Harry went down for breakfast. He knew it wouldn't be served for another few hours but he had always been an earlier riser. He had to given the Dursleys had him do all the choirs around the house (including make breakfast).

Harry just couldn't imagine wasting the morning in bed. When he got to the living room he spotted Lord Malfoy sipping tea as he read a book by the fire, "Couldn't sleep?" he asked not looking up from his book.

"I always wake up this early," well not always. The nights when the Dursley's locked his cupboard door he had to stay in bed until everyone was up. It was another reason why he didn't like to sleep in. The only time he got to was when he was being punished so it made him feel trapped.

Lucius smiled, "Good to know I won't be spending my mornings alone this summer. Severus is nocturnal, Narcissa loaths mornings with every fiber of her being, and Draco is a fairly lazy child so good luck getting him out of bed before noon if he doesn't have to be,"

"He'll get along great with Dudley," Harry rolled his eyes.

"I doubt it, Draco is wisely scared of muggles,"

Harry snorted back a laugh.

Lucius raised an eyebrow, finally looking away from his book, "I can assure you it is wise. Do you think the entire wizarding world is hiding from Muggles for no other reason then we thought it be fun? They are dangerous savage creatures who gleefully kill all things different. Can you name me one muggle that wasn't by nature a bastard? I'm asking one you know personally, not some larger then life figure in history books that has been glorified beyond all rational thought. Muggles do like making saints out of their fellow monsters,"

Harry opened his mouth as he tried to think of one person, just one. A single muggle he knew from his own life that didn't treat him like shite... but he couldn't so he thought of someone else's life, "Hermione's parents,"

Lucius snorted, "I take it that's a muggle born you know?"

"She's one of my best friends," Harry nodded adamantly.

"Forgive me but as a Slytherin I told true to Salazar's beliefs,"

"Kill all Muggle borns," Harry rolled his eyes.

Lucius studied the boy for a moment before answering. He decided to allow the insolent tone to pass due to what the boy had been through, "You shouldn't be so narrow minded. It is important to get all the facts before passing judgment. Salazar Slytherin did not want to kill all muggle borns, he wanted to save them,"

Harry blinked, "Eh?"

"He and the other founders had just created a powerful Enchantment, a book that would record the names and locations of every child born with magic within a 5000 mile radius. They sold similar books to the wizarding government of every nation. Slytherin wanted to use the books to save the children around the world. Muggles would often kill, enslave, or attempt to 'beat the magic out' of their own children,"

Harry squirmed a bit as he knew that last on was what the Dursleys were trying to do to him. They often said it.

"When the best option is slavery Lord Slytherin wanted to remove all muggle borns from muggle homes and put them in an orphanage in Hogsmeade which the school would fund. The other founders disagreed and that is why he left. There was no evil plot or 'epic duel', just a friendship lost through conflicting political beliefs. Salazar even left his familiars at the school to guard it and keep the children safe from muggle threats,"

"Familiars?"

"A pair of Serpents if the legend is true. Although what species I'm not sure. They are probably long dead but it's likely the forbidden forest would be filled with their descendants. Who knows you might even find them one day," Lucius smiled "After are you are the 'Heir of Slytherin',"

"W-what!?"

Lucius looked him over, "Petunia didn't even tell you that? The Potters liked to keep it rather hush hush as their family had conflicting views with Lord Slytherin all the way back to the early days. However they were his blood.

"One of Slytherin's daughters married a muggle born named Potter. At least he came from a wealthy family of merchants. She even took his name dispite her coming from the more politically powerful bloodline. If Slytherin really had a problem with this he wouldn't have named her heir to his estate, although she never claimed it. I think he actually admired her for challenging him so often despite her clearly hating him.

"I won't lie and say the idea of making the Malfoys the next heirs of Slytherin would be appealing. Yours and Draco's children will be a political power house not to mention share your own magical power from the Slytherin line,"

"Boys can't have babies together,"

Lucius rolled his eyes, "You need to stop thinking like a muggle. Magic can easily get around that problem,"

Harry's eyes bulged out of his skull, "You want Draco to get me PREGNANT!"

