Chapter 9
This time, there was no surge to his stomach and they remained in the same spot, the world buzzing forwards around them, nothing but shapes and shadows. Somewhere out there, there was a frightened Draco lowering his wand and a stunned Harry watching it all happen. Later there’d be deaths, explosions and ruined walls eventually rebuilt and carefree astronomy students mingling on the bridge during starlit nights, to whom the war would be but a distant story.
When it all stopped, they were alone and sunlight was flooding through the windows. The time turner had stilled completely yet he held on to Draco’s hand. None of them spoke for a while, afraid something would have shattered, that they’d returned to another version of themselves or that the world they’d now entered wasn’t the one they’d left.
“That was…strange” Harry eventually let out.
“Indeed” Draco replied in his usual dry tone and everything felt wonderfully normal.
“Are you OK?” Harry asked, squeezing the hand still in his.
“I…yeah” Draco hesitated, looking out the window for a long time before he turned back to meet Harry’s eyes, a new softness and vulnerability to him. “I will be.”
They left the tower and headed down the stairs, the absence of students in the corridors and the quietness of the castle becoming more unnerving for every step they took.
“It’s afternoon, everyone will be in class” Draco said but Harry could tell he was worried too.
They’d made it all the way to the third floor without encountering anyone and was pretty much back to where they’d started. Harry eyed the broom cupboard further down the corridor.
“Maybe we need to step in there” he suggested. “Perhaps it’ll alter space back to fit with time or something.”
He knew he wasn’t making sense and it was a mark of how dire the situation was that Draco agreed with him.
“Worth a shot” he said.
It was just a door, yet there seemed to be something crucial about it. Harry’s heart ponded as he turned the knob, because what if there wasn’t a broom cupboard behind it, what if the heart carved into the ceiling wasn’t there? The handle didn’t budge and as he gave it a second and third attempt he could feel panic rising and got his wand out.
“Potter, don’t…” Draco advised but Harry had already thrown an alohomora, ready to work his way up to the more advanced unlocking spells or vanish the door if nothing else worked.
It proved unnecessary, the door swung open immediately, revealing two flushed teenage boys with their hands down each other’s pants.
“Sorry” he mumbled confused and took a step back.
“I told you not to” Draco said rolling his eyes.
The two boys buttoned up their trousers and stepped out in the corridor, one of them sagging his shoulders and trying to hide behind the other, which was a lost cause due to his size. There was something vaguely familiar about him.
“Holy cricket” the other said, having Harry fear they’d ended up in the fifties but then he went on “you’re Harry Potter.”
“Yes” Harry agreed.
“And you’re Draco Malfoy” the boy turned to Draco who gave a nod. “Does this mean something is wrong at Hogwarts?”
“Why would it?” Harry asked alarmed.
“You’re an auror and he’s a curse breaker, you’re here to investigate something, aren’t you?” The boy practically jumped up and down in excitement. “Is there a boggart in the cupboard, is that why you were trying to get in here?”
“Er…no…we were just…lost” Harry mumbled realizing his image as savior and auror was rapidly flailing to these boys.
“I think you would have noticed if there was a boggart in there” Draco came to his rescue. “Even if you were a bit busy.”
The talkative boy blushed and Draco went on in his dry voice “if you need to call in aurors and cursebreakers for something as common as boggarts I believe this school is doomed for, I would have thought you were well familiar with a simple riddikulus by now, Wallace.”
The quiet boy who had been crouching behind his boyfriend looked up briefly and then resumed staring at his shoes. “Please don’t tell my father about this Mr Malfoy” he mumbled.
“Greg’s nephew” Draco explained to Harry. “He sometimes invites me to family gatherings.” He turned back to the frightened boy with a stern look on his face. “If you would answer me a few questions correctly, I might neglect mentioning this on the next occasion.”
“Er…I’ll try” the boy said and Harry got the feeling he had inherited Goyle’s brainpowers.
“What’s the date and year of today?” Draco asked in a stern voice worthy of Snape.
“October fifth 2008” the other boy let out immediately and then added “sorry.”
