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Chapter Text

“I hope I haven’t offended you with my plea,” the aristocrat stated over the clinking of glass, his counterpart was currently setting aside two sizeable gulps of whiskey within. The silence stretched past the clinks of ice disposed into them until the bottle itself was dripping dry, it was safe to say that Lucius was well aware of his misdeed in coming here. 

He was handed off a glass that he took a polite sip from before depositing it on the nearby surface. The man he was seeing had a band of gold melted around his forefinger shining dully in compression with the wedding band above it. As the man raised the drink to his lips, the band shined in the flames of the fire. He simply took a sip and chuckled heartily. 

“Lucius,” he sang, “lighten up, I’m not a killer.” A killer passed the point of survival; the slayer of the dark lord himself jokes. “But, I am no fool.” 

“I never-” 

“You’ve never been called out on it.” James interrupted. “I find it quite odd someone of your rank will grovel at the feet of a filthy blood traitor. I know your father was within his ranks as you were during your time at and outside of Hogwarts. I know your name is trapped within the files at your ministry and I know you fear the kiss.” James paused setting the glass down. “I know you are desperate to give your balls to come here and ask for the hand of my sons to save your own ass. You are just as scared and pathetic as you were behind that mask you wore.” 

The Slytherin huffed and sprouted a very uncharacteristic gloom. “I have not come to be humiliated and dragged. I’ve merely come for the safety of my family, and it’s obvious I will not find such things here!” 

“Oh come off it, Malfoy!” Potter groaned in annoyance. “I’ve not finished yet….See, we all want something, and I’m lucky you had the gall to admit first. I was never one for admitting defeat, that is why I need you to talk to Snape for me.”

“Snape?”

“Yes, Snape.” the Bulgarian sighed, running a hand through his frayed hair. Taking on Grindelwald did not suit well for a teenager who barely hit puberty. Instead being an adult hit him with solid shots aimed to kill. He’s only 23 for Merlin’s sake, having had Harry in his 20’s did not serve him well either.

“How do you know him?”

“I married his best friend.” It was inevitable meeting Severus when he had visited Cokeworth on a mission to find a Horcrux. Lily and he told each other it was a destiny meeting at chance. He stayed the summer, and they wrote the years learning any and everything about each other. Lily —like every wizard on the outskirts of the war— heard of Grindelwald and all the troubles birthed from his reign. She was there for all his problems, through his school bullies till Sirius, his only brother’s death. 

James, in turn, heard any and everything lily had to offer. How class went that day and what spells she mastered to which ones needed more practice. To how Severus created a potion and how it’ll change the world. Lily’s entry to the slug club and how it will send her to the top of her class. He’s hanging out with that bullfrog Malfoy again. Who Mary was sleeping with and what she told them in the dorms. Severus was talking about the dark arts still, his fantasies of using it to further his knowledge in potions. What she got for Christmas, and how Petunia had broken it the next day. How Severus' spell ricocheted and cut her arm in several cuts to the point of having to go to the infirmary. And ofcourse, he remembered the raid. 

How dark it was as the rain poured and twisted along the wind it was winter break and there was no snow in the sky. He remembers sneaking out under his mentor’s eye and portraying cokeworth anyway how the muggles were screaming and running as their house was attacked and burned. By then, he knew of Peter’s betrayal and how he ratted out his love interest out for all to hear and strike. They were doing this to hurt him; they were only targeting the home of his love. 

Lily stood there between them. Severus screamed out for her to take his hand so they could find shelter. But it was James she had run to and James who attacked when he made a move towards them. Shouting “sectumsempra,” a spell Lily had expressed great grief over when Severus had happily told her of his newest creation. Now with the war over Severus’s file laid side by side with Lucius’s on the terrorist list. James never knew whether or not he was bound there or if he just wanted to see James die. 

“But on to the point,” he said, waving his hand. “I know your headmaster has taken him in, and he speaks highly of his craft. He said he has created a potion….wolfsbane, I want it. A dear friend of mine was attacked by that vicious beast Fenrir and has been suffering the effects ever since. If you convince him to supply, I will concede” Lucius smiled. “After! It's written in blood that you will pass over Grindelwald's wand. I know you kept it, and I wish to see it at their union.” 

It was more important than anything James could want in his aging life. He knew a part of him was still trapped inside that wood, and it hunted him every day that it was in someone else’s hands. If Lucius fails and gets executed they will ransack his manor and burn it down the wand with it. James couldn’t risk losing a part of himself, and couldn't risk the British ministry trying to keep it upon their knowledge of it still being out there. 

