A/N: Okay, I know that this is kind of late, and I apologize to all of
you. I have some sad news; I have writer's block. This chapter was really
hard to write. And it's only five pages. I'm guessing that you all would
rather have a short chapter rather than no chapter at all. I'll continue
with this story, but it's going to take me a while. I'll have the next
chapter up soon. Thanks for sticking with me. ~Sylvia
Snape walked into the infirmary to give Harry his next dose of potion. He was surprised to see Harry dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed. The surprise must have shown on his face, for Harry broke out into a wide grin and shook his head. "Were you really a spy?" Harry joked, causing Snape to scowl at the impertinent boy.
"Yes, I was really a spy!" Snape told him. "Brat!" Harry motioned Snape to a chair and looked at him expectantly. Snape pretended to miss the look and asked about Tom and Matthew.
"They're both fine. The headmaster is letting me go home for Christmas today. Did Dobby tell you and Draco that you are invited?" Snape actually had the grace to look embarrassed. The over-enthusiastic house elf had indeed popped up in Severus's rooms, only the man had growled at him, sending the house elf retreating to the kitchens. "You scared him, didn't you?" Harry accused. He clenched his fists to stop the shaking and sighed. Why wasn't Severus giving him his potion? The man knew he needed it.
"That empty-headed elf is lucky that he is still alive." Snape said in response to Harry's glaring. "Popping up as he does is quite annoying and he could have disturbed a volatile potion in which I was in the process of making." Harry raised an eyebrow at the man. He knew that the house elves never bothered Severus in his lab. The excuse was full of holes, but he let it slide. Severus had a reputation to keep up, even with the house elves. "Well, thank you for inviting us. I'm sure that Draco will be happy to get out of the castle for a while." Harry nodded tightly. He really needed his potion. Snape jumped as though he had forgotten something and smiled. "Ah, yes. Your dose." He handed the small vial to Harry, who forced himself to take it from Snape's hand without snatching it and open the vial calmly. Snape smiled at seeing Harry's restraint. The boy was doing well, and it was only two days into the treatment. Excellent. If he could keep this up, he would be on full detoxifiers within two or three weeks. Just in time for him to come back to school.
Both jumped when the doors opened to admit Tom, Matthew and Draco. Draco appeared at ease with the other two men. Harry figured that they had met up in the hallway. "Hi, Harry." Draco said, coming up to the bed.
"Hey, Draco. Did Tom and Matthew tell you about Christmas today?" He asked.
"Yeah, they did. Tom said that he had sent a house elf to the room, but someone managed to scare him off." Draco sent a good-natured glare to his guardian, who equally returned it with more malice. Harry tapped Draco on the shoulder to gain his attention again.
"Wait until you taste Nellie's cooking. It is the best." Harry told him. The two boys started into conversation on a topic that every teenage boy loves: food. Tom and Matthew exchanged glances with Snape while Tom packed Harry's things. Dumbledore was allowing Harry to return home with Tom and Matthew as long as he was allowed to visit and Harry continued recovery. The minute that Dumbledore suspected Harry was worsening, the boy would be brought back to Hogwarts. Tom had already spoken to Severus about the potion and found himself the proud owner of a gallon, which should be more than necessary for Harry's recovery. The bottle would be spelled so that only Tom and Matthew could touch it, keeping the idea of temptation far away from the Boy Who Lived.
"You all ready to go?" Matthew asked, turning into the big brother of both boys. Harry grinned and nodded. He couldn't wait to go home. He wondered what the house looked like decorated for Christmas. Matthew reached over and picked Harry up.
"Matthew, I can walk, you know!" Harry complained. Matthew bounced the boy a bit and smiled.
"Doctor's orders, Harry. We don't want you worn out." Matthew told him, turning and starting for the doors.
"Merlin save me." Harry mumbled. Draco, being a Slytherin, made a few comments about the weakness of Gryffindors in general. Harry was glaring at him. Severus, feeling mischievous for the first time in years, grabbed Draco from behind and threw him over his shoulder. Harry, at seeing his new friend in such a predicament, did the only possible thing. He laughed. "Looks like we're in the same boat!" He crowed to Draco.
