Being free of his usual lunches with Draco, Harry had arranged lunch with his father-in-law. While he never thought those words would be applied to Lucius Malfoy of all people, this world had thrown him enough hexes to understand that he'd never truly get ahold of what normal meant here. Besides, there could be worse options.

He was here forever, he loved Draco, and he wanted more than just the approval of Lucius. Why the other him hadn't ever bothered was strange, but he didn't exist anymore.

He'd start with honesty.

They were at the normal cafe he and Draco went to, and in muggle attire Lucius Malfoy was actually a lot less intimidating. His hair was charmed to look short like Draco's, and he could see the vague resemblance in him.

"You did a splendid job recovering the young Mr. Black, by the way. My wife, if she were alive, would have surely appreciated your efforts as much as the boy's own family did."

"Thanks," Harry muttered, feeling shy from the compliment and the topic which he had to bring up. "I still wish Pettigrew could have been taken in, but we lost the handle on him."

Deflecting first, then they could get to the topic at hand. No need to rush.

"I remember him in school. He was... tricky. I always saw him without agency. One would think he'd grow frustrated with it eventually." Lucius took a sip of his drink as though he'd said a simple thing.

He was right, and Harry remembered the same driving force in his previous life. However, that wasn't what he was there for, the case could begrudgingly wait.

"Friday night... we're gathering for Hermione's birthday, but there's something you should know beforehand."

"Draco isn't here, I can't imagine this is a good talk, say about grandchildren?" He eyed him, seeming as though he knew something already.

Harry doubted that.

"No, we've put that on hold. Recently my mind was changed, not about kids, but quite literally. This isn't the life I remember. Nor is it for Hermione."

There was no reaction, just a curious uptick of his brow.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"We're telling everyone Friday. Hermione and I have been lying to keep ourselves afloat, our heads are just above water. Severus found out, which is why they were split before she went into the hospital week before last."

Harry waited to see what would come of such a statement, but nothing did. Lucius seemed locked in his head, thinking, making Harry's heart beat a little harder.

"She's suffered a great loss, I imagine."

"Unfortunately yes, but how-"

"My son is in communication with me more than you are aware of, being away from him as much as your work requires. He is currently filling in for Severus' position, and you can imagine how that might make a father and friend concerned for those involved. I was not explicitly told, but I am a smart man. This meeting is about more than just your varying recollection, I imagine?"

Harry swallowed, the dagger through him expertly placed.

"Yes. I was under the impression that you would rather Draco be married to a woman, and I had to wonder why the previous version of me didn't attempt to do something to rectify this?"

Finally, movement on Lucius' face, and it was a smile of all things.

"I gave you my blessing to marry my son regardless of what I wanted my eldest child and only boy to do. You -past you- were content with this," he stopped and gestured to Harry, then brought the hand back and rubbed at his throat, poised with more words. "For fear of my rescinding this grace and what happened with Madame Snape and her parents. You didn't want to put Draco in a bad position. This new you is discontent without saving things, I can tell. Eager to please and to fix, a quality I never once knew you to have before. The old you was much like James in this respect, but I see wherever you come from takes after Lily more... and there is no finer woman alive."

Alive was the true distinction, leaving Narcissa out of the comparison.

"This version of you is very different as well," Harry couldn't help but saying. "You're a good man, for starters. The one I knew- needless to say the idea of you being my father-in-law was worse than the idea of me being married to Draco at moments."

"You've come to love my son again," Lucius couldn't hide the smile this time. "Let's bury this unpleasantness, yes? There is nothing I would want more than some other version of Narcissa to come from wherever she might be and love me for a second time, to fall for her again..."

Harry grinned.

"I didn't think it would be that easy."

"It won't be," Lucius said as though he were declaring a grand prize, "Not for me, I am a traditionalist, but if it weighs on your conscience, my reluctance, then that might affect Draco's happiness. This, I cannot have, nor be responsible for. Just continue to be yourself, and I'll continue to work on my own shortcomings, agreed?"

"Yes, sir."

They shook hands, and settled back into lunch.

"Now... your mother will be there Friday, correct?"

Harry laughed and truly enjoyed the rest of his lunch with Lucius Malfoy.

His next task was not so simple, although really any sane person not of his realm would have agreed lunch across from a prominent death eater might be harder than having a chat with a friend's parents. Alas, no one was of his realm, not there anyways.

Time was a strange thing.

Harry was wearing his best muggle suit, figuring it was in their favor if he didn't come in formal wizarding attire. While he was under the impression the Granger's problem wasn't with magic itself but with Severus, nothing could hurt by erring on the side of caution. Why he'd decided today was the best time to see them, he couldn't say. Maybe it was because he could tell from their calls that she was becoming hopeless over their reconnection, or maybe it was because he wasn't quite sure what else to get her for her birthday.

