A/N: Characters don't belong to me. Written for Dramione RomCom 2020 fest. Thanks to my beta, dreamsofdramione!

4.26.10

"Daddy?"

Draco pretended to stay asleep.

"Daddy. Wake up." Scorpius was still considerately whispering.

Draco didn't move.

Scorpius poked him in the shoulder. "Daddy!"

Draco rolled over as though turning in his sleep. He paid for his little joke, however, because Scorpius climbed onto the bed, slung one leg over Draco, and sat down on him—hard.

"Oomph!" Draco's eyes flew open as he grabbed his son and tossed him sideways onto the bed.

Scorpius lay there shrieking with laughter, and Draco grinned down at him. "You are getting too big for such things, Score."

"But it's time to wake up! You're coming to my school today!"

Draco nodded. "That's right, I'm dropping you off." How Scorpius knew that, he wasn't sure.

"No, Daddy! You're coming to my class!" His expression was suddenly quite serious. "Don't you remember?"

"Remind me."

Scorpius sat up and put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "It's career day. Well, actually, it's career week, but Miss Granger scheduled you for today. You're coming to talk to my class about your work!"

Draco blinked, then let out a laugh. He remembered attending career day, but the date had meant nothing to him at the time. It amused him to no end that Hermione had scheduled it for April 26th. "Oh, that career day. I thought you meant the one where I told everyone what my dream career is—an international Quidditch player, of course."

"Daddy, don't be silly. I hardly ever see you fly. You can't be that good."

Draco's smile faltered. "I'll have you know I was an excellent flier once."

Scorpius jumped up and down on the bed. "Will you teach me to fly? Maybe you can teach my whole class!"

"I'm not sure the other parents would appreciate that. But I'll definitely teach you."

Scorpius made a face. "On one of those kid brooms? Or a real broom?"

Draco laughed. "Let's start with the kid broom and see how we do, all right? Now, we both need to get ready to go! Have you seen your mother this morning?"

"No. Remember last year? She wants to sleep in, no disturbances."

"We'll let her sleep then. I've got to shower, you go get dressed, and I'll meet you in the kitchen in ten minutes."

Scorpius nodded his head importantly. "Got it. I'll beat you though!" He took off running out the door.

ooo

Draco's stomach was in twisty knots as he threw a handful of Floo powder into the flames of the main fireplace at the Manor.

It was silly, but he'd nearly kissed Hermione the last time he saw her, and he had no idea what to expect. A year had passed for her; maybe she had forgotten about it? Or maybe she hadn't even noticed?

However, she had looked like she'd wanted to kiss him, too.

As soon as they landed, Scorpius pulled him by the hand.

"Whoa, let's check in before we go roaming, Score." Draco stopped at the front desk, logged his wand, and was directed to Hermione's classroom.

Scorpius resumed trying to rip Draco's arm from its socket, making Draco chuckle at his enthusiasm.

They'd come a little early, as requested, so Hermione was the only person in the classroom. She looked up when they entered, her eyes darting to Draco's.

He smirked; he'd have to pretend a bit today, but he thought he might have some fun with it. "Good morning, Hermione."

Scorpius stood on his tip toes and tried to whisper-shout into Draco's ear. "It's Miss Granger, Daddy."

Hermione jumped in. "Remember, Scorpius. That's what my students call me, but your father is an adult and may call me by my name." She crossed the room and held out her hand. "Good morning, Mr. Malfoy. Thank you so much for coming and giving us some of your valuable time."

For an instant, Draco panicked, thinking something had gone wrong. But then Hermione winked at him and gently pulled her hand out if his; he'd forgotten to release it. He cleared his throat. "Um, thank you for having me. What exactly am I doing again?"

She chuckled. "Mr. Malfoy, are you unprepared for an appointment? That doesn't seem very professional." Her eyes sparkled.

So she wanted to have some fun, too. All right, then.

"Perhaps I was given incomplete directions. It's possible you're falling off in your duties." He sighed dramatically. "This certainly doesn't leave a good impression, Miss Granger."

It was her turn to smirk. "Oh, I sent home a very detailed letter to all parents with a complete list of what we're looking for, Mr. Malfoy. Perhaps you've got an organization problem at home."

"Kind of you to be concerned, Miss Granger, but rest assured, there's nothing wrong with my organizational skills."

She leaned slightly closer, her arms loosely crossed over her chest and gave him a look of mock severity. "Something amiss with your reading comprehension, then? The letter was perfectly clear."

Draco opened his mouth to retort but felt Scorpius tug his hand.

"Daddy?"

Draco knelt down to look his son in the eye. "What is it, Score?"

Scorpius glanced at Hermione, then scooted closer to Draco. "Are you and Miss Granger fighting?"

He exchanged a brief glance with Hermione, who quickly knelt beside Scorpius as well. "Oh, Scorpius, I'm so sorry. No, your father and I weren't fighting."

"Miss Granger and I went to school together, Score. We've known each other a long while." He sent her a warm smile. "We were only playing a silly adult game."

Scorpius looked unconvinced. "Prove it."

"What would you like me to do?"

Scorpius looked between Draco and Hermione a few times, a frown of deep concentration on his face. "Say you're sorry. And… and give her a hug."

Draco smiled at his son, careful to keep his features schooled to reveal nothing. "I will absolutely apologize." Then he stood up tall and faced Hermione, who also stood. He noticed her cheeks were slightly flushed. "Miss Granger, I apologize for not being fully prepared for my presentation today. I seem to have misplaced my instructions. Would you be so kind as to give me a brief summary so that I may meet the high standards you have set here at this school?"

Her blush deepened. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. I'm almost certain I've got an extra copy somewhere in my desk. I'll just find it now and give you a few minutes to review it." She went behind her desk and within seconds had procured a copy of her letter. "Here you are, and I'm sure you're more than adequately qualified to talk about what you do every day for a living."

He accepted the letter with a slight nod and started to read it.

"Hug her, remember?" Scorpius pulled on his hand. "It's what you do when you're sorry about something. You always hug me when you apologize."

Draco hesitantly looked at Hermione, who seemed slightly unsettled, then back at his son. "A hug is a little bit personal, Score, and Miss Granger and I aren't on the same level as you and me. I'm your Dad, but hugging another adult is… well, it's different."

Scorpius considered this for a moment, then nodded. "All right. So you just… say you're sorry when you're grown up?"

"Yes, mostly. It depends on the relationship. But Miss Granger and I—" He glanced toward her again to find her biting her lip, watching him intently. "We've not got that kind of relationship." Yet.

"Okay. Shouldn't you look at that paper now?"

Draco chuckled. "Yes, I believe I should. Why don't you get settled in and I'll look this over. I might have some questions for Miss Granger, though."

Scorpius let go of his hand and went to his seat. He put his things in order, then took out a book to read while he waited.

Draco Conjured a chair and set it in the corner so that he could be comfortable while he read. The particulars had been lost to his memory, but he had a vague recollection of doing this career day before. After about ten minutes, other students started trickling in, and as soon as they saw him, every single one became terribly shy. By the time everyone was in their seats, only whispers could be heard, which Draco assumed was the result of his presence.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Good morning, everyone. I'm sure you've noticed we have a special guest today. Mr. Malfoy, Scorpius's father, is the first of our parents to join us for career week, and he'll be telling us a little bit about what he does. He's a wizard, so those of you who come from Muggle homes will be able to ask him all the questions you've been saving up. Once he's finished, you'll of course go to your next class with Mrs. Fraser."

Draco watched Hermione begin the school day. She told him he'd be speaking after she'd done the morning announcements and opened the day, a process that included a little bit of magic.

Finally, she introduced him. "Mr. Malfoy is the Head of Malfoy Industries, and I'll be honest when I say I'm not quite sure what that means, so I'll be learning along with all of you!"

She motioned for him to begin, then took the chair he'd Conjured and moved it so she was sitting with her students, watching him.

He took a deep breath, slightly anxious to be speaking in front of fifteen five and six-year olds, not to mention their beautiful teacher. So, naturally, he started with a spell.

ooo

Thirty-seven minutes later, he was finished and the children were clapping politely. It hadn't been earth-shattering, but he'd enjoyed himself, and Scorpius was beaming at him so he must have done well.

"All right children, thank you for your attention and great questions. Please walk quietly to your next lesson." Hermione went to her desk and began shifting things around.

Draco waved to Scorpius as he left the room. "Now I do that all again, right?"

"Yes. For this class and one more. Then it will be lunch time, and you're free to go." She raised an eyebrow at him. "It's all there in the letter."

He smirked and went over to her desk. "I must admit, I was highly amused when Scorpius told me I'd be coming here today."

"Were you?"

"Honestly, yes. I expected to see you only when I came to drop Scorpius off this morning and pick him up later."

"I hope you didn't mind. At first I thought it would be funny, but then after I'd asked and your past self said yes, I got worried"

He chuckled. "Oh, it was very funny. I laughed out loud when Scorpius told me."

She shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "I wasn't sure, after... after last time." She didn't mention the near kiss but she didn't have to.

"I remember doing this, coming here for career week, but of course the date had meant nothing then. Except being Astoria's birthday."

Hermione tilted her head slightly, her expression immediately shifting to one of intellectual interest. "I've been thinking. You have memories of your time in this past, yet now you are inhabiting your own body. When I traveled with the Time Turner, I simply moved through time, meaning there were two versions of me in the past. I wonder what this difference means for you? Do your memories of your past remain intact? Or are they replaced once you repeat a day? Tea?"

She'd walked to the back of the classroom where she had a tea kettle sitting.

He blinked, surprised at the abrupt question. "Yes, please."

With a flick of her wand, she set the water to boiling. As she prepared her cup and his, she continued. "Have you tried accessing a past memory? Say, your year in Azkaban? Do you have two memories? If you have only one, which is it?"

Draco frowned. "I haven't really tried, but that would be an interesting experience. I'll try that later when I'm home with my Pensieve. Just thinking back…" He paused, trying to recall the previous year. He knew they'd spent a lot of time together, but he struggled to find his memory of this first time around. "I—"

Just then, two students walked in talking loudly and animatedly about something from their previous lesson. They quickly hushed when they saw the guest, and Draco smiled at them, knowing his conversation with Hermione was on pause for now.

Between the second and third classes of the day, they were able to talk a little more.

"I'm still not entirely sure this is all real." At her look of protest, he shrugged. "And if it is real, how do I know it's going to stick? I don't know what to expect. I'm holding everything very loosely right now. My only hope is that, if nothing else, I will remember this time, the extra memories with Scorpius." He swallowed hard, not sure if he should say the next thing on his mind.

"Is that all?" she whispered. Her hands stilled on the piece of parchment she was writing on.

"No." It was all he dared say. "Hermione, I can't—"

"Take any chances. I know." She let out an impatient huff, then collected herself. They were teetering very near the edge of something, and as much as he wanted to careen over it, the sensible part of his mind—the part that was terrified of ruining everything—refused to let him. Maybe it was the difference in their personalities—she a Gryffindor, he a Slytherin—that had brought them to the point where they, apparently, diverged on the best course of action.

This was assuming quite a lot, though, and the last thing he wanted to do was make an assumption that she felt for him what he felt for her—it seemed impossible, considering the long stretches of time between visits for her.

Even if she had wanted to kiss him the last he saw her, it had been a full year since then. Surely whatever had fueled that desire had somewhat, if not entirely, cooled. It was an awful long time to wait, and he felt, yet again, that he could expect nothing from her.

Draco cleared his throat. "Which class is next?"

"The oldest group we have." She shot him an exasperated look. "They're mostly nine."

Right on cue, the door opened. A group of three boys walked in, took one look at him, and promptly ignored him. Draco smirked. Everyone who entered proceeded to continue their conversation, and he felt a lot more relaxed with them than the two previous classes.

When his final presentation ended and the students were filing out, Draco turned to see Hermione gathering her beaded bag.

"Lunch?" She grinned sheepishly. "We don't have long, but if we leave separately, no one would suspect, and we could manage forty-five minutes at the café?"

He had just started to answer in the affirmative when the door burst open and Scorpius ran in. "Dada! Will you eat lunch with me? Evelyn's mother is eating with her and so is Sam's! Please, Dada? You can get food in the lunch hall, they always have plenty and you can meet my friends and—"

Draco chuckled and clamped his hand over Scorpius's mouth. "I'd love to, Buddy. But first let me finish this conversation with Miss Granger. I was just about to thank her for inviting me here today."

Unspoken was his additional thanks for the invitation to lunch. When he looked at her, she'd set her bag back down in her chair and smiled. "Thank you again for coming, Mr. Malfoy. The kids enjoyed your talk very much."

Scorpio grabbed his hand and tugged on his arm. "Come on, I want to make sure I get some chips!"

Draco chuckled and followed. It hadn't been a proper goodbye, but he knew he'd return later to pick Scorpius up.

Lunch went just as he'd expected it would, but when all the other kids ran outside to play until school resumed, Scorpius stayed with Draco.

He was frowning slightly, and Draco knew he was working up to asking a question—likely a series of questions, which would have Draco on his toes.

"Dada?"

"Yes, Scorpius?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Are you and Miss Hermione friends?"

Draco couldn't hide his surprise. "Why do you ask, Scorpius?"

His son shrugged. "You smiled at her a lot, and I don't see you smile much. If someone makes you smile like that, you should be friends with that person."

Draco's heart clenched painfully. So much for his theory that Scorpius didn't notice his moods or feelings. His heart also ached at the beautiful simplicity of a child's perspective.

"I wouldn't quite say we were... Friends." He had to be so, so careful in what he said, but he wanted to be honest with Scorpius. "I suppose I do enjoy being around her."

"Is Mum your friend?" Scorpio asked quietly. "You don't seem to enjoy being around her."

Bloody hell.

"Your mother is important to me. We were very young when we married, and I'm so glad we did that because now we have you."

Scorpio let out a dramatic sigh. "I know all of this already. You've told me hundreds of times. But you and mum aren't like other kids' parents. I see them holding hands, hugging, even kissing." He made a face. "And it's gross, but they seem to like it because they do it a lot. Do you ever kiss mum?"

Draco dragged a hand through his hair. "Tell you what, Score. Let's go outside for a walk. I want to answer all of your questions, but it's not the right time." Then he had an idea. Scorpius was very thoughtful and literal. "Ask me again in a year, okay? After your mother's birthday."

Scorpius frowned thoughtfully. "And you promise to tell me then?"

"I promise you'll get all the answers you want." He hated that the answers would likely cause him pain.

He looked like he didn't quite believe it and wanted to object, then changed his mind, smiling instead. "Okay, Dada. Now we can go."

When the lunch recess was called to an end, Draco said goodbye to Scorpius and Apparated to the alley beside the café. He wanted to be sure their server wasn't disappointed that he and Hermione hadn't met there.

He was only planning to stop by, chat a few minutes, order himself and Hermione their usual teas, and leave, but as soon as he stepped up to the counter to place his order, someone threw their arms around him and squealed.

"Oh! Mr. Granger! I've been waiting all day for you and was beginning to think you weren't coming!"

Draco usually recoiled at such overt displays of emotion, especially from strangers—though he wasn't sure one had ever been foisted upon him before now. After one last squeeze, his assailant released him, and he was able to see the person's face.

It was Olivia, their server. In a rush, he remembered what he'd done the year before and his cheeks went red as Weasley's hair. "Oh, uh, hello there." He took a slight step back, her beaming, expressive face like a wild, flashing firework.

"Mr. Granger, let me buy you a drink, please? Where's Mrs. Granger?" Olivia looked out the door, hoping to see Hermione lingering there.

"Er, she's not here with me. I'm ordering us drinks to take with me though." He glanced sideways at the display of desserts in the window. "And possibly two pieces of cake."

Olivia reached into her pocket and pulled out a few paper notes, which Draco recognized as Muggle money. "They're on me. Go on, order, then give me five minutes of your time. Please?"

He relented, dreading what was coming. When he had his order in hand, he followed her to a table in the corner. "Not working today?"

She grinned at him. "I don't work here anymore, thanks to you! Mr. Granger, I don't know how… I could never repay your kindness for what you did last year. When I saw what you'd left, with my name on it, I tried desperately to find you. But it's like you didn't exist!" She laughed lightly. "For a while, I thought maybe you were some kind of angel. The only Grangers I could find in London were a pair of dentists."

Draco coughed to cover his strangled gasp of surprise.

"Needless to say, neither of them were named Draco." Her smile grew serious and she reached over and put a hand on his arm. "Mr. Granger, I want you to know that I put your outrageously generous gift to good use immediately. I was able to pay off my car, catch up on my bills, and buy some clothes and books for my kids. Then I used what was left to enroll in a small college near my house, and I'm proud to say that I'm almost finished with my first year! I'm going to be a nurse."

"That's fantastic. Truly. I'm so pleased it was helpful." He was itching to run, to get away from this person looking at him as though he were some kind of saint. The pressure, the intensity of her starry-eyed gaze was almost enough to make him scream.

"Helpful?" She barked a laugh. "Buying me lunch would have been helpful. What you did was life-changing. Why? Why did you do it?"

He shrugged and looked out the window, wishing he could disappear and vowing never to return to the café again. Although, she had said she didn't work there anymore, so perhaps, now that she'd been able to thank him, he could safely visit again—though, of course, not any time soon.

"I… I don't have a great answer. I wanted to, and I could."

"But why did you want to?" She applied a gentle pressure to his wrist and he clenched his jaw to keep from jerking his arm away.

"Because I didn't like hearing that you have to work so much when you have children at home. I've got a son, and I hate being away from him even for a few hours." Trying to be casual and discreet, he pulled his arm from her reach and gathered his food order.

She took the hint. "I know I'm keeping you, I'm sorry. But I'm awfully glad I got to come and thank you in person. I took the entire day off so that I wouldn't miss you. Been studying though." She grinned, indicating a few large books, some papers, and a laptop computer, something he recognized from his past memories; he'd seen Hermione with one once in her classroom when he'd been late to pick up Scorpius. She had explained what it was and its purpose.

"It was good to see you, as well," he said stiffly, standing and picking up the bag with cake slices and the drink carrier. "Good luck. I hope you have more time to spend with your children."

Her eyes lit up again. "Oh, yes, Mr. Granger! Thank you again, it means more than I can possibly express."

He bowed his head slightly and spun on his heel, anxious to leave. He didn't want to risk Apparating with two very full beverages, so he called for a taxi to the Leaky Cauldron, surreptitiously casting a Stasis Charm on the teas to keep them hot. From there, he traveled by Floo to the Manor where he dove straight into answering the question of his memories.

He was able to extract the memory of the day before, but couldn't seem to land on anything solid from the year before. He could possibly ask Hermione to look inside his thoughts, but that would be risky, and he didn't want her to see any of his… well, vivid imaginings in which she starred.

Earlier, he'd been able to remember attending the career day, though he hadn't tried to think of what he did or said; he hadn't thought it noteworthy. Now, though, he couldn't pinpoint any details. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

Once he'd rooted around in his brain for a few minutes, he gave up. It was, perhaps, some kind of clue that what he was experiencing truly was happening—if his new memories were erasing the old ones, then that had to mean something.

Draco glanced at the clock and realized he was fifteen minutes late to get Scorpius. He jumped up, put the Pensieve away, made sure everything was neat and orderly the way it had been before, then Disapparated.

He'd been late to pick Scorpius up a few times, and the school let the children play outside on the grounds until someone came for them. Draco hurried to the pick-up spot, unsurprised to see that nobody was there.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

He smiled out the window; he knew her voice so well.

"He's out on the grounds." Hermione stepped beside him and nodded toward the green space and the trees beyond. "Come on, I'll take you to him." She motioned for him to follow and opened the door that led outside.

Draco shoved his hands in his pockets and followed. When they were outside, keeping a respectable distance, he felt like he could relax. "Looks like we get a few minutes alone, after all."

She looked at him sharply, then smiled. "Did you have a good day? Where are you going tonight for Astoria?"

He made a face. Thinking about Astoria was the last thing he wanted to do with his few precious moments with Hermione. "Paris. She wanted to go shopping. It's her tenth birthday being married to me, so she felt that earned her a day on the Champs Elysees."

"Does she have a limit or something?"

"Astoria? A limit?" Draco laughed. "No, one of the perks of being a Malfoy is the seemingly endless supply of gold. Oh, listen. I went home before coming here and tried to do what you said, find both memories. I had the Pensieve all ready to watch them both, but I couldn't grasp the original one. It makes me more inclined to think that this, what I'm experiencing, is real. That, as you said, these new memories are replacing the old ones."

She looked at him thoughtfully. "I suspect they're there, deep down, and someone skilled with Legilimency could find them."

"Not that I really want them. These days I've spent going through this have been… some of the best of my life." He chuckled to himself. "Though I only went flying twice. I always meant to go more often."

They heard the sounds of laughter and, unconsciously, they both slowed down. They came to where they could see the little group, but didn't make their presence known.

Hermione leaned on a tree. "What happens tomorrow?"

A particularly joyful shriek sounded nearby. "I don't know. I'll find out tomorrow."

"It sounds like I shouldn't try and get you to come to the school." She grinned but he could still see lines of worry on her face.

"Scorpius will stay home from school next year. After this year, where I came to his school, he lamented the fact that we missed our tradition of playing at the creek on Astoria's birthday, and I told him he could skip that day."

"Oh, I see. It sounds like I won't see you next year." She looked out toward where the children, still hidden, were playing, so he couldn't see her face.

"No. At least, not yet, not at the point where I passed out." It had to have been close to midnight when he left the Leaky Cauldron, though he certainly had no idea. He wondered if he'd wake up still wasted.

She gave him a sideways smile. "I suppose it wouldn't be the worst thing to happen."

"You skipped a few years, and everything is still fine." He'd meant to tease her, but her face clouded.

He wanted to reach for her, to pull her into his arms and tell her that he had no intention of letting her go, but he absolutely couldn't—not when he was so close. He'd waited this long, what was one more day? He'd take Scorpius to the creek when they got home, and they'd stay there until he had to leave for Paris.

Just then, one of the kids came racing into view, chased by another. They were laughing and running full strength. The rest of the kids came behind the first two, not running hard but just fast enough to keep up. When Scorpius saw Draco, his eyes lit up and he waved, then left the pack and ran to the spot where he and Hermione were standing.

"Daddy! When did you get here?" He threw his arms around Draco's middle.

"Just now. Are you ready to go?"

Scorpius nodded vigorously, slightly out of breath. "The creek?"

Draco chuckled, holding on to his son's arms as Scorpius lifted his feet off the ground. "Yes, son. There will be a basket waiting at home with snacks in it. We'll spend the rest of the day there until dinner time."

"Good. I've got this idea for a new dam I want to try." He released Draco and started walking back to the school.

Hermione laughed. "I suppose he's ready to go."

"Hey, Score! Say goodbye to your friends!"

Scorpius turned around. "Goodbye!"

He ran slightly ahead, so Draco got a few more quiet minutes with Hermione. "What are your plans for tonight? I can't believe I've never asked before. I'm sorry to be so thoughtless."

"It's all right. I'm going to see if Ginny is available for dinner." She crossed her arms, smiling to herself. "I like to keep my schedule light on this day."

Scorpius had reached the school building and turned back, waving for them to walk faster. Draco realized they had maybe a minute before they'd be close enough for him to hear them.

"Listen, Hermione. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but whatever happens—"

"Stop." She hugged herself tighter, her smile extremely forced. "We'll talk as soon as you can. Hopefully in a year, but if not, after that."

They'd reached Scorpius, and Draco felt himself desperately wishing he could redo some of the things he'd said to her when they'd had time. He would have tried to tell her how much she meant to him, but he wasn't sure he'd have been able to put it into words. Kissing her seemed like the most expedient method, but that wasn't an option.

"Have a good day, Mr. Malfoy. Scorpius, I'll see you tomorrow!" Hermione waved to them both and kept walking.

Draco watched until she disappeared through the door.

ooo

Later, when he returned from Astoria's birthday dinner in Paris, and after kissing Scorpius's sleeping head, Draco went to his study and retrieved the journal. He was almost caught up, at least with the general record of his time. It was late, and he was both anxious and excited to go to sleep—though he felt far more nervous than anything.

His best course was to be so tired when he finally did go to bed that he'd fall asleep almost immediately. Draco took the journal to the writing desk and wrote out both today's and yesterday's information. He didn't put too many of his thoughts and commentary on what had happened because there was so much to say already without all of that. He'd have time to finish those notes once he was back in his time, anyway.

It was very late when he finished, and he felt bleary-eyed but accomplished. He returned the journal to its holding spot and made his way to bed.

Despite his best efforts, sleep eluded him. What would happen when he woke up? Even though there was no way he could possibly guess the answers, the questions kept racing around his mind. Scenarios kept playing out when he closed his eyes, each more horrifying than the last.

Most of all, he hoped that his time with Hermione wasn't lost. If none of this was real, he'd still had these days with Scorpius. But Hermione… that was something altogether new and precious to him.

After laying in bed for an hour, he gave up and took a Sleeping Potion. His past self would suffer for it, but he was beyond caring. This time, he was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

4.26.11

When Draco woke up, he felt like an elephant had sat on his head. It was throbbing, and cracking his eyes open made things infinitely worse. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut again, using his hands to block the hazy light.

"Ah, you're awake, Mr. Malfoy."

There was a sound as if someone was setting down a quill, then the rustling of fabric as they stood.

Despite the pounding in his head, thoughts began slowly forming, and then, with a jolt, he remembered everything. He sat up so quickly that he nearly threw up, eyes widening as he swallowed hard to keep everything down. The room was spinning, still fuzzy with a strange smell to it.

His eyes started to water and he felt whoever was in the room with him put a hand on his back.

"Here, drink this."

Draco saw a tiny bottle swimming in his vision. He tried to ask what it was but all that came out was a strangled gasp.

"It's a combination of Sober-Up potion and an anti-nausea tonic. You'll feel better, I promise."

In general, Draco had a very strict policy about not drinking anything from strangers, but as the pain and disorientation only increased with each passing second, he broke his policy and grabbed the bottle, downing it quickly.

He felt instantly better and collapsed back onto whatever he had fallen on before. After a few minutes, during which he heard only the crackling of a fire, he opened his eyes again, relieved to see clearly now.

He slowly pushed himself onto his elbows, glancing around the room. An old wizard was sitting on a pouf, much like those in Trelawny's classroom. His hands were on his knees, watching Draco with a bemused expression.

He smiled. "Hello again, Mr. Malfoy."

"What the fuck is going on? If you don't mind me asking so bluntly."

"Not at all, quite expected. Mr. Malfoy, what do you know about fairies?"

Draco frowned in annoyance. "Fairies? Not much."

"This is a lamentably common occurrence among our kind. Fairies are like house-elves, in that they have very strong magic that is wholly different from ours."

Draco waited for him to continue. After a moment, he decided the old man was waiting for him to say something. "Good to know."

"You were sent on a journey, courtesy of the fairies. One specific fairy, to be exact. It is a very rare gift, and no two people experience the same journey. How was yours?"

"Er, it was... Fine. Strange, confusing..." His heart started pounding. This man might know the answer to this most important question. "Wait, was it real? Or just a dream?"

"Oh, it was quite real, I assure you." The old man grinned, reminding Draco of Dumbledore—though this wizard seemed, if possible, even more strange. "If I may ask, what exactly happened? I'm always quite curious."

"I traveled back in time and inhabited the body of my younger self."

The man's eyes widened. "Oh my! That sounds fascinating. As I said, each person's journey is unique. But it is completely real."

Draco's head was swimming. He wasn't sure he quite believed it, even though he very much wished it to be true. "Let's say I believe you... Why? Did you do this? Who are you?"

The man chuckled. "My name is Cecil Leslie Whimple. The fairies ask me to help them with their missions, as they find me unintimidating." He shifted and sighed. "As for why, well, have you ever met a fairy?"

Draco shook his head.

"Fairies are wonderful creatures who love to grant wishes, but they'll only do so for those whom they deem worthy. It's never outright, as in, 'dear fairy, please fulfill my wish,' but they listen to the heart and sometimes, very rarely, they grant the wish."

"But I haven't made any wishes." He was beginning to feel like this was all an elaborate hoax.

"No. It wasn't you, Mr. Malfoy." Cecil smiled benevolently. "It was your son."

Draco froze, a pulse of ice shooting through his entire body. "My... My son? What do you mean?"

"Young Master Malfoy befriended a fairy who visited his school last year. The fairy spent a week with his class as part of a project one of his teachers had created. She found your son to be charming and kind beyond any other human she'd ever encountered. He often spoke to her as though she were a friend, and indeed, she considers him one, even now. He let a wish slip one day, and she was determined to fulfill it. However, fairies may not delve into the minds of humans, so she had to wait for all of the information necessary to complete the wish."

Draco shook his head in utter disbelief. "My son made a wish... About me?"

Cecil nodded. "He did. His exact words were, I wish my Daddy was happy. The fairy, Garnetia, was moved nearly to tears at the longing in his voice. She has kept her mind bent toward your son ever since, waiting. Today, the final piece she needed was revealed. And here you are."

"What final piece? How... How was that journey through my life supposed to make me happy?"

"Only you can answer that." Cecil shrugged. "Something happened to you that either will or already has set you on a different path than the one you were on."

Draco shook his head fervently. "No, I was already going to divorce Astoria, already going to ask Hermione out. Nothing is different!"

"That cannot be entirely true, or you wouldn't be here. Every step on your journey led you to the next one. Is there nothing you can recall?"

"No, I didn't change anything! I was very, very careful not to do anything differently than I'd done before."

"But something was different." Cecil gave him a stern look.

Draco threw up his hands, unsure why he was resisting the very obvious. "Yes, all right, I... I connected with someone in the past during a time when we very much hated each other. Then we ended up spending time together almost every day I was away..." He looked up at Cecil, suddenly alarmed. "Wait, what day is it? When am I?"

Cecil chuckled. "It's the same day you left on your trip."

"How long was I asleep though?"

"Eighteen minutes, one for each year in the past."

Draco did a quick calculation. It had to be nearly midnight. "What time is it?"

"Three minutes after midnight."

Draco nodded, feeling wretched that he couldn't find a way to see Hermione that day—though, truly, it couldn't be helped. He wasn't about to go and wake her up, not when it wasn't even technically April 26th anymore.

He relaxed slightly. "Is it... Done then? No more jumping through time?"

"No more adventure. Time jumping is an interesting one, I must admit." Cecil stood and held out a hand to help Draco stand, which he took.

He'd expected to still feel woozy, but whatever had been in the potion seemed to have completely sobered him. He grimaced at the thought that his body had been through quite an ordeal in twenty-four hours. All in one day he'd woken up with a hangover, took a potion, gotten drunk after having his company ripped away, sobered up for Astoria's birthday dinner, then finally got completely sloshed once more. It had been his third Sober-Up potion of the day, and he never wanted to need another one again.

"Well, I suppose… I should thank the fairy? Garnetia, you said her name was?"

Cecil chuckled. "Yes. I believe the best thanks you can give her is honoring your son's wish."

"I intend to. Do I, um, owe anything for this experience?"

"No, no. It's nothing like that. Again, consider the gift you were given because of him."

"I will. Thank you for explaining everything." Draco held out his hand and Cecil shook it. "I'll leave you now."

Cecil smiled. "Of course. Goodbye, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco hesitantly peeked out of the door, nervous that there might be a stray reporter still lurking. When he saw no one, he slipped out and immediately Disapparated. He arrived directly in his room and started getting ready for bed. He was tired, but he was also anxious. What if Cecil was wrong and when he woke he'd find himself in the future? What if something else odd happened, like going back to third year to do it all over again? What if he hadn't done enough to make his son's wish come true?

There was nothing for it, however, so he finally crawled into bed and tried to fall asleep.

It was surprisingly easy.