Second Gift

School had started again. Scorpius and Teddy were back with their friends, learning things that may or may not aid their future. Harry walked into Gringotts after dropping the boys off that morning. He was heading down to see Vekk again. All he could do was hope that whatever the Tinkerer wanted to test, it wouldn't hurt as much as last time. He knocked on the door and waited until it opened.

"Ah, perfect, you are here. Come in, come in. I was just finishing the set-up for today. I believe that I have cracked the code, but we shall see how well I have done. Glint should be here any moment in case I mess up again. We don't want you in pain like that," Vekk said as he led Harry over to a rather strange looking contraption.

Harry sat down and waited as Vekk strapped him in. It was uncomfortable, but he could take a bit of discomfort if it meant that Vekk could figure something out. He gasped as a strange sound moved through him. Then he heard it… it was muffled, but that was a voice. "Vekk," he said.

"Just … I … calibrate … machine," Vekk said and Harry heard him. It was distant, though. As Vekk messed about with the machine, his voice became clearer.

Glint walked in and sat down next to Harry. "How is it going?" she asked.

"I can hear him," Harry said. "I think he is trying to figure out how to replicate this without this contraption now, though. The more data he can gather, the more he has to work with."

Glint smiled as she reached out to clutch his hands. Even if they could only give him limited hearing, it would be nice to give him something.

"So," Vekk said as he removed the device from Harry. "Good news or bad news?" he asked.

"Let's go with the bad news," Harry said.

"I cannot get you hearing again," Vekk said. "There is too much trauma and damage done, and you have lived like this for too long by now. Since you are a mage, your body adapts more easily, both for better and for worse."

Harry nodded. "I see," he said. "So, the good news?" he asked.

"I am fairly certain that I could create something that would tune you to a single person," Vekk said. "It would let you hear them and yourself, but that would be it."

Harry sighed. "Would you like to talk to Draco about it?" he asked.

Vekk nodded. "I do believe so," he said. He looked at Harry. "How serious are you about this man of yours?" he asked.

"I have given him my wards," Harry said. "His first gift is in a few days."

Vekk smiled. "Well, then. Send him over and will explain how this works to him. It will of course be his decision if he wants to do this or not," he said.

Harry rose slowly. "Thank you, Master Vekk," he said.

"No problem, young man. All of this is splendid research and has already helped us save other people's hearing. I am very grateful that you are okay with me doing all of these experiments with you, Most goblins aren't quite so accommodating," Vekk said.

Harry bowed to him and smiled. He said goodbye and headed with Glint over to her and Ragnok's flat so they could talk for a while before having lunch. Harry didn't leave until it was time to pick his sons up from school.

He sat down in his study after making sure his sons were occupied. He needed to pen an invitation to Lord Malfoy and his wife. He needed it to be intriguing enough for Lucius to come to them and not just discard the whole thing. He knew Draco would look it over, but he didn't want Draco to be the one writing it.

Dear Lord Malfoy,

I hope this letter finds you in good health.

While we have never seen eye to eye,

recent events have me reaching out

as I believe us to have a common goal.

I would love to invite you and your lovely wife

to dinner at Blackbird Manor upon the eighteenth

to discuss these matters further.

Sincerely,

Lord Hydrus Black

Master Warder of the Enclave

Draco looked at the rather short message. It was very to the point and very Harry. Had he written it, there would be more to it, but that wasn't who Harry was. "You are pulling him in. You are suggesting there is something you have in common, and you make it clear that they are invited here. Just the fact that you have not been around for a while will make him wonder what is going on," he said. "He will come. You don't have to make it more complicated than that."

Harry nodded. "We will keep to the same rules we sent when inviting your Master over," he said.

Draco smiled at Harry. He was offering him the position of the patriarch of the family. He was being offered what many would see as the more powerful position, and he knew Harry was doing it both because he had no issues submitting to Draco but also because he was more powerful and they both knew that. "Thank you," he said. He knew that would throw his parents off, and he kind of wanted them to be a bit unsure of what exactly was going on.

"I will also make sure that no one but their guardians can remove our children from these wards," Harry said. He picked up a folder. "That does mean I have a question for Scorpius. I just need you to be okay with it first." He handed Draco the folder.

Draco opened the cover and looked at the adoption papers. This would split his custody of his son with Harry. "We should ask him," he said. "Maybe it will calm his worries about another child."

