Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Psh I wish I did. So yea, Twilight is to Meyer as Harry Potter is to Rowling.

AN: Just a note on birthdays. From the Harry Potter lexicon, Draco was born on June 5, Harry's is obviously July 31, and Ron on the 1st of March.

By the way, the whole Draco-Harry-Ron thing. I didn't mean he'd give up Ron completely! I just meant the position of best friend! Jese guys! When I was eight, my two friends did the same thing to me. They wanted me decide who my best friend was just so they could get the title but come on, I'm not as ridiculously stupid as to think Harry would completely forget about Ron. I mean they might have gotten into a fight if Harry chose but then it's a good thing that someone told him he didn't have to! Like someone did to me! So jese! Sorry!

Chapter 10: Ten-Year Old Troublemakers

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Harry groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. "Oh come on, Harry," Draco laughed, pulling the cover off his face. Harry glared at them.

"I'm sleeping!"

'It's your tenth birthday! Wake up! Two years of friendship we. MUST. CELEBRATE!"

Ron grinned smugly. "Six for me."

"Oh, shut up."

"Knock it off, I'm sleeping!" Harry shouted. Draco and Ron rolled their eyes and got onto his bed. Jumping up and down, they began hollering at the top of their lungs. Harry, thanks to some training Carlisle and his brothers had given him, maneuvered his legs swiftly and the two other ten year olds were on the ground. He sat up with rage in his eyes. "MOM!"

Esme opened the door and stuck her head in. "Harry, get up. It's time for breakfast... and happy birthday, darling!"

He growled, throwing himself back down, and buried his head underneath his pillows.

~*~

The boy had been adamant not to leave his bed, which left Emmett to pull him out and get him dressed. Now, Harry was sitting in the Great Hall, glaring a hole into his brother's chest. Emmett was squirming around uncomfortable. "Esme, make him stop," he begged.

"Faolan and Malinda will attack you when you least expect it," Harry snapped, shifting forward to scare him.

Carlisle pulled him back down onto his seat. "Settle down, son. It's your birthday. Don't be in such a foul mood."

Harry smiled up at his father but gave a quick glance of warning to Emmett. "Evil," the large vampire muttered. He watched Harry squint his eyes at him. "What are you looking at, you little-" Emmett cut himself off with a loud yelp when Faolan appeared next to him with a vicious bark.

"Harry James, send him back to your room, now!" Esme scolded. Harry sighed and shooed his wolf away. "Now eat your breakfast so we can open your presents."

Harry picked up his fork and began picking at his food. He smiled as he listened to Draco and Ron fight over who got him a better present and watched the Twins imitating them behind their backs. Alice was anxiously waiting for him to finish while Rosalie waited patiently, wanting him to eat everything on his plate. Japer was accusing Emmett of screaming like a girl when Faolan appeared, laughing all the while and Edward, who was sitting next to Harry, had an arm around his little brother, grinning excitedly. "Why are you smiling so brightly, Edward?" Harry asked curiously. "You're usually…brooding." Rosalie snorted in laughter when Edward glared at him.

"It's nothing, Harry. I just think you'll like the present I got you."

"He won't," Alice taunted. "I saw it. He'll absolutely hate it."

"Shut up, Alice. You're too hyper to block your thoughts. I saw it too. He'll adore it. You're just jealous because he won't like yours as much."

The girl glared daggers at him. "Yea well… my husband is his favorite brother."

"Oh don't bring that up again," Harry groaned. Since the first time he said it, his family had been teasing Edward about it constantly. He was old enough to realize that he didn't have to favor anyone so it bothered him when they just had to use that to make the bronze-haired vampire silent.

Edward ruffled Harry's hair. "Thanks, kiddo," He whispered, a smirk tugging the side of his lips.

Harry nodded while finishing up the remnants of food he had left. "So," he started with his mouth full, which earned him an admonishment from Esme. He swallowed quickly and turned back. "What'd you get me, Edward?"

"My gift is last," He stated. "Well… along with Esme and Carlisle's."

"Then I'll go first!" Alice grinned. She bounced off to the other table and plucked her large box off. With a dance in her step, she made her way back to Harry and plopped the large present before him. "Go on, open it!"