"Shut up, Harry!" Draco said from Severus's shoulder, looking for some way down. Tom chuckled as he followed them all to the Great Hall, where the headmaster was waiting with the portkey that would send them all to Riddle Manor. He was definitely amused to see Harry being carried, but when Severus came in with a resigned looking Draco Malfoy over his shoulder, his mirth bubbled over into laughter. Severus released Draco and put him on his feet. Draco looked over to Harry and grinned. That had been fun. He just didn't want to admit it. Harry grinned back at him. He knew what the other boy was thinking.
"Are we all ready?" Dumbledore asked the group once he recovered his composure.
"Yes." Harry answered shortly.
"Eager to be home, Harry?" Severus asked. The teenager nodded.
"You have no idea." He replied. Dumbledore pulled out an old bottle and told them all to touch it. It activated and Harry felt himself tugged backward. He really hated portkeys. He really did. He found himself still in Matthew's arms as they landed and the living room materialized around them. "Ugh." He said.
"My thoughts exactly." Tom said, shooing Matthew and Harry over to the couch. Matthew grinned and set Harry on the couch, Draco plopping down next to him. Harry kind of liked this new Draco. He was less inhibited, more like a child, than the git he had been before. Wait until Ron and Hermione found out. He thought back to when he and Draco had talked. He had woken up when his withdrawal symptoms had overridden the need for sleep. He had sat there awake for a little while before a noise had startled him.
"Are you okay?" Two bright blue eyes had asked, standing out in the dimly lit infirmary. Draco had gotten out of bed and came over to stand next to Harry.
"Withdrawal." Harry answered shortly. Draco nodded in understanding.
"Shouldn't Professor Snape be bringing you something to help you?" Draco asked in a quiet voice.
"Not for another half an hour." Harry answered. Draco looked hesitant to say anything. In reality, he wanted to go to Snape in that instant and demand he gave Harry something to help ease the symptoms. "I'm okay, really." Harry told him. Draco looked down in surprise. No way in hell was he all right!
"Stupid righteous Gryffindors." Draco said with a smirk. Harry had looked up, surprised to hear the comment, ready with a retort, but stopped when he saw Draco's face.
"Snarky Slytherins." Harry returned. Draco tried to keep a smile in, but failed. Both boys broke out in a grin, with Draco laughing slightly.
"Okay, you got me." Draco answered. "Want to play a game of chess?" It was thirty-seven minutes later when Professor Snape had strolled into the infirmary, expecting to find a nearly rabid Harry Potter ready to pounce on him. To his immense surprise, he found two teenage boys who should have been sleeping laughing at the slightly vulgar chess pieces. Draco had no idea where he had bought the chess set, but he was happy with the effect of causing Harry to laugh in such a short amount of time. Every time one of the chess pieces was in danger, they would say something like "Oh, bloody hell!" or "Bugger!" at the top of their magical lungs. Harry's last knight had just announced that the rook attacking him was a "pervy pawn fancier" and begged Harry to counter attack before he was demolished. Needless to say, the pervy pawn fancier had overtaken the knight. Harry had been laughing too hard to be of any use to his knight.
"Potter." Snape said, holding out the vial. Harry took it calmly and handed the empty vial back to Snape with heartfelt thanks before turning back to their game. "You do realize that you should both be in bed right now." Snape told the two of them. Both boys had nodded.
"Chess is more fun." Draco had answered, moving one of his pawns into Harry's space. The little pawn had squawked at the potential danger he was in and warned Draco that he wasn't much use in attack. Both Harry and Draco broke down into laughter again. Snape backed away quietly. Who was he to break up a Slytherin and a Gryffindor whom were getting along so well? He wasn't about to stop a first in the last fifty years or so.
Harry and Draco eventually put the chess set away and spent the rest of the night talking, about school, friends, and their lives. The two had become fast friends. They found that they had had a lot in common between the two of them. Quidditch was one of the few things that they definitely agreed upon, being that it was the best sport in the entire world, magical and muggle included. They agreed that the Seeker was one of the toughest positions, while Beaters had to have thick skins. Tom, Matthew, and Dumbledore found them the next morning, both curled up on the respective ends of the bed. "Would you look at that." Tom said quietly. Dumbeldore's eyes had a wonderful sparkle in them. The house rivalry would soon break down now that the two most hated rivals were now at least friendly towards each other.
