Chapter five
"Sectumsepra!" Lorcan watched stunned as blood arched through the air, covering the nearby white wall of the corridor, the person who had just tried to attack him hitting the floor with a dull thump as blood from the wound in their shoulder pumped blood out onto the carpet.
"Oh no you don't, Harrison is going to want to have a chat with you," Ginny snorted, waving her wand to create tight bandages to wrap around the wound and stem the blood flow just as Bellatrix coughed out a splutter of blood. "Dobby!"
"I is being getting Master Harrison," Dobby popped next to Ginny from nowhere and then as quickly popped out again.
Lorcan finally moved, stepping closer to Ginny and Bellatrix as he watched Ginny seal the mad woman's wand away in what looked like marble.
He had been doing as Harrison had suggested and had been spending time with Ginny and getting to know her better, he had also been able to get some information about Harrison from her, some she had knowingly given with an air of amusement, other bits she wasn't aware of what she had given away as Lorcan kept her talking.
He looked at the hole that was in the wall of the corridor where his head had been before Ginny tugged him out of the way, the second hole was much further away where he had deflected the other curse that had been fired directly at him, the hole was massive.
He turned a little wide-eyed when there was a loud pop behind them and Harrison was sprinting down the corridor towards them, looking more serious than Lorcan had ever seen him, and he looked furious and deadly, the image not helped by the fact that the front of his white shirt and grey robes were splashed with blood already.
Harrison skidded to a halt in front of Lorcan and Ginny and quickly took in the scene around them, his green eyes scanning everything in a second before he turned to Ginny.
"Go to Malakhi, now!" Harrison ordered, and with only a short nod Ginny spun and apparated out.
Lorcan opened his mouth to say…something, but then Harry drew his wand and summoned his Patronus, a massive gleaming stag emerging and stomping his feet impatiently on the corridor floor.
"Fenrir there has been an attack on Lorcan, I want you with Maribel right now!" Harrison ordered, and Lorcan watched the stag burst through the wall next to them, "Sirius, Remus, there has been an attack on Lorcan, I want you with Voldemort now!"
The second Stag emerged and shot away with the message, a third being summoned before it had passed through the wall, "Neville, there has been an attack on Lorcan, go to my father and protect him please,"
Harrison watched the Stag disappear and then summoned a fourth and last one "Rodolphus, Rabastan, Bill, McNair there has been an attack on Heir Lord Lorcan by Bellatrix, I want you around the perimeter checking all the wards, and making sure that no one called Malfoy is here either!"
Harrison turned away from the Stag before it could move and locked his eyes on Lorcan, his green eyes darkening furiously as he looked at him, his magic practically crackling around him in fury. When he reached out for Lorcan the blond half expected the touch to be hard, instead, his chin was taken between Harrison's finger and thumb gently, and he turned Lorcan's face slightly to the side.
"You're bleeding," Harrison said through gritted teeth.
"I…I didn't even feel anything," Lorcan blinked, reaching up and touching his cheek before looking at his fingers, shocked to see a fair bit of red staining his pale skin. He flicked his blue eyes to Harrison when the other reached out, and he carefully ran his finger along Lorcan's cheek and he could feel the magic dancing along his skin and reknitting the wound back together painlessly.
"Are you ok?" Harrison asked concerned, his green eyes intently scanning over Lorcan's face.
"Y…yes, I think I am in a little bit of shock, Ginny protected me though, you were right she is fierce with her wand," Lorcan said, but instead of the chuckle, or even smile he hoped that would bring to Harrison's face, it remained stony and furious.
"Dobby, remove her to the dungeon, now," Harrison commanded, and the House Elf popped in.
"Is ickle baby Potter going to punish me? My Lord will never allow it!" Bellatrix laughed through the blood that was in her mouth. Lorcan watched Harrison's eyes darken even further, and his hand slipped down Lorcan's face to come rest on his shoulder as he raised his other hand palm up, and then clenched it rapidly shut, the cry Bellatrix let out when the marble that encased her wand shattered into dust with hints of wood visible in the middle of it brought a vicious smirk to Harrison's face.
