A Single Choice
Chapter Nine- Two Worlds Apart
By- IceWind


A/N:
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.

Warnings: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^

O.o; I just saw one of the greatest movies of my life… Spirited Away ^^; It was sooo good! I mean the animation, music, plot, characters… absolutely stunning. I urge all of you to go out and see it ^^;


PeachDancer82: Aww… *pats back* Nah, she didn't bond them, that's too overdone and while my story may be cliché-ish at parts, I don't want to go completely overboard.

Jalee: *large sweatdrop* Girl! Didn't I tell you that before? Lmao. Slash? -.-;; MUCH later… *sweatdrop* Don't worry, Draco isn't going to act like a puff-ball… *snickers* forever!

Shakiya: Ahh… lol ^^; Erm, the next chapter IS going to take me about a month to get out *quietly sneaks away* my explanation is on the bottom author's notes lol. They won't meet again for some time actually…

Coriander: *shakes head* Nope, no mpreg. Ahh, and don't worry about the threesome thing… I do the same thing *large sweatdrop* Though the threesomes I think about probably aren't the same pairings you go for *snickers* Anyway… what's TMI? *looks curious* I don't know if the story is or isn't one.

Frizzy: *evil smirk* Lol, good idea… though my version isn't going to be like that… well, I don't think so, haven't gotten that far in thinking yet x.x With a good reason of course. Hogwarts… anyway, I might skip straight to that after this chapter, I'm not completely sure yet.

Fanny chan: -.-; Yes, yes, fine! Slash! Sheesh! That's all people are asking! :P lol, j/k, though, yeah, I do think it's going to be slash. Why don't we wait for the boys to grow up a bit though ^.~

Kimmy: A bastard? *large sweatdrop* Aww… but he's doing it for everyone's own good! Lol

Xamona: *squeals* I got regular readers! *squashes Xamona in a hug* Lolies, wondering where you were :P Oh, they're sooo going to change *evil, all-knowing smile* Mmm… the conversation issue is dealt with in this chapter… and will be dealt with again in the next, you'll see what I mean *winks*

Stormy 1x2: *sniggers softly* Aww… but you have to look at it at Lucius' point of view as well, he's doing what he thinks is best for the entire family. Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good and all of that crap *giggles*

Asellus/smallfry/Rarity88/Geminizstarz (good guess)/npetrenko/not all there (Maria)/Silver Angel/Youko Gingitsune/serapotter: Thanks for reviewing!

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Two long years have passed since their separation, though both boys continued on with their lives, thinking to themselves that they'll see the other once more in the future. Things weren't as bad as they have first seemed, after only a year it was found that Harry and Draco could connect with each other once more (though only when touching Ayrin and Tyr) and talk mentally. Though that could only happen infrequently, the distance getting to them, slight fatigue after, it was enough to assuage some loneliness they had. Especially for Harry who had no companions in Malfoy Manor except for Narcissa, the occasional Lucius, Severus, the house elves, and the manor itself.

All in all, they were probably not the company a growing boy should have. Though one must admit that Harry was getting a stellar education (if only they could lighten up on the work load) and was getting more knowledgeable every day… even if it was only in magic and such things like that. Most of what he did was study magic, learn magic, live and breathe magic. To defeat Voldemort… that was Harry's ultimate goal, and Lucius never allowed him to forget it…

"Wrong! Angle must be at 45 degrees as you tilt your wand. You must be precise, completely accurate, even a slight measurement off can change the spell," Lucius' voice rang out into the room, his gray eyes foreboding as he looked down at Harry.

The young boy frowned a bit, angling his wand once again, inwardly muttering the way that he was supposed to perform this reduction spell. Angle 45 degrees, swing in a rapid circle, flick… Perfect… A look of glee flickered onto his face as the statue he had been aiming at finally reduced in size, the once man-sized sculpture of a dragon now pocket size. A brief smile passed through his lips as he looked up at Lucius through a fringe of ebony hair, seeking his approval silently.

The man just gave him the faintest of smiles and a slight reclining of the head before his usual stony expression -sometimes Harry believed that Lucius could give Severus a run for his money in terms of keeping one's features completely composed- was set upon his face. He gave the statue a critical look, before a flick of his wand and several words returned it to its original state. Lucius spoke blandly, "Again. No hesitation, smoothly execute, be quick about it! Nobody would bloody care if you get a spell correct if you take too long!"

