Disclaimer: don't own.
That's what happened last time:
"Don't you notice that, Natalija? He gives you more than obvious signs."
"But I'm with Tom." Hermione justified herself. No, that conversation was clearly going the wrong way.
"Tom might be better for you anyway." Abraxas said slowly.
"Look, what I wanted to say is that Maxim and I – " but at that moment the door of the Slytherin wall banged open and another Slytherin emerged.
On with the story:
Hermione stopped in mid-sentence, her face slightly red. Just exactly the person she needed. "Maxim." she said sweetly.
"I heard my name. You backstabbing little Ravenclaw! Talking about your friends behind their backs!" Draco said through gritted teeth. "What exactly were you saying?"
Hermione knew she couldn't tell him the truth and obviously he would be very mad at her. "Uhm, Abraxas and I were talking about you… and Tom." Hermione quickly invented. "We were talking about…"
"…who to choose." Abraxas helped her with a smirk. "I told her that you would be perfect since you are obviously head over heels for her."
Draco scowled at his grandfather. "Thanks a bunch."
"Oh, it's not as if she doesn't know herself." Abraxas smirked even broader. "That's why she was discussing it with me."
Draco glared at Hermione as well who was thankful that this conversation was finally going her way. Abraxas was obviously a perfect liar, a perfect Slytherin.
"Oh was she? And why would she go to YOU?" Draco smirked triumphantly.
Abraxas seemed to have no answer to that, but Hermione jumped in.
"I was looking for Poliakoff, but Abraxas went out of the portrait hole and that's why I talked to your TWIN." Hermione grinned.
"Why didn't you talk to me about that? I could have told you who was better for you." Draco smirked and Abraxas high-fived him.
"Anyway…" Hermione shot Draco a death glare and turned to Abraxas "…I'm hungry."
"Of course." Abraxas grinned. "Your belly has grown a lot in the past few weeks."
"I know." Hermione smiled, beet red in her face.
No, she couldn't have told Abraxas about their future anyway. It was Draco's job. But how to convince him? She still had no idea, not even when she bit into a crispy slice of ham.
THTHTH
"So why are you going to work of all places?" Hermione pouted, glaring at Draco jokingly. "Because someone has to bring home the money." Draco said without flinching.
"Yeah, you are right. But don't come home too late." she smiled, got up from her chair and kissed him tenderly. Draco enjoyed the kiss immensely and kissed her back with much more power. "Mmmmh, I love your kisses." he gave her another brief peck and stepped in front of the porch.
"Ugh!" Draco was startled when a small plump boy with light brown hair was smiling up to him. It was only then that he noticed the boy's mother next to him, a tall, slim woman with dark brown hair.
"Good morning! My name is Hanna Dursley and this is my son, Vernon." The lady announced with a smile. "We are new here and inviting you to our garden party tomorrow evening at 5. A little get-together to get to know us, since we are your new neighbours."
Draco glanced over the little boy to the house of neighbours. How thoughtful of those people to invite them so that they could get to know each other. But they were Muggles. Hmm, but that didn't matter, right? They would still have a great time.
"That's nice… Mrs. Dursley and Vernon." Draco smiled. "My wife and I will be there."
"Great. See you then." Vernon smiled toothily and departed with his mother in tow.
"Hermione." Draco called out. "We are invited to our neighbours tomorrow."
"Really? That's lovely." Hermione's beautiful face appeared next to him in an instant, slinging her arms around him, pulling him close. Draco reacted instantly with a swift kiss and suddenly everything went black.
Draco smiled happily when he saw his parents cradling a baby. "Hello father, hello mother." Draco greeted politely. However, to his great surprise, they didn't reply. Draco decided to walk nearer and noticed that their baby had typical blonde Malfoy hair. He smiled slightly.
The baby was fast asleep and Narcissa looked happy. "I'm glad she is finally asleep!"
SHE?
Draco edged nearer and noticed that the baby was wearing a white DRESS.
Wasn't that his twin sister? The one who had died right after her birth? Draco didn't really remember the day – as it was his birth as well -, but Narcissa and Lucius talked about it in the beginning. Their parents had also told him that when he was still a baby, he always seemed to be looking for someone. His twin, obviously.
Strange enough. So that was his twin sister?
She opened her eyes when Draco bent over the bed. "Hello…" he smiled. The girl smiled as well, showing a tooth. She chuckled when she closed her little hand around Draco's finger and Draco's heart melted.
"We should get going, Narcissa. The initiation should be starting soon and we can't be late." he heard Lucius' voice next to his ear.
"Sure, I'm almost ready. Could you put Sally into her floopowder-travel-seat?" Narcissa called from the bathroom. Yes, she was definitely his twin sister. But why was she alive?
"Yes, but hurry up." Lucius pulled the girl into a baby seat, still ignoring Draco.
"Father! Why aren't you talking to me?" Draco asked indignantly, staring at his father avidly. Not even now his father reacted – instead – it seemed as if he couldn't even hear him. Draco looked closely at his father's features. He was relaxed and open – so unlike Draco remembered him. Furthermore, no Dark Mark was branded onto his skin.
