Walking the Halls

Dobby is disappearing. Draco remembers he leaves for good after this year so maybe it has something to do with that. The issue is that when he leaves his father tends not to need something and for some reason, Dobby is the only house elf name he knows. Pretty sure this is different than in the past. His father is focused on this one elf. Maybe it isn't though, Draco couldn't remember many of the house elves' names until recently.

"Dobby," he says.

Dobby squeals. "Master Malfoy."

"Ugh. Master Draco."

He bangs his head on the floor. "Dobby is sorry for not remembering orders," he yells.

Draco sighs. He forgot about that. "Dobby, stop. I need you to answer some questions," he says.

He squeals. "Of course, Master M-Draco," he says.

"Where have you been disappearing to?" he asks.

His eyes widen. He goes to a table.

"Don't punish yourself. Just answer," Draco says.

"Dobby cannot tell Master Draco. Just know it is helping your friend."

Draco shrugs. So, he's helping Draco's friend. Presumably Harry since there aren't many other friends of his that need help usually. He rubs his temple. "Just don't get caught. You getting in trouble will be annoying."

He nods. "Of course, Master M-Draco," he says.

"Go on. If you ever need me to, I will cover for you. Don't go too far helping my friend," he says. He does not want to deal with the repercussions.

He squeaks and disappears with a crack.

"Dobby," his father yells.

Draco sighs. How does he do that? He walks downstairs. "What, father?"

"I asked for that useless elf," he says.

"Told him I would take care of it," Draco says. Which he technically did.

He rolls his eyes. "Make sure the dishes are done," he says.

Draco nods.

"Don't let that elf off again," he says.

He goes to the dining room and takes the dishes from dinner to the kitchen.

"Master Draco, you do not need to help us," Ibby says.

"Dobby's helping me so I might as well cover for him," he says. Best few people know what's happening. Also, Dobby is most likely attempting to help.

"Ibby and the other elves will do the dishes."

Draco shakes his head. "I don't mind," he says. If his father sees him, he will likely get in trouble too.

Telly says, "Less work for us."

"Who would have to gift you clothing for you to be free?" he asks. He heard during the summer that's how they're freed.

"Master Malfoy," Ibby says.

"Hm, okay," he says.

Telly says, "You are very different Master Draco."

Draco raises an eyebrow.

He says, "You're more open with your caring. It's nice."

Draco smiles. "I'm sorry you suffered so long," he says.

He shakes his head. "We care for you and Master Lara. We helped raise you," he says.

"Thank you," he says. He scrubs the dishes and hands them to Telly who actually is helping.

"Dobby," father calls.

"Is he always so needy?" Daco asks. He dries his hands on a towel and goes to him.

"Where is Dobby?" he asks.

Draco crosses his arms. "Doing something else."

He huffs. "Shine my shoes," he says.

Draco kneels and spells a cloth to them. He wipes at them.

His father raises his foot into Draco's stomach.

Draco grunts.

"You don't do it correctly," he says.

He sits up. "I'll get Ibby or Telly," he says.

His father grabs Draco by the hair and throws him to the ground. "Those disgusting creatures will not be referred to by names," he says.

He's been yelling Dobby's name all day and any time he disappears. "They have them for a reason."

He stomps down on Draco's hand. "I did not raise you like this," he says.

Draco laughs. "You didn't raise me," he whispers.

His father kicks him again and again. Eventually, his body can't handle the hits, and he falls unconscious.

Draco sits up. His muscles tinge with each shift. He pretends he's a lot stronger than he is. The sickness as a kid did not allow him to grow as able bodied as he would prefer. He stands and walks. He kicks the edge of a bookshelf and tries not to make noise even though his toe shoots pain up his leg. Was it necessary to leave him in the dark? He pushes out of his father's study into the dining room. The wood creaks behind him. He holds his breath.

"Master Draco," Dobby says.

Draco sighs. "Yes, Dobby?"

"Why are you down here?" he asks.

"Getting a drink," he says.

"Dobby can do it," he says.

"That's okay," he says, "I couldn't sleep anyway." He couldn't sleep anymore. The floor is not comfortable.

Dobby takes Draco's hand and guides him up the stairs. He didn't get his water but there's no way for Dobby to know that.

"Did you help my friend?" he asks.

"Dobby thinks so."

"Thank you," he says. He rolls on bed and shoves his face in a pillow to keep from crying out.

