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Changing of the Guard	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 58627 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- 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
- 8
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Thank you again for all the reviews!

Chapter Nine�Insanity

�� Harry
chuckled as he studied the pictures on the front page of the Daily Prophet. He knew Draco had been
disappointed that they hadn�t been there during the first full day of Draco�s
dating �Brian,� but he had consoled Brian�and himself�with mutters about the Prophet�s not having the ability to
cover a birthday party that took place so late in the evening, when most of the
reporters were worn out from a day of spying.

�� He had his
wish now.

�� The largest
photograph was, of course, of Draco and Brian kissing in the middle of Diagon
Alley, looking properly lascivious whilst they did it. The headline above the
picture screamed, DRACO MALFOY�GAY?

�� Harry
rolled his eyes and took another bite of the warm, buttery toast Kreacher had
prepared for him. �If they don�t know yet, good luck to them in finding out,�
he muttered.

�� The article
beneath the picture was as full of reactions as, surely, even Draco could have
hoped for. There were onlookers to the kiss quoted, as being full of �shock�
and �horror.� There were statements from �Mr. Malfoy�s schoolmates,� about how
they had always suspected Draco Malfoy of being a ponce. There were
�regretfully, no comments from Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, who could not be reached as
of this morning.�

�� Harry read
down a few lines, and then nearly snorted crumbs out his nose. They�d
interviewed Ron, either because
someone at the Prophet had remembered
the feud between the Weasley and Malfoy families, or because he�d simply happened
to be nearby when the reporter was looking about for a quote.

�� Yeah, I can�t say it�s a surprise,� Ron
Weasley, an Auror in the Ministry, said flatly. �I always did suspect there was
something�off�about Malfoy in school. No one could be that disgusting
naturally. Who knew he�d turn out a shirt-lifter, though?�

�� Harry
blinked and took a swallow of tea so fast it burned his throat. Then he set
down the cup and wrung his hand for a moment.

�� He
felt�odd.

�� Of course,
it was probably just from the collision of his two worlds, which were normally
kept so separate that Harry never had to worry. He moved in pure-blood circles
most of the time, since they were primarily the ones who had the money for
Metamorphosis and the likelihood to hear of the business from their friends.
That had been why he hadn�t known about Malfoy�s Machineries beyond a vague
notion that such a business existed; middle-class wizards, the ones without
house-elves, were Draco�s best customers.

�� Ron commenting on Malfoy! And on you, though
he doesn�t know it! That�s funny, right?

�� Harry shook
his head briskly and rose to his feet, calling for Kreacher to dispose of the
remaining tea and toast. He had a few errands to run before he changed back
into Brian and met Draco for lunch.

�� He hoped
his stomach would stop jumping before then. He would never be able to
concentrate properly on irritating Draco�s parents if it didn�t.

*

�� One
hundred,� Draco said idly.

�� His
mother�s hands tightened around the book she was reading, but she didn�t look
up.

�� Draco
leaned against the large window at the back of his house, one hand over his
eyes as he studied the line of the glittering ward strung across the gardens
(and across the roofs and walls of the entire manor, though he of course he
couldn�t see that from this angle). Yet another owl, the hundred and first, was
fluttering in holding a smoking Howler in its talons. The moment it hit the
ward, it pinwheeled, squawking, and hit the ground with a thump. The birds had
recovered and flown away each time, but the Howlers remained on the ground,
bursting into harmless chatter that no one behind the ward could hear. The
house-elves kept Apparating in with frightened squeaks and cleaning away the
ripped bits of envelope and the minor fires that the smoke from the Howlers had
started.

�� One
hundred and two,� Draco said, as a great horned owl struggled futilely to stay
aloft.

�� There came
a sharp crack. Draco turned around with one of his concerned masks pasted over
his face. �Mother, are you all right?� he asked. �Surely you didn�t crack the
spine of the book?� Narcissa had slammed the book, which Draco had reason to
know was a rare one�he had gone out of his way to procure it for his mother
when she had said she was interested in Greek culture�down on her lap.

�� I cannot
comprehend how you can make a joke of
it,� Narcissa said, low-voiced, trying to catch his eyes in that gaze she�d
hooked him with yesterday. But this time, it didn�t have the same effect on
Draco. He�d seen the first real results of his campaign this morning, when his
parents went rigid and silent over the Daily
Prophet article, and he was feeling too cheerful and superior to let their
disapproval hurt. �I could understand if you had tired of Lucius�s
high-handedness and wished to stage a rebellion. I can understand getting that
friend of yours, Blaise, to help you. I can understand your getting drunk one
night and swearing an unfortunate vow that compels you to do this. I cannot�I will not understand how you can bear to
treat this as a joke.�

�� Draco
smiled a little. �Tell me, Mother, if you had really and truly loved Father but
your parents hadn�t approved of him, wouldn�t you have had the strength to bear
a few Howlers? Even to laugh at them, knowing they couldn�t touch what lay
between you and the man you loved?�
He gave the word �man� a little extra emphasis just to see what Narcissa would
do with it.

