Harry was sitting at his desk and rubbing the bridge of his nose. It was a new habit of his as of late whenever he had a stack of forms he had to sign off on. As the Auror Head he mostly spent his time behind a desk. It made Ginny happy to know that he wasn't out in the field and increasing his chances of getting hurt. It was good for him, he knew, but it was times like these where Harry wished he could be running around, wand brandished, and coming back to the Ministry to fill out his field report. Instead he was reading them.

Sighing, Harry repositioned his glasses and brought his attention back to his work. It was after the first sentence was read that Draco stormed into his office and took him completely by surprise.

"I need a time-turner, Potter."

Harry hadn't expected a hello, but he certainly hadn't expected him to say that either. "What do you mean you need a-?"

"You know what I mean." Draco said firmly. Although neither Harry nor Ron had been told about what the future held when they had last used a time-turner, Hermione had let it slip some time later. To be talking about this to Harry now made Draco's chest feel heavy. "Hermione's starting on a dangerous road and it needs to be stopped now before we can't do anything about it."

Harry blinked twice. "Hermione?" He repeated. It wasn't because he hadn't properly heard his best friend's name, but for the fact that it was Draco who had said it. His brows knit closely together as he stared at him. "Since when are you so first-name friendly?"

Although matters were pertinent Draco slowed his rapid thoughts. He felt guilty and knew that his face showed it. "I hadn't expected for her to tell you, but…we've been seeing each other."

Harry's face fell. Where he was first confused, he had gone to shock. And once the shock was over he quickly became angry and rose from his seat. "Then whatever's happened is your fault. You were supposed to stay away from her. We all agreed!"

"Don't go pinning this one me!" Draco shouted at him. "Hermione had access to my libraries long before she started seeing me. She found them when I got cursed."

"When you got cursed? How did she-?"

"She knew that Dark Magic was what was killing me. She didn't know enough of it so she went to my Manor because she knew that's where she'd find her answer."

Harry sighed and resumed massaging the bridge of his nose. "…Must you use a time-turner?"

"You know where this leads."

"I know that, but meddling with time isn't wise. It wasn't when Alex did it and it certainly isn't now. What if the changes you make end up making things worse?"

"You remember what Hermione told you. What could be worse than that?"

Nothing was worse than that. Harry bit the inside of his jaw and took a deep breath as he walked out from behind his desk. He passed Draco and used his wand to reveal a wall safe. One non-verbal spell later and the safe door was opened. Harry turned to Draco with the time-tuner in his hand and hesitantly gave it to him.

"You keep the time-turners in your safe?" Draco asked credulously. Harry shook his head.

"Just the one. It's the same one you and Hermione used. I never put it back with the others in case we ever needed it." Harry stared at Draco as he slipped the time-turner over his neck. "After all this time I didn't think that we would. How far will you go back?"

"Just before I got cursed. I'll tell myself not to leave home; to avoid the situation altogether."

"You'll remember you know." Harry warned. "When you come back time will have changed but you'll remember what you've done. That you and Hermione..."

"Cared about each other?" Draco finished. He looked down at the time-turner in his hands and sighed bitterly. "I know."

The longer Draco stood the more he wanted to give the time-turner back to Harry, return to Hermione and simply wipe her memory of ever having seen his libraries. It could work. It was possible. But he knew that he could never put a wand on Hermione. With a push within himself Draco left Harry's office by Floo and went home. He knew exactly where he had been just before leaving home to his weekly card game with Lenny. A quick stop in the past and everything should be alright. At least that's what he hoped.

August 2016

Draco roamed the halls looking for Hermione. He had checked all the Wings of the Manor except for the South because he had hoped she would be anywhere but there. Sadly it had become her new home as of late. He took a deep breath and entered the library that his dear love of his life often frequented and opened the doorway to her beloved sanctuary. He would find her on the bottom floor as it was her favorite. Draco stood at the top of the stairs and looked down, finding her sitting in the armchair she had put in an eternal "dibs" and slowly turning a page.

"There's no need to stand from afar, Draco." Hermione called from below. It chilled him to the bone how she was able to do that without even looking at him. Draco straightened himself out as he descended the stairs and took up the other seat at the large table.

"You seem to be enjoying your latest treasure."

"Ecstatically,"

"Mhmm," Draco mused as he watched her solid face. It never changed while she was reading. She simply took in word after word as though they were just that, words. It was how emotionally detached she was when reading that seemed to frighten him most. "Alex wanted you to read to her before bed but you were nowhere to be found."

