Authors Note: Sorry guys but my updates are going to remain slow for the unforeseen future (unless you ask Trelawney). And I apologize for any typos I missed. My left arm is hurt due to a car crash I was in so its kinda hard to type one-handed. That's also a big reason why this chapter got delayed. But though my updates may be slow the plot line should start moving along a little faster. I'm not going to be picky about a lot of details. You guys may be surprised about what is still to come.

Last Chapter Reminders

:Thoughts:

Disclaimer: Only a severe concussion or insanity would make this story belong to me.

Warning: this contains malexmale love. No slashy goodness but if you don't like boys kissing then don't read. AU of a Cinderella sort ;) HP/DM, RL/SB implied.

To Join the Dance

As he sat there he did one of his favorite activities when Snape wasn't running him ragged.

He watched the sun set with a smile on his face.

That night filled Harrys mind with pleasant and odd dreams of dancing among trees where it was raining apples and laughter. When he awoke the next morning he quickly forgot the dream in favor of preparing Snapes breakfast. As soon as Snape was done and he had grabbed half a loaf of bread for himself, he made his escape to the Magik Pumpkin. He had agreed to meet Sirius at his place as soon as he could get free and since it was nearly ten Harry didn't take his time and ran all the way to the pub.

Luckily, there wasn't a whole lot to get in the way so Harry arrived within minutes. He moved around to the back of the shop where a ladder led up to window high in the back of the building. This was the entrance to the attic where Sirius had set up his living space above the pub.

At the top of the ladder Harry eased the old and stiff window open before sticking his head inside and calling out, "Sirius! I'm here!" He received a muffled reply from the other side of the room where a makeshift wall had been created out of boards and a blanket to separate the attic into two halves. Where Harry crawled in through the window had been dubbed the 'Entertaining Room.' It contained all the useless junk Sirius never got around to tossing out and several chairs surrounding a rickety table.

Harry was reminded of yesterday when Sirius had hinted of coming from a wealthy family and wondered for the first time why he was in a place like this. He had always assumed that Sirius just never made enough money to afford something better and to own a pub but that couldn't have been the case if he had come from a well off family. Harry frowned in thought as he sat down in one of the less wobbly chairs. As Sirius came through the slanted opening that served as a doorway in and out of his bedroom Harry pushed the thoughts to the back of his head.

Sirius's face split with a grin as he clapped a hand on Harrys shoulder. "Morning, Harry! Or is it noon yet? I'm closed today so I haven't bothered to check how far the day has gone."

Harry smiled and watched Sirius take a seat across from him and leaning back so the chair was balanced on two legs. "Not early but it's not noon yet. You said you had a plan for today?"

Sirius nodded. "Indeed I do. Now I have plenty of clothes in that chest over there," Sirius gestured vaguely in the direction of a pile of junk that Harry could just barely make out the black corner of a trunk underneath. "But you are going to have to try them on so we can figure out what looks good on you and what fits. More than likely we are going to have to see a seamstress to readjust the fit otherwise anything in there should be suitable, if a bit dated."

When he shooed at Harry to go get the trunk he did so. He dug it out from beneath old clothes, boxes of alcohol, boxes of empty glasses, baskets full of things Sirius intended to use or sell but never did, until he reached the bottom where the large trunk took effort and a bit of strength to pull out of the corner. Harry knew how much clothes could weigh but this felt like a trunk of rocks!

Harry dragged the trunk out of the corner into the open and pried the lid open. Surprisingly the contents appeared to be clean and dust free so Harry pulled out the shirt that was on top. It was a dark burgundy dress shirt with an odd twisting pattern sewn around the collar and cuffs. When Harry glanced at Sirius the older man just gestured for him to hurry up. So Harry pulled his own tattered shirt off and pulled the burgundy one on. He immediately felt ridiculous as he turned to show Sirius. The older man was already shaking his head.

"Dark colors might suit you but certainly not in any shade of red. I think we will be avoiding shades of red from now on. Next!" Harry rolled his eyes but obediently pulled the shirt off.

