Title: Lest we forget
Author: DR asia
Ratings: G
Pairing: None (or pre-slash, really pre-slash)
Categories: AU/Drama
Disclaimer: The last time I checked, I wasn't her.
Summary: AU Two 10-year-olds meet up again after two years, Featuring child!Harry and child!Draco!
Warnings: For one, Voldermort (aka Dark Lord) doesn't exist. So, James and Lily lived until they (really) died in a car accident. Secondly, I have taken some liberties with the Malfoy family…well you'll see when you read it.
AN: There is still one more part left after this! The italics is this chapter is referring to the dream. *…* is Harry's thoughts during the dream. The first line of the chapter is supposed to be italicised, not sure why it came out this way.
Lest we forget
Chapter 3
"Mama! Let's go outside today!" A young boy said, his green eyes shining with excitement.
*No, not this again…*
"Harry dear, it's raining. Why don't we go out some other time?" His mother replied.
But the small boy insisted on his request. "It's my birthday today! I want to play in the rain!"
"It's okay, Lily. A little rain won't harm the birthday boy." The father, James Potter, winked at his son. "We will just take a walk around the park and come back home."
*No, don't go!*
But they walked away anyway, the ghosts of the past wouldn't and couldn't be changed…
Laughter, lots of laughter. A child running around in the rain while his loving parents watched him from the shelter of their umbrella.
The rain had become heavier. The running child was now walking with his parents under the umbrella. He glanced up at them, smiling as his mother gently wiped the water droplets from his face and hands.
*Mama…* A whimper in the darkness.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a car came speeding towards them. A scream and then… the stunned expression of the father as his body was flung up from the impact of the crash.
*Father!*
The scene changed. The former dark and hazy scenery became one of whiteness. The background became cluttered with sounds, people's voices and machines beeping.
They were in a hospital.
"I'm sorry, we have done our best, but she's gone."
*No! Mama...forgive me*
"What about the child?"
"The child is alive. It's a wonder that he had sustained only minor injuries, but the scar on his face will not fade"
"I heard that the mother had shield the child with her body."
"Yes, maternal love is truly amazing."
*No! I didn't want to happen! Mama…father, please come back. Don't leave me here…*
"Well, I think that he is awake. I dread informing children that they had become orphans."
"Hello there, are you awake?"
"Hello there, are you awake?"
Startled, Harry found himself blinking rapidly in the bright sunlight. It was already in the bright sunlight. It was already late in the morning, judging by the intensity of the light rays shining down at him.
He remembered the voice that had woken him and looked up. A man he didn't know stood before him.
"Are you Harry?" the man asked.
Dumbly, Harry nodded. Then, he remembered Draco who was also in the lifeboat sleeping. He turned and saw that Draco was stirring, beginning to wake.
"Ok, Harry, you and Draco had given us quite a scare. Only the first night and you have gone missing." The man chuckled, but froze when he saw the tears that had remained on Harry's cheeks.
Not knowing that the tears were the result of his nightmare, the man soothed Harry by saying, "Don't cry. Just go back to Mrs. Figg now; she has been worried about you. Enough to drag us crew members to organized a search party. Well, here you go, " he lifted Harry and set him down on the floor, "I'll see that young Draco here returns to his parents safely."
He didn't look back as he ran towards the direction of Mrs. Figg and his rooms.
*************
The nightmare had disturbed Harry greatly. Ever since his parents' deaths, it had been haunting him for almost every night. The nights when it didn't appear were when he was too scared to sleep.
He wiped his tears away, trying to erase all traces of his crying. He didn't want Mrs. Figg to worry about him. But then, he had managed to worry her when she had found out the he was missing. He had fully intended to return as soon as he had spoken with Draco, to find out who he was, but he had forgotten all about it when they started to eat the food bars. Then, they fell asleep without remembering to go back to their rooms.
He was about to go down the stairs when he bumped into someone. It was Mrs. Figg.
And she wasn't happy.
"Harry! You little rascal, where have you been? Didn't you know that you weren't allowed to go on your own? I was so worried about you! Don't you ever do that to me again. How can I answer to your parents if you keep disappearing without a trace right under my nose?" having said finished, she bent down to receive him into her arms.
