Dinner was as expected: fancy but delightful. The food all looked and tasted fantastic. Over dinner, the table was set out with Sirius and Lucius at either end and Harry and Remus together sitting opposite Narcissa and Draco.
The conversation over dinner was light, but Harry could sense Lucius wanted to ask so questions each ti certain topics ca up, such as Sirius' trial and Dumbledore. Seeing how the blond was almost losing his composure with his need, Harry took pity on him.
"Dumbledore even had the gall to write to today," he said. Dessert was just being served, a lovely lemon ringue with vanilla ice-cream and dark chocolate sprinkles.
Lucius sent the boy a look. "Oh?" he queried.
"Yes. I didn't think that with the custody battle approaching he would contact , as it wouldn't be proper. Yet, this morning he wrote and told to consider visiting the muggles who raised . I suppose he wants to forgive their abuse," Harry said.
Narcissa let out a slight gasp. Magical children were cherished and she had personally been devastated when she learnt she would be unable to conceive again after she had given birth to Draco. To her harming a child was the worst act.
"I see. So the papers haven't been lying?" Lucius said, making Harry smirk slightly.
Ms. Skeeter had really been going to town on the job; there had been daily articles about Harry, varying from his past ho life to his ti at Hogwarts and speculations about Dumbledore's ability to teach. She had painted a truly amazing story and Harry was proud of the woman. Sure, it took blackmail and threats to create the relationship, but Harry could see it going far if she maintained this quality of work.
"Surprisingly for Ms. Skeeter, the articles are true," Harry confird. Draco startled. "Wait, so you really did live with abusive muggles?" he asked, shocked. Clearly the Malfoys had raised him to think muggles where beneath magical, not a notion Harry believed but one he would work on fixing.
Harry sighed. "Yes - my mother's sister, dreadful woman. Dumbledore left there without checking up on after my parents died. She hated magic along with her husband and son," Harry said, making sure to gain Lucius' eye when he ntioned Dumbledore. "I don't understand why I wasn't given to distant family or even an orphanage, surley that would have been better. Not all muggles are awful, however my aunt- truly dreadful." "I see," Lucius said, humming slightly. How the boy didn't denounce all muggles shocked him, Lucius had been raised to hate and scorn them. "And you have applied for full custody Sirius?" he asked, drawing the other two n in. They had been silently listening and wondering why Harry would bring up this topic.
"I have. I hope to gain the status of both Harry's muggle and magical guardian. He is, after all, my blood adopted son," he said.
Narcissa felt her eyes widen as she shared a look with Lucius. "So it's true, you're the Heir to both the Black and Potter families." "Yes," Harry said, seeing her eyes widen as she thought about the power he would one day wield.
It was amusing to Harry as she had no idea the power he could wield.
Looking around and seeing everybody had finished, Lucius snapped his fingers and stood. "Perhaps we should adorn to the parlour."
~
The conversation continued in the parlour and Harry made it clear, although subtly, that he held no love for Dumbledore or his regi. Sirius had also ntioned the information about the raids and the possibility Grimmauld would be raided to them and Harry watched as Lucius stiffened. He hoped the man wouldn't act irrationally about the diary. Hopefully, he would either hide it better or do as he did last ti. Harry didn't want anything happening to his soulmate's horcruxes.
As they went to leave, Lucius placed a hand on his shoulder. "I really would love to talk to you more, Harrison," he said quietly, not whispering but not drawing attention to them. He had spent the night observing the boy and found him utterly fascinating. His magic was intoxicating; it was Dark but pure at the sa ti.
"Tomorrow," Harry whispered back, before he pulled away. He wondered why Lucius was so fascinated by him perhaps it was his Dark mark? But then again Severus seed to act normally around him...?
~
1st August 1992, Diagon Alley
The next day, Harry dressed quickly and practically dragged Sirius and Remus through the floo after they had breakfast. They had agreed to et at ten am in the Leaky Cauldron, but Harry wanted to be early just in case.
Lucius and Draco arrived not long after them and Harry subtly probed the man, looking for any trace of Tom's magic. The relief he felt when he encountered it was enormous: it seed fate was actually looking out for him this ti. It was probably trying to make up for all the crap he faced before, he mused.
Greeting them both, Harry noted that Lucius looked slightly tense and theorized that he was second guessing his decision to ditch the book.
"I shall et up with you in Flourish and Blotts in one hour," the man said. "I just have so business to attend to first."
"That's fine," Remus said. "We appreciate you agreeing to stay around and help." The wolf was trying, like Sirius, to give the other man a second chance, although he admittedly was having a slightly harder ti of it.
Lucius nodded and walked away quickly, using his cane to subtly part the crowds. After his father left, Draco looked a little bit hesitant, so Harry drew him into a conversation. They spent the ti guessing who would be Head Boy and Girl in the coming school year.
When Hannah and Susan arrived together, the blond boy was much calr. Doing the introductions, although unnecessary, allowed Harry to break the ice.
"Han, Suse, you know my friend Draco Malfoy. Draco, you know Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot," he said. The use of the word friend made the blond smile slightly before his mask fell into place.
Draco took both girls' hands and kissed the air. "Ladies, it's a pleasure to et you," he said.
Both girls shared a look before they smiled. "It's nice to et you too, Draco. Properly, that is - we saw you around school last year," Hannah said.
Seeing them get along, Harry asked them their opinions on the Head Boy and Gi rl whilst they waited for Neville. Before long, Neville and his gran appeared, Augusta realizing early in this life that Neville needed a new wand. Harry wondered why she had noticed in this life and not his last, and theorised she had been paying more attention to Neville this ti around with his new-found confidence and friends. "We can take him, it's no problem," Remus said, getting Augusta to agree.
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