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The Aftermath of War	By : ReighHPFiction Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Lucius Views: 29582 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 15
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., and other assorted publishing, producing companies. I do not make money from writing this story, as I do not own any of the rights to the characters or canon plotlines.

Author's Note : Here goes chapter one! Still in search of a decent Beta-reader, so for now try to ignore little spelling errors here and there. I'm only human lols

Title : The Aftermath of War

Warnings : Slash, Possible Ginny-Bashing, Anal, Oral, Rim, H/C, Future M-Preg

Pairings : Lucius/Harry, George/Draco, RonHermione

Chapter Two: Starting Over

The Wizengamot promised to keep the story out of the papers until the day following Harry's moving in to the Manor. Harry was happy for that. If people knew he was moving into Malfoy Manor today, not only would he be bombarded by more reporters and fans…he was certain at least a few of the Weasleys would show up to make their disregard for the idea known. He hadn't told his friends yet, and he wanted to do that himself. He planned to send them owls later on in the day once he was settled.

He knew that the Ministry had already come in to put a magical restraint on Lucius, and the Aurors arrived to place surveillance spells around the inside of the house and key points of the property. They also left a few Aurors behind, but Harry didn't see them as he approached the gates.

Harry arrived at the Malfoy Gates nothing but his Hogwarts trunk filled with his scant amount of clothing, school books, and his photo album. When Narcissa opened the door of the Manor, she said nothing save to order an elf to bring his trunk up to his new room. The doors closed behind them as Narcissa bade Harry to follow her into the large dining room. Harry was grateful for the lack of comment on the obvious scarcity of his belongings.

"You are just in time to join us for breakfast. Usually we eat much earlier, but after yesterday's venture, we were all quite tired. I scheduled the elves to cook later so that we could have a late morning," she explained quietly, directing Harry to the seat beside Draco as she took her spot to the right of Lucius.

Harry looked between the two, his mind whirling with curiosity. He knew they'd divorced, both from the papers and from Narcissa's letter to him the previous day. He also knew they were on good terms with one another. But, he always thought that divorced people lived in separate houses. He daren't bring it up, of course. Even he, knowing little of propriety and social rules, knew that doing so would be rude.

"You seem to have something on your mind, Mr. Potter," Lucius said, his grey eyes flicking up to hold Harry's gaze steadily. "Feel free to say what you wish. We are not squeamish in this house. Surely we can handle anything you may say to us after having the Dark…V-Voldemort living under our roof for over a year."

Draco and Narcissa both flinched at the name, but despite his slight stutter Lucius managed not to. Harry felt the smallest bit of respect emerge for the older man. Even the highest officials in the Ministry still couldn't utter Voldemort's name. Even most of the heroes of the war still had problems keeping a straight face while saying it. He didn't blame them, not when during the war the mere utterance of that name would bring the Death Eaters down upon them faster than they could run away.

"Well…I was just wondering. Um..Narcissa mentioned in her letter that you had divorced. I was only wondering if you all still lived here together all the time, or if you are like other divorced couples?" he asked.

Whatever he'd been expecting from the other man was not what happened. Lucius merely nodded his head thoughtfully at the query. It was only a few moments before he spoke.

"Well, Narcissa and I are not like many divorced couples. She is still dear to me, as a friend even if our experiences in the war have made it impossible for us to be together as we once were. As you can see, the Manor is quite large enough to house all of us. I do not see why I should have her move out. Besides, in these times the three of us only have each other. We all decided it would be best to stick together," the Malfoy Patriarch explained in an even and informative tone.

Harry nodded, but didn't say anything else. It really wasn't his business anyway, though he was pleasantly surprised with how open the Malfoys were being with him.

"He is correct. I enjoy my life here at the Manor, and being near my son and Lucius. The only circumstance where I would move out is if I were to remarry. But I do not believe that will be happening anytime in the near future," Narcissa added with one of her carefully controlled little smiles.

Harry just nodded, flicking his eyes over to Draco to see what the Malfoy Heir thought of the current conversation. The blonde boy sat with his eyes directed in his plate, eating quietly with no indication that he was even listening. It was slightly disconcerting. Harry wondered if this was how Draco had been since the Final Battle, or if this was a new development. He held his tongue and lifted his utensils to start eating.

"Well, Harry, just so you know you have the run of the house. All the rooms are open to your exploring, except the ones that are warded. Rooms that are warded have dark artifacts in them that we have not figured out how to get rid of yet without getting hurt, so it would be dangerous for you to go inside any of them. After breakfast, Draco will show you to your room, which is right across the hall from his and in the wing directly behind mine," Narcissa explained as she sipped her tea.

