Hey there! Originally I had planned to update this every now and then, but there were quite a few of you who like the Prologue so I decided to give it a go. I'll try to update it every Wednesday, or every other. Depending on if I can keep up with my other two stories. This chapter is a bit short because I wrote it overnight, but I promise the next one will be a lot longer, and the Marauders will make their appearance. Thank you to every one who liked, favourited or reviewed this story, seriously, thank you so so much! I hope you enjoy the first chapter, please let me know what you think :).
August 27th, 1971
The next day Hermione and Draco woke up in the Hospital Wing where Madame Pomfrey proceeded to fuss about them, checking to make sure they were all right, and hissing in indignation when she saw their scars. Hermione looked the other way when Pomfrey examined her forearm, avoiding looking at Draco; who had retreated to the far side of the room.
Dumbledore soon brought Minerva to come and visit; he did not share any more details than he thought were absolutely necessary, the events to come would be his burden to bear. When he brought them to the Infirmary the night before he told Poppy not to ask any questions, that they were just students that needed a place to sleep for the night. Her raised eyebrow and questioning stare told him she knew there was more to the story, but it was not her business to ask.
"They are from the future you say?" Minerva McGonagall gaped at the Hermione and Draco as they sat on separate beds in the Hospital Wing. Earlier Hermione had restrained herself from excitedly greeting her favourite teacher whilst Draco tried to slink into the shadows, not as keen as Hermione was to speak to the two Professors.
"Well the main issue is making them look younger again." Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he watched Hermione poke Draco's arm causing the blonde boy to growl in response. "That and changing Mister Malfoy's appearance," Draco heard his name and he instantly looked at Dumbledore, a suspicious gaze aimed at the Headmaster.
"Malfoy, your appearance is going to give you away." Hermione said carefully, wary of how the Slytherin was going to react to all of this. "The Malfoy traits are very distinct, we may be able to let you keep your eye colour...but..." Hermione trailed off. Draco sighed heavily before sitting on the edge of his bed.
"Miss Granger is right, we would need to find a household that would take you in, no questions asked, or at least come up with a story. Such households are in short supply I'm afraid. The Notts despite their deep dalliances with the dark arts may be one of tho-"
"No." Draco said firmly, Dumbledore raised an eyebrow but did not press the matter. Draco got swept up in his emotions that he usually kept bottled up. Theo's Father had been a monster, and from Theo's stories when they were younger, his grandparents hadn't been nice people either. Draco wanted nothing to do with the lot of them.
"The only people that come to mind are the Potters."
"James." Hermione whispered softly, her bottom lip trembled, causing Draco to scoff beside her. She was most likely thinking of Saint Potter and how much she missed him.
"From what you say about your friend...maybe they would be the best people to take you both in." Dumbledore suggested, careful not to share too much in Poppy or Minerva's presence.
"The Potters would take them in, no question." McGonagall piped up.
"I would rather you say we were Muggleborn orphans," Draco scowled.
"Malfoy," Hermione hissed, then narrowed her eyes. "The great Draco Malfoy would deign to pretend that he was a Mudblood?"
Minerva sucked in a sharp breath and was about to lecture the girl about how terms like that would not be tolerated, when she caught sight of the fury raging in the girl's brown eyes. Draco grimaced, and shot Hermione an almost apologetic look before his calm facade put itself back into place.
"Fine, I don't care how you spin it, say that we're Potter's cousins and they're taking us in because our parents died." Draco sneered, before stalking out of the room.
"Malfoy! You can't...dammit." Hermione groaned, until they found a way to make them younger again they should stay in the Hospital Wing to avoid unwanted attention.
"Miss Granger I had an idea, there is a potion my friend Horace Slughorn mentioned once that reverses the aging process. It is extremely rare and a bit unpredictable, but he did mention that he has a small supply of it."
"It's worth a try, and I can perform the glamour charms to get rid of my scars, so there is less to explain," Hermione suggested quietly.
