Harry woke up confused and disoriented. It was pitch black and he was confined in something. He started to panic and thrash around. He felt his magic start to swirl due to the fact that he couldn’t move.

“Harry! Harry calm down!” a familiar voice said to him from somewhere. “Calm down Harry, you’re safe. Calm down!” Now he remembered.

He was at Malfoy Manor, he had been blinded by his uncle and was now sharing a room with Draco Malfoy. Yesterday he went to the Dark Lord to ask if he could be part of the dark side and was accepted. Today, he was supposed to work on his casting now that he is blind as well as show Tom what he could do.

“I’m fine Draco. Thanks for calming me down, I just forgot that I was blind for a minute.” He told Draco. He and Draco had come to a ceasefire yesterday and they had decided to try again as friends. He hadn’t really hated Draco at all. He just hadn’t liked how spoiled and bratty Draco had been. He had reminded him too much of his cousin for him to want to be his friend.

“Are you sure?” Draco asked him with concern clear in his voice.

“Yeah,” I say trying to get up. “Actually….Could you help me find the bathroom? And helpmepickoutanoutfit?” Harry says embarrassed.

“Sure.” Draco says with what sounds like a smile on his lips.

HDHDHDHDHDHD

After Draco helped him find the bathroom and pick his clothes, something distinctly soft and silky-it was probably some of Draco’s clothes but he wasn’t going to complain- he helped Harry find the dining room.

“Hello Harry.” That was definitely Tom’s voice.

“Tom.” Harry says nodding in the general direction of his voice.

“The seat a few steps in front of you is yours. Young Draco here is to your right, I am to your left. Lucius Malfoy is right in front of you and Narcissa is diagonally to your right.”

“Hello everyone and thank you, Lord and Lady Malfoy for allowing me to stay here as you guest.” Harry says formally as he sits down.

“You are most welcome, Harry and please stay here as long as you need. We are, after all family.” Narcissa says with a smile in her voice. “Your grandmother was a black just like I was. And please, call me Cissa.”

Harry nodded as he slowly reached to where his plate is supposed to be and found it was already filled with food. Confused, he turned to his right.

“Like I said, the house elves know you are blind and filled your plate already.” Draco said to the unasked question. “On your plate there is eggs, scones, bacon, and pastries. To your right, next to your fork, is some jam.”

“Oh,” Harry said, “Do you know if the house elves at Hogwarts do the same?” he asks genuinely curious.

“Not that I know of.” Draco replies.

“I know for a fact that you do have to inform your teachers, because there are things that happen in classes that being blind prevents you from doing. Especially in Potions class, you have to work with a partner who knows what they are doing so that you don’t blow something up accidently.” Tom said joining into the conversation.

“I think I know the best way to inform Bumblebee about my blindness. We can post it in the Daily Prophet. Just imagine the headline, Harry Potter the Boy-Who-Lived hurt so bad by relatives that he is blinded for life. The public outcry would be huge. We should probably do it before I have to go to Sirius’ will reading.” Harry says looking in, hopefully, Tom’s direction. “Draco can take me to the reading as it will create the least amount of drama.”

“Wouldn’t it cause the most drama considering the fact that I am rumored to be living in the Malfoy house?” Tom asked confused.

“Not really. When Sirius died, Grimmauld Place barred the Order from entering because he just let them borrow the place. So when he died it wouldn’t let them in. Tonks, still having Black blood, can allow them in until I officially take over as head of house though. But I suspect that it’ll take them a while to figure that out. I’ll just tell them that I was able to get in and I found Draco there and we settled our differences. It would give me a reason to ask to get resorted into Slytherin. After all, what better way to get the evil Slytherins to change their ways and fight for the light, then to be ‘one of them’.” Harry said as he ate.

“That is extremely Slytherin-like Potter.” Lucius said impressed, “The only issue here is that there is no sure fire way to make sure that you get into Slytherin. The hat decides.”

“You’re right. That would be a problem if the hat hadn’t wanted to put me into Slytherin to begin with.” Harry says with a smirk.

Draco started to choke on the tea he was drinking.

When the coughing had subsided, he asked “What?”

“Yeah. If it hadn’t been brainwashed into me by both Ron and Hagrid that all Slytherins were evil and if you hadn’t dissed the first two friends I’ve ever had; then I would have been in Slytherin.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Draco said shocked, “If I hadn’t acted been mean to the Weasel, then you would’ve been a Slytherin? You’re like the epitome of a Gryffindor!”

“It takes a true snake to hide in the lions’ den. Don’t you think Draco?” Harry said with a smirk.

“Do you think we can get Rita now to write the story, because the will reading is in two days and I want to get this out with enough time to cause mass chaos?” Harry says changing the subject. Deliberately ignoring Draco’s spluttering, he looked to Tom for an answer.

“Sure let me write a letter to Rita in your name.” Tom says with his chair scraping away from Harry, so he assumed he was getting up.

“Okay, but you have to add the fact that I know she is an illegal animagus. She knows I know she is one.” Harry says finished with his food. "I guess that means relearning to cast will have to wait till later." he said as an afterthought.

~

“Hello Rita. Thanks for coming to meet me here.” Harry says sitting down when he gets the signal that she was sitting in front of him. Tom was in the kitchen checking out the Order’s plans that they had left behind when they had been kicked out, for the time being.

“Why did you want me here Potter? I got from our last meeting that you despised me.” She said from in front of him.

“I have the story of the century for you, but there are some things you have to agree to in order for me to allow you print this.”

“What’s the big story?” she says interest clear in her voice.

“Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, blinded by those Dumbledore used to protect him.”

“What?” she says astonished.

“In order for me to tell you anymore, you have to give a magical oath you’ll follow the agreements that I have for you.” Harry said not willing to give out any more info without that agreement.

“Fine. What do you want me to agree to?” she says albeit reluctantly.

“You have to agree to not talk about this conversation, or anyone that shows up, to anyone without my express permission. You will print whatever I tell you to print in the light I want you to, and you can’t tell anyone where you are.” He says listing off things that Tom and he had discussed earlier.

She seemed to be weighing the pros and cons to agreeing to this, “If I agree to this, exactly what light did you want me to put on this?”

He smiled, knowing that this was just precautionary, they both knew she was going to say yes. “Don’t worry. I won’t make you write a whole paper about how Dumbledore is the best and it was all Voldemort’s fault I’m blinded. This article will cause chaos.” He assured her with a smirk.

“All right,” she says with malicious intent clear in her voice, “I, Rita Skeeter, swear on my magic to not talk about this conversation or anyone that shows up to anyone without express permission from Harry Potter. I also swear to print exactly what Harry Potter tells me to in the light he tells me to and I will not tell anyone where I am.”

“All right, Draco you can show yourself now.” Harry said looking to the general direction of where Draco had said he would be.

The inhale from Rita told Harry that Draco had appeared. A hand touched his right shoulder to tell him where Draco was sitting.

“Well it all started when…….”