I'll be honest with you... I'm not fond of this chapter. I'm just not feeling it, but I can't figure out how to rectify it. But, now it's annoying me so I'm moving on. Maybe I'll go back to it and fix it later. For now, I'm going to soothe myself with the first chapter of second year. My health is not good at the moment, but I started a new medication that seems to be managing my nerve pain pretty well. That being said, I'm going to do my best with regular updates. I'm struggling at the moment, so please forgive any delays. As always, you guys are fabulous and I love to make you happy with new chapters.

Also, this same story is on AO3 if it's easier for you to read it there.


There was nothing better than relaxing in the warm sunshine. It was perfect for long, languid stretches and afternoon cat-naps.

"It's hard to believe that you'd turn out to be such a lazy kitten," a male voice said, sounding amused.

One green eye slid open to find Remus crouched in the grass and smiling. "Care to join me for lunch Orion?" Remus asked, reaching out to stroke black fur. Orion rolled onto his back, exposing his belly and stretching his toes.

A moment later, Harry was human again. He gave another stretch, enjoying the pull of muscles before he relaxed again. "It's so nice out here," he said, finally sitting up. He loved coming outside to enjoy the warm sunlight. It was especially pleasant in his feline form.

"How about a picnic then?" Remus suggested. When Harry eagerly nodded, Remus levitated their food outside while Harry spread out a blanket to sit on.

They had sandwiches, crisps and lemonade that was delightfully cool. Harry ate slowly, his eyes unfocused as the rested on a flower bed. "You seem a little down," Remus said carefully. "I thought you'd be a little happier to spend the summer with me."

Harry instantly felt guilty. "I love spending time with you," Harry assured him. "It's not you. It's just- I haven't gotten any letters from my friends. Not one," he added sadly. "I see Ron sometimes... I knew he wasn't going to bother writing. But, I really thought that Draco would write to me. Blaise and Hermione too."

Remus frowned. That was surprising and rather strange. Between stories from Minerva and Harry himself, Remus was under the impression that Harry was very close with his friends. Draco in particular had always been attached to Harry.

"Maybe they don't want to be friends anymore," Harry said softly, finally voicing the fear that had been plaguing him for the last few weeks.

"I'm sure that's not true," Remus said firmly. "There's a reasonable explanation. Give your friends a little more credit than that."

Harry felt bad for doubting his friends, but his feelings were hurt. He'd written to each of them and not received a single response. What could he have done wrong?

Harry thought that he and Draco had grown to be a little too old for the park they had been going to since they'd first met. He had Remus had gone there, just in case, but Draco had never shown up. It was fine, of course. Harry had little interest in the playground equipment. But, not hearing from Draco at all was hard on him. He wasn't as quite lclose to Blaise or Hermione, but he'd been certain that they'd write to him.

"Try not to worry," Remus said, pulling Harry into a hug. He hated seeing Harry look so sad. It warmed his heart when Harry hugged back tightly. "We're going to see the Weasleys later. That'll cheer you up."

It did cheer Harry up. The Weasley children didn't seem to mind at all that Harry was in Slytherin. He was treated like one of them, and Harry loved it.

Ginny was going to be starting her first year at Hogwarts. She acted a little oddly around Harry these days; blushing if he looked in her direction, never making eye contact and hardly ever speaking when he was around. Her older brothers thought it was hilarious.

"She's been talking about you all summer," Ron complained. "It's really annoying. You'd think she'd jump at the chance to speak directly you."

Fred and George exchanged a knowing smirk but didn't comment.

Remus sat with Molly while Harry went outside to play Quidditch with Ron and the twins. Harry graciously allowed each of them to have a turn on his Nimbus Two Thousand.

"Harry's a sweet boy," Molly mused, smiling fondly as she watched the boys laugh and play. "Has he fully recovered from his encounter with... you-know-who?"

"He's fine," Remus assured her. "Perfectly healthy."

"And what about you?" Molly prompted, eyeing Remus shrewdly. "You're looking a bit peaky."

"I'm alright," he replied, waving her off.

"Remus Lupin, you can't fool a mother," she responded tartly. "Your life revolves around that boy, and you neglect yourself."

Remus looked away, unwilling to meet her gaze. He'd kept to himself while Harry was at school. He had few friends. Sirius was in Azkaban prison, and James and Peter were dead. The night that had left Harry an orphan, Remus' heart had been broken over and over. Sirius' betrayal. Peter's murder. James and Lily's murders.

