Rating:
R
House:
Astronomy Tower
Ships:
Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Genres:
Romance Angst
Era:
Harry and Classmates Post-Hogwarts
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Half-Blood Prince
Stats:
Published: 06/28/2007
Updated: 12/12/2007
Words: 74,436
Chapters: 18
Hits: 31,903

Harry Woke Up

taylorj828

Story Summary:
Harry and Draco find themselves in the most difficult challenge they've ever faced. Neither expected to be stuck with their former arch enemy, nor did they expect something so simple as living together to cause them so many problems....

Chapter 09 - Harry Waxes

Chapter Summary:
Some things change...
Posted:
09/10/2007
Hits:
1,743
Author's Note:
Thanks to Rebekka for looking this over for me!


Life was returning to normal as the two wizards were falling back into routine.

Harry slept in later than Malfoy in the mornings, who was slowly working his way through the books on the book shelf. Both flat mates continued on with their potions, Malfoy's taking a recent colour change. Things were gradually feeling normal again, whatever normal meant living in a flat with Malfoy.

Harry was feeling better than he had been, and as he lay torn between slumber and wakefulness, his mind again returned to the very odd excursion he had taken after blacking out.

Bright lights. Flashing.

Harry wasn't altogether sure if he was actually seeing the lights and flashes, but he supposed perhaps he was. His darkness had been replaced with lights. Very bright lights. Then, a third of the light faded into shadow on the right. A voice followed.

"Can you hear me?" It was a man's voice but Harry didn't recognise it.

"Yes." Harry vaguely realised he was lying down, though it felt strangely like floating.

"Are you feeling all right?" the man asked.

"I... I think so."

"Does anything hurt?" An even voice and a clinical smell.

"Just my head a little."

"And can you see anything?" The man sounded curious and slightly hopeful.

"Er, just light, I think."

"You think?" He was intrigued.

"Well, everything is really bright, but I don't see anything else. And there's a shadow, just here." Harry extended his right arm to point to the area above him, and his hand bumped against something solid.

"Yes, that's me. Mm, so you have some light perception at the moment..." The man stated it rather than asking. Harry wondered what it meant.

"Are you feeling nauseous or warm, or cold?"

"Er, no."

"Do you know where you are?"

"No."

"Good, good." Harry heard a vague noise of notes being written.

"Where am I?"

"You're in a small ward not far from your flat. We had to remove you after you collapsed. We've been monitoring you, and I believe you are perfectly fine. You've been here for two days, but I think we can return you to your room tomorrow."

"Really?" Harry tried to keep the disappointment from his voice. He wasn't sure he wanted to go back. "So, er, what happened to me?"

"Well, you've had a bit of a reaction to the strength of the potion, but we lowered it for the past two days, continuing to administer it to you. It seems that the potion has taken some affect, however, as it has now allowed you to perceive the presence or absence of light, if I am not mistaken. But there were also a few other factors affecting your well being."

"A few other factors?"

"Yes. I think it will suffice to say that you have not been having a pleasant time. Some of the potions we are experimenting with can have volatile reactions to emotions experienced. They are highly experimental, this being just one of the reasons why. It's important, then, to strictly monitor who or what comes in and out of your room."

"But Hermione-"

"No, I am not, in this instance, referring to Mrs Weasley. In this case, she perhaps did you some good. But you have experienced quite a combination of contributing factors with Mr Malfoy. Verbal attacks, a physical attack, emotional stress, feelings of depression, isolation, despair and, at times, loss of hope. If you are surprised that we observed such information about you, then it shouldn't surprise you that our facility is not in the public eye. Also, the fight you two participated in might have caused a minor concussion, something for which we are still examining you.

"You see, all these various circumstances, believe it or not, can affect the usefulness of some of the potions. They can also interact with the influences of the potions, creating either more intense emotions, opposite emotions, or drastic physical responses. All of these things we are monitoring on you as we experiment with the draughts. But please don't worry about your safety for even a moment. Nothing and nowhere could be safer for you."

Harry was silent for a minute, processing the information and coming up with questions, most of which died on his tongue, uncertain that he wanted the answers. The bright light that had seemed so blinding now appeared to flicker, as though flame from a candle. He was randomly reminded of the candles that had always lit the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

He wondered if this ward was like St Mungo's at all. Or what if it was all part of a grand scheme to trick his senses? He could easily be fooled into believing anything of his location, so long as he couldn't see it. Harry attempted to use his honed senses to investigate his surroundings. While the room did smell vaguely clinical, it also was reminiscent of the Potions classroom at Hogwarts. Though it felt less dank and more straight lined and square.

