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Self-fulfilling Prophecy	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 6342 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor make any profit of it. J.K. Rowling owns it

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Author's note: REMARK: I know that Charlie is the Dragon keeper and Bill worked in Gringotts, but once it became clear that people were starting to become bothered by the scars on his face, Bill decided to join his brother in Romania. The reason why this is not mentioned in the story is because Albus has only ever known Bill to be a Dragon keeper and as this story is exclusively in his pov, I couldn't fit the new information anywhere.

Thanks to the following reviewer: AnonymousTigress

Warnings: drama, angst, minor bonding moment between Draco and Albus

I hope you'll like it!

Chapter 6: It Continues with a Dragon

One week after the Quidditch match, on Saturday afternoon, Albus visited Malfoy Manor again with James. Mum had left on a four day trip to Ireland for training and would be back Tuesday evening. When Albus had mentioned in his letter to Scorpius that his mum would be gone for four days and his dad had an assignment that would last for the better part of Saturday, his friend had suggested that he and his brother came over to play at the manor, assuring him that his father wouldn't mind it at all.

When Albus had gone to ask his dad whether he could go play with Scorpius, he had been smart enough to only ask the question when he was sure his mum wasn't around. She might not have reacted too badly to Mister Malfoy's presence after the game, but he didn't want to push his luck too much. Dad had instantly agreed, saying he would drop off him and James at one o'clock.

The door to the bathroom fell soundlessly shut behind him and Albus glanced around, fiddling with the button of his shirt when he realised that he couldn't remember which way he had come from after leaving Scorpius' play room. During his previous visits he had only been in the dining room, the Quidditch pitch and Scorpius' play room that had been right next to the dining room. This time, however, they were playing in what Scorpius called his Master Play Room and even though the blond had given him a good explanation on how to go from that room to the bathroom – good enough for Albus to reach the bathroom without any trouble – he couldn't recall anymore which way he had come from and he huffed in annoyance. The big manor might be fun to use as a place for Hide and Seek, but it was a terrible place if you didn't know your way around.

Albus was quite dismayed to find himself actually lost in the manor. He thought of calling a house elf to direct him back to the play room, but he didn't know any of their names and as such didn't have a way to summon one of them.

"Maybe it was that way," he muttered and hesitatingly walked forwards, choosing the left side. His footsteps were muffled on the dark blue carpet and his eyes flitted around, taking in the various vases – some filled with flowers, others empty – on small, round tables; big, white statues of magical beings like a unicorn and a Manticore – Albus shivered when he saw it and hurried past it, not wanting to linger around it even if it was just a statue and not the real being – and portraits of Malfoy family members, who were either sleeping or too engaged in their conversations with others to take notice of the young boy walking through the hallways.

After taking two right turns and one left, Albus came to the conclusion that choosing the first left turn had not been the right way and he sighed, looking around helplessly. How on earth was he supposed to go back to Scorpius and James now? He didn't even know in which part of the manor he was! Dad really wouldn't be happy about this.

Shuffling past a door that stood ajar, his attention was caught by a flash of dark green and he stopped, cocking his head to the right as he lingered in front of the room. From his position in the hallway he could see a large armchair with its back to him and part of a heavy desk. Somewhere behind the door had to be a fireplace as the boy could hear the gentle crackling of a fire. What had caught his attention was something that was placed on a shelf behind the desk and he took a step forwards before he realised what he was doing.

His cheeks flushed and heated up; he couldn't enter this room without permission! That would be extremely rude! The décor was a very obvious clue that the room belonged to Mister Malfoy and was used by him; it wasn't one of the many rooms in the manor that merely served as a room to entertain guests or store furniture in.

Shaking his head, he turned around again, planning on retracing his steps as well as he could so that he could find Scorpius' room again, when the green flash attracted his attention once more.

He really, really shouldn't enter this room without permission, but he still lingered in the doorway, curiosity blooming up in him like a flower reaching out to the sun. He wanted to know what was the cause of the green sparkle, but dad had more than once instilled the importance of asking permission first in him. He might have disobeyed his dad a few times at home, but at least there he had an idea of what the room contained and while dad scolded him, he was never really mad at him. Albus had no idea how Mister Malfoy would react if he found him in a room without permission and he really didn't want to anger the older wizard. He hadn't talked that much with Mister Malfoy so far, but the man had always been friendly and he never talked down to him, unlike some of the other adults Albus knew.

