Draco's Harmony
Chapter 1 - Draco's Boat
It was Harry's first day back from Hogwarts (Just completing his fifth year). He approached the Dursley's home from the ride back from The Hogwarts Express.
"Harry how's that freak torture prison your attending? Did you get any new wounds? Can I see them?" Dudley sneered. Harry ignored his cousin and continued to weed the garden as he was told by his Uncle Vernon. As he pulled the last weed, He stepped inside and found his Uncle Vernon slam his bedroom door and run down the stairs yelling.
"That ruddy Violet Thompson is visiting us. Honestly why is that Harry - loving friend of your dead sister visiting us?" He screamed to Aunt Petunia.
"Why didn't you tell her we were busy?" She glared at her husband.
"Oh you think it would be that simple do you? She wouldn't keep her moth shut, wouldn't let me say a bloody word!" Uncle Vernon's stubby face was getting purple and his veins were popping out of his short neck.
Harry was in shock. Harry - loving? Who that the dursley's knew would even mention his name to them? Harry was happy. He was annoying the Dursley's without them being able to point a finger at him. Life was good.
"Well when then?" Aunt Petunia asked.
"Tomorrow." Uncle Vernon said, calming down a bit.
The next day Harry woke up to the sound of the Dursley's hulling items around the house. Harry woke up and fed Hedwig some carrots and walked downstairs. Dudley was carrying Harry's school supplies from under the stairs up to his room, Aunt PetuniA was cooking breakfast and Uncle Vernon was fixing the dishwasher that hadn't been fixed since Harry was old enough to wash the dishes himself.
"Breakfast!" Aunt Petunia yelled to Harry.
There was sausage, eggs, bacon, and toast. Harry wondered what he would be eating. Saltine crackers with horseradish sauce? He hoped not, he really disliked that meal. Aunt Petunia served Dudley, then Uncle Vernon, then herself, then by total surprise, she gave Harry some. It was the best meal he ever ate at the Dursley's house.
After breakfast, Harry went to the sink to do the dishes, but Aunt Petunia stopped him and told him to go upstairs to get a shower and then get dressed. Harry did so, and after his shower, he walked into his bedroom and saw a sight he only thought possible in his dreams. The wooden floor had been swept and polished and a new red carpet lay on the floor. His bed had clean sheets and a comforter. His desk was dusted and polished with a bright new lamp resting on it. Hedwig's cage was no longer bolted shut and the steel bars that were blocking his window were now replaced with blinds and new green curtains. On his chair lay a new pair of clothes with tags and all. Harry was confused. Had the Dursley's gone mad? Was he still sleeping?
Harry got dressed and walked downstairs. Uncle Vernon slammed him up against the wall and talked to him in a very low voice.
"Listen hear. You will not tell that foul lady when she comes that we have not been treating you this good for the past 15 (or is it 16?) years, understand? Otherwise there will be no stepping foot outside this house for the rest of your summer vacation. Understand?"
"Yes Uncle Vernon." Harry replied.
Just then the door burst open and a pale faced skinny lady with glasses stood in the doorway. Uncle Vernon flinched and moved aside. "Violet how do you do? Please do come in." Uncle Vernon said regretfully.
"Harry? Where is my dear Harry?" She said
She threw down her bag and purse and gave Harry a hug. "Not to be rude, but who exactly are you?" Harry asked.
"Oh, I am so sorry, my name is Violet Thompson. I knew your mother." She said
Harry followed Violet into the parlor and sat down, as did she. She handed him a small box. Harry opened it and inside lay a copy of British Wizard Heroes.
"You're a witch?" Harry asked, looking up from the book.
"Yes, Harry, I'm a witch." She replied.
"Well, what is this for?" Harry asked picking up the book.
Violet handed him a piece of parchment that read:
Dear Mr. Potter,
You have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Summer School Camp. Please send an owl by Thursday. You will return to the address you named on your permission slip one week before school starts. You will need to bring the following, if you wish to be attending:
British Wizard Heroes By Tom McMarlie
Your wand
Your broomstick
Cauldron
Hogsmede Permission Forum
Casual robes
Dress robes
You will leave Saturday, June 20th at platform 93/4. Thank You.
Professor McGonagall
Albus Dumbledore
"Wow! Really?" Harry asked.
"Yes. Why don't we go upstairs and have a look at your room? I suspect Ron has sent an owl and the Dursley's have worked very hard on making sure You don't seem mistreated." Violet said.
Soon, they were up in Harry's room and, indeed, there was an owl from Ron. It was Pig.
"How did you know?" Harry asked.
"UMMM.. Divination was my strongest subject.." Harry opened the letter and read to himself:
Dear Harry,
Did you get accepted to Summer Camp? Hermione, Ginny, Percy, and I all have. (Fred and George didn't, mum suspects they are too much trouble) Are you going? Mum says you can't stay with us, Lucius and dad have been really going at it and mum doesn't want you to have to put up with it. Hermione invited us to stay with hr family for a while. Send me an owl. Got to go!
Ron
Harry turned to Violet, but she was already gone. She must of apprated already, he thought. It was 5 o'clock and still no letter from Hermione. He wrote back to Ron and told him he was going.
***
A few days later, Harry sat at his desk and replied to Hogwarts with the permission slip (filled out by Uncle Vernon with happiness) and an owl was sitting on the windowsill with Hermione's letter.
Dear Harry,
Ron told me you were going to HWSC He also told me you could come and stay. Mr. Weasley is coming two days before we must go. I hope you are staying out of trouble with your relatives! Love,
Hermione
A few day's later, Mr. Weasley pulled up in his new enchanted car, got out of it, walked up to the door and knocked. Uncle Vernon answered the door and reluctantly invited them in.
"I remember you." He said to Fred and George who were behind Mr. Weasley.
"I'm here for Harry." Mr. Weasley answered; looking quite interested in the television.
"Alright then." Uncle Vernon said "Harry!"
Harry ran down the staircase to greet Mr. Weasley and Fred and George. Fred pulled out a cologne bottle and handed it to George as he said hello. George scanned the room for the large boy who was Harry's cousin. He spotted him hiding behind Aunt Petunia in the distance.
