Woo-hoo! A decent sized chapter…and from me. Will wonders never cease. Anyways, a teeny warning, a bit of Peter/Tom idiocy. But you people probably wanted to see that. Also, I combined two chapters to form this whole big one so you people better appreciate this.
Chapter 3
An Eventful First Night
We leave Harry in his room for a bit and head back to the village where Tom is ranting and raving about a couple of things.
"Who does he think he is? I'm Tom Riddle damn it! He's tangled with the wrong man!"
Peter attempted to console his boss, "More beer?"
"What for? It won't help. I've been disgraced. Humiliated. Rejected. And by the bookworm with a nice ass!" And Tom's head fell onto the table with a thunk.
"Tom! Come on! You got to pull yourself together."
Peter: Gosh it disturbs me to see you, Tom
Looking so down in the dumps
Ev'ry guy here'd love to be you, Tom
Even when taking your lumps
There's no man in town as admired as you
You're ev'ryone's favorite guy
Ev'ryone's awed and inspired by you
And it's not very hard to see why
No one's slick as you Tom
No one's quick as you Tom
No one's neck's as incredibly thick as yours Tom
For there's no man in town half as manly
Perfect, a pure paragon!
You can ask any Dom, Dick or Stanley
And they'll tell you whose team they prefer to be on
Peter and Chorus: No one's been like you Tom
A king pin like you Tom
Peter: No one's got a swell cleft in his chin like Tom
Tom: As a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating!
Peter and Chorus: My what a guy, that Tom!
Give five "hurrahs!"
Give twelve "hip-hips!"
Peter: Tom is the best
And the rest are all drips
Chorus: No one fights like you Tom
Douses lights like you Tom
Peter: In a wrestling match nobody bites like Tom!
Black Sisters: For there's no one as burly and brawny
Tom: As you see I've got biceps to spare
Peter: Not a bit of him's scraggly or scrawny
Tom: That's right!
And ev'ry last inch of me's covered with hair
Chorus: No one hits you Tom
Matches wits like you Tom
Peter: In a spitting match nobody spits like you Tom
Tom: I'm especially good at expectorating!
Ptoooie!
Chorus: Ten points for you Tom!
Tom: When I was a lad I ate four dozen eggs
Ev'ry morning to help me get large
And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs
So I'm roughly the size of a barge!
Chorus: Oh, ah, wow!
My what a guy, that Tom!
No one shoots like Tom
Makes those beauts like you Tom
Peter: Then goes tromping around wearing boots like Tom
Tom: I use antlers in all of my decorating!
Chorus: My what a guy…
That Tom!
The song finished and Sirius chose that moment to burst in.
"Somebody help me! Please! He's got Harry! We have to gather a search party now!"
"Calm down Black!"
"There's no time! No time to calm down! He's got Harry locked up somewhere!" He screamed into Tom's face, his grip lifting him off the floor.
"Get a grip Black! Now, shut up and tell me what happened to Harry and who has him?"
"A beast! A fucking ten-foot tall beast with huge monstrous jaws that has my nephew locked up in his castle who's going to keep him there forever, and you're telling me to get a grip?"
"Knew he was a whacko. Throw 'im out boys!"
"What are you doing? Unhand me you animals!"
Sirius's rant was cut off when he was thrown into the snow.
"Crazy old Black. Always good for a laugh. Ten-foot tall beast my ass."
The two men laughed and continued to get themselves drunk.
"Crazy old Black. Hmm…crazy old Black."
Tom: Peter, I'm afraid I've been thinking
Peter: A dangerous pastime
Tom: I know
But that wacky old coot's Harry's godfather
And his sanity's only so-so
Now the wheels in my head have been turning,
Since I looked at that loony old man
See, I've promised myself I'd marry Harry
And right now I'm evolving a plan!
:to Peter: If I… :whisper:
Peter: Yes?
Tom: Then we . . . :whisper:
Peter: No! Would he?
Tom:whisper: Guess!
Peter: Now I get it!
Both: Let's go!
No one plots like you Tom
Tom: Takes cheap shots like Tom
Peter: Plans to persecute harmless crackpots like Tom
All: And his marriage we soon will be celebrating
My what a guy…
That Tom!
