Chapter Ten
Having heard the front door opening, Aunt Petunia met him in the hallway and gasped in shock when she saw him.
"Do I look that bad?" Harry grumbled.
"Are you all right?" Petunia asked worriedly.
Harry looked at her oddly, still surprised when she showed concern on the rare occasion. Now and then he'd thought about trying to talk to her, but he kept putting it off. It was enough trouble trying to figure out Draco and Snape, and his aunt was just too far down on his importance scale at the moment.
"I'm bloody exhausted, but otherwise fine," he mumbled.
Petunia glanced up the stairs. "I saw your guest," she said.
Harry gave her a sharp glance, which she saw when she turned to look at him again. "There was a blood trail," she said stiffly.
"Ah," Harry said, looking at the floor, which she'd obviously already cleaned. Or else, Winky had. Harry had missed it completely the night before, but he'd been a little preoccupied.
"Will he be all right?" Petunia asked.
Harry nodded. "I've brought back some potions that will help him," he said, starting for the stairs. "I'll probably sleep most of the day," he added.
"Harry," Petunia said. He turned back. "Is . . . everything all right?" she asked nervously.
Harry realized that she had no idea what had actually happened the night before, but clearly guessed that something major had occurred. He nodded wearily. "Everyone's alive," he said, and made his way upstairs. As far as he was concerned, she didn't need any more explanation than that.
He wasn't expecting to be accosted by Victoria upon opening his bedroom door. His mind kept insisting it was night time, but he realized that it was actually early morning now. Petunia was downstairs making breakfast, and Victoria was obviously fresh for a new day.
Glancing over to the bed, he saw Draco watching him, face lined with pain. Crouching down, he looked at Victoria, who had crawled over to him and was currently trying to climb up his grimy trouser leg. He picked her up gingerly and set her in her cot. "Not now, Victoria," he pleaded. "I'm tired and your daddy needs the potions I've brought for him."
She cooed at him and held her arms out for him to pick her up again. Harry passed her a couple of toys and she was distracted for the moment at least. Winky gently pushed Harry away and towards the bed.
Harry started pulling potion vials out of his trouser pockets and lining them up on the nightstand. When he found one of the Pain-Relieving Potions, he pulled the stopper and passed it to Draco, who accepted it gratefully. He wasn't so sure Draco still needed it, but passed him one of the Blood-Replenishing Potions as well. Draco didn't argue and downed that one as well.
"Better?" Harry asked.
"Now," Draco said tiredly.
"Then let's get you healed up," Harry said, sighing heavily.
Draco looked at him sharply. "Suddenly learned some healing spells?"
"Yes," Harry said wearily. "It's been a productive night."
"Where've you been, anyway?" Draco asked. "You've been gone for hours."
"Hogwarts," Harry said shortly. He pulled the blankets back and began removing the bandages that had become soaked with blood again. He was suddenly thankful he'd given Draco that second potion.
Draco didn't question him any further and only lay there quietly, watching Harry as he worked. Once all the bandages were removed, Harry pulled out his wand. Closing his eyes, he went over again exactly what Snape had taught him.
Opening his eyes, he focused on the wound. He placed the tip of his wand at one end and trailed it along the gash as he said the incantation. Especially as he was doing it, he again thought it sounded like a song. The wound slowly began closing, and Harry watched in morbid fascination for a moment before turning back to the potion vials to find the one with dittany. He had thought dittany was a plant, but Snape seemed to have some liquefied form. He had no idea what the man had added to it, but he had said that it would help prevent permanent scarring if taken immediately.
Harry hoped that meant immediately after the wound was healed, rather than immediately after receiving the injury in the first place. He pulled the stopper and passed it to Draco. Draco gave him an odd look, but downed the contents of the vial.
Harry set the empty vial back on the nightstand before looking at the wound again. It was healing up quite nicely now and very quickly. He startled slightly as Winky popped up beside him with a bowl of warm water for Harry to wash the blood away. Careful not to get too close to the edge of the wound that was still healing, Harry sponged Draco's abdomen and side, leaving the skin clean.
