Wow… I can't believe that I got 13 reviews for that tiny little prologue!! Thank you all so very, very much!

This chapter is essentially set up for the rest of the story. It basically consists of character introductions and backgrounds, and descriptions of which faery is what. Still, there is plot, and I hope you all like it.

OK, now I have some shout-outs to attend to, since I promised my readers over in the Harry/Lucius section that I would if they read anything else. So, to Ryo-sama, thrnbrooke and TutelaTwin, thank you so much for being such faithful readers, I appreciate the support. Even when it sometimes takes forever for me to update, you still keep reading, and I'm grateful.

Also, for Amaya Tsuki-sempai, don't worry if you don't recognise this. You might recognise some of the other names I've put in this chapter. Not to mention I'm making a lot of stuff up to fit the story.

So without further ado, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters.


The Forest of Faeries

Chapter One:

The Lonely Prince

Summer – 1862

Draco Malfoy, the only child of the wealthy Lucius Malfoy, had never believed in Faeries until this day. His father had told him stories of the creatures that were supposed to live in the giant forest that bordered the Malfoy property since he was a small child, but never once had he truly believed him until now.

Lucius had always instilled in him, just as his own father had, to protect the Fae Forest, as it had become known, with all his power as a Malfoy, and in return the faeries treated them and the villagers with respect. Draco had never had a problem with protecting the wood, he'd just never believed in its occupants.

Until now.

On this particular day, Draco had been busy making preparations for a wedding he didn't want, a bride he couldn't stand, and wishing that he could be anywhere but where he was.

"Now Draco, your bride is to arrive at the end of the week." His father informed him. "I trust you to be respectful and kind towards her."

Draco grimaced. "Yes father." He said glumly.

Lucius sighed. "I'm not going to force you into it Draco, but you do at least need to meet her. The girl's mother was your mother's best friend, and the arrangement was made before you were born. There is little I can do unless you refuse her at the end of the allotted time period."

Draco sighed again, but he understood his father's position. Old and magical families like the Malfoys betrothed their children often before they were born in order to secure the next generation. The moment the pregnant witch knew the sex of their child they were married off to a suitable family. He was grateful that his father had convinced his mother to add a clause to the contract that allowed him to withdraw from the marriage at the end of the formal courting period.

"Just one month?" he asked his father.

Lucius smiled. "Just one month Draco." he agreed. "Unless of course you come to like the girl in the meantime." He added with wry humour.

Draco snorted at that. His father knew as well as he did where his preferences lay. And even if he had been straight, he still doubted that he'd have felt any attraction to the pug faced Parkinson girl.

Lucius laughed at the incredulous look on his son's face. "Go on, get out of here." He said, waving his son away.

The young man left his father's office with a grin, stopping only to greet his father's husband on his way out. He paused briefly to turn and watch them, smiling as Severus kissed his father lightly and stroked his fingers through the bond's hair as they talked.

Draco sighed to himself. He wanted for himself what his father and his dad had together. Lucius and Severus had been together since their teenage years, until Lucius's parents, Draco's grandparents, had announced his betrothal to Narcissa Black, his mother. When Draco's mother had died in childbirth, Lucius had barely gotten through the appropriate mourning period before he married Severus. Draco was happy to have two fathers, and hoped that one day he would find a love like theirs.

Suddenly depressed, Draco decided to take a walk. He was walking across the giant entrance hall towards the doors when Blaise Zabini, his best friend, hailed him from the top of the stairs. "Draco! I'm heading into town for a bit of fun! Care to join me?" he asked mischievously.

Draco rolled his eyes at his friend. "Again? No thanks, I'll pass." He replied.

Blaise shrugged. "Your loss." He said.

Draco grinned at him. "You know, you are so lucky we live in a Wizarding village and that no one cares about your sexuality. If you were a Muggle you'd be dead already." He informed him.

Blaise laughed. "Then it's a good thing I'm not a Muggle, isn't it?" he shot back.

Draco shook his head. "The villagers will be glad when you go home, I think."

Blaise's laughter echoed as he left the manor.

Draco shook his head again and continued on his way. Sometimes he wished he could be like Blaise, and have indiscriminate sex with whatever man he pleased. Blaise didn't particularly care who he fucked so long as they were willing. Draco couldn't do that; the one night stands. He wasn't completely inexperienced, but there was never any joy in sleeping with someone he didn't love.

