harry wathed grimbie snap his fingers aer a minute or so, he popped bak into view. “here, sirs,” he held up the master spell key. he thanked grimbie and was about to turher razy idea popped into his head.
if he and drao ouldimepiee w again, they’d have to wait uher selves used the timepiee for the first time. o ould they rejoin the group and not worry ab a paradox. but if somethio happen to him or drao, they’d bak for the ransom drop. “wait!” harry said. “grimbie, an you do me another favor?” the house elf nodded eagerly. “i o look after a pnt,” harry started and then expined his pn. one grimbie uood, harry thanked him again and then finally made his way to the top floor.
&epped out irane way and autiously peered around. it was deserted. harry eyed the losed doors to the pee. after a few seonds, he made his way to the ehe foyer ahe red liquor-staihe prophet on the grouhe di’s bell rang, and the doors opened.
“i’d hoped i wouldn’t find you here,” drao rushed out. “but i ouldhreads, and i knew you would still want to hahings.” he shook his head and grabbed harry.
“no!” harry protested. he poihe paper on the grou ehihe way it should.” drao leaned i him. the proximity sent shivers doi—”
&hing roared behind the doors of the peh of them jerked their heads toward the sound. the sudden rashis nged aed sreaming. harry blihe doors to the penthouse were suddenly ohe roar sounded again.
&hat,” he whispered, memories from the triwizard t in his mind. but how ohe pe’s a—”
a sust of wihem and harry stumbled bakward into drao’s frame. a silvery, opalesent form ph the burning de, loudy eyes peered at them. its loeoward them, and as the hungarian hors mouth, drao raised his wand ao patronum!”
a bright and vivid white stoat shot out of the end of drao’s wand ahe dragon’s loudy form, sending it reeling bak ihouse. a few moments of silene passed, and harry turo drao, ompletely stunned ahless.
“was that a ghost?”
drao shook his head, “ghosts ahe fire or rip people apart.” malfoy was shaking. “it must have bee of onized soul.”
harry ould hardly believe what he’d see beeo figure out what ould’ve dohe damage ihouse, but he never would have guessed a sort of phantom hungarian horntail had been responsible for all the arhank you,” he breathed. he turned and kissed drao. “you saved my life.”
“what is this?” a familiar v from the other erahe lift. harry broke their kiss and raher drao stood in front of the open lift of tea aered aross his fae.
“stupefy!” the drao losest to him shouted aher drao froze in pe.
harry looked arouarted to pani. “i thought you said you spent the m away?”
drao frow’s what i remember doing. help me move him to the stairwell.”
&ed the inapaitated drao out of the mairane and dowo the fourteenth floor. after they made it to the room, drao ped the other versiohe bed and ran to the nearby desk. he pulled a folded parhment from his oket and id it on the desk. grabbing a b, he began sribbling a message.
“what are you doing? are you mad?” harry rushed to his side, ghe ue and the one dra, .
follow the threads to their respetive ends, drao. raer how unomfortable it makes you. follow the bizarre araordis. yret it. aime to go home, the time will be a quarter to seven on thursday m. —drao
uanding suddenly filled him, followed by the realization that drao must’ve had this note all along. harry ouldn’t stop himself from shouting, “really, malfoy?” he shook his head and ran from the room.
“harry, wait!” drao alled.
“i an’t believe you’ve been lyiime!” he was halfway out the door. harry turned bak ahe man standing in the doorway. he ouldn’t believe drao had the o keep something else from him, after everything they’d said to eah other, everything they’d dohe omissio like arayal. “this whole thing has beeer ahrew up his arms in frustratio the aring bak at him. then he realized how familiar the sene was. “wait. this is when—”
&urned and saw arhie eversworn standing i down the hall, gawking bak at him in horrified shok. harry threw himself at drao ahem bak iel room, smming the door behind him.
“obliviate!” drao ast at his prone form ohered the rest of his things ahe door.
“what are you doing?” harry followed him out into the hallway. “we o disappear until tht. we a anyone see us.”
they argued for a few miil drao admitted the timepiee wasn’t broken. “before you erupt, i will remind you that you kept your seret from everyohe same as me. only i atually reeived a note from myself, in my owioning the urse and suh.”
“drao,” harry said throug