�� His mother
stared at him. Then she said, �There was never a chance that Mother and Father
would not approve of Lucius. He was wealthy and pure-blooded.�

�� But what
if they had?� Draco pressed. �After all, being wealthy and pure-blooded doesn�t
guarantee one�s good qualities. Great-Uncle Quintus was dreadful.�

�� The
situation did not arise.� His mother stood and gathered her skirts around her.
She did take the book carefully back to its shelves, Draco was grateful to see.
She was not yet irritated enough with him to start mistreating his gifts.
�Lucius was all that my parents could have wished for me.�

�� Was? Draco thought, but he was more interested
in pursuing his own battle than his mother�s past for right now. �But if it had happened?� he asked. �If, say,
Grandfather Black hadn�t taken to Lucius for whatever reason, and had forbidden
you to marry him?�

�� Narcissa
turned around in the doorway. Her face was white and tense, her eyes sharp as
the sapphire Draco had picked out for Brian yesterday. That was the part of the
article that had affected his mother most, Draco knew, the mention of his
buying the ring. She could dismiss the kiss as a publicity stunt, but a gift
that expensive was meant for people who mattered.

�� I was
responsible with my heart,� Narcissa said. �I took care not to fall in love
with anyone whom my parents would have deemed unsuitable.�

�� Draco
blinked and stared at her for a moment. �And you think I should have done the
same?� he asked.

�� Of
course.� Narcissa folded her arms. �Neither your father nor I looked forwards
to depriving you of the Manor and our approbation, Draco. I have dreamed for
some years now of meeting your bride.�

�� I don�t
think hearts can be controlled in that way,� Draco said. �And I don�t know one
person my age who thinks it, either.�

�� He had
spoken the truth, so far as he knew, and a truth that he thought his mother had
long ago acknowledged. He did not expect her head to bow, and a light behind
her eyes to extinguish.

�� She turned
and left the library without another word.

�� Draco
glanced back at the ward, frowning a little, and then cursed as he watched yet
another Howler drop. He�d lost count.

*

�� Harry
looked up at Malfoy Manor, and shook his head. The house seemed far more
impressive in daylight than it had at night. He wondered if part of that was
his memories of the short time he, Ron, and Hermione had been held captive here
during the war, but then discounted it. No, he hadn�t been here long enough to
form any trauma.

�� Hermione,
now�

�� Harry
shivered as he walked up the long gravel path to the front doors, past gardens
that obviously knew it was summer. How would she feel if she knew he was
working with Draco Malfoy to alienate his parents? Would she be pleased that
social harm was striking at the Malfoy parents� pride, their most valued
possession, or would she stare at Harry with betrayed eyes and ask how he could
help anyone from that family?

�� Enough! Harry told himself, and the
thoughts thinned like morning mist before the sun and vanished. You are in a strange mood today. He looked down at the sapphire ring
glittering on his hand, and smiled as he remembered the ceremonious care with which
Draco had slid it onto his finger yesterday. You know that you can�t tell her anything about this life anyway, not
with the way she reacted to your using glamours during your last year at
Hogwarts. Hermione had actually cried when she couldn�t persuade Harry out
of disguising himself for simple trips to Hogsmeade; she had thought Harry
should outface the press and force them to accept him for who he was, a simple
man who had no desire to play hero. She hadn�t understood that Harry had no
strength left for that kind of battle.

�� So she�ll never know, and she�ll never be
hurt. And neither will Draco, considering the fun he had with you yesterday.

�� Harry
slowed to a stop in front of the immense doors and knocked briskly. A house-elf
opened them up at once and stared at him, then began wringing its hands.

