Chapter Two: The Strange New Reality


Previously...

"Dementors..." Hermione whisper with her heart rising in fear.

"Yes, lots of them... run, just run." Malfoy said while keep pulling her into a dash before the Dementors begin to move toward them.

Draco


They were doomed, that was the thought that kept coming into Draco's mind as they made their way into the dark forest where they ended, so suddenly. He had felt fear before in the past, but never as sharp or bad as he was now experiencing, while firmly holding the hand of his former enemy. To be honest with himself, he never expected that between Granger and himself there could be more than mutual hatred, but given the circumstances, they did not have the luxury of being enemies or the time to continue to hate each other. Just out of curiosity, he turned to look at her for a second and found no trace of her usual disgust in her eyes, as when she was near him, the only thing he detected in her was the same kind of fear he was experiencing, though to a lesser degree than his. She was a brave girl ... well woman, he gave her that and even if she was scared, he knew she was already trying to find a solution that could help them somehow.

It was no secret that Potter and Weasley always encountered problems of all kinds at Hogwarts every year without fail and that it usually became quite dangerous every time they faced a new complication in their lives, usually involving Voldemort. However, Granger faced these dangers head-on, keeping others safe, mainly due to her quick actions and witty mind. Yes, he had noticed that every time his father or someone else tried something against them, she kept herself and her friends in one piece. Potter did his part too (or so they told him) but they were still alive mostly because of her actions and honestly he hoped she could actually find a way to get them out of her predicament even if it was risky, damn crazy or unheard of. He was willing to do anything, if it ended up saving his life (well, their lives).

It all, felt so strange since they'd come to that damn place, from the way they looked older in seconds after their long fall, to the way they were transported there with an unknown magic that he didn't know existed and the place itself felt strange to his senses and unfriendly. The Dementors who came closer to them, only made everything worse and harder to process. He had no idea why they had ended up in that place or even how or why, but he was begging with all his might to make it all just a nightmare. Only to be a kind of illusion caused by that metallic book that he unfortunately had touched.

As they ran without a particular destination and despite the increase in temperature of their bodies by the race, the cold that surrounded them was equally intense, penetrating their clothes and their skin as if they were made of thin paper. Dementors have the tendency to freeze everything around them with their icy presence, causing all kinds of heat to disappear in just seconds. As the Dementors drew nearer to them, the atmosphere grew colder and no longer only the tops of the trees had traces of frost, but also that part of the forest began to cover with ice. Draco could already see his own hasty breath in small clouds of fog and he had no doubt that the Demontors were very close now and maybe in a minute or so, they will become their prey. However, Draco pulled Hermione a little faster when his eyes adjusted to the darkness in search for a small glimmer of hope, no matter how far or near it was, but the forest seemed to be deserted everywhere, without a single trace of living beings, whether human or otherwise.

He guessed that the multiple presence of the Dementors had killed that place forever and no one in his right mind would dare to enter such a dangerous place. Dementors do not discriminate against the personal status of living things, they pursue their prey no matter if they are high society or low, whether they are good or bad, if they are pureblood or mudblood, as long as their prey has memories, could become its victim. That was one reason mages have kept them 'confined' to specific places like prisons. It was widely known that they were considered one of the vilest creatures in the world as they feed on happiness, causing desperation to anyone close to them and their kiss could leave a person as an empty shell.

Having such a significant number of them gathered in a forest and perhaps near a town or village was unheard of, which only made him wonder why these creatures floated freely, without any kind of restriction. They were supposed to be watching the witchcraft prison of Azkaban and so far, he saw no prison around, so why the Dementors were there in the first place? Did the Ministry no longer keep them under their control? Does anyone else have control over them? What was going on in that world? Was it really the same one they came from or was it something else? Was this really how they would both find their end? He went on silently wondering as he guided Granger through the trees to avoid panic. His hand suddenly warmed over hers, but he simply ignored it and kept running. Any kind of warmth was welcome at that point not only because his body was freezing, but because as he felt the heat coming from her, it meant they were still alive.

Hermione


As Malfoy wondered about the many uncertainties they faced, Hermione was trying to find a solution to their problems. Of course, she had read about the Dementors and the effects they had on people, including how they 'killed' and knew the spell that could scare them off, but she had never tried the spell before and while searching inside her equally worn out clothes with her free hand, she realized she had no wand to cast the spell even if she could make it work somehow. She hated to admit it, but Malfoy was absolutely right, if they were not dreaming inside that cold and dark room at Hogwarts, or sharing a triggering illusion caused for the thing Malfoy touched, they were going to die there, by the kiss of Dementors no less, who would end up stealing their souls for an eternity. Yes, it seemed a horrible way to go, but even if she was a brilliant witch, there was no way she could make miracles happen only with her will alone.

