Harry felt sick. "Draco is twice the man he was when you left him," he cried.

"Literally," Lucius sneered cruelly. "I will starve him if I have to, and salvage his tattered reputation, so he might be lucky enough to secure a girl of even passable breading."

Harry shook his head. "Fuck," he said in barely a whisper. "You sad old man. You care more about selling him off like some unwanted farm animal than you do his happiness. He's your son? And I hate to break it to you," he added with a bitter laugh. "But I didn't do anything to him, he is extremely gay whether you like it or not."

Lucius' eyes positively blazed. "I don't care what he thinks he is," he crowed. "He is my son and he will do as he's told."

"Over my dead body!" Harry yelled, finally going for his wand as Lucius went for his, leaving them at a standstill. "Get out of my way."

"You have attacked me in my own home," Lucius gasped in mock horror. "I have every right to protect myself."

"And I," Harry growled, pouring months of frustration into his words. "Will protect Draco from you with everything in my power."

"We shall see," Lucius retorted.

"Yes," came a new voice. "We will."

The door was pushed open where it had been left ajar, and Harry was taken aback to see not only Draco, who had been the one to speak, but several other people too, including Narcissa Malfoy, and Angelina Johnson of all people. The rest he did not recognise, but they along with Angelina all bore the insignia on their robes of the Ministry legal department.

"This is a private matter," Lucius snapped, not lowering his wand. "Who are all you people, what are you doing in my home?"

"I think you'll find," Draco said in a trembling but determined voice. "You mean Mother's home."

Lucius blinked. "Draco, what are you-"

"Well," said Angelina quite cheerfully, producing a roll of parchment. "That is what we have been clearing up since yesterday. If you had bothered to attend the review you had been summoned to rather than visiting your tailor, you might be more up to speed on matters."

"What my young apprentice is saying," one of the older men said, a spark of amusement in his eyes. "Is that thanks to your criminal dealings, your authority over the Malfoy estate has been seriously brought into question. We were alerted that the Malfoys acquitted of any wrong doing were deeply concerned of the ramifications Mr Malfoy's release would have on their financial security-"

At this Angelina definitely winked at Harry. He remembered now, she did work in the legal department. She must have taken Harry's concerns last night to her colleagues, who had apparently come directly to Draco and his mother's aid.

"-and therefore wished to ensure they were protected by the law."

"To cut a long story short, Lucius," Narcissa said evenly, her eyes ice cold as she regarded her husband, her hands protectively laid on her son's shoulders. "You are no longer the head of this family. I am. And I wish to make it perfectly clear, that if you leave mine and Draco's home now, we will keep the agreed clause in the documents to pay you a sum to live off, so long as you keep out of our affairs. Mine," she said pointedly. "And Draco's."

"Oh, yeah," Angelina said happily, pulling out another roll of parchment. "This one's for your divorce. You really should have come to that meeting."

Lucius started at them, flabbergasted. "This – this is preposterous!"

Harry thought it was all rather marvellous.

"This is you dealing with the consequences of your actions," Draco challenged. His eyes were bright with tears, and he was clearly afraid of defying his father, but Harry caught his eye and nodded. You can do this, he urged silently.

Lucius' manor darkened even further. "You are a disgrace boy," he snarled. "I will not suffer such insolence-"

"You have no power," Draco said, cutting over him. "Not any more. Not over me or Mother. You have no power to threaten me with anything. You do not control my fortune, you have no say in how I live my life, and you will certainly not dictate who I marry."

Lucius straightened, and Harry sensed he was anticipating defeat. "You would ruin this family," he breathed, infuriated. "Just to spite me?"

"It's you who tried to ruin our family!" Draco shot back, trembling. "We're the ones that have had to rebuild our lives! You think people still respect you? You go out into the real world and see how people treat you. Just because you were able to worm your way out of prison changes just proves what kind of people the Malfoys supposedly are!"

"Then your actions will only worsen the situation, you insolent brat!" Lucius roared, as if it were only him and Draco in the room, instead being surrounded by a pack of onlookers, most of whom seemed to be enjoying the elder Malfoy's unravelling a little more than was strictly professional. "My son? A bloody shirt lifter? A nancy?"

"Better a sodomite," Draco rasped, his nerve hanging on by a thread. "Than a coward with nothing but hate in his heart."

"Enough," the stern voice of the older lawyer cut across. "The fact of the matter is Mr Malfoy, that you have been asked to leave by the legal owners of this property. I suggest you come with me now so we can discuss the details of the transferral of your estate, as you failed to present yourself for the hearing earlier, and leave the owners in peace."

Lucius spluttered, the red splotches on his cheeks turning purple. "This isn't over," he hissed and his son and former wife, marching out the door with the half a dozen Ministry representatives in his wake.

"Catch you later Harry," Angelina said hastily to him, then gave Draco a quick kiss on the cheek.