Mr. Weasley grabbed Harry's things and waved goodbye as he walked to the door. Fred and George stayed behind just long enough just to tell Dudley that the cologne they were holding was the finest in all of Britain. And to "accidentally" drop it. As Harry slammed the car door shut, he could see Dudley in the background. He had a larger neck than Uncle Vernon and what appeared to be small deer antlers sprouting from his head.
"What was that?" Harry asked, laughing.
"Mule's Cologne. It makes the user look like a half - way deformed goat - deer - boy. ' Fred answered.
Mr. Weasley adjusted his rear - view mirror and looked at Fred and George with a faint smile that disappeared as soon as he saw Harry look at him.
They pulled into an alley, and Mt. Weasley turned on the invisibility for his new car and flew away.
***
Hermione sat at the gate of her garden looking at the blue sky. She wondered when Harry and Ron would be there. Gosh she missed them and it hasn't even been two weeks!
She began to think about the past few years, all the fun they had, all the moments they shared together. She thought about Harry, and how he looked when he won the Triwizard tournament, and when Cedric died. She thought of the look in his eyes, and how he needed someone to cry on, and how she hadn't helped as much as she could have, how she wanted to so bad, but couldn't bring herself to. She remembered Ron and how he always made her laugh, and how he had always been a good friend to her. She remembered it all. She even remembered Malfoy, how rotten he had always been, and she even missed him. She didn't know why, it had only been 2 weeks and she even missed Malfoy. Was she going mad? Even thinking of Malfoy usually made her feel like she was going to loose her lunch, and now, she missed him.
She was now 16, like the rest of her classmates, or most of them. She thought of her life and how it changed, how she changed, her emotions, her thoughts. Her hair was no longer bushy, it was now straight and silky, she had gotten taller and more curves. She was still clever, but not such a know - it - all.
She sat up and walked inside and sat at the table, Harry and Ron would be coming any minute now.
***
Harry and Ron stepped out of the car, waved goodbye to Fred and George and Mr. Weasley, took their stuff, and walked up to the door. Harry knocked, and Hermione answered the door. Hermione's house was a typical muggle house, and Harry felt much at home. Her parent's weren't home, so they had to wait to go anywhere.
So, to pass the time, Hermione showed them around the house. Ron got the extra room, but Harry had nowhere to sleep.
"I guess you'll just have to sleep on the couch, sorry 'bout that." Hermione said, and took Harry's things downstairs.
Soon Hermione's parents arrived.
"Hermione, nice to meet your friends. We've got a little surprise for you. Tomorrow you are going camping. I have to go to work and it was free anyway, my company paid for it. You Harry, and Ron can go tomorrow and the next day, you can go to Diagon alley." Mrs. Granger said.
Later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to Mini Golf. "So, all you have to do is get the ball in the hole with this stick?" Ron asked holding up the club.
"Yes pretty much, and it's not a stick, it's a golf club." Hermione answered.
"Sounds simple. What is it called again?" Ron asked
"MINI GOLF!!" Harry and Hermione said in unison
"Alright, no need to yell, no need to yell." Ron answered.
In the end, Hermione won since Harry only played once, at Dudley's 6th birthday party, and Ron never played before, and on top of that, kept holding the club upside down.
***
After mini golf, they all went back home and ate dinner before bed. Harry slept good that night, because there was no Uncle Vernon snoring loudly in the next room, or no Seamus panting after his intense "There's a Monster Running After Me AHHH" dreams he had every other day.
The next day, Harry, Ron and Hermione went camping. Hermione's parent's dropped them off at the cabin, then they unpacked.
It was a small cabin with three beds and a dresser. Standard. The luxury cabins were on the other side of the lake, not far from view; Harry could even see the people's faces.
"Wow! It's so nice not being have to do what other's say. You know do what you want, eh?" Ron asked
"Let's rent a boat!" Hermione suggested
"Good idea." Harry replied.
They walked down to the docks to pick out one. They finally decided on a little electric boat that could hold 5 people. Soon they were driving fast along side the water.
"Oh - no!" Ron whispered under his breath.
"What? What is it Ron?" Hermione asked
"Look!" Ron pointed to another boat coming in the opposite direction, "Malfoy!"
"Bloody hell, not today, why, why does he show up when we are having fun?" Harry whispered as the boat pulled along side them.
"Well, well, what have we here?" Malfoy looked down at the three of them sitting in the run - down boat "Hello, Potter how are we? '
"Go away, Malfoy." Harry answered. "You're a bastard."
"I was thinking good - looking bastard, but I guess that sums it up alright." Malfoy sneered.
"What do you want?" Hermione shouted
"What do I want, mudblood, well I want Potter here to learn some decency and get out of my way." Malfoy answered
"You were in our way, Malfoy you prat!"
Then, Hermione bent over the boat to catch her falling bracelet, and fell in. The water was warm, and she had her swimsuit on underneath her clothes, but she was still angry at what she knew was coming Malfoy would have a field day with this, she thought. And she didn't want to poke her head out of the water to save her the humiliation.
"Here, mudblood, I think you'll be needing this." Malfoy handed her a towel that was dangling from the edge of the boat.
"Gee, thanks, but I hardly think I'll be needing it since I'm in the water!" Hermione splat out
"Yes, well maybe you can use it to get that seaweed off your head, no wait, sorry, that's your hair!" Malfoy laughed.
"Shut up you idiot!" Hermione yelled
"Your right, that's exactly what I'm going to do! I'm going to shut up because a mudblood told me to! I think not. And by the way-"
"Look! Ron yelled pointing in the water.
Hermione looked down from Malfoy and looked in the water. Something was moving. Was it a Kelpie? (A demon that takes the form of a horse and devours humans)
Oh no! Hermione thought. I need to get out of here! Soon! "Hermione, grab a hold." It was Ron with a rope dangling from the boat.
Hermione tugged and tried to climb on, but the boat tipped. The boat wasn't strong enough.
