Previously…

Draco watched as Theo placed his fingers over a pawn seeming to contemplate something. He finally picked up another and placed it two squares forward on the chessboard.

"It's your move, Draco…"

Draco could only simply stare at the chequered board with his brows furrowed. His chess pieces remained untouched. The game had been abandoned for a much more dangerous one.

"See here," said Theo in a clipped voice. "I've given it some thought. Lucius has no real relevance to the timeline — not like you and I do. His actions barely have any true consequence."

"Come again?"

"True consequences, as I deem them, are actions that permanently alter events to the point where time cannot correct them. Lucius, of course, is intricated into the timeline, but his actions have untrue consequences — consequences that time will self-correct."

"But Voldemort took my father's wand," challenged Draco. "Is that not of true consequence?"

"Perhaps, so we should not change that. It might not alter events entirely but it would definitely complicate things. But, after Potter is captured and brought to Malfoy Manor, Lucius is inconsequential. At least, not in any way I can think of… can you?"

"I suppose not," frowned Draco. "At least not in any way I remember."

Theo sighed. "And how much do you remember?"

Draco parted his lips to speak but was rendered speechless. He wanted to answer the question honestly but didn't know what the honest answer was. How could he determine how much of his memory was still missing without knowing what memories he was missing? It was a catch-22.

A sudden 'pop' sound distracted him from his thoughts. He turned in his chair and found himself face to face with Nix.

"Master Malfoy," the elf said with a wince. "Nix tried to get Master Malfoy his whiskey but Master Malfoy had not said which whiskey out of the many drinks there are in the Malfoy cellar and—"

"Cut to the chase, Nix," said Draco abruptly. He did not care to have a whiskey anymore and wanted the elf to simply leave.

"Nix was in the cellar for a long time searching and Nix could not find whiskey but there was firewhiskey, and—"

Just at that moment, the doorbell rang. Theo's dark eyes slid to Draco's. They had both drawn their wands as soon as they'd heard the intrusive ring.

Draco turned to Theo. "How did you get past the wards?" he demanded.

"I didn't know there were any. We came in through a portkey your mother gave us and it brought us right to the front—"

The bell rang once again interrupting Theo with its sharp chime. He looked to the front door and back to Draco. With a jerk of his head toward the courtyard, he signalled to Draco to go look for the girls while he went to the front door armed and ready.

Draco nodded in agreement. He gauged that the special portkey his mother had provided Pansy and Theo could bring them right beyond the wards which meant that either his mother had given someone another portkey or that his location had been compromised and his wards breached. It wouldn't do for Draco to be the one to answer the door.

"Master Malfoy," whimpered Nix wringing his little hands anxiously. "Nix is trying to tell Master something important."

"Nix, this isn't the time," he snapped ignoring his house-elf.

"But Nix has come to tell Master Malfoy that Master Snape caught Nix in the cellar and wanted to know what Nix was doing there!"

Theo and Draco both rounded on the elf.

"You didn't tell him, did you!" exclaimed Theo.

Nix began to howl furiously and within the garbled sounds of his ugly sobbing Draco gathered that the elf had told Snape exactly why he was there. With a roll of his eyes, Theo began to make his way to the front entrance. "I'll get it," he grumbled, as the bell rang for a third time, more impatiently now.

Draco reached out and grabbed him roughly by the arm. "Don't. I don't want to see him."

"Oh, well let me just tell him you're not home then," he spat sarcastically. "I'm sure he'll scurry along back to Britain and won't break down the door."

"Fine!" bit back Draco. "But don't tell Snape about the time-turner."

"I wasn't going to," snorted Theo. "Prodigy, remember?" And with that Theo pulled his arm from his grasp and left the room.

Draco ran a hand through his hair tousling it. He had not seen Severus Snape since the Battle of Hogwarts and did not know how to act around the wizard living with his mother in his father's stead. It was awkward, to say the least, to have found out that his former Potion's professor and father's close friend had taken up residence at the Manor. It made him realise how blind he had been before. He had always refused to believe the rumours surrounding his parents' betrothal when he was young and in a way he refused to do so now. In a state of denial, he believed firmly that his mother had only ever loved his father and Draco. There was no room in her heart for another man.

Theo re-entered the living room with Snape trailing behind him, wearing the same dark drab robes Draco was accustomed to seeing him in. The older wizard did not greet either of them but merely gave Nix a pointed look.

Nix, who had been standing behind Draco, wrapped his little arms around Draco's leg tightly.

"Came to warn him, did you?" said Snape coldly.

Nix almost seemed to shiver in fear.

Defending his house-elf, Draco snapped, "Leave him be. It's not his fault that my mother didn't tell you I was alive."

