Harry left the novel on the bed, tired of reading it anyway since it was his third time through, and went down to let Snape in. It wasn't Snape on the other side however. Draco Malfoy stood looking at Harry, startled.

"Is- is Professor Snape here?" Draco asked

Harry frowned. "Erm-" Snape had told him they couldn't be seen together. He'd told him more about his spying duties than Harry and his friends had guessed on their own, and once had been called away to a meeting in the middle of the night. That had been the only time Snape had been genuinely angry to find that Harry had left the flat to watch the trains.

"Could you prove to me you're Draco?"

"What?"

"What's something only Draco would know?"

"I know it was you and Weasley that time in the common room on Christmas in our second year."

"Oh."

"Is he here?" Draco asked again, impatiently.

"He went to get groceries."

"I need to see him."

"I'd let you in, but he has wards up."

"Use your wand Potter."

"School's out."

"You're at an adult wizard's residence. There's no trace for any magic done here."

"You could use your wand."

"I'm not inside the residence."

"Are you sure they can't trace me?"

Draco just gave him a look, so Harry left him to go to the guest room to get his wand. He had the ward down in just a few moments, and Draco had come in, dragging his trunk with him. Draco pulled out his own wand now that he was inside, and put a new ward up.

"He didn't tell you?" Draco asked.

"He was pleased I thought I couldn't pull his wards down anymore and leave."

"You're a prisoner?"

Harry laughed then as he plopped down on the dark grey sofa and said, "I guess it can feel like that sometimes."

"I didn't expect to find you here."

"Me either," Harry said. He used his wand to summon his book and after Draco sat down on the other end of the sofa Harry said, "Do you have any novels I can read? The ones I borrowed from the school library are getting old quick."

"Isn't there a Muggle library nearby?" Draco asked. "A big one?"

Harry looked surprised and then nodded. After going to watch the trains all those times, he hadn't thought about going to the library.

Twenty minutes later, Severus came back with groceries, wondering if he'd find Potter missing again, and was surprised to find him and Draco sitting on the sofa together quietly, one reading, the other looking nervous.

Draco jumped up when Severus came in and said, "Uncle! I have to talk to you!"

"About the misuse of underage magic outside of the term?" He asked sternly, though the question was directed at Harry. Harry only shrugged and kept reading his book.

Harry listened as Draco detailed his last few days for Snape, who was apparently Draco's godfather. Draco's father had gone missing a week ago, and two nights ago his mother had announced she was going to France to visit relatives. She'd begged Draco to go with her, but had said they were going permanently. Draco wanted to return to school in the fall, so he'd refused to go, and she'd left him there at the manor by himself. Instead of following after her, he'd used the floo to get to the Leaky Cauldron, and then walked across London to Snape's flat.

"I'm sorry to invite myself like this Uncle," Draco said sincerely. "If I could just stay until the start of term, I promise I won't be a bother."

"You have a choice to make," Severus said seriously. "I will tell you something, and then you can have your memory modified and go home, or go to stay with your mother in France. Or you can make an oath of secrecy to me and stay here."

"Ok," Draco said quietly. Draco listened raptly for several minutes as Severus described the nature of his deception to Voldemort, and his true allegiences. Harry was surprised he was telling Draco at all given who his father was and how close their ties to Voldemort were, but Snape had also mentioned twice now his duty as Draco's godfather and how seriously he took that duty.

"Now you have a choice to make," Severus said, voice low and serious.

"I want to stay," Draco said. "I'll take the oath. Mother told me once she didn't believe you followed him. She didn't want me to either. That's why she wanted to take me to France."

"Do not make this decision lightly. The consequence for betraying this oath will be death."

"I want to stay with you. I won't be his servant. I never understood how father could make himself one. Malfoy's don't serve."

Harry stopped reading and looked up at the two of them in the kitchen, interested to see how an oath like this worked.

"Give me your wand," Snape said. Draco handed it over, and Snape pocketed his own. Then Snape reached out and took Draco's wand arm. "Repeat after me," Draco nodded and Snape said, "Severus, I promise not to betray your position as a spy to anyone, for any reason, under any circumstance."

Draco repeated it and Severus said, "I promise not to betray any information to Voldemort or his followers that I learn while staying with you, including anything learned about Harry Potter, or his whereabouts. I will not do this for any reason, under any circumstance."

Draco repeated Snape's words again, and then Snape waved Draco's wand around Draco's wrist and his own, and then handed the wand back to him. "It's done," Snape said. Draco pocketed his wand and seemed relieved.

"Thank you, you won't regret this. I couldn't imagine not going back to Hogwarts, and mother told me they'd be coming for me at the manor if I didn't go with her."

