Disclaimer: I do not own any characters created by J.K. Rowling.

A/N: I'm sorry it's been a while! I had NaNoWriMo which took up every ounce of writing energy I had and I've been back at work as of Wednesday (just gone) so I'm a little drained physically and mentally ^_^ I hope this starts to make up for it xx

Chapter Twenty-Nine

.

Over the next two days Harry and Sirius go back to St. Mungo's to have his vision tested and to get a new set of glasses. When Draco had seen them return home, he was somewhat amused to see that Harry had changed his glasses to something with a rounder frame.

"There feel more ... like me," he'd said when Remus had asked, at dinner, why he'd chosen round ones.

According to Sirius, his eyesight was definitely improving, and now his prescription had gotten lower since a few months prior. By all accounts, it was good news.

Things had eased up a little between Draco and Harry, and the blonde couldn't deny that he was relieved. The last thing he wanted was to be on house arrest in his mother's French abode, and have Harry glaring daggers at him the entire weekend. It was Remus' week off and as he was feeding Teddy his lunch, his eyes flew wide. "Do you think we should be inviting your Aunt Andromeda along?" he asked.

Draco peered up from where he had just transfigured Archimedes into a goblet. It was an elegant, smooth bronze colour and when Remus glanced down at his hand, he grinned proudly. It made Draco's inside flush with warmth. Concentrating, he focused on turning the goblet back into an owl, who ruffled his feathers and gave an irritated screech before hobbling off to his perch on the mantle. Draco idly twirled his wand between his long fingers.

"I'm not sure, do you think Aunt Andromeda should come? I'm sure Narcissa would like some extra female company after all these months. They've written one another a lot, she tells me."

"That's why I was thinking about it," Remus said. "I was thinking they have more face-to-face time together. We wouldn't want her to feel like we were just using her for a holiday house."

"Naturally."

"Once I put Teddy down for his nap, do you fancy going up to the dining room and practising some more?"

"I suppose we could do," Draco tried his best to sound nonchalant about the whole thing. "What about Harry? Will it be safe for him to ... be there? He mentioned that he wanted to start learning magic."

"Well ... he can be there of course. But I think Paddy wants to be the one to start teaching Harry spells," he gave the blonde a helpless look. "He loves having these firsts with Harry."

"I don't see the harm in him watching," Draco shrugged. "I need to get better at all this. Especially if I'm to have my exam in front of the Wizengamot. My exams will be made twice as difficult."

"I have few additional spells that won't be on their curriculum to test. It might help you, if you're up for practising?"

"I'll take all the help I can get right now, to be honest."

"When are your written exams taking place? I assume those will also be at the Ministry?"

"Yes," Draco sighed. "They're going to put me in a room no different than my father's cell, most likely. It's like they would want me to fail."

Remus flicked his wand, sending the utensils to the sink for them to be cleaned. That would annoy Kreacher to no end. Taking his squirming son into his arms, Remus motioned for Draco to follow him upstairs. Draco lurked in the doorway, arms folded as he watched Remus gently rock Teddy until the baby felt drowsy enough to put into his cot. A stuffed puppy was tucked under his arm and a light blanket draped over him. Remus eased the blind down half-way and then crept back out of the room.

They went up to the third floor. True to their word, Remus and Sirius had cleared all of the furniture out into the back garden. Draco didn't believe his cousin when he'd claimed the wood was rotten and that the drawers were full of doxies. It didn't stop him from setting fire to the pile, though. Now the room was clear, it was a little daunting to see how long it was. The wallpaper was dark and dingy and had scorch and scuff marks all along it from the furniture and, no doubt, past duels.

"So, what should we work on today?" Remus asked clapping his hands together, amber eyes twinkling.

"You said there was something I could learn that would definitely surprised them and help me at the same time. Almost like proving myself. What did you have in mind?"

"I want to see if you can produce a patronus."

Draco tensed, his mind blanking at the statement. "Why?"

"Because it's a common theory that anyone who sided with Voldemort or even went all the way and became a Death Eater, was unable to produce a patronus."

"Well there, you've just said it yourself, I won't be able to do it," he sneered. The implication burned through to his core. He was too dark, too tainted on the inside.

