Thank you to all who left such wonderful words to me on The Rise of House Fawley. I appreciate all the well wishes. Here is the promised first chapter of the story I spoke about. This is dedicated to my lovely wife!

Italics come straight from the Half-Blood Prince. The changes I make will be written without. Hope you enjoy, let me know your thoughts.

'What's wrong with this thing?' said Zabini angrily as he smashed the sliding door repeatedly into Harry's foot.

Harry seized the door and pushed it open, hard; Zabini, still clinging to the handle, toppled over sideways into Gregory Goyle's lap and, in the ensuing ruckus, Harry darted into the compartment, leapt on to Zabini's temporarily empty seated and hoisted himself up into the luggage rack. It was fortunate that Goyle and Zabini were snarling at each other, drawing all eyes on them, for Harry was quite sure his feet and ankles had been revealed as the Cloak flapped around them; indeed, for one horrible moment he thought he saw Malfoy's eyes follow his trained as it whipped upwards out of sight; but then Goyle slammed the door shut and flung Zabini off him, Zabini collapsed into his own seat looking ruffled, Vincent Crabbe returned to his comic and Malfoy sighing deeply, lay back down across the seats with his head in Pansy Parkinson's lap.

'So, Zabini,' said Malfoy, 'What did Slughorn want?'

'Just trying to make up to well-connected people' said Zabini, who was still glowering at Goyle. 'Not that he managed to find many.'

'Who else had he invited?' asked Malfoy, although Harry could tell that his heart wasn't quite in it, he seemed to be merely keeping up the conversation for its own sake rather than caring about what was being said.

'Mclaggen' Zabini began, 'Weaslette, Longbottom and Potter from Gryffindor'.

A small noise escaped Malfoy when he heard the names, Zabini obviously took it as a sign of disgust as he quickly replied 'Ohhh, jealous are we Malfoy? I wouldn't bank on an invitation if I were you. He asked about Nott's father when I first arrived. They used to be old friends, apparently but when he heard he'd been caught at the ministry he didn't look happy, and Nott didn't get an invitation, did he? I don't think Slughorn's interested in Death Eaters. Especially ones stupid enough to get caught by school children.' Zabini was the only one chuckling at his jokes.

'Well, who cares what he's interested in? What is he, when you come down to it? Just some stupid teacher.' Malfoy bit back, but without his usual venom or authority. 'I mean, I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what's it matter to me if some fat old bastard likes me or not.'

'What do you mean, you might not be at Hogwarts next year?' Asked Zabini curiously, his eyes briefly flicking to Malfoy's left arm.

'Well, you never know,' said Malfoy, his face stony and serious. 'I might have - er - moved on.'

Crouched in the luggage rack under his Cloak, Harry's heart began to race. What would Ron and Hermione say about this? Crabbe and Goyle were gawping at Malfoy; apparently they had no inkling of any plans to move on. Zabini stared directly at Malfoy, searching for some truth behind his eyes, almost as if he was using legilimency. He blinked in surprise quickly before resuming his haughty demeanour. Pansy merely looked sad and turned to look out the window.

'Do you mean - him?'

Malfoy shrugged.

'Mother wants me to complete my education, but personally, I don't see it as that important these days. I mean think about it… when the Dark Lord takes over, is he going to care how many O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s anyone's got? Of course he isn't … it'll be about the kind of service he received, the level of devotion he was shown.'

Harry wasn't sure, but he thought Malfoy almost sounded… bitter? Maybe because he knew that his father had failed so badly and so his reward was going to be small in the new order of things. Yes, that must be it, Harry thought, as Pansy moved to pat Malfoy's head.

'And you think you'll be able to do something for him?' asked Zabini scathingly. 'Sixteen years old and not even fully qualified yet.'

'I just said, haven't I? Maybe he doesn't care if I'm qualified, maybe the job he wants me to do isn't something that you need to be qualified for,' Malfoy said quietly.

Crabbe and Goyle were both sitting with their mouths open like gargoyles. Pansy was gazing down at Malfoy expressionless, but Harry thought she looked sad, while Zabini merely looked sceptical.

'I can see Hogwarts' said Malfoy, 'We'd better get our robes on.'

Harry was so busy staring at Malfoy he did not notice Goyle reaching up for his trunk; as he swung it down, it hit Harry hard on the side of the head. He let out an involuntary gasp of pain and Malfoy looked up at the luggage rack, frowning.

Harry was not afraid of Malfoy, but he still did not much like the idea of being discovered hiding under his Invisibility Cloak by a group of unfriendly Slytherins. Eyes still watering and head still throbbing, he drew his wand, careful not to disarrange the Cloak, and waited, breath held. To his relief, Malfoy seemed to decide that he had imagined the noise; he pulled on his robes like the others, locked his trunk and, as the train slowed to a jerky crawl, fastened a thick new traveling cloak around his neck.