"I will return tomorrow evening and see what I can do about arranging for both of you to have adoptive families. I will try my best to situate you both with the Potters, but you mentioned Mister Malfoy's Mother was Narcissa Black?" Dumbledore inquired curiously.
"Yes, why?"
"I could try and get Druella and Cygnus to take him in bu-"
"No, no. If they are anything like what I can imagine, Walburga would be a much more favourable option. Though Sirius wasn't too fond of her either." Hermione reasoned. The Lovegoods popped into the back of her mind, but she dispelled the thought out of her head; Luna was lovely and she had grown fond of her, but she didn't think Draco or her would be able to survive in that household. That was if Luna's grandparents were anything like her or her Father.
"Walburga and Orion Black?" Dumbledore said slowly.
"Yes, if anyone put him with them, they might be Pureblood Supremacists but at least Draco would be a bit safer there."
"Determining where I'll live without me, Granger?" Draco asked from the doorway, Hermione twisted to look at him, and saw how exhausted he looked.
"I just thought-"
"You thought wrong, wherever you go, I'm going. Remember we need to stick together and all that rubbish." Draco grinned when he saw that the curly haired Gryffindor was gobsmacked, speechless. He had succeeded in silencing the Golden girl.
"Then I will try to pry the potion out of Horace's hands as well as arrange for you to live with the Potters by tomorrow." Dumbledore smiled warmly at the pair, Draco moved out of the way when Poppy Pomfrey bustled hurriedly out of the Infirmary. Dumbledore then turned his attention to Minerva who had been standing quietly watching the interaction between Albus and the girl. "Minerva, may you please pick up their first year supplies. I would have let them go get their supplies themselves, but it is very close to the new school year and I fear we may not have enough time."
"Of course, Albus. I'll come back with your supplies by the end of the day," Minerva nodded curtly at the two, and then swiftly left the Infirmary. Thoughts of how interesting the coming school year was going to be swirling around in her head. No idea exactly how interesting it would be.
Hermione studied Draco as he crossed the room. He walked around the bed opposite to her and sat down. Draco raked his hand backwards through his hair, it had grown out in the past few months, the tips of his ears covered beneath his blonde tresses. His grey eyes warily met hers and he sighed deeply.
"I suppose we should get to know each other a bit, right?" Draco suggested unexpectedly. Hermione's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she swung her feet around so she was fully facing him.
"Who are you, and what have you done with the real Draco Malfoy?" Hermione blinked rapidly.
"I'm serious Granger. If we are supposed to be siblings we're going to need to know the simple things about one another, wouldn't you say?" Draco rolled his eyes.
"That is true...we need to call each other by our first names as well." Hermione frowned, crossing her legs under her, grabbing fistfuls of the sheets on either side of her.
"Hermione," Draco rolled off his tongue, there was a slight crease on his forehead, but he didn't look as put out as she thought he would.
"Draco," Hermione said stiffly. Draco Malfoy was being amicable, pleasant even; she would almost believe she was in an alternate Universe if she didn't know better.
"Now what?" Draco asked dully.
"How about you say five things about yourself, anything at all and then a confession of sorts?" Hermione shrugged, blowing a stray curl out of her eyes.
"This is silly," Draco said after a few moments.
"You suggested it," Hermione giggled, and they both froze at the happy sound, a blush crept onto Hermione's cheeks.
"Still stupid. My middle name is Abraxas, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass are my friends. The first time I broke a bone was when I was seven and I was too reckless on my first training broom. My favourite candy from Honeydukes is Sugar Quills. I like classic Muggle literature." Draco looked doubtful before he finally admitted, "I don't hate Muggleborns anymore, I haven't in a couple years. I'm sorry my Aunt..." Draco clamped shut, Hermione wanted to reach out and hold his hand, but she knew he would withdraw from her completely. This was the most bizarre set of circumstances, if you told her two days ago she would be sitting across from Draco Malfoy having a civil conversation, she would have sooner believed that Sirius Black was not the biggest flirt she had ever met.
