harry ushered them to a far orner in the bak, in the dark shadows of wizarding loaks that had been left there from deades past he pushed malfoy against the wall and held his sides when he realized his eyes were twisted shut in pain “malfoy,” harry whispered there were droplets of sweat f at the end of his temples “drao, breathe,” he said
something in malfoy’s fae rexed harry waited minutes merlin, he wasn’t sure how muh time had passed finally, malfoy’s breathing was bak to normal when his grey eyes slowly opened and stared bak at him, harry didn’t know what to say
a mor at the entrane of the room made them break their stare and turn toward the noise two figures had entered the loak room harry peered through a gap in the thik huddle of loaks it was the hotel manager, valentine, and a shorter figure in a dark blue hooded loak
“i told you not to ome here,” valentine hissed the look of e on his fae was something so ompletely fn to harry, he almost thought he’d been mistaken in his reognin but then, “this is my pe of work,” valentine added “we an’t be seen together”
“i wanted to tell you in person that i’ll be voting against you,” the woman seethed through her disdain, harry knew that voie it was the woman from the house, the one holding bertrie
valentine soffed harry was still in shok at his harsh tone “and why would that be? we need more if we’re going to aomplish our goals zivantus ontrols the supply and holds our aspirans hostage in the proess this is the only way”
the woman shook her head “you want to risk the life of an i girl?”
“i want to hold the world on its knees, carmen is that too muh to ask?”
harry gasped and stepped bak into malfoy they fell into a shelf with a thud and something metal ttered to the ground malfoy grabbed him and rowded him into the loaks on the other side of the aisle standing hest to hest, harry leaned bak as he felt malfoy’s hand between them “what are you—” but in the shadowy darkness he made out the shine of gold, and themoment they were falling through time, one again pressed loser together than might otherwise have been neessary
when the steady feeling returned, harry didn’t move malfoy’s fae was above his shoulder and he ould feel his breath against his nek the warm sensan of it hooked at something in his hest and made him lean loser
“we should be safe,” malfoy whispered and pulled away, stepping out from the loaks and into the deserted aisle “i’ve taken us forward a few hours”
“safe,” harry shivered “right”
he pushed the sudden emptiness that rose up bak somewhere deep inside himself he didn’t have the time to deal with his body’s reans to malfoy and it wasn’t malfoy, harry told himself it was simply a physial response to stimulus
“are you alright?” malfoy asked
harry gulped “i—i should ask you the same, malfoy” harry’s inner turmoil was reped with onern before they’d been interrupted, malfoy had been on the verge of a pani attak “what hened bak there?”
malfoy pursed his lips “what indeed was that the hotel manager olluding with the kidner? your boss is the mastermind behind this whole thing and you had no idea” he added sarastially, “paint me surprised, potter”
harry let out a frustrated sigh
“it all makes sense now,” malfoy dered “zivantus must have provided these malefators with the inquollis arpus they managed to figure out he had the timepiee, and presumably used it to ultivate the pnt, and now they’ve finally deided to extort it from him”
“they swithed bertrie with the kneazle as olteral,” harry added
malfoy smirked, “leverage, potter” harry’s gaze lingered on his lips realizing the distran, harry turned around and foused on a shaggy, purple fur oat
“wait,” he said “when did zivantus give you the timepiee?”
“the night before his death,” malfoy said, his tone possessing a leveled reverene
“and?”
“and what, potter?”
harry turned around “did he say anything? give you any hint about how he got it or—”
malfoy interrupted, “all he said was he hoped i would reiate its value more than he had”
“how vague and unhelpful,” harry muttered he notied the line of worry on malfoy’s forehead, a tense wrinkle above an expetant stare the look he gave harry was almost a plea, as if malfoy ould tell harry saw right through him but implored him to let it go anyway but harry ouldn’t let it go malfoy had been hiding valuable rman the entire time, and all harry ould think was what else?
“i absolutely will not respond to mrs vistrel again, grimbie,” a familiar voie said at the other end of the room “i an’t omprehend why someone would bathe in pumpkin juie” harry twisted around and ould make out the vague form of arhie eversworn himself
realizing they had to get out of the hotel, harry searhed around for a disguise the purple fur oat seemed as good as any grabbing it, he threw it on and ast a quik gmour on himself when he gned at malfoy, the other wizard was doing the same malfoy had donned a sleek bk leather jaket and a bowler hat
they waited for the other harry to leave and then rushed out into the lobby a man in the guest hek-in queue stared at the pair of them as they fumbled forward toward the main doors malfoy loked eyes with the hotel guest, then slinkedto harry, draped his arm over his shoulder, pulled him lose, and winked the man flushed and turned away toward the servie desk
“you know,” malfoy drawled as they made their way out onto the street he pulled away and put a few inhes of spae between them “i always thought gryffindor red was your best olor, but this,” he pointed to the purple shag oat “this suits you perfetly, potter”
harry
