A/N: I own nothing, well nothing from the Harry Potter world. But this plot and a few minor things belong to me =]

Hey guys! Did you miss me?

Sorry for taking so long to reply, it's been driving me crazy.

As I told you before, I started school again but on top of that I got sick x.x

But I'm starting to feel better so hopefully I'll be back up to my usual posting.

Thank you to those of you who reviewed!

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Cupcake . Chan . 95 , helikesitheymikey and MrS . mOOny86 again because so far they've been my top reviewers and almost every time they make me smile.

Thanks so much guys.


Chapter Twelve: Malfoys Always Get What They Want


Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room with Katie and Harry. The three sat quietly but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. as it was slowly getting later in the year, the school work was slowly getting harder and the three were currently focused on their homework. Hermione was finishing up on a complicated potion's essay, Harry was supposed to be working on the same one but he had at some point gotten distracted by the Half-Blood Prince's version of their potions text book, and Katie was working on a charms essay. But they weren't the only ones, many of the older students were scattered around the common room, lost in their work.

"Hermione, have you ever heard of this spell?" Harry asked.

"Just a second." Hermione answered as she finished off one of her finishing paragraphs.

Hermione reread it quickly and then shifted her eyes away from the ink filled parchment.

"Okay, what?" Hermione asked him.

"This spell," Harry pointed at something scribbled in the margin of the text book, "have you ever heard of it?"

The bushy haired girl leaned a little bit closer and read the scribbled words.

'Sectumsempra - for enemies.'

Hermione's eyes shot open and she looked over at Harry with a cold look. She remembered what had happened the last time he had asked her that question. She hadn't known the answer at the time. But Harry had eventually found out for himself, after attacking Draco in a boy's bathroom. It turned out to be unlike most of the other spells in the book, this spell was actually Dark Magic. Just the thought of the smell caused the girl's skin to ripple. What were the chances he would try to use it on Draco again? She could remember Harry's description of what had happened. Just the mental image of Draco being sliced open in such a way made her feel like she were going to vomit. Later in the war she had seen it used, and just knowing what it looked like. She couldn't let it happen again...

"Harry, don't you ever use that spell on anyone." Hermione's voice snapped.

She hadn't meant to be so demanding, but she couldn't let him hurt Draco.

"I'm sorry." She whispered a second later, "Harry, that's really dark magic. It shouldn't be in any kind of text book where a student can read it."

"How dark?" The boy asked.

"Please Harry. Don't use it on anyone unless they're like... trying to kill you or something. I'd love to say exclusively for Death Eaters and Voldemort himself."

Harry just nodded at her. She had never not given him an explanation before, but in that moment she wasn't able to. If she even tried to describe the spell she would probably make herself sick. All she could do was hope that Harry would listen to her. He had to realize how important it was right? She had never reacted like that before, so maybe he would understand.

Hermione glanced over at Harry who was just staring at her with an expression that screamed suspicion. She felt stupid for not being able to tell him. But if she did tell him, would he still not use it on Draco? To be fair he had felt bad when he had used the curse on Draco the first time. But if Harry found out something he shouldn't, if his suspicions were proven true then what would happen? She didn't know how the time line was going to turn out anymore. She just couldn't risk it.

"I've got a letter for you." A small second year suddenly interrupted the tense moment.

Their eyes turned to the small Gryffindor boy, and then quickly to the small scroll in his hands. The tidy writing could partially be seen on it and Hermione knew at once it was from Dumbledore. He had been sending Harry these scrolls all year so that he could teach him about the Horcruxes and destroying Voldemort.

"It's from Dumbledore!" Harry said excitedly and reached out for the letter but the child pulled it away.

"It's for Ms. Granger." The boy said nervously, perhaps not wanting to upset the 'Chosen One'.

"What?" Harry and Hermione asked at the same time.

Hermione reached out and took the letter from the boy.

"Thank you." She said and he walked away.

The girl wasted no time in opening the small scroll.

Ms. Granger,

If you had a spare moment, it would be greatly appreciated if you could stop by my office.

-Professor Dumbledore.

P.S; Chocolate Frogs are quite delicious, aren't they?

Hermione and Harry looked up from the letter at the same time. Clearly neither of them had any idea what Dumbledore could want so for a moment nothing was said.

"Is everything okay?" Katie asked causing Hermione to jump. For a moment she had forgotten the other girls presence.

"Oh, yeah. Dumbledore just wants to see me," Hermione said, "Probably about the extra credits I've applied for this year." She continued with a lie, she respected Katie and she trusted her but this could have to do with the Horcruxes and both Hermione and Harry had agreed to keep her in the dark for the time being.