"You misunderstand Bellatrix, I apologise. I am not going to punish you," Harrison said with such a false sense of calm that both Lorcan and Bellatrix's eyes went quickly to him, "I am going to torture you to make sure that I get every piece of information from you that I need if you will not just tell me I will rip every thought, every plan, every name that I need from your mind, and then I am going to kill you,"
"You…you can't I am…"
"You attacked Our Lord's son! His Heir! If you think that Voldemort is going to do anything but want your death to be as painful and miserable as possible you are madder than I thought. And even if Our Lord did not wish it, I would kill you anyway for attacking him. Your last hours are going to be long, miserable and you are going to regret everything, and it will all be at my hand. Take her Dobby please," Harrison said, and the House Elf gripped her by her ankle before popping out, Bellatrix reached for the dust that was her wand before she disappeared.
"Harrison?" Lorcan asked a little shakily, and Harrison's attention was back on him in a second.
"I am sorry," Harrison said, which was the last thing that Lorcan was expecting.
"What for?" he asked a little incredulously.
"This should not have happened to you, you should never have been at risk like this within your home," Harrison grit his teeth.
"This was not your fault, it is hers and my Father's for not dealing with them when it became clear that they would never accept and respect me or my dad," Lorcan shook his head.
"They won't get away with this now, I will have all their heads for this," Harrison cupped Lorcan's face again, right over where he had been injured.
"And if my Father says no?" Lorcan frowned.
"I will have their heads," Harrison repeated, and Lorcan shuddered a little with the intenseness in his voice, "I will not have you living in fear,"
"Harrison…" Lorcan started to say, but he wasn't sure what else to say to the other as he gazed up at him and the fury on his face that he was feeling, for Lorcan, because of what had happened to him.
"I will take you to your dad, and then I will be going and dealing with Bellatrix," Harrison said, "may I apparate you?"
"Of course," Lorcan nodded. His breath caught when Harrison's arm wrapped around his shoulders and he was pulled closer to Harrison's larger body, and then they were apparating out and appearing in his dad's study.
"Lorcan!" Malaki cried out as soon as they appeared, running towards his son and quickly wrapping his arms around him.
"You were hurt?" Maribel scowled, touching her Grandson's pale cheek where the stains of his blood were still visible, running down his neck and staining the collar of his shirt.
"Harrison healed me," Lorcan assured her and his dad when Malakhi pulled back from the hug to inspect his face.
"There has been no sign of anything," Fenrir said, Ginny, nodding in agreement when Harrison turned to them.
"Take the three of them to Voldemort, Ginny show him what happened and tell him that I am going to be in the dungeons with Bellatrix," Harrison ordered and the two bowed to him.
"I hope you are going to be dealing with her properly?" Maribel frowned as she wiped the blood from Lorcan's cheek with a dampened tissue.
"She will not live past this night, but she will give me everything that I want from her before she goes," Harrison promised darkly, his face clearly still showing how utterly livid he was about what had happened.
"Good," Malakhi nodded sharply as he hugged Lorcan again.
"You do not leave their sides!" Harrison looked to Fenrir and Ginny who nodded in understanding.
"Harrison…" Lorcan reached out and caught Harrison's hand before he could apparate out. He did not say anything else, but Harrison's face gentled a little, and he raised Lorcan's hand to kiss the back of it before releasing him and apparated to the dungeon.
"Hem," Malakhi coughed slightly amused despite the situation, and Lorcan who was now blushing a bright red and a little open-mouthed turned in his dad's arms, remembering that the others were there.
"I like that boy!" Maribel laughed.
"Come, my Lords, Lady, we need to get you to Voldemort before Harrison returns," Ginny smiled at them, but her wand was still in her hand.
