AN: Hi y'all! I'm back and still keeping up with the posting schedule! I haven't been writing recently and REALLY need to get back on it!

I hope you like this one!

Thanks to my absolute FAVE Alanna_Rose for looking over this for me! LYL 3

Chapter 11 - Family Learning

The second week in July meant Harmony and Harry had been living together at Zabini Manor for a week. They quickly set in to an easy routine. They would wake up and get ready for their day. They were all early risers and once they were ready, they would meet in the Twins' study. Once they were all there, they would then make their way to Gio and Maria's study before heading to breakfast together.

Once they had all eaten, Gio would go and tend to his business dealings, Maria would go and do her usual things; see the ladies, tend to her roses, plan events and the like. The three teens spent their time getting to know each other as a group. Blaise wanted to know all about his sister and her best friend. Harmony wanted to know all about her brother and Harry found that he was really intrigued to know all about Blaise.

They spent time as a group both inside the house and outside on the grounds. Blaise was right when he told Harmony that she would love the grounds, they were beautiful. The Zabinis had acres of land rolling over hills. The grass was lush and green and impeccably tended to. They had a specific team of house elves who specialised in garden maintenance. Every hedge was perfectly trimmed, the trees perfectly manicured.

They would sit outside all day, they would talk quite a lot, but they would also spend a lot of time in companionable silence, reading. Harry had the books that Lucius had gotten him and he wanted to get through them as quickly as possible. He didn't want to disappoint Lucius.

After having a week to settle in, Harry and Harmony were placed into lessons. Between both the Zabini and the Malfoy parents, they all spent time teaching Harmony and Harry everything they needed to know about High Society. They were given a crash course in everything they would have learned had they both been raised by their parents. Together they learned Pureblood etiquette, they were taught the history of their families and the others that they would be surrounded by. Narcissa also spent a little time teaching them both to dance. Narcissa was very happy with her decision once she saw them both move. They had a lot to work on and luckily they had the whole summer to work on it. Thank Merlin they didn't have any balls scheduled until the Winter break.

Harry spent many an afternoon in Lucius's study. Lucius meant it when he said that he wanted Harry to be able to handle his own business eventually. They spent their time together going over the basics of investing. Lucius taught Harry a lot about how to run a business, using his own as examples. They also spent a lot of time going through the Potter accounts. Lucius showed Harry all that he had, what he could use and how it all came to be there. He was allowing Harry to see all of the decisions that he was making, working out why each one was important, and asking questions about the choices when he didn't understand. Harry was so happy to learn and found that he was really interested in investments and how it all worked, quickly being able to choose his own places and businesses to invest money in. Lucius was both proud and surprised at how quickly Harry took to managing his investment profile, he beamed at the look in Harry's eyes when he began to see that his decisions were earning him money. He was determined and always careful.

Whilst Harry was with Lucius, Harmony spent a lot of time with her mother. They would spend their time connecting on a mother-daughter level. They spent their time doing the girly things. Hair, makeup and nails. They talked about boys (Harmony spoke about her time with Viktor, about how Ron had acted in the past and just about feelings and what they mean). Sometimes, Narcissa would join them, making up for as much lost time that she could as godmother. The three ladies spent time discussing the various charities and causes that they supported, Maria and Narcissa described the balls that they had held and attended over the years. Harmony was in awe of the women and how much they did to help those who were less fortunate. She got the chance to express her own ideas and causes she held close to her heart and the two older women listened intently and couldn't help but be proud of the young woman before them. Harmony would definitely do well within their circles.

At the end of their very hectic week, the teens were given Sunday to rest. At breakfast, the owls came through to make their deliveries as usual. The Daily Prophet was dropped gracefully in front of Gio. This owl was followed by a small, over-excited ball of feathers that Harmony and Harry recognised immediately. Pigwidgeon dove down towards Harry's head Kamikaze style and kept buzzing in circles, obviously making Harry's bird's nest much worse. It took a few minutes for Pig to calm down enough to release the letters that he was carrying before crashing into the plate of bacon that was in the centre of the table. Harry looked towards the Zabinis, embarrassed, and shooed Pig from the food and out of the dining room.

"I'm really sorry. This owl just doesn't want to do anything calmly. It seems to gravitate to my head," Harry said.

Harmony picked up the three letters. She handed two to Harry and began to open hers.

