Hello lovelies! Happy Holidays! (I cannot believe it's Christmas Eve. What was this year and how has it felt so long yet gone by so fast?!)

I am going to be honest, the last scene in this chapter was not originally planned, but I decided to put in a little over a week ago? I really hope that you guys like this chapter, and I have been listening to the song Brother by Kodaline on repeat. I think it can either apply to Draco James or James Sirius. Anyways, this is my little gift to you!

Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)

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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.

"If I was dying on my knees

You would be the one to rescue me

And if you were drowned at sea

I'd give you my lungs so you could breathe

...

Oh brother, we'll go deeper than the ink

Beneath the skin of our tattoos

Though we don't share the same blood

You're my brother and I love you that's the truth"

Brother by Kodaline

Flashback

Sunday, June 1st, 1980

Herefordshire, UK

A light drizzle fell from the sky. Pitter, patter sounded across the greenhouse's roof. The sun had just risen, but Riley had been up for hours.

Steam curled from the white ceramic mug in Riley's hands. The heat from the mug permeated her skin, and warmed her palms. It was resting on top of her thighs. The witch was sitting on a tall, wooden—painted white—stool next to the doorway of the greenhouse. The door was wide open, and her eyes were closed as she listened to the rain.

The gardens and greenhouse were in a pitiful state when Riley and Sirius moved in. After Mary passed, there was no one left to tend to her plants. Peter warned them that the greenhouse was a mess, as he'd destroyed quite a bit of it after he found out about Mary. It wasn't his finest moment.

The first time Riley entered the greenhouse, she'd been met with overturned pots, smashed plants, and the few plants that had survived were barely holding on due to neglect. Riley was determined to salvage what she could, and thus she did. And now most of the plants were flourishing under Riley's care and attention.

"Riles."

Riley's grip on her mug tightened and her heart stopped its steady march. She drank in an uneven breath, and her heart stuttered to a start, and then galloped off. Her eyes snapped open.

The man's raven, wavy hair was pulled up into a high, short ponytail, dark scruff was on his cheeks (there were a few white hairs as well). RIley took in his fine, angular features, his lips that were pulled down at the corners and his grey eyes flecked with sapphire shards. Faded blue jeans—with flecks of paint and rips on the knees—were tucked into black wellies. A clear, rain poncho covered a vertically striped, button-down, short-sleeved, colour block shirt; the stripes were bright yellow, white, navy blue and ocean blue.

The man pushed the hood of his poncho off his head, and stepped into the doorway. The rain continued to assault the rear-side of him, and water droplets fell from his eyelashes. "Been a while, hasn't it?"

That was an understatement. If Riley's temperament was more volatile, she most likely would have thrown her tea in Draco's face, but she took careful, measured breaths and remained silent.

"Look, we don't have a lot of time. I don't know when Sirius is going to come back, I've been keeping tabs on the place since yesterday—"

"He's on an Order mission right now. It was supposed to be three to four days, so he won't be back before tomorrow," Riley supplied softly. She kept her eye on him as she raised her mug to her lips and took a small sip. She feared this was a figment of her imagination and she'd conjured an apparition to converse with. Although, she doubted that the smell of mint was all in her head.

"Brilliant—"

"Where the fuck have you been, Draco?" Riley asked, her tone airy and nonchalant. She quirked a brow and took another tip of her milky tea.

"It's a very, long story, but I promise I will explain more later," Draco sighed, rubbing a hand down his face as he stepped into the greenhouse. There was a foot between them, but his sudden closeness was overwhelming. She was numbly aware of the bond they shared warming in her chest.

"Were you staying at the bluff? The one where we performed the blood ward ceremony?" Riley asked. Draco's stifling silence was the only answer she needed.

"If you suspected that, why didn't you tell the others? Or come to see for yourself?" Draco asked reticently, averting his gaze. He turned to his right, facing the inside of the greenhouse, and he languidly examined the flourishing plants.

