Splitting Diamonds

Summary: Artemis Malfoy had everything anyone could wish for; fame, riches, a beautiful wife and a newborn son, Abraxas. But it's all ripped away when he's hurled into the year 1994. With no way to get back, he is a nobody with little to do but put his faith in what he truly believes in.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter because if I did, there would already be a handful of books dedicated to Tom Riddle's childhood and Hogwarts years.

I'm a complete and total amateur, so it would be appreciated if people pointed out what they thought was wrong with the story so i can fix it right away. I don't want a beta since my updating status might become strange, and I'd rather not have to wait. I try to check it myself, but no one's perfect...


Artemis Magnus Malfoy had grown up to be an extraordinary man. And that was measured by extremely high standards, too. He often tossed around the idea that if someone were to give awards to most accomplished men in the past century, he would most certainly receive such a thing. And he never doubted that anyone would truly disagree. And who could blame them? He'd achieved everything he ever wanted and needed before he could even get his first wrinkle or white hair… not that you could tell seeing as his hair was such a light blonde that it looked white from a distance. Why, with a twitched of his eye, he practically had half of his department sending him flowers in concern. And Albus Dumbledore was of no greater matter seeing as all he ever did was storm around the world waving his wand like some fool-hardy hero. And people said Dumbledore was a descendant of the great Merlin himself… it just wasn't possible.

In any case, he had lived a charmed life since the day he took his first breath. He grew up in an ancient pureblood, noble family with enough money to last for several lifetimes, and an access to all the knowledge any man could ever wish for. Morgana herself would probably quiver in excitement at the library that the Malfoy family had on display in the Western wing of their mansion. True, the Black family was just as rich and powerful, but they lacked the grace and finesse most Malfoys seemed to just exude. He had, in fact, gotten top scores every year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had been a prefect and Head Boy, became head Governor of Law and Order at the Ministry barely two years after graduating (youngest ever), married the woman of his dreams, and now… was the proud father of a one year old bouncing baby boy, Abraxas Maximus Malfoy. Yes, at barely twenty seven, Artemis lived like a king. Truly the Malfoy family was at its peak. It was only a matter of time before he became just as famous and well known as the greatest wizards to ever walk the earth; and he had decades and decades to achieve it, too.

Artemis shook his head out of his dream clouds and stared down at the book he was reading. Glancing at his wife, Shea (nee Nott), as she slept peacefully, Artemis softly stroked her hair while holding the book in his other hand. Cracking his neck, the young man tried to recall what exactly is wife had been saying when Violetta Bulstrode had come in earlier for tea and mentioned some scandal or another about a family called Gaunt… absolutely ridiculous. That family was nothing but trouble and headaches nowadays… The small candle light flickered before snuffing out all of the sudden. Huffing in annoyance, Artemis carefully detached himself from Shea's side and ambled over to a drawer full of candles. As he was reaching for a candle, he felt as if someone was watching him; the hairs on the back of his head standing on end. Glancing over at his wife, he noticed that her eyes were still firmly shut. Turning around slowly, he did in fact notice that Abraxas was wide awake and staring at him expectantly. Putting down the candle, he soundlessly drifted to the edge of the ornamental crib his little prince was situated in and picked him up. Planting a soft kiss upon the mini Malfoy's head, Artemis softly cooed at his pride and joy.

"Such a demanding boy you are, Abraxas. But father loves you nonetheless."

Throwing on a long emerald robe, he walked out of the room with his son in hand. The tuft of light blonde hair atop of the boy's head tickled Artemis' chin as he held the boy in a steady grip. The little boy giggled in delight as Artemis took out his wand and sent small wisps of colorful lights dancing around his head in a halo like fashion. His chubby little hands reached out to touch the magic lights but he only succeeded in twisting his hands in Artemis' long hair.

"Come on, my little prince, your father needs some food in his stomach. Preferably that left over cake from your first birthday party last week…"

If only he had known that that night would be one of the last times he would ever see his little baby and wife...


Artemis fingered the Malfoy crest that proudly hung around his neck as he dismissed yet another criminal to eleven years in Azkaban. He was the picture of excellence and order as he sat gracefully in a large chair; wearing shiny black shoes, black pants, a silver and green vest with a white shirt underneath, and an elegant emerald green robe on top. Artemis briefly wondered how narcissistic it was that he wore his family crest (and old house Slytherin) colors most of the time. So he liked people knowing who exactly he was… that wasn't a crime.

