Harry Potter || Drarry || Harry Potter || Harry Pawter || Harry Potter || Drarry || Harry Potter
Title: Harry Pawter – And the Ultimate Belly-Rubs
Fandom: Harry Potter
Disclaimer: All rights to Harry Potter reserved to J.K. Rowling. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: canon divergent, animagus/shapeshifter, fluff
Main Pairing: Harry/Draco
Side Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Harry Potter Characters: Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Minerva McGonagall
Summary: Harry grows up loved and cherished by his adopted fathers, Remus and Sirius. He also grows up as an animagus; a dog. When he starts Hogwarts, he explores the school in his animagus-form as a dog. Draco finds and befriends a stray dog on campus and shares doubts he never dared to voice before. Can Harry help the blonde get out before it's too late...?
Harry Pawter
And the Ultimate Belly-Rubs
When James and Lily died, they wanted a scapegoat. Someone to arrest, to ease the minds of the people. They went after Sirius. Sirius, of all people – James' best friend. Remus didn't allow that, couldn't allow that. He was loud, he was serious – and he got through. They lived in a world where one could literally view the memories of another; Remus wasn't going to let Sirius be convicted for something that could oh-so easily be proven wrong, by just one quick look into Sirius' memories.
And then there was Harry. After helping Sirius, the both of them together had to help Harry. After all, legally speaking, Sirius was now Harry's guardian. He was the child's godfather. And he was completely in over his head – of course he was. He had just witnessed the death of two of his best friends, had nearly been convicted for it himself, how could he now take care of a child all alone?
So Remus moved into Grimmauld Place with Sirius and Harry, to help and... to not be alone either. He had loved and lost Lily and James too. This way, he could help Sirius with Harry and they could help each other dealing with the grief and loss of their friends.
Harry helped. Even if he certainly wasn't aware, because he was just a toddler. But every time Harry would smile at them, it made the dark place they were in feel brighter. It gave them something to live for, to work hard for. The two of them did their everything to make Harry happy, to give him the best possible childhood in a world without James and Lily. Both knew they could never replace Harry's biological parents, but they made sure to be the best damn parents possible – and to make sure James and Lily's memory was never forgotten. Every night, they would tell Harry stories about his parents, about the Marauders adventures, even when the toddler was still too small to even comprehend them. They kept pictures of James and Lily everywhere around so Harry would grow up knowing what his parents looked like, he needed to grow up knowing that his parents had loved him. Harry needed to know that his parents had loved him fiercely and deeply.
Along the way, the relationship Remus and Sirius had grew. They used to hook up in high school, two teenagers fooling around between classes but not ready to label what they had anything. Now? Living together, raising a rambunctious toddler together? They fell asleep in each other's arms, crying for the loss even many months, even years, after. They made breakfast for each other, gently kissed one another when they got home. They loved each other. They were a family.
/break\
Harry Black grew up in a loving, warm home with loving, warm fathers. He knew all of the stories about his biological parents, he knew all the stories about all four of his parents back during school. And little Harry always dreamed of going to Hogwarts, of making amazing friends like that and living adventures. He wanted to learn magic! He wanted to fly on a broom!
One thing, he had already learned on accident. He was an animagus. It was just... he had seen dad do is so often, turning back and forth between the big black dog and his human form. Even at a young age, Harry's natural curiosity had led to him asking a lot of questions. How did it work, what made one an animagus, what did go through his dad's head when he turned around. And, simply by listening to what his dad said, Harry accidentally learned to become an animagus.
When Harry was ten years old, Remus and Sirius got home from groceries shopping to find an adorable little puppy chasing a cat through the living room. Not that he was really chasing said cat; if the cat didn't want to be chased, she would have scratched Harry long ago.
"Minerva! Where did the dog come from?", asked Remus startled, eyes wide.
The cat elegantly turned back into an elderly human woman, straightening her glasses. "The dog is your son. Who... seems to be a very talented young boy."
Both Remus and Sirius stared at Harry in surprise. A light-brown furred Australian Shepherd puppy with bright, green eyes, a light marking over his right eye in the form of a lightning bolt. His tongue lolled out as he wagged his tail widely at his dads, puffing out his tiny chest.
"...Harry?", asked Sirius slowly, prompting Harry to bark.
And then Sirius laughed, suddenly and loudly. He grabbed the puppy to whirl him around and hug him tightly. The man was radiating pride as he inspected the tiny puppy.
"He is not supposed to do that just yet. He's not even in school yet", sighed Minerva.
Though there was a speck of pride in her eyes. As an animagus herself, it figured that she would be proud of the boy's accomplishment (though she would have most likely preferred a feline form).
"I'm sorry, auntie Mine. I didn't mean to, it just happened when you turned into a kitten!"
Harry had turned back, hanging in his dad's arms. Sirius just laughed and hugged him tightly.
"Don't apologize! Auntie Mine is very proud of you too!", assured Sirius with a smirk. "Right?"
Minerva heaved a long-suffering sigh as she smiled at them. "I dread next year."
"You don't mean that. You love me, auntie Mine", pouted Harry with the saddest look.
