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Things Fall Apart, But Then You Build Again	By : zeldaofarel Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 13943 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 7
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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Author's Notes: I believe this is the longest chapter yet. Chapter 9 is almost finished, just has one more thing to add. Then it's off to my betas. There is one monologue in there that I can't wait for you to read. I kept making typos for a bit after writing that. So on Monday night it's off to my betas.

Give your love to Icicle, my beta and it looks like Hazel will be back for the next chapter as well.

Now, visit the Malfoys a bit and then perhaps you could hit that little review button. On fanfiction.net I'm at 30. I'm announcing a prize, of which I already sent a message to the reviewer. 30th reviewer can ask a question, or have their name written into the story, or both. Whatever they'd like. Same goes for the other places when they hit 30. Just because that's going to be my age next year.

Chapter 8: Rethinking the Malfoys

Harry arrived in front of great iron gates that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Both wings had an ornate letter "M" boldly standing out amidst the twisting metal that composed them. He admired their beauty for a moment and then without taking his cloak off, he passed through the gates. They did not open, but just as Draco promised, he was keyed into the wards and could enter unhindered. The walk to the actual house took a lot longer than he remembered and was a lot more pleasant. He repressed a shudder as old memories threatened to haunt him and fought them off with the present sight. It was a clear day, the sun shined on him with the last warmth of Indian summer as he walked down the path that led to the great Manor. On both sides trees lined the way and he recalled there being a hedge before, but now it was gone. Deer and birds sometimes poked their heads out from the leaves and gazed curiously at him, even though he didn't take off his invisibility cloak till he could no longer make out the gates in the distance. The trees themselves were a myriad of colours: greens, yellows, reds, browns adorned them signalling the best days of autumn.

As he was nearing the house finally, he saw the albino peacocks he remembered prancing around a manicured lawn and on both sides great white fountains spurted out jets of water. They did not have any statues of people on them, even though he expected something like what he had seen during the war at the Ministry. The decorations on these fountains were just fish and flowers.

Finally, Harry arrived to his destination and gazed up at the great twin doors that led inside. He did not see a knocker or a bell, and was just starting to wonder how he would make his presence known, when they parted before him to reveal Draco standing there.

"Good morning, Harry. Are you just going to gawk at my house all day long, or do you actually intend to come in?" He smirked at the man before him.

Harry flushed and with all the dignity he could muster walked past the blond and into the great marble hall that he remembered. In spite of his memories, the interior of the building looked a lot brighter and more welcoming than on that day over fourteen years ago.

'With a much better reception too,' he thought as he looked upon Draco's smiling face and grinned back at him.

"Good morning to you too, Draco. I was just lost in the memories."

"Ugh, I hope this time you'll make much more pleasant ones. Anyway, Hermione is waiting on the eastern veranda with tea." He walked away, leading the other man around the great home.

"How did you know I was coming?"

"I felt it when you entered the wards. Always the Malfoys keyed into them know when someone passes through the gates, even in your case, when you have permission. You certainly took your time."

"Yeah. Wasn't there a hedge around the road before?"

"There was. However, they were made up of ward vines and the Ministry had Father destroy them. They are a sort of a dark plant. I'm glad, though, I just never liked them."

"I didn't know plants could be dark," Harry wondered aloud.

"Not really. However, they had the ability to kill intruders and I guess that sort of qualified them as dark."

"Well, the walk is a lot more pleasant now," Harry concluded as they just reached a pair of beautiful French doors and through them arrived to their destination.

There sat Hermione and she was more elegant than ever. The dark-haired man was reminded of how she looked at the Yule ball. She didn't appear so beautiful even on her wedding day. She wore a pale yellow robe that looked incredibly soft and her hair rested on her left shoulder in effortless, but obviously sculptured waves. She held a delicate cup in her hand with its saucer in the other that Harry felt very uncomfortable about touching himself, as two identical sets rested on the ornate white iron table in front of her, just waiting for the two men.

"Hello, Harry," she said, smiling at him.

"Hi, Hermione. Glad to see that you are doing so well," he said with a blush. He felt like a pauper amidst all the opulence. He had even put on his best robes that morning knowing that he would be coming.

She shared his blush a little and watched as the two took their places in front of her. They both picked up a cup and sipped, though Harry had a bit of a tough time handling the delicate china.

