"I'm never playing chess again," Harry mumbled quietly, tensing as Hermione walked through the door of flames to the previous rooms. Once she was safely through, he sighed in relief. "Alright, you go next and then head back, try to get Ron to the hospital wing and get a teacher here to help us."
"Wait- What?" Draco turned to face Harry with a frown. "Harry, I am not leaving you to do this on your own." How dare he even suggest such a thing! This was the man of whom had killed Harry's parents, and he wanted to face that alone?!
"Yes, you are, because you facing him would be way worse than me facing him, especially after all you told me about where you came from! I can do this on my own, Draco, and I don't want you to get hurt." This- This idiot child! Draco glared at him before picking up the second bottle Hermione had pointed out and downing half of it. It tasted like lilacs, and buttercream.
"There. It's dangerous to mix potions." There was a frustrated scream from Harry, the child throwing his hands up in the air before snatching the potion and downing the rest of it.
"You're such an idiot!"
"Harry, I am older than you, and you're going to do what I say. So let's. Go."
"You're not that older in this timeline!" Harry snapped, stomping after him anyways. Draco would be more upset if the child's anger didn't look so cute - really, who could take an angry eleven-year-old seriously.
"I am, too," Draco shouted, following after him. They got to another tunnel and Draco went ahead of Harry, putting an arm out protectively. There was a quiet scoff from Harry.
"If anything comes up again, I really doubt your arm is going to keep me safe from it. Stop acting so protective."
"I'm keeping you back so that I take the brunt of it, now shut up. We want the element of surprise."
"Oh, I think it's already far too late for that, boys." A dark chuckle echoed through the room they had just crept up on, thick ropes shooting out of a wand and wrapping around them. "I had a feeling I'd be followed, but I didn't think it would be by children." Draco near snarled, and bloody hell. If he could just remember the counter-curse, they'd be free in an instant... But could he do it without his wand? He highly doubted it.
"Well? Where is he, then?" Distraction. If he could just keep Quirrell talking- That had to have been how Potter had stopped the stone from being taken. Keeping Quirrell there and talking until Dumbledore arrived.
"Foolish child... You don't know anything of what's going on," Quirrell sneered, turning back to the Mirror of Erised that took center place in the room.
"The Dark Lord," Draco said more forcefully. "Where is he?" Silence was his only answer and oh, that was not acceptable. Draco may have been in an eleven-year-old body, but he was Draco Lucius Malfoy. He had survived a war, changed sides, completely turned his life around, and made a vow to save people. He was here to do the right thing and he was not going to let some bloody Death Eater ignore him. Well... What was the one thing his child self had always been good at?
Throwing a fit. "Where?! Show yourself! I know you're here! Come out this instant!" He carried on like this, stamping his foot. "Wait until my father hears about this!" Quirrell was getting more and more twitchy, turning just enough to glare back at him. Harry, beside him, was looking at him as if he had lost it.
"Be quiet, you insolent child! You know not what you speak about, especially when it comes to the Dark Lord! Your father may have been on his side, but you know nothing."
"I will not! I will not be quiet, and I am not an insolent child! Come out! Show yourself!" Quirrell's wand flicked sharply at him, the man smiling smugly as Draco's voice was suddenly gone. Draco near shook with rage, near jumping up and down, making as much noise as he possible could, and throwing what his parents liked to call a 'level three' tantrum.
"Snape figured you out, though," Harry spoke up, voice quiet but firm as he stared at Quirrell, grabbing his attention. "That's why on Halloween he was bit by the dog. He was trying to head you off after you let the troll in." Draco looked over at Harry, his head tilting and he narrowed his eyes.
"Yes... Severus never did believe my lies," Quirrell chuckled, seeming amused by the conversation. "I suppose he knows how to find people who serve the Dark Lord, being who he is."
Draco felt the fire in his eyes at the statement as Harry frowned. "What? Who is he?"
