Author's Note: I had this idea that kept bugging me and it just needed to be written… :D
DISCLAIMER: If I own Harry Potter and the other characters you'll find me sun bathing on a wonderful sunny morning on the sands of a beach resort I own, enjoying a piñacolada under a big colorful umbrella. :D Unfortunately, I don't.
CHAPTER 2
ANGEL
:O
--
He fell back and pushed himself away immediately as he saw the boy's handsome face staring at him patiently.
"MALFOY?!"
Harry's mouth was hanging open in shock as he took in the entire sight.
Being nude wasn't the worst part. Malfoy's got wings.
--
Harry gaped at the heavenly beauty staring at him who was sporting a blank expression. He was sitting gracefully on the boulder, legs crossed and head cradled on one hand.
After a long moment of shocked silence with Harry's mouth still hanging open, drool almost dripping not just because of surprise but also because of other… er, drool-worthy things; the winged boy slowly smiled while gazing down at his wide emerald eyes.
Before Harry could register the fact that Malfoy smiled at him; smiled, not sneered or smirked, the gorgeous blonde stood up effortlessly and looked down at Harry with twinkling grey eyes that could rival Dumbledore's.
"Hi Harry."
--
The blonde stared at Harry curiously. He always wanted to meet the Boy Who Lived in person once more. When the raven-haired boy was still alive, he was always one of those who greatly anticipated Harry's every move.
He watched how Harry survived his first encounter with You-Know-Who, he looked on as the Golden Boy managed to defy the Dark Lord once again in his first year at Hogwarts, he cheered when Harry killed the Basilisk and saved the youngest Weasley. He sat at the edge of his seat as Harry had struggled task after task until he saw Voldemort return and finally, he looked on as Harry fought his way to the Ministry and found out about the Prophecy in his fifth year. He frowned at that memory.
It was always his wish to meet him face-to-face again. He admired his guts, his personality, his courage, and his famous Gryffindor luck. In fact, he had always visited the Arcesso Trado (Fetching Committee) and requested one of the members to list his name across Harry's. He was declined a couple of times mostly because a lot were already waiting in line to fetch the great Harry Potter from death yet there exists Harry's tendency to always survive from the Dark Lord's wrath unscathed, disappointing some Arcesso (Fetcher), including him. He didn't know if he was to be happy or sad about that. He needed to be the one fetching Harry.
He always felt responsible for Harry Potter.
He watched Harry who was open-mouthed and was almost drooling. He studied his face. His skin was as smooth as he had seen it before and in the Elatum Speculum (The Exalted Mirror), with a slight tinge of tan in it. His eyes - he never thought he would admit this - but it was the most incredible orbs he had ever seen. Sure, he had fetched a lot of green-eyed souls and even hung out with Lily, Harry's mum; but Harry's eyes were different in many ways. He could almost see everything the boy went through. Every trial, every hardship, and every pain he felt and experienced, he could see through the slow swirls of the green sea that's Harry's eyes. Every joy and excitement, love, lust and gratitude, everything that's good can be seen in those orbs he wanted so much to be lost into.
'It was almost you could drown in them,' he thought. He felt tears in his eyes realizing that he knew exactly how Harry acquired and felt each feeling. He was there all through out Harry's struggle in life. He was there, patiently observing with worry. Almost like a real father.
He managed to control his tears as he then studied The Chosen One's pink tempting lips. It was moist and perfectly kissable. He chuckled inwardly of the thought of Harry's first kiss with the Chang girl. He knew Harry must've felt embarrassed then because he had no experience but they knew better. Chang can kiss an enchanted frog and it will never transform into a charming prince. Almost everyone in Caelum (Heaven) wondered how she managed to lure Diggory into becoming her boyfriend.
The Boy Who Lived really was quite a looker, only if he would take off the horrid glasses and let his amazing eyes become more noticeable. He easily blamed the Dursleys for everything that turned out horrible about the boy. He need not enumerate everything they did to him. If he only possessed the power of The Boss, he already transported them to a pig farm in the country where Petunia could feed her husband and son slops all day long. But he's in no place to hold grudges; he's an Animus Arcesso (Soul Fetcher)for Caelum's sake!
He noticed the Golden Boy was still staring. 'He must be really confused by now,' he thought. So he smiled to make Harry feel comfortable and stood up to greet him.
