In the Park
Rating: G
Genre: Romance/General/Humor
Length: 4776, oneshot
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Summary: Contrary to popular belief, Harry and Draco's first encounter was not in Madame Malkins Robe Shop but in a park at the age of five.
A/N: How could I resist writing five year old Harry and Draco once it poped into my head? They are too cute for words! I would love reviews! Thanks for reading! :)
“Baby, would you like to go to the park?” Narcissa Malfoy asked, gazing down at her five year old son using his letter shaped cereal to make his spelling words for the week.
Draco ignored her, opting instead to peek his tongue out the side of his mouth and arrange the cereal.
“Look, Mummy! I spelled opulent!” She tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling slightly at his word. She ate the letter ‘a’ and replaced it with an ‘e.’
“There. Now, do you know what it means?”
Draco’s eyebrows creased in thought. He shrugged. “Orange lint?”
Narcissa’s tinkering laugh made Draco looked sheepishly at her. “No, baby. It means rich. And you know what that means, right?”
His blonde hair flung into his eyes as he nodded enthusiastically. “Yes Mummy! It means you have money and aren’t scum. You’re the best!” He slid off his seat and climbed onto Narcissa’s lap. “We’re rich, right?”
Brushing his hair out of his eyes she replied. “Yes, Baby. Now how about the park?”
“Yes!” He leapt to the floor and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Dobby! Dobby! Do-”
“Yes, little master? Dobby is here. What you want little master?” Draco sneered at his high pitched voice. Adopting his around-scum face he gestured wordlessly to his feet.
“Shoes little master? Is you wanting shoes?” Dobby rung his hands nervously. At Draco’s nod he jumped. “Yes, little master! Dobby is getting you shoes. Dobby be right back!” He skittered out the kitchen into the hall.
Draco sat on Narcissa’s lap, prompting her to comb her fingers through his hair. Draco smiled in content. He loved when Mummy played with his hair. It felt so nice, though she’d never do it when Father was around as he would say it was something to do to a girl but not a boy. Draco never understood why but never questioned it either. Father was never wrong.
“We’ll have to get this cut soon.” She fingered his long hair.
Eyes enlightening, Draco bit his bottom lip to hold back the squeal of excitement. He loved going to the hair dresser. He always got a cherry flavored lollypop and they had the funniest muggle equipment around. Mummy liked to go to muggle hair dressers because she said they didn’t leave magic traces on hair and the hair-magic wizards use damage their fragile hair. Father even goes to a muggle hair dresser though he doesn’t like it.
“Here little master, Dobby has got your shoes!” Draco pulled his head out of Narcissa’s neck to glare at the house elf. Dobby squeaked and disappeared.
“Hurry and put you’re shoes on. Auntie Bellitrix will be there.”
Draco was in such a rush he tied his shoes up wrong, and Narcissa had to redo them.
“Come on! Everyone to the bus!” The teacher with deep gray hair called, clapping her hands.
Harry was the last one onto the bus because everyone else pushed him out of the way. School was not a fun affair since Dudley was put in his class. No one liked him and the worst part was that at snack time he ate by himself.
Grabbing the seat behind the bus driver, so Dudley and his friends couldn’t beat on him, he stared out the window.
He didn’t want to go to the park. It wouldn’t be any fun. He’d have to stick by the teacher the whole time or try having fun by himself and risk being ambushed by his cousin.
The teacher sat next to him. “Are you excited to go to the park?” she asked. She always tried to include him in the other kids play and Harry hoped she wouldn’t make him go with the others when they got there.
The bus left the parking lot. Harry looked into her eyes and nodded, lying. He would rather be finger painting pictures of him having friends by himself than going to the park.
“Mummy?” Draco asked in confusion. He looked around at the park toys and frowned. Where were the bubbles that you go into to explore the depths of the lake? Where was the mini Quidditch pitch that the older kids were always occupied on? Why were the slides so boring? They only went down, not over hills and twisting in elaborate ways. But his favorite wasn’t even there. “Mummy,” he repeated. “Where’s the hovering broomsticks?”
She pushed him over to a bench and sat down. “This is a different type of park. It’s like the hair dresser. Muggle. So do you know what that means?”
