The Years After

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Part 10– Chapter 8 - June 5, 1992

It was hard for Harry to adjust to life in the Manor. Draco still made Harry think of his cousin. Harry still wasn’t fully convinced that none of the adults were going to hit him, or lock him in a cupboard like his Aunt and Uncle had. But Lord Voldemort did his best to assuage Harry’s fears, and Draco mostly stayed away from Harry.

After the New Year, Draco went back to school. Harry didn’t really notice much of a difference, since he hadn’t really seen much of Draco, and after that first disastrous conversation, they hadn’t spoken to each other. Lucius had business to attend to, so was gone much of the time. Narcissa had many social functions that she attended and hosted, making her also unavailable. Voldemort, however, made sure that he spent time with Harry every day.

In the mornings, before he had to run off to death eater meetings, Voldemort worked with Harry on many things the boy seemed to struggle with. They began with speaking lessons, fixing Harry’s childlike speech. After that was tackled, they worked on Harry’s knowledge of the wider world. Because the boy had so much to learn, it was slow going. Harry knew very little. Everything he knew came from the things he heard in his family’s house. And it became abundantly clear quite quickly that they never explained anything to their unwanted nephew. Voldemort, realizing that the few hours he could spare every day were not enough to fully tackle Harry’s education, enlisted the help of one of Lucius’ house elves.

Dobby was more than happy to help serve Lord Voldemort. He was one of the few humans who wasn’t cruel to the house elves. Dobby found many books to help Harry learn. First, books on how to read. Then books on colors, shapes, animals, and other things children usually learn by the time they are five. By the time that summer rolled around and Draco was due to return from school, Harry had learned much of what he should know at the age of eleven. At least the things about the world. His school learning hadn’t been addressed, as both Lord Voldemort and Dobby knew they didn’t have enough time to teach the boy everything.

 At first, Harry wasn’t sure what to make of his lessons. His family never took the time to teach him anything. But Harry liked spending time with his Uncle ‘Volo, and with the curious creature they called “Dobby.” Even if learning was a new experience, and wasn’t always easy, Harry thought that he could really learn to like it. And Harry thought that he could really learn to like this place and these people. They were nice to him. They fed him. And they were teaching him things.

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Draco came home that afternoon looking a bit tired, but terribly excited. It was his twelfth birthday, and he'd had permission from the Headmaster to come home for the day to spend it with his family. He had arrived just after lunch, so they went into the dining room and had his cake first. It was a monstrous confection of chocolate and raspberries and cream. Everyone had a small slice, save Draco, who insisted upon a sinfully large piece with his name on it. After everyone had finished their cake and made sure none had found its way onto their faces, Draco moved into the drawing room to open his presents. This time, Harry didn't feel bad while watching Draco open his gifts. Uncle Marvolo had shown him a catalogue that he could buy a present out of, and had given him the money with which to buy it.

When Draco got to his gift, the blond's face lit up like Christmas morning. Inside the modest package was a platinum serpent. It was just a bit longer than the distance from his elbow to the tip of his longest finger. The length wasn't immediately apparent, however, as it was coiled around itself. Each scale was intricately carved into the metal so that it looked life-like. Its mouth was opened as if it were about to strike, its fangs tapering into needle-sharp points. Its forked tongue was sheathed in its mouth where it wouldn't get in the way of its bite. And its eyes. They were set with twin emeralds. There was a shine to them that made them look sentient. Draco absolutely adored his present. It was a must have for any self-respecting Slytherin.

After the presents were all opened and everyone had been thanked, Voldemort took Harry aside and spoke with him quietly. "That was a lovely gift, Harry. Very thoughtful."

"Thank you. I didn't really know what to get him. Dobby said that he liked dragons and things that have to do with Slytherin. Since I didn't really know what that meant, I asked him to tell me more about Slytherin, and I learned that it's a house in Hogwarts, and its colors are silver and emerald green. And they practically worship the snake. So, I thought that getting something that looked silver and green and was a snake was a good bet, since he has all those dragons from his parents already."

"Very astute of you, Harry. Did it come with any magic on it? Protective spells or enchantments?"

"Um... I don't think so. I still don't read very well, though, so I can't be sure."

"Did you pack it yourself?"

"No, I had Dobby do it as soon as it arrived in the mail. I've never had anything to give as a present before, so I really didn't know what I was doing."

"Ah, good thinking. I was just wondering."

"Okay... I didn't do something wrong, did I?"

"Oh, no, Harry, nothing like that. My curiosity had just gotten the better of me."

"Oh, good. I'd hate to have upset you."

“I don't think you could even if you tried, child.”

Harry smiled and gave the man a hug.