The Lost Prince of Rivendell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Arda T.A 3509*

Lord Elrond stood with his three children as his wife rode through the gates of Rivendell. She was leaving for Lothlorien to visit her mother and father just like she had done each time she was pregnant with their children.

This child had been a surprise and a blessing. It had been nearly two thousand and three hundred years since their youngest and only daughter Arwen had been born. He remembered each time his wife had insisted on the need to travel alone to her mother when she grew close to her due date.

Celebrian would leave and then a few weeks later Elrond would follow. Each of their children had been born in Lothlorien with Galadriel as their midwife. This time, his grown children would ride with him. They were all excited about the new baby.

“Are you sure it is safe for Mother to make this trip alone? Should we not be with her?” Arwen asked concerned. Elrond placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She may be over two thousand years old but for an Elf, she was still young.

“She is perfectly safe. She knows the best and fastest ways to Lothlorien. Ways that even I do not know about. It takes her a much shorter time to arrive than it will for us. It is something that she has always done to prepare for the arrival of each of you,” Elrond explained.

“Neither of you have explained what it is that she does there,” Elladan stated as they turned to head back into their palace.

“That is something that your mother has always kept to herself as well. Says that it is a secret that she will only ever pass on to Arwen when it is her time to have her own babes,” Elrond answered.

“Yeah, like that is ever going to happen. Arwen has refused every offer of marriage and courtship that has been brought to her. She has no interest in taking a husband much less a child,” Elrohir teased. Arwen rolled her eyes. It was nice to have her brothers back home, but she did not miss the constant teasing.

“I have already told you. I have seen him. There are still a few centuries before he comes for me,” Arwen said for what felt like the thousandth time. She had, in a small way, inherited her father's gift of ‘Dreaming’. Sometimes, she just knew when something was going to come to pass. Her father was the same way.

“Hain onlui tease, -iel. Trust in your dreams, he will come when it is time,” Elrond assured his daughter. “Now let us meet again for dinner. I have things to attend to in my study. We must prepare to follow your mother in two weeks.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three nights later, both Arwen and Elrond woke from a horrible Dream. In the dream they saw Orcs attacking Celebrian. They woke Elladan and Elrohir and sent the twins after her immediately. Just because they had seen it, didn’t mean it had happened yet or that they couldn’t stop it from ever happening.

Once the twins were gone, Arwen helped Elrond prepare his healing room. Just in case something was wrong with Celebrian and the baby. The two of them prayed to every deity they could imagine that their loved ones were unharmed. If everything was fine, the twins would send a raven back with a message that they were accompanying their mother the rest of the way and that everything was fine. If it wasn’t, they would send one stating that they were on their way back home.

The raven arrived two days later. The news was devastating. Celebrian had already been set upon by Orcs. She had been tortured and the baby had been ripped from her womb. They were bringing their mother and baby brother home but only one had survived the attack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Earth 1st Wizarding War 1980*

Albus looked around at the research on his desk. He leaned back and grinned. The only witnesses to this particular grin were the portraits on the wall. When any of them were questioned later they would all agree that the one word to describe the grin was ‘Unhinged’.

“I have finally done it. I have figured out the answer to all of our problems,” Albus said out loud to himself. He was often found talking out loud to himself these days. The war with Voldemort was really taking its toll on the old man’s mind.

A few months back, he had been witness to a prophecy spoken by one who came from a long line of true seers. He had been interviewing Sibyll for a teaching position when it had occurred.

**The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his Equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...**

He had known instantly which child the Prophecy spoke of. James and Lily Potter had just come to him and told him that they were pregnant, and the baby was due at the end of July. James and Lily were fighters in his Order and had defied the Dark Lord many times.

There was no doubt in his mind that the Potter child and not the Longbottom child, was the one the Prophecy spoke of. He was a half-blood just like Voldemort and came from a long line of powerful Wixen. Even Lily, though she was a muggleborn, was extremely powerful and had always gotten the top marks at the school.

Then everything went wrong. A month ago, James had called him to their home. Lily had lost their baby. She had insisted on leaving the house because she was tired of being cooped up. They had been attacked by Death Eaters and she had taken a curse to the stomach.

Dumbledore would fix this. No one could know that she had lost the baby. He had convinced James and Lily to keep the miscarriage a secret. Then he had sent Remus on a mission to the Werewolf tribes so that he would not smell the change in Lily’s scent. Sirius and Peter had been easy enough to keep busy with other things so that they didn’t visit either.

Albus was not ashamed of the depths that he was willing to go for this war to end. He had delved into some very Black Magic. Stuff that was much worse than Dark Magic.
The kind of stuff that could truly stain a soul. He would do what it took to win. He would have eternal glory for defeating one Dark Lord and setting up the downfall of another.

It would take him about two weeks to prepare everything, but he was going to do this. There was a spell. A Black spell that would search even across dimensions, for a savior to defeat the Dark Lord. He did not care if he had to travel into a hell dimension. He would locate a savior.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks later, to the day, he was ready. He had claimed a deserted room in the deepest part of the Hogwarts dungeons. He was ready to cast the spell and follow it to their only hope of surviving Voldemort.

“Aperi ianuam dimensionibus ignotis. Deduc me ad salvatorem nostrum. Impero tibi,” Albus chanted as he stood in the center of his casting circle. He continued to repeat the incantation over again as he sprinkled the blood mixture in his hands across the wall he stood in front of. He would know that the ritual had been successful when the portal opened.

There was a flash of bright light before all of the candles in the room blew out and left him standing in the pitch-black room. Then there was a light that appeared in front of him and the longer he watched it the bigger the light was. It was like watching double doors open. Before long he was standing in satisfaction as he looked out at the daylight shining on the road in front of him.

He stepped out of the ritual circle and through the portal. When he turned to look behind him, he could see the dark dungeon room he had just exited. According to the book, no one else would be able to see or enter the portal but him and someone he was touching. It would remain open until he passed back through it again.

Albus held up the pendant he had tied the spell to. It began to swing and then stopped when it was facing North. Albus cast a disillusionment spell on himself and followed where the pendant led.

He walked for a mere twenty minutes before he stopped in his tracks at the sight he had come upon. There was a woman lying on the side of the road. She was the most beautiful woman that Albus had ever seen and probably would ever see again in his life. She was also heavily pregnant and clearly in labor.

“Ni maure help,” She cried out when she spotted Albus. That was definitely not a language Albus understood. The only word he knew was help. She must have realized he didn’t understand because she took a deep breath and tried again.

“Please, I need help. My baby is coming but it is too early. Something is wrong,” The ethereal woman pleaded with him. Her accent was heavy, and the words were barely understandable. Albus checked his pendant and then tucked it away. This child was the one he was searching for.

“Fear not, Lady. I will aid you. I am not a healer, but I am skilled all the same. How early is your baby?” Albus asked in his most grandfatherly voice. No need to panic the poor woman. She seemed to relax.

“I should not be due for another month. I have never miscalculated my birthing time. There is something wrong,” She insisted. Albus patted her shoulder kindly.

“I am going to pull my wand so do not be alarmed. I am a Wizard and know magic that can help me detect your baby’s vitals and let me know what is going on in your womb. Will you allow it?” Albus asked. The woman nodded instantly.

“Oh, how lucky I am that you are the one who came upon us. Yes please, use your magic to check the babe,” she said and laid back on her makeshift bed. Albus ran the spells and when it looked like the baby was fine, he covertly cast another that would speed the birth along. He wanted this done as quickly as possible.

“I believe you may have miscalculated just a bit, my Lady. Your little one is full-term and ready to come into the world now. Have no fear, he is in no duress,” Albus informed her. She took a deep breath and nodded. Albus then lifted her gown and positioned himself between her legs. He conjured the blankets and things that he would need to care for the infant.

When he checked her, he could feel the head of the baby and instructed her to push the next time she felt the contraction. It was a bloody and loud affair but after four pushes, Albus was holding his savior in his arms. He wrapped the baby boy in the blankets after running a diagnostic to make sure he was fine.

“A beautiful little boy, My Lady. He is perfect. What were you planning on naming him?” Albus asked the exhausted woman. He pulled a vial out of his robes and handed it to her. She looked at it and him. He smiled at her. “For the pain. This will remove the pain while I clean your baby up and make sure he is ok. Then I will get you cleaned up.”

“Thank you. My husband chose Elros Celeborn Peredhel. He will be known as Prince Elros son of Elrond,” she said with a tired smile. She took the vial and Albus cleaned the baby while he waited for the potion to take effect. It didn’t take long. It was a very powerful sleeping draught after all. When the woman slipped into a sleep that she would not wake from until he fed her the antidote he stood and conjured a sling to place the newborn in.

Albus did a quick spell to locate the nearest town which happened to be quite a bit away down the road. He pulled out the broom he had brought with him and rode it to cut down on time. He entered the town once again under disillusionment. A silencing spell made sure that no one heard the small boy cry. He wandered the town until he found what he was looking for.

A woman laying a small boy down to sleep. He looked like he couldn’t be more than a week old. Dark of hair like the infant he had just delivered. He took the child when the mother left the room and flew back to where he had left the sleeping mother. He swaddled the baby in her cloak and then administered the antidote for his sleeping draught.

There was a beautiful golden ring with a blue stone on her ring finger that he took from her. Something that he could give the stolen child as a gift one day. Just call him a sentimental old fool. Plus, it felt powerful, maybe it would assist the boy in killing Voldemort when the time came.

Still, under disillusionment, he watched as the woman began to awaken. She was barely awake a moment when he heard an awful noise. When he turned, he saw a group of horrible-looking creatures headed for the woman. He shrugged and turned away when the baby in his arms started to cry again. He had a savior to tend to. The woman was on her own.

Albus left with the baby boy and quickly passed back through the portal into his own world. He closed up his ritual room and sealed it with the strongest wards that he knew. He would take care to get rid of all of the evidence another time.

It was July 30th. He was going straight to the Potter’s with the infant. He had a lot of work to do. He knocked on the house at Godric’s Hollow.

“Albus, what a surprise. What can we do for…Is that a baby?” James exclaimed when he saw the infant in the old wizard’s arms.

