Sixteen Candles
I brought my hand back down to inspect it, bewildered as to what had happened to the scar I had felt no less than an hour again.
"My…" I shook my head, readjusting my glasses, "…scar's gone."
"Your what?" asked Draco, his face showing a look of utter confusion.
"My scar," I said once again, "The one on my forehead. From Voldemort? It was just there… I was talking to Dad, and…"
Draco shook his head, "You're bloody insane sometimes, Harry."
Before he could say another word, I jumped up and ran down the hallway to my left, stopping suddenly in front of a random door. I opened it curiously, and lo and behold, it was a toilet.
I quickly flicked on the lights - Muggle Electricity? What? - and saw, for the first time, my image as it would have been, had my parents survived.
My hair was no longer shaggy, but cut into an almost tidy trim. Instead of the short height I was used to, I was now nearing two meters tall. My frame was built almost exactly as Draco's was – strong and muscular.
What the hell?
For the first time in my life that I could remember, my scar wasn't there. I had a smooth, clean forehead, something I didn't have a half hour ago. As I stood there, staring into the mirror at myself, I caught a flash of light out of the corner of my eye, where the door was.
I turned around, revealing Draco standing there, arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
"I look completely different," I said quietly, "And my scar's gone."
He shrugged, "You look the same to me… and for the last time, the only scar you have is in your head, not on it."
I looked at him curiously, "What do you mean, in my head?"
He raised an eyebrow, "Harry, the only reason no one's surprised about this whole thing is because it's happened before. You tend to go mental, occasionally, and it's really nothing new. No one's really sure why, you've been to countless doctors and such, but the only thing they seem to come up with is that the Voldemort attack you survived must have done something to your mind. You have more dreams than anyone I know, and the strange thing is, a lot of them come true."
I thought about this for a moment, "Couldn't I just be a Seer or something?"
Draco smirked once more, "Honestly, Harry. Would you want to be one?"
I shrugged, "It'd explain a whole lot… even in the life I can remember, I saw things in my dreams – especially things about Voldemort – that came true."
"Voldemort?" Draco asked, "Isn't he dead?"
I shook my head, "Not in my world."
"This is your world, Harry." Draco corrected me, "It'll just take you a while to remember, that's all."
I sighed, "It's like I've been transported into another universe – everyone's so different, it amazes me. I have parents though, and I don't fancy having to let them go anytime soon."
"I understand Harry, really I do," Draco started, "But I can't put myself in your shoes – I don't know a lot of the things you know. I don't see what you see, and I certainly don't see or know about this life you're talking about. I've known you for my entire life, Harry, and all I see is Harry Potter, my best friend."
I cocked my head slightly, leaning against the counter in front of the mirror, "You're really very different from the Draco Malfoy I'm used to. You're much more… Gryffindor, really."
Draco raised an eyebrow, "And what's that supposed to mean?"
I grinned – my first, real grin since the Weasley's – and smirked, "You were a Slytherin, Draco. Surprise."
He laughed, "Now I KNOW you must have been dreaming – me, a Slytherin? Yeah, I'm about as Slytherin as you are, Potter."
I shook my head, "This is going to take quite a bit of getting used to."
He shrugged, "Might as well start now. Sorry to say Ron and Hermione aren't going to be coming over today, but they'll be here tomorrow. You may be able to get a few more answers out of them as well."
"Tomorrow?" I sighed, "But that's an entire day away…"
I brought my hand back down to inspect it, bewildered as to what had happened to the scar I had felt no less than an hour again.
"My…" I shook my head, readjusting my glasses, "…scar's gone."
"Your what?" asked Draco, his face showing a look of utter confusion.
"My scar," I said once again, "The one on my forehead. From Voldemort? It was just there… I was talking to Dad, and…"
Draco shook his head, "You're bloody insane sometimes, Harry."
Before he could say another word, I jumped up and ran down the hallway to my left, stopping suddenly in front of a random door. I opened it curiously, and lo and behold, it was a toilet.
I quickly flicked on the lights - Muggle Electricity? What? - and saw, for the first time, my image as it would have been, had my parents survived.
My hair was no longer shaggy, but cut into an almost tidy trim. Instead of the short height I was used to, I was now nearing two meters tall. My frame was built almost exactly as Draco's was – strong and muscular.
What the hell?
For the first time in my life that I could remember, my scar wasn't there. I had a smooth, clean forehead, something I didn't have a half hour ago. As I stood there, staring into the mirror at myself, I caught a flash of light out of the corner of my eye, where the door was.
I turned around, revealing Draco standing there, arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
"I look completely different," I said quietly, "And my scar's gone."
He shrugged, "You look the same to me… and for the last time, the only scar you have is in your head, not on it."
I looked at him curiously, "What do you mean, in my head?"
He raised an eyebrow, "Harry, the only reason no one's surprised about this whole thing is because it's happened before. You tend to go mental, occasionally, and it's really nothing new. No one's really sure why, you've been to countless doctors and such, but the only thing they seem to come up with is that the Voldemort attack you survived must have done something to your mind. You have more dreams than anyone I know, and the strange thing is, a lot of them come true."
I thought about this for a moment, "Couldn't I just be a Seer or something?"
Draco smirked once more, "Honestly, Harry. Would you want to be one?"
I shrugged, "It'd explain a whole lot… even in the life I can remember, I saw things in my dreams – especially things about Voldemort – that came true."
"Voldemort?" Draco asked, "Isn't he dead?"
I shook my head, "Not in my world."
"This is your world, Harry." Draco corrected me, "It'll just take you a while to remember, that's all."
I sighed, "It's like I've been transported into another universe – everyone's so different, it amazes me. I have parents though, and I don't fancy having to let them go anytime soon."
"I understand Harry, really I do," Draco started, "But I can't put myself in your shoes – I don't know a lot of the things you know. I don't see what you see, and I certainly don't see or know about this life you're talking about. I've known you for my entire life, Harry, and all I see is Harry Potter, my best friend."
I cocked my head slightly, leaning against the counter in front of the mirror, "You're really very different from the Draco Malfoy I'm used to. You're much more… Gryffindor, really."
Draco raised an eyebrow, "And what's that supposed to mean?"
I grinned – my first, real grin since the Weasley's – and smirked, "You were a Slytherin, Draco. Surprise."
He laughed, "Now I KNOW you must have been dreaming – me, a Slytherin? Yeah, I'm about as Slytherin as you are, Potter."
I shook my head, "This is going to take quite a bit of getting used to."
He shrugged, "Might as well start now. Sorry to say Ron and Hermione aren't going to be coming over today, but they'll be here tomorrow. You may be able to get a few more answers out of them as well."
"Tomorrow?" I sighed, "But that's an entire day away…"