Then something pointy prodded Harry's chest.

"What... What are you doing?" he asked sharply.

"Just another Diagnostic Spell, no need to worry," the man chuckled. Harry recognised the point of a wand jabbing at him.

"Who are you? A. H. S.?"

"No, no," the man laughed. "Hardly! But I do work for him; we are friends, if you will. I work directly under him and report directly to him. It is unlikely that you will meet A. H. S. himself, though he is the director of your program and founder of this facility. You will mainly have contact with myself and the Healers you will occasionally observe or meet. In fact, we plan to begin bi-weekly meetings with both you and Mr Malfoy individually to do more investigative examinations. Anyway, I do believe I must leave you now. Do you have any more questions?"

"Er, am I all right now? I'll be fine?"

"Well, you're still recovering from the sickness produced from the reaction with the potion, also you may experience some nauseous and disorientation from the new light perception. And if we find signs that you've suffered a concussion, that will take some time as well. It shouldn't be surprising if you feel weak, sick, or ill for the next few days. We're administering potions but you've really just got to let everything run it's course and then we can start new. And it wouldn't hurt to reconcile with Mr Malfoy and relieve some of the inner stress. Your reactions to potions and your final outcome will be much more positive."

"Thanks," Harry mumbled.

"Until next time, Mr Potter." The shadow left the light before Harry's eyes and he heard the door to the room click shut.

Strange...

And so Harry found himself recovering, at last, and even making efforts to improve his moods and attitudes, knowing that they affected the success of the potions. It rather reminded him of a few love potions and other emotion-driven draughts they had studied in Auror training. So, he was trying, and Malfoy seemed at times more tame than he used to be.

That was curious in itself. Looking back at the few hazy days of headaches, black outs, and nausea, he realised Malfoy had made efforts to take care of Harry.

In short, Malfoy cared.

Harry chuckled to himself as he pulled on a clean shirt for the day. He never thought he'd see Draco Malfoy, of all people, taking care of the sick. Of Harry, sick. And then he shuddered, realising Malfoy had watched him retching his guts out. Again he was reminded of the abundance of weakness he was revealing to Malfoy, and the unsettling feeling pitted in his stomach.

"How are you feeling?" Malfoy's voice called out, interrupting Harry from his thoughts.

Ever since his blacking out, Malfoy had insisted on asking this question daily, or more often if he could get it in. It occurred to Harry to wonder if it was care or simply the continual acknowledgement of how much weaker Harry was than Malfoy. Harry frowned to his wardrobe, shrugging the back of his shoulders to Malfoy.

"I could read to you until lunch. There's not much of the story left."

They were near the end of the science fiction book they had started days ago. Harry turned and shrugged again, making his way to the sofa. With evenly counted steps, he fell into habit and was soon sitting on the cushions near Malfoy. He could never see Malfoy to tell how far away he was sitting, and if they attempted to talk, it was necessary to sit close enough so Malfoy could see Harry's responses and so Harry could write on Malfoy's hand.

Harry was about to reach out as he often did to find where on the sofa Malfoy was, but instead he felt the other wizard scoot over to sit beside Harry, left knee bumping Harry's right.

"I think we have our second meetings with the Healers today," Malfoy mentioned. Harry nodded.

Two days ago they had had their first of the new bi-weekly examinations. It had been relatively painless. First, Healer Johnson came in to talk with Malfoy and they stayed on his side of the room, the Healer commenting and investigating. Harry could only guess she was using potions or special devices as she checked Malfoy over.

Afterward, Healer Divitz came to examine Harry. It was mostly effortless as they sat on his bed discussing the changes in his sight. He was still perceiving light changes and had had one headache since his return. The Healer gave him some different potions to watch for immediate reactions which would reveal some kind of information, Harry supposed. Then she blinded him with light from her wand, pulling his eyelids open and looking around for something. Then with a promise to return in two days, she was gone.

Right. Harry wrote on Malfoy's offered palm.

"Can you still see lights?"

While Malfoy couldn't overhear Harry's examination, as Harry could Malfoy's, Harry had still chosen to tell him about the change in his blindness. Harry thought it was at least something that made being stuck in the flat together feel not quite so pointless.

Yeah. Can you hear anything?

