Fic: Innocence of the Young (Lucius/Harry) NC-17

[hpstrangelove.livejournal.com]

Title: Innocence of the Young
Author:  hpstrangelove 
Prompt Number: 32 submitted by literaryspell 
Kink Showcased: chan (11-13)
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Lucius/Harry
Summary: Lucius would do anything to make Draco happy, including giving him the perfect birthday present – Harry Potter.
Warnings: Chan – Harry turns twelve during the time this fic takes place.
Word Count: 5530
Author's Notes: This probably didn’t get as dark as the prompt warranted, but it’s what came into my head when I saw it and the list of characters. It also pretty much ignores anything that happens after Book One. Thanks so much to my wonderful beta, joanwilder , and to sestra_prior  for Britpicking.

~*~

Innocence of the Young

Everyone knew Lucius loved Draco. No one really knew how much, though. When Lucius had held him for the first time after he’d been born, he had wept. He’d never felt anything like it. It was his duty to continue the Malfoy line, so he’d been pleased when Narcissa had told him they were going to have a son.

He hadn’t known how much he would end up loving his son, though. The intensity of his emotions caught him completely off-guard. He didn’t even love Narcissa as much as he loved the frail, pale little creature he held in his arms. He vowed he’d protect his child with his life and do everything in his power to make his child happy. And he sealed his vow with his own tears and a kiss.

He knew he spoiled Draco, but he didn’t care. Why shouldn’t he give Draco everything in his power that he possibly could? What was the Malfoy fortune to be used for, if not to make his son happy?

Draco’s happiness was the reason Lucius stood here on the front steps, ringing the bell of number four, Privet Drive.

Draco had been looking forward to going to Hogwarts, where he could finally do magic legally. He’d been practicing magic since he was five years old. All children did. It was impossible to tell if magic was being performed in a home by parents or their children, so no one was ever prosecuted for violating the underage magic act.

Along with looking forward to doing magic, there had been another reason Draco was excited about starting school – Harry Potter would be there, and Draco fully expected to become Potter’s best friend.

Every wizard child grew up learning the legend of Harry Potter. At only a year of age, Harry Potter had managed to defeat the most powerful Dark Wizard in modern times. Not only that, but he’d become the only person to survive the Killing Curse, a curse which supposedly had no defense against it. Somehow, Harry Potter had survived it, but at great personal cost. Both his mother and father had died at the hands of the Dark Lord that night. In order to protect him from vengeful followers of the Dark Lord, rumour had it that he’d been hidden away by the Ministry with Muggle relatives. Lucius wasn’t sure how many followers would actually want vengeance; like himself, they’d probably want to thank Potter for getting rid of the psychotic bastard. However, none of them would ever dare voice their feelings in public – or in private for that matter – on the slight chance that the Dark Lord might actually return from the dead one day.

Still, Lucius hadn’t discouraged Draco’s dream of befriending Potter. Except things hadn’t quite worked out that way.

Lucius hadn’t been sure at first what to do about Draco’s disappointment over being rejected by Potter. Draco acted as if he hated Potter, but Lucius could easily see how much it hurt him. ‘Potter this’ and ‘Potter that’ was all Draco had talked about during the Yule holidays, and again at Easter. And when Draco hurt, Lucius hurt even more.

So he decided to work out a plan to fix things. He didn’t know anything more about Potter than the rest of the wizarding world, so the first step in his plan was to find out where Potter’s relatives lived. He’d been shocked by what his investigation had turned up - Potter had been living these past ten years with wizard-hating Muggle relatives on his Mudblood mother’s side of the family. He couldn’t understand how that had been allowed to happen. At this point, it didn’t matter. In fact, it fit into his plans quite well.

A fat slob of a man opened the door, looking Lucius up and down. This must be the uncle, Vernon Dursley, Lucius thought with disgust.

