Chapter 7

They Meet - Part 1

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster's Dumbledore's Office

July 3rd 9 a.m.

Knock, Knock.

"Enter Severus, and Minerva." Said Professor Dumbledore from behind his desk.

Professor Snape entered first, and promptly plopped down in a large wing back chair across from Dumbledore's desk, McGonagall simply stood and glared at Snape like he was just the rudest thing.

"Good Morning, Minerva, Severus…" said Dumbledore as he was suddenly interrupted by Professor Snape.

Professor Snape looked ragged and ruff, he was exceptionally pale and his breathing was a bit erratic.

"Before you say what you are about to say, may I said something?" asked Professor Snape.

"Please do, Severus." said Professor Dumbledore.

"Yesterday about 5 pm the Dark Lord summoned me and just about every other Death Eater to him. He then went into a tirade about some botched mission where the three Death Eaters didn't return whether they were dead or just hiding he didn't know. So he chose three other Death Eaters at random to punish in their place, and lucky me I was one of them." Said Professor Snape, trying to relax the tremors that were starting.

"So it was 4 minutes of the Cruciatus Curse and 1 minute off, just to keep us sane; he did this for 20 minutes. When that was done he complained and bitched about incompetence for 2 more hours, by the time the meeting was over it was just before 8 pm when I got back to my rooms. I find a huge package from the Ministry. They said that I have to finish all 400 sheets of the form to renew my potion masters license, or I couldn't teach here anymore, and that it had to be completed by 6 a.m. this morning, so I've been up all night filling out those bloody forms. I finished the last form at exactly 5:59 a.m. it's just lucky that the form magically file itself when completed, or you would be looking for a new potion master, and now for my point. I'm tired, I'm cranky, and right now if you say those two bleedin words to me I don't know what I'll do. I really can't handle it, today Albus, you know what I'm talking about. Just don't say it. Okay?" Said a tired and irritated Snape.

"Of course, my boy, I do want to say one thing though… Lemon Drop?"

"Suffering Salazar! For twenty years, I've been coming to this office and nearly every day sometimes four or five times in a day, and you have offered me a lemon drop, have I ever taken a single lemon drop? NO! You've known me since I was eleven years old and I have never said yes, to a lemon drop. NOT ONCE in over TWENTY YEARS HAVE I SAID YES TO A LEMON DROP. NO, Albus, I do not want a lemon drop. From now and for the rest of my life, I do NOT want a bloody lemon drop. If I were to die, and get re-incarnated as a boy who came before you again, I can tell you now that boy would not want a lemon drop. If I died tomorrow and got re-incarnated as a caterpillar; I would be re-incarnated as lemon drop hating caterpillar, who in the fullness of time would turn into a lemon drop hating butterfly. So please, Albus, believe me, I will never want a lemon drop, am I clear?" Said and exasperated Professor Snape.

"Calm down, Severus, of course you don't have to have a lemon drop…" Said Professor Dumbledore.

"Good." Said Professor Snape.

"Jolly rancher?" Said Professor Dumbledore.

"WHAT?… What flavor?" Asked a weary Snape.

"Lemon." Dumbledore said coolly.

Professor Snape growled jumped and reached for his wand.

"Accio Snape's wand." Said Professor McGonagall, she caught the wand, and then just burst out laughing, no longer able to keep her silence. Dumbledore eyes twinkled brightly, and then he too couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing as well. Professor Snape stood glaring at them both but slowly a smile crept on his face, but he quickly squashed that.

"So, Severus, you actually think that YOU could be re-incarnated as a butterfly?" Said McGonagall, who once again, started to laugh. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled madly, and he tried to hide his laughter in a few coughs.

"What did you call me here for, I hope it wasn't for a bit of levity." Said Professor Snape as he was obviously struggling to keep a straight face.

"The reason I requested you and Minerva be here this morning is because I have a meeting today at the Ministry and I need one of you to meet the new DADA instructor in order to get the list of textbooks, and to give the new DADA the course requirement, so which of you will take the appt for me?" Asked a jovial Dumbledore.

"Who's the assassin this year?" Asked Snape.

"The new DADA instructor is not an assassin." Insisted Dumbledore.

"Well, your track record of the past DADA instructors indicates something to the contrary. Everyone of them has to tried to kill or at least permanently incapacitate your little golden boy." Said Snape.

"Not Lockhart." Said Minerva.

"Of course, attempting to erase the boy's mind so completely he won't even remember his own name was just Lockhart's way of saying 'I like you.' I suppose?" Said Snape.

"Well, Remus Lupin would never try to hurt the boy."

