What If (Drarry)

18. Dead Or Alive

An uncomfortable silence settled on the four in the Minister's office. They were all thinking about what to do. Draco was the first to speak up.

"I have a theory." he said slowly. "Maybe Granger was right and Harry didn't die. What if he's just trapped in the shield?"

"Well, it does make sense, but... How come he didn't die?" asked Ron. "I mean that Roger bloke burnt to death when he'd touched the shield. Maybe Harry has some ability... or he still has his 'power' that connected him to Voldemort?"

"No, I don't think so." Hermione shook her head sadly. "I think it was D... Draco."

"What?"

"You held his hand, didn't you?"

"Er... yes, I did." Draco blushed.

"I think your Mark's power wasn't strong enough to get the both of you through the shield, however it still could save him from death. You're right, I don't think he's dead, either."

"So the only question is how do we get him out of that shield? Because we can't go back in time, can we?" spoke up Ginny to everybody's surprise. "These shield things don't work the same as other objects. I think once Moody lectured something about them, but it was too boring and I didn't really listen to him."

"Well, I've read about those. And Ginny's right. We can't be sure if we went back to the past, it would let Harry out. Maybe it didn't and we would arrive in a past without Harry. So we have to rescue him in the present."

"Bloody hell! Then why did we do this all?" Ron made a sweeping gesture around them.

"Because if we didn't, we still wouldn't have a clue to what to do, that's why, Weasley."

Hermione rolled her eyes then stepped between the bickering blond and redhead. "Calm down, boys! We have more important things to do now! What do you think we should do?"

"Don't you know any spells?"

"It's a very strong shield, Ron, set up by desperate Death Eaters!"

"I know! I just hoped... you always know everything." he murmured under his breath.

"Oh, darling, you're so sweet, but I don't know anything that can destroy such a thing."

"I think there isn't any such spell."

"What do you mean, Malfoy?"

"I mean, the only way we can destroy the shield is that we destroy the Death Eaters. Especially the head of them."

"Who is-"

"Who is my father."

That uncomfortable silence fell on them again, but this time neither of them seemed to be willing to break it. It extended more and more, until they saw the morning sun's first sleepy beams creeping into the offic through the heavy curtains.

"We should go." Ginny stated, her voice a bit hoarse from being silent for too long.

They all gathered themselves and started to make their way out of the now sunny office. Draco left behind. He waited until Wealey's bright red head disappeared in the doorway, then looked around as if he was looking for something but didn't know where to search for it, and smiled sadly. "I don't know, Harry. Maybe we would have been good friends. But it wouldn't have lasted for too long. Imagine a war where the good and the evil are friends. And to answer your second question... I don't know that, either. Maybe you would've had a better life." Draco fell silent for a minute, then shook his head sadly, tears threatening to spill from his eyes, and added "I miss you!"

He didn't look at the page to see if Harry answered him before he shut the book and placed it back on the shelf, and shoved the Time Tuner into his pocket.

"Malfoy!" he heard his name.

"I'm coming!"

"What did you do?"

"Just put the book back on the shelf. We don't want the Minister to get more suspicious, do we?"

"No, we don't." Rob shook his head but still gave an odd look to him.

Draco glared but didn't say anything. They followed the girls to the elevator, but came to an abrupt halt when they'd reached it.

"How do we get down? We can't use it, it's too loud and I'm sure Mr. Johnson has come round now."

"Well, I didn't think of it."

"We don't have any other choice. If we wait more, the workers will start to arrive and thus it would be much more difficult to leave without being noticed."

"Unless..." started Hermione. "Look, we work here. It wouldn't be that suspicious if we were found here. We could say we couldn't sleep because we're worried because of Harry, so we came in to do some work."

"Yes, but what about me? If they saw a Death Eater in the Ministry-"

"First, you're not a Death Eater. Second, you said, Harry gave you his Cloak. Do you have it?"

"Yes."

"Now, you and Ginny will hide under the Cloak and wait until the first workers arrive. Then you can use the elevator and get down to use the Floo Network. We'll follow you later."

Draco didn't have time to argue, because they heard noises from below. He get Harry's Cloak from his pocket and gestured Ginny to get under it. Well, it was the last thing he wanted: to be under Harry's Cloak with the boy's ex-girlfriend. But he couldn't do anything. They waited until the elevator started to move. It had a loud shrill noise. Draco was grateful that they hadn't used it.

Soon the elevator stooped in front of them. Its door opened wide revealing a little bit tired Minister walking out of it. They carefully made their way into the lift before it closed its doors and started to rush downwards.