Update! Hooray! (And now to focus on my Uni work, which has been suffering from the same writer's block that this chapter has.)
Oh yeah, I'm just going to apologize for the ending right now. It seems a bit off to me, but I wasn't entirely sure how to end it without dipping into the events of the next chapter (which will hopefully be coming out before the end of this month, but with all the school shit that's weighing me down, that might not happen).
...
And for all the people who are asking me if this is a slash story because they won't read slash: This will eventually be slash. Way, way down the road, though, what with Harry still being 10 years old and all. (And once the slash does come into play, I really don't plan on it being the dominant factor in this story.) Either way, now that that's been settled - and I didn't bore y'all for reading this - enjoy the chapter! (Feedback is always loved, beeteedubs.)
Chapter 10
"Harry?" Beth asked, knocking on Harry's door as she opened it and took a few steps into the room. "Harry, are you awake?" she asked, looking around the boy's bedroom. He wasn't on the bed, and both animals on the bathroom and closet doors were camouflaged in the foliage, so he wasn't in either of those rooms.
The bedroom itself had changed quite a bit since Harry's arrival, and Beth found the changes more than slightly reassuring. Harry's parents, however, had already confronted her, wanting to know why the walls had been changed from a light red color to a dark green, and why the paintings of the lion and the lion cubs had been changed to a painting of a snake that looked remarkably like Kado and a painting of a green tree python. The most noticeable change, however, came was found in the loft. Where there had once been an enormous entertainment center, Harry had added a room that worked much like a walk-in closet that required his blood for entry. It was a library, and he'd started building his collection with some of Beth's books, which she'd given him because she no longer read them. After some convincing, Lily had allowed Harry free reign when it came to using his personal trust fund to order whatever books he found interesting. The last time Harry had let her see the library, he'd collected well over two thousand books, and he claimed to have read almost a third of them already. The door to the library, however, was an enormous painting of a basilisk, and Beth wasn't at all sure where he'd found the painting, but it was quite the masterpiece. She'd done her best to help him make sure that the painting was indestructible, and so far, James hadn't tried to mess with it.
"Harry?" Beth called again. "Are you in here?" she asked.
"I'm up in the loft!" Harry yelled, his head popping over the back of the couch. He leaned over the banister a bit, grinning down at Beth. "You can come up if you want. I'm watching Kado hunt a few hamsters, though, and I don't know if you want to see that," he said.
Beth made a face and took a half-step back from the staircase. "I'll stay down here, then," she said. "Do try not to fall over the ledge," she said worriedly when Harry momentarily lost his grip and slipped forward slightly.
He laughed. "I'll be okay," he said before disappearing back to the other side of the couch. He reappeared seconds later, making his way down the stairs and stopping a few feet in front of Beth. "Is everything alright?" he asked. "You said that we wouldn't have any lessons on Sundays," he said.
She shook her head, smiling slightly. "There's nothing that you need to be worried about this morning. I just thought you'd like to have this," she said, pulling a letter out of her pocket and handing it to Harry.
"A letter?" Harry asked, looking it over.
"It came to my home this morning, but it's addressed to you. My house elf brought it to me with the rest of my mail a few minutes ago," she said. "I believe it's from the younger Malfoy," she said in a quieter tone of voice. "Make sure your father doesn't see it. He didn't react well to you leaving abruptly at the Ministry ball last night, and I don't want you to get into any trouble with him."
Harry nodded and opened the letter. Before he started reading it, though, he looked up at Beth. "Thank you," he said.
She smiled at him. "I'm going back to my house for the rest of the day to take care of a few family issues that need to be settled rather urgently," she said. "I'll be back tomorrow morning, unless you need me before then," she said. "Do you remember the name of my House Elf?"
"Sheena, right?" Harry asked.
Beth nodded. "If you need me back before tomorrow morning, just call for Sheena and she'll give me any message that you need to share with me," she said. "And I know that you've got some questions for me that I haven't been given the chance to answer properly, thanks to your father's interference during our sessions," she said. "So tomorrow morning, I'm going to take you on a field trip of sorts, and once we're at our destination, I'll have you practice a bit with your wandless magic and I'll answer whatever questions you want to ask."
Harry nodded, grinning. "Thank you, Beth. I'll see you tomorrow morning," he said before Beth nodded again and left the room.
As soon as she'd left the room and had shut the door behind herself, Kado came down the stairs and situated himself around Harry's shoulders. "What does your letter say?" he asked.