Outside in the town square…
"Will no one help me?"
Back to the castle, Harry was still sobbing into the pillows when he heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
"Mrs. Weasley dear."
Harry hurriedly wiped the tears from his eyes, and went to answer the door. He opened it to see…absolutely nothing there.
"Down here luv."
"Oh my…"
"I thought you'd like some tea. Maybe it'll help you a bit."
" But you're… it's impossible…I can't be…I need to lie down."
He backed away, but ended up hitting something.
"Watch it!"
Harry turned around. Standing behind him was a wardrobe. "I'm really sorry. But how are you alive? How can you talk?"
"We weren't always like this sweetie. We were actually people a while back. So, you're the new arrival? Better than the last one. Screechy voice, pug face, too much cleavage and all she wore were low-cut dresses. Ugh. I still get nightmares."
Harry seemed to be more interested in the fact that they were once human rather than the previous guest. "You were? Do you all have names?"
"Yep. My name's Parvati, former maid of the wardrobe. Used to pick out the outfits that the Master would wear. And boy could he wear them. The teapot, also known as, Mrs. Weasley, is in charge of practically everything in this castle. Oh, and the teacup you're drinking from is Ginny, her daughter."
He looked at the cup and noticed it was living. In his shock, he almost dropped her.
"Hi."
"Hi. Who're you?"
"Harry. Harry Potter. I'm a guest in this castle."
"Hi Harry. You're cute."
"Ginny behave yourself! We have to get him ready for dinner!" The three objects moved to get him prepared.
Harry didn't move. "I'm not going."
The three women turned to him in shock.
"Why not dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
"Because."
"He's not that bad once you get to know him. He's had a hard life. He's found it hard to be kind or loving."
"That's too bad for him. But I am not changing my mind. I am not going to dinner with that…thing."
He moved to open the door when Parvati blocked his way.
"No! You have to go! If you don't the Master will be real upset. And take it out on us! You wouldn't want us all to suffer would you?" She batted her eyes and Harry caved.
"Alright. I'll go-"
"Oh no you won't. Parvati, stop making the boy feel guilty! He doesn't have to go if he doesn't wish to."
"Well, do you want Malfoy walking around acting like he's PMS-ing?"
"It still doesn't give you a right to try and fool poor Harry!"
"Who cares? I am not going to deal with-"
"Ahem."
They all turned to the doorway to see Hermione standing there.
"Excuse me? Dinner is being served now."
Mrs. Weasley headed to the dining room to stall Draco, who was now pacing furiously.
"Now Draco dear, you have to relax. You have to give the poor thing some time. He did lose his freedom and his family in one day."
Ron, as usual, wasn't really being much help. "Have you considered the fact that he might be the one to break the spell?"
"Of course I have! My IQ is higher than yours Weasley. I think I'd have thought about that."
Deciding to ignore the barb he simply continued, "Then it's all good. You fall in love with him, he falls in love with you, you snog a bit, then we all get back to normal by midnight."
"Now Ron. After all this time, you should know love doesn't work that way. It takes a lot of time and patience."
The door started to open and the mood started to pick up…only to reveal the arrival to be Hermione, and not Harry.
"Where is he?" Draco gritted through his teeth.
"He's…uh…he's…sort of…kind of…not…coming to dinner.
There was only silence for a few moments then…
"………………WHAT!"
"Draco wait!"
Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley ran after Draco who'd run to Harry's chambers.
He stopped in front of Harry's door and started banging on it. "I TOLD YOU TO COME TO DINNER!"
From inside Harry replied defiantly, "I'm not hungry."
"YOU COME OUT NOW YOU LITTLE BRAT OR I'LL BREAK DOWN THIS DAMN DOOR!"
"Um, Draco dear," Mrs. Weasley interjected, "I don't believe this is the best way to win his affections."
"Yeah Malfoy. At least attempt to be a gentleman."
"But he is being so fucking difficult!"
"Draco! Be gentler to him. Gentle."
"Okay. Gentle." Draco cleared his throat then tried again, "I'd be honored if you would join me for dinner…please?"
