Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the Wonderful World of Harry Potter. I am using the idea of switching places from the Freaky Friday Movies, although this idea has been used in many other places.
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Star Dusted Reality
Five: Discoveries
The entire school was buzzing with the gossip from the morning food fight. After Draco’s departure with McGonagall, Filch saw them trudging in the corridor. He began to have a major panic attack because they were sopping with pumpkin juice and porridge. To quell Filch’s anxiety, they both quickly performed cleaning charms on their robes before proceeding to the headmaster’s tidy office. Draco was instructed to sit quietly in one of the chairs while the pair waited for the headmaster to return.
“I have covered for you numerous times, Potter. Professor Dumbledore is constantly telling all of us how much pressure you are under and that we should be more understanding with you. But this is beyond anything I have control over! To instigate a food fight in the Great Hall! Honestly!” Professor McGonagall threw her hands up in the air, her extreme frustration written all over her face. Draco felt himself shrinking into the oversized chair adjacent to the headmaster’s desk. He was honestly getting a bit concerned that Dumbledore would be equally upset and assign him some gruesome punishment.
“It was an accidental food fight, Professor. I slipped on a cauldron cake,” Draco explained calmly with a smile, hoping he could charm her like he always did when he was in his own body.
“Unfortunately, there were too many people present who claim you were the instigator of the food fight. I’m afraid the headmaster will have no choice. You will most definitely be punished for this,” she stated, sounding almost regretful that he would receive punishment of any manner. Draco scoffed under his breath, wishing that Dumbledore would hurry up so they could get his sentencing over with. But Dumbledore never arrived and Draco ended up waiting by himself for hours. Right before lunch time, Draco heard someone coming up the stairs from the outside corridor. He had been pacing around the office, tinkering with all the odds and ends that littered the shelves, but he flew back to his chair in a flash right before Professor Dumbledore entered the office.
“Ah, Harry!” the old headmaster exclaimed, clapping his hands together happily. He quickly seated himself at his desk, rummaging around to find his sachet of lemon drops.
“Would you care for a lemon drop? They are very soothing for the throat.”
“Sure, thanks.” Draco found himself accepting the lemony sweet. He smiled cheerfully, hoping to avoid any conversation regarding the food fight. Dumbledore pulled his half-moon spectacles out of nowhere and placed them on the crook of his nose.
“I must apologize for keeping you waiting, Harry. I was on a bit of an excursion this morning. I was visiting with some very old friends of mine. I must have forgotten to let Professor McGonagall know I would be out,” he explained quietly, his deep blue eyes twinkling with an essence of mischief.
“No trouble, Professor. But I am not Harry, sir. I am Draco,” Draco corrected him.
“Right you are, Draco. But to all others, I must play along with the charade,” he said with a wink. Draco’s patience was wearing thin with this old man. He had never been the biggest fan of Dumbledore due to years of hearing his father whinge about the incompetence at Hogwarts. Draco had tolerated the headmaster’s switching places scheme without too much complaint. But to be called Harry intentionally by the only other person who knew about their condition was unacceptable.
“Now, Harry. I was informed by Professor McGonagall that a food fight occurred in which you were responsible. Is this true?” he asked, offering the boy another lemon drop.
“Well, yes. But in my defense, I merely slipped on a cauldron cake and accidentally started the food fight. If given a choice, I would never intentionally start a food fight.”
“I see. Perhaps the fear of being dragged into the headmaster’s office for such an offense is discipline enough for all involved in the food fight. But I must ask that you put on a dreadful face for the next few days if anyone inquires about your punishment,” Dumbledore concluded with a wink before standing up as if to let Draco know they were finished talking. Draco blurted a quick thank you and found himself racing down the spiral staircase out of the headmaster’s office.
He found himself roaming the corridors searching for Ginny. They had made plans to take a walk down by the lake together, and he hoped she still wanted to spend time with him. Draco racked his brain trying to think of where his favorite red-headed beauty would be hiding. Suddenly he remembered one of her favorite places to retreat to and dashed towards the library. In what seemed like seconds, he was at the entrance of the library and completely winded. He took a second to compose himself before entering the library in search of Ginny. He quickly found her in the back corner of the library, sitting in her favorite chair. He felt a wide grin spread across his face as he neared her, but he was stunned when she looked up at him with tears streaming down her face.
“Ginny! What’s wrong?” he asked, kneeling down in front on her and cupping her face in his hands.
