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The Stag and The Snake	By : JBankai89 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 9713 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter, I gain nothing from this but a way to pass the time.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter 5 – Getting Along

A/N: The Great Gatsby reference I mean is the Robert Redford version, not the Leo one.

Harry felt like he was in one of Aunt Petunia's old films, like The Great Gatsby or The Sound of Music. All around him people milled about in glamorous clothes and eating fancy foods that he couldn't pronounce. He felt entirely out of place, and his agemate wasn't exactly making it any easier.

Draco sat across from him, eating and drinking, looking entirely at ease. Harry noticed how he sat, leaned back, legs crossed at the knee, observing everyone as though he was miles above it. When Harry looked across to Sirius and Draco's father, Lucius, he thought their expressions were pretty similar. Lucius's cold stare swivelled towards him and Harry averted his gaze, poking at the strange foods on his plate, his appetite gone.

Harry had tried to speak several times, but it almost felt as though he had forgotten how. When he compared in his head how this boy had grown up compared to how Harry had, he felt a strange tightness in his stomach, though he wasn't sure what it meant. He chanced a look up, and felt momentary panic when he couldn't see Sirius, but relaxed when he saw him further back with Remus. Their eyes met and he gave Harry a small nod. He felt himself relax a little.

“Father told me you live with Muggles,” a cold voice said. Harry looked over to see that Draco had finally spoken to him. Harry frowned a little, but nodded.

“Mhm,” he said, uncertain what else he could say. “But I live with my godfather now, and Remus. They're nice.” He bit on the inside of his cheek, while Draco eyed him curiously. It wasn't outright dislike, but he still looked at Harry as though he was beneath him somehow. Harry didn't like it.

“Yes, Father told me all about that. I don't know how you could live like that, I'm afraid I've got no taste for canines.” Harry tilted his head to the side in confusion.

“What do you mean?” With every moment that passed, Harry liked the boy less and less. He reminded him in many ways of Dudley.

“Living with an Animagus and a Werewolf.” Harry turned to look at Sirius again, confusion written all over his face. He saw his godfather lurch forward and Remus grab his arm, then leaned in to say something to him quietly. “You really didn't know?” Harry turned back to Draco and shook his head.

“What's an Aminagus?” Draco's eyes narrowed at the question. It unsettled Harry, the way Draco glared at him. He wasn't sure what he had done wrong, or what could make Draco look at him as though he had dribbled on his shirt, or something.

“It's someone who knows how to turn into an animal. Father told me about it once.”

“Oh.”

The boys lapsed into uncomfortable silence. Harry pulled up his legs and sat on his ankles, ignoring Draco's glare of disapproval. He glanced around, pretending not to notice the look, and his eyes fell upon a strange man, who seemed to be hiding from the other people at the party. Something about the way he looked at Harry made him feel as though he might be sick. He quickly looked back at the table, picking absently at a small nick on the edge of the otherwise smooth surface. He could still feel the eyes of the man on him, and it made him feel scared and uncomfortable, though he couldn't figure out exactly why.

“Sirius told me your Father doesn't like me because of my mum,” Harry said after a long silence, and Draco glared at Harry. He quickly looked back down at his plate.

“My Father is not keen on my associating with Half-Bloods,” Draco said simply, in a tone that told Harry that he shouldn't ask again.

Harry was thoroughly grateful when evening began to fall around them, and Lucius announced the end of the celebration. He jumped up at once and hurried over to Sirius, grabbing his arm when he reached him. “Can we go home?” Harry asked at once in a rush, and Sirius smiled, though it seemed sad, too.

“Soon,” he said, patting his arm gently. He stood with Lucius and Draco's mother, Draco standing next to his parents and determinedly not looking at Harry. When the last of the guests filtered out, Lucius turned to Sirius, grasping his hand briefly in what was almost a handshake.

“Black,” he said curtly with a small nod of his head. Harry was so busy watching his godfather, that he did not at once notice Draco approaching him. Remus got his attention by tapping him lightly on the shoulder and giving him a nudge in the other boy's direction. Swallowing his feelings of dislike, he extended his hand and mimicked Sirius' brief handshake.

“Until tomorrow, then,” Sirius said stiffly. Harry's eyes bulged. Tomorrow? He detested the idea of having to sit with Draco again. But before he could protest, he was being led through the maze of the Manor, with Sirius and Remus on either side of him, each holding onto one of his hands. He felt entirely drained, not sure if he'd be awake enough when he got home to complain about repeating the experience.

Sirius and Remus bid a curt farewell to the Malfoys, and stepped down the path and to the street. Harry let go of Remus's hand to stifle a wide yawn, and he heard someone above him chuckle. They didn't comment on it, but when Harry stumbled over his robes, halfway towards the cover of trees that had arrived in that morning, he yelped in surprise when Sirius picked him up. “We're almost home, Harry.” Home. It was both a strange and wonderful thing to hear. He hadn't felt like he had a home with the Dursleys, but with Sirius and Remus, he was finding that there was a place he could actually call home. He rested his head on Sirius's shoulder.

