Outside Our World

By: IcyAurora8

Rating: R

Pairings: Harry/Draco

Genre: Humor/Angst/Fluff/Slash

Summary: Sent to live in the muggle world for a half year, Draco and Harry encounter what they would have never believed possible: A life where the Harry Potter series of books really exists, based on none other than their own lives. How did they not know! New friends, new relationships, comedy and embarrassment enter the lives of the two boys as they adjust to their new secret. Of the Harry/Draco slash variety.

Warning: This is SLASH! In other words, there are male/male relationships. If you don't like, please don't read!

AN: Unfortunately, I do not own anything Harry Potter.

This is the first story I have written for any type of fanfic… so hopefully it is worthy! I would like to thank the person who started a story where the Harry Potter series was real for muggles, and the Hogwarts' students were forced to live in the muggle world. It was an unfinished story, and quite a few years old, but if the person who wrote this is out there, thank you! Ever since I read those few chapters, this idea has been eating me alive! I have yet to be able to find another story that is even near similar, so I decided that I would write the story I would love to read. Thank you again!

And on the final note… this story is pre - HBP. I don't think my story would work very well otherwise.

Chapter 2

Harry did not want to get out of his bed. It felt incredibly comfortable, and after this year he was going to miss it. Hogwarts had always been 'home' to him; it would be weird living any place else (though not unwanted, someday). Glancing at his bedside table, the boy realized that he had ten minutes to get ready before breakfast started. He sighed before resolving to drag himself off the mattress to start the day.

It didn't take long for Harry to shower and throw some clothes and his robe on before rushing out of the dorm room. He ran into Ron at the bottom of the stairs, knocking the larger boy off balance.

"Mornin' Harry, I was just about to come wake your lazy arse up," Ron said brightly. "I'm starving and breakfast has already started; let's go before all the first years eat everything."

"Alright, alright, I'm pretty hungry too."

The two friends made their way out the door and down to the Great Hall. Hermione was already sitting in their usual place, waiting for the boys to join her.

"Hey guys, I'm so excited! Since I already took Muggle Studies and I'm top in all of my classes, Madam Pomfrey offered me an apprenticeship for Healing! I've always wanted to learn about it, and I'v considered trying for NEWT's allowing me to get a job at St. Mungo's. This year is going to be so much fun!" Hermione babbled, grinning happily.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.

"Yeah, if you like ten thousand pages of homework," grumbled Ron.

"Have you two seen Professor McGonagall yet? She has our time tables, so you should probably get them and figure out what classes you are going to take," the girl asked.

"We will get them after breakfast 'Mione," Harry said.

"Well, just don't wait too long. You will have to go back up to the Tower to get your books before our first class." With that said, the trio dug into their breakfasts.

Before leaving the Great Hall, both boys made their way over to the Head Table to retrieve their time tables from the older woman. Ron received his first and looked at it quizzically.

"Hey Harry, why are there stars next to all of my classes except Muggle Studies?" he asked unsurely, looking a bit like a lost dog.

"Um, I'm not sure Ron. Mine is like that too; I guess we'll find out in class. We have Muggle Studies first so we better get back up to the tower to grab our other books."

"Boys, before you go, you won't need to worry about mail-ordering any books for the Muggle Studies class; the Professor has decided to do without this year," Professor McGonagall said.

The boys nodded in surprise. "Thank you Professor," Harry and Ron said together. This was even stranger than the stars on their time tables. Never before had Hogwarts taught a class without books.

"Let's go mate, for once I don't want to be late for class. You know how I love a good mystery!"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Harry and Ron made it to their first class, Muggle Studies, with a few minutes to spare and grabbed two seats at the rear of the room. They discovered that they did indeed have class with the Slytherins, but so far no Malfoy. It wasn't like him to be late, so Harry figured that he had probably already taken the class and fervently hoped that that was so. But, just as Harry's luck was about to ring true, the tall blond slipped in through the door and took one of the remaining seats at the back of the room, just ten feet away from Harry.