"I'll have you know Severus Snape was able to produce a patronus, and he was higher up than even your father in Voldemort's inner circle. I'd dare go as far to say he was more trusted than Bellatrix."

"And Voldemort killed him."

"Well ... Molly sorted Bellatrix out herself," Remus gave a wry smirk. "My point is, that Severus was able to produce a patronus because he'd experienced some measure of happiness, love, what have you, so intensely that it lasted. I'll grant you he had to work on it, but he managed to make it happen."

"Severus ... could produce a patronus?" Draco gnawed on his lip, feeling a butterfly flutter in his stomach. He toyed with his wand thoughtfully, not daring to let himself hope. "I didn't realise he was able to do it. What was his?"

"A doe."

"That's strange. I'd heard that Harry's father's patronus, as well as his own one, was a stag."

"The doe being a symbol of how deeply Severus felt for Harry's mother, Lily."

"A muggleborn?" Draco's eyes flew wide. "Severus Snape, head of slytherin house and right-hand man of Voldemort ... was in love with a muggleborn?!"

Remus chuckled. "He was always very reserved and full of surprises."

Draco managed to close his mouth, suddenly aware that he was gaping. He swept his hair out of his eyes, his mind whirring with this new information. He just couldn't partner the words Remus was saying to stern, stoic man who had been in his life since he was a toddler. How had he not known? Then again, if it had been easy for Draco to see, the Dark Lord certainly would have. Shaking his head in disbelief, Draco readjusted his grip on his wand. "I'm guessing there's some theory behind a patronus, then? It's not considered a sixth year and above level spell for nothing."

Remus gave a faint smile. "The theory is resolute and relatively easy to study, however putting it into practice is something that cannot happen to everyone, regardless of blood status or how smart you are."

"I heard rumours a few years ago. Harry and his lot had started a group after-hours, to practice all manner of things. As part of the Inquisitorial Squad, we had to figure out why they were meeting, why we could never get into the room and catch them in the act to have them punished by Umbridge." He sighed, tensing at the memories as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "We learned absolutely nothing in defense that year. Ironically, that was probably the time we could have really used some training in the basics. If it hadn't been for you, I doubt any of us would have managed to pass any of our exams."

Remus felt pride bloom through his chest. He was unable to stop the smile and chuckle. It was such a rare thing for him to feel, even after the war. "You really did have bad luck at that school when it came to Defense professors."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you and Sirius are the professor's now," Draco blushed, looking up through his thick fringe. "I just ... I felt so unprepared in the middle of that war."

"No child your age should have been prepared for that, Draco."

"Regardless, Hogwart's failed to keep the students safe. All that happened that final year, other than being trained in torturing classmates, was that students became really good at healing spells." A haunted look passed over his face and he felt sick. His skin prickled, the hairs standing up on end. "That rather speaks for itself."

"Yes," Remus hummed quietly. "It does, doesn't it?"

The sound of approaching footsteps running up the stairs broke the silence hanging between them. Harry knocked on the door before poking his head into the room and frowning. "You're doing magic without me?"

"Sirius said he was going to teach you spells, Harry," Remus reminded gently. "This is practice for when Draco takes his exams."

"Oh yeah, Ron and Hermione mentioned they were happening soon," Harry raked a hand through his messy hair. "Can I stay and watch? I promise I won't get in the way."

"Very well," Remus sighed. "As long as you don't distract Draco from his practice, then there's no harm done. So, did you want to try the patronus today or focus on something else?"

Draco cast a glance at Harry. He wanted to do something else, something easy. He didn't want Harry's newest memory of him to be an eighteen year old wizard who couldn't even perform basic magic. However, when he opened his mouth the words, "Let's do the patronus charm," tumbled out.

He knew he was going to regret this.

.

"Enough!" Draco snapped in defeat. Despite what Remus had told him, he still couldn't produce anything, not even a pathetic little wisp. The professor had tried to reason that most people had to try countless times to even get pearly smoke, but Draco refused to believe him. They'd worked on it all afternoon and Draco had seen no results, except for his frustration levels climbing higher. If he didn't stop now he was going to start flinging curses.

"You did well for your first lesson, Draco. This is just something that you will need to practice at," Remus placated, already sensing the bad mood bubbling beneath the teenager's façade.