"Manipulative, little pup", huffed Minerva as she reached out to ruffle Harry's unruly hair. "There will be no favoritism for you when you join Hogwarts next year, do you hear me?"
"It's okay. I'm gonna be the best student you have and it will be totally fair favoritism based on academic achievement!", declared Harry with a bright smile.
"My son", whispered Remus proudly, sobbing softly to himself.
"May God have mercy with me, he is all Marauders at once", whispered Minerva.
/break\
"Be good. Don't annoy auntie Minerva too much, she has a job to do."
"Write us a letter right away when you are sorted into Gryffindor and tell us how much you love it."
"Sirius. Don't put pressure on the boy", chided Remus immediately. "He is a very clever lad, he might as well turn out to be a Ravenclaw, you know. There is no shame in not being a Gryffindor."
"I love you guys. Be good without me", declared Harry as he hugged them both tightly.
"We'll do our best", promised Remus fondly, kissing Harry's cheek. "Be good without us."
"According to auntie Mine, being away from dad's bad influence would do me some good."
"The woman lives to wound me", sighed Sirius seriously, turning to Remus.
"There, there, my love", chuckled Remus amused, taking his partner's hand.
He tugged Sirius closer and down to kiss his cheek. Harry smiled at them. He had everything packed, his dads had taken him shopping days ago. He was all ready to go. He turned a little, looking around to see where his best friend was. His entire face brightened when he spotted the gaggle of redheads. One of them broke away from the rest to run up to them.
"Look, there's Ron. You go and stick with the Weasleys until you're all settled in and sorted, okay? Be careful. And make sure you and Ron don't get into any trouble", instructed Remus.
"Yes. You two go and don't do anything I wouldn't do", agreed Sirius.
"Wouldn't dream of it, uncle Sirius!", promised Ron with a broad grin.
Harry, hugging Ron, also offered his dads a broad, innocent grin. It made Remus heave a long-suffering sigh that Harry knew to interpret as 'hopefully Minerva will have mercy with us'. Usually, she did. She loved Harry way too much to be seriously angry with him.
"Now, off you go, before you miss the train", urged Remus on. "And have fun, boys."
Harry grabbed Ron by the hand and the two of them ran up to the train. The two had been inseparable best friends for years now. Their parents were in the same club together and even though it had kind of disbanded years ago, they still sometimes met and talked. That was how Harry had met the Weasley kids – and there were a lot of them. But Ron had quickly become his best friend and the two boys had been eagerly awaiting the day they would get to attend Hogwarts together. The train was already pretty packed, Harry had gotten too distracted talking to his dads, he should have probably said goodbye earlier to get a place.
"Look. There's only two people sitting in that one, we could ask them if we can join?"
Ron shrugged in reply and opened the door. One of the girls inside was blonde, with the most peculiar glittery accessory in her hair. She immediately offered them both a bright, kind smile. The other one had really wild curls and her nose deep inside a book.
"Uh. Hello. Do you think we can sit with you?", asked Harry after a moment.
"Of course! I'm Luna. Luna Lovegood. It's nice to meet you."
"Harry Black and this is my best friend, Ron Weasley."
Harry sat down next to the blonde, while Ron took the seat opposite him and next to the brunette, who now finally pulled her nose out of the book to look at the boys.
"Hermione Granger", offered the brunette after a moment.
The four of them spent the train ride talking about all sorts of things. Harry talked to Luna about the curious book she was reading. Imaginary creatures, Luna was very enthusiastic about them and insisted that they were real. Hermione argued they weren't, there was no proof. To which Harry cheerfully countered that, to muggles, unicorns and dragons weren't real because they didn't have proof. At that, Hermione stared at him in wonder and then her eyes lit up with excitement. Turned out Hermione was muggle-born, so until very recently, all that was true to her. The idea that there was more knowledge hidden away, things no one had really discovered yet, it got her excited.
"I am just so excited to learn!", exclaimed Hermione, gesturing widely. "All of these new things. When they told me what I was, that magic was real! I can't wait to learn it all!"
"I'm not looking forward to the school-part. But to the sports", declared Ron.
"Knowledge is power", declared Hermione fiercely.
Harry immediately liked her. She kind of reminded him of his papa.
"So, do... you know what to expect?", asked Harry slowly. "I mean, were you told a lot about Hogwarts? Because Ron and I were told all the stories by our families."
"My father has told me a lot of his time at Hogwarts too", added Luna.
"Well. I know all I could learn about it from books, about the houses-", started Hermione slowly.
"Bah. They don't tell you what's the best house in those books", huffed Ron.
"I know what the best house for me is. There was a personality test in them that told you what qualities from what house you have and where you will fit in the most", declared Hermione. "I think the most fitting house for me would be Ravenclaw."
"Oh! That is the house my father went to too", said Luna in a chipper voice. "He says it will fit me quite well too. I just hope to make friends and find many hidden secrets along the way."
"Harry and I are gonna be Gryffindors!", declared Ron. "My parents have been Gryffindors and all my five older brothers are, or were, Gryffindors too. Harry's parents too – all four of them."