"Nope," Malfoy chuckled with cynicism. "No changes for me."

Do you want to leave?

"Honestly? I don't know why I agreed in the first place. Nothing's changing, but I guess with the hope of improvement, we both signed up." A bitter, unpleasant resignation filled his voice.

What will you do after this?

"That's hard to answer, isn't it?" Malfoy paused and Harry wondered if he was looking at him for a response. "I mean, if I leave here still deaf, then what can a deaf wizard do?"

Lots. Malfoy laughed acridly in response.

You can try your old team.

"I could. What would I do? We were very nearly Aurors like you and your friends, but I can't do that if I can't hear. Too much of a risk. So much of our investigating was built on hearing things..."

But you can see things better than others.

"Sure, you tell them that. Maybe with Harry Potter's name on my recommendation, they'll consider me," Malfoy said sarcastically. Harry scowled. He hated Malfoy's digs on Harry's name and his past, because he knew absolutely nothing about it.

"Look, I just... I don't want to talk about that. I want to think maybe I'll get my hearing back, because I have a hard time imagining the rest of my life without it."

Me, too.

"Me, or you?"

Me. Blind life.

"Oh." Draco shifted.

Can't think of life, only today, next month.

Malfoy was quiet for a moment and Harry shrugged as if to dismiss the uncomfortable topic.

"What will you do after we leave here?" Malfoy's voice was quiet and even. His ability to express conversation completely lacking any emotion had to be a talent he had practised and perfected.

Harry started to write a response on the palm in his hand, but he stopped short, suddenly feeling jolted out of his world.

What had felt like a greyish black haze he was living in suddenly flickered. He blinked, wondering what had happened. Then shapes began to float in front of his eyes, and Harry hoped it was truly seeing and not just his mind's eye.

"Potter?"

Something square and dark. Something round with material. A large object some distance away from him. Harry tilted his head down. Something whitish. He blinked again. Curves, five curves, ten curves, shadows. Hands? Suddenly Harry was breathing much faster. He had to be seeing, actually seeing.

"Potter? What's wrong?"

Harry lifted his gaze now, turning in the direction of Malfoy's voice. Round, white, a blur of blond. Two dark spots.

Harry squinted; lines defined.

"Potter!" Malfoy shook Harry's hand.

"I can see," Harry said quietly. He tried to focus on what was Malfoy's face but it still didn't look too much like it. He leaned in closer, still squinting and un-squinting. Eyebrows, two grey eyes looking concerned, a pointed chin and blond hair falling out of place. His hair didn't look as neat as it always had at Hogwarts.

"I see you," Harry repeated in awe.

"I can't hear you!" Malfoy reminded him, his voice mixed between frustration and anxiety.

And then Harry realised why almost everything in his newly acquired vision was blurry. Some days he forgot to wear his glasses, since he no longer needed them. Harry jumped up from the sofa, starting to walk over to his bed but found he immediately became dizzy and disoriented. Harry closed his eyes, counted his steps and opened his eyes again when he found his bedside table and his spectacles.

Slipping them on, the whole world came into view, at least, most of it did. There were spots and edges of haziness as though his vision wasn't sure it really wanted to come back. But even that didn't seem to matter, for Harry could see a chair and a sofa, and a confused looking Malfoy sitting and staring at him.

"Can you see?" Malfoy asked in shock and disbelief. Harry nodded, afraid to jinx the newly found sight.

In an instant, Harry was back on the sofa, sitting near Malfoy and examining everything around them. Haziness floated in and out, and occasionally the vision flickered with darkness.

"Can you see me?" Malfoy asked. Harry raised his gaze from canvassing the room and allowed his seeing green eyes to land upon his companion. He hadn't seen Malfoy since they had been in the battle against the Death Eaters - the battle that had robbed them of their senses. Malfoy's grey eyes were locked on Harry, curious and also softer than Harry remembered. There was a scar on Malfoy's jaw, small but still there. His blond hair was shaggy, hanging around his ears and neat though not so primly fixed as it had been in school.

Harry nodded and reached for Malfoy's hand to write, but Malfoy jumped up now and returned in seconds with a quill and parchment. Harry smiled.

I can see. Blimey, this can't be real!

Malfoy shook his head, eyes surveying Harry, who was still grinning excitedly.

I like your hair. Harry laughed after he wrote the sentence and watched Malfoy read it. The blond smirked and shook his head.

