He couldn't believe what he saw in the mirror. He really had wings. Large, billowy, soft wings. He vaguely wondered if they worked or if they were just for decoration. Reaching next to him and grabbing onto the chair, he slumped over. He really had bloody wings. He looked so different, yet so similar to what he had before his birthday. He stumbled to the bed and sat down in the middle of it, staring off into his own little world where his reflection was everywhere around him. He was flabbergasted.
Crossing his legs, he managed to snap out of it to look at Malfoy. Now that he was up, he wanted answers.
"How come you're trying to help me?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Draco Malfoy didn't do anything unless it suited Draco Malfoy. His eyes only narrowed more when the blond laughed.
"Still don't trust me, eh? What about now?" He stood up and allowed his veela form to show. "My mother's side of the family has a few veela. I knew this is what I would look like since I was young enough to know what an inheritance was." Harry couldn't tear his eyes away. The blond hair turned into liquid silver his shoulders were broader, his skin got lighter and his eyes....they were pools of mercury staring back at him. The changes were so many, and so subtle that upon further thought you wouldn't notice one or two. But combined, it made for a hell of a difference. "You'll catch more flies with honey than spit, Harry." He quickly shut his mouth, forgetting that he had fangs now. It resulted in him almost biting his tongue. He would have to remember about that.
Narcissa walked in carrying a tray full of tea, crumpets and vials filled with potions.
"I've brought snacks and tea! Now Harry, I insist you eat at least some of these. You're a growing man and on top of that, you've had a lot happen to you this summer. And be sure you drink every single one of those potions-I'm not above forcing you to take them." She sat down next to the bed and Draco politely excused himself.
"Mrs. Malf-"
"Oh hush!" she interrupted him. "Don't you dare. It's Narcissa to you."
"Narcissa, then. What's wrong with your son? The whole lot of you, actually. No offence." He could feel a blush creep up his cheeks at his rudeness.
"Don't worry, I'm not offended. I've spent the entire summer telling my son and my husband that they've been awful to everyone around them for years. It took some heavy persuading to convince Draco, but he caved first. It took Lucius more time to truly see the error of his ways. They're both very embarrassed and they both want to make it right. Particularly with you Harry. They're ashamed that they have treated you with such hatred, that they could treat anyone with hatred. It almost tore Lucius and I apart.
"I know you're concerned about Draco spilling his guts about your inheritance, but I assure you that he will not. Veela are unique for more ways than one. There are only a few reasons we can show our true forms to the people around us. Anger is one, but the other is trust. He trusts you with his secret and he wishes you to trust him with yours. He's always been a little infatuated with you, you know." She sipped her tea, knowing that questions were to follow.
"Really?" Harry took a bite of a crumpet before drinking the potions that were laid out so carefully for him. He continued to nibble and sip as Narcissa talked.
"Oh my, yes! You wouldn't believe it if you saw it. He came home the first holiday in first year and went on and on about how the great Harry Potter didn't think he was good enough to be his friend. He spent the rest of the year trying to impress you from afar, but it seemed like everything he tried pushed you farther and farther away.
"In second year, he was so disappointed that you hadn't changed your mind over the summer that he wrote home the very first night to express how disappointed he was. In third year, he wasn't even upset that Miss Granger had punched him in the nose. He was upset he couldn't seem to ever get it right. That's when he stopped pursuing your friendship, albeit in an odd way, and started observing you from afar. He's always ribbed your friends, because he was jealous of them. He wanted that closeness to you, although he couldn't figure out why." She saw the question sparkling in Harry's eyes then. "No, I won't tell you why. I figured it out fairly quickly, but I won't be divulging that information until he wants to tell you himself." She rocked herself in the chair that had been next to Draco's spot and continued.
"We all just want to be like we were. Friendly with one another. I knew we were on opposing side of the war, your mother and I. And we still owled each other when we could. She was so happy to have you in her life, you've no idea. Sometimes I really thought she was happier to have you than your father. Her and I were so excited to have our children only a few months apart, we had so many plans for after the war. Lucius was not a member of the inner circle back then, you see. He was doing the bare minimum to make sure his family didn't get hurt. And when I read in the paper what had happened...needless to say I was heartbroken. I devoted every waking moment I had mourning my best friend for the first year of Draco's life." She looked down at her tea, took a deep breath to steady herself and continued.