Harry tore into the box and proceeded to try on a variety of shirts even, to Harrys chagrin, a pink one with white cuffs. Considering the early comment about shades of red, Harry was pretty sure he was only made to try it on so Sirius could laugh at him which he wholeheartedly did. Harry had flung that one far away when he pulled it off.

After about twenty-three different shirts Sirius finally dubbed one 'acceptable.' It was a pale blue colored vest with a dark blue fire motif sewn into the fabric. Most of the fire design was small and along the edges of the vest but there was a swirl of flame on the left right above where the heart would be. It was a match to a white shirt which had blue stitching that looked like tiny blue flames around the collar and cuffs. Together they looked very interesting but on Harry they still seemed a bit, well, wrong.

Sirius tilted his head back and forth and scratched idly at the side of his face while looking at Harry trying to figure out what seemed wrong. To Harry it was obvious. He was dirty with long raggedy hair wearing a clean shirt and vest that were much too large seeing as the sleeves were barely an inch from his fingertips and he was still wearing his old trousers. They might be clean but they were still raggedy. As far as Harry was concerned, no new set of clothing was going to make him less out of place in a room full of aristocrats.

Suddenly Sirius snapped his fingers and grinned. "I know just what to do Harry, but no time to dither, off to the Seamstress!" And before Harry could ask what Sirius had figured out, the vest and shirt were being pulled off of him and his old shoved in his arms while being dragged to the window. Sirius quickly climbed out and down while Harry hastily pulled the shirt on and hurried to catch up.

"Sirius, wait!"

Harry jogged over to Sirius who was bustling down the now busy street with the shirt and vest under his arm. Sirius glanced over at Harry with a grin across his face. "I have such plans swimming about my head. It's a wonder I can keep them all straight." Harry attempted to ask what kind of plans but Sirius just covered his mouth, calling it a 'secret,' and swung the door open to a Seamstress shop.

"Molly! I have a special job for you!"

The Seamstress shop, named 'The Burrow' for whatever reason, seemed like an interesting place. The door opened into a room that was obviously only meant to receive customers since the only thing up on the walls was clothing to display the precise stitching done to them. The woman behind the counter, Molly, was a buxom woman with long and wild bright red hair. She was a matronly sort of woman with a pleasant smile and Harry thought she was very nice looking with her little hat and long dress that was a matching yellowish color. On most people yellow looked horrible but on her it just made her look more cheerful.

"Sirius! I haven't seen you in quite some time! Have you been eating well? Of course not! Locked up in a dank old pub all the time. Have I not told you to come over for dinner? Indeed I have and yet you haven't! And who is this with you? Why, he is skin and bones! You better come into the back so I can get you both a nice hot cup of tea. I just made a fresh batch of scones so you both can dig in." And before Harry knew what had happened he was being bustled into the back and down a corridor which led to a rather large kitchen full of a very pleasant smell.

Sirius grinned ruefully at Harry as they sat at the large table that dominated the kitchen. "I probably should have warned you. Her name is Molly Weasley and she is a bit of a mother hen. Probably why she has seven children. Don't worry. Eat your scone and I will introduce you. I promise that once she hands us some tea she will slow down a mite."

As promised Molly calmed down a bit and let Sirius get a few words in while Harry tentatively took a bite from the hot scone placed in front of him. However, after that first bite he managed to eat about five more before either Sirius or Molly finished their first. Whatever else Molly might be, she was an excellent scone maker!

While Harry ate Sirius explained who Harry was and about their problem with the shirt and vest. Molly idly sipped her tea while looking over the clothes. Finally, she set her tea down and picked up the white shirt, looking it over with a critical eye before turning to Harry.

"Well, my dear, I'm afraid you're going to have to put down those scones for a few minutes. I need to measure you." She smiled kindly at him. "Don't worry, you can eat some more as soon as I am done."

