Return To The Dark Side

Chapter Three:

Love, Romance and Surprises

As they emerged from Customs, they were beckoned over by Narcissa and Sirius and spent about twenty minutes listening to Narcissa crying with joy at seeing her daughter for the first time in seventeen years.

They got a taxi from the airport to Kings Cross station where they caught the train from platform 6 1/2. When they disembarked the train at the station in Malfoy Park Sirius disappeared for a minute and then returned with the driver of a wizard taxi, which were just like Muggle taxi's except when you got in it was like stepping into a limo. The taxi took them all the way up to the front door and as they got out, Harry was sure he heard the driver mutter something about the Malfoy family, he didn't get all of what he said but he was sure it wasn't good.

When they had shown Dracalea around the upstairs of the house, shown her where her room was and dumped their stuff in their rooms, Draco began to make his way down the stairs trying to decide whether to just have a snack or get someone to conjure up a proper meal. As he was walking past the front drawing room on his way to the kitchen he thought he saw someone's eye looking at him through the crack in the open frosted glass door to the drawing room, but when he took a closer look the eye had disappeared. He was just about to dismiss it as jet lag from being on a plane for twelve hours when a hand reached out, grabbed him and pulled him in through the now wide open door.

The person to whom the arm belonged to, pulled him in and with their other arm shut the door with a bang, before spinning him around so he was facing the person and much to Draco's surprise and delight he was stood face to face with Hermione.

*******

Hermione had been sat in the front drawing room in the manor watching television for almost an hour when she heard the wizard taxi pull up at the front door and she quickly jumped up and turned the television off. As she sat back down she heard the door to the house open and heard voices filling the house. A minute later she heard footsteps on the stairs and the door to the drawing room opened making her jump. She was expecting it to be Harry, Dracalea or Draco but thankfully it was Narcissa.

"Hi, Hermione! Draco is just showing Dracalea her room and then he'll be down in a minute,” she said

"Ok! Have you told him I'm here?"

"No. I figured I'd let it be a surprise for him," she replied with a smile and she walked out the door, shutting it slightly leaving it open a bit.

Hermione was waiting for nearly ten minutes before she heard the footsteps that were unmistakably Draco's, Heavy but also careful and delicate. She quietly got up, tiptoed to the door and peeked out of it. Sure enough the person coming down the stairs was Draco, looking as sexy as he usually did.

"America definitely seems to have agreed with him," she thought, he was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt with a silver dragon embroidered on it, which was pretty ironic considering his name means Dragon in Latin, and black trousers with a thin silver stripe down the seam. (The suntan that he had probably made him look sexier too.)

As he got closer to the door she had a feeling he could see her looking at him and withdrew slightly from the door. When she looked back he had stopped looking at the door and was again making his way past, so she opened the door more, grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room and pushed the door shut with her free hand. She turned him abruptly around so he was facing her and as he saw who she was, the look on his face was so funny that Hermione wished she had a video camera on her, so she could remember his expression forever.

*********

"Hermione!" Draco exclaimed as his girlfriend pulled him into the drawing room.

"Who did you think it was? The bogeyman?" she asked with a mischievous grin on her face and looking at him with sexy veiled eyes.

"Well...I... well I thought we were meeting tomorrow in London to go for a meal and dancing!" he replied still stunned.

"Was that the plan? I don't seem to remember! Anyway if you'd rather wait 'till tomorrow I'll go now!" And she began to make her way towards the door then...

"That's not what I meant! You know it! I love it when we spend time together and I've missed you all the time I was away! You know?"

She looked back at him with an impish look on her face. "Then why are you still talking?" And without even waiting for a reply from him she grabbed his collar and pulled him closer to her, and kissed him hard on his lips. Draco was too astonished to react at first, but he soon recovered and slid his arms around Hermione's waist, her hands slid along his broad shoulders and wrapped themselves around his neck deepening their kiss and he felt her fingers tangling in the hair at the back of his head.

When they finally pulled apart, after what seemed like forever, they were both breathless and feeling very warm. Draco took his arms away from Hermione's waist and walked over to the huge bay window and opened it as wide as it would go, which was wide, then went back over to where Hermione was still stood, put his arms around her and kissed her lightly on her cheek.

"I love you so much, Hermione,” he said as he hugged her even more tightly.

"I love you too Dray!" she replied as she kissed him back, her lips just lightly brushing against his.

As he hugged her, his necklace, slid out from underneath his shirt and Hermione could feel it cold on her skin. She pulled away from him momentarily and asked, "What's that?"

"What? Oh! You mean this?" he said taking the necklace in his hands. "You got me it last year for my birthday, which reminds me..." and without saying any more he grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room.