�� Harry
recognized that sign from Dobby when
he�d tried to tell Harry what he could about the Malfoys in second year, as
well as from Kreacher when he�d accidentally burned the toast. �Let me guess,�
he said, in Brian�s husky voice. �You�ve been told by Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy not
to let me in, but Master Draco Malfoy said you were to do it.�

�� The good
visitor understands!� the elf wailed, bowing his head into his arms. �And Mips
is so bad!�

�� You�ve
done nothing wrong,� Harry said. Hermione had never persuaded him to free
Kreacher, because Kreacher seemed genuinely happy to stay and serve Harry after
the war, but she had made him more attentive to the feelings of house-elves.
Harry knelt so he and Mips were eye-to-eye. �If you could tell Master Draco I�m
here, I�d be more than happy to wait outside until he comes to fetch me��

�� You�ll do
no such thing.�

�� Harry
couldn�t help it; his heart beat a little faster when he heard that voice. He
stood, making it a swift, casual movement that nevertheless showed his chest
and forearms to best advantage. He knew from Draco�s slightly narrowed eyes
that the other man had noticed. He responded by strolling towards Harry down
the staircase that loomed not far back from the doors, letting his robes swirl
around him and show, not disguise, the action of his lean, strong legs.

�� Harry felt
a throb of want coil through him like a hot wire. He didn�t show that, of
course. Brian wouldn�t, in a competition/dance/half-relationship like this, and
Harry would not betray feelings that could draw him deeper into emotional
intimacy than Draco was willing to go.

�� You�re not Harry, remember? You�re Brian,
here.

�� I would
hate to come between you and your parents, Draco,� Brian said, running a hand
through his hair so that it stood up more disreputably than ever and making
sure the sapphire ring flashed in the sunlight coming into the gardens. Draco�s
eyes followed the flash, distracting his attention from Brian�s face in the
moment it took him to settle his expression into an appropriate leer. �Though I
might not object to coming in front of
them.�

*

�� Draco felt
himself smile without his conscious volition.

�� God, he
felt so alive when he was near Brian,
and it wasn�t only the sexual tension that wavered up and down like a wildfire
fanned by the wind between them. Part of it came from not knowing exactly what
this man would say or do next, when Draco had been around most people in his
social circle long enough to predict exactly that. And part of it came from the
pulse of magical strength that Brian kept thoughtfully shielded, but which
flashed now and then with blinding power, like that damn ring.

�� Don�t let him control you. If you do end up
falling�and after some very interesting dreams the night before Draco had
let the possibility have a corner of his mind to play in�then it must be mutual.

�� He stepped
forwards, past a squeaking, bowing Mips, to catch Brian�s hand. He bent and
pressed a kiss to the back of the other man�s knuckles. Only if someone was
standing next to Draco and staring over his shoulder could they have seen the
tip of his tongue darting out and lightly scraping Brian�s skin.

�� Brian�s
breath caught in a most satisfactory manner. Draco lifted his head and studied the
blue, blue eyes. Lust was there, yes, but held down and forcibly muzzled. He
smiled and let his fingertips trail down Brian�s wrist before he faced in the
direction of the dining room.

�� Shall we?�
he asked.

�� Of
course,� said Brian, and offered his arm, elbow crooked, just as Draco had
offered Brian his arm for the birthday party. Draco rested his hand lightly on
the other man�s, and together they proceeded down the corridor to the dining
room, which Draco did not remember being so long.

�� He found himself
taking longer strides than normal, inflating his lungs as if to catch more of a
breath of air. Was that just an attempt not to feel overwhelmed by Brian�s
magical aura, or did having this man at his side make Draco really feel he
could take on the world? Perhaps both. Draco certainly knew he had never felt
so invigorated, so refreshed, so eager.

�� Have
either of your parents done anything else unexpected?� Brian asked, directly
into Draco�s ear, in that mid-level voice that was actually softer than a
whisper.

�� My mother
seems to believe that I should have chosen who I fell in love with more
carefully,� Draco said, and took the chance to skim his hand down the back of
Brian�s neck. �She actually believes that one can control one�s heart. If I had
fallen in love with a woman whom they deemed unsuitable, I would have evidently
been expected to give her up.�

�� Brian
chuckled. �Hence this deception, which will give you, in the end, the freedom
to marry whom you want to marry.�

�� You
believe that a goal?� Draco breathed back. The door to the dining room was in
sight. Narcissa and Lucius would just be sitting down to lunch. It was a
routine that Lucius never varied, except on the odd day when he had to attend a
Ministry function in the morning.

�� Of course.�
Brian halted for a moment and stared at him. �You have told me that your father
will take you back someday, when you have amassed enough power and money to
make him beg. That means that you do intend
to join the Malfoy family again. And that means continuing the line with an
heir.�

�� Draco
narrowed his eyes. He had not said that specifically to the Manager of
Metamorphosis at their meeting, but it was not a hard thing to extrapolate from
the information he�d given.

�� Of
course,� he said, and Brian smiled at him and swept on.

�� Draco
followed, keeping his frown to himself. Why was he so unsettled by the words
Brian had spoken? Discussed openly between them or not, they were only a
natural path for Brian�s mind to tend down, he told himself again.