Harry smiled shyly and nodded mumbling a 'thank you' before standing and standing according to her direction as she proceeded to measure him everywhere, even in the oddest and most awkward of places. Sirius just watched in amusement as Harry became more and more embarrassed. Finally Molly stepped back after measuring his hips and smiled wide at them both. "All finished then! Now you go ahead and tuck in. Theres a good boy! Eat as much as you like. Now, Sirius, I can tell that these clothes used to be yours and you are passing them along to the boy and that is all well and good but what do you plan to give him as far as trousers? He can't very well wear those pants with this top."

At this Sirius just rubbed his head in embarrassment. "I thought we would just find him a decent pair and leave it at that…" Sirius trailed off at the look Molly was sending him.

"Nonsense. You really must think these things through. No common pair of trousers will do him justice while wearing these. Putting him in some regular trousers?" She scoffs at him. "You cannot be serious."

Suddenly Sirius bared his teeth in a bright smile. "Oh, but I am always Sirius my dear Molly. You know that!" She glared at him but he just shrugged it off before getting back on topic. "To be honest Molly, I don't have a pair of trousers to match that. We will have to make do with what is available."

Molly looked unhappy with that statement but after a few minutes gave in to the fact that Sirius wasn't about to try and get Harry custom trousers. She made it obvious that she did not like the fact that any friend of hers or Sirius was going to walk around looking like he just rolled out of bed and grabbed whatever came to hand. But she eventually conceded that nothing could be done.

Sirius and Harry spent the next hour or so speaking with Molly and eating her scones but she eventually ushered them out saying that she had work to do. Harry turned to head back to Sirius's place but was stopped by a hand on his arms.

When he glanced back, Sirius had a large grin on his face.

"Oh no Harry, we aren't done shopping just yet! To the cordwainer!"

With that announcement, Sirius spun on one heel and stalked off leaving Harry with his mouth gaping. :We are going somewhere else as well?! And why are we going to a cordwainer? I can't afford shoes. I am barely going to be able to afford that nice Seamstress. Sirius is getting a bit carried away.: Harry ran to catch up and jumped in front of Sirius to stop him. "Wait Sirius!"

The older man just blinked down at Harry looking a bit startled. "Yes, Harry, something wrong?"

Harry shakes his head. "No, well, yes. I can't afford new shoes Sirius. I should be able to afford the Seamstress with the stipend I have been saving for the past few years but new shoes are very expensive."

Sirius suddenly looked annoyed as he stared down at Harry. "Whoever said you were paying for any of this? Harry, you very rarely allow Remus or I to gift you with anything despite us being almost like family to you. I want to do this for you. I have more than enough to buy you a dozen brand new outfits with shoes to match. Now enough! We spent longer than I meant to with Molly and the day is getting on." Harry frowned and shook his head.

"You are my friend Sirius but I don't need or want charity-"

"It's not charity, Harry!" Sirius interrupted looking exasperated. "This will be the one big gift I give you to make up for all the little ones you never allow me to." Harry hesitated again but Sirius just took him by the arm and nearly pulled him off his feet to get him moving.

"Sirius, I know you said you two were going to help me but that was just borrowing old clothes that we would maybe have to alter. A seamstress is one thing but you don't need to get me shoes. Mine are fine."

Sirius came to a halt and turned to look at Harry with an almost Snape-like sneer. "Fine? Harry, there are so many gapes in the seams and holes it's a wonder they can even be called shoes. You have had those raggedy things for 3 years now and they are too small. You are going to get new shoes if I have to drag you to the cordwainer myself. Now stop being so stubborn."

Of course Harry didn't listen and they continued to argue. Harry only gave up when Sirius literally picked him up to carry him inside the shop and threatened to tie him to a chair if he didn't stop wriggling. The thing is it wasn't that Harry didn't want new shoes. He did. He had wanted new ones for over a year now but it was the fact that Sirius was about to spend a lot of money on Harry for clothes, shoes and whatever else they decide to do with him. He wasn't used to Sirius tossing so much money around and it was starting to make him feel self-conscious.

However, no amount of unease was going to have him continue arguing with a threat hanging over his head. Especially since the older man who was the cordwainer had already started measuring his now bare feet with a cord and an odd piece of wood. The old man wore spectacles and had very bright blue eyes. He was also tall and thin, with a great deal of long, stringy grey hair and a beard that was tucked into his belt to keep it out of the way. Harry thought he was a rather grumpy-looking old man.

