Rating:: R
House:: Schnoogle
Characters:: Draco Malfoy Harry Potter Peter Pettigrew Remus Lupin Sirius Black Severus Snape
Genres:: Mystery Slash
Era:: Multiple Eras
Spoilers:: Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Stats:: Published: 08/09/2002

Updated: 02/03/2003

Words: 93,751

Chapters: 17

Hits: 9,290

Age of Innocence

Piri Malfoy

Story Summary:: Come to a time when the world was shadier and hostile...the roaring 1920's. 17 yr. old Harry, raised as a Muggle and unknowing of even his real parents names escapes the life of abuse and torture he knew and begins to learn what freedom really means. Gaudy nightclubs, women of the night, playing runner to the mob, bootlegged liquor and much more make up the life that Harry now leads. The only problem is no one else even notices who he really is and what he did for the world long ago. There is one person however who does remember, but will the son of the mob boss make him think things he shouldn't and will he be able to help Harry find his true self? (AU/Canon fic; HP/DM, SB/PP, RL/SS)

Chapter 05

Chapter Summary:: Come to a time when the world was shadier and hostile...the roaring 1920's. 17 yr. old Harry, raised as a Muggle and unknowing of even his real parents names escapes the life of abuse and torture he knew and begins to learn what freedom really means. Gaudy nightclubs, women of the night, playing runner to the mob, bootlegged liquor and much more make up the life that Harry now leads. The only problem is no one else even notices who he really is and what he did for the world long ago. There is one person however who does remember, but will the son of the mob boss make him think things he shouldn't and will he be able to help Harry find his true self?

Posted:: 08/09/2002

Hits:: 481

~~Chapter Five: To Trust Or Not To Trust~~

~~Malfoy Manor,Old Windsor, London - Dec. 25, 1924~~

'Master Draco....sir...Master Draco must wake up now sir. Master is wanted by his father sir,' a house-elf said in it's high pitched voice.

Draco awoke with a groan, then looked over and glared at the pink house-elf in front of him. 'What in the bloody hell do you want elf?' he scowled as he rubbed his eyes to clear the sleep out of them.

'Your father sir. He wants to see you in his study right away. Minky only gives the message sir,' the house-elf said nervously now and wrung it's small hands hoping that Draco wouldn't be too angry at her.

'My father can bloody well go to hell,' Draco muttered and with a dismissive wave of his hand towards the elf got out of bed. 'Fine, I'm up. Tell him I'll be there in a little while, I have to get dressed.'

'Yes sir, of course sir. Minky tell him for you sir,' the house-elf said with relief and before Draco could say another word a loud 'crack' indicated she was on her way.

Draco sighed and began to get himself ready for the day. Choosing a rather elegant black pin-stripped suit, leather boots, and a silver handkerchief and tie, he brushed his hair back in it's usual way, and made sure everything else was in order. He demanded perfection from himself, as his father did, and he was vain enough to know that the extra moments he spent in front of the mirror were well worth it. Which brought his mind back to yesterday's incidence, or rather, surprising revelation.

He hadn't been thrilled to have been called on to deliver the message to Black at the tiny inn in Croydon to say the least. To him message running was servant stuff, degrading and demeaning for a person in his position. Unfortunately however being yesterday was the day before Christmas Eve his father's runner, a stupid wizard that Draco never liked or wanted to even know, had been doing the arrangements for tonight's ball.

His father's other associates were just as busy, or in most cases some of them had deemed to take a holiday this year. Though there was really no rest in the crime business, those that had families sometimes did take a week away to relax and Draco didn't really fault that. With a sigh he almost wished that once, just once, he belonged in a family that was 'normal', and his mother and father weren't so preoccupied with being who they were. In all of Draco's seventeen years of life, not one time did they ever take a 'family' holiday. In point of fact, Draco didn't remember any time in his life when they were even a 'family' at all.

They appeared in public together, that was a given, however that's as far as it went. Narcissa, his mum, was too busy doing her 'charitable' works as a lady of society, and Lucius was...well....a crime kingpin. His parents would on occasion travel together elsewhere, but they never took Draco. The two times Draco had travelled outside of the UK were to France and America, and both times it was with one of his father's associates and of course, it had been for 'business' reasons. Which meant no time for any 'sightseeing' or actual 'fun'.

