"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.
Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.
"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here — another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."
In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.
"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"
"Yes," said Harry.
"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."
Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.
(Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling)
He frowned. For some reason, Harry had expected wizard's his age to be, well, different than his cousin, a muggle. Maybe wizard's were just muggles with magic, after all.
"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.
(Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling)
"No. Actually, I didn't even know about magic until today." Harry said stiffly.
The boy gaped at him, looking as if he wanted to lean away from Harry.
"Are your parents muggles?" he asked, clearly disgusted.
"No. They were magical, but they died. My aunt and uncle are muggles, though, and they raised me."
Harry felt oddly defensive. Not that he cared what people thought of the Dursley's, of course, but he did care what kind of impression he made in the magical world. And he certainly didn't want people to compare him to his relatives.
The boy looked relieved.
"Oh, so you're a half-blood. That's fine, then. I'm Draco Malfoy. What's your name?"
"Harry Potter," he answered, his new-found fame in the front of his mind. He wondered if the boy, Draco, had heard of him, and if he had, how he would react.
"Are you really? And you were raised by muggles? That's awful."
Malfoy seemed genuinely sympathetic, which surprised Harry.
"Yeah, I guess it is. It would have been amazing to grow up with magic."
Draco nodded.
"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.
(Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling)
"That's Hagrid. He works at Hogwarts, so he's the one who brought me my letter and everything."
Much to Harry's surprise, Draco appeared horrified.
"You found out from him? I've heard of him, he's some kind of servant. And they sent him to give you your introduction to the wizarding world?"
Harry just nodded. There wasn't anything wrong with Hagrid.
Was there?
Malfoy seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, before he grinned widely.
"Would you like to meet my parents? Father's just next door, and I bet you still have to buy your books anyway. And I think he'd like to meet you."
Harry was a bit nervous at this question. He had never been to meet anyone else's parents before. But he wanted Draco to like him, too.
"Alright, I guess."
"Great!"
They waited a few moments longer as Madam Malkin finished up with their robes, Harry's dread growing by the minute.
Once she was finished, they both stepped down, taking their packages.
"Come on, Potter."
As they exited the shop, Harry grinned at Hagrid, before quickly speaking.
"Draco wants me to go meet his parents, alright? I'll be right back."
And before Hagrid could protest, Harry darted inside the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts.
He saw Draco several aisles down, talking to a man with long blond hair, who must be his father. He was tall, and rather intimidating. But Draco had been nice enough, even if he was a bit arrogant, so maybe his father was nice, too.
Slowly, he walked over towards the pair.
"Here he is, father. Potter, may I introduce my father, Lord Lucius Malfoy? Father, this is Harry Potter."
The man looked down at Harry, an unreadable expression on his face.
"So, this is the Boy-Who-Lived… it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter."
He held out his hand.
Quite nervous - after all, Malfoy had introduced his father as a lord - Harry reached out.
"Likewise."
It seemed to be the safest route, as Harry wasn't sure what to call a lord.
But before Mr - Lord? - Malfoy could say anything about his manners, Draco spoke up.
"Potter's just told me that he's been raised by muggles, father. He didn't even know that he was a wizard until he got his letter. Who was it that told you, Potter?"
"It was Hagrid. My relatives, well, they didn't want me to go to Hogwarts," Harry said, ashamed, but not wanting to lie.
Lord Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "Muggles, really? And I had been curious… In any case, I'm certain my wife would love to meet you as well, especially as you seem to get on so well with Draco. Would you perhaps care to join use for the rest of your trip to Diagon?"
Thoughts were racing through Harry's mind as he quickly went over his options. He barely knew the Malfoy's - could he trust them? But then, he barely knew Hagrid, either. And he really wanted a friend in the magical world.
His first friend.
"That would be wonderful, thank you. But Hagrid's supposed to be taking me, you see, and I don't want to cause any trouble."
Lord Malfoy smiled a bit at that, though it wasn't a very pleasant smile, Harry thought.
"Of course. Perhaps I could speak to, ah, Hagrid for you? I'm certain he would be willing to allow you to accompany us."
"Thank you, sir, I appreciate it."
After all, even though Hagrid had come to take him away from the Dursley's, and Harry thought he would always be special because of that, Harry did want to be friend with someone his own age. Someone like Draco. And if he had to leave Hagrid for now, he was sure that the large man would understand once he explained.
The elder Malfoy had turned an exited the book shop, and Draco was looking at Harry expectantly.
"Well, we ought to get our books, I suppose. Come on." And he lead Harry away.
