Harry sat in the library, he had reread the same line a good three times and still couldn't say what it was. He had never been bored at Hogwarts before. Even the quiet moments were filled with anticipation. Sure, the eventual movement against Dumbledore was on the horizon, but it wasn't as messy as Voldermort. The old bastard wasn't above causing some chaos, only it was through different channels with an elegant subtly.
Preparing for the tournament gave him a free pass to skip classes. He had been taking full advantage, spending most of his time on independent research in the library or his personal collection. There were so many things that he hadn't learned until after Hogwarts. Being an auror was a crash course in multiple disciplines. Most pressing was the history of the magical world.
Harry wondered if Dumbledore kept Binns around to keep more recent events obscured. Grindelwald was pretty much only mentioned as part of the list of Albus' accomplishments. The fact that he was still alive was never brought up. Stories of the war had become just that, stories. It wasn't until he was an auror that he found out anything more about the war then just the 'Grindelwald bad, Dumbledore Good' version.
His boredom was taking his mind on odd tangents. There was still a couple of weeks before the Ball, he already had the second task figured out, and there was nothing to distract him. He had looked the restricted section over only to be greatly disappointed. The books from the Black family library made it look like the children's section.
What had taken up so much attention last time around? He didn't think he spent too much time on the egg. It wasn't until Cedric gave him some advice that he even figured it out. Not that it even mattered if they solved the riddle. The task was at the lake, they were told to retrieve something, and that was it. It wasn't like it was a scavenger hunt or something that required them to follow clues. This entire tournament was a mess.
Did his classes take up that much time? Even with his training with Flitwick and Moody he had time. They couldn't just ignore the other students to focus on him full time. Even with his status as a champion he couldn't slip away to spend time with Sirius. Hogsmeade was too close for him to simply pop over without word getting back to Dumbledore.
"Malfoy." Harry snapped his fingers.
Draco was always good for entertainment. However, it was Lucius that held actual value. The Malfoy patriarch had taken the warning to heart. A man who could disappear like that was good to have as a resource. Harry stood up, taking a quick look around, before pulling out his cloak. Once he was out of sight, he thought of Lucius, and disappeared.
Harry found himself standing in an ornate office. He scanned the area. Lucius sat behind a large desk reading over papers. The man wore horn rimmed glasses, his hair was now cut short and dark brown, and he was dressed in a muggle business suit.
He took another look around the room. There wasn't a single magic item in sight. Harry strolled over to the window behind Lucius to get a view of outside. He had only seen it in pictures, but he recognized the skyline of New York City.
Harry moved back to the other side of the desk. He took off his cloak with a swirl as he sat in one of the chairs before the desk.
Lucius jumped out of his chair, scrambling for his cane, and dodging to the side.
"Nice reflexes." Harry golf clapped.
"Potter?" Lucius was breathing hard as he focused on the young wizard. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
"I can't just visit an old friend?" Harry asked.
Lucius slipped his suit coat off, carefully setting it aside. He rolled up his sleeve to show his untouched forearm.
"Does it have anything to do with this?" Lucius asked.
"In part." Harry nodded.
Lucius took a calming breath. He took the time to fix his sleeve, as well as putting his suit coat back on. Malfoy returned to his chair, regaining his usual calm. He placed his cane within reach, subtly removing the top to keep hold of his wand.
"Of course." Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Old friend."
"How are the wife and kids?" Harry asked.
"Adjusting." Lucius replied shortly. "Is he dead for good this time?"
"Yes." Harry smiled at him. "Sliced him in half with Godric Gryffindors' sword."
Lucius stared at him for a long moment.
"You're serious?" He spoke slowly.
"No, that's my godfather." Harry chuckled. "I couldn't help it. Yes, Voldermort is now just Mort. What is Draco up to these days? Hogwarts is so quiet, and pleasant, without him around."
"He's attending classes in a private school in the city." Lucius answered. "It is more… inclusive to the Muggle world, but we are adjusting. I find suits to be much more comfortable than robes."
"That's understandable." Harry nodded. "How is Narcissa? Do I need to ask Sirius to return her to House Black?"
Lucius narrowed his eyes. "She is doing well."
They settled into a comfortable silence. Well, comfortable for Harry. Lucius was visibly tense.
"How did you find me?" Lucius asked after a long moment.
"It's magic." Harry gave him a bright smile. "I don't have to explain shit."
Lucius sighed. "If there is nothing else, I have work to do. Good day."
"Did you hear about Azkaban?" Harry asked casually.
"Yes." Lucius tried to hide the annoyance in his voice. "The slaughter of over twenty prisoners did make international news."
"There were a few other killings they think are attached to it." Harry drummed his finger on the arm of the chair. "Snape, some ministry employee named Umbridge, and Bart Crouch Junior. He was supposed to be dead a few years ago. That was a mess."
"Severus is dead?" Lucius dropped his voice to a whisper.
"Head lopped off like the others." Harry nodded.
Lucius studied him. "It was you."
"Me?" Harry asked in faux shock. "Someone who could get inside of Azkaban undetected, slaughter all of the Death Eaters, and twelve Dementors, before leaving would have to be incredibly powerful."
The muscles along Lucius' jaw tensed.
"Someone that powerful could potentially rival Dumbledore." Harry continued casually. "We both know how he hates competition."
Lucius relaxed a little.
"Dumbledore is a champion of the Light." Lucius leaned forward. "Why would anyone go against him?"
"Some could say that he holds too much power for one person." Harry sighed. "Some would say he had an active hand in creating Voldermort and the resulting conflict. Others might mention how he altered the perception of his involvement in the war with Grindelwald. Certain individuals might want to just kill the bastard. Regardless of the reason, they would need allies."
A silence settled in the room.
"I assume you will be in contact?" Lucius returned to the work on his desk.
"Same time next week." Harry nodded. "Ta."
With that Harry disappeared and reappeared in his dorm room.
"Damn. I should have gotten a souvenir." Harry grumbled. "Next time."
Popping in to scare the hell out of Draco might be fun too.