AN: Yay! Another chapter is done. I had fun writing this and I hope that anyone reading this enjoys what I have. I've not forgotten about my other stories, I've just been busy tbh and had brain rot for this one.
"What do you know of Lord Fenneck?" Lucius questioned, leading Harry towards the foyer where another floo was located. On the way, Harry couldn't help but admire the inside of the mansion, having not been able to see much of it the last time he was here.
It was one of the last times the Golden Trio had been united; before all Hell went loose.
"Not much. I've only corresponded with him a few times in letters, and the few times I was dragged to an event at the Ministry." Harry admitted. "This will be my first time truly getting to know him." He turned to look at Lucius, expression thoughtful. "What can you tell me about him? Is there anything I should worry about?"
"Not necessarily," Lucius spoke, not removing his hand from Harry's lower back as they came to a stop in front of the floo. "He is one of the few who never let factions sway him. If you are worried about him siding with Dumbledore, I can assure you there is no need to worry." A breath of relief left him, his shoulders losing some of their tension.
"Do you wager many Dumbledore supporters will be there tonight?" Here, Lucius paused, considering the question for a moment.
"I do. From what I've observed over the years, they attend events like this regularly, but they never do anything substantial to help." Harry twitched in displeasure at that, eyes narrowing as he thought of Dumbledore's own refusal to change things for the better. "When it comes time to vote, they never cast theirs in favor of improving the lives of magical creatures."
"What about the other faction? What are they like?" Harry asked. "The people I mean. I know what they stand for, and I do agree with a lot of the points I've read about so far." Lucius raised an eyebrow in surprise at his admission, but there was a pleased look in the silver eyes.
"At the moment, they are trying to regain their footing. The dark faction's reputation has been tarnished after the war. They are incorrectly being judged as supporters of the Dark Lord." Harry sighed, shaking his head.
"That's one of the first conversations I'm going to end up having in Wizengamot. I can feel it." At Lucius' confused look, Harry elaborated. "Certain rituals and traditions have been classified as Dark, but people often incorrectly label them evil as well. They refuse to see past their own preconceived notions and biases and label something as dark just because it goes against their beliefs. I don't think that sort of behavior and mindset is a good one to have going into the future." Lucius smirked, his usually hard eyes softening in what looked like mirth.
"I never thought I would hear those words come out of the savior's mouth. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to their reactions when you say it," Harry laughed softly and Lucius considered that a gift in itself, especially with how sullen the teenager had looked when they last saw each other. Even now, there was sadness behind the green eyes, but they were much brighter than yesterday. "You mentioned yesterday you planned on aligning neutrally, correct?"
"I do. There's a witch whom I respect deeply. Her name is Amelia Bones. I know she's neutral, and I wanted to be on the same side as her since she also seems to want to better this society and is willing to put in the effort." A genuine smile spread across Lucius' face, a pleased gleam in his eyes as he motioned for Harry to enter the private floo.
"Amelia and I are close friends. As you are aware, she was one of the few besides yourself that stood up for my family during our trials." Harry's eyes widened, but he nodded quickly. "She will be there tonight as well if you want to get further acquainted with her."
"I'd love to. She seems to be one of the few who tries to implement change, instead of listing things that need to improve and not doing anything about it," Lucius could tell from the stormy look, that the younger would be passionate about the discussions in Wizengamot, and he personally couldn't wait to see them.
When Harry flooed to Fenneck Manor, Lucius smiled to himself a bit, shaking his head. "He's going to be an interesting one," He mumbled to himself, soon following the younger wizard.
"It's a good thing you suggested we come early," He heard Harry mumble, all emotions gone from his face as he stared at a figure across the room, body tense. Following his gaze, they stopped on the figure of Nymphadora Tonks. From what he knew, she was recently promoted to lead auror, directly under Alastor Moody himself. He tilted his head in confusion, turning to Harry with an inquiring look.
"That is Andromeda's daughter, correct?" At the tense nod, he frowned when the younger took a deep breath, before letting it out shakily. "Her presence upsets you deeply." Harry nodded again.
