Togetherness

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.


Special Thanks to Keikokin for taking time out of her busy schedule to beta for me. Honey, you’re the best! Thanks to Tarallynne Moon for her extra beta help too.


Chapter 2 The Move

“Gentlemen, we have decided to put you in a suite in one of the rarely used towers that most have forgotten about. You will be well guarded there, by your own powers and by our friendly ghosts and the staff of course. Anyone trying to get to you will have to pass by Professor Snape’s who has already set spells to alert him to all coming and goings in the area except for you and the staff. I know it sounds strange to say tower and dungeon in the same setting, but wait and you will understand. Please follow me now and I will show you the way. Your things will be moved by the house elves so you won’t have to go backyouryour houses. Is there anything or anyone in particular you would want to say goodbye to? You are just changing living areas, you will still see them in classes and in the Great Hall.” The boys didn’t actually answer this but stood to follow the Headmaster. He stood and headed down the steps from his office to the dungeons.

Harry and Draco fell into step behind him and were silent the whole way there. They didn’t even bother looking at each other. They passed the entrance to Slytherin House and on down the corridor. They passed the Potions classroom and on passed Snape’s offices. They finally came to the end of the corridor at a rock wall.

“Gentlemen, your password is “Family” and cannot be changed by anyone but me. Let’s check out your rooms.” He repeated the password and three of the blocks swung out to open the wall. Dumbledore entered first, followed by Harry and Draco standing next to each other and crossing the threshold as one.

The sight that greeted them was surprising. Instead of the red, gold, silver and green they were used to, they were met with varying shades of blue and creams. It was different and soothing at the same time.

“Harry, Draco, you will share a common room, a bathroom and a kitchenette. Harry, your bedroom is on the left, Draco you will be on the right. The “windows” are designed to allow you see out at the current conditions and to let “light” in here. If you need something for the kitchen, just call for Dobby and he will be happy to get it for you. If you run into any problems, go to Professor Snape or myself. I’ll leave you now to get settled in. You are excused from all classes today, but will be expected to make up your work.” Dumbledore gave ta laa last encouraging smile and left.

The two antagonists looked at each other with suspicion. Who would make the first move and how? Harry decided on his path and started. “Malfoy, I don’t know about you, but this is strange for me. I’ll leave you alone as much as possible, but we will have to talk once in a while. Like, now. Are you hungry? I can fix us something in the kitchen.” Harry moved over to the kitchen and started checking things over. It was better stocked than his aunt’s house and that would be saying something. Harry began gathering ingredients for a simple omelet. “Malfoy, do you have any food allergies or preferences? I’m going to be using eggs, cheese, tomatoes and peppers. Are you ok with that?”

Draco looked at him as if he had grown another head. What the hell was he talking about? Draco was a stranger to the kitchen and around food preparation. He decided that he better watch Potter to make sure he didn’t get poisoned. He walked over close to Harry and watched as he sliced and chopped the ingredients and got ready to cook.

“Malfoy, haven’t you ever seen anyone cook before? I was the cook all summer long and over holidays at my relative’s house. They, unfortunately, survived, as did I. I’m pretty sure I won’t poison you or myself. It’s too painful a way to go.”

There it was again. Draco thought he heard something off in the boy’s tone and sentences. Whas was with Potter? “Potter, you fix it and take the first bite, then I’ll eat it.” Draco had learned caution early from a master. He didn’t want to think about Lucius right now, those thoughts tormented him, so he concentrated on Harry.

Harry beat the eggs and started them in the frying pan. When they began to firm he began adding the other ingredients and folding until it was ready. He plated it all and carried it to the little table and grabbed some cutlery for the two.

“Are you waiting for an invitation? Sit down and help me eat this.” Harry took the first bite and then a second. Draco decided it must have been safe, so he sat and started eating.

“Not bad Potter. I wouldn’t have expected you to cook though. Being the great Harry Potter, Savior, you should have people serving you, not you providing for them.”

Harry looked at Draco. Another one to deal with. He hated the misconceptions people had of him and decided to try to convince one more person, even if this was his “enemy” for the past 6 years and had little hope of convincing him. “Malfoy, Draco, I have a story to tell you, and it’s all true. You can check with Dumbledore later for verification. I am as far away from a Savior as it is possible. I have been turned into a killing machine that started off no better than the lowest house elf. The relatives everyone thinks took so great care of me? How about abused? They let me have my “own room” in a cupboard under the stairs. I can show you the first Hogwarts letter to me, that’s how it was addressed. Then they finally moved to a “bedroom” which turned out to be nothing more than a storage room for my fat assed cousin’s broken toys. All the time, they had me doing the indoor chores. I learned to do laundry, dust, vacuum, clean windows, clean bathrooms, cook and repair things and heaven couldn’t help me from the punishment if I broke something or my cousin accused me of breaking it. Do you know how long a human can go without food or water before hallucinations set in? I’ve managed to go four days before a trip to that wonderful world, and then later the beatings started on top of the starvation. It was enough incentive to turn me into Voldemort’s killer to escape from it. I don’t expect you to understand, just had to get that off my chest.”

Harry finished eating and washed up his dishes. Draco sat at the table trying to do justice to the food in front of him and accept what he had been told. He looked at Harry on the couch and got up and went to him. “Why Potter? Why did you stay and put up with it? You are a powerful wizard and don’t have to take shit from anybody. Why did you let them treat you like that?”

Harry looked at Draco. “I wish I knew. The only thing I can come up with is that they are the last of my living relatives, my only family. It’s hard for you; you’ve always had parents and other relatives. My parents were dead and I was treated and called a ‘freak’ by those I lived with. When it’s all you have to hold on to, you are willing to accept anything just to belong.”

Draco nodded. He understood that statement better today then he would have just a short month ago. “Potter, Harry, I think I do understand. You don’t know what happened to land me here. Let’s just say, its not safe for me being the ‘Outcast Slytherin’. They will wait and strike when they think the time is right. I used to belong with them, now I’m a pariah because I didn’t share the same beliefs of kissing “his” hand and bowing to the Dark Lord. I will admit, I was happy when you got rid of him, but now that they know of my own self-serving views, the surviving Slytherins would like nothing else than revenge. I belong nowhere now.”

Harry looked at Draco. Maybe Dumbledore was right, there was something he was missing.

“You know Draco, we are the only two people I know that don’t belong anywhere except maybe together.”

Draco frowned in confusion. It was going to take a minute to process that thought.

“You are so right about that Harry. Muggles say misery loves company. I don’t love you, but will try to tolerate you and help where I can.”

It was a good start to a bad situation and they looked at each other and extended hands in a sign of solidarity, at least in this.