A Friend in Need

Chapter 7

Ok so I have some major groveling to do for any of you who have stuck with this story from the beginning.

(T_T) pleeeeeeeze forgive me!!! I’m sooooo sorry! (T_T)

I know I left it for a massive amount of time but the ideas for it just dried up! I couldn’t get the chapters to work anymore and in the end I didn’t know what to do with it! But now I’m off for my summer break from Uni and I plan on getting loads of inspiration for the two stories I have going.

So here is the next chapter A Friend in Need. I hope you like it! ^_^;


Viktor saw that this was all a little much for Harry to be taking in right now; to Harry it looked as though Voldemort’s favorite henchmen family had just barged into his sanctuary with his godfather tied up and proclaiming to be family.

He walked over to the boy, who now had his head in his hands and knelt down in front of him.

“Harry. Look at me.” When the teen did Viktor smiled and stroked his cheek, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You trust me, alright?” Harry nodded and sighed.

“Well…When Draco was three I was told to keep an eye on him while our parents when to greet some French official, I looked away for three seconds and the boy had taken all his clothes off and started running around screaming he wanted to wear his dragon pajamas.”

Harry stated giggling along with Narcissa who remembered the day well. Viktor looked around and saw Draco giving him a very chilling glare.

“You wait till I tell him about your little misadventures Krum. Then we’ll see who laughs last.” The blonde threatened. Viktor turned back to Harry.

“I told you that because it’s how I see these people. They’re my friends, good friends. I trust them with everything. My secrets, my weaknesses, my life.”

Harry looked up at the woman sat next to him, a comforting hand on his arm but not intrusive or commanding. He turned to see Draco looking put-out, sat on the armchair but not threatening; he was even slouched with one leg over the arm of the chair. Even Lucius wasn’t sneering at him with disgust, he was looking very put upon and bored.

He turned to Snape with a questioning look, hoping his message of ‘is this all going to be ok?’ got through. Snape nodded ever so slightly and yet again they were both slightly disheartened that the familiarity of their arguments seemed to be diminishing.

“Ok. Mrs.…Mrs. Malfoy? Could you…explain all this to me?” Narcissa smiled warmly at the teen and patted his arm.

“Viktor? Why don’t you show Draco the new kit your team were given this year.” Melina suggested as her and her husband made their way to leave.

Viktor looked into Harry’s eyes for a moment and then kissed his forehead had moved over to the doors with his parents, Draco following although looking as though he wanted to stay.

Snape raised an eyebrow as Lucius made a gesture that he should be leaving too. He knew, as loathed as he was to admit that he could know the boy, that Harry wouldn’t want to be left alone with people he had only just accepted wouldn’t kill him- there was the mutt, but he wasn’t rational and was easily exited and didn’t know the whole story.

“Now Harry darling, there is so much that you have not been told and many things you have, so why don’t I let you ask the questions and I shall answer them fully for you?” Harry looked up at her beautiful face and gave a small smile; no one had ever given him a chance to ask what he actually wanted to know, they just told him, or didn’t as the case was most of the time.

“Well…How did you and my mum first meet? I mean it must have been in Hogwarts but you were in different houses.” Lucius figured this was one of the many pointless questions he would here and sank down into a transfigured armchair next to Severus.

“I first met your mother after finding her and Severus out after curfew. I was head girl and was passing the library back to the dungeons after my rounds when I saw a light on in the library. I was going to scare whoever was there but when I saw it was my Sev; oh I had practically adopted him as a school baby brother since his first day at the school. He was so smart and proper and cute because nobody wanted to be his friend.” The woman looked all misty eyed for a moment.

“Cissy.” Both Lucius and Snape said at the same time in the same dry tone.

“Anyway, he was my favorite out of the first years that year and I just warned them that Filch wasn’t a joke, no matter how much he looked like one. I ended up walking Lily back to her dorms with Sev and we started talking. After that we would often meet after classes and I would help them with their work. It often took my mind of Lucius who had left school that year. Lily was the one who alerted me to Potter and my cousins treatment to Severus. It was me I who managed to get your mother to at least stay in contact with Severus after school…They had a falling out of sorts Harry.” She said at the look Harry gave her.