His mood turning serious again, Draco made his way into the woods. The trees just had this feel about it that always calmed him when he felt like things were getting the better of him.

As he wandered, he found himself in a part of the forest he'd never seen before. It seemed lighter and even more soothing from than the rest of the forest. Suddenly, Draco halted as clear, melodic voices floated down the path towards him. Slowly, mesmerised by the voices, Draco followed the sound, his heart lifting as he heard a lilting harmony mingling with the other voices.

Slowly, carefully, Draco crept forward, spellbound by the voice and its counterparts. He didn't know if he was really under a spell or not, but he could not bring himself to care.

When he finally walked into the edge of the glade, many things happened at once. One was that the singing stopped. Another was that there were sudden, but small splashes in the lake at the centre of the glade. Draco barely noticed this, as his eyes were fixed on the beautiful figure standing by the edge of the lake. It was a boy, who appeared to be his age, with black hair and eyes of a deep emerald green. Draco was entranced.

The boy moved like the wind, disappearing into the trees. "No! Don't go!" Draco cried as he vanished. "Please wait, I won't hurt you!"

But there was no answer. Disappointed, Draco decided he would wait and see if the beautiful creature would return. He sat by the lake's edge and waited, wondering if the boy was from the village. No, he decided, he couldn't be from the village; he would have remembered beauty such as that.

His father's Faery stories suddenly came to mind. Could this boy be something out of his father's stories? If so, then what? Now that he thought about it, the boy had been wearing what had looked like leaves and grasses on his body.

Day turned into night as he mulled this question over in his mind. The beautiful boy had not returned. Dejected, Draco returned home, resolved to revisit the glade until he found the boy once more.


It was several weeks before Draco saw the boy again. Every night the young lord entered the forest, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of the nymph that had entranced him so.

But in all the nights Draco had searched the forest, he never found the glade again, no matter how far he walked, or how long he tried.

Now, tonight, Draco again left the manor in search of the glade, and the nymph. He wandered fruitlessly for hours, and it was near midnight, when he was finally about to return home, that he heard a noise behind him. Draco spun around sharply when he heard the sound of a branch snapping. Behind him stood an old man, not one of the village elders, of that he was certain. He would've remembered a beard that long.

"Well my boy, I must say you've incredible resilience, to return night after night in search of the glade." The man said jovially, his bright blue eyes twinkling madly.

"You know where to find it?" Draco asked hopefully.

"Perhaps." The man replied calmly. "Why do you wish to find it?"

Draco thought about his answer for a moment, before deciding on the truth. "Because I wish to meet the boy I saw there once again."

There was a moment's silence, and then the old man chuckled. "An honest answer, Draco Malfoy, and I am glad. Anything less and I would not have taken you to the glade."

"How do you know my name?" Draco demanded curiously.

The elderly man smiled. "All the nymphs in this part of the forest know the Malfoy family." He replied. "Although you've grown somewhat since last I saw you." He added.

"And that would've been…?" Draco prompted.

"The day you were born." Came the reply. "The forest elders have always attended important Malfoy family occasions, as thanks for protecting our home." The man smiled again. "Ah! But listen to me, rambling on like that! Come, I will take you to the glade."

Draco followed him deep into the forest, quickly losing his bearings. "I don't remember coming this far in before." He said.

"The glade can never be found in the same place two nights in a row." The man told him. "It might take months or even years before it returns to the place where you found it. Those who can find it on their own have a magical bond with it. If you plan to return after tonight, someone will need to lead you to its location."

As they neared the glade, Draco again began to hear that beautiful voice that had so enchanted him on his first visit to the glade. As the old man led him into the clearing Draco's eyes rested instantly on the figure of the boy he had been searching for, singing with a trio of other creatures that were sitting on the edge of the nearby pool.

The movement of the two entering the clearing alerted the boy to their presence. He froze, and seemed to be on the verge of bolting, when the old man called out to him. "Don't worry Harry, he means no harm."

"Albus?" the boy asked warily.

"Harry, this is Draco Malfoy." The man, Albus, told the boy. "He wanted to meet you."

"Me?" the boy seemed mystified by the idea.

"Yes, you." Draco said with a gentle smile.

The boy blushed lightly, a trait Draco found to be utterly adorable. He nodded his thanks to Albus and moved slowly towards the boy. "Hello." He said softly. "My name is Draco. Your name is Harry, am I right?"

