Welcome to my first ever Harry/Draco fic. I experimented with a few different storylines before deciding that I liked this one. I've been reading a lot of different 'Draco is a Veela' storylines lately and decided that I'd like to do something similar, yet entirely different… hence my 'Draco is a Siren' storyline, set during seventh year. I really hope you like it, Draco has a soft side people! By the way, Sirius is alive… because he's the best and I love him and I said so. This has got some Remus/Sirius in it as well. I have an original character, Erika, who is Draco's older sister. And randomly, my aim is to throw Crookshanks into a wall at least once throughout the duration of this fic, so then he has an excuse for looking like he ran head first into one.
My friends gave me some challenges for the first chapter, I hope you like them. I thought the last one was hilarious.
The Challenges issued…
Draco has a little sister, (In addition to Erika) come up with a reason why we never knew about her.
A suicide attempt
Include the line "You killed Fuzzball!" in the story.
If any of you have any one-liners and such that you would like me to try and add, please write it down in a review. Nothing too huge though, or it'll be unmanageable.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters.
Siren's Song
Chapter 1
"Ah Draco, can I speak to you in the study?" Lucius Malfoy asked his son coolly.
"Of course father." Draco replied, wondering nervously what his father wanted.
Draco stepped into the study behind his father and waited while the blonde man settled himself behind the desk. "Draco, there is something I must discuss with you concerning the Malfoy family heritage."
"What?" Draco wanted to say, "That the Malfoys have always been Death Eater scum and always will be? I already knew that."
Instead he said, "And what might that be?"
Lucius shuffled some papers. "You may already be aware of this, but for generations, the Malfoys have had faery blood in their veins; more specifically, Siren blood."
"No father, I wasn't aware." Draco said slowly. "But what does that have to do with me?"
"Every generation of Malfoy has at least one child with the Siren genes. That child, my son, is you." Lucius explained. "When your sister showed no signs when she turned seventeen, we knew that it had to be you, as you have no cousins from the Malfoy side of your family."
Draco flinched at the cold mention of his older sister Erika, who was the greatest disappointment in their father's life. Lucius rarely spoke of her, her name almost entirely forgotten, except by her adoring younger brother. Draco also didn't fail to notice his father's failure to mention his younger sister, Arianna.
"So, what exactly are Sirens?" Draco asked.
"Sirens have the power to enchant people to bend to their will by simply weaving their power into their voice." Lucius answered proudly. "Their talent lies within music, why else do you think your mother and I paid for that singing teacher that you have over the holidays."
"Well," Draco thought, "That explains why I like singing so much." He smiled inwardly, it wasn't just singing he loved; he was actually pretty good with a muggle guitar too.
"Although, that power can be used without music too, that's the beauty of it." Lucius added.
"Is there anything else I should know?" Draco asked.
"Only that you're singing abilities will improve ten-fold, so you won't be needing that teacher any more." Lucius told him. "Your looks will improve, and there is a chance, depending on you strength, that you will sprout wings. You will be able to bend anybody to your will."
"So basically, I'm going to become a non-violent Veela?" Draco demanded incredulously.
"Oh no son, you will be more powerful than any Veela." Lucius replied. "Siren's don't have to find life-mates. They have special connections with people, but can essentially choose to be with whoever they want. The people they have these connections with are basically their soul mates, but we do not necessarily love them romantically, although it's not uncommon. Our 'Soul mates' are the only ones who are impervious to our Siren charms."
"And all this will happen tomorrow when I turn seventeen?" Draco queried; his head spinning from the amount of information.
"Yes, so be prepared." Lucius answered, the tone of his voice suggesting that he was dismissed, and Draco turned to go.
He had reached the door when his father said suddenly, "Remember one thing Draco, that this is a fine way to serve the Dark Lord, he will favour you highly. Do not disappoint me. Tomorrow is also the day you get your Dark Mark."
Draco swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat and nodded, not sure that he really wanted to be favoured by the Dark Lord. "Yes Father."
One thing was for certain, he most certainly did not want the Dark Mark.
Harry Potter was hiding from his cousin Dudley again. It was the safest and easiest way to live in 4 Privet Drive without getting yelled at. He was currently hiding under the sizable rhododendron bush planted in the front garden. It was quiet, and the coolest place to be on a hot day.
Sixteen-year-old Harry wanted nothing more than a quiet and happy life away from his accursed Aunt and Uncle, and his baby killer whale of a cousin. Sadly, the peace was short lived. Dudley and his friend Piers found him and dragged him out. "What ya doin' Potter?" Dudley asked snidely.