He eyed Draco's chest, and was grateful when he saw no scarring. He hadn't meant to curse Draco like that in the first place, and would've felt even worse now if he'd left the other boy with permanent scars. Checking the fresh wound, he was pretty sure there wasn't going to be a scar left behind this time, either. He didn't think it would be much longer before it was healed completely.
"How do you feel now?" he asked, looking back to Draco's face.
Draco's gaze flicked to his side then back to Harry. "I'm feeling much better," he said quietly. "Although, tired and weak still," he admitted.
"Yeah, tired," Harry agreed, closing his eyes briefly. He snapped his eyes open again, feeling like he could fall asleep standing up by this time. "I'm going to go take a quick shower. I'm hoping that'll be healed completely in just a bit."
Draco nodded, watching Harry carefully. Not that Harry noticed. Knowing that he was going to finally be able to rest was simply making the exhaustion seem to hit even harder. He snagged some pyjamas from his wardrobe and disappeared to the bathroom.
Harry stepped back into his room wearing only his pyjama bottoms and still towelling his hair from his shower, just ten minutes after he'd left. He still felt exhausted, but at least a little refreshed now. He knew it wouldn't last long, though.
"Da," Victoria said, holding her arms out to Harry.
"Da to you, too," Harry said with a small smile, picking her up and holding her close this time. "You missed me yesterday, didn't you?"
She cooed and giggled as Harry's wet hair dripped water on her. He shook his head, spraying more water on her. Chuckling, he carried her over to Draco.
Draco took her, but he was staring at Harry. "You were injured tonight, too," he said.
Frowning, Harry looked down at himself. He hadn't thought much about the bruising from training with Snape. "No, this is just from some duelling practice I've been doing," he said dismissively. "You're the one who was actually injured tonight."
"Wow," he breathed, staring at Draco's abdomen. Now all he could see was pale, smooth skin, stretching from his abdomen and around his side. There was no sign of any wound and all the blood had been washed away.
Draco gave him a slight smirk, but he still looked incredibly weary. "Good as new," he said.
Harry frowned. "You still need rest," he said. "You're not planning on trying to Apparate yet, are you?"
"I should go back," Draco said. "My mum'll be worried. So will Snape."
Harry closed his eyes. Snape would not appreciate having to search for Draco after all he'd already been doing, but Harry still wasn't so sure it was a good idea for Draco to try Apparating yet. Sure, the wound was healed now, but he had lost a lot of blood, and he'd had no rest. Blood. Draco's clothes were still covered in blood.
Harry opened his eyes and spotted the pile of bloody clothes.
"Winky, could you please take Malfoy's clothes and . . . well, try to get them halfway clean and presentable again?" Harry asked.
"Yes, Master Harry," Winky said. "And Winky will bring back breakfast."
Harry nodded and she disappeared. He sat down at the foot of the bed. "Well, you can't leave until you're clothes are in better shape," he said.
"That's a sneaky way of keeping me here," Draco complained.
Harry snorted. "It's not my fault your clothes are a mess. And it probably won't take Winky that long anyway," he added.
Draco didn't comment, and Harry had to wonder if Draco was intentionally avoiding Harry by playing with Victoria.
"Won't they just think you've gone to stay with one of your friends or something?" Harry asked, opening his eyes again. They kept trying to close without his permission.
"Probably . . . maybe," Draco said, shrugging awkwardly. He glanced at Harry. "There's no where really safe at the moment, and you just never know what could happen."
Harry sighed, knowing Draco was right. He didn't know Draco's mum, but he knew Snape. The man would not be happy with Draco's disappearance. "Well, it's not like I'm forcing you to stay here, so do whatever you need to do," Harry said finally, letting his eyes fall closed again.
Harry fell asleep propped up at the end of the bed. He never noticed Winky returning with clean clothes for Draco and taking over Victoria's care again. He also never noticed Draco Levitating him and settling him into the bed next to the blond.