Harry noticed that he too had changed over the summer. Draco Malfoy's face didn't seem nearly as angular as it had the previous year, but more elegant, with high cheekbones such as those of a model and the deepest grey eyes Harry had ever seen. His hair was cut shorter than ever before, barely reaching the tops of his ears, and was no longer slicked back but hung loosely around his head. He had grown too, reaching nearly six feet tall. His body was similar to Harry's in the fact that it was lightly muscled and toned, also from years of Quidditch. The biggest difference was his mouth though. It was no longer twisted into a continuous smirk, but seemed to have more of a pleasant 'barely there' smile. His lips were pink and full, something you never really noticed when he was sneering.

Harry shook his head, wondering why he was noticing his biggest school rival's lips. He also wondered what had caused the change in the boy. He figured it was the end of the war, if anything. Though he did not understand how the boy looked, well, almost happy, especially after his father had been thrown in Azkaban for his involvement with Voldemort. Harry would not stoop to ask though, so he doubted he would ever know.

The professor walked into the room not long after Malfoy and took her position in front of the class. She was a younger looking woman, with long flowing black hair and bright blue eyes. One would call her attractive, in a simple sort of way, and she was rather tall. The woman waited for the class to quiet down before speaking.

"Hello, my name is Professor Maeve," she said in a silky voice. "I am sure you are all wondering about the time tables you received this morning, and I will explain all of that to you in a moment."

It seemed every boy (and many of the girls) were entranced by the sound of her. She sat down on the front edge of her desk and clasped her hands together in her lap, then continued speaking. "Though most of you may disagree, Muggle Studies is a huge part of our lives. With the exception of a few muggleborn students, most of you have never ventured into the Muggle world, and we plan to change that this year. As of today, each one of you will be paired with another student and sent to live in a randomly chosen Muggle town for three months, and you will be leaving tomorrow morning. You and your partner will be drawn randomly from a hat."

The entire class gasped, and nearly instantly the chatter drowned out her words. Most of the students were not happy with this turn of events, and it was evident in the tones in which they were speaking. This really did not bother Harry one bit though; this could be his chance to be away from the stares and murmurs about last spring, and he would get to go someplace where NO ONE knew who he was. He would no longer be 'Harry Potter', just 'Harry.'

"Now, now," Professor Maeve continued. "It will not be as bad as you think. I am sure some of you are concerned about your NEWT's and the other classes you are taking. You will be receiving one assignment a week to complete for a grade for each class on your time table that has a star next to it. Those assignments will bring you up to speed on what you will need to know for your NEWT's, and when you return to Hogwart's before Yule, you will resume with your regular classes. You will be reviewing each assignment then before the Holidays start and you will not fall behind. Any questions so far?"

Pansy Parkinson's hand shot up into the air immediately. The professor nodded to the girl.

"This is so unfair! You can't expect our parents to just allow this! I don't want to go live in any muggle town, and especially not for three months!" the girl spat, her pug face contorted in rage and a slight bit of fear.

"Your parents, along with everyone else's, have already been informed of the situation and while some disagree with it, they gave permission anyways. Besides that, you are required to take this class to graduate. The school believes this will be a most enlightening experience, especially with the recent information we received," the professor stated.

"What are you talking about?" someone asked rather loudly.

"Are you sure you are ready for the shocking news?"

Shouts of 'Yes!' covered the entire room. As much as the students did not want to go anywhere, their curiosity got the best of them.

"It has come into our knowledge that a squib, named J. K. Rowling, has written a series of books about the wizarding world, and subsequently published them for any and all muggles to read. More specifically, they follow the life of one, Harry Potter, and anyone associated with him."

"What!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs, rather pissed at this turn of events. "You have got to be kidding!" 'I don't want any of this! I just want to be a normal person, not the 'Boy Who Lived!' Now I am even famous to muggles!' Harry thought to himself. It was as if the last place that gave him any peace from his adoring fans and their prying eyes was taken away from him. Harry looked pale and as if he was about to start hyperventilating, so Ron gently palmed his shoulder in reassurance.

