Hi, yes it has been awhile and this is all Lynse's fault :)
Draco sat stiffly on the bench next to him. For all that Danny had joked and teased, Draco never really lost the tenseness in his shoulders around him. Everything about him, in the enormous shadow of the house they currently sat under, was controlled and measured in regards to Danny's presence.
Danny however was sprawled on the ground playing with Spooky. His robes fanned out around him, picking up all sorts of grass and dirt on the expensive fabric. Danny had made his thoughts on robes very clear from the beginning of this summer; when the elder Malfoy's had called in a very discreet tailor to dress Danny up like the wizard he very much was not.
"To keep up appearances." Lucius had said.
Danny would have told him exactly where to shove the robes if it hadn't been for the sad look crossing Narcissa's face in a flash, or the snidely pleading look Draco had shot him.
Honestly. How anyone could look both snide and pleading at the same time was beyond him.
"Mother is allowing me to spend next summer in America."
Danny paused in trying to train Spooky to play dead. "With us?"
Draco shot him his patented exactly-how-much-of-an-idiot-are-you looks he usually reserved for the Gryffindors he whines about all the time. "Who else would I go to?"
"I don't know. You could always have a long lost twin or something. Oh wait…."
Draco let out a huff, but the twitching of his mouth showed his amusement, "You aren't as funny as you think you are."
"Uhh, I'm hilarious thank you very much."
They were silent once again. Danny slowly sat up, brushing grass and leaves off his robes. He looked at Draco, watching as his eyes constantly flit back and forth across the grounds. It had taken a while for Danny to get why he did this.
At first he thought Draco was watching for danger, which was fair. Danny would do the same thing sometimes, watching for ghosts during a calm week because he gets anxious when no one has attacked him for a while. (Which was a whole nother thing he was pointedly not thinking about.) But Draco didn't do it when they were holed up in their room, and Draco was explaining potions and wizard astronomy while Danny tried to explain video games and rocket ships.
Danny actually preferred when they were arguing in the bedroom, because he saw a passion burn in Draco that he usually buried deep down; bringing a spark of life into cool grey eyes that were so different from Danny's, but still very much the same.
But right now they were hanging out in the gardens behind the manor, and Draco kept his eyes out for anyone who might catch him "acting unbefitting of a Malfoy".
Danny had phased Lucius's cane partly through the floor after that comment, causing the usually graceful man to trip and fall to the ground. Draco had looked flabbergasted, but Danny preferred that over the look of shame that had been on his face after they were caught goofing off in the greenhouse.
"Lucius is actually going to let you go?" Danny asked when it became clear that Draco was not going to say anything else. "What happened to all that 'filthy muggles' crap he was spouting about like, an hour ago?"
Draco tensed even more. "You wouldn't understand-"
"If it's the squib thing again-"
"To protect us." Draco snapped. "There's something happening this year. Something big. And Mother wants us as far away from it as possible. Your muggles have proven themselves capable of caring after a magical child, so it's only reasonable I spend next summer with you, as you have spent with us."
Danny stood up and faced Draco, looking down slightly as his brother was still sitting on the bench. He guessed that Draco knew exactly what (who) was coming. And Danny himself put the pieces together after various eavesdropping sessions on Lucius and Narcissa's occasional fights. But he wasn't going to bring it up here, what with the potential ears hiding in the bushes and shadows. Secrets and personal conversations had a nasty way of turning up in the elder Malfoys' knowledge, and as much as he liked Narcissa, Lucius just reminded him too much of Vlad; they both played life like a game of chess and had no qualms over sacrificing pawns in their games.
Danny hated chess. Wizard chess included no matter how cool it looked.
"My family." Danny corrected. "Not just muggles."
"We're your family."
"Lucius and Narcissa are strangers." Danny said flatly. "They may be the reason I'm here, in both ways, but I don't really know them. Narcissa has made somewhat of an effort, but no matter how cool she's being about this; she's still not my mom. Lucius is definitely not my dad."
"And me?"
To anyone else, Draco might have sounded antagonistic and challenging. But Danny had gotten to know his newfound twin over the past few months. He may be generally oblivious to most things, but he could see the doubt and insecurity in Draco's eyes. Danny had not spent his summer trying to prove to Draco that his friendship wasn't conditional just to lose it now.
Danny grinned, "Dude you became my friend when you pushed me into the pond trying to get the snitch. I think you're family by now, and my parents are going to think so too. Family doesn't begin or end in blood."
Tucker would be rolling on the floor in hysterics if he ever found out Danny used a Supernatural quote like that.
But Draco just looked shocked and confused, in his own snobbish way. And considering that bloodlines seem to be a big deal to the wizarding upper class, that would seem a rather radical statement.
Oh he couldn't wait for him to meet Sam in all her activist rage against classism.
Draco's eyes flitted across the ground again. "I always wanted a sibling," He let out in a rush.
He met Danny's eyes, "Mother had grown up with a sister. Her cousins all had at least one sibling as well. She had hoped it to be the case when she had her own children."
He dropped his gaze, glaring at the small flowers scattered at his feet, "But the Malfoy bloodline has been cursed to only bear one heir. Being twins did nothing to change that. It's why you were born a squib and Father gave you away. If you had been born with magic….The curse would have taken one of us."
"Screw the curse, I consider you my brother."
Draco snapped his head up.
Danny just shrugged, a wry grin on his face. "Last I checked I was officially disowned and declared dead," Ha. "And I don't think I'll be in the will anytime soon after what I did to Lucius's wine collection."
"He's still not pleased about that."
"Narcissa thought it was funny. And" Danny grinned wider, "Being my brother means you get an overbearing sister named Jazz as well. Two siblings at absolutely no cost to you."
He would say three, but he wasn't quite ready to bring up the whole Dani business and he especially wasn't about to drag her into this long lost twin mess while she was still trying to figure herself out away from the shadow of being his clone.
Do wizards even have clones? How would he even bring that up in conversation? Doesn't matter, problem for future Danny.
"So bro-"
"Do not call me 'bro' ever again."
"-brother, twin, male sibling." Draco groaned, "I cannot wait to take you to a muggle mall for some jeans."
The look of absolute horror on his face sent Danny laughing. He couldn't wait for next summer.
The first HP story I ever post and its THIS.
Anyways this stemmed from an anon sending Lynse a three sentence request on her tumblr, she worked her magic, and I ended up having no self control to write about it. FiveRivers also has a DP twin AU here (Stars Aligned) which is amazing go check that out.
I'll get some questions out of the way now: 1. Danny will not be going to Hogwarts :^) He is a squib :^) No magic wands or spells for him :^) 2. No I will not be writing about the summer they spent at Malfoy Manor, you can kinda guess what went on from this. 3. Draco seems more mellowed out cause Danny dragged him kicking and screaming into being a slightly decent human being over the summer 4. I love all you guys and hope you have a great day :) 5. This chapter takes place BEFORE Goblet of Fire, and thus before a majority of the angst. HOWEVER, the story itself will take place before Order of the Phoenix, everyone's favorite crossover point.
UNTIL NEXT CHAPTERS MY VIEWERS OF THE CORN!