A/N
Thanks for the interest from the chapter 1/teaser I posted! This story will show many different points of view. Chapter 1 was Julian, Chapter 2 is Draco. If you find this confusing please let me know, and I will try to make a more obvious POV header to show who we're following. I plan to keep it to one POV per chapter so hopefully that will keep it simple. You'll see many characters thoughts and reasons for their actions this way, both canon and original characters. Many of my favorite books do this and I think it's a fun way to explore the knowledge that different characters would have and allow you a better look at their personalities and backstories. I know it can get crazy though so please let me know if you think more notation is needed anywhere or if something isn't clear. This is a work in progress and I'm very open to constructive criticism and helpful tips. Also I'm a filthy American who is trying her best to use the correct terms for things so let me know if I've failed ;)
I'm sorry I can't reply to guest reviews so I'm putting this here, I'm stating again this is based on a dream I had and told my husband about on 6/24/23 (he's the one who encouraged me to write it down as he wants to see how it ends LOL) and it's not based on any other story I've ever read. I'm not a wattpad user but I do read on AO3 so if by some chance I've read and forgotten a story similar to this one please leave the name of the author/story so it can be credited. I cannot recall ever reading a story like this one, most stories I read are Hermione or Ginny centric so I'm surprised I'm here honestly. The story so far is incomplete and what happens beyond the scope of what I dreamed is being made up as I go. Happy reading!
Julian blinks at the hand outstretched towards him for a few agonizing moments and Draco's resolve wavers. Right before he withdraws his hand though the dark haired boy clasps it firmly and gives him wide a grin.
"I'm Julian." he says shaking Draco's hand with vigor.
Draco steps sideways and motions for Julian to step inside before following behind him and closing the doors.
"Welcome to Malfoy Manor." Draco says, gesturing broadly to the grand foyer they stand in.
Julian seems in awe, stepping forward and spinning slowly, seemingly wanting to absorb every detail of the manor. He looks familiar, though Draco cannot say from where. He wasn't in his year, or a year above or below, at Hogwarts. He would remember him he thinks. His hair is dark, nearly black, and his clothes are disheveled, though not dirty or unkempt.
"Now, will any Malfoy do or is there someone in particular you're looking for?" Draco asks.
Julian pauses his assessment and turns to face him, an uncertain look on his face.
"Who is your father?" he asks.
Draco pauses for a moment, thinking. This boy shows up here, demanding to see the Malfoy's yet doesn't know him or his father? It was only months ago their names and faces had been splashed across The Prophet's front page as they sat facing trial after the war. His mother was nearly immediately pardoned from Potter's testimony, and surprisingly his own came not long after. Apparently all three of the trio had all privately vouched to the minister that he'd saved them here in the manor. Potter was too righteous not to, Granger surprised him after all he'd done to her. Weasley though, Draco would have paid many galleons to have heard him say those words.
Regardless, Draco was now on high alert. Julian was roughly his own age. He had a similar accent. Even if had hidden from the war in Europe and didn't recognize him, you don't go through the English wizarding world without knowing who the Malfoy's were, at least before the war. So he was a muggleborn, a simple muggle wouldn't get past the repelling charms. And muggleborns did not like the Malfoy's.
"Lucius Malfoy, of course." Draco states, a little more hostile now.
Julian looks perplexed at this. If he was acting he was very talented. It was Draco's turn to be confused now as if he didn't even know their names, what could he possibly want with them?
"And your mother?" Julian asks.
"Narcissa Malfoy, née Black" Draco says, growing more frustrated by the second.
"Perhaps if you could just tell me who you are looking for?" Draco offers, attempting to steer the conversation towards something helpful as Julian seems to be thinking very hard.
Julian looks up at him, seemingly searching for the answer himself. After several moments, his shoulders droop and he sighs heavily.
"I shall talk to any and all who are available." he states, looking down the hallway into the depths of the manor.
Draco is stunned, but only for a moment. He snaps his fingers quickly. With a small pop, a house elf appears in front of them.
"Yes sir?" Mippy squeaks as she turns her large yellow orbs towards Draco.
"Inform Mother and Father we have a guest in the sitting room" he tells her as he gestures Julian to follow further into the manor. With another pop Mippy is gone and he strides towards the doors at the far end of the hall.
He only glances back occasionally to check Julian is following but the boy seems absorbed in the family portraits adorning the walls. He doesn't stop but he does step closer to many of them, looking at the name plates as they pass them.
After a few turns they arrive at the sitting room and Draco throws open the doors to the large space. One of his favorite rooms on this side of the manor, it's airy and bright and isn't stained by the taint of You-Know-Who. His mother had redone the space when he was a boy and it was beautiful with soft blues and whites. This room holds many fond memories of quiet afternoons spent playing chess or reading with her for Draco, and was a welcome hiding place during his school years, especially after fourth year.