"Is he still worried about that?" Harry said. "There is no way I would treat him differently just because we have a baby."

Draco shrugged. "Still he worries," he said. He handed the folder back to Harry. "Do it," he said.

Harry smiled at him before heading out to the living room. "Scorpius, I have a question for you," he said as he squatted down next to the blonde boy.

Scorpius looked up at Harry. "Okay?" he said softly. He watched Harry as the folder was placed on the table.

"You know that. Draco and I will get married once the courtship has run its course. You know that we are planning on having a baby," Harry said as he opened the folder. "I know you are a bit worried about that. So I was thinking that maybe you would like it if I adopted you. You can say no if you want to. I know Teddy isn't interested because I have spoken to him already."

"Nothing against you, Draco. I like you, but my guardians are grandma and Harry," Teddy said.

Draco smiled at him. "I don't mind," he said.

"I would be your son as well as dad's son?" Scorpius asked.

"Exactly," Harry said.

Scorpius looked at the papers, there was a small smile on his lips. "You really mean that?" he hissed.

"Yes," Harry hissed back.

Scorpius got up and hugged Harry. "I would love to be your son, Angel," he said.

Harry looked over at Draco, just so he would know what the boy had said. He smiled as Draco signed before walking up to them. He signed the papers and handed them over to Harry, who signed as well.

"I guess I should hand these in," Draco said.

"You should go see Vekk too. He wants to speak to you," Harry said.

Draco nodded. "Okay," he said. He assumed things had gone well then. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but the idea of Harry being able to hear him was quite exciting.

Harry hugged Scorpius again before getting up so he could send his letter to Lucius.

…

Cold grey eyes looked down at the short message from Lord Black again. He was curious. He could not deny that. Lord Black and Lord Longbottom had made several appearances together only for Lord Black to disappear for a year and a half before this missive. A request for Lucius and his wife to attend dinner with him to discuss a common goal. Now what on earth could that be? He headed down to the entryway and kissed his wife gently before taking her arm and activating the portkey that would bring them to Blackbird.

They landed just outside the wards. Knowing that Lord Black was a warder, Lucius was not surprised that he had laid new wards around the property, so they waited patiently for the Lord to invite them.

Harry walked with brisk steps across the lawn. He could see his sons playing while Draco sat nearby reading. Andromeda was inside for now, but she would join them eventually. He reached the wards and stepped through. "Lord Malfoy. Lady Malfoy." He bowed. "Please touch the wards and I shall let you through." He stepped back, and the wards became visible before him. He placed his hand against the ward and waited for Lucius to copy his movement. Then he did the same for Narcissa before inviting them in. Narcissa stepped through no problem, and she turned to await her husband and their host.

Lucius eyes narrowed as he moved through the ward, only for his left arm to be stuck outside. "What is the meaning of this, Lord Black," he asked between clenched teeth. If this was some kind of sick joke, he was not in the mood.

Harry met his eyes. "I cannot let the corrupt magic of Tom Riddle into my home. It has no place here," he said calmly.

Lucius' eyes narrowed. He went to call for his wife when he heard laughter. Not malicious laughter, but the laughter of a young child playing. He looked over towards the house and saw the platinum blonde hair of a young boy playing. They hadn't seen Scorpius for ages, and he wasn't sure he had ever heard him laugh like that.

"I could always remove the mark and let you, though," Harry said. "That is what I did for Draco, after all."

Narcissa had taken a few steps away as she saw her grandson playing, and then she realised that Draco was sitting beyond his son reading from some kind of text. She felt utterly confused as she turned back to her husband. What was going on?

Harry moved through the ward and Lucius went with him. "Well, will you let me remove that monstrosity from your arm, Lord Malfoy?"

"Doing so could create… complications?" Lucius said.

Harry smiled softly. "Then the question becomes this… when it comes down to it will you chose to aid your family or will you be a slave to a Dark Lord that stands no chance of wining. I did not kill him so that he could come back. I have grown in the past ten years. There are three of us standing side by side. Power has shifted. Do you really want to be on the losing side, Lucius?"

"If they realise…"

"I can make sure they don't," Harry said with finality. He could create a mock mark if needed.