"As that isn't something you have to worry about until you are much older we'll talk about it then,"

"But-"

"No, you're much too young too have to worry about such things. All you have to know is it is painless and safe,"

Harry scowled but again Lucius chose to ignore it, "We will give you some remedial lessons this summer so that you might better understand magic," the child actually smiled at that before covering it up with a scowl. That told Lucius enough about the boy. It meant he liked learning magic but didn't want people to tease him for it. That could be fixed by raising the boy's self confidence.

Lucius cleared his threat to get the boy to focus, "As I was saying, the Malfoys and the Potters were always close. We might not have shared the same politicals but we greatly respected one another. Your grandfather told my grandfather all about his family history during their school days... that and they got in a good bit of mischief together along with Dumbledore. I actually apprenticed under your grandfather and heard him talking to snakes on more then one occasion,"

"What's talking to snakes got to do with anything?"

Lucius sighed, "It is an extremely rare gift that only the descendants of Salazar Slytherin have. According to Legend Salazar saved an injured Couatl, that is a extremely powerful winged serpent. As thanks the Couatl blessed him and all his descendants, allowing him to talk and command all types of serpents. They even gave him the able to channel his magic wandlessly through incantations in Parseltongue, that's the snake language. I'll see if we can get those books out of the Potter vault so you can study them. Your grandfather would have appreciated knowing the family arts didn't die with him,"

Harry felt something warm in his chest at the thought of having a connection to his grandparents. He spent most of his life wondering about his family. He never realized the fact he could talk to snakes was that long sought-after connection. He thought all wizards could do it but no it was something special from his family. He couldn't wait to tell Hermione and Ron. Harry didn't even process that it came from Salazar Slytherin yet.

"Would you care to hear about him?" Lucius asked actually putting his book down

"Eh?"

"You're grandfather?"

Harry gave a hesitant smile, "Yes please,"

Lucius smiled before calling, "Dobby,"

Suddenly the small little elf popped into existence. Harry knew the creature was called a house elf but beyond that he had no idea what it was.

"Yes Master Lord Malfoy Sir? What can Dobby do for you?" said the creature.

"Bring me the Photo album of my years Apprenticing under Lord Potter," Lucius ordered.

The creature disappeared in a puff of smoke. Before Harry could ask just what a house elf was the creature reappeared and handed Lord Malfoy a large photo album.

"Leave us," Lord Malfoy ordered unceremoniously and the Elf instantly disappeared. Then the man patted the seat next to him.

Harry hesitantly walked over to it and sat down, leaning over as Lord Malfoy opened the book to the first page, "Now the first thing your grandfather did when I went to Apprentice for him was cut my hair. Said I looked like a muggle music star,"

###

Harry was laughing up a storm as Lucius continued to flip through the book well telling hilarious stories about his grandfather. The man sounded really nice and funny but also really strict.

In defense of the man Lucius grew his hair out again the second he finished his apprenticeship.

Harry also learned his grandfather was already over a hundred before he had James and that was the reason they tended to spoil him a bit. Harry's dad was their little miracle.

The merriment was stopped by a loud yawn as Snape came down the Stairs.

The dark figure greeted them with a shallow "Morning," and Harry blushed bright crimson as the man leaned over and kissed Lucius right on his mouth, "I'll get the tea brewing and get the elves started on breakfast,"

"Thanks Sev," Lord Malfoy smiled

Snape's eyes lingered on Harry for a moment, "We need to have a talk about this one soon,"

Harry glared well Lucius sighed, "Later, when Narci wakes up,"

Snape nodded before heading to the kitchen.

"How can you stand him?" Harry said without thinking, as he often did.

"I happen to love him," Lucius informed, "He might not be a soft cuddly teddy bear like Narci but he makes me laugh with his dry sarcasm. Not to mention he's one of the smartest people on the planet,"

Harry snorted and Lucius cast a disapproving look at him, "I realize Sev is a firm disciplinarian and a demanding Task master but if you are to stay here I expect you to treat him with respect,"

Harry shrunk in his seat, he'd been having fun a moment ago, "It's not me, Snape has it out for me. He's always yelling at me and calling me an idiot and constantly letting Draco get away with bullying me," Harry only added the last bit because after seeing Lord Malfoy whack Draco at the train station he didn't think the man would be too happy to hear Draco was bullying him.

