A/N: 1. I apologize for how long it took me to write this chapter. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to happen. I would get ideas and then I would forget them and then I would get new ones and then I didn't like them –– it was a mess. But it's finally here! For here on out, the story will (hopefully) be continuous, without the three year skips. As always: if there is anything you guys would like to see in the future, drop a comment or PM me!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing! I make no profit off of this. This is solely for my enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of others! ;)
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"Albus, you can't possibly–"
"What other choice do we have, Minerva? It's nearing the end of term and we're running out of options."
"What about the Weasleys? He seems to have good friends with them already, hasn't he?"
"No. Not the Weasleys. They have enough children to look after as it is, bless them."
"How about Granger then?"
"A viable option, but they wouldn't be able to protect him the way that a wizarding family would. Minerva–"
"This is lunacy! What's wrong with where he is now?"
"His position may have been compromised. You know Voldemort's followers are still out there."
"Which is precisely the reason why this notion of yours could only have been born of asininity, Albus!"
"There are no other candidates, Minerva. I dislike this as much as you do, if not more. From what I understand, he'll have little to no contact with the boy's father."
"Alright, Albus. But the moment something seems off, he goes straight back, understood?"
"We can agree on that, Minerva."
"Good. Now, will you them or shall I?"
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"Pair up and intermingle houses!"
Groans and sounds of overall displeasure at the command rose throughout the room. Professor Snape spun around, his black robe billowing threateningly.
"Silence," he spoke, his low voice enough to extinguish all noise. "Pick your partner or I shall have to do it for you."
That lit a fire under the students' bottoms. Gryffindors and Slytherins quickly set about picking a partner that they felt they could at least tolerate for the duration of the Potions lesson.
Harry looked around for any Slytherins who hadn't already grabbed a partner. Each Slytherin he approached was either already paired or was grabbed by a Gryffindor at that exact moment.
Harry was prepared to complete the assignment along when he spotted a student sitting sitting at a desk all by himself. Harry's chin dropped down to his chest.
Why did the universe hate him? Snapping his head up, he squared his shoulders and strode over to the boy.
"Do you have a partner?" He asked shortly.
Draco looked up from his textbook. Upon seeing who was talking to him, he pasted on a sneer. "Do you?" He responded just as shortly. Harry set his jaw and dropped his book onto Draco's desk. He took a seat next to the pale-haired boy and said nothing.
Draco looked back down at his copy of Magical Drafts and Potions, gathering the information he and Harry would need to prepare a Hiccoughing Potion.
The young Malfoy glanced over at his partner, who was furiously flipping through the pages trying to find the one he needed.
"Page 27, Potter," he offered. Harry cut him a quick side eye before flicking backwards to page 27. Draco quirked an eyebrow as the slightest hint of disbelief flashed across Harry's face. It was almost as if Harry had been expecting Draco to lie to him. Which, to be fair, had crossed Draco's mind.
It's not that Draco hated Harry. It was just that Draco had a tendency to be a bit competitive. Oh alright: very competitive. There was something about Harry Potter that brought out the worst in Draco. Perhaps it was because everyone knew his name. Maybe it was because every person that Harry met seemed to take an instant liking to him. Well, expect for Snape it seemed.
Draco was never good at making friends. Whenever he introduced himself as Draco Malfoy, people would tend to shy away or distance themselves. It was Draco's speculation that it was because of his family name: Malfoy. Apparently, Draco descended from a long line of "evil-doers" and people had already branded him, in their minds, that he was no different.
Draco didn't know what Harry knew about his family, but it seemed that Harry had made some assumptions of his own. He and Harry had gotten off to a rough start and from there on in, they had become something akin to enemies. Draco didn't like having enemies. Having enemies meant arguing (which Draco hated), fights (which Draco also hated), and either physical or mental pain (which Draco hated the most).
He tried to be friends with Harry, he really did. But his gestures always came across as cold or unkind. So he stopped trying. If Harry wanted to be friends, or simply cease to be enemies, then he would have to make the move.
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The remainder of the school year passed quickly. By the end of term, Draco was more than ready to go home. Over the course of the year, Draco had discovered that not only was he disliked by students in other houses, he was also disliked by the students in his own house. Draco couldn't count how many times he had been hexed (accidentally or on purpose [mostly on purpose]) by the Slytherin first years.
What had he done to any of them?
But being hexed wasn't even the worst thing that had happened that year. Draco had been given detention for tattling to McGonagall that Hagrid had been harboring a dragon in his hut. McGonagall had not only given him detention, but he had had to spend that detention with Potter, Weasley, and Granger.
They had all gone down to serve their detention with Hagrid and had ended up going into the Forbidden Forest. Their task was to find a wounded unicorn; rubbish if you asked Draco. There were better things he would rather be doing with his time. But what they had found in the Forest only served to increase Draco's fear of menacing woodland. They had split into groups: Hagrid took Weasley and Granger while Draco went with Harry and Hagrid's mutt of a boarhound.
It had been Harry and Draco who had found the unicorn, but it wasn't wounded: it was dead. It hadn't died of its wounds. Oh no. It had been killed by the wraith-like creature that had been drinking deeply from a gash in the unicorn's neck. Draco took one look at the lustrous blood cascading down the creature's chin and took off running in the opposite direction.
He had berated himself about it later. He must've looked like a coward, running at the first sight of danger. And to do it in front of Potter? Ugh. He'd never live it down.
