Lucius watched Harry and Draco carefully, while pretending to consider a young eagle owl. The shopkeeper knew not to hover over him - fawning never changed his mind about purchases. Tom was looking over the books to see if there was anything he had missed on other visits. The store owner was listing some titles not in stock, but could be ordered, to see if any caught Tom's interest.

Lucius noticed Augusta stopping in front of the store, scowling, with a young boy in tow. Although his expression never changed and not a single muscle tensed, his mind went on full alert with several alarms clanging in his head.

Oddly, Lucius had kind of liked Frank Longbottom in spite of him being a polar opposite from Lucius. Frank had been an open-faced idealistic Gryffindor, but not the fanatical closed minded kind. Frank had been kind and perhaps a bit impractical, but Lucius had not been able to dislike him. A traitorous part of his mind had always whispered that Lucius had envied Frank's rose-colored glasses view of the world.

During school they had occasionally gotten into arguments over some of Franks ideals, with Lucius shooting down Frank's ivory-tower mentality with his logical and analytical mind. They had not been in the same year, or even the same house, but they both loved a good debate, and their debates had soon become a spectator sport with bets being laid on the outcome.

Frank had always smiled at Lucius' jaded views and had once said that there was nothing wrong with hoping for the best, and that expecting the best of people sometimes urged them into doing the right thing. Lucius had been aghast with horror at the sheer naiveté of that statement. Then Frank had capped it off by looking Lucius in the eye and saying that ‘sarcastic cynics like you are often disillusioned idealists'.

Lucius had almost hexed him for that, and had refused to speak to him for months afterwards.

Eventually, after they were both graduated, the opposing sides of the war had made it impossible for them to ever speak. Lucius glared out the corner of his eye at the glowering Augusta. Her husband, Frances had been a timid Herbologist - no match for the overbearing hippogriff he had married. Frances's father, Harfang had been a younger son, but both he and Frances had been a brilliantly successful Herbologists, and they had taken a smaller family manor and turned it into a mansion. Frances had left his family quite wealthy when he had finally escaped Augusta by dying.

Augusta's son, Frank had caved to pressure and married Augusta's exact duplicate in that war-mongering virago known as Alice. Alice's parents had been killed by Voldemort just before her first year and she had spent most of her Hogwarts years working herself up into a vengeful fury for when she entered the Auror corps. She had spearheaded the movement to give Aurors the right to use unforgivables. Luckily that had been very close to the end of the war, because she had used them with ... well, a vengeance.

Lucius had often wondered what Frank had thought of his wife. He recalled the wedding photos he had seen in the paper, and they had not shown a happy looking Frank - he'd looked more bewildered than anything.

Lucius watched as the cheery Harry waving at the boy and the boy turning away with a sullenly angry look. Lucius chilled - the look had been the same one as Alice had worn most of her school days. He sighed in relief as Augusta grabbed the boy and marched down the street. He turned to the shop owner and arranged for the owlet to be sent to the Malfoy Manor

Lucius strolled over and gazed after the boy and his grandmother. Lucius realized the boy must be Frank's - Neville, he believed was the name they had chosen. He wondered if Augusta was making the boys life a living hell like she had Frank's.

Draco turned puzzled eyes to his father and asked, "Who was that?"

"Augusta Longbottom and her grandson, Neville Longbottom." Lucius answered absently and herded them out door, calling to Tom that he had enough books, for Merlin's sake and come along.

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They had wandered through a few more shops. The boys had dragged him, cringing in horror, into Gladrags so he could sneer in disgust at the muggle clothing they were looking at. The three boys had all gotten various ‘T-shirts' with dragons on them, and had bought one for Dudley as well.

Draco had tried, without success to get Lucius to buy a T-shirt for himself with a fanciful dragon on it. He had sneered and said he wouldn't be caught dead drinking tea in it, even if it was a ‘tea-shirt'. This had seemed to spark an unwarranted amount of amusement.

They had arrived at home after lunch at the Three Broomsticks, with Lucius breathing a sigh of relief. Petunia and her son had gotten through their ‘family meeting' and the three boys ran outside to work on the garden or use the home gym - or both. Tom escaped to the library with a gleam in his eye - Petunia had said there was an owl waiting for him from Percy with a package that looked like books.

Tinker popped in with tea and Lucius calmed himself with the time-honored ritual of British high tea. He knew that Petunia was looking at him in concern. They were still essentially strangers, in spite of the constant - almost daily - interaction, but Lucius felt the need to talk to someone about Frank, and Petunia had the advantage not knowing any of the wizards and witches in question personally.