"Malfoy! Please help me, there isn't anyone for miles!!" Hermione begged.
"Why should I?" Draco glared
"Because, because I need you! my life depends on it, and if you don't save me, who will?" She begged
"Come here." Malfoy said pushing down a ladder.
She climbed up and got on the boat, then all she remembered was black.
***
I'll go get help!" Harry said, pushing the boat full speed ahead "I'll drive the boat to the aid station, here I know a short cut." Malfoy said waving.
It had been hours. Draco kept checking his map for directions, but none lead him there. There was no shore, and when there was shore, It was deserted, and he'd have to drag her for miles. The lake seemed endless, even with a boat with a huge motor as the one he owned he could find nowhere. It seemed hopeless, completely hopeless, then to top it off, it started to rain, pour. Heavy storm clouds were grumbling. Draco ran inside the cabin, and dragged Hermione with him.
***
Hermione woke in the middle of the storm, and saw Draco, hovering over her with a towel, patting her head. She about screamed, but instead of a scream, a choking noise came from her mouth.
"Are you alright?" Draco asked, looking at her if she was diseased.
Sitting upright Hermione replied "Yes, yes I'm okay, but what were you doing? What happened? The last thing I remember was me climbing on your boat."
"You passed out, hit the floor, and got a concussion. I was drying off your face because you were in the storm." He looked at the window to prove his point, and it was indeed raining.
"Thank, thank you." She said taken back to what she was saying to Malfoy.
"Yeah well, what would you of done, left me to die?" Draco asked
"Do you really want me to answer that, Malfoy?" Hermione asked
"Yes." Draco said seriously, even though she was joking
"Okay, okay, I guess I wouldn't of left you to die."
"Where are we anyway?" she asked again.
"I have know idea. I got us lost." Draco answered.
"good job! I appreciate it!" she glared
"Look! I was taking a short cut to get help for you, and if you don't appreciate my attempts, then go get your self killed by that Kelpie because I could care less!" Draco yelled.
Then, Hermione started to cry. A single teardrop fell from her eye, and several others soon followed. She new Draco was mean, but so cruel?
Draco pulled up her chin and gazed into her eyes. She wanted to turn her head and walk away and curl up in a ball. She wanted him to stop looking at like that, with that unreadable, mysterious expression on his face. And at the same time, she never wanted to stop looking at those gray eyes. She wanted to be consumed by them. Those gray eyes, that blond hair, the perfection of his face, his handsome face that was looking at her, with no emotion, she wanted it to last forever.
As she pulled her head away from his close face, something happened, that she would never think possible, coming from Malfoy.
***
"Where are they? " It was Ron who broke the silence of their long waiting "Do you think Malfoy-"
"I wouldn't underestimate his power of evilness, but why would he kill her?" Ron looked at Harry with Worry on his face.
"Malfoy is a rotten, evil, nasty bastard, but that's to low, even for him." Harry assured his friend.
They had been sitting in the lodge for hours waiting for Hermione and Draco to return. The rescue team had thought it a joke (Muggles!) and told them to go home. Instead, they sat at the lodge waiting, and waiting.
"When Draco comes, back, he'll get it." Harry whispered with vengeance.
"Harry, you called him Draco!" Ron replied
"Well, I think Malfoy would want her hurt, but maybe only Draco would want something more with her."
"Like what?" Ron asked
"Revenge."
***
Draco reached out his hand to Hermione and held hers. "I-I'm sor- sorry." He whispered.
Hermione looked at him. Her wet clothes, wet hair, tear drops on her face. She looked at him, with the most forgiveness she could give to Malfoy.
His hands were trembling in hers. But he could not let her cry like this. He moved his arms around her body, and what a Malfoy was bound never to do, he did. He moved closer to her, his head was inches away from hers, he could see she was scared, and so he hugged her.
Hermione felt awkward at first, and then she felt he was being sincere. The most he had ever been sincere in his whole life, so she wrapped her arms around him back, accepting his gesture of friendliness.
She was holding him tight now, with fear of him, what every girl feared of him. She wept on his shoulder. And he held her tighter. It seemed like ages they were like this; she never wanted to let go she never wanted to stop holding him. She never wanted him to stop being gentle with her like he had with no one else before, but it ended, finally, her tears stopped and their grip on one another loosened, and arms separated, and it was over, alas it was over.
"It's okay, Draco, I forgive you." Hermione whispered, still trembling
"Are you alright? I never knew touching someone would give them chills running up their arms before." Draco answered
"I was not!" She yelled
"Yes, yes you were, you shivered when I put my arms around you." She looked at him, blankly.
He stood up and looked at her.
"Follow me." He said fiercely, unlike the Draco she had known moments ago.
She stood up and followed him in another sector of the cabin. It was a bedroom, elegantly designed, the most gorgeous sight she had seen in a bedroom. The ceiling was bewitched to look like a clear blue sky, the floor was glass, and underneath the water was flowing gently. The doves in the bird sanctuary were playing beautiful music, across the room. The furniture was a dark polished wood, the blankets were red silk (The Malfoy's Slept on no lesser material) The walls were a beautiful shade of yellow and a beautiful scent filled the room, that smelled like Draco.
"I'm sure you're very tired, you can sleep here." Draco said looking around the room
"Draco, it's, it's beautiful!" she gasped.
"Yes it is, it is usually kept for guests, but I stayed here during the storm, earlier than you woke up, because it's the safest room in the boat."
"Where are you going to go?"
"On the deck, I have to try to get us back, it's been hours."
"But you'll get yourself killed! Can't you see the storm?"
"What is it of your concern if I get killed!?"
"I care, because I know underneath all that snobby boy lies a wonderful person, you showed me that in the other room! And I don't want you killed!"
"Sorry, wrong Draco."
"What do you mean? I remember you holding me, telling me you were sorry, being gentle with me! I'm not a goldfish, I remember things!"
"Well that was different, mudblood, and don't ever repeat what happened in that room to anyone! You'll regret you were ever born I was not myself, completely out of character, I don't even know why I pretended to care!"
