Harry didn't know what he'd expected when he'd planned on having Draco stay with them, but there were some things that didn't come as much of a surprise. He was relieved that there were enough bedrooms in Grimmauld Place to mean that he didn't have to share a bunk with the Slytherin, especially with how foul a mood he tended to be in a morning. And there were the occasional scathing remarks throughout the day that were designed to remind them all that nothing had truly changed.

But there were times when Harry didn't know who he was dealing with. Frankly, he was taken aback by how quiet and timid Draco seemed to be. Most of the time, he only spoke when spoken to, very rarely initiating a line of conversation himself. And, when he talked to Sirius or Remus, it was almost done in reverent fashion, a far cry from the insolent boy Harry had grown up with at Hogwarts. Perhaps the entire point of the visit was to allow Draco to emerge from his shell once again.

Then again, Harry didn't understand why he wanted that.

It was a problem that he was struggling to contend with. If Draco returned to something akin to his former self, would that mean he'd return to his insufferable ways? Would helping him come at a price for Harry and his friends? For the time being, as the days went by without much incident, he chose to believe that they were on the right path for a change. Matthew and Hermione had chosen to follow his stead, and he wasn't about to fail spectacularly after being given the reins.

"You don't have house elves."

Harry looked up from the book he was scanning, though he'd mainly been focused on Draco's presence opposite him. He'd chosen the library as a neutral venue, one in which they could both generally be comfortable. Occupying the living room exposed them to Sirius and Remus, who had the potential of asking awkward and difficult questions. And, as it turned out, Draco was surprisingly studious, which meant he was content to sit in silence for prolonged periods.

Until now, evidently.

"...no."

"Why not?"
Harry frowned. "Why would we?"

"The Black name might have had a few difficult years, to put it mildly, but it's still seen as a big and important family in society. That comes with certain expectations. You've got a lot of wealth attached to you, Potter, and the number of house elves you have working for you is the easiest way to show that off."

Whilst Harry might have been grimacing at Draco's point of view, he couldn't help but be interested in what he was saying. He wasn't about to rope in a team of house elves to do his bidding (Hermione would murder him on the spot), but he'd never had an opportunity to learn about that particular angle when it came to the wizarding world. Hermione came from the Muggle world and Matthew's perspective couldn't have been more unique, which meant he'd missed out on that exposure to the way their society worked.

Perhaps listening to Draco would help him tear it all down, or at least make a few changes.

"First of all, house elves don't work, seeing as they don't get paid."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh, you're one of them, are you? Why am I not surprised? I should have seen this coming."

"Secondly, I'm not in the least bit concerned about the money I have. I have no need for it, besides the essentials, though it is nice to have that comfort blanket in case things go wrong. Sirius has exactly the same mindset."

"...your family is very different from mine."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

Draco tilted his head downwards. "Maybe, yeah."

"The house elf conundrum isn't about money, though. There was one when we first came to Grimmauld Place, but that was quickly rectified. And you'll remember Dobby, of course…"

"Father was cursing your name for weeks. Maybe even months."

Harry smirked. "It's great to hear when a plan works. Dobby's the only house elf in existence who'll ask for a wage now, though he still resisted a large sum from Dumbledore. I don't expect us to change the way other house elves live, but it's nice to know that we brought about some change, if just a little bit. And Dobby's more loyal than any mistreated servant that works under the Malfoy banner. No offence."

"None taken."

"Why were you thinking about house elves just now? Do they play on your mind a lot?"

"No, it's just…well, I'm hungry. And when that's the case at home, there's usually one of those creatures at hand to wait on me. Even at Hogwarts, we don't exactly have to lift a finger, besides physically spooning the food into our mouths."

Harry hummed in thought. "Well, it's not like that here, I'm afraid. If you're in the mood for something to eat, just ask. You are our guest. Or you could, believe it or not, make something for yourself."

"The horror."

