Harry Potter looked himself over in the mirror and nodded. He thought he looked more dressed up than he'd even been in his entire life. He licked the tip of his finger and brushed back a stray hair that was hanging in his face. His shirt was long and blue, with a subtle curled flair towards the front. It came to the middle of his thighs, and had black pants underneath. His outer robe was black, with silver buttons lining the front. He looked back at the clock. He had fifteen minutes before Mr. Malfoy said he'd come to collect Harry for dinner. Harry stood straighter and stuck out his chin. He thought he looked...ridiculous.
He stepped out of his room and looked for Snape. He found the man reading, again. Snape looked up and nodded to him. "That will do." He snapped his book shut and placed it down onto the side table. He didn't stand, crossing one leg over the other. "Have you finished reading the books I lent you?"
"No sir." Harry shook his head. Snape scoffed and rolled his eyes. Harry suddenly felt embarrassed. He straightened out his robes and smiled shyly.
"Do you have everything packed in your trunk?" Snape asked. "Malfoy will be returning you to your relatives home. I will return your trunk to you tomorrow afternoon." He said with a frown.
Harry wanted to argue with him. He'd rather sleep in the streets than return to the Dursley home. But he simply nodded unhappily. Snape seemed about as happy as he was about having to return to his aunt and uncle. No matter what Snape said, Harry would never feel safe living with the Dursley's.
There was a loud crack from outside and Harry jumped in surprise. Snape stood and opened the door. Snape opened the door and Malfoy stood on the other side. He was dressed as elegantly as he had been the day before, but with accents of red along the inside of his cloak. "Mr. Potter." He smiled thinly and stretched out his hand. Harry shook it quickly, then tried to brush his hair out of his eyes, again.
"Shall we be off then?" Malfoy asked, offering Harry his arm. Harry nodded and took his arm. He waved goodbye to Snape who nodded stiffly and closed the door on them.
"I can't really tell if he likes me or not." Harry said mostly to himself, but when he heard Malfoy snicker quietly, he figured the man must have heard him. He blushed slightly and looked down.
"That is the case for many of us, Mr. Potter." He said, then suddenly it was as if Harry was being pulled through a tube far to narrow for his body. Just like when Snape had taken him from the Dursley's. They reappeared outside tall wrought iron gate. There were hedges that surrounded the grounds of the large manor. Harry stared up at it in amazement. Malfoy led him up the narrow gravel walkway. He stopped in front of the gate, and tapped it with the end of his cane. The gate swung open and Harry took everything in with blinking eyes and confusion.
The manor house itself was four stories with six tower. Two in the front, two in the back, and two on the east and west areas of the home. It was built, it seemed, by ancient stone, that seemed to have aged very well, with no sign of decay, but it was still obviously old. There were many large windows, which allowed the evening sun into the home. The grounds-that Harry could see anyways, which by the looks of the home, wasn't much-were beautiful. So gorgeous that aunt Petunia would probably die if she saw them. Harry began to sweat, imagining his aunt forcing him to tend to a garden that large all on his own. Harry yelped when a large screech caught him off guard. He looked up and found himself gazing upon the most entitled bird he'd ever seen in his life. A beautiful white peacock.
Mr. Malfoy guided him by the shoulder the rest of the way to the double doors, which were made from dark wood. The doors opened on their own and Malfoy led the way into the home. There were three exquisitely dressed individuals waiting for him. Even in his new robes, Harry wondered if he was too scruffy to be standing in their beautiful home. The floor was made from black and white marble, and a large red carpet led them into the entrance hall. There was a grand staircase that led up to the next level of the home.
Harry turned back to the people, who were smiling at him, their teeth far too shiny, and their smiles not reaching their eyes. Harry blinked when he saw the black haired one, who stood out like a sore thumb when he stood next to the other two blonds. Harry remembered him from the robes shop. "Hey, you're the one from the alley. Atlas Lestrange, right?" He said before he could stop himself.
