Late August
"What the fuck Draco?" the voice jarred him out of his concentration and caused Draco to drop the large stone block he was trying to slot into the outer west wall. Luckily no children or animals were in the vicinity so there was no unfortunate death-by-enormous-boulder incidents for him to explain.
Draco steeled himself for a difficult conversation before turning around. It had been a while, but he recognised the cut glass accent of one of his oldest friends.
"Pansy"
She looked well. Her hair was cropped into an elegant bob that suited her square jaw and upturned nose. She was wearing a velvet robe that looked like it may just be the work of Haute Floubert. Clearly Pansy had been suffering immensely, ensconced in the family apartment on the Place Dauphine.
"You absolute bastard. We were told you were dead! We couldn't have a funeral but we scattered some bloody ashes. I cried and made a speech and everything. But look at you! You're fit as a fucking fiddle. You look like you've been off on a jolly - lifting weights and eating well and sunbathing for fucks sake. What the hell? Why didn't you tell us you were alive? I'm capable of keeping secrets you know!"
Draco shuffled uncomfortably. He'd not really thought about Other Draco's friends. In his world he and Pansy had parted ways some years ago, but of course the Draco of this world had his own ties. Apparently Pansy was not aware of the latest rumours surrounding him.
"Take a seat Pansy"
Draco lowered himself to the grass and gestured to a spot next to him. Pansy looked at him as though he had proposed slaughtering and eating a Briar Toad, and stayed standing
"Fine. Stay standing" Draco decided to cut to the chase "I really shouldn’t be telling you this, and I’ll deny it to my death if you tell anyone. I'm not your Draco. Your Draco did die, so those were his ashes and you were right to mourn him - you are right to still mourn him. I am Draco Malfoy but I was not born here. Don't ask questions - I'm not going to tell you any more because I'm simply not allowed to. You can take my word for it or not. I don't care"
Pansy looked at him for a long moment. Her brown eyes catching on his bare arms, the over-long hair he'd tied out of the way, the sprinkle of freckles that had appeared on his nose - much to his disgust. He could see the calculation in them, the unspoken words.
"Whatever, don't tell me the truth then. But if you think I’ll believe that rubbish for even a second you’re an idiot. You're working some angle and I want in. I've got a portkey scheduled this afternoon but I can stay until then. If you’re not going to tell me what you've been up to in the last few months, then you are going to tell me what you're going to do next instead. I'm really hoping that you've got plans that involve getting out of this castle o' shitty memories and getting a life, but judging from all this” she waved an arm that encompassed his rather scruffy person and the castle itself “I've got a feeling that I'm going to be horribly disappointed."
Pansy pulled out her wand and levitated the block, slotting it back into place with a casual spell.
"You look good you know. I didn't even know you pasty Malfoy twats could tan. I'm sorry about your parents."
Draco nodded and layered a fortifying spell over the mended wall, filling in the cracks. The castle hummed consolingly.
That evening Neville popped round and they drank a bottle of Ogden's finest between them.
"I can't believe Pansy stopped by. She's looking well fit these days though. Did you and her ever..." Neville waggled his eyebrows suggestively
"God no. She's... well she's not at all my type"
Neville looked puzzled then made a lewd gesture in front of his chest.
"Really?"
"Yes really. Those are part of the problem. I'm rather more inclined towards men I'm afraid"
"What?! Really? But Malfoy.."
"Yes... well... that's rather an interesting question, and I won't go there. Regardless of what or who your Malfoy did and didn't find attractive, this Malfoy is rather irreversibly and unrepentantly gay."
"Wow. So who...?"
"No Neville. Just no"
"But I told you about Hannah.."
"The fact you constantly whine to me about your pathetic crush on Abbott does not mean you are automatically entitled to all my secrets. But fine... there was... someone... but it was just potential.. nothing happened. We only spoke about it once, about our hopes. And then he died." Draco worried at the label of the bottle before taking another deep swig.
"But here..."
"No. He died. The version of him in this world is a different person with different memories. Believe me it could never work here. And I wouldn't want it to. My... he died, he's gone, and that's it. Don't ask me about it again"
Neville patted Malfoy on his shoulder and then grabbed the bottle off him.
"Oi!" Draco jumped on Neville and wrestled his bottle back, finding himself laughing aloud despite his misery "you've already drunk more than your fair share! Hand it over you drunken Horklump!
Neville giggled and tried to wriggle away, tipping a good measure of the pungent drink down his own armpit by accident in the process.