The Dark Legacy (a drarry story)

Chapter XXXIII

With a nauseating jolt, the knight bus came into view, with two startling honks as a forewarning.

"What the hell is this," Draco laughed nervously as it stopped in front of them, and the doors opened.

"This, my good sir, is our ride to London." Harry said, putting his hood up to cover his face as he stepped toward the wizard bus.

Stan Shunpike stepped out onto the platform, "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening." Stan finished his speech, tucking the piece of paper in his pocket. "Woss your names?" Stan asked, now less formal.

"I'm Neville Longbottom, and that's ...Ted..." Harry faltered, looking over Draco's blue hair. What kind of a name is Ted for a wizard?

Stan took no notice of his falter. "Where you 'eaded?"

"The Leaky Cauldron,"

"Thirteen Sickles each," said Stan, "but for seventeen each you get 'or chocolate, and for seventeen each you get an 'ot water bottle an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice."

Harry handed him 26 sickles. "Here you go," Harry smiled, and Draco nodded as they headed toward the back of the bus, careful not to draw attention.

Draco grasped for Harry's hand nervously as they sat down in the back seats of the bus, keeping their heads down. They nearly fell out of their seats at the feeling of the bus lurching forward.

So far there was no sign of any deatheaters, and Draco lifted his head up after an hour of nonstop movement and noticed that Harry had fallen asleep. He looked so cute in his baggy hoodie, and the side of his face was smushed against the wall. Draco noticed a Daily Prophet stand in one of the corners, and slowly released Harry's limp hand as he stood up to grab it.
The front page stuck out to Draco like a ghostly reminder of everyone else's perspectives, for the headline read in bold  letters, "The Boy Who Lived: Still Missing." Draco kept reading as he sat back down in their seats.

"Harry Potter, disappears overnight three months ago from today, after he was confused by his latest traumatic event at the Triwizard Tournament and claimed that You-Know-Who returned from the dead. Coincidence or not, Draco Malfoy, Son of Lucius Malfoy, is suspected directly responsible for this horrific disappearance, and has not been seen since the night of the incident.

"Harry would never just leave like that, he was obviously abducted, and definitely not by Draco Malfoy. Malfoy would never...be capable...of doing this," Hermione Granger states carefully, friend of Mr. Potter and fellow student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "He may be a Slytherin, but he would never do this, you have to believe me. If you would just believe that [You-Know-Who] is back, and is responsible for Harry's disappearance..." Unfortunately, Miss Granger was unable to finish her rather opinionated, superficial statement.

"I wouldn't doubt for a second that this is the work of Draco Malfoy," Pansy Parkinson declares, a Slytherin at Hogwarts and ex-girlfriend of Draco Malfoy. "He's a heartless coward and will always take what he wants."

The Ministry is working its very hardest to find Mr. Potter and Draco Malfoy. There is no clear location of where they may be, but the Ministry assures everyone that this is a case of madness, and there is no connection between this and the rumoured lies of You-know-who returning."

Draco scoffed in annoyance at the scornful, pug-faced, Pansy Parkinson, whom he never technically dated, only as a cover for his parents during his 4th year. He was secretly fearful at the fact that people might recognise him and he would be convicted for abducting Harry.

"Dray?" Harry yawned slowly, picking his head up to look at him. Sleepy eyes blinked from behind his glasses under his hood, and then he noticed what Draco was holding. "What's that?" He tilted his head slightly.

"Some dumb article in the Daily Prophet," Draco said, passing it to Harry. "Don't worry about it, once we get back to Hogwarts, we'll explain everything. The only good part is we at least got some form of hearing from Hermione,"

"Hermione?" He exclaimed, excited. He read it over. "That dumb reporter cut her off in the middle of her sentence and blew off her opinion!" He threw it to the ground frustratingly.

"At least she tried, and we know they're okay and they're fighting for us," Draco rubbed his shoulder reassuringly, and Harry nodded slowly in agreement.

Draco looked up and noticed the man who's nametag read "Stan", head over toward the back of the bus. He tugged on Harry's sleeve. Harry leaned his head down and pretended to be asleep.

"Woss your name again?" He asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Ted. Theodore, really," Draco stammered. "Theodore Nott."

"Why's your 'air blue?" He asked bluntly, and Draco smirked.

"I heard it was all the rage in Witch's Weekly to dye your hair absurd colors,"

"That's a load a rubbish that is," he grinned toothily. "Why you all the way out here?"

"We were on a trip and ran into a couple of Nargles. They stole our stuff." 

"Ah, Nargles. Bit of a pain, aint they?" Stan whistled off, leaving Draco and Harry.  A cold sweat surrounded Draco as he tried to calm himself. 

"Here we are! The Leaky Cauldron," Stan announced. "'Ave a nice day," He said as Draco and Harry got off the bus.

"You too," Draco smiled, and they stepped onto the cold streets of the early morning.  

The knight bus sped off in a flash, and Harry put down his hood. They crossed the frosty street and Draco reached for the doorknob of the Leaky Cauldron, pushing the thick, wooden door open. All the candles were unlit, and Draco and Harry went inside. 

"Lumos," Draco whispered, and sudden faces appeared in front of him.

"Hello boys," Bellatrix sang, slamming the door behind them with a swish of her wand, sitting on a table in front of Narcissa, Lucius, and an army of deatheaters.