"What's it to you Dud?" Harry replied, sounding more cheerful than he felt. He knew he was in for a beating, and a painful one at that.
"He's givin' you lip Big D!" Piers said, pretending to be astonished.
"Indeed he is, perhaps we ought to teach him a lesson." Dudley smirked.
"I wouldn't if I were you Dudders… you never know what I might do." Harry smirked back.
"You wouldn't dare, they almost expelled you from that insane asylum last time." Dudley argued, but he looked a lot less confident than he had a few seconds ago.
"Never stopped me though, did it?" Harry retorted, referring to the Dementors in Privet Drive the previous holidays. The Dursley's still thought he was to blame for their appearance.
Dudley wasted no more time; he punched Harry squarely in the stomach. He knew that Harry wouldn't risk anything in front of Piers, who darted around and pinned Harry's arms behind his back as Dudley punched him again.
Harry fell to his knees, coughing and retching, blood spilling from his mouth. Dudley finished by kneeing Harry in the stomach. The young wizard collapsed on to the grass, his breathing ragged as the two walked away laughing.
Harry somehow dragged himself upstairs to the bathroom to clean himself up and remove the blood from his face and his clothing before his Aunt and Uncle got home from their dinner engagement. The last thing he needed was Aunt Petunia ranting on about the bloodstains.
Just as he finished clearing away the mess there was a crash coming from the front door and a scream from the two boys in the living room where they had been playing on Dudley's Playstation2.
"Shit! Muggles!" he heard a familiar female voice say, followed by a deep male voice saying calmly; "Stupefy! Stupefy!" followed by two loud 'thunks' as Piers and Dudley hit the floor.
Harry bolted down the stairs. "Tonks!" he yelled, throwing his arms around a young witch with long waves of purple hair and vivid blue eyes like he would if she were his sister. "You've come to rescue me!"
"Yep, sure have." Tonks answered cheerfully, hugging Harry briefly before disentangling his arms. "But we have to hurry. How long will it take to pack your gear?"
Harry shrugged. "It'll take longer without magic." He said.
A young witch with long blonde hair, silver-grey eyes and pale skin stepped forward. "I'll take care of it Nymph." She said. "I'm better at it than you are anyway."
"Mum trained you better than me Rika." Tonks retorted, "You're actually interested in all that housekeeping stuff, unlike me."
Rika rolled her eyes and grinned at Harry. "Show me to your room." She said.
Harry led the way up the stairs to the second bedroom. When he got to the bottom stair he turned and said with a grin, "Hey Tonks, I love the new look." Before he trotted up the stairs.
Rika began to load his gear neatly into his trunk. "Sorry about your cousin and his mate, we didn't think they'd be here. Luckily Kingsley Shacklebolt can think in a crisis, or Nymph would still be running around trying to work out what to do with them.
Harry shrugged again. "I don't care, they deserved it." He showed Rika the already growing bruise on his stomach. She hissed in sympathy and touched her wand to the bruise to help it fade.
She turned back to his room. "All done I think, I cleared your owl's cage out and shrank it so it would fit. She'll find us eventually."
"Yeah, she always does." Harry replied.
"Good." Rika said. "I'm Erika by the way, Erika Malfoy."
Harry stared at her, unable to believe he hadn't seen it before. "You're a Malfoy?" he asked, incredulous.
Erika sighed. "Yeah, awful huh. I guess it proves that you can't choose you're relatives. Say, you're about the same age as my younger brother Draco, do you know him?"
Harry looked down. "Yeah, I know him." he muttered.
Erika grimaced. "It's like that huh? Well, he is in Slytherin I suppose… I shouldn't expect more from the kid, but I love him still. He's not really that bad, if you give him a chance. Draco has the sweetest smile; unfortunately, it doesn't happen very often." She sighed and headed for the door.
She turned. "Oh and Harry, if it'll make you feel better, I was the first ever Malfoy to be sorted into Gryffindor, or any other house apart from Slytherin for that matter."
Harry grinned, somehow he couldn't think of her as a Malfoy; if she was in the order, then she must be all right.
When Draco woke the next morning, he didn't feel any different. But when he got up and looked in the mirror, he definitely looked different.
Staring back at him was a seventeen-year-old that hardly resembled the sixteen-year-old that had gone to bed the night before. His hair, which was normally a pale blonde, was almost white, as well as slightly longer. It fell into his eyes, giving him a look that he thought was rather appealing. He was a little taller, but not noticeably so. "Holy shit." He muttered, and realised that his voice was different too, more musical, more lilting than before.