There was just the barest hint of a smile on Draco's face as his gaze returned to the text, which suggested that he was somewhat enjoying the gentle teasing going on between the pair of them. It was something that was slowly and gradually growing, a dynamic that they were steadily settling into. One might have mistaken it for friendship, though Harry wasn't that foolish. Draco challenged him far too much for them to be friends.

Unless that was a good thing.

Unless that was precisely what he needed.

Harry considered copying Draco's actions and returning to his book. It was the safest bet, of course. The whole premise of their time together was to survive the ordeal, to prove to everyone else that people at odds with one another could co-exist. Keeping schtum was the easiest way of making that a reality. But would that actually prove anything? Did Harry just want their relationship to be less antagonistic, or did he want something more concrete?

"You didn't seem to be too insulted when I called your family just then."

Malfoy slowly returned his gaze to the other boy. "So? Would you rather me be offended?"

Harry shrugged. "No…it's just…very different to how you used to act."

"And?"

Draco was being extremely defensive and Harry could understand the sentiment all too well. He'd reacted in similar ways over the years, particularly when the topic of family got involved. It was a strange thing, to just accept that he and the Slytherin were alike. It was a notion that he would have spat at the past, seeing it as one of the strongest insults another person could have handed him. Evidently, Draco wasn't the only person who was changing.

"Do you…want to talk about it?"

"About my family?"

"About why you seemingly don't like them anymore."

"I'd rather not."

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes or to let out too loud a sigh. That would put to bed any scenario where Draco started to open up. It just felt a lot like pulling teeth at the moment, though he should have known that any progress wouldn't have come easily. And so Harry also stopped himself from returning to the pages of his book, as if giving Draco no room to escape would force him into speaking. It was a tactic that Hermione had perfected, and he liked to think she'd be proud that he was following her example.

"I don't not like them."

Harry didn't pat himself on the back, but he was very close to doing so. He was going to have to give Hermione a present (besides the one he'd already gotten her for Christmas) for her precedent being so effective. It made him wonder how many times she'd managed to make her boys dumbly follow her advice, and it certainly explained how she'd been able to get someone like Matthew so utterly and completely under her thumb.

"At least, I don't hate my mother," Draco continued, looking stubbornly at the floor. "I know that she loves me no matter what, whereas it was always more up in the air with father. I…I think she's in a similar situation to me. You know, following him against her will. I reckon she'd be happy that I found a way of getting out before it was too late."

"Do you think it's too late for her?"

The other boy nodded his head sadly. "And it's certainly too late for father. He's wrapped around the Dark Lord's little finger."

"Would you…accept him if your dad came back, though? If he did defy Voldemort?"

It almost surprised Harry when Draco flinched at the name. It shouldn't have been a shock, seeing as so many people in their society tended to have the same reaction. But he'd grown used to being around perhaps the only people around who'd learnt not to be bothered by the title, and it was another phase of development that the young Slytherin would have to go through.

Draco scowled, as if he was coming to his senses. "Why am I even talking about this to you?"

Harry held up his hands in quick surrender. "Hey, you don't have to. But I think it's a sign that you want to."

"I don't. I really don't."

"That's fine. What do you want to talk about, then?"

"I was enjoying the previous bit of silence, actually."

"It used to be the case that we could never shut you up. And trust me, we tried really hard."

"Why don't you come up with a topic? You're the host. There are certain standards that are expected of families like ours."

"Our families aren't remotely similar."

"They both carry prestige and respect. They're both expected to lead. And leading goes hand in hand with hosting. It's the most effective way of forging alliances, believe it or not."

"I've…never thought about it like that."

"That's fairly apparent."

"Maybe you can…teach me more about…those things…"

"Is the great Harry Potter finally admitting that he doesn't know everything?"

"I've never been as big headed as you."

Draco huffed, a cross between disgruntlement and humour. "You're asking to pick my brain?"

