29AN: I'm sorry, I just really wanted to do this. It's been sitting with me for a few days and I wanted to go ahead and write out my little plot bunny. I hope you all enjoy it.
Summary:
Although the war has been won, the battle is far from over. Harry goes to Lucius Malfoy for guidance and to gain a political ally, no longer planning on holding himself back. He will do anything and everything to make his friends proud of the world they helped save.
Rating: M
Pairing:
Main: Lucius Malfoy/Harry Potter
Side: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/Severus Snape
Warnings: Minor character death, survivor's guilt. Slash. Past child abuse
"Lord Malfoy, you have a visitor." Looking up from his stack of paperwork, the blonde wizard gave a nod to his assistant.
"Thank you, Jasper. Please let them in," Placing his quill down, the wizard was unable to stop from quirking an eyebrow as none other than Harry Potter came into his office, dressed in official wizard robes and with an air of slight confidence around him. He looked much different than the last time they had met.
It had only been about two months since the final battle, but for some reason, it looked as if the younger wizard had aged even more. His eyes were still striking, but they had become slightly diluted, missing their usual fiery gleam.
Lucius couldn't deny the appreciation he felt for the younger wizard, who had taken the stage to defend his family during the trials. The savior had brushed aside the looks, whispers, and sneers, defending them with a calm, yet stern voice. He never wavered once, to the disappointment of some.
As he regarded the wizard, he caught sight of the newly brandished rings and resisted letting his shock show, knowing one of the rings all too well.
"The Black Lordship?" He inquired, gaining a small nod from the other man.
"My paternal Grandmother was Dorea Black," Harry explained with ease, as if he had been asked the question numerous times. "My Godfather, Sirius Black, also named me as his Heir. He wants nothing to do with the Lordship after everything that happened with the Black family. And as the last Potter, I wished to claim that Lordship as well." Lucius nodded in understanding, ready to get back to the point.
"May I ask as to why you're here, Lord Potter-Black?" Harry gave a hint of a smile.
"You may call me, Harry. I defended you and your family during the trials, sir. I believe we are past last names at this point." Lips twitching against his wishes, the blonde gave a nod.
"Then you may call me Lucius. The Malfoy family is in your gratitude. Without your testimony, we would all be in prison. Severus as well." The younger frowned deeply at that, shaking his head.
"With everything you two have done for the war, it would have been an injustice for you to serve even a day in Azkaban. You both became spies to help bring down a monster." Lucius felt a small smile form on his face at that, shaking his head.
"Not everyone has those same opinions."
"Then they are idiots. From what you had divulged, you didn't have a choice in joining Voldemort. You explained at your trial that your father had coerced you into it at the age of fifteen." Harry sighed, taking a moment to gather his words.
"It concerned me more that the public and the ministry still wanted to convict you, despite the evidence you had for your innocence." He took another breath. "Which is partially as to why I'm here." The blonde wizard could see the tenseness in the younger now, and he tilted his head, curious as to what the younger could possibly need from him.
"You need my help with something, I gather?" Lucius wasn't a spy for nothing. He could read the younger's expressions, even his micro-expressions as a dark cloud seemed to appear over the ebony-haired wizards' shoulders.
"Voldemort might be gone, but it doesn't mean this battle is over. There are still so many laws that need to be passed, people to protect, and things to rebuild. There are things that need to change, and Dumbledore-" Lucius' felt his eyes widen at the way the younger wizard sneered, reminding him all too well of Severus Snape. "Is doing an abysmal job. People are suffering. Children are homeless with no place to go. The dead haven't all been buried.." The brightness was starting to return to those emerald eyes. "And he drags his feet. He advocates for the opposite of what we just fought for; what people died for."
Lucius was momentarily speechless at the speech, his jaw slack as the 'Golden boy' spoke so bluntly.
"I have no one to help me with this currently." Harry took a breath, steeling his resolve and suppressing his emotions, pushing them down with an ease that shocked Lucius. "But I need assistance in claiming my seats on Wizengamot and understanding all of the laws. I have studied many on my own, but there is only so much that books will teach you, and as you are a Lord of a respectable House, I wanted to see if you would offer your guidance." The younger took another breath. "I also wish to align myself as Neutral. No more Light or Dark nonsense."
Lucius Malfoy was sure that he was losing his mind, or that the man in front of him was an imposter.
"You wish to align yourself as Neutral?" It was the first question that came out, but the younger didn't seem to pay too much attention to it as he nodded.
"For too long now, the light and dark factions have been against each other. Magic isn't inherently one thing, it is both. With everything that has happened in our world, I don't see how factions will do us any good. We need to unite and be there for each other."
