'i'm sorry
whatever i did i'm so sorry please stop ignoring me
please'
Draco awoke to the letter, first thing. Once he read it over three times, trying to process it through the fogginess of having just woken up, he leaped out of bed and began putting on his clothes, calling out as he did so. "Mother! We're going to that muggle house! This instant!"
There wasn't a response, and, right. They lived in a very large manor and Narcissa was probably all the way on the other side in the kitchen. He- Right. Getting dressed and then telling Narcissa and then storming over to rescue Harry from whatever was going on in that muggle house of his! Draco ran out, scrambling and sliding near the entire way until he nearly fell down the stairs, bracing himself for impact. There was a hand that grabbed at his shirt, keeping him from hitting the ground, "Draco, there is a reason I tell you not to run in the house. It's one I'm hoping you'll figure out before you come of age, but at this rate, I'm doubting it." Draco regained his balance, looking over himself before nodding.
"Sorry. No time to talk," he said as he leaped down the stairs two at a time. "I have to speak to mother! It's urgent!" There was a sigh from behind him that he ignored, the child not stopping until he was reaching the dining room where Narcissa was settled down with a cup of coffee, looking half asleep still. "Mother! It's Harry! He's written back," Draco panted, bending over and trying to catch his breath. Right. He didn't do running. Ever.
"Oh?" Narcissa looked up, taking in Draco's appearance before a frown tugged at her lips. "What's wrong... Has something happened to him?" Draco handed over the letter, standing up straight, again.
"We have to go." It was a moment of Narcissa reading over the letter before she stood, setting her coffee cup down and drawing her wand out. Lucius, who had just entered the room, gave Narcissa a curious look.
"We're off to go fetch Draco's friend. It's possible he'll be staying with us the rest of the summer, depending on how things go today."
"Ah. I see. Have a splendid time of it, then. Do tell me how things transpire, once you return, dear." Lucius walked over, giving her a kiss on the cheek before settling into his usual seat. Hm, that was right, wasn't it. Narcissa was the one to really fear, in this family.
"I'll be sure to," Narcissa smiled, taking Draco's hand and gently pulling him along to the front doors. "Come along, Draco." As they walked, Narcissa read over the address on the envelope Harry had sent. The words were shaky and small, as if the child had been scared to write them out. "Will he be upset at being taken away from these muggles?"
"No," Draco quickly said, shaking his head. "Not one bit. Really." Narcissa gave a sharp nod, the two just passing the gates of Malfoy Manor before Draco felt the sharp tug of Apparition. A flash and they were in a completely different area, early morning light falling over what looked like a peaceful little neighborhood. Draco frowned, looking up at her. "Mother? How do you know where Harry lives?"
"I didn't," Narcissa brushed herself off a little, nudging Draco along down the street. "I merely focused on the address of the letter he had sent. It's not the safest way to travel, but it works in a pinch."
"...Ah." Really, that eased quite a few of his worries. Looking around and seeing numbers on the cute little houses, Draco pointed to one. "Number four." It looked exactly the same as the others beside it, save for a garden that differed. It seemed the gardens were the only things different about each house.
Nodding, Narcissa strode up to the house and knocked on the door. Quite loudly. Draco looked up at her before slinking off and travelling the perimeter of the house to maybe find a more subtle way of getting Harry out. Although, once he saw bars on a window of the first floor, he glared. He was willing to bet his entire inheritance just what room was behind those bars. He made sure to be by Narcissa's side once the door opened, an irritated woman on the other end, "Yes? How can I help you?"
Draco did his best to look as cute and innocent as possible, looking up at her. "Does Harry live here?" And oh, that was a foul look if there ever was one. This must have been Harry's 'Aunt Petunia'. Lily's sister.
"There's no one in this house by that name," the woman muttered, starting to shut the door. "If that will be all-"
"Mother," Draco insisted. Luckily Narcissa was very good at being stubborn, which was why she had a hand on the door before it could fully close.