"Come," Malakhi wrapped his arm around Lorcan's shoulders and Maribel linked their arms on his other side before they left the room with Fenrir guarding their back and Ginny at their front, leading the way through the few corridors to Voldemort's study, Nagini slithering to them halfway there and moving at their side.
"..going to punish him for this! WHAT HAS HAPPENED!" Voldemort was shouting when they walked into his study, Sirius and Remus were standing in front of him patiently, but looking alert and worried.
"Voldemort!" Malakhi said sharply as they walked into the room.
"What has happened, are you ok, they ha…" Voldemort froze as he turned to them, and then crossed the room in three quick steps, reaching out and turning Lorcan's head to the side to look at the blood stains still on his neck and collar, "what happened?" he asked calmly, too calmly.
"Bellatrix attacked me, Ginerva protected me and took her down," Lorcan answered.
"What happened to your face? This is Harrison's magic that healed you, but there was a serious wound there," Voldemort asked coldly as he brushed his finger accurately down the line of where the wound had been.
"One of her spells hit the wall when I deflected it and a piece of the wall cut my face. Ginerva sent for Harrison after she had sealed Bellatrix's wand away and had incapacitated her," Lorcan explained.
"Where is she now? And where is Harrison?" Voldemort asked.
"She is in the dungeon, with Harrison," Malakhi said, and Voldemort nodded.
"You stay with my family and take them to James Potter's room and ward it. You need to stay there until we know that it is safe," Voldemort nodded stepping back.
"What are you going to do to her?" Malakhi asked wrapping his arm around their son.
"Do you really need to ask this?" Voldemort frowned, turning to his husband.
"She and the Malfoys have repeatedly disrespected and insulted me and our son, and they still walked around this manor! She was still able to be in this manor to try and kill my son!" Malakhi snapped and Voldemort actually stepped back in shock.
"I never thought that she would attack you, I was…I should have dealt with them immediately, you're right, there is no way that she should have been allowed anywhere near this manor or you the minute it was obvious that she was not going to accept your positions in my life," Voldemort stopped himself and spoke honestly, closing his eyes.
"Voldemort…" Malakhi said stunned, clearly not having been expecting this, which if anything made Voldemort even more…defeated if anything.
"You are my family, my son, my husband, no one and nothing takes priority over you, nothing ever will. Everything that I am doing, I am doing to give you the life and world that you both deserve, to give you everything that I can. I would kill them all if it meant keeping you safe," Voldemort shook his head, stepping forward and carefully cupping Lorcan's cheek where it had been injured, turning and brushing his fingers lovingly over Malakhi's cheek.
"About time you showed it, boy!" Maribel interrupted.
"Yes, it is," Voldemort grimaced but agreed.
"Voldemort," Malakhi blinked.
"I want you to go to James Potter's room and ward yourselves in, I am going to join Harrison and the two of us will make sure that it is safe, that you are safe, I will come and get you once we are done," Voldemort said, and Lorcan frowned when he turned away when he saw that there was a sadness in his eyes.
Before he could stop himself he found himself reaching out and catching his father's hand, Voldemort turned to him a little wide-eyed, but after a second he closed his hand around Lorcan's.
"Be careful," Lorcan said after a moment.
"I will be, Harrison and I will return once this is dealt with utterly," Voldemort nodded before turning and walking out the door, the sharp crack of his apparation letting them know he had made his way to Harrison and the dungeon.
Lorcan looked down when he felt something touching his leg.
*Do not worry nestling, my Harrison and your Father will take care of everything,* Nagini assured him.
*They are going after them, I am worried that they will attack them, especially Harrison,* Lorcan sighed.
*Separately they are powerful, together they will be absolutely fine, they are terrifying when they put their minds together, and their magic,* Nagini said twining herself up his body and wrapping herself around his shoulders as Sirius, Remus, and Ginny started moving them from the room.
*They are very alike,* Lorcan said slowly.
*Too alike sometimes, it is why they bump heads so much,* Nagini gave a snake chortle.
