::
"Mother," Draco said quietly as he entered the small drawing room on the far side of the Manor.
"Draco," Narcissa smiled softly, standing up to draw her son into a hug. The Auror that was on Narcissa's house arrest case for the week only gave them a vague glance before returning to the copy of the Daily Prophet he was reading. "How are you?" Draco smiled, hugging her back and giving a small nod. He always loved hugging his mother, and he may have remained there a moment longer than usual, absorbing the warmth that always seemed to follow her.
"I'm well. And you?" At least his mother would still be there when Draco went back... There wasn't much that changed Narcissa, after all. Even years later she still acted much the same as she had during Draco's youth.
"Just fine," Narcissa smiled, guiding Draco to a chair and bustling to make him his usual cup of tea. "I've been doing a bit of spring cleaning, actually. You'd be surprised by what you'd find."
"...Mother," Draco said, unable to help the small chuckle in his voice as he watched her. "It's the middle of summer."
"Well that's no excuse," Narcissa sniffed, setting Draco's cup down in front of him. "Besides, it's a way to keep busy, these days." Draco took a sip from it with a grateful smile. His mother knew exactly how he liked his tea. It was nice.
"Yes, I suppose it is." Especially since there wasn't much else for Narcissa to do. She, at least, was able to keep her wand with her house arrest.
"How have you been, darling. It's felt like so long since I last saw you."
"Mother, I've been perfectly fine." He gave her a warm smile. Standing and walking towards her, he pulled her into another hug.
"And yet you're being overly affectionate and you look like you have something heavy on your mind," Narcissa countered, hugging Draco close and speaking softly. "I know you, Draco."
"I'm...going on a trip," he said carefully, throwing a glance to the Auror. No doubt he'd be in a cell next to his father if the Ministry caught wind of this. "And I won't be back."
"Draco," Narcissa spoke lowly, glancing to the Auror herself. The man appeared to have little to no interest in them. "If you leave now before your probation ends then if they catch you..."
"I'm afraid that'll be quite impossible. I won't be leaving the country." He gave her a significant look, both hoping she'd catch on and praying she didn't. While he wanted her to know... He didn't want her to also have to carry this weight.
Narcissa frowned, looking confused for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Draco." Draco only gave a shake of his head with a sigh.
"I... I..." He wasn't sure he wanted her to understand. "I have to try to fix things." The room was quiet except for the turning of pages, Narcissa smiling weakly and holding Draco's hands.
"Be safe, my son, whatever you're doing. Think things through carefully and don't act rashly no matter what you do." Draco nodded, sitting back down on the couch.
"I believe you were telling me about a few of the things you'd found while cleaning?"
::
"Oh? And what are you up to, love?" Pansy gave Draco a raised eyebrow as soon as she opened the door, Blaise looking in curiously from another room. "And don't try to lie to me. I know when you do." Draco shrugged as he sauntered into the room, making himself comfortable.
"Who says I'm up to anything?" There was a snort from Blaise, who sat down on the other end of the couch with a shake of his head.
"This is you, Malfoy. Aren't you always up to something?" Well, he wasn't quite wrong, at least.
"Aside from that, of course. She says it as though I'm being especially scheming." Draco crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Pansy. He probably looked like a pouting child, but Pansy and Blaise were allowed to see that.
"That's because you are," Pansy pointed out, sitting between the boys and throwing her legs over Blaise's lap. She then dramatically laid across Draco's lap. "Tell me then, darling, just how bad is it?"
"I don't know what you mean," Draco hummed, inspecting his nails. At least his younger self took better care of them. He'd be sure to keep up that habit. Right now they were a bit worse for wear, really.
"Oh, you most certainly do know what I mean," Pansy huffed, kicking at Blaise's stomach. "Blaise, back me up."
"Hm? Ah, yes. Malfoy." The other man's voice was near completely dead and flat. "Tell us your secrets and schemes so we may foil them. Mua ha ha."
"You two. Foil me? That'd be the day," Draco said with a laugh, looking far too amused. He was obviously so much more cunning than they were. How Blaise got into Slytherin and not Ravenclaw, Draco would never know, honestly.
"Great, now that we're done sounding like supervillains and the like," Blaise laughed, relaxing against the couch. "What's really up? You seem a bit...off. Plus it's been awhile since you visited us."
Draco shrugged. "I'm...going away on a trip," he said. That was all that needed to be said, really. If they knew anymore, they'd be questioned.
"A trip that had better be in this country," Pansy frowned, tugging at Draco's shirt. "Probation, darling. Breaking it would be Gryffindor stupid."
