Memory Loss (Harry Potter Drarry slash)

30: [Parallel Universe 3] The Dark Plane

They had expected to emerge into the same room that they had entered by, but to their surprise they found themselves in an empty, white-walled, strange room that neither of them had ever seen before. What was even more surprising was that there seemed to be no doors and no windows to exit by.

Draco took Harry's hand and squeezed it for support. "Where are we?"

"I dunno," Harry said, inspecting the walls in search of a hidden door or suchlike. "But the question I would like answered is how the Hell we get out of here."

"I think I can answer that for you," said a low voice behind them.

Jumping, they both swirled around to face their possible adversary.

It was Tim. Apparently, the Time Manipulator of the Dark Plane had a slightly different taste than the Tim they knew, because this replica did not wear green to compliment his deep green eyes. Dressed all in black-black wizards' trousers with the obligatory oblong pocket for the wand, black dragon hide boots, some sort of black robes, and a black cloak-he looked almost like the Angel of Death himself. His eyes were darker somehow ... perhaps because of the toughness that one surely must possess to survive in this world.

Draco took a trembling step towards him, his hand half stretched out to the boy. "Tim?" he asked in disbelief.

The boy's eyes narrowed into a stare of utmost hostility. "I prefer to be called Bond, please," he hissed. Harry wondered if maybe he had inherited his ability to talk to snakes.

"Bond?" Draco repeated, and looked as if he was about to laugh.

Harry quickly stepped on his foot. "Bond it is, then," he said urgently, although he found that nickname-or title or whatever it was-very baffling and bewildering. "Er ... how do we get out of here? We need to find James ..."

For a few unsettling moments, the blond boy just stared at them. Harry could not get over how very different he was from the Tim they knew, how very dark his whole persona seemed to be ... He did not exactly reek of evil, but it was as close as anyone could get without stepping over to the other side. His aura was dark, very dark, but at least he seemed to be a good wizard.

"This is the arrival room," Bond explained with visible impatience. "This is where you wind up when you enter another world. I will let you out as soon as I've briefed you. You need to be prepared for the lives you're going to lead during your stay here, and we don't have time for twenty questions. Are we clear?"

He eyed them with great dislike. He did not seem to be very fond of visitors from the outside.

"Yeah, we're clear," Harry and Draco said in unison.

Bond shifted his feet. "Good. I need you to forget about your sorry lives in your 'better world' right now and focus on the information I give you. The Dark Plane is a very dangerous place for people like you, and you do not want to be caught off guard. Do you understand me?"

They both nodded vigorously.

"Draco," the boy said turned to the blonde, "you need a different look."

With an elegant flick of his left wrist, the boy had changed Draco's appearance completely. His blond hair had been cut extremely short, almost cropped, and his old midnight-blue favourite robes had been traded for brand new deep green robes that almost appeared black at first sight.

Harry could see that they were made from the finest of fabrics-Malfoy standard. His wand was different, as well. Willow, twelve-and-a-half inches, probably containing a single hair from the tail of a unicorn ... Maybe his old one had broken in a duel.