Hi 'Mione,

How are you doing? How's your summer going? I really hope you're having a lovely time! Mum's been asking after you too. She really likes you! She keeps telling me that you're simply wonderful (her words, but you are!)

I really miss you. It feels like it's been forever since I saw you!

I hope I can see you before we go back to school. I'd love to spend some time alone with you.

Love Ron x

Harmony looked up to see Harry reading his own letters, his knuckles white gripping the parchment.

Hi mate,

How is your summer going? I hope you're having a great time! Isn't it great to be away from school, we can do whatever we want and not have to deal with any studying or tests!

I've been doing a lot of flying, you know. Keeping up with Quidditch practice. I wanna keep my position this year!

Mum has been trying to get me to help out around the house as usual, it's not fair! She has Ginny for that! Why do I need to?!

Anyway, hopefully you can come see us soon, I'm sure Dumbledore will let you come to us for your birthday.

See you soon

Ron

Harry couldn't breathe. This brought back the memories of his day at the bank. Dumbledore had been stealing money from his bank accounts to pay Ron off. This was all fake. Ron wasn't really his friend. Ron just wanted money. Ron was probably only around for the fame, too! No wonder he went off so much about the Triwizard Tournament. He was probably jealous.

Harmony prised the letter from Harry's hands and read, quickly screwing the letter into a ball and giving it to a house elf to dispose of. "Harry, ignore him. He isn't worth your time or energy. Don't even bother with a reply." Harmony knew everything, Harry had broken down in front of her and Blaise as soon as they had asked about his bank trip.

Harmony found herself quite unsurprised by the revelation, simply because she had seen Ron's true colours during fourth year a lot closer. She could tell that Ron was more selfish than she had initially believed. How he could be angry at Harry when Harry's life was once again in danger was the first straw. After that, she would come across one of Ron's rants which were downright disgusting against Harry. A true friend wouldn't have acted or reacted like that. From that time, Harmony had been on her guard, keeping close to Harry just in case there was another outburst. Fourth year was when she lost her trust for Ron.

"Who's the second letter from?" Blaise asked, trying to distract Harry as best he could.

Hiya Harry,

I hope you don't mind me sending you a letter. I've been thinking about you recently and Ron said that he was writing you so I thought why not?!

How is your summer? It's nearly your birthday, I hope Dumbledore and Mum let you come visit, I have a little gift for you that I can only give in person. I'm sure you'll like it but I'm a bit nervous.

I'll speak to you soon,

Love Ginny xx

Harry sneered down at the paper and barked out an amused laugh. "I've worked out why Dumbledore was paying Ginny."

He handed the letter to Harmony, who then passed it over to Blaise, who both laughed at the letter. "She's laying it on quite thick, isn't she?!" Blaise said, passing back the letter.

"I mean, really!? The lipstick at the bottom is the pièce de résistance! Do you think that was her idea or Molly's?"

"Ginny's. It's so juvenile. Who does she even think she is? Does she actually think this will work?" Harry laughed, handing the letter to the house elf.

"I think Ron's trying the same in his own way," she handed Harry the letter. "What do you think this is about?"

Gio placed his newspaper down. "It is obviously Dumbledore's way of keeping the two of you under his control. He wants you two in love with those Weasley children. He wants you close to that family so that he can keep an eye on you. I want you both to be on your guard when you go back to school."

They both nodded. Knowing what they did, they didn't even want to be near the two youngest Weasleys, let alone have any kind of relationship with them.

"What are your plans for the day?" Maria asked, looking between the teens.

"Um… Actually, Cissy asked if I could stop by today," Harry replied.

Cissy had insisted on Harry joining the Malfoys for family time. No learning, no business, just time together. Draco and Harry were getting used to being around each other. After his initial outburst, Draco found himself rethinking his actions. He firstly apologised to his parents for the way he had acted. He then took himself over to Zabini Manor.

*Flashback*

The entrance floo in Zabini Manor roared to life and Draco Malfoy stepped out gracefully. He was met by Galby, one of the house elves, who waved his hand and removed the soot from Draco's clothes. "Young Malfoy, yous are here to see Young Master, yes?" Galby asked.

"Actually, I am here to see Potter. I mean, Harry. Is he available?"

"Young Potter is with Young Master and Mistress in their study. It is reading time, let me take you there," Galby said, leading the way from the room.

"No need, Galby. I know the way, you go back to whatever you were doing."