The young man smirked down at the blond boy who glared at him. "Told you so." He said, flexing his eyebrows. He broke ranks from the other two and offered his hand to Harry, who took it, reveled and surprised to see a familiar face. "Wonderful to see you again, Potter." He said, placing a hand behind Harry's back and pulling him further into the hall.
Mr. Malfoy put a hand on Harry's shoulder and smiled at the woman and the boy, who were obviously his family. "Narcissa, Draco, may I have the honor of introducing you to Mr. Harry Potter."
The woman, Narcissa, was the first of the two to greet him. She took her hand in her much more delicate one. She shook it gently and smiled beautifully at him. "Welcome to our home, Mr. Potter." She smiled with shinny teeth and red lips. She was dressed in a silver gown that looked as if it was covered in icicles. Harry wondered if maybe, by magic, it was.
The next to greet him was the boy, who was about half a head taller than Harry. "Draco Malfoy." He said haughtily. "We're going to be in the same year at Hogwarts together. If you stick around me, you'll do fine." He put his hands on his hips. "Do you know what house you're going to be in? I just know I'm going to be in Slytherin, all my family has been."
"N-no, not sure what house I'll be in." Harry wasn't sure how he felt. "Well, it'll be good to know someone." He wondered if anyone else could hear the slight panic in his voice. He still really didn't know much about the wizarding world, other than how to eat, and that he was famous for some reason.
"Indeed, and knowing the great Draco Malfoy..." Atlas tutted with a shake of his black locks. "You'll be set for life, I dare say. The lesser beings simply fall before his feet." The younger boy glared at the older, who grinned.
"Atlas..." Mrs. Malfoy said with a slight warning in her elegant voice.
"Sorry, aunt Cissy." He chuckled.
Harry wondered if that was what it was like to have a brother. Both the boys, somehow with their grins and teasing and arrogance, reminded him of prettier versions of Dudley. Mr. Malfoy instructed his son and Atlas to give Harry a short tour before dinner would be served. The younger of the two nodded, and grabbed Harry by the sleeve of his robe, and pulling him quickly up the stairs.
Harry was released, only when they reached the top step. Harry looked around the hall and found that it was just as beautiful as the entrance hall. Harry looked down and saw Mr. Malfoy taking his wife gently by the hand and pulling her into another room, while she chuckled slightly at the joke he'd made. Draco grabbed him and pulled him towards a room. He opened the door and Harry was greeted with a light blue room that was decorated with all sorts of strange plants, as well as portraits that were moving, and speaking to each other. They stopped when the boys entered.
"This is the drawing room." Draco said, waving at it with an uninterested hand. "This is where mother talks to her friends." He pointed to a painting that nodded to him, before turning away and speaking to a young woman in another painting who was giggling softly. "That's my grandfather, he died two years ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Harry said.
Draco frowned by nodded. "It's alright, he was very old." He explained. Draco pulled him out of the room and shut the door. They skipped two doors, before Draco opened another a door. It was a large library. There were four chess boards in the corners of the room. Draco quickly explained the history of the room. ("My grandmother loved books, this is just the first floor, but we aren't allowed to go to the other ones.) They moved onto another room, that appeared to be a study. Atlas explained that it was his. Harry asked what he needed a study for.
"To study, obviously." He grinned and ruffled Harry's hair, and stepped inside. There were all sorts of trinkets laying about. Two arm chairs were seated by the fireplace, and a pitcher for water with two glasses. There was a girl's skirt on one of the chairs. Draco snickered and Atlas pinched his nose, much to the younger boy's irritation. There was a large desk in the far corner, and shelves of books. "This is nothing compared to Uncle Lucius's study, but we won't be showing you that. He'd kill us."
Draco then showed him three amazing guest bathrooms, a ball room, a game room with unfamiliar games and bottles of liquor on the high shelves. Harry guessed that the room was used by Mr. Malfoy and his friends, which it turned out he was right.