Lucius looked back through the ward where his grandson had run up to Narcissa and hugged her. He wanted to know what was going on, and he was not getting those answers if he didn't accept Lord Black's proposal. He held his arm out. He was no one's slave, and he would not carry this dreadful mark any longer.

Harry took the offered arm and pressed his right thumb against Lucius' wrist as he moved his left hand up over the mark until he could grab Lucius' arm just above the mark. "What people seem to have forgotten is that Voldemort was not the only parselmouth in Britain," he said softly before he started hissing at the mark. He had entered magesight and was slowly picking the mark apart until finally he simply ripped the rest out.

Lucius felt discomfort at first. He watched Lord Black work, but he could not see what the other Lord saw. Then there was blinding pain, and he gasped before he felt himself collapsing as the pain spiked. Strong arms were holding him up and keeping him from falling. Lord Black was not looking at him, which he was grateful for, as he could feel the tear streaks down his face.

"You can pass through the wards now," Harry said calmly as he steadied Lucius before walking through. Lucius drew his wand and cast a few spells to fix his appearance before straightening and walking through the wards. He looked over towards the children and saw as Draco walked up to Harry's right.

Narcissa was looking between the two men as Lucius joined her.

"I do apologise for my insolence last we met, Lady Malfoy, but I dislike when people are rude to my partner," Harry said calmly. He bowed as Lucius joined his wife. "Welcome to Blackbird Manor, we hope you will feel safe under our wards."

"Grandma, grandma, look what I found!" Teddy called suddenly as Andromeda came walking outside.

"Oh, Teddy, what are you up to now," Andromeda asked as she caught her grandson and looked at the thing he was holding.

"If you would give your parents a tour of the house, love," Harry said as he smiled at Draco. "I need to make sure everything is ready for later."

Draco smiled after him before turning to his parents. "It is such a shame I have chosen a muggle whore as my partner, is it not?" he asked coolly, meeting his mother's eyes.

"For how long?" Lucius asked.

"Since July," Draco said. "Hydrus and I met through our children. All those playtimes in the park that ran late… Hydrus was looking out for Scorpius. He showed interest in me and I returned it. We came here with them, and we never left." He started walking slowly. "The gardens of Blackbird are managed by Lord Longbottom as there is no better botanic in Britain. The house changes after what we need and want, though certain rooms like the Master bedroom and the drawing room or living room are constants in the house."

Lucius watched his son. It was clear enough that Draco felt comfortable. He walked like he owned the place. It made him wonder about the wording Hydrus had used earlier. Their tour ended in the dinning room, and Andromeda guided the children inside so they could get seated.

"I know I alluded to a common goal in my letter to you, Lord Malfoy," Harry said softly. "I do believe that goal should be quite clear to you now, as my son and Heir Therion as well as my second son Scorpius are seated with us."

"You adopted Scorpius," Lucius said. "Without asking permission."

Harry smiled softly. "I had full right to do so, as it is my blood running through his veins, Lucius. When Draco sought healing for his son, he approached the goblins. The one who answered is my Clan Mother, Glint. She brought me in to heal the child. In doing so we mixed our blood and what Scorpius was left with is my blood and magic."

"Explaining why he can speak to serpents, as it is an ability that Hydrus holds," Draco said calmly.

Lucius did not move. Lord Black was the reason his family still had an heir. He had collected that life-debt when he adopted the boy to be his own. However, him having an heir already meant that Scorpius could still be the Malfoy Heir. "What are your intentions regarding my son?" he asked.

Draco summoned a box. A box tied with ribbons. One deep red, one burgundy and one cream showing Draco's intentions and feelings. He presented the box to Harry, who reached out and undid the ribbons one by one. He opened the box and smiled at the necklace sitting on the red velvet of the box, a dragon and a sea serpent joined together with emeralds added to their eyes. He took the box from Draco and turned it around.

Rising slowly, Draco picked the necklace from the box and placed it against Harry's neck. It slid into place and settled. "In accepting this gift, know that we will join all that we are and all that we have. I graciously accept your wards and the responsibility they bring," he said as he sat down to Harry's right. He knew the seating was significant to his parents. "I do believe that makes our intention perfectly clear," he said as he smiled at his father. "Don't you agree, father?"

"The two of you are breaking tradition," Lucius stated.

"Not quite," Harry said. "We are following the rites of the Nation mixed with the old wixen rites, since we are both men and we both have standing."

