Title: When Times Change
Author: I_nv_u50
Pairings: Eventual DracoXHarry. But only in the last 10 or so chapters (rough idea..)
Disclaimer: The world, the characters, they all belong to whoever owns them. At this point, I'm sure it's J.K. Rowling, but then it could be whoever's doing the movies O.o;
Chapter Rating: PG13 for Draco's quick temper. :D
Author's Notes: Once again, the next chapter could be a little while in coming, because I'm suffering writer's block and I really don't like the chapter three I've already written. Its just too unbelievable as of now. Anyway, I will be continuing this story no matter how long it takes me, so don't worry about that. That's pretty much it. Oh. I decided to make Nessos and Elfric falcons after all. How can you not like a falcon? I mean owls are cool and all, but I really want a falcon :D
… Anyway, Draco gets a bit weird in this one, so I apologise if he's a little too OOC O.o;
Thanks for reviewing the last chapter! I hope you like this one as much :D
Cheers, enjoy, and review!! ^^
~The future you shall know when it has come; before then, forget it.~
"What?" Draco's voice was cool over the phone; ice cold and chilling.
Blaise scrambled to reassure Draco, but Draco noticed that he made no effort to correct or even take back the bad news, which just had to be a horrible prank.
Blaise, an amateur prankster with a reputation amongst the Death Eaters, didn't seem to be joking this time.
He scowled into the phone. "Zambini, get your ass here right now!"
"Draco, you know I cant apparate now!" Blaise had had the privilege of apparating banned from him by Lucius Malfoy, after a disastrous accident.
"So walk! However the hell you do it, just get over here!"
There was a soft knock on the door, and Draco cursed softly. "Remember, Zambini, room 1206."
Draco slammed the phone down without waiting for Blaise's reply and stormed over to the door, wrenching it open before the tentative knock could sound again.
"What?" he snapped.
A bellboy cowered behind the dinner cart he was pushing. It was laden with fruits and vegetables that Draco couldn't remember ordering, so they must be free.
Draco stepped aside and impatiently waved the boy in.
Once the cart was in the proper and polite place, the bellboy scuttled out the door backwards, bowing slightly as he went, and he pulled the door shut after him.
Draco contemplated the food.
Spaghetti. Why the devil had he ordered spaghetti? He didn't even like spaghetti.
Draco scowled, and a soft whimpering noise drew his attention to Harry, who was twisted in the bed sheets and flailing around uselessly, apparently trying to whack whatever was scaring him on the head with his outstretched fingers.
Draco went to watch him, curious about the content of Potter's nightmares.
His own was usually a nameless black fear, one that he couldn't escape, and would never be able to. Pure nonsense when he was awake, of course, but when you were asleep, you didn't know any logic.
Like his other nightmare, a more confusing, less frequent one that was about a field full of cows.
But as cows had never been a huge, particular fear of his, he couldn't understand why he awoke so afraid, drenched in sweat, cold and clammy, and breathing heavily.
These peculiar dreams had started just after he had been recruited as a Death Eater though, on his 17th birthday, so he supposed there was a connection.
He had never asked the other Death eaters if the also had weird nightmares.
You didn't talk about that sort of stuff when you met with each other.
It was always business.
Draco slowly laid a hand on Harry's small shoulder, preparing to shake Harry awake, but Harry quieted down before he could even start.
"Harry? Harry." He shook the shoulder anyway, and Harry whimpered softly, sleepily opening wide green eyes that stared at nothing in particular. Draco carefully picked up the small glasses, resisting the urge to hex them and slowly slid them onto Harry's face.
Harry closed his eyes trustingly when he did this, and Draco felt a sickening feeling shudder through him.
"Supper's here. You like spaghetti?" Draco spoke shortly, trying not to sound too angry.
Harry stared at the food in wonder, gazing in awe at the pasta that was heaped under piles of meat. "Is that… is that mine?"
The incredulous disbelief in the small voice and the growing hope in the bright green eyes made Draco's chest tighten for a second.
"Yes." He ignored the sensation. "Can you feed yourself?"
Draco almost cringed at the idea of feeding Harry, but a strange sensation that was almost pride rose up in him when the five year old sniffed defiantly.
"Of course I can." He replied superiorly, and, with a little difficulty, lifted his plate from the cart that was almost bigger than he was.
Draco caught the plate just in time. "Watch it!" he hissed, and Harry pouted at him, doing a poor job of hiding the fact that his bottom lip was trembling slightly.
"Just… just go sit down." Draco snapped, and picked up the phone again.
"Good evening. How may I help you?"
"I was just wondering if my friend had arrived yet."
"No sir, no one's arrived for you yet."
"All right. Remember, his name is Blaise Zambini."
"Yes sir. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Draco hung up and turned to find Harry, his lips still disconcertingly pouting, with his eyes still fixed on Draco curiously. "Who's that?"
"Who's who?" Draco repeated, calmly picking up his own plate, fully intending to ignore the child while he thought his own problem through.
