"So... let me get this straight... you... are Dumbledore? Albus Dumbledore? You..." Harry trailed off, his disbelief written all over his face. Draco crossed his arms and sat back, frowning. Ron had sat down on the floor of the tent and kept rubbing his neck and muttering 'blimey', a greenish tint to his face. Hermione sat at the small table, her knees pulled up to her chest, her brown eyes lost in faraway thought.

"Yes Harry... But at the same time, no. It's difficult to explain. Reincarnation magic is tricky. In the process that caused the very first attempt, after I had fought Gellert - er, Grindelwald, that is, he initially killed me. Severus wasn't alive at the time, so my brother, Aberforth, had been set to help, in the event that the worst case scenario happened. When I was reborn... I was reborn as Draco Malfoy. It wasn't supposed to happen, it was merely supposed to be a rebirth into my own body, like a time rewind, see."

"And from there, you what, continued to live a life full of awful gittiness and - "

"Ronald! Will you please." Hermione's eyes flashed anger and Ron slumped and muttered a halfhearted sorry. Draco uncrossed his arms and sighed, and sat back, rubbing his face that now held the expression of a very worn out person, more intense than would be normal of someone his age. He hadn't detailed all of the story, his eyes flicking to Hermione and then away, but he'd gotten through the important parts.

"My memories didn't transfer. At all. I daresay that Dumbledore retained the memories though." He speculated. Harry twitched, and Draco looked over and was surprised to see the boy's face desolate and hopeless, his green eyes dull as though a light had been extinguished inside him.

"Well. Back to the drawing board, I suppose." Hermione piped up, a nervous quiver in her voice as she studied Harry, noting the same details in her friend as Draco had just picked out. "I think we could start at -"

"I know where we can look." Everyone froze and looked at Ron, surprised. He blushed scarlet all the way to the tips of his ears, but he pressed on anyways. "I remember when Harry was taking those private outings with, erm, well, Dumbledore," he darted a glance at Draco, stumbling over his words a bit, "and well, I thought maybe you remembered something in them about Vo- I mean... him. Eh, mate?" He clapped Harry on his shoulder in a rallying sort of manner. Harry started to shake his head, negatives plain on his face, but stopped.

"Hang on... the pensieve. There was... He showed me a memory, in a small town where it turned out that Riddle's family, his mother's family that is, lived. I wonder..." his eyes darted back and forth, trying to recall what the context would be. He looked up, a small smile on his face. "Hermione, reckon I'm ready to apparate us places?" Her face paled a little at the thought, knowing that he wouldn't get them killed, but at the same time, recalling their practices, where he had lost a fingernail, and she had resorted to magic to regrow a part of her eyebrow.

"Harry, I'm not sure..." she started. Draco stood and they all looked at him. He held out his hand to Harry.

"How about I help?" Everyone held their breath, and were all reminded of the familiar memory. Harry stared at his hand, then up at Draco. He reached out finally and took it.

"Maybe I was a bit wrong about the wrong sort." Harry conceded, as Draco helped him stand and dust off.

"I was too, mate... I was too." Draco responded, his eyes hesitating on Hermione's a little long, causing them both to turn a bit pink. Ron, oblivious as ever, hopped up and thumped both boys on their backs.

"Well, let's get to it then, eh?" They all looked at each other a moment, then laughed.

"Hang on a minute... Draco, how did you... well, how did the Dumbledore you manage to live in both lives if you're his reincarnation?" Hermione posed the question she had been lost in thought over. Draco's eyes twinkled, so nearly close to how Dumbledore's might have, and he gave a very small smile.

"While my opposition had horcruxes, I had tricks up my own sleeve." Everyone fell silent, pondering that, until Harry smacked Draco across his chest.

"No more mysteries, you git. Out with all the secrets, we have a Dark Lord to defeat!" he demanded. Everyone laughed and settled back down again as Draco set back into his story.

"So, I imagine you all know of Fawkes, yeah? Well, this is how I came by him..."

AN: Okay guys. I'm back. No more hiatuses! Promise! I'm so sorry!! :'(