Me:  I thought Draco needed to relax.  He was so uptight and then Harry comes along and makes Draco relax.  It seemed right.

ILLK:  I don't deserve to be the best story but okay.  I'll take it!  I hope you love me forever for this new chapter!!!  I love you, too!

Aeris Tsukiyono:  I'm glad you love it.  It's nice to know there's about ten people that love it for every one person who hates it.  I try very hard to keep them in character and I hope they stayed that way.

Wulfchik:  I'm glad everyone loved my Lee Jordan!  To be honest, Lee is one of my favorite characters and Quidditch commentary is one of my favorite parts.  I was really afraid to try writing it because JK Rowling makes him such a wonderful character and I didn't think I could come close.

Tine:  Hey you!  I review when I feel someone deserves it and I loved your story.  I absolutely adore Ron and I find that it's hard to find a really good Ron fic. In fact, I find that it's hard to find someone who adores Ron as much as I do.  Sometimes *whispers* I like him more than Draco.

SkySong32:  I love the Slytherins.  The online Sorting Hat at harrypotter.com says I'm a Slytherin.  Sometimes I don't get it but then I do things where I want people to suffer and I see it.  Or I do something devious and I see it.  Corrupting Harry shouldn't be a problem.  In fact, it should be a rather enjoyable process.

Dragonsbane:  Who told you to read this?  I'm flattered!  Really, I don't think my stories are all that fabulous.  I'm completely stunned by all the reviews (positive, at that) I've been getting.  I never dreamed I'd have over 200 reviews to this story.  I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Ms. Trunks:  What makes you think Draco would tell people anything?  *whistles innocently*

RiseAgainPhoenix:  Harry really does love his Snitch.  He does.  *snicker*  And of course Harry has Draco whipped but Draco is so cute that Harry would never abuse that power.  He just likes to see him squirm.  It's the Slytherin in him coming out.

Anyone else who reads and/or reviews:  Thank you.  It's more than I deserve.

These next four chapters are dedicated to my twin sisters, Staci and Jennifer, who helped me come up with ideas for Draco at the Dursleys.  Even though Staci has yet to read this story, I'm still dedicating this to her.  And if you end up reading this Staci, we told you it was enjoyable.

You know the drill.  Still not JK Rowling, as I am not nearly as marvelous as she is, and I still don't own Harry Potter, and I wish I were making money but alas, I am merely a poor peasant.  I will not object to money and pity as I am poorer than the Weasleys.

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Pulling into the driveway, Harry thought that maybe this summer wouldn't be as bad as anticipated.  Uncle Vernon clearly disapproved of the whole scenario, but as there was not much he could do about it, he just bustled along with a very red face and tried not to look at Harry and Draco's clasped hands.  Already he didn't like Draco and while that normally would have been worrying Harry, the way Draco was handling it was too funny to be anxious about.

As they unloaded the car, Harry thought about what Uncle Vernon had said in the car and he felt an old and familiar sickening feeling in the bottom of his stomach due to thinking of Piers Polkiss.  It had been a very long time since Harry last saw Piers, as the Dursleys tried to keep him away when Harry was home.  In fact, the last time Harry had seen him was probably when he accidentally made the glass vanish at the zoo and set the boa constrictor free.  That also marked the first time he ever talked to a snake, something that Harry learned the next year was a trait that few wizards had.

"So this is where you grew up," said Draco, following Harry to the front door.

"Yeah.  Not exactly the Malfoy manor, but it's something."

Draco scoffed at the reference to his old home.  "No, I imagine this must be a much more appropriate place to grow up than the manor.  I'm sure that you didn't regularly see the Dursleys torturing muggles when you were at an age when everything in the world should be perfect and rose tinted.  You at least got to keep you innocence."

"I suppose I was lucky in that respect," said Harry, opening the door and immediately heading up the stairs for his bedroom.

"Indeed," replied Draco, looking around at the house as he followed Harry.  Walking into his bedroom, Harry flicked the light switch on and Draco stood in the doorway, gawking.  "How'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Put that light on."