“I’m not buying anything,” Dursley said, and was about to slam the door shut when Lucius replied, “I’d like to buy something from you, though, Mr. Dursley. I promise that I’ll give you a fair price.”

Dursley froze, looking at Lucius suspiciously. “I’m not selling my house. Well, not for under £75,000 anyway. I’ve invested a lot of money in doing it up. It’s been a labor of love, very difficult for me to sell. But I can make a sacrifice, for the right price.”

Lucius’ skin crawled at the thought of having to speak to this crude man, but he reminded himself he was doing this for Draco.

“I’m not interested in your – house – Mr. Dursley. I’m interested in your nephew, Harry Potter.”

Dursley’s mouth fell open, then he began to sputter. “You’re one of them, aren’t you? I knew you dressed funny. Not as bad as some I’ve seen. Go away! Get out of here now before the neighbors see you! I never wanted to take that freakish boy into my house from the start. I won’t have you people coming around here whenever you feel like it.”

“Mr. Dursley,” Lucius said in a patient tone. “It is my understanding that your nephew is to spend the summer holidays here. I would like to take him off your hands and have him spend the holidays with me and my family instead. That is, if you could see it in your heart to part with him. I’d be more than willing to compensate you financially for any sense of emotional loss you might feel at not having him around. My son and Harry met at school, and it would mean a great deal to my son if Harry could stay with us.

Dursley’s eyes went wide. Lucius could tell the man was trying to work out how much he could get out of Lucius financially. In the end, it wouldn’t matter how much the Muggle asked for. What was important was that Harry Potter would be spending the summer at Malfoy Manor.

~*~

Narcissa and Draco had gone on ahead to Malfoy Manor from platform nine and three-quarters when the Hogwarts Express arrived at the end of term. Lucius had greeted Draco, then told him he had to go to pick up a package and would be along soon.

“Is it for my birthday?” Draco asked excitedly. “Is that why I can’t come with you?”

“Be patient, Draco. In a way, it is for your birthday. You’ll know soon enough. Now go with your mother.”

Lucius waited until he was sure Draco was gone, then looked for Mr. Dursley. Potter was still saying good-bye to a girl and boy – they must be the Mudblood Granger and the Weasley, from what Draco had said. Lucius caught Dursley’s eye, and Mr. Dursley nodded back. Lucius waited until he saw Potter and Dursley leave, then followed them at a discreet distance from the station to Mr. Dursley’s car. He didn’t want to take Potter from the station in front of witnesses, so they’d agreed to meet in the carpark. He could hear Mr. Dursley explaining to Potter about the changes for the summer.

“What do you mean, I’m not staying with you for the summer? Where am I going to go?” Potter asked, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

“You’re staying with a very nice family of one of your friends from that school. It’s all been arranged, boy, so there’s no use arguing about it. We’re to meet him at the car, so hurry up.”

For such a fat man, Dursley moved surprisingly fast. Potter had to practically run to keep up.

Dursley stopped when he reached the car and looked around for Lucius. Lucius continued walking at a leisurely pace, wondering how Potter would react. He had his wand ready to stun the boy if he made a fuss.

“Hurry up, man, I’ve not got all day. Let’s get this over with,” Dursley complained impatiently.

Potter looked Lucius up and down with wide, green eyes. “Have we met before, sir?” he asked. “Are you related to Ron Weasley?”

If it weren’t for knowing how pleased Draco would be at having Harry Potter as their guest for the summer, he would have canceled the entire deal then and there – he’d never been mistaken for a Weasley before.

“Don’t be rude, boy. This is Mr. Malfoy. Now you go with him and he’ll be returning you to our house at the end of the summer.”

And without giving Potter a second glance, Dursley got in his car and drove away.

Potter stood stock-still, then licked his lower lip and said, “I don’t understand. Why do you want me to come and stay with you? Draco and I aren’t – well, we don’t get along much.”

