Cultural Studies

Task #1 - Language: The most obvious difference when going somewhere is the change in language; luckily, we have translations spells to help. Unfortunately, in some situations these don't work and communication becomes difficult. Write about someone not being understood or not understanding someone else.

Bonus prompts: [emotion] confused, [character] Draco Malfoy, [action] getting mugged

Warnings: N/A

Disclaimer: Not mine

Draco Malfoy found himself cursing his dratted boyfriend for being so damn convincing to be able to spend the afternoon in a muggle city shopping. Conniving more like it, with the soft pecs that Harry gave Draco's lips in between each question. How was Draco possibly supposed to say no to his boyfriend with such sweet kisses distracting him.

So he had agreed, Draco Malfoy visiting muggle London for a shopping expedition, how repulsive.

Ok, perhaps he was being a bit harsh. There were many things to see that Draco had never experienced, and wonderful clothes and fabrics to try out, but just because Draco could appreciate fashion didn't mean he had to like the muggle world.

Harry had laughed at Draco when they were still at home, when Draco had fretted about going out among the muggles and his worries about what might happen to them in the muggle world. But now, looking around to find nothing familiar, Draco couldn't help but feel a little smug because he was right, something bad did happen in the muggle world.

But he was also rather embarrassed because the thing that went wrong was Draco getting completely and utterly lost, and Harry was nowhere to be seen.

At this point, Draco couldn't even entirely say when the last time he'd actually seen his boyfriend was. They had been crossing the street when Draco had felt his hand slip from Harry's, and he thought it was fine, until he looked around and realized they'd been swept apart by the throngs of muggles. Draco had had to keep walking to not get trampled by the moving muggles and now found himself far away from anything and everyone he knew.

Part of him just wanted to give up and plop down on the sidewalk, and wait like a grumpy child for Harry to find him, but had know idea what might happen to him if he stopped. What if a muggle tried to talk to him, or Merlin forbid, try to touch him?

So Draco kept following the flow of the muggles until he was able to find an alleyway to turn off into, hoping that he could collect himself. The alley was void of people, sandwiched between two stone, towering buildings that housed nothing that looked remotely familiar to Draco. Large green metal boxes that were also unfamiliar to Draco, were pushed up against the building walls, lids open to reveal loads of trash.

"Stupid Potter," Draco muttered to himself as he began walking through the alleyway, "Stupid Potter and his need for muggle clothes and shopping. Stupid muggle crowds. Stupid muggle trash hallway." Draco kicked a cup that rolled into his path.

A banging noise from behind him caused Draco to whirl around.

At the beginning of the alley, where Draco had just come from was a man. Draco resisted the urge sneer at him. While being with Harry had made Draco a slightly less judgmental, it was still only slightly and he couldn't help but turn up his nose at the rumpled muggle that had joined him in the alley. He was about to turn and keep walking, though he had no plans of where to go when the muggle started coming towards him quite quickly.

Draco found himself frozen at the muggle man's forceful approach, and the strange look on the man's face. The man seemed almost angry, though Draco couldn't say why. Before Draco was fully aware of what was happening, the man came to a stop a few feet from him. Draco and the man stared each other deep in the eyes, and Draco found he had no idea what was going on.

"Hello," Draco said slowly, "Do you need something?" He tried not to sound too derisive.

The man's next move didn't help Draco get a grip on the situation any better. He lifted up his shirt, just slightly revealing the bottom of his torso and a strange metal thing that seemed to be sticking out of his pants. "Do what I say and I won't hurt you, richie."

Draco felt his eyes widen, what was going on? Not wanting to give away that Draco felt a bit unsettled by the man, he let the influence of his father slip into his voice as he spoke, "And what is it that you want?"

Draco searched the man to see if perhaps he was wrong in his initial assessment that the man was a muggle, checking if there was a wand hidden on the man's person, but he saw nothing. What exactly was he being threatened with? Draco held in an internal snort, this muggle man thought he could hurt Draco Malfoy.

"Hand over your wallet," the man said, grabbing the metal thing that was stuck in his trousers.

"My what?" The word was completely unfamiliar with the word. His wallet, what in the world was a wallet?

"Don't play with me, fancy man, I have the gun here, hand over your wallet." The man took a step forward, getting a little too close to Draco for comfort.