Sighing as his mind wandered back to the previous criminal, Artemis wondered what that man had been thinking. Why anyone would want to make muggle hunting a sport was beyond him. Don't get him wrong, he detested muggles just as much as the next pureblood, but he'd rather not be associated with them at all; whether it was because of approval or disapproval. He was simply neutral or indifferent majority of the time. Though he had put his signature down when a bill came out demanding that the Fabourg Saint Germain in France be reclaimed as Wizarding property seeing as it was built over a cavern with private wizarding bank vaults already. Pursing his lips in displeasure at having let his mind wander on the job, his sharp blue eyes stared down at a haggard looking man walking into the room between two guards. He had shackles around his ankles and wrists, and wore a strange style of clothing. Brows knitting together in interest, Artemis leaned forward in his chair with an odd glint in his eyes… he always did love a challenge. Snatching the bag of items they had confiscated from the man, Artemis started to riffle through them curiously.

Not lifting his eyes off the chained man in front of him, Artemis started to speak.

"So why Mr.….?"

"Diggory. Chamberlin Diggory."

"Mhhmh. Mr. Diggory. So do you know why you are here?"

Picking up a gold necklace with an hour glass in the middle from inside the knapsack, Artemis hardly had any time to think before the 'Aurors' holding Diggory whipped out their wands and fired a spell at him. Feeling the last part of the spell singe the corner of his outer robes, he dropped the gold necklace and jumped out of the way. Artemis quickly whipped out his wand. From the corner of his eye, he caught them barricading the door; their bodies morphing right before his eyes.

"Polyjuice Potion…" he murmured while watching Diggory easily slip off the shackles and flipped his wand into his right hand. Firing a spell at the mirror above him, it reflected off the glass, and sped towards the three mysterious men. Artemis frowned as the spell barely missed one of them.

"Malfoy! Come out, come out where ever you are! We swear we won't hurt you! Then again, we haven't really been honest people since the war started…"

Abraxas frowned in wonder. That couldn't be quite right… There wasn't exactly a major wizarding war going on and the muggle world war ended a few years back. Thinking for a moment, Artemis silently mused that there had been rumors of some man by the name of Grindelwald going around and spreading all kinds of anti-muggle propaganda. Artemis would know seeing as he expected a visit from the ambition man one of these days… being pureblood and all.

"I have no idea what exactly you lunatics are raving about, but , if you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you want from me?"

"Well I don't very much like that idea. But seeing as we've barricaded this room, there's no way that anyone could hear what's going on in here, and it's three against one… why not?"

Before Artemis could say anything else, he rolled away as ropes sprung from the ground at his feet; trying to catch him off guard. Firing spells, jumping through furniture, plus avoiding ropes and other attacks… now that was a challenge. His cheeks were slightly flushed red from practically running full circles around the room! He was a bit ashamed to say that despite being unusually fit for a man with a desk job, he could still feel the effects of the cake around his rib cage.

He peaked from behind a flipped over mahogany desk and looked at the three men trying to fend off the ravens he had transfigured from a couple of vases lying around the room… To think just a few years ago he'd thought that such an art was completely useless. Artemis would have definitely resorted to dark magic by now if it wasn't for the fact that his department (also the only department in the entire ministry) was warded against it. Seeing as this was the Office of Law and Order, most criminals walked these halls before they were shipped off to who knows where. Some 'saint' ministry worker (probably a Longbottom) had most likely recommended it… he hoped that he or she would burn in hell for such a suggestion.

Feeling a rope wrap around his wrist, the Malfoy tried to jerk away but it was in vain as more ropes strung around his torso and legs; successfully dragging him out into the open. He was effectively hauled up onto a chair where all three of his injured adversaries gave him a nasty glare. Artemis grimaced as he watched his wand fall from his hand and rolled over to the left. At least they didn't have it on hand… they'd mostly likely snap it in half as an extra precaution.

"I'm wrapped in ropes, and my wand isn't on me… Satisfied you barbaric buffoons?"

