Memory Loss (Harry Potter Drarry slash)

33: [Parallel Universe 6] Get James

It was extremely dissatisfactory to be apprehended outside their own home-or at least what usually was their home-long before they could locate James and bring him safely back home with them. Now it seemed so stupid of them to be hanging around in the bushes-they should have used Draco's status as general or whatever to get inside the Manor and operate from there. They could have used Harry's Invisibility Cloak!

Or, wait ... Did he really have an Invisibility Cloak in this reality? If his parents were still alive and working for Voldemort, his father hardly would have given him that Cloak for Christmas.

But they could have claimed that Harry had decided to come back to his parents, that he had decided to re-join the Dark side or something. Or they could have said that Draco was controlling Harry with the Imperius Curse ...

Wait a minute ... The Imperius Curse! That was it! There was still a way to save their arses.

"Stand up!" one of the Death Eaters commanded.

Before Draco could stand up, Harry whispered urgently from the corner of his mouth, so silently that only the blonde would hear since they were sitting so close. "You're under the Imperius Curse," he told him. "Don't do anything of your own volition, just follow my lead and try to look blank, okay?"

He slowly rose from the ground, and almost exhaled violently in relief when Draco remained in the bushes. He was holding his wand at his side, pointed towards the ground, but he trusted his reflexes to be quick enough if he needed to use it.

A few of the Death Eaters glared down at the blonde. "Why aren't you getting up?" one of them inquired fiercely. "I told you to get up!"

The blonde still remained on the ground, a glazed look in his pale grey eyes.

"Get up!"

"He's under the Imperius Curse," Harry informed him arrogantly, and feigned a self-righteous attitude, sticking out his chin in a very defiant fashion. Nonchalantly, he directed his wand at the blonde. "You want him to stand up? All right."

Draco took his cue and slowly, awkwardly rose from the ground with dirt all over his expensive robes, but he did not attempt to brush it off. He just stood there immobile, staring out into thin air. Harry made a mental note to tell him how good he was at acting blank later.

Turning anew to the gathered Death Eaters, he said, "I wish to see my parents," because that was the only thing he could come up with to get them safely inside the Manor.

Three of the Death Eaters made to launch themselves at him, but he simply waved his wand close to Draco's head and tutted.

"How much is your general worth to you? Are you willing to risk his life and risk losing the war just 'cos you wished to stop me from seeing my parents, which by the way is a child's right?"

They backed off, hesitating.

Harry smirked at them in self-satisfaction. "Take me to them."

All the way inside, Draco walked in front of Harry like a zombie, clumsily lifting and putting down his heavy feet. Harry hated using him like that, but it was their only shot at finding James and getting out of there alive.

They were led to one of the inner rooms in the west wing of the first floor, a room that Harry and Draco normally did not use in their own world, and as far as Harry could see, there were no other Death Eaters on the ground floor. That alarmed him.