A/N: Hi guys! Welcome to the next chapter! Hope you guys enjoy and 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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"This is your house?"
Draco smothered a smirk at Harry's awe. Instead, Draco shrugged cooly. "It's alright," he responded, blasé.
"This is your house now, too, Mr. Potter," interjected Lucius as he removed his overcoat. Lucius never went anywhere without his coat, no matter what the weather was. It was one of the many mysteries of Lucius Malfoy that Draco had learned to live with..
"But I will have you know that in this house we have rules. And I expect those rules to be kept," Lucius explained, staring Harry in the eyes. Harry stared back, green eyes on blue. "Yes, sir," he replied with as much courage as he could. Lucius held the eye contact for another moment before he raised one slender eyebrow haughtily and then proceeded to stride away down the hallway.
Draco inhaled deeply. "Come on, Potter," he said as he began to leave the same way his father had. "Let's go find you a room to stay in." Harry looked around the entrance once more before scurrying off after Malfoy.
"What rules was he talking about, Malfoy?" Harry asked curiously. "Your father, I mean?"
Draco slowed his walk to allow Harry to catch up with him. Once the black haired boy stood level with him, Draco spoke. "There aren't that many to follow. I'll tell you the important ones though."
The two boys turned a corner and Harry's ears were suddenly filled with new voices, whispering voices. He looked up and saw that this particular hallway's walls were adorned with pictures. Judging by the angles of their jaws and the cutting glares in their eyes, Harry guessed that these were Malfoy's ancestors.
"Rule Number One:," Draco stopped and ducked into a room to his right, "if you're not sure where a door leads, don't go in." Harry followed him into a room that was bursting with books. There had to be more than fifteen bookcases filled with books. And if that wasn't enough, the walls themselves were bookshelves; Harry couldn't have even began to guess how many books the room contained.
"Where did you get so many books?" He breathed in awe. Draco, who was halfway across the room by then, looked back and saw that Harry was still standing in the doorway. "I dunno," Draco shrugged. "My guess is that they've been handed down from past relatives. That and my mother loves to read, so quite a bit of them belong to her. Now come on," he turned his back on the Potter boy and started walking again.
"Am I going to be sleeping in here?" Harry asked curiously. Draco snorted. "Don't be daft, Potter. We're just taking a shortcut." The boys had reached the back of the expansive library. Draco had led them to a rather small doorway that he had been hidden behind a stack of books. Draco crouched down and turned the small brass handle before shoving inward against the door. Staying crouched, so that he could fit through the narrow opening, he shuffled forward awkwardly until he passed through the doorway.
Harry stared silently at the open doorway before shrugging and copying Malfoy's actions. Once he was through the doorway, he found that he could stand up again. In fact, the ceiling was quite high above him. Malfoy had led them to a winding stone staircase that went up and up, finally ending before it touched the undecorated ceiling.
"This used to be an old servant's passage," Draco answered Harry's question before the boy could even form the words.
"Rule Number Two: sometimes the servant's passages are safer," said Malfoy. "Well," he pondered, "I guess it's not technically a rule but it is rather good advice."
Harry frowned. Safer? What did they need to be kept safe from? He opened his mouth to ask as much but Draco spoke again. "Rule Number Three:," Draco began up the stairs, climbing rather fast. Harry sprinted to keep up. "We're to remain hidden when my parents have company."
Harry nodded understandingly; the Dursleys were the same way. A quarter of the way up the stairs, Draco stopped at another small doorway, opened it, and shimmied his way through with Harry right behind him.
"Malfoy?" Harry started as he rose to a standing position. "Why are those doors so small?"
Draco turned around and stared at Harry, incredulousness covering his face. "Merlin, Potter. Are you daft?"
Harry didn't say anything, but waited patiently for Malfoy to answer his question. Draco shook his head in wonderment. "They're for the house elves, dummy."
Harry cocked his head to the side. "House elves? What's a house elf?"
Draco's face went blank. "Blimey…" Was all he said before he spun in his heel and stalked off down yet another hallway. Harry huffed. He hated being in the dark when it came to the wizarding wold. Things that were mundane and commonplace to others were brand new and exciting to Harry. Problem was, not many people actually wanted to take the time to explain things to him.
