Favors
Chapter One: Two More Weeks
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"…743…744…745…"
::tap tap tap::
"Huh?… Ok, where was I? Oh yes,…746…747…"
::tap tap tappitty tap tap::
Draco was slightly annoyed at being disturbed from his very important business: In his boredom he had taken to counting the mosaic tiles that made up the ceiling of his enormous bedroom. He got up from his bed and opened one of his grand windows, allowing his eagle owl back inside from its nightly hunt.
"Now I've lost my spot,…1…2…3… forget it, that's enough" he said to himself and sat by the open window, letting in a light breeze. Looking out the window, he ignored the fantastic grounds of Malfoy Manor and instead his gray eyes rested upon the cloudy night sky. Looks like rain, he thought as his mind began to wander. In two weeks he would be in his sixth year at Hogwarts, yet for some reason he felt as if nothing would change. In fact, this year would probably be exactly the same as the last five boring years. He began hoping, however, that this year would be different. Just as the first drops had fallen outside, Draco was pulled out of his thoughts by the ever familiar voice of his father:
"Draco, come."
Draco shut the window and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Yes, father?" he called as he walked down the sweeping staircase toward his father's cold voice.
"Have a seat, Draco"
He sat.
"Stop slouching. Now Draco, I have business out of town that I must attend to immediately, so I will not be taking you into Diagon Alley to assist you in buying your new school things"
Draco simply nodded in understanding.
"Mr. Crabbe and his son, Vincent, have agreed to allow you to stay with them for the remainder of the summer holidays,-"
"Is mother accompanying you on your trip?" asked Draco, hoping to just stay home with her instead.
"Yes, she is," snapped his father. Draco should not have interrupted. " 10 o'clock tonight the Crabbes should be arriving by floo powder to gather you and your things. Be ready within the hour"
"Yes, father" said Draco, and he excused himself.
Well that was that.
A moment later he was in his bedroom again. He had a house elf fetch his trunk while he put his owl in its cage. By now it was pouring outside. Draco sighed. He knew that he wouldn't have a single intelligent conversation for the rest of the summer. Within an hour his things were ready by the fireplace.
"Have a good school year Draco,"
"I will mother," he said with a small smile.
His mother bid him goodbye, and his father gave him a bag of galleons to buy his school things with. The Crabbes arrived a shortly after 10, and by 10:30 he was sitting in Crabbe's room, where Goyle arrived shortly after.
"So, what now?" asked Draco rather dryly.
"Well," Crabbe replied, "Mum'll be takin' us to Diagon Alley tomorrow at around noon, I think."
"Very well," said Draco.
Late that night, Draco lay awake staring at the cracks in Crabbe's ceiling.
"…1…2…3…"
**-***-**
"Wake up, Wake up!"
Ron mumbled something unintelligible. Harry, who was staying for the summer, was groaning something similar in response.
"Come now Ron, we're late already! We have a long day ahead of us, don't we? Now just hush up, and get dressed. Breakfast will be ready in a moment."
Mrs. Weasley opened the curtains, letting sunshine fill the room. Ron sat up rubbing his eyes, muttering something sleepily under his breath. Mrs. Weasley left them to get ready and went to wake the girls. When she entered Ginny's room, she was surprised to see Ginny and Hermione already awake and dressed. Hermione was also staying with the Weasleys for the last 2 weeks of the summer. Ginny found herself becoming fast friends with Hermione. The two of them had been awake for hours already, talking, yet again, about Harry. Since Harry had come to stay with them for the whole summer, Ginny had finally managed to get over her fear of talking to him, and was now actually quite friendly with him.
"We've been talking a lot lately, and I haven't even been freezing up or anything!"
"That's certainly an improvement," said Hermione with a chuckle. She too remembered the time when Ginny turned red just at the sight of Harry.
"Still, I'm not quite sure what he thinks of me"
"Gin, who ever knows what Harry's thinking?… Or any guy for that matter?"
"I guess that's true, but I'd still like to know."
"Well we'll see soon enough I suppose. Now come on, we ought to go down to breakfast"
Mrs. Weasley was setting the last plates on the table when everyone arrived and took a seat. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny filled their plates with the pancakes, bacon, and eggs that Mrs. Weasley had prepared for them. The table had never looked so empty,- The twins were out inventing new jokes and pranks for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Percy had left the Burrow a few months earlier on Ministry business, and with Charlie in Romania and Bill working for Gringotts, every one but Ginny and Ron was gone. Before Harry and Hermione arrived, the Burrow had felt extraordinarily quiet.
"It's so nice having Harry and Hermione over, don't you think?" said Mrs. Weasley quietly. "With five of my children all grown up and out of the house already, I'd begun to feel that everyone was leaving me!"
"Oh c'mon mum, we'd never just leave you, you know that" said Ron in a very sincere and reassuring way.
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Well, enough of this. We're running late as it is! We'd better be off to Diagon Alley, it's almost noon!!"
~**-***-**-***-**-***-**~
*A/N: Now quickly, go Read, Review! I would really appreciate some feedback on this, tell me what you think! The next chapter will be up soon.