Thanks to reviewers again..and yeah it should be Jake not Luke, I have no idea why I changed it o.0. anyway, I was reading through my story the other day just to check it and realized that FF has deleted the little stars etc, so when it suddenly skips a time period or character, there are meant to be stars.
Disclaimer: I own nothing…otherwise Draco would be locked away from you all….
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Summer woke up the next morning, a small smile playing on her lips. She could feel the warm morning sun caressing her face. Opening her eyes, Summer looked at her watch. Six forty five. She was too wide awake to fall back to sleep and lay watching the light that had woken her dance across the curtains and drapes on Draco's bed.
Rolling on to her right side, she smiled softly at the sleeping figure beside her. Draco was also on his side, facing her. A lock of his ash blond hair had fallen across his forehead, so she gently brushed it away. He frowned slightly in his sleep and then sighed, but didn't wake. Summer watched him sleep for a while, the way his body rose and fall in time to his gentle breathing, the way his long, blond eyelashes lay on his face that she thought couldn't be more perfect. Glancing at her watch again, she sighed and slowly sat up, making her way to the edge of the bed, allowing the royal blue throw slip off of her. The temperature of the room made her shiver; although the room was bathed in the sun during most of the day, it still remained surprisingly cool. Picking some clean clothes from her small luggage case, Summer made her way to the bathroom for a cool shower.
Oooo
She emerged fifteen minutes later, fully dressed in faded black jeans and a black top that had flowing sleeves and a v-neck that clung to her slim figure perfectly. And then it washed over her again, those cold, piercing eyes were watching her every move. Summer took in a deep breath and looked slowly around the room. Draco had evidently not yet woken as he had rolled onto his front and was snoring softly, his snake was no were to be seen in its tank and the view from the window showed a beautiful flower garden that was otherwise empty. A small yawn made her jump, and as Draco turned and sat up, the feeling vanished.
"Morning beautiful." He smiled sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Summer? Are you ok?" he said, his hand on one eye momentarily stationary as he caught the look on her face.
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, just a bit cold." She replied, giving him a small smile. She hadn't told him what had happened in Rempold, it seemed a bit silly now. He wrapped his arms around her as she crawled across the bed to him; not noticing the worried look in her eyes as she gave a last glance around the room.
00o00
Harry sat up and smiled. It was his birthday, and for once he was in a place that truly felt like home. Hedwig was sitting on the pine bed post at the foot of his bed, a parcel and letter attached to her leg, giving a snoring Ron a disdainful look. Jamming his round, black framed glasses on his face, Harry bounced on his knees to the end of the bed. Several other owls swooped in, also bearing gifts; bar one, sleek and rather pompous looking great horned owl. This only bore one letter, and seemed rather indignant at being sent, so Harry took the letter attached so it could swoop off.
The thin, curled and unusual hand writing on the front stopped Harry from tossing it onto the pile of various cards and continue opening his gifts. As he ripped the envelope open, the parchment inside slipped out with a note on; a note which almost made his heart stop and his blood run cold. It was a joke. It had to be a joke; but the coldness that seeped from the words was too real. He re-read the note, his throat dry.
'you should stop celebrating now, Potter. Your life is far from free, infact I see it as days numbered. You are going to die Potter, you and every muggle and mudblood that dared ever breathe. I will make sure of it; I will finish what voldemort was too weak and stupid to do. I will kill you, a slow, painful death is what you deserve, and I will have the pleasure in knowing I accomplished what the original dark lord set out to do. But you will not die until I've made you watch as every one of my victims die, not until every one of their pitiful screams and lifeless, terrified eyes have tormented your every living second. Then Harry, and only then will I let you die; reunite you with your pathetic, worthless family.' He dropped the parchment and ran his shaking hand through his thick tangled hair, trying to make it make sense.
At breakfast, he was very quiet, and although the rest of the family was as noisey and as happy as usual, he didn't go unnoticed.
"Oh, Harry dear, do eat something." Mrs Weasley said in a concerned tone. Harry glanced up, taken out of his thoughts, dropping the crust of toast he had been rolling into a ball. The worried look in his emerald eyes made her stop clearing the table.
"Whats wrong? Something is bothering you, I can tell." She continued softly, taking his hands into her own.
