That night after Draco had gotten as comfortable as one can in a sleeping bag on the floor, he thought about his meeting with his aunt. He really was surprised how well it went. He thought for sure it would take him much longer to convince her he was sincere. He thought that what convinced her was when she brought up Lucius. He had tried to keep his mask in place but could not. The rage he felt towards Lucius was written all over his face. That was when he told his aunt that he and his mother had left Lucius and were staying with a friend.
From there it was pretty much smooth sailing. He had told her that his mother and he were trying to get Sirius out of prison as they had proof Peter Pettigrew was alive and was the Potter's secret keeper. She asked how he could possibly prove that Sirius was not the Potter's secret keeper when even Dumbledore testified that he was. That was when he had informed her that Sirius never got a trial and that they switched without telling anyone.
She had seemed a little suspicious at this but he told her about Harry and pointed him out. She was surprised Harry was the friend he had been talking about. He proceeded to give her their cover story. They met in Diagon Alley while school shopping and struck up a friendship. When he and his mother decided to leave, he had talked to Harry about it in letters. When he found his mother after a fight with his father, they left immediately. She was in no state to take them anywhere so he went to the first place he could think of that was safe. When his mother finally came around, she decided they would stay since it was fine with Harry and was the last place Lucius would look for them. Andromeda roared with laughter when he told her that the three of them were sharing a bedroom because Harry's muggle relatives did not know they were there.
Overall, it had been a good conversation. He was surprised when Harry asked about Remus but then realized he should not have been. Of all the adults in his life, the only ones he loved more than Remus were Sirius and possibly Molly Weasley. Draco could foresee brewing the wolfsbane potion in his future. Severus had taught him in his 7th year. His mother was dead by that point and Sev was all he had left. He did not know which side Severus was on but trusted him with his life. His private time with Sev was the only good part of that year.
Of course, the worst part had been watching him die. He could not say he was shocked by the Dark Lord's actions. Riddle never did figure out that Draco was the master of the Elder wand. He had, however, been shocked by the appearance of the golden trio. He was most shocked by Sev giving Harry his memories. Sev had never been a fan of Harry but he was hoping to change that this time around. The three most important people in the world to him were Harry, his mother and Sev and he could not have two of them hating each other. If he could tolerate the weasel then Harry could tolerate Sev. The problem would be Sev. Maybe his mother could help him there.
He was very glad that Sev and his mum were corresponding. He was not sure what exactly they talked about though he knew part of it was Lucius. Lucius was not a happy camper. He had his friends out looking for the two of them and was convinced his mother had kidnapped him. He was not sure yet how he was going to deal with his father.
His mother also had a burgeoning friendship with Petunia. They would talk during the day when Dudley was out and Vernon was at work. He was relieved his mum had someone to talk to. Last time around, she did not have anyone. This time she had Sev and Petunia. She would also have Andromeda, Sirius and maybe even Remus. It made him feel better to know that he would not be the only one keeping an eye on his mother.
His mind then turned to his friends. He missed them. Vince and Pansy had died at the Battle of Hogwarts, Blaise had been slaughtered along with his entire family when they tried to stay neutral and Greg had died in the Dark Lord's service. He had not seen any of them in over 5 years. He wondered how they would feel about his new views. He figured that Blaise would be the most accepting. He was pretty sure that Blaise had the same opinions as he did now he just did not broadcast them. Greg and Vince would either want nothing to do with him because of their Dads or would follow him to hell and back. They were not very smart but they had been decent friends. It was a toss-up which way they would go. Now Pansy was completely unpredictable. He felt she had been a good friend to him when they were in school. He had even fancied himself in love with her for a time. However, she would do whatever it took to protect herself. He could see himself losing her friendship over this. That was all right with him if it meant he could potentially save her life. He would rather have his friends alive and hate him then dead.
The biggest wildcards for him would be Harry's friends. The weasel would never like him. The feeling was completely mutual.
He felt that he would get along fine with Granger. She would not remember what an ass he was last time and being muggleborn would not know about his family's history right off the bat. She would give him a chance and judge him on his actions.
Longbottom would be a harder sell. He would know Draco's reputation but would likely give him a chance.
He was uncertain about Lovegood's reaction. He was hoping by the time he met her it would be established what kind of person he was.