"I haven't read it yet," Harry said. "Did you catch the hamsters?" he asked. Kado nodded slightly and Harry noticed three lumps in Kado's body. "Are you tired?" he asked. Kado nodded again. Harry smiled slightly and headed back up to the loft, settling the snake in a patch of sunlight on the couch. He watched Kado move around a bit before seeming to fall asleep immediately, and only after Kado had stopped making tired half-comments did he start reading the letter.
It was, as Beth thought, from Draco, and Harry found himself quite impressed with the neatness of Draco's handwriting.
…
Dear Harrison,
I wanted to thank you for coming to the ball last night, and for defending my father and me when your father decided to try and disparage us and our family name. And when you left during your father's drunk ranting, you showed another level of support for my family that I hadn't expected. Not only was that brilliant of you, but a number of people watched you leave, and there are already rumors starting about a divide in the Potter family. It may not exactly be the best thing for you at the moment, but I find it bloody amazing!
My father asked if I would make it clear that he is grateful for your actions last night, and he said that he's looking forward to talking at length with you about your childhood with the Muggles, whenever you're comfortable enough to be more open with him. He doesn't approve of the Muggles raising you, and neither do I, really, but you seemed to have turned out pretty well in spite of your upbringing. Muggles are a particularly dirty species, to my mind, and even though we've just met, I don't like the thought of you being away from other wizards. My father has learned that you cared for these Muggles, and he'd like to discuss how you seem to know more about Wizarding customs than your father, and he's been in our world his whole life.
Understand that I don't want to offend you. I just don't know how you were able to survive so long without being able to be surrounded like magic and other Wizards.
After you left the ball last night, your father slapped my mother about some perceived insult, and my mother is planning on leveling charges against him. There's nothing that you can do to change that - and I hope you understand why my mother is taking that course of action, as I don't want to lose you as a friend. We've not caused nearly enough trouble together yet.
Speaking of trouble, I got my Hogwarts letter this morning, and my father is taking me to Diagon Alley this afternoon so that I can get everything now. (You'll find that most Wizard families will wait to get their books, but my father has always believed that going early will only work out in our favor. After all, who better to get the new books than me?)
I have a feeling that your mother or father are going to insist on taking you to the Alley themselves, but if you're coming today and you'd like a tour from the most amazing friend you're ever going to have, I'll be there after noon with my father. We could go to Fortescue's together, maybe, and if we're lucky, Father will take us down Knockturn Alley and tell us some of the secrets that we shouldn't know yet.
Even if you can't make it to Diagon Alley today, I'll see you at the next Ministry event, or I'll see you on the train to Hogwarts. You and I are going to rule that school together, and don't you forget that!
Oh yes, my father also told me that Lord Salvatore expressed an interest in speaking with you again. I didn't see the two of you speaking with each other at the ball, but my father has told me stories about Lord Salvatore. He told me once that the Lord is the one of the most powerful wizards of our time, but he also has a number of secrets that make him incredibly dangerous. I find myself almost jealous of you. To have the attention of such a powerful man, especially before you've had any official schooling, is a good omen. If you keep his attention, there is the chance that he might offer to mentor you in some of the things that are not taught at Hogwarts.
You should be careful around him, though. My father tells me that he's got a temper, and that he's killed men before. He also told me that he's not a human, but some kind of Fae. It might be beneficial for you to learn about the Fae, and if you'd like, my father's library is incredible. I could ask him if he has any spare books about the Fae, if you'd like to read them.
Regardless, I hope to see you in Diagon Alley this afternoon.
Sincerely,
Draco Malfoy
PS. - Blaise heard from Theodore that I was going to write a letter to you, and he wanted to tell me that if you're going to play hard to get, then it's only going to be more interesting for him, even if someone more powerful than he is starts to court you. He didn't want Theodore to tell me, but Blaise is afraid of Lord Salvatore, and I heard my parents talking about how Lord Salvatore is intrigued by you, especially after you left the ball early last night.
…
Harry grinned as he looked over the letter again. He had more than a sneaking suspicion that the younger Malfoy wanted something from him, and when they had spoken about the more prominent families in Britain, Beth had made it a specific point to tell him that the Malfoys didn't usually reach out to people, but when they did, their attention always came with a price. Even still, he wanted the boy's friendship - as well as that of Theodore, Pansy and Blaise.
"Good news, then?" Kado asked.
Harry nodded. "I think Draco invited me to have lunch with him and his father," he said.
"You want to be friends with the boy, then?" Kado asked.
Harry nodded again, looking back down at the letter. "Yes," he said, though he sounded almost unsure of himself.