"Incredible, Potter. You can see again." His tone was dry, as though he wasn't truly happy about it. Then Harry frowned. His vision grew dark and flickered for longer than usual. He turned his head, desperate to keep the sight. It came back.

"Something wrong?" Malfoy asked, more concern seeping through.

It goes dark sometimes.

Harry looked up at Malfoy again, staring into grey eyes, and for once he felt as though it didn't matter what he said, or what Malfoy said. He didn't have to write anything and Malfoy didn't have to say anything. Harry could see his eyes, he could read his expression, and for once they could just hold a gaze and let the silence around them fill with a long, understanding look.

The grey eyes faded into darkness and Harry swallowed, shaking his head. Grey eyes came back with furrowed eyebrows.

Then the sound of a door opening pulled Harry's gaze toward their front door as he watched a portly man entering, looking pleased as he carried a notepad and quill, spectacles sliding off his nose.

"Excuse me for this interruption, but I'm here for Mr Potter's examination today. I've chosen to come early so I can examine your newly gained eyesight." The man grinned as though impressed with himself for knowing so soon about the change in progress. Harry shifted uncertainly.

"You don't recognise my voice, Mr Potter? I'll just assume it's because of the overwhelming vision you have now. We met while you were sick. Anyhow, let's get to examining you. I'd like to see if there's a possible way for you to keep this vision for good." He was a jovial, exuberant man and he gestured Harry into one of their two high-backed chairs, turning the other one so he could sit in it and face Harry for the exam.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Harry asked as the man began poking around his eyes. Harry could see Malfoy out of the corner of his eye, watching curiously to gain the information his ears were missing.

"Professor Creyson. I told you I work directly under A. H. S. Perhaps you don't remember me, but I answered some questions for you when you first received your light perception."

"Oh yeah," Harry mumbled while Professor Creyson pulled at his left eyelid.

"You're a professor?" Harry was still slightly confused.

"I am, as well as a fully trained Healer." Creyson paused and smiled before going on with a potion and some observation.

All in all, by the end of the examination, Creyson had absolutely no answer, or at least no answer he was willing to tell, as to what was happening to Harry. He did, however, inform Harry not to be concerned about the fading vision, and that they would adjust his potions to attempt to keep the new vision in tact, but it was also highly likely that it would be a temporary condition. Harry's shoulders fell with that information.

"But, here is something you both might like. We've got a surprise that'll be coming to your flat this afternoon! It'll help with the occasional boredom here. But it'll be your job to figure out how to set it up yourself." Creyson grinned with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, apparently enjoying the guessing game with Harry.

Lunch appeared after Creyson left, and Harry happily retrieved the plates, eating his meal with a fork and exquisitely clean hands. It was the best meal he'd had since their time in the flat. In between bites, Malfoy asked questions and Harry wrote the answers from the Professor's examination.

As soon as the plates disappeared, Healer Johnson strode into the flat and whisked Draco away to his bed for his examination. Harry sat grinning, drumming his fingers on his knee as he enjoyed his new sight, never so happy for something so simple before. Vaguely he listened to Healer Johnson and Malfoy, hoping they would finish soon so he could sit and talk with Malfoy some more. If only his friends could come by too, and he could see all the Weasleys again.

The vision of the low table and high backed chair flickered and Harry frowned. How could one's vision do such a thing? Didn't he either have it, or not have it at all? Then sight returned and Harry sighed, moving to the kitchen to take his midday dose of potion. He was standing near the sink when he watched Healer Johnson leave, marvelling at actually seeing her. But then she returned.

Healer Johnson and Healer Divitz were carrying bulky items into the flat and setting them in the sitting room. Malfoy watched from his bed, head tilted curiously.

Healer Divitz disappeared and Healer Johnson turned to Harry.

"You and Mr Malfoy will be provided with some independence-learning activities. This is your first one, but I think you'll also find it enjoyable. Have fun, and we'll return for examinations in three days' time." She smiled and Harry watched her yellow robes swish behind the closing door.

"What'd she say?" Malfoy asked, approaching the sitting room. Harry walked over too, quickly recognising what the Healers had brought into the room. Then he paused, his vision flickering dark.

"Potter?" Malfoy asked, his voice coming from in front of Harry but down low. His last vision of the room had shown the new objects on the floor near the sofa. Harry moved blindly, hands out to feel for the objects and Malfoy. He felt hair at waist level a few steps in front of him, as though Malfoy were squatting down.

"It's me," Malfoy said, stretching a hand up to Harry. "Can't see again?"