In a way though he somewhat understood why, considering that the only times of the year he was home was during Christmas, Easter and summer hols. The rest of the year he was lucky enough to attend Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry, the magic school for eligible witches and wizards. Still though, he would have liked at least once to go on a holiday in which killing someone wasn't on the menu of 'having a good time'.

Despite the fact Draco had grown up surrounded by crime, death and everything else that made up his father's world, he surprisingly wasn't really interested in it. Perhaps it was because of his schooling that he saw there was far more to life than just being a thug. Ruling the crime ridden underworld had it's advantages sure, but he wanted so much more from his life, not that he really could tell that to anyone.

He was of course a member of Slytherin House, the best of the four houses at the school. For the past six years so far that he'd been at Hogwarts, Slytherin had been the holders of both the Quidditch Cup, and the House Cup, two very prestigious awards. Quidditch was his favourite thing nearly of all time, and he was now captain of the team this year to boot. He owned the latest and fasted model broom on the market, The Silver Arrow, and it was his most prized possession. The only time Draco ever felt truly free was when he was in the air, and it bothered him to no end that so far this holiday he hadn't had time to go flying.

Since he wasn't licensed to Apparate yet, a special portkey had been created for him to use which would take him to a place he could go flying. Lucius had gotten someone, Remus Lupin oddly enough if Draco remembered right, to put up special charms round the patch of forest he portkeyed to so that he could fly there without being spotted by Muggles. This was the first holiday however since he was eleven that he wasn't able to go do that, and he really was itching to go. He had actually hoped today he could have gone there and done some flying before the ball, but it seemed that with his father wanting him that probably wasn't going to happen now, and it made him bristle with annoyance.

Knowing that he'd probably kept his father waiting just long enough, Draco put up his mask of indifference and headed down to his father's study, wondering what he wanted. The door was closed however, which meant that Lucius had a guest, but being curious he quietly casted a listening spell so that he could perhaps know who it was and why they were there. Surprisingly it turned out to be none other than Severus Snape who was talking to his father, and from the sounds of it, the conversation wasn't going all that well.

'I don't care Lucius, I am taking the week off,' Severus said in his silky voice.

'And I told you that I'd be more than willing to give you time off in a couple more weeks, but not now. We've still got some deals to finish up this week and I need you here to do that,' Lucius said back in his usual surly drawl.

'I don't want the bloody time in a couple of weeks, I need it now. I don't really care if you like it or not Lucius, I'm taking off starting today. I've already left most of the phials to be picked up by Black's runner, and Pettigrew has the rest of them,' Severus said in a firm tone.

'What is so fucking important that you have to leave today Severus? Tonight's the bloody Ball, you know I expect you to be there,' Lucius scowled.

'Then you'll just have to un-expect it, because I won't be there. I didn't come here to ask you Lucius, I came here to tell you. I am going and I don't think you're going to stop me are you,' Severus said in a low voice that was not a question but a statement, meaning he was at a dangerously close level to getting very angry.

A few moments of silence came through then Lucius said, 'Very well Severus, if that's what you want then take the time. Will you at least tell me why you chose this very inappropriate time to take off?' Lucius asked in a tight voice.

'No, I won't tell you. Where I am going and what I am doing is of no concern of yours. I do what you ask of me without complaint therefore I am entitled to my privacy like everyone else Lucius. Now if you'll excuse me I have plans and they're waiting to be carried out. I will see you in a week, no more, no less,' Severus said. Draco heard a chair scrape across the tiled floor, quickly cancelled the listening spell and stepped back from the door at a good enough distance he hoped the two men wouldn't know he'd been listening.

Moments later the door finally opened and Severus swept out of the room, his black robes billowing behind him. He shut the door of the study behind him, then glanced back at the door muttering under his breath. Seeing Draco however he stopped and walked over to him, eyeing him carefully. 'Draco,' he said with a nod at him.

'Professor Snape,' Draco said back with a nod. What most of Lucius's Muggle business associates didn't know was that despite the work he did for Lucius, Severus also happened to be not only the leading Potion's Master in the world, but a teacher at Hogwarts. In point of fact he also happened to be the Slytherin Head of House, and Draco had grown a bit fond of the straightlaced, strict man over the years. He'd watched how Severus had transformed himself from a dour, sallow skinned greasy haired man into the very handsome, 6'4, long black-haired man that he was today. A look that Draco, not to mention half the students male and female at Hogwarts, agreed suited him to perfection.