"Oh, but this is Number Four Privet Drive, is it not? I take it you would be Petunia Evans. Lily's sister, if I'm not mistaken? It was said you took in her son after her untimely murder." Draco's eyes went wide and his mouth snapped shut, immediately. Oh. Alright. No messing about when his mother got her protective streak, then. Petunia seemed much the same, eyes wide as she stared at Narcissa in pure shock. "That would be a yes, then... Please step aside. We would like to see Harry, now."
"Mother," Draco said quietly, shifting closer to her. He was a bit more than slightly terrified. For whom, he wasn't certain. Possibly for the muggle, who was quickly skittering away back into the house. There was tense talking from inside, and then a man was stepping out of the kitchen as they entered the house.
"What's this- Who are you! You're some of his lot, aren't you!"
Draco frowned at that, stepping forward. "I'm his friend, yes. Do you have a problem with that?" He crossed his arms, glaring at the man. Vernon seemed to stare at him deeply for a moment, face suddenly going pale as he looked between him and his mother.
"You're Lucius Malfoy's son...and, I, ah, take it you must be his charming wife, then." ...What on- Oh... Ooh. When he had asked his father to buy- Oh, this would go wonderfully.
"He hasn't been getting any of our letters," Draco proclaimed. Instead of a fear of being caught, or triumphant glee, Vernon just looked confused. That... That couldn't be good.
"Nothing's come in the mail for him besides that bloody owl talking about how he's not allowed to use..." Vernon pursed his lips, looking displeased for a moment. "Not allowed to use magic."
"No- No," Draco said with a frown. "That's a lie. We've been conversing near the whole summer, up until a couple weeks ago."
"Well then blame those owls of yours! He hasn't gotten any proper mail all summer. Not since his first letter." No. They had to have been doing something- Why else were Harry's letters so worrying! All the owls couldn't just stop delivering the mail at once! Draco frowned and stared up at this man. He certainly didn't like him. And where was Harry. Draco slipped in past him - rather easily, considering how much space the man took up - and hopped up the stairs quickly.
He heard vague yelling from downstairs, from both Harry's relatives and his mother, but ignored it for searching the upstairs. All the doors looked the same except for the one that had countless locks and a flap in the bottom of the door. "Mother!" Draco called, increasingly throwing more and more of a fit. "Mother! They're treating him like a crup!"
The shouting and arguing got louder as it sounded like all three were coming up the stairs, but Draco's attention was suddenly focused on the small thump that came from the door, and even smaller voice, "Draco?"
Draco was immediately against the door. "Harry?!" He kicked at the door, growling and cursing himself for leaving his wand at home, consequences be damned! Luckily his mother was quick to use a few unlocking charms, Draco's only focus on the door that swung open to reveal a wide-eyed Harry that looked even worse than the start of first year. Draco near tackled him in a hug, arms wrapped tightly around him. He wasn't going to be letting go for a second. A minute. Maybe longer.
Whatever it was, it felt like forever before he felt hands curl against his shirt, an incredulous, shaky laugh leaving Harry, "I thought you forgot about me... I didn't expect you and your mom to turn up at my house."
"I sent you letters. None of them were getting through. We thought they were keeping them from you!" A look inside the room showed the bars were tight on his window, and even Hedwig had been caged up- There was a lock on her cage. There were also abandoned cans of food, and his room looked a near wreck.
"No, I just... I got yours at first, but then everything just...stopped showing up." Draco hugged him tighter - if such a thing was possible - and looked back to his mother as best he could.
"Right, then," Narcissa spoke in a brisk tone, peeking into the room herself and having a deadly calm smile on. "You won't mind if we look after Harry for the rest of the summer, yes?"
"I didn't think you'd be this bad off," Draco said quietly, running a hand through Harry's hair. It served to relax the child anymore, Harry near burrowing into him and hiding his face.
