Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are J.K. Rowling, and I just like sticking them in compromising situations for fun. I'm not making anything off of this, and all I really have is some burnt toast.
Warning: If you do not like Slash (male x male) relations, than you most likely will not enjoy this story. This is your chance to hit the back arrow so don't come crying to me afterwards. I'll post another warning when things get hot and heavy, but we're not quite there yet.
A/N: First off, I wish to thank everyone who reviewed! That sure did take me along time to update. Well, I'm finished with school so that gives melots of free time so look forward to quicker updates! I'll cross myfingersfor next time. Oh, and I like reviews! You wouldn't believe how inspired I feel after reading them!
Chapter 2
Potter was still laughing from his own joke that only he could understand while a slightly ruffled Draco stood off to the side. Draco was trying to decide if he should be running away or not when the door that he was leaning against for support flew open and he suddenly found himself falling backwards. Crashing down with very little grace he distinctly heard a very loud, angry woman screaming at Potter, who now had the decency to shut up.
"Harry! What is all this racket about! You know full well what the neighbors might think if they see you out here! You had better…" The woman paused midway through her frenzied rant to realize that there was something blocking her path. Looking down she noticed one very shocked Draco Malfoy starring up at her. The woman's face shifted suddenly from anger, to bewilderment to a very icy, piercing glare.
"Are you one of Harry's friends?" She spat out, shocking Draco back into motion. He slowly picked himself up, noticing how all eyes were on him, and brushed off his clothes.
"Me? A friend of his?" Draco looked as if he just took a bite of a huge nasty bug as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder to clarify with out doubt who they were talking about. "Not for all the gold in Gringotts bank would I be friends with him." The woman's eyes quickly darted to his robes and then shot a murderous glance at Potter, shifting her eyes to the suitcase then back to the new boy standing on her doorstep.
"You're trying to run away again aren't you, boy?" She hissed like an angry mother goose to Potter. Draco caught on to what he guessed was running through the woman's mind, judging by the way her eyes kept flickering back to the forgotten suitcase. Draco once again filed that tad-bit of information away for later usage. Mussing over why Potter would try to run away from this place, even if it did look awful small and meager.
"I only just got here, why ever dear Aunt would I be trying to get away ever so quickly?" Potter shot back, but Draco noticed that it did not have the usual bite to it. A slow grin spread over Potter's face as he continued, his aunt looking more and more agitated by the moments. "In fact, and most unfortunately, I'll be staying here for the full summer break. The plans that I have been working on seem to be no longer of importance, considering how things have changed around here."
"What do you mean by things changing? How have they changed?" She barked suddenly, eyes now darting around the small yard and to the neighbor's windows. Just as Potter was opening his mouth to answer her question she cut in. "Not here boy! Inside! We have already put on too much of a display. I just know that I'll be hearing about this from that nosy Mrs. Reynolds two houses down," She abruptly turned on her heals and marched inside, not waiting for the boys to follow and close the door.
"Grab your stuff Malfoy," Potter snapped at him as he trudged up towards the house and disappeared inside. Draco's brain was still trying to process everything that had happened on this particularly odd morning just silently nodded, glared, and gathered up his possessions and also journeyed inside.
Aunt Petunia was blocking the hallway down to the kitchen and strumming her fingers against her crossed arms as Harry walked inside. He felt his stomach drop another few notches. He really was caught off guard with Malfoy showing up on his doorstep. When he heard the boy's reason he was overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness, but he somehow found everything to be very amusing when said out loud and seeing Malfoy's uncomprehending look.
He was now leaning against the wall when Malfoy walked in. He still looked a bit too pale as if being in the sun didn't suit his complexion. Or maybe it was just this situation that didn't fit his complexion; Harry grinned at that thought. Anything to see a Malfoy out of his element.
Malfoy dropped his suitcase by the base of the stairs and closed the door. Turning around his steely eyes hardening to the new task faced before him and crossing his arms with a slight lift of the chin. Harry noticed that Aunt Petunia and Malfoy were doing some pretty serious glaring at each other. He was mildly curious who would win this round. Finally a small grin escaped from Malfoy. Harry could hardly believe his eyes.
"You do well for a muggle with no proper training, I'll give you that, but the day wears on and I could be doing something a bit more productive than standing in this hallway." The usually drawl returning to his voice. Aunt Petunia gave a disgruntled sniff and then turned her attentions to Harry.
"Just what exactly are these changes you are referring to? Now no more of this beating around the bush nonsense, it tires quickly." Harry could hear Malfoy snort at the last comment. "Great, just another thing Malfoy can now tease me about." With a heavy sigh, Harry handed the role of parchment that he'd been clutching over to his aunt.
