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Naturally, Draco would later say that it was all Potter’s fault.
It was always Potter’s fault.
Draco just usually ended up dragged along for the ride. Mostly unwillingly.
Well, sometimes unwillingly.
Oh, who was he kidding— Draco usually got them into trouble in the first place by purposefully riling Potter up. He’d even admit it. Just not to Potter himself.
This is why, when they found a golden key and an ancient, gnarled journal sitting on top of an innocuous map, they should have left well enough alone. Or at least cast protective charms.
Because this time, it was definitely Potter’s fault.
As Gringotts’ top curse-breaking team, most of their success had been because they couldn't leave well enough alone. It was why they were given the wildest cases and the trickiest assignments.
The goblins counted on Harry’s brash nature and raw power to get them into places no other wixen would dare to explore. Likewise, they relied on Draco’s inquisitive mind, meticulousness and quick thinking to get them back out.
Safely.
It usually worked. Draco was excellent at getting them out of a jam, and they always came back in one piece. Well, mostly. They did spend quite a bit of time in Mungos.
But the hidden places and unearthed treasure were worth the risk in Draco’s opinion, and he knew Potter agreed. It was the main reason why they had been partnered together for the better part of five years. It turned out their rivalry and competitiveness were a boon to their employers. And now, after all the animosity had faded and only friendliness and camaraderie remained, it was their biggest asset. Plus, the job was a challenge and always an adventure. A secret part of Draco was thrilled that he finally got to go on adventures with Potter. His childhood self would be impressed.
They were on assignment in New Zealand, scouting out a secluded forest area, searching for a legendary lost crown— one that Gringotts would do almost anything to get their hands on. Four other teams had been sent before them to determine the whereabouts of this elusive object, but some strange magic saw those teams returning to Gringotts injured and wiped of their recent memories.
Potter, instead of being even a tiny bit wary that four experienced curse-breaking teams had come back unwell, had volunteered them for the assignment.
Potter and danger were like two peas in a pod.
And Draco, besotted with Potter and danger both, just grabbed his rucksack–and the old boot that served as their portkey–with a smile and a shiver of anticipation, letting himself get whisked away.
He really should have known better.
But, like everything else, it was Potter’s fault, because Draco would likely follow the prat to the ends of the Earth. Which was where they were located presently— a dilapidated ruin in the farthest part of an untamed Northern forest.
This brought them to the journal, tucked away in a hidden room with nary an enchantment or curse upon its pages.
Or so they thought. Until Potter touched it. Which Draco wasn’t the least bit responsible for.
Except, he had been the one to give Potter the all-clear; thinking it was safe and that any residual magic had long since faded. He also was highly intrigued by the map lying under the book—lands and dragons and glyphs he had never seen before. So, maybe he was a little hasty in declaring it harmless..
Still, Potter just grabbed the blasted thing with his bare hands. Which was precisely why Draco intended to blame the man entirely for what happened next.
**********
“Potter, cast the charms!” Draco screamed as the entire building started to pulse.
Pieces of wood and foliage were falling around them, and in the centre stood Potter, his hands affixed to the magical journal he’d carelessly picked up moments before.
“I can’t! My hands are stuck!” Harry yelled. “Get the key!”
Draco lunged for the key on the table and snatched up the map with it. There was a wind gusting around the decaying wood-carved building; a magic Draco had never seen before.
“We’ve set off some kind of spell,” Draco gasped as he fought the magic to grab the artefacts. His skin tingled, and the hairs on his neck stood on end. It was almost like the curse was pushing him away from Potter, and that was the last thing he wanted.
“Yes, Draco, I know!” The book was glowing in his hand and the wind was whipping his hair into an even bigger mess than usual. “We’ve activated a curse! Now help me fix it!”
Draco threw every version of Finite Incantatem that he knew at Harry and the magical book, but that made the whirling maelstrom of magic even worse.
“It’s not working!