He clenched his teeth together as a hand came around and slapped him hard across the face. Diggory hovered over him before grabbing a handful of his hair.

"Very. See, it took us quite a lot of energy and time, but we've finally got you. Mhmh we came from the future… 1975 to be exact. Hard to believe isn't it? Yes, the odds were completely against us. No one would believe us and almost sent us to Saint Mungo's for 'help'. But we're not here to explain hour's worth of information to you when you really don't need to know."

"Disgusting filth. Rot in hell." Artemis spit out angrily as Diggory gave another harsh tug to his hair.

"Ohhh! Grandpapa Malfoy has got a mouth! Just shows how foul all Malfoys are deep inside. This world would be better off without you lot. It's not very complicated, but in short, we just needed to kill you so that Abraxas and Lucius Malfoy will never be born."

Artemis bit his tongue to keep himself quiet at that comment. They really didn't need to know that they were twenty one months and one week too late on that count. He didn't know exactly how time travel worked, whether the past could truly be changed etc. etc. but he hoped in the end that they would not discover his son safely at home. A desperate feeling welled up inside of him as he started to realize that this may very well be the last few moments of his life. He would never see his wife sleeping peacefully at his side again, or his son learning how to walk and talk. And himself! He'd never become anything more than 'that-bright-young-man-that-was-killed-by-a-bunch-of-renegade-loonies'… his legacy completely disappearing like some weak, withering daisy. He bitterly ignored the men in front of him as they discussed how exactly they were going to go about killing him.

"This is absolute sixes and sevens…" Artemis murmured under his breath. But it had to be true. It all fit together in an intricate sort of way. The clothes, the way they knew his son's name but not knowing that he was alive, and the odd items that had been in the bag. Not to mention, a handful of the spells they cast he had never heard of, and unless someone ripped out ten pages from his Defense Against the Dark Arts book then there was only one conclusion. And, there had been attempts at time travel so it was no surprise that decades later they would finally discover how. No, this wasn't a joke. He was too much of a scholar for anyone to think that he could brush this off as some prank and let whoever planned this go with a firm warning. He was a reasonable man, not a saint.

His nose crinkled in distaste at the smell coming from the one called Diggory. Obviously he hadn't showered in a week or two because Diggory, along with his nameless companions, smelled like muggle London when the pipes burst during the Blitz.

"This is ridiculous…" Summoning up all of his strength, Artemis tried to rip his way out of the ropes by just pure strength. He grimaced as he felt the rope rub harshly against his skin while he continued to push and pull. Sighing under his breath, Artemis tried to do wandless magic. Concentrating all his might on the ropes, he started to feel them heat up against his skin. Yelling in shock at how hot they started to become, Artemis drew the attention of the three other men, who seemed to have forgotten that he was still in the room.

"Hey, you! Stop what you're doing!"

The Malfoy glared icily at the three men but panicked when the one on the right drew his wand. Sliding out of the chair, Artemis rolled across the floor and watched in slow motion as three things happened at once. One, the three men started to rush to him as the chair he had previously been sitting in burst into flames. Two, the barrier disintegrated as many of his colleagues, and his wife with his wailing son in hand stormed in; faces plastered with horror. And three, the strange sound of glass and metal bending and crunching as he rolled over something very small and circular while grabbing onto his wand. In barely a few seconds, the images before him melted away. He sat their motionless on the floor as he watched decades before him speed past him in a matter of seconds; not being able to see blurs of color and unidentifiable forms of people.

Like day becoming night, Artemis blinked his eyes slowly and watched dizzily as the world readjusted itself. The room looked completely different then from a few seconds ago. It was deathly quiet and dark, and for the first time since he was a little boy, Artemis truly felt small. He was almost scared. Getting off from the sparkling black marble floor, Artemis absentmindedly fixed his robes and appearance with several flicks and waves of his wand. Hearing the tinkling sound of glass and sand, Artemis looked down to see the golden hourglass necklace twisted awkwardly and the middle broken. Levitating all of the pieces and shards into a small black leather pouch, he stuffed it into one of his pockets and walked out the door slowly.

