Disclaimer: :: Holds up a shoe threateningly :: Lawyers beware.
Chances To Come
Chapter Two
Revelations
The small white dog woke up slowly and yawned. Blinking a few times, Dragon looked around at the now familiar bushes. I guess Harry never did come… what could be going on?
For a moment, Dragon considered sneaking into the house and searching Harry out, but he thought better of it. He laid his head down on his paws and watched the still backyard of Number Four, Privet Drive. This backyard is big enough to hold a small Quidditch stadium… Dragon thought distractedly. Muggles… they know nothing of real sports.
Dragon let his imagination wander and he thought back to the home he'd ran from a little more than a month ago. Now that was a backyard. If dogs could smirk, Dragon would have. Every backyard should have a Quidditch stadium. I should suggest that sometime, if I ever get back to my world. I don't think I could stand living in this Muggle place for too much longer.
Dragon growled lazily at a passing squirrel then caught himself.
Stupid canine instincts. Why did I have to be a dog of all things?
Dragon entertained himself a bit longer, and then a small bundle was hurled out of the back door of the house. He instantly perked up and edged closer to the front of the bushes to get a closer look. His pale eyes widened.
He suppressed a growl and crouched down low, watching the door until the coast was clear then rushing out to the small form in the grass. He nudged Harry's cheek gently with his nose until the small boy responded. He suppressed another growl. I hate those Muggles…
Pushing some rather unfriendly thoughts aside for the moment, he gave a soft whine and nudged Harry again.
Harry slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the form above him. His emerald eyes widened behind the now broken glasses.
"Dragon!" he whispered.
Dragon nodded slightly, helping the boy to his feet. Harry winced slightly but by keeping one hand on Dragon he could stand easily enough. Dragon whined again and gave him a concerned look.
Harry smiled slightly; "It's nothing, I just tripped and got a few bruises…"
Tripped through a door that was conveniently opened the second you tripped, Dragon thought bitterly.
Harry staggered over to the bench in the garden and sat down, scratching Dragon's ears. "Were you alright last night, Dragon? I'm sorry I didn't come to check on you."
Dragon barely heard him, running all the curses he could use on the Muggles through his mind. Cruciatus, maybe? No… I don't think I can handle it, Father always said I'm too young for such a powerful curse. Maybe a few simpler ones… Jelly-Legs, perhaps… Maybe I should just set them on fire…
Dragon looked up at Harry as he finished speaking and weighed out his options. Harry started to squirm under Dragon's stare and the dog quickly looked away.
"What's wrong, Dragon?" asked Harry gently. Dragon whined softly and laid his head near Harry's hand. Harry, misinterpreting the gesture, smiled and started to pet him again.
He deserves to know, Dragon thought to himself, and those stupid Muggles should have told him enough to where he'd understand…
Dragon grabbed Harry's sleeve in his teeth and started tugging on him. Perplexed but curious, Harry followed him.
Dragon let go of his sleeve and trotted along towards the park, ducking into the bushes where Harry had first found him. When Harry caught up, Dragon was sitting down, staring at him and waiting patiently. Then he started to change until a small boy with blonde hair and Dragon's pale gray eyes took the dog's place.
Harry stared silently. Magic, said a voice in the back of his head but he couldn't bite back the cold fear running through him. He felt the sudden urge to run, but his legs did not seem to want to obey him, and he sat down on the soft grass, still staring silently at the boy in front of him.
The blonde boy squirmed as Harry had only moments ago, waiting for Harry to say something.
"Magic?" Harry whispered hopefully.
The blonde boy nodded slightly, wondering why that was a question. Wait a minute… oh, curse those Muggles, I'm going to kill them.
Harry's eyes lit up with childish innocence and naiveté.
"My real name is Draco Malfoy, but 'Draco' means 'dragon' anyway so it doesn't matter whichever you want to call me." Harry only shrugged so Draco continued. "I came from a place where everything is magic, and now, looking at the style of life you live here with these Muggles –" Draco paused at the confused look on Harry's face, "- Non-magic people, it's rather odd for me. But to tell the truth, I'm glad I'm at least with another wizard."
"Another wizard?" Harry repeated, frowning with confusion.
Draco frowned, "Your aunt and uncle haven't told you yet, I suppose."
Harry shook his head. "Uncle Vernon always says there's no such thing as magic."
Draco's frown deepened. "Stupid Muggle," he spat venomously. "I'd like to show him just what magic is…"
Harry looked alarmed. "Is magic bad?"