“Yes, I told you that I would take care of everything. This little boy was born only a few hours ago. His family is dead, and I thought of you and Lily instantly. May we come in?” Albus asked kindly. James just nodded and stepped aside.

“Oh,” Lily gasped when they walked into the living room. She did not take her eyes off the small boy in Albus’ arms.

“Would you like to take him?” Albus asked. Lily nodded and pulled the tiny dark-haired boy into her arms. “Please, sit down so that I can tell you what has happened.”

James and Lily both sat on the couch. He allowed them a few moments to gawk over the baby before he drew their attention back to him.

Albus told them that he had found the poor baby orphaned by the war because of a Death Eater attack. He told them it would be best if they took the child straight to the bank and claimed him as their own. Albus used compulsions to get them to do exactly what he wanted. He needed them to do it all legally so that no one could protest the legitimacy of the child.

The Potters did exactly as they were told. The went to the bank and officially adopted the baby. When they returned home, he did what was necessary to keep his secrets.

“Obliviate,” he said with his wand pointed at both of them. He could not allow anyone to know the truth of what he had done. He had a lot to do before he would be able to relax. He had already done the necessary spells over the infant.

A Black Blood Ritual had been done to draw out the magic in the babe’s blood. He was going to be a very powerful little boy. Now he took blood from both James and Lily and used it to cast a blood glamour over the boy so that he would look as if he had been born to the two of them. Then he altered the Potter’s memories.

Lily never lost her baby. She had given birth to a perfectly healthy little boy on July 31st. They named him Harrison James Potter. He knew they still had their nursery put together upstairs. Lily had lost the baby late enough in the pregnancy that they had already been prepared for the baby to arrive and had known it would be a boy. He made sure they were all settled and then left.

He still needed to adjust the memory of a few others, mainly Severus, Remus, Sirius, and Peter. They were the only ones that had known about the pregnancy at all. They had been keeping it a secret because of the war and then later because of the prophecy. Tomorrow they would make an announcement about the birth. Albus needed people to know about the baby so that Voldemort would know about him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earth November 1st, 1981

Albus stood with Minerva staring at the house he would be placing the child in as soon as Hagrid arrived.

“Albus, I am telling you; I have been watching them all day. They are the worst kind of Muggles. This isn’t going to be a good home for the boy to grow up in. He should be with Wixen. There are many Light families who would raise the boy right. The Weasleys, for example, or even Andromeda and Ted Tonks,” Minerva insisted.

She had been trying for hours to convince Albus to change his mind about where the boy was homed after the devastation of last night. Albus was listening to none of it. This was where he needed the boy.

He knew for a fact that Petunia Dursley nee Evans was a horrible woman who hated anything to do with Magic. She had married a man who was just as horrible as she was. Harry would not live a good life here, far away from everything magic. When the time finally came for him to return to the Wixen world Albus would be there to mentor him. The abused brat would be so grateful that he would do anything Albus wanted him to.

“This is the best place for him, Minerva. This is his family, and they will love him and raise him like a normal boy. Imagine the kind of life he would live if he grew up in the Magical world. He would be spoiled and entitled. Beyond that he would be a huge target for all of the Death Eaters looking to get revenge for their fallen Lord,” Albus pointed out.

“I don’t know, Albus. These people do not seem like people who would take care of him. Wouldn’t it be better to let Mr. Lupin take the boy to the Potter’s Cottage and raise him there? Remus would make sure he grew up humble and kind,” Minerva insisted. Albus just shook his head.

“You know why Remus cannot take him. The Ministry would never allow it,” Albus told her as if she were a small child who didn’t know anything. Minerva scowled at him.

“Does the ministry know where he is being placed now? Isn’t the whole point for him to be somewhere that others do not know? Put the cottage under Fidelius. Place them in the Muggle world. Mr. Lupin knows how to fit in with Muggles. No one would even know he was with him,” Minerva was not giving up.

She had watched the Muggles all day. Albus was not making a good choice here. Albus turned to face Minerva and frowned. When did people start questioning his judgment instead of believing that he knew what was right? He was not used to being doubted only blindly followed.

“Minerva, Mr. Lupin is a Werewolf,” Albus said as if that would get her to understand. She just shrugged.

“So, what, Albus? For three nights a month, Remus will drop Harry at the school for us to tend to. Or one of us can spend those nights at their home taking care of the boy,” Minerva stated firmly.

“Minerva, I understand your concern for the boy, and it is admirable, however, the Potters specifically stated in their wills that young Harry was to be placed with Lily’s sister Petunia. She is the boy’s only living relative. Would you go against what they specifically wanted for their only son? Don’t you think Lily would know her own sister better than you after observing them for a few hours?” Albus finally snapped firmly.

Minerva opened her mouth to say something again but stopped when they could hear the roar of a bike in the distance. It grew louder steadily until a flying motorcycle flew down from above and landed on the road next to them. Albus was glad he had placed silencing spells around the houses in the neighborhood.

A giant man dismounted the bike holding a small bundle in his very large arms. He started crying when Albus took the baby from his arms. Minerva patted the large man on the hand.

“There there, Hagrid it’s only for a little while. He will be coming to Hogwarts before you know it,” Minerva tried to soothe him. Albus just ignored the two of them. He conjured a basket and placed the small boy inside it. He wrapped his blanket around him further and then pulled a note from his pocket and pinned it to his blanket. Then he stood up and backed away.

“Yer, gonna leave ‘im out in tha cold?” Hagrid asked. Minerva too was shocked. She had thought he would at least take the boy inside and explain what had happened.

“This is what is best,” Albus said. He did not answer any more questions from the two of them. “It is time to go before we draw attention to ourselves from the Ministry. I will come back tomorrow and place wards to protect the boy.”

Albus cast very discreet compulsion charms on both of them. Spells of his own making that would make most anyone bend to his will for a while. Minerva and Hagrid agreed it was time to go and then the three of them quickly left the quiet Muggle street of Privet Drive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earth June 23rd 1991

Harry was woken from his sleep by a loud bang. He yawned and blinked his eyes open. It wasn’t the first time he had been startled awake by loud noises. He was tired and felt as if he had just gone to sleep, which honestly was probably true. He had been up all-night wrapping Dudley’s gifts.

“Ow,” Harry cried out startled when he was yanked from his bed by his hair. He should have known better than to linger. He should have gotten up the moment he heard the bang of his cupboard door opening.

“You don’t have time to laze about, Freak. Get up and get breakfast going before my Duddykins comes down to eat. Do you understand? If it isn’t done before he comes down, I will let Vernon have at you when we get home this evening,” His Aunt Petunia hissed in his face.

Harry nodded and headed straight to the kitchen. He only made it half a step before he was cuffed against his ear.

“I asked if you understood, Freak. I will have no cries of unfairness when you are beaten later for not getting your duties done on time,” Petunia demanded.

“Yes, Aunt Petunia. I understand that if I do not have breakfast done before Dudley comes down for breakfast you will allow Uncle Vernon to beat me this evening,” Harry quoted back. Petunia nodded and then shoved him toward the kitchen. Harry went without another word spoken.

He was used to this kind of treatment. He had been treated this way his entire life. Harry hadn’t even known he had a name until he was five and started school. They had only ever called him Freak or Boy and that was what he thought his name was.

He was reminded daily that he was unwanted and unloved, just a burden his Aunt and Uncle had graciously taken on when his horrible, useless drunk parents had died in a car accident. So, he worked so that he could stay with them. He had to pay his way, he wasn’t like Dudley who was theirs, Dudley was loved, wanted, and spoiled.

He had been cooking since he was four, which was when he was tall enough to reach the stove while standing on a stool. He had been cleaning since he was big enough to hold a rag or work a broom and mop. He was not allowed to sit on any furniture because they didn’t want him to infect it with his Freakishness.

Harry had not lived a good life. Sometimes things would just happen around him, things that he could not explain. The one and only time he had called it magic, he had been beaten so badly that he had not been able to leave his cupboard for a week.

He had gone the entire week locked in. He was not fed or even allowed out to go to the bathroom. So, at the end of the week when he was finally allowed out he had been starving and covered in what urine and feces his malnourished and starving body could produce.

His aunt had drug him out of the cupboard and thrown him into a bath that was so scalding hot he had gotten blisters on top of the rash from laying in his own waste for so long. She had made him scrub himself until he was literally bleeding and then had made him dress and start his chores after eating a piece of stale bread and being allowed a cup of water.

Being beaten wasn’t new. He was beaten all of the time for any perceived slight. Dudley would break things and blame Harry who was then beaten. He made better grades than Dudley when they started primary school and he had been beaten for it. Freaks were not allowed to be better than Normal boys.

“Happy Birthday, Duddykins,” Petunia called just as Harry placed three plates of food on the table and retreated to his corner. He would not eat with the family. Had never been allowed to eat with the family but was always made to watch them eat. He grinned and then hid it as Petunia, Dudley, and Vernon came into the dining room. He had finished breakfast in the time he had been given. He would not be beaten for this.

“How many are there,” Dudley demanded as he completely ignored his breakfast and went to the pile of gifts. Vernon and Petunia exchanged a look that Harry knew meant Dudley was about to pitch a fit.

“Thirty-six, counted them myself,” Vernon said proudly. Dudley looked up at him angrily.

“Thirty-six? But last year…last year I had thirty-seven,” Dudley shrieked. Vernon grimaced and tried to appease his spoiled hippo of a son.

“Your gifts this year are quite a bit more expensive than the ones…” Vernon started but was interrupted by Dudley stomping his feet and wailing at his mother about how unfair it was that he got less gifts this year.

“Don’t you…*Sniff*…love me anymore,” Dudley wailed. Petunia wrapped Dudley in her arms.

“Of course, we love you, Darling,” Petunia told him. Vernon sighed and then gave in. Like he always did.

“How about this, when we go out to the zoo today, we will stop and get you two more gifts and ice cream. How does that sound?” Vernon offered. Dudley dried up his crocodile tears and grinned.