"Four?", echoed Hermione with her eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Well, my biological parents died when I was really little. I'm adopted", explained Harry.
"I'm... I'm sorry", whispered Hermione, looking guilty.
"It's okay. I mean, my dads love me, I have a great family", assured Harry with a smile. "And even though all four of them were Gryffindors, I... don't know. I mean, papa thinks I'm fit to be a Ravenclaw too. I think I'll just let the sorting hat make the decision for me."
"Wha—at. You never said that before. You and me, we have to be in the same house!", argued Ron.
Hermione raised one eyebrow and looked down at the chess game set up between herself and Ron. They had started playing a little while ago. Harry grinned to himself as he saw Hermione put the things together that had crossed Harry's mind before a lot too. Ron always played chess with Remus, he was clever and curious and a strategist at heart. He would fit right into Ravenclaw too.
"But wouldn't it be far more interesting to pursue your own bath?", asked Luna curiously. "If all of your brothers and your parents were all Gryffindors, aren't you getting lost in their shadows?"
Ron stared at her in surprise at that and though shaking his head, the idea latched onto his mind.
/break\
The thought Luna had planted on the train felt far brighter in Ron's mind as he sat under the sorting hat. He had been called Fred and Percy already, by teachers who knew his parents. The Malfoy brat had picked on him for being a Weasley and while Harry had fiercely spoken up for him and put the blonde in his place about it, a part of Ron felt like he was right. Not about the rude things. But... here, in Hogwarts, in Gryffindor, he was just going to be the latest redheaded Weasley.
Luna had been sorted into Ravenclaw already and she looked very happy about it. Hermione had gotten her wishes too, was sitting right next to Luna and chatting with her. Harry... Harry had chosen Ravenclaw too. And Ron really wanted to be in the same house as his best friend.
"Well, if that is where you want to go. That could be interesting", whispered the sorting hat into his mind before announcing loudly. "RAVENCLAW!"
Lifting the hat off his head, he ran over to the Ravenclaw table, where everyone was cheering for him and Harry, Luna and Hermione were welcoming him with smiles. He could also feel his brothers' eyes on the back of his head though. He couldn't believe he was breaking tradition.
"Okay, but... now you can beat your brothers on the Quidditch field", offered Harry.
He grinned as he nudged Ron and honestly, that did make Ron perk up a little. Luna was probably right, here, he was the only Weasley. No shadows looming over him. His own path to take.
/break\
Harry huffed as he collapsed backward onto his bed. They had settled in, put all their things away, he had written his dads a letter about being a Ravenclaw and about already having made friends. Ron had the bed right next to him. And whatever school brought, at least he had his best friend.
Though the earlier encounter with the arrogant blonde still rubbed him the wrong way. Draco Malfoy. Harry didn't like bullies and the blonde had been unnecessarily rude to Ron. And he remembered the stories Sirius had told him about Severus Snape, the head of the Slytherin house, so Harry had already not wanted to become a Slytherin.
When Harry sat up, he looked around for a moment before heading to the common room, where he round Luna and Hermione sitting by the fire-place, chatting with each other. Luna was very peculiar but in a fun way, she didn't seem to care about the judgment from others, she was really creative and kind. Hermione had a bit of a know-it-all attitude, but Harry somewhat guessed she might be compensating for being muggle-born – feeling like she needed to know everything to compete with those raised in the magic world, having been taught all the ins and outs since earliest childhood.
Harry had a feeling that the four of them could be amazing friends. He hoped so, at least.
/break\
"A dog. What is a dog doing here?"
Harry froze up at the voice. He had been secretly exploring Hogwarts in his animagus form, passing for just one of the countless animal companions that roamed the castle because first years were only eleven years old and definitely not qualified as responsible pet-owners. Lot of cats and rats and other critters running around the castle. Which reminded him of how his dads had found his parents' killer in a cage at the Weasley house. They recognized Peter Pettigrew's animagus-form – of course did they recognize one of their supposed best friends. That was how the real killer ended up in prison and how Ron lost his pet. He was devastated and confused.
"You are beautiful."
Harry paused and tilted his head up, just to see Draco Malfoy, of all people. The two of them had edged on since literal day one. He didn't like the blonde bully and he didn't think Draco liked him either, because Draco was clearly not used to someone speaking up against him. And it got worse when the two of them joined the Quidditch teams of their respective houses. They had a rivalry going on right from the start and Harry was determined to prove himself.
"Wait. Here. Would you like some...?"
Blinking a couple of times, Harry slowly patted closer. The food in Draco's hand smelt good and he was hungry – changing shape always burned a lot of calories and left him starved. Still. He couldn't accept a treat from Malfoy. But he was hungry, so he accepted it after all. No one had to know.
"Hello. I'm Draco", greeted Malfoy with a surprisingly kind smile. "What's your name? Huh. You don't have a collar. That's not helpful. I hope you don't belong to a Gryffindor though."