Harry watcher her closely as she grabbed it and started reading; if she felt anything when she first touched it like Harry did, she didn't give herself away. However her overall expression was slowly growing darker by the moment. Just when Harry thought that all hell was going to break loose, his aunt's eyes widened in surprise and shock as she lost what color she had in her bony face.
Her eyes were now flickering in between the two boys standing in front of her. A soft look of horror spread over her features. Opening and closing her mouth a few times in a good fish impression, she was completely speechless. This more so than the yelling surprised Harry; to the point of wondering if there was a part that he missed reading after the initial shock hit him. Petunia was now pointing at the boys but yet no words came forth. With a shake of her head, she pushed past Harry and made her way towards the decanter of scotch in the living room beyond. Pouring herself a glass and downing it rather quickly, the two boys stood in the door way and could only look on.
"Is this normal muggle behavior?" Mused Malfoy quietly next to Harry's shoulder.
"For her? No, not quite. I was expecting her to go back to yelling again." Harry replied.
"Ah, so this is from shock? I take it she didn't like what she read then." That damn smirk back in place again.
"And you're trying to convince me you handled it better than this?" Harry raised an eyebrow in question.
"Ah, I never claimed that." Malfoy grumbled a slight hint of pink spreading to his cheeks. Remembering quite well the tantrum he threw and how closely Potter was examining him.
"Heh, I can only imagine the kind of hissy fit you had when you found out about this. Unless," Harry's featuring darkening while taking in the other boy, "This could just be another one of your rather elaborate plots to somehow ruin my life."
"You think I would volunteer to be here?" Malfoy snapped.
"No, but I do think that you would follow your dear father's orders."
"Well, thanks to you, it's been a while since I've last seen or even talked with him." Now Malfoy was starting to glare at Harry in return. Harry could see in Malfoy's eyes a very dark emotion that was beginning to grow with the passing seconds of eerie silence only broken by Aunt Petunia refilling her glass.
Harry was starting to consider if they would even survive the summer under the same roof, for at the moment it seemed rather hostile and dangerous just standing in the hallway together. With pent up emotions and a perfect target standing in front of him, Harry was ready to start trading punches with Malfoy, if it wasn't for the sudden noise form the living room. Catching everyone's attention. Aunt Petunia dropped her third glass of scotch onto the freshly vacuumed carpet and the two boys whipped their heads around looking for the sound. Harry automatically started to go for his wand before he found the source of the noise.
Looking over at the window he saw a rather large owl tapping on the siding of the house, trying to get everyone's attention and succeeding very well.
Anut Petunia gave a small hic up and staggered over to the large bird. Holding out the roll of parchment, the owl quickly snapped it's beak around it and took off promptly. Petunia stood by the window glaring at the bird as if by her will alone it would suddenly drop out of the sky dead. The two boys who were previously fuming with each other were now starring at Petunia with odd looks on their faces.
Draco was grumbling under his breath, also glaring out the window at the retreating form of the bird. "Damn ministry birds, think they know everything, why if I could only-"
Harry quickly interrupted Malfoy's ramblings, "Since when has she been comfortable with owls and our post system?" he wondered out loud. Neither boy really listening to the other.
Petunia on the other hand, was having a very passionate talk with the now empty window. "You think that you can just barge in here! Force us! Force him on us!" Aunt Petunia started pointing around the living room for more emphasis. "Good for nothing, rotting-hic- What will the neighbors say now? And Vernon! This was bad enough the first time! A second? No! No! -hic- And poor Duddlers!" She started sobbing at this point. "He doesn't like strangers! Oh how well we have taught him." She had finally made it back to the love seat and threw herself down, but managed not to spill anymore of her scotch, which had once again been refilled.
"Eh, and I'm stuck here in this loony bin?" Draco spat out, watching the drunk and upset woman in front of him. "I'll curse you yet mother!" He ended up growling.
"Leave her alone Malfoy. She has already had a rough day." Harry replied in a slightly defeated tone. He wasn't exactly sure why he was trying to defend his aunt. But between her and Uncle Vernon, Harry would have liked her better, if only…
"Come on, I'll show you to the guest room." He turned around and started up the stairs.
Grabbing his luggage and following Potter up the narrow stair case, Draco couldn't help but look around at the house he would be spending the rest of his summer. On the walls he watched as a very round baby boy grew into a round toddler to a rather round child and thus up through his teenage years. There was a smiling couple occasionally pictured with the round child, and even fewer yet was another round, older looking lady, who had quite a similar appearance as the boy and what Draco assumed was the father, judging by his size. What surprised Draco the most was that not once did he see proof anywhere that Potter had grown up in this house with this family at all. No messy black mop to distract the eye in any photos that covered all the walls and table tops.