The elf smiled and bowed, taking his leave. Meanwhile Draco began his walk through the Manor and up to the Twins' wing. He quickly came to a stop outside the door and shuddered at the memory of Harmony kicking it clean off of its hinges. He knocked lightly on the door, which was quickly opened slightly by Blaise.

"Drake, what are you doing here?" Blaise said as he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. "I thought you were locked up in your room on the naughty step," he smirked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.

"I have seen the error of my ways. I had to apologise to Mother first and explain what I did wrong," Draco frowned. "I've never seen my mother react like that. It was terrifying."

"I bet. So what brings you here?"

"Pot… Harry. I was…"

"No," Blaise interjected. "I won't let you upset him."

"That's not why I am here, Blaise. Harry is a ward of the Malfoy family. I need to speak with him…"

"And say what? He's been through enough. He doesn't need to deal with your petty jealousy."

"Blaise, please," Draco whined. "I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm here to apologise."

Blaise thought for a moment before he spoke again. "Wait here." And he made his way back into the room, closing the door on Draco. Moments later, the door opened and it wasn't Blaise.

Holding open the door was Harry but this wasn't the Harry Potter that Draco remembered. Gone was the loud, rule-breaking Gryffindor. Standing before him was a small, scared young man who happened to look like Harry Potter.

"Malfoy?" He whispered.

"May I come in?" Draco offered a weak smile, to which Harry's eyes widened before he stepped back and allowed Draco to enter.

Draco nodded his thanks and walked in, taking a seat in one of the vacant armchairs. He then motioned for Harry to take the seat opposite. Harry decided he would take the seat next to Harmony instead, placing his hand in hers.

"Harry, I was hoping we could have a quick chat alone?" Draco asked calmly.

"Sure, I guess," Harry said, squeezing Harmony's hand. "Is that ok? I don't want to kick you out of your study."

"As long as you are ok, Harry," Harmony smiled as she stood from her seat. She placed a kiss on Harry's head before turning to glare at Draco, "Don't you dare do anything to him, Malfoy. If you do…"

Draco held his hands up in surrender, "I promise, I'm only here to talk." Harmony nodded and dragged Blaise from the room. "You have one scary friend, Harry."

"Harry? Are we on friendly terms now?" Harry asked, sitting back in his seat and placing his ankle on top of the opposite knee.

"That's why I'm here. My parents told me about what has happened. I wanted to start again, maybe try to be friends. My mother is going to be treating you like another son, we shouldn't be at each other's throats."

"Do you really think it will be that easy? You hate…"

"I never hated you, Harry," Draco interrupted. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I was embarrassed and hurt. I really wanted you to be my friend…"

"You didn't have the best strategy, Malfoy. You were a pompous arse. You could've just been nice." Harry chuckled.

"Ok, ok. I was a bit of an arse, but you didn't have to blow me off completely. I really thought we could be friends. When you rejected me, I directed my anger at you. I'm sorry. Can we start over again?" Draco asked, holding his hand out.

Harry laughed and shook Draco's hand, "There must be something in the air here, that's my second Malfoy apology."

*End Flashback*

Together with the odd snide comment and several small disagreements (they found it far too strange to be the best of friends), Harry and Draco spent a lot of time together at Malfoy Manor. Narcissa insisted they would eventually be as close as brothers. And we all know that brothers bicker and have screaming matches. They still held their grudge over who was the better seeker and would spend as much time in the air as they did on the ground trying to settle the score (Harry was currently in the lead 14 - 13, which Draco would not let go!)

"Oh wonderful, Harry. That sounds lovely. Will you be back for dinner?" Maria asked.

"I'm not sure, actually. I don't know what Cissy has planned for today. Is it ok if I call over a little bit later?"

"Absolutely. How about you see if the Malfoys would like to join us for dinner here? We can all get together."

Harry beamed, "That sounds great. I know Cissy will love that!" Harry got up, gave Harmony a quick kiss on the cheek and waved to the rest of the Zabinis. "I'll see you later."

The Zabinis all chorused their goodbyes as Harry left the dining room.

Maria turned to Gio, "Darling, I am sure you have plenty to do in your study today, but how about you have a day off and we have a family day too?"

Gio smiled at his wife, "That sounds fantastic. What do you both think?"

Harmony nodded whilst Blaise threw his head back in exasperation.

"Don't overreact, dear brother. You know you want to spend time with me!" Harmony giggled.

"Gah! Only when I have to!" Blaise whined.