"But you take the submissive position as the Lord?" Lucius asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We will and can do either," Harry said. "Though I tend to be more submissive with male partners, since that is my preference." He was smiling softly because they were getting very close to inappropriate conversation, especially for the dinner table. "Though, there are other reasons; the most prominent one being that I am deaf. Since I cannot hear, it makes more sense that Draco takes the lead."

Narcissa looked between her son and Lord Black. She was reeling, and she could see in the corner of her eyes how at peace her sister was with both children under Lord Black's care. She assumed the elder was her grandson. She had known about him but had not reached out after the death of Andromeda's entire family. She had doubted her sister wanted anything to do with her.

Harry looked over to his son. "May we be excused, father?" Teddy asked.

"Of course, bring Andromeda and Narcissa with you if you will," Harry said. He knew Andromeda wanted to speak to her sister alone, and they could so in the back garden with a glass of wine each while overseeing the children.

"Let's relocate," Draco said as he rose. "I do believe the study will be best."

Harry nodded, and they guided Lucius to the small seating area in their shared study. Harry poured some whiskey for them before sitting down. "Now, Draco told me that they wished to use Scorpius in a resurrection ritual," he said. "We will of course not let this happen. So far, people seem quite unaware of mine and Draco's relationship, and we shall keep it that way for as long as possible. If they do come asking, however, you will inform them that I am deaf."

Lucius stilled his glass. "I see," he said.

"If they believe me weaker than I am, that will only be to our advantage," Harry said.

"We would however prefer that the connection between Harry Potter and Lord Black remain hidden," Draco said.

"Let's say they demand I provide my heir?" Lucius asked.

Harry met his eyes. "Considering you are already unwilling to do, so I would like to know what they could possibly hold over you," he said. "How could they force your hand, Lucius?"

Lucius' hands clenched. He certainly was not willing to tell Lord Black anything of the sort, even if he was courting his son.

"How about this father. Let Harry strengthen the home wards," Draco said. "He is a renowned Warder, after all, and no one said you had to reveal who does your wards."

Lucius looked at his son. Revamping the wards would get rid of some of his problems without him having to voice those problems. "I want a contract," he said.

Harry rose and brought forward a standard Nation contract for warding. "Anything else you need?" he asked. "We will rewrite it to suit your preferences."

While the men looked over the contract, the Black sisters had settled outside.

Narcissa was slowly swirling the wine in her glass. "I see that I have been replaced," she said.

"He was worried you would think that," Andromeda said. "Scorpius does love you. He misses you, and he is worried you will hate him. I have not replaced you. If anything, Harry and I have replaced his mother's family." She looked at Narcissa. "He has relaxed a lot, though. He was magic deprived and his magic was rebelling the marking of the Dark Lord, as his magic shared components with Harry."

"My home. My husband…" Narcissa sighed. "Draco's magic was rebelling too, but…"

"You did what you could with a horrible situation," Andromeda said. "Harry has spoken for you, though. At least until we realised that you were neglecting your grandson. Are you sure the magic in that house is not affecting you as well?"

Narcissa didn't know what to say to that. She had lived under those wards for so long, she had no idea. Had she been neglecting Scorpius? She hadn't thoughts so, but maybe she hadn't been quite as attentive as she should have been.

"Were you uncomfortable having that man in your house on a magical level, sister?" Andromeda asked.

Narcissa nodded once, that was all the confirmation she was willing to give. He had made her skin crawl. She had hated it, but even thinking such a thing could have been a death sentence, and she was better at hiding her emotions than that.

Andromeda shook her head. Hopefully Draco and Harry would deal with it. She knew they had plans. Draco wanted to be able to go home after all, even if he lived at Blackbird now.

Lucius looked through the contract before signing it. He watched Harry's signature and the publication spell before he was handed the original. The contract would hinder Harry from discussing family secrets with anyone outside the family. That of course meant he could still speak to Draco. "I was planing on asking you why you disappeared entirely from the political scene. Am I correct in believing that the reason for your condition is the reason you have not attended?"

Harry bowed his head. "Correct," he said. "We were caught in an explosion that knocked my eardrums out. Unfortunately, my magic has been conditioned to heal me and did so as best as it could, that however meant that no healer could fix what had happened afterwards."