The next floor belonged entirely to Draco and Atlas, as well as any guests they'd have. Draco showed him his room, and all the toys he had. Harry hated to admit that he was very jealous. He'd never had toys before. When Harry stated as much, Draco looked at him strangely. "What did you play with then?" He asked. He threw a bear aside on his bed and sat down. "Do you mean you've never had toys before?" he asked.
"Never ever." Harry confirmed. He frowned at the bear that Draco had throw so casually. "My family doesn't like to buy me new things." He said with a shrug.
"Who are your family?" Draco demanded, putting his hands on his hips. "Every child should get toys, I'll have my father speak to them. I'm sure when they see the Lucius Malfoy is unhappy with them, they'll sort themselves out."
"They won't really care." Harry said bluntly. "They aren't magic, so they'd probably get madder at me, if a wizard showed up at their door."
Draco gasped, startled. He put his hand to his chest and looked at him in horror. "But your parents...they were magic...weren't they? They had to have been. James Potter was a pure blood. Where are your other relatives? Why were you sent to live with muggles?!" Draco asked as if he'd been personally victimized by the Dursleys.
"I don't know." Harry said with a shrug. He looked around the room. "Mr. Snape-"
"Professor Snape." Atlas interrupted him with an unsure smile.
"Right, professor Snape." Harry nodded. "He said that I had other relatives, but the powers that be decided that I had to stay with my mother's sister, Petunia Dursley."
"So that's where you've been all these years?" Atlas asked. He hummed and shook his head. "Merlin, the scandal that would cause...stupendous." He grinned at Harry and rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Oh whoever sent Harry Potter to live with muggles is finished."
Harry looked at the older boy with wide eyes. He turned back to Draco who was concentrating hard. He seemed disturbed that Harry's family didn't like him much, that they didn't give him toys. Harry wondered how he'd react if he knew that that wasn't even the worst of how he was treated at the hands of his relatives. Wondered what he'd saw if he saw the burns on his arms, the scars on his back. All strategically placed so they wouldn't be seen by anyone who'd try and call the police or something. But Harry didn't feel like talking about his family anymore.
"Let's keep showing him the house." Atlas said, guiding Harry and Draco out of the room and back into the hallway. There was another library, but they couldn't go in there. There were four guest rooms, two rooms dedicated to toys and books for Draco and Atlas, and three bathrooms. The next floor was for the master of the house, so they didn't go into any of the rooms, and they weren't even allowed onto the next floor.
Draco and Atlas led Harry back to the main floor. "You haven't ever been flying, have you?" Draco asked suddenly. He looked at Harry with wide blue eyes and covered his mouth, as if he was mourning Harry's poor childhood. "Come on, dinner won't be for another thirty minutes, at least, we have to take you out to the pitch." He grabbed Harry and moved to drag him across the house again, but Atlas stepped in.
"Neither of you are dressed to fly." He scolded Draco. "As it'll be his first time, you'll want to make sure there's nothing obstructing his movement. The last thing you want is for Harry Potter to die on your broom." He warned.
Harry felt as if it was his name that would more concerning, than his actual death. Draco sighed in disappointed and apologized. "We'll show you Exploding Snap, then." Draco said crossing his arms over his chest. He brightened up. "That'll be fun."
"Only because he doesn't know the rules, so you might win." Atlas laughed. Draco shot him a dirty look and the older boy just grinned.
There was no more pulling on Harry. They settled into the blue drawing room. Draco pulled a deck of cards out of a drawer and cleared off the coffee table, setting everything on an end table by the couch. The three boys sat around the table while Draco explained the rules to him quickly. It sounded like a complicated game of War, with the added bonus of smoke and explosions.
When a small creature came to summon them to dinner, Harry was winning, with a large smile on his face. He looked at it with wide eyes, then over to Draco, asking without asking, what it was.
"That's a house elf." Draco said, like it was obvious. Atlas led them into the large dining Hall. Harry looked around in amazement, like he did with everything else. The fireplace was lit, making the entire room feel cozy. Harry sat in between Atlas and Draco, across from Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Harry made sure to straighten his back like Snape had taught him. Bowls of warm, rose smelling liquid appeared in front of them. Harry dipped his fingers inside, and made sure to dab his hands dry. Mrs. Malfoy was looking at him in appreciation. Harry laid his napkin in his lap.