Lucius slowly spoke of Frank Longbottom and their not-quite friendship in school, Frank's marriage to the vengeance loving Alice, their being on opposing sides of the war. With a sigh Lucius then told her of Bellatrix and Barty Crouch's torture of the two Aurors that had driven them mad.

"I've always wished Bellatrix had told someone what she intended - I would have heard of it and stopped her. I would never have let anyone do that to Frank - no matter what kind of naïve idiot he was. And now I find I was on the wrong side to begin with." Lucius ended the tale morosely.

Petunia sipped her tea and looked at the man sitting across from her. She would never have suspected the confident Mr. Malfoy to harbor such regrets or doubts.

She sat the cup back down on the saucer. "I'm not unfamiliar with regrets, and I have spent many hours wishing I could redo events of the past. We can all see perfectly what we think we should have done using hindsight. However - it's really impossible to know if events really would have turned out better ... sometimes events play out the way they were meant to."

Petunia struggled briefly with her own feelings. "Severus told me there were a lot of reasons people supported the Dark Lord - many of them were because of their fear of muggles - to an extent they were right. I can vouch for the fact that if the muggle world knew of you...well they wouldonly see you as weapons and tools. Most would want your magic for themselves and would stop at nothing to try and get it. I don't know how you've managed to stay safe for so long. Severus said that although the Dark Lord's pureblood mania was not right, some wizards that listened to him in the beginning - before his madness - did institute more stringent policies to protect your secrecy with the families of muggleborns."

"Are you telling me to look for a silver lining on the storm cloud?" Lucius asked ruefully. At Petunia's smile he snickered and raised his cup in a toast to her. "You sound like Frank."

They sipped tea for a bit. "I have a business proposition to run by you, Petunia." This caught her attention. "I have been unloading overseas assets - slowly, mind you, over the past year. With war being inevitable it's better to consolidate. I got rid of a factory or two in Russia and Bulgaria, letting either my partner buy me out or the employees do so. Any property very far away that I can't use I sold at good prices as well - if you're in a rush it shows and you get less, that's why I'm taking my time. Anyway I've been buying some property here in England, around the town of Hale, where Spinners End is. The area is almost deserted anyway, so I have a large chunk around Severus' old place totally empty."

Petunia looked at him, totally mystified.

"What can you tell me about gated communities?" Lucius asked intently.

Petunia explained haltingly, not sure what he wanted to know or why. He beamed happily at what she said, though.

"So, you're saying if a group of wizards took up residence and didn't let any muggles in so they couldn't see all their ‘magical goings-on', the muggles wouldn't think anything of it because it was a ‘gated community'." Lucius smirked happily.

Petunia smiled - of course Lucius would think of something like that. "Yes, and if you put it about that it's a community of ‘new age people and artists' they will think nothing of any strange clothing or habits as long as it's not too strange."

Lucius smiled at her speculatively. "This brings me to the next part. I know you're not looking forward to the mass migration from Dragonsrest to Hogwarts next year. Now that Severus has Dragonsrest he no longer needs the house on Spinner's End. You could buy it and help oversee my ‘little project' - for an excellent amount of pay, of course. You can still raise owls there as well, of course, but I need someone on-site to make sure things are done correctly."

Petunia perked up - a house of her own and another project to keep busy - that would likely pay quite well. Severus was likely to someday marry (perhaps sooner than later from the look she'd seen in Rosemerta's eye) and then he would need her gone. This would keep her in the wizarding world and available to Dudley and Harry.

"I couldn't move until late next summer." Petunia answered slowly.

Lucius waved a negligent hand. "I have paperwork and permits to get. Things won't be started right away."

Petunia nodded firmly. "If Severus is agreeable, I believe it will be perfect."

Lucius smiled smugly. He liked getting his own way, and it took his mind off past failures and losses.

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When Severus got the owl on Friday from Petunia and Lucius he had been in the great hall chatting to Sinistra about their ‘little talks' with numerous Slytherins. They had both, also, been writing to numerous parents, feeling them out about their ‘loyalties'. Many responses had been positive and hopeful - they seemed relieved to have alternatives presented to them.

Others, of course, had been predictably hostile. There were families that were in too deep in the dark arts and the Death Eater path. Sinistra was invaluable in many of the talks, as she was a new voice. Many were having difficulty in believing he had truly been a spy, and were wary of tricks.

Severus had looked over at the other Heads of House. When he had given each of them a list of children of Death Eaters and sympathizers in their own houses they had been stunned and disbelieving. It had taken a long discussion and he had had to show them several memories in Albus' pensieve to prove that certain favored former students or families were not as lily-white as they had believed. It had been somewhat satisfying to see them realize that not all of Voldemort's followers wore green and silver.

