A/N: Writing in present tense is a bad idea. Hope you enjoy the chapter nonetheless!
Harry awakes to a sky with the sun still in it the next day. He blinks a few times and grins in relief at the familiar light on his face. Sweeping his fringe out of his eyes, he places his glasses back on himself and examines the landscape.
And the relief in him bubbles up and evaporates away.
It is autumn, at least two months too early.
Dead leaves litter their bodies and he can feel a strong wind brewing in the distance. All of the grass is dead and there isn't a speck of green as far as he can see. The bare trees loom tall and cast menacing shadows over their area.
His heart lurches and he quickly places a hand on Draco's chest to check that the man is still alive. He thankfully still is. Both his companions are still sleeping peacefully in place, unaware of the beginning of death around them. Looking toward the town, he realises that the cracks on the road have become much larger; some of them even appear too large to cross safely without falling through.
The town as a whole appears as dead as the grass the three of them lay upon. He stares silently at the fragmented buildings, considering checking on his friends to see if they were alright and possibly to explain last night. The worry that Blaise might attack Draco in his absence nibbles at him, but Harry decides to hurry back to town to do a quick check on the state of affairs. He has to find out how much has changed overnight.
He takes one last uncomfortable glance at Blaise sleeping next to Draco before quietly getting up. Dusting broken leaves off a random large coat, he strides swiftly back, cheeks colourless and fingers cold from fear.
"Something's definitely up with Draco and Blaise," he hears Ginny's loud and cold voice ring from across the cracked road. Harry immediately hides himself behind what used to be a whole pillar and warily watches the three of them discuss over breakfast at a crumbling café.
"So let me get this straight Gin, you're suggesting that we all lead a witch-hunt for the two of them? And get rid of them, ah, permanently?" Ron scratches his head as he looks hesitatingly between Hermione and Ginny, "What about Harry, though? He's with them and I don't think you'd want him to get hurt."
Harry sees Ginny falter at the mention of his name. She looks back down at her chipped teacup, running her fingers over its porcelain rim. But Hermione shares none of her hesitation; her jaw is set and she looks ready to fix things for the collective good of the town.
"Let's go start the hunt."
Harry scrambles back and away from his friends for what feels like the millionth time.
When he reaches the spot where he had left Draco and Blaise, Harry sees –with more than a touch of jealousy- both of them joking rather jovially while sharing a pile of coats.
"We have to leave now, Draco," he says piercingly, placing a firm hand on the blond's shoulder. Both of them look up cautiously at him, seeming to understand the implications of his words.
"They're coming to kill us," he hisses the obvious anyway, jerking Draco on his feet and toward him.
"Well, then just say so. No surprise there, seeing how early autumn came," Blaise mumbles irritably as he fumbles clumsily on the ground, trying to get himself to stand despite his leg. Draco pulls himself free from Harry's grasp and holds his friend securely up.
"He's not coming with us," Harry snarls, ready to wrest the two apart. Blaise's face remains impassive but Draco looks at him, confused.
"What?" Draco whispers, sounding a little hurt.
"We don't know what he is or what he's capable of. Besides, he'll probably just slow us down," Harry replies defiantly, crossing his arms as he locks a burning gaze upon Blaise.
"Harry, please," Draco pleads helplessly, "We don't have the time to argue about this now!"
"That's why I am asking you to let go of him and leave with me now."
"If you won't trust him, at least trust me, Harry," Draco whimpers, stumbling a little as Blaise's heavy and unsteady weight unsettles his hold, "I'll explain everything we know when we get to a safe place. I promise you that."
Harry knows, with a defeating crunch in his heart, that Draco will not leave without Blaise for now. After an exchange of a few heated words, he finds himself packing possessions enough for three people fervently into bags, under the hopeful gaze of bright grey eyes and dulled black ones.