The next time Harry registered anything, it was dark again. Facing the clock, he realized he must have slept the whole day away, and most of the night as well. He didn't know the last time he'd slept decently at all, let alone ever sleeping that many hours at once. Well, except for when he was injured.
Injured. Harry stiffened as he realized that he likely had an injured Draco Malfoy cuddling . . . cuddling . . . up behind him. Actually, he hoped that was Draco, because it sure wasn't Victoria in bed with him, and he didn't want to know who else could've been in his bed.
Slowly, Harry extracted himself from the arm thrown over his side and edged his way off of the bed. He stood and stared back at the bed, where indeed, Draco was still sleeping.
"Master Harry is feeling better now?"
Startled, Harry whirled to face Winky. At Hogwarts he was used to sharing a dorm with several other people. It wasn't the norm at the Dursley's, though, and he was still struggling with the fact that he was sharing the small room with a house-elf, a baby, and . . . Draco. He glanced back at the bed before nodding at Winky.
"Yeah, I'm feeling much better," he whispered, feeling the truth of that even as he spoke the words.
Winky went to the desk and picked up a piece of paper which she then handed to Harry.
Harry looked at it and groaned softly. Hermione had been there looking for him and from the note Aunt Petunia had left for him, he gathered his aunt had very rudely sent Hermione packing. At least she'd thought to warn him. Harry cursed himself for forgetting to at least dash off a note to Hermione letting her know he was fine before he fell asleep.
Not sure of how long it would take for Hedwig to deliver a message, Harry decided it might just be his best solution to simply pop into the Weasley's house for breakfast that morning. In fact, he was starved, and a hearty Weasley breakfast sounded like a really good idea.
"Does Master Harry wish for Winky to do anything?" Winky asked quietly.
Harry stared at her. "Don't you need to sleep?" he asked curiously.
"Winky rested earlier when Mistress Victoria went to sleep," Winky answered. "Winky is ready for whatever Master Harry wishes."
Frowning, Harry tried to think about what even needed to be done at the moment. The recent crisis was currently over. For the most part, he thought, with a glance to the bed. It was still several hours before he had to meet Snape, and even a couple hours before he'd be going to the Weasleys.
"Um, if you don't mind, you could work for a couple of hours on the house," Harry suggested quietly. "I'm afraid I'm going to need you here for Victoria again soon. I have to go to the Weasleys this morning for breakfast to deal with this," he said, holding up the note from his aunt. "Then later I've got things to do at the house myself. Um, don't touch anything in the kitchen. I'll be dealing with that mess later," he said with a grimace.
He looked at Winky apologetically. "I'm sorry I created such a disaster, but I had to get it dropped off and I was just too tired to care at the time. Plus, I still had to hurry to get back here to help Malfoy."
"It is all right, Master Harry," Winky said with a smile. "Winky is happy to be useful."
Harry gave her a twisted smile. "I don't know what I'd be doing without you at the moment," he admitted.
He frowned, turning thoughtful. "I'm going to need a place to brew potions, but I don't know what would be the most appropriate room. I reckon I need to talk to Madam Pomfrey again today to see how she's doing on supplies. I'm not sure how urgent that situation is yet."
He let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, for now, I reckon you can work on whatever you think best, except ignore the kitchen, and be back here in a couple hours. Oh, and could you, um, please bring some breakfast for Malfoy and Victoria when you come back?" he asked, wincing at all the responsibilities he was placing on Winky.
She just gave him a wide smile, though, nodded, and then disappeared with a pop. Sighing, Harry went to use the loo, then came back trying to decide what to do next.
"Potions, Potter?"
Harry focused on Draco, who was now propped up in the bed. "How are you feeling?" Harry asked, ignoring the question he'd been asked. He eyed Draco critically. "You're looking a lot better," he said.
"Aside from the fact that I desperately need to use the loo, I actually feel better than I have in a long, long time," Draco said softly.
Harry chuckled and gestured to the door. "You know the way," he said.