"Oh? You didn't tell him?" Quirrell looked to Draco, grin growing. "Ah, I see... Trying to protect him from the truth? Or maybe your intentions are less noble... Trying to keep his friendship then, Draco?" Even if he couldn't use his voice, he made it explicitly clear the sort of language he would be using, right now. "Charming. Now, how to figure out Dumbledore's little puzzle, here."
While Quirrell absorbed himself with the mirror, Harry started twisting and struggling in the ropes, shooting Draco a look as if to say 'now what'. Draco shrugged before looking from Harry, down to himself. Draco then turned around, and shuffled closer to Harry. The child seemed to catch on to his thoughts, shifting closer as well. If they could just get the ropes loosened - or maybe Harry could get to his wand and pass it to him... Their hands were free, but their arms and legs were completely bound together. Draco wiggled and squirmed, trying to make the process go faster so they could get out, sooner.
There was the vague sound of Quirrell talking, muttering to himself. It wa the answering voice that had both boys freezing, blood running cold at the high, thin waver, "Use the boy... Use Potter." Draco's breathing began to pick up, and he began to shake. That voice. He knew that voice all too well, he'd lived with the owner of that voice. He was never going to forget it. So that meant he was here.
"Of course... Come here, Potter." Quirrell walked over before jerking Harry by his shirt, ropes disappearing before he dragged the boy in front of the mirror. "Tell me what you see, boy." Draco continued to tremble, taking a step back from where he'd heard the voice- It had sounded so close. As though it were in the center of the room. "And if you even think of lying, well... Draco's going to be the one suffering from it."
Swallowing, Harry looked nervous and scared as he stared in the mirror, voice shaking as he spoke, "I see my parents behind me, and Draco standing beside me. That's... That's it." That... No. That wasn't right. Hearing Harry frightened was enough to snap Draco out of his panic. He refused to let himself be a bargaining chip. He hoped Harry could see him in the mirror. Because whatever he saw, they could not let Voldemort get that stone.
"Useless boy," Quirrell snarled, sharply pulling Harry's shirt and tossing him back towards Draco. Scrambling to get his balance, Harry glanced back at Quirrell before looking to Draco and giving him a significant look. Draco frowned. What... He didn't understand. Did Harry know where the stone was? He seemed to know something, since he was creeping towards Draco and trying not to be noticed.
"He lies... The boy lies." Draco may have let out a few choice mutters about Legilimens. "Let me speak to him... Face-to-face..." No thank you. Draco would be fine if he went his entire life without that. No thank you.
"Master, you are not strong enough," Quirrell spoke, sounding as nervous as Harry had a few moments ago. Harry, himself, seemed rooted to the ground, eyes wide and panicked. Draco creeped closer to Harry until he was standing in front of him protectively.
"I have strength enough...for this..." That was all it took to have Quirrell... To have him unwrapping his turban? Draco glanced back just enough to throw Harry a quizzical look. What did Quirrell's turban have to do with Voldemort? Harry seemed just as confused, inching closer to Draco and starting to tug at the ropes again, Draco feeling something slipped into his pocket, as well.
Once the turban was fully unwrapped, Quirrell was turning his back to them and... And oh, Merlin. That... "Bloody hell," were the first words out of Draco's mouth. He only half-wanted to snatch them back.
"Yes... See what I have become, since my downfall? Nothing but mist, and shadow... It was worse, of course, until you two happened upon faithful Quirrell drinking unicorn blood for me. There is something else I need, though... Something that lies in your pocket, Harry Potter." That had Draco turning to look at Harry in befuddlement. The- The Stone? It wasn't in Harry's- Clear his mind. Clear his mind. Voldemort could read minds, that was why his aunt taught him Occlumency.
"You're never getting the stone," Harry muttered, fists clenching. Unlike Draco's fear, Harry just seemed to be getting angry. "You're never coming back- I won't let you come back! Not after everything you've done to this world!" Draco turned to look at Harry before looking back at Voldemort and frowning.