Harry couldn't help but stare at Draco as if he were stupid.  He knew Draco grew up in the wizard world and had never learned a thing about muggles, but it never occurred to him that something as simple as a light bulb would be foreign to Draco.  Maybe it was Harry who had been stupid.  How was he going to explain all the muggle things that Draco would want to know about?  The car had been bad enough, but the light bulb was worse.  Harry knew it was electricity and that there were little particles that flowed through wires and made the light bulb come on.  That was the extent of his knowledge when it came to the light bulb.

"Can I get back to you on that?"

Draco stared.  "You don't know?"

"Not entirely," said Harry.  They were interrupted by the very loud bellowing of Uncle Vernon, calling them both downstairs.  Draco looked rather irritated as they left Harry's room and walked down the stairs, heading for the kitchen where his uncle had called from.

"Did you really once sleep in that tiny little cupboard?" asked Draco as they passed the cupboard under the stairs and Harry nodded.  Pushing open the door to the kitchen, Harry walked in with Draco close behind him.  Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were sitting at the table, staring at them both like they were insects to be squashed.

"Your boyfriend is to stay in your room and if I get wind that anything is going on in my house that I don't want going on -"

"You mean sex?" drawled Draco.  Harry wished he would just shut up and not act like himself.  "You don't have to worry about that.  We have yet to become sexually active.  I believe a relationship should be based on trust, love, and friendship.  There should be an eternal commitment before embarking on the physical act of love and though Harry and I have all of that, I'm far too frightened of sex to be having it any time soon."

"Fine," Uncle Vernon grunted, but the look on his face indicated that it was not fine at all.  "I'm sure Harry can fill you in on the rules of the house."

"They're pretty much like yours were.  Shut up and don't ask questions," said Harry.  "I'll explain later."  Draco nodded.

"Failure to abide by my rules will lead to punishment and don't think that I won't punish you."

Draco laughed, smirking.  Harry had been wondering what happened to the Malfoy side of Draco.  It was sort of refreshing to see it back and being used against the Dursleys.  "You can't punish me for whatever you will want to punish me for.  I'm only staying here because the headmaster needed to send me somewhere now that my father is in prison.  He will not be happy if I show back up at the school displeased."

Both Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon seemed very taken aback.  They dismissed both Harry and Draco right away, and Harry found this rather amusing.  Figuring he should let Draco attack Dudley next, Harry wandered into the living room where Dudley was sitting on the sofa with a big bowl of chips in his lap (after Dudley threw a very large fit last summer, his diet had been abandoned).  Next to him was scrawny, rat-like Piers Polkiss.  Harry was immediately reminded of why he didn't miss Piers in the least.

"Hello, Harry.  Still going to St. Brutus's, are you?" said Piers.

"Are you home already?" grunted Dudley.  "Who's that with you?"

"Gods, boy, what are you eating?" said Draco.  "And I thought Orion was large."

"Draco," hissed Harry.

"What?  I thought it was a joke when you said your cousin was wider than he is tall but now I see that you clearly were being quite serious.  However do you get food in this house?  Is that why you're so skinny?"

"You're one to talk," muttered Harry.  Draco scowled.  "Draco, this is my cousin, Dudley, and his friend, Piers.  Piers, Dudley, this is Draco Malfoy.  He goes to school with me and he'll be spending a few weeks with us this summer."

Harry was sure that Dudley's hands had disappeared into the cushions and were probably clutching his oversized bottom.  "Why does he have a scar like yours?" said Dudley, staring at Draco with something in his eyes that looked like fear.

"The same way I got mine except his parents aren't dead.  His mother is missing and his father is in prison."

"You mean you actually have friends at that school of yours?  Isn't it for juvenile delinquents or something to that affect?" said Piers.

"I'm his boyfriend," drawled Draco, picking at his nails.

"Boyfriend?" snapped Piers.

"When did you turn homo?" asked Dudley, sneering.

"Just this year," snapped Harry.  "I find that I prefer horny men to overemotional women." 

Draco smirked at him.  "Calm down.  And you called me a drama queen."

"When did I call you a drama queen?"

"When we had detention with Hagrid by the lake.  Right after I burned the hole in Ron's cauldron."