The boy nodded. "That's right." he replied.

Albus chuckled to himself and melted into the trees.

Draco finally came face to face with Harry, and saw that up close, the boy was even more beautiful than he had thought. His emerald eyes glittered brightly, the colour matching the leaves on some of the surrounding trees. His ebony hair glistened in the sunlight.

"Can we sit and talk for a while?" Draco asked him. "I would like to get to know you."

They sat down by the edge of the pool. Harry looked nervous, and Draco smiled encouragingly. "What do you want to know?" the boy asked him.

"Well, for give me for asking," Draco began, "but you are a faery are you not?"

"Yes." Harry replied.

"A wood nymph?" Draco pressed.

Harry nodded. "I am a dryad." He said. "Actually, a hamadryad to be more precise."

Draco nodded to himself. A dryad… that made sense, he supposed. Dryads were tree nymphs, and each dryad had a tree that it inhabited. It certainly explained the boy's quick getaway the first time they met. The other name, however, confused him. "What is a hamadryad?" he asked. "A sub-category of dryad?"

Harry nodded again. "Yes. You know that dryads inhabit trees; that an oak dryad inhabits an oak tree and so on?" Draco bobbed his head once in conformation. "A normal dryad can attach itself to any tree; if the tree its living in dies for some reason it simply moves to another tree of the same variety, one without a dryad." Harry continued.

"All right, I'm with you so far." Draco said.

"A hamadryad shares it soul with its tree. If the tree dies, then so does its hamadryad. I reside in a Hawthorne tree not far from here, and I am the only hamadryad in this part of the forest."

Draco was silent for a moment as he absorbed this information. Then he looked up at Harry. "Are hamadryads rare?" he asked him. "Is that why you're the only one in this area?"

Harry shook his head. "No. It's just that hamadryads are generally shyer and a more reclusive than other types of dryads. Others like me tend to live further into the forest, or nearer to the smaller villages."

"Then how did you come to be here?" Draco asked.

Harry sighed and shrugged slightly. "My parents were killed in a fire in another part of the forest in 1479. My mother died saving me." his fingers went to his forehead, and Draco saw a small scar shaped like a lightening bolt there. "A friend of my father's found me after the fire burnt out and brought me here, to his home."

Draco felt bad for the boy. "I'm sorry." He said.

"What for?" Harry asked. "I have a wonderful family right here that loves me." he smiled. "Why don't you come and meet them?"

Draco returned the smile, his heart beating rapidly in his chest at the sight of it. "I'd love to." He answered.

Harry looked around. "I don't see any of the dryads around." He commented. "I'll call them out, and then introduce you to some of the other faeries that live around here." He let out a long, melodic and somewhat mournful sounding cry that sent shivers down Draco's spine.

"There." Harry said, satisfaction in his voice. "They should be here any moment. I'm sure they all will want to meet you."

"Why would they want to meet me?" Draco asked, mystified.

"Because you're the Malfoy heir." Harry told him matter-of-factly. "The heirs to the Malfoy family always wander in here eventually. Your father did, when he was about twenty or so. Just before he married your mother if I'm not mistaken."

Draco pulled a wry face. It was hard to believe that Harry was centuries older than he was, when he looked like he was a couple of years younger. "You've met my father?" he asked.

"Oh no," Harry said. "Only the elders are permitted usually. You, Draco Malfoy, are an anomaly."

For some reason, this rather pleased Draco.

Harry looked around, his eyes scanning the line of trees. "They're not here yet, so I'll introduce you to some of my other friends." He told the blond boy with a small smile.

Leaning over, the boy dipped his hand into the cool, clear waters of the pool and splashed around a little. As if in answer to the ripples, three heads bobbed up out of the water, startling Draco with their sudden appearance.

The three boys appeared to be startled by him too, and they had nearly dived back beneath the surface when Harry stopped them. "Its all right guys, he won't harm you."

The three boys nodded uncertainly and pulled themselves out of the water, sitting on rocks near the edge of the pool closest to Harry, and furthest away from Draco. Draco stared as he realised the three of them sported tails in place if legs.

"Draco Malfoy, these are Neville, Seamus and Dean. They're Naiads." Harry introduced them.

