Summary: After their detention in the Forbidden Forest, Malfoy asks Harry to explain what happened. Malfoy learns that Voldemort could have killed him in the Forest that night, and suddenly the future isn't what it was going to be. A first year AU scene.

Epiphany

By Potterworm

Ron elbows Harry in the stomach hard, suddenly, and Harry turns around from the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, only to find Malfoy behind him, looking right at him.

Harry looks at him, a little surprised by the potential for a confrontation this early in the morning. He's barely finished his eggs, and last week, Lord Voldemort nearly attacked him in the Forbidden Forest during detention. He's, frankly, just a bit too tired for this.

"Potter," Malfoy says.

If this was a dramatic movie, the Great Hall would have silenced at the potential for a confrontation, but their classmates are too busy eating their own breakfasts to notice.

Harry waits a minute, for Malfoy to continue, but he doesn't. "Malfoy," he says and nods his head.

Malfoy pauses for a long minute and seems to be searching for words. Finally, he says in a clipped tone, "outside" and strides from the Great Hall.

Harry rolls his eyes, not intending to follow him. He's not a dog to be ordered about anymore. But Hermione gives him a Look and whispers, "What if it's important? About… you know?"

Harry takes one final bite of his food, says, "Alright then," and stands. "But if he tries to duel me, and I get another detention, I blame you." He trusts Hermione's gut, and if Hermione's gut says this is important, then he's going to hear what Malfoy says.

He walks from the Hall and finds Malfoy still as a statue by the stairs. To his surprise, he sees that Malfoy looks paler than normal.

"What is it, Malfoy?" Harry says, his tone not as harsh as he had been intending. He thinks he can see Ron and Hermione in the crack of the slightly ajar Great Hall door. Of course they had followed him, he thinks with a smile.

Malfoy looks at him. "What was that Potter?" he asks.

Harry is confused, both by Malfoy's question and the fact that Malfoy had bothered to ask him anything. "What?" He gapes.

"Oh do shut your mouth, Potter," Malfoy says – and there it is, there's that insulting attitude Harry's used to. "What was it in the Forest?"

Harry looks at Malfoy, and he's prepared to shoot back an insult, prepared to say "what's it to you?" But if there's one thing Harry's started to learn in the wizarding world, it's that Voldemort is something to a lot of people, and he realizes now that Malfoy looks afraid.

He thinks about preparing some sort of long-winded speech, some sort of poignant, hero's tale. But instead, he just says, "It was Voldemort, Malfoy." He'll let Malfoy draw his own conclusions, let Malfoy realize that they very well could have died that night.

Malfoy shoots back automatically, "You're lying."

Harry can see the Great Hall door push forward for a minute, and he can practically imagine Hermione grabbing Ron's arm, telling him to not rush out there. "Am I?" Harry replies mildly.

Harry goes back into the Great Hall. It doesn't really matter to him if Malfoy believes him or not. Harry doesn't know that Malfoy will go to the Owlery that night and write to his parents, and that his parents will understand the risk to their son's life that occurred. Harry doesn't know that the Malfoy's will immediately put into action a chain of events that will halt the rise of the Dark Lord, in order to protect their son.

This is a school-boy's rivalry, and when Harry tells Hermione about the confrontation, she looks intrigued and curious, but Harry has other things to worry about now.