"Oh.  When you were whining about Ichabod trying to take your arm off?"

"Ichabod?"

"The oberdun."

"That thing was a menace.  Did you even see what it did to my arm?"

"Yes, Draco.  It almost cut off your circulation.  We're all very sad about that."

"Shut up, Potter.  All I did was poke the thing and it made a sudden, and very violent, attack on my arm.  For a moment there I thought I was going to have a limb amputated and walked around for the rest of my life lopsided."

"Thank you, Malfoy, for that wonderful mental image."  Draco sniggered.

"You're weird," said Piers.  "Haven't changed much, have you, Harry?  With the exception of turning homo and all.  Still as strange as ever."

"You have no idea," muttered Harry.

"Yes, St. Brutus's isn't doing much for him," said Dudley.

"What exactly is this St. Brutus's that everyone keeps talking about?  First your uncle in the car and now from these two brainless gits," said Draco motioning to Dudley and Piers, both of whom looked offended and about to get angry.

"Don't you go to St. Brutus's?" said Piers.  Dudley was starting to look very pale.

"Most certainly not.  I go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Next year I'm going to be in my sixth year there.  Harry's in Gryffindor House, but I'm in Slytherin.  It's the best one there is."

"Mum!  Dad!  Harry's boyfriend's talking about the 'm' word!" called Dudley.

"What's the 'm' word?" Draco said, turning to Harry and clearly confused.

Harry never had time to answer because just then Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia burst in and answered the question for him.  Uncle Vernon's fat face was very red but Aunt Petunia blanched to lose all of the color in her horse-like face.  Draco just stared at them both, eyes narrowing.

"What did I tell you about speaking of that school in this house?" snarled Uncle Vernon, seething.

"Is that what this is all about?" said Draco, in his cool, drawling voice.  "Oh gods, you muggles.  I knew there was a reason I was prejudice against muggles.  People like you."

"YOU WILL NOT SPEAK OF MAGIC IN THIS HOUSE!"

"Oh, please.  Don't make me laugh."  Extracting his wand from his pocket, Draco pointed it in Uncle Vernon's face.  "I have permission to use my wand and even if I didn't, I wouldn't hesitate.  If you asked me, I'd say that you could use a bit of decorum when dealing with guests.  Don't worry.  It's only a month and then I'll be out of your life forever."

As Draco spoke, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had been backing away from him and as he spit out the final words, they turned and scurried away back to the kitchen where there were no magic wands pointed between their eyes.

"That takes care of that, don't you agree?"

"What was that all about?" said Piers.

"You're allowed to do magic this summer?" said Dudley, looking like someone had just canceled dinner.

"As a matter of fact, I am.  Both of us are.  You see, Piers, Draco was telling the truth when he said we go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  I'm a wizard.  We both are.  In fact, Draco is a rather good wizard.  He got twelve O.W.L.s at the end of term, the highest amount that any wizard in our year got.  I wouldn't want to fight him in a wizard's duel."

"Please, no applause.  I am rather proud of my accomplishment."

"I know.  You've only been bragging about it for days now."

"It's about time I have something to brag about after this blemish on my forehead."

"Oh don't tell me you're going to go into that again."

"And why not?  This is the most hideous scar I've ever seen in all my life.  Make it go away, Harry."

"If I could make it go away, don't you think I'd have made mine go away by now?"

"Why should you?  You're famous Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived.  I'm stupid Draco Malfoy, the Boy-Who-Almost-Got-His-Fool-Self-Killed."

"Do me a favor.  Shut up and I'll count it as that Christmas present you owe me."

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

"Oh yes I do."

"Do you always fight this much?" asked Piers.  "I thought queers spoke with lisps and dressed in girls' clothing and were happy all the time."

"We aren't that kind of gay."

"Are you wearing women's knickers under you clothes?"

Draco's eyes narrowed, staring at Piers as if he were very stupid.  "No, we aren't.  Not all 'queers' as you fondly referred to us as are like that.  Common misconception."

"Weren't you weird enough going to that freak school?" Dudley said to Harry.  "Now you have to be a homo as well?"