Thankfully, the potion ingredients didn't require sitting out under the full moon for a month or anything. Draco didn't think he'd be able to handle that long. It was actually the opposite. When all the ingredients were together and ready, you only had one hour to complete the stirring and the incantations and take it before the potion become void and unusable. When it was void and unusable, you stood a good chance of ending up a pile of melted flesh.
"Blays Zabimi."
Draco blinked, startled out of his thinking by the high little voice. "What?"
"Who's Blays Zabimi?"
Draco scowled, annoyed at the interruption. A friend. Eat up, he'll be here soon."
Harry nodded happily and continued to feed himself, a process that ended with him having most of the food on the outside rather than in him.
Draco soon got disgusted enough to set aside his own meal and feed Harry, who was now stained with the sauce enough to look like he was bleeding out of multiple places on his face.
Draco shuddered and looked away, almost offended at the sight of Harry Potter opening his mouth willingly for the fork Draco reluctantly held out. A Harry Potter who had his face splattered with the sauce, with bits of spaghetti and meat squashed into the front of Harry's clothes.
When Draco accidentally misjudged the amount of food Harry could take, and the half chewed spaghetti noodles started oozing out of Harry's mouth, Draco leapt away, disgusted. "That's revolting! Stop that!"
Harry started giggling, which caused more food to start dribbling out of his mouth and drip slowly down his chin.
"Stop that! You're disgusting!" Draco's loud voice clearly made known what he felt, and Harry picked up on the tone rather than the words, which he would have giggled harder at.
He closed his mouth slowly and sniffed loudly, his eyes tearing up.
Draco watched in horror as, in almost slow motion, Harry's face crumpled up and he burst into tears.
Draco looked around instinctively for help, really not wanting to be the one to calm Harry down.
The telephone rang.
Draco thanked the Powers that May Be and looked at the telephone in relief, then, ignoring the bawling child picked it up.
"Yes?"
"Sir? Your friend just arrived. I've had him sent up. He's on his way now."
"Thank you!"
Draco put the phone down carefully, and turned around.
Harry had come up behind him, arms outstretched as he wailed, eyes almost squeezed shut with snot and food covering the lower half of his face as he screamed.
Draco gave the door a desperate look, but it offered no solutions, so he sighed and picked Harry up reluctantly, trying to keep the child at arms length.
Harry's sobs quieted to sniffs and whimpers as he clung to Draco's neck, so obviously seeking comfort that Draco felt a small warmth creep up, despite the fact that there was now snot and drool covering his clothes.
"It's okay Harry, I'm sorry. It's okay, sh…" The words fell off of Draco's lips before he knew what he was saying, and he immediately felt more stupid, but it succeeded because Harry's noises lowered until they were just sniffs.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't hate me…" Harry was whispering into Draco's neck, the childish voice thick with tears and fears, and Draco shuddered with something he couldn't explain or understand.
There was a knock on the door.
Harry refused to be put down when Draco tried, so Draco went to open the door with Harry clinging onto his neck, happily sucking his thumb.
Blaise stared when he opened the door. "That's him?"
Draco scowled and shifted Harry to his other hip. "Yea. Did you bring Elfric?"
"Yep. He'll be at your window in a minute. That's really him?"
"Yes! Stop staring already! Honestly, Blaise, have you never seen a five year old before?"
Blaise grinned and stepped past him into the room. Harry held on tighter, his eyes filled with shy nervousness, and a little fear.
"I've seen lots, but never that specific one."
Draco shut the door. "I'll give you that much. What happened?"
Blaise gave Draco a look, and pulled out his wand, transfiguring the cutlery into some moving toy soldiers that attacked each other.
Harry crooned in sudden delight, and wriggled. Draco put him down gladly.
"Draco! Look! They moving!"
"Sure are." Blaise kneeled down beside Harry, and Draco gaped at the suddenly nice behaviour of his friend.
"Who you?" Harry asked bluntly.
"I'm Draco's friend. You sit still and play for a while while I talk to Draco, okay?"
"Okay!" Harry grinned happily, and started setting up the protesting soldiers in what was probably supposed to be an orderly military unit but what ended up as a small chaotic mess.
Draco blinked at Blaise. "I didn't know you were good with children. You have to teach me one day."
Blaise shrugged, but before he could reply, there was a sharp, insistent tapping at the window.
Harry looked up from his game and gave a comical but all too real gasp of alarm. "Draco! It's uncle Vernon!"
"Hush Harry, you idiot. It's Elfric and Nessos." Draco calmly walked to the window and opened it.
The two falcons soared in, and Elfric dropped a big, wrapped parcel on Draco's bed.
Harry squealed with rapture and Draco groaned, shaking his head in despair.
To his surprise though, both Elfric and Nessos entertained Harry well, both being quite tolerant of the boy.
Draco was uncommonly grateful. "Blaise, about the potion. What exactly happened?"