"It's so calm and peaceful here. You know Ron and the Weasleys. Always loud, shouting, screaming, and making noise. It gets a bit much after a while and I never had a place to escape from it all. I miss my children, but for the first time in a long while I can just sit and read. Draco teaches me a lot about the Wizarding world and the etiquette, so does Narcissa and sometimes even Astoria joins in. Narcissa is such a lovely woman. Sometimes she reminds me of my own mother," she sighed; she could never get over not being able to reverse her own Obliviate.

"Yes, I remember Narcissa. She did seem like a lovely woman," Harry agreed.

"All right, let's get down to business," Draco began. "Obviously, since you're here, you've started the next phase."

"Yes, I suggested to Ginny that I leave the Aurors and take up politics. She was delighted at the idea and suggested taking back my seats herself, just like you predicted, Draco. I'm going to discuss it with Arthur tonight, so it shouldn't be long."

"Let's hope so. She suspects nothing then?"

"Absolutely."

"Great. I'll leave you two alone to chat. I'll be in the library checking up on my son if you need anything," the blond man said as he put down his empty cup and stood from his seat.

"Who would have thought," Hermione said as she looked back to her old friend from watching her new one leave.

"Thought what?"

"That Malfoy turned out to be such a great man."

"Great? Sure, he's pretty decent, but I wouldn't call him 'great'. You surely didn't fall in love with him now?" he suggested.

"Of course not! He turned out to be a good friend that's all. We do spend a lot of time together talking, debating, but it's an intellectual friendship. He is great though. He's a really talented politician with very good ideas on how to make Our World a better place and not just for purebloods. He's a wonderful father to his son. He makes sure he studies well, but also plays with him a lot. However, he does punish rule breaking while still remaining a loving dad. He is nice to his wife, even though it's obvious that they are nothing more than friends. If he does have affairs, then even I don't notice and you know how observant I am. To me, he is a gracious and attentive host. With such qualities, he fulfils the requirements of a 'great man' in my book," she finished and looked at Harry with a challenge in her eyes.

"All right, Hermione. I guess you are right. That does sound like a great man. Who would have thought back at Hogwarts, eh?" He tried to laugh it off, but was clearly a bit miffed. Draco even sounded like he had finally bested him.

"I guess I am a bit over-enthusiastic. Let's change the subject. Have you seen my kids? How are yours?"

"They are all great. Ron brings them over sometimes, but I'm not very comfortable about having him over. You're still his favourite subject and it's hard for me to listen to him talking about you that way." He remembered back to their most recent conversation.

"What about Ginny? I'm sorry you have to lie to her. She's still here then?"

"Yes, she's staying until the divorce is final, which Ron doesn't want to be any time soon, so we do have time to carry out our plan. It is hard to lie to Ginny, but sometimes, not hard enough." He hung his head.

"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry. Tell me."

"It's just that ... since everything started to happen, I'm just seeing my marriage the way it is. She's always away, but even when she's here, she doesn't care for the kids much and ... for me neither. Lately, she had been acting more enthusiastic and loving, but I can't help remembering that before it was never like that since we got married." He sighed, remembering that up until a few days before, the last time they had gone on a picnic was still in his courting days. Not that he hadn't tried afterwards, but she always had an excuse.

"Maybe my divorce made her realise that she should put more effort into her marriage. Maybe, she's afraid of losing you," she suggested.

"I suppose." Harry didn't want to tell her that all the effort was making him more uncomfortable and more aware that he hadn't missed his wife as much as he should have.

"What if we go over the plans for the next phase again? Just so that it can be fresh on your mind for your evening meeting with Arthur?" she offered the change from an obviously uncomfortable subject.

"Great idea!"

* * *

Harry chatted with Hermione for as long as he could, but he did have to pick up the kids from school. He noticed the sadness in her eyes as he got ready to leave and had to reassure her that soon enough they could meet more often again. He left her out there, gazing out into the park, her thoughts most likely lost in how her children would love to play in the piles of dry leaves that characterised this time of the year.

He went into the house to try and find Draco, so he could say goodbye. He didn't want to be rude and not bid farewell to his host. However, after about ten minutes of looking for the blond he realised that Malfoy Manor was so immense that he could probably look for days for him and still not find him. He was just about ready to try to call a house-elf, when he noticed a small blond head poking out from behind a modestly ornate couch in a sitting room.

"Hello!" he called.

"Hi," answered a shy voice and the child stepped out from the safety of the furniture. He put his hands behind his back and then looked up at the man before him.

