herumtreiber

Title: Unusual ending - chapter 16 - 2/2
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: 2863 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

This orb of majesty - 1/2

Harry tried to reach for Draco's hand just before both Draco and the old man disappeared. The Gryffindor moaned and exchanged an anguished look with Narcissa and Remus.

Harry stood up wearily and opened his mouth to say something, when Draco sauntered in the dungeon from the hole where the door used to be.

Draco gazed upward and followed the movement of a leaf falling midway from the ceiling; the moment poignantly reminded him when he used a bird to test the Vanishing Cabinet when he was fixing it with the ulterior motive of getting a quick getaway. His gaze slid next to the splinters of the destroyed cabinet before he was assaulted by a jubilant Harry, almost toppling the Slytherin.

Harry hugged Draco fiercely, touching him gingerly as tears flowed down his face. He couldn't believe Draco was all right, that he had survived Bellatrix' attack. He put his face next to the silky golden hair he loved to touch and inhaled deeply; the woodsy aroma of Draco's shampoo felt like coming home - like arriving at Hogwarts when term started. It didn't matter to Harry that the scent was overlaid with the coppery smell of blood and the ever present stink of the dragon's carcass. All that mattered to Harry was encircling Draco in his strong arms, protecting him from the traitorous world - feeling like he was holding all that mattered to him.

For the moment, Harry was content.

"Careful, Harry!" wheezed Draco as Narcissa joined the hug. Trapped between the arms of his mother and Harry, Draco felt safe.

"Did the old man cure you? How come you're back so fast?" asked Harry wonderingly.

"Are you all right, Dragon? You're not hurting, are you?" asked Narcissa.

"I'm fine, Mom. Please!" pleaded Draco to no avail; because Narcissa held him with the strength of a lioness making sure that her cub was all right.

Finally, Narcissa stepped away and glared at her son. "If you ever pull a stunt like this, Draco, I swear-"

Harry frowned, unaware of the dark streaks running down his cheeks where his tears had mixed with the grime of the battle. He heartily joined Narcissa in her chastising of Draco. Lifting his hand, Harry admonished, "Yeah, Draco! Don't ever-"

Draco looked towards Remus, seeking succour from his DADA professor, who was standing next to a scowling Dobby. But Remus smiled softly whilst he touched his moustache - perhaps wishing he had a camera like Colin Creevey.

Draco realised that the old man's strange jewel had brought him back just moments after he'd left. So that explained their frantic worry.

Draco exclaimed, "Come on! Don't be like this! We survived, that's the crux of the matter!"

Harry scowled; no matter how quaintly Draco phrased it, the Slytherin's wound had scared him very much.

Hearing Draco's words, Remus remembered his pregnant wife - who was lying on the floor when he cast the cloaking spell on her.

"Tonks!" shouted Remus, dashing out of the dungeon and through the corridor, never noticing the slender dark chair that was incongruously there.

Hearing Remus' worried exclamation, Narcissa wanted to check up on her niece, too. At the same time she wanted to ask her son what had transpired with the eerily familiar man, but she felt the pull of family – wanting to make sure that Andromeda's daughter was ok. After all, Andie and her daughter were the only family she had left – considering Bellatrix' betrayal.

Narcissa walked to the door, turning back to cast a last admonishing glare at her little Dragon. Holding her wand determinedly, Narcissa went out the door, sure in the knowledge that Draco and Harry would protect each other.

Smiling wickedly, Harry motioned towards the door. "Let's finish the Death Eaters, shall we?"

The Slytherin fingered his torn robes and sighed wearily. "Yeah, let's!"

The Seekers made their way out of the dungeons, holding their wands in front of them -ready to hurl spells at any dark wizards. They exchanged a worried glance when they noticed the lack of noise and flashing lights – apparently the battle had been decided while they were in the dungeons. Clutching his wand tightly, Draco advanced in front of Harry. The Gryffindor walked rapidly up the narrow stairs, trying to move ahead of Draco, ready to face the wrath of the Death Eaters before his boyfriend.