Harry bit back a retort, the small boy pouting at the words Lucius threw at him. Really, he understood his job, that he was supposed to defeat Voldemort, but sometimes… sometimes he just wanted to have fun, to run outside with Ayrin instead of being cooped up with the books.

As if following along with his thoughts, the black wolf by his side raised its head and gave his bonded a mournful look, apparently terribly bored. He was currently lying down -the standard position now when Harry was learning- by Harry's side, forelegs curled up under him. Ayrin's head had previously been on the floor, but now was looking up at his bonded avidly, the dark blue eyes searching as the pup's voice whined in Harry's head, Done? Bored!

A soft sigh escaped Harry's lips as he lowered his hand down and gave the Astrali wolf a brief pat on the head, aware that Lucius was looking impatient and annoyed. The boy looked up hesitantly towards the man before his wand flicked towards the statue once again, his mouth hurriedly producing the words. …That was faster, right? He spoke silently towards Ayrin while looking towards Lucius, ~Not yet, Ayrin. Gotta keep up with the lessons, don't want Lucius to get angry…~

Want to go outside! Hunt!


The enthused words of the wolf flashed through Harry's head, and the boy restrained a smile, secretly amused at his pup's words. Ever since Ayrin had started to hunt, the pup had been a bit antsier than normal… and those times he talked to Draco using their link, he had learned that Tyr was the same way. Perhaps it was because the pups were growing up?

"-arry!"

Harry's head jerked up at the half-formed word, squirming in his place as Lucius pinned annoyed eyes on him. Apparently he was thinking too much towards Ayrin that he lost his concentration with Lucius, again. While Lucius let it slide the first time, after a bit of grumbling and a glare towards the wolf, Harry knew that Lucius was getting more and more annoyed.

His words were sheepish, soft, and ultimately sorrowful, "Sorry…" Seeing as Lucius wasn't yet convinced on how sorry he actually was, Harry planted firmly on his face his little puppy-dog look, the lost one, the one that pretty much got him out of severe punishments. It always worked on Narcissa… and Severus… but Lucius was another matter, it may work sometimes, it may not others. With Lucius, it was a game of chance.

And apparently it wasn't going to work this time, because Lucius truly looked incensed over this deviation of concentration. "Boy!" At that word, Harry cringed. Lucius never used 'boy' unless he was truly upset, "You cannot keep talking with that animal! Last chance, or else Ayrin will stay in your room until your lessons are over."

Harry's head jerked up at those words, and his emerald eyes widened even more, seeing as it was no idle threat. He barely heard Ayrin's soft growl at his side, the pup not liking the tone nor the words being spoken. But that was abruptly cut off when Lucius swung his glare towards the wolf, Ayrin cringing back and hiding behind Harry.

Lucius' voice was soft, almost a self-satisfied purr, "Now… try it again, and faster this time. Much too slow on your last try. Remember Harry, your purpose is to defeat Voldemort, never forget this. To defeat him, you must become better than him." His lips curved upwards slightly, eyes dark as the man contemplated the Dark Lord's demise.

A slow nod answered him, Harry refusing to look down on Ayrin, keeping his wand steady as he focused his attention back onto the statue while drawing up a tendril of dark green energy. He heard Lucius' sharp words to start and automatically began the incantation while swishing his wand around, calming himself when the spell was done, watching the statue shrink once more. He glanced over towards Lucius, seeking approval.

The man seemed contemplative, but his words were cool, calm, not a hint of emotion showing now, "Very good. Though you need some work. I want the exact movement needed down, not a degree out of place, flowing and smooth. You are to be flawless, Harry, absolutely flawless..."

~

"You're back father?" Draco's voice floated down the halls, his voice faintly curious as he peeked out of his rooms, Tyr padding at his heels. "Did you bring a letter for me?" He smiled softly; the usually completely composed and blank look now vanished in light of receiving his letter from Harry. He always got a letter from Harry when Lucius came back, always.

He watched his father's proud form ascend the stairs, and while waiting, he took out his wand and cast a quick spell, murmuring softly, "Tempus." He glanced quickly at the floating numbers before dispelling it with a wave of his wand. 4:30… father is early by an hour, strange. Faintly curious silver eyes darted back towards his father, eyeing the approaching form silently.