"It's in this country, I swear." Draco nodded, giving them a smile. "Not going to get me a cup, then?"
"Complain, complain," Blaise groaned, moving Pansy's legs and standing up to head for the kitchen. "I'm getting too old for this." Pansy made a face at his back. "Saw that, Parkinson."
"I swear. Eyes in the back of his head, that man," Draco laughed quietly, shaking his head. "So, Pans. How have things been with you? Find anyone, yet?" He smiled down at her, head tilted.
"Where's the fun in that," Pansy pouted, reaching a hand up to ruffle Draco's hair. "Come on now, darling, there'll be no settling down for me until I'm in my thirties, at least."
"I just meant someone for you to play," Draco hummed, catching her hand and pressing a gentle kiss to the knuckles. "I was always better at the game."
"Ah, the Prince of Slytherin," Pansy 'sighed', throwing her free hand over her forehead. "Truly, love, none of us were able to keep up."
"Stop flirting," Blaise complained, walking in with their cups of tea. "It's my couch. I don't want you two flirting on my couch."
"It's not real flirting," Draco said with a roll of his eyes. Once Blaise set the tea down, Draco grinned wickedly, grabbing Blaise's hand and repeating the action to him. "You know where my true interests lie."
"Every damn time," Blaise sighed, cuffing Draco on the side of the head. "How you didn't sleep around with everyone in the school I'll never know. Take your stupid tea." Draco snickered quietly, taking the small ceramic cup and blowing lightly on it before sipping from it. He wrinkled his nose before standing with a sigh and walking to the kitchen. Honestly, seven years and they still never knew how much sugar to put in. "Not everyone likes to drink tea-flavored sugar!"
"Next time just bring the sugar with you," Draco called to Blaise. There was a good-natured grumble of complaint as Draco added a few more sugar cubes into his tea.
"You still haven't told us where you're going," Pansy spoke up, sounding as if she was trying to sit in Blaise's lap. "Somewhere interesting?"
"Hopefully," Draco hummed as he came back to find that Pansy was indeed trying to sit in Blaise's lap. He respectfully remained standing.
"Bring us back something good." It seemed Blaise had finally given up, letting Pansy do what she wanted. It was a tactic that had ensured their survival in Hogwarts. "Or expensive."
"Mm." He'd miss these two... He would have to make sure he treated them right, next time around.
::
Draco wasn't really sure why he was wandering around Diagon Alley. It wasn't like he'd be able to take anything with him. Maybe he was just more...saying goodbye to everything. Goodbye to how it was now. Hm. Perhaps he should check into those Harry Potter biographies just in case- "Skulking around again, Draco?"
Draco immediately bristled, glaring. "Potter. Following me again? Thought you'd been there, done that." Ugh, why did Potter never take a hint and leave him alone. Oh. Oh, sweet Merlin. He'd have to be nice to Potter in the new timeline.
"Easy there, Draco," Potter laughed, a glance at him showing that the man still had on his disguise. Dark red hair and hazel eyes. "I was just curious. I don't see you around much, anymore."
"I don't much like being attacked or followed. My apologies, I wasn't aware you needed to know of my every movement." Alright, Draco. This is your last hurrah. You have to put as much venom as you can into this exchange.
"You're as bitter as my tea." Ugh, the other was laughing again. Git. No self-preservation, truly. "I wasn't following you, and I don't much care about your every movement. I just... You seemed a little down."
"And what do you know? Resting on your laurels not enough for you? Trying to lock up or kill another Dark wizard?" Draco held his arms out. "Here I am."
"You know, I almost forgot how dramatic you were." Stop being amused. Stop finding this funny. "You're not a Dark wizard, Draco. And I think after all the shit of the last seven years, 'resting on my laurels' is well deserved. Same for you."
Draco scoffed at that. "Me? What laurels? I don't have a wand, Potter. That's not exactly a luxury I can afford. And seeing as I have more of an affinity for Dark than I do Light, I'd say that classifies me as a Dark Wizard. But then what do you know. Being raised by muggles."
Why was he so calm. He should not be calm. Potter should be throwing up a fuss as big as Draco and trying to cast every spell he could at him! "Not much, really. Ron and Hermione usually fill in the blanks, though."
"Why aren't you fighting back?! Why aren't you screaming at me like everyone else?! Why are you treating me like-" Like they were friends.
"Like a decent human being?" Potter raised an eyebrow, flicking Draco in the forehead rather halfheartedly. It barely even registered. "Contrary to what you and everyone says, you deserve a second chance, too. This war... It's caused enough pain. I don't want to add to it by writing you off as someone I hated in school."
