Black stars and endless seas - Outer space / New hope new destinies - Outer space / Forever we'll be in
Cosmos (Outer Space)
Ginny took a step back from Draco, who had fallen back asleep. She darted her eyes from one boy back to the other and then quickly left the infirmary. "What the hell?" Ginny asked to nobody. They both addressed her the same way, and she worried that Draco's personality had somehow infected them both, which didn't make any sense. She continued worrying as she approached the Fat Lady. "Devil's snare." Ginny muttered her head hung as she tried to stop worrying. When the painting didn't swing open, Ginny looked up, and the Fat Lady shook her head. "Damn. When did we change it? Don't you recognize me?" She pleaded to the painting, but she walked away, leaving Ginny stranded. "Come back here!" Ginny groaned. She contemplated waiting, but decided to be proactive and headed to the Great Hall, hoping at least one Gryffindor was still there.
"Ron, wait." Seamus picked up his pace to catch up to his fellow housemate. Ron had longer strides and was trying to keep away from the boy following him. Seamus broke into a sprint, and finally overtook Ron, darting out in front of him. Ron, not wanting to run into Seamus, sidestepped and tripped over his feet, crashing to the ground. Seamus couldn't help himself as he started laughing at Ron. "You're such a klutz, Ron."
Ron pouted. "Will you stop insulting me!" Seamus immediately stopped laughing and stretched his hand out for Ron to help him up, but was ignored. As Ron stood up he said, "Klutz, idiot, jerk, to name a few. If you're gonna be an ass to me all the time, why don't you leave me alone?"
"You're being overly dramatic. We're friends, we goof on each other all the time." Seamus crossed his arms across his chest and smirked. "Will you lie to me and tell me that every time some spell backed up on me, you didn't laugh? Don't think you're much better than me."
"There's a difference." Ron said. "You won't understand." He started to walk away.
"Try." Seamus followed behind again. "I might not be the smartest guy, and it takes me awhile to catch on, and often enough things blow up in my face, but I'm sure I can understand if you tell me." Ron didn't respond and continued to walk. Seamus contemplated whether or not it was worth it to follow him. Dean would be upset with him, having a moment alone with Ron and not saying how he felt. His best friend was incredibly supportive when he confided his feelings for the redhead. It had been Dean that pushed him to come after Ron in the first place. So he wasn't going to return to Dean not having tried.
Ron noticed that Seamus hadn't started to chase him down again. He sighed as he made his way up to the astronomy tower. He often went there to contemplate life. The bright stars in the black sky were comforting. The vastness of everything, it helped him put things into perspective that no matter how big his problems seemed, he was a small insignificant part of the universe.
Sometimes his thinking made him feel better, but then he would think of his best friends, and remembered he could feel small just comparing himself to them. Hermione's brilliance shined as bright as the stars, and Harry was Harry Potter. He had to face He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named all the time. While Ron's biggest problem was trying to figure out how to talk to a boy he liked.
At the top of the tower, he was in the open air, it was a bit chilly and he wish he had brought a blanket, but it wasn't a planned excursion like usual. He lay down on the floor and just stared up into the night sky. The day's events came flooding into his head. He had failed as a keeper, and could hear the jeers of the Slytherin's ringing in his mind. He had failed as a friend. Instead of checking up on Harry, he stayed behind to talk to Seamus, and he failed at that too. The stars were not his friend tonight, and all he could do was focus on his failure. And now he could feel his eyes get wet. Why was he crying? He should be stronger than this. Harry faced death and didn't become an emotional wreck, and Hermione had stayed an unrelenting force against anyone who thought she was incapable of being a good muggle-born witch.