The hardest person would be the weaselette. He could never stand her. She had always looked at Harry as the boy who lived. It had pissed him off that she had gotten to be his friend and he did not. He had never bought in to Harry being special because of what happened in Godric's Hollow. He could see that Harry was special just for being Harry. He was smart without being a showoff, he was fiercely loyal to his friends, he was the best seeker Draco had ever seen and that included Krum, he gave everyone a chance and judged based on who you were not how much money, fame or power you had. He was friends with Hagrid and Remus. He truly did not care. All of that was what made him special, not that his mother died to protect him. He wished more people saw that.
Draco figured it would be a long year. They had so much to do and they had to do so without catching the attention of Riddle or Dumbledore. It was definitely not going to be easy.
The next morning Draco sat down with his mother while Harry was showering. He wanted an update from her.
"Mother have you heard anything more from Sev about him?" Draco was trying to avoid saying Lucius as every time he did he could tell it upset his mother.
"Not yet but I am sure I will. That man is not going to stop until he realizes you came of your own free will. Hopefully he will figure that out after you get to Hogwarts and are safe from him."
"If I could, I would send him a letter myself but he won't believe it until he actually hears it out of my mouth." Draco frowned. He really wished Lucius would just leave him alone. "Have you written your letter to Madam Bones yet?"
"I sent it off before you and Harry had even gotten out of bed. I also wrote a long letter to Andi. You said it went well with you so I am hoping it will go well for me too."
"I am sure it will. Aunt Andromeda seems like a forgiving person."
"I hope so Draco."
His mother stood and gave him hug before going downstairs to visit with Petunia. She had more freedom than Draco or Harry. Dudley had met her and thought she was a friend of Petunia's. She would leave when she was done with her visit and Dobby would bring her back upstairs. Draco envied her.
He and Harry went to a muggle park that day. It was a bit of a walk but was better than going to the one nearest Harry's house. It was best if they avoided Dudley. Harry had talked to Dudley a few times since Draco moved in. They were quick chats as Dudley was afraid of him. Dudley did seem to be listening though. Harry was trying to get him used to the idea of his father being a bad person. It was going better than expected. Draco felt that Dudley knew more about how Vernon treated Petunia than Harry thought he did. He had overheard a few of the chats and felt Dudley would be more responsive to going with them than Harry thought.
At the park, they let loose some steam. They acted as if they were completely 11 again. It was a nice way to relieve some stress. While they were eating lunch, Draco noticed a girl sitting by herself, leaning against a tree reading a book. Draco was slightly jealous. All he had to read was his schoolbooks and muggle books. He had read some of the muggle books Harry had access to but really wanted to read a book on potions. He envied her ability to read whatever she wanted. It was then that she looked up at him and frowned at catching him staring. Draco gasped.
"What is it Dray?" Harry asked looking around nervously.
Draco looked over to Harry and saw he also had his wand out. Before
Draco could say anything; he heard a female voice say, "Are you both wizards?"
Draco watched as Harry's eyes widened as he realized the same thing Draco already had. Draco jumped in before Harry messed things up.
"Yes we are. I am Draco and this is Harry. How did you know?"
"I saw Harry take his wand out. I did not realize there were other witches and wizards around here. I'm Hermione."
"It's nice to meet you Hermione," Draco replied. "We live about 40 minutes from here by foot. Are you going to Hogwarts?"
"Yes I am. I cannot wait. I have already started reading the books on our book list. I just cannot wait to start doing magic. Do either of you know any magic?"
"We both do. I cannot do any though because I am staying at Harry's. His aunt and uncle are muggles though his cousin is a wizard too. So there are 3 wizards nearby."
"Why do you live with your aunt and uncle?" Hermione asked finally addressing Harry directly.
"My parents died when I was a baby," Harry said with obvious emotion in his voice.
"I'm so sorry," Hermione replied.
Draco was relieved that she mistook the emotion in his voice as being about his parents and not about her. "Would you like to join us Hermione? Harry and I were just eating lunch and we have plenty if you are feeling hungry."
Hermione joined them and spent the rest of her time at the park with them. They talked about Hogwarts and magic. Harry had held it together pretty well. Once Harry had gotten over his initial shock, he had done his best to make friends with Hermione. Draco too had made friends with Hermione.