Draco pouted. He knew but he was planning on talking to wizards about wizard stuff. Not being surrounded by muggles. “Yes. No talking about magic.”
“Good. Now go run along and play.” Narcissa shook her head when Draco plopped on the grass in a huff.
“Narcissa! And little Draco too.” Draco looked up to see Auntie Bellatrix sit next to Narcissa. He frowned even more; he hated when he was called little. Like Father would say, he’s not a little baby anymore.
“Hello, Bella,” she said tartly. Draco crawled under the bench, hoping to hear what they were going to talk about before they remembered he was there and sent him off. “Why did we have to meet in a muggle park?”
“Because sister. Less people who matter to overhear us.” Draco picked at the grass, plucking out a strand and shedding it into small threads. The sun beat down through the cracks in the bench and Draco pretended he was in jail overhearing them talk about a way he could escape.
“Why couldn’t we have talked at the manor?” Narcissa said, slightly angry. Draco didn’t blame her. He didn’t want to be surrounded by a bunch of muggles either.
“Because Draco would be there. I didn’t think you would bring him with.”
“Well, you didn’t say I couldn’t. You didn’t even say what it’s about.”
Draco watched a big yellow bus pull up to the side of the park. He’d been on the Night Bus before so this small bus looked very pitiful. A bunch of kids ran out, yelling and shoving each other but Draco’s attention was drawn to a black haired boy standing practically in the old woman’s shadow. He looked like a scared little baby. Draco scoffed and squashed an ant with his shoe.
“It’s about the Dark Lord. Crabbe reckons he knows where he might be.” Draco’s attention perked at his Auntie’s secretive tone of voice but fell at the mention of the Dark Lord. Or better known by him as the bloke who takes Mummy’s attention away from him.
“Bella!” Narcissa said aspirated. “He’s gone, I say, gone. Get that through you’re head!”
“Honestly, Cissa!” Bellatrix said, just as aspirated as her sister. “Do you really think he could be beaten by a little baby!”
“Well, that’s hard to imagine but it happened so-”
“It didn’t happen. Something went wrong. Crabbe-”
“Is a stupid man.” Draco smiled in agreement. He’d been over to their house before. The kid was just as stupid, if not stupider than his parents. The only good thing about him was that Draco could treat him like a house elf and he’d do nothing about it.
“Yes but he and-” Bellatrix stopped suddenly at the sound of a sneeze from underneath them.
Draco clapped his hand to his mouth and glared at the flower he was sniffing. He crawled out and faced his Mummy and Auntie.
“Draco, I thought you were playing. Were you under there the whole time?” Narcissa asked.
“I don’t want to be here! There’s no hovering broomsticks or bubbles for the pond!” His bottom lip quivered.
He climbed into his Mummy’s waiting arms and clutched at her shirt. He could feel Narcissa nodding and mouthing something to Auntie Bellatrix. Bellatrix then got up and walked off.
Draco stared over Narcissa’s shoulder to see the black haired boy still attached to the old woman’s shadow. He was sitting next to her looking bored while she talked to some other equally ugly lady. The sissy, he thought.
“Go play, Draco. Look what I got you.” He looked up to see Auntie Bellatrix holding a black cherry ice cream cone. He reached out for it but she pulled it away. “If you go have fun you can have it.”
Draco bit his lip. “Fine.” He slipped off, grabbed the cone, and sat under a tree out of hearing distance of them. The muggle kids running around having fun made him want to curse them and he would if only he had a wand and knew how to do curses.
Harry picked at the wooden bench he was presently sitting on.
He was bored stiff.
He almost felt that being tormented by the other kids would be more interesting than what he had to endure at the moment. Almost.
“And then my bus broke down in the middle of an intersection. Almost all the kids were still on,” the bus driver said. Harry couldn’t believe they were still on that story.
The teacher laughed appreciatively. Harry scuffed his trainers into the dirt. He watched the dust bellow up then he blew at it.
“Harry.” He looked up. “Why don’t you go play with the other kids? Darlene and Chase are by the monkey bars.” She gestured to two brunette twins dangling off the bars. They were the nicest in the class to Harry because they simply ignored him.
“No, thanks.”
“Come on. You never play with the other kids. Just try this once,” Teacher pleaded, smiling sweetly. “You’ll have loads of fun.”
