Thoughts: 'Blah. Blah. Blah.'
Flashback: Blah. Blah. Blah. ( [END]FLASHBACK before/after them)
Hedwig: "Blah. Blah. Blah."
Parseltongue: {Blah. Blah. Blah.}
Letters/Articles/Writing: Blah. Blah. Blah.
Chapter 17
Harry jerks awake as the Hogwarts Express comes to a stop at platform 9 ¾. He rubs his eyes, realizing that his glasses have seemingly disappeared into thin air… Again. Don't judge him, okay? It's not his fault that they keep running away. Honestly, he sets them down for two seconds and BAM, they've escaped into another dimension.
Harry lets out a pitiful whine as he starts patting his hands on the seat blindly, attempting to locate his wayward glasses.
"Looking for something?" Draco raises his hand to reveal Harry's glasses. Harry snatches them from Draco's grasp and quickly puts them on his face, bringing his best friend's face into focus. "And, for the record, your glasses do not run away. You just have the memory and attention span of a goldfish."
"Did you just read my mind?" Harry narrows his eyes at his friend because, honestly, he wouldn't put it past him. You never know, it very well could be a possibility. You have to keep an open mind.
"Um, what?"
"I didn't say that."
"Yes, you did. You do that quite often when you're half-awake actually. You may want to get that checked out."
"I resent that." Harry crosses his arms and sinks into his seat moodily.
"That's valid." Draco stands, raising his arms above his head, popping his shoulders. "Come on; Blaise and Theo are probably already on the platform."
"Fine." Harry stands with a huff.
"Oh, don't act like you're upset. You know I'm right." Draco hits Harry upside the head playfully, letting out an amused chuckle. Draco, the prat, uses his extra inch of height to reach up and grab Harry's trunk from the rack.
Harry grumbles something unintelligible at his friend before taking his bag and exiting their compartment, Draco trailing right behind him. They make the small trek down the train corridor toward the exit, stepping carefully down the steps, struggling with their heavy trunks.
Suddenly, Harry feels the weight of his trunk being lifted out of his hands. He looks up, getting a face full of red hair. His immediate thought is that Ron has decided to work in one more confrontation before break. As such, he reaches for his wand, only to stop in his tracks when he realizes that he's thinking of the wrong Weasley. Taking a moment to further assess the situation, Harry is pleasantly surprised to see George Weasley holding his bag and grinning from ear to ear, his brother standing behind him mirroring his expression.
"Hey guys!" Harry says cheerfully to his two favorite weasleys.
"Hi Harry," George calls.
"Need a hand?" Fred finishes, although it is clear he did considering his struggle with the trunk.
"Thanks. Are you guys excited to be going home?" Harry inquires.
The twins exchanged an conspiratorial look. "Definitely, we get to prank everybody!"
Harry laughs at the twins' exuberance. They clearly have plans for the break. "Have fun guys and don't forget to write!" he says as he reaches for a hug.
Honestly, Harry has no idea how people get the twins mixed up. They are obviously very different, not only in their auras, but in their mannerisms as well. It's the little things, really. George tends to stand a little bit taller, his back a bit straighter than Fred's. Fred tends to fidget more than his brother, less confident in himself, always allowing George to take the lead in the conversation.
"Goodbye Harry, Baby Malfoy." The twins take off toward their family, receiving enraged looks from their mother and Ron.
"Why you…" Draco lunges after them, stopped by Harry's hand curling around his bicep. "What- Did you hear what they called me?!" Draco turns back to Harry, obviously disgruntled.
"Yes, Yes, you and your wounded pride can throw a temper tantrum later. Let's go say goodbye to Blaise and Theo before your parents get here." Before Draco can formulate a proper retort, Harry drags him toward their two friends who are standing together next to a stunning woman who Harry presumes is Blaise's mother.
When the duo gets closer, Blaise rushes at Harry, taking his hand and pulling him toward his family. "Mother! This is Harry Potter!" Blaise gestures extravagantly at Harry, presenting him to his parent.