"Draco, we have to go shopping," mother yells.

Draco sits up and groans. His body aches with each movement. He shoves himself to stand and walks to the mirror. His face is bruised and there are bruises on his arms and peeking from his clothes. He probably would have looked better if he was run over by a herd of griffins.

He showers and changes into a set of robes with a hood.

"Draco, hood off while eating," mother says.

He pushes it off.

She doesn't react. She doesn't care.

Draco and his father floo powder to Knockturn Alley. They go into the Borgin and Burkes. Lucius sells a bunch of dark objects, giving the location of where to get them. Not even half the stash but everything at the manor that they haven't transported or hidden, mostly lesser objects. They leave Knockturn Alley to Diagon Alley. His mother meets them there and they go to get the books.

A huge crowd is there watching the blonde twat. He does not want to deal with him this year, or the first time, he cannot do his job. Draco tries to stay out of their line of sight, he ducks behind pillars and stands on the edge of the crowd. Harry gets free signed books and gives them to the Weasleys. Draco goes to get his books with his mother while his father talks with the Weasleys. He would have stayed with them, but they would freak out if they saw the bruises. He's really wishing he had the magic to heal them all.

"Mr. Malfoy," Lockhart says.

Draco winces and turns. "Hello, Professor," he says.

"It's disrespectful to wear a hood when talking to important people," he says.

Draco snorts. "I'm just as important if not more so. I can wear whatever I want," he says. He sticks his nose in the air as much as possible and channels his inner twelve-year-old Draco Malfoy, the first one.

He huffs and reaches toward Draco's hood.

Draco steps back and runs into George Weasley. They're everywhere. He just needed his books.

"Draco?" he asks.

Draco ducks and runs out of the store. Hermione, Ron, and Harry stand outside whispering to each other. Draco turns the other way and Cho Chang and Cedric Diggory walks toward him holding hands. Draco runs past them. Lesser of two evils. Neville Longbottom stands with his grandma while she hands him a list. Draco ducks into the nearest door.

It's easier to avoid nosey people if he isn't outside where they likely will be.

"Mr. Malfoy, I thought you had a wand or perhaps you broke it?" Olivander asks.

"Sorry, Olivander, sir, I ran into people I'm trying to avoid and just came in. I do have my wand and it's in perfect condition," he says. His wand is well which is strange since it isn't his original wand.

He nods. "Good, good. Any reason you're avoiding these people?" he asks.

Draco shakes his head. "Not in particular," he says. A stupid lie, people do not just avoid other people for no reason. Well, sometimes but not usually.

"May I see your face, Mr. Malfoy?" he asks.

Draco inhales through his teeth. "Is it necessary?" he asks.

He purses his lips. "I suppose not but it seems to be bothering you."

Olivander is not wrong. The bruises are making his life difficult. He pushes his hood back.

"Those are some bad bruises," he says.

"I healed a lot of them," he says.

"Needed more energy?" he asks.

"I was also rushed this morning. People will talk if they see me all bruised," he says. His magic was fluttering toward the end but more than that his mother kept yelling up the stairs and Draco's head was already aching.

He taps his chin. "You're quite interesting. I say you flaunt them. The person who gave you them wants you to be scared," he says.

"You give surprisingly good advice," he says, "Sorry, that came out wrong."

He waves. "I understand, Mr. Malfoy," he says.

"Draco. Mr. Malfoy is a bit too formal," he says. He also doesn't know how much he likes the family name being attached to him.

"How about I heal the last ones," he says.

Draco nods. He would flaunt them, but it'll make Harry and everyone else suspicious. He needs them to trust him. He also doesn't know how much it would matter to his father since he could have fixed them but didn't.

Olivander waves his wand and heals the remaining bruises.

"Thank you," he says.

He nods. "Of course, Draco. All you need to do is ask for help and you shall receive it," he says.

Draco smiles. "I'll keep that in mind," he says.

The bell above the door rings.

"You have customers. I'll be going," he says. He turns to the door.

Harry's eyes widen.

"Oh. Hello, Harry," Draco says. Draco looks at the group gathered behind Harry. "How are you all?" he asks.

"We're well Mr. Malfoy," Mr. Weasley says.

"Please, call me Draco."

"Alright, Draco," Mr. Weasley says.

"Are you okay?" George asks.

Draco nods. "I just remembered I need something from Olivander earlier," he says.

Mrs. Weasley says, "You did seem to move quite fast."