Harry realised that the boy in front of him was probably Malfoy's son. He looked so much like his father with his large grey eyes and white blond hair that he was mentally thrown back into the robe shop where he and Draco had first met. Although obviously, the boy was a lot younger than Draco had been back then. He estimated him to be about Albus' age.

"My name is Harry Potter. What's yours?" he asked, crouching down to the child's level and stuck out a hand for him to take.

"Pleased to meet you, sir, my name is Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," he said proudly and shook the man's hand with all his might.

Harry James Potter thought that it was a very big name for such a little kid, but didn't comment on it.

"Nice to meet you. I'm a friend of your father's. He said that you were studying."

"Yes, I practiced my writing. Are you also a friend of Hermione?"

"That's right."

"She has children too. Do you have children?"

"Three, actually. One of them, Albus, is about your age," Harry revealed.

"Oh, can he come and play? My dad doesn't have many other friends who have children I could play with." He made a sad face and dropped his head a little to look up pleadingly through blond lashes. The boy obviously knew how to look as cute as possible, so that he couldn't be refused. Harry hated to admit it, but it was working too.

"I can't now, but some time later. Can you show me where your father is? I need to go home, but first I want to say goodbye."

"Yes, Mr Potter. This way." He turned with a grin at the promised play date and started to walk away in a measured pace.

The dark-haired man followed and soon found himself in a great library. As far as the eye could see, there were books standing on gleaming walnut shelves. To the right, he saw some winding stairs leading up to what he assumed to be the second floor. In the middle, was the study area with a few matching desks and further back, there were some very soft looking leather sofas. On one of the sofas, the man he had been seeking was lounging. A mug of something steaming was in his right hand and an open book resided in his left hand. He looked very relaxed as his trouser-clad legs were lying on the sofa exposed by the open robe he was wearing. Harry doubted that he had ever seen Malfoy look so incredibly at ease. He approached him, his footsteps were swallowed up by the thick carpeting.

"Draco?" He found himself whispering the question as he stopped almost next to the blond man.

"Harry!" He looked up, clearly startled, but still managed not to spill the liquid in the mug onto himself.

"I just wanted to say goodbye and thank you again for taking Hermione in."

"Oh, well, it was for my benefit as well. Besides, talking to her is great fun now that I don't have to compete with her."

"Then ... goodbye, Draco," he said with a smile.

"Harry, I think you'll need me to show you out." He grinned and got up from his couch.

"Goodbye, Mr. Potter! Bring Albus when you can!" the little Malfoy spoke up from the doorway, where he was still standing.

"Bye, Scorpius." He waved and then joined the older Malfoy on his way out of the room.

"Who's Albus?" Draco asked as they walked down a corridor. Harry noted that most of the portraits were sleeping. He was glad as the blond residents of the house generally hadn't liked him in the past and he assumed that it only changed for the younger generations.

"Albus is my second son. I think he's about Scorpius' age. He's six, right?"

"That's right. It figures that you would name one of your kids after the old man," he said and the ambivalent feelings towards the great wizard could be heard in his voice.

"Actually, his name is Albus Severus. I named him after the two greatest headmasters Hogwarts has ever known," he clarified.

"Oh. I ... wow, after Severus. Did you know that he was my godfather?"

"No." Harry shook his head.

"He and my dad were great friends. Although it must have been weird for them, since Severus was a spy and all." Draco explained as he walked on. "Somehow, I think my father knew. He hinted a couple of times when Voldemort returned that I could go to Severus if something happened. I was such a fool that I didn't." His voice was so full of regret that Harry felt sorry for him.

"You were a kid and Voldemort was living in your house. It must have been hard to think clearly at the time." Harry tried to lighten the load.

"All I could think about was trying to stay alive and keeping my parents alive as well." He shook his head, trying to make the memory go away.

"I know. I'll never forget the time when I found you crying in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I ... I'm sorry about that curse. I actually didn't know what it did. It was stupid of me to use it, but that's the first thing that came to my mind and you were going to cast the Cruciatus Curse on me," he explained.

"It wouldn't have worked. I sucked at the Unforgivables. Severus probably saved my life that day." His voice was still full of pain as he remembered his late godfather. "I was never really angry at you about that curse, even if I still have some scars. In a way, the pain felt like a relief. I felt more pain in my soul than the rips in my body from the curse. Then, what you did for us during and after the war ... I'll never be able to thank you enough for keeping me out of Azkaban. Your testimony on our behalf was what kept my mum and I out of there and gave my father a lighter sentence - even though he was such a bastard to you." He stopped and looked the other man in the eye. His own grey eyes were full of emotion and Harry was struck by how different he looked from the usual haughty Malfoy.