Severus glanced back at the closed door of the study and then turned back to Draco, giving him a strange look. 'I take it you were listening in?'

Draco fidgeted a moment at actually being caught, but nodded slowly and cast his gaze down to the floor guiltily. 'Yes sir, sorry didn't know it was you at first,' he said quietly.

A chuckle from Severus made Draco look back up, and was even more surprised to see a small grin on the man's face. 'I would have expected nothing less from a Slytherin to do that, especially when that Slytherin is you Draco Lucius Malfoy. I'm sure by now you're curiosity is at it's peek hmm?' he said wryly.

'Err...well...that is...I mean...oh hell, yes sir, it is,' Draco stammered shyly. Normally he was cool and collected with this man, but seeing Severus out of school sometimes was unnerving, especially when he'd been caught in the act as it were. 'Where are you going sir? Why won't you be at the ball?' he blurted out then before he could even stop himself.

Severus eyed Draco wearily for a moment, then softly chuckled again. 'You and I have more in common than you think we do young Draco. We wear our masks because we have to, not because we want to. We trust few to none, and rely only on ourselves. However, I'll tell you this, there will come a time in your life you will want to stop the pretenses and take off the masks, even if it's only for a week...it will be worth it.'

Draco let those words sink in for a few moments then a dawn of understanding came to him. 'You're going away with Lupin aren't you Professor,' he said softly, giving him a questioning gaze.

Severus sighed slightly, a strange sound coming from this dark sided man, and glancing back at the study door he nodded slowly. 'I am, and I don't need to tell you that is not for your father's ears, though knowing you I don't think that's an issue is it Draco,' he said quietly, again it wasn't a question but a statement.

Draco shook his head. 'I could care less what he thinks sir, you know that. You're secret's are always safe with me sir,' he said firmly, then before he knew why he asked, 'Do you really care for Lupin that much though to risk father's anger that way?'

Severus looked at Draco thoughtfully for a moment, then a rather touching smile came to his lips. 'I'm known as a coldhearted, scheming, poisonous man for many good reason Draco, and there was a time I truly believed that of myself. However Remus Lupin showed me a way out of that, made me realize what I really wanted and who I am. In answer to your question, no, I don't simply 'care' for him Draco...I love him. He is the light to my dark, and my saviour as much as I am his. We both have such tainted and harsh pasts, but we find comfort and solace in each others arms.'

'He's a dope addict and a prostitute though, doesn't that bother you at all?' Draco asked curiously.

Severus shook his head, giving the door another quick glance. 'Love makes a person care for another no matter who or what the other is, Draco. Regarding his addictions, I do what I can for him, when I can. As for his 'profession'...I bought Lupin's contract from your father years ago, he's is mine now. He remains at the Belladonna Club simply because it's easier and I know he's safe there, but he no longer is offered as an 'attraction of the evening', only to me that is. On the weekends during the school year, or when on holidays, I Apparate to his room at night, and I am gone by morning. It's a good arrangement for us both, and we're happy. And that's very important Draco...happiness. For those few hours a night we both can forget what we've done in our lives. Without that time I think we both would have died long ago,' Severus said quietly.

'Oh...I...I didn't know that,' Draco said softly. 'Why do you have to leave now though?'

'No one knows what I just told you about my purchase of Lupin's contract except your father and the club's procurer, not even his friends know. The procurer knows if he talks he won't be doing so again, I'll kill him myself,' Severus said darkly. 'As to why I have to leave, I'm afraid young man I can't tell you exactly that right now. What I can tell you is this...Lupin and I we're working on something for our future, something that we've both wanted for a long time now. If it works, and there have been far too many failures at this point yet I'm afraid, believe me I will tell you Draco. I do trust you believe it or not.'

Draco smiled at his professor, glad to hear those words actually. 'Thank you sir, coming from you that means a lot. I hope you two have a good time, and whatever it is you're working on will come out all right at the end,' he said.

'Thank you, I hope so too. Take care of yourself Draco whilst I'm gone, and know that my door is always open to you be it in or out of school,' Severus said with a smile himself.