"Ever since then, Lucius became bitter. He started climbing ranks and doing whatever he could to get as close to Voldemort. His plan was to murder him when he was weak, until he realized what the diary was. He approached Severus about it, knowing how Severus cared for Lily. It was then that he defected and Severus told him everything there was to know. Lucius took house elves with him to destroy the horcruxes, and he managed to get most of them. Do you know what they all were, Harry?"
Harry gulped, and nodded. She smiled sadly. "You and the snake were the last two that Lucius needed to take care of. Every year when you go up against Voldemort, Lucius goes off and kills another one. You were the perfect distraction. Ever wonder how just a child could beat Voldemort at his own game? Voldemort thought it was you that was bringing him down, little did he know it was his favorite follower doing it while you were keeping him occupied. Keeping him obsessed over something else so he wouldn't notice." Her smile was satisfied now, somehow sinister even.
"So when you died on your birthday, at four in the morning, Lucius called a meeting with Voldemort. He brought that slimy bastard in here to show him you had died. But what Voldemort didn't know, is that when a horcrux is a living being the rules change a little. Your magic is what changed you, Harry. And a person's raw magic is enough to kill a horcrux on its own. So your magic, while it was assessing you for your inheritance, discovered the horcrux and killed you in order to kill the horcrux. You gave us quite the fright there with that one, you were gone almost three minutes.
"Voldemort was quite pleased to see you dead, although he was disappointed that he didn't get to kill you himself. While they were talking up here, my brave little Draco beheaded his awful snake with that Gryffindor sword Albus had so kindly forgotten the day before. While Voldemort was screaming at finally realizing what had happened, Lucius killed him." She paused to take a gentle sip of her tea. "So you see Harry, we don't want to be outcasts from society anymore. We were happy to do what needed to be done in order to avenge Lily's death. I couldn't sit back and watch you suffer in so many worse ways than Lily could have ever imagined. I can personally assure you, Draco in sincere in wanting to be friends and I am extremely sure that I would be honored to offer you a place to live when you aren't attending school. I never got to treat you the way I wanted to. I was so excited when she announced her pregnancy to me, I wanted to dote on you and give you the world. She was so excited about it."
She leaned forward and placed her hand on Harry's.
"Would you let me try to take care of you the way I never got to?" Harry nodded, this throat having closed up with emotion at the genuine sorrow Narcissa had showed about his mother's passing. Her soft voice broke him from his reverie. "Would you let Draco try to make amends for his wrongdoings in the past?" Harry took a deep breath and nodded after a moment. It was the least he could do for the Slytherin to stay here and try to keep him from going mental with unanswered questions.
Narcissa stood and gathered up the remains of the tea and crumpets, please at how few were left.
"Bonnie?" Harry saw a house elf appear at her side. "Would you be a dear and take this to the kitchen? Harry, this is Bonnie. You can call her anytime if you need anything. She particularly likes cooking, so if you think of anything you want just let her know. And Bonnie? This one needs extra care. He hasn't been fed properly in a few months. I'm sure you can convince him to plump up a bit." She smiled down at Bonnie, as the elf curtsied.
"Yes Missus, I should be liking to do all of that!" She practically bounced from excitement. "Sir, Bonnie should like to fetch something special for supper. What should please Sir most?" Harry gave her a half hearted smile.
"Would you make your favorite thing to cook? I don't care what it is, I'm sure it will be delicious." Bonnie stood there, shocked. And then, she practically vibrated with happiness.
"No one has ever asking Bonnie to cook what she likes to make best! What fun! Bonnie will be most pleased, Sir." She curtsied again and popped away. Narcissa shook her head.
"You're making us look bad already. She truly does love to cook though. I hope you're hungry." She walked towards the door and turned back. "Would you like me to send Draco back in, or would you rather be alone for awhile?" Harry shrugged. He didn't know what he wanted right now.
Draco saw his mother leave and knocked on the door. He entered when he didn't hear an answer and sat down in the window seat. "So, I heard Bonnie is making an all out feast of everything she likes to cook best. You asked for it."