The Lost Time
Author: Freyja
Warnings: Slash, Spoilers for HBP
Category: Angst, romance. Maybe a bit dark
Pairings: Harry/ Draco
Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, I'm just a poor college student.
Author's notes: Hullo, this is my first attempt to write HD slash, so please be kind to me.
Beta: Oliver1234
Chapter One
"Good work, Potter. You can go home now," Kingsley closed Harry's report and leaned back in his chair.
"All right then." Relieved, Harry turned and opened the door. It had taken almost a month to finish this case, and he was exhausted. All Harry wanted now was a cup of espresso and to let his mind wander in peace.
Suddenly Kingsley spoke out, "Potter, you don't have to check on him too often, even if this case is your responsibility."
A flicker of anger flashed in Harry's eyes. But the next second he managed his face was unreadable again. He turned his head slightly to answer. "I know sir," Harry said and closed the door behind him.
Harry was not an idiot, he knew what Kingsley was really saying was 'Don't start obsessing over this. It's over.'
Fat chance.
After going back to his office to grab his keys and manilla folder, Harry left the building and headed toward Diagon Alley. There, he entered a familiar cafe and took a seat on his favorite chair next to the window.
"Espresso please," he asked the waiter , a pretty girl who looked about 20 or so, with long chestnut colored hair, and a friendly disposition. Her nameplate said 'Sally.' The girl nodded and walked away, her heels clicking against the marble floor. Harry stared out of the window and waited.
After Sally had delivered his espresso, Harry pulled out a few of the sheets from his manilla folder. They were Hermione's personal research reports regarding the Malfoy case .
Half a year had passed since they had discovered Malfoy's body in the basement. They had attempted every method that they could think of to break the spell, yet the barrier still remained untouched. The only clue they had found was a small note written by Narcissa Malfoy, whose body they had also discovered that day. The note only contained one short message:
'Only they who want to protect him from danger will able to break the spell.'
It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant. To banish the barrier they would need someone who cared enough about Malfoy to willingly protect him at any cost. It was a difficult task, Harry mused, since almost all of Malfoy's relatives had fled the country after the war, or were dead.
Harry sighed. Malfoy was certainly not the most popular in the Wizarding world; not by a long shot. Where would they find someone who would willingly protect him, when in retrospect, Malfoy probably would not have spared a glance if anyone else had been in his current situation?
Harry finished what remained of his espresso, paid the bill, and left.
After aimlessly wandering through Diagon Alley for a while, he decided that he had to go to Malfoy manor again, hence what Kingsley was said. The main door of Malfoy Manor creaked loudly when Harry opened it. The walls echoed with every footstep he took. After walking past some corridors and climbing numerous flights of stairs, Harry entered the bedroom.
"Alohomora," Harry flicked his wrist.
The wall concealing the cupboard gave way and Harry stepped inside. He followed the familiar trail of stairs that brought him to the secluded library. Shielding his eyes from the glare of the automatic torches and candles, he took a moment to adjust to the light's intensity change.
The room was much tidier and lively now than when they had first discovered it, because Harry sometimes asked Dobby to clean it. This proposal had been met with open arms, and quite a lot of un-necessary graciousness and proclamations of royalty and grace by the loyal house elf. Harry shuddered in remembrance.
Harry spent quite a lot of his free time here, even sometimes staying to spend the night. Placing his coat on the nearby chair, Harry crossed the room and went through the torch lit corridor and into the room where they had found Narcissa Malfoy's and her son body. She had been buried in a cemetery, a little ways off from the manor next to her great aunt Edna.
However, they could think of nothing to remove Draco's body from the crystal barrier that sheltered it. Harry stepped forward, pulled up a chair, until it stood directly in front of the barrier. He sat to observed Draco as usual, and let his mind wander again.
After Dumbledore's death and Hogwart's unfortunate closing, so many things had changed. At first, because of his stubbornness and arrogance, he had decided to search for the Horcrux alone, with only Ron and Hermione for support. It had never really occurred to him that they would be putting themselves in grave danger. Dumbledore had sheltered them for so long, that the harshness of the real world had come as an abrupt shock.
In the end, they had succeeded in the retrieval of the second Horcrux, but had paid a very high price. An unexpected Death Eater attack, had cost Ron his left leg. While Ron's leg had been replaced with an artificial leg, he would never have the free range of movement from before. Ron had been in quite a state afterwards; his dream of becoming a keeper for the Chudley Cannons crumbled. He couldn't play quidditch with an artificial leg. Ron had become very bitter after that, towards everyone around him. Harry could not help but think that Ron still blamed him for the incident.
