*A/N* It has been a year and a day since I have last updated. I can honestly say that I feel HORRIBLE about it! I haven't forgotten! Every time I thought about writing for the story I did not have time! And when I did have time I did not remember. BUT! NO excuses! I am terrible! And I really hope to finish this story this Christmas break! I have two and a half weeks of "freedom" so It can be accomplished!
(Hopefully my grammar and spelling will be better!)
Also, I am unable to remember the time line. I went through and reread the story to refresh my memory and I was still lost on that fact so I am making it up from here! I apologize again for my lack of competence.
New rule. When they are in the memories they appear as their rightful selves. It would be pointless to be switched in the memories.
Draco and Harry stepped through the misty door way and found themselves in Diagon Alley. It seemed to be a relatively calm day at the market, shops were beginning to open their doors and merchants were laying out their wares.
Draco looked over his shoulder, not sure whose memory this was since no younger version of either of them was appearing. Harry cleared his throat and pointed to a couple who were walking out of a shop carrying a small blonde baby.
"I think it is yours."
Draco glanced and recognized his father and mother instantly as they walked out of Olivander's Wand Shoppe.
"To think! They won't give my child a wand!" Lucius shouted angrily glancing backwards and sneering at the wand maker.
"Lucius, Draco is not even a year old. Give him eleven more years and then he can buy a wand. Agreed?" Narcissa Malfoy said laughing, rubbing her nose with her son. Draco gurgled and waved his little fists in the air.
Draco turned to Harry to agree that this would be his memory when a flash of black and red hair caught his eye. James and Lily Potter stepped out of Gringott's Bank and strode forward, laughing at something that Harry and Draco could not hear. A tiny baby Harry sat on James Potter's forearm, glancing about with what little interest an infant could give.
Draco looked questioningly at Harry. "So this is our memory?" He asked uncertain.
"I would suppose so." Harry replied, not truly paying attention, enraptured by watching his parents interact.
Harry took a couple steps closer, dragging Draco by an unknown force. Lily laughed again and this time they could hear the musical sound. Harry's face, lit up and he took another couple steps farther. Draco could reach out and brush his mother's cheek if he wanted.
"DRACO!" Draco and Harry jumped in shock at the shout. Harry turned around to face the Malfoys when he realized Lucius had been referring to the baby and not his memory companion.
"Lucius, He is only 11 mo-"
"Narcissa! This is a very expensive robe and I do not want drool all over it. I have a meeting in less then an hour and I must impress the ministry. Do you understand?
"Yes, of course dear I was just stating that he is a baby after al-"
"Malfoys do not make excuses. Not even for babies."
Narcissa turned her head, rolled her eyes, and answered, "Yes dear."
Draco gave a snort, laughing at his infant self drooling onto the ground now. "That is just like my father to complain about something I can't control." He looked up at Harry and laughed again. Harry stared at the tiny baby and couldn't help but laugh along as the baby put its hand against his face, smearing the drool around his nose.
"You were one disgusting baby." Harry said while he laughed.
Draco looked on with a look of disdain. "I was wasn't I? God where's a towel when you need one."
Harry laughed again.
The Potters were walking closer and closer, each step bringing them into the line of sight for the Malfoys. Draco was worried, what would happen when these two opposing forces met? A quick glance towards Harry revealed that he felt the same apprehension that Draco did.
"You don't think... They would fight here do you?" Harry asked quietly, as if worried someone might overhear.
"I hope not. But my father can be unreasonable, so it's difficult to say." Lucius Malfoy glanced in the Potter's direction and turned back to his wife.
"It's the disgusting Potters dear. Shall we hex them for appearing in our presence?"
"No!" Narcissa said smacking Lucius arm softly. "We are polite and we hold our heads high. Also I would like to see how Harry is growing compared to our precious Draco. Wouldn't you?"
Lucius sighed as Narcissa faced the oncoming couple.
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter?" She called out, as if unsure of their identities.
"Mrs. Malfoy?" Lily called back, she glanced back at James who shrugged and kept bouncing Harry in his arms. The couples met at the crosswalk and stood awkwardly for a minute before Lily said, "Draco is turning into quite the handsome lad. Isn't he James?" Mr. Potter glanced at the shining boy and smiled.
"That he is. Looks just like you Mr. Malfoy." Then he reached up and ruffled the babies soft, few strands of hair. "But I would wager that the softness of his hair comes from you Mrs. Malfoy. He is a very lovely boy."
Narcissa smiled softly, and thanked them while Lucius stared bored at another shop window. She turned and brought her face closely to Harry's infant face.
"Hello there." She whispered, smiling.
Baby Harry tucked his chin down and gave a shy smile, then reached out and touched the black strip of hair Narcissa had hanging within his reach. Then he giggled and touched his mop of black hair, looking at Narcissa for approval. Then he reached out and touched the blond part of her hair and then stretched his tiny hand towards Draco.
James Potter took a step closer, putting both babies within reach of each other. Harry flailed his arms a bit then landed a small hit right on top of Draco's head. Then quickly reached to Narcissa's blond hair once again.
"He is learning that some colors are the same." Lily said, joy coloring her voice at her son's small achievement.
Narcissa glanced at Lucius who was pretending to not pay attention.