"Lucius is on the other side of the Manor in the Master Wing, if you ever need him, though he spends most of his time in the library," she said, her eyes twinkling in a slightly Dumbledore-esque manner at her ex-husband who appeared to be scowling into his toast at her words.

Harry just smiled at Narcissa, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't worry Mr. Malfoy. I'll try not to bother you," he said. Lucius' grey eyes lifted to look at Harry once again, who stifled an uncomfortable fidget under the gaze.

"Do not trouble yourself. The only reason I am here in this house at all is because you stood for me at my hearing. My home is your home, you are free to wander. You will find, Mr. Potter, that without the threat of imminent death hanging over our heads, the Malfoys really are not such bad people," the blonde man said quietly before beginning to eat again.

The rest of breakfast went by in slightly less tense silence. Harry figured that it would take some time for the four of them to get used to living with one another. After all, they'd spent so many years on opposite sides of a war that had damaged them all.

After breakfast, Narcissa and Lucius retired from the table, the lady headed towards her rooms and the man heading to the library. It wasn't until they were gone that Draco finally raised his head from the table to take a look at Potter. Green eyes seemed to be flicking around the room trying to look at any other place but the Malfoy Heir. Draco was unsure of how to take that, but he ignored it in favor of standing up.

"Come on, Potter. I'll take you to your room," he said.

"Oh, uh..okay," Potter replied, standing up to follow Draco down the hallway.

"Your things have already been taken to your rooms and unpacked by the house elves. I'm right across the hall if you have any questions, and like Mother said, she is only down the hall if you need her for anything," Draco explained, trying to be a good host despite the oddness of the situation.

Now that everything was over and there was no reason for Draco to hate Harry…the young Malfoy was just unsure of how to speak to him. Seven years of rivalry and at least two of violence, were not an easy thing to just ignore. However, as a Malfoy he knew the rules of etiquette when it came to having a guest in the house, especially if that guest was of high priority. There really was no one more high priority than Harry Potter nowadays. Besides, while Potter might not realize the implications pulling Draco out of that fire in the Room of Requirement, Draco was entirely aware. He owed the Savior a life debt. The least he could do was be cordial.

"Here we are," Draco said, distracting himself from his own thoughts as he pushed the doors open to Harry's suite.

He was followed inside by Potter, who looked around the room with an expression of wonder that made him look like a child staring at his first Christmas tree. The room wasn't anything special really. It was lovely, of course. It was a room in Malfoy Manor. They were all lovely. Mother had decorated it in gentle reds and deep gold. It was not the garish maroon and blaring gold of Gryffindor colors of course, but it was something Draco figured Potter would find comfort in. There was a large bay window that overlooked the east courtyard, and a large fireplace. Draco walked Harry into the sitting room area of his suite, and then into the bathroom. Marble floors, counters and fixtures lined the large bathroom. There was a shower stall to the left and a huge tub with an amount of taps that put the Prefect's bathroom to shame.

"This is all for me?"

Draco slid his eyes back over to Potter when he heard the question, feeling amusement swell in his chest at the sight of the Gryffindor's obvious shock. Surely Potter was used to such accommodations. He was The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One, and now The Savior. No one would dare treat him as anything less than royalty right? Then Draco remembered what Potter had said the previous day, about his Muggle relatives that really only provided the necessities in Potter's life. He wondered about the specifics of that, but did not say anything.

"These are your rooms. Mother had them prepared and dressed for your arrival. Like Father said, you are welcome to any part of the house, but these rooms here are yours to do with as you please for the time you will be staying with us," Draco replied automatically.

He remained subdued in the face of Potter's obvious shock, ever the cool Mafloy, ever the proper Pureblood. His family's reputation was done…in the gutter, and when the Wizengamot's ruling hit the papers it would only get worse. Draco could already tell what they were going to say. They were going to accuse his family of bewitching Potter, of blackmailing or threatening him. Those who knew of his mother's daring lie to the Dark Lord would accuse them of demanding a life debt from Potter.

Even if Draco's mother had written it into her letter to Potter as a last resort, all three Malfoys knew that the killing of the Dark Lord more than paid Narcissa's life debt. Narcissa had only written it in the first pace because she knew that Potter wouldn't be aware of this. He seemed to lack any knowledge at all about life debts, in fact it was as if he purposefully ignored them. The public, however, would make his family out to be monsters as usual. It would be weeks before he and his mother could go out in public without a glamour.

