"What are you doing here?" Draco snarls as he walks up to the door of Dumbledore's office at the exact same moment as Hermione.
"Could ask you the same Malfoy," Hermione bites back, just as harsh. Dumbledore had only been back for a total of two days, one of which Hermione was still in the Hospital Wing from her head injury at the Department of Mysteries. And now, it being her first day out of the Hospital Wing, her first chance to stretch her legs and get some studying in before Harry and Ron both got released as well and she was told to come to Dumbledore's office to discuss something.
"What I discuss with Dumbledore is none of your concern, you filthy little mudblood." He hissed as Hermione threw up her wand at him, pointing it directly at his face, causing him to cringe in fear.
"Now now Hermione," A voice says from behind her, causing her to quickly drop her wand as she recognized the voice nearly with comfort. It was a man's voice, an older man, and yet the voice softly reminded her of that of her grandfather. "It won't do you any good to hex him just yet, you may need him later."
Hermione turned around, "Headmaster," She said, shocked that she had been caught in the midst of her anger. "I was...umm..."
"Yes, sometimes our anger gets the best of all of us, don't it?" Dumbledore answered, "Now come Draco, Hermione." He said, causing the two teenagers to look at each other in shock before following their Headmaster up to his office.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Draco demands, as the gargoyle twists back around behind them "I have better things to be doing right now."
"Was I not detailed enough in the letters?" Dumbledore asks, looking from Draco to Hermione confused. Quickly, both of them pull their letters back out that they had received from their Head of Houses' to make sure they didn't miss something.
It is very important that I speak with you at your earliest convenience in my office. Thank you, Dumbledore
P.S.
In case you are interested, I am a huge fan of black licorice.
"Have you gone mad old man?!" Draco asks again, now furious. "That doesn't tell me anything!" Hermione softly waits back, knowing that whatever Dumbledore had to tell her must be important.
"Please Draco, sit down." Dumbledore answers, sitting at the plush chair in his own desk as Hermione sits down across from him. She listens as Fawkes coughs in the background, loosing his feathers as he started to face his death and rebirth. "I have an assignment for the two of you. A very important one at that." Dumbledore says as they sit down. "However I need for you two to understand that this could be dangerous. It could involve law-breaking and treachery. I hate to ask this of the two of you, especially knowing how you stand with each other, but it seems as though I need both of your greatest qualities."
"I don't understand..." Hermione answered as Draco listened, trying to make sense of what Dumbledore was saying. Lawbreaking? Treachery? Now Dumbledore was talking his language, he had him interested.
"Come here please." Dumbledore said, leading her and Draco over to the penisieve. He took his wand, putting it up to his own temple and dropping it into the silvery liquid on the surface. "Well go ahead," He said whenever the two of them looked at him, confused as to what they were supposed to do. "Dunk your head under and open your eyes."
The two of them do as Dumbledore asked, dunking their heads under the silver liquid. The liquid swirled around their faces, sending them into what appeared to be Trelawney's classroom.
"Where are we?!" Draco demanded as he looked from Hermione to Dumbledore.
"You are in a memory Draco," Dumbledore answers, "My memory."
They watch the empty room until Trelawney walks in, Dumbledore shortly behind her. "She will not take you off of the grounds." He said as the woman who smelt of Sherry paced back and forth, her face looking fearful and sleepless.
"She just tried to Albus," Trelawney answered. "What if you weren't here? What if you aren't here next time?! The stars say you are leaving soon."
"You will be safe." Dumbledore answers, "I have made sure of it."
"And if I'm-" Trelawney starts, her eyes staring straight ahead as she stops. Dumbledore's face goes grave with concern. As she speaks, her voice sounds unfamiliar, abnormally unfamiliar as if it were someone else speaking through her. "Your death...faces you...two...so alike yet opposite...find the twin...break the box...brew the potion for wooly socks...what must be is...what will be isn't...they will hold infinity in the palms of their hands and eternity in an hour."
Hermione, Draco, and Dumbledore all three pull their heads out at the same time. Hermione understood, at least as much as she could.
"What do we do then?" Hermione asked, her mind set on helping Dumbledore to keep him alive.
"What do you mean 'we' Granger?!" Draco snarls. "I still don't see what is in this for me."
"How about the fact, Malfoy," Hermione bit back, her tone that of frustration. "The fact that it is in a prophecy."
"That don't mean anything to me." Draco answers, "I have my own problems to deal with without having to worry about his." He says, looking up at Dumbledore.
"Like your mother?" Dumbledore asks, causing Draco to stop as his face turned white.
"Don't bring my mother into this!" Draco snapped, thinking about his father's recent trip to Azkaban only days before, how Voldermort wasn't happy with his family for the fact. His father wasn't supposed to get caught, wasn't supposed to let the prophecy fall and yet he was safe in Azkaban from anything the Dark Lord wanted to do as punishment, leaving Draco and his mother face the Dark Lord's wrath. "She has nothing to do with this!"
"Don't she?" Dumbledore asks, "I can help you Draco. Let me help you."
"You can't help me." Draco answers back, a bit of bite in his voice. "You can't protect us!" He said, causing Hermione to wonder what they were discussing.
