Draco headed down the corridors, a dozen roses in hand. The flowers were white roses. He had been informed by a Ravenclaw that those were Harry's favorite.
As he approached the the Great Hall he came across Luna Lovegood, "Oh, hello, Draco."
"Hey, cousin. Have you seen Harry?"
"I thought he'd be with you." She smiled wistfully, "That piece of parchment excited him quite a bit."
"What piece of parchment?" The Slytherin's eyebrows furrowed.
"You know, the letter you owlled him?" Lovegood frowned slightly, "The one where you asked to meet him?"
"Has anyone seen Trevor?" Neville interrupted.
Ron exited the Great hall, a sick expression plastered on his face, "Fred is gone. We can't find him anywhere."
As a group formed, asking questions about missing students, Draco felt a draft coming from down the hall. He followed it and as he got closer, the roses began to wilt.
He cupped one of the buds between his thumb and index finger. The slightest bit of pressure caused the flowers to crumble into dust. Draco knew that flowers wilted and died. However, they didn't tend to do this when the flowers were perfectly lively ten seconds before. He dropped the roses on the ground, and watched as the draft carried them off.
That was odd as well. The wind was strong enough to carry them through the air.
"You're onto something."
He turned to see George at his side.
"I need to find Harry. Something's off."
"I know." The Weasley frowned, "But what?"
Draco noticed that the breeze faded and surpassed the west wall. Draco approached it and immediately felt pins and needles in his skin. Something was off. He caressed the stones and immediately jerked his hands away from the stone, "They're white hot."
George frowned, in disbelief and mimicked Malfoy's movements and found that indeed, the stones were smouldering.
This had to have something to do with Fred and Harry's disappearance. It just made sense. Without hesitation Draco placed both his hands on the wall and winced at the searing heat. He felt around on each brick. He felt his skin literally melting off but he remembered his promise. Keeping Harry safe was worth his life- it was worth anything.
"Malfoy! You're going to kill yourself!" The twin hissed, attempting to jerk the student away.
Malfoy clung to it like a lifeline and pushed the final stone and both of them fell through the wall. The blonde glanced down at his hands and found that they began magically healing. The red blisters and crisp flesh became baby pink and smooth. The minor burn on George's palm had healed as well. The two whipped around and noticed that the rocks were no longer there. They were now in a misty forest. But not just any misty forest. The forest from Draco's nightmare.
"Where are we?" The redhead asked, rubbing his head.
"No... this c-can't be..." Draco felt fear wash over him, but he didn't let it paralyze him this time. He had a goal.
"We need to find Harry."
"And Fred."
The two walked through the deep wood and things started to get darker. The blonde tripped over a vine, and fell over a tree stump, "Just my luck."
When he regained his stance he noticed that George was nowhere to be seen.
"Weasley?"
No response.
To improve the Slytherin's luck, he heard the voice of whom he was originally searching for, "Draco!"
"Harry?!"
"H-Help!" The boy called.
Draco ran toward the voice, hurling the fallen trees that seemed to be every which way, "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"
"DRACO!" Harry shrieked, fear adamant in his voice, "WHY DID YOU BRING HIM HERE?!"
"WHO?"
"GEORGE! HE'S THE ONE! HE'S COMING!"
Draco blinked. What was Harry talking about? He didn't have time to think about it.
He spotted Harry, huddled behind one of the fallen oaks.
His hair was dusty and his face, pale. His eyes, were bloodshot and a long bloody gash ran from one side of his cheek up to the other. He looked up at Draco and gave a half-smile. The boy raised a finger to his lips, "I'm hiding."
"What's going on? Are you okay?"
"I'm hiding."
"W-What happened?"
The boy blinked, "I'm hiding."
He said the words like it was painfully obvious, as if there was nothing else to say. He was hiding.
{}
George snuck through the forest, afraid to even breathe. He had lost all memory of coming to the wood, and felt more alone than he ever had before. Only one thing mattered now. Finding Fred, his brother, his best friend, and his world.
It was always them. Them against the world. Without him he would be nothing-have nothing.
As he got deeper into the wood he heard a twig snap behind him. Turning around on heel, he saw something that still traumatizes him to this day. His brother, his best friend, his world... lying on the ground, pale bruised and bloodied.
A short gasp left his mouth as everything seemed to slow, "No... no... no!"
He collapsed in front of his twin, and began sobbing at his loss. Eventually he realized there was something in Fred's hand. A note, reading;
"It was Malfoy."
Anger, pure fury, flashed in George's eyes as he stood up and began hunting for his brother's killer.
After what seemed like days he caught a glimpse of blonde. He crept up on the Slytherin, and pounced.