"You'll have to go through me if you want him." Draco could freely admit he'd always been a bit of a coward, but for Harry... For this kid who had gone through hell and back... He wasn't letting this Harry get hurt.
"Ah, Draco Malfoy... None of us have to fight, to be enemies... You two could join me. Together you two could do great things, but with me, you two could do whatever you wished. I could even bring back your parents, Harry Potter."
"You're right. We will do great things, together. And unlike you, we'll do good things, as well." Draco gave a fierce glare, and held his gaze well enough.
"Seize them," Voldemort hissed the words, and Draco's only assurance that they weren't in Parseltongue was the fact he could understand them. "Bring me that stone!" Draco certainly did not expect to be pushed out of the way, and for Harry to be the one protecting him. Nor did he expect the horrid crunching sound from his back pocket as he landed on his rear.
"I think you'll find it a little difficult to achieve immortality now," Harry smirked, eyes darting around to try and find an escape. "Afraid of death? Is that why you're clinging to this pathetic form so much, Voldemort!"
"Wha- You- Did you put the stone in my pocket?!" The greatest achievement in alchemical history... And he was sitting on its remains. He wasn't sure what was more horrifying, the fact the Philosopher's Stone was broken, or the fact that Harry was egging on the Darkest Lord in history.
"Kill them! Kill them!"
"Harry," Draco cried uselessly as Quirrell lunged at Harry, not even using his wand. Draco was ready to start trying to use spells without his wand before he saw the sight of Quirrell's skin burning, right... Right where he had touched Harry. What the bloody hell? Draco could only watch in horrified shock as Quirrell seemed to wither away into dust, Harry gripping him tightly. The screaming from both him and Voldemort had his ears ringing, and Harry was panting heavily as he stumbled a few steps back from what was left of Quirrell, body shaking.
"W-Well... I don't- I don't think Voldemort is going to be using the stone anytime soon." The rope around him having Vanished, Draco leapt to his feet and caught Harry from where he'd been about to fall. Looking towards where they'd come from, Draco stared helplessly. He could go try to get help, but that would require leaving Harry here. And he was not about to do that. "'M fine, just...tired." A weak, silly little grin. "Nice job breaking the stone, by the way."
"Shut up," Draco croaked, shuddering. It felt so...cold. And dark. It was so dark, and he couldn't... Maybe he could close his eyes for a moment and just... Just rest...
It was so quiet and peaceful, and then there were quiet sounds. It sounded - and seemed - like he was a light, airy place... That wasn't right. He was under the school right now, wasn't he? Past the dungeons. Draco opened his eyes, looking around. He was certainly surprised to see the moon. And even moreso when he realized he was in the hospital wing. And Harry- He shot up to sitting immediately. Where was Harry.
"Ah, finally awake, I see." Gaze shooting over to Madame Pomfrey, he felt confusion. A lot... A lot of confusion. "No doubt you're lost right now, well, the Headmaster brought you and Harry Potter up from the dungeons. A right state, you two were in."
"Yes, that happens when you face down the Dark Lord- Where's Harry?" Harry was his top priority, right now. There was a weary sigh, Pomfrey gesturing to the bed beside Draco's, Harry curled up under his blankets and looking to be peacefully asleep still. Draco immediately scrambled out of bed and walked over to Harry's, climbing in.
"Your friends warned me you'd do that," Pomfrey grumbled, sticking a spoonful of something into Draco's mouth before he could respond. "You can see them tomorrow, but for now you need more /rest/. You two have been through quite the ordeal." Draco stuck his tongue out. He certainly was not a fan of...whatever this sticky gel-like stuff was. Rolling over onto his side, Draco used on arm to tug Harry closer, sucking on the thumb of the other. "Honestly."