He gestures to the large settees in the center of the room, indicating Julian should make himself comfortable. As he places himself opposite him on the matching sofa and leans back he hears the click of Father's cane nearing them.
His mother enters first, her lilac robes flowing beautifully around her heels. She seemed to be recovering from the war, her skin less sallow and her smile more easy. If he hadn't known to look, he would have missed the slight inquisitive lift of her brow before her gracious host smile plastered itself to her face as she swept across the room.
Draco responds with the smallest shrug and apologetic tilt of his head as his father enters, cane clacking and black robes billowing. House arrest was doing well for him. He may always carry his time in Azkaban with him, but he was no longer hunched and his eyes darted less these days. To the untrained eye he probably appeared back to his former glory.
"Draco, where are your manners?" his mother chastises playfully, snapping her fingers.
Mippy appears immediately with a pop.
"Mippy dear, refreshments for our guest."
"Yes Mistress" Mippy bows, disappearing quickly after.
Narcissa places herself next to Draco on the settee, while Lucius walks behind the sofa to stand slightly angled from them, both hands draped on the top of his serpent headed cane.
"Mother, Father, this is Julian, he has an urgent matter he needs to speak with us about." Draco gestures to Julian to indicate he may speak.
"Thank you Draco, but shouldn't we wait for the others?" Julian asks, looking out the sitting room doors as if someone might walk through any moment.
Narcissa is the first to respond, "Others?" she asks, directing her question more to Draco than Julian.
Draco just shrugs as Julian begins to speak again.
"I'd to speak to all the English Malfoy family, I am willing to wait if they are out and you must send for them." Julian leans back in his seat, as if to show he is ready for a long wait.
Now even Narcissa is having trouble disguising her confusion and concern as she turns to Lucius for assistance. Fortunately at that moment a tea tray appears on the table between them and she takes the opportunity to flick her wand to set the tea to fill and distribute itself.
After clearing his throat Lucius responds, "We are all accounted for, now get on with what you need."
This seems to stun Julian, he looks back and forth from Lucius to Narcissa to Draco and back several times, his mouth open in shock.
Finally he closes his mouth, shakes his head, and asks "What happened?"
Draco looks to his parents who both seem as confused as he is. Narcissa slows stirring her tea and looks to Lucius. When his father nods his head to Draco he turns back to Julian.
"I'm not sure what you mean Julian." Draco says, hoping at some point the boy's purpose here would become clear.
"There are no cousins Draco? No aunts, uncles, grandparents or other relatives in all of Britain?" Julian prods.
"The only cousins I have are in France and many generations separated." Draco states briskly.
Julian takes a deep breath, looking around again at the three faces staring back at him.
"I'm not sure where to start honestly." Julian trails off.
"Take your time" Narcissa says softly, looking at him with curiosity.
"I don't think you'll believe me. I'm not sure I believe me. I thought I was dreaming until a few hours ago honestly." Julian says, staring at his hands that hold a delicate piece of beautiful china full of steaming tea and honey.
"How about your name? What's your surname Julian?" Draco asks, hoping to at least get him started talking.
Julian locks eyes with Draco, taking a deep breath. He then looks to the ceiling before settling his eyes back on Narcissa who seems to be very interested in him now.
"That's the thing. My name is Julian Alexander Malfoy. My parents are Alexander Sebastian Malfoy and Helen Jane Williams. I have three sisters, Regina, Sabina, and Marcella and one brother, Anthony. I have too many cousins to count but my Malfoy grandparents were Sebastian Augustus Malfoy and Valeria Loraine Longbottom."
`Draco finds his own mouth agape and quickly closes it as Julian speaks. He looks to his mother who's head is cocked to one side, thinking. Lucius looks furious and stamps his cane on the floor before speaking again.
"Enough of this nonsense boy, I have no time for games" Lucius all but growls at him.
To his credit, Julian looks terrified of Lucius Draco notes. Whatever he had planned was not this.
"What if I could prove it?" Julian pleads, looking to Narcissa.
"And how do you propose to do that?" Lucius asks him gruffly.
Draco turns in surprise when it's his mother that responds.
"Enact the blood wards." she says calmly, staring directly at Julian.
At this Julian smiles broadly and starts nodding his head. "Yes that will work. Seal the grounds. When I enter again you'll know I speak the truth."
Lucius seems even more incensed at the proposal and Draco is starting to worry he will see the side of his father he thought died along with the Dark Lord.
"Mother, that may be an issue considering Father's current… ahem, condition." Draco placates, trying to gently steer the conversation towards another solution.
