Chapter 24
His first night back, Padfoot sat him the whole time, not even letting Harry go to the bathroom.
When Harry arrived home, there was a large homemade chocolate cake with a banner attached to the wall that said Welcome Home Harry! Except the arry part was jumbled close together since his family obviously ran out of room on the paper.
He was surrounded by hugs and kisses and his father kept saying how proud he was of Harry for giving Dumbledore the diary and saving the school and winning the quidditch cup. Not that anyone knew what happened in the Chamber of Secrets and that Harry had stopped the basilisk once and for all, Dumbledore just said Harry retrieved the diary which caused all the problems and that was that.
“Good morning, my baby!” His mum said with a wide smile when Harry came down for breakfast. Padfoot was wagging his tail and panting along happily behind him.
She kissed both his cheeks and dragged him into the kitchen to show him the chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes she was making.
“Your favourite.”
Harry nodded and leaned against his mum. “Do we have maple syrup?”
“Obviously, one can’t have pancakes without it.” She tutted. “Padfoot, shouldn’t you be home by now? I’m sure Remus is missing you.”
Padfoot turned his head to the side like he was confused.
Harry giggled and scratched behind the dogs fluffy ears. “He slept on top of me the whole night, silly dog.”
“James!” His mum yelled at the top of her voice. “You let the dog in again!”
“Rude.” Sirius snorted, turning back and leaning against the kitchen counter. “I didn’t piss on anything this time.”
“And you shouldn’t have pissed on anything the last time.” She responded sarcastically.
“It’s a dog thing, Lily.”
His mum reached for her spatula and started pacing towards Sirius. “Oh, let me show you a dog thing-“
“What’s happening in here?” His dad chuckled when he walked into the kitchen with a dressing gown on.
“Sirius stayed the night again.” Harry told him, amusingly watching his mother smack his godfather with a hot spatula.
James rolled his eyes and went to grab his wife before she did anything damaging.
“Does this mean I get to stay for pancakes?” Sirius asked, grinning innocently.
Lily grunted and smacked James with the spatula so he would put her down. “I suppose, but I wanted Harry to get filled up, Godric knows if he’s eating anything at school and he’s on the skinny side.”
“Lily,” Sirius starting, pulling Harry into his side, “you went to Hogwarts like we all did, right? How can anyone resist not eating the food?”
“Yeah, mum, stop worrying. I eat more than Remus does.” Harry teased.
“That is quite a lot, dear.” His dad nodded solemnly.
“Anyway,” she clapped her hands together, “pancakes are ready and need to be eaten while they’re hot.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” Sirius plucked his lips together and grabbed three off the plate.
“Oh, Harry.” His mum said, walking over with a letter. “Someone sent you this, it came this morning.”
Harry frowned at the letter and opened it hastily, it was from Draco inviting him to a sleepover with Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle for his birthday.
“Oh fun.” His dad said after reading the letter. “Maybe you can dye one of Lucius’s peacocks pink while you’re there.”
“No pranks.” Lily said sternly.
“Ugh, Malfoy Manor.” Sirius shivered. “Horrid place.”
“I like it, it’s massive and way bigger than our place.” said Harry, holding his hands away from one another to show how much bigger it is.
“S’not a competition, pup.” Sirius said. “But if it was, we’d win on a totally different level.”
“Keep our son humble, Sirius.” Lily chuckled.
“I actually had a dream about Malfoy Manor not too long ago.” His dad muttered dreamily. “I dreamed that we painted the whole house white and Lucius had an allergic reaction to it.”
“Maybe that’ll be the prank.” Harry winked.
“Way to go, Harry!” Sirius cheered, holding his hand up for Harry to clap.
“Why do I bother.” He heard his mum mutter as she left the table.
——
Harry and his dad apparated to the Malfoy Manor together on the 5th of June. Harry tried to pull his dad towards the door but the man was staring at the house with an impressed smirk.
“That prick always had a ‘go big or go home ‘attitude.”
“And now his house is big if he has to go home.” Harry added, making his dad laugh and ruffle his hair.
They knocked on the door and it was answered by Blaise, Draco was behind him with an annoyed glare.
“This is my house, Zabini, I should be the one opening the door to a guest.” He snapped.
“No guest has the patience to wait for you to open the door.” Blaise snapped back.
His dad stood awkwardly at the door but Harry just rolled his eyes at his friends and pushed past them to get inside.
“I always love how pleasant you two are.” Harry teased after they said goodbye to his dad and went to Draco’s overly large room.
“I can’t stand you.” Draco said venomously to Blaise.
“The feeling’s mutual.” Blaise sneered back.