"Presents!" Matthew announced. Snape had smirked as he settled into his chair. Matthew was acting as the present deliverer and was passing huge amounts of gifts around the room. Tom ended up with several on his lap, as well as Harry being nearly buried underneath his. When everyone had their respective gifts, Tom waited for Harry to dig into his only to see the boy eying him.
"You first." Harry said. Tom smiled a bit.
"I do believe that the younger ones should go first." Dumbledore commented. Tom smiled at him.
"I agree." He told Harry. Harry scowled.
"All right, I'll go first." Matthew had said with mock sadness, looking as though the world was coming to an end. Tom chuckled while Snape looked over to the two boys.
"You two go first." Draco shrugged and reached for his first package, nudging Harry with his elbow at the same time. Harry glared for a minute before starting on his first one. Snape watched as Draco opened his packages. Thank Merlin for house elves. They were very happy to go out on a last minute shopping trip for Severus the night before and purchase Draco a few things.
"Oh, wow." Harry's voice said from the sofa. Snape broke out of his musings to see what had caused such a reaction. The boy was holding a pensive. "Thank you, Headmaster." He said. Albus had gotten the boy a pensive?
"I'll teach you how to use it later, Harry." Dumbledore said from his own seat. "You too, Draco." Snape's gaze shifted to his ward and saw that the boy had received one as well. Draco thanked him and moved to his next one. What was the headmaster thinking, giving two teenagers pensives? Snape sat back and stewed about it for a few minutes before remembering that these two particular children were not normal at all and could probably use them. Stupid Gryffindors. Why did he have to be right?
"He's turning snarky again." Harry whispered to Draco. Draco smiled at him and nodded.
"Yeah, but he's not so bad when he's in his rooms." Draco said, opening a book on potions. "Thank you, Severus." He told the man. Severus merely waved off the thanks. Harry turned to Draco in astonishment. He had called Professor Snape "Severus". "He let's me." Draco told the boy, opening a box of sweets from the headmaster. Harry shook his head and opened the box from Tom.
"I hope you like it, Harry. We figured that you needed something to keep you out of trouble." Tom told the boy. Harry opened the box and looked at the contraption.
"Erm, what is it exactly?" Harry asked.
"You lived with Muggles for how long?" Matthew asked. "It's a Gameboy." Matthew explained. "Video games, Harry." Harry shook his head.
"This is supposed to keep me out of trouble?" He asked.
"Well, I was hoping that it would at least keep you from sneaking off to Diagon Alley whenever you felt the urge." Tom told him. Harry's jaw dropping while Matthew's eyes had popped.
"How'd you know about that?" Harry demanded.
"When you drug me, you must remember to drug the house elf as well." Tom said with a small smile. "At least you took someone with you that time." Matthew pouted and sighed.
"And we thought that we were so clever." He told Harry. "Don't worry, Harry. I'll show you how to rot your brain with that thing later." He promised. The two boys finished their packages and looked to the adults expectantly.
"How in the world did you two manage to go shopping in the last few days?" Snape asked when he had opened a package from Draco. It was a journal. That was nice. Now that he had the responsibilities of a parent towards Draco, he would need something to keep his thoughts in that was not as easily violated as a pensive.
"Dobby and Nellie." Harry said, still trying to figure out how to turn on his new Gameboy. "They were more than happy to go shopping for us." Snape shook his head. The two boys had discovered his secret. How unfortunate. Now he would have to figure out a new way to fool them. He had no doubts that the house elves had told them that they did shopping for Professor Snape all the time.
"All right, boys." Dumbledore said, going over to sit between them. "If you'd just get out your wands." He said. Draco pulled his out of his robes while Harry sighed. His wand had been taken from him when he had been kidnapped. Dumbledore turned to him and smiled. "Take out your wand, Harry." Dumbeldore said.
"Sir, my wand was taken from me. I never got it back." He told the man. Dumbledore smiled at him as though that was not a problem.
"I think that you can get your wand back if you tried, Harry." Dumbledore said. Tom and Matthew were both staring at Dumbledore as though he was mad. Harry couldn't get his wand back without going back to Malfoy manor. "Remember your wand's core?" Dumbledore said. Harry nodded. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Dumbledore asked.
"Accio wand." Harry waited for a few seconds, wanting to see his wand come flying in through the windows, or something of the sort. Although he could do wandless magic, he still felt lonely without his wand. Dumbledore had that twinkle in his eyes again, as though he knew something that everyone else did not. Harry sighed and lowered his hand. He sat back and looked at the ground.
