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May 29, 1993
It was finally over. The chamber, the book, all of it was over and the girl that'd been taken was alive and well. He hadn't expected everything to go all that well, least of all when Hermione pointed out the creature was a bloody Basilisk, but everything had turned out well in the end. It had to be his luck, something that he'd begun to have in spades since attending Hogwarts, for there was no other explanation for it.
Harry looked to where the Basilisk fang had penetrated his arm when luck came to mind and then he recalled the Phoenix. It had saved his life just like he'd saved Lacerta's and for that, he'd be grateful for a long time coming. He wasn't quite sure what a Phoenix liked for a treat or the like, but he reckoned he could ask Professor Dumbledore. He'd have to go about doing that regardless, for Ron's status, Lacerta's and Professor Lockhart.
All of them had to be safe and sound or he'd failed. As for this new home of his, Hogwarts, he cared for everybody in it regardless of who or what they called themselves — Lacerta was part of that 'everybody' too, even if she was rude to his new friends and still bitter that he'd sided with Ron over her in the train. If she hadn't been so standoffish and Dudley-like, he probably would have given her a chance.
"Ah, there we are."
Harry turned towards the voice and saw Madame Pomfrey, the matron as polite as always.
"Madame Pomfrey," he tried, his voice gruff-sounding and his body still incredibly tired. "Is… everyone else, alright?"
She nodded once, smiling and shaking her head as she came over to him with a tray full of potions. Many of them were these disgusting colours and a few of them seemed like they were a bunch of buggers melted together, but medicine in the wizarding world still far surpassed that of the Muggle one. Flavour didn't matter much to the Magicals though, and so a good fish and chips would always be better than a large degree of food at the feasts they called dinners.
"If you're talking about the others you came in with, you'll probably be very happy to learn that all of them are perfectly fine if more than a little worried about you. Ronald Weasley was especially distraught and had to be removed before he tried anything stupid for the sake of friendship," Madame Pomfrey shook her head again and then finally moved towards him with the first of many potions in her hands. "Miss Granger and the rest of those who were petrified have recovered perfectly, Lacerta will be sent home early and the Professor is at Saint Mungo's for extended care. I do believe that sums it all up, dear, now please, take your potions so we can get you right as rain."
Harry hadn't heard that expression before, but he didn't say anything about it as he began to down one foul-tasting potion after the next until the lot of them were gone. Only when that happened, did Madame Pomfrey pull away from him whilst saying one final sentence. "The others will be in to see you shortly, the Headmaster had a specific order and he'll be along later when you're fully rested."
"Thanks," he said in response, once she was completely done speaking. Immediately after, a sense of eagerness began to build within him as he thought about seeing his friends; that was something he hadn't thought he'd ever do again after the Basilisk got him, but in the end, everything had turned out 'right as rain' in the Matron's words.
I like that, Harry thought to himself with a small grin on his face as he shifted to his side with a good deal of effort exerted, Right as rain sounds old-timey, just like the rest of this world.
Harry was roused from his thinking when he heard the doors open and rather than a few different peoples' footsteps, he heard nought but one pair of feet echoing throughout the empty medical wing. It made him nervous even if he knew everything had turned out fine. Fortunately for him, that nervousness didn't have to wait very long before he had his first visit and at the foot of his bed no less.
"Malfoy?" He asked, genuinely confused at the girl's presence.
Sure, he'd saved her and all, but they weren't friends. She'd tried in their first year, but it hadn't ended up going all that smoothly and so typically, they avoided each other by and large with only minor comments — usually wholly negative from her part — being shared.
Her face was beet-red, those eyes of hers were piercing as ever and her small hands were balled into fists. She looked about ready to beat the piss out of him if only she'd been Dudley-sized. As it was, she still had the advantage on account of his weakened state, which left him feeling very nervous.
"Are you okay?" He asked, swallowing and attempting to sit up.
"Quiet," she said quickly, her nose finally RISING in a very familiar fashion. "You need to listen to what I'm about to say and I'll not have you interrupt me. I shouldn't be here, my father won't like it and if word spreads, it'll be very bad for me, which means I'll make it worse for you."
Harry wasn't exactly sure what that was supposed to mean, but he shrugged and motioned for her to say whatever it was that she wanted to from the comfort of his new bed.