"She betrayed our trust," Harry mumbled softly, subconsciously moving closer to Lucius, who was quick to place a hand on the younger's waist, keeping him close as well. "Hermione would still be alive if it weren't for her," Harry whispered in a small voice, but Lucius heard it regardless and a wave of anger hit him.
For the first time in years, a flare of protection started to ignite in his chest, his cold eyes sending a shiver down Tonks' back as she was oblivious to the stare.
"Do you need to leave?" He asked softly, turning to look at the younger wizard who shook his head.
"No. If I keep running, it will show that they have won. If I'm going to get through this, I have to face the people who hurt me more than Voldemort ever did." Lucius twitched at the name, but hearing Harry's words made him form a new level of disgust for the Order. "Besides, it will be nice to treat her with contempt in front of everyone. I can give them something to gossip about," Unable to stop a small laugh, Lucius leads Harry in the opposite direction of Tonks, heading to a separate group of wizards and witches.
"Something tells me you thrive off chaos." Harry merely smirked, neither confirming nor denying the statement. "The group I'm taking us to is neutral. The other side of the room appeared to be mostly Dumbledore supporters," Harry scrunched his nose.
"Thank you. I don't know if I'm sober enough to deal with all of them at once," Covering his laugh with a cough, Lucius was soon introducing him to two wizards and a witch, the trio looking quite surprised to see them together.
"Lord Abbott, Lady Greengrass, Lord Pucey." Lucius nodded to them. "Lord Potter-Black will be joining us in Wizengamot in the upcoming days." Harry smiled at the trio, fighting back against his nerves as he moved closer for a proper greeting.
"It's admirable that you're joining at such a young age," Lady Greengrass spoke with a kind smile and even kinder eyes, a shimmer behind them. "Not many from your generation take an interest in politics so soon," Harry felt himself offer a small smile at the older witch. While she looked good for her age, there were noticeable lines around her eyes, mouth, and forehead. She was likely the grandmother of his former classmates.
"They should take more interest. It will eventually fall on us to continue improving this world." Harry paused, eyes flickering to the other side of the room with a small frown. "I'm surprised more aren't taking the initiative to help improve our society, instead of pretending to." There were looks of surprise that morphed into pleasure and relief.
Lord Pucey smirked at him from behind Lady Greengrass, a pleased chuckle escaping his mouth as he moved closer, coming to stand on Harry's right.
"Clever too." Lord Pucey said, sending him another smirk, his handsome face catching Harry off guard for a moment. "Wizengamot is in dire need of more individuals with a desire for change. Something tells me you're one of them." The smirk softened into a pleasant smile, the warm eyes making Harry smile in return.
"I get that impression as well." Lord Abbott agreed a small but genuine smile on the man's face. His hair was chestnut brown, his eyes a dark brown. "Lucius steered you in the right direction if you want to make changes in this world. The other side of the room…" Lord Abbott also frowned, side-eyeing the area Harry was once looking at, his voice quiet. "They are more about stalling rather than taking action." He added, sending Harry a look. "However, I get the impression you're already aware of that." Harry nearly snorted, but he withheld it as he nodded.
"That's partially why I'm here tonight. Dumbledore has always campaigned for the improvement of magical creatures and their rights, but I have yet to see him come forward with any bills or initiatives to improve anything." Harry watched as the trio's eyes darkened, their agreement obvious. "I wanted to get more of an understanding of how reforms work, especially regarding Lord Fenneck's department." Lord Pucey smiled again, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder as he gave a gentle squeeze.
"You certainly came to the right event for this, and the best time." He placed a few extra privacy charms around the group. "Lord Fenneck is hosting this event because he has plans to initiate a protection reform for werewolves in the upcoming months. He wanted to get a gauge on interest first." At the words, Harry felt warmth bubble through him, eyes sparkling with interest. He was unaware of the silver eyes on him, or the way they seemed to soften for the briefest second.
"Wonderful," Lady Greengrass let out a breath of relief. "Greyback harmed dozens of witches and wizards over the years. They all need our help, now more than ever. These outdated laws against them are doing more harm than good." She took a breath. Harry could hear her pain, almost as if this was personal to her. "Greyback turned at least six during the last battle. One of them is my granddaughter." Harry felt his heart freeze at that, trying to think of who it could have been.