Hermione gasped quietly as Draco took hold of her hand and pulled her out of the room, up the stairs and into his room. He only let go when they got to his room, when he bent down over a bag on the floor and began rummaging through it. Moments later he stood upright with a pink glittery gift bag in his hand and handed it to Hermione.

"Wow!" she exclaimed as she took it from him and sat down the bed as she began to open it.

When she saw the contents, her eyes lit up and she pulled out a gorgeous pink bear with two hearts interlocking embroidered on its chest, the same two hearts that were on Draco's necklace.

"Dray!! Oh wow! ItÂ’s beautiful!" And she hugged him tightly

"You haven't seen what else is in there!" he said slightly embarrassed.

"Oh!" she replied as she stuck her hand back into the bag and pulled out a beautiful little box.

Her hands were trembling slightly as she opened the box and she could feel a single tear slide down her face as she saw its contents. Inside was a delicate charm bracelet with charms like scrolls and feathers on. As she examined each charm she noticed that a scroll had an inscription and when she looked more closely she could see that it said:

Hermione, my love for you always grow and IÂ’m yours, forever Draco

She looked up at Draco who had a nervous look on his face; He must have thought I wouldn't like it, she thought to herself.

"Dray," she said softly. "It's beautiful. Thank you so much, you really are the best boyfriend a girl could ever want."

"I am aren't I?" he said with a laugh and a sigh of relief.

Hermione just laughed and kissed him on the lips feeling that she really was the luckiest girl on earth.

*******

Harry was in his bedroom when he heard two pairs of footsteps ascending the staircase and he didn't even need to open his door to see who it was. He already knew.

It was Draco taking Hermione into his room to give her the bear and bracelet he had gotten her in America. Hermione's pulling Draco into the drawing room must have make him jump out of his skin because when she had done so Harry had a flash, which was sort of like a premonition, and he could see what Draco could. That only happened when the person you were telepathic with, in Harry's case it was Draco and vice versa, was feeling something strong enough.

*******

After Dracalea had been at the Manor about two weeks letters from Hogwarts came for her, Draco and Harry. It rather surprised her at first, as she wasn't expecting any letters from anyone, except maybe Hermione. As she turned the envelope over and looked at the Hogwarts crest on the wax sealing the envelope she wondered what the animals stood for, there was a badger, a raven, a lion and a snake all surrounding a huge H in the middle.

She tore the envelope open and tipped out the contents and began to read the letter, which read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Malfoy,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry.

Enclosed you will find a list of essential school supplies and books. It is tradition that first year students be sorted into their houses by the sorting hat, (the houses being Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin) but as you are not starting Hogwarts in the first year it has been unanimously decided that you should be placed into Slytherin along with Mr. Malfoy. Based on your excellent recommendations from Lewiston Academy we have decided to make you one of our head girls. You will find enclosed your Head Girl badge, as Head Girl you will be expected to make sure that all school rules are kept and punish any rule-breakers as you see fit. Punishments can range from House points being taken away from the perpetrators house to detention. As well as enforcing the rules there are also personal benefits to being one of our head girls, you will be able to access the restricted section of the library which use of is forbidden to all other students, there is no set time to be in your dormitories and you can go almost anywhere you like in the school and Hogsmeade village, amongst many other wonderful opportunities available to you.

You will share a dormitory with our other head girl and a common with her and our two head boys.

We look forward to seeing you on 1st September when term starts; please make sure that you catch the Hogwarts Express from platform 9 3/4 at 11o'clock.

Yours Sincerely

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Dracalea, after having read this letter, now turned her attention to the other contents of the envelope. Sure enough there was a list of equipment she would need like books and school uniform, there was also a shiny silver badge that when she turned over had the words Head Girl inscribed upon it.

*******

The post arrived just as Harry was sitting down next to Draco at the table for breakfast, there were more letters than normal as there was also one for Dracalea. They sat there reading their letters as Narcissa came over carrying plates full of eggs, bacon, sausages, beans and tomatoes. Harry noticed that his letter was unusually thick, but he put it down to there being more to say when you were in the last year as Draco's was the same thickness. Harry tore the letter open and a shiny badge fell out along with a letter, he picked up the letter and began to quickly skim over it and suddenly he saw something that nearly made him knock his coffee over:

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you take you have been selected to be one of our two Head Boys.

Two Head Boys? Me? Who's the other one? Harry wondered

Me!!!!! said a surprised voice in his ear

"What?" Harry said, unable to keep the astonishment from his voice

"Here!" Draco passed him his letter, which said that he was also head boy too.

Harry chuckled as he handed the letter back to him, "Who'd have thought that Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter would be brothers and Head Boys as well?"

