Recap: Ginny was quiet a moment. "It's being used as Order headquarters. I don't know whom it belongs to now. Night Malfoy." She tossed the Extendable Ear to him and exited the room.
.::.
Unbeknownst to Harry, a blond slept across the hallway, dreaming of him and the own events he'd witnessed that day.
Chapter Three – Getting Some Facts, Proposing a Truce
Grimmauld Place, next day
Harry awoke to the smell of sausage wafting up from the kitchen. He rolled over on the bed and faced the closed door of his room. Bright light was flooding in through a small crack in the curtain against the window opposite of the door, so Harry knew he had slept in longer than usual. He'd have been expected to already be downstairs and done cooking breakfast already, at the Dursleys'.
'Thank Merlin, I'm away from there. This bed's actually big enough to hold me,' he thought, arching his back to stretch. He sat up and looked around his room. It had an empty portrait above a dark mahogany desk, which was next to closet cabinets that appeared to belong in a set with the desk and the nightstand next to the twin bed he was in. Harry stared at the portrait, framed by a single silver snake curving around it. It was most likely the portrait of Phineas Nigellus, moved from his room with Ron and put in here to keep an eye on him for Dumbledore.
Getting up out of the bed, Harry pulled on the pair of jeans from yesterday, socks and shoes, and changed into a dark grey T-shirt. The T-shirt hung loosely, even though Hermione had gotten it for him last year. Harry didn't bother brushing his hair, as it wouldn't really help any.
Harry noted that the door across from his was still closed as he made his way downstairs to the kitchen. His stomach was protesting the smell of food loudly as he got down the stairs to the kitchen and table. Ron and Hermione were already in there, eating breakfast, along with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny.
Harry gave a small nod to Ron and Hermione as he sat down heavily across from them, next to Ginny. Ginny smiled at Harry before doing a double take. Her smile faded slightly as she saw his condition, but she didn't comment on it, and Harry was grateful.
"Hey Harry" was all she said before continuing to eat.
"Morning dear, better eat up." Mrs. Weasley handed Harry a plate as he looked gingerly at the surrounding food: sausages, toast, eggs, and biscuits were heaped onto the table. Harry forked a little of each onto his plate and stared at it. Ron and Hermione were looking at him from across the table.
"It's not going to disappear sitting there, Harry," Ron chided him. He himself had heaped his plate with small mountains of everything on the table, and was busy again shoveling it all into his mouth. Hermione just sat next to him, staring at Harry again.
"You look well-rested," she added in when he looked at her.
"Yeah, thanks," the sarcasm shone through and they both looked back down to their plates. Why did they have to comment on the way he looked again, first thing in the morning?
Harry ate through his food slowly, trying to ease the dull aching that started in his stomach again.
He noticed that Ginny had another plate next to her that she began filling with food once she was done with her own. She nodded to her mum then took the plate, along with a glass of orange juice, up the stairs.
Ron and Hermione also seemed to notice because they looked to Mrs. Weasley as soon as Ginny disappeared.
"Where's she going, mum? She's already eaten a plate and a half, she isn't still hungry, is she?" Ron spoke up first, the confusion clear on his face.
"She's taking food upstairs for someone, Ron. Mind your business," Mrs. Weasley continued hustling about near the sink.
Ron gave an alarmed look at his mother's back, which he turned to Harry and Hermione. Harry shrugged at Ron, and kept eating. He wasn't feeling nauseous like he'd been last night, and that was a good improvement, though his appetite was smaller than it should be.
Mrs. Weasley moved after Ginny through the door, apparently finished cleaning up. That left him alone with Ron and Hermione. He wanted to tell them he was sorry for last night, but he could only stare at his food. He couldn't understand why he didn't want to be around them. When he'd been stuck at Privet Drive, all he wanted to do was see and be with them. Now that he was though, all he wanted to do was go be alone in his room.
"So were you guys going to tell me what's been going on?" He asked before he could stop himself. He was still a little curious as to what had been happening.
