A/N: Here is all the warnings you're gonna get for this fic, unless something comes up in later chapters that I need to add:

1. This is HPDM slash. That means, for all you little kiddies out there who haven't read this before, that it may at some future point involve boy/boy lovin'. If you can't deal with that, I suggest you leave now.

2. This is not a PWP. I HATE fics where someone turns around and suddenly everyone is in bed together. I'm trying to make an enjoyable but reasonably plausible story, here. That said, don't expect sex in chapter two. Got it? Good. On the same note, there may be NC-17 content at some point. If there is, I will kindly direct you to my website for any lemon, and leave an edited version of any such chapters here. It is up to you to decide if you wish to read it, and I expect that you will do me the courtesy of not flaming me for your own stupidity. Thank you.

3. Draco is a bit out of character for a while (wouldn't you be? oh, wait, you haven't read it yet. nm.), please forgive this. I hope that any and all of his actions will be shown reasonable soon enough.

4. Anything in this that does not follow the books or movies (I've sort of merged them to form a giant 'Harry Potter combined reality' in my head and in this fic) is to be considered intentional AU-ness, unless it's something really stupid, in which case, please leave me a review, tell me I'm an idiot, and help me make the story better for everybody. These sorts of things involve character traits (like if I say Draco's hair is black, which I never would, but it's an example), etc.

5. The Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, much as I wish I did, because I'd be so incredibly rich right now. I'd also own Draco all to myself, but that's beside the point.

Thank you for suffering through these notes, and please enjoy the story! I've worked really hard on it, and it is my first HP fic, so any feedback would be muchly appreciated!

SolarCat

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Chapter I – A Strange Dream

There was a girl, lying in a field of daisies. Harry shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes even more so than usual as he did so. He was certain that, last time he had checked, there were no large fields of daisies anywhere near Privet Drive. But here he was, looking a ways into the distance at the girl. She had on a red dress, and a large straw hat. He swore he had seen her before, somewhere...

'That's it. It's the painting!' He had seen a print of a girl lying in a field in a book Hermione had forced him to read, something about "brushing up on the fine points of Muggle culture". But as far as he could remember, the field hadn't contained a single daisy.

"This must be a dream" he commented aloud. The girl turned to look at him. She was quite pretty. The dark hair of the girl in the original had been replaced by a lighter blonde shade, and she had eyes the color of sunlight on the ocean, deep blue lined with gold. Harry took a step backward. The girl stood and faced him, taking off her hat and letting it fly away on a sudden breeze. She regarded him seriously, seeming to study every inch of him in detail. Harry gulped. He had never felt quite so exposed as he did at that moment, like every one of his secrets was laid out on display for all the world to see. He felt his legs collapse under him, and fell down to land softly on a bed of grass and soft flowers. The girl smiled at him, and he shivered. The smile was kind, but something about her was making him feel decidedly uncomfortable. He nearly screamed when she spoke. Her voice was wild, resonating with a depth that her form did not imply. It was a voice that had seen thousands of years, millions of births, millions of deaths. Wars, plagues, famines, and all the horrors of man. It was a voice that commanded, and was obeyed.

"Harry James Potter." The words were simple, but he felt suddenly as though his own voice was unworthy of his name. As if, should he ever dare to speak the words again, he would defile them. He was fairly certain his brain was shutting down. He nodded. The girl smiled at him again. When she next spoke, she toned down her voice, not allowing its full resonance to escape. Harry found himself able to breathe again.

"I thought I would be seeing you soon." There was a laugh in her voice, as though the occurrence was some monstrous joke that he wouldn't be able to fathom were he given a hundred lifetimes. Harry gulped nervously. It was his experience that mysterious figures were, more often than not, attempting to kill him.

"I have no desire to kill you." Harry's eyes widened. If she could read his mind, who knew what else this strange spectre could do? He found himself scrambling backward in fear. "I will not harm you. If I know your thoughts, it is because you display them so readily. I will make this visit short, as my appearance seems to have disturbed you."

The girl offered him a hand, which he found himself taking despite his brain's constant warnings that it could be the last thing he ever did, and gently lifted him to his feet. "Not every death is permanent, Harry. But life must be paid for with life. No, no, you mistake me."

The look of utter panic on Harry's face caused her to laugh, a laugh which sounded remarkably like the little-girl laugh one would have expected from such a figure. "I do not mean to say that life must be sacrificed in order to pay for another." She sighed. "That's where so many have gone so wrong. Life cannot be bought with death. But it can be bought with more life. Do you understand, Harry?"

He shook his head slowly. None of this made any sense. But the girl didn't see. She was staring off across the field. Harry turned to look, but saw nothing. When he turned back, she was regarding him again. "You have a chance. What was lost can be found again, if one knows where to look. Now, then, Harry..." she paused to pick a daisy and handed it to him. "Time to wake up. I believe you have a visitor."

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So; like? hate? Please give me feedback. On second thought, don't. Go read Chapter II first, then give feedback, since you need to get into the story to have any idea where I'm going... Oh, never mind. I'm not even sure where I'm going...

Chapters will be uploaded when I feel like it, which means basically when I feel I've gotten far enough ahead that, should I get writer's block, I won't make my fanbase too angry #looks for fanbase, hears crickets chirping. Alas.#