“Yes, Draco has mentioned it a time or two. No matter. The arrangements have already been made. You will accompany me to Malfoy Manor, where you will be our guest for the summer. I expect you to behave and to learn to get along with my son. Your uncle has given me permission to discipline you as I see fit, if necessary. It won’t be necessary, will it, Harry?”

Lucius could see the boy shiver slightly, then he bowed his head and looked down. “No, Mr. Malfoy. It won’t be necessary to discipline me,” he replied, barely above a whisper.

Lucius felt something stir inside of him as he listened to Harry’s words. It had been quite some time since he’d heard that exact phrasing, and his cock twitched at the memory of another dark-haired boy saying the same thing to him, back during Lucius’ last year at Hogwarts.

Pushing the memory away, Lucius asked, “Do you know what Side-Along Apparition is?”

Harry shook his head.

“You may feel somewhat disoriented by it the first time, but it won’t last. Now come here. I can do it by just touching your arm, but you’ll be less ill if you allow me to hold you closer.”

The boy glanced up at Lucius, blushing slightly, and he tentatively walked into Lucius’ outstretched arms.

When they arrived at the front door of Malfoy Manor, Harry was hanging on tightly and had his face buried in Lucius’ chest. Most children Harry’s age were used to Side-Along Apparition by the time they’d turned five. It was the primary way of traveling average distances – Portkeys being used for longer distance travel. Lucius couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to Harry to be Apparating for the first time.

He lightly patted Harry’s head, trying to calm the trembling boy. His hair was surprisingly soft. “Harry, it’s over,” Lucius said in a reassuring tone. “We’re here at the Manor. Take several deep breaths. I’ll have one of the house-elves bring you some water if you’d like.”

Harry did as Lucius instructed, breathing deep and slow. Shaking, he tried to stand up straight, but stumbled just a bit.

“Hold my arm for support and walk slowly,” Lucius told him.

Harry nodded and they entered the foyer of Malfoy Manor.

Lucius couldn’t miss the gasp as Harry looked around, wide-eyed. “This is your home?” he asked incredulously.

“Malfoys have lived in this home for hundreds of years,” Lucius told him proudly.

“It’s beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a house so grand. Hogwarts is grand, but that’s not the same – that’s a school. It must be fantastic to live in a place like this.”

Harry turned slowly around, still taking it all in, his Apparition sickness apparently forgotten.

“Father! Is that you? What took you so long? Do you have my -”

Draco stood at the top of the stairs, looking down into the foyer. He stopped speaking in mid-sentence as soon as he saw Harry. Harry froze, staring back up at him.

“What’s he doing here?” Draco asked angrily.

“Draco, please come downstairs and welcome our guest,” Lucius told him.

“Guest? What are you talking about? You said you were getting me my birthday present.”

“Draco,” Lucius said sternly. “Remember that you are a Malfoy. There are responsibilities that go along with that name. Your responsibility right now is to come down here and properly greet our guest.”

Draco immediately became quiet, but his eyes still burned with fury. He walked stiffly down the stairs and over to Harry.

“Welcome to Malfoy Manor,” he said with forced politeness, then promptly clamped his mouth shut.

Harry looked at Draco warily but didn’t seem to be intimidated by Draco’s unfriendliness. Lucius had to respect Harry for his ability to adapt in such an uncomfortable situation.

“Harry will be staying with us for the summer. I realize that you two are not the best of friends, but I expect you to get along and learn to at least be civil to each other. Is that clear?

“Yes, Father,” Draco replied respectfully, but still obviously unhappy with the situation.

“Yes, Mr. Malfoy,” Harry added quietly.

“Now, Draco, Harry will be staying in the room adjoining yours. His things have already been placed there, so will you please show him the way? Then you can give Harry a tour of the Manor and the grounds.”

“Yes, Father,” Draco repeated, then turned to Harry and said formally, “Please follow me.”

Harry glanced over at Lucius, giving him a small smile, then followed Draco up the stairs.