So he really shouldn't enter this room; it would be beyond rude.

And yet … Biting his lower lip, green eyes glanced around uneasily as the boy shifted his weight from one leg to the other. Nobody was in the hallway and silence reigned; even the few portraits near the room were currently empty, devoid of their occupants. Nobody would know if he quickly slipped inside the room, checked out the source of the green sparkle and left again. He would only be inside for a few minutes at most. Plenty of time to quickly sate his curiosity.

Feeling quite jittery, Albus slipped into the room, barely opening the door further and hurried to the shelf; his attention fixed on whatever was glittering. He stopped right in front of the shelf and had to crane his neck a bit to properly look at the object standing proudly on the shelf; his breath escaped him in a surprised gasp when he saw it.

It was a five inch high statue of a dragon, but it wasn't one Albus immediately recognised. Its scales were a dark green and they caught the light of the fire, causing the material out of which the statue was made to sparkle. It had two sharp, long, glittering golden horns and they resembled the horns of a bull with the way they were placed on the dragon's head. Its frame was quite bulky due to its heavy muscles. It was standing proudly on a piece of dark grey, jagged rocks, crushing something that resembled a brown coloured wolf underneath its sharp claws. Its piercing, dark golden eyes appeared to smoulder in the firelight. It might just be a statue, but it was realistic enough to have everyone who gazed upon it cowering underneath its stern glower.

Awed, Albus slowly and carefully traced over the scales, shivering lightly when the cold, smooth stone brushed against his warm skin. He was utterly captivated by the dragon, wondering where Mister Malfoy had managed to find it and what kind of dragon it was. It certainly wasn't one that could be found in the United Kingdom.

"I see that the Romanian Longhorn managed to charm you," spoke a smooth, calm voice behind him.

Albus shrieked in surprise and whirled around, barely managing to retract his hand on time. Fortunately he managed to avoid smashing the statue off of the shelf, though it didn't make his heartbeat any less louder in his ears.

His cheeks reddened fiercely and he felt his entire face heat up in embarrassment and shame when he saw Mister Malfoy standing in the doorway, looking at him with one quirked eyebrow. Guilt instantly rose up, leaving an ugly taste behind in his mouth.

"I'm so-sorry, Mister Malfoy; I didn't … I know I'm not al-allowed, but …" Albus stammered and waved his arms helplessly, not knowing how to explain his presence in a room he hadn't been invited into. This was bad; really, really bad. He knew he shouldn't have entered the room, but he had been stupid enough to do so and now Mister Malfoy would be so mad at him! A whimper of fear unwillingly slipped out of his throat and he looked down, shuffling his feet nervously as he wrung his hands together. Mister Malfoy would tell his dad about this and then dad would be so angry at him and he probably wouldn't take Albus with him to Malfoy Manor ever again.

Stupid, he had been so stupid!

The sigh of exasperation cutting through the air made Albus flinch and he bit hard on his lip; tears burning behind his eyes, threatening to spill over any moment now.

"The statue seems to have an irresistible charm particularly aimed at children," Mister Malfoy remarked blankly and stepped further into the room; his shoes clicked softly against the wooden floor.

"I di-didn't mean to," Albus stuttered, but he still didn't know how to apologise properly. There was no way to explain his presence in this room. "I had to go to the bathroom and I, I …"

"Got lost?" Mister Malfoy supplied benignly and his grey eyes glittered oddly. He shook his head and sighed softly. "I told Scorpius that he either had to go with you or send a house elf to accompany you as I know that these hallways can be very confusing if you're not used to them. Guess he forgot about it in his excitement to have you two come over to play."

"I'm really, really sorry, Mister Malfoy," Albus said in a small voice and his lower lip wobbled as he tried to hold back his tears. "I – I tried to get back and then, then I saw some-something green and I – I wanted to look."

The older blond rolled his shoulders and clucked his tongue. "Don't worry about it; I'm not mad," he replied to the young boy's utter shock. "There's nothing of importance in this room anyway." He nodded to the dragon statue. "What do you think of it?"

Albus didn't understand why Mister Malfoy wasn't angry at him for entering the room without permission, but he wasn't about to complain about that! Relief filled him, as sweet as the chocolate cake his dad made sometimes, and his eyes glued themselves onto the statue. "It's very pretty," he answered truthfully and his fingers twitched with his desire to touch the statue again, to feel the smooth scales underneath his fingertips. "I really like his green scales. Where does he live?"

