DISCLAIMER: I...do not claim any of this as my own. Except for the words. I typed those. You might even say I DISclaim it all. oooh...
Chapter One: Bound to la terra forte
Screams have never sounded as loud as they did that moment. A woman was crying, another wail was heard, and then a paper bag was witnessed floating in the wind with an unknown muggle's face on it.
Draco Malfoy sat atop something, looking down at all the people passing by. How is it that the muggles have never noticed all these children disappearing into a wall, Draco thought. He'd been watching as a child would every now and then push into the wall and disappear. Another pang shook his heart, leaving Draco confused. How did he get there? The thoughts left him so shaken, though, that he went back to watching kids pass through to the Hogwarts Express.
Shouldn't he be joining them as they boarded the train for school? Draco had no sooner thought this than he was behind a slightly skinny, raven-haired boy. He followed the boy on to the bus, indifferently glancing at the children surrounding him. Here was a girl with brown hair, and a boy next to her with red hair. But shouldn't he know these people? He looked once again at the boy in front of him, who was now at his side. "Potter," Draco whispered, the words feeling like a slight breeze against his lips.
He watched as Harry froze, eyes open in slight surprise. "Everything alright, Harry? You look like you've seen a ghost," Ron called to his friend.
Harry looked around, his eyebrows furrowed, and then turned to Ron. "I thought I heard… No, everything's alright." He smiled at his friend, and started walking.
Again, Draco felt a pang in his being. Something wasn't right. He heard the crying and wailing again, and was only left even more shaken than before. He tried to remember how he'd come to get here, and why he was standing next to the boy he was supposed to detest. All he could see, though, was a warm flushed being, full of…something. "What's going on," he wanted to cry out; but it was like a nightmare, where your mouth is open in a scream but no sound comes out- only air.
"Okay, what is that?" Harry was once again looking about, an alert look in his eyes. This left Draco feeling scared- why is it that he couldn't be seen, or really even heard. He turned around, trying to think of a solution to this puzzle.
"Harry, maybe you should sit down. Do you…do you feel alright?" Draco turned to look at Hermione, her face full of concern. She, too, seemed filled with something, but Draco couldn't quite place what. However, he could tell that she'd placed more meaning on this question than just Harry's physical well being.
"I'm fine, Hermione," Harry answered back, reassuring her with a smile. "I just… It's nothing. Come on, let's go find seats." Draco really had no choice but to follow them, thinking grimly that they wouldn't mind his unnoticed company. Where else could he go?
The Golden Trio sat down in their own compartment, as was usual, and set about to talking; rather Hermione and Ron conversed as Harry stared out the window. Draco stood in front of Ron, waving his hand in front of the red-haired boy. Ron seemed to not notice, though, which left Draco a little colder with fear. Actually he wasn't any colder. He wasn't really… Another pang left Draco feeling shaken, and with the feeling that he needed to uncover something here.
He performed the same trick with Hermione, but to no avail. She had at one point scrunched up her nose and furrowed her eyebrows, as if she were trying to concentrate, but Draco wasn't sure if that was because of him.
The blonde took to staring out the same window as Harry, watching the passing scenery. It was no longer windy out in this area of the country, but quite foggy. Draco was pretty sure the train was cutting through the fog, and had no sooner thought this than he was actually seeing it happen. Draco was paralyzed, his body right next to the train, watching as the fog separated for the scarlet steamer. His mouth opened in a perfect O as he looked around, seeing very clearly that he was outside of the train, suspended a metre above the ground.
"Back in the train, back in the train…" Draco was whispering to himself, his eyes closed as if in prayer. When he opened them, he was back in the compartment with the trio, looking upon two napping boys and a girl reading. Draco was scared and confused and he felt utterly alone. Nobody could see him, except… "Potter," Draco called, trying to shake the sleeping boy. It was as if he could never quite reach his shoulders, though, and he kept grasping air. "Harry," Draco whispered, wanting desperately for the boy to notice him once again.
"Harry," he screamed, lunging for the boy's shoulders once more. Something different happened this time, though- it was as if he were inside of Harry, in a way, while still as stuck to the floor of the train as he could be. Harry was there, too.
The boy looked around and started when he saw Draco. "What? Where- what's happening?" The dark-haired boy looked incredibly confused, and a little scared. Draco knew he should laugh at the other boy's expense. He would have if he were- ah, but there was that pang again. He knew he was beyond such belittling acts now.
"I- I don't know," Draco said quietly, shrugging.
Harry looked Draco over, still puzzled. "I'm dreaming, right? But weren't you calling- No, you couldn't have been, could you?" Harry wasn't helping Draco solve this puzzle, and that caused Draco to become agitated. He was about to open his mouth to say something when somebody else's voice intruded on this conversation.