Harry rolled his eyes and hoped Crabbe and Goyle would hurry up and get here already.
“Happy birthday, by the way.” Harry said quickly, passing his friend the present. He had to get Peter to wrap it for him because Harry was completely useless in that department.
“Oh thanks, Harry, you didn’t have to get me anything.” Draco flushed happily at the large looking gift.
“Yes you did, he would’ve lost it if you didn’t.” Blaise whispered jokingly.
Draco ignored Blaise and looked at Harry. “I do hope what you got me is better than a bloody muggle watch.”
"Mother said every young man should have one!” Blaise gasped, looking offended.
“But you know perfectly well I have a silver wizard watch my father passed down to me.” Draco spat.
“Bloody hell, what happened between you two?” Harry shouted, making them go quiet. “You’ve been fighting since I got here, and I bet even before I got here too. What happened?”
“Nothing of importance, Harry, sorry for the fighting.” Draco strained.
Blaise was looking angrily at his lap, his fingers ripping a stray piece of wrapping paper.
“I think it may be a tad important if you can’t even look at one another.” Harry reasoned.
Blaise looked up and glared at Draco menacingly. “Tell Potter what happened, Malfoy.”
“Let it go, Zabini, I didn’t even mean for it to happen.” Draco snapped.
Blaise sighed and turned to Harry. “Draco and Pansy kissed.”
“What?” Harry screeched.
“Reword, Pansy kissed me.” Draco greatly emphasised.
“You still let her do it!” Blaise shouted, his hands flying.
“Why does it even matter?” Draco yelled. “I don’t like her like that, you know I don’t because I’ve been telling you that since it happened!”
“When did it happen?” asked Harry.
“This morning.” Draco and Blaise grumbled at the same time.
Harry frowned. “Is that why the girls aren’t coming?”
“I never invited the girls.” Draco stated matter of factly. “Pansy just showed up and Blaise walked into my room without knocking and saw her kiss me.”
Blaise rolled his eyes. “You still should've have pushed her away when she started leaning in!”
“Why does it matter to you what Draco does?” Harry asked, feeling cold all of a sudden.
Draco gave a pointed look to Blaise and crossed his arms with his eyebrows raised.
Blaise fiddled with a new strip of wrapping paper and looked longingly out the window. Harry had an idea that Blaise liked Pansy… or Draco, but the latter made Harry feel all tight inside. Harry knew he was wasn’t homophobic if Blaise did like Draco since he had grown up with two very much not straight ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles’ but he grimaced at the thought of Blaise and Draco being together. All these feelings were making Harry disgusted with himself; he was not homophobic but maybe he was homophobic towards his friends? Now Harry was confused.
“Do you like Pansy?” Draco asked Blaise with a confused frown.
Blaise swallowed thickly but still didn’t remove his eyes from the window. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Draco. You two should be together, it’s obvious she likes you.”
Draco hit Blaise on the head with his wand.
“What was that for?” Blaise shouted, rubbing his sore spot.
“How many times do I have to get it into your thick head? I don’t like Pansy like that.” He hit Blaise on every word.
“I’ll tell your father you’ve been abusing me.” Blaise teased when Draco finished.
Draco scowled. “You’re not telling my father anything.”
Harry released a long breath and leaned back comfortably on the leg of Dracos bed, Mrs Malfoy opened the door to the bedroom and let Crabbe and Goyle in. By then, the energy was far less tense and the boys didn’t talk about what happened. Draco did talk about the kiss though, sounding far to prideful about it, unlike the moments ago when he and Blaise were fighting.
“You’ve kissed someone?” Goyle gasped then wolf whistled. Him and Draco exchanged a handshake. “Get it, mate.”
“You gonna date her?” Crabbe smirked.
“Nah, she’s too flat for my liking.” Draco casually said. “If I’m dating a girl, she better have tits.”
This made Crabbe and Goyle burst out in laughter but Harry and Blaise looked at each other in confusion. Draco would never say something so rude, or if he did, it was never focused at their friend. He would never objectify their girls. Ever since the rest of their friends came in, Draco had changed his personality completely and Harry didn’t like it.
“So you’d go after Millicent then?” Goyle winked. “She has better tits than Parkinson.”
Goyle looked at his cousin to laugh with him but Crabbe remained silent after that comment.
“How about I don’t date anyone. No one meets my standards anyway.” Draco said finally.
Mrs Malfoy called them down for dinner and Harry looked around for Dobby when they made it to the table but the house elf was nowhere to be seen. They had beef patties for dinner since Draco wanted to try American muggle food - Harry was sure to ask Kurt to send him his favourite recipes- and they had apple pie for dessert.