The hallways were completely empty, but Artemis could hear the sound of quills, stamps and voices drifting from several of the rooms. He walked slowly down the long corridors in a complete daze. It felt so still and quiet that he could vaguely hear the almost inaudible ticking of his pocket watch in his right breast pocket. Was this the future or the past? How far had he gone? Would he ever be able to get back? A small part of him knew that magic this strong just couldn't be reversed. And while it wasn't necessarily dark magic, it was most definitely strong.

It wasn't until he reached the main entrance hall did he look up at the large clock that always hung above the floo powder hall. But instead of a huge clock face, he watched numbers slowly rotating and spinning into their proper place. That in itself told him he hadn't gone back but forward in time. His eyes locked on the date, and the breath was knocked out of him. 12/20/94. Back home it had been 9/4/1926. That was about a sixty to seventy year difference… and well beyond when those three men had come from. 1970 was it? Ignoring the odd stares he was getting from some of the late night workers leaving, Artemis simply sat down on the edge of the golden fountain that had not been there in 1926. What was he supposed to do know? Time travel was simply too absurd to explain to just anyone, and most of the people he knew were most likely dead or completely senile with old age.

"Mr. Malfoy? What are you doing here so late?" An anonymous voice bit out.

Turning his head slowly, he eyes locked on a middle aged man with red hair and wearing a brown suit. The man seemed to be caught off guard as Artemis turned completely to face him. The young blonde man looked completely lost and miserable like the world had been ripped from under him. It was a look that he had seen on many people, but not in many years.

"Oh um… I'm sorry. I-I… you just look like someone I know from the back. You look like a Malfoy, you see…"

"Well I should hope so. I am a Malfoy, after all. Artemis Malfoy to be exact. A pleasure to meet you Mr.…?" Despite his outside appearance, Artemis' broken voice betrayed him.

"Ah. And I am Arthur Weasley. I afraid I've never seen you before."

Strangely, Arthur seemed to grow considerably more nervous as he stared back him. And it wasn't the type of nervous that Artemis enjoyed. He liked feeling superior and making people nervous because he was strict at work, but this was almost like fear and a bit of dislike. Not directed completely to him, but perhaps to the family name. Why, in his time, Malfoys were respected and well liked. What could have possibly happened in seven decades to could make his own surname coax such a reaction from this man?

"Mhmh… you see I've gotten myself into quite a strange predicament. I doubt I will be kindly welcomed at my own home right now. I would hate to impose on my family like that."

"Nonsense. Lucius seems to always be prepared for a guest!" Arthur argued back but it had considerably less bite to it. Though it almost sounded like the red head was insinuating something shady going on in the Malfoy family. Artemis frowned at this.

"All the same… I'm not quite sure he would be pleased to see me. But I should really find a place to stay. It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Weasley."

Perhaps it was his foolish Gryffindor spirit coming out to play, and he would most likely regret this later. But something about Artemis Malfoy… well he didn't know. Something inside of Arthur told him that this Malfoy was different; if only just slightly.

"Well if you would like, you can stay with my family. No one should be alone for the holidays. All of our kids are staying at school over the break because of a Yule Ball so it's quite empty this year at home."

Despite saying it out loud, Arthur was ninety nine percent sure that the Malfoy would refuse in disgust and stalk off angrily. A small part of him did admit that he just wanted to say it so that he could find another reason to hate the Malfoys, but those thoughts were squashed when his sapphire blue eyes locked with Artemis' stormy blue ones.

"It would be a pleasure and an honor Mr. Weasley."

"You can just call me Arthur." He said with a blush while scratching the back of his head.

Tipping his head with agreement, Artemis slowly followed Arthur. Artemis was very surprised with himself. Really it wouldn't have been hard to just find a hotel room, but he just had to actually say yes. It was the polite thing to do. And sometimes being polite meant sacrificing you own wants… it was just the socially proper thing to do. And it had been somewhat of a Malfoy rule for quite a long time. Taking one more glance at the clock, he smiled as it struck 12 o clock. In this time, he was a nobody. No one to respect or fear or love. Perhaps it was also time to learn a little about the people outside of his usual circle… if only for a little while.


Right well I hope you enjoyed so far... to be completely truthful I have no idea where this plot it leading me, but I promise to update and write in a reasonable way. Send me a PM if you have suggestions etc etc!