more than he probably should have. Harry was a mystery, and yet Daryl knew more than anyone else. He felt like he knew the man very well. Not as good as Draco or Ron, but good enough.

Merle had him thinking big time, and he hated it.

It was Theo who sat next to him at the breakfast table. The mousy-like wizard wasn't as boisterous as Draco, not as loud as George or as present as Blaise, but he loved to chat about the small things and was able to explain wizarding stuff easily. Daryl respected him.

"Good morning Daryl."

"Mornin' Theo, slept well?" He asked without turning his gaze away from his plate.

"Yes, I am well. Blaise stopped snoring, so that helps."

Seeing wizards being so open about their relationship was not normal for the Wizarding kind, but Theo always addressed it with a flair and a whiff of arrogance, and normalcy. Daryl really couldn't care less who fucked each other. You do you. Merle loved that kind of gossip more than he did.

"Hmm." Daryl passed him the scrambled eggs, as he knew from experience that Theo would start with them. They ate their breakfast in relative silence, and only spoke to pass each other food.

It took a while, but Theo scraped his throat and tried to look Daryl in the eye before he sighed.

"May I be blunt?" His posh British accent was very audible right now. Although Daryl was used to hearing it around him from the British wizards, Theo's always seemed different.

"Sure." Daryl shrugged.

"I have talked more than once about Blaise and myself, and I've always wondered if it offends you or not."

Daryl shrugged, and then realised that Theo might want a verbal answer.

"Nah, it doesn't."

"Splendid." Theo seemed still a bit unsure as he wiped his mouth with a napkin and a small smile graced his features.

"I've dated a man before, myself." Daryl did not know what possessed him to tell the truth, but Theo barely seemed to register that answer.

"So … you like both?"

"Don't care for gender." Daryl fidgeted in his seat a bit, but shrugged again. It was a bad habit.

"I know what you mean." Theo confessed with a soft voice.

"You do?" This answer surprised him.

"Hmm … yes. Blaise always knew that he leaned more towards men, than women. As we knew Draco would never willingly choose a wife for his life's companion. Me, on the other hand, I never seemed to choose. Sometimes it was a male that caught my attention, then a female. Trust me, Blaise always caught my eye, but I never felt like he would want someone like me." Theo let out a soft breath. "Until he practically screamed it off the Astronomy tower, as he tried to ask me out. He even said that he was desperate for my attention."

Daryl smiled, as he could imagine the dark man flailing around a tower, professing his love for Theo in some dramatic way.

Theo drank the one cup of coffee that he allowed himself to drink every morning before he looked back at Daryl.

"He confessed in our eight year Hogwarts, after the war, that he had been so afraid of losing me and since he hadn't told me how he felt, the fool followed me to Hogwarts for our do-over year."

"Isn't that supposed to be a romantic thing?" Daryl said.

"Some say it is, yes. He would not have needed to come back, but I am really glad that he did." A smile graced the aristocratic face, and it made him look way more open, and spontaneous.

Daryl felt it creeping on his skin before he heard the footsteps come closer. Out of habit he closed his eyes, as he revelled in the powerful aura that came his way and he instinctively knew it was Harry. The wizard smelled like a different kind of thunder that felt intoxicating, which Daryl needed more of.

Damn you, Merle, was all he could think.

"Good morning Harry, did you sleep well?" Theo asked, but Daryl barely heard those words.

Harry looked battle-ready, like he had done when they first met. Hair in a sort of ponytail so to speak, with combat armour and the leather jacket that he usually wore.

"Morning Theo. I am well, thank you for asking. I've slept better and worse." The powerful wizard now turned his attention towards Daryl, and those green orbs seemed to pierce through him. "Would you mind accompanying me?"

Harry avoided his eyes, but Daryl didn't mind. From experience, Daryl knew that if he looked too long at those things, he could not stay in the present.

"Sure. Y'all expecting trouble?" He made a vague motion towards Harry's get-up. "Give me ten before we leave. I need to check my arrows."

"No, but I do need your opinion on something. Merle, Shane, and Ezra are already there." Harry's voice sounded tense, but Daryl let it slide. He would ask later.