The world had changed. Draco looked into Hermione's eyes and couldn't tear his gaze away. She was beautiful. She was looking back at him with the same kind of stunned awe that he felt. It was surreal. A moment ago, she had come to give him a piece of her mind. She had shouted at him and he had shouted back. Then somehow, without realising what he was doing, he had found himself kissing her.

A torrent of violently conflicting thoughts and emotions ran through his mind. She was not a pure blood. She was muggle born. She was smart, funny… his parents would kill him if he brought her home. He found that he didn't care.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, she flushed and dropped her gaze.

"What are we doing, Malfoy?" she asked quietly.

"I have no idea," he laughed, "But I'm all for it,"

"But you're… I mean we're… we don't even like each other,"

Again, that odd mix of emotion. It was difficult to untangle. Did he truly like Hermione Granger or had that kiss been some sort of adrenaline reaction to their shouting match? He touched his mouth, where the ghost of their kiss still lingered. Finding out exactly how he felt was not going to be an unpleasant task.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked impulsively.

She hesitated and then smiled slightly, "Same time and place?"

"I'll be here,"

She flushed more brightly and then ducked away, fleeing back to her common room. Draco found himself grinning broadly. The world seemed more vibrantly coloured than usual. He began to walk back to his own room.

He never made it there. Someone grabbed him from behind, placing a hand over his mouth. He struggled but it was too late.

"Stupefy,"

The world went black.

He coughed, coming painfully back to consciousness.

"Good," said a chillingly familiar voice, "You're awake. I thought I'd killed you, which might have been a problem,"

Draco sat up, dread pulsing through him. He looked up and saw… holy crap, that was himself. An older, more battered version, with haunted eyes but the face was unmistakable. He saw it every day in the mirror.

"How…?"

Older Draco smiled bitterly and pulled a gold necklace from beneath his clothing, "Time turner," he said.

"This is dangerous. Come on, I'm smarter than this! You can't go and meet yourself in the past. What if I killed you or one of us went insane?"

"I'm already insane," the Older Draco said gruffly, "It was necessary. You need to understand something, or you're going to turn into me,"

Present Draco frowned, "That would be unpleasant,"

"Exactly. Come on. You need to see it for yourself,"

Older Draco held out a hand. Present Draco hesitated.

"I'm not sure I particularly want to time travel,"

Older Draco rolled his eyes and grabbed his younger counterpart roughly by the shoulder.

"You just kissed Hermione Granger?" he asked.

"Yes. I am your past, I guess, so you already know that,"

"You're wondering exactly how you feel about her?" Older Draco continued.

"Yes,"

Older Draco stared deep into Present Draco's eyes, "You love her," he said gently, "You have for a little while but you don't know it yet. Now, are you going to come with me to have a look at what not to do in life and love?"

Draco bit his lip and thought about Hermione. He had always been unpleasant to her… but what if his future self was right? There was definitely… something when he was around her. A spark. He took a deep breath and grasped his future's forearm.

"Let's go. I don't want to be caught out of bed by the stupid caretaker,"