“Was this made with green apples, mother?” Draco asked when Mrs Malfoy brought it out.
“Of course, dear.” She doted, stroking the side of his neck calmly.
Afterwards, Mr Malfoy told Draco to give them a tour.
“I must show you all the dungeons, they’re incredibly scary.” Draco grinned as he led them down a long flight of stairs.
“Wicked.” Harry breathed. “Has anyone been locked down here before?”
“Not in my time here but I’m sure my father must have. The first war did happen years after he finished school and I know he didn’t let this dungeon go to waste.”
Draco then led them to the ‘smart floor’ he liked to call it. It was the floor with the library and his parents studies. First he showed them his fathers study and the bookcase where Tom’s diary was and then the massive library. It was filled with various books mostly about the same thing, dark magic. Harry picked up one book called The Various Powers of Warlocks: 20th Century Edition and asked if he could borrow it, he had been told many times he was powerful and maybe this book could pinpoint just how powerful. Draco agreed and took the group back to his room.
“We should plan when we’re going to Diagon Alley.” Blaise said when they got into in Dracos kingsize bed, it was big enough to fit all five boys comfortably.
“Excellent idea, I want to get my Care for Magical Creatures books right away.” Draco agreed. “Professor Kettleburn is said to have taught the subject for decades.”
“It’s so great that we’re all doing the same subject.” Goyle blissed.
“I’m still confused why the two of you are doing muggle studies when you despise muggles.” Blaise accused Crabbe and Goyle.
Goyle shrugged. “Divination sounded like a headache and if we did muggle studies, we’ll get an insight on who are the mugglelovers. It could help us in the long run.”
“Think smarter not harder.” Crabbe added, nodded solemnly.
“I am thinking smarter actually,” Blaise sat up, “I’m doing Arithmancy with Mr Lupin so we’ll see whose ‘smarter’ at the end of the year, shall we?”
“Don’t be a prissy, no one cares whose smarter.” Draco snapped. “I’m doing the The Study of Ancient Runes because father said it was required if I wanted a high paying ministry job. The Weasels father obviously didn’t do that class seeing where he’s at now.”
“Didn’t he win the Galleon withdraw?” Harry asked, remembering seeing it somewhere in the prophet.
Draco threw his head back and laughed. “700 Galleons. I get paid more pocket money than that.”
Harry smirked slightly and rested his head back on the soft pillows. He fell asleep listening to his friends argue.
——
“You have got to be kidding me.”
The group of Slytherin (nearly) third years were at Flourish and Blotts and had just asked the man at the counter to get them five copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. The poor man looked blanched but put on his thick dragon gloves and opened the metal case the books were in, the books started snapping and grabbing onto his glove, viciously ripping it off and shedding paper everywhere. He managed to grab one out but before he could stop it, the book stated snapping at his face.
After at least half an hour, the man tied the books in thick rope and handed them to the boys.
“Anything else?” He asked tiredly.
They all left the shop with big bags of their school books and decided to treat themselves to ice cream.
“I’m glad at least one of our care for magical creatures books are readable.” Blaise commented whilst they waited in line.
Harry hummed in agreement, “or this is going to be a waste of time and money if the book tears up all the paper inside itself.”
“At least we’re not doing that subject.” Tracey spoke for herself and the girls. They were divination and ancient runes instead, except for Millicent who was doing divination and muggle studies.
Remus had said it was his favourite class when he was at school so Harry wasn’t about to call it bad before school even started.
“I guess Lockhart was fired, we didn’t have to buy a monstrous amount of books like last year.” Pansy chuckled. Harry had visibly sighed in relief when he had looked at the booklist and didn’t see any autobiographies from his old teacher.
“They do say the defence against the dark arts position is cursed.” Tracey shrugged.
“Thank Merlin for that, Lockhart gave me an earache every time he opened that stupid mouth of his.” Draco spat in distaste.
Goyle sighed. “Who could we have next?”
“Knowing Dumbledore, it’ll probably be a garden gnome.” Harry joked. Everyone laughed.
“Or a vampire.” Crabbe added with a shiver.
“Or maybe he’ll employ that troll we got rid of in first year.” Draco snickered. This made Harry laugh so hard he got a stitch.
“He’d say the troll would give us good real life experience.” Blaise wheezed out.
They bought their ice cream. Florean Fortescue gave Harry his ice cream for free as he did every time, Harry soon learnt not to force money onto the nice man or else the scoops on his cone would get bigger and bigger. They found a large circular table while their parents talked on a table nearby. The group was obviously divided, the girls on one side and the boys on the other. Harry had a feeling it was to do with the kiss between Pansy and Draco since they hadn’t talked to one another the whole day.