"Good," Malfoy prefaced, seemingly a bit more at ease when he failed to say anything in response. "I doubt I was meant to be taken to the Chamber being of Pureblood as I am, but nonetheless, the being within the journal was dead set on killing me. Perhaps it was due to the purity of my blood and obviously strong nature of magic within it, but still, you saved me from dying in that old, historic, place. House Malfoy…"
She paused, her nose twitching and her eyes tracing his body a fair few times while he waited in silence for her to get out whatever it was that she wanted to say. He wouldn't rush her, certainly not after going through so much work to save her. Everybody deserved a second chance, after all. That was what he'd learned in Gryffindor and from the Weasley family.
"House Malfoy is deeply indebted to you for the preservation of our family," Lacerta finally said, the words sounding strangely monotonous and rehearsed in comparison to her usual haughty drawl. "There, I've said what's necessary. Expect an owl or perhaps a dozen over the course of summer, my parents will wish to make amends for any, I suppose, 'slights' that we've given towards House Potter."
Harry wanted to ask why they were so indebted to him and why preservation mattered all that much, but he chose to keep his mouth shut. He'd learned that from Potions class because you couldn't be wrong or seem stupid if you never opened your mouth in the first place. Actually, that was a pretty solid place to start if there was now a debt from House Malfoy to him… Merlin, why couldn't they just say the Malfoy's instead of House Malfoy?
It was like they wanted to make themselves sound like nobility out of some old medieval book.
"Uh, do y—" Harry cleared his throat and forced himself to sit all the way up in the hopes of his voice being clearer and less garbled. "Do you have my address to send an owl? Do you think you could, well, help me in potioneering a bit, if there's that, well… debt?"
Lacerta blinked at him a few times, her nose twitching and lips wobbling until finally, she stopped herself with a calming breath. As for her eyes, they still looked as hostile as ever, if only with a different emotion added in that proved unplaceable. Whatever it was, it didn't belong on her face, he could tell that easily enough.
"My life for Potions lessons aren't remotely equal," She started, her voice on the edge of her typical aggressive, snarky tone but it tapered off when she continued, her nose raised to make up for the near-friendly expression that'd settled on her face for a few seconds. "I suppose I could help you and my parents could likely do the same if it's something that matters that much to you, but when I say deeply indebted, I don't think you know what I mean."
"I don't," he answered readily enough, shrugging as his head grew foggier and foggier the longer he stayed awake; was that a set of feet coming from one of the vents above her? It looked like the thing grew a pair of legs and moved down along the cei— wait, there aren't any Muggle vent systems in Hogwarts.
What did Madame Pomfrey give me? That question hung in his head but ultimately didn't get all that much time before he was once again focused on the words that came out of Lacerta's mouth. "My father was an only child and for reasons that remain private, I too am an only child, are you following along with me?" Lacerta folded her arms and finally, only then, sat down in the chair at the foot of his bed. It was the farthest one she could seat herself in without being in the next area over.
"Yeah, I'm following," He responded again, the feet making their return in the process as his mind tried its best to focus on the girl before him.
"Wonderful — I'll wrap it up very quickly and without delay then. If I would've been killed by whatever was in that book, it would've been the end of hundreds of years of history. You prevented that and the extinction, albeit slowly, of my family lest they try drastic measures. Do you understand the level of debt that we properly owe you even if there is no official 'life' debt like you see in many roman- never mind, but do you understand what I mean?" Lacerta's cheeks began to colour again towards the end of her speaking and when she finally finished, she busied herself with her hair in a mirror she'd pulled from her satchel.
It didn't make much sense to him since she looked fine, but he was just a bloke. When it came to witches' hairstyling, he was as clueless as most of his fellow wizards were.
"You think you owe me because I sort of saved you and it means a lot because your family is old and you're an only child?" Harry parroted back to her, his words a very short summary mixed with an expectant look.
Lacerta scowled as her attention very quickly snapped back to him. She didn't look entirely pleased with how he'd summed it up, but she responded in a very short, clipped tone of voice nonetheless. "Yes, correct — expect an owl within the fir—"
She stopped speaking when the sound of the infirmary doors sounded once more and this time, Harry could quite clearly make out Ron's voice as well as Hermione's. There was a third person with them too, based on the footsteps, but he couldn't identify them. When they arrived and saw Lacerta, it would… Harry blinked when he saw the girl on her feet and moving hastily towards the curtains that separated patients.
"Lac—" She turned towards him hastily, one finger over her lips and a vicious look on her face.
She's making a getaway, but why? They don't hate her, not like most of the other Slytherins, especially the blokes.
However, he wouldn't get his answer, and before he knew it, Lacerta was gone and his two best friends were in her place. Harry didn't mind the change all that much, but he knew deep down that most certainly was not the last he'd see or hear of Lacerta. She'd all but promised him that.
