Harry sighed and tried to see the Lestrange brothers through the backs of the thronging people in the ballroom. They'd moved off into a more secluded corner of the ballroom for privacy.
"Rabastan and I are fine. I explained what happened before Rodolphus reached the ballroom and Rabastan understands that Theo and I are just friends. There was nothing in the hug he gave me, just gratitude and relief. It's completely different to even holding Rabastan's hand. I'd go one further and say that there was more intimacy in me just sitting next to Rabastan than in the hug that Theo and I shared. There's no passion, no attraction there. There is only Rabastan for me."
"And Flint." Draco put in helpfully.
Harry smiled. "No." He shook his head. "I liked Marcus, he was easy to talk to, but again, there was nothing there between us. It was slightly awkward to tell you the truth. There is only Rabastan. I'm drawn to him, there's just something about him and I can't resist it. He makes me laugh, he makes me happy and, dear Merlin, is he a good kisser!"
Astoria giggled and Harry winked at her before turning back to his brother.
"There's only Rabastan for me, Draco. I don't want anyone else. Anyway, enough about me, how are you, Astoria? You look very beautiful tonight."
Astoria was in a flowing dress of the palest pink that Harry could imagine, from a distance it might even be mistaken for white. Her pale blonde hair was tied up in an elegant knot with pale, pearlescent pink clips and she seemed to have made more of an effort for this party than she had with the last. He wondered if it was because her future in-laws were the ones hosting or if it was because Draco had actually paid her some attention during the Parkinsons' winter gala and she was expecting him to do the same at this party, so she'd taken more care. Maybe it was both.
"Thank you, I am very well. You look very handsome tonight. That shade of blue really suits you, slightly darker and paired with the black, it compliments you very well. You should try a darker green too, paired with your eyes it would look stunning." Harry grimaced. "My last set of robes are dark green. Draco told me to save them for the Wizengamot party in April."
Astoria looked approvingly at her future husband. "Yes, you always save your best colour and the most expensive cut for the more important parties."
Draco held out his hand, looking a little shamefaced. "I'm sorry for almost ruining your betrothal."
Harry sighed, gripped Draco's hand and pulled him into a hug. "You're forgiven, just don't do it again! I'm in control of two Beaters on the Quidditch pitch who will happily take your head off if I tell them to."
Draco laughed and Astoria giggled.
"I need to get back to Rabastan. He should have calmed Rodolphus down by now."
"Be careful. Rodolphus is the scarier of the two." Harry grinned. "I'm sure he's like a guard dog, you just need to find out where to rub him to get him flat out on his back."
Astoria blushed hard and even Draco looked shocked. Harry laughed.
"I don't recommend trying it!" Draco called out after him as Harry picked up two glasses of water and made his way over to where he'd last seen Rodolphus, from there he worked his way to the nearest corner, where a private, hushed conversation could be held.
He found them only too easily, they were big, tall men even if they were slightly skeletal to look at still. Rodolphus was looking furious and unconvinced and Rabastan was looking as equally angry and frustrated.
"You!" Rodolphus hissed as soon as he laid eyes on Harry. "You will take Veritaserum and prove without all doubt that you were not being intimate with anyone!"
"Rodolphus, no!" Rabastan growled out. "I don't care what you think, I believe him! That should be enough!"
"It's not!" Rodolphus insisted with a harsh scowl that made his face seem more like his wanted posters from Azkaban. "If he doesn't have anything to hide, then what's the problem? Or are you afraid of finding out that perhaps your dearly beloved boy has been messing around with others while you've been singing his praises and raising him up on a pedestal as the perfectly pure consort?" Rodolphus challenged.
"He hasn't been!" Rabastan insisted firmly and Harry's heart swelled with love for this man. How could anyone think that he would ever cheat on Rabastan? How could they not see how much he dearly loved him? He had no need for anyone else.