“So Pansy, how has your holidays been?” Blaise braved to ask. Pansy raised an eyebrow.
“Fine.” She sassed.
Blaise nodded awkwardly and took a bite of his cone.
The rest of the day was filled of those awkward silences and snapping tones and Harry almost hugged his godfather when Sirius told him it was time to leave.=
——
On his 13th birthday, his family took him out to a muggle sushi bar in London. He would have celebrated his birthday with his friends but since Dracos party and the awkward Diagon Alley trip, he decided to leave their reunion until the Hogwarts Express.
It was a wonderful day in London. Marlene and Dorcas practically ate all the sushi they bought and Harry got to try sashimi for the first time. There were so many different types of flavours and shapes that Harry wanted to try them all, it was the first time he got full to the limit from them.
The presents he received were amazing. His friends all sent him owls carrying heartfelt cards and heavy parcels. Blaise, for the irony, got him a muggle watch and Draco, also for the irony, got him an overly priced wizard watch. Harry decided he would wear both when he got on the train, for the irony of course. Pansy was learning to sew and had made him a Slytherin coloured hat with bear ears on it, she told him in her letter to save it for Spring. Hermione was learning to bake and sent him a box of homemade jam drops, he wasn’t sure if her dentist parents would approve of her new hobby but just laughed to himself and sent her a long thank you letter in return.
Kurt remembered it was his birthday as well and sent him more comics called The New Teen Titans. Harry gave himself a mental reminder to pack them in his trunk and also to ask the older boy when his birthday was, when he stayed over he learnt Kurt was one of those people who refused to tell anyone their birthday. It was proper annoying. He was also tempted to ask if they had sushi in America but Remus reminded him that America had everything so he didn’t.
Along with everything else, he received a letter from Hogwarts with a permission slip to go into Hogsmeade, but only if one of his parents signed it. His dad was fvery excited when he got it and wrote his signature all fancy with a small heart on the end. And after being harassed by his boyfriend, Remus promised to show Harry a secret shortcut the Marauders found to lead him straight into Honeydukes, the sweet shop in Hogsmeade.
“I will only show you if you promise to use the cloak whenever you go into the tunnel, okay?” Remus made him promise.
“If you get caught and the secret is revealed, forgiving you won’t be so easy.” Sirius added seriously. Harry knew he was joking because his godfather was trying not to smile.
“Moony will show you this with the upmost secrecy.” said his dad.
Peter nodded along. “And be careful which friends you share it with, only few Hogwarts alumni know of it.”
Harry nodded after each man said something. He knew this year would be a good one.
——
Maybe he spoke too soon because it was one week before September 1st and Harry woke in the middle of the night screaming.
He clutched his hands to his ears but he could still hear it.
”No!” The voice in his head screeched.
They were the screams and shouts of the Dark Lord. Harry had no idea why he was hearing it now, he hadn’t had a nightmare about Voldemort since first year but this didn’t look like a nightmare, it looked like it was really happening, like he was there in the moment. There was no way his mind could come up with this.
He had seen Professor Dumbledore reaching for a sword in his office and pointing the end of the blade at Toms diary. Without a moments hesitation, he plunged the weapon through it. This was when the strike of pain flushed through him, it was like he was being stabbed himself, right through the scar on his forehead.
Then his dream flashed and Harry was in a dark room lit only by a fireplace, and his vision showed Lord Voldemort himself, barely alive and barely human. He was small and inhumane but he screamed with as much agony as Harry. An unknown males face came into Harrys dream. The mans hair was spiked and his eyes were wide with worry and wonder but before he could decipher who it could be, he woke up.
“Harry, love? Are you okay?” His mother asked, coming up beside him and gently moving his hair from his sweaty forehead.
His dad came up behind her looking stressed and holding out his wand.
“I saw- I saw-“ Harry stammered, not sure how he could describe what he saw.
“It was just a nightmare.” His mum reassured, pulling his face into her shoulder. “You’re safe here, it was just a nightmare. No one can hurt you.”
Harry’s breaths were quick and stammering but being in his parents embrace was calming him down.
“Do you want to sleep with us tonight?” His dad asked softly.
Harry nodded. They held each of his hands and led them into their warm bed. Harry didn’t have another nightmare for the rest of the night. He should have been embarrassed being 13 and having to seek comfort from his parents after a horrible dream, but instead he was grateful to have them and knew he wouldn’t be this loved anywhere else.