Chapter 10: Orphans

It had been weeks since the Malfoy's funeral and Harry had had enough. If Malfoy wasn't leaving than he was going to have to pull his weight around the house.

"Now that you live here you're going to have to start doing your share of the chores," said Harry. Malfoy looked disgusted. Harry wasn't sure whether it was the living together part or the bit about doing chores that had Malfoy looking as though he had just licked a flobberworm. Ignoring the look on Malfoy's face Harry continued.

"I figure we take it in turns cooking each night and cleaning each week. I can cook but I'm going to have to ask Mrs Weasley for some good cleaning spells."

"You must be joking, I'm not cooking and I'm definitely not cleaning," said Malfoy sticking his nose in the air.

"Well then you can starve, I'm not your personal house-elf."

"Speaking of which why don't you get that horrible old elf I've seen lurking around here to do it? It's what he's for isn't it?"

"His name is Kreacher and even if I wanted him to he won't listen to me, I'm not a pure-blood let alone a Black." Technically Kreacher did do what he was told but he had a way of twisting Harry's instructions so that Harry had found it easier to just do things himself.

"I bet I could make him do it. I'm a pure-blood and I've got Black blood in me."

"I guess you could give it a try," Harry shrugged.

"Elf! Come here!" Malfoy called. Harry winced, that wasn't quite how he'd intended Malfoy to go about this.

"I told you his name's Kreacher," Harry said with frustration.

"I doesn't matter what his name is," said Malfoy dismissively as Kreacher crept into the room. Immediately Malfoy turned to him, handing out orders.

"The state of this house is appalling," Malfoy reprimanded, "clean it up now so it's fit for wizards to live in." Kreacher eyed Malfoy suspiciously but he did appear to be paying attention.

"Why should Kreacher listen to trespassers in his Mistresses house?"

"Because you wretched thing," said Malfoy haughtily, "I'm a pure-blood relation of your Mistress. My mother was a Black." That got Kreacher's attention. The look that came onto his face was the closest thing Harry had seen to happiness in the old elf. "I want this place cleaned top to bottom, properly mind you, and we'll expect our dinner at seven."

"Of course," Kreacher said, on the verge of tears of joy. He bowed to Malfoy and left to begin cleaning. Harry turned to Malfoy, not sure what to think.

"You didn't have to speak so harshly to him."

"Of course I did," Malfoy said matter-of-factly. "He's a house-elf, he doesn't need a friend, he needs a master. He can't respect me if I seem weak or inferior and weakness in his eyes includes speaking to a house-elf like an equal." Harry still wasn't sure and Malfoy must've noticed this. "They thrive with a firm hand Potter, they want someone to tell them what to do, especially these older ones." That didn't sound right, Dobby had not been happy with the Malfoys. But the thing that stopped Harry from arguing further was the look he'd seen on Kreacher's face. What Malfoy was saying seemed to hold true for Kreacher, his joy at being told to what to do by someone he deemed worthy was obvious. Disturbingly, if Kreacher had been hurt by the way Malfoy spoke to him that simply would have reaffirmed Harry's unpleasant view of the other boy. But the fact that Kreacher liked him just made Malfoy that much worse. It wasn't for the first time that Harry asked himself why he tolerated Malfoy still being here. And again he had no answer, only the knowledge that he couldn't bring himself to tell the horrible boy to leave.

xxx

Now that the domestic situation was sorted Harry decided he'd better go and clear things up with Ron. He arrived at The Burrow, amazingly without Malfoy in tow. After greeting Mr and Mrs Weasley, Harry headed up to Ron's room.

"Oh Ron, isn't it obvious what Harry's thinking?" came Hermione's muffled voice through the door. This was followed by silence and, Harry assumed, by a vacant look from Ron. Hermione sighed. As Hermione was a lot smarter than him and he had no idea himself why he was acting the way he was, Harry decided to listen, maybe she could shed some light.

"Harry hasn't got any parents," she said as though this explained everything.

"I know that," said Ron angrily, "but what's that got to do with him letting Malfoy live with him?"

"Don't you see? He's an orphan and now so is Malfoy. Harry knows what that's like. He can't turn his back on him now."

Was that it? Was that the reason he couldn't just tell Malfoy to piss off and look after himself.