"Hi Harry."
--
The Boy Who Lived, not yet over his initial shock, was again astounded by this strange act of kindness not to mention he was in level with Malfoy's groin at the moment. He blushed violently.
"I…"
Being partially aware that he still found it hard to string up a complete, coherent sentence, Harry just continued staring at his rival's naked form - not that he was gay or anything.
Harry knew he was as straight as a pole. Never in his life did he look at a guy like he was looking at Malfoy now. He was neither interested in guys nor drooling at their nakedness like he was drooling at Malfoy now. He never imagined he would be in such a predicament in which his sexual preference would be tested, certainly like…well, now.
He blamed Malfoy's divine body: His sacred shoulder-length blond hair, his perfectly pale skin, the lean stunning torso, his washboard abs, the smooth, slender legs, and his… um, thingy.
'God, I'm really gay.'
At this disturbing realization that he made a mental note to reflect on later, Harry forced his attention to Malfoy's wings that sprouted from his back. Perfect white feathers adorned each wing, looking as soft as nothing Harry had ever imagined. He was itching to run his fingers through the blessed things thinking they're probably as soft as―
"Ehem."
Harry looked up to his archenemy's face and realized he was still on his knees. He embarrassingly stood up, this time avoiding Malfoy's questioning look. He suddenly became ashamed of acting that way towards Malfoy of all people and even considering him to be attractive. He immediately put on his mask, lifted his chin up and acted as though nothing awkward had happened.
--
He almost laughed at the comical look on Harry's face, more so when he stood up. He had no idea why the raven-haired boy was so bloody uncomfortable. Was there something wrong with his current body?
"I…"
He watched as Harry stared at his body, completely checking him out. He refused to acknowledge the idea that the boy was totally attracted to him. He's Malfoy now! How could Harry be attracted to a git like him?!
Draco Malfoy was a complete arsehole. He shuddered at the thought of the word knowing that it's probably not permitted in Caelum. He remembered the first time he said the S word - An Angelus from the Castrensis Trado (Discipline Committee) appeared in front of him and said almost boringly, "We do not permit that kind of language here in Caelum," as he was immediately brought to the Terrenus Carcer (Temporary Prison) and was held there for ten long dierum (days).
Anyway back to Malfoy. He was a… er, bad. Yes, he was a bad boy. He was a spoiled ungrateful little brat who was already listed in his 'Bad Boys' List. He's aware that the blonde may only had become mean because of the pressure of being a Malfoy and of his father constantly stressing him to follow his footsteps. The boy seemed dull and miserable inside but that didn't mean he can waltz around Hogwarts acting all royal as if he owned the school. He still has the freedom to choose whether he'll follow his father or just be Draco. But it seemed he was doing the former.
So it was quite a shocker when the Head Angelus of the Arcesso Trado told him he'll be becoming Draco Malfoy for Harry Potter. When he asked why, the reason made his brows furrow in confusion. He was exceedingly happy at first as the Head Arcesso told him he will be fetching Harry but when the next news came, he frowned and almost turned down the job.
Harry's almost lustful stare whisked him away from his thoughts. He was now checking out his appendages― the only things in his current form that were his. His smile widened when Harry's fingers twitched as if itching to touch his wings. 'Of course, it must be the first time he's seen one.'
He cleared his throat to try to catch the boy's attention.
--
After Harry had regained his composure, he held his head up high and looked anywhere but Malfoy. He got a million questions inside his head, first of which was why the bloody ferret was here.
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?"
The blonde elegantly raised an eyebrow and shrugged. He got a lot of explaining to do.
"I'm fetching you," he said simply. It was Harry's turn to raise a brow.
"What do you mean you're fetching me? You're not even dead! Why are you here?! Where are my parents?!" Harry pretty much yelled at him making the Arcesso flinch a little. The Boy Who Lived glared at him, obviously confused and furious.
The winged teen held his hands up in surrender. 'I should explain everything to him now, before he hits me.' He knew Harry won't do that to a person he just met, but then again, he's taking the form of Harry's archenemy now. And the black-haired teen looked like he was about to punch him in the face.
"Okay, okay. First of all, will you please calm down first so I could explain everything?" the blonde sighed, clearly not enjoying the first part of his task.