Blaise sat down on Harry's bed. "Well, I had gone out to do some things, and when I cam back, there was a whole lot of mudbloods gathered around this hole in the floor. They wanted to know what I had had in there, and I told them I was visiting my uncle, the scientist."
Draco nodded, thinking. "And did you find out what happened?"
"The maid came in when I wasn't there, to clean up and stuff, you know? Apparently she didn't see Nessos until he ruffled his feathers at her. She got such a fright, she knocked the vial onto the floor." Blaise sighed and put his head in his hands. "Draco, what are we going to do?"
"We can't tell M'Lord because there's no way to get to him…"
"No…"
"I guess all we can do is get the ingredients as fast as possible."
"Yea."
Draco watched Blaise carefully. "I'll make the potion."
Blaise grinned up at him. "Damn straight. You're one of the best potion makers we have on our side."
"As opposed to Snape?"
"Yea."
"So I'll make the potion-"
"I'll get the ingredients together."
Draco blinked. "Okay…"
A high-pitched giggling brought his attention back to the youngest in the room.
"You can keep Harry." He told Blaise.
Blaise shook his head and laughed. "I don't think so, Draco."
"Why not?" Draco almost felt like stamping his foot. He didn't want the kid.
Blaise grinned at him. "Well, I'm going to be traveling around all week, to try and get the right things we need."
"So?"
"So it's not good for children to be moved around often."
Draco glared at him. "That's when they have a home that they've lived in for years!"
Blaise shrugged. "Lets let him decide. Harry?"
Harry looked up from where he was offering a finger to Elfric for him to nibble.
"Yesh?"
Blaise continued, judging from the glare that Draco wasn't about to. "Would you like to stay with Draco or with me?"
Harry shot to his feet, his eyes already tearing up. He ran to Draco and hugged his legs tightly. "You wont leave me! You promised! You promised! Don't leave me! Please? I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"
Draco stared down in shock at the pleading little face that was a staring up at him. Even after the temper tantrum earlier Harry chose him?
Blaise leaned closer, smirking. "See? He wants you. He chooses you."
Blaise stood up and held out an arm that Nessos reluctantly flew to.
Draco tried to glare at Harry, but he couldn't do it, not when the face was buried in his pants leg and crying his heart out.
"Owl me if you need me, Draco. See you later, Harry."
Harry lifted his face from the material, sniffling heavily as he blinked up at Blaise.
Then he twisted his face to stare up at Draco. "Am I staying with you, Draco?"
"Yes." Draco muttered, not liking the sympathetic wave of protectiveness that swept through him.
Harry suddenly grinned happily and waved at Blaise. "Bye! Come back soon! Bye bye birdy!"
Nessos screeched back, surprising both Blaise and Draco, but Harry gave one sharp nod and returned his face to Draco's leg.
Draco reached out and caught hold of Blaise's sleeve. "Wait. I don't know anything about little kids. I don't know how to take care of him."
Blaise rolled his eyes and patted Draco's hand patronizingly. "Well, first, put him to bed. When he wakes you up at some unholy hour in the morning, don't get upset or angry with him. Make him eat, and take a bath, then go out and get some clothes. Then ask him what he wants to do. Clear? Got it? Or do you want a list?"
"Shut up." Draco grumbled, and he dropped the sleeve.
Blaise grinned. "Keep in touch. Night Harry. Night, Draco."
Then he was gone.
After a short argument that ended up with Harry in tears, but finally in bed, Draco allowed himself to be hugged goodnight, before he fell into bed himself.
He had only just managed to remember to change into his pajamas, and he couldn't help hoping that the next night's argument would be quicker.
"Draco?" The voice was quiet and hesitant, and Draco groaned softly before he answered.
"Yes Harry?"
"Sometimes the monsters come when I sleep. Can I come sleep with you if they do?"
Draco fought down the initial answer. "All right Harry. Go to sleep now."
"Okay… Goodnight Draco."
"Goodnight Harry."
A few minutes passed.
"Draco?"
Draco sighed. "Yes Harry?"
"I'm thirsty."
Draco dragged himself out of bed, switched the lights on, and turned the tap until the small glass was full of cold water.
He passed it to Harry. "Be careful now."
Harry drank it all, quickly, and only spilled a little. Then he smiled up guilessly at Draco. "Thank you!"
Draco nodded acknowledgement, and crawled back into bed, snuffing the light.
After a few minutes, the small voice came again, thick with sleep and satisfaction. "I didn't spill any, did I Draco."
Draco reminded himself that the child was only five. "No, you didn't Harry. Go to sleep."
"Goodnight Draco."
"Goodnight Harry."
Then, one last time, the hesitant voice cut through the air.
"Draco?"
"What is it NOW, Harry?"
There was the sound of yawning. "I love you."
Draco didn't sleep very well that night.
Extra AN: Harry can talk so well because Dudley had problems, and Harry overheard Dudley's lessons. Petunia and Vernon didn't like this .