Chapter 34

As much as there had been a lot of excitement that morning when he had heard that he was going out to get his school things, Draco had forgotten one little thing. He and his father hated shopping. With a passion. As far as Lucius was concerned that was part of the reason they kept Eliza and Jane. So they never had too.

However, the school trip to Diagon Alley for the first time he supposed was slightly different. His little son was going to school for the first time and so as Lucius got ready to take his son shopping, he was determined that not only were they going to go shipping together, they were going to enjoy it.

As Eliza so kindly reminded him, it was a 'bonding experience'.

As it was, Lucius saw no reason why Severus should not join them for a bit of male bonding. After all he was Draco's favourite uncle. And surely he wanted to spend time with the boy who was surely going to become his favourite student to ever be in his house.

And so, by eleven the two Slytherin's and one soon to be Hogwarts student found themselves walking at their leisure down the Alley together. They were in the middle of all the other parents and children who had come to pick up school supplies.

"Come on Sev – crack a smile, if you're lucky, when we're done, I might even get you an ice cream." Promised Lucius sending his son into stitches of laughter. Draco saw his uncle shot his father back a look that told him that whatever he wanted it was not an ice cream.

Draco was sniggering all the way down the road as the banter begun. It was a promising start to the day.

To begin with they all went in to Flourish and Blotts to get the first year set list only to find it was jammed packed with people who were all trying to do the same thing. It was not want any of them call a fun way to spend their morning.

"May I make a suggestion? That we all go our separate ways so that we might do a job and then ultimately we get the task done quicker. Lucius, if you went to get Draco a cauldron, I can get the right potion ingredients, Draco might sort his own robes. Then we can meet back here in a while to get his owl and wand." Suggested Severus.

"Sounds like a bit of a plan." Said Draco - as excited as he was to get his school things, he was also eager to get home and go out for a ride on his broom. He knew first years were not allowed brooms and Hogwarts and he would have tried to persuade his dad to help him sneak one in were in not for the fact that he knew it would get him nowhere. His father rarely even let him fly if he was not there to supervise.

Lucius looked unhappy, but there was two against one. So much for the bonding idea..."Ok. But wait outside Madam Malkins when you're done."

Severus knew it was only because he loved the boy, but sometimes he honestly thought that he mollycoddled Draco more than what was good for a boy at that age. More than Narcissa would have had she survived.

But then it was understandable. As he had practically brought the boy up single handily, Lucius had been forced into a role as both mother and father. It was only natural he should be so protective, he supposed.

Draco nodded and was soon on his way. Despite his great attachment to his father, even he had to admit to him that when he was given a little independence, he enjoyed it.

Going into the robe shop, he could only stop and stare for a while at the variety of colours before he was ushered through the shop by a witch.

"Hogwarts dear?" she asked.

He nodded, quite nervous to be with a stranger by himself but managing to keep his confidence none the less. He soon found he was on a stool being measured. When he arrived the stool next to where he had been asked to stand was empty but that did not remain the case for long.

A young boy, who had to be a first year just like himself judging by the size of him, came into the room. He had green eyes, messy black hair which stuck out all over the place and was dressed in clothes that were far too big for him. He did not know why but he immediately liked him. He reminded him of some one.

Going through his memories he did not have to wait long to realise just who he reminded him of.

Ron.

"Are you going to Hogwarts too?" he asked eagerly.

"Yes." the boy returned with a smile of his own clearly glad to have found a class mate.

"When did you get your letter?" Draco asked eagerly. "I only got mine this morning."

"Yesterday night."

"My father has gone to get my cauldron and my uncle is sorting my potion ingredients. Are you here with your parents?" he asked.

"No, I'm not. There dead." He told him and Draco didn't know why, but that fact tore at his heart.

"I'm sorry." He said genuinely. He didn't know how it must felt to be an orphan. But he wouldn't like to find out. Perhaps realising that at least in part, Draco was able to sympathise with him the boy gave him a quizzical look. "My mother died too, on the day she gave birth to me. But I've never been that bad off though, as I've always had my dad." He shrugged.

An understanding had been formed between the two young wizards.

"Right, my dear, you're done." The witch said to him.

Jumping off the stole, Draco gave the boy who had been standing by his side a respectful look. "Perhaps I'll see you on the train."

"Yeah." the boy replied and when Draco was just out of ear shot, he added, "I hope so."

Unbeknownst to Draco Malfoy he had just met Harry Potter for the first time. The young orphan followed him with his eyes and saw as he paid for his robes and then waited for he assumed to be his uncle and father outside the shop.

When they returned it was not hard to figure out which was which. While one of the wizards had greasy black hair and hooked nose, the other was in dark flowing robes that were lined with some sort of fur. His blond hair was long, but not matted like Hagrid's and he shared cool grey eyes with his son.

