Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1

**The New Mrs. Malfoy**

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter and anything related to it doesn't belong to me…also the plot line and story of Mrs. Winterbourne don't either. I own nothing…so sue if you like you aren't gonna get much… a few used books and a banged up bicycle.

**Summary:** Through a complicated mix-up, Harry Potter is mistaken for the widow of a Pure Blooded Aristocrat. Will he be found out or will love finally find him? DM/HP. former SF/HP. Mpreg. AU.

**Chapter 1**

_Seamus Finnigan. If I never heard that name again it would be too soon. But I'm getting way ahead of myself._

_My name is Harry. Harry Potter and I grew up in a muggle town called Surrey. My parents died in the war back when I was a baby and I was sent to live with my mother's sister. Me and the Dursley's...well we didn't get along so well. The summer I turned 17, one year short of my graduation from Forrester Academy, a state funded school for muggle born/raised wizards, I left the Dursley's and never looked back. _

_With all of my worldly possessions in my rucksack I went in search of my destiny. With fate as my guide I began my search in the most logical place I could think of. Magical LONDON. And as luck would so have it, on my first day in London, in the very first place I stopped I ran in to him._

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* * *

_

Harry Potter skipped into Diagon Alley from the apparition point located next to Gringotts Wizarding Bank and immediately walked toward the one shop he was familiar with in search of food. The ice cream parlour was sparsely populated and Harry was happy to be able to find a booth to sit in while he ate his apple pie alamode.

He knew he was receiving a few stares from the robe clad magical citizens but there was little he could do about his muggle attire. All he owned were a few hand me downs from Dudley and his second hand school robes, which were several sizes too small. But he didn't care too much. He just made sure to place his wand in plain view as a sign to the curious Wizards that he was indeed one of them and not a lost muggle.

It wasn't long before Harry forgot about the other inhabitants of the shop and lost himself in his thoughts. It was then that he was surprised when a man, a tall Irishman with short sandy brown hair took the seat across from him.

"Hi."

Harry sat still, waiting to see what the stranger wanted.

The man stared him down with his blue incandescent eyes for a moment before smiling and holding out his hand. Harry looked at it oddly and was amazed when the other wizard snapped his fingers and pulled a red rose out of thin air.

"Wow!"

Harry was very impressed. That was a very fancy bit of transfiguration the likes of which he had only seen his teachers perform on rare occasion.

The Irishman smiled another award winning smile and held out the rose to Harry, "I'm Seamus Finnigan."

"I'm Harry Potter." He replied without the slightest hesitation.

* * *

_Seamus made me feel special and unique and assured me that even though I was muggle raised I was just as worthy as anyone else. Not to mention beautiful. Oh yeah. I fell for him. Moved right in with him. 17 years old and I was in love and living with my 24 year old lover in a great apartment...well an apartment just off of Diagon Alley. I mean once you looked past the drug dealers and the prostitutes, Knockturn Alley really wasn't so bad. _

_It was okay for a while. Sure Seamus never gave me roses or candy but hey, I had my pick of the best drugs in London (not that I ever touched the stuff). The important thing was he took care of me and all he asked of me in exchange was to do the house work and to let him bugger my brains out two or three times a day._

_And Merlin knows I never complained about that. If Seamus Finnigan was good at one thing it was sex._

_Life was okay. It really wasn't bad. Well that was until I started to get sick. Every morning like clock work I would be in the loo retching my brains out. It didn't take long for me to put two and two together and to stop by the apothecary._

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* * *

_

Harry sat on the window looking out over the street, doing everything in his power NOT to look at the potion in his hands. The potions master clearly said to wait five minutes for the results and Harry was doing his best to be patient and was failing miserably. Every five seconds he looked for the color change and was disappointed every time when nothing had happened.

Then slowly Harry began to notice the change as the mustard yellow liquid began to morph into a brilliant green. Harry dove for the instructions that the potions master had given him to see what this color change meant.

Red...negative. Green... Positive.

Harry looked from the paper back to the vial in his hands and felt the smile on his face grow wider and wider as the green color turned brighter and more vivid.

He was pulled from his stupor when the familiar sounds of Seamus arriving home with his friends echoed through the small one bedroom apartment. Harry dropped the vial and the parchment on to the bed and ran into the living room where Seamus was chugging a beer.

"Where's dinner?"

Harry ignored the question and smiled widely at him, "I'm PREGNANT!"

Seamus froze and stared at his lover stupidly.

"Isn't it great? We're going to have a baby!"

The Irishman then did the last thing Harry expected and set now mostly empty beer down on the counter and began to doubt his claims, "what do you mean your pregnant?"

Harry paused and looked back at the bedroom where the vial and its acid green contents were still in view. "What do you mean what do I mean...I just took a test and it came back positive. I'm pregnant. We gonna have a ba-"

Seamus became furious, "who's the father?"

The question came from left field and Harry was left in shock, "You're kidding right?"

When it became apparent that he wasn't kidding Harry tried to assure his lover of his fidelity, "It's yours who else's could it be. You're the only one and you know it! Honestly Seamus...I'm hardy ever out of your sight."

Seamus became even angrier and approached one of his more thuggish friends, "You've been fucking Harry! Haven't you!"

The man was caught off guard and Harry tried desperately to glare at his boyfriend who was ignoring him. There had been no one else, and Seamus' reaction was atrocious. But Harry's heart froze when the goon said yes. That he had indeed been seeing Harry behind Seamus' back.

Horrified, Harry stepped hesitantly backwards toward the kitchen and away from his irate boyfriend. "He's LYING!"

"You fucking SLUT!" Seamus stormed after him and reached for the bottle of beer he had set aside only moments ago, "get rid of it!"

Harry stared at him in shocked horror. The idea of killing his poor little unborn baby was enough to make him sick, "I'm not getting rid of it!"

Seamus then did the last thing Harry could have seen coming and smashed the bottle against his head shattering it in the process and rendering Harry unconscious.

* * *

_So ended my relationship with Seamus Finnigan. I spent that night in St. Mungo's and when I went back to Seamus' for my things I found that he had already packed for me. It only took half a day to sort through the dumpster and salvage what I could. But hey, when you're in my position it's best to travel light._

_It wasn't long until I started to get bigger and bigger. I lost my job when I started showing and there was no way for me to find another. The pregnancy trapped me. I couldn't venture into the muggle world as big as I was and I couldn't use magic with out risking the health of the baby. So, I was forced to go to the homeless shelter. When my time at the Hufflepuff House ran out I had no where left to go. I was about to spend my first night on the streets. So I returned to Knockturn Alley and went to the pawn brokers to sell the only thing of worth I had left in the world._

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* * *

_

The dirty old bald man examined the gold watch thoughtfully before placing back on the counter. "You lookin' to pawn 'r sell?"

Harry looked at his father's watch and took a deep breath, "Sell."

"Wha'chu wan' fer it?"

Harry thought for a moment before looking back at the watch, "50 Galleons."

The old man laughed, "Wha' kin' o' drugs you on boyo?"

Harry glared at the man and gently encircled his arms around his baby bump. "30?"

"I can give ye 10."

He was outraged, "TEN! It's gold! AND Goblin made!"

"Fine fif'een."

"20!" Harry knew it was futile but even a tiny bit more would mean a lot to him.

The man glared at him but softened slightly upon examining the very large baby bump, "16."

Harry looked at the watch and frowned, "17."

The man frowned but nodded gruffly and threw the gold onto the counter and snatched up the watch.

* * *

_Looking back I don't really know what possessed me. It was probably the singular most ill thought out plan I ever went through with, but I decided to try my luck in a new city. One where I wouldn't have to worry about muggles and where there might be more muggle borns/raised like me who would be willing to help me out. So on that rainy day in November I took my hard won 17 galleons and purchased a ticket to Hangleton, the center and capitol of Magical Great Britain._

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* * *

_

Harry clutched the straps to his rucksack tightly and held out his shiny sliver ticket to the attendant standing at the entrance to the large blue steam engine rain pouring down from the sky above. The man looked at him skeptically eyes never leaving Harry's overly large baby belly, placed completely on display by the water logged fabric of his white shirt clinging tightly to his stretched skin.

"What you looking at?" Harry snapped at the man.

"Nothing sir." The man punched a hole in the ticket and motioned for Harry to climb aboard.

Not wasting a second Harry climbed the steps on to the overly crowded train and began looking for a seat, which he found to be an impossible feat. Especially with all of the disapproving stares he was receiving. If there was one thing that Harry had learned in the past five months since he started showing it was that in the wizarding world it was that pregnancy out of wed lock was looked down upon by every walk of life and it didn't take a genius to figure out that a pregnant eighteen year old traveling alone was most certainly NOT married.

Harry hated Seamus for that. Hated him with every fiber of his being for placing him in this position. The hateful faces of the men and women were enough to make him high tail it through the crowd to the next car but the bodies of other passengers trying to place luggage in racks and find seats of their own slowed his movement considerably and allowed him the great pleasure of listening to the comments of the disapproving passengers.

He smiled to himself and gently caressed his baby bump, which was now beginning to flutter to life as the little baby growing there began to wake up from it's nap and begin dancing around. The movements were just what he needed to help him ignore the comments. But halfway through the third car Harry literally ran in to trouble he couldn't ignore.

When the train lurched forward with a jerk Harry fell forward into a very large man who immediately turned on the pregnant teen with a glare "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Harry felt his face flush and he muttered a quick apology. "I'm sorry sir."

"Sorry? Sorry for slamming into me or for being a waste of space?" The man looked down at Harry's baby bump with a glare, "Trash like you shouldn't be allowed here you little faggot. You and your bastard should be in the steerage car with the other livestock."

Furious, Harry clinched his fist in an effort to not reach for his wand and did the only thing he could think, "Fuck you ass hole! If your oversized Neanderthal arse didn't take up so much room I might have had enough room to pass."

The man turned beet red and began to pull up his sleeves fists clinching threateningly. "You want to say that again you little mudblood cock sucker."

Harry immediately regretted his statement and clutched his large pregnant belly and turned his face away. If he was lucky the man would refrain from attempting to harm his baby. He closed his eyes and waited for the blows to come but they never came. Instead something miraculous happened. Harry felt himself being maneuvered by a delicate hand.

When Harry opened his eyes he looked upon the most beautiful and welcome sight of his entire life.

"Now I don't really think that you want to threaten my husband. Now do you?"

Harry stared in awe at the tall blond man who was now clutching him to his chest brandishing his own wand threateningly at Harry's assailant.

The man gaped like a fish and began to apologize, "I'm so sorry sir. I didn't know."

The tall blond smirked snidely and lowered his wand, "Well maybe next time you will think twice before assaulting an innocent parent to be. Are you alright darling?"

Harry blinked dumbly at the blond and nodded, "Yes. I'm fine."

The man smiled and quickly began to push through the people holding Harry close to him. The rumors stopped instantly and for the first time since he began to show Harry knew what it was like to be normal.

His angel led him through four more cars before Harry found the courage to speak to him. "You won't be able to find a seat. Trust me. This train was over booked when I got my ticket and there were more behind me."

The man turned around and smiled at him, "Nonsince." With a wink he pushed open a compartment door and stepped aside to allow him entrance.

Hesitantly Harry stepped into the compartment and with a smiled began to thank his rescuer. "I can't tell you how grateful I am."

The man smiled kindly and motioned for Harry to take a seat. "It's no problem."

Harry blinked stupidly again when an adjacent door opened and a very good looking very elegantly dressed very pregnant man stepped out of the lavatory and smiled curiously at him.

"Why hello."

The blond man smiled and stood up to free the more comfortable seat for the man bestowing a kiss to him in the process, "I found him and just couldn't bare the thought of leaving him there, honestly love you know how much I love good looking pregnant wizards. Please may I keep him? I promise to feed him and take care of him...OH and he can stay in my room."

The red head smiled beautifully and laughed, "Oh is that so? Alright, who am I to deny you the right to keep him. Of course he may stay, but on one condition."

The man smiled and nodded, "anything."

The red head held out his empty cup to his husband and pouted a little, "Will you please go to the club car and get me a refill?"

"Of course." The blond man smiled and turned to Harry who was playing with his fingernails trying not to look too pathetic, "Would you like anything?"

Harry smiled shyly his hero and shook his head no, "No thank you."

The blond smiled and kissed his husband one last time before heading out the door to retrieve the drink.

Harry immediately mourned the loss of the other man but did his best to remain cheerful. "Your husband is a life saver. I'm Harry by the way."

The man smiled and held out his hand, "I'm so sorry Cory is terrible with introductions. He always forgets. I'm Octavian it's a pleasure to meet you Harry."

Harry shook Octavian's hand and was amazed at how soft his palms were. "Wow, your hands are like silk!"

The man smiled again and began rifle through a trunk that stood by the window. "Thank you. I've been using a new moisturizing potion that Cory brewed for me. I'm glad to know that it's working. Here."

He handed a beautiful glass vial the likes of which Harry had only seen in the apothecary on Diagon Alley when he was a kid. Harry took the vial and began to examine the potion intently. "May I?"

"Oh please help yourself."

Harry gently uncapped the lid and poured a few drops on to his hands, only just enough to cover his hands minimally. With in seconds the oily substance worked it's magic and he felt his rough callused covered hands become several degrees smoother, though no where close to the silky texture of Octavian's. "That's amazing. Did he invent that?"

Octavian smiled, "No. Just brewed it. I'm not too sure where he got the recipe."

Harry ogled his hands some more as Octavian replaced the bottle back in his trunk.

"Cory hates to brew. Something about hating his potions master back in school. He's a fantastic brewer though. He picked it up again as a favor to me." Octavian smiled and sat back on the sofa across from Harry, " He fulfills all of my brewing needs because of the pregnancy."

Harry smiled at the idea of a man who would go to such lengths to help his lover and father of his child, "Do you brew?"

"Occasionally, I'm not especially good but I get by."

"So, where are you two from?"

The other man smiled, "Cory grew up here. I'm from New Zealand, but my father was English as were all of my tutors growing up. I have a few words that are a bit strange but I've been told I could pass as British."

Harry nodded. Octavian had better diction than he himself did and he lived his whole life on the isle.

"I'm going to meet his family for the first time. I'm really nervous."

He tried to smile reassuringly at the red head but he felt for the man. Family wasn't always so welcoming.

"I want it to go well. For Cory. I know how much his family means to him. Not that it doesn't mean a lot to me..."

Octavian was rambling but caught himself, "I'm sorry. You see my dad was all I had and when he died last year...well, Cory became my family. He's all I have now. I'll be devastated if his family ends up hating me."

Harry nodded, "I'm sure that they'll love you. I'm mean as much as your husband loves you they'd be fools not to. "

Octavian smiled and stood up to attempt to stretch his back, "Thanks."

