52Chapter 3
Chapter Three: 1977
Draco's POV
Draco's head was throbbing, his mouth dry and tingly as if it has been stuffed full of cotton. He wondered if Pansy had gotten him drunk the night before, the signs were there, headache, dry mouth, fuzzy memories. He sighed, Fucking Pansy, I have to stop listening to her 'brilliant' ideas. His pesky friend has a knack for getting him to do stupid things. Groaning, he felt around for his blanket. There was absolutely no way he was getting up right now. He froze when his hand brushed against something far too cold, wet, and scratchy to be a blanket. Opening his eyes surprised to see he was laying on grass.
His pulse increased as he looked down at the grass, no way he could have gotten drunk and wondered out here. His housemates wouldn't have let it happen. They had a rule or more so an understanding, to keep an eye on each other. If he had gotten drunk with Pansy he would have found himself on the common room floor. Not outside. Feeling confused and worried, he looked around, hoping he at least recognized the area. He had barely begun scanning the area when he noticed a body laying a couple of feet away from him. He stood up and winced as pain rushed along his spine, taking a couple of small steps to test just how much pain he was in. When he deemed it minimal he took longer steps and approached the other body. Whoever it was, was laying on their side, so he reached down and took the other person's shoulder in his hand and turned them over. He stumbled back when Potter's face turn towards him.
"Potter?" The whisper came out as more of a curse as he stared down at the other teen. He was about to reach down to shake him, to demand Potter explain what had happened. When he started to remember.
"Fuck," he cursed.
What the hell happened? How did they get from inside the castle to wherever they were? He turned around trying to see how far away the school was, but it wasn't there. Instead of the familiar silhouette of the Hogwarts castle, he could only see grassy slopes of what looked like some kind of hill. Looking down, he realized that there was a small town at the bottom. One he did not recognize.
"Dammit," he muttered as an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. Something was seriously wrong. He reached down and shook the other boy, it was harder than necessary, and he told himself it was because of his dislike for the Gryffindor and not because he was frightened.
The dark haired boy groaned and tried to pull away.
"Dammit, Potter! Wake up," he shouted. He wasn't sure if it was the tone of his voice or the fact that it was him, but Potter startled awake, yelped, and jumped to his feet. The sudden movement caused the Gryffindor to sway. Not that Draco reached out to try and steady him. Serves him right for overreacting, he thought.
"What happened?" Potter asked after he stopped swaying.
"I don't know," he muttered in response. He looked away from the very confused brunette and towards the small town he could see at the bottom of the hill, "but I think I know where we can find out."
He pointed towards the town. Potter moved to stand next to him, his gaze following Draco's finger. Then the other boy looked back at him, his eyes narrowed as if he was considering something. Then with a sigh, Potter looked back towards the town.
Draco wondered, briefly, if Potter thought he had done this. He would be thinking the same thing if it wasn't for the fact that he knew the Gryffindor well enough to know he would never willingly, put someone in danger. Well, that, and there was no way Potter would put himself at risk. Not while the Dark Lord was after him. Not even for Draco.
"Come on," Potter said as he started walking slowly down the hill.
Draco stayed where he was, watching how Potter winced and cringed as he walked. It seemed the other boy was in a lot of pain, more so than him. He chalked that up to his inheritance, and the certain physical benefits it gave him.
Shame the other boy hadn't gotten one. With how slow Potter was moving, Draco was tempted to pick him up and carry him down the damn hill.
Instead, he just started moving, walking closely behind the other in case he fell. Heaven knows how much slower they would be moving if Potter fell and hurt himself worse.
Harry's POV
Harry was covered in sweat, and hungry by the time they reached the bottom of the hill. Whatever magic crap had transported them, had left him in a lot of pain. He hated travelling by magic unless it was his broom.
Of course, Malfoy was walking next to him and looked unfazed by their journey. He wondered if the blonde had some kind of glamour that hid how he really looked. Harry was tempted to take out his wand and check, but he was too tired.
He really needed to learn how to apparate,' he thought, then turned to glare at Malfoy.
"Aren't you 16?" he asked.
"Yes?" Malfoy said, looking at him like something was wrong with him.
"Why the hell didn't you just apparate us down here?" he yelled.
"Why didn't you?" the blonde replied.
He sighed, "I haven't gotten a chance to take the test yet." No way the Dursley's would have taken him to the Ministry over summer, and once he got to Grimmauld Place no one would let him leave again. Well, Sirius wanted to take him, but he was outvoted. Much to his godfather's annoyance.
"Neither have I." Something about the bitter way, Malfoy said it made Harry want to ask questions but he figured they weren't friends, so it wasn't his place.
As they approached the small town, they passed a few people, none of them seemed to be surprised to see them. There was no pointing or gawking. No people coming up to him asking him millions of annoying questions, and no one accosting Malfoy. At first, he wasn't concerned, figuring maybe it was a muggle town. But he noticed a few with wands and a group of small children using magic in the open.
He looked over at Malfoy and saw the other boy looked at him too. Something was off about this place. He noticed Malfoy had his hand inside his robe, holding on to his wand and that he was watching the people around him.
When they finally found a small pub, they walked into it. There weren't many people inside, and only the lady behind the bar looked up at them as they entered.
"Well, hello dearies," she said waving them over, "What can I do for you?" Harry saw out of the corner of his eye, Malfoy looked at him and then back at the women, it seemed the blonde was expecting her to comment on Harry Potter being in her bar. Instead, there was no look of recognition in her eyes; giving Harry a horrible feeling in his stomach.
He and Malfoy exchanged a glance.