Either way, he was doing it, and so after work he changed and popped over to the nearest apparition point. The walk over was short, but gave plenty of time for his heart to start racing.

He knocked and they answered before he could even tug his jacket down.

"Mr. Potter."

Mr. Granger looked no different than the last time Harry had seem him, if not with a few extra gray hairs. His eyes were less friendly, too, and he no longer felt as confident as before considering this muggle was out-intimidating Lucius Malfoy.

This was Hermione's dad, it shouldn't be such a hurdle. He reminded himself it was also a different world once again and thought he would probably be reminding himself of that for the rest of his life.

"May I come in? I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Is this in reference to what's happened to our daughter?" Mr. Granger's tone shifted, and Harry hoped it was in a beneficial way.

"Yes, sir."

"Come in, then."

Mrs. Granger seemed less wary of him when Harry met her in their living room, but not at all welcoming as he sat down by her direction. There was no sound as they all settled in, until Hermione's mother pulled a note from her pocket and sighed, handing it to him.

"Is this all true?"

Harry didn't take it, had known what was in that letter before it was even written.

"Yes."

He hadn't expected the tears that came with that statement, but the couple seemed devastated by the news, which if that was of any consolation to them, then the additional things he had to tell them was certainly going to wreck their world.

"Sir... Ma'am, I assure you, Hermione is doing much better than when it originally happened, but we've also been dealing with something else that I think you should know about."

Harry had their attention, Mr. Granger holding onto his wife tenderly.

"Go ahead, Harry."

"Hermione and I were attacked a little over a month ago. When we were, however, this world didn't exist. She and I recall a completely different history, with little sign of who put us here. We wanted to go back to the way things were at first. Because of how foreign this place is to us, we thought it best to return to the lives we knew, but... we can't go back, even if we wanted to now. See, having spouses who we've both grown to care for for... not to mention the people we've gained just by being here... it's life-changing.

"My point is," he continued with a pointed look at them both, "We cannot go back due to us having only altered our minds not our bodies. While this was hard to learn for Draco and for Severus when he finally did actually find out, they both came around to understand that even though we're technically entirely different people, their vows to us are as real as the ones they made to the minds that came before. You can't say that of many spouses, and if you still think Severus is poor choice in spouse for your daughter, then I regret to inform you that maybe your other selves might have been a little more supportive... if they remembered who she was of course. My Hermione and I lived through a war, she had to erase their memories and couldn't get them back, and I would hate for her heart to be broken anymore, wouldn't you?"

"Magic is... a strange thing indeed, Mr. Potter," Mr. Granger said. "And I think I speak for my wife as well when I say I'd like to reconnect with our daughter."

"She won't let you back into her life without Severus," Harry stated firmly, knowing her stance clearly.

"We know," Mrs. Granger said softly. "The thing is, we don't have an owl with which to respond to Hermione, would you take back our letter for us?"

"You wrote it and never sent it?"

"There was no return address... we were hoping she would write another," she said, looking rather guilty about this before adding, "When we disputed the wedding, she'd already moved in with him unbeknownst to us. We're not proud of ourselves, especially now, but we were doing what we thought was right at the time."

"Severus is what's right for Hermione. We don't take soul-bonding lightly in our world, nor has Hermione done anything without great cause."

They both nodded, seeming as though they agreed.

"I'll go get that letter."

Mrs. Granger tapped her husband's knee and went off, leaving Harry alone with yet another protective father that day.

"Can we really trust that she's okay? Being different, it hasn't-"

"If anything, I think us being different has only made the foundations around us stronger, Sir."

Finally, it seemed they were both convinced, and Hermione might have a chance at getting her parents back, as long as she hadn't written them off after so long without a response.

"Well, it was good to see you both again," Harry said as Hermione's mother returned, a thick letter in her hand, sorted as though it might get sent through the actual post.

"You won't stay?"

Harry's heart was still hammering in his chest as he took the letter, and before Friday's feast, he certainly needed the rest that would come with going home.

"No, thank you, I appreciate it Dr. Granger, but I ought to return home. Friday is-"

"Hermione's birthday, yes... wish her well for us, will you? Make sure she gets the letter?"

Harry nodded with a polite smile.

"I will. Have a good evening."

"You too, Harry. Thank you."

He shook their hands and apparated home, the loneliness of it only for a couple more days before Severus was back to teaching on Monday and Draco was back to being his husband full-time.

Friday night was the trial. Hopefully he still had his family after this as well, though he would be sure to understand if they all were a little weary of him for awhile. As long as Draco kept standing in his corner, Harry felt somewhat invincible for his accomplishments from the day.

Even though he was much less likely to survive the killing curse this time around.

A/N: We're getting so close to the end, folks! I like to post the final chapter with the epilogue(s) in tow, so that'll be coming soon as well, but I have to say this is one of my favorite chapters. I liked writing this Lucius a lot, and Harry really is too wholesome for his own good. Hope you're enjoying :)