Draco tensed at the words, his head hanging low. He swallowed thickly. "I think ... I'm just going to stay in my room tonight. I'm not feeling too hungry."

"Sirius will be home soon and we can have dinner to-"

"No," Draco cut over him. "I'm not hungry." He sighed heavily. "I just ... I need some time to ... process all this."

Remus pressed his lips together, already sensing he was going to lose this battle. "Very well," he said and watched as Draco slumped out of the room, the epitome of defeat.

It was a good thing that Harry had gotten a bit bored and went to watch some T.V. downstairs. Draco was getting even more worked-up and embarrassed with Harry watching his every move like a hawk. That much was obvious. He hoped that they were able to make good process with the rest of the assigned spellwork for the exams in a few months time. They were due to leave for France via portkey first thing on Friday morning for their long weekend away. Maybe a change of scenery would help clear the cobwebs from Draco's head. Try as he might, even with their morning runs, Remus didn't feel like he was helping Draco in any significant way. That thought gnawed at him for the rest of the afternoon.

He decided to go to the study and firecall Andromeda to see how she felt about coming to France with them.

.

Harry frowned up at the constellations glowing like silver cobwebs on his bedroom ceiling. They were beautiful to look at and more often that not, Harry would fall asleep feeling as though he were falling through space. It was a magical feeling and it fought against those ugly memories from being locked in the cupboard at Privet Drive. Still, that didn't mean the he always slept peacefully. There were days like today, where the atmosphere in the house grew so tense it was like he was walking through a fog. It usually stemmed from Draco being upset about something, but once a month, Moony would be in that sort of state as well. That was usually when his Dad would give Moony lots of chocolate and over-sized cosy jumpers to lounge around in.

Harry could practically hear Draco berating him for thinking of Sirius as 'Dad'. He knew he wasn't, not really, but with his new memories he felt as real as any Dad figure Harry could ever remember. That wasn't to say he was replacing his real Dad, or his Mum. But Sirius was here and so was Moony, and frankly that was all that mattered to Harry.

Feeling restless, he kicked back the covers and sat upright in bed with a huff.

He was far too wired to get any proper sleep.

Pacing the room, he debated on whether it was worth disturbing Moony or Dad in bed. He felt like he was always bothering them and giving them zero privacy. Teddy took up so much of Remus' time as it was, especially now that he was learning to walk and getting close to talking.

Cracking the door open a little, Harry peered out. The hallway was dark and quiet. He slipped out of his room and slowly crept along the landing, taking care to avoid the creaky floorboard by the bannister. He paused, holding his breath and strained to listen at his Dad's door. There was no sound -then again, why would there be? Magic existed so if they didn't want to be heard, they wouldn't be.

Moving along, he came to a stop outside Draco's bedroom door. It suddenly loomed before him, dark and forbidding in the weak light coming in front the landing window. Would he be asleep? Or was it fretting about how he hadn't cast the spell properly earlier? Biting on his bottom lip, Harry turned the doorknob and pushed lightly on the door, grateful that it didn't squeak. The room beyond was dark, the curtains parted just enough to let a sliver of orange lamplight from the street below to filter inside. Harry could just make out the vague shapes of the furniture.

"Draco?" he whispered into the darkness. Silence. "Draco are you awake?"

A sigh. "What do you want Harry?" came the hissed reply. "It's late."

"I know I just ... I wanted to see if you were okay," he said, feeling a smidge braver.

"I'm not. Now go back to bed."

Harry shifted awkwardly on his feet. "I ... I can't sleep."

"So go bother your godfather."

"I ... I shouldn't. I bother him enough already."

"Great, so I have to suffer?" Another heavy sigh, louder this time. "I really not in the mood to talk, kid."

"I won't talk!" Harry gushed quietly. "Please?"

A pause. "Fine, get in. But if I hear one word from you, I will kick you out of this room and lock the door after you."

Harry hastily shuffled into the room, quietly closing the door behind him. His socked feet muffled his footsteps as he made his way over to the huge bed and slid under the covers. He sunk down into the mattress, feeling instantly cosy. The warmth from Draco's body lying so close to him gave him such a rush of security that he couldn't remember feeling back with the Dursley's. The bed was comfortably wide for the both of them, yet Harry felt himself being drawn to the warmth of the older boy.