"Of course. What do you want to know first, Harry?" Hermione looked at him from across the table. Ron stopped eating and joined her in looking at him.
"Well, what's the Ministry doing?" Harry asked, forgetting his food. Ron seemed to notice, though. He frowned, furrowing his brow at Harry's plate, before covering it up by shoveling more food into his mouth.
"Much of nothing." Off Harry's confused look she added, "Voldemort's been lying low still. But they've done as much as could be expected. They've begun questioning suspected Death Eaters, and are working to make brochures and booklets for wizarding families on safety. Fudge's in a spot of trouble for putting everyone in jeopardy for so long by denying his return."
"Yeah, he's taken to sending notes to Dumbledore, asking for advice. If he gets in trouble again, they're going to can him." Ron said seriously, waving his fork around.
"What about Azkaban? The dementors?" It didn't surprise Harry that Fudge was on probation. The stupid git had refused to believe him and Dumbledore for a year. A small part of Harry wished Voldemort were doing something, to put Fudge in an even tighter spot with the Ministry. Then he felt bad for thinking anything of the sort.
"Well… the dementors have left Azkaban. The Ministry's got a bunch of their Aurors there. Tonks and Kingsley have shifts there." Hermione supplied. She noticed Harry had stopped eating now too.
Harry sighed to himself. "What's the Order doing?" Hermione shared a look with Ron again. He wished they would stop doing that.
Ron answered him this time. "We don't know. They still won't tell us. Snape's been coming about more recently, as horrible as ever. He seemed kind of different yesterday though." Harry's look turned absolutely murderous at the mention of Snape, whom he still blamed terribly – beside himself, that is – for Sirius's death.
"I don't want to hear about that pillock." Harry downright growled out to his two friends. He stood abruptly from the table and stalked back to his room through the door, leaving them to stare in shock at his retreat.
Harry trumped up the stairs from the basement then made an abrupt turn down the hall, going through a door into the backyard.
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The darkness in his room receded as the sun rose in the sky. The light bothered Draco and disturbed his slumber something terrible. It wasn't until a knock sounded on his door that he woke up fully and sat up.
"Come in," he said harshly after smoothing back his hair with his hand to be somewhat presentable.
"Let me in, I can't open the door," Ginny's voice coaxed through the door. Draco automatically slid out of bed, pulling a shirt over his head and grabbing for pants. There was no way in hell he'd willingly let a Weasley see him in his boxers, even if she was nice.
Ginny waited patiently outside, hearing him move around inside the room. She smiled when he opened the door, in pressed grey pants and a black shirt, his hair still a little mussed.
Draco immediately noticed the smile did not reach her eyes, which were looking slightly pained. She was wearing a worn blue T-shirt and jeans. His eyes lit up when he saw the food she had and he moved aside to let her in. She set the orange juice down on his nightstand and handed him the plate of food.
"Figured you wouldn't want to eat with Ron and Hermione down there."
"Got that right." Draco took the plate and sat down on the bed, rolling his eyes. He started eating while she sat down at the foot of his bed. She seemed lost in her thoughts, and the pained look in her eyes was spreading over her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked. He didn't know why he cared – no, he didn't care. He was just curious.
Ginny tore her gaze from the door to look at him. "Harry." She said simply.
'What did he do now, run away? What is it with that boy and being in trouble?' Draco wondered. He felt weird inside, like his stomach was twisting itself. 'Out of all the people I could have ended up liking, why did it have to be Harry Potter?' he wondered, not for the first time.
"What's wrong with Potter now?" Draco asked, hiding the worry on his face before Ginny noticed.
"It's no wonder he was sick last night. He looked… really bad," Ginny made a small growl, sounding like Crookshanks, Hermione's ginger cat. "Those goddamn muggles he has to stay with had something to do with it, I'd put my life on it. They're horrible."
Draco looked at the redhead in surprise of her swearing, especially towards muggles.
"They'd treat the Golden Boy of Hogwarts badly?" Draco had never really heard much about the people Harry stays with. He always thought he'd been treated like a king when away from Hogwarts. His question made Ginny laugh for some reason.