James Potter had been more than a little bemused when they had made their way into his rooms and started transfiguring furniture for them all, Harrison's Dobby popping in with various other bits of furniture, food, blankets, and anything else that they might need.
James, Lorcan, Malakhi, and Maribel had been confused when Dobby had added to the wards that Ginny, Sirius, and Blaise placed around the room while Neville and Remus set up the room just in case they were in here for a while.
Then they had settled down for the wait. James had taken a little reassuring that Harrison would be safe, especially working with Voldemort, when they had explained to him the reason they were all in his rooms, but it seemed Sirius and Remus' reassurances that Harrison would be more than ok had calmed him down enough to relax.
Lorcan sat nervously next to his grandmother reading through some of the books for his research that Harrison had asked him to look into while watching James Potter and his dad talking and seemingly bonding over…well Lorcan had no idea, but they seemed to be getting on incredibly well.
It was seven hours later that there was a small crack against their wards, all of them tensing inside the room before Sirius let out a relieved sigh.
"It is them," He said waving his hand and taking down the wards, straight away Harrison and Voldemort appeared in the room.
The two of them looked impressive, it was the only word that could be used. Despite the fact that they had been going none stop, had clearly been in at least a couple of duals going by the marks on their robes despite the obvious cleaning charms that they had used, they were practically humming with power, their eyes snapping with it as they looked over the group in the room to ensure that they were safe.
"It is dealt with," Voldemort said.
"How many were there?" Maribel asked standing and brushing down her robes.
"Seven of them," Harrison answered making his way over to Lorcan, he carefully took his chin and moved his face to the side to check over his cheek, ensuring that it was fully healed and that Bellatrix had not used a curse that would reopen the wound after it was healed.
"We tracked them all down and took them to the dungeon," Voldemort nodded.
"We tortured them to ensure that there was no one else, we are both satisfied that there is not," Harrison added, glancing to where James was pulling himself up into a seated position on the bed.
James blanched a little, but he grit his teeth and nodded his understanding to both what Harrison had just said, but also the unspoken understanding of the reasoning behind Harrison doing what he had done. He clearly did not 100% agree with Harrison's actions, but more importantly, he understood the reasons behind them.
Sirius reached out and took James' hand where he was laying next to him on the bed, squeezing his friend's hand gently in support.
"The Malfoys?" Lorcan asked after a moment, reaching up and wrapping his hand around Harrison's wrist where he was still holding his chin. He pulled Harrison's hand away but when green eyes turned onto him he lowered their hands, but kept his fingers wrapped around Harrison's wrist, his thumb rubbing over the warm skin of his pulse.
"All of them were involved and have been dealt with," Harrison nodded.
"Lucius thought that he would put Draco into my bed," Voldemort wrinkled his nose in utter disgust.
"His expression when Lucius admitted that one was hilarious," Harrison snorted.
"You did not have to laugh as hard as you did!" Voldemort huffed.
"I will share the memory with you, his face was hilarious," Harrison snickered.
"You will not share it!" Voldemort scowled.
"Stop me," Harrison stuck his tongue out at Voldemort startling a laugh from Lorcan and Malakhi.
"Come, let us all get some sleep, I think we all need it right now," Maribel stepped in.
"I am exhausted," Ginny sighed nodding.
"We will stay here," Remus smiled pulling his shoes off and climbing into the bed with Sirius and James, James in the middle of the two of them.
"Sleepover!" Sirius cheered.
"May I escort you back to your room?" Harrison asked Lorcan.
"Thank you," Lorcan nodded.
"I would like the rest of you to be in my rooms for lunch tomorrow at 12:00 to discuss this situation and where we are going," Harrison said to Ginny, Neville, Blaise, Fred, and George, "I will be summoning the others as well,"
"Of course," Ginny nodded.
"We will see you then, I hope you will have plenty of coffee ready for us though," Neville smiled.
"I will make sure that I have plenty of caramel lattes for you all," Harrison chuckled.
