Three Days Ago
Draco Malfoy awoke, not at all ready to face the day. Ever since Diana Black had left him, and Hogwarts, to be with both Luke and that odd stranger he'd only met once through his father, Greyhill, he had hardly slept at all every night, and constantly woke up with a hateful sense of dread toward even the mere idea of continuing to live for another day. The pain, guilt, and simple lacking in his life was too much emotion, adult and mature emotion, for him to handle at the moment. Nevertheless, Draco quickly and efficiently rose from his bed in order to keep up appearances, which was an important reaction in the Malfoy family. Although, nothing that he ever did seemed like enough to his father. Then Draco realized; he had woken up in an unfamiliar place that was not his own home. His bed had now disappeared. Where could I possibly be? he thought. It was a meadow; just an ordinary meadow in the springtime. It wasn't necessarily beautiful, or anything special, but it was just nice and simple, two things that Draco Malfoy seemed to miss most in his life.
"Hello, son."
Draco was startled, then turned to see his mother, Narcissa Malfoy, but not her at the same time.
"You're.... you can't be my mother," he said firmly.
His mother was a cold and uncaring woman with slight frown lines, pale Malfoy blonde hair, and unrelentingly cold blue eyes. This woman looked somewhat younger, much more kindhearted, and she had soft and warm brown hair, and lighter blue eyes as well. Yet, she somehow was still obviously Narcissa Malfoy, even if she lacked almost all of her signature characteristics.
"Come now, Draco, you and I both know that your response is just your mind's natural defense toward the truth. Now come, let us walk.... before.... well, never you mind."
Draco somehow clearly saw the reason in her words, and let all of his inhibitions go for the time being.
"Before what? Mother, that doesn't sound so good at all. If something bad is happening, I would definitely prefer to be aware of it," he explained.
The woman nodded slowly, glancing up nervously at the blue sky. "All that I could tell you right now is that dark forces are at work, both in the outside world and the Underworld.... and then, somehow, even places like here. But you're safe, sweetheart.... as long as you obey me."
He sighed. "Alright, I suppose I must trust you. But tell me.... is this all even real? Or is it just something that my mind has created?" he asked curiously.
Narcissa smiled lovingly and also almost pitifully. "Draco, the world and the universe are both far more magical and complex than you are able to comprehend at the moment. Believe me when I say that just because your mind has formulated something that that somehow discredits the reality of it."
"But.... no more being cryptic, Mother. Does any of this have any actual importance to what's happening, you know, out there? Where I'm from," he explained.
The kind and patient Narcissa smiled a bit, exhaustedly. "That would be both a yes and a no, dear. You see, what happens in here is not happening out there, at least, not where you came from. Although, of course, it is a possible future. But what you see here may or may not help you out there," she explained further. "Just.... don't put too much store by it. Trust me, it will bring you nothing but misery."
"Alright. Now, come on, what've you to show me?"
"Yes, that. Now, just before I take you there.... promise me.... promise me, Draco, that you will stay by my side the entire time. You've no idea the type of things that lurk about places like this, just waiting for an outsider to stray," she said ominously.
Draco Malfoy nodded. "Yes. Of course, now, we need to go."
And sure enough, the next thing he knew, he was in a different place, his mother by his side. It seemed like a flat, a very nice one. And there was Diana Black, laying in a bed, with someone else. She looked a bit older, and more tired and sad, even if her sleep was more peaceful. She was laying beside that guy he'd only met once, Luke Castellan. He hated Luke.
"What exactly is the point of this?" Draco asked impatiently.
"Just watch and wait," Narcissa said, much more tolerably than her son.
A few moments later, both of them were awake, smiling at each other.
"I have to get up now. Work, remember?" Diana asked teasingly as Luke Castellan groaned reluctantly.
"Alright. Go on, get ready, be successful."
It took Diana what seemed like only minutes to get completely ready for her job, looking nothing less than nice and dignified.
"Goodbye," she said softly, planting a quick kiss on Luke's cheek, ring on her finger visible.
"Bye. Love you," he smiled.
"Love you. Gotta go."
It was this particular scene that probably stung the most for Draco to watch. He had always hated the person that Luke Castellan was. He always tried to make Diana realize that she was making one of the biggest mistakes of her entire life, but he just couldn't. Out in the real world, Diana trusted Luke far too much, and she also loved him too much. Then, here she was, in this potential future, married to him. Such a waste. Diana Black hopped into a very nice black Ministry issue car, and sighed as she drove off, most likely to a Ministry entrance. But Draco later realized, she didn't. Where could she possibly be going, and why doesn't Luke Castellan, her husband, apparently, know about it? Draco just about knew what was happening; she was probably cheating. He would've thought that the idea of Luke Castellan being cheated on, by Diana especially, would satisfy Draco, but it didn't. It only worried him about Diana. He watched to see where she was headed. Soon enough, she reached a flat, a very nice one. It obviously belonged to someone who was filthy rich. Diana pulled out a silver key from her wallet and opened the gate at the front, then the door.
