Chapter 2

Jump

They made their way across to the address Harry had given them as quickly and discreetly as possible. It was weird having Draco as a travel companion but Hermione was so distracted by the whole situation that she didn't let it bother her. They had bigger fish to fry!

The address was an old, rickety house that looked very run down and deserted.

"Lovely place," Draco commented sarcastically, as they drew close. He was staring up at the empty, dirty windows. "How do we get in?" he looked over at Hermione who was also surveying the house with a look of distaste on her face.

"Errr…..not sure….." she confessed.

"Fantastic!" Draco said sarcastically. "Let's hope the door is open."

He strode up the overgrown front path and turned the handle of the door, then he took his wand out and tried Alohamora. It still didn't move and he turned back to Hermione and shook his head.

"Let's try around the back," she said and walked past the front wall, into the alleyway between the houses. The back yard was full of junk and weeds were knee high. She pushed through them to the back door, willing it to be open. It wasn't and Alohamora didn't work on it either.

She heard Draco approach and turned to face him. "This is locked as well," she said despondently. "We might have to break in…."

Draco approached her and held out his hand. "Give me the envelope," he instructed.

Hermione stared at him. "No! We can't open it until we are at the address."

Draco waved his arms in a circle. "We are at the address," he pointed out. "Did Potter insist we went inside?" Hermione looked at Draco hesitatingly because he had a point. Harry hadn't specifically said go inside. Draco raised both eyebrows in a 'how stupid are you?' way, before continuing. "I'm guessing by the look on your face he didn't, so give me the envelope."

"I'm not sure….he must have meant we had to go inside, surely?" Hermione pondered.

"Well, short of breaking in, which I'll do if you want me to…." Draco looked over at the door and back, "I think we need to see what Potter has to say." He held out his hand again and at a loss to think of any other solution, Hermione reluctantly handed it over. Draco opened the envelope and withdrew the sheet of paper before unfolding it carefully. Hermione moved closer, reading Harry's large, loopy script.

Check the time - you'll need to look carefully

Once you find it enter a whole lot of nothing to take you where you need to go.

There is a trail you need to follow. I hope it becomes clear but you must stay together at all costs and you must stay hidden

I will be in touch again

H x

Draco turned to look at Hermione. "What in Merlin's name is this?"

Hermione took the note from him and re-read it. "It's a clue."

"Really?! I'd have never of guessed!" Draco rolled his eyes. "I know it's a clue! What I meant is why is he writing in riddles?"

Hermione waved the parchment at Draco. "Why do think, Malfoy? For the same reason we are here and not at the Ministry. Something is wrong isn't it? Someone or something is wrong and he's had to write it like this so that if it got into the wrong hands it wouldn't be obvious to them what he means."

Draco shook his head and sighed. "Well, it's not bloody obvious to me what he means! Guessing games are for children."

Hermione glared at him. "Are you purposefully being unhelpful?" she demanded and she saw Draco's expression change just briefly.

"Go on then, brightest witch of our age, what's it mean?" he demanded.

Hermione read the note again, her mind working overtime. Check the time…..so to do that they needed a clock….or a watch. She gazed around at the buildings surrounding them. It didn't seem likely that there would be a clock here. She could feel Draco's eyes on her and it made her feel uncomfortable. If she'd been with Harry, they would be working the clue out together, instead Draco was just standing there in his arrogant, stand-offish fashion, not willing to participate and distracting her.

"Can you help instead of just standing there!" she snapped at him. "I'm not your house elf - we are meant to be doing this together!"

"Because Potter demanded we do?" Draco snapped back. "Well, I don't follow Potter's orders and I never will."

Hermione stepped closer and lowered her voice. "You do realise that we might be in real danger?" she asked. "I mean why is Harry jumping around through time and sending us on this ridiculous, secretive task if it's not because something evil has happened, or is about to?"

Draco sighed. "Of course I realise that – I'm an Auror or have you forgotten?"

"So, regardless of who has asked us to do this and your personal feelings towards them, don't you think we should be working together to sort this out?"

"I told you, I don't do riddles," Draco folded his arms stubbornly in front of him and Hermione shook her head in disbelief.

"Unbelievable!" she turned her back on him and walked as far away as the small back yard allowed, studying the parchment and trying to ignore him.

It would make sense that to check the time they had to enter the house – she still stood by her first instinct that they should be inside the house. Maybe they would have to break in….

"Granger!" Draco's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Unless you have worked out the riddle then I don't want to speak to you," she said, without turning round. There was silence for a minute then she heard him clear his throat, loudly and pointedly. She turned round, angry now because not only was he not helping, but he was also interrupting her train of thought and stopping her working out the puzzle. "We haven't got time for this Malfoy! If you can't help me then leave! Not matter what Harry said, I'll do this on my own because I can't….." her voice trailed off as she realised he was standing at the back door, which was now open, waving a large key in front of his face.

