Quidditch World Championship
Lucius POV
Lucius watched as Draco slammed the door to his office. He sighed. He had wanted his son trained so that when the Dark Lord came, he would be ready to take his place in the inner circle. That, however, was seemingly more and more unlikely as time went on. It seemed to Lucius that he was losing his son to the light. He knew he had told his son that as a Gryffindor, he would be all but disowned, but now he was realizing how desperately he needed the boy.
Draco seemed very attached to Harry Potter. The two had become thick as thieves over the past three years. It was not until recently that Lucius realized that having Harry Potter as his son's friend may have some benefits. If he could convince Draco to continue to befriend Harry Potter, bring him around the manor, maybe he could take the boy and hand him over to the Dark Lord (if the man ever came to power again). It was a poor use of his son's friendship, but he could always hand over his son to the Dark Lord as well, to be a slave to him, if need be. But even if the Dark Lord never came back, Harry Potter was powerful enough that if he were swayed the "right" way, he too could become a dark lord. And who would be to thank for that? Lucius smirked evilly. He needed to find his son.
Lucius summoned Draco to dinner. Narcissa, as always, was out on a shopping spree. It would just be him and his son. Maybe tonight, he could broach the subject of his son's best friend.
"I know you have been in contact with Harry Potter." Lucius began. Draco got up from the table and made to walk out. "Draconis Lucius Malfoy, you have not been excused. Do not walk away from me." He commanded. Draco sighed and sat back down.
"What of it? I won't stop talking to him. He's my friend." Draco told his father. Lucius rolled his eyes.
"No, on the contrary, if you would like, you could invite him to come with us to the Quidditch World Tournament in a few weeks." Lucius suggested, taking his eyes off of his plate and looking into his son's eyes. "I obtained an extra ticket, and he isthe world's youngest seeker. It would seem remiss of me to not allow you to ask him to accompany us, as your friend and fellow teammate."
"What do you get out of it?" Draco inquired, looking menacingly. Lucius put on an innocent look.
"To see my only son happy?" He lied. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Only a few hours ago, you were threatening to disown me, again. I do not begin to believe you want to see me happy." Draco argued.
"Do you want to bring the boy or not?" Lucius asked, disgruntled. Draco huffed.
"On the condition that you will not directly or indirectly cause harm in body, soul, or mind to him." Draco insisted. "And perhaps Uncle Severus could stay for the week."
"And he would stop me from hurting the boy?" Lucius considered.
"Of course, he has to appear to be Dumbledore's right hand, doesn't he? I don't believe the headmaster would be very pleased if his favorite student was caused harm in view of one of his staff." Draco cautioned. Lucius nodded in agreement, smirking.
"Perhaps there is some Slytherin left in you." Lucius noted proudly. Draco rolled his eyes again.
No POV
Harry was in the garden, pulling weeds and wondering if he could somehow sneak into the house to grab a glass of water. He was parched. He was also on rations again, and water seemed to be something the Dursleys felt they could allot to him as they felt led. He was happy Padfoot was by his side, soaking in the summer sun. At this moment, the blond dog was panting and rolling onto his back, as if asking for Harry to rub his belly.
"Padfoot, no." Harry negated. The dog whined. Harry huffed. "If you'd help me get these done, then I'd have more time to play with you." Padfoot gave him a curious look. "Well, there's your answer then. You can't help me. I have to do this myself."
Padfoot, however, was not one to give up. He got up from where he was lying in the grass and began to try to pick the weeds with his teeth. Harry laughed as the dog fought with a particularly nasty weed. At one point, he got it in his teeth, but as he pulled, he lost balanced and fell to his rump. Harry dropped to the ground in laughter.
"Padfoot, thank you for your help. You've done well. Let me take care of the rest for now." Harry instructed, preparing to continue in his weeding.
"Why don't you let me?" Came a voice from behind him. Harry turned around to find Draco standing behind him.
"Draco?" Harry gasped. Dragon, also known as Padfoot, got up and began licking Draco's hands.
"I missed you too, Dragon." Draco told the dog, dropping to one knee and rubbing the dog's head. He turned to Harry. "What are you up to, Scarhead?" Draco looked around. "The muggles got you doing some menial labor?" Draco asked, disgusted.
"Yes, try it sometime for a change." Harry teased. Harry laughed again as Draco scrunched his nose in disgust.
"I'll leave that to the house elves, thank you very much." Draco informed his friend, laughing.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. Before Draco could answer, another figure popped out from around the side of the house. Harry was surprised to see Professor Snape coming toward them.