His lycanthropy and aching soul drove him to isolate himself from others. Being brought back to take care of Harry had saved Remus from his despair. But, no matter how much he loved his Pup, Remus wasn't sure that he'd ever fully recover.

"I know a few single women that might appeal to you," Molly hinted. "You're still young Remus. You need a companion."

"I appreciate the concern," Remus said lightly. "But I'm not interested in the slightest."

Molly sighed but didn't argue. She didn't want to risk pushing Remus away. He did seem to brighten around Harry and, for now, it would just have to be enough.

Outside, Ron was dutifully soothing Harry's mind. "Maybe Malfoy's dad isn't letting him write you," Ron suggested.

"Maybe," Harry said with a little shrug. "I thought maybe I did something wrong."

"No," Ron said firmly, his eyes following as Fred flew in circles on Harry's broom. "You're fine, and I'm sure there's a good reason for him not writing you. I don't like the bloke, but he definitely cares about you."

"Blaise and Hermione?" Harry prompted quietly.

"I don't know mate," Ron admitted. "But I'm sure that they still want to be friends."

Harry smiled, grateful that he at least had Ron. It meant a lot to him that Ron would defend Draco to make Harry happy.

When they got home, Harry went into his room to get ready to take a shower. He stopped in his tracks when he found a house elf jumping on his bed. They didn't have any house elves, so Harry wasn't sure where it had come from.

Suddenly, the elf stopped bouncing and turned to face Harry. His wide, bulging eyes focused intently on Harry. "Harry Potter," the elf said in a squeaky voice, his long pointed ears wiggling in what appeared to be excitement. "Such an honor it is."

"Who are you?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Dobby, sir. Dobby the house elf."

Harry stared blankly at the house elf. "What do you want?" he asked curiously.

"Dobby has come to tell you-" Dobby cut himself off with a grimace. "It is difficult, sir. Dobby wonders where to begin."

"Why don't you sit down?" Harry suggested, gesturing to his slightly rumpled bed. He was shocked and horrified when Dobby burst into loud sobs.

The sound drew Remus into the bedroom to investigate. He paused in the doorway. "Er- Who's your friend?" he asked Harry, gesurting toward the wailing house elf.

"Uh... Dobby," Harry responded with a helpless shrug.

Remus backed away from the door. "I'll give you a moment," he muttered. The elf would probably be less forthcoming if Remus interfered.

Harry sighed. He shushed the house elf gently. "Calm down Dobby. I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

Dobby immediately ceased his crying and stared at Harry in awe. "Offend Dobby? Dobby has heard of Harry Potter's greatness. But never has Dobby been asked to sit down next to a wizard. Like an equal." He looked to be seconds away from resuming his howling. His watery eyes were gazing at Harry adoringly.

"You can't have met many decent wizards then," Harry said uncomfortably.

"No, I haven't," Dobby confirmed. And then he turned away. "What an awful thing to say..." He suddenly began slamming his head against the dresser repeatedly while shrieking "Bad Dobby!"

Horrified, Harry lurched forward and pulled Dobby away from the dresser. The house elf looked a little dizzy, but otherwise unharmed. "Are you alright?" Harry asked, wondering if all house elves were this crazy and they just hid it a little better.

"Dobby had to punish himself," Dobby said, rubbing at his abused cranium. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family."

Harry nodded in understanding, though he still thought Dobby was quite mad.

"But Dobby had to come," Dobby went on. "Dobby had to protect Harry Potter. To warn him. Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts this year." Dobby inched closer to Harry, his expression earnest. "There is a plot sir. A plot to make most terrible things happen."

"What terrible things?" Harry asked. "Who's plotting them?"

"Can't say..." Dobby grunted, clutching at his ears. He made a run at the wall and slammed into it hard.

Harry rolled his eyes impatiently. He'd encountered a few house elves since Minnie and Moony had taken him in, but his experience was limited. He certainly knew enough to find it strange for a house elf to defy the family he served. "Alright," he said, grasping Dobby by the shoulders to still him. "I understand why you can't tell me more. But I have to go back to school. I belong at Hogwarts. And my friends are there."

"Friends that don't even write to Harry Potter?" Dobby asked slyly.

"How do you know about that?" Harry demanded.

