Harry Potter & The Daughter of Malfoy

Chapter Seven - Emotional High

"He´s on his way home!"

Sitting at the table in the drawing room next door to the main living room of the Manor, poring over his class work, Harry looked up at Narcissa. "Who?" he asked, noticing absently that Lucius hadn´t looked up and seemed to be sitting quite rigidly on the other side of the table.

"Draco!" Narcissa clapped her hands together. "My little boy!"

"Oh..." A strange numbness settled over Harry at the thought of his most hated rival from school. Even though he now knew the parents, he couldn´t help cringing at the thought of the blond Slytherin and his derisive, mocking attitude. "That´s...nice."

Narcissa didn´t seem to notice the lack of enthusiasm, making up for it with her own. "My little dragon!" she laughed. "I´ll have to help him get settled in again... Lucius, you´ll have to come and meet him as well!"

The weary "Yes, Ciss." made Harry look over the table with concern.

Lucius was slouched in his seat, one hand spread on the surface of the table, his eyes focussed distractedly on a dark knot of wood beneath his fingertips. He had never looked so...down.

As Narcissa danced off merrily to prepare for her son´s arrival, Harry rose and rounded the table, hesitantly touching Lucius´ shoulder. "Lucius?"

The older wizard visibly started in surprise, looking up. "Harry?"

"Are you...all right? You don´t look very happy?"

"I don´t look happy?" He gave a rough, almost bark of laughter, which didn´t come close to reaching his eyes. "Of course, I´m happy. My son is home, isn´t he? My boy. The most selfish, arrogant little bastard you are likely to meet. Of course I´m thrilled about it."

Harry was momentarily confused. "What?"

"Excuse me," Lucius said quietly, getting to his feet and pushing passed the very pregnant youth. "I ought to go and greet him."

Unable to find any words to stop him, Harry watched the wizard cross the room and enter the long hallway, where Narcissa was calling him. He heard the front door creak open and Narcissa´s happy shout.

"DRACO!"

A stinging prick of pain struck him beneath his heart.

This was one of those times that he wished he could remember what it was like to be loved by his mother. One hand rose and he touched the scar on his brow, the sign of her love for him through the curse of another.

His other hand strayed to his stomach, where there was a tiny little person growing day by day, a little person who was part of him, a little person he was starting to love, even though he didn´t know what it was.

Would he love the baby as much as Narcissa loved Draco?

And what of Lucius?

He...he actually looked like he truly despised his own son, so what of this little one growing in him? Would Lucius hate it as well?

Biting on his lower lip, Harry edged towards the door, keeping out of sight.

Through the opening, he saw Draco and Narcissa entering the hall, Narcissa´s arms around the blond youth. He was smiling up at her, talking rapidly about something he had done at school.

Something involving a `mudblood´.

Same old Draco, Harry mused as he closed his eyes with a sigh.

In the Hall, he heard Lucius say his son´s name.

Peering out again, he saw Draco smirk. "Father," he said in that lazy drawl which made most people want to smack him in the mouth.

"I trust you have behaved appropriately during your term."

"As always, father," Draco replied lazily. He still sounded like a stuck-up little snot and Harry wanted to tip another bowl of yoghurt over his head for being so blatantly rude. "Mother, come on! We have to unpack!"

Narcissa apparently agreed with him and `mother´ and son departed into the winding hallways of Malfoy Manor, leaving the father standing in the hall, as rigid as a statue, his jaw clenched.

Lucius Malfoy´s hands were balled in fists by his sides and he remained motionless for several minutes, drawing a few long, slow breaths.

Then, stiffly, he walked through towards the large living room, which was the largest room in the Manor and was the place that Harry and Lucius had first spoken like civilised beings, the night that Bob had gone out.

Something wasn´t right.

Edging out of the drawing room as subtly as he could with a belly sticking out so far it looked like he had a beach-ball shoved up his jumper, Harry crept down the hall, hoping that Draco wouldn´t suddenly appear.

Managing to squeeze into the living room, he shut the door behind him and turned to find Lucius standing at the massive windows. He appeared to be oblivious to Harry´s presence, his hands folded behind his back, a pensive, sad look on his face.

