Posted originally on the

Archive of Our Own

at

http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/560191

.

Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

F/M

,

M/M

,

Other

Fandom:

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Relationship:

Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter

,

Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Malfoy

Character:

Draco Malfoy

,

Harry Potter

,

Lucius Malfoy

,

Narcissa Malfoy

,

Severus

Snape

,

Pansy Parkinson

,

Blaise Zabini

,

Theodore Nott

,

Ron

Weasley

,

Ginny Weasley

,

Daphne Greengrass

,

Astoria Greengrass

,

Lisa Turpin

,

Adrian Pucey

,

Hermione Granger

,

Seamus Finnigan

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale

,

Humor

Collections:

The Hex Files

Stats:

Published: 2012-11-11 Words: 11127

Finding the Perfect Mate For Your Heir

by

Makoto_Sagara

Summary

Lord Lucius invites young people from all over King Albus’s realm to vie for the hand of

his only child. Draco only has eyes for the young Lord Potter.

Title: Finding the Perfect Mate for Your Heir Author: Makoto Sagara Series: Harry Potter
Archive: the usual suspects (ffnet, affnet, Foreverfandom, my site, mediaminer, makochanupdates

on LJ, thehexfiles, hpfandom, and the harrydraco community on LJ); anywhere else, ask first.
Pairing: Draco/Harry (eventual), Lucius/Narcissa, others Rating: PG Word count: 11,141
Warnings: Slash, ooc, angst, language, humour, AU, het Disclaimers: I don’t own Harry Potter

and his friends. They belong to a list of people, including the wonderful JKR, Warner Bros,

Scholastic Publishing, Raincoat Books, and others. I’m only borrowing them for entertainment
purposes.

Summary: Lord Lucius invites young people from all over King Albus’s realm to vie

for the hand of his only child. Draco only has eyes for the young Lord Potter.

Author’s Notes: I got the idea for this after reading a couple of other fairy tale based stories. I

couldn’t find one based on “The Princess and the Pea,” so this was born. Enjoy! I want to say

thanks to Jokes for the awesome beta job and her encouragement of my insanity! And thanks to

Forever for her help during the initial planning stage!

~**~~**~~**~~**~

Once upon a time, there was a lord with only one child, a boy. Lord Lucius loved his son above

all others. Draco was the apple of his eye, and his mother, Lady Narcissa, doted upon him as well.

As little Lord Draco’s sixteenth birthday—June 5th—approached, his parents began to think about

who would be the perfect match for their beloved son. They consulted with the court advisor and

potion maker, Severus the Snarky. “I say that we throw a ball and let Draco pick out who catches

his eye,” Narcissa said, her head full of romantic visions and future grandchildren.

“Narcissa, that is no way to pick a future spouse,” Lucius drawled irritably. He adored his wife,

but she was so preoccupied with the wedding preparations and grandchildren to come that she

wasn’t paying enough attention to the actual logistics of getting their son married off. “What is

your advice, Severus?”

“I say that you have everyone eligible over for a week or so and while they are here you can

measure them separately and as a group,” the dark-haired, hook-nosed man snapped. “Then, you

pick the best out of them all. Do it quickly. I have a potion on the boil and if it should burn, you

will both rue the day you had me come to this hellish place!”

“Actually, dear, that might not be a bad idea,” Narcissa responded, giving their old and trusted

friend a quick kiss on his sallow cheek, which he promptly wiped off with a glare that could have

peeled paint. “That way, Draco could also weigh in on the choice of his future partner.”

Lord Lucius clasped his hands under his chin as he thought over the idea. It had its own merit, to

be sure, but would this be the best way to pick the perfect addition to their family circle? “What

criteria would you say would be most important to actually choosing the correct person, Severus?”

The dark-haired man paced before his friend and employer’s throne—there really was no other

word for the chair, even if Lucius was not king and only a lord of the realm—and began thinking

out loud. “Intelligence, to be sure, is extremely necessary. Draco could not stand someone with no

brains.”

“Yes, well, he or she would need some intelligence to assist my son with his duties once Narcissa

and I have passed,” Lucius responded thoughtfully.

“They must possess some grace,” his wife added. “How would they be able to go to court and

deal with everyone else if they lacked proper etiquette?”

“I would like someone who could withstand Draco’s fits of temper,” Lucius said. “He or she

would need to be able to divert his attention to things more important than his wardrobe and

riding.”

“I think he would appreciate it if they had some beauty,” Severus said uncharacteristically. He was

the boy’s godfather and had some clue as to what went on his godson’s fluffy, handsome little

brain, even if the boy’s parents had absolutely none. “He’s vain and cannot stand those with

physical deficiencies.”

“Well, yes, that is important, but not the most vital thing for his future spouse to have,” Narcissa

said. “I would like for him to be in love, but I suppose that is not entirely necessary either.”

“Love is perhaps the least important thing in this entire matter, my wife,” Lucius said with a fond

smile for his beautiful and graceful spouse. “But, you are right. It would make the whole process

easier if Draco and the other person were in love. Our son would be more inclined to actually go

through with the plan.”

“We should start this soon, my lord,” Severus said, ignoring the sappy looks that Lucius and

Narcissa were exchanging. “Draco shall be sixteen soon, and he will only be more difficult the

longer we drag this out.”

“Yes, you are right, Severus,” Lucius responded. “Let us begin sending out the announcements as

soon as possible.”

~**~~**~~**~~**~

Draco Malfoy was the very picture of perfection, if he did say so himself. He stood well over six

foot tall, and he wasn’t yet sixteen. His white-blond hair fell in loose, graceful waves down to his

shoulders. His grey eyes were clear and bright. His face looked as if it was carved from marble,

aside from his full, kissable, pink lips. And his body was a vision of perfectly toned muscles

gained from riding and fencing. He dared even the new Lord Potter to be as perfect as he was—

slayer of the Dread Lord Voldemort or not.

His parents, he knew, were set to begin planning the rest of his life as the local lord after his

father’s passing. They’d consulted with his godfather Severus the Snarky about what to do.

They’d sent out invitations to all eligible young men and women in the kingdom and today was

the day that they would begin to arrive after two weeks of preparations around the castle grounds.

He was happy that he would have the opportunity to assist in the decision, for Draco knew that

that was not always the case. His parents, for example, had been betrothed when they were but in

the cradle by his grandparents. However, his parents had seen that they were lucky in being so

perfectly matched and decided that they would probably not get as lucky if they attempted to

betroth him to someone. And now, since it was nearing his sixteenth birthday, it was time for him

to begin focusing on his duties, and marriage was a big obstacle to be tackled.

A knock on the door to his private boudoir made him regretfully turn from the mirror to

acknowledge the interruption. “Yes?” he drawled, letting amusement lace his voice.

“My lord Draco, the lords and ladies have begun to arrive and your parents are requesting your

presence down in the entrance hall,” Flint, his personal valet, said as the door opened quietly.