Harry tore the wrapping paper off and opened the lid as quickly as he could. He forced himself to keep the large grin on his face. "Oh…Alice…new clothing! This is… wonderful…" Jasper snickered as he told him to take the clothes out. "Oh, neat! Thanks, Jasper!" Harry pulled out a book that held the complete collection of Edgar Allen Poe. "I'll start reading it later," he promised.

"Okay, that's enough of boring gifts," Rosalie laughed. She took her gift out of her pocket. Harry frowned. It wasn't that he minded that it was so small, he was actually happy. Rosalie was very much into getting Harry extravagant gifts on his birthday and he wondered why she finally listened to him this year. He reached his hand out and she dropped it onto his palm. Tentatively, he opened the case and frowned at what he saw. "It's…a picture of a dune buggy."

She nodded her head. "That's waiting for you outside, next to Hagrid's hut. Dumbles put a spell on it so it can be used on Hogwarts grounds."

"Oh, Rosie!" He cried, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face. She leaned over the table and kissed his forehead.

"You're welcome, my little raven."

"You aren't riding that till you're fourteen," Esme said with a strict tone in her voice. Harry sent a pleading look at his mother and when she didn't budge he turned to his father.

"We'll talk, son," He told him, reassuring Harry that he'd try to convince her.

"Carlisle!" Esme glared at her husband.

He shrugged sheepishly. "He's a ten-year old boy. I think he can take care of himself on a child-sized dune buggy."

"This conversation isn't over," She muttered before watching Harry open his next present.

Harry had gotten an adult-sized broom and a golden snitch from Emmett. Just last year, Madame Hooch had stayed at Hogwarts over the summer and introduced the Cullens to quidditch. Esme had finally agreed to let Harry use a real broom and they had quickly learned just how amazing Harry's reflexes were when he caught sight of the snitch before any vampire did, reached out, and grabbed it out of the air. Hooch was still disappointed that he wouldn't be allowed onto a team until his second year, only because of Hogwarts rules.

Molly had knitted him a blue sweater with a large "H" on it, calling him an honorary Weasley. She turned to the rest of the Cullens and said that their sweaters were still in the making and would be finished by Christmas. The twins gave him dog biscuits, presumably for Faolan, but seeing the devious looks on their faces, he knew to throw those out when they weren't looking. Bill and Charlie, who had come to visit with the Weasleys, got Harry Quidditch gear, completely convinced that Harry would make it onto team in his first year. "There's no way they wouldn't let him on," Charlie argued. "He's much too good to let go." Percy gave him his copy of Hogwarts: A History, claiming that he read it enough times to write it down for himself.

Severus had gotten him a cauldron that would "be appropriate in a year" when he began school and Remus and Sirius bought him a large amount of sweets and large trunk with his initials, H.J.P.C., engraved on it. They, like Severus, thought it would be useful when he became a Hogwarts student. Ron and Draco, he had learned, had gotten him two different Quidditch team uniforms. Not only were they arguing who had a better present, but who supported the better team. Harry felt a sense of happiness fill his chest when he saw them. Sure, it was easy for Draco to get the Bulgarian National uniform but Ron and his family must have saved their money for a while to buy the Chudley Cannons' uniform for him.

After setting all of his gifts to the side, he turned to his parents. "So… Mums…pops…Watcha get me?"

Carlisle laughed as he stood, motioning Harry and Esme to come with him. Esme smiled, taking his hand. "Harry, darling," she told him. "As vampires, we have to move around constantly so that humans won't get suspicious of us. You know that, right?" He nodded his head slowly. "Well, in the Wizarding World, we wouldn't have to worry about that. They'd know what we are and, although they'd be quite suspicious of our intentions, they wouldn't question why we weren't aging."

"So what are you saying?" Harry said, excitement brightening his eyes.

"Well," Carlisle told him, grinning. "We got a house built for us here."

"And not only that," Molly laughed.

"It's near the Burrow!" Ron told him. Harry's jaw dropped. "You can walk to our house! Well… it's a bit of a walk, maybe you should just run with your family, but still! And you could meet our neighbors, the Lovegoods. They're a bit wonky but mum says they're good people."

"And another thing," Edward added, leaning in. "You're room is particularly large. My present is in it."

"What is it?"

He shrugged and looked at his nails. "A grand piano."

"…BLOODY HELL!"

"Harry James Cullen!" Esme shouted.

"How is his friendship with Potter?" Lucius asked as he raised his glass to his mouth.