It felt like he lay in the dark for ages, even though it was probably only for a few minutes. He just wanted Draco to relax and go to sleep. He kept straining his ears to listen out for the blonde's breathing. As soon as it evened out, indicating that Draco had finally fallen asleep, Harry shifted onto his side. Hesitantly, he reached out and tenderly pressed his palm against Draco's back. A shiver ran through him at how warm Draco was.

Feeling bold, he wriggled closer, letting his forehead touch against Draco's shoulder-blades. He fell asleep within moments. Draco remained awake for a while longer, embracing the feeling of Harry pressed against him. Within another month or two, there would be no doubt in his mind that Harry would avoid him. Might as well enjoy these small, secret moments while he still could.

~0~

"Hurry up, Remus, we're going to miss the portkey!" Sirius yelled over his shoulder, his legs carrying him ahead of the group. All those years running about on four legs really had come in handy.

Behind him, Remus ran hot on his heels, Teddy strapped tightly to his chest even though the child looked beyond the age of being carried in a harness. Sirius ran whilst dragging a muggle suitcase stuffed with everything they'd be needing for the long weekend, shrunken down to fit inside the small carry-one. The wheels rumbled and swerved on the uneven pavements. On his back, he carried Harry who looked as though he was clinging for dear life as his godfather raced down the streets like a madman. Draco was left to his own devices, allowing his long legs to carry him on par with the others without getting breathless. The morning runs with Remus seemed to have come in handy after all.

They made it to the international portkey office with only two minutes to spare.

They gathered, panting, around a peeling leather glove. They barely had a moment to calm down before they grabbed a part of the glove and felt the sickly tug on their navels.

Draco squinted against the rush of magic all around him as he was launched through the air. Through the maelstrom he could see brighter colours, felt warmer and -as he spiraled out of the sky towards the lush green grass -detected something sweet in the atmosphere. He landed with a hard thump and a cry of pain as his body collided with a steep country hill. Rolling onto his back, he gasped out as the pain sent shockwaves through.

"You'd think with all this magic there would be a way to travel without hurting oneself," he grumbled.

A series of thumps a few feet away made him crane his neck; Sirius had landed awkwardly and had to roll a certain way so as not to crush Harry. Whereas Remus, having thought way ahead of any of them, slowly glided through the air as though walking down an invisible staircase. He landed gently on the grass, completely unscathed.

"Come on, kid, on your feet," Sirius grinned down at him, offering his hand. Draco grasped it and was tugged up onto his feet. Straightening down his jumper and ruffling grass out of his hair was unbecoming of a Malfoy but there was really nothing for it. He couldn't go to see his mother looking so unkempt. Sirius let out a low whistle. "This is Cissy's Chateau is it?"

The others turned to stare up at the villa perched on top of the next hill. It was a fair distance away from the town and perfect for Narcissa's house-arrest.

'At least she gets all the fresh produce and sweet country air,' Draco thought grudgingly. 'All I have is stuff old Grimmauld Place.'

It wasn't a long walk to the Chateau, but there was a steep incline as they neared the front drive. It made their already sore legs, ache. Draco had done this walk a few times throughout his life, so it didn't come as a complete shock to his system. Remus managed, though his face was tensed up with strain. Sirius was the least fit and had to let Harry down from his piggyback ride. Whilst Sirius hurried a few paces to match his stride with Remus, Harry sprinted on ahead so that he was striding alongside Draco.

"So this is where your mum lives?" Harry asked with a frown.

Draco nodded. "Yes, this is where she's serving out her sentence for house arrest."

Harry frowned, the sun reflecting in his glasses. "At least it's a pretty area. It must get lonely though."

"Yes, Mother does get lonely."

"Do you get to see her often?"

"No ..." Draco grunted, trying to maintain his pace. "We're not allowed."

"So, why are we here now?"

"The Minister of Magic granted us a few days."

"Why?"

"Good behaviour I suppose."

Harry wrinkled his nose, "How would you get in trouble living somewhere so secluded?"

"Believe me, Harry, if someone wants to get into trouble, they'll have no issues in finding a way to make it happen."

They arrived at the wrought iron gates before Harry could quiz him anymore about his Mother.

