Blue here and I'm back with my latest work, 'Pen & Hand' which has been one hell of a hit since its debut. Thank you all and your wonderful affection! You're wonderful, you really are. So, without much else to say, I don't own 'HP' but I kinda wonder if Rowling is going to write more someday. Enjoy!
"Iii" = speech
'Iii' = text/signed speech
Iii = thoughts
Chapter 3: Your Move
Sirius didn't know if he was cursed or just truly unlucky if the past week was to go by: after settling into Regulus's room, Harry had then proceeded to go on a cleaning frenzy that had surprised the older raven. Even more shocking was that the teen had gotten Kreacher to help him, the aging elf grumbling but wisely obeying the younger raven lest Sirius admonish him for refusing. Which was unlikely since Harry had drafted Sirius into helping, the trio spending the first week just getting the main floor to be more hospitable, or at least less filthy. Harry had made a face upon finding that most everything was worn and warped or in some stage of molding, sending missives to Molly and Albus about how best to deal with the decrepit state of the house. Molly's replies were quick if sometimes lengthy, the teenager often resorting to his small library in his attempts to revive everything from the wooden flooring to the more opulent furniture. Albus only sent books that the teen went through like a bloodthirsty fiend, eyes wide and absorbing every word, adding them to his collection for later reference. He'd even gone as far as removing the various, and rather drab, paintings adding to the gloom of the house, vanishing with a loud crack to the second floor when Walburga's portrait screeched horribly at him for trying to inspect the Sticking Charm keeping her on the wall. Sirius had never run so fast in his life just to make sure his only godson hadn't reappeared in a splinched stated, his brain too overcome with fear to visualize how broken the teen might be. Relieved to find Harry was shaken but otherwise fine, Sirius then questioned him on his apparition skills, telling the teen to keep it to a minimum else someone from the Ministry caught him. To his relief, Harry accepted the scolding and glared angrily at the former matriarch's dark curtain after coming back down to return to work. After the initial scare of Harry's impromptu apparition, Sirius didn't hesitate to glare in turn at his mother's covered portrait. Before the end of the month, he vowed to take the portrait down, charm or no charm. The one mutually agreeable change was the heads of past elves that their opinion, had to go. Offering them to Kreacher for safekeeping in his closet of a room, the ones he didn't choose were put in the attic that thankfully Harry had already done in the first few days of cleaning.
But Harry's frenzied work didn't stop at just cleaning. Oh no, he went about replacing, repairing or, if what he faced had put him in a foul mood, outright destroying objects. Exactly how Harry did it all, Sirius thought he might never know since most of the furniture was either replaced by newer models or simply reupholstered to their former regality. One morning, both man and elf had been shocked to find the teen had physically pulled the kitchen apart to get a proper stock on their food supply, cutlery and other utensils as well as how rundown the space was. To Sirius and Kreacher, it was as if the home was being transfigured a room at a time, slowly becoming more colorful and inviting. Even his father's study looked infinitely better and beckoned the pair of ravens just by having the door ajar. What wallpaper couldn't be replaced or taken down, paint took its place, the floorboards that weren't replaced already regaining their lost sheen. Despite everything, Harry still found the time to teach his new housemates how to do certain tasks, like teaching Kreacher better cooking skills or better sewing in spite of his alleged 'aching hands and fingers'. The teen even went so far as finding a tailor willing to do a house-call to get them both better robes or regular attire, neither minding that they often wore muggle-made clothes either out of laziness or to keep their better attire from getting dirty when doing chores. Amidst the chaos, Sirius made it a point for them to celebrate a rather belated Christmas together, spending the day relaxing and in each other's company regardless of the lack of decoration or presents to give one another. Seeing Harry smile at the gesture was reward enough, and gave Kreacher a good reason not to be his usual, irritable self. When they did leave the house, Sirius had to keep himself silent when the teenager put on a hood or a subtle glamour to hide his face and scar, his aching pity diminishing everyday as he became accustomed to his ward. In the long month they'd lived together, Sirius found the teenager was still adjusting to him as well. True to his own promise, Walburga's portrait had come down at the end of December around New Year's, Kreacher thankfully elsewhere so not to suffer through the process of the removal and partial destruction of the offensive painting.
Not even a few days earlier, Sirius had found the teen in his new room reading a rather advanced book on transfiguration that he discovered through his growing efforts to learn sign language how Harry was trying to master Animagus magic. This had intrigued Sirius, being unregistered but didn't keep him from offering to teach his ward the necessary skills to perform it correctly. The way Harry beamed at him had Sirius flying on cloud nine for the rest of the week, the younger raven jumping right into the lessons with a fervor that had the older man laughing every time. Still he urged they take it slow since not only was he unregistered, he was certain Molly would have his head if something went wrong. Thankfully Harry had agreed but still took to each lesson the very opposite way nearly every student in Professor Binns' class fell asleep after the first ten minutes of his toneless droning. These lessons were added onto Harry's school work that Dumbledore had clearly made sure were sent by a school owl or through Hedwig, explaining why the teenager had put an owl perch in nearly every room with a small bowl for food or treats. It also explained why he'd turned part of the basement into a potions lab, using the kitchen to store the safer ingredients. Sirius helped him as best he could with bits of history or charms but otherwise let the teenager be, either in his room or in the study they shared. In the long month of renovation and growing acceptance, they had a few visitors in the shapes of Molly, who all but hooted her delight at seeing the old house being redone. The next to come had been Kingsley Shacklebolt, the large, dark-skinned man ever dressed in his exotic blue robes, smiling wide at seeing the two ravens were getting along who both greeted him with smiles and long conversation. Narcissa Malfoy made an appearance time and again when she could slip away, her blue eyes almost comically wide at how dramatically the place had changed since she'd left. Her approval was further heightened by the tea Kreacher served her, the blonde woman seeming to find another reason to come back next she was able. She returned twice before January ended, once for tea and a talk with Sirius, the second time to help Harry pick out less drab paintings.
By mid-January, the space where Walburga had once been was taken up by a peaceful orchard scene that shifted with a silent wind rustling leaves and branches alike. More than once, Sirius caught both Harry and Kreacher staring at it, the elf possibly out of regret for not having his beloved mistress's portrait to care for anymore and sometimes Harry because the teen was upset about something. Soon winter began to lose its hold on London, giving way to bouts of heat that made working in the attic all the more frustrating, it being the only place left in the house that needed tidying up. The task took them a day and a half but in the end it was worth it when things were put in order, especially when a number of the objects they found were of Dark magic. Sirius was more than willing to tell Kingsley about them to have them removed or destroyed at the Ministry's convenience. As February faded into March to slowly edge toward April, Harry spent most of his time on school work and creating samples of potions, writing reports and practicing the necessary magic needed to pass fifth year. Kreacher actually hung around the teen in a state of anxiety, bringing the younger raven tea and snacks as Harry worked until he shook his hand out from the ache. Things got worse when the exams came, the teenager deliberately isolating himself from his books by holing up in the kitchen, spending hours on the multi-page works with only small breaks between each. Not even Sirius had worked that hard and sometimes he wished he did if it meant his friends were still alive or that things would at least be better. A flutter of wings departing the house had signaled to them that Harry was finished with his exams, the snowy owl vanishing quickly into the sky with the precious papers in her claws. No sooner did Sirius move to head downstairs to check on the teen when a loud pop sounded off from the boy's room, making him take the short walk to see if Harry had defied his 'no apparating' rule. Upon opening the door he immediately closed his throat against the annoyed reprimand that he'd been prepared to call out, not when Harry was obviously asleep with Kreacher fixing the sheets over the slumbering raven.