Harry imagined her nose growing so far that it ran through the ice cream cone a blonde kid was eating under a tree across from the monkey bars. That’s how much she was lying.
Harry sighed. “Fine.” He walked over to the bars and stared up at the dangling twins. They ignored him as expected.
“Hey - erm - can I join you?” He crossed his fingers and hoped they would say yes and mean it but a nicely spoken no would be fine too. Then he could go back to Teacher and she’d have to let him sit with her.
“Look!” Chase yelled to his sister even though they were only an arms length away. “I can hang with one arm!”
“Cool!” She tried it and fell down at Harry’s feet. He wanted to try dangling with one arm. Maybe if he showed them he could do it they would let him play with them.
He climbed up the metal steps, grabbed a hold of the bars, slid his feet off the step, and fell. His knees scraped the dirt and hands became incrusted with it. Still the twins ignored him. They didn’t even laugh though someone from behind him did.
Expecting to see Dudley or one of his friends Harry was surprised to find the blonde boy under the tree was the one laughing. Harry stuck his tongue out at him which, to his utter confusion, only made the boy laugh more.
Getting laughed at his classmates was one thing. He came to expect nothing different but this! This boy he never saw in his life was laughing at him!
Determined to show the boy up Harry climbed back up. Biting his cheeks in concentration he swiped his hands on his large jeans. Looking over his shoulder to make sure the blonde was watching, Harry smirked at him. He let go and -
-Dangled there! All he had to do was let go with one hand. That was all. His pinky slipped off; his hands were becoming slimy with sweat. Quickly he let go before he slipped off. He stayed holding on!
Dropping to the ground he smiled at the boy. He’d shown him! The boy simply rolled his eyes and tucked some of his hair behind his ear. Now that Harry was really looking at him the hair looked really light. Really, really light.
The boy waved his hand at Harry to continue. What Harry didn’t know but he turned around and climbed back up again. On the other end of the bars Chase was holding on to one than transferring his hands to the next bar. Harry watched in amazement as he traveled three bars before he fell.
“Move,” a voice to his left demanded. Harry was yet again surprised to see not Dudley but the blonde boy standing beside him. His hair was light up close so Harry realized it wasn’t just the way the sun had hit it.
Harry was not going to be commanded. He got enough of it from his classmates and didn‘t need to take it from some strange boy. Even if he had the prettiest hair Harry’d ever seen. “No.”
The boy glared at him. “What did you say?”
Harry gulped. “No. I was here first.”
“Ugh!” He climbed up the steps till he was on the top one, squished next to Harry. Reaching his arms up he elbowed Harry off the steps.
Harry landed on his butt in a huff. The boy was mean and Harry didn’t like him even if he had nice hair.
“Hold this.” The boy, apparently just realizing he had an ice cream cone in his hand thrust it at Harry, who grabbed it on instinct.
Harry watched in awe as the boy traveled the whole distance of the bars and didn’t fall once. The twins stared at him then ran off in anger when he reached their side of the bars.
“Wow.” Harry unconsciously licked the ice cream. It was black cherry. He liked it and took another lick.
“I know.” He rubbed his hands together, satisfied. Suddenly his eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?” He stalked over and grabbed the cone out of Harry’s hand.
Harry licked his lips guiltily. “Sorry,” he said in a small voice.
The boy seemed to size him up. He held out the cone. “I’m Draco.”
“Harry.” He took the cone, barely believing what was happening. He took some experimental licks, thinking it would all disappear the moment his tongue touched the cold ice cream. He handed the cone back.
The boy - Draco - smiled at him.
So Harry had unkempt black hair and large clothes that Draco figured could fit an elephant - they’d have to find out - but Draco never really had a friend before expect Pansy. Crabbe and Goyle didn’t count since they were more like house elves. Pansy, he figured could count since she wasn‘t stupid and pretty much worshiped the ground he walked on. Besides, Harry looked at Draco in awe and he didn’t let Draco boss him around.
“You have large clothes on. Are you fat?” He didn’t look it but you never could be sure. Uncle Edward wore large clothes and didn’t look fat but once Draco had seen him with his shirt off. Draco thought the fat was going to roll off and smother him.
Harry colored. “Erm - it’s my cousin’s.”