"I'll see you guys later." Hermione assured the two and rushed out of the common room before any more questions could be asked. Hopefully Katie didn't know that you didn't get extra credit through any kind of applying process.

Hermione's mind raced as she made her way down the corridor. What did Dumbledore want with her? In her previous sixth year Dumbledore had never called a one on one between himself and Hermione. All of the meetings had been strictly for Harry. Of course Dumbledore encouraged Harry to share with Hermione and Ron, but never had he told anything to either of them. What changed that now made Dumbledore feel the need to share with her?

Soon enough Hermione reached the second floor and continued down another quiet corridor. Within moments she arrived at her desired destination. Hermione was now stopped to face a stone gargoyle. It was located about halfway down a corridor and to most it would appear to just be any old statue, but they were wrong. It was actually the entrance to the Headmasters Office. Of course, this was stated in the book 'Hogwarts: A History' but most people didn't bother to read it.

"Chocolate Frogs." Hermione spoke clearly.

In the blink of an eye the gargoyle hopped to the side, revealing a spiraled staircase. Hermione hurried up the stairs until she came face to face with a shabby wooden door. Hesitantly the sixteen year old lifted her hand and softly knocked on the door.

"Enter." A familiar voice came from the other side.

Hermione grasped the brass handle and pushed the door open.

"You wished to see me?" Hermione asked as she walked in.

"Yes, please take a seat Ms. Granger."

Hermione obeyed the older man without hesitation and quickly took a seat in one of the two plush seats which were placed on the other side of the desk from where he had been currently sitting.

"So what were you wanting to speak about Professor?"

"Time travel, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said simply.

Hermione's eyes grew wide. How on earth did he know? Had Draco said something?

"How did yo-" But the Headmaster didn't allow her to finish her sentence.

"As you get older, Ms. Granger, you will have become so much more familiar with magic. When you get as old as me, you will have no problem with sensing magic, and as such a bright witch as you are, I'm certain you won't have trouble telling what kind of magic it is either. You see, magic always leaves a mark. Certain kinds of magic have patterns, different casters have signatures. It's all very complicated and most over look it. But not people like you and I, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore spoke, "People like you and I have the ability to expand our minds and see beyond the small details." His voice trailed off for a moment but Hermione said nothing.

"It started one October afternoon, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore started off again, but his tone had changed slightly, it was now the kind of voice you would hear someone take on as they were telling stories around a campfire, "As you and Mr. Potter were walking down to the Great Hall for lunch you passed me in the hall. Instantly I could sense powerful magic, and it was radiating off of you. It wasn't just any kind of magic though, Ms. Granger. It was time travel. But you see, the thing that confused me so was the fact that it had a much different pattern than that of a time turner, but it was time travel nonetheless.

"So I found myself curious. Over the next few days I kept a close eye on you. Needless to say you were acting much different than the last time I had seen you. All of you innocence and happiness had faded from your face. The way you carried yourself seemed weaker, much different from the confident and strong Gryffindor I have always known. It made me wonder Ms. Granger."

Dumbledore stood up from his desk and moved over by the window. He started out of it silently but Hermione knew he wasn't done. She could sense it so she waited to hear what he would say.

"Of course, all I have been able to do is guess. And of course if I were to venture a guess I would say that you had married Mr. Weasley. But it wasn't a pleasant marriage but instead one of abuse."

"Professor how could you possi-" Once again she was cut off.

"Well you and Mr. Weasley always seemed to be drawn to one another. It seemed fitting enough. Of course I always wondered if something would spark up between yourself and Mr. Potter," Hermione's cheeks flushed at the thought of herself and Harry. It just seemed so wrong, so she couldn't help the heat in her face, Dumbledore however seemed not to notice, "but I knew chances were better with Mr. Weasley. After this magic began radiating off of you I saw a difference in the way you acted towards Mr. Weasley. Only days before the two of you had been flirting shyly, it was obvious to many. But it all faded very quickly. Every time you looked at him I could see fear in your pained face, you began to avoid him and soon enough you stopped talking completely. It made sense. So I'm going to assume that I was correct?"

Hermione just nodded weakly. She always knew that Dumbledore was one of the greatest wizarding minds of all time, but she had never really experienced it as she was in that moment. It blew her mind how easy it was for him to see the things that she was able to keep hidden from everyone else.

"So I would like to ask you what happened." Dumbledore paced over and once again took her seat.

"One day at work I was upset with Ron. Because of Ron I worked as a part of the Accidental Magic Reversal Department. I was working on a clock that had been jinxed by a five year old who was beginning to show signs of magic and in the process of fixing it I got to distracted by my emotions and somehow I ended up back in time." Hermione said quietly.