"My turn then. My Birthday is September nineteeth. I abhor the stipulation that all woman like roses, I highly dislike them, I much prefer Lilies, Calla Lilies to be precise. My favourite class is Transfiguration. I would love to find my parents one of these days," Hermione's voice faded, then as if noticing things had taken a sombre turn she plastered a smile on her face and continued. "Besides Harry, Ron and the Weasleys, whom I consider family, I've grown quite close to Professor Lupin and Sirius." Hermione tapped her chin, her brows drawn together in thought, "I have never been in a proper relationship with anyone. Despite what everyone thinks about Ron and I, we're just friends."
"What about Krum?"
"A few kisses on the cheek don't really constitute a relationship," Hermione sighed wistfully.
"Your time will come," Draco shrugged.
"I thought you would make fun of me," Hermione confessed.
"A few years ago...I probably would have." Draco replied honestly, "I'm still going to be a jerk, Hermione. Just not as bad a prat as I used to be."
"I think I can handle that. What house do you think you'll be sorted into this time?" Hermione tilted her head in curiosity.
"I would love to say Slytherin, but honestly probably Ravenclaw. Or maybe even Gryffindor, no idea. I might just ask it to put me there so we don't get separated." Draco shrugged.
"The Gryffindor Tower entrance is two floors above the Ravenclaw one, it's not that far away," Hermione pointed out.
"So you expect me to climb two extra flights of stairs to come see you?" Draco drawled.
"I could come to you, I think being located in the Dungeons for the last seven years has spoiled you," Hermione chuckled.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, right now we should probably talk some more so we can actually pull this off," Draco commanded, Hermione swallowed the snide comment she was about to throw his way, who was he to demand things from her. She knew he was right, but that didn't make it any easier to refrain from saying something.
"Ok, Draco. Where do you want to start?"
...
Getting Horace to give him the Potion was a tedious and long process. Horace had held onto the vial for dear life; Dumbledore was afraid that the poor vial was going to break under the pressure. After several hours of bartering, Horace had demanded a raise or to know why he wanted the potion. Horace Slughorn's pay had been raised, as well as a few benefits that were almost painful to allow.
Dumbledore had succeeded in one of his objectives for the day, and was on his way to fulfil the other one. Albus Dumbledore stood in front of Potter Manor and knocked on the door; he knew Dorea or Charlus would have been aware of his presence the moment he crossed the wards onto their grounds, but it was only polite. As he waited he admired how serene and lovely their gardens were. Charlus spent a significant amount of time tending to all the flowers, hedges and plants that were beautifully arranged around the gardens. The afternoon sun added to the magic of the grounds. There was just an enchanting feeling about the house on a whole. It was open, and airy, most of the exterior was white with red trimmings. Albus was just admiring their magnificent Magnolias when Dorea Potter swung open the front door, a large grin on her face.
"Albus! How lovely, how may we help you on this fine afternoon?" Dorea left the front door open and then skipped across the foyer and disappeared through a door to the right. In front of Albus was a grand staircase, and directly above the centre of the large, circular foyer was an elegant and intricate crystal chandelier. Albus followed the sprightly witch, waving his hand and the front door closed behind him.
He found Dorea a couple rooms down, in a sitting room of sorts, sipping Earl Grey tea from a dainty, scarlet red teacup. The room was spacious, the high ceilings and the large glass windows on the left and right making it look even larger. There were a couple comfy looking couches facing away from the windows on the left side of the room, and low oak coffee table. On the right, were rows of bookshelves fitted in between the floor to ceiling windows.
"Dorea I need you adopt two students," Dumbledore stated bluntly; Dorea Potter appreciated straight forwardness.