Severus looked away to frown. "Cullen, as he prefers, has found your son to be quite an… amicable, young boy."

"Marvelous, much easier than I thought it would be," he muttered. Severus looked up in time to catch Lucius bring his hand to his face and rub his forehead while cover his eyes from view. He squinted at the action. As a spy, Severus learned how to tell the liars from those who told the truth.

Rubbing your forehead was a sure sign of shame.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked, hiding his smirk.

Lucius quickly brought his hand down and looked up at his friend. "Obviously not. Everything I hoped would happen has happened." It was a fraction, while Lucius was talking, that everything happened, and the untrained eye wouldn't have taken any notice to any of the movement, but Severus did. A quick shrug of the shoulder and small gulp.

Severus watched the man take a deep breath.

Another small indication for the human lie detector.

"What are you trying to hide, Lucius?" Severus voiced, standing over the man.

~*~

"Okay, are you ready Red Fox, repeat are you ready Red Fox?" Harry spoke quietly into his walkie-talkie. After begging oh so kindly to his "Grandpa" Albus, and promising that they were only going to pretend to be spies with them, Dumbledore had put a spell on the objects so they would remain working. Albus had suspected something, but Harry was sure he wouldn't expect this. "Red Fox?" He questioned when all he heard was static.

"Would you answer?!" He heard Draco scream into his. Harry tried not to laugh as the blundering of Ron trying to get his walkie-talkie to work was heard.

"Alright, alright. Got it! I'm ready, Raven." Ron sounded.

Harry nodded. "Grey Storm, is your station ready? I repeat, Grey Storm is-"

"It's ready! Let's do this already!" Draco said impatiently.

"Alright," he hissed through his teeth.

"Oh, you got our captain angry," Ron taunted.

"Oh whatever!" the blond said. The other two were picturing him rolling his eyes.

"Okay, floor two, four, and six. Say the word at my command."

"Wait!" Ron cried. "Uhm… Mr. Albus figured we would be doing this outside. I mean, what if they're destructive? Maybe we shouldn't have stolen these from Emmett. I mean, when did he even have the time to buy magically activated fireworks?"

"Say it!"

"Aw man," Ron whined in his safe room, which was also one of the third corridor classrooms. "Firework two. Firework four! Firework six!" The fireworks that were once lying in front of him disappeared.

Harry grinned as he heard the sound of echo through the halls. He heard Draco snicker. "You're locked up good, Grey Storm?"

"As safe as one can get in the Dungeons, Raven."

"Then here we go."

~*~

"Tell me the truth, Lucius. Why do you feel shameful for making Draco befriend Harry Cullen?"

"I don't!" A quick sneer.

"Ah, a look of contempt. I'm getting somewhere." Severus pulled him up by his arm and threw him across, making the man stumble.

"This is my plan, and it will fall through whether I like it or not!" His eyes widened comically. "I meant-"

"Slip of the tongue. A muggle named Freud worked with the mind," Severus sat on the edge of his couch. "That is called a Freudian Slip, or a verbal mistake that is thought to reveal an unconscious thought." Lucius took a swig of his Firewhiskey. Before he could question why Severus knew about a muggle doctor or whatever Freud was, Severus started again. "So tell me, Lucius. What are you lying to me about?"

He glared at the man before him. "Do you think I have no affection for my son whatsoever? Of-"

Loud, booming noises from outside Severus' door interrupted them. The two whipped their wands out and pointed them in its direction. "Alohamora!" The irritated potions master commanded. The door swung open.

Their eyes widened as fireworks burst into the room.

"GET DOWN!"

~*~

"It's lit up the dark, dingy dungeons, Raven. For the first time."

Harry grinned. "Okay. Last but not least, the Great Hall. Harry glanced in. His family was still inside, finishing their lunch. Sirius and Remus, however, were making their way out. Harry's eyes widened. "Guys, we might have a bit of a problem."

"What?" The two sounded together. He looked down at his walkie-talkies right when Sirius and Remus had stepped in front of him. They looked at him curiously.

"The Masters are here," He sighed. "They're gonna have to be let into the plan."

"What?" Draco growled. "But the whole point of this was to prove that we're going to be better than the Marauders!"

Sirius' eyebrows sky rocketed. "What's going on?" He said suspiciously.