So all Draco could do was what he'd always been taught to do. He would remember his manners, proper social etiquette, and he would finish his studies in private. He would bear the public's ridicule with the icy Malfoy calm he was raised to exude at all times. It was up to him to dig his family out of the social grave his father had dug for them. Draco took this duty very seriously.

"This is amazing!"

The bright voice broke Draco from his dark thoughts and he blinked rapidly before his eyes landed on an absolutely beaming at him. He watched as Potter flung the closet open and gaped at the amount of space inside as if it were the most amazing thing he'd ever seen.

"There's no need to get so excited. It's just a room," Draco said with the tiniest snort of his usual superiority. Potter just laughed at him and shook his head.

"You don't understand. This closet is like three times bigger than the bedroom I had at my relative's house. This room is probably bigger than their whole house!" the black haired boy exclaimed as he darted over to the window to stare out into the courtyard.

Draco didn't really know how to respond to Potter's excitement. He had this preconceived notion of Harry Potter as a spoiled prince who horded attention, and relished in his fame. A self-sacrificing, brash Gryffindor with a hero-complex the size of Hogwarts. But Potter's reasoning behind standing for Draco's father at his trial and moving in here contradicted that preconception, as did the other young man's enthusiastic response to a set of rooms that really should be the norm for The Boy Who Lived.

"I see, well, Mother will be happy that you approve of them," Draco finally replied in an unreadable tone.

Potter turned to him then, his thoughtful green eyes staring at the Malfoy Heir through thick lenses. They were both silent for a time, Potter seeming to be thinking something over as he looked at Draco. After a few moments, the black haired boy sighed and looked back out at the courtyard.

"Look, I know you're probably not happy with me moving in here, and I know we never got on. But, I am here, and I'll be here for a while since I have to supervise your father's punishment. So can we just…I don't know, call a truce or something?" Potter finally said as he turned his face back to look at Draco with oddly beseeching eyes.

He'd never had that particular expression of Potter's directed at him, and he wasn't sure what to do about it for a moment. Could Draco just forget everything between them and call a truce? He supposed he was just as responsible for their antagonizing of one another as Potter was. He could admit now, after doing some growing up, that he was a little git when he was young. But Potter was right, they'd be living together for a while and it would just be uncomfortable for everyone involved if Draco continued to hold on to that hatred. Potter seemed to have already let it go, and Draco wasn't about to let the other boy best him at anything, least of all being mature.

"I suppose we can come to some sort of understanding, for the sake of the living situation. You did stand for Father in court, which means you're not a completely self-righteous git," Draco drawled. The corner of Potter's lips twitched like he meant to smile, but was unsure if he was supposed to in Draco's presence.

"Or maybe it means I'm especially self-righteous because I stood against the entire Ministry and told them they were wrong and I was right," he said, a slight mischievous tone lacing his words the way it did when he'd told them living at the Manor was his intention from the beginning.

Potter was trying, and Draco could respect that. He let his lips curl into a smirk and shrugged his shoulders at the other boy.

"Well, I suppose your self-righteousness can be forgiven since it kept my Father out of Azkaban," he said, and Potter did smile then.

"Slytherin to the core, Malfoy. Severus would be proud," the black haired boy replied, and Draco nodded.

Even in jest, it felt good to hear someone felt his godfather would be proud of him. Severus Snape had been a heavy loss on the Malfoy family. His father had been friends with the man since Hogwarts, his mother since she married into the family. Draco was very upset when he heard his godfather had not made it through the final battle, but Potter's speech in the Great Hall the morning after had been compelling. Severus Snape, always thought of by the student body as an evil git, was actually the greatest hero of them all. While Potter didn't disclose everything he'd seen in Snape's memories to the others, he did explain everything the man went through to make sure that the Light side won the war.

"Alright, I'll agree to your truce. I suppose it is about time we grew up and stopped acting like children," Draco said, pulling himself out of his dreary thoughts.

"In order for this truce to stick though, I think there are some things we should get off our chests," the black haired boy stated. Grey eyes widened slightly as a fine blonde brow arched in question.

"And what would that be? You're not about to profess your secret love for me are you?" Draco said in a sardonic tone. Potter just stared at him for a couple of seconds before bursting into incredulous laughter.

"Wow…that is a whole new level of full of ego there, Malfoy," the other boy giggled breathlessly. Draco couldn't help but crack a small smile in both relief and amusement.

"Well good, because no offense Potter, but you're not really my type. I prefer my men a bit taller," Draco replied with a smirk as green eyes widened and Potter sputtered.

"Y-you're gay?" he asked. Draco's smirk widened.