They walk with great difficulty to the furthest outskirts of town, Harry constantly looking over his shoulder in worry and guilt. He has never been so far from his house and pretty much had never wondered once about what lay outside his street. He simply assumed before (rather foolishly now he thinks about it) that the street stretches on forever.
Standing in front of the huge forest now, it is clear that it doesn't.
The forest is brown from autumn as well, but the light that blesses the town doesn't shine into it. Past the immediate area at their feet, Harry can't see further into the forest and he isn't really sure that he wants to proceed. Darkness seems to emit from the heart of it and he can hear loud rustlings from within every now and then. The other two are especially uncertain as well as they shuffle around in their spot.
The three of them dawdle outside uncomfortably for a bit.
"In, I suppose," Blaise finally grunts however, obviously needing them to find a place to settle for the day. Draco yelps softly as Blaise wobbles precariously, his hurt leg ready to give way. Harry steals a glance at the sweating and tired blond and feels his heart skip again. Gritting his teeth, he takes over the grueling task of supporting the injured man from a very grateful Draco. Draco slings the considerably lighter backpack readily over his aching shoulders and smiles softly at Harry. Harry bows his head in return and does his best to calm his rippling and conflicting emotions.
He then leads them all into the darkness of the dying forest.
Most of the light disappears from behind them instantly. The three of them are plunged into almost complete darkness and are set on paths that are rocky and which are covered by leaves that crumble away from the lightest touch. And the sickening feeling of loss from last night returns to loom over Harry's mind, when he, looking at his surroundings, realises with a dull pang that what he once knew has certainly and truly ended.
They set up camp after another tiresome half hour's trek in the forest. The walk had been directionless and they had simply kept moving forward, changing direction only if vegetation got in their way.
With sweat running down his back, Harry makes a small clearing for Draco and Blaise to sit on before unpacking food for lunch. He hands a buttered toast to Draco who accepts it with a gracious smile. From the meager light, he can see Blaise glance hungrily at the bread before turning resolutely away, too arrogant to request for one too. Harry is tempted to let the injured man starve but he butters a toast for him anyway, shoving it into the surprised man's hands.
Harry then finally hungrily feeds on his own slice, too starved to strike conversation in the tense atmosphere. After the three are done, they fiddle self-consciously with their coats, picking twigs off them and wrapping themselves with them. Harry wonders if Draco is going to speak up about what has been happening now, but the blonde's head remains bowed impassively toward his hands.
Blaise ends up being the one to break the silence again.
"Po-Harry, let me show you something."
Harry immediately jolts into full awareness.
"What is it?" he questions very warily. He can hear Draco bristle against the dry ground.
"Blaise? Don't try anything funny now!" Draco whispers angrily, "I'll explain everything to Harry first!"
But Harry is on his feet by then, scrambling and fisting his hands roughly into the collar of Blaise's shirt.
"What is it?" he repeats himself slowly with a low dangerous voice, breathing heavily.
"Lumos," Blaise grins crookedly.
A ball of light flares into existence in the man's palm and a wind suddenly whips furiously around the forest, setting all the leaves into a hurried rustle. The ground then tremors a little, as if quaking in fear at what Blaise has done. Harry stares at the ball of light for a split-second in wide-eyed shock before landing a furious punch on Blaise's face. The light dissipates as Blaise falls back, groaning loudly in pain.
"I am going to kill you, you piece of –"Harry yells, his mind sick with worry and fear of the magic he has just seen.
How can Blaise just manipulate Light's existence so easily?
What is he?!
He lunges mercilessly toward Blaise, who cries out sharply in overwhelming pain as Harry lands on his broken leg with a sickeningly heavy crunch. Draco shrieks in panic as he latches on to Harry, desperately trying to wrest him free from his injured friend.
"Harry! Harry, let go, please! Look at me for a moment!" Draco begs frantically, a tear sliding down his pale cheeks as his panic rises with every blow Harry throws at his broken friend.