“Fine, but Piers comes to the Zoo with us too,” Dudley countered. Vernon frowned. Harry knew why. If they invited a friend to go with them, then Harry had to go too. The Dursleys tried very hard to be normal. His normal sitter, Mrs. Figg was sick and couldn’t watch him, which meant they couldn’t leave Harry behind.

“If we invite Piers, Diddikins, then Freak will have to go to. Figg is sick and we cannot leave him alone,” Petunia pointed out. Dudley just shrugged.

“I want Piers to come,” Dudley stated as he sat down to eat. He loved gifts but his fat arse couldn’t go without food for long and Harry was a very good cook.

“It is your birthday. We will do whatever makes you happy,” Petunia answered.

Harry just stood silently in his corner until they were through eating and then he cleared the table and cleaned everything up while Dudley opened his gifts and his parents watched. The part Harry laughed about the most when he was alone was that most, if not all, of those gifts, would be broken or trashed within a month when Dudley was bored of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, Harry was lying in his cupboard, in so much pain. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been beaten this badly. Things had been going so good, Harry was having a great time seeing all of the animals. The last exhibit they went to was the reptiles.

Harry had always been fascinated by them. It always seemed like he could almost hear words when he came upon them hissing in the garden. They kept him company and he would pull weeds or plant flowers. He loved to pretend they told him stories.

Except, maybe he hadn’t been pretending. Because he had definitely heard the large Python at the Zoo speak to him after he released it. The snake had definitely understood him when he had talked to it. That isn’t even what he was beaten for.

Dudley had been tormenting the snake when the glass vanished, and he fell inside. Then, the glass had reappeared, and he had been trapped inside the enclosure. Harry had made the mistake of laughing and had been caught by Uncle Vernon. When they had gotten home, Vernon had taken Harry into the soundproof basement and beaten him so badly he knew he would be spending another week in his cupboard while he recovered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 1991

Harry spent the next month quiet and only doing what he was told. He did not want to get in trouble again so soon. He just needed to last the rest of the summer. Dudley had been accepted to a prestigious Boarding school and would be leaving come the end of August. Harry would have to stay here but at least he would not have to deal with Dudley anymore until the next summer.

He opened his cupboard when he heard it unlock and started breakfast. He heard the mail arrive and went to the front door to retrieve it. He sorted through it like always to make sure that he didn’t give his uncle any useless junk mail.

Then he came across a heavy large envelope. It shocked him into immobility when he realized it was addressed to him. He had never received anything. His shock quickly turned to rage when he actually realized how it was addressed.

**Mr. H. Potter
The Cupboard Under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey**

Someone, whoever had sent this letter to him, knew how he was treated. If they knew where he slept, then they knew how he was beaten and starved. Unless this was some elaborate prank created by Dudley, which honestly wouldn’t surprise him, then he wanted nothing to do with these people.

Suddenly the letter was snatched from his hand, and he looked up in time to see Dudley sprint down the hall to the kitchen.

“Father, someone sent the Freak a letter,” Dudley exclaimed. Harry hurried into the room just in time to hear Vernon chuckle. He watched as the man took the letter from his son.

“Why would anyone want to write to…” He stopped as soon as he read the address. He flipped the envelope over and Harry would swear he turned as white a ghost. All of the color drained from his face. Petunia came over quickly to see what the fuss was about, and she reacted the same way.

So not a prank then. There was no way it was a prank with the two of them acting that way. Plus, Dudley seemed genuinely confused as to why his parents were not answering him and were not opening the letter.

“Burn it,” Vernon demanded, and Petunia snatched the letter and tossed it into the sink before setting it on fire. “Just some stupid prank obviously.”

Harry knew better than to open his mouth. He didn’t want to receive a beating today. He was still sore from yesterday’s beating. Dudley had been horsing around in the living room and spilled red soda on the beige carpet. Harry had of course been blamed and that was that.

“But Father,” Dudley whined. Harry was sure Vernon would tell them something. Dudley always got what he wanted. Vernon ignored him as did Petunia. Dudley continued to whine and beg. Harry was curious how long they would hold out. Finally, Vernon slammed his fist onto the table and glared at Dudley.

“I said it was a prank. Now leave it be boy and go play,” Vernon shouted. Dudley and Harry both looked completely shocked. Harry would not have been able to control his face if he had been threatened with death in that moment. Vernon and Petunia had never, and Harry meant NEVER, raised their voices at Dudley.

“I...” Dudley started and looked between his mother and father. Neither gave him kind looks. He would not get his way. Not this time. “Yes, Father,” Dudley finally said and then quickly strode from the room. Vernon glared up at Harry.

“Anything you want to add, Freak?” Vernon nearly snarled. Harry shook his head no quickly.

“No, Sir, Uncle Vernon. It was clearly a prank. No one would ever write to me, Sir,” Harry placated the seething man. Vernon relaxed his shoulders and then waved a hand toward Harry to dismiss him as well. Harry ran from the room and started on his outside chores. Anything to keep him out of Uncle Vernon’s sight until the man left for work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn’t end there. The next morning, Harry stood in the hall as his Aunt walked his Uncle to the door to send him off to work. There was a small pile of identical letters. That wasn’t even the weirdest part, there were about six owls, ‘OWLS’ sitting on his uncle's car. Harry had never seen an owl on Privet Drive.

That was Tuesday morning. That evening his uncle came home and boarded up their mail slot.

It didn’t help. Wednesday morning when the post arrived, there were so many letters addressed to Harry that it knocked down the board and flooded the entryway. Vernon locked Harry in his cupboard and then he gathered them all up and burned them in the pit in the backyard.

It got worse every day and everyone in the house was on edge. Harry never managed to steal a letter either. He wasn’t the only one trying. Dudley was trying as well, and they were both constantly thwarted. His Aunt and Uncle were hyper-vigilant about the mysterious letters. They stopped trying to come up with excuses when it became clear this was not a prank of some sort.

When Sunday morning came around, there was a very obvious shift in the mood of the house. His uncle was smiling and relaxed, which in turn, put his aunt and cousin at ease. Harry relaxed shoulders that had been tense all week. He had been walking on eggshells so that he didn’t turn his uncle’s wrath onto himself.

“Today is a wonderful day. Can you tell me why, Dudley?” Vernon said as he accepted a cup of tea from his wife. Dudley stuttered and shook his head no.

“There is no post on Sunday,” Harry answered from the hall. Vernon grinned even wider and sipped his tea.

“No post on Sunday,” Vernon repeated almost giddily. Harry just rolled his eyes since no one could see him. Maybe five minutes later there was a rumbling noise and the house seemed to shift with the noise. The four occupants of the house followed the noise and looked at the boarded-up fireplace.

Suddenly, there was a loud cracking noise as the boards snapped in half and what seemed like thousands of letters began to flood into the house. Dudley and Harry both attempted to once again steal a letter but were stopped when Vernon grabbed them by the arms and tossed them out on the front lawn.

“Get into the car,” He spat at them angrily. He had a mad gleam in his eyes. Harry thought he had for sure finally snapped.

“Daddy’s gone mad,” Dudley whispered beside him as the door was slammed closed. Harry nodded and then the two of them rushed to get into the car. They sat there in silence for about an hour before Vernon and Petunia exited the house with suitcases. They loaded them into the trunk of the car and then got in.

“What is going on? Are we going somewhere?” Dudley asked. Vernon turned that crazy stare back toward the two boys.

“Oh yes, I believe we are due for a vacation,” Was all Vernon said. Then he turned and started the car. He didn’t answer any more questions from Dudley or Petunia. They traveled for hours and only stopped once. Finally, after almost an entire day of traveling, they parked the car and unloaded everything into a rickety boat that barely looked fit to float.

They rowed over choppy water until they arrived at a delipidated shack on an island made of rock. It was like something out of one of the horror movies he had watched through the slats in his cupboard door.

“Let’s see those Freaks find us here,” Harry swore he heard his uncle mumble as they unloaded the boat. Harry was more curious than ever now. Harry was the only person Vernon had ever called a Freak.

Later that night, Harry lay on the dusty floor and drew a birthday cake in the dust with eleven candles. At midnight, it would be his birthday. He had never had a party, never received a gift, and most certainly never had it acknowledged by anyone. If anything, they always gave him extra chores or tortured him more than usual.

But this was one thing he had always done. He had always stayed awake and waited for midnight so that he could wish himself a ‘Happy Birthday’. If no one else ever acknowledged his birthday, he always would.

He looked up when Dudley gave a particularly loud snore from the couch. There was only one room in the shack and his aunt and uncle had claimed it of course. He looked at the watch on Dudley’s arm and counted down the seconds. When it was twelve exactly, Harry turned and blew out his fake candles.

“Happy Birthday,” Harry whispered. He was startled violently from his quiet contemplation when there was a loud bang. At first, he thought it was thunder from the storm that was raging outside, but then he heard it again. He jumped up just as the door was blown from its hinges and landed with a loud crack on the ground.

Harry quickly hid so that he could see the door but whoever was there would not be able to see him. He would not make himself a target. The lightning flashed and an impossibly tall figure was silhouetted by the flash. Then, the figure stepped into the house. He chuckled and leaned down to pick up the door and press it back into place.

At this point, Dudley was standing in the middle of the room trembling like an idiot. The giant man turned around and shook his massive head, throwing water droplets everywhere.

“ ‘ello ‘Arry. Look a bit rounder than I thought ya would. But ‘sgood ter see ya again,” the giant near shouted out. Dudley seemed to tremble more.

“I…I’m not Harry,” He stuttered out. Hagrid looked him up and down and then looked around. Harry stepped out from his hiding place.

“I’m Harry,” He said as he adjusted his glasses. The giant man smiled at him and then clapped him hard enough on the back to knock the wind out of him and knock his glasses askew.

“ ‘Course ya are. Look just like yer, Da,” The giant man exclaimed. Harry was startled this man was here for him and he knew Harry’s parents.

“You know me? You know my parents?” Harry asked quickly.

“ ‘Course, I do,” He said as if it was obvious. He plopped down on the couch and caused it to crack and fold in the middle. Then he pulled a pink umbrella from his coat and aimed it at the fireplace. He mumbled something and a spark flew from the umbrella and the dying embers flared to life.