The elf turned to face him when he opened the door, his wrinkled face in a scowl at the loud squeak the door hinges made but otherwise didn't say anything as he moved away to walk out rather than apparate. Needing no prompting, Sirius shut the door after them, smiling his appreciation down at the elf as the aging being whispered. "Be sleeping soon Master Sirius?"
"Yes, quite soon. Good night Kreacher." Sirius muttered low in turn, careful not to speak too loudly so to wake his ward though he couldn't keep the smile off his face. The fact that Kreacher was warming up to Harry was something to marvel at.
Kreacher's eyes glistened for a flash with amusement, nodding at the older raven's statement as he turned to leave. "Good night Master Sirius."
True to his word, Sirius was in bed not even twenty minutes later, noting that his subconscious concern for his godson had kept him up almost until eleven at night. It didn't take him long to drift off, knowing he and Harry would both be dreading the wait for the exam's results to come back. It took close to a week so when Hedwig finally returned, the teen was beside himself until he got the scroll open only to grin like a fool. As Sirius took it to read for himself, he too couldn't help but smile as Harry began shooting red and gold fireworks off with his wand, no matter how much Kreacher scolded him. He didn't stop until the elf warned, "Master Harry will not be getting treacle tart if he doesn't contain himself!", this proving more than enough to curb the teen's enthusiasm to a pleased smile. The fact Kreacher was also smiling didn't help keep the threat's hard edge, though Harry didn't dare disobey. In the few months they'd lived together, all three had come to a comfortable hierarchy, despite Harry not being a Black by blood. When May rolled around, Molly reappeared, this time with her entire family in tow as well as Hermione, the half-blood witch even signing rather than speaking when she greeted Harry.
The raven nodded slowly at the brunette girl, smiling his approval at her. 'You learn quickly. Please tell me you taught everyone else.'
Smiling back, Hermione nodded while Ron watched on. "Not as much as I could but yes, just enough for vague responses. Draco too, when he shows up."
'I'd like that. Tea?' Harry asked, pleased that he wouldn't need his writing board that much anymore.
"Please." The brunette returned pleasantly, Ron's scowl making it clear he was struggling a little.
'This way.' He said, leading the pair into the newly furnished sitting room, nodding at Kreacher as the elf finished setting up tea and snacks on the new coffee table.
"You really shouldn't do that 'Mione, having one sided conversations with him. Even you know I can't quite keep up." Ron complained, wasting no time to find his choice of biscuits, making sure to avoid the still lingering elf.
"Then you should've paid more attention when I was showing you how, then maybe you wouldn't be struggling so much!" Hermione scolded, giving Harry an apologetic look. "Sorry, I wasn't kidding about the 'just enough' part."
'It's okay. It wasn't easy for me to learn at first either. He'll get it.' Harry responded easily enough, turning to the elderly elf watching him for instruction. 'Thanks Kreacher, we should be fine for now.'
"As Master Harry wishes." Kreacher returned politely, popping out of existence, leaving the trio alone.
"Like what you've done to the place mate. My mum wouldn't shut up about how spiff it looks now. You did the whole house?" Ron asked, having the mind to actually chew and swallow his food before speaking.
Harry nodded, beaming a little in pride of his work. 'It took almost two months but it was worth it. Sirius took Walburga down himself. She scared me when I tried to look at the charm keeping her there.'
"Really? I know she screeched like a banshee when I peeked in on her. Nearly wet myself." The redhead practically declared with awe, his face a bit pale at the memory.
Harry frowned in turn, shivering a little at his own recollection. 'I apparated to the second floor when she 'greeted' me for my efforts. Sirius wasn't happy with me though.'
"Wait…you can apparate?" Hermione asked with a hint of shock.
"Wha? Mighty talented git ain't ya?" Ron mumbled, earning a punch in the arm from his girlfriend for his effort.
Not about to lie to his new allies, since it was early to call them friends, the raven nodded as he signed. 'Molly taught me. In case of emergencies and whatnot. But that one time was just instinct. I thought she was going to come off the canvas at me!'
"Yes, I thought that too when I was foolish enough to look. But I'm certainly glad she's gone." Hermione cut in, still glaring at Ron for being well…himself. "Anything new happen?"
'I passed my exams, same as you two.' Harry responded, recovering his lost optimism with the shift in subject.
"Really? That's great! How did you do?" the brunette teenager asked, her eyes seeming to glitter with the prospect of new information.
Not about to deny her, Harry responded easily enough. 'Pretty well. My history is still on the weak side but I'm good on charms and transfigurations are fine. Though I got a good score, my potions still need some work. What about you?'
Hermione nodded fervently after taking a sip of tea. "Rather well, like always though I'm glad I could get away from divination this year. I swear that rubbish makes no sense! Ron passed his exams as well, through my help of course."
"Do you have to say it like I'm stupid?" Ron complained, sounding annoyed but somehow amused at the same time.
"Do you have to be so lazy in keeping with your studying?" the girl shot back, not seeming all the bothered with his question or her biting response.
Ron was about to answer when he noticed Harry's knowing smile, irritation and mock anger painting his voice as he pointed right at the raven with his empty hand. "Oh don't take her side you prat! At least I passed with good scores!"
"At least you passed at all." Hermione muttered, unable to keep from smiling.
At that, Ron glared at her though the expression had little force to it. "You must really want me to hex you."
"Think you can pull it off?" she countered, voice light, almost playful.
From the doorway, Molly peeked in with a frown. "What's going on in here?"
'They're just arguing like a married couple.' Harry informed her, making more than one person blush at the statement.
"W-we are not!" Hermione protested, flustered.
'Married?' the raven asked, feigning innocence under the girl's glowering and Ron's laughter over the whole thing.
A loud knock at the door broke the moment, Molly nearly exclaiming. "Oh that must be the Malfoys!"
'I'll be back.' Harry signed, moving to cut Molly off so he could answer the door, bidding the older woman head back to the kitchen. His senses told him the wards were still holding strong and nothing had gotten past them to warrant caution, all the more reason to smile happily upon seeing the way Narcissa beamed in turn. 'Hello! Welcome back Narcissa.' He signed at her, silently hoping she'd been included in the lessons of understanding him better.
She clearly had for her smile widened as she nodded. "Thank you Harry, we came as soon as Lucius was distracted." The blonde woman told him as he moved to let them inside.
Pleased that he no longer needed his writing board to communicate with his guests, Harry chose then to address Draco as Kreacher appeared to take their cloaks. 'Hey Draco. How are you?'
Grey eyes flicked at his hands long enough to catch the question, the blonde teenager thankfully not struggling with the gestures since he responded quickly enough. "I'm fine, thanks. Is there tea?"
'In the next room. The others are already there. This way.' Harry told them, bidding Narcissa take the lead into the next room, waiting until she was far ahead enough for him to grab hold of Draco. Confused, the blonde stared and looked about ready to protest when Harry's dark look stopped him in his tracks. Knowing the blonde wasn't going to try anything, the raven asked. 'What's wrong?'
Blinking, Draco appeared thrown off by the question, shifting uncomfortably under the other teen's strong gaze. "Nothing's wrong."
'Something has changed. What happened?' Harry insisted, the dark…thing he was sensing difficult for him to ignore but glad the blonde seemed otherwise unchanged in the weeks since he'd first met him.
