By: PepperjackCandy
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: You recognize it? It's J.K. Rowling's.
Warning: Slash ahead. If the idea of boys snogging and/or talking about romance with boys offends you, turn back now, before it's too late.
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REGULAR TIME
"So let me get this straight," Harry said once Hermione finished explaining about parallel timelines. "There's a timeline somewhere where the Dursleys let me read my Hogwarts acceptance letter the first time I got it."
"Right." Hermione responded.
"So how would that timeline be different from this one? Or the one I'm from?"
Hermione shrugged. "Dunno. The Dursleys'd have a few more pounds, since they didn't waste money dragging you across the country to avoid the letters?"
"Not to mention the embarrassment they'd've saved having to get the pig's tail removed from Dudley," Ron chuckled.
"That happened in this timeline, too?" Harry asked. "I wonder where the two timelines separated."
Hermione glanced at the clock, and was suddenly all business. "Speaking of differences, what class do you have after Potions?"
"Charms."
"So do we, and we're running late for it."
PARALLEL TIME
Harry was nervous as he walked through the hallways towards the Great Hall after Charms. Maybe Malf - Draco won't be there. He wasn't entirely certain whether this would be a good or a bad thing. He still remembered the searingly-passionate kiss that Draco had given him that morning, and his own eager reaction to it.
He paused outside the Great Hall to collect his thoughts, pushed his glasses up his nose nervously, and walked into the room. There, at the Gryffindor table, Harry could see Draco's blond hair shining like a beacon. Harry only wished he knew whether it was a welcoming light to draw him closer or a warning light to drive him away.
But draw him closer it did, until he found himself standing, breathless, at the Slytherin's right elbow. "Hi," he began, "is this seat taken?"
For a moment, Harry could almost read Draco's mind. He could nearly hear the Slytherin's happiness at hearing his voice, and then the nearly-simultaneously disappointment as Draco remembered that he was the wrong Harry Potter.
"Hi." Draco smiled warmly, but not *too* warmly, at him. "Yeah. That seat's taken. Now. By you." He indicated for Harry to sit down.
They sat in silence for a while, both uncertain how to open their conversation. Finally, Harry made the opening move. "The decision that separates this reality from my own must have been pretty huge. I just cannot imagine myself being at all friendly with Draco Malfoy. And that goes double for Ron."
Draco blushed slightly. "Well, I must admit I was a bit of a prat to my Harry at first. When we first met at Madam Malkin's Robe Shop, for example."
Harry sat up when Draco mentioned Madam Malkin's. "You went on about Quidditch and asked him if he was from a wizarding family, didn't you?"
Draco leaned forward now, and nodded. "And he didn't know anything about Quidditch at all, and said that his parents were a witch and a wizard, if that's what I meant by a wizarding family, and he said that he thought Hagrid was brilliant."
Harry and Draco stared into each other's eyes for a moment, stunned.
Harry spoke again. "And the next time we met was on the . . . "
"Hogwarts Express." They said simultaneously.
"I was a prat again, insulting Ron about his family's lack of money and dragging Crabbe and Goyle around like I was some kind of Muggle rock star and they were my bodyguards."
Harry nodded encouragingly.
"And when I offered my hand in friendship to Harry . . ."
"He rejected you."
"No."
"No?"
Draco shook his head. "No. He accepted. What did you do?"
"He said that he'd keep me from befriending the 'wrong sort'." He saw Draco cringe at the memory. "And I said that I thought I could tell who the 'wrong sort' were for myself."
Draco flinched. "Ouch. Yeah, I think I can see where things went wrong for you and your timeline's Draco."
"That made the difference?"
Draco nodded. "It must have done. When my Harry accepted, we shook hands on it. I always took my promises very seriously as a child. Not that I was raised to always be trustworthy, mind. But if Lucius Malfoy taught me anything, it was always to abide by the promises I make, so that they never see the betrayal coming. Remember, my father had everyone, including Cornelius Fudge, believing that he'd been under the imperius curse and that he was a fine, upstanding member of the community." He grinned wryly at Harry. "So when Harry got Sorted into Gryffindor, I started being hostile towards Harry and his friends. Harry just had to threaten to tell everyone that I wasn't as good as my promise. That pretty much stopped that right there.
