Tomorrow at the Latest

"Okay, let's go now," Harry urged, moving back toward the grate.

Draco chewed his lip. "Harry, if it was that easy, do you think I would have stayed here once my father brought me home?"

"Well, no, now that you mention it...but...what is there that stops you from leaving?"

"It's what my father expects me to do. He's placed all kinds of intelligence spells on the Floo network surrounding our house so that if I leave, he'll know." Draco cringed.

Blaise didn't want to ask how Lucius would find out. He had a feeling it wasn't pleasant.

"If you wanted to, the two of you could leave right now without me, and he'd never know. But I can't leave through the fireplace."

Harry made a strangled noise and squeezed Draco's hand. "Leave with out you? You think we'd actually do that?" He turned to Blaise, incredulous. "First he thinks we were going to leave him here to rot, and now he thinks we should go back to Hogwarts without him."

"Not that I think it would be the right thing to leave now," Blaise said, "but if we don't, what do we do?"

Harry considered the options. He wasn't going to leave. Blaise could if he wanted to, but Harry had come to help Draco, and he wasn't going to abandon the plan, however vague it might be. They'd have to get back to Hogwarts somehow. "We could fly back, but we don't have our broomsticks," he said, ending in a defeated tone.

Blaise shrugged. "We could summon them, but it would take a long time for them to get here."

"Oh, good, a sleepover!" Draco rocked on the balls of his feet and grinned, but stopped abruptly when he saw his friends' quizzical looks. "I've never been allowed to have a sleepover," he explained.

"So we'll go to your room then," Harry said, jumping back to the topic at hand.

"We'd better take a back passage, so we don't run into anyone," Draco thought aloud.

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'anyone'? How many people are in the house?"

Draco shrugged. "Us, Narcissa and Lucius. We have a butler of sorts that isn't really a ghost, but he isn't human either. Haven't quite been able to figure out where they got him. And God knows how many house elves."

The more thoughtful of Draco's visitors noticed how Draco used his parents' names, instead of simply saying 'mum and dad'.

"Let's go then. Before your father comes back." Harry prompted Draco toward the door.

Taking the hint, Draco fully assumed his role as tour guide. He strode to the doors and turned to face Harry and Blaise.

"Welcome to the guided tour of Malfoy Mansion, home of some of the most vile torture devices, wicked plots, foul people and historic paintings in Britain in the twenty first century. We'll be taking a discreet hallway through the building, used only by Yours Truly. My name is Draco and I'll be your host."

Blaise and Harry exchanged amused glances as Draco turned and pulled open the doors.

"Please keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times. Draco is not responsible for any injuries or loss of personal property that may occur during this tour."

"Draco..."

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm showing you around of course. If I'm going to lead you through this hideous place, I may as well do it properly," Draco snapped.

Harry nodded. "Okay then. Lead on."

Draco led Blaise and Harry through corridor after corridor, up staircases and down staircases. Sometimes they passed through rooms or stepped through a hidden door. All the floors in the manor were stone, and Harry's had the impression they'd be very uncomfortable to walk on with bare feet.

Blaise looked at all the portraits hung on the walls. Many of them looked to be Malfoy ancestors, proper and respectable in their frames. Almost all had the trademark white blonde hair and pointed features of the Malfoy bloodline. They all glared at the three passing boys with an air of distain. Some turned toward each other to whisper behind pale, long-fingered hands.

Leading the procession, Draco walked swiftly through the familiar course to his bedroom from the library. He couldn't get over how stunned and relieved he was that Harry and Blaise had come. Especially Harry. Stupid, bloody Gryffindor, risking his own skin just to come see someone like Draco. He couldn't quite explain what 'like Draco' was exactly, but that didn't seem to matter. Harry had come. And he obviously hadn't been aware of what Lucius might do to all three of them if they were discovered.

Draco mentally shook himself, trying to fall back into his 'untouchable' mindset. This 'feeling' stuff was still relatively new.

"Here we are." Draco stopped in front of a thick, dark-looking exterior with cast iron ring where a normal door would have had a handle. He gripped the ring and pulled. Harry noticed with surprise that he appeared to be exerting his full weight against the door to pull it open.

