Misguided Intentions

"Put your best foot forwards boys, we'll be late!" Aelana called out from the lounge as the boys were finishing getting ready for the day. At breakfast they had all decided to take a quick trip down to Oxford and do some preholiday shopping. It was only bout 30 or so kilometers from Maid's Moreton, and Harry and Draco were looking forward to the trip, though Harry didn't know Draco had other plans once they were there.

"We have eggs, bacon, pancakes and bangers kids so let's get a move on, it's on the table!" Alemni called now and the boys hastily headed out to the kitchen.

"Wow smells great Aelana!" Harry said sitting down and pouring a ton of syrup over his pancakes and stabbing his fork for a few slices of bacon.

"Oh eggs?" Draco said eyeing the plate of scrambled eggs that Alemni shoved his way just then.

"Dont like eggs then? Not a problem, plenty more things to eat if not, just name your poison Draco m'dear!" Aelana said with a smile.

"Err..pancakes will do thank you." Draco said spearing a few onto his plate now but only using a slight amount of syrup himself.

"Awe that's no fun Draco, you just have to drown them to really enjoy them!" Harry said grinning and adding even more syrup.

"You drown them, I'll enjoy them." Draco said mockingly and reached for a glass of milk.

During breakfast they discussed a few of the places that they'd like to visit whilst down in Oxford. They weren't even remotely interested in the university opting instead to visit Gloucester Green, and Aelana wanted to stop by the Covered Market in the afternoon to do some much needed marketing. Harry also wanted to visit the Ashmolean Museum since he had heard bout it whilst at state school when he was younger, but the Dursley's wouldn't sign the permission slip allowing him to go.

Draco was the only one a bit silent bout his choice of venue, however Harry did notice that as they were bout to leave the house Draco pulled Aelana and Alemni aside and spoke to the them quickly. Whatever he had to say seemed a bit surprizing to the Harroby's, but with a nod of their heads they apparently agreed to whatever his request was. Looking back over at Harry for a moment Draco flashed him a quick smile before heading back over to the car.

"What was that all bout Dray?" Harry said as they got into the back seat.

"Hmm? Oh nothing really. Just something I had to ask them that's all. I'll tell you later." Draco said hurriedly.

The 30 kilometer trip into Oxford went quickly and before they knew it they were pulling up outside Gloucester Green. The Harroby's had decided to head elsewhere and were just going to drop the boys off then meet up with them later. Since neither boys wore muggle watches, they were glad to see a large clockpole that would show them when to meet.

"You boys have money or did grandda forget that?" Aelana said worriedly.

Harry and Draco nodded. "Professor Dumbledore gave us £50 each for gifts, we'll be fine thanks." Harry said patting his trouser pocket in which both he and Draco's money was being kept. Draco had almost no clue as to how muggle money worked, so he left all that up to Harry which is why he was holding it.

"Allright then, we'll meet you at 10:30 out on George Street by the Bus Station, dont be late!" Alemni said and they all waved goodbye each heading in their directions.

The boys did some scouting round and bout half hour later Draco and Harry decided to split up and cover more ground. The marketplace wasn't that big really, but it was for other reasons they really wanted to split up. Although neither boy really needed anything, fact was they weren't even sure anything they did have here in the past would come back to the future with them, but it was the holidays nonetheless. Therefore a gift atleast, even a small one, was something they both had to get.

Harry thought that one thing that hopefully might make the trip home would be something on a more personal nature, or rather wearable one. He'd seen a lovely little bauble in a jewellery shop earlier, a silver serpent shaped ring with green emerald-like jewelled eyes that sparkled in the light.

He had the engraver add a few words to the back of the ring almost as an afterthought, and nearly blushed when he realized what he had chosen to say. Luckily the engraver didn't even look surprized, as if it was something normal and routine even to engrave something like that. It would take up nearly £20 and a large part of him truely hoped Draco would like it.

For his mum he got a small journal book with her name engraved on it in gold lettering, his dad he got a new rucksack with the Oxford University logo printed on it, in red and gold his father's favourite colours. James's rucksack back at school was a nightmare, usually splitting because it was so old, and he knew it was the one gift the others probably wouldn't even have thought bout.