Lucius reached Draco, handing his son a letter, speaking in brief tones, "We are to have some company tonight." The man was a bit tired after the lesson with Harry, but the black-haired boy was progressing satisfactorily… in fact, he was advancing at a faster pace than previously expected, most excellent. "You are to entertain Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, while I talk to their fathers." A thoughtful look crossed his face, "Perhaps you can… foster their loyalty."

Interest flickered momentarily in Draco's silver eyes, "Foster their loyalty?" He tilted his head slightly to the side, contemplative. He was only seven of course; it wasn't as if he was to be expected to know everything that his father talks about. He clutched the letter that Lucius gave him, eager to read it, but needing to find out what to do for later on tonight, "Umm… what do you mean?"

A faintly exasperated sigh sounded, Lucius vaguely irritated that Draco hadn't figured it out yet. He then gave a faint smile, voice cool, "Curry their friendship if you will, allies at the very least if you can't. I expect you not to fail, remember, you are a Malfoy and Malfoys…" He left the end of the sentence hang, for Draco to finish.

"…are perfect. Understood father."

Lucius' smile widened a bit more in approval before he let his expression drop, his hand lightly ruffling Draco's hair as he moved on towards his study, to get ready for the arrivals. He tossed his next words casually, "Very good, Draco. You'll make the Malfoys proud."

Draco's gaze stayed on Lucius' back until he disappeared from sight. Then he glanced down towards the silent Tyr, smiling faintly, "Come Tyr, let's see what Harry and Ayrin have to say." He walked back into the room, absentmindedly tearing through the seal and opening the letter, smoothing it out on his desk as he sat down.

What does brother say? Wanna know! Tyr's tail wagged merrily, the pale eyes open and bright. The white pup scampered around Draco's feet, his insistent mind-voice breaking through Draco's own thoughts. Well? Read! …never mind The last was said when the silly pup forgot that he could pluck the words from his bonded's mind easily enough, tongue lolling as Tyr gave a puppyish grin.

Draco ignored his pup's ramblings, eager eyes scanning the parchment, taking in the words that were written there in a messy scrawl.

Drake and Tyr,
Same things happening at the Manor, 'cissa says that she misses you lots. I do to… and so does Ayrin. At least 'cissa can visit you both. Wish you could come back home. Lucius is making me practice even more, but sometimes it hurts… does it hurt for you? But it's going away, I dunno why, Ayrin says something about growing into powers, silly puppy. But at least I'm getting better now. I didn't tell 'cissa or Lucius, they have lots to think about with Voldemort and everything.
I'm learning lots of new spells and it gets easier every time too! But… Lucius keeps telling me to work harder and do things faster. I try lots, but… sometimes I need more time and can't do it, then he looks… disappointed. I don't wanna disappoint Lucius or 'cissa. It'll all be better when you get home… can you visit yet? Please? Ayrin misses you and Tyr lots and I do to…

At the bottom of the letter was the familiar messy signature that Harry always put down and an imprint of Ayrin's paw.

A faint sigh escaped Draco's mouth, the pale boy frowning slightly, muttering into the air, "I wanna go home…" He considered stamping his foot on the ground, but considering that Lucius wasn't there (which probably was a good thing in hindsight) to see him do so, the effect was rather wasted. Thus, all he could do was brood and complain to Tyr on how unfair it was.

Miss Ayrin…
Tyr's soft mind-voice injected itself into Draco's mind, the pup winding around the boy's feet. The ivory wolf's tail and ears drooped slightly at the thought, the voice saddening holding a faintly whining tone, Wanna go back too! Let's go then! It was as if the pup had made up its mind and Tyr started to perk up again, tilting his head slightly to the side, the pale eyes expectant as they locked onto Draco's face.

A fond smile stretched itself on Draco's face and he knelt down next to his wolf pup -who was getting quite large- and hugged Tyr lightly, ruffling the soft fur. "Can't… Lucius said that we couldn't, not yet. Isn't safe for us or Harry. We gotta go entertain Vincent and Gregory later," suddenly the boy's voice lowered and became more serious, "Malfoys do not fail."