"There wasn't any kind of dramatic moment of conversion or anything, either. It's just that every day I saw bits of what made Harry so fond of them, though I'll admit that I still put my housemates up to harassing them for a couple of years, but by the end of third year or so, I was actually starting to warm up to them, and nowadays I count them as two of my own true friends."
REGULAR TIME
"Harry? Are you in there, Harry?"
Hermione's voice brought Harry back to reality. "Huh?"
"You probably shouldn't be staring at Malfoy like that." She said.
"Your Harry doesn't watch him?" Harry seemed stunned by the idea.
"Well, yeah, he does, only it's with more hostility," Ron began, "and less . . ."
"Lovesickness." Hermione finished for him.
"It's just so frustrating," Harry said, "to have him right over there and know that I can't just go over and kiss him, or even *talk* to him."
"Harry Potter kissing Draco Malfoy," Ron shuddered. "That's a mental image I don't need."
Harry only shook his head slowly. It amazed him that his Draco could be so different from the one in this timeline. Actually, maybe it didn't. "Ron?" His eyes were drawn back across the room to Draco.
"Yeah?"
Harry looked at Ron. "Where did things go wrong? For you and Drac - Malfoy?"
Ron snorted. "It all started when I was born a Weasley and he was born a Malfoy."
"How about for Malfoy and me?"
"I guess I could say the same, only with 'Potter' instead of 'Weasley.'"
"Hm." Harry looked over at Draco again. This time, the expression was assessing, rather than lovesick.
"What are you thinking?"
"Nothing."
"Don't give me that, Harry. Whichever timeline you're from, I can still see the wheels turning in your head."
He looked back at Ron again. "Well, in my timeline, Malfoy offered to be my friend on the train to Hogwarts in first year."
Ron nodded. "Yeah. That happened in this timeline, too."
"And what did your Harry do?"
"Turned him down flat, of course." Ron's eyes widened. "Harry! You're not trying to tell me that . . .?"
Harry didn't need for Ron to finish the thought. "Yeah. I accepted. I don't know why I did it, just that I did, and I used that against him when he was a prat to us. Eventually he lightened up, and we really did become friends." Harry shrugged. "And as for the rest, well, that just kind of grew naturally out of our friendship."
"Oh, my God." Hermione breathed, drawing the attention of both boys. "You know what you just did?"
Harry shook his head slowly.
"You just found the place where the timelines split."
"Are you sure?" Harry looked dubious.
"It's a good bet. If Malfoy made the same offer in both timelines, but your answer was different in each one . . ."
"You know," Ron said, "she might have a point."
"So, if that's where the timelines separated, how does that answer my question about my relationship with Draco?"
"Maybe so you can see that you're happier with Draco in a Voldemort-free world?" Ron offered.
"Possible . . . " Harry admitted as they collected their things and headed off to Care of Magical Creatures.
PARALLEL TIME
"This is so disorienting," Harry whispered to Draco when Hagrid greeted the four of them cheerfully.
"What?" Draco asked. "You don't have Care of Magical Creatures in your timeline?"
"Oh, no. We do, and it's even taught by Hagrid. But Malfoy hates Hagrid, and the feeling's mutual." Harry looked at the ground, then back up into Draco's silver eyes. "Malfoy nearly got one of Hagrid's hippogriffs executed in third year."
Draco looked into Harry's eyes for a long moment, then down at Harry's lips. Harry wondered briefly if Draco was going to kiss him again, and worried about what it meant that he *wanted* Draco to kiss him. Instead, Draco looked back up at Harry's eyes and spoke with a quiet intensity. "I can tell you why Draco Malfoy hates Rubeus Hagrid, if you'd like to know. Or at least how it started."
Harry nodded silently.