Harry huffed at that, licking his snout. The treat had been yummy, but he wasn't going to stick around. He had more exploring to do. Draco called after him briefly, but didn't follow. Good, because Harry was still trying to learn more about where the troll had come from that had attacked Hermione and Luna in the girls' bathroom. A troll couldn't just wander into the school.
/break\
"You have had quite the first year", sighed Remus exhausted.
He sank down right next to Harry, in the room with the family tree. His legs were drawn up against his chest as he stared at the part of the family tree that he had fixed up as a little child. A crude drawing of Sirius with a smile in a frame, linked to a drawing of Remus with as big a smile, and Harry himself, their son. He had fixed the burned family tree, because that was just wrong. They were a family and Sirius was a Black. So was Harry.
"I mean, it was great though", argued Harry softly. "I made friends and I made the team."
"And you found the Philosopher's Stone, after solving a bunch of riddles", huffed Remus. "Call us. Please, Harry, I beg you, call us when anything goes wrong, okay?"
"But Moony, love, why don't you tell him that he won't even have to call!"
Harry frowned as he watched his dad come join them and sit down on Harry's other side. Remus sighed at that and shook his head a little, though there was a small smile on his lips.
"What with your last DADA teacher literally keeping Voldemort rent free on the back of his head, I had a little conversation with Minerva and with Albus", offered Remus. "You're looking at the next DADA teacher of Hogwarts, meaning I will accompany you to Hogwarts next year."
"What? That's awesome!", exclaimed Harry excitedly, hugging Remus tightly. "Wait. And you...?"
"Thankfully, the headmaster is gay as a rainbow himself, so he is accepting of Remus bringing his deviant life-partner with him", declared Sirius with a broad smirk. "I'm gonna make Snape's life a living nightmare. It's going to be so much fun."
"I think auntie Mine may consider early retirement if you both move back", whispered Harry.
"Says the leader of the already-dubbed Junior Marauders", laughed Remus. "Oh, we heard all about that from Minerva too. The four of you, getting into trouble. Solving riddles, finding treasure."
"Next year is gonna be even better, if the both of you are there", declared Harry happily.
/break\
Meeting Lucius Malfoy in a book-store somehow explained a lot about Draco. Nature and nurture and all those things – Hermione had talked about them very excitedly this summer, when Harry's friends had stayed over for a week of sleep-overs. She had been fascinated by how much the magic world influenced a person, being raised in it versus being muggle-born like she was.
They had missed the train. Which would have been really dramatic, if Harry's dads hadn't been there. Harry didn't know what him and Ron would have done had they been all alone. As it was, Remus and Sirius simply contacted the Weasleys and asked for the flying car to drive them safely to Hogwarts, explaining what had happened to Dumbledore.
"This year, we have to behave. No getting into trouble", declared Harry seriously.
"Ah yes. That sounds like a reasonable expectation", nodded Hermione dryly.
"I mean, how likely is it that we will find another hidden treasure within the belly of Hogwarts?"
"...Luna, please, look at me as I say this: There is no way we won't", declared Ron.
Luna laughed at that and so did Harry. However, fate really seemed to agree with Ron and Hermione, because the janitor's cat was found petrified with an ominous message next to it about the heir of Slytherin. Considering they had been mockingly calling Malfoy the prince of Slytherin, Harry and his friends immediately suspected him. Harry knew asking wouldn't be useful and considering that, inexplicably, Harry kept running into Malfoy on his nightly trips as a dog last year (there was so much to explore in Hogwarts), he decided to try if he could learn something.
"You again. Look, this year I came prepared."
Harry didn't know what to expect from Draco at those words, but he sure hadn't expected Draco to pull out actual dog-treats. So far, he had things he must have snatched from the kitchen for him, but apparently Draco really had... packed... dog-treats... Huh. Tilting his head, Harry approached slowly. The two of them were in a quiet corridor, one with a beautiful view on the Forbidden Forest. Harry often found Draco here – so when he tried to avoid the Slytherin, he steered clear of it during his nightly travels. Occasionally, Draco would talk when feeding Harry, which was exactly what Harry was counting on today. He needed to learn more about—oh those treats were good.
"You like em?", chuckled Draco pleased. "Here, have some more."
Harry's tail was wagging as he accepted the treat. Carefully, Draco reached out and traced the marking on Harry's forehead. This year, Harry had dropped the make-up even in human form. In his first year, he had tried not to be Harry Potter. He was, legally, Harry Black. He didn't want to have to live up to some expectations, so he had hidden the mark of his heritage. After what had happened last year though, there was no hiding that he was Harry Potter anymore.
"That looks an awful lot like Black's", muttered Draco before correcting himself. "Potter's. Can't believe the guy with the hero complex really is the Harry Potter. You should have heard my father about this. I should have befriended Potter in the first year, it would have been 'beneficial'."
Draco snorted at that, an unfavorable sneer on his face. Harry tilted his head confused.
"Heh. You're cute", declared Draco at that and ruffled his hair.
It was hard to remember that he was a dog right now, because it sure would have been flustering and weird to be called cute by Malfoy if he was human. Malfoy was Malfoy, after all.