Lucius snorted and then whimpered as Snape hexed his tongue numb. Harry smiled but realized there must have been something big that happened there.

“Wait…So you only knew my mum a year but stayed friends afterwards?”

“Well…Although I was happily, HAPPILY, engaged to Lucius in my last year of Hogwarts. Marrying was a little daunting and your mother was the only woman I had met that was of the opinion I was selling myself short and I should have been able to choose. Everyone else was saying I was so lucky to have caught the eyes of the Malfoy family…I’m pretty sure Bella tried to poison me twice in my last year of school…anyway, when I began to question if I could actually live up to the standards set me I began writing to Lily about it. After sorting through that we began writing about how my wedding would be, this James fellow she hated but thought was cute, Severus becoming difficult after she and James got together, after my wedding, which she was at in the summer, I told her about my first child and parenthood then she told me what Severus had said to her in her last year and it took me six months to get them talking again.” She looked disapprovingly at Snape who was now looking down into his lap.

“How did you stay friend when you were both on separate sides of the war efforts?” Harry looked up at Narcissa but saw her gaze turned to her husband, who wasn’t looking at anyone.

“Sorry. Snape told me you didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, but that’s my point. It wasn’t dangerous to stay friendly with her? I would have thought you would have just fallen out of touch after my mother left Hogwarts and started on the war effort too; what with it being too dangerous to keep in touch.”

“Harry, your mother was a very talented witch and with my cunning we were able to stay in touch and keep safe by a set of journals we bought each other the Christmas before she left school. To stay safe and keep suspicion off of us we had a public argument about the war and made sure it seemed like we ended on bad terms. That was the last time I physically saw you mother. After that there was photos, fire calls and pensive memories but I never got to see her again save for passing on the street and back then, even now actually, the Malfoys very rarely go out to public places.”

Harry saw the real sad smile that passed her lips and in an act of sympathy he held her hand. She looked him in the eyes and patted his hand over hers. He bit his lip and looked around the room. He was beginning to understand now…but he didn’t think it should be this easy to trust them. Lucius had nearly gotten Ginny killed in second year! And…it wasn’t his fault really; the man’s family had been used against him. If Sirius had been held against him he would have knelt at the feet of Voldemort- even if he would be planning and killing the bastard.

“I suppose I wasn’t given into your care because of how close you were to Voldemort but…I know it’s stupid but did you ever think about me? I mean…would you have taken me if it was an option?”

Lucius shifted in his seat and purposefully looked out of the window. Harry noticed Snape trying to hide a smile, looking at the floor with a hand over his mouth and Narcissa was looking over to Lucius, she turned back to the boy.

“Harry, I was so scared when I found out your mother and father had been killed by The Dark Lord. I was scared he had killed you too. In fact so was Lucius. He was even ready to go find you and bring you here. He fumed for weeks over not being able to keep you safe, as did I…and Severus.” She added at the end as she saw Severus still trying not to laugh. He stopped immediately when she did.

“That’s enough Cissy, just answer the boy’s damned questions.” He said roughly and turned to look out of one of the window.

“Lucius appealed to Dumbledore about it but in the end we agreed that our family was too close to The Dark Lord and his true followers. We wanted to bring you to a safe loving family so much but it was just too dangerous.” She lifted up his chin and put an arm around him.

“I thought of you every time I saw Draco accomplish something. I was so proud of him and I always thought of how proud I would be of you. I thought about you as I tucked my children into bed, thinking of if you would like the songs I would sing to them. I thought of how beautiful it would have been to see you and Draco as brothers, close and helping each other through these though times. You were always on my mind. I know Lucius tried often to find out where they had taken you but it was to no avail.”

Harry took a deep breath, not wanting to cry in front of the adults. He looked up at Narcissa and smiled shakily. The elegant woman wound her arms around him and squeezed slightly.

“I…I want that. I want everything you said. I don’t want to go back. Ever; to any of it. Please, don’t send me away.” His tears spilled and he held tighter.