"Er, Malfoy? Do you know if they have any books for muggleborns? Not that I am one, of course," Harry added hastily, "but I might as well be, knowing as much as I do about the magical world."
Malfoy looked a bit uncomfortable with the question, and a bit angry, too, though Harry didn't understand why.
"Yes, there are books to introduce muggeborns. But you don't need any of that, Potter. I'll tell you what you need to know, and I'm sure mother and father wouldn't let you go to Hogwarts ignorant."
Harry wasn't sure what to think of that, but he just nodded, afraid to offend his possible friend.
The two boys started walking the halls, picking up their required books. In addition, Harry bought a book on wizarding genealogy, per Malfoy's recommendation.
"It's self-updating, and every pureblood, or halfblood, I suppose, worth their salt knows their family history."
Harry was tempted to buy a few more, but only added Hogwarts, a History to his basket, curious about his new school.
By the time Harry and Malfoy were ready to pay, Malfoy's father had returned. He had a distinctly ruffled look about him, and a bit of a sneer on his face that softened as he looked at the two boys.
"Ah, Mr. Potter. I've spoken to Hagrid, and he has agreed to allow you to finish your shopping with us. I expect you both have all of your required books already?
"Yes father."
"Yes, sir."
Lucius merely nodded, and lead them both up to the front desk, where he paid for Draco's books.
Harry handed over a handful of sickles and several galleons, and received four knuts in exchange.
He watched, curious, as Lord Malfoy drew his want from his cane, where it had been concealed. Silently, he flicked his want twice, pointing it at each bag of books. Catching Harry's look, he spoke.
"A simple feather-light charm. I expect you'll be learning it in your first year. Now, Narcissa will be getting worried - we were supposed to meet her five minutes ago for lunch. Come along, boys."
Lord Malfoy swept out of the store, Draco and Harry following him. They made their way down the alley, past Gringotts to what appeared to be another section of Diagon Alley.
It was much less crowded, and the wizards who were present gave off an air of distinct superiority, much like Harry had noticed from Draco and his father.
Finally, they arrived at a black building, silver lettering declaring it to be The Occamy's Razor.
As they entered, a man in fine black and silver robes gave a deep bow.
"Ah, Lord Malfoy, young Master Malfoy. The Lady Narcissa is expecting you."
"Thank you, Chadwick. And we will be having an addition to our party - may I introduce you to Harry Potter?"
The man was visibly surprised, but quickly gathered himself.
"Mr. Potter, it is an honor to welcome you into my establishment. Please, if you'll all follow me?"
He lead them through a narrow hallway, lit by torches that glowed silver rather than the orange flame that Harry was used to. Up a winding staircase, and they were in a small but lavishly decorated room, where a woman sat at a table, sipping a glass of water. She stood as they entered, a smile on her face.
"Lucius, Draco. I was beginning to worry."
She kissed Lucius on the cheek, and did the same to Draco, before she looked at Harry.
"And who is this, Lucius? Has Draco made a new friend?"
Lucius smiled, the first time Harry saw him do so, and for some reason it warmed Harry.
"It would certainly appear so, my dear. May I introduce Harry Potter? Mr. Potter, this is my wife Lady Narcissa."
Quite unsure what to do in this situation, Harry just smiled and ducked his head shyly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Lady Narcissa looked at him for what seemed like a long moment, before smiling.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Potter. I'm so glad that you could join us."
And with that, the tension that Harry hadn't even noticed building disappeared.
Narcissa sat back down, and Lucius sat next to her. He looked at his son, and there seemed to be some kind of silent communication between them before Draco moved to sit next to his father.
That left a seat for Harry between Draco and Narcissa, across from Lucius, which Harry took.
Menu's appeared in front of them, and the Malfoy's started perusing them.
Harry, who had never been to a restaurant before in his life, slowly picked his up and began reading.
He was quite bewildered at what he saw.
There were languages of all sorts on the menu, and what was in English might have been Japanese for all Harry understood it.
He must have appeared as lost as he felt, because Narcissa leaned over, resting her hand on Harry's shoulder. He looked at her, seeing a kind smile on her face, and relaxed.
"Have you ever been to a restaurant like this before, Mr. Potter?" she asked quietly.
"I've never been to a restaurant before at all, actually." Harry whispered back, ashamed. "And, er, please call me Harry."
Her smile widened, even as she look surprised.
"Of course, Harry. And you must call me Narcissa. Have you gotten your want yet?"
Harry shook his head.
"Alright. I'll show you what to do, and next time you'll know."
He nodded.
Reaching out, Narcissa tapped the menu with her wand.
"English, please."
The words on the menu wriggled, before transforming before Harry's eyes, and he could suddenly read everything.