"Harry, wake up; we need to get dressed in our uniforms."
Draco wanted to cry out in despair. He really needed help, because he was so lost—He opened his mouth again, but Harry had woken up. For a few moments the dark-haired boy looked around in an almost panicked fashion, causing his friends to feel more concern for him. Draco was back outside of Harry, and fuller of despair than when he'd gone in.
"Harry, are you sure you're alright?" Ron looked a little fearful for his friend- he knew his friend had gone through a lot in a few short years.
Harry could see the concern in his friend's face as easily as Draco could. "I promise I'm alright, Ron. I just had a- a weird dream. I think Draco needed my help with something…or something." He shook his head and let his dark bangs brush against his face before standing up and getting dressed.
Ron scoffed; "Sure, as if Malfoy would try coming to you for help." Draco almost felt indignant when he heard this comment, but he knew it was true. He hadn't really been too nice to the Golden Trio. If only—but again Draco's mind grew foggy as he thought he'd thought of something.
"Speaking of Malfoy," Hermione stated, coming back in to the compartment after having gotten dressed with Ginny, "I'm surprised he hasn't come in here to annoy us like usual."
Harry gave a small laugh as he adjusted his robes and followed Ron and Hermione out of the train. Draco followed the trio, thinking over this experience. Well, I'm not in a regular body, Draco thought, remembering very clearly his experience outside the train. So, where is my body? This left Draco feeling utterly shaken and lost, and it took his entire will to follow Harry out of the train. He'd have to stick with this boy, for it seemed he was the only one that could help him, if even he could.
When Draco was out of the train, he had to pause to look around in awe. Never had the outer grounds of Hogwarts looked like this; something was different, just as it'd been with all the people. He was even further startled when he realized he could finally see what it was that pulled the carriages around. Draco's face was scrunched in concentration, for he knew this meant something. What was it that viewing the horse-like creatures signified? No matter how frustrating, Draco just couldn't think of what it meant.
The blonde realized he'd lost Harry, but he didn't really panic. They were at school now, so he was pretty sure he'd find him eventually. Draco started making his way up to the doors, figuring he wasn't going to be expected anytime soon. The thought made Draco feel despair again, but he waved it away as he walked.
But he was already through the entrance of the school.
Draco looked back, and knew that he couldn't have walked that distance in only a few seconds. The carriages weren't even there yet. This left Draco slightly shaken, but with a sense of curiosity. What could he do now that he was- whatever he was? He thought back to his experience outside the train, and realized it was quite similar. He'd been thinking about what it was like outside, and found himself outside in an instant.
Maybe he could… Draco closed his eyes tightly and thought of the next floor up. There was no popping sound, nor was there a feeling of wind whipping against him, but when Draco opened his eyes he was no longer in the entrance of Hogwarts. He was on the second floor. "What is- going on," Draco whispered, panting, or doing something like it.
He looked around the deserted hallway before closing his eyes once again. He thought of the Slytherin common room now, and opened his eyes to find his surroundings had changed again. There was the hearth, and the furniture that reminded him so much of home—
Draco felt his whole being shake once again, and it left him feeling incredibly disoriented. He thought he heard something- either laughing or crying or bells ringing - and he knew he was closer to figuring something out. "Mother," he called out softly, as if she were sitting in one of the squishy armchairs with its back to him. If he somehow changed his vision, Draco swore he could almost see his mother's arm resting on the armrest. The jangling of whatever the noise was kept growing louder, and Draco was growing more disoriented as the moments passed by.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but Draco couldn't move. He could just keep staring at the arm on the armrest, listening, as the sound grew louder. The boy felt like he was about to fall, but up, when the arm moved out of his line of vision. "Not yet, dear," a voice said tearfully. Draco looked away from the chair, and then turned his back completely on it. He made his way to the great hall, wanting to find Harry again.
"Harry," he muttered under his breath, seeing if he could summon himself to the dark-haired boy. Yes, there he was. Draco stood behind the boy, watching as Albus Dumbledore spoke to the student body.
"…And last, I feel it my duty to address the darker news that will most likely affect you all. Some of you might already know, but there were a small chain of deaths only days ago. Investigations are still being undergone, but as of now we know that six students have disappeared, if they…if they are still alive: Lisa Turpin, Blaise Zabini, Millicent Bulstrode, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Draco Malfoy. Please allow a moment of silence out of respect for those named and those close to them."
A/N: So...did you enjoy it? Should I write more? Was it understandable? Reviews feed something- I'll tell ya that much.