[summary] – Harry/Draco [Demon!AU] He was either incredibly lucky or Draco was incredibly unlucky. He was inclined to believe it was both.

A/N - Written for Round 3 of QL, with the prompts Wanderers and 2001-2250 words, and the optional prompts [quote] All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us – JRR Tolkein, and [word] Faithful.

Wordcount - 2059

This is for Linda (she didn't leave a username). It's sort of what you asked for, but mostly isn't.

And thank you Liza [NeonDomino] and Dina [DinoDina] for beta'ing.


All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us

JRR Tolkein

.oOo.

He regarded the mortal with an intense concentration he usually only reserved for prey. Under any other circumstances, the man would have fallen under this category, but in this case he was either incredibly lucky or Draco was incredibly unlucky. He was inclined to believe it was both.

"You summoned me?" Draco asked, a mocking smile twisting his features.

"I– I suppose I did," the man said. Draco's smirk widened, his amusement beginning to outweigh his irritation.

"You summoned me because…?" The mortal swallowed audibly, eyes widening.

"Oh, er… I need your help," he said. "Please."

"You drag me to this realm against my will and now you start asking nicely?" Draco scoffed.

"Well, I mean, you could go back. If you wanted," he said.

"You really have no idea how this works, do you?" Draco asked. The mortal shook his head quickly. "Then why the hell were you summoning demons?"

"Well–" he began.

"If you mention that show I will kill you right now," Draco interrupted him. "Consequences be damned."

"What show?" he asked, his confusion seemingly stronger than his nerves.

"That's the spirit," Draco said cheerfully, though he accompanied his words with an eye roll. "So, what required the help of your friendly neighbourhood demon?" he asked, taking the time to look around the room. He ignored the large window – he'd been to this realm before, though admittedly not often, and he knew he didn't particularly care for its sights – in favour of the desk. The assortment of knick-knacks, books and photographs looked promising.

"I need your help," the man said again.

"Yes, we've covered that," Draco said, already flicking through a photo album.

"Don't touch that!" the man snapped, snatching the book from Draco's hands. Draco shot him an irritated look, but continued perusing the desk mostly unperturbed. "I need to… find something," he said.

"And what is it you wish to find?" Draco mimicked the way the man had said the word. This was clearly going to be a rather boring excursion. The man didn't respond for several minutes, long enough that Draco turned his attention away from the box he was inspecting. "Well?" he asked.

"I need to find a soul," the man eventually replied. Of course, Draco thought, trying to bring a loved one back to life. How unoriginal. "Or, part of one."

"Oh, do tell." The man now had Draco's full attention, though he kept his gaze focused on the desk, only watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"Have you heard of Horcruxes?"

.oOo.

"I'm Harry, by the way," the man said suddenly. Draco glared at him. "Sorry. Forgot to mention before."

"It's been three days," Draco deadpanned.

"I was distracted," the man – Harry – tried to defend himself, hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

"Ah, yes. Your quest to find this Horcrux," Draco said. "How could I forget. It's not like it's the only thing you ever talk about."

"Y'know, this would probably go a lot quicker if you actually helped."

"I am helping," Draco was quick to defend himself. "I'm doing everything you asked of me."

"Yes. Ever the faithful companion," Harry muttered, lengthening his stride in a futile effort to outpace Draco.

"What do you need this Horcrux for?" Draco asked, easily matching Harry's new pace.

"It's part of a spell," Harry said.

"What spell?"

"Look," Harry said, stopping and turning to face Draco. "We don't have time for all these questions."

"I'm not the one stopping," Draco said.

"No, but you are distracting me," Harry muttered. Draco felt oddly pleased at that.

.oOo.

"Did you ever tell me your name?" Harry asked as they were setting up camp.

"Did you ever ask?" Draco snapped, offended.

"Oh, er… What's your name, then?" Harry said awkwardly, finally getting the last tent peg hammered into the ground, and turned to face Draco fully.

"It's Draco," he said.

"Draco? Really?" Harry asked. "That's a little anti-climatic, isn't it?"

"It could be worse," Draco said. "I could be called Harry."

"I meant for a demon. Shouldn't you have a name like… Azazel or something?"

"One more reference to that show, and I'll–"

"No, I'm sorry," Harry said quickly. "Why don't you start the fire and I'll get us something to eat?"

Draco set fire to his tent.

.oOo.

"I could start us a fire?" Draco innocently suggested, watching Harry shiver.

"No. Your fire privileges have been revoked."

"You should treat me with a little more respect," Draco said. "I'm centuries older than you."

"No you're not."

"…What?"

"My friend looked you up," Harry said, shoving his hands under his armpits and turning his eyes towards Draco. "You're like a… baby demon or something." Draco opened his mouth to protest. "Oh, you can't tell me there's no such thing," Harry said. "I know you have parents."

"You know nothing of my kind," Draco snapped. "For all you know I stepped, fully formed, from the fire exactly as you see me now," Draco said proudly.

"As a scrawny teenager?"

"First of all," Draco said. "I'm not scrawny. Secondly, as I have said many times before, this is not my true form!"

.oOo.

"What is your true form?" Harry asked. Draco watched him carefully.

"What do you need the Horcrux for?" he asked instead of answering the question.

"Alright. I guess we better get a move on, then," Harry said, pushing himself to his feet.

"If you at least told me whose Horcrux it was, this would go a lot quicker," Draco complained, trailing after Harry. "Flying's much easier," he muttered under his breath.