"Ah, yes. Blaise has told us so much about you." Blaise's mother smiles warmly at Harry, reaching out her hand for Harry to shake in greeting.
"Yes, ma'am. All good things, I hope." Harry returns her smile.
"Well of course." Ms. Zabini looks around for a moment before addressing Blaise and Theo. "Go ahead and say your goodbyes, boys. We should be going soon." She walks a small distance away, giving the boys some privacy.
"Wait, are you going with them?" Draco asks Theo, raising his eyebrows questioningly.
Theo grins and nods enthusiastically. "Yeah! Isn't it fantastic!"
"You're bloody right it is!" Blaise exclaimed excitedly, looping his arm around his best friend's shoulders. Harry can do nothing but grin at the ecstatic look on Theo's face, happy that his friend will be getting away from his home for at least part of the winter holiday.
"Harry." Draco nudges Harry and juts his chin out to the right, gesturing to his parents who have just stepped out of the floo.
"Right, we have to go. Be good, don't forget to write, and don't blow anything up without me!" Harry waves goodbye and begins walking toward the Malfoys.
'Wait- Blow things up?!" Draco squacks, following after his friend. "Harry, we've talked about this; Explosions are bad." Draco catches up to Harry, quickly matching his stride.
"Have we? That definitely seems like something I'd remember…" Harry trails off, receiving a swat on his arm from Draco in response. Harry snorts. "Spoil sport."
"Am not!"
"Are too."
"Am not!"
"Oh look, it's your parents!" Harry cuts off what is sure to be a positively stimulating debate, earning himself a groan from Draco and another smack in the arm.
"Boys!" Narcissa Malfoy embraces her son and Harry in turn, pulling back from Harry to examine him. "Look at you, Harry! You look so much better than you did at the beginning of term. Draco's been making sure you eat right, I hope." She casts a glance at her son, smiling playfully. Draco groans, but laughs nonetheless.
"My wife is correct, you do look much better." Lucius claps a hand on Harry's shoulder, squeezing briefly before giving a small smile to both Harry and Draco. "Shall we?" Lucius steers the group back toward the row of fireplaces lining the platform wall.
"Harry, dear, have you ever used the floo network before?" Narcissa turns to Harry when they stop.
"No, actually, I haven't." Harry admits timidly, still mildly embarrassed at his lack of knowledge. Draco may have been filling him in on the Wizarding World throughout the year, but that doesn't mean he is anywhere near knowledgeable on the subject.
"Nothing to worry about. Here, we'll let Draco go first so you can see how it works." Narcissa pulls out a small, velvet drawstring bag from within her robes, handing it to Draco.
Draco opens the bag and reaches in, taking out a small handful of what Harry guesses is floo powder. Draco steps into the fireplace, facing outward, and takes a breath shouting, "Malfoy Manor", in a clear and confident tone. Harry is suddenly blinded by a harsh green light that eclipses his vision. He turns away for a moment and when he looks back, Draco has vanished.
"Now it's your turn." Narcissa ushers Harry into the fireplace, holding out the drawstring bag containing the floo powder. Harry takes a handful and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath before mimicking Draco's words. Then all he can see is green, even brighter than before, and he feels a strange twisting sensation in his gut. The feeling isn't exactly painful, but it does bring a certain level of discomfort with it. The twisting stops only to be replaced by a jarring impact against the stone floor of Malfoy Manor. Harry tumbles out of the fireplace, landing squarely on his rear. He flops down onto the floor, groaning in pain. He opens his eyes to see his best friend grinning down at him maniacally.
"Oh, I forgot to warn you about the landing. My bad."
'I'm not going to hit him, I am not going to hit him.' Harry closes his eyes and takes a calming breath, slowly rising to his feet. He crosses his arms and glares at the blond heatedly, thoughts quickly falling into "how to hide a body" territory. Draco obviously sees these thoughts written across his features because he begins to back away, his hands held out in surrender.
