Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter. There, I said it…
A/N- Man, I feel bad about not writing:( It wasn't my intention to leave this story hanging, but I'm not going to keep apologizing, because I know everyone, including myself, is sick of the false promises…on with the story!!
"What are they talking about?" Draco whispered trying to shove Harry's head out of the way of the crack in the door.
"Shove off, Malfoy, I can't hear!" Harry growled back in a quiet voice not wanting his aunt and uncle to hear them listening at the door.
Petunia, Vernon, and Professor McGonagall were all in the tiny study arguing over Draco's stay at the Dursley's home. After receiving more than one angry letter from the two caregivers, Dumbledore had no choice but to try to reason with them about letting Draco stay. He of course had no time to make a visit himself, so he sent the next best thing, someone he knew could convince the muggles to continue housing the boy. Of course, he wasn't pleased with Mr. Malfoy's behavior, and made sure to tell McGonagall to deal with that as well, and promise the Dursley's it would never happen again.
"He is dangerous!" Petunia said exasperated, "we're afraid for our lives!"
"Don't be silly, Mrs. Dursley," McGonagall said calmly, "he's a sixteen year old boy, he isn't capable of doing such harm."
"Says her." Malfoy muttered under his breath. Harry gave him a stern, "shh" to silence him.
"I don't care what that old man wants us to do, we aren't going to keep him here anymore! He's undermined me for the last time!" Vernon yelled. Harry could only imagine his dark purple face getting darker, and his giant sausage like fist pounding on the desk in frustration.
"You are certainly right, Mr. Dursley." McGonagall agreed, causing the two other adults to pause momentarily in confusion, "the boy had no right to question you or your rules in your home. We will make sure he will never do it again; you have my word as well as Albus Dumbledore's on that. However, we are in desperate need of your help, if there was any other way, believe me, we would take it. However, serious situations call for desperate measures," she paused a moment, "I think Albus failed to inform you that your hospitality would not go unnoticed…"
Draco pulled away from the door, "they're going to bribe the muggles with money to keep me? How low is that?"
Harry pulled away as well. "At least now we know that you're going to stay, if there's one thing the Dursley's can't say no to, it's money."
"Further more, if we receive one more letter informing us that you aren't behaving yourself, you will not enjoy the consequences." McGonagall now had Draco in the study. After three grueling hours of arguing, and some final bribing, she had finally been able to get the Dursley's to reconsider Draco's stay, on a few conditions of course.
"Mr. Malfoy, I'm going to need you to sign right here," McGonagall pulled out a scroll of parchment and placed it on top of the desk, she pointed at the bottom where a single "x" lay waiting to be accompanied by Draco's name.
"What's this?" Draco asked already not in the best of moods, having been yelled at once again this time by McGonagall. He looked over the neat writing on the parchment, "house rules?" He looked up at the older woman, "you can't be serious!"
"Very serious, Mr. Malfoy. Dumbledore had made it perfectly clear that you are to be on your best behavior, obviously you can't do that, so the Dursley's and I have put together a list of rules for you to follow."
"A binding spell." Draco said darkly, "if I sign, I'm bond to follow those rules." He folded his arms across his chest, "and if I refuse to sign?"
McGonagall's eyes flashed and she pursed her lips, "I'm afraid that is not an option, Mr. Malfoy." Her voice was stern, almost scary and yet not loud.
Draco clenched his jaw and scowled at the cursed parchment. He grabbed the quill from McGonagall and scribbled his signature on the line. "There." He spat throwing the quill down, "signed my soul to the devil."
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, that will be all." McGonagall rolled the parchment up and quickly stored it away in her cloak, "you know how to get in touch with us if a situation arises, otherwise," her eyes narrowed and her voice was more serious, "we don't want to be bothered again because of your behavior. Is that understood?"
Draco really considered telling her to shove off, but instead he gave a tiny nod, "yes ma'am." He said through clenched teeth. And that was the last he saw of her. She disappeared with a small, 'pop'.
It was around midnight; the house was quiet and dark. Draco lay on his back in his makeshift bed. He was tired and hungry, but most of all he was homesick. He would never admit it out loud of course, but he missed his bed, his broomstick, and the forest behind his home. He could even bring himself to say that he missed his parents!
He could hear Harry's soft breathing above him on the bed; it was calm, peaceful. Draco scowled. He hated Potter so much. He hated this house, those rules, those stupid muggles, everything! He just wanted to go home and be done with wonder boy's sucky life! He sat up and scooted himself against the wall. "I just want to go home." He said quietly to himself bringing his knees closer to his chest and burring his face in his arms.
Harry started when he heard soft movement beside him. Blame it on paranoia or Voldemort, but he was always ready to be attacked. It was still dark out, he looked around for the noise and noticed Draco's form crouched against the wall. That's what he had heard. He rolled his eyes and was about to snap something sarcastic at Malfoy for waking him up, but then stopped as he heard Draco speak.
"I just want to go home."
It made Harry pause. Malfoy sounded sad, maybe not on the verge of tears sad, but more of an exhausted reserved sad. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. A knot twisted somewhere inside of him and he cursed himself inwardly on his weakness of caring too much for those around him. It was Malfoy after all, the enemy, the spoiled brat no one liked yet everyone feared. He wasn't supposed to care, and yet, he did.
Draco's soft breathing stirred Harry from his thoughts. He was now asleep in what had to be an uncomfortable position, but, Harry shrugged, lying on the floor probably wasn't any more comfortable. He closed his eyes too and tried to sleep, but instead tossed and turned with guilt.
Vernon looked over at the clock on the wall, eleven thirty in the evening, and he still had tons more paper work to do. He yawned and leaned back in his chair at the desk in the study. Tomorrow was another workday, which meant he should be going to get some sleep. He looked one last time at the large pile of unsigned documents that needed his attention and then shrugged it off, what was one more day of catching up? He could do it later.
Pulling himself to his feet, his foot brushed against something on the floor, a piece of paper, "not more bloody bills," he grumbled bending down to pick it up. However, it wasn't a bill, or work papers, it wasn't even "normal" paper. His eyes widened as he looked at what was in his hands, "Petunia," he managed to call out.
Petunia was over in the kitchen next to the study finishing up the dishes from dinner she had been putting off. She usually only went to bed when Vernon did, something "any loyal wife would do," she always said. She heard Vernon call her, he sounded funny, as if he were scared almost. She dried her hands quickly and went over into the study, "yes, dear?" she asked.
Vernon held up the paper for her to see, "what is that?" she asked confused and a little annoyed.
"The rules." Vernon said simply and peered once again at Minerva McGonagall's tidy writing scrawled across the forgotten parchment in bright green ink. And there at the bottom was Draco Malfoy's mark, the one thing that literally bonded him to do what the Dursley's wanted. Vernon was no fool, even now the clockwork inside his mind was turning, this could really work to their advantage…
A/N- alright, not as long as you would have liked…but I hope you still liked it! And I hope you all will continue to read even though I have been so cruel to everyone and I don't deserve you!! Stay tuned! LPI3