Magic. That was definitely magic. Harry was not an idiot, no matter what his grades suggested. The man tucked the umbrella away and then held his hands out to warm them with the fire. Just then his aunt and uncle came bounding down the stairs. His uncle had a shotgun in his hand aimed at the giant man.

“Leave. I will not have you Freaks around my family. I won’t have you lot filling the boy’s head with nonsense,” Vernon glared. The giant stood up quickly and went straight to Vernon. Then he gripped the shotgun and literally bent it in half with one hand. He was really strong. Harry loved watching the fear cross his aunt and uncle’s faces.

“I’ll no be leavin ‘til I do wha I came ‘ere ta do,” the man growled at Vernon. Then he turned to Harry and handed him a letter. Harry quickly snatched from the man and opened it.

“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?” Harry asked the man. The Giant beamed and nodded.

“Only tha best school fer magic in tha world,” he answered. Harry grinned and looked back down to keep reading. A school for magic?

“He will not be going to your Freak School. I won’t allow it,” Vernon spat out. Harry glared up at him.

“ ‘Course he’s goin,” The giant exclaimed.

“You knew,” He accused. Petunia scoffed.

“Of course, we knew. We have known since you were two that you were just like my Freak sister and her Freak husband. My parents were so proud when Lily received her letter. Now we had a ‘witch’ in the family. Perfect Lily could do no wrong. But I knew her for what she was. A Freak,” Petunia nearly snarled.

“Then she went and got herself blown up fighting in their awful war,” Petunia added. “And we got saddled with you.”

“Blown up? You said they died in a car accident because they were drunk,” Harry accused. The giant gasped and placed a hand over his chest. Harry thought that was a little dramatic, but he let it go.

“James and Lily Potter, dead from an accident?” the man exclaimed. “They was heroes they was.” Harry was reeling. This was too much in too short an amount of time. He wasn’t a freak, he was magic, a wizard. His parents weren’t drunks, they were magic too. There was a school he was accepted into. A school that would teach him magic.

“Oh, may o’sat on it,” the man said happily and then started to pat himself down. Then he pulled a pink box from his coat excitedly. “Baked it me self. Letters an all.” Harry opened the box and stared down at the only birthday cake he had ever been given. He tasted the icing and had to put a lot of effort into not grimacing.

It wasn’t good, but he would not be unappreciative. He sat the box down on the table and saw when Dudley snatched it up. He fought a laugh; it served him right to eat a nasty cake because he was a greedy fat boy.

“What is your name?” Harry asked the giant. The man beamed and flushed pink a little.

“Names Hagrid,” He answered quickly. Harry nodded.

“And what do you do?” Harry asked. Hagrid puffed out his chest proudly.

“I be tha groundskeeper and the keeper o’ tha keys at Hogwarts,” Hagrid answered. Harry continued to ask questions that the giant happily answered. He learned the man was a half-giant, he was very simple, he hero-worshiped the headmaster, and he had been there when Harry had been abandoned on a porch with nothing but a thin blanket on a freezing November night.

They left as soon as the light started to rise. Hagrid was taking Harry to some place called Diagon Alley to shop for his school supplies and uniform. Harry loved every minute of it. When they arrived and Hagrid called his name out loudly, he didn’t earn any points with Harry when it drew attention from everyone who began to treat Harry as if he was some sort of celebrity. Harry hated it. Probably worse than being beaten.

They went to a bank run by the strangest creatures called Goblins that Harry had ever seen. He had been taken to his vault and realized quickly that he was very rich. He wasn’t stupid he heard the goblin Griphook call him an heir, heard him say they were going to the heir vault. If this was the heir vault, then the main vault must be extraordinary.

He would not ask questions right now though. Hagrid seemed to get uncomfortable the more things were talked about. Harry paid very close attention when Hagrid got ‘secretive’ about a vault that he retrieved one item from and then instructed Harry not to mention.

When they were through at the bank, Hagrid sent Harry off to explore for a bit and get his shopping done. Said he had some business to attend to. Harry watched him head off back toward The Leaky Cauldron. The man was obviously going to have a drink. Harry decided to start with the simplest thing first.

He was already standing in front of a robe shop, so he headed in. He was led to the back quickly and realized he wasn’t back there alone. There was a platinum blonde-haired boy standing there being fitted for nice robes.

“Hogwarts dear?” The seamstress asked him. Harry nodded.

“Yes ma’am. I would like good quality material, please. I am also going to need a new wardrobe, socks, underwear, pants, and shirts. Proper wizarding clothes please,” Harry informed her. The woman took his measurements with a smile and then stepped away.

“I am getting a new wardrobe for the school year as well,” The blonde boy spoke to him as he checked himself out in the mirror. “What house do you think you will be in?” Harry shrugged he had no idea what that meant really. Other than that Harry’s parents had been Gryffindors, and it was the best house full of brave people and he was going to go there too.

“My parents were Gryffindors. I was told I would be too,” Harry stated just to keep the conversation going. The boy seemed a bit posh, but Harry was determined to make a good impression. He wasn’t going to hide in school. He would make good grades and wouldn’t hide the wealth he obviously had. He would take every advantage that he could, and he would carve a place out for himself in this new world.

“You don’t have to be sorted the same as your parents. A lot of children aren’t. I am going to be Slytherin of course. It is the best house, known for cunning and wit. Malfoys nearly always sort Slytherin, though some have gone to Ravenclaw,” The boy answered confidently. Cunning and wit, Harry kind of liked the idea of that better than brave. He noticed a necklace on the boy when he turned to face him fully.

“I like your necklace. It is very pretty,” Harry complimented. The boy beamed and then stuck his nose up.

“Well, the snake is the house mascot for Slytherin house. It was a gift from my Godfather on my birthday in June,” the boy answered. Harry smiled. Well, that was another point for Slytherin. Harry loved snakes.

“I can talk to snakes, you know,” Harry told the boy casually. The boy stopped twirling and stepped off his pedestal. He pulled Harry down and looked down at him. Harry was much smaller.

“Be serious,” The boy stated. Harry gave him a confused look.

“I am being serious. I can talk to snakes. I can understand them too. I have been able to hear them my entire life,” Harry insisted. The boy looked shocked and then amazed.

“My name is Draco. Draco Malfoy,” The boy said and held out his hand. Harry looked at it for a moment and then took the boy’s outstretched hand.

“Harry. Harry Potter,” He answered. If it was possible, the boy seemed even more shocked. He flicked his eyes up to the place where Harry knew his scar was hidden by his hair. That was weird.

“Harry Potter? That is fantastic. We are going to be great friends,” Draco exclaimed. “How much of your shopping do you have left?”

“All of it. This was the first place I stopped,” Harry answered with a smile. He didn’t know how he felt about the boy wanting to be his friend after hearing his name, but he would use it to his advantage.

“Well, you are in luck. This was my first stop as well. You will shop with me and my parents,” Draco told him as if it wasn’t even an option for Harry to deny him. They spent the rest of the time in the clothing shop with Draco helping Harry to pick materials as well as styles and colors of clothes that fit him best.

They were instructed to finish up their shopping and come back in three hours to collect their things. Draco insisted that Harry buy something that he could wear now so that he wasn’t wearing rags around the Alley. He told him that wasn’t clothing that was befitting his station and he didn’t even want to know why Harry was wearing it in the first place. Harry let Draco dress him in very nice black slacks and a dark green button-down shirt with a black robe thrown over it. Harry felt very posh.

When he was changed, Draco dragged him from the store and straight up to two very lovely, intimidating-looking people.

“Mother, Father. I would like to introduce you to my new friend, Harry Potter,” Draco paused for dramatic effect and Harry saw both adult’s eyes widen slightly as they turned their gazes to Harry. He was really glad he had let Draco force him into new clothes.

“Hello, Heir Potter. I am Lord Lucius Malfoy, and this is my wife Lady Narcissa Malfoy. It is nice to meet you. Who are you here shopping with?” The posh man introduced himself.

“Well, I was brought here by someone named Hagrid. He took me to get money from the bank and then left me alone to shop. Draco was kind enough to offer to let me shop with him. I am hopelessly lost. I have never been here before,” Harry answered. He was purposely aiming to get their sympathy.

“Never been here before? Where did you grow up? Surely it can’t be much different from the Magical Alley you grew up going to?” Lucius asked. Harry looked up at the man and gave him his best, confused face.

“I don’t know what you mean, Sir. I only just found out about magic a few hours ago. A giant man, Hagrid showed up at my house with a letter from Hogwarts and told me I was a wizard. I don’t know anything,” Harry insisted.

“Just found out about… were you not raised by Wixen?” Narcissa asked him. She had the softest voice it was really nice to hear. Harry hoped she talked more. Harry shook his head.

“No, I was raised by my Mother’s sister. I believe Hagrid called them Miggles,” Harry said uncertainly.

“Muggles,” Draco corrected when he finally recovered from his shock. “It is what we call non-magic people.”

“Fear not, Heir Potter. We will help you learn everything that you need to know before you start school,” Lucius stated primly.

“Thank you, Lord Malfoy. However, that may be hard to do if I am still with my relatives. They don’t like magic and I am not allowed to talk about it at home,” Harry informed them.

“Then we will see about them letting you spend the rest of the summer with us,” Narcissa spoke up again. Lucius nodded and Draco grinned.

“That would be really nice. Only if it wouldn’t be any trouble,” Harry answered. Lucius waved away his words as if they didn’t matter.

“It isn’t. We will come to your Aunt’s home and pick you up exactly one hour after leaving the alley. How does that sound?” Lucius asked. Harry thought about it and nodded. It should be easy enough to accomplish. The Dursleys may not even be back home yet at the time and Harry can just leave with the Malfoy family.

“Shopping now please,” Draco stated impatiently.

“Of course, let’s go and get your trunks first. The shop is right there,” Lucius agreed. Harry had the best time. He got the fancy trunk that Draco insisted on. It had magic compartments that he could keep so many things in. Magic was amazing. There was also a featherlight charm on them so that they would never be too heavy to carry.