�� Perhaps, he decided as Brian threw the
dining room doors open and led in Draco as if they had just both earned Orders
of Merlin, I am not used to hearing
someone who fits so well with me speak as if he were strictly temporary. Certainly
none of the men or women Draco dated before had ever done it, even the ones who
knew they didn�t stand a chance of getting his parents to accept them.

�� This is another place he could have an
advantage over me, if I let him.

�� Careful, Draco. He is temptation itself, but
he could too easily be a rival instead of a lover.

*

�� Brian
savored the looks on Lucius and Narcissa�s faces as he and Draco walked in. It
was clear Draco had not told them Brian was coming, and they looked now as if
the Muggle Prime Minister had appeared in the middle of their drawing room and
demanded to know why they weren�t paying their taxes.

�� Then Lucius
recovered himself, and scowled. Narcissa looked down at her lap and began
pulling her fine linen napkin to pieces.

�� Lucius it shall be, then. Brian focused
most of his attention on him as he bent a little and kissed Draco�s ear. It was
an affectionate gesture, of course, but more than the kiss he and Draco had
shared in front of his parents, it was a protective
gesture. And Lucius wouldn�t take kindly to seeing his son in the
protection of another male. It would inspire him to think all sorts of horrible
things about Draco�s masculinity.

�� And that
made him underestimate Draco all the more, and brought him one step closer to
cracking. Certainly the way that all the blood left his face made the cracking
seem imminent. Brian smiled cheerfully at Lucius, then turned and bowed to
Narcissa. She was flicking her eyes between him and her husband, and on her
face was no expression at all.

�� Lovely to
see you again, Mrs. Malfoy,� he said. �I wanted to thank you again for the
dance the other night. I can�t recall having a more graceful partner.� On cue, Draco�s elbow dug
into his ribs. Brian paused and looked at him consideringly. �A more graceful female partner, I meant, of course,� he
said, and gave a winning smile.

�� Who told
you,� Lucius said in a low, rough voice, �that you were welcome in my home?�

�� Oh, I
didn�t think I was,� Brian said. �I thought I was welcome in Draco�s home. Unless he lives elsewhere,
of course, in an even more magnificent manor house, and just lets this one to
you. In which case I am heartily sorry for intruding on you, and very vexed
that Draco didn�t tell me the truth.� He turned around and frowned at Draco. �Very vexed, do you hear me?�

�� Draco�s
shoulders shook, once. Brian could tell that he was working hard not to sob
with laughter. He looked up, now, and shook his head slightly, making his blond
hair tumble around his face like the sculpted curls of a marble statue. �This
is my home, yes,� he said. �But I did tell you not to expect the best of
receptions from my parents.�

�� Ah, yes.�
Brian sighed gustily as he looked at Lucius. �I suppose you can�t get along
with me for the space of even one lunch?�

�� Lucius
firmed his lips in a thin line, obviously already regretting his outburst. Then
he nodded once and looked away. Brian saw one hand tremble slightly, as if he
was reaching for his wand, but he didn�t actually take it out. More probably,
he wanted a distraction from the intolerable situation in front of him. Of
course, picking up the Daily Prophet just
now would give him anything but that, Brian thought with a small smile.

�� We never
did get to start the conversation I intended to start the other night, Mr.
Montgomery,� said Narcissa in a suddenly bright, cheerful voice. Brian looked
at her, and thus gave up to Draco the right to draw out a chair for him. Brian
sat down with a brush of his hand over Draco�s shoulder, not taking his eyes
from Narcissa all the while. �I am curious about your past. You are obviously
accomplished in pure-blood manners, and yet I�ve never seen you in any of the
social circles we frequent.�

��

�� Brian
chuckled companionably, and took Draco�s hand under the table. He gave it a
questioning squeeze, and Draco squeezed hard back. He was all right with
letting Brian take the lead, for now. �I�m afraid that my study of your culture
has been more theory than practice so far, Mrs. Malfoy. I�ve read so many books
I can�t even remember all their titles, and I�ve been to parties as an
uninvited guest.� He grinned as Narcissa looked scandalized. �And of course,
since I met Draco, I�ve been keeping out of the spotlight in hopes of not
attracting attention to him.� He gave Draco a tender look. �I can�t say how
glad I am that all the feigning�s done.�

�� Draco gave
him a small, amused smile; only the two of them would understand the joke in
that sentence. His fingers turned, lightly trailing across Brian�s palm. Brian
caught his breath.

�� Damn, the smallest touch from him affects
me.