Ron, Ginny, Fred, George and Mr Weasley all stopped what they were doing and turned to Harry. Feeling their gazes settle on him, he sighed and pulled the letter from his pocket, handing it to her. As she read, her eyes widened in horror and her hand flew to her mouth.
"Oh my, oh my we must contact the ministry now, and on your birthday too…oh Harry!" she flustered, fanning herself with her other hand and handing the letter to Arthur.
"What is it, dad?" George asked, his normally grinning face slowly dropping into a concerned frown.
"Indeed we do need to contact the ministry, Molly, but I doubt Fudge will listen, he didn't last year until he saw Him last year." He said eventually.
"You mean…hes back? But Harry killed him! Last winter we were there!" Fred exclaimed, voicing everyone elses thoughts.
"No, its not Voldemort…its worse." Harry half whispered, breaking the silence that had settled.
"Th..then who?" Ron asked, his voice stuttering slightly at the thought of someone worse than Voldemort himself.
"I don't know. The note doesn't have a name." Harry replied, covering his face with his hands as he rested his elbows on the table in front of him. "We've got to get to Dumbledore." He said eventually, looking up at everyone's worried and concerned faces.
"Well, it could be a joke." Ginny said hopefully. "I wouldn't put it passed Malfoy or someone like him."
"Malfoy? He's too love struck with Summer to do anything like that. Besides, she wouldn't let hi.." Ron snorted. "Anyway, as it turned out his family was one of the good guys."
Harry sighed in annoyance, this was getting no where. But as Arthur said, it was going to take a lot of convincing to get Fudge to believe him.
"You know what, I'm not going to let this spoil the rest of my holiday. I bet you are right, Ginny, its someone's idea of a joke. And if it is genuine, I don't think that he will strike, not just yet." He decided, smiling around the table. He was met by smiles, but concerned and worried ones.
"If you are sure dear." Molly said, a somewhat worried tone about her voice.
0o0
The beginning of term soon came dangerously close, according to some. Summer had spent the last two weeks of the holidays with Draco as Snape had to return to the school to begin to prepare for the new academic year.
"Will you hurry up we are gonna be late!" Summer yelled, whacking the bathroom door in Draco's room. "What the heck are you doing in there?" just as she was about to hit the door again, it swung open, to reveal a grinning Draco who caught her hands and kissed her gently on the lips. (like Ron said, he was very 'love-struck')
"We are only going to buy books and stuff with Potter and friends." He smiled, taking her hand and dragging her to the fireplace whilst she tried to stuff the booklists in her bag.
"Are we both gonna fit in there?" Summer asked doubtfully as he pulled her in and put an arm around her.
"Sure..see?" he replied as they stood in it. Throwing the powder down, he yelled their destination, and no sooner had he done that, they were spinning out of the fireplace in Diagon Alley.
"Hey Hermione!" Summer exclaimed as she caught sight of her newly acclaimed friend who was leaning against the stone wall of a shop, shaded from the suns heat.
"Hello Summer, Draco!" Hermione replied happily, throwing her arms around Summer in a hug. Draco backed away behind Summer, he obviously didn't want one.
"Hey guys!" a voice greeted from behind. Harry jogged forward toward them, closely followed by Ron, Ginny and Mrs Weasley as they shot out of the fireplace.
"Who needs to visit Gringotts?" Molly said, bustling over. "Hello Hermione, Summer, Draco, how are you dears? The three she greeted replied politely, even Draco managed a smile and a hand shake.
"We already visited a few weeks back, thanks." Summer replied to Molly's earlier question, referring to herself and Draco.
"Oh, I've already gone as well, my parents needed to exchange the money." Hermione also said.
"Alright then, we'll meet you outside on the steps, we shouldn't be long."
Ten minutes later, the group made their way to the various shops that they needed to visit.
"Three books for DADA!" Ron exclaimed, looking down his book list in horror. "That is too much…I bet we get so much homework for that."
"Oh Ron, really, think of all that potential! And you are the one who chose the class, therefore you should be enthusiastic as to what you are given. You really do take learning for granted." Hermione sniffed, filling her arms with the books. Harry rolled his eyes at Summer and Draco.
"What does your uncle have in store for us then, Summer?" Harry asked, a slight grin on his face as Ron scowled at being reminded of potions.