"Imagine this. You're eleven, going on twelve, getting fitted for your school robes, when suddenly the most beautiful person in the world walks in. Everything about this person is perfect - hair, eyes, skin," Harry felt Draco's eyes caress him as he spoke.
"And you want to impress this person. You try to be charming and witty, but all that comes out is bragging. Bragging about your family, your Quidditch skills, your money. You hope that this will impress this person, though you're still desperately afraid that it won't. You continue nattering on, this time about your precious pureblood family, for it's the only thing your father has ever given you to be proud of in your life.
"And so you hope that this, this bright angel," Draco smiled as the endearment evoked some kind of fond memory for him, "will feel your attraction, and return it, but who does he seem impressed by?"
Am I the 'bright angel' that he's talking about? Harry thought in wonderment. He shook his head slowly, afraid to put voice to his thoughts.
Draco smiled sadly. "Rubeus Hagrid. He describes Hagrid as 'brilliant.' And smiles when he says it. I would have given anything for you to have said the same about me, Harry." The look in his eyes changed to one of pleading. "Or to have even the hope that you'd think it."
Harry was dumbstruck. Finally he found his voice. "You're saying that you - that Malfoy - was attracted to . . . me?"
Draco nodded. "You know, I've never said that, even to my own Harry. I've always thought he'd be uncomfortable about it. Knowing that I'd been carrying a torch for him since the first time we met. It certainly added fuel to the fire of Draco's hostility towards you. On top of his humiliation that you rejected him, and his disdain that you got Sorted into Gryffindor. He was probably doing the same thing most boys his age do with their crushes - trying to get your attention."
"You should tell your Harry, once we figure out how to switch us back." Harry told him solemnly.
"I know that now. If you didn't run screaming when I told you, then I guess my Harry might take it all right." They smiled at each other.
Harry looked around. "Where's everyone else?"
Draco came back into the moment then and grinned broadly. "I guess we got so wrapped up in our conversation, that we didn't notice. Well, let's head off towards the stables. Maybe someone there can tell us where the class is meeting."
REGULAR TIME
Draco got into Harry's face. "What're you looking at, Potter?" He sneered.
Harry looked slowly up and down Draco's body. "You." He said simply. He wondered what this timeline's Draco Malfoy would do if he were to close the distance between them and kiss him. Would he resist, or would he moan softly and give himself up to the sensations of the kiss?
Draco was the one who stepped forward, however, grabbing the lapels of Harry's robe and pulling him forward. Just as Harry shifted his weight to allow himself to be pulled forward, Draco pushed him back sharply, causing Harry to land hard on his rear.
Draco's laughter only lasted seconds, for, faster than he could have followed, Harry was up. He had Draco's arm twisted behind his back, and this time Draco ended up face down in the dirt.
The other Care of Magical Creatures students noticed the confrontation and started mumbling among themselves as Crabbe and Goyle rushed in. They each grabbed one of Harry's arms, pulling him off the blond Slytherin.
Draco stood, and as he turned to face Harry, rage twisting his features, Harry felt his arms being released.
"All right. Break it up." He heard Hagrid's voice booming behind him. Harry turned to see the half-giant holding one hulking Slytherin by the scruff of the neck in each hand.
"Are ye all right, Harry?" Hagrid asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Harry assured him.
"I'm fine, too, Hagrid. Thank you for asking." Draco's bitter tone cut Harry to the core. He turned to see the blond young man, the very image of his love, walking away, rubbing his sore arm.
Harry instinctively took a step forward to follow Draco, but Ron's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Don't." Ron said.
"But I've got to . . ." Harry insisted.
Hermione shook her head. "Ron's right, Harry. You can't go after him. Remember, in this timeline, Draco's still on You-Know-Who's side. If you start acting differently, you might give away the information that you're not from this timeline, who knows what You-Know-Who or the Death Eaters could do with that knowledge?"
Harry looked from Ron to Hermione and back again. He seemed to deflate slightly with his sigh. "You're right." He said, as the trio turned to follow the rest of their class out to the stables.