Harry continued glaring at him but seemed to relax a bit. Malfoy sat down on the white boulder again and motioned for Harry to sit down also. The Golden Boy sat on the shag rug and looked up at the blonde, glare not wavering.
--
The Arcesso smiled. He knew it would take time for Harry to calm down and trust him just yet. He knew this because of those long hours of watching Harry's life unfold in the Elatum Speculum.
He should take it step by step so Harry could process the information well. After five long annus (years) of training and almost two annus of fetching souls back and forth Caelum, this was the moment he'd been waiting for since he came here and he was not about to mess it up.
"I'm going to answer your questions one by one but I will have to ask you to be patient," he told Harry seriously. The raven-haired boy however just snorted and scoffed.
'This is Malfoy for crying out loud! I'm not going to take bloody orders from him!'
The blonde looked at Harry and knew what was going on in his mind. He wished he could curse the Head Arcesso right now for making him take his current form.
"Fine. Where am I?" Harry had an inkling as to where he was but he needed confirmation.
"You're in Caelum," Malfoy said, spreading his arms wide while giving Harry a small smile. The boy looked confused for a moment until the blonde clarified what he had just said.
"It's a Latin term for Heaven."
Harry didn't look surprised at this and it made Malfoy grin.
"Ah, I see you already knew."
"Duh… everything's white," Harry said almost boringly, rolling his eyes. 'Malfoy sure is stupid.'
This caused the latter to grin wider. Harry was quite a prat when it comes to the Malfoy boy. Well, he didn't blame him. Draco is a… er, bad boy. Yeah.
"You're quite correct. However, this isn't the whole of Caelum. We're only at a certain distance from the gates," he pointed to his right but all Harry saw was white space. Not one thing can be seen anywhere that area.
"And not everything's white," he added.
The blonde saw his uncertainty and said, "Don't worry. I'll take you there later." He added a dashing smile showing off his perfectly white teeth.
Something fluttered inside Harry's stomach but he refused to acknowledge it.
"So uhm, where are my parents? Aren't they supposed to be here?" he said hopefully. Malfoy only looked at him with an unreadable expression.
"I don't know where they are at the moment," he said.
"What about Sirius?" Harry asked desperately.
Malfoy blinked.
Harry stared at him. There's something wrong with the Slytherin's expression. It looked like he was hiding a grin or something.
Harry sighed and looked around, not sure what he's looking for. "So I'm certainly dead and now I'm in Heaven without any idea what to do and if anything could get any worse―"
The blonde knew what was coming and prepared himself for the upcoming blow.
"―I'M STUCK HERE WITH YOU!!" Harry bellowed. But it seemed that he's not quite finished yet for he took another deep breath. The Arcesso knew exactly what the furious teen would say next.
1...2...
"YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE! WHY ARE YOU HERE?! YOU'RE NOT EVEN DEAD!!" Harry finished, panting. He was looking at Malfoy like daggers. The other however, didn't know if he would laugh or if he would be scared.
"I'm not Draco Malfoy. I'm just here to fetch you Harry."
He was in no normal circumstances to reveal that he wasn't the Malfoy brat but this wasn't a normal circumstance. Harry Potter, The Chosen One, was both furious and nude glowering at his school rival who's equally naked, while both were in the middle of a white expanse of nothingness. Surely, there was something wrong with that picture. Besides, he waited for this moment for a long time now and he was going to do it right starting by earning Harry's trust, and that would be impossible when he's Harry's archenemy.
The Boy Who Lived looked at him in confusion. "You...you're not... Malfoy?"
The Arcesso rolled his eyes.
"No. As you clearly pointed out, Draco Malfoy isn't dead."
Harry stared at him as if trying to look past his mask. It couldn't be. He looked exactly like the ferret.
"Then...then, who are you?"
The blonde grinned.
The pain wouldn't stop. It was consuming him, making him wish he was dead. But wasn't he dead though? He felt that he was already. Nothing could compare to the pain he was experiencing right now― like he was being split open. He tried to scream but no sound came out. He sobbed. No one will hear him anyway. He was always alone. Always.
He never had any friends. No one had ever wanted to. The people who had treated him good only wanted one thing― power. When he was still at the top, everyone wanted to be his ally, but he knew better. They were no more than blood-sucking leeches trying hard to cling to him and share his fame and position. 'Fools,' he thought. They were only scum in his eyes.