Grimacing, Draco got out of bed and disappeared down the hall. Harry took his place on the bed and sprawled out, feeling halfway relaxed for the moment. While Draco was gone, he tried to figure out how to respond to the question about potions. Anything relating Harry to potions was up for suspicion and he knew it.
Draco came back and shoved at Harry's feet so he could sit at the end of the bed. Harry willingly shifted, feeling generous.
"I think we need to talk," Draco said firmly.
Harry groaned, feeling his relaxed, generous mood flying out the window. "Those words never mean anything good," he grumbled.
Draco smirked at him and nodded. "I have to say that I actually agree with you on that," he said.
"Then why do we have to talk?" Harry whinged. "I was feeling halfway peaceful for once."
Draco was silent for a couple minutes and Harry grudgingly sat up and propped himself against the headboard.
"You're a mystery, Harry Potter," Draco said quietly. "I don't understand you at all."
"I'm not a mystery," Harry scoffed. "Ask anyone, yourself included, I'm regarded as an open book."
Draco eyed him contemplatively. "And that's precisely how you've got everyone fooled and constantly underestimating you," he said.
Harry blinked in surprise, not sure how to respond to that statement.
Draco didn't seem to expect a response as he continued. "Everyone seems to think they know you, you react in the ways they expect you to, and then you go about doing your own thing without anyone being the wiser."
Draco waved his hand expansively. "Take this situation. On the surface, your friends don't have a clue as to what you're doing. You're doing all the right things and saving this town, but then you're going behind the scenes and doing whatever works for you, regardless of what everyone thinks."
Harry shrugged. "I suppose," he said.
Draco snorted in amusement. "I've always pegged you as the ultimate Gryffindor, trying to save the world. And you are that," he admitted. "But what no one seems to realize, is that there's this Slytherin side of you that hides behind that Gryffindor exterior."
Harry's eyes widened. With the exception of Dumbledore, he'd never told anyone that the Sorting Hat had wanted to put him in Slytherin. He'd never been told, by anyone, that he had Slytherin qualities. And now, here was the Slytherin Ice Prince himself, talking about Harry's Slytherin side.
Draco was still eying him contemplatively which was making Harry squirm. "You know, I'd always thought you were a ridiculous Gryffindor, always getting himself caught. But now, I'd be willing to bet that there's far more times that you've been sneaky enough not to get caught. I'd be willing to bet that there's a whole lot to Harry Potter that most people don't know."
Draco eyed the room they were sitting in. "How many people actually know your relatives have always treated you like dirt and that you live like this? Hiding an upbringing like this sounds like something a Slytherin would do. It doesn't sound like something an attention-seeking Gryffindor would do."
"I'm not an attention seeker," Harry said hotly, Draco pushing one of his many buttons.
"That's my point," Draco said calmly. "I always thought you were, but," he glanced around the mostly bare room again. "Obviously you're not."
Harry frowned, trying to figure out exactly whatDraco's point was in all this, because he wasn't seeing it.
"I came to you with Victoria, relying on your Gryffindor qualities, but in hindsight, I think I saw something more there," Draco said. "What would have happened if I'd taken Victoria to Weasley or Granger, or any other Gryffindor?" he asked.
"They would've helped," Harry said, frowning doubtfully.
"They would've helped Victoria," Draco agreed. "They would've kept her safe, and then they would've had me locked up to keep everyone else safe from me."
Harry couldn't really deny that, so he didn't say anything.
"But you, Harry Potter," Draco said. "You kept your mouth shut and didn't turn me in right away. You waited to determine if there was anything you could get out of the situation. Just like a Slytherin would do."
"That wasn't what I was thinking at the time," Harry muttered.
Draco shrugged. "Maybe that wasn't your conscious thoughts, but it showed in your actions," he said.
"I'm still not trying to take advantage of you like a Slytherin would," Harry said. "And you've been around for almost a month."