"Be reasonable; I'm sure we can talk about this." Harry raises an eyebrow, slowly creeping forward. Draco runs. Harry bolts after him, catching him almost instantly, being the faster of the two. He turns Draco around and cuffs him upside the head. "Ow! Merlin."
"Oh, hush up. That didn't hurt."
"Actually, it did." Draco is rubbing the back of his head with a mock grimace on his face. Harry sighs, rolling his eyes. The boy's squabbling is promptly interrupted by the fireplace flaring once more. Narcissa Malfoy sweeps out elegantly, the picture of regality, followed swiftly by Lucius who exits in a similar manner.
"Okay boys, you have the rest of the day to yourselves. Harry your things will be brought to the room you will be staying in." Narcissa says, removing her black gloves.
"Draco will bring you there, your room is right across from his." Lucius finishes as he calls an elf to bring the boys things to their respective rooms.
~~~IT'S BONDING TIME BITCHES~~~
Harry is in the Malfoy's library perusing the various selections contained within the shelves. There is a vast amount of content and Harry briefly wonders if this is what heaven is like. He is skimming through the titles, finally landing on an old, leather bound book titled Magic Long Forgotten. He wanders over to one of the many plush armchairs settled around the room, setting the tomb lightly on the mahogany table in front of the seat he has chosen. He runs his fingers along the cover, marveling at the intricate, sweeping patterns that have been carved into the leather. Not for the first time, he thanks Lucius Malfoy for allowing him free reign of the library and all of its contents. Harry picks up the book, reveling in the scent that can only be associated with old books and parchment. Opening to the first page, he sees words written in an elegant script. The words inscribed on the page illustrate a form of refinement and beauty that cannot be found in modern english.
Among these pages lie the wisdom of ages
A time bequeathed to us by the Gods of olde
But a warning I impart to those who find heart
In power above all else
Harry takes in the meaning of the inscription and a shiver runs down his spine. He runs his fingers over the impactful words before turning the page, beginning to read.
It must be hours later - the sun is beginning to set - when Lucius Malfoy enters the library, though Harry has hardly noticed the passage of time. He is so engrossed in his reading that he does not hear Lucius approach him, only being alerted to the man's presence by the light cough he gives to gain Harry's attention. Harry jumps in his seat, banging his knee painfully against the table in front of him.
"Harry." Lucius nods, glancing down at the book resting in Harry's arms. He raises an eyebrow inquisitively. Harry looks down and takes note of where he is before gently closing the book, presenting the cover to Lucius. "Excellent choice." Lucius's lips quirk up into a smile and Harry basks in the approval.
"Thank you, sir." Harry pauses, catching his mistake. "Lucius." He amends, earning another smile from the Malfoy patriarch.
"If you enjoy this, I have a few other titles you may be interested in. We could talk about them while you read them." Harry smiles, ecstatic to hear that Lucius is interested in, not only his magical education, but also spending time with him.
"Absolutely!"
"Good. I will have them brought to your room." Lucius places a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I am pleased with your progress, Harry. Dinner will be in an hour, but for now I will leave you to your reading." Lucius squeezes Harry's shoulder and gives him one last smile before taking his leave.
Once the door closes, Harry returns to his book.
Shadow Magic, also known as Shadowmancy, is a variation of Shadow Manipulation and Elemental Magic. Let it be noted that Shadow Magic is not the same as Dark Magic, being less taxing on the caster's psyche.
The most common forms of shadow magic are as follows:
Shadow Travel
Shadow Conjuring
Shadow Travel is similar to the more recently discovered form of wizard travel: Apparition. However, these forms of magic are not to be confused. Shadow Travel is the use of darkness to transport yourself from one place to another, while Apparition depends on the Wizard's force of will to traverse distances. While Shadow Travel is more difficult than Apparition in some respects, it is easier to learn quickly because it requires less magic to achieve. While Shadow Traveling you are drawing upon the energy contained within the darkness around you and combining it with your own. This process allows the magic user to take on characteristics of the darkness surrounding them, giving the ability to, in a sense, convert their physical body into a shadow. The process is, of course, more complicated than described in this text and should not be attempted without further inquiry into the subject.