"It felt like a betrayal of your trust, it felt wrong somehow. So I waited, and I guess my patience was rewarded," Riley sighed. She stared at the side of his face, trying to put her finger on what was different about him. It wasn't just the physical changes he'd undergone, there was something else, lurking beneath the surface.

"Draco, where is Hermione?" To his credit, the wizard did not react outwardly, not that Riley could see.

"We don't have a lot of time. I need you to grab all of your personal effects, any photographs, letters, clothes, anything that could be linked to you…and then we need to leave." Draco deflected her question easily, as if she'd never asked it, and chose to focus on why he was there.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I promise I will explain more, just not yet," Draco faced her. He pushed up the bottom of his poncho, and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.

"So you want me to pack up all my belongings, not leaving a trace of me behind when Sirius just happens to not be here, and leave with you? After I haven't seen you in months? You know how strange that sounds?" Riley reeled off her commentary at an alarmingly quick rate. "I highly doubt it, but for all I know you could have defected to the other side and you're luring me into a trap."

"Riles, if I had any ill intentions, this conversation would not still be going on." Draco lowered his face so his eyes were partially hidden by some of the hair that had escaped his ponytail.

"I know," Riley said. Hermione and Draco were from unknown origins, they weren't the twin children of Galieus Potter, and they had disappeared without a word of explanation. There was something bigger going on. She'd never pried, as it wasn't her place, but she had a feeling she was about to find out whether she liked it or not.

"What about Sirius? I can't just leave out of the blue, taking all of my stuff without an explanation," Riley smiled sadly. "It would break him after what happened with you and Hermione."

Draco nodded soberly, lifting his chin. He was looking everywhere but at her, and his jaw was taut. "We wouldn't have left if we didn't have to. We would have stayed."

"I'll come with you, Draco. Because I trust you, and you are family, but I am going to write Sirius a letter and—"

"Tell him you'll see him shortly, and you'll explain everything when you see him again, but then instruct him to burn the letter afterwards."

"Burn the letter—"

"When I said there can't be any traces of you left, I meant it, Riles," Draco heaved out a sigh, and his bottom lip wobbled as he attempted to smile. "I made a promise to myself that I would keep you safe, and I don't intend on breaking it. I hate that it has to be this way, but this was the only way we knew you would be safe."

"Safe from what exactly, Draco?"

"That is a story for another time, love."

"Draco—"

"Riley. We don't have time right now. I will explain later, but for now, I need you to go grab your things so we can leave. Please," Draco begged, eyes earnest and wide. Riley's lips clamped together and she nodded woodenly.

With Draco's help, it only took the pair an hour to pack up all of her belongings and scrub her presence from the cottage. Riley's mouth opened several times to ask questions, but the words died in her throat whenever she met Draco's eyes. In those instances she knew her questions would go unanswered and it would be a futile waste of her breath to ask them.

The letter she wrote Sirius was short, sweet and a couple tears had fallen from her eyes, but she hastily swiped them away. She hated that she was leaving him without a proper explanation, but according to Draco, it was necessary. That didn't make it any easier. She left the note on the kitchen table.

Riley made sure to wash and dry her mug, and then put it away in its designated cabinet before she joined Draco outside. He was waiting with her bags in hand or slung across his back. The rain hadn't let up, and water droplets were falling from the front of his clear hood. They'd cast a temporary water repellant charm on her bags, so they were as dry as a bone.

"Ready?" Draco called out to her.

"One sec," Riley replied. She pulled in the front door and absently pointed her wand at the lock. "Colloportus." The sharp clicking sound reached her ears through the soft, all-encompassing sound of the rain falling around her.

Riley's bright yellow wellies squeaked as she turned around. She crossed the several feet between her and Draco; she hopped over the larger puddles gathering on the ground. When Riley reached him, she took one of her bags from him, and grasped hold of his now vacant hand.