"You want something else from the Malfoy family?" Kado asked. "Is that wise?"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
Kado looked up at him, chuckling a bit. "If you're not sure, then perhaps I have been the one paying more attention in your lessons than you have, little boy," he said. "'A Malfoy is never altruistic, and one must always take their kindness with a degree of skepticism. That family usually has an ulterior motive behind any decision they make, particularly the very publicized decisions,'" Kado said, repeating what Beth had told Harry almost verbatim.
"And what, exactly, would you suggest I do?" Harry asked. "I still want to be friends with Draco."
"I'm not telling you to ignore the boy, or to spurn his advances at friendship. I just want you to be careful around the boy, and his father. Try not to accept anything without knowing exactly what the Malfoys want in return," he said before abruptly falling silent and moving swiftly out of sight.
Harry frowned, staring at the edge of the couch, where he could barely make out the sight of Kado's tail. "Kado?" he asked, just before his bedroom door opened loudly.
"Harry?" James asked as he walked into the room.
"I'm in the loft," Harry said, speaking just loud enough for the man to hear him. "I thought I locked the door," he muttered, more to himself than to James, but the older man seemed to hear him anyway.
"I'm the Potter Lord, kid," James said, making a face at the basilisk painting but otherwise ignoring it. "There are very few rooms in this Manor that I cannot get into just because they're locked," he said. "You just got your Hogwarts letter, and I thought you'd like to see Diagon Alley for the first-" He fell silent as soon as he saw what Harry was holding. "What the hell is that?" he asked, going suddenly and almost completely passive.
Harry looked up at him, not quite sure what to make of his oddly calm behavior. "It's a letter," he said, frowning up at the man.
"I realize it's a letter, boy," James snapped. "Why do you have a letter from the Malfoy brat?" he asked.
"Draco's not a brat," Harry said, his eyes narrowing at his father. "And we're friends, I think."
"You think?"
Harry scowled. "Considering that we haven't spent that much time together, I don't know where I stand with him," he said.
"Let me give you some advice, then, kid. In the world according to the Malfoys, the only people who matter are He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the Malfoy family. Everyone else is disposable, and used as pawns whenever one of the Malfoys need something from them," he said coldly, holding out his hand. "Give me the letter and I'll get rid of it for you. I won't have you dirtying yourself by continuing to associate with a Dark family like that."
"No," Harry said quickly, shoving the letter into his pocket and ignoring the irritated look on James' face.
Without warning, Kado wrapped his tail around Harry's left ankle, and it took quite a bit for Harry to refrain from looking down and drawing attention to the snake. James still hated Kado, and had resorted to making a number of threats about how he'd cook Kado if he ever saw the snake loose again. "I don't like him any more than you do, Harrison," he hissed quietly. "He'll be more willing to grant you more freedom if you at least pretend to cooperate with him. I don't want to see you hurt or locked away from the Malfoy family before I have the chance to meet this Draco child," he said before retreating further under the couch.
"No," Harry said in a quieter, calmer voice. "I'll get rid of it myself," he said quietly, not looking away from James' eyes.
"Excellent. You're learning. Good boy," James said, smiling loosely at Harry. "Now, I'll give you some time to clean up and change into some fresh clothes, and then we'll go to Diagon Alley and get your supplies, and an Owl, and maybe a broom," he said.
"Really?" Harry asked, unable to keep the disbelieving tone out of his voice.
James nodded. "Yeah!" he said, sounding more like an excited child than a grown man. "You're going to love it! And I can teach you to fly once we get back this afternoon!"
Harry nodded slightly, not sure what to think of the man's sudden attitude change. "I can meet you down in the sitting room in half an hour, after I take a bath and change clothes," he said.
"Good, good," he said before leaving the room.
Harry watched the door for a long moment, both confused and more than slightly afraid of James' seemingly unstable mental health. "Kado?" he asked in a whisper.
"All I can offer you is my support," the snake said as he moved out from under the couch. "Given the reception I've received around this Manor, and your father's insistence on the importance of you making a good impression to his friends and allies, it might be safer for the both of us if I stay here for now," he said.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked.
"You'll be fine," the python said as Harry picked him up and headed down the stairs, into the bathroom. "And if you run into any problems, you seem like you're well on your way to making a few powerful allies. Besides, didn't the Malfoy boy invite you to lunch?" he asked. "That at any rate should keep your father on decent behavior, and being seen with the Malfoys might help a bit," he added.
…
About half an hour later, at a quarter past noon, Harry walked into the sitting room, tugging absently on his shirt. It was an old one, one that Dudley and Petunia had found in a vintage shop and had given to him for his eighth birthday. A Pink Floyd shirt, from their Dark Side of the Moon tour. Beth had helped him apply a few charms to make sure that the shirt didn't rip or tear or stain, and it would adjust to fit him as he grew up. He'd paired the shirt with a pair of dark blue jeans that had holes worn in the jeans, and a pair of green Chuck Taylors.