“Yes, tell them I shall be down in a minute,” Draco replied, turning back to his mirror. “I have a

few minor adjustments to make before I’m ready.”

“Yes, milord,” Flint said as he closed the door behind him silently.

“Time to make the men swoon and the women faint at my beauty and envious of my obvious

intelligence,” Draco said to the mirror, smoothing his hair down one last time before going to join

his parents.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

All in all, about twenty young adults—ten men and ten women—responded to the invitations.

Draco looked them over with a bored air until his sharp, grey eyes fell upon one particular male.

He was about five-foot-nine-inches, with short, black hair, and piercing green eyes. There was a

scar above his right eye in the form of a lightning bolt that his unruly hair didn’t quite cover. He

had a cute, button nose and plump, red lips. It was none other than Lord Harry Potter.

I’ve died and gone to the great beyond. God has heard my prayers, as naughty as they’ve been,

and has seen fit to send me the greatest hero in the kingdom. I don’t care what my parents think. I

will have Lord Potter beside me at the end of this. He stared harder at the other man and was

rewarded with the most endearingly lopsided grin. He’s as handsome as those gossiping trollops

from the capital claim.

A sharp elbow to his sternum had the young lordling glaring daggers at his godfather. “Yes?” he

hissed in irritation.

“Draco, you must address our guests,” Narcissa whispered softly before turning to face the crowd

assembled. “And please remember to not drool all over your shoes while staring at Lord Potter. It

is bad manners and discouraging for the other guests if you choose on looks alone, my darling.”

Draco wanted to say something nasty to his mother, but he was again arrested by those lovely

green eyes of the handsome conqueror in the back of the group. He faintly heard Severus

snickering at him, but he wisely chose to ignore that. He gave the assembled gathering a winning

smile and then spoke. “Welcome to Malfoy Castle, honoured guests,” Draco said grandly. “I am

Draco Malfoy.” He turned towards his mother, who gave her most winning smile in return. “This

is my mother, Lady Narcissa, and my father, Lord Lucius, is to her right. I don’t know what

they’ve told you about why you’re here, but I hope that you enjoy your stay.”

The church clock struck six. “Ah, I suppose it is now time for supper,” Lucius said, shooting his

son a dark look. “If you will all follow me, we will enjoy a sumptuous feast that the chef has

prepared for your arrival."

~**~~**~~**~~**~

The first two were eliminated during dinner.

Not that anyone was complaining. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were both apish in

appearance with manners to suit. They dribbled soup down the front of their clothes, talked with

their mouths full of mangled food, and sent Draco looks that made everyone at the table ill-at-ease.

It was no hardship on anyone to see them go. They were heard hurling weak and pathetic insults

at Severus as he took his pleasure in escorting them out of the castle and lambasting them up one

side of the courtyard and down the other.

Really, Sev, you’re too predictable, Draco thought as he watched as his godfather practically had

the two apes frog-marched out of the castle grounds by the guards. However, his amusement of

the situation was short lived.

“Strange that your parents should think to even try to marry you off, Malfoy,” a voice sneered

behind him. He turned to find a tall, lanky, freckled, and rather annoyingly familiar redhead

glaring daggers at him. As usual when they were forced to meet, the poorer noble was attired in

clothes that had been in fashion a few decades before and had definitely seen better days. “Don’t

they know that all of respectable society has written you off as a self-absorbed, obnoxious little

sod, especially since you made that embarrassing scene at the royal court last Christmas?”

“Ah, Ronald Weasley,” Draco drawled, attempting to be amicable. His mother would have his

head if he was anything but polite to the guests, regardless of whom they were or what they said

to him. “It is so lovely to see you again.”

“You can bin the attempts at civility, Malfoy,” Weasley snarled. “They won’t work with me. But,

tell me, has your father forgiven you for the trouble you made for him at court?”

Draco felt his forced smile relax into a smirk at the other man’s open hostility and invitation for

regular behaviour. “So, would you like to tell me why you and your dear sister, Ginevra, are here

at this time since you both find my charms so repugnant?”

“It wasn’t my decision, of that you can be sure,” the redhead shot back. “Mother heard that Lord

Harry Potter had been sent an invitation and she was determined to have both of us here.”

“Oh, it is nice that your mother is trying to build up the family fortune once again by capitalising

on a possible union with the newest member of the noble class,” Draco said acidly. “I’ll be sure to

let Lord Potter know of your active interest in his many…charms.”

“Oh, Draco, you don’t want to do that,” another familiar said behind him, but this one was shrill

and female. He sighed and turned to see Ronald’s younger sister standing there in a ratty, tatted

gown that was two sizes too large for her. “Now, now, what would your parents say if I accused

you of doing something to me because Lord Potter and I were talking?”

“They’d call you a lying, despicable sack of poor trash, you harpy,” Draco said merrily.

“Ah, but I don’t really need them to believe me, now do I?” she asked sweetly as she batted her

big, brown eyes coquettishly, making Draco’s right eye twitch in irritation and his stomach heave

in disgust. “It only takes one person to believe me to have a rumour spread, yes?”

“That’s a good one, Gin,” Weasley said, clapping his sister on the shoulder roughly and knocking

her off-balance. She nearly fell forward on her face before she caught herself on her brother’s arm.

“How about we go mix and mingle with everyone else?”

“Lovely idea, Ronald,” she simpered pathetically as her brother continued to congratulate her on

her perceived barb.

Draco watched the two despicable redheads walk away with a sneer that could have peeled the

paint from the walls of their glorified hovel. (He’d learned it from Severus as a child.) He knew

that the Weasleys had only been invited because all marriageable nobles around his age had been.

The chit was barely fifteen and already showing signs of being well-ridden. Her parents would be

lucky if they could get her married off to anyone—Lord Potter would be a miracle—before she

turned up in the family way with no spouse at hand. Of course, in less charitable thoughts, Draco

thought it was nothing less than what Ginevra Weasley deserved if she ended up with child and

the father was none other than her wretched older brother. He’d heard those rumours as well.

“Well, they’re a lovely pair, aren’t they?” someone with an unfamiliar, but smooth, baritone voice

asked. Draco spun around quickly to see the sexily mussed mop of hair belonging to Lord Harry

Potter. “It’s a sad thing too, because I’ve met their older twin brothers.”

“Oh, you’ve met Fred and George Weasley at the king’s court, have you?” Draco asked simply.

He was utterly floored by the other man’s presence alone and he was certain that he was probably

drooling all over Lord Potter as he stared into the pretty green eyes the other sported. “What are

they like?”

“Well, if you’re into redheads, they are rather attractive, but I found them a bit too much, really.

Fun and great to be around, to be sure, but they made me feel a bit crowded. I was never bored

with them, but I was never alone either,” the dark-haired man said. “Pity it seems they inherited all

the charm in their family.”

“My father has met the two oldest sons,” Draco replied. “He says that William and Charles are

perfectly charming and delightful.”

“Oh?” One dark eyebrow shot up in amusement. “And why is it that they’re not here?”