Lord Malfoy studied the child a moment, he didn't seem to be lying but just to be sure, "Would you care to show me?"

"Eh?"

Lucius sighed, he really had to do something about the random noises the boy made instead of talking properly. It was an unbecoming habit to the future consort of a noble house.

"I would like to view the memories of these incidents,"

"You can do that?" Harry gaped.

Lucius sighed, the boy knew nothing of magic. He was as bad as a muggle born with his lack of etiquette and magical ignorance, "Yes, just think about all the times you had an altercation with Draco,"

"And Snape,"

Lucius rolled his eyes, "Very well and Snape," although he didn't expect to see much beyond an over sensitive child.

Harry closed his eyes and focused on the events in question. Lucius shrugged as the child didn't actually have to focus so strongly but it wouldn't hurt anything either. The man pulled out his wand and pressed it to the child's temple. He used it to grab hold of the memories and pull them out in the sliver of a glowing pull string. He pocketed the string in a vial from his robe (not knowing a single adult wizard who didn't carry a number of components on their person at all times).

"Good boy," said Lucius and the child opened his eyes, "Now go play well I review these,"

Harry deflated, wanting to hear more stories about his grandfather, "O-okay but... can you tell me more stuff later... about Grampa?"

"Of course," Lucius patted the boy's head before standing up.

###

Draco was snoring so comfortably until he suddenly felt a clash of cold air as his covers were ripped away from him and a voice started yelling at him.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!"

Draco groaned, forcing himself to sit up, "Vit?" looking up as Severus.

Vitricus was Latin for 'stepfather' and over the generations wizards had come to use the word to refer to the parental figure who was the consort of the family. Youths often shorten it to 'Vit' or 'Vitty' as a term of endearment for that parent.

"It's so early," Draco yawned looking at the clock which read 11:15. It was early to be up on a summer morning at least.

"Explain to me why you have been lying to my face for an entire year!"

"Eh?" Draco blinked, speaking with his pure blood etiquette.

"Harry didn't even start ONE of those altercations I caught the two of you in!"

Draco paled, "You believe him over me!"

"Of course not, so you can imagine my surprise when your father showed me Potter's memories,"

Draco gulped.

"Nothing to say to that? I wonder, if I ask for YOUR memories will you hand them over without a fuss like Potter did?"

"I'm sorry Vit!" Draco welled up his eyes with crocodile tears.

"You LIED to me! You've been lying to me through the entire school year. You told me Potter was bullying you. It's the very reason I've been so harsh with him! You disrespectful little dunderhead!"

Snape pulled out his wand and cast a 'soap mouth' hex at the child and the boy began to whimper at the nasty taste of soap.

"Maybe I should leave like this for the rest of the summer so that you know never to try that with me again!"

Draco cried as he squirmed at the horrible taste in his mouth. He even felt the bubbles do down his throat and drip down his night gown.

Unfortunately he didn't have that gown for long as Snape grabbed the hem and lifted it over the boy's head, leaving the child as nake as the day he was born.

Draco cried harder and began to struggle as he knew just what was coming next. Dispite his efforts he soon found himself over his Vit's lap

The first smack came quickly and with perhaps a bit too much force due to temper. Draco's scream of bloody murder, holding a complete honest tone, cause Snape to pull back a good bit to get only the sound of gasp and yelps. He might be mad at the child but he didn't want to actually injure him.

Snape continued to lecture, "What I saw I found absolutely appalling" Getting into a rhythm were his open palm struck the child's small rear at each syllable. The boy still had a good bit of his baby fat giving him a plump backside still designed for spanking. A good indicator that despite the boy's protest the gods didn't think he was 'too old for a spanking'.

"What were you thinking!? Not only were you rude, disrespectful, and downright CRUEL to your own consort but I saw you SABOTAGING his potions! After all the years I put into raising you you chose to blatantly disrespect not only my classroom BUT MY ENTIRE PROFESSION! Then you have the gall to LIE about everything for an entire YEAR! You ungrateful, disrespectful, little brat"

Draco cried harder, kicking his legs and wiggling about on his Vit's lap, "I s-sowwWWIE!" he cried, gagging a bit on the soap in his mouth, "Vitty pweeese!"