"It's okay, Harry." Draco said quietly next to him. "This won't be known at school." Harry nodded. He could just imagine what the old Draco Malfoy would have done had the Boy Who Lived lost his wand. Harry looked up to Dumbledore and jumped when a bright flash of flames erupted in midair. In the center of the flames was Harry's wand.
"There you go, Harry." Dumbledore said, smiling as though he had planned it all along. Harry reached up and took the wand from the flames and looked it over. It was his wand all right. He looked to Dumbledore for an explanation. "Phoenixes always come when called, Harry." Harry smiled. He had his wand back. Now it was just a matter of having to use it again.
The two boys followed his directions throughout the whole process. Harry placed the Third Task into it and the death of Sirius. He felt everything that he had just felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he did so. He remembered what Dumbledore had told him about the pensives and was happy that Dumbledore had thought he needed one.
Lucius Malfoy was cursing to himself in his library. The Muggle raid had gone well, but other things had taken away his happiness. The first thing was that Michael Riddle had escaped from the dungeons. He knew that the boy had had help. There was no way that he could have made it out alone. That led to his second reason for unhappiness. His son had betrayed him and the Death Eaters. Lucius knew that Draco had saved Michael Riddle and had taken the boy to Hogwarts, where Draco must also be with the Muggle loving fool known as Dumbledore.
Lucius had related the betrayal using the Dark Mark to his best advantage. The boy would be feeling a great deal of pain for quite a while. He wondered how Dumbledore was handling a child going through withdrawal. He stared out at the snow covering the ground and made his decision. There were other ways to extract his revenge on the Riddles, and he knew where their house was. A plan formed in his head. He didn't see why he needed to be involved at all. Just removing the boy from Voldemort would harm the man enough. Azkaban and the Dementors would take care of everything else. He moved to his desk and pulled out a sheet of parchment. The right letter to the Ministry would help him solve all his problems.
Reviews:
Numba1: Thank you! It's been so much fun to write. I'm glad you like it. Thanks for reviewing.
The Lady Reaper of the Shadows: Thanks! I feel that all of JKR's characters have more depth than what we are shown in the books. Especially Snape. I just fell that most of his actions are part of an act (well, not all) and that he and Harry could really get along if need be.
MarsMoonStar: Thanks for your continued support. Thanks for reviewing!
Nphipps: I don't want to give away the story. Thanks for reviewing. Just wait and see!
Dragonsile: It was a "bring a friend" type thing. A way of recruitment, really, and it worked for him. He knew that there were some evil people out there. They just needed to be found. Thanks for reviewing!
Kat: Thanks! Glad you liked it. Hopefully, the next update will be soon. Thanks for reviewing.
Hermionegreen: Thanks for your constant reviews. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Next one should be within the next two weeks.
Andrea10: He's out of the hospital wing now and happy to be going home. He can't wait to leave it and Christmas is coming. Thanks for reviewing!
David M. Potter: Thanks! There should be a chat between the two of them soon. Thanks for reviewing!
Readerguy: Glad you liked the story. I don't want to give anything away. I'm just going to let you read it. Thanks for reviewing! Reviews make me write faster.
Eriee: The story will only be as long as it takes me. I can do nothing more than respond to the Muses that plague me. It won't be too much longer, really, and I can't see a sequel, so who knows? Thanks for the wonderful compliments. Thanks for reviewing!
Trallgorda: Thanks sis. Glad you liked it. Next chapter soon. Or you could just call me and found out now. Love you! Thanks for reviewing.
Tia: Sorry for the wait. I have been fighting Real Life. It's been a long and bloody battle. Thanks for reviewing.
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HoshiHikari4ever: Thanks for your constant reviews! They help keep my story going. Draco is just a kid, a little snarky, but still a kid. There is no way he's going to be spy.
EriEka127: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you liked my chapter. Next one should be soon. Thanks again!
SheWolfe7: Thanks! I'm still going and fighting writer's block at the same time. Thanks for such a good review. Next update should be soon.
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Allison: Harry will pull through, but not without some time. Thanks for reviewing!
To any one I missed: Thank you for your continued reviews. I'm glad so many of you have stayed with me. The chapters will start coming again. It just might take some time. I love all of you!