"It... It wasn't so bad until- There was this incident on my birthday. An important dinner party Uncle Vernon was having, and long story short, I got a letter from the Ministry of Magic warning me about not using magic outside of school. They saw the letter."
"Harry... I think you're going to have to start telling adults," Draco sighed. His mother certainly wouldn't approve of him coming back here, every summer. Not that Draco did, either, really.
"I'd- I'd really rather not," Harry mumbled, tensing back up in Draco's hug. "I mean- I only have another month, right? Your mom seems to have scared them into leaving me alone. I'll be fine for another month."
"Even if I let you, I don't think mother would. Coming over here was her idea in the first place," he said with a small smile. "She wanted to make sure you were okay."
"...Oh." The two looked to where Vernon and Petunia were disappearing into their bedroom - it sounded like they locked the door. Narcissa was smiling, looking like she had won some great battle.
"Harry, it's nice to see you again, although I wish it was in better circumstances. Now, straight to the point, I want you to come stay with us until you two go back to Hogwarts. Is that something you would want?" Draco drew back a bit, giving Harry a reassuring smile, hands still on his shoulders.
"I..." Harry trailed off, looking between them before giving a single nod. "I'd like that, ma'am."
"Come on, then. Let's get your things." Gently drawing away, Harry gave a small flinch as he nodded and started moving around the room, gathering things into an old, torn backpack.
"The, uh... The other things are downstairs." A small wince, the child looking to brace himself. "In the cupboard."
"The one under the stairs." Draco scoffed. "And what would you have said? 'Sorry, Professor. I couldn't do my homework. My relatives locked me and my wizard things up.'"
"I was actually going to try and do it all on the train," Harry muttered, leading them back down the stairs. He poked around corners cautiously, as if expecting to be yelled at any moment before he pointed towards the small cupboard under the stairs. "There."
"Well? You can unlock it, can't you?" Draco gestured to the door with a frown. "Go on." He'd lived in this room... In this cupboard a year ago? It made Draco sick to his stomach. How could he believe there were good muggles when he got examples like this?
"Fine, fine," Harry rolled his eyes, glancing upstairs. Narcissa hadn't followed them, probably freeing Hedwig and packing up any things Harry might have overlooked. Or terrorizing the muggles. Either was fine with Draco. "Just... Don't go crazy when I open it."
"I'll do what I can," Draco said quietly, leaning a bit closer to Harry. There was a quiet sigh from the child, Harry shifting through his pockets for a moment before pulling out a few bits of metal. It was a minute or two before he had the lock opening, Harry nudging the door open with his toe. Inside was his trunk and broom, the objects resting on a cot... The one Harry would have been sleeping on... Draco stared before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Did you at least have a blanket?"
"Whenever I managed to knick one from the wash, sure," Harry shrugged, tugging his things out. There was a sound from the front door, a boy their age - well, Harry's age - walking in and looking at them with a raised eyebrow. "That's Dudley."
"Ah, perfect." Draco threw a swing at his nose, putting everything he had into it. As he shook his hand out, he saw Harry's look and shrugged. "I left my wand at home."
"So your first instinct is to punch my cousin in the face to send him to the ground?" Indeed, Dudley was on the ground and clutching his face, moaning and whimpering loudly.
"That's for Harry," Draco said with a glare. For good measure, he stomped one foot closer to the boy. That was all it took to have Dudley scrambling up the steps, a smile twitching on Harry's lips.
"I don't think you had to go that far."
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do! I'm older than you!" These muggles were just- Well, Harry had a shock coming to him if he thought he was coming back here next summer, that was for sure! Draco huffed, crossing his arms. "We should just go, now."
"A sentiment I can agree with," Narcissa agreed, walking down the steps with Harry's things floating behind her, Hedwig's empty cage included. "I sent Hedwig on ahead, Harry. I'll also be writing to the Ministry to make sure the magic I used today won't reflect on you."