His expression then lightened, the blond-haired boy locking gazes with his pup, "But I'm worried 'bout Harry and Ayrin. He said that it hurt for him sometimes… why, Tyr? Ayrin knows, so you do as well." The last part wasn't said in a question, it was a clear fact, simply stated. While the pups were just animals, they saw things that the boys didn't, understood more than some would guess. But they were simpler in a way, concerned only for themselves and the 'pack'.

The pup blinked soft blue eyes at him, the mind-voice strangely contemplative, Power is hard to have, bonded. The more you have, the more responsibility, the probability that there is more pain heightens as well. Power, responsibility, and pain go hand in hand, they are absolute

Draco didn't believe that Tyr had ever said that many impressive sounding, serious words in the entirety of the pup's young life. The boy couldn't help but blink a few times, voicing out uncertainly, "That's you, Tyr, right?"

Tyr suddenly seemed to shake himself, the playful pale blue eyes staring up at Draco, Of course! But we gotta protect the pack, the pack is important The pups seemed nearly fanatical about protecting the 'pack' the well-being of the 'pack'. It probably would have been scary to Draco if only he wasn't so used to it already.

A patient smile appeared on the boy's face, deciding to ignore the big-sounding words that Tyr used—for now. "Of course, Tyr, gotta protect the pack… let's get ready. They're coming soon and father says that we have to gain their friendship…"

I see no need for friendships outside of the pack


The blond-boy halted, his silver eyes suddenly pinned back on his pup's form, confusion flickering in his eyes, "What? Why not?" Curiosity was apparent in his voice, though some traces of puzzlement filtered through, "Pack is important, but other people are too."

Suddenly the pup stood up on his hind legs, leaning against the boy, blue meeting silver, If you say so Then, promptly, the pup gave Draco a predictably messy lick on the face before falling down and bounding off towards the foyer. Draco trailed behind him, schooling his face into a perfect polite mask, calmness and surety in his ever quickening stride.

~

"Ready, Harry?" Narcissa looked towards the boy at her side, reminiscing about the times when he was younger and clutched to her. How fast they grew up. She smiled lovingly down at him as he looked up towards her, a faintly eager expression on his face.

Harry smiled at her and gave a nod, "Yes, let's go meet Sev!" His enthused voice filled the room in the manor, feeling in the back of his head the faint amusement of the building. Ayrin paced steadily at his side, the dark blue of the wolf's eyes looking around curiously.

Curiosity appeared in Narcissa's pale eyes, her voice lightly inquiring as she spoke, "Why are you always excited for your lessons with Severus?" As she spoke, her hand moved towards the pocket of her robes and her wand, ready to apparate to the selected destination, which was the fake house that she and Harry were supposed to be living in, Severus still had no clue to the existence of the true Malfoy Manor. It was better off that way; besides, it wasn't as if it was possible for the man to enter Malfoy Manor, even if he did know where it was and how to get there.

A simple voice answered her, "Because he talks about Draco with me, Lucius doesn't. Ayrin likes Sev as well, says that the man smells comfortable, not icky, like some of that stuff you used to wear." He shot a slightly sheepish glance towards Narcissa, his fingers curling in Ayrin's black fur.

A soft laugh answered him, Narcissa amused by the words. Yes, she clearly remembered the time when Harry told her that some of the perfumes upset Ayrin- the shy boy approaching, the pup staying far away in the background, the sheepish voice that emitted from his mouth. In fact, she had been slightly horrified to know that some of her perfumes have been disturbing Ayrin -and consequently Harry- for such a long time. Needless to say, the expensive perfume was immediately carted off and thrown out, Lucius slightly vexed that she had done so (some of the bottles had cost more than one hundred galleons…), but understanding to some degree.

She watched curiously as Harry tilted his head to the side and suddenly chuckled, realizing that Ayrin must have been talking to him. It was a bit disconcerting at times when Harry and Ayrin talked to each other, did things with no prior warning but the words and thoughts that passed through them. But it seemed right though, you can't have Harry without Ayrin, just as you can't have the wolf pup without a little boy trailing after it.

She smiled fondly at the mental image.

"We go now?"

Harry gently touched her robes and she glanced down at him once more, eyes shining with hidden mirth. A faint flush appeared on her neck when she realized that she had been caught in her memories once more, but hid it well. She took out her wand and made sure that they were all touching, concentrating as she began the incantation, wouldn't want any stray bits hanging around after the spell, splicing -while not painful- was extremely embarrassing, especially if Severus were to catch them.

