Just to clarify as people have asked I decided to use some artistic licence and alter Dracos birthday so instead of 5th June it is 5th September but kept Harry's the same. So right after they started Hogwarts Draco would have turned 12 whereas Harry won't be 12 until the summer before their second year. So when Harry is through the trapdoor it is the end of school year possibly early June meaning Harry is 12 the following month but Draco is only 3 months away from being 13. I really hope that makes sense their ages are only going to matter so much for a short while as a way to show how Draco realises things a lot more quickly.
Adeniode: Thank you for all your reviews I hope the above answers your question about the age thing. Any other questions you had will be answered in the story I promise :D thanks for reading.
Vernieklein : Thanks so much as usual, oh and i know we will defiantly see some hormones at play soon enough, I think there will be a case or two of green-eyed monster pretty soon :D thanks for your continued support.
Flyingchrissy: Thanks for your review, here you go hope you like it :D
...
And now we wait.
It was not a fun summer, not at all, fun did not even come close. Harry was miserable, he had been cooped up and locked up most of the summer and Hedwig had received the same treatment, she was not happy with him and often protested loudly which only served to get him in to more trouble. The other downside was that due to Hedwig been locked away the moment he had stepped back through the door at number 4 Privet Drive he had been unable to owl his friends. His school things had been locked away in his old cupboard, he had been unable to do any of his required reading of homework. Harry could only imagine the look on the faces of Draco and Hermione when they realise he had done nothing all summer, but he didn't want to think of Draco and Hermione, it hurt when he did leaving a hollow feeling deep inside his chest. It was half way through summer and he had not heard a word from either of them or come to think of it from anyone, it had hurt more and more with each passing day as he felt even more neglected but today, well today he had held a little hope, but still nothing, today was his 12th birthday, he had known the Dursley's would forget he would have put money on it, but his friends, Draco? He just didn't understand, had he done something wrong?
'Boy' Uncle Vernon spluttered breaking Harry from his thoughts.
'Boy are you listening?'
Harry sighed and once again repeated the line he had recited over and over for the entire week previously;
'I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there.'
...
Later that evening Harry retreated to his room to begin pretending that he was not there and only just managed not to shout out in surprise at what was waiting for him there.
...
Draco's summer was actually going quite well so far, his father had been distracted and preoccupied with something or other; he had been spending long hours alone in his study and Draco had caught him muttering to himself on several occasions, but he honestly did not care what the idiot was up to as long as it kept him away from his mother.
In fact there was only one thing that was disrupting not entirely unpleasant summer and that one thing was Harry. Draco had owled Harry at least once a day since the beginning of summer, but he had not heard a word from him all summer, he had owled letter after letter after letter and received no reply, after the first two weeks Draco had begun to sink into a sort of depression, once again he let his thoughts drift to the possibility that Harry had given up on their friendship. One day nearing the end of July, (Harry's birthday Draco thought sadly) Pansy had decided to visit noticing Draco becoming more and more withdrawn with each owl they exchanged. Listening as Draco lamented about the Gryffindor's lack of contact and grumbling for at least the 7th time about the boys birthday present he refused to send Pansy started to lose her patience;
'Have you any idea what you sound like Draco.'
'A Hufflepuff,' Draco grumbled and threw himself dramatically on to the sofa behind him. Pansy chuckled, 'Yep, it's adorable,' she said swiftly ducking out of the way of the thrown cushion that had hurtled in her direction,
'Seriously though Draco, is he just ignoring you?'
Draco sat up abruptly and stared at Pansy as though she had just declared undying love for Ronald Weasley, 'What do you mean?'
'Well, if it's just you he's not replying to then we have problems, but say Granger has not heard from him either, well that can not be seen to be about you surely.' She reasoned. The blonde boy stared at her then stood and stalked off in search of the family owl, Pansy swore she heard him mumble something that sounded distinctly like, 'I am such an idiot.'
...
Hermione's reply was almost instant,
Draco
I am so happy to hear from you I have wanted to contact you but was unsure as to how I would be received. I have been really worried, I have not heard anything from Harry all summer and neither has Ronald, but now hearing that he has not even contacted you has me even more concerned. I will do my best to find out what I can.
Take Care
H.G
Draco re-read the odd looking piece of lined parchment that Hermione had sent, he closed his eyes and sat back with a groan, 'Draco?' Pansy asked, without a word he passed her the parchment. Pansy's eyes widened as she read the note, 'Oh Draco,' she said, 'I'm sure he's fine,' Draco turned his head away from her and stared unseeingly out of the window, desperately holding back his tears that threatened to spill. Merlin only knew what Harry had gone through this summer, it killed him to think of Harry in pain.