"Maybe not straight away. But like you're saying, I'll need to know these things, no matter how much I hate the thought of hosting. When we win the war, I guess it'll rest on my shoulders to take on those responsibilities?"

"When?"

"When. It won't do us any favours if we think negatively. If we believe we're going to win, then that gives us the best chance of making that happen."

"Merlin, you're such a Gryffindor."

"And, as a Slytherin, you'll understand the advantages to having a Potter on your side when we win. That only happens if you help me."

"Huh…maybe you're more of a snake than I first gave you credit for. There was a heavy dose of cunning there, I'll say that."

"This can be mutually beneficial. I can teach you things too."

Draco laughed. "I doubt that."

"I can teach you how to be a likeable person."

"Do you see yourself as likeable?"

"I like to think I can be charming at the best of times."

"What happens if I agree?"

"Are you agreeing?"

"I'm not saying that."

"Not a lot would change, I guess. It'd probably involve having more chats like this."

"So more unbearable moments?"

"I don't think this has been too bad. In the grand list of all the conversations we've had, this might be at the very top of the list. Though that's not difficult to accomplish."

"I suppose you're almost tolerable when you don't have certain people loitering around you."

"I've told you already that insulting Matthew and Hermione is the quickest way to bring this weird experiment to an end."

It was Draco's turn to hold up his hands. "Okay, okay. It's just taking some getting used to."

They settled into silence once more. It was a repeat occurrence whenever they were alone, as if neither was capable of maintaining conversation for prolonged periods. It highlighted that there was still a long road ahead of them before they were truly comfortable around one another, and that also depended on them both wanting that outcome. Harry's opinion kept shifting on the matter.

"How's Daphne?" Harry asked, almost blurting the question out in desperation.

Draco's eyes widened just a touch. "Why are you interested?"

"I'm doing exactly as you told me. I'm finding a topic for us to discuss. I'm hosting."

"You're not very good at it."

"It's my first time!"

"Out of all the topics you could have chosen, why did you pick girls?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess it's one thing that I'm pretty sure connects us. Unless…"

Draco's gaze darkened. "Don't go down that road."

"So…Daphne…"

"Stop it."

"The redness of your ears suggests that I'm onto something."

"We've been talking, if you must know. Although that's part of the problem, seeing as she's always bringing you up."

"She is? I'm flattered."

"It's always…Potter taught us this, Potter taught us that…give me a break."

"Perhaps it's a sign that my plan is working. People are starting to think that we're friends."

"They must be as clueless as you are."

"You know, your insults don't have the same sting to them as they once did. I'd almost say that they're more like friendly taunts."

"You're insufferable."

"Case in point."

"I think Daphne's rather fond of Granger, too. There aren't many Slytherins who admit to enjoying having their noses shoved in a book, so it's like she's found a kindred spirit."

"You look to be more than happy when you're reading."

"And your point is?"
"Maybe that's why you and Daphne are also getting along."

"I never said that we were."

"It's not a bad thing. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"What about you?"

Harry was put on the backfoot. "What about me?"

"Are you interested in anyone?"

Harry's mind automatically drifted to someone he wasn't supposed to bring up. There hadn't been any progress when it came to Enola Karstark, no further messages, no more attempts to get in touch. Harry didn't know whether to take it personally. All he knew was that the mere thought of her was enough to bring a smile to his face, the sort of thing that would give Draco all the answers he needed. And yet Harry didn't fight the sensation.

There was baggage when it came to Enola, at least when Matthew was around. Harry felt guilty for liking her, felt like it was wrong of him. So, in a sense, it was refreshing to be approaching the topic with a different audience. There was no chance that Draco was going to be reporting back to that particular Gryffindor anytime soon, so it was probably the safest time to broach the subject. For Draco to open up, surely there was an expectation for Harry to do the same.

"Is it the young woman that saved us?" Draco asked, with Harry evidently taking too long to respond.

"I was hoping you might have forgotten about that. I was hoping the whole ordeal might still have been a daze for you."