“You fail me these things, Lucius, and once my protections are gone, you’ll be facing the kiss. Thank Merlin I need you as much as you need me.”

With a final send off the regal man returned home and regarded his wife kissing her hand upon arrival. She sat near the fire book in hand as Kreacher rocked a young babe to sleep. She was scared. She knew there was a spot at the hanging tree alongside her husband, alongside her child. Bellatrix, her only sister, was executed immediately all those years ago. 

She remembers her screaming face as she cried in agony at her lover's death. It was broadcasted in the prophet for months, Her entry into the ministry how many lives she took with her. Other than her, no one else was keen to make their stance clear on what they had on their forearm. But now there was a rat, someone was talking and already nine of the elite were captured or killed. Regulus had warned her that she better act fast, for he didn’t want to see her dead. “I can only push them off your scent for so long, the minister is already suspicious of me because of my relation to Bella.” and had left in an illusion of crimson robes. 

She knew the worst was coming. But Lucius smiled at her then, a facade of a relaxed and controlled smile gracing his lips. 

 “My love, I have wondrous news.”

Posted 3/29/2020

Chapter Text

“Why can’t I come?” The six-year-old huffed in annoyance before dropping his head back with an irritated sigh. He turned around to glare roughly at the four-year-old. “Because you are too small, young, and I. Said. No.” he punctuated aggressively. His accent was forming a heavy lump in his throat.

“Then I can watch?” 

“No, you’ve been watching me all day!” Harry argued. 

“Well you wouldn’t let me play with you all day!” the blonde-haired boy screamed, stomping his feet. He looked pathetic, skinny, and frail, all baby fat face and twig-like frame. He looked like he was a stubborn child, a brat. He was clingy and an annoyance wherever Harry went. 

“My final answer is no; now leave me alone!” Harry stated before a voice tsked behind him. 

“Harold Sirius Potter, stop this nonsense right now and let Draco play with you. It’s unfair he’s to come here as a guest and be treated so horrid.” The man said. 

“It’s unfair he’s even here at all,” the elder boy hissed back before storming past them. Draco’s cheeks puffed and he looked put out. He was still learning Bulgarian but was fluent enough to catch one of Harry's many jabs at him. 

Remus sighed before scooping him into his arms, hoisting him up for his trip to the kitchen. “Don’t mind him. He’s going through the stubborn Six’s, swear once he turns seven, he will be much more tolerable,” he whispered. 

“Am I gonna be horrible too?” the boy asked curiously. He still looked upset, but for a moment, Remus could laugh at his bluntness.

“why, of course, It’s a quite important milestone.” Remus continued to mumble that it was inevitable with him being Lucius’s son. “Except when you turn six, be as stubborn as you can because once you get older, you’ll get in trouble for it.” 

“So harry will get in trouble for being mean to me! He’ll have to let me play, “Draco said, twitching excitedly in Remus’ arms. 

“Not quite, young one, don’t sound so eager to get him in trouble. Punishments are never fun.” Remus chastised gently, setting Draco on one of the many stools in the kitchen. 

“Father says punishment makes a man,” the boy argued. Remus only raised an eyebrow before scoffing disbelievingly. “Rich coming from him.”

Lucius, after the engagement was announced, immediately resumed his aristocratic nature. He attended galas with the air of someone who got away with murder and still managed to climbed the social ladder higher after doing so. Remus highly doubted it was a facade to cover his relief, anything lily had told them about him was telling of his true nature. 

This man was hardly giving up anything and instead was reaping the benefits of everyone who was. Draco’s been an eager & ‘submissive wife’ in this whole ordeal but was depressed for someone his age. Harry, his godson, was prone to angry outbursts and faulty moods. He was just a young boy and still is, but he has the intelligence to see everything wrong with this union and how unfair it was. 

Then there was Severus, he never saw the man past meeting once, and it was apparent he wanted to keep it that way. Upon their meeting, they barely spoke and Severus merely brushed him off. Its true Remus had tried to make friends, but the Slytherin firmly stated. “I don’t care for you or what friendship you may offer. I hate your friend and Lucius for forcing this upon these boys. I’m doing this, so I don’t see the day of my godson lying beaten in the street.”. And they haven’t gotten along outside Draco’s admiration between them. 

“He’s an entitled prick Draco pay him no mind,” Severus stated gazing into one of many vials. Draco now eight sat idly playing with molted fairy wings sighed sadly. “He hates me and never wants to see me. Why can’t I marry Viktor? he at least says hi to me.” 