But as soon as the words were out of his mouth, vision came back to Harry, who squinted at the sudden change. He quickly sat down on the floor near Malfoy. The blond was peering at him inquisitively, but apparently recognised the look on Harry's face, or perhaps in his eyes. Harry wondered if Malfoy could tell whether he was seeing or not. Malfoy leaned back, reaching for the table and the quill and parchment they had used before.

Vision comes and goes. It went for a long time just then. Malfoy seemed uncertain how to respond to this, and gave a pause before speaking again.

"So what did the Healer say? What is all this?"

We have to figure out how to set this up and then we can use it. Harry gestured to the items. Some kind of table. Muggle TV. DVD player and some DVDs.

Harry grinned, excited about watching a movie. He'd had his own TV and DVD player at the flat he had rented for a couple of years. He enjoyed movies, but found he was one of the few wizards who did. Usually only wizards and witches who grew up Muggle enjoyed such things.

"I know what a TV is, but what is a D-V-D plator and D-V-D-S?" Malfoy was frowning and Harry laughed. A scowl and a shove answered him.

DVDs are movies, films... a DVD player is a machine that lets you watch them. You'll see.

Speaking of seeing, Harry's vision faltered again. Perhaps this fading in and out was worse than just being blind. It was a temptation driving him mad every time it suddenly disappeared, reminding him of all he had to gain and everything he had lost.

"Potter?" Harry waited for it to come back, but it didn't.

"You can't see," Malfoy stated in a quiet voice. Harry shook his head.

"Well how do we get the TV and movie things to work?" Malfoy asked. Harry scowled and pointed at his eyes.

"You lived blind just fine until a couple hours ago so don't tell me that now all of a sudden you can't do something." His voice was cold and harsh; Malfoy was pushing him. Harry knew it. He was refusing to let Harry feel defeated, like he was currently feeling as the darkness began to suffocate him.

"Look, I can figure out that the TV and DVD thingy must go on the table, er, shelf thing." Harry heard Draco moving some objects around. "But what are these wires for? And this little rectangle thing? And these flat boxes?"

Harry sighed and started feeling around, momentarily smiling when a hazy vision of the DVD player flickered in his eyes, but it was gone in an instant. Harry squared his shoulders, resigning himself to darkness again and starting to work with the electronics. He felt around, finding Malfoy's hands on the DVD boxes. Harry gathered them all up and handed them to Malfoy, then felt around for the table.

It wasn't really a table, but a piece of wooden furniture specifically for holding their new TV. He pulled it over on the floor and felt around until he was content that it was in a good spot and sitting upright. Then he felt for the DVD player, using his fingers to feel the edges and differentiate between the front and back. He set the player atop the wooden piece of furniture and then reached for the TV.

"That looks heavy, let me help," Malfoy interrupted. Harry scowled in the direction of the voice and shook his head no, but Malfoy ignored him and came over to help guide the TV into place.

"Is that it? Does it work now?" Malfoy sounded torn between interest, excitement, and arrogant disapproval. Harry shook his head and squatted down to the floor to feel around for the proper cables. He had set up electronic devices dozens of times at the Dursleys and for his friends who were useless at it. Though he did rather feel like an idiot patting around the floor for the cables he couldn't see. If only his vision would flicker on...

But it didn't. Instead he felt the cables pressing into his hand and the edge of Malfoy's fingers as he handed them over. Harry nodded a thanks and moved to the back of the TV and DVD player, feeling for the correct plugs. But there was a problem. He needed to know the colours.

Harry felt around the floor again until he found Malfoy's socked foot. They rarely ever put on shoes since they never were allowed to leave. He tapped against the wizard's foot to get his attention.

"What?" Harry gestured with a finger pointing down, hoping Malfoy would realise Harry wanted him to squat down. Harry heard him shifting and felt a shoulder brushing against his. The brunet pointed at the tops of the cables in his hand and then looked up at Malfoy.

"Er, the wires?" Obviously Malfoy was clueless. Harry pointed at each in turn and then at the plugs on the back of the TV and DVD player.

"You want me to put them in? I don't know where." Harry sighed and reached for Malfoy's hand.

Colours.

"Oh. They're red, yellow, and white." Harry nodded and huffed. He already knew that. He pointed at the several plugs on the back of the DVD player, then wrote on Draco's palm.

Read to me.

