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Some Blond Fool	By : AndreaLorraine Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 46886 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Author�s Note:� Sorry, it�s been a bit long between updates
but this chapter is lengthy to make up for it.�
Unfortunately my schedule is becoming very, very bad in the next few
days and will stay that way for a few weeks, so I will do my best to write, but
I can�t promise anything.� With
motivation anything is possible, so be sure to leave me some love!

September 12

�� Whoa, Potter,� Draco was the first
to speak, �what�s this about?�

�� Ginny told you,� Hermione breathed.

�� Told him what?�

�� Yeah, Ginny told me,� Harry
spat.� �Were you planning on keeping it
to yourself?�

�� It is Miss Weasley�s story to
tell,� Lucius spoke up.� �Not
Hermione�s.�

�� Oh, we�re on a first name basis
now, are we, Lucius?�

�� Lucius straightened up fully,
exuding control.� �Some of us, yes, Harry.�

�� Harry turned to Hermione, eyes
blazing.� �You�ve spent too much time in
the company of this family.� You need to
leave.�

�� An answering blaze lit in Hermione�s
eyes.� She had never responded well to
irrational men telling her what to do; somehow Harry�s harsh command was the
most arrogant one she�d ever received.�
There was no respect in it, none at all, so it was a mark of just how
angry he was.� Still, she didn�t deserve
it.� Not from Harry Potter, who she�d
supported tirelessly for the thirteen years she�d known him � and that wasn�t
always an easy thing to do.

�� I�m not going anywhere, Harry,� she
returned stubbornly.� �You�re not
thinking clearly.� If I go, you�ll do
things that you regret.�

�� I�ll do them, but I guarantee that
I won�t regret them,� he said darkly.

�� Potter, I think you�re forgetting
that you�re outnumbered,� Draco interrupted.�
�I have no idea what this is about, but if you try to harm anyone in
this room, you will be sorry.�� His wand
was out and trained upon Harry.

�� Harry laughed, a short bark of
mirthless sound.� �This is kind of
familiar, actually.� I seem to remember
spending some quality time with the two of you before.� We�re just missing a few people.� Oh, and this time Hermione�s on your side
instead of being tortured by you.�

�� Draco stepped forward, rage flashing
across his face.� �You have no idea of what we went through,
Potter.� None.� And leave Hermione out of this.�

�� You brought it on yourselves, so
excuse me if my sympathy is conspicuously absent,� Harry shot back.

�� Lucius�s fist pounded down on the
table, creating a loud, sharp noise that startled all three of them.� �Enough!� he growled.� �Enough.��
And then, to their great shock, he lifted his left hand and said,
�Expelliarmus.�

�� Harry tried to hold onto his wand,
and so did Draco, but neither of them were successful.� The wandless magic wrenched the slivers of
wood away in a confused second.�
Hermione�s heart stopped.� If
Lucius took those wands, he�d be in violation of his sentence and they�d drag
him back to Azkaban�and who knew what would happen for the use of wandless
magic�

�� Lucius kept his head.� The wands stopped and hovered in the air a
foot in front of him.� He didn�t look
tempted by them, either.� He looked wary,
a bit discomposed, but still the one in control.�

�� Hermione,� he said quietly, �take
the wands.�

�� She moved forward and took Harry and
Draco�s wands, glad to diffuse the situation.

�� Now,� Lucius continued, �Hermione
and Draco�get out.�

�� What?� Draco exploded.� �No.�
There is no way I�m leaving
you alone with him, not when he bursts in here talking about how he�ll do
nefarious things to you and not regret it.�

�� There are a lot of people who would
do nefarious things to me and not regret it,� Lucius pointed out
impatiently.� �Mr. Potter is not unique.�

�� For good reason,� Harry scowled.

�� This is a conversation that must
take place, but I will not have the
two of you here in the crossfire.� Leave
Mr. Potter and me to settle things.�

�� Lucius--� Hermione started.

�� Leave.�� His voice brooked no argument; it was a piece
of the old Lucius, that venomous creature of scales and gold.

�� No,� Draco stated, just as
rancorous as his father.� �I will not be
ordered around.� Anything that Potter has
to say to you, he can say to me.� And I�m
not so stupid as to think that this conversation won�t involve fists!�

�� I�ve got my own pair,� Lucius
growled.� �Now, out!�� He moved his left hand again, and an
invisible force pressed on Draco�s chest and propelled him down the hallway.� He fought the entire way, cursing.

�� Hermione followed reluctantly.� As she passed Harry, she gave him the most
scathing look she could muster and said,

�� Harry James Potter, you�re
thick.� Ginny has forgiven Lucius and
she�s the one that matters.� It�s selfish
of you to ignore that.� You�re taking her
power away from her all over again.�

�� With a defiant flick of her hair,
Hermione stormed after Draco.