Wait ... what is this? She wondered as she watched Malfoy's back as they ran for their survival. She was beginning to feel a strong magic building up inside her, and as she held Malfoy's hand, she wondered why she felt the magic so raw, so willing to run freely when she did not have the means to use it. The best wizards could use spells without words and sometimes when they were younger as in Harry's case, wizards could use wandless magic, but as they grew up, the wand became an essential part of their lives. In addition, given the prohibition of the use of magic to minors, many wizards who could use their magic without channeling it through a wand, end up forgetting how to use magic without it. However, the raw magic inside her definitely needed to be released, even if there was not a wand to use.

That kind of magic was new to her, but if she kept it locked in for much longer, she had a feeling it would burn her from the inside. She knew she needed to release that strange energy inside her and to be honest, they had nothing to lose if she really did end up using some kind of new magic. At least it could give them more time to run or seek refuge in a place from which they knew nothing.

"Malfoy wait..." She said, but he ignored her by pulling her even faster.

"Just a little more Granger ... I think I can see something ahead ..." He said focusing on reaching some nearby old ruins that he could see in the darkness between the trees. For some reason, he could see better now, a little too well for the surrounding darkness. Was he becoming some kind of strange creature that has a good night vision? How strange was that place? It was true that in his magical world there were many types of species from elves, goblins, gnomes, werewolves and so many others, but before that he was simply a normal wizard, one who should not be able to see that well at night.

"Malfoy, I do not think I can hold it any longer ..." She said and Malfoy turned to look at her, not understanding what she was referring to and when in doing so, what he saw took him completely by surprise, as her hands were glowing with a kind of bluish light, including the one he was holding. No wonder he had felt her hand a little warmer a minute ago. Just what the hell was going on with both of them? He wondered, as he saw with horror how close the Dementors were over her and then he knew they didn't have enough time to get to the ruins, the Dementors were simply too close. Instinctively, he stopped to take her in his arms when she bumped into him and protectively turned her, so that the Dementors would reach him first. He really had no idea he was able to put others over himself, but nothing that was happening to them until now made any sense to him. A moment later, he felt like the little joy he once had, begin to disappear when the nearest Dementor sucked in his memories from behind him, but when he closed his eyes on defeat, still holding Granger in his arms, something unexpected happened.

"Go away!" Hermione screamed as she spread her hands to either side of Malfoy's head and released the magic she was holding in waves. Much to their surprise, her wild magic created a huge dome-like barrier, which drove out all the Dementors who approached them and kept them away, when a white glow flung them back each time one came near it. Malfoy released her from his sudden protective embrace and looked up in astonishment as the Dementors were increasingly rejected by her barrier. Of course, they both didn't know they were being watched over by anything other than the Dementors and there was someone in particular who was very interested in what he was seeing.

The Ones From The Other Side


"Well, look at that Harry, we have a mage out there and a powerful one on that. It had been a while since we had seen such raw power." Neville Longbottom said, as he stared at the magnified image inside the glass mirror in the north tower of the old castle. Harry nodded in agreement, looking carefully at the image in front of him, which was reflecting what was happening outside their own unbreakable barrier.

There was something about the couple that was a few miles from their base, which made him had some mixed feelings. He had not seen any of them before, but somehow they were familiar to him, as if he had seen them a long time ago, but he could not remember exactly from where or when. Then he passed Neville's side, who was in charge of surveillance that night and go down the spiral staircase in search of Luna Lovegood, the seer.

However, since Luna had sensed the presence of the strangers near the base and knew that Harry would seek her opinion, Luna hastened to leave the base in silence to meet the ones from the other side, first. Luna knew exactly where the two strangers came from, since her sixth sense allowed her to see beyond what any other could. However, in that particular case, she should be careful about what she said about the newcomers, since no one would believe that they came from another dimension or from another reality altogether.

Luna walked with confidence, avoiding the guards who patrolled the base and edge of the barrier and sneaked through the leafy trees to avoid being seen by others. When she was closer to the border of the barrier, she used her wand to get out of the base and ran as fast as she could to the strangers. Most of the Dementors who usually came in search of their base, were too distracted by the girl's power to realize she was approaching, but she knew that Neville would notice her as soon as she was close enough to the mirror's reach. Then Harry would be looking for her, personally, so she needed to hurry to have an urgent chat with those two, who were now trapped inside their world. They were not the first ones to do so by any means, but those who came from the other side before, only caused a deep chaos in theirs.

Draco


"Granger?" Draco asked when he saw her turn very pale and held her when she staggered a little in front of him for a second. Her skin felt too hot at his touch, despite the chill that still surrounded them and he knew there was something very wrong with her. "Damn it, Granger, you have a fever, how did you manage to do that? Releasing all that magic at once was just crazy. How did you even learn to do that anyway?" He asked her again, not sure what he could do to help her. He was not a healer by any means and in his current situation had nothing that could help her if she ended up getting sick for some strange reason.