Riley curtly nodded at her friend, and his eyes fluttered shut. Moments later, the world was squeezed into a small tube, and Riley's stomach flipped sickeningly. Draco twisted on the spot and whisked them away.

Monday, June 2nd, 1980

Undisclosed Location Along Wales's Coastline, UK

Riley Paddington's Future Cottage

Draco hadn't said much before he left. Despite his promises and reassurances that he would explain his cryptic behaviour, the man hadn't done anything of the sort. On the contrary, he had obstinately avoided her since they arrived yesterday.

Around midday Draco left her to her own devices with only Hermione's familiar and his owl to keep her company, and she had opted to explore the bluff. More specifically, she wandered through the mostly finished structure Draco had been working on.

Riley's footfalls loudly echoed through the unfurnished space as she explored. The interior appeared much larger than it did from the outside, but her exploration hadn't taken long. She briefly wondered if Draco had woven an expansion charm into the structure as he'd built it.

The cottage was one of the few things he had discussed with her. Hermione and Draco had undertaken the strenuous venture of building a home for Riley of their own accord. The intention was for her to live here for the foreseeable future. Draco did not elaborate on why or how long her stay would be.

Riley traced her fingers over the unfinished surface of the white oak cabinets. In her limited knowledge of building materials, Riley knew that white oak was expensive, and she marvelled at that tiny fact. It wasn't long before she ended up lying in the middle of what she assumed to be the kitchen on her back.

Riley stared blankly at the ceiling, her mind racing at all the possibilities for why she'd been brought here. Not to mention how Hermione and Draco could feasibly know how the future was going to play out to the point where they'd built somewhere for her to live, because they'd anticipated that her life would soon be in grave danger.

The familiar crack of apparition sounded against her eardrums, and roused her from her pensive contemplation. Riley scrambled to her feet, and raced out the open front door. She halted abruptly on the landing. Draco was a couple feet away, smiling sadly.

"Draco?"

The wizard's head snapped up, and his gaze melted into warmth as he strode hastily up the short staircase and stopped in front of her.

"I've been patient, and I am trying to be understanding, but I've had enough, you need to—" Riley's words were cut as she gasped loudly in shock. Draco swept her up into his arms and giddily swung her around in a circle as soft, silent laughter shook through him and reverberated into her chest.

Draco carried her into the house, and set her on her feet. Wide-eyed she looked up into his mirthful eyes. He gathered her in his arms, and within moments, he guided her in a suave dance across the light hardwood floors. The setting sun poured in through the front door and windows, bathing them in an orangey, warm glow.

"What in Helga's name happened to you?" Riley demanded breathlessly as they naturally slowed until they were rhythmically swaying back and forth in silence. Riley turned her head, her ear pressed against Draco's chest and through his clothes she could hear the steady sound of his heartbeat.

"I can answer your questions, well some of them at least."

"I'm listening."

"You have to swear you won't freak out or think I've lost the plot."

"No promises. I can swear that I will listen to everything you have to say."

Draco sighed heavily. "I suppose that will have to do."

As the sun set on another day, and as Draco Potter's limited time in the past continued to steadily wane, he told Riley Paddington the truth. Or at least some of it. It was kinder to omit some facts and truths.

After, Riley sat in stunned silence. The outrageous information Draco had dumped on her had ruptured her brain, and she was slowly attempting to digest it. It was so outlandish and unbelievable that it made perfect sense.

Tiny oddities and interactions that once didn't add up or quite make sense, she now saw in perfect clarity within the correct context. Riley was ruminating on the fact that one of her closest friends was born a Malfoy and he'd since gone to school with his birth parents, when Draco cleared his throat and drew her attention.

"Yes?" Riley blurted, her voice shrill and unintentionally sharp. She blushed sheepishly, and busied her hands by tying her shoulder length hair back with the pink scrunchie around her wrist.

The pair were sitting cross-legged facing one another in the middle of the kitchen. They could have transfigured some chairs, but had opted for the easier option.