“Ah, well, William is married to my mother’s second cousin, so he’s a little out of the question,

and Charles is out on a mission for King Albus. It’s said that he’s hunting dragons at this time.

Otherwise, I’d be happy to have him join this group, even if he is a little older than the rest of our

guests.”

“What a pity,” Lord Potter said silkily. “I’ll have to tell them exactly what they missed while they

were otherwise employed, now won’t I?”

The saliva in Draco’s mouth dried and he could have sworn that his tongue had glued itself to the

roof of his mouth. The green eyes that he had found so mesmerizing before were boring into his

brain and making his knees utterly weak. “Yes, it is,” he croaked after a few minutes of fighting

with his senses. “However, I hope that you will enjoy your time here.”

“Oh, I believe I shall, Draco Malfoy,” Lord Potter whispered before walking away with a smug

smile gracing his pretty, red lips.

Dear Lord in Heaven, please, please, I’ve never asked for much before, but if you could possibly

find it in your power to give me him, I would be eternally grateful and obedient. To both of you,

Draco thought before he had to go lock himself in his room for a few minutes.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

The next was eliminated early the next morning.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when a loud boom shook the whole castle, down to its

very foundation. Draco—having been startled awake by the explosion—jumped out of bed

quickly and grabbed his dressing gown. He ran out into the hallway to find his parents and

godfather. They would know what was going on, and if they didn’t, they’d make sure to discover

what the disturbance was fast. The first person he ran into, however, was Lord Potter. Quite

literally, to his utter embarrassment.

The handsome, young lordling was bare-chested and his unruly hair was even more tousled. His

green eyes, however, were sharp and he appeared ready to attack anyone who got in his way.

“Ah, Lord Draco, I see that I’m not the only one who was woken up by the noise.”

“Are you joking, Lord Potter?” Draco asked, trying to run a hand through his less-than-perfect

hair. No doubt I look affright, he thought miserably, cursing his mother for putting the other man

so close to his chambers for something like this to occur. “I’m certain that the whole castle is now

awake.”

The sound of sharp and heavy footsteps made Draco turn to peer down the hall, where he saw his

father and godfather tromping, looking less than pleased. “What is the meaning of this?” Lucius

snarled at his son.

“I’m sure that I have no clue,” Draco responded, feeling defensive with his father being so

abrasive. “The explosion woke me up and I came out to investigate.”

“There appears to be smoke coming from the guest tower that Lord Nott asked to be placed in,”

Severus said irritably. “Perhaps we would do well to check in on him?”

Both blond men blinked at the tall, thin man before nodding. Lucius led the group of cross men to

the tower’s door, where smoke could be seen escaping from under the crack. “It appears you are

correct, Severus,” Lucius said.

“What is it that Nott does that would cause an explosion?” Potter asked, causing the others to turn

and stare at him.

“I don’t rightly recall,” Draco answered after a moment’s hesitation. Why did I not notice that he

was following us this way? “I believe that he fancies himself a sort of inventor. If I remember

correctly, he said something at dinner about working with something called “natural gas,” but I

thought he was making a crude joke to impress the Ladies Greengrass and ignored the rest of his

insane babbling.”

“Well, Draco, since you are so acquainted with Lord Nott,” Lucius said coldly, “I suggest that

you go up there and find out what the Devil it is he thinks he’s doing waking the entire castle

before sunrise?”

Knowing that arguing would do no good—and only embarrass him in front of the sexy, half-

naked Lord Potter—Draco opened the door, only to be immediately engulfed in thick, black

smoke that sent him into a coughing fit. A warm hand on his back through the thin dressing gown

steeled his nerves, and Draco began to carefully pick his way up the surprisingly cool, stone stairs.

As he got closer to the top of the tower, his tender feet met with sharp bits of debris that only grew

steadily more abundant and larger in size as he went along. He could see where parts of the walls

had become blackened and broken upon reaching the very precipice. However, what he did not

hear or see was Lord Nott.

“Lord Theodore,” Draco called out carefully, staying low where the air appeared to be cleaner.

“Hello? Are you all right?” He side-stepped a gaping hole in the floor and looked down into the

room below. That was where he found the other man’s body. “Dear God!”

Not only had the young inventor blown up the guest tower’s top floor and the roof, but it appeared

as if Theodore Nott had managed to kill himself. His relatively handsome body was covered in

burn marks and blood and he was missing his right arm. Randomly, Draco recalled that he’d used

his right hand to feed himself at dinner the night before.

His stomach roiled and he dashed down the stairs as quickly as he could, avoiding the landing that

held the room with the body. He stopped only when he crashed into Lord Potter’s chest yet again.

“He’s dead. The fool managed to blow up the entire top floor and has killed himself.”

“The Devil take him!” Lucius yelled. “This is a fine start to the week.”

“I will call the priest, Lord Lucius,” Severus said, sounding somewhat calm and distant as he took

charge of the situation. “Draco, go back to your room. Lord Potter, would you escort him?”

“And what would you have me do, Severus?” Lucius asked icily. Draco shivered at that tone from

his father. He usually only heard it when he was about to order the execution of some

transgressor.

“You, milord, will be having servants sent to clean up this mess and calming down our other

guests,” his advisor answered. “Now, out of the way, you two dunderheads,” he shot at the two

young men. “Go back to your beds and try and get a bit more sleep.”

Draco stared at his godfather in disbelief. Did he actually think that Draco could go back to sleep

after finding the mangled corpse of one of his would-be suitors? Obviously Sev has been inhaling

the fumes from his potions a bit too much lately. There’s no way on God’s green Earth that that

would be possible!

“Lord Draco,” Lord Potter said, his deep and rich voice pulling Draco from his hysterical thoughts

quickly. “Please let me escort you to your rooms so that we may at least dress properly. I’m sure

you don’t want any of the ladies to see you in such a state.”

The blond blinked slowly before looking down at his dressing gown and over at Lord Potter’s

bare—and perfectly muscled—chest. He was suddenly struck with the thought that he didn’t want

anyone else to see either of them like this, especially not Lord Potter. “Yes, I believe that’s

probably for the best,” he answered, brushing passed his godfather and father, not waiting to see if

the other young man was following him. Sure footsteps proved that he didn’t have to worry about

it.

All too soon, they arrived at the door to Draco’s suite and he turned to find the other man staring

at him with an odd expression on his face. “What?” he asked.

“It’s nothing, Lord Draco.”

“Please, call me Draco. I’m no lord yet,” the blond said, flashing a small smile.

“Then I insist that you call me Harry,” the raven-haired man said, holding out his hand for Draco

to shake.

Draco, however, did one better and raised the other man’s hand up to his lips, placing a light kiss

of the back before looking up into amused, green eyes. “As you wish, Harry; however, I would

still like to know what you find so interesting.”

“Everyone that I have ever heard talk of you before now has always said that you were an exact

replica of your father, but I’m finding that that is not the case, Draco. You appear to be much more

human than Lord Lucius.”