Draco laughs. "No need to worry, but thank you, Mrs. Weasley," he says. It is kind of nice to have some kind of motherly figure worrying about him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Harry asks.

Draco nods. "I needed wand wax," he says. Which is stupid because wand wax isn't sold at Olivander's. "Special wand wax."

Olivander nods. "Yes, Draco's wand needed a special wax. I do help it helps," he says.

Draco smiles. "I'm sure it will since the expert got it for me," he says.

"Alright. I've been trying to contact you, but you haven't been responding. Did they break?" Harry asks.

Draco feels around his neck. "It must have. I'll fix it," he says. He's not sure when it fell off.

"Do you need mine back?" he asks.

Draco shakes his head. "It should be fine. If I do, I'll get it at Hogwarts," he says. It's a short time and he should be able to find the necklace.

"Okay," he says.

Draco's wand slips from its usual spot and clatters onto the floor. Draco stares at it. That never happens. The world must hate him.

"Oh. That's strange," Hermione says.

Draco glares at her.

She clamps her mouth shut.

Did she do that? But why would she?

"Do you want me to get it?" Fred asks.

Draco shakes his head and bends down. He grabs it and slowly raises. The bruises are gone but the ribs are still broken and grinding against each other. He can't heal them because it takes stamina and after all the other healings he would pass out. He hisses when he gets back to a stand.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asks.

"Yup. Just my joints, popping," he says. He's twelve not ninety-seven.

Ron narrows his eyes. "Um, right, Draco, man, how has your summer been?"

"Alright. I didn't have the time to do much outside homework and household duties," he says. He waves a hand. "Anyways, I have an idea."

Ron raises his eyebrows.

"You're here for Ginny, right?" he asks.

Ron nods.

"Why don't you try it too?" he asks.

His eyebrows furrow. "Why?"

"It's fun," he says.

"Can I if I don't plan on buying it?" he asks.

"Olivander, sir, can Ron try finding a wand?" he asks.

Olivander smiles and nods.

Ginny finds her wand within three.

Ron picks up four wands before Olivander tells him it is for him. Ron puts it back in the box and closes it. Olivander scoots it to the side.

"Want us to finish up shopping with you?" Hermione asks.

He shakes his head. "I need to get my robes," he says. Which is honestly a terrible excuse when his robes are completely redone from the originals to withstand his bird, and he can spell them to be the right size.

No one calls him on it even though Hermione looks hesitant. They file out of the shop.

Draco turns to Olivander who is holding Ron's wand out in its box. Draco hands him the galleons.

"You're a good friend, Draco," he says.

He shrugs. He turns with the wand in his bag and leaves the shop. He goes to the cauldron shop.

"Mr. Malfoy, your parents said you would be here soon," a young woman says.

"Here I am," he says.

She gets me a cauldron and sets it in front of him.

"Can I have a set of ingredients too? Whatever you think would be best," he says.

She hesitates. "I don't know if I'm allowed to do that," she says.

"I need them for extra lessons with Professor Snape," Draco says. He doesn't really because Snape always has what he needs but he notices when his stores are broken into, and Draco does not want to deal with that.

She hesitates then nods and grabs a set from the shelf. "Enjoy your school year," she says.

"Thank you," Draco says.

He covers Ron's wand with the ingredients and looks around for a shop to cover them. He goes to the robes shop and grabs some material to improve his robes and gloves. He leaves the shop and finds his father tapping his foot near a fireplace.

"Draco, good, let's go. You got your cauldron and everything?" his father asks.

Draco nods.

"Time to go home," he says. He steps toward the floo station.

Draco follows him. They floo into to Malfoy Manor with their stuff. His father has a couple bags and his mother does too.

Draco carries his supplies up to his room and sets it in his trunks except the material for his robes. Once his stuff is ready to go to Hogwarts he goes to find a house elf.

"Who cleans my dad's study?" he asks. The house elves are in the kitchen.

Telly raises his hand.

"Did you find a necklace in there?" he asks.

He shakes his head. "Do you know when you lost it?" he asks.

"It had to be recently because I had it on the other day," he says. He knows because Harry kept bothering him about a book he was reading about brooms and Quidditch.

"I was just about to clean it again," he says, "We can go together."

"Thank you, Telly," he says.

They enter the study. Draco peers under the desk and shelves. No silver.

"Master Draco, come here," Telly says.

