Realization

Draco walked in the direction of the front door, the chime that announced a guest having gone off. As he made his way to meet them he couldn't help but wonder who it could be. Blaise was currently in Italy with his mother, Theo had been over just yesterday, and Pansy had said she would be coming over on the weekend. His mind whirled as he approached the entrance hall, wondering who would come precisely when the Dark Lord was at the mansion, this being the reason he had the charge of greeting whoever it might be. He poised himself before entering the hall, freezing as soon as he saw who was standing inside the door waiting.

"Oh, hello Draco," came the words from the black haired youth who stood perfectly at ease on the marble floor, hands clasped loosely behind his back. The hair was longer and his face lacked his signature glasses, but the green eyes watching him most certainly belonged to Harry Potter.

Draco recovered quickly and pulled out his wand, aiming it at the boy. "Potter," he sneered. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at that hovel those blood traitors call a house?"

Harry chuckled. "No, we aren't staying at the Burrow this Christmas."

"As if that matters," Draco bit out, unnerved that Harry had yet to draw his wand or even take offense.

"Draco," a voice called as footsteps echoed towards the entrance hall. He smirked as his father appeared in the archway. "Why is it that I can hear you all the way from my study?"

"Sorry father, I was questioning Potter on his presence in our mansion, let alone how he got past the gates."

"Oh," Lucius advanced, eyes zeroing in on Harry. "My Lor- Har- Potter," he managed, finally settling on a name. "We weren't expecting you. Allow me to show you the way."

"Thank you, Lucius. I found my presence unrequired and decided to spend my time doing something more meaningful." Harry chuckled, falling into step behind Lucius as the elder made his way from the hall.

"Meaningful at all, you mean," Lucius replied, turning to smirk at the black haired teen who grinned in response.

"Father!" Draco interjected, hurrying up to Lucius's side. "What in Merlin's name is going on?"

"Do make yourself scarce Draco, I don't feel like wasting my time being in your presence."

"What was that, Potter?" he whirled around, wand aimed once again at Harry.

"Draco, do try and act your age. Go wait for me in my study."

"But father-"

"Now." Lucius commanded, turning to stare stonily at his son.

Harry and Lucius watched the younger blond retreat in the opposite direction, muttering to himself. Lucius sighed as the boy rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

"Sometimes I simply do not know what to do with him," Lucius said, once again walking down the hallway.

"I found it rather amusing actually, the way he was pointing his wand at me, as if it was an actual threat."

"You would," the blond sighed again.

Harry laughed quietly. "He's not that bad, he did manage to keep his surprise at your little slipup under wraps."

"I must confess that I still find myself uncomfortable calling you Harry, however I doubt he would have taken well to you being called 'My Lord'."

"Yes, I do think that was a wise decision on your part. My last name is generally safer. Ah, we've arrived." He announced, stopping at a set of heavy double doors.

"Indeed. If you need me I will be in my study as always."

"You won't be joining us?" Harry asked, a mischievous glint in my eyes.

"I believe I'll pass, and I do have to go and deal with Draco."

"Of course," Harry grinned. "The best of luck to you."

Lucius shook his head slightly as Harry opened the door and stepped in, softly closing it behind him. The blond made his way back the way he had come, wondering what exactly he was going to tell his son.

"What is going on!" Draco demanded as soon as his father stepped through the doorway into his office, the door clicking shut behind him.

Lucius sighed and made his way to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself something strong. "You've met the lord staying with us, yes?"

"I don't think I could have missed the fact that the Dark Lord was staying with us." Lucius shot him a look. "Fine, yes, Lord Marvolo our other guest. What about him?"

"Potter is here to see him."

"Seriously?" Lucius just raised his eyebrows. "Oh honestly. You can't expect me to believe that Potter is at our manor to visit one of our Lord's top supporters while said lord is currently in residence."

"I does not matter whether you accept it or not, Draco. It seems to two of them met shortly before the end of your fourth year at Hogwarts and have been in touch ever since. As far as I am aware Potter knows perfectly well just where Marvolo stands, and he appears completely unfazed by it." Lucius shrugged. "Potter has visited him before, I find it more intriguing that you have yet to run into one another."