Harry could see the corridors filling up again and hoped that Hermione and Ron would take his things out onto the platform for him; he was stuck where he was until the compartment emptied. At last, with a final lurch, the train came to a complete halt. Goyle threw the door open and muscled his way into the crowd of second-years, punching them aside; Crabbe and Zabini followed.

'You go on', Malfoy told Pansy, who was waiting for him. 'I just want to check something.'

Pansy left. Now Harry and Malfoy were alone in the compartment. People were filing past, descending on to the dark platform. Malfoy moved over to the compartment door and let down the blinds, so that people in the corridor beyond could not peer in. He then bent down over his trunk and opened it again.

Harry peered down over the ledge of the luggage rack, his heart pumping a little faster. What had Malfoy wanted to hide from Pansy? Was he about to see the mysterious broken object it was so important to mend?

Malfoy sat down on the seat opposite to where Harry was hiding and made a big show of placing his wand inside his trunk and closing it again. What was Malfoy playing at?

'You can come down now Potter.' Malfoy bit out, the word Potter sounding like it physically hurt him.

Harry was shocked. Malfoy knew he was there? If so that he had known he had been there for a long time, was it the ankles or the gasp, or both? But if he knew he was there, why didn't he let the others know? And why did he put his wand away?

As he was busy trying to sort out what was going on, he heard a large sigh leave Malfoy's mouth.

'I am not going to attack you Potter, I have placed my wand inside my luggage. You are safe to come down. I … I just want to talk.' He finished quietly.

Harry didn't know why, but he decided to listen to Malfoy. Besides they both knew he was there and it wasn't like he could leave without him noticing. Lifting the Cloak off himself, but training his wand on Malfoy, Harry slowly lowered himself down and sat opposite his school nemesis.

Now that he was sitting closer to him, he could see a change in Malfoy's appearance he hadn't seen before. His skin looked even paler than normal, except for the bags under his eyes. He also looked like he had lost some weight, and considering Malfoy was already lean, this wasn't a good thing. The changes were subtle enough that from far away Harry hadn't noticed, but now sitting so close to him, he could see the changes in him.

'What do you want Malfoy?' spat Harry. 'Do you have a message from your master for me?' he said sarcastically, 'or is it from your father? But surely not from him. He and his scum are in Azkaban.'

A flash of anger rushed across Malfoy's face and for a second Harry thought he was going to attack him with his bare hands, he had leant forward, clearly restraining himself. He went to say something, but again paused and flopped back into his seat.

'Why do you have to be such a dick Potter. I just want to talk.'

'Then talk!'

'Not here, not now. Snape is waiting for me at the gates.'

'How do you know that?' Harry said, pointing his wand closer to Malfoy.

'Because I do, okay Potter! Now stop pointing that at me. I am unarmed and trying to talk to you. There is more danger this year at Hogwarts than there has ever been. You have no idea what the Dark Lord has planned, and if you would just listen you could stop it. I want to talk, but not now, meet me in the abandoned classroom on the fourth floor past the portraits having a garden party tonight at midnight. Come alone. I will be alone.' Malfoy stood up as he had finished speaking and reached for the door.

Harry was speechless for only a second before he jumped up and grabbed Malfoy's arm. It just so happened to be the forearm of his left arm and Malfoy grimaced in pain. Both looked down and Malfoy's face went red with anger, or at least what Harry thought was anger.

'Why should I listen…' Harry began, but before he could say anything Malfoy cut him off.

'Do what you want Potter.' he spat, throwing Harry's arm off him. 'Meet me, or don't meet me. It is up to you. Just know that I warned you. You could stop the bad things that are about to happen, or you could ignore me and let them unfold. The choice is yours.' and with that he stepped out of the compartment, before turning with one last comment. 'Obviously do not follow me right now, Snape will find it suspicious if we are leaving the train together. Use that clever Cloak of yours to find another way into the castle. And if you do come tonight, don't be followed.'

Harry stood where he was for at least a minute, his mind racing. What in Merlin's name was going on? Clearly this was a trap. Surely Malfoy was just creating a ruse to get him captured by some Death Eaters and handed over to their master. But yet, what if he was telling the truth? What if bad things were going to happen and he could be the one to stop them? Without coming to a conclusion, he shook himself from his thoughts and made his way to the Castle. Not being able to get through the gates undetected, Harry had to suffer through Snape harassing him for being late off the train, as well as Hermione and Ron's nagging to ask where he had been.