The next main form of Shadow Magic is Shadow Conjuring. For reference purposes, I will compare this subset of Shadow Magic to the Patronus Charm. Once again, the caster is drawing energy from the darkness around them and combining it with their own to give it a tangible form. Once created, this form, whatever it may be(it differs from person to person), is subjected to the caster's will. This is where Shadow Conjuring differs from the Patronus Charm. Once again, this form of magic is much more complex than described in this text and is not recommended without further investigation.
Harry closes his book, gently placing it on the table and stretching, hearing his shoulders pop. 'I definitely need to look into Shadow Magic.'
He figures it's been about twenty minutes since Lucius had come to speak with him so he decides to go bother Draco for a while. He's probably sleeping or doing something else equally boring, so Harry obviously needs to go save him from himself before he fades away into nothing. He stands, making his way out of the library, leaving the book on the table so he can come back to it later. Walking down the lavish hallway leading to Draco's bedroom, he finds himself marveling once again at the elegance of the Manor. The first few days after his arrival had him constantly drooling at the beauty of it all. If he's really being honest with himself, he still is. But hey, Harry's made a career out of lying to himself. Why stop now? He knows, it's unhealthy or something of that sort. Don't take this away from him, okay?
He comes to a stop outside of Draco's room, only having gotten lost once, thank you very much. He considers knocking. That would be the polite thing to do, but it's not the Harry thing to do, so he quickly disregards the notion. People are always telling him to be true to himself, after all. As such, Harry barges into the room, practically singing Draco's name as annoyingly as possible. And trust me, when it comes to being annoying, Harry reigns supreme.
"AH!" Draco screams, like, a full on girly screech of terror, and jerks into a sitting position in bed. The covers are now laying in a pile on the floor by his bed, a result of Draco's flailing limbs. Draco stares at Harry, breathing heavily, his hair in disarray. And, of course, Harry has to comment on it.
"Nice hair, Draco. I love the new look." Draco hisses at Harry from across the room. "And here we see a wild Draco Malfoy in its natural habitat. Be careful not to aggravate this creature, he may spit on you in retaliation."
"I'm not a llama, Harry." Draco attempts to coax his hair into some form of docility, quickly giving up and turning back to Harry.
"Wow, you know what a llama is? You're smarter than I thought, not that my standards were very high in the first place." Before Harry can curl his lips into a smirk, he finds his vision obscured by a deadly projectile flying in his direction. The pillow slams into Harry's face, giving a soft thud at the impact. Harry fixes his glasses, putting them back in their proper position. "Well that wasn't very nice." Draco is still seated on his bed, but he is now sporting a smug look and his arms are crossed in victory. "Yeah, yeah, serves me right." Harry picks up the pillow and tosses it onto Draco's bed before climbing up to sit next to the blond.
They sit and talk for awhile, conversing about nothing in particular before heading downstairs for dinner with Lucius and Narcissa.
~~~Time Skip~~~
"So, you're telling me that you've lived here your entire life and still haven't explored the entire house?!"
"Yes, Harry, that's what I'm telling you."
Harry takes it back, this is way better than reading. When Draco had pulled him from the library saying something about "fun" and "exploring" he had not been impressed. Now, however, now he's interested.
"Onward! The secret passages await!" Harry extends his arm out in front of him with a flourish, pointing down the hall.
"Why do I associate with you." Draco mutters, but follows Harry nonetheless.
"Oi! I'm a delight to be around. You should be grateful."
"Grateful's one word for it." Harry smacks Draco in the arm at the barb. The two boys continue on, Draco leading Harry deeper into the Manor. They navigate the twists and turns, quickly reaching a section that Draco has not yet explored. They now stand in front of a set of stairs leading down to a lower level of the Manor. The stairway is barely lit, the only illumination coming from the green wizard flame lining both stone walls. The ominous scene sends shivers of apprehension down Harry's spine.
