Chapter 10
Malfoy Manor
They had jumped to a forest. Tall trees surrounded them; the ground dappled with sunlight. For once, Hermione's thoughts weren't focused on where they were or what was going to happen next. She was still back in the library with the two boys. The ones that wouldn't remember what she'd told them, that wouldn't be forewarned about their fate.
It had been the right thing to do but it hurt a lot.
"Hermione?" Draco's voice broke into her thoughts. "Are you okay?"
She was about to say yes automatically but as she formed the word a wave of emotion hit her and instead, she heard herself give a sob. She desperately tried to hide it, taking a breath, and turning away from Draco but she could see by his expression that he had noticed.
Without warning, she felt Draco's presence behind her and the next moment, he had turned her around and pulled her tightly against him, his arms wrapped around her. Suddenly the emotion of the last few days hit Hermione and she found herself crying into Draco's shoulder, her whole body shaking. Seeing James and Sirius and not being able to tell them anything was cruel. It gave her actual physical pain.
After a while the sobbing stopped and she just leant against Draco, breathing in his scent, letting his embrace sooth her. She didn't care that it was Draco because where would she have been these last few days without him? He'd been the perfect partner through the whole thing, and it had changed her feelings for him.
Eventually, she pushed him away gently, wiping her face, feeling slightly embarrassed at how she must look.
"Thank you," she said, giving him a sheepish smile. "I'm not sure what came over me."
Draco shook his head and waved his arms around them. "This! This is what came over you! I'm not sure how much longer we can keep doing this!"
"It was just seeing James, thinking about how Harry would feel. What will he say when he finds out I didn't tell him anything?" Hermione gave another little sob.
"He'll say you did the right thing," Draco reassured her. "If you had told James what was going to happen then that is the whole world flipped on its head."
"For the better though, surely?"
"We don't know that. Yes, it might have saved James, it may have stopped Voldemort before he even got started again but we don't know that. What if James, forewarned of the attack, acted differently and Harry didn't survive?" Draco nodded at her. "Stop beating yourself up."
"I know, you're right," Hermione pointed at her head. "My head agrees with you." She then pointed at her chest. "But my heart has other ideas."
"If you're worried about what Harry will say, we can tell him you were the one who they hit with the Pet spell. You were immobilized, unable to do anything. Tell him it was me who decided to not tell them," Draco gave her a very small smile. "He will probably blame me anyway."
Hermione felt another rush of tears and covered her mouth. After a few deep breaths she spoke again. "I would never ask you to do that for me. That is such a kind thing to offer."
Draco put his head to one side. "Yeah, I'm a hero. Now stop blubbing and let's see where we are." He gave her his customary smirk, but his eyes were deep with emotion and kindness,
"Yeah, let's do that," Hermione agreed, grabbing the bag, and following Draco out of the forest. She had to stop crying now, she needed to have a clear head, but she was deeply touched by the way Draco had comforted her and his offer to take the blame. He was just full of surprises.
They cleared the trees and Draco stopped in his tracks, causing Hermione to bump straight into him.
"What is it?" she asked, peering round his shoulder. "Oh! That's Malfoy Manor!"
Draco was staring at the large building in front of them as if he was memorized. It was a few moments before he responded. "Yes, that's Malfoy Manor." His voice was quiet, and Hermione glanced at him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
He tore his eyes from the manor and looked at her. "I guess it's my turn to be endure some emotional torture!" he answered.
"It looks different?" Hermione said. "It looks elegant and classic. Not like the monstrosity I remember!" She realized what she had said and reached out to put her hand on his arm. "Sorry! That was thoughtless of me."
Draco shrugged. "Thoughtless but 100% accurate nonetheless."
"I shouldn't have said it."
Draco shook his head. "Stop fretting. You're right about how it used to look. And yes, it looks so much better now," he paused, "whenever now happens to be!"
"Why would you change a building that looks so beautiful into the ugly one that you grew up in? If it looked like this, why did they change it?" Hermione looked over at him again. "Would you like me to go and investigate on my own? You can stay out here?"
