BOY! Get up and fix up the garden. You can finish the floor later!" a woman screamed at a little boy. Draco guessed that the woman was Harry's aunt and the little boy was Harry himself. He immediately noticed the bruise around Harry's eye. He watched as the little boy quickly got up and walked outside. Draco followed him.
Draco watched as Harry struggled with the huge watering can. Harry was far to young to do chores like this! Draco was outraged again. It was about to get worse.
Harry had now successfully watered the plants. He kneeled down next to a beautiful rosebush.
"I wish I could go somewhere where they want me. I don't want to live here anymore," little Harry whispered sadly and softy stroked over the petals of one of the roses. It began to bloom under Harry's touch. He pulled his hand back as if he had burned himself.
Draco smiled. Harry's magic was linked to his emotions, he knew that. He didn't know it started at such a young age. He was still smiling at Harry when the little boy carefully touched the blooming rose. The expression on Harry's face was adorable.
"YOU FREAK! I told you to stop doing that! I'll teach you boy!" the woman screamed and dragged Harry inside. Harry's ankle got stuck between the door when Petunia wanted to close it. Harry screamed in agony.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do magic again! I promise, I'll be good!" Harry wailed and was thrown on the kitchen floor. Draco was horrified but unable to do anything.
"No boy! You. Have. To. Learn!" Petunia slapped Harry hard at each word and he tried to scramble away. This only angered Petunia further and she started to hit him forcefully.
"Please, no, stop! I won't do I again! I won't do magic anymore!" Harry tried again. Petunia entered a whole new level of anger.
"You will not say that word ever again!" she punched him hard in the stomach and the boy fell back unconscious. She grabbed him and threw him in the cupboard under the stairs.
Draco gave up on fighting back his tears and fell back in his room. He sat up and drew his knees up to his chest.
'Oh Harry, how could I've been so stupid to believe you lived like a king!' he thought sadly. After a little while, the tears subsided and Draco lifted himself on the couch. Like earlier, he fell asleep immediately.
He woke up to a body in his arms. Draco opened one eye and recognized little Harry and smiled softly. The little boy was sleeping soundly and in his arms was the stuffed lion Draco had conjured. He gently shook the boy. Harry moaned and his eyes slowly opened. His expression turned frightful. He scrambled away and fell off the couch. Draco quickly took Harry's hand to prevent him from running.
"I'm sorry, I won't do it again!" Harry sobbed and his thin frame shook with fear. Draco took the little boy in his arms and hugged him.
"I promised you I wouldn't hurt you, and I won't. I'm not mad at you. I just want to know why you where sleeping here, when you had the whole bed to yourself," Draco soothed softly and Harry was calming down slightly.
"I…I was just scared." Harry blushed. Draco smiled.
"It's okay. I want to help you. Please don't be scared of me. I'll make sure nothing happens to you here." Draco picked Harry up and carried him towards the bedroom. He sat him on the bed and walked over to the wardrobe. He shrunk one of his robes and helped Harry getting dressed. Then he quickly changed clothes himself since he didn't even changed in his pyjama's last night.
"Where are we going?" Harry asked when they walked out the door and into the chilly dungeons.
"We're going to have breakfast. Are you hungry?" Draco smiled at the dreamy expression Harry had at the mention of food.
"Can I really have breakfast?" Harry said in awe. Draco's heart tore at the hopeful tone and he swore he would let Harry eat whatever he wanted.
"Yes, of course." Draco and Harry entered the Hall and everyone fell silent. Dumbledore stood up.
"Who is the young man Mr Malfoy?" he asked politely but it was clear that the old coot knew exactly who 'the young man' was. Harry didn't like it when people stared and hid behind Draco.
"Harry Potter, sir. I can't tell you the details, but he's here for a week and I'll be taking full responsibility for him. Now, if you don't mind, we wish to be having breakfast," Draco said formally and sat down next to Blaise and Pansy. He picked Harry up and sat him down next to him. Harry, however, had other plans.
He crawled into Draco's lap and buried his face in his shoulders. Draco felt Harry shake and wrapped his arms around the scared boy.
"I don't like it when people stare Draco," he whispered softly and clung to Draco. The older boy sighed. He looked up and around and glared.
"What are you all looking at! Nothing to see here, you vultures! Get back to your breakfast," Draco sneered. He turned back to Harry again and smiled.
"What do you want to eat?" he asked and the little boy looked at the loaded table.
"I don't know." Draco gently sat Harry in his own seat and started to load things on a plate.
"Why don't you try this. If you don't like it, we try something else. And if you want something, just ask. Okay?" Harry nodded and started eating. Draco smiled and loaded his own plate and started eating. After a few minutes he noticed Blaise and Pansy looking at him in shock.
"What?" he asked Blaise.
"Well, an explanation would be nice, for starters," he said.
"I already gave an explanation and I'm not going to say more. If you don't like it, it's your problem." Draco saw Pansy looking thoughtfully at Harry, who was taking little bites of his toast.
"He doesn't have the life we thought he had, does he?" It wasn't really a question, more of a fact being stated. Draco nodded.
Everything went fine till Harry accidentally knocked over his pumpkin juice, all over Pansy. Harry's eyes grew wide.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Harry cried and tried to slip under the table. Pansy grabbed him before he had the chance. Harry steeled himself for the blows to come. They didn't. He carefully opened his eyes and saw Pansy looking at him with a tearful expression. He stared at the floor.
"I'm sorry," he whispered again. Pansy gently took his hands and forced him to look at her.
"Don't worry Harry, it's alright. Look." Pansy took out her wand and cleaned up the mess. Harry stared at her again.
"See? It's alright. Now finish your breakfast, okay?" She smiled when Harry nodded and did as he was told. Draco had watched it all with a big grin. He leaned over to her.
"Going soft, Parkinson?" he whispered. She glared at him.
"Pots and kettles, Malfoy," she pointed out and went back to her breakfast.