“Well, that should be all to the good for you, yes?” Draco asked, raising a single, pale eyebrow.

“That has yet to be seen,” Harry replied. “I shall let you get dressed before the others arrive.” He

cocked his head to the side and sighed. Footsteps and feminine voices could be heard approaching

them. “Which appears to be quite soon, I’m afraid.”

“If you’ll excuse me,” Draco said, slinking into his bedroom. Part of him secretly wished for

Harry to join him, but he knew that it was unlikely that the young lord would do something so

brash. I can’t decide if that’s to his credit or detriment. I’m certain that Mother will find that he is

at least gallant easier since his family name is newly recovered nobility. He couldn’t help but

smile as he remembered the way that Lord Potter’s eyes had rested heavily upon his barely

covered body. It certainly is nice to know that he finds me attractive, however. It will make the

rest of this all too easy.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

The rest of the day found three potential suitors heading back home, very much alive.

The first was Lord Seamus Finnegan, an Irishman. It was just after breakfast when the rogue

began hitting on both of Draco’s parents. Narcissa stared at the man as if he was a bug before

turning to discuss something with Ginevra Weasley and Pansy Parkinson with feigned interest.

Lucius, on the other hand, flushed a dangerous shade of red before ordering Finnegan from his

castle—by sword point.

The second offender was Daphne Greengrass, the elder of two pretty sisters. She was found trying

to snog the face off of Blaise Zabini. For his part, Zabini was trying to push the girl off of his

personage. Sadly for Daphne, it was Severus who found her behaving so outrageously. While the

surly man was telling her to pack her things and leave the property, she began flirting with him

quite shamelessly. It was Draco, Harry, Astoria (Daphne’s sister), Pansy (who’d taken to trying to

drape herself bodily against Draco at every turn), Adrian Pucey, Ron and Ginevra who found her

before Severus murdered her.

Unfortunately, the lovely Astoria, who had become only second to Harry in Draco’s estimation,

decided to leave as well.

Zabini was saved by Severus’s testimony that the boy had been trying to escape the harlot.

However, Draco had already written him off, despite his vast fortune and easy smiles.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

At the end of the first full day of having Malfoy Castle filled with teenaged persons, Narcissa

turned to her husband. “What do you think of the rest of the candidates, my lord?”

“I think that I shall be sad that Astoria Greengrass decided to return home with her strumpet of a

sister,” Lucius snarled as he pulled off his brocaded jacket. “She was sweet, pretty, and well-

mannered.”

“Yes, I agree, my husband, but she wasn’t quite as intelligent as I was hoping for,” Narcissa said

with a heavy sigh. “And, just think, if Draco had chosen her, we’d be forced to host her wretched

sister many times a year for holidays.”

“Hm, yes, that would be a drawback,” he said as he drew his nightshirt over his head. “It’s a damn

shame that Nott went and blew himself up. His father was a handsome enough bloke, and the boy

was smart by all accounts.”

“Obviously, he wasn’t that smart, if he blew himself up before the first day of the celebration

could begin.” When Lucius joined her in their large bed, she curled up against his side. “I’m not

sad to see that horrid Irishman gone either.”

“No one from that island is to darken our doorstep again. And I will be writing to his parents about

his absolute lack of manners.”

“I agree. Besides, Draco seems taken by Lord Potter,” Narcissa said, smothering a yawn quickly.

“I did notice that. You should see that he doesn’t make a spectacle of himself with that boy and I

will speak to Severus about him in the morning.”

“Good idea, dear. Sleep well.”

“The same to you.” Lucius gave his wife a quick buss to the cheek before they both fell into

exhausted slumber.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

The next two days continued along with relative peace. None of the candidates were eliminated,

sadly. So, Draco found himself on the third day still surrounded by…He stopped and counted,

only coming up with ten out of the fourteen candidates that were left. He looked around the

gaming room to find the two Weasley children whispering to one another, their disgusting ginger

heads too close to each other for his stomach’s comfort. Hermione Granger was absorbed in a

book she’d discovered in Lucius’s library. Lord Potter was determinedly not looking over at the

group around Draco, wearing a scowl that was surely the downfall of the Dread Lord Voldemort.

“Really,” Pansy Parkinson said in a snide, but shrill voice that had grated on Draco’s nerves since

the first day. “I thought that the amazing hero, Lord Harry Potter, would be more…personable.

He’s rather common and ugly.” Draco and a few others blinked at her in surprise. She gave a

sickly sweet smile, obviously thinking that she had found a group that shared her outrageous

opinion. “I mean, look at that scowl. Who wants to be close to a man who does nothing but look

as if he could kill you with his bare hands?”

I do, you daft cow, Draco thought viciously, allowing the girl the room to hang herself with her

own words. If you think that one day you’ll replace my mother as lady of this castle, you’ve been

sniffing Sev’s potion fumes as well.

“And when I attempted to talk to him last night after dinner, he was so curt and he actually pushed

me away from him,” Pansy whinged pitifully as she batted her brown eyes at Draco pathetically.

“Can you believe that?”

The other girls in the group around Draco all murmured half-heartedly that it was a shame that

Lord Potter would behave in such a way. The young men all rolled their eyes at her shamelessly

ridiculous behaviour. Just then, Draco and Lord Potter locked eyes, and the darker featured man

smiled. Draco slowly returned his smile, feeling for the first time since their private conversation

on the first day that he could somehow make it through this process without murdering everyone

around him.

“What do you think, Lord Draco?” Pansy asked as she attached herself to Draco’s arm like a

limpet. Almost immediately, Lord Potter’s scowl reappeared and he broke eye contact with Draco.

The blond blinked lazy, steely grey eyes at the girl plastered to him for a few minutes, trying to

think of ways that he could have her drawn and quartered legally. “I think that you should remove

yourself from off of my personage before I have the guards escort you to your room and send a

letter to your parents telling them that they should consider sacking whoever was responsible for

your etiquette training, as they seem to have done a shoddy job of the whole process.”

The dark-haired girl gaped at him, reminding him strongly of a goldfish out of water, and her hold

lessened enough for him to move away from her without having to resort to any violence. He

quickly made his way to his father’s study, where Severus and Lucius were locked into a deep

discussion. “Excuse me, Father, Severus, I don’t wish to interrupt, but I have something to speak

to you about.”

“What is it, son?” Lucius asked as he and Severus turned to face the young blond. He was

practically foaming at the mouth with anger. The only other time they’d seen him like this was at

the court of King Albus when that problem occurred.

“I want her gone.”

“To whom are you referring, Draco?” Severus asked, sounding almost amused. “There are quite a

few ‘hers’ running around here as of late.”

“Parkinson,” Draco barked, forgetting his manners in his annoyance. “She’s disgusting; always

hanging off of me like I’m some piece of furniture and spouting off her preposterous opinions as if

anyone cared. I want her gone, Sev, as soon as possible.”

“Ah, yes, young Lady Parkinson,” Lucius said with a slight curl of his thin lips. “I remember her

mother at the same age. Most unseemly how she always draped herself over whomever she had

her eye on. Is her daughter much the same way?”