"You know the best way into our hearts!" Blaise yawned.
"I will make sure that there are donuts as well," Harrison smirked.
"You are really pushing the boat out for us!" Bill stood and stretched. "We will see you then,"
"I think we need to talk about a few things," Voldemort said softly to Malakhi.
"Yes, I think that we do need to speak about a few things and get a few things off of our chests," Malakhi nodded. Voldemort looked concerned with this, but he inclined his head.
"I will see you later," Lorcan said concerned looking between his father and dad, his hand tightening around Harrison's wrist.
"I am glad you are ok, and I am sorry that it reached this point," Voldemort said quietly, cupping Lorcan's cheek, and looking down into his son's wide blue eyes.
"I…" Lorcan clearly didn't know what to say.
"I will ensure that Lorcan and Maribel are safely in their rooms," Harrison stepped in.
"Thank you," Voldemort said to him.
"Thank you, for everything Harrison," Malakhi stepped forward and to Harrison's shock wrapped his arms tightly around him.
"Any time my Lord," Harrison said softly wrapping his free arm around the slightly smaller man and squeezing him gently. "Any time,"
"Come," Malakhi took Voldemort's arm and led him from the room.
"The rest of you will be ok?" Harrison asked looking them over.
"We will set wards before we sleep," Sirius promised.
"I will see you all later," Harrison made his way over to the bed when Lorcan released his wrist, leaning down to kiss all three men on the cheek before going back to Maribel and Lorcan as his team apparated out.
"Ready," Maribel said before Harrison could even open his mouth and linked her arm through his, "my son-in-law is creeping and bought me a ridiculously luxurious bed, as good as the cushioning charms were on those chairs I want to lie down and have a proper sleep," she added tugging him forward.
"Of course, we will get you there with post haste," Harrison said a little amused.
"As it should be," Lorcan agreed, slipping his arm through Maribel's other arm and the three of them left with a few last goodbyes.
The walk down the corridor was a quiet one with how tired everyone was, and soon enough they were at Maribel's suite. Harrison stepped further down the corridor to give grandson and grandmother some privacy as Maribel was clearly comforting herself and Lorcan after what had happened.
It was five minutes later that Harrison turned his head from where he had been looking out the window in front of him, monitoring the corridor with his magic to ensure that no one snuck up on them despite being confident that he and Voldemort had caught all the conspirators, turning he met Lorcan's blue eyes as he walked towards him, his blond curls a slight riot around his face.
"Harrison, a moment," Maribel demanded rather than requested just after Lorcan had passed him, making the two young men turn to her a little confused, but Harrison moved anyway, making his way towards the older woman.
He was quite impressed with the wandless silencing charm that she cast around them as she reached up and cupped Harrison's face, tugging him down so that she could look intently into his eyes.
"You are good for him, and you clearly care for him a lot, I trust that you will protect him and guard over him. You look at him in a very special way Harrison, however, you are also close to my son-in-law and I will not watch my grandson suffer the way I have watched my son suffer for who he chose to give his heart to," Maribel said lowly.
"I would kill anyone that stood between Lorcan and his happiness. I can't promise never to cause him heartache, but I will do everything I can to make sure that he is safe and happy, even if he does not give me a chance," Harrison said honestly.
"Hmmm, he has been hurt a lot with everything with his father, his trust is not something that is easy to come by, and yet you seem to have a good amount of it already,"
"I won't abuse that," Harrison said.
"See that you don't. Now I am off to bed, I will see you at some point soon when I raise back to consciousness," Maribel released him and the silencer and waved him off.
"I am not even going to bother asking what that was about, she will have cast a secrecy spell on you," Lorcan snorted as soon as Harrison reached him, the two of them carrying on down the hallway.
"She did before she cast the silencing spell, I almost didn't notice it," Harrison said impressed.
"Most people would never notice it until they tried to speak the secret," Lorcan chuckled as they stopped outside his rooms. "Thank you,"
"For what? Ginny was the one that protected you," Harrison said.