Nudging each other's shoulders, seeking to be the one in front, the boys entered the hall. The first thing Harry noticed were the twins, their read hair and pink robes made their shapes clearly visible even in the dim light of the sconces. Fred and George appeared to be arguing next to Voldemort's overturned throne. George was gesticulating wildly with his arms and Fred seemed to be measuring the golden chair. Harry shook his head, thinking that the twins probably planned to abscond with the chair to use it as an ingredient in some prank.

Draco saw with relief that the Light had won the battle. The hall was mostly empty. A blond man garbed in Auror robes was weaving a spell around Voldemort's body.

Narcissa and Remus were talking with a speccy Auror. Draco saw his mother touching Remus' shoulder, saying something that obviously calmed the professor.

In fact Alan Swann, the Hufflepuff Auror, was explaining to Narcissa and Remus that Tonks and Miss Chang had been transported back to Hogwarts via the Headmaster's phoenix, and Kingsley Shacklebolt had taken the prisoners to the holding cells at the Ministry.

Narcissa called out to Draco, "Remus and I, we're going to Hogwarts. I think Bella hit Andie's daughter with one of her tricky spells. I need to help her."

Draco nodded tiredly.

Remus and Narcissa walked to the Floo. She turned back and called to Draco one last time, "See you there!"

Ron rushed to Harry when he saw him enter the hall, Hermione right behind him. Ron's arm was bleeding due to a stray spell, but he'd refused to go back to Hogwarts until he found Harry – the future memory of Harry's unmoving body haunted his thoughts.

Hermione's blue jeans had a tear on her right knee where she'd fallen to evade a spell, her sweater was streaked with grime, and her robe was slightly askew. She was searching for Harry and also her elusive cat, shaking her head and wondering how Crookshanks had followed her into the battle.

The two Gryffindors had been searching feverishly for Harry since the fight ended with the cowardly retreat of the Death Eaters.

Hermione scowled, looking at Harry's tattered robes whilst Ron approached the Seekers warily - mindful of the Slytherin next to Harry.

Hermione huffed, "Really, Harry what..."

Fingering the locket inside his pocket, Draco interrupted her, drawling haughtily, "Well, well, it's our dear moRon and Whore-"

Before the blond could finish, Harry elbowed him sharply. Now that his former friends were coming around, Harry could not risk them fighting with Draco. The Gryffindor distinctly remembered how Draco ended this particular remark.

"What'd you say?" exclaimed Ron, brandishing his wand threateningly towards Draco, ready to retaliate.

Draco nursed his ribs and glared at his boyfriend.

"W... what Draco meant to say-" stuttered Harry, noticing his lover glaring mutinously at him and stepping away.

Ron crossed his arms sceptically, waiting for a good explanation - ready to curse Draco at the drop of a hat. Meanwhile Hermione scowled fiercely at the Seekers, her arms akimbo.

George and Fred, smelling trouble, had approached quietly. They were flanking Harry, his pink robes contrasting sharply with Harry's black one.

Whilst Fred - his bandages white again thanks to Moody's spell – smirked at Draco, George observed Harry intently, betting mentally on the outcome of the next battle.

"What Draco meant" - repeated Harry, wilting from the combined glares of Draco, Ron and Hermione whilst his agile mind searched desperately for some kind of explanation.

"Yes, Harry, what do you think I meant?" growled Draco.

Harry found something to say. He squared his shoulders and looked at the Gryffindors and his fellow Seeker.

"What Draco meant to say was" - said Harry, crossing his arms defiantly - "my! Ron and Horcrux, that's what ... Draco meant," finished Harry a bit lamely.

Harry cocked an eyebrow at Draco, silently urging him to go along with this particular obfuscation.

"Pray tell me what a Horcrux is, Harry!" huffed Hermione, fingering her wand and pondering whether to hit Draco with a spell or with her fist. She looked around the hall, still searching for her ginger cat.

George wrapped his arm around Harry, while Fred did the same from the other side. The twins chorused, "Yeah, Harry, our speccy git, what's a Horcrux?"