As he was working the now much calmer Sirius bent over to whisper in Harrys ear. "This is Aberforth Dumbledore, he is a bit gruff but he knows what he is doing. Just don't insult his goat. He has one in the back and it is practically family."

Harry stared a Sirius a moment. He couldn't be serious could he? Apparently he was because a moment later Harry heard the short bleat of a goat from further within the building. Aberforth glanced over his shoulder toward the back but didn't say anything. He finished what he was doing and stood up looking at Sirius and practically ignoring Harry. "When you need them?"

"Tomorrow or early the day after. Harry here is attending a party where he will need a decent pair of shoes in two days."

The two men walked away to discuss the look, texture, price and anything else they needed to discuss. Harry got sidetracked with the thought that in two days he really was going to be at a noblemans party. At Dracos party. He could feel his stomach twisting with nerves at the thought but there was a small thrum of excitement too. He had had small parties for his birthday with Sirius, Remus, and Neville but this was different. This was going to be large and loud and colorful. This was going to be like nothing he had ever seen before. Suddenly, Harry was feeling excited over actually attending the party for the first time. This was no longer just replaying a debt to Draco. This was going to be Fun!

Sirius finished talking and came back over to Harry with a big grin on his face. "He says I can pick them up for you tomorrow. They shouldn't be too hard to make and he doesn't have a lot of customers at the moment. We got a bit lucky with that. Sometimes it can take him a week to get a decent pair done."

Harry grinned. "I can't wait to see them then." Sirius blinked and looked at Harry.

"Why the sudden eagerness? A moment ago you were wishing I would stop."

An ear-splitting grin broke out across Harrys face. "I just realized that I am going to be at a party that few were invited to and even fewer will ever get to attend one like it. I mean, Draco Malfoy invited me as a personal favor. Like I was someone important. Like I wasn't just a servant to be pitied or ordered around. He acted like my attendance mattered and I am going to go and experience something I may never get another chance to."

Sirius got a big grin on his face in response. "Now that is the proper attitude to have! I'm glad you found something in all this to look forward to other than seeing that boy again."

Harry nodded with the big grin fixed on his face as they left the cordwainer. Once outside the two parted after Harry promised to meet up with Remus and Sirius later that day. Harry hurried back to the Estate. It was later in the day but not yet dark and Harry needed to get his chores done before Snape realized nothing had been completed.

Todays chore list was rather short compared to most days. All he had to do was wash the dishes, make the beds, scrub the floors and polish the chandelier. Harry got the first two done quick but had to hunt Neville down for help holding the ladder in place so he could clean the chandelier. As always, Neville was pleasant and more than willing to lend a hand. He even went so far as to help speed up the floor scrubbing process by helping out.

The fact that Harry had someone to talk and joke around with during the cleaning made the chore more enjoyable and faster. Harry even told Neville, in a low tone of voice so no one would overhear, about the party he had been invited to. Neville congratulated him and wished him luck in finding the perfect mask. Up until that point Harry hadn't even considered that he needed to get a mask so the statement caught him off guard.

"I completely forgot that I needed to get a mask! How could I forget that you need a mask to a Masquerade Ball? Ugh, I am such an idiot."

Neville smiled over at Harry. "You still have two days, I am sure you will find the perfect mask. If nothing else just find a regular one that covers your whole face. It will make you look mysterious, heh." Harry grinned and readily agreed though he was a little worried about where he could find a mask.

All too soon they were finished and Harry was really grateful to Neville for all the help. In fact, he told Neville often enough that the younger boys face seemed to have turned permanently pink causing Harry endless amusement. Harry put the buckets and scrub brushes away and then made his way toward the edge of town where Remus lived.

