Unusual ending - chapter 16

[herumtreiber]

Title: Unusual ending - chapter 16
Chapter: sixteen
Author:herumtreiber 
Genre: Slash, time travel, romance, adventure
Disclaimer:  I do not own Harry Potter or related characters. Nor do I make any money from the writing of these stories.
Rating: R
Warnings: Sexual content
Epilogue compliant? No way!
Chapter length: 2492 words
Beta: None.
Summary: Old meets new. Harry walks all over Draco's heart, and when he realizes his mistakes he does the unforgivable so Draco takes him back. Time travel. During HBP, disregards Deathly Hallows - that means everyone's alive, except Sirius, but...

Table of contents


The man who walked through wards - 2/2

When Draco woke up, his chest was very sore. He felt a needle-like pain near his heart. He touched delicately his body with his left hand, tracing an arc from his hip to his chest. Everything appeared to be ok. He was lying on a makeshift pallet, in the middle of a small room; there was a dim bluish light all around him.

Draco shook his head wearily, trying to make sense of it all. The last thing he remembered clearly was Bellatrix throwing a dagger at them. As he became more alert and the last traces of sleep left his mind, Draco recalled an intense glow and a jarring sense of displacement. Perhaps I tried to Apparate and splinched myself? thought Draco.

Noting the eerie silence enveloping him like a blanket, Draco sat up gingerly and looked down at his chest. He grimaced in distaste when he realised his tattered robes had another cut near his chest pocket. He could see his white shirt, though now it was a dark burgundy, as if he'd bled. As if I need another wardrobe malfunction! This bloody robe is unsalvageable, thought Draco grumpily.

He looked around and saw a white door. Cautiously approaching the exit, he twisted the golden doorknob. The door opened with a creaking sound and Draco peered outside. Squinting in the dim light, he saw a vast hall, filled with shelves.

Smoothing his torn robe, Draco walked into the huge hall. The shelves continued throughout the length of the vast room, intersecting in the centre. They were filled with myriad balls, some as small as his fist and some as large as a stuffed Flobberworm. The room was full of these crystal orbs, not unlike the ones Trelawney was so fond of.

A scowl marring his face, Draco remembered Harry telling him about his adventure in the Ministry when Voldemort lured him, planting the idea that he was torturing Harry's godfather. Harry described in detail a hall full of crystal spheres like these.

Draco scratched his head, mumbling, "What was it Harry called it? Yeah, the Hall of Prophecies."

The Slytherin grimaced when he recalled that was the fateful night when his father was arrested, and then sent to Azkaban.

Looking around, Draco thought this was the hall Harry visited. So it would seem Draco had gone to the Ministry, though he didn't know the coordinates to this bloody hall, because he'd never been here. Perhaps he'd arrived here serendipitously when he Apparated away from Bella – this would also explain the lingering pain in his chest from the splinching.

Draco sauntered to the nearest shelf, his insatiable curiosity piqued by a majestic orb that seemed especially enticing. The eerie echo of his footsteps in the cavernous hall - combined with the bluish light not unlike that of a subterraneous grotto - was quite unsettling, but the blond continued his way undeterred, he was nothing if not curious.

He looked sharply at the row of milky orbs which were supported by thin metal rings, and reached for the one whose swirls vibrated most entrancingly.

But then a gruff voice startled him. "Wouldn't pick that if I were you, Dragon!"

Draco whirled around and saw an old man dressed in white, the old man sported a white beard and moustache, and he had black eyeglasses - in their surface Draco saw the myriad spheres reflected like small fairies.

Draco scowled at the newcomer, recognising the old man – what was his name? Antares something or other. The one who'd planted the seed of an idea- Harry and him together – not that he didn't envision that before.

Following this train of thought - remembering Harry - Draco felt vitally alive and suddenly horny. He wanted to go find Harry and have his wicked way with him. And that led him ineluctably to thinking about the battle, and Harry facing the Death Eaters without him by his side.

Draco searched his pocket and didn't find his wand. He eyed the man warily. Could it be that the old man was a Death Eater and had kidnapped him? In Draco's increasingly feverish state of mind – eager to return to Harry and his mother – everything seemed possible.

He grimaced and concentrated on apparating back to that bloody Slytherin Castle as Antares touched his shoulder and softly said, "Harry's safe, Draco! No need to go gallivanting off to rescue him."

Antares sneered and turned to look at the sphere next to Draco. "That Gryffindork can take care of himself!"

The old man waved his hand towards the milky orbs. "Just don't touch them! They're not meant for you" – Antares shrugged nonchalantly – "regulations and all, you know?"