Harry didn't remember getting home, or getting into his pyjamas, or going to bed. but he woke in all three. He rubbed his eyes, the room looking very dark, and it took him a second to realize it was still nighttime. He pulled up his blankets to his neck, and stared up at the blank and blurry ceiling. So much had happened, he hadn't time to think over it all. Harry knew one thing for certain, though, a word he'd heard Uncle Vernon use a few times: Expectations. For whatever reason, Sirius expected him to become friends with Draco. Draco was expected to be friends with him, no matter how much his father disliked the idea.

Though Harry understood, or, at least he thought he understood the idea of expectations, it didn't mean he liked it any better. He wondered why this was happening to him, did he do something bad, and this was his punishment, to meet with people that hated him for no good reason? He reached up and hugged his pillow.

It was a long time before Harry went back to sleep, but he did, eventually, sleep.

~*~

Harry groaned when he felt someone shaking him gently. He rolled away, hugging his pillow more tightly. “No,” he mumbled, his pillow effectively muffling his protest.

“Come on Harry,” Sirius's voice gently said above him, giving him another gentle shake, “it's time to get up.”

“I don't want to,” he mumbled, turning slightly to look up at him. He couldn't see him clearly without his glasses, but this morning he didn't really care to. “Draco hates me for no reason. Why do I need to get to know him?” he felt the sting in his eyes and he roughly rubbed at them with his fist. He knew grownups hated it when kids cried. The memory of Uncle Vernon yelling at him for crying bloomed in his mind, and he shook the memory away.

Even without his glasses, he could see that Sirius looked sad. He ran his fingers through Harry's hair in what was supposed to be a comforting motion, but he flinched away from the touch. Sirius was making him go to people who didn't like him. He didn't want to be mad with his godfather, but he also felt like he couldn't help but be mad.

“Harry,” Sirius with a sigh, and he retracted his hand. “It's complicated, but if there was any way I could not do this to you, I would. Remus and I didn't want this for you, but we had no way to stop it from happening. Now all we can do is make the best of it. Do you understand?”

“I guess so,” Harry said after several minutes of silence. He still hated it, but it at least seemed as though Sirius was on his side, that he didn't want this for Harry either.

“Tell you what,” Sirius said as he handed him his glasses, and his godfather came into focus above him. “Let's really pi—er, annoy the Malfoys today. You can wear whatever normal clothes you like. And don't worry, it's not a party like yesterday, it'll just be us and the Malfoys.” Harry sat up at once, mirroring Sirius's mischievous grin.

“Are you trying to give Lucius more reason to drop you into a vat of bubotuber pus?” Remus asked fifteen minutes later when Harry appeared in the kitchen wearing jeans and a yellow t-shirt, with a red zip-up sweater layered over top. Remus sounded as though he couldn't decide whether to be annoyed or amused.

“Eh, whatever works.” Sirius barked a laugh and sat down at the table. Remus began piling Harry's plate high with sausages, eggs, and toast.

Having eaten so little the day before, Harry was famished and ate his way though two helpings of everything. Sirius was nursing a cup of coffee, and Remus was reading the newspaper with his brow furrowed. “Something wrong?” Sirius asked a few minutes later, and Remus answered by sliding the paper over to him. His brow furrowed in the same way Remus's had, and he let out a huff that was almost a laugh. “Didn't take them very long. Lovely.” He shoved the paper back to Remus, and while Harry wondered what that was about, he thought it better not to ask.

“What's an Aminagus?” Harry asked a few minutes later, his voice garbled slightly by a mouthful of egg. He watched Sirius and Remus exchange a look, then turned their attention back to Harry.

“It's Animagus. Why do you ask, Harry?” Remus sounded concerned, though Harry didn't know why.

“Draco said I was living with one, but I don't know what he meant.” Harry's voice trailed off to a mumble, wondering if he should mention the other part of what the boy had said yesterday.

“It's not bad, Harry,” Sirius said gently. “We're sorry we didn't tell you, but we didn't want to overwhelm you with too much information too fast.” He stood up, smiling and stepped out to where Harry could see him fully, and before his very eyes he watched his godfather transform into a huge, black, shaggy dog. His mouth dropped open and a bit of sausage fell out of his mouth and tumbled into his lap, though he didn't notice straightaway. Dog-Sirius trotted over to Harry, tail wagging and thumping against the side of the table, and barked once. A moment later, Sirius changed back, grinning at Harry.

Dumbstruck, Harry glanced over to Remus. He was smiling, but his face fell when Harry blurted out his next question, “does that mean you're a werewolf, Remus?” The man's face fell at once, and his eyes flicked to Sirius, who had sat back down.