Draco stared at her. "No! Of course not. You're not going in there alone."
"I'll be fine."
"I'm sure you would be, but Potter told us to stay together and that's what we are going to do." Draco started walking towards the manor. "Let's go round the back, I know how to get in."
Hermione followed him towards the imposing building. He led her down the side and around to the back before stopping in front of a window.
"This is the snug," he whispered. "The catch has always been faulty, if you twist the handle a bit, it comes open." As promised the window opened and Draco helped her climb in before following her into the dark room.
He then led the way to the door, opened it a fraction before indicating that she should follow him into the brightly lit corridor. Hermione was concentrating on being quiet, her heart thumping with nervousness but it didn't escape her attention how different the manor looked inside. It was bright, full of gleaming wood. Again, she questioned who had decided to not leave it like this!
She heard the voices coming down the wide staircase at the same time as Draco did and he tested the handle of the nearest door which thankfully swung open.
They leant against the wall, hoping desperately that the people coming down the stairs were not coming into this room. Thankfully, they appeared to be heading the other way and Hermione, who was closest to the door, could see them through the small gap.
Draco went to move but she pushed him back against the wall. "No! Stay right there. It's you and your father!"
Draco moved back towards the wall. "Father?"
Hermione turned her head to him. "Yes, you and your father."
She didn't have a clear view of them, only the top of their heads and their backs, but it was so obviously Draco and his father with their distinctive hair and slim build. Draco was a teenager, tall and gangly. Hermione guessed he was about 14 or 15 years old.
"What can you see?" Draco whispered.
"Not very much, just the back of their heads," she turned to look at him. "The back of your head."
They waited until they had moved away before sneaking back down the corridor. Draco led Hermione through some corridors, familiar with the building despite it being from another time.
Draco stopped ran his hand over one of the gleaming doors. "Something isn't adding up," he said. "The manor definitely didn't look like this when I was 14."
Hermione stared at him. "Of course, I didn't think of that. Why does it look so different? It should look like it did when you were that age!"
"Another question I can't answer," Draco said.
They didn't see anyone, and Draco suggested that they head to his father's study to see if they could find any clue as to who S. Malfoy may be. They turned a corner and Draco suddenly pushed Hermione into a small alcove.
"Stay there!" he instructed; his voice urgent.
Hermione watched him as he leant forward, frowning.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"There's someone on the garden steps," Draco whispered back.
"Do you know them?"
Draco looked over at her. "You could say that."
Hermione frowned. "What do you mean? Who is it?"
"It's you."
Hermione's eyes widened in her face. "Me? Are you sure?"
Draco nodded. "I'm 100% sure."
Before she could quiz him further, he suddenly jumped into the alcove with her, squeezing her into the corner uncomfortably. She'd never been in such close proximity to Draco as she had these last few days!
They heard the door open and then Hermione felt a chill as she heard herself call out. It was unmistakably her own voice.
"Draco? Draco?"
Her footsteps faded away and Draco poked his head out.
"She's gone, or should I say you've gone," Draco tapped his head. "I can't keep up with all the tenses."
"You were right, it was me," Hermione said, quietly. "That was officially the weirdest moment of my entire life!"
"Yeah, definitely you. So now we have two Hermione Granger's in one place." Draco gave a fake shudder. "Scary!"
Hermione slapped him on the arm. "Two Draco Malfoy's as well!" she pointed out. "Seriously, why am I here? I mean why is my past self here? Since when do I pop to the manor to admire the garden and then walk in calling out your name as if we're best friends or something?"
Draco shook his head. "I don't know." He twisted his lips. "There's another thing as well."
Hermione sighed. "Merlin! Why is there always another thing!"
"I got a good look at her….you as you walked past," Draco said. "You were an adult. Older than you are now, I'd say at least 40."
Hermione gaped at him. "What? No, that can't be right."
"Well put it like this, you weren't 14!"
Hermione gulped. "That can't be! All this time jumping we are doing – us and our enemies – that must have mixed up the timeline, changed reality."
"Not sure even that would explain how you're 40 and I'm still 15?"
Hermione covered her mouth with both of her hands. "This is really bad, Draco!"