"I know that," Draco said. "That's part of the reason why you're a mystery. I don't quite understand how you can be such a mix of both Gryffindor and Slytherin qualities. A Gryffindor would've turned me in immediately. A Slytherin would've held me captive and tried to use me to any advantage. You've somehow used Slytherin methods with a Gryffindor attitude."
Harry shrugged, feeling like they were going in circles and it was making him feel exhausted again. His mind seemed to be a constant swirl of thoughts and emotions, but he wasn't used to this cool, analytical style. This was usually when he tuned out and let Hermione have at it.
"Is there a point to all this?" he asked irritably. He couldn't quite decide if he was being insulted or complimented, and it wasn't improving his mood.
Draco held out his bare forearm, Dark Mark on display. Harry glanced at it, but his eyes didn't linger as he met Draco's gaze again. "Yeah, what about it?"
Draco shook his head, but he was now smiling slightly. "Most people would see that and run screaming, yet you seem to barely notice it."
Harry shrugged. "I don't see much point in being afraid of a tattoo," he said.
Draco shook his head again in exasperation. "It's not just a tattoo and we both know it," he said. "But that's not even really my point."
"Well, what is your point then?" Harry asked.
"You've just slept in the same bed as a known Death Eater," Draco said.
"Not by choice," Harry mumbled, flushing slightly.
"Maybe not, but you did," Draco said, smirking at Harry's reaction. "And it's the best sleep either one of us have had for ages."
"Malfoy," Harry whinged. "Surely you must have some point in all this?"
Draco seemed to ignore him as he continued. "You know I'm a Death Eater. You gave me this pep talk to get me out there to do what I needed to do. In the middle of a battle, you risked yourself to get me out of there when I was injured. You provided me a safe place to go. You patched me up the best you could. You went out and somehow learned a way to heal me magically and came up with the potions I needed, then fell asleep with me, providing me the best rest I've had for months."
Harry shrugged, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. "Um, I had a bad day?" he suggested, turning it into a question.
Draco snorted in amusement. "I'm sure most people would consider it a very bad day for Harry Potter when he helps out Draco Malfoy like you have."
He shook his head, sobering again. "But I saw you off and on that whole long day. I don't know the half of what you did, but I know you were busy the entire time. I saw you drive yourself into complete exhaustion. Yet, you still made time for me, a Death Eater, your supposed enemy, your real enemy until a month ago. You helped me when I needed it. You helped me even when you clearly had far more important things to be doing," he added softly.
Harry stared, again left feeling speechless.
"Over the last month, I've seen many signs of you being the goody-goody Gryffindor I thought you were, but I've also seen many signs of you being the cunning Slytherin," Draco said. "Gryffindors are supposed to be brave and Slytherins are supposed to be driven and ambitious. I'm seeing both in you."
He paused for a moment, seeming to gather his thoughts. "What I'm seeing tells me that I've been so incredibly wrong in the past—about you and about this war."
Draco's words felt heavy in the air. Harry knew that was a monumental admission on Draco's part.
Draco swallowed heavily before speaking again. "I came to you because I needed help, and really no other reason than that. I've offered tidbits of information in exchange for that help. But my main goal has always been to save my family and my own arse. You've known I couldn't be trusted completely. You've known that it was beneficial to me at the moment, but it didn't go much beyond that. You've taken advantage of what I'm dealing with, and used it while you can."
"What is your point, Malfoy?" Harry asked quietly.
Draco sucked in a deep breath and exhaled heavily before answering. "I want to switch sides. I don't just mean I want protection for me and my family. I want to try to help."
"Why?" Harry asked warily.
"You, Harry Potter, will win this war, with or without my help. I've seen it in all your actions. Unlike me, you're not being driven by fear, but you are driven. You will do everything you can to win this, and you'll help anyone along the way that you can. Even stray Death Eaters," Draco added wryly.
He quirked a rueful smile. "You may be able to win without my help, but I'd like to be able to do whatever I can to make things easier." He glanced over to Victoria's cot. "Not harder," he added with a sigh.
"Malfoys are good at saying the right things people want to hear," Harry said thoughtfully.