"You cared, why are you pretending like it never happened? It did! You acted so gentle, you held me, then you dump me in this room, and pretend it never happened and try to get yourself killed! What game are you trying to play with me?"
"Shutup! You have no room to talk! Are you going to tell everyone what happened either? I think not!"
He walked towards the door to open it.
"No, I won't let you kill yourself." Hermione screamed, and lunged forward towards him.
"Get off you bitch!"
She held him tightly and threw him on the floor. "I won't let you!" she screamed
Before he could get up, Hermione threw herself on the floor over top of him, holding him down.
"Get the hell off of me!" he screamed
"If you promise not to go out there!" she cried
"Okay!" he yelled, and she rolled off of him.
Her bones ached, she put all she had into that, protecting him, and she could not move.
"Are you alright?"
"NO! Does look like I'm alright to you?"
"Here." He said he picked her up and set her on the bed, with all the elegance of a Malfoy.
Her head rested on the pillow, her eyes looking weak. Draco looked at her and sat on a chair.
"What are Potter and Weasley going to do when they find out?" "I'm not telling them."
"Why not? You yelled at me for forgetting it, and now you're not going to tell Potter and Weasley? You hypocrite!"
"Sorry."
"You should be."
They sat for hours, sometimes Hermione talked, sometimes, she slept, and Draco mostly listened, adding in his own rude thoughts when she mentioned Ron and Harry.
"Your good to talk to, did you know that?" Hermione said
"People have told me that before." Draco said raising his shoulders
"Thank you for being so kind to me, for the most part."
"I'm new at it you know, right after father was sent-"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Draco, where was your father sent?"
"Father was sent to," Draco looked down, "to therapy."
"Oh."
"Yes, I don't like to talk about it."
"I'm sorry."
"the rain stopped." Hermione said looking out the window.
"Yes, it has, I guess I'm allowed to go back outside?"
"Yeah."
He walked out of the room and steered the boat back to the shore. Hermione followed him outside. The two of them eventually found their way back to the lodge, and waiting for them, was Harry and Ron, and They were looking quite angry.
***
"What did you do to her Malfoy? Use her as target practice with an Unforgivable Curse?" Ron sneered, "Bet you have to practice anyway before they'll let you become a death Eater."
"That's right! How did you guess? That's exactly what I've been doing, then I decided to bring her back so she could tell you all about her experiences!" Draco looked at him with his cold eyes, "Honestly Weasley!"
"Malfoy, you could of just put her under a curse so she could tell no one, do you think I'm stupid?" Ron splat out.
"Yes, As a matter of fact I do think your stupid! It takes at least 15 men to put a spell like that on someone, and if you put them under a truth spell, the curse will not uphold." Draco answered
"The let's hear it shall we? What happened?" It was Harry that now spoke.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
As soon as Draco said these words, Hermione came out from inside the cabin. She looked at Draco, and he looked back. Harry saw her eyes, they were not full of loathing for Draco, but certainly not liking. It was more of a neutral respect, but full of fear and compliance.
"Ask me what?" Hermione asked
"Oh. Hermione, well what happened? Why were you so late?" Harry asked.
"Draco got us lost, and I had a concussion and. "
She looked at Draco, and he looked back fiercely.
"I'll tell you later."
"You will?" asked Harry and Draco in unison.
"Yes I will." She looked at Draco and he looked as if he could of stabbed her in the throat. Then a memory rushed back into her head ". and don't ever repeat what happened in that room to anyone! You'll regret you were ever born." It was Draco's voice back on the boat. Now the colour drained from her face.
"Draco, could I talk to you?" She looked at him
"Yes."
Harry and Ron crossed their arms and waited.
"In private?"
"Yes. Potter, Weasley, would you give us a minute?" He said looking at them as if they were less than human.
Harry turned around to walk away. Ron looked suspiciously at Draco and was soon pulled away by Harry.
*** In the cabin, Hermione looked at Draco with fright and sighed. "I forgot, sorry, what should I tell them?"
"Tell them when you woke up, you were chained to a pole and I beat you." Draco looked at her. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
"I was kidding."
"Right."
"So, tell them what happened, I don't care." "You sure seemed to care earlier."
"Well I forgot, you know, the - whole - being - nice - thing my mother's been teaching me? That doesn't mean I have to act different. I'm just not going to be such a menace that's all."
"Okay, if your sure."
"they are your friends, and you shouldn't do anything to hurt them, or make them feel hurt."
"But you're my friend too, Draco."
"No, no I'm not your friend, Ron and Harry, they are your friends, not me."
"You helped me, so you're a friend, no matter what anyone says, are you mine?"
"Yeah I guess so."
And with that, Hermione smiled at him and ran off to find Harry and Ron.
*** Hermione spotted Harry and Ron sitting at the base of the lake. Ron was drawing something that looked like a picture of Draco with a decapitated head with a stick in the mud, and Harry was skipping rocks across the water.
"Oh hello Hermione, I didn't see you there!" Ron looked up from his drawing and brushed it off.
"I have something to tell the both of you."
And then she told them. She told them everything. They listened carefully and could hardly believe their ears.
"So."
"Malfoy is nice?" Ron asked
"Trying to be."
"That's a little weird."
*** Ginny and Percy were sitting on the doorstep when Mr. Weasley walked up. He looked pretty happy with himself.
"Yes! I have finally done it! It's official! Lucuis Malfoy is not getting out of therapy until next year at the earliest, and when he does get out, one screw up and he's going to Azkaban!" Mr. Weasley opened the door and walked inside to tell his wife.
"Hey Perce, I got to go, I'll be back in a few."
Ginny walked to the garden, she just had to tell him this. Ginny walked to the far side of the garden, by the roses and sat on the rock. She reached her hand to knock on the door that was about the size of a keyhole.
A/N - Sorry so many errors, there were so many, I had to edit it again, like some things didn't match up! Hey please review, flames are okay, but be polite, I just want to know if something doesn't work out or sounds stupid. Should I continue to chapter 3? (After you read chapter 2, tell me!)