Harry would have expected him to be quite a cold man on first sight but then he remembered he must have lost his wife, he had married his sons mother, and was therefore bound to be over protective of his son. His son, he thought, must seem like the only thing he had in the world. Unless there was a step mother. But he hadn't mentioned her if he had one...He watched as the father wrapped an arm about his sons shoulder what looked to be a causal way but then, when he was sure no one was looking reassuringly squeezed it sending a smile to his boys face.

Harry longed for James all over again.

-

"Now are you sure you are alright?" said Lucius as he walked into the living room. There had been a change in his son while they had been out shopping he was sure of it. After he had been in the robes shop. He had half a mind to call Severus straight back to find out what had happened but he wanted to give his son a chance to tell him first.

It wasn't so much that Draco had been upset after, he had just been quiet – and clingy. He could put it down to fears over school, or just still being glad to be home after he had been away for the entire week. But they didn't seem like good enough explanations. It had been a long time since he had accepted only half decent explanation when it came to his son. He had stopped doing that after he had learnt he had been abused.

"Dad, what would happen to me if something bad happened to you?" Draco asked quite suddenly.

"Draco, where's this coming from?"

"I met this boy while I was getting fitted for my robes – he didn't tell me his name, but the conversation got on to parents and he told me he was an orphan. Dad that must be horrible. If I didn't have you after mamma..." he looked down at his hand which he apparently found very interesting suddenly. "What if..."

"Draco... nothing is going to happen to me."

"But dad what if it did? What if something happened while I was at school?" he asked, half hinting at the other thing was gnawing at him, the excitement had once again worn off.

"Nothing will happen to me. I will always be here when you come home, I'll be the one picking you up because as far as I am concerned the job of being a dad doesn't finish till you are out of Hogwarts." He said as he kneeled down in front of his son and made him look into his eyes. "I know when you are scared son, but if I didn't think this was best for you, I wouldn't let you go, you know that." He said to him. "And you know what? It is ok to be scared and worried...It's a big change that we are both going to have to go through."

Draco looked him with big sad eyes. Now that he knew that his Father understood his fears, it helped but neither did that make them any less real.

"What if I need to talk to you?" he whispered.

"Then you go your uncle Sev and use his fireplace." He told him. "Dragon we are never going to be so far away one another that you can't get hold of me. If you're scared or in trouble, you know I will be there quicker than you can say 'Slytherin'. You just have to trust I am going the right thing for you."

"I do but – there are so many things that could go wrong – what if I don't end up in Slytherin?" he asked. That was another great fear.

When he looked back on it, Lucius released the answer he gave surprised even him, but that did not mean it was not true.

"Draco the love I bare you is so great that your house is irrelevant. You will always be my son, nothing could change that." he said as he learnt forward and kissed his sons nose, reminding Draco of the night when he had seen his mother. She had still not returned to him. He could only hope she would see fit to come to him before he left for Hogwarts. He just wanted to see her again.

One last time.

-

It was the next afternoon when Lucius was in his office working that Jane came to him. It had been something both of them had been avoiding but the fact remained that when Draco left for school in September, Lucius was going to have very little need of a governess for he had no other children.

"Sir, I cannot deny that I have been looking for a new position and there is an interview coming up. May I have the afternoon off to go for it on Thursday?" she asked.

"Of course, you may Jane." He said to her. Even though she was slow and no oil painting, he knew he was going to miss her when she was gone. If there had been any one who had helped him bring up his son asides from of course his Eliza, it was her. She had been a good friend to him and she had done her duty to him well.

"It's a very odd thought, sir. Leaving this house." She hadn't meant to say it for she knew it was out of place, but then she had often said thing to him that she was well aware he might not approve of. She had been ever loyal to him though. But she had spent nine rather happy years there and she had delighted in everything that his son have ever done, even when he had disobeyed her.

"Yes," he nodded. "I think it will very strange come September. It's too big for me and Eliza to rattle about in by ourselves, but we cannot stop the inevitable. So yes, of course you must go to the interview. Tell them there a fool if they do not employ you Jane. And rest assured; you will be leaving the Malfoy Manor with a glowing reference."

"Thank you."

Once she had gone he looked at the fire place. He been thinking about going to see Andromeda, but he wasn't up for it that day. He knew what she was going to say - he had an inkling, for she had been that angry. But then it would keep. He wasn't ready to talk to her yet.

-

Thursday was a sad day for Draco. Jane had known better than to lie to him and she had told him why he was going to be with his father – because she was going for an interview and that meant she might be some one else's governess.

But it had not crossed his mind that she was not going to be there when he got back from Hogwarts.

"Why can't everything just stay the same dad?"

"Because, son, then we would not get a chance to grow, would we?"

An: sorry it is such a short chapter. Next one shall be longer – its Draco's train ride/first day.

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