"What 'freak school' are you referring to, you oversized pork chop," drawled Draco.  Harry had to bite very hard on his lip to keep from laughing.

"Pork chop?"

"What's wrong with pork chop?"

"Nothing."  Harry shrugged.

Rolling his eyes, Draco turned back to Dudley.  "Were you referring to Hogwarts?  I don't know about Harry, but I go to Hogwarts and it isn't a freak school.  It's a school for witches and wizards.  My kind is far superior to yours and I should think that if you call us freaks, it would only be out of pure jealousy."

"Why would I be jealous of a freak like you?'

Draco laughed.  "I could go on for years to answer that question.  For one, how about the fact that I'm attractive, slim, rich, and probably more spoiled that you'll ever be.  Not to mention that with magic you can have plates that automatically refill themselves until you can't eat anymore."

Sniggering, Harry had to turn away from them before he completely lost it at the sight of Dudley's face when Draco mentioned the plates.

"As for you," he said, turning to Piers, "well - gods, boy, what happened to your face."

Rat faced Piers Polkiss looked both very confused and disgusted.

"What do you mean?"

"Harry!  You did that to him, didn't you?  Now I know you don't like the boy but honestly, you didn't have to hex him."

"Hex me?"

"I didn't hex him, Draco," said Harry.  "He just looks like that.  Has for as long as I've known him and it's been far too long.  We all had the pleasure of attending primary school together.  They liked to beat me up."

"You just can't get left alone in any world, can you?"

"It would appear not."

"So he just looks like that?"

"Yes."

"You're joking, right?"

"No."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Draco turned back to Piers.   "I'm so sorry.  Please give you parents my condolences.  It must pain them to look at their disfigured child day after day."  From the edge of his peripheral vision, Draco could see Harry smirk, snicker, and then turn away again.  He was loving this.  Draco felt rather proud.

"I don't know what you're so smug about," said Dudley, "being a freak and all."

"You know what the great thing about going to Hogwarts is?" said Draco, rolling his wand between his fingers.  "It gives me the opportunity to hone my skills.  Of course, Hogwarts isn't completely conclusive in the curriculum.  They don't teach the dark arts.  My father taught me those."

"I'm sure he did," said Harry.

"Oh you be quiet and leave my broken home alone."

"You're the one who brought up your father, big surprise there."

"Leave me alone.  I'm good at schoolwork, you're good at Quidditch."

"But you got the Snitch first."

"What's a Snitch?" said Piers.

"And what's Quidditch?" said Dudley.  "Didn't you go do something with that a few years ago when your freak friend and his family came to pick you up?"

"The Weasleys, right?" said Draco, and Harry nodded.  "Quidditch is a sport played on broomsticks and the Snitch is one of the balls that Quidditch players, the Seeker in particular, play with.  Both Harry and I are Seekers, but Harry's quite a good deal better than I am.  I'm a much better Keeper."

"Keepers are kind of like goalies," explained Harry.  "And the incident you're referring to was the Quidditch World Cup, Dudley.  I'm sure you remember that incident well."  Dudley glared at him.

"What happened?" asked Draco.  Harry gave a short laugh.

"Fred and George Weasley is what happened.  They tried out their ton-tongue toffees on Dudley."

"They didn't!"

"Yeah, they did."

"Those Weasley twins are rotten.  I have no idea how they didn't get put in Slytherin."

"What's Slytherin?" said Piers, eyes narrowing.

"My school house.  Hogwarts students are divided into four school houses.  You have your classes with your house and the other students in your house are like your family.  You get divided according to personality traits.  I am a Slytherin.  It's the best house there is."

"You only say that because you're a Slytherin.  You were even talking about how you thought they were bastards a few weeks ago when you lost the Quidditch Cup."

"Well at least I'm not a Gryffindor."

"There's nothing wrong with being a Gryffindor."

"You only say that because you're a Gryffindor.  Gryffindors are supposed to be brave and chivalrous but all the Gryffindors I've ever met are just nosy.  Ravenclaws are supposed to be smart.  Hufflepuffs," at this, Draco snickered, "are a joke and are supposed to be loyal and hard workers.  Quite frankly, I think Hufflepuffs are a bunch of morons.  I'd sooner be a Gryffindor before I was a Hufflepuff."