After what happened to Ron, Hermione had decided that it was too dangerous to continue their journey alone. She had joined the Ministry, and trained as an auror, in hopes of acquiring more useful information. The Ministry, who needed as many new employees as possible to face the upcoming war, easily accepted her. Not long after, Harry had decided to follow in her footsteps, and became an auror.
When Ginny found out that Harry was training to be an auror, she had tried to restart their relationship. Harry, worried about her safety after Ron's injury, declined. In actuality Harry was still in love with Ginny, and determined to protect her at all costs; so when Ginny decided to fool around with other men to get him jealous, Harry was really hurt inside and had started to avoid her. After some time, Harry had moved on, and had come to the conclusion that they were not meant to be.
Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley were still as warm and kind natured as before, but Harry knew that they had been quite disappointed that he had broken up with Ginny. This assailed him with guilt that he had hurt the only family who had ever cared for him. After what happened to Ron, and what he had done to Ginny, Harry was a bit reluctant to visit them. He felt that it was better that he distance himself whenever possible, because he didn't want to cause any more pain for them. Now he only went to The Burrow on special occasions, such as holidays, and sometimes when they threw birthday parties.
With no attachments or obligations, Ron and Hermione had split a little ways after the surgery due to Ron's coldness. Hermione was now free to bury herself in her books. The Ministry had acknowledged her brilliance and despite her young age, had already assigned her many important tasks. Hermione was always busy it seemed, and rarely had time to hang out with Harry anymore, much less embark on adventures with him.
All of this left Harry with a feeling of dismal loneliness. He was assailed with regrets, that things could not be as they were when they had been at Hogwarts; they had been so young and carefree then with only the upcoming quidditch match and Snape's next potion test to worry about.
Harry had of course, been battling evil more times than not in his school days, but at least they had been close and he missed the laughter and whispered conversations in the corners of the common room. Time and Voldemort had taken all things precious from him, and he still blamed them for his all misery.
Sometimes he was tempted to use the time turner, but in the end decided against it. He knew that no matter what he changed it would never be the same. So many things had gone wrong, he couldn't possibly fix all of them. Harry sighed and shook his head.
But now, suddenly a piece of his past was in front of his eyes, flooding him with memories, both good and bad. Harry examined Draco and thrilled. This, despite the fact that it was not what he would have chosen to keep, was one untouched part of his past.
Draco's skin was as pale and ethereal as he remembered. His face was still a little too girlie for a boy, with long eyelashes, a small nose, pale pink lips, and delicate eyebrows. Strands of silvery hair fluttered against his face giving it a gentleness that he had never seen before.
All of this reminded him of Sleeping Beauty story; with Draco sleeping in a castle and waiting for a handsome prince to save him from an endless sleep. Harry snorted at the thought.
Harry stood and reached out to touch the crystal wall, feeling strands of his magic envelope him. He was overcome with a desperate feeling to break the barrier, to touch Draco and reassure himself that he was real, and young, and innocent, unlike everything else in this world. He knew for Draco, that it would be safer for him to remain here forever, peaceful, perfect, and with no troubles burdening him, no guilt.
Harry didn't want Draco to get hurt, despite the fact that they had been arch-rivals and had tried to make each others lives miserable. Maybe he sympathized with him because both of their mothers had given their lives to protect their sons. If Harry was honest with himself he would see that he really wasn't concerned so much with Draco's feelings, but rather that he wanted this for himself, others' wants be damned!
A selfish reason surely, but he couldn't help it.
He found that he even missed the times when Draco snapped at him, because then at least he could remember that they were just boys the two of them and in school and had dreams, and friends, and the halls were filled with laughter and Harry wanted to keep this, needed to have this.
Harry felt happy and calm here. Now this basement, with it's dusty books, and dimly lit hallways was the closest thing he had to a home. The irony was overwhelming. Malfoy Manor, he would never have thought it. But it was, and Harry was determined to protect this place. Or Draco. Or anything here.
He had already lost so much, and he would not lose this last strand to his past too.
Suddenly Harry felt the magic of the crystal dome enveloping him, felt it shake and start to disperse under his hands. It cracked and rattled and Harry cried out from the electric shocks running through his veins. The next things Harry saw were blinding lights and a great surge of power slammed his body into the wall rather painfully.
After that, everything went black.
To be continued...
