All That You Leave Behind

Thanks to our faithful few for reviewing: dirty_darella and Tambrathegreat. An extra long chapter here for you lot, we hope you appreciate it and show your appreciation. *ahem!*



Special thanks to Faery Queen for a review longer than some stories we\'ve read! (And we could email you the rest of the story, but then we\'d have to kill you.)



More special thanks to Cravedom for remembering our anniversary is coming up. Unbelieveable to us too that it\'s been nearly a year! And yes, we are doing something for the anniversary, but as it\'ll be the anniversary of when we started writing ATYLB, not when we started posting it, you lot don\'t know when the special anniversary chapter will be posted!





Chapter 61



Severus sank into a chair gratefully, rubbing his aching temples, and, inside his dragon-hide boots, wriggling his toes. "Merlin! I thought teaching children who had no interest was tiring, but interested, attentive, and intelligent listeners are a whole new challenge!"



Harry laughed and Ginny smiled warmly. "But you are enjoying it, aren\'t you?" she asked, bouncing James on her knee before passing him to his father.



Harry, rubbing noses with his son, missed the look of longing that appeared briefly in Severus\' eyes. When he glanced back up, James, burbling happily, settled on his thighs. "Aww, poor Sev!" Harry said teasingly, "Want a massage?"



A flash of heat passed between the two men before Severus responded. "A delightful proposal, Harry, but I do believe your son would object."



Harry looked down at his son, who was happily clenching his small hands into fistfuls of Harry\'s top. "Comfy there, James? Or could Uncle Sev look after you?"



James turned bright brown eyes onto his father. "Dadadadadadadada..." he chanted, grabbing more of Harry\'s clothes and pulling himself more upright. "Sebsebsebseb!" he added, thoroughly mangling the shirt he gripped.



"What do you say, Sev?" Harry asked, turning emerald eyes on his lover. "Want to look after James whilst I give you a neck rub?"



"We," Ginny corrected, smiling at her husband.



"Both of you?" Severus asked, deep voice amused, "What have I done to deserve such... attention?"



Harry blushed at the words, and it set his mind racing at the possibilities, if only Ginny knew about them.



He resolutely shoved the thoughts down and carried his son over to Severus, balancing the boy carefully on the older wizard\'s lap. He moved around the chair and spent a few seconds just stroking the hair to soothe the tired man.



A soft groan spilled from Severus.



"I think he\'s enjoying that too much!" Ginny commented, grinning, rising and joining Harry behind Severus. She placed her delicate fingers against his pale neck and Harry was surprised at the burst of venomous jealousy that shot through him.



How dare she touch my Sev!



Severus head tilted forward, exposing more of his skin to her attention. It was Harry, however, who placed his hands on the newly bared area and pressed his digits into the taut muscles. He\'s mine! He thought with a savage feeling in his heart, feeling satisfaction throb through him when Severus tilted his head closer to his hand, trapping the limb where it was.



Ginny turned a warm expression to Harry. "He really likes that, Harry," she commented, letting her free hand stroke across his cheek. Suddenly ashamed of his jealousy, he smiled at his wife, the love he felt for her filling his face. He glanced down, feeling the same deep emotion for the man he touched. The man Ginny was touching too. It made him think things he shouldn\'t...











Harry looked down at Severus, and knew the other wouldn\'t mind...He leaned in and kissed Ginny, over Sev\'s head. Ginny smiled at him as they broke apart, and leaned forward and nuzzled Severus\' cheek. "We love you, Severus," she whispered.



He gasped, and turned towards to her, but was distracted by Harry moving down and sucking on his earlobe. "We want to love you, Sev." Harry murmured, still licking the ear.



Harry moved, kissing his way around Sev\'s body, to kneel before the older man. He shuffled forward as Severus spread his thighs.



Ginny continued kissing Severus, her eyes full of the love Harry himself felt.



Harry pushed up and captured the thin lips with his mouth. Severus gave a swallowed cry of shock, but stilled when Harry pulled back and said softly, "Ginny knows. I told her yesterday. She understands."



Ginny leaned down and said softly, "I know. Of course I know. Harry needs you. We both need you."



Ginny moved to Severus\' front and wound her arms around both Severus and her husband as he again bent his attention to Sev\'s lips...







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"Draco?"



"Father?" The younger man, looked up irritably. The last thing he needed was a visit from his father at this particular juncture.



Lucius scowled, realising that his son was not giving him his full attention. "Perhaps you would do me the courtesy of putting down that ladle and listening to me?" his tone was deeply sarcastic, which wasn\'t lost on his heir.