It was an old place, more of a shack than a house, and it was far enough away from other buildings that it looked lonely standing among the tall trees that surrounded it. It had two rooms to it, a small living space with a kitchenette in the corner and a door off to the side that led into the tiny bedroom where Remus slept. Yet despite its ramshackle appearance and small size the place was very cozy. There was a small fireplace set against one wall that filled the small building with warmth on cold winter nights and it always smelled of fresh Cider. Harry found this tiny place more comfortable than anywhere else and had fallen asleep in front of the fireplace on the torn woven rug many times.

Harry had barely knocked on the door before it was thrown open to reveal the smiling face of Remus.

"Good timing Harry, I just finished making some tea. Would you like some?" Remus moved so Harry could step inside.

"Sure, Remus, I'd love some." Harry took a seat on a low sofa where Sirius was already sniffing at his tea and taking up most of the space on the sofa while he grumbled at having to drink 'nice healthy tea'. Harry grinned and murmured a quick 'thanks' as Remus handed him his tea and sat down in a chair set to the side.

"Now Harry, along with clothing and shoes we need to prepare you to be inside a room full of Nobles. I highly doubt Draco will care but his parents and his guests will care if you come in and make mistakes. I may only be a gardener but I have helped out when there was going to be a large get-together and the staff was short on servers. So Sirius can give you the basic information you need to know and I can give you some tidbits of information I have picked up. You would be surprised how many secrets a servant can learn simply by doing their job quietly enough that they become invisible." Remus winked at Harry and sipped at his tea.

Harry looked between them both. "So in a very short amount of time you two are going to force feed me gossip and manners?"

Sirius smirked. "Exactly Harry." He put his still untouched tea down on the table before them before turning to face Harry. "Manners are very important, yes. But when it comes to Nobles, if you are completely clueless about all the rumors they tell each other you would be surprised how suspicious they get. I think we can cover for most of it by saying you own a small manor in Godrics Hollow. That's a small area and mostly lesser Nobles live there so no one will expect you to know current gossip."

Remus nodded in agreement before speaking up. "However, even the lesser nobles hear the big news. So we can give you a few tidbits of information to tide you over. There is quite a bit to learn however so we are going to start teaching you tomorrow so head here as soon as you can."

Harry frowned in thought but cautiously nodded his head in agreement. "Alright, I suppose I can see your point about all that but if you aren't going to teach me tonight why did I need to come over?"

Suddenly Sirius got a big grin on his face as he stood up and sweeped his arm in a grand gesture flourishing his hand like he was presenting a show. "Why, my dear Harry? We are going to teach you how to dance tonight!"

Harry was speechless as he gaped.

His first thought was that they had to be joking but from the amused look on both of their faces it obviously wasn't. "Dancing? But why?!"

Remus smiled indulgently. "Harry this is a Ball. You cannot expect to go to this without getting pulled into at least one dance. And even if you do somehow manage to avoid dancing it would still be a good idea for you to learn at least a little. Give it a chance. You might even enjoy it."

After much cajoling and reasoning Harry reluctantly agreed.

He then spent the next two hours regretting that decision.

They tried to be nice. They started him off on something called the Foxtrot, which Harry immediately thought had a ridiculous name, which was supposed to be relatively easy to learn. Until they realized exactly how graceless Harry could be and discovered that this teaching thing was going to be harder than they thought. Harry tried, he really did, but none of it came very easily to him. Eventually after two grueling hours Sirius proclaimed him decently educated as far as the Foxtrot.

Then he said Harry had to learn a Waltz as well.

That ended up taking three hours where Harry had to remind himself that they were trying to help him and that throwing a chair at them would not be very nice. Of course, that didn't stop him from despising the Waltz. He thought it was an awkward and annoying dance that made people look like stumbling elephants.

After two hours in a fit of pique Sirius grabbed Remus and showed Harry how it was supposed to look.

Seeing the two of them dance together Harry realized two things. One was that he was sure than ever that they were dating. The other was that he was wrong. The Waltz was beautiful. They were smooth and confident. Their dancing made the Waltz seem so simple to perform but also elegant. Harry realized he was a little jealous and wished he could dance like that. For the last hour he tried his hardest and while his dancing was nowhere near smooth and elegant he was eventually able to perform some of the basic steps.