“Then why are you wearing it.” He handed the cone over.
“Because that’s what Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon give me.” Harry handed it back for Draco to finish.
“Oh. Are you poor?”
Harry scratched his head. “I don’t think so.”
“Are you a pure-blood?” This was, after all, a very important question. Even if he wasn’t supposed to talk about magic stuff.
“Yeah? I don‘t think there‘s anything else in there.” He stared at his arm as if expecting something to crawl out of it. Draco couldn’t help it. He laughed. “What?”
“Nothing. Want to know a secret?” He beckoned Harry forward with his finger. He leaned in and whispered into his ear, “I’m a wizard.”
Harry leaned back and rubbed his ear. “That tickled.”
“Did you even hear me?” Draco looked sourly at him. He would have thought that that information would warrant more attention than that.
“Yeah. You’re a wizard.” He paused. “Prove it.”
Draco frowned at him. Prove it? “Fine, I will. Shh!” He put his finger up to his lips and crept away, expecting Harry to follow.
He stopped behind the bench his Mummy and Auntie were perched on. He put his finger to his lip again and Harry nodded.
“- don’t believe you,” Narcissa was saying.
“Cissa!” Draco shook his head in agitation. They were still talking about the stupid Dark Lord. Draco really didn’t like him.
A fleeting touch of fingers on his arm stopped his hand in mid air. He looked at Harry opening his mouth to say something. Draco, in alarm, jumped on top of the black haired boy, pinning him against the ground and covered his mouth.
“Mrf!” Harry yelled under his hand. Auntie Bellatrix stopped mid sentence. Draco quickly rolled them both under the bench, flipping their laying arrangement so that he ended up being the one pinned to the ground.
They both tried quelling their labored breathing. Draco wouldn’t have been surprised if Mummy and Auntie could hear his heart beating. After a long minute they resumed talking.
Harry’s head hit the ground by Draco’s in relief. He rolled off after Draco started squirming underneath him. Draco put his finger to his lip and glared this time, hoping it would get through Harry’s skull. He nodded, blushing slightly. Draco reached up from behind the bench. He carefully slid the wand out of his Mummy’s pocket.
He grinned wildly at Harry, who grinned back in confusion.
Harry tried to push out the memory of Draco’s scent as they walked across the mulch. He smelled like flowers.
“What?” Draco asked, stopping to stare at him.
“Huh?”
“You’re face is red.”
“Uh - nothing.” Harry looked at the mulch. It was a deep brown. After a few moments he looked back up to see Draco with his hands on his hip. “Erm - yousmellgood.”
His creased brow thinned out. “Thank you.”
“Yeah.”
Draco turned his attention away from Harry and stared at his mum’s stick. Harry had to admit it was a pretty stick. It was shinny.
“What spell should I do?”
Harry looked briefly baffled. Spell? Now that he thought of it, the only magic he’d ever seen was when Dudley was flipping through the channels on the TV and some cartoon guy pulling a bunny out of a hat. He hadn’t seen any other tricks since Aunt Petunia squealed and changed the channel, turning to glare at Harry. Sure the bunny looked sad to be pulled out of a hat but he felt she hadn’t needed to make such a big deal about it.
“Can you pull a bunny out a hat?”
Draco stared at him then scoffed. Harry stuck his tongue out at him. He thought it was a good idea.
“That’s pitiful.”
“Fine. Do whatever you want.”
Draco stared at Harry’s clothes so long that Harry felt his face getting hot. “What?”
“Is you’re cousin here?”
“Yeah.”
“Show me.”
Harry’s eyes widened in fear. “No! No, you don’t want to see him!”
Draco glared at him. “Don’t tell me what I do or don’t want to do. I don’t like you’re clothes.”
Unwillingly Harry led the way to the slide where Dudley was shoving a girl from their class off the ladder. Harry didn’t want Draco to meet Dudley. Dudley was sure to get Draco on his side and then his only friend would be no more. Harry didn’t want to lose him.
He jerked Draco back by the arm before he could walk up to Dudley.
“What?” he bit harshly, rubbing at his arm.
“I - I don’t want you to meet him.” Harry stared at Draco’s shoulder and dug his foot into the mulch.
“Why not?”