His hands shaking, he crossed to the CD player he had smuggled into the house and put a CD in, a CD of his favourite song.
His voice unsteady, he started to sing.
I don't mind spending every day,
Out on your corner in the pouring rain.
Look for the girl with the broken smile.
Ask her if she wants to stay a while…
He was cut off by his father bursting through the door. "God Draco! Don't do any singing until you've learnt how to control your power! In fact, don't talk either; it's upsetting the whole house!" Lucius was so flustered he didn't even notice the muggle CD player.
"Sorry father." Draco answered softly.
"It's all right, I should've warned you." He sighed. "Come, I have to teach you how to control it before you do something you shouldn't… and before your audience with the Dark Lord this evening.
LATER THAT EVENING
"Are you ready to go son?" Lucius asked Draco coldly.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Draco thought nervously. "Yes father." He replied aloud.
"Let's be going then. I'll apparate you." He gripped his son's arm, perhaps tighter than necessary.
"Remember, no matter what happens, do not show any fear and do as he commands you." Lucius told him, and Draco thought he saw a flicker of pain in his father's eyes. "He favours the Malfoy's very highly, I do not wish for that to change."
He waved his wand and they disappeared, materialising at the home of the Death Eater at whose house they were meeting. In this case, it was the Notts.
"Ah, if it isn't the young Master Malfoy." A cold, snake-like voice hissed from the cloak of the tallest person in the circle. Draco shuddered as Voldemort's voice washed over him like the wind in the bitterest of winters.
"My lord," Lucius murmured bowing, resting his hand on Draco's shoulder. "I have brought Draco to receive his mark."
"I see." Voldemort sneered. "But first, I must determine whether or not he is worthy to receive it." A pair of blood red eyes raked his body from within the folds of the cloak.
"He is very pretty Lucius." The blond man stiffened beneath his cloak, and his hand tightened its hold on Draco, and the blonde boy knew exactly why.
"Thankyou my lord, he received his inheritance this morning."
"Ah, the Malfoy's Siren blood has appeared in the newest generation at last." Voldemort hissed. "This is very pleasing. Come with me Draco." He commanded and Lucius reluctantly released his son's shoulder.
Draco forced himself to follow his father's master into the next room, and shuddered with revulsion when the Dark Lords mouth was crushed against his. Was this part of the reason why his father had been so worried earlier? Had this happened to Lucius too? But he couldn't fight back as Voldemort pushed him on to the bed that was in the room. He couldn't jeopardise his family's lives like that, so he laid there with tears streaming down his face as Voldemort did what he wanted to him.
At last, as the leader of the Death Eaters pulled out of him, he hissed. "You'll do just fine. I hope we can repeat this little experience soon, little Draco." Draco shuddered and held back a sob as he straightened his clothes and followed Voldemort out of the room and back to the others.
"Take the boy home Lucius; he will receive his Mark tomorrow night, at your home. You are all dismissed."
It wasn't until Draco got home that he switched his music on loudly and began to cry, his slim, lithe frame racked with hysterical sobs.
Lucius came into his room and switched the music off. "Pull yourself together Draco." He said coldly. "You are a Malfoy, and Malfoy's do not cry." Inside, Lucius felt like his own heart was breaking, seeing his son like that. A small part of him had hoped that Voldemort wouldn't do to Draco what he himself had been through so long ago. Alas, it seemed his hopes were all in vain.
"I feel so dirty." Draco said, fleeing for the bathroom as he felt his stomach churn.
"Nonsense; it was a great honour." Lucius answered, although he knew all too well how he felt.
"Honour? Honour!" Draco yelled disbelievingly, "That was the most horrible, terrifying thing that has ever happened to me! I don't want the Dark Mark!" he shouted.
"Don't talk nonsense, get some sleep, you'll feel better in the morning, more rational… more normal"
"Voldemort just raped me father, I'm never going to feel normal again."
His father left without another word, and the instant the door closed, Draco sat at his desk and pulled out a scrap of parchment and an inkwell and quill.
All he wrote was "Get me out of here, before it's too late. I get 'It' tomorrow night. – Draco." Before he gave it to his black screech owl, Noir, and watched him fly out of the window.
As soon as he was out of sighed, Draco went back into the bathroom and stepped into the shower, in a useless attempt to feel clean again. As soon as he got out, he ordered the house elves to burn his clothes… he never wanted to wear them again.