The only person he knew who was bitten during the final battle was Lavender Brown. His heart sank in his chest when he put it together.
Lady Greengrass looked so familiar not because of Astoria or Daphne, but because of Lavender. They both had curly blonde hair and bright eyes.
He had last seen her a few days ago, fighting off the rest of her injuries at Saint Mungo's. She was much better than before, but it had been a close call those first few weeks. She had needed many blood replenishers after the brutal attack, her body almost devoid of it all.
It was Neville that found her like that, his face ashen when he carried the girl's body into the castle, screaming for a healer as she was barely clinging to life, all but dead already. When Harry first looked at her broken form, all he could see was Hermione. Their curly hair was both matted down with blood, their faces far too pale.
It was something that often haunted his thoughts when his mind drifted.
"I had no idea your granddaughter was bitten." Lord Abbott looked distraught; his eyes clouded with sadness. "I can't imagine how hard that must be right now. How is she managing?" Lady Greengrass took a breath.
"The wolfsbane potion is helping her for the moment. The healers feared that if she were to transform before she was healed, she would die. Her injuries were severe." Harry could still see it all. Her neck, torn to shreds by razor-sharp teeth…
A hand landed gently on his back, the comforting warmth making him blink and force the memories away. He glanced at Lucius, meeting the concerned silver eyes for a moment.
"She gave me permission to let my godfather contact her once she is ready." Harry said after a moment, looking at Lady Greengrass with a shy smile when she tilted her head in confusion. "Greyback attacked my Godfather when he was four. He's had a lot of time to come to terms with his situation." Her eyes widened at that, moving closer to him. "He wants to help her get accustomed to this change when she is ready."
"I..thank you." She swallowed hard, eyes bright with gratitude. "I wasn't aware you and Lavender were close." Harry shook his head.
"We weren't always close. We became closer these past two years. Uh," He fumbled for a moment. "My Godfather also plans on showing her how to brew Wolfsbane too. He's been brewing it for many years now and has a few remedies that work more than others." She grasped his hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "He has a lot to share with her. He never had a mentor growing up to help him through these problems, but he would love to help someone else."
"My family appreciates this, Lord Potter-Black. Your Godfather has my gratitude."
Their conversation dwindled after that, the subject moving to a less touchy matter, and more to what each person did and what they wanted to see reformed.
When Lord Fenneck made his appearance, the two made eye contact and the elder smiled at Harry.
"Lord Potter-Black! I'm happy you could make it tonight. I received your letters and I'm pleased that you've taken such an interest in this matter. I understand that you're wanting to learn more about how laws are passed through my department?"
With that, the two walked off to discuss things in private, Harry nearly shivering at the absence of a warm hand on his back.
"He's an interesting one." Lord Pucey spoke next to Lucius, taking a sip out of a champagne glass that was recently handed out. "You gave us all a surprise when you walked over with him. You two were the last duo we expected to see at a gala together." Smirking, Lucius took a small sip of his own drink, humming.
"From what I've discovered from the past two days, that young man is full of surprises. I'm certainly relieved to know that he won't be siding with the other faction. He already has a lot of power from those two seats alone." Lord Abbott joined in, humming in agreement.
"There is one thing I am worried about. That young man has had this world on his shoulders for too long. He has lost more than most during this dreadful war. I worry that he will eventually burn out from all of this." Lady Greengrass frowned at that, her own worry starting to shine as she looked at the younger wizard, who was far too mature for his age.
"He is not alone," Lucius spoke up. "His godfathers will always be there for him, as well as the Weasley family." He took a sip of his drink again to try and quell his thoughts, but they still formed in the back of his mind regardless as a protective ember started to ignite.
I will catch him if he falls.
Lucius took another drink, watching as Amelia finally made her appearance and made a beeline for Lord Fenneck and Harry. With soft eyes, he watched the two introduce themselves, the brightness in Harry's eyes obvious from across the room.
It was better than the overwhelming sadness and despair he had seen last night.
When Harry was done conversing with Lady Bones and Lord Fenneck, he bumped into Lord Pucey, who gave him a dazzling smile.
"I'm afraid I can't stay for much longer, but it was a pleasure meeting you, Lord Potter-Black. I look forward to seeing you in action." He gave a playful wink that made Harry flush slightly.