�� Lucius and Harry stood there for
what seemed like a long time, only the parchment-laden table between them.� He had known this was a possibility if Ginny
confessed to Harry.� He had known the
blame would come.� In Potter�s place, he
probably wouldn�t be reacting any differently.

�� So which one of you is fucking
Hermione, huh?� Harry demanded suddenly.�
�The newspaper never did decide.�

�� Your crudeness is charming, Harry,
as is your disrespect for your friend.�

�� Don�t call me that!� he nearly
shouted.� �You haven�t earned the right.�

�� Oh, now it is a privilege to use
your given name?� How lofty we have
become.�

�� And how little we have changed,
Malfoy.� You�re still a black-hearted
scumbag.�

�� And you are proving at this very
moment that you are still an impetuous child,� Lucius returned.� This was a battle he could fight forever;
engaging him in a war of words was never a good idea for the opposing side.� If there was one thing Lucius was good at, it
was generating responses where most would be left speechless.

�� Better an impetuous child than
whatever you are.�

�� Lucius rolled his eyes.� �Are you going to hit me, Potter, or just
burble infantile insults?� Because I
don�t have all day.�

�� Right, like you�re just going to
stand there and let it happen.�

�� Lucius walked around the table and
his long legs carried him to Harry.� To
his credit Harry barely flinched when the tall blonde closed the distance
between them.� However, he was cowed by
the quick movement, and the fact that it wasn�t followed by a fist to his jaw.

�� Here I am, Potter.�

�� What are you playing at?� Harry
demanded.

�� You obviously want to exorcise your
anger at what happened to your girlfriend � directly via the Dark Lord,
indirectly via me � by beating me to a pulp.�
Well, I�m here.�� Lucius held out
his arms.� �I am the world�s punching
bag.� Do make sure you get me in the
liver, that will hurt the most.�� He
pointed to the right side of his torso, just beneath the ribs.� �It�s right here, in case you didn�t
know.� The last person only managed to
split it in two.� Maybe you can go for
three.� You�re the world�s prize fighter,
after all.�

�� And, given his consent and his
sarcastic direction, Harry felt no guilt whatsoever in drawing back his arm and
slamming his fist right where Malfoy was pointing.�

�� As soon as they were out of the
flat, Draco whirled on her.

�� What in the nine hells is Potter on
about?�

�� I can�t tell you.�

�� Why not?!� Draco practically
shouted.� His temper was rising
exponentially.

�� Your father was right, it�s Ginny
Weasley�s story to tell, not mine.�

�� I am not going to stand here,
Hermione,� he said murderously.� �I don�t
owe Harry Potter anything and neither does my father.� Not anymore.�

�� Harry won�t hurt him.� I wouldn�t have left if I thought he was
capable of that!� she fired back, her own temper beginning to spark.

�� I don�t share your
confidence!�� He was yelling now.� �Potter isn�t the saint you think he is.� Sixth year---�

�� But he never finished, because
Kingsley Shacklebolt apparated right next to them with a loud pop.� They both jumped and Hermione was startled so
badly that when she tried to draw her wand, she fumbled and dropped all three
of them on the floor.� She and Draco
nearly knocked heads when they both lunged for the wands.

�� What,� Shacklebolt thundered, �is
going on here?�

��

�� Harry felt a mild, quickly allayed
spear of alarm when he realized that Malfoy had not been kidding about that
strategic punch hurting him the most.�
The blonde curled around himself in sheer agony; it left him wide open
and Harry swung again.� He made contact
and heard a satisfying crack.� Malfoy�s
nose was bleeding and he was on his knees, his eyes tearing involuntarily.� It was then that Harry realized that Malfoy
wasn�t going to fight back.� The only
move he made was to lift the collar of his shirt to soak up the blood streaming
down his face.

�� No, Malfoy wasn�t going to fight,
but a moment later a grey streak leapt in front of him.� It was Oberon, protecting his fallen
master.� The dog�s ears were low and
flat, its teeth showing, and an ominous growl rolled from its throat.� Harry took a step back.� Fighting a man fist-to-fist was one thing;
however, a dog had teeth and claws and a speed that Harry didn�t.

�� Oberon, get,� Malfoy wheezed.

�� Harry�s eyes jerked from the dog to
its master.� Was Malfoy insane?� This was the last line of his defense.� The dog didn�t obey.� It only growled louder.� Harry noticed a thin, hairless line bisecting
the dog�s head � a healed wound.� It must
have tried to protect him the last time, when Skeeter and her compatriot had
struck so unexpectedly�

�� Harry must have been looking at the
animal darkly, because Malfoy�s voice sounded again, stronger and more acidic.

�� Don�t you dare, Potter.��

�� He struggled to his feet, took the
dog by the collar, and hauled the uncooperative animal to the nearest
room.� When he closed the door, Oberon
scrabbled at it with his claws, growling and whining.� Malfoy braced on the door for a second.� His hand went subconsciously to that spot
beneath his ribs.