Lucius watched them, and sighed. He really hoped Draco would get over his anger sooner rather than later so he and Harry could enjoy their time together.

“Dobby!” Lucius called out.

With a pop, a house-elf appeared at Lucius’ side.

“Sir called?”

“Yes, Dobby. Please keep an eye on Master Draco. See that he doesn’t do anything to harm Master Potter. I don’t think he will – at least nothing too serious – but just in case.”

“Yes, sir. Should I be stopping Master Draco if he does?”

“Unless Draco is about to kill Harry, just come and inform me of the situation.”

“Yes, sir.” Then another pop sounded and Dobby was gone.

~*~

Harry tried not to think about the strangeness of his situation. He still hadn’t decided if spending the summer at the Malfoys’ would actually be better than spending it with the Dursleys. The Manor was certainly an interesting place. Mr. Malfoy seemed like a decent enough man. It was just too bad that Draco had to be here. He couldn’t help but think that he was still spending the summer with a spoiled bully, only instead of the bully being named Dudley, this one was named Draco.

Harry followed Draco down a long corridor. They must have walked past a dozen doors until finally stopping at one at the end. The door was open and Draco walked right in, stepping to the side to allow Harry to pass.

The door shut with an ominous ‘click’. Before Harry could turn around to defend himself, Draco grabbed his wrist and wrenched his arm up behind his back. At the same time, Draco grabbed a fistful of Harry’s hair and used it to shove Harry face-first against the wall.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at, Potter, but you won’t get away with it. What did you do to get my father to bring you here?”

Draco pressed Harry’s wrist up higher between his shoulder blades, and Harry winced in pain.

“I didn’t do anything! I don’t know why your father brought me here. I didn’t even know who he was until my uncle told me. Now let me go!”

Harry struggled to break free of Draco’s grasp, but he was no match for the slightly bigger boy, and finally just went limp. With Dudley, he’d wait until he could run away to the playground or somewhere he could hide out until Dudley tired of looking for him and left to visit with one of his other friends. But here, there was no point in his trying to run and hide. There was nowhere for him to go. He’d just have to try and endure whatever Draco planned to do to him.

But Draco didn’t do anything. He gave Harry a hard shove, then released him. Harry turned around slowly, rubbing the soreness out of the arm that Draco had twisted behind his back,

“I don’t want you here, Potter, but because my father seems to, I’ll have to put up with you. I’d like to just ignore you, but Father would only punish me for treating a guest rudely. So, I’ll be polite to you, treat you as if we’re friends, but don’t get any ideas in your head that I like you, because I don’t. Is that clear?”

Draco crossed his arms and waited for Harry to answer.

“Fine,” Harry said flatly. “It’s not like I have any choice, unless I want my summer to be completely miserable. So, truce, then?” Harry asked and held out his hand before he realized what he’d done.

Draco stared at it for a long moment, then as if in slow motion, held his own hand out and took Harry’s, shaking it. “Truce,” he replied. With a slight frown, he then let go.

He opened the door to leave, but turned his head slightly and called back over his shoulder, “Look through the clothes in the closet and pick out something presentable. I’m sure my father has new things in there for you. He’d never allow you to wear those rags you have on. I’ll be back in about thirty minutes to give you the grand tour.”

And then Draco was gone.

Harry was tired. The stress from dealing with all these unknowns had taken its toll. He just wanted to lie down and get some sleep, but instead, he walked over to the closet and opened it to see if what Draco had said was true. Sure enough, the closet was filled with clothes. He didn’t think he’d ever seen so many different – new – shirts and trousers and shoes. And they were all for him!

Maybe being here for the summer wouldn’t be that bad after all.

~*~

Lucius was quite pleased at how things were working out between Draco and Harry. They’d been reserved with each other at first, but he knew it couldn’t last. With there being just the two of them here at the Manor – he didn’t count himself or Narcissa – they would naturally have to turn to each other for companionship.