“What did Draco tell you about werewolves, Harry?” Remus asked gently, though Harry was still confused as to why Remus looked so upset.

“Nothing. He just said I was living with one, that's all,” he frowned a little, “I think he was trying to make me feel bad about not living in a palace or something.” He paused, crossing his arms as he remembered the conversation. “But this is the best house I've ever been in. I don't know why he thought I'd feel bad about it.”

“Harry,” Remus said when he had finished, “I will not deny that I am a werewolf, and I would ask you to please not tell anyone you may meet. It is not a bad thing, exactly, but many wizards do not like my—kind. People can be very cruel when it comes to that and while I would never hurt you, and Sirius and I have taken many precautions to keep my other form from ever hurting you, some people may feel that you are in danger, living here. Because of that, they may try to return you to your aunt and uncle.”

Harry's eyes widened, and he could feel his heart pound hard in his chest. He took a moment to calm himself down, and he swallowed thickly as he nodded. “I won't tell anyone.”

~*~

They arrived at the Malfoy Manor sometime before noon, and Harry could feel his stomach flip-flopping nervously. He really didn't want to be here, but Sirius's promise that there wouldn't be a bunch of adults was slightly comforting. While his godfather had kept his promise and let him wear his normal clothes, he and Remus had donned wizard robes again. They still looked very strange to Harry, but he found that he was starting to get used to it.

Harry bit his lip when Lucius greeted them at the door, his eyes narrowing slightly when he saw Harry. He didn't say anything mean, which was a small comfort for him. He felt more comfortable than he had yesterday, but he still didn't like the look he had been given. It reminded him of Uncle Vernon.

Like the day before, Lucius led them to the back garden. Draco's mother was sitting comfortably at a small round table on the patio sipping some sort of amber liquid, and Harry saw Draco off on the lawn, drifting around the edges of the property on what looked like a broomstick. Like Lucius, Draco's mother narrowed her eyes when they saw him. Harry felt a flush creep up his neck, but he looked away pretending he hadn't noticed the expression.

Draco seemed to have noticed that they had arrived, and he shuffled back towards the patio, deliberately taking his time. Harry saw that he looked sullen and irritated, and he felt something close to relief. Obviously, the other boy liked this no better than he did. Harry felt himself shunted gently forward as Remus said encouragingly, “go on and play.”

Harry stepped forward reluctantly, and Draco while didn't glare at him like his parents had, the dislike was there all the same. Harry stepped down onto the grass and followed Draco, who had discarded the broom near the patio. When Harry looked back however, it was no longer there. “Why are you wearing Muggle clothes?” Draco asked, his tone was surprisingly neutral. Harry shifted his gaze to the other boy, who was still eyeing him strangely, but it did not make Harry feel as uneasy as when his parents had looked at him.

“Sirius said I could,” Harry replied hesitantly, “I feel more comfortable in them.” Draco stared, as though Harry had something completely mad like 'I've got three buttocks,' or something. The look unnerved him, but he felt more annoyed than upset by the look. “What?” He wished Draco would stop staring at him like that.

“You're very strange, Harry Potter.”

~*~

The week passed very slowly for Harry. He learned early on that he was expected to spend a whole week in Draco's company, which, despite Sirius's reassurances, did not get easier as time went on. They still eyed each other with dislike, and when they tried to gravitate back to their respective guardians, they were gently shoved back together.

On Thursday, the fourth day, Harry was horrified when two big, lumbering boys had come to visit as well, and made a point of completely ignoring Harry while they played. He sat in the grass, his knees pulled up to his chest and watched sadly.

On Friday, Harry wasn't ignored, but instead chased mercilessly by Draco on his small flying broomstick, and drove him into the forest that bordered the manor's property. It was only when Draco laughed and flew off that Harry realized that he had gone in very deep. It was very dark, and it took the adults several hours to find him. Sirius called Lucius a lot of colourful names in a rage Harry had never seen from him before.

On Saturday, the boys were back, and Harry now knew they were called Crabbe and Goyle. They alternated between ignoring him completely, and trying to pelt him with wild berries that they had found on the edge of the property. The berries as hard as rocks when they came into contact with his skin.

At long last, Sunday came and Harry was relieved that this would be the last day he needed to be around Draco. The day passed more amicably than the rest of the week, Harry sitting on the edge of the patio, reluctant to stray too far from the adults, while he watched Draco zip around the lawn on his little broomstick. He welcomed Draco ignoring him; it was much better than being hit or chased.

By that evening, Harry was relieved when Sirius said it was time to go. He all but ran to his godfather, grabbing his hand and turning back once to look at Draco, who had joined his parents. “Until next year then. Black, Lupin.” Lucius nodded to them each in turn, paying no mind to the boys. Harry felt suddenly as though the bottom of his stomach had disappeared. Next year?
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The Stag and The Snake