Usual Disclaimer: Usual Disclaimer: This world does not belong to me. I just borrowed it along with its inhabitants. Thanks J.K. for lending me your ready made world of magic.
A/N: Hey peeps, hope you are liking this story so far, haven't had many reviews about it so far to prove it but I like this story so I'm going to keep posting. Anyway, this will probably be the last chapter I post till after Christmas so I hope you enjoy it. R&R please! Have a Great Christmas and A Happy New Year! XXX
When Harry stepped off the train when they arrived at platform 9 and 3/4 however, all of his worries were forgotten as he caught sight of the blonde Slytherin in the crowd. Dragging his trunk behind him, he hurried to catch up with him.
"Draco." He breathed as he reached him.
"Potter." Draco regarded him for a moment then said, "I take it you know."
"Yeah." Harry suddenly felt awkward - these were not the words he expected, no wanted, to hear when Draco spoke to him. He looked back in the crowd to see Ron and Hermione beckoning him to say their goodbyes.
"Don't even think of disappearing anywhere." He warned Malfoy before making his way over to the Weasleys and Hermione to say his goodbye's and receive warnings from Mr and Mrs Weasley, as they had heard about his living arrangements already, to be very wary of Draco, he was a Malfoy after all.
As he made his way back to Draco, he scanned the crowd and spotted the Dursley's not far away. 'This is going to be fun' he thought and, keeping one hand on his wand and pushing the trolley with both their trunks plus Hedwig with the other hand (with not a hint of help from Malfoy), he started towards them.
As Harry approached them, he noticed with pleasure that Vernon's face deepened significantly in colour as he watched Draco strut confidently along behind Harry with his usual Malfoy swagger.
"What is the meaning of this boy?" Vernon growled and Dudley cowered behind him along with Petunia.
"This," Harry motioned towards Draco, "is Draco. He'll be staying with us for the summer."
"He most certainly is not. What did you say his name was?" Vernon asked, believing he had heard incorrectly.
"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Draco broke in, extending his hand out towards Vernon, believing that once he heard to whom he was talking to, he would change his attitude. In reality, Vernon took a step backward and hissed "don't touch us. There is no way I'm letting another one of you people into my home, especially not one with a name like that."
Draco's hand flew to his pocket where he was harbouring his wand but Harry stopped him.
"Draco! I'll deal with this." Harry warned, before turning his attention back to his uncle. "I think you'll find that he will be staying with us whether you like it or not." Harry smirked, also fingering his wand just so that it would be obvious to Vernon. Petunia gasped behind him and Dudley clasped his hands over his bottom. (Harry tried not to laugh as he noticed Draco gawping at Dudley in utter disgust).
"How dare you tell me who will or will not be staying in my home! And don't think you can scare us with that stick of yours, we know you don't want to get kicked out of your precious school!" Vernon said with false confidence.
"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" Harry's eye's danced with pleasure. "Change of rules, I can use Magic" He stressed the m-word and added, "I've come of age you know."
There was a collective shudder from the Dursley's as he mentioned his abnormality. Harry began to push the trolley but turned back and said "oh and by the way, You ought to know, Draco happens to be from the most powerful bloodlines of the wizarding world so I'd advise you to get out of that nasty habit you have. You know, the one where you feel it necessary to insult our families, or you might regret it." Harry let his hand waver over his wand again.
That did the trick and Vernon ushered his family out of the train station, hissing at Harry as he did so, "Come on then! Don't make a scene!"
They made their way out of the train station and after Harry had hauled his and Draco's trunks into the boot of Vernon's company car, there was a dispute over the seating arrangements for the journey home seeing as there was an extra person to accommodate.
On the journey Home, Harry suppressed a smile as Draco slid up as close to him as possible to avoid any contact with Dudley as he was sitting on the other side of him. Draco looked utterly disgusted and Dudley looked equally as frightened.