"No."
"See what I mean?"
"Calm down Draco."
He remained heedless of her advice. "YOU CAN'T STAY IN THERE FOREVER!"
"I can try can't I? It's preferable to sticking around you!"
"THEN STAY THERE AND STARVE FOR ALL I CARE!" And Draco stalked away.
"Oh dear. This has turned into quite the disaster. I'll go find Draco. Maybe I can calm the poor dear down." And with that she hopped away.
Ron and Hermione watched her leave then Hermione spun around to talk to Ron. "I want you to stand guard Ron. Did you hear me? Stand guard. Wait for him to come out. Do not suck face with Fleur." Then she went somewhere else, leaving a grumbling Ron behind her.
"Who does he think he is? I'm the Master of this castle! He should obey me!" He picked up the mirror, "Show me the boy!"
The glass glowed for a moment then a shower of sparks exploded, showing Harry still inside his room arguing with Parvati.
"He's not that bad once you get the chance to know him."
"I don't care. His little tantrum earlier proved that he's an immature spoiled brat."
"Give him a chance. Get to know him first."
"I don't want anything to do with him! He can rot in hell for all I care!"
Draco sighed and placed the mirror back onto the table. "I'm just kidding myself Molly. He'll never see me as a person. Just a monster."
Later Harry risked going out of his room to search for food. He walked by Ron, who was making out with Fleur, and made his way to the nearest stairway, following the aroma of food.
"Ronald! Zis isn't proper. You are supposed to be watching ze boy!"
"What boy?"
Fleur giggled then shrieked in surprise when Ron dropped her.
"Ronald!"
"Look! He's emerged! I'm sorry Fleur. I'll be back later."
"Well I never." And she went away muttering French under her breath.
"Get into the cupboard with the others, Ginny. It's time for bed."
"But Mum I don't want to!"
"No excuses Gin. Get in."
Behind them the stove was grumbling. "A culinary masterpiece. Wasted! Oh the tragedy!"
"Oh shut up you. We've all had a long night."
Hermione jumped into the conversation, "Well in my opinion, the boy was being stubborn. The Master did ask politely."
As Mrs. Weasley's look she added, "Okay, he was attempting to be polite. But he did ask at least."
"Draco should know that if he doesn't learn to control his temper, the sp-"
"Well hello there," Hermione cut her off after noticing Harry in the doorway. "I am Hermione Granger. I am second only to the Master himself."
At that moment Ron appeared behind him.
"Oh yes. And that panting candlestick behind you is Ron Weasley, our resident idiot."
"Hey!"
"Now, may I enquire as to why you are here? Is there anything you'd like?"
"Well, I am a bit hungry," Harry admitted sheepishly.
"Did you hear that? He's hungry! Get the fire going! Press the napkins! Wake the china!"
"Didn't you hear what the Master said?"
"Oh pish-posh! I am not letting the poor child go hungry! Not on my watch!"
Hermione gave up. "Fine then. Get him a crust of bread and a glass of water."
"Mione! I'm ashamed. You're supposed to be the moral obsessed one! He's our guest. Not a prisoner."
"Alright already! Stop guilt-tripping me! Give him a decent meal then. But keep it down. I don't fancy being caught by Draco."
"Thank you my darling Mione," Ron replied with a smile while Hermione blushed. "Now, dinner wouldn't be complete without music would it?"
Her smile disappeared. "Music!" she choked out.
Ron: My dear Harry, it is with deepest pride
and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight.
And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a
chair as the dining room proudly presents -
your dinner!
Be our guest! Be our guest!
Put our service to the test
Tie your napkin 'round your neck, Harry
And we'll provide the rest
Soup du jour
Hot hors d'oeuvres
Why, we only live to serve
Try the grey stuff
It's delicious
Don't believe me? Ask the dishes
They can sing, they can dance
After all, man, they're from France
And a dinner here is never second best
Go on, unfold your menu
Take a glance and then you'll
Be our guest
Yes, our guest
Be our guest!
Chorus: Beef ragout
Cheese soufflé
Pie and pudding "en flambé"
Ron: We'll prepare and serve with flair
A culinary cabaret!