Draco nodded solemnly. "But not even Malfoys are immune to Veritaserum," he said.
Harry stared at him in shock. "You're willing to subject yourself to Veritaserum?" he exclaimed. The thought had never even crossed Harry's mind. Not once in the entire month Draco had been coming to the house. Truth serum was definitely not something to be taken lightly.
"It's the only way I can think of to prove myself to you," Draco said evenly.
Harry leaned his head back and rubbed his eyes. This was just too much.
Draco was still talking. "You can't tell me anything at the moment because you can't trust me. I can't be very much help this way."
"You're useful as a spy," Harry muttered.
Draco snorted in self-contempt. "Yes, and I'm such a successful Death Eater," he said sarcastically. "I need Harry bloody Potter coaching me through my first real raid and had to have him rescue me then patch me back up again afterwards."
Harry dropped his hands away from his eyes and grinned, seeing the humour in that situation. "You might have a point there," he admitted.
"Shut it, Potter," Draco said irritably, but his lips turned up in a small smile.
"Okay, so you're not the best Death Eater in the world," Harry said. "But I didn't think you wanted to just disappear. You wanted to protect your mum."
Draco grimaced and turned away. "I don't know what to do," he admitted. "I've, well, I've thought about just coming out and asking her if she'd be willing to switch sides, but I'm not sure I could Obliviate her if she doesn't react well."
"You'd Obliviate your own mum?" Harry asked in horror.
"If it protected both her and myself, yes," Draco muttered, not exactly sounding proud of that at least.
"This is fucked up," Harry said.
Draco shot him a glare, but didn't comment. They lapsed into silence for several minutes. Harry's mind was whirling. Draco Malfoy wanted to completely switch sides and was even willing to subject himself to Veritaserum. Harry was pretty sure he was being sincere, and he didn't want to use Veritaserum on Draco. The ultimate problem still lay in the fact that he wanted to protect his mother as well.
Harry knew very little about Narcissa Malfoy. She seemed like a stuck up snobby bitch to him, but he'd only seen her a couple of times. He remembered that Narcissa had wanted Draco at Hogwarts because he'd be closer to home. He knew she was always sending him care packages at school.
Suddenly, he also remembered that she had gone to Snape in hopes that he could help protect Draco. Snape had ended up in an Unbreakable Vow because of it. Harry really needed Snape's help with this.
But why hadn't Snape tried to bring them over to the other side before? What did Snape know that Harry didn't when it came to the Malfoys? Draco did keep insisting that Snape was a full Death Eater. Were they simply that good at keeping up the masks that kept them safe?
Harry had to admit that it was little Victoria that seemed to have been the final push for Draco. Up to that point, he'd been willing to be a Death Eater. Albeit, a bit grudgingly as he was given such a difficult task.
Snape had no idea Victoria existed. Well, he knew Harry was taking care of her, but didn't know she was a Malfoy. Perhaps she could be the swaying point for Narcissa as well as Draco. What little Harry knew about her, she seemed willing to do almost anything for her precious Draco. That thought made Harry ill. It reminded him too much of Petunia with her precious Dudley.
"You need help with potions," Draco said suddenly.
"Yeah," Harry answered absently. "With both Potions professors gone, Madam Pomfrey is going to run low on potions soon."
"I can help with potions," Draco offered.
"I was going to ask if you'd help," Harry admitted, focusing on him again. "I'm just not quite sure what I'm doing yet."
"You went to Hogwarts to get stuff to set up a lab," Draco said. "From what you said to Winky earlier."
"Yeah," Harry admitted. He just didn't admit that he'd been with Snape and it was actually all his things. Harry wasn't even positive Snape planned to set up a lab at Grimmauld Place. He was pretty sure, but he never quite knew anything when it came to Snape.
Harry looked at the clock and sighed. He was going to have to get ready soon if he still intended to go to the Weasleys for breakfast.