Lucius regarded the younger wizard, who he had seemingly incorrectly judged. It seems there was much more to the wizard than met the eye.
"If you don't mind me asking; what has caused this rift between you and Lord Dumbledore? I was under the impression that you were quite close?" Harry snorted humorlessly, his expression flickering between hurt, anger, and bitterness.
"Once you find out he's been manipulating you all your life, that fondness quickly drains away," Harry spoke softly. "Or that he has no desire to improve things, wanting things to go back to how they were before the war, which is some of what got us into this mess in the first place." The younger looked away for a moment, a shadow forming as pain bled from him like waves crashing onto the shore. "Or that his need for control led to the death of my best friend." Lucius felt his breath catch as their eyes met, silver eyes meeting vibrant green, which was filled with heartache and pain.
Harry took a breath, closing his eyes as he gained control over his magic, forcing it back down with controlled ease.
"I would be lying if I said that my coming here was purely to gain your help in acquiring my seats. While I do need assistance with my seats, I want to help you take down Dumbledore, or at least humiliate him as often as I can in Wizengamot." Lucius' jaw actually dropped, no longer the image of the perfect Malfoy. "You didn't join the Order because of your loyalty to Dumbledore; you joined so that the worst of two evils would be destroyed. Now that the biggest threat is gone, you can take down the next obstacle."
Staring at him dumbly, the blonde opened and closed his mouth, knocked speechless once more.
"You are certainly not the Golden boy the papers make you out to be," Lucius croaked, earning a startled laugh from the former Gryffindor.
"From one secret Slytherin to a proud Slytherin; no, I am not. I have only been in this world for seven years, and I have seen injustice in every corner. From dark and light both. I want to help better this world. I want to clean it up just as," Harry clenched his eyes tightly, sucking in a breath as heartache settled into the room. "Just as they did. And in order to do that, an overhaul needs to happen. Classes on etiquette for Muggleborns and half-bloods, classes on laws and traditions. Creature reform laws. Revival of blood magic-" Lucius let out a choked sound, looking more flabbergasted by the second.
"Blood Magic?" He spoke with an incredulous voice, but one that was full of awe and a small amount of pride. "As much as the idea intrigues me, no one would ever go for it."
"Not unless we convince them. Make them see what happens when you label something as dark just because it doesn't align with your beliefs. There is so much that needs to be done, and if we don't act, nothing will happen." Lucius raised an eyebrow.
"We? I haven't agreed to help you yet." His tone gave him away, however.
"Not formally, but I saw the way your eyes lit up. You agreed the moment I talked about bringing Dumbledore down." The Slytherin withheld a snort, soon nodding in assent.
"I didn't realize you were a legilmens," Lucius rebutted, making Harry let out a soft laugh.
"Well, I am, and an Occlumens," Harry spoke, smirking at the wide silver eyes. "But I don't have to use magic to see your disdain for him." Lucius coughed, but Harry could swear he heard a chuckle behind it.
"You are quite calculating, Harry. I don't see how I managed to be blind to it for so long." Snorting softly, the younger shrugged.
"You and Severus were both surprised by this other side of me. He recommended that I talk to you about all of this not long ago. I had my suspicions about your thoughts on Dumbledore, but I wanted to make sure I was right before coming here."
"You and Severus are close?" Harry smirked slightly.
"Do you think Dumbledore taught me the spells I used in the final battle? No, all of those came from private lessons that we started in my fifth year. He, Remus, and Sirius can be quite brutal when they need to be." Lucius felt his eyebrow raise again, growing more and more intrigued by the younger wizard in front of him. "The three of them are quite effective; they were the best instructors I could have asked for."
"I was under the impression that Severus hated those two?" Harry snorted, making Lucius blink in confusion.
"Miscommunication, apparently. Sirius is a lousy flirt with anyone that isn't Remus, and when he tried to pursue Severus in Hogwarts, he went about it the wrong way altogether." Lucius nearly choked as he sat straighter.
"You mean to tell me that Severus is romantically involved with Sirius Black?" Harry felt his lips twitch slightly.
"And Remus Lupin. The three of them are all together." Harry shrugged. "Severus never disclosed it because he was unaware until this year that you were a spy for the order. The only people that knew were me, my friends, and the Weasleys. Everyone else was unaware."
"Even from Dumbledore?" Harry frowned at that, a look passing through his eyes.
"Especially from Dumbledore. The less he knew, the better." Harry replied easily, sneaking a glance at the clock with a small sigh. "I should probably get going. I have a few things I need to get done tonight before I force myself to go to a Gala tomorrow night." Lucius tilted his head.
