harry ushered them to a far orhe bak, in the dark shadows loaks that had beehere from deades past. he pushed malfoy against the wall and held his sides when he realized his eyes were twisted shut in pain. “malfoy,” harry whispered. there were droplets of sweat f at the end of his temples. “drao, breathe,” he said.
&hing in malfoy’s fae rexed. harry waited minutes. merli sure how muh time had passed. finally, malf was bak to normal. when his grey eyes slowly opeared bak at him, harry didn’t know what to say.
a mor at the ehe room made them break their stare and turn toward the wo figures had ehe loak room. harry peered through a gap ihik huddle of loaks. it was the hotel maine, and a shure in a dark blue hooded loak.
“i told you not to ome here,” valentihe look of e on his fae was something so ompletely fn to harry, he almost thought he’d been mistaken iiohis is my pe of work,” valentine added. “we aher.”
“i waell you i i’ll be voting against you,” the womahrough her disdain, harry k voie. it was the womahe one holdirie.
&ine soffed. harry was still in shok at his harsh tone. “and why would that be? we need more if we’re going to aomplish oals. zivantus ontrols the supply and holds our aspiratiohe proess. this is the only way.”
the woman shook her head. “you want to risk the life of an i girl?”
“i want to hold the world on its knees, . is that too muh to ask?”
harry gasped ao malfoy. they fell ih a thud aal ttered to the ground. malfoy grabbed him ao the loaks oher side of the aisle. stao hest, harry leaned bak as he felt malfoy’s hahem. “what are you—” but in the shadowy dark the shine of gold, and the &hey were falling through time, one agaiht otherwise have been neessary.
&eady feeliurned, harry didn’t move. malfoy’s fae was above his shoulder and he ould feel his breath agaihe warm sensation of it hooked at something i and made him lean loser.
“we should be safe,” malfoy whispered and pulled aing out from the loaks and ied aisle. “i’ve taken us forward a few hours.”
“safe,” harry shivered. “right.”
&he sudde rose up bak somewhere deep inside himself. he didime to deal with his body’s reations to malfoy. and it wasn’t malfoy, harry told himself. it ly a physial respoimulus.
“are yht?” malfoy asked.
harry gulped. “i—i should ask you the same, malfoy.” harry’s iurmoil ed with ohey’d beeed, malfoy had been e of a pani attak. “ehere?”
malfoy pursed his lips. “what ihat the hotel manager olluding with the kidnapper? your boss is the mastermihis whole thing and you had no idea.” he added sarastially, “paint me surprised, potter.”
harry let out a frustrated sigh.
“it all makes sense now,” malfoy dered. “zivantus must have provided these malefators with the inquollis aniorpus. they mao figure out he had the timepiee, and presumably used it to ultivate the pnt, and now they’ve fio extort it from him.”
&hed bertrie with the keral,” harry added.
malfoy smirked, “leverage, potter.” harry’s gaze lingered on his lips. realiziion, harry turned around and foused on a shaggy, purple fur oat.
“wait,” he said. “when did zivahe timepiee?”
& before his death,” malfoy said, his tone possessing a leveled reverene.
“and?”
“and otter?”
harry turned around. “did he say anything? give you any hint about how he got it or—”
malfoy ied, “all he said ed i reiate its value more than he had.”
“hoful,” harry muttered. he he line of worry on malfoy’s forehead, a tense wriahe look he gave harry lea, as if malfoy ould tell harry saw right through him but implored him to let it go anyway. but harry ould go. malfoy had been hiding valuable informatioime, and all harry ould think was what else?
“i absolutely will o mrs. vistrel again, grimbie,” a familiar voie said at the other end of the room. “i an’t omprehend why someone umpkin juie.” harry twisted around and ould make out the vague form of arhie eversworn. himself.
&hey had to get out of the hotel, harry searhed aruise. the purple fur oat seemed as good as any. grabbi on and ast a quik gmour on himself. whe malfoy, the other wizard was doing the same. malfoy had donher jaket a.
&ed for the other harry to leave and theo the lobby. a ma hek-iared at the pair of them as they fumbled forward toward the main doors. malfoy loked eyes with the hotel guest, then slinked to harry, draped his arm over his shoulder, pulled him lose, ahe mauroward the servie desk.
“you know,” malfoy drawled as they made their way out o. he pulled aut a few inhes of spae between them. “i always thought gryffindor red was your best olor, but this,” he poihe purple shag oat. “this suits you perfetly, potter.”
harry