Draco must have stopped to study the pictures closely, for he did not notice that Harry had already reached the top of the stairs and was now staring back down at him. An undistinguishable look on his face gave away to the conflicting emotions running through him, as he watched his nemesis study the photos the lined the staircase. Harry couldn't take the silence, even though he was the only one aware of it. Draco kept looking around and was still completely clueless.
"Are you looking for something?" Harry asked, breaking the silence. He grinned maliciously watching Malfoy jump from the sound of his voice. That alone let Harry know how deep in thought the other boy must have been.
"What?" Quickly looking around for where Potter's voice came from, "No, no, nothing at all," Malfoy snapped back. He slowly started to take a few more steps up the stairs, still looking around him. "It's just," he started, almost sounding like someone else entirely, none of the lazy drawl or contempt from his voice. Almost like someone who was unsure of his welcome or questions. "It's just that if I didn't know any better, I would say that you didn't live here or even existed." He said, gesturing to the pictures around them, trying to sound board and uninterested, but failing slightly.
"That's the way they like to keep things, out of sight out of mind." Harry said with little emotion in his voice. "They can pretend that I don't exist while I'm away at school." Malfoy didn't really know what to say to that. He being an only child who had a dotting mother growing up, had hallways dedicated to his sneering portraits scattered about Malfoy Manor. He was just about to open his mouth and say who knows what when Harry cut in again.
"Enough, your room is just down the hall," And he took off, not waiting for the other boy to catch up again. Draco started to wonder if there was even any photo evidence that Potter was ever a child. He was suddenly thankful that his mum at least was still alive. Once again deep in thought, Draco walked right into the still form of Potter.
"What are you doing? Stopping in the middle of the hallway?" Draco snapped. Now looking up and realizing that the other boy was holding a door open that lead into a small bed room that was mostly decorated in light blue flowers and was about half the size of his closet back home. Too shocked to make a scathing comment about his future living arrangements, he didn't notice Potter walking back down the short hall to the door closet to the stair case.
Potter stopped before entering his own room and called back over his shoulder to Draco, "You better change out of those robes into some muggle street clothing, and then meet me down stairs in the living room. We've got some things that need to be discussed." Draco nodded his head once in understanding without looking back down the hall. The room in front of him was holding most of his attention. He dragged his suit case behind him into the blue hell.
Harry flopped down on his back staring up at the ceiling. His bed was lumpy and uncomfortable like always, but wasn't aware of that now. His mind was focused on the room at the end of the hall. Whenever Marge would visit that would be the room she would stay in. Even had a separate bed for her beloved dog. And now his worst school enemy was in there. A whole summer stuck together due to some unforeseen class scheduling mix up seemed to be a bit too suspicious for Harry.
His mind raced to put together any pieces that would make sense of why Malfoy would be sent to his house in the summer. He claimed that he hadn't had any contact from his father, but who knew what kind of dark skills they possessed. Perhaps owl post wasn't necessary for communication between father and son. If that was the case, Harry decided that no matter what he would have to be on guard. He was unsure of what kind of dastardly deeds they were plotting. Most likely somehow capturing Harry and giving him over to the Dark Lord or just killing him by themselves. As Harry rolled these thoughts around in his mind a crease was forming between his eyebrows. Of course the Dark Lord would want to finish Harry off himself now that he had managed to escape so many times, so surly Malfoy wouldn't kill him, but better to be safe than sorry and dead.
Gazing over to the open window trying to tempt in a cool summer breeze, Harry wished that Hedwig was back from her previous delivery. He was planning what to write and to who. A sharp pain lanced through his heart as he thought of writing to Sirius. He would have given anything at that moment if he could only be able to talk to his godfather once more. To apologize. To tell him how much he missed him. To have one last chance to say the things he never had the opportunity or experience saying.
Trying to get his mind off such a saddening topic, he was sure that Hermionine and Ron would want to know about his current living arrangements. Perhaps they would have some good suggestions. He smirked to himself as a voice resembling Hermionie's started rambling on inside his head. "You should keep a sharp eye on him. He may be collecting information to use against you later. Getting a feel for an easy attack from inside. You should write to Dumbledor, he would want to be informed of this too."
As the voice quieted, a realization hit Harry right smack dab in the head. Dumbledore! Why hadn't he thought of that sooner? There was something odd about that parchment he read and now that the shock was starting to wear off, he could properly recall what was on there. Once Harry had touched that parchment and was reading it, he noticed his sloppy signature appear on a line at the bottom. Next to five other names already placed on their respective lines. Narcissa Malfoy followed by Draco's name. Below those were Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape's names, them being the head of each students house. And below their names was Dumbledore.