"Remus Lupin would try to kill his mother one night a month, much less Harry Potter. I believe Miss Granger did report that Lupin had turned on her and the Golden boy, before being distracting by some howling in the distance. So without that distraction, I think we would be short one know-it-all and one golden boy." Said Snape

"That was not his fault." Said McGonagall.

"I never said it was, I was simply stating a fact."

"I admit, the position in the past has had some problems, but I feel confident this year that the new DADA instructor will do well in the position and may even make it through all the way to final exams without trying to harm or kill Mr. Potter." Said Dumbledore his blue eyes twinkling as he popped a lemon drop in his mouth.

"Care to place a wager on that?" Said Professor Snape.

"Fine, one hundred galleons says that the new DADA instructor doesn't try to harm or kill Mr. Potter." Said Dumbledore.

"It's a bet then, easy money." Said Snape.

"So which of you will meet the new DADA instructor for me?" Said Albus his eyes twinkling.

"I'll do it, it's always fun to meet these little assassins of yours, maybe I know this one, and we can stem the threat a head of time for a change." Said Snape he then rose from his seat, and strode out of the office his cloak billowing behind as he left.

"We'll see." Said Dumbledore his twinkle on full blast.

--------------------------------------

Malfoy Manor

July 3rd

"Puff, rise and shine." Said Narcissa as she pulled the drapes back on the windows causing a wall of bright sunlight to fall upon her stubbornly sleeping son.

"Mother, it the holidays I'm supposed to be able to sleep in." Draco griped as he pulled the covers over his head.

"You have slept in, it's nearly 10:30 a.m. Puff. Get up; we have plans today. Today you start training to control your new abilities."

"Can't it wait, just give me an extra hour." He pleaded from under the covers.

"Honestly, Puff." Said Narcissa. She decided to give him a few extra minutes and then went to his wardrobe to pick his clothes for the day. She hadn't done that for him since he started at Hogwarts but she was feeling nostalgic today.

She picked out midnight blue robes, black trousers, and a gray turtleneck jumper that she knew would bring out his eyes. She went deeper into the wardrobe to find some shoes that may match the ensemble when she spotted a purple pointed cloth. A memory flashed through her mind but so quickly she couldn't recognize precisely what it was. She pulled the purple pointed cloth from the stack of clothes and found it to be the foot of a stuffed toy. "Puff, better have the house-elves organize his wardrobe," she thought to herself. She looked at the toy, and suddenly found herself smiling wildly at the memories.

"Puff! Puff! Get up, lazy!" she said grinning and holding the toy.

"Huh, five more minutes, Mother." Cried a sleep-laden voice.

"Up now, or else." Said Narcissa in a tone that left no question.

Draco blinked. He knew his mother's 'or else' could be bad to worse depending on mood. Most people didn't realize that Narcissa Malfoy was indeed Narcissa Black Malfoy. This meant that she could be as big a prankster as her cousin Sirius Black, and he was damn near legendary. On those days when Lucius was away and Narcissa was more herself free of the curse he placed on her, she would prank Draco when he was disobedient, or sometimes just to cheer him up. It was never anything painful or too humiliating, but always definitely funny.

"I'm up, I'm up."

"Puff, I didn't know you still had H.R. I thought your father made you throw him out, long ago." Narcissa said.

----------Flashback----------

Lucius had been away for a three days and was not due home for another four. Narcissa, who while she was at Hogwarts had a best friend who was muggleborn, decided to take five year old Draco to the muggle London for the day.

They went to a muggle Chinese restaurant, where Draco developed his mad passion for BBQ port fried rice and BBQ pork chow mein. They then went to a muggle park, where Draco played with some muggle children. He met this one really obese blond boy, who he and Narcissa didn't like, the boy kept hitting and taking things from the other children, whenever his mother's back was turned. He seemed to have a particular dislike for a skinny, black haired boy with brilliant green eyes who followed the obese blond and his horse-face mother. The tubby blonde whined to his mother for ice cream, so she took him to the ice cream stand, after instructing the skinny kid to watch her bags. Draco was kind of fascinated with this skinny kid. He was quiet and kind of shy, his clothes were way too big for him, and look worn out. Draco stared at him for a while then decided to ask the boy to play.

"Hi, want to play, I can push you on the swings then you can push me?" Asked Draco kind of quietly.

"I-I can't. I have to watch the bags, or my aunt will be really angry." Said the skinny kid who kept one eye on the bags and one to see if his aunt and the tubby blonde had returned.

"I can get my Mother to watch the bags, and then you can play with me." Said Draco with a shy smile.