The interior of Draco's bedroom was much like the rest of the manor. The floor was flagstones and the bed had a canopy over it. A tall wardrobe stood against one wall, with a large bureau near it. The top was completely and disturbingly dustless.

Before the door had a chance to drag itself shut, Draco once again had his arms around Harry, all thoughts of untouchability pushed aside. The other boy seemed to have this kind of effect on him. Harry snaked his hands to the other boy's lower back and pulled him closer.

"Harry..."

"I'm here." Harry gently kissed Draco's neck, the only skin he could reach.

Sensing it might be appropriate to give his two friends some privacy, Blaise wandered away to inspect the glass panes of the windows. He trailed a finger over the perfectly clean surface, mentally blocking Harry and Draco from his mind. The latch on the window came open with an unlocking spell, and he leaned out the window to summon his broomstick from the school broom shed. Just to give Harry and Draco more hug time, he summoned the other two broomsticks as well.

Okay, Draco thought, pull yourself together.

"Let's go to sleep," Draco said, pushing himself away from Harry.

Hearing his cue, Blaise turned back from the fascinating windows. "The windows should stay open so our brooms can get in when they arrive. I'll make myself a bed then, shall I?"

With a wave of his wand and a muttered incantation, Blaise had himself a mattress laden with pillows and quilts.

Draco was impressed. "You've got to teach me that one sometime."

Before climbing into his bed, Blaise pulled off his robes. Underneath he wore a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Harry and Draco followed suit, ending up in similar attire.

"So, we're sure no one's going to come in and find us here, right Draco?" Harry inquired.

"Yes, quite sure." Draco started to climb into his own bed.

Harry glanced between the boys, each with their own respective bed. "Where do I sleep?"

Draco shrugged, and turned his face so Harry couldn't see the corners of his mouth twitching in protest to the smile that threatened to invade his expression. "Anywhere you like."

With a small sigh, Harry crawled under Draco's duvet, snuggling up with his lover.

Draco let the smile come, and let his eyelids close. He felt safer than he had in a long time. Being in Harry's arms made Draco think of a thousand pleasant things at once.

Blaise also closed his eyes and smiled, although the situation the three were in was rather awkward. He didn't have a problem with being left to his own devices to make up a bed for himself, but it did seem odd that two unbidden guests could simply show up at Malfoy Manor and go to sleep in a resident's bedroom, undiscovered by the master of the house.

This had definitely been a weird day so far. But, Blaise had no doubt, tomorrow would be even more so. He chuckled morbidly, but not getting more than a blink from the boys in the bed.

Harry and Draco were too content with each other to notice their friend on the floor. They shifted into a mutually more comfortable position, ending in Harry on his back with Draco slightly straddling his hips, head on his chest.

"Wow," Harry breathed the soft exclamation more than said it. Draco felt Harry's chest resonate.

"What's that, love?"

"I haven't felt this good since-"

Draco looked up and smirked. "What?"

"I can't say. You'll laugh at me."

"No I won't." Draco tried to pull away that arm that was covering Harry's face.

"You're already smirking!" Harry rolled over and Draco good-naturedly pulled him onto his back.

"Tell me!"

Harry looked skeptically at Draco but spoke in a small voice.

"I haven't felt this good except when I've been dancing." Harry looked into Draco's eyes, expecting something resembling criticism. Surprisingly, Draco's eyes showed relief.

"Really? I thought I was the only one who loved the dance classes. No one else really let on."

"Except Cho," Harry added.

"But she's been a dancer for years. I mean the people newer at it."

"Oh."

"What about Quidditch? Didn't that ever make you feel good?"

The star Seeker of the Gryffindor team thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, it made me feel good, but not the same way dancing does. Dance is often more expressive. And you can share it with someone."

"And it's difficult to play a competitive game against you." Draco stated an obvious fact Harry had omitted from his explanation.

"That too."

"In practices this year, I've had fun, but for some reason, I can't concentrate properly."

Harry nodded his agreement, knowing what 'some reason' might be.

As Draco finally, drifted off to sleep, he thought one last time how totally incomprehensible this would have been just a month ago. He was falling asleep in Harry's arms. Whoa.

**

When Harry woke in the morning, it took him a moment to figure out why. Blaise was sitting up on his mattress, knees folded into his chest. And he was singing softly to himself.