Draco stood his ground. "I don't know what you are talking about, and I ask that you leave me alone before you do something that you regret." Draco still found it a bit funny that a muggle was threatening him with metal in his pants. It wasn't like he could do anything to a wizard, not that the man knew he was a wizard.

The man was not pleased with his response, and he pulled the metal, blocky thing out of his pants and pointed it towards Draco. "I would stop messing with me."

Draco was not sure what the man was holding or what he thought that pointing it at Draco would do, but considering Draco still had no idea what was going on he had no response to the man's demand.

The man, seemingly not taking Draco's silence well, stepped forward again, and was far too close for Draco's liking.

Draco took a step back. "I'm not sure what exactly you think you are doing, but I am a powerful, important person and my boyfriend is looking for me so I need to go."

THe man's look of confusion probably matched Draco's own, "Hand over the money!" he shouted.

"Oh." So that's what was happening, he was being robbed. Then what was the business with 'wallet', was that what muggle money was called? Whatever it was, Draco was sure he didn't have it as Harry was the one holding the muggle money.

Plus Draco had left his bag of galleons at home, so he had nothing to offer the man. He told the man as much. "My boyfriends got it, I have nothing to give you."

The man rushed forward, shocking Draco, and grabbing him by the arm. The hand holding the metal object came around and he pressed the cold metal to Draco's temple.

Draco froze as he felt the pressure on his temple, he didn't know what the man was planning on doing or could do with the metal, but he found for the first time he was less confused and more frightened. "Let me go," Draco ground out.

"You are awfully bossy for the position you are in," the man said angrily. "I know you have money, hand over your wallet."

Draco was about to respond, when something caught his eye. In the same place he had seen the muggle man just minutes before was a familiar looking shape.

Harry! Of course he had arrived just in time to be the saviour that he was.

Harry seemed to take note of what was going on, eyes widening, and rushed forward.

The man must have been just as shocked as Draco, because he let go of Draco and took a step backwards. Harry shot forward and barreled into the man, knocking both the man and Harry to the ground. Harry fought with the man for a moment, the metal object sliding across the stone ground. Harry picked himself up off the ground, the muggle man still rolling around on the ground trying to get his bearings, grabbed Draco's hand and dragged him out of the alleyway running.

"Draco," he gasped, out of breath after they managed to get a bit away from the alley, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Draco replied, brushing invisible dirt off his clothes, trying to orient himself. He still wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but he did know that a muggle man had tried to rob him and he was bit shook up, not that he would tell Harry. Draco wasn't going to admit being scared by a muggle.

Harry probably knew anyways, he could always see through Draco's masks.

"He wanted money," Draco explains. "Something about 'wallet'. He said he was going to hurt me if I didn't give it to him. I'm not sure what that is though, is it a muggle thing."

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a brown, square, leather object. "This is a wallet," he said, holding up the object. Muggle's store their money in it because their money is thin paper."

"Paper," Draco said incredulously, "What if it gets ruined?"

Harry laughed, "Yes, Draco, paper. Muggles don't have bags of holding for all of their loose coins."

"How inefficient," Draco sneered.

"He could have shot you," Harry said softly after a few moments of silence.

Draco cocks his head to the side, "Shot me? With what, he just had that metal thing, not a wand. I'm pretty sure he was just a muggle. A wizard would know better than to try and steal from a Malfoy. Is that why he called me 'richie', because he knew I was a Malfoy, did you see a wand I missed."

"I don't think he knew who you were, just that you are dressed in nice things and look wealthy. But he had a gun, Draco, not just wands fire things."

"A gun?" Draco asked inquisitively. "He mentioned having one. Was that the metal thing, what does it do?"

Harry shook his head, "It doesn't matter. I'm never taking you to muggle London again. I thought I was trouble, but you manage to get held up at gunpoint in a country where guns are illegal."

"Well," Draco began, "I still don't know what a gun is, but I thank you for rescuing me. Pansy will be so jealous, I have my own personal savior."

Harry laughed again, and he seemed less tense. "Always, Draco, I will always be your savior."

Draco smiled at his boyfriend, and reached out to grab his hand. "Come on, let's finish our shopping trip, I think I can deal with muggle London for a bit longer."

Harry smiled back and leaned into his touch.

Yes, Draco could deal with crazy muggle men a million more times and brave the streets of muggle London, as long as his savior was always by his side.