When Harry arrived at number 12 Grimmauld Place he was greeted by a bear hug from his God father, Sirius. "It's good to see you Harry." He said gruffly.
"It's good to see you too Sirius." Harry replied with a smile, returning the hug.
"Hello Harry." Another voice hailed him from behind Sirius.
"Hello Professor Lupin." Harry answered.
"Oh, come now Harry," Remus told him with a smile. "Call me by my first name; I'm not your teacher any more." He smiled briefly at Sirius, who wrapped his arm around the slimmer, slightly shorter man's waist.
"That's right; he's your other God father now." He added, and Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around both of them. "You guys are the only parents I've never known, I'm really happy for you." He whispered, as one of Remus's arms and one of Sirius's came around Harry in a protective circle.
Their little moment was broken when a black screech owl tapped on the window, and Harry drew reluctantly away from his Godparents.
There was a small gasp, and Harry noticed that Erika's already pale complexion had gone almost white. "It's Noir!" she whispered, before running to open the window. Harry looked at her, confused.
"Noir is Draco's owl; Rika's been waiting for this for a while now. Today is Draco's birthday, the day he's meant to get his mark." Tonks told him quietly.
Erika read and re-read the note. "What does it say Erika dear?" Molly Weasley asked her.
Erika took a deep, shuddering breath before she read it out. "Get me out of here, before it's too late. I get 'It' tomorrow night. – Draco."
"He gets 'It' tomorrow night? What does that mean?" Harry asked.
"He gets the Dark Mark tomorrow night." Erika murmured worriedly. "I have to go to the manor and get him, now!"
"Not tonight Erika." Molly said firmly. "Send him a note to be ready tomorrow morning at 4:00 AM, you've already had to go and get Harry today, you all need to rest."
Erika started to protest, but then nodded reluctantly. She took a quill from a small shoulder bag and wrote. "Be ready at 4:00 AM, father won't know you're gone until it's too late. – Love Erika." And sent it back with Noir.
"I guess I'd better turn in then, if I have to get up so early." She said. Tonks nodded and followed her up the stairs to the room they shared. Mrs. Weasley returned to the kitchen.
They were passed by Ron and Hermione, running full speed down the stairs and barrelling into Harry so forcefully they nearly knocked him flat.
"You made it! Oh Harry we were so worried about you!" Hermione exclaimed as she hugged him.
"Thanks Mia." Harry said with a smile, patting her hair and grinning at Ron over her head. "All right mate?" he asked.
"Yeah, you?" Ron answered, grinning back at him.
"I am now." Harry replied. When Hermione let him go he grasped Ron's arm and slapped him on the back.
"Dinner's up!" he heard Molly's voice from the kitchen.
"Coming!" the three yelled, and ran off to the kitchen, followed by a chuckling Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Harry turned to tell Sirius and Remus to hurry up, and was just in time to see Sirius lean down and kiss the werewolf, slowly and sweetly on the lips, folding Remus into the curve of his body. Harry smiled; they deserved to be happy after all the hardships they'd endured together.
When they broke the kiss Remus murmured, "He took the news of our relationship well."
Sirius grinned. "I knew he would. He's probably known all along." He spotted the teen loitering in the kitchen doorway. "We have company." He whispered and Remus smiled before they turned to face Harry squarely.
"You better not get all sappy like that all the time," Harry informed them cheekily. "I don't think I'll be able to handle it if I end up living here permanently."
Sirius chuckled and swatted the boy's head playfully. "And who told you you'd be living here permanently?" he asked good-naturedly.
"You did." Harry replied before ducking into the kitchen with a light-hearted laugh.
Draco didn't sleep a wink that night, neither before nor after receiving Erika's return owl. He had packed and re-packed his trunk countless times, shrank the CD player and his CDs and put them carefully in with the rest of his belongs.
He hadn't managed to keep anything down since returning from the Death Eater meeting and had had at least three showers since as well. He still felt dirty, used, abused. He was repulsed by the sight of himself. He shuddered as he remembered the feel of Voldemort's body crushing against him, and immediately ran to the bathroom.
"It's nearly time, it's 3:45." He thought desperately. He washed his face and cleaned his teeth.
When he came out of the bathroom, his sister was standing by the window, hauling his trunk onto a broomstick with the help of his cousin Nymph and a tall, black man he didn't know.
Erika turned around and saw him. She smiled encouragingly. "Let's go Drake." She said softly.