Narcissa, who was sitting on the bench where the horse-faced woman had sat but just on the opposite end, watched the exchange, and was amazed. Her Puff was always full of confidence around other children, yet right now he was kind shy.

"Do you live around here?" Draco inquired.

"No, we are in London for the day, it's my cousin's birthday in a couple of days, and they decided to let him pick some of his own gifts. The neighbor lady they usually have watch me, is out of town so I had to come too." Said the skinny raven-haired kid.

"Boy, what did I tell you!" came a screeching voice from behind the skinny kid.

"T-t-to watch the bags." Said the skinny kid as he began to back away from his aunt.

"Then why are you talking to that kid?" She said as she grabbed him by his upper arm squeezing until the skinny kid winced.

"H-h-he asked me to play and I was telling him I couldn't. I never stopped looking at the bags though."

Narcissa frowned something was not right here, why was this woman so angry because Puff asked her son to play, this was a park after all it's what children were supposed to do here. "Excuse me, Ma'am." Narcissa said putting on her warmest expression. "My son just asked him play, and he declined in favor of watching your bags, I am sorry if my son has caused you any problems."

"No, it's not your son, it's this one, here." The Aunt said as she shook the boy by the arm she still had in her grasp. "My nephew is always causing trouble, I have to keep an eye on him all the time or he does something very naughty, isn't that right boy?" Snarled the Aunt.

The boy looked up with frightened eyes, "Y-y-yes, ma'am, I'm always c-c-causing t-t-trouble."

"Well, we have to go, get the bags boy, we're leaving." Said the Aunt in a voice dripping of malice. "Come on, son, we have to go home and wrap your gifts, for your birthday." She said in a sweet tone to the obese blonde, face was covered in ice cream from his triple scoop ice cream cone.

"Bye," said Draco to the skinny kid. He didn't understand why but he felt like he wanted to be friends with the skinny kid.

The skinny, nodded his hands loaded with all the bags that were obviously to big and heavy for him to carry, but still he struggled to keep up with his Aunt and cousin as the headed to their car.

Draco was sad to see the kid leave and Narcissa saw it in his face. She decided to take him to her favorite muggle store, FAO Schwartz (sp?). Outside of the store, Narcissa said to Draco, "Puff, you can have any toy you want but when we get home make sure your father doesn't see it, he doesn't like anything muggle and he will make your throw it out and destroy it, okay?"

Draco was blown away by the gadgets and toys in the window, and barely heard a way his mother said, he just agreed, and pulled her through the doors. Narcissa laughed as they entered. Draco was in awe of the toy robots, the radio controlled cars, and the talking action figures.

"Mother, I thought you said muggles didn't have magic. How do they get all these things to work without magic?" Draco asked.

"Muggles are very inventive, they came up with technology. They make smarter machines to do some of the things that we do with magic." Narcissa said knowledgeably. "Now, it's getting late Puff, pick a toy so that we can get back to the manor."

Draco had a hard time just picking one toy, he wanted half the toy store, and though he knew they had enough money for it, he suspected his father would not like to find half the manor filled with muggle toys. They were in the stuff toy section when Draco spotted a discontinued stuffed toy dragon, it was on sale but that didn't' matter to him, it was a dragon he could hold and cuddle. Most dragon toys were hard and made of metal or leather, but this one was made of cloth and he had purple boots on, purple was Draco favorite color even though his father told him his favorite color was Slytherin green. Draco held the dragon and figure it would be better than his bear to sleep with. The dragon was about 18 inches tall, had a large horizontally oval head and a huge toothless mouth. It's eyes looked like it had mascara like his Mother but way to much, and it was yellow. Draco had a book on dragons back at the manor and none of them looked like this one, so that made it special. He handed it Narcissa who read the tag attached to his hand, "H.R. Puff-N-Stuff." She remember her friend, the muggleborn, telling her of a telly show she loved as a kid, that starred a dragon by the name, her friend even managed to get a couple of episodes of it on tape, but Narcissa never got the chance to see the tape.

"So you want this then?" Said Narcissa with a gentle smile.

"Yes, it's a dragon I can sleep with," he said with a big smile. When Draco found his name was related to dragons he instantly developed a fascination and love all things dragon, this one would be added to his collection.

"Very well, we better get back, the elves should have dinner ready soon and you know how Dobby gets if we are late, he worries so." Said Narcissa and she took Draco by the hand and headed over to the sales counter. They paid for H.R. as he was now called and then left the store. They found a small alley nearby; Narcissa took Draco in her arms and then disapperate and apperated home. Draco loved H.R. immediately, for the next four days around the manor, you could not find Draco without H.R. being somewhere nearby.