The two went flailing to the ground. George pounded his fists into Draco with pure rage.
The Slytherin held the other off, the best he could, "W-W- STOP!" He punched the redhead in the nose, remembering that he had caused his baby boy to go insane. He had caused the Boy To Live to lose all of his glory. He was to blame, and so he'd pay.
Fists were flying and blood was shed. George managed to regain his position, sitting on Draco's chest and began beating his fists into the other's face, "WHY?! WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU?!"
"YOU BROKE HARRY!"
"YOU MURDERED FRED!"
"I DIDN'T MURDER ANYONE!" Draco yelled, shoving the other boy off of him.
The two locked eyes, and the illusion faded, leaving them in a new setting. A new terrain. A new phase.
Now, the two stood in an apple orchard. The sun made a reappearance, and shone down on them, menacingly. Both of the boys became aware of just how thirsty, hungry and hot they were becoming.
"Where are we now?" George asked, pulling off his shirt. The heat was already blistering. The two exchanged a shrug, and noticed that neither had a scratch on them. The blood, bruises and wounds were gone, leaving them in near damn perfect condition.
"We need to get out. Break the illusion, like we did the last time." The blonde unbuttoned and pulled off his cotten shirt, now soaked with sweat.
As the two walked around in search of an exit, their appetite expanded, and their throats seemed to dry.
"Screw it." The Weasley scoffed, picking an apple off the tree.
"You're seriously going to eat that?" Malfoy asked, crossing his arms.
Weasley's were fucking dense.
The redhead took a bite out of the honey-crisp, apple, rolling his eyes.
The blonde scoffed.
"Taste's fine to me." He chewed.
Draco raised his eyebrows, and took the apple from George. He turned it over to where the bite was missing and discovered that the usual, yellow inside was instead, a dark green. Inside the fruit were thousands of tiny maggots. The Slytherin dropped it like it was on fire, "SPIT IT OUT!"
As he looked up at his companion he realized that his face was pale and tinted green. He looked as though he was trying to throw up. He fell on his back, as his eyes rolled in the back of his head and foam formed at the corners of his mouth. He had began asphyxiating.
For a moment, the blonde considered yelling for a doctor, or a medic, before remembering that there was no one but himself to save the boy's life. Dropping to his knees he began pumping his palms into the poisoned boy's chest, "Come on, Weasley! Come on!"
He pumped harder, faster and more excessively.
He continued to give him CPR before it hit him. Maybe this was supposed to happen. Maybe it was someone's sick game, but one thing Draco didn't like, was losing. What he disliked even more than losing was being manipulated.
Minutes later, he was still trying to resuscitate. Eventually, George began coughing, and breathing again.
"Thank the gods." Draco sighed, leaning back.
"W-What happened?"
"You ate a poisoned apple, Snow White." The blonde grumbled.
Draco pulled George to his feet and the two continued wandering through the orchard. Suddenly then came across a large oak. Inscribed on the wood were three letters. DNR.
"What's that mean?" The redhead asked.
"It means do not resuscitate. You were supposed to die, according to them." The Slytherin responded, grimly.
"Who's 'them'?"
"The person who's sick game we're supposed to be playing."
Again, how setting is changed back to the misty forest. George and Draco reside at the edge of the clearing, and in front of them is something neither had ever intended to see.
In front of them, a few yards away was a long table with a white, frilly tablecloth. On top, were dozens of different pastries, and quite a few teapots. The teapots and cups were pinks and purples, but all of the colors seemed to be dulled.
Tied to a chai, with a gag in his mouth, was Harry. His head hung down and he appeared to be unconscious. But what if he wasn't knocked out? What if he was dead?
Fred was in a similar state.
"Fred." George whispered, taking a step forward.
All Draco wanted to do was rush forward, untie his boy and get him to safety. But he knew he couldn't. Not just yet.
Something was wrong. Well, everything was wrong but an eerie feeling began to settle deep in his gut.
The blonde was used to people staring at him. He was familiar to the feeling of eyes on him. So this wasn't an alien feeling. "George... we're not alone."
"What are you talking about? They're right there!"
"Forget to turn on the light, and all hell breaks loose." The blonde whispered, grimly as a shadow passed his face and the air seemed to thicken.
Out of the woods stepped someone Draco had never anticipated to see. Someone who made him rethink everything.
The person... this boy was someone he had never suspected. Someone he knew. Someone he went to school with.
"You?!" Draco hissed, horror on his face, and disbelief in his tone.
"That's what he said before." The villain smiled, motioning to Harry, "Now please, join us for tea."
_Please Vote_
Just a chapter-ly reminder:
You are loved.
You are valid.
You are worth it.