"How about we have a day out? Maybe a little retail therapy? Blaise, I know there are some things that you wanted to buy." Blaise's head perked up at the thought. "And Harmony, I am sure the bookstore is calling your name." Harmony nodded and smiled at her father. "Great. Go and get your things together and meet us in the entrance hall."

Blaise and Harmony made their way back to their rooms and grabbed whatever they needed for their day. They then made their way back to their parents, who were waiting for them, dressed much more casually for the weather. Traipsing around shops ought to be comfortable, they claimed. Blaise took his mother's arm, whilst Harmony placed her hand in her father's and they apparated to Diagon Alley. They spent their day in and out of nearly every shop in the alley and those that surrounded. Blaise managed to find enough to fill a second wardrobe that he apparently needed. Harmony was a little reserved at first, not completely used to having as much as she now did. After a lot of encouragement from Blaise, and a little word from Maria, Harmony soon relaxed and began picking out clothes to fill the enormous wardrobe that she now had.

Maria had a field day picking out robes, dresses and gowns for her daughter. She made sure that Harmony had appropriate outfits for every occasion. She had missed out on a lot of these moments that she decided to turn this one shopping trip into a culmination of all of those that could have happened in the past. Harmony spent a lot of time in the changing rooms whilst Maria passed through outfit after outfit, only to cry everytime Harmony came out to show what she had on. Maria also vowed to teach Harmony how to walk properly in real heels, not the kitten stilettos that Harmony tried to choose.

"I'll have you strutting gracefully in no time, sweetie," she said as she pointed to more pairs of incredibly high heeled shoes, requesting both her own and Harmony's sizes. "You can't wear those little things with such beautiful gowns. The material would pool around the floor."

"But surely we could just get these taken up," Harmony said, looking towards the seamstress.

"Oh, honey no. You want your gown to elongate your body, Harmony. You want to look and feel tall, darling." Maria turned away and started to slowly show Harmony how to walk. "You have to take your time, giving everyone the proper amount of time to admire you and what you are wear… Oh, darling please put those abominations down," she turned to see Harmony clutching another pair of kitten heels.

Gio stood up from his seat and walked over, "Darling, let Harmony buy whatever she wants," he smiled as Maria huffed slightly. "Get what you want as well, but I'd rather my little girl didn't wear shoes that threaten to break her neck every day. She needs some choices, correct."

Harmony gave her father a silent thank you and proceeded to pick up the shoes her mother had dismissed. Once all choices were made, Gio settled the rather large bill and called two of their house elves to collect what bags they had, with the rest of the clothing being delivered over the next couple of days.

After hours shopping for clothes, the family was then dragged through Flourish and Blotts by a girl possessed. Harmony ran from aisle to aisle picking up every book that had ever piqued her interest. Many of them ended up back on the shelves, as Gio mentioned whichever ones were already in the Zabini library.

"My God, I've created a monster." Blaise groaned, all of a sudden wishing he hadn't told Harmony not to panic about the cost.

"Leave her be, Blaise. Look how happy she is," Maria smiled, taking Blaise's hand. Harmony was beaming, thinking about all of the new things she could learn.

"I know, I know. But seriously, when is she gonna find the time to read all of those," Blaise pointed to the large stack of books that was being shrunk and placed in Gio's pocket.

"She's the brightest witch of your age. She'll find time." Maria grinned.

Harmony and Gio quickly joined them and Gio suggested they stop for ice cream, a palate cleanser before their dinner later with Harry and the Malfoys. They took their seats at Fortescue's and ordered their desired flavours. They sat and enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine together and decided that they would return home after they were finished, Harmony only wanting to quickly stop off at Quality Quidditch Supplies to get the rest of Harry's birthday present.

When they returned to the manor, Harmony and Blaise retired to their respective bedrooms to inspect their purchases and get ready for their dinner. Whilst it was only the Malfoy family joining them, they would make an effort for dinner. Harmony settled on a floor length, light blue silk gown with spaghetti straps and a pair of heels in the matching colour. She put on simple make up and left her hair to hang loose, knowing that dinner was a more casual affair. Blaise dressed in a crisp white shirt and perfectly fitted black trousers. He decided to forgo the tie and waistcoat as it was still rather warm.

