Chapter 34: Sanctuary

Harry's chest constricted painfully, as his breath came in short gasps. He felt light-headed and he knew that he would start to hyperventilate, if he didn't start breathing deeply soon. A panic that he hadn't felt in a very long time had set in after this dream, upon the realization that Voldemort knew. All those months they had been able to keep this secret and now it was out in the open.

Dark dots appeared in front of his eyes, a clear sign for the lack of air, and Harry closed his eyes. Trying to get the panic back under control, Harry tried to clear his mind of all thoughts concerning what he had just seen and heard, and took deep and regular breaths. His lungs were thankful and the light-headedness faded slowly but surely. However, first when Harry was sure that he had his panic attack under control, he opened his eyes again.

It was dark in his room, but as soon as he willed his wand into his hand through the holster he was wearing along his lower arm (even at night), the room was lit up by a non-verbal 'Lumos'. Without letting go of his wand, Harry grabbed his jeans and quickly slipped them on and then pulled a T-shirt over his head, while he was already on his way to the door. He pulled it open and with another wave of his wand, the flames in the fireplace in the room roared to life again, penetrating the darkness of the common room.

Shadows played on the walls, but Harry didn't pay them any heed, as he was already on his way to one of the other doors. "Ron!" he called, pounding at his friend's door. "Wake up!" Without waiting another second for his friend to react, Harry pushed the handle down and rushed through the door. Ron was sitting up in his bed, his hair sticking up wildly and looking around confused.

When his eyes landed on Harry, the look on his face turned from confused to worried. "Harry, mate, what's up?"

"Get dressed and come to the common room. We have to talk to Dumbledore."

He didn't say another word, leaving his concerned friend behind, who was already grabbing his clothes from a nearby chair, as he hurried through the door. However, just as he wanted to knock at the door to Hermione's room, it was already pulled open from the inside. Harry shouldn't have been surprised to see Draco in front of him instead of Hermione.

"Just what the fucking hell is going on here?" he demanded. Hermione was standing behind Draco, quickly tying the belt of the dressing gown around her waist.

She looked at him with worrying brown eyes. "Harry?"

"Voldemort knows," Harry simply said, as he also noticed Ron coming up behind him. "We need to talk to Dumbledore and decide what we should do now."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. "He knows? What does he know?"

Hermione's eyes had widened in shock and fear, while Draco's eyes narrowed and his whole body tensed. "How… how did he find out?" Hermione asked, her voice shaking.

Harry lowered his eyes in shame, as he thought back to his own irresponsibility. How could he have ever talked so openly outside, when everyone could have been listening? "Wormtail…" he mumbled, his shoulders sagging in guilt. "Wormtail eavesdropped on a conversation between me and my mum. We have been… careless."

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, when he was finally awake enough to understand just what exactly was going on.

"My thoughts exactly, Weasley," Draco muttered, and then, directed at Harry, asked, "Vision?"

Harry nodded silently, his lips pressed tightly together. His fingers were itching. He needed to do something, anything. Just standing around here and explaining to his friends what was going on didn't help them. "Listen," it suddenly burst out of him. His head was beginning to pound and he clenched and unclenched his fists. Voldemort knew and they needed to decide on an action. Now. "We need to get to Dumbledore. He has to know. So, either you're coming with me or you're staying here."

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," Draco snapped at him. "We know this situation is serious, so no need to yell at us. Let's everybody just calm down... Shall we? Hermione and I, we will get dressed and you Potter should put on some shoes, unless you want to walk the halls in bare feet. I think this would really go down well should we meet some of our students."

"It's ten past two in the morning!"

Draco only raised his eyebrows at Harry's outburst, as if asking him, if that had stopped him as a student. He didn't react otherwise, instead Draco just turned around, wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and was just about to close the door, when he said, "We'll be ready in a moment. Don't leave without us."

The door fell shut, leaving Ron and Harry standing alone in the common room. Harry's palms began to sting, as his nails dug deep into the skin and once again had to take steadying breaths to keep the panic from reappearing. When he felt Ron's hand on his shoulder, he looked up at him.

