Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I wish I did, then I'd be rich but no such luck.
oOo
Hermione and Draco landed with an audible thunk on a cold stone floor. Hermione's chocolate brown hair sprawled out and Draco's leg landed underneath her. They rolled on the floor groaning in pain.
"My arse," Draco moaned. "Oh my arse. I think it's gonna bruise!"
"Shut your pale arse up!" Hermione chided. "We're both hurting here!" She pushed Draco's leg off of her and rolled onto her back.
"Where are we?" Draco asked sitting up. The room they were in was fairly sized and tables were pushed up against the wall.
"A classroom?" Hermione suggested.
"Quite right, my dear," a voice said. Hermione and Draco spun around to find who belonged to the voice. "You are in Hogwarts."
Hermione's eyes landed on a misty, white figure with a partially severed head.
"Sir Nicholas!" Hermione breathed as she stood up, her muscles sore.
"You know who I am, yet I have not seen you here before," Sir Nicholas said with a quirked eyebrow. "May I ask your names?"
"Hermione."
"Draco."
"Ah," Sir Nicholas said. "Now, what is your business here?"
"We're here to see the Headmaster," Draco said in his usual drawl. Sir Nicholas nodded.
"Very well then, follow me." Sir Nicholas floated through the door and Hermione and Draco followed. They followed the ghost through the quiet stone hallways until they reached the gargoyle that protected the Headmaster's office.
"I do not know the password," Sir Nicholas said in a bored voice, "so I would expect to be waiting for a while."
"Thank you anyway, Sir Nicholas," Draco said as the ghost floated away.
"What do you think the password is?" Hermione asked, she ran a hand through her curls and let out a sigh.
"Just try the usual," Draco suggested. "Candy passwords."
"Sherbert Lemon?"
"Fizzing Wizzbees?"
"Fizzy WIzzy?"
"Chocolate Frog?"
"Cauldron Cake?" As these words left Draco's mouth, the gargoyle twisted to reveal the climbing stone stairs.
"Come on," Hermione said and tugged Draco up the stairs only to stop at a large oak door.
"Here goes nothing," Hermione muttered and knocked on the door. Once, twice and a third time, before the usual "Come in!" was heard from the other side. With a deep breath, in hopes of steadying their nerves, the two students walked into the overcrowded office.
Knick knacks were piled on all the cabinets and the cupboards were overflowing with dusty books and parchment. The mahogany desk in the back of the room was flooded with letters, spare parchment and important paperwork. Dumbledore sat in his usual high, padded chair; his spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose. As always his blue eyes twinkled merrily.
This sight brought comfort to the two time travelers and they were suddenly flooded with an overwhelming feeling of homesickness.
"Headmaster," Hermione said as she and Draco walked up to the desk.
"That is I," Dumbledore said with a slight smile, which then turned into a frown. "But I do not recognize either of you."
"Pardon us, Headmaster," Hermione said as she and Draco sat in the armchair in front of his desk. "I am Hermione Granger and this is-"
"Draco Malfoy," Draco interrupted causing Hermione to shoot him a glare.
"Malfoy? Related in anyway to Lucius Malfoy?" Dumbledore pondered aloud.
"Yes," Draco sighed, "he would be my father."
"Father?!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "How? Mister Malfoy just graduated Hogwarts last year. You look to be a seventh year!"
"Headmaster," Hermione said, gaining Dumbledore's attention. "Do you have your pensieve?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said. He was beginning to become suspicious of these two children. They were very vague and knew he had a pensieve. Why, nobody knew he had one! "Why?"
"We would like to show you our memories, sir," Hermione said, swallowing nervously. In truth, she had no clue how the Headmaster would react. She was hoping he could let them finish their Seventh Year at Hogwarts and join the Order.
Dumbledore nodded mutely and waved his wand. From the large cabinet behind the two time travelers, a large bowl filled with silvery liquid, which was sloshing around, floated towards them and hovered feet off the ground. Draco and Hermione glanced at each other and nodded, before pushing the tips of their wands to their temples. The two concentrated on the certain memories they needed to show Dumbledore. His death, Harry's importance in the future, the huge battle that almost destroyed Hogwarts, Harry's limp body, strewn among the other thousand corpses of Death Eaters and Order members alike. The terror Voldemort caused by almost winning that battle, but somehow escaping. How every Order member, Hogwarts teacher, and muggleborn was hunted down by the Death Eaters to be captured, tortured endlessly, and then killed in the most gruesome way. Their wands soon held the dangling silvery wisps of horrible memories, which they dropped into the pensieve. They had to do this several times before they had all the terrifying memories in the large grey bowl.
"Sir," Hermione muttered through her emotions. She had just relived those memories as she took them from her head. "These memories are very important, they will explain everything. It's imperative that they are removed immediately after use and destroyed."
