another drarry one-shot

Game Over

This was made with the help of @_lifeofships_ and Google sources

__________________________________________________________________________-_----The fluorescent lights of "Tech Treasures," a shop Pansy had insisted smelled faintly of dust and desperation, hummed with a monotonous energy that grated on Draco's refined senses. He trailed behind her, his nose wrinkling slightly at the garish displays of blinking gadgets and brightly colored boxes. His mother would have a fit if she knew he was within ten feet of such... Muggle paraphernalia. But Pansy, in her relentless pursuit of novelty, had declared it an "essential cultural experience."

"Honestly, Draco, you act like you've never seen a telly before," Pansy drawled, her attention fixed on a shelf stacked with what she called "video games." The names were ridiculous: Space Invaders, Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds. He stifled a snort. Muggles certainly had peculiar priorities.

He scanned the covers, his gaze lingering on images of fantastical creatures and heroic figures. Magic, in its purest form, was absent, replaced by what seemed like crude imitations rendered in blocky graphics. He was about to voice his disdain when one particular box caught his eye.

The cover depicted a warrior clad in gleaming silver armor, a mythical sword held aloft against a backdrop of a fiery dragon. The title, emblazoned in bold, gothic lettering, read: Realms of Eldoria. Something about the artwork, a certain gravitas in the hero's stance, sparked a flicker of interest within him. It looked... almost real.

"Come on, slowpoke," Pansy's voice broke his concentration. "They have these weird fizzy drinks I want to try."

Draco reluctantly followed, the image of the armored warrior imprinted in his mind. He tried a bright orange liquid that tasted overwhelmingly of artificial fruit and a sickly sweetness. It was, to put it mildly, revolting. The entire experience left him feeling vaguely汚い (polluted), as if the Muggle world had somehow clung to him like dust.

The next day, a curious impulse tugged at him. His parents were away on Ministry business, and the echoing silence of Malfoy Manor felt unusually oppressive. He found himself thinking of the silver-clad warrior, the fiery dragon. With a decisive nod, he donned a simple sweater and jeans – clothes he'd pilfered from one of the house-elves, much to their bewildered confusion – and slipped out of the Manor.

Tech Treasures was even more jarring in the daylight. The clerk, a young man with greasy hair and multiple piercings, barely glanced at him as Draco located the Realms of Eldoria box. He paid with a handful of Muggle money Pansy had pressed upon him, feeling a strange mix of guilt and excitement.

Back in the sterile comfort of his room, Draco cautiously opened the game. Inside, along with the shiny disc, were a set of instructions filled with baffling terminology and a pair of strange contraptions called a "keyboard" and a "mouse." It took him a frustratingly long time to even get the game to load on the old Muggle computer he'd... acquired.

Finally, the title screen appeared, accompanied by dramatic orchestral music that actually sent a shiver down his spine. He fumbled through the character creation, overwhelmed by the options. He eventually settled on a tall, dark-haired sorcerer, naming him "SilverShadow7" – a nod to the warrior on the cover and his own inclination towards the darker arts.

He was thrust into a sprawling virtual world, filled with lush forests, towering mountains, and bustling towns populated by strangely dressed figures. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He stumbled around, accidentally attacking a harmless-looking squirrel (which promptly retaliated with surprising ferocity), and got hopelessly lost in the first village he encountered.