Track Change
Track Pi Zeta
Harry and Draco both hit the floor with a thump, seeing as how they had been sitting on the couch when they Apparated, and of course, there was no couch beneath them...
In the potions classroom?
"It's a good thing there isn't a class here at the moment," Draco said, standing, and straightening out his cloak. "That would be embarrassing."
"No kidding," Harry agreed, brushing himself off as he stood. "So which world do you suppose this one is?"
"No idea," Draco frowned, and moved to the door of the classroom. Cracking it open, he peered down the hall for a moment, then glanced back at Harry. "Coast is clear."
"Good," Harry hurried to join him, then they started down the hall. "Wait... isn't the potion supposed to track us right down to you? In whatever place we go to?"
"I think it only takes us to the general location. There must be some way to further refine it - after all, Draconius lands exactly wherever he wants to be. He must look ahead before he goes somewhere."
"Like a window," Harry muttered, thoughtfully.
"Yes, like a window." Draco and Harry walked in silence for some time, then suddenly Draco grabbed Harry's shoulders, and hauled him into a small side corridor. Harry let out a yelp of surprise, but Draco slammed his hand over Harry's mouth, shaking his head.
For a moment longer, there was silence, then a soft voice called, making both of them freeze.
"I know you're there..." there was a soft chuckle, then the speaker purred, "Come on out, I won't hurt you, I can't hurt you... I know you're there... I can smell you..."
"He can smell us?" Harry mouthed against Draco's hand, and Draco shook his head sharply, motioning for silence.
"Hmm... someone else with you, my pretty, yes, someone else... you know I don't like you touching other people, pretty... do I have to kill them to get the point across? Come on out, pretty, come on out..."
"Who is that?" Harry murmured, earning him a sharp look from Draco.
"No," Draco mouthed, eyes narrowing for a moment, then they widened suddenly, and he tightened his grip on Harry, tugging him further back in the corridor.
"Draco!" Harry hissed at last, tugging his head away from Draco's grip, then froze as, just over his shoulder, a voice purred, "Yes?"
Harry's entire body had completely locked up, so Draco did the only thing he could think to do. He yanked Harry's body to his chest again, tightened his grip on his wand, and yelled, "Lumos maxima!"
There was a yelp from behind Harry, and even Harry gasped, and buried his face in the front of Draco's jumper to avoid being blinded. Draco himself was squinting, glad the sudden and total flooding light of the corridor had blinded their adversary.
An adversary, who despite crouching on the floor with hands over their eyes, longer hair, and... - were those wings? - looked exactly like Draco himself.
"Nox, lumos," Draco muttered, making the light go out then flare back at normal levels in a moment. "Who the hell are you?!"
The other him, still wincing, peered up at him carefully. "Who am I?! Who are you, and what the hell are you doing with my mate?!"
Draco took a step back, dragging a startled Harry with him. "What?!"
"Did he just call me his mate?!" Harry gaped, horrified.
"Mine," the other, winged Draco hissed, eyes flashing a dangerous silver, the pupils all but disappearing. "Back away from him, and I'll consider not killing you."
Draco only raised a single eyebrow. "Harry, are you as disturbed by this as I am?"
"Oh yeah," Harry muttered. "Why does he have wings?"
"Because he's a Veela," another voice said, and the winged Draco spun in his crouch on the ground.
Harry Potter stood in the entrance to the tunnel, only not exactly the same Harry Potter that currently stood, wide-eyed, against Draco Malfoy's chest, fingers gripping his rival's jumper so hard his knuckles were white. This Harry was a bit taller, with much longer hair, no glasses, his clothing ripped and tattered, and a rather dramatic bite mark on his neck.
"Harry!" This alternate Draco gasped, sounding horribly relieved, and bolted to his feet, sweeping forward to draw the alternate Harry into a tight embrace. "What happened? You're hurt! Someone's scent all over you..."
Alternate Harry tilted his head to the side, sighing as alternate Draco nuzzled his nose over the bite mark, investigating it. "I was attacked. Who are you two?"
"Ah... you, sort of," Draco said slowly. "He's a Veela?"
"Mmm hmm," alternate Harry nodded, smiling a little when alternate Draco flicked his eyes over towards them, growling. "Male Veelas are a little different from female Veelas - it's the mate that releases the pheremones, not the Veela, so I have a tendency to get mauled in the hallways. Draconius didn't mention any others being able to transport between places."
"You know who Draconius is?!" Harry asked quickly, pulling away from Draco enough to take a couple steps forward. Seconds later, he was backed right back up against Draco's chest as the alternate Draco hissed dangerously at him, wings rising a little.
"Mmm," alternate Harry didn't seem to much inclined to be talking at the moment. His eyes were half closed, and he seemed to have relaxed visibly into the winged Draco's embrace. "He's the one who explained all about Veela to me, last summer. Warned me what would happen when I got to school in September. How he knew I was Draco's mate, I don't know..."
"We're beginning to suspect he knows more about all the worlds than he's letting on," Draco frowned, then calmly copied the alternate Draco, wrapping his arms firmly around Harry's torso. "Thank you... and... have a wonderful life together?"
Alternate Harry had started purring. "We will."
"Let's get out of here," Draco muttered, and Apparrated.