He ended up buying bags of muggle sweets for Peter, Remus, Severus and Sirius that included tootsie rolls, lemonade pops, licorice twists done in muggle style, Jelly Babies, and some other assorted things. In the end he had roughly £10 left of his money, and it was almost time to meet back up with Draco.

Draco meanwhile had no clue what he was going to get for Harry. After several attempts at thinking he had some ideas, in the end nothing really appealed to him. Time was running out when whilst passing a different jewellery shop than the one Harry had been in, he finally spotted something he just knew would be just right.

Going into the store he spoke briefly with the clerk, explaining what he wanted done to the item in question. In the end he walked out of the shop also £20 less, but a small smile on his face, and he prayed Harry would like his gift. He didn't have the bravery of a Gryffindor to tell Harry the truth, so he hoped his gift would do the task for him.

They were to meet back up right at the Bus Station on George St. just as it was bout time to meet the Harroby's. Harry arrived there first keeping a sharp eye out for Draco since he knew Draco didn't have much knowhow in reading muggle watches. Luckily a few moments later Draco did show up however.

"Oi Draco, over here!" Harry called now spotting the still blondehaired boy, who he noticed was looking round now obviously for him.

"Harry there you are! Wasn't sure this was the right place, got a bit lost sorry." Draco said in a relieved tone of voice.

"Dont worry, just got here myself. I got a few things for the others too, what did you get?" Harry said noticing that Draco didn't seem to have any packages.

"The others?" Draco said looking surprized then smacked his forehead. "Oh no! I forgot to get them all gifts!" he said groaning.

Harry looked at him in surprize then laughed. "Typical! I bet it didn't even cross you're mind to even bother to look for gifts." he said shaking his head but not in annoyance. "Dont worry, I got them gifts so we can just say it's from both of us, how's that?"

Draco yet again looked very relieved and nodded. "Thanks Harry, I appreciate that. I guess I had other things on my mind sorry." he said a bit sheepishly.

"Hey it's okay." Harry said with a grin and the boys heard a car horn honk just then. "Oh there's Aelana and Alemni, let's go!" he said grabbing Draco's arm and running towards the car.

"There you are boys! Climb on in, we're going for lunch down at the Marlborough Arms Hotel, menu's a bit limited but the food's not all bad." Aelana said cheerily as the boy's climbed in the car.

Moment's later they were off to the small town of Woodstock which was only bout 10 minutes away from Oxford. It was a pretty town, lots of bed and breakfast spots, tourist areas, and some other points of interest, but it was the Hotel that seemed to take Draco's attention. As they pulled into the lot to park, Draco seemed downright happy even, as if where they were was of some major importance to him, and Harry was to find out why shortly.

Supper was a few courses of wondrful British cooking, and the boys were even allowed a half a glass each of the featured wine that the hotel proudly offered. After supper the 4 of them took a short stroll round the hotel area until Draco asked if he and Harry could go off and look round for a while on their own. Aelana and Alemni agreed and they would meet up with the boys in a couple hours, there were a few things they had also wanted to take care of while in the area.

Yet again Harry and Draco waved goodbye to the Harroby's, only this time as soon as they were out of sight Draco took Harry by the arm and slipped round the back of the hotel. Harry wasn't sure what was going on and looked at Draco with an odd expression until Draco motioned for him to stay silent for the moment and just follow him. Draco led Harry to a small gate that had a "Private. Do Not Enter." sign on it, though Draco was obviously ignoring it.

"Draco we cant go in there! Didn't you see what the sign said?" Harry said quietly now though he didn't know why he should keep his voice lowered, it just seemed right to do.

"It's allright, trust me, I know what I'm doing. Come on Harry!" Draco said back half whispered and led Harry through the small gate quickly, making sure that noone had seen them.

"Where the bloody hell are we anyway? Isn't this private property?" Harry said now as the boys were sneaking along an ivy covered wall that was thankfully out of view of anything.

"Hmm wait...ah..allright...remember I was telling you that my parent's stay up in Buckingham near the palace?" Draco said quietly searching round now one of the walls for something.

"Dray, if you're thinking of Buckingham Palace, that's in London you git..." Harry began but was cut off by a shake of Draco's head.

"Not the royal palace you prat, a different one. Cripes where is it?" he said still looking through the vines on the wall and getting a bit peeved.

"What in Merlin's name are you looking for anyway?" Harry said peering through the vines and only seeing a wall.

