Saturday Number Five

Draco woke up gasping. He hurriedly peeled off his blankets and frantically groped at his stomach. He sighed with relief seeing as it was still intact and not split in half. He lied back down and breathed heavily as he stared at the ceiling. He needed answers and he needed them fast.

He quickly got on his feet and went out of his room, not bothering to change out of his pajamas, and headed down to the Malfoy Manor's library.

"Draco, darling are you in here?"

Draco groaned inwardly as he leaned his forehead against the bookshelf. He was perched on the ladder tossing books left and right that his loyal house elves immediately picked up.

"Yes, mother"

"I looked everywhere for you—where are you anyway?" Narcissa's melodic tone floated in the library

The Slytherin popped his head out around the bookshelf, "Over here, mother"

The Malfoy Matriarch smiled at him before giving him a look of confusion as she saw the mess Draco was making, "What on earth are you doing?"

"Researching"

"On what?"

"Mother," Draco said ignoring his Narcissa's inquiry, "Do we have any books on time travel or that sort of thing?"

"No, I don't think we have. In my time we never delved into the magic of manipulating time or controlling it. We just predict time and it's events. The closest we've gotten were time-turners but still those still work in very limited parameters—not to mention, they're really rare"

"How rare?"

"Only one exists"

"Hmm…but that would need a device to control. Do you know of any time-altering magical phenomenon?"

"I already said Draco, we didn't have those studies before"

"Not even in the dark arts?"

"Don't you dare go poking around the dark arts section! And what is with all these questions?"

"My friend…he's going to die. I need to find a way to reverse it"

"Well you could always try Bertrand de Pensées-Profondes's A Study into the Possibility of Reversing the Actual and Metaphysical Effects of Natural Death, with Particular Regard to the Reintegration of Essence and Matter" Narcissa said as a-matter-of-factly

Draco blinked at his mother. Sometimes she was just as bad as Granger...hey maybe she knows—no. Screw Granger, I can figure this out myself. Me, Draco Malfoy, asking for help from a muggle-born? Ha! I'd bet she'd love that! Draco shuddered as he realized he was thinking about Hermione.

"Er…yeah…sure."

"Well, why don't you come down from there and have breakfast with your father and I?"

"No time. I have to go," Draco said as he hopped off the ladder and headed out the library

"Go where?"

"Work"

xxx

Draco apparated in Hogsmeade and stood still for a while as he looked up at the looming silhouette of Hogwarts. He had lied about going to work that day but he found the thought of work completely unimportant compared to the fact that he was going to die later that day.

The Slytherin looked at his watch, 10:30. He was supposed to be meeting with Potter by now. He wondered what the reprecussions of not following routine would be.

He looked up at the castle once again. Never thought I'd be back here in a while, he muttered to himself

The castle remained the way he remembered as it has been fully restored. The great hall looked as cheerful as ever, the ghosts were still unpleasant to walk through and the paintings were still incredibly nosy. Just then a group of first year Gryffindor passed by him. One little boy stopped and looked back at him.

"Hey you're Draco Malfoy right?"

Draco smiled at little boy—a habit he picked up working at a maternity ward.

"I hope you die, Deatheater!" the little boy scowled at him

Draco's smile fell and he slowly leaned in towards the boy. His eyes fell on a piece of parchment that was protruding from the boy's potions book. He read the name off of it and smirked at the boy.

"I know where you live, Jonah Higgs," The Slytherin Alumni said in a low, menacing tone

The boy looked up at the former Deatheater in horror, surprised that he had known his name, "How—how did you…You can't…you'll go to Azkaban—"

"Malfoy what are you doing here? Higgs get to class!"

"But he just threatened to kill me!" the little boy tattled

"I hardly doubt it. Malfoy is a healer now"

The boy look up at the Deatheater and eyed him suspiciously as the Slytherin grinned down at him. After a few moments the Gryffindor boy turned around and left.

"Really Malfoy? Still terrorizing Hogwarts?"

The Slytherin looked at the source of the voice a smirked, "Just like old times, eh, Longbottom? Or should I say professor?"

"I hardly doubt you came here to exchange pleasantries with me"

"Wow, two sentences. You could barely get a word out to me before"

"I'm different now. I'm a professor. And I'm no longer afraid of you" Neville added carefully

"Why would you be afraid of me?"

"You were mean to me? You bullied me? You were a Deatheater?"

"Nonsense. We had some fun times"

"Name one"

"Well…uh…Oh! I got it, remember that Remembrall business back in first year?"

"That was only fun for you"

Draco laughed, "Yeah…"

"Seriously Malfoy, why are you here?"