It was the same look Harry had seen when he found Lucius watching the fire.

"Lucius?"

Malfoy´s eyes closed. "I would rather be alone at the moment, Potter," he said. His voice was quiet. A monotone, completely devoid of emotion.

"What´s wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing. Not a thing."

Chewing on his lip for a moment, Harry took a few steps towards him. "Are...aren´t you glad that your son is home?"

Lucius turned slightly to look at him. "You have met my son, Harry, and seen what he is like," he said quietly. "Now, when you know that I am the reason that he is the way that he is, perhaps you can tell me why I would celebrate his homecoming, when all he does is constantly remind me how bad a father I am."

Harry stared at him. "I-I don´t understand."

"No. You wouldn´t," Lucius turned back to the window, stepping forward and resting his hands on the sill. His eyes scanned out across the grounds and he exhaled a weary sigh. "Perhaps you should be told, though. Draco is the result of my attempts to protect the ones I care most about."

"Eh?"

Lowering his head, Lucius started to speak quietly. "Outside of this family, everyone knows me as the famed Lucius Malfoy. Everyone in our contingent of the wizarding world knows that I am a cruel, sadistic and evil dark wizard," Harry tried to interupt with a protest, but Lucius raised a hand to silence him. "I admit to having an interest in dark magic, but I am - by no means - a dark wizard."

"I-I don´t get it."

"I am reaching the point, Harry," Lucius said patiently. "I am not a dark wizard, but people believe that I am, so I act the part, which means I look strong and a potential threat. No one dares to challenge me and, thus, my own family are safe from threat from genuine dark wizards. Everyone sees this mask of mine and accept it as reality... or at least, it was only meant to be people outwith the family who saw me that way."

"But Draco saw you like that..." Harry whispered, suddenly starting to understand.

"Draco believed that the facade I showed to people outwith our family was the way that a wizard should behave," Turning, the blond-haired man leaned back against the window-ledge, his arms crossed over his chest. He gazed down at the floor. "Nothing I could do or say in the privacy of our home would convince him otherwise. The way I acted in public was good enough for him."

"It isn´t your fault."

"Isn´t it?" Lucius laughed bitterly. "You have no idea how hard I tried to turn that child around. To teach him decency. Some kind of respect for those who deserved it. You can´t know how painful it is to see your own child become the thing you hate most and know that it is all your own fault for molding him that way."

"You tried, Lucius. Some people wouldn´t even have done that, " Harry said softly, approaching Lucius and touching his arm in reassurance.

"I tried, yes," the older wizard sighed. "But did I try hard enough? If I really tried, I would have been able to pull him back...you know his...you know Bob and I. You know what we are like and yet, we still manage to raise something like...him."

"Narcissa loves him."

Lucius´ face was etched with pain and he pressed his eyes closed.

"I love the little bastard as well," he said, so quietly that Harry barely heard him. "I hate what he has become. I hate the way he behaves. I hate the way he treats people, but he is still my son and I can´t help loving him."

Harry blinked hard, trying to squash down the feelings of immense mushiness that were building up. The father of his baby loved his other child. Lucius Malfoy could love someone, something...

Unfortunately, the surge of maternal pride somehow managed to trigger the instant `automatic blub´ mechanism and before he could think more normal thoughts, tears were pouring down his face.

"I hate being pregnant," he mumbled, groping in his pockets for his grotty tissues.

"You´re being strangely quiet," Lucius murmured, looking up from the floor, then shook his head. "Not again!" Harry gave him an apologetic look, although the wizard did look a little...blurry through the tears that were filming his eyes. "For goodness sake, Harry, what is it this time?"

"Do..." he sniffed hard, before he could manage to say. "Do you have a hanky?"

"Of course," Lucius said, as he started to dig through his pockets. "What is it?"

His voice higher-pitched than usual (kind of like Seamus´ when he had been kicked in the balls), Harry squeakily replied. "You were being all paternal...you...you said emotional things...and my body is being a right idiot."

Lucius laughed, although it was still slightly strained. "Did I set you off?" he asked, holding out a handkerchief, which Harry took, blasting out a loud honk as tear splashed down his face. "Sorry."