"I can't tell you." Draco managed after a moment, unsure on what to do when faced with the raven's intense focus on him.
'You can. Does Narcissa know?' the raven asked, his expression softening to concern.
"Yes, as does my father." The blonde responded weakly. He then regained some of his confident composure, staring right back at the other teen. "I'd rather not talk about it now. Shouldn't we be in with the others?"
Draco tried not to shift uncomfortably under the raven's emerald scrutiny, deep thought clear in his expression before he finally nodded. 'Alright but you're going to have to tell me eventually. I'd rather be sure my partner isn't hiding something vital that could compromise things.'
"You can't be serious." The blonde drawled, sneering in frustration.
'Perfectly. Secrets get people killed, like it almost got Sirius killed in Azkaban.' The teen countered, making Draco wince.
"Are you always this blunt?" he demanded, the last few weeks of uncertainty and fear weighing heavily on his shoulders. How said shoulders bore his finely tailored robes he'd probably never know.
'No point in denying the truth, particularly when I'm not a very good liar.' The admission made Draco blink, surprised even as the raven continued with a stern look on his young face. 'We have to work together in this and I worry about others more than just allies or as friends…but as family.'
"Which you have plenty of through Sirius and the Weasleys-." Draco began to protest.
Harry was quick to cut him off with a wave of a hand, his scowl now firmly in place on his pale brow. 'That may be true but such extensions can go further than just the few people from our world I've known in my life. By including you and your mother, you're actually gaining just as much as I am.' He paused, as if to let Draco take this in before he went on. 'I don't claim to understand anything about how pure-bloods think, but how I think is a mix of magic and muggle: that in the end, you're someone I can depend on even if your allegiance with us is out of self preservation.'
"But it's more than that! My mother-!"
The raven's glare was quick to silence him. 'Will be safe for however long this conflict lasts or until something happens where even our best efforts fail. Like how I failed to keep his followers from attacking the very people who treated me so poorly.' The teen's hard expression softened minutely, seeming to take on a kind of wisdom someone his age shouldn't possess. 'The most we can do right now is get to know one another and trust that things will work out, if not always for the best.'
Draco could only stare for a moment, fighting not to have his jaw come to rest on the thankfully clean floor. "You are the most confusing person I've ever met." He declared.
Even more surprising was how the raven simply shrugged, easily accepting the statement as fact with little argument. 'I get that a lot. Now I promised tea and it's just in here. I'm sure they're gossiping about us already.'
As they entered the room, Narcissa's blue eyes shimmered with knowing as she glanced between the two men. "Plotting already?"
"Hardly. Just wanted to know how I did on my exams." Draco lied without pause, since he wasn't about to admit how the other teen had given him a rather interesting talking-to.
"I'd heard yours were quite exceptional, am I right?" Hermione asked, ignoring Ron's suspicious glare at the blonde by smiling kindly at him.
Not about to let her friendliness throw him off, Draco only shook his head as he took one of the chairs. "To you perhaps. My father…was a bit disappointed that I didn't try harder."
"That's to be expected, with everything going on. I'm surprised the Ministry is still denying that he's come back despite all the evidence." The brunette growled before sipping at her tea.
'You can't exactly expect people to take such warnings at face-value Hermione. As far as the world knows, the Dark Lord died when my magic destroyed him. Sure I was almost six months old but still hard to believe.' Harry commented, earning more than one shocked stare at his words but out of everyone, it was predictable how Hermione recovered first.
"I know that Harry but it's just so aggravating! With all the Dark magic that's stirring up, you'd think they'd be trying to do something about it rather than deny it's happening at all."
'As much as I dislike the how and when, they'll see the truth eventually. Everyone does in the end.' The raven pointed out, his expression sad prior to softening a bit. 'But I doubt you wanted to talk about that right now.'
Taking advantage, Narcissa spoke up with an air of delight. "Very true. I like that you've finally fixed my family's old house Harry, it looks wonderful."
Harry could only smile and bow at her graciously, making more the one person roll their eyes, even as he smiled right on through the rest of their afternoon conversation. After the first thirty minutes of their visit, Narcissa insisted on inspecting the new changes, not all that bothered that Walburga's portrait was gone as she went from room to room. If Draco was impressed, he certainly didn't show it as he followed his mother around, eying the walls and new furniture with an unreadable expression and sharp eyes. He seemed to visibly approve of the study, spending a few minutes skimming the tomes and their titles for anything he might wish to read next he visited the once crumbling house. Sirius even spent a minute or two teasing Narcissa with the fact that 'at least his room was clean now'. This had puzzled everyone but it got the blonde woman chuckling as Sirius smirked like an imp. Most looked to Draco for an explanation but the teenager only shrugged, showing he was just as baffled as they were. It was late afternoon when the nobly dressed blonde took her leave, bidding Draco to stay behind in order to get to know Harry better now that they were free of schoolwork to fuss over. The blonde teenager had attempted to protest when Harry cut in with a smile.
'I'd like that, and we still need to discuss what the Order needs us to do. We'll never know when we can meet again for that exact purpose.' The raven stated with a calm confidence Draco couldn't decide if he hated or not.
Smiling a little wider in approval, Narcissa appeared to be open to the idea. "Quite true, also I'm better at lying to my husband than Draco is should he ask where his son has vanished to. Either way, I'll see you at home son."
"Yes Mother." Draco managed to say, hiding his displeasure long enough to see his mother out of the house. Once the door was shut and they were certain the woman was gone, the blonde glared at the raven. "Now that you've effectively barred me from leaving, where shall we go?"
Ignoring the obvious irritation being pointed his way, Harry didn't even ponder on how to respond. 'To the basement.'
In reflex, Draco sniffed distastefully. "And why would I want to go to that dusty place?"
Not at all bothered with the blonde's response, Harry went on. 'I set up my potions lab down there and I'm told you can give me some pointers since my potions scores were on the weak side this year. Unless you'd rather stay up here with the 'lesser people'.'
For a few seconds, Draco was unable to keep from smirking at the comment. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're being snarky." Inwardly, Draco was kicking himself for allowing his mirth to show, even when the raven just grinned at his comeback. Fighting down the urge to roll his eyes, Draco gave in. "Fine, lead on."
Harry nodded, turning to lead the way with full knowledge the blonde would follow without question. As he did, Draco found he was curious as well as intrigued by his strange, new companion. The fact the teen had sensed his Mark and the dark mood that came with it as soon as he walked through the door had Draco wondering just what the other teen's capabilities were. The trek to the basement sent them through the kitchen, where both Molly and Kreacher were working to get dinner ready with the help of the only Weasley girl, Ginny. They'd drafted the twins into helping but their 'help' consisted of making fun and laughing as they made a mess of the space. Even though the staircase leading down was a bit thin and dreary, the space beyond felt like a stark contrast if the way it looked usable was to go by: shelves of herbs, jarred goods and even bottles of wine near the far end beyond a small arch was immediately absorbed by Draco's inquisitive gaze. There was even a large rectangular box of shiny white material that the blonde didn't recognize but the way it was giving off a low humming noise was unsettling. Harry must've noticed his staring at the oddity for the raven was smiling. 'It's called a refrigerator, it's where Muggles keep things like meat and ice cream.'
Draco blinked, having only known cold and ice charms to do the same thing. "Really? What does it do?"
'It keeps them cold until you take them out to cook. Especially during summer or winter when the intense temperatures could ruin the meats.' Harry informed him, not at all bothered with the low hum the large box was emitting.