Dobby winced and pulled a stack of envelops out from under the old, ragged pillow case he was wearing. "Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby," he said cautiously. "Dobby thought that if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him, Harry Potter might not want to go back to school."

Harry sighed heavily. "Give me those," he grumbled, reaching for his letters.

Dobby bolted out the door and ran down the hall. He nearly ran right into Remus. Harry was close behind him. Dobby snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"No," Harry growled in frustration. "He's been stealing my letters," he informed Remus indignantly.

Remus looked amused and bewildered. "Well, at least you know that your friends were writing to you," he commented. "That was a decent pile of letters."

Harry sighed again, but a small smile crept onto his face. He would have preferred to actually read the letters, but he did feel better. Then he remembered what else Dobby had said. "He said that someone was plotting to make something bad happen," Harry said. "He said that I shouldn't return to Hogwarts."

Remus frowned. "That's odd," he muttered. "I haven't heard of anything going on. I'll speak with Albus and let him know. But Hogwarts is a safe place. There are strong wards and some of the best witches and wizards inside protecting the students and the castle." He smiled at Harry's expression of relief.

When Harry went to bad that night, Remus floo called Minerva to let her know what had happened. She confirmed that no rumors of a plot had reached her or Albus. But, a house elf willing to defy it's masters to protect Harry was an odd occurence indeed. It was certainly worth keeing an eye on.

A few days later, Harry had his twelvth birthday. They celebrated with dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. Harry loved their garlic bread. The Weasleys and Hagrid were there making it a rather noisy affair. When Dumbledore arrived, he brought Hermione along with him.

The biggest surprise came when Narcissa brought Draco and Blaise. Harry's smile could have lit up the room when he realized that his closest friends were all there.

Draco had rushed forward and hugged Harry tightly the moment their eyes met. And then he'd pulled away and his expression had closed off a bit, resuming his cool and poised demeanor. His mother gave him a look of fond exasperation but didn't chide him for his momentary outburst. She kissed Harry's cheek gently before he hurried to sit close to his friends.

"Severus told us that a strange house elf had been stopping Harry's letters," Narcissa told Remus. "Most peculiar."

"Indeed," Remus agreed. "I'm glad you could bring the boys here. Poor Harry was convinced that his friends didn't like him anymore."

"I don't think that's possible," Narcissa responded with a slight smile. "Draco does nothing but talk about him. Harry being placed in Slytherin has been good for Draco. I think he may be driving Lucius mad though."

"What does Lucius think of their friendship?" Remus asked, watching as Draco pointed out items on his menu for Harry.

"Lucius thinks that it's an exceptional alliance," Narcissa said. "He was quite pleased with Draco. Draco didn't seem happy with his father's perception of the relationship though."

Remus nodded thoughtfully. "You aren't putting yourself at risk, are you?" he asked carefully.

"Lucius would never intentionally hurt his family," Narcissa replied stiffly. "He isn't aware that the boys' friendship has been so long because he wouldn't approve of the risk I took. He wouldn't have wanted Draco to take up unsavory ideas and beliefs so early in life."

Remus sighed heavily. He supposed that he could understand. The Malfoys were an old pureblood family. Draco was raised to believe in his own superiority. Harry was being raised by two members of the Order of the Phoenix.

Lucius viewing Harry as a potential ally could be a good thing. He'd always been an opportunistic bastard. If Harry turned out to be as powerful and talented as Dumbledore seemed to expect, Lucius would be wise to approve of such an alliance.

Harry was overwhelmed by the gifts he received. His favorite was a photo album that Minnie and Moony had put together. It was full of pictures of Harry's childhood. There was a significant number of pictures of him with Draco, and nearly as many with Ron.

"Look," Draco laughed, pointing out one of the pictures of himself with Harry. "That was the day I made your cousin cry." The picture was of Draco and Harry when they were seven and they were dusting off Harry's trousers.

Harry grinned at the memory. Aunt Petunia had brought Dudley to the park one day. There had been several children there that day and Dudley had discovered that Harry was there. He'd made some rude comments and pushed Harry down. Draco had instantly stepped between the two and called Dudley by an impressive number of creative insults.

Petunia, Remus and Narcissa had hurried over to intervene and Petunia had instantly recognized her nephew. "This fat lump pushed Harry down," Draco had stated indignantly, pointing an accusing finger at Dudley. Petunia had sputtered about rudeness but had faltered under Narcissa's glare.