�� When he turned the sight of him
startled Harry.� He had seen Lucius
Malfoy in some interesting situations, but never like this.� Never with his face and shirtfront covered in
blood, blood that Harry had drawn.� The
shocking red stood out against the bright blue of his eyes and that pale hair;
the locks that hung over his left shoulder were dyed crimson at the ends.

�� They stared at one another for a
moment.� Harry was shocked that Malfoy
would abandon his only protection, but it evaporated away a moment later when
the older man�s incorrigible malice welled up.

�� That�s all you�ve got, Potter?� I�m sure your girlfriend punches harder than
that.� You ought to have sent her to take
her own revenge.�

�� He knew that Malfoy was egging him
on and didn�t care to reason out why.�
The man had a talent for knowing exactly what would make a person
angriest and if he wanted to use it to his own detriment, Harry was not going
to stop him.� He lunged.

�� Then they were on the ground, Harry
with his knees on either side of his foe�s chest, and he swung with a rage he
didn�t know he had.� He landed two
punches, three, and in that moment he could have killed him.� Malfoy must have sensed it; his hand clamped
around Harry�s wrist as it came down, halting him so suddenly that he lost his
balance.� Lucius used it to his advantage
and in a few limber movements that belied his age, the blonde had somehow
flipped them over and pinned Harry down.

�� Harry struggled, writhing against
his grasp, but Malfoy was strong.� Or
perhaps he was only made so by the need to stay alive; Harry was now quite sure
he would snap the man�s neck if he escaped.

�� If you kill me you will go to
Azkaban, fool!� Lucius hissed, giving him a forceful shake.� �Who will take care of your pretty ginger
then?�

�� At that moment the door flung
open.� It gave Harry the moment he
needed; it distracted Lucius enough that Harry could wrench out of his iron
grasp and wrap his hands around his neck.�
His satisfaction was short-lived; a shouted spell pulled him away from
the object of his rage.� He found himself
levitated a foot above the ground and he kicked until the intruder stilled him
with a Body Bind.

�� Harry�s mind slowed down enough that
he could figure out who was here.�
Kingsley.� The Minister of
Magic.� Circe�s sagging tit, even he was on Malfoy�s side?

�� Lucius,� Kinglsey said, �are you
all right?�

�� Harry�s eyes flickered to the man
he�d just been pried away from.� He
looked awful; his nose was obviously broken and a slash beneath his eye made it
look like he was crying blood.� Bruises
were blooming rapidly across his face and neck.�
Harry had been in fights before, but never one where the other party did
not fight back, and the realization of what he could have done hit harder and
heavier than Lucius�s fist ever would.

�� Inexplicably, Harry�s anger drained
away like a bathtub whose plug had been pulled.�
Hermione�s words punched through his anger at last.� He was
being selfish.� He had suffered through
many things in his time, more than the average person could endure, but he had
never been an average person � and he had never gone through what Ginny
had.� His Ginny.� She was so strong, so brave to stand by him
in spite of how badly it had bitten her that first year and long
afterwards.� He couldn�t begin to imagine
the strength it took.� And here he was,
crashing through her peace, negating all the work she had done to become all
right, ignoring the absolution she had already granted to the facilitator of
her shame.

�� That was why she looked so sad.� She knew he would react this way and that he
could not trust her to have taken care of things herself.� She had told him anyway; still, the foreknowledge
of how a person would react did little to negate the pain and disappointment
when that person gave you exactly what you expected.� He sighed.�
If there was one thing he had always recognized about Ginny, it was that
she could take care of herself and her affairs better than most.� It was one of many reasons that he�d fallen
head over heels for her.

�� I am fine, Minister,� he heard
Lucius say.

�� Mr. Potter?�

�� Fine,� Harry ground out.

�� All right,� Kingsley said.� �Now that I know neither of you is in imminent
danger of dying, I�m going to have to arrest you both.�

�� No!� Harry shouted immediately,
renewing his struggle against the Body Bind.

�� Harry,� Shacklebolt said, a bit
more gently, �you don�t have a scratch on you and Malfoy looks like he�s been mauled.� You assaulted an unarmed man and you might
have done worse, considering your hands were around his neck when I came in.�

�� Harry opened his mouth to say
something, but Lucius beat him to it.

�� He is also unarmed, Minister.� And I freely admit that I instigated it.�

�� Harry�s eyes widened in shock.� Malfoy was sticking up for him?� Had hell frozen over?

