FLASHBACK

Marcus blinked. "Uhh... sure. Sure, come on in."

The boy strolls in, looks around, and sits on the couch. He rests an arm on the couch end, and looks at Marcus.

"My name's Draco Malfoy. I've got a deal for you."

Marcus was curious. This kid was strange. "What sort of deal? And why me? Do I know you?"

Malfoy laughed. "No, I should think not. I don't make it a point to associate with muggles."

"Muggles?" Marcus was skeptical of this boy's sanity.

Malfoy then goes on to explain about magic and wizards and Hogwarts and shows Marcus his wand. After Spot gets turned into a throw rug and back again, Marcus is in awe.

"Cool, bro. Do you, like, turn rocks into gold?"

Malfoy rolls his eyes. "We could, I suppose. But that's not the point of my visit here." He sits forward. "Marcus Hanson, I need your word that you will not tell anyone what I have just told you."

Marcus nodded. "Sure, whatever. What's the deal?"

Malfoy grinned. "I have this… friend, you see. Quite close, we are. And I want to play a joke on him. Just a small practical joke. Harmless, but I need your help."

Marcus noted that this Malfoy didn't seem like the sort to play jokes, but the offer of magic was too good to pass up. "How can I help?"

"My friend looks just like you. You two could be identical twins. And my school, Hogwarts, is sponsoring a "Bring a Muggle to School" Day. I figured you could come with me to school, just for a day, and maybe, it would cause some havoc, I mean, fun." Malfoy corrected himself.

Marcus nodded. Come on, a school of magic? Who would say no?

Draco smiled. "Perfect. We leave tomorrow, pack your bags."

"Wait, my parents will never allow it." Marcus realized.

Draco just laughed. "I'll make sure they will, don't worry. Can I stay the night?"

"Of course, you can have my sister's old room. She's at college." Marcus showed Draco the room. "Here, do you have bags?"

Draco surveyed the room. "Bags? No, no. It's just one night. I am a wizard, remember."

"Right! Right. So, uh, my parents will be home soon. Want me to show you around?"

Draco reluctantly agreed, and the two spent the rest of the afternoon touring the town and Marcus's house. When Marcus's parents returned from work, Draco seemed to have no trouble at all convincing them to let their son travel off to a magical castle in Scotland for a week. Marcus suspected a spell, but all the better.

When they retired to bed, Marcus couldn't sleep. He was tossing and turning with excitement at meeting a wizard, so he decided to go and talk to Draco. Perhaps the boy could tell him more about Hogwarts or the magical community.

He cautiously pushed open Draco's door. It was dark, so he could barely see.

"Draco? You awake?" He whispered. There was a mumble that Marcus couldn't hear. He crept closer.

"Harry…" Marcus froze. Draco was sleeptalking. Who was Harry?

"I'm sorry… love you." Marcus decided he had better leave right now, but he couldn't seem to make his feet move. Draco kept muttering words.

"Gerroff, Pansy." Draco rolled over. The movement startled Marcus, and he quickly escaped. Back in his own room, he tried to remember everything he'd heard.

He needed to find a Harry kid… some guy Draco had a crush on. "Loved," he had said. And a Pansy? He knew a Pansy, Pansy Miller, but he guessed that wasn't the girl Draco had been thinking of.

In the morning, Marcus acted like he had never heard Draco talking. His parents said goodbye, and Draco took something out of his pocket. It was a pocketwatch. "Touch this. The notice didn't say anything about Portkeying muggles."

"Portkey what?" Marcus was confused.

Draco sighed, exasperated. "Just touch the watch!"

Marcus did so. As soon as he did, he felt a pull behind his navel and blood rushing from his ears. He yelled as he felt himself be lifted up and whirled through space, until he landed with a thump on the ground.

Leaning over and dry-heaving, he noticed shakily that he was no longer at his house. Standing up, he looked around. It looked like… a train station? Several people were walking about, but Marcus only saw their outlines as he was in an abandoned room.

Draco appeared with a whoosh. Marcus jabbed a finger in his direction. "What the HELL was that thing?"

Draco just laughed. "A Portkey. A quick transport from one place to another. We are now in London. This is King's Cross Station, Platform 9 and 3/4."

Marcus stared at him dumbly. "A train station?"

"That is correct."

"Cool!"

END FLASHBACK

"And then we got on the express and I met you." Marcus said. Harry's head started reeling for the third time that day.