Draco considered this for a moment, his expression darkening, then he looked at Harry, choosing his words carefully, "It depends on how you use it. I've known my share of bad wizards…" He appeared angry for a moment then calmed down again.
Harry sat silently, absorbing this news.
"How can you turn into a dog?"
Draco smiled slightly, "It's just a little trick I taught myself. It's come in handy more than once, I can teach you sometime if you like, but I can't guarantee that you'll be a dog. I know I didn't want to be."
"What did you want to be?"
"Something more powerful, I suppose, possibly a dragon," Draco grinned slightly. "What would you want to be, Harry?"
Harry thought for a moment. "I dunno… I like lots of different animals."
Draco nodded, "Well, we'll see what you turn into sometime. It's no fast process though, even with the help of some of the best, it took me two years. You might not even make it before Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts?"
"Yeah, the wizard school, every witch and wizard who goes there starts when they're eleven. Father took me there a couple times; he was a governor there. It's huge, like this big," Draco spread his arms wide and smiled childishly.
Harry laughed; "I can't wait to see it!"
"Well, how about in the meantime, I teach you everything I know," Draco grinned slightly and Harry nodded with alacrity.
Every night, after the Dursleys were asleep, Draco would sneak in and unlock the cupboard door so that he and Harry could practice with his wand. Draco only knew a few simple spells, he estimated to Harry about as much as one would learn in their first year at Hogwarts, but Harry was fascinated with every one of them.
"I can't wait until I can get a wand of my own," Harry said one night while handing Draco the wand.
"It won't be too long, everyone gets one right before they go to Hogwarts," said Draco offhandedly, pocketing it.
Harry frowned slightly; "Didn't you say you have to be eleven before starting at Hogwarts?"
"Yeah."
"Why did you get a wand so early? And can I?"
A shadow passed over Draco's face, and he hardly even heard Harry's second question, "My… my father gave it to me. He said I would be better off with it than without, but he also said I should get another one before I go to Hogwarts," Draco looked thoughtful for a moment then looked down at the wand. "I don't think I will though."
Harry absorbed this slowly, then looked at Draco with an odd expression. "Won't your dad need another wand?"
Draco swallowed thickly. "No… he won't."
"Why not?"
"He's dead."
Whatever Harry had been expecting, even he wasn't really sure what it was, but it wasn't that. Those words hit him like a ton of bricks and he bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Draco."
Draco tried to shrug it off, "It's fine."
Harry had the urge to ask about Draco's mother, but thought better of it at the last second. He cast his mind around for a change of subject but before he could decide on anything, Draco spoke up again.
"Well, you did really good today, I think you're getting the hang of the Levitation Charm. I'm gonna go lay down, bit tired," he said, then turned back into a dog and trotted into the bushes.
Harry stood there for a moment, then as he passed the bushes; he leaned down and muttered, "See you tomorrow, right?"
The dog nodded then laid its head on its paws, feigning sleep. Harry went quickly into the house and slipped into the cupboard, shutting the door quietly and running the conversation over in his mind as he lay down. He sighed softly then turned over and fell asleep.
Both he and Draco had forgotten to re-lock the cupboard door, and the next morning, when the Dursleys woke up, they noticed it immediately.
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A/N: I'm sorry, I couldn't resist leaving it there. I know it's another short chapter and I promise I'll try to make some of the chapters longer. Now to thank my wonderful reviewers.
IcyPanther: This will be explained later. And, as you can see, it is indeed Draco. Thank you so much for reading.
Spye: Thanks! I normally try to update pretty fast but I can't make any promises… and it was a very, very strange dream… I had no idea if I even wanted to turn it into a story at first but I couldn't resist! ^.^
Lady Phoenix Slytherin: Well, here's the update, hope you enjoyed it.
SilveredDeath: Thanks, I'm glad I did okay with him, and I'm even more glad that you enjoyed my story, I hope I did okay with Dragon/Draco in this chapter and hope you enjoyed this too.
Wychglow: There is going to be a jump to Hogwarts. After that, I'm not sure, I may just follow the story through to the summer before fourth year (where the story ends) or I may skip again. I'm just going to have to wait and see how that one plays out. And thanks for your review; I'm glad you're enjoying this.
DreamingToThis: Hey, it was awesome talking to you, and here's the update, just like I promised! ^.^ Hope to talk to you again soon and I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks a ton for your review.
Prince of Shadow: Thanks.
Thanks to everybody, all my reviews get a cookie! :: Tosses cookies out to the reviewers :: Eat and be merry. Yay!
~Sabre Black.