/break\
So maybe Malfoy was more than just Malfoy. Regularly, Harry sneaked around Hogwarts and went to find Draco to learn more. The thing was, he did learn more about Draco – just not the kind of things he had expected and had set out to learn. Harry was sitting next to Draco on the Slytherin's bed. The two were the only ones in there right now, most Slytherins were either in class or in the common room. Draco talked a lot about his father. All those 'my father will hear about this!' turned out to be far less an arrogant tattle tale and much more an attention-starved kid.
All Draco wanted was to be accepted by his father, he hated the pressure from Lucius Malfoy. He had to live up to all those expectations, while all he wanted was his father's love. Harry had actually started feeling bad for Draco, because Harry? He had always known the unconditional love of both his fathers. He couldn't imagine being forced to try and live up to any expectations that were conditions to affection. Not to mention, while Draco was mostly surrounded by other Slytherins, they were more like minions who followed him based on family name. Not real friendships, like Harry had with Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Cho. Somehow, Harry had never really considered that Draco Malfoy might be lonely. That was a weird thought to have.
Hermione's nature versus nurture came to his mind again. Draco's nature wasn't necessarily... evil. It was his upbringing. Like how Harry and Ron had been raised in Gryffindor homes with certain expectations and tales and... prejudices, yes. Harry had come to realize that he had been raised with prejudices against Slytherins, solely based on them being Slytherins. Draco had been raised as a Slytherin, with his own prejudices and expectations.
Harry had chosen to make his own way, forge his own future, because Remus and Sirius had always encouraged that in him. No one had ever encouraged Draco to do any such thing. More like the opposite. That was why Harry had been sitting in front of the Black family tree a lot over the summer. Sirius had forged his own path too – and he had become an outcast for it. Draco's mother was on the Black family tree too, she had seen and experienced what happened to someone who decided to do what they wanted and thought was best for them and she surely had installed that fear in Draco too... Sirius knew what good it had done him to not cave into the pressure from his family and do what he thought best, become a Gryffindor instead of a Slytherin, make friends with the people his family would have condemned.
Perhaps Harry had gone in too stubbornly set to not befriend the people... his family condemned.
/break\
"I think we should give Draco a second chance."
"Mate... how badly did you hit your head during practice?", asked Ron concerned, holding up two fingers. "How many fingers do you see, Harry? Do you know what year it is? Hermione – Hermione, what do you do when someone has a concussion? What is that thing you taught us? CPR? Do we do that? Do I have to kiss him-?"
"...Ron, CPR isn't for concussions. And it isn't kissing", sighed Hermione.
"Why do you think Draco deserves a second chance?", asked Luna curiously while doodling a lion with a horn and large wings. "Harry usually has good intuition, doesn't he?"
"I would say he doesn't considering last year, he thought Snape was behind everything and up until like ten minutes ago, he had been advocating for Malfoy being behind everything this year", countered Ron with an unimpressed look on his face. "So like, who knows."
"...Ron's right on that one. I'm sorry, Harry, but...", agreed Hermione after a moment.
"Well, your judgment isn't better. You guys agreed with me on both accounts", argued Harry.
"Don't fight", requested Luna, eyebrows drawn together.
"You. You can try befriending Malfoy if you think he deserves it. And when you're actually sure about that, come talk to us again", proposed Ron while pointing vaguely at Harry.
Harry narrowed his eyes at his best friend, but he knew Ron could be a stubborn mule. "Fine."
"Fine", grunted Ron, meeting Harry's glare head-on.
/break\
Draco glowered. Everyone blamed Slytherin for what was going on. His father continuously gave him a hard time about what he should do and at the same time. Draco could also see the fear in his father's eyes. His father was terrified of Lord Voldemort and of what the future might hold, what might be expected of them. If... his father was afraid, what should Draco do? He was only a child. And he didn't know who to turn to either; there was no one. Every adult he had grown up close to was a Death Eater themselves. What else could Draco possibly do than follow his father's footsteps?
There were no peers he could really confide in either. He had befriended Blaise and Pansy, but even with them he didn't feel like he could truly be honest. Anything he said would reflect on him as a Malfoy. He was supposed to be some kind of leader to the next generation, his father had said so himself. What if whatever he said would get back to his father...?
The only one he confided in anymore was Harry Pawter. He was a potentially stray puppy roaming Hogwarts. Draco had never seen the dog with a human before, he wasn't wearing a collar either. And he always seemed to be half-starved when Draco ran into him, which was why Draco had even decided to pack actual, proper dog-treats for the little guy this year. It was odd, but it was... helpful to talk to someone who would keep his secrets and not judge. With the puppy, Draco could be fully honest, could say things aloud that he had never said aloud before.
The name was still new. He hadn't named the dog last year. And then Harry Black was revealed to actually be the Harry Potter. Draco had... accidentally... developed a rivalry with the Harry Potter. Which was just ridiculous in itself. Ever since, Draco had been paying closer attention to Harry. He enviously watched how... happy... Harry was, seeing him with his friends was strange. They were so carefree. Draco envied that, he wanted it too. And if he thought Harry Potter was, objectively speaking, kind of cute, that had absolutely nothing to do with anything.