It was the day Lucius was due to return, the house-elves were running around like mad trying to get the manor into to tip top shape. Narcissa let them take it easy when she is herself, but they all knew that when Lucius was around there would be absolutely no slacking. House-elves normally don't like to take it easy; they are very industrious and truly do love their work, but Narcissa as mistress of the manor had ordered them to ease up and try to enjoy some free time. They did, but only after much complaining. Now, was the time to get the manor back to perfect shape, Narcissa prepared her son for her return to being Mrs. Malfoy as she called it.

"Puff, dear, you know your father is coming home today, and I will not behave as have this week again. Remember, I do love you, it's just when your father is around, I cannot be myself. I cannot be your mother the way I wish. I will have to be his wife, Mrs. Malfoy and being that person means that I cannot show the love I wish I could. I will be hard and cold, just hold on the knowledge that I love you, sweetheart, okay? And remember HIDE H.R. If your father finds him and even if I see him again, you may be made to destroy him, or at the very least throw him away. Okay, so hide him." Said Narcissa.

"Okay, mother." Said Draco as he ran to his room to hide H.R. Narcissa went to the foyer; she knew that Lucius was due home any minute. How she loathed the man. How her brother could love him was beyond her, but she knew that he had been different while her brother lived. To be fair, she had been different while her true mate lived. She only saw bits of that self when she was alone with her Puff. The instant Lucius stepped through the door, Narcissa felt a coldness come over her, a distance seem to develop between her and the world, suddenly she wasn't apart of anything but herself as Mrs. Malfoy, wife of Lucius Malfoy. Her face loss the carefree air it had about it with Draco, her nose went up, her face looked beautiful but untouchable. Everything about her looked untouchable. Lucius saw the change come over her and he smiled he loved to watch it happen. He loved to watch the death of love and hope in her eyes. It so matched, the loss in his own heart.

Draco came down the stairs just as his father entered the foyer. He could tell instantly even, though his mother's back was to him that she had changed, it sadden him. He put up his best mask; even at five he had developed a mask. He had to his father's punishments made it a necessity. He lost the smile and the air of carefree ness he had with his mother. His face became near unreadable. He held his nose up and tried to look like he would never smile nor frown, after all, he was a Malfoy, and they were above such displays. "Welcome back, Father." Draco said as he reached the floor.

"Evening Draco. Have you kept up your studies?" He said coldly as he looked down on his small son.

"Yes, Father." Draco learned long ago to keep his talks with his father very concise, answer the question or ask a question, never meander in a conversation.

"Good I will be talking to your tutor in the morning. I hope that you will not disappoint me."

"Of course not, Father."

"Narcissa, come we have much to discuss we have ball to organize, for Halloween."

"Yes. Lucius."

A week had gone by since Lucius' return, and Draco still played with H.R. every day, in his room careful to hide the dragon when he thought his father or mother might walk in on him. One day however he had fallen asleep for his afternoon nap with H.R. still in his arms. His father entered his room to inform Draco that he was to attend a birthday party for a Death Eater's son, in a couple of days. Lucius saw Draco sleeping in his bed on top of the covers and saw H.R. He was at first fine with Draco sleeping with a dragon related toy but then he noticed that he felt no magic coming off the toy. It didn't move, or talk, it's eyes were wide open so it wasn't asleep, this toy had to be MUGGLE! Lucius instantly flew into rage, how dare his son have a muggle toy. True, Narcissa had probably bought it for him, but he should have said no to it. He knows his mother is not to be trust when Lucius is not around. Lucius grabbed the sleep boy by his arm, and yanked him awake.

"WHAT IS THIS!" He screamed at the boy, as he shook H.R. at Draco.

"Huh?" Asked a confused Draco.

SLAP! "I said WHAT IS THIS?" Scream a positively livid Lucius.

"It's just a toy, Father. I wanted a dragon I could sleep with, Mother got it for me." Said Draco as tears streamed down his face.

"It's a muggle toy! You know I don't want any muggle filth in his Manor!" Screamed Lucius.

"I'm sorry Father, I was going to learn how to charm it so it would be muggle anymore, I was going to surprise you." Draco lied.

"Jilly! Jilly!" Screamed Lucius

"Yes, Master." Said Jilly the house elf, sister of Dilly.

"Take this THING and prepare nice big fire in fireplace in my study. Draco is going to burn that wretched thing." Said Lucius as he stared hard into his son's tear streaked face.

"Yes, Master." Said Jilly who disappeared with the dragon.