He knew. Dumbledore knew that he was signing a parchment that once his Aunt had started to read would place Draco Malfoy in the same house as him for the entire summer. How could he do that to Harry. He felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head and his stomach was filled with worms that were trying to escape. Betrayal, which was what he was feeling.
Unable to sit still any longer Harry dashed out of bed. He was ready to storm downstairs and demand an explanation from Malfoy. Surly he must be aware of what was going on. A wild thought raced through his mind. Maybe Dumbledore's signature had been faked! But that was very unlikely. It was in the same large scrolling silver ink that he has always used. Plus being able to fool the parchment by touch seemed to be beyond ordinary wizarding skills. It looked like an official document.
"Wait…official document? Did Malfoy say something about the Ministry?" Harry thought to himself, gazing out the window. "Of course! The owl! He recognized it as a bird from the ministry." Now glaring towards the bedroom door and what lay outside waiting for him.
Dumbledore knew Malfoy was staying under the same roof as him. The ministry had the official parchment of everyone's signatures. Everyone knew the Dark Lord had returned by the events at the ministry. So why place his number one support's son in his house for the entire summer. It made no sense to Harry. He was now pacing through the cramped space of his room. From the window to the desk, around the bed to the closet, past the door and back to the window. He was missing an important puzzle piece and it was driving him nuts. It was right on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't get it.
A sudden knocking on the door caused him to miss a turn and Harry kicked his desk in mid stride.
"Shit!" He cried out in surprise as pain arched up his leg from his injured foot. "What!" He hollered at the door as he hobbled over to his bed.
He had done what he was told. He was sitting in the now vacant living room waiting for Potter to get down here and have whatever discussion he thought they needed over and done with. Also complying with Potter's request of donning Muggle clothing. He was glaring at the clothes long enough to burn a hole in through them. Finally realizing that this was one obstacle that he would not be able to get over. Grudgingly zipping up the pair of blue jeans and shrugged on the shirt. With that he had proceeded to the living room. Now looking at the clothing, he felt like he was perhaps trying too hard to fit in with his new surroundings. He felt like someone else completely, no familiar flow of his robes. No convenient place to stash his wand in case of emergencies. So of course he was glaring at everything.
Draco found himself tempted to start pacing the room. It was small enough that it wouldn't take very long to make a round. Fighting for control with his natural instincts he slowly got up from the sofa and meander over to the window. Picking up the bottle of scotch and getting a good whiff, realizing that at least Potter's Aunt knew enough to have the good stuff. Setting the decanter back down a sound from the open window called Draco's attention. There was a rather large boy teetering perilously on a bicycle slowly coming nearing. He had a group of boys following him on their bikes down the middle of the road as well. A sinking feeling in his stomach recognized him as the other youth to live under this roof from all of the pictures on the walls. Draco glanced around the small living room and up the stairs in annoyance that Potter was still absent for their meeting. Quickly weighing possible outcomes of the next few minutes, Draco decided to move things along to his liking.
He dashed up the stairs just as he was able to hear a murmur of voices from outside in the yard. The clank of metal on cement and rough laughter from someone's expenses.
He made it to top of the stairs just as the door handle was rattling. Draco, how ever undignified for a Malfoy, pounded on Potter's door urgently. There was a muffled thud heard through the door followed by cursing. A slight grin appeared on Draco's features. He was silently laughing to himself when the door in front of his face was jerked open and an angry looking Potter was on the other side.
"What? How many times are you going to make me repeat myself? What. Do. You. Want?" His eyes were very green. That was what Draco remembered the most. Livid, angry, green eyes; framed by those ridiculous glasses. At least the glasses weren't thick. But that wasn't what was important, what was truly important was the fact that Draco didn't know what he would have done if Potter's cousin had walked into the living room and there was a strange boy sitting in there instead of a familiar face. Draco was actually slightly intimidated by Potter's cousin's shear size of mass. Without magic, Draco was feeling paranoid just enough to not trust anybody. Not that he trusted most people, but here no one knew of his father's threat or the power that came with the Malfoy name.
"Move over Potter. Your cousin is home and I have no wish to be in the same room as him." He sneered. Shoving Potter out of the way and into the room beyond. Draco managed to take about three steps inside before he realized what he was looking at. The soft click of the door behind him registered just how desolate and empty this space was. Sure it was filled with a bed and dresser, typical furniture expected for any bedroom, but what perhaps shocked Draco the most was the lack of personality in the room. It felt like a cell. One glance at the window and noticing the bars Draco didn't feel reassured about his assumption in the least.