June, 2004

Draco was prone to late night walks throughout his Manor. It had been many years since violence had ever crossed his path within these walls, but habits were hard to break. He could never sleep unless he took an endless stroll through the three-winged Manor, face hard, arms behind his back, and his wand protruding between his fingers.

He knew what his servants said about him. They called him paranoid. Draco never confirmed or denied this within himself. Instead he termed his actions precautionary. He knew all too well how easy a calm, peaceful night could turn into one of pure chaos. And so he walked. It took an hour to walk throughout the entire Manor – more so if Draco paused, peered into a room or two, and then continued. Tonight, he realized, would be one of those nights that it would take longer.

Draco had been standing in the middle of the East Wing's corridor –the one where his bedroom suite lay –for the past ten minutes. His bedroom was at the end of the hall and he stared at the door that would lead him to the suite that included his bedroom, a bathroom, a lounge, and an entertainment room. Draco stood there staring at the entrance because the door was slightly ajar. If there was one thing that he had practiced, it was keeping doors closed. He didn't even leave the doors in his own suite open despite the fact that it was just himself sharing it. The fact that Draco could see the moonlight gently shimmering between the door and its frame set him on a fierce edge.

With a quick and quiet suck of his teeth, Draco positioned his arms to his sides. His wand was held tightly as he moved forward and through the open door. Beyond the door was a small corridor with its doors leading to every room but his bedroom. His bedroom on the other hand was at the end of the hall and could be seen clearly once he had entered. The closer Draco grew, the more of his bedroom he could see. Before he fully stepped beyond the archway at the end of the hall, his wand had already been raised and pointed to a figure dressed in shredded jeans, sneakers, and an oversized grey sweatshirt with the hood up.

"Who are you?" Draco demanded. The figure didn't look at him. Instead she spoke a cryptic language that caused Draco's hold on his wand to tighten.

"Someone you haven't met yet."

"I've met you now. So tell me who the hell you are."

The figure stood suddenly and Draco was prepared to shoot every curse he could think of until the figure lowered the sweatshirt's hood. It was then that Draco's wand lowered some. No, he didn't know who she was. She was a young girl, a teenager. But that wasn't the reason that Draco had stopped himself. It was because her looks were striking. In the dark she looked like him. And when the moonlight hit her face he swore he saw his mother's features mingled in with someone else's he couldn't quite place. It was as Draco was looking over her that he noticed a golden necklace draped around her and an hourglass figure dangling over her chest.

Draco tilted his head to the side. "…Either you're from the not too distant past or you're from the future. Which one is it?"

"Future,"

"Mhmm," Draco eyed her suspiciously. "What did you come back for?"

It was this question that roused the young intruder. Her face had already been stoic. But now it looked mean and with a purpose. She stared at him with a harsh look in her eyes and smiled contemptuously.

"I came to kill the man who murdered my mother."

Draco's eyes grew wide as the girl whipped out a wand he couldn't have fathomed she had on her. Truth be told, he only knew she had a wand because the Killing Curse had flown from her direction and directly at him. Draco ducked out of the way and onto the floor to avoid the curse. He had rolled away quickly and onto his feet as she sent the curse at him again. Draco threw himself behind his bed and he heard its bedsprings. The girl had jumped onto the bed and then landed on the floor beside him. Draco casted a spell at her feet, but she jumped over it. Before she could try to kill him again Draco kicked at her legs. That sent her down alright, but she still had a firm grip on her wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" She yelled. The curse missed Draco by mere inches and hit his nightstand.

"Stupefy!"

The girl rolled away before the spell got her and appeared on her feet with her wand raised yet again. Draco had gotten to his feet as well and gave his wand an exercise with expert wand movements. The girl knew better than to stand where she was and dove to her right. A vase on a stand was completely obliterated. Draco scanned the ground for her and repeated his actions. The carpet became a smoldering, smoky mess. The girl changed her tactics and set her wand on him again.

"Expelliarmus!"

Draco's wand was lifted from him in an instant. The girl smiled as she raised her deadly wand again. "Avada Kedavra!"

Draco jumped over his bed. It was a long stretch, but he made it work. Aside from getting out of the way of the curse, Draco slid his hand under his nightstand and pulled out a spare wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

The girl's face froze. Not just because of the spell, but also in surprise. She fell to the ground with a thud and Draco let out a sigh of relief. He scrambled to his feet and scoffed at the fact that she still had a grip on her wand. The girl's eyes followed him as he wrestled it out of her hand.

"Avery!" Draco called. Soon after a small house elf appeared beside him. It was clear he was surprised at the young girl on the ground as well as the disheveled state of the room and of his master. "I'm giving you permission to use the Floo. Go to Harry Potter's house and bring him here."

Harry had been asleep when he felt small hands rousing him. He tried to ignore it, telling himself he was just dreaming. But it was the high-pitched voice that pierced his ears that told him it was real. He reluctantly opened his eyes and then knitted his eyebrows together in surprise when he saw a house elf at the side of his bed.

"Who are you?" Harry asked sleepily. "What are you doing here?"

"My apologies, Mr. Harry Potter." Avery said. "But Master Malfoy has ordered Avery to see you. You must come to Malfoy Manor."

Harry wasn't tired anymore, but he was still confused. What on earth would Draco want with him? He hadn't seen the man in years. At least five. And even then it had been a raised chin of acknowledgement as they had passed each other along the streets of Diagon Alley. It had to have been important. And so, Harry crawled out of bed and dressed quickly. He exited his bedroom to go to his fireplace but the house elf stopped him.

"I is sorry Mr. Harry Potter, but we cannot go this way. One can leave Malfoy Manor by Floo, but one cannot go there."