“I see that,” Harry shouted. The book was pulsing now. The key in Draco’s hands heated up to almost scalding. “Try the key! Draco, try the key!”
“I can’t come closer!” Draco was being held back from Harry by some invisible force. He knew instinctively, though, that if he let that force separate them, he would regret it.
“Cast the tether!” Harry called out as the structure started shaking apart at the seams.
Draco hesitated. It was a spell very few people outside of pureblood circles knew. And it temporarily tied your magic to another person. It was incredibly complicated, not to mention dangerous, but the book was vibrating violently, the room was shaking apart, and Draco knew this was the worst-case scenario. The last time they used this spell successfully, they ended up in Saint Mungos. But Draco was willing to take the risk as there was no chance he would leave Harry’s side.
“Draco! The tether— NOW!”
Draco cast quickly, feeling the magic take effect; just as a blinding glow emanated from the journal still stuck to Harry’s hand. Grey fog poured into the room, and the swirl of magic overwhelmed them.
As soon as the spell took hold, Draco used it to pull from Harry’s magic to give him more power. He then was able to apparate quickly to Harry’s side. He grabbed Harry’s arm and tried every desperate bit of magic to separate the book from him.
Harry was panting and sweating, the force of the enchantment draining him. It was like the journal was trying to suck him toward its glowing pages.
“I can’t… I can't hold it back—“ Harry gasped.
Draco moved as quickly as he could, fighting the magic, and finally shoved the key desperately into the lock.
Everything stopped.
For a moment, the book stopped glowing, the fog cleared, and the magical whirlwind ceased. Green eyes met desperate grey as Draco breathed a sigh of relief.
The magic, whatever it was, was contained.
“I thought we were goners that—“
Harry didn’t finish his sentence because suddenly, the book emitted an ear-piercing noise as it shook violently; and in a swirl of magic and chaos, Harry and Draco popped out of existence.
The only thing left behind was the book, buried under a ton of rubble as the building collapsed from the aftershocks.
**********
They hit the ground with a thud.
Draco sputtered and coughed as he lay sprawled out on top of Harry’s groaning form. They still appeared to be in one piece, but their forced apparition had knocked the air from their lungs.
At least they were no longer in the collapsing building— that was a plus.
“Uhh… What the hell happened?” Harry asked with a grunt as he pushed Draco off him and to the ground of the valley they’d landed in. ”Where are we?”
Draco sat up and looked around. They were somewhere strange indeed. A castle lay not too far in the distance. At first glance, it looked like Hogwarts but much more whimsical, with spires and twisting ornamental metal framed by tall pines and waterfalls.
“I’m not sure, but even the air feels different. I—“
Draco was cut off abruptly as he and Harry noticed two figures racing towards them; that same strange magic in the book twisted in the air, putting Draco on edge. Harry, too, if the way he held his wand was any indication.
They may be weakened, but they were still trained wizards
Suddenly, Harry gasped beside him.
“Dumbledore?”
“Frodo?”
The question came from the approaching man at the same time as Harry stated in shock at a man who looked suspiciously like their old professor. Draco, not willing to take any chances, threw up a shield between them and the two approaching figures. The Dumbledore doppelgänger was the taller of the two. The other was a tiny being with curly hair and stood no taller than a house elf.
“What are you doing in Rivendell? State your name and purpose!” The tall white-haired man held out a staff, his magic meeting the bubble of Draco’s shield.
Draco and Harry exchanged worried glances.
Harry stood slowly and lowered his wand.
“I am Harry Potter. We were transported here by magic. We mean no harm.”
“I am Gandalf the White.” He paused. “Welcome to Endore.”
Draco and Harry exchanged wild-eyed glances at this information. They had travelled to some strange land. Draco could see Harry processing it just as he was.
Before he could stop himself, Draco turned to Harry, “Well, Potter, I don’t think this is what Dumbledore meant about the next great Adventure.”
Potter just laughed a bit hysterically.
If they ever got home, Draco would remind Potter for all eternity that this was definitely his fault.