He was in a place of no return. He was in the middle of darkness. He could almost see the shadows coming closer, itching to get to him only to swallow him whole. He knew what would come next. And it wasn't the first time that he feared it.
"Now that...is a secret."
Malfoy was smirking now, the expression no stranger to his features.
Harry sighed. 'At least there's something that hasn't changed in him.'
He looked at the person in front of him suspiciously, wondering who he really was. His parents were nowhere to be seen, even his godfather. He was all alone with someone looking like Malfoy but at the same time claiming not to be him. Besides feeling confused, Harry was quite a nervous wreck. He didn't let the blonde notice however.
"What do you mean a secret? You're supposed to be answering my bloody questions!" Harry demanded. Malfoy, or rather the boy who looked like Malfoy just shrugged.
"Sorry Harry, I can't," the blonde said grimly. "You could ask any question except for that one."
"Fine!" the Gryffindor grudgingly agreed for the second time. The winged boy looked at him with pity.
"What do I do now then? Are you really going to take me inside those gates? So I really belong to Heaven then?"
The blonde gracefully stood up and motioned Harry to do the same. "Let us walk."
Harry followed him having no idea where they're going. The pale boy however looked exactly like he knew every inch of the space. They were headed east from where they were before but to Harry, it felt like they were just walking in circles. He looked back and found what he was looking for - the white boulder's position hadn't changed.
They were walking in silence for sometime now and still, the blonde hadn't answered him yet.
As if sensing his thoughts, the Arcesso surprised Harry by suddenly breaking the silence.
"I will take you to the gates and someone will accompany you to Caelum Central where you will be briefed on what you are to do next. I believe you will be attending lessons and will be introduced to the customs and traditions of our world." The blonde glanced at him for a moment before continuing.
"And yes, you are destined to go to Caelum."
Harry grinned. His guide was looking at him, amused. Harry in turn stared at the Malfoy-look-alike with an eyebrow raised, waiting for him to say something more. The blond boy rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Congratulations, you've been a good boy."
--
They were walking for an hour now but to Harry it felt rather like five. His feet were starting to ache and he was just about to ask the blonde beside him if they were even nearing the gates when the latter suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
The other boy just remained silent and grabbed something from his back.
"I need to make a phone call."
The blond boy then took out his Nokia 5300 cell phone. Harry stared.
"Yes, Caelum Central please?"
Before Harry could even comprehend how on earth- or on Heaven- did the blonde possess a cell phone, the Arcesso began pacing back and forth while waiting for someone to answer from the other end of the line. Harry continued to gawk at him. He couldn't even figure out where the grey-eyed boy had kept the phone when there's absolutely no place for him to keep it. He found himself staring once again at the blonde's naked form.
A voice answered from the other end.
"Robin Williams please." (A/N: don't ask :D)
Harry heard shuffling then a cheery male voice responded. The voice seemed familiar but Harry couldn't remember where he heard it last time.
"Hello, Mr. R? Yes, I am by the gates, sir," he said. Harry looked at his surroundings. 'What gates? There's nothing here.'
The blonde glanced at him. "Yes sir, he is with me." Harry heard a one word reply then the line went dead. He looked at the other questioningly.
"I asked them to lower the wards since we're here," the pale boy said thoughtfully.
"We are?" Harry asked somewhat stupidly. The Arcesso smiled and nodded, pointing at something a few meters away from them.
And Harry saw it at last― a white fog was slowly disappearing, unveiling the Golden Gates of Heaven in all its glory. It was about fifty feet high from where they were standing and it was shining like never before used polished silverware. Intricate carving adorned it and every curve and crevice made Harry gawk in amazement. It was really a sight to behold.
--
The black-haired boy let his mind wander for a moment. When he was still alive, he always managed to escape death either with the help of his friends or even just because of sheer dumb luck. He survived countless encounters with Voldemort and his brigade, managing to get away unscathed. He asked himself what it would be like if the people Voldemort klled were still alive and how his and their lives might have changed because of that.