A comfortable silence fell between them and Harry took the opportunity to pull off his water logged shoes and gently pour out the water. Normally he would have cast a drying spell the second he got on board but the recommended restriction of magic that came along with pregnancy prevented it. It was the whole reason he agreed to take the god-forsaken train in the first place.

"Oh dear you are drenched!" Octavian's alarm shocked Harry and he immediately began to protest.

"Not at all."

Octavian quickly began to rummage around in his trunk again and came up with a set of elegant robes that Harry was hesitant to even look at out of fear of destroying.

"Here put these on."

"I can't really."

Octavian thrust them into Harry's arms, "No really I do insist. I wont watch you catch your death. I have no idea what I was thinking before."

Harry hesitantly looked at the dry robes, but his protests died on his lips when Octavian gently nudged him toward the bathroom. It took a bit of work to peal off his wet ill fitting clothes but once off Harry was only too happy to dry off with the hand towels on display and to slip in to the soft green maternity robes.

Looking in the mirror he almost didn't recognize himself. Never in all of his life had he worn such an elegant set of robes. For a brief moment he stared into his bright green eyes in the mirror. "What are we doing here?"

The train lurched and Harry lost his glasses in the sink in his attempt to remain upright. Harry took that as his cue to vacate the bathroom. The last thing he needed was a nasty fall right now. When he stepped out into the compartment he blinked in surprise at the other pregnant man who was now pulling at his wedding ring.

"Oh, I'm so glad they fit!" Octavian smiled at him and resumed his tugging. "How far along are you?"

Harry smiled slightly and slumped down into his seat, "a little over eight months. Should you be doing that?"

The man laughed, "Urgh, stupid water weight...I just need to get it off for a minute. OH!" With a big final pull the ring let loose of Octavian's finger and Harry watched in slight horror as the ring flew toward him with lightning speed. Not wanting to get hit he threw his hand up and caught the ring in mid flight a mere nano second before it hit him in square in the face.

"HOLY... great catch! You'd make one heck of a seeker." Octavian smiled at him and rubbed his now free finger.

Harry smiled, "If you only knew." Taking a moment he examined the ring now in his possession, "It's gorgeous."

Instead of immediately retuning the lost ring Harry looked at the beautiful gleaming platinum. Celtic braid and intricate Celtic knots adorned the band but what caught his eye most was the engraving along the interior. The elegant script was flowing and beautiful but illegible to Harry's poor eyesight. "What does that say?"

Octavian looked over fondly at the ring, "Corvus Loves Octavian."

"Corvus?" He blushed in embarrassment when he heard himself question the first name. But the other man smiled kindly before answering the question.

"His mother's family has a tradition about Star names. Corvus doesn't really mind it but I prefer to call him Cory." Octavian smiled at the mention of his husband, "Go ahead."

"Go ahead and what?"

"Try it on!"

Blinking skeptically Harry paused, "isn't that supposed to be bad luck or something?"

"It couldn't be bad luck!" Octavian smiled and for a moment, just a single moment Harry allowed himself to dream, to pretend that he wasn't in this alone. With a wry smile Harry slipped on the ring and looked down at is left hand and was amazed to see that the ring was a perfect fit.

But the dream wasn't real and the nightmare that was his own personal reality came crashing down upon him in the worst way possible. As he stared adoringly down at the ring on his left hand the world literally turned upside down as the train begin to crash.

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_**Author's note:** Hello all! hope you enjoyed chapter 1. This will be a multi chapter fic so don't worry. I'll be posting chapter 2 as soon as I'm confident it's done and error free. __ Please if you enjoyed it or have any comments for me __Review, Review, __REVIEW!__  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**The New Mrs. Malfoy**

**Chapter 2**

The very first thing that Harry noticed was that he had to pee and the second was and the second was that a certain little someone was not kicking his bladder.

His green eyes snapped open and his hands flew to his abdomen. "My baby!"

Harry looked down at his flat stomach in panic and began to scream.

In a manner of seconds an old nurse was at his side trying desperately to get his attention, but he wasn't having any of it. Harry pushed her away from him and began to try and detach himself from the large bed.

"Where's my baby! What did you do with him?"

Just before Harry was able to reach his wand that was resting on the bedside table something the woman was saying finally penetrated his mind and registered fully. "You're baby is fine!"

Harry paused, "What?"

The woman smiled kindly, "Your baby is fine."

"Can I see him?" He asked the old nurse hopefully.

The woman smiled and pointed over to the door where another nurse was already wheeling in a medical bassinet.

Harry immediately froze, ceased in all efforts to escape his bed, and stared in awe at the little bundle being wheeled closer to him.

When the baby was close enough to him to see Harry looked up at the nurses seeking permission. "May I hold him?"

The two women nodded and the shorter, younger one of the two reached into the bassinet to retrieve the child for his adoring parent. Harry felt tears come to his eyes as the tiny little creature was placed gently in his arms.

"Is he a boy or a girl?"

The old nurse smiled and ignored Harry's continued use of masculine pronouns, "She's a girl and she's lovely. 7 lbs. 3 oz. 21 in. long and a full head of dark brown hair."

Harry smiled and just stared at her, his tiny little precious girl. Two eyes, two ears, one nose, two perfect little rosy lips. Carefully he pulled back the tiny pink and blue stocking cap to verify the nurse's hair color claim. Fleetingly he thanked the deities that she had inherited his dark brown hair. He really hated the idea of his child inheriting his father's mousy brown. The thought passed quickly though when he saw the very first glimpse of her eyes as the baby cracked one eye to peek at him.

"Oh hello there cutie."

He wasn't fazed by the blue color. He had heard it said on several occasions that most babies had blue eyes at birth and that they would change later.

Harry was unsure how long he just sat and stared at his little daughter. He knew it must have been a long time but if felt like mere seconds. He knew that he could spend the rest of his life memorizing those perfect features and still think that there just wasn't enough time. When he finally pulled his eyes away from her perfect little pink face Harry wasn't surprised to see that he had been left alone. He didn't notice when the nurses left but was all too happy to be alone with his daughter. Wanting to see the rest of her Harry gently began to unwrap her white receiving blanket.

She was so tiny. So tiny and perfect. That was all he could think. Perfect tiny little hands and fingers. Perfect tiny little feet and ten perfect little toes. And a tiny little pink name tag wrapped around her left ankle.

He smiled as he began to read the ID, "baby girl..."

His heart sank in disappointment and frustration. "Damn it all to hell! NURSE! Nurse you brought me the wrong damn BABY!"

Harry looked at the little girl again and smiled kindly at her, even with all his yelling she didn't begin to fuss. "You really are a cutie, cutie. You're just not my cutie. I'm sorry."

He lifted his hand to touch her small nose and felt his heart rate rise rapidly. On his left ring finger was something that didn't belong to him. Something that he had absolutely no right wearing. Swallowing deeply he found the courage to look at the name that was listed on his own identification bracelet and braced himself. Something told him that the name there was going to match the infant's in his arms and he was right. In big bold letters a name that did not belong to him stared back at him.

"What is all the fuss about Mr. Malfoy?"

Harry looked up at the woman shock setting in, "There has been a mistake!"

The nurse walked forward gently, "Now Mr. Malfoy you need to calm down."

"Calm down? That's the last thing I need to do...I need to..." Harry wracked his brain for the blond man's name. He could sort this all out. "I need to speak with Cory!"

When the woman's face softened and she stepped forward and gently began to speak to him consolingly, Harry felt another wave of shock overtake him. "Oh GOD!"

Realizing the magnitude of Harry's distress the woman stepped forward and took the little infant from her place in her father's arms and replaced her in the bassinet far out of potential harms way. "I'm very sorry Mr. Malfoy."

In response to his daughter being taken Harry forcibly began to remove himself from his bed to retrieve her. "Stop calling me that! There was another man. Another pregnant man..."

The nurse paused instantly and looked at Harry hopefully, "did you know him?"

Harry blinked, "did?...OH GOD. He can't be dead!"

"Please calm yourself Mr. Malfoy it's really not good..."

"How can I be calm? AND STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

"Mr. Malfoy, please you need to calm down!" The nurse was now holding a large syringe and was filling it was a dark blue liquid. Harry knew that the last thing he wanted was for that thing to be anywhere near him or his baby. "What is that?"

The woman placed herself between Harry and his daughter and stepped toward him, "Just a little something to help you calm down."

He dodged the nurse and reached out for his child. He never quite reached her though, because with a sharp pinch to his thigh the world around him faded to black.

* * *

Kingsley Shacklebolt walked through the streets of Knockturn Alley with his partner carefully checking the address before beginning the trek up to the fourth floor of an old run down building. He hated these kinds of cases. There was going to be no positive outcome from this.

"What's the number again?"

Kingsley glared at his junior partner and pointed to the last door on the hall. "For the eighteenth time 4G."

The young officer ignored the annoyed undertones of the comment and hurried down the hall and immediately began to rap on the door.

The door opened quickly to reveal a tall man in a wife beater and worn black slacks. Kingsley gave the man a once over and noticed several tattoos that were scattered across his torso and upper arms. He recognized the man from his routine runs through Knockturn Alley. Finnigan, was his name and Kingsley knew the man to be involved in lower level illegal activities but that wasn't why he was here today.

"Can I help you officers?"

With a pointed look to his junior partner Kingsley was able to take control of the situation, by handing the man a dried rose bud. "I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt and this is my partner Andrew Sommers. We came here to ask you about the owner of this flower."

Seamus frowned and shrugged, "listen I have things to do. I don't have time for this bull shit!"

"The rose has your magical signature. We are just trying to find about the kid you gave it to so that we can track down a next of kin. Can you please help us Mr. Finnigan?" Kingsley glared at his junior partner's mention of the death. Stupid idiot now Finnigan was going to think this was a murder investigation and not talk.

"Whose dead?"

Kingsley blinked in shock. The man surprised him. Sommers pulled out a photo of the deceased man that they had retrieved from his school records. The body had been completely unrecognizable after the wreck and they had been forced to id the poor bastard by his wand and bag contents. The poor kid was just 18 and his records were sorely lacking. They had been lucky to find the picture in the small academic file.

The Irishman looked at the picture and frowned a little.

"His name was Harry Potter. Did you know him?" Kingsley knew them man recognized him. He could read it in his body language.

"Yeah, I knew him. I went on a date with him last summer."

Sommers nodded and began to write, "Do you know why he might have held on to the rose?"

The man shrugged, "I give those to everybody I'm looking to hook up with. I don't know why he kept it. Like I said I only went on the one date."

Kingsley frowned, "Do you happen to know where we could find his family?"

Finnigan frowned and handed the picture back to Sommers, "How many times do I have to tell you. I only had the one date with him, and that was over a year ago.."

"Are you sure Mr. Finnigan?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Sorry I couldn't be more help."

Kingsley looked to his partner and saw that he was visibly dismayed at the dead end. "Thanks for your help Mr. Finnigan."

The Irishman nodded to them and closed the door. Kinglsey and Sommers frowned and started heading back to the apparition point. Yet another case had reached a dead end and would be closed with no answers. He felt for the family of Harry Potter. They would never know what came of their son and unborn grandchild.

When Seamus walked back into the apartment Dean Thomas smiled up at his lover from his position on the sofa where he had been reading the latest news in the tabloids. "Who was that?"

Seamus sat down next to Dean and began staring off into space.

Dean smirked playfully and gently nudged him in the ribs in an attempt to get a response. "Hello. Earth to Seamus. Who was at the door?"

"Aurors."

Dean immediately turned to him in shock. It was never a good day when the coppers started sniffing around. "Is everything alright? What did they want?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. Do you remember Harry?"

"Who?"

"That guy I pointed out to you the other day?"

Dean nodded at the memory, "The knocked up kid coming out of the pawn shop? What about him?" Dean smiled at the mention of the skank if the cops were after him and not Seamus it was a good day.

"Well he's dead."

Dean blinked in surprise, "dead?"

Seamus said nothing for a minute before adding a small factoid about the street urchin that was previously unknown to the young black wizard, "Do you know he was going to have my baby?"

Dean frowned. That was news to him.

"Hmmm…..it makes you think."

As Dean processed this new information Seamus opened a fresh beer and returned to his Quidditch magazine.

* * *

Harry hurried around his hospital room picking up things he knew he would need to take care of his small daughter. For several days, despite his protests about his identity, baby gifts kept arriving from all over, and now that he was trying to make a run for it he was hard pressed not to make use of the lavish gifts and be grateful to the people who saw fit to shower him and his daughter with the precious expensive materials.

As he passed the bassinet where his little girl was happily looking out and examining the world around him he paused to smile down at her, "Almost done packing little snorkler. A few more things an we're out of here!"

The little girl yawned in response and Harry smiled. She was so precious, dressed in a sweet long-sleeved onesie and tiny pink overalls that had small flowers embroidered all over. Her dark brown hair was just peaking out from beneath a matching white and pink embroidered stocking cap and her tiny little feet were cocooned safely in tiny pink sock to prevent a chill. She looked just like an angel and he knew every time he looked at her that he would do anything to for that little girl.

He smiled down at her again losing himself in her. What was he going to do?

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when the fireplace in the corner of the room flared to life as an unexpected fire call came through. Hesitantly he walked forward to see who it was that could possibly be calling on him. In the flame a beautiful woman smiled at him, "Oh you must be Octavian."

Harry blinked, unsure how to respond.

"I'm Mrs. Malfoy, Corvus' mother." The woman smiled at him.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Malfoy. I feel so terrible about what happened." Harry felt his heart fill with hope. Maybe just maybe she would listen to him and help set this whole mess straight.

The pain that flashed over the woman face at the mention of the accident made Harry nearly regret his words. "We all do my dear."

"Yeah, I know….NO! That's not what I meant you see-"

Harry was amazed how the woman regained her composure and cut him off so easily. "I was going to come to retrieve you myself but the damn healers won't let me travel. Too much stress! Men, what do they know? I experience more stress sitting around here imagining the worst than I ever would by traveling."

Harry smiled kindly and tried to think of a way to segue into clearing up this matter, "Yeah, look Mrs. Malfoy…."

The woman smiled again and cut him off, "I'm not calling to chat dear. So don't feel pressured to talk, I know how tiring a new baby can be. Now listen,"

Harry blinked in shock and reluctantly nodded to the woman to continue.

"I know that you don't have any family in Europe, so I would like you to consider the Malfoy House as your new home…."

"That's nice and all but I…."

"But what? I'm your mother-in-law. Don't argue with me." The woman looked sternly at from her place in the fire and Harry felt himself begin to break.

This poor woman. How was he to explain this to her.

"And let's not forget my dear," The woman smiled and craned her neck to look at the bassinet behind him. "That's my granddaughter you have there."