"There's no one in town I know. You gave us someplace to go. I never said thank you for that. Thought I might get one more chance."

Harry had never heard Blaise sing before. His voice was rather beautiful.

"What would you think of me now? So lucky, so strong, so proud. I never said thank you for that. Now I'll never have a chance. May angels lead you in. Hear you me my friends. On sleepless roads the sleepless go. May angels lead you in."

At this point in his song, the singer stopped briefly and shuddered slightly, as though cold.

"And if you were with me tonight, I'd sing to you just one more time. A song for a heart so big, God wouldn't let it live. May angels lead you in. hear you me my friends. On sleepless roads the sleepless go. May angels lead you in."

Blaise finished singing and dropped his forehead against his knees. To his horror, he heard Harry speak behind him.

"Blaise, that was-"

Mortified that Harry had listened to him singing, Blaise searched his brain for an excuse for being awake.

"Sorry for waking you up. I couldn't sleep."

"Isn't he amazing?" Draco stirred near Harry's chest, causing the other boy to give a start.

"What?" Blaise hadn't known Draco was awake either.

"I said isn't he amazing," Draco said to Harry, "I love his voice, but he won't sing if he thinks I'm listening."

"You've heard me before?!" Blaise's secret melted.

"Of course. I share a dorm with you."

Harry giggled. "Sing it again, Blaise. We liked it."

Blaise's face disappeared into his pillow and he mumbled something Harry and Draco didn't catch.

"Sorry?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

Draco caught on quicker than Harry. He frowned. "What does that song mean? Why do you sing it?"

Blaise was lying on his side, facing away from the boys on the bed. He shrugged, as though uninterested. "Justin."

Harry recognized the name. Justin Flinch-Fletchly had been in the same year as Harry for years. But it hadn't occurred to Harry that he hadn't seen Justin around school since the middle of fourth year.

"Justin? You mean Justin Flinch-Fletchly?" Draco was not quite as familiar with Justin as Harry was.

"Yup," Blaise answered forlornly, "We used to be friends, Draco. You never noticed. But that's okay. I understand that it must have been time-consuming, tormenting Harry every chance you could find."

Draco bristled. He was about to retort with some nasty comment, but Harry gently covered his mouth.

"What happened?"

Blaise wasn't listening. "Bloody great friends, Hufflepuffs. Slytherins don't bother to keep promises that aren't in their best interest, and life is a game of 'every man for himself'. It gets intoxicating after a while, but Hufflepuffs, they're the most loyal friends you could wish for. He never seemed to blame me for any of the obnoxious things I did."

An uncomfortable cloud of silence covered the bedroom for a few minutes until Blaise felt ready to talk.

"We had to work together on some dumb History of Magic research project in third year. Spent a lot of time together in the library. We really enjoyed each other's company. I expect it took a bit more energy on his part to be with me than vise versa. We hung out quite a bit until the end of the school year and sent frequent owls over the summer. His parents found out in February of last year that he was close friends with a Slytherin."

Draco and Harry watched Blaise with a mixture of expectancy, pity and uneasiness.

"He had a really shitty home life. His parents were really controlling. They seemed to think he was gay, just because he had me for a friend."

"But are you gay?" Draco asked frankly. Harry glared.

Blaise gave no straight answer. "I dunno. Maybe."

"M'sorry." At last. Draco thought. I can say that I'm sorry without admitting a fault.

"Don't be." Blaise tried to be indignant. "It's fine."

This bothered Harry for a reason he didn't understand. "How can it be okay? You make a great friend and his parents pull him out of school. That if far from 'okay'!"

"Well, what do you suggest I do about it, Harry?" Blaise snapped unexpectedly. "He's watched by his parents constantly, he isn't allowed to write to me, and he can't receive letters without them reading it first."

Draco's mouth formed a thin line. "That kind of lack of trust sounds vaguely familiar."

Harry leaned toward Draco and planted a kiss on his forehead. He continued to plant feather-light kisses all over his face and on his eyelids. Draco moaned and dropped his head back, making his neck more accessible to Harry.

Blaise was still facing away from the lovers on Draco's bed, but he could guess what they were doing. His face formed a grimace that no one saw.

**

"DRACO! OPEN THIS DOOR!"

