The Savior and the Scourge

Chapter 12

Three hours later Lucius was still alive, but only just. By rights the elder Malfoy should have been dead; besides the physical damage done by the multitude of curses cast on him, the amount of magical residue left by those curses should have been enough to kill on its own. It was a testament to his strength of will that he still lived.

It was also a statement of the skills of Madame Pomphrey and Albus was more grateful everyday that he'd lured the woman away from St. Mungos Emergency and Trauma Ward. Stealing the Head Medi-Witch had been a coup for the school.

Silently he watched Poppy speaking quietly with Draco and William while Mister Giles spoke quietly with Angel and Misses Summers a short distance away. Albus was concerned by Harry's reaction, however, or perhaps his lack thereof. The Gryffindor stood quietly in the distance between the two groups, obviously separate from them, shrouded in shadows as most of the torches in the room had been doused now that the emergency had been dealt with. Only the teen's piercing green eyes were discernable in the darkness as the orbs flickered between Lucius' unconscious form and Draco.

The Headmaster imagined he could almost see the wheels turning in Harry's mind. He and Draco had been getting along so well, and now this forcible reminder of why the two of them should not be together. Draco came from a Dark legacy and Lucius had actively sought the Gryffindor's death. Albus only hoped that the elder Malfoy's presence did not undo all the progress the two had made.

He wanted to comfort Harry but he couldn't while the boy insisted on this rebellion. Harry would have to take the first step to mend their relationship and reveal the other father of his child. They could not win this war if the boy kept such secrets...

Dumbledore left the hospital wing. Madame Pomphrey would move Lucius into a private secure room when she was finished with Draco and William – no need to have the whole school know about the fugitive in their midst just yet.

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Harry's gaze kept flickering between William, Draco, and Lucius. It really was obvious that William was a Malfoy, especially when you compared him to Lucius' more mature features. William, however, was rather...boisterous most of the time; must be the Weasley half of him.

Seeing Draco's concern for his father was bringing up conflicting emotions for Harry and he was, unsuccessfully, trying to divert himself from those feelings by cataloging the three Malfoys' differences and similarities. It worked for a bit, but then he'd get flashes of feeling – guilt, anger, fear – an emotional storm that hadn't raged since his birthday, and all caused by one man. Lucius Malfoy.

"So what's the deal?" Buffy whispered, stepping up beside him.

Glancing at her he saw Angel and Giles flanking her.

"He's Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father. He's a Death Eater and is supposed to be in Azkaban Prison for trying to kill me and my friends last year."

"Oh Dear," murmured Giles.

Angel just looked stoic and Buffy had eyebrows raised.

"So what's he doing here," she asked.

"No idea. We'll just have to wait for him to wake up, I guess."

Madame Pomphrey finally left the blonde pair and proceeded to move Lucius to another room while William approached Harry.

"Giles, if you'll show Buffy and Angel to the guest rooms – I'm sure the House Elves have prepared something for them. Draco will remain here while I escort Mister Potter back to his dorm."