Harry Potter doesn't stir in Lucius' arms until he is standing outside Severus' house. The boy moves and whimpers a moment, but settles back down. Lucius pulls a strange comfort from Harry's own uneasiness here. He hates Spinner's End.

The way the cobblestones break off in parts and how the houses lean over as if they might swallow him whole.

He knocks quickly upon the door and Severus opens it within seconds.

His robe skims the dirty ground, but he doesn't bother to pick it up.

Lucius sighs as he repositions Harry. "Can you at least attempt to take care of my gift?" He smirks as he asks knowing full well Severus won't answer.

"Lucius," he breathes. "Is that?"

He smirks again, shrugging as much as he can with Harry Potter in his arms. "Just doing my wizardly duty. If you will let me in I can explain."

Severus steps back from the door letting Lucius tap it open more with his foot as he moves to clear the nearby couch. The walls are lined with bookshelves leaving barely enough room for Lucius to move as he drops Harry down.

"Why would you bring him here? No. Why would you have the boy in the first place Lucius." It's less of a question and more of an accusation. Severus' tone was too hurried and angry to be anything else. His voice is low, wary of any interference.

"I was nearby when it happened." Lucius starts as he sits in the armchair. He sighs and waves his wand, dishes moving into place as he begins to brew tea. Severus never offered him any even when Lucius came by with permission. "Narcissa and I fought this morning."

It's not much of an explanation, but it's all that Severus needs. "You went to a muggle town? Coincidentally the one near Harr-this boy's residence?"

"Some might call it fate, Severus."

"I don't have time for your games."

"Of course not. If one does not even have time to firecall..."Lucius lets his sentence hang between them. When Severus doesn't respond he continues, "Narcissa was very distraught when you stopped answering."

"I was busy. She understands that."

"Does she? Do I? Severus you are not alone anymore. When you agreed-"

"-When I agreed I did not expect to be hounded by you two. Once again Lucius, explain."

Lucius pulls his cane out of his pocket, unshrinking it in front of him. The familiar silver cool to the touch. "As I said I was nearby when I felt it. An outward explosion of magic. It wasn't antagonistic however so I wasn't concerned. I followed it to Privet Drive. The boy was unconscious."

"What of the wards?"

"Gone. The boy was under the rubble. I didn't have time to look around so I grabbed the boy and fled. I couldn't exactly go to Malfoy Manor with him and of course, you live with the godforsaken muggles, so I had to carry the boy."

For the first time since Severus saw him on the stoop, he looked over at Harry Potter on his couch. "The Dark lord?"

"Nowhere nearby. He knew the wards fell though."

"The mark?"

"Yes, it burned for a moment when I left."

"No time to spare then."

"No." The mark had burned severely when Lucius arrived on Spinner's End. Voldemort's anger always transcended words.

Lucius' tea floated to him from the kitchen as Severus leaned closer to Harry. "He doesn't have any injuries?"

"Not that I can see. A minor one on his arm, but I think it's from the Triwizard Tournament."

Severus pulled Harry's sleeve up revealing a long, still healing scar. "Foolish boy. I gave him Dittany." He summoned a bottle from his shelf and uncapped it.

"That's strange."

Severus hummed in response, barely paying Lucius any attention. He spread a small amount onto Harry's scar watching as it bubbled for a moment then slid off.

Lucius stood up from the armchair. "Severus."

"I know. It's a glamour."

"Runs right off. Do you want to remove it?"

Severus ran a hand through his hair and sighed then dropped down next to the couch. "Why would he use a glamour?"

Lucius leans on his cane as he considers him. Did Severus want the truth here? The most likely answer: no. He already knew. They both did. Severus wanted Lucius to lie to him. To make everything better.

Lucius couldn't.

"Why did you use a glamour at Hogwarts?"

When Harry wakes up the first thing he notices is the massive hammer in his head. He can't think beyond the consistent thumping and moving feels impossible. Still he opens his eyes. The light is blinding, but he blinks until he can see.

It doesn't take him long to notice the blond boy across from him. Much less time to guess at who.

"Malfoy?!"

His hair is loose, ungelled, as it follows his movements when he looks up. "And so the golden lion awakens, gracing us with his presence." Draco's mouth hasn't changed at all.

"Where the bloody hell am I?" Harry asks, moving to sit up, groaning when his vision blurs. He grabs the sheets as much as he can, squeezing them. When this doesn't help, Harry reaches up to grab at his hair pulling it.