"You mean like it was with that elf?" Draco frowned, turning around to Harry a the question the child has asked.
"Elf?" An elf? Did he mean a house elf? What sort of house elf would be here? Granted strange things happened to Harry Potter, but this was as far as removed from the Wizarding World as one could possibly get.
"Yeah, he- Well, he said he was a house elf." The child must have noticed their looks, since he gave a weak smile. "It's a long story, but I can try to explain it if you want... Maybe after we leave? Aunt Petunia isn't going to be happen when she sees Dudley."
"Yes. You'll definitely be explaining." Draco grabbed his mother's hand, looking up at her expectantly. Gathering up all the things, Narcissa made sure Harry was completely ready before taking his hand. The sharp jerk of Apparition pulled at them all, the three appearing in front of the gates to Malfoy Manor. "Welcome," Draco said with a smile.
The slightly sick look on Harry's face faded for pure awe, Harry staring at the Manor as if it was Hogwarts. Honestly, this child was far too adorable, some days. "You, ah... You didn't tell me you lived in a mansion, Draco. Or that your family was apparently rich."
"It's not that big of a deal. And it's a Manor, thank you. Not a mansion." Mansions were so...tacky. Manors were a sophisticated show of class and standard, thank you very much.
"How am I even friends with you," Harry shook his head, taking any sting out by leaning against Draco and giving him a smile.
Draco smiled and nudged at Harry. "Come on. Let's get you settled in." The child barely nodded before Draco was dragging him along inside, Harry looking awestruck by near everything. He looked to be struck speechless-
"Are those peacocks? Were those white peacocks? Why do you have white peacocks? Is that a Quidditch pitch back there? Why do you live in a Manor? Why didn't you tell us? You probably just assumed we knew, right? Seriously, why white peacocks? What is with your garden it's just- Draco this is amazing."
Draco groaned. "Please. Don't ask about the peacocks." He was still trying to find a way to make the bloody things leave. They weren't so bad at first, but being back here, he was remembering why both he and his mother hated them so much. Bloody pests.
"Wait- Can we fly here? Like- Like that wouldn't be breaking any rules, right? To go on our brooms? Is that- Is that allowed? Can we do that? Please?"
"I don't know, Mother," Draco hummed with wide eyes, looking up at her. "Can we?" There was a light smack to the back of his head, Narcissa looking more fond and amused than anything.
"After you clean your room and help Harry get settled in his, then yes, you two can go flying."
"Well? Come on, then," Draco laughed, nudging at Harry. "And my room is always clean," he called to her. Surprisingly, it was Harry who 'coughed', head tilted down to hide his expression. "It's true!"
"I didn't say it wasn't," Harry snorted, darting ahead down the halls and beaming as he took in all the sights. He made sure to stay in sight of the other two, but it was plain to see he was bouncing in glee. "I can't believe you two did this- A whole month without the Dursleys! No more single can of food a day, no more bars on my window, a chance to actually do my homework, and now Hedwig can stretch her wings again!" Draco gave a very pointed look to his mother, gesturing grandly in Harry's direction.
"Trust me, darling, I'll be dealing with this personally," Narcissa reassured, running a hand through Draco's hair. "Get him settled. I have to go to the Ministry."
"Yes, mother." Draco smiled before hugging her tightly. Once he released her, he chased after Harry, tackling him in a hug. The child was quick to laugh before hugging him back, arms tight around him.
"So, where am I staying? Like, what room? I can sleep on the floor, if you don't have a couch available."
Though the blond sighed, he didn't release Harry, rubbing at his back. "How many bedrooms do you think we have?" It was an action he often found to be comforting, to himself, rubbing at the back, and stroking his hair. There was a little shiver from Harry before he completely relaxed against Draco. He probably hadn't even had a pat to his shoulder since they last saw each other. And Merlin...locked in his room like that for who knew how long.