"Don't you 'Vitty' me!" Snape scolded, "And just you wait. After I'm done with you your father plans to give you a taste of the cane,"

Draco cried hard at that.

###

Harry gulped looking around the corner into Draco's room. However much he might dislike Draco he didn't mean to get him SPANKED! Harry knew from experience how horrible that was. Especially when the adults were really mad cause that's when they drew blood.

However Harry was a little shocked to hear the spanking stop soon after it began.

Snape sat Draco up on his lap and strangely embraced him, rubbing circles on his back as Draco cried. Snape even cancelled the soapy mouth curse.

"There there little Dragon," Snape soothed, "Take deep breaths. When you're ready we'll go find your father,"

Draco started crying all over at that so maybe it wasn't over. When Draco finally calmed down Snape made him do a walk of shame to his father's office. The boy was blushing and covering his nakedness with his hands but he didn't look scared. He was definitely worried but he was obviously more embarrassed to be seen naked then the beating he was about to get.

Lucius lectured Draco a bit about shaming their family and such and Draco started crying again from just a simple lecture. Then he had to bend over the desk and got 6 strikes from the cane on his bum. Lucius wasn't even hitting him hard enough to break the skin but the boy still acted like he was getting murdered. Afterwards he was made to stand in the corner for 30 minutes but he'd actually been allowed to leave once to use the bathroom.

After his time in the corner was over Draco bounced about, rubbing his hide, and doing a little 'just spanked dance' which the grown ups strangely allowed. After a few minutes of that Draco blushed, remembering Harry was watching was him, and quickly covered his front.

"If you're done," Lucius said, "I believe you owe Harry an apology,"

Draco blushed as he wiped his tears away, "S-sorry,"

The Boy Who Lived replied with "That's it?"

Draco glared as he hide his front from Harry's view, "Isn't that enough!"

"You're not even bruised!" his butt was barely even red at all.

Draco gaped at him well Lucius and Snape looked worried at that.

"Harry," Lucius tried to phrase it in a way to not make it obvious he knew of the abuse... well also tricking Harry into revealing it. He was a Slytherin after all, "The punishment Draco received is quite normal in the wizarding. Is it common for muggles to bruise their children during punishment,"

Harry shifted uncomfortably, "Sometimes," he was only able to say that because he took it as a question from wizarding ignorance. Meaning he might be able to pass it off as normal, "If you're really bad,"

Draco was gaping at Harry. Unknown to Harry their were a few muggle borns in Slytherin and he was actually worrying about what their home lives were like.

"Go get dressed Draco," Snape encouraged, "The elves should be ready with breakfast,"

Lucius nodded, "I'll wake up Narci. Sev could you get Dudley?"

Snape shook his head, "Actually I would like to speak with Mister Potter for a moment. Would you mind collecting the muggle boy yourself,"

Lucius nodded, "Very well," as he left he shooed Draco out of the room.

"Potter," Snape said once they were alone then softened after a moment, "Harry... I would like to apologize to you for not only the behavior of my son towards you but my own. I was under the impression you were the bully in all this and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken the matter at face value,"

"I-it's okay..." Harry shifted, "Of course you'd believe your son," Harry had always had a forgiving heart. He got it from his mother, not that he knew that having never meet his parents.

"Harry I would also like you to know that what you just witnessed with Draco was probably the harshest punishment he's ever received in his life,"

"I-it was?" Harry blushed, not knowing why.

"I can assure you that well you stay here you, yourself, could never receive anything worse then that. Understand?"

Harry hesitantly nodded, that punishment looked more embarrassing then painful. Although Harry imagined it did hurt a bit it was nothing like he was used to.

"And one final thing Mister Potter. I was raised in a muggle neighborhood," Harry paled hearing Snape say that, "I know for a fact Bruises are not considered an acceptable way to discipline a child, even for muggles... I also know that that fact never stopped my father," Harry froze looking up at Snape, "I'm hear to talk if you need it but I won't hunt you don't to talk about your feelings either. I know it won't make a difference unless YOU want to open up,"

Harry gulped and said, "Dudley hits me to..."

"... He'll quickly learn that is unacceptable here but just to be clear you will be in just as much trouble if I catch you fighting with the other boys. You're all to be treated equally,"

Harry gave a slight smile hearing that.