"Why not? You never used to care. You were just trying to win. What changed?" Draco was panting, trying to catch his breath from where he'd been near screaming. Plenty of people were throwing him dirty looks, but no one said anything. Perhaps it was because of present company. Draco's face felt flushed, and he could tell his hair was a wreck.
"I realized we were all screwed over." Potter turned to lean against the brick wall of the shop they were in front of, looking unfairly relaxed and calm. "You were dragged into all of this as much as I was. I know we're never going to be friends, not really, but... Potter and Malfoy don't have to be bitter rivals to the end." Draco glared at him for a moment, glancing at the shop and oh... Oh.
"I wasn't the one that made that decision." He had offered. It may not have been with the best intentions, but... Potter was the one who had turned him away.
"No, you weren't... That's probably one of the things I wish I could change most," Potter sighed, looking up at the sign that advertised Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "You would have been a good friend." Though Draco was shocked by the admission - and unwillingly touched - he didn't allow it to show, only crossing his arms and leaning on the wall on the other side of the door.
"I would have been, yes." Maybe more things would have changed just by that simple change of them being friends. 'Potter and Malfoy don't have to be rivals until the bitter end', huh...
"We're never gonna be friends, are we?" A glance showed Potter was still looking up at the sign, tone quiet and thoughtful.
"Seeing as I'm leaving, I highly doubt it," Draco said quietly, his head turned away. That's right. He was leaving, and this Potter was one he'd never see again. Not the one who had been his 'arch rival' for all seven years of school.
"Can't say I'm surprised. You never seemed the type to stay in one place for long," Potter chuckled, something in his tone making Draco look over. "Will you be happy? Where you're going?" Draco stared at him, looking him over with a wrinkled nose. He'd always much preferred Potter's eye color. The same color as the killing curse. Fatally beautiful.
"I don't know." A silence fell over them, although for once it wasn't tense. It was... Quiet. Peaceful. As if they could both pretend to be someone else for a moment.
"You deserve happiness, you know." The younger's tone was soft, near lost in the bustle of Diagon Alley. "You may be a 'Dark wizard', and a right prat at times, but... You're not a bad person."
"Yeah? You're a bloody git. Are we just saying things that are true, now?" Draco couldn't help a small smile that was forming. While he'd heard those things from the people close to him... It was nice to hear it from someone else. Even if that person was Potter. Especially if that person was Potter.
"It's always helpful to state the facts," Potter laughed, pushing himself off the wall and looking over to Draco with a smile that... Draco didn't know how to describe that smile. Heartbreaking, maybe? "I'm never going to see you again, am I?"
"No. You're not." Which, really. Potter should be thankful for that. They had been a pain in each other's sides for years. And now they were finally getting out of each other's hair. Maybe now it wouldn't have to be Potter and Malfoy... Maybe it could be Draco and Harry.
"I should be pretty happy, huh?" Potter laughed, running a hand through his hair and making it stick up in the back even more. "You've been a pain in my ass since day one, yet... I think I might end up missing you a little. No one else made Hogwarts so fun, after all."
"Really? I would have thought you'd had enough fun nearly dying every year." He wanted to just...reach his hand out. Fix Potter's bloody hair. It was always a wreck, after all.
"You would think," Potter laughed, smile softening as he looked at Draco before sticking his hand out. "If I'm never going to see you again, then I want you to know that even though we didn't have the best of beginnings... I'm glad I met you." Any plans Draco had to sneer and taunt him were blown out of his mind at Potter's gesture. He... This was what he'd been near dreaming about for years. And here Potter was. All smiles. It had Draco more than a little shell-shocked.
Draco took his hand. "Now I'll have to wash off the stench of muggle. Thanks for that." Draco and Harry, huh...
It had a good sound to it.
::
"Knew you'd be back. Not everyone does come back, you know," Howard held out a warm cup of tea, Draco barely through the door. "Chamomile?"
"How many have done this, then?" Draco sipped at it before wrinkling his nose and setting it down. He never was a fan of the herbal teas.
"Ten people have come to talk to me about time magic in the past." Howard led him through the house into a back sitting room that was covered with letters and parchment that had rather detailed calculations and theories scribbled across them. "Only two chose to go back."
"Do you believe those two have changed the course of this war?" Draco tilted his head, slowing down to look over some of the theories before giving a defeated sigh. Madness and brilliance, indeed...
"I doubt it. They came here before the war even started," Howard waved off, flicking his wand to try and organize some of the papers. It was a failing battle. "Far as I can tell, once you go back, you create an entirely new timeline. This one, the one we're in now, continues with you no longer here. Meanwhile, the one you are in is one precisely like ours."