Draco nodded. 'I might just take you up on that offer sir. See you when I get back to school then I reckon. Meanwhile, I better get in there before Father comes out wondering where I've gotten off to,' he said with a sigh and glanced at the study door.

Severus nodded in understanding and gave him a small pat on the shoulder. 'Remember what I told you Draco...find your happiness...wherever or with whomever he may be. Don't let your father make you do what you don't want to do. It's not worth it.'

'I'll remember that, thank you again sir. Good luck!' he said now, and with a little wave good bye he headed over to the door of the study, giving off one final sigh as he watched his professor leave. It was only then that it struck him what Severus had said, and Draco silently gasped as he realised the exact pronoun he'd used. How had his professor figured it out though that what he wanted, the happiness he wanted so badly, was with a man not a woman? Shaking his head in silent wonder, he forced himself to toss those thoughts back aside, and putting back up his facial mask went into his father's study.

'It's about fucking time, Draco, I called for you nearly an hour ago now. Where the hell have you been?' Lucius said scowling at his son as Draco sat down.

'I was told that Professor Snape was with you. I didn't want to disturb the two of you Father so I waited. I hope there's nothing wrong?' Draco said coolly, keeping up the appearance he knew nothing.

Lucius's scowl deepened at the mention of Severus though he shook his head to the contrary. 'Nothing you have to be concerned with. Business talk that's all. However, I wanted to speak to you about tonight's Ball.'

'What about it Father?' Draco asked curiously, though a feeling of dread was beginning to creep into him suddenly.

Lucius gave Draco a long, almost cold gaze and it looked like he was silently appraising his son, which in reality he was. The boy was handsome, no question there, but then veela bloodlines always were. His education was good, even Lucius could not fault the teachings Draco received at such a highly touted school as Hogwarts. It was well know that there was no place better in the world to attend than there, and he was learning the best of the wizarding education one could receive.

Draco was also Head Boy this year, and Lucius strutted that fact proudly amongst his wizarding associates. The fact that a Muggle born named Hermione Granger had won Head Girl position was inconsequential really. He didn't by any means hate the Muggles, they had helped make him who he was today by and large, but she was a Gryffindor, and that was the biggest downfall with the Granger girl. However, facts were facts, she was intelligent, and looks wise she had grown from a horribly plain girl into quite a beautiful woman now, and even Lucius had to admit she was a very powerful witch by rights.

With a slight nod at his son he said to him now, 'Tonight's Ball I think will be quite interesting for you my son. I have invited a special guest, one I want you to pay special attention to.'

Draco knew now something was up, as alarm bells started going off in his head at his father's words. 'Er...guest Father? Who?' he asked slowly.

'I believe you know her from school, a Miss Hermione Granger,' Lucius said.

Draco nearly fainted now as he knew exactly what his father was insinuating, however the shock of the person's name kept him from doing so. 'Granger? The Mudblood? What on earth did you invite her for?' he said in shock.

'It's Muggle born, not Mudblood. I didn't raise you to be hateful towards Muggles, just cautious and weary of them,' Lucius said darkly to his son and gave him a glare. 'However, as it happens I have been watching the girl. She is intelligent, knows what she wants and will not be a disappointment to this family. She also is beautiful enough now to grace you adequately.'

'You bought her off didn't you!' Draco said angrily now as the shock wore off. 'Everyone at school knows she's Weasley's girl...what did you do to her?'

'The Weasley's are a nothing family who will never amount to anything son. Miss Granger simply realised that before it was too late. As for tonight, you will pay attention to her, and you will enjoy it do I make myself clear?' Lucius said in a tone of voice that meant that was the end of that.

Draco was livid, but had no choice to accept this arraignment. To go off on his father right now was not the best idea anyway, he knew that. He'd have to straighten this mess out tonight at the ball when he saw Granger though. 'Very well father, I'll do as you say. Now if you don't mind I have some things to do before tonight, may I be excused?' he said in a tight voice.

Lucius nodded and with a wave of his hand dismissed his son. 'The Ball starts at eight o'clock sharp, I expect you downstairs to receive guests by seven however. That's what time Miss Granger shall be arriving. I'm sending a motorcar for her, so I know she will be on time,' he said.

