Previously:
Harry had one more question for him, “So what brought you to your safe house, Malfoy?”
Draco ran his hands through his greasy, unkempt hair.
“My dear Aunt Bellatrix.”
Ch. 5 “ You Have My Attention
Harry re-adjusted himself in his chair to where he would most benefit in the conversation to follow.
“Okay, you have my attention.” Draco knew that Harry would listen intently to anything having to do with the witch who had recently killed his godfather.
Draco began, “To be absolutely honest, she was cornering me in preparation of my Dark Mark. I told her no, which I could have done differently instead of spitting in her face or calling her a few choice names. She gave me an answer in the form of a powerful Cruciatus Curse. She didn’t let up for what seemed like forever and when she did, I reached into my inside pocket for my emergency Portkey. I barely escaped her.”
Harry studied Draco’s dramatic reenactment for a moment. “I’m curious, Malfoy. Did you have any clue where the Portkey would take you?”
Draco shook his head. “None. I’d be risking peoples’ lives. Imagine what would have happened if they slipped me a dose of Veritaserum? Besides, had I known I would end up here with Saint Potter and your harem, I may have fought off my aunt a bit longer before reaching for the Portkey.”
Harry moved as if he were thinking about causing bodily harm to the blonde in front of him but sat back down. It wouldn’t be a fair fight. He made a mental note to at least wait until the bruises were gone. Deciding to lighten the mood and be the bigger wizard, Harry looked at Draco.
“You know, between the two of us, Hermione is downstairs crying in her morning oatmeal. Can’t you just be nice to her for once?”
Draco rolled his eyes. “That girl is far too sensitive. It was a bloody joke! For being the so-called smartest witch of our age, she can be really scatterbrained. Oh, and what did you say to her? You implied we both upset her.”
Harry tried to choose his words carefully. “I let her explain to me what you had said to her about her cooking and I just kind of implied exactly what you just told me - that she was being overly sensitive.”
After seeing Draco raise his eyebrows in what looked to be shock, Harry quickly added, “Oh well, you learn to just ride out her moods over time. The only person she ever holds grudges against is Ron, and that’s because they fancy each other but are too stubborn to admit it.”
Draco shrugged. “I never really paid attention and I really could have gone without hearing that while I was eating. Where is the Weasel, anyways? You three are usually attached at the hip.”
“He does have a family, you know. They’re probably spending time together before school starts." Harry quietly added, "And honestly, if you want to know the truth, Malfoy, he doesn’t know about all of this.”
This got the blonde wizard’s attention. “And why would you keep him in the dark about me?” Malfoy was flabbergasted.
Harry straightened. “Dumbledore may have thought that Ron was too passionate when it came to Hermione or something. Forget I mentioned it.”
The last comment did not seem to faze Draco and he simply mumbled, “Whatever.”
Harry moved to get up, his breakfast long gone. He looked down at Malfoy’s tray. “You ate everything…. I’ll have to tell Hermione you kept it all down and didn’t complain once! That’s impressive.”
As Harry took the tray away, Draco answered back, “No, impressive is the fact that Granger can cook like that. My compliments to the chef.”
Hermione was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Compliments taken and appreciated, Malfoy.”
Draco looked at her as a knowing smile crept slowly across his face. “I knew you were standing there, Hermione.”
She darted her eyes in the direction of the wizard addressing her.
“What did you call me?”
Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. “That’s your name, right? Or are you about to drop some sort of bombshell on us about your identity? Besides, I knew that would get a rise out of you, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity.”
Harry stood back and watched the conversation.
Hermione stuttered, “Y… you’ve n… never called me that before. It just caught me off guard.”
He looked at Harry, motioning towards her. “I told you she’s too sensitive.”
Hermione glanced in the direction of her best friend. “Harry?”
Harry took this opportunity to speak. “If I may say so, it was your temper that allowed Malfoy and I ””
Hermione interrupted, “Draco.”
“What?” Draco answered on instinct, almost looking irritated.
She ignored the Slytherin and looked at her best friend. “His name is Draco. He’s not the only one allowed to change around here. It’s time we address each other properly.”