"We are here, Harry, to take you back to Malfoy Manor." Severus informed the lad. Harry looked shock at the use of his first name. In ten years of knowing the man, he had never once heard Professor Snape use his first name. Harry looked at Draco concerned.
"What?" He asked, trying to figure out what was going on. Draco sighed.
"Father is taking us to the Quidditch World Cup, and he told me I could invite you." Draco informed his best friends.
"And you thought to tell me right when you were taking me away?" Harry questioned.
"Well, I wasn't sure if you were getting owls or not, and there really wasn't any other way to communicate with you." Draco explained. Harry looked down at his wrist, where his galleon communicator stayed firmly planted to his wrist.
"Really? No other way?" Harry half-hissed. Draco blushed profusely. Severus intervened.
"Hurry up, boys. We don't have all day." Severus reminded them. "Oh, and Harry, you might want to change into your robes. Nice ones, if you have them." Harry sighed.
"Let me get a shower, and I'll be right down." Harry told his professor. Severus nodded, looking toward Dragon. "Draco, you can come pack my things, if you like." Draco nodded, following his friend upstairs.
Severus stayed down in the garden. He looked over at Dragon.
"Black," He greeted. Dragon barked in response. Severus glared. "How do I know you're not insulting me?" Dragon growled.
Draco waltzed upstairs to Harry's room. He was surprised to find a totally different bedroom inside then the one he had seen two years before.
"This is different." The blond stated. Harry nodded.
"Yeah, Remus thought I needed a change of scenery." Harry explained. Draco smiled.
"Smart man." He replied. Harry looked solemn for a moment.
"How do I know your father won't kill me in my sleep?" Harry inquired. Draco sighed.
"We have an…arrangement." Draco said cryptically. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Let me get a shower. I'll be ready in five minutes." Harry informed him.
"A five minute shower?" Draco asked incredulously.
"Yes, Draco, some of us can get ready in less than two hours." Harry teased, throwing a pillow at the blond before leaving for the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, the two were coming out of the house with all the things Harry would need for the year.
"Is that all?" Severus queried incredulously. Dragon growled, and Severus looked over at Black. He guessed it was not the child's fault that he did not have many things. Oh, someone would pay for placing his godson with Petunia Evans.
"Yes, this should be it." Harry assured the man.
"Good." Severus answered. He pulled out a torn-up shoe. "This is a portkey. Have you used one before?" Harry paled.
"Um, no. No, I have not." Harry lied. Draco looked confusedly at his friend. What was Harry's problem? It was just a portkey.
They all gathered around the shoe, and Dragon grabbed on with his teeth while everyone else held the key in their hands. Severus counted down and soon they were at Malfoy Manor.
"Your suite is next to mine." Draco announced, grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him toward the west wing.
"My suite?" Harry inquired. Draco smiled.
"Yes, your suite." Draco answered, as if it was no big deal. Harry shook his head. He and his friend had grown up completely differently, but they were still good friends, for some reason.
That evening, Harry had his first meal at Malfoy Manor. Lucius sat at the head of the table, looking menacing as always. Narcissa was nowhere to be seen, which surprised Harry only slightly. Severus sat at the other end. Surprisingly, Dragon was sitting on the ground next to the dark man, begging for food. The dark man did not look happy with this arrangement.
Harry sat across from Draco. He was completely surprised by the fact that he had yet to be killed or tied up. He also had been allowed to unpack his things without fear that someone would see them (other than Draco). He feared what might be said if someone else saw the state of his clothes.
"Mr. Potter, thank you again for agreeing to come with us to the Quidditch World Cup." Lucius intoned with a fake air.
"Thank you for inviting me, sir." Harry replied, just as fake.
"I trust your summer has thus far been uneventful?" Lucius inquired. Harry tried to keep a shocked look off his face. This timeline was too surreal. Lucius Malfoy was asking if he had had a good summer so far.
"You have no idea, sir." Harry responded. Severus snorted, and Dragon harrumphed.
"We will leave tomorrow sometime in the afternoon. I suggest you be prepared by then. I do not believe we will be camping out, but that does not mean we will not be there a long time." Lucius informed them. Harry had to wince thinking about Lucius and the Quidditch World Cup. He knew what was coming up, and he did not know how Draco would handle it this time.
"Of course, sir." Harry and Draco said in unison.
The next day, they left for the match. When they got there, they were greeted by Ludo Bagman. The man looked the same as ever, and Harry wished the man would go hide under a rock somewhere. He had done nothing to help Harry, and he hated the man for not stopping the Tri-Wizard Tournament when things started getting fishy.
"Ah, the man of every moment, Lucius Malfoy." Ludo greeted genially.
"Hello, there." Lucius called.