'Naiads' Draco thought. 'Water nymphs.' And he saw that their skin had the slightest blue tinge to it, and that their tails had suddenly become legs.

He bowed to them from his seated position. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." he said politely.

The one called Seamus grinned back at him, and Draco could tell that this one was a real character. "Of course it is!" he said merrily. "We are the most amazing people you'll ever meet!"

The dark skinned one, Dean; Draco remembered, rolled his eyes and shoved Seamus off the rock so that he landed back in the water with an indignant cry. "Don't mind him." He told the young lord. "He is yet to master the fine art of keeping his mouth shut."

Seamus pouted up at him. "But you love me anyway." He said cheerfully.

Dean sighed with mock weariness. "Sad, but true." He replied, and Neville giggled.

Draco laughed. He liked these three.

There was suddenly a quiver of movement from the trees, and Harry looked up with a grin. "They're here." He said.

Draco followed Harry's gaze, and saw a group of people emerging from the tree line. He admitted to feeling a little jealous when Harry leapt up and threw his arms around one of the men. "Hello Sirius!"

The man called Sirius laughed. "Hello Harry." He replied.

Harry smiled and turned to Draco. "Draco, this is Sirius. He's an Ash dryad, and the one who found me when my parents died."

"I guess you could say that I'm Harry's Godfather." Sirius said, slinging his arm around the dark haired boy's shoulders.

Sirius soon had to duck out of the way as Harry was attacked by a tribe of red-headed boys. Harry, squealing and laughing, disappeared under a sea of red hair and freckles. Draco watched, bemused, as Harry fought his way out from under them and ran to hide behind him. "Draco, these are the Weasley family. The idiots that attacked me are Bill, Charlie, Fred, George and Ron. The other one back there is Percy. They are Elm trees, like their dad." The red haired dryads all grinned and waved. All except Percy, who merely nodded curtly. "That lady over there is their mum, Molly, who is the dryad of an Elder tree, and the girl is their sister Ginny, who is also an Elder."

"Hello dear," Molly, a short plump woman with a slightly careworn face, said kindly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hello Ma'am." Draco replied with a smile and a bow.

Another girl emerged from the trees. "That's Hermione." Harry told him. "She belongs to a Silver Birch about a mile from here." The girl smiled as she stood by Ginny Weasley. "She's really smart too. She knows almost everything about this part of the forest, and almost as much as Albus and Minerva." The girl blushed under Harry's compliments.

As if on cue, Albus appeared with an elder female dryad close behind him. "Albus you've met. He is an Oak dryad and our senior elder in this area of the forest. The lady with him is elder Minerva, and she is a Willow dryad." He pointed to a large weeping willow overshadowing the naiads' pool.

Draco could have stayed there in the glade forever. It was a happy, bright place even in the middle of the night. It seemed eons away from home and its problems.

"Well," Albus said at last. "It is almost dawn, Draco. You should go home and get some sleep. One of the dryads will escort you back to the manor."

"I will!" Harry leapt up. Draco bid his farewells to the faeries and went with Harry from the clearing.

As they walked towards the manor, little blue faeries flew around their heads, one landing on Harry's shoulder and chattering in his ear. Draco watched, fascinated as Harry seemed to pay particular attention to what the little critter was saying. When it finally flew away, Harry rolled his eyes at Draco. "Nisses. They aren't the brightest creatures, but they're very talkative and love to gossip."

Draco couldn't help but stare at Harry as they walked. This boy was incredible, and he intended to find out as much about him as possible.

When they came to the edge of the forest, Harry stopped. "This is where I turn back." He said.

"Will I see you again?" Draco asked him softly.

Harry blushed. "If you enter the forest, someone will know and come to collect you." He replied. "But for now, I have to go."

Draco nodded, and on impulse, leant forward and pressed a kiss to Harry's cheek. "Goodnight." He whispered, and pulled a wry face as he remembered it was nearly dawn.

Harry smiled back at him. "Goodnight." He whispered back, and melted into the trees as silently as any ghost.

Draco walked back to the manor on cloud nine.


Tada! The end of the first chapter! So what does everybody think? If anyone wants me to add a glossary to the next chapter telling you what things are and what I've changed, please let me know! Anyone wanting information on dryads try Wikipedia, it was really helpful for background info. Anyone who wants information on the trees I'm using go to and follow the links. A lot of the trees I picked have a page on this site.

Until next time!