Tears welled up in Draco's eyes, and he threw himself into his sister's arms, crying and sobbing harder than he had even after the whole ordeal had happened.
Erika wrapped her arms around her baby brother and held him tightly. "Shhhh, shhhh, it'll all be all right." She whispered gently until his crying eventually subsided. "I'm going to take you to a place where neither father, nor Voldemort will hurt you again." She told him.
LATER
Draco stepped tiredly over the threshold of number 12 Grimmauld place as a quivering, exhausted wreck. He didn't even notice who put a blanket over his shoulders and led him to the kitchen.
"Poor lad, I wonder what happened to him." Molly whispered to Erika.
"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me. I asked, but he clammed up." Erika replied sadly.
"My boys and Ginny have never got along with Draco very well Rika, but I'll make sure they treat him decently as long as he's here." Molly promised. "I told them all last night to behave themselves."
"I'll make sure Draco does the same Molly, I promise." Rika agreed.
"Harry and Ron only agreed to let him share their room because they trust you. They're willing to be decent to him because they know you wouldn't have him here if he was going to follow your father."
"I know. Actually, I think that Harry might be able to heal my brother's spirit… if they give each other a chance."
"I don't understand." Molly frowned. She steered Draco to the table and put a mug of hot chocolate in his frozen hands before retreating to a corner with Erika.
"Look at him Molly; he's broken, both mentally and physically. They've hurt him deeply. He's different. Harry might be able to find the real Draco underneath the layers of hatred and hurt. He might be able to find the sweet little angel smile that I remember from when he was a child."
"I hope so. It would be nice if they could start over again." Molly added as Draco put the empty mug on the table and allowed the women to help him up the stairs and into bed.
Harry and Ron woke the next morning and immediately looked over at the other bed. "He looks bloody awful doesn't he." Ron whispered.
"Yeah." Harry agreed. "Remember what your mum said, when he wakes up, we have to call a truce with him."
"I know. He can't be that bad if Rika trusts him, even if she is his sister. I'm just finding it hard to let go of seven years of hate." Ron complained.
"Me too, but we have to try." Harry said.
Draco turned restlessly in his sleep. Harry bent closer to the blonde boy and inspected his face. "He looks really ill."
"Yeah, I think I'll go get mum." Ron said and left the room.
Moments later Molly Weasley bustled into the room, laying her hand across Draco's forehead.
"He has a high fever. We should let him sleep for as long as he can." She whispered to the two boys.
Harry and Ron nodded. As she left they dressed and headed down to breakfast, stopping on the first floor to wait for Ginny and Hermione.
"What do you make of having Malfoy around here?" Hermione asked.
"I'm not sure yet. But he's really sick at the moment." Harry replied.
"Just so long as he doesn't try anything funny." Ron said aggressively.
"I don't think he will." Hermione answered thoughtfully. "I don't think he'll sabotage his sister's friends. Of course, once we get to school I suspect everything will go back to normal."
"Still, I don't trust him." Ron protested.
"You don't have to trust him Ron." Erika said from behind them. "Just tolerate him. I'll make sure he does the same. I know there's been a lot of animosity between you all, but he's here because he wants to be, not because he's been forced."
"I know, Rika. But it's just hard." Ron complained.
Any further conversation was cut off by a thud at the bottom of the stairs. The group went out into the hall to investigate and found Draco at the bottom of the stairs. "Drake?" Erika said, concernedly. "You should still be in bed." She reprimanded. Molly came out to see what the commotion was and nodded sternly in agreement.
On closer inspection, Draco's eyes were glazed over with fever. "I'm all right." He muttered slowly.
"No you're not dear, go back to bed." Molly ordered him, taking him by the arm to lead him back up the stairs. He shrugged her off with surprising strength and turned to an empty piece of wall and screamed "YOU KILLED FUZZBALL!" pointing accusingly at the wall.
"Ye gods… he's delirious; just what we needed." Molly groaned. "No one killed Fuzzball Draco dear, come back to bed now." She led him firmly but gently up the stairs.
When Draco and Molly had gone, Harry, Ron and Hermione were silent. "That was weird." Harry said.
"I'm never going to be able to keep a straight face around him again." Ron sniggered.
"Me neither." Hermione admitted with a small smile.
They were interrupted by a loud snicker behind them. Erika was giggling like mad, leaning against the wall for support.
"I can't believe that he still holds that against me." She gasped.
"What did you do to him?" Hermione asked.