Draco snorted, he'd made a point of making himself scarce whenever they had guests over that he did not already know. His father knew that, and was using the opportunity to highly his delinquency. "Yes well, I wouldn't want to spend too much time in the manor, I might attract the Dark Lord's attention." Or worse, he thought to himself, aunt Bellatrix's. Family she might be, the woman creeped him out and he sincerely did not want her taking an interest in him.

The elder Malfoy threw back the rest of his drink, standing. "We will have to continue this discussion later, son. He is calling, I must attend to our Lord."

"Of course, father," Draco replied, standing as his father swept from his room.

He waited until Lucius' footsteps were fading before making his way from the study, heading to where his father had been leading Potter. He moved quickly, trying to stay silent as he turned corners and went through various doors. He slowed as he heard voices, knowing that he needed to approach carefully so as not to let himself be noticed.

"Well, Lucius? What did the boy want?" Draco felt himself bristle at the tone the man used, but quickly stop, wondering what his father was doing in Lord Marvolo's rooms. Surely his father had said the Dark Lord had summoned him, not this man.

It was then that a laugh erupted from the room. "Come now Tom, it's obvious he wanted to know what I was doing here. He's never been around when I visited before, so he wouldn't know. I thought it was quite funny actually, he had his wand pointed at me, as if he could ever do me any damage!" Harry laughed again.

"He did?" asked the imperious voice he associated with Marvolo.

"Oh don't look like that," Harry said. "Like I said, he wouldn't be able to even phase me. Lucius would have had to alert me to that fact that he'd done something since I would likely barely have noticed."

"Forgive me, My Lord, but I honestly do not find that very comforting."

"You know, Lucius, I think I'm just going to have to start ignoring you when you call me that. How many times have I told you to call me Harry? We'll have known each other for almost two years soon, do try and be less formal with me."

"Only two?" Draco could practically hear his father's raised eyebrow from his place in the hall.

"Yes, well I'm not counting the years you spent trying to kill me."

"What about me, then?" asked a snide voice that had yet to speak. "Have you only known me for a year and a half as well?"

"Don't even get me started on you. Merlin. Anyways, I thought we were discussing Draco and his penchant for putting his pointy little nose where it doesn't belong."

At this Draco simply couldn't hold himself back and he strode forward, throwing the door to the sitting room open. "How dare you come into this house and insult me!" he raged, taking in the scene before him.

The reactions from those sitting were not those he had expected, to put it mildly. Lucius sighed from his seat and dropped his head into his hand. Harry ignored Draco in favor of stirring his tea, while the man sitting next to him, Lord Marvolo, simply stared at him over his cup. Why are they sitting so close? Draco asked himself, eyes narrowing as he took in Potter and Marvolo, before widening as they landed on the mystery voice: Severus Snape.

"How kind of you to join us," Snape drawled, rolling his eyes at the teen still standing in the doorway. Then, turning to Draco's father, "You see, Lucius? This is why I advised you to set those charms on the doors."

"It has been noted," Lucius groaned, face still hidden in his hand.

"I do not believe I asked for you presence," Marvolo spoke up, eyes still trained icily on Draco.

"As if I have to take orders from you in my own home," Draco shot back, glaring at the man.

The effect was instantaneous and confused Draco more than anything. The man's eyes had narrowed, appearing momentarily red. Lucius and Severus had both taken sharp inhalations of breath, eyes sharply trained on Marvolo. Harry, however, seemed completely unconcerned and took a sip of his tea, eyes closing softly as he did.

"Tom, we really should get some more of this tea. It's truly a masterpiece."

Marvolo's eyes, though still narrowed, slid to Harry before blinking, the red trace disappearing from them. "Yes, I think we shall. I find myself rather fond of it as well," he said and something in the atmosphere seemed to soften. Lucius looked reservedly relieved, while Severus stared at the black haired youth in disbelief.

"I will never understand you two," Lucius said, almost reverently, relaxing back into his seat.

Harry laughed. "That's okay, poor Severus is just as lost. Look at him, I think his face might be frozen that way." At which point Snape snapped his expression back to the one that Draco was so familiar with and shifted his eyes to the blond teen.

"Can we help you, Draco?"

"Yes. You can start by explaining what in Merlin's name is going on! Why is Potter here? Alive, no less! And since when are you all such close and personal friends?" he practically spat, face turning pink. "I mean, come on! The Dark Lord is right down the hall!" At this point the four still sitting in front of the fire exchanged glances and burst out laughing, some more restrained than others.