"I'll do it." He said simply, cutting through their hushed argument in one of the corners of the ballroom, where they'd gone for a bit of privacy, though, naturally, everyone close to them were leaning in and straining their ears to try and hear them, even though they'd cast a privacy ward.
"No! I won't let you! You're my betrothed, not his! It's up to me to demand such testing, not him and I won't do it. I don't believe any of these falsehoods and lies, Rodolphus. No!"
"Actually, I believe it's up to me if I want to do it or not and I won't stand by and watch you two fighting with one another over something that can easily be cleared up with a few drops of potion. I haven't done anything, I have nothing to hide and therefore nothing to fear. I don't know why it's so hard for you to believe that I truly love your brother, Rodolphus, but I do. There has been no one else and I consent to your test."
"I'll send Lucius to Severus immediately." Rodolphus said shortly and stormed off.
"I don't want you doing this, Harry." Rabastan said, very upset with his decision. "I believe you, I know that nothing is going on. I trust you when you say that. What does it matter if Rodolphus doesn't? You're marrying me, not him! He can accept it or he can leave us alone."
Harry smiled softly and handed over the second glass of water and he used his free hand to cup Rabastan's cheek. It was firmer than it had been when he'd first met him, there was more flesh to it so it didn't feel like the skin was stretched right over the bone. His Rabastan was getting better, he was getting healthier in almost unseen ways. Harry was so proud of him and it was ridiculous, but he couldn't help it.
"I don't want you and Rodolphus fighting, least of all over me, Rabastan. You need your brother, you two have been through so much together and I never, ever want to come between you both. I'm going to pass his little test and if it at all helps him to accept that I haven't been messing you around, I'll do it. He's so protective of you and, at the moment, he fully believes that I'm playing with you and your emotions. He thinks that I'm humiliating you and disrespecting you without your knowledge and he isn't going to accept that I'm not until he's got irrefutable proof that I'm not. I'm willing to give him the proof that he needs to stop all this fighting because I don't like seeing you upset, and fighting with Rodolphus always makes you upset."
Rabastan swallowed and hugged him tightly, pulling him into his chest. He felt firmer to Harry, less bony and he could stay standing for up to forty minutes now before he needed to sit down. Harry hugged him tighter and pressed his face into Rabastan's robes.
Lucius looked furious when he came over to get him, Harry thought that it was because he was breaking the betrothal terms by being so close and openly affectionate to Rabastan in public, but as Lucius directed him and Rabastan to a private sitting room, where an equally angry Xerxes was waiting with a stubbornly positioned Rodolphus, Harry had to think if Lucius wasn't actually offended at being asked to prove his adopted son's intentions and purity in such a way.
"Let's get this over with quickly." Xerxes muttered, sending a filthy look toward Rodolphus. Harry had the insane thought that perhaps Xerxes didn't quite believe that nothing had happened and it made him even more determined to do this.
"Stick out your tongue, Harry." Lucius told him shortly.
Harry did as he was asked and the three Lestrange men watched closely as three precise drops were placed on his tongue by his father.
One moment he was fine, the next his head had gone blank and fuzzy and his body relaxed completely, his arms going straight and loose by his sides as his back and shoulders slumped. "You are Harry James Potter." Lucius stated.
"Yes." He replied automatically, he hadn't even thought about the question, he'd just answered immediately.
"You are the heir to the Potter and Black houses."
"No. I am the lord of those houses." Harry answered again without thinking about anything. It was like his brain was no longer attached to his mouth.
"The sorting hat put you into Gryffindor house."
"I chose Gryffindor. The hat wanted me in Slytherin." Harry couldn't have held that statement back if he'd tried, he couldn't even think, he couldn't react, he just answered.
"You are an adoptee of the Malfoy house."
"Yes."
"Are you satisfied that the potion is in full effect?" Lucius asked Rodolphus smarmily. "Get on with it." Rodolphus growled.
"Harry, were you in any way intimate with one, Theodore Nott, this evening?" Lucius asked him.
"No." Harry answered simply.
"I told you!" Rabastan insisted furiously.
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