The others brought up the rear, Sirius opting to levitate their luggage beside. He whistled as he looked upon the chateau situated a fair distance from the main gates they were looking through. It was definitely a grand structure, painted a soft, peachy orange that was very becoming of the surroundings areas, and not the hideous austere monochromatic colour scheme that all the old Malfoy and Black ancestral homes seemed to be decorated in. No, Narcissa had taken the reins on decorating their summer abode. She had said, once, that if she had wanted to live in somewhere drab and dreary all throughout her summer holidays, she wouldn't have left England at all.

Remus frowned as a warm breeze hissed through the grass. "Do you think anyone knows we've arrived?"

"Draco?"

The blonde was frowning at the gates. There was a way to attract attention. There was no doorbell in sight, which generally deterred muggle idiots who wondered this far, although he could only assume that due to his mother's house arrest, some disillusion charms had been set in place. Reaching out a hand he reached for one of the iron bars. Magic shot through him as soon as his skin touched metal. With a sharp crack, an Auror appeared looking disgruntled. Draco vaguely recognised him as one of the few Auror's who had supervised them packing on their last morning in the manor.

"Identify yourselves," he snapped, brandishing his wand.

"Draco Malfoy. We've been granted permission by the Minister to visit for the weekend."

The Auror narrowed his eyes, and cast various non-verbal spells, no doubt checking for anything heinous they may be carrying. His eyes lingered for a moment too long on Harry, but upon detecting nothing malevolent, waved his wand to unlock the gates. They creaked open on hinges that had not been used in a while. Draco cringed at the sound as the small party cautiously stepped through the ward of the Chateau. It was like getting a rush of warm, sweet air as soon as they crossed the threshold.

"Follow me."

Too antsy from their recent port-key trip, they followed the surly Auror up along a steep winding path. The chateau was even more beautiful up close, for now all the minute details were coming into sharper focus; stained glass windows, a veranda and pink stone paved walkways weaving through the gardens surrounding the building. It loomed far above them, the peaked tiled roof almost disappearing into the clouds. Inside, their footsteps echoed off polished marble tiled, cool underfoot but with an entirely different feel from the cold, granite ones at the manor.

Tall, hand painted vases stood proudly in window sills and on small tables in the corners of the hallways or in various rooms that they walked past, each filled with tall palm leaves, grass and lilies and gardenias the size of Harry's head. They helped perfume the air, making it a little sweeter. Draco felt some of the tension unknot from his shoulders; at least it seemed like his mother had settled in.

They continued throughout the lower floor of the Chateau until they were led up the tall winding staircase, along another corridor. Eventually the Auror pointed and groused, 'go out to the terrace' before turning and striding off down to the other end of the chateau, his crimson auror robes billowing at his heels.

Sirius scowled after the man, lowered their luggage into the doorway they had been guided to, before straightening down his waistcoat and stepping out into the warm air. "Cissy!" he cried out, practically launching himself through the air.

"Sirius!"

Remus sighed and hastily made his way past Draco and out onto the terrace. Draco simply stood there, feeling exhausted and hollow. He just wanted to stay in that quiet limbo for just a few moment more. A soft touch brushed against his wrist. Looking down, he saw Harry letting his arm fall back to his side, as though worried he was going to get chastised for touching the blonde. His wide green eyes peaked up at Draco before a faint blush crept across his cheeks.

"Come on, let's go and see my mother."

As soon as she heard their footsteps on the terracotta tiles, Narcissa turned and smiled brightly as the two boys approached. She didn't stand up to greet them, so instead Draco stooped down to embrace her where she sat in her chair. He tried not to pay too much attention to the weight she had lost nor to the crows feet appearing at her eyes. It wasn't as though she'd had anything to laugh about in years. As he stepped aside, Narcissa's bright eyes landed on eleven-year-old Harry. They widened and she quickly smiled and extended her hand towards him. Harry hesitated a moment, looking towards Sirius and Remus for approval. They each smiled encouragingly, and so Harry took her hand and shook it.

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," he said as clearly as his nerves would allow.

Narcissa laughed, "Goodness, don't go calling me 'ma'am', Harry Potter. I think we're a little beyond that, don't you think?"

Harry felt his cheeks grow warm.