Harry looked over at his daughter and bit his lip. How was he going to explain this to her?

"Now I've already sent someone to fetch you."

Harry snapped his head back toward the fireplace and began to protest, "Oh no, you can't do that…."

The woman smiled and ignored his protests; "I'll see you when you get here! Bye-bye now."

With one final smiled the woman's face faded away and Harry felt a horrible numbness settle over him. He immediately hurried over to his baby and picked up her up. "Snorkler. We have got to get out of here!"

Not wasting a second Harry pulled on a think wool cloak, swaddled his daughter a thick pink blanket. November weather was not going to be very fun to deal with. Harry secured the baby in the crook of his arm and picked up the baby bag he had packed earlier and slung it over his shoulder. If he hurried he could get out of here and be free. He grabbed his own bag on the way out the door and hurried down the hall.

He managed to find the elevators easily enough and smiled in relief when he saw the front doors. Carefully he hurried toward them but was cut off by a very tall very bat like wizard. "Mr. Malfoy?"

Harry looked up at him mouth agape. Recovering quickly he forced a smile on his face and tried to sound convincing, "Ah…no."

The man glared and pointed to the wristband that stood out starkly next to the black of his cloak and the pink of his daughter's blanket, "Really, then would you care to explain why you are identified here as….oh look. Ocatvian Malfoy."

Immediately Harry knew he wasn't going to like this man, "Well you can't always believe what you read!"

The man frowned and began to take Harry's bags from him leaving the young man with only the small baby in his possession. "Hey! I can carry my own bags!"

The batman raised and eyebrow and turned to leave. When Harry made no move to follow he turned and sighed, "Please don't make this difficult."

Harry blinked several times then huffed in resignation. He followed the bat out the front door to the curb where he biting cold stung his face. Harry found himself instinctively tucking the corners of the blanked more securely around his daughter. "Where are we going? It's Freaking freezing out here!"

"To the car." The dark wizard looked back at him and pointed to a large dark green Overfinch Range Rover 580S M-Series Hybrid* that was parked a few yards away. Harry was very surprised to see the robe clad wizard approach the vehicle and pull out a set of keys.

"Holy SHIT! You DRIVE?"

The man turned and looked at him as if he was crazy, "Of course."

"But driving is for muggles."

The dark man looked at him and smirked, "Well if you insist on being so prejudice against perfectly acceptable and safe modes of transportation due to their muggle origins, how do you suppose we should travel with a newborn?"

Harry blinked, he wasn't sure how to answer that question. He hadn't had much opportunity to consider how he would transport his baby once she was born. "I….I have nothing against motor vehicles, I was just led to believe that British Wizarding society disapproved of most things muggle."

The man nodded and began to load the bags into the car, "We do. But when it comes to cars….well lets just say boys will have their fun. Oh and this car isn't muggle it's a top of the line magically manufactured hybrid."

Harry blinked again and was shocked when the man took his daughter from his arms and expertly unwrapped her from her blanket and secured her gently into the high quality purple and black infant car seat that was set up in the back seat. In that instant Harry remembered that he had to set the record straight. "Hey….sir?"

The man looked over his shoulder at Harry, "You know it is customary to apologize and politely ask for a person's name if one is unsure of another's name."

Harry huffed in annoyance, "What is your name then?"

The man stood up right having completed his task of securing the baby, "My name is Severus Snape and you may call me Severus. Mr. Malfoy."

"Well Sev, I have to explain something."

Severus clenched his jaw in annoyance but did not correct him, "You do not explain things to me, Mr. Malfoy. If you feel the need to explain something then you will explain it to Mrs. Malfoy now," his demeanor, which up until this point had been indifferent at best, changed into stern and domineering, "get in the car."

Harry inhaled sharply and crossed his arms over his chest in protest.. He would stand here in the cold all day if the man thought he could get away with speaking to him like that. He wasn't a dog and he refused to be treated like one and bullied by anyone including oversized bats.

After a moment the man clinched his jaw again and looked pointedly at Harry. "get in the car…..PLEASE."

Harry smiled at Severus' forced civility and climbed into the back seat of the large SUV to sit beside his now sleeping baby. He got the picture that even if he had wanted to sit in the front he would likely not be welcome there.

The car ride was a quiet one. Along the way Harry discovered that the magical capitol was much more modern than he had ever imagined. Modern infrastructures allowed wizards and witches to drive about the busy city of Hangleton in cars of all shapes and sizes. Public transport allowed for people to whiz through the city by bus or train.

Mid and High rise buildings stood proudly next to old style magical buildings and made for and interesting unique flavor Harry couldn't help but fall in love with. Hangleton was nothing like London.

As they past the large train station Harry was stuck by a strange thought. "Uh….Sev?"

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

"I thought the crash took place en route. Why was I in a Hangleton Hospital?"

Severus looked in the rearview mirror at Harry before responding, "Well initially all survivors were transported to the nearest hospitals muggle and magical alike. As soon as you were stable Mrs. Malfoy had you removed from that vile muggle facility."

Harry blinked again, "She had me transferred?"

Severus frowned, "of course. Her son died in the care of those muggles do you think she was going to let his new family die under their care as well."

Needing to change the subject Harry asked the first thing that came to mind, "So do I look at all like you expected me to?"

Severus glanced at him in the rearview mirror and shook his head, "Not really no."

"oh…."

"Don't think too much on it. The Corvus Malfoy I knew was always easily attracted to red heads. Tall, very sophisticated looking red heads."

Harry bit his lip he couldn't help but feel the sting of that comment. Sure he wasn't sophisticated but what did he look like, white trash? "Well he kind of got sick of those…" Harry pouted slightly but after a moment continued his interrogation. "So he never sent any pictures of me then?"

Severus laughed, "Corvus, send pictures? That boy hated pictures. He couldn't ever sit still for one, let alone ever take on the responsibility of getting them developed and picking them up. No. You are quite a surprise. None of us really knew what to expect. But you know Corvus, that was probably how he wanted it to be."

Harry took in a deep breath and remained quiet for the rest of the ride. He watched as the business buildings changed into residential buildings, then to modest houses, then in to larger houses, and then in to very large manors homes. Eventually after 20 minutes of driving past huge mansion homes each one rivaling the next the stretches of land grew larger and trees be came more and more abundant. Harry smiled at the ponds, lakes and rivers that began to appear and started to think that maybe they would never make it.

That was until Severus brought the car to a near stop and turned in to a driveway where two huge wrought iron gates were opening to them. From the back seat Harry hunched down to try and get a good view of where it was that they were going. Unforgiving trees obscured any view that was to be had until the drive opened up surrounded the drive, and he caught sight of the manor. He couldn't help the curse that slipped out, "Fucking Hippogriffs Balls!"

Severus said nothing but Harry knew that he was being judged. He also knew the second he saw it that no matter what happened he had to explain the situation as quickly as possible because, if he didn't and was found out he would lose his baby and be spending the next five to ten years in Azkaban for fraud!

Harry felt his heart rate increase as they approached the house and then nearly stop when the car was placed into park. "Mr. Malfoy would you like help removing your daughter's car seat?"

Severus was looked at him form the front seat. Harry looked down at his sleeping daughter and realized that indeed he did not know how to remove her from the contraption. "Uh…..yeah…..sure."

Severus climbed out of the car and opened Harry's door for him so that he could have access to the baby seat in the middle seat. Harry watched as Severus carefully pulled up the visor and covered the opening that remained with the blanket before pulling a lever that caused the car seat to snap free from it's base in the car. Harry was more than thrilled to notice that all of these precautions had allowed sleeping girl to remain undisturbed.

Harry was surprised when Severus smiled and handed the carrier to him gently, "She is absolutely beautiful, Mr. Malfoy. Job well done."

He smiled kindly at the complement and turned toward the entrance to the manor and waited for Severus to collect his diaper bag and suitcase. He didn't like the man but he sure didn't want to enter that house alone.

Severus didn't waste time, as soon as he had colleted the bags he led Harry to the door and into the front foyer where they were greeted by a house elf who was happily trying to take the baby from Harry.

"Hello new Mr. Malfoy, Sir. I is Mitzy and I is being told to watch after young miss." The little green elf bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet dressed in small white dress like garment. Harry was horrified at the idea of this creature looking after his delicate little girl. When the elf grabbed the carrier (causing the blanked to fall to the floor) and began to try and take her from him Harry was forced in to action.

"Don't you dare touch her you disgusting little beast."

The elf blinked and tried again to explain, "Mistress Malfoy is be wanting me to look after the little miss!"

Harry was furious, "Well I don't care what Mistress Malfoy is be wanting. She stays with me!"

The elf was becoming very agitated and remained persistent, "It is being Mitzy's job to look after babies! Mitzy was watching after young sirs when they was babies and Mitzy will be looking after late sir's new little miss!"

Harry blinked in surprise when the elf began to tear up. "Mtizy's job is to protect young sir and now young sir's new miss. Mitzy's job is to care for little MISS!"

He looked over at Severus who was just as shocked as he was, neither knowing how the handle the distraught elf.

"Mitzy, enough! Go back to the kitchens! NOW!" The elf bowed low in the direction of the vioce and sobbing disappeared with a loud pop.

Harry froze he knew that stern voice. Slowly he turned to see the woman whose heart he was about to break.

"Hello Octavian."

Harry was struck by her beauty. The woman was tall with blondish silver hair that was pulled elegantly into a soft, complex knot at the base of her head. She was regal, and strong but Harry wasn't fooled she looked grieved and heart broken.

Not really knowing where to start he just stated talking without thinking, "Something terrible has happened."

Mrs. Malfoy's smile never faltered as she began to approach Harry from where she was standing on the stairs. "I know darling."

Harry swallowed, "No…. I mean…. yes….I mean…." He sighed, "My terrible thing is very different from your terrible thing."

The blonde woman's smile softened and Harry saw the heartbreak flash through her eyes. "I know dear. I lost my son, and you lost your husband. Both are terrible and unexpected losses. And both are indeed very, very different."

Harry looked down at his little sleeping daughter in her carrier and back at the woman in front of him and his heart broke. He couldn't bring this woman more pain. He looked around quickly and saw that there was an empty table that would suffice for his purposes.

He smiled at Mrs. Malfoy and walked over to the table to set the carrier down. "Would you like to hold her?"

The statement brought joy to her eyes and harry knew that he was in deep. Carefully he unclipped the two clips and carefully picked up his daughter who was dressed in the only outfit he could find that fit her in the mountain of gifts.

As he handed her to the grieving woman his heart warmed when he saw her smile a true smile, "You dressed her in the outfit I sent." She carefully held the tiny girl close to her chest and smiled, "Hello there my little darling! I'm your grandmother."

The blonde woman smiled and looked up at Harry while gently bouncing the baby in her arms, "It's been a very, very long time since I've done anything quite like this."

Harry smiled at her, "Well you're doing great!"

"What did you name her?"

Without thinking Harry said the first thing that came to mind, "Snorkler."

"What!" The.

Harry paused when the woman looked at him as if he had grown a second head. He had answered honestly, for the past few days he had taken to calling the baby his little snorkelmonster and snorkler for the way she would snort when rutting around on his chest whenever he was feeding her, "It's just a nickname really. I haven't decided on anything yet."

Mrs. Malfoy smiled kindly, "My family has a tradition of naming baby's after stars and constellations. I don't know what you've been thinking of calling her but would you consider Cassiopeia?"

Harry swallowed. He really wasn't sure what he wanted to name her, but he wasn't really so sure about giving such a strong name to his little girl.

"It was actually one of the first constellations I ever pointed out to Corvus you see." Mrs. Malfoy smiled at the memory and gazed adoringly at the small baby in her arms. "We used to go out on clear nights and point to constellations to one another and he would always find Cassiopeia first."

His heart melted and he found himself nodding. After all it was just a name. And it was just a good, if not better than anything he would have thought of. "Sure. Cassiopeia it is. We'll call her Cassie."

Harry looked over at Severus and saw the old bat smile at him approvingly.

"Oh you look just like your daddy don't you?" Mrs. Malfoy cooed.

Harry wasn't really sure which Daddy she was referring to but he had a feeling that it wasn't Seamus. When Mrs. Malfoy began to cry Harry found himself at a complete loss. Weren't babies supposed to make people happy?

Harry looked to Severus who was still standing by the stairs for help. Much good it did him. The man just stood stiffly, looking at the floor obviously grief stricken like the Malfoy matriarch rocking the baby in the corner.

"Mother?"

Harry's eyes dashed upward to where the call came from and focused in on the tall blonde man descending the stairs. He felt his heart stop as he surveyed the same perfectly sculpted face that had saved him on the train. The same man handsome who had welcomed him into his compartment and introduced to his young pregnant husband who allowed him to try on his wedding ring. The same man who supposedly died in a muggle hospital two weeks ago was now descending the stairs toward him and his tiny defenseless daughter.

Not knowing what to do he reached for his daughter and began issuing apologies. "It was very nice to meet you. But…Uh….I have to go. I'm so sorry."

Mrs. Malfoy stood and began to follow him. "Is something wrong Octavian, dear?"

Harry kept looking back at the ghost on the stairs as he hurried toward the door with his daughter beginning to cry in his arms. "I….I'm… very sorry….It's ah…I just have to go."

"Darling if there is something wrong tell me and we can fix it!"

Harry knew that he was causing excruciating pain to the poor woman but he also knew that he needed to run as fast as he could away from her. So he tuned her out and headed out the front door clutching his baby to his chest, hiding her as best he could away from the cold. He didn't get very far before he was cut off by Severus.

"Mr. Malfoy? What do you think you are doing?"

"Just let me go! Please!" Harry felt as if his blood had turned to ice. Unable to think properly, he felt trapped by the older man. Why wouldn't he just let him go?

Severus looked back at the house where Mrs. Malfoy was standing on the porch looking both confused and extremely worried. "Did Corvus never tell you that he had a twin?"

* * *

*M-series Hybrid: I added this series ID to indicate that this is a model exclusively available to Magical citizens. This vehicles are also manufactured/modified in government backed factories and shops by wizards.

**Authors Note**: This isn't hot off the press but it isn't perfect yet. As a gift to all you guys, I decided that since I would be away from the computer for a few days and that since this was _mostly_ finished that I would give it to you early. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll have the next chapter up in about a week or so. What do you think? Like it? Hate it? notice annoying errors that you would like to see fixed? LOVE it and need the next chapter ASAP? Let me know, REVIEW!


	3. Chapter 3

**The New Mrs. Malfoy**

**Chapter 3**

Harry was stunned. Corvus was a twin... of course. How could he have been so stupid. "Well...I uh...I never realized they were identical."

Severus gave him a calculated look before beginning to usher Harry back toward the house. "It must have been a shock to say the least. Now come along."

