A/N: Another chapter just for you, my friends. A very big thank you to BloodyRose90, Ilap, and Lientjuhh for your reviews. Also, to everyone who alerted and favourited this story! You really are the reason I continue to update. Enjoy!
Warnings: Shortish Chapter. More teasing and internal debating with a side of self-pity. And remember that strange howler from a few chapters past? Yeah, ye be warned!
.XXV.
Day 52
July 16th
Draco sat on the floor, rolling a ball toward Teddy and watching in veiled amusement as the baby tried to get the colourful toy but was unable to reach it. His mother and aunt were in the garden, providing a blissful reprieve for Draco from the nagging.
At first, Draco had been shocked to hear that his mother wanted to… 'play in the dirt' as she put it, but now he realized just how little he actually knows about his mother. Her comments the day before were only the tip of the iceberg. He had been getting subtle hints ever since she walked in on him and Har- Potter fighting. It was mortifying, but nothing was going to happen. Right? Right!
Wrong! Draco was tempted to smash his head against something hard and blunt if only it would put him out of his misery. He was undeniably attracted to the man. Draco had, even after promising his aunt to leave Harry's bedroom alone, snuck in when the two woman and baby went to sleep and had a good long wank in that heavenly bed. He even made use of a few of his Items of Pleasure. Draco was certain that his obsession was reaching disastrous proportions when the thought of Harry sleeping in the bed he had just used made him hard and aching. It was all for naught, however. Harry wasn't attracted to Draco. In fact, if Harry's night long absence was any indication, Draco was sure that Harry wanted nothing to do with him. Nothing at all.
His mother walked in the room, holding a mug filled with the smell of earthy tea. She sat on the couch and watched as her son played with Teddy. "I can't believe how big he is." She gushed, sighing in longing. "If I knew how pretty Nymphadora's child would be, I would have never listened to my parents and cut all ties with Andy."
"Mother?" Draco questioned. Narcissa looked up from Teddy and met his eyes. "What are you doing here? Why did you insist on coming back?"
Narcissa smiled, displaying one, nearly hidden dimple right on the corner of her mouth. It was, tooth for tooth, Draco's smile and one of the only features he inherited solely from his mother, not including the colour and texture of his hair. He swiped the few strands which escaped behind his ear and reached for the ball again.
"I was tired of seeing you mope around the house, speaking only of the people here, in this house rather than wanting to spend time with me." Narcissa shrugged and eyed Draco's gapping mouth. "But it seems as if you mope here just as much."
"I don't understand." Draco admitted quietly. At least, he didn't want to understand.
"Of course you do, darling. Come to auntie 'Cissy, you dear boy." Narcissa cooed, bending over to pick up Teddy and settle him in her lap on the couch. She drew one leg under her and the pose struck Draco as oddly informal and not mother-like in the least. She turned her clear blue eyes on Draco again. "It is, of course, all to do with Harry Potter."
He closed his eyes tight, turning his head away and not denying anything. He had suspected that she knew, especially from her lack of reaction yesterday morning from finding the two boys in which could have been a compromising position.
"Your father will not be released for a very long time, if he is ever released. We no longer have the name of Malfoy to uphold." Narcissa spoke, directly addressing his deepest worries that he was too afraid to even acknowledge. She spread one hand wide. "This is the only connection I have to the Black heritage and she has been removed for many, many years. We have nothing but our lives, Draco. Allow us to live as we see fit."
Draco shuddered. It had been so long since he dropped the mask that kept him safe that he didn't even know who he could be anymore. Was he just a Malfoy? He will always be to Har-Potter. He never will just be Draco, not unless…
He stood and headed towards the floo.
"Draco? Where are you going?" his mother questioned from behind.
"I have some apologising to do." He said, picking up the powder and flooing away. He didn't see the smile that graced his mother's face as she cuddled even closer to her great-nephew.
Wands came up and pointed at him, halting his approach. "Granger." Draco said, nodding his head in greeting. "Weasley." He held up his hands to show that he carried not a wand or anything that could harm them. "Welcome back."
The wands dropped and Weasley, looking rather uncomfortable, demanded, "What are you doing here?"
"Ron! Be nice." Granger hissed. She turned to Draco. "Thank you Malfoy. What brings you here?"
Draco rolled his eyes at the diplomacy and said, "I'm looking for Potter. I thought he might have stayed here last night."
Granger frowned and shook her head. "We haven't seen him at all yesterday…" she trailed off.
"Oh Draco!" He turned to look at Molly and was immediately swept up in a warm hug. "You're just in time for some lunch. Come join us!"
Draco couldn't resist. He looked over to the red faced, chocking Weasel and grinned, winking over Molly's shoulder. Before the boy could start firing curses, Draco was forcefully led into the kitchen where Arthur, Percy and George were seated.
"Good morning, Draco." Arthur said mildly while Percy ignored him. George did nothing except watch carefully where Draco decided to sit down, making the blond to sit right beside Molly's usual spot for protection.
"Good morning Arthur. Did you get the plugs I sent you?"
"Oh yes! I had no idea there were different kinds! And each country has a different shape?" The man asked eagerly but Draco had to shrug. He honestly had no idea. It might just be France and England that has different muggle plugs or maybe that junk store was selling something mislabelled.
"What the hell is going on here?" the Weasel demanded, storming in to the kitchen just in time to witness the friendly atmosphere between his family and a Malfoy.
"Language!" Molly snapped. "I will not have that type of behaviour in my house Ronald Billus Weasley!