"You look decent, kid," James said, looking him over. "A bit Muggle for my taste, but I went through a phase like that too," he said. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.
Harry hesitated a moment, not sure what to say. "What's going to happen when we get there?" he asked.
"Ah. Well, I was thinking that I'd let you do what I let Rose do when she was your age and we went to Diagon for her Hogwarts supplies. I'll bring us into the Alley and show you where the bookshop is. You can wander around the Alley for about an hour, and I'll get you most of the things on your list. We can meet back at the bookshop, and from there, I'll take you to get your wand," he said.
"What if I want to get any new books?" Harry asked.
"You have a private Potter trust fund that has enough funding for you to buy the entire Alley thrice over, if you're so inclined. Though I'd suggest you spend your time buying prank supplies. I don't know if I've told you, but I am quite the accomplished trickster," James said with a cocky grin. He pulled out a small plastic card that closely resembled a Muggle credit card, though there was no black metal strip on the back, and instead of a logo, there was a shrunken picture of the Potter crest on the front. "Rose got hers on her first trip into the Alley, so it's only fair that you get the same treatment," he said.
"Where is she, anyway?" Harry asked as he took the card and stuck it in his front pocket.
"Rose and Lily?" James asked, and Harry nodded. "They're spending the day with the Weasley family. I had been hoping to introduce you to them last night, but you pulled your little stunt and ducked out early," he said before shaking his head. "We'll talk about that some other time," he said to himself. "Are you ready to go?"
Harry nodded hesitantly. "I suppose," he said.
"Good," James said. He walked over to Harry and grasped the boy's shoulder in a firm, almost cruel grip. "Hold still," he said.
Harry looked up at him, frowning slightly.
"Good," James said again, and the two of them disappeared with a loud 'crack'.
They reappeared seconds later in the middle of a bustling alley, in front of a bookstore named Flourish and Blotts.
"I'll meet you back here in an hour," James said.
Harry nodded and took a step back, watching passively as James disappeared into the crowd. Once he realized that he was on his own, he looked around, wondering where he should go first. He looked around the alley, hoping that something would strike his interest, when he noticed a street vendor selling jewelry. One item in particular caught his attention and he wandered over to the man's cart.
"I don't serve orphans, boy," the vendor said, immediately dismissing Harry.
"How very fortunate for you that he's not an orphan," a smooth voice said from behind Harry.
Harry looked over his shoulder and found a small smile on his face when he recognized Lord Salvatore. "Hello, sir," he said quietly. "It's nice to see you again."
"And you as well, little Donahue," Salvatore said, nodding to Harry. "What caught your attention?" he asked.
Harry was silent for a brief moment before pointing to a black armband that looked like it was made of dragonhide. Embossed on the left side of the armband was a small copper-colored feather.
"An excellent choice," Salvatore said quietly, leaning a bit closer to Harry and resting a hand on his back, between his shoulder blades. "You have good taste. Not many people appreciate the value of gryphon feathers anymore," he said before looking over at the vendor. "Wrap it up."
"Umm," Harry started, though when Salvatore looked back down at him, he abruptly fell silent. When the man arched an eyebrow, clearly expecting Harry to continue speaking. Harry quickly regathered his confidence. "I don't want to be rude, sir," he said quietly. "And I don't want to offend you or anything, but I can afford it on my own, and I don't want to be indebted to anyone," he said, watching the man for any signs that he was angry.
He seemed almost… amused. "That is a rather commendable perspective, particularly for someone as young as yourself," he said. "It was not my intention to imply anything about your finances," he said.
Harry nodded and pulled the card out of his pocket, handing it to the vendor as the man finished wrapping the armband.
"Now, you do look a bit young to be here alone," Salvatore said as he watched the exchange between Harry and the vendor.
"James brought me here, and he decided to let me explore Diagon Alley while he buys most of my school supplies," Harry said as he took back his card and the shrunken box with the armband and put them both in his pocket. "And I got a letter from Draco and I wanted to see if I could find him before James came back to find me," he said, walking down the Alley with the older man.
"Then I suppose it's fortunate that I came across you," he said. At the confused look on Harry's face, he smirked slightly. "I have business to discuss with Lucius this afternoon, and he's expecting me," he said. "And I have little doubt that Lucius will have kept Draco nearby," he added.
"And you don't mind me tagging along behind you, sir?" Harry asked.
Salvatore merely chuckled quietly. "Had I minded, little Donahue, I wouldn't have allowed it," he said. "Do try not to get lost in the crowd," he said, quickening his pace a bit. He glanced down when he felt the boy take hold of his hand. He stared at their hands with slightly widened eyes, but he made no move to dislodge his hand from the boy's.
