Then he threw the powder in the small bag into the fire, grabbed Harry's hand, and pulled him along into the blaze.

"Hogsmeade!" Draco shouted.

As the distance was much furthur than wizards normally travelled, it took a bit for their journey to begin.The reaction time for the floo network's cross-ocean process to begin was usually around two minutes. While they were waiting, Harry stole a glance at Draco. The blonde was chewing on his lower lip nervously and staring anxiously into the fire.

Harry reached over and took Draco's hand in his and begin to trace patterns in it with his fingertip, just like he had done when they were younger and still at Hogwarts...

Stop it. Don't think about it now.

Draco relaxed slightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly there was a great whooshing sound. The room turned green and swirled around Draco and Harry. They heard a distant screeching sound, and then everything went black.

Vaugely, they saw shapes whirl past them, until...

With a thud, they landed painfully on a stone paved road.

Looking around, ignoring the torrent of memories thant pounced on him, Harry recognized where they were. They were sprawled on the deserted back area of the Shrieking Shack. In Hogsmeade.

Near Hogwarts.

Back in England.

Again.

Beside him, Draco seemed to be sharing Harry's thoughts. They sat in silence for a momnet, then Draco said softly, "It's only been two years."For some reason, they felt the need to whisper. "But it feels like forever we've been gone. And now we're back."



In their rush to begin their assignment, Harry and Draco had completely overlooked the fact that they would be returning to their birth places, the birth places of all the people closest to them, their homes, and overall, the country they had lived in for the first seventeen years of their lives.

"Shit," Harry said. "I didn't think about it before, but god, Draco, what're we going to say to everyone?"

"I don't know. I suppose people will recognize us. I mean, we are the bloody famous Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, defeaters of Voldemort. So I don't know, Harry. My only suggestion would be to change our appeareance until we get to Hogwarts."

"That's better than anything I can think of. Let's do it."

They stood and took out their wands. Years of Auror training had taught them many useful charms, especially Appearance-Altering ones.

"Be old," Draco said. "That way, people will be less likely to bother us."

Harry nodded, and they closed their eyes, pictured their new appearances, and said the spell inside their heads. There was a soft bang, and Harry and Draco opened their eyes.

Instead of the muggle clothes they had been wearing, Harry and Draco were clothed in deep brown cloaks with hoods over them. Harry had a short gray beard and a moustache. Draco had shoulder-length white hair and a moustache. They looked completely different, save their eyes. The only downside to Appearance-Altering Charms was that the eye color had to stay the same.

As Harry and Draco's eyes met, Draco was painfully reminded of the first time he'd felt that jolt go down his spine, when silver eyes met green...

Don't. Not now.

"Okay. Let's go."