June 14, 1993
After a brief meeting with Lacerta's father in one of Hogwarts' many hallways, while the man was on his way to 'speak' with Professor Dumbledore, Harry hadn't heard anything more from the Malfoy family. He thought that it was possible that all of Lacerta's words had been lies, a prank maybe, but that thought was flipped upside down when he woke up and saw a letter addressed to him on the foot of his bed.
Dobby, Harry thought, his mind feeling for the poor house-elf, He probably left it there while I was asleep, that's what he had to do unless somebody broke in.
He shook his head and hoped that wherever the house-elf was, he was being treated as well as he deserved at that moment in time. If that wasn't true, Harry could probably use the debt they felt they owed him to change that, it was the least he could do for Dobby and the little being's attempts to save him. Harry smiled fondly as he thought more and more about the house-elf, but that eventually went away in favour of reading the letter. It was sealed with the Malfoy sigil… he could tell since it said Malfoy on it.
'To the Heir Harry Potter of House Potter,' it read, the 'Heir' status in front of his name throwing him for a loop already, which meant the rest of the letter was likely to do much the same, only worse. Still, he'd read it. There was nothing better to do and there was a chance he could help Dobby out as well as his own grades.
' Word has reached my ears, as well as that of my husband's, that you are solely responsible for our daughter's continued life amongst us. While Hogwarts is proven as wholly inept if a child had to save another child, we feel it's imperative that we show you just how grateful we truly are for your actions taken in the rescue of Lacerta. As she undoubtedly mentioned to you, there is a debt, by honour, from us towards yourself. It'll take quite some time to repay and until that time, we would like to remain in regular correspondence and provide aid however we can.
For the sake of transparency, I'll not lie and say there's any love between our two houses historically or currently. Our family fought against yours, unfortunately, in the most recent war and our political leanings are most assuredly the opposite of yours but all of that is nonsense so far as I'm concerned. I speak as a mother and in doing so I must say that the risk you took to allow me years more with my daughter can never truly be repaid. I do hope that you respond to this missive so that I may meet the man who allowed me more time with my girl, though I'll understand if you decide against such a course of action. Ultimately, the choice is yours and yours alone.
With respect, however begrudgingly in the case of my husband,
Lady and Lord Malfoy'
Finally done with the letter, Harry set the thing down and blinked nearly half a dozen times. His first thought was that the Malfoys really hadn't forgotten. If anything, it seemed like they had written the letter nearly half a dozen times based on how many proper large words were used and god, the handwriting of Lacerta's mum was absolutely mental. He doubted he'd ever seen anybody, even in Muggle school, have a prettier way they wrote.
Guess I should respond, huh? Harry thought, swallowing at the thought.
He wasn't good with writing formally like the Muggles had tried to teach and he most definitely wasn't remotely skilled when it came to fancy words, but he had to give it his best try. If he didn't, if he ignored the Malfoys, something told him that he'd most definitely grow to regret that. It'd be like saying Lacerta's life wasn't all that important to him after saving it and if he'd learned anything from those comics he'd used to sneak from Dudley's room, that was a right proper way to make a villain.
Harry winced at the thought; he'd only just made Lacerta into a potential friend and hero, it would be stupid if he decided against responding and so finally, hastily, he sought out his Hogwarts supplies. He had a limited amount of ink and equally as limited of a number of parchment papers, so he'd have to keep it short and make every last word used, count. That was good and all, but it didn't help that he was still pants no matter what he decided to do.
Does Dear Lady and Lord Malfoy sound good? They didn't even tell me their names, but I shouldn't use them if I did… should I actually bring up Lacerta too, or do I leave her out?
There were so many questions he'd have to find the answers to himself. It was horrible, the Dudleys would probably already have a fit if they knew he'd gotten mail too, so trying to get out and hope to navigate his way to Ron for help was really his best bet. Something told him that as good as the Weasley's would be in such an event now wasn't really a good time to call on them. It was that typical gut feeling he'd get about stuff and so he knew that he would have to do it all on his lonesome.
I guess I could just say that I was glad to help, I'd like to share messages back and forth and that I'd fancy meeting them too? Yeah, yeah I think that should work.
Harry huffed, still uncertain but he knew that he shouldn't even attempt to push off responding to them. It'd be stupid and the longer he waited, the more critical they'd likely be — they were still the Malfoys and he'd heard a lot about them!
He sighed and finally began to write, but little did he know he'd spend the next couple of hours planning out exactly what would be said. Had he the resources, it was incredibly likely he would have written a few rough drafts, but that was unfortunately a commodity he didn't have. As it was, the one he ultimately sent was probably fine… he hoped it would be, at the very least.