"Come on, let's go to the study and try and work all this out."
Hermione felt sick. This was serious. How would they ever put this right?!
As they returned to the main corridor, they both heard voices from a room on the right.
"Dining room," Draco whispered, creeping over, and putting his ear to the door. "Come this way, there's a better place we can listen."
He crept off again, down the side of the door where a half-glazed wall showed a large oak walled room. He ducked below the glass and Hermione followed his lead. At the far end was another door, this one was slightly ajar. Hermione dared to glance through the gap and could see teenage Draco sat on one side of the table, herself and weirdly, Lucius on the other side. They were all eating a meal!
"We're eating dinner with your father!" she whispered, her face indicating what she thought of this. "I can't see faces clearly but he looks around 40 as well?"
Suddenly the sound of raucous laughter came to them, and they both stared at each other, bewildered. Hermione wondered if she hadn't woken up and this was just a very weird dream.
"Professor Bolt thinks I'll get Outstanding in both of his subjects," teenage Draco was speaking.
"Fabulous!"
Hermione heard her own voice and winced.
"He told me and then said, don't tell your mother or she will come down here and hex me if you get anything less!" teenage Draco continued. "So, if he asks you mother, I didn't say a thing!" He gave a little laugh and Hermione heard her other self laugh too.
"Mother?" Draco whispered in Hermione's ear, and she met his eyes, both having the same thought. "Did I just call you mother?"
Before Hermione could reply, the conversation drifted over to them again.
"What about Quidditch?" Lucius asked.
"I'm on the reserve team," teenage Draco answered.
"Reserve team!" Draco's whispered voice was in her ear, sounding indignant and Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"Not really the most important thing right now!" she whispered back.
"That's good," the Hermione at the table said.
"Are you enjoying it?" Lucius asked.
"Yeah, it's okay. I don't want to make the proper team though. I'm not good enough and I don't enjoy the pressure."
"That is not me!" Draco whispered in Hermione's ear. "I disown myself."
Hermione gave him a shove. "Shush!"
If it hadn't been such a dreadful situation, Hermione would have laughed at his disgust at his 14-year-old self's lack of enthusiasm for Quidditch. But right now, that was the least of their problems.
"I may have to drop it next year, if I want to really do well in my studies," teenage Draco was continuing. "Would that be okay, father?"
Again, Draco and Hermione stared at each other. "Am I married to Lucius?" Hermione whispered, not bothering to hide her disgust at this thought.
"Of course, it's fine. Not everyone can have the honor of being the youngest seeker to be chosen for the team," Lucius joked, and the other Hermione groaned.
"Nothing to do with talent and everything to do with your father buying the whole team a brand-new broomstick!" she said.
All three of them at the table laughed and Hermione felt Draco poke her in the arm.
"That's not me," he whispered, waving towards the room.
Before she could reply or attempt to wrap her head around what was going on here, Lucius stood up, giving them a full view of him for the first time. Hermione gasped and she felt Draco stiffen beside her.
"We should get going now. We don't want to be the last family to arrive, or we will never hear the end of it from Ginny." He chuckled again as he said this. "I'll go and set up the Portkey." He bent down to Hermione and gave her an affectionate kiss on the lips which she returned. He then hugged her before heading towards the other door.
Even if she hadn't now seen his face, Hermione would have known this wasn't Lucius. She didn't imagine the real Lucius Malfoy had ever chuckled like that in his life. His whole demeanor was wrong, the way he was speaking to his son, the teasing jokes. No amount of time jumping was enough to explain the total transformation of his personality.
"Have you packed your overnight bag, Scorpius?" the other Hermione asked and suddenly, with a wave of understanding both Draco and Hermione felt the pieces of the jigsaw drop into place. Hermione sat back on her knees, feeling slightly lightheaded. Before she could form any words, Draco had stood up and grabbed her hand, leading her away from the dining room, up a small flight of stairs and along the corridor.
Neither of them said a word, Hermione's mind racing as she finally understood what they had just seen. It was too much to comprehend. It felt like her whole world had shifted.