Snape walked into the infirmary to give Harry his next dose of potion. He was surprised to see Harry dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed. The surprise must have shown on his face, for Harry broke out into a wide grin and shook his head. "Were you really a spy?" Harry joked, causing Snape to scowl at the impertinent boy.
"Yes, I was really a spy!" Snape told him. "Brat!" Harry motioned Snape to a chair and looked at him expectantly. Snape pretended to miss the look and asked about Tom and Matthew.
"They're both fine. The headmaster is letting me go home for Christmas today. Did Dobby tell you and Draco that you are invited?" Snape actually had the grace to look embarrassed. The over-enthusiastic house elf had indeed popped up in Severus's rooms, only the man had growled at him, sending the house elf retreating to the kitchens. "You scared him, didn't you?" Harry accused. He clenched his fists to stop the shaking and sighed. Why wasn't Severus giving him his potion? The man knew he needed it.
"That empty-headed elf is lucky that he is still alive." Snape said in response to Harry's glaring. "Popping up as he does is quite annoying and he could have disturbed a volatile potion in which I was in the process of making." Harry raised an eyebrow at the man. He knew that the house elves never bothered Severus in his lab. The excuse was full of holes, but he let it slide. Severus had a reputation to keep up, even with the house elves. "Well, thank you for inviting us. I'm sure that Draco will be happy to get out of the castle for a while." Harry nodded tightly. He really needed his potion. Snape jumped as though he had forgotten something and smiled. "Ah, yes. Your dose." He handed the small vial to Harry, who forced himself to take it from Snape's hand without snatching it and open the vial calmly. Snape smiled at seeing Harry's restraint. The boy was doing well, and it was only two days into the treatment. Excellent. If he could keep this up, he would be on full detoxifiers within two or three weeks. Just in time for him to come back to school.
Both jumped when the doors opened to admit Tom, Matthew and Draco. Draco appeared at ease with the other two men. Harry figured that they had met up in the hallway. "Hi, Harry." Draco said, coming up to the bed.
"Hey, Draco. Did Tom and Matthew tell you about Christmas today?" He asked.
"Yeah, they did. Tom said that he had sent a house elf to the room, but someone managed to scare him off." Draco sent a good-natured glare to his guardian, who equally returned it with more malice. Harry tapped Draco on the shoulder to gain his attention again.
"Wait until you taste Nellie's cooking. It is the best." Harry told him. The two boys started into conversation on a topic that every teenage boy loves: food. Tom and Matthew exchanged glances with Snape while Tom packed Harry's things. Dumbledore was allowing Harry to return home with Tom and Matthew as long as he was allowed to visit and Harry continued recovery. The minute that Dumbledore suspected Harry was worsening, the boy would be brought back to Hogwarts. Tom had already spoken to Severus about the potion and found himself the proud owner of a gallon, which should be more than necessary for Harry's recovery. The bottle would be spelled so that only Tom and Matthew could touch it, keeping the idea of temptation far away from the Boy Who Lived.
"You all ready to go?" Matthew asked, turning into the big brother of both boys. Harry grinned and nodded. He couldn't wait to go home. He wondered what the house looked like decorated for Christmas. Matthew reached over and picked Harry up.
"Matthew, I can walk, you know!" Harry complained. Matthew bounced the boy a bit and smiled.
"Doctor's orders, Harry. We don't want you worn out." Matthew told him, turning and starting for the doors.
"Merlin save me." Harry mumbled. Draco, being a Slytherin, made a few comments about the weakness of Gryffindors in general. Harry was glaring at him. Severus, feeling mischievous for the first time in years, grabbed Draco from behind and threw him over his shoulder. Harry, at seeing his new friend in such a predicament, did the only possible thing. He laughed. "Looks like we're in the same boat!" He crowed to Draco.
"Shut up, Harry!" Draco said from Severus's shoulder, looking for some way down. Tom chuckled as he followed them all to the Great Hall, where the headmaster was waiting with the portkey that would send them all to Riddle Manor. He was definitely amused to see Harry being carried, but when Severus came in with a resigned looking Draco Malfoy over his shoulder, his mirth bubbled over into laughter. Severus released Draco and put him on his feet. Draco looked over to Harry and grinned. That had been fun. He just didn't want to admit it. Harry grinned back at him. He knew what the other boy was thinking.