"Nothing. Anyway listen, this is...oh wait, here it is!" Draco said looking up at Harry now with a triumphant smile.

Harry peered through the vines again and saw an odd brick. The rest of the wall was a creamy beige colour, but the brick Draco was pointing to was pure white, and hidden very well apparently. Draco leaned in and whispered some words Harry didn't catch, and the brick suddenly pushed in along with part of the wall revealing a staircase leading down into the ground.

"Come on, it only stays open a short time!" Draco said quickly pulling Harry down the staircase with him. Sure enough moment's later the hole they'd just come through sealed itself, igniting up some nearby candles as if in a signal. Draco grabbed one of the wall torches and passed it to Harry who took it, then grabbed a second one for himself.

"Allright Draco, what's this bout? What is all this?" Harry said thoroughly confused now.

"I'll explain it now. Right now we're in a passageway, sort of a backdoor if you would, into Blenheim Palace. It's the ancestral home of the Spencer-Churchill family, otherwise known as the Dukes of Marlborough as well as the Earls of Sunderland." Draco said as they headed down the passageway.

"Great history but what's it all have to do with you?" Harry said puzzled.

"I'm explaining. Anyway, my mum has an older brother named Nathan, who married Henrietta Mary Spencer-Churchill back in 1980, but they had been engaged secretly for something like 4 years prior when she was 18. My aunt's family knew she was a witch cause she got a Hogwart's letter, but she never went to Hogwarts because the Churchill family didn't believe in that sort of 'rubbish' as it were." Draco said.

"I can relate to relatives like that." Harry said muttering.

"Well they weren't as bad as the Dursley's, but they delayed the engagement for so long because they hoped Aunt Henrietta would 'see sense' as they put it and forget bout marrying such a man who wasn't 'normal' by their standards. In the end however my aunt and uncle were allowed to marry and live here at the palace if they wanted. They'll get married like I said in 2 more years from now or so, then my cousin David will be born in 1981 and my cousin Max in 1985. They're allright, though Uncle Nathan didn't want them going to Hogwarts, they go to Beauxbaton's instead."

"But, if they aren't even married yet, why are we even here?" Harry said still puzzled.

"Well I told you, they're still engaged. Plus my aunt's a seer, I'm hoping that she'll help us on a way to get home, or atleast what we're doing wrong that we haven't gotten home yet." Draco said and suddenly stopped short as they reached a dark oak panelled door.

"These are my aunt's private quarters beyond here. She doesn't like people bothering her sometimes so she comes here to think. Once I explain who we really are I'm sure she'll help us." Draco said pushing open the door carefully.

"Come in nephew dont be alarmed, I was expecting you." a soft yet cultured voice said from the otherside of the doorway, causing both boys to jump in alarm.

As the boy's walked into the candlelit room, they saw a woman sitting down at a small desk, facing them with a smile. "Aunt Henrietta?" Draco said a bit subdued actually. For some reason his aunt always made him feel a bit humbled.

She nodded. "Please, sit." she said indicating some chairs near her. "At first I was surprized when I felt the presence of someone activating the brickdoor, but the vibrations I felt were not hostile so I wondred."

"How did you know who I was though?" Draco said as he and Harry settled into the chairs and turned to face her.

"I didn't really until I saw you in the mirror, it showed you both as you were coming down the corridor. Quite a useful mirror actually, I bought it last year when I had this room built. This way I could always see who was coming if need be." she said pointing now to the medium sized mirror that stood in a well lit section of the room.

"That still doesn't tell us how you knew Draco though...er..my Lady..." Harry said remembering that if she was the daughter of a duke somewhere she had to have a title most likely.

She laughed and it was a sweet melodic laugh. "Please, Henrietta is fine. As to how I knew, the mirror reveals one's true form, not a cloaked one. Nathan is an animagus and sometimes he likes to sneak up on me, so the mirror reflects the human as they are, even in animal or any other forms. I could see not blonde and brownhaired boys coming, but raven haired and an obviously veela blood coming." she said with a smile.

"Oh, well...I suppose that could explain part of it but...." Draco said now but was cut off by his aunt.