"So, shall we?" Draco's wavering voice confirms that Draco is having a similar feeling of hesitation.
Harry, in a strange fit of bravery, takes the first step down the stairwell, grasping Draco's hand in his and pulling him along. The further they descend the more confident they become, and soon they are running, giggling at the top of their lungs in a picture of childlike innocence. A childlike innocence that Harry has thought to be long forgotten, that is, until this very moment. They can practically hear McGonogall's stern voice telling them to, "Slow down and walk like normal human beings, Mister Potter and Mister Malfoy!" But they don't care. They no longer fear what lies ahead as exhilaration replaces unease. The narrow walls seem less daunting; The steepness of each step, less formidable than before. The once baleful, spectral glow of wizard flame now invigorates their investigative spirit, electrifying their pirmal need for wonder and adventure. 'This is what it's like to be a child; This is what I've been missing my whole life.' Harry thinks to himself, finally certain that he wants- No, he needs to experience everything that the Dursley's have taken from him, no matter how trivial it may seem.
The boys come to a stop at the bottom of the narrow staircase, entering an open stone room with arched ceilings and grey stone walls. There are pillars interspersed throughout the room and brass chandeliers hang above them, dusted with cobwebs. Despite the obvious indications that this room has not been entered in some time, the candles in the chandeliers are lit with the same green wizard flame as the stairway behind them had been.
"Wow." Harry's voice echoes through the room, magnified by the stone that surrounds them entirely. Harry hears Draco murmur a "yeah" in response as he shuffles forward in a daze. He walks up to one of the many suits of armor lining the walls, each situated snuggly inside its own alcove that's been carved into the stone. He reaches out a hand, gently grazing the cool steel with the tips of his fingers, amazed by the labyrinthine patterns that have been carefully engraved into the fine metal.
A loud crash sounds behind Harry and he whips around, immediately pulling his body into a defensive stance, wand extending in front of him. Instead of the horrific monster his fearful mind has conjured, Harry sees Draco sitting on the ground, a disoriented expression painted on his features as he holds the helmet of one of the suits in both hands.
"Ow." Draco huffs, voice lacking inflection. Harry giggles at his friend, casting a backward glance at the suit of armor as he makes his way over to the blonde who is still seated on the floor.
"Need some help?" Harry reaches his hand down for Draco to grab. Draco grumbles, but takes Harry's hand nonetheless, lurching to his feet as he drops the helmet on the floor with an echoing clang. "So, what is this place?" Harry takes a step back from Draco, craning his neck to observe the room's high ceiling.
"I'm not sure." Draco rubs the back of his head thoughtfully, his grey eyes scanning the rest of the room. "There," Draco points to a door on the far side of the room, "let's go."
Harry and Draco make their way toward the door, their footsteps reverberating through the chamber. After they come to a stop in front of the door, Draco reaches out his hand to try the handle. The door doesn't budge. "Damn." Draco curses, taking a step back to examine the door. It is made of a dark, expensive looking wood with metal patches interspersed along the surface. The handle is an older design, circular with ornate patterns etched into the surface, with a keyhole directly underneath it. "A simple unlocking spell should do it."
Harry pulls out his wand, pointing it at the handle. "Alohomora" The boys hear the lock click open. Draco tries the door again, and this time it swings open with a light screech.
Behind the door lies a darkened hallway. As they step through the entryway, the same green wizard flame from the previous room flares to life in the candles lining both walls. They continue walking, eventually reaching another chamber, smaller than the first. Shelves line the far wall, filled with an assortment of small items and books. Harry immediately rushes over to inspect the various titles, picking one up and inspecting it. The book is bound in black leather, with indecipherable gold writing adorning the front. Harry swipes a finger across the cover, picking up a layer of dust.
Harry replaces the book on the shelf, moving to inspect the items displayed behind the glass case sitting in between the bookshelves.