"Are we all ready?" Dumbledore asked the group once he recovered his composure.
"Yes." Harry answered shortly.
"Eager to be home, Harry?" Severus asked. The teenager nodded.
"You have no idea." He replied. Dumbledore pulled out an old bottle and told them all to touch it. It activated and Harry felt himself tugged backward. He really hated portkeys. He really did. He found himself still in Matthew's arms as they landed and the living room materialized around them. "Ugh." He said.
"My thoughts exactly." Tom said, shooing Matthew and Harry over to the couch. Matthew grinned and set Harry on the couch, Draco plopping down next to him. Harry kind of liked this new Draco. He was less inhibited, more like a child, than the git he had been before. Wait until Ron and Hermione found out. He thought back to when he and Draco had talked. He had woken up when his withdrawal symptoms had overridden the need for sleep. He had sat there awake for a little while before a noise had startled him.
"Are you okay?" Two bright blue eyes had asked, standing out in the dimly lit infirmary. Draco had gotten out of bed and came over to stand next to Harry.
"Withdrawal." Harry answered shortly. Draco nodded in understanding.
"Shouldn't Professor Snape be bringing you something to help you?" Draco asked in a quiet voice.
"Not for another half an hour." Harry answered. Draco looked hesitant to say anything. In reality, he wanted to go to Snape in that instant and demand he gave Harry something to help ease the symptoms. "I'm okay, really." Harry told him. Draco looked down in surprise. No way in hell was he all right!
"Stupid righteous Gryffindors." Draco said with a smirk. Harry had looked up, surprised to hear the comment, ready with a retort, but stopped when he saw Draco's face.
"Snarky Slytherins." Harry returned. Draco tried to keep a smile in, but failed. Both boys broke out in a grin, with Draco laughing slightly.
"Okay, you got me." Draco answered. "Want to play a game of chess?" It was thirty-seven minutes later when Professor Snape had strolled into the infirmary, expecting to find a nearly rabid Harry Potter ready to pounce on him. To his immense surprise, he found two teenage boys who should have been sleeping laughing at the slightly vulgar chess pieces. Draco had no idea where he had bought the chess set, but he was happy with the effect of causing Harry to laugh in such a short amount of time. Every time one of the chess pieces was in danger, they would say something like "Oh, bloody hell!" or "Bugger!" at the top of their magical lungs. Harry's last knight had just announced that the rook attacking him was a "pervy pawn fancier" and begged Harry to counter attack before he was demolished. Needless to say, the pervy pawn fancier had overtaken the knight. Harry had been laughing too hard to be of any use to his knight.
"Potter." Snape said, holding out the vial. Harry took it calmly and handed the empty vial back to Snape with heartfelt thanks before turning back to their game. "You do realize that you should both be in bed right now." Snape told the two of them. Both boys had nodded.
"Chess is more fun." Draco had answered, moving one of his pawns into Harry's space. The little pawn had squawked at the potential danger he was in and warned Draco that he wasn't much use in attack. Both Harry and Draco broke down into laughter again. Snape backed away quietly. Who was he to break up a Slytherin and a Gryffindor whom were getting along so well? He wasn't about to stop a first in the last fifty years or so.
Harry and Draco eventually put the chess set away and spent the rest of the night talking, about school, friends, and their lives. The two had become fast friends. They found that they had had a lot in common between the two of them. Quidditch was one of the few things that they definitely agreed upon, being that it was the best sport in the entire world, magical and muggle included. They agreed that the Seeker was one of the toughest positions, while Beaters had to have thick skins. Tom, Matthew, and Dumbledore found them the next morning, both curled up on the respective ends of the bed. "Would you look at that." Tom said quietly. Dumbeldore's eyes had a wonderful sparkle in them. The house rivalry would soon break down now that the two most hated rivals were now at least friendly towards each other.
"Presents!" Matthew announced. Snape had smirked as he settled into his chair. Matthew was acting as the present deliverer and was passing huge amounts of gifts around the room. Tom ended up with several on his lap, as well as Harry being nearly buried underneath his. When everyone had their respective gifts, Tom waited for Harry to dig into his only to see the boy eying him.
"You first." Harry said. Tom smiled a bit.
"I do believe that the younger ones should go first." Dumbledore commented. Tom smiled at him.