Nodding, he mopped his face. "You should know," he replied, sniffing hard. "That I cry over the stupidest things and when you getting all emotional..."

"You say it´s stupid," Lucius said, pointing a finger at him in caution. "And I will wring your neck, pregnant or not."

Scrubbing his cheeks dry with the back of his hand, Harry smiled weakly. "Actually, I was going to say it´s sweet," he said, his voice oddly squeaky. A half-smile crossed Lucius´ face. "And," Harry added, unable to hide a grin. "Its bloody weird as well!"

"C´mere, you!"

Reaching out and grabbing Harry by the back of the head, Lucius was laughing as he pulled him into a headlock.

Harry´s futile yells and struggles were quickly replaced by muffled laughter. His wriggling stopped and he leaned against Lucius´s chest, the older wizard giving him an affectionate cuff across the head.

"You have to be the strangest, most insane wizard that I have ever met."

"And this is coming from the man who is married to a transvestite and got two men pregnant?"

There was a chuckle from Lucius. "That is a valid point, although you are more selfless than I. More compassionate."

Shifting slightly to rest the back of his head comfortably against Lucius´ shoulder, gazing up at the ceiling, Harry sighed. One of Lucius´ arms slid around his waist to hold him steady, his palm spreading on the bump that contained their baby.

"If you don´t mind me asking," Lucius said. "Why did my emotional outburst make you cry?"

"Um...no reason..."

"Harry."

Green eyes reluctantly met grey. "I...I thought that you didn´t care about him...your son...and that made me scared...it made me scared that you...maybe you wouldn´t care about this baby..."

"You know that is probably the most absurd thing you could possibly have thought."

"I know that now," Harry agreed. "But the way you and Draco act around each other, you can´t blame me for being worried. I don´t even have parents who would have been able to help me if you decided to chuck me out."

Sighing, Lucius rested his temple against Harry´s, closing his eyes. His other hand covered Harry´s where it was resting on edge of his belly.

It was strangely comfortable, Harry thought.

There was nothing sexual in it at all. It was just so...nice.

Lucius´ cheek shifted slightly against Harry´s, suggesting he was smiling. "I thought you would have realised something about our family by now," The way he said `our family´ made a surge of warmth ripple through Harry´s whole body, as if he had just drunk a huge mug of butterbeer. He had a family now. An absurd one, but it was still a family. Something he had never really had before. "Nothing in this family is ever quite as it seems to someone outside."

"Really?" Harry deadpanned. "You think so?"

"Mmm..." Lucius replied lazily. "Would you believe that, on top of the fact that Narcissa is transvestite called Bob, I am actually a woman by the name of Cecillia De Bouffant and Draco is really a limbo-dancing hermaphrodite dwarf called Bong?"

"You know, its worrying, but yes. I would believe that."

Against his back, Lucius´ chest shook with silent laughter. "Ciss was right about you when you first arrived here, Harry," he remarked. "You fit on our wavelength far too well for your own safety."

Harry couldn´t help grinning. "I think that´s possibly the most insulting thing you´ve ever said to me, you know."

"Are you saying that Ciss and I don´t have a normal wavelength."

"Rubber duckies and plastic submarines. I will say no more."

Lucius couldn´t hold in his mirth this time, shaking his head. "You are awful, boy. Absolutely terrible. I truly pity this child of ours and hope he has my wit and looks and... well, everything of mine to make him good-looking and charming enough to survive in this world."

"What makes you think its going to be a he?" Harry inquired. "And why are you deluding yourself when you know she´s going to look exactly like her...er...well, like me, if I was female."

"Me deluding myself? I´m afraid you´re mistaken, boy. Our child will be a boy."

"Girl!"

"Boy!"

"Girl!"

"Boy!"

"GIRL!"

"Guinea pig!"

"Gir..." Harry blinked as he realised what Lucius had said, Lucius started laughing. "Well...that would be a bit of a surprise, wouldn´t it?" he remarked dryly. "And if it´s a guinea pig, we call it Neville."

"And if it´s a girl guinea pig?"

Harry considered it for a long moment, then replied gravely, "Boris. And she´ll look just like you."

"What? Stunningly attractive?"

"No. Small and rodenty with too much body hair and a wet nose."