the ks paws on luared up at her.
“i’m sure he knew you didn’t hate him,” luie’s head. “we always say thi mean when we’re angry,” she looked up at pansy, “or sared.”
luna’s words hit pa of painful fivehe floodgates that had been holding bak all her shame and guilt sihe ened. she broke down, and it was in front of loony lovegood and the shter trapped in a kneazle, for sazar’s sake. the thought of it made her ugh for a brief momeears a was freeing. pansy realized she’d been arrying too muh of the past i had been weighing her d her from the things that really mattered. crity felt like flying.
by the time she’d olleted herself, she’d figured out how they were goirie bak in her own body. they expet. it was her own advie, and she pnned on following it.
&er?” luna finally asked. she’d urled up oh one of longbottom’s bled up in her p.
pansy wiped her fae. “yes,” she nodded. “ahought. what’s the best way to ath tis?”
drao oo apparate with him to marwan zivahe outskirts h. he realized he’d started thinking of him as just harry, a might be a symptom of the time travel. or maybe a symptom of having him pressed lose. or maybe— it was “drao.”
“potter,” drao distrated himself. “when are you goi ridiulous oat?”
&her man furrowed his brow, “i thought you said purple was my olor.”
drao smiled, aer smiled too. good, he thought. it otter. “i didn’t want you to be embarrassed.”
“your onern warms my heart,” potter said as they walked te gothi home dowe, warded ne. “malfoy,” potter poihe dark gsses on drao’s fae, “what’s with the sungsses?”
“it’s part of my disguise.” drao was suddenly awash with a flurry of differeions, but most of all, he felt guilty for ter things whih might be important. drao didn’t know how to expin the urse, or how it had suddenly magehey’d goime. instead of lihey extewards iions, oihem to ountless people aheir entire lifespans.
“it’s the middle of the night.”
“so?” drao questiohe sungsses helped alleviate the sight of the threads whe. speifially, the threads between them, ahe threads he was following to marwa’s not stopping you fr about iied wardrobe.”
“nevermind, malfoy. if you an see, by all meahem on.”
“of ourse i an see!”
“i didn’t say you ouldn’t see, i was just implying you don’t need a disguise, espeially sius already knows who you are.”
a ool, smooth voie said from behind them, “does he, though?”
“helga, sazar, rowena, and godri!” drao jumped so high he thought for a momeally ativated the timepiee. when he nded and whirled around, marwan ziva him, deep horemendous sowl visible eve h drao’s suhe man’s wand was raised and he had a capture- all in his other hand. “marwan—”
&?” he ied.
drao gulped. “we—” he ger bef. “we haverodued.” drao looked bak at marwa.”
zivawithed. “i see.” he studied them. “you’re drao malfoy,” he said to drao. “and you’re so my property otter. hmm?”
“yes,” drao does sum it up suintly.”
the older mawo of them for over a minute. drao realized they probably looked a bit ridiulous ied, stolen oats from the loak room, and him in his suus seemed to ome to a onlusion that drao and harry were at least redible enough to warraudy. as a former member of the eleve experieings regurly. “why don’t you tao my house for a drink?”
gning at preed and zivahem to walk in front of him the rest of the way. he’d been to the house a few times after marwan had hired him, but night and ressful irumstanes. he ould see the threads gettiween him and zivahreads oing himself and also the oending from marwan to the drao he would hire iime. sazar, not just the sight of it gave him a headahe, but uanding what he was seeing was bound to drive him ihey what they ame for and then go bak to the future as soon as possible.
drao thought he felt his bones quake alked them in through the foyer. he ouldn’t imagi sort of wards the maioned wheive member of the iniquitous elevehe preautioake after falling out with the ministry. they ehe main sitting room furh a few sofas, armhairs, a pianoforte, aoked oktail trolley. merlin, drao would kill for a firewhiskey sour.
“so, mister malfoy, if you would illuminate me on why—”
“you’re dead,” drao rushed, realizing there was o hide the truth from the man who ould iably jump to the future and find out himself.
marwan’s fae remained unhanged. “i see.”
&akehe eleven.” drao lied. he held up the timepiee a zivantus the engraved he bak.
“i see,” zivaed. he raised a brow. “and y ar