"What! What is it?" Harry whips around and shouts at Draco, infinitely more confused and frustrated than he can ever recall. His shoulders are squared, his stance tense and ready to attack.
"W-we all have the ability to do it. I-it's in all of us, because w-we were all wizards once," Draco stammers, backing away at the sight of a very menacing Harry, "You can too. It's not something to be feared, but f-for some reason the environment here fears it. W-we came from a place that didn't; w-where it was something to be p-proud of-"
Harry's mind spins at the ludicrous tale but he allows the tearing Draco to continue. He shifts closer toward the blond, his fists still balled and ready to confront.
"-B-Blaise said we all f-fought in a wizarding war. T-then the elders t-thought we were too broken mentally to function s-so they sent us here to rest. No magic, no strange o-occurrences until we were all 'normal' and 'stable'. We w-were the last two that they deemed in n-need of this program. The dimensional portal was about to close by then though, so t-they didn't successfully wipe Blaise's mind clean before the p-portal took him, that's why he knows. I was s-sent before him so my memory of the p-past was w-wiped partially, but I still recall f-fragments."
More dead leaves fall upon the floor. Harry thinks he hears Blaise groan in pain at the rough sensation of falling leaves rubbing on his cut and broken leg but he keeps his attention on Draco.
"If they knew you two aren't…clean, then why haven't these so-called elders come here to take you two away?" Harry questions softly, still very on guard.
"Because the p-portal between our two dimensions doesn't o-open till…I think Blaise s-said it was e-every five years. They have no safe way of coming here…at least they h-haven't found a quick alternative route between o-our lands when we left."
"Show me," Harry says testily, stepping toward Draco who shrinks into Harry's looming black shadow, as if hoping to melt away, "Show me you can do it, too."
The trees around them seem to rustle in anxiety again. Harry dimly wonders what is happening to the town now, if it has all collapsed into a black abyss.
"Lumos," Draco gasps nervously, hands uncertainly outstretched toward Harry.
The same ball of light grows and glows in his palms, illuminating his tear-streaked face and Harry's shocked green eyes. Harry feels his lips go dry and his stomach churns uneasily. He hears a distant tree collapse loudly onto the forest floor.
"How do I know this is not a trick?" he cries out in distress, unable to tear his eyes away from the beautiful warm light cupped by Draco's hands.
"Believe me, Harry!" Draco whispers with a little more confidence than before, admiring the shimmering light in his palms with his wet eyes, "This is what we are!"
The whole forest is creaking now and Harry feels like vomiting.
"How do I know this is not an infection from you and Blaise, how do I, how do I-"Harry finally pulls himself away from that alluring light and looks helplessly around the dying forest, mumbling crazily like a mad man.
"Say it too, Harry, just try," Draco follows his unsteady pacing, still holding onto the ball of light dearly, "T-This is the essence of our identities!"
Draco skips to the area in front of Harry, facing him with an unreadable expression, eyes now glimmering and bright with fascination.
"And after all, even if this really were an infection from us; you know too much to be pure again…if you want to think about it that way," he mutters carefully. Harry howls at those words, howls in anger at a normal life lost and feels sick, sick darkness encroaching upon him. Light-headed and giddy, he drops to the forest ground, fists scraping callously across the brown and broken leaves.
"Though this really is not an infection," Draco squats down, staring at him, "You've trusted me enough to defend me this far; take this as repayment – that I'm helping you rediscover your power and who you really are. You were our saviour."
Harry feels cold tears leak out of his eyes as he looks back at those inquisitive grey eyes. His feelings reel in his heart confusedly.
Does he really have a choice anymore? He doesn't have friends to return to now and here- here lies the promise of creating warm Light again. Possibly more.
The hollow emotion of regret over his choices starts to seep over his body again. He decides to act before it completely paralyses him with fear.
"L-Lumos!" he mutters, holding a shaking hand toward an anticipating Draco.