You're alone
And you're scared
But the banquet's all prepared
No one's gloomy or complaining
While the flatware's entertaining
We tell jokes! I do tricks
With my fellow candlesticks
Chorus: And it's all in perfect taste
That you can bet
Come on and lift your glass
You've won your own free pass
To be out guest
Ron: If you're stressed
It's fine dining we suggest
Chorus: Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!
Get your worries off your chest
Let us say for your entree
We've an array may we suggest
Try the bread! Try the soup!
When the croutons loop de loop
It's a treat for any dinner
Don't believe me? Ask the china
Singing pork! Dancing veal!
What an entertaining meal!
How could anyone be gloomy and depressed?
We'll make you shout "encore!"
And send us out for more
So, be our guest!
Ron: Be our guest!
Chorus: Be our guest!
:Hermione gets stuck in the spotlight and tries to slink away:
Ron: Life is so unnerving
For a servant who's not serving
:Ron pulls her back and she struggles:
He's not whole without a soul to wait upon
Ah, those good old days when we were useful...
Suddenly those good old days are gone
:The salt shakers make it look like it's snowing while Ron still has a grip on a scowling Hermione:
For a yearwe've been rusting
Needing so much more than dusting
Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills!
:Ron does something and Hermione ends up landing in Jell-O…upside down:
Most days we just lay around the castle
Flabby, fat and lazy
You walked in and oops-a-daisy!
:He steps on a fork in the Jell-O and Hermione goes flying:
Mrs. Weasley: It's a guest! It's a guest!
Sakes alive, well I'll be blessed!
Wine's been poured and thank the Lord
I've had the napkins freshly pressed
With dessert, he'll want tea
And my dear that's fine with me
While the cups do their soft-shoein'
I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing
I'll get warm, piping hot
Heaven's sakes! Is that a spot?
Clean it up! We want the company impressed
Chorus: We've got a lot to do!
Mrs. Weasley: Is it one lump or two?
For you, our guest!
Chorus: He's our guest!
Mrs. Weasley: He's our guest!
Chorus: He's our guest!
Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!
Be our guest! Be our guest!
Our command is your request
It's been years since we've had anybody here
And we're obsessed
With your meal, with your ease
Yes, indeed, we aim to please
While the candlelight's still glowing
Let us help you, We'll keep going
:The candles make two rows and at the end in the center is Ron with what looks like a top hat and a match as a cane:
Course by course, one by one
'Til you shout, "Enough! I'm done!"
Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest
Tonight you'll prop your feet up
But for now, let's eat up
Be our guest!
Be our guest!
Be our guest!
Please, be our guest!
They all struck a pose while Harry laughed and clapped delightfully. "That was wonderful!"
"It was wasn't it? Great show everyone! Now everyone go to bed!"
"I can't sleep now! I mean, I've never been in an enchanted castle before."
"Enchanted?" Hermione chuckled nervously, "Who said it was enchanted?"
A fork chose that moment to run by.
She gave an anxious grin then turned to Ron. "You told him didn't you? I knew it! It's always you and your big mouth!"
"Actually I figured it out by myself. I'd like to look around if that's alright."
"I don't think that's a good idea. You might so poking around places you aren't supposed to be in."
"Then maybe you could show me around. I'm sure you know a lot about this castle."
"Well, actually I do."
Later we find Harry, and an unwilling Ron, are being given a tour by Hermione. "As you can see, the pseudo-façade dripped away to reveal the Rococo design. Note the unusual vaulted ceilings. This is yet another example of the Baroque period. And, as I always say, if it's not Baroque, don't fix it!" she said before breaking into a fit of giggles. Hermione spun around to see the suits of armor had all turned to look at Harry. "As you were!"
"Um Harry? Where are you?" She turned around to see Harry had stopped at a particular staircase.
"Where does this go?"
Both enchanted objects blocked his path. "Nothing. Nothing at all. It's all dull and dusty in there."
"If it was nothing you two wouldn't be blocking my way. What is it for?"
"Oh nothing. It's not Malfoy's private wing."
"Ron!" Hermione turned to glare at him.