“Trust me; you don’t want to marry anyone from Karakroff’s bloodline, even if it’s by the means of a nephew,” Severus said, writing what he observed down messily. 

“Why not?” the child mused. “Mother said she had it on your word that he was a good-” 

“Excuse as to why Bulgaria should be wiped off the map.” Severus finished before throwing down his quill in exasperation. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that… I’m reformed now!” Taking a deep breath he turned to face Draco completely. “Your eight, why is your mother telling you such things?”   That man was a brief but more significant mistake than taking the mark itself in Severus’s opinion. 

Draco laughed mischievously. “Mother tells me everything after her glass of wine.” Draco Malfoy, a little shit in training. 

 “Well stop listening, it’s putting ideas in your head I don’t want you to have. And no you can not marry Krum.” The man said, returning to his task on cataloging his materials for the upcoming semester. “Believe or not, Krum is an entitled prick too; he just has manners.”

“Plus what’s up with you today? Just a week ago, you were telling me about wanting to be married to Harry. Please tell me I did not listen to that list of decor for your future home for nothing.” The boy wanted a go-kart track, from going to the fair with Harry and his family. He wanted a potions dungeon and a dungeon under that where they’ll keep their pet dragon. In the master bedroom, their bed would be big and fluffy so they’ll be able to jump for hours. Draco always seems to have these ever-changing moods on whether or not he does want to spend his life with Harry. But he was eight and young he’d get over soon enough. 

“Father made a joke about sending me off to Durmstrang too, and Harry was very vocal about just how much of a bad idea he thought it was…… I didn’t even do anything.” Draco murmured. 

“Listen Draco, arranged marriages are not easy and overall a bad idea for everyone involved. Both you and Harry are children and were engaged when you both were practically infants. You can’t blame Harry for lashing out against it nor can he blame you, when you go into your little fits. He’ll grow up, and even if you don’t end up falling in love with each other, he’s the child of the savior and richer then a greedy king. You’ll live and have an in-home go-kart track. With Krum, you’d only get a quidditch broom.” Severus jokes, poking the boy’s ribcage.

From there, the two fell into an active silence, Severus handing off things for Draco to cut or catalog. By the time Draco reached six, he had shown impeccable skills for potions, something inevitable given his time with Severus. The man actively takes care of him whenever Lucius is on one of his harsher days. 

Narcissa had long since weathered and spent her time with Draco the best she can. Narcissa had always been light in her own magic. But taking the dark mark had sickened her and left her barely able to conceive. Since bearing Draco with years of dark energy plagued in her, her body has been affected even more. She is still the brightest woman Severus has ever met; he knew this long before she forced her body to endure the unbreakable bond for Draco’s safety.  

Lily, much like Narcissa, was born with an affinity for light. But James had never reached the requirements after Grindelwald’s soul found a home in his heart. It had changed him considerably from his path and would soon later affect his son, who was born with the same affinity. James could tell Lily wasn’t too keen on their five-year-old practicing dark spells. Merlin knew she was in grief, hearing the boy throw up until his body slowly warmed up to it. And Salzar himself knew there were times Lily wanted to hex James dead when she read every dark spell her son would learn while in attendance at Durmstrang. 

It was often a conversation starter between the two women whenever in each other’s presence. At Least there was one happy union from this wedding. 

Chapter Text

Draco obtained many friends throughout the years. All rich and pampered with all the finer things in life. He had befriended Pansy when his father had taken him to the manor for her 7th birthday. She had been crying in the garden, her dreams crushed when her mother told her she wouldn’t go to Beaubaxton despite her boasting. Her grandmere mumbled loosely about her inky black hair and disproportionate eye. “She wouldn’t have made it anyway.”

Her grandmere looked worse.

It didn’t take long for him to be introduced to Blaise. It took an even shorter time for the two to realize they hated each other. But they held steadily and managed to come close to acquaintances by the time he reached 8 ½. Everyone else he formed somewhat of a bond with, fell in line through brunches and galas. They were all rich, all Slytherin, all Dark families. They were all a bore.

It wasn’t until he was standing in the garden of some ministry official when some dunderhead smacked into him. Draco didn’t know a true friend until a freckle-headed boy looked down at him and let the words “you look like a ferret:” slip his lips. Draco, offended, demanded the boy to apologize, that he didn’t recognize who he was dealing with. The redhead was disinterested and tried to move past him, but Draco was never one to let things go and instead moved to block his path. The blond boy belittled him and had called him poor and pathetic, the boy merely responding that “being poor is more fun.”