"So you have wings?" Harry asked. "And I don't need you to help me find the Horcrux – though obviously your help is appreciated," he added quickly before Draco could comment. "I need you to help me get it."

"Is there a difference?" Draco asked.

"There's so many protective spells that it would be impossible to find with magic, but–"

"Couldn't you just find the area with the sudden spike in magic?" Draco interrupted.

"That's how we got to this forest," Harry said. "Or, well, Hermione found it. She's–"

"Your friend, yes," Draco snapped.

"Yes. She is. My friend." Harry frowned at Draco. "And if she says this is the closest we can get with magic, then I believe her."

"So why am I here?" Draco asked, turning his glare to Harry.

"Because I'm going to need you to get it."

"I thought you said magic wouldn't help you?" Draco asked, his irritation forgotten and now genuinely curious.

"You came from a different realm. If anyone could get it, it's you," Harry said. Draco felt himself swell with pride, but did his best not to show it.

"Of course. Who else?"

.oOo.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" the girl whispered, apparently unaware Draco could hear her.

"This was your idea," Harry said at a normal volume.

"I just–" She stopped abruptly; Draco imagined she was looking around the clearing, as though she stood any chance of seeing him when he didn't want to be seen. "I don't like the idea of you being alone with him."

"We agreed that this would be easier," Harry said.

"But certainly not safer," she hissed.

"He's a big boy, 'Mione, he can take care of himself," the third person spoke at last.

"I still don't like it, Ron," the girl – 'Mione? That doesn't sound like a proper name, Draco thought – said.

"It's not like you won't be able to help if I need it," Harry tried to placate his friend.

Draco scoffed at this, and was half tempted to blow his cover. Those two idiots wouldn't be able to get within a mile of him without his noticing; how did they expect to overpower him?

But they seemed to mean a lot to his– to Harry, so Draco let them believe that they were undetected in their clueless wandering of the forest.

.oOo.

"This is it!" Harry whispered, radiating with excitement.

"Why are you whispering?" Draco asked loudly, shooting Harry an annoyed look that Harry was quick to return.

"Well, there's no telling what spells they have set," Harry said. "But there's no point trying to be subtle now."

"They've been aware of us for the last three days," Draco said, ignoring Harry's stunned look. "What good would subtlety to us now?"

"You– Why–" Harry took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Why the hell didn't you say anything sooner?" he snapped.

"You didn't ask."

"That's–" Harry faltered. "I can't exactly ask every single question!" he snapped.

"Of course not," Draco said calmly. "That would be unreasonable." Harry looked like he was about to reply, but Draco spoke over any words he might have said. "It wouldn't have been an unreasonable question, though. 'Are we being followed?' 'Yes.' Honestly, Harry, there's not much to it." Harry took a deep breath.

"Or perhaps," he said, enunciating each word carefully. "You could have said 'Harry, I think we're being followed,' and–"

"I didn't think we were being followed," Draco interrupted. "I knew we were being followed." Harry opened and closed his mouth for a few moments, struggling to formulate a reply.

"Look, this isn't getting us anywhere," he snapped. "There's the horcrux." He pointed towards it. "Now do… whatever magic it is you need to do." Draco shot Harry an annoyed look before stepping closer to the horcrux. He wasn't entirely sure what it was exactly but he knew it was ugly, and spent more time trying to figure out why someone would voluntarily place a piece of their soul into such an object than how he would retrieve the thing.

He shrugged, deciding to start with the simplest approach. He reached out a hand, feeling slight resistance as he reached the protective magical barrier, but his hand was quickly through and grasping the horcrux.

"Well I could have done that," Harry muttered, glaring at the object clutched in Draco's fist.

Draco was about to reply when his vision seemed to flicker for a moment, disorienting him. Just as he thought he was recovered from the strange feeling, everything turned white.

"What's happening?" Harry yelled in an attempt to be heard over the sudden wind. Draco barely heard; he couldn't see anything, and it felt as though he was being lifted.

"I don't know," he muttered, straining his eyes, hoping to see better. "I don't know!" he shouted so that Harry might hear. "This isn't–" He felt like he was being pulled a part, and he could feel his form shifting.

Then there was nothing.

.oOo.

"What are you doing, Draco?" his mother asked. He could feel her presence behind him, but he did not turn to look at her and she did not approach.

"I spent a lot of time helping that idiot," Draco said. "I just want to make sure he doesn't screw anything up."

His mother joined him then, in the place where the barrier between realms was the weakest, where demons could watch the happenings of other worlds.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye," Draco whispered. His mother remained silent for a moment – long enough that Draco would have believed she'd left if not for the fact that he could still feel her – before sitting next to him on the outcrop.

"Perhaps you could return?" she suggested quietly, keeping her focus on the other realm rather than her son.

"But–" Draco began. "But I would need to be summoned."

"Not necessarily," his mother said. Suddenly, a small family of humans seemed to have captured her entire attention, and she leant forward to pay them a closer look.

"But if I wasn't summoned…" Draco trailed off. "If I wasn't– But then… Then I wouldn't be able to return," he whispered.

"That is a decision you must come to on your own," his mother said, finally turning to face him. "But just know this – whatever you decide, ensure that it is the right decision for you."

Draco watched her leave, and continued to watch the place where she had disappeared for a few moments longer, before turning his attention back to the forest.

It only took one look for him to know what he was going to do.