He decided he couldn't just lie there, especially since he was starting to freeze. He started to shiver, but was covered by a warm blanket from nowhere. "You looked cold." Seamus said. "I guess I can accio a blanket if the mood strikes me." Ron didn't really make much of an effort to respond, so Seamus kept talking. "Look, I'm sorry. I probably said that already, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I don't want to hurt you, Ron. I mean it. I care about you." Ron's head turned to face Seamus. He squinted his eyes and furrowed his brow for a moment, and Seamus took this as a sign to backpedal. "By which I mean, of course, you're my friend. We've been going to school together for going on five years. We've grown fairly close, as should be expected, right?" Ron raised an eyebrow, knowing full well that any change in his facial expression would cause the Irish lad to blather on some more. "Well haven't we? I mean I would like to think we have grown close, we've all grown close is what I mean. We're all chums, pals, buddies...why haven't you stopped me?" Seamus asked growing red. He felt like a fool, but even his hot face couldn't keep him from shivering, and he didn't call for a blanket for himself.
"Why would I stop you? It's kind of funny how you keep going on and on and on." Ron replied. He lifted up the blanket. "Crawl under here, you look cold." Seamus didn't hesitate, but wished he had. He felt too eager to be close to Ron now. "I don't have to ask you twice, do I?" Ron laughed, and Seamus' blush grew redder. "You're really cute when you blush. And when you don't." Seamus thought his head was going to start on fire his face was so hot. "Come closer."
Seamus decided not to be too eager this time. "What tipped you off?"
"To your crush?" Seamus nodded. "Your following me, and coming up here, and rambling. Though, to be fair, a little bit was just hopefulness." Ron smiled.
"You, you like me too?" Seamus asked.
"If you invited someone underneath a blanket, and then told them to come closer, it would be for reasons other than attraction?" Ron asked.
"I guess not." Seamus replied. "How long have you been harboring these feelings."
"I'd venture to guess as long as you have." Ron said. Seamus lowered his eyelids halfway and sort of frowned. "I'm not going to give you a definitive answer, so don't give me that face. I don't want to embarrass myself by saying I liked you first." He stuck his tongue out at Seamus, and Seamus returned the gesture, but with very limited space between the two, their tongues touched, and they kind of recoiled at the odd sensation. Shortly thereafter, though, they retreated their tongues and were locked in a kiss. When they were no longer able to coordinate breaths through their noses, they released each other's lips. "So how long have you wanted to do that for?" Ron asked.
"I'd venture to guess as long as you have." Seamus mimicked, and leaned in to kiss him again. "Why did you come up here anyway?"
"I like to look at the stars. It usually helps me put things into perspective, that the universe is big and we are small." Ron pulled Seamus closer to him. "But for some reason, I feel like in this moment that there is nothing else besides us."
"You were right." Ginny said as she sat down at the same table as Hermione in the common room. Luckily for her, some of the boys were still in the great hall, and they told her the password had changed to shrivelfig. She ignored Hermione's affirmative response and continued "I should have left them to rest because now I'm confused."
Hermione looked up from her studies, "What happened?"
"I went to visit Harry and I was waiting for him to wake up, but when he did, I got next to him, and he called me Weasley, like he was Malfoy, so I went over to Malfoy, and when he woke up, he said the same thing. So I don't know what happened, but it can't be good. What if they're both Malfoy now?" Ginny asked. She put her head into her hands. "I don't want to think of them both having the same personality."
"I'm sure it'll be fine." Hermione assured her. "This is why I told you to wait. They need rest; Harry's tired and disoriented, so just give it time. Wait for Madam Pomfrey or Dumbledore to check that they've made a full recovery." Ginny nodded. "Seriously, Ginny, wait. This could be something severe, and I don't want you to feel worse than you do now."
"I won't, I promise." Ginny said. "I think I'm going to sleep now, even if just for a bit, I need to not think about this."
"Okay, try and sleep well. You could always try studying too, that would take your mind off things." Hermione suggested.
"I'd rather go back to the infirmary." Ginny responded. "G'night."
Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed. She went back to her studies, but couldn't focus now that it came to light what had happened between her friend and her enemy. It would be really hypocritical of me to tell Ginny off for seeing Harry and then going down to see Harry. She started reading some arithmanthic theories, but for once, it could not keep her attention. Maybe just for a moment. She gathered her books and scrolls and brought them to her dorm to drop off. She thought to herself that maybe she should try sleeping too, just so she wouldn't feel the urge to go visit. It would certainly be better to wait. She got ready and went to bed, and if she woke up at a decent hour she would visit when she was awake.