At the age of ten Lucius discovers him in the corner of the garden huddled over a baby Frog. He looks down in disgust before taking into account the boy next to him. “Who are you?” he commands. The sneer set on his lips means he already doesn’t approve of whoever this boy might be.

“Weasley sir, we met.” The boy answers they had “met” three times; once was Draco being brushed off by Lucius when he had tried introducing Ron. Secondly was when Lucius had brushed past him to gather Draco for networking. The third was when he and his father were leaving the ministry. But Lucius couldn’t recall ever meeting the boy and or hearing that name before. It was obvious he was poor, so it’s not like he was forgetting anything important.

Lucius paid no further mind to the boy flicking his wrist back to the entrance of the hall. “Well… off now.”Ron looked back at Draco before retrieving the frog and returning it to the fountain it had jumped from before making his back into the hall.

“Do you compel no respect for our value Draco, one does not play in the mud in fine silk," Lucius chastised as he flicked his wand over the boy's knees and hair. “Presently we are here for business not making friends with the improvised. Just because of our connections doesn’t mean we are in the clear yet. Return to your mother now.”So Draco does and finds Ron hiding behind his mother's chair waiting for him.

Before long Their friendship became unbreakable. They confide in each other and have no problems hitting the other where it hurts. By their first year at Hogwarts, Ron turned him into a weasel and Draco told the girl that followed him around that he loved her. Sadly Hermione had believed it and was crushed upon hearing just what Ron had to say to Draco about it. But they were good friends now so it didn’t matter.

Finally, Draco was completely happy, he was ten and he'd like to believe his relation to Harry had softened greatly. Sure Harry was still cold to him at times, but he was more willing to hang around Draco once he got out of his "child" interest. Sure Draco didn't fancy Quidditch that much but he had learned and studied and begun his rivalry with Harry on the playing field. Now if they had nothing else, Harry would at least say yes to a friendly match.

And by the time Draco’s thirteen he and Harry are much closer. They had their first kiss and Harry sent him nice expensive things. Promises of the marriage moving along makes father happy and Draco less sad every time he breaches a meeting with Harry. By the time he's, thirteen Draco full-heartedly loves him.

Maybe that's why it hurts as he stands in the center of his 14th birthday with pitied eyes and careless whispering around him. Purebloods weren't kind company and even if the lot hated talking amongst themselves kindly it didn't stop tea meetings once something fitted their fancy.

He had heard the day before. He'd been sat down by his mother's bedside as she had explained to him what exactly made his father break his vase on the polished floor. Draco had been scared that day. He had been scared as his father approached him and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder before sadly shaking his head and looking away. See Draco has held the disappointed emotions his father shows deep in his heart but it frightened him that he had such a look yet it seemed it wasn't meant for Draco's eyes.

"That little minx and her bloody family knew what they were doing. A pregnancy scare and a name drop just to get it out there into the world. They knew a mere spell could have come up with an answer, a bloody muggle stick could've told them. Yet, they go to a doctor albeit one that can't keep their mouth shut! They do this is us, to Draco!-"

He'd been so distracted in his mumblings he had quite not heard Draco's entry, but his mother did. She was staring right at him.

"Честит Рожден ден," Harry said as he pressed the box into Draco's hands. Everyone was looking, everyone was watching, leering.

"Thank you," Draco said in his small corner of the ballroom. He tried not to look up and view Cho just across the room with her head down.

Lucius hurriedly fixed his jacket "We must not let these rumors get to us we must keep a strong front."

Instead, Draco smiled, before setting the gift with the others and turning his back upon Harry to continue conversing with his mother. Harry's expression. Hardened slightly as he stood there awkwardly, he heard a slight gasp from an onlooker but Draco paid them no mind. This was his birthday after all, and he spent it on nothing less than his despairing mother still at his side. It's not like he could spend it with anyone else, usually, the moment the Potters arrived was Draco's cue to slither amongst the background.

Harry shuffled once before leaning in closer. "We dance?" Draco feigned confusion before speaking, "o- yes let's Ron?!"

And before Harry could fathom Draco's detached behavior some more Draco was being very un-pure blood as he skidded across the floor to welcome in a shabby redhead. "Awe, look at mini-me!" Harry's mother laughed at her place next to Cissa. "Oh, Harry do take a seat you've been standing far too long."