"It was a pleasure meeting you as well, Lord Pucey." The older wizard gave a soft chuckle, eyes warm.
"Please, call me Antoninus." Smile widening, Harry nodded.
"And you may call me Harry if you'd prefer." Chuckling at the flush and rambling, Antoninus gave a wide grin.
"Alright then, Harry. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night." He leaned down to whisper in his ear, despite the privacy charm around them. "Be careful. You've attracted attention from the other side of the room during your conversation with Lord Fenneck. I don't want to miss you tearing them a new one until you're officially in Wizengamot." Snorting, Harry couldn't withhold his smirk.
"I'll let you in on a secret. I've got some other people who will be claiming their seats with me when I do, so you're in for a treat." Raising an eyebrow, Antoninus peered down at him, wondering if the younger would elaborate further or keep him in suspense.
When Harry merely smirked at him, Antoninus mock sighed.
"All I can say is that you'll be pleased to know nothing will be the same again."
"You really keep a wizard in suspense, Harry." Antoninus sighed again, sending him another wink. "I'll see you and your secret friends soon," Chuckling at the gentle tease, he watched as the handsome man walked towards the floo, disappearing into the green flames.
"Already made a new friend?" Lucius asked, hand automatically returning to Harry's lower back. The younger relaxed at the touch unknowingly, smirking again.
"I think so. He seems like a warm person." Lucius hummed.
"He's not usually like that unless he likes someone. You managed to impress him and countless others tonight." Harry flushed at the subtle praise, turning to look at Lucius with a small smile.
"I'm glad. I mean, it was more of a chance to get to know them, but I'm glad I impressed the people trying to change things." Harry sighed. "It wouldn't be an honor if I impressed the hypocrites on the other side." Coughing a soft laugh, Lucius felt his eyes shine with mirth. They started to make their way to another neutral-aligned member when Harry heard a voice behind him.
"Wotcher, Harry." His body tensed as everything went cold, his magic tensing before it buzzed underneath his skin. He slowly turned to look at her, thankful for the hand on his back that was grounding him, a calming magic coming from it.
"Auror Tonks." He replied coolly. "You interrupted my conversation with Lord Malfoy. If you don't mind, we would like to continue it."
"I kinda do mind, Harry-"
"Lord Potter-Black," Harry responded immediately. "I have not given you permission to use my first name." It was worth it seeing her eyes widen in shock, before they flared between colors, her frustration becoming obvious.
"The Harry I know would never take on Lordships! You're supposed to-" In a flash, he showed her his hand, three rings on his fingers.
"I have claimed three Lordships, Auror Tonks. If you would please refer to me as Lord Potter-Black, instead of my first name, that would be nice. You are being disrespectful." Lucius had to bite the inside of his cheek and focus on keeping his expression stoic, or else an amused smirk was sure to escape.
"Auror Tonks!" Shacklebolt came forward, the scene earning quite the audience. "Either address him properly or leave. You have no right to question someone about their lordships! I am displeased with this behavior from you!" He added the last bit quietly, but it was still heard by some.
The man turned to Harry with a small frown and shake of his head. "Lord Potter-Black, I apologize on her behalf." Harry smiled at the man tiredly, nodding. "Perhaps the ministry was too quick to promote someone so cocky and immature,"
Tonks flushed at the harsh reprimand, hair flaming to a deep red. The man sneered at her and walked off, moving to talk with Amelia Bones, who watched the scene with calculating eyes.
"What's gotten into you Ha…Lord Potter-Black," Tonks bit out, scowling at him. "You're not the same person you once were. Your mum and dad would be rolling in their graves if they knew you were fraternizing with a Malfoy! Of all the Death Eater scum to associate with-" Harry felt anger slam into him at her words, his eyes flashing dangerously in a similar way to Tonks.
With a flick of his wrist, a powerful privacy spell surrounded the three of them. Lucius was taken aback by the sudden display of powerful wandless magic, his body tingling at the raw energy.
"Something tells me my parents are extremely happy with me. I took down a Dark Lord, and got Os on all my NEWTs, which I studied while on the run from both the Death Eaters AND The Order." Lucius froze at the tidbit of information, goosebumps trailing along his arms and neck as he watched the younger stalk closer to the frozen Auror. "Not to mention I am in the process of helping make a reform for werewolves and vampires-" Another step closer.