�� That doesn�t excuse it,� Kingsley
said.� �And let�s talk about him being
unarmed for a moment, Lucius.�

�� I used magic,� Lucius said
matter-of-factly.� �I�m aware that this
violates the terms of my sentence and that I�ll be sent back to Azkaban.� I will come peacefully.�

�� Kingsley nodded gravely.� �Your honesty will work in your favor.� They likely won�t sentence you to the Kiss.�

�� What?!� Harry exploded.� �You�re not serious about sending him back,
Kingsley!��

�� A deal is a deal, Harry,�
Shacklebolt said.

�� NO.�
No.� The only reason he used magic
was because I came in here ready to tear his head off!�� With a growl of rage, Harry strained against
the Body Bind until he thought his heart might burst.

�� Stop it,� the dark man
ordered.� �You�ll injure yourself.�

�� Let
me go, Kingsley!� Harry snarled.� �I
won�t fight once you let me go.�

�� Do I have your word you won�t try
to hurt Mr. Malfoy?�

�� Yes.�

�� With a severe frown, Kingsley
muttered, �Finite Incantatem.�

�� The moment Harry�s feet hit the
floor he jabbed a finger towards Malfoy and went on a tirade.� �His sentence was that he couldn�t use a wand!�
He didn�t use one � it was wandless and I know that you know that - so
you have NO RECOURSE to throw him back in Azkaban!� All he used was a disarming spell and a
levitation charm in self defense, and so help me, Minister, if you arrest him,
I�ll--�

�� Shut up, Potter, before you are
arrested for threatening the Minister of Magic in addition to assault,� Lucius
interrupted dryly.

�� No!� Harry shouted.� �I will not have a man go to prison because
he defended himself when I stormed into his house and tried to kill him!�

�� Mr. Malfoy is right, Harry, it is
generally wise not to further incriminate yourself once you�ve been caught.�

�� Minister,� Lucius said evenly.� �You know as well as I that no court would
convict him unless he dismembered a small child right in front of them.� There is no point in wasting time and money
on a fruitless trial.�� He
swallowed.� �And I would not testify
against him anyhow, so in the absence of my testimony and other viable
witnesses, it would be quite futile.�

�� This time both of them gawked at
him.� Harry was stunned.� The devil was ice-skating in hell, he was
sure of it.

�� At last Kingsley threw his hands up
in defeat.� �I can�t begin to understand
what�s happened here, but I�d rather not have to arrest either of you.� So, Harry, if you are on the record stating
that Mr. Malfoy�s magic use was wandless and in self-defense, he is
cleared.� And Lucius, if you claim that
you instigated this incident and do not wish to press charges, I can hardly
force justice on you.� BUT--� he barked ,
causing both men to flinch, �if anything like this happens again you will both
be thrown in Azkaban before you can get a word in edgewise.� Now stay out of trouble!�

�� He turned, his cloak whipping with
the rapidity of the motion, and showed himself out.� Harry and Lucius both sagged with relief
before meeting eyes across the room.

�� You wouldn�t�you wouldn�t really
have gone back to Azkaban for this, would you?� Harry asked, still aghast.

�� Lucius crossed his arms and
shrugged.� And in that moment, Harry
forgave him.

��

�� Draco was not in the mood to
forgive.� As soon as Shacklebolt left,
warning them to keep their wands to themselves lest he return, he wasted no
time blazing back into the flat.�
Hermione was on his heels, instinctively knowing that this situation
could rapidly become ugly again.

�� She gasped when she saw Lucius.� Draco was already pressing him down into a
chair, examining his ruined face.� And it
was ruined.� She couldn�t believe what
Harry had done to him � Harry who barely had a hair out of place.

�� Quickly she crossed the room.� Instinct told her that she had to get Harry�s
wand back in his hand before Draco�s attention returned to him.� Harry�s face said that he realized the same
thing.

�� He took his wand with palpable
guilt.� She contemplated her best friend
of over a decade.

�� You should�you should go,� she
whispered.

�� Yes, Potter, you should,� Draco
said, his voice dripping with venom.�
Hermione felt him behind her, and for the first time since becoming
reacquainted with Draco, she sensed a bit of the boy who had tortured her in
school.� �He won�t hurt him, huh,
Hermione?� the blonde sniped.�

�� Harry�s eyes swept her and something
changed in the green depths.� A sinking
feeling hit her; Harry had just realized what no one else had yet.� He had just realized that she was well and
truly�involved�with Draco.

�� I have tried to forget the past,
Potter,� Draco went on.� �And I do owe
you.� You saved my life � three times
now.� I won�t forget that.� But if you ever, ever threaten my family again, I will kill you.�

�� Hermione turned to him, unsettled by
the truth in his voice.� �Draco�Draco,
you don�t understand.� You don�t know all
the details.�

�� His lip curled up.� �Neither do you.�

�� Hermione swallowed and then turned
away from him.� She couldn�t have a
conversation with him when he was like this.

