Draco was reading in his room when a lightning struck near. Or so he thought, but he didn't hear the thunder. He heard somebody clear their throat. He didn't look up, he didn't care.
"Hiding from the half-blood bastard I presume." His visitor said. "It's okay, I understand."
"Do you? He told me that I was to kill Dumbledore. He might be old, but the man is no fool. He always knows about everything!"
"Indeed. He will know about your mission too. But don't worry, you will get another one. You will have to go with your aunt to kill Miss Granger."
"No! Anything, but that."
"Oh, maybe the perfect pureblood boy has a thing for th filthy, mudblood know-it-all?" She drawled and didn't miss him wincing at her words. He quickly composed himself however, and said his practiced lie.
"No."
"You can lie to your father, or Lord Forgot-my-nose-at-home, but I am here to help you Draco. You will have no choice about the mission, but you do have about how it will end. You either kill her, and destine yourself to misery, or save her, atone for your past mistakes and get rid of your aunt. Your choice." She vanished in a bright flash, leaving the slytherin boy to his own thoughts.
"Ah, Mrs. Granger. I would like to speak with your daughter if I may?" Said a blond man who didn't seem to be older than twenty-three. He held his hands behind his back.
"Just a moment, let me call her down." Said Hermione's mother, Jean Granger. She closed the door and the stranger waited. He looked up at the bushy haired girl's window. The morning sun reflected in the glass.
"Hello." Came the polite greeting.
"Hermione. Hey." The blonde smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder. They were gone from the doorway, and the front door slowly drifted shut.
"How did you do this? I put anti-apparation field around the house. Who are you?" She asked frenetically searching for her wand.
"Please calm down, your wand is in my possession, because you are too dangerous with it. Please, just listen to me." The stranger said his mask disappearing and his hair changing to light brown. His eyes became black with the blue irises. "I am here to help you. I am Loki and I know your future. I don't wish for you to get into an unhappy marriage. Ron is not the one who is meant for you, now, I don't have anything against him, but you too can see the facts. He is not well read, he is obsessed with quidditch he is not stupid, but he is under your level. I know you like him, but believe me when I say it is not going to work."
"He is a great guy. You know about him, but it seems not enough. He is passionate, funny, and brave."
"And emotional. Do you want to wait until he calls you mudblood before your own children, because his day was bad in the Ministry? Do you really want that?"
"He is not that emotional."
"Isn't he?" The stranger asked and his eyes flashed in the sunlight. He waited as Hermione relived all the times Ron has done or said something that ended up hurting her. "If he knew he would end up losing you and the right to see his children, he would never start that relationship."
"You may be right." She admitted with a sigh. "So, is that all? You came at the bad time. I was about to make an important step."
"My timing was perfect. I prevented a mistake. Do you think that I wouldn't know about your plan? Look in my eyes and tell me, that you want to lose your parents. Lie to me Hermione." She looked away from the man. "They probably will be safe if you do erase their memories about you. But you will never see them again. They won't be there for your wedding."
"They would be safer in Australia."
"If there is not another Peter Petigrew in the order. If anyone hears about your parents, they will be hunted down. The Order's hand can't reach them in time in Australia. Point is, Don't modify your parents' memories, and for your future, be open and forgiving. There are much that resides under masks, and not everyone has a choice. You are a clever girl; you will find out who I meant sooner or later. Telling you outright would take all the fun out of a good mystery." Loki said and vanished with a smirk. Hermione's wand fell with a gentle thud on her carpet.
"Not everyone has a choice." She muttered to herself and to her empty room.
"Who are you again?" Asked Bellatrix Lestrange gazing at the stranger. He wore a trench coat with fur trim at the collar.
"Names are not important. Severus knows me, that's ought to be enough for you too Bella." He pushed up his sleeve just enough to show the Dark Mark on his left arm. His black and blue eyes scanned the room. "I came here to prevent a mistake." He said coldly looking at Narcissa Malfoy. "Draco will not kill the headmaster. The old fool is too strong for him, but I will talk to the Dark Lord. Maybe your son can redeem his name by eliminating their mudblood friend. Without her, their team will be useless."
"I shall find out when she will be moved to the Weasleys." Snape said and looked back at Loki, who saw the disbelief in his eyes.
"Good idea, but we will need to strike before that. Mrs. Lestrange shall I tell our Lord that you wish to accompany young Mr. Malfoy on his mission? Someone will have to dispatch the six aurors.
"I am our Lord's favorite. I don't need to go with my nephew." She said, sticking her nose into the air.
"Are you, Bella? What happened since the fiasco at the Ministry?"
"Fine. I will go with him."
"I shall go and talk to the Dark Lord then. Snape, go and get the information ready for him. Mrs. Malfoy. A moment of your time please." He opened the door for her and stepped out onto Spinner's end. He sniffed at the cold night air.
"What is it?" She asked after they got out of earshot of the house.
"Aren't you grateful, Narcissa Malfoy? I saved your son and the life of his godfather in the same night."
"I am. I just have much on my mind, that's all."
"Living with a snake, a half-blood bastard and his followers is not to your liking perhaps? Not the conditions you wished for your son?" He said, not even looking at her. She didn't show her surprise at the sudden disrespect. "I don't imagine you would die of happiness whenever you watch dear Nagini eat her dinner." He showed her his left again, and the Mark was gone. "You know if you and your husband force your son to marry a pureblood witch he will be miserable right? Your grandson too, after all after the fall of Voldemort, who would want to be friends with the son of a Death Eater. Because he will fall. You will make sure of that. Either because you worry if your son is alive, or you betray him before the final battle saving countless innocents. No pressure."
"What will happen to Draco, if I betray the Dark Lord?"
"He will become the potion master in Hogwarts, not that he would need the money, mind. You know who he will marry. After all you were there when the Hogwarts Express arrived after his first year." Realization dawned upon Narcissa Malfoy's face that Loki couldn't see. "That's right, Hermione Granger. The mudblood. Who will be Minister of Magic. Draco always wanted a big family. She will provide him with it along with happiness. He will however not see neither you nor his father if you can't change Lucius' views. Or Draco will marry Daphne Greengrass and be miserable after her death. Scorpius, his only son will be shunned together with his father, but will never know his grandparents, because his grandfather will die in Azkaban and you will be killed by stray curse, when the aurors come to take Lucius." A bright light appeared and Alice stepped out onto the street.
"I told him his options."
"Great, I was just finishing here. Shall we, sweetheart?" She nodded and the pair was gone. Their kiss burning into Narcissa Malfoy's mind, who realized with a pang, just how far she and Lucius has drifted from each other. With renewed determination she apparated to the manor.
I will only tell you guys once: All credit is due to J. , except the new plot and Loki's and Alice's character. Those are mine, read the book, when I am done with it. Review if you liked it, every email I receive counts. Ta-ta!