"Oh thank goodness, Octavian dear. Please tell me that you are alright." Mrs. Malfoy smiled in relief.

Harry nodded and offered her a small smile, "It...well...seeing..." Harry glanced at the blond man who was standing in the front door way frowning at him, "well I thought I was seeing a ghost."

The old woman smiled sympathetically while ushering Harry back into the warmth of the house. "Of course that must have been a terrible shock. Draco you should apologize this instant."

The man glared at the pair and frowned, "Whatever for? For walking down the stairs? For my genetic make up? Honestly mother It wasn't my fault that the boy ran off. He should be the one apologizing."

Harry could tell that the man had several more things he wanted to say but the glare he received from his mother was enough to shut him up. At least for the time being. "Octavian allow me to introduce you to your brother-in-law Draco. He gets his looks from me but his manners are most certainly not from the Black line I assure you. I blame his father."

Draco rolled his eyes, and turned his attention on to Harry who was gently bouncing up and down soothing the sniffling infant. "It's nice to meet you Octavian. I'm only sorry that we couldn't have met under more pleasant circumstances."

"Oh?" Harry was confused by that statement. The house was gorgeous he had never seen anyplace that could match it in beauty, "No this is more than fine. Honestly. Honestly if you think this is bad you should see some of the places I've stayed in."

Draco raised an eyebrow at the comment, "I meant considering the accident..."

Harry could of slapped himself. Immediately he looked to the ground and attempted to look sad. "Oh...right. I'm very sorry for your loss Mrs. Malfoy... Draco."

Not really knowing what else he was supposed to say Harry thrust the now happy baby in Draco's direction. He hated to have to keep shoving her at people, but she was proving to be quite the effective defensive weapon. "Would you like to hold your niece."

Draco was shocked to have the baby given to him. Harry almost laughed at the poor man as he tried to figure out the best way to hold her. Harry smiled in relief when the defense tactic worked again as the Malfoys were now focused on the angelic face of the baby instead of on him.

"Isn't she darling?"

Draco looked at his mother and then back at the baby, "If you find small, pink, squawking creatures darling then sure, she is the most 'darling' thing I have ever seen. You know it's remarkable how little she looks like Corvus."

Harry felt shocked and slightly offended by the comments. Sure she was a small and pink but she had hardly made a peep since getting to the house and when she did make a fuss it was only because she had been taken out in the cold.

Before Harry had the chance to defend his little daughter, Narcissa stepped in and scooped her up from Draco's arms and cuddled her to her chest. She glared at her son and started up the stairs. "Draco please meet me in my office in ten minutes. Octavian, come with me."

Harry nodded and did his best to avoid Draco's eyes as he passed him.

* * *

Draco cringed when irate mother stormed into the office.

"What the hell were you thinking!"

Trying to look unfazed he carefully sipped on the glass of fire whiskey he had poured for himself upon arriving a few minutes earlier. "I don't know what you mean mother."

Narcissa glared and walked over to where her 26 year old son was standing, "Do you have any idea what that boy has been through?"

Draco rolled his eyes at the comment, "no mother. I have absolutely no idea. Would you care to enlighten me yet again?"

"Don't you dare get smart with me young man!"

Draco looked at her daringly, "oh come off it mother. How was I supposed to react. I stepped in the room and the little street urchin took off. He's the one that's rude not me."

"He was shocked. You'd be too if you thought your dead husband just walked into the room."

"Yeah about that. Where the hell did Cor find this kid?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Draco frowned and began to pour himself another glass."The kid can't be more than 17 and he's not even close to being in our class."

"Oh and how would you know."

"Should I comment on his piercings, lack of haircut, or his accent first."

"I think you are jumping to conclusions..."

"He's mudblood trash mother."

Nacrissa looked at her son in dazed confusion, "How did I ever raise such a snob?"

Draco looked at her blankly, "It's a complete mystery mother. Maybe you should ask the house elves and servants."

"And you have absolutely no way of knowing his back ground or heritage." Narcissa walked over to the bar and began to mix herself a martini. "It's a new world out there lots of people from every walk of life get piercings. And need I remind you about the tattoo you have on your..."

"Enough mother I get your point." As soon as she dropped the olive into the glass and raised it to her lips Draco swooped in an snatched it from her. "No drinking you know what the healers said."

Narcissa glared at her son and fixed a glass of water, "I don't care what his heritage may be you will not throw around the M word in this house."

Draco frowned and began drinking his newly acquired martini, "Is that a derogatory term?"

"..." Narcissa simply glared at her son.

Giving up on his previous arguments Draco began a different approach. "Fine. For all we know he might be able to trace his heritage back to Merlin, but what ever his heritage may be, he sure isn't the pureblood elite that Corvus claimed he was. You saw his glasses. They were literally taped together."

Narcissa glared again, "honestly, Draco he was recently pregnant. He hasn't been allowed to use magic."

"And that somehow prevented his supposedly rich parents from paying for corrective potions to be administered when he was seven? This is so stupid!"

"What is?"

"This whole mess. What do we know about this kid? NOTHING! I'll admit that he might be a sweet, perfectly cultured, model citizen but he's just as likely a junky looking for a fix!"

"Now lets not get dramatic Draco."

Draco shot a glare at his mother, "I'm just saying that, all we know about this kid is that Corvus found him, knocked him up, married him to save face and brought him back here expecting us to welcome him with open arms. Admit it mother, if Cor was alive you would be screaming your head off at him!"

"Now I demand that stop all of this nonsince and give the boy a chance."

Draco frowned, "And let this little tramp ruin this family? Honestly mother, how long do you think this is going to take for this to make it to the papers? He's and embarrassment."

Narcissa paused, considering what her son had said, "you're right."

Draco smirked, "Of course I am."

"I'll have to talk to the publicist immediately."

The man blinked at his mother. What was she thinking?

"I wonder if I'll be able to get the band on such short notice?"

"Mother what are you planning?"

Narcissa smiled at her son and tried to wave him off, "Nothing just a small get together to introduce Octavian and Cassiopeia to some of our friends."

"No Mother. No Parties, You know what the healers said, no added stress."

"pshft! The papers turning my son-in-law and granddaughter in to a scandal will cause far more stress than a party."

"Then hand out a press release. Sell the story, we don't have to throw an extravagant party..."

Narcissa ignored her son and began to leave the room, "We can avoid the whole mess this way. It won't be a scandal if we don't try and cover it up. And we need to introduce Octavian at some point. Might as well be sooner than later."

"Mother what in the world are you thinking?" Infuriated Draco said the only thing he could think of, "Corvus' funeral was what, a month ago? His body isn't even cold yet... Is this really an appropriate time to be throwing a party?"

Not even a nanosecond had passed before Draco felt the guilt settle on his heart. Especially when Narcissa froze stiffly in the doorway.

The woman turned slowly and with as much poise as she could muster and smiled at her son, "Thank you, Draco. I could always count on you to provide a bit of perspective."

"Mum, I'm so sorr-"

"No don't apologize. I'm going to go and check on your brother-in-law." As an after thought she turned around and looked at her son, "I think it would be best if you didn't stay for dinner. Octavian is going to need some time to adjust. It would be better if you weren't there unsettling him."

When she left the room Draco broke. He could feel the tears stinging his eyes but pushed them back by releasing his emotion in the only way he could by throwing the glass of fire whiskey into the fire.

* * *

Once Narcissa left to speak with her son Harry took the opportunity to look around the room. It was like a fairy tale. He had been given Corvus' old room which Mrs. Malfoy had redecorated in anticipation of the visit. Harry felt so guilty. The problem was he saw no way out.

Harry had laid Cassie down on his over sized bed and was playing with her tiny little feet as she looked around the room.

"What am I going to do baby girl?"

He didn't receive a response but he hadn't really expected one either.

"Do you even like the name Cassie?"

The girl gurgled and Harry smiled, "Well there are worse names in the world. Cassie..."

He smiled down at her, "That is going to take some getting used to. Did you know that today is your birthday? You are a month old today."

She flailed her little arms and Harry smiled at her. It was a month since he had been in the wreck. A month since he, Harry Potter, was pronounced dead. A month since the Malfoy's took an interest in him, Octavian Malfoy the mysterious widow of the deceased Corvus Malfoy.

This was not where he thought he would be after he was released two and a half weeks ago when he woke up and this whole tragic mess started. Why wasn't he able to make them listen to him and see reason. He didn't want to con them, but they weren't taking no for an answer.

Harry looked around the room again and noticed for the first time two sliding doors. "now where do those go?"

He scooped up his little girl and walked over to the doors, "What do you say Cassie, should we look and see?"

With no appreciable response he reached his left hand out and sid open the door to a beautiful bright sky blue room that had puffy life like clouds dancing on the ceiling and colorful magical butterflies fluttering around. His heart stopped as he took in the beauty of the nursery. The Nursury designed lovingly by Mrs. Malfoy for her first grandchild, "Oh baby girl. How can I take you away from that woman? It would break her heart."

Harry felt tears well up in his eyes. One month ago he boarded that train knowing that Hangleton offered him more opportunities but that no matter what happened he knew without a doubt he was going to be homeless. He knew that he had no contacts here and yet he came anyway. The circumstances hadn't changed either. If he left here, that remained the only possible outcome.

Harry looked out the window at the barren trees. If he fled, he knew that it would be very dangerous for Cassie . There was no safe way for him to keep her warm enough on the cold winter nights on the streets of an unforgiving city. He could in theory use magic but his magic wouldn't be back to normal for at least another few months thanks to the pregnancy. And until then a simple warming spell could potentially kill her.

"Oh Cassie girl. I'm so sorry that I'm not a better daddy. I'd give you the world if only I could little girl."

Harry looked around one last time an sighed. It was wrong to lie to these people. He would just have to make them understand.

A knock at the door pulled Harry out of his stupor. "come in."

Narcissa walked into the room carrying with her a large tome. She smiled at Harry and joined him in the nursery. "Do you like it? I had it done before she was born. If you want to add in more gender specific colors we can call my decorator tomorrow."

Harry smiled and shook his head, "Not at all, this is beautiful. I could never have dreamed of something this beautiful."

Narcissa smiled. "Well I'm glad you like it. Here I brought this for you."

Harry gently traded the older woman his daughter for the over sized leather bound book. He opened it gently and allowed himself to smiled as his eyes to darted across the first page. "Oh my goodness they are so cute."

Narcissa laughed, "I had that made up when Corvus told me you were coming." She sighed. "So many wonderful memories."

Harry felt a pang in his gut. "I'm so very sorry for your loss Mrs. Malfoy."

The woman held up her hand, "Stop,"

He smiled kindly and looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry."

"Please stop apologizing. I only stopped you because I don't have the strength to cry any more." Narcissa smiled and turned her attention on to the baby in her arms.

"I can't stop looking at her. Looking for a trace of him." Narcissa looked up at Harry and smiled. "She is so tiny and so like you. I can see it already."

Harry looked at his feet clutching the photo album with all his might.

"I know it must be very difficult being here without him. You can't have had time to really process..." Narcissa swallowed thickly and didn't finish her sentence. "I want you to know that I don't expect you to talk about it, but if you ever need anything. But if you do want to talk or if you need anything, anything at all you can come to me."

Harry nodded and allowed Narcissa to have a moment to examine Cassie. The two stood in silence for several moments before Narcissa handed her back to Harry. "I'll let you have your space."

As she walked away Harry called out to her, "Mrs. Malfoy..."

Narcissa stopped her retreat and looked back at him.

"Thank you...for everything."

She smiled, "You can thank me by calling me Narcissa."

Harry nodded with a smile.

"Oh and Octavian, thank you for keeping her safe."

After she left Harry sighed to himself before nodding resolutely. He would stay until he could safely use his magic again and then he would leave. He'd flee to the muggle world if he had to, but no matter what happened the second his magic returned to normal he would leave.

* * *

**Authors Note**: Draco finally make his entrance! YAY! I know it is shorter than the last two. But I feel that it's a nice round chapter that doesn't end in a cliffhanger. :) Hope you all enjoyed you should see the next chapter in a week or so...maybe sooner, depends on how the week turns out and my motivation levels. Review review. I love feed back good, bad, ugly...I don't really care. REVIEW! Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**The New Mrs. Malfoy**

**Chapter 4**

Draco Malfoy glanced at the bartender and slapped another gold galleon on the counter. "Pour me another Will."

The young man nodded and added more whiskey to the empty tumbler that was set out in front of the young aristocrat. "I think you should slow down Mr. Malfoy."

"How many times do I have to tell you Will," Draco smiled sadly at the man, "Mr. Malfoy was my father. Call me Draco."

Will smiled, "You've told me many times but as always, you'll need to tell me at least once more, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco looked down at his glass before picking it up and downing the fluid. The bar was mostly empty and that was the way Draco liked it. The Stone Sickle was an elite bar whose main clientèle were young urban professionals who went out for a few round just after work. Not many of them could be found in the wee hours of the morning on a Saturday.

"Do you have any family, Will?"

The bartender nodded, "Yeah."

"Any brothers?"

Will nodded, "Yeah, two."

Draco smiled up at him, "older or younger?"

The man smiled, "Tony's older and Andy's younger."

The blond smiled back at him. "That's nice. Are you all close?"

Will smiled and nodded, "Yeah. We get together every Sunday and toss a quaffle around in my mum's back yard. My big sis comes too."

Draco smiled and slapped another galleon on the counter. "It must be nice."

"It is. Especially when Tony brings his boys." The bartender smiled and filled Draco's glass for him. "Alister and Cullen. They're little fire crackers they are. Gonna be damn good Quidditch players one day too, especially that Cullen."

Draco nodded, "I'm sure."

They used to say that about him. That he'd be a hell of a Quidditch player one day. But he was never a match for Corvus. Draco smiled at the memories that came flooding back of the two of them racing around. Corvus could fly circles around him. He was so naturally talented. He just chose not to go out for the team. Corvus never did like the lime light. Not like him, no Draco loved the attention being the star Quidditch player brought.

Will leaned over and caught Draco's eye, "Don't you have nephew?"

Draco frowned and shook his head, "no. A niece." The mention of his niece's birth brought back the harsh reality of the tragedy that occurred the same day as her arrival.

"How old is she now?"

"Well she was born on Halloween..." Not even caring about the potential hang over Draco tipped back and finished his fresh drink at the thought of his brother's daughter. "So that would make her six weeks old."

Will didn't hesitate to refill the glass, "I bet she's gorgeous."

Draco shrugged and sipped on his glass, "I wouldn't really know. I've only seen her once."

"She must be if she looks anything like your broth..." Will stopped mid statement and began to apologize, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Draco paused to figure out how best to comment, "The baby doesn't look like a Malfoy. She takes after her other father."

Will didn't say anything he just stood and listened.