"With pleasure, father," Draco responded, before adding, "Of course, if I do, the potion will be entirely worthless and may explode, destroying this room and everyone in it." His tone was quite matter of fact, hiding his annoyance.



Lucius didn\'t do anything so undignified as back away, however his posture stiffened slightly. "Very well, I shall return at a more opportune moment."



Draco waved his wand wearily at the potion, freezing it. "No. You\'re here now. What do you want?" He suddenly realised just how rude he had sounded and spoke quickly to cover his lapse of manners. "I merely meant that you are a busy man, so perhaps approaching the subject directly would be appropriate."



Lucius was not fooled for a moment by his son\'s behaviour. Still, he was busy. "You know I have never really approved of your fooling about with potions, but I acknowledge that you are reasonably capable of brewing them..."



"What do you want?" Draco asked, too tired to play nicely any more.



"A man will make an appointment to see you shortly. A Mr Howard Fairncombe. A ridiculous young man, but useful to me. He has done me a service and I wish to thank him. He has expressed a desire for one of the rarest, and most powerful potions. I would appreciate your co-operation in this matter."



"You want me to make him a potion?" Draco asked, tugging off one stained glove.



"In essence, yes." Lucius responded.



"And not charge him?"



"I shall pay the bill," Lucius answered smoothly, looking about the laboratory at the sparkling equipment, "Not that you seem short of money."



"Appearances are everything," Draco snapped shortly, "As you are fully aware."



"Indeed," Lucius said, moving elegantly towards the door. He turned on the threshold and smiled, "I am glad to see you are a success." Unspoken criticism hung between them.



"Despite everything?" Draco frowned. "Despite not following you into manipulating and hurting others? Or is it that I\'m content to not be in the limelight, to be a family man. Oh, and on that note, Astoria is pregnant, so I shall expect the bill from this Fairncombe to be covered in full by you. We have other concerns now, Astoria and I." He turned his back on his parent. "Goodbye."





Lucius swung his cane negligently as he eyed the street. "Congratulations. I am always glad when the numbers of pure bloods increase. And especially glad when the numbers of Malfoys increase." With that he left, not hearing Draco\'s snort.







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"Harry? Harry?" Ginny\'s voice was full of amusement as she looked at her glassy-eyed husband.



"I think we\'ve lost him," she confided to Severus, who tried to twist about to see. Ginny stopped him with a playful slap on his shoulder. "No, we\'ve just about got your muscles unknotted! Don\'t you dare start doing that!"



The noise of the slap, even muted as it was, brought Harry rudely out of his daydream. He stared in horror at the back of Sev\'s head, trying not to recall what he and Ginny and Severus had just been doing in his mind.



"What on earth had you lost in space like that?" Ginny asked, realising that Harry was paying attention again.



"Oh, nothing!" Harry said, mind racing with some plausible explanation. "Just...just something Sev said in his lecture. About what drives people to the Dark Arts. I was wondering if it were really so simple." He spoke quickly, nerves making his pitch higher than normal.



Ginny knew something was wrong with Harry. Knew something had upset him, but, whatever it was, he didn\'t want to share in front of Severus. She decided to speak to him quietly later; see if she could get to the bottom of what was troubling him.



Whilst Harry\'s mouth muttered words, his mind recoiled at its thoughts. What was I thinking?! Even if Ginny ever learnt about Severus and me - and god, I hope she never does! - she\'d never agree to do that with him! Harry felt almost sick at what his mind had shown him. It felt alien, not him at all, almost as though old snake-features were still around and planting images in his brain.



All evening, whilst the three adults bickered half-heartedly over who should be doing what to help with dinner ("I\'ll do that!", "No! You’ve had a difficult day, I\'ll do it!" "Don\'t be silly!") Harry\'s brain kept flashing images of what he had thought in front of his eyes. It was almost as though his conscience were punishing him for even thinking something so appalling and disgusting.



While he ate and proudly spoke of everyone’s reaction to Severus\' lecture, while he bathed James and put him to bed, while he snuggled up beside Ginny on the couch reading a book, unwanted pictures would burn in the space in front of him. He was sure that some of them were burnt onto his retinas, and he would see them forever when he closed his eyes.



He grit his teeth, willing the damn dream to stop bothering him… and then he glanced at Severus; other, more welcome thoughts came to mind.