He can hear Draco moving, but he doesn't bother opening his eyes to track the other boy's movement. Harry couldn't even if he wanted to. So when Draco's fingers wrap around Harry's wrist squeezing lightly, Harry flinches.

"Don't do that." Draco says as he pulls on Harry's wrist.

Harry wants to yell at him. Who the hell was Draco to think he could touch Harry? Act like his friend by doing unnecessary things. Hermione and Ron never bothered to stop Harry in these moments. They already knew it was the only thing that could help Harry. Draco is not an acquaintance or even a friend, much less Hermione or Ron.

Draco seems to reach the same conclusion at Harry's silence because he drops the wrist. "Sev hates wasting potions." He says as if that explains everything.

It doesn't, but Harry doesn't want him to elaborate so instead he asks, "Where am I?"

Draco sighs, stepping even farther back. He moves toward the door not even bothering to look at Harry when he says. "I'll go get Sev. He can explain everything to you. You probably need more potions anyway after pulling at your hair like that."

Sev? Did Draco mean Severus?

Draco leaves before Harry can think to stop him so instead he reaches up for his hair again. The feeling of rebellion he gets when he pulls it quickly is odd. Draco wasn't an adult, not someone who could command him to do something. But, Harry finds himself relaxing his grip on his hair.

He can still feel Draco's fingers on his wrist. The burn of it. Harry has hated physical contact ever since the first time Vernon slapped him. Still can't stand it despite the efforts of the Weasleys.

He tries to ignore the remnants of the feeling as he lets his fingers graze over the spot he had pulled, massaging it. Part of Harry wants to look for his glasses. To try to search for them despite the fact he can't see one foot in front of him.

The bed is empty. Satin, green sheets slipping down his skin so soft he barely notices them. Harry had never felt such quality before and despite himself, he reaches out to touch it.

Too soft.

It slips past his fingers without any effort as if it's running away from his touch.

Harry doesn't blame it, instead he sits up in the bed. The pounding returns with a vengeance.

"I wouldn't recommend moving so much Mr. Potter." Obviously Harry wants to say as he rubs his eyes.

"Professor?"

"Who else would I be?" Snape asks as he moves closer. Harry can barely see him with his bare vision, but he tries. He squints until he can make out Snape's robe floating behind him. The damn thing must be spelled because every time it happens the robe seems to follow the same current of wind. "Draco please find Mr. Potter's glasses. I'm afraid he'll injure himself farther with how much he is squinting at me."

"No, I won't." Harry argued on reflex. "How could squinting hurt me anyway? I've been doing it for years with no side effects."

"And if it caused later damage to the eye? How would you know?" Snape asked as he moved his wand toward Harry. He whispered a spell so low he could barely hear it.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

Draco rolls his eyes as he tosses Harry his glasses. "It's a spell to check you for injuries. Obviously. Do you not have any common sense Potter?"

"I have enough common sense not to attack a student in front of a professor." Harry says as he crosses his arms. Then, when Draco barely reacts he mumbles, "ferret."

Draco smiles cruelly. "I'm sorry what was that? You do know mumbling is frowned upon in high society, don't you know? Or do you not have parents to teach you such a thing."

"Children," Snape sighs. "You do remember I am standing right here correct?"

"Impossible to forget," Draco murmurers

Snape looks at him pointedly and Draco corrects himself. "Draco."

"Sorry, professor."

"Why am I here?" Harry asks.

He remembers yelling. Uncle Vernon getting so angry his skin turned vermilion and then a fist coming towards him. Stairs?

Yes. He does remember the stairs. A familiar ache in his bones, his right arm sluggish as he makes a fist.

When Snape watches Harry flex his fingers and arm he can't help but wonder if he knows. Yet when Harry looks down his glamour is in place. A nifty potion he had learned that senses nearby magic. Even unconscious it will activate in the presence of anything not muggle.

Snape can't know.

"Mr. Malfoy was nearby when your wards fell. You're very lucky he found you Mr. Potter. Voldemort and his death eaters descended on Privet Drive just as he left."

Lucky? Luck would have been having a proper family or being born normal.

Luck would have been not being discovered at all.

"Lucius Malfoy?" Harry asks as he remembers the man's face. Remembers the anger when Lucius sees Dobby free.

"Lucius Malfoy saved me?" he asks again because he still can't wrap his head around it.

