Author's Note: Plot is starting to move along now! I hope you like this. Please leave some feedback after you're done reading. Huge thank you to starrnobella for beta reading! xxDustNight
Disclaimer: All non-original characters, plot points, and information belongs to J.K. Rowling. The story plot and dialogue belongs to me. I do not write for profit.
Current & Future Trigger Warnings: Infidelity, Character Death, PTSD, Depression, Sexual Tension, Sexual Content, Mildly Dubious Consent
Summary: When her partner gets lost in time, Hermione is forced to seek out the help of her estranged husband. With Draco by her side, she travels through time desperately searching for Theo. Along the way, Hermione finds herself having to accept that sometimes love truly is forever and that maybe you really can love more than one person at a time.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Partners in Time
Pairing: Hermione/Theo and Hermione/Draco
Rated: M
Part III: October 24, 2016 (cont.)
Song Recommendations: "Lost in Time" by Whitley, "Finding You" by The Go-Betweens
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part III: October 24, 2016 (cont.)
Reappearing in the office, Hermione turned around to give Theo a reassuring smile after their discussion in the graveyard of the future. Only, Theo wasn't there. "Theo?" She turned in a slow circle, examining the office in the hopes that he simply rematerialized in a different spot. Swallowing back uneasiness, Hermione tried again to call out to him again.
"Okay, Theo. That's enough games. Where are you?"
When there was still no response, Hermione looked down at the Time-Turner she still held in her hand. Blinking in confusion, she startled. "Oh!" That's when she noticed the chain was broken. Whirling about now, she found what she was looking for, but it wasn't Theo. It was the golden chain that was supposed to bind them together through their time jump. "Oh, god no…" Hermione murmured as she dropped to her knees.
Picking up the fragile chain, Hermione closed her eyes as fear wracked her body. "Theo…where are you?" He could be anywhere—back in that graveyard, here at the ministry…or…lost. Lost in time. Fighting back terrified tears, Hermione slowly stood and stumbled towards his desk as she tried to reattach the Time-Turner. "You bloody idiot…I knew this was a bad idea."
Before she could think further on the matter, the office door was flung open and in strolled Blaise Zabini. Quickly, Hermione hid the Time-Turner behind her back. Now would not be the time to answer questions regarding the little trinket. It was illegal, first of all; and second, Theo was obviously missing because of it.
"Oi, Theo!" Blaise shouted obnoxiously as he strode into the office as if it was his own. When he noticed Hermione standing awkwardly by the desk, a smile grew on his face. "Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Ms. Hermione Granger." He leaned on the doorjamb, his arms crossing as he quirked an eyebrow. "What are you doing in Theodore's office without Theodore?"
Rolling her eyes, and sighing heavily, Hermione tried to curb her anxiety for the moment. "I came to get some files from Theo," she lied easily. "But, it looks like he's gone to lunch early." She glanced about as if actually looking for the files, carefully slipping the Time-Turner into the pocket of her robes when she knew Blaise wouldn't see. "Here they are," she said cheerfully, picking up a random folder and giving Theo's best friend a bright smile.
"Huh," Blaise said giving her a hard stare. "Theo was supposed to go to lunch with me, so why would he have gone ahead without telling me?"
"No clue." Hermione tried not to panic, rushing to leave the office and return to her own so she could figure out what to do next. "He likes to skive off from time to time, as we both know. Are you really surprised?" She tried to brush past Blaise, but he grabbed her forearm.
"Look, Granger, Theo probably cares more about you than he ought to. I'm well aware of what happened between the two of you at that Ministry gala. If you hurt him like you did Draco, you'll have to answer to me, got it?" Blaise's eyes glared down at her in the dim light of the Department of Mysteries hallway.
Swallowing roughly, Hermione did everything she could not to crack under pressure. Had he just said Theo cared about her? Could that even be true? Even if it was true, she had absolutely no idea where the wizard in question even was. Pushing all that aside, Hermione narrowed her eyes at the Blaise. How dare he threaten her? Roughly, she pulled her arm free of his grasp.
"Zabini, if you'd like to keep your handsome face the way it is right this minute, then I would suggest keeping your hands to yourself from now on," she stated smartly, giving him an innocent smile. "As what happens in my personal life, that remains none of your business. Thank you very much." Turning from his surprised look, she strode promptly down the hall, willing herself to keep her shoulders straight and an even pace.
She never looked back, afraid to arouse his suspicion any further. Arriving at her own office, she quickly opened it and hurried inside. Slamming the thing shut, she placed her back against it and let out the breath she'd been holding. "Bloody hell," she whispered as she slid to the floor, curling her legs under herself as she finally let the tears fall from her eyes. "What am I going to do?" Quietly, Hermione fell to pieces, one hand clutching at her chest while the other slipped into her pocket to hold onto the Time-Turner. Theo was gone and she had no idea how to bring him home.
. . . . . . . . . .
Hours later found Hermione pacing her office, still trying to figure out her next move. Her robes were thrown overtop her chair, and her hair was wild from the numerous times she'd raked her fingers through it in frustration. Everyone else in the department had left hours ago, leaving her to her own devices. Books and crumpled bits of parchment were strewn across every available surface in the small room. All of it useless, in her opinion.
Having scoured through every tome on time travel that the Department of Mysteries had access to, Hermione was at a loss. Nothing. She'd found nothing that could help her figure out where Theo might have gone. Considering there was still no sign of him, Hermione could only assume that he really was lost in time. Her only hope was to attempt traveling to the exact moment after they'd left and pray Theo was still there.
The downfall…
She had no idea if he would even be there. For all she knew, the chain could have broken mid-jump. If that was the case, Theo could be any place in his living time stream, past or future. She would have to travel forwards and backwards multiple times in order to find him. Stopping her pacing, Hermione dropped her face to her hands and rubbed her weary eyes. "This could take years…" she practically sobbed, her voice cracking with fear and anguish.
Sniffling, she shook herself to regain her composure. There was no more time for tears, no more time for second guessing herself. This was just something she would have to do. Striding forward as she wiped at her damp cheeks, Hermione snatched the Time-Turner from her desk and placed it around her neck before reaching for her discarded robes. It wasn't ideal, jumping through time so soon after doing it previously. A few of the books detailed horrible, deadly things that happened to people who messed with time.
Meddling with time was not an easy business. You could alter entire time streams with a single wrong movement. If you saw yourself, you could panic, accidentally killing yourself without a second thought. Hell, you could even make it so you'd never been born, successfully disappearing into the void. But the most frightening thing of all, Hermione had found, was a disease simply named 'Time Sickness'. This only happened in the most extreme cases, but it was something Hermione desperately wanted to avoid at all costs. Having your internal organs both jumping forward and backward in time at the same time… Well, she didn't want to think about what that might feel like.
Biting her lip, Hermione vowed that she wouldn't overdo the time traveling. She'd jump forward, see if Theo was there, and then return quickly so as not to make any further mistakes with this ridiculously tempting Time-Turner. After that, she'd have to assess the situation as it happened… If she found Theo, all would be well. They could file the proper paperwork and hide it away for good. If not, she'd have to sit down and make some sort of plan for any further time jumps.
"Don't worry, Theo," Hermione muttered to herself as she began to twist the tiny hour glass on the Time-Turner. "I will find you and bring you home safely. I swear it." And then, as the ticking started and a wind whipped around her, she disappeared in time for, hopefully, the last time.