"Merlin, I really shouldn't tell you all of this about him. Knowing you, you'd just use it against him by throwing it in his face." She smoothed down his bedspread with her hand, looking towards the door again.
"Weas- Ginny, I don't think after this summer, I'll be throwing much of anything in his face."
"What do you mean?" She looked back towards him, eyeing his face to see if he was serious or not.
"Nah-ah, you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine." He took a sip of the orange juice, smirking into the glass as she rolled her eyes.
"Harry lives with horrible muggles who hate wizards and everything magical. Up until his Hogwarts letter, they treated him like their own little House-Elf. Your Second Year, I heard Ron talking about how they'd locked him up in his room, bars on his window, and feeding him through a flap on the door. His cousin used to beat him before, so I wouldn't put it past them to beat him now. I don't know everything, this is only what I've heard from my family." Ginny poured out.
Draco frowned. Harry lived with people like that? He deserved more. He should at least live with wizards! Wait, why doesn't he?
"Why doesn't he live with you Weasleys?"
"Believe me, we'd be more than happy to take him in, but Dumbledore wants him to stay there, so we can't argue. We do usually get him for the last month of summer and school holidays." Ginny answered. "If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say you cared, Malfoy."
"Who said I did?" He set the now empty plate down and turned to face her.
Ginny gave a little shrug. "No one. Malfoys don't care, right? Now tell me what you meant earlier."
"I meant exactly what I said. I've been rethinking my decisions this summer. I want a… truce with Potter." Draco skirted. Ginny's eyes widened as she stared at him.
"What? Am I not allowed to have a truce with His Greatness?" Draco said defensively. 'Why's she have to look at me like I'm insane?'
"You, Draco Malfoy, want to get in Harry Potter's, The Boy-Who-Lived, good graces? Now I would definitely think you hit your head. What makes you think he'll agree to it?"
Draco stood up from the bed and made his way to the window. He was quiet for a few minutes, as he studied the dead garden in the backyard.
He spoke up with his back still turned to her, "I don't know. I'll keep trying if he says no." Draco's eyes lit up and his stomach flipped when he saw the object of their conversation, and his heart, enter the backyard and kick at the dirt, facing away from the house.
"Speaking of the Saint, I'm going to talk to him." Draco turned around and Ginny stood up.
"What are you gonna do if you see Ron or Hermione?"
Draco paused and looked at her. "Tell the Weasel off?" He suggested, only half-seriously.
"He'll blow a gasket if he sees you here, Malfoy." She stated.
"If you're so worried about me while I talk to your Boy Wonder, keep the two of them busy. At least keep a look out." Draco scooped up his wand from his nightstand and patted down his body, wondering where he'd store it.
"Even I'm not going to let you take your wand out to meet him, Malfoy." Ginny raised her eyebrows at him.
He raised a slim eyebrow back at her and drawled in true Malfoy fashion, "You could almost give me a run for my money with that look, Weasley. I'm not going to go hex your savior. I told you I've rethought some things. It wouldn't do any good to off him now."
He pushed his wand into a pocket and moved to the door. "Coming to look out for me?"
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Harry threw himself down on one of the stone benches in the dry, dreary garden. He'd never really been out in the backyard before.
Glancing around, he saw long-dead flowerbeds surrounding likewise grass. Huge grey pots with gargoyle faces protruding from the sides, holding crispy dry plants and dead sticks, were places throughout the yard. Three benches, one of which he sat on, were in the middle of a stone patio next to the house. Any tree that could have been in the yard, alone with bushes, were barren and cold looking. It was his kind of place right now.
"Them and their stupid looks, and bringing up Snape of all people…" Harry muttered darkly.
He bit his lip in anger, tears welling up in his eyes as he once again thought of Sirius. He'd been here with him just last Christmas… singing songs and decorating the house…
"RRAAUURRGH!!!" Harry yelled up at the blue sky in anguish, slamming his fists down on the stone. Tears slid down his pale cheeks.