"Lucius, dear man, what a day, eh? What a day. Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming, and hardly a hiccough in the arrangements. Not much for me to do." Ludo Bagman exclaimed. Lucius nodded.
"Ah, yes. This is my son, Draco, and his best friend, Harry Potter." Lucius introduced.
Ludo talked with Lucius for a while until Barty Crouch walked up.
"Talk of the devil, Barty!" Ludo called. Barty Crouch came up to them with his assistant, Percy Weasley.
Lucius talked with Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch. Meanwhile, Draco and Harry decided to go wandering off. They walked around the camp. Severys was firmly wrapped around Draco's arm, and Harry spent some time including him in the conversation.
":I just do not understand why so many two-leggers would come to watch a bunch of others fly around on sticks.:" Severys hissed. Harry rolled his eyes. Severus was walking closely behind, entranced by his godson's talent of talking to snakes.
"What did he say?" Draco asked.
"He doesn't understand why people come to watch others fly around on brooms." Harry translated. Draco launched into a long-winded conversation with Severys of why people like watching others on brooms. Harry followed along closely, translating so that the snake would understand.
"While I do admit this is very interesting, I do believe I spot Miss Granger. Have you told her you would be here?" Severus asked as a bushy-haired girl came bounding over. When she got there, she engulfed Harry and Draco in a hug. Dragon began whining and moving around, trying to get Hermione's attention.
"I missed you too, Dragon." Hermione promised, dropping down on one knee to greet the dog. He licked her face several times. Severus rolled his eyes.
"Always the ladies' man, Black." Severus grumbled under his breath.
"What are you doing here, Mione?" Harry asked.
"The Weasleys invited me." Hermione explained.
"Why in the world would the Weasels invite you?" Draco inquired. "You don't even talk to Weasel or Weaslette."
"The twins apparently suggested inviting me. They figured you would bring Harry, and they talked Ron into thinking inviting me would get in good with Harry. I think the twins just wanted to make sure we were all together." Hermione figured. Draco looked incensed.
"Why would a Weasel care about that?" Draco grumbled. Hermione smiled.
"Because the twins are nice." Hermione informed her friend. Severus rolled his eyes.
"Teenagers." He muttered. He knew the reason Draco asked that question was because he was jealous. Severus considered the fact that his one godson was in love with a muggleborn. That would cause problems later.
He suddenly wondered how he got roped into babysitting three teenagers and a dog with attitude problems. Not that he minded watching his two godsons, but he had enough of teenagers during the school year.
At this point, the twins, Ron, and Ginny came bounding towards the little group. Harry sighed. He would rather not deal with Ron right now. However, he did like the twins, and Ginny was okay.
"Hi, Harry," Ginny greeted shyly, twirling her hair with her finger. Severus placed a hand on his forehead and sighed. Why had he not stayed at Spinner's End for the summer?
"Hi, Ginny. Have a good summer?" Harry asked, not too interested, but trying to be nice. Ginny nodded, smiling widely.
"Heya, Harry! How was your summer?" Ron pried. Harry sighed.
"Fine, Ron. How was yours?" Harry questioned politely. Ron smirked.
"It was good. How did you get here? We went over to your house to pick you up, but your aunt and uncle said you weren't there." Ron paused for a moment. "They weren't particularly happy to see us. The twins dropped a ton-tongue toffee (one of their own creations), and your cousin ate it. His tongue grew huge!" Ron blabbered. "But don't worry, Dad fixed it."
"Why does no one think to tell me things until the last minute?" Harry complained, looking at Draco. Draco tried not to blush.
"It's so fun to surprise you?" Draco suggested. Harry shook his head and sighed.
"No, it really isn't." Harry responded, thinking of all the surprises he got last time he lived this year.
"Hi Harry," Fred and George greeted in unison.
"Ready to watch the best match in a century?" Fred inquired.
"Yes, we predict that Ireland is going to win, but Krum will catch the snitch." George told them. "In fact, we already bet Ludo Bagman that that would happen." Harry sighed.
"No, you didn't." Harry groaned, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "You know what, I'll wager in that, too." Harry added, not wanting the twins to lose their life-savings. He still planned on giving the winnings to them, but maybe this would allow them to get started on their business a little early.
"Really, Harry?" George asked.
"Sure, why not?" Harry responded with a shrug.
"Harry, planning on any great adventures this year?" Ron inquired. Harry glared at Ron.
"Why? So you can take credit for them? I don't plan these things, Ron. In fact, if I had it my way, there would be no adventure." Harry enlightened. This caught Severus' attention. The boy did not want to go off on his grand adventures? He thought the son of a Marauder would look for danger at any possible moment.