Draco raised his eyebrows in confusion.
Something was seriously wrong!
THTHTH
"Where is Draco?" Harry asked, surveying Hermione closely. They were sitting in the library, studying for their NEWTs.
"What?" Hermione asked absentmindedly, solving various exercises for arithmancy, her forehead crinkled in concentration.
Harry waved a hand in front of her face. "Hello, someone there?"
"I don't know." Hermione shook her head, relaxing a bit. "Don't tell me, he is still mad at me?"
"Natalija!" a voice said, startling Hermione.
"Tom! You scared me." Hermione smiled, giving him a long kiss.
"Are you already studying? The exams are only one month away." Tom said, looking at Hermione intently.
"Yes, I am." Hermione smiled proudly. "One can never prepare too early."
"Too right you are." Tom smiled at Hermione. "I started today as well."
Harry rolled his eyes. Yeah, those two have found each other.
"Great!" Hermione said approvingly when Tom sat down next to her, opening his Defence Against the Dark Arts books.
Harry saw that and scrutinized the Dark Lord intently. To his wonder, Tom noticed Harry staring. "Never seen a DADA-book before, Poliakoff?" he smirked. Harry mirrored his expression. "No, not really, I've been mostly duelling you in class in case you have already forgotten."
'Really witty comeback, Harry. You're getting more and more Slytherin.' Hermione thought smirking.
"So back to our lovely blonde Durmstrang." Hermione smiled at Harry, noticing to her satisfaction that Tom was shooting her a glare. "Why don't you look in the Slytherin dorms? He is neither here in the library, nor in the Great Hall or in the kitchens. If you can't find him there, why don't you go outside?" "Who would want to find him anyway?" she heard Tom mutter distinctly.
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I'll look for him. All this studying doesn't go well with my headache anyway." He smirked at Hermione and Tom and departed.
"He is strange." Tom said unabashedly, as soon as Harry was out of earshot.
"Oh he is! But a great person. Look, Tom, I really have to go on with studying. I want to pass my NEWTs after all." Hermione told him in a stern voice.
'That's my girl!' Tom thought admiringly and started reading about werewolves.
THTHTH
"Here you are!" Harry walked into Draco's dorm. The blonde boy was sprawled across his bed, glaring at the ceiling.
"What are YOU doing here, Potter?" Draco asked indifferently.
"I've been looking for you for ages. You weren't at lunch. And when Hermione and I were studying you weren't around." Harry explained, noticing that Draco looked a bit pale. "What's the matter?"
"I had a nap. What's it to you?" Draco replied moodily.
"I was wondering, that's all." Harry shrugged and made his way to leave again. People usually didn't want to be bothered when they were as moody as Draco.
"Wait!" an anxious voice called out and Harry stopped abruptly.
"Yes, Malfoy?"
"Come inside. I need to tell you my dream."
Harry obeyed and sat down on Draco's bed, listening intently to him recite the two dreams.
"This is crystal clear to me." Harry shook his head. "You won't EXIST in the future. If you come with Ginny and me to the future, you are going to DIE. When will you finally see sense? This dream is a warning. The only way you can still SURVIVE is by staying here in the past. Come on, Hermione is going to stay here as well. Besides, your grandfather is also here."
Draco just stared and contemplated it. "Yes, I agree with you. It's the only possible solution." Draco said slowly and hung his head.
"Cheer up. At least you are not the only one staying here." Harry conceded.
"Yeah but Hermione is with Tom. And with who am I? There is no one for me as everyone is destined for another and if I keep them apart then some people won't be born in the future." Draco slammed his wrist into the wall, only to hurt himself in the progress.
Harry thought about that for a moment. "I'm sure there will be someone for you somewhere. Don't give up hope!"
Draco nodded. "Yeah. And what about the dream with Hermione?"
Harry smirked. "Only in your dreams, man!"
THTHTH
Fast Forward
Tom, Abraxas, Avery, Orion, Alphard, Draco, Harry, Eileen and Lucinda were in the grounds, enjoying the sunny weather and freetime. They had all done their NEWTs and didn't worry about the results until the end of the year.
Draco, Abraxas and Harry were up in the air, passing the quaffle between them. Tom, Avery, Orion and Alphard were sitting under a larch birch tree, half-hidden from the sun, talking. Lucinda and Eileen were in front of the black lake, holding their toes into the water.
The only students who still had to do the last test were the arithmancy pupils.
Hermione was sitting with the other poor people in the stifling hot arithmancy classroom, solving the last test of the NEWTs. All of them were sweating profusely and desperately hoping for it to end. Hermione glanced at the clock in the room and noticed that they still had an hour to endure.
'WHAT? The magic hexagon?' Hermione thought in alarm, reading the next question. 'I can't believe it! We've never done that! Or at least, WE, in the future.'