'Draco?' Pansy tried, when again, she got no response from her blonde friend, she turned and stalked over to the fireplace, taking floo powder from the green plot on the fireplace and kneeling down called out, 'Zabini Manor.' Pansy pushed her face in to the flames, after a few minutes Pansy withdrew her head and stepped back just as Blaise stepped out from the floo. Without a word to any of them he took the weird parchment from where Pansy had placed it, he located a quill and turned the parchment over, in elegant handwriting he simply wrote;
What can we do?
B.G and P.P and D.M
Blaise rolled the parchment up and made a strange clicking noise deep inside his throat, within seconds a large black owl appeared in front of him, Blaise held out his arm for the beautiful bird, 'Hey Hermes,' he greeted the Malfoy family owl, 'Can you take this to Hermione Granger for us please?' Hermes clicked in response , spread her wings and left the room.
'What did you write?' muttered Draco from behind the arm he had thrown across his face, Blaise looked at his friend with a look of sympathy in his eyes, it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that Draco cared deeply for the Gryffindor. Blaise went to sit down next to Draco and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, ' I just asked if there was anything we can do,' Draco surprised Blaise by laughing, 'We are just kids what can we do?'
Blaise shrugged, 'I don't know but anything is worth a try.'
'Dobby,' Pansy called. The Malfoy's house elf appeared, he seemed genuinely upset at Draco's distressed state and was wringing his hands together,
'What can Dobby do for Masters and Miss?'
'Drinks elf, Master Draco is not feeling himself.'
With a look at Draco a crack sounded through the air and Dobby was gone.
'I'm ok really,' said Draco sitting up, ' I felt faint and a little unwell, nothing serious no need to fuss.' Pansy and Blaise shared a look but did not say anything.
Dobby returned with the drinks and set them on a small table without a word, he bowed so low that his long nose touched the floor beneath him and then he was gone. Draco had never seen the elf leave so quickly, it was almost like he had somewhere important to be , which was ridiculous, he was an elf.
The three Slytherin's sat in tense but companionable silence waiting for the return of Hermes. They waited for about an hour before the bird soared in through the open window and landed in front of Draco, he took the parchment from him and fed the black owl a treat from a bowl on his left and unrolled the note:
Draco, Blaise and Pansy
Try not to worry, I do not think that there is any much we could do. However, on that note Ronald has informed me that he and the twins, (to quote him) 'Have a genius idea,' as much as i doubt that , he unfortunately would not divulge anymore to me, he says he will owl me in the morning, when I know, you all will, I promise.
And now we wait.
H.G
Draco groaned and ran his hand over his face, he did not like that Harry's fate was in the hands of the Weasel and the clones, but, he conceded that anything was better than his relatives. Draco handed the parchment to Blaise who read it with a raised eyebrow, he handed the note to Pansy and watched as her expression mirrored his own. Pansy sighed and looked at Blaise, 'Sleepover?' she asked
'Sleepover,' he confirmed with a nod.
...
It had been a long night, Draco had not slept and had been snapping and sneering at anyone who dared approach. Blaise and Pansy had long since given up trying to reason with him, being Draco's childhood friends they had stayed over at the Manor many times and they each had a room that they could call their own in Draco's own wing of the manor. Tonight they had forgone their usual comfort on favour of staying to support their blonde friend, though each vicious remark made them regret their choice more and more, however they stayed, they knew and understood that he was worried but it did not stop them wanting to hex him in to oblivion each time he opened his mouth.
Draco was currently wearing a hole in his very expensive carpet and shooting daggers with his eyes at his two friends who had fallen asleep curled up at either end of a long black sofa that dominated one wall of his bedroom. He was about to call a house elf to dump ice cold water on the sleeping pair when a familiar snowy owl flew in through the open window that he had refused to close just in case. Draco felt his heartbeat quicken with excitement and anticipation as he untied the roll of parchment from Hedwig's leg. He absently scratched the owl on top of its head and retrieved an owl treat from a drawer in his desk. He unravelled the parchment and smiled at the sight of the familiar untidy scrawl;
Drake
I can't write much, I'm hiding so I can send this so I have to be quick, but just letting you know I'm ok. I' sorry I didn't write but we were locked up. I know you were writing (bloody house elf) anyway we are off to Diagon Alley on Wednesday to meet Mione, I' ok, will try and write properly soon.
Miss you
Harry x
Draco read the letter with increasingly widening eyes, he was left with more questions than answers, but, he thought, at least he knew that Harry was ok, but his eyes kept returning to two words, 'locked up,' we? Who was we? Locked up? What did he mean? He needed to get to the bottom of this , then something else caught his eye, Elf? What elf? Muggles do not have house elves! 'One thing is for sure,' thought Draco as he summoned an elf to throw water on his friends, 'come hell or high water he was going to Diagon Alley on Wednesday.'
...
A/N : So we have now started Chamber of Secrets, hmm I wonder what Draco will make of Ginny?