The appetizer was a salad with peaches and walnuts instead of dressing. Harry grabbed his salad fork and waiting until Mrs. Malfoy had started before he began eating. It was amazing. It had a bit of a hot burn after it went down. He made sure he conserved his water. Mr. Malfoy hadn't even touched his wine.
"You have wonderful table manors, Mr. Potter." Mrs. Malfoy said with a smile, taking a small sip of her own wine. She searched his face.
"Ah, yes, thank you ma'am." Harry blushed with a slight smile. "You have professor Snape to thank for that, he taught me last night."
"Goodness, you learned all this in a night?" She asked, placing her hand on her chest. She frowned. "Why didn't your guardians teach you this? They should have been more attentive."
"It's hardly his fault mother." Draco said, with a sympathetic drawl to his voice. He looked at Harry and nodded at him with sad eyes. "He was raised by muggles." He whispered quietly. He looked back his parents who looked at Harry with surprise. "It's amazing what he does know."
Harry had to physically keep himself from slouching down in his seat and sliding under the table. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy instantly began uttering their sympathy. "Is that why Professor Snape was taking you to the alley? I had assumed that, well someone with a close relation to you would have taken you in." Mr. Malfoy said, after taking another bite of his salad. "I admit, I'm surprised the minister allowed you to be placed in a muggle home."
"My aunt and uncle told me they were my only living relatives, sir." Harry said, laying down his fork. He'd finished the salad. He made sure to turn the fork upside down. It was a polite way to say that you enjoyed what had been served. "Professor Snape said that wasn't quite true, but they are my closest relatives. My aunt was my mother's sister."
"Ah yes." Mrs. Malfoy said absentmindedly. "Lilly Evans muggle family." She huffed and took another bite of her food.
"You knew my mother ma'am?" Harry asked, perking up. "My aunt and uncle never talked about her, or my parents at all, actually." He looked at her pleadingly. Harry saw that she seemed genuinely sorrowful when she shook her head. She also laid down her fork. Harry nodded. "I understand, it's been years. Did she...go to Hogwarts?"
"Yes, both of your parents did." She said, with a slight smile. "Your mother was a very bright young woman. You have her eyes, you know." She said. She looked Harry over. "But you look just like your father." She chuckled softly.
"Indeed he does, my love." Mr. Malfoy said, mirroring his wife's smile. "Your hair is darker, and much tamer than his was. You have the same nose though, the same jaw, the same face shape."
Harry felt something light in his chest. He looked down at his plate, his smile almost felt like it reached up to his eyes. "Thank you, both." He looked up at them, and saw them looked at him with a fair bit of alarm. He wasn't sure why that was. "You've both been so kind to me, and I'm a stranger. Thank you." He bowed his head slightly to both of them. He heard Atlas chuckle softly next to him. Mr. Malfoy tapped him on the leg with his foot.
"Mr. Potter, you returned ancient family heirlooms to me." Mr. Malfoy said. "It is a...honor...to have the hero of the wizarding world sitting at my table, eating dinner with me."
Harry looked at him in confusion. Then he remembered the book Snape had allowed him to borrow. "Sir, I don't understand. Professor Snape gave me a book, it says that I destroyed some guy when I was a baby. But I don't think..." Harry paused. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to put into words the fact that his whole life had been blown wide open with three paragraphs from a book. "I didn't do anything." Harry insisted.
"Quite the contrary, Mr. Potter." Mr. Malfoy said. "You're the first and the only person in the history of wizard kind to survive the killing curse." He laced his fingers together and rested the bottom of his chin on the top of his hands. Harry was sure you weren't supposed to put your elbows on top of the table, so he didn't do the same. He sat with his back straight and his eyes looking directly into Mr. Malfoy's. "They say the Dark Lord came to kill you, that Halloween night, but for some reason, he could not. His power broke, and you got away with nothing but that scar on your head." Mr. Malfoy pointed to him.