"I need to see Professor—I mean, Headmistress Mcgonagal. I need to borrow some books from the library"

"For your job at St. Mungo's? Don't they have a library there?"

"It's none of your business. Now can I be on my way or did you want to stand here and talk about our non-existent childhood friendship?"

"I'll walk with you. I'm headed the same way anyway. It would feel kind of odd to say goodbye to you now then have to walk a few inches away from you all the way there"

Draco sighed with exasperation, "Fine."

xxx

"So do you see Hannah a lot?"

"Who?" Draco glanced at the Gryffindor from the corner of his eye

"Abbot? Hannah Abbot? Do you see her a lot in St. Mungo's?" Neville repeated. The two were walking a comfortable pace towards the headmistress's office.

"Oh Abbot. Yeah, what about her?"

"How is she?"

"Professor Longbottom do you have the hots for Healer Abbot?"

"What, no!"

Draco lifted his eyebrow at the red-faced Gryffindor

"Look I'm just asking because we were really close friends before and I haven't seen her in a while"

"Uh huh," Draco said slowly

"I just wanted to know if she was doing okay."

"Hmm"

"You know, like every good friend would like to know about their other good friend"

"Sure."

"…"

"…"

"Please don't tell her"

"I have better things to do than meddle in people's affairs"

"Thanks, Malfoy"

Draco shrugged, "I always thought you were…you know…"

"I am not into men if that's what you're getting at"

"I don't know," Draco said thoughtfully, "The long looks you give Potter—"

"Alright, were here!" Neville quickly cut the Slytherin's train of thought as he ushered him in the gargoyle staircase. Draco smirked as the Herbology professor gave him a look of frustration as he disappeared from his view.

xxx

"Mr. Malfoy, to what do I owe the pleasure?" The headmistress peered at her former student.

"I need to get a hold of some information. I was hoping to gain access to the Library, I'm afraid the one I have at home doesn't have the information that I need."

"Information regarding what?"

"Professor, are you aware of any time-related magic?"

"Time is the oldest force in magic. It is nearly impossible to manipulate—and very dangerous. Is this something I should be concerned about?"

The Slytherin shook his head, "It's nothing alarming. But there is still tangible magic to connect to time isn't there? Like the time-turner?"

"Yes, but that is unstable and dangerous magic to deal with. Change too much and the results can be catastrophic"

The former Deatheater frowned in deep thought, "No, that's definitely not what I'm after. Time-turners are controlled time alterations. I'm more curious about the ones that happen without influence…so, about the Library?"

"Yes you may use it though I doubt Madam Pince would let you take books out of the castle. Do no make me regret my hospitality, Mr. Malfoy. Whatever you're up to."

"Thank you, Professor"

"I hope you find what you need"

The Slytherin slightly bowed and turned to walk towards the door.

"And Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes, professor?"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't terrify any of my students again"

xxx

Draco Malfoy's search in the Hogwarts library was coming up as fruitless as his search in the manor. So far he had found 50 books about death, defying death or death reversals; 35 books on animal care; 67 books on plants; at some point he had found a discarded Quidditch magazine and started reading that instead.

He was in the point of giving up when he lazily picked up the next book on the pile. This book looked different. For one, it was hand-written in small, neat, cursive letters. Draco frowned and sat up on his chair and read the title: Time loops, Their properties and behaviors. He flipped to the last page. Who the hell hand-writes a 900 page book?

The Slytherin looked for the author's name and frowned once again at it's absence. He got up and walked towards Madam Pince.

"Excuse me, do you know who wrote this?"

The librarian carefully took the book from Draco and peered at it. Her face broke into a soft, fond smile, "Well it says it right here. The Brightest Witch of Her Age"

Draco's heart dropped as he frantically followed the librarian's finger past the ten-page introduction. There on the bottom of the page was signed, Hermione Jean Granger.

"Fuck"

xxx

"So…why are you here again?"

"I need your help"

Hermione Granger stared at the Slytherin and then started laughing.

Draco stood there impatiently waiting for her to finish. He did not like being in this bookstore seeing as he had now died four times because of it since he woke up in this nightmare.

"Oh you were being serious" Hermione said as she caught the look on Draco's face, "What makes you think I'd help you?"

"You have to! I've looked everywhere. And you're the only one who's ever written a book about this" Draco gestured to the air around him

"What book?"

"That 900-page monstrosity you wrote by hand?"

"You mean about the time-loops thing? I wrote that for extra credit. Plus I wanted to do research on time inconsistencies…never did get to publish that thing for real. No one really believed in them."