“Yeah, same as he said” miniature Goyle said and Harry had to bite his tongue not to laugh. So at least they were in the right time.
“Who’s the head of your school?” Draco went on.
“Professor McGonagall?” Wallace replied, confused by the odd questions, or perhaps he was just astonished to be able to offer a correct answer.
“And what teams played in the game we went to with your uncle Greg and aunt Millie this summer?” Draco’s jaw tensed as Wallace’s face screwed up in confusion once more and Harry understood where he was going with this. It appeared they’d got the big picture right, Harry and Draco had both survived the war, McGonagall was headmistress and this kid obviously existed in both universes but it was really the details that would let them know they were in the right one.
“Puddlemere United and the Channons” Wallace finally said.
“Yes” Draco agreed triumphantly.
“I had a beetroot and caramel ice cream” he added absurdly as if to gain extra credit.
“You sure did” Draco said and let out a laugh of relief, then realizing he’d fallen out of character and put on a stern face again “And why are you two in here instead of being in class?”
“We took some puking pastilles to get out of charms” Wallace admitted and the other boy elbowed him in the ribs.
“I see” Draco mumbled, his lips twitching when he met Harry’s eyes.
“Hang on” the eyes of the other boy narrowed and he looked them up and down. “You were going in there to snog, weren’t you?”
“Most certainly not” Draco let out but as his eyes briefly met Harry’s his cheeks turned a slight pink which didn’t go the boys amiss who grinned openly at each other.
“We won’t tell if you won’t tell” Wallace offered.
Draco glared at them. “Fine” he resigned. “Off you go then before I change my mind.”
The boys took off down the corridor, leaving Draco and Harry too stare after them.
“Bloody sneaky Slytherins” Draco muttered.
“Mm, that slim one kind of reminded me of someone” Harry said with a warm smile.
“If he’s anything like teenage me, we’ll be on the front page of the Prophet by tomorrow morning” Draco sighed.
Harry laughed and gestured at the door, “so, you wanna?”
Draco gave him a confused look. “What’s the point? We’ve already established we’re in the right time and universe.”
“Yes, but I believe there’s some unfinished snogging to take care of” Harry grinned, dragging Draco inside, pushing their mouths together before reason caught up with them.
At first Draco seemed taken aback but soon he started to take as good as he gave, swirling his tongue around Harry’s in a way that had his toes curl and his cock stretch against his pants. Draco seemed to register the latter as they pressed against each other and let out a snort between kisses but Harry was too distracted by the mere brilliance of it all to be embarrassed.
He boldly moved his hips, seeking friction and felt Draco slowly but steadily respond, grinding back. Trying to keep up the motion along with working his tongue soon got too much and he detached his lips from Draco’s, shamelessly gasping into his ear, pulling Draco against him by cupping his ass. Meanwhile Draco fisted his hand in his hair, tugging almost painfully at the same time as he pushed against Harry.
All the tension from the day he’d lived through seemed to pour out of him as they moved together and the orgasm ripping through his body was more sudden and intense than anything he’d ever felt. He clung on to Draco, holding himself up and rode out the aftershook at the same time as Draco let out a low moan against his neck and stilled.
They remained like that, breathing heavily, the reality of what had just taken place catching up with them.
Draco was the first to break away. “Well, that was exceptionally tacky” he said, directing his wand to his crotch, vanishing the wet spot.
“Uhum” Harry mumbled. “I won’t be able to look Professor McGonagall in the eye after this.”
“Do we still have to do that?” Draco whined.
“We should let her know why we’re walking about the castle, and we can use her floo to get back” Harry suggested, remembering he was an auror on a mission.
“I suppose” Draco muttered. “Though she’ll probably send us to the Janus Thickey ward.” He corrected his robes and smoothed his hair. “Ready?”
“Just a sec.” Harry directed his wand to the ceiling and soon a badly drawn heart with the initials HP DM appeared on it. “Something for future Slytherins to rest their eyes on” he said with a grin.
Draco rolled his eyes at him but Harry thought he saw a smile playing on his lips when they stepped out into the corridor.