"Your shoes," Ron simply said and held a pair of black sneakers in front of him. "Draco's right, Harry. You need to calm down. I admit that it's terrible that he knows, but the world doesn't end just because of it. And we can't change it anymore. Let's talk to Dumbledore before we make any rash decisions."

Harry nodded, as he took the shoes and put them on. Ron was right, no matter how hard it was to accept it. It had happened, he couldn't change it anymore, he couldn't correct this mistake. The only thing he could do now was keep the damage as minimal as possible and to do that he needed to get a grip of himself. He wasn't fifteen years old any longer, ready to rush headlong into danger. He needed to think before he acted. "Thanks…"

"Anytime, mate."

Ron's grin turned into a serious expression, when Draco and Hermione came into the room, both of them now fully dressed and Hermione had her mob of hair pulled back into a messy bun. They wore the same serious expressions on their faces and Harry took a deep breath. "I'm sorry…"

"Oh Harry!" The look on Hermione's face softened, as she stepped up to him and hugged him tightly. "It's alright. We understand. It's not your fault, Harry… It could have happened to any of us. Especially considering…" Suddenly, Hermione broke off in the middle of the sentence and let go of him.

"Considering, what?" Ron asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing… not now… later… Now we need to go to Dumbledore."

"But we shouldn't go to him before giving him a warning that we're coming," Draco interjected. "Cuddy!" With a quiet popping sound, a young house-elf suddenly appeared in their common room. "Go to Dumbledore and tell him that we're on the way. It's very important."

"Yes, sir!"

The house-elf disappeared again and Hermione gave Draco a dirty look. He just shrugged and smirked. "What? I don't think the old man would appreciate it, if we'd just appear in his office in the middle of the night without telling him that we're coming."

Harry watched the exchange and felt a slight tug at his lips, which, however, quickly disappeared again. "We should hurry."

"Of course, mate." Ron clapped him on the shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. Harry returned the smile briefly, before he resolutely walked through the portrait hole. His friends followed him without hesitation.

Contrary to Draco's earlier comment, they didn't meet anyone on the way to the Headmaster's office, not even Filch or his cat Mrs. Norris. As soon as they reached the gargoyle that was guarding the entrance, Harry wanted to announce the password, but the gargoyle jumped aside before he could even open his mouth. Dumbledore was expecting them.

The four time travellers walked up the stairs and Harry knocked shortly on the wooden door to the office before entering. Just as Harry had expected, Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk. He wore a purple dressing gown over his nightgown and still wore the white nightcap on his head. His blue eyes were regarding them over his half-moon spectacles, while his hands were folded on the desk.

"Good morning," he greeted them, his voice serious. "Cuddy said that this meeting was important."

"Yes," Harry told him gravely. "I had a vision. Voldemort knows that we're from the future."

"Aah…" Dumbledore closed his eyes briefly and Harry noticed how the old wizard's whole body seemed to tense for a split second, before he opened his eyes again. "Are you completely sure that this is what you saw?"

Forcing his voice to sound calm and professional, hoping that it wouldn't betray any of the panic he was feeling, Harry answered, "Without any doubt. I watched a conversation between him and Wormtail. In this vision, it was revealed that Wormtail has eavesdropped on a conversation between me and my mother and reported this to Voldemort. Voldemort believed him."

Harry felt the tension in his body grow even more, as he waited for Dumbledore to say something about it. The old wizard breathed deeply, almost sighing, and closed his eyes again. Harry had to fight the urge to walk up do him and demand that they do something right now, but Ron's calming hand on his shoulder stopped him. It had really been a long time, since Harry had felt so agitated, and he really wasn't coping well.

Finally, after seemingly endless long minutes, Dumbledore opened his eyes again. The expression on his face was a grim but determined one. "This situation is extremely serious and I have to admit that I don't know what Voldemort might do with this information. However, one thing is sure. Harry, Ronald, your families need to be informed, but I'm sure, you're already aware of that. I think it would be best, if you brought them to Hogwarts, until we have strengthened the wards around their homes. As you know, the fireplace in my office is connected to their homes. You may go now. I'll have some rooms prepared for them."