"Um, okay?" Harry replied. "How will we get there then?"

"We must apparate outside of Malfoy Manor."

"Alright then,"

Avery reached out his hand to Harry who awkwardly bent over to take it. He felt the familiar tug on his navel as they disapparated and soon they found themselves outside of Malfoy Manor's gates. Harry had no idea how they would make it inside. What he knew of Malfoy Manor was that it was heavily protected against outsiders, him included. Avery left Harry's side and walked the short distance up to the gate. He placed a hand up and tentatively pushed his hand forward. It appeared that the house elf was prepared to feel something. A barrier most likely. But since his hand was touching the gate now and it was opening, Harry assumed that the barrier was down. He followed the house elf inside and up the stone pathway to the Manor's doors.

Inside was a creepy place. Perhaps it was because it was after three in the morning. It also could've been the stigma that hung around the Manor that made it seem so dark. Regardless, Harry kept his eyes straight ahead as Avery led the way through Draco's massive home. It was several minutes before Harry had been taken to where the homeowner was, and when he got there, he was in disbelief.

"What the hell happened in here?" Harry asked as he took in the state of Draco's room. The blonde man looked up at him from his seat on his bed and jammed a thumb in the direction of the ground.

"It's her fault."

Harry walked over slowly. He was standing next to Draco now and his eyes lingered over the body of a petrified young girl whose eyes stared at him knowingly.

"Who is she?"

"Someone no one's met yet." Draco sneered, paraphrasing her words. He turned to Avery and nodded to him. "You can go."

The house elf obeyed and left the room with a loud pop. Draco sighed and ran his hands over his face. "She's got a time-turner."

Harry stared in surprise as he inspected the girl. She really did have a time-turner on her. "Past or future?"

"Future. She came back to kill me."

Harry snapped his eyes to him. "Kill you? What could you have done to make her want to kill you?"

Draco looked down at the girl and saw the fury in her eyes as she stared at him. "Apparently I killed her mother."

"You…you what?"

"I don't want to believe it. But she wouldn't be so angry, so determined, if it wasn't true. I called you here because you and your lot know about time-turners. That and you're always involved in freaky crap."

Harry bit his tongue hard and nodded. "…Fine. Let's get her to the Ministry. From there we can-"

"No," Draco shook his head. "She needs to stay here."

"What? No, Malfoy. I've got to take her in. I can't keep this away from the Ministry."

"Don't give me that, Potter." Draco said firmly. "Don't go start following the rules just because you've got a fancy nameplate and a desk now. This can't go to the Ministry."

"But I…" Harry started to protest, but he let his words fail. Yes, he had a "nameplate and a desk" now. He had been working as an Auror for the past four years now. It wasn't particularly hard work seeing as the major competitors were either dead or in Azkaban. This was first time in a long time a true potential enemy had crossed his path. He looked down on said enemy and frowned at the fact that it was a teenager. A teenager who had a time-turner. A teenager who had tried to kill a man that had supposedly killed her mother.

Something more was missing.

Harry gave in and crossed his arms over his chest. "You've got dungeons, I'm sure. Put her there. I'll owl 'my lot' and have them come over."

"Come with me and I'll let Avery take care of that. It'll be faster."

Hermione had been more than stunned when she was awoken from her sleep by Ron. She got up equally confused and scared to find him in her room, but he didn't do much to explain himself. He simply said that Harry needed them and that was all Hermione had to hear. She dressed and met Ron in her living room but stopped short when she spotted a small house elf standing next to him.

"Who's he?"

"I is Avery, Miss Hermione Granger." Avery replied. "Master Malfoy sent me to fetch you and Mr. Ronald Weasley at the request of Mr. Harry Potter."

"Malfoy?" Hermione repeated. She turned her gaze to Ron who shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't get it either, but whatever it is it's got to be big if Malfoy's involved."

Hermione agreed and took Avery's hand as he whisked her and Ron away. They appeared outside of Malfoy Manor and Hermione and Ron exchanged nervous glances. Avery opened the gates and allowed them to follow him inside. Up the pathway, through the doors, and down a secret corridor with stairs, Hermione and Ron found Harry and Draco standing outside of a dungeon cell.

"You're free to go, Avery." Draco told the house elf. Avery nodded and bowed out, disappearing shortly after. "Granger. Weasley." He greeted. Hermione and Ron acknowledged him and grew closer.

"Harry, what's going on?" Ron asked. Harry gestured to the young girl that all four of them could see inside the cell. She was able to move now and had taken up pacing.

"She's the reason why we're all here."

Hermione stared at the girl. She looked furious. Murderous even. She had never seen someone look so angry and she had gone to school with Draco Malfoy of all people. "What did she do?"

At Hermione's voice the girl stopped. She looked up and stared blankly at her, clearly not taking in anyone else. Draco stared between the two. His eyes then settled on the girl. His heart quickened as he took in the girl's appearance and reflected on the thoughts he had had when he had found her in his bedroom.

"You know who she is, don't you?" Draco accused more than asked. The girl didn't answer him. She simply continued to stare at Hermione. Eventually she did nod. And when she spoke she sounded more sad than angry.

"…Of course I do. She's my mother."

Author's note: Apologies to those who I said I'd have this up yesterday. I don't know about you, but I couldn't log in for my life! I was so happy when I could this morning :D

So, here goes my first time-travel fic ever! I love to read them, not a fan of writing of them. It's mostly because I'm terrible with keeping dates in check (I can own up to it, not ashamed haha). This will be a ten-chapter story all dedicated to trying to avert Hermione's death and then some. The "and then some" I'm super excited to post, but I'll be patient.

All reviews welcome of course and I hope that you continue reading!

-WP :)