"They left the park pretty quickly after that," Draco chuckled.

It might have seemed like a strange memory to capture in a photo, but Harry liked it. Draco had been so offended on Harry's behalf. Dudley was easily twice Draco's size, but he'd defended Harry anyway. It had cemented their friendship even further.

"I'm so glad you could all come," Harry said once their meal was finished and they all began to leave the restaurant.

"It was great to see you Harry," Hermione said, giving him a quick hug. "Maybe we'll be able see each other in Diagon Alley when he pick up school supplies."

"That would be great," Harry agreed with a smile.

"Happy Birthday," Blaise said, patting Harry's back.

"We'll talk soon," Draco promised. "We're too old for that park, so we'll have to arrange something else."

Harry couldn't have been happier. He went to bed that night, soothed with the knowledge that his friends still cared about him. Soon they'd all be together again at school.


Harry stepped into Flourish and Blotts, followed closely by Remus. They were there picking up Harry's new textbooks, but the inside of the shop was packed with people; Mostly adult witches.

A man was addressing the crowd and going on about the books he had published and smiling winningly. A photographer was snapping pictures eagerly.

"Gilderoy Lockhart," Lupin said, wrinkling his nose slightly in distaste.

Lockhart spotted Harry Potter in the crowd and Harry found himself being yanked forward by the photographer. The next moment, Lockhart had draped his arm across Harry's shoulders. "Nice big smile Harry," Lockhart instructed cheerfully. "Together you and I rate the front page."

Harry's expression was one of bewilderment as the photo was taken. Lockhart then proceeded to gift Harry with his entire collection of books. Harry managed a muttered thank you as he was dismissed and pushed away in favor of the clamoring female fans.

"That had to be the funniest expression I've ever seen you make."

Harry looked around and found Draco leaning against a bookshelf, smirking at Harry's discomfort. "That'll be a remarkably unattractive picture in the Daily Prophet," Draco chuckled.

"Shut up," Harry retorted laughing.

"Are we playing nicely Draco?" asked a cool male voice.

Harry swallowed nervously at the sight of Lucius Malfoy. The man was impeccably dressed and every strand of his long, pale blond hair was in place. Harry was clean and properly dressed, but he felt that he looked like a ruffian compared to Draco and his father.

"Yes Father," Draco said, his posture perfectly straight and his face somber.

"Lucius Malfoy," Lucius said by way of introduction, reaching out to shake Harry's hand. "We meet at last." His gray eyes drifted briefly to Harry's forehead, eyeing the scar there.

"Hello sir," Harry said politely. He could see Remus watching him from a few feet away, keeping a close eye on Lucius.

"How fortunate that you should be placed in Slytherin house with my son," Lucius commented smoothly. "Draco speaks highly of you."

"Thank you," Harry responded. "I really appreciate his company."

"I'm sure that you'll both be a credit to the noble house of Slytherin," Lucius went on. "Do let me know if you have need of anything." He nodded politely to Harry before moving on.

Harry struggled not to shudder. Lucius made him nervous. Draco gave Harry a sympathetic look. "It's approval, at least," Draco said quietly. "Even if he sees our friendship as a political strategy."

"It's fine," Harry said, shaking off his discomfort. "As long as we can still be friends, he can think what he likes. I'll see you soon." He gave Draco a fleeting smile before leaving the shop with Remus.

The rest of their shopping trip had been uneventful, but the Weasleys hadn't been so lucky. There'd been a confrontation between Lucius and Arthur after Lucius had made snide comments about the Weasleys lack of money and called Arthur a disgrace. The result was a tussle between the two patriatchs just outside one of the shops.

Draco had wisely not spoken to his parents of having any affiliation with Ron. It wouldn't have been received well. His father despised the Weasleys. Draco didn't particularly like Ron, but they spent a good amount of time together because of Harry. It was best if Lucius wasn't aware of that, since it was likely to make him far less approving of Harry.

Harry and Ron had thought it quite funny that someone as dignified as Lucius had got caught up in a fist fight. But Harry felt bad for Draco. The incident was surely embarrassing. And poor Arthur had received a furious, and shrill, lecture from his wife over the whole thing.

Harry wondered if the house elf would come back to warn him away from Hogwarts again. He couldn't remember the house elf's name and still had no idea what it had been going on about. But, the summer break drew to a close and the house elf stayed away.