Harry let a deep sigh out of his chest. "You might want to get out of the way and be ready to run." He stood in front of the doorway. The Cullens looked up and smiled at him.

"Harry," Alice grinned. "I thought you finished your…" She trailed off as she looked out into space. Suddenly, her face turned into a sneer. "HARRY CULLEN, DON'T YOU-!"

"GREAT HALL FIREWORKS!" He shrieked. The vampires, besides Alice, were too shocked to move. Harry felt himself being lifted and taken away form the scene.

"You little brat!" She laughed as fireworks went off in the Great Hall. "Rosalie will kill you for the ash in her hair!"

Remus and Sirius were laughing alongside them as they ran out onto the grounds.

~*~

Albus, Severus, Lucius, Remus, Sirius, The Cullens, and the Weasleys were now in the repaired Great Hall, staring down the three boys that were sitting in a row on one of the table tops. Severus and Lucius had burnt clothing and ash on their faces. The Cullens had to change their clothes because the damage done caused the clothes to cover nothing. Rosalie was sifting her fingers through her hair hair thoroughly, still paranoid that some debris would be in it. Albus had been safe in his office and had called the Weasleys once three guilty culprits were brought before him. However, the old headmaster couldn't wipe the mirth off his face.

"Can I just say I am really proud of my little brother?" Fred and George said together.

"Oh, be quiet you two!" Molly snapped. "What were you thinking of, Ronald?!"

The red head bowed his head. "That it would be funny?" Molly groaned as she dropped her head into her hands. Arthur wanted to laugh at his boy, but he knew if he did he would get into trouble with Molly as well.

"And you, Harry?" Esme asked in a very, calm voice. Harry gulped and inched away from his mother. The only time Esme every sounded so calm was when she was either not angry or ridiculously angry.

"Uhm…" He started. Carlisle raised a brow, waiting for his response. "I plead the fifth?"

Her eyes widened as she advanced on her son. Carlisle grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back. "This isn't over, young man!" She shouted. "If you think you're going to get away with this one-"

"What in Merlin's name is in your mind, boy?" Esme stopped and everyone looked at Lucius Malfoy, standing in front of his son with a fire in his eyes. "Well?!" Draco flinched when his father's voice echoed in the hall. "I'm waiting for your answer Draco Malfoy!"

"F-father," he stuttered. "We were only having a bit of fun."

"A bit of fun?!" Lucius glared at his son. "Not only did you three put others in harm, you could have put yourselves into danger! Magically activating fireworks? Even magic is known to malfunction, boy! Or are you too stupid to realize that?!"

"F-father," Draco said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't good enough," he answered stiffly. "Do you not realize what would have happened if one of you were hurt? If I had lost you?" Draco's head snapped up to look at his father. "How your mother and I would have felt? Were you even thinking?!" Not caring if others were around, Draco launched himself into his father's chest and the tall, older man wrapped his arms around his son. "You stupid boy," he said with as much affection as he could.

Severus stared at the two and something suddenly clicked in his mind. He looked away and saw Molly crying at the scene. She pulled Ron to her and hugged him tightly. "I never thought I would say this, Ronald but I hope you were listening to what Mr. Malfoy said to Draco!" She sobbed. Ron laughed tearfully as he hugged his mother back. Fred and George rubbed his back, knowing their little brother was feeling guilty and Ginny was smiling kindly at him.

Esme sighed as she looked at her son. "I'm going to be called into Hogwarts repeatedly once you start going to school here, aren't I?" she asked.

Harry gave her a hesitantly smile before he found himself in the arms of his mother as his father checked him over for any injuries for the fourth time that day. Remus and Sirius ruffled his hair before winking at him. They knew he would be doing lots of pranks in the future, just not as extreme as this one.

Severus turned back to the two Malfoys and wondered when would be the perfect time to confront Lucius about his little dilemma.

"You're an odd one, you know that?"

Lucius scoffed and laughed at his friend's words. "Severus, I have no time for you today."

Despite the man's words, Severus proceeded to close the door and sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "A few years ago, if you saw Draco's dead body lying before you-"

"That is enough!"

"The only thing you would have cared about is that you lost an heir!"

Lucius stood and slammed his hand down on the desktop. "What do you-"

"So tell me what changed? Hmm, Lucius? What have you done recently that your son actually matters to you?"

