A New Family For Harry

"I don\'t want a brother!" Draco\'s small fists and feet pounded the carpet upon which he had flung himself.



"Want one or not, we will be taking Harry Potter into our family from this day forward. And you will treat him as a member of this family."



Draco howled, and Lucius turned on his heel to walk away. Narcissa bent low, cooing to the boy and attempting to calm him.



"At least you could have brought me a sister instead," Draco sobbed.



Lucius paused at the doorway, then shook his head. Who knew what the boy was thinking? The seven year old was gradually taking on characteristics of the Malfoy heritage in expression, gesture, and opinion, but he was also full of conversation about garbled dreams, ridiculous notions, and imaginary creatures. It didn\'t make sense for Lucius to try to puzzle out his statements, particularly given the fit he was in the middle of pitching.



He made it halfway down the hall before Narcissa caught up with him. She had evidently left Draco in the care of a house-elf, as the sound of breaking crockery or toys attested.



"Are you quite certain this is wise, sheltering a boy who stands for everything that could hurt us, our family, our friends? What threat do we bring upon ourselves for taking in such a child?"



"Ah, my dear Narcissa. Any threat is outweighed by the almost immeasurable gains that are sure to result. Have you thought of this child, not just as a child, but as a political tool? The influence our guardianship of him will bring to us! The esteem raising him will accord to our family! Do you doubt that I would choose any path that would not benefit us entirely?"



She placed her hand on his arm. "No, of course not. I trust you. I am wary of this, and you must understand the news is completely sudden. And even if this will bring more power to us, you must understand that it will change everything at the same time."



"Trust me."



He left her in the hallway.



* * *



"Now then, go on, now," Fudge sputtered uncomfortably as the child clung to him like a limpet.



They had arrived by Floo only moments earlier. The boy had stumbled as he stepped through the grate, but managed to keep himself upright by clutching Fudge\'s robes.



"This is the family who is going to care for you from now on. Won\'t that be nice? Not like those detestable Muggles who were ignoring you."



Harry bit his lip and looked up at Lucius. He glanced past him, as though looking for the other members of this family of which he\'d been told.



"I wanted to meet you first for this special moment," Lucius said. He smiled. "You will meet my son and my wife later, and we are indeed, as the Minister says, to act as your family."



The boy cast his green eyes down to the carpet.



"There, now, you don\'t have to fret. We\'ll give you everything you need, and then everything you could possibly want." Fudge had sent ahead some paperwork detailing the conditions in which the child had been living, and even without the strategic value of this boy\'s addition to his household, Lucius would have been aghast at the way a young wizard was being treated by mudblood relations. Remembering a few of the key points, he pressed on.



"All of the food you\'ll need to grow up to be a big, strong boy. Your own room, with a soft bed, and new clothes made just for you. Toys for you to play with, books for you to learn from. And -- of course, you don\'t even know all the things a wizard child would take for granted. Your toy broom will be arriving this afternoon -- what do you think of that?"



Harry\'s red lips trembled as he looked at the grand study in which they stood. "A broom for sweeping?" No doubt he was imagining his exhaustion at cleaning such a room, never mind the rest of the Malfoy Manor he probably couldn\'t even picture, not with his previous household as experience.



"A broom for flying," Lucius whispered.



Harry took a halting step forward, and Fudge made encouraging gestures for him to go to Lucius. One more hesitant bite of his pretty lower lip, and Harry came closer.



"People can really fly?" he asked. His voice was hoarse, as though he had been crying for much of the night.



"Wizards can fly," Lucius corrected him. "And you, and I, are wizards."



Harry gazed up at him, his eyes widening with trust and fascination, as though Lucius held all the answers to every question he could imagine.



Lucius extended a hand to him. "Will you let us take care of you, Harry?"



Harry licked his lips, and reached up, his small soft fingers curling around Lucius\'s, the warmth of his hand keen against Lucius\'s skin. "Yes," he answered in a small voice.