The three friends had fallen asleep after their brief conversation earlier that morning. They were jerked into consciousness at the same time as a rough pounding assaulted the door.

"Oh, shit." Draco jumped out of bed started a string of colorful curse words under his breath.

Blaise vanished his bed in a matter of seconds. "Where can we hide?"

Draco looked flustered. "Harry, in the wardrobe. Blaise, see if you can fit under my bed."

Without hesitation, the boys ran to their respective hiding places. Draco checked to make sure they were out of sight, before turning to the door. He was just in time. Lucius Malfoy shouted a spell to unlock the door so forcefully that the lock was mangled in its wooden bed.

Lucius advanced toward Draco until their noses were almost touching. "Draco, why did you not open the door when I told you to?"

Draco shivered. His father's voice was icier than usual.

"I was sleeping. I didn't hear you at first."

Lucius sneered and drew away from his son. Still wearing a very unpleasant expression, he surveyed the room, taking in every inch of it. Harry watched him from a slit between the doors of Draco's wardrobe. Somehow, Lucius knew something was amiss.

"What did you do last night, Draco?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. I left the library shortly after you came in to send me to my room. When I got to my room, I changed into pajamas and went to sleep."

"And nothing else?"

"No. That's all." Draco shrugged nonchalantly.

"Then what-" Lucius strode toward the dresser and picked up Blaise's robes, where he had left them on the floor. "Are these?"

"My robes."

Lucius read a label inside the collar. "These aren't your size. Or your brand. You never leave your things on the floor."

"What are you implying?" Draco was trying to be calm.

"Oh, nothing. I trust you, Son." Draco was hurt by the sarcasm that dripped from his father's last statement. The corners of his mouth turned down in an immature frown and he folded his arms.

"I don't know why you're so unwilling to accept what I'm telling you. I'm not lying about what I did last night."

After shooting Draco his well-known glare that clearly meant Don't-Sass-Me-Or-I'll-Tear-You-To-Shreads-And-You-Know-How-Serious-I-Am, Lucius dropped Blaise's robes and walked to the bed. "Then you won't mind if I make sure you don't have any more clothing carelessly left under the bed.

Draco panicked. "Well, I don't think I do. But I can check later. Why don't we go eat breakfast? I'm hungry for some nice blueberry pancakes."

"Why so eager to have a pleasant family meal, Draco? You haven't seemed interested in dining with us since you've been home, let alone eating." Lucius turned back to the bed and knelt beside it. "It won't hurt to take a look now, will it?"

Lucius smirked and Draco considered throwing himself out the window, which he glanced out of and nearly choked when he saw three broomsticks approaching slowly. Now he no longer had to worry about his father simply finding visitors, but destroying the brooms in his rage when they came into the room.

Slowly, Lucius raised the skirt of the bed and bent to look under it. He saw Blaise immediately, who had a terrified look on his face. His expression changed from displeased to vicious.

"Get up."

Blaise scrambled out from under Draco's bed. Lucius surveyed him with a nasty gleam in his eye. "You look like a Zabini. Which one are you?"

"Blaise, sir. Blaise Zabini."

With a contemptuous flick of his eyes from Blaise to Draco, Lucius snarled, "You didn't travel alone. Where's Potter?"

"P-p-potter?" Draco stuttered, for the first time seeming more than mildly uncomfortable. "He isn't here!"

"Don't lie to me, you disgusting little faggot! Where is he?!"

If Draco hadn't learned at an early age how dangerous crying in front of his father could be, he would have been near tears.

"I told you, he isn't here!"

Lucius took hold of his son's shoulders and shook him violently. Draco let out a cry of distress and the man noticed his eyes flicker almost imperceptibly toward the wardrobe.

Lucius advanced on Harry's hiding place. He put his hand on the wardrobe handle and turned to Draco, smirking in a horrible way. He let the doors fly open and pushed aside several hangers with expensive clothing hung on them. Harry stood up as high as he could in the wardrobe, jaw set. He wasn't going to let Malfoy get away with hurting Draco.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?"

"How dare you speak to Draco like that, you miserable fuck!" Harry yelled, advancing on Malfoy, while reaching inside his robes for his wand. He brought it up to curse the man, but Malfoy caught his wrist.