"I'm not as useless as you make it out to be. I might have been frightened at the time, but that doesn't mean that I stopped noticing things. Such as the way she kissed you on the cheek."

Harry turned red at the memory, having wanted that to remain as a private moment between the two of them. He'd been rendered so dumbstruck by the simple act that he'd forgotten to consider that Draco and Snape had been loitering just next to them when it had happened. It really took away the romantic nature of the embrace, that was for sure.

Draco put his book down, as if the conversation was finally getting interesting. Maybe he just enjoyed the way Harry was squirming under the unwanted attention. The Gryffindor was suddenly wishing that he'd kept his mouth shut, that he'd decided to just keep reading instead of asking so many questions. He just hadn't envisaged that the tables would be turned on him so effectively.

"Who is she?"

Harry frowned. "You mean you don't know?"

"All I know is that she's liked by the Dark Lord, and barely anyone falls into that category. The people who are liked by both you and him must be an even smaller group. Maybe she's the only one, which is why she's so fascinating."

Harry didn't know what to make of Draco's interest in Enola. Despite the progress they'd made, he couldn't help but ponder Matthew's concerns. His close friend was certainly suspicious of the Slytherin, even going as far as claiming that Draco fit the criteria for Voldemort's potential spy. Was that what Draco was doing now? Was he fishing for information, details he could then quickly divert back to his master? Or was Harry falling back onto past grievances, ones which would ruin any friendship they might have been making?

"I don't know what to make of her at the moment," Harry said.

And that was certainly true, which made him feel better for basically avoiding the original question. Enola was still very much a mystery to them all. What were her intentions? Was she trying to make amends for her past mistakes, for the mistakes of her family? Or was she looking to play a key role in another war, having proven victorious in the battle that had forced Matthew from his home? It meant that any feelings Harry might have had for her were confusing, to say the least.

"But I'm hoping to find out more about her," he added.

"Such as what she looks like without her clothes on."

If Harry had been drinking, he would have spat it out. "I'm regretting exposing myself to this side of you."

"You started it by asking about Daphne."

"Does that mean that you want to see her without her clothes on?"

"Sons of ancient and noble houses like ours shouldn't be acting like this."

"Like typical teenage boys? I think it's been a while since you were allowed to behave like that. It might do you some good. That could be what I teach you in return."

"...perhaps."

"Was you asking about house elves your way of saying you're hungry?"

"It might have been…"

"Because I could also teach you how to make a sandwich, seeing as you've obviously never been self reliant before."

Draco's stomach growled in response. "...let the lessons begin."

xxxxxxxxxx

"You fly?"

When the four of them ever got together, it wasn't normally the case that discussion flowed easily. With Harry and Sirius not really knowing how to act around Draco, and it already being awkward for Lupin to be around another of his students in a domestic setting, their chats were typically stilted. They would eat at the table that occupied most of the space in the kitchen, make innocuous comments about the food, and that would largely be that, particularly in the first few days of Draco's arrival at Grimmauld Place.

So, for Sirius' eyes to light up in such a fashion, Harry was clueless as to how to react.

"Of course," Draco replied. "I was the seeker for Slytherin before…well, you know what happened, so we don't need to go into detail about that."

"I used to be a dab hand with a broom, at least in my opinion."

"But you could never compare to James," Lupin countered.

Sirius was instantly insulted. "What do you know? You're not even interested in quidditch."

"I attended every game."

"Only because your friends were involved."

"Does the reason really matter?"

"You barely watched as it is! You took a book with you to entertain yourself in the stands. I distinctly remember you complaining when a match ended surprisingly quickly, because it meant you weren't able to finish the chapter you were on in peace."

"You sound exactly like Hermione," Harry said. "I have no doubt that that's what she'd do if Matthew or I had even taken up the sport."

