Chapter 1
Draco Malfoy
Azkaban has to be the worst place in the entire fucking world. Father said that muggle prisons are better than Azkaban but he hardly knows anything about muggles and their prisons, seeing that father didn't spend any time in the muggle world. So Draco thinks that father is wrong about it.
There's nothing to do here except stare at the bare walls and wait for the dementors to pass through. Draco has forgotten his voice, and with so much time on his hands, Draco reminisces and the more he remembers, the more he regrets.
Other inmates scream and cry every now and then. Draco doesn't think that he'll ever be get their screams out of his head.
There are days when he feels nothing but regrets, not that he can tell day from night anymore. He doesn't even know how many days have passed since he came here. Initially, they gave him dinner every day so he could keep count but now they don't. The world has forgotten about him. He'll die and his body will rot in here.
He keeps on thinking about what he could have done to change things. Perhaps, if he hadn't been so spineless, his father would have defected. For all of Dumbledore's faults, he did give Draco a way out before dying. Perhaps, Potter would have been his friend. And that's what he's thinking when Potter appears in front of him with Granger.
One moment he's alone and the next, they are there, standing in front of him, their faces as transparent at 18 as they were at 11. There is no disgust there. Their narrowed eyes and frowns only depict anger.
"Merlin, I have finally gone mad, haven't I? I have started hallucinating you," Draco grumbles, "bloody Potter."
It seems for a second that Potter is going to laugh but he doesn't. He frowns before looking meaningfully at Granger who asks him in a voice that can only be termed as gentle, "are you getting enough to eat?"
Draco doesn't answer because hallucinating is one thing and having conversations with those hallucinations is completely another level of madness.
"We're not your hallucinations, Malfoy. You need to snap out of it. We don't have much time."
Draco slaps himself to confirm Potters' words. With the amount of thinking he has been doing about Potter and his gang of idiots, this whole thing might just be his imagination.
His lips are chapped. He has not had any water or food for a long time now and he's very thirsty. He's also hungry.
So the first thing that he asks them is, "do you have some water?"
Potter looks darkly at Granger at the question. His hands ball into fists.
Draco sighs desperately, "I understand that you have sneaked in here and don't have much time. But, I'm thirsty. The water here is not clean. Please, do you have some water?"
"He's not angry at you, Malfoy," Granger murmurs, her fingers curled around Potters' forearm, "We've been fighting for the prisoners of Azkaban. We've been trying to improve the living conditions. Harry is angry at Kingsley."
She takes out a small pouch from her pocket and opens it. She takes out a lunch box and a bottle of cold water.
Draco's mouth starts watering. It's homemade food.
She pushes both the things inside between the bars. Draco takes them gratefully. He sits down on the floor, opens the box and starts eating. He's usually not a messy eater but it's been days since he ate and he's hungry. The food is so good.
"Who made it?" He asks politely, without looking at his visitors. Opening the water bottle, he takes a big drink of water.
"Ron. Ron made it for you," comes the answer. The box consists of some pasta, cake, rice and some Indian curry. It must have taken a lot of time to cook this. So, he's so surprised that his hand stops in front of his mouth before he looks at Granger.
Potter has turned around to avoid looking at him. Maybe, he can't tolerate Draco's messiness.
"Why?" Draco asks.
"Because he agrees as well as we do that you don't deserve this sentence," Granger whispers, her eyes soft, "you were a bully and were certainly not brave but you weren't a criminal, Malfoy."
She stops speaking after that and he returns to the food but not before looking at Potters' back.
Granger sighs, "Harry, please, turn around. You are being rude," but Potter doesn't. He doesn't answer her at all.
So, she looks at Draco instead, sighing again, "it's not what you think. He's angry at the ministry and the wizengamot."
Draco nods and continues eating. He doesn't care either way.
He finishes the food in record time and cleans his mouth with the back of his hand.
He empties the water bottle and then finally stands up to look at them, his fingers curled around the bars.
"I suppose you weren't here to feed me. What do you want then, eh?" Draco asks, his eyes narrowed.
Potter turns around finally and when he does, the fire in his eyes doesn't escape Draco's notice.
"You don't need to save me, Potter. You can stop being the saviour now," Draco sneers, "I don't need your pity. Thank Weaslebee for me though."
The fire lessens and a smile curls around Potters' face. His eyes seem more exasperated than angry now.
