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Learning Life Over	By : Meander Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 69712 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- 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
- 37
- 38
- 39
Thanks again for the reviews! I hope everyone who had a
chance is enjoying the holidays.

Chapter 38- Words of Wisdom Draco Does Not Listen To

�� Hello,
Mother.� Draco had long since pulled off the sable cloak when he arrived at his
mother�s door. Narcissa didn�t like seeing him in black. She claimed it made
him look too pale, but Draco suspected that bad memories of her husband in the
dark Death Eater cloak troubled her instead more than his coloring did.

�� He was in
exactly the right mood to visit her, he thought- pleased with himself. He could
listen to the inanities she spouted at him with more equanimity than he usually
did. He did not think he would be caught.

�� Oh, the
Ministry might sense the use of magic in a Muggle neighborhood, and arrive to
investigate. But even if they listened to the Dursleys� rather confused
ramblings, they would dismiss them, because Muggles couldn�t see
Dementors. It would come to seem like a prank, not the deadly dangerous
situation that a Dementor�s escape from Azkaban would be viewed as.

�� Although,
of course, the aunt had acted as if she might know what Dementors were...But if
that was the case, it only added to Draco�s enjoyment. She would tell her
family, and they would cower in anticipation of the next time he arrived. And,
the next time, they would have far more than frosty breath and words on a
windowpane to fear.

�� The
entrance hall of the house he�d prepared for Narcissa was smaller than the
Manor�s, but still fair enough, and decorated in the marble that Draco knew his
mother preferred. He handed his appropriately pale blue cloak to the house-elf,
Breezy, who attended Narcissa here, and kissed his mother�s cheek.

�� How have
you been keeping?� he asked her.

�� Not well
enough,� she said, and her hands clasped in front of her, fingers entwining, as
she looked him over carefully. �I have received owls from Gardenia Parkinson
and Genevieve Crabbe, among others, asking why my son is dating the
Boy-Who-Lived, and causing disturbances doing it.�

�� Draco
concealed his smile. Pansy�s mother had already known about Harry, of course,
since they�d attended her concert together. The fact that she hadn�t mentioned
this to Narcissa showed she�d chosen his side over his mother�s. Draco felt
calm and content. Narcissa might be able to use her influence to shut most
social circles against them, but the Parkinson house would never be closed to
him and Harry.

�� The
disturbance in the Half-Globe wasn�t Harry�s fault,� he said, with a slight
shrug. �He stopped a rather contemptible wizard from raping a young witch, and
the magic that hit him stripped his glamour off. He still came back with me
from the Ministry.�

�� The
Ministry has been in contact with me, as well.� Narcissa�s eyes were hard when
she pulled a parchment from her robe pocket and held it out so that Draco could
see the official seal. �They wanted to know if I knew that my son had kidnapped
their prize Auror from under Madam Bones�s nose.� She moved a step forward and
stared at him. �I was barely able to prevent them from sending someone to the
house, Draco. I do not enjoy being interrogated because of my son�s
mistakes.�

�� I
understand,� Draco said. �And it�s unlikely to happen again, I promise you.
Harry has refused the Ministry on his own.�

�� Our name
is still tainted, still associated with kidnappers and unrest.� Narcissa�s eyes
shone with a fervor Draco hadn�t seen in years, and which he had to admit made
him a little uneasy. �I worked too hard to drag the syllables of Malfoy back
out of the mud, Draco, to secure a future for my son with the people who
matter, and I will not see you pull us back down for a fling. Is that understood?�

�� Draco
regarded her for a moment in silence. It was true that Narcissa had worked
tirelessly after the war, and particularly Lucius�s death, to insure that they
were not rejected out of hand. Not even her own false arrest- from which,
ironically, Harry�s money had been employed to free her, as Draco had found out-
had stopped her. She had calmed down once it seemed that Draco would be able to
give her the pure-blood daughter-in-law and grandchildren she had always
wanted, but that didn�t mean she couldn�t bring back that indomitable will.

�� I told
you,� he said, a bit more forcefully. �Harry refused them. And they didn�t sack
him for it. He�s too good, they need him too much. Of course attention will
come our way from my dating him, Mother, but haven�t you considered that it
could be good attention, too? There are some people for whom the
Boy-Who-Lived still has a high reputation, and others who do not forget their
debts.�

�� So far as
Draco was concerned- well, had become concerned in the last two years, because
before that he hadn�t given a damn- the wizarding world should have paid far
more in gratitude to Harry than it had. He�d thought at first that he could
convince Harry to pursue that debt and demand what they owed him, but now, he
doubted it would work. He would have a hard enough time getting Harry to agree
to his revenge on the Dursleys.