He coasted through the feast, barely paying attention to what was going on around him. His eyes often flicking towards the Slytherin table to watch Malfoy, trying to gauge if this was a real offer or not. He noticed that Malfoy was not holding court like he usually did. He was sitting at the end of the row with Pansy next to him. They were talking quietly to one another, while the rest of the Slytherins were chatting amongst themselves. The whole mood of the Slytherins seemed different this year to Harry. Some looked scared, some looked determined, some angry and some completely stony face. Clearly something had happened over the summer that he wasn't aware of.

He felt Hermione lean in closer to him, 'What's going on Harry? You haven't stopped looking at Malfoy the whole night.'

Harry looked away from the Slytherin table and saw both Hermione and Ron watching him with concern. He went to tell them about what happened on the train, but he saw Ginny not so obviously listening in from Hermione's other side and stopped himself.

Ron sighed, 'mate, if this is about what happened in Knockturn, I'm telling you. It's nothing. Malfoy is a slimy git, but he is useless. There is nothing to worry about.' he said before turning back to his food.

Hermione looked at Harry with concern and he decided to keep this information to himself at the moment. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he felt this was one of those things he needed to figure out for himself.

'Nothing. Don't worry about it.' he muttered and turned back to his feast.

Hermione looked worryingly at Ginny who shrugged and they too returned to their feast and the conversation around them. Harry remained quiet throughout the rest of the feast, Ron absorbed himself in his food and a conversation about quidditch with Dean and Seamus while Hermione chatted with Ginny and some others, while constantly shooting looks of worry towards Harry.

Finally the feast ended and they all made their way to their dormitories and settled in the common room to chat about their holidays. Harry barely involved himself in the conversation. He realised people were talking about him as he stared into the fire. The fact that he had been vindicated in his stance last year was only now making itself known to him as people seemed to want to approach him but were scared to do so. He hadn't even thought about the reaction of the students to Voldemort's return, he had been too preoccupied by Sirius' death and now Malfoy's ever confusing behaviour.

'I'm going to bed' he announced to the small group around him and left. He thought he heard Hermione call after him and then Ron telling her to let him go.

But Harry did not go to sleep, instead he sat on his bed, his Cloak covering himself and map open watching Malfoy pace around his own bedroom. As the clock got closer to 11pm he heard his roommates come in and settle down to sleep. It was 11:30 by the time he heard only soft snores and he knew they were all asleep. It was at this time that he saw Malfoy leave the Slytherin common room and begin making his way to the fourth floor.

No one followed him, he was alone. Harry debated for the next fifteen minutes if he should go and meet Malfoy, but the longer he watched Malfoy sitting there in the abandoned classroom by himself his curiosity grew bigger and bigger.

Eventually it overpowered his sense of caution and taking his wand, map and Cloak, he snuck out of his own Common room and made his way to the classroom, keeping a close eye on Malfoy and the Slytherin common room. No one else moved around the castle, except Filch, Mrs Norris and Snape, but luckily they were far away from the fourth floor.

It was 5 past 12 when he made it into the room. Malfoy was just sitting there, staring at the door Harry had just opened. Just like on the train he had made a show of not being armed. His wand sat on a table a few feet away from him and his arms were laid out, palms up on his thighs.

'You came.' Malfoy began, sounding surprised. 'Alone?'

Harry paused for a few seconds before taking off the Cloak and replying. 'Alone.'

Malfoy nodded and offered him the seat across from him, an equal distance away from the desk with his wand on it.

'I will be holding onto my wand' Harry stated, walking slowly towards the chair Malfoy had offered him.

'I guessed that would have been the case.'

Harry went to reach out for the chair, before changing his mind and gathering one of the others stashed in the corner.

As he was doing this, Malfoy sighed heavily and shook his head.

'Really Potter?'

'I don't trust you Malfoy, I don't know what game you are playing here, but I won't fall into your trap.'

'By Merlin you are frustrating. Will you just sit.'

'Fine.' and so Harry did. He sat heavily down into his own chair and glared at Malfoy with all the hate he could muster.

'You wanted to talk. Talk. I'm listening.'

Malfoy glared back at Harry, but Harry could tell it didn't hold the same venom that it usually did. In fact, he looked scared, nervous and sick all at once. After a few minutes of the two just glaring at one another, Draco dropped his head into his hands and said something softly to himself under his breath.

'What is it? You said you wanted to talk, now talk, or I'm leaving.' Harry ground out, it was late, he was tired and he wanted to sleep. He didn't want to waste anymore time with scum like Malfoy.

Malfoy looked up from his hands, and what Harry saw shocked him. All bravado had left Malfoy's face, instead he had a scared, almost pleading expression on his face.

'I, a son of House Black through my Mother, do hereby beseech you Harry Potter, Head of the House Black, to provide sanctuary to my mother, Narcissa Malfoy, a daughter of House Black, in exchange for my help to defeat the Dark Lord.'