"Mum has been keeping them under lock and key so I haven't gotten the chance to talk to him much. I feel for him, though. I mean how could I not...he's...he's my brother's widow..."

"Excuse me can I get a Vodka Cranberry please?" A beautiful blond smiled from the other end of the bar. Draco glared at the woman as Will walked away from him to mix the drink for her. She was tall and leggy and making eyes at him. He looked around to see if she was with some group but was met with the same six people who had been there for hours.

He turned away from her and began counting the bottles behind the bar. He knew exactly what she was doing here and he didn't want any part of it. He didn't want to get laid. He didn't want to get hit on. He came here to get away from his life, not to make it more complicated. He came he so he wouldn't have to think. He didn't want to think. He didn't want to think. He didn't want to think.

Draco tipped back the glass again and tossed another galleon on the counter. He needed to get out of here. After standing and checking for his keys, wand and wallet, Draco carefully began to walk toward the over sized fire place. All he needed to do was to floo home. He'd have to come back for his car tomorrow.

With each step he took he kept reciting to himself that he just needed to floo home, but his stomach was turning on him. He could feel it as surely as he could feel the dagger concealed in his boot.

He felt himself begin to stagger and he felt his head begin to swim. This was not good he needed to get home. He needed to...sit down...he needed...needed...to throw up.

As he felt himself begin to fall, two arms wrapped around his waste. He wasn't really sure how they accomplished it but he was eternally grateful to the arms that maneuvered him into the men's room and placed his head into the toilet. And even more grateful to the hand that began to rub gentle circles on his back as he emptied the contents of his stomach over and over again.

He didn't know what broke him but the wall that he had built so carefully over the past six weeks came tumbling down and as his stomach began to settle the heaves were replaced by body wracking sobs.

* * *

Harry sighed and looked over at the clock on the far wall. Four AM. Groaning, Harry detached himself from his cocoon of warmth and walked tiredly into his daughter's room. It had been two weeks since his arrival and he had fallen into routine that sadly didn't include much sleep.

As Harry walked in the dim candles flickered to life providing him with just enough light to see where he was going. Not that he really needed it. He could literally find his daughter's bed in a sleep deprived state of semiconsciousness.

"Baby girl, what is the matter?"

Harry looked down at his pink faced screaming daughter and sniffed lightly to try and clear his nasal cavity. It took him only a second to realize what the problem was. Not wasting a second he scooped her up he wandered over to the changing table and corrected the problem with practiced ease.

He had been at the manor for two weeks now and in that time changed more nappies than he had ever thought possible but no matter how disgusted he was by what his little daughter produced he couldn't help but marvel at how perfect she was and how quickly she was changing. Cassie was now six weeks old and getting cuter by the second.

"Is that better Cass?"

The girl continued to whimper as he buttoned her yellow duck footed pajamas back up. He smiled at her when he picked her back up and tucked her close to his chest the cries died almost instantly. "Oh my sweet little girl."

He looked down at her with a huge smile and was rewarded with a tiny hand reaching jerkily up toward his nose and a goofy half smile. "So we're awake now, are we?"

Cassie then placed the perfect tiny fingers into her mouth and began to naw and suck on them lightly. "And hungry too?"

Smiling Harry grabbed a pink fluffy blanket and started to walk toward the door. "Well why don't we go on down to the kitchens and get you a bottle?"

Over the past two weeks Harry had finally convinced the wretched meddling house elf, Mitzy to stop spying on him and Cassie and allow him to take care of his daughter on his own. It was a constant battle every day for the first week but with a few well placed comments about how he was going to complain to Narcissa he found the problem resolved itself rather nicely. The only interaction Harry now had with the elf was when he would enter the kitchens to retrieve a bottle and Mitzy would hastily shoot him a glare before disappearing with a loud pop.

This morning was no different. The elf glared at him when he entered, but much to his surprise before disappearing she snapped her fingers and a premeasured bottle of distilled water and formula appeared on the counter ready for him to mix.

Harry muttered a quiet thank you to the small creature and mixed the bottle up quickly. Maybe he should reconsider his position on the poor creature. Bottle in hand Harry walked to the yellow room, (the front formal living room) and curled up in his favorite chair that overlooked the front lawn.

This was his favorite place to curl up in the large ornate manor. Hardly anyone ever came here and he was left in relative peace. Tonight was beautiful, snow was gently falling on to the grounds surrounding the large home and Harry felt his heart sink again as his thoughts wandered.

Harry smiled sadly when the clock chimed quietly marking the half hour and he continued to watch the snow fall as his daughter continued to drink from her bottle. Cassie was thriving while Harry was tortured. Every day he would sneak off while she was sleeping and he would test his magic with a simple spell and everyday the results were either unimpressive bits of harmless sparks or stunning displays of torrential disaster.

In short he had little choice but to continue on in this charade and hope that he would be able to disappear without too much trouble when spring came.

Harry continued to look out at the snow and was very surprised to see the unfamiliar sight of headlights coming down the driveway.

"What in the world?"

Not really thinking Harry tucked the corners of his daughter's blanket in more tightly around her, discarded the bottle she had almost finished, and headed for the front door. It took some effort to push the heavy oak doors open but his curiosity was rewarded by the sight of a woman he had never seen before walking around to the passenger seat where a tall familiar blond was passed out.

"Is that Draco?"

The woman looked up to where Harry was standing on the front step holding his baby, "Oh good. You can help me."

Harry looked at her like she was nuts but walked down the steps to the car anyway. "Is he okay?"

"He will be." The woman smiled and began to pull the intoxicated wizard from the car. "Urgh, Drake. You weigh a ton."

Harry looked on with a frown. "He's drunk."

The woman laughed and pulled on the blond with more force, "Understatement of the century. Can you help?"

"I kind of have my arms full."

The woman stopped and looked over at Harry, noticing the baby for the first time. "Oh...wow...I didn't know. Uh... do you think you could go in and call one of the servants to come and help?"

Harry rolled his eyes and walked over to her. "Here. Take her and please be careful."

The woman was startled when the small baby was thrust into her arms but she recovered quickly and stepped out of the way. Harry looked at the blond and with a sad smile he threw one of the man's arms over his shoulders and pulled him out of the the car. "Come on now."

The man's head lolled back and he looked squinted up at Harry in confusion. "Sev?"

Harry frowned, "Uh... not quite. Come on."

Slowly Harry maneuvered the drunk man into the house with the woman following close on his heal.

"I'm so sorry for waking you I just didn't want him to be alone."

Harry smiled back at her, "You didn't wake me. Cassie did. I don't know where his room is. Do you?"

The woman looked confused, "Uh...well. I haven't been here since I was a kid. I really don't know."

Unsure of what to do Harry drug the man into the closest room (which happened to be the yellow room) and dumped him on the largest sofa he could find.

In the calm of the house Harry was able to smell and see the vomit that was coating the front of his heavy black winter cloak. "Dear god. How much did he drink?"

"I don't know. I got a call from the bartender and came as soon as I could. Ouch!"

Harry looked back at the woman and smiled as she tried to get Cassie to let go of her long dark brown hair. "It's no use you'll have to pry her little fingers apart."

"Oh," The woman frowned and gently began to pull the fingers apart freeing the lock from the infants grasp. "She has one heck of a grip."

Harry smiled and nodded, "yeah she does." The woman appeared to be fine holding Cassie so he turned his attention back to the man passed out on the sofa in front of him. If he wanted to save the sofa he needed to get him out of his soiled robes.

Taking a deep breath Harry set to work. He had a lot experience undressing drunk men. Seamus' favorite past time was getting hammered and passing out in the living room in a puddle of his own vomit. So with practiced ease Harry pulled the man into a seated position and began to unbutton the seemingly never ending seam of silver buttons.

"Thanks for bringing him home. I'm sure his mother will really appreciate it." Harry thanked the woman kindly as he began to work Draco's arms out of the sleeves.

"Well he's drug my ass back home on several occasions. I consider it pay back. I'm Pansy by the way. Pansy Goyle. You must be the new Mrs. Malfoy."

Harry looked back at her and gave her a tight smiled neither confirming nor denying the statement.

"Draco mentioned you several times."

"Did he now?"

Pansy nodded, "He feels so terrible about what happened."

Harry tensed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned anything."

He was amazed at how overly sensitive everyone was being, but considering he supposedly just lost his husband he could almost understand.

"You know he and Cory weren't always so distant."

Harry nodded and tossed the soiled garment next to the door and set to taking off Draco's boots.

"They just parted poorly."

Harry nodded again. What was he supposed to say.

"He so wanted to patch things up. It was all he talked about since Cory wrote about coming home."

She looked so lost. Harry didn't know what to say to her. "Are you and Draco...close?"

Pansy looked shocked for a moment before laughing, "No, no we are just friends. No I'm married. I guess some would call me his fag hag. I used to be his beard. You know, with him pretending to be the perfect straight son. I don't know. I think he feels that because Cory was so open about his preferences that his parents would flip out if both of their sons turned out out to be...well you get the idea."

Harry was confused, "But Narcissa has been so accepting of me. Why would she 'flip out' because of something like that?"

Pansy laughed, "You have a lot to learn, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

The woman smiled wider, "Well that's what you are."

Before Harry had the opportunity to question it farther, Pansy handed the baby back to him and walked over to the fire place.

"Tell the princeling when he wakes up if he wants his keys back that he'll have to come by for a visit."

Harry watched with envy as she lit a fire with a well placed incendio. "Oh and she's darling. Congratulations."

With a flash of green fire the brunette witch disappeared and left Harry alone with his unconscious supposed brother-in-law. Looking around Harry spotted a throw blanket and with some difficulty caused by Cassie he tossed the white throw over the man and left him to sleep off his hang over.

* * *

Draco groaned as the light burned his eyes. He felt sick and he knew that the only remedy was several meters away in his medicine cabinet. He groaned again and turned to the left to climb out of his warm bed.

Thump!

"Fucking A!"

Draco snapped his eyes open as he fell off of the sofa on to the ground and was greeted with the overly cheery sight of the yellow room at the family manor. Confused as hell he had absolutely no idea how he got here.

"Master Malfoy? Is you be needing anything?"

Draco looked up at the small house elf that had appeared. "The time. What time is it?"

"It is being 4:17. Master Octavian has been asking after you. Shall Dobby be informing him of your awakeness, sir?"

Octavian, asking after him? Oh sweet Merlin what happened last night? "Umm, no Dobby I think I will talk to him myself. Where can I find him?"

The small elf bounced on his feet, "Master Octavian is in his rooms sir. Little miss Cassie is be having a nap."

Draco nodded, "and my mother, does she know I'm here?"

"Master Octavian did give orders not to inform Mistress Malfoy of your presence."

"So that is a no then?"

"Yes sir. Mistress is not being awares of master's presence."

Draco silently thanked his brother in law, "fantastic. Where is she?"

"Mistress be spending most of the day in her quarters wrapping Christmas gifts."

"Great." Draco looked around the room and noticed his soiled robe lying in a heap on the floor and the the sofa he had been sleeping on was in shambles. "Dobby, clean this mess up, will you?"

The elf nodded and bowed deeply. "Dobby be making it his first priority, sir."

"Oh and can you tell the servants to set a place for me at dinner?"

The elf smiled and nodded, "Yes sir."

Not wasting a second Draco bolted up the stairs to the third floor. After he made a quick detour by his own rooms to clean up and to change, Draco made his way over to his brother's old rooms. He remembered his mother telling him that she had the nursery attached to them so he assumed that was where his brother-in-law was. He wasn't disappointed.

After a quick knock on the door he heard the sound of the young man's quiet voice call for him to come in.

Draco opened the door and was greeted by the the sight of his brother-in-law sitting in the middle of his bed wearing nothing more than a pair of pajama bottoms. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll come back another time."

The brunette looked at him with a smile and stood up from the bed leaving the book he was reading open on it. "No. no. It's my fault. Cassie decided that it would be a great idea to puke on me just after lunch and I was lazy and decided to go mostly commando. How are you feeling?"

Draco watched his brother in law walk over to his dresser and much to his relief pull on a white undershirt. Now that the other man's chest was covered Draco tried to regain his composure. "Um... fine...mostly...I took a hangover potion and waiting for it to kick in. Do you know how I got here last night?"

Octavian looked at him skeptically and with a slight smile on his face. "Why don't you tell me what you remember and I'll tell you what I know."

Draco frowned, "How about you just tell me what happened?"

With a smile the young wizard nodded, "Well I was up feeding Cassie her four AM bottle when some woman showed up in a hot little car with you passed out in the front seat."

At the mention of a woman Draco felt himself start to panic. "What woman?"

Octavian walked over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of pants, "Pansy something or another. She said that she used to be your beard."

Draco felt himself begin to blush. He was going to have to have a few words with pansy about talking about his personal preferances.

His blush turned itself up to maximum when his brohter in law began pulling down his pajama bottoms. In a desperate attmept to hide it he spun on his heel and faced the nearest wall. The last thing he wasnted was to watch his brother-in-law changing in front of him. "I'll have you know that she was not my beard. We have been good friend since primary school. And the term Beard imply that either I conduct affairs with attached women or that I am homosexual."

"And you're not?"

Draco fumed and felt the muscels around his face tighten in frustration, "I have not nor will I ever attempt to conduct an adulterous affair with a married woman and I can assure you that I am only interested in the female sex."

"Whatever you say."

Draco felt his face flush further in anger as he glared the wall imagining it was the infernal boy's face, "Pansy dropped me off, so my car is where?"

"Well I had Sev get it out of the front drive before your mum noticed."

"And that would mean it is where exactly?"

"How should I know? Sev told me he would take care of it."

Draco rolled his eyes. This boy was incorrigible.

"Oh and Pansy said that if you wanted your keys back you would have to come for a visit and get them from her."

"Are you a idiot?"

Draco didn't have to see him to know that Octavian was blushing in embarrassment.

"You had Severus move my car without my keys?" Draco could feel his anger getting the better of him. What kind moron would request someone to move a M-Hybrid with magic? It could seriously damage the enchantments.

"I don't know how he moved it. You'd have to ask him. You know you can turn around now. I am dressed."

Draco turned and felt his jaw drop slightly, "You can't be serious. You are going to wear that to dinner?"

Octavian looked down at his outfit unsure of what his mistake could have been. "What's wrong with it?"

Aside from the poor cut, the terrible fit it was fine. The robe by itself was wonderful but on the boy... well it was far less than flattering. Draco was about to tell the boy what his honest opinion was when just over Octavian's shoulder he saw a picture of his brother smiling out from the pages of a thick book.

Feeling slightly guilty Draco smiled and tried to shrug off the comment, "Well if it is the best you have then it'll have to do."

