For 16 Galleons

Chapter three

Harry gaped as he followed Mr. Malfoy and Draco out of the carriage. Malfoy Manor was huge. It was bigger than his school. The stone front stretched in both directions for what seemed like miles to the little boy. It seemed as tall as a skyscraper to him. He could see at least four levels of windows. The front doors were so big he was sure a giant must live there. As they approached, the doors swung open to allow them entry.

The room they walked into was taller than the doors. Harry wondered if it was as tall as the whole house. The floor was white squares with swirls of darker colour and sparkly stuff like quartz. It was so shiny it looked wet. The walls were bright white and frighteningly clean. There were mirrors on some of the walls with fancy gold frames and little half circle tables under them. At the other end of the room was the most amazing staircase Harry had ever seen. It started on one side and curved up and around to the other. At the first landing, it curved up and around in the other direction. It did that on every level. Overhead was an enormous thing of crystal and gold. It sparkled so much Harry wondered if it was a tree of diamonds growing upside down.

"Draco, go tell Mrs. Carter that we are home and to prepare a temporary room for your boy. I want him cleaned up and dressed presentably."

"Yes, Father," Draco yelled over his shoulder as he ran through the entry hall.

Draco's father turned to Harry and stared down at him. Harry tried to shrink into the background, but there was nowhere to hide in the middle of the huge room. Lucius sniffed disdainfully and reached up to unclasp his cloak. A man Harry hadn't seen arrive reached over Lucius' shoulders and removed the cloak, draping it across his arm. He then reached out and took the cane. Lucius removed his gloves, never taking his eyes off Harry, and handed them to the silent man and retrieved his cane. The man then brushed Lucius' hair back off his shoulders, looked him over quickly, flicked a bit of dust from a sleeve, bowed slightly and turned to hang up the cloak and lay the gloves upon a small table.

"Jess, I want you to watch over Draco's new boy until Mrs. Carter comes to fetch him. His name is Harry. He is undomesticated so be careful. Please explain to him the rules of the house." With that Mr. Malfoy strode off down one of the hallways.

"Of course, Master Malfoy," Jess called after him. He turned to Harry and looked him over quickly. He obviously found the boy lacking and did not bother to hide his contempt. "I am the Malfoys' Chamberlain. You will call me Mr. Arieta or Sir. You will refer to your master as Master Draco. You will refer to his father as Master Malfoy. His mother is Mistress Malfoy. You will obey whatever orders they give you without question. You will speak only when spoken to. Once you have been trained you will behave properly or you will be punished. For now you will follow Mrs. Carter's directions. She will care for you and get you situated until you are allowed to join the rest of the household. Is this understood?"

"I, I think so, Sir," Harry stuttered. He was very uncomfortable with the man hovering over him. He tried to hold very still but his glasses had slipped down his nose again. Nervously, he pushed them back up. This man was not quite as tall as Master Malfoy and he was thinner. He reminded Harry of his principle at school. He had that same 'you smell like a stinky fish' look on his face.

"It had better be. You will not be coddled just because you are new."

"Yes, Sir."

Just then Draco entered the hall leading a plump woman with greying brown hair. "See, Mrs. Carter? This is Harry. He's going to be my best friend."

Jess snorted, rolled his eyes. "He's all yours, Louise. By the way, he's undomesticated," Jess told her before he left the room.

Mrs. Carter rolled her eyes, then looked down at Harry with no sign of disapproval. "Why yes, Master Draco, I can see that Harry will make a fine best friend," she said as she smiled warmly down at him. "I think you made an excellent choice." Draco beamed at the woman and Harry felt a little less uneasy. "Now why don't you run along and tell Governess about your adventure while I take Harry and get him all situated?"

"All right, Mrs. Carter. May I come play with him later?"

"That's up to your mother and father, Master Draco. You'll have to ask them."

Draco turned to Harry and smiled. "Mrs. Carter is really nice, Harry. She'll take good care of you and I'll try to come visit as soon as I can." Then his face took on a serious look and he reached out and grabbed Harry's fingers. "Please be good, Harry. The faster you learn, the sooner we can play," he said softly. Then Draco was running up the stairway and quickly out of sight.

Harry stared after the departing boy, suddenly missing him. As he started to shake with renewed fear, he felt strong, thick arms pick him up and plant him on a broad hip. He looked right into Mrs. Carter's warm brown eyes. "Shh, there now, Harry. You'll be fine. I'm sure you're a smart lad. Don't be afraid. Jess and Master Malfoy just don't remember what it's like to be a small boy." She held him with one arm even though he was almost too big to be held and rubbed his back with her other hand. "Don't worry. We'll get you taken care of and you'll see. You'll make a fine friend for Master Draco. He's a good boy and he'll be happy with you. You'll get used to this and find that it's a good life."

Harry wasn't at all used to being held and wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He settled for wrapping his arms around Mrs. Carter's neck and laying his head on her shoulder. He sniffled and soon tears were running down his face. Mrs. Carter continued to try and soothe him with gentle hands and words as she carried him to the back of the Manor. Harry didn't make much noise as he cried. He was afraid and confused. This place was scary and Draco was gone. Mrs. Carter seemed nice, but no one had ever been nice to him like this. He would try to be good, but he was afraid he would mess up like usual.

Mrs. Carter carried him through the kitchens, where several members of the staff were putting together the Malfoys' tea. A chorus of "Aws" and "Isn't he sweet" greeted them. Mrs. Carter sat down with him on her lap at a small table and they were quickly surrounded.

"Where did you get the little waif, Mum?" one of the men asked.

"This is Master Draco's new personal servant. He's never been a servant before and he's a little nervous. Do you think we could get him a cup of tea and a couple biscuits to soothe his stomach, Susie?"

"Of course, Mum," the younger woman answered and bustled off to fetch the things. Harry clung to Mrs. Carter and buried his face in her neck, embarrassed.

"Oh, Louise, he's just a doll," exclaimed another young woman. "And so shy. He's so sweet."

"Don't let him fool you Jane," Mrs. Carter laughed. "I have a feeling that once he's used to this place, young Harry will be tearing around with Master Draco like a couple of wild colts." Mrs. Carter gave him a little squeeze.

Susie arrived with a small cup of tea and a little plate with some sweet biscuits and placed them in front of Harry. He looked up at Mrs. Carter a bit unsure but, at her nod, grabbed a biscuit and wolfed it down. He sighed deeply and smiled. Biscuits made everything a little better.

Mrs. Carter chuckled and chased the rest of the staff away. "Now, Harry, tell me how you came to be Master Draco's new servant."