She stumbled forward eagerly, forgetting her annoyance in a flash. "Where did you get that?"

Draco pointed at the large mat directly in front of the back door. "It was under this," he said smugly. "Classic muggle key hiding place."

Hermione wanted to slap his smug face but she was too happy that he had got them in the house, and slightly embarrassed that she hadn't thought to look in such an obvious place, so she pushed past him into the dingy kitchen. It was very small and very dirty and Hermione wrinkled her nose up at the smell. Why had Harry sent them here? It really did make no sense.

"We need to look for a clock or a watch…." she said to Draco as he followed her inside. He was looking around distastefully. She thought he wasn't listening as he seemed distracted, his eyes flitting around until he suddenly spoke.

"Don't you think that's a little too obvious?"

Hermione put her hands on her hips. "Too obvious?" she couldn't keep the slightly annoyed tone out of her words.

He turned to look at her, giving her his full attention. "Yes, Granger. Too obvious. Potter says 'check the time' and you think he means a clock or a watch." Hermione opened her mouth to tell him what she thought of him but he held up his hand to silence her. "Wait! Before you give me another lecture about teamwork and all that other Gryffindor stuff…" he smirked and Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"For Merlin's sake, what did I do to deserve this?" she mumbled.

Draco grinned, seemingly taking no offence. "What I mean is you are right. Potter must be engaging in this ridiculous riddle and rhyme game for a reason and if it's to make sure everything is kept under wraps then writing 'check the time' would be way too obvious a clue. Even Goyle could work that out!"

"And yet, you were really struggling…" Hermione pointed out and then sighed. "Okay – you do have a point. So, any ideas?"

Draco's eyes narrowed. "As it happens, I do."

Hermione looked at him and for the hundredth time decided that he was the most annoying person alive by a long, long way. What made him even more annoying was the way he had been acting like he wasn't bothered when they were outside and refusing to help. When all the time he had been looking for a way into the house and seemingly working out the clue! Despite insisting he 'didn't do riddles'.

"Let's hear it then," she asked reluctantly, half wishing he was completely wrong but having a sneaking feeling that he wouldn't be. Arrogant, obnoxious, uncooperative he may be, but he was also very clever with the same sharp wits and intuition he had at school. This made him an extremely good Auror – in fact, Hermione believed he was the best Auror she worked with. She would never confess this to him in a million years but nevertheless, it was true.

"I think he wants us to travel in time," Draco said.

"Travel in time?" she frowned. "But why and when to?"

"We use a Time Turner and enter 'a whole lot of nothing'" Draco quoted from Harry's note, "into the dials."

Hermione felt a flutter in her stomach. He might be onto something – the idea had been dancing around the corners of Hermione's mind since all this madness had started but it hadn't fully formed. Hearing Draco say it out loud, well it did sound feasible – in fact, it sounded more than feasible. She didn't understand why Harry would want them to do it but it made sense in a lot of ways – given the whole Time Turner situation and the fact that Harry was himself time travelling. She realised Draco was still staring at her, awaiting her reaction.

"As much as I hate to admit it…." she began, pulling a face to indicate just how much she hated to admit it, "I think you might be along the right lines."

Draco's face broke into a huge smirk and he gave a little chuckle. Hermione wanted to be mad at him and give him the cold shoulder but his expression and the little laugh of glee, made her break into a small smile herself. She reaffirmed her earlier thoughts – he was most annoying person ever! Ever!

She wasn't going to let him take all the glory though. "There is a fatal flaw in your idea, however," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Draco nodded his head. "We don't have a Time Turner."

"Exactly," Hermione agreed. "And that doesn't make sense because why would Harry send us all the way here if he knew we would need a Time Turner? I mean, there is a box full of them at the Ministry, which we could both have gained access too – so why send us here where there aren't any?"

"Unless there are…" Draco looked around the room. "Maybe there is one hidden here?"

They started searching the house working methodically. It was a grotty place, each room full of cobwebs and years of dust and dirt. Ugly and dirty and thoroughly unpleasant to search through. Eventually they stopped and went outside, each of them feeling as disgusting as the house.

"Yuk!" Draco unsuccessfully tried to rub his clothes to remove the dust and marks. Hermione looked down at herself and cringed at the state of her.

"Something's not right," she said as she took out her wand and indicated to Draco that he should stay still while she cast the Scourgify spell on his shirt. She then turned it on herself.

"Apart from the obvious," Draco indicated their surroundings, "What do you mean, something isn't right?"