Harry's eyes suddenly fluttered open. Harry realized that he had woken up properly from his strange dream of Draco's childhood and recognized the familiar surroundings of the infirmary. He rubbed his eyes, and realized there was something off. He could see clearly, but he wasn't wearing his glasses. He turned to his side and saw himself, laying in the next bed over. He looked at his hands, smooth alabaster skin and a silver snake coiling around his ring finger. Harry let out a scream. Harry knew he wasn't in the same dream state because he definitely heard the screams coming from what was now his mouth. "Malfoy." Harry said, feeling odd for saying that to himself. "Malfoy, wake up." Draco slowly stretched out his new appendages. He winced in pain as he grabbed his chest where the fresh wound was. "Look at me." Harry demanded.
"I can't see anything." Draco said. "Why can't I see anything?" He panicked a little. Harry rolled his eyes.
He got up gingerly, and walked over to the other bed. He grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and put them on Draco. "Can you see now?" Harry asked. Once Draco's eyesight focused, he realized he was looking at himself and recoiled in horror. "I'll take that as a yes."
"What the bloody hell?" Draco yelled. "Is this another dream?"
"No." Harry said. "It doesn't seem so."
"How can you be so calm?" Draco asked frantically. "Why aren't you freaking out?"
"Well it wouldn't really do us any good would it?" Harry asked calmly. "It won't make things better. We have to talk to Dumbledore, maybe he can fix it."
"Well he'd better." Draco said with a disgusted look. "I can't stand the idea of being you for a moment longer."
Harry shook his head. "You think I like this? I'm going to go find Dumbledore right now." Harry was heading toward the exit when he suddenly doubled over in pain, clutching his chest and screaming out. Madam Pomfrey heard Draco's voice and rushed out to see what was wrong.
"Mr. Malfoy, you need to stay in bed." She came over to Harry and helped him back into bed. "Is there something wrong with your chest?"
"NO!" Draco yelled out a bit too loud.
"Mr. Potter, contain your outbursts." Madam Pomfrey said. "Now that the wand isn't in the way, I can examine the wounds."
"Shouldn't Dumbledore do this?" Harry asked. "There was some powerful magic happening between us."
Madam Pomfrey stopped. "I suppose you're right. But both of you need to stay put until I come back with the Headmaster." She took her leave and Draco breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was too close." Draco said. "He felt around the pockets and pulled out Harry's wand. Accio salve." Suddenly a small vial came through the infirmary door and landed in Draco's hands. Draco stood up and went over to his body, opening the robe and rubbing the cream over the pus covered wounds.
"What the hell, get off of me, Malfoy." Harry said, trying to push Draco off of him. "This is creepy."
"It's my body, Potter, and I'm not letting anybody see these." Harry looked down at the hands rubbing his chest. "I don't want you to see them either. Don't look at my body, pervert."
"Really? Just get off of me." Harry said, pushing Draco away.
"I'm almost done." Draco said, clearing up the last cut. "There will be a little sting, deal with it." He pocketed the vial and went back to the bed, just as Pomfrey and Dumbledore entered.
"How are you boys feeling?" Dumbledore asked. They looked at each other, then back to Dumbledore.
"Sore." Harry said. "Very sore." He winced in pain caused by the closing cuts. "And there's something else wrong."
"What's that?" Dumbledore asked.
"I think it might be something that should be kept a secret." Harry said, referring to Madam Pomfrey.
"I am certain that if you can say it to Headmaster Dumbledore, you can say it to me." However, Dumbledore looked at her, and reluctantly, she took her leave into her office.
"So Harry, what is the problem." He said this looking at Draco and the two boys gave him perplexed looks.
"How did you know?" Harry asked.