"Look I'm not leaving here until you give me what I want"

Hermione studied the Slytherin. Somehow she believed him. He had always been a determined little ferret before and she certainly didn't want him coming back here everyday, "Fine. Tell me exactly what happened. And sit down, your constant fidgeting and pacing is driving me crazy"

The Slytherin threw another worried glance towards the door and sat down, "I keep waking up to the same day. The events are the same. Some conversations happen differently depending on how I respond to them"

"How does your day end?"

"I die. On most days I die by having the roof of your bloody bookstore fall on top of me. I remember dying once by Weasel's hand."

"Ron murdered you?"

"Yeah well, there was one day when the roofing had landed on Weaslette instead and you called Weasley and Weasley thought I did it."

"Why were you with Ginny?"

"That's not the point! Tell me how to fix this!"

"Alright, Alright" Hermione muttered, "Most time loops happen because of unconscious deep desires. For example there was a witch named Melinda Bobbin whose husband died. In her grief she trapped herself reliving her happiest day with him again and again. It nearly took a year for her to get out of it. Those kind of time loops can be broken if they can bring themselves to move on or let go of that particular sequence of their life"

Draco silently sat as he let the witch continue.

"Your time loop is quite different and rare. You can't just will this one to go. Your time loop involved your own personal death and is playing on the fragile line of your fate and existence. So, on that first Saturday that you woke up, you actually died."

"What?" Draco choked out, "Then why am I…"

"That's the interesting part. Somehow Time wouldn't let you crossover. Instead of letting you die, it looped your day since you couldn't go forward anymore. In the real timeline, your body is probably deteriorating as we speak. You're probably bleeding out in a hospital."

"So this is all happening in my head?"

"No exactly. More like you exist at two timelines at the same time. Sort of like using a time-turner, two Draco Malfoys exist right now. One is the one in the real timeline and the other one is you or the "time-traveller" one.

"But why?"

"My guess? Unfinished business."

Draco snorted.

"I'm serious. Maybe you're here because you're meant to still do something. Everyone has this life path. Well what if more than one is connected to you? What if you were meant to live longer to change more than one life and your death really was just an unjustified accident? Time is really, really old magic. Even in my 900 pages, I still couldn't grasp how it chooses to whom it bestow its gifts to."

"Right. So I'm supposed to change lives and be a regular do-gooder and appease the god of time?

"I don't know. But whatever it is, Time must've wanted you to rewrite this day. And whatever you need to do I suggest you do it fast. These time loops don't last forever. If you haven't corrected what needs to be corrected by then you die for real this time"

"How long do I have exactly?"

"A month"

"A month?"

Hermione nodded, "Thirty days to be exact. That's how a long a loop cycle lasts."

"How can I possibly do everything in a month!"

"You don't have to do everything. Look back at your first Saturday and list down the last people you saw. Chances are, those are the life paths that cross yours"

And what could anyone possibly want from me?"

Hermione suddenly had this serious look on her face that made Draco feel uneasy. He squirmed in his seat and looked out the window instead.

"A lot of people need you, you just don't know it"

"What are you—This is bullshit. Is this just some sick ploy of trying to get me to help Potter and Weasley?"

"Harry?"

"That's what this is right? Trying to trick me into doing favors for you lot and helping you out!"

"If my memory serves me correctly. You asked me for help and not the other way around," Hermione spat back, "And I know nothing about Harry and Ginny asking you for help!"

"That's it! This is just some sick joke. Making me think that I'm dead. I'll just wait in here and let the danger pass"

"Malfoy, that's not—"

CRASH.

Draco and Hermione quickly stood up from their spot and looked out the window. The bookstore's roofing had come crashing down and spilled on the pavement. Fortunately this time, no one was hurt.

"Ha! See Granger! Death evaded!"

"Malfoy, fate doesn't work that way. It will still catch up with you—it's bound to happen. Dying by roof was just coincidence since that was how you originally died. The longer you stay in this loop the more your deaths will progress."

"Whatever, Granger. Stick your logic up your a—"

The bookstore's chandelier came crashing down on Draco Malfoy. Hermione kneeled down to the dying Slytherin as he choked on the pain.

"Don't…you…dare…fucking…say…it," He gritted at her

"I wasn't even going to!" Hermione protested defensively

Draco groaned.

"At least it wasn't the roof this time," Hermione offered

"F…f…fuck y..ou"

Hermione pursed her lips, "and you know what else?"

Draco grunted.

"I told you so," Hermione said slowly savoring the words in her mouth knowing that those four little words hurt the Slytherin more than pieces of chandelier piercing his body.

"I h…hate y…you.."

Draco died at 2:35 pm.


A/N: Hi. To anyone who might be getting frustrated about the time of death at the end of the chapter, be patient. (lol but seriously, it'll start to make sense soon)

&& to Aradia1013 thank you for pointing that out. I will try to work on that hahaha.