�� Narcissa
had asked another question, though, which gave him an excuse for turning his
attention away from Draco. �But surely, so accomplished you are, so handsome, I should have seen you
somewhere before?� Another linen napkin had appeared next to her plate; Brian
wondered idly if it was the result of a house-elf�s silent appearance or a convenient
spell. She spread this napkin smoothly across her lap.

�� Brian shook
his head regretfully. �Thank you for the compliment, but my life has been so
varied that it�s unlikely.� Narcissa�s eyes narrowed slightly; she would know
that Brian was hinting at how restricted the Malfoys� movements had been since
the war. They could still host parties and attend them, they still attended
Ministry functions and did their exotic shopping, but they had their finger
less on the pulse of Britain than they had had before the war, and evidently
Narcissa realized it. �I�ve acted in Muggle theater, taken lessons in several
different obsessions before they ceased being obsessions, and in general lived
my life like a normal wizard. I never knew there was anything extraordinary
about me until Draco��

�� The food
appeared on the Malfoy parents� plates, just as had happened at Hogwarts. A
moment later, full plates and glasses appeared for Draco and Brian, as well.
Draco squeezed his hand, indicating he had asked the house-elves to provide
this. Brian smiled and kept speaking to Narcissa without missing a beat.

�� showed me there was. I�ve polished my
accomplishments up for him.� He winked. �And done a thing or two about my
looks, too. Though not as much as he did for me yesterday.� Guilelessly, he
held up the ring. �Isn�t it wonderful?�

�� Narcissa
muttered a strangled compliment. Lucius was completely silent, and Brian looked
at him to gauge his reaction.

�� He was in
time to see the Malfoy patriarch lowering his wand to his lap, and to trace the
line of sight along which he�d been pointing it. It had been aimed directly at
the salad of fresh vegetables on Draco�s plate, out of which he was about to
take a bite.

�� Seething�and
Brian could do that, because he wasn�t someone to hide his anger�Brian seized
Draco�s wrist and shook his head when Draco stared at him, tossing his head in
the direction of Lucius. Draco understood in a moment, his eyes turning as cold
as the moon through rain.

�� Do you
mind,� he asked, putting his fork down and leaning forwards, �telling me what
exactly that spell you just cast on my food does,
Father?�

�� Brian
rejoiced at the anger in his voice. He�s
my equal in so many ways. In this, too.

�� And just to
give Lucius the discomfort of facing the two of them united, Brian turned
around and sent a scowl of his own at the end of the table.

*

�� SoftObsidian74:
Draco was kind of out to make a point, but his responses to such things are
still more restrained than Brian�s. Not that this is difficult. ;)

�� Do you mean
you hope Harry comes out of the closet? It�s unlikely; in this case, it�s Brian
coming out, not Harry.

�� Ren,
Hi-chan: Thanks for reviewing!

�� Mangacat:
This story will not shut up, honestly. The temptation to write the next chapter
is always trying to lure me away from work.

�� Qwerty:
Harry knows it�s dangerous, and he thinks awareness of the danger is enough to
keep him safe.

�� Lunatic
with a hero complex: Thanks! I liked the scene in the jewelry store myself.

�� Harry�s
conception is that once he incarnates traces of his real personality in other
personas, he doesn�t have anything left.

�� Graballz:
Thanks! As for when Draco finds out this is Harry, it might not be at the sheer
end of the story.

�� Thrnbrooke:
There will be worse things in the following chapters, as shock turns to anger.

�� Mariahs_fantasy:
No, sorry, I still don�t know how long this will be, though if I had to guess I�d
say 45 or 50 chapters. And no, Harry hasn�t dated people as himself, really; he
might keep his own personality, but he always alters his looks a little to
avoid being recognized as the Boy-Who-Lived.

�� Yume111: I�ve
tried to show a little bit in this chapter why Draco keeps forgetting Brian is
just a hired actor. His own emotions�and it�s very new for him to be feeling
this much�overwhelm him.

�� At this
point, the biggest obstacle to Draco making Harry into a real person again is
Harry himself.

�� Draco
accepted Brian�s blow-up partially because it taught him more about Brian�this was
more unguarded than he�d seen him be so far�and partially because he expected a
different, more fiery nature than his own thanks to Brian�s biography.

�� Draco is
exaggerating the spells a little bit. ;) Basically, they would only take effect
if someone insulted Draco to his face or if someone attacked him physically�both
of which that man did. And most people who buy things from Malfoy�s Machineries
don�t believe the story of the spells, anyway. It�s more of a potential power
than a real one.

�� And thanks
for reviewing!
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Changing of the Guard