"I had a hunch that this would happen." Dumbledore answered. "Plus your body language. I've never seen you cross your arms at me, just as I've never seen Mr. Malfoy with opened arms."
"So you know how to fix it?" Draco asked.
"Alas, no." Dumbledore replied.
"What!?" Draco exclaimed. "Do you mean that you can't fix it?"
"Malfoy, calm down." Harry said. "But you're going to figure out how, right?" He turned back to Dumbledore.
"I have Severus and Minerva doing research, but I've never seen anything like this." Dumbledore said. "It's not often that a magic is so powerful that it completely destroys the wand that produces the magic."
"My wand is gone?" Draco asked. "But I just used this one." He pulled out Harry's wand again. "Oh, this isn't my wand."
"So what are we going to do?" Harry asked. "Oh, we could take Polyjuice potion."
"No, Harry. Especially not after Barty Crouch. I don't want to compromise security by having Polyjuice potion readily available." Dumbledore answered.
"Then what?" Draco asked. "Are we going to be stuck like this forever?"
"No, I don't believe so, but it may take some time. I'm going to be discussing the issue with your heads of house, but my opinion at this point in time is for you two to just live each other's lives for the time being."
"But...but...but." Draco stammered.
"There's danger, sir." Harry said, interrupting Draco's stutter.
"That's why I don't think it's wise to reveal your identities." Dumbledore said. "If you use Polyjuice, you're at risk of somebody stealing it, and if you try to live as who you are, any danger that could breach the school could be amplified. You have new bodies that you have to get used to. You're compromised. Trust me, if there appears to be difficulties, we will look at alternative solutions.
"Okay, we can try." Harry responded.
"Are you mad?" Draco asked. "This isn't going to work. I demand to see my father."
"Oh. If you insist, but how do you think he would react to find you stuck in the body of Harry Potter?" Dumbledore asked.
A scowl formed on the face of the boy who lived. "Fine." Draco said. "Fine, but I am against this."
"Duly noted, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling. Harry chuckled to himself. "You two should still rest until you're fully recovered. Talk, and get to know each other. You're going to have to fool a lot of people, but I trust you two." He took his leave with a flourish and left the two boys.
"Old coot." Draco mumbled.
"Shut your mouth, Malfoy." Harry said. "So, did it happen to you too?"
"Did what?"
"The memories. Did you get any of my memories?" Harry asked. "I saw what your dad did to you." He touched his chest. "And I know why he did it, at least once."
"Stop talking." Draco said. "You don't know what you saw."
"What did you see?" Harry asked.
"Nothing. I saw nothing. You didn't either." Draco spat. "So drop it."
"Fine." He said "So, we're going to have to be each other for awhile."
"It can't be that hard. I just have to be arrogant and self-serving." Draco said.
"As do I. The only difference is that you have to pretend to like my friends, but I can still treat what you call friends like shit." Harry said.
"Shit. I have to be friends with the Weasels and that mudblood." Draco responded. Harry threw a pillow at him. "Dammit."
"You're lucky you're in my body or I would have thrown something harder. You're not going to be able to call them that, you know." Harry said. "You're going to have to figure out how to be nice."
"I'm a nice guy, asshole." Draco replied. "A few days with me and they'll never have liked you more."
"Until you open your mouth and say something stupid." The two boys stared between squinted eyes. "Just do what Dumbledore asked of us, and it'll be fine. Snape or McGonagall or he will find some way to get us back to normal."
"Fine, I'm going to sleep now." Draco said, turning away from Harry.
"Fine." Harry sighed. He could not believe that he was stuck in the body of his biggest enemy in the school. What if things didn't get better? What if Dumbledore couldn't fix it? He sighed, and he remembered what he saw in Draco's past. He wanted to be his friend. Draco liked him. He thought about that as he fell back asleep. The swirling of thoughts filled his head, but it couldn't keep him awake.
A/N: Sorry for the very late update. I moved and time and energy just escaped me. But I'm back and the next chapter will be up much sooner.