Lucius' silver eyes glowed as he sat back down and thought about Draco. "You're right," he told Severus. "I could have cared less about what could have happened to Draco before. I could always make a new heir, Narcissa is…quite willing," he said sardonically. "But now… after his friendship with that dratted boy… I don't know what I would do if I lost Draco."

Severus nodded, waiting for him to continue.

He sighed quietly and dropped his wand on top of his papers. "I didn't really notice it until much later on… but there was that year after he became friends with Harry…"

"Dad!"

Lucius looked at Draco in confusion.

"Dad, look at this," Draco told him once he finally was in front of the man. He continued on, showing Lucius a muggle magic trick Harry had shown him that he had finally mastered.

"Draco," He cut in, but the boy didn't notice. "Draco!" He stopped himself and looked at his father. "Why…" He shook his head and started again. "Why aren't you calling me 'father'?"

His eyebrows scrunched together. "Well… Harry calls Carlisle 'dad'."

"And if Harry told you to eat rotten food from a garbage can..." Lucius snapped in irritation. What was the Potter brat teaching Draco? How to be disrespectful to parents?

"But father," Draco said carefully, frowning all the while, "Harry told me that he calls Carlisle 'dad' because it's nicer and more… afeecshanate."

Lucius was bothered by the sudden feeling of a heavy weight being pushed down on his chest. "Affectionate?"

Draco nodded happily. "Harry said affectionate meant loving. So I called you 'dad' to show you that I loved you." The older man squirmed uncomfortably and cleared his throat. He was never one to show his emotions. His father had made sure of that. He looked back at his eight-year old boy again and a warm sensation rushed through him. "So may I call you that?"

"I'm sure it would be…acceptable."

A bright smile lit his face. "Now look at this muggle magic trick-"

"Muggle?"

"Yes, did you know that muggles had magic, Dad?"

Lucius tried not to flinch at the new title Draco was using for him. It would take him a while to get used to being called something so…informal. "It isn't real magic, more of an illusion to the muggles who are watching the trick being preformed." Draco stared at him in confusion. "Just… just know it isn't real, not like our magic is."

"Yea but look at it." He said, and began to do the trick again.

Lucius laughed and turned back to the work he was doing. "Why are you so intent on showing me a muggle trick that makes them think that they are so extraordinary, Draco?"

"Harry… Harry told me Carlisle was proud of him when he showed it to him."

The tip of Lucius' quill snapped and the word he had tried to write was a messy blotch instead. He raised his head slowly and looked into the hope-filled eyes of his son. Lucius had once said the same thing to his father, and unfortunately was ignored. Showing emotions to others only softened a man, or so he was told. Lucius was faced with the decision of doing what his father did or letting Draco know just what he thought of him.

Severus and Lucius looked at each other.

"And you chose to do what?" he asked impatiently.

Lucius opened his mouth but a flutter of blond hair caught their attention. They looked at the door and saw Draco running with Faolan, who undoubtedly had been sent by Harry to surprise the youngest Malfoy. When Severus turned back, he found Lucius smiling as he watched his son turn the corner and disappear from his view. He cleared his throat to catch the blond man's attention once more. Lucius snapped out of his revere and looked up at him.

"Well?" He murmured.

Lucius tapped his fingers on the desk before he pulled back and opened one of the drawers. Reaching in, his fingers brushed against the object he was looking for. He pulled out a brown paper bag and a bottle. "I took it from him."

Severus glared. "You mean to tell me that-" He stopped himself in shock as Lucius took the bottle and began twirling it, making a spectacle of himself as he used his other hand to swish around the object. "What…are you doing?"

Lucius held a finger up before pointing it at the paper bag. He picked it up delicately and put the bottle into the bag. He pressed his fingers on the bottom and held it upside down. With a twist of his fingers, he waved his hand underneath the bag, as if to say 'Tada! It didn't fall out. The bottle has disappeared.'

"You're holding the bottle through the bag," he said in boredom.

Lucius gave him a quick glance. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You expect me to believe that you made the bottle disappear? You're holding the bottom of the bottle."

Lucius stared at the paper bag as if confused. With a shrug, he crumpled it into a ball and threw it over his shoulder. Severus gaped and Lucius smirked at the man. He folded his fingers together and rested his elbows on the table. "So to answer your very first question, what do you think I did?"