Draco didn’t answer his father. Instead, he just stared at his sire and godfather as they exchanged

looks that said so much. Eventually, Severus nodded in defeat, ire at his patron and godson visible

in his dark eyes. “I shall see to the removal of young Parkinson, Draco, but you must tell her why

she is being asked to leave.”

“You mean besides the fact that she’s stupid, lazy, shrill, and uncouth? I can’t fathom that anyone

else will question as to why she’s being sent back to her sire and dam.”

Lucius had to bite back a tiny laugh and instead settled on a smirk. “You speak as if she were a

horse.”

“Oh, no, she’s not that useful, Father,” Draco said, laughter making his grey eyes shine silver. “I’d

say she was more of the bovine type anyway.”

~**~~**~~**~~**~

Just like that, another of Draco’s would-be suitors found themselves leaving Malfoy Castle,

unsatisfied. If the young lord took pleasure in tossing out the young lady’s things, it is only what

he felt she deserved. Soon after Pansy Parkinson’s leave-taking, Blaise Zabini found himself

running out of the castle as quickly as possible, his servants following closely behind him, sans his

belongings. What was his sin? Lord Lucius had found the boy trying to hit on his lady wife as she

left confessional. Zabini happened to be the second young man leaving Malfoy Castle at sword

point.

With the number of suitors down to twelve, it became rather obvious to the others that Lord Draco

and Lord Potter were exchanging loaded looks every time their eyes met. Narcissa began to plan

and plot the marriage ceremony in private. Lucius had made it known that he had been rather

partial to Astoria Greengrass and that no one else could hold a candle to the young, blonde girl

who had so hastily left with her whorish sister. A few days after the departure of both Blaise

Zabini and Pansy Parkinson, Ladies Hermione Granger, Morag MacDougal and Hannah Abbott

and Sirs Wayne Hopkins and Oliver Wood all left of their own free will. Lady Granger said that

she wasn’t interested in marrying, as it would take time away from her research. Lady MacDougal

and Lady Abbott separately were overheard stating that they had no desire to compete with the

famous Lord Potter for Lord Draco’s attentions, as there was no way for them to fairly fight

against the young hero’s obvious charms. Oliver told Severus—through his strong burr—that he

was much more interested in hunting down Lady MacDougal for his bride than putting up with

being ignored by a spoiled little English brat. Sir Wayne said that he was going after Lady Abbott

as his bride, since Lord Draco was already decided on someone other than himself.

It was with an overwhelming sense of disgust that Lucius examined the last of the suitors—Lord

Harry Potter, Ronald and Ginevra Weasley, Sir Adrian Pucey, and Ladies Penelope Clearwater,

Lisa Turpin and Katie Bell.

Out of the ladies, the only one who even came close to the exacting standards that all of the

Malfoys and Severus agreed upon was Lisa Turpin. Penelope was beautiful and smart, but she

had no grace. Katherine was pretty and graceful, but she did not have enough intelligence to make

Lucius think nice things about her. Ginevra Weasley was right out—as a Weasley, he would

never find her beautiful. Besides, the girl had inherited her mother’s habit of having a sharp tongue

and the inability to keep her inelegant opinions to herself. That was discounting the many rumors

circulating about her and her brother Ronald as well. Lisa was a pretty blonde with excellent

manners and enough brains to discuss Severus’s work with the snarky man without having him

trying to have her dragged away by the castle guards.

The gentlemen were a different story. Ronald Weasley was never going to be picked. Besides, the

dolt was found stalking Katherine Bell at every turn. It became so bad that Lucius and Severus

were only too happy to have him and his waspish younger sister removed from Malfoy Castle

forever with no explanation.

Poor Katherine was eliminated by Draco himself. When the number of potentials reached but a

handful, Lucius started arranging for Draco to spend a whole day with them. The pretty young

woman went first, but by the time dinner was announced, she was in tears. It took a few moments

for Narcissa to discover that Draco had dismissed her rather viciously, saying that he’d rather

marry the cow maid, who was wittier than Katie would ever be.

The next day, Penelope and Draco went out to visit with the subjects of Lord Lucius’s lands—

subjects that would one day answer to Draco and his spouse. It was then that Penelope insulted

the mayor of the nearest village and told the man’s wife that she was a hideously fat troll. While

Draco agreed that the woman was less than fetching with her fifth pregnancy in seven years, he

was appalled that the girl would actually say such a thing. Needless to say that after Draco had

informed her of her major faux-pas that Penelope wasted no time in returning to her parents.

Finally, it was down to the last three, and Draco was ecstatic to see that Lord Harry Potter was

one of the finalists.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

It had been a week since Malfoy Castle had been invaded by silly and preposterous teenagers.

Sadly, Severus was forced to count his godson as one of the greatest offenders. While normally

the dark-haired man was rather fond of Draco, he was currently contemplating how far he could

run after killing the young blond and his little cohorts before Lucius caught up to him and had him

gutted in front of the entire court. Severus figured it wouldn’t be very far since he wasn’t fond of

exercise and spent most of his time brewing potions in the southern tower.

Thankfully, the amount of prospective suitors had been cut down from twenty to three in that

week. Soon, Severus would only have to deal with Draco and one other teen. From the looks of

things, it was going to be young Lord Potter. That bit of information irked him to no end. He

remembered the wretched boy’s father and mother. Lily had been an absolutely beautiful and

smart girl, with an easy grace and sharp wit. James Potter had been foolhardy and loved to show

off. It had been a sad day for the kingdom when the Dread Lord Voldemort had murdered the

elder Potters en route to the capital, but young Harry had been saved and reared by godfather,

Lord Sirius Black.

From all accounts, Harry Potter had had a very normal life after his parents’ murder until he

reached the age of fifteen, when he was noticed by King Albus as the last of the Potters. To make

matters worse, he was named as the Black family heir at the same time, making his fortune that to

rival the Malfoy coffers.

Of course the boy took after his horrible, impetuous father and hunted down Voldemort, killing

him in a spectacular show of skill and prowess for someone so young. Obviously Lord Black had

made sure that his godson was well equipped to exact his revenge. He’d been given all of the

lands and rights that belonged to the Potter line and what little property the madman had owned

before his defeat.

As far as power, grace, and beauty, Draco could do no better, but Severus doubted very much that

the boy had any of Lily’s intelligence. The hook-nosed man longed for dinner to hurry up and

arrive so that Lucius could devise a way to get rid of the insufferable brat. Then, things would go

back to what passed for normal around Malfoy Castle and he could continue with his research,

uninterrupted.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

Draco was delighted to find that his mother had seated Harry next to him for dinner. Across the

table sat Lady Lisa and Sir Adrian while Severus sat directly across from him, on his father’s left

side, and his mother sat at the foot of the table. All in all, it was a rather intimate setting. It would

have been even better if he could’ve just gotten rid of the two teens who were staring at him as if

he was a dish that the servants had forgotten to place on the table for their enjoyment. He

reckoned that after the week he’d had he should have been used to the stares, but they still

unsettled him.