"But you want to know how I knew you were my nephew. It's very simple, my brother showed me a wizarding photo of himself, your mum and her current boyfriend, Lucius Malfoy recently. Since there would be no reason for Lucius to visit, I could only surmize you were related to him, then when I saw you closer I knew for sure. You're a remarkable duplicate of your father Draco." she said.

"So they tell me. Anyway...Aunt Henrietta, we dont have alot of time but I wanted to see you, I'm hoping you can help Harry and myself, we're in a bit of a bind it seems." Draco said, then began to tell his aunt what happened from the day the two boys found the mirror till that moment.

Henrietta stayed quiet during the whole speech, nodding in places as need be, looking thoughtful in others. Sometimes she appeared to be 'faroff' yet still listening to every word of what Draco was saying. Finally, when Draco finished it all up, she looked at both boys and sighed.

"This is very complicated boys, indeed so. First of all I should tell you now, the mirror that you described as the one bringing you here...there is no way possible that it was the Mirror of Erised." she said causing the boys to look back at her sharply.

"Not the Mirror of Erised? How can you be so sure?" Harry said a bit shocked now.

"The Mirror of Erised can do alot of things, it can bend and change one's whole desire and destiny with a single blow. It can cause nothing but deceits and deaths for some, whilst others walk away only half a man. However...it cannot drag one into another time, place or anything else. You can take from the mirror, but it cannot take back from you, do you understand?" she said looking at both boys carefully.

"Not really." Draco said shaking his head.

"Let me put it another way." she said turning to Harry now. "I can see something you've gotten out of the mirror not that long ago, didn't you Harry." she said and Harry looked at her in awe now and nodded.

"Yes, the Philosopher's Stone back in 1st year, when I fought Voldemort for the first time...or rather..second time of my life." Harry said quietly.

"You were able to get the stone because you're heart desired the stone for good, not evil. The mirror gave the stone to you, but if you had tried to return it back to the mirror image of yourself to keep Voldemort from getting it, you couldn't have. It only works one way, do you see now?" she said and Harry did begin to understand finally.

"So...if it isn't the Mirror of Erised, then what mirror is it?" Harry said slowly.

"It is in my opinion that you came here through the Mirror of Wrongdoings. A very powerful and dangerous mirror that should have been destroyed 200 ago because of something very similar to this. Instead they put it in Hogwarts and left it there, where it still remains apparently, and still active under the right circumstances." she said frowning a little then.

"Now I am confused. What is this mirror Aunt Henrietta?" Draco said questioningly.

"The Mirror of Wrongdoings was created over 1000 years ago by a dark wizard you probably have heard of, Salazar Slytherin. Now in the beginning Salazar was a very bad person, however with the help of 3 other people, you know them as Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Godric Gryffindor, they were able to turn him from his dark ways for a while to create Hogwarts. In the end they had a falling out over who should be allowed to attend the school, and Salazar split ways with the other 3 to everyone's dismay." Henrietta began.

"For many years Salazar tried to forget the school and all he had done there, but he wanted to keep watch over how 'his' pupils were being taught, so he had the Mirror of Wrongdoings created. He placed it in the Slytherin dorm secretly, and to the students it was nothing more then a normal mirror. However the mirror began to take on a mind of it's own eventually thanks to it's creator. The mirror would in effect, draw in any Slytherin that it felt wasn't being taught 'correctly', or using their magic for their own ends and means as Slytherin's were bred to do."

"Wait a minute, you're not telling me that it killed them or whatnot are you?" Draco said shocked.

"No it didn't kill them, but it would 'transform' them. It would draw them into the mirror and until the student learned the correct ways, they would be forced to stay within the mirror. Eventually, hundreds of years later, enough older student's 'disappeared' and didn't come back that the Headmaster of the time looked into things, and discovered what the mirror was doing. He tried to destroy the mirror but Salazar had his own enchantments on it preventing it's destruction, so they did the only thing they could do, they realigned the enchantments from evil to good, and locked it away far from the school."

"But it's still at the school now, and Dumbledore said something bout 'mirror images' escaping only 200 years ago." Harry said remembering that suddenly.

"Yes, the mirror was moved back to the school round that time because the Ministry finally thought they had a way to destroy it, but they found they were wrong. Hogwarts they thought would be safest so there it was sent, however 200 years ago 2 boys found it, and were never seen again. However 'mirror images' of the two boys were eventually 'seen' at the school as ghostly images, so everyone thought they had simply died and nothing more. But the truth was later revealed by the Headmaster, and the mirror was once again moved to a place in Hogwarts that noone should have been able to find again." Henrietta said.