Lucius' eagle owl had arrived with a flourish. It was no longer considered unusual for him to be barraged with owls at a meal. Hedwig had been identified -likely by a pair of red-headed Hufflepuffs - as belonging to ‘The Boy Who Lived'. Her arrival always caused a lot of eager whispering. Severus had read Lucius' missive with a deepening look of disbelief that had caused concern among the other staff.

Severus had answered their alarmed inquiries slowly. "It seems that Lucius Malfoy is going into business with Harry's Aunt - Petunia Dursley."

Albus had strangled back his snickers until it sounded like a hacking cough, while Minerva asked with bemused incredulity. "Isn't she a ... a muggle?"

"Well, the healer says she's technically a squib - barely enough magic to assist the potions in helping to heal her, but still - a squib." Severus answered absently.

Sinistra had glanced at the student tables to see if anyone had heard them...the had, she'd noted with a small smile and the news that Lucius Malfoy was doing business with a muggle - or perhaps a squib, and that she was Harry Potters Aunt was running through the tables like wildfire. Good, that would influence more than one student and their family to believe that the best side was the one opposing the Dark Lord.

Severus had given up on eating and left Albus and Minerva to decide whether hell had totally frozen over or if it was just very frosty.

The next day - Saturday - he had gone as planned back to Dragonsrest and was now signing yet another paper to sell Spinner's End to Petunia. He'd managed to get the accountant alone long enough to ask what the price could be asked without gouging too deeply into the Dursley vault. She had gotten a good price for he Privet Drive house and Vernon's stocks, which added to the saving they'd had - they were in good shape, if Severus set the right price for the house.

It had taken Severus all Friday afternoon to really come to terms with selling Spinner's End. It really no longer even vaguely resembled his old family home and he always had difficulty recalling any happy memories of the place. Lily had only visited there once, and it was one of his worst memories - his father had sneered and guffawed at Severus having the nerve to ‘sniff around a pretty girl - didn't he know how ugly he was?' He supposed he had stubbornly clung to the place, just to thumb his nose at his father's memory - to show his ghosts that they did not matter, that he had carved a happy life, in spite of them.

While he was mentally working his way through all this, his Potions students had enjoyed a distracted, deeply in thought professor who forgot to yell, sneer, or take and points or assign detention. True, he had cut down on all of that, anyway. But today, when Rowena Eldridge had once again nearly exploded her cauldron, he'd only scowled and told her to start again.

Severus sighed as he signed another paper; there wasn't even any strategic advantage anymore to keeping the house. After catching two more Death Eaters after Ragnor Mulciber the jig had been up - everyone knew the house was trapped and that Harry ‘most likely lived at a Dragon Reserve', according to the papers who reported such speculation.

Severus listened with half his attention to Petunia telling the lawyer who was in attendance that she and Dudley had decided to allow an hour or two of ‘a very supervised visit', to see if Marge was serious about being ‘reformed'. The lawyer grimaced - he remembered the unseemly scenes Marge had caused. He wasn't so sure Marge intended to play nice.

Severus signed the very last paper with a flourish and a great deal of relief. He excused himself and left the group to conspire over the plans for the ‘gated wizarding community'.

Severus and Harry gleefully escaped to the lab to brew the eyesight potion. Harry chopped and diced ingredients happily. They talked companionably about the week's events and Petunia's plans. Harry was clearly worried about that.

"What about the blood wards? I don't have to live there, do I?" Harry bit his lip anxiously. He desperately hoped Severus hadn't decided to give him back to Petunia, now that he had Tom to look after as well. She was nice, now, but he wanted Severus to still be his guardian. "You're not going to stop being my guardian, are you?"

Severus looked at Harry in surprise, he hadn't thought Harry would take Petunia finding a house of her own this way.

"No, Harry, I'm afraid you're stuck with me until you're at least twenty-one. You'll be of age at seventeen, but I'll be legally responsible for you until twenty-one, which is the usual age for an apprenticeship to be done with." Harry still looked a bit doubtful. "Your residence will always be Dragonsrest, although to maintain the wards we will have to keep one of the bedrooms as belonging to either your aunt or cousin - probably your cousin, since he'll want to visit at times."

Harry looked relieved at that and finally lost his haunted look. Both Harry and Tom seemed to live with the expectation that he would eventually tire of them and take the first excuse to be rid of them he could find.

