Disclaimer: don't own.
That's what happened in chapter 16:
"It means, that this time is not supposed to exist. And it also means, that you are not supposed to exist. Eventually you will die."
Draco panicked. "And how can we help that?"
"You can't. You arrived in this time, and the time-turner is broken. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice yourself for a good cause."
"I don't want to sacrifice myself." Draco yelled.
"Shhh, we'll find a way." Hermione said, but she sounded unconvincing. "How long do we have until we die, professor?"
"Hm, I would say a few days. Nothing more than a week."
Great, a week to live, if they were lucky. Draco banged his fist on the table. What should they do?
On with the story:
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"What do we do now?" Hermione asked in a panicked voice as soon as Draco and she were back in the hallways. "Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong."
Draco was about to shrug helplessly, when another voice spoke up. "Miss Delacour." The voice was vaguely familiar, but Hermione couldn't place it.
"I'm Adrian Pucey. Chaser of the Slytherin team." Adrian grinned, holding out his hand. He looked slightly younger than the Adrian Pucey, Hermione remembered from the other future; he seemed to be her age, though. "I'm assigned to help you during your first week – find classes and everything."
Hermione gave him a wobbly smile. "Well – zank you."
"And YOU, Draco, have to go find Pansy; she's been looking for you for ages. She will be your helper."
Draco grimaced in pain and Hermione felt a bit sorry for him. Pansy again.
"I'll lead you to your first class then." Adrian continued.
"Vat ees eet?" Hermione asked horrified. Probably torture class. Dark Arts or something.
"Herbology." Adrian read from his sheet of paper. Hm, that sounded harmless enough. "Come on, it's outside."
Outside, it was, of course, dark. The sky was deepest black and it seemed like night time, although it was morning. Hermione shuddered. How could anyone like to live under a permanent dark sky? She missed the sun; she missed its warmth and its brightness.
Adrian cast the lumos spell so they could see their path to the green house. Hermione just had to ask. "Adrien, vy is ze sky alvays black?"
"A spell went wrong. One of the followers of our side wanted to cast a spell so that EVERYONE turned to the dark side – our side. However, the spell went wrong, and so the sky became a permanent dark." he shrugged. "It's not bad, actually, quite stylish. And after a while you get used to it."
Hermione scowled. She seriously doubted that. Darkness made her feel depressed. "Eez eet dark everywhere in ze ole world?"
"Most of Europe – except obviously France, if you need to ask." Adrian scratched his chin. "And I doubt that it went as far as the States or Australia."
Bloody perfect. Maybe, she and Draco should move away. But then again, they had only one more week to live – if they were lucky.
Hermione's scowl got more pronounced. They had reached the greenhouse now; modern muggle lamps were glowing, illuminating the area. They went inside where most of the class was already assembled.
Hermione sat down next to Adrian and noticed that they were sitting a foot and a half away from Pansy and Draco. Pansy had obviously gotten her interest back and was staring avidly at Draco who kept scowling at the floor.
Narcissa Malfoy strode in as elegantly and superior as if she owned the place. Her nails were painted in a sparkly silver, long and sharp, her robes immaculate and perfect. Draco's jaw dropped open and even Hermione couldn't suppress a frown.
"It's Sabrina's mother, Professor Malfoy. You don't picture her as the Herbology type, but she is actually quite good." Adrian grinned at Hermione who seriously doubted this though.
This future was not right. It was so wrong. What had they done? What could they still do? Her mind came up with a blank. She noticed Harry flirting next to Sabrina. What had gotten into him? He used to be their ally… now he was fraternizing with the enemy (as Ron had put it at the Yule Ball).
Her thoughts were interrupted by a snide voice belonging to Mrs. Prof. Malfoy. "Miss Delacour, let me test your knowledge, since you are new here. What would I get if I fed pumpkin