"Thank you," Harry mumbled, feeling some relief. At least his and Ron's families would be safe at Hogwarts. Suddenly his eyes widened. "But Albus, surely Ron's and my families aren't the only ones in danger. If Voldemort knows that Ron and I are from the future, he will also come to the conclusion that Hermione and Draco are too."

Ron nodded, as he said, "Harry's right, sir. Even though Hermione's parents are Muggles, I don't doubt that he will be able to find them. And as for Malfoy… he might be using a different name, but even Snape recognized him, when he knew of the time travel."

"Of course," Dumbledore mumbled, inclining his head towards the couple. "I apologize for my oversight. Draco, I don't know about your mother, but I do know that Lucius is a Death Eater. However, I'm not above giving willing people a second chance, so if you want to offer them and your younger self sanctuary here at Hogwarts, I will be willing to give Lucius this chance."

Draco kept his face neutral, but it was evident in his voice and posture how much this really affected him. He was even tenser than Harry, if that was possible, and his stormy grey eyes betrayed the inner turmoil. "I really don't care about my father," he spat the last word. "The Dark Lord may kill the bastard, if he wishes to."

"And what about your mother? Is Narcissa worth saving in your eyes?"

Hermione took Draco's hand and entwined her fingers with his, as Dumbledore asked this question. Harry could clearly see Draco's shoulders tremble underneath the clothes. He didn't know much about Narcissa, only that she had died towards the end of their sixth year. He had never found out the true circumstances of her death, only that she had apparently been murdered. Ashamed, Harry realized that he had never even thought about what Draco, whom he now started to consider as one of his friends, might have felt back then.

"If there's a way…?" Blond bangs fell into Draco's eyes, as he lowered his head at the end of this question, almost all pretence gone. At that moment, when Draco's defensive front wavered, Harry got a good look at the young man that was hidden most of the time under the swagger and bravado, at his vulnerability and most of all his ability to care for other people. This had to be the Draco that Hermione had gotten to know and fallen in love with, Harry thought with an inner smile. And at that moment he wondered, how he had ever worried about Draco being the right one for his friend.

Instead of answering Draco's question, Dumbledore regarded him calmly for a moment, and then picked up a Knut that was lying on his desk, probably for paying the morning edition of the Prophet. The Headmaster waved his wand and the Knut glowed for a short moment. "This Portkey will bring you to Wiltshire, near the Manor. As Malfoy heir, you shouldn't have any problems getting inside. When you have found your mother and your younger self, simply let them touch the Portkey at the same time as you do. The password that will bring you back to Hogwarts is Sanctuary. You should go now, I have this feeling that time is of the essence."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Draco said, pulling himself up to his full height; all traces of his former weakness were gone. He took the Knut and just a split second later, he had disappeared.

"Draco!" Hermione cried, but it was too late. Her hand was grasping air. Her eyes shone with worry and fear for Draco, and some tears ran down her cheeks. Fortunately, Ron was immediately by her side and pulled her into his arms.

"Hush… Don't worry, the insufferable git will be alright. Nothing will happen."

Harry really hated to break up the moment, especially seeing as Hermione obviously needed the comfort, but he and Ron needed to go now, too. They shouldn't forget that their families were also in danger. "Ron…" he said quietly.

"Okay…" his friend replied, as he gently pulled away from Hermione. He wiped the tears from her face with the sleeves of his jumper and offered her a mischievous grin. "Don't forget, 'Mione… It's Malfoy. Before you know, he'll be back to annoy us all."

"He's right," Harry added, also allowing a small grin on his face. "Besides, he's got you waiting for him. And we promise that we'll be back in a few minutes, too. Why don't you use this time and talk to Albus about what we should do about your parents. We can't just kidnap them and bring them to Hogwarts; after all, they don't know about magic, yet."