“Shh child you don’t have to go back to them. The Krum Family will keep you safe until we can safely take care of you.”

Harry pulled back; keeping within her arms though and shook his head. He looked over to Severus who gave him a slight nod.

“No that’s not what I meant. I mean I don’t want to go back to Hogwarts or any of that life. I can’t deal with it all back there. I just feel so closed in all the time.” He bit his lip and looked down.

“Before you came in I asked Severus if I could go to Durmstrang when the school year starts. It would keep me out of The Dark Lord’s hands and I wouldn’t have to go back to all the reminders…He, he said I could go.” Harry snuck a look at Snape from under his fringe and then looked down before the man could see him. He might have just gotten the man in trouble with what he said.

Narcissa looked between Harry and Severus and sighed. She patted his arm and smiled as the boy looked up.

“I suppose it would keep you safe from those who want to hurt you back in England. But Durmstrang is so far away. Are you sure you want to be so far away from home with no one you know?” Harry relaxed a little; it seemed she would listen to him at least.

“I would be with Viktor and his friends and I’m sure with their help I can make some new friends. I just don’t want to always have to watch my back. It gets tiring. No one would know who I was; Snape said there were spells I could use.” Narcissa smiled again and stroked his cheek, if she noticed him flinch from the touch at first she didn’t let it show.

“Alright, we will help get you the paper work you will need. Lucius knows a lot about the school system; he will know what you will need.” Harry looked over to Lucius and saw the man roll his eyes.

He then looked over to the door and saw Sirius still held horizontal in the air, wrapped in rope. He smiled and nodded towards the man.

“Can you let him go? He wouldn’t do anything to endanger me.”

“That remains to be seen.” Snape replied before Narcissa could utter a word. He rose from his seat gracefully and walked to stand in front of the hovering man.

“Black, I don’t want your foolish wannabe heroics is that clear? You heard Mr. Potter; he wishes to stay here, away from Dumbledore and the Dark Lord. If we are to let you go you are to refrain from mentioning what you saw tonight to anyone is that clear?”

“I’ll not be taking orders from you, you greasy git!” Sirius yelled and struggled to get free. Severus growled and raised his wand when Harry spoke up,

“Sirius please, do you have to be so childish? I need mature people to help me and your not helping much with that attitude.” Severus was surprised to here the reproaching tone in Harry’s voice and, if he had been as childish as Harry was implying Sirius was, he would have laughed at the trapped man. He still smirked and shared a look with Lucius who wasn’t hiding his chuckle and wicked grin.

“Harry, you just can’t trust these people! How on earth did you even get mixed up here? Harry your far from home here and in a room full of filthy death eaters, the Krum’s are in associations with many a death eater!”

Harry was up in a flash and stood between Snape and his godfather. The boys eyes held the emerald colour they were but you could see that they indeed got their colour from the cold hard stone.

“I’m actually in Prague, in the Krum’s family castle! Away from death and running for my life! Away from manipulations and guilt ridden speeches! Away from sycophants and groupies! I’m safe here, I’m protected here and I’m fucking cared for here! How dare you call them filthy death eaters! These people actually WANT to be a family, want me to be apart of that family!” Harry was on the verge of tears but he couldn’t stop himself. He couldn’t look away, he couldn’t move he was so angry.

Snape must have sensed this in him because the man put a hand on the boy’s shoulder and turned him so they were face to face. The potions master put his hand on Harry’s head and looked the boy in the eyes.

“You’ll not cry. Not because of him. Not because of them back home. Is that clear.” Harry sniffed and took a deep breath. Then nodded and turned back to Sirius, all trace of breakdown gone.

“Harry…I’ve always wanted to be a family with you. The Weasley’s have always wanted you to be apart of their family.”

“If you had wanted me to really be a family with you, you would have stayed put. Let me live with you over the holidays. The Weasley’s treat me more like a cute little cat that they keep finding on their doorstep. You know I never felt apart of their family.”

“I couldn’t have stayed in one place. The Ministry would have found me. Don’t you understand that? I had to leave you to protect you.”