“Don’t do that!” She pushed him away and held up a stack of parchment. On closer inspecting, he realized she was holding up Potter’s detailed encyclopedia of his daily life. She let a soft sob escape her lips before she bit down hard on her lower lip.
“I-I was taking care of your rucksack. You left it in the Great Hall after the food fight. It was covered in food…I thought you would be surprised if I cleaned it, but all your parchment fell out of it when I picked it up. I found this stack of parchment, and I saw my name. Y-y-y-you are planning on breaking up with me? All that talk about making up for how you’ve been treating me…you have just been lying to me,” she hissed before more sobs overtook her.
“No, Gin! I would never lie to you! Please understand that what you read was not written by me,” he pleaded, trying to embrace her and comfort her.
“It was in your handwriting, Harry! I tried to break up with you weeks ago! You insisted that you would make more time for me! You said that you were just having trouble dealing with stress. Y-y-you told me that you were falling in love with me!” Ginny pushed Draco away and began to run away from him. Draco felt that familiar rage bubble inside him. He quickly caught up to her and grasped her wrist in desperation.
“I do! I am in love with you! There is nothing that I want more than to be with you. Please, Ginny! Please!” Ginny stopped and slowly turned to face him. He thought that even with a tear-stained face she was beautiful. She cleared her throat and softly touched his shoulder.
“It’s too late, Harry. I’ve been trying to keep us together because I felt obligated to. All my friends and family think we are perfect for each other. But my heart was never in it. I never really loved you like everyone assumed,” she whispered. Draco was stunned by her words. He had always assumed that she cared for Potter. Of course he frequently imagined that Ginny had secret feelings for him when she smiled at him or glanced his way, but he always dismissed those thoughts as fictitious.
“Harry, I’ve wanted to tell you something for quite a while, but I could never bring myself to disappoint you. But now that I know how you really feel about me, I have the courage to be truthful. I’ve developed feelings for someone else. I doubt that he would ever reciprocate these feelings, but it isn’t fair for me to continue being with you. So I’m going to save you trouble of breaking up with me. It’s over.”
****
Harry tiredly pushed the door to his room open and threw all of his Quidditch gear down in a big pile on the floor. He couldn’t believe how rough Slytherin Quidditch practice turned out to be. It was nothing like the Gryffindor team with their encouraging chants and teamwork. The Slytherins constantly bickered about strategy and ended up running every possible game situation to make sure they were prepared. They were extremely violent with each other and cheating was completely expected to occur. Harry began to prepare to take a shower when he noticed that an owl had delivered a letter on his desk. The letter was addressed to Malfoy in an extravagant calligraphy. Harry picked up the letter and noticed the Malfoy crest was sealed in wax on the letter. He carefully ripped open the letter:
Young Draco,
I must insist that you desist in this rebellion and take on your responsibilities to your family. The honor and reputation of the name of Malfoy is more important than any academic endeavor. I must warn that if you continue this refusal, I will be forced to take more drastic measures. You must begin training and prepare to receive what you deserve from our Dark Lord. I demand a response before the end of the day.
Lucius Malfoy
Harry refolded the letter and pulled out Draco’s leather-bound journal. He flipped through the entries, hoping to find something about Lucius. He finally found an entry that was written a few days before the switch:
I cannot believe how awful I feel right now. I just had another dream about Mum. Now it will be impossible for me to sleep. Gods, I wish that I could put all of this behind me, but I feel like everything that happened to her is my fault. I know it has been months since she passed away, but I can still recall her last moments as if it happened just the other day. If I close my eyes, I can still see her face etched in pain. Father sent me another owl today. He is insisting that I begin taking on assignments to prove that I am worthy of the Dark Mark. I told him to sod off. I never want to take the mark of that lunatic! I’m so tired of my father assuming that I will follow in his footsteps. To imagine giving away the rest of my life to satisfy the ambitions of that barmy wanker just makes me sick. I honestly have no idea why Father has always been so devoted to the Dark Lord…his Dark Lord, anyways. I have always been obedient to Father’s wishes ever since I was a boy. I never questioned his intentions and always assumed he knew what was best. But I have lost all respect for the man I once followed blindly into darkness. I will never forgive him for what he did to Mum. And I will NEVER become a Death Eater. I would sooner join Potter’s lot before I ever considered being inducted into Father’s crazy club.