"I see. That's why you had me say my goodbyes." Because while he would see them again in only a moment... They weren't going to be seeing him. Ever. Draco had the passing thought that perhaps he should have visited his father, though quickly passed it off.
"Closure for you and them," Howard nodded, bustling around and seeming to be laying down complex magic circles. It had Draco rather nervous, since magic like this was only used in ancient rituals, or very, very powerful magic. "Gives it an extra kick. You'll be breaking through to a new dimension, after all."
"You said it was just a new timeline," Draco said with a frown, twisting his cuff link. It felt like he'd just been horribly tricked, somehow. Maybe he was about to be killed in the dead of night- Well. Actually, it was broad daylight outside, but his point came across.
"To be honest, magic like this is something even I know little about. A new timeline, in basics, is like a new dimension. It's similar to this reality, but there are small little things that might be off. Things you notice that weren't there before. Different names, different people, new or old buildings. I'll be honest, I still don't know if this will work exactly how you want it to." Well that was comforting.
"It has to," Draco said quietly. If it didn't... He'd have tried all this for no reason. He'd have said goodbye to all his friends... And if the Ministry found out-
"I think it just might," Howard clapped Draco on the back, pushing him to the middle of the circle. "You, after all, will be using something a bit different from a time turner." Draco flinched at the touch, glaring at him viciously.
"What," he spat out. Oh, if there's much of that - which thankfully there isn't in Slytherin - he was going to... Well. They didn't want to know. Caught up in planning painful revenge schemes, it took Draco a moment to notice Howard was unlocking a rather complicated magical safe.
"It's something I've been working on for as long as I can remember... Imagine that instead of going back in time, you become your past self. Perfect assimilation. It's you in the body of a younger version of yourself, able to relive everything you remember." The man's voice was hushed. Hushed yet excited. Draco twisted just a bit, remaining in the circle, but trying to peek around the man to see what he was retrieving.
"If I'm not going to be using a time turner, what will I be using?" A quiet laugh and Howard was bringing out a wrapped object that was indeed far larger than a time turner.
"I only perfected it this last year, so the name is still a work in progress. For now, however, I've been calling it the time twister."
"...Is that so. And how many people have you told about this time twister, then." Draco frowned a bit at the shape of the object, though he couldn't see it. It was...rather clunky. More so than a time turner. That was a question. If he was going to use it, how would Howard still have it?
"Just one person, years and years ago," Howard explained, walking over to Draco and carefully holding the object out. "You must be very careful when unwrapping it. Don't touch it until I say so, it's highly reactive. And unlike time turners, this won't go back with you. It stays here. A fixed point, if you will."
"I see." Draco nodded, wanting desperately to pull the cover off of the object. While he would of course never admit it, or show it, he was burning with curiosity.
"Now, you must think of a memory. The precise moment you want to go back in time. You should wake up on the morning of that day, but the memory must be clear and strong," Howard cautioned, looking serious.
Draco answered immediately, "Done." That was too easy. That day he'd met Potter in Madame Malkin's. If he'd been less of a prat... They could have been Draco and Harry. That was the first thing he needed to change. One of the most important things he needed to change.
"Right, think of it like using a patronus charm. You must focus on it constantly. Now, I think you can remove the covering while I start the circle. Remember, don't touch until I say so." With that, Howard was walking around the circle, muttering complex spells in foreign languages that not even Draco had heard. Draco gave a small nod and carefully removed the cover. He nearly forgot the memory. For a moment, he forgot to breathe. The device was...more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen.
It was a box of dark chestnut wood, as though it were a jewelry box that had been repurposed. In the middle, instead of more wood to complete the 'lid' was a sphere of glass. Inside was what at first glance appeared to be a pale yellow hourglass. Upon closer inspection, however, the hourglass appeared to be made up of sand, the sand itself breaking off and floating in the space around the hourglass before rejoining the shape. The hourglass itself, and the small flecks of sand, gave off a small yellow glow. It was as though it were the center of the galaxy, with stars floating around it.
It was amazing. It was no wonder it took his breath away, and it was an effort to re-focus on his memory and bring it to the forefront of his mind. With good timing, too, as it seemed Howard was finishing up the spell circles. They were now glowing an ultramarine blue, lighting up the room. Nodding, Howard looked to Draco. "Are you ready, then? There will be no coming back from this." Draco took a breath and looked back down to the time twister. He gave a slow nod, the action growing quicker.
"I'm ready."
::
::