"We are here to - we want to - " Granger starts and then stops, exhales hard through her nose, shakes her head and then starts again, "the magical community is on the brink of extinction, Malfoy. We're a dying breed. There are tens of thousands executions all over the world tomorrow and most of the wizards and witches who fought in the war are injured or dying in the hospitals. Voldemort dragged the magical communities from all over the world into this war. If we don't do something about it, wizards and witches will go extinct and we can't let that happen."
Draco stares at her, partly in shock and partly in pain, "what do you suppose I can do about this, eh? I am getting kissed tomorrow."
"We - that is Zabini and I have made a time turner. Well, we have made several but this one is ready because we didn't have to build it from scratch. It was partially complete when we found it. It will take you back to our first year safely. We want you to go in the past and stop Voldemort before it comes to this war."
Draco stares at her, wondering at what moment she'll tell him that all of this is some elaborate joke and then stares some more when she doesn't say anything.
"Dementors, Malfoy. We don't have much time. Will you do it or not?" Potter hisses and it seems that he's using parsletongue. But, he's not because Draco is not a parslemouth.
"Why me?" Draco asks because that's the only question that matters to him. Maybe, he's expendable. No one would miss him if he disappeared.
Draco expects Granger to answer but this time it's Potter who says, "because you are the only man we trust to complete the mission. You are the only one who would prioritise the mission above his own interests." His eyes are fierce and set as if he's expecting to fight if Draco argues about his worthiness for this second chance.
Draco stares at him for a long while after that. He has lost his entire family, fortune, dignity and freedom. Of course, he'll take this second chance. Why would he argue?
Why do they trust him? He's never been kind to them. He has tormented them for years.
But, he doesn't get to question them because after just a few moments, dementors are coming and he gets to merely nod his acceptance before Potter is waving both his hands and the gate is opening.
He doesn't have time to stare at him in awe before he is wrapped in an invisibility cloak. It's small for the three of them but they manage somehow and when he finally gets out of Azkaban, he breathes fresh air.
At this point, he's so tired, that his eyes close and he slumps on Potters' strong shoulders. He feels arms wrap around his waist and then he gives in to his fatigue.
XXXX
"Malfoy, Malfoy! Wake up," someone is saying. It seems Weaslebee, "I know that you're tired but we don't have time. We can't let them find you."
Draco blinks a few times before opening his eyes properly. The first thing he notices is that he's sleeping on a bed. It's soft and he has a pillow beneath his head.
His eyes meet Weasley's. He looks good. That's the second thing that crosses Draco's mind. His eyes are chocolatey brown. He is dressed in green robes and black trousers. The room smells nice. It feels so good to be here, to be away from the dark prison and the dementors. It has purple curtains with snitches all over them. There's a dresser in one corner of the room and a gate in the other corner. Draco supposes it leads to the bathroom.
"You are in the burrow," he says.
Draco nods before sitting up.
"The room is nice. It's warm," Draco says. Weasley stares at him in surprise before turning his head around and calling loudly, "he's awake. He's being weird," and the door opens to let Potter and Granger and to Draco's surprise, Blaise and Pansy in.
They sit around him on the bed.
Draco is too stunned to say anything.
"What are you doing here?" Draco asks Blaise but it's Granger who answers him.
"That time turner prototype I told you about - Blaise and I finished it. We're unspeakables and Ron and Pansy are aurors. They overheard us so we had to tell them about our plan," she says quietly, "but Malfoy- Draco. It can take you safely to our first year only. Any further and it will be dangerous for you. You are our only chance. It's an ancient time Turner. It will kill you if you go further back into the past. Meddling with time is very dangerous."
Draco doesn't get any chance to speak though because Blaise is already answering her, "he'll do whatever the hell he wants to. Dangerous or not."
"Yes, and with that giant crush of his, he'll not listen to any of us," Pansy continues.
"You are making no sense," Draco mutters, frowning at each of them, "and I was under the impression that we are short of time and I need to travel to our past and fix things before it's too late. There's no time to talk about crushes, not that I have one on anyone."
They nod quietly but he can see mirth in his friends' eyes. They are waiting for something, all of them.
Draco raises his face and says in a very stern tone, "well, I would like to ask Potter something then."
Draco stares as each one of them heave a very exasperated sigh as if they know what he's going to ask.
Potter, however, is surprised and he's the only one who's surprised. Bloody oblivious that he is.
"What is the one thing that you really want me to change, Potter," Draco asks, "for once in your miserable life, you get to choose."