Octavian sneered, straightened our the front of his robe and tucked a rogue curl behind his ear. revealing a silver ring that pierced his rook.

"Exactly how many piercings do you have?"

The boy looked shocked but answered anyway, "Three."

Draco smirked at him, "Only three?"

Octavian scoffed, "yes. Only three, and I'll have you know where I'm from that's not really that many. A boy I went to school with had eighteen."

"A boy from your school in New Zealand?"

Octavian hesitated and then nodded, "yeah."

"I thought there weren't any institutions of magic there?" Draco didn't really know why he was grilling him like this. But he was surprised when the boy hesitated again except this time more severely.

"Well, there aren't. But my parents did send me to primary school and later to a music school. I met Thomas in my music class."

Draco was skeptical but before he was able to ask Octavian about what type of music he studied the cry of a baby ran through from the other room.

Octavian turned and hurried into the nursery. Draco followed him not really knowing what compelled him. Stepping into the nursery made Draco come to a full realization the truth of the situation. He had already come to terms with the fact that his brother was in deed no longer part of the world of the living, but it was at this moment when he entered into what used to be his brother's private office did the existence of his brother's husband and infant daughter finally ring true.

He felt his heart clinch as he watched his brother-in-law lovingly comfort the screaming child and felt the sting of loss at the thought that it should be Corvus who was in this place in the door. Cory should be watching his new family with affection, not the disdain that Draco felt toward them.

"Oh my sweet darling. Shhhh. It's okay, Daddy's here." Octavian hugged the quickly quieting baby gently to his chest and then looked over at Draco. "Look who is here for a visit girlie, It's your uncle Draco."

Smiling the brunette boy stepped forward to show Draco the now calm infant. Draco smiled lightly at her. The tiny girl blinked at him and smiled.

"See she likes you." Octavian chirped happily before adding a side note, "can't really imagine why."

Draco glared at his brother's widow and turned to walked out of the room.

"Would you like to hold her?"

Draco shook his head and held his hands up indicating the expensive robe he was wearing "The last thing I need is for it to vomit on me. This is a Mark Cohen"

Octavian glared and stormed off in the direction of the changing table, "_It_ is a girl and _she_ has a name. Just like your fancy name brand robe."

Draco realized his folly but wasn't about to apologize. "Fine. The last thing I need is for _Cassiopeia_ to vomit on me and mess up my _robe_. Dinner will be starting in fifteen minutes."

Octavian grabbed a pink and white cloth diaper (barf rags as he like to call them) and flung it over his shoulder and walked over to the closet to pick out an outfit for his daughter to wear, "Thank you for the reminder Mr. Malfoy, but I don't need to be reminded of my daily schedule."

Annoyed with the boy's attitude Draco stormed out of the room and headed toward the dining room. There was really no point in arguing with the brat anymore. He had bigger things to worry about. Things like his mother.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much to all of my reviews. I hope no one was confused by the limited POV shifts. Draco doesn't know Harry is Harry he knows him as Octavian and so in his third person limited narrative i thought it would be better to refer to Harry as Draco knows him...as Octavian. Tell me what you think. Are there mistakes? Do you have any questions? Do you like it? Hate it? Love it? should I quite while I'm ahead? Let me know.

Thanks for reading!

Please review :)


	5. Chapter 5

**The New Mrs. Malfoy**

**Chapter 5**

Draco smiled when he noticed that he was the first person to arrive for dinner. He loved the feeling of begin early. Especially at a family function. It was a great feeling because being early not only insured that you would be on time but it also meant you had the chance to get an extra drink in before the others arrived. And if there was one true thing in his life that he knew to be a proven truth it would be that alcohol always made family functions more tolerable.

Not wasting a second Draco made his way over to the bar and poured himself a double scotch. After his meeting with his brother-in-law he needed it.

"Starting early, Draco?"

The blond snorted into his drink, "stupid over grown bat! Don't sneak up on me like that."

Severus smirked at him and Draco glared. "Now is that anyway to talk to your godfather."

Draco smiled and laughed, "No I guess not."

The two men walked toward each other and pulled one another into a hug.

"How has mother been handling everything?"

The dark man shrugged, "As well as any mother could. Except when she around Cassie. There is nothing can make she smile like that little girl."

Draco smiled a little. The baby was very cute. "And how is she around Octavian?"

Severus raised and eyebrow inquisitively, "Fine. I'd say she is taking to him easily and that the two get along well."

The blond hummed softly and turned back to the bar to pour himself another, "Would you like anything Severus?"

The man declined the offer with a wave of his hand. "Maybe later."

"You can make me a gin and tonic."

With a forced smile Draco turned and looked at his stunningly gorgeous bitch of a cousin, who entered into the the dining room with a huge smirk. "Now is that really such a great idea. You do remember what happed to your sister at the funeral last month?"

The woman smiled with a laugh, "Alicia never could hold her liquor."

Draco nodded and walked over to the table and set his glass down next to the wine glass at his customary place at the left of the head of the table. "And you are so much better? I seem to remember a certain someone getting sloshed and making a fool out of herself at the family reunion this past August. What was that song you sang? Something about not knowing the last name of your most recent one night stand?"

The brunette with glared at her cousin, "I'll have you know that that song is a very respectable song."

"Oh I'm sure, for blue collar ill educated southern American muggles."

The woman glared again and walked away from the bar and took the seat next to her cousin. Draco smirked at her having won the confrontation and sipped his whiskey never taking his eyes off of her.

"You look very nice tonight, Karina."

"Thank you Professor." The witch smiled at Severus' compliment and looked down at her dress making sure that there were no creases, "I always loved the way yellow looks on me."

Draco looked at her and scowled, "is it new?"

Karina nodded with a smile, "Yes, I just got it today."

"I hope you kept the receipt."

"Why?"

Draco smiled cruelly, "Because they forgot the other half of your dress."

Karina scowled, "I'll have you know this is a Bethany Connelly."

With a laugh he dealt the final blow, "Oh? When did she start outfitting prostitutes?"

The girl immediately became furious and Severus was forced to step in and defuse the situation. "Ms. Black, I heard mention of your up coming nuptials. Congratulations."

Reluctantly the brunette witch took the bait and turned her attention away from Draco who was smirking across the table at Severus. The other man ignored the blond in favor of placating Karina who had happily started to show off her obnoxiously large engagement ring.

He didn't know what it was but the act of getting under someone's skin made Draco feel better. Being able to masterfully manipulate people's buttons made him feel somehow in control of his uncontrollable life.

"Octavian, I'd like you to meet my cousin's eldest daughter Karina."

Draco looked up when he heard his mother introduce his brother-in-law to the bitch and smiled at his mother who was cuddling the baby on her chest.

The woman smiled at him, "Draco. I didn't know you were coming for dinner."

Not wasting a second the 26 year old stood and pulled out his mother's chair. "Octavian invited me."

"How thoughtful of you." Narcissa smiled at the boy before she bent over and set the happy baby in green swing that was set up next to Octavian seat.

Octavian smiled hesitantly. "Well the idea just kind of fell in my lap when I was feeding Cassie her four AM bottle."

"Well thank you dear."

Severus looked to Narcissa pointedly and motioned toward three small vials that were sitting next to her glass of water.

The blond witch smiled and waved him off, "I already took them Severus, there was no need to set them out for me."

The man glared at her and Draco hid his laugh.

"I know you. If left up to you, none of your prescribed potions would ever be consumed." The man glared again, "take them. Now."

The woman began to stare down the over grown bat and Draco sipped his whiskey and watched amusement written across his features. It would be interesting to see who won this staring contest. For several minutes the competition went on but it ended quickly by the intervention of none other than his shy looking brother-in-law.

"Won't you please take them?" His green eyes begged her softly and to Draco's utter amazement his mother sighed and caved and compliantly took all three potions.

With the arrival of the two missing members of the family Dinner was served. It didn't take long for Karina to begin monopolizing the conversation, at which point Draco took the opportunity to observe his brother-in-law. By the time the main course was served Draco decided that the boy was most definitely raised by a pack of hyenas.

After slurping his soup and spilling what had to be able half of it down his front Octavian then proceeded to cover his dinner roll in a thick layer of butter and ate it with out closing his mouth once.

Draco did concede to the fact that this might not be the most reliable deduction to be made because Karina was insisting on asking him a never ending number of questions. He could indeed be capable of masticating with his mouth closed evidence however had yet to be seen.

"So Octavian, where exactly in New Zealand did you meet my cousin?"

Octavian paused, "The mall."

Draco coughed into his wine glass and Severus stifled a laugh.

"The mall?" Karina sounded amused, "How very muggle."

The brunette wizard smiled, "Well New Zealand is a pretty muggle place."

"I find it hard to imagine that Corvus would lower himself to visit a muggle mall."

Narcissa stepped in and looked sternly at her cousin before frowning, "In the later years of his life I feel that none of really knew Corvus. I would appreciate it if you did not speculate."

Draco looked at Octavian and saw a glimmer of relief wash over his face. "I agree."

The Malfoy matriarch smiled at her son approvingly before trying to turn the conversation away from Octavian, "Your father mentioned that you picked a venue."

Karina smiled and nodded, "Oh yes, we decided to have the ceremony at the botanical gardens this April and then host the reception at the Black Manor."

Octavian smiled, "That sounds beautiful."

"Oh it will be, but it probably won't compare to Paris in the Spring. Narcissa told me that you and Corvus were married there."

The young wizard smiled hesitantly and nodded, "Yes. Uh... this past spring."

Narcissa smiled at him somberly, "You know I would have been there if Corvus had only bothered to send an owl."

Octavian smiled kindly at Narcissa, "It was kind of spur of the moment."

"Oh I don't blame you, dear. I think that Corvus just didn't think about it." The elder witch smiled softly, "It must have been very romantic. Paris in the spring, two young lovers together and in love. No I can't blame you at all."

Karina nodded, "I don't blame you for your decision either. Sometimes I think I would be fantastic to just sneak off and tie the knot. But while elopement can be very romantic, I don't really like the idea of not having my friends and family present when I say I do. With you two I guess it was was just a case of necessity. After all babies can't wait for guests to be contacted. That's why Theodore and I have decided to wait until we are married."

Draco glared at his cousin. He couldn't believe her gall. Lying hypocritical bitch. He knew damn well that she had had at least two pregnancy scares. Only one of which was with her fiancé. She had no room to be passing judgment. But now was not the time to call her out on it. Instead Draco smiled kindly at his mother, "Don't take it personally mother. Cory never could remember invite anyone to anything."

The look on Octavian's face showed regret at where the conversation had led as he tried to do damage control. "Wait. I know what you must think. Sure he wasn't always so responsible and that sometimes he could be pretty thoughtless. But please don't think that he didn't care because you would be so wrong."

Draco stopped and looked at his bother-in-law pointedly.

"Look I know that he could be thoughtless by he was also kind. He was one of the only people I ever met who was kind for no reason. He would help people without ever looking for a thank you. He never had..." He stopped trying to find the right word. "..he never had ulterior motives."

Severus smiled and nodded.

"I know that might have looked like blind foolishness and thoughtlessness but I think it was that thoughtlessness that made everything he did more true, and honest. He was the first truly good person I think I ever met."

Everyone at the table was silent and Octavian smiled sheepishly down at his plate. "I'm sorry I really no good with words. I must sound like an idiot."

Narcissa smiled sadly and shook her head, "Not at all my dear."

Draco was amazed at the ramblings of his brother-in-law. How was it that this lower class nobody understood Corvus so well. After another moment Draco couldn't hold his tongue anymore, "You understood him. I never did." He could tell that the emotional strain he was feeling could be heard in his voice. "I guess I always thought that there would be more time...more time to figure him out."

Karina reached over and gently rubbed Draco's back soothingly. That was all it took for Draco to regain his composure. With a glare he shrugged her off and reached for his glass of wine.

"You know he used to talk about you all the time."

Draco paused and looking dumbly at Octavian. "He did?"

"Yeah. He used to say, it's because we look just alike that we have to act so different."

Like lightning Draco was struck with confusion and he felt himself slip into his analytical state of mind. "I thought you said he never told you we were identical."

All faces turned to look at Octavian with various expressions of confused curiosity. He stammered for a moment before he was able to answer the question, "Well, he did tell, of course he did...I just...when I saw you... I just... All I could see was him."

"Of course you did." Narcissa agreed immediately.

Draco frowned, "But why lie. What use could it have possibly served?"

Octavian face flushed and Draco watched as tears flooded his eyes, "I just... I didn't mean to lie... I saw you and... I saw him... I... I just... and I was trying to tell you... but..."

He never finished what he was going to say. Instead he jumped from his seat and scooped up Cassie who was grabbing her toes in the rocker, "I'm sorry, I have to... I need to go. I'm so sorry."

Draco felt himself become defensive and angry as he watched the boy flee the room. That boy was hiding something and he wanted to know what it was.

When Octavian was out of sight Narcissa threw her napkin onto the table and turned on her son, "What the hell did you think you were doing?"

"His answers weren't consistent, I was only trying to..."

"This isn't an interrogation Draco Lucius. The poor boy has been through hell and back. You can't expect him not have been confused."

"But why lie about it?"

"How would you feel if your husband was killed and one of the first faces you see upon arriving to a new unfamiliar house is the face of your dead husband? What the HELL were you thinking?"

"He is covering something up! Just look at him! If he's a Pure Blood then I'm bloody Albus Dumbledore back from the dead. "

Karina smiled and nodded, "I have to agree with Draco. The boy reeks of mudblood scum."

Narcissa glared at the girl and she shut up post hast. "Now listen here. That boy is Corvus' widow and the father of _my_ grandchild. Now I don't care where he is from or who his parents may or may not be. He is part of this family now and I'm going to help him all that I can. Now if you don't start treating him with some respect I will turn you over my knee and spank some since in to you so help me god."

Draco swallowed thickly and glared at his cousin who began to stifle her laugh.

"That goes for you too Karina Walburga Black."

Draco and Karina both turned their eyes to Severus who was sitting calmly sipping a glass of water. "Don't look at me. I learned a long time ago never to anger Narcissa Malfoy. You two are on your own."

* * *

**Author's Note:** so I had to think long and hard about chapter length and i came to a decision. Though I despise sort chapters I have decided that a chapter should be a single cohesive piece. So I will not be striving for particular chapter length but I do promise to give chapters that have complete scenes and accomplish what I they are intended to based on my rough outline. I generally can't write any thing less than 2000 words but I have no real maximum. I just thought I would tell you guys what I was thinking.

