Lost in the Woods with a Wolf a Demon and an Animagus
Draco didn’t know how he knew the pathway to the clearing, but he did. It was like he had walked that way a million times before, which he knew he hadn’t, but you couldn’t really tell that to his legs now could you? It was like he just knew where to go without knowing where to go, which was weird even in his own head, but he thanked it because the beginning journey in the dream was always fuzzy. The clearer parts started after he passed the spot where he fed and hung out with the dementors, and then the beginning of the clearing.
He had just passed the lake where the dementors normally sleep at when the brush just to the right of him started moving. It wasn’t especially cold so it wasn’t the dementors, and normally the creatures of the Forbidden Forest stay away from dementors in particular, so there was a low chance that it was any creature that could pose too big of a threat to him since the Giant spiders live deeper in the forest and don’t leave their territory it is not one of those. That leaves only…
“Hello,” Draco called out, if it was the child then they were a bit farther from where Draco normally begins to see them in the dream. Maybe they sensed him and wanted to meet him sooner. “Can you tell me why you’ve been sending me nightmares recently?” Draco asked walking closer to bushes, they rustled once more before Draco gave an exasperated sigh. “You know you could at least show yourself if you aren’t going to answer…” he trailed off. He had just pushed the bushes apart and what started back at him wasn’t the child. “Professor Lupin?”
Lupin stared back at him with a sheepish smile, as if he were embarrassed at being caught. It was then that Draco realized that yesterday was a full moon, which explained why he was in the forest, somewhat. The Professor chuckled awkwardly and stood up.
“Hello Mr. Malfoy, can you tell me why you’re in the forest?” he paused just now catching up with what I said beforehand. “And why you’re asking someone about sending you nightmares?”
There was a high chance that if answered the professor would send him back to the castle or drag him back to the castle by force. He still seemed somewhat stunned at Draco actually speaking so much as a full sentenced if the bemused expression on his face was anything to go by, so all Draco had to do was just run.
“Well about that,” and then Draco took off, using his bodies apparent ability to lead him to the clearing while he tried to avoid the stunning spells the professor was shooting at him. Draco could already tell that this was not going to go well even if he made it to the clearing, so he figured he might as well go full out.
“Stupefy!” Draco shouting back at the Professor just watching the man dodge the spell before turning back to his path, occasionally shooting a spell back at the other man. He was about to throw back another one when suddenly there was a big black dog in his path. He didn’t have time to stop and he just ran into the thing. The dog threw him off and into the dirt and just started growling down at him.
He put his hands up passively. “Nice doggy, Good doggy, just let me get by you. You see that man is chasing me.” He gestured to Lupin who slowed to a complete stop upon seeing the dog. He kept flicking his eyes between the dog and then Draco as if he had seen a ghost. The dog didn’t look and only started growling more. “There’s something I really need to do, I can’t let anyone stop me right now and if I go back with him there’s no way I’ll get another chance.” He spoke louder in hopes that Lupin could hear and take pity on him.
“Mr. Malfoy.” Lupin paused unsure what it is he was about to say, but he didn’t finish it.
“Please,” then Draco took in the dog. It looked malnourished, like it hadn’t eaten anything in months, and Draco can empathize in not eating for a while. He dug around in his bag until he pulled out a ham sandwich. “You hungry?” He held it out to the dog. It seemed to soften at the sight of food just in front of it, and slowly it stopped growling. “You can have it.”
The dog sniffed at the sandwich, before taking it out of Draco’s hand and practically swallowing it whole. Draco figured that since the dog was now distracted he could sneak by, but unfortunately what froze Lupin at first didn’t last long because when Draco pushed himself to his feet Lupin was already there, standing in front of him with his arms crossed. He opened his mouth, probably to reprimand Draco, but Draco beat him to it.
“Please, Mr. Lupin, I need to go somewhere. There’s something calling me to a specific spot in the forest and I can’t sleep until I see what they want.” He rushed out.
“It wasn’t him?” Lupin nodded at the dog. Draco turned and the dog was still there but now it was just staring at the two of them. Now that Draco got a closer look the dog didn’t look quite right, there was something wrong with its soul. “Mr. Malfoy, you didn’t come out here for him?”
Draco whipped his head back to his professor ignoring the dog with the weird human soul for a moment. “No, sir, I didn’t even know dogs were in the forest.” Lupin nodded his head, but he was still in Draco’s way. “Please professor.” Draco begged. His throat was getting soar from all the speaking, but it was worth it to get the point across.
Lupin signed and sagged a bit, but that seemed to indicate that he had given in. Draco couldn’t help the grin that stretched across his face.
“But I’m going with you, I can’t very well let you explore the forest and get eaten, now can I?” Lupin smirked a bit, but even with the message that he wouldn’t be alone and therefore had no idea how the child would react compared to if he was alone didn’t stop him from jumping up and hugging the professor. He seemed shocked at first because he froze when Draco wrapped his arms around his neck, but soon he relaxed into the hold and hugged back. “Okay, Mr. Malfoy lead the way.”
“So, you’ve been having nightmares about coming to a specific spot in the forest, and you decided to follow them?” Remus asked incredulously. They had been walking for about ten more minutes, three of which in silence with the dog trailing after them before he asked Draco to tell him why he was out in the forest to begin with. He also asked Draco to call him Remus while they were in the forest together, but to call him Professor in school. Draco shrugged because, yeah he couldn’t really fault the other man because yeah it did sound crazy.