By the time Hermione left they had both agreed to write her. Draco felt much better about school now. Hermione had already befriended him. From what he remembered, from both his own experiences and what Harry had told him, he and Harry were Hermione's first friends. He knew now that by the time school started he would have Hermione on his side too. If they ever got out of the Dursley's they would have to have Hermione over.
When they got back to the house Dobby popped them upstairs and they filled his mother in on their encounter at the park. Harry had broken down during the retelling finally letting the emotions he hid from Hermione out. Draco watched as his mother held Harry as he cried. Draco felt they were a mixture of happy and sad tears. He knew Harry was happy to have one of his friends back.
After Harry fell asleep, his mother informed him that their disappearance was no longer secret. She had received a letter from Severus while they were gone. Lucius had spoken with the Daily Prophet. He had told them that he had been having a discussion with his wife when someone came up behind him and stunned him. That both Draco and Narcissa were gone and that he had not heard from either of them. He insinuated that Narcissa was distracting him so that her accomplice could take him out so they could kidnap Draco.
Draco hoped he could see the look on Lucius' face if he ever found out Narcissa's accomplice in his "kidnapping" was him. He knew though that this could complicate things. They would have to find a way to clear his mother's name.
Draco woke up the next morning before Harry and his mother. He sat down and wrote Blaise and Pansy identical notes letting them know he was fine and that his mother did not kidnap him. The two of them would be frantic. He was sure that Lucius had contacted them looking for him. He was equally sure that they tried to write him. Since he had not received anything he assumed the wards kept owls out. So far, except for the school owls only Hedwig had gotten through. He sent the notes off with Hedwig hoping this would placate them.
He and Harry went back to the park but did not run into Hermione. They still had a good time. He and Harry talked over how Harry was feeling. Harry was feeling better than yesterday. After some time to think, he even agreed that this was likely a good thing. Hermione would be less likely to feel like she had to show off her knowledge to get friends since she already had two.
The next day they heard back from Madam Bones. She found it very fishy that Sirius never received a trial. She would look into granting him one. She would like to meet with them at some point for two reasons: one to establish that Draco was not kidnapped and two to see the evidence they had for Sirius. They knew they would have to meet with her sooner rather than later but they hoped to put it off until they had Remus in their corner.
Both Draco and his mum had received letters from Andromeda. His mother's letter was much longer than his was. Hedwig must have waited until after Andromeda had gotten her letter from Madam Bones, for his letter mentioned it as a p.s. She would be at the park today from 2-3 if they had time to drop in.
It was 2:15 when he finished his letter. Draco and Harry went by themselves though they did invite Narcissa and Petunia.
When they got to the park, Andromeda gave them both a hug. "How have you boys been?"
"We've been good Aunt Andromeda. Mother is fine too," Draco replied.
"That is good to hear. I have given some thought to your living arrangements. I have talked to my husband, Ted, and you are more than welcome to come and stay with us should you need to. I do not think you should unless you absolutely have to. I feel like Lucius will eventually come looking for you and your mother at my house. He will most likely have aurors with him since he believes you to be kidnapped. I wouldn't be surprised if he already suspects me."
"That makes sense Mrs. Tonks. Moreover, if I were there it would just add to the confusion. Thank you. I never would have thought about that. It is nice to know we do have someplace we can go to in a pinch," Harry responded.
"Now Harry, I have a letter here from Remus. I think he was surprised that you knew of him. He asked me to give you a letter rather than just showing up. I am sure he will meet with you. He probably just wants to be sure that you want to meet with him. Also the information I told him about Sirius sent him for a loop."
"I understand Mrs. Tonks. Thank you for giving this to me."
"I need to be going now boys. Give Cissy a hug for me."
They said goodbye to Andromeda and had Dobby pop them back home. When they got home, Narcissa was in tears. Luckily, they were happy tears. Andromeda had forgiven her. The next time they met up with her his mother would come with them. Draco watched as Harry put the letter from Remus in his trunk. Draco figured he would open it when he was ready. He sat down, wrote Hermione a short letter, and asked her if she wanted to meet at the park again tomorrow. He then sent it off with Hedwig before his mum could use her.
The rest of the night went rather peacefully. He heard back from Hermione rather quickly. She agreed to be at the park the next day. She also invited them to dinner at her parents' house. After discussing it with his mum, he and Harry accepted. They told her that they were looking forward to it. They both went to sleep that night excited for their plans tomorrow.