*********
Star Dusted Reality
Five: Discoveries
The entire school was buzzing with the gossip from the morning food fight. After Draco’s departure with McGonagall, Filch saw them trudging in the corridor. He began to have a major panic attack because they were sopping with pumpkin juice and porridge. To quell Filch’s anxiety, they both quickly performed cleaning charms on their robes before proceeding to the headmaster’s tidy office. Draco was instructed to sit quietly in one of the chairs while the pair waited for the headmaster to return.
“I have covered for you numerous times, Potter. Professor Dumbledore is constantly telling all of us how much pressure you are under and that we should be more understanding with you. But this is beyond anything I have control over! To instigate a food fight in the Great Hall! Honestly!” Professor McGonagall threw her hands up in the air, her extreme frustration written all over her face. Draco felt himself shrinking into the oversized chair adjacent to the headmaster’s desk. He was honestly getting a bit concerned that Dumbledore would be equally upset and assign him some gruesome punishment.
“It was an accidental food fight, Professor. I slipped on a cauldron cake,” Draco explained calmly with a smile, hoping he could charm her like he always did when he was in his own body.
“Unfortunately, there were too many people present who claim you were the instigator of the food fight. I’m afraid the headmaster will have no choice. You will most definitely be punished for this,” she stated, sounding almost regretful that he would receive punishment of any manner. Draco scoffed under his breath, wishing that Dumbledore would hurry up so they could get his sentencing over with. But Dumbledore never arrived and Draco ended up waiting by himself for hours. Right before lunch time, Draco heard someone coming up the stairs from the outside corridor. He had been pacing around the office, tinkering with all the odds and ends that littered the shelves, but he flew back to his chair in a flash right before Professor Dumbledore entered the office.
“Ah, Harry!” the old headmaster exclaimed, clapping his hands together happily. He quickly seated himself at his desk, rummaging around to find his sachet of lemon drops.
“Would you care for a lemon drop? They are very soothing for the throat.”
“Sure, thanks.” Draco found himself accepting the lemony sweet. He smiled cheerfully, hoping to avoid any conversation regarding the food fight. Dumbledore pulled his half-moon spectacles out of nowhere and placed them on the crook of his nose.
“I must apologize for keeping you waiting, Harry. I was on a bit of an excursion this morning. I was visiting with some very old friends of mine. I must have forgotten to let Professor McGonagall know I would be out,” he explained quietly, his deep blue eyes twinkling with an essence of mischief.
“No trouble, Professor. But I am not Harry, sir. I am Draco,” Draco corrected him.
“Right you are, Draco. But to all others, I must play along with the charade,” he said with a wink. Draco’s patience was wearing thin with this old man. He had never been the biggest fan of Dumbledore due to years of hearing his father whinge about the incompetence at Hogwarts. Draco had tolerated the headmaster’s switching places scheme without too much complaint. But to be called Harry intentionally by the only other person who knew about their condition was unacceptable.
“Now, Harry. I was informed by Professor McGonagall that a food fight occurred in which you were responsible. Is this true?” he asked, offering the boy another lemon drop.
“Well, yes. But in my defense, I merely slipped on a cauldron cake and accidentally started the food fight. If given a choice, I would never intentionally start a food fight.”
“I see. Perhaps the fear of being dragged into the headmaster’s office for such an offense is discipline enough for all involved in the food fight. But I must ask that you put on a dreadful face for the next few days if anyone inquires about your punishment,” Dumbledore concluded with a wink before standing up as if to let Draco know they were finished talking. Draco blurted a quick thank you and found himself racing down the spiral staircase out of the headmaster’s office.
He found himself roaming the corridors searching for Ginny. They had made plans to take a walk down by the lake together, and he hoped she still wanted to spend time with him. Draco racked his brain trying to think of where his favorite red-headed beauty would be hiding. Suddenly he remembered one of her favorite places to retreat to and dashed towards the library. In what seemed like seconds, he was at the entrance of the library and completely winded. He took a second to compose himself before entering the library in search of Ginny. He quickly found her in the back corner of the library, sitting in her favorite chair. He felt a wide grin spread across his face as he neared her, but he was stunned when she looked up at him with tears streaming down her face.
“Ginny! What’s wrong?” he asked, kneeling down in front on her and cupping her face in his hands.