"Draco was three, I was ten. It was a year before I went to Hogwarts, and Draco had this stuffed toy cat that he named Fuzzball." Erika explained with a grin.
"One day, I stole it and hung it by its tail from the rafters in our father's owlery. By the time he found it the owls had attacked it and it looked a little worse for wear. He came running back into the house screaming at me that I'd killed Fuzzball. I thought it was incredibly funny at the time. Mother sent me in to get it down and she repaired it good as new, but Draco didn't forgive me for a long time. Apparently he still hasn't." she giggled again. "So he still thinks I killed Fuzzball."
The three couldn't take it any more. They broke down into fits of laughter.
Molly came down the stairs looking weary. "He's still screaming about Fuzzball. What is Fuzzball?"
The three explained to her while Erika bounded up the stairs two at a time. After a moment, Harry followed her.
He peeked around his bedroom door, and saw Erika rummaging through Draco's luggage. Eventually, she pulled out a bedraggled toy ginger cat. "Fuzzball." Harry thought with a small smile.
Erika went and sat on Draco's bed, where the delirious boy was still ranting and pushed the toy into his hands. Draco immediately went quiet as Erika ran her fingers soothingly through her little brother's hair.
She looked up and saw Harry standing there. She smiled gently down at her younger brother. "It's made sense that he'd have it with him, it's the only thing left from his childhood." She kissed his forehead and ushered Harry out the door.
"What do you think happened to him?" Harry asked.
"I'd rather not think about it." Erika said grimly. "But come down to the kitchen, I need to explain why Draco is the way he is."
"When I was eleven and Draco two, our mother had another baby, a little girl called Arianna." Erika looked sad. "She was born just before I started at Hogwarts."
"Ari was stolen from us when she was eight years old; by Voldemort…" the whole room except Harry and Erika shuddered. "He uses her as blackmail to keep my father loyal to him, every so often he lets father and mother see her, but they do not speak for more than a few minutes. If any Malfoys disobey him, then he has threatened to kill her. Draco risked her life to come to the Place. I risked her life when I ran away from home at sixteen. Father will have to do something pretty remarkable for the Dark Lord in order to keep her safe. The only reason father ever joined the dark side is because Voldemort had Ari." Erika was grim faced.
"That's awful! No wonder he is the way he is… if he didn't want his sister killed he had to act the way he has around everybody." Hermione gasped.
Ron and Harry nodded slowly, still digesting the information. "I think I get it." Harry said. "Don't worry Rika, we'll be nice." He nudged Ron, and he nodded reluctantly.
She smiled. "Thanks you three. It means a lot to me that you'll give him a second chance."
Draco woke the following morning with a headache that threatened to split his head in two. He groaned in pain and looked around the empty room, trying to remember where he was and what had happened.
Suddenly he was hit by the memories of the events three days prior. The Death Eater meeting, Voldemort, Erika stealing him away from the manor. He instantly felt the violent urge to be ill, but he fought it back until it was under control.
As he did so, he was vaguely aware of the door opening and an ebony coloured head peered around the corner.
"Potter!" he snapped.
"Oh, you're awake." Harry said, stating the obvious and ignoring his contempt. "Are you hungry?"
Startled, Draco realised he was starving. "Yeah, I am actually." He replied, before lying down and burying his head into the covers.
Harry trotted down the stairs to Erika, who was in the kitchen. "Sleeping Beauty's awake." He informed her with a grin.
"Gotcha." Erika replied with a wink, picking up a breakfast tray and placing food on it while Molly organised everybody else's breakfast.
Harry followed Erika up the stairs, opening doors for her. When they got to the room Draco was unwittingly sharing with Harry and Ron, Harry held the door open to admit Erika, then noticed with an amused grin that there was a lump in the covers that you'd never pick to be one Draco Malfoy.
Erika put the tray on the bedside table and prodded the lump with her finger. "C'mon sleepyhead, rise and shine!" she carolled, and a furry something was hurled out of the covers at her by a disembodied hand.
Erika laughed as the hand retreated back under the covers. "Now, now; be nice to Fuzzball." She reprimanded.
"Rika, tell me want you want and get out, I'm tired." Draco's muffled voice came from beneath the covers.
Erika grinned at Harry. "I have food." She said.
Draco instantly sat up and grinned at her. "Well, what are you waiting for then, give it over!" he said cheekily.
Erika set the food on his lap and ruffled his hair before leaving the room to return to the kitchen. "Hey! Watch the hair!" Draco complained, and she laughed.