Chapter 1 - Draco's Boat
It was Harry's first day back from Hogwarts (Just completing his fifth year). He approached the Dursley's home from the ride back from The Hogwarts Express.
"Harry how's that freak torture prison your attending? Did you get any new wounds? Can I see them?" Dudley sneered. Harry ignored his cousin and continued to weed the garden as he was told by his Uncle Vernon. As he pulled the last weed, He stepped inside and found his Uncle Vernon slam his bedroom door and run down the stairs yelling.
"That ruddy Violet Thompson is visiting us. Honestly why is that Harry - loving friend of your dead sister visiting us?" He screamed to Aunt Petunia.
"Why didn't you tell her we were busy?" She glared at her husband.
"Oh you think it would be that simple do you? She wouldn't keep her moth shut, wouldn't let me say a bloody word!" Uncle Vernon's stubby face was getting purple and his veins were popping out of his short neck.
Harry was in shock. Harry - loving? Who that the dursley's knew would even mention his name to them? Harry was happy. He was annoying the Dursley's without them being able to point a finger at him. Life was good.
"Well when then?" Aunt Petunia asked.
"Tomorrow." Uncle Vernon said, calming down a bit.
The next day Harry woke up to the sound of the Dursley's hulling items around the house. Harry woke up and fed Hedwig some carrots and walked downstairs. Dudley was carrying Harry's school supplies from under the stairs up to his room, Aunt PetuniA was cooking breakfast and Uncle Vernon was fixing the dishwasher that hadn't been fixed since Harry was old enough to wash the dishes himself.
"Breakfast!" Aunt Petunia yelled to Harry.
There was sausage, eggs, bacon, and toast. Harry wondered what he would be eating. Saltine crackers with horseradish sauce? He hoped not, he really disliked that meal. Aunt Petunia served Dudley, then Uncle Vernon, then herself, then by total surprise, she gave Harry some. It was the best meal he ever ate at the Dursley's house.
After breakfast, Harry went to the sink to do the dishes, but Aunt Petunia stopped him and told him to go upstairs to get a shower and then get dressed. Harry did so, and after his shower, he walked into his bedroom and saw a sight he only thought possible in his dreams. The wooden floor had been swept and polished and a new red carpet lay on the floor. His bed had clean sheets and a comforter. His desk was dusted and polished with a bright new lamp resting on it. Hedwig's cage was no longer bolted shut and the steel bars that were blocking his window were now replaced with blinds and new green curtains. On his chair lay a new pair of clothes with tags and all. Harry was confused. Had the Dursley's gone mad? Was he still sleeping?
Harry got dressed and walked downstairs. Uncle Vernon slammed him up against the wall and talked to him in a very low voice.
"Listen hear. You will not tell that foul lady when she comes that we have not been treating you this good for the past 15 (or is it 16?) years, understand? Otherwise there will be no stepping foot outside this house for the rest of your summer vacation. Understand?"
"Yes Uncle Vernon." Harry replied.
Just then the door burst open and a pale faced skinny lady with glasses stood in the doorway. Uncle Vernon flinched and moved aside. "Violet how do you do? Please do come in." Uncle Vernon said regretfully.
"Harry? Where is my dear Harry?" She said
She threw down her bag and purse and gave Harry a hug. "Not to be rude, but who exactly are you?" Harry asked.
"Oh, I am so sorry, my name is Violet Thompson. I knew your mother." She said
Harry followed Violet into the parlor and sat down, as did she. She handed him a small box. Harry opened it and inside lay a copy of British Wizard Heroes.
"You're a witch?" Harry asked, looking up from the book.
"Yes, Harry, I'm a witch." She replied.
"Well, what is this for?" Harry asked picking up the book.
Violet handed him a piece of parchment that read:
Dear Mr. Potter,
You have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Summer School Camp. Please send an owl by Thursday. You will return to the address you named on your permission slip one week before school starts. You will need to bring the following, if you wish to be attending:
British Wizard Heroes By Tom McMarlie
Your wand
Your broomstick
Cauldron
Hogsmede Permission Forum
Casual robes
Dress robes
You will leave Saturday, June 20th at platform 93/4. Thank You.
Professor McGonagall
Albus Dumbledore
"Wow! Really?" Harry asked.
"Yes. Why don't we go upstairs and have a look at your room? I suspect Ron has sent an owl and the Dursley's have worked very hard on making sure You don't seem mistreated." Violet said.
Soon, they were up in Harry's room and, indeed, there was an owl from Ron. It was Pig.
"How did you know?" Harry asked.
"UMMM.. Divination was my strongest subject.." Harry opened the letter and read to himself:
Dear Harry,
Did you get accepted to Summer Camp? Hermione, Ginny, Percy, and I all have. (Fred and George didn't, mum suspects they are too much trouble) Are you going? Mum says you can't stay with us, Lucius and dad have been really going at it and mum doesn't want you to have to put up with it. Hermione invited us to stay with hr family for a while. Send me an owl. Got to go!
Ron
Harry turned to Violet, but she was already gone. She must of apprated already, he thought. It was 5 o'clock and still no letter from Hermione. He wrote back to Ron and told him he was going.
***
A few days later, Harry sat at his desk and replied to Hogwarts with the permission slip (filled out by Uncle Vernon with happiness) and an owl was sitting on the windowsill with Hermione's letter.
Dear Harry,
Ron told me you were going to HWSC He also told me you could come and stay. Mr. Weasley is coming two days before we must go. I hope you are staying out of trouble with your relatives! Love,
Hermione
A few day's later, Mr. Weasley pulled up in his new enchanted car, got out of it, walked up to the door and knocked. Uncle Vernon answered the door and reluctantly invited them in.
"I remember you." He said to Fred and George who were behind Mr. Weasley.
"I'm here for Harry." Mr. Weasley answered; looking quite interested in the television.
"Alright then." Uncle Vernon said "Harry!"
Harry ran down the staircase to greet Mr. Weasley and Fred and George. Fred pulled out a cologne bottle and handed it to George as he said hello. George scanned the room for the large boy who was Harry's cousin. He spotted him hiding behind Aunt Petunia in the distance.