"Oh, Draco, you knew where to find me." Hermione frowned. She had lifted her gaze then and Draco smiled. If there was one thing to take her concentration away from reading, it was their daughter.

"Huge Manor, remember?" Draco prompted. "By the time I sent Welford to fetch you Alex would've been asleep. And you know I couldn't send Avery down here."

"Yes, I know." Hermione sighed. The hidden library was banned from house elves, both by magic and verbal command. "I'll make sure to schedule reading time around Alex's nap and bedtime schedules."

"No Draco schedule?"

Hermione grinned at him. "I thought that would be a given."

Draco smiled and then stood. "Well in that case, I think now is absolutely perfect for Draco time."

"Hmm, someone's forgotten what day it is."

Draco furrowed his brow. It didn't take long to realize the day and then he nodded in comprehension. "Right, I forgot. Your friends are coming."

"Oh, come on, don't get like that." Hermione brooded as she closed her book. "They're only here once a month."

"And the day after I have the help clean the Manor even more than necessary to cleanse it from the miscreants I wouldn't dare associate myself with." Draco scowled viciously. Hermione narrowed her eyes and huffed.

"Those miscreants haven't graced you with their presence even once, so I don't know why you're snarling like a dog with his tail shot up in the air."

Draco clenched his jaw at Hermione's comment and her mannerisms dared him to say anything against it. She let the corners of her mouth gently rise in satisfaction when she knew he had nothing more to say and calmly strode alongside the table. When she reached Draco her gaze had softened. She placed two soft fingers under his chin and repositioned his face to look her properly in the eyes.

"It's a friendly discussion group, Draco." Hermione smiled gently. Her hand caressed his cheek and she sighed. "I know you disapprove of the subject matter, but talking never hurt anyone. Besides, the timeline is broken."

"What happened to being safe than sorry?" Draco said, repeating words that she had once said to him. Hermione pursed her lips. It was her turn to have nothing more to say and she simply let her hand fall from his face and she causally made her way up the stairs.

Draco stood rooted to the spot until he checked his watch. He had fifteen minutes. He left the library, making sure that the door was properly sealed up. Only a Malfoy could open the door and Merlin forbid it was left open and one of Hermione's friends found it and started snooping around. Sure, Hermione could open it herself, but he hoped that at the very least she respected his wishes about keeping the library solely as Malfoy's eyes only. Once secure Draco made his way to the East Wing of the Manor. It had been three years since he had step foot within this part of the Manor, but he knew that going to the West Wing would be pointless.

Draco slowed his walk the closer he grew to the long-abandoned bedroom. He was early and therefore there was no need to rush. By the time he entered the bedroom and closed the door after him there were only a few seconds left to go. He stood with his back towards the door, hands cupped behind him. He could feel a disturbance in the air around him and he took a deep breath as the middle of the room became distorted. A figure was appearing out of thin air and soon Draco was seeing a younger version of himself who looked utterly surprised at what was going on.

"You know, I had hopes that I had learned to use a time-turner properly and that I wouldn't be seeing you tonight." Draco told his four-year younger self. The other Draco was bemused as he gazed upon a Draco that pretty much looked the same as him with the exception of a faint beard.

"W-what?"

Draco chuckled and walked forward as he gestured to the time-turner around his younger self's neck. "Well, for one thing I'm clearly not getting myself ready to beat Lenny's arse in cards. You moved the rings forward, not back. And one too many times, I might add."

Draco swallowed nervously as he took in his older self. He was right. He definitely wasn't where he was supposed to be. If Harry knew what had just happened, he would kill him. "Is it still worth it?" He asked himself.

The older Draco knew what he was asking. He had been in his position four years ago and of course knew that he would be seeing himself in his old bedroom tonight. Unfortunately he knew the answer that he would have to give. "You still have to go back and stop yourself from seeing Lenny."

"H-how is Hermione?"

Draco frowned. "She's not wicked, but she's not our Hermione anymore. I can see her changing and I don't know how to change her back. I had married her in hopes to keep an eye on her a year after the incident with the notes on the parchment. But with the Malfoy name…"

"She gained access to the libraries without help."

Draco nodded. "Luckily Alex is keeping her pretty grounded."

The younger Draco's ears perked up. "Alex?"

Draco smiled. "She's two now."