�� Let�s go, Harry.�

�� Ginny wiped tears from her
eyes.� She couldn�t seem to stop
crying.� She knew that Harry wouldn�t
take her confession well, but there had been murder in his eyes.� It must be something about men; their first
instinct was anger and jealousy.� She
knew that all of her brothers would be the same, and that was why she would
never tell a single one of them.� Lucius
was not a cat.� He didn�t have nine lives
and even if he had, three had already been used up: one by the war, one by her
own slim mercy, and another by Skeeter and her sidekick.� She had exactly six brothers; they would be
the end of him.� She sighed.� No one else would know, then, except maybe
her mother.� However, there was no
guarantee that her mother wouldn�t up and kill Lucius herself.� She had, after all, dispatched Bellatrix
LeStrange with a fury that no one expected.

�� She sighed and pulled herself up off
the couch.� This was the end of the
fragile peace she�d made with the Malfoys, she was sure of it.� It was a pity; she�d become rather attached
to the females of the family.� Narcissa
and Titania were both quite pleasant.�
Not that she considered them to be in the same category for anything
other than gender.

�� She was going to have to return
Titania.� The dog had really become a
part of small family she had with Harry.�
She seemed to know exactly what Ginny was feeling at any given time and
was always there to offer a soft, warm pillow, a wet nose, and the occasional
slobbery kiss.� At last a smile tweaked
Ginny�s lips; she had to try very hard not to compare that to some of her
ex-boyfriends.

�� Come to think of it, where was
Titania?� Normally when she was upset,
the dog was glued to her hip.� She hadn�t
noticed her when she woke up, then she�d been distracted by Harry, and now it
was nearly one in the afternoon and there was no trace of the dog
anywhere.� Was it possible that she�d
gotten out somehow?� A wriggling
nervousness formed in Ginny�s stomach.�
It would be adding insult to injury if she lost the one thing Lucius had given her.� Never mind that she�d worry herself sick over
the dog being taken by bad people or hit by a car�

�� She began a search of the flat,
hoping that Titania was just hiding out somewhere.� Or maybe Harry had taken her with him, one
step ahead of his girlfriend?� No, Harry
was not thinking clearly enough for that.�
She ought to march over there and box his ears.

�� Damn it.� Where was she?� Not in the bedroom, the living room, the
kitchen, the dining room�Ginny flung open the door to the loo, which was
slightly ajar, and let out a startled curse.

�� Oh�fuck!�

�� And then she squealed and jumped up
and down like a little girl.� She had
found Titania, all right.� Titania and
seven little additions!� No wonder the
dog had been looking a bit chubby lately.�
It had nothing to do with the food!�
In fact, they ought to have been feeding her more.� But they hadn�t known,
and evidently it didn�t matter; Titania and all the puppies looked healthy.

�� Smiling, Ginny went to retrieve a
bowl of water and some food for the tired dog.�
She couldn�t very well bring her back now.

September 25

�� Upon her arrival in southern Italy,
Narcissa could only gape.� Prior to this,
she had been as far south as Rome.� The places she had seen were beautiful but
they didn�t compare to this.� This was
the Amalfi coast they always spoke of.�
There was Mount Vesuvius, a slumbering
giant covered over in grass and yellow flowers.�
It loomed in the distance, beautiful but dangerous.� To the left, that must be Capri;
the island jutted out of the blue ocean, tall and craggy.� She could see the trail of boats going to and
fro, some lowly freighters, some yachts.�
There was money on that island � money and trouble.

�� She surveyed herself.� She looked like money and she was bent on
trouble; perhaps if she showed enough cleavage to the right person, she could
catch a ride on one of those yachts�

September 12

�� There,� Draco said, sitting back
and placing his wand on the table, �done.�

�� Lucius gingerly touched his
nose.� It no longer throbbed with pain
and beneath his fingers it was straight and normal.� He looked at his son, suitably impressed.

�� Perhaps you should have been a
healer.�

�� Draco rolled his eyes.� �Why did you let him hit you, Dad?� I�ve never seen you in a fist fight but I
know you can do better than that.�

�� You�re right, I can.�� Lucius stood up and pulled the bloody t-shirt
over his head.� It was beyond salvage
now.

�� What the hell is that?!� Draco
demanded, shooting to his feet.

�� What?�

�� That son of a bitch!� He knew
you�d been hurt there, how dare he�!�

�� Ah.�
The punch to the liver.� Well, he
had invited it, but he hadn�t expected Potter to take him up on the offer.� He made a mental note not to give the boy any
ideas from now on.� Lucius looked down
and his eyes widened.� A plum colored
bruise with red edges stood out against his skin like a continent on a globe.

�� Oh,� he said.� Looking at its contused firework of colors
made him feel like he ought to be in more pain.�
This was definitely a case of it looking worse than it was.

�� What a�what a...cocksucking
hippogriff-fucking tosspot!� Draco fumed.