"Why do you think I'm so excited right now?" Sirius asked. "For ages, I've been waiting for someone to talk to about quidditch, and that person has finally fallen into my lap. I always knew that your stay would be a good idea, Draco."

Lupin smirked over a glass of orange juice. "I didn't get that impression when Harry first told us about his plans."

Sirius swatted him away with a tea towel. "Nobody asked you."

"It's something that I haven't been able to think about a lot in recent years," Draco admitted. "There isn't much time to debate who the best beater in the league is when you're surrounded by…"

Sirius' gaze hardened. "...Death Eaters? You can use that name here, don't worry. Skirting around the issue isn't going to help anybody, especially yourself."

"It's not just quidditch. Death Eaters daren't show any sort of personality. For one, it'll make them easier to single out. And well…that place sucks the joy out of a person. If they loved something, that probably faded as soon as they took on the Dark Mark."

"Did you?" Lupin wondered. "Did you accept the Dark Mark?"

Draco was quick to shake his head. "Mother didn't think I was old enough to make a commitment like that. At the time, I remember being really angry with her for taking that decision out of my hands. And father was so furious that his face went red. But looking back…her choice might just have saved me."

"Would you have said yes to it if Narcissa hadn't gotten involved?"

It was Sirius who posed the question this time around, and Harry could quickly see that Draco was fidgeting uncomfortably thanks to the impromptu interrogation. He had to say that he was mildly curious about the response, seeing as it'd make it clearer than ever where the Slytherin's allegiances lay. But Harry still felt sorry for the other boy, knowing he wouldn't have appreciated being blindsided in a similar fashion.

"I thought we were talking about quidditch," he pointed out.

Harry didn't know why he was so focused on protecting Draco. It was for definite that Draco wouldn't have liked the Gryffindor looking out for him and, if he found out, no doubt an argument would be brewing before long. Perhaps he was starting to feel an affinity towards Draco. Maybe it was just far too early in the morning to be having such loaded discussions. Christmas was supposed to be a light and joyous time, which didn't exactly fit in the narrative of Death Eaters and broken families.

Sirius, at least, cottoned onto what he was trying to do. "Ah, yes. Sorry. I'm just used to being told to shut it when I start rambling about that subject. What broom do you have?"

Draco winced. "That's difficult to answer at the moment. I did have the Nimbus 2001…but my belongings have dwindled recently for obvious reasons."

"Well…there are plenty of options in the shed." Sirius leant against the table eagerly. "What do you say? How about we test them out?"

"Really?"

"Of course! What's the point in them collecting dust? And I haven't gotten on one in far too long. It'd be good to know if I've still got my world renowned skills."

"If you had any to begin with," Lupin quipped.

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "That's it, you're joining in too."

"Have you noticed how freezing it is outside?"

"Yes, but it's a good job that we're wizards and possess magic. Which means that we can use as many heating charms as we need." He turned his attention to his godson. "What do you say, Harry? Want to have a go?"

Harry didn't know how to feel, in truth. He'd never been interested in the sport. The last time he'd been on a broom had involved the chasing of flying keys whilst in pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone. He was only just starting to realise how much Sirius had been holding back, obscuring his passion because Harry didn't happen to reciprocate. Should he have been trying harder? Should he have focused on quidditch, if just for an extra connection to his dad and the Marauders?

"As long as you place a mat on the ground outside, I'm game," he responded.

"Cushioning charms, Harry! It's bad enough reminding Remus that we've got magic at our fingertips. I don't want to have to do the same with you."

Akin to a child on Christmas day, Sirius' movements became more giddy and frenzied as he stood up. The chair scraped across the floor and Lupin grimaced at the potential marks being made on the stone. But Harry could only smile at the sight. There was every chance that him agreeing to the exploits would prove to be a greater present for his godfather than the one currently sitting under the tree. Sirius' excitement was infectious, and Harry could have sworn that there was even a grin on Draco's face.

Perhaps inviting him round had been a brilliant idea after all.