Baby Draco's mouth was set in a small scowl after being hit by his soon to be nemesis. He touched his face again, smearing even more drool, and placed his hands onto Harry's face.
James laughed at the startled look Harry was making.
Lucius stiffened at the children's interaction.
Narcissa took a step backwards and gave a short hollow laugh. "We had better get going, we don't want to miss our meetings." Then she turned Draco around so he could no longer see the Potters. Both Malfoys turned towards Madam Malkins and began walking away.
"Nice seeing you." Lily Potter called after them, "Draco will be a wonderful man someday."
Lucius stopped walking and turned to face her. "Better than your half-blood son will ever be. You Mudblood filth." Then he turned around again and kept walking. Narcissa stood still, waiting for a reaction, she looked as if she wanted to apologize for her husbands insult but knew she couldn't.
Then she glanced up cautiously making eye-contact with Lily Potter. Instead of hurt or anger, Lily smiled at Narcissa, a soft smile and then lifted Harry out of her husband's arms.
James turned and gave a short wave before chasing after his wife who was escaping with his child. Narcissa hugged Draco tighter and walked quickly to catch up with her husband.
Harry turned to Draco. "You smeared your drool. All over my face." He wrinkled his nose. "No wonder I hate you."
"Okay, yes it appears that way, but you hit me first. So obviously that is why I hate you." Draco retorted. Harry laughed and began walking after his parents.
The memories shifted quicker than they could comprehend.
One of Draco's memories played first. Showing how Draco and his father used to study the Black family tree and the Malfoy family tree, tracing their lineage as far back as they could. It was one of the few memories that Harry could remember Draco smiling in it. A true smile of happiness, not a smirk. Draco looked on with a blank look, knowing that seeing the good times with his father did not make up for the bad ones.
The next memory was Draco's as well. His aunt Bellatrix came over for dinner and was teaching him Occlumency, which he was surprisingly good at.
Draco smiled, "I remember this night! I surprised everyone with my ability to shut out their influences, one of the few times I made my father proud." He thought for a moment, savoring the memory and then turned towards Harry.
Harry's eyes stared on darkly. Pain clearly showing through every time his eyes landed upon Lestrange as she cackled her way through the lesson.
"Oh. She wasn't your godfather's murderer then."
Harry whipped his head towards Draco and shouted angrily, "You think that makes a difference?" He inhaled a sharp breath and looked away. "I'm sorry. I don't blame you, I know you had no control over what your family did, but that doesn't change the fact that your-"
"My aunt is a murderer."
Draco stood there, facing his should-be enemy. One eyebrow raised and his arms crossed in front of his chest.
Harry's mouth turned down at the corners, then he sighed.
The scene shifted and they were once again in the Potter's living room. It was Harry's first birthday, and every once and awhile a tiny Harry would go zooming by on the new broomstick his godfather had just sent him.
"Catch him! Catch him!" Cried Lily, laughing so hard she had tears streaming down her face.
"Come here you little lightning bolt!" James yelled, chasing his son down the hallway just feet behind the brooms tail.
Draco looked at Harry. "They called you lightning bolt? Doesn't that seem a little horrifically ironic?"
Harry looked up with a shocked and somewhat disturbed look on his face.
"A little too ironic. I don't feel so good. I hope that was the last memory. I don't think I can take another one.
As if hearing Harry's plea they appeared, in the other's bodies, in Dumbledore's office.
"Goodnight gentlemen. I hope you learned a little something of your past's." Then he tapped his nose twice and disappeared.
"You mean we have to walk back to our dorms?" Draco called out to the space where Dumbledore had recently occupied. "Old Coot."
Harry just shook his head and began the descent towards the dormitories.
The walk was silent, they reached the Head Boy's and Girl's portrait soon enough.
"Friends." They both said mechanically. It swing forward with a small goodnight from Charlotte and then closed with a soft click. Harry headed straight for his room.
"Potter."
Harry turned back around to face himself. He marveled at how it seemed to catch him off guard every time. He never could get used to seeing his face on someone else.
"Yes, Malfoy?" He yawned, and blinked tiredly.
"I wanted to apologize. For what my father said to your mother all those years ago. I may have agreed with him for the first sixteen years of my life but I'm finding it harder and harder to do so. I want to be the jerk, uphold my reputation and feel superior. I love to feel superior. But it's hard to feel above everyone else when you get to know the "lesser people". I can't make everything right. And for plenty of things I don't feel like I did anything wrong. I've always been good at compartmentalizing my emotions. Oh hell, listen to me, rambling about emotions likes a ninny."
Harry yawned again, trying to process what Malfoy was saying,
"I'm just saying, that I... It's not like I've had a change of heart or anything, I've just seen what you . . . and felt the scar, yeah this thing is a rotting nightmareI And, I, can just... I'm going to try fix what I've broken. . . . . . Okay?"
It dawned on Harry that this may have been what Dumbledore had been after from the beginning. But he was still to tired. He would think about it in the morning.
"Malfoy, can you repeat that in the morning when I'm fully conscious?" With that Harry walked up the rest of his stairs and into the bedroom, flopping down onto the soft comforter.
Draco looked on and snorted. "Not bloody likely."
A/NHereitis!Chapter21!Hopeitdidnotdisappoint!AlsotwomorechaptersandthenIwrapthisstoryup!