“Snape is working closely with Voldemort. He has his mind regularly invaded by the mad man and he still manages to keep his memories of our really conversations hidden. He still manages to see me at least once a day, knowing I’m still safe.”

“Harry, I don’t have the luxury of working at the school! I can’t be there, the Ministry--”

“Couldn’t catch a fucking cold if it was useful to do so!! Your house is under the fidelius! You are a master Animagus! There are people we both know that are amazing with spells and potions and you still go on the run and I know why; you find it all good fun! You don’t want to be in a tying family, you want the freedom of being on the run!-”

Snape’s hand was back on his shoulder. He reigned in his voice and took a calmer tone.

“Honestly, I don’t care why you don’t want to be a family. I have enough people in this castle who care enough and don’t lie to me to not need one. I wanted you to be let loose because I thought you might be able to help me through this as well but…” Harry looked up at Snape who looked Sirius over and then turned his head to Harry.

“Perhaps he could stay as a guest for now and then tomorrow, when you have calmed down and processed everything you have learnt tonight, you can decide what further action to take.” Harry deflated and sighed, nodding his head. He left the two men and walked over to Narcissa, who had been watching Harry with concern and worry.

“I’m going to go to bed now. I’ll find Viktor and Mr. and Mrs. Krum and say good night.” Harry didn’t know if he was supposed to hug his godmother or just leave, he didn’t know how to handle these kinds of situations, let alone these situations with people you actually thought were death eaters until today.

Narcissa stood and smiled at him. He could see how beautiful she was, she didn’t have the sour look she gave everyone outside her family and he could see her soft smile caress her cheeks. She looked so motherly and welcoming that he didn’t flinch when she laid her hand on his arm.

“I’ll come with you. Lucius and Severus will escort Sirius to a room and keep him there.”

Soon the two arrived to the parlor room where Draco and Viktor were playing a game Harry had learnt in his weeks here called naval wars; sort of like chess and battleships mixed together, Demitri was gazing at the stars through the telescope by the large window and Melina was sat reading a book.

Viktor looked up and saw Harry looking a little worse off than before. He stood from the game and walked over to Harry. When he was in front of him he let Harry decide what to do and smiled when the boy buried his head in the taller man’s chest, wrapping his arms around him and sighing.

“It’s alright, Little Light. I’m here for you. Do not worry.” Harry smiled when he heard the nickname. Viktor’s scent and warmth wrapped around Harry and he relaxed into the man’s arms as they came around him.

“I’m tired. I was just coming to say goodnight.” Harry looked up and smiled as Viktor set a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Well then, I bid you goodnight and calming dreams little one.” Harry bit his lip and looked off to the side.

“I was…going to ask, actually, if you would…maybe walk me to my room, I just want-”

“It’s ok Harry, we can catch up this way.” Viktor smiled and let Harry go so he could talk to the others. Harry actually blushed when he noticed the other people in the room, most noticeably was Draco and his curious expression. Harry turned to Melina first.

“I’m going to bed now. I apologise for earlier and thank you for being understanding about it all. I really didn’t mean to offend you.”

The lady of the house stood and walked to Harry, giving him a gentle hug before stroking his cheek.

“It’s alright child. No apologies are needed and I will see you tomorrow for breakfast, do not forget Viktor will be leaving after breakfast for the hunting trip. You are still welcome to join him his father and friends.”

“Thank you, but I really don’t think hunting is one of my things. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He turned to Narcissa and smiled shyly.

“Thank you for being honest with me…and for putting up with me passing everything through Snape first. Goodnight.” She smiled and nodded her head, still stroking Malfoys hair absently and bid him goodnight.

As Harry and Viktor was about to pass the threshold of the room Harry turned back and bit his lip before releasing it and grimacing slightly.

“Night…Draco.” Harry took a little pleasure in the stunned look on his face before he to was shocked.

“Good night Harry.”


Ok so that was Chapter 7. Again sorry for it being so long but I don’t want to just bang out chapters, I want them to work well and flow properly, and hopefully that has worked with this.

Reviews would be cherished and re-read many times when I need the inspiration to keep going so if you can ^____^

Special thanks to Slytherdor for putting up with my randomness and major writers block.