They disappeared with the softest of 'pops'.

~

"Sev!" Harry said cheerfully, peeking into the potion's room that Severus was currently working in. The little boy crept up on him, frowning slightly when it seemed as if the other man was ignoring him. His black wolf pup ghosted along side of him, the intelligent dark blue eyes looking up curiously.

Harry frowned a bit harder when it seemed as if Severus was ignoring on him, reaching out a hand to tug on part of the man's robes…

"Don't touch me!" An irritable voice came from Severus' lips, his hands carefully dropping in a drop, then two, of some greenish liquid that Harry recognized as hedgehog bile. The man cautiously looked at the mixture before picking up a quill and jotting down several notes, eyes not even for a moment straying towards Harry and Ayrin.

Harry quieted, a faint smile still on the boy's face as he propped himself up on the table, idly waiting for the man to finish with the potion. That's how it was sometimes… he was used to Sev snapping at him, he thought that it was rather funny actually. Besides, Ayrin liked Sev, so Harry had to like Sev… it made sense in his head anyway.

Deciding that since Sev said no touching that didn't mean that he couldn't talk now did it? A decidedly impish smile appeared briefly on Harry's face, giggling as he spoke in rather loud tones, "Are you done yet, Sev? Huh? Huh?" He squirmed in his seat, Ayrin watching on with curious eyes, the wolf pup lying on the floor by Harry's side, just as he was supposed to do.

The potions master twitched a bit, irritated obsidian eyes finally glancing up and locking onto the emerald green of the boy's. He felt a wave of déjà vu pass over him at the sight, but he shook his head lightly, frowning slightly in concentration as he tried to discern where he saw the specific shade of green somewhere before. It seemed so familiar to him…

"Is that supposed to turn that color, Sev?"

Harry watched in plain amusement as Severus jerked his eyes away from his with a softly uttered curse, the man almost twitching at the sight of his potion ruined, what was supposed to be a clear blue was now a murky green, a distinctly ugly green too. He giggled softly as he heard Sev give a sigh, the man getting up and dumping the potion out. Deciding that this was as good as a time as any -he hadn't really learned the meaning of tact yet- Harry chirped out brightly, "How's Draco?"

The man just swung his gaze around and let it linger on the boy for a moment, Harry squirming in his seat and frowning when Severus didn't answer. The man gave a smirk and drawled out softly, "Aren't we supposed to be learning about potions and other subjects? Really, Harry, you would think that you would know the procedure by now."

Procedure… heh, by now the man had learned that to get any real effort from the boy (without resorting to threats and such) was to withhold any and all information about Draco until they were done with the lesson. A bit of a reward if you will, though Harry never stopped asking at the beginning of the lesson for some strange reason.

A petulant look greeted the statement, but in the next second the boy seemed to perk up once more, a friendly smile set onto the face. "Okay," Harry murmured agreeable, nearly bouncing in his steps as he sat down at his seat in front of a cauldron. Curious emerald green eyes peered up at Severus as he queried, "What potion are we working on? …Not the healing potion right? I dun think it was supposed to eat through the table like what happened last time…" Harry's voice trailed off at the end, a soft snicker making itself heard.

Severus refused to groan, though he couldn't stop his lips from twitching once, if from amusement or annoyance, Harry would never know. His velvety voice was heard as the man spoke in even tones, "Yes, the healing potion. You are to get it correct, absolutely correct. Lucius has said that you were supposed to master everything that came your way." Only a private grimace showed his opinion on that subject, though Severus knew that Lucius was just trying to do what was best.

…If it was for the boy or for Lucius himself, Severus didn't know.

He continued on, "Last time you stirred it clock-wise when it was supposed to be counter-clockwise… and it was three strokes too many. You also added to much adder fang. Added with the little list of other errors caused it to have an adverse reaction and become a sort of acid, which caused it to eat through the table. Don't make the same mistakes."

Wisps of ebony hair were blown out of the way as Harry huffed out and began to collect the ingredients needed for the healing potion. Not a very complex potion, it was still more than anyone Harry's age would be doing, in fact, it was something Severus used for first year at Hogwarts… not that the man was going to tell him, no need for the boy to get a swelled head now.