"Except us. We found it." Harry said miserably now. "So what's going to happen to us?"

"Sadly, I cannot tell you that, for I am not even sure how to proceed. I do know this much...the original mirror's goals were used in evil but that has been reversed. Perhaps you can say the mirror should be renamed now to the Mirror of Rightdoings, since the mirror obviously is being used for different purposes now."

"What do you mean by that?" Draco said.

"My dear nephew, it's quite obvious really when you think about it. I should tell you that the two boys who 'disappeared' 200 years ago were known enemies for all their Hogwarts years. However the truth became known much later on from their friends that secretly they liked each other, if you understand me. I assume the mirror wanted them to know the truth, to find themselves and make certain wrongs righted, sadly though I suppose they never did learn to fix the wrongs, for they never did return. Either that or..." she said a bit thoughtfully then.

"Or what?" Harry said, suspicions beginning to take hold of his mind.

"Or they liked where they were at more then where they were from, and they choose not to return to their rightful place. Noone will ever know the truth however, there's no proof where or even when they could have been taken." she said quietly.

"Wait a moment, where or when? That means that we...we were sent back because..." Harry began seeing everything clearly now.

Draco nodded at Harry at the same time, understanding himself. "The mirror doesn't care what time or place it sends you I guess, only sends you to where the problems are. But why us? Why choose us to fix things? And what are we supposed to be fixing?" Draco said trying to make more sense of it all.

"Again I do not know nephew however this I can say, major events in the 'future' cannot be altered. There is rhyme and reason to certain unavoidables that must not under any circumstances be changed. There are always little things that do need fixing, and from what I am 'seeing', some things are for the better. As for why you two were chosen, that you need to search your own hearts and minds for, I believe you already might know the answers." Henrietta said smiling at the boys now.

Harry and Draco didn't dare look at each other then, but strange suspicions were running rampant through both their minds. "How can we go home?" Draco said quietly after thinking on certain things.

"When the time is right, and the things done that needed to be, you will know how. Whether or not you choose to take the path home is up to you however."

"And if...if we dont return home? Then what happens to us in the 'future'?" Harry said in a whisper.

"You're 'future' selves would simply cease to exist from the moment in time in which the mirror brought you here. You will both be born at the right times and places, that you can be assured for you are here now, however in your 'present', Harry and Draco will just never return. You will live double lives once you're 'infant' forms are born, interacting with yourselves, speaking, talking to them, yet you're future selves will never know it's really you. It's a very complicated thing boys to mess with time, I'm sure you've been told this. I strongly suggest if you do not plan on returning to find means in which you will be able to successfully deal with your future selves."

"And when our future selves and present ones reach the moment in which the children disappear? Then what?" Draco said.

"Again, things cannot be avoided. To stop yourselves from coming means you couldn't be there in the first place. Boys, please, I beg of you...do not try to think in circles, even I cannot nor like to. Choose your paths and let your choice take it's course. Return or stay, it's up to you. Now you must leave, you're being called for by the people who brought you here. I am sure we shall meet again." she said and the boys realized that quite alot of time had now passed, and they probably were being looked for.

"Thank you Aunt Henrietta, you've been a great help." Draco said and leaned over to give his aunt a hug. She was the only person in his family he allowed this privilege to in the future, and he always loved how she smelled of summertime strawberries.

The boys headed back down the corridor and back to the Hotel, the Harroby's were waiting patiently in the lobby for them. "Ah, there you both are! We were getting worried a tad. Ready to head home eh?" Alemni said giving the boys a smile.

The boys nodded, they both had alot to think bout and talk bout once they got home, and the quicker they got there the better. The four of them piled back into the car and started the 30 minute drive back to Maid's Moreton. Even though the boy's knew the truth now of why and how they were here, neither of them knew how to go bout getting home, or even if they wanted to.

As Draco's hand reached into his coat pocket and his fingers touched up against the small box it contained, his thoughts were not on the drive, the mirror or the situation even any longer. They were only on one thing, the next day would be Yule, and he hoped his gift would be well accepted, and that Harry wouldn't hate him for it.