"You really shouldn't bottle your anger up like that, Potter." A terribly familiar drawl sounded from behind him. 'Shit.'
Harry turned to face the figure of his rival with hardened eyes. He didn't bother standing up; it was useless, his wand was in the house, in his room. Defenseless, angry, sad and feeling suddenly very cold inside, he studied his enemy.
His white blond hair had grown since June, now curling around his ears, and his lithe seeker frame had grown taller than Harry's.
He stood with his hands in his pockets, his black V-necked shirt fitting over his slim form, showing off his lightly muscled chest that would have otherwise been hidden by school robes. Harry's eyes moved up to Malfoy's face.
Malfoy's face held the usual smirk, but his eyes were also studying Harry, and by the intense look in them, he did not like whatever he saw of Harry, like everyone else. Of course, it could have just been that he was looking at his enemy, and the intense look was hate for him. So why didn't he say anything malicious towards Harry?
Harry realized Malfoy had been speaking to him again, when his eyes slipped down to his moving mouth.
"What?"
"I asked, Potter, why you're staring at me like a hungry dog would a piece of meat?" Though his words were cool, inside Draco's heart pounded a little faster at the look Potter had given him.
For Harry, the anger he'd been feeling so close to the surface flooded his senses again. Malfoy's comment of a hungry dog reminded him of Sirius even more and his eyes hardened, suddenly remembering where he was.
"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing. Here, Malfoy?" Harry ground out, running a hand through his dark hair, his eyes glinting.
"Dumbledore regally invited me here, Potter. No need to get your knickers in a twist." Draco explained, taking a few steps toward the angry boy. He should have expected that much, at least, from Harry.
Harry snorted, "Oh yes, and why exactly would the Professor want you here?" Harry twisted his torso back around. A dangerous move really, turning his back to a known enemy, but at that point he really didn't care. Besides, if he really thought about it, if Dumbledore brought Malfoy, Harry shouldn't really complain. He could, but it would accomplish nothing. And he trusted Dumbledore.
Malfoy took Harry's silence as enough of an invite to come closer. He smoothly sat down beside him on the stone bench, his hands out of his pockets and curled around the edge behind him, bracing him as he leaned back.
"You realize you just turned your back to me, Potter? I could have hexed you into oblivion by now for Merlin's sake." He commented.
Harry gave a small half-shrug. "So I did. Would you really hex me?"
"With whatever the Order is just a few feet away? Unlikely. I'm smarter than that I'll have you know." He answered indignantly. "What's wrong exactly, Potter? The Weasley Woman was probably beside herself with motherly grief when she saw you."
Harry looked over at the Slytherin next to him. There was no hate or mocking in his voice, nor on his face, only an indescribable emotion. Strangely, Harry didn't feel any anger at the comment pointed towards his appearance.
"Has no one told you, Malfoy?" The bitterness leaked into his question.
Draco chanced a glance towards Harry, his stomach giving a lurch as if he missed a disappearing step on one of the Hogwarts staircases.
"Only Snape, Weasley Woman and the littlest Weasley know I'm here." Draco revealed truthfully. "I'd rather hear it from the source."
Harry studied him for a second. Why he was sitting down and spilling his guts to Draco Malfoy, he didn't know, but… it didn't feel wrong.
"The Dursleys – the muggles I live with – did this." He explained, motioning to the bruises and cuts on his head.
"And the weight loss?" Malfoy questioned, eyeing Harry's middle. It made Harry flush and look away.
"What do you care, Malfoy? Why are you even talking to me?" Harry said roughly, keeping his eyes on the pot nearest them.
"… You're right, I don't." Draco looked away from Harry.
They sat in silence for a while, each sneaking small glances at the other. Here Draco was, having an almost civil conversation with Harry-bleeding-Potter, or at least he had been. Draco felt a small urge in his chest to scoot closer and put his arm around the boy who looked so adorably lost in his own mind.
Harry stood up suddenly, ruining the small daydream Draco had been caught in. He made his way towards the house, Draco staring at him in surprise before calling out for him to wait. Draco followed him, stopping short when he was next to him.
