A/N- Sorry about the uber long absence. My muse decided to commit suicide, but she's back now! At least, kind of. She's back for real for Glass Slippers, but as you can tell by the length of this chapter, she's still hesitant about Delicate Betrayal. Same for Lovely Hatred. But she's getting there, so just hold tight, 'Kay? Thanks and Enjoy!
Draco and Hermione sat in the very back of the Knight Bus, Wondering why, oh why didn't they use some other form of transportation. Even when the bus wasn't moving, it still swayed ominously; ready to tip over at any second. The fact that magic held it up was of no comfort, for once. Baby Harry, however, seemed thrilled. Every time the bus gave a particularly unpleasant jerk, the baby would giggle loudly, and clap his pudgy hands.
"I don't see how you can enjoy this, Mini Potter. I really and truly don't." Draco said tightly, grasping the bed frame so tightly his knuckles turned white. Hermione laughed, but still kept her own death grip on baby Harry and the bed.
""Really, Malfoy, now that Harry's your mate, I really think you should get used to calling him by his first name." she said, pressing a soft kiss onto said baby's now sleeping head. How a child could go from wide-awake to drop dead tired in a minute was beyond even her amount of brainpower. Stan, the conductor, made his way to their bed.
"Surrey's the next stop, sir, madam, and baby." He said, handing them their bags. They thanked him and he went back to trying to convince Ernie that red meant stop.
"Why are we in Surrey, anyway? There's nothing there." Draco asked, shifting the bags he held.
"When the Dursleys died in that car crash a few months ago, the house had nowhere to go, so it belongs to Harry now. Hopefully we can give him a proper childhood in that house." She said, frowning slightly. Draco was about to respond, but the bus jerked to a halt, and Stan called out, "Privet Drive, Surrey!" they stood and made their way shakily off of the bus. Ernie had stopped the bus right in front of number four, which was a blessing. All the stares were sure to start something. Draco sneered slightly. This was the house his beloved had been forced to grow up in? It was a mess. The garden was overgrown, the picket fence needed a dire repainting… and it was so… small! He shuddered. Two months of this was going to be hell.
Hermione, on the other hand, was very apprehensive. What effects would living in the house he had grown to fear have on baby Harry? She opened the door with a simple 'Alohamora', and slowly entered. And they froze. The house was sickening. All white paint, white carpet, white furniture… even the picture frames were white. Draco ventured deeper, but stopped by the stairs.
"Is this it?" he asked quietly, and she knew he had seen the cupboard. She nodded.
"Eleven years he lived in there. When I was six I couldn't hide in the cupboards anymore. And then they put him back in there after third year, when he blew up his aunt. Have you ever seen a picture of his parents? She asked. Draco shook his head. "They were both so tall. James had to have been at least 6'7". And Lily was 5'11". Harry just barely hits 5'." She whispered. Draco shook his head. He couldn't handle anymore of this talk.
"Let's just put him to bed and get to redecorating." He said. But, Harry, it seemed, hadn't missed out on the gene that tells a baby to wake up whenever a grownup mentions bed, because wide green eyes where staring everywhere. Harry seemed unhappy with the room's décor, because he shut his eyes, stiffened, and opened them. The entire room, and house, as would later be discovered, had been done in reds, greens, and purples, and the furniture was black. Baby Harry clapped his hands, pleased with his work.
"Pretty!" he cooed. Draco and Hermione hadn't the heart to change the colors, since Harry was so proud of his work, and instead got to work making the place inhabitable. I.E., Destroying any and all the furniture that had been used by the Dursleys, conjuring up new furniture, etc. by the time they were done, Harry had been put to bed in the new crib in the living room. Even after the house had been redecorated, they couldn't bear sleeping in the same rooms as the Dursleys had. Hermione took the bed to the left of Harry's crib, while Draco took the one on the right. They had been asleep for about an hour and a half before they were awoken by Harry's cries.
'What the hell did I get myself into?' they both thought.