June 22, 1993
He had been growing increasingly nervous at the thought of having scared away the Malfoys, but when he woke up and finally saw another one of their letters at the foot of his bed, those worries vanished. Whether their reply to his short, friendly letter was positive or negative he no longer cared — his anxiety would be dealt with and before too long, there'd be a new normal or Lacerta would go about acting in her usual manner.
Harry yawned, a bit of mucus making him cough and once that was done, he grabbed up the letter. There wasn't any chance of him pushing it off and depending on what was inside, he may have to respond more formally and at a much larger length. Maybe… maybe Professor Dumbledore or somebody else could help him in getting back to Diagon Alley to buy supplies. Any excuse to get out of the Dursleys' home was something he'd try, but this one really did have a practical reason, so to speak.
I'll ask for permission from the Headmaster after I read their letter, seems like the smartest thing to do, really.
With a nervous swallow, Harry tore the seal of the letter and took the folded parchment in hand. When he straightened it out, he saw it wasn't all that much larger — if at all — than the previous one they'd sent him. That length had to mean they weren't done with him yet, you definitely wouldn't tell somebody to bugger off in a few paragraphs and that same signature.
'To the Heir Harry of House Potter,
I speak for the entirety of my family when I say that we are incredibly glad to have you respond to our letter so quickly. Lacerta especially wore an expression of shock when I shared the news of your quick response at our dinner the evening we retrieved it. Your relationship was quite tense and not ideal, so she tells me, but I do hope the two of you can work towards a stronger bond now that you're likely to visit every once and a while.
Ah, I do hope that wasn't too bold of me to say, much less offer in the very next sentence. You see, our family has held certain opinions which have negatively impacted us for quite some time and after your actions, I'm of the opinion that certain stances need rethinking. To do that, I could think of no other way than to engage with you, as your opinions and circle of friends are entirely different to my Lacy's. Here we end, lest I ramble and please, pull words from my mind and let us know a date we could take you across Diagon and Knockturn Alley both.
Respectfully and with friendship,
Lady and Lord Malfoy.'
Harry swallowed when he put down the letter and simply looked at the thing. He had expected them to put forth a list of what they were willing to offer or the like, but that hadn't happened. Nothing had been brought up regarding his classes or lessons and really, all they seemed like they were doing was trying to get him into Malfoy Manor. He'd never be found based on their history… that history was the only thing that made him feel nervous and semi-distrusting towards the Malfoy family. He was typically pretty friendly and with an outgoing nature, but that just seemed wrong to do with them.
'Dear Lady and Lord Malfoy," Harry prefaced, mimicking the way Lacerta's mom signed the letter in the hopes of doing at least one thing politically right. As for what else he wrote, well, he really just winged it since the whole multiple-hours thing didn't seem like he'd done all that much, be it in his favour or against.
'Lacerta and I kept to different friend groups from the train on, and we only had one small, stupid argument. She's never been horrible and when it comes time for Potions class, I've been lucky enough to be her partner. I'm really glad I was able to help her as I did in the first place and please, don't feel like any of you owe me anything. If you really meant a tour or maybe a walk around Diagon Alley though, I'd take you up on the offer. Thank you, Lady Malfoy, for the kindness.'
Harry added the typical ending signature and rested back into his bed, fully relaxed and ready for a nap even though he'd only been up for half an hour, at the most. It was mentally draining writing a letter to a bunch of snobby people and sure, he hadn't met Lacerta's mum, but they couldn't be all that different from one another, right?
Once that was done and ready to be sent out by courtesy of Hedwig, Harry started on his second letter, if the small little thing with a few sentences could be called a 'letter' in the first place. In essence, he asked if Professor Dumbledore would allow him access outside of his home for a shopping trip with friends. It wasn't completely true, but it very well could be after what he'd done and how big of a deal they were making it out to be.
Now he just had to play the waiting game, hear back from the Malfoys and hopefully before then, Dumbledore. Maybe he could walk out, maybe not… the Dursleys have been more lenient on him since he'd started attending Hogwarts. They were scared of magic, he knew that, but was he really the type of person to try and take advantage of that by scaring them?
No, no he thought not — well, not unless there was no other choice given.
August 6, 1993
Merlin, to think it'd almost been over. Everything, all of it could have been lost to him if the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, hadn't intervened and told him the situation was fixed. As it was, he still felt like absolute shite whilst in his room and the only good thoughts left to him were those of his recent birthday as well as the fact that he wasn't truly expelled from Hogwarts.