"I'm not sure what to tell you, Malfoy," he said, sounding tired again. "You overheard me talking to Winky and you know we're making progress on setting up a safe place. Right now, it's still not really fit for anyone to live in, and I'm honestly not sure when I could take you there. I don't like the idea of subjecting you to Veritaserum, and I won't do it unless I absolutely have to. Maybe it'll seem more necessary before we can move into the safe house."
No matter how Harry felt about it, he was fairly certain that Snape would require Draco to be questioned under Veritaserum before he'd ever allow him into Grimmauld Place. There didn't seem much point in subjecting Draco to it twice.
"You know I'd much rather you be on my side and away from Voldemort. You're highly intelligent, you're excellent at potions, and you know a lot of things I don't that you could help me with. That doesn't even take Victoria into account. For both her sake and mine, I'd prefer you on my side and out of harm's way. As much as it's possible to get," he clarified. "We've both known this for weeks now. The question is still your family."
He looked over at Victoria's cot where she was starting to stir. "You came to me because of Victoria. Maybe it's time to tell your mum about her," he said softly.
He rose and went to pick up Victoria, cuddling the warm, still sleepy baby close to his chest. He looked over and met Draco's gaze. "I'm not sure there's much I can do until you decide where you stand with your mum."
Draco nodded reluctantly and Harry shifted his attention back to the baby. "Good morning," he said softly.
"Da," she said, smiling happily.
Harry chuckled. "You're going to have to learn some actual words," he said. "Come on, I bet you need to be changed."
He laid her on a blanket on the floor and got her cleaned up and dressed for the day, then turned her loose. He watched her as she crawled to the chair and worked to pull herself up. "Good job!" he exclaimed softly once she was standing. "You're a mite wobbly, but it won't be long before you're walking all over the place."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he frowned and looked around the small room that seemed to keep shrinking. There wasn't much space in there at all, and the poor thing had already been cooped up for a month. If things worked the way Harry wanted, she'd have a little more space at Grimmauld Place, but she'd still be cooped up.
"I'm not being fair to her, am I?" Draco asked quietly.
Harry looked up at Draco and slowly shook his head, before turning to watch Victoria again. "It's not right to keep a child locked away," he said softly.
"And you would know," Draco said knowingly.
Harry exhaled heavily and simply nodded.
"What would happen if you took her with you to the Weasleys this morning?" Draco asked neutrally.
Harry glanced at him sharply, but was met with the damned expressionless mask he hated. "I'd be bombarded with about a million questions that I couldn't answer, Victoria would be fussed over beyond all belief, and hopefully she'd have fun getting out of here for awhile."
"And then?" Draco questioned.
Harry frowned in confusion, but answered anyway. "And then we'd come back here, I'd feel guilty for handing her back off to Winky again, and then I'd go do what I need to do at the house," he said.
"You'd bring her back?" Draco asked, still with that same neutral tone.
"Of course I'd bring her back!" Harry said hotly. "I'm not letting anyone take her away from me!"
Harry's eyes widened along with Draco's. "Fuck!" Harry exclaimed softly before pulling his knees up to his chest and burying his face.
He lifted his head to look at Draco when the room remained quiet for a couple minutes, except for Victoria's chatter. "Look, I know she's not mine and I'm not trying to take her away from you or anything. I was just . . .," he said, trailing off uncertainly.
"You were just pointing out that it would be over your dead body before you let anyone try to take Victoria away from you," Draco said, tone still suspiciously even.
"Yeah," Harry agreed miserably.
"Then take her with you for awhile," Draco said.
"What?" Harry asked, unbelieving he'd heard right.
"Take her to the Weasleys with you. Surely it must be safe enough there for her, and she shouldn't be stuck in here all the time," Draco said, although he was grimacing in distaste. He gazed steadily at Harry. "I trust you to bring her back," he said.
"How the bloody hell would I explain having a baby?" Harry asked incredulously.
Draco grimaced again. "You could tell everyone that it's someone your aunt knew. Someone that's been killed in one of the attacks and your aunt is now taking care of the child," he said, obviously not liking the fabricated story.