"I knew you didn't belong there, in spite of everything and your mum saved my life. She saved all of us."

"She only did it for me," Draco said.

"That doesn't matter. You were a child and you helped too when we were taken here. That took guts, even though you were beyond scared."

"You were a kid too, when you killed Voldemort," he pointed out.

"I stopped being a child a long time before that. I don't even know if I ever was one," he added in a sad whisper.

"I don't understand." Draco looked confused at the remark and the other man seemed to regret saying it right away.

"You don't have to. Let's just leave the past behind us. We both wronged each other and then helped each other. I think it has all evened out in the end. Now, we will work together and make sure that our children will never have to know what it's like to live in a war."

"Potter, when did you develop a brain?" he joked.

"When you developed emotions," he countered.

"You're right. I guess we only have to get to know each other better to realise the other one isn't so bad after all." Draco smiled and started walking down the corridor again. "I'm glad we're clearing things up between us now. We need to stand as a united front in the future and we can't let old grudges get in the way. We are fathers now and that changes things."

"Yeah," Harry agreed and ran a hand through his tousled locks.

They soon reached the entrance hall and Draco opened one side of the great doors.

"Well, see you later, Draco."

"Later, Harry. Once we are in the open, we could get all the kids together and have them play together."

"What? You want to fill your house with Weasleys?"

"I guess that's inevitable," Draco admitted with a wry grin.

Harry just laughed and stepped out the door while waving goodbye. He almost skipped down the way to the gates, but still managed to put his invisibility cloak on once he neared it. Perhaps, the Malfoy family was even better than he had imagined.

* * *

Harry quickly retrieved all the kids from school as planned and hurried home with them. He was glad to see that his wife had not made it home yet. The kids went right up to their rooms, since the two boys had homework. Of course, as always, Albus was eager to start, but James needed a little push to get on with it. Lily wanted to play with her dolls a bit, but Harry knew that soon she would be down, chatting with him as she always did.

Meanwhile, Harry tried to think through what he was going to actually say to Arthur that evening and tried to make himself comfortable on the sofa in the living room. However, his thoughts kept returning to the little boy had had met. Scorpius looked a lot like his father, but he was much nicer than Draco was as a boy. He was younger than when they first met, so maybe Draco was like that at one time. Harry shook his head, dismissing the idea of Draco ever being so sweet as his son. It must have come from somewhere though. The dark-haired man tried to recall Astoria Malfoy, wondering if she influenced her son. They had not met often, just a few times during Ministry balls. She hadn't seemed like a particularly warm person, a lot like Narcissa. Of course, the older Malfoy woman had only displayed her warmth in a time of crisis, so perhaps Astoria was like that as well.

Harry had a difficult time figuring out the Malfoys. When he was younger, he thought that they were bad people. During the war he realised that although Lucius was a bad person, the rest of the family was just trying to survive in their own way. Now, his perception was changing again. No, not only his perception, but also the Malfoys themselves had changed. No one could live through a war and remain the same.

Lucius Malfoy was not the big bad boogieman anymore either. When they first met, Harry had been genuinely terrified of him. He was magically strong, politically influential and economically powerful. By the time he was released out of Azkaban five years after the war, he had lost his influence. Also, rumour had it, a lot of his money went to the restorations and even property had been sold. Of course, his magical aura was still impressive, but it no longer had that oppressive edge that sometimes made people's hair stand up on their backs. He had retired from the public scene and even gave his family seat in the Wizengamot to Draco. He still attended balls and Harry had seen him around, but he was much more quiet and reserved.

Narcissa changed a lot less, although she had never been a prominent figure. However, she seemed a lot warmer and kinder, especially whenever they came across each other. She would sometimes take his hand and squeeze it in greeting, as if she was still thanking him every time for all the things he had done for them. Harry had actually grown to like the woman from afar and hoped to forge a closer relationship in the future, after he could publicly ally himself with the family.

