Sorry for taking so long to post this chapter, I have a system for these things that says I can't post a chapter without having the next chapter already written, and my plot bunnies have been so evil that I haven't been able to finish the next chapter. Again sorry.
After this chapter there will be two more chapters with them as six/seven year olds, then it will jump to one or two chapters as eight year olds, followed by a few chapters as them as ten/eleven year olds. Then we're going to speed through their years at Hogwarts until we reach sixth year where the majority of the major plot elements takes place. Just thought I'd let you all know.
Poem "Nature is All of Me" is property of R.R. Cannon
OOPS! Sorry. I can't believe that I never noticed in all this time, the chapter before this one was the wrong chapter. Go back and read chapter 5(6) before reading this one.
6. Nature is All of Me
I am a bird kept in a cage
Looked at and admired day after day
Dreaming of the sky, but waiting
For my master to open the door
Knowing that if the door is not closed
I'll fly away to freedom- but I'll always
Come back, I'm loyal like that
The sweltering summer sun beat down upon the land like waves of molten lava, baking everything it touched despite the fact that it was still the supposedly cool hours before noon. Even in the shadows of the large hedgerows of plants and flowers the heat was uncomfortable to say the least. The cooling charm cast on them before he had left the house was of some help, but still the sun stung against Harry's exposed skin. He tried to stick to the deeper shadows of the hedges as he made his way through the large garden maze on the Malfoy's property, but they were of little aid.
What did seem to help was the trick he'd picked up from one of his books; with only the slightest effort he was able to imagine himself some place cooler and fooled his mind into ignoring the bothersome heat. He imagined himself once again huddled in the cupboard that had been his room back when he lived with who his young mind at the time had decided to call the Big People. His cupboards had always been cold in the winter, almost unbearably so, and a bit drafty in the spring and fall.
Thoughts of his cupboard in the winter were all he needed to cool himself as he slunk around another corner of the maze searching for his target. Harry had thought it peculiar that the Malfoy garden was situated in the middle of a maze and in order to access it one must first traverse the confusing labyrinth, but he had to agree with Draco that the area made a great place to play tag, especially once he had been assured that if he got lost all he had to do was call for Dobby to be taken out of it.
For the last ten minutes he'd been successfully getting himself lost in his attempts to find Draco. At first he's done a pretty good job of remembering the path he had taken, but the deeper he got into the maze the more confused be became and he'd forgotten the correct pattern of left and right turns he had taken to get here. If he didn't find Draco soon he would have to call for Dobby and forfeit the game. Making a left turn Harry found himself faced with a dead end. Turning back around and continuing straight instead led him to another dead in.
Backtracking and taking the first available right led his somewhere he was sure he'd already been. Somewhere off to his left the heard the unmistakably sound of Draco giggling and calling for Harry to come find him. Running in that direction, Harry listened intently for further sounds coming from his play mate. The sound of his name being called rang out over the hedgerows of the maze and all Harry had to do was follow it.
"Harry! You found me!" Draco called enthusiastically once Harry rounded the final corner. "Took you long enough."
Harry smiled sheepishly. "I got lost," he admitted in a soft voice.
"Well you're here now." Draco smiled, "C'mon, let's go in the garden." Harry hadn't realized it before, but he and Draco were standing in front of a large glass building that he recognized to be a green house. Draco grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him through the door and into a forest of sweet smelling flowers.
Everywhere Harry turned there was a rainbow of fresh blooms. Shades of pink, red, and orange mixed with shades of blue, black, and violet in a kaleidoscope of springtime colors all growing in the heat of the summer. It was beautiful and simply mesmerizing none of Harry's precious words could begin to explain the sight before him. Gorgeous, awe-inspiring, apt descriptions but they didn't quite measure up.
"C'mon, Harry." Draco said tugging at Harry's arms, "Don't you want to see the flowers?" In a daze Harry nodded and followed Draco deeper into the floral forest. "You see these?" Draco asked stopping in front of a plot of flowers colored an alluring violet shade with white rimmed edges, "They're called Gloxinias," Draco seemed to have a slight difficulty making his mouth form the strange word that seemed the perfect name for the gorgeous flowers, "Mother says they mean love at first sight." He tugged Harry towards a cluster of little blue flowers, "Forget-me-nots, true love and memories." He pulled Harry to another plot of flowers, "Tulips each color means something different. Red is 'believe me, a declaration of love', yellow is 'there's sunshine in your smile' and the var-variegated mean 'beautiful eyes'. Over there are the apology flowers, purple hyacinth. They mean 'I'm sorry, please forgive me, and are expressions of sorrow.'"