"This particular dragon species has its territory in Romania," Mister Malfoy explained and came closer until he was standing next to the boy; his eyes contemplating the statue critically. "They nearly died out many years ago so Dragon Keepers have raised wards around their territory to prevent other wizards from harming them."

"Why would wizards hurt such a pretty dragon?" Albus questioned confused and stared at the older man uncertainly. How could anyone even think of hurting a majestic creature like the dragon? Didn't they realise how amazing those magical beings were? How could they do such an awful thing?

Mister Malfoy shrugged and pursed his lips, tapping one finger against the shelf. "Mostly because some parts of dragons can be used in potions and these wizards can get very rich by stealing those parts. That's why Dragon Keepers generally don't like visitors near the dragon sanctuary."

Realisation dawned upon Albus and he gasped softly. "Does Uncle Bill protect dragons too then?" he demanded, clasping his hands together. Uncle Bill was a Dragon Keeper, but he only talked about training with the dragons and telling stories about how many dragon babies had hatched and what they did after hatching. He had never mentioned having to defend dragons against mean wizards.

"If he's a Dragon Keeper, then yes, he protects dragons as well," Mister Malfoy murmured and something crossed his face quickly before his features smoothed over again. "Would you like to hold the statue so that you can take a closer look?"

Albus gaped at him with wide eyes. "Can I?" he inquired excitedly and practically vibrated on the spot. This conversation was not going like he had expected at all, but he wasn't about to complain about it!

"Here you go. Careful with it; it's heavier than it looks," Mister Malfoy warned and cautiously placed the statue in Albus' hands.

Albus was quite surprised by the weight, but he managed to not drop the dragon; instead he slowly turned it around in his hands, studying it from all angles. It was even more beautiful up close and his mouth dropped open when he caught the sharp glitter of the dragon's eyes as the fire behind him brought out the golden glow in them. His index finger brushed over ridges on the bottom of the statue and he furrowed his eyebrows as he slowly traced the ridges and grooves he felt. What was on the bottom?

Balancing the heavy weight in both his hands he turned it around and was taken aback when words greeted him.

'Be as strong as a dragon, my dear Draconis.'

Mouthing the word 'Draconis' he stared bemused at the inscription. Who was Draconis? What kind of name was that?

"My mother gave me that dragon as a present years ago," Mister Malfoy interrupted his musing and gestured to the inscription. "Draconis is a nickname she likes to use at times."

"Is your mum still in another country?" Albus blurted out as the memory of his dad saying that Mrs. Malfoy was in Spain months ago shot through his mind. He immediately flinched when he realised what he had just said. "I'm sorry! I didn't …"

Mister Malfoy chuckled; mirth dancing in his eyes. "Like father like son, huh?" he murmured and shook his head. "Yes, she's still in Spain. I'll probably see her again in a few years."

"Do you miss her?" the young boy asked softly, turning the dragon upright again. He couldn't imagine not seeing or talking to his mum for such a long time. She might get angry at times, but at the end of the day he knew she loved him and James very much.

The older wizard slowly breathed out and smiled whimsically. "Yes, I miss her. But I know I'll see her again soon."

Albus nodded subdued and cautiously poked the sharp ends of the Romanian Longhorn's horns; they felt very sharp and he hastily retracted his fingers, not fancying hurting himself.

"It's a very beautiful dragon. Your mum gives nice presents," he informed the blond sincerely and gnawed at his lip as he held out the statue towards the older man. A part of him didn't want to hand over the dragon again; it was so pretty that he really wanted to keep it, but it was not his, it was Mister Malfoy's. Even more, his mother had given it to him, so the dark haired boy knew it was very important to Mister Malfoy. He felt honoured that he had been allowed to hold the statue given the statue's history, so he shouldn't be greedy now.

Mister Malfoy cocked his head and regarded him with a weird look on his face as if he was trying to figure something out.

Albus faltered and lowered his hands slightly, the weight of the statue dragging them down. "What?" he asked confused, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"You can keep it," Mister Malfoy said calmly and nodded to the dragon.

"What? No, it's yours!" Albus protested and once more held out the statue, ignoring the burning sensation in his arms as the dragon started to feel heavy. "I can't keep it! Your mum gave it to you!"

