CHAPTER ONE

Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.

Harry cast aside the Daily Prophet as he sat up from his bed. Nothing new in the papers, everything was all hush-hush. He sighed and rubbed his eyes under his round glasses.

Harry was home for the summer. He'd only been back 8 days and he was utterly bored. He wouldn't be able to go to the burrow as usual this year as the Weasleys were spending the summer with Bill and Charlie in Egypt. Harry was invited but Dumbledore, Harry's aged wise Headmaster, didn't think it was safe for Harry to be far away from him in current times. He was mad at first but then got over it, after all, Dumbledore was just concerned.

Harry picked up the frame that stood beside his bed on the little small table. He watched as his beautiful redheaded mother twirled around with his handsome father by a fountain in autumn. He smiled to himself but looked up as he heard the doorbell chime quietly and the angry bellows of his uncle. "WHO THE RUDDY HELL IS CALLING AT THIS HOUR!"

For once, Harry had no idea who was at the door and he sat up slowly setting down the photo frame. He felt his stomach knot uncomfortably as he considered the worst. Surely Voldemort wouldn't just turn up at Harrys door. Another twist tightened the knot… hadn't he already done that seventeen years ago?

Harry slowly walked to the door and creaked it open. He was waiting for his uncle to answer the door. His hand drifted to his back pocket where he felt the supple wood of his wand.

"BOY, COME AND GET THE DOOR!" Vernon bellowed again from the living room.

Of course, Harry thought, he always had to do everything.

He leaped quietly down the stairs and let his hand hesitate over the doorknob.

"Who is it boy?" Vernon shouted again.

Harry turned the handle and opened the door to find Dumbledore looking curiously at the garden gnome perched in the grass next to the step he stood on.

Dumbledore looked up and greeted Harry. "Harry, good to see you are well."

"Good to see you sir, but what are you doing here? You didn't send an owl or anything." Harry asked, quite pleased that he had some contact from someone in his world.

"I must ask Harry, if I may intrude on you for a few minutes with a great favour I feel terrible for bestowing upon you."

Harry opened the door wider to let Dumbledore in but as his headmaster stepped into the hallway, another figure stood behind him. White-blonde hair cut around a perfect face made of porcelain, set into a mask of worry. There stood Draco Malfoy at the door of Harry's muggle family.

Just then, Vernon waddled around the door with a large spoon in one hand and a small tub of ice cream in the other. His face turned ghostly white at the sight of the eccentric man stood in his threshold. Then he looked at Harry and the white quickly turned into a deep red. "BOY! I WONT HAVE THIS NONSENSE BROUGHT TO MY DOOR!"

Dumbledore tilted his head to the side and mused slightly. Draco was staring at the many pictures that hung along the walls, all contained two great round males and a skinny, long necked female, that Draco recognised as Harry's aunt who came strolling into the doorway. "What's going on?" she asked in a shrill voice. Draco redirected his gaze to the photos, feeling awkward.

Harry was staring at him, furiously wondering why Dumbledore had brought his rival to his own home. Wasn't it bad enough he had to see Malfoy at school?

"Vernon. Petunia. I hope you are all very well. I assure you I will only be here for a minute or so but I must ask a great favour of you." Dumbledore said politely, nodding his head towards the living room. Vernon turned a sickly puce colour and went to scream something but couldn't seem to find his voice. The vein in his head twitched angrily. Dumbledore strolled ahead of them into the living room and Harry's aunt and uncle edged in warily. Harry lingered at the door for a moment staring at Malfoy who seemed completely lost in his own mind. He took a step and peered into the living room door. Just then, a loud thundering came from the stairs as Dudley, Harry's pig-like cousin, reared the end of the staircase and stopped dead on the last step and stared at Malfoy who had turned around and raised an eyebrow in Dudley's direction and went back to staring at the photos.

"Whos that Potter?" Dudley demanded.

"Malfoy" Harry murmured as he began to listen to the conversation, taking place in the living room. A second later Dudley was at his side, listening also.

"As you have been warned by our kind that this is a dangerous time for muggles and wizards alike. This house is very severely protected and you suffer no danger so long as precautions are taken. I feel most terrible for troubling you at this hour and out of the blue. The young boy in the hallway I have brought with me is, by means, is in as much danger as your nephew is." Dumbledore said kindly, his piercing blue eyes penetrating Vernon and Petunia.

"What are you ruddy suggesting?" Vernon growled.

"I am asking, that you find in the kindness of your hearts to put up this boy, and that you show him kindness, like you neglected to show your own nephew."

Vernon looked ready to burst. He was about to argue but Dumbledore continued.

"Forgive me for suggesting such a thing, but do you not have a conscious? I ask that you give this boy hospitality for the holidays."