Hermione sniffed once, as a resolved face appeared on her face. "You're right, both of you. I'm just being stupid." She returned their grins. "And now, off you go. I don't want to see you come back without your families."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am!" Ron saluted playfully. After both of them had exchanged one more look with both Hermione and Dumbledore, Harry and Ron each grabbed a handful of Floo powder. Ron went first through the fire, before Harry stepped into the fireplace and announced loudly and clearly, "Godric's Lane 7."

Travelling by Floo was something Harry liked even less than Apparating, but with the numerous wards already surrounding his parents' house, it would be either this, broom or Portkey. The broom would always be Harry's favourite, but if he had to choose between Floo and Portkey, he would always choose the first method. Ever since the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, Harry distrusted Portkeys on principle

However, two major flaws of Flooing were of course Harry's less than graceful landings and the soot that would always cover him from head to toe. Usually, Harry would use a cleaning charm to get rid of it, but not tonight. This time, when Harry stumbled out of the fireplace into the dark living room, his mind was set on getting his parents to Hogwarts, ignoring everything else.

"Mum? Dad?" he croaked, as he scrambled to his feet again. Once he was standing more or less upright again, he was already moving through the dark living room. He almost couldn't see a thing, so it wasn't a big surprise that he stubbed his toe at the coffee table. Fortunately, since he was wearing his sneakers, it didn't hurt nearly as much as it would have, had he not been wearing any shoes, but still he couldn't keep the curse from escaping his mouth, as he stumbled on towards the door.

The door to the corridor was standing open and just as he wanted to leave the living room, he was nearly blinded by a harsh light, as the point of a wand was shoved at his face. He couldn't see more than a shadow behind the glaring light.

"Whoa!" Harry raised his hand to shield his eyes, but this reaction only caused the wand to come closer to his face. Hoping that he identified the shadow correctly, Harry quickly said, "Dad! It's me!"

It took two more seconds until the wand was lowered, not completely, but enough so that Harry could see that he had been right. It was his father in front of him. However, the wand was still raised high enough to be used in an attack. "What is the main point of the Prophecy?" James asked warily.

Harry sighed in relief. This question was easy to answer, at least for him. "And neither can live while the other survives."

Finally, the wand was lowered so that its tip pointed to the ground and James ran a hand through his messy hair. "Bloody hell, Harry," he muttered. "What are you doing here at half past two in the morning? I was just in the kitchen, getting some water, when I heard some noise coming from the living room. I had thought that Voldemort or some Death Eaters had finally decided to come to finish—"

James stopped in the middle of the sentence, when he saw the grimace on Harry's face. "That's why I'm here," Harry explained quickly. "I had a vision not even half an hour ago. Voldemort knows that you're my parents and that we're from the future. It might only be a matter of time, before he really comes to Godric's Hollow. And that's why you have to get out of here…"

Behind his father, Harry saw his mother slowly coming down the stairs, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "James? What's going on?"

"Grab some clothes," Harry continued simply, "for both of you and the child and some other things you might need. But don't take much and hurry. I don't know how much time we'll have."

"Harry?" By now, Lily had reached the bottom of the stairs and was looking at them with a confused and scared look in her eyes. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night. Has something happened?"

"We're in danger," James simply said, giving Harry a probing look. Harry thought he could see the dislike about running away instead of fighting in his father's eyes, but eventually reason won the fight and James nodded. "Lily, get Harry and take some clothes. We're going to Hogwarts."

Releasing a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding the whole time, Harry said, "Go with her. I'll keep watch. Don't worry, I'll know when he comes."

James gaze flickered to Harry's scar for a second, before he went for the stairs, ushering Lily upstairs. "We'll be back down in a moment."

"Hurry," Harry told him again, letting his wand slip into his right hand. James just nodded again and followed his wife to the upper floor. Soft cries could be heard and Harry could imagine that his younger self wouldn't be happy about being woken up at this time of the night. Straining his ears, Harry tried to listen to every unusual sound and paid extra attention to even the slightest pain from his scar.

But nothing happened, and finally, after an excruciating wait, James and Lily, with little Harry settled on her hips, hurried down the stairs. Both of them were carrying a backpack and Harry took the extra bag James was carrying over his shoulder for the boy.

"How are we getting to Hogwarts?" Lily asked.

