Harry Further Endears Himself To The Malfoys
Harry slips into the Dursley’s front door carefully and silently making his way up the stairs and straight to his room, successfully avoiding the adult Dursley’s. He ended up meeting Dudley as he was walking out of his bedroom, both pausing to stare before Dudley slowly retreated back into his own room. He became scared of him after aunt Petunia made it clear the second room would be Harry’s and he better not complain or whine about it, becoming the first time he’d ever seen his aunt punish her precious son. The fear wore off a few months later but he reinforced it by trying to use his magic, not actually doing anything but he’d discovered trying to use magic wandless made his eyes glow a bit and it freaked Dudley and his friends out enough to leave him alone. He had to ramp it up a little every now and then but didn’t dare do too much in fear of punishment from aunt petunia. He didn’t learn until later when he’d braved some of the denser seeming books that he was channelling his magic even if he didn’t actively use it for anything.
Sighing in relief once he made it to his bedroom he went to put his purchases from the alley away. He decided to leave his school books in the compartment he’d cleared his baby things from, putting them in the compartment with his mothers clothes. He put the rest of his school essentials in that compartment too. He pulled out a container of butter chicken from the compartment with preservation charms and climbed into the library compartment to eat, not wanting the smell to cause the Dursley’s wrath. He had been wary of eating in the library but he really didn’t want the Dursley’s to know he was getting his own food. He ate carefully over a ratty blanket he didn’t mind spilling on, cleaning up with the wet wipes he started buying on his trips to the Diagon for this purpose. Vanishing his trash with his mother’s wand he curled up on the chair with the black and dark green blanket, reading a book on beginner runes and falling asleep in only a few minutes.
The next morning halfway through his daily chores it hits him that the Malfoy’s wouldn’t be able to get through the mail ward. He mulls it over until he finishes making the Dursley’s dinner that night when he writes a letter to his account manager, who he’d thankfully resolved the mail problem with. Since all mail was re-routed to a vault the goblins could send them to him via the mail box he’d decided to invest in from the bank. It was usually saved for more important things like statements and other bank business. Thankfully his managers had no qualms sending his mail through it. The fanmail and gifts he’d received over the years had thankfully been sorted through annually. He'd been disturbed with the sheer amount in the vault but he and his managers agreed to have the Goblins sort through it all, giving Harry the inventory so he could decide what he wanted to do with it all. Anything important was sent to Harry through the box. After a few hours, which Harry chose to pass by reading in the library where he spends more time than his actual room, a sigil on the box lights up indicating he’s been sent a letter. Opening the box and letter Goldrich had written about the decisions he’d made about some of the things from his mail vault, also sent the form that Harry needed to fill out which he sent back filled out along with a letter back thanking him.
After that it had taken two days for him to get his first letter and surprisingly a package from Draco, it was nearly four pages worth of parchment about what he had been up to and asking Harry if he knew about things the boy thought were important like his status in the wizarding world and his favourite quidditch team and if he had a favourite team yet. It also revealed that they knew he was Harry Potter as his last name was also on the envelope. Harry smiled excited and a little wary at having made his first friend his age, he counts his managers as friends but he feels like if he mentioned that to them he’d tell him to socialise with humans more. He opens the package, finding the muggle-raised introductory books and pamphlets the school was supposed to give him along with a tin of what he opened to see were sweets and candies. The food, even if it was probably sugar packed, made him tear up a little along with the fact they followed through with their promise to give him the introductory package. He sat down and wrote a reply thanking them profusely for the set and the food, writing down replies to all the things from Draco’s letter and an update that he hadn’t gotten a letter from Mr. Olivander yet. Sending it off through the box he sat down to flip through the set, a note from Lord Malfoy falling out saying he included a few that he thought would especially benefit Harry. While they were about politics and wixen tradition he didn’t actually have those titles and found them informative if dry and a little hard to focus on. He ended up breaking them up by reading a lighter more interesting book or organising more of the trunk's compartments.
Mr. Olivanders letter came the next morning and they arranged for Lord Malfoy to pick him up the next day before lunch. It seemed like in a blur of chores he only blinked and it was time for him to go to Diagon again. He walked to the spot Lord Malfoy had apparated him too before, a thankfully secluded area at the end of the street of houses far enough not easily seen by muggles. Harry didn’t wait very long before he appeared with a crack, he looked around a little paranoid about him being seen using magic by muggles. Lord Malfoy, seeming to sense his anxiousness informs him he warded the spot against muggles so they wouldn’t be able to see him apparating in and out. Relieved he took the offered arm and they were off to the Alley. They met Draco outside The Leaky Cauldron, after greeting each other Lord Malfoy asks, “Would you like for me to go with you and Draco to pick up your wand?” Remembering he said he would have other business to attend too, Harry politely declined. He really did not wish to bother the man more than necessary. Lord Malfoy seems to stare into his soul a moment before nodding and telling them to be careful and if anything happens to stick with Draco who would get them both to safety and turning to head off to his own tasks.