Harry tried to fabricate a story using his Slytherin side. After all, hadn't the bloody Sorting Hat said he would do well in Slytherin? Time to put that theory to the test.

"A Horcrux is, like, a magical item that Voldemort spelt with Dark Magic!" said Harry excitedly, waving his arms.

Ron and Hermione shared a glance; they were still sceptical of Harry's explanation.

Harry continued - unmindful of the scrutinising glances of those around him. "I reckon that's what Voldemort used to come back from the dead, because it has his evil essence."

Warming to his concocted story, Harry added, "And if you chance upon it, don't wear it – because it can turn you into a very aggressive, mean person!"

Ron snorted and looked at Harry sceptically. "So you're going to say that Malfoy has been wearing one all the time we've known him?"

Draco glared at the redhead, fingering his wand whilst Harry patted Draco's shoulder reassuringly. "Course not! Draco's naturally rude!"

When the Slytherin scowled fiercely at Harry and brushed off his hand, Harry backtracked. "I mean, Draco's naturally sarcastic, not rude at all! Except on certain occasions..."

Hermione muttered quietly to herself, "Yeah, like all the time!"

Harry reached for Draco's hand and held it in a strong grip, urging the irreverent Slytherin to go along with his tale. "The Horcruxes - they're some relics that Voldemort uses to reincarnate. As long as there's one around, he'll return!"

Using his newfound Slytherin wiles, Harry moved his thumb sensuously around Draco's wrist, one of his erogenous zones – hoping to mollify the disgruntled blond. Harry continued, "Draco is worried about them and wants to search for them together with you two; that's why he used those words when he saw you!"

When Crookshanks sauntered next to Draco and rubbed himself against the Slytherin's legs, Harry heaved a sigh of relief – maybe the ginger cat would help distract his mistrustful friends.

Hermione saw her cat and bent down to pick him up, but Crookshanks shied away from her, moving around Draco's legs and meowing piteously until the Slytherin grabbed the ginger cat and wrapped Crookshanks comfortably around his shoulders as if the cat was a living stole.

Crookshanks purred contentedly whilst Hermione glared murderously at the feline and the smirking blond, pondering whether to cast Confundus on her unruly cat.

Harry lifted his eyebrow at Draco and cocked his head. The blond blushed and petted Crookshanks' head. "Well, what can I say?"

Draco nudged Harry with his shoulder so that Crookshanks' whiskers tickled Harry's forehead. The Slytherin added, "I like big cats, even if they're speccy ones."

Fred and George guffawed while Harry glared at Draco.

Ron exchanged a commiserating look with Hermione, he knew what it felt like when a familiar betrayed a wizard; after all, he had trusted Scabbers too.

Draco smirked infuriatingly at the irate Hermione, slouching a bit. "Your cat weighs a lot, Granger." He touched softly Crookshanks' whiskers. "But he's a likable fellow."

Fred nudged George; the twins shared a glance and communicating in their internal language, they hurried away, perhaps to grab Nagini's body.

After the twins left, the ginger cat meowed, indicating that he wanted to come down from his comfortable perch. Draco put him down on the floor and Crookshanks scampered away, Hermione running after him. She was determined to grab the cat by his whiskers if it was necessary.

But when Hermione dashed out of the hall right behind her cat, she didn't find the feline. Crookshanks seemed to have evaporated like the Cheshire Cat.

Draco touched Harry's shoulder. "Tell me, Harry. How did you manage to cast Adagissimo so fast at the snake?"

At that moment Pansy rushed into the hall; she and Blaise had been looking for Draco on the other side of the castle. They'd had a skirmish with two Death Eaters that tried to hide in the kitchen, so they were grimy and Pansy favoured her right leg. Blaise stumbled into Pansy and started to scold her when he saw Draco. The two Slytherins rushed to embrace their friend.

After they were reassured that the blond was all right, Blaise sidled next to Ron and put an arm around his shoulder.

