Harry gave Hermione a quick wave before he walked around the ship, patting its side as if it were a dog. Though he'd been trapped on it for so long that he was sick of it, the small transport vessel they'd been able to procure in secret had also more than lived up to expectations, and Harry hated that he'd grown fond of it, even if he hoped never to see it again once their mission was complete. Part of him even regretted their decision not to name it.

He kept his head low as he wandered through the shadows of the small trading post they'd landed at for fuel. They were on the outskirts of the galaxy, but in many ways, that made them more susceptible to getting caught by the wrong sort. Harry knew he had to be careful about how he appeared even with the elaborate disguise he'd donned before exiting their ship.

The planet they were on had only recently been colonized. Its name wasn't even yet fixed, with several vying for the title if the signs were any indication. It was a far cry from Little Whinging, in the heavily populated center of the galaxy, where Harry had spent his earliest years or from Hogwarts, which was one of the oldest occupied parts of the galaxy despite its relative isolation from the major population centers.

It was also a far cry from Ottery St Catchpole, the small farming planet where Harry had spent many of his holidays since befriending Ron.

Remembering his friend, Harry felt a pang of sadness. Ron was probably back at home with his family. Harry hoped he was happy, even if everyone he loved still had targets on their backs because of Harry.

He'd never wanted to be the subject of the prophecy that spoke of him facing off against their would be emperor, but that was where he'd ended up.

The sight of a droid made him pause. The two moons hanging in the sky made the droid's surface glitter unlike any of the droids Harry had previously seen hovering around the trading post. The machine almost appeared to be glowing.

Harry looked around, but he couldn't detect any lifeforms that might have been the droid's owner. As he watched, the droid turned and began rolling down an alleyway, pausing when Harry didn't follow.

His heart raced, but he followed the droid, struck by the similarities it possessed with the droid he'd inherited from his family. That droid Patroni 2 still resided on the ship with Hermione, and it was the first time Harry had ever seen a droid that looked similar. Patroni had been made by his parents, so if this droid looked similar… Harry had to know its story.

The droid led him to a forested area with fewer people than the trading post he'd left behind. It came to stop before a cave, its beeping informing Harry that he was meant to go inside. He did his best to see inside without approaching the cave's opening, but it was difficult to make anything out in the dim light despite the planet's two moons. He inched forward further and further until he'd entered the cave without realizing it.

A piece of electronics laid on the cave floor, and Harry knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was one of the parts for Voldemort's planned weapon. He hurried forward to snatch it, turning the piece over in his hand until he found the skull and snake that marked all of the so-called Dark Lord's belongings. Harry didn't know how such an important piece of the puzzle had wound up in a cave on an outskirts planet, but he was grateful to have it.

Electricity buzzed through the piece of machine, spreading up through Harry's arm as he held it. The next thing Harry knew, someone was shaking him. He stared at Ron, backing away in shock.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked several times before Harry processed the question and was able to respond.

"I'm fine," he replied, still stunned.

"You were just sat there staring at that thing," Ron said, motioning at the piece of machine. "It was like it had hypnotized you."

Harry shivered. That was exactly what it had felt like. He slipped the machine into his pocket where it couldn't touch his skin. They'd need to carefully disassemble it later. Once they figured out how to do it safely.

"What are you doing here?" Harry snapped at Ron, shaking all thoughts of the machine from his mind. "How did you find me?"

Ron scratched at his head, looking at anything but Harry.

"This," he said, holding up the teleporter Dumbledore had gifted him upon his death.

Harry stared at it, but it looked as unassuming as it always had. Teleporters could be found on any ship and in most homes, and Ron's was entirely unremarkable. It shouldn't have been capable of tracking Harry or Hermione. Not when they'd carefully kept their ship cloaked.

"I don't know how to explain it," Ron admitted. "I wanted to come back the second I beamed off the ship, but I couldn't find you. Your cloaking device is doing its job well, so I was stuck. I went to Bill and Fleur's on Cotshell and listened to as much news about the war as I could, but no one else has any information on you either."

"How did you get here then?" Harry snapped.

"An hour ago, I was watching the news, feeling frustrated they didn't have anything new to say, and then I heard you and Hermione talking through this." He held up the teleporter again. "It was the strangest thing, and I don't know how to explain it. I think this is more than just a teleporter like we thought it was. I went over to inspect it, and when I touched it, it teleported me to this planet. I've been walking around since hoping to find you, and finally, I did."

Harry watched Ron for a minute, trying to imagine a machine that could work the way Ron claimed the teleporter had. It didn't seem like it should be possible.

"And you want to stay?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, if you'll have me."

Harry didn't take time to consider it as he stepped forward to wrap Ron in a hug, slapping him on the back in the process.

"Come on," he said, pulling away. "We need to get back to the ship. It'll be refueled by now, and staying on land too long is dangerous."

Ron couldn't hold back his smile as he hurried after Harry towards their old hunk of a ship.

Prompts:

Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments

Advent Calendar: Day 1 - Space!AU

Word count: 1,117