"Harry told me how much you love dragons; it'll find a better home with you than it does here. Here it just collects dust until the house elves clean it. Besides, I'm more fond of snakes and jaguars," Mister Malfoy smirked and his eyes shone peculiarly as if he was remembering something funny.

Albus didn't quite understand what was so funny about liking both snakes and jaguars – and he secretly thought that it was an odd combination of animals, but who was he to judge when he liked both dragons and kittens? - , but he was far too happy with being able to keep the dragon. He could hardly believe he was allowed to keep this pretty dragon! Sure, Mister Malfoy had given him a Christmas present, but that was different. Now he gave something that his own mother had given to him; he said that Albus would give it a better home. The young boy preened at the amount of trust this showed.

"Thank you, Mister Malfoy!" Albus chirped excitedly and brought the statue as close to his chest as he dared to without damaging it. He practically vibrated with elation, already thinking of where he would put the beautiful dragon in his room. It would have to be somewhere safe so that it wouldn't accidentally fall onto the floor.

"Call me Draco," the blond smiled and green eyes widened at the change the smile caused in the blond's face. "Mister makes me sound so old."

"But that's not polite!" Albus protested. "You're an adult; I can't call you by your first name!"

Grey eyes blinked befuddled at that particular leap of logic, but he chuckled and nodded. "All right, what about Uncle Draco then? Would you mind calling me that?"

Well, he did call dad's friend Neville also uncle even though the man wasn't related to them, so the dark haired boy figured there was no harm in calling Mister Malfoy 'Uncle Draco' from now on.

"No, I don't mind," Albus smiled widely.

"Okay, do you promise to take care of the dragon, Albus?" Mister – no, Uncle Draco asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"I promise!" Albus nodded fervently; his big eyes gazing earnestly up at his uncle. He would be very careful with it; there was no way he would damage this beautiful dragon.

"Let's get you back to Scorpius' room; I'm sure he's wondering where you are now," Uncle Draco muttered and placed a hand on Albus' shoulder, gently guiding him out of the room.

All the way back to Scorpius' room, warmth settled inside Albus' chest and he couldn't keep the large grin off his face as he reverently held the Romanian Longhorn in his hands. He was going to take really good care of the statue. Uncle Draco trusted him to take good care of it and he wouldn't disappoint the man.

Dad raised an eyebrow when Albus proudly showed off the dragon statue.

"Uncle Draco gave it to me!" he announced, still brimming with excitement. "He says he likes jaguars and snakes better, so the pretty dragon would have a good home with me! Isn't he pretty, dad?"

Dad let out a startled laugh, glancing quickly at Uncle Draco, and nodded, ruffling Albus' hair. "It's a very pretty dragon, Albus," he stated and threw an odd look at the older blond. "You sure you don't mind giving it to Albus? It must have quite some value."

Uncle Draco shrugged and took a sip from his tea. He was still seated on the large armchair in the living room, where they had been waiting for dad to pick them up. "I don't doubt that Albus will appreciate it more than I do," he replied idly.

"Well, okay then. Thanks," dad smiled and bent down to hug Scorpius when the small blond rushed over to him. He looked over blond hair to Albus and James. "Mum is coming home sooner, so we'll have to leave now. Say goodbye to Draco and Scorpius, guys."

"You're still teaching me chess, right?" James demanded to know, pulling slightly on Uncle Draco's sleeve with an imploring look on his face. Even though he was interested in dragons as well, he hadn't put up any fuss when Albus had declared that the statue was his. His brother seemed more intent on being taught chess from Uncle Draco, claiming he wanted to defeat Uncle Ron.

"Yes, I promise. Next time we'll continue," Uncle Draco promised and placed his cup on the small plate.

"Ron is not going to like that," Dad remarked amused and snorted.

"And since when do I care about what Weasley likes?" Uncle Draco smiled sharply and rose up.

Dad rolled his eyes, but stood up, releasing his hold on Scorpius. "My mistake," he murmured and sighed. "Come on, guys. We need to leave now."

"Bye, Uncle Draco! Bye, Scorpius!" James and Albus exclaimed in chorus and waved enthusiastically at the two blonds before following their dad back to the foyer.

Uncle Draco inclined his head while Scorpius waved back with equal enthusiasm; grey eyes shining brightly like stars.