"Let's just say I like to keep my options open," he replied. It wasn't exactly a secret when he was in Hogwarts that Draco Malfoy enjoyed straddling the fence between the sexes.

"I never knew…" was all Potter said in reply.

"What about you Potter? Boys or girls?" Draco asked, his eyes glinting impishly.

Potter seemed to be speechless for a few moments, shocked the question had even been asked. Then, his expression turned thoughtful…then confused…indecisive…and finally the Boy Who Lived shrugged.

"Well, I mean I guess since you were honest with me I'll be honest with you when I say I've never even thought about my sexuality. I mean, I guess I'm straight, because I've been attracted to women in the past. I've never even really thought of guys that way," he finally replied. Draco just laughed.

"So have I, but we can leave it at that for now. That's enough talking, let's leave the rest of whatever you wanted to say for another day," Draco said.

He didn't know if he felt up to talking about anything deeper than that. He knew they had a lot to talk about. To start, the years of intense loathing between them, apologies for mutual rudeness and violence, on top of everything from Sixth Year leading into the War. Draco wasn't ready to address any of that yet. Thankfully Potter just nodded happily, turning to his trunk to dig through some personal items the elves had left for him to put away at his discretion. He emerged with a broomstick, grinning like a little boy.

"Let's go flying," he said, jerking his head in the direction of the huge, empty courtyard outside. Draco just smirked again and nodded.

"I'll go get my broom and we can go out to the pitch," he said as he turned to walk out to his own rooms. Potter's "you have your own Quidditch Pitch?" was highly satisfying to hear as he pushed the door open.

Lucius was in his study when his peripheral vision caught a dash of movement from outside the window. He turned his head to look out onto the grounds of his estate, and raised an eyebrow at the sight of his son and Potter whirling around the Quidditch Pitch together. Lucius was quite aware of the intense rivalry that Draco and Potter had in their not so distant school days. He was happy to see his son putting aside those differences to make their guest feel welcome, and he was glad that Potter was not too stubborn to accept his son's company.

It would make life at the Manor much easier for everyone if the boys weren't fighting every step of the way. Turning his attention back to the study, Lucius continued to ponder his previous thoughts. Since he'd returned to the Manor, he'd been thinking of a way to get his family back into the good graces of Wizarding Society. Usually this would be a selfish action. Before the second war, it would be. But Lucius already knew that he, himself, would probably be hated by the better part of the Wizarding World for a long time. It was his son's future he was concerned about.

How was Draco to land a decent job, if the entire world shuddered in disgust at the name Malfoy? Draco had worked hard in school to get top marks and Lucius wasn't about to let his own failures ruin the bright future his son would've had if not for Voldemort's return. Somehow, Lucius needed to help boost the Malfoy name back into the positive.

Looking back down at his Gringotts information, Lucius continued what he'd been doing since he finished breakfast. He was sorting out his funds, now that he was being forced to pay reparations and fund for the Hogwarts reconstruction. Assigning a separate Gringotts account to each one seemed the best way to go, this way he could just arrange for the payments to come out automatically from each.

"Lucius?" Narcissa's voice queried from the doorway.

Lucius looked up to see his wife looking in on him with concerned eyes. She looked so much better, even just a day after his trial. A good night's sleep had done her well and being at the Manor really did a lot for her confidence. This was her element. After nearly eighteen years of marriage, it had become and would always be her home. Even if she remarried, if her husband agreed to it, Lucius would allow her to stay here.

"Come in, Cissa," he said softly, pushing his chair back from the desk and leaning back in a relaxed manner only Narcissa ever saw. She was the only one he really trusted letting his guard down around.

"Are you going to come down for lunch?" she asked as she came over to perch delicately at the edge of his desk.

Her gentle hand lifted to push some of his hair off his face, his hair-tie having loosened a bit since the morning. Lucius reached up to take that small hand into his two as he looked up at the only woman he would ever love.

"I was going to take lunch in here. It looks as if the boys have buried some demons, and they seem to be having a good time. Potter seems to be somewhat comfortable in your presence as well. I make him nervous, and rightfully so. I thought it would be better if I let him get accustomed to me in small increments," Lucius explained softly. Harry Potter had kept him out of prison and his family from being split apart at the seams.

"I think you are underestimating Mr. Potter's ability to forgive and forget," Narcissa said, a soft smile curling her coral painted lips. "Despite the information our son has previously filled our heads with about the boy, Mr. Potter is a lot more mature than anyone gives him credit for."

Lucius huffed out a short laugh as he rubbed his fingers warmly over the soft skin of Narcissa's hand.