Both of them enjoyed Quidditch, and even Lucius joined in occasionally, playing two-on-one. Lucius had commissioned the building of a small Quidditch pitch the week of Draco’s birth. He’d begun to teach Draco how to fly when Draco had been two. One thing that had always bothered Draco about Harry was how Harry had become Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It seemed Draco had done something – he wouldn’t elaborate on exactly what – which allowed Harry’s natural flying ability to be witnessed by Professor McGonagall.

A conversation one night at dinner about Harry’s experience as Seeker led to a one-on-one challenge from Draco. It was an aggressive but friendly competition and as Lucius watched, he could see why Draco admired Harry’s flying ability. He had a graceful yet powerful way about him that just drew you to him.

Besides playing Quidditch, another popular activity was swimming. Lucius had installed a small, magically heated pool in the garden area as part of the landscape. It wasn’t large, but there was a rope attached from an overhanging branch of one of the trees, and the boys would take turns swinging on it and jumping into the pool.

Lucius couldn’t remember exactly when the downward spiral had started for him. He thought it might have been related to the time he’d gone down to the pool and found the two of them sunning themselves without a stitch of clothing on. He didn’t know why he felt so shocked by it. After all, he and Draco and Narcissa had all spent time at the pool sunbathing in the nude and none of them had thought anything of it.

But now, here was Harry, lying next to Draco, naked and – for lack of a better word – breathtaking.

Lucius wasn’t one to lust after young boys – or girls for that matter – and especially not ones who were the same age as his own son. He also was reluctant to label what he was feeling as lust. It wasn’t as if he wanted to take the boy to his bed and make passionate love to him.

What he wanted to do was touch the boy everywhere, to worship that beautiful flawless skin. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the boy’s slender penis, lying limp amidst a small patch of hair. The hair was so new it hadn’t even begun to curl. The boy had no hair yet on his legs, nor his chest, and his nipples were still small and undeveloped.

Lucius had been aware of Draco’s physical maturing, but that had been because spots had started appearing along the side of his nose. Severus had brewed a special topical potion and that had been that.

But now to see his son and Harry side by side, he couldn’t take his eyes off of them.

He almost let out a moan as he watched Harry’s hand move to his penis and begin to play with himself. It was such a natural act. Lucius could hear the light murmuring of their conversation, peppered with laughter as one of them said something funny. Harry pulled lightly at his foreskin, then pushed it back, revealing the tiny purplish head. All the while, the two boys continued talking.

It wasn’t long until Draco also began to play with himself, and although Lucius knew he should give them their privacy, he couldn’t move away from the sight of such innocent beauty. Their actions were more competitive than sexual, each one trying to see who could get hard the fastest. Neither seemed interested in reaching climax. Instead, they stopped to compare themselves, rolling on their sides to face each other and pressing their cocks together. Lucius could picture how different they would be with each other in four or five years.

Now, though, it seemed they’d decided Draco was the winner on length, Harry the winner on width. Game over, they both leaped up and jumped into the pool, screaming and laughing at the top of their lungs.

Lucius smiled. Had he ever been that innocent? So many things had happened to him since his years at Hogwarts. He really did owe a debt of gratitude to Harry for vanquishing the Dark Lord from their lives.

Although Lucius fought the urge, he couldn’t resist going down to the pool when he knew Harry and Draco would be there. Most times, he’d just watch them play. They were never sexual, although a lot of their time involved touching and exploring. But it was the result of curiosity rather than anything prurient. Occasionally, Lucius would join them in a swim, then take his own clothing off to sun himself near the pool, but keeping his distance from the two of them. The first time he’d done it, Harry had hesitated to undress, but Draco was used to it and stripped off right away. That was enough for Harry to overcome his modesty in front of Lucius, and from that point on, he’d had no trouble getting naked if Lucius was around.