"Thank you," he whispered, and she smiled at him again.
It was about five minute later when Lucius put his menu down, and Narcissa and Draco followed his lead. Harry, who had just decided, followed suit.
A young woman appeared immediately after, dipping into a shallow curtsy before pulling out a sheet of parchment and a quill.
"What will you be enjoying this evening?" she asked.
Lucius and Narcissa both ordered something in French, as did Draco.
Harry was suddenly terribly uncertain about his choice, but rallied himself and order himself a steak, medium rare.
The waitress nodded, before disappearing behind the purple curtains again.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief, as none of the Malfoy's seemed have anything negative to say about his meal.
Draco glanced at his father, before turning to his mother, seemingly eager to tell her something. She seemed to understand his expression, because she spoke.
"So, Draco. Why don't you tell me how you and Harry met?"
And with that, Draco launched into the story as if it were some amazing adventure.
"And Potter told me that he was raised by muggles, can you believe it? So I told him that you father would like to meet him."
"Muggles, really?" Narcissa said, clearly displeased by the news. She turned to Harry, clearly curious. "Who told you about Hogwarts, Harry? Surely not the muggles?"
He shook his head.
"No, it was Hagrid. My relative kept hiding the letters from me, you see, and finally they took me to some hut on an island to get away. Hagrid broke down the door and made them let me go to Hogwarts."
Harry had been ashamed of the story before, but now, looking only at Narcissa, he was able to tell it.
Narcissa and Lucius exchange a look.
"Might I ask, Harry, what Hagrid told you about the wizarding world?"
So Harry told them, almost word for word, the conversation that had gone on.
As soon as he finished, the meals appeared.
As tempted as he was to just dig in, Harry waited to Lord Malfoy to start, wanting to see which of the many forks it was appropriate to use.
Mimicking Narcissa, he began to eat.
It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.
There was silence for a while, as they all began to eat. But eventually, Narcissa turned to him again.
"Harry, I was just wondering - did Hagrid give you anything besides your Hogwarts letter? Any books or anything like that?"
Harry shook his head, mouth full of food.
Narcissa didn't look surprised at this at all.
They finished their meal speaking of more lighthearted things, Draco telling Harry all about Quidditch.
Once all of them had finished eating, the waitress returned and too their plates away. Lucius turned to Draco and Harry.
"Why don't you two boys have some dessert? Narcissa and I need a moment to speak to each other."
Draco nodded, and Lucius stood, pulling Narcissa's chair out and giving her his arm.
Once they were gone, the menu's appeared again.
As Harry began to read, Draco leaned over towards him, a conspiratorial grin on his face.
"I bet they're going to invite you to spend the rest of the summer with us," he said.
"Really?" Harry replied, barely able to contain his joy at the thought. From what he had seen, the Malfoy's were the kind of family he had always dreamed of being a part of, if a bit more elegant. He couldn't imagine spending time with them.
The waitress returned, and Draco ordered tiramisu, while Harry asked for chocolate ice-cream.
The two were enjoying their respective desserts when the elderly Malfoy's returned.
Lucius pulled Narcissa's chair out for her, before sitting down himself.
"Harry."
It was Narcissa that spoke.
"Lucius and I would like to invite you to spend the rest of summer at our home."
A smile broke out on Harry's face.
"Yes!" he nearly shouted, before blushing. "Er, I mean, yes, please. That would be amazing."
Lucius coughed into a handkerchief, and Harry had the sneaking suspicion that he was hiding a laugh.
But something occurred to Harry - something dreadful.
"But what about my relatives? I'm not sure they'll give permission."
A dark look appeared in both Lucius and Narcissa's eyes, but it was Lucius who spoke.
"Don't worry about that, Mr. Potter. I'll go to their house personally, and speak to them. If you could give me their address?"
"Of course. Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."
Draco and Harry both finished their desserts, and Lucius pulled a piece of parchment out from his pocket, as well as a quill. He wrote a quick message, leaving it on the table.
"Narcissa will take you two to finish your shopping, and I'll speak to your relatives, Mr. Potter."
Lucius shook hands with Harry, squeezed Draco's shoulder, and gave Narcissa a brief kiss, before turning on his heel and disappearing with a loudcrack.
Narcissa smiled at him, explaining. "It's called apparition. You'll learn how when your sixteen, and get your license when you're of age."
Harry nodded.
She swept out of the room and down the stairs, Draco and Harry following her.
"Since you're going to be staying with us, Potter, you should call me Draco." The boy said, quite pompously.
Harry grinned.
"Alright, Draco. Call me Harry."