"For making sure that she would be there to protect me, for making me feel safe after, and for helping remove the threat to myself and my dad," Lorcan shook his head.
"I told you, I will do anything for you, to keep you safe, I am your weapon," Harrison smiled.
"Did you do it because 'you are my weapon' or because of the gift you sent me?" Lorcan narrowed his eyes, tilting his head back in challenge.
"Both, they are neither mutually exclusive nor is one dependent on the other. Should you not want me, I would not stop doing everything to protect you and being your weapon, just as should you choose to give me a chance," Harrison answered.
"I want a partner, not a weapon!" Lorcan bristled before freezing and looking up when Harrison cupped his cheek for what felt like the millionth time that day, but it didn't stop his skin from heating from the touch, and the spark he felt when he looked into those shining green eyes full of life and mischief never failed to cause a jump in his stomach.
"Whatever happens, you are my Lord, and my magic is yours. I can be your partner while recognising that you are above me in station, and wanting to do everything that I can to assist you and ensure you are safe. My Lord…Lorcan, you are…"
Lorcan watched Harrison try and find the words, clearly weighing them up in his head before speaking them.
"You will always have my protection, my wand, my magic, and I will always support you in whatever it is that you wish to do, however, it is that you wish for me to be in your life,"
"I…don't believe that I have ever met anyone like you before," Lorcan said a little more breathlessly than he would like, Harrison smiled boyishly at him, the slight tilt to his mouth as attractive as ever.
"That is a good thing and a bad thing I believe," He chuckled.
"I have not quite decided," Lorcan lied.
"Will you be ok by yourself?" Harrison asked concerned.
"I…" Lorcan glanced to his door and bit his lip, the madness in Bellatrix's eyes flashing through his mind.
"I can stay in your living room, your sofa is more than spacious," Harrison offered.
"I can not ask you to do that, especially not when you have been running around after those traitors for hours," Lorcan frowned.
"Except you didn't ask, I offered, and I have slept in far more uncomfortable places than your sofa. I will be able to sleep perfectly well, probably better than I would in my bed worrying if you are ok," Harrison admitted, "I swear I will not try anything untoward!" He added, concerned about holding his hands up.
"That is not a worry that I have, I do not believe for one moment you would push my boundaries," Lorcan snorted. "If you do not mind, then, please, I would appreciate knowing you are close by, I think I will sleep better,"
Harrison could see the difficulty it took for Lorcan to admit that he wanted help, that he wanted Harrison to stay, so Harrison just inclined his head and then reached out to open the door for Lorcan.
The ceiling of the main room was sparkling with the night stars from Harrison's spell, it would only stay that way for the next few hours normally, except Lorcan had realised that Harrison had managed to weave into the spell the ability to hold it on one time of the day. They both stepped into the room and Harrison cast wards over the door until he was satisfied and then turned to see Lorcan watching him.
"I will get you a duvet and cushion," Lorcan said a little awkwardly turning and hurrying to the bedroom leaving Harrison smiling after him. The blond returned only a moment later with his arms full and before Harrison could step forward and take them off of him, he made his way to the sofa and started making it up for Harrison, extending it out a little so that it would be more comfortable for him. Harrison watched with a hope that was increasingly growing inside of him as Lorcan could only be described as fussing as he got the sofa ready.
"Are you sure that you are going to be ok sleeping here?" Lorcan asked concerned as he finished and turned to Harrison, only to find him standing right behind him.
"I am sure, I would rather be here and know that I can keep you safe after what happened, I would not sleep properly in my room concerned for you," Harrison shook his head.
"Ok, thank you, Harrison," Lorcan glanced at his feet and seemed uncertain as to what to do, or what Harrison now expected.
"Sleep well My Lord," Harrison smiled gently at him.
"I want you to call me Lorcan," the blond looked up at him with a set to his jaw.
"Sleep well Lorcan," Harrison took his hand and kissed it.