Albus couldn't wait to visit Malfoy Manor again; playing with Uncle Draco and Scorpius was much more fun than he had expected it to be.

Aware of the fragility of the statue, Albus had given it a place on the second shelf in his wardrobe, slightly hidden behind a pile of sweaters. That way there was no way he could accidentally knock it down and it kept most of the dust away. Whenever he wanted to look at the statue, he just had to remove his sweaters a bit and then he could gaze at the beautiful dragon as much as he wanted.

Having remembered his mum's reaction to Uncle Draco's Christmas present, the young boy had wisely kept his mouth shut about the new addition in his room. He desperately wanted to show it off to mum, but he also didn't want to make her angry, so in the end he kept quiet about it.

On Thursday afternoon, Albus was diligently finishing up his homework for that day before he started writing a reply to Scorpius' letter with much more enthusiasm than he had displayed for his essay. Scorpius was with his mother until next Monday and he had described a new game he had come up with, asking for Albus' input about it.

Right when Albus was summing up the best locations to play the game, the door to his room opened and mum entered, carrying the basket with the clean laundry.

"Your dad Floo called; he's finishing up some paperwork and then he'll come home," Mum informed him with a smile and placed the basket on his unmade bed.

Albus lifted his head and grinned; maybe he and James could convince dad to fly with them in the garden now that he was earlier done with his work.

"Who are you writing to, sweetheart?" Mum asked absentmindedly as she selected Albus' clean clothes.

Tightening his grip around his quill, he replied slowly, "I'm writing to Scorpius, mum. He's talking about a new game he came up with."

Mum's lips tightened at the mention of his friend, but she didn't remark on it and he breathed out relieved. Maybe she was finally getting used to him being friends with the blond boy.

The letter called his attention back and he turned around again, trying to come up with one last possible location for the game as mum started to fill his drawers with clean clothes.

He started to write down 'Attic' when mum suddenly asked, "Where did you get this, Albus?"

He swivelled his head around and his breath caught in his chest when he saw his mum holding the Romanian Longhorn in her hands. Her long, ginger hair brushed across the head and she frowned, turning it sideways.

"Did Uncle Bill give you this?" she asked surprised.

"N-no," he admitted hesitatingly. He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to risk angering her if he told her it was a gift from Uncle Draco. What should he do?

"Did dad buy it for you?"

He silently shook his head and his quill fell on top of his letter; his heart started to beat really quickly in his chest and he swallowed.

"Then who …" Mum inhaled sharply when she turned the statue upside down and her eyes caught the inscription etched into the bottom. Her brown eyes flashed dangerously and she pinned him with a heavy look. "Albus, who gave this to you?" she asked and narrowed her eyes.

"It – it's – Un-Uncle Draco gave it to me," he answered in a small voice.

Her cheeks gained an ugly flush. "And why did Malfoy give this to you?" she asked coldly and her hands tightened around the dragon.

"He – he said that I can give it a better home," he replied and winced when he caught sight of her grip on the statue. Worry started to grow; if mum wasn't careful, she would break it.

"I don't want you to accept any of Malfoy's gifts, Albus!" she snapped and glared down at the dragon. "Who knows what kind of spell he put on this! I want you to …"

"He didn't put a spell on it!" Albus protested and shot up, off his chair. "He gave it to me and I promised to take care of it!"

She shook her head. "No, I'm going to send this back," she said determined and turned around, crossing the room back to the door.

Albus ran to her before she could reach the door and pulled on her sleeve. "No, mum! Uncle Draco gave it to me! It's my dragon! Give it back!" he exclaimed desperately.

"He's not your uncle!" she snapped and pulled her arm away. "I don't want to hear you calling him that ever again and I don't want you to accept anything of him, do you understand me?"

"Mum, it's mine! You can't send it back!" Albus yelled and jumped up in an attempt to snatch the statue out of his mum's hands. Why was she so mad? What was wrong with accepting a gift from the blond wizard and why was it so wrong to call him uncle? Why was she being so mean right now?

"That's enough, Albus!" Mum raised her voice and then without any warning her hands released their hold and the statue dropped.

The sound of the dragon smashing against the floor, exploding into hundreds of pieces, was deafening.

Something in Albus cracked.

AN2: Ah, angst ~ Does this count as a cliffhanger?

Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me!

Next chapter: Reparo might not be able to fix this mess.

Cuddles

Melissa
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Self-fulfilling Prophecy