"Tsk, tsk. A bit hasty, aren't we?"

His wand hand more or less immobile, Harry punched Malfoy in the stomach as hard as he could with his left hand. Malfoy grunted and roughly threw Harry towards the bed. Harry was sprawled on his back momentarily but sprang back up, ready to fight. He clutched his wand tightly in his hand. This was stupid, and he knew it, but his temper was getting the better of him.

Draco felt like a scared rabbit. He wanted to help Harry, but he was afraid of what his father would do to him.

"Imobulus!" Lucius shouted cast a spell on Harry with his own, undoubtedly powerful wand. Harry was rendered completely helpless, his arms and legs frozen in the position he was in.

"I'll take this." Malfoy plucked Harry's wand out of his outstretched hand. If Harry had been able to move his face, he would have glowered.

"I think you should give me Harry's wand, father." Draco spoke quietly, and more firmly than he thought he could, given the circumstances.

Lucius rounded on his son, fury in his eyes. "When I want your opinion, I'll beat it out of you!"*

Draco winced at the words, which he knew to be only too true.

"Stupefy!" Blaise, deciding something needed to be done, stunned Malfoy, who toppled to the cold stone floor. Draco watched his father fall with a vacant expression and stooped to pick up Harry's wand when it rolled away from the tall man's grasp.

"Finite Incantatem." Draco ended the immobility spell on Harry, who flexed his taught muscles.

"Let's out back to Hogwarts," Blaise said, indicating their brooms, which he had neatly collected and set against the wall.

Harry followed Blaise for a few steps, but stopped at the realization that Draco wasn't coming. He was standing motionless, staring at his stunned parent.

"Come on, Draco." Harry grabbed his wrist and started to pull him toward the window.

Draco jumped, as if being woken up, and felt a shiver go through his body.

"He's going to kill me. He's going to fucking kill me."

"Only if we hang around until the spell wears off," Harry warned, finally managing to pull Draco out of his dumbfounded position.

Blaise was already holding his Thunderstrike 280 when Draco tore his eyes from his stunned father.

"No, I won't leave yet." Draco squared his shoulders. "I won't run away from my own house. Let's go eat breakfast."

Harry and Blaise exchanged raised-eyebrow looks, but followed Draco has he strode resolutely from the room. His fast pace placed him a corridor ahead, and when they caught up, he was standing two feet from Narcissa Malfoy.

"Draco? What's going on?"

"Nothing, mum."

"Don't tell me that, Draco."

Fidgeting slightly and tugging at a loose string on Harry's sleeve, Draco explained how Blaise and Harry had come to visit, but they were going back to Hogwarts.

Narcissa looked perplexed. Harry's first impression of her was that she should get at least five more hours of sleep every night. Her shoulders slumped and curved inward, distorting the perfect form she probably would have if she had been healthier. Her blue eyes looked faded and she had notable shadows behind all her features.

"You look hungry, mum. Go eat breakfast." Draco tried to shake his mother's attention.

"No, I'm fine. Why don't your friends join us for something before you return to school?"

"Because we just remembered some homework we didn't finish. And we want to go do it right now."

Narcissa blinked benignly. "Let them speak for themselves."

Harry looked from Draco, who looked tortured, to his mother, who looked firmly determined to serve breakfast, and then back to Draco. Blaise did the same.

"Follow me, you two." Narcissa turned and led the way toward the dining hall. The three boys had no choice but to follow. Draco considered killing himself for the hundredth time that day.

"Here we are," Narcissa said, welcoming her guests to a spacious dining room. "Sit anywhere you like."

The table was set for twenty, but Blaise sat down next to Narcissa and Draco and Harry sat directly opposite them. The woman clapped her hands twice, and a host of houselves trotted into the room, all carrying trays of food. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, fruit, porridge, even cereal.

"Eat up!" Narcissa ordered, plucking a cluster of grapes from a nearby bowl.

His mother's calm attitude when the utmost danger was going to fall upon all of them at any moment was too much for Draco.

"Mum, fathersupstairsstunnedandhesgoingtocomedownandkillusall!"

At first, Narcissa gave no indication that she had heard or understood Draco's short outburst of frustration and fear. After slowly consuming her fifth grape, she waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it. I have everything taken care of."