"Sleep well Harrison," Lorcan said a little breathlessly before turning and hurrying through to his bedroom, pausing for a moment to meet green eyes before he shut the door and retreated to his bed, exhausted after the events of the day, but also his mind ticking over a thousand things, including the conversation that his parents were having right now no doubt and what that could mean, and the man getting himself comfortable on Lorcan's sofa just on the other side of the door.
Word had spread quickly around the manor and the Death Eaters by the next day, word of the attack on Lorcan, but more than that the reaction of Ginny Weasley, and Harrison and Voldemort in retaliation for what had been done.
Lorcan had been a little worried that the attack would make them look weak, but it seemed the opposite had happened, Ginny Weasley was suddenly understood to magically be Harrison's second and not having received the place through favouritism, no matter how insane Bellatrix had been she was a skilled witch and dueller, but Ginny had managed her easily.
The retaliation that Harrison and Voldemort had met out to those that had planned on attacking Lorcan and Malakhi had been swift and thorough, it was clear that the two of them together was something to be feared yes, but what was more to be feared was the way that they worked together, they were clearly something to be terrified of separately, together they seemed to be a nightmare. There was apparently a hole in the side of Malfoy manor that would attest to that.
Lorcan made his way into his dad's sitting room, making his way to the bay of windows that Malakhi loved sitting in front of, and as he had expected, found his dad sitting there. He was looking out the window, looking tired and a little lost.
"Are you ok?" Lorcan asked softly as he came around the chair and sat down in the one opposite his dad's.
"Lorcan," Malakhi smiled tiredly, waving his wand to pour a cup of tea for his son that levitated over to him. "I am ok, I guess that there were a couple of things that I had been suppressing and needed to get off of my chest. We were up late talking and shouting, but we are ok,"
"I was concerned for you," Lorcan admitted.
"I know, and I am sorry that I allowed it to build up to this point. We have reached a much better place where your Father understands how I am feeling, how I have felt, and what I want and expect going forward. And talking to each other means I properly understand what he went through, how he felt having to be away from us. I knew that it had hurt him, but I did not truly understand how much it hurt him to be away from us, to not see you grow up and be there for you growing up. He did not tell me how much it hurt him because he blamed himself for everything that he was putting us through and did not want to gain sympathy for himself as he saw it," Malakhi sighed, shaking his head.
"I am glad that things are better for the two of you, and I want to try with him, I want to do better with him," Lorcan said honestly.
"Hmm, a conversation about what is going on with you and Harrison with him would probably be a good way to head off a lot of drama and shouting between the two of you," Malakhi smirked a little at Lorcan as he looked at him from the corner of his eyes.
"How did you find out!" Lorcan groaned, covering his blushing face.
"Gretchen," Malakhi chuckled. "She assured me that Harrison spent the whole time asleep on your sofa,"
"He…he offered after what had happened, and…"
"You trust him and feel safe with him?" Malakhi offered when Lorcan seemed unsure what to say.
"Yes," Lorcan sighed dropping back into his seat.
"And why is this a bad thing?" Malakhi asked, turning fully to his son.
"It isn't, and it is, I just… he is father's second, and I barely know him but I…"
"There is no need to make an immediate decision, I am not expecting you to announce your wedding next week, spend time with him, get to know him, but listen to your heart and your magic and don't allow your fears of your relationship becoming like mine and your father's get in the way of the happiness that you could have. Even though he is your father's second, he is not your father and the circumstances are very very different, Harrison's presence alone has ensured that," Malakhi smiled taking his son's hand.
Lorcan looked intently at his dad for a moment before he smiled and nodded. They talked about what had happened for a little while, settling into their seats and discussing the different issues that had arisen because of the attack and Harrison and Voldemort's reaction to it, Malakhi also told Lorcan in a little more detail what exactly had happened and what the two had done while they had been away from the manor mopping up the filth.