Harry turns to Draco and asks, “What does he mean if something happens? I haven’t had any problems in any of the alley’s even if I thought Knockturn was a bit creepy.” Draco opened his mouth to answer before stopping to think a moment before replying, “Well I’m a Malfoy, we are very rich and influential, not to mention being such an old family line comes with its multitude of enemies and that’s not even including the last war. We should probably have this conversation with my parents though, I’ve never really thought how to explain this kind of thing. You're also the Harry Potter, if anyone finds out you're here I've no doubt we’d be swarmed and unable to escape for hours if at all.” having spoken quietly and whispered his name, Harry mulls this over before nodding and saying they should head to Olivander’s. Making their way to the shop they lighten the mood by talking about the books they were both reading, if Harry had been able to read and understand the books sent, quidditch which Draco seemed a very avid fan of amongst other things. Before either of them realise they arrived at the wand shop, Draco gently pulls the suddenly nervous Harry through the door. “Welcome! I’m very glad to have been given the chance to make a custom wand like this, follow me lads.” Olivander appears from the shelves to greet them, and then follows to the same room he had picked his wand components from. Olivander reverently picks up the box and hands it to Harry, giving him a rundown of how he made it. “It took me a bit longer than expected to figure out how to bond the components for your wand core without damaging them at all but in the end it worked out, now the ebony and yew combination was very interesting to create. Go on, try it.” He says enthusiastically. Harry carefully opens the box and picks up the beautifully carved wand, his whole body warming up and feeling like a rush before the wand lets off a barrage of sparks.
The sparks are black and fall to the floor like tiny smoke bombs before dissipating. He thanks Olivander and goes to pay before Olivander says it was already paid for, causing Harry to turn squinted eyes towards Draco who is looking off in the distance poorly attempting to whistle. He sighs and thanks Olivander before dragging Draco outside saying, “You know you don’t have to keep paying for me, I have plenty of money myself.” Draco responds, “It’s not that we're paying because we think you can’t, we're paying because we value you and your friendship and this is how we show that.” They stare at each other in silence until Harry sighs and thanks him, causing Draco to smile brightly and start carting him off to who knows where.
He thinks to himself that it's nice to have people care about him even if he’s still half convinced it's only because of his name.
They end up going down one of the offshoots of Diagon and stopping in front of a trunks and bags store Draco explaining, “I thought you would need a wand holster, those are usually given by family members or from one's vaults but I didn't know if you’d have access to those items.” Harry smiles and says, “I have my mothers but it still has her wand and I don’t want to risk damaging it by leaving it out of the holster.”
Draco paused, surprised before nodding and saying in response, “I see, that makes sense. We should definitely get you your own then.” dragging them into the store. Sweeping through the place with a surety that puzzles Harry, he stops in front of a particular holster that looks very nice with different shades of green swirling around the scales and a dark red stitching. “This one, what do you think, Harry?” he asks looking at him with a quirked eyebrow, something Harry is positive he copied from his father, he thinks amused. “It looks very nice, I think it even compliments my mom’s.” He says, a little surprised at the truth of the statement. “Right it’s settled then.” Draco says, nodding as he reaches to carefully pick it up and walking over to the counter where the man on the other side had been eyeing them discreetly since they walked in. “How can I help you boys?” the man asked dryly, seeming disinterested but staring at them with an intensity that made Harry slide behind draco (he was not hiding cough *cough*). “Just this.” Draco replied, sounding a little snooty, surprising him a bit. Thankfully it didn’t take too long to finish the purchase, Harry, a bit too unnerved by the man to argue with Draco about paying. They quickly left and stood off to the side while draco handed him the rather poorly wrapped cuff and dragged him to a quidditch store also seeming a bit rattled.
After calming down from the previous store by Draco dragging him into the quidditch store in Diagon and proceeding to give Harry a head swimming crash course in all things quidditch. While some things have certainly gone over his head he is excited to try the sport once they get to school, Draco had wanted him to come over and try it before but there was just too little time and his mother thankfully talked some sense into him.
Before he got too overwhelmed by Draco’s impressive span of quidditch knowledge Mr. Malfoy seemed to have spotted them and walked into where they stood by a shelf of player posters Draco was trying to get him to remember names at. “Draco, I believe I told you to meet me outside the bank when you were done?” he said, seeming rather severe before he seemed to soften and smile the slightest bit while Draco attempted to justify their stop as educational and entirely for Harry’s benefit. He looked over at Harry, eyebrow quirked and he lost the battle of suppressing his giggles once he realized the man wasn’t truly mad at them. Draco sputtered and turned to Harry, bright red for being caught by Mr. Malfoy and Harry starting to laugh at the situation. “Harry! You're supposed to be on my side and back me up.” He said, sounding offended and exasperated, shaking his head in mock disappointment before he broke too and let out a little laugh. They didn't stay there much longer, making their way out of the shop to have a quick lunch.
They wound their way through the crowds and down a few different streets before rounding a corner to what seems like a whole block of little cafes and bakeries and other restaurants. There were other kinds of shops dotted about but the vast majority seemed catered for food. They stopped at a shop with a sign he couldn't read but thought it might've been French. As they were sat by a waitress with Mr. Malfoy speaking to her in rapid French Draco leaned over to confirm his thoughts and assure him he would help Harry with the menu. He was a bit nervous hoping he would like what Draco had picked for him. Before their meals they were brought tea and many little finger foods that looked very cute to him and tasted delicious when Draco started stacking some on his plate attempting to explain to him what they were called and other little facts that he had. As much as he barely understood it was nice, if so much fancier than he was used to, he liked listening to Draco and all the little things he talked about. Lunch seemed to fly by with all the tea and then their meals and it wasn’t terribly long before they were winding their way to the closest apparition point. He was definitely tired and trying to calculate the odds of being able to nap before he had to make dinner for the Dursley’s. Mr. Malfoy instructed them to hold on carefully once they reached a point outside of the row of restaurants, and they were apparated to the point in Little Whinging he had warded to pick up and drop Harry off. He was so ready to stumble his way to his bed not wanting to risk his aunt coming for him while in his trunk. He only stood around to say his goodbyes and watch Draco stare at their surroundings with judging suspicion that made him want to laugh. He made his way down the row of houses until he reached Number 4, taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders before walking in and waiting a beat. With no noise indicating his aunt is going to come over and yell at him to do something else he creeps his way towards and up the stairs sighing in relief when he successfully closes his new room door and collapses on his bed.