The boy frowned thoughtful, chewing on his bottom lip lightly -Severus muttered to himself about breaking the boy of the habit- his face full of concentration as he worked. This was different than just launching off spells, Harry couldn't apply his raw magical power into his potion, well… he didn't know how to. Ayrin said that there was a way, but the pup hadn't yielded any answers, instead, Ayrin always seemed to just laugh inside Harry's head and keep quiet.

"Don't stir too fast," Severus' voice cut through the silence, breaking it for the first time in twenty minutes, it was amazing on how still the boy could get at times. His gaze flickered down towards the wolf, faintly curious over the fact that the animal hadn't moved from its position, hardly made a sound in fact. As if sensing his thoughts, Ayrin lifted his head slightly and flicked both ears towards him.

Harry's eyes never left the cauldron -he knew better than doing that, especially considering what happened before with Severus- but he stirred at a slower pace, the slender boy muttering under his breath the number of times he went around. Finally he seemed to be done and stopped stirring, his gaze breaking away from the cauldron to look at Severus uncertainly, "Done?"

A dry voice answered, "You should know that yourself. Check the color, consistency… is it how it's supposed to be? " Unlike telling his students at Hogwarts what was wrong, Severus had the luxury and time to have Harry figure it out for himself, which was how it should really be. He believed that the boy learned more, and at a better pace, if he was able to figure things out for himself… even if he wasn't the greatest in potions. Draco was falling only a little bit behind from Harry, and Severus met up with the young Malfoy heir much less than he met up with Harry.

A pout greeted his statement, Harry sighing a bit before complying with his instructions. The little boy refused to stick his finger into the mixture… especially considering what happened last time, it was expected that the liquid could probably melt the flesh from his bones. An uncertain look entered his eyes before he glanced down towards Ayrin, silently asking a question.

The wolf pup swung its attention from Severus and locked gazes with Harry, his tail beating lightly on the floor, Smells a bit off from the one the Man did. But better than last time… I dun think it would go through the table anymore. That was very scary Solemn dark blue eyes scanned the form of his bonded.

Harry nodded in agreement, a faint smile lighting up the boy's face before he chirped to Severus, "Smell's okay… well Ayrin says that it's a bit off, but that's alright… right?" His bottom lip jutted out slightly again, silently pleading for the man to just say the potion was fine…though the chances of that happening were extremely slim to tell the truth.

"What did I tell you about using Ayrin to tell you about how the potion is?" An exasperated voice answered him, Severus refusing to roll his eyes and appear weakened in front of the boy, "And you only checked the smell, what about the other properties of the potion?" A sly smirk crossed the man's face, "Why don't we try it on you and see if it holds up to the test? All we would have to do is make a little cut and pour the potion on…"

The black-haired boy gave a small 'eep' and moved back slightly, pouting full force at Sev. The last time he had tried to pass off a potion in this manner, Severus had made him take it and instead of floating in the air for a second or two… he grew spots. Big ugly purple ones… he never thought that Ayrin or 'cissa could laugh so much…

Severus' lips twitched slightly in amusement, eyeing the boy for a moment before speaking once more, "I suppose that's a no then. Pity. Very well… I'll check the potion, but just this once." Severus refused to think that he was getting soft on the boy, absolutely refused to even when he moved towards the potion and checked it.

"Well?" Bright eyes stared at the potions master, Harry almost hopping in place as he waited for what Sev would say to him about his potion.

Ayrin, sensing that the lesson was almost complete, got up lithely, a soft whine coming out of his muzzle, proclaiming how bored he was waiting for this entire human thing to be over. The black wolf leaned his head on Harry for a moment, eyes half-lidded as the boy scratched him behind his ears.

All Severus did was give a passive smile, muttering to himself as he looked down into the potion… and finally dipped a finger into the mixture. His obsidian eyes flickered back onto Harry's impatient form, finally saying, "Not bad, though far from perfect." He could see the disappointment etched onto the youngsters face, but continued on speaking methodically, "But I suppose it's enough for now… now what was it you wanted to speak of?" He gave an inward smile to himself, knowing exactly what the boy wanted to know.

"Draco of course!" Harry gave Sev a funny look, something between a glare and happiness, "You know that! Come on!" He grabbed the older man by the hand -missing the fond smile that appeared on said man's face- and tugged Sev out the door and towards the study, Ayrin padding faithfully at their heels. Some things could wait, information on Draco could not.