"AHH!" Harry whips around for the second time today, expecting to see something dangerous lurking behind him. Instead he sees Draco on the ground… Again. Except this time, half of his body is in the chamber while the other half has fallen through a hole in the wall that Harry swears was not there a few moments before. Draco slowly sits up, looking behind him before fixing his eyes on Harry.
"I didn't do it." Draco shakes his head rapidly, looking behind him once more before heaving himself to his feet. The second he has removed his body from the doorway, the wall slides shut, earning a jump and a sharp yelp from the blond.
"Actually, I think you did." Harry chuckles, walking over to where Draco is standing. He places both hands on the wall and begins feeling around, testing every few centimeters of stone by applying light pressure with his fingers.
"What are you doing?" Draco hovers behind Harry, the blond's head practically on top of Harry's shoulder.
Harry stills his fingers as the section of wall he's pressing on gives slightly under his touch. The noirette smiles. "This." The wall slides open, revealing a dark passageway that is lit in the same manner as the previous hall. "I knew it! You owe me a galleon!" Harry turns and points his finger at Draco dramatically, smirking in victory.
"What? No! I never took that bet!"
"Yes, you did."
"No, I didn't."
"I distinctly remember that you did." Harry crosses his arms over his chest and cocks his hip to the side.
"I- You know what? I'm not playing this game with you." Draco brushes past a gaping Harry into the secret passageway. Harry, after getting over his moment of shock, follows his best friend into the damp, musty hallway, jogging to catch up.
They walk side by side for about thirty minutes, conversing about nothing in particular along the way. Eventually, the passage begins angling upward. After a few more minutes the boys reach what seems to be a dead end. Harry promptly begins brushing his fingers along the stone in the same manner as before, finding the right spot faster than he had at the entrance. The wall slides open. Harry and Draco can't see what's on the other side, they assume that there must be some sort of magic blocking their sight.
"Well, let's see where we are, shall we?" Harry urges Draco forward and they exit the secret passage together. As they pass through the darkness, they feel a shiver run through them and an odd tugging sensation in their gut before they are suddenly flung forward, toppling gracelessly to the floor. Harry hears Draco groan beside him, and he wholeheartedly agrees with the sentiment.
Harry ceases his glaring at the floor, looking up to try and figure out where they've landed. He observes a large window situated across from him, surrounded by elegant black couches with curved backs. There are shelves of books framing the window, which looks out onto the back of the Malfoys' estate.
"Looks like we're in the study." Draco gets to his feet, dusting off his clothes before reaching a hand out to Harry, helping him up.
"Wait, but that would mean we're on the other side of the manor." Harry observes, running his fingers through his messy hair.
"I know, it's strange." Harry and Draco look behind them at the patch of wall that they now know is not as mundane as it seems. Harry immediately begins thinking about what the passage could be used for, coming up with a variety of options. Honestly, you never know when you're going to need to hide out for a while. It never hurts to be prepared.
'Yeah, this could definitely be useful'
A/N: Hey guys, we are sorry this was so late. We were having trouble about where to go with the chapter among other things. We have decided that the story has to go on a temporary hiatus as we determine where we want the story to go. We are writing as we go as you can probably tell. WE ARE NOT ABANDONING THE STORY! We just need a while to get the story in order. If you have any suggestions as to what you want to see in the future, be it between two characters or certain outcomes, let us know. We are going to edit the story when it is completely finished so if yall have any suggestions about changes from the past chapters we would like to know as well.
We also would like some advice on something we are planning to write into the story. In a previous chapter we mentioned a trial against the Dursleys and to change Harry's guardianship. We have been doing some research on the subject, but there is quite a bit of information and we aren't exactly sure what we can use that fits into a Wizarding Trial. If you have any suggestions, or if you have read something like this before, please PM us or leave a comment. We would really appreciate the help!
Thank you guys for reading this and we hope you are still enjoying it because we enjoy writing it. We will shoot to be posting again by December. Again we are sorry it has taken so long for this chapter but we ARE NOT abandoning this story.