"So that's what it is. I wonder what he's hiding up there."
"He isn't hiding anything."
"Then you wouldn't be so desperate to keep me out."
"We have some tapestries that go back to-"
"Maybe later."
"How about the gardens? Or the library?"
That caught his attention.
"You have a library?"
"Yes we do!"
"With books!"
"Lots and lots of books."
"Thousands of books!"
"Forests of books!"
"Swamps of books!"
"More books than you'll ever be able to read in a lifetime! Books on every subject ever studied…" and it trailed off as both walked down the hall unaware Harry wasn't behind them and was sneaking into Malfoy's wing.
He hurried up the stairs, glancing behind him once in a while, and entered a dark hallway full of statues and shattered mirrors. Harry reached two doors with intricate designs and he pushed them open. All Harry saw was knocked over furniture, torn draperies and paintings.
But one particular painting caught his eye. The man looked very familiar. He couldn't find any word to describe him except pale…and beautiful. Those eyes. He'd seen them before. They were almost as beautiful as- he stopped the thought before it finished. Then the rose caught Harry's attention.
It gave off an ethereal glow, suspended in the air by an unseen force. He took off the glass protecting it and reached out to touch it.
His hand was stopped by a paw holding it in a tight grip, almost breaking it.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE?"
Harry looked up only to meet Draco's furious gaze.
"I didn't know! I didn't know!"
Draco smashed something in his anger and ripped apart the whole room. Slowly Harry backed away when Draco turned to look at him. He bared his teeth and growled while Harry inched his way to the door. In a sudden move, Draco had his arm in a vice grip.
"Get. Out," he said calmly to Harry.
"Please stop. You're hurting me. Please. Let go of me. You're hurting me."
Draco kept on talking like he hadn't heard. "Get out."
"Let go of me!" He attempted to pull his hand out of his grip and he just held on tighter.
"GET OUT!"
He seemed shocked at his own outburst and let go of Harry.
He took a chance and ran out of the room, down the stairs, and out into the night, passing Ron and Hermione on the way.
"Wait! Wait! Come back!"
He went on, heedless of their cries.
Draco sighed after the anger left him, making him feel numb…and extremely stupid. He should really learn to control his temper.
By this time, Harry was already deep into the forest and the cold had started to sink into his bones. He'd only had time to grab Hedwig and his cloak before high-tailing it out of there.
In hindsight, it was probably a very stupid thing to do, but hey, he'd been really scared! It'd made sense…at the time.
He stopped suddenly, rooted to the spot. A wave of fear came over him when he heard the growls behind him. Harry turned around already knowing what was there. His turning around only confirmed his suspicion. Wolves. A whole pack.
They started to close in on him coming closer and closer, trapping Harry and Hedwig in a circle. He closed his eyes and braced himself. After a few moments of nothing he opened his eyes and gasped at what he saw.
Draco had tracked him down and was now fighting the wolves off. He clawed at the wolves, tearing them off as they all attacked him at once.
One got the chance to sink his teeth into Draco and he flings them off, making the others all run away whimpering.
Harry opened his mouth to thank him but stopped when he saw Draco collapse into the snow. He lifted him as gently as possible and placed him on Hedwig, then they walked back to the castle.
Once they'd reached the castle Harry had immediately tended to Draco's wounds. Of course he was failing miserably. Every time he tried to place the compress on his wounds, Draco would move out of the way, growl out of him, and bare his teeth before continuing to pout.
He finally touched the wounds and Draco roared at him.
"That hurts you git!"
Harry was unfazed, "It wouldn't hurt if you would just sit still!"
"If you hadn't run away, I wouldn't have gotten hurt!"
"If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away in the first place!"
Draco struggled to think of something. "Well, if you hadn't been in my private wing, none of this would have happened," he finished triumphantly.
Harry just smirked at him. "If you'd learn to control your temper, then I wouldn't have gotten frightened and run away."
Draco couldn't think of anything this time, and just pouted at him while he cleaned the wounds.
Harry spoke again in a softer tone, "By the way Draco, I want to thank you. You saved my life back there."
He smiled. "No problem Harry."
And they grew just a bit closer.