Draco is slightly surprised by the demand, but he doesn't really care it might even mean the elf is comfortable around him. He stands and goes to the house elf.

Telly narrows his eyes. He snaps.

The pain eases from Draco's stomach. He must have made a sound or something.

He points to the rug.

Draco lifts the edge of the rug and pulls it out. The clasp is fine, but it must have come undone. "I should have spelled it to stay on." He closes it onto his neck.

Telly snaps. "I spelled it now. It seems important I do not want you to lose it."

Draco smiles. "Thanks, Telly, for everything," he says.

He nods. He snaps and disappears.

Draco leaves the study. He brushes his fingers against the chain. "Harry?" he asks.

"Found it?" Harry asks.

"No. You're hearing voices," he says. Knowing Harry, it isn't out of the question.

He grumbles.

Draco laughs. "Are you back at your aunt and uncle's?" he asks.

"No. The Weasleys have allowed me to stay with them," he says.

Draco sighs. "Good." He doesn't like those muggles, not because they are muggles, but the way Harry says they treat him makes him angry.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Harry asks.

"Yes, Harry. Why?" he asks.

"I'm not sure. Something was weird today."

"I'm good. I need to pack so I'll talk to you later. Let me know if there is an emergency," he says. His stomach sinks. He dismissed him pretty aggressively.

"Okay," Harry says. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Alright, Har," he says.

Draco sews his robes with the new fabric. He folds them into his trunk when he's finished. He grabs Harry and Ron's gifts and set them under his robes beside his potion ingredients. Should he get something for Hermione?

He goes down the stairs. His mother is in the living room reading.

"Hello, mother. I was hoping to give one of the rare books to a friend of mine. Is that okay?" he asks.

She nods. "Confirm with me before taking it," she says.

"Thank you," he says. He climbs the stairs to the library. He pulls himself up the ladder to the top shelf. They're too lazy to use these books. None of the Malfoys have probably looked up there since the books were set there.

"Hey, Ibby?" he asks.

Ibby apparates below me. "Yes, Master Draco?" she asks.

He drops down. "Do you think you can help me find two books to take to Hogwarts for my friend? She really loves learning about anything she can. Especially, if it is rare and has a copy here," he says.

She nods. She disappears and comes back with four books.

Draco reads the first title. Magical Creatures... it's faded but he understands enough to say, "I'll probably keep this one." He knows he's looking for Hermione, but these are the kinds of books he loves.

Ibby smiles. "I thought you might like it," she says.

The next one is a journal. No writing on the black cover.

"What's this?" he asks.

"Ibby found it and thought it seemed interesting. No other book is like it."

So, it's one of a kind. His mother would probably not allow them to take it. He reads the first page. A story about stopping Tom Riddle... Who is Tom Riddle? "I'll keep this one too," he says. He has not found a book for Hermione yet.

She nods. "I thought Master Draco might like it," she says.

He puts it in his robe pocket.

The last two are history books. One about the pure bloods in the wizarding world and their relationships with half and muggle-born wizards...she might like it.

"This one too," he says.

She nods.

The last one is about the history of wizarding schools.

"This one seems pretty basic, Ibby," he says. He's pretty sure he's seen this kind of book a dozen times.

She shakes her head. "It was the first one and gives the full history of Hogwarts written until the class of 1971 left and there are two of both of those," she says.

He flips it over. "Thank you. They're perfect," he says.

She bows and apparates out.

Draco secures the journal in his pocket and takes the other three. "These three, mother?" he asks.

She looks through them and nods. "Make sure with your father but this seems fine," she says.

Draco picks the books up and takes them to his father's study. He knocks on the door.

"Come in," he says.

He pushes the door open and enters. "Father I was hoping to gift these two books to a friend of mine and keep this one," he says.

He turns the books over and glances at the pages then nods. "Which friend?" he asks.

"Millicent Bulstrode," he says. Someone his father knows alright and is a Slytherin. She's also the least likely to annoy him about it if his father asks.

He nods. "She seems like a good girl I would prefer if you spent more time with Pansy like you used to," he says.

He was forced to, not that he didn't like her, but he was locked in his room, and she was one of the few people let in. "I will keep that in mind father," he says. He does spend time with her.

"You may go," he says.

Draco picks the books up and leaves. He lays the books in his trunk with the journal at the bottom under his ingredients. He checks that everything he needs for school is in the trunk and gets into bed.