Mrs. Malfoy cleared her throat and gave her husband a pointed look. The man nodded and the five of them returned to their meal. But Harry wasn't feeling so hungry, even though the lobster he was being served was amazing. He felt that he'd rather have parents than a silly old scar. He ate his meal in silence, but no one was asking him any questions, maybe they could see how he was feeling, written all over his face. He was glad to see that there was cake for dessert. He'd only have to eat half of it.
When that was finished, Mrs. Malfoy invited him to join her and Mr. Malfoy in the drawing room. Harry sat down next to Mrs. Malfoy, and Mr. Malfoy sat in the armchair next to the fire. Mrs. Malfoy poured him a cup of tea. He thanked her and drank his tea mechanically.
"So, Harry..." Mr. Malfoy said, taking a sip of his drink. "Is there anything else you wished to ask?" He asked.
"Yes, a lot." Harry said. He placed the cup down on the table, where they'd forgotten to put their cards away. "But I don't think you'll the answers to most of them." He cleared his throat. "But...could you tell me what these houses are, that everyone keeps asking me about?"
Mr. Malfoy smiled. "Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor." He said, with an almost nostalgic sigh. "Named for the founders of Hogwarts. I was a Slytherin when I was a school boy, as was Narcissa and Atlas. I expect Draco may be as well. Your parents were Gryffindors."
"What are the houses for?"
"Slytherin, the cunning and ambitious. Ravenclaw the wise and witty. Hufflepuff the just and loyal. Gryffindor, the chivalrous and brave. The houses are meant to group you with like minded people so you can grow, and depend on one another while you are trying to discover yourselves as young witches and wizards."
"Oh." Harry nodded. "I wonder where I'll go." Harry asked himself quietly. He picked up his cup and took another drink of his tea. No sugar, one cream. He sighed softly and closed his eyes. "What was Hogwarts like?" Harry asked.
"They were some of the most enjoyable days of my life." Mr. Malfoy said with a sigh. "But the time ends quickly. It truly did help me to become the person I am today, and in Slytherin, was where I found friends that I still am very close with, to this very day."
Harry nodded along. His eyes felt heavy. He tried not to yawn, turning away from Mrs. Malfoy as he did so.
"Oh dear." She said. She looked at the clock. Almost nine thirty. Harry knew he'd have to stay. Mrs. Malfoy led him up to a room next to Draco's when he was finished with his tea, and helped him settle in for the night. She turned off the light, closing the door behind her. Mr. Malfoy said he'd take him home after breakfast the next day. Harry lay wide awake in the bed, far softer than he'd ever slept on before. He felt...almost as if there was something calling out to him. He ignored it, turning on his side and closing his eyes. It had been a very long day.
Harry returned to his home, grabbing to Mr. Malfoy's arm. He thanked the man and knocked on his door. No answer. He knocked again, still nothing. Mr. Malfoy frowned and looked down at Harry who was shifting from foot to foot, uncomfortably. Mr. Malfoy banged loudly on the door with his cane, muttering about muggles. The door flew open, a very red Vernon Dursley almost ripping it off its hinges. The man looked first to Mr. Malfoy, then to Harry.
"I thought we'd have been rid of you." He snarled.
"Disappointment is good for the soul." Harry said with an exhausted smile. "Keep you on your toes."
Vernon looked ready to strike him, right there in front of the elegantly dressed man, but held himself together. "Mr. Potter, I'm afraid I must leave you here." He said, not sounding happy about it. He turned to Vernon. "Be sure that no harm befalls Mr. Potter." He said, tapping his cane against the ground. "If he is not on platform 9 and 3/4 by ten o'clock the morning of September the 1st, I will return to collect him." He glared at the muggle man, who stepped away. "And you will not want that, sir." He nodded once to Harry before he turned and disappeared with a loud crack. Vernon grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him inside the home.