"Any questions, comments, queries?" Draco asked, his voice small as he warily appraised her. He was attempting to gauge her reaction, and seemed irritated at his lack of success thus far.

"Does Sirius die?" Riley asked unthinkingly, her words hushed and hurried.

A morose curtain fell onto Draco's face. He solemnly shook his head, and said, "no, he doesn't die…but things aren't easy for him. However, I promise that no matter what dreadful things you may hear about him in the future…they aren't true. Sirius Black is a good man, and he will be alright in the end."

"Does he suffer?"

"Riley…" Draco looked pained as he said her name. He pinched the bridge of his nose and drank in a steadying breath through his mouth.

"Does he suffer?" Riley's question was sharper, more jagged and fearsome. However, simultaneously, her tone was startlingly calm.

"I think it's best if you don't know those kind of details, especially since we are asking you to stay on the sidelines for years, and not get involved—"

"I need to know if Sirius suffers, Draco. That man is one of the only reasons I look forward to waking up every day considering the fucked up world we live in. He is the person who makes me laugh when I start thinking that there is no joy to be had in this war. My memories with him are what I think of when I cast a Patronus. And I'm not joking when I say that I would kill anyone who means to harm him without a second's hesitation."

Draco's eyes went wide during the witch's passionate and sincere monologue. Riley's shoulders rose and fell as she caught her breath.

"Yes. He suffers, mainly because he pays the price for the crimes of another," Draco admitted honestly.

"Azkaban?" Riley asked in horror, scooting closer to Draco until their knees almost touched.

"Yes," Draco replied after several long moments. Riley sucked in a sharp breath, and her hands clenched fistfuls of the bottom of her large, baby blue, cotton t-shirt. She wanted to sprint as far away as possible; she wished to escape the ugly truth of her fiancé's fate.

"How long?" It was like a train wreck, she couldn't halt the morbid curiosity that'd possessed her. She knew she would have many sleepless nights as a result. Riley briefly wondered if she had loved him enough to make up for the suffering and agony he was likely to endure, but she doubted it. The thought saddened her greatly, especially considering Sirius Black deserved to live a good life after his tragic childhood.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"No, but tell me anyway."

"Twelve years."

"Twelve years?! You can't possibly expect me to sit by whilst he rots in that horrid place for twelve years!" Riley's blood boiled at the thought of her fiancé's wrongful imprisonment for such an unjust amount of time. Riley relinquished her hold on her shirt, and began twisting her engagement ring anxiously.

"Riley, I need you to," Draco stated sadly. "Trust me, I wish desperately that things didn't have to be like this, but they do."

"It's unfair," Riley murmured, her fury was simmering below the surface, her hazel eyes ablaze with ire.

"It is."

Riley pressed her lips together, and decided she should go over the details Draco had shared with her to ensure she understood everything correctly. "So, you and Hermione are from the future—almost twenty years from now—and you, well Draco Malfoy is going to be born in three days, on June fifth?"

"Yes."

"And on his—your birthday, a memory spell that you and Hermione created will go into effect, basically scrubbing you two and myself from the minds of everyone in Wizarding Britain."

"Correct."

"This memory spell is set to go into effect the moment Draco Malfoy is born and you leave the past, go hurtling through space and time to your original time. In addition the blood runes will ensure that no one remembers us until they fade on December first, nineteen ninety-eight."

"Also correct."

"Furthermore, you used some ancient magic, and altered it to suit your needs to send you forward in time without hopefully aging you significantly."

Riley drank in a deep breath. Draco hadn't revealed much more aside from the fact that Lily and James's unborn son was called Harry, and he survived the war. Draco refused to elaborate past that. Well, she'd also learned of the cruel fate awaiting her lover, but she was trying not to dwell on it lest it plunge her heart prematurely into a dark abyss of sorrow and grief.

"Yes…anything else you want to know? I'll try to answer as best as I can."