Lucius shrunk them both down and let the boys put them in their pockets.

The next place they went was Flourish and Blots. They got all of their schoolbooks plus a lot more that Harry either found interesting or Lucius told him would be useful. He watched in awe as Lucius shrunk those bags down as well and they were slipped into his pockets. Man, he loved Magic. They visited all of the rest of their necessary shops and saved the wand shop and the Menagerie for last.

Draco insisted on the Menagerie first. Draco bought a very expensive, very fast owl that liked to bite everyone but Draco. Harry decided he was going to break school rules just a bit when he came across a tiny little black snake that was grumbling about her cage.

**Horrible two-legged, scaleless, flesh bags. This den is too small, the rocks are too pointy, and the wrong color, and the water smells funny. **

Harry stifled a chuckle and leaned down so that his face was level with the glass. He read the description. She was a magical snake that had been sold to the menagerie about a month ago. Her species wasn’t posted. Only that she hatched about a month before the menagerie received her, she liked to bite, and she was highly venomous.

*Hello, pretty girl* Harry said to her after he looked around to make sure no one was paying him attention. The snake turned toward him a bit startled and then seemed to look around as if trying to find another snake.

**Who speaks to me? **

She demanded. Harry chuckled and very lightly tapped the glass of her cage.

*I did * Harry answered. The snake reared back and was silent for a moment.

**A flesh bag that can speak? Good, tell that caretaker I am unhappy with this den**

The snake demanded. Harry loved her. She was beautiful and sleek. Her fangs seemed like they were made from onyx gemstones and her scales looked the same. Her eyes though…her eyes were a brilliant purple.

*How about instead, I take you home and give you a den that you will love? * Harry asked her suddenly. He knew it would be against the rules, but she was solid black. He could hide her in his robes or keep her hidden in his trunk. It was absolutely doable. The snake was silent and raised her head from the rocks and tasted the air.

**Put your hand in my den and let me taste you **

So, Harry was going to do exactly that. He got his hand part of the way in when he heard a yell and turned to see the shop owner as well as Lucius come quickly toward him.

“Do not put your hand in there. That horrible thing……..bites,” The woman paused and was shocked to see Harry stick his hand in and the snake curled around his fingers, and he lifted her out. He stood up with her slithering through his fingers. Harry held her up to his face and the snake flicked out her tongue to taste him like she wanted.

“Harry, Darling,” Harry turned to see Narcissa standing behind him with Draco next to her. Draco was grinning but not saying anything. Harry figured he was going to see how it played out.

“Yes, Lady Malfoy,” Harry said calmly as he nuzzled the snake against his cheek.

“I know the snake is beautiful, and you do not know much about the Wixen world, but it is also very venomous. If it bites you, you will die,” Narcissa spoke calmly and soothingly. Harry smiled at her.

“She won’t bite me. *Will you, Pretty Girl? *” Harry seamlessly switched to Parselmouth in the middle of the sentence. The three adults seemed to go completely still. Lucius turned to the shop owner, gave a wave of his hand, and whispered a word. The shop owner kind of went blank in the face.

“I see that you are finding everything just fine on your own. Just let me know if you need any help with anything,” She said and then walked away.

“He is a Parselmouth,” Draco said excitedly, but quietly. His parents turned to him.

“You knew?” Lucius asked. Draco nodded.

“He told me at Madam Malkin’s shop. It’s why I know he will go to Slytherin with me,” Draco said happily. Narcissa patted him on the shoulder and turned to Harry.

“I know that you don’t know any better and seeing as how Draco didn’t explain, I am going to give you a very quick warning. It will not be advantageous for you to let others know that you can talk to snakes. If you will be patient, we will explain it more in depth when we get to our home,” Narcissa asked him. Harry nodded. He didn’t know why it would be a secret, but he would let them explain.

“Yes, ma’am, I can be patient,” Harry agreed.

“Good boy,” Lucius said from behind him, and Harry didn’t know how to feel about the warm tingling feeling the praise gave him, so he ignored it.

“I am going to get her. She doesn’t like it here. She is small enough and solid black I can hide her in my robes. No one will know,” Harry insisted.

“If you end up in Slytherin like Draco seems to think you will, then I am sure you will find a way to keep your secret and avoid trouble,” Lucius answered. Harry nodded.

“Put the lovely snake back in her cage and we will call the shopkeeper back,” Narcissa instructed. Harry nuzzled the snake once more.

*I am going to put you back in your cage, but only for a little while. I need to get you out of here without the mean flesh bag knowing that I can speak to you. Just tell me what things you prefer for your den, and I will get them * Harry said to the snake. The snake allowed Harry to put her back in the cage.

**I will tell you what I like **

Harry turned just as Lucius returned with the woman. She looked concerned.

“Are you sure that this is the one you want to purchase?” She asked. Lucius looked at Harry. It was his transaction, and he would not handle it for him.

“Yes, I am sure. I read the warnings on the den. I will be careful,” Harry insisted. He knew how to talk to adults. He had learned a long time ago how to talk to adults to stay on their good side. It had been beaten into him along with all of his other lessons.

“Well, if you are sure. But you will need to sign an agreement that the Menagerie is not responsible for injury or death that occurs as a result of the snake,” She insisted. Harry nodded; he was fine with that.

“Yes ma’am. I don’t have a problem with that,” Harry stated politely. Then she smiled at him.

“Well, we carry a variety of supplies that you can also purchase for the snake. If you are interested,” She offered. Harry nodded and Draco picked up the cage.

“I will hold her while you shop for her things,” Draco said excitedly.

Harry grinned at him and followed where the woman led them to the supplies. Harry picked out things that the snake preferred. She said there was one more thing she needed but they couldn’t get it here. Genuine, natural Onyx stones or Geodes. Lucius insisted that he knew a place where they could purchase them.

When they had finished making the purchases and left the store, Harry stepped into a darker alley and Lucius followed. He took the snake out of the cage and let her curl up around his upper arm, under his robe. She seemed to like it there and said she was comfortable enough to ride there. Lucius vanished the cage and they stepped back onto the street.

“Wands next,” Draco said excitedly. Harry nodded and the four of them headed for the wands. Draco tried out three wands before he found the one that was meant for him. Ollivander was a little weird with his whole ‘the wand chooses the wizard’ stuff. Harry just went with it.

“Ten-inch, Hawthorne with a unicorn hair core. Very good wand, she is loyal and protective,” Ollivander praised. Draco beamed and slipped it into the brand-new Dragonhide wrist holster he had purchased for it. He stepped back with his parents and Harry stepped up to the counter.

“I wondered when I would be seeing you, Mister Potter. It seems only yesterday that your parents were in here buying their first wands,” Ollivander stated when he turned his focus to Harry. He pulls a wand down and hands it to Harry. “Give it a wave.”

Harry does as he is told, and several boxes fly off a nearby shelf and crash to the floor. Harry gently lays the wand on the counter and nudges it back to Ollivander with the tip of his finger. Ollivander chuckles and puts it away.

“Apparently, not that one….Maybe this one will work for you,” Ollivander shuffles around different boxes and pulls down another one that he hands to Harry. The green-eyed boy is hesitant this time and looks back at the Malfoys. Lucius nods at him very slightly and Harry turns back around to pick up the wand. This time he shattered a vase. Ollivander plucked the wand from his hand.

Ollivander shuffles through more shelves and sets a small stack on the counter finally. Harry tries them all. All of them were violently disastrous. At some point, a shield was erected around the Malfoys so that none of the debris reached them. Ollivander puts the wands to the side and goes to reach for another one and then pauses. He looks at Harry then the Malfoys, before turning his attention back to Harry.

“I wonder,” He mumbled just loud enough for Harry to hear him. Then he raises a finger disappears around the corner and arrives with a very dusty box. It looks really old, and Harry already feels something before the box is ever opened. Harry opens the box and lifts the wand in his hand.

It is barely in his hand when he begins to glow, and his hair blows in an imaginary wind. The wand felt really nice in his hand he could feel the connection. Ollivander made a pleased noise and leaned back. He once again looked back at the Malfoys.

“Curious, very Curious,” Ollivander said with a cautious look. Harry looks up at him smiling.

“What’s curious, Sir?” Harry asks when Ollivander doesn’t elaborate. The wand maker gently takes the wand out of Harry’s hand before looking it over and settling it back in its box.

“I remember every wand I have ever sold, Heir Potter. It just so happens that the phoenix, whose tail feather resides in your wand, gave only one other. It is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar,” Ollivander nearly whispered as he pointed at Harry’s scar.

Harry heard the sharp intake of breath from behind him and knew that information was somehow important to them. He would ask them about that as well. He didn’t ask Ollivander any more questions as he purchased his wand and holster. He turned just as there was a knock on the window behind him.

“ ‘Appy Birthday, ‘Arry,” Hagrid boomed from the other side of the glass. He was holding a beautiful snowy white owl in a cage. Harry smiled and then looked over to the Malfoys. Lucius shook his head and placed a finger to his lips. Harry got the hint, don’t mention them or bring attention to them. Harry nodded very minutely and Narcissa smiled at him. Draco waved and Harry smiled before he turned back to Hagrid. He would see the Malfoys later. Harry thanked Hagrid for the owl and the small bag of treats the giant had also purchased.

“Where are yer things?” Hagrid asked confused. “Did ya get new clothes?” Harry smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, I got new clothes. I wanted to fit in. I have all of my things also. The shop owners were all kind enough to shrink them down for me so that I didn’t have to carry them around in my hands. Speaking of, I need to stop back by Malkin’s to get my robes,” Harry answered and then they headed back to the shop.

“Ya seem ter ‘ave done fine today,” Hagrid said with a grin. Harry smiled at him and had to hide his grimace at how badly the giant reeked of alcohol. Harry entered the shop and the Seamstress grinned at him and pulled out a box.

“Just in time. We just finished boxing everything up. All you have to do is tap the box twice with your wand and it will expand. Everything is shrunk down in the same box. If you are unsatisfied with anything, just bring it back and we will replace it,” She said with a kind smile. Harry took the package.