Draco didn't respond only nodded at his father, then quick as he could jumped up and left the study, his thoughts a jumbled mess. This was intolerable, and somehow, no matter what, he would have to find out what made Granger even agree to this. It was well known the two of them didn't exactly get on well, despite them both having to share communal quarters being Head Boy and Girl. He just couldn't believe Granger could be so easily swayed when he knew Ron Weasley spent far more nights in the Head Girls bedroom than in his own seventh year dorm. None of this made sense to him, the only explanation even was that his father had strongarmed her or bought her, but till tonight he wouldn't know for sure.

By the time Draco got back to his own room he wasn't sure what to do any longer. The chat with Severus had left an impression on him, and as he went over to lie on his bed he curled himself up into a tight ball to think things out. After a little while he got up again and went over to his wardrobe, digging deep down into the bottom of it where he knew no one would think to look. There he found what he was searching for, a little green bag with a silver tie on it which he now took over to the bed. He reached down and pulled out his Silver Arrow from underneath his bed, and then tied the bag securely onto his robe though one of the button holes.

The manor was restricted to Muggles, Lucius had his offices in London for when he dealt with them, as well as a nice sized home in Hammersmith as his Muggle address when he needed one. The manor itself however was hidden from Muggle sight with anti-Muggle charms, and only reachable by portkey, broomstick or Apparation. Lucius had altered one of his motorcars however to be able to bypass the wards set up against Muggles, and it was equipped with an invisibility charm so that it could pass through the large front gates undetected.

He decided that Christmas Ball or not, he was going to go flying right now, he needed it to clear his mind. Hoisting his broom over his shoulder he went over to his dressing table and picked up a tiny Hungarian Horntail dragon miniature that playfully nipped at him. Giving it a quick rub on the top of it's head, he put the miniature into his robe pocket with a satisfied smile. The miniature had been a gift two years ago on his birthday from Professor Snape, and it was his good luck charm in a way. Even at school he made sure it always was near him in his room, and whenever he was on the Quidditch pitch it was securely hidden in his Quidditch uniform as well.

Picking up a small gold ring off his dresser he quickly slipped it on and muttered a few words to activate it. The ring was the portkey that would take him to the forest to fly, and seconds later he felt the all too familiar pull as he left his room and arrived at the forest clearing. He still to this day hadn't a clue which forest exactly that it was he portkeyed too, though he had a suspicion it was the same one Lupin used during the full moon which is why it had been chosen. It was his haven though, and the only place he could relax without the worry and stresses that made up his life. This was the only place he was truly free, for even at school he had to maintain his position as not only Head Boy, but as the son of Lucius Malfoy.

Doing a quick check on his broom, he noticed it needed some polishing, and made a mental note that as soon as possible he would make sure to get it back into shape before school started. Seeing that everything else was in order, he took off into the air, and for the next half hour let all his tensions out. It felt so good to have the wind whipping at his face and hair, and the cold temperature didn't even bother him, in fact it was invigorating. He was not only the Slytherin's team captain, but the seeker as well, and now he practised some of the moves he had been perfecting over the years.

After a few well maneuvered Wronski Feints, Plumpton Passes and Sloth Grip Rolls he finally allowed himself to head back down to the ground, happy and well satisfied. He noted however that he'd need more work on the Plumpton Pass however, being it was still a relatively new move only in existence since 1921, and it had only just come to really being used in the last year or two. It was still a clever way to catch the snitch all told, so he really did want to practise on it but now he wanted time for other things.

Giving himself a few moments to get his heart rate back to normal, he took out his wand and casted a quick warming spell on an area of the clearing that had a small bench in it. He wasn't supposed to be doing magic outside of school technically, but like the manor, the clearing had special wards on it that scrambled any traces of magic use, so the ministry wouldn't know he was using it. He casted another spell to melt the snow and dry the bench off, and then untied the small bag at his waist and sat down thoughtfully.

He let his mind wander back to yesterday to when he'd met the boy called 'Scarface'. It had come as a total shock to him when he realised exactly who it was that he was talking to, and with a slight chuckle now he wondered if Black had a single clue who the boy really was. Obviously not though Draco thought, because if Black had known the truth, he doubted the kid would still have been calling him 'boss'. One did not call one's godfather 'boss' as far as Draco knew, not that he had one himself. Severus was the closest thing he had for a godfather if anything, not that he minded that.