But the real cherry on top of his first year at Hogwarts was being called into Dumbledore's office on the last day of term.
He was escorted to the entrance by his godfather, Severus Snape. Snape did not enter the headmaster's office with Draco. He had issued the password to the magnificent stone gargoyle that guarded the steps to Dumbledores office, made sure that Draco began his ascent, and then disappeared the way he had come.
Draco had stepped into the office, overwhelmed by all there was to see. His eyes darted left and right, up and down, quickly and slowly. His ogling was cut short by a voice calling out, "Ah, Mr. Malfoy. Thank you for joining us."
Draco frowned. Us?
He trained his eyes on the direction the voice had come from and, sure enough, there was not one figure sitting there but two. Draco inhaled deeply. The other participant didn't even have to turn around; Draco would recognize that mop of unkept hair anywhere.
"Mr. Potter and I were just discussing his first year here," said Dumbledore with a smile. "What about you, Draco? Have you enjoyed your first year?"
Draco put on his pleasant face and smiled back. "Yes, sir," was all he said. Dumbledore's smile widened. "Excellent, excellent," he said merrily. "Sit, won't you?" He gestured to a chair adjacent to Harry. Draco crossed to the chair quickly and sat down, not once looking at Harry.
"Now I'm sure you are both wondering why I've called you here on the last day. And before you ask, no, you are not in trouble."
Draco saw a bit of tension drain from Potter's shoulders. Draco turned his focus back to the headmaster.
"I do not wish to alarm either of you, but this needs to be brought to your attention." The merriment had faded from Dumbledore's eyes and his tone had become quite serious. The elderly man folded his hands and rested them on the surface of his desk.
"What do you two know of Death Eaters?"
Draco knew that Dumbledore had addressed the question to both of them to be polite. Draco knew that Dumbledore knew that Draco knew that Dumbledore knew that Draco's father had been a Death Eater when You-Know-Who had been alive.
Draco answered Professor Dumbledore's question with a simple nod. Harry, on the other hand, was utterly confused. "What's a Death Eater, sir?"
"They're You-Know-Who's henchmen," Draco responded before Dumbledore could get a word out. Dumbledore nodded his agreement. "Death Eaters are those who worked for Voldemort. Many of them were taking to the wizarding prison, Azkaban," Dumbledore expounded. "But there were those who escaped punishment."
"You mean there are still Death Eaters out there?" Exclaimed Harry. Dumbledore nodded solemnly. Harry expelled a long breath. "Okay, but what's that got to do with me and Malfoy?"
"Harry we placed you in the care of your relatives in the hopes that you would be safe with them. And for the past ten years, you have been," Dumbledore responded.
"What are you saying?" Harry interrupted. "Are you saying that I'm not safe at the Dursleys anymore?"
Dumbledore nodded again. "I'm afraid that's exactly what I'm saying. There was a sighting of one of Voldemort's Death Eaters in Little Whinging. They were spotted not far from your house, Harry."
Harry sank back in his chair, looking very small. "Were they looking for me?" He asked quietly. Dumbledore sighed. "We don't know. But what we do know is that until further notice, it is not safe for you to return to your relatives' house."
Harry nodded his understanding. "What about the Dursleys?" He shot back up in his chair, an anxious expression dominating his features. Draco snorted softly. Saint Potter. Always worried for other people's well being.
"I assure you that your relatives are safe," swore Dumbledore. "The less they know the better. I have asked a few trusted friends to keep an eye on the area."
"What does this have to do with me, Professor," Draco asked, genuinely curious as to his role in the whole ordeal.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. Draco tensed. He knew that stance; his mother was quite fond of that stance. It was the stance she adopted when she was about to deliver bad news to either him or to Lucius. Draco got the feeling that he wasn't going to like the words that came out of Dumbledore's mouth next.
"Harry, unfortunately we are going to have to relocate you for the summer," he said softly. Harry frowned. "Relocate me?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy have very kindly offered to house you over the course of this summer."
Draco's face went slack and his mouth dropped open. Looking to his right, he saw that Harry had adopted the same expression.
"Professor Dumbledore, sir, I–" Started Harry. Dumbledore held up a hand to interrupt Harry. "I'm afraid I must ask you not to argue, my boy. I understand that there is a sliver of animosity between you and Draco, Harry, but this is for your safety. You must understand that," Dumbledore insisted.
"I do, Professor. I do! But why couldn't I stay with Ron? Or Hermione even?" Harry suggested desperately.
"Yeah," Draco agreed, "why not Granger or Weasley?"
"Both of those families have been considered, trust me," reasoned the headmaster. "Malfoy Manor is the safest place for you to be right now, Harry."
Harry opened his mouth to present another argument. "But–"
"No buts!" Dumbledore said firmly. Harry closed his mouth quickly, knowing better than to keep on arguing. "Now you two have a train to catch. Your group will have already left. Allow me to escort you."
Dumbledore pushed his chair back and swept around his desk to lead the two boys out. Draco and Harry stood, dumbstruck. They followed the headmaster from the room wordlessly, each lost in their own thoughts.
Draco wondered why his parents had agreed to this. He wondered why they had offered in the first place? Lucius was not known to be a compassionate man. Narcissa had her moments, but recently she had been becoming more distant with each passing month.
What would this mean for Draco? Would his father still act the same around him? Would Draco fade into nothingness in the shadow of Harry Potter? Would Lucius treat Harry more like a son than he ever did Draco?
Or… would Harry be subject to the same treatment Draco grew up with?
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