Authoring note: This is an alternate universe story, but a complete alternate universe. Here, the boy-who-lived never existed. Please tell me what you think of this. I love getting feedback, both good and bad.

Warnings: This is a slash story. There will be boy-on-boy action, just not yet. There must be a build up right? Else, there would not be much of a story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; they belong to J.K. Rowling. I am just using them to express my imagination.

Prologue: Reminiscing

~Draco~

I look out the window and sigh. The weather is meek and gloomy, matching my mood. Oh, but let us not forget my grief and frustration. I am the young Lord Malfoy, head of the Malfoy family after my father's untimely death. Now I have to deal with everything that comes with the title: managing the family accounts, overseeing the manor, dealing with the staff of the manor and grounds. This is just what a sixteen year old needs; the responsibilities of an adult without actually being an adult.

I glance at the gardens, situated right next to the manor. The section I can see from this vantage is the one with the roses. They are arranged by four sections in a square, each side a different color. In the center of the square is a fountain. It is a very beautiful fountain. It has a mother unicorn with her cult, both of them drinking from the gurgling spring that is the water aspect of the fountain. Mother sits there, dripping her fingers in the water, staring at the roses.

She hasn't been the same since Father died. She takes to stare at things for long periods of time, not seeing it or her surroundings. Losing him is taking its toll on her. They loved each other, like brother and sister, but they weren't in love. Their families were very close so they basically grew up together. Their marriage was an arranged one, like most pureblood marriages. It's a good thing they hadn't made an arrangement for me yet. That would definitely lead to awkward complications due to my, uh, orientation. But I digress.

Looking out further, passed the garden, is the 'wild' grounds. This consists of a variety of different landscapes, all following together perfectly. There is an expansive forest that melds into a marsh on one side and rolling fields on the other. In the fields is a large lake that is almost like a loch in size and the bottom is fathoms below the surface. The far side of the fields is a dry terrain that leads into a rocky mountainside with many volleys and caves. The mountains slowly disintegrate with a magnificent waterfall. The river then meanders through the gentling slope as trees appear and then thicken as the river hits the swamp. It was all very magical and harmonious.

Of course I cannot see all of this from the window. The grounds are vast, spreading out for many kilos around the manor. Also, the grounds were magicked into their current state. It was done centuries ago by Taurus Malfoy. This is the Malfoy line's ancestral home, so of course a Malfoy created the grounds. My window facing south, so the current piece I can see is the forest.

At this moment, a thestral makes its presence known by flying above the canopy of trees, circling for a minute, and then plunging back into the darkness beneath. Did I mention good old Taurus' obsession with magical beasts? That is the reason for the sprawling, magically-enhanced land surrounding the manor. So, over the years, different generations brought new species to the grounds. Now, there are more species than I count. Though, there is a record of all the animals every brought here; I think it is the beast tamer's cottage.

Besides all the magically creatures, normal animals also inhabit the grounds. Some like horses, wolves, alligators, squirrels, rabbits … rabbits. That brings a fond memory from my childhood …

I was bored, really really bored. Mummy said to go play in the gardens, but the gardens are so bland. It's just flowers, flowers, and more flowers. And flowers are boring if you are a boy. I look out passed the beds. I could see where the forest and the fields met. Daddy said not to leave the garden, that it is dangerous out beyond it. Daddy and Mummy say it is safe in the garden.

Right on the fringe of the forest is a cabin. Funny, I never noticed the cabin before. It looks like it's very old. I wonder who lives there.

Just as I thought this, a boy exits the cabin, holding a small cage with something furry in it. The boy looks my age. He is rather small, with messy black hair. My blond hair is always nice and neat because Mummy says I must always be nice and neat. But that boy looks happy being messy.

He walks across the grass, coming closer to the garden. He stops about fifteen feet from me, appearing to not see me. He sits down on the grass and reaches inside the cage, pulling one of the furry things out because there is more than one in there. I can't help it. I'm curious, so I leave the garden and head towards the strange boy.

He looks up when I am five feet from him. He has the greenest eyes I have every seen. The boy stares at me for awhile, holding the furry thing to his chest protectively. He then glances between me and the manor behind me. I see his unease and want to make it go away. I smile at him.

"Hi!" I say. "My name is Draco. I've never seen you here before. What's your name?"

"I'm Harry," he nervously answers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Harry. Where do you live? Are you magical? What's that you're holding? It looks cute and fluffy. Is it a magically creature? Is it dang-"

My prattling is cut off by a hand covering my mouth. The hand is Harry's. He giggles slightly at me, his eye shining bright. "Do you ever stop talking?" he asks. I close my mouth beneath his hand and look down at my lap. "It's ok," he says, "It's just that you're asking so many questions so quickly that I cannot answer them." He smiles and removes his hand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just really curious and excited to meet you. I want to know everything about you."

"Really? Well, ok. What would you like to know first?"

"Are you magical? I mean, are you a wizard?"

"Yes, I am."

"Me too! Where do you live?"

"I live in the cabin on the edge of the forest. It's protected by heavy wards. I don't know what those are, but Papa says we are safe from all danger."

"My daddy says the same about the manor. What does your daddy do?"

"He is the beast tamer for the grounds. He and Mama take care of all the creatures here on the grounds."

"That's amazing. Sooo, what's that in your hand?"

"This?" he says, looking down at the furry thing. He smiles sweetly at it. "This is Peter. He is a rabbit."

"Is he magical?" I ask shyly, uncertain if the thing will hurt me.