"That is why each and every one of you will be using an alternate identity while around muggles. As much as we tried to hide our world from them, it was impossible. Now the best thing we can do is play it off like it is just what they think it is: a story. Because of this recent discovery, it is our duty to make sure each student understands more about our world than just witches and wizards." Professor Maeve caught every male's eyes in the room by slowly stretching her legs before standing up. She started to pace and Lavender Brown spoke up while the boys were drooling.

"I think I get why you want us to do this, I mean, if they think they know about us, then we need to know about them too, right?"

"Yeah! Know thy enemy!" a boy shouted.

The woman sighed. "No, they are not our enemy, but yes, we need to know about them."

Harry knew there was no way to get out of the situation (even though it had not completely sunk in yet), and finally gathered the courage to speak up. "What will we have to do while we are there?"

"Finally, an intelligent question. Five points to Gryffindor." The Slytherins in the class groaned. The professor continued, "Each group will have a list of things they need to do while on assignment. You will go to school like a muggle, learn their studies, make friends, hold a job, and learn everything you can about them. At the conclusion of your stay, I will expect an essay on one specific thing that changed your life from your experiences in the muggle world. Each of you will also have a spell placed on you that will alert us to where you are at all times, keep track of the things you do on the list, and if you use magic. By the way, you will not be allowed to use any magic of any kind, and if you are caught doing so, you will fail this assignment."

"That's no fair!" Pansy pouted. Harry thought it was odd that she was the one Slytherin speaking up throughout this entire class, whereas Malfoy sat in his seat quietly.

"It may not be fair, but you will not learn about muggles unless you live as one. Besides, it is also a safety precaution. We cannot have anyone 'accidentally' see you perform magic. The Floo network will be hooked up to the fireplace wherever you are living, and once a week you will check in with your temporary guardian, mainly to hand in assignments and receive new ones. Each couple will also be given a portkey to use in case of emergency, and it will take you directly to the Infirmary here at Hogwarts.

"Now, as you know, students who have already completed Muggle Studies are not required to take this trip. However, before you start complaining that it isn't fair," Professor Maeve said with a pointed glance at Pansy Parkinson, "You should know that those students remaining behind at Hogwarts will still have to complete the essay about an aspect of their interaction with Muggles that has significantly altered their life. Any final questions?" the dark haired lady asked.

Ron spoke up. "Well, I guess since we don't have a choice, can we at least find out who our partners are?" Professor Maeve nodded and began gathering the scraps of paper on the desk, then depositing them into an awaiting hat.

"You know, I wish that we were going to the same town, it won't be fun without you Ron," Harry said to his friend.

"I know what you mean, Harry, I know what you mean. I guess we can just hope for the best."

The two boys sat there, talking quietly, while the professor started assigning people partners from the hat.

It wasn't long before Ron's name was called and the two friends' conversation stopped. The red haired boy gathered his things and stood up while the professor repeated his name.

"Ron Weasley, you will be paired with Blaise Zabini. The two of you will be living near the city of Quebec, in Canada. Please come to the front to collect your information sheets.

Ron paled at the thought of being paired with a Slytherin, but at least it wasn't Malfoy. He tossed Harry a sad smile before trudging to the front of the classroom.

Harry glanced around and noticed most everyone was talking in pairs, everyone except him and one other person. Harry heard his name being called just as he looked over to the other remaining student.

"Harry Potter, you will be paired with Draco Malfoy. The two of you will be living near Chicago, Illinois."

This is a nightmare! Why does this always happen to me! This day can't get any worse, Harry thought to himself. He groaned as he got up and slowly made his way to the professor standing at the front of the classroom. She handed him his paper, then the remaining one to Malfoy, before speaking once again. "You two may discuss any details together, and once you are done you both may leave."

Harry turned to the blond-haired boy and grumbled, "Alright, let's get this over with."

"Whatever you say Potty. At least I know this year won't be boring," Draco said as he smirked in Harry's direction.

