Chapter Three

Snape was back in Dumbledore's office, this time with an even more forlorn expression on his face.

"It's a nightmare come true, Albus. We can't find them in present day France...which can only mean that they have also been transported back in time." Snape said with a pained expression.

"We will find them, Severus. Are there any potions that you can make to bring them back?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well there is a counter potion that I could make. But I have to administer it to them myself...and since we don't know where exactly in time they are, making the potion seems useless."

"Go ahead with the potion anyway, I'll get Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Blaise Zabini to work out where Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger are in history." said Dumbledore reassuringly.

"How, Headmaster? If we can't do it, how will a bunch of seventh year idiots do it?"

"We'll go back to the basics. They can check the French family trees and the Malfoy and Granger family trees for their names. I'm sure their names wont have changed too much." replied Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye.

"How do you know, Albus?" asked Snape in bewilderment.

"Intuition, my friend." Snape gave Dumbledore a strange look before leaving the office.

"Well according to my intuition, Granger and Malfoy are going to need a lot more than just Irish luck to get back here."

--

Hermione came around a second time and was disappointed to find that she was still in the cottage and her 'mother' was still sitting next to her. She was hoping that it had all been bad dream...

'Noooo I'm still betrothed to Malfoy!' she thought in despair. And still lost in France, without anyone or anything to help her. How was she going to get back to Hogwarts? And where was Ron?

"Marie, are you feeling better now?" asked her mother kindly, interrupting her thoughts. Hermione nodded and took a sip from the glass of water on the table beside her.

"Excellent, then we can start making preparations for your trip to the Malfoy chateau." Hermione froze and choked on her water.

"What?!"

"Lord Xavier has invited you to spend a week at his chateau, just outside of Paris. He wishes to know you better and to see for himself that you've recovered. He was so worried when you got hurt." answered her mother.

"Well as touched as I am with his concern, I'm not going." said Hermione stubbornly.

"Nonsense, Marie. You are going for the sake of your future, if you don't go, the betrothal will be cancelled." her mother said bluntly.

"Then let it be cancelled! I'm not going to marry that piece of scum!" she protested, shuddering at the thought of spending the rest of her life with Malfoy.

"You are going to marry him regardless of what you think of him. And for the record, Lord Xavier is not a piece of scum! He is a charming, intelligent young man that -" Hermione cut her off.

"Every girl wants to marry? Well let him marry those other girls then! He can't be the only eligible young man in Paris for god's sake! Why do I have to marry him?!"

"That's it young lady! I've had it with your insolence! You're going to the chateau tonight! Eloise, send a message to Lord Xavier informing him that Marie is arriving a day early." her mother exclaimed furiously. Eloise nodded submissively and bustled out of the room.

Hermione was silent and sulky. This was a nightmare! Not only was she stuck in France, she was engaged to Malfoy as well. Could it get any worse?! Her mother glared at her and began taking clothes out of her armoire to put in her suitcase. Hermione suddenly noticed the type of clothes that her mother was wearing, and the clothes that she was putting into the suitcase. Her eyes widened as a horrible thought came into her head.

"Mother, what is the date?" she asked uneasily. Her mother turned around and mumbled -

"Second of September, seventeen eighty-eight."

The potion had somehow taken her back to a time when petticoats and corsets were the height of fashion.

'I was wrong, it just got worse.'

--

Draco was sitting stiffly at the dining table in the Great Hall of the Malfoy chateau. He had just met his parents, Lord Marcel and Lady Madeline and they too noticed something different about him. Xavier kept shooting Draco furtive glances when he thought that he wasn't looking.

Draco felt like kicking him really hard in the shin just to teach him a lesson, but knew that he had to restrain himself if he wanted to keep up appearances. He had seen a huge library when he had come down for breakfast so he was going there afterwards to do some research about the Pres Mobilius potion. He had to get out of here soon.

"Julien, your brother tells us that you've taken a sudden interest in speaking English. What is the reason for this? You have never been particularly fond of the language." his father said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, father I'm afraid that's true. I would prefer to keep my reason private." replied Draco curtly.

"Just as I feared, Marcel." whispered Lady Madeline, "He's courting an English girl."

"I most certainly am not!" Draco exclaimed indignantly.

"Then what's your reason?!" his father bellowed back at him. Draco was at a loss for words for a moment, and in that time his mother began to sob.

"First Xavier, now Julien too. Those English girls never know when to give up when it comes to our sons! Our pure lineage will be tainted by those...wenches!" she wept. Her husband tried to console her, and he glared at Draco.

"Hang on, Xavier is courting an English girl?" said Draco, glancing at his brother interestedly.

"Yes I am, brother. We are betrothed." Xavier said smugly, as though he had beaten Draco to the prize. Again Draco was having a hard time restraining himself from punching that smartass.

"Oh, what's her name?"

"Marie." He replied simply.