This information surprised Draco, but he accepted it easily enough. "That sounds handy."
'You think that's interesting, they have ones that can hold other foods like milk and eggs without making them go sour, as well as ones that make ice from water.'
"What? You can't be serious!" the blonde declared, glaring at the raven as if the other teen was joking with him.
Only Harry just shook his head. 'Perfectly. It can cool down a nice tall glass of lemonade just right if you ask me.'
"Of course you'd know." Draco muttered, fighting down his resentment again when Harry just smiled again. "So where's this lab of yours? Surely you have some standards when it comes to being a wizard."
'Over here.' Harry told him with an amused smirk, leading the blonde to the far wall where a long table stood against the wall covered in bottles, vials and jars with a cauldron seated comfortably in the center. To the side was a desk covered in parchment and books while pieces of parchment were held in place on the wall with a Sticking Charm with what looked like notes that Draco almost couldn't make sense of.
Still, grey eyes surveyed everything with a careful gaze, the blonde looking to his host with a mild frown. "You work here?"
'Just like at my other house, where it's safer should what I make…not come out right.' The raven told him, frowning in turn rather sheepishly.
Even though they barely knew each other, Draco knew that expression anywhere. It certainly didn't keep him from smiling knowingly. "You've had accidents?"
'A few but thankfully none too dangerous to hurt me, just set me back in my work for school or just something the Order might need.'
Draco blinked. "You brew potions for the Order? Even though you're a student?"
Harry was quick to wave his hands, believing the blonde misunderstood him. 'Just the most basic ones, and a few intermediate ones that actually make sense to me but nothing too complex that's beyond my skill level. Maybe a Pepper-Up or two and some healing draughts but anything more than that and I lose patience. Which is odd since I'm better at spells that require intense concentration and patience, and the occasional chess match with Molly.'
"Molly? You mean Mrs. Weasley?" Draco asked, puzzled by the use of the woman's name, even if it was in passing.
Harry smiled again, obviously pleased or at least amused by the thought. 'Yes, she's bound to get you to call her 'Molly' once comfortable with you. She's a very kind person, you just might like her.'
Only natural when she's been like a mother to him all this time. Draco thought before nodding. "I just might." He agreed, using the pause to examine his counterpart more carefully, trying to find something that might help him make sense of the other teen. "So it's really true that you've been alone this whole time? No contact with our world at all?"
At that, the raven shook his head, surprising Draco. 'Not completely. I still go to Diagon Alley for most of my magical needs, usually in disguise in case someone recognizes me. I make sure that my visits are brief as they are sporadic to keep anyone who might be tracking me from knowing when I'll go and for what. But yes, I've been more or less alone.'
"And you're not lonely?" the blonde pressed, amazed that the one person in the whole Wizarding World could go unnoticed for so long, even when the papers had finally given up on trying to find the teen.
Seeing Harry's smile fade just a tad, the teen's expression oddly distant in a way that had Draco regretting even asking such a simple question. 'Sometimes. Molly or Albus comes to check on me, and I have Hedwig. If anything, I have those letters from the professors at Hogwarts to help me through my work.'
"What about Sirius, your godfather?" he asked, silently kicking himself for bringing it up but knew it had to be done. The raven had insisted they get to know one another after all.
Thankfully, Harry only blinked at the question, becoming more thoughtful than saddened by his past. 'I didn't know about him until he and Molly came for me when we first met. Albus thought it best to limit the number of people who knew where I was would help in keeping others of dark intention from finding me…again.'
Draco couldn't help but wince. "Like the first time?"
Harry flinched but nodded. '…Yes.'
"What happened?" Draco asked before he could stop himself, quickly adding when the other teen merely stared. "I-if you don't mind my asking."
'I'd rather not say.' The raven stated after a moment, expression clouded. 'It was…a confusing event. It took me weeks to get over it. Even now it's fresh in my mind. As much as I'd like to tell you, I don't think it would be wise, especially when dinner is almost ready.'
"You're right, best not to upset the stomach before one means to." The blonde agreed, glad for the shift in subject, grey eyes watching the other teen for more upset. "I honestly didn't mean to press you. It's as you said, we need to get to know one another if we're going to be working together in ending this stupid conflict."
'True, though you've yet to tell me what happened to your arm.' Harry pointed to his right arm, catching the blonde off guard.
How did he-? Taken aback, Draco almost couldn't find the words to respond properly to the sudden insight. "My arm? How did-?"
'I think due to my…experience, I can sense the difference between Dark and Light magic and what's on your arm is a very horrendous thing. Something He did to you?' the raven asked, emerald eyes focused on him with a grim look that Draco found to be very unnerving.
"Yes…to 'prove that I was loyal to the cause'." He finally admitted with a disgusted sneer and a shiver. The process had been overly ceremonial as well as painful.
For a moment, Draco truly believed the other teen would get angry, hex him, punch him, or at least walk away as if he were diseased. Instead, the raven merely nodded sagely at his words. 'When this is over, we can work to get rid of it if it doesn't vanish on its own.' Harry told him, even smiling in honest sympathy. 'Okay?'
Once again taken aback by the other teen's response, Draco found himself speechless for the second time in the past five minutes. It took him a moment to realize that Harry was serious about helping him get rid of the thing now on his arm, allowing his expression to soften with a rare feeling of gratitude. "Sure, I would definitely like that."
From the floor above, Molly's loud voice broke the moment between them as she called down to them. "Boys! Dinner!"
"I suppose that's our cue. Ready?" Draco asked, suddenly hating that their alone time had been cut short, even if it was for something as essential as dinner.
Draco was almost certain he would be stricken blind by the beaming smile the raven gave him, something the blonde could only hope was a sign the other teen was accepting him as more than an ally as he'd inferred earlier that day. 'Let's go, I'm starving.'
With Harry once again leading the way, the pair headed up into the kitchen where Molly greeted them with her beaming smile as the motherly woman carried a tray through the door, calling out to them again. "Come along then, we're using the main table this time Harry."
The raven seemed a bit perplexed by this but still followed the woman with Draco in tow to the main dining room, the room thankfully large enough to fit everyone and all the food sitting on the large table. More than half of the chairs were filled with people with ginger hair, all looking about and chatting and laughing as if they belonged in the cozy room. A good number of them paused long enough to watch the pair enter before looking away, much to Draco's relief. He knew the Weasleys had a blood feud against his family but he'd known that such a family like theirs would likely leave something as old-timey as that where it belonged: in the past. At least none of them have tried to deck me yet. The blonde thought as he moved to take one of the vacant chairs. As soon as he and Harry found their seats, the food was being passed around and the conversation turned to Quidditch teams and their matches, the past year of studies and other normal things. More than once, both Draco and Harry were drawn into the subjects, Harry slipping in and out and Draco nearly ending up in multiple shouting matches over the differing opinions that were held on the matter. By dessert, Draco felt oddly at home with the horde of gingers, surprised more than once that they could meet him for wits on most subjects. As time flew by as they were reminded by the grandfather clock in the corner, the Weasley clan took the Floo home while Harry saw Draco to the door in case the Manor's Floo connection was being watched by the Death Eaters residing in his house.
'It was good to see you. When will you be coming next?' Harry asked, the pair standing by the door since standing outside was impractical.
"I don't know but I'll be sure to owl first. You should brush up on potions so that we'll have something to discuss next I come 'round." Draco suggested as a thought struck him. "My godfather's the potions professor at Hogwarts so I can discreetly ask for his help in this. He's also in the Order so you don't have to worry about me bringing some random stranger."