Draco tried to suppress his own smile. They settled into chairs around the table, with Narcissa at the head. "Is Aunt Andromeda not joining us?" he asked, frowning. He was sure Remus had invited her.

Narcissa nodded, "She said she would be arriving later this evening, in time for dinner."

"I think a change of scenery will do her good," Sirius stated pragmatically. "Nothing worse than pottering around a house filled with ghosts. Especially the ones you aren't able to talk to."

Draco felt a nudge in his ribs. Turning to Harry, he heard, "Ghost's are real, right?"

"Of course, why wouldn't they be?" he hissed back.

"It's ... hard to tell what's real and what isn't," Harry mumbled, turning his attention to picking the peeling paint off the edge of the table. Draco swatted his hands away from it. Harry side-eyed him, even daring to poke the tip of his tongue out, tauntingly. Draco rolled his eyes and turned back to the conversation at hand.

"We're only here for a few days," Remus said. "I'm not sure that we would be able to get up to much."

Narcissa waved his concerns aside. "I'm sure at least one evening, Andromeda and I can take care of the boys and you two can have a night to yourselves. You're in France and, need I remind you, not on house arrest? Enjoy the fresh country air for Merlin's sake!"

Remus flushed and bowed his head. "It seems wrong to go off gallivanting, whilst you're stuck indoors."

"Remus!" she gestured over the terrace, at the rolling hills, bright blue skies, and the pearly peaks of houses on the next hilltop over and below in the valley. "I am confined to the house and its ground. The only thing I am lacking in, is company." She sighed wistfully. "I almost thing loneliness is the punishment I'm intended to suffer through, instead of being cut-off from the rest of the wizarding world."

"Well -I mean -Wouldn't you want to have some sisterly bonding time ... or something?"

"I'm sure we'll have plenty," Narcissa smiled. "There are a few of Draco and Lucius' old broomsticks lying about in one of the store sheds. I'm sure you boys will spend at least one day playing Quidditch or something. Andromeda and I will have plenty of time for ourselves."

Remus closed his mouth, but he did not look convinced. Draco had lived with the man long enough to know that he was still fretting about taking advantage of his mother's hospitality.

"Stop stressing that head, Moony!" Sirius grinned, slinging an arm around Remus' neck and smacking a dopey kiss to his tense cheek. "You keep going on about everyone else enjoying themselves, when you're the one that deserves to loosen up a little."

Remus shrugged the older man off him but was unable to completely hide the smile forming as he rubbed absently at his cheek.

"Like a couple of love-sick teenagers," Narcissa muttered just loud enough for the boys to hear. Draco snorted whereas Harry's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. He looked across the table between Sirius and Remus seemed to frown a little. Noting the tension beginning to form, Narcissa cleared her throat and announced, "I think we should have lunch out here today. Shall we meet back here in the hour? I can show you to your rooms ... unless Draco wants to?"

"Who's going to prepare the food?" Remus asked, cradling Teddy's head as he levered himself out of the chair.

"I am," Narcissa smiled. "The Minister was kind enough to appoint me a House Elf once a day to help teach me to cook."

"The muggle way?" Draco frowned.

"Both ways, actually," she said. The look on her face said that she had been just as surprised as her son. "Well, it was definitely a learning curve but it has kept my occupied. It may be very basic in comparison to what you may eat day-to-day but I've managed to find something almost ... calming about cooking."

"In that case, may I assist you as well?" Remus asked. "I might have one or two things that you could add to your menu."

"Oh yes, this man makes a killer Shepherds pie. Honestly, it's like Heaven in my stomach! Perfect in the middle of cold winters as well."

"So ... England."

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "Yeah pretty much. Any day it's cold and miserable and I just long for Remmy's shepherds pie."

"Yes, better than those disasters that Sirius tries to get away with," Remus stated blandly.

"Oh really?" Narcissa cocked an eyebrow, intrigued. "What was the first thing he did for you?"

"Burned the house down."

"Hey!" Sirius protested, as Harry and Draco started to laugh. "I made you dinner, you git!"

"So, what? I should have the fire brigade on stand-by in case you want to boil an egg?"

Sirius scowled. "I got better. That one time we an accident. Let it GO!"

Remus smirked. "The one time, eh?"