�� Lucius blinked and then
laughed.� It hurt his ribs but he
couldn�t resist.� He had not heard his
son use such language, well, ever.

�� How can you laugh?� Draco glared at
him.� �He nearly killed you!�

�� I would not have let him kill me,�
he said, still half-smirking.� His smirk
faded away, however, when he saw how serious and distressed his offspring
was.� �What�s the matter?�

�� You don�t know what he�s capable
of.�

�� Lucius frowned.� Draco�s tone wasn�t encouraging.� Mirth left him in one fell swoop.�

�� I�ll tell you mine if you tell me
yours.�

�� Draco didn�t need much
persuasion.� He sat back down in his
chair, crossed his arms, and gave his father a surly look before starting.

�� When you were�in Azkaban, and I was��

�� Trying to kill Dumbledore,� Lucius
supplied.

�� Yes, that.� Potter was suspicious of me that entire year
and rightly so, of course.� He was so
stupid about it.� He was always trying to
spy on me and point the finger at me and I managed to avoid him for months.�

�� And then?�

�� Draco sighed.� �Bad timing.�
I was in the loo, the one no one ever uses.� I was at my wit�s end.� I had tried everything I could think of to
complete that mission.� My time was
running out.� He,� and his voice hitched
and a malevolent expression passed over his youthful face, �had told me that if
I didn�t succeed by the end of the school year, he would order the dementors to
give you the Kiss.�

�� Lucius controlled a spurt of rage
and an even greater spurt of guilt.� The
poor boy.� Draco had always idolized him
for reasons he didn�t understand; he certainly wasn�t deserving of it.� He knew his son had torn himself apart that
long year he�d been incarcerated�no, incarcerated was too nice a word for it.

�� So I�I was upset,� Draco continued,
choosing his words carefully.� �I was in
the loo trying to get myself together before my next class.� It wasn�t working.� And then, lo and behold, who should waltz in
but Harry Potter.�

�� Lucius exhaled.� He could almost picture it.� If he knew his son, he�d be so angry at being
caught in a moment of emotion that he would lash out immediately.� His and Potter�s animosity had been the stuff
of legend.� It was unfortunate; Draco
could have used that moment of weakness to lure the other boy in, to play on
his hero complex and make him believe that he was a victim of the Dark Lord�s
madness.� It was true, but at that point
he had still been a semi-willing victim.�
He could have won Potter�s confidence, caused him to drop his guard, and
then delivered him like clockwork.� It
would have won him much greater rewards than Dumbledore�s murder.� But Draco didn�t think like that; he never
had.� At one time Lucius had thought it a
weakness but now he knew better.� He, on
the other hand, had thought that way for so long that he�d probably never be
able to stop.� At the very least, though,
he could now prevent himself from acting on the knowledge that he could
manipulate almost anyone.

�� Are you listening?�� Draco interrupted his thoughts.

�� Yes.� Just thinking.� So Potter walks in��

�� He walks in, sees me�he didn�t know
what to do.� I got so angry.� I swear, Dad, that was the angriest I�ve ever
been.� It was all because of him.� Everything I was going through, you were
going through, Mum�it was because of him.�
I shouldn�t have done it, but I went after him.�

�� Understandable.�

�� We dueled.� It was short.�
He used Sectumsempra on me.�

�� A nasty shock welled up in Lucius�s
chest.� He felt the way a person did when
he slipped on black ice and hit the ground tailbone-first.� Where on earth had Potter learned
Sectumsempra?� That was Snape�s curse, a
very effective one, at that.� He�d seen a
man die from it, bled until he went white and blue and withered like fruit in
the summer sun�

�� Why didn�t you tell me this?�
Lucius demanded.

�� Well, Dad, you were in prison at
the time and I�m sure they were reading your letters.� What was I supposed to write?� Dear Father, today while I was trying to
figure out how to murder Albus Dumbledore the savior of the world hexed me with
a dark jinx invented by a Death Eater.�
P.S., do you have any suggestions since you�ve got that book Famous
Wizards and How to Kill Them--�

�� Watch your cheek.�

�� Draco snorted at him.� His intimidation really didn�t work anymore,
and he supposed it shouldn�t now that his son was truly a man.� He grimaced.�
If his father was still alive�it pained him to admit it, but the man
would probably still intimidate the
bejesus of out him.� Draco was fortunate
that his acquaintance with his grandfather had not lasted very long.� Lucius hadn�t been so lucky.� He was pretty sure he could write a book
about the ways he�d dreamed of killing his father.� Yes, but Abraxas Malfoy had been more
infamous than famous to those who knew him�

�� Lucius shook his head, brushing his
demon sire from his mind.� He had not
thought about him in years; this week�s breakdown had brought him back in full
force and Lucius really didn�t appreciate it.�
In the end Abraxas�s pure blood had gotten the best of him.� He�d died from a clot in his brain.� The healers said he might have lived a while
after the stroke hit, physically unable to move or speak, trapped in his own
mind as he died slowly.� For a long time Lucius
had thanked every mysterious force that was responsible for telling his mother
let Abraxas �sleep in� that day�what a sleep it was�

�� Sectumsempra,� he breathed.� �Did he leave you there?�

�� A muscle in Draco�s jaw
clenched.� �No.� He tried to reverse it and when he realized
he couldn�t he ran.� I thought he was
leaving me to die, but then he came back with Snape.�

�� Lucius closed his eyes.� If it had been anyone else, anyone, Draco could very well have
died.� Severus was one of the only people
who knew the counter-curse.