Harry's beaming smile was all the reward Draco needed for his comment, finding it odd the way his heart fluttered at the expression as the teen responded. 'I'd like that. I'll owl you if we have news of our own.'
"That sounds fair. Goodbye Harry." Draco said with honesty, opening the door and stepping out on his own.
'Goodbye Draco.' The raven returned, giving him one last smile before shutting the door behind him.
Harry didn't see the blonde for another two weeks, spending the first few days worrying about him but thankfully had Ron and Hermione to soothe his concerns. The raven smiled at the pair when they both insisted that no news was good news, even if Ron was sarcastic about it. As amused as he was by the redhead's skepticism, Harry couldn't help but worry about the blonde, confessing to Hermione that she, Ron and Draco were the first people in his life he could truly call friends aside from the older Order members while Ron was distracted. The brunette woman had gaped for a few seconds before her expression softened into a kind smile.
"It's okay Harry, you shouldn't worry so much. He promised to write before returning so it's best you wait until then." She told him, her voice matching her face, as if she truly believed her own words.
Harry didn't respond for a moment, eventually nodding reluctantly. 'Okay but I still don't like it. At least at Hogwarts all three of you were safe.'
"That may be true but Draco is a competent wizard, and he shares high marks with me in school so that should tell you something." Hermione told him, speaking in a low tone as if admitting she admired the blonde was a potential crime in present company. Harry didn't know much, only that the Weasley and Malfoy families didn't care for each other for some outdated reason. Her smile did widen though, eyes shining with confidence. "I know it's hard but the most we can do is wait."
Harry had nodded in agreement but couldn't fight the feeling that something might be amiss, pushing it aside to focus on the pair instead. A few days later, Harry came to hate ignoring his instincts when a loud knocking at the front door woke him from an easy sleep, followed by loud footsteps of Sirius going to answer it succeeded by panicked shouting. Confused, Harry wondered what exactly was going on until a desperate voice called up to him. "HARRY!?"
The raven was up in a shot, grabbing his wand, glasses and a shirt, his bare feet making a light thumping noise as he scurried downstairs toward the kitchen where more of the fearful chatter was emanating from. Almost bursting in, Harry nearly froze at who he found within the thankfully refurbished space: it was Draco and Narcissa Malfoy, the pair clutching at each other and in muffled tears while a blonde man struggled to stay upright with the help of a raven haired man in rather high quality robes that Harry didn't recognize since they both had their backs to him. The faint but familiar stink of blood filled his nose but he ignored it. Also helping the blonde man get seated in one of the chairs, Sirius who was in a robe turned to look at him, his face relaxing when he saw his godson. "Harry, go get your Healing potions, now!"
Nodding, Harry scurried to obey, throwing the basement door open and not really caring that it slammed against the wall. If there was a dent, he'd fix it later. The cool stone nipped at his feet but he ignored it, pocketing his wand so to carry the small wooden box of potions he'd been brewing the past few weeks back up the stairs. Even when the vials rattled Harry didn't slow, knowing time was of the essence if the injured man was going to get better from whatever ailed him. Setting the box on the table between the small group of people, Draco and his mother on his right and Sirius with the two mystery men on his left, Harry gave the blonde a quick once-over. Whatever had happened, it'd been bad if the number of cuts and a few nasty gashes he was sporting was to go by. Why Narcissa and Draco were there as well would have to wait. Pulling out the Wound-Cleaning first, uncorking it and drawing his wand to apply the purple liquid to the mystery man's arm which was covered in blood. The smoke it gave off on contact rose like an unnatural vapor, the man hissing from the pain Harry was certain he felt. As he moved from one cut to another, the teen handed a vial of Murtlap Essence to his godfather to use on the injuries he'd already treated. The man, looking unnaturally pale and resembling Draco in a very unnerving fashion, Harry mentally reminded himself to get a Blood-Replenishing potion out as well as a Calming Draught lest the man became unruly. Between his applications of the Wound-Cleaning, Harry made certain to cast detection charms for curses and thankfully finding none which told him the man was an accomplished duelist who'd managed to evade the worst but for his minor injuries. If anything, Harry was certain he spent the whole time looking anywhere but the man's face, the older man's grey eyes seeming to examine him as if he was some kind of rare creature he'd never seen before.
Between applications of the medicinal potions, Sirius was already asking questions of the nameless raven, who was watching Harry work with an equal amount of bafflement. "Severus what the bloody hell happened?!"
Snapped out of his reverie by the forceful inquiry, the hook-nosed man blinked, darting his dark eyes away to look at Sirius. "The Dark Lord wanted Draco to harm a prisoner and he refused. He was tortured but I healed most of his injuries before they threatened his life. It was only with my aid that they were able to escape their own home."
"Shit! Did anyone follow you?!" Sirius demanded, his wand in hand, ready to storm outside and start hexing people.
The raven-haired man shook his head, his pallid face caught in a look of distaste. "No, no I was careful. We had to fight our way out when it was discovered they were missing. Quite a few Death Eaters lost their lives in the process."
Sirius took a few seconds to ponder this information before quickly asking. "And you came straight here?"
"This house has the best wards and I knew you would be here, as incompetent as you were in school." the man shot back, earning a growl from Sirius.
"I wasn't incompetent, I just didn't give a shit half the time." He grumbled before calling rather loudly. "Kreacher!" the house elf appeared with a loud pop, to whom Sirius began to bark in his irritation. "Prepare the master bedroom for Lucius and Narcissa then get some food on for everyone."
"As Master Sirius commands of Kreacher." The elf stated before popping away again, Sirius finishing his work of applying the potions to Lucius with Severus's aid.
Looking the two other blondes over, Harry focused on Draco first, who looked the most disheveled. Meeting the raven's gaze, Draco tried to assure him. "I-I'm fine Harry, I—ow! What was that for?!" Draco snarled after the raven grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled the sleeve back, revealing bruised flesh just under his pale skin. From the way it was starting to swell, Harry could tell the blonde had twisted it and scowled at the other teen in disapproval. Draco had the good sense to look abashed in spite of the aching pain he was in. "Okay I'm still hurt but you didn't have to do that you prat!" he growled, testing his wrist once Harry cast a Healing charm on it and turned to Narcissa.
Unlike her son, Narcissa smiled at the raven even as he cast diagnostic charms on her, checking for curses and injury. "Don't worry about me Harry, I'm simply tired. It's…it's been a long two weeks. Feels like ages."
At that, Harry's expression softened, hating the situation even more. 'Let's get you upstairs. Can you walk?'
"Yes, just give me a moment." Narcissa told him, finally relaxing into the chair she'd occupied with Draco next to her, eyeing her with concern.
Harry nodded, accepting her answer. 'Sure, I'll get some tea on.' He signed, heading to the stove to put the kettle on and search for mugs.
Watching their interaction with growing confusion, Severus was once again glaring at his host. "Sirius, who-?"
"Ask me later. For now, I need to tell Albus that you've been compromised." Sirius told him, capping the potion vial and leaving it on the table prior to heading out the room for the sitting room where the fireplace was.
"Draco, who is that young man?" Severus demanded of his godson, irritation growing when the young blonde didn't answer, turning to the woman instead. "Narcissa?"
"I think you should wait until we're all rested up Severus, please?" she deflected easily, Draco silently glad his father was too out of sorts to demand questions at this point but relieved he wasn't about to suffer an inquisition either.