Since he was little, he always dreamed how his life would be if his parents weren't dead. He would probably be living with them in Godric's Hollow and he would be aware of the Wizarding world and of being a wizard. His mum would cook delicious meals and bake mouth-watering desserts that would make his tummy groan hungrily every moment, while his dad would be teaching him how to ride a broom for the very first time in their enormous backyard. They would be having picnics and traveling to different places while enjoying the company of each other. Then when he turned eleven, his parents would accompany him to Platform 9 and ¾ and give him goodbye hugs and kisses. He would make new friends and become a Gryffindor like his mum and dad. They would send letters and different kinds of sweets to him by owl, telling him they were very proud of him and how they miss their son so much. He would spend every Christmas and school break with them, with his parents laughing and enjoying every story he would be bringing home from Hogwarts- on how he became the youngest seeker in the century, on how he killed a giant snake with Gryffindor's sword, on how he managed to cast his first Patronus spell, on how he was chosen as one of Hogwart's champions for the Triwizard Tournament, and on how he got his first girlfriend and how his first kiss was. He would even invite his bestfriends, Ron and Hermione to his home and they would laugh at the tricks they played on the amazing bouncing ferret, Draco Malfoy. His O.W.L. grades would be all 'Exceeds Expectations' and above, making his mum squeal in delight and his father buy him a brand new Firebolt X3000. Sirius and Remus would be visiting them often, teaching him tricks on how to get a girl and telling him stories about the Mauraders' adventures at school. His life would be perfect and he and his family would be happy all the time.
Unfortunately, it was all he could do– dream and wonder.
'Not anymore,' he thought. 'I could finally live my own life in the way I wanted it to be.' He was looking forward to a fresh new start in Caelum with his parents and Sirius. It would be great. He needn't worry about Voldemort anymore. He had spent almost his entire life under pressure and living up to people's expectations. He won't have that kind of life again.
--
Harry turned to his guide who was watching him with a smile on his handsome face. He never thought he could easily trust a person who looked like his school rival but even he was surprised on how it turned out. Maybe it was because the blonde was acting very unMalfoy-ish, all smiling and friendly and was really comforting to be with. Unlike Malfoy, he always gave him a warm smile and Harry felt that even his small pitying glances made him feel cozy inside. He wondered if the Malfoy he knew was really like this when he's all alone without his Slytherin mask on his pretty little face.
'Okay, I did not just say that,' he told himself. He forced himself to turn back at the boy beside him who's watching him with an amused expression.
"Back from your own world?"
Harry embarrassingly grinned and bobbed his head.
"Thank you for everything," he said, looking down at his feet. A hand took his chin and forced himself to look up to those stormy grey eyes which were currently gazing at him intently.
"No problem," he whispered, speaking in a soft, low voice that made Harry inwardly shudder. Before he could ponder what had just happened, at the same moment, the gates were spread wide open, revealing an astoundingly big city, sparkling in gold and silver.
Two guards dressed only in sashes of blue and silver were standing by the gates, wearing warm smiles on their friendly faces, waiting for him.
"I'm afraid this is how far I will be accompanying you, Harry," said the blonde sadly as he patted the green-eyed boy on the shoulder. Harry sighed but returned the smile and shook hands with his guide. He then walked forward to the guards that were patiently waiting for him.
He stopped suddenly and turned to walk back to the blond boy. The latter gave him a questioning look.
"Um, I… I still don't know your name," Harry said shyly. The Arcesso smiled.
"Just call me Angel."
Harry almost snorted at the cheesy cliché-ish reply. 'Of course, call a naked boy with wings, Angel.' He could have asked the question moments ago and the answer would've hit him between the eyes. Nevertheless, he beamed and walked towards the gates again.
He only took three steps forward when he looked back at the blonde once more. The pale boy chuckled at how amusing Harry was.
"Last question. Why turn into Malfoy?"
The Arcesso immediately stopped chuckling. He shrugged at Harry with an almost revolted look on his face.
"I asked the Head Fetcher the same question," he sighed.
"And?" said Harry impatiently.
"He said that I am to transform into the person you treasure the most."
The Boy-Who-Had-Lived gaped at him.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
A/N: First fic I've ever written! Yey! What do you think? Was it bad? :) It may seem that it doesn't have any plot, but trust me, it has one..lol I decided to include Latin as one of the languages used and I'm currently using a free online translator so I'm not too sure if it's perfectly accurate. I studied Latin in High School (I studied in an exclusive Catholic School) but I can honestly say it didn't help me that much... 'coz I wasn't paying attention to the lessons...lmao.
Reviews, anyone? I know I'd love to have some. Cheers! :D