They made their way down to the patio and took their seats and offered drinks and waited for their parents to arrive. Harmony made sure she sat in the sun, trying to catch the last few rays of the day. Whereas before, she was usually rather pale and had to work hard to catch her tan, especially in the British sunshine, she was already a golden tan and could only enhance it with more time outside. They were joined by their parents soon after and they sat as a family enjoying the sunshine.

A house elf popped in to announce the arrival of the Malfoys, who were quickly making their way out onto the patio. They were all dressed impeccably, Narcissa opting for a summer dress similar to Harmony and Maria, and the men all dressed similarly, though Lucius chose to wear a waistcoat despite the weather.

Harmony ran to give Harry a hug, "Harry, how did you get changed so quickly?"

"Cissy decided that I should have my own bedroom at the Manor and she also filled my wardrobe there. I got changed before we left." Harry laughed as he returned the hug and kissed Harmony on the cheek. "I love your dress. You look amazing, H." Harry held Harmony at arms reach and admired his best friend.

"You look great too. Aunt Cissy really has great taste." Harmony smiled running her hands up and down Harry's arms.

"Actually, you can thank me for that. I picked out the most of Harry's wardrobe." Draco smirked from over Harry's shoulder.

"Malfoy. Nice to see you not quaking in your dragonhide boots." Harmony smirked back, trying to keep her eyes up, and not roaming Draco's quidditch toned body in the tight white shirt he had chosen.

"Zabini, dainty and elegant as ever, I must say you look particularly lovely this evening, even if you may break an ankle in those heels. I think we need to get you to your seat before the elves serve the wine, it'll be safer." Draco took her hand and kissed her knuckles gently, which made Harmony blush.

Since their rather explosive re-introduction, Draco and Harmony found themselves dishing out backhanded compliments and having the most sarcastic conversations. They saw it as a means to get along after so long hating each other. Blaise and Harry, however, noticed the looks that they gave each other and knew that Draco and Harmony were always flirting with each other, completely unconsciously.

Blaise made his way over and placed his hand on the small of Harry's back. "How about we leave them to it. No point trying to get a word in edgeways, is there," he whispered, leading Harry away from the bickering pair.

"You're right. They have no idea, do they!" Harry laughed, blushing slightly as Blaise's hand didn't leave his person. Instead, it snaked around his waist and held him close.

"Some people don't notice what's right in front of them, Harry. However, they will soon enough. I would bet on it." Blaise smiled down at Harry.

Harry blushed and looked down to the drink in his hand. Before he could think anything else, Bammie announced that dinner was ready. Blaise tightened his grip on Harry and led him through the doors to the dining table. Draco held out his arm for Harmony to take and they made their way behind the two to the table. They all took their seats and tucked into their wonderful 3 course meal. Once they had all eaten and were fully sated, they retired back to the patio for after-dinner drinks.

"Harry, it's your birthday next week, yes?" Gio asked, placing his glass down on to the table.

"Um… Yes. I'll be 16 on the 31st." Harry replied nervously.

"Well, we have all been talking and we wondered, what your thoughts were on Italy." Maria asked, taking Harry's hand.

"Well, I have never been there before, but I'm sure it's lovely."

"Great. How do you feel about portkey travel, Harry?" Lucius smiled.

"Oh, I am not the best with the landing,that's for sure. I travelled by portkey for the first time 2 summers ago, I ate about as much grass as a cow," Harry grimaced at the memory.

"Well, practice makes perfect, Harry." Maria squeezed his hand.

"We are planning a trip to our hotel in Italy, Harry, for your birthday," Gio smiled.

Harry's eyes went wide. "Really? We're going on an actual holiday?"

"Yes, Harry. All of us are." Narcissa smiled.

"We assumed that your previous birthdays may not have been the greatest, so we wanted to make your first one with us special." Blaise put his arm around Harry and held him close.

"Thank you. Really. I appreciate this so much. You really didn't have to do this." Harry buried his head in Blaise's shoulder.

"Harry, we want to. You have always been family to me, and now you're family to all of us." Harmony said, which made Harry's head raise.

"Really? I'm only going along for the holiday." Draco smirked, taking a sip of his wine, which was then thrown over him as the cushion hit him square in the face.

Thanks for reading! I am so glad people are liking this. When I posted the beginnings of this in 2013, it got nowhere near the reception it is getting now! I love you all!

A couple of amazeballs people created Writer's Den, a Discord server for writers, readers and betas to congregate and be awesome together! We are one hugely dysfunctional family and I love them all! Join usdiscord.gg/G77FbMT we want our family to grow!