DISCLAIMER: not my toys, only playing with them.

5. Break My Fall


Harry yet again woke up in a place he knew, but didn't know how he got there.

He got up from his bed in him and Ron's room and stared at the back of the door.

He remembered. So of the Order members came and got him form his aunt and uncle's and brought him here. He went into the kitchen and Sirius…

Sirius.

Sirius was alive.

At that moment, Hermione opened the door and smiled at him. "You're awake!"

"Yea, um... Mione, I'm not crazy am I… Is Sirius really…"

"Yes, I'm alive" came Sirius' voice from behind Hermione. She stood aside.

Harry ran into Sirius' arms and sobbed. "I thought you were gone forever."

"I would have been if it weren't for you. I saw your dreams Harry, I knew you needed me."

Harry looked into Sirius' face. "You… you saw them?"

"Every one of them. I saw how you battled for Lily, James, and me all those nights against Voldemort. I was impressed; you did moves I never even though existed. Can you really do all those things?" Sirius said curiously.

"No, but I want to learn how. I can do all the spell work though; everyone in the D.A. can do those." Harry said with a grin.

"I missed you, kiddo." Sirius said.

"I missed you, too." Harry replied.

Hermione cleared her throat. Even though it was a precious moment, she and Sirius had something to do.

"Ahem, right. Harry? Dumbledore's down stairs in the kitchen waiting for us. He wants to make an announcement." Hermione said after waiting for the two to break apart.

"Yea," Sirius agreed, "let's all go down stairs."


When they entered the kitchen everyone was chatting with one another.

The Weasley children were all listening to Fred and George explain their latest invention. Even Percy was paying attention.

Remus was at the end of the table listening to everyone talking around him, reading the Daily Prophet, sipping coffee. He smiled warmly at them.

Tonks, Molly, Arthur, Mad-eye Minerva were talking together with Dumbledore. He was the first to look up at Harry.

"Hello, Harry. Feeling better?"

"Yes sir, thank you."

The rest of the table chorused in a big 'Hey, Harry!' that made Hermione giggle. And Hermione giggling made Ron blush.

Harry went and sat in the empty seat next to Ron, across from the twins and Percy. Sirius sat next to Harry and Hermione sat between Mrs. Weasley and Ginny.

Dumbledore looked down the table at Harry and said "We will be getting along with the announcements soon as Severus and our guests arrive. But I would like to say to everyone that I am expecting the best behavior out of the children," he glanced over at the Weasley children, "and the adults who decide to act like children." He then glanced at Sirius who smiled innocently.

Then the fire in the fireplace turns bright green, startling those closest to it.

Severus Snape, Narcissa Malfoy and Draco Malfoy stepped out the fire one right after another.

Moody growled, "Malfoys! What are they doing here, Dumbledore?"

"They are our guests, Alastor. Please behave yourself." Dumbledore said calmly. "Please sit down, all of you."

Harry noticed that Remus, Sirius and all the Weasley boys were standing as well. They all sat down at Dumbledore's request.

The Malfoys sat at the end of the table next to Remus and Snape sat on the other side of Draco separating him and Ron. Ron looked ready to kill at the fact Draco was here, but looked terrified at the fact that Snape was sitting right next to him.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle in the tense room. No one could hear him; everyone was talking all at the same time, and they weren't getting anywhere.

"Stop!" Dumbledore said as he stood and raised his hands. Everyone went silent. "Listen to me. Severus was not the only spy for the Light. Lucius also spied for us, but no one knew except for Severus and myself. The Dark Lord asked Lucius to bring him Draco to give him the Dark Mark, Lucius refused and was killed. Voldemort is now after Draco, he wants him to take his father's place next to him. We have different plans. Narcissa and Draco will live here for now and at the beginning of the school term; we will be transferring Draco into Gryffindor, seeing how he staying in Slytherin could be dangerous."

Ron and Harry looked at each other. Draco Malfoy… a Gryffindor?

"It is our responsibility to befriend the Malfoys and make the blow of their loss lessened. Harry, Ron, Hermione, please be civil with Draco. I ask of all four of you to try to become friends. You aren't that different after all. Oh yes, and Sirius, I hope you don't mind your cousins coming to stay. You were friends once, one not again."

"No… No of course not. Welcome Narcissa. Draco. I'm… I'm sorry for your losses." Sirius said sounding very forced.

"Thank you, Siri. I've missed you, you know. I'm sorry we disagreed on so many things. I wish we could have been closer. I miss all those times at Black Manor when we were children." Narcissa said sincerely. She had a lovely, hushed voice. Sirius nodded.

'Siri?' Draco and Harry thought at the same time. Draco looked across the table at Harry. Harry smiled at him. Draco tried to smile back but got something mixed between a scowl and a smirk.

"So, as for what rooms you'll be staying in. Draco, for you I expanded Harry and Ronald's room and added and extra bed and wardrobe. I hope you'll find your comfortable there. Narcissa, there is a room father down the hall on the second floor that I believe you'll find pleasing. You'll also find that your personal things are in their designated rooms. I hope we all get along swimmingly. Now, let's eat some breakfast."

With a wave of his hand, Dumbledore summoned many plates full of breakfast items. Everyone, especially the twins, tucked into the food.