She angrily proceeded to the next question. Oh WAIT! It was called the magic pentagon in THEIR time! Of course! Smiling in triumph, she wrote down the answers she knew by heart anyway.
Hermione, Sarah and Richard made their way out of the arithmancy classroom an hour later, talking anxiously.
"I've failed everything!" Richard said with an air of hysteria.
"No, you haven't!" Sarah smiled. "He is always like that – after every test." she informed Hermione in a stage whisper. "I used to be like that too!" Hermione admitted, grinning.
"Am I surrounded by nutters?" Sarah sniggered. "But I think I've passed it at least."
"Easy for YOU to say." Richard said through gritted teeth. "You've never failed a test."
"Neither have you." Sarah rolled her eyes and Hermione laughed. "Let's go to lunch, come on." she suggested.
"Good idea. Are you coming Rich, or will you be crying in your dorm?" Sarah smirked a Slytherin smirk in Richard's direction. "Fine, I'll come with you." Richard said grumpily and joined the two laughing girls.
At the same time, Tom, Avery, Orion and Alphard walked inside. Tom saw his carefree laughing girlfriend walk inside the Great Hall with her friends and suddenly felt a strange affection. He loved her laugh, it was beautiful and always happy. He would hate to see it gone.
"Natalija!" Tom called out. "Tom!" Hermione turned around, smiling happily at her boyfriend. "How was your last test?" he asked her politely.
"Hmm, I think I've at least PASSED it, but I can't say for sure."
"Oh, yes, you can. I think you exceeded the 100% line again. It's getting boring, Miss Karkarova." Tom smirked.
"Whatever. I'm going to have lunch now. Talk to you later."
THTHTH
Another fast forward
"Oh Harry, I'm going to miss you so much." Hermione's eyes were red and puffy and she was crying onto Harry's shirt. He patted her head awkwardly. "We're all going to be alright, Hermione. And – let's meet up in the future, okay?"
Hermione nodded, smiling through her tears. "Yes, we have to. I hope you can still remember us in the future."
Ginny used the moment and flung herself towards Hermione. "Mione, take care, please. What a pity that I can't be there for you when you have your child. But as Harry said, see you in the future." Red hair engulfed Hermione completely, and a sobbing Ginny hugged Hermione tightly.
Hermione continued crying. "It's going to be so hard without you. I'm going to miss the two of you so much." Draco walked over to Hermione and put an arm around her. "Sssshh, stop crying." he said soothingly, stroking her cheek which was wet with tears.
"Have a safe trip, Potter." he smirked, stretching out his hand which Harry shook and smiled as well. "We had a great time in Slytherin, didn't we, Malfoy?"
Ginny hugged Malfoy as a good-bye as well. "I'm going to miss you guys. Please meet up in the future. I'm sure we can find a tea room for grandmothers and grandfathers as well."
The four of them laughed slightly, Hermione grinned through her tears.
Dumbledore smiled at the foursome. "You will be arriving in the transfiguration classroom of the future transfiguration teacher. Try to get out of there as fast as possible and try to find ME. If I'm not there, just somehow integrate and find out as much as you can. Try to blend in and don't act too surprised."
"That will be Mc Gonnagal then." Harry murmured.
"Sorry?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling.
"Nothing." Harry mumbled, flushed.
"You will remember two times. The future BEFORE you went here and THIS PAST but the NEW FUTURE you'll have to learn about. Don't worry, though. You'll learn fast enough and after a while you can clearly distinguish between the two futures."
"Ugh." Ginny's heart was as heavy as a stone. "I don't want to leave them all alone here." she pointed at Hermione and Draco. "We went here together as a team and I think we should leave as such."
"Don't worry, Ginny. We don't mind. There is no place for us in the future. Well yes, as OLD people." Hermione smiled and Ginny nodded mutely.
"This is our good-bye then." Harry said, gripping a strange silver instrument.
"Don't forget us, Harry." Hermione said pleadingly.
"We won't. It's only a couple of minutes for us. It's YOU! You shouldn't forget about us – for 50 years." Harry grinned.
"And be warned!" Dumbledore said suddenly seriously. "Mister Malfoy and Miss Granger, PLEASE contact Mister Potter and Miss Weasley when they are SEVENTEEN, but NOT before they have passed their NEWTs."
"Why?" this time it was Draco who spoke up.
"Because otherwise they wouldn't know you." Dumbledore explained.
Hermione looked at him, completely clueless. "Okay, that's too much for me." the most intelligent Ravenclaw witch laughed embarrassed and hugged the two friends for the last time. "Have a safe trip." she smiled.
Ginny and Harry clutched the strange silver instrument that was buzzing and emitting puffs of smoke. They waved for the last time as a good-bye – and they were gone.
Hermione sobbed into Draco's shoulder. "Everything is going to be alright." Draco said in a soothing voice, hugging Hermione tightly.
"Yes, it is." Dumbledore smiled serenely. "They have arrived safely." And suddenly he was clutching the strange silvery instrument again.