"The boy willingly walked to his death to save the world, Cissa. I think any preconceived notions of his 'immaturity' were obliterated when I learned that," he replied. Narcissa's smile simply widened. Leaning forward, she placed a kiss to her ex-husband's brow and stood from the desk.

"You should come to lunch. Despite our guest's nerves, Draco would appreciate it, and considering Mr. Potter's reasoning behind your exemption from Azkaban was Draco's wellbeing, I do not think the boy will object," she said as she glided towards the exit.

Harry followed Draco into the house, a wide smile spreading his features handsomely as he and the Malfoy Heir relished in each other's company. Who'd have thought that laying aside their school boy rivalry would've sparked such a deep compatibility to be friends? They had a lot in common, barring the rich wizard vs. poor muggle upbringing. There was still a slight amount of tension between them, but that was only to be expected. Seven years of intense dislike and rivalry didn't just disappear because a truce is called. They needed to spend time together and learn to trust one another as friends.

"That was awesome! I haven't had that much fun in…well, let's just say in a really long time!" Harry said in a slightly breathless tone.

It'd been some time since he'd last flown and he had forgotten how much work it was. He was exhausted and it was only two o'clock. Pushing a hand through his sweaty hair he tossed a grin at an equally panting Draco. The blonde looked much more alive than Harry had seen in a while. Flying had put some color back in those cheeks, and the small smile adorning Draco's face made was much better than the emotionless stare from before.

"It was fun. I suppose your company is not entirely abysmal," the blonde replied.

"Oh my! You boys are filthy!" a horrified female voice gasped daintily behind them. Both boys turned to see Narcissa Black standing behind them, her pale blue eyes equally as horrified as her tone. "You had better run upstairs and wash up before lunch is ready. Go! Go!"

The petite blonde woman shooed two now snickering boys up the stairs to their respective rooms to wash up. Clean and dressed, Harry and Draco sat down for lunch with Narcissa. The first day was not even over yet, and Harry already liked living here. Of course, the press hadn't caught wind of anything yet, so it still had yet to be seen if Malfoy Manor would be any better at protecting him from that frenzy than Grimmauld Place had been. Still, it was nice being around the Malfoys, as weird as that sounded even in his head. Narcissa and Draco had gone all out to make him feel welcome, and even though he still held some distrust towards Lucius, the man had graciously opened his home up to Harry.

"I see the two of you have hit it off rather well," Narcissa stated quietly. Harry looked up to the woman and smiled bashfully with a slight lift of his shoulders.

"I haven't been flying in a long while. If I'd known you had your own Quidditch Pitch, I'd have befriended you long ago," he said in a snarky tone, but his green eyes glimmered teasingly. Draco snorted.

"He only wants me for my Pitch, I see how it is," Draco said with a smirk. Harry just smirked back as food appeared on their plates.

"I am glad you two are getting along. I admit, that was my biggest fear about your moving in here, Mr. Potter," Narcissa said with one of her small, cool smiles. Harry nodded in understanding and smiled back at the woman warmly.

"Please call me, Harry, Narcissa. It's weird having someone call me Mr. Potter like I'm not an awkward speccy kid with no social graces," he said with a little laugh. Narcissa's delicate hand came up in front of her lips as she let out a dainty giggle. Draco snorted.

"Oh, are we playing the game where we state obvious short comings. My, my Narcissa, we haven't played this since you were pregnant with Draco and your hormones made you insane," a rich, deep voice purred from the entryway. Harry stiffened a bit at Lucius' entrance, but managed to keep his face clear of the wariness he felt. Being around the older man was going to take some getting used to.

"Let's see, what was it you called me. Hmm….self centered narcissist who could not even wipe his own ass without the help of a house elf."

Narcissa flushed a light pink at her husband's words as Draco's mouth dropped open and eyes widened to the size of saucers. Lucius sat looking smug as his amused grey eyes flickered over his shocked family. Harry, for his part, sat processing what he'd heard for a few moments in slight shock that Lucius Malfoy had just made a joke, before he burst into hysterical laughter. His tension from before lessened slightly in response.

Later that night, Harry lay staring up at the ceiling. His thoughts whirled with everything that happened during his first day with the Mafloys. All in all, it looked like life with his once sworn enemies wouldn't be so bad. At least that's what he thought before he woke up the next day and saw the headline of the Prophet.

Harry Potter Stands for Lucius Malfoy against the Wizengamot!

Has our Savior been Seduced over to the Dark side?

By Rita Skeeter

A/N: Uh oh *giggles* guess you'll have to wait til the next chapter to read the whole article =P
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The Aftermath of War