"I DON'T THINK S-" Vernon was about to decline when Petunia spoke.

"Alright. The holidays." She lowered her head as Vernon glared at her and the colour in his face changed lighter to darker as he decided weather he was angry or confused.

"Thank you Petunia, she would be proud." was all Dumbledore said and he stood up.

Harry was about as red as Vernon now.

"Hang on, don't I get a say in this?" he asked Dumbledore.

"Harry, I know you well. You are a good person and will do the right thing." He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and made to leave. "Draco, your things will be in Harry's room. Enjoy your stay." He beamed at them all.

Malfoy nodded to Dumbledore as he bid goodbye to the Dursley's, Harry and Malfoy.

Once the door closed Dudley seemed as furious as Vernon and Harry.

"But mummy! We already have Harry, why does he get what he wants, why do we have to have one of his freaky wizard friends?" he cried shouting at his mother who looked stern as she stared at Harry.

"FYI Dudley, he isn't my friend, and I want him here about as much as you do." Harry scowled at the floor.

"ENOUGH!" petunia cried. "Harry, show him to your room. You'll have to share. I don't want any more complaining!" she stormed from the room as Vernon sighed a sigh of defeat and went to return to his ice cream muttering under his breath about who wore the trousers. Dudley stamped his feet and went to the kitchen where his mother was. Harry turned around to face Malfoy. He looked extremely tired, his eyes were drooping a little as he suppressed a yawn. "Come on, this way." Harry motioned and Draco followed him upstairs. He opened the door of his small bedroom and looked at the bed and his eyebrows mashed together.

"Don't know what to do about sleeping arrangements," Harry mumbled. A second later, Draco whipped his wand out and pointed it at the bed. "Engorgio" he said quietly and Harry's bed and duvet expanded, big enough to fit the both of them on with plenty of room.

"Good thinking." Harry said under his breath. He noticed the additional trunk in the corner beside his own. Harry looked over at Hedwig. An intricate silver cage stood next to it with a white owl with streaks of black feathers perched inside. Harry strolled over to his draw and pulled out pyjama trousers and a plain top. He left the room and entered the bathroom. He hadn't quite grasped what had happened tonight. He expected nothing at all, and then he expected Voldemort, and now sat Draco Malfoy in his bedroom, completely out of place.

Harry pulled on his pyjamas and removed his glasses to splash his face into the sink. He pushed his glasses up his nose as he walked along the hall to his bedroom. He pushed his door open and Draco jolted. His shirt was over his head and he had striped emerald pyjamas trousers on. He pulled his shirt of quickly and tucked it into his trunk and turned to Harry. The moment was awkward and the tension was like steel.

"Guess we're going to have to learn to get along, not get in each others way" Harry said, getting into bed and shuffling along to the wall side. Draco climbed in and lay on his back under the warm duvet. Harry stared up at the ceiling.

"Sorry you got landed with me" Draco mumbled, yet sounding sincere.

Harry scoffed. "You've changed your tune. Had a visit from the ghost of Christmas past have we?" he chuckled at his own joke.

"No… my father was murdered by you-know-who." Draco whispered, staring to the side of him. Harry's eyes shot to Draco's face, trying to detect a hint of a lie or joke.

"What! Why?" he whispered.

"He wanted me to do a job for him… for Voldemort, to kill off Dumbledore, but I couldn't do it, and father knew I couldn't also. He argued with him and then he was dead. My mums joined the Order of the Phoenix and they're keeping her safe. Dumbledore brought me here, said there was no place with better protection. Voldemorts out for me now as much as you apparently."

Harry carried on surveying Draco, who had rolled over and picked something up. It was the photo frame containing the picture of Lily and James Potter.

"That your mum and dad?" he asked in a whisper.

Harry nodded.

"Never seen a picture of them before… you look a lot like your mum." Draco murmured more to himself than to Harry. "They look happy."

"They were." Harry replied trying to be polite. "Were your parents?"

Draco took his eyes off the twirling Lily and looking into the same emerald eyes as in the picture. "Happy? It's hard to say really. They had gold, they had respect with the ministry and stuff… but I don't think they were happy as a family, not really. Mum said she never wanted to be a Death Eater, only did it because she loved Dad and look where that got him…" he trailed off, leaning over to set the photo down gently.

"Least your Mum's come to her senses though." Harry said trying to move the subject away from deceased parents.

Just then, the door cracked open and Petunia stuck her head in. "Vernon and I are off to bed, no noise!" she left the room again and Harry scowled at the place she just stood. Draco didn't make am effort to rekindle the conversation and nor did Harry. They both drifted off into a calm dreamless sleep, for the first time in weeks.