"Okay ... it may have been the second -"

"Second?!" Narcissa laughed. "Surely not!" Remus held up three fingers and she nearly tipped back in her chair laughing.

As the adults continued to squabble about Sirius' apparent lack of cooking skills -although from what he had eaten of the man's cooking, Draco had to admit he was decent at it -Draco felt Harry nudge him. Turning to the young boy, he cocked an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Can we go and see our rooms? I feel too restless just sitting here." He bit his lip after what he said, a panicked look fleeting across his face.

Draco smiled and nodded. "Mother, I'm going to show Harry to his room."

"Okay, darling," she wiped a tear of mirth from her eyes. "You boys are sharing in the East bedroom, I hope that's okay? With Andromeda coming later, there wasn't quite that much space."

"That's fine," Draco silently challenged his mother. He knew the chateau had at last six bedrooms. The harder glint in her eyes told him to drop the matter, so he did. Standing up, he brushed down his clothes and motioned for Harry to follow him back inside. "This way, kid."

Harry glanced up at the other adults. However, they were still engrossed in their argument, which seemed to have branched off already from Sirius' cooking skills, thus they weren't paying him any attention. In their mind, he had no reason to be worried of fretful. Swallowing thickly, he stood up from his chair and skirted around the edge of the table and slipped inside through the balcony doors.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets he hurried to catch up with Draco as the blonde calmly walked along the corridor, his back ramrod straight. Harry frowned; had he always had such good posture? Or was it having lived at the manor his entire life? He knew he had a tendency to slouch, something he remembered Hermione berating him for as early as first year. Still, having to live and crouch in a cupboard for a decade wasn't going to let his thrive, now, was it?

He let out a grunt as he collided with Draco. Frowning, he rubbed his face a little in time to see Draco open a door to their left and walk through. Shrugging, Harry followed. The room beyond was lavish, like one of those expensive hotels he had seen in movies on the T.V. It made him feel ratty and unkempt just looking at the plush rug before the hearth. Fidgeting, he tried not to move or touch anything that seemed edged in gold or silver -which was almost everything.

"Wow! This is so fancy!" he couldn't contain his gasp.

Draco raised his eyebrows in amusement, glancing about. "I suppose it is, yes. Mother always had better taste for decoration than Father did."

"My Aunt Petunia would bend over backwards to befriend your mum," Harry insisted. "Her and Uncle Vernon always thought they were better than everyone else."

Draco chuckled. "I'm sure she'd be even more jealous if she ever found out."

Harry hummed, still turning in circles to take everything in. "It's so big! You could fit their whole house in here!" Another chuckle made him stop spinning, his cheeks blushing furiously. "Sorry," he mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I ... I should know my place. I shouldn't make an idiot of myself."

"Too late for that, Potter," came the well-intended jibe. Harry flinched. When Draco spoke again his words were softer. "Hey now, you're allowed to be impressed by things. I like that you are."

"You're not just saying that ... right?"

"Of course not!" the blonde sounded insulted by the very idea of it. "This is all new to you. New things are meant to be exciting and make you make all sorts of silly noises."

"Even magic?"

"Especially magic."

Harry let his body relax, feeling a little calmer. He vaguely recalled a young Draco Malfoy with his white-blonde hair slicked back, running through the dark woods and screaming like a little girl. He bit his lip to stop himself from snickering as the memory faded away. At least he wasn't the only one who had made an idiot of himself. He shook himself out of his reverie as he realised that Draco had resized and put away most of their clothing. Feeling useless, he hurried over to the bed and took their resized shoes off and set them inside the wardrobe, ready for when they were needed.

"So what are our plans for the rest of the day?"

"I think we should shower and change," Draco said. "Travelling by portkey always makes me feel grubby."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Then what?"

"Then lunch probably."

"Oh. What about after?"

"Merlin, you never grow out of that," Draco smirked wryly. "If you wash and change now, I promise that we can go exploring across the grounds later. If you're lucky, there may even be a swimming pool hidden away somewhere."

"Really?!" Bright green eyes flew wide. In a matter of moments Harry had his arms filled with a towel and clean clothes and was racing towards the en-suite bathroom.

Draco laughed as the door slammed shut.

A/N: Please leave some lovely reviews!

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