"What on the earth…" Malakhi muttered standing and making his way to the window at the sound of shouts of laughter followed by a roar, before snorting in laughter himself.
"What is…" Lorcan's query was cut short as he stopped at the window next to his dad and looked down at the grounds as well.
"I believe that you and Harrison have more in common than we thought," Malakhi smirked before he wrapped his arm around his son and apparated them both into the grounds, appearing right next to James Potter who was seated on a transfigured chair and was wrapped in liberal blankets, laughing brightly as he watched a giant black lion swatting a black dog away from him lazily.
"Very impressive," Malakhi said as the dog tried to sneak up on the lion and grab his tail, only to huff annoyed when the lion lay down and moved its tail out the way, the second attempt at the tail was as unsuccessful as the lion suddenly drew back it's back leg and kicked the dog lazily away from himself.
The lion's ears perked up and he stood to his full height, shaking himself out to ensure that his wild mane was as fluffed out as possible before trotting over and nudging Lorcan in the belly.
"You're going to take me off of my feet Harrison," Lorcan laughed wrapping his fingers into that mane to keep his feet. The lion chuffed and sat down, emerald green eyes looking as stunning in lion form as they did in his human form.
The Grimm dog yelped in terror when his sneak attack on Harrison while he was distracted was prevented by a sleek coyote hitting him from the side, Sirius looked around confused until he realised that Malakhi was missing and the coyote had taken his place. He yelped again when the coyote snapped at him, getting him scrambling and racing away, the coyote hot on his heels.
Lorcan looked down at Harrison and hesitated for a few moments, his hands absently stroking through Harrison's soft fur as he clearly weighed up his choice. James sat and watched them out of the corner of his eyes while pretending to be enthralled by the sight of Sirius being chased terrified around the gardens.
Lorcan finally made his choice and before Harrison's shocked gaze his human form melted away, and in its place stood a smaller lion, his fur so light it almost looked white, stunning blue eyes gazing up at him. Lorcan chuffed in clear amusement at the expression on Harrison's face, bumping himself against him before he raced off.
"I think he wants you to chase him, you may want to put your tongue back in and go after him," James chuckled. Harrison's mouth snapped shut and he blinked at his dad before letting out a soft noise, he bumped his hand with his large nose before turning and racing after the smaller light lion, his larger legs and feet eating up the space that had grown between them.
"This is going to be incredibly interesting," Fenrir said as he transfigured a seat for himself and settled down next to James. The other looked at him a little nervously, clearly knowing who he was, clearly knowing that Fenrir and Remus had made peace with each other and were working on their relationship with Remus understanding the magical pull that Fenrir had had towards him, especially when he had learned that Remus was mortally ill and realised that he could not wait for Remus to become an adult before he bit him, it was still a lot for his mind to catch up on.
"I think interesting may be an understatement," James snorted.
They turned to watch the dark lion carefully try and tackle the white lion, only to end up tumbling to the ground and looking around shocked when Lorcan moved rapidly out of the way before turning and smacking Harrison gently on the nose before taking off again, Harrison taking a second to gather himself before he narrowed his eyes and took off after Lorcan.
Brown eyes narrowed as they watched the interaction, watching Harrison chase after Lorcan, the lighter lion clearly having fun and teasing Harrison. They were furious as they watched the interaction, and watched as not only James and Fenrir watched them, but Malakhi and Sirius returned to their human forms and made their way over to the other two to watch the lions playing. They were furious, utterly furious! They could not believe that they were watching this interaction, that they were having to watch the two get closer, that they were watching Malakhi seem to approve of this!
They would have to be even more careful with everything that had happened with Bellatrix and the Malfoys and the other idiots that had been involved in the pathetic attempt of an attack, they were already barely getting by being found out, they had nearly been caught by Harrison a few too many times, and some of them had been a little too close for comfort, it was only the trust that Harrison had in them that prevented them from being found out. They would have to be careful, but they had their plans on how they were going to be able to get exactly what they wanted.
All they needed was a little more time.
