Draco rushed as quickly as he could to Dumbledore's office. He didn't know when or why he had started to care so much for the prat that was Harry, but he didn't have time to dwell on the subject.

Finally, Draco reached the gargoyles, and hit a road block. How did you get past two stone gargoyles?

"Headmaster!" he called, hoping the stupid old man could hear him, "Headmaster, Harry needs your help!"

If anyone hears me yelling this, it'll definitely ruin my reputation. If my reputation is ruined because of Potter, then when he gets back from wherever he is, I will fucking kill him! That was the thought process of one Draco Malfoy.

The gargoyle jumped aside, however, and Draco assumed that the old guy had heard him. He bounded into Dumbledore's office, rambling on and on, not really aware of what was coming out of his mouth. It was very un-Malfoy-ish. If any of his family heard him, or when he looked back on this moment, he would feel deep shame. Malfoys don't ramble, blubber, or talk without making complete and total sense (even if the logic is a bit skewed).

"Calm down Mr. Malfoy!" Dumbledore said, holding up a hand to stop the boy. "Now tell me calmly what it is you want me to know, and we'll see if we can find a solution to it, hmm?"

Draco took a breath and continued on with the story of how Harry had been shadow drifting and had somehow gotten stuck in the shadows, or something like that.

The Headmaster nodded. "I see," was all he said, before walking over to a bookshelf, which Draco hadn't noticed previously, and picking an aging volume off of the dusty shelves.

Flipping through the pages, Dumbledore finally stopped on one page in particular, poking his finger almost accusingly at the words listed there.

"Aha! I think I have the answer, Mr. Malfoy," He said, his eyes glittering, "Vampires are very interesting creatures, you know..." he began.

"I don't need a lecture! I want to know how I can get my arch enemy out of some mystical void!" Draco could feel his temper rising, and forced himself to calm down. Why was he acting like this? He was confusing himself.

Must be the lack of sleep, he thought. I would never act this way if I was getting a decent amount of sleep each night.

"Well, it seems that you're friend, er, arch enemy," the annoying twinkle was back in Dumbledore's eyes, "has been trapped in a 'shadow world' parallel to our own. Another dimension, if you will.

Draco stared at Dumbledore, as if he didn't understand what the old fool was saying. In actuality, however, he understood the situation almost completely.

"Why can I hear him?" Draco asked suddenly.

Dumbledore smiled, looking over his half moon glasses, "That, Mr. Malfoy, you must find out on your own."

Draco cursed to decrepit old man under his breath.

"Is there a way to get him back?"

Dumbledore looked very sad for a moment, before staring at Draco. The young Malfoy felt as though his very soul were being watched like a hawk, scrutinized for every little detail, and finally deemed trustworthy.

"Harry is in a place very few return from..." he began.

"You mean this has happened before?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Almost, first, however, I think you need to understand where Harry truly is."

"I know where he is, you already told me that, remember? The shadow world?" Draco was beginning to lose his patience. Was the old man really that forgetful?

"No need to snap, Mr. Malfoy, I simply do not believe you understand the gravity of the situation."

Draco nodded impatiently, waiting for Dumbledore to continue.

"What do you think I meant by shadow world, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked.

Draco shrugged, "A place where Harry is currently trapped. I assume there are a lot of shadows there."

Dumbledore nodded slowly, "Let me tell you something, Mr. Malfoy. In Latin, the word umbra means 'ghost.' The word comes into the English language in many common day words. Such as what the muggles call an umbrella. Now tell me, Mr. Malfoy, what does the umbrella do?"

Draco shrugged. How was he supposed to know? He didn't care what muggles invented.

"Umbrellas create shade Mr. Malfoy. Umbra comes into the English language as meaning 'shade' or shadow." Dumbledore accented the last word, and the point that the headmaster was trying to make finally dawned on him. Dumbledore noticed this, but continued with his explanation anyways.

"Harry isn't in just a shadow world, Mr. Malfoy. He's in the umbra realm now... the ghost world."


A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I love you all! I worship the ground you walk on! I think I've said this same thing about a gazillion times, but it's true! Thank you guys so much for reviewing! I have over thirty reviews and I am sssooooo happy!

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