Opening the silver string on the bag he pulled out a few odds and ends he'd collected as of only recently. The first thing he looked at now was a newsprint article from the Daily Prophet, the wizarding newspaper, dated November 1st, 1908. It was the news article that told the world that James and Lily Potter were dead, their young son Harry James Potter presumed dead after the child somehow was able to magically defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort. No one knew what happened to the child, or why Voldemort had gone after the Potter's, but from accountable sources something had caused Voldemort to attack and kill them. Since they never found the one year old baby Harry's body, they had presumed him dead after a while.

The next item of interest was a Muggle news clipping from the London Daily News, dated August 24th, 1924, and it was by pure coincidence that Draco had even seen the clipping. He normally paid little attention to the Muggle newspapers, not having patience really to see how often his family was in the headlines for whatever reason. On that particular day however he had been bored whilst waiting at his father's office in downtown London, and had picked the paper up whilst waiting for his father to complete some business. He was grateful now he had.

The article was short and to the point, in actually not an article at all. It was an obituary page, and the names of the three people on it is what had caught his interest. It had just been by chance that he had discovered the maiden name of Lily Potter, neé Evans actually. When he'd seen the clipping of a Petunia Evans Dursley and her husband Vernon and their son Dudley, all killed on August 23rd, 1924 in a freak tram accident that had apparently overturned on the way to Regent's Street in London, it had made him wonder if there was any relationship between the two women.

He only had a few days before school at that point, but he'd managed to find a few moments to go to the Wizard's Library and Museum in London and his hunch had paid off. Petunia and Lily Evans had been sisters, and after delving further into it, he'd found that the Dursley's had kept a little secret. He'd visited the Dursley home on a whim after the Muggle police had finished with the house at 4 Privet Drive, and found some rather interesting things. In a small cupboard underneath the main stairwell he'd found evidence that it wasn't just a cupboard but that someone had possibly been living in it. Apparently the police had overlooked this fact, they usually were blind when it came to the obvious Draco mused.

Most of what he'd found was junk, a few kiddie toy soldiers, a little black plastic carousel horse, nothing of major interest. However in a corner of the tiny cupboard he'd spotted a carving, the initials H.J.P. Which meant that obviously the one who'd had those initials had to have been the one who'd carved them, and fairly recently at that it looked like. There was only one person he knew could have those initials, Harry James Potter, and in Draco's mind it was clear that the boy had survived somehow and had been living there in secret. However he found no other proof that anyone named Harry had lived at the house, and even discreetly questioning a few neighbours had proved nothing. All they said was that they had never seen anyone but the three Dursley's at the house, however one of the neighbours had said now and again they had seen a thin black haired boy weeding the back yard just before dusk, though they had assumed he was a gardener and nothing more.

After a quick trip back to the Wizarding Library and Museum he'd found the article from 1908 and had the librarian magically duplicate a copy for him. The main interest was a black and white wizarding photo of Lily, James and the baby Harry, and they had all been smiling and waving at the camera. Now that he thought of the boy he'd seen yesterday, it was clear there was a resemblance to his father, how no one had yet picked up on that he didn't know however, especially when it was Sirius Black who the boy 'worked' for.

According to his research, James Potter, Sirius Black, Petey Pettigrew and Remus Lupin had been in a group called the 'Marauders' back at Hogwarts. They practically terrorised the staff and students, but somehow Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster, always let them get away with nothing more than a few strict words or the occasional detention. To this day, the still living three the four of them were strong friends obviously, and in passing he'd heard them say that they would be 'Marauders till the end'. Not to mention that once he had heard Black say to Lupin when he didn't know Draco was there that the Marauders would 'get their revenge one day', and Draco was pretty sure what that meant.

Looking at the photograph now of James Potter, and remembering the boy from yesterday, it was actually a bit easy to see why no one, even Black, may have realised who the boy was. The scar for one was a throw off, since obviously the baby Harry hadn't had that scar. Draco wondered how he'd gotten it, and had a suspicion it wasn't a normal scar, that it had to be connected to why he survived Voldemort's attack. Until he actually figured it out or spoke to Harry, he would just have to contain his curiosity.