"Hey."
Draco startled and turned some. This corridor had kind of become his place. He came here to think and he had also run into Harry Pawter a lot here in particular. Right now, he was staring at Harry Potter though. The brunette wiggled his nose as he approached Draco.
"What do you want, Potter?", asked Draco, putting a load of hostility into his words.
"So there's a thing about me that you don't know", hummed Harry, not minding him.
He walked over to stand leaning against the balustrade, looking out over the forest. Draco stared at him startled. What did Potter want? Why was he talking like that? Like the two of them were close, or anything. Disturbed but curious, Draco approached Harry.
"I assume there's a lot about you I don't know. We're not exactly friends, Potter."
"I'm an animagus", continued Harry, still ignoring him.
"...Good for you", huffed Draco, growing more impatient.
Harry turned toward him and rolled his eyes very pointedly. And then he turned – he turned into a small Australian Shepherd dog with brown fur and green eyes and a lightning-symbol on his forehead. Draco cussed and backed off from the dog. Harry Pawter looked so much like Harry Potter because he was. Had... Had Potter done this on purpose? Was he using Draco?!
The dog turned back into a human. "I... never expected you to bribe a stray dog with treats, or to talk so much to one. I didn't make you open up to me. You chose to."
For a moment, the brunette paused, like he was trying to give Draco time to process. "I think you're right. You're right to question things. You're right to want... more. Be more. And I think that... the more you want to be, or could be, is someone who could be a great person."
Draco stared at Harry in utter bafflement, prompting Harry to continue. "And I think that... we could be friends. That person you could be and me. And maybe I could help him, if he wanted that."
With that, Harry left. He left Draco with a lot to digest. A lot that Draco really didn't understand.
/break\
People kept being turned into stone and Remus and Sirius really tried to keep Harry out of trouble, but Harry was their son... so he liked getting into trouble. Besides, some of the stone-turned people were his friends, how could he possibly stand back and watch?
Lucius Malfoy had slipped a book into Ginny Weasley's bag back at the book-store before the school-year. The diary of Tom Riddle. Voldemort. Whose soul – part of it anyway – was trapped inside that diary and had influenced Ginny. They took care of the Basilisk and... with it, things changed. Because on the last day of school, Draco sought out Harry.
"I watched you and your little friends. I followed what happened."
"A lot happened", noted Harry casually, waiting.
"My father. I saw... him put the book into the Weasley girl's bag. He did this, didn't he? He helped let the bloody Basilisk loose on the school. The school where I live. His... loyalty to You-Know-Who really overrode... wanting to keep me safe. His only child."
Harry swallowed at that. He hadn't looked at it from that angle yet, but yes. Lucius had helped endanger the school, the entire school, with no regards to Draco's safety. Something could have very easily happened. Harry couldn't imagine. His dads had been right here, watching over him, trying to protect him, at every step and turn. Harry looked at Draco, looked at him closely.
"What would I even do?", wondered Draco. "I mean, we're twelve."
"We need a trustworthy adult", offered Harry. "I happen to know a pair."
And with that, Harry offered his hand to Draco – and it was so much more than just his hand. It was a chance, a risk, a fearful proposal. It was scary, because taking it would mean to turn his back on everything he had ever known, on his family. And turning his back on his family... how could he? It was the only thing Draco had ever known. Following them was all he knew. He took the hand.
/break\
To say that Remus and Sirius had been startled was an understatement. To say that Sirius was not keen on talking to his cousin was also an understatement. But when Harry came home with Draco Malfoy at his hand and very surprising news, there was little else Sirius could do. He looked at the blonde, grumpy and angry and putting on a front, but a front that was cracked, a front that revealed a scared and frightened little child and... what could Sirius do, really? He saw himself in those eyes, so he put his own feelings aside and sought out Narcissa. The conversations they had were long, exhausting, frustrating and Sirius snapped a couple times. In the end, he... actually got through to Narcissa, parent to parent. He saw it in her eyes too though, the faintest hint of fear and doubt. And, just perhaps, her son taking the first step was what helped her make that choice too.
So here Sirius was, harboring Narcissa and Draco Malfoy at Grimmauld Place. If not for the calming presence of his Remus, he might have bitten Narcissa once or twice. Or more often.
Then there was Draco, who was a mighty brat and honestly, Sirius thought that living with Remus and Sirius did the kid some good. Someone to set him straight, teach him a thing or two. Over the summer, Draco changed, reluctantly, slowly. He adapted to the Black-Lupin household.
"This place is... different", grunted Draco with a small glare.
Him and Harry were sitting on the roof-top. Where they weren't supposed to be, but Harry liked to come up here to think and look at the stars. Considering that he had kind of involuntarily learned of Draco's think-spot at Hogwarts, he figured it was only fair to share his own with Draco.
"I know it's a lot", laughed Harry. "But... it's not bad, is it?"
"I... don't know", muttered Draco and wrapped his arms around his legs. "You and your... fathers... are so... different. There is so much laughter and you talk so much about everything. I..."
