Chapter 1
Draco had enjoyed his summer as best as he could. He lazed around the manor on hot days and made sure to go on exploratory tours of the unknown parts of the manor (which were aplenty). He played Quidditch or went flying when the weather allowed or when he fancied (almost every afternoon). He also played and developed better Connections with the elves, much to his father's continuous displeasure.
He even made friends with Dobby. He visited his friends (except Harry). Draco made sure to arrange sleepovers once every fortnight (except for Harry). Even Hermione and Ron had visited once or thrice. Hermione had unsurprisingly fallen in love with the manor's library.
He went shopping in Diagon Alley as many times as he could, and it was worth it being the heir to the richest family in the entire country. When he was feeling lazy, he had Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream delivered to the manor (or the elves brought it).
Draco had a heart-to-heart with Dobby right after returning from Hogwarts, emphasizing the importance of Harry receiving mail from his friends and going back to Hogwarts, no matter what. He used his acting skills to ensure that Dobby didn't repeat the fiasco from the original books. He also had Dobby agree to keep an eye on Harry's safety, with the System advising him to remind Dobby to use elf magic to stay out of the Ministry's sight.
If it added a few additional tasks to Draco's story paths, it didn't matter (he could handle anything the system had at it's disposal. / You wish!).
He conducted research for anything that could prove useful in his future tasks, from Sirius to the Deathly Hallows. However, he left no stone unturned except for Sirius's friendship with Snape, which appeared to be a taboo topic in the manor.
His connection with Snape remained unchanged. Apparently, Snape was still angry with him over the pictures he and Harry had shared. Despite Draco's attempts, Snape refused to discuss it or be lenient with him.
His father had been against most of his choices over the summer, but Lucius had consistently shown himself to be a good father. No matter how mad he got at Draco, he never, NEVER raised a hand or (god forbid) his voice at him. Say whatever you want about the evil sod, but he loved his son.
The first time Lucius had become properly angry with him was when he had invited Hermione over. Draco had run away to his room and hidden in the wardrobe, shaking for a solid hour. Narcissa and, shockingly, even Lucius had been flabbergasted at what had caused it. It had taken Narcissa and Dobby's combined efforts to calm him down. After that incident, his father made sure to keep his voice and anger even more under control during their arguments.
His mother proved to be a great ally. In any argument Draco and Lucius had, Narcissa always came out the victor. She was a resilient and loving mother who allowed any and all shenanigans Draco was ever up to. She facilitated his visits to Diagon Alley, to his friend's, or any place he wanted to visit. They even went to Romania for a day of Dragon watching, where he not only met Charlie Weasley (a hot specimen of a man) but upgraded their connection to a Casual Relationship in just a couple of hours.
Overall, it had been a very productive and enjoyable summer.
.....
Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over the breakfast table at the Malfoy Manor this summer. Lucius was red as a tomato and visibly trying to keep his anger in check, which itself was a good indicator of how angry he was.
"I will not allow it," Lucius whisper shouted, careful not to scare Draco.
"It's his birthday, and I want to give him the best birthday he's ever had," Draco countered. "He deserves it after the treatment he gets from his Muggle family."
There was a stare-off between father and son, both refusing to accept defeat and give up. Draco was especially motivated, partially for Harry's sake and partially due to a matter of stubbornness and ego now.
"Maybe we can compromise," Narcissa, ever the facilitator, interrupted. "How about you plan a day full of outdoor activities? A party at Florean's could be arranged. That way, your friend can enjoy his birthday, and your father won't have to endure any distractions as he fears."
They both frowned at each other, thinking about the proposition. "Fine," both said at the same time.
"That's settled then," Narcissa said. "Now, why don't you go and tell your friends about the plan, and I'll have a word with your father?"
Draco sniggered. His father was in trouble.
He rushed to his room to write letters to his friends and Mrs. Weasley and dispatched the letters through Dobby (faster than your normal owl). He also wanted to be sure that Harry received his letters without Vernon Dursley blowing up.
He wanted this to be the best birthday for Harry, so he arranged a sleepover for Harry with Neville and Hermione at the Burrow. Luckily, Mrs. Weasley was very excited, and it didn't take much convincing. It also improved his Connections with the Weasleys. He made sure to write an additional letter for the Twins to make the sleepover extra special for Harry and was assured by them that they'd take care of it.
He gave special instructions to Dobby to Apparate Harry right after dinner to the Burrow. If he remembered correctly, Vernon Dursley wouldn't care if Harry disappeared for a day (assholes).
In return, the System told him he would have to upgrade his Connections with freaking Aragog (Stupid System).
The next day, Draco was in Diagon Alley before 10 o'clock. He was greeted with a grinning Harry, who promptly hugged him tightly. Harry was extremely happy, excited, and full of gratitude for everything Draco had done so far to make his birthday special.
By 1 o'clock, they were so full of ice cream it was hard to move. Everyone had brought gifts for Harry, which shocked Harry and made him cry. Draco gifted one of the two-way mirrors to keep them connected without relying on owls and elves.
On Hermione's insistence, they had lunch at a Muggle burger place. By 5 o'clock that day, they were high on life, ice cream, and sugar, and honestly, Draco couldn't have asked for anything more.
All in all a great start to the year, won't you say, Vii?