The other thing was that whilst James had short unruly, almost wild hair, Harry or rather Jimmy as he was calling himself, had long thick hair tied back in a pony tail. Though tall like James, he wasn't nearly as built either. James had been the Gryffindor House chaser according to his research, whilst if Draco was right, Harry had been living for 16 years in a tiny cupboard with little exercise or probably even food. The gold lock on the outside of the door of the tiny room showed all too clearly that Harry had been held a prisoner of sorts most likely, so it was no wonder Harry didn't emulate his father in muscular form.

Even though Harry had filled out nicely from what he'd seen of the boy yesterday, he still wasn't close to really being 'muscular'. From what he'd remember now of what he'd overheard, Harry had been found by Black oddly enough, and had been in bad shape, beaten and nearly dead. Remembering the photograph he'd seen of Vernon Dursley at Privet Drive, he had no doubts it was most likely Dursley who had been the abuser and had caused Harry to most likely run in fear finally.

With a sigh Draco realised time was getting on, so he pulled out one more thing from the small bag that held more personal interest. It was his appointment book, and he'd bought it this past summer in Flourish and Blott's in Diagon Alley whilst getting his latest round of school supplies. In this book he kept all his innermost thoughts, ideas and dreams, and he knew if anyone ever did get hold of it he'd be in real trouble. For it was in this book that he'd written of his obsession with finding the 'Boy Who Lived' as he secretly dubbed Harry.

In his research he'd also found out a little secret of the Potter family line, one that he was surprised no one else seemed to remember. The Potter's, or rather James Potter, had been the last in the true blooded line of Godric Gryffindor, one of the most powerful wizards ever born. Along with Salazar Slytherin, of which Voldemort himself had been the last and final heir, Godric and Salazar had been friends then rivals, but somehow they, and two women of the time Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, managed to create Hogwarts.

The last heirs of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had died out hundreds of years back, and until Voldemort had risen no one knew there had been a Slytherin heir either. Apparently no one knew that James Potter had been the Gryffindor's heir, and that's why Draco was now interested in Harry, because now he was the last heir by rights. Which meant that Harry would have magical ability and power unmatched by anyone alive to date, and it was a power that Draco wanted to use. Not for evil however, despite what people thought of him. No, Draco had plans for that power, and the boy himself and it was all for the better good, or so he hoped.

Sighing he packed up his items realising he now didn't have time to write in his appointment book after all as he'd planned on. The hour was growing late and he wasn't supposed to have come here today, so he wanted to get back before he'd be noticed to be missing. Tying the bag up securely he refastened it to his robe, put his broom over his shoulder and tapped the ring to return home. Moments later he was back in his room, quickly stowed his things back where they belonged, made sure to give his dragon a scratch behind the ear, and went over to lay on his bed.

He needed to be rested for tonight if he was going to survive the ball, let alone confront Granger. After having met Harry yesterday he knew there was no way in hell he was going to settle for what his father wanted of him. He'd known for a while that he wasn't interested in girls, in fact he'd been interested in only one person, even though until yesterday he'd never laid eyes on him before. He had admitted he'd been drawn to Harry long before yesterday, and his mind he'd often dreamt of a pair of arms round him holding him close, and a pair of soft lips on his, claiming him. And in all those dreams the boy had looked strikingly like James Potter, which now that he'd seen Harry, wasn't too far off.

He was almost grateful that Sirius Black hadn't realised yet who Harry was, in fact if it hadn't been that Draco had studied every inch of James Potter over the last year he probably might not have picked up who Harry was either. At this point however it didn't matter, he knew Harry for what he was, and he remembered now as he had gazed into those emerald green eyes how lost he'd felt, yet in a way, he'd felt like he'd come home. Like he belonged in those eyes and they had been meant for him and him alone.

He was looking forwards to meeting Harry again, he knew that much. He had only a week and half left before term restarted, and somehow he was determined to find a way to see the boy again. Closing his eyes he began to drift off into a light sleep, and a small smile was on his face as he finally did nod off. His dreams were now of a tall, thin boy who held Draco's heart in his hands for the taking, and somehow, someway, Draco was going to hope that Harry would return his heart in exchange. No matter how long it would take, someday Harry James Potter would be his....in heart, mind, body and soul.