“Because,” Harry gulped and looked up. “Because you’ll hate me.”
Draco stared at him then laughed. Harry clenched his fists. He just told Draco something personal and he had the nerve to laugh! Harry turned around, trying to stop the tears from blurring in his eyes.
“Look Harry,” Draco choked, trying to stop his laughter. “I wouldn’t hate you.”
Harry stayed still. He didn’t want Draco to see the tears in his eyes.
“Harry?” Draco’s hand grasped his shoulder, turning him around. “Are you - are you crying?” he asked in complete surprise.
“No!”
Draco laughed, “Yes, you are!”
Harry couldn’t help it; Draco was laughing at him again. The tears ran down his cheeks and pooled around his chin.
“I hate you,” Harry muttered, rubbing at his face in embarrassment.
Draco surprised him by hugging him. “Look, I’m - I guess I’m sorry.” He pulled back looking confused at what he’d said but Harry didn’t care. He really did have a true friend.
“Got yourself a boyfriend?” Dudley said from behind Draco. His friends chuckled.
“Is this you’re cousin?” Draco whispered. Harry nodded, getting ready to grab Draco’s arm and run for it. “No wonder why you drown in your clothes,” Draco said, loud enough for the bunch of them to hear. “He’s as big as an elephant.” Harry, unable to hide it, smiled.
“Who - what?” Dudley spluttered obviously deciding that Draco had insulted him. “Yeah well, what’d you do? Bleach your hair?”
Draco fingered his locks, giving a look of death at the other boy. One of Dudley’s friends backed up. Dudley, however, held his ground, towering over Harry and Draco with his huge body.
“My hair is perfectly natural I’ll have you know.” Harry’s eyes shot between the two of them, anxiously awaiting someone to snap and leap at the other. Draco pulled the pretty stick out of his back pocket and pointed it in Dudley’s face.
“I’d run if I were you,” threatened Draco. Harry tugged at his shirt sleeve to stop. If Draco really was a wizard and could do magic Harry knew Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would blame him for whatever happened to Dudley.
“Why? Are you going to whack me with a stick?” He rolled his eyes and pretended to be scared by shivering. The other two of his friends laughed appreciably. The skinny one that had backed away was sitting on the top of the slide now.
“It’s a wand,” Draco growled, shoving Harry’s insistent hand off his arm. “I’m going to curse you, you useless fat blob.”
“Skinny stick waver!”
“Avada -” Draco faltered while everyone stared at him. Dudley muttered to his friends, asking what Avada meant.
“Are you cursing him?” Harry whispered in awe even though the spell appeared to do nothing. Maybe it would take a while.
“Yes, but I can’t remember what the second part was. Father mentioned it before and said it was the worst curse ever.” Draco’s forehead creased in thought.
“Oh,” Harry breathed.
“I got it!” Draco shouted in excitement. Dudley and his friends stopped trying to figure out what Dudley had been called to look over at Draco. “Avada Cadaver!” He shook the wand threateningly at Dudley but that’s all he did. No magic sparks, which was what Harry was expecting, came out. Nothing at all happened to Dudley except that he put a ‘you’re stupid’ look on his face.
“Erm - Draco…” Harry started.
“I know!” he snapped. “It didn’t work. I said it wrong.” He went through a bunch of spells that all sounded close to the same but slightly different to no avail.
“It’s okay,” Harry said, reassuringly touching his hand.
Draco grumbled. “No, it’s not. I am a wizard!”
“I believe you,” Harry lied.
“That’s it! We’re going to pummel you,” Dudley growled, looking confused.
Harry gulped, grabbed Draco’s wrist, and ran. At first Draco tried to stop him but soon gave up after a small rock hit him on the back. He ran with Harry, cursing all the way. Finally they lost them and stopped at the water fountain, sinking to the ground to catch their breath.
“That was cool,” Harry said in between gasping breaths.
“What was?” Draco thought it was rather pitiful how he couldn’t perform the spell. Granted, he’d never tried it before but still… And then he’d ran with Harry like a little baby.
“You.” Harry smiled at him. Draco smiled back.
“When I threw the rock at him?” Draco had grabbed the rock that hit him and thrown it back, hitting the fat boy in the shin which allowed Harry and him to get away from them.