Harry started off after Draco, but his eyes were searching the walls, which were covered in paintings this time, not photographs. So intent was he on watching the caricatures move that he didn't notice that Malfoy had stopped moving. He crashed right into the pale haired boy, causing him to crash to the ground. Harry almost went down himself, but managed to find his balance. He winced at the glare Malfoy gave him from his spot on the floor.
"Sorry?" He offered sheepishly. He reached out a hand to help Draco stand, but Draco swatted it away and got up on his own.
"What'd you stop for?" Harry asked. Draco glared again. "What'd you run into me for?"
Harry glared back. "It was your own fault! You shouldn't have been just standing in the middle of the hall!"
"I stopped because I was going to tell you the next rule!" Draco's arm shot out and he pointed to a set of double doors beside him. Harry followed Draco's pointing arm and stared up at the grand mahogany doors.
"What's in there?" He whispered. He didn't know why he had switched to whispering, but it just felt right for some reason.
"That's my father's study," replied Draco, lowering his own voice. "Rule Number Four: never go in there without permission, because if you do, he'll kill you."
Harry looked into the other boy's eyes, searching for the lie. He was horrified when he found none. Harry reflexively stepped away from the doors.
"HA!"
Harry jumped at the sudden loud noise. He stared at Draco, who's previously serious face had suddenly warped into one filled with humor.
"I'm just messing with you, Potter," giggled Draco. "Ah," he sighed, "you should've seen your face. Priceless." Draco wiped away a fake tear. Harry frowned at Draco's attempted joke.
"That wasn't funny, Malfoy," he said angrily. Draco's face split into one of trademark evil smirks. "Yes, it was," he retorted simply.
Harry and Draco stared intently at each other. Draco was the first to break the eye contact. He turned away from Harry and continued down the hall. "Fine," he said airily, waving a hand in the air. "Have it your way. Come on; we're almost to your room."
Harry let his head fall backward. If this is what he had to deal with all summer, then he couldn't wait to be back at Hogwarts.
Harry followed the young Malfoy up another flight of stairs, around three corners (two lefts and a right), and down to the end of a hall. There were two doors that stood facing each other, one on either side of the hallway. Draco stepped up and opened the one of the right. He stepped aside and let Harry enter.
The room contained the essentials: a bed, a wardrobe, a trunk, and a nightstand with a lamp. Aside from that, the room was blank. The walls were white and unpersonalized; there were no pictures or artwork hung. Harry opened the wardrobe: empty. The lifted the lid to the trunk: also empty.
It was clear that the room had never been used; however, it was clean and well kept. Harry couldn't complain. This room was nicer (and much more spacious) than anything he had ever had.
"Dobby'll bring your things up soon. Then you can unpack if you like," Draco informed. Harry sat on the edge of the bed and looked over at the little Slytherin.
"Who's Dobby?" Harry queried. His question was answered when two shaped suddenly appeared in front of him. Harry jumped off the bed. One of the shapes he recognized; it was his school trunk. The other shape was unfamiliar to him. It was… well, Harry didn't really know what it was. It was a bit on the smaller side, yet it had large floppy ears and big round eyes the color of emeralds.
Its skin was wrinkly and a bit pink and it wore what appeared to be a pillowcase that had been fashioned into a toga of sorts.
"Dobby has brought Master Potter's things for him!" The creature crowed proudly. Harry blinked owlishly.
"Are– are you– what are– " Stuttered Harry, not quite sure how to phrase his question without sounding rude. He was saved from his attempt by Draco. "Dobby's our family's house elf," he said simply. Dobby turned and smiled slightly at Draco before quickly disappearing.
"That was a house elf?" Harry sputtered, shocked.
"What were you expecting, Potter?" Scoffed Draco. "A beautiful woman with pointed ears and a dazzling smile?" He mocked.
"Oh shut up, Malfoy," Harry spat back. Draco's smug smile disappeared and he backed out of Harry's room. Harry watched Malfoy disappear from the doorway, guessing he had gone back down the hall. Once Harry was sure Draco was gone, he flopped backwards on his bed with a groan.
This summer was going to be absolute torture.
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