"But since Aunt Petunia can't stand babies being dumped on her doorstep," Harry added bitterly, "Victoria is now pretty much in my care for the time being."
"Exactly," Draco agreed.
Harry dropped his head to his knees again, thinking about that scenario. He could probably make it work, especially since everyone knew very little about the Dursleys, but just enough to make the story sound believable.
"I'm guessing you could get your aunt to go along with the story," Draco added. "Just in case anyone did decide to check."
"Like Hermione," Harry muttered. He looked up at Draco thoughtfully. "You've been thinking about this, haven't you?" he asked.
Draco gave him a rueful half smile, but nodded. "It's taken me awhile to come up with a plausible sounding lie for this situation," he admitted.
Harry laughed. "Well, I have to admit, it's going to be easier now to explain why I had to leave in such a hurry the other night," he said. "Well, not exactly easier, but I've got a valid excuse now. Even if I told them, I don't think they'd believe that I had to hurry back because I had an injured Malfoy in my bed," he said with a grin.
"True," Draco said, smirking at him.
Harry stood to get dressed and thought of a new problem. "Um, can I Apparate with her?" he asked. "I've gotten better at Apparating myself, but is it even safe for a baby?"
"I Apparated with her to get her here, didn't I?" Draco pointed out.
"I wouldn't want to splinch her or anything," Harry said nervously.
"You'll be fine," Draco said, dismissing Harry's worries.
"Easy for you to say," Harry muttered, snagging jeans and a t-shirt from his wardrobe. He changed quickly, but noticed Draco watching him as he pulled the shirt over his head.
"What?" Harry asked warily.
"Nothing," Draco said quickly. "Just wondering who the hell does your shopping for you."
Harry scowled, discomfort easily forgotten. "At least these clothes fit me," he grumbled.
Draco shook his head despairingly before turning to get dressed himself. Harry caught himself watching for a moment before forcibly looking away and gathering up Victoria. "What do you say, Vicki, feel like going to visit the Weasleys this morning?" he asked.
"Vicki?!" Draco exclaimed in outrage. "Her name is Victoria."
"But it's such a big name for such a little girl," Harry explained.
"I don't care!" Draco snapped. "She's not a Vicki!"
"Well, how about Tori?" Harry suggested.
"No," Draco growled, glaring fiercely at Harry.
Harry blinked at the extreme reaction. "Ana or Lissa?" he asked hopefully.
"No, Potter, you can't call her any of those names," Draco replied angrily.
Harry started laughing, watching as Draco tried to yell at Harry and button up his shirt at the same time.
"What are you laughing at?" Draco sneered.
"You complain about my clothes, but at least I can get them on myself properly," Harry said, still sniggering.
Draco looked down and realized his shirt buttons weren't matched up with the proper buttonholes. He shot a glare at Harry before concentrating on his buttons. Finishing, he went back to ranting at Harry.
"It's bad enough that you're taking her to the Weasley's," Draco sneered in disgust. "I've been nice and haven't said anything about that. But then you add insult to injury by trying to change her name. It's just not proper."
Harry rolled his eyes. "All right, all right, calm down," he said, placating.
Draco scowled. "Her name is Victoria Analissa Malfoy," he said firmly. "Use Victoria or Analissa, that's it."
"Fine," Harry grumbled. He knew Draco could be far worse when it came to any mention of the Weasleys and he was actually allowing Harry to take Victoria there. Harry wasn't willing to push the issue any further, especially not at the moment.
He left Draco to play with his daughter for a bit while he packed a bag for her. He was nervous as hell about taking her out anywhere, and that didn't even take into consideration all the questions and lies. He also went downstairs and managed to talk to his aunt before Uncle Vernon or Dudley showed up. He explained what the lie was regarding Victoria and she grudgingly agreed to cover if any of Harry's friends showed up again.
Winky came back with breakfast, and Harry explained the situation to her, before leaving with Victoria—Draco giving him about a dozen final warnings ranging from her name to bringing her back safely. Harry left Draco with only one warning—to talk to his mother.