"And Slytherins are slimy bastards who cheat their way through life," said Harry.

"Close.  Slytherins are cunning and crave power.  They'll use any means to get what they want."

"Including cheating their way through life."

"Shut up, you Gryffindor."

"You know, the Sorting Hat considered putting me in Slytherin."

"Did it really?"

"Yeah."

"Well how about that.  Sometimes I question that Sorting Hat's judgment.  I don't know how Granger wasn't a Ravenclaw.  Then again, it does take a great deal of bravery to be friends with both you and Weasley."

"From all I'm hearing about your school, I think it's an even bigger freak circus than I thought before," said Dudley, interrupting them.  Draco and Harry turned to face him.

"I guess that's the way they breed freaks.  He was always strange and abnormal at school.  There was a reason that he didn't have any friends.  First there was all the strange stuff he did before we went to Smeltings like the vanishing glass at the zoo.  You remember that, Dudley?  That was all Harry, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was," said Dudley.

"I presume it was only natural that Harry turn into a queer next.  Couldn't even pick a good boyfriend.  What's your name again?  It's something strange, isn't it?"

"Draco," he drawled.  "I should ask you not to speak that way about my boyfriend again.  You're treading a very thin layer of ice with me.  I wouldn't push it too far."  Rolling his wand in between his fingers, Draco had casually pointed it at Dudley.  At this action, Dudley jumped up from the couch, his hands covering his large bum, and began to back away toward the door.  "I do hope that you'll both be on better behavior for the month I'll be spending with you.  I'd hate to actually be forced to use my wand."

At this, Dudley turned around and began running for the staircase, his heavy footsteps echoing through the first floor of number four, Privet Drive.  Draco had now positioned his wand directly between Piers's eyes.

"As for you, if I so much as hear you said one thing negative about Harry, you will be in a very great deal of pain.  The power I possess by holding this wand is more than you could ever really imagine.  Between my training at Hogwarts and the dark magic curses I learned from my father, I could hex you into next year and I mean that literally.  I have the power that, by saying two simple words, I could wipe life completely from your body and leave you here to lay, dead and unmarked, completely drained of life.  And what do you have?  Oh, that's right.  Nothing.  I do not suggest you mess with me again.  Why don't you just run along now like your fat friend?"  Piers, stumbling backward, turned around and made a run for it, veering off the other way and running straight out of the Dursleys house.  "That's right!  Run, little boy!  Run!"

Harry looked considerably impressed as Draco returned his wand to his pocket and dropped down on the couch, rubbing at his eyes.

"Well that went well," said Harry, sitting next to him and smiling when Draco wrapped an arm around him.

"Indeed.  If this is what you put up with every time you come back here, I can see why you prefer to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays."

"I think you've scarred Dudley for the next few days."

"Better him than me," he said, rubbing the scar on his forehead.

"I told you to stop complaining about it.  It's my requested Christmas present."

"Fine, you.  So what is that?"

Harry turned to see the television set playing.  He sighed.  "That's the television.  You have cables from the cable company that go into the back of the television and the cable company sends the pictures through the cables to appear on the television set.  There are things called television shows which are like a series of plays recorded by a video camera beforehand and then shown by the cable companies.  There are many episodes in television shows."

"I see.  What is this video camera that you speak of?"

"It's a muggle invention that records movement and sound.  It's kind of like the cameras in the muggle world only a very extended type of picture.  Muggle video cameras are sort of like wizard cameras.  People in muggle pictures stay still so you need a video camera to tape movement."

"I understand," said Draco.  "As much as I can, anyway.  This is all very fascinating."

"I'm sure it is."  Harry didn't know what could be less fascinating that the video camera.  Looking at the clock, Harry tapped Draco's thigh and said, "Come on.  I need to go help set the table."

"Servant work?"

"Draco."

He growled.  "I'm coming."

Draco pulled himself up off the couch and into the kitchen where Aunt Petunia was waiting for Harry.  She instructed Harry to set the table and Draco watched with the strictest of intention as he did so.  After that, he was given a can of vegetables and told to heat it up in the microwave.