“Yeah.”
They were silent, Harry getting up to take a sip from the fountain.
“You know, in wizard parks the monkey bars just hover in the air,” Draco said, picking at the grass.
“Really?” Harry sighed, looking at Draco in interest. “Then how do you get on them?”
“There’s a charm that hovers you up till you grab a hold.”
“Cool.”
“Yes.”
“Are you my boyfriend?” Draco looked at him, remembering how the fat kid asked if he was Harry’s boyfriend.
“I guess.”
“Oh.” Harry scratched his cheek. “What does that mean?”
Draco thought. “Well, Mummy always says that Pansy and I are going to become boyfriend and girlfriend and then we’ll get married.”
“Oh…Does that mean we’re going to get married?”
Draco grinned. “I’d rather marry you than Pansy but I think you have to ask me to marry you.”
Harry blushed an attractive shade of pink. “I’ve never done that before.”
Draco looked closely at Harry’s face. He reached his hand out, touching Harry’s scare on his forehead with his thumb. “What’s that from?”
“Huh? Oh, from a car crash.” Harry sucked in a deep breath. “Draco, willyoumarryme?”
Draco looked from Harry’s eyes, tightly shut, to his fists clutching the grass. He laughed again, knowing full well that Harry hated that but he looked so funny.
Harry’s eyes flipped open. “What?” he said, sounding hurt.
“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!” Draco flung his arms around Harry, still laughing but Harry smiled into his hair, seeming content enough to ignore that Draco was laughing at him.
“Good.” He pulled away. “What does that mean?”
Draco frowned. He’d seen Mummy and Father kiss before and they were married. “I think married people kiss.”
“But we’re not married.”
“I need a ring!” Draco suddenly remembered. Mummy had a very pretty diamond ring. He watched as Harry plucked a dandelion and twisted it around Draco’s pointer finger.
“How’s that?” Harry murmured nervously.
Draco smiled. “Perfect,” he said even though it wasn’t as pretty as Mummy’s. He sniffed it then sneezed.
“Draco!” Narcissa called from somewhere behind them. Draco stood up and Harry mimicked him.
“I have to go home now.”
Harry bit his lip. He quickly bent over and pressed his lips on Draco’s cheek. This time Draco blushed with him.
“Draco?” Narcissa asked in slight shock.
Auntie Bellatrix chuckled merrily. “Bella! You have a gay son!” She bent over clutching at her stomach. “So much for having heirs.” Narcissa frowned at her.
“We’re getting married,” Draco replied happily, thrusting his hand out to show her his flower ring. He heard Harry gargle something beside him. “Harry asked me.”
“Really?” Auntie Bellitrix asked, deeply amused.
“Yes! Right Harry?” His silence was making Draco concerned. What if he didn’t want to get married anymore?
Harry nervously rubbed at his forehead. “Yeah,” he whispered.
Draco smiled and looked self-satisfied at Narcissa and Auntie Bellatrix but saw both of them gaping at Harry.
“What?” Draco demanded.
Auntie Bellatrix made a movement towards Harry but Narcissa held her back. “Come on. We’re in public,” she muttered.
“But!”
“No buts. Come on Draco.” They turned around and Narcissa all but dragged Auntie Bellatrix away. Draco looked at Harry.
“Well, see you.” He rubbed at the back of his neck.
“Yeah. Bye.” Harry smiled.
“Don’t forget you have to marry me when we’re older!” Draco yelled as he ran after Mummy. Quickly he stopped and ran back. Pausing for a second in front of Harry he quickly kissed him on the cheek the same way Harry had to him.
“Draco!” He looked over his shoulder to see Narcissa gesturing him to follow. He ran after her, waving to Harry, who returned the wave.
Silently Draco slid the wand back in Narcissa’s pocket; she was too busy trying to calm down Auntie Bellatrix anyway.
“Mummy?” Draco questioned, a smile plastered on his face. “When can Harry and I get married?”
Auntie Bellatrix shook her head, seemingly amused now that they were out of the park and eyesight of Harry. She grinned at Narcissa. “Oh, this’ll be a story to tell the family. How you’re only son kissed Harry Potter!”
Narcissa glared at her as Draco grinned.
“Don’t forget we’re getting married!”