The sigh was warm and amused, more than anything, a constant that had always been at Hogwarts. Madame Pomfrey truly was a gem and that... Oh, that sneaky witch. That had been a /Sleeping Draught/. With a quiet grumble, Draco's eyes closed, and his hold on Harry only turned tightened as he began to drift off, again.
The next time he woke up it was midday at the very least, and near all his aches and pains had been healed. There were also heaps of gifts scattered on the bedside tables around them, Harry curled up to Draco and tucked under his chin. Both of Draco's arms had gotten around him at one point, and it seemed Draco had been protecting him, even in sleep. He gave a little nudge. "Harry. Hey. Come on, get up," he spoke softly, trying to not startle him.
There was a small groan, Harry burrowing closer, "Go 'way. Pretendin' the world doesn't exist right now."
"Come on," Draco repeated. "You have pr- pre-" He was cut off by a yawn as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. "Presents."
"'S probably for you-" Harry suddenly shot up, near knocking Draco out of the bed. "What day is it- Did I miss your birthday? Don't tell me I missed your birthday!"
"Harry, you're fine," Draco chuckled. "I'm certain it's only the fifth. If you missed my birthday, then I did, too." Groaning, Harry fell back, staring up at the ceiling before narrowing his eyes.
"Did... Did I dream up everything, or did we not only break the Philosopher's Stone, but beat Voldemort, too?"
"No, Harry," Draco sighed. "That all actually happened." Draco suddenly looked around. "Ron? Hermione?"
"I believe they informed Madame Pomfrey that they would stop by after breakfast. They've been quite diligent in checking on you two, the last few days." Draco wasn't sure what was most surprising. Dumbledore being there, or Dumbledore saying days.
"The...last few days," Draco asked hesitantly, glancing to Harry before looking back at Dumbledore. There was no way they had been asleep for days, right? They hadn't gone through any fights that badly- Well, Draco hadn't. Harry's fight with Quirrell had looked pretty bad.
"Right now it is ten o'clock in the morning on the day of June eighth. You boys had quite a bit of strength to recover, after everything, I imagine." That was almost three full days of sleeping... Had it really been that bad?
"I didn't think as much," Draco muttered, looking to the side. "Sir... When Harry touched Quirrell..." The man had crumbled to dust, near about. Draco wouldn't be forgetting those screams anytime soon, he was certain.
"Yes, mostly due in part to where Quirrell was being used as a vessel by Lord Voldemort, I'm afraid."
"But why," Draco insisted. "All Harry did was touch him-"
"Technically, he tried to strangle me," Harry helpfully pointed out, as if that made things better. Which it didn't. At all. "But, yeah... I mean, I don't think I used any magic?"
"Why did his touch have such a great effect?" Draco may have been pouting, but really. He had reason! He slept through his birthday!
"That, actually, ties back to the night when Lily Potter gave her life to protect Harry's. Such an act of pure devotion, of pure love, left a mark. A mark that cannot be seen or touched, but one that can be felt... Quirrell, who was possessed by Voldemort, could not handle something so pure. It destroyed him, quite efficiently, I must say."
"...Bloody hell," Draco breathed. That was...well. Efficient. He knew vaguely of the connection between Voldemort and Potter, but he thought that was all due to the horcrux business, not Lily's sacrifice.
"But, sir, what happened to him? To Voldemort? He's going to try another way to come back, isn't he? What about the stone? Is it really shattered? Did you tell Nicolas Flamel about it? Does anyone else know what happened? What-"
"Harry," Draco hissed, giving him a look. Really. Did his curiosity know no bounds? Thankfully Dumbledore was Dumbledore, so he seemed mostly amused, beyond anything else.
"Ah, you know of Nicolas, do you? You all did do things properly, didn't you. Yes, he has been made aware of the development. He and Pernelle have enough elixir left to put their affairs in order, I believe. We all agreed as well, that the stone being gone is for the best. It was very ahead of it's time, I'm afraid."