"I see. Well as wonderful as it is to sit and chat with you all, I've got some work to do. I'll see you all at lunch. Have a good morning." said Draco politely, excusing himself from the table.

Once he left the Hall, he ran up the flight of stairs straight to the library. It was dark extremely cave-like, with books lining all four walls and candles burning in a candelabra set on the stately table in the middle of the room. A fire was also burning in the fireplace, casting eerie shadows across room, even though it was still morning.

"What Granger would do to have a library like this." Draco smirked to himself, climbing up a ladder to reach a book. It was naturally a potion book, and after picking out another four potion texts, he sat down at the armchair in front of the fireplace and began to read.

--

"Ow! Does it have to be this tight?!" Hermione yelped, as Eloise tightened the corset on her.

"Why yes it does, miss. Otherwise it won't look good. You'll look like a real lady once I get this on properly with your new dress over it." Eloise assured her, grinning toothily. Hermione had forbade her to call her 'mademoiselle' again, so now she called her 'miss' instead.

"Am I supposed to be unable to breathe?" Hermione asked sarcastically as Eloise helped her into her new dress.

"That's the idea." Eloise replied with a shrug, "You look beautiful, Miss Marie."

Hermione twirled around in front of the mirror. She looked so...different. Her hair was done up so that most of her curls were piled up into an elaborate bun at the back of her head with a few stray curls at the front to frame her face. She didn't have any make up on, but her cheeks were naturally flushed because of her corset's restriction of her breathing.

The corset itself had done its job admirably. Her breasts were pushed up more than any modern push-up bra could ever hope to achieve, and of course this made Hermione wince. She looked so...girly and so unlike herself. Her waist was also cinched by the corset, making her look very thin.

Her dress however was gorgeous. It was a rose pink, with long sleeves and a low cut neckline. It wasn't so low as to make her look like a prostitute, but just enough to make her look appealing. The bottom of the dress flared out a little from the hips onward with the help of a petticoat underneath.

'You know, I think I could get used to living in this time if I get to wear dresses like this.' Thought Hermione with a smile, 'But the corset has to go. How do women go through this everyday?!'

"Are you ready to leave, darling?" asked her mother, coming into the room. She had stopped being angry at Hermione once she had become more reasonable about the stay. Hermione figured that if she could talk to Malfoy (assuming that it is Draco Malfoy) and they could work out a way to get back to Hogwarts together.

"You look absolutely ravishing! Lord Xavier won't be able to keep his eyes off you!" she gushed, giving her daughter a hug. She didn't see Hermione's grimace at the thought of Malfoy checking her out.

"The carriage is here, Madame." said Eloise, picking up Hermione's suitcase which contained a week's worth of pretty dresses.

"Well, do enjoy yourself, my dear. Don't do anything too rash, just...let him do what he wants with you. The fate of this family lies with you, darling." Her mother said with tears in her eyes.

"Don't worry, mother. Trust me, I'll behave." Hermione reassured her mother. And with that, she stepped into the horse-drawn carriage and waved goodbye to her mother and Eloise.

About an hour later, she arrived at the Malfoy Chateau. It overlooked the Seine River and was set in lush surroundings. The Chateau itself was very impressive, it was designed like a miniature castle, with towers here and there, and very elaborate stone designs on its walls.

The lights were twinkling in most of the rooms of the Chateau, giving it an ethereal glow. Hermione smiled. She was going to spend a week in a French chateau! How exciting! But then she remembered that Malfoy would get to live here for however long they were here, which completely erased her smile.

"Lucky bastard." she muttered under her breath, as the carriage door opened. The footman helped her out, and she walked up the stairs into the Grand Foyer. Like everything else, it was beautifully lit by candles in a chandelier above and completely set in marble.

Before she had any more time to admire her surroundings, a middle-aged man and woman appeared from one of the side doors. They were exquisitely dressed and looked every bit the part of a posh French couple.

"Bon soir, Marie." boomed the man's deep voice. He came over and kissed her on both cheeks. Hermione suddenly remembered that this was the traditional French kiss.

"Bon soir, Monsieur Malfoy." Hermione replied, hoping that her horrid English accent would not offend them.

"Welcome to our home, Marie." said his wife kindly. She too leaned over and gave Hermione the French kiss.

"Thank you so much for having me, Madame Malfoy." was Hermione's reply. The three of them stood in an awkward silence after the formalities were exchanged. They seemed to be waiting for something.

Soon, two young men walked regally into the foyer. The first was tall, dark-haired and very good-looking. He had piercing green eyes, and an air of self-confidence. He also looked very familiar, almost like -

"Blaise Zabini?" Hermione whispered incredulously. When he threw her a confused look she immediately shut her mouth. 'No, its just a coincidence.' she thought to herself. But the person behind him was unmistakable.

The telltale silver blond hair, steely grey eyes and that arrogant smirk still plastered on his face, Draco Malfoy walked into the foyer and stood beside the Blaise copycat. Hermione could almost hear music that accompanied her impending doom. She really was betrothed to Malfoy.