Also THANK YOU REVIEWERS! I can't tell you how excited I get every time I get a review alert. I know that not a whole lot happened this chapter and we haven't really seen much of Harry's side of things but that will change soonish. Thanks for reading, and if you'd like to make my day...Review. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**The New Mrs. Malfoy**

**Chapter 6**

**Author's Note:** I know I usually put this at the end of the chapter but I wanted to take the chance to apologize for not updating sooner. Many things have been happening: moving back to school, starting back to school, turning a year older, new job, family stress, Mockingjay release. Argh... so much crazy stuff. Any hoo here it is. Nice and long to compensate for the tardiness. Enjoy!

* * *

Harry sighed and looked out the window again from his seat in the nursery. Even though it was Christmas he was alone hiding up in his rooms while Narcissa was downstairs entertaining her rather extensive extended family. Severus warned him of the annual Malfoy family get together a few weeks ago, and despite his best efforts he hadn't been able to figure out a way to get out of going.

After the dinner incident he had made it his business to stay as far away from the family as he possibly could. He couldn't stand the lies anymore. He wanted to run, to grab his sweet little daughter and runway, far away where the world would never find him.

With a frown he looked down at the strange wand in his hand. He glanced over to the crib on the other side of the room to make sure the baby was still asleep before flicking it to the left. He wasn't surprised at all to see that he wasn't able to conjure even the simplest of sparks. This had been the sixteenth attempt in the hour. He didn't know why he was expecting a new result.

The long ebony wand was beautiful, so very different from his lost holly wand. He had long since given up hope of ever seeing it again. As per tradition the wand was probably snapped and burned with the body of poor Octavian Malfoy whose identity and wand had been passed on to him by that strange twist fate on Halloween.

"Lumos."

Nothing.

He wanted so badly for a controlled stream of light to flow from the tip. In his frustration he threw the infernal piece of wood across the room. Not watching were it rolled off to.

"Stop it Harry! This is stupid…." With a laugh he remembered what his old potions master used to yell at him, _the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. You are not a lunatic Mr. Potter, you have shown time and time again that you are indeed quite sound of mind so why don't you try actually following the directions for a change._

He had never been one for rules. Harry looked over at his daughter who was the living proof of the simple truth. His sweet little girl, she was the bastard child of a muggleborn school dropout and a Knockturn Alley half-blood drug dealer.

Looking around again Harry felt out of place. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be lying to these poor people. What was it that Draco had said, "But why lie? What use could it have possibly served?"

Oh if that man only knew.

Harry may not be very smart or well educated but he sure as hell wasn't stupid. He knew for a fact that he was one false step away from the streets or even worse Azkaban. And where would that leave Cassie? If protocol was followed the government would send her to her next of kin. That meant Seamus would have to take her or she would be sent to the Dursley's. The absolute best case scenario would be if both parties rejected her then the government would be forced to send her live in a group home.

The thought of Cassie in any of those situations made his heart shatter.

With tears in his eyes he glanced back over at his sleeping daughter. Taking a deep breath he pushed back the tears and swore that he would be strong. He would hold out until his magic returned and then he would take Cassie and run, run away, far away where no one would ever find them again. He just needed to hold out a few more weeks until his magic stabilized again.

The doctors had told him it could take up to six months for his magic to return to normal and that he would just have to be patient. There was nothing that could be done to speed up the process and that it would be best just not to fight it.

Faintly Harry could hear the familiar sounds of a piano ring up through the house accompanied by the joyous laughter of young adults. The noise was enough to cause Harry to walk over to crib to check on Cass. He smiled when he saw the familiar signs of the little baby beginning to wake up.

"Well hello sweet heart."

The tiny girl was seven weeks old and her hair was as thicker than he ever thought possible. The mop of dark hair provided a stark contrast to her perfect alabaster skin. She looked like a porcelain doll Especially when she looked up at him with that sweet sleepy smile. How he ended up with such an angel he would never know. Carefully he bent over and scooped Cassie up into his arms.

"Can you hear that darling? That's a piano. Did you know that I can play?"

Carefully he laid her down on the changing table and saw to her nappy never once ceasing in his one sided conversation. After all, those books that Narcissa kept sending up for him did say that talking to her would help her develop her language, even if she didn't understand yet, she would in time. "Yes. I know. When would I have ever had the chance to learn? Well you see when I was little my Aunt Petunia wanted Dudley to learn to play so she hired this sweet old lady Mrs. Spencer to come and teach my cousin."

Harry smiled and laughed when Cassie smiled and kicked her feet loose from his grasp. "That's right little wiggle worm! Dudley was terrible at it." With another smile he began the battle of getting her tiny feet and legs into a pair of white stockings. "Well one day he yelled at her very rudely and said that no one could ever learn how to play, and to prove him wrong Mrs. Spencer found me in the kitchen, pulled me into the living room and taught me how to do the exercises."

Having won the big battle of the stockings Harry started in on the easy part. With another smile Harry started to pull a tiny green plaid dress onto the girl, "I have been playing ever since. I taught myself until I went to Forrester's. There Ms. Brink, the music teacher took an interest in me when I joined the choir. She taught me to the accompanist. That's the person who plays the piano for the choir."

The girl focused on her cloth covered toes and began to pull them toward her mouth. Harry smiled at her and carefully clipped a green and white bow in her hair. "I'm no where near the best but I'll teach you one day. I will, I will."

Harry looked over at the tiny black shoes and decided that there was really no point. She would just fuss if he put them on her and she certainly seemed happy with the change in the texture of her toes.

The last thing he wanted to do was to go down there and live the lie but he had no choice. So, just like he did every day for the past three weeks he took a deep breath, thought of his daughter and walked out the door.

* * *

Draco stood next to his cousin Pollux and laughed loudly at the tales of the wild exploits of the the brothers Lestrange.

"Bast was so embarrassed when he came to the next morning he disapperated away leaving his behind his best boots and his coin very full purse."

The younger of the two Lestrange men laughed, "I'd forgotten about that?"

Rodolphus laughed again, "What was the bitch's name again? Mathilda something or another?"

Rebastian shook his head, "Mafalda Hopkirk. A right cow she was too. I never did go back for the best ten galleons I ever spent was on not going back to face that troll."

Draco was about to comment when he heard a loud commotion over by the door.

Pollux craned his neck to look over as well, "what it the world?"

All the women in the room were bustling about excitedly, huddled around something near the door.

"Alicia is probably already drunk and making a spectacle of herself." Draco smirked and tried his best to not look interested.

Pollux laughed, "It's too early for that. She only just arrived. Are the cooing?"

Realization struck Draco and he frowned deeply. "You think they would have more respect for a grieving man!"

After exchanging a few pointed looks the other men all understood what was going on and nodded to Draco to go to the rescue. With a smile to his amused cousin Draco finished of his drink and handed off the glass for safe keeping before stalking over to where all 32 females of the extended Malfoy family were examining their newest members with unrestrained glee.

Karina was standing coolly off to the side with a smirk on her face, "It appears that the New Mrs. Malfoy doesn't know how to make a quiet entrance through the side door yet."

Draco frowned at her, "Octavian, shouldn't have to deal with this."

"You can't blame them really. It was all anyone could talk about since august when we caught word that Corvus eloped. And well, since the accident your mother has kept him and your sweet niece under lock and key. It's only natural for everyone to try and meet him. After all we don't know how long he'll grace us with his presence and if they miss him it could very well be weeks before your mother lets them out again." The bitch smirked back at him knowing that she would win this argument, "You didn't think that the WHOLE family showed up just to share Yule tide toasts over Christmas tea did you? Why they bothered, I'll never know. But hey it will be nice to have the chance to gossip about the new mudblood addition to the family."

"That poor boy has been through enough. The last thing he needs his to be poked and prodded by the entire family. And don't you dare call him a mudblood."

"OOOH since when did you decide to be so defensive of him. Just last week it was you calling him mudblood scum."

Draco frowned, "I didn't use that term and I would appreciate it if you would not mention the events of that dinner to anyone here."

Karina smirked, "Or you'll do what exactly?"

The blond raised an eyebrow daringly, "You don't want to play this game Karina I have enough trash on you to make you the juicy piece of gossip for the next four years. And don't you think I won't. All it takes is a fire call to my dear friend Blaise Zabini."

He knew he it the nail on the head when Karina's face transitioned itself from sweet to dangerous at the mention of Blaise, "What are you playing at?"

"If I do recall correctly, Blaise mentioned that he ran into you in London back in September and you two had yourselves a little fun. A little fun that resulted in some very interesting photo's being taken."

"You wouldn't dare!"

With a smirk Draco turned away and began pushing his way into the multilayered circle of women. He felt better knowing that the bitch was sufficiently harnessed. He knew that if given the opportunity Karina could and would start enough rumors to irrevocably damage not only Octavian's chances of ever being accepted but also ruin any chance for the baby of fitting in as well. He was going to have a hard enough time as it was with out the bitch interfering. At least this way she wouldn't dare to speculate about his brother-in-law to the family for at least a month. At which point a well placed comment would shut her up again pretty quick. Hopefully that would give Octavian enough time to grow on some of the more influential members of his family and secure his place.

When he finally reached the middle of the group Draco was greeted with the terror filled eyes of the new Mrs. Malfoy and his young fussy daughter. Draco looked around for his Mother who was doing her best to try and placate the excited older women with a photo album and having little success. see no other option Draco was forced to resort to drastic measures and save the poor boy himself.

With a deep breath he plastered on his award winning smile and swooped in for the kill, "I believe I haven't yet had the chance to wish my niece a Merry Christmas!"

The women all smiled at him and looked on adoringly as he scooped up the infant from his rough looking father and began to coo at her. "Happy Christmas Cassie girl."

Knowing all eyes were on him he laid a gentle kiss on her head then looked down at Octavian who was looking just as terrified as before, "Octavian, please allow me to get you a drink and to introduce you to my uncles."

The boy looked shocked but nodded and stepped close to the blond reaching for his daughter. "I'd love to."

Draco graciously handed the girl back to his brother-in-law and led him over to where the men were all congregated in several social circles laughing over drinks. Draco knew that the women's smiles of approval had turned to frowns of annoyance as he led their new toy away from their clutches and into the world of men. He knew it would only save the boy temporarily. It was after all unheard of to take a baby over to the men's circle.

"What would you like?" Draco asked the boy sweetly.

The boy looked at him sceptically, "Thank you for saving me but you don't have to get me a drink."

Draco laughed, "It's an open bar, Mum has already paid for it."

Octavian blushed and Draco felt a little bad. "I meant you don't have to help me. I know you don't like me."

With a frown he asked the question again, "You have your arms full. Please allow me to assist you. What would you like to drink?"

Octavian smiled a little before resigning, "Fine. Uh…. Do they have pumpkin juice?"

Nodded and led Harry over to a sitting chair near enough to the men's circle to keep him away from the hens but far enough away that the presence of the baby wouldn't interfere with the adult conversation.

Draco smiled kindly at the small red headed girl behind the counter. She was a new maid, his mother hired her only just last week. "Hey Leslie, could you please get me a twisted gourd and a dry martini please."

The girl smiled and began expertly mixing the drinks. He was loath to admit it but he knew that the reason this girl was hired was because she was an experienced bar tender. It was no secret to him that this was the reason him mother had hired the girl. But considering his family he really couldn't blame her. This was just a 'small' family gathering and they would likely consume in alcohol what most low income families earn in three months.

"My Mother hasn't been drinking has she?"

The girl smiled and handed him the two glasses, "No sir. Master Snape has informed me that she is restricted to only non-alcoholic beverages."

"Thanks Leslie."

With a final nod Draco walked back to where his brother-in-law was sitting and was surprised to see that the boy had found himself some company with none other than Pollux Lestrange.

"So you actually played with the Wasps?"

Pollux smiled and laughed, "I did. But I was only there for half a season."

"Why did you leave?"

"I had to, I took a bludger to the head. Shattered my jaw and fractured two vertebrae in my neck. I was lucky to get out if it without paralysis."

Draco smirked, "Too bad it didn't permanently injure your mouth. Things were so nice when you could only communicate via note pad."

Pollux laughed, "Oh yes, absolutely."

Octavian smiled but didn't laugh. Draco immediately caught himself and explained, "Pol is dyslexic."

"Dis-what-sic"

Automatically Draco elaborated, "Dyslexia is a neurologically-based, often familial, disorder which interferes with the acquisition and processing of language. Varying in degrees of severity, it is manifested by difficulties in receptive and expressive language, including phonological processing, in reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, and sometimes in arithmetic."

When Octavian blinked at him in utter confusion Draco was reminded of his tendency to be an extreme know it all and looked to his cousin to explain.

Pollux smiled, "It just means I see letters backwards sometimes and that I have trouble reading and I can't spell."

Draco laughed and nodded, "Ask him how to spell does."

Octavian blinked and looked at Pollux who was mock glaring at his blond cousin, "why?"

"Just do it."

"Oh..kay how do you spell does?"

Pollux glared playfully at Draco again before huffing and answering the question, "Thanks to Draco and his never ending amusement at my creative spelling of the word, I now know that does is spelled D O E S not D O S E. It's an easy mistake."

"Oh yes, it's just so normal for a 24 year old man to misspell a four letter words. Hey Pol how do you spell lose?" Draco smirked at him.

"It is a bit ridiculous I do admit. But I'm actually more amazed that no one bothered to try and correct me sooner."

The two men laughed again Octavian looked on in slight confusion.

"I'm very sorry, we are terrible when we get together like this. We don't mean to exclude you." Pollux apologized nicely before making eyes at the baby who was examining the tall bearded man.

"Oh, would you like to hold her?" Octavian smiled and began to shift in his seat.

"Only if you don't mind," The man smiled and took the baby from the young brunette wizard. "She is beautiful."

As his favorite cousin held his brother's daughter he felt himself begin to somber. Today was Christmas and where was Corvus? Draco looked over at his mother who was watching them fondly. He knew she was itching to take the baby and show her off. With a forced smile he looked at Octavian who had only now just begun to sip on his drink. He looked lost, and alone. And if Draco didn't know any better he would say the boy was avoiding eye contact with him.

"She looks just like you. It's remarkable." Pollux smiled over that the boy who smiled back.

"Everyone says that."

"No she really does. Have you started thinking about schools?"

Draco laughed and finished his drink, "Now don't you think it's a little bit early for that?"

Octavian smiled shyly, "Are you supposed to be thinking about that now?"

Pollux smiled, "I'm only asking because of the waiting list at Hogwarts. It's the best and everyone knows it. If you want to get her a spot you are going to have to start applying now."

Draco laughed. "I'm sure mother has already contacted the school. You have nothing to worry about Octavian."

"Hogwarts? That's awfully prestigious. What makes you think she could even get in? Don't you have to pass a lot aptitude tests to even get considered or something?"

Pollux looked at the boy stupidly before breaking into a laugh, "you're joking right?"

Draco frowned, "Every Malfoy for the past 12 generations was educated at Hogwarts. They _will_ accept her. And if for some reason legacy isn't enough secure admittance we can always stop making our very generous annual donation to the should make them reconsider you application quickly enough."