"Malfoy… I… don't feel too well…" She whispered while she grabbed his cloak for a bit of steadiness. She didn't care it was Draco Malfoy the one she was holding into, as her head was aching and the world seemed to spin around her.

"Seriously? That's kind of obvious, I just said you have a fever…" Was she even listening to him? He asked to himself in worry as he put a hand on her waist for a better hold on her. The bright dome above them continued to repel Dementors, so Draco ignored the presence of the floating creatures above their heads and looked around for something that could help him with the new development. Then he concentrated on the road where he had seen the ruins and to his great surprise, there was a young blond woman half hiding behind a wide tree, beckoning him to go in that direction. Was he imagining things? Why would a woman be in such an obviously dangerous place for any living thing?

"Hold on to me, Granger, I can see someone close..." He began to say as he took her in his arms, bridal style.

"Someone? Wait, Malfoy... it could be..."

"What, more dangerous than facing multiple Dementors at the same time? You have to be kidding me, right? Besides, it's a woman, who apparently is alone and for some reason I have the feeling that I have seen her before ... somewhere ... I'm not sure where, but we'll figure out what the heck is going on with this place soon enough." He said while begin walking in her direction. She ran a hand over his shoulders and put her head over his wide chest and Draco felt again the warm heat of her skin, it was very unusual for a fever to appear out of nowhere and rise in a matter of seconds, which made him worry even more about what might happen next.

"What about the Dementors?" Hermione asked faintly, over his chest and Draco looked up to see if the Dementors were moving toward them once they emerged from the safety of her magical barrier, but once they stepped out of the protective glow, not a single Dementor moved in their direction. Strange, he thought, but he was not going to complain about that particular stroke of good luck, it was something less to worry about. The blond woman patiently waited for them to approach her and once they reached her, she moved her hand to place it on Granger's forehead. Did she already knew Granger was sick? Well, he was carrying her, but still ...

"Who are you?" Draco asked, unable to hold his curiosity.

"I know you have a lot of questions and I will try to answer them as best I can in due course, but for now, Draco Malfoy, you are my long-lost brother Draco Lovegood. You are no longer a Malfoy if you want to survive in this place, since that name will become your death in here. I know this sounds ridiculous to you now, but I assure you that it is in your best interest to follow any crazy story that I invent about you two. I suggest you to follow my lead and don't contradict me in any way. This is not a safe place for a suspicious spy, if they discover that you are the son of Lord Voldemort's right hand." Luna told them, very aware that Harry was already nearby with a patrol team on his heels.

"Said what?" Draco asked in shock and Hermione looked at the young woman, better. She has the same color of white-blond hair as Malfoy and her eyes were a similar color to his, so she could understand why he could pass as her brother, but why ban him from his last name? Even if she did not want to admit it, the Malfoy's name represented wealth and power and what was that about Lord Voldemort's right hand? It was a kind of madness ... Voldemort was only a shadow, a shade hidden somewhere. Wait ... that name ... Lovegood ... Oh, of course!

"You're Luna Lovegood, from Revenclaw!" Said Hermione a little louder now and Draco looked at her in surprise.

"The loony daughter of that crazy man who runs The Quibbler?" He asked without thinking and Hermione gave him a frozen look.

"She's not crazy, you Slytherin snob!" She said with anger.

"I'm really Luna, but not the one you seem to know from your side. This place is not the same as the one you came from, so please follow my lead." Luna whispered just before a group appeared near their location.

"Luna!" Harry shouted with recognizable fury and Hermione widened her eyes when she recognized him. He looked different, just like Malfoy, a few years older, taller and mature, but his green eyes were the same, though his gaze seemed fiercer at the moment.

"If either of you recognizes some people here, please do not say anything and act like you don't know who they are. I promise I'll explain everything later ..." Luna whispers again before turning to face the enraged Harry Potter, the undisputed leader of the Order of the Phoenix, the largest rebel movement against the almost almighty Lord Voldemort, ruler of the world.

"Oh Harry, I found him, my lost brother from a long time ago! He was alive, as I have always told you, he is Draco Lovegood!" She said when he was close enough to take him in her arms in an embrace, the action visibly took Harry by surprise and he looked at the couple behind her back, with his fury suddenly forgotten.

"What?" He asked, pushing her away gently, to look at her better.

"He is Draco, my brother, the same one that my parents and I separated, when the Death Eaters attacked our shelter when we were kids. He does not remember much of it, since he had his share of difficulties, but it is him, I am absolutely sure of it." Luna said and Hermione and Draco looked at each other as they heard this and at that moment they both understood one thing. That world was crazy and now they were trapped inside of it, with only each other to cling to sanity.

AN: Thanks for reading. Until next time.