�� The best part is that he barely got
in trouble for it. �I was forbidden from
telling anyone at school.� Life went on
as if he hadn�t almost killed me.��
Draco�s dusky eyes narrowed.�
�That was when I stopped feeling bad about what I had to do.� That was when I repaired that bloody
vanishing cabinet.�

�� I can�t blame you.�� Lucius bit his lip.� �But I�m glad I didn�t know, or that boy
would be dead.�

�� Draco nodded.� �I know.��
He shifted in his chair, seeming somehow lighter.� �Your turn, Dad.�

�� Lucius sat across from him, his
bloody shirt still in hand.� Drawing a
deep breath, he said,

�� Do you remember the Chamber of
Secrets?�

September 25

�� Narcissa frowned.� The only way up was a funicolare, a long, slow, jerky ride that would have to be taken
with a throng of annoying muggles.� Only
muggles would invent something so ridiculous.�
Essentially it was a cable car that dangled hundreds of feet above the
ground and pulled them up the mountain at an agonizing pace.� They couldn�t fly, for goodness sake, they
couldn�t even levitate!� One snapped
cable and they�d all die.� Oh well; that
was not her concern.

�� She couldn�t apparate because she
had no idea where she was going.� A broom
was out of the question with so many muggles around.� It would have to be the funicolare.� If the damn
thing broke, she would be the lone survivor.�
Fancy that.

�� She paid the fare and shuffled
in.� She hoped for anonymity but knew she
wouldn�t get it.� Men that spanned six
decades were staring at her already.�
Women, too, but for a different reason.�
Their looks said they hated her for being rich and thin and
beautiful.� Narcissa lifted her chin a
little higher and pretended that none of them existed.

�� Once they began to move, she had to
admit that the view was spectacular.� But
the swaying in the wind was not.� Merlin,
these muggles and their insane methods of travel!� Metal boxes on wheels, things on cables�

�� She couldn�t escape the funicolare soon enough.� Extracting herself from the crowd, she
strolled into Capri proper.� The sources she�d read said that Capri had been a resort from the time of the Romans; she
saw why.� It was gorgeous, almost
impossibly so, and her sharp eyes noted many shops she would have liked to
clean out.� Since Ginny Weasley had shown
her a muggle fashion magazine, she�d become addicted to certain designers.� Clothing was one thing that muggles could do
right.� And shoes.� But shoes fell under clothing, yes?��

�� There would be time for that
later.� Today she was on a mission.

September 12

�� What is the matter with you?�
Lucius said, vexed.� Draco had been like
a zombie since the end of their conversation.�
Lucius disliked himself enough for his part in what had happened to
Ginny Weasley; it was difficult to think that Draco might hold it against him,
too.

�� Nothing,� Draco responded.

�� You�re lying.�

�� His son flashed him a smile.� �Taught by the best.�

�� Lucius swatted at him.� �The best taught you a lot better.�

�� I know.�

�� He shrugged and returned to his
gelato.� Narcissa had brought it from Italy
a few weeks ago and he had forgotten it was in the freezer until he went to get
ice for his ribs.� It was stracciatella,
whatever that meant, and delicious, so he wasn�t going to let his morose son
distract him anymore.

�� Draco�s leg was going.� His heel tapped on the floor
unconsciously.� Lucius counted 124 taps
in a minute.� Something was stewing
inside him.� With a sigh, Lucius stood up
and put the bowl under his nose.

�� Eat it.�

�� I don�t want it.�

�� It wasn�t a request, and you do
want it.�

�� You�re right, I do.�� Draco took the bowl shamelessly and didn�t
bother to cast a cleansing charm on the spoon.

�� Now, I have sacrificed my dessert
for you.� Tell me what�s wrong.�

�� Oh, so it was a bribe?�

�� When did you become so annoying?�

�� Around the time that you became so
soft that you give me ice cream when I�m feeling bad.�

�� Lucius opened his mouth but had no
retort.� Draco had a point.

�� Touche,� he admitted.

�� I won,� Draco said, looking
slightly dazed.