"Malfoy, you can't go further than our first year. Hermione says you might die. Don't ask him, please," says Weasley but it seems that he knows that Draco would not listen because he's already shaking his head worriedly.
Draco crosses his arms and looks resolutely at Potter and when the git doesn't answer, he snaps impatiently, "Potter, we don't have all day. I have to save the world as you know. No time for chit chat with the former saviour. Chop chop."
"Azkaban has broken him, Hermione. I told you, didn't I," Ron mutters, "you should send Zabini instead."
"I am perfectly fine, Weasel," Draco sneers and Weasley grins as if the world has put itself to rights again.
"Potter has earned a second chance, don't you think? Chop chop, Potter. Tell me," He says, his eyes boring into Potters' who suddenly looks nervous, his eyes green and tense as if waiting for Draco to refuse.
"I want you to save my parents and Professor Snape," Harry says very quietly and reluctantly.
Draco looks into Potters' eyes. Their eyes meet for a few seconds only but it still feels like a long time. It might - it will change everything, the present, the past and the future.
"Draco, you can't do this," Pansy murmurs, her fingers wrapped around his wrist. He pulls his hand away and turns his head so that he doesn't have to look at her at all before answering curtly, "I am still not speaking to you."
"You didn't love me. You love someone else. Why do you care that I seduced Blaise," she snaps at him.
He turns his face sharply to glare at her, "I don't love anyone and that's beside the point anyway. You cheated on me. You had no right."
"And I'm sorry. You are leaving today and we might never see each other again. You are not supposed to go that far back. Blaise told me-"
Blaise takes over for her, his eyes serious for once, "it's still in experimental stage and we're sending you today because you are to be kissed tomorrow. You're the only one we can trust with this."
Blaise is wearing muggle jeans and a white shirt, unbuttoned at the top. Even Pansy is wearing a muggle knee-length dress whereas Granger, Potter and Weasley are dressed in crisp, traditional wizarding clothes, looking elegant and regal. It's so odd. Things have changed so much in his absence.
"So," Blaise continues, "you might be very injured when you reach there. We simply don't know what to expect."
Granger takes over for him, "We believe that you'll simply cease to exist once you have changed the future irrevocably. You might need immediate medical attention."
"I'll handle it," Draco simply says, his arms crossed. He tries to tell himself that he's not scared but he is and he can feel Potters' eyes burning on him. He doesn't look at him though.
Pansy tries to hold his hand again and he pulls it away before sneering, "I don't want to talk to you."
"I'm sorry," she sighs finally, "all right. I'm sorry I cheated. I love Blaise and I should've told you but you're my oldest friend. Please, forgive me."
Draco turns a little to sneak a peek at her. She does look genuinely sorry.
"Okay. I forgive you this once but only if you promise to make me your first child's godfather," he mutters snottily.
He is embraced then, from Pansy at one side and Blaise at the other. Pansy is trembling and he can feel his shirt getting wet.
"Don't cry, Pansy. Why are you crying?" He says, looking questioningly at the golden trio.
"You were going to be kissed tomorrow, Malfoy just because you had that mark and nothing we said was changing the wizengamot's mind. She has been crying for a week now," Weasel says, "we agreed unanimously that you are the best person for this task because-"
"Malfoy-" Potter who has been staring at him silently for a long while finally speaks up, cutting his best friend off but just then they hear an announcement.
"Aurors have surrounded you. Please, come outside with the prisoner. You cannot escape. I repeat that you have been surrounded. Don't force us to hurt you, Mr Potter."
A shiver crawls up Draco's spine. He doesn't want to go back to Azkaban. Pansy and Blaise pull back and Granger takes a book out of her pouch and gives it to him.
"What sort of a time turner is this? How do I activate this?" Draco mutters impatiently. Draco is known for many things but patience is not one of them.
Granger says, "Open it on any page and trace the year and month you want to go to with your finger."
"All the best, Malfoy," Weasley says.
"Thank you, Malfoy," Potter says and it's heartfelt.
Instead of answering him, Draco asks, "Say, Potter, when did Trelawney tell the prophecy?"
"September-" he starts and Weasley finishes for him, "1975," and Draco traces September 1975 on the first page of the book.
The last thing he sees is the door opening and the aurors shouting, "hands behind your heads gentlemen and-"
He doesn't have time to wonder what happens next because the moment he lands on the ground, he loses consciousness.