�� I do not
want you dating a man, Draco,� Narcissa said.

�� That was
the first time she had ever said anything like that. Draco felt his eyes
narrow, and his hand brushed the sleeve that hid his wand, even thought it had
been months since he feared he�d have to use magic against his mother. He did
still love her, he reminded himself as they locked gazes. It was just hard to
remember sometimes.

�� You never
objected,� he said.

�� I knew it
was an indulgence you would grow past.� Narcissa�s voice was glacial. �Someday,
you would bring home a woman, marry her, and produce heirs to our legacy. I was
willing to watch you flirt and sleep with other men in the meantime. But now
you propose to yoke us to an utterly unsuitable partner, and one, moreover, who
cannot give you children. I will not have it.�

�� Draco
waited. He could not simply charge at her, of course, by reminding her that she
had no control over the Malfoy properties and monies, and less over him. She
must have some basis of confidence in challenging him now, this way, or she
would not have done it. So it would work best if he looked willing to attempt a
reconciliation, up until the point when he found out what her weapon was.

�� On the
other hand, giving in too suddenly wouldn�t get her to believe him either. She
knew how stubborn he was, none better.

�� I must
admit,� he said, softening his posture enough to make it seem as if her words
had struck home, �I hadn�t thought that you would raise that objection now,
Mother. When you talked about grandchildren and the sound of laughter in the
house again, I thought you were lonely, that more house-elves or a pet or a
paid companion would have served just as well.�

�� Narcissa
gave him a smile like a shard of winter sunlight, and folded the letter from
the Ministry again. �I am quite serious, Draco,� she said. �My enjoyment in the
Malfoy legacies has been- spoilt, for reasons you know intimately. But that
does not mean that I cannot work to perfect them for others. If you are the
only one to enjoy them, however, my pleasure declines. They should be there for
your children, and for your wife. But not for Harry Potter. He has done less
than anyone in the world to deserve to share in them.�

�� Draco held
his tongue, though he would have dearly liked to tell her that Harry wanted no
share of money or property, had in fact willingly stripped himself of both, to
the point where his charitable foundation had saved her freedom. But she
wouldn�t listen to him. She did love him, yes, but in her own way, and
it was tied up with the often uncomfortable legacy he�d inherited.

�� You don�t
want to see the line end with me,� he said, and managed to make his tone
objective, if not compliant.

�� Narcissa
nodded, and he knew by the slight tightening of her lips that she was pleased.
�Yes, Draco. Now you begin to understand. You are my son, and I am proud
of you, and I love you. But there should be more Malfoys beyond you. The great
lines do not exist only to end.�

�� Draco had
never seen the chasm between them so clearly before. If someone else asked, he
would have said that he and Narcissa were both still part of the same world;
Draco had just grown up with slightly different renditions of the same values,
changed further by the war. He was not going to obey her, but he could treat
her with respect because he believed in the same things.

�� Now, he saw
that he did not. It was just as shocking a revelation as the one he�d had ten
years ago, when he decided that perhaps Mudbloods were not so bad after all- far
better than the man who had threatened to kill his parents if he didn�t
accomplish an impossible task, at least.

�� But
Narcissa still cared about the continuation of the bloodline, and Draco did
not. If Harry had been a woman, he would have had children with her because it
would probably have happened that way. But Harry wasn�t, and the fact that they
couldn�t have their own children truly didn�t matter to Draco. If he ever
longed for the company of a larger family, he would persuade Harry to adopt.

�� That the
other people in his house shared his blood and his values no longer mattered to
him.

�� He gave a
slight shake of his head, then met Narcissa�s eyes and said, �Well, Mother,
you�ve made yourself clear. And you�ve raised a number of points I hadn�t
thought of before.� If only because I thought I agreed with you on them. �But
I can�t get rid of Harry just like that, you know. I do think I owe him the
duty of the healing I promised him, and he- well, I still favor him.� He made
himself redden and glance away, as though embarrassed of how much he wanted
Harry in his bed.