Snape cocked his eyebrow at Draco as if he'd only just seen him. "Well, well," he said speaking in a slow drawl. "If it isn't Draco Malfoy — our new celebrity. Britain's most wanted."

Draco's lip curled up into a cocky smirk. "Is that what they're saying about me? How funny." But Snape did not seem the least bit amused.

"How are you alive?" he asked, his beady eyes narrowing on him in assessment.

Draco gave an offhanded shrug. "Don't know. Don't remember."

Severus stepped forward, into Draco. "I was present at Greyback's testimony… he claimed he…" Though he continued to stare, his sallow face grew even paler as if recalling something terrible. "I cannot imagine how you could have survived."

"Neither can I," added Theo softly. "I've been thinking it over and I don't understand. Greyback said he had inflicted a cutting curse on him. That he was bleeding out when he threw Draco into the ocean. Was Greyback simply lying?"

"Under veritaserum?" answered Snape. "No. And he had no reason to lie."

Draco who was growing uncomfortable under their scrutiny was quick to tell them that he and Hermione had a plan to recover his memories. That he'd soon know what had happened that fateful night on the cliff.

"Ahh, yes, you've taken Miss Granger hostage I believe."

Draco scowled. "Why have you come, professor? To throw out a few quips?"

At this, his stony expression hardened. "I wanted to see for myself and I wanted to tell you how incredibly foolish you have been."

"So then you haven't come to thank me for saving your life?"

"No," clipped Snape. "Consider your debt paid in full."

Draco grit his teeth. "Gladly. Now leave."

"Wait," burst out Theo. "What do you mean you saved him?"

With a flourish of his robes, Severus took one last glance at Draco and left as he'd been asked to. Nix, who Draco had forgotten was there, finally released his firm hold of Draco's leg.

"Nix is sorry. Nix did not think that Master Snape did not know."

"It's alright. You can go now." As Nix disapparated, Draco turned to Theo. "I see the professor is as warm and fluffy as always."

"What do you mean you saved him?" asked Theo again.

Evading his question, Draco waved him off. "Never mind that!" he exclaimed. "I need to save my father. But what you're saying is impossible. I don't believe it can be done."

"On the contrary," smiled Theo, "I do — why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

The creases on Draco's forehead grew more prominent. "What you say flies in the face of everything anyone has ever done…"

"And?"

"It's bloody brilliant," admitted Draco reluctantly. If it works…

"Well, there is a catch."

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "There always is."

"You need to go back undetected. We'll need an invisibility cloak."

A slow smile crossed Draco's face as he sat back down in his seat. "And just how am I supposed to get a hold of one? I can't show my face in the wizarding community. Just go out and buy one. Surely you can afford an invisibility cloak."

"No," he drawled looking at his fingernails. "It can't be just any invisibility cloak it has to be one of the Deathly Hallows."

"Excuse me?"

At this Theo jerked his head up, his eyes alight. "Don't tell me Hermione hasn't told you?" he laughed, the mirth dancing in his eyes. "Do you remember that silly story in The Tales of Beedle the Bard? The children's book?" he urged, willing Draco to remember.

"I have a vague recollection of it."

"And the Tale of the Three Brothers? You remember that?"

"Oh, yes, sort of."

Theo sank down into his chair thoroughly pleased that he knew something important which Draco didn't. "Well, it's not just a story, it's all true. The Three Deathly Hallows are real. The cloak belonging to one Ignotus Peverell, the third Deathly Hallow, is also Potter's invisibility cloak. It's one and the same."

"Course it is," spat Draco angrily as he recalled Potter's floating head at Hogsmeade many years ago.

"Don't look so glum, mate. You were once the proud owner of the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand to ever exist, at least you were when you disarmed Dumbledore on the tower."

Draco raised both eyebrows in astonishment. "Oh…"

"Oh – that's all you have to say is oh?"

"I can get by without a wand."

Theo scoffed. "Don't get me wrong, wandless magic is impressive, but the Elder Wand… can you imagine what you could do with that?"

"I suppose—"

"Not that it matters," interrupted Theo dismissively. "Apparently, Potter disarmed you that day at the Manor and became the master of it."

With a roll of his eyes, Draco muttered, "Of course he did. Pray tell, what has he done with it, hm? Conjured a few rabbits?"

"No," said Theo in quiet contemplation. "The wand he's using is his. I don't know what he did with the Elder wand. Getting back to the matter at hand – we need Potter's invisibility cloak."

"I still don't understand. Why do I need an invisibility cloak?"

"Legend goes that the cloak concealed Ignotus from Death… I'd wager it can also conceal you from our dear Father Time."

"You're joking, you know that's just a Muggle saying."

"There's a reason why wizards — even the most powerful — don't muck about with time. Can you guess why?"