"Dunno, just don't want to be a bother, or anything," Harry mumbled, eyes half-closed. "If you keep doing that, I'm probably going to fall asleep on you."
Draco gave a quiet laugh. "Then we should probably get you to your room. Come on." Letting Harry go just enough to grab his hand, Draco tugged him along through the halls. Since his mother hadn't said which room Harry would be put in, he was sure she wouldn't mind if Harry stayed in the one right next to his.
Once they arrived, Draco opened the door and threw his arms out. "Voila!" He pointed to a door inside the room. "That's the bathroom." Harry only stared, looking to Draco and then back out into the hall.
"Is...this your room?"
"No. It's the one you'll be staying in," he hummed happily.
"It's... It's as big as the ground floor at the Dursleys." Aw, cute. Harry sounded so starstruck.
"And now, it's yours," Draco said with a smile.
"Ri... Right." Harry clutched his hand tightly for only a few more moments before he was entering the room and immediately bouncing onto the bed. A long pause and he spoke up with awe, "How do you sleep on any bed ever again after this."
Draco chuckled quietly. "Hogwarts is more like home, I suppose." Two months of living with those muggles after working so hard to make Harry open up to people. It seemed the child wasn't too bad off, but Draco would have to make a note to watch him closely for a while.
"Right, we get my stuff in here, make sure your room is clean, and then we go outside and I defeat you in a Seeker's game."
Snorting at that, the blond shook his head. "Right. Did you hit your head? You're obviously living in a fantasy."
"Mhm. If you're so confident, then let's hurry it up," Harry grinned, rolling off the bed and bouncing over to where Draco was standing. Slowing down, he paused before wrapping Draco up in a hug, one that was tight as could be. "Sorry for doubting you." Draco smiled and hugged Harry back just as tightly.
"I understand. Now. I think you mentioned something about a house elf..." Nodding, Harry didn't bother letting go of Draco, only relaxing against him.
"Yeah, he kept saying Hogwarts was dangerous for me this year, kept all my mail from me. That's why nothing showed up from you guys. He ended up using a levitation spell on some pudding my Aunt made, dropping it and ruining the 'important company dinner' Uncle Vernon had going on. That's why the bars and everything," Harry explained, pausing for a moment. "Dobby. He said his name was Dobby."
"...Dobby," Draco said loudly. Dobby. Dobby. How could he be so stupid?! There was a loud crack as Dobby appeared in the room, ready to speak before his eyes widened at seeing the two of them. At seeing Harry. "Dobby," he said quietly. "Could you tell me why you were the one keeping our mail from Harry?"
The house elf was curled up, ears flat against his head and eyes trained on the ground, "You see, Master Draco, Dobby heard how scared you were being for Harry Potter. Dobby thought that if he could keep Harry Potter from attended Hogwarts, then Master Draco would be happy, and Harry Potter would be safe. That's why Dobby stopped his mail, to make Harry Potter think he didn't have any friends so he wouldn't want to go back to Hogwarts."
"And did you stop to consider that maybe I would be more unhappy at not being able to see or hear from him? Did that thought ever once cross your mind?" The slurs were right there at the tip of his tongue. It would have been so easy to say them, and he nearly did. It was only the fact that Harry was standing beside him - Harry, not Potter - that kept him silent.
"Dobby is sorry, Master Draco. Dobby did not mean to cause such harm with his actions."
"Go think about what you've done." Draco's hands were on his hips as he glared at the house elf. Dobby gave a sad, single nod, disappearing with another crack.
"So..." Harry nudged at Draco, giving him a searching look. "You were scared for me?"
"I... I hate seeing you get hurt," Draco admitted. He wrung his hands, looking away from Harry. A small thump and Draco stumbled a step or two back, Harry wrapped around him again and buried close, and, right. Lot of hugs today.
"Thank you, Draco. For... For everything."
"Anything," Draco said quietly, just holding Harry.