Dorea merely raised an eyebrow and took another sip of her tea, her Pureblood upbringing showing in the way she sat, her skirt neatly tucked under her, her back straight, and an aura of elegance exuded from the woman.
"I cannot tell you much, only that as far as anyone is concerned they are Potter twins, and their real parents died and you have taken them in."
"How do you propose we spin that one?" Charlus asked in amusement, his smile lines crinkling by his eyes as he entered from the door across the room.
"Your brother." Dumbledore said cautiously, he saw the flicker of pain flash though Charlus, who shook it off and his grin returned to his face.
"Galieus...him and his wife died in that fire-"
"Ten years ago," Dumbledore finished.
"So you want to say that these twins of yours are my nieces or nephews?" Charlus cocked an eybrow, moving to sit down next to his wife. "James is knackered, he headed straight for his room to take a nap." Charlus murmured to Dorea before pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.
"A boy and a girl, and they are not siblings, but as of tomorrow they will definitely look it." Dumbledore clarified.
"I'm going to hazard a guess and say that they are very important?" Dorea grinned broadly.
"Most certainly. Will you please adopt these two needy children?" Dumbledore asked hopefully, the couple shared a secretive look, and then Dorea turned to Albus and nodded.
"Of course, Albus."
...
Hermione woke up with a start, her mind still filled with horrific images of the war, but what really surprised her was that Draco had shoved their beds together and he was curled up in a ball, trembling mere inches away from her.
Looking around she confirmed that they were still in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, they hadn't been miraculously returned to their time in their sleep. Hermione gently climbed out of her bed, and padded over to a window. The waxing moon greeted her, its' pale light illuminating her features and her mind drifted as she stared out into the night. Harry and Ron were probably wondering where she was, unless whenever they return to their time only a handful of moments have passed. Thinking about Harry brought forth thoughts of his Father and his friends. In a matter of days she was bound to interact with at least one of the Marauders and she had no idea what to expect. She had heard stories from Sirius and Remus, but hearing about and experiencing things were two vastly different concepts.
Whatever was in store for them, Hermione had faith that this was all for a reason, and she would have to be careful not to betray that she knew a lot more about their lives and futures than she should be able to. Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples, hopefully Draco didn't go overboard and do anything reckless and they should be fine. The only problem was with the Marauders, avoiding reckless behaviour was bound to be a challenge.
...
August 28th, 1971
A few hours later Hermione woke up to the bright, morning sun and she heard muted voices speaking in the background. Her bed was so comfortable, so soft, and she didn't want to open her eyes just yet. She snuggled against her blanket and listened to the conversation in the background.
"Take the potion first, we don't know how the glamour charms will hold once you've taken it."
"It doesn't look appealing, let's hope it taste better than it looks."
Hermione heard a gulping sound, followed by a loud gagging noise and muttered curses.
"Stupid thing doesn't even wo-" Hermione's brow crinkled together, she wanted to see if it worked but her bed was just so lovely. After a moment of deliberation she chose to get up. She was greeted by one of the most bizarre sights in her lifetime when she rolled over and cracked open her eyes. Draco looked like he was eleven again, the only differences were his scars still marred his flesh, his hair wasn't slicked back like it always was back then, and his eyes; they were haunted and filled with wisdom years beyond his time.
"It worked, Draco." Hermione yawned, raising her hand to cover her mouth. Hermione groggily sat up and stretched her arms high above her head, hearing more than a couple bones crack. "Professor I think you should perform the major glamour charms since we don't know how the potion will affect our magic as yet."
"I can do that Miss Gran-"
"Potter. If we want this to work we all need to keep saying Potter." Hermione said sternly, Draco smirked at their Headmaster, who in turn tried to hide his merriment at how Draco's clothes were several sizes too big for him now.
"Very well, Miss Potter. Since you are awake now, please come and drink your dose of the potion. Horace gave me specific instructions on how much will equate to a certain time period." Dumbledore explained, holding a small vial filled a murky brown coloured liquid.