"Er, okay. That one under your finger is 'audio out'. And then it says L. And the one next to it is R." Harry nodded and pointed from one cable end to the first plug.

"Er..." Harry was growing impatient, obviously expecting too much from Draco.

Colours?

"Oh, well the one in your hand is red but on the DVD it's white." Harry switched cables in his hand.

"That one's yellow." Harry switched one more time and plugged the cable in.

"White and white." Harry nodded.

They proceeded in the same fashion, Malfoy reading the labels and telling Harry the colours until they had everything plugged in properly. Harry sat back with a sense of achievement, amazed that he had done the whole thing blind, with a deaf man as a helpmate. Then he remembered his recently acquired vision and subsequent loss of it. He realised he was still in darkness, having even lost his light perception. He felt a strange need to mourn the loss, but found it difficult while listening to Malfoy's praises.

"We did it! We can watch your movie things now! What are they? How do they work? Can you watch them more than once?"

It was then that Harry realised what was missing. He frowned and felt around the back of the TV and DVD player. There was no electrical plug. There was no way to power the devices. Baffled, Harry grabbed for Malfoy's hand, hearing a slightly muffled protest at the jerky action.

Plugs?

"Plugs? What does that mean?" Malfoy returned, and Harry could envision the condescending look on his features.

But there was no way to explain what that meant to Malfoy, who had never in his life needed electricity. There simply had to be a way to power the devices, or it would be utterly cruel to subject them to such an opportunity.

"What's the problem?" Malfoy asked in a more even tone, clearly observing Harry running his hands over the plugs, searching for something. He reached for Malfoy's hand again.

Needs power. Turn on.

"How do Muggles do that?"

Another cable we don't have.

"Maybe they bewitched it so it runs off magic!" Malfoy replied excitedly. Harry sat back on his haunches, having no better solution to the problem. He could hear Malfoy walking a path on the carpet and rambling out loud about the best bewitching spells for operating things.

"Can't be a spell we have to cast, because we don't have wands. Some bewitchment that's charmed onto the machine itself. Like a magic code, a magic word or some trace of magic we have to recognise..."

Harry crawled to the front of the TV, listening as Malfoy continued to surmise the answer to their problem. Now that Harry thought about it, he should have known that there were ulterior motives to this activity. If, indeed, the devices were charmed, then the Healers had successfully found a way to use both Harry's and Malfoy's backgrounds to get them to work together. They had also used Malfoy's vision for the setting up of the equipment. Maybe, just maybe, did that mean...?

"Abre..." Malfoy half muttered in the distance, but then, something happened.

There was a repetitive clicking noise, then two low beeps. Nothing else happened, but Malfoy was still treading a path on the floor and muttering. Harry leaned over and stuck an arm out, hoping to catch Malfoy's leg or his attention.

"What?"

Harry nodded toward the machines and Malfoy stilled. Then a hand moved against Harry's.

Say it again.

But when the other wizard spoke the incantation again, the noises were repeated exactly.

"What happened?" Malfoy asked.

Noises.

"Hmm... Logically, I can't use a spell, though, because we don't have wands. Could be the incantation is linked as the trace to the charmed object to reveal the presence of magic, but it should somehow work to turn the devices on..." Malfoy was muttering again.

Say it twice.

Harry had to write it twice on Malfoy's hand for him to get it. Something made Harry think the noises were connected, as a way to get Harry to use his hearing for Malfoy, while the blond's vision had been needed to help Harry in the set up.

"Abre. Abre," Malfoy obliged.

Ticking again, then three low beeps.

Say three times.

Malfoy repeated the phrase, now squatting down next to Harry in anticipation.

Ticking, and one low beep.

Say it once more.

"Abre."

Then the DVD player hummed faintly and the devices seemed to spring to life, as though electricity was a thing of the past and magic was supercharging their circuits into overdrive.

"It's kind of... glowing," Malfoy mentioned, as though it was a painful admission.

Imagine that. The task required knowledge both from Muggle and Magical upbringings, as well as utilising both vision and hearing. How clever...

But the cynicism was lost to long chuckles, punctuated by contented flops onto the sofa. Both wizards were ecstatic from their success with the magical Muggle devices. Eventually Harry persuaded Malfoy to read the titles of the DVDs to him, and he somehow managed to display what the remote control did, which also turned out to operate by magic.

Strangely enough they were both so thrilled with their new toys that Harry's temporary vision seem to fade into the past, forgotten as Harry introduced Malfoy to the world of movies.


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