Harry was surprised, but grateful that Draco had not tried to interrupt or be his usual pain-in-the-ass-self during Harry's threatening match with Vernon. He had stood back and just watched and waited. Harry guessed this was due to the fact that Draco had nowhere else to go.
Being in such close confines with Draco, Harry took in his features. He, like Harry had grown throughout the last year and both were now very tall, having most likely reached their full height, and were now roughly the same height. He had allowed his gleaming blonde hair to grow and it hung at his jaw-line, smooth and silky. And his eyes, those eyes. Harry marvelled at their intensity. They shone silver and almost sparkled. Harry watched Draco most of the journey back to Privet Drive but after a while Draco seemed to sense his eyes on him and Harry turned quickly to look out of the window.
Draco was obviously glad to be getting out of the car, grateful for being able to stretch his legs and for being able to get further away from Dudley. He looked around him at the quaint little street, his eyes narrowing as he took in the size of the house they had pulled up at.
"This is it?" He asked in disdain.
"This is it." Harry smiled, hauling their trunks out of the back of the car. "Here take your trunk." He said dropping it on Draco's toes without any warning. "Do I look like a houself?"
Draco scowled and dragged his trunk inside, following Harry.
"So where's my room?" He asked when they reached the landing at the top of the stairs.
"This," Harry motioned through the door to Dudley's second bedroom, "is our room. We're sharing." Harry laughed at the look on Draco's face; he was used to extreme luxury, that much was painfully obvious. "Unless you want to stay in my old room, under the stairs?" The surprise in Draco's eyes was unmistakable but he just grumbled and pulled his trunk into the room.
"This may seem like a strange question, but why the hell are there bars on the window?"
"Long story, those are the second attempt to keep me in. the first one got pulled down by that car we flew to Hogwarts, it was very much a case of 'Ron to the rescue'. They tried to starve me and I like my food." Harry tried to make light of the situation and thankfully Draco said no more about it. Harry waved his wand and the bars disappeared he then proceeded to open the window and shoo Hedwig out into the, now darkening, sky.
"Another stupid question, but where do you plan on sleeping." Draco smirked, making himself at home on Harry's bed. Harry laughed, "by the looks of it on the floor." Draco propped himself up onto his elbow and watched as Harry left the room, returning with a spare duvet. He dumped it on the floor and looked at Draco. "You comfy?" He asked sarcastically.
"Yes thank you! When's dinner?"
"Whenever we decide to get up and make it." The look on Draco's face was priceless when Harry said this.
"We have to make our own dinner?"
"Yes, we have to make our own dinner." Harry repeated. "We don't have any house-elves."
"But what about your aunt?"
"She couldn't care less. We're lucky she hasn't locked us in here... yet..."
Draco looked shocked but regained composure quickly. "She'll make dinner for her direct family but not the inconvenience that grew up in the cupboard under the stairs. Harry spat. "Listen." Draco did so and heard the unmistakable sounds of a family sitting down to dinner. He didn't know what to say.
"It makes a change anyway. Usually I have to make their dinner. It's probably best if we wait until they're finished before we go down. Fewer problems that way."
Draco watched Harry in fascination as he went over to the window and stared thoughtfully out.
Draco rose from the bed and wandered around the room, occasionally picking up broken objects belonging to Dudley.
"What is all this?" He asked as he picked up a remote control car.
"Dudley's old things. Muggle toys. They're only in here because they're all broken. This used to be his second bedroom." Harry said turning back from the window
"He had a second bedroom and you lived under the stairs?" Draco asked in disbelief.
Harry nodded. "That's about the gist of it."
"Owl."
"What?"
"Owl." Draco repeated, nodding to the windowsill behind him, there was a school owl carrying a letter.
Harry took the letter and sat on the bed. Draco hesitated before sitting down next to him.
"Well that explained nothing I didn't already know." Harry sighed.
"What was it about?"
"You."
"What about me?"
"I asked Dumbledore why exactly you were staying here and this is what he had to say." Harry handed him the letter. "I had already figured that much out already."