"Better get it over with, I suppose." Hermione sighed, untangling herself from her sheets and hopping out of her bed, she shivered as her bare feet touched the cold stone.
"Hold your nose, Hermione." Draco gagged, the aftertaste still swirling around in his mouth, "does anyone have anything to wash this down?" Madame Pomfrey had appeared out of her office and heard Draco's last statement.
"You need something sweet dear, I'll be right back." Pomfrey disappeared as quickly as she had come, and the sound of glass clinking was all that could be heard from her office.
"Ready, my dear?" Dumbledore asked. Hermione nodded quickly, accepting the vial, pinching her nose and then swiftly downing the foul liquid. It burned on the way down, and it tasted moldy, Hermione almost gagged, her eyes watering as she swallowed.
"Oh, that was foul, disgusting." Hermione sputtered, Madame Pomfrey had returned with two small glass bottle of clear liquid, and handed one to Draco and then froze when she saw Hermione.
Her limbs tingled, and there was an uncomfortable scratching running right under her skin, and then a sharp pain in her head. Slowly it all abated, and when she opened her tightly clenched eyes, Dumbledore was a lot taller than he was a few moments ago.
"It worked?"
"It worked," Draco confirmed, his voice squeakier than she remembered. "Aww, your teeth didn't get bigger like they used to be," he sulked, drinking the sweet, peppermint drink Madame Pomfrey had offered him.
"Thank you," Hermione said politely, taking the bottle from Pomfrey's outstretched hand. She started back for her office when Dumbledore's voice stopped her.
"Poppy, you will need to make an Unbreakable Vow not to share information about what you've seen the past few days." Dumbledore said seriously.
"I'd rather you Obliviate me," Poppy grumbled, her pale blue eyes flashing as they met the Headmaster's. "I know you wouldn't want to, but I would prefer to look at them as normal, everyday students. That is my choice. It doesn't have to be now, but soon after they leave." She nodded cordially and then once more returned to the refuge of her office.
"The glamour charms, Professor," Hermione said quietly as she rubbed at the scar that still marred her forearm.
"Any particular look?" Dumbledore smiled softly, putting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing lightly. Draco walked from his bed and then sat down next to Hermione on hers.
"Potters have black hair and hazel eyes, Blacks have black hair and grey eyes." Draco shrugged, scratching behind his ear.
"I think we should look like Potters, if the story was we were Dorea's children we could get away with you keeping your eye colour, but-" Hermione tried to reason, pulling on one of her curls as she chewed on her bottom lip.
"I'm keeping my eye colour, my hair can be Black but my eyes stay," Draco growled, finishing the rest of his drink angrily, slamming the empty bottle down on the bedside table.
"Either way, I suppose it would be fine, Mister Potter." Dumbledore said calmly.
"I would like to look like a Potter, please and thank you." Hermione affirmed, twirling one of her curls around her finger.
"Very well, Miss Potter. You'll feel a strange sensation in your toes. I'm only saying this in case you haven't had long term glamour charms cast on you before." Dumbledore stated, "Miss Potter, we will start with you if that's alright. Remember to hold still."
"Yes, Professor it certainly is." Hermione nodded firmly, grasping onto Draco's hand. Draco looked startled by her physical touch; besides his Mother no one really touched him and a weird feeling built up in his chest, her warm little fingers sending jolts up his arm.
Hermione closed her eyes and let the magic wash over her, the strange sensation building in her toes like Dumbledore had warned her, and she could feel her body changing as Dumbledore anchored the glamour charms to her magical core. When Hermione opened her hazel eyes, Hermione Granger was gone. Hermione Potter had taken her place.
This story was kind of spontaneous as I mentioned before. I am writing two other stories, a TheoxGinny and another Dramione story. I'm not sure how long this story will go on for, but probably until the 'beginning of the First Wizarding War'. Maybe longer, who knows?
-Indieblue xx