"Take your belongings up to the guest room."

Draco levitated his sleek black trunk up the stairs and Harry watched him go. He found Snape's gaze on him a moment later and looked startled to find the man staring at him.

"You let him in."

"Yeah?"

"He could have been a spy."

"I made sure it was him. Besides, it's only Draco. You heard him, he doesn't want to join Voldemort any more than I do."

"But because of his parents, he could have."

Harry sat forward then and gave his Professor a serious look. "He was mad when Cedric was murdered. He was one of the ones who believed me right away. And he was scared that Voldemort was back. Pansy too, and some others. I knew he wouldn't want to join him."

"Which others?"

"Teddy Knott and Blaise."

"Theodore Knott is Cedric's cousin on his mother's side."

"I didn't know that."

"Do not let anyone else in."

"Yes sir."

Harry went up to the guest room a few minutes later, feeling awkward downstairs with his professor, and found Draco sitting on the bed by the window.

"I'll move Hedwig's cage," Harry said, moving to get the cage from the floor at the foot of Draco's bed.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Harry said. He wondered how it was going to be sharing a room with Draco. Just because he didn't believe he would join Voldemort didn't mean he trusted him completely or thought they would get along. A month ago Draco was still throwing insults at him in the hallway at school and throwing rogue ingredients into his cauldron in class.

Harry settled in on his own bed with his novel, and a few minutes later, Draco went back down to the living room. Harry heard him conversing with Snape, but couldn't hear what was being said. He set his book down and wished he could go back to watch the trains. Maybe he would when everyone was sleeping tonight.

* * *

"Where's Harry?" Severus asked a few days after Draco arrived. He'd woken later than normal and was looking forward to a strong cup of coffee.

Draco shrugged.

"Is he in the room?"

Another shrug.

"Are you refusing to answer so that you don't directly lie to me after promising that you would not cause problems?"

Draco's gray eyes snapped up to his black ones. "I haven't caused any problems have I? I've left Potter alone and he's left me alone. Am I his keeper?"

"He's not in the room," Severus said with a sigh, and moved to make himself a cup of coffee.

"How do you know?"

"He's at the transit station."

"The- but why? Where's he going?"

"Nowhere."

Draco frowned. "Am I missing something? Don't you go to the underground to take one of those slow Muggle trains?"

"He sneaks out and goes to watch the trains. Frequently, no matter how many wards I put up."

"I- told him he was allowed to use magic since this is an adult wizard's residence."

"Thank you for that," Severus said, voice flat, yet with enough sarcasm to let Draco know he'd done him a serious injustice.

"I didn't know." Draco took a bite of the toast he'd been having for breakfast when his godfather had come out and then said thoughtfully, "I thought it would be hard to get along with him, but he's so quiet. Except at night." When Severus didn't answer immediately as he took a drink of his coffee, Draco continued. "He keeps calling for Cedric... and his dad."

"Cedric's father?"

"No, just... dad."

"It was a traumatic experience."

"Yeah and then what happened after," Draco said. "I never thought Potter was having to deal with the Muggles like that. A lot makes sense now."

"Such as?" Severus set his coffee down and looked up at the blond.

"Well the clothes he wears. I mean, you've seen them, right? He doesn't have much. I thought it was a Gryffindor thing at first, because Weasley wear's hand-me-down's, but Weasley's clothes are a far sight better than Potter's."

"I had not noticed." Or at least, he hadn't while at school. Since coming to the flat he had noticed that Potter's shoes had holes in them and the bottom hems of his pants were torn up where he had frequently stepped on them.

"Stay here. I must retrieve him."

"Wait, I want to come," Draco said.

"As I have already explained, it is unwise for any of us to be seen together."

"He might be at the library," Draco said. "He said he's been through all his books several times."

"Stay put. I will return."

Harry was not at the library. He was in his usual spot at the train station. "When will you stop going out?" Severus asked tersely.

"It helps me clear my mind."

"Your mind will be perfectly clear if a death eater catches you unawares and you are dead."

"Cedric had a lot to say after he died."

Severus gave the boy a hard look as they left the transit station. Perhaps it was time to take a trip somewhere. With Harry's continued nightmares, the daily lies in the Daily Prophet, and the recent stress of having to end school early and dealing with the boy's relatives, it might do him some good. Draco would probably benefit from a proper holiday as well. Severus knew he was trying hard to appear unaffected by his father's disappearance and his mother's departure, but he was struggling with recent events as well. Perhaps they'd even take a train for Harry's benefit. Maybe that would stop him from sneaking out at all hours to watch them come and go.