********

Chapter four:

A birthday like no other

He sat down on his bed and looked at the calendar on his wall over his bed-head. And, to Harry's surprise, realized that it was the 10th August. He knew that it was sometime in August as he had been in America on the 31st July, his birthday, but he had no idea how far into the month they were. His eyes scanned the rest of the calendar and fell upon the text that was written on 15th August: Dray's Birthday.

"Damn!" he shouted and slapped himself in the forehead, "I completely forgot about that!"

He decided that he would ask Hermione to go shopping with him into London to get Draco a present as she knew what he liked better than Harry did.

*******

It was only when they were sitting in the take-away in London waiting for their orders that Hermione realized she hadn't got a clue what to get Draco for his birthday any more than Harry did.

They spent hours in London trying to find the perfect present for Draco without any success, so they finally decided to buy him something from Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley.

When they boarded the train back to the manor both Harry and Hermione were very hot and tired. They managed to find a compartment to themselves and began to inspect what they had bought as the train began to pull out of the station. Harry, who didn't really know what to get him, had bought a black leather case for Draco's Firebolt which had Draco Malfoy written on in silver writing. Hermione had bought him a book called Hogwarts: A Quidditch History that had every person who had ever played Quidditch at Hogwarts in it and also mini biographies of each player (the biographies for the seekers were longer than the others, as they were the most important players. 'Dray'll be pleased about that,' she thought to herself, as he had been seeker for Slytherin house ever since their second year. And was pretty good too, even though he had never caught the snitch when he had been playing Harry for some reason.)

*******

On the 14th August Draco woke up with an unusual feeling in is stomach, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't figure out why he was feeling so weird.

When he stepped into the shower a refreshing sensation went through his body, waking him up, as the water hit his bare skin.

After he had showered, Draco made his way back across the hall to his room. When suddenly a door on his left opened making him jump.

One more day to go. Eh?

Before Draco had chance to reply to this Harry stepped out of his bedroom, shut the door, turned around and jumped.

Draco's presence in the hall was obviously unknown to Harry because when he left his room and saw Draco he nearly had a heart attack.

"DRACO!!" he yelled when had finally found his voice.

"What?" he replied in an innocent voice

"What? You nearly put me in St. Mungo's Hospital, in the section for chronic heart disorders, Dray!"

"Soz! What'd ya mean by one more day to go? One more day 'till what?" he asked confused.

"You're Kiddin me, Right?" he said, unable to suppress a laugh. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what? Would you just give me a straight answer please?"

"Well.... Today's the 14th August and that would make tomorrow...."

"The 15th! So?" He was clearly getting annoyed with Harry now.

"Draco! Come on, use your brain. Whose birthday is on 15th August?"

Something suddenly just clicked in the back of Draco's mind, "Mine!?! Really? Is it my birthday already? Wow! DoesnÂ’t time fly when you're on holiday?"

"Yeah, I know. I can't believe you didn't know," Harry said astonished.

Draco's mood suddenly changed. "Well ya know I've been busy lately," he replied as he walked past Harry and shut the door with a bang.

"Well!" Harry said, under his breath, "some one fell out of the wrong side of bed this morning!"

*********

Draco didn't mean to be so short with Harry and he did shut the door a bit harder than he had intended to, but he didn't seem to be himself lately, ever since he had received his letter from Hogwarts saying he was to be made head boy along with Harry. What he hadn't told anyone was that a piece of parchment had come with the letter, a piece of parchment carrying bad news.

Draco strode over to his desk and unlocked a small drawer. He slowly withdrew a piece of parchment and threw himself down onto his chair. As he re-read the note in his hand for the 100th time, feelings of both anger and anxiety rose inside of him.

Anger because he was angry with himself for being so stupid and for not realizing that one day the way he acted was going to get him into serious trouble and anxiety because he didn't think he knew how to cope with this.

Dear Mr. Malfoy

We choose our Head boys and girls based on their past grades and behavior. Even though your grades are the best from your house, they are below the normal requirements and your behavior is way below satisfactory.

Therefore it is my unpleasant task to inform you that your teachers will be monitoring you in both these areas. If they improve we shall make you our permanent Head Boy (along with Mr. Potter), however if neither improve I shall be forced to suspend you and maybe even go one step further if this continues.

Yours Sincerely

Professor Albus Dumbledore

Draco read the note that was still in his hand, crumpled it up into a ball and put his head in his hands.

How am I going to pull this off? He thought

Well.... Harry began to say but Draco cut him off.

Potter! That was rhetorical question. Would you just get out of my head and leave me alone?

Silence.

How would his mum and Sirius react if they found out that one of their sons was facing temporary, maybe even permanent, suspension from school? He didn't even want to think about how disappointed everyone would be with him.