"Floo. I guess that Albus will seal the entrance to Hogwarts through your fireplace the moment we're back."

"Alright…" Resolutely, James went to the fireplace and opened the jar on the mantle. "Lily, you and Harry go first."

Knowing better than to protest, Lily took a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. After having announced her destination loudly and clearly, she disappeared in the green flames.

"Now you," Harry insisted, as he saw that James was about to offer to him to go first. There was no way that he was leaving his father behind, not when it was so obvious that James would rather fight than flee.

The two young men stared at each other long and hard, but Harry didn't give in, and in the end, James just shook his head, took a handful of the powder and disappeared through the flames. However, before Harry followed him, he lit his wand briefly and gazed around the living room, wondering if he would ever see this place again or if it would be lying in shambles the next time he came here.

The light on the tip of his wand vanished, as Harry took some Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. "Hogwarts," he said and just a moment later, he found himself whirring past other fireplaces. Soon enough, he once again stumbled out of a fireplace, directly in the arms of his father, who kept him upright. "Thanks," he muttered, as he stepped away and looked around.

Much to his surprise, Draco was sitting on a couch that hadn't been there before, with Hermione hovering nervously next to him. But this wasn't what had caught Harry's gaze, because next to Draco on the couch, he saw a much younger and gentler looking Narcissa Malfoy, who was holding a blond toddler in her arms. Draco was talking to her in soft tones, but she just kept shaking her head, causing Draco to run his hand through his own blond hair.

Not wanting to disturb them, Harry continued to look around, and a frown appeared on his face, when he noticed that Ron and the Weasleys hadn't returned yet. His gaze wandered to the fireplace and for a moment he contemplated, whether he should go to the Burrow himself to check on them. However, he also shouldn't forget that Arthur and Molly would have to round up four children and two of those four children were the twins.

"Don't worry, Harry," Dumbledore, who had suddenly appeared next to him, said. "They'll be here soon, I'm sure of it."

"I hope you're right," Harry could only mumble, when he felt the soft touch of his mother's hand on his shoulder. James had taken over little Harry duty and it seemed the she wanted to take care of him. He covered her hand with his own and turned to give her a light smile.

Lily returned the smile and entwined his fingers with hers. Taking a step back and tugging at his hand, she said gently, "Come on, Harry. Let's sit down. You'll see, Ron and the Weasleys will be back in a few minutes."

Harry nodded, even though sitting down and doing nothing was the last thing he wanted to do at that very moment. His fingers were itching and yet, he let himself be pulled along to another couch that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Against every urge that told him to go to the Burrow to see what took Ron so long, Harry sat down between his parents, but he couldn't sit still.

For seemingly hours he fidgeted, clenched and unclenched his fists, and looked around the room, from the fireplace, to Dumbledore, who was sitting apparently serenely behind his desk, to the other couch to Draco, Hermione and Narcissa Malfoy, back to the fireplace. His mother was soothingly rubbing his back, but it didn't help Harry to relax at all. Time was passing, too much time in his opinion, and still no sign of Ron. None of them was talking, all of them lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Harry was just about to jump up and go to the Burrow, the green flames flared up and Molly Weasley stepped out of the fireplace, clutching a red-haired toddler tightly to her chest over her rounded stomach. Harry immediately left the couch, and also Lily, James and Dumbledore rose, to welcome them. Next came Percy, then Fred and George, followed by Arthur and then at last came Ron. The Weasleys, and especially the kids, appeared to be incredibly tired, being unusually quiet, but at least they were unharmed. Harry heaved a sigh of relief, when all of them were through, and quickly walked up to Ron, pulling him into a brotherly hug. "Don't let us ever wait so long again, mate!" he muttered.

"Sorry," Ron replied with a strained grin, as Harry let go. "Took a bit longer than expected to get the kids ready. But I see the rest is already here." The smile immediately turned into a grimace, when his eyes fell on Narcissa Malfoy.