"The one hosted by Lord Fenneck?"
"Unfortunately. I despise these types of events, but he is the head of the Magical Creature Law division. I need to learn more about him and how things are run there. I'd also like to get a grasp on how they request reforms and receive donations."
"If you'd like, I can accompany you. If I am to guide you through Wizengamot, we should start with the Gala tomorrow night. There will be many in attendance that have seats." Harry blinked, before nodding.
"Thank you. I appreciate it." Harry offered a small smile, hesitating for a moment. "Politics and laws were never my strong suits. That was all Hermione," The smile fell from his face as he said the witch's name, eyes misting over. "But this is what we both would have wanted. I hope I can make her proud by turning this world into a safe place for everyone, no matter where they come from. She had so many great ideas and proposals…" He carried off, biting his lips hard as he drew in a breath, turning to give his attention back to the older wizard, eyes still wet. "What time would you like to meet tomorrow?" Silver eyes lingered before shifting their attention.
"Six, there are people I will need to warn you about before we enter." He explained, earning a nod. "The Gala starts at seven, but people start to arrive around six-thirty to gossip," Harry snorted at the bluntness and the way Lucius rolled his eyes. "Especially when anything Ministry-related is involved." Harry rolled his eyes as well.
"Trust me, I know. I've been paraded like Merlin himself to those events. The public just eats it up," Lucius gazed at him deeply.
"You hate your fame." It wasn't a question, but Harry responded anyway.
"I've always disliked it. I was famous for something that happened when I was a baby, and now I'm famous for killing that same madman. They see me as their savior, but they didn't see the true heroes in this war. The ones that stuck by me despite everything. The ones who gave up their lives so that I wouldn't have to," The passion in his words dwindled, replaced by a hollowness that caused Lucius to frown. "Without them, I wouldn't be here today," Harry spoke quietly, slowly getting up and clearing his throat.
"Where would you like to meet tomorrow, Lucius? The Gala, or someplace else?" The tone was clipped with pain, and Lucius was quick to respond, knowing the younger was barely holding his tears at bay.
"You are welcome to floo to Malfoy Manor," Lucius supplied. "It will give me time to warn you of those who will be in attendance that align with Dumbledore," Grimacing, Harry nodded, but paused.
"Are you sure? I'd hate to disturb your wife-"
"Ex-wife," Lucius corrected, raising an eyebrow when Harry gapped at him.
"Shite, sorry. I read about the separation, but with all the lies people have been telling in the paper…" Lucius waved him off.
"It's of no consequence. I don't blame you for your distrust of some of the news outlets. They have been…embellishing as of lately." Harry snorted sadly, mumbling 'understatement' under his breath. "Narcissa and I are great friends, but our marriage was the product of my father wanting to control my life. Marrying into the Black Family and having a child that had Malfoy Blood and Black Blood was used to please his master." Harry grimaced at that, a look of disgust and horror settling on his face.
"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what that must have been like," Harry whispered.
"Many children of the Knights of Walpurgis had these contracts," Lucius spoke simply, gathering some paper from his desk and putting it away with a flick of his wand. Harry felt more horror grow in him at the implications.
"Voldemort wanted his followers to have children and for the next generation to serve him," Harry grimaced again. "And so on," He added, shaking his head. "It wouldn't surprise me if he suggested the contracts,"
"Nor me," Lucius added, watching as Harry cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed.
"I'm probably keeping you from your work. I apologize. I really should get going." Lucius looked into green eyes and offered a small, but genuine smile.
"You were surprisingly decent company. And I'm sorry about the loss of your friends. I've lost some myself in this war." He watched the eyes mist over. "They cared a great deal about you. We will make them proud, especially Miss Granger." Lucius didn't know where his words came from, but seeing the small smile on Harry's face and the bright eyes, he had a feeling he made the right decision.
"Thank you," The younger choked out, tears slipping past as he quickly made his leave, leaving behind the blonde wizard to his thoughts.
He couldn't stop thinking about the younger wizard and his hate for Dumbledore, which was so visceral and strong.
Suddenly, Harry's words replayed in his head, a deep frown forming at the implications as his heart started to sink.
"Or that his need for control led to the death of my best friend."
There was something else behind the tragedy of the Golden Trio. Whatever it was, it made Harry Potter an enemy of Albus Dumbledore.
Lucius had a feeling his life was going to become a lot more hectic.
I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of the story. I've got some vague plans in mind for this story, but I'm def out of my comfort zone with this one. I've never done this pairing before, so this is a new one for me.