Letting out an annoyed huff, Severus haughtily settled into one of the vacant chairs to cross his arms irritably. "Fine, but only because you asked. I still expect to be filled in on just who he is and why he is here."
"You should let Albus tell you Severus, he knows more than us." Narcissa told him, giving her long-time friend a sad smile.
"Typical." The man grumbled, glowering at the wall. Not about to suffer the man's baleful attitude, Draco got up to aid Harry in making tea.
'That's Professor Snape?' the raven asked when the blonde was close enough to properly read his gestures.
Draco stared for a moment, stunned by the other teen's guess. "Yes, how did you know that?"
Glancing between Draco and Severus, Harry seemed caught between curiosity and contemplation. 'I'm homeschooled but I get all my work from Hogwarts. Mostly through Howlers of lectures or other information books don't initially give me. I recognized his voice immediately.' Daring to glance at older man again, Harry frowned. 'He's as angry as I imagined he'd be.'
Puzzled, Draco could only quirk a delicate brow at him. "Angry? What do you mean?"
'Because of my…experience, I remember details better and I can decipher things through sound and visual cues. He sounds monotone at first glance but underneath it, he's angry or in some kind of emotional discomfort. Like how I knew you'd been pressured into getting the Mark and not just because I sensed the foul thing.' Harry shivered in clear displeasure of the tattoo on Draco's arm, looking away somewhat guiltily at the thoughts it created.
Right. Stop underestimating Harry. Draco thought absently through his shock. Of all the things for the raven to point out, he hadn't expected that. "Well he's also my godfather and the reason we're in the Order at all so that should add to the list of things."
Expression clearing, Harry nodded sagely. 'It does, he even has the Mark but I can tell he's not committed to the Dark Lord at all. Makes you wonder if something happened that changed his mind.'
"Well, whatever it was, I'm thinking we shouldn't ask. I certainly haven't." Draco pointed out with a bored tone, watching the raven pick up the kettle to pour the hot water into five mugs he'd set up on the counter. "Is the tea ready?"
'Yes, and snacks if you're up for them. You should eat…you're paler than usual.' Harry told him, earning an amused smirk in response.
"Your concern is touching." He said, grabbing up three of the mugs to take with him while Harry could grab the other two. "Thanks."
'Anytime.' The raven responded, giving one of them to Narcissa before Conjuring a sugar bowl and creamer on the table.
"Oh, thank you Harry." The blonde woman said in a grateful tone, grabbing the creamer to add to her tea.
'Slowly, it's still hot. And try to eat something, that color doesn't suit you.' Harry told her, coming back with a plate of crumpets and other sides he'd put together with a wave of his wand.
"Ever the gentleman." Narcissa teased, not hesitating to take a few as well as a napkin just as Sirius returned with a tired look on his face.
"Alright, Severus why don't you help me get Lucius upstairs while Albus talks to the others? The room should be ready about now." He said, already moving to help the blonde man get to his feet, who to Draco's relief still hadn't asked where he was and who Harry happened to be.
With a pop, Kreacher appeared at the sound of his name, scowling up at his master with a mild amount of disdain. "Kreacher has not been slacking in spite of his years, as Kreacher is sure the master would like to think."
Not at all bothered with the elf's attitude, Sirius busied himself with taking one of Lucius's arms across his shoulders. "I know you like to take your time Kreacher, knowing what a perfectionist you can be." He stated, knowing the elderly being would be satisfied with his answer before he gently instructed the blonde man. "Alright, up with you."
Watching the pair get the ailing man to his feet, Harry gave his godfather a stern look as he stuck the potion vials into the man's robe pocket. 'Be sure he takes the Sleeping Draught after the Blood-Replenishing. He should be fine by morning.'
"Blood then sleep, got it." Sirius responded, all three edging around Albus Dumbledore who had appeared in the hall in yellow and cream robes and his spectacles. He had obviously come in a hurry since he was missing the matching hat that may go with the outfit.
"You've become quite adept Harry, I'm proud of you." The elderly mage told Harry with a tired smile.
'Thanks, but we'll know for sure when he gets up tomorrow. He-.' Harry's smile vanished when his ears picked up on movement just behind the headmaster, his wand already raised as he cast with the speed a full-fledged Auror might envy. Incarcerous! The spell shot past Dumbledore and through the doorway at the unknown figure, making the man shout and fall as he was bound by ropes that left him rolling on the floor. The man was staring with orbs of forest green, his brown hair ruffled from his tumble, his mustache and beard looking oddly scruffy on his thin face.
"Bloody hell! Why didn't you stop him Albus!?" the man demanded, sounding as shocked as everyone felt, both Narcissa and Draco gaping at what they'd just witnessed.
"Oh dear." Albus muttered, showing discomfort for once, looking at the raven with an imploring look. "As much as I admire your skills Harry, I'm afraid it wasn't necessary! Now please release him. He's a friend, I assure you."
Harry openly glared at the elder man, his hands moving with exaggeration to show his irritation with the situation. 'Just how many strangers are going to show up tonight? Tell me! You know I can only take so many new faces, Professor!'
Raising his hands in a calming gesture, Albus spoke with as much patience as he could to the teen, knowing it was his fault the boy was as paranoid as he was. "Yes and I regret not being able to foresee tonight's events but please bear with me. Remus is here as extra protection and he's also one of Sirius's friends from school, not to mention a member of the Order so please… release him."
Getting to his feet once the ropes vanished, Remus didn't hesitate to step forward. "Had I known I was going to be tied up, I'd have stayed in the parlor." The man said, straightening his jacket to smile with open sincerity at Harry, nodding his respect to the teen's skill. "Quite a spell you cast there, cub."
Nodding back warily, Harry continued to scowl at the aged wizard between them. 'Who is he and what's going on?'
Faded blue eyes stared steadily back, the elderly magus able to keep his calm demeanor in the face of Harry's irritation. "He is Remus Lupin and a good friend. He's also going to stay here until he can oversee the Malfoys to their properties in France where they'll likely be safe from the Dark Lord. Now I came to ensure just that so I need you to remain calm. Can you do that?" he asked, ignoring how everyone else was tense.
'Yes, but under protest.' Harry finally relented, moving get more mugs ready for tea, not about to be a poor host.
"As I expected." Albus responded, inwardly grateful at averting something akin to an implosion. Instead, he turned to his companion with sincere regret. "I'm terribly sorry Remus, I hope you understand. Harry can be rather volatile when meeting new people sometimes. As I understand, he gave Sirius quite a bodily toss when he went to get him last year."
"After what just happened, I don't doubt it." the brunette man said, taking the proffered mug from Harry when the teen returned, giving him another open smile. "So your Lily and James' boy? You have your mother's eyes, could always see the beauty in everything."
'You knew my parents?' Harry asked, astonished.
Blue eyes flicked to the teen's hands to catch the question, telling Harry the man had taken the effort to learn his form of language in an effort of making things easier. Something Harry appreciated even when the man nodded with fervor. "Yes, we were in the same year together. At first, they hated each other. Later on, they loved each other. They would've loved you all the same were they alive."
'So I've been told. Experiencing it would've been nice.' The teen responded, frowning again but with more sadness than anger.
Feeling a familiar pang of sympathy, Albus hated to break the moment. "Best not press it for now. He's upset enough as it is. For now, let's focus on the present." Also accepting a mug of tea from the raven, the elderly man settled into Lucius's abandoned chair, facing the two remaining Malfoys with a kind voice. "At your own pace Narcissa."