"How interesting. And so far nothing has happened? You don't go back and forth between the two? Or you haven't had a run in with yourself?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"No. The only thing that I've really had to deal with is what is known to the muggles as 'The Butterfly Effect'." Hermione explained, "It basically means that any small thing that happens, has a chain reactions which causes many other things to happen. So if one goes back in time, and one small thing changes, then there will be a completely different chain reaction which could lead to a completely different outcome."

"How interesting. So am I to assume that the relationship between yourself and Mr. Malfoy is part of this so called 'Butterfly Effect'?" The headmaster asked.

Hermione's cheeks grew scarlet again, "Professor how do you know this time?"

"Well, Ms. Granger, I may be getting quite old but I am not blind. I see the way that he looks at you. I've noticed you both giving each other glances, an occasional smile when no one is looking. I even know that he went home with you for the holidays. As I have protection on yours and Mr. Weasley's houses because of your connection with Mr. Potter, I am quite aware of everyone that entered your house."

"Yes, it is part of that." Hermione admitted.

"So, I'm again, going to assume that you know what Mr. Malfoy is up to?" Dumbledore questioned.

Hermione swallowed hard and nodded, her stomach had suddenly turned.

"And does he succeed?" Dumbledore asked, when she didn't answer he added, "In killing me?"

Hermione nodded again.

"And the war, you know the outcome?" Dumbledore asked.

Hermione nodded once again, it was a bit easier this time. He seemed to take her silence as a good thing because a lighter expression crossed his face.

"Excellent." He said softly, "Ms. Granger. I have a favor to ask of you." Dumbledore said in a much more serious voice.

"Of course sir." Hermione said in a low voice. She had barely been able to mutter the words. Her words rarely failed her, so she wasn't sure why they were then.

"Unless Mr. Malfoy realizes that you know, because the looks he has been giving Mr. Weasley leads me to believe that he is more than aware of your little secret, I don't want you to bring it up with him. As hard as it may be, I would like you to allow him to finish what he needs to get done. By now you should already know that my death is my own choice. This is to protect Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore assured her.

Hermione nodded again, not sure what to say anymore. Was she really supposed to sit back and just let the greatest wizard of all time be killed?

"And I would like for you not to tell Harry anything. After I am dead, I am hoping you will be able to persuade Mr. Malfoy into safety."

Hermione left the office with to many thoughts racing through her head. She was supposed to sit back and let one of her best friends kill the greatest wizard she had ever known, while lying to her other best friend and letting his world crumble before his eyes. Dumbledore was such an important person to Harry. She saw what it had done to him the first time. Could she really just let that happen to him again? Well, it didn't look like she had much of a choice. How badly could things spin out of control if she accidentally let it slip?

Actually hearing Dumbledore say that he wanted Draco to kill him made her feel a bit better though. Was it actually murder if the victim intended for it to happen? The only reason Draco was even doing it was because of Voldemort's threats, and to be fair Draco hadn't even been able to do it. Snape had to do it for him in the end. It showed that at heart Draco was not a murderer. He was simply someone forced into something so much bigger than him, just because of his fathers stupid mistakes.

"Hey you." A voice said softly, causing Hermione to jump for the second time that day.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack." Hermione whispered back.

"I'm sorry." Draco said and wrapped an arm around her from behind, "We should go somewhere else."

Hermione looked around the deserted corridor and nodded. It was empty now but she knew that any moment someone else could pass by and they didn't need any rumors spreading around.

Fifteen minutes later Hermione and Draco were laying on a sofa in the room of requirements. Her head rested on his chest as she stared into the fire. They were both silent but that was alright. They didn't always need words to spend time together. For Hermione it was just comforting to have him around. He was the one person that knew exactly what Ron had done to her. His support had been helping her so much. He allowed her to rant, to cry, to do anything that made her feel better. And sometimes, just like anyone else, she just needed to be held. So there they lay.

"So who did I marry?" Draco asked, breaking the silence.

"Astoria Greengrass."

Draco let out a soft chuckle, "Was my father out of prison yet?"

"Yeah." She said, she almost told him that his family was pardoned after the war but she managed to keep it in. She didn't know what she was allowed to tell him.

"Looks like I never got away from an arranged marriage after all." Draco said with a sigh. His hand moved up to where Hermione's was resting on his chest and he laid his on top of hers, "The Greengrass' are distant family friends. I suppose since my mom called off the one with Pansy, he expected me to carry on the Pure-Blood line anyway."