"Cal?" she called.
Cal. Draco knew that person, somehow. He did. And then he realized exactly who he was; Greyhill, Diana's boss. Diana was cheating on her husband with her boss, of all the people.
"Mum? What's happening?" Draco asked as the two saw each other and made out. "Why aren't they working? Is it a weekend, or a holiday? Or perhaps they work later or from the home?" he asked nervously. "And how are these two even together?"
"Oh, both of them are actually unemployed, for years now. Luke Castellan does not know. Diana began to form a romantic relationship with Calvin Greyhill maybe two months before Luke Castellan entered her life again, and for some reason, she was unable to end either, even once she and Castellan were married, which only Greyhill knows about. She and Greyhill were both fired from their posts at the Ministry, for being involved in a romantic relationship. But Diana was able to fake her paychecks," she explained unenthusiastically.
"That's awful. But what event set this all into motion?" Draco asked.
Narcissa sighed. "It was many things, darling. Most of them I cannot tell you about without ruining your future. But, of what I can tell you, two of the most important catalysts were these. First of all, a while ago, Diana became a killer in this world; she used Dark and powerful magic. And then, your and Diana's friendship was ruined long before this all began. It is evident that you two need each other, Draco. This vision is like a cry for help from the universe," Narcissa revealed.
And then, all of the visions were gone. They were back in that peaceful meadow from before.
"Mother, I never thought to ask you before, but.... what is this whole place?" he asked.
She sighed. "This place, specifically, is a little pocket realm. It's exactly what it sounds like; it's real, it exists, but it's not exactly a real place. Here, everything is less complex than the real world, as you would say, for one. That's why these events are not to be trusted. And time here moves much differently. A minute out there could easily become an hour here, or also the opposite. This place is all magic; it's a realm of the things that could be. I may not be from here, but it's similar enough to my home for me to be able to cross over, especially to visit my own flesh and blood."
"Where are you from, Mum?"
"I...." Narcissa frowned slightly. "I am from the realm of the things that weren't meant to be."
"I'm so sorry, Mum," Draco said immediately. "Already sounds so terrible."
She shook her head. "Ironically, no, it is not. It's actually one of the more peaceful types of pocket realms. I suppose that by the end of our little excursion, you may just see why if you look in all of the right places," she said with such melancholy.
"Oh. Well.... what exactly are you? I mean.... who do you represent? It can't be my mother, she's a living person," he tried to reason.
This Narcissa Malfoy's expression turned from a quiet melancholy to a more emotional type of sadness.
"It doesn't quite work like that, darling. Entities of pocket realms don't always represent mere people. They can, absolutely, but they can also represent things such as relationships, or concepts. I, Draco, am unfortunately the epitome of who your mother was, before she became corrupted with the Black and Malfoy families and Pureblood precepts, that is."
"Oh." That was all he could muster.
"Don't worry for your mother, dear. I may be, well, dead, but nothing or no one ever truly dies until it's memory and impact do. You're going to want to remember that, Draco. I have foreseen your future. Somewhat regrettably, there isn't much that I could tell you that wouldn't create a ripple or a disruption in the delicate flow of time."
"Well, please, try, Mother. What can you tell me?"
A conflicted Narcissa but her lip. "Draco.... listen to me carefully. If anything that I tell you here and now comes into your mind at a time of distress, and begins to push your decision making, you need to erase your memory of this conversation immediately. Do you understand me, boy?"
Draco Malfoy nodded without hesitation. He had never seen this version of Narcissa so stern before, unlike her real-life counterpart.
"Good. Now all that I can tell you is this.... First of all, not too far from now, your now, you will meet someone who may not take on the appearance of a friend, but someone whose interests align with yours. It is in your best interest to trust them, for Diana's sake. But they won't be around for long. Now, eventually you will get what it is that you desire in life, but it will not be easy at all. Even when you believe that you are done, trust me when I tell you that you're definitely not. Do you hear me, Draco Malfoy? The end that you seek will be far more than a difficult path, and it will not end quickly at all. To say that you must fight for what you desire would be an understatement. You will never be done fighting, Draco Malfoy. Do you understand me?"
A fearful and worried Draco nodded quickly. "Yes, Mother."
"Good. Now save Diana Black, so that you two may be able to continue saving each other. Farewell, Draco," Narcissa nodded as she walked off.
"But wait," Draco called. "I don't understand! What do I need to do to save Diana?"
Narcissa frowned both grimly and apologetically. "Anything you possibly can, dear boy."