Draco took a shaky breath. Harry decided not to comment on it, because he didn't know what to say.
"Next year, no more shit", declared Harry pointedly. "No insulting any Weasley, or Luna, or Hermione, you understand? You live here, you live under our house-rules."
"I will... try my best", drawled Draco in utter distaste.
Harry huffed and elbowed Draco at that. Over the past few weeks of living together, they had grown closer. They were becoming... friends, as strange as it sounded. But Harry had been right, the person Draco could be was someone Harry could be friends with.
/break\
Their third year was surprisingly calm. No major incident, aside from the mystery of the ever-present Hermione (which was then solved by time-travel). But that gave Harry the opportunity to integrate Draco into his friend-group. Despite initially being very much opposed, even Ron warmed up with time, realizing he had his own prejudices toward Draco, the same way Draco had had toward them. Luna had been the most welcoming. It was tough for Draco, especially among other Slytherins – at least until a few months in. When other Slytherins started approaching him. Scared children who didn't want the deadly and dangerous legacy of their parents. With the help of Remus and Sirius, they got more scared children out of the grasp of the Death Eaters and Draco got to feel more at home and safer in the Slytherin common-room, because there were others like him.
He actually liked Hermione. All that stuff about mudbloods being less than pure-bloods, he had been spoon-fed that for so long. But she had more talent in her little finger than some of the pure-blood wizards Draco had met. And more guts than most. He even liked Luna, as weird and strange as she was most of the time. Ron and Draco, admittedly, edged on the most, but they made due, mostly under threats from Hermione, or to please Harry. And then there was Harry. Harry with the pretty green eyes, who had given Draco a chance when he thought he didn't have one. Their rivalry was so much more fun without razor-sharp barbs meant to cut but only jibes meant to rile up.
It happened after a Quidditch training game between Slytherin and Gryffindor, when Harry was laughing and complaining about one of Draco's moves, that Draco simply... kissed Harry. He hadn't even meant to. He stared at Harry wide-eyed and afraid afterward, while Harry just blinked.
"Huh. That was... unexpected", noted Harry curiously.
"I am so very sorry, I didn't-", started Draco panicked.
"Huh, panicked is an interesting look on you", declared Harry.
He grinned impishly as he leaned in to peck Draco's lips in return, startling the blonde. "What?"
"It means he likes you. Try keeping up, Malfoy", sighed Ginny exhausted, patting Draco's shoulder in passing. "Congratulation. You are officially the last person to notice."
"What?", asked Draco again, turning to watch Ginny and Harry leave the field. "What?"
/break\
So it turned out that Harry liked Draco back. It took consulting Blaise, Pansy, Hermione and Luna about this to really understand. He still didn't quite understand, but that was how Draco had gained a boyfriend in his third year at Hogwarts. Which only got slightly awkward when they returned... home... after the school-year ended, considering they lived together.
"You two, no sneaking around. No closed doors when you're alone!", declared Sirius.
"They're thirteen, Sirius", sighed Remus amused.
"Yeah. You remember us when we were thirteen?", countered Sirius.
"No closed doors when you're alone", declared Remus immediately.
Both Harry and Draco were impossibly flustered by the new house-rules, but they could live with them. And now, outside of school, they could go on real, proper dates. Getting ice-cream together, picnics at the park. They even went to muggle-movies – a part of Harry's upbringing had been that Sirius and Remus tried their best to bring his mother's culture close to him. Muggle-culture. Draco had been wary at first, but he actually warmed up to all of that too.
"How does anyone live like this?", groaned Draco exhausted.
"You're just cranky because you haven't gotten your beauty-routine in today, pretty boy."
Ron smirked knowingly at him. They were standing in line for the bathroom. Every summer, Harry spent a week at least at the Weasleys and this summer, Draco got to too. It sure was an experience for Draco and honestly, he really hated having to wait his turn in the bathroom. Considering how many Weasleys there were, and that now Harry, Draco, Luna and Hermione were staying there too, the line was long. When Harry reached the line, he grinned and kissed Draco's cheek.
"Don't be grumpy, it's too early in the morning", hummed Harry.
"That's exactly why I am grumpy", muttered Draco with a glower. "Lu—una. Hu—urry."
"Mh? What did you need?", asked Luna as she poked her head out of Ginny's room.
"What. No. Who is in the bathroom then?", asked Draco seriously.
The door opened and Ginny exited it with an innocent smile. "You were arguing with Ron. And there's one rule you will learn in this house: You snooze, you loose, Dray."
She was his favorite Weasley. He would deny it to his dying day though. The sound of the closing bathroom-door distracted him from Ginny and when he turned around again, Ron was gone.
"You snooze, you loose, Malfoy", called Ron out from inside the bathroom.
"I hate this family", muttered Draco frustrated. "Why are they like this."
Harry laughed softly and leaned against Draco, resting his chin on Draco's shoulder. Because he knew Draco actually didn't mean it. He knew that Draco actually... loved this. He loved how warm and different and welcoming the Weasley-house was – just like the Black-Lupin house. He loved the warmth and kindness and love between the family-members and he loved that they all gave him a second chance. He loved that he was a part of all of this.