"I think you're on the right track about the Time Turner but it doesn't make sense that Harry would leave us no clue where to find one."

Draco ran his hands through is hair, dust rising from it. "Let's be honest - none of this is making sense….." his voice trailed off as he watched Hermione waving her wand at her blouse and jacket. She realised he was staring and stopped.

"What?" she asked, "What is it? Have a missed loads of dirt?"

Draco didn't answer but he stood up and walked towards her purposefully. He stood close and looked her up and down.

"Were you wearing this when you saw Potter?" he asked.

Hermione looked down at herself. "Yes, why?"

"Did he touch you?" Draco asked, still looking her up and down.

"Did he touch me?" Hermione repeated his question, making it into a question of her own. "What do you mean did he touch me? You know only too well that Harry and I are only friends and have only ever been friends….."

Draco held his hand up to her again. "Oh shush! I know that! Get your mind out of the gutter!" he said. "I mean, did he hug you, or pass you your jacket or anything?"

Hermione frowned. "No – no definitely not…." she paused, "well…he did kiss me…."

She saw Draco's eyes widen slightly. "He kissed you?"

"Not like that! On the cheek! He kissed me on the cheek and then said 'good luck'."

Draco nodded, seemingly pleased with her answer. "Take your jacket off," he instructed and when she didn't comply, he sighed. "Just take the bloody thing off!"

"I don't see what you're getting at…." she moaned but did what he instructed. As she passed it to him, it slipped from her hand and landed on the floor between them with a clunk. For a split second they both stared at it, before both diving to the floor at the same time, both speaking at once.

"What was that noise?"

"What's in your pockets?"

"It doesn't have pockets…"

"So, what was that metal noise?"

Draco was running his hands around her jacket, inside, outside, along the hem. Hermione sat back and watched him; her mind having caught up with his train of thought. He made a small triumphant sound and held up a small part of the hem at the back of her jacket. Before she could comment he took out his wand and made a small slash in the lining before shaking the garment vigorously.

Suddenly, a very small, silver object clunked to the floor in between them and Hermione grabbed it, holding it up to the light.

"It's a Time Turner," she confirmed. "It's one of the ancient ones out of the box that Harry had."

She looked up and found Draco sat back, staring at her, a small smile around his lips. He lifted both eyebrows.

"Seems Potter wasn't just kissing you – he was also sneakily concealing that!" he pointed at the instrument.

Hermione couldn't help but grin back at him. "Sneaky! So sneaky!"

Draco chuckled. "I didn't know Potter had it in him!" He stood up and surprised Hermione by offering her his hand to help her stand also. He then picked up her jacket. "Sorry about your jacket," he said, picking it up off the floor. "Needs a bit of a repair."

Hermione was staring at the house. "But why here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did he send us here?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know – and my brain hurts with all these questions."

"There has to be a reason," Hermione persisted. "He wouldn't send us here without a reason."

Draco had the parchment in his hand. "Give me the Time Turner. I presume 'a whole lot of nothing' means we enter zeros into the dials? That doesn't make sense either but I think we should do this sooner rather than later."

Hermione turned to look at him and handed him both items. "I agree."

Draco took the tiny instrument from her and gently tested the cogs making sure they turned. As he did so the small gold numbers turned and he looked up at her to check she was ready. She nodded, her heart thumping in her chest. Were they really about to do this? She hadn't used a Time Turner since she was a 3rd Year and she knew all the dangers of using one.

"Here we go," he said and Hermione placed her finger on the instrument as Draco began turning the dials, watching as each zero of the code clicked into place.

"Wait!" Hermione suddenly put her hand on his, stopping his movements. "Wait!"

He looked at her. "Why? What is it?"

She took off into the house and indicated he should follow. Once inside, she lifted her wand and cast the charm, "Revelio Incantatem."

"What are you doing?" Draco joined her, still carrying the Time Turner.

"There must be a reason we are here," Hermione said. "And now I know what it is."

"What?"

"If we use a Time Turner it will immediately notify the Ministry," Hermione said. "I mean, I can't believe we didn't remember that!"

Draco looked around the room, his quick mind immediately following her train of thought. "This place is protected…."

Hermione nodded. "Yes. We can use the Time Turner in here and no-one will know. This property is protected by a spell."

Draco looked at her and grinned. "Very good, Miss Granger. 10 points to Gryffindor."

Hermione laughed. "Thank you, I'm sure my fourteen-year-old self would be very proud!"

Draco indicated for her to stand closer again and lay a finger on the Time Turner as he began to enter the code again.

The next moment there was a flash and when Hermione opened her eyes she was looking directly at Hogwarts.