Mr. Weasley grabbed Harry's things and waved goodbye as he walked to the door. Fred and George stayed behind just long enough just to tell Dudley that the cologne they were holding was the finest in all of Britain. And to "accidentally" drop it. As Harry slammed the car door shut, he could see Dudley in the background. He had a larger neck than Uncle Vernon and what appeared to be small deer antlers sprouting from his head.
"What was that?" Harry asked, laughing.
"Mule's Cologne. It makes the user look like a half - way deformed goat - deer - boy. ' Fred answered.
Mr. Weasley adjusted his rear - view mirror and looked at Fred and George with a faint smile that disappeared as soon as he saw Harry look at him.
They pulled into an alley, and Mt. Weasley turned on the invisibility for his new car and flew away.
***
Hermione sat at the gate of her garden looking at the blue sky. She wondered when Harry and Ron would be there. Gosh she missed them and it hasn't even been two weeks!
She began to think about the past few years, all the fun they had, all the moments they shared together. She thought about Harry, and how he looked when he won the Triwizard tournament, and when Cedric died. She thought of the look in his eyes, and how he needed someone to cry on, and how she hadn't helped as much as she could have, how she wanted to so bad, but couldn't bring herself to. She remembered Ron and how he always made her laugh, and how he had always been a good friend to her. She remembered it all. She even remembered Malfoy, how rotten he had always been, and she even missed him. She didn't know why, it had only been 2 weeks and she even missed Malfoy. Was she going mad? Even thinking of Malfoy usually made her feel like she was going to loose her lunch, and now, she missed him.
She was now 16, like the rest of her classmates, or most of them. She thought of her life and how it changed, how she changed, her emotions, her thoughts. Her hair was no longer bushy, it was now straight and silky, she had gotten taller and more curves. She was still clever, but not such a know - it - all.
She sat up and walked inside and sat at the table, Harry and Ron would be coming any minute now.
***
Harry and Ron stepped out of the car, waved goodbye to Fred and George and Mr. Weasley, took their stuff, and walked up to the door. Harry knocked, and Hermione answered the door. Hermione's house was a typical muggle house, and Harry felt much at home. Her parent's weren't home, so they had to wait to go anywhere.
So, to pass the time, Hermione showed them around the house. Ron got the extra room, but Harry had nowhere to sleep.
"I guess you'll just have to sleep on the couch, sorry 'bout that." Hermione said, and took Harry's things downstairs.
Soon Hermione's parents arrived.
"Hermione, nice to meet your friends. We've got a little surprise for you. Tomorrow you are going camping. I have to go to work and it was free anyway, my company paid for it. You Harry, and Ron can go tomorrow and the next day, you can go to Diagon alley." Mrs. Granger said.
Later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to Mini Golf. "So, all you have to do is get the ball in the hole with this stick?" Ron asked holding up the club.
"Yes pretty much, and it's not a stick, it's a golf club." Hermione answered.
"Sounds simple. What is it called again?" Ron asked
"MINI GOLF!!" Harry and Hermione said in unison
"Alright, no need to yell, no need to yell." Ron answered.
In the end, Hermione won since Harry only played once, at Dudley's 6th birthday party, and Ron never played before, and on top of that, kept holding the club upside down.
***
After mini golf, they all went back home and ate dinner before bed. Harry slept good that night, because there was no Uncle Vernon snoring loudly in the next room, or no Seamus panting after his intense "There's a Monster Running After Me AHHH" dreams he had every other day.
The next day, Harry, Ron and Hermione went camping. Hermione's parent's dropped them off at the cabin, then they unpacked.
It was a small cabin with three beds and a dresser. Standard. The luxury cabins were on the other side of the lake, not far from view; Harry could even see the people's faces.
"Wow! It's so nice not being have to do what other's say. You know do what you want, eh?" Ron asked
"Let's rent a boat!" Hermione suggested
"Good idea." Harry replied.
They walked down to the docks to pick out one. They finally decided on a little electric boat that could hold 5 people. Soon they were driving fast along side the water.
"Oh - no!" Ron whispered under his breath.
"What? What is it Ron?" Hermione asked
"Look!" Ron pointed to another boat coming in the opposite direction, "Malfoy!"
"Bloody hell, not today, why, why does he show up when we are having fun?" Harry whispered as the boat pulled along side them.
"Well, well, what have we here?" Malfoy looked down at the three of them sitting in the run - down boat "Hello, Potter how are we? '
"Go away, Malfoy." Harry answered. "You're a bastard."
"I was thinking good - looking bastard, but I guess that sums it up alright." Malfoy sneered.
"What do you want?" Hermione shouted
"What do I want, mudblood, well I want Potter here to learn some decency and get out of my way." Malfoy answered
"You were in our way, Malfoy you prat!"
Then, Hermione bent over the boat to catch her falling bracelet, and fell in. The water was warm, and she had her swimsuit on underneath her clothes, but she was still angry at what she knew was coming Malfoy would have a field day with this, she thought. And she didn't want to poke her head out of the water to save her the humiliation.
"Here, mudblood, I think you'll be needing this." Malfoy handed her a towel that was dangling from the edge of the boat.
"Gee, thanks, but I hardly think I'll be needing it since I'm in the water!" Hermione splat out
"Yes, well maybe you can use it to get that seaweed off your head, no wait, sorry, that's your hair!" Malfoy laughed.
"Shut up you idiot!" Hermione yelled
"Your right, that's exactly what I'm going to do! I'm going to shut up because a mudblood told me to! I think not. And by the way-"
"Look! Ron yelled pointing in the water.
Hermione looked down from Malfoy and looked in the water. Something was moving. Was it a Kelpie? (A demon that takes the form of a horse and devours humans)
Oh no! Hermione thought. I need to get out of here! Soon! "Hermione, grab a hold." It was Ron with a rope dangling from the boat.
Hermione tugged and tried to climb on, but the boat tipped. The boat wasn't strong enough.
