Title: Leap of Faith
Disclaimer: J.K Rowling and Associates own these characters. I am writing this story for fun and not for profit.
Credit: This fic was inspired by Draco's Time, a wonderful fic written by Gemkat.
Pairing: Eventual Harry/Draco, mentions of others
Rating: M for violence
Content Notes: Angst, Violence, Child Abuse, Temporary Main Character Death, Time Travel, Alternate Universe, Eventual Romance, Character Death
Summary: Nothing happened as it was meant to. Just as all hope is gone, Draco is given a chance to go back to the beginning, to right the wrongs and change their destiny.
Author's Notes: This fic is a Major AU. Involves time-travel back to first year. Because of this, it will be extremely long, and will likely turn into a series. Please take tags seriously, and expect to see some OOC behaviour. The main characters will most likely be re-sorted. Updated 10/5/2021!
Major credit and love to PTwritesmoreand ALotMoreGinger, without whom this fic would not exist and I would not have had the courage to continue.
Prologue
Fire blazed; a starving creature, desperately consuming everything in its path.
Blood flowed in crimson waves; the guilty indistinguishable from the innocent, despite the madness that tainted their souls.
But even as the world tumbled into chaos and darkness, Draco Malfoy could only focus on the figure advancing towards him.
Silver eyes, identical and yet so unlike his own, eyes glowing with murder, and a voice dripping with hatred as he confirmed Draco's worst fears.
"Harry Potter is dead."
Of course, he'd known it to be true from the moment his father approached him.
True, Draco could still fight, and might even be able to escape. But what was the point?
Harry was dead.
Voldemort had won.
Draco didn't want to live in a world like that and knew deep down that he didn't deserve to.
If he'd realized the truth... if he'd accepted it... abandoned his foolish childhood dream of his father's pride... then maybe...
But he hadn't, and this is the price he would pay.
With a twisted smile, Lucius Malfoy pulled a knife from his robes and advanced towards his son.
Words were mumbled in a foreign language Draco didn't recognize. Lucius touched his wand to the knife, which shifted from glinting silver to the darkest of black.
Still, Draco made no attempt at escape but stood still and accepted his fate.
"Let this serve as payment," Lucius condemned softly, " Your afterlife shall be a torment of regret and despair; a living hell that will haunt you with your failures and treasury..." he paused, plunging the knife forward, "... for all eternity."
Pain.
Absolute.
All-consuming.
Twisting and tearing its way through him, ripping him apart from the inside and out.
And then... nothing.
Chapter 1: Into the Abyss
Draco was lost in nothingness for a long time. He was only a sense of identity, floating through an unidentifiable emptiness. He almost felt relieved, although he knew he should have been punished for all the things he had done.
"It is time for you to stop thinking this way," a voice whispered, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
It was as if the words, both powerful and gentle, pierced through the abyss. In an instant, Draco was pulled from the void; dropped through time and space.
His descent lasted seconds, centuries, and no time at all until he landed in a place unlike any he had ever seen.
The grass below him was a soft carpet of the deepest green. Flowers of all shades and hues surrounded him, permeating the air with their sweet scents. He felt the cool, gentle breeze caress his cheek, bringing with it a symphony of birdsong, humming bees, and the bubbling of a nearby creek.
"There now, that's much better, isn't it?"
Draco turned sharply, recognizing the voice that had spoken to him before.
The man before him was no older than 30; his eyes were a piercing blue and his hair the darkest of black. Power reverberated throughout the oasis, and yet he was not afraid; somehow, he knew this man meant no harm.
Suddenly, he was engulfed by darkness like none he had ever known.
He was assaulted and overwhelmed by the memories of his life and death. Failure, regret, and grief swept over him like a tidal wave. For an endless eternity, he was drowned, suffocated, and released repeatedly; never allowed to breathe… never allowed to collapse…
"ENOUGH!"
Draco gasped for breath as the malevolent force was ripped from his soul… like a living parasite designed to torment him.
"That's correct, Draco," the man said solemnly as though reading his thoughts. "Look there," pointing towards the air above them. Draco obeyed, shocked when he saw what appeared to be a black snake floating in the breeze... only something wasn't right. All snakes were simply that. They weren't dark or light, despite the common misconception.
Whatever this was… it wasn't a real snake.
This was evil incarnate.
The man waved his hand, vanishing the snake. "It was a curse set upon you by your father. When he killed you, he wanted to ensure you suffered beyond your death. It would have fed on you for eternity, crushing your soul beneath the weight of your own emotions."
A curse… his father's last words to him…
Putting aside the onslaught of emotions for the time, Draco focused on the man in front of him.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled as though at a private joke, "Why... Merlin, of course."
"Oh... of course…" and then, to his extreme embarrassment, Draco Malfoy fainted.