Harry saw that Dumbledore had gone to the fireplace immediately after Ron had come through, waving his wand in a complicated pattern. The fireplace glowed golden for a short moment, before Dumbledore stopped and turned to look at them. "Welcome to Hogwarts," he told them. "I'm not sure, if our guests have gotten a full explanation as to why they had to come here, except for that they are in danger in their own homes. But let me assure you that you will be safe here at Hogwarts."

A rustle to his right turned Harry's eyes momentarily away from Dumbledore, and he noticed that Narcissa Malfoy had risen from her chair, still holding tightly onto a sleeping young Draco. Her face was pale, paler than usual Harry guessed, but her lips were set into a determined line. "Headmaster," she said, her voice more composed than she looked, "I don't understand at all. This young man arrived at my home, claiming that he is my son from the future and that I'm in danger. I think you understand, why this might be hard to believe."

"Of course, dear Narcissa," Dumbledore replied gently. "But believe me, this young man is indeed your son. He and his three friends were sent into the past by Voldemort. They've been here since the beginning of last August, posing as teachers at this school. But now their identity has become known to Voldemort and this means that you and your children are all in danger."

"Impossible," Narcissa mumbled, shaking her head again, but her eyes had lost some of the distrust Harry had been able to see earlier. She looked over her shoulder to Draco, who was standing in front of the couch with an unreadable look on her face, before she turned around. "And yet, I can't deny the resemblance to my husband."

"I'm Draco Eirian Malfoy, your son," Draco simply said. "I can't prove it, so I can only hope that you will trust the Headmaster. But even if you don't believe me, believe at least that you and your child are in danger, because the Dark Lord has found out that we're from the future and he will realize that I'm Draco Malfoy, sooner or later. You already died once because of me, I don't wish for you to die again."

Harry almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. Never before had he heard Draco talk like this, not even after he had killed his own father. He felt compassion for the young man, who hid so much of his past and of himself, and really hoped that Narcissa would realize that Draco was truly her son. Draco deserved this; he and Hermione were the only ones who didn't have contact to their parents in this time… And this reminded Harry of another important topic of this night.

"Albus," he began quietly, not wanting to disturb the silence that had followed Draco's declaration. But at the same time, he thought that Draco might feel uncomfortable with all the attention directed at him, so he thought he was doing him a favour by changing the topic. "Have you and Hermione already talked about what to do about her parents?"

"We have." It was Hermione, who answered him, not Dumbledore. She had left Draco's side, giving him some privacy, and was now coming up to them. "It just took a few minutes to decide that I'm going to talk to them later today and tell them about the magical world. Their daughter is magical, so this is a plausible explanation, also for their being in danger, seeing as Voldemort wants to rid the world of Muggle-borns."

"You're not going alone!" Ron suddenly exclaimed, flanking her on the right side, so that she was standing directly between Harry and Ron. "I'm coming with you."

"And so am I," Harry agreed with a light grin.

"I'll be with you, too, of course." Much to his surprise, Draco, too, had joined them. He was obviously incredibly exhausted, both physically and emotionally. And still, despite the situation with Narcissa, he was ready to stand by Hermione's side, when she would face her parents. Harry's opinion of Draco had risen to incredibly heights alone in this night.

Suddenly, Dumbledore clapped his hands, getting their attention. "This has been a most strenuous night for all of us, and although I'm sure that especially our guests still have many questions, I'd suggest that we meet again later today, after we've had a few hours rest. I've had some rooms prepared for you—" as he said this, one house-elf appeared in his office, "—and I've asked Cuddy to show you to your rooms. Come morning, you may either have breakfast in your own rooms or you are welcome to the Great Hall. Until then, I bid you a few good and restful hours."

Muttered 'thank you's' could be heard throughout the office and slowly, one after another, they left the office. They didn't exchange any words and the time travellers parted from their families at one of the many staircases. The Potters and Weasleys agreed that they would meet for breakfast in the time travellers' room, but neither Draco nor Narcissa mentioned anything about breakfast. Harry couldn't help but feel that Narcissa wouldn't leave her room very often and that it would be a few hard days for Draco until his mother finally believed him and Dumbledore.

But first they had to tackle another obstacle – how to tell Hermione's parents about the magical world.