Harry felt crushed and suffocated as his breath was temporarily halted. Mrs. Figg like to express her anxiety by giving him bear hugs. When she finally released him, he took a deep breath and told her what had happened the night before.
"Oh, really? Interesting…"she mumbled as she took his hand in hers, walking to the cafeteria to have lunch, "that all the time you and Draco were just a few feet away from us."
She sighed, "Never mind, let's get something to eat. All this waiting and worrying make me hungry."
*************
Draco and his family reunited in their suite. The stranger (the crew member, remember?) had returned Draco to his parents as promised. Upon seeing his son, Lucius was elated. Too happy to remember to scold him for his misbehaviour. Only Nacrissa, in a chilling voice, had said, "Where were you? Don't you know that your father was utterly worried? I'm disappointed in you, Draco. I have taught you better than that."
But Draco didn't let his mother's words affect him; he was too excited! All he wanted to do was to meet up with Harry. Where is his room, he wondered, he must find him. Maybe he would like to play with him on the ship?
And that's why he was so happy to see Harry in the cafeteria later in the afternoon.
"Harry!" he shouted across the room and waved as he ran towards him.
"You're still here!" he grinned when he reached Harry. Harry was eating lunch with an old lady. His mother? But he couldn't see any resemblance…
"Draco!" Harry looked a bit shocked to see him so soon again. "Mrs. Figg? This is Draco, the boy whom I met last night."
Mrs. Figg smiled, "Hello Draco. I heard that you and Harry had a lot of excitement last night."
By this time, Draco's parents had caught with him.
"Draco, who are you talking to?"
"Father!" Draco clutched at his father's hand, "This is Harry. I met him last night. He is my friend!"
"Really?" Lucius looked closely at his son's new friend. "Please to meet you."
"I know! Let's have lunch together!" Draco suggested eagerly.
"Excellent idea," Mrs. Figg said, "we should celebrate the fact that the boys have returned safely to us."
*************
During lunch, the adults mostly ignored Harry and Draco. The grown-ups had briefly apologised to each other for their misbehaviours before moving to other profound topics.
It was extremely boring.
So, when they have finished the food on their plates, they quickly excused themselves from the table.
"We will just go to the children's playing area!" Harry said as he made his excuse. "We won't go anywhere else, I promise!"
When they reached the place, they both slowed down and went to sit on one of the benches.
Harry opened his mouth first, "Did your parents scold you for not telling them where you went last night?"
Draco shrugged, "Not really, my father was too happy to see me again to scold me. But my mother did say that I should be more responsible."
"I see. Mrs. Figg just said how worried she was and that I am not to do it again. She always forgives me."
"But… who is Mrs. Figg? Where are your parents?" Draco blurted out.
"My parents…" Harry said in a small voice, eyes looking down. "They are dead. Mrs. Figg is taking care of me now."
"Oh…" Draco never felt so shocked in his life. Poor Harry! He could see that Harry don't feel comfortable talking about it, so he jumped off the bench to head for the nearby gigantic chess set. (The chess pieces were so huge that he was as big as them!)
Harry joined him a moment later, his hand touching the head of one of the pawns.
Draco tried to cheer up Harry. "Do you know that my father helped in the building of this ship?" he said proudly.
Harry looked surprised. "Really?" he continued excitedly, "My father used to draw ships too! He used to bring me to the parks where he would pass the drawings to his clients."
"What? Wait, you said that we had met before…" Draco trailed off as he thought of the coincident.
Then, a green leaf flashed in his mind and he knew why Harry had thought him familiar.
He was the boy whom Draco had played with on a cool autumn evening.
Draco grinned at Harry, who was still unaware of the fact.
"Harry! I remember!"
Harry looked at him, still clueless. "Remember what?"
Draco sighed, "I mean, I remember where we have met before, do you still remember about two years ago, you had this idea about exchanging a leaf with another person? Well, I am he! I mean, I'm that boy!"
Harry gasped, "I don't believe it! So that's why I find you so familiar!"
"Do you still have the leaf?" Draco probed. " I had it taped under the bed so that my mother won't find it and throw it away."
"My mother helped me dried it so that I can use it as a bookmark. I think that it's in one of the books that I had brought here!"
Both boys grinned at each other, not believing their luck that they had found an old acquaintance.
"Hey, let's go over that and play! I'll race you!"
*************
tbc…epilogue up next!
