Tomorrow, We Will Shine (A Drarry FanFiction/"Falling" 3 of 3)

Chapter Eleven

   "Harry Potter, as I live and breathe," Lucius Malfoy sneered, looking Harry up and down in a most insulting manner. "I guess I am sadly to believe the rumours are true after all?"

Harry's mouth opened and closed abortively a couple of times, and then his anger surged, thrusting his voice from his throat.

"You were in Azkaban," he challenged. "You're supposed to be in Azkaban!"

Lucius was dressed in all his finery like he'd never heard of such a ridiculous notion as being imprisoned, even though Harry had personally seen that he had been, twice. His high-collared emerald green robes were embroidered delicately and edged with black silk. His boots were polished to a dazzling shine, and his familiar serpent-headed cane gleamed wickedly in his hand. "Early release for good behaviour," he said, a twitch of a smile on his lips, though it was less a gesture of mirth than it was a sign of savage triumph.

Harry struggled to get his wits together. Draco's father was supposed to be under lock and key for another three to four more years at least, how on Earth had he managed to wiggle his way out?

Money. That was the simple answer. Despite being disgraced and committed of numerous crimes, he still had access to a vast wealth of funds, and it had probably only been a matter of time before he found a way to grease the right palm.

Suddenly Draco's curt, tense note made sense. He must have just been released, either yesterday or during the last day or so of their holiday. Otherwise Draco's mother would surely have written to him to warn him of this disastrous development.

Harry remembered his priorities, and stood up straighter. He wasn't here to pick a fight with a repulsive ex-Death-Eater. "Another triumph of the Ministry's justice system," he managed to bite out. "I'm not surprised. Now if you'll excuse me, there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not here to see you. As you correctly guessed, I'm here for Draco."

He made to move around the older Malfoy, when he found way blocked by the sudden appearance of a silver-tipped cane in front of his face. "You cannot possibly fathom that I approve of this travesty of a union, do you?" Lucius asked softly, his brow creasing in incredulity.

Harry glowered at him. His nerves were raw enough from his encounter with Skeeter the previous day, and he was more than fired up for round two of defending him and Draco to the world. "You cannot possibly fathom," he mimicked. "That I would be concerned with anything so trivial as your approval? After everything you put Draco through, dragging him into your disgusting bid for power with Voldemort, warping his mind with offensive rot?"

Lucius' eyes narrowed. "You talk to me about 'disgusting'," he hissed, his voice dangerously low. "When you pervert my only son and heir? When you debase our family name with this most inappropriate display of lurid fancy?" He touched the silver snake head to Harry's chest, menace vibrating off of him. "You were surprised I did everything possible to secure my early release? I had to, seeing as no one else was willing to talk sense into Draco. I had to save him from you."

Harry smacked the cane away and pushed into Lucius' personal space. "There is nothing perverted or disgusting about mine and Draco's relationship," he growled. Up close, he could see the grey in Lucius' blond hair, and hoped vengefully that prison had been an appalling ordeal for him. "You have no claim over him anymore. He is a legal adult and more importantly, he's free of the choke-hold you had him under!" His breathing was hard and fast, and his nails were digging into his palms painfully.

Lucius though remained infuriatingly calm looking, eyes roaming over Harry with amusement. "He may well be of age now," he said with something akin to a titter. "But his inheritance is still firmly under my control, and unless he wishes to end up penniless on the street, he will marry a girl of my approval, and father an heir to continue the Malfoy name."

Harry was so stunned he stepped back and regarded Lucius with horror. "He's your son?" he said, stupidly.

"Precisely," Lucius snarled, stepping closer again, violent fury straining his features. "And if you think I'm going to let him go gallivanting off with you of all people, the son of a Mudblood, the revolting stain on our people's history, the larva responsible for undoing decades of planning and destroying my master on the cusp of his victory, you are sorely mistaken. Draco has been seduced by your sickening sexual deviancy, and I will stamp it out of him." He sniffed and snatched up his cane as he calmed, regarding Harry with distain. "No Malfoy will be so thoroughly humiliated."

Harry couldn't help it, he barked an incredulous laugh. "You mean like the humiliation of being proved to be a lying, snivelling turn-coat," he spat, his fingers itching to reach for his wand. "Of supporting a madman and a failed murderous scheme? You're not fooling anyone, and if you think," he all but snarled. "You can intimidate me, after all I've faced, you're even more deluded than I imagined."

Lucius regarded him coldly. "Perhaps," he said grimly. "But this is my household, and I will not allow Draco to bring any further doubt over its integrity, its purity." He grinned, almost maniacally. "And if I cannot scare you into submission, I will merely break you down, piece by piece, until your will is crushed. Starting," he hissed. "With denying you my son; it's clear this will cause you great pain."

Harry curled his lip. "You sound ridiculous," he scoffed. "Draco is his own man-"

"He will be a man by the time I'm through with him!" Lucius bellowed, a tinge of red spotting on his cheeks. "You've made him pathetic, soft. The gossip columns delight themselves with this gluttonous, weak imitation of the heir I left behind last summer. You have diluted him into a namby-pamby, and I will not have it!"