“Thank you so much. I am sure everything will be perfect. Have a lovely day,” Harry said before he left the shop. Hagrid took Harry back to the Dursleys and didn’t even care that no adults were there. He left Harry sitting on the front porch, with the door locked, and no way for Harry to go inside.

So, Harry waited. He had given Lucius Malfoy the address for the Dursley’s home, and they had said they would be here an hour after he got home. He checked the new watch Draco had insisted he needed. It was nice to have things for the first time in his life.

**Speaker, I grow tired **

Harry felt the snake shift and then wind her way up his arm until she came out of his collar. Harry pulled her down and let her wind around his hand.

*I can offer you my robe pocket for now until we can get to the Malfoy’s home *

Harry offered the snake.

**I will rest there. But I want food when I wake **

*Oh, do you have a name? * Harry asked the Onyx snake.

**I do not. But you may call me Pretty. Like you did in the horrible place **

Harry smiled, that sounded just fine to him. The name, Pretty, suited her just fine.

*Would you like to rest in my pocket now until we can get your den fixed for you? * Harry asked the still snake. She nodded and Harry gently placed her in his robe pocket. He felt her move around a little before she got still. When he was sure that she was finished settling he turned to look at his owl.

“You need a name too,” Harry said as he stuck a finger into the cage. The owl let him pet her feathers for a few moments before she turned and nipped his finger hard enough to draw a little blood. “Ow” Harry yanked his finger back and glared at the owl.

~Hush, Child. I didn’t hurt you. I only needed your blood to form a bond with you~ Harry heard the voice in his head. He looked at the owl in shock.

“Did you just speak to me? In my head?” He asked out loud. The owl ruffled her feathers and turned her beak up at him.

~Of course, I did. How else am I supposed to speak to you? I don’t have human vocal cords~

Harry was a bit overwhelmed. His owl was definitely sassy and a bit condescending.

“What do you mean by bond?” Harry asked the safest question.

~A familiar bond. I am Hedwig. We are bonded now, Child. I will always know where you are and be able to come to you when you need it. I will be able to find you anywhere~

Harry didn’t get the chance to respond because just then he heard a noise and looked up to see Lucius Malfoy in his full Wizarding attire. Harry smiled brightly and was giddy at the gossip the nosy neighbors were going to spread about the Dursley’s abnormal guests.

“Come, Heir Potter,” Lucius said firmly. He looked quite disgusted to even be in the street. He didn’t look like he would ever voluntarily step foot on the Dursley’s perfectly normal lawn. Harry thought it was wonderful.

“Coming, Lord Malfoy,” Harry said quickly. He grabbed his package from Malkins and Hedwig. When he got to Lucius, they walked down the road a small way. Then they ducked between two houses.

“Let me have your owl,” Lucius stated. Harry handed Hedwig over and then Lucius shrunk his package and Harry slipped it into the pocket that wasn’t currently holding his sleepy snake. “Now, hold on to my arm…this is going to feel weird, and it might make you sick. Hold your breath.” Harry grabbed Lucius’ arm and held his breath.

Suddenly, Harry felt like he was being pressed very hard from all directions and then forcefully pulled through a very small tube. He closed his eyes tightly and when they stopped moving and the pressure released, he dropped to his knees and vomited. That had been awful.

“It will get better,” Lucius said. He vanished the vomit and pulled Harry to his feet. Harry nodded and was grateful that he didn’t make a big deal about it. Harry would not have been able to handle sympathy.

“Thank you,” Harry said. He took the cage back from Lucius and finally looked around. They were on the front walkway of beautiful stone Harry hadn’t seen before. The lawn was beautifully maintained and had definitely been landscaped by a professional. No wonder Lucius hadn’t wanted to step foot on the Dursley’s lawn.

He finally looked up at the house. Well, not a house…it was definitely a mansion. It was the biggest home Harry had ever seen. Lucius had given Harry time to look around before he started walking toward the house. Harry quickly followed.

“Your home is beautiful, Lord Malfoy,” Harry complimented. Then he saw something that made him blink. Solid white peacocks. He hadn’t known what it was at first, but he remembered seeing one at the zoo. They were very pretty but Harry was now convinced that the Malfoys weren’t just wealthy, they liked to flaunt their wealth.

The Dursleys did that often. Invited people over so they could show off. Harry always spent those evenings locked in his cupboard pretending not to exist. The Malfoys just had more class and decorum.

When they entered the house Harry looked around and had to fight to keep his mouth from gaping open. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a small, big-eared creature appeared at his elbow.

“This is one of our House-elves. His name is Tinny, remember it, he will tend to you while you are here. Pull your things out of your pockets and he will take them to your room,” Lucius instructed. Harry did as he was told. His trunk was first. Tinny snapped his fingers and it unshrunk and opened as Harry unloaded the rest of his things.

“Heir Potter, be putting his things in the trunk. Tinny will take it to his room,” The elf instructed. Harry placed his things in the trunk. “Cloak as well, Heir Potter.” Harry pulled Pretty from the pocket and handed the cloak to Tinny. The elf did not hold his hand out for the snake. Harry just held her. The elf took Hedwig as well and then popped away with a quiet sound.

“Come along, Lady Malfoy and Draco are in the parlor,” Lucius said after handing his robe to another elf. Harry nodded and followed the stoic man down the hall and to a very posh room.

“Harry, I am so glad you are here. The rest of this summer is going to be such fun,” Draco said and waved Harry over to the couch he was sitting on. Harry paused. He looked at the couch and then around the room quickly. He was a bit afraid to sit on the couch. Harry had only sat on furniture once and he had been beaten pretty badly for it.

Draco gave him a funny look and pulled him down onto the furniture. Harry closed his eyes for a moment once he was on the couch. His body was primed for a blow that didn’t come. He opened his eyes and looked around. Only Lucius seemed to be watching him closely. Then the man looked away and Harry finally relaxed.

“All right, Harry. We are prepared to answer any questions that you have so far until it is time for dinner,” Narcissa stated as another House-elf popped in and served him and Lucius tea.

“Thank you, Lady Malfoy. I guess my first question is, why shouldn’t I let people know I can speak to snakes?” Harry asked.

“That is very simple, Mr. Potter, the last person with that particular gift, started a war that caused a lot of trouble for a lot of people. Wixen are very superstitious, and their opinion is easily manipulated. If someone were to hear you speak to a snake, they could start a rumor that you are the next Dark Lord or a Dark Magic user. The public wouldn’t be kind,” Lucius answered.

Well, that made sense. Harry took a minute to think that over then he snapped his eyes up to the elder Malfoy.

“It was Voldemort wasn’t it,” Harry asked. He pretended not to notice the flinch from all three Malfoys. Hagrid had reacted the same way when Harry had convinced him to tell him the name. He wasn’t going to call the man ‘He who must not be named’ that was stupid. It was just a name, and the man was dead. Apparently, Harry had killed him as a baby.

“He is also the one who had the brother to my wand. That is why you all seemed startled in the wand shop,” Harry added.

“Yes. It seems that maybe you are tied to him in ways we do not yet understand. Ways we may never understand,” Lucius answered. “I will not lie to you, Mr. Potter, people are expecting you to sort Gryffindor, to be a Hero like your parents. They will not take kindly to you preferring Slytherin, befriending Malfoys, and having affection for snakes.”

Harry sat quietly for a few moments to think about what the Lord had said to him. It didn’t sound like he was trying to discourage Harry from doing what he wanted. He just seemed to be letting Harry have all of the information.

“Don’t worry, Harry. If you sort Slytherin, then you will be a snake. Snakes look after their own. The house will have your back against anyone who tries to mess with you,” Draco told him. Harry smiled at him. He had never had a friend before. This might be really nice.

“What if I don’t sort Slytherin? Will you still want to be my friend?” Harry asked curiously. Draco seemed to be very biased toward the Slytherin house. Draco just waved him off.

“Of course, I still want to be your friend. No matter what house you sort into. Though it may be hard to stomach seeing you in red or yellow. I think they would really wash out your skin tone,” Draco said dramatically. Harry gave a startled laugh. Draco smiled at him looking very proud of himself.

“Thanks, Draco,” Harry said with a genuine smile. He turned back to Lucius. “What does it mean to be an heir?”

Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco took turns explaining everything to him. He learned that it didn’t mean much right now. That he could not claim an heirship ring or in his case, his Lordship until he was sixteen. Until then his magical guardian would control his vaults.

“Would that be my aunt and uncle?” Harry asked curiously. He was pretty sure if they had access to his vaults, they would have taunted him with it.

“No, a magical guardian must be magical. You mean you have no idea who yours is?” Narcissa asked. Harry shook his head no.

“Hagrid is the first magical person I have ever met,” Harry told them seriously. Lucius looked thoughtful.

“You and I will take a trip to the bank when I have the time later. We will look into it. Whomever your guardian might be is very lacking in their duty. Maybe we can have them investigated or have it changed,” Lucius stated. That sounded like a plan. Lucius was right and he didn’t even know the worst parts of Harry’s life yet.

“Father is a Barrister. He knows the law and he is also very good at Finance. He can definitely help you,” Draco bragged.

“Thank you, Lord Malfoy. I really appreciate the help all of you have offered me,” Harry told them. To his horror, he felt a bit teary-eyed. So, he quickly took a sip of his tea and composed himself before he embarrassed himself. After a moment, he continued to ask questions until it was almost time for dinner.

“Why don’t you let Draco show you to the room we had prepared for you? It will be yours when you are here. You can put your snake away to eat and rest while you wash up for dinner,” Narcissa suggested.

“I get a room? With a bed?” Harry asked before he could censor himself. The three Malfoys looked at him confused and he quickly tried to find a way to fix it. He didn’t want anyone to know how he had been treated. He didn’t want them to know that he was more used to answering to the name Freak than he was his own name.

“Of course, you get a room. That’s so silly, Harry,” Draco spoke up. Harry relaxed when the adults didn’t get the chance to ask the questions that he could clearly see in their eyes because Draco dragged him from the room talking about how their rooms were in the children’s wing of the house and right across from each other.