"How is it taken care of when he could come down here and curse us all into oblivion at any moment?"

"Draco, there is a lot to me that not you, nor anyone else knows."

Draco's jaw dropped. Narcissa had been the submissive personality in his household for as long as he could remember. His father never really loved her, because he probably didn't have the capacity to love anyone, and for this reason, he could empathize with his mother. But she had never shown any sign of being different from any other witch. "Like what?"

Narcissa smiled slightly and cocked her head slightly to the side.

"Oh, not much...I just happen to have a few hidden talents here and there."

All three boys gazed intently at her. Narcissa had been trapped in the same mansion with the same moody, violent and troubled man, and the sight of these intensely interested faces focused innocently on her gave her a feeling like she had not experienced in a long time. Overcome with a wave of something she could not define, she leaned over to Blaise, who was closest, and enveloped him in a hug. Blaise reacted automatically, wrapping his arms around Narcissa's thin frame.

"This is so fucking strange, it's unbelievable!" She laughed.

Draco's eyes bugged out.

"Mum, you're scaring me. First you tell me you have powers I don't know about. Then you smile. Look happy. And hug my friend. And swear."

Narcissa let out one more giggle, and pulled herself together.

"Right, so you asked about why I said I had everything under control."

Draco, Harry and Blaise leaned forward.

"Well, it's not that amazing...I can sometimes catch flashes of what people are thinking, or see flashes of what they're seeing."

"You mean you know..." Harry broke off, not sure of what he should say.

"I know that you and my son are in love, that he-" she nodded in Blaise's direction, "-misses a friend who was taken away from him and that Lucius is still unconscious."

Draco tried to digest this information. "You, you saw us...sleeping together?"

"Well, I saw some of what you were seeing, which was Harry, in a very intimate position with you."

"What about me?" Blaise asked. "How did you know that I miss a friend?"

"In order to learn that, I saw what you were thinking. Not directly, but I experienced a series of memories you relived, all of which included this boy."

"My mother reads minds. How weird can this get?" Draco slumped back in his chair with a deep sigh.

"I don't exactly read minds. The human brain is far too complicated to completely decrypt. Anyone who had that full ability would be driven insane."

"Can you access people's brains, or vision, whatever, whenever you want?" Harry inquired.

"It's complicated," Narcissa sighed. "I can will myself to see inside someone's head in a general location but I can't quite know whose mind I'm seeing. For example, this morning, I wondered what was going on with you three, so I looked into Draco's room. I happened to get into Blaise's head. That's how I knew he missed his friend."

"Any other uncanny things you can do that I'd be interested in?" Draco asked monotonously.

Narcissa smiled. By this time, she looked brighter. "I'm rather talented at long distance wandless magic."

Three boys watched as Narcissa closed her eyes and waved her hand in a flowing, definite motion. When her eyelids snapped forward, she grinned.

"He's levitating near the ceiling. And when he wakes up, he won't be able to get down. His wand is on the floor in plain sight, but he won't be can't reach it."

Draco, seeing his mother's sadistic smile, knew that being stuck to the ceiling in his bedroom wasn't going to be the worst thing to happen to him. It wasn't often she had Lucius at her mercy like this.

"Just remember to use a memory charm on him," Draco said.

"Draco, I told you I had it all under control."

"Okay, okay, I was just checking!" Draco was fidgety. He obviously didn't trust his mother.

Narcissa laughed softly. "Stop fretting, Draco."

"Well, we have to get back to school." Draco stood up abruptly and stepped back from the table. Harry and Blaise followed, after glancing tentatively at Narcissa.

"Alright. I guess it is time." Narcissa rose from the table and snapped her fingers. Harry flinched in surprise as his broom handle knocked gently against his forehead, having appeared instantly before him when Draco's mother snapped her fingers.

"You didn't want to go back up there to get those," she explained. "He's angry."

Draco passed a hand over his eyes and took another steadying breath. "Mum, I can't believe you..."

"You'll get used to it," she said, pulling him into one of the few motherly hugs he could remember.

She hugged Harry and Blaise in turn, who both mumbled their thanks. With one final farewell, Draco led the way to the main entrance to the manor and they flew off into the sun's morning rays.