Harry and Ron looked at each other again. Malfoy would bet sleeping in the same room as they would were.

As they ate, it was quite obvious to Harry that they were planning something. Harry guess it was probably something concerning how to properly welcome their new housemate.


After lunch (AN: Harry slept in, ok? Sheesh), Snape took Narcissa to her room and the boys took Draco to theirs.

"Nice place you got here, boys," said Narcissa as she peeked in while passing to do to her room. "I'm sure you will be comfortable Draco."

"Yes, I suppose so, mother." He said as she started walking down the hall.

Harry sat on top of his trunk while Ron spread out on his four-poster bed. (AN: and if the bed weren't four-poster before, they are now!) Draco stood in the middle of the open space.

"I... I wanted to say," Draco began with out looking at them. "That I am truly... I'm sorry for harassing you at school. I've…. I've come to terms with myself. I'm an arrogant prat and I'm fine with that. I'm sorry you've been the ones on the receiving end. I didn't even know my father was a spy for the Light until after he died." He looked up at Harry. "I hated the both of you because of what my father said about your families. I really never got the chance to properly meet both of you and learn what you're about."

Harry just stared back at Draco for a second before smiling and saying, "I forgive you, Malfoy. I hated you for the same reasons. And of course the way you treated me."

"Yea. Sorry I guess, Malfoy. I mean, you were a slimy git. We had ever right to hate you..." Ron said.

Harry gave a loud sigh.

Draco gave a small smile. He turned and sat on his bed.

"Well, uh... Harry, I'm going to go see what Hermione's doing. Do you want to come?" Ron asked eager to get out of the same room as the Slytherin.

"Nah, I think I'll stay here with Draco," Harry said, he saw out of the corner of his eye Draco looked at him with a smile on his face. "Tell her hi for me though."

"Alright mate, see you. Bye Draco." Ron said as he hurried out the door closing it after him.

Harry looked over to the Slytherin. If he had been smiling, he wasn't now. He had a look of placidness, but Harry could see, underneath his shell, Draco was about to break.

"I'm sorry about him, Draco. It's going to take awhile for him, and myself, to adjust to having an old arch-nemesis as a best mate." Harry said with a slight shrug.

Draco shrugged. "Well, I didn't expect you both to jump into my arms like we're long lost brothers or something. I realize you hate me. I'm not blind you know." He said with a slight snarl.

"I don't hate you, Ma… Draco. I just didn't know you. I still don't, but I would like to."

Draco looked apprehensive, but stood up and walked over and sat on Harry's bed. Harry got off his trunk and sat next to him. Harry held out his hand to the other boy. Draco took it and Harry started shaking his hand.

"Hello, I'm Harry Potter," Harry smiled.

"I'm Draco Malfoy. Pleased to meet you," Draco said with a nod.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green, silver and black."

"Duh," Harry said as he smacked his forehead.

"What about you? Let me guess, red and gold?'

Harry grinned and nodded.

"What your favorite animal?"

Draco smiled.


After about 2 hours, they had asked each other everything they could think of to ask. Everything from 'what's your favorite planet?' to 'how many killing curses do you know?'

They then started telling each other about 'first times'.

"… and that was the first time I broke my arm."

"Wow, you've broke just about everything!" Draco exclaimed after about the seventh story of 'first broken bones'. "How did you break so many?"

Harry really didn't want to answer that question.

"Well…" he started shakily, "my uncle he... You know, sometime I would do something stupid and he would put me back in line. Nothing too serious, nothing permanently damaged."

Draco just looked like he had been slapped. The Boy-Who-Lived… abused? This couldn't be right.

"Harry, he… he hit you?"

"He only did it when I did something stupid!' He said with anxiety in his voice, "it's my fault! I go what I deserved!"

"And what exactly did you do for him to do such things?" Draco asked, getting angrier and angrier at this unknown Muggle by the second.

"Exist," Harry said in a very small voice, tears starting to roll down his face.

Draco didn't know what to do. The Golden Boy was sitting right next to him admitting to him that his uncle had hit him.

'Weasel King probably doesn't even know about this. Why is he telling me?' Draco though. 'What do I do?'

Draco did the only thing he could think of to make him feel better. Draco slid his arms around Harry, making Harry jump at the sudden contact.

Harry froze. Draco Malfoy was holding him. He didn't mind it too much. He snuggled into Draco's shoulder and quietly sobbed, wrapping his arms around him.


They sat there like that for awhile. Then Harry sat back, breaking the contact.

"Why didn't you try to get me back as a friend after what happened on the train?" asked Harry as he wiped his eyes.

"I was intimidated by you. I thought once you judged a person; you didn't give a second chance. I guess I was wrong about you, pot… I mean, Harry." Draco smirked. "Thank you. I think we can be friends. We've been in close range to each other for almost three and a half hours; I think we can help not jinxing each other."

Harry smiled back. "Yea, I think your right. I'm glad you've changed Draco."

'Yea, easier and sooner than I expected.' Draco thought silently to himself.


"...I am losing you again let me out and let me in
'cause you're not alone here not at all
let me belong here break my fall
shelter me from this again
dedicated to the end
help me break my conscience in
to free us from our innocence..."

-Breaking Benjamin "Break My Fall"