"You will be in my study in ten minutes and will watch that damn thing burn." Said Lucius as he stood to his full height looked down at his son, narrowed his eyes and then left.

A minute after Lucius left Draco was still in tears. He positively loved H.R. It was breaking his heart to lose it, and then to be it's executioner was just heart wrenching.

(Pop) "Master Draco, here is yous dragon. We elves make another dragon in the event that yours was found, we know young master love his dragon so we make another to be destroyed if you dragon found. Copy dragon in study with Master Lucius waiting for you to burn, so you best hide yours, and remember to look upset over burning copy dragon." Said Jilly with a smile.

"Oh, thank you, thank you all." Draco said, happy to have his beloved H.R. Draco took H.R. and buried him in the back of his closet. He would from now on only ever play with H.R. in the closet, where H.R. would be safe.

Draco ran to his father's study and there he found his mother and father standing with matching sneers on their faces. Lucius handed Draco the H.R. copy and said, "Here now throw in the fire, and you will stand watch it burn up."

Draco took the dragon, he held and looked at his parents they both pointed at the fire. Draco sniffed a couple of times and but held his head up and through the toy into the fire. He did as his father instructed and stood and watched it burn never saying anything to his parents, but throwing the odd sniffle to make it look like he really did lose his toy. After ten minutes the toy was naught but ash, and he was excused. He went to his room, climbed in bed and went to sleep, secure in the knowledge that his H.R. was safe.

----------------------------------End Flash back------------------------------

Narcissa held H.R. in her arms, "Puff, I'm going to keep H.R. You're growing up now, you'll be looking for your mate come the start of school. I don't think you really need him anymore, besides he's darn cute and I think he'll look lovely on my bed." she said playfully.

Draco's face loss color, his face developed a bit of grimace. "No. I love H.R. He stays with me." His tone was serious, but Narcissa wasn't paying attention she was holding H.R. lost in the memories of her day out with Draco and of your muggle friend, who loved the tv show that created him.

"Don't be silly, Puff. I'll take good care of him. He was just buried in the back of your closet anyway." Said Narcissa as she held the dragon up and turned her back on her son, to study it in the morning sun.

"I said I love H.R. and you are NOT TAKING HIM FROM ME!" Draco growled. Narcissa smiled at the toy, she figured that Puff, was just as attached to it today as he was then. She still hadn't paid attention to the tone of his voice. It had a definite air of threat to it.

"Give me H.R. Mother. I love him. I must have him!" said Draco.

"Of course, Puff. It's just been so long since I've seen him."

"Now mother!" Draco yelled.

Narcissa turned at this to admonish him for being rude and the site that met her left her more than a little scared. Draco stood on the bed, his wings were out his fingers had talons, his eyes a glowing silver.

"Give me H.R. Mother, or I will kill you. I will have what I love. I must have what I love, don't take him from me, because you will die if you try." His wings flapped threateningly, he crouched low to pounce and take the toy from her. Narcissa was in Slytherin when she was at Hogwarts and therefore she had very good survival skills.

"Puff, do you love me?" She said quickly.

Draco stopped. "What?"

"Do you love me, Puff?" She said.

"Yes, I love you, I love you more than anything except my mate." He said.

"Do you want me to go away forever?" She said.

"You can't leave, I love you Mother. I must have the things that I love. I love you Mother. Please don't leave me." He said. Draco's wings and claws retracted, the light in eyes faded, he stepped down off the bed and went to his mother, and put his arms around her and cried. He begged her not leave him, she held her son and thought. 'I have to get the healer back, something is definitely wrong.'

----------------------end chapter 7 ---------------------------

(A/N: Well, I promised they would meet this chapter and they did, I never said they would be 16 when they met, now did I? Heh! Okay, the next chapter I'm hoping to have up by next Wednesday, hoping, but NO GUARANTEES. I've got too many ideas and when I start to type what I'm typing is not matching my plan. Yes I know lack of Discipline. Next week: we find out who the new assassin, I mean, DADA instructor is… darn that Snape. lol We'll spend some time with Harry who does some spectacular accidental magic and find out what the hell is up with Draco/Puff. So if you don't have this story on Story alert or Author alert, you should, that way you will know when I update and can get the latest chapters as soon as they are posted. I have made it to 10,100 hits on this story alone. YAY. PLEASE REVIEW, I'm trying to get to 100 reviews. I like personal milestones, don't you? Oh, I'm also working on chapter 2 of Darien and Harry Potter so hopefully I'll have that up sometime this weekend. Have a nice day, all.)

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Catwriter