AN: So I know this has been a long wait for this chapter :( Everything that was going on in my life meant I had no real time for writing. This isn't the longest chapter in the world, but I now have fingers to keyboard again and the muses seem to be willing to work with me again so it will definitely not be as long for the next chapter I promise.
To everyone who has stuck with this flaky authoress I thank you and hope you enjoy the update.
Lucius headed straight to his study when he arrived home from lunch with Heiress Potter-Black feeling rather buoyant at the realisation that she didn't disapprove of his intended seduction or courtship of her brother. He had been prepared to deal with some hesitance on her part to accept him as part of her brother's life and had even started to think of ways to try and win her round to his way of thinking, his library was his biggest bargaining tool. He was glad that such tactics were unnecessary however as he was sure that if Harry was to find out he probably wouldn't approve.
He had hoped that they would join him for dinner that evening, but he supposed that the next night was just as good. It would give him more time to think over his next steps now that the timeline had changed and he didn't have to spend the next few months scheming to remove the Weasley girl from Harry's side. Harry's owl arriving with a letter was a now almost daily occurrence so when it appeared he took the letter expecting it to be a letter of general friendly correspondence that they had progressed to recently, not a response to his earlier letter that he had almost completely forgotten that he had sent.
Harry's desire to have dinner with him anyway, despite the fact they would be dining together the next evening pleased Lucius and had him scrambling for some parchment to send an immediate reply. He watched the owl wing its way back to Harry and then began to franticly rack his brain for something to serve for dinner now that he knew that it would just be him and Harry. Had Heiress Potter-Black been joining them then he would have instructed his elves to make a four or five course meal. As it was just going to be the two of them though he wanted something a bit more intimate than a formal meal. A romantic candlelit meal was out of the question at this early stage, it was too overt for his plans at the moment. Unaware as Harry was of his planned seduction, a romantic dinner would surely make the other man question him. It was too soon for that talk yet though, Harry had just got out of his relationship with the Weasley chit, Lucius was not about to become anyone's rebound relationship; especially not Harry's. Lucius wanted more than that and he was willing to be patient to get it. By the time Harry realised what exactly Lucius was looking for from him they would have already had several unintentional dates.
Lucius' issue with the menu was that he wanted the length of time involved with a five course meal to spend time with Harry, but he didn't want to stand on ceremony or be bound by rigid etiquette that would be present with a formal meal. He had meals alone with Harry like that before as a teaching tool, but he wanted to step away from that, he needed Harry to see him as something other a teacher. He wanted the meal to be them as equals spending time together as friends, not as student and mentor. He wanted to test the waters of a shift to a more companionable relationship, Harry still had lessons to take on board and learn, but Lucius was hoping to relay them differently. Now that the harridan was out of the picture he wanted to try and break down any remaining barriers that stopped him and Harry from being equal. He wanted their lessons to be more friends enjoying a discourse on a subject than him lecturing a student like he was at the orphanage.
An idea took root in his mind and he called for two of his house elves, one to prepare the family dining room for dinner and the other, the elf he used for tasks outside the manor, to procure the meal he had in mind. He then retreated to his rooms to get ready for dinner, leaving everything in the hands of his very capable elves, knowing that when he and Harry reached the dining room dinner would be set out under a warming charm for them as requested.
Knowing that Harry would dress, not to impress but rather to fit with the standards Lucius had set, Lucius dressed in an impeccable set of robes that Narcissa had always said made him look handsome. It was a set that was one of his favourites, and one that he had never worn in public, it was a set of robes he only ever wore for dinners with his family. It seemed strange in a way that someone other than Narcissa, Draco or Severus would see these robes, but a little thrilling at the same time. Harry wouldn't even be aware of the significance of the robes or what they meant to Lucius, they had been a gift from Draco his fifth Yule and they still fit him perfectly.
Wandering back down to the family dining room he was pleased to see that the elves had set the small four person table for the two of them, rather than one of the larger tables. Normally they would use a table that sat six for him Narcissa and Draco, but the smaller table was more intimate and more in line with his plans for the evening. He made his way to the entrance hall in order to meet Harry who arrived punctually, Lucius was rubbing off on him in one way at least, before leading him to the drawing room for some drinks before dinner.
"Thank you for inviting me," Harry said as he accepted the drink Lucius had poured him, "I think Winky was getting ready to drag me out of the library if I didn't move soon. I think she was getting irritated with dealing with all the mail herself."
"How was the response to your statement?" Lucius asked as he led him to the seating area.
Harry groaned, "I think my kitchen is full of parchment. Winky seemed like she wanted to set several stacks on fire. She gave me an overview before I left, I had several people offering to be my girlfriend despite my stating that I didn't want one, others were offering to do all sorts of things to both Ginny and Molly. I think there must have been at least ten offers of daughters as contract brides, coming from women who aren't even the head of the family; I have several rejection letters to write in the morning."
Lucius tried not to growl out loud at the thought of the families that were no doubt trying to social climb. Instead he just nodded in commiseration, offering his help and advice if needed before steering the conversation to pleasanter topics. As Lucius led him to the family dining room they spoke on the research that Harry had immersed himself in, he was currently looking into the formation of the House of Wizards and the magic and rituals involved in creating the first council.
Inviting the other man to sit, Lucius took the chair opposite him and clapped his hands to signify to the elves that he wanted their meal to appear. Harry's eyes seemed to light up in wonder at the smaller dishes that seemed to span the middle of the table. "I thought we would try something different tonight." Lucius commented, "A change from standing on ceremony and the formal dining the pureblood houses are known for. You mentioned wishing to try food from other cultures so I had the elves prepare us some Chinese dishes that we could sample."
"Thank you." Harry smiled at him, a bright genuine smile that did things to Lucius' insides that would make him sound like a Hufflepuff if he tried to explain. "This is brilliant. Hermione has been going to take me to a Chinese restaurant but with everything that has been happening we haven't had the time to go yet. It will be nice to know that I like some of the dishes and can choose something to eat when I get there."
Lucius let a small smile cross his face at Harry's enthusiasm before he started to explain what each dish was, allowing Harry to serve himself first before filling his own plate. Dinner conversation started with Harry's exclamations of joy at the food and then turned to a discussion of their various likes and dislikes. It was a very different evening to what Lucius was used to, but not something that he would be adverse to repeating again soon.