Narcissa only waves her hand in the air to dismiss them both. "You're of age now Draco, it's time you learned anyway. Your father will show you while I escort our guest to the gates."
With that she rises and motions to Julian to join her. He takes her offered arm and the two are gone before Draco even has a chance to protest.
With reluctance Draco looks at his father who's jaw is clenched and eyes are closed as he breathes deeply. When he opens his eyes he spots Draco and his eyes soften, if only minutely, and he nods at him.
"Best do as your mother says son, follow me." Lucius says with a shake of his head. Draco pops up immediately from the sofa and falls into step behind his father as they make their way through the halls of the manor.
Arriving at his study, his fathers stops with one hand on the handle of the door.
"She's right you know, you should learn. I won't be around forever." he says before opening the door.
That may be the most sentimental thing he's said to me in a decade Draco thinks to himself, following his father through the door to the study. The room seems the same as it always has. Rich wood tones and velvet dominate the décor, probably the same for at least the last two centuries. Many of the books held on these shelves are the journals of previous Lord Malfoy's, legal texts, or documents important to the running of the estate. Draco had learned about his duties as the Malfoy heir in this very room long before he stepped foot in Hogwarts.
Lucius walks to the portrait of his father, Abraxas Malfoy, that hangs in pride of place behind the large stately desk that occupies the center of the back wall. He raises his cane before hesitating and motioning Draco to join him.
"Speak the family motto, tap twice, and offer a drop of blood here." Lucius says, indicating a decorative inlay in the lower corner of the large portrait's frame.
"Sanctimonia Vincet Semper." Draco says, tapping twice where his father had shown with his wand and then using it to draw blood from his forefinger before smearing the same spot with his blood.
With hardly a sound the portrait swings forward, as if on hinges, to reveal a small alcove covered in ancient runes.
"Watch carefully now, it is spelled to harm if used incorrectly." his father warns, slowly showing him a complicated series of motions and which runes to touch.
"Use your finger, the one you've drawn from, not your wand." Lucius states as he steps back to allow Draco access to the alcove.
Closer now Draco inspects the runes before he begins. He recognizes the ones for blood and protection easily from his studies but many of the others hold no meaning for him. He follows the motions his father had just shown him, concentrating on making sure he does it correctly.
As he touches the last rune, all of them light up in a nearly blinding sliver light. Draco begins to hear a humming sound, or maybe he feels it. Before he can rightly determine the source the runes dim and the humming is gone leaving him dazed.
"What happened, did I do it incorrectly?" he asks nervously, watching for a trap to spring.
"No, you did very well." his father says and Draco whips around at the approval. His father's eyes were lit up with pride, though no smile stretched his lips.
"Now, lets get on with our day as I'm sure we'll see no more of the boy, and tonight I will show you how to deactivate the wards after dinner." Lucius strolls out of the room, his cane clacking ahead of him on the tile floors.
Draco catches up to him not far down the hallway and they fall into step again as they near the entrance hall. Narcissa is waiting for them at the open doors looking down the driveway towards the gates.
"Close the doors now Cissa, and join me for lunch in the parlor." Lucius says, offering her an arm she takes without hesitation. He steers her away from the doors, back into the manor, as the doors swing shut behind them.
Draco watches them as they walk slowly towards the front parlor, his mother's head dropping to rest on his father's shoulder when they pause to open the parlor doors.
Just as Draco makes up his mind to visit the kitchens to see what sweets he can scavenge he hears the front door open behind him. Shocked he turns to see Julian standing in the doorway smiling broadly at him.
He hears his mother gasp as she turns toward the sudden bright light invading the dark manor. She drops Lucius's arm and quickly strides towards where Draco is standing.
"Narcissa, did you not put him outside the gates?" Lucius asks, frustrated. "And why did you open the door to him Draco?"
Narcissa tuts at him and gives him a glare before turning back to Draco. "Of course I put him outside the gates," she says, smiling back at Julian.
"I didn't open the door Father," Draco says, backing away from Julian, "Are you sure the wards were done correctly?"
"Of course I am sure," Lucius responds sternly as he stands at Narcissa's side. "What I don't know is how he's gotten around them."
Julian raises his left hand in the air, his forefinger smeared with blood and a trail leading down towards the knuckles.
"I didn't go around them," he says, still smiling, "I opened them."
Lucius grunts, stamping his cane again but Narcissa lays her hand on his, stopping him.
"I believe him," she says, eyes bright and focused on Julian.
"Welcome to Malfoy Manor Julian," Narcissa says warmly, reaching her arms out for him and embracing him as though she'd known him his entire life, "Welcome home."