“Don’t do that!” She pushed him away and held up a stack of parchment. On closer inspecting, he realized she was holding up Potter’s detailed encyclopedia of his daily life. She let a soft sob escape her lips before she bit down hard on her lower lip.
“I-I was taking care of your rucksack. You left it in the Great Hall after the food fight. It was covered in food…I thought you would be surprised if I cleaned it, but all your parchment fell out of it when I picked it up. I found this stack of parchment, and I saw my name. Y-y-y-you are planning on breaking up with me? All that talk about making up for how you’ve been treating me…you have just been lying to me,” she hissed before more sobs overtook her.
“No, Gin! I would never lie to you! Please understand that what you read was not written by me,” he pleaded, trying to embrace her and comfort her.
“It was in your handwriting, Harry! I tried to break up with you weeks ago! You insisted that you would make more time for me! You said that you were just having trouble dealing with stress. Y-y-you told me that you were falling in love with me!” Ginny pushed Draco away and began to run away from him. Draco felt that familiar rage bubble inside him. He quickly caught up to her and grasped her wrist in desperation.
“I do! I am in love with you! There is nothing that I want more than to be with you. Please, Ginny! Please!” Ginny stopped and slowly turned to face him. He thought that even with a tear-stained face she was beautiful. She cleared her throat and softly touched his shoulder.
“It’s too late, Harry. I’ve been trying to keep us together because I felt obligated to. All my friends and family think we are perfect for each other. But my heart was never in it. I never really loved you like everyone assumed,” she whispered. Draco was stunned by her words. He had always assumed that she cared for Potter. Of course he frequently imagined that Ginny had secret feelings for him when she smiled at him or glanced his way, but he always dismissed those thoughts as fictitious.
“Harry, I’ve wanted to tell you something for quite a while, but I could never bring myself to disappoint you. But now that I know how you really feel about me, I have the courage to be truthful. I’ve developed feelings for someone else. I doubt that he would ever reciprocate these feelings, but it isn’t fair for me to continue being with you. So I’m going to save you trouble of breaking up with me. It’s over.”
****
Harry tiredly pushed the door to his room open and threw all of his Quidditch gear down in a big pile on the floor. He couldn’t believe how rough Slytherin Quidditch practice turned out to be. It was nothing like the Gryffindor team with their encouraging chants and teamwork. The Slytherins constantly bickered about strategy and ended up running every possible game situation to make sure they were prepared. They were extremely violent with each other and cheating was completely expected to occur. Harry began to prepare to take a shower when he noticed that an owl had delivered a letter on his desk. The letter was addressed to Malfoy in an extravagant calligraphy. Harry picked up the letter and noticed the Malfoy crest was sealed in wax on the letter. He carefully ripped open the letter:
Young Draco,
I must insist that you desist in this rebellion and take on your responsibilities to your family. The honor and reputation of the name of Malfoy is more important than any academic endeavor. I must warn that if you continue this refusal, I will be forced to take more drastic measures. You must begin training and prepare to receive what you deserve from our Dark Lord. I demand a response before the end of the day.
Lucius Malfoy
Harry refolded the letter and pulled out Draco’s leather-bound journal. He flipped through the entries, hoping to find something about Lucius. He finally found an entry that was written a few days before the switch:
I cannot believe how awful I feel right now. I just had another dream about Mum. Now it will be impossible for me to sleep. Gods, I wish that I could put all of this behind me, but I feel like everything that happened to her is my fault. I know it has been months since she passed away, but I can still recall her last moments as if it happened just the other day. If I close my eyes, I can still see her face etched in pain. Father sent me another owl today. He is insisting that I begin taking on assignments to prove that I am worthy of the Dark Mark. I told him to sod off. I never want to take the mark of that lunatic! I’m so tired of my father assuming that I will follow in his footsteps. To imagine giving away the rest of my life to satisfy the ambitions of that barmy wanker just makes me sick. I honestly have no idea why Father has always been so devoted to the Dark Lord…his Dark Lord, anyways. I have always been obedient to Father’s wishes ever since I was a boy. I never questioned his intentions and always assumed he knew what was best. But I have lost all respect for the man I once followed blindly into darkness. I will never forgive him for what he did to Mum. And I will NEVER become a Death Eater. I would sooner join Potter’s lot before I ever considered being inducted into Father’s crazy club.
To Be Continued.
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This story is a favorite of 23 members. Members who liked Star Dusted Reality also liked 853 other stories.
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