"Umm, we are a bit lost?" he said, smiling at her, "We were trying to apparate and seemed to have gotten ourselves misplaced." He kept his eyes wide and his smile on. He wanted to go for naïve and lost and not scared and freaking out.
"Oh, you poor dears," the women said, rushing around the bar. "Did you get splinched, we have a healer here in town. I'm sure she could help you." She reached out and started looking him over, even forcing him to turn around so she could make sure.
When he was turned to face Malfoy, he saw the other teen had pulled out his wand, Harry shook his head, telling him no.
The blonde glared at him but lowered his wand.
When he was back to facing the women, she seemed content that he was whole, and moved towards Malfoy. Not wanting the suspicious Slytherin to hex her, Harry moved into her way, "No splinching. Really, we are okay, just a little lost."
The women smiled at him again.
"Well you both are wearing Hogwarts robes, so you are a bit away from home, but nothing some floo powder can't fix. Come along, I have a fireplace this way." He looked back over at Malfoy, unsure. Something was still off about all this. He could see Malfoy looking around, seeming as unsure as he was.
"Dearies?" the women called from the doorway.
"Sorry, coming," Harry called after her. He put his hand against his pocket, ready to reach for his wand should he needed it, and he heard Malfoy moving behind him. It should have made him nervous having Malfoy at his back, but the truth was this town scared him more than the blonde.
"You two shouldn't be wandering around, without an adult," the women muttered as they followed behind her, "Your parents should know better. Not with You-know-who attacking everyone. I mean that attack last week outside London," She tsked. "Horrible, 22 dead."
Harry's feet stopped moving, "What?" That didn't make sense, Voldemort had been laying low since the fight at the ministry. Harry hadn't heard anything about him attacking anyone.
"Oh," she said, stopping to look at them. " Did your parents not tell you? You would think they would have wanted you prepared." She gave them a frown, "At least your headmaster should have been keeping a better eye on you." Then she was moving again.
Harry took slow steps following, letting himself fall just far enough behind he could whisper to Malfoy.
"Did you hear of an attack?" he whispered, keeping his eye on the lady in front of them.
"No," Malfoy whispered back, "The Dark Lord hasn't attacked anyone for months."
"That's what I thought," he said and sped up his walking.
"Now," the women said, " I can not send you back to school, but maybe I can access your families floo?" she asked.
"How about Diagon Alley, The Leaky Cauldron," Malfoy asked from behind him, "I need to get a school book," the blonde lied. "Then we can send an owl to the headmaster." The women frown at them, but nodded.
"All right. Who's first?" Harry looked at the Floo, he really hated travelling by floo powder, he always ended up flat on his face.
There was an impatient huff behind him. "I will," Malfoy said, starting to push past him, when he moved, just close enough, "Don't hesitate," the blonde whispered.
Then Harry watched as Malfoy took a handle full of the powder and threw it, "The Leaky Cauldron." With green flames, the blonde was gone.
Not feeling comfortable being here alone, Harry reached in the bowl and took his own handful.
"Thank you," he said to the woman. Then tossed the powered.
"The Leaky Cauldron," he shouted.
Then he stumbled and knew he was going to hit the ground. Instead, someone caught him and pulled him back up. "Really, Potter?" Malfoy asked smirking at him.
He tried not to blush from embarrassment. Then shoved the blonde away. He heard Malfoy laugh, but didn't get a chance to yell at him.
"Shouldn't you boys be at school?" Tom the bartender asked.
"Hello Tom," he said with a smile, happy to see someone he knew.
"Hello lad," the man said returning his smile, "now what can I do for you."
Harry's blood ran cold, he was looking at Tom, really looking at him. Not only had the man not recognized him but he looked better. Younger, less grey hair and wrinkles, but that couldn't be right. This was wrong, it had to be some kind of trick, because the only thing coming to mind about what could possibly be happening, was too weird even for him.
He opened his mouth and closed it again, what should he say.
"A room " Malfoy said, moving past him. "For the night."
The bartered eyed them wearily.
"We are meeting our parents," Harry said. "They wanted to see us after what happened last week." Using the information, the woman had given them. Tom sighed and nodded.
Once Tom had given them a room number, he told them to sit down and eat. Not that either of them complained. Harry knew he was starving, and despite Malfoy not acting like it, he would bet he was too.
A few moments later Tom placed a big bowl of soup in front of each of them along with a glass of pumpkin juice Harry dived in right away, while Malfoy eyed it.
"Just eat," he muttered.
The blonde glared at him, but picked up his spoon and took a bite.
It must not have tasted too bad because he kept eating.
"Lucius, my boy!" a man said, moving to stand behind Malfoy, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?" Harry and Malfoy both choked on their soups and looked at each other wide-eyed.
"I'm sorry, sir, "Harry said quickly pushing his bowl away from him, "But I think you have my friend," and was that a weird word to use about Malfoy, "confused with someone else." The man gave him a dark look, and turned to look at Malfoy.
"Oh.I am sorry. You look just like a young friend of mine," the man said looking confused. Then he excused himself and walked off.
Harry looked at Malfoy, then picked up his bowl and drink, "Come on."
It showed just how thrown the other teen was that he didn't hesitate just picked up his stuff and followed Harry.
Harry rushed to their room, he opened the door, waiting for Malfoy to follow him in, then slammed it shut and fell back against it.
"This can't be happening," he muttered, trying desperately to think of another explanation.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" Malfoy demanded from the small table he had sat in front of.
"You're never going to believe me," Harry said, and received a glare in response.
"I think we are in the past," he said meeting Malfoy's gaze.