𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄

Chapter 13

Once again, Lucius sat chained to the wall and table in the 'interrogation room,' but this time, he was alone, waiting for Harry's arrival. Harry sat across from him, forcing himself to appear relaxed, even though he felt tense and angry, and folded his hands on the table. He did not speak… would not speak until Lucius did so first.

"How is my son?" Lucius asked.

"He is well," Harry answered. "But I do not understand why you care, after everything that you have done to ensure that he was harmed."

Lucius sneered down at the grain of the table, silvery blonde hair falling into his face. When he looked up again, Harry brushed it back, smoothing it behind his ears, making his haggard presentation seem a little more kempt.

"I only wanted to protect him. He is still my son, though a poor excuse for a Malfoy. My son, Potter, though you'll never know how much that means until you've had a son of your own. They kidnapped him out of my home! Snatched him out of his bed in the middle of the night – he screamed for me and there was nothing that I could do to protect him! Who do you think I called on to help me get him back?" he seethed. "That was no mere rescue mission! I declared a war against the Veela!"

Harry's resolve to hate the man across from him for all that happened in the past year crumbled. He'd never looked at the situation from that angle before – Veela – no, monsters, for that is probably how they looked in their rage that a man would kidnap one of their own – invaded a private, isolated estate and abducted a child from his bed. Draco screamed for his father to help him, but even with the entire household of servants on his side, Lucius could do nothing, could not break through that hideous army and return his only son and heir to safety. Who would a man with Lucius's connections call on for aid?

How could Harry not see that? He'd known for months that Snape was among the rescuers!

"Voldemort." Lucius flinched, but nodded. "I didn't think…."

"What could I do but freely give my son to him once he'd put his own plans on hold for my family's sake? It was that, or he too would steal my son away. At least, willingly bound I could set the terms of their matrimony. I could ensure that Draco would always be well-protected and well-treated, if not loved as he so deserved."

"But that doesn't explain why you made him give his favor to Snape," Harry said, wary of buying into this explanation too readily. He needed to test it first, make certain that it was sound. "And it also doesn't explain why you allowed me to court him. Or why you acted so foully towards him."

Lucius sneered. "Severus is the Dark Lord's most trusted advisor!" he snapped. "Together we managed to convince the Dark Lord that a union between Draco and Severus would be just as effective, if not more effective than, a union between Draco and the Dark Lord. That way, at least, Draco would remain obedient, but the Dark Lord would not need to be concerned with caring for Draco's well being, since that task would fall solely on Draco's bond mate…. And as far as how foully I treated my son, I had no choice. I have a certain character to maintain. But do not ever doubt that I love my son more than anything in the world."

Harry did not know what to think. That made sense, and he wanted to so badly to take it as truth. Lucius had set out to rescue Draco from the Veela with every resource that he had available. And his effort to push Draco into a union with Snape fit into that mould. He obviously never planned to turn Draco over to Nott, and that is why his plan backfired awfully.

"And where do I fit into that?"

"You are…." Lucius stopped, and shook his head, sighing heavily. "You are the only person to best the Dark Lord on merit alone."