Lucius was content to admire Harry from afar, but it wasn’t meant to remain that way. Temptation was thrown directly in his face the night of Harry’s twelfth birthday.

Lucius hadn’t wanted to invite anyone to the Manor for Harry’s birthday – he would've had too much explaining to do about how he’d managed to get ‘the Boy Who Lived’ as a house-guest for the summer. They’d had a low-key dinner but with cake and ice cream for desert. For entertainment, though, Lucius had arranged a magical fireworks display. Only those on Malfoy Manor property could see it. After the fireworks were over, the Malfoys gave Harry his present – a real Golden Snitch, engraved with Harry’s name. Lucius spelled the Quidditch pitch with light for the next hour, and Draco and Harry went down to play some one-on-one.

Lucius stayed up to read for a while after Narcissa had gone to sleep. He’d heard the boys come in from the pitch and say their good-nights. He wasn’t sure how much more time had passed – when he was caught up in a book, it wasn’t uncommon for several hours to go by unnoticed.

But then suddenly Dobby appeared, excited and upset. “Sir! Master Harry is hurt. He be in his room crying. Dobby not sure why. Master Draco is asleep. Dobby does not know how Master Harry got hurt to be crying so much.”

Lucius rushed to Harry’s room. The door was slightly ajar and he could hear Harry crying softly. A small candle on the nightstand cast enough illumination in the room so that he could see Harry lying on his side, facing away from the door, his body shaking with his sobs.

Lucius walked to the bed and called out in a low voice so as not to startle the boy. “Harry, it’s Mr. Malfoy. Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

Harry rolled onto his back and leaned up on his elbows. Lucius licked his lower lip nervously when he saw the sheet over Harry’s body slip down to his waist, revealing nothing but pale skin and pink nipples.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Malfoy. I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m just…I…”

Harry paused and looked down, obviously disturbed by something and not wishing to discuss it.

Against his better judgement, Lucius sat down on the bed, touching Harry’s shoulder lightly. “You’re amongst friends here, Harry. You can tell me what’s bothering you. I won’t hold it against you.”

Tears still glistening in his eyes, Harry knelt up and leaned over, giving Lucius a hug and burying his head in the man’s chest. The action startled Lucius and before he knew it, he was holding Harry tightly, rocking him back and forth, trying to comfort the crying boy.

Harry felt warm in his arms. His hair was feather-soft and smelled slightly of sweat. Lucius rubbed Harry’s back, his arm moving up and down over the smooth exposed skin. The sheet had fallen completely to the side and Lucius could see that all Harry wore to bed were his pants. He couldn’t help but stare at the round curve of Harry’s bottom, the outline of his small cheeks showing through the thin fabric.

Finally the boy’s sobbing grew less, and after a few moments of light sniffling, Harry raised his head to look up at Lucius.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Malfoy. I don’t mean to be a cry-baby. I’m not upset. Really, I’m not. I was crying because…well.” Harry swallowed hard, then said, “No one has ever given me a birthday party before, and I’m just so happy. Whenever I have something good happen to me, though, it never lasts. I just was crying because I know this won’t either. You’ve made me a part of your family, but at the end of summer, it’ll all be over. I just don’t want to see it end. Draco and I are in different houses at school. I don’t think we can stay friends once we go back – and that makes me sad.”

Lucius tried his best to be reassuring. “Harry, it will be all right. There’s still an entire month to go before summer is over with. Try and concentrate on the present, on having as good a time here with Draco as possible. When the time comes for you to return to school, you and Draco will find a way to maintain your friendship. I can see how it would be difficult to let others know of it, you being in Gryffindor and Draco being in Slytherin, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay friends in secret. And if you’d like, you can come here over the Yule and Easter holidays. I don’t think your relatives will miss you much, am I right?”

Harry nodded. “My aunt and uncle can’t stand me. I spent last Christmas and Easter at the school. They didn’t want me at their house, which was fine because I didn’t want to be there either.”