If only Ginny understood he thought sadly as he eyed the other man sitting in his single chair, whilst Harry and his wife squashed together on the sofa. Harry knew, although Severus would never comment on it, that seeing Harry with Ginny hurt. Harry knew. How could he not, when Ginny placing one hand on Severus was enough for Harry to be jealous?!







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Lucius Malfoy put down his cognac on the table next to his favourite chair and glanced over the top of his Daily Prophet at his wife. "I saw Draco today, Darling."



"Did you?" his wife replied without looking at him, "and how is our Draco?"



Lucius grimaced and said, "As personable as ever."



That made Narcissa look at him. She raised a delicate brow and gently admonished, "Really, Lucius."



Lucius eyed his beautiful blonde wife, and her large blue eyes stared back as she waited patiently for him to continue. Despite the rather frigid demeanour she\'d shown him after the war, she\'d stayed with him, by his side, and although things were still rather strained between them, he knew she would never leave him.



"Did you know that we are to have another Malfoy heir?" Lucius said, realising she already knew and feeling a bit hurt that he\'d, evidently, been the last to know. He wondered when exactly, had he not gone to Draco\'s laboratory today, Draco had been planning on letting him in on the news.



"Yes, Lucius, I knew," Narcissa said matter-of-factly, not looking up from the book in her lap, "I\'ve known for about a week now."



"And yet, you\'ve said nothing to me," Lucius said grimly.



"I was asked not to," Narcissa replied casually.



"Whyever not?!" Lucius demanded, losing his temper.



"I would imagine Draco and Astoria have their reasons, Lucius," Narcissa said reasonably. "Do not shout," she added calmly, still not looking up from her book, further infuriating her husband.



"I will shout in my own home whenever I damn well please!" Lucius shouted, crunching up his paper. "Whatever reason could our son have for not wanting his own father to know he himself is to become a father?! What is wrong with that boy lately, Narcissa?! I don\'t understand him! There is to be a new Malfoy heir! This is cause for celebration, not secrecy!"



"Do unruffle your feathers, Lucius," Narcissa, clearly as unruffled as ever, told him. "They only let on to me because I guessed. Astoria has taken on a rather Slytherinish hue lately, although I wouldn\'t expect you to have noticed. You\'ve been quite clearly preoccupied elsewhere these days. Perhaps if you paid a little more attention to your son, he wouldn\'t feel the need to exclude you from his life. After all, Lucius, not everyone is as quick to excuse your actions as I am." This was said sweetly, but Lucius felt the sting nonetheless. He was only too aware that Narcissa could have very well left him after the war, that she\'d chosen to stay, and that her subtle jabs and naggings were because she had been badly frightened by the fiasco with Voldemort, and because she truly did love him.



"Draco holds me at arm\'s length," Lucius said aggrievedly, "he does not wish for me to be a part of his life any more than is strictly necessary to maintain family ties."



"And what have you done to him his entire life?" Narcissa asked, the calmness of her voice driving her words home more pointedly than if she\'d suddenly screamed them at him.



"Preservation tactics, Narcissa," Lucius hissed, "as you well know. Anymore, and Voldemort would have killed him outright in revenge."



"And in the intervening eleven years, when all thought Voldemort dead?" she queried, voice cold.



"He had to grow up a man," Lucius said, "strong. The pureblood heir of a pureblood family\'



"As Abraxas raised you?" Narcissa said archly, raising a brow again.



"I was far more lenient on Draco than Abraxas ever was on me," Lucius said stiffly, "I have never laid a hand on Draco. He got off far easier than I ever did. As it was, again, anymore and the Dark Lord would have taken him from us and killed him without remorse, to make us suffer."



"And yet he nearly died anyway," Narcissa replied, "to atone for your sins, Lucius. Do you think he does not know that?"



"I love my son!" Lucius shouted, flinging himself to his feet. He stood by the fireplace, turned away from his wife, looking at a photograph of Draco as a child, on his first broom, laughing as Narcissa clapped her hands.



Lucius hung his head. Did Draco truly not understand that everything he, Lucius, did was for him? All the years he had spent fighting for and acquiring power, it was all for Draco, so that Draco would have a better life, an easier way in the world, his rightful place. Even Lucius’ plan was for Draco: vengeance for Draco’s beautiful face. And now there was a new generation to fight for. A new line of Malfoys. Why would Draco keep this from him, his own father?



"I love my son," he repeated woundedly.



He felt the soft hands of his wife as she slid her slim form between him and the fireplace, cupping his face, drawing his head to her shoulder.



"Perhaps you should tell him," she said softly.