"I wouldn't call it saving exactly. I just pulled you from the rubble," Lucius says. Harry looks up to see him in the doorway. Dark robes covering everything, but his face. It left him looking almost sickly at times. The black clothing makes him so pale he looks unnatural.

"Rubble? What happened?"

"That's what we wanted to ask you Mr. Potter," Severus says. "Mr. Malfoy found you on Privet Drive under what remained of your aunt's house."

"Wretched place. Nearly as bad as yours is Severus."

"Mr. Malfoy." There was a lot of bite in Snape's tone, but Lucius only rolled his eyes in turn.

"I can't remember." Harry says and it's mostly true.

He remembers the bare minimum, but not much else. The fall must have been harder than Harry expected.

"Just forget about it Mr. Potter." Snape says. "If you continue to push yourself you'll only create more problems for me in the long run."

"But professor-"

"No 'buts'. Lucius and I will return to Privet Drive and examine the rubble. I'm sure even us mediocre wizards compared the great Harry Potter can trace the magic from the explosion. You will rest here with Draco to keep an eye on you."

Draco rolls his eyes as Harry cringes. "Oh, please. You'll be in far better company than I will."

"As if," Harry yells. "I'll be bored out of my mind in bed and forced to suffer a prat."

"My son is a lot of things, Mr. Potter, but he is not a prat." Malfoy said with narrowed eyes.

Harry bit his lip as he considered his situation. A Gryffindor in a room full of Slytherins. A "boy-who-lived" in a room of current and future death eaters. People that should want him dead. He had been so caught up in the familiar banter with Snape and Malfoy that he had forgotten to think. To consider the war they were fighting.

By all accounts Snape was supposed to be a double agent for the light, but Harry had grown familiar with lying while living with the Dursleys. He knew that one lie could grow quickly. He also knew that lying became easier the more you did it. Being a legilimens could only make it easier for the man.

The sheet slipped off farther as he scooted back into the headboard. "Are you going to take me to Voldemort?"

"The Dark Lord?" Draco asked incredulously. "Why would we do that?"

"Mr. Potter, I'm afraid you have the wrong idea." Harry might have found the words comforting if they weren't coming from Malfoy.

He snorted then laughed. "I'm in a room full of death eaters calling Voldemort their 'Dark Lord' and I'm the one who has misread the situation?"

"We aren't death eaters," Draco says.

"As if I would believe that. Show me your arms." Harry looks pointedly at Snape when he says this, knowing the man bears the mark.

Snape doesn't flinch, but rolls up the sleeve of his arm revealing his dark mark as Malfoy does the same beside him. "We bear the mark, but we do not serve. I know Dumbledore told you, but I have defected. Lucius and I defected at the same time."

"I do not serve the Dark Lord," Malfoy confirms. "Have you ever heard of the taboo curse, Mr. Potter?"

Harry shakes his head and Malfoy continues, "The taboo curse allows someone to trace a word. Anytime that word is spoken, a trace to their very location is sent out. The Dark Lord has placed such a curse on his name."

"That's why everyone calls him 'he-who-must-not-be-named.'"

"A single utterance of his name could bring death eaters into the area within minutes," Snape agreed, smiling sadly. "It helps quell any resistances. Minor resistances anyway."

Harry understood even if Snape didn't think he would. Forcing people to call him 'The Dark Lord' or 'he-who-must-not-be-named' dehumanized Voldemort. Any small resistances unable to even call the man by his name would be discouraged every time they discussed him. Any small resistances too misinformed to know better would be killed.

"Severus," Lucius said pointedly. "We don't want to waste time."

"He's right. We'll be back within the hour so don't kill each other. I would hate to waste good potions getting the blood out of Narcissa's carpet."

Draco shivered beside Harry and nodded. "I don't want to die just yet," he smiled. "If we do kill each other I'll make sure to keep the blood on the balcony."

"Good idea Draco." Lucius smirked as he pushed Snape out the door. "Just have one of the elfs hose off the balcony when you're done."

"You can't be serious Lucius."

"It's a joke. Clearly."

"Clearly."

Harry watched them leave as much as he could from his position until Lucius closed the door behind them. "Are they always like that?"

"As much as they can be," Draco replied, watching him. When Harry met his gaze though, he didn't bother to avert his eyes.

"Now Potter, what shall we do to pass the time?" He asked, smirking.

A/N: I'll probably edit in the morning more since my beta reader and I were tired by the time I finished writing. Again. It seems like it's the only time I'm actually able to finish. Early hour writing is the best until you have to edit.