“The nightmares were making it difficult to sleep, and they happen every night, it’s the same dream. It has to mean something.” He felt his spine tingle at that thought.
The thought of finally understanding the dreams fills you with Determination!
Remus stared back at the blond with an eye brow raised, the teen seemed to just have had a spark injected back into him because from an outsiders perspective be just got more serious and more determined. He turned his look down at the dog which was trotting alongside the two of them. The dog looked at Remus and then at Draco before snorting once and then staring ahead.
Suddenly Draco stopped. He didn’t have to be able to see the fog that just stopped at one point at if it had run into a wall to know that he was there, but that was a heavy indicator for Remus that he wasn’t crazy at least. Draco however felt a sudden strong pull pulling him into the fog. It was as if his entire being needed to be in there at that very moment. He felt a grin pull at his face, and he couldn’t help calling out as he approached fog.
“Hey, I’m here!” Remus and the dog moved at a much slower and more cautious pace. When he stepped over a shutter went down Draco’s spine and he suddenly felt right. A figure dashed passed a few trees just as Remus and the dog followed Draco over the threshold. “Oh come on, you don’t have to hide.” Draco called out.
“Mr. Malfoy.” Remus started, only to be cut off by a child like voice.
“That’s not their name!” the child called out before ducking behind another tree.
“Really, and what would my name be?” When nothing happened, Draco took a chance and ran over to the tree the child ducked behind. When he found nothing, he looked up in time to see a branch move above him. Despite himself he felt himself grin, it was like a game. “Come, on I’m here now. Show Yourself.” He called as he started climbing the tree after them.
“Mr. Malfoy, I don’t think you should be tempting it to come out, nor do I think that you should be climbing a tree to follow it.” Remus admonished.
“Don’t worry Remus, I’ve known them all my life, of that I’m sure.” Remus didn’t seem to know what to say to that, although he did give a small shout when Draco jumped to the branch of the adjacent tree. “You coming out, or am I going to have to catch you?” Draco call out.
He was only met with a giggle and more rustling branches, but that was fine because he was already on their trail. He jumped from tree branch to tree branch chasing down the child, as Remus and the dog chased after him on the ground. Once they got closer to the clearing the trees started thinning more, and so Draco unfortunately had to jump down then. Remus rushed over to see if he was okay, but he waved him off eyes still on the trees to see where the child was. He wasn’t watching where he was going, spinning in circles with eyes trained on the tree line, so he didn’t see the tree until he backed into it.
He jumped away from the tree and spun around only to see something that was stuck to the tree fall to the ground. Eyebrow cocked, he bent down to pick it up and found it to be a sign with the words “New, New Home!” written on it.
“New, New Home?” Draco whispered surprised that the words seemed so familiar to him. He looked around the tree and saw only the opening now. The fog was denser in the clearing, but he could still make out the unmoving figures in the fog. There was the sound of someone jumping from the tree behind them, but Draco didn’t turn around. Instead he closed his eyes, somehow knowing it wasn’t time to see them. He ignored the barking and he ignored Remus’ words that seemed to fade in the background. Suddenly there was a presence behind him, he still didn’t turn, but he did open his eyes at the shout from Remus.
Before him were floating hearts, he knew these to be souls from having seen them his whole life. There were six of them, all of different colors. One was purple, one was blue, one was orange, one was teal, one was green, and one was yellow, They just floated in front of Draco for a bit before another one floated up with them, resting in the center of the circle the others seemed to have formed. This one was bright red.
Draco reached his hand out to the red soul, feeling its pull and giving into it. There was something he had always wondered, especially after he found out what he was seeing were a person’s soul. He had always wondered why he couldn’t see his own. Now he knew, it was because he didn’t have one. It was never in his body. For the first 13 years of his life his soul had been living here, in this forest separated from it’s host. His hand enclosed around the red soul, and the other six started to glow.
Suddenly there was a wall of moving moments in front of him. The wall playing scenes in front of him that fit perfectly into what his dreams had been beforehand. A smile grew on his face as he watched his memories. The memories he forgot without his soul that was no longer in his hand, but now inside him where it belonged. He watched them all, his eyes bouncing from one to another, and then suddenly he knew where he was, and he knew the name of the child that alluded him.
He turned around then, ignoring Remus who stared at the wall of memories with wide eyes, no Draco’s attention was focused solely on the child. Who was now a teenager around Draco’s age. There eyes were still red, and their cheeks were still rosy, and they were still wearing the sweater that was supposed to be part of a matching pair, and it was still them.
“Chara,” Draco whispered. Chara smirked and gave him a look that said ‘took you long enough’ before taking a step closer to Draco which he mirrored. He was right in his earlier assumption that the child was supposed to be a part of him. It had been a long time since meeting Chara and understanding that they had been in his body since falling into the underground, but they hadn’t been separated after that, not until he died, and was reincarnated without his soul.
Draco reached his hand out, and Chara mirrored it. When their hands touched Chara began to fade, being absorbed into Draco’s body where they belonged.
“You don’t have to talk anymore Frisk, don’t worry. I’m here now!” Chara smirked arrogantly as they fully faded into Draco, but Draco smirked anyways. They were now complete, and they were a they again.
It was then that they turned to look at Remus who was gaping at the Slytherin, the dog was too strangely enough. Draco gave a grin to the both of them before holding out their hand.
“Hi, I was born as Draco Malfoy, but I would appreciate it if you call me Frisk Dreemurr!”