yupitxt.cc 
Harry slowly sat up straight, starting to understand. Maybe he still had a chance to bring Draco back his father after all. “Yes,” he admitted quietly. “Lucius, I honestly thought that you had at least heard about Dumbledore’s death. I wasn’t joking when I said your options are between me and Voldemort.”
“What is happening in the Wizarding world?” Lucius asked in confusion.
Harry shook his head. “You need to talk to Narcissa and Draco,” he said. “I don’t really think it’s my place and I don’t even want to try to explain it all to you.”
Bowing his head, he sighed. It was going to be another very long night. “Let’s get this over with, then we can figure out how you can meet with them,” he said. He figured they’d probably been at the Manor for twenty or thirty minutes already, and didn’t want to waste anymore time. Severus hadn’t said anything, so they were surely safe still, but Harry was more than ready to move on.
“Potter,” Lucius said, commanding Harry’s attention. “Will you win against the Dark Lord?” he asked, his gaze intent.
Harry looked him straight in the eye. “Yes,” he answered with quiet confidence.
“And considering that I am here, you will clearly go to any lengths to accomplish your goal,” Lucius stated as fact.
Harry simply nodded.
Lucius was silent for a moment as he studied Harry. “I have already had cause to question my loyalties, and I do not wish to return to the Dark Lord’s service, simply to receive more punishments,” he admitted. “Azkaban provides plenty of time for reflection,” he added with a grimace.
His words seemed to confirm Harry’s – Dumbledore’s – suspicions, which reassured Harry.
“I have a great deal of faith in Narcissa. And you, ironically, have been the one to grant me my freedom, such as you are able,” Lucius said.
He hesitated for a few seconds, and Harry found himself holding his breath.
“I believe, Mr. Potter, I am at your service,” Lucius said formally.
Harry raised an eyebrow, even as he released his breath, wondering at the Malfoys’ tendency to be so regal about a change in loyalties. He registered Severus’ brief look of astonishment before it was hidden, but his main focus remained on Lucius. “I appreciate the sentiment, but you will never be in my service. I will accept you switching sides, though,” he said.
“What do you wish to require as proof of my change in loyalties?” Lucius asked.
“Draco offered to subject himself to Veritaserum, but I didn’t take him up on it,” Harry admitted. “I should probably go with the truth serum for you, though, since you’ve actively tried to kill me.”
Lucius finally smirked in amusement. “Probably a wise decision,” he said.
“Remus?” Harry questioned Severus.
Severus shook his head. “We should get what we came for and leave here first. It is not wise to stay here long, and we’ve already stayed far longer than I had intended,” he said.
“Of course,” Lucius said, rising and striding over to a portrait on the wall.
“The portraits,” Harry breathed.
“They are no danger,” Lucius said. “With the exception of this one, they are all landscapes in this room. And this one will only answer to me.”
Harry realized that Severus must have known this already, or he would never have permitted them in here. He watched quietly as Lucius spoke softly to the portrait before pressing his hands on either side of the frame. There was a flare of white all around the edges before the painting disappeared.
Harry couldn’t see much from where he was at, but decided it would be rude to get up and try to peek inside. He was surprised when Lucius pulled out another one of the magical trunks. He gestured for Harry to come forward as he unlocked the first compartment.
“I believe this is what you desired,” Lucius said, lifting out the locket and handing it to Harry.
Smirking wickedly in satisfaction, Harry accepted the locket. He recognized it immediately – both from the Pensieve memories and from his memory of it being at Grimmauld Place.
“Yes, it’s the one I’ve been looking for,” he hissed. He’d been staring at the locket and the engraved S on the front of it, and didn’t realize that he’d spoken Parseltongue until he registered the startled gazes of Lucius and Severus.
“Sorry,” Harry muttered. “It looks like a snake.”
“Is it what you need?” Severus questioned.
“Yes,” Harry said, not realizing the excitement shining in his features. He swung the locket irreverently from his fingertips. “This right here has made the entire day worthwhile.”
“Tuck it away,” Severus ordered.
Harry did as he was told, stuffing it deep into his jeans pocket. Lucius looked pained, but didn’t comment.
He did request to take the trunk and check the Manor for additional items that Narcissa may have left behind. Severus refused to allow him to take anything from the Manor’s rooms, saying they would be detected. He grudgingly allowed the trunk, but insisted on checking it first. Harry wasn’t sure if Lucius was going to agree, but he finally submitted. Severus checked each compartment, running magical scans of some sort or another. Harry didn’t claim to understand what he was doing, but he watched in fascination.
All of them were beginning to feel more on edge the longer they stayed and Harry was highly relieved when Severus Apparated them back to the clearing in the forest, trunk in tow. Only the trying task of questioning Lucius under Veritaserum remained. Harry sprawled out on the forest floor, leaning back against the trunk and uncaring of where he was at. It was late and he was exhausted. Severus conjured chairs for him and Lucius and produced a vial of Veritaserum to begin the questioning. Harry was more than happy to let him take control of this.
He listened quietly as Severus subjected Lucius to a wide variety of questions. It took awhile before it hit him that Severus had likely been subjected to many of the same types of questions himself long years in the past. By the time Severus was finally satisfied and administering the antidote, Harry was in no doubt about Lucius’ new loyalties.
Lucius, however, looked terrible. Even worse than he had earlier, if that was possible. “Lucius, would you like an opportunity to clean up and allow us to heal you before you go to meet with Narcissa and Draco?” Harry asked. “If you’d rather, we can go to the house immediately, but . . . ,” he trailed off uncertainly.
“If there is a way, I would prefer them not to see me this way,” Lucius admitted, sounding extremely weary.
“Harry, where do you intend to take him?” Severus snapped irritably. “At this point, it is highly unsafe to take him anywhere besides the house.”
Harry shrugged. “I have the Invisibility Cloak and the twins won’t ask me any questions about some cloaked person making use of their bathroom,” he said. “Draco and Narcissa have been worried enough about him, and seeing him in this condition will simply confirm all their fears. Let Lucius go back to his family with as much of his pride and dignity as he can.”
“Since when did you obtain respect, or even understanding, of Malfoy pride?” Severus asked, muttering the question rhetorically.
Harry shrugged again, smiling faintly. “I’ve learned a lot of things recently,” he said.
Severus sighed heavily. “Indeed you have,” he said quietly.
* * * * *
It was already one o’clock in the morning as they slipped silently into the twins’ flat. Severus crept into their bedroom and cast charms on them to keep them asleep.
“Do they have any idea of the danger you bring into their residence?” Severus muttered upon exiting their bedroom.
Harry smiled ruefully. “Um, I brought Draco here. They adjusted to him pretty quickly. I’d probably be pushing even their limits if they knew who I had here now, though,” he admitted.
“I am in a Weasley residence,” Lucius said in disgust. “How has this happened?”
“You’ll get over it,” Harry said dryly. “Go shower and get cleaned up.”
Lucius clearly dismissed any misgivings he had about being in a Weasley residence, immediately taking advantage of the opportunity Harry was offering him.
Harry collapsed tiredly on the couch while he waited. Once he heard the water running, he looked across to Severus who had sat on the couch opposite, still looking like Remus. “You know, you’re going to have to tell him who you are before we go back,” he said quietly. “The fact that Remus is there will be a bit of a giveaway.”