"Oh my," Harry gasped, finding himself once again able to breathe. "This is priceless. I'm going to have to show Blaise the memory, he's never going to believe me otherwise."

Snape rolled his eyes. "What did you two bet on?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Harry said, smirking.

"You bet on the boy's reaction?" Marvolo asked.

"Of course. First we bet on when he'd find out, of course. After I won that one he suggested betting on Draco's reaction, thinking that having known him for sixteen years would have given him the advantage."

"Obviously not," Snape sighed. "Is that why he constantly burst into song that one week last year?"

"Yes, I set it so that the spell would activate whenever he heard, saw, spoke, or thought the word Griffindor. He would walk past me glaring and then slip up and start serenading me instead."

"Remind me why you're in Griffindor again, Potter?"

"Because it helped further my goals," Harry said, smirking at the potions professor.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"Oh no, don't mind me. I didn't ask any questions. That's all right, just continue ignoring me."

"So overdramatic, this one," Harry murmured. "Fine, fine. Have a seat," he said, a chair pulling up as he waved his hand towards it. "Certainly you remember the incident, during the Third Task two years ago?"

Draco nodded slowly, looking apprehensive at how willingly Harry was divulging this.

"Well, it went down a little differently than how you heard," he said, watching as Lucius and Marvolo caught each other's eyes and smirked. "We've been…getting to know each other ever since," Harry continued, sneaking a glance at Marvolo.

"That still doesn't explain why you're here. I mean, honestly, the Dark Lord is right down the hall!" Draco began again as Harry's eyes shifted and focused on the door.

"Lucius?" Narcissa's voice floated through the door as she knocked and opened the door. "Oh good, you're both here. Lucius, I need you and Draco to help me with the plans for the ball."

"Of course, dear. Forgive me, my Lord," he said, standing and bowing to Marvolo who simply waved him off. "Come along Draco."

Draco's eyes shifted between Lucius, Snape, and his mother before landing on Marvolo and Potter. The last two were leaning close to one another having a whispered conversation.

"Yes, I think I'll join you," Severus announced, rising and heading for the door. Having no choice but to follow, Draco stood as well, shooting the two on the sofa one last glance as the door swung shut.

"I can't believe you almost left me in there with them," Severus complained, walking ahead of Draco with Lucius.

"Oh please, they would have restrained themselves."

"Exactly. Except it would have been painful for all of us. I think Harry would eventually just snap and kick me out."

"What? Why? What are you going on about now?" Draco cut in.

"Oh nothing, just the usual with those two."

"The usual?"

"Draco, why do you think Potter comes here?"

"Isn't that what I've been asking you the whole time?"

The two adults stopped and glanced at each other before turning towards Draco. "You honestly don't know? You couldn't tell?"

"Obviously not. All I saw was that they were sitting a bit close to one another."

"Draco…they're involved."

"I could tell that much, thank you very much."

"Oh for Merlin's sake. Lucius, you're too subtle about this to get through to him. They're having sex. That kind of involved."

Draco just stared, disbelief showing much too clearly on his face. His eyes widened and he blushed before quickly paling. "Potter's gay?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "Let's hurry along, I don't think Narcissa will take well to being kept waiting for too long."

Harry took a sip of his tea as the door closed. "This tea really is good, though."

"I know, I was not merely going along with your method of calming me down."

Harry hummed in agreement, holding his cup close to his face.

"Harry?"

"Tom?"

"Don't play with me, child."

"I don't think you should be calling me that, especially when you're trying to get in my pants."

"Forgive me for being irritated after dealing with Draco. Honestly, if I weren't pretending to be some visiting lord I would have cursed him for being so obnoxious."

"Really?"

"Don't take that tone with me. You didn't like his questions any more than I did, it shows in the way you summoned Narcissa."

"Tom?"

"What?"

"You realize I didn't come here just to sip tea and talk, right?" he asked, placing his cup on the table.

"Thank Merlin," Tom groaned, leaning forward and placing his lips on Harry's, pressing the younger back onto the sofa.

A/N: I'm marking this as complete just in case, however I have somewhat started to write more to it. My motivation is somewhat lacking, so there are no guarantees. That is also the reason it's marked M instead of T, simply because you never know.