"Can you bring the tray back down when he's finished Harry?" she asked.
"Sure, no problem." Harry replied, sitting on his own bed.
Draco stopped eating for a moment. "I have to share a room with you and Weasley don't I?" he asked matter-of-factly.
"Yeah…" Harry said uncomfortably. "There are tons of people staying here at the moment; there weren't a lot of options."
"Just don't get in my way." Draco retorted.
Harry stopped himself from rising to the bait. "Look Malfoy, we're not exactly happy about this either, but Rika and Mrs. Weasley asked us to call a truce with you, just while we're living under the same roof." Draco snorted ironicallyinto his food.
"We don't have to like it, but we trust Rika and if she trusts you enough to bring you here then maybe you're not evil after all." Draco looked up at him, eyes flashing a dark grey that Harry found quite intriguing.
"Well, when you put it like that, I'll agree to this truce, but only because Rika asked for it." Draco said haughtily.
Harry picked up the breakfast tray and made his way to the door. "We know what it cost you to come here Draco." He said softly.
Draco scoffed. "You couldn't possibly imagine Potter." He snarled.
Harry turned to face him. "We know that you risked your sister's life to escape the Death Eaters." He replied.
"I risked her life, but I lost so much more than Arianna." Draco whispered, just loudly enough for Harry to hear.
When Harry had gone, Draco fought back the tears that had threatened to spill. He had, after all, lost what ever innocence he had left. And right now, that felt much worse that the prolonged loss of his little sister.
A few days later, Draco decided that he was well enough to get out of bed. The previous day he had spoken to Weasley and come to a hostile sort of truce. He'd even spoken briefly to Granger when she'd come in to find the rest of the Golden Trio. He'd had to swallow his pride a little and apologise for calling her a mudblood. Truth be told, he didn't particularly like the term anyway.
He went slowly down the stairs, leaning on the rail. He met Tonks at the bottom of the stairs and she helped him into the kitchen.
"Hello, Draco dear." Mrs Weasley said cheerfully.
"Uh, hello Mrs Weasley." Draco answered politely when Tonks nudged him in the ribs.
"Take a seat where ever you can find one love." she told him kindly. Draco looked around, but Tonks was already steering him to a seat between Hermione and Erika and Mrs Weasley put a plate of food piled so high he could hardly see over it.
As he wended his way through the mountain of food, he listened to the trio and his sister, and the Weasley girl chatting away happily.
"Did you see the Quidditch World Cup results this year?" Harry asked. "I've been out of the loop for way too long."
"Yeah, Argentina absolutely slaughtered Zimbabwe in the Final." Ron answered, between mouthfuls for a change. "It wasn't worth watching apparently. Charlie came over to watch it and he's staying here for a while, he was really disgusted. Ask him yourself when he comes back from his shift." He laughed.
"It was pretty appalling." Erika agreed.
Draco looked up from his food. "You went?" he asked and she nodded.
Draco pouted. "You could've taken me." He complained.
"You'll get over it." Erika told him with a grin, ruffling his hair.
"Watch the hair." Draco protested with a small laugh, trying to dodge his sister's hand. His eyes flashed to a deep blue.
She stopped suddenly and studied him closely, staring at his eyes. "Shit, you were seventeen a couple of days ago weren't you?" she demanded.
"Yeah, I can't believe you forgot." Draco accused.
"I'll take you shopping later, but that's not important right now." Erika waved him away. "What I mean is… you…y'know… didn't you?" she asked.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Draco asked.
"Well, I didn't so I guess you and Ari can. I just never thought about it til now." Erika replied. "Plus, you're eyes keep changing colour with your moods." She added.
"Oh, I didn't know they could do that." Draco said, before changing the subject to avoid the questioning glances of the Golden Trio.
"Did anything interesting happen to anyone during the holidays?" Draco asked, not really caring who answered.
"I got to spend some time with my old friends from my muggle school." Hermione said. "Went to a few movies, and stuff like that, nothing interesting." She grinned. "I got my driver's licence!"
"Cool!" Harry, Erika and Tonks exclaimed simultaneously, while Ron and Draco stared at them with confusion.
"Was it hard?" Harry asked her.
"Not really." Hermione shrugged.
"Oh yeah, I forgot who I'm talking to." Harry laughed.
"I sat around here and did pretty much nothing." Ron complained and they all laughed, even Draco managed a small smirk.
"It wasn't so bad Ron." Ginny reprimanded him.