"Malfoy! Please help me, there isn't anyone for miles!!" Hermione begged.
"Why should I?" Draco glared
"Because, because I need you! my life depends on it, and if you don't save me, who will?" She begged
"Come here." Malfoy said pushing down a ladder.
She climbed up and got on the boat, then all she remembered was black.
***
I'll go get help!" Harry said, pushing the boat full speed ahead "I'll drive the boat to the aid station, here I know a short cut." Malfoy said waving.
It had been hours. Draco kept checking his map for directions, but none lead him there. There was no shore, and when there was shore, It was deserted, and he'd have to drag her for miles. The lake seemed endless, even with a boat with a huge motor as the one he owned he could find nowhere. It seemed hopeless, completely hopeless, then to top it off, it started to rain, pour. Heavy storm clouds were grumbling. Draco ran inside the cabin, and dragged Hermione with him.
***
Hermione woke in the middle of the storm, and saw Draco, hovering over her with a towel, patting her head. She about screamed, but instead of a scream, a choking noise came from her mouth.
"Are you alright?" Draco asked, looking at her if she was diseased.
Sitting upright Hermione replied "Yes, yes I'm okay, but what were you doing? What happened? The last thing I remember was me climbing on your boat."
"You passed out, hit the floor, and got a concussion. I was drying off your face because you were in the storm." He looked at the window to prove his point, and it was indeed raining.
"Thank, thank you." She said taken back to what she was saying to Malfoy.
"Yeah well, what would you of done, left me to die?" Draco asked
"Do you really want me to answer that, Malfoy?" Hermione asked
"Yes." Draco said seriously, even though she was joking
"Okay, okay, I guess I wouldn't of left you to die."
"Where are we anyway?" she asked again.
"I have know idea. I got us lost." Draco answered.
"good job! I appreciate it!" she glared
"Look! I was taking a short cut to get help for you, and if you don't appreciate my attempts, then go get your self killed by that Kelpie because I could care less!" Draco yelled.
Then, Hermione started to cry. A single teardrop fell from her eye, and several others soon followed. She new Draco was mean, but so cruel?
Draco pulled up her chin and gazed into her eyes. She wanted to turn her head and walk away and curl up in a ball. She wanted him to stop looking at like that, with that unreadable, mysterious expression on his face. And at the same time, she never wanted to stop looking at those gray eyes. She wanted to be consumed by them. Those gray eyes, that blond hair, the perfection of his face, his handsome face that was looking at her, with no emotion, she wanted it to last forever.
As she pulled her head away from his close face, something happened, that she would never think possible, coming from Malfoy.
***
"Where are they? " It was Ron who broke the silence of their long waiting "Do you think Malfoy-"
"I wouldn't underestimate his power of evilness, but why would he kill her?" Ron looked at Harry with Worry on his face.
"Malfoy is a rotten, evil, nasty bastard, but that's to low, even for him." Harry assured his friend.
They had been sitting in the lodge for hours waiting for Hermione and Draco to return. The rescue team had thought it a joke (Muggles!) and told them to go home. Instead, they sat at the lodge waiting, and waiting.
"When Draco comes, back, he'll get it." Harry whispered with vengeance.
"Harry, you called him Draco!" Ron replied
"Well, I think Malfoy would want her hurt, but maybe only Draco would want something more with her."
"Like what?" Ron asked
"Revenge."
***
Draco reached out his hand to Hermione and held hers. "I-I'm sor- sorry." He whispered.
Hermione looked at him. Her wet clothes, wet hair, tear drops on her face. She looked at him, with the most forgiveness she could give to Malfoy.
His hands were trembling in hers. But he could not let her cry like this. He moved his arms around her body, and what a Malfoy was bound never to do, he did. He moved closer to her, his head was inches away from hers, he could see she was scared, and so he hugged her.
Hermione felt awkward at first, and then she felt he was being sincere. The most he had ever been sincere in his whole life, so she wrapped her arms around him back, accepting his gesture of friendliness.
She was holding him tight now, with fear of him, what every girl feared of him. She wept on his shoulder. And he held her tighter. It seemed like ages they were like this; she never wanted to let go she never wanted to stop holding him. She never wanted him to stop being gentle with her like he had with no one else before, but it ended, finally, her tears stopped and their grip on one another loosened, and arms separated, and it was over, alas it was over.
"It's okay, Draco, I forgive you." Hermione whispered, still trembling
"Are you alright? I never knew touching someone would give them chills running up their arms before." Draco answered
"I was not!" She yelled
"Yes, yes you were, you shivered when I put my arms around you." She looked at him, blankly.
He stood up and looked at her.
"Follow me." He said fiercely, unlike the Draco she had known moments ago.
She stood up and followed him in another sector of the cabin. It was a bedroom, elegantly designed, the most gorgeous sight she had seen in a bedroom. The ceiling was bewitched to look like a clear blue sky, the floor was glass, and underneath the water was flowing gently. The doves in the bird sanctuary were playing beautiful music, across the room. The furniture was a dark polished wood, the blankets were red silk (The Malfoy's Slept on no lesser material) The walls were a beautiful shade of yellow and a beautiful scent filled the room, that smelled like Draco.
"I'm sure you're very tired, you can sleep here." Draco said looking around the room
"Draco, it's, it's beautiful!" she gasped.
"Yes it is, it is usually kept for guests, but I stayed here during the storm, earlier than you woke up, because it's the safest room in the boat."
"Where are you going to go?"
"On the deck, I have to try to get us back, it's been hours."
"But you'll get yourself killed! Can't you see the storm?"
"What is it of your concern if I get killed!?"
"I care, because I know underneath all that snobby boy lies a wonderful person, you showed me that in the other room! And I don't want you killed!"
"Sorry, wrong Draco."
"What do you mean? I remember you holding me, telling me you were sorry, being gentle with me! I'm not a goldfish, I remember things!"
"Well that was different, mudblood, and don't ever repeat what happened in that room to anyone! You'll regret you were ever born I was not myself, completely out of character, I don't even know why I pretended to care!"