As his eyes appraised her from top to bottom, she saw his shocked expression. He was either very impressed by her corset and dress or he was genuinely surprised to see her there.

"Granger?!" he mouthed to her in shock. Hermione realized that the latter was true. Before she had any time to do anything else, the Blaise lookalike spoke.

"Brother, allow me to introduce you to my betrothed, Marie-Hermione Granger."

'His betrothed?!' Hermione thought, completely shocked. But...

"Pleased to meet you Marie-Hermione." said Malfoy, arranging his face into a neutral expression. He leaned over and gave her a peck on each cheek. Hermione knew that this was only standard procedure in France, but she couldn't help flushing. She could still smell the lingering tang of his cologne. 'Malfoy just kissed me! How disgusting and ironic.' she thought wryly.

"No, the pleasure is all mine." Hermione answered graciously, giving him a narrow look. Malfoy raised his eyebrow in response.

"And Marie, allow me to introduce you to my charming younger brother, Julien Draco Malfoy." said Xavier, giving her a warm smile.

Hermione smiled warmly back - she wasn't going to marry Malfoy! Well, technically she was still going to marry a Malfoy, but at least it wasn't the git that had teased her mercilessly for seven years. And this Xavier really wasn't bad looking and he seemed nice enough. He moved towards her, and took her arm.

"You look stunning tonight, Marie." he whispered huskily into her ear. She blushed in response.

"Um...thank you."

"I'm so glad that you've recovered. That was quite a fall that you took." he said concernedly. Hermione smiled lightly, hoping to disguise the fact that she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Now, I shall take you to your room. You'll love it, I'm sure." said Xavier with a grin.

They bade good night to his parents and Malfoy (who looked sour), and ascended the stairs to the second floor. Xavier led the way down the winding corridor until they arrived at a door that looked identical to all the other doors along the hallway.

"Here we are, Marie." he said simply, placing his hands over her eyes in a mock blindfold.

"I won't peek you know." Hermione said, batting his hands away. She squeezed her eyes shut obligingly. He smiled fondly at her, and opened the locked door.

He led her into the middle of the room, and told her to open her eyes. She did and the most welcome sight met her eyes. There was a plush burgundy carpet under her feet and a matching burgundy bedspread with gold trimmings on a four poster bed. There were also several matching fluffed up pillows. (A/N: think Gryffindor) There was an ornate wooden desk on the far side of the room and matching chair. An armoire was on the opposite side of the room, made from the same kind of wood.

It was simple, and very patriotic to her house. But how on earth did he know about Gryffindor?...

"I had the room decorated in your favourite colours, Marie." He said, reading her mind.

Hermione assumed that she had told him that her favourite colours were red and gold sometime in the past. She smiled brightly, gave him an ecstatic hug.

"Thank you, Xavier! It's perfect."

He grinned and then looked into her eyes meaningfully. Hermione was taken aback by how bright his eyes were, and how straight his nose was and how soft his lips looked and... a moment later those lips were on hers and he was kissing her softly.

Now she could smell Xavier's musky cologne which was so different from Malfoy's. He wasn't a bad kisser either, she thought dreamily. Then suddenly he pulled back, and gave her a nervous look, as though he had invaded her space.

Hermione immediately regained her senses and realised what she was doing. Technically what she was doing wasn't wrong...they were betrothed after all. But it seemed as though he didn't know her well enough, and this was probably their first kiss ever.

"Uh..." stammered Hermione awkwardly.

"Well, I suppose I should go now, Marie. I've got some things to do before I go to sleep tonight. Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning." He said quickly, turning to go. Then he thought the better of it, and went back to give Hermione a peck on the cheek.

"Good night, my sweet." said Xavier quietly.

"Good night to you too, my lord." replied Hermione with a small smile. She watched him walk to the door and shut it behind him. When he had left she collapsed onto her bed and lay there grinning like a Cheshire cat. Things weren't looking so bad after all...

A/N: Hehe. Thanks sooooo much for all your reviews guys! :) Really cheered me up, and motivated me! Btw, this isn't going to be your normal Hermione/Draco mushy story. I want to give it more twists than usual : ).

Ok, replies to the reviews:

Meg: Hey! Oh my god, thanks so much for coming back for my second story : )

Written: Thanks for your support, ummm what didn't you get before?

AL BLACK: Yeah, this isn't going to be the usual Hr/D fic, so stay tuned : )

ShadowVixen90: Thanks for your compliment, yeah actually I do learn French at school. I'm pretty bad at it though...I hope that the French bit in the chapter made sense.

Foxer: I can't remember if I've read DeChantal's story actually. I think I read another fic by her...not sure. I'll check and read it again anyway :)

Emikae: Yeah, there are quite a few time travel stories now eh? But I've had the idea for this one for awhile, I only just found the time to actually write it. So, stay tuned for more.