"Next year's the Tri-Wizard-Tournament. Dad told me all about it", stated Harry.
"You are not entering it, Potter", warned Draco dryly.
"I can't even! Only fifth year or older can!", exclaimed Harry with a pout. "Why does everyone keep telling me that I can't enter when I bring this up!"
"Everyone?", echoed Draco doubtfully, raising one eyebrow.
"Dad, papa, Hermione, Ginny, aunt Mine", listed Harry, pout growing. "I don't even want to sign up! I just think it's exciting! Dad told me so much about it, it sounds really cool."
"Mh, mh", grunted Draco in disbelief.
"What's that face?", asked Ginny as her and Luna came out of Ginny's room.
"That's the 'there is no way you are just going to be a bystander during that tournament'-face."
"Oh. Good face, good face. I second that face", agreed Ginny. "Also. Breakfast is ready."
"But I haven't even been to the bathroom yet-", argued Draco distressed.
"You can go to the bathroom while everyone is eating", offered Luna with a smile.
"Oh no. You people eat like starved wolves, I'll get scrapes again", grunted Draco.
"Why does no one let me keep talking about the tournament?", muttered Harry to himself.
"It's because you're you, mate", declared Ron as he came out of the bathroom, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "You been a danger-magnet ever since we got into this school."
"There is just no way you won't somehow discover a secret conspiracy going on behind the scenes of the tournament that you will most definitely drag us all into too", agreed Hermione.
They herded down into the the kitchen and around the table, a feat that Draco still marveled at even being physically possible. It was so loud and... he actually... liked that. He found his seat between Ginny and Harry. Maybe part of why he liked Ginny the most was because she had actually told him that she was gay too. That part of her obsession with Harry had been that he had two gay dads and she had never met a gay person before that. Now, she had a gay best friend.
"Why are we picking on Harry this time?", asked Ginny as she saw the look on Harry's face.
"Tri-Wizard-Tournament and how Harry is totally going to drag us into like an international conspiracy behind the scenes", explained Hermione. "Someone pass the bacon, please."
"If you can give me the bread", requested Ginny. "But yeah, I totally second that."
"Oh, come on. You're the one who dealt with the magic diary!", exclaimed Harry.
"But you are the one who decided that we should investigate it", countered Ron pointedly.
"And you didn't object to that at all!", argued Harry, pointing a baguette at Ron.
"Because you lot enable each other", huffed Draco dryly. "One of you, mostly Harry, is like 'this sounds like a horrendously dangerous and bad idea! We should do it!' and you all go 'sounds potentially deadly, I am in!' and then the school nearly burns down."
"...Hermione did time-travel last year", offered Harry weakly.
"Responsibly time-travel", argued Hermione with a huff.
Draco slowly shook his head as he watched them. How was this his boyfriend? How were those his friends? Somehow, the thought crossed his mind that on the long run this might actually be more dangerous than associating with Death Eaters. He just hoped the Tri-Wizard-Tournament would be a nice, calm affair that he could... go watch as a date with his boyfriend. There was gonna be a lot to watch and it might actually be really interesting to watch.
"Who do you think is going to be our school's champion?", asked Luna curiously.
"I vote Fred. So the twins could just... change, every now and again. Each taking other tasks", declared Ginny with a grin, earning the agreement of the twins and half the room.
"I just really hope whoever it is, they're gonna end up winning", stated Ron seriously. "I mean, we're hosting. How embarrassing would it be if another school won when it's on hour home-turf."
"Oh, don't forget to pack your things after breakfast", threw Hermione in after.
They were going out to camp at a Quidditch game today, Arthur had organized it for them all. Draco was kind of excited about this, he did love Quidditch (it was the one thing him and Ron actually got along on, surprisingly enough, and both were looking forward to seeing Victor Krum play).
"I just need you guys to dial back on the fanboying", requested Harry.
He grinned teasingly at his best friend and his boyfriend, causing both Draco and Ron to give him a look. Laughing softly, Harry leaned in to kiss Draco softly. He was just teasing them, he actually did like that Draco and Ron mostly agreed on things when it came to Quidditch.
Summer was nearly over and Harry couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts. There was so much waiting for them this year, for him, his boyfriend and their friends, and he was looking forward to it.
~*~ The End ~*~
Author's note: Birthday present for my amazing, wonderful, lovely girlfriend HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE! I hooope you enjoyed this!
I also hope the rest of you enjoyed it too. Originally, they... weren't supposed to switch houses, but I felt like the glorification of Gryffindor and the particular antagonistic relationship between Gryffindor and Slytherin fed a lot into the relationship between Draco and the Golden Trio, whereas "we're free to choose our own path, even if it leads away from our parents' legagies" (on Ron and Harry's part) might also add to a change in perception (also a Harry raised and nurtured-with-knowledge by Remus does, I think, lean toward Ravenclaw). Also I love Luna and wanted the four of them to be the junior Marauders, so there's that. *shrugs*