I am a chrysalis on a tree
Wrapped around myself where all is safe
Tough on the outside, but not inside
Deep within myself I lie
Not yet a butterfly- but I will be soon
I know I will
Harry's lips moved silently as he repeated all the flower names and their meanings to himself, trying to set them to memory. "Do all flowers have a meaning?" he inquired.
Draco nodded, "Mother says that flowers speak a language of their own. She says that by the time I go off to Hogwarts I should be a master of the language. I don't really know why, but I don't mind. I think they're really pretty."
Harry nodded and said softly, "Beautiful."
Draco grinned that face splitting grin Harry was becoming used to seeing, "C'mon, I'll show you some more."
The rest of the morning went to them going through the flowers, Draco naming and giving the meaning to the ones he knew, just admiring the ones Draco didn't know, and then eventually going back out to the maze to resume their game of tag. By the time Dobby showed up to take them out of the maze for lunch the boys were both sticky with sweat and filthy from their play in the dirt and leaves. Narcissa took one look at them and sent them up to their rooms to wash up and change their clothes before the meal. As recent habits dictated, Draco first came into Harry's rooms and picked out his clothes for him but because they were only washing up it didn't require him to draw a full bath, so after laying the clothes out Draco headed to his own rooms to wash and change.
By the time Harry exited his bedroom, Draco was already in the sitting room waiting for him. Draco held the door open for him and as always took the lead and monopolized the conversation as they headed down and joined the others. For a change in scenery lunch was being served out on the patio deck in the shade of an awning doused in specialized cooling charms. The meal was a simple affair of lunchmeat sandwiches with watermelon slices and cups of some type of sweet juice that Harry couldn't quite pinpoint the flavor of. Conversation during the meal centered round plans for Draco's upcoming birthday party and what presents he hoped to receive. Harry didn't have anything to add to the conversation because he still thought himself uninvited to the party and even if he was invited he had no gift to give the boy he was quickly coming to think of as his first and only friend.
"Mother, after lunch can Harry and I play with my toy-brooms? Harry has never ridden one and I want to show him how." Draco's topic change piqued Harry's interest and the green eyed boy looked up silently begging for a positive answer. Draco had told him about flying brooms and Harry was more than a little eager to give it a try.
"I don't see why not." Narcissa mused, "but you know the rules: don't go in the house or the maze on them."
Draco smiled large and nodded. "Thank you, mother."
Narcissa gave a small smile before turning to her husband and engaging him in conversation. "Lucius Darling, I need to make a trip to Diagon Alley and maybe Le Rue de Saint Martine, will you be able to stay here with the boys?"
Lucius seemed to think it over for a second before nodding, "I don't have anything else planned for today."
I am a river cutting my path
Always flowing and changing never stopping
I carry secrets beneath my surface
There's enough depth to swallow you up
I pull you in- never let you go
Not ever
The toy brooms were smaller than actual brooms, they only allowed you to go a certain distance off the ground, and didn't let you fly faster than a certain speed. At least that's what Draco had said. But despite their limitations they were still quite fun, again Draco's words for Harry hadn't ridden one yet. Harry held the broom cautiously; the wooden handle was smooth as silk beneath his fingers. Draco smiled and urged him to give it a try while Lucius sat on the patio watching them over the top of his newspaper. Swallowing hard, Harry followed Draco's instructions and straddled the broom and gripped the handle perhaps a little too tightly.
An undignified squeak escaped his mouth as the broom shot forward, but then any fear he might have had melted away. So this is what it felt like to fly. It was an amazing feeling, invigorating. With skill he didn't know he had, Harry expertly maneuvered the broom through the air, making slow twists and sharp turns, going as high as the broom would allow him and diving back down. The wind pressed against him trying to impede his process, but Harry easily overcame the wind resistance and continued his flight. This was a freedom that could only be compared to when he escaped into his storybooks, and even that wasn't a pertinent comparison. Down on the ground he could hear Draco calling out to him. Harry only wanted to fly higher; he never wanted to come down. He was vaguely aware of Draco mounting his second broom and flying towards him, but that was of little importance to him at the moment. "Harry," Draco called pulling up beside him.
Harry turned to his blond playmate and grinned. "Catch me if you can." he called and then he was off. Harry led Draco on a chase around the backyard making sharp turns and dives, swerving around trees and pushing the broom as fast as it would go. Soon the game of tag became a game of follow the leader as Draco strove to emulate everything Harry did. They became so lost in their game neither of them noticed when Lucius put down his newspaper and slunk into the house until he suddenly appeared in the air next to them on is own broom.
"How about heading down and I'll give you both a ride on my broom," Lucius offered. The boys chorused their excitement before landing their toy-brooms. Soon Harry was flying through the sky with Lucius, going higher than the toys would allow. Harry smiled and begged to go higher. Lucius chuckled and warned him to hold on. They climbed higher and higher and then Lucius angled them towards the ground and they were falling like a stone. Harry squealed in fearful delight and held tightly to the broom. The feeling was both heart-wrenching and invigorating.