* * *

Harry was shocked at how serious these men were about school selection, and even more surprised to see that they weren't the only ones. As Narcissa introduced him to dozens of people, all of them asked the same questions. What schools was he considering for Cassie? What kind of organizations was he considering joining? What philanthropies was he most interested in?

He initially surprised at the lack of questions about his past but after catching a few of the pointed looks Narcissa was giving her relatives he knew that she must have talked with them about not mentioning his supposed past. He was grateful for this. He was able to be himself and not to lie. It was nice to have the chance to speak honestly.

As the hours ticked by Harry found himself standing alone in the corner sipping on what had to have been his seven pumpkin juice looking for familiar faces. He didn't know what it was about the drink but he couldn't help but ask for a refill each time he found the bottom of his glass bare. As he looked around he tried in vain to recall the names of the men and women he had introduced to but quickly gave up in favor of looking for the permanent members of the Malfoy household.

It wasn't too difficult to find Severus as the over grown bat stood several inches taller than most everyone else in the room. The man was buried deep in male territory talking passionately with a short man with a very studious look about him. Harry smiled at the sight. He had never seen the man look so excited before. With a smirk he deduced that Severus and the man must be discussing potions.

Harry was surprised to see that Pollux was quietly sitting in a circle of women listening to their banal chit chat. The man was situated on a large green sofa next to his mother and sister, Bellatrix and Ursula Lestrange and seemed to be enjoying himself. Harry smiled and wondered exactly how good of an actor the man really was He couldn't possibly be enjoying himself. He smiled at the scene though, seeing the man side by side with his family made Harry notice that Pollux looked a great deal like his mother. Harry snapped out of his musings and blushed when Pollux looked right at him and winked. Having been caught in the act, Harry made a mental note to try and be more inconspicuous when staring in the future.

He looked around the room once again in search of more familiar faces when his eyes finally fell on the blond man who had succeeded in confusing him. Draco was in the far corner of the room smiling and nodding as he listened to a very old hunched back man who was speaking to him from a large winged back chair next to a large ornate globe. Every once an a while the young man would make a comment and the old wizard would turn and point out something on the over sized ball. Harry smiled, maybe the blond wasn't such a snob after all.

"Amazing how much he looks like Corvus, isn't it?"

Startled, Harry nearly jumped out of his skin. Harry looked over at Karina and smiled kindly at her. "Well they are twins."

Karina smiled back and nodded with a light laugh. "Yes they are. So alike in so many ways. Did you know that both of them are expert conversationalists? Well in the case of Corvus...was?"

Harry looked at the girl with slight hesitation and nodded, "Corvus was very charming."

The woman looked at him sideways before looking back over at the other Malfoy twin, "They did everything together. I remember back when they were in school, they were attached at the hip. Attractive, athletic, funny, intelligent, powerful, and rich. In short, the most eligible bachelors in the country."

Harry swallowed deeply.

"I'm just curious because I can't figure it out." Harry could feel Karina's icy glare on him, but he refused to look at her. "Why would Corvus, a man who could have literally _anyone_ in the world, choose to marry you?"

"I don't know what you mean." Harry said quickly.

"Oh I think you do. You aren't exceptionally beautiful. You can barely hold a conversation even with the aid of someone like Narcissa steering your every move. You are sorely lacking in manners and, well to be frank, any refinement. You are ill educated and you talk like a muggle."

Harry didn't move.

"You aren't even his type."

Without a batting an eyelash Harry carefully sipped his glass of pumpkin juice ignoring her as best he could.

"You see I know all about Corvus. He was a lot like me. We were like birds, the two of us, trapped in a in gilded cage of rules and expectations. Rules that sometimes we had to escape from. But unlike me, Corvus wouldn't dare risk relations within our social circle."

Harry swallowed thickly and looked around the room in an attempt to find something to focus on. "You see, Corvus liked to _slum it_. Every weekend he would go to the lower east side and pick up a guy, have his way with him, and then just leave him the next morning never to speak to him again."

Harry took another sip of his pumpkin juice and schooled his features to a calm proud look.

"You don't fool me Octavian. You are nothing more than a mudblood slut he picked up one night during his travels."

When Narcissa looked over to him she pointed out that Cassie had fallen asleep on her chest. He smiled at her. He so wanted to walk away from Karina and retrieve his sleeping daughter. He had a feeling that she wouldn't have dared to approach him if he had had his daughter on him.

"The luckiest fuck of your life. You hit the jackpot when he knocked you up. Corvus was never one to back out on his responsibilities." She paused and looked over at Draco, "Well he was never one to back out on _certain _responsibilities. So he did the honorable thing and married you, but don't you think for a second that you will ever be one of us. You and your little daughter will NEVER fit in here. You will never be able to look like us, act like us, or be like us. You're mudblood trash, and no amount of designer colognes or name brand clothing will ever cover up that stench. So why do yourself a favor, pack your bags and go back to your muggle New Zealand where you belong."

Harry took a deep breath and looked at the girl with a cool glare and said two words before turning and walking out the busy room, "Fuck off."

* * *

The afternoon settled into evening smoothly. In that time Draco watched his brother-in-law slowly make his way around the room with the aid of his mother meeting all 74 members of the extended Malfoy family. It was odd seeing the boy wander around the blue blood circle, he didn't know if it was because of the infant he was carrying or because he just didn't quite fit in for some reason.

After continued observation he decided it must have been the baby. It had been a very long time since there had been kids at one of these things. The youngest person here was little Jimmy Crabbe. And he wasn't ever really little to begin with. Now at 15 the boy was roughly the size of an over grown ox.

Draco caught himself smiling when he saw his mother and Octavian cut their conversation with Karina short to go feed Cassie, especially since the girl was visibly ruffled. He loved getting under her skin.

Time and time again he caught himself staring at the strange sight of the brunette boy. A few weeks ago his presence would do nothing but bother him but now he felt as if the boy were just the right accent color that when considered independently didn't quite fit in but when looked at in context of the whole picture somehow made the painting come to life.

Over several hours Draco lost track of the boy. It was to be expected when talking to old Lysander Malfoy. His great uncle was one of the most well traveled men that he knew and was always good for several hours of tales. Draco loved talking to him. The man was remarkable in that during a time when the only option for a third born male was to get married and have children Lysander had packed his bags and disappeared. 40 years later he returned with a bag full of dirty clothes and a never ending supply of adventure tales that Draco could scarcely believe to be real. He could be content to listen to his uncle all night but even old Lysander Malfoy had his breaking point. With a smile he helped the old man to his feet and over to the floo.

He wasn't sure how long he sat and talked with his uncle but in that time the large party had dwindled down to a comfortable twenty or so, leaving only the closest of Draco's family to listen to the customary music.

Draco smiled at his mother who had found herself a comfortable chair and was now watching a sleeping Cassie who was curled up in her arms. He was almost proud of how well she was holding herself together.

Pollux had found his way to the piano and was playing familiar Christmas songs for Karina to sing. And as loathe as he was to admit it, Draco couldn't deny that his bitch of a cousin was a truly amazingly talented singer. He smiled at his cousins as they played the remaining lines of what child is this and walked over to the bar to refill his glass. Leslie had long since abandoned her post so Draco helped himself to the bottle of fire whiskey that was left on the counter. When he heard a set of familiar chords and Karina sing the opening lines of "The Christmas Song," his heart sank.

This had always been the song Corvus would sing, well one of many. But this song had always been his brother's favorite. Draco would always catch him singing it around this time of year and it was also the one song that their father would stop and listen to. With his rough voice and goofy smile, every year like clock work the family would gather on Christmas day night and always end this way. For the past three years, Draco hadn't missed him. He didn't even bat an eyelash when Karina took his brother's place at the piano but for some reason tonight, the song only made him feel sick. Hearing Karina sing this song was like the final nail being driven in to the coffin. His bother was never coming back. Draco would never hear his voice again. Before he knew what he was doing Draco felt his feet taking him quietly out the back of the room and down the hall to the back door grabbing his cloak on the way out.

He needed to get away. When the cold hit his face Draco felt tears sting his eyes. He felt so hallow. The snow was gently falling on the expansive grounds of the estate and Draco found himself wandering. He couldn't sit still. He knew if he did, he would break. He was far to intoxicated and far too heart broken. Two things together that formed a very lethal combination.

He walked for several minutes before he was able to calm himself enough to turn around and follow his foot prints back to the house. Along the way however he froze in his tracks when he heard a sharp rustle and a sob come from the frozen winter garden. The snow had yet to stop it's gentle decent to earth and only looked to be getting worse, so when he found himself entering into the maze of hedges he thought himself crazy.

The maze of hedges was easy to navigate. He knew them like the back of his hand having spent his childhood playing hide and go seek here. The sobs grew louder and Draco finally found the trail of foot prints that the sobbing person had left behind. Idly he noted that they must have come from the west entrance. The winter fairy's laughed and skipped around merrily providing just enough light for him to see the final turn into the center of the maze. He momentarily considered turning back and to leave the poor person to their grief but his curiosity got the better of him.

He turned the last corner and froze in shock. Sitting on the snow covered ground wearing nothing more than his horrendous green dress robes was his brother-in-law, hugging himself and crying as winter fairy's played games in the air around him and snowflakes fell silently on to his hanging head.

In that instant Draco knew he had over stepped his bounds. He shouldn't be intruding on this. He had no right to be here. But something pulled him forward. As quietly as he could he walked forward, took off his heavy winter cloak, and carefully placed it on the boy's shoulders, sinking into the snow beside him.

Draco looked at the boy with a sad smile noting that his glasses were missing. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The boy sniffed lightly and shook his head, "it's stupid."

He didn't respond. Refuting the statement would only lead to the boy becoming angry with him. Draco knew that smell. The boy reeked of vodka. He wondered exactly how many twisted gourds the boy had had. But ultimately the answer didn't matter. Arguing with a drunk is a futile endeavor. You won't get them to see reason. So instead he decided to try talking to him.

"Every Christmas since I was five we have had this party. And every year it would always end with caroling. Not the kind where everyone stands in a circle and holds hands and sings _we wish you a merry christmas_ but the kind where someone would sit at the piano and another would sing. It's just the way we do things. I was never one for singing. I don't like that kind of lime light, but Cory...he loved it. He was always there, entertaining the whole room. He was so much more charismatic than me."

Draco laughed to himself, "I'm too smart you see. I think too much to be able to let my guard down enough to preform like that."

"Anyway, Cor would sing anything and everything. All the classics and the new contemporary stuff. He just loved it. Loved it all. When he left a few years ago, Karina kind of took his place. I didn't even care. Hell I was so mad at him I was almost happy to listen to her. Now there isn't anything I wouldn't give to hear him singing again."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Draco looked over at the boy who was looking at him with his red puffy green eyes and shrugged, "I don't know. I guess because, you look the way I feel right now."

When he didn't respond Draco smiled reassuringly, "You don't have to talk about it. I completely understand. Just know that you're not alone, we all miss him."

Whatever he had expected from the boy it sure wasn't the angry out burst he received. Without warning the boy clamored to his feet and stormed off toward the entrance. "You can't understand! How can you possibly understand? I'm alone here! I don't fit in. I'm mudblood trash you said it yourself."

Draco watched as the boy turned and stopped looking at him. It wasn't hard to tell that the boy was no longer talking to him. "I shouldn't be here. What in the world was I thinking? I couldn't pull this off in a million years. I'm so stupid! GOD!"

In complete shock Draco watched as his brother-in-law collapsed in on himself again sinking into heap, hiding his face in his hands. Slowly he stood up, walked over to the boy, and laid a hand on his shoulder. And to his amazement that was all that was needed to get the boy to start talking again.

"I just want what is best for her. That's all. I'm useless, completely incompetent." The boy laughed harshly and threw the wand that was sitting just inches away from him him back across the clearing. "How the hell do I take care of her when I can't even cast a damn warming charm?"

"Your magic will come back. It just takes time."

The boy looked up at him with a scowl, "That's what they all say. Just wait. All it takes is patience! But I _can't_ wait. I can't take it anymore. I can't be here. It's too much."

Draco sank down next to the boy and smiled kindly, "We don't expect anything from you. You shouldn't feel pressured. We're happy you're here but if you really want to leave, I'll make mum understand. It can't be easy for you to be here without him."

Draco looked away and watched the fairies. He smiled and pointed over to a wooden doll house that had grown into the hedge, "I remember the summer the fairies first came here. We were seven when we found them. We'd come down everyday and bring them nuts and berries from the kitchens. We did this all summer and fall until one day it winter came and it started snowing. Severus refused to let us out of the house to feed them. I was so upset. I was convinced that the fairies would die if we left them in the cold with no food but Severus adamantly refused. He said that fairies were just stupid bugs that lived in the garden and that they could take care of themselves. It didn't make me feel any better. So later that night Corvus found an old doll house in the attic and brought it down to me. He said we could give the house to the fairies so they could stay warm and fill it with all the nuts berries they could handle. So that's what we did. We filled it up with everything we could think of, then we got our mother to cast a warming charm on it and brought it out here the next day. They moved right in and they never left."

The boy blinked and smiled a little at him, "That's a very sweet story. But what does it have to do with anything?"

"I know it's hard. And that I can't possibly understand what it's like to be you trying to fit in here. But I do understand what it's like to live with a constant reminder that he's not coming back. He's everywhere here." Draco bit his lip, "around every corner, in every room, in Cassie's smiles."

When the boy began to stand Draco knew that he probably shouldn't have mentioned the baby."I'm sorry!"

The boy held up a hand and walked over to where he tossed his wand, "Don't. It's nothing. Thank you for your concern but please, don't feel like you need to comfort me. I'm very used to dealing with things on my own."

Draco wanted to say something but was at a loss for words. Especially when the boy took off the over sized winter cloak and handed it back to him.

"I need to get back to Cassie. Thank you for letting me borrow this."

And before he could figure out what else to say, the boy was gone.

* * *

**Author's Note 2**: If this chapter seemed a bit forced...well...that's because it was. I'm very sorry if you are little disappointed by this but in order for me to make it better I think i would have needed several more days to fight with it and I have kept you guys waiting far too long as it is. This chapter was important to my character development but awkward in terms of plot. Next chapter will show some very big progress in terms of plot so that should be really exciting. Thank you so much to my wonderful reviews. I can't begin to tell you how much I love each and every one of you. And to those of you who didn't review I love you all too. As a side note if you haven't yet discovered them you should all go out and read Suzanne Collins' Hunger Game trilogy. I can't praise it enough.

This is a almost final draft so if there are any big mistakes please let me know and i'll fix them asap. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review. Every time a reader reviews an author gets a FUZZY! :-)


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