First up, vote for the kids house sorting is up.
Ok something I need to point out here to the uninformed, abused children rarely open up to adults and have a tendency to be a bit, shall we say, reserved when dealing with those they view as potential threats. It...sucks, quite a bit trying to get them to relax and trust you, and that trust is always tenuous at best because they are just waiting to get screwed over, again.
Harry is much in the same place here but since it was Draco/Dancia drawing him out he's a bit more open about the entire thing, truthfully if s/he had intended on hurting Harry at this point he'd never trust anyone ever again. As it stands this is a turning point for Harry, he'll still be hesitant to trust new people, but he'll be willing to try at least, and with the Malfoy family as an example of things not being black and white his ideals will be less polarized.
Wish I hadn't had to take the time to point this all out but hey, you try getting a dozen PM's on the subject and not want to clear things up.
Regardless, please read, enjoy, and review.
When Harry awoke he felt groggy and his body was largely unresponsive, yet unlike every other waking morning he had experienced before in his short life he was not cold and sore which was...odd.
Stirring he felt the silk sheets and down stuffed blanket shift about him as his eyes immediately shot open in shock.
There was no way he should be feeling this content, this happy, and the bed he found himself in was massive, soft, clean and there was sunshine beaming down on him and he was... Suddenly remembering the day before he calmed down and sat up, putting it all together.
He was not in his cupboard under the stairs at 4 Privet Drive, he was at Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire and rather than sleeping in his cousins vastly oversized castoffs he was dressed in fine black silk pajamas. Rubbing the heels of his hands into his temples Harry tried to make sense of his current situation when a rapping knock reverberated from his door.
Not knowing how else to react he quietly called out with, "Yes? What is it?"
A tinkling sing song voice that made Harry smile without intending to replied with, "Hello Harry, I hope I did not wake you but we must break our fast with my family soon before taking our leave to my aunt's home. Would you like some time to wake up properly or shall I have Dobby help you dress for the day now?"
Dancia. She was the first person who had ever showed Harry any true kindness and honestly cared for his well being, so Harry did his best to sound polite with his reply.
"You didn't wake me, and yes I'm ready for the day, you can come in if you want."
The door cracked open and unlike the day before Dany was bedecked in a modern looking white dress with a blue silk sash tied about her waist rather then her black Victorian era ensemble. She looked pleased to see Harry awake and alert, and her resulting smile caused the boy in question to hide his blush when he unintentionally remembered the song she had sang him when she had thought him asleep the night before.
Oblivious to his discomfort Dany prowled into the room approaching the windows and opened their curtains fully to flood the area with bright daylight before turning back to Harry while grinning widely.
"Everything should work out fine today Harry, don't worry. You will be taken care of by people that care about your well being and the Dursleys will never see you again, I promise."
Words were wind but Dany had been so honest to him so far and...and he really wanted her to be right.
"Ok, I'll get dressed, and...thanks."
Dancia cocked her head to the side in open confusion, "Thanks for what?"
Harry snorted as he jumped out of bed and quickly cracked his neck, "For being you. I need to change, a bit of privacy please?"
The young girl tilted her head further, her snow white hair shifting to the side as her glacial blue eyes still displayed a bit of confusion before nodding slowly in return.
"Very well, your underclothes and robes are atop the dresser, if you need any help just call for myself or Dobby." With that the small girl left the room and pulled the door shut behind her.
Harry had no issues with the undergarments, which were simply a tank top and a pair of y fronts, the slacks and button up shirt where no issue either. It was after he pulled on the black jumper that he ran into issues, the emerald green tie in his hand seeming to be a vicious snake that at any moment would lash out at him as he tried to figure out how tie the blasted thing.
How was he supposed to handle this most recent hurtle? He'd never had to wear a tie before and it wasn't like he had anyone to-
"Harry are you all right in there?"
Dany, what was he supposed to say to her? Gritting his teeth he shot the door a rather vicious look before replying.
"Just trying to figure out the tie," there, honesty. Something told him honesty was the currency to keep the ethereally demure girl on his side, a moment later that thought was proven true.
"Ah, coming in, I'll help." A second later she swung open the door and confidently walked towards Harry while snatching a tie from the pile of clothes left for him. Throwing it across her shoulders her glacial blue eyes met his emerald green and she smiled fondly before continuing, "Ok. Follow me."
For five minutes she instructed him on how to properly tie up a tie, and when he could set it in a knot that didn't look ridiculous she giggled and nodded, briefly leaning in to peck his cheek causing him to blush furiously afterwards.
"Excellent, we'll make a nob of you yet. Now, grab your outer robes, yes those, the black ones, it is time to meet my family for our meal."'
The robes weren't hard to figure out, not quite like a bath robe but close enough to not feel alien, yet strange enough to not be comfortable. His were spun from a thick wool, pitch black and resplendent of any color, as he stepped out the door he spotted Dany who was wearing an equally thick set but her's were in a vibrant sky blue.
Harry personally felt hers looked far better on her than black ever would.
"Ah, there you are, ready Harry?"
Racking his brain for all the upper society programs Petunia watched and his interactions with the girl the day before Harry placed his hand on his hip and shook the crook of his arm gently towards the snow white haired witch before him.
"Ready whenever you are, Dany."
Smirking she approached him, and much to his relief snaked her arm through his, "Excellent."