"How do you open it?" Draco asked, turning the can over in his hands.

"Like this," said Harry, getting out a can opener and opening it up.

"That's amazing.  The tools these muggles think up. . .so what is a microwave."

"This is a microwave," said Harry as he placed the bowl inside the microwave.

"I see, but what does it do?"

"It heats up the food."

"How?"

"Well, there are these small waves of radiation that build up and it makes the food hot."

"If you took it out, and then put it back in again, would it get cold?"

"No, that would just make it hotter."

"Muggle magic," Draco breathed under his breath.  Harry grinned, trying not to laugh.  With the way Aunt Petunia was looking at Draco, Harry thought that maybe she was planning Draco's murder.  It appeared that, for once, they were favoring Harry over someone, even if it was Draco Malfoy.

Walking to the refrigerator, Harry opened it up to remove a pitcher of water.  Draco held the door open when Harry tried to push it closed.  "What is it?"

"There's a light in there.  Like the one in your room.  Does that run on electricity, too?"

"Yes.  So does the microwave, the television, and this is a refrigerator.  They all run on electricity.  This keeps food cold."

"So you make food hot on the microwave, and make it cold in the refrigerator?"

"Yes."

"Why is there a light in your refrigerator?  What was it called again?  A light bob?"

"A light bulb.  They're in all refrigerators.  I guess so you can see.  I don't know."

"Oh.  Okay."  Draco's gaze lingered on the light bulb as Harry closed the door.

Uncle Vernon and Dudley came into the kitchen just then, both suspiciously eyeing Draco.  Throughout the meal, Draco had stared at Dudley, horrified, as he ate, muttering to Harry about how Orion usually made him sick but Dudley was so revolting that Crabbe and Goyle were starting to look good.  Somewhere halfway through dinner, Harry had reached for a roll that Dudley particularly wanted and he smacked Harry's wrist with his Smelting stick, causing a loud crack.

"Ow!" howled Harry, ripping his hand back.  Draco's eyes bugged.

"What is that?" he demanded.

"Smelting stick," explained Harry, rubbing his wrist.  "I forgot about it.  Smeltings gives the students a stick to beat people around with when the teachers aren't looking.  The use of the Smelting stick is highly encouraged.  Supposed to be good training for later on in life.  Hurts like hell."

"Smelting stick, eh?  I should think that Hogwarts should adopt some program like that.  I would surely like to use one of those on Finch-Fletchley."

"Now Draco."

"He could use it.  Whiny pathetic git, if you ask me.  I think I should ask Dumbledore about it.  May I see it?"

"No," said Dudley, clutching his stick.

"Oh all right.  You just hold it out then and let me take a look at it.  I promise I won't take it."

Reluctantly, Dudley held out the Smeltings stick and Draco snatched it out of his hand, sitting back in his chair and extracting his wand in case Dudley tried to get it back.

"You promised."

"And you actually believed me?  Rule number one, be careful of who you trust."

"Smart boy you got there, Harry," said Uncle Vernon.  Harry stared at his Uncle Vernon.  This could not be happening.

"Excuse me?"

"That's a smart boy you've got there.  Understands how valuable the Smelting stick is.  Cunning, too.  That was good advice, Dudley.  You'd never know he was something wrong with him unless he told you."

"Fascinating," said Draco, turning the Smelting stick over in his hand.  "Right then, here you go."  He handed it back to Dudley.  "Excuse me?  Did you say there was something wrong with me?"

"There is," said Harry, "but it's not what he's talking about."

Scowling at him, Draco said, "Just what is it that you think is wrong with me?"

"Besides being a presumed homosexual wizard in a house full of anti-magic muggles and carrying around you wand while you sit next to your also wizard boyfriend?"

"Good point.  Nevermind."

Emptying the dishes, Draco was disappointed to see that they did not refill again.  Once he had enough of dinner with the Dursleys, he and Harry were dismissed from the table and they escaped up the stairs to Harry's bedroom, their first day at the Dursleys almost over and successfully executed without anyone dying, not that Draco didn't try.

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