Harry knew where his mother stood on this debacle; she had made it very clear to him days before their arrival when the rumor was simply circulating Bulgaria. But she was willing to give him an out when needed and he wasn’t going to spit on her kind nature. Harry grabbed his gift from the table before sitting amongst his mothers watching as Draco pushed around the smaller boy he was with.

“Who is he? it wasn’t a question but Narcissa and Lily laughed along like it was. “Yes, Cissa, who is that, he and Draco get along quite swimmingly it seems.”

“Oh? Him? Why that's Ron Weasley, a lower-class boy Draco swears is his soulmate,”Narcissa paused smiling at harry, “ platonic, of course”

The night continued on as Ron and Draco huddled around themselves, often seen snickering at someone's fur coat or facial shape before Harry couldn’t handle the lack of caring. He had abruptly stood before making his way upon Draco swiftly grabbing at him before tugging him along the balcony. Luckily by now all the adults were so engrossed in arguing politics that no one was left to creep on their conversation.

He has stopped them once they breached the curtains before placing the box back into Draco's hands with a gruff “open.”

Draco pulled his arm free from the grasp before clocking it back. Of Course, given that Draco was barely 14 with little muscle compared to an average student of Durmstrang, he looked quite foolish. Compared to Harry it was embarrassing once he had caught the hand that didn’t even make it within inches of his face. Instead, Harry redirected his momentum into throwing his hand back down by his side.

“Open.”

Draco tchted before taking his sweet time opening the package by the time he reached the velvet box underneath the Balcony curtains separated and his father stood amongst the crowd. “Look at the happy couple” he beamed as they all leaned closer to view what was in the box. Now that he couldn’t stand idly, lest their gazes melt him where he stood he made quick work of opening the last box.

It had happened in a second before he dropped the box in shock as a small metallic snake ran up the length of his finger to enclose around it. "Честит Рожден ден" Harry mumbled, amongst them again as the guest cheered and gleamed.

Harry leaned closer once more softly as he asked “we dance?”

And Draco couldn’t stop himself from gazing at Cho who stood just shy of them. “Не” he whispered before disappearing amongst the disbursing crowd.

Later when Draco was feeling bad about the whole ordeal, he had accompanied his mother through a stroll through the garden. “How many times.” Narcissa, who was waving her fan idly with the heat paused merely a second before recounting, “enough that a doubt seemed like a possibility.”

Harry was a growing boy; he was sixteen and ready to experience things only the 5th years in the dorms would whisper and preen about. His father sits him down next; a stack of letters lay heavy in front of him. He gives him a look before leaving Draco to it.

Cho was not the first, the gist he receives by the 2nd letter. Everyone around him knew and no one told him, no one cared enough until it was right in his face and degraded him for it. No one warranted it quite like a bastard child.

Sometimes he wishes he can’t and won’t blame him. He still writes to Harry and reads and pins his answers into journals. He receives gifts every so often and quite fancies them. But that doesn’t stop the ache he has whenever the intrusive thoughts come back in.

Harry ends his letters in “my love” sometimes Draco pens it out, it makes Harry's letters seem more genuine that way.

“Why do you do that?” A voice asks behind his shoulder. Draco momentarily jumps before craning his head back as he watches Diggory plop himself beside him.

“Reckon it's none of your business.” Draco bit crowding the letter under his essay.

Diggory chuckles before bringing his tome onto the table. “Well if it's none of my business, why are you doing it in my spot, in my line of sight?”

“Your spot? You've never sat here a day in your life.”This is a fact Draco’s been sitting here since 2nd year.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Positive!”

“That I’ve never sat here in this seat a day in my life.”

Draco’s cheeks puffed out red. “I am positive that you’ve never sat in that seat a day in your life!”

“Wanna gamble?” Cedric smirked, Draco seethed “You’d surely lose.”

“Ok, If I have sat here you owe me my champion dance next year when I send us to victory.”

Draco laughed, loud and ugly. “ Ha! Your champion dance? Now I gamble, you turn away and leave me to work.”

“No can do,” Cedric said smiling as he emptied his satchel on the table. Draco’s patience was wearing thinner, “and why is that?”

“See, the thing is I have sat here a day in my life, luckily for me ‘future Triwizard champion’ today just so happened to be that day.” Draco’s mouth dropped causing Cedric to lean in and tap his chin up until it closed.

Maybe Draco didn’t care that he got detention that night, it's not like Diggory broke anything when Draco kicked him out of his chair.