Tom had relaxed a bit after the adoption potion, and his explanation that it meant more than just a way to trick Albus. Yvane at least, could help calm his fears and warn Severus of problems. Harry was more difficult. Most of the time he seemed happy and unconcerned, and then something would trigger his fears again. He expected it would simply take time.

Harry went back to carefully sorting through the rabbit fur. The rabbits looked a little funny with patches of hair shaved off, but they didn't seem to mind after extra carrots were provided. He enjoyed preparing potions with Severus; it made him feel closer to his guardian and calmed some of his fears of being a burden.

Harry had felt unbearably jealous of Tom when he had watched him take the adoption potion and had heard Severus tell him he was a ‘son of the house'. It had taken several days to get his jealous fury under control. He'd hardly been able to look at Tom at the time.

He kept telling himself that he liked Tom, and the potion had been necessary to keep Tom safe. But the words ‘son of the house' had struck a chord in him. He desperately wanted the words to apply to him as well.

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Yvane had been carefully watching the jealousy Harry had been battling with for days and had shared a bit of the problem with Tom. This sort of brotherly feuding was something dragons had great difficulty understanding. Tom, though, understood all too well the bitter longing for family and the need for a sense of belonging.

Tom hated interrupting the brewing session, but this was important. He waved Severus outside and told him about Yvane's ‘listening in'. "Harry is Slytherin enough to feel the need for things to be even. Right now he feels left out, and not a real part of the family. We were both wards, before - now I'm a ‘son of the house' and he isn't. Yvane says he really wants this."

Tom watched Severus' look of dawning comprehension. "Just remember - don't have him think you're offering because we said something, or he'll never believe it's real."

Severus nodded slowly and Tom disappeared back upstairs, hoping things went well. Severus finished the potion deep in thought and set it aside, then turned to Harry. "Shall we take a walk while this cools, then?"

Harry nodded eagerly and they ambled across the meadow and past the compound. Harry loved walking along the cliffs overlooking the sea. It was a long walk, but well worth it. He wasn't allowed here without an adult, but the sea seemed to always call to him and he sometimes dreamed of soaring over the waves.

They sat on a handy rock and watched the waves crash below. "Yvane's cave was near here, I believe." Severus said, wondering how to start the conversation.

Harry nodded happily. Having Severus to himself was unusual and he was content to bask in it. "Sometimes we see dragons going in and out of caves along here. We have to be careful not to annoy them."

"I've been thinking..." For about a half hour, now "...that I would like to informally adopt you into my family. A formal adoption would require involving the ministry. But an informal one - like I did with Tom only requires your acceptance of it..." His uncertain offer was cut off by Harry tackling him with a fierce hug.

"Do you mean it?...Really?" Harry's mad grin was answer enough. Severus had thought Tom and Yvane were crazy to think Harry really wanted to be adopted into their ‘family'. It made sense, of course, but Severus wasn't used to children who were crazy enough to want to spend time with him.

Severus gripped Harry's shoulder in a hug and they sat companionably, watching the sea for a time. Harry basked in the knowledge that he was truly wanted and Severus let the unfamiliar idea of parenthood sink in. It may not be a formal, full adoption, but he knew Harry would view it as one as fiercely as Harry had grabbed onto the idea, and if Yvane was correct - and Yvane was rarely wrong when it came to the boys.

"What should I call you?" Harry asked, finding the one question that Severus hadn't an answer for.

"Well, what would you like to call me?" Severus answered craftily.

Harry almost smiled at Severus obviously working around an actual answer. "Can I call you dad - even if it isn't a total adoption?" It took most of his courage to that; a rejection would be more than he could face at the moment.

"Of course you may, I would be honored to have you think of me as your father." Severus managed to keep his voice even, although there was a band of emotion tightening around his chest.

They walked back to Dragonsrest, Harry bouncing in excitement as he walked. Severus smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. He was glad that Harry was looking forward to this and could only hope that it finally silenced Harry's fears of future rejection.

Tom had followed them into the lab, trying not to look anxious, but Harry blurted out their happy news with an excited grin and Tom had congratulated them with relief. Harry had downed his eyesight potion and asked how quickly the adoption potion could be ready. He was disappointed to find it would take a week or two, but Severus promised to start it right away, and Tom could keep an eye on it - it wasn't difficult - it was just a long brew time.

Harry bounced up the stairs to tell Petunia and Dudley, but only after Severus told him to keep it ‘just within their close circle of friends - to keep anyone from interfering.

"You were right - he did need reassurance he is a permanent fixture here, and truly wanted." Severus said.

"Of course - I'm always right." Yvane snickered, and both Tom and Severus rolled their eyes.

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