"Dunno really, he wouldn't tell me." Summer shrugged. "He locked himself away for about a week and a half in July, and I didn't dare ask him what for, he was in a foul mood."
"The poor man, I do hope he is alright." Molly said, handing Ginny the fifth book she would need. Summer giggled at that, and Ron just snorted; he still disliked him just as much as ever.
"Oh, he was fine, I made him eat. I didn't particularly want to explain why the most disliked teacher at our school was found shrivelled and food deprived in his office." Summer smiled, making everyone laugh.
After they had finished their shopping trip, Mrs Weasley invited them all to tea; even Draco, who even more surprisingly agreed graciously. Ron scowled at Draco and whispered something to Harry, who just shrugged.
"Keep him under control would you?" Ron hissed in Summers ear when Draco was distracted by someone on the street.
"Yeah yeah, he'll be fine, I promise." She replied, reassuringly, and then got in line with the others to floo to the Burrow.
"Wow, its so cosy!" Summer commented as she stepped out of the fireplace in the kitchen.
"Well, I shouldn't think it puts up too much competition for a torture home." Ron grinned, and Summer laughed.
"No, really, it's much more like a home than Sev's place, that is so…formal and boring." She replied.
"Sev?" Harry raised an eyebrow at that and Ginny giggled.
"Well its either that or 'unc' and he hates that." Summer explained. "But I wouldn't call him that, he may rip your throat out. Good thing no-one else knows we are related."
"Tea will be ready on half an hour!" Molly informed them, so Ron suggested they went upstairs to his room. They just about squeezed in and sat around on the beds. Harry started fiddling for something and soon found the letter from the unknown sender.
"Hey Draco, I don't suppose you would know who this is from, would you?" he said, turning to where Draco was sitting and handing him the paper.
"Hmm…no, but I could take a guess as to who its from, but there are lots of possibilities. Difficult to say really." Draco replied eventually, handing Harry back his letter. "Pretty weird though. I mean, I've not heard anything, and to be honest my family being spies hasn't gone public so I'm generally well updated as to what the uncaptured death-eaters are up to." The conversations then took on a more sombre note; that is until Fred and George burst in the room announcing their new invention proudly.
"It's exploding snap…with a twist!" Fred exclaimed, grinning round at everyone.
"Let's start playing!" George practically yelled, dealing out the cards and ushering everyone to sit in a ring.
"Right, Harry old chap, you start." Harry picked a card from his pile and set it down in the middle of the ring, sitting back suddenly in case the new and 'modified' version of the game sprung a nasty surprise on him. They all went around, no-one finding a pair until Hermione set down a card of a golden snitch on top of its partner. As the card exploded, a foul green gunk splat itself all over her.
"Oh this is disgusting!" she shrieked as everyone else fell about laughing. Hermione scowled at first, but when a laughing Ron showed her a mirror, she couldn't help but join in.
"Don't worry, its perfectly safe and doesn't stick, stain or eat anything!" George told her proudly.
"Yep, best invention yet, that green gloop." Fred added, collecting up the cards.
"Tea!" a voice called up the stairs. They all jumped up and raced down the stairs, all feeling suddenly hungry. As usual, Mrs Weasley had surpassed herself with the food that was as ever tantalizing and delicious. Draco even enjoyed it, infact he had enjoyed every minute of being at the Burrow and had not made one nasty or offish comment.
"Well, we really should get going." Summer sighed, standing up and pulling a somewhat sleepy Draco to his feet.
"Yes, its getting late and we are off to school tomorrow!" Hermione said excitedly, gathering up her things and hugging Harry and Ron.
"Oooh, thrilling." Ron replied sarcastically, gaining a swift but friendly punch from Hermione.
"Bye guys! See you tomorrow!" Harry called as the three made their way to the fireplace in the kitchen; they had been sitting in the living room before they departed.
"See you tomorrow then." Summer said, turning to Hermione as she threw in some floo powder.
"Yes, at the station!" she replied, hugging Summer again. "Bye you two!" she called as she whirled around and disappeared.
"Off we go.." Summer said, turning to Draco. "You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm just really tired." Draco yawned, stepping into the fireplace. As soon as they got back to his home, he climbed into bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.