�� Narcissa
came a step forward and laid a hand like a falling white rose petal on his arm.
�I understand, son,� she said, and her voice was warm again. �Noblesse
oblige. Do what you must to fulfill your duty towards him, and then make it
clear as gently as you can that he is no longer welcome in the Manor. It is
time for you to begin looking for a proper wife. I have a few candidates you
may be interested in.�

�� Not on
your life. Draco simply nodded. �Thank you, Mother.�

�� They spent
a few more minutes together, talking. Narcissa was happy now that she thought
she had what she wanted, and content to wait until he recalled her to the
Manor. A faint flush of life and health had returned to her cheeks.

�� Draco was
determined that someday he would see her both that beautiful and content to
share a home with Harry.

�� It would
take time. Harry would want to remove himself from the picture at once if he
thought he was interfering between Draco and his mother. But Draco had managed
more delicate things before, such as his acquittal by the Wizengamot. He had
achieved the impossible. He would achieve this.

�� There was
nothing he had ever wanted half so much.

*

�� Mr.
Malfoy. Can I speak with you a moment?�

�� Draco
turned, eyebrows climbing. He�d come back home to find the therapy session already
done with, and Trippy had told him Harry was asleep in his own rooms. He hadn�t
expected Theresa to remain, but of course she might have, and Trippy wouldn�t
have mentioned it because Draco hadn�t specifically asked her about the Healer.

�� Yes?� he
asked, when Theresa went on staring at him expectantly.

�� Abruptly,
the Healer sighed and passed a hand over her eyes. Draco narrowed his. �Has
Harry been difficult again?�

�� Not- in
the sense of the words that you mean,� Theresa murmured, lowering her hand. �I
cannot discuss what I mean in complete clarity, Mr. Malfoy, because I think
what Harry said to me today should remain private. But I can say that you
should be as honest with him as possible.�

�� Of course
I am,� Draco said, his puzzlement increasing. What in the world had Harry said,
to make Theresa look like that? Had he gone back on trusting Draco? Had the
bonds that connected him and Harry faded back to green or some lesser color? �I
tell him the truth about everything I can. Of course, sometimes I keep things
secret because I know that he won�t want them yet, even though he needs them.� Like
revenge.

�� Theresa
gave him a nod as slow as treacle. �Well. That might do. He did say that he
trusted you, sometimes, to know what�s good for him, better than he does.�

�� Draco
beamed. �Of course he should.� He needs to put his past with the Dursleys
behind him. It�s like his friends� deaths. He�s shut the book but not put it
down. I�ll open it, show him the pages hold nothing to be fearful of, and then
escort him away and into our new life together.

�� He is
bonding to you, Mr. Malfoy.� Theresa�s reluctance had cleared from her eyes;
she seemed determined to make him understand now. �But you know how much pain
he has endured in his life because of close emotional ties, and how easy it
would be for him to cut them again. Give him no reason to do that. If, in the
end, you choose your family over him, or another lover, have the kindness to
tell him so.�

�� No one
matters more to me than he does.� Draco held her eyes so she couldn�t look
away, a trick Narcissa had taught him. �I promise, Theresa. He�s mine because I
can give him what he needs. I would never claim that if I doubted my ability to
provide for him.�

�� The thought
of what he would do if Harry left filled him with a roaring fire. He didn�t want
Harry to leave. Harry had no place leaving. A temporary separation was
all well and good, of course, but not a permanent one. They needed to be
together. Harry would make other friends, other acquaintances at work, and
social enemies, but they should be the most important people in each other�s
lives.

�� Draco did
not want to settle for less if he loved Harry.

�� And he was-
well, virtually certain he did.

�� Oblivious
to his emotional revelations, Theresa bowed and took her leave. Draco pursued
his way to Harry�s rooms, hoping that he would be awake.

�� He was, but
when he opened the door, Draco saw that Harry wasn�t in the mood to listen to a
confession right now. His green eyes were very direct, and he spoke words Draco
hadn�t expected to hear out of him for months, if ever.

�� I want to
hear what happened to you during the war.�

**********

�� Rhiannon
Uerch Llewelyn: Yep, you�ve identified the catalyst.

�� Heksy:
Draco didn�t necessarily mean them to recognize the Dementor, just to frighten
them, and to throw anyone who might investigate the report of a Dementor off
the track.

�� SLQ: Well,
Theresa�s words here should provide some reasons for why she can�t just come
out and tell Draco what Harry said.

�� Tsujton:
Draco wouldn�t take the idea that he should be excluded from knowing what Harry
says to Theresa very well.

�� And sure,
I�ll add you to the update list.
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Learning Life Over