"What if I wasn't okay with you two deciding all of this for me? Maybe I was meant to die, and you never heard of me because it was too painful for Sirius to talk about the death of his fianceé whom he shared a soul bond with." Riley whispered softly, and Draco's eyes widened.

Draco didn't seem to have a response, and Riley couldn't blame him. It was a concept that had likely never occurred to him. Riley could see the gears turning in his head, and his lips unwittingly parted as he got lost in thick thought.

"Living alone for nineteen years, and erasing your existence from the minds of most of your loved ones is a lot to ask of a girl," Riley smiled sadly. She knew that Hermione and Draco were looking out for her, and trying to do what was best for her; they were trying to protect her. But, that didn't mean that they hadn't forced a life-altering decision on her without an ounce of consultation.

Riley understood that their Unbreakable Vow had prevented them from explaining or asking her permission until now, but she was allowed to feel justifiably frustrated by the situation she'd been shoved into.

"Riley, I'm sorry—"

"No apologies necessary," Riley said, reaching out to grasp his hand. She reassuringly rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand.

"It isn't ideal, nor is it something I would have chosen, but…" Riley trailed off as her head swivelled and she took in their surroundings. Hermione and Draco had built her a home, somewhere to be safe, and if that didn't speak volumes of their love for her, she didn't know what did.

"But, it could be a lot worse. And I am grateful for everything you've done."

Draco smiled at that, it didn't reach his eyes and his mouth twisted wryly to the side, but the guilt and sorrow had fled from his grey eyes.

"So what now?" Riley asked.

"I do need you to do me one more favour," Draco confessed.

"Does this favour include more blood? Because if it does then I really will think you're a vampire."

"I promise there is no blood involved, I just need you to write a short note."

"Another one?"

"Yes, although this one will only be necessary if Hermione and I don't arrive in the future close to December first."

"Is that a possibility?"

"With time? Anything is bloody possible," Draco snorted.

A little while later, Draco was readying two cups of tea with the limited supplies they had, and Riley was lying on her front, quill in hand, pensively staring at the back of the photograph Draco had handed her several minutes ago. She was attempting to think of a short and sweet message to write down.

(Draco had jerry-rigged a situation in the corner of the kitchen, all of the plumbing and fixtures were installed, but in terms of tableware there wasn't much. There was a single, plain, white, ceramic plate. Draco had dug the mugs out of one of Riley's bags she'd left down in the tent when he went to fetch the photograph.)

"What in Merlin's name am I supposed to write? It'll be the first thing from me he'll see in twenty years, I can't say 'hey, come find me at this bluff'."

"Don't think about it too much," Draco suggested, brow furrowed as he added a copious amount of milk to Riley's tea; just the way she liked it. "The more you think about it, the harder it will be. I agonised over that letter—the one I sent everyone—for days."

Riley's mouth twisted to the side in melancholic contemplation. She came to the apt conclusion that nothing she wrote would ever be enough to convey how much she missed him, or how sorry she was that he would have to endure terrible things in her absence.

Riley captured her lip between her teeth, and bent close to the photograph as she began to write.

For my reckless lion, so when the time comes you can find me. So you can come back to me, my love.

Forever Yours,

Riley xoxo

"Now what?" Riley asked, placing the quill beside the photograph, and she slid her arms forward, and laced them together before resting her chin on them; she kicked her feet back and forth absently. She peered up at Draco through her choppy bangs. Draco shrugged as he waved his wand at their mugs and their tea stirred itself by some invisible force.

"Well love, you get to drink your tea and I am going to put this clue in place." Draco stared out the window at the dark night sky, a cloak of mystery was masking his emotions, but there was a wistfulness in his gaze.

"And where are you leaving it exactly?"

Draco turned to peer at her over his shoulder, his smile taut. "Potter Manor."

Draco's arrival at Potter Manor later that night was less eventful than his earlier visit. He managed to sneak inside without incident, much less alerting the occupants of his presence. At least, that's what he thought.