What Draco needed was help from someone who was smart and who he tell all this to without feeling stupid. He sat there desperately trying to think of someone who he could turn to, when suddenly it hit him: Hermione.

He quickly grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment and began to write:

Dear Hermione

How are you? I'm mostly OK but there is something I need your help on. Well... when I got the letter from Hogwarts it said that I was going to be Head boy with Harry. That's not the problem though, the problem is that I need to bring my grades up and my behavior needs to improve a lot otherwise I face being kicked out of school.

Please don't tell Harry about this 'cause he'll probably tell my mum and Sirius and I don't want them to find out about it.

I don't know what to do and I desperately need your help.

Write back as soon as possible.

Love

Draco

********

That'll do he thought as he read the finished letter.

Draco folded the letter up and walked over to where his eagle owl was perched. The owl, whose name Draco hadn't decided yet as it was new, stuck out it's leg in a dignified manner. When he had attached the letter he stood back and watched it fly away west; in the direction of Hermione's house, and the feeling that his insides were made out lead seemed to disappear.

**************

Hermione was sat in her living room watching a Muggle television soap with her mum when there was a tapping on the window which made both of them jump. As they looked up they saw that a beautiful Eagle owl was causing the noise.

"Hermione! What's that?" her mum asked as Hermione got up to open the window and let the bird in.

"It's a letter.... From Draco!" she replied as she took the letter from the owl and watched it head back out of the window.

"Oh right," her mum said, uninterested as she turned back to the television.

Hermione turned and walked out of the room as she unfolded the letter, she wanted to be able to read it in private, and what she saw made her drop the letter in surprise.

"I think I’m imagining things,” she muttered to herself as she bent down to pick the letter back up, "Dray, being kicked out of school? It's not possible!"

She re-read the letter to make sure she wasn't imaging things. "Eh?" She suddenly realized that she wasn't imagining things after all.

She ran upstairs to her room, taking the steps three at a time. When she got to her room she hurried over to her desk, found a spare piece of parchment and began to write.

******

Draco was lying on his bed in the dark tossing and turning restlessly, it had been about 16 hours since he had wrote to Hermione and she still hadn't written back. Draco was just about to give up on Hermione and go to sleep when he heard an impatient tapping on the window. Slowly he got out of bed, stretched his hand out in front of him and muttered Lumos a strange glow emitted from his hand. He walked over to wall and turned the light on and saw that at the window there was an owl casting a dark silhouette against the bright full moon. He said Nox and the light from his hand disappeared as he went to unlock the window. When the window was wide open the owl flew in, deposited its package on the bed and flew back out the window.

Draco shut the window, went back to his bed and threw himself down on it. He picked up the letter that was with the package and tore open the envelope.

Dear Draco,

Happy Birthday!!!

I got your letter and I think I can help you bring your grades up but your behavior is something that you and only you can change.

I'm coming to the manor the day after your birthday with Ron (I know you don't like each other but you'll have to put up with him for a while) and we can start doing some preparation for school or something which will help bring your grades up.

I hope you like your birthday present and I'll see you soon.

Love you always,

Hermione

Draco almost yelled out loud to show how happy he was but thought better of it in case someone woke up, they probably wouldn't though because it was such a big house but he didn't want to risk it as the nearest bedroom to his was his mum and Sirius' (and that was five doors down).

Draco now turned his attention to the package that came with it, his birthday present. He glanced up at the alarm clock on his bedside table to make sure it was after twelve so he could open his present, it was half past two so he decided it was ok to open it.

He eagerly tore of the brown paper that it was wrapped in and out fell a book that was bound in a emerald green cover with the words Hogwarts: A Quidditch History printed on the front in gold letters, creating a striking contrast between the two colours.

He opened the book and flicked through it, noticing that it had lots of pictures of people in it. Draco continued to flick through it and only stopped when he came across a page with someone on it that looked very much like Draco. On closer inspection Draco realized that it wasn't someone who looked like Draco, no, it was actually Draco himself. He stared astonished at the picture of himself, which was looking back at him and winking. Draco tore his gaze away from the picture and skimmed his eyes down the page. His eyes fell on certain points about him such as:

Full Name: Draco Thomas Malfoy

Draco shuddered as he read this bit. He hated his middle name, Thomas, in honour of Lord Voldemort who was called Tom Riddle in his youth.

Birth Parents: Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy

Currently Lives with: Narcissa and Sirius Black, Harry Potter (Brother) and Draclea Malfoy (Sister)

It went through all his vital stats even down to what kind of broom he owned.

"Wow! Hermione," he whispered as he closed the book and rested his head on his pillow and he fell asleep without even turning his light off.

**********