Gellert wakes up with the sun because they stupidly didn't put a tent up above them. He blinks and squints up at a faintly blue sky still mostly in hues of dark blue. He got maybe four hours of sleep.
Albus is lying tucked under the blanket, curled up beside Gellert on the mattress they conjured right on the dirt and Gellert would have loved to cuddle but Albus hissed out a threat about sleeping on another mattress and Gellert capitulated.
Gellert smacks his lips and looks around, feeling gross for sleeping in his clothes, shoes and all because while Harry insisted it was all under control, there was a werewolf running around, possibly two, and Gellert wanted to be able to move at a moment's notice.
Tom is sitting up already on his mattress across the other side of the makeshift campground, propped up on one hand while the other flicks his wand about and Tom looks perfect again in ten seconds flat with his perfectly styled neat brown hair. He's still a bit tilted to the side though and blinks slowly.
Harry is sitting back in one of the chairs around the table full of papers and conjured quills. He's slumped back, staring up at the sky.
They got through a lot of theoretical ideas last night, tried a few of them but nothing easy worked. The spells you're meant to use if you get lost in a fey realm half worked or came back in gibberish. They're going to have to get into runes work soon, which Gellert hates but it's fine because Albus can take the lead. This would be so much easier if any of them had actually studied the fey past basic surface level research for classes.
A whisp of bright blue translucent smoke ghosts into the clearing and forms a fully grown stag who bows his head and Harry slides a hand down the side of its neck. It disappears.
"Was that a patronus?" Gellert asks.
Harry looks over at him. "Yeah, wanted to see if he could get out."
"A patronus can do that?" Albus mumbles, rolling over.
"They can do messages and stuff," Harry admits.
Tom sits up straighter. "A patronus can carry a message? How far? Did it get past our wards because we didn't put up the right ones or can it get past everything because it's metaphysical?"
Harry offers up a shrug. "I haven't seen anything stop it."
Albus blinks up at the sky in shock. "That's…incredible. If a patronus can get through then…"
"I mean I guess it's useful?" Harry mumbles. "When you guys get up he can find James for us too."
They slowly pack up camp and freshen up with spells. Gellert conjures a box to store all the papers in then they just vanish everything else.
Tom has stopped asking questions about Gellert and Albus' relationship or their plans for the future because on top of Gellert feeling incredibly suspicious about why Tom wants to know such things, Harry has been sending pointed looks whenever it gets close to some unknown information that's apparently important.
It should be a good thing, for Albus and Gellert to be so well known, just means their plans this summer were well on their way. But the fact that Tom seems so sardonically delighted even when they haven't given him any concrete information is worrying.
Gellert genuinely has no idea what could be bad but Albus has gotten even more conscious of standing too close and even flinched away when Gellert touched his hand. Gellert is getting pissed off that Albus is being made to feel like that and if this actually turns into some homophobic bullshit he's going to start flinging spells around.
Tom is far too political about it though, and Harry is more wary of Tom than Gellert and he's completely fine -almost happy- to talk with Albus.
Gellert just doesn't understand and he hates feeling left behind.
They start walking and Harry demonstrates his patronus cantering slowly in front to lead them to James before he drops the spell and uses a point me instead because it's easier.
"One is James, what are the two others called?" Albus asks. He's taken to asking Harry all their questions because Harry is the least wary of him.
"Um, maybe I'll leave that for them," Harry admits, hesitant as always. "Actually, Tom, are you sure there were three?"
"I saw only three dots apart from us," Tom answers. "Is there meant to be more?"
Harry hums noncommittally. "I guess we'll see."
They hear the music before they see the clearing, a beat heavy, screaming song that makes Albus raise an eyebrow. It's not normal in the future either because even Harry looks a bit scandalised. Gellert kind of likes it.
Bad bitch, queen shit icon!
Eat spit, get dicked with the lights on!
Unzip, white snake python!
As they walk forward they see James again, shaking his stuff to the music and actually half good at it, his back to them. Off to the side is a massive four poster bed coloured red and gold with all the bells and whistles just sitting oddly in the middle of a forest, clearly slept in and messy. There's no record player in view and Gellert thinks the music might be a spell because the sound is coming from all directions.
In front of James is a foldout lawn chair with another boy slumped low, long legs splayed out and bundled up in a frumpy jumper. He has short light brown hair and a tired look to him like he's about to fall asleep any second even as he lays eyes on the newcomers. He's holding an open thermos of something steaming and there's a block of chocolate half eaten on one thigh.
There's a rat as well, sitting up on James' shoulder, tiny paws in the air and jiggling with James' dance moves. James turns and the rat spots them, freezes for a moment and then dives down the collar of James' hoodie, the lump flattening out around James' upper stomach but the material of the jumper clearly pulling down with a weight so there might be an inside pocket the rat is hiding in.
James clearly spots them too, flashes a quickfire grin and a wink, then finishes his spin and keeps dancing. The third boy Tom and Harry keep talking about isn't in view.
Neither James nor the one in the chair seem at all concerned about being trapped or -Gellert thinks- perhaps they don't even know they're stuck. Gellert might have to ease them into it.
Tom has the same idea as Gellert because he tilts his head, back in his good boy persona. "Are you okay? We saw you running last night."
The song merges into a crooning dark love story and James slows to a sway. He glances over his shoulder and he smirks at Harry. "Merlin, that's a handsome fellow, he looks just like someone I know."
The one in the chair scoffs and takes a sip of the thermos.
"Are you making fun of me, Remus?" James whines jokingly, turns back to his friend, completely dismissing Tom's questions.
"I'll just say it then," Albus begins. "I presume you came in from the forest around Hogwarts and found yourselves here. Are you aware that we are all lost?"
James laughs and his head bows as he sways. The song croons about tasting a lover for the last time as they bleed out and James doesn't even look at them. "Oh, I know exactly where I am."
Tom crumples to the ground and Albus can't get a shield up fast enough before he's dropping too.
Gellert whirls around and snaps a shield up just in time deflect another spell -a full shield because he's wary of James or Remus trying something too at his back- and instead of Harry being the aggressor which Gellert had briefly considered, there's the third boy.
A Black, Gellert knows that much. He has black hair down to his shoulders, the same sharp beauty as all British Purebloods, like Tom too. Black wears a leather jacket and tight black pants, holds a wand and a smirk.
"Nothing personal," Black says casually.
"We're not going to hurt you," Harry tries, quick instincts sending him behind tree cover, distancing himself from everyone so he can keep them all in view at once.
Sirius laughs, loud and wild with a toss of his head. "Don't you worry, I have no fear of that."
"Why are you attacking us then?" Gellert asks lightly as he slowly adjusts his aim.
Black's wand also shifts to Albus. "Can you get a shield over him, before I hit him with something stronger than a stunner?"
"Hey, he's out," Gellert says casually. "No need to get upset."
"Leave him out and I won't go for him then," Black warns.
James whirls around and laughs. "Sirius! Where you gonna hit that guy while he's still down?"
Sirius Black sticks out his tongue. "This blond twat was going to get him up again, it's called smart duelling, Jamie."
"Alright," Gellert allows, shifting his weight a bit. "Let's talk for a bit."
"Yeah, let's talk," Sirius scoffs. "Let's talk about why you're in here."
"It was an accident," Harry says.
"Harry," Gellert interrupts, unwilling to take his eyes off Sirius.
"We don't mean to be here, just tell us where the exit is and we'll go," Harry continues.
"Yeah, sure, just let me obliviate you first and you'll wake up outside," Sirius offers casually.
Gellert laughs, incredulous. "Really?"
"Really, mate."
"I don't even know anything about you, why would you need to obliviate me?" Gellert points out.
"This." Sirius gestures around with his free hand. "Is kind of our secret."
"This…is yours?" Gellert asks.
"There's no point answering you when you're going to forget anyway," Sirius scoffs.
James gasps in delight. "Oh, I love this song!"
And then Gellert's hearing is drowned out by bass heavy music loud enough to shake the ground and rattle through him. The morning light cuts out and it's just pitch black, a wide darkness spell. Gellert layers his shields over himself and Albus, drops to his knees and blindly grabs at Albus' chest in the dark so he can aim his renervate.
Sirius lied, it wasn't a stunner, and Albus lies still. Gellert curses, not that he can even hear himself think with the music and tries three more spells to wake Albus up.
Gellert doesn't hear the shields shatter one by one. Can't see Sirius point a wand right at him.