Harry was shocked into immobility when Draco threw the door to his room open. The room was massive. Much bigger than the master bedroom that Vernon and Petunia slept in. There was a large four-post bed with a canopy draped around it elegantly. The room was decorated in all dark blacks and deep greens. Actually, most of the house was in darker tones. It wasn’t really a house that could be described as light or inviting. Beautiful, elegant, and posh, absolutely.

“It looks like Tinny already unpacked everything and put it away for you. Of course, you can rearrange it any way that you like, if you want to. There is a bathroom just through that door over there. Mother made sure that Tinny put some new toiletries in there for you,” Draco rambled on as Harry slowly stepped into the room.

Not only was he going to get to sleep in a room, on a bed, but he had his own bathroom. This was almost too much for him to handle. He kept expecting the Wizards to change their minds or start laughing at him. He was expecting at any moment to be thrown into a cupboard and told he had to work with the House-elves to clean or cook.

“Anyway, get washed up. I will wait for you in the hall so that you don’t get lost on your way to the dining hall,” Draco said and then he left the room and closed the door behind him. Harry placed a very happy Pretty into her new den, which she loved. Tinny had clearly set it up for her the way that she would like it. The geodes were in it and everything. Harry tossed in an insect and left the snake to her own devices.

He took a deep shuddering breath and looked around the large room again. It was so hard to believe this was actually happening to him. He was going to have to work harder to make sure that he didn’t give away anything about his past. He was also careful about his clothes and movements.

Harry was covered in scars. Horrible scars that had been given to him by the Dursleys. He even had the word Freak carved into his arm. The scars were not the only thing he was hiding. He knew he was too small and too skinny for his age. He was also still covered in bruises and a few barely scabbed-over cuts from his last few beatings.

They would heal and the pain would ease up, but it wouldn’t go away completely. He was always in some kind of pain. He was pretty sure it was from his bones not healing properly or something. He didn’t really know but pain was the only constant in his life. It was also something he would never tell these posh, nicely dressed, purebloods.

Harry headed for the bathroom. He washed his face and hands and adjusted his clothes so that he looked presentable. He was determined not to be ‘Freak’ or ‘Boy’. He was going to be Heir Potter and later, Lord Potter. He was going to go to school and make good grades. He was going to make friends and connections that would benefit him later in life. He was going to find out who his magical guardian was and if he could help it, he was never going back to the Dursleys.

“Ready?” Draco said as Harry left his room. Harry nodded with a smile. They beat Lucius and Narcissa to the dining room and Harry paused to look around.

He was so caught up in his observation that he didn’t realize he had stopped in the doorway and nearly flinched out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The hand quickly withdrew, and Harry stepped to the side as Narcissa and Lucius stepped in and took their seats. Nothing was said to him and neither adult gave him any looks, so he relaxed and took the seat next to Draco. Maybe they didn’t notice him flinch.

He did not see Lucius and Narcissa exchange a look of concern before their faces went blank. He wasn’t hiding as well as he thought he was. Draco was a Godsend. He kept up a constant prattle of conversation throughout dinner. He talked about Hogwarts and his friends. He talked about magic and all the things they were going to learn this year.

Harry was interested in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. If Potions were used in medicine, then maybe Harry could learn to make his own pain medications or something to help his wounds close faster after a beating. Maybe he could find something that would get rid of his scars. Wanting to learn defense was self-explanatory.

“Do you know how to play Wizards Chess?” Draco asked suddenly.

“No, Draco, I have never had the opportunity to learn. I have seen people in the park near the Dursley’s house play regular chess before. Is it similar? I have never actually played but I have watched a lot,” Harry answered with a smile.

“Oh, right. You didn’t know about magic. It is the same idea but so much better. I have a new set that I got for my birthday, do you want to play? Father can help teach you strategies. He is much better at it than I am. I can never beat him,” Draco asked. He looked up at his father who shook his head.

“I have some paperwork that must be tended to. I do not have the time, but you have learned well enough to teach him yourself,” Lucius answered. Draco just shrugged and turned back to Harry waiting.

“Yeah, that sounds fun. I would love to learn,” Harry answered.

“Perfect,” Draco stated and turned back to his dinner. When they finished dinner, the House-elves cleared the table. Then a small cake was brought out that was beautifully decorated. It was sat on the table in front of Harry and the first slice was handed to him.

“Happy Birthday, Heir Potter,” Narcissa said kindly. Harry looked up at her confused. He hadn’t mentioned it was his birthday to anyone.

“The hairy giant who brought you the pretty owl. He said Happy Birthday loud enough for the entire alley to hear,” Draco answered his unasked question.

“Oh, thank you. This is really kind of you all,” Harry said quickly.

“A birthday should always be acknowledged,” Lucius said simply. Harry once again worked really hard not to allow himself to get teary-eyed. There was no way that they could ever understand how he felt.

This was the second birthday cake he had received for this birthday. The first one had been really unappetizing this one was better than any cake he had ever made for the Dursleys. As sad as it was this was the best birthday he had ever had.

When the cake was finished, Draco took Harry up to his room. Draco’s room was even bigger and nicer than the one Harry had been given. The manor was really nice, and Harry was going to make sure that he had one as well. It wasn’t going to be as darkly decorated but it would be nice.

“Have you lived here your whole life?” Harry asked as Draco was setting up the board. Draco gave Harry a look like he asked something funny.

“Well yeah. This is Malfoy Manor; it has been in our family for many generations. You have one too. You will be able to claim your family properties at sixteen when you claim your title. The Potters are a Pureblood line as old as the Malfoys. Your father was the first to ever marry or have a child with a Mudblood,” Draco explained as he finished and motioned for Harry to sit down across from him.

“What is a Mudblood?” Harry asked. Draco turned a little pink and then shrugged.

“Well, it is a …. Um slur for someone with dirty blood. Someone Muggleborn,” Draco explained. Harry could tell he wasn’t comfortable explaining.

“So, what does that make me?” Harry asked.

“Half-Blood. Your father was a Pureblood, and your mother was Muggleborn. Unless she was somehow from two squib lines. Then you would still be considered a Pureblood. Did you have an inheritance test done when you went to the bank?” Draco asked. “Pawn to D4.”

Harry watched in awe as the pawn came to life and moved across the board. Draco had already talked with him about the basics. Harry had known most of it. He knew from observing, how many spaces and which directions each different piece could move.

“I don’t know what an inheritance test is. What is a squib?” Harry asked as he told his pawn where to move. He loved magic.

“Did you not talk to your account manager? A squib is a baby born to magical parents that doesn’t have a core that can sustain magic. There is a theory that Muggleborns aren’t actually from Muggles but from squibs that have been abandoned in the muggle world. Which would technically mean they aren’t Muggleborns,” Draco explained and moved his next piece.

“I didn’t know I had an account manager,” Harry said and shrugged. “I am sure your dad will help me figure that all out when we go to the bank.” Harry and Draco continued to talk about different things and play chess. Harry was actually holding his own pretty well with very little help from Draco.

“You did pretty good for someone who has never played before. You almost beat me,” Draco said with a grin. Harry watched as the pieces put themselves back together and then Draco left them set up instead of putting them away.

“Thank you. I guess I picked up more than I thought I did by watching. This was fun. I really love magic,” Harry said with a grin. Draco laughed.

“Harry, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Draco assured him. There was a knock on the door and the boys looked up to see Narcissa standing in the doorway.

“Come down for a cup of Lavender Tea before bed,” Narcissa stated. Harry and Draco stood up and followed her down to a sitting room Harry hadn’t been in yet. It was a much more feminine room.

“Did you enjoy your chess game?” Narcissa asked as she poured them each a cup. Harry accepted his cup with a smile.

“Yes, Lady Malfoy. Wizards Chess is so much more fun than regular chess,” Harry answered.

“He almost beat me. I would swear it wasn’t his first time to play,” Draco added. Harry blushed a little.

“Did the two of you have a good day today?” Narcissa asked. “Enjoy your first-time school shopping?”

“I loved every minute of it,” Harry answered after Draco said pretty much the same thing. “This was the best birthday I have ever had.”

“Glad we could be part of that. What are you looking forward to the most about Hogwarts?” Narcissa continued talking. Harry would think she was fishing for information or something except, Draco seemed far too relaxed. Maybe it was a normal nightly thing for them to sit together and talk about their day.

“I can’t wait to take Charms,” Draco answered.

“You will be so good at them, My Dragon. I have seen you practicing,” Narcissa said with a soft smile. “Harry, what about you?”

“I am looking forward to Potions and Defense. I find that I am completely fascinated about the healing possibilities with Potions,” Harry answered. Draco laughed and shared a look with his mother.

“My Godfather is the Potion Professor at Hogwarts. He is also a Master,” Draco bragged.

“That is so cool,” Harry said with a sigh. He was really looking forward to school. He was definitely going to read ahead.

They continued to talk together, and Harry tried to stay quiet so that he wasn’t intruding on this very obviously important bonding time between mother and son. Except, neither of them was letting him do that. Every time he got quiet, they would specifically ask him a question to include him.

“All right, now off to bed with you both. Sleep well,” Narcissa told them when they were finished with their Lavender Tea.

“Good night, Lady Malfoy,” Harry said and slipped out of the room so that Draco could wish his mother goodnight in private. Draco came out barely a minute later and the two of them went upstairs.

“Night, Harry,” Draco said with a smile. “I am glad I met you today. The summer was getting boring.” Harry laughed what a spoiled boy’s response.

“Night, Draco. I am glad I met you today too,” Harry answered. When he went into his room there was a set of pajamas laid out on the bed. Must be the House-elves. Harry almost just put the pajamas on and went to bed, but he remembered that he had his own personal bathroom.

He could take a shower. A warm one. With Soap. His first-ever warm shower that wasn’t meant to burn his skin. Harry headed straight for the bathroom and turned on the shower. He waited until it was the temperature he wanted and then disrobed and got in.

Harry was halfway through cleaning himself when the emotions he had been suppressing all day caught up with him. He sat down in the bottom of the shower and cried. He was really overwhelmed by how much everything had changed in the last twenty-four hours. It was too much.