Draco entered his former bedroom that now lay bare, and he was immediately accosted by a crackle of Hermione's magical signature that rolled across his skin and burrowed under the surface. Draco closed his eyes and drew in a haggard breath.

Fuck, I miss her, Draco thought.

Lily's floral, sweet aroma mixed with James's woodsy, earthy tones also drifted around the room. Draco frowned as he recalled James mentioning that sometimes they would sleep in either his room or Hermione's.

Draco shook his head, and jolted himself back to reality and the reason he was here. He strode over to the corner of the room, squatted down, and braced his elbows on the tops of his thighs; the fabric of his faded jeans pulled tightly across his toned thighs. Draco fished the photograph of the bluff and his personal note to Sirius and Remus out of the inner pocket in his unfastened, simple black robes. He held them in his hands for a few moments before he placed them on the wooden floorboards in front of him.

Draco withdrew his wand from his robes, and closed his eyes as he murmured the necessary incantations. If he was successful, the Notice-Me-Not and Disillusionment charms he'd cast would last until someone came to purposefully look for clues about Riley. Draco tucked his wand back in his robes and rose.

Fighting against his instinctual desire to linger in his former room, Draco urged his legs to move and shortly thereafter he was striding out the front door. He stopped to quietly close the door when he noticed a figure to the left of the door, leaning against the front of the house with his arms folded over his chest.

"Back so soon? Forget something?" James smiled wanly as his head turned to face his brother. "Don't see you for months, and now we're graced with your presence twice in one day? Lucky me."

"I guess it's something like that," Draco said honestly. "Time is such a fickle, unpredictable variable. If for some reason Hermione and I don't get back around the time we left, then I can imagine Remus and Sirius will lose their shite and panic when they remember Riley…so, I left them a little clue."

"Understandable," James said, nodding leisurely. He was wearing a loose, black t-shirt and matching sweatpants, but his pale feet were bare and he wiggled his toes before he pushed off the wall, and straightened out. "Anything else?"

"No," Draco said softly, taking a step towards his brother. His eyes flitted over the man, memorising all the little details in his visage, imprinting his mannerisms in his memory forevermore. Flashes of James ruffling his hair as he laughed raucously at something played in Draco's mind on a loop.

"You've had time to think about—everything—do you…" Draco couldn't ask the real question that burned in his gut. Do you hate me for not doing anything to save you?

"It's a lot to take in, and I'm still wrapping my head around it…but, I think you two did the right thing considering your options," James whispered. He stepped forward, bursting Draco's personal space bubble and he gruffly tugged his brother into a tight embrace. Draco clutched at his brother and buried his face in James's shoulder.

"I don't want you to die, Jamie," Draco wept, the hot tears blurring his vision. "I can't—my world won't be right without you in it."

"You'll be okay, Dray. I promise, I'm not that great," James said sardonically, trying to inject humour into his words, but his voice crumbled towards the end, and thus didn't have the desired effect.

No words came, Draco's sobs clogged up his airway and he was gasping and hiccoughing for air. James soothingly rubbed his back, and Draco's fingers gripped fistfuls of James's shirt.

Abruptly, Draco pulled back, and his red-rimmed eyes searched the concerned face of his brother. Draco sniffed, and swiped away his tears.

"Draco?"

"I love you, Jamie."

"I love you too."

"I'll see you on the fifth, Jamie. Shrieking Shack, don't forget," Draco swallowed thickly, briefly hugging his brother once more before he extracted himself from James's embrace and took two steps back.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for a little while longer?" James asked.

"James…I have to leave now, or I won't ever leave."

"I understand, Draco. I'll see you on the fifth."

Draco's smile was pained and watery, but he gave a short wave before he twisted on the spot and apparated away with a vociferous crack. Once more leaving James Potter with an emptiness in his chest and a tumultuous mind.