Lucius leaned over and gave Harry a light kiss on the top of the head. He had to get out of there, away from Harry, before he was tempted into going further with the boy than he knew he should.

“There you are, then. We’ll plan for you to come back here and spend not only Yule and Easter, but next summer too. You are part of our family now, Harry. You’ll always be welcome here. Now, I think you should get some sleep. You’ve had a long and exhausting day.”

Before Lucius could get up off the bed, Harry pulled him closer and hugged him again. “Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, for everything.”

Lucius could feel Harry’s cock press against his thigh, twitching slightly at the stimulation, and before he knew what he was doing, his hands moved further down Harry’s back and under the elastic band of Harry’s pants. He felt the round smoothness of Harry’s butt cheeks and began to massage and squeeze lightly. Harry gasped but didn’t pull away.

After a few moments, Lucius could feel Harry begin to harden, and when the boy let out a moan, Lucius was lost. He pushed Harry gently down onto his back, then pulled his pants off, leaving the boy completely naked. Harry’s penis was already leaking precome from the slit, and Lucius couldn’t resist cupping the fragile balls and running his fingers through the silky hair. When Harry spread his legs further apart and thrust his hips upwards, Lucius wrapped his hand around the small penis. Within moments, Harry threw his head back and cried out, white come pulsing out warm and sticky over Lucius’ hand and onto Harry’s belly.

Lucius lay down next to Harry and continued to hold the trembling boy as he recovered from the orgasm. He was at a loss as to what to say, so simply kept silent. He waited until Harry fell asleep, then left the room quietly.

~*~

The rest of the summer passed quickly, and soon it was time to return Harry to the Dursleys. Harry’s behaviour toward Lucius hadn’t changed, much to Lucius’ relief. He didn't understand how he could have allowed himself to get so completely out of control that night, but he’d vowed to not let it happen again. He’d continued to make his appearances at the swimming pool, and to play the occasional Quidditch game. Draco and Harry had continued to get along, and when it was time to go, there were tearful good-byes when Lucius and Harry stepped outside the Manor to Apparate back to Privet Drive.

Lucius thought Harry might be hesitant to hold on during the Side-Along Apparition, but Harry acted as if the incident on the night of his birthday had never even happened. That was, until they arrived in front of the Dursleys’ house.

“Mr. Malfoy, can I ask you something before you take me to the door?”

Lucius looked down, unsure of what to expect. “Of course, Harry. What would you like to know?”

“About what happened on my birthday. Um…well, you aren’t mad at me about that, are you? I didn’t mean for that to happen. I would never have…well, I got your hand dirty like that and all. I should have told you then I was sorry, but I was so embarrassed, every time I wanted to apologize for it, I couldn’t do it.” He looked up at Lucius, blushing furiously and with the most pathetic expression of hopefulness on his face. “You’ll still let me come back at Christmas and Easter, won’t you? And next summer too? Please, Mr. Malfoy. I’m really sorry. I promise that it won’t ever happen again if you’ll just say I can come back.”

Lucius sucked in his breath. It was the last thing he’d expected to hear, and he felt a twinge of remorse at letting the boy accept responsibility for what had happened that night. But it was for the best that things had worked out this way. If Harry thought it was his fault, he likely wouldn’t ever mention what had happened to any of his friends, and especially not to Draco.

“Harry, don’t worry about it. Those things happen when you’re young. It’s just a natural part of your body maturing and growing up. Forget about it – I have. And yes, we still would like you to be a part of our family for Yule and Easter holidays. Why don’t we go and discuss it with your uncle and make the arrangements right now?”

Harry smiled angelically up at Lucius and held out his hand. Lucius hesitated, then took the small hand in his, giving it a little squeeze. He was looking forward to Harry’s visits over the next several years, being able to watch him grow up and become a young man.

~ Fin: 2010-02-15 ~