"What about you Harry? I know you're summer can't have been too pleasant." Hermione asked him.
"You'd be right." Harry answered. "I spent the summer being bashed by my cousin while my Aunt and Uncle weren't looking." He lifted his shirt to show them the bruise that still hadn't quite faded despite Erika's healing. Even Draco hissed in appreciation for the pain that it must have caused.
"What about you Malfoy?" Harry asked.
Draco looked down at his now empty plate, trying to decide what to say. "I'd rather not talk about my summer." He said quietly, but Erika elbowed him sharply. "But I guess I spent most of it sitting around reading and playing music. It was all right until this week… boring, but not bad." He promptly got to his feet and went upstairs.
It hurt. It hurt a lot.
He just wanted the pain to go away; he didn't want to remember what had happened to him at the Death Eater meeting. He wanted it to end so that he didn't have to face the terrible truth of what being a Siren could mean.
His father hadn't properly explained his powers to him, and he didn't understand what they were, he had realised that when Erika had mentioned his eyes. He didn't know who he was anymore; everything he'd ever known had been turned upside down and he hated it. All he knew was that if he hadn't had this accursed power, Voldemort would never have touched him. He wanted to forget; what good was it having these enhanced singing and musical abilities if so much pain came with it?
There was only one way to end the pain, and he knew he had to do it. Maybe he could repent for risking Ari's life, and he felt sorry for leaving Erika, but he couldn't deal with this anymore. He'd thought he could, but he was wrong.
Draco locked himself in the bathroom and took out his wand. He knew that everyone except the Golden Trio and the Weasel's little sister were out somewhere, so by the time they found him it would be too late. He turned the water on to mask any sound he might make and then he performed a severing charm on each of his wrists and watched with a morbid sense of relief floating through him. It hurt, but not as much as the aching in his heart.
His vision began to haze and he felt dizzy. He felt his legs cave underneath him and he collapsed onto the cold tiled floor, his blood pooling around his barely conscious self.
He didn't hear the knock at the door. "Malfoy, are you in there, the water's been running in there for a while." Harry called.
"Yeah, you trying to drown yourself or something?" Ron asked.
There was no answer.
"Shit Ron, maybe you're not far off the mark there." Harry muttered to himself.
He pulled his wand out of his pocket and said the unlocking charm that Hermione had taught them back in first year. "Alohomora!"
The door swung open, and the breath caught in both boys' throats. "Shit." Harry muttered again.
"I'll get Hermione." Ron said and left at a run.
"Jesus Draco, what possessed you?" Harry asked the unconscious boy, tearing strips off his shirt and wrapping up he cuts on Draco's wrists. He carefully lifted the slightly smaller boy into his arms and carried him away from the bathroom and the pool of blood.
Draco's shirt was dripping with blood, so Harry gritted his teeth and removed it from the boy's body, he saw that Draco's skin was stained red too, so he dug around for a clean shirt and replaced it where the other one had been.
Hermione came bolting up the stairs three at a time and racing into the room, Ron and Ginny close behind her.
"What happened?" she demanded.
"I don't know, looks like he tried to kill himself." Harry replied.
Hermione undid the makeshift bandages Harry had constructed and performed a healing charm that Madam Pomfrey had taught her during their last year at Hogwarts. "I'll be forever grateful that I learnt that one." She said. "Lucky you two found him when you did; he might've achieved what he wanted."
"What happened in the last week that would make him want to do this?" Ginny whispered, horrified. Ron put his arm around his sister and hugged her.
"I haven't a clue, and I don't suppose we ever will." Harry answered softly. He looked down at the unconscious Draco and thought to himself; "He's so innocent looking when he's sleeping, like he doesn't have a care in the world." He brushed a stray piece of blonde hair away from the boy's face.
Hermione noticed and smiled inwardly. It was no secret amongst the Gryffindor seventh years that Harry was bisexual. It was also no secret that Harry Potter thought that Draco Malfoy was drop dead gorgeous. But there had always been a difference between thinking that Malfoy was hot and actually liking him. Suddenly Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that Harry's thoughts on Draco had changed from just being hot to seriously liking the blonde Slytherin.
Whatever the case may be, she decided that she would watch over them both.
That's the end of the first chapter. I hope I get supportive reviews from you all, and that I get a few one-liners from you. If you can beat "You killed Fuzzball!" then I'll be very impressed. Although, if I get too many, I won't be able to put of them into the same chapter. I hope you liked it, please review!