"Sorry," Harry said with a sheepish grin. "This way I won't get lost," he said before pausing briefly. "But I'll let go if you want."
Salvatore shook his head. "It will ensure I do not lose you. Keep up," he said.
Harry nodded and fell silent, following the Lord through the crowd of people into a small restaurant at the end of the Alley, near an Apothecary. Once they were both inside, he let go of Salvatore's hand but continued to follow him to the back of the restaurant, where Lucius and Draco were already sitting in a private booth.
Draco's face lit up as soon as he saw Harry. "You came!" he said. "Sit up here, next to me," he said, scooting over on his side of the booth to make room for Harry.
Harry nodded and grinned. "I got your letter," he said.
Draco smirked. "I knew Beth wasn't useless," he said before looking up at his father.
Lucius had gotten out of the booth, and both he and Salvatore were watching Draco and Harry's interaction with an almost amused look on their faces. "Order whatever food you'd like, boys. I'll be back in a few minutes," he said. "And Draco, you know what I order from this restaurant. If Lord Salvatore and I have not concluded our business before the waitress arrives, order for me," he said.
Draco nodded. "Yes, sir," he said.
"Thank you, sir," Harry said.
Lucius nodded and then followed Salvatore out of the restaurant, leaving the two boys to look through the menu and start talking rather animatedly with each other.
"I didn't think your father would let you come!" Draco said after both he and Harry had chosen what they'd like to eat.
"He decided to give me a few hours to explore the Alley on my own while he went out and bought my supplies for me," Harry said. "Is your mother alright?"
Draco nodded. "She's not hurt, but I've never seen her mad enough to file charges," he said.
"That doesn't seem too bad, though," Harry said. "What will he get? 6 months in Azkaban or something?" he asked.
"Your parents are well liked in our community, and they've got the Hogwarts Headmaster on their side, so it's more likely that James will just walk away with probation or a really big fine, which just goes to fund the war effort against the Dark Lord," Draco said in a more hushed voice.
Harry was silent for a moment. "Beth told me about the war about a month ago," he said quietly. "She said that the Potters funded a lot of the more publicized efforts to get rid of the Dark Lord," he said.
Draco looked around, frowning slightly. "We shouldn't talk about this here," he said. "My father will get angry if anyone overhears us talking about politics," he said. "He thinks it corrupts the minds of children and he doesn't want me to get in over my head when it comes to dealing with some of the more pressing issues of our world."
"Alright," Harry said, falling silent for a moment. "How come you don't like the Weasleys?" he asked.
Draco smirked coldly, looking almost eerily like his father with the expression. "Because they insult the rank of Pureblood," he said. "Arthur Weasley is obsessed with all things Muggle and none of them care enough about their heritage to honor it properly. They don't even have a Manor anymore. And apart from that, they're about as useful as the rabbits they seem to like to imitate. Always having more children when they can't even feed the ones they have," he said, his face tinged red with anger as he spoke.
"Oh," Harry said quietly, though he was grinning slightly.
"There is more to it, of course," Lucius said smoothly as he returned to the booth and took a seat across from the boys. "But it goes back a number of generations, and a number of the offenses committed are not particularly appropriate to discuss over food," he said. "Lord Salvatore asked that I pass on his good wishes to you, Harrison, as well as his hopes that you two will be able to have more time to speak together in the future."
Harry nodded, blushing slightly when Lord Salvatore was mentioned.
"If you would like to discuss the finer points of our family's dislike of the Weasleys, or anything else that you do not feel entirely safe discussing in public, you are more than welcome to visit our Manor, where we can all speak more freely about certain issues," Lucius offered.
Harry nodded again, more than slightly intrigued by the offer. "I'll have to ask one of my parents first," he said.
Lucius nodded once. "Of course," he said with a small smile.
A few seconds later, a young woman with brown hair walked up to the booth. She was wearing a light blue sundress and carried a small notebook. "Have you decided what you'd like to eat?" she asked, sounding almost bored.
Lucius nodded. "I'll have the Lobster Osso Buczco with a glass of the 1978 Montrachet," he said.
"I'll have the Asian Spiced Veal Shanks," Draco said. "And a glass of iced tea."
The waitress looked over at Harry. "And you?" she asked.
"Could I have the cherry-glazed venison cutlets, please?" he asked. "And a glass of Sprite?"
She nodded, still looking incredibly bored. "I'll put your orders in right away," she said. "It shouldn't take too long," she muttered before picking up the menus and walking away.