"You cared, why are you pretending like it never happened? It did! You acted so gentle, you held me, then you dump me in this room, and pretend it never happened and try to get yourself killed! What game are you trying to play with me?"
"Shutup! You have no room to talk! Are you going to tell everyone what happened either? I think not!"
He walked towards the door to open it.
"No, I won't let you kill yourself." Hermione screamed, and lunged forward towards him.
"Get off you bitch!"
She held him tightly and threw him on the floor. "I won't let you!" she screamed
Before he could get up, Hermione threw herself on the floor over top of him, holding him down.
"Get the hell off of me!" he screamed
"If you promise not to go out there!" she cried
"Okay!" he yelled, and she rolled off of him.
Her bones ached, she put all she had into that, protecting him, and she could not move.
"Are you alright?"
"NO! Does look like I'm alright to you?"
"Here." He said he picked her up and set her on the bed, with all the elegance of a Malfoy.
Her head rested on the pillow, her eyes looking weak. Draco looked at her and sat on a chair.
"What are Potter and Weasley going to do when they find out?" "I'm not telling them."
"Why not? You yelled at me for forgetting it, and now you're not going to tell Potter and Weasley? You hypocrite!"
"Sorry."
"You should be."
They sat for hours, sometimes Hermione talked, sometimes, she slept, and Draco mostly listened, adding in his own rude thoughts when she mentioned Ron and Harry.
"Your good to talk to, did you know that?" Hermione said
"People have told me that before." Draco said raising his shoulders
"Thank you for being so kind to me, for the most part."
"I'm new at it you know, right after father was sent-"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Draco, where was your father sent?"
"Father was sent to," Draco looked down, "to therapy."
"Oh."
"Yes, I don't like to talk about it."
"I'm sorry."
"the rain stopped." Hermione said looking out the window.
"Yes, it has, I guess I'm allowed to go back outside?"
"Yeah."
He walked out of the room and steered the boat back to the shore. Hermione followed him outside. The two of them eventually found their way back to the lodge, and waiting for them, was Harry and Ron, and They were looking quite angry.
***
"What did you do to her Malfoy? Use her as target practice with an Unforgivable Curse?" Ron sneered, "Bet you have to practice anyway before they'll let you become a death Eater."
"That's right! How did you guess? That's exactly what I've been doing, then I decided to bring her back so she could tell you all about her experiences!" Draco looked at him with his cold eyes, "Honestly Weasley!"
"Malfoy, you could of just put her under a curse so she could tell no one, do you think I'm stupid?" Ron splat out.
"Yes, As a matter of fact I do think your stupid! It takes at least 15 men to put a spell like that on someone, and if you put them under a truth spell, the curse will not uphold." Draco answered
"The let's hear it shall we? What happened?" It was Harry that now spoke.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
As soon as Draco said these words, Hermione came out from inside the cabin. She looked at Draco, and he looked back. Harry saw her eyes, they were not full of loathing for Draco, but certainly not liking. It was more of a neutral respect, but full of fear and compliance.
"Ask me what?" Hermione asked
"Oh. Hermione, well what happened? Why were you so late?" Harry asked.
"Draco got us lost, and I had a concussion and. "
She looked at Draco, and he looked back fiercely.
"I'll tell you later."
"You will?" asked Harry and Draco in unison.
"Yes I will." She looked at Draco and he looked as if he could of stabbed her in the throat. Then a memory rushed back into her head ". and don't ever repeat what happened in that room to anyone! You'll regret you were ever born." It was Draco's voice back on the boat. Now the colour drained from her face.
"Draco, could I talk to you?" She looked at him
"Yes."
Harry and Ron crossed their arms and waited.
"In private?"
"Yes. Potter, Weasley, would you give us a minute?" He said looking at them as if they were less than human.
Harry turned around to walk away. Ron looked suspiciously at Draco and was soon pulled away by Harry.
*** In the cabin, Hermione looked at Draco with fright and sighed. "I forgot, sorry, what should I tell them?"
"Tell them when you woke up, you were chained to a pole and I beat you." Draco looked at her. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
"I was kidding."
"Right."
"So, tell them what happened, I don't care." "You sure seemed to care earlier."
"Well I forgot, you know, the - whole - being - nice - thing my mother's been teaching me? That doesn't mean I have to act different. I'm just not going to be such a menace that's all."
"Okay, if your sure."
"they are your friends, and you shouldn't do anything to hurt them, or make them feel hurt."
"But you're my friend too, Draco."
"No, no I'm not your friend, Ron and Harry, they are your friends, not me."
"You helped me, so you're a friend, no matter what anyone says, are you mine?"
"Yeah I guess so."
And with that, Hermione smiled at him and ran off to find Harry and Ron.
*** Hermione spotted Harry and Ron sitting at the base of the lake. Ron was drawing something that looked like a picture of Draco with a decapitated head with a stick in the mud, and Harry was skipping rocks across the water.
"Oh hello Hermione, I didn't see you there!" Ron looked up from his drawing and brushed it off.
"I have something to tell the both of you."
And then she told them. She told them everything. They listened carefully and could hardly believe their ears.
"So."
"Malfoy is nice?" Ron asked
"Trying to be."
"That's a little weird."
*** Ginny and Percy were sitting on the doorstep when Mr. Weasley walked up. He looked pretty happy with himself.
"Yes! I have finally done it! It's official! Lucuis Malfoy is not getting out of therapy until next year at the earliest, and when he does get out, one screw up and he's going to Azkaban!" Mr. Weasley opened the door and walked inside to tell his wife.
"Hey Perce, I got to go, I'll be back in a few."
Ginny walked to the garden, she just had to tell him this. Ginny walked to the far side of the garden, by the roses and sat on the rock. She reached her hand to knock on the door that was about the size of a keyhole.
A/N - Sorry so many errors, there were so many, I had to edit it again, like some things didn't match up! Hey please review, flames are okay, but be polite, I just want to know if something doesn't work out or sounds stupid. Should I continue to chapter 3? (After you read chapter 2, tell me!)