"You know," Hermione said as she moved her gaze up to meet his, "just because that happened before doesn't mean it's your sealed fate. We were never friends before. You can always change something if you don't like it." She had a feeling that she shouldn't be giving him this advice but it didn't matter. She didn't want him to be unhappy, "Maybe what your father wants isn't always whats best. This is your life. You get to choose."

Draco stared at her for a moment and nodded. He looked away and stared at the roof for a moment, as though he were considering her words.

"You know, I've never actually thought about it that way before. It's always been about what my dad wants..." His voice trailed off.

"Well, clearly it isn't always that way. Maybe just the way your thoughts process. But if it was always about what your father wants would you be here right now?"

Draco chuckled, "Always out smarting me. You know, you may just be to clever for your own good."

"I'm not that much smarter than you are and you know it. You're easily the second smartest person in our year." She pointed out.

"And you know, you're not that much different than I am." He told her, it seemed random but she decided to just go with it.

"How so?"

"I always consider what my father wants, instead of what I want. You did the same thing with the weasel." He said softly, trying not to offend her.

Hermione sat there and contemplated his thoughts for a moment.

"Maybe we should just both start thinking for ourselves. We're both better off without other people telling us how to live our lives."

"I agree with you. Sometimes I just worry more about making my father proud than allowing myself to be happy. He always seemed so distant when I was younger, and now he's always so devoted to the Dark Lord. I suppose I just wanted to get his attention. I wanted him to be proud of me so maybe for once, he could just act like my father." Draco moved his fingers across her hand as though he were drawing patterns on it.

"That's the same reason that I let Ron do that to me for so long. I just wanted him to love me. It wasn't worth it though."

"Could you promise me something?" Draco asked.

"Of course."

"Don't let him hurt you like that again." Draco sighed.

"On one condition."

"What?"

"Don't lead your life based on your father's wishes."

"I couldn't do that. I'd have to ditch you."

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes, "Well I'm glad that I'm important." She joked.

"You are." He assured her.

For a moment the two stared at each other. Hermione could feel the vibe of the room change but she couldn't bring herself to look away. There was just something about his gray eyes that held her captive in his gaze. For the second time since they became friends Draco leaned in and took her by surprise by simply grazing his lips against hers. The kiss didn't last more than a few seconds before Hermione pulled away. This time she didn't run.

"As unusually pleasant as that is. I just don't think I'm ready quiet yet." She whispered, the butterflies in her stomach seemed to disagree.

"I know, but someday you will be." He whispered, his face still extremely close to hers, "And I don't plan on giving up anytime soon."

"You know, I'm not just any girl. Who says I'll fall for your stupid charm?"

"No, you aren't just any girl. You're the only one that annoys me more than anyone else possibly can. You're the only one that listens to anything I have to say. And you already have fallen for my stupid charm. You just don't know it yet."

"You're so full of yourself." Hermione teased.

"No, I just know what I want." Draco assured her, "And you know what they say about Malfoys, don't you?"

"No, what do they say?" Hermione asked.

"They always get what they want." He said in a teasing voice.

Hermione's cheeks flushed as she stared into the fire. This time she chose to say nothing. He was openly admitting that he liked her. Sure, before he had kissed her and he had felt bad about it. But the kiss could have been just because. He was admitting he had feelings, feelings for her. Trying to imagine Draco having feelings for a person was actually kind of hard. For the whole time she had known him it seemed like the only person he could possibly care about was himself. And now of all people in the world he liked her, Hermione Granger.

"Are you sure this is real?" Hermione asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you sure this world is real? Because it's more bizarre than the one I left behind."

"Yeah, you're quite weird aren't you?"

Hermione laughed and playfully slapped him, "Oh shush, you know what I meant."

"Well, I can't prove it's real but I think it is."

The conversation died soon after that and they both continued to lay there. It wasn't long before Hermione felt her eyelids growing heavy and her body seemed to slump into place. A warm slumber was calling her name and she was to comfortable to leave so instead she let the feeling wash over her body and soon she was far away in her own little world.

"Hermione?" Draco whispered, "Are you awake?"

After a moment of no response Draco laid his head back so he was staring up at the roof. The boy let out a heavy sigh and softly stated, "I'm so sorry that I have to hurt you." And then he joined her in a silent slumber.


A/N: Ahh! Cliffhanger! And not a nice one either.

I'm sorry guys but there is a plot to this . I hate to ruin such a fluffy moment but it had to happen.

This cliffhanger won't really be show for a while either, so it's just going to linger in the back of your minds.

To clear up some confusion, NO, Katie Bell is not the Katie that is Harry's girlfriend.

I hadn't planned on mentioning Katie Bell in the story but it ended up just coming up.

Hope you guys liked the chapter, even with the ending.

Please review guys =]

I'll try to post again really soon.