Ron cowed. Draco smirked.
"You're caught red-handed, Weasel." Draco sneered. Severus made a decision.
"Draco, Mr. Potter, we should be going." Severus intoned. Harry and Draco nodded. Draco turned to Hermione.
"Hermione, come with us." Draco invited. Hermione quirked an eyebrow.
"To your father?" Hermione questioned.
"Why not? You know how I love annoying daddy-dearest." Draco reminded her. Dragon panted and smiled. He saw so much of himself in the young blond.
"Oh, okay." Hermione agreed. The three teenagers walked off with Severus. She turned to Harry. "Why is Professor Snape here?" She whispered. Harry turned back.
"So Lucius Malfoy doesn't kill me?" Harry responded. Hermione glared.
"Do you think Lucius Malfoy would be so stupid as to kill the Boy-Who-Lived in his sleep?" Hermione rebutted. Harry shrugged.
"I don't know, but Draco made sure Professor Snape was here." Harry continued. At that moment, they arrived back at camp. Lucius Malfoy sneered at the newest addition to their group.
"Miss Granger," He greeted civilly. Hermione curtsied.
"Lord Malfoy, a pleasure to see you again. It has been too long." Hermione crooned. Severus smirked and snorted. Dragon panted as if he were laughing. Lucius glared at the girl.
"I see that we will be adding another Hogwarts student to our number tonight." Lucius drawled. Hermione shook her head.
"I am sorry to inform you, sir, but the Weasleys brought me. I will be sitting with them." Hermione corrected. Lucius smirked.
"Hmm. Pity." Lucius said. Then, he growled, "Weasleys."
"Father, they're in the camp around the corner. Why don't you strike up an argument with them?" Draco suggested maliciously. Hermione elbowed him in the gut.
"Well, it is almost time for the World Cup to start, so I should probably head over that way, anyway. Nice to see you again, Lord Malfoy. See you soon Draco, Harry, Dragon, Professor Snape." Hermione intoned politely. Professor Snape nodded, and Draco and Harry gave her a hug. Lucius glared at his son. Dragon nipped at Lucius. Lucius now glared at Dragon. Dragon smiled and panted. Severus secretly smiled and silently congratulated Black on a job well done.
The game began. Harry sat with Draco and Lucius. Harry was on edge, however. He knew Barty Crouch, Jr. was right behind him and in somewhat of his own mind. Draco looked over at his nervous friend.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked, confused.
"I'll tell you later." Harry promised.
The game continued on. Ireland scored immensely. Krum caught the snitch. Ireland won. Harry noted that nothing changed. He was glad because he did not think the twins could afford losing to two people. Harry smiled, knowing that he had done a good thing with the changed timeline. He hoped Fate and Time were not too mad at his change. At least the twins did not have to try and blackmail Bagman this time.
They returned to camp. Draco and Harry were both on edge. Lucius turned to Draco.
"Now, Draco, I must leave for a short while. You must stay here. Do not get in my way." He turned to Harry. "As much as this pains me to say, stay out of the way, as well." He turned to Severus. "Severus, are you coming?" Severus shook his head.
"I do not believe it in good taste to participate, Lucius. Not when so many could testify of my absence to Dumbledore. Remember, I must keep my position with him." Severus reminded him. Lucius nodded.
"Of course. I apologize that you will miss out on all the fun." Lucius grinned evilly. Harry and Draco shivered in fear as he left. Severus informed the boys that they should stay inside the tent. He went out to keep watch.
Dragon turned into Sirius.
"What's going on?" Sirius asked. Harry shivered a little again.
"First Death Eater attack in the coming war." Harry informed his godfather. Sirius grabbed his wand and rushed toward the door. Severus blocked his path.
"Black, you idiot, get back inside." Severus commanded.
"Why should I?" Sirius argued.
"Do you really think getting in the middle of a Death Eater attack will help you in your defense?" Severus inquired. Sirius huffed.
"Fine." He turned back around and went back to his godson. "Did this happen last time?" Harry nodded. He thought for a moment.
"Hey, my wand won't be used this time to conjure the dark mark." Harry announced happily. He went to grab his wand. "Wait, where's my wand?"
"Don't you remember anything? Winky took it while you watched the game." Hermione reminded him as she entered the tent.
"What are you doing here?" Harry hissed. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Well, I wasn't about to go with the Weasleys. Besides, you have another witness to state that you were here and not out and about casting dark spells." Hermione explained. Harry smiled.
"Did I mention I love you, Mione?" Harry told her. Draco sat back and glared at Harry. Sirius smirked at the teenaged angst going on in front of him.
At that point, they heard screaming. The attacks had begun.