"No," Harry reassures, "he is not magical nor dangerous. He just hops around and likes to be held. Would you like to hold Jennifer?"

"Yes, where is she?" I look around and see the cage with a rabbit still in it. "Is this her?"

"Yes, just open the cage and gently pull her out."

I do as Harry says. Jennifer is super soft and very warm in my hand. I pull her to my chest just like Harry has Peter. I am startled by the emotions I feel for the rabbit in my hands. I look up into Harry's green eyes, sharing my amazement.

He smiles and asks, "Would you like to help me take care of them?"

"I would like nothing better."

For the rest of the afternoon, we play with the rabbits letting them hop around us. They are so much fun. Harry is so good with animals. I can see it in the way he knows exactly what Peter and Jennifer need. During this time, I feel so close to Harry that I never want to let him go.

I stare at him as he watches the rabbits play together. "Harry?"

He brings his eyes to mine. "Yes Draco?"

"Will you be my best friend?" I can see shock on his face and he doesn't answer for a while. "It's just that I've never had a friend before and I really had fun with-"

I am cut off again by Harry covering my mouth. His eyes shine with amusement, and there's a huge smile on his face.

"Yes, Draco, I would love to be your best friend." …

I smile wistfully at the memory. Harry was the greatest best friend to me. We were nearly inseparable during those years. He had such a connection to animals. Harry showed me many creatures as we grew up. I think he wanted to follow his parents' footsteps and become a beast tamer. Already, he could influence some of the more dangerous creatures not to attack us.

Unfortunately for Father, he did not possess that same talent with animals. He was walking in forest, barely meters from the edge, when a chimaera cornered him. He tried to escape it, tried to stun it, tried to restrain it, but it was all for not. He was killed within minutes. Though the current beast tamer and I were nearby, there was nothing either could do to help Father. He was killed right in front of me.

Another memory pops up, though not as happy as the previous, this one from when I was eight years old …

I race down the hall, eager to meet Harry at our spot. We spend almost every day with each other since that day we met. I am not paying attention and I collide with Father's legs. We fall to the ground, me on top of him. Father sits up, gently placing me on my feet as he does.

"Pray tell, where is my little Dragon flying to so fast?" he asked with a raised pale eyebrow. I smile sheepishly at Father, and then duck my head. "Oh, shall it be that way then?" he inquires. His face shifts into a mischievous smile. "I will need to change my tactics to obtain this information."

That is the only warning I received. The next minute I am helpless under Father's tickling. Soon I am breathless, struggling to escape his hands. "Ok, Ok, I surrender, I surrender, Father. Please release me, I beg of you! I will tell you anything."

"Good," he stops tickling me but does not let me go. "I will graciously release you if you tell me where you are going."

"I will do what so ever you wish, Father. I am meeting Harry on the grass. We are going to hang out all day. First thing we shall do is feed the grindylows with his parents."

"Of course, the Potters' boy. You know, Draconis, a Malfoy should not, as you said, 'hang out' with one of the staff. It is beneath you."

"But Harry is my best friend, Father. He has been like a brother since I met him four years ago."

"Well," he hesitates here, looking at me sadly, "there was an accident earlier this morning. I was actually looking for you to inform you of it when you collided with me."

I am instantly apprehensive. "OK, what happened?"

"I am sorry my Dragon, but I must be blunt with this, since this is not something that can be sugar-coated. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were attacked and pronounced death this morning. I pulled the memory from Harry, as he was the only one to witness the accident. The Potters had just left their cabin when the attack happened. Four acromantulas rushed towards them from the forest. Mrs. Potter, I saw in the memory, had a calculating expression on her face for a second as the spiders quickly advanced. After a glance to her husband, she turned her back to the acromantulas and pushed the boy back onto the porch, under the protection of the wards. I heard Mr. Potter yell over his shoulder for the boy stay on the porch no matter what. The next second, the spiders were upon them. In less than a minute, Mr. and Mrs. Potter were being dragged away, back to the acromantulas' colony, and though their child was screaming his heart out and reaching out towards them, he stayed right on the porch, safe and protected, right as directed by his father."

"Oh, Merlin," I weep out, tears streaming down my face. "I have to go to Harry. He needs me right now."

"No, you cannot Draconis."

"Why not? I need to comfort him. We are brothers in all but blood. I will be the one he wants comfort from. You cannot keep me from him"

"Draco, it is not me that keeps you apart. Harry is not here. He could not stay here now that his parents are dead. He was sent to his aunt and uncle. The address was disclosed in a letter to me from Mrs. Potter. She had told me to open it in case something happened to her and her husband. There she said I was to send her son to her sister if they died. She also apparently spelled the letter to remove the address from my mind after I sent him to his relatives. The one thing I can remember is that those relatives are Muggle."

Harry was gone? Gone for good? Yes, it seems that Harry was truly gone from the manor, when I went to check the cabin and found it empty of his belongings. I cried for hours in the arms of Mother. She knew how much Harry meant to me, and did not berate my grief like Father did. I will remember this as the day I lost my brother of my heart ….

The day I lost my one and only best friend was the day I grew up. Never again did I act like that carefree child I was before. Father was proud; I was finally acting like a proper Malfoy heir. Mother was sad, because she saw my pain. I never acted like a child again because it was too painful. Every childish act of mine reminded me of Harry and I could not take it. So I stopped acting like that.

I have always wondered what happened to Harry. How did he turn out? What does he look like? Is he happy? There is a question I do not want to ask because I do not think I can handle the answer: does Harry miss me as much as I miss him?