"But mom—"
"No buts! Draco is welcome here any time he wants to come, isn't that right dear?" She looked fondly at Draco and Draco had to grin back. He never thought that he would develop a weak spot for Weasleys of all people.
"Are you sure, Molly? You remember what he did in the war." It was Granger who asked quietly, peering at the woman through wide eyes.
Molly reached over and patted her hand. "He came to visit us a few times while you were away in Australia. He's a dear boy and nothing at all like his father. I suspect that his personality comes from those rare individuals in the Black family such as Andromeda Tonks and Sirius Black."
"And my mother." Draco couldn't help but say. "She's the one who wanted to leave France and stay with my aunt."
Granger bit her lip and Draco could practically see the wheels turning in that big brain of hers. "I suppose." She said reluctantly. Draco graced her with a dazzling smile.
Weasel groaned as if in pain. "Oh grow up, Ron." Granger snapped. "You were the first one to accept him when he first came to dinner! Over Harry's homosexuality, no less!"
Weasel grimaced. "But that was funny!" he whined.
"It won't be funny when Harry and Draco start shagging like rabbits."
Draco chocked on his forkful of pancakes and Weasel sputtered so much, droplets of juice landed in Granger's hair. "What?" Draco gasped when his airway was cleared, staring at George who was sitting there, as if completely innocent.
"I ran into Andy and your mum in Diagon Alley. I mentioned that we had a wedding coming up and Narcissa kindly suggested the possibility of making it a double."
Draco groaned. "I am going to kill my mother!"
Molly closed an arm around his shoulders. "Now, now. Don't talk nonsense, dear. Have more bacon."
Arthur cleared his throat. "You know, that might not be a bad idea. It saves on invitations if we can just put all the information onto one, and the yard is big enough, even for a Malfoy."
The table broke out into snickers except for Draco, who wanted to fall through the floor and Weasley, who actually fainted, face planted on his plate of eggs.
Even Granger let out a very mud- muggleborn snort into her breakfast.
The arm wrapped around his shoulders, squeezed once and he looked at Molly, remembering why he put himself through these little humiliations. Molly glanced at him through the corner of her eye and, quicker than thought, winked at Draco even as she continued chuckling as Granger tried to get Weasley to wake once more. Draco shifted and let a faint smile cross his lips, face still heated but warmer and more comforting.
The owl landed on Harry's knee, blinking adoringly up at him with big amber eyes. It was such a nice creature, just sitting there, letting him pet it just a little, still holding that big red envelope in its beak. He still hadn't left Spinner's End and he wasn't sure if he was ever going to leave. Everything seems to be happening so quickly, all at once and not giving him a proper chance to calm down and soak in the information.
First, and the most disturbing, was that Ron and Hermione were going to leave him. In a month, only a month, they would be back in school (without Harry) and then in a year (maybe a touch more) they would be married, leaving Harry alone for good.
Second, he found Malfoy naked and wanking in his bed (how the hell is he supposed to get a good night sleep in that same bed after that. He's going to have to rub his skin raw!) which played havoc on his nerves and had no idea how to handle this growing attract- obsessi- reluctantly intrigue- thing. Good lord! He didn't even have a word that he could call it!
Third was, of course, the coming of Narcissa Malfoy. If she ends up living with Andy, Harry's original plan of staying with the grieving woman was unnecessary. Having her sister there will do Andy some good and hopefully they can overcome all their differences without the pressure from family.
Snape was the final reason. He made it clear that he didn't want to drink directly from Harry anymore. He will accept blood given to him in jars, making it unnecessary for Harry to be anywhere near the vampire. Harry scoffed. Just because Snape was convinced that he raped Harry (which wasn't true, damnit!), he refused to have any contact further than what happened last night.
Harry sighed forlornly and stroked the bird's head. With the exception of Malfoy, a situation too complex and weird to even contemplate for long, no one needed him anymore. No one needed Harry for anything, let alone his company.
"Thanks boy- or are you a girl?- but I can take that letter now. I'll live through it." Harry opened his hand, palm up and the owl blinked slowly before ducking her- his?- head and dropping the letter. It flew up and landed on the top of a bookshelf, watching as Harry took a deep breath and opened the flap.
I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, POTTER. I WILL COME FOR YOU SOON AND YOU WILL RECIEVE YOUR DUE. PROMISES ARE THE ONE THING I CAN KEEP.
The letter fizzed and exploded, sending Harry sprawling to the ground. Smoke plumed up, covering every corner of the room and Harry, coughing and wheezing, was unable to see the door. The ringing in his ears confused him and he lost his orientation of which way was up, unable to purchase proper footing on the heaving floor.
Soft tips brushed his face and talons dug into his shift, pulling tightly. Wobbling on his feet, Harry blindly followed the tight pull of his shirt and the constant batter of feathers against his face. He ran into solid wood and felt instinctively for the knob, finding and twisting it, Harry stumbled out onto the broken porch, followed by billowing clouds of toxic smoke.
He came to a haltering stop on a grassy plane where he fell, collapsing in on himself and lying there.
He rolled over, eyes stinging and nose and throat burning, and saw the owl peering down at him from a very low branch, scant inches above his face. It opened its beak but Harry frowned, unable to make out a sound.
He saw rosy lights flashing, flickering eerily against the white mushrooming smoky clouds and getting lost in the late morning sun. Harry's head pounded and swam as the ground lunged under him and everything went black.