"Conditioned?" Lucius asked. He was surprised. Self-healing was something he had only seen in a few people in his life. Severus and Regulus cam to mind. Both victims of abuse from a young age.

"My nomag relatives disliked my existence. They abused me, and Dumbledore saw fit to continuously send me back despite that. Pair the abuse with all the insane stuff that happened at Hogwarts over the years, and my magic has been doing its best to keep me alive," Harry said.

Lucius somehow wasn't surprised to know that Dumbledore had if not condoned abuse, then certainly turned a blind eye. It seemed like the man to act that way for his own benefit. "Any correlation to why you were so willing to give your own life up?" he asked.

"Some, certainly," Harry said. "There were other reasons, but I didn't want to die. If I had, I wouldn't be here."

Draco knew what his father was up to, but he also knew that Harry would only say what he wanted to say. He placed a hand on Harry's arm and smiled at him as he turned towards him. He rolled his eyes. "Yes father he is deaf, you don't need to test it," he said calmly.

Harry chuckled. "I am very good at reading lips," he said as he turned back to Lucius. "That is how I hold a conversation like this."

"But you will never hear again?" Lucius asked.

Harry shook his head. "No," he said. "There is no way to fix that, and I have some of the very best working on it. The work they have done with me has saved the hearing of at least a handful of others since this all started."

Lucius nodded slowly.

"How about a demonstration for father?" Draco asked.

Harry rose and they headed into a nearby room. The Blackbird duelling room.

Lucius watched in awe as his son and Harry fought. The way that they moved it was clear this was far from the first time. The spells they used were ruthless and would easily kill a lesser man. When Lord Black had said that he would not be allowing any Dark Lord back to life, Lucius hadn't been quite so ready to believe him. '

Harry downed Draco and forced him to comply.

"Again," Draco said. "Let's give father something he can show if needed."

Harry snorted. "Fine, I'll let you win, love. Just don't overdo it," he said.

The second fight looked more brutal than the first, but Lucius knew the spells fired and knew they were tamer, even if it seemed more explosive. He blinked in surprise as Draco downed Harry before walking up to him and grabbing him by the hair. The kiss was rough, and Draco pushed Harry down afterwards. He looked up at his father for a moment. "That should give you something to show off," he said.

Lucius nodded slowly. It was all building on Hydrus seeming weaker than he was. It was a wise move. Draco had already showed himself to be antagonistic. That he would be rough with his partner wasn't a stretch, really. Though, looking down at the pair now made it quite clear that there was a lot of tenderness between them.

Harry walked out of the room after that. Most likely to freshen up, and Lucius was left alone with his son.

Draco turned towards his father. "I know there will be no apology," he said. "I have made my choices now, and this is the path I am walking. Will I have to fight you?" he asked.

"If I made demands now, you would walk away. You would become a Black and leave entirely," Lucius said. "I can see that clearly enough." He sighed and looked down at his arm.

"It is a relief, isn't it," Draco said. "He removed mine the day we met, and I am never doing that again. The fact that we are compatible mages is just the icing on the cake. Together we are a force to be reckoned with."

"You could take control," Lucius said.

Draco snorted. "He has already offered me the world. What I am I supposed to do with that?" he asked. "He has the power to take control, but that also means he has the power to do what he wants when he wants. He would rather live that way, and I agree."

Lucius was proud. He would probably never admit it, but Draco's calm attitude and his grasp of what he wanted was inspiring. He followed his son outside and looked towards the boys. "Have you discussed more children?" he asked.

"We have plans in place," Draco said. "There will be contracts and proper surrogates. Harry is handling most of that for now, since the first one will be his, but he is keeping me notified." And he was. Luna had started the potions she needed to take. It would be about a month before Harry's contribution, and they had discussed how to do that as well. They had options.

"You are not worried about the ones after your son?" Lucius asked.

"We have done everything we can to keep him safe. We will not put our lives on hold for this," Draco said. "Once Harry has updated your wards, we wouldn't mind coming by, you know. It is the wards that keep us away these days, nothing else."

Lucius nodded slowly as he rested his hands on his cane. He would get his family back. All he needed was new wards. He looked towards his wife and saw Scorpius sitting with her speaking to her. He looked relaxed, happy. That was what he wanted for the children of his house. He looked up as Harry sat down with his son. He was so animate. Maybe, just maybe, his father had been wrong.