"I agree." He told Harry. Harry scowled.
"All right, I'll go first." Matthew had said with mock sadness, looking as though the world was coming to an end. Tom chuckled while Snape looked over to the two boys.
"You two go first." Draco shrugged and reached for his first package, nudging Harry with his elbow at the same time. Harry glared for a minute before starting on his first one. Snape watched as Draco opened his packages. Thank Merlin for house elves. They were very happy to go out on a last minute shopping trip for Severus the night before and purchase Draco a few things.
"Oh, wow." Harry's voice said from the sofa. Snape broke out of his musings to see what had caused such a reaction. The boy was holding a pensive. "Thank you, Headmaster." He said. Albus had gotten the boy a pensive?
"I'll teach you how to use it later, Harry." Dumbledore said from his own seat. "You too, Draco." Snape's gaze shifted to his ward and saw that the boy had received one as well. Draco thanked him and moved to his next one. What was the headmaster thinking, giving two teenagers pensives? Snape sat back and stewed about it for a few minutes before remembering that these two particular children were not normal at all and could probably use them. Stupid Gryffindors. Why did he have to be right?
"He's turning snarky again." Harry whispered to Draco. Draco smiled at him and nodded.
"Yeah, but he's not so bad when he's in his rooms." Draco said, opening a book on potions. "Thank you, Severus." He told the man. Severus merely waved off the thanks. Harry turned to Draco in astonishment. He had called Professor Snape "Severus". "He let's me." Draco told the boy, opening a box of sweets from the headmaster. Harry shook his head and opened the box from Tom.
"I hope you like it, Harry. We figured that you needed something to keep you out of trouble." Tom told the boy. Harry opened the box and looked at the contraption.
"Erm, what is it exactly?" Harry asked.
"You lived with Muggles for how long?" Matthew asked. "It's a Gameboy." Matthew explained. "Video games, Harry." Harry shook his head.
"This is supposed to keep me out of trouble?" He asked.
"Well, I was hoping that it would at least keep you from sneaking off to Diagon Alley whenever you felt the urge." Tom told him. Harry's jaw dropping while Matthew's eyes had popped.
"How'd you know about that?" Harry demanded.
"When you drug me, you must remember to drug the house elf as well." Tom said with a small smile. "At least you took someone with you that time." Matthew pouted and sighed.
"And we thought that we were so clever." He told Harry. "Don't worry, Harry. I'll show you how to rot your brain with that thing later." He promised. The two boys finished their packages and looked to the adults expectantly.
"How in the world did you two manage to go shopping in the last few days?" Snape asked when he had opened a package from Draco. It was a journal. That was nice. Now that he had the responsibilities of a parent towards Draco, he would need something to keep his thoughts in that was not as easily violated as a pensive.
"Dobby and Nellie." Harry said, still trying to figure out how to turn on his new Gameboy. "They were more than happy to go shopping for us." Snape shook his head. The two boys had discovered his secret. How unfortunate. Now he would have to figure out a new way to fool them. He had no doubts that the house elves had told them that they did shopping for Professor Snape all the time.
"All right, boys." Dumbledore said, going over to sit between them. "If you'd just get out your wands." He said. Draco pulled his out of his robes while Harry sighed. His wand had been taken from him when he had been kidnapped. Dumbledore turned to him and smiled. "Take out your wand, Harry." Dumbeldore said.
"Sir, my wand was taken from me. I never got it back." He told the man. Dumbledore smiled at him as though that was not a problem.
"I think that you can get your wand back if you tried, Harry." Dumbledore said. Tom and Matthew were both staring at Dumbledore as though he was mad. Harry couldn't get his wand back without going back to Malfoy manor. "Remember your wand's core?" Dumbledore said. Harry nodded. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Dumbledore asked.
"Accio wand." Harry waited for a few seconds, wanting to see his wand come flying in through the windows, or something of the sort. Although he could do wandless magic, he still felt lonely without his wand. Dumbledore had that twinkle in his eyes again, as though he knew something that everyone else did not. Harry sighed and lowered his hand. He sat back and looked at the ground.
"It's okay, Harry." Draco said quietly next to him. "This won't be known at school." Harry nodded. He could just imagine what the old Draco Malfoy would have done had the Boy Who Lived lost his wand. Harry looked up to Dumbledore and jumped when a bright flash of flames erupted in midair. In the center of the flames was Harry's wand.