Draco sat upright the best he could. “Well, aren’t you full of surprises? You can cook, and you know how to address someone the appropriate way. Not bad for a Mu ” Muggle-born.”
Hermione looked at him. “Please don’t make me regret this. I am feeling very vulnerable right now.”
Harry patted her shoulder in reassurance.
“Trust me, it will be fine. Let’s give Draco time to rest, and I will explain everything.” Feeling a bit more relaxed about the situation, Harry added, “Maybe if we drop enough hints about the smell, he might shower too, but don’t keep your hopes up. This is Malfoy we are talking about.”
Harry ducked as Malfoy made a snarling noise. He laughed as he closed the door behind him, locking it behind them, just in case. A minute later, a note was slipped under the door with a diagram of where to find the bathroom and its contents such as soap and shampoo labeled in bright red. Malfoy shook his head.
“Merlin help me, I am going to go crazy.”
Ron Weasley was lying on his bed, staring at his Chudley Cannon’s poster. The Quidditch players in the picture flew around, throwing the enchanted Bludger towards Ron before it would magically disappear.
He wasn’t really paying much attention to it because his mind was elsewhere. He was bored, plain and simple. He missed his two best friends, Harry and Hermione more than he thought possible and he was stuck at the Burrow.
Ron was the sixth of seven children and the youngest boy. Most of his family was out and about running errands so he opted to stay behind. He was at such a loss in finding something to do that he even resorted to starting his summer homework assignments!
He stared at his book and knew he could get his work done a lot faster if Hermione was there to help him. He thought of her and imagined how impressed she would be to know what he was doing on a beautiful summer day. Homework ! He tried to picture her at home as he lay on his own bed.
“I’ll bet she’s up to her neck in books at this exact moment!”
He was never so far from the truth.
Draco had been staying with Harry and Hermione for over a week. He had slowly begun to accept their hospitality and, in exchange, was not as much of a pain as he had been in years past. They had even learned to have civil conversations amongst each other at the headmaster’s urging.
One sunny afternoon, Hermione thought it would be fun to get some old Muggle games out to play. She knew she was going out on a limb with her suggestion but they needed to break the monotony. They had been trying to teach each other various defense techniques all morning and she felt as though they deserved a break.
She had been pleasantly surprised at Draco’s willingness to try the games, however they quickly learned that one thing about Malfoy had not changed “ He did not like to lose!
They had been nearing the end of the Game of Life and it was Draco and Hermione in a dead heat for the finish. She took her turn, and the spinner spun a five.
“Okay, Malfoy. Only one space left before I am declared winner!”
“Hell no, Granger. You’re going down.”
Draco turned the dial. It landed on ”
“A FOUR? Did you enchant the spinner? Admit it, you’re a bloody cheater! I knew I couldn’t trust you to play fair.”
Harry positioned himself for his turn. “Oh, just relax. She has to land by exact count so you still have a chance.”
Harry then spun and it landed on a ten, which was surprisingly enough to get him to the end of the game.
Draco and Hermione sat in shock.
Hermione spoke first. She pointed to Harry’s red car on the spot reserved for the winner with her mouth open in shock.
“Where did he come from?”
“No clue.” Draco shrugged after staring at the board in confusion. “It was a stupid game anyways. I’m going to go practice some more outside.” Hermione looked between her best friend and Draco. To Harry’s surprise, she opted to follow the Slytherin.
With that, they left Harry sitting, trying to figure out what had just transpired.
What have I gotten myself into this summer? he thought. Harry stood and picked up the scattered game pieces. He was eager to get himself outside and keep the peace in whatever dueling activity they were engaged in.
Safe Haven by NikkiSue
Chapter Notes: Let's try this again, shall we? I apologize for the length of time bewteen chapters. The waiting line at the queue rivals the wait to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and I also rewrote part of it to keep Draco more in canon. I want to extend a special thank you to Abbi for helping me by being my beta this time around. Thanks for your insight, dearie. As always, this all belongs to JKR. Maybe I'll be a rich billionnaire in my next life...