"Of course, of course," Dumbledore said. He thought the child was being overly dramatic and would humor her and her companion. The Headmaster stood, reached into his robes and gathered his wand before placing the tip into the murky, silver liquid that held the memories. As Dumbledore's mind was transported elsewhere, Hermione and Draco sat in nervous, tension filled silence.
Half and hour passed before Dumbledore's glazed, far away eyes blinked, and his body turned to stare at the two children in front of him. No, they weren't children. They were survivors of a war. They were soldiers, trained and prepared with experience.
Sighing, Dumbledore sat back down at his desk and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"So, you're from the future?" Dumbledore asked, trying to comprehend it all.
"Yes," Hermione said with a solemn nod. "What year is it, if I may?"
"1978," Dumbledore said and both Hermione and Draco looked horrified.
"Is-is James P-Potter in this years graduating class?" Hermione asked, stuttering from her shot nerves.
"Why, yes," Dumbledore said. "Oh, dear me." Dumbledore sat in thought for a moment. "You both plan on changing the future, don't you?"
Hermione and Draco nodded.
"Well then, I see no problem with explaining to Mister Potter and his gang of misfits why you're here, though it would do so to wait sometime and gain their trust. They won't believe a stranger."
"You mean we can stay?!" Hermione beamed. "Draco, we get to finish school!"
Draco chuckled at Hermione's enthusiasm for her school work.
"Of course you can stay, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, rather pleased at the outburst.
"Now, we must sort you both. I understand you had been previously sorted in the future, but things may have changed." Dumbledore stood and grabbed the old, torn, and dusty Sorting Hat off of the high shelf. "Ladies first, Miss Granger."
Hermione excitedly stepped forward and let Dumbledore place the old hat on her head.
Ah, Miss Granger, so many memories. Horrifying ones at that, but daring and courageous. But then there's your thirst of knowledge, such a Ravenclaw trait. Hmmm yes, you would do well where you were. You belong in GRYFFINDOR!
Draco rolled his eyes. "I saw that one coming."
"Mister Malfoy, if you please," Dumbledore said and gestured for him to stand. Hermione sat down in her chair, never once the grin plastered on her face slip. As the Sorting Hat lowered on his head, it didn't shout SLYTHERIN as it had before.
Oh my. This will be a tough one. There's your cunning. You're a clever boy, Draco Malfoy. But then I see your loyalty to the ones you love. How much you have sacrificed. Your hunger for knowledge is outstanding! But I must confess, you are very hard to place. Ah! I see it now! Your bravery out shines all. You belong in GRYFFINDOR!
Draco's jaw dropped. Gryffindor? Surely it was mistaken! He wasn't brave, not like Hermione or Potter. He was sly and cunning!
I do not make mistakes, young Malfoy. You were placed previously in Slytherin due to your want to prove yourself to your father. I had simply placed you where you wanted to go.
Dumbledore removed the hat before it was able to say anything else, but Draco had gotten the gist. He had always belonged in Gryffindor.
"I had not seen that one coming!" Hermione said as she giggled.
"Neither had I!" Draco exclaimed happily. In truth, he was very relieved not to be separated from his companion.
"Now," Dumbledore said, gaining the attention of his two new students. "You will have uniforms waiting on your beds, along with trunks. We always manage to keep extra supplies and clothes for special situations. By the time you get to the Gryffindor common room, they should be waiting for you. School has already started, but luckily it is only two weeks into the term. You will receive your timetables at breakfast tomorrow. I assume you wish to take the same classes?" Both students nodded. "Good, but first, before you leave, what do you wish to do once you're out of school?"
Draco and Hermione glanced at each other and shrugged.
"Honestly, Headmaster, we haven't thought that far ahead." Hermione said.
"For us, we were mostly focused on the war." Draco added.
"Well, maybe teaching or working in the Ministry?" Hermione suggested.
"Now that I think about it, possibly teaching or working as an Auror." Draco contemplated.
"Perfect! They require about the same classes." Dumbledore paused to jot down notes before he looked back up. "Do either of you wish to take Divinations?"
"No!" Hermione said rather quickly. "Sorry, sir, it's just, it's not my cup of tea."
"Mine either!" Draco said, making a disgusted face.
Dumbledore chuckled. "There's one more thing before you leave, your last name, Draco. We can't have you running around as a Malfoy."
"I have already given it some thought," Draco admitted. "I was think of using Moreau."
"Draco Moreau? It suits you," Hermione said, testing out the name
"All right, now that's settled, I assume you know where Gryffindor Tower is?" They nodded. "Very well, the password is 'Pygmy Puff,' now off you to go, You have a big day ahead!"
"Thank you Headmaster!" Hermione called as the two time travelers exited Dumbledore's office.
A/N: I just want to thank you all for reading this!