Draco had changed the most. Even on the outside, his hair was not so slicked back anymore, and of course, he had the body and face of a grown man. Even so, he was still slim and frail looking, obviously taking after his mother in that regard rather than his father. He dressed very well and Harry had seen him on Witch Weekly's "Best Dressed" list often. Not that he read the magazine, but Ginny sometimes pointed it out that he was never on it and that he should make more of an effort. She was always striving to get on their list for witches, but for some reason, never made it. She was even among the "Worst Dressed" a couple of times. Harry didn't know why, but then again, he knew nothing about fashion, which Draco obviously knew a lot about. For the most part, Draco lived a quiet life, much like his father, and didn't seem to be particularly vocal about his politics during social events. Harry assumed that is was because of his oppressed status in the Wizengamot. Perhaps it would change later on. If Draco was anything, it was politically savvy.

Scorpius was a delightful boy. Cute and approachable, still smart and obviously intelligent, Harry was sure that he would get along with Albus famously. He wasn't so sure about James though. Sadly, his oldest seemed to like rough games, which he was trying to discourage, but Ron, as his uncle, was all the more keen to encourage the behaviour. Harry feared that since his relationship with Ron was only going to get worse, his eldest would suffer the most. He would not take well to the environment in Malfoy Manor, Harry was sure of it. Still, if he managed to support the gentler side of his son, perhaps he would calm down a bit. Not that there was anything wrong with boys being boys, but James sometimes seemed to try to ignite fear in the hearts of his younger siblings and his playmates. Harry wondered what would happen once Scorpius and James met. He was bound to see soon enough.

Harry's musing was interrupted by the Floo activating and Ginny stepped out with her father and brother. Harry hoped that he could talk to Arthur alone and later, but apparently it was not to be so. He plastered a smile on his face that he thought looked genuine and stood to greet the newcomers. Once everyone was seated in the living room Dinky brought tea for all of them.

"Well, Harry, Ginny says that you would like to take your place in the Wizengamot." Arthur got right down to business.

"Yes, Arthur. I've been thinking that perhaps being an Auror is not really for me. I do have my children and Ginny to take care of and I'm not so comfortable risking my life anymore." He took a sip of his tea to gather his thoughts more. He really should have taken his time to do that instead of musing over the family of blonds. "I know that I've been terrible at politics. However, I hope to learn from you, Arthur. I understand that you have been holding my seats for me, so I request your guidance in my path."

The eldest Weasley seemed very proud at being asked and Harry had to hide his smile behind his cup. So far, all was going according to Malfoy's plan. He had suggested that some flattery would entice the Weasleys to be as helpful as possible.

"I think it's a great idea, Harry!" Ron patted his shoulder as he sat down on his right. "You're just not tough enough to be an Auror. I know you can take down the bad guys and all, but sometimes you're just too nice." He erupted into a roaring laughter at that.

Harry tried to smile an agreement, but was actually not that happy about the comment. He usually thought Ron was too tough and quick to judge.

"Of course, it's not as easy as me just giving you the seats, son," Arthur began to explain. "I would love to hand them over, but I'm afraid that the law doesn't allow for that."

Harry put on his best puzzled look at Arthur's statement.

"You see, Harry, the other members have to vote for it. They have a say in who sits among them. The Wizengamot is one of the most defining bodies of government in Our World, so it stands to reason that if there is such a significant change in their group that they should have a say in it."

The only dark-haired man in the room nodded along, seemingly hanging onto the man's every word. Arthur's attention was also focused on him, his tea seemingly forgotten on the coffee table.

"Therefore, you need to gather support for yourself first, my boy," he explained further. "The other members need to see that you are indeed a reliable young man worthy of such a position. Of course, as the 'Vanquisher of Voldemort' you are already qualified for many of them, but there are still many Dark Families in the Wizengamot and they would not vote for you. Therefore, you need the support of all the Light Families."

"I see." Harry nodded and pretended to mull over the words as he drank from his tea, but he was actually thinking about what his next step should be. "How do I gather the support?" he asked innocently.

"They will need to get to know you more. I'm sure once they do they will have no doubt in their minds about just how suitable you are." Arthur smiled proudly at what he said.

"Oh, Daddy, I have a great idea!" Ginny spoke up and she looked very excited about what she was going to suggest. "There is going to be a Ministry Ball for Halloween! I'm sure all the members are going to be there. It's one of the biggest events of the season! We could all go and you could introduce Harry formally. It would be a great opportunity to make an impression!"

Arthur smiled indulgently at his only daughter.

"Wonderful idea, Gin. It will be a costume event, therefore, be careful in choosing who you're going to dress as," he advised.

"Of course, Daddy. I have an idea already." She grinned at Harry, probably already picturing him in the outfit.

Harry tried not to cringe and just smiled back.
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Things Fall Apart, But Then You Build Again