�� Yes, and I�ll never give you my
gelato again.�

�� I�ll take money next time.�

�� All right, I get the idea.� Leave you the hell alone.� Fine, but you make terrible company when you
are sullen.�

�� Draco tapped the spoon against his
lips thoughtfully.� �She�ll never pick me
over him.�

�� Lucius blinked.� �What?�

�� Hermione.� She will never pick me over Potter.�

�� And there it was.� That was the answer.� He was thinking about Hermione.

�� He is her best friend.�

�� Isn�t your�� Draco squirmed,
�significant other supposed to be your best friend?�

�� Lucius could have rolled his eyes at
his naivete, but he didn�t.� �Do you think
your mother and I are best friends?�

�� No.�

�� And she�s already proven herself
quite capable of choosing someone else over me.�
So that blows your theory out of the water, Draco.�

�� I don�t know if I can accept that,�
he said, somber.

�� It is very early.� You hardly know one another yet.� Perhaps you should wait until you understand
your feelings before you pass judgment on whether or not you can accept her
friendship with Potter.� If you love the
girl, it might be worth suffering his presence.�

�� Draco looked at him like he had ten
heads.� Lucius smiled, which caused Draco
to look at him like he had fifteen heads and had suddenly turned pink.

�� Uh, thanks, Dad,� he said,
half-sarcastic, half-awkward.

�� I am capable of actual fatherly
advice, you know,� Lucius replied.

�� Ice cream and fatherly advice,�
Draco muttered.� �The end is near.�

�� Lucius stood up and towered
imperiously over his progeny.� �Your end will be near if you leave that
girl after forcing me to give her up.�

�� See,� Draco pointed at him, �you
say that you don�t love her but I think that you�re the one lying this time.�

�� Keep on thinking, son,� he
smirked.� �And send me a letter when you know.�

�� Thus ended Draco�s brief reign as
king of verbal jousting.

September 25

�� Three jinxes later, she had an
address.� Sometimes she was eternally
grateful for her ex-husband�s morbid book collection.� A testicle-twisting hex was really very
effective when one was trying to extract information from a man.�

�� It was a villa.� It made her think; if she ever went back to
Lucius � wait a minute, where had that thought come from?� She was engaged to Giacomo.� So what if she�d slipped and allowed Lucius
to screw her silly in the hospital?� Mm,
and what a screw�just like she remembered�

�� All right.� Control.�
Center.� Dolores Umbridge naked on
a cold day.� Yes, that effectively killed
any arousal she might be experiencing.�
Whoever she ended up with, maybe a villa was on the list of things to
buy.� It was beautiful, airy, light in a
way that Malfoy Manor never had been.

�� Narcissa rolled her wand between her
fingers and contemplated the best way to go about this.� She generally had others to act on her
violent desires; she had never exactly stormed into someone�s house and killed
and/or severely maimed them before.� She
supposed it didn�t really matter as long as she had a way in and a way out.

�� She cast a camouflaging charm on
herself and walked slowly around the villa.�
This room was perfect.� It had two
doors.� Now all she had to do was get in,
set off a Caterwauling Charm, and wait for Scattori to jog to his death�

�� But when she stole into the room,
the house was as quiet as a tomb.� No
voices, no footsteps, no ambient noise of human occupation.� The Caterwauling Charm got no results.� An identification spell proved that the house
was empty.

�� Narcissa threw her shoe against the
wall in frustration.� All that work, the
string of Unforgiveables and traumatized scrotums, for nothing.� Sighing, she picked up her shoe and inspected
it.� It hadn�t taken any lasting damage.� Good, because the damn thing had cost
probably eight hundred galleons; she hadn�t bothered to do the Euro to galleon
calculation.��

�� She was back to square one,
then.� And now they knew she was on their
trail; someone must have told them.� She
should have come the moment that henchman let Scattori�s location spill.� Damn it, damn it, damn it, what was she going
to do now?

�� She started when a bird flew in
through the door she left hanging open.�
Bloody thing�she was about to direct it back outside with her wand when
it dropped a piece of parchment.� She
froze.

�� Oh, Scattori had known she was
coming.� And judging by this letter, he
might not be very far away.� This could
be a trap�

�� Hesitantly, she crouched down to
pick up the parchment.� With her wand
raised, Narcissa read.

Dear Ms. Black,

I see that you have found my summer
villa.� I normally leave the day of the
equinox, but this year the weather was so pleasant that I decided to stay.� That is, until I heard that you were
interested in my whereabouts.� Needless
to say, that loose-lipped friend of mine is no longer troubling anyone.

I understand that you are upset about your
son.� His poisoning was a Mancini hit at
its finest; I didn�t order it and do not condone it.� For this reason I am willing to overlook this
little indiscretion.� You are a woman of
sense and if you cease your pursuit, your family will be safe.

If you continue to try to find me, I will be
forced to rescind this offer and it will not end pleasantly.� Please make the right choice.

Yours,

Gaetano Scattori

�
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