The Lion Fancies The Snake
It's been three days since they've been back at Hogwarts, and their lives had never been more awkward until these last three days. Snape continued to take away points from Gryffindor simply just for breathing, while McGonagall continued to remain stern. Once they returned they had all confronted Neville and Luna, who were both quick to accept everything. Pulling them into the Room of Requirement for a quick meeting, they showed the pictures and told them everything that Tonya had told them. Luna blushed while Neville looked ready to faint, but they accepted it. Instantly, they began to train even harder.
It hadn't been so easy to get to Seamus though. Seamus was always missing whenever they looked for him. He never returned to the common rooms, and there was never enough time to talk to him in class. It was as if he had become elusive. The next DA meeting wasn't ready to start up for another week, but Tonks continued to come for nonverbal spell meetings during the nights. Remus came with her once already, and Neville and Luna came as well. Harry missed those trainings though, because his nights were spent in the dungeons with Snape. He was slowly getting a hang on it. It was still hard for him to keep Snape out of his thoughts, but he could now last a whole minute before Snape blocked him out of his mind. Ever since Tonya brought out the true feelings of Snape, things had been less tense between them. Snape even helped him with his assignments on those late nights.
Tonks would deliver messages back and forth between the castle and Tonya, and they learned that she still cried herself to sleep at night. Sirius explained to everyone how he could hear her through the walls late at night. It's like she waits until she thinks everyone else is asleep before she starts to cry. They're at least glad to see that she's mourning at night, because in the morning when she isn't mourning, she's planning on how to break into Gringotts with Bill. She doesn't slow down for any breaks. She's a mad widow on a mission, and even Mad Eye is starting to fear her ambition. Not in a fearing way that she can't be trusted, but in a fearing way that he would hate to be Voldemort. None of them had any doubt that she wouldn't try to kill him herself.
"I just don't get why we can't tell Malfoy anything," Ron whispered in the library that afternoon. "I don't see why she has to return to a future where he doesn't know her?"
Hermione shook her head, and whispered back, "She's doing this to protect him, Ron."
"I get that," he rolled his eyes back at her. "But what does that have to do with anything? How does him not knowing about her protect him?"
"Because he doesn't start to change how he feels about muggles until next year, so as long as he doesn't show any emotions towards them until we kill-"
In that moment, Harry entered the library with a disgruntled looking Seamus Finnigan – the five foot two Irish wizard who didn't make it unknown that he didn't care too much for Harry, mainly because his mum listens to the Daily Prophet than any other reason. His shamrock eyes looked annoyed as he was being dragged into the library's corner by the boy he hated. His muggle buzzed sandy colored hair reminded Hermione of sandpaper, but she never told him that in fear of how he would react. Quickly saying a silencing spell so they wouldn't be overheard, Harry released Seamus.
"What the bloody 'ell, 'Arry," Seamus shouted, rubbing the area of his arm that the-boy-who-lived just released. "Why the 'ell did you just grab me arm like that?"
Rubbing his forehead, Harry shook his head at his concerned friends. It wasn't pain from Voldemort; it was a headache from Seamus. "Sorry Seamus," he shrugged his shoulders. "But I needed to talk to you, and you wouldn't listen to me."
"Then what is it eh? I got things to do."
"Like meeting up with Blaise?"
As soon as he heard the Slytherin's name leave Hermione's mouth, Seamus began to stammer, "What… err… 'uh… I-I-I… umm… erm… well… what?"
"That's what we needed to talk to you about, Seamus," Harry sighed. "But don't get us wrong. We don't care about you and Zabini. Congratulations and everything. We just really need to talk to you about something. And in a sense it concerns the both of you."
Rocking from his heels to his toes, Seamus nodded his head. "What is it?"
The golden trio, along with Ginny all glanced around the library. They didn't have to worry about being overheard because of the spell, but they didn't want to chance the pictures being seen. Explaining to Seamus that they needed to be absolutely alone, they quickly made their way to the Room of Requirement. After thinking about needing a place to be alone to talk to Seamus, three times while pacing in front of the room, a door appeared. The red faced Seamus followed them all in to the room. Where they were so used to seeing a training area, there was now a table with chairs around it.
"We met this girl," Ginny spoke up first. "She's from the year 2000, two years after Harry kills Voldemort."
"Let me guess," Seamus scoffed, "She told you all about me and Blaise, did she?"
They all nodded their heads, "Actually yes. She says that you two are married, but like I said," added Harry, "This isn't about you being with Zabini. This is about what else she had to tell us."
Seamus listened with wide eyes and disbelieving ears. It took nearly two hours for them to explain everything to him. By the time they had all finished, Seamus found himself laughing. They expected him to believe this? In the beginning they grabbed his attention because they mentioned Blaise, but this was too much. They expected him to believe that Malfoy married a muggle who traveled back in time just to save him because he was killed for betraying the Death Eaters? And that he and Blaise were best friends to them? How mental did they think he was?
"Good story," Seamus continued laughing. "So how long did it take for you lot to come up with this then, eh? Is this payback for me going out with a Slytherin? 'Ow did you lot find out anyways, eh?"