Harry huffed and rolled over in his bed, the sheets many times more comfortable than the ones he was used to and the mattress itself incredibly comfortable. It wasn't quite at the Hogwarts level, nor was the food, but nothing was. Hogwarts was a place unparalleled and to compare anything to it would be stupid.
Nearly didn't grab all of my stuff before I left, Harry thought to himself as he looked over to his luggage, the seems bulging on account of how tightly packed everything was. I wasn't going to leave the Malfoys' gifts behind though, not after how much I fancied them.
Ron and the Weasleys had gotten him a new hat, sweater and candies. Hermione had gotten him a book on Defence Against the Dark Arts since it was his favourite and a few housemates had managed to get other sweets and such items to him too. Even Professor Dumbledore had sent him a gift, that being a book that oddly enough complimented Hermione's, to the point that Harry wondered if it were planned; all of those had been wicked, truly, but the Malfoys had gotten him…
Well, he couldn't put it into words, not truly, but they'd gotten him a little bit of everything. From a new, sharp potions knife to half a dozen clothing articles, his school books for the year to new Hogwarts robes, dress ones too. It was all perfect and indefinitely of the highest quality, it made him feel horrible that they'd spent a small fortune on him out of the fact that they felt beholden. He wasn't the type of bloke that took advantage of people and that's all that it felt like.
"Room service," Came a voice at his door, likely the last that he'd hear until morning came.
"I'm alright, thanks!" Harry called back politely and with a big, deep breath. He felt at peace in this place. It was no Hogwarts, but it was the Magical world and that alone was enough of a comfortable position that he could truly feel at ease.
"Are you decent?" That question and the voice it belonged to came shortly after the first voice had, only this time, it was one that made his muscles tense on pure instinct alone.
Malfoy, Lacerta Malfoy, had found where he was staying and was now at the door to his hotel room. He wasn't sure how that was, but she'd do- no, he knew exactly how that was. Her family was in with the Minister and essentially half of the wizarding world at large so long as there was a purpose for them to be known. Mister Weasley had said the Malfoys had far-reaching influence and with how quick word had gotten back to them, he couldn't deny the man's words.
"Yeah, I was just about to tuck in for the night — how'd you find me?" Harry asked, slipping on a shirt and rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes before he made his way towards the door.
"We've many ways to find where you've gone so long as it's in our world," Answered a womanly voice, one that was older and far more eloquent in her speaking.
Narcissa, Lacerta's mum. That's the only person that can be, Harry thought as he finally began to pull on the door handle so that the two women could join him rather than be stuck out in the hallway. He was a bit nervous when the door revealed the pair of them, perhaps on instinct or possibly due to his own lacklustre social abilities. It didn't matter to him where the anxiety came from so long as it was there, but when Lacerta failed to make some sort of remark, it lessened if only slightly.
"Miss Malfoy, Lacerta," Harry said, dipping his head and smiling as he was taught by the Dursleys for whenever one of their important guests came over. "Good to see you, can I, uh, can I have anything brought up for you?"
Malfoy's mum looked at her daughter, then back to him. "You're more polite and mannered than I thought you'd be, Harry Potter. My daughter in her youthfulness made mention that you were neither quality when first you met, yet here I stand alongside her, clearly as impressed by you in the flesh as I was by your words in ink," Narcissa shook her head, a small, charming smile on her face that made the woman look all the more beautiful. "Would you mind if we came in and joined you at the table? Perhaps tea would do well for a conversation — I enjoy mine with milk and five cubes of sugar."
Harry nodded rapidly and made to put forth an order with the nearby maid for the sake of room service. As soon as that was done — and Lacerta added in sweet biscuits with frosting — he had them join him in the now poor-feeling room. The two girls were dressed far too well to be in an establishment such as the one he'd picked, but the proper English feel to it had appealed to him too much.
"Could I ask something, Mis- Lady Malfoy?" Harry tried once the group was sat down at a table, the two women simply content to watch him.
"Please do, my dear. Assume that I'm incredibly interested in whatever it is that you have to say," Narcissa spoke those words and leaned forward, resting her head on one of her hands.
She was the picture of attentiveness while Lacerta was doing all that she could to avoid looking him in the eyes, a dusting of red on each of her cheeks. He wondered if she was nervous about the conversation too, but the looks her mum kept sending her were probably to keep her in line more than anything. Lacerta was Lacerta, and that meant she was never nervous, not even when she'd been brought back whilst in that Chamber.
I'm just seeing things.
That's what it had to be.