Next to the heated, thick air of the cupboard, the empty stone corridors felt cold and airy as they walked through the castle and what thrust they’d build throughout the day seemed to evaporate, leaving them silent and awkward next to each other. Perhaps it was the realization of being back in the present that had Draco tense up next to him and become his usual edgy self. Perhaps he was regretting what had taken place between them just now. It was hard to tell with him staring straight ahead, brows wrinkled and lips pressed together.
Harry had no idea how to go about things from here and kept up the silent walk. Their arms brushed occasionally but he did not attempt to take Draco’s hand again. When they made it to the end of the corridor, he made for a left turn and Draco for the right and they bumped into each other, Harry stepping on Draco’s toes and got rammed by his shoulder at the same time.
“Sorry” they both said awkwardly and sprang apart.
“I believe the headmistress office is that way” Harry said.
“Yes of course” Draco mumbled. “My mistake.”
Harry never thought he’d miss being called an idiot but Draco’s formal tone was worse than any of the insults he used to throw about.
Oh, this was just silly, Harry thought and decided to throw caution to the wind. “Will you go on a date with me?” he blurted out, feeling about as confident as when he was fifteen, asking Cho Chang to join him in Madam Puddifoot’s for valentines.
“A date?” Draco asked as if he’d never heard of the concept.
“Yeah, it’s this thing where people go out, having dinner together.”
Draco threw him a sideways glance. “I also believe it’s something they do before getting off in cupboards, not after.”
“Yes, we I might have messed up the order of things a bit” Harry agreed. “But, you know, time isn’t always linear.” He huffed Draco’s arm.
Draco groaned. “Really, time travel jokes?”
“Too soon?”
“Definitely.”
Perhaps it was too soon for dates, or too late, depending on how one looked at it. He recalled the younger Draco, betrayed and used as a tool by the adults around him. Trust probably didn’t come easy to him.
“I really enjoyed what happened before and I wouldn’t mind doing it again” Harry tried more softly, doing his best to ignore the fact that his face felt hot enough to fry an egg on. “But it’s not all I want, I’d like to get to know you.”
Draco still did not reply.
“How about we grab something to eat after work tonight, I know a good, quiet Vietnamese place” Harry pushed on.
Draco sighed wearily. “I don’t know Potter, I’ve kind of had a really long day.”
“Time jokes?” Harry asked with raised eyebrows.
“Told you they were a bad idea.”
“Yeah” Harry mumbled, knowing he’d just been brushed off.
They walked on in silence, McGonagalls office was but a minute away though it felt like an hour with them cringing in each others company. Finally they were facing the gargoyle, Harry raising his fist to tap it but was prevented by Draco catching his wrist midair.
“Now what?” Harry let out indignant, wondering if Draco was going to be as difficult about entering the office as he had been about stepping into the library earlier.
Their hands were joined in an awkward angle for a few beats before Draco let go, looking flustered. An annoyingly long time passed before he spoke.
“Maybe we could have lunch in the ministry cafeteria on Monday” he finally let out, sounding almost annoyed about it.
“Oh” Harry suppressed a smile, realizing Draco was asking him for a date. Or agreeing to one. “Lunch sounds great. Anywhere but that cafeteria though.”
McGonagall was happy to receive them but her warm expression grew more and more sceptic the longer they talked. She did not mention the Janus Thickey Ward but it was clear she thought they belonged there.
She inspected the time turner for a long while before she leaned back in her chair, speaking carefully. “I see no reason for you to lie about this of course but you must see how unlikely it all appears.”
There was a quiet cough behind her.
“If I may, Professor McGonagall.” Dumbledore appeared in his frame, unmistakable twinkle to his eye.
“I am but paint here and my portrait’s self knows nothing of the events in the astronomy tower that Harry and Draco have described. Their story is as thrilling as improbable.” He winked at Harry. “And therefore, I believe it is perfectly true.”
McGonagall looked at him faintly. “You think?”
Dumbledore nodded. “I think a circle has been complete at last.”