The questioning took roughly an hour, aided by the return of Severus and Sirius who added their bits to the story. By the end, Narcissa and Draco were pale and shaky and Harry was irritated again. He knew they needed to get the story out but now he was getting impatient. If they don't get any rest soon, he thought, they might not recover properly. Haven't they been through enough?
As if hearing his thought, Albus stood up, the wooden legs making a light scraping noise on the smooth boards they stood on. "Thank you both, I know that was difficult but I had to be certain of the extent of the damage. At least now we know that keeping an eye on the Dark Lord's activities might be a tad harder but that is something we will overcome later. For now, I implore you get some much needed rest before Harry curses me for keeping you up."
Puzzled, Sirius glanced between the elderly wizard and his godson. "Harry? Why?"
"For someone who's adept at manners and various sociable qualities, Harry also has a forceful temper. And as you saw, a keen eye for danger, even if it was imagined. This time." The aged magus warned, smiling wryly. "I suggest not poking this particular lion from its nap."
"What did he do now?" Sirius demanded, grey eyes glancing at his charge who winced.
Remus didn't hesitate to answer, more amused than worried. "He cast Incarcerous on me. And a good one too. Very quick, and before I could react."
"Bloody hell, Harry!" the older raven snapped, making Harry wince again, having the good sense to appear sheepish.
To his relief, the brunette was quick to come to his rescue. "We're past that now Sirius, I'm sure I'll be smart to announce my presence next time." Remus then turned away to smile kindly at the teen, who blinked in his puzzlement. "I think he and I might actually get on, all things considered."
"Which you will have plenty of time to do, since I'm confidant leaving you here will be a wise choice. Come Severus, we must investigate any viable properties in which to hide our new wards when they recover themselves." Albus softly commanded as he excused himself from the table and moved toward the front hall, not even looking back to see if the hook-nosed raven was even following.
Giving Harry one last curious glare, the pallid man did indeed obey, muttering in barely contained annoyance. "Yes, headmaster."
The whooshing flames of the Floo signaled their departure, leaving the group in the kitchen to their business. While Remus and Sirius conversed on what to do, Harry all but bullied the two blondes upstairs to get some sleep, leaving Narcissa at the door to the master bedroom while he all but shoved Draco toward his room. His only relief was that he'd remembered to clean that day as he turned the light on, switching out the sheets with a wave of his wand and collecting some clothes for the morning. He even picked out some things of his that might fit Draco by eye, setting them out for the blonde to choose from when he got up. When Harry moved to leave, Draco barely stopped him, having watched him in silent awe of the other teen's mechanical actions. "What are you doing?"
Harry stared, his thoughts having already slowed now that the crisis had passed. 'What does it look like? I'm giving you the room.'
"You don't have to do that! I want to be with my parents anyway." Draco protests in a tired voice, moving to get out the door first only for the raven to push him back gently.
It took another shove and a hard stare to make the blonde stand still long enough for Harry to respond, scowling at the other teen's stubbornness. 'They need rest just as much as you and with you hovering they probably won't get any. You're exhausted and not thinking straight, just pick what you want to wear and go to sleep.'
"And you? Where will you sleep?" the blonde tried to counter even as Harry only stood firm, almost like a wall without weakness.
'Downstairs. I'm quite good at conjuring actually.' He informed his guest casually.
Draco could only stare back as his tired mind tried to procure a response good enough to get the raven to move, do something other than keep him from seeing his parents in spite of the hour. When nothing came to mind, his shoulders slumped as all fight left him. "I'm not going to win this am I?"
'No, you're not.' Harry responded with a soft smile, holding out a vial of Sleeping Draught he'd brought up with him in case either Draco or Narcissa needed it. 'Take this if you need to. Bathroom's down the hall, just read the labels. If you need anything, just ask Kreacher or get me or Sirius.'
Taking the vial, seeming to recognize what it was by the color through the clear glass, Draco let a faint smile grow on his lips. "R-right. Thanks."
'No problem.' Harry signed with a nod, taking advantage of the blonde's state of mind and slipping into the hall. 'Good night.'
"Good night…Harry." And with a click of the latch, Draco was left alone in the other teen's room, while Harry headed back downstairs with his things with every intent of sleeping in the basement. Moving through the house like a ghost, he heard Sirius and Remus muttering to themselves in the living room where the newcomer was likely going to sleep as he passed through the kitchen to the basement door. With a snap of his fingers, Kreacher appeared to eye him with vague curiosity.
'I will be downstairs until plans are made for the Malfoys. Do you understand?' he asked, knowing the elf would be open to him since the past few months had put him on the creature's good side.
Nodding slowly, if a bit baffled, the elf knew better than to dissuade him. "Kreacher understands Master Harry, even if he's being most unusual. Does Master Harry wish for Kreacher to help him settle in for the night?"
'No, thanks. Just make sure Remus gets extra warning if any strangers try to get into the house. I believe things are going to be tense for a while.' Harry told him, his somber expression enough to back up the severity of things.
Again the elf nodded, knowing that all the activity in the past hour was due to all kinds of dark doings. "As Master Harry commands. Kreacher is to be bidding the young master good night."
'Good night Kreacher.' Harry responded, heading down the basement stairs and ignoring the way the stone nipped at his feet again, found his way to his potions lab and the cot he'd set up ages ago for long hours spent waiting for his concoctions to brew. Covering it with his sheets and warming them with a charm, the raven settled in and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, Harry rose early, returning upstairs long enough to shower and change into his selected garb before coming back down for some breakfast. According to Kreacher, Remus stayed up half the night on watch but since no one tried to bust down the door, he'd relaxed and gotten some sleep. Unsure of how long the man had been awake to begin with, Harry ordered for Kreacher to ensure Remus was undisturbed until he awoke naturally, preferably within the next few hours. In the meantime, Harry busied himself in getting breakfast ready, something Kreacher usually helped with but since he'd ordered the elderly being to do something else, it was only natural he filled in. He was accustomed to making his own food anyway, rarely needing the recipe book unless it was for something new or something he wanted to try out. Since they didn't have enough bread for toast if they wanted sandwiches later, the raven opted to making pancakes with eggs and bacon to bolster the meal. He was uncertain what kind of diet the Malfoy family was accustomed to but he could only hope his average skills were enough to keep them satisfied or at the very least healthy. If Lucius Malfoy proved to be the most stubborn of the trio, Harry wouldn't hesitate to have Kreacher stuff food down the man's throat since he had yet to properly meet the man. The owl delivering the 'Daily Prophet' was his only distraction, giving the tiny bird the customary Knut and a strip of freshly cooked bacon, the bird hooting its thanks before lifting off again. Setting the paper on the table, Harry returned to his work as if the moment never happened, putting the servings of each food on a plate and kept them steaming with a Warming Charm so that whoever ate them wouldn't be treated to a cold breakfast. The sound of footsteps sounded off in the distance, their muffled noise just loud enough for Harry to register it was Draco, having coming to recognize his step through their limited meetings. If the blonde was going to the bathroom or to see his parents he couldn't tell, only that the other teen was up and about. Finishing up and cleaning any mess with ease, Harry settled into one of the chairs and began to scan the paper between bites.
More footsteps, more confident now, came closer as they crept down the stairs to make their way to the kitchen. Harry only glanced up to see that it was indeed Draco, the blonde looking freshly washed and dressed in a sweater and jeans Harry thought might fit him. He paused in the doorway, blinking his surprise at seeing the other teen already there and eating breakfast. Ever a host Harry smiled and waved at him before looking away, content to ignore him until he spoke, his voice sounding more confident and less strained than it had the night before. "Is it just you?"