Draco's brow furrowed. He felt the answer was simple. "Because it could have unpredictable consequences."

"Eh – wrong," clipped Theo, who seemed to have anticipated Draco's answer. "You think a psychotic and tyrannical wizard like Voldemort gave a hoot about consequences? No. It's because Time is the Master of all things, Draco. Travelling back would very well kill you. So, you see the need for an invisibility cloak now."

"No," answered Draco, who felt even more lost. "I don't."

"You need the cloak to slip through undetected as if you were never there. Death can't take you if he can't find you and Father time will be left unaware… it's quite simple really."

"What you're saying is mad, but…" If there was a chance, even the remotest chance of saving his father, Draco felt he had to take it.

"I'll have to get the cloak for you," said Theo. "It's too dangerous for you to return to Britain."

Draco cleared his throat and thanked him awkwardly for offering to do so.

Theo, who had been sitting on the edge of his seat, leaned back making himself comfortable. Except rather than looking smug — which was what Draco had expected — he seemed relieved. "Are you quite pleased then?" he asked.

Draco was taken aback at the peculiarity of his question.

"Pleased?"

"Well," Theo hesitated, his jaw working, "What I mean to say is, do you accept my apology?"

"No…"

Theo frowned but did not seem at the least dissuaded. "And why not?" he pressed emphatically.

Draco did not answer.

"Have I not lied for you, risked my life for you, have I not committed murder for you?"

"I didn't ask you to—"

"Have I not loved you?" he spat abruptly. "Have I not been the perfect brother?"

Draco stood up slowly, his lips curling into a snarl. "You slept with Hermione."

Softly, under his breath, Theo retorted, "And what of it?"

Flinching as though he had been hexed, Draco stared wide-eyed at his former friend in disbelief as he gave a small shrug.

"I fell in love with her the same as you. I didn't mean to, but I did, and you weren't there, you were gone."

"You knew what she meant to me!" shouted Draco, his index finger prodding his own chest with conviction. "You knew she was mine!"

"Clearly," huffed Theo, standing up too. "Hermione's made her decision. She chose you even in death. But what about what she means to me?" countered Theo. "What of my happiness, Draco – or is yours the only ending that counts?"

His lips tugged down into a scowl. "So you are here for her…"

Theo scoffed, shaking his head. "Even with a faulty memory, you're the same… still blind to everything that does not involve Hermione Granger – no Draco, I did not come here to convince her to come back with me. I came because my loyalty lies, first and foremost, with my family – the only family I've ever really known."

"Lucius…?"

"Yes."

"He always did favour you," said Draco.

Theo gave a small smile as if he was privy to something Draco was not. "Perhaps…"

Draco felt awkward by their lack of violence and candid confrontations. He had never considered that the sacrifices Theo had made for him during their life-long friendship outweighed this singular grave mistake… Still, he could not forgive Theo, at least not at present while the betrayal felt fresh.

Rousing from his musings, he realised Theo was speaking. "… so, let's talk about who you're really angry at."

"What?"

"This little thing you set up, surely you knew I'd never stay in Azkaban. A simple veritaserum test and I'd be scot-free. And if that didn't work, well I could afford the best criminal lawyer in Wizarding Britain, so…"

Draco's eyes narrowed. "I suppose I just wanted you to suffer."

"No," said Theo gently, a sad undertone to his voice "You wanted her to suffer."

"For sleeping with you?" Draco scoffed. "I thought that was obvious."

Theo drew a deep breath. "For lying to you when she should have just told you the truth—"

"She's never—"

"The truth about Gryffindor's sword. I know what happened that night at Malfoy Manor..."

Draco felt the walls in the room caving in, his breath coming in fast.

"You're angry she continued to lie about how she got the sword even when it meant you would have to continue torturing her. Even when Bellatrix made you cut into her arm—"

But Draco was no longer there. He was back in the parlour room and Bellatrix Lestrange was watching him; her laugh a maniacal cackle as Hermione screamed. Despite his tight clutch on the dagger, his hand was trembling. His grey eyes met watery brown, pleading with her to just tell Bellatrix what she wanted to know, but Hermione pursed her wet lips, refusing.

Theo's voice drifted in softly bringing him back to the present. "You asked her to tell you and she didn't."

"No," hissed Draco through clenched teeth, a single tear streaming down his cheek. "I didn't ask... I begged."

Theo's voice fell to a whisper. "Is that why you carved M L on the arms of those Death Eaters?"

Draco lifted his blurred gaze at Theo but did not answer. At the time, he did not know why he had done so, but perhaps Theo had understood what no one else had — out of spite and revenge, Draco had killed a handful of Death Eaters, yet the engravings on their skin, that he had done so for Hermione to learn what keeping her secret had cost him.