Shaking his head, Ron reached into this pocket of his robes and pulled out the pictures that Tonya gave to them to show Seamus for proof. "She gave us these pictures to show you in case you don't believe us."
Taking the pictures from Ron, Hermione shoved one under Seamus's nose. As his eyes grew wide, she smiled. "Only one picture like this exists in our time. If you go to Blaise, he'll still have it. And this is a muggle picture, Seamus; you know that no magic has touched it. And you can tell by it being faded that it's years old."
"'Ow?" Seamus held the picture in his hands, "But 'ow… 'ow did you get this?"
"Malfoy was putting together the photo album as a gift for Tonya for her twentieth birthday. He went around asking for pictures. You and Zabini both gave this one to him," it was Ron who was explaining it to him now, "You wanted Tonya to have it because it symbolized your friendship or something like that. I don't know. When you meet her, she'll explain it further to you."
Two months later, and they were still getting away with sneaking around. Seamus still couldn't believe how this had happened. They were on the train heading back to Hogwarts for their fifth year to begin. Leaving Dean back in the compartment they were sitting in, Seamus walked to the bathroom on his own. That was when Blaise Zabini cornered him. Never in his two years of being gay, had Seamus ever thought that the object of his boy on boy lust would feel the same way about him.
"What are you thinking about, love?" Blaise asked, cuddling in closer to Seamus's arms. They hadn't done anything sexually together; maybe the occasional snog, but that was it. They would however often sneak out into the Room of Requirement to be alone, and just hold onto each other; just another reason why Seamus hated the boy wonder. His bloody DA meetings meant he and Blaise had to find another place to sneak away to.
Pressing his lips to the top of his boyfriend's hair, Seamus grinned against the tiny nappy curls. "How much I still can't believe that you've been crushing on me as long as I've been crushing on you."
Blaise snuggled in even closer. They were both fully clothed, and simply sitting on a couch together, but he loved to be in Seamus's arms. Seamus always made him feel so safe, and protected; like nothing could ever keep them apart. "What is it you muggles say, love? This is what dreams are made of?"
Chuckling, Seamus nodded his head. "Yes babe, this is what dreams are made of."
"I wish we could stay like this for eternity," Blaise sighed, never wanting to leave the comfort of his boyfriend's arms.
Agreeing with Blaise, Seamus had a sudden idea. "I know," he grinned, "Why don't we take a picture of us? Right now… but not a wizard photo – let's take a muggle picture of us, that way we can 'ave this moment frozen for the rest of eternity. There'll be only one copy though. But we can share it. This week you can 'ave it and then next week I'll 'ave it."
"This was the first picture we ever took together," Seamus finally spoke. "And I gave it to 'er?"
Ginny nodded her head. "This is another picture. This one is from your wedding. It's you and Zabini. Then this one is of you and Zabini with me and Hermione."
"This is Tonya," Ron explained showing the picture from Tonya's kitchen. "See look, it's you and Zabini, with her."
Grabbing a picture that he saw on the side, Seamus picked it up. There was a girl in the middle; the girl that Ron called Tonya. She had the Malfoy ring on her finger, but there was something odd about it. She was wearing a tiny dress. The top part had been white, and strapless, while the bottom half beneath the chest was black. It was extremely short. She was laughing about something, while he was on one side of pulling her dress down, and Blaise was on the other side trying to pull it up. Her hands were covering her mouth as she continued to laugh. Or was she blushing? His eyes noticed the rings on his and Blaise's hands. He heard something about a wedding picture, but right now he was staring at their wedding bands.
"This one was apparently taken at the Malfoy manor," Ron explained the next one as well. "According to Tonya, you're the manlier one, and Zabini's the more feminine one in the relationship-" the smirk on Seamus's lips proved it for them, "Well there was a barbahoax thing-"
"Honestly Ron," Hermione sighed. "It's called a barbeque."
"Anyways," Ron continued as if he hadn't heard his future wife speak at all, "All the men; as in you, myself, Harry, Neville, and Malfoy were the ones working the grill thingy. And all the women; Zabini, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Tonya were sitting around watching us do our thing."
Seamus took in the picture. He saw the Tonya girl laying on a long chair with her head in Blaise's lap, while he stroked her hair, and laughing about something with Luna. Ginny and Hermione were both sitting on the grass, laughing as well. Tonya had her eyes over at the person taking the picture – making him wonder if Malfoy was the one who took the picture – but she was laughing as well. "So this Tonya bird then?" he looked back up at them, "You say she's married to Malfoy, and she's my best friend then, eh?"
"This is a group picture," Harry nodded, handing him the final picture. "All of us."
Seamus's eyes landed on Tonya with Malfoy. Yep. That's Malfoy alright. And this picture wasn't moving, proving that Malfoy took a muggle picture. So could it be? Could this all be true? "Fine," he sighed. "Tell me again. What do I have to do?"
Relief flooded the faces of the golden trio and Ginny – Seamus believed them. They had no doubt that it was the pictures that did it for him, but nonetheless he believed them. Once more, they explained all of it to him. From the plan to what's going to happen to the future. By the time they finished telling it this time, he was no longer laughing. Seamus Finnigan was now crying for his future best friend that he hadn't even met yet.