Damn Ferret. Ron was right when he said this year was going to be different. At least he is acting more like a Malfoy now. Harry sighed then made his way back to his seat, Draco trailing. After all, they had details to discuss.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Harry spent his evening sitting in the common room discussing his day with his two best friends. Hermione was sympathetic, and surprisingly so was Ron. Harry thought Ron was still secretly glad that he himself wasn't stuck with Malfoy, but Harry couldn't blame him. It wouldn't do to have his best friend get killed while doing a school assignment.

Harry had found out that he and Malfoy would be sharing a nice sized flat on the outskirts of Chicago, and would be attending a large middle class state-funded school. Of course, it would be below Malfoy standards, but amazingly the boy didn't complain. They would not start attending school until two days after their arrival (to allow them to get settled), so the boys would use the time to find the required jobs for the first assignment on the list. Harry wondered how the blond-haired boy would cope, especially since he had probably planned to never work a single job in his life.

The boys also found out that they would be given these wonderful little pieces of plastic with pictures on them, which were supposedly money. These 'credit cards' would keep track of how much money they spent and they could use them anywhere, without having to carry coins or bills on them. Plus, neither of the boys really understood the American currency. Each month Dumbledore would then convert the students' money into American currency to pay off any charges on the card. Hogwarts was also giving a set 'allowance' to each student to pay for where they were living, food, and muggle school supplies (it would make up for their unused Hogwarts tuition). Anything else they bought came from their own pockets.

Finally, they had received new names. Harry Potter became Jeremie Broderick and Draco Malfoy was Davin Wright. Both boys would obtain their new identification and passports in the morning before leaving Hogwarts, along with any final instructions and assignments. They would also discover who their temporary guardian was to be.

Harry, Ron, and Draco would probably have the worst time trying to stay undercover, especially since they are three of the most memorable people in this so called 'series' of books. Professor Maeve stressed how important it was for the three boys to play off any suspicions or comments like it was no big deal. She even suggested that the boys read the books, just to be better acquainted with what they may encounter. Harry cringed at that thought; he wasn't sure if he would be able to read about his own life. The only thing that had him curious was what the author would have written for the destruction of Voldemort. He guessed if he read nothing else, he could at least read that part. He cringed again at the memories, then thought, Maybe not.

Harry was upset that he was only getting to spend the first 24 hours of school with his friends, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was glad however that he never unpacked his trunk. All he had to do in the morning was get up and grab his things before leaving.

The 'Golden Trio' spent most of the night chatting, laughing, playing games, and reminiscing before heading off to bed at nearly three AM. Harry figured he would just sleep on the trip to his new 'home' and he wanted to spend all the time he could with his friends.

He was going to miss both of them, and he knew Ron would miss Hermione more that he let on. Of course, as Hermione had reminded them, they could still use Muggle post to keep in touch - owl post would be too risky. The school decided to have a postbox set up in London outside the Leaky Cauldron, and from there, owls would take the post to the intended recipients at Hogwarts. Leave it to Hermione to remember that, but it was her way of saying that she would miss them too.

"Great!" Ron had muttered sarcastically as he and Harry made their way to bed. "The one good thing about this bloody trip was that Hermione wasn't going to be there to nag us about homework, but now she can just nag in writing." Ron screwed up his face and pitched his voice to a near perfect impersonation of Hermione. "Ron, you have to start your essay… You won't graduate if you don't do this assignment… This isn't like Divination, you can't just make up whatever you feel like."

Sensing that Ron could go on in this vein for hours, Harry broke in with a grin, "Yeah, but we can ignore the letters more easily than we could ignore the actual Hermione." He was still laughing when he crawled under the covers.

Once settled down, it did not take long for Harry to drift off to sleep, despite it being his last night at Hogwarts for the next few months. At least he slumbered with a smile on his face, replaying a silent memory of the last hand of cards from their Exploding Snap game bursting into Ron's surprised face.

Alrighty… sorry that took soooo long… but hopefully the next one will be up sooner. Next chapter starts the trip… should be interesting!