~

"Hello…" Draco gave the customary polite smile towards the two large boys, only his hand curled up in Tyr's fur betraying any nervousness he may have had. Not that they would have noticed, it seemed as a natural gesture really. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor." Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted his father greeting Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle.

Lucius glanced over at his son, before finally saying to Jonathon Crabbe and Merric Goyle, "Draco can entertain Vincent and Gregory… let's go talk in the study." Seeing the two men nod their agreements, Lucius led the way, leaving his son to his own devices.

"I'm Vincent, you can call me Vince," a bit thick looking, but the boy gave a tentative smile towards Draco, before finally looking down at Tyr who stood by the blond-hair boy's side, "That's Greg… is that a real wolf?"

Draco's gaze swept over the two boys, eyeing them in a calm manner, while inwardly nervous. This was to be expected considering how much bigger they were to him… they practically made him seem like a dwarf in comparison. They also looked a big mean, sort of like school yard bullies (though Draco didn't know this), and not entirely too bright.

Picking up on his bonded's emotions, Tyr whined uncertainly before growling softly towards Vince and Greg, stepping in front of Draco, while showing a small line of sharp teeth. The wolf's entire posture was one towards aggression; ears laid back, body crouching and protective in front of Draco. Hurt bonded and me hurt you…

Though they couldn't hear the words the wolf made, it was apparent what it meant and the two boys backed off slightly, Greg muttering nervously, "Is it going to bite us?" Vince looked scared next to him, the boy locking eyes with the wolf and not moving the slightest bit.

A faint frown marred Draco's face before he calmly laid a hand on Tyr's back, the wolf relaxing almost immediately. Malfoy's are perfect… He gave the two boys an uncertain smile, "No, I won't let Tyr hurt you. He's just a bit nervous… It's nice to meet you." His manners were impeccable, a faint smile lining his face, refusing to look weak in front of the other two boys.

Suddenly Vince spoke up, his voice low, "It's a lovely wolf, reminds me of the ones running on our estate… before my father drove them off." Faint sadness flickered in his tone at the end of the sentence, the heavy-set boy coming a bit closer, yet still shy.

Tyr backed off then, the wolf nudging Draco's hand with a cold, wet, nose. Draco immediately stroked the furry head, grinning a bit more, "Tyr isn't going anywhere, he can't go anywhere."

"Why not?" This time it was Greg who spoke and he came closer as well, a genuine spark of interest in his eyes. "My father won't let anything like that on our property…" His eyes flickered from the wolf to the boy, eyeing him closely for a moment.

An airy voice answered him, "My father isn't afraid of anything like Tyr, besides, he's my bonded." A real, tentative smile appeared on Draco's face, "Let's go into the woods, I can show you everything that Tyr can do, he's the best!" The slender boy started off towards the forest, a faint smile stretched on his face, Tyr padding quietly by his side.

Vince smiled as he and Greg followed the small boy, both of the silently amazed that Draco treated them differently than the others. Everyone else seemed to think that they were both stupid, completely and utterly hopeless… even their families at times. But Draco just let them come with him, even called off the wolf…

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*grins* Another chapter bites the dust! *cackles* And it didn't take me overly long to write this one out… right? Anyway, the next one is going to take a while in coming out considering that I really need to write a chapter of one of my other stories (Aether again lol) before the readers for the one kill me. X.x Ah well…

Anyway, on a better note, I got a livejournal! *starts jumping around* I'll show you the stats of my stories in there as well as what I'm doing with them. Thanks to 90schild for the code! ^___^ My username is flyby311 (someone took IceWind ;.; ) I'd give you all the url, but for some reason it just doesn't seem to show up here. *twitch*

Okay, just one itty bitty question now… should I keep them at age 7 for one more chapter or just bump them up to 11 because I'm getting pissed off that they're still little? Lmao ^^;

One last thing… Lucius seems to keep changing right? *sighs and wacks Lucius* He does things without me knowing! BAD LUCIUS! *Lucius smirks and gives her the finger* …how un-Malfoy-ish *pouts and glares* Ah well… he isn't all that bad, just a bit preoccupied, and a bit worried over how everything is going to turn out, he gets nicer later, I swear.

~

My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please?