Lucius pulled out of the dive just barely a foot above the ground and Harry couldn't stop the giggles from flooding from his mouth. Draco applauded and Lucius chuckled again before they once more took off like a bullet through the air. The Malfoy patriarch took them through a series of loop-de-loops and figure eights. Harry was having so much fun he didn't want to land and give Draco a turn. As if his silent wish had been heard, Harry saw someone shooting towards them out of the corner of his eye. Narcissa had returned from her shopping and now joined them in their flying with Draco on her broom. Suddenly they were caught up in a game of tag, mixed with the game chicken, mixed with follow the leader. Lucius was willing to pull more stunts that Narcissa, but Narcissa had no qualms with speed. The two six year olds set in front of the elder Malfoys edging them on. Somewhere along the line the adults landed and switched passengers and Harry ended up riding with Narcissa while Draco rode with his father. By the time they landed the brooms for good the sun had set and it was time for dinner.
I am a flower in a greenhouse
One of the more beautiful sorts
By day I flaunt my petals and grace
By night I close in on myself to reflect
Just to flaunt my petals again
With the coming of the sun
After washing up they all met in the family dining hall and ate the dinner the house elves had made while engaging in joyous conversation about the fun they had had flying together. They all agreed that it would be fun to do it again sometimes, and perhaps Harry and Draco were skilled enough to use real brooms instead of just toys. Both Lucius and Draco complimented Harry on his natural flying ability and Lucius agreed to take the boys to a Quidditch match one of these days.
Once the meal was over Narcissa sent the boys off the take their baths and Draco begged her to let him and Harry bathe together 'because it would be more fun that way'. After a while Narcissa gave her consent and Draco dragged Harry off to the bath in his rooms. Draco's bath was much like Harry's, large and white, but his had various bath toys. There were tug boats, whales that actually squirted water, toy fishes that swam beneath the water and nibbled on their toes, and special colored bath potions that acted as both soap and body paint. They spent the bath playing with the boats, splashing each other, and taking turns using the colored potions to finger paint on each other. Draco turned a knob that Harry had noticed in his bath but didn't know what it did, turns out it activated a small waterfall for washing your hair without having to stand up under the shower sprout, though they had more fun using the waterfall as part of their games.
After the got out of the tub and dried themselves with overly large and fluffy towels, they pulled on their pajamas and made their way out into Draco's bedroom where Narcissa was waiting for them. Narcissa hadn't even the chance to speak before Draco ran to her and begged, "Mother can Harry please sleep with me tonight? I promise we will behave and we won't stay up too late, pretty please Mother, s'il vous plait?"
Narcissa seemed unsure about it but finally gave in. "Yay!" Draco cheered, "C'mon Harry, we're going to have a sleepover. It's going to be so much fun." Narcissa tucked the two boys in and wished them a good night and pleasant dreams before turning out the main light causing the night light to come on. A motif of dragon lights flew around the ceiling of the room as Draco snuggled up close to Harry. "Harry, tell me some of your words."
Harry thought about it for a second and asked, "What do you want to hear, a poem or a story?"
"Do you know any fairy-tales? Muggle ones I mean, I know wizarding fairy-tales but not any muggle ones."
Harry chewed on his lower lip as he tried to think of a story to tell Draco. "Do you know the story of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys?" Harry could feel Draco shaking his head no even though he couldn't see him without his glasses.
"Tell it to me."
Harry nodded and chewed his lower lip again trying to decide where to start, "Once upon a time in a place called Neverland there lived a boy name Peter Pan who never had to grow up. In fact no one in Neverland ever had to grow up. It's the only place where you can be a kid forever. But the problem is it's hard to get to Neverland because you need pixie dust to fly there, or we could just fly on our brooms I suppose. Well anyway, to get to Neverland you have to fly through the second star on the right and straight on until morning. Peter Pan lives in Neverland where he's the leader of a group called the Lost Boys. Peter Pan's greatest enemy is the evil pirate Captain Hook…"
Harry went on to tell Draco all about Neverland, Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, and all the great adventures the group had. Draco thought the story was hilarious and often broke out into fits of giggles during it, but by the time Harry finished the story Draco was fast asleep. Harry smiled down as his blond playmate; he really was enjoying living with the Malfoys and having fun with Draco. "My very own Peter Pan," Harry whispered softly. Before letting his eyes fall closed. He dreamed of him and Draco taking brooms and flying off the Neverland where they had tons of adventures with Peter Pan and the Lost Boys and they never had to grow up.
I am all of nature
As solid as the ground, as strong as a tree
As deep as the ocean, as free as the sky
I am all of nature- and nature
Is all of me