"As for Lord Malfoy, he did more than you ever did to help bring down Voldemort! He is a hero and a dedicated member of this society!" He took one final step.
"You on the other hand?"
Green eyes were ablaze with fury, angry tears shining brightly.
"Will always be a murderer." Lucius felt his breath leave him, that protective fire roaring to life as he moved closer instinctively, reaching Harry's side. "If you ever come after me for what I had to do during the war, I will provide my memories about what you did." Harry snarled at her. "I don't think the Ministry would take kindly to the fact you killed someone who's been recognized as a war hero."
Face to face with Tonks, Harry sneered darkly at her.
"All you will be remembered as is the scum who killed Hermione Granger."
When the spell was broken, Tonks stumbled away, before sprinting at record speed into the floo. Her face was sickly pale, her eyes full of pure terror as her body trembled, her hair a myriad of colors.
Harry took a breath once she was gone, hesitantly looking at Lucius with a sheepish look.
"I'm sorry about that. She had no right to disrespect you." The man parted his lips, but no sound came out as he closed them, something warm and foreign settling in his chest.
"You didn't need to defend my name, Harry. I'm used to it." The younger wizard frowned at that, shaking his head.
"You shouldn't be. You suffered through too much to be treated with such hostility. I'll correct anyone who says otherwise," Harry said, sending him a faint smile.
Unsure of how to respond, Lucius simply leads Harry towards the floo after the spectacle, expecting to see eyes on them. To his surprise, no one seemed to notice.
"They didn't see anything. I placed an invisibility spell on all three of us after I placed the privacy spell. I didn't want anyone to see the fight."
"You did all of that wandless," Lucius mumbled, licking his lips. "How long have you been able to do such a feat?" Blinking, Harry shrugged.
"It's kind of hard to pinpoint. I think it's always been something I've had the ability to do. I know we have accidental magic, but I could control it to an extent when I was a kid. I started to practice more in my fourth year during the Triwizard tournament to have an advantage,"
Lucius listened, barely withholding his surprise.
"Not many can do wandless magic, let alone wandless magic that is so powerful at your age. You are fascinating." Lucius mumbled, making Harry chuckle and flush softly at the small praise.
"What made it even better was keeping it from Dumbledore for so long. I've always enjoyed keeping secrets from him since he keeps everyone out of the loop himself." Snorting, Lucius smirked.
"A trait shared among Dark Lords." Harry choked on a laugh, eyes Lucius with bright eyes.
"Are you insinuating Dumbledore is a Dark Lord?" Harry sighed fondly. "If so, it looks like I have another one to take down."
Teasing and joking wasn't something Lucius Malfoy did, but this young man made his magic swirl in his chest in a curious way.
"If he is, I'll help you defeat him." Lucius teased, earning a surprised laugh that sounded pleased.
"Good. I think we'd make a good team." As they reached the floo, there was a sudden tension that wasn't there before. Harry bit his lips, looking too tired for his age. "You're one of the few people who now know what Tonks did. Most people believe Hermione died due to a Death Eater finding us." Lucius swallowed hard at the pain that settled around Harry, the warmth replaced by hurt.
"I'm not ready to discuss everything, but Tonks killed her in a cruel way. She would lose her job if I came forward with it." Lucius placed a hand on the back of his neck, thumb brushing his nape slowly.
"Why don't you?" He inquired, thumb slowly moving up and down. Harry leaned into the touch for a moment, sighing.
"I can't yet. Dumbledore still holds too much power. I have to keep it to myself until we drag him down." He took a breath. "I want to drag him and his entire order down." With the roaring inferno still blazing in his chest, Lucius leaned forward to meet his eyes, ready to make a promise.
"We will. I will do everything I can to help you with this, I promise."
The promise was worth the small smile that spread on the once sad face, emerald eyes shining with appreciation, a slight tiredness behind them that pains Lucius.
His thoughts from earlier came back.
I will catch him if he falls.
Yeah, Lucius is getting kinda smitten already. The poor guy doesn't know it yet, though.