It was only the hand that occasionally brushed his leg that kept him seated and rather complacent.

However, it wasn’t to last, since his father had decided to move the rest of the selection process

along.

“Well, we are now down to you three after a long and trying week,” Lucius said carefully before

taking a long pull from his wine goblet. “I would like to thank you all for your patience and

intelligence in lasting so long with the many varied temperaments in my household.”

“Lord Lucius, you and your lady wife have been gracious hosts and I find Severus’s brand of

humour bracing, but warranted,” Sir Adrian said grandly.

“Oh, and the grounds and countryside surrounding the castle are absolutely breathtaking,” Lady

Lisa added with a disgusting simper.

“I find that Lord Draco’s company is pleasant and easy,” Lord Potter replied as his hand once

again brushed against Draco’s thigh teasingly. “And I agree that Severus’s humour is…unique

and humbling. I find that I enjoy it.”

Draco grabbed Harry’s hand and squeezed it affectionately. He really hoped that this dinner went

well, as he wanted so very much to stay with him. He gave a slight smile—even as his face broke

out into a fetching blush—when the squeeze was returned. “I must say that I have never had such

an experience as this and hope that I never will again.”

“Wisely put, my son,” Lucius said smoothly before looking down the length of the table at his

wife. “Narcissa, dear, what do you say about giving our guests a final test to determine which

would be the most suited for our only child?”

“What did you have in mind, my lord?” Narcissa asked meekly. It was the hard glint in her eyes

that let Draco know that whatever his father suggested now had only made her determined to have

Harry win, as that would make Draco happiest. At least, that’s what Draco hoped that wolfish

smirk that hovered at the edges of his mother’s mouth meant.

That’s what it had always meant in the past, but since their trip to the capital where he’d kicked

that girl out of his room, she’d been oddly distant.

“You all have probably heard by now the story of the North Tower.” When all of the guests

nodded, Lucius continued. “Wonderful; that should save me some time explaining then. My last

challenge to you three will require you to show that you can withstand unpleasantness at any cost.

No doubt that you have all noticed that Draco’s temper is mercurial at best and tempestuous at the

very least. Do not fool yourself into thinking that he will change once you have married him. It is

very unlikely. His mother assures me of this.” Narcissa smiled while all the other’s laughed

politely at the lord’s joke. “Now, what I propose is that you spend the night in the North Tower,

one at a time, and then you will report in the morning what is it that is keeping my builders from

finishing the repairs.”

Draco’s three would-be suitors were silent. The blond looked over at Harry, to find that the dark-

haired hero had turned thoughtful. “Excuse me, Lord Lucius,” the younger lord said, breaking the

eerie silence with his rich voice. “I may be incorrect—”

“Big surprise there,” Severus muttered under his breath from across the table.

“—but that seems like a problem one would contact a priest regarding,” Harry continued, acting as

if he’d never been interrupted.

“Yes, Lord Potter, and if it should prove necessary, I will waste no time in doing so,” Lucius said

condescendingly. Draco glared daggers at his father for his rude tone but was dismissed out of

hand by the older man. “I would like to know if it is needed at this point in time.”

“There is the possibility of it being some brigand, my lord,” Sir Adrian said stupidly. Draco turned

his hateful look to the knight, who shrank back satisfactorily.

“I sincerely doubt that, Sir Adrian,” Severus said in a scathing tone. “If it were a brigand or ne’er-

do-well, as you have so moronically suggested, they would have made a move to remove objects

from the main part of the house. As that is not the case, I do believe we can rule out that

suggestion.”

“Could it be some homeless vagrant?” Lady Lisa suggested brightly. “Not necessarily someone

out to loot and plunder your valuables, but a person using the ruined tower as shelter during the

cold nights?”

“That is a possibility as well,” Lord Lucius answered kindly. The girl flushed prettily before

turning her big, doe-like, brown eyes on Draco adoringly—he had to bury the desire to practically

snarl at the stupid female.

A tap on his thigh made him turn to look at the man sitting next to him. Lord Potter shook his dark

head minutely before flashing Draco a smile that he couldn’t help but return. He could feel his

mother’s sharp, blue eyes trying to bore a hole through his head in her eagerness, but the light

striking those lovely verdant eyes of the man at his side was captivating. However, it was the

unexpected and extremely painful kick from Severus that had him clearing his throat and flushing

in embarrassment.

“Yes,” Lucius said icily, his grey eyes narrowed slits as he stared at Lord Potter as if he was dirt

on the bottom of one of his slippers. “I have devised that you should spend the night in the North

Tower, alone. How you handle yourself under these circumstances will determine your

suitableness for my son.”

Draco took the opportunity to look at the faces of the two young people on the other side of the

table. Sir Adrian looked confident and calm, but Lady Lisa appeared apprehensive. She was

worrying her bottom lip in a most disturbing fashion. Draco was surprised that she hadn’t drawn

blood yet. He decided to play into the girl’s insecurity and see if he could get her eliminated before

his father’s stupid little test. “Is there something wrong, milady?” he asked saccharinely.

Lisa started, her brown eyes nearly tearing up. “Oh, no, there’s nothing wrong, milord,” she

responded shakily. “I’m perfectly fine.” She attempted to turn her attention back to her dinner, but

Draco noticed that she didn’t eat anything else during the meal.

That was almost too easy, he thought viciously, letting his own hand brush against Lord Harry’s

extremely muscular, hose-clad thigh happily. If she makes it passed breakfast, I’ll eat my own

doublet.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

The next morning, three had become two. As Draco came down from his room to the library, his

father shoved a piece of parchment in his face. He looked into his father’s face and saw that his

sire was completely irate. “I can assume that that is from Lady Lisa Turpin, explaining that she’s

leaving then?” he asked calmly.

“I knew you weren’t a stupid, boy, Draco,” Lord Lucius drawled. It was only the way the lines

pinched the area around his eyes that gave away how very upset he was. “Perhaps now you’ll tell

me why the best candidate for your partner just left this morning, practically in tears, while leaving

us with the boy-hero and the moron?”

“Because I had no intention of ever agreeing to marry some little chit who is afraid to spend the

evening in the tower where Lord Nott blew himself sky-high,” Draco answered truthfully.

“And it had nothing to do with the fact that you and Lord Potter have practically been fornicating

with your eyes from the first moment you saw one another.”

“Father, really, how plebeian,” Draco drawled lazily, mimicking his father’s nonchalance. “While

I find Lord Potter attractive and a very skilled conversationalist, I would never do something as

crass as ignore our other guests for his sake.”

“See that you don’t, Draco.” Lucius looked over his son with a sharp eye. “You will spend the

day with Sir Adrian, until he takes his turn in the tower tonight. Lord Potter will spend the day

with your mother and Severus. If he can survive a full day of their attentions, I will reconsider my

opinion of him.”

