Starting Anew
2nd May 1998
Bellatrix may have been a Lestrange by name, but she was a Black at heart. When the Dark Lord fell, she screamed in fury, and struck down the Weasley woman she'd been duelling with a slash of her wand.
"WE WILL AVENGE HIM!" she cried, and the Death Eaters rallied around her.
The Order toppled at the influx of attacks. Too late she saw the Granger bitch steal Harry Potter away. She howled in fury, Fiendfyre spewing from her wand. It chased down the muggle loving fools stupid enough to oppose her, and soon they were defeated. She and the other Death Eaters gathered outside as the castle burned.
Bellatrix cackled.
"The Dark Lord may be dead," she cried. "But we will bring him back!" She looked around at the masses gathered.
"But first. You will bow to your Dark Lady, who bears the Dark Lords child." She caressed her belly. The Death Eaters knelt. Her Death Eaters knelt and kissed the floor. And Bellatrix laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed…
1st September 2001
Draco stood in the middle of the ritual circle. With hands that shook from the liberal application of his aunt's cruciatus he drew a five-point star about himself with the sand from the last remaining time turner. At each point he placed a sacrifice. Dragon scale for fire. Unicorn blood for water. Hippogriff feather for air. Ground aconite for earth. Diamonds for spirit.
He lined a knife up between his fourth and fifth ribs.
"With my last breath I command thee, fire, water, air, earth, spirit. Return my soul to my past life." He plunged the knife into his heart and withdrew it in a fluid movement and collapsed to the floor as his blood coated the sand.
1st September 1991
Hermione gasped. She felt for her wand, clutching it tightly in her hands before scrambling to her feet. She was on what appeared to be a replica of Platform 9 3/4. But that had been destroyed in '99. She looked down and found herself to be in a school uniform. Two people that looked like her parents were stood, fussing over herself. Had her mind be invaded? Had she finally been tortured to insanity?
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she snapped.
"Have a wonderful time!" her mum sobbed, hugging her tightly. Hermione froze, unused to an affectionate touch.
"Mail us every week," her father said gruffly, patting her on the head.
"And remember – we love you!"
Hermione smiled weakly.
"I love you too," she said, and dragged her trunk onto the train. Moments later she transfigured it into a penny and slipped it on a chain around her neck.
She then cast every single spell she knew of in an attempt to determine what had happened. She caught sight of herself in the reflection of a pane of glass… her eleven-year-old self. She stifled a gasp.
Finally, she cast 'tempus'. She stared. 11.05am 1st September 1991. She took a deep breath in an attempt not to panic.
HOLY FUCKING MERLIN SHE WAS IN THE PAST.
"Merlin. Oh god. Oh, fucking merlin," she muttered, falling to her knees. She sucked in deep breaths to stave off the panic.
"Fuck!"
"A naughty word for a tiny little firsty!"
She spun, wand slipping into her palm as she scrambled to her feet.
Fred and George Weasley grinned down at her. Her jaw dropped.
"Well Fred," said George.
"Well George," said Fred. "We've managed to shock her into silence." Hermione smiled at them weakly. She thought of Sherlock Holmes. 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, is the truth.' She was in the past. Slowly her pathetic grin widened and widened, and she thought she must look like the Cheshire cat.
"I'm just about to pull greatest prank of all time," Hermione said. "I bet I can predict where every first year gets sorted."
Fred cocked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah! You're on. Ten knuts?"
She nodded. She conjured a list of names, and their respective houses, and pulled it out of her pocket.
"See you in Gryffindor." With a wink she walked off.
Hermione summoned Neville's toad, having deemed that enough time had passed, and then came across him searching the next corridor.
"Have you seen a toad?" he stuttered. She beamed and placed it in his hands.
"I just saw it and though 'it must be someone's pet!' Would you mind waiting here, and I'll get into my robes, and then we can go make friends?" Neville looked terrified at the thought, but he nodded.
Hermione changed and then dragged Neville down the corridor and into the carriage that contained Harry and Ron discussing chocolate frogs.
"Excuse me. My names Hermione Granger, and this is Neville. Is it alright for us to sit with you?"
Harry grinned in reply. "Of course."
Hermione examined both her friends as they chatted, but Ron was as idiotic as he had been in first year, and Harry as desperate to please. Neither of them had travelled through time. She frowned.
There was a knock at the door, and all four looked up. Malfoy! Hermione hid a sneer.
"Hi. Mind if I join you?" he said, and her jaw metaphorically dropped. Harry nodded.
"Who are you?" Ron asked.
"Draco Malfoy," Malfoy said, and offered his hand. Ron laughed at his name, as he had the first time, or so Hermione had been told.
Unlike the first time, Malfoy appeared not to notice, but instead shook Harry's hand.
"Sorry, I think we met in Madam Malkins. I was so nervous I forgot to introduce myself!" Malfoy said to Harry. He sounded almost… excited.
"Don't worry about it. I'm Harry Potter," Harry said. Malfoy nodded, a smile on his face. It was a perfectly civilised exchange, a far sight different from their initial introduction, at least as Harry told it. This was getting weirder and weirder.
Malfoy turned to her.
"Hermione Granger," Hermione said, shaking his hand before he faced to Neville and greeted him too.
Hermione stared at Malfoy, who stared impassively back.
She had no idea what the hell was going on.
There was something about Malfoy she couldn't put her finger on, however… Hermione attempted Legilimency and found herself promptly repelled.
They stared at each other some more. She then spun, stunning Ron, Harry, and Neville, then turned her wand on Malfoy. Malfoy was gripping his own wand. He cast a silencing spell. She locked the door.
"WHAT THE FUCK," she yelled, because this was clearly not Malfoy as he'd been at eleven.
"Time travel," Malfoy said. "The future sucked. Let's make a new one."
Word Count: 1113
Auction 79. Second chance trope (time travel)
Insane House Challenge 166. Kings Cross Station
365 Prompts 213. (plot point) Meeting on a train
Show Time 10. Being hopeful for the future
Audio Admirations 4. (trait) Cynical
Guess the Name (lamb) 14. Kings Cross Station
Cocktail Corner (Apple) Draco Malfoy