'Yes. I made breakfast if you want some.' Harry told him, smiling pleasantly enough. He probably needed it after what he'd endured.
"Thanks I could use something." Draco responded with a smile of his own, brow furrowing curiously. "Why not have the elf do it?"
'I assigned him another task. Besides, I like cooking.' Harry told him casually, unable to think of a better answer.
Draco's scowl deepened. "Then why not apply it to potions if you like it so much?"
At that, Harry blinking, honestly surprised by this revelation. 'I hadn't thought of that. I'm still not very good at it, probably because it makes me uneasy and my mistakes could create a real disaster whereas cooking just makes a mess.'
"Something I can help cure you of I'm sure." The blonde told him, sitting down with one of the plates, letting out a pleased hum after taking in a slice of pancake. Surprised, Harry looked up from the paper to find grey eyes shining. "These are delicious! You really cooked this?"
'Yes. I've lived alone so learning to cook made more sense than potions.' Harry told him with a nod. 'Molly helped quite a bit but I doubt I'll be as good as her.'
"Well I think you did well enough. Is there juice?" Draco asked, puzzled by the lack of a proper beverage.
Again Harry stared, slapping at his head for the oversight. 'In the fridge, that's what I forgot! I'll be back.'
"Alright." Draco responded, his voice hinting that the pancakes had distracted him again, something that made Harry feel a thrill of pride. Over the years, he only had himself or Molly to critique his cooking, though Albus only ever asked for tea and never stayed long to eat. Hearing someone other than Molly praise him was something he relished as he went down into the basement to get a pitcher of orange juice for anyone who wanted some. Thankfully he had socks on so the cool bite of the stones didn't sting as much, making him glad he'd chosen to wear a sweater as well if things got any colder. Just as he was returning however, Harry slowed in his ascent when he heard unfamiliar voices sounding off from the kitchen, puzzling him. Draco had been alone when he left and he knew the voices of almost everyone in the house. But not these, they were clearly strangers and Harry hadn't felt the familiar tug of the wards when someone came through the door. The Floo then? He thought, finding it odd that people were able to come into his house with little consequence. More members of the Order perhaps? Harry pondered as he made his way up, pitcher in hand and wand in the other, wary of anything. The voices got louder as he got closer, edging to peek into the room through the small gap, angling his head so that his left eye had the best view. In his immediate view was a rather pretty looking Asian girl roughly his age, standing with her back to him. She was wearing a rather nice formfitting sweater of heavy blue wool, matched only by dark jeans and sneakers that only seemed to further accent her form with her straight, ebony hair coming down in glistening waves to her shoulders. Harry had little to no interest in girls, having discovered a few years prior from watching a muggle crime solving drama that he was infatuated with the male protagonist and not his lovely female partner. When he told Molly of this, the ginger-haired woman had been understandably awkward but eventually accepted his epiphany. Next to her was a teenage boy, maybe a year older with brown hair, also dressed in a thick sweater of what appeared to be almost mustard to Harry's eye with blue jeans and running shoes. Neither of them were speaking, giving Harry ample time to peek a little further out of his hiding place to see who else was present.
It was another pair, also a boy and girl and the same age as him and Draco, the boy brunette and a bit round in the face with a worn sweater on and khaki pants. The grill, golden blonde with an almost dreamy look on her face, stood by him in a jacket and jeans, her hair a controlled but still curly mess. The first pair seemed to be watching on warily while the second boy was scowling, his eyes fixed on Draco who had made no move to leave his seat, facing his opponent with a calm mask.
"—should we trust you? You're a Malfoy and one of them! When Professor Dumbledore said we'd find help I certainly hope he didn't mean you."
"I should hope not but I am meant to aid in the Order's endeavors to rid ourselves of that horrid man calling himself a 'Lord' of all things." Draco returned with ire lilting his voice, the blonde just barely able to keep a sneer from curling his lip. He could see Harry just out of his peripheral vision so there was no point in giving away his only ally before he was meant to.
"How do you mean?" the boy asked, dark eyes narrowed in clear suspicion. The blonde girl had yet to speak but the pair closest to Harry seemed nervous of their companion and his verbal assault on Draco. At this point, Harry could only assume they wouldn't become hostile.
Letting out a deep sigh, Draco chose then to break the news of the night's events, knowing that when Harry decided to make his presence known, would back him. He also knew that Harry wouldn't take to him lying to potential allies. "Though I suppose that's all over now, since my parents and I were run out of our own estate, wounded but alive."
The group of teens stiffened in shock, the brunette boy's face going pale. "What? When?"
"Last night. After I…refused His wishes, he tortured me and planned to do worse later. If not for Snape and my parents, I'd be dead or worse." Draco told him, sounding more tired than scathing, earning a gasp from the Asian girl and a wide-eyed stare from the brunette and his blonde companion. If the taller brunette next to the Asian girl reacted in the same manner, Harry had no way of knowing.
Only the other boy wasn't intent on taking Draco's word so easily. "And how do we know you're not lying? You could just be telling some Slytherin lie to make us pity you."
Draco's face only became tauter with returning fatigue and a mixture of other stressful emotions he honestly didn't want to be feeling right at that moment. Still it didn't keep him from maintaining his position on the matter. "If you don't believe me, then you can ask my parents upstairs, or the owner of this house when he awakens. They'll be more than happy to confirm my story."
"That's not good enough. I want proof." The brunette demanded, stepping forward a little, never noticing Harry's plate of food just inches away.
The blonde teen only frowned in return, struggling to keep his voice level. "Which I cannot give, no matter how many times you ask. You're asking for the impossible, Longbottom."
Only the other boy wasn't letting up, the tip of a pale colored wand coming into view as if to back his scowl. "I still say you prove it, or I-."
The brunette didn't get to finish his sentence before a beam of red sent him flying, the stream of color barely missing his blonde companion by an inch, making her jump out of the way even when the beam ceased. Still it got the first pair of teens to turn to look at Harry, newly revealed from the shadow of the basement doorway, having put the pitcher of juice down so to face his opponent properly. The Asian girl's dark brown eyes were wide, same as the brunette's stormy grey but neither dared draw their wands. The blonde girl and her own silvery grey orbs watched Harry with the same dream-like expression, if tainted by surprise as she clung to the wall behind her. The boy named Longbottom struggled to get up, wand in hand only to gape at Harry, glancing uncertainly between Draco and his attacker. When no one else moved, he seemed to lose his bafflement for a much harder edge, dark eyes focusing on Harry. But Harry could tell he was unnerved by his appearance, his balance lost in the face of an unknown threat he hadn't foreseen. Not that Harry cared. All he cared about was that someone had pulled a wand on a guest, something he couldn't abide under any circumstances. Something he was going to prove, even if it meant sending this interloper screaming through one of the house's many windows.
And cliffhanger! Yes, I know I'm mean but this thing is a twenty page monster and if I go any longer, it might make it harder to write the next chapter. But no worries! I'm hard at work so never fear my fans! Just take a gander at this little excerpt to get a taste of the cool stuff to come:
Next chapter:
Chapter 4: Order & Army
Meet the Order's allies, hidden among the Hogwarts student populace, Dumbledore's Army! The old meet with the new in the hope of getting ahead of their common foe and possibly finding a way of defeating him before things get much worse. Granted no one hexes each other into St. Mungo's first. Discover what happens when 'Pen & Hand' returns in:
Chapter 4: Order & Army!