“Thank you, Father,” Draco said with a brilliant smile. Despite his father’s orders, he had no

doubt of Lord Harry’s ability to win over Severus. Narcissa was already in his corner. In two

days’ time, Draco could be engaged to marry the handsome young lord that he desired. And

deserved.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

“So, Lord Harry,” Narcissa said as the young man escorted her through the castle gardens, “how

are you enjoying your stay with us so far?”

“I must admit that when I received the invitation from your husband that I thought that I’d be

leaving after the first day, but I find myself rather taken with Draco,” the dark-haired man said

casually.

The noblewoman felt herself relax. If he could openly admit his attraction to her child, then he

would make an excellent addition to their family circle. “And have you had the opportunity to

speak with my husband and our advisor Severus?”

“My godfather and parents were acquainted with Severus Snape, milady,” Lord Potter said

diplomatically. “Unfortunately, Sirius never had much nice to say about him, aside from the fact

that he was brilliant at potion-making.”

“Yes, well, my cousin Sirius has always had a problem with tact,” she said with a smile. “That

practically makes you and my son family already. Does that fact bother you?”

“Why should it? From what I understand about the nobility, we’re all related in some way or

fashion anyway. The only way to avoid being married to a third cousin or a great-great-great aunt

is to marry one of the hoi polloi.”

Narcissa chuckled ruefully. “Yes, that is the sad truth of the matter, I’m afraid, but I’m glad to see

that you have no problem with the situation.” They continued their walk in silence for a few

minutes. “I would like to discuss your defeat of the Dread Lord, if you don’t mind?”

“What would you like to know, Lady Narcissa?” While the boy’s tone was polite and charming,

she could see the life and joy drain from his brilliant emerald eyes. For the first time in her life,

Narcissa found herself feeling sorry for someone she wasn’t related to or responsible for as a

steward for their safety.

“Was it difficult? Ending it all, I mean. He had filled your life since the murder of your parents,

from what I understand.”

“Truthfully, that was the easy part. One minute, he was alive, trying to bribe me into joining him

in a campaign of terror. The next, my sword was coated in his blood and his head was

disconnected from his body.” He stopped and she looked over to see his face had turned a sickly

greenish-white. “I’m sorry. I should have remembered to whom I was speaking.”

“Please, do not trouble yourself about that, but I do value your gallant attempt to spare me the

details. I’m no shrinking violet, I assure you.”

Harry laughed. “I never thought that, milady. I figured that Draco had to inherit that from one of

his parents.” He gave her a conspiratorial wink that sent her into a fit of girlish giggles.

“I do believe that we are going to be very good friends, Lord Potter,” she said, directing their steps

back towards the castle.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

When it was time to go to bed that evening, everyone had gathered at the bottom of the North

tower’s staircase. Draco was glad to finally be rid of the annoying and stupid Sir Adrian. He

didn’t care if the moron managed to pass whatever test his father and godfather had set up for his

two suitors. There was no way in Hell that he would ever be marrying Adrian Pucey. He’d rather

stay celibate and go to a monastery first.

After spending an entire late spring day with the man, Draco could tell you everything about his

life. He liked to talk about himself. Nonstop. And at great volume. The very fact that Lucius had

forced his only child to actually entertain the idiot is what kept Draco from killing the man many

times over. Although, at times, it was a very close thing.

Sadly, it wasn’t as if Sir Adrian wasn’t attractive, because he was. He towered over Draco and

Lucius, who were extremely tall themselves. He had long, dark brown hair that contained a slight

curl and large hazel eyes. His facial structure was a bit…common, but if he kept his mouth shut,

his cupid’s-bow lips drew one’s eyes to the lovely flesh. It also helped that he was every bit as

muscular as Lord Potter, but with broader shoulders and thicker thighs. However, he had

absolutely no sense of fashion or proper decorum.

Towards mid-afternoon, Draco had convinced the knight to have a demonstration of his fighting

skills out in the courtyard with the guardsmen. It was amusing to see the man trounced over and

over by men paid by Lord Lucius. The dolt blamed it on Draco’s attractiveness distracting him,

much to the amusement of the guards. Draco’s fencing instructor had come along at some point

and shook his head.

“Well, Sir Adrian, you’ve yet to prove your skills in the arena, but Lord Draco is an excellent

fencer himself,” the small and dark man shouted. “Care to test yourself against him?”

“I don’t fence,” Sir Adrian said with a sneer. “I have to be able to don a full suit of armor.

Fencing’s no good in plate mail.”

“True, only a true master of the sword could accomplish that,” the instructor replied, stroking his

impressive handle-bar mustachios. “Lord Draco, I haven’t seen you at all this week for your

lessons.”

“I apologise, Master Rodrigo,” Draco said with a slight smile. “I have been otherwise detained.”

“Yes, I have seen the other suitors. I must say that I much prefer the other.”

Draco felt the corners of his mouth tip up into a self-satisfied smile. “As do I.” The blond turned to

look at one of his favourite people in the castle. “When this is all over, I shall bring Harry to come

meet you. I am sure that he would appreciate having an adequate instructor in the art of fencing.”

The Spaniard bowed, a smile making his dark face light up. “I look forward to seeing you both,

Lord Draco.” He turned to look at the knight and snorted derisively as the clunky man was

swatted by the sword master hard on his broad back. “Tonight is his test, yes?”

“Yes,” Draco answered wearily. “And it cannot come soon enough.”

The rest of the day was spent with Sir Adrian trying to show his superior skills at the physical

aspects of wrestling, archery, and hand-to-hand combat. Draco was utterly bored by the end of the

first hour; although, when the wrestling began, he did watch aptly, until the castle’s best wrestler,

Sir Caiden, nearly pulled Sir Adrian’s arm off. After that, Draco decided that he was more than

willing to read a book or to watch the paint on the villager’s huts dry than be anywhere near the

dull and tiresome Sir Adrian Pucey.

So, as the castle household—including Sir Rodrigo, for some reason—bid the knight a good night,

Draco felt relieved beyond measure. It also didn’t hurt that he was finally able to see Lord Harry

again. The dark-haired man gave him a knee-weakening smile and a wink that made his selfish

heart pound rapidly. When Harry tipped his head in the direction of Severus, Draco was confused,

until his mother came and took his arm.

“My love, I must say that I enjoyed my time with Lord Harry very much. Your father will be

sorely disappointed if he believes that I will assist him in attempting to find fault with the man,”

Narcissa said quietly. “Now, I do believe that Lord Harry is trying to get you to speak with your

godfather. They spent the afternoon together, and Severus will be an adequate ally against your

father.”

“Of course, Mother,” Draco replied, still obviously very confounded by the strange turn of events.

When his mother released him to join his father for the rest of the evening, Draco approached his

surly godfather. The Lord’s advisor was scowling. “Is there something the matter, Severus?”