Draco gave a nod. "No one should live forever." Just from being reset... It was torture. Although he should probably work on acting eleven, since Dumbledore was giving him a rather searching look.
"As for your other questions, Harry, I do believe Voldemort is still out there... No doubt he will try to find other ways to return, but for now, you two have done a marvelous job in stopping him."
Draco widened his eyes slightly. "How long will it take him to come back?"
"That, I am unsure of, but with hope, it will be a very long time before we have to worry about him again. Now, you two still need rest. No doubt your friends will be visiting you shortly."
"Yes, sir." Once the man left, Draco narrowed his eyes. "He's onto me. He knows there's something off." He just had to figure out how much Dumbledore knew. Really, the time twister didn't even exist yet, so Dumbledore couldn't have too great an idea.
"Next year, I'm going to do something really great for your birthday," Harry mumbled under his breath, looking to already be planning.
"Why not this year? It's not like I got to celebrate, you know," he said with a huff. Honestly, missing his birthday was just horrendous. This had better not happen next year, that was for sure!
"Both," Harry nodded. "Both works. How are you feeling, though?"
"Better than you must be feeling," Draco said with a sigh, looking Harry over. "You? Are you bad off?" The child didn't look too bad, overall, but he still seemed a bit pale and shaky. Not that Draco could blame him, after everything.
"Not so much," Harry shrugged, laying back down with a quiet sigh. "And my scar's stopped hurting, now, so that's something." Draco gave Harry a smile before nodding.
"Alright, then. Why don't you help me open-" The doors burst open rather loudly and dramatically, both looking over to see a very upset Narcissa Malfoy. Snape was right behind her, looking hesitant and almost apologetic, and oh, dear. Draco's eyes widened as he took in the situation. His eyes slowly traveled to the chocolates that lay resting beside them, and he grabbed a few, shoving them into his mouth.
"Why are you-" Harry was cut off by Narcissa sweeping over and pulling Draco into a tight hug, tucking him close. Draco could tell her worry had been bad, if she wasn't even trying to get him to stop eating the sweets. "Ooh, this is your mother, then." Startled, Draco began to hug her back, looking to Harry with wide eyes. What did he do, here? Narcissa was rarely ever this worried about him. He paused and shot Snape the same look.
"Since the Headmaster wrote to your families, she's been very concerned. The Weasleys flooed in earlier this week, and the Grangers sent a few strongly worded letters our way." A glance to Harry, who was now curiously looking at some of the gifts. "We have yet to hear from the Dursleys."
"Probably upset I'm still alive," Harry muttered under his breath, and, oh, yes. Snape had definitely heard that judging from the dark look on his face.
Draco swallowed as he jabbed Harry in the side with his elbow. Looking up at his mother, he gave a small smile. "Would it help if I said there was no physical damage done to my person?"
"You're so lucky your father talked me out of home schooling you for the next six years," Narcissa sighed, hugging Draco a little closer. "What were you boys thinking! You could have died, or been killed, or died!"
"We were thinking that all of the teachers were just going to sit around and let this happen. Mother, he nearly had the Stone when we got there- Hang on." Draco turned to look at Harry, his nose wrinkled. "How'd you get the stone?"
"I... I don't know, really," Harry frowned, looking to be thinking on the matter. "I looked in the mirror, and I saw you and my parents... And then the version of you beside me pulled the stone out of his pocket, and put it mine. That's when I felt it just sort of appear, really."
"Wha.. Wait- What? You saw the stone in the mirror, and then you felt it in your pocket?" What the hell bloody sort of magic was that?! That didn't make any sense! There was no way the stone could just appear like that!
"Yeah, I just kept thinking, 'I need to get the stone first so I can get it away'."
Draco shook his head, a way of saying they would be talking about this extensively later. "Is...father here?"
"He's with Dumbledore, at the moment," Narcissa explained, a small snort heard from Snape. "Severus." Oh, that shut Snape right up, and, right. They all feared Narcissa for a reason.
