So
Long Sweet Summer
Author: xxinifinitemoment
Rating:
this is PG but it will go up in later chapters
Warnings:
none yet. other than slash ofcourse.
Word Count:
1500
Summary: Things have gotten pretty bad in the
Wizarding World and it's spreading to the Muggle World. Draco Malfoy
shows up on Harry's doorstep with Snape one day. From there,
everything takes a wild turn. Secrets are revealed. Perspectives
change. How will it all end?
Harry was right when he told Malfoy they wouldn't be having breakfast. Aunt Petunia told them to finish the attic and that was that. They returned to the musty room, their stomachs growling and protesting the emptiness. Harry went right to the box of his mother's possessions. He looked at all the pictures and thought of the parents he never knew. He wondered what his life would be like if he still had them, if none of this had ever happened. Harry was so deep in thought he didn't hear Malfoy talking to him.
"Potter!" Malfoy poked him on the shoulder and he jumped. Malfoy stepped back, surprised at Harry's reaction. He re-gathered himself and questioned, "What are you looking at? I'm doing all the work here."
"Oh," Harry glanced back down at the pictures and then motioned to them, "it's my mum, and some with my dad."
Malfoy sat down next to Harry and looked at the pictures with him. Neither of them heard Harry's aunt come up the stairs. "Are you two finished yet? There's more work for you to do." She looked that the two of them sitting on the floor and the end of the attic still not cleaned. Glancing at the pictures in Harry's hands, she knew what had caused them to stop. She cleared her throat and both boys looked up.
"Sorry Aunt Petunia, we just - we were - "
"Harry." she spoke sternly, "You may look at those later, but you need to finish your chores first."
The boys nodded and went back to cleaning. Aunt Petunia was going to let Harry look at the pictures? Then why did she take away the diary? When they finished with the attic, Harry took the box labeled 'Lily' down to his room before they went to find out what other tasks they had to do that day.
That day passed very slowly for Harry. His mind was on the box in his room. He wanted to look at his mum and dad again and see what he could find out about them in that box. He didn't really pay attention to what he was doing. Malfoy saved his skin a few times that day, one time especially when Harry bumped into a table with a vase that Aunt Petunia prized nearly as much as she prized Dudley. The vase started to fall but Malfoy caught it before it hit the ground. He claimed it was his seeker skills that he got there so fast. After dinner, Harry and Malfoy returned to their room and Harry looked through the box yet again.
Weeks passed by with everyday routines for the boys. They grew closer, but didn't consider themselves as friends. They still called each other by their surnames and still argued at every chance they got. Harry hadn't gotten the chance to find the diary but he had enjoyed the box that he found in the attic weeks previous. Harry's birthday passed with little mention other than the gifts Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and Remus sent him. Malfoy wished him happy birthday but that was it. Before the two boys knew it, they had received their school letters and a letter from Snape telling them he would pick them up the next day.
They were packing their trunks before dinner (Malfoy's was delivered by owls a few days after he arrived) when Malfoy spoke, "So what are we doing with your relatives gone for dinner?"
"What?" Harry asked confused.
"Your relatives are going out for dinner. Didn't you hear them?"
"Really? That's great!" Harry's first thought was finding the diary his aunt took from him.
"Maybe for you, but I do need to eat at some point."
"Oh we'll find something," he said nonchalantly and continued to pack his trunk.
His aunt, uncle, and Dudley left for dinner at five and by two after five Harry was in his aunt and uncle's room looking for the diary. He looked under the bed, in the closet and in all the corners but it wasn't anywhere to be found. He was about to look in her dresser when Malfoy entered the room.
"What are you doing Potter?"
"Trying to find my mum's diary," he said as he looked through her top drawer.
"Well I'm hungry."
"Give me a few minutes."
"No. I'm hungry."
Malfoy wouldn't stop bugging Harry so when he had only one drawer left he went to the kitchen with the blonde and found food. Once they were done he sprinted back up the stairs and opened the bottom drawer. Hidden under a hideous sweater was the red leather diary. Harry grabbed it and went towards his room when he heard the front door open. The Dursley's were home. He threw the diary in the trunk and had just closed it when his aunt walked in his room. Malfoy was reading and Harry tried to look like he was just relaxing.
"So you're leaving tomorrow?" The boys nodded. "And you have transportation?" Another nod. "Good, now go to bed. No lights."
Harry cursed under his breath but did as he was told. He could read the diary tomorrow.
+
Aunt Petunia didn't wake the boys up the following morning. They woke on their own accord. After double checking they had everything packed, the carried their trunks downstairs. Neither boy was sure how Snape would be getting them, but they waited with anticipation. Harry couldn't wait to get back into the wizarding world, and Malfoy couldn't wait to get away from the muggles. Harry didn't bug him so much anymore, but getting some time away from him would be a great plus also.
At precisely noon, there was a knock on the door. Harry went to answer it. He gasped at the sight of Snape. His potions professor had an ugly gash on his cheek and his robes were dirty with traces of blood on them. He was about to ask Snape what happened when the potions master spoke.
"No time for questions Potter. Where's Draco? Are you both ready?"
Malfoy appeared with his trunk and Harry got his, said a word of goodbye to his relatives, who didn't say anything back, and the two boys walked outside. Snape lead them to an alleyway and after reaching into his pocket, held out a quill.
"It's a portkey. Grab it. And hold onto your trunks, we don't want to lose those on the way." Snape snarled.
Both boys touched the quill and within a matter of seconds, the familiar tug at his navel appeared and then he landed unsteadily. He couldn't get his footing and fell right into Malfoy and the two boys fell over. Malfoy pushed Harry off of him and stood. The disheveled blonde wiped himself off and offered Harry a hand. He accepted and then looked at Snape, who was coughing a bit.
Harry took in his surroundings. It appeared that they were in a foyer. It was dark, even though it was the early afternoon. Everything looked very old and valuable.
"Don't touch anything Potter." Snape said aspirated. "Follow me."
The wizards followed Snape through a living room and up a set of stairs into a hallway. The house, Harry could only guess, was still very dark. It had a musty smell like the Dursley's attic. The floors were stone with a black carpet running down the length of hallways and covering most of the floor. After a long walk down the hallway, he pointed to two doors, next door to each other.
"These are your rooms for the last week of summer. You may get yourself settled; I will be up to get you in a half an hour. Draco, I'd like a word before you unpack."
Snape and Draco entered one room, and Harry entered another. The dark haired boy grumbled under his breath. He wanted to hear what they were talking about. He set his trunk down and opened it. Taking out some clothes, he moved towards the wardrobe. He heard voices through a door he hadn't noticed before.
"Why Serverus?"
Harry pressed his ear on the door.
"Because they know I'm your godfather. They presume that I know where you are, which I do but obviously won't tell them."
"So they decided to torture you?"
"Yes. But I'll be fine. Listen, staying here isn't the best idea but I had to bring you somewhere so you could prepare for school. My house is unplotable but that doesn't mean you have free lance here. Be careful. The Death Eaters are searching everywhere for you, the Dark Lord is not happy."
Harry heard the door open and close. He returned to his unpacking. Stumped by why the Death Eaters were so persistent, he thought about what Snape had said. They were at his house. And the Death Eaters were looking for Malfoy. At least he would have a break from being the main target.
Malfoy entered Harry's room from the side door. "Snape said to come downstairs for lunch."
The boys met Snape in the hallway and walked back in the direction they came.
Harry thought grimly, This is going to be a very interesting end of the summer.
TBC…