By the time the set had sunk below the horizon all three men were tired and sweaty. After promising to meet up with Remus at the library the next day Harry turned and made his way back to Prince Estate with his whole body aching.

He had barely made it onto the property when he was intercepted by a frowning Neville.

"Harry, I need to talk to you real quick." Barely suppressing a groan Harry joined Neville at the side of the building.

Neville saw how exhausted Harry was so he got to the point quickly. "Harry, did you use my name recently?"

Harry blinked up at him in confusion as he slumped against the wall. "What?"

Neville sighed. "My last name, have you used it? A man came here earlier looking for a Mr. Longbottom and one of the cooks sent him to me of course. But when the man handed me the letter it was for a Harry Longbottom." Neville frowned at Harry. "I'm assuming it was for you."

Harry blinked at him owlishly from behind his glasses. It took his tired brain several moments before he connected the pieces and his eyes widened as he uttered a soft "oh."

"Sorry Neville, I did use your name yesterday when I introduced myself. It was to a Noble and I didn't want Snape thinking I had been sneaking around. I didn't think about it."

Neville shook his head. "It's fine. I'm not upset I was just confused." Here he fished an envelope with a red wax seal holding it closed from his pocket. "I didn't read the letter." He handed it to Harry as the other boy pushed off the wall and took the letter.

On the front in flowing script was the name Harry Longbottom and the wax seal on the back was imprinted with the shape of a rearing serpent. Harry idly wondered if it was from Draco as he pulled it open.

Inside was a fancy parchment bearing the Malfoy crest at the top of the page and the edges were decorated in what Harry guessed was gold leafing. Snape sometimes used it. The parchment contained more of the flowing script as the envelope.

Dear Mr. Harry Longbottom,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been cordially invited to the Masquerade Coming of Age Celebration for one Draco Malfoy, Son of Esteemed Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.

All guests attending are required to wear formal attire and submit this invitation upon entry at Malfoy Manor.

Draco Malfoy requests that all guests please remember that while this is a Formal Ball celebrating his Coming of Age no guest is required to bring a gift but all guests must be respectful to the host family and their guests. No family feuds will be recognized during this esteemed occasion.

We look forward to your attendance.

Harry blinked down at the formal letter. "Wow, Nobles sure know how to posh up a letter Harry. Are you still going?" Harry looked up to realize Neville had been reading over his shoulder.

"Yeah, but now I'm starting to get nervous again." Neville smiled at him as Harry started to put the invitation back in the envelope when Harry paused. There was a small folded piece of paper in the envelope. Harry pulled it out and read it.

Harry,

Sorry about the formal invitation but all guests are required to have one upon entry. I told my manservant to seek you out directly so Severus wouldn't find out and get upset with you. I hope I didn't get you into trouble. The formal invitation says that no gift is required but that is actually my Mothers way of giving a subtle hint that guests need to bring one. You don't need to worry about though. From you I only demand one thing as a gift. I demand that you dance with me at least once. I will let you pick which seeing as I don't know what dances you know but one is a requirement. I promise not to make it too horrible for you and I won't step on your toes. I haven't done that since I was nine. I hope I do get that one dance from you.

Looking forward to seeing you,

Draco

Harry shook his head in exasperation but he could feel a wry grin on his lips. It was a good thing Sirius and Remus insisted he learn to dance. He might just be able to give Draco his birthday present. Harry quickly said his Good Night to Neville and stuffed the letter in his pocket. He made his way inside just as Snape came stomping down the stairs to lock him in his room.

But he couldn't feel sad or nervous. All he could think about before sleep claimed him was about how much fun this Ball was going to be.

Authors final Rant: A cordwainer is the original title for a shoemaker that was used in England from 1100 to the early twentieth century. NOT a cobbler. A cobbler repairs shoes and a cordwainer makes them.

Ron is not going to become a significant character but I figured it wouldn't hurt to have the Weasleys possess some kind of role. I have one for Hermione but hers is small too. We won't be seeing Draco for a few chapters I don't think. These next few will concentrate on Harry.

And I apologize about the whole "I am always Sirius" joke. I couldn't resist.