"I see... Am I going to be sent to Durmstrang?" At that, Narcissa paused, and Harry looked between them with confusion.
"What's Durmstrang?"
"A wizarding school near Norway," Snape explained, staring at Draco like he knew what the child was up to. "It's seen as having a more strict education-"
"He's going to be sent to Norway?! You can't be sent away- Can you?!"
"Well... If they decide that Hogwarts isn't safe enough," Draco said with a shrug, looking down at his lap. He chanced a glance up, seeing Harry was looking at Narcissa with the most pathetic, hurt look imaginable. If it was enough to make Snape wince in sympathy, then it must have shattered Narcissa.
"I... I suppose we'll just see what happens next year here," Narcissa sighed, utterly defeated by an eleven-year-old Harry Potter. "Just please try not to fight anymore Dark Lords, Draco."
"I'll do what I can, Mother," he said quietly, pulling her back into a hug. It was strange... He almost felt eleven, again. But that was ridiculous. The hug was returned, a little thump against his side showing that Narcissa pulled Harry into the hug, as well. Draco shifted until he had an arm wrapped around Harry, as well. They had time to recover, at least.
::
"Is it going to be like this every year," Harry groaned, laying on the grass beside Draco as the two relaxed outside. With exams over and the year drawing to a close, everything was peaceful and relaxed - except Wood. He was devastated Gryffindor had forfeited the last Quidditch match of the season due to both seekers being in the hospital wing.
"I don't know... I think third year is alright. At least, it was from my end. Besides the bloody bird." That hippogriff was evil, and third year, Draco was staying far away from it.
"At least we can relax for the rest of summer," Harry pointed out, tilting his head back. "You'll keep in contact with me, right? Send letters as much as you can?"
"Of course I will. And I'll even learn the muggle way of doing it." Draco watched the lake from where he sat against the tree. "Harry... Why haven't you told anyone else about your family?"
It was a while before there was an answer, Harry rolling over on his back to better look up at Draco. "Why should I? It's not like it'd really change anything. I'm stuck with them, that's just how it is."
"...Granger and I could use the Telephone. I could pretend to be a muggleborn, and we could appear 'normal.'" Shaking his head, Harry sat up and stared at the ground.
"Doesn't matter if you pretend to be normal. If I get a phone call, they'll know it's one of my friends from my 'freaky magic school'. Same with letters... Muggle mail would be worst, considering what happened with my school letters."
"What happened with your school letters?" Draco paused, taking out a piece of parchment. "And what was the name of your uncle's company, again?" Although Harry gave him an odd look, he didn't question it.
"Grunnings, they make drills. And they burned my school letters- Well, they ripped the first few up, but when they kept coming, that's when they started burning them."
'Father,
I would be very appreciative if you were to buy the muggle company Grunnings.
Ta ever so,
Draco'
"Perfect. Come on, we should get to the owlery." Draco held a hand out to Harry. "They burned them? Just...tossed them into the hearth?" Harry nodded, letting himself be pulled up.
"Yeah, and then when they wouldn't stop Uncle Vernon drove us all around the country and then to a hut on a rock in the middle of the ocean. That's when Hagrid showed up to get me."
"...I'm sorry, what? I think I just hallucinated for a moment." There was horrifying, and then there was horrifying. Didn't muggles have some sort of child protection group? He had heard vaguely about that- This wasn't a problem in the wizarding world! Magical children were sacred and to be protected, and then Harry... "Harry, I'm fairly certain that some of the things you told me they did are illegal. If not in the muggle world, then in this one."
Harry only shrugged, as if this was normal. To him it probably was, but still. Had it been like this for Potter? Had he told his friends, in that time? Dumbledore? Someone who could help him. As they made their way to the castle, Draco huffed. Well. If Harry wouldn't tell anyone, Draco would have to.