An Interference of Portraits

Exercising a Bit of Discretion

'Harry?' Draco said, pushing the Study door open. Music and singing drifted up from the kitchen before he shut the door behind him, leaning on it momentarily and smiling at me.

'Hi,' I said, smiling in return. Gods, he was attractive.

'I was following the scent of the Firewhisky,' he said, shaking a glass full of ice. 'And I'm escaping the rabble. They're drinking you out of house and home and father and Arthur are singing along to that Walbeck crone at the top of their voices.'

He threw himself down in an armchair opposite me. He'd removed his jacket and his continental tie was undone at his open collar so that the V of his pale neck and his Adam's apple was pulling all sorts of unwarranted thoughts into my head.

'Oh!' I said, 'I think I probably need to see that and keep the memory for the future. Just in case.'

'That sounds like something one of my snakes would say. Are you sure you're not a Slytherin?' Severus said with narrowed eyes.

'Weeeellll...?'

He looked at me with narrowed eyes.

I laughed, 'I surprised Albus didn't tell you that little gem. It's a fucking beauty. Or maybe you would have burst a blood vessel or two... I can imagine your eye twitching already...'

'Potter!' Severus growled.

'Yes, Severus,' I said sweetly.

I was saved by Draco drawling idly, his gaze not leaving mine, 'so, what are you three so busy plotting at this time at night?'

There was an awkward pause as I looked at Narcissa, wondering if she'd be truthful. She was blindly looking at her glass but there was a small smile on her face that I didn't trust.

'Your mother has been telling Harry about the Black family motto,' said Severus lightly.

'The charming Always Pure one?'

Narcissa looked at her son wryly. 'Actually, we weren't talking about that motto. I was telling Harry about the other one.'

Draco snapped his head up to look at his mother. 'You said nobody talks about that motto to anyone outside the family.'

'Well, there you go,' she said. 'But as Harry is a Black now too, by proxy, he needs to know. Especially seeing as Sirius didn't have the chance to tell him. These traditions should not be forgotten. Clearly, Harry is not a fickle man and cannot be bought anyway but I leave him to contemplate the pledge that he has earnt your loyalty; it is now entirely in his hands...'

'Have you already forgotten my pledge?' I asked.

'I haven't forgotten in the slightest. And I doubt I ever will. Perhaps it is you who has forgotten that you started our conversation with a declaration that confirmed that pledge. I simply intend to hold you to it because what does true loyalty mean if it does not embody devotion, fealty, fidelity, honesty, trust... in sum total, love...?'

In the pursed silence that followed, I had a dreadful feeling that Narcissa had just played me. Not only was she right because her opening gambit had been the very question of whether I loved Draco. There was also an implicit threat regarding leaving it up to me that I suddenly understood: either I utterly respected and returned Draco's loyalty and never let him down or Narcissa would find a way to dispose of me. In which case, Narcissa was more ballsy than all the bloody Malfoys and their Pureblood friends put together because she'd just threatened the man who'd brought down her husband's old boss and the most powerful wizard in the Magical World.

I laughed aloud. It was madness. I also found it highly amusing.

Draco was looking between us, confused.