The redhead squirmed; it seemed that Ron was not comfortable with the sign of affection. Pansy noticed the Gryffindor's discomfort and glared at him, tossing her copper-coloured mane aside – now liberally sprinkled with melted cheese from her confrontation in the kitchen.

Glancing at Pansy, Draco continued his enquiry, "I use classical music as inspiration for Adagissimo. What did you use?"

Harry fidgeted, shuffling his feet on the dirty stone floor. "Well, I use a Weird Sisters song."

Ron snorted disbelievingly, as did Draco.

Harry lifted the rim of his glasses with his pinkie - the spell he'd used to stick them in place when he left Hogwarts to search for Draco had apparently worn off. "I imagine Celestina Warbeck singing 'A cauldron full of hot, strong love,' but the cauldron she's singing about? It's full of molasses."

"The molasses spill and flood the room she's in, reaching this high" - Harry put his hand near his waist, spreading his palm - "soon they reach her throat so she sings quite slowly. Plus there are gigantic treacle tarts all around her." Harry mimicked Celestina's stance and sang slowly, "A cauldron fuuuulllll of hoooooot - glub, glub, glub."

Blaise laughed raucously and Ron sported a smirk. Draco just smiled and shrugged, knowing that Harry did unconventional things.

McGonagall was standing next to the Floo, she motioned for the group of students so they would return to Hogwarts. Harry chanced to look in her direction. He felt suddenly very tired. It had been an exhausting night.

Holding Draco's hand, Harry walked towards the Floo where the blond Auror had disappeared in a green flash a minute before. Ron and Hermione were walking on his right whilst Pansy and Blaise flanked Draco, scolding the blond.

Of course that melody was engraved deep in Harry's heart, for it was the song they played on their graduation – when Draco danced away with Terry Boot and the blond seemed completely unreachable to him. In the long months that followed, he delighted in imagining a swift retribution for the Weird Sisters singer.

Meanwhile, Hagrid and Moody were walking in the narrow corridor next to the potions lab in the dungeons of Slytherin Castle, after sweeping through the corridors, looking for stray Death Eaters.

Hagrid was too tall for the corridor, he was slouching noticeably and it was killing his back. So when he saw a simple oak chair with thin spindles, he sighed and began to sit down.

"Wait, Hagrid!" exclaimed Moody, his gruff voice sounding eerie in the dank corridor.

"Don't sit on that chair or you'll destroy it!" snapped Moody, limping towards the chair, motioning for Hagrid to step aside and finally sitting down.

Mad-Eye looked around with an alarmed mien when he felt a small tremor underneath him. Probably the after effects of the bloody battle, thought Moody suspiciously.

After the adrenaline of the fight left him, Moody was tired and grouchier than usual. He took out his hip flask and took a hefty swig of firewhiskey.

"Just what I needed after battling Death Eaters," growled Moody contentedly.

Moody looked piercingly at Hagrid. "What's the deal with Dumbledore? I had to take him out after he immobilised Harry!"

"Perhaps it's the Elder wand?" blurted out Hagrid.

Realising he had said something he shouldn't, Hagrid tugged nervously his moleskin coat, shuffling his huge beaver-skin boots on the stone floor and gazing pathetically at Nagini's dead body. Perhaps he could've persuaded the huge snake to mend her ways, just like he did with Aragog.

"What'd you mean? What Elder wand?" exclaimed Moody disbelievingly, sitting straight and looking suspiciously at the dark corridor. At least there were no Death Eaters lurking around.

"Well" - Hagrid doubted he should say more, but he cowered under Moody's magical eye, which was whirling crazily - "Dumbledore told me that his wand is the most powerful of all. Perhaps it affected him?"

Hagrid looked down at Moody, who took another swig of his firewhiskey, hitting repeatedly the chair with the flask in his excitement.

"According to wandlore" – Hagrid walked towards the stairs, tired of stooping down so low; he turned back to look at the grizzled Auror - "now that you disarmed Dumbledore, the Elder wand is yours."

The secret pact -1/2