"I have helped others. Stopped bad things from happening to their loved ones. I can protect you both if only you ask for it."
"And how am I supposed to ask?!" Draco snarls, "You are stuck in this castle. You can't leave."
"I am the only one He fears." Dumbledore answers, "You read the stories in the Daily Prophet I assume."
Draco thought about it, the truth that the man spoke. He knew the Dark Lord feared Dumbledore. It was obvious in the way that his father talked about Dumbledore and Draco, not yet having been asked to do anything from the Dark Lord, despite his Aunt's persistent requests for Draco to be the one to go to the Dark Lord first before he came to Draco. Each request Draco merely shrugging off for the moment, hoping that would buy him time before he had to face the inevitable. And yet now here Dumbledore was, offering Draco protection from the inevitable. Offering his mother protection from what would happen if he didn't take the Dark Lord's mission when it was finally given to him. Draco couldn't help but weigh the odds, seeing them possibly working out in his favor. At this point, what did he have to lose.
"And how are you going to explain two students miraculously disappearing?" Draco asks, trying to make it sound like he wasn't contemplating the offer. "They will have the Ministry here and you gone before you can blink."
"Time is a beautiful thing Draco." Dumbledore answers. "It won't take but a minute or two. No one will know you are gone."
Draco sat there contemplating what Dumbledore had said. His mother was everything to him. He couldn't help but want to protect her in any way possible. Hermione took Draco's silence as her own opportunity to ask questions about what Dumbledore was asking them to do.
"So what is it that we are supposed to do?" She asks, picking apart the prophecy in her own head, trying to grasp on to whatever she could about it.
"I have an idea of what the box entails." Dumbledore answers, "And it's pair was broken the year before where I am sending you two back to."
"Where you are sending us back to?" Draco asks, concerned. "And how exactly are we going back?!"
"You still have your time-turner Hermione?" Dumbledore asks, looking at the girl. Softly Hermione nods, pulling it out from underneath her shirt to show him. "It looks as though that will do the trick then."
"How far back are we going?" Hermione asked next, looking at the Headmaster with dedication.
"I think a few years will be plenty of time. You are looking for a box of some sort, one that matches one we have here at Hogwarts. It's twin. I want to say it is a cabinet or a trap door of some sort." He answered, "I have spoken with a few of the ghosts here at Hogwarts, gossipers they are. Guess there is not much else to do whenever you are dead." He said, starting to ramble before bringing himself back to the task at hand. "I am wanting to say it is a-"
"A vanishing cabinet?" Draco asked, looking up from his deep train of thought. "My father had mentioned one to me once, told me how they can send someone from one place to another."
"Genius Draco," Dumbledore answers, "Yes, that would make sense if it was a Vanishing Cabinet. Like I said, I had spoken to a few of the ghosts and one of them had mentioned there being such a thing somewhere past the Leaky Cauldron although they didn't say where at exactly."
"So it could be Diagon Alley?" Hermione asked, piecing it together in her head.
"Or Knockturn." Draco answers, starting to get wrapped up in the conversation. It was like a puzzle or a riddle, one he had to piece apart to get details out of, only to piece it back together in the end. It made him feel useful, like he was finally putting his knowledge to good use. He couldn't help but also feel a slight sense of pride at the thought, knowing that Dumbledore was complimenting his knowledge rather than telling him it could be better as his father so often did. "How are we supposed to break it though?" He asked, trying to think of a way.
"You seem to have an art for Magical Repairs." Dumbledore answered, "I'm sure you can break things just as easily." Draco could only smirk at the thought, knowing Dumbledore was right. He could break things all right. He could break them perfectly.
"I'll do it." Hermione said quickly, wanting to help Dumbledore. The Headmaster looked over at Draco waiting for his answer as Draco stared off into the distance, wondering what to do. With a deep breath, softly Draco nods.
"Good," Dumbledore answered, "I have bags packed for both of you." He said, handing both Draco and Hermione backpacks which they quickly put on their backs. "An extension charm works wonders so it should have everything you need. Hermione, are you ready to use your time-turner?" He asked, looking at her. Hermione quickly nodded, putting the time-turner around both her and Draco's necks as Draco looked down in disgust and discomfort of having to be that close to her, their faces merely six or seven inches apart.
As Dumbledore turned around, starting up the spiral staircase that stood behind his desk, Hermione's voice stopped him.
"How many turns Headmaster?" She asked softly.
"Hmmm..." Dumbledore answered, thinking about it. "I think one good flick will do." He answered.
"A flick?!" Hermione asked, looking at him confused. "But..."
"Quite a few turns, isn't it Hermione?" He answered as Hermione thought about it. A good flick would be at least a couple hundred turns with how loose the hourglass in the center sat, possible up to a thousand. Before she could answer with a retort though, Dumbledore had already disappeared back up the stairs, leaving just Hermione and Draco standing there.
"Ready?" She asks, looking at Draco.
"Just do it." He answers with a snarl as Hermione flicks the time-turner with her fingernails, sending them back in time as people fly in and out of Dumbledore's room rapidly. Suddenly, the room stops as Hermione walks over to the calender on Dumbledore's empty desk.
"May 1993." She reads aloud, turning back around to face Draco in shock.