"We can't let that happen," he shook his head at them. "We can't not let Malfoy know who she is. 'E 'as to know 'er. 'E a's to meet 'er."
"That's what I said!" argued Ron.
"But we can't let it happen," Hermione groaned again. "Look guys. I'm only explaining it once. Tonya came back to us to protect Malfoy. To protect him. As in stop him from being killed. He was killed because he chose to side with us in the middle of the war. Towards the middle of next year, he started to feel a little on our side, but it wasn't until the middle of the war that he actually fought alongside us. They killed him because of that. What Tonya's doing now is making sure that Malfoy doesn't even know there's a war coming. This way he can't choose sides."
"And by not choosing sides, the Death Eaters will never know that he was on our side," added a gloomy Ginny. When she saw the bewildered looks both Ron and Seamus gave her, she shook her head. "None of us said it's a happy plan, but it's what she wants. Tonya's not giving up her husband just to have him be killed again."
Seamus was rubbing his face now with both his hands. "But there has to be something we can do. It sounds like she's giving up on too much things right now. We can't just let her return to a time without Malfoy in her life."
"That's what I said!" agreed Ron.
Sighing, Harry rubbed his face as well now. "It's what she wants, Seamus."
"No it's not!" Seamus shouted at them. Ron seemed to be the only one on his side right now. How could they not see the truth? "Would you want to live in a world where Ginny doesn't even know you exist, 'Arry?"
"If it meant that she wasn't dead," Harry nodded his head. But actually no… he didn't… the thought scared the hell out of him. He's had a minor more than a brother feeling towards her before he felt attracted to Cho, but he knew he would be willing to sacrifice everything if it meant that Ginny would be alive.
"Then we make sure no one knows that 'e's on our side. She's saving the lives of thousands, and we thank 'er by allowing 'er to lose Malfoy. We can prevent it now."
"No Seamus," Hermione shook her head. "Malfoy can't know anything. We can't tell him anything. And that goes for Zabini too."
"What?" his face was boiling now. They could actually see the blood moving around beneath his skin. "I can't tell Blaise? 'E's me boyfriend. Why the bloody 'ell not?"
It was Ron who answered this time. "According to Tonya, she knows Malfoy's side of the story as well as all of ours. Along with Zabini's – and from what she told us you already know this piece too – kids of the Death Eaters are being beaten by their parents, as well as all purebloods in general. And their minds are being looked into. Blaise is already taking some sort of potion every time he goes home just to erase you out of his mind, but if they get any information on this, they'll kill him without hesitation. We can't let him get killed, Seamus."
"By starting the war now instead of when it's supposed to happen, thousands of lives are actually being saved. If Voldemort or any of his followers catch wind of this right now, we may not be able to save anyone. He'll get an advantage on all of us."
"The only reason that Zabini doesn't become a Death Eater next year like Malfoy is because his mum took him on a vacation to the Zabini manor in France during the summer time. It prevented him from being hunted."
Seamus nodded his head to show that he understood. "She really 'as this all planned out then, don't she?" when everyone else nodded their heads, something struck his brilliant Irish little mind. "But wait," he quickly sat up straighter, and moved closer into everyone. "Malfoy doesn't become a Death Eater until the summer right, after the incident at the Ministry takes place? Once 'Arry kills Voldemort though, that'll never 'appen. 'E won't become a Death Eater."
Picking up on what Seamus was getting at, Ron was also excited. "Which means even if he's on our side during the battle at the Ministry, he won't be hunted by the other Death Eaters for betraying them. There are only twelve Death Eaters including Voldemort who will be there. None of them will even suspect going after him."
"Tonya will never go for it," Hermione shook her head. "I like it though. Malfoy wouldn't have to worry about anything. He wouldn't be a Death Eater. No tattoo or anything."
"You guys are forgetting one important detail though," Harry reminded them. When they all turned to look at him, he frowned. "This is the year that Malfoy wants to become a Death Eater. He still hates us. It isn't until he's assigned to kill Dumbledore that he actually starts to care for anything."
"He's right," Ginny groaned, slamming her head onto the table now. "And I doubt Malfoy will appreciate us walking up to him with pictures from the future of him and a muggle – an American muggle too, mind you."
Looking around the table, Seamus groaned as well. "And you only have one picture of him in it. It wouldn't be enough proof either way."
Seamus went silent after a while. The pictures all laughed and waved at him. They seemed to be having so much fun. None of them had any idea that in just a couple of months from when those were taken that one of their closest mates would be murdered because he turned his back on a life that everyone expected him to live. Seamus didn't really know Malfoy; or anything about him either. Blaise told him that Malfoy was the only person who knew he was gay, but he didn't tell him that they were together. Not yet at least. Malfoy didn't mind that Blaise was gay, and he even knew that Blaise had a crush on him (Seamus). But he didn't know about them yet. Blaise was too nervous to tell him that much. Then again nobody would have ever expected for one of the lions to fancy a snake.
Sorry that this chapter is so short, but next chapter makes up for it when they finally start the action(: Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts so far! I love you all(:
