Chapter 8: Midnight.
Hermione was just coming from her lesson of Astrology in the middle of the night on Wednesday.
Draco had left her at the staircase that led her up to where Gryffindor was at. Everyone from Gryffindor had already left too.
Hermione was alone but, the darkness didn't scare her. This was Hogwarts; it was her home.
Walking through a corridor, Hermione was then blasted from the back; sending her flying through the air forward.
"AAH!" She shrieked, landing hand on the stone floor.
Laughter echoed around her, as she swiftly got back on her feet with her wand drawn out. Four figures came out from the pillars that she didn't pay that much attention to before.
"Looks like a little mudblood is out during the night, boys," she heard Zabini's taunting voice.
The chuckles continued from in front of her and behind her.
"You honestly don't know when to stop, Zabini," Hermione calmly stated to him.
"Maybe or maybe I'm doing the world a favor, Mudblood," he retorted back, holding his wand out lazily.
Hermione ignored that slur and said "What favor? One day I might just save you and you won't be thinking of it as a 'favor',"
He snorted with "As if, Mudblood! Stupefy!"
Hermione waved her hand and waited as the spell raced towards her.
WHAM!
Zabini looked shocked as she did not say any kind of spell, but the Stupefy spell slammed into the invisible barrier.
"H-how did you do that?" He asked her, aghast.
"I'm a witch, Zabini, I know how to perform spells to protect myself," Hermione said back, smiling.
Hermione then waved her wand and tiny yellow birds appeared. Zabini started to laugh loudly at this.
"Birds? You come up with this dumb spell to get back at me, with just birds?!" he said to her, leaning against the pillar.
She only blinked when the birds flew over to him; pecking, scratching at his face and neck.
"AAAHHH!" he yelled in pain.
Hermione smirked.
"Expelliarmus!" She heard from her left and jumped away from the spell.
"Get her!" Zabini roared with frustration from the birds.
Hermione then ran for it; down the long corridor, she ducked, zigged and zagged away from the spells that were said from Crabbe and Goyle.
When she came to the end of it, she only had one choice to make: run to her left. So that was exactly what she did, she ran to her left as it was just as long of a corridor as the last one.
By now, she was breaking a sweat; a small stitch was growing in her right side.
"Come on! She's just up a head!" she heard Zabini behind her.
Suddenly she tripped over something and skidded across the floor, hitting the wall with her back.
"Oof!" she said, forced out the wind from her lungs.
"Confundus!" Zabini hissed out, waving his wand around.
Hermione waved her wand as the spell, Protego was erected up.
SMASH!
Bits and pieces of rock and marble rained down upon her as she protected her head from it.
"Aperergio consiiate," Hermione said low, twirling her wand around.
She forced herself up and again, ran from them.
A copy of herself was running in the other direction.
"Which is which!?" Crabbe asked, looking between the two copies.
"Go after that one, I'm going forward," Zabini snarled, already taking off down the hallway.
Hermione soon found herself near the trophy room. Her brain was frantically trying to come up with some sort of spell.
She skidded to a halt, panting heavily as the stitch had grown.
"Got ya, Mudblood!" Zabini snarled at her, panting heavily too.
Holding her wand high above her head, a wave like motion coming down and then around her, a bright white light shot up to the ceiling, Hermione whispered to herself "Renoiate Serpenictus,"
Thick bellowing smoke clouds jetted out of Hermione's wand as she continued the next part of the spell. She moved her wand high above her head and then with a swift swing motion, it made the smoke even thicker than before.
Zabini didn't know where she was as he started to cough.
A hand then, yanked Hermione down behind a suit of armor as another hand covered her mouth as she tried to scream.
"Shhh…" she heard the voice hiss in her ear.
"Merlin's Beard! Where are you mudblood!?" Zabini shouted in pure anger now.
Hermione stayed quiet and still as Blaise staggered through the smoke. He walked right by her and whoever was behind her.
The smoke lingered for another minute and then was gone. Several minutes later, Hermione turned to look who was keeping her safe.
"You alright, Granger?" the voice of Fred asked of her.
"I…" she began but tears swelled up.
"You hurt?" George asked her when he saw her tears.
When one tear slipped down her face, it was just like a dam breaking; she started to sob.
Both of the twins glanced at each other before Fred scooped Hermione up into his arms and just held her close. They didn't know what to do, except to comfort their fellow Gryffindor.
Hermione gripped Fred tightly; she just rode through her emotions.
Awkwardly patting her shoulder, Fred looked over at George with a highly worried expression.
George patiently waited until Hermione was calm enough to speak.
"I'm sore, but I'm not seriously hurt," she mumbled low.
"Do you know why they were fighting you?" Fred asked her and breathed a little more as she let go of him.
"Zabini has always wanted to duel me. Just because I'm muggleborn," she answered him. "To put me in my place,"
George took out a large parchment that Hermione knew at once and said "We better get going; Professor Snape is heading this way,"
Hermione nodded and they all headed back to Gryffindor Tower through the short cuts. Fred and George didn't mind showing Hermione these short cuts; if it meant that she could get to safety the fastest then who are they to not help?
"Do you know the spell that you used to make the smoke?" Fred asked of her curiously in their common room.
"Renoiate Serpenictus," Hermione said, showing them the wand movements to create the spell to work.
George smiled and said "Fred…you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Why dear old chap, I am," Fred said back, smiling as well.
"I don't want to know what you two are going to do with this spell, but good luck," Hermione told them, smiling too.
"Go on to bed, little Hermione. We will protect you from the bad Slytherins," George said, holding his wand like a sword.
She chuckled as Fred then said "No I will!"
Later that night, Hermione lay in her bed, hugging a spare pillow as she struggled with the events of Fred dying. The silencing spell held up as she cried herself to sleep.
Draco was pacing in the Room of Requirement when he saw the door opened to Hermione.
"There you are!" He said, walking to her.
Hermione didn't look up, she didn't even smile.
"…Granger?" Draco asked of her.
She just walked by him, a blank void was carved into her eyes and that stopped Draco right where he was.
Something wasn't right.
'How can I go about this? She's not even seeing me,' he thought, thinking of what to do.
It was highly foolish, and I do mean highly foolish for Draco to do this, but after half an hour of trying to snap Hermione out of it, it was his last resort.
Hermione tripped, landing on the ground but it worked.
"Malfoy!" She snapped at him.
"What do you want, Granger," he said further into the room.
She pushed herself up, marched right over to him, glaring as she had her wand out "Why did you trip me?"
"You must be joking. Me Trip you? Very funny," he said back, looking directly into her angry eyes.
"Liar," she told him.
"Got any proof? Eh? Got any proof that I was the one who tripped you?" he dared her; although it was difficult for him to keep his smile off of his face.
"I will get you for this," she said, taking a step towards him.
Draco did a quick turn, grabbed a broomstick and flew up in the air.
"Why do you run when you know you did it, Malfoy!" she snapped at him.
Then suddenly, something clicked.
Draco looked down at her as she suddenly paled and asked "What is it, Granger?"
"…broomstick! Draco! Harry didn't…oh Merlin's beard!" she said, her hand over her nose and mouth.
Draco soon landed next to her, pulled her over to the couch and asked "What did we miss?"
"Harry getting on the Quidditch team! Draco, you were suppose to take Neville's gift from his grandmother, from our flying lessons!" she explained, fear pooling in her eyes.
It hit him like the Hogwarts express train.
"Shit!" He swore, knowing that she was right.
"It's past October," She then added more.
"The first Quidditch game isn't until November," he said, standing and pacing in front of her.
"Draco…how can we fix this?" Hermione asked him, her eyes locked with his.
"Give me a minute," he mumbled, thinking.
So she waited until her patience ran thin.
"Well," she pushed for anything now.
"We have to have Professor McGonagall see Potter fly or else. Why don't we have flying lessons anyway?" Draco asked, looking to her.
"I honestly don't know," Hermione told him, standing and pacing too.
Draco watched her; his eyes carefully looking her over. He hasn't forgotten her previous mood; he will ask her about it later.
There was a movement within their room, something that Hermione knew from experience.
"We're going back in time…" she mumbled, looking around.
"What do you mean?" Draco asked, looking around as well.
"We're going back, Draco. Not that far, but we are going back. This time, I honestly think we will see us and we have to be careful," Hermione warned him.
They walked to the door and crept down the stair cases.
Draco and Hermione were in the great hall; they had to hide behind some pillars when they saw their other selves walking to class or wherever.
Hermione snatched a newspaper up and saw the date: September 12th, 2001.
"Wasn't the war supposed to have end at this time?" Draco whispered low to her.
"Yes, but, not in this timeline, Draco," She whispered back to him.
He nodded and then whispered again "What are we suppose to do now?"
"It's only 2:30, we can still go to the area where the flying lessons are," she softly said, getting up and walking slowly out of the great hall.
Draco followed after her and hissed low "If I'm not the bully in this timeline, who will get Potter up in the air?"
"I honestly think you need to egg him on into a dare," she whispered back to him.
"You're serious, Granger?" Draco took her arm and stopped.
Hermione stared into his eyes and whispered "I don't know, Draco on what to do here. We just have to come up with something to get him in the air, after the remembrall,"
Draco searched her eyes and then said "Don't make me regret breaking Potter's trust,"
She took a step back in shock as Draco then walked past her.
Hermione jogged after Draco, pulling his hand and said "I don't want you to break it, Draco. Just, dare him to catch it somehow,"
Draco glanced over at her and muttered "That I can do,"
Hermione nodded as they entered the courtyard where the flying lessons were held at. They were highly early since no one was there yet.
"Think you can get the broom up off the ground this time?" Draco snickered at her.
"Oh shut up. I don't like Quidditch, but I will root for you daredevils," she rolled her eyes at him.
Draco chuckled and said "Daredevils? I think those are a myth,"
Hermione shoved him away as he laughed some more.
Madame Hooch watched the two early students from the clove of where the school brooms were kept. A small smile appeared on her face as the teasing continued between the two students.
"Very funny," Hermione said, walking up to the broom near her.
Draco watched as Hermione then brought the broom up into her hand.
Hermione looked to him, smiling.
"See, I knew you would get it after some practice," he lied.
"I don't belong up in the air, Draco," she followed after him.
"Knowing how to fly is a must; you don't know when it might come in handy," Draco shrugged, holding his hand out and the broom jumped into his hand.
Rolling her eyes, she watched him as he mounted the broom and hovered just next to her shoulder.
"Come on, Hermione," Draco smiled at her, holding out his hand.
"To what, Draco?"
"To fly with me,"
"That's insane! We're not supposed to be up in the air until Madame Hooch says so!"
"I've been flying for a few years already, trust me,"
"My feet belong on the ground,"
"I would say otherwise,"
"I mean it,"
"So do I. So…what about it?" Draco smiled at her now.
Hermione glanced down at his still out stretched hand and then sighed with "Fine, I will, but if we get caught, you're not getting me to help you with any essay that any of the professors have us do,"
"Deal," He said, taking her hand.
Hermione swallowed nervously as Draco moved her to the front of him. With his arms wrapped around her waist and she just holding onto the broom stick, they slowly floated upward.
"Draco," she gulped, seeing how high they were getting.
"Don't look there, look right here," he instructed her, moving her chin up and in front of them both.
"No tricks, please," Hermione said, gripping his arms.
"I won't do that to you, Granger. Not with how your tight grip is on my arms," Draco said, letting them almost gracefully glide to the ground.
Hermione didn't forget why they were there; just that she did forget that this was Hogwarts. This was their school, during the day, but it also felt isolated to Hermione as Draco slowly shot back up to the normal height and lazily zigzagged down.
"Having fun?" Draco asked, he hid his boredom from her.
"Yes, but can we do something else?" she asked him, smiling.
"Like?" he asked her.
"Feet on the ground, Mr. Malfoy?" Madam Hooch said to them both.
Draco blushed heavily at this as he landed on the ground.
"Yes Professor," he said, helping Hermione off of the old broomstick.
"Very nice flying, but I don't want to see you up in the air until I say so," Madam Hooch told him.
Draco nodded to her as the other students came into view. Hermione looked around frantically but, to her surprise, the other her wasn't here.
"Good afternoon, class," Madam Hooch greeted them all.
"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch," everyone said back together.
"Welcome to your first flying lesson," she said after getting to one end of the line "Well? What are you waiting for? Set up to the left side of your broom. Come on now, hurry up. Stick your right hand over your broom, and say up!"
A whistle that she had blew and everyone was starting to say or shout "up" to their broom.
"With feeling," she encouraged them all.
"Up!" Harry said, his broom jumped into his hand.
THWACK!
"Uh!" Ron exclaimed as it hit him in the face.
Harry laughed at this as Ron said "Shut up Harry,"
Hermione sighed and said "Up!"
Surprisingly enough, the broom jumped into her hand as she was the lucky few had done it. Draco was across from her, smiling.
"Now," Madam Hooch said, walking slowly through the gap looking at them all "I want you to mount your broom. And grip it tight, I don't want you to be sliding off the end. When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, and lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle: 3, 2,"
Her whistle blew and everyone tried it.
It was Neville who floated up in the air; he looked so scared up 10, 15, 20 feet high.
"Neville!" Hermione said loudly when he took off from the group.
Draco took off after him with madam hooch yelling "Mr. Malfoy! Get back here this instant!"
But it wasn't just Draco who left.
"Harry, no!" Hermione shrieked.
Harry flew after Draco as Neville was bouncing off of the side of the castle.
"Longbottom, let go!" Draco said, looking up at him.
"But, if I fall-"
"Who cares if you get hurt, Madam Pomfrey can fix you up within seconds! Let go!" Draco cut him off.
Hermione and the others didn't know if it was Neville who pointed the broom straight up or it was the broom itself, but it took off out of Neville's hands much higher than before. Neville yelled out of fright from being whip lashed and falling to the ground.
Draco used this to catch Neville before he too was falling from his broom.
A glint of gold reflected in the window nearby.
CRASH! CRACK!
Draco moaned as he saw that Neville was on top of him.
"You…alright Longbottom?" Draco asked, trying to get the air back into his lungs.
"Yeah! I didn't get hurt," he said happily.
"Good. Now get off of me," Draco winced.
Someone landed nearby them as he walked over, held out his hand to Draco and said "Come on up, Malfoy,"
Draco took the hand as he then yelled in sheer pain.
Hermione and Madam Hooch were there as she looked over Draco's wrist, stating "Broken. Come with me Mr. Malfoy,"
Draco gritted his teeth as he held his hand close to his chest.
"I'll take Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital wing. If I see a single broom in the air, they will be out of Hogwarts before they can say Quidditch," Madam Hooch said to the class.
"I can go with Hermione, Madam Hooch," Draco said through his clenched teeth.
Madam Hooch looked down at him for a moment and then said "if you're sure, then you two can go,"
Hermione nodded and said "Come on, Draco,"
Draco slowly walked with Hermione away from the class.
"What do we do now?" she asked him in a hushed whisper.
They both saw Professor McGonagall walk right on by them. Draco looked over at the Transfiguration professor and then smiled for a little second.
"I don't think we'll have to worry," he hissed, walking to the Hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey had given Draco a potion of some sort and his broken wrist was fixed like new.
"You are to stay in until tomorrow Morning," she told him after arguing the need to do so.
It was then that they saw 3 people.
"Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey greeted him with a small curtsy.
"We will not take long, Madam Pomfrey," Professor Dumbledore said, walking over to Draco.
He swallowed nervously as he saw the sorting hat.
"Headmaster," Draco greeted him, hiding his fear.
"Good afternoon, Draco," Professor Dumbledore said back. "You are probably wondering why, not just myself but also Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall are here,"
Harry walked over to Hermione, nodding but keeping quiet.
"Am I being expelled?" Draco asked them, his eyes darting back and forth between the three professors.
"Not hardly, Draco," Professor Snape said to him, almost bored.
"We have come to the conclusion that you are best to be resorted, Mr. Malfoy," Professor McGonagall gently said to him.
"Can a student do that?" Draco asked, his eyes wide.
"Only if the sorting hat agrees to it and, if I may, the sorting hat has agreed to a resorting for you," Professor Dumbledore said to him, a twinkle in his eye appeared.
Draco swallowed nervously again.
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy," the Sorting Hat came to life then, Professor Dumbledore putting it on the end of his hospital bed. "For what you …said to me…made me want to retry again,"
"But…but…" Draco said, looking directly at Hermione worriedly.
The adults turned to Hermione who heavily sighed and said "If the sorting hat agrees and everyone here is okay with it, then…go for it, Draco,"
"But!" He said back, looking at her.
"There's nothing that we can do, unless you want to stay in Slytherin," she told him, putting it boldly out there.
Draco thought on it and then put the sorting hat over his head.
'It would seem that you are not the only one who senses some uncertainty with wherever you are from. However, you are more of a GRYFFINDOR then you think. Just don't go about it by losing the friendships that you have made, Mr. Malfoy and I will try harder with the Headmaster,' the hat whispered in his ear.
Draco showed the hat more and more of the future in better detail throughout all of this.
'We have to get back to that timeline,' Draco thought to the hat.
It was pulled off of his head as he saw Hermione who was pale, four other people smiling down at him with his clothes changed from Slytherin to Gryffindor.
"Now, that is all straighten out, Mr. Malfoy will be excused from his classes, as Miss Granger along with Harry, will take notes," Professor Dumbledore said, smiling.
"Welcome to Gryffindor, Mr. Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said, a small smirk was breaking through.
"Thanks…Professor…" Draco said, leaning against his pillows now.
"Yes, well, when I knew that you weren't in your bed at night, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Snape spoke up then which Draco snapped his eyes to. "I knew that you weren't meant to be in my house. Mostly after the harmful pranks and spells sent your way,"
"I'm considered a blood-traitor, Professor. What on earth would you have done? Besides cause more trouble for me?" Draco lashed out, glaring at the old Death Eater spy.
Professor Snape just raised a single eyebrow up at him and walked away.
"No one, Draco Malfoy, is considered anything. If one does not agree with a certain belief," Professor Dumbledore wisely spoke up then. "Then they are no longer a part of that person's support group. You honestly believe that it is wrong for what your family has thought of Muggleborns and half-bloods of our world. The proof, if you will, is that of your fine strong friendship with Miss Granger and Mister Potter,"
Draco stared at him, not knowing what to say.
"Now, we have overstayed our welcome. Recover swiftly Mr. Malfoy," Professor Dumbledore said and walked out with Professor McGonagall right behind him.
"Now what am I going to do?" Draco mumbled, closing his eyes against his pillows.
"I don't know," harry spoke up then "Maybe I can tell you what happened after you two left,"
"What actually happen?" Hermione asked, sitting on the bed on Draco's right side.
"After you two left, Zabini had taken Neville's Remembrall. Madam Hooch was upset for he was up high in the air but, I got on my broom and knocked him off of it. He got detention for 4 weeks, plus Slytherin was minus 65 points. Anyway, I flew after the shiny ball, caught it and flew back to Neville. It was then that Professor McGonagall along with Madam Hooch saw me catch the small ball," harry began.
Draco then asked sarcastically "What? Did you make the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"
"How did you know the ending of it?" Harry asked him in awe.
"Sarcastic remark, Potter," Draco said, his eyes still not open.
"Wait, you really mean that you got onto the Quidditch team from that?" Hermione asked Harry.
"Yeah. I did," Harry said to her, smiling.
Hermione smiled and said "Well done, Harry,"
"Yaaaaay," Draco sarcastically cheered too.
"Oh hush up, Draco. Madam Hooch and Professor McGonagall also said that you were on the team too," Harry told him, almost glaring at him.
Draco's eyes shot open and asked "What?"
"You and I made the team of Gryffindor," harry repeated more slowly to him.
"I'm not deaf, Potter. Just …how much more can I take for today?" he said, looking at the bed sheets.
Harry patted his shoulder and said "I'll leave so that you can rest. I'll talk to you more so tomorrow on it,"
"Thank you…Potter," Draco said, not looking up.
Harry nodded and soon left.
"Hermione, what happens now?" Draco whispered to her, nearly frightened.
"I don't know," she whispered to him "but, I do know that we need to sneak back to the ROR,"
"Midnight," Draco affirmed with her.
"Yes, I'll be waiting up there. Anyway," Hermione said, seeing Madam Pomfrey nearby "I'll let you rest, Draco,"
"I feel so abandoned," He teased her.
Hermione leaned down and kissed his cheek smirking "Big baby,"
Draco sat there in shock as the clever witch of his age walked out of the hospital wing.
It was nearly midnight when Draco had slipped out of his bed, walked calmly past the doors and headed up the 7 flights of staircases.
He made sure that no one was around when he thought of the Room of Requirement. The old door appeared and he rushed through it.
"Granger!" he yelled after he closed the door.
"Over here," she said, waving her wand around with light coming from it.
Draco walked hurriedly over to her and asked "How does this work again?"
"We will know soon enough," She said, hugging him.
He hugged her back when they felt the shift once more.
"Now it's back to November," Hermione said, walking over to the newspaper that she had before.
"And you used to do this during our third year?" Draco asked, walking over to the newspaper and table.
"Yes. It …never gets easy of using that time turner," She told him, sitting down on their couch.
Draco looked through the newspaper but found nothing worth reading.
"What is coming up next?" he asked her curiously.
"The game, remember? Where Harry nearly gets bucked off of his broom, Professor Snape's cloak is caught on fire; hitting Professor Quirrell and sending him out of his seat to break the spell put on Harry's broom stick," She listed off.
"But Potter needs that Broom, Granger," Draco spoke up that important detail.
Hermione gasped and said "You're right….but how?"
"I got an idea," Draco said, looking around as he spots something.
Hermione walked with him as he pulled out a Nimbus 2000. It was brand new, but how could it be in here when it was just made?
"How …what? …why?...where? Who?" Hermione asked, trying to form some kind of sentence.
Draco chuckled and then said "This room is used when it's needed. We having it shown it's true form as we're using it. The other stuff, I don't want to know. But, we can send Potter's Owl with this wrapped, like before,"
"…Fine, but if he gets 2 brooms," Hermione warned him.
"Trust me, Granger," Draco told her "He won't,"
"You'll be put back into Slytherin," She warned him.
Draco chuckled and shook his head.
It was the day before the Quidditch game against Slytherin.
No one was awake just yet, so when the owls that came through to the great hall they didn't pay that much attention to Harry's snow owl.
Harry had caught the long package as people were looking curiously at him.
"What is it?" Ron asked Harry.
"I don't know," he said, looking and finding a note.
'Do not open this here. I had to tweak some rules. But please do not go easy on Slytherin, Mr. Potter. I cannot bear to look at Professor Snape again if we lose.
Professor McGonagall,'
Harry took the package and sprinted to the Gryffindor with Ron right behind him.
Hermione and Draco stayed put since they already knew what that was.
"Good morning indeed," Draco said to Hermione.
She just smiled.
Author's Note:
Hello! Hello! Liked this story so far? Give it a follow! I update every Wednesday's, so don't miss out! Is it your favorite? Why thank you, you are too kind. No, really, you are too kind for favoriting it. Want to tell me what you honestly think of it. I got my shields ready, so don't be afraid to give me a review!
Okay, I'm DROPPING the missed Wednesday's blast in a review from now on. On the weekends, I'm super busy with my family. And it's carrying over into the week. I know that some of you wanted to do this but, I'm dropping that part out.
Also, I am putting Draco in Gryffindor. If you don't' like it, sorry, but he is a Changed person after the War. I mean, anyone is changed after coming out of a War, so it makes sense to have Draco in Gryffindor for he wants to make up the screwed up mistakes that he did.
Until next time!
Alonia143.