As they walked down the hall Harry could only fall into a sense of calm observation as Dancia led him along, absorbing what he could while at the same time remaining politely aware of his manners. Eventually they reached an enormous set of oaken doors and Dancia swallowed tightly as she nodded towards them.
"And...here we go..."
Harry took in a deep breath and as the doors swung open he forced a look of casual nonchalance upon his face as Dany guided him into an opulent dining room straight out of a period film.
The long table had five seats set with utensils and empty plates, on one side of the table sat a blonde couple, the male of the pair looking haughty and disdainful, the female prim and demure.
Dany's parents, if Harry were to take a guess.
Across from them sat a wavy haired ravenette who was sipping coffee out of a mug that read, 'Yes, I Really Do Need This Much Caffeine' on its side. When the blondes met his gaze Harry nearly froze under their imperious gazes, the woman with the coffee simply glanced at him and smiled before speaking to Dancia.
"Oh darling he's adorable, good show, good show. Do take your seats breakfast shall be served soon." Harry immediately warmed up to this woman, she seemed to be one of those 'go with the flow' types and the stack of books resting precariously next to her elbow marked her as a scholar too.
He could get along with someone who preferred books over people, thank you very much.
Dany guided him to sit beside the woman as she herself took the remaining seat beside him, and before things could get awkward platters of food popped into existence before them. Staring at the heaping pile of eggs before him Harry couldn't help echoing his statement from the night before.
"I love magic."
The woman beside him cackled lightly while nodding quickly, "Indeed! Just to cut through all the propriety since I want to eat and I rightly don't care if it is proper or not I'm Bellatrix Black, just call me Bella or Bell, never call me Trixie, understood?" Her joviality switching to manic fury caught Harry completely off guard and he just nodded quickly doing his best to appease the fuming witch beside him.
"Of course Bell, never!" She glared at him a few moments before relaxing and shooting him a wink and a grin.
"Excellent, he can be taught. That is Lucius, feel free to call him Lucy-"
The man let out an indignant noise as he squawked out, "He may not-"
"-Don't care," Bell continued on blithely as she gestured to the blonde woman beside the still sputtering man, "And this is my little sister Narcissa. She is ok with being called...?" The fact she actually gave her sister a chance to introduce herself said something about Bell's deference to family.
She nodded slowly to Harry before continuing on for her elder sister, "You may call me Lady Malfoy..." she glanced to her daughter sitting next to the boy before deciding to take a gamble, "as well as Aunt Cissa, I do not mind."
Harry smiled brightly at that as Bellatrix nodded off handidly, "Yay, we're all on the same page, so lets eat."
There was a stunted silence as they ate their meals, Bell shooting Harry quizzical looks as she munched on her hashed potatoes and Dany's parents doing their best to ignore his existence which was just...awkward.
Eventually Bellatrix had come to a decision, "Very well, you are adorable and I wish to keep you." Harry let out a 'meep!' while Dancia grasped his hand eyes wide in shock, thankfully her mother was more on the ball than she was.
"Bella you cannot 'keep' him, there is a legal system in place for this sort of thing after all."
Bellatrix scoffed at that, "Like I've ever let that bother me before. Besides, he's like a kicked kitten that needs to be nursed back to health, I'm willing to do that, with some experimentations on the side of course."
Wut.
Narcissa let out a sigh as she shook her head, "Bella you do remember what happened to the Kneazle when we were little girls yes?"
Bella looked defensive as she glanced away from her sister, "That was an accident!"
"It died," the blonde stated flatly looking rather unimpressed, which only caused the older woman to huff in indignation.
"It wasn't my fault! How was I supposed to know it was sick! It isn't like it could bloody well talk and tell me now was it?"
Narcissa rolled her eyes at that statement, "Animals cannot talk so you really can't use that as an example, really Bella I thought better of you."
Before she could reply a soft voice spoke up in a tentative tone, "What about snakes?"
All four diners shifted their gazes to Harry, who for his part squirmed about uncomfortably, it was Lucius of all people who spoke up first to address the boys statement.
"What do you mean, 'what about snakes'?"
Harry glanced at Dancia whose expression looked blank, but was really screaming 'GODDAMMIT HARRY!', before turning back to Lucius.
"Umm...snakes, they talk if you try to chat with them yeah? I...I mean everyone can do that right?"
The table was dead silent before Bellatrix began giggling and swept Harry into her lap wrapping her arms around him fully in the process.
"Oh yes, I'm keeping you."
Harry really did not want to even consider what the horrified looks on Dany and her mother's faces meant.
So took the tests on Pottermore today, apparently I'm a Ravenclaw who wields a 14 1/2 inch blackthorn wand with a unicorn hair core. I am witty, individualistic, intelligent, proficient at the dark arts, and blessed/cursed with loose scruples.
Basically I am Machiavellian with a safety switch.
I...have nothing to add to this assessment, and am rather unsettled by a soulless computer figuring that much out about me through a fucking online exam.
Oh, my patronus is a Little Owl, and all things considered, I'm ok with that. Even though I doubt many would consider a 6'2" man 'little', but whatever, it is what it is, at least I didn't get the salmon like poor Evanna Lynch. The bunny far better suited Luna, she looked so sad when she got her results.
As an aside, new vote up, do the kids go to Slytherin or Ravenclaw? Lily and I are leaning on Ravenclaw because Draco is just not in the mood to deal with seven years of back biting when he really doesn't have to.