"Hearing that doesn't make what I have to do any easier." The younger Draco scowled. His older self shrugged and sighed.

"It is what it is unfortunately. Now let's get you out of here. If my memory serves me correctly, Avery will be popping in here in a few minutes and he doesn't need to see you."

Draco took the time-tuner of his younger self in his hands and spun the proper rings. He let it go quickly and young Draco watched the world around him disappear. It was good timing too as he could faintly hear Avery appear into the room.

October 2011

Draco found himself yet again emerging in his bedroom. This time around, however, he knew that he was in the right time. He saw the less-than-one-year-younger version of himself taking out a small satchel of galleons from a concealed wall safe. It was his gambling pile.

"Don't even think about seeing Lenny tonight." Draco said and scared his younger self to death. The satchel that was in his hands fell to the floor and galleons began rolling everywhere.

"What the hell?" His younger self exclaimed, but Draco rolled his eyes.

"After everything that's happened to you people from the future still freak you out?"

Young Draco sucked his teeth as he used his wand to collect all of his fallen money into the satchel. "Well it's not something I had hoped to experience again." He paused then and eyed himself curiously. "You're not here to commit a new form of suicide are you?"

It was then and there that Draco couldn't wait until he returned to his own time. He had decided that he absolutely hated talking to himself. "No. I'm here to tell you to keep your arse home. In fact, don't ever see Lenny again if you can help it."

"What? Why?"

"Because he's a sore loser and he's going to curse you after the game. You end up pretty hurt and go into St. Mungo's Critical Care Ward. Hermione's your Healer."

The younger Draco cocked a brow at him. "So it's 'Hermione' when you're from is it?"

"Focus, damn it." Draco grumbled. "She's the one that's going to take care of you. And when she can't figure out what's wrong Welford will give her access to the library."

"…Welford should've known better." Young Draco said softly.

"He's family, however distant. He didn't want to see me –us dead. We can't give her the opportunity."

"I must've cleaned Lenny out good if he tried to kill me."

"Not really," Draco said in a nonchalant tone. "He's just a belligerent drunk with a terrible temper. Just do what I said."

"Not a problem."

Draco nodded and took a deep breath as he spun the rings of the time-turner in his hands. He made sure to go forward and was positive he was in the right year once everything around him stopped spinning. Just to make sure he grabbed the desk calendar that he always kept on his nightstand and looked at the date. It was magically enhanced to circle the correct date and Draco sighed a breath of relief when it read April 23rd 2012. He removed the time-turner from his neck and put it in his top drawer. He would return it to Harry tomorrow and that would be the end of it.

As Draco sat at the edge of his bed he began to wonder what life was like. He brooded mercilessly at the fact that Hermione was probably still dating Peter. And if not he was sure that the man in her life, if there was one, wasn't him. And what about himself? Did he have a girlfriend? Was he seeing anyone at all? Instant guilt crept up in him if he really was seeing someone. He himself only cared about one person and it was someone that he could never have.

"Or maybe I still can?" Draco mused allowed. She didn't have a reason to go to his library anymore. He would promise himself never to marry her so that it remained off-limits. He'd also warn Welford to never let her near it. It sounded perfect. First he'd have to find her.

"Lost in a daydream, are you?" Came Hermione's voice from the archway of his bedroom. Draco stared at her in surprise. However happy he was to see her, she was the last person he expected to be in his bedroom. His eyes instantly scanned her hand and looked for a wedding ring, but there wasn't any. What he did see however still made his breath catch in his chest. Hermione looked down at what had caught Draco's attention and she sighed.

"This is the third time I've done it." Hermione explained as she walked over to him with the vial in her hand. "I poured the other two down the sink thinking that maybe I'd done it wrong."

"…Your magic is never wrong." Draco found himself saying. Somehow he and Hermione had still gotten together. But unlike the other reality he had originally lived, in this one she was pregnant.

Author's note: Well, there's quite a bit of time-hopping going on here and, sure, Draco managed to stop himself from seeing Lenny, but it didn't do much good!

This is still a 10-chapter story, so the next three are going to be pretty "rocky" and lead up to the big conclusion. On another note, I shall be posting a new story called "Destined" either tomorrow or on Wednesday. Dramione as always where Draco's family history comes back to bite him in the butt. That's all I can say without giving away the whole story. I hope that you'll check it out :).

Thanks for reading everyone!

-WP