SWNOVELXO Chapter 17: CH 17
Harry immediately took a step forward, a nice, even, precise step and he fell in beside Lucius, at least until his arm was grabbed when he was in mid-step, which jerked him backwards and he let out a sharp exhale of air, which was the only reaction he gave to being so surprised. He hadn't expected to be grabbed in such a way.
Lucius spun around on his heel, his wand out and aimed at one of the men who had followed Dumbledore, the one who had grabbed and still had a hold of Harry's arm.
"I would suggest that you unhand my son this instant." He hissed angrily.
"He isn't your son, Malfoy! You've cursed him or something." "I would have expected this sort of blatant disrespect from a muggleborn, but from a halfblood? Well, well."
Harry turned to see Lord Lestrange striding confidently across the Atrium towards them.
"I suggest that you unhand the young lord. He is a son of the Malfoy family, not one of them I'd want to cross either."
Harry felt a hand shoot out when Lord Lestrange came level with them and it twisted the elbow of the man holding him and Harry was released as the man went to the floor, howling. Harry made his way quickly to Lucius' side, escorted by the formidable, intimidating Xerxes Lestrange.
"I will see you pay for this disrespect, how dare you grab my underaged son from my side! You'll be hearing from my lawyers." "Why don't we ask Harry what he wants?" Dumbledore said, even as he ignored the man on the floor who was holding his elbow.
"Very well, just this once I will allow it, but you have no business seeing or speaking to my son outside of term time." Lucius relented.
Harry assumed that it was because there was a gathering of people watching them, they'd caused a scene.
"I wish to return to my home with my father." Harry said clearly and concisely, speaking with care and with eloquence. It had taken several elocution lessons from Narcissa to get him speaking properly. He enjoyed the look on Dumbledore's face when he heard him speak, for as much as how he was speaking as the words he had said.
"You have him under the Imperius curse!" One of the men shouted out loudly to the crowd. "That is a very serious allegation." Harry said. "To accuse me of being under such a dark, debilitating curse, though I assure you no such thing has occurred. I've always been able to throw off the Imperius curse."
"I believe that the young Lord Potter-Black is just finally coming into himself." Lord Xerxes Lestrange said simply. "It is always eye-opening to be taught the things one needs to know, things he really should have been taught in his childhood, yet, for some unknown reason, wasn't. He was a disgrace to all purebloods. I am glad that someone has finally taken him in and has set to teaching him what he needs to know. Someone needed to."
Harry had to clench his teeth together to stave off the smile at the look on Dumbledore's face. Those blue eyes dropped to his right hand, where the two lordship rings were sitting perfectly, looking chunky on his small finger, but no less regal and important. He had obviously missed the newspaper article about him claiming his lordships; Harry was glad that he'd gotten to see this first reaction in person.
Harry saw immediately when the penny dropped and Dumbledore realised why he hadn't been called to any recent Wizengamot meetings…because he wasn't on the Wizengamot anymore.
"I would have hoped that you would have come to see me before making such a drastic decision on your own, Harry." He said in a quiet, disappointed voice. "This will seriously disrupt your schooling; it is a huge responsibility to hold on your own."
"He wasn't alone when he made the decision, I was with him." Lucius said smugly. "I told him of the disruption and what would be required of him and he has agreed that, though it will be difficult, he will reschedule his school work to fit in his duties as the lordships he has claimed demands. I have been helping him in the last two meetings, so he isn't technically holding them on his own either and despite what I would have previously thought, he's learning quickly."
Harry lifted his chin a fraction at the praise and he wanted to grin, but he didn't. Praise from Lucius Malfoy, even in the roundabout, insulting way that it was delivered, was high indeed.
"I think that this…conversation is concluded." Lucius said as he put a hand on Harry's shoulder and steered him away. "Say goodbye to your headmaster, Harry."
"Goodbye, Headmaster." Harry said dutifully as he turned with Lucius and left. Xerxes Lestrange walked behind them.
"Such an annoying, meddlesome man." Xerxes commented to Lucius.
"Indeed." Lucius answered. "It won't be long now before he is dealt with. I'm more annoyed with that halfblood actually laying his hands on one of my sons, disgraceful."
"On my future grandson and the soon to be carrier of my great-grandchildren." Xerxes said. "I would not have stood idly by and let such a thing happen, even if you did have everything under control." He said respectfully.
Harry sighed silently, everyone knew before him, it seemed, that his betrothal was to Rabastan Lestrange. He didn't understand the whole, carrier of the great-grandchildren though because he had no obligation to marry Rabastan when the contract ended, he'd seen that for himself in the contract that he'd signed.
"If he likes Rabastan, that is." Lucius put in silkily and Harry relaxed a little as he was reassured that his information was correct.
"I have every faith that he will like my Rabastan. He's a prominent pureblood, he's wealthy in his own right, he's intelligent, he's a handsome devil and he's fertile. I had him and Rodolphus checked when Bellatrix didn't fall pregnant after two years of marriage, there's no problem with either of them, but Bellatrix refuses to get checked."