"Harry, I want a truce with you. I've had the freedom this summer to decide some things on my own, and now that I've tasted that freedom and realized a few things, I don't want to give it up to serve that old bastard. I want to help the Order in what they're doing, I want to help you." He said with only a few pauses, rushing the end. Draco looked into Harry's eyes and instead of disbelief or suspicion like he expected to see, he saw a softness he'd only seen when Harry had been with Weasel and Granger. He rather liked the look being given to him now.
"You called me Harry." 'Damn Draco!'
"So I did." He tensed a little, waiting for Harry to cut him down.
"We've been on last name terms for as long as I can remember." Okay, so it wasn't exactly what he expected.
"Okay, so I won't call you Harry, Potter! Do you accept my offer?" Draco said agitated. He didn't really want to give up the unsaid privilege, but…
"No…" Draco could have sworn his heart froze at the softly spoken word. 'Should have expected he wouldn't want anything to do with me.'
Harry continued, "No, you can call me Harry. I… kind of like it," He ducked his head, "And I accept – as long as you don't call Hermione a Mudblood anymore, or make fun of Ron's family."
Draco sighed and pretended to think it over, scratching his chin. Inside, his heart was leaping at Harry saying he liked him calling him by his name, and his stomach gave a pleasurable squirm being granted the privilege from Harry himself.
"Alright, alright. I promise not to call Granger Mudblood, or to have a go at Weasel's family," on an afterthought, he added, "His mother and sister aren't that bad actually. The girl's dead useful and sneaky; Her hearing's amazing."
Harry looked surprised about this, specifically at Draco's compliments. The surprise was masked with a frown as he thought about Ron and Hermione.
"They don't know I'm here, Harry." Draco reminded him. "Ginny's keeping lookout while I talk to you, I doubt they'd be happy with me being here, or me talking to you."
Harry smiled slightly to lighten the mood. "Ron'd freak. So you've been getting along with Ginny then? How long have you been here?"
"Got here yesterday afternoon." Draco's own face clouded over briefly as he thought about his mother's new comatose state. "You know, Ginny could tell it was you being sick last night within a few seconds? Scary that is."
Harry covered his face in embarrassment. "You heard that?"
Draco smirked in true Malfoy fashion again. "Bathroom's across from my bedroom. You didn't answer my question earlier, either."
Harry nodded, "Yeah, I know I didn't. You didn't answer mine either about why exactly you're here. I have a feeling Ron and Hermione'll be wondering where I've disappeared to though." When Draco raised an eyebrow, Harry said, "I've never been out here, hard as it may be to believe."
"The garden is pretty much dead. Of course, I might have guessed it was dead because you'd been out here in it."
Harry grinned at the slight barb, "Yes, but I, unlike you, know how to garden, Malfoy."
Draco gave his own smile. 'So he remembers that, hm?' "Yes, but you, unlike I, are a Scarhead." Harry moved to thwap his hand against Malfoy's shoulder, which he dodged easily. "And you can call me Draco, Harry."
"Draco the Git is more like it." Harry began walking towards the house again, Draco keeping pace right beside him.
"Can't do any better than that, eh?"
Harry rolled his eyes at the blond and opened the door, pushing him inside before going inside himself.
Just as they entered, a certain redhead skidded to a halt in front of them. "Malfoy!"
Sheree: Don't worry about it. I kinda wanted Harry to be mad at them for awhile. And I think Ron will always freak out when he finds out about Draco. Eventually, I'll make him quit being a blobhead though.
Robin the bird: I'm happy you like it. Hope how they met fit well with how they've been acting; I have trouble following through with that stuff.
BiF NAKED: Thanks! I love reading long stories/pages. Ginny's gonna have an actual role in this story because of the friendship with Draco, I hope. She's ignored a lot of times.
venilia: I like Lupin! I've always thought Harry would turn to him since Sirius's death. Thanks for your words
Civenus: Harry/Draco is my favorite couple at the moment. Ginny/Draco is hard for me to imagine.
Sorry if I failed to mention anyone!