~Get up, Child. Finish cleaning and get in bed. You are overwhelmed but you are fine~

Harry lifted his head up when he heard the voice of Hedwig in his head. He didn’t know how long he had been crying but his fingers were pruning. He had never been in the water long enough for that to happen unless he had been locked outside in the rain as a punishment.

He did as he was told and could feel pride trickle to him from Hedwig. He got out and found a towel laying on the counter for him and his dirty clothes were missing. He wrapped the towel around himself and brushed his teeth. He slipped on the very silky pajamas and into the bed.

Harry nearly melted into the bed. He figured after the day he had and the fact that he was in a real bed for the first time would make sure he was asleep fast.

He was wrong. He tossed and turned over and over again. He could not sleep. The room was too open, the bed too soft. Finally, after what felt like hours, he grabbed the throw blanket from the foot of the bed and headed for the closet. He curled up in a corner of the closet floor and was asleep before he had finished pulling the blanket over him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mistress,” Tinny said with a low bow. Narcissa turned toward the elf they had assigned to look after Harry.

“Yes, Tinny,” She asked as she finished pinning up her hair. She was always awake before everyone else.

“Mistress has told Tinny to report when the young master does something unusual. Little Potter Heir cried for nearly two hours in shower. Then he slept on closet floor. Could not sleep in bed,” Tinny reported. Narcissa sighed sadly. She was starting to believe that Lucius was wrong. The boy wasn’t just ignorant of their ways. Harry Potter was an abused child.

“Thank you, Tinny. Say nothing and keep looking after him,” Narcissa dismissed the elf.

“So, I was wrong. He isn’t just jumpy and ignorant,” Lucius said. Narcissa turned to see him standing in the doorway that separated the bathroom from the bedroom. He was only in a towel. She looked at her husband appreciatively. Lucius was a very handsome man, and she didn’t often get to see him so exposed.

“No, Husband. He isn’t just jumpy and ignorant. Do we keep silent and pretend we do not know, or do we do something?” Narcissa asked. She knew what her husband would want to do. This would be the perfect opportunity to bash the Light side. Albus Dumbledore had been assuring the wizarding world for a decade that the Boy Who Lived was a spoiled prince and being raised in a good home befitting his station. It was clearly a lie.

“This would be a rather devastating blow to the old fool and the Light. A perfect opportunity to hurt them,” Lucius said as he stepped into the closet. Narcissa sighed. She didn’t want to do that. Harry seemed like a good boy. “However, I think we should let it be for now. Let him and Draco grow closer. Become better friends. Let him be sorted Slytherin and learn how horrible the supposed ‘Light’ will be to him just for that simple thing alone.”

“Then he may confess to Draco on his own. Or even the two of us as adults he can learn to trust not to hurt him. When he does, then we can go to the ministry or press with his permission and it will be all the better,” Narcissa completed her husband’s thought process.

“Exactly, we will be patient and observant. Then hit them when it is most devastating. He will be in a perfect position as Draco’s friend to let us hand him over to Our Lord without a fight when he returns,” Lucius said with a gleam in his eye when he stepped out of the closet.

“What do you mean?” Narcissa asked carefully. She understood that her husband was a Death Eater. Lucius had taken the mark eagerly as an eighteen-year-old and had never regretted it. Narcissa was marked as well, though that wasn’t common knowledge. She knew their Lord would return. She also knew they would follow him again.

“Can you imagine the glory and status our family will be given when we are the ones to hand him Harry Potter? The war will be finished before it can even start. With the Boy Who Lived already under the Dark Lord’s thumb, the masses will not fight. They will have no hope. If we are cunning and sly, we might even be able to get to boy to join our Lord willingly,” Lucius was giddy with all of the ideas running through his head.

“You have always been so wise, Husband,” Narcissa answered. Her views on things had changed over the years. The thought of her only son taking the mark and being subjected to the things they had been through was horrifying. She didn’t think she would be able to follow blindly this time. She was almost sure that she would take Draco and run the moment it looked like the Dark Lord would return. Now she may have to include Harry in those plans.

Lucius finished getting dressed and then he left for work. He never had breakfast with them during the week. Narcissa was just entering the dining room when she was stopped by a very flustered kitchen elf.

“Yes?” She asked. The elf was wringing its hands together and bowed low.

“The young Heir Potter has invaded kitchen, Mistress. He insists to be cooking. It isn’t done, Mistress,” Tinky said hesitantly.

“Heir Potter is cooking in the kitchen?” She asked shocked. The elf bobbed its head. “I will see to him.”

Narcissa headed for the kitchen. She was almost shocked into laughter at what she witnessed. The small eleven-year-old was commanding two elves while he stood at the stove cooking. He was doing everything the muggle way and the elves were stressed. Pleading with him to please let them take care of it. The boy just ignored them and continued to crack eggs and flip bacon.

“That smells lovely,” Narcissa finally said. She pretended not to notice the way the boy flinched. He turned to her with a hesitant smile.

“I just wanted to do something nice for you since you have been so kind to me and welcomed me into your home,” Harry said quickly. He looked like he was absolutely terrified of getting into trouble.

“Oh, Darling Boy. You did not have to do this. A simple thank you would have been more than enough,” Narcissa told him with a gentle smile. Harry smiled back and turned to the food again.

“I don’t mind. I have been cooking for a long time, I am good at it, and I…I li..like it,” Harry stuttered over the end. He didn’t sound like he liked it, Narcissa thought.

“Well, we will let you do it today, Darling. However, my elves do enjoy their jobs. There are better things for young boys to do that do not involve cooking or cleaning. Draco will be happy to introduce them to you. A kitchen is no place for a child,” Narciss said as gently and kindly as she could.

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you. I will be done in about ten minutes,” Harry told her without turning back around. She did see his shoulders relax though and he almost sounded teary, but she could also hear the grateful tone. Merlin, she wanted to torture the muggles who had hurt him.

“I will be waiting to see if your food tastes as lovely as it smells, Darling,” Narcissa said and then she turned to her elves. “Help, Heir Potter complete his breakfast without any more fretting. The kitchen will be yours again when he is done.” Then she headed back to the dining room where Draco was standing looking a bit upset.

“Mother, have you seen Harry? I can’t find him. I went to his room, but it was empty,” Draco asked her. Narcissa smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

“Hush, Dragon. He is awake and terrorizing the kitchen elves. He has decided to make us a thank you breakfast for how kind we have been to him,” Narcissa informed her only son.

“He is cooking? Like a house elf?” Draco asked shocked. Narcissa ‘tsked’ him and pinched his ear.

“Mind your manners. Remember that he was not raised like you were. He didn’t have elves or magic. He was raised like a muggle. We will help him learn what is proper. Now sit down, Dragon and enjoy your breakfast,” Narcissa reprimanded. Draco looked properly chastised, so she kissed him on the cheek again before they sat down to wait.

Exactly ten minutes later, Harry was practically shoved into the dining room and told to sit. Then the elves brought all of the food into the room and served the food. It looked and smelled amazing. Draco dove right in and then grinned when he swallowed.

“This tastes amazing, Harry,” Draco praised the Potter Heir. The eleven-year-old blushed and whispered thank you before he too began to eat. Narcissa took a bite of a few things and then smiled over at their guest.

“Draco is right, Darling. You did wonderfully,” Narcissa told the boy who blushed even brighter.

“Thank you, Lady Malfoy,” Harry said shyly. She could tell he wasn’t used to compliments. When they were finished the elves quickly cleared the table like they were afraid the silly boy would try to do it for them. Narcissa fought not to laugh.

“Come on, Harry. Let’s go, I want to teach you how to play Gobstones,” Draco said eagerly. Harry smiled and nodded.

“That sounds good. I would like to do that for a little while and then I would like to get started reading my new books. I want to learn as much as I can before school starts,” She could hear Harry answer as Draco practically drug him out of the room.

“Ugh, keep that up and you might end up in Ravenclaw,” Draco teased back. Then she couldn’t hear them anymore. She smiled and headed to her study. She had a few things she needed to tend to while her husband wasn’t home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry loved staying at Malfoy Manor. The month he spent there had gone by much too quickly in his opinion. Lucius had never managed to find the time to take him to the bank but promised to look into it and try to get him there during a holiday.

Harry was too distracted to really mind. He was learning so many things. He had devoured his books at every opportunity. That is to say, when Draco wasn’t dragging him off to play chess, Gobstones, or other games. He also learned how to use a broom. He, Harry Potter, had flown on an honest-to-God broom, in the air. It had been amazing.

Lucius was not home often and when he was, he didn’t have a lot to do with Harry or Draco. Narcissa on the other hand was always home. She had taken to teaching Harry how to be proper. He learned everything there was to know about proper greetings, which utensils to use and when, and so many other things.

He eventually stopped sleeping in the closet and learned to sleep in the bed. When he finally slept in the bed, he had the best night of sleep he had ever had. He bonded with both Hedwig, who loved to mother him at every opportunity, and Pretty, who no longer called him a flesh bag. Harry had learned a lot about her after some research in the Malfoy library.

She was something called a Janthinix or Geode Gorgite. She was a magical snake that was quite deadly. She was not venomous in the way that a normal snake was. There was no antidote and using a bezoar wouldn’t help. Her bite was dangerous in a different way, it caused a sort of mutated curse that could wither and desiccate someone’s veins in mere moments. If she wanted it to. Her bite could be perfectly harmless if she chose.

She would also reproduce asexually when she reached maturity in a few years. It was also illegal for him to have her. This particular breed of magical snake was considered highly dangerous and was confiscated by the Ministry whenever they found it. Harry could get in a lot of trouble for having her if anyone ever figured out what she was.

So, he only told Draco after the boy had sworn on his magic to keep it secret unless Harry permitted him to tell someone. They were hoping they could share a dorm at school so that maybe they wouldn’t have to let anyone outside of the two of them know of her existence at all.

Before he knew it, August was almost gone. Tomorrow was September first, and they would be getting up early to leave for the train station. Harry’s trunk was packed with everything he owned. Including Pretty’s Den.

It was time to truly start his new life. He could not wait to go to Hogwarts. Harry loved Magic.