"There you go, Harry." Dumbledore said, smiling as though he had planned it all along. Harry reached up and took the wand from the flames and looked it over. It was his wand all right. He looked to Dumbledore for an explanation. "Phoenixes always come when called, Harry." Harry smiled. He had his wand back. Now it was just a matter of having to use it again.
The two boys followed his directions throughout the whole process. Harry placed the Third Task into it and the death of Sirius. He felt everything that he had just felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he did so. He remembered what Dumbledore had told him about the pensives and was happy that Dumbledore had thought he needed one.
Lucius Malfoy was cursing to himself in his library. The Muggle raid had gone well, but other things had taken away his happiness. The first thing was that Michael Riddle had escaped from the dungeons. He knew that the boy had had help. There was no way that he could have made it out alone. That led to his second reason for unhappiness. His son had betrayed him and the Death Eaters. Lucius knew that Draco had saved Michael Riddle and had taken the boy to Hogwarts, where Draco must also be with the Muggle loving fool known as Dumbledore.
Lucius had related the betrayal using the Dark Mark to his best advantage. The boy would be feeling a great deal of pain for quite a while. He wondered how Dumbledore was handling a child going through withdrawal. He stared out at the snow covering the ground and made his decision. There were other ways to extract his revenge on the Riddles, and he knew where their house was. A plan formed in his head. He didn't see why he needed to be involved at all. Just removing the boy from Voldemort would harm the man enough. Azkaban and the Dementors would take care of everything else. He moved to his desk and pulled out a sheet of parchment. The right letter to the Ministry would help him solve all his problems.
Reviews:
Numba1: Thank you! It's been so much fun to write. I'm glad you like it. Thanks for reviewing.
The Lady Reaper of the Shadows: Thanks! I feel that all of JKR's characters have more depth than what we are shown in the books. Especially Snape. I just fell that most of his actions are part of an act (well, not all) and that he and Harry could really get along if need be.
MarsMoonStar: Thanks for your continued support. Thanks for reviewing!
Nphipps: I don't want to give away the story. Thanks for reviewing. Just wait and see!
Dragonsile: It was a "bring a friend" type thing. A way of recruitment, really, and it worked for him. He knew that there were some evil people out there. They just needed to be found. Thanks for reviewing!
Kat: Thanks! Glad you liked it. Hopefully, the next update will be soon. Thanks for reviewing.
Hermionegreen: Thanks for your constant reviews. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Next one should be within the next two weeks.
Andrea10: He's out of the hospital wing now and happy to be going home. He can't wait to leave it and Christmas is coming. Thanks for reviewing!
David M. Potter: Thanks! There should be a chat between the two of them soon. Thanks for reviewing!
Readerguy: Glad you liked the story. I don't want to give anything away. I'm just going to let you read it. Thanks for reviewing! Reviews make me write faster.
Eriee: The story will only be as long as it takes me. I can do nothing more than respond to the Muses that plague me. It won't be too much longer, really, and I can't see a sequel, so who knows? Thanks for the wonderful compliments. Thanks for reviewing!
Trallgorda: Thanks sis. Glad you liked it. Next chapter soon. Or you could just call me and found out now. Love you! Thanks for reviewing.
Tia: Sorry for the wait. I have been fighting Real Life. It's been a long and bloody battle. Thanks for reviewing.
KatSuyA: Glad you liked it so much. Updates come as fast as they can. Thanks for reviewing!
Lantana: Thanks for the wonderful review. I'm glad you liked my story. Reviews come every two weeks or so. Thanks for reviewing!
HoshiHikari4ever: Thanks for your constant reviews! They help keep my story going. Draco is just a kid, a little snarky, but still a kid. There is no way he's going to be spy.
EriEka127: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you liked my chapter. Next one should be soon. Thanks again!
SheWolfe7: Thanks! I'm still going and fighting writer's block at the same time. Thanks for such a good review. Next update should be soon.
Prd2Bamerican18: Thank you! Next update soon!
Allison: Harry will pull through, but not without some time. Thanks for reviewing!
To any one I missed: Thank you for your continued reviews. I'm glad so many of you have stayed with me. The chapters will start coming again. It just might take some time. I love all of you!