A ball of light sparks into existence on his hand, brightening the area around them even more. The wind around the forest howls in agitation and he's sure that more trees have collapsed and the town is entirely screwed over by now but he can't even see those things because he feels-
He feels like he's found himself.
There is no darkness in his heart, only light and more growing light. He feels a crack in the walls of his mind as realisation slowly seeps in and yes, one of the first things he remembers is that strange thing Blaise calls a surname; he isn't just Harry, he is Harry Potter.
Draco beams giddily at him and he smiles back, starry-eyed and warmed by the beautiful light sitting comfortingly in the palm of his hand.
This has to be right.
"So why don't you do something about your broken leg?" Harry asks Blaise rather insensitively before their sleep.
"Was never experienced enough to control my magic for delicate surgeries," the man says after some contemplation, turning uncomfortably away to face the other direction, "Nobody comes close to the saviour, after all."
"Well then just tell me-"
"You're out of practice, I don't want your wild uncontrolled magic running through my body," Blaise snaps tiredly, "Just let me sleep and I'll be fine tomorrow. Stop trying to make up for the beating up I didn't deserve, Potter."
Harry huffs as he closes his eyes, trying to ignore the nagging feeling of guilt that lingers despite Blaise's words. How could he have known better? Even now, he hasn't gotten the whole tale or all his memories.
He snorts angrily to the cold forest. Draco pats his arm gently and curls toward him. That is comforting, at least.
Harry dreams of a strange castle and of Ron and Hermione and of classes and of-
Flying.
Exhilaration rushes through his veins as he twists and turns his broomstick around a clear cyan sky. He sees Draco smirk mischievously from his own broom across the green pitch and he swoons a little at that expression, though it is unfamiliar. His blonde hair glints sharply in the white sun as he speeds downward.
A tiny golden ball flits erratically around the area Draco is headed toward. Somehow, Harry knows what he's supposed to do as his reflexes kick in without thought.
Need to catch it, need to catch it-!
Harry laughs as he hears Draco yell in disappointment when his broom overtakes the blond's. They bump roughly against each other, trying to throw the other off the course from the golden ball as they go further and further down toward the ground-
Toward the open mouths of ghastly creatures swathed in black with no eyes and certainly with no heart. They reach out toward him and Draco, calling silently out to their plummeting prey. There is nothing but coldness emitting from them and Harry cries out in discomfort. His senses are overwhelmed and all he can hear are a woman's sharp screams and green light- green light and a lot of blood.
He hears Draco cry out in pain and that jars his senses back. When he turns around, he sees the blond's broken body lying on the pitch, tens of those creatures swarming hungrily toward it. The blond is still conscious though paralysed. His eyes take in the creatures moving in to feast on him with a silent terror. His white body is slowly covered and hidden away by masses of black and Harry is sure that if Draco still could, he would be shrieking again and again in animistic fear.
Can't lose him like this- need to do something-
His mind swirls agitatedly as he holds a hand out. The creatures completely disregard Harry's existence as they choose to attack his immobile companion first.
Stop! STOP! GET AWAY FROM HIM-
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellows, his voice echoing loudly around him.
As soon as those words are out of his mouth, a massive ball of light flies out from his outstretched hand. It takes the shape of a huge male deer which gallops protectively in circles around the three before heading into the dark forest and disappearing. The trees that are touched by its shimmering light wilt and bend over like mere stalks.
Harry breathes rapidly, shocked at what he had just…just cast.
Blaise and Draco are awoken by his yell and they too, look toward the direction of where the deer had gone to in utter enthrallment.
The deer spell thing, Harry notes, was never taught to him by the other two. It came from within him.
He flops back to the ground, sweat dripping from his forehead. He unconsciously presses a hand to the lightning scar on his forehead as he thinks about it and his dream.
When he closes his eyes now, it is not with dread that he falls asleep; it is with the hope that his dreams will show him the answers to the questions he now holds about the world which he appears to have left behind.