“Ah, Draco, come with me to my lab,” Severus said carefully. “I have something that I’d like to

discuss with you, but there’s a potion that needs to be stirred.” He took off in the direction of his

personal work rooms, and Draco followed at a sedate pace, still wondering what his godfather

wanted to speak to him about. No sooner had the door closed behind the young lordling when

Severus began with what was on his mind. “I spent the afternoon with your Lord Potter,” he said

snidely as he stirred a rather pungent concoction in his cauldron.

“Oh? And how did that go?” Draco asked as he took a seat by the windows.

“He’s nowhere near as arrogant as I remember his father and godfather being,” the potion maker

said carefully. “It seems that he has inherited some of his late mother’s intelligence.”

“He’s also very powerful, Severus.”

“Yes, yes, and that is important to you, I know.” Severus turned around to stare at his godson very

carefully. “He has won over your mother, which is no easy task.”

“It sounds as if he’s managed to make you not hate him, which should have been a tremendous

task,” Draco replied. “Besides, if I wanted power, I’d marry that bore, Sir Adrian.”

Severus snorted. “If you subjected us to that dolt’s presence as your spouse, I would leave Malfoy

Castle and seek employment somewhere else.”

“You could always work for King Albus. I heard he has that fat man, Slughorn, brewing his

poultices for him.”

“Please, as if I would lower myself to work for that doddering, old fool.”

“Careful, Severus, that’s treason there.”

“So, you are determined to have Lord Potter as your spouse, I take it?” Severus asked, smoothly

changing the subject.

“If you know the answer, why ask?”

“Because, if I am to help you with this stupidity, I must know if you are absolutely sure about

your choice.”

“Yes, Severus, I am.”

“Fine. I will speak to Lucius tomorrow while Sir Adrian is boring your honoured mother to

death.”

~**~~**~~**~~**~

The next morning came and everyone gathered for breakfast. “How did you sleep, Sir Adrian?”

Lord Lucius asked carefully. He appeared to be waiting for the answer on pins and needles.

“Like a baby, milord,” the knight said, not noticing how his answer made the blond man frown

petulantly. “The bed that you had sent to the tower was extremely comfortable.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Lucius said coldly. Carefully, he turned all conversation to his wife and old

friend, ignoring the knight’s presence.

Draco couldn’t help but smile at the blatant dismissal by his father. This day is all but won

already, he thought. When Lord Harry’s fingers brushed his arm, his smile grew wider. And I

plan on enjoying it.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

The day had been spent wonderfully in the company of Lord Harry. Draco had taken the man to

see Master Rodrigo, who was only too excited to begin teaching the famous Lord Potter fencing.

After they both promised to return soon for instruction, they went for a ride through the

surrounding countryside. Draco showed him the nearest peasants and the fields that produced the

wheat, flax and oats that were sent throughout the kingdom.

When Draco introduced Lord Potter to the heads of the villages, they nearly fell over themselves

to make a good impression on the young hero. Harry, for his part, was genial and seemed

interested in everything that they had to say to him. However, when anyone attempted to

compliment him or thank him for slaying Voldemort, he easily deflected the person and asked a

question about the local trade. It was quite touching to see how humble he appeared to be.

He is absolutely perfect. That Father cannot see it is disheartening, but I think that between

Mother, Severus and me, he can be made to see reason. Draco smiled warmly as he continued

watching Harry talk to an adorable little girl, who tugged on Harry’s jacket demandingly. If he

cannot recognise that he’s the only one who does not like Harry, then I’m sure that King Albus

will have much to say to my father.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

When the time to part for the evening came, Draco surprised everyone by kissing the back of Lord

Harry’s hand once more. Narcissa seemed to be pleasantly surprised. Severus’s scowl was no

more pronounced than normal. Sir Adrian looked as if Draco had smacked him across the face—a

tempting idea, Draco thought smugly—and Lucius appeared as if he wasn’t anywhere near as

angry as he would have been but the night before. Harry gave Draco a sexy little grin that made

the blond have to struggle not to follow him up into the tower, his parents and their guest be

damned!

Reluctantly, Draco parted from Harry. Morning couldn’t come soon enough in his opinion.

~**~~**~~**~~**~

When the sun had barely crested over the horizon, Draco was awake and anxious, finding him the

first down to breakfast. He paced back and forth in the vast dining room, waiting for the rest of the

castle’s inhabitants to join him. Slowly, the rest of the family party and Sir Adrian—who looked

very despondent, not that Draco noticed—entered the room. After about twenty minutes, Lucius

called a servant to go fetch Lord Potter from the North tower. With a trembling frame, the young

girl nodded and left to follow her lord’s order.

Twenty minutes later, Lord Potter entered the dining room. At least, Draco thought it was Lord

Harry. Gone was all of the usual confidence and cheerfulness that Draco had grown used to in the

past ten days of his acquaintance with the other man. He had dark bruises around his dull, lifeless

green eyes and he appeared to be haunted.

“How did you sleep, Lord Potter?” Lucius asked viciously.

“Not at all,” Harry responded, covering his mouth before he yawned. “You’ve a ghost in that

tower. It appears to be the late Lord Nott.”

Lucius scowled. “I will have the priest come and take care of it then. Congratulations on solving

the case, Lord Potter.”

“Thank you, Lord Lucius,” Harry said around another yawn. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’m a

little too tired to have breakfast.” Lucius waved him off.

Draco waited until his father was distracted with telling Sir Adrian that he was not going to be

marrying Draco—ever—before he snuck off to speak with Harry. The other man was stumbling

down the halls, one hand drifting along the stonework as he walked. The blond wasted no time in

catching up with him and offering him help back to his room. “How did you figure it out, Harry?”

“It was easy once I was all alone. Nott couldn’t stand to be alone. And he wasn’t too fond of

Pucey sleeping through his attempts to communicate.”

“Did he tell you what he was working on?” Draco asked while he felt his excitement growing that

a ghost was actually in his family home, even for a little while.

“Not that I really understood it all, but he was trying to harness something he called natural gas out

of cracks in the ground. Said something about it being closer to mountains than plains,” Harry

muttered sleepily while they entered the hallway that lead to where Draco and Harry’s room were

located.

“Then he was an idiot to try something like here. Malfoy Castle is in Wiltshire. There are no

mountains here.”

“Yeah, Nott said that he came here because he heard you were handsome and rich. He figured he

could use some of your money to fund his experimentations near the border with Scotland after he

convinced you to marry him,” Harry growled. “He was really sad that he died before he had the

chance to even talk to you, but was glad that it wasn’t Pucey who was closer to getting you, since

he said that the other man was a moron.”

“Well, at least Nott wasn’t a complete idiot,” Draco whispered as he helped Harry into his room

and bed. “Get some sleep, Harry. You’re going to need it for later.”

“Lookin’ forward to it,” Harry muttered before closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

Draco watched him rest peacefully before he turned around to make his demand of his father.

Then, he would tell his mother that she could contact her cousin Sirius and begin plotting the

wedding she’d been thinking of for over a week now. Severus would just have to get used to the

thought of Harry living at the castle with them permanently.

~ Finite ~

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