Draco snorted, thinking that this busybody was working at the useless Ministry.

The old man took out a wand from the pocket of his pristine white robes and with a careless sweeping motion he lit the sconces at the nearest wall, illuminating brightly that portion of the gargantuan hall. He reclined lazily against the shelf in front of Draco, unmindful of the spheres, and took off his dark glasses, cocking an eyebrow at Draco.

The Slytherin noticed Antares' striking amber-coloured eyes, a distinctive dash of colour in his otherwise pale countenance. Antares whirled his wand between his fingers and finally pocketed it, sighing loudly. "How do you feel, Draco? Not everyone survives a dagger near his heart, you know?" drawled the old man.

Draco touched his chest gingerly – that explained the lingering ache that refused to go away. "So Bellatrix almost killed me!" The blond scowled fiercely at the spheres behind Antares whilst the old man regarded Draco with a bemused expression.

"How long was I unconscious?" asked Draco, looking around at the gloomy room.

"About two days" - answered Antares, his white hair gleaming in the scant light - "wonderful thing, magic. It can heal you quite fast."

Antares cocked his head in a strange fashion when Draco blurted out, "What are you, a Healer?"

"I'm no Healer, Draco. I'm something much more exciting," drawled the old man.

Draco gazed around at the hall full of the strange orbs. "What are we doing in the Hall of Prophecies? Are you trying to steal a Prophecy? Do you work for Voldemort?"

Antares frowned, his amber eyes shining mischievously. He cocked his eyebrow and smirked infuriatingly. "The Hall of Prophecies?"

Antares walked to the nearest shelf and delicately picked up a random sphere, gazing at its depths as if it held the key to the universe. He turned to look at Draco, the hints of a sneer lifting up the corners of his lips. "Well, I must admit you're very observant, but I expected no less."

The old man sauntered lazily to the shelf just behind Draco - where the seemingly endless row of multi-sized spheres was broken by an empty space. Draco turned and squinted, realising that there was a piece of jewellery there. The locket's golden surface gleamed, and the small snake formed by green stones glittered in the light cast by the sconces. Obviously the jewel was a relic of some sorts, perhaps it had belonged to Salazar Slytherin himself – he of the gargantuan snakes. Draco grimaced in distaste; his former admiration for the Founder had not survived his confrontation with the odious Nagini.

Antares picked up the jewel and turned to Draco. "Can you do something for me, Dragon? I need to destroy this-" said Antares hefting the locket gingerly, as if it would bite him.

Despite his loathing of snakes, there was something weird about the locket that held Draco's attention. It felt as if the jewel whispered to some part of him.

"- but I don't have time right now," continued the man, his gaze meandering around the hall.

Draco reached out his hand to touch the locket, mesmerised, but Antares held it aloft, out of the Slytherin's reach.

Whilst the old man continued talking nonchalantly, Draco glared at him. "This is a bit" – Antares cocked his head –"outdated now. A piece of rubbish, really."

The old man directed his piercing amber eyes at Draco. "I think your father taught you how to cast Fiendfyre?"

After Draco nodded wearily, Antares continued, "You can destroy it with that, just be careful."

The old man took out a gleaming ring from his left pocket and threw it at Draco. The Slytherin Seeker caught it easily and held it up, looking at the intricately depicted serpent biting its tail.

Draco frowned; he was reminded of that nasty old snake, Nagini - which had been so much trouble and had destroyed his once pristine robes.

The blond shook his head; it seemed Antares was full of Slytherin relics.

"... the password that will take you exactly whence you came." In his musing, Draco hadn't heard the old man's ramblings.

"Care to repeat that? Didn't hear you," drawled Draco cheekily.

"I said" – replied Antares patiently in an eerily similar drawl as he scowled at the blond Seeker – "that when you say, 'Nirvana,' the password will take you whence you came. Later you can destroy that locket."

Antares took out Draco's wand from his left pocket and handed it to the blond.

Draco put on the silver jewel next to his Malfoy signet ring on the ring finger of his right hand. He sneered at the old man and twirling his wand between his fingers, bowed mockingly to his saviour.

Antares swept his gaze imperiously around the huge hall and suddenly his features sagged, revealing a tired, weary expression.

Draco was eager to return to Harry's side. He didn't trust completely the old man's assurances that Harry was ok, and he wanted to do some mischief to his bloody aunt and the other Death Eaters. He put the locket in the pocket of his robes and lifted his hand, looking at the silver ring.

Turning to face Draco, Antares said, "But whatever you do-"

The blond hastily muttered the password, and disappeared in a swirling light.

"-just don't wear it," finished Antares.

When he realised that Draco was gone, Antares nervously ruffled his white hair.

"Bloody great! He has to go off half-cocked just like that. Knew it!" huffed the old man, his voice resonating strangely in the cavernous hall.

Antares picked up a particularly milky crystal sphere and tried to look at his reflection, groaning when his efforts proved futile. "Hope this bloody glamour finally got the eyes, too!"

---

In the hall of Slytherin Castle, the Hogwarts students were huddled around Cho, who was writhing on the floor - the screams she had valiantly tried to suppress were now uncontrollable.

McGonagall looked down her nose at the Death Eaters she'd put under her immobilising spell. Moody and Alan Swann walked up to her and looked at the prisoners - amongst whom were Thorfinn Rowle, the Carrows, Parkinson, Nott and Crabbe - wondering how they would get them to the Ministry holding cells.

Meanwhile, Severus was eagerly searching for Draco and Narcissa. As he approached the centre of the hall, he bumped against something solid. Severus reached his hand towards that seemingly empty space and touched something solid and pliant that felt furry. Scowling, the Potions Master yanked the fabric and revealed the immobile Dumbledore.

Severus freed the Headmaster from the spell cast by Moody with a muttered 'Finite incantatem.'

Severus spoke clearly, his voice rushing in his characteristic eloquence, "The Dark Lord is dead at last! I must say I don't approve at all your handling of Potter! Dim as that boy is – like all Gryffindors – he deserves quite more respect from you. I can't believe that you immobilised him just when he was about to score a signal victory!"

Dumbledore looked at the Potions Master with a resigned mien; his eyes were not twinkling, in fact there was remorse and guilt in his uncharacteristically sombre expression.

Nearby, Parvati was crouching next to Cho, wringing her hands and looking imploringly at Hagrid. "Help her!" said she, holding Cho's hand gingerly. When Hagrid bent down and tried to pick Cho, the Ravenclaw screamed. Parvati stood up and looked around, crying. "Somebody help her!"

Albus heard the distressed cries of his student and approached the group around a writhing girl he recognised as the Ravenclaw Seeker, whilst Severus searched the hall, looking for injured people.

The Potions Master passed near a copper cauldron next to the dead dragon. Sneering down his nose at the incongruously abandoned instrument, Severus bent down to pick it up – he could never leave a cauldron just lying around – and instead of touching cold metal, he felt warm flesh. Snape's hands traced the contours of a slim waist and an inert arm.

Severus swished his wand at the fake cauldron and muttered a counter spell, frowning when he saw Tonks' immobile form, lying 20 feet away from the students.

Moody limped towards Severus and glanced worriedly at Nymphadora, his protégée and favourite Auror. He exchanged a concerned glance with the Potions Master and growled, "What'll we do?"

Moody looked towards Cho and then Tonks. "We have to get them to Pomfrey right now!"

Shacklebolt approached his fellow Auror, after having conjured shackles for the prisoners. He'd put a cloak over Mundungus' body, prior to taking it to the Ministry.

Kingsley looked towards the Floo. "We could sure use the Floo" – the Auror scowled, his dark skin sweaty with the exertions of the battle –"trouble is we don't know if it's compromised."

Dumbledore called out to them from around the group of students. "Don't worry, Kingsley. I can always call on Fawkes" – Albus peered worriedly at Tonks –"I'm sure the phoenix can take Miss Chang and Nymphadora back to Hogwarts."

---

Crookshanks walked into the hall after his unsuccessful chase of the rat. It would seem he was fated to never eat the rodent he remembered so well.

The ginger cat sauntered regally towards Hermione, sniffing disdainfully at the puny humans - as is the wont of cats - when he espied one of his favourite persons.

Crookshanks momentarily forgot his mistress and sidled next to McGonagall, meowing piteously as Minerva crossed her arms and looked wonderingly at the orange feline.

When Crookshanks started yowling, McGonagall sighed wearily and bent down to pick him up. He's just another victim of Granger's errant ways. Not content with her unseemly behaviour, now Granger rushes into battle tugging her poor cat with her, thought Minerva reprovingly.

Crookshanks purred contentedly on the arms of Minerva, sounding like a small army of enraged Hinkypunks.

Hagrid walked up to McGonagall and bent down to pet Hermione's cat, one of his favourite animals; but Crookshanks glared at the teacher and hissed furiously, scratching deeply the half-giant's hand.

The ginger cat jumped down from the shelter of Minerva's arms and ran away, hissing all the way.

Hagrid and Minerva exchanged a surprised look whilst Hagrid shook his head. No wonder Fang was afraid of Crookshanks, the feline was entirely too unpredictable.

16a. This orb of majesty - 2/2