Save The Date (A Drarry FanFiction)

Chapter Forty Six

   "Back home," Draco replied, his eyes wide. "Hogwarts, Scotland, is this ringing any bells at all?"

"No," said Harry firmly and truthfully. "I don't know what you're talking about or why I even dreamed about you." A sick feeling was growing in his stomach. "You did this to me didn't you?" he whispered, the humiliation rising alarmingly.

"Did what?" Draco spluttered.

"The dream," Harry rasped, and Fan squeezed his shoulder tighter. "The nightmare, you made me have it or something, it's just a Halloween trick!"

Draco took a step back and raised his hands. "Whoa. Harry, no, that's not it at all. Don't you remember following me out into the Forbidden Forest after the feast, the strange trees that pulled us in?"

"Why are you saying this?" Harry asked, horrified as the tears welled in his eyes. He refused to let them fall though.

"Probably a Halloween idea of a joke," Rocky growled angrily.

"Keep out of this, bird," the dog snapped. "The Prince here is trying to save your friend's life."

"Prince?" Fan repeated.

Harry shook his head angrily. "I don't need saving," he shot back. "I was just fine until you started messing with my mind."

He stooped to pick up his bindle. It made him burn with mortification to think about going back to his friends' disappointed faces when they learned it was all a cruel prank, but right then, all he wanted was to go home.

"Harry," Draco said urgently, but he wasn't fooling him again. "I didn't mess with your mind. They did!"

"Who's 'they'?" Harry snarled in disgust.

"The powers that be," the dog said sombrely. "The people that constructed this place, whatever you want to call them." He let out a small growl. "Mayor Abattoir, heard of him?"

Harry gave an involuntary shiver. Everyone had heard of the mayor, even him with his spotty knowledge. He was the worst of everything that Halloween represented, and that was saying something.

"Why would the mayor want to mess with Harry's mind?" Fan challenged. "He's never met Harry – has he?" Harry shook his head. "And it was you Harry dreamed of, not him."

"Because we came down here together from the real world," Draco cried in exasperation. "We've known each other for years, Harry please just think!"

Harry laughed hollowly. "That's preposterous, no we haven't, I've never met you! Oh, you must have had a fine old day, hearing about me running around looking for you. Was it just some distraction? Did you hope the HSP would stop hunting you if I got in their way?"

"No Harry," Draco replied, his jaw set. "I have had a miserable day worrying myself sick about you and narrowly escaping those bastards as I tried to find you. I could have just saved myself and gone back up, but I couldn't do it. You need to remember – think!" he all but shouted. "We've been enemies for so long, but you spoke for me at my trial, you saw something good in me and I've been trying so hard to be worthy of that, of our friendship. Because we are friends, you just need to forget this junk they've put in your head!"

Harry couldn't fathom why he was going to such lengths to try and confuse and trick him. "Your trial," he repeated, still fighting the tears. "You really are a criminal, aren't you?"

Draco covered his face and let out a muted scream. "Bones," he pleaded at the dog. "Why isn't he remembering anything? Harry, isn't this jogging anything for you?"

"He's been here too long," said Bones the dog, looking up at the clock tower looming over the square that read just gone ten o'clock. Harry realised several of the nearby women were keeping an interested eye on them, and he felt even more ashamed that his humiliation had an audience.

"Harry," said Fan sadly, tugging on his tunic. "Let's just go, alright. He's not worth it."

"Hey," Draco snapped, jabbing a finger at her. "You don't know me, you don't even know Harry. I am trying to save his life so don't you dare get in the way!"

Harry stepped in between them, bristling with anger. "She's my friend, which is more than I can say for you."

That seemed to strike a nerve, and Draco's already pale face whitened further, his mouth dropping open. "Okay," he said tersely. "Okay, maybe we're not proper friends, not like Granger and Weasley, but please believe me, I am only trying to help you."

He looked so sad and concerned, a moment of doubt flickered through Harry's chest, but he shook his head. "Nothing you've said has made any sense at all," he told him quietly. "I can only think you just want to make fun of me, and that...that really is heart-breaking. I knew it couldn't have been true love driving me to you, I was a fool for thinking so. Goodbye Draco."

He lost his battle with his tears at that, but as he was turning to leave, he figured it didn't really matter.

Draco's startled voice came from behind him. "Wait...What?"

Harry wasn't going to dignify any further mockery by looking over his shoulder, so he just walked into the square, leaving the bindle behind seeing as it was no longer necessary, hoping there was a portal somewhere nearby that could get him away fast. He didn't care where it went right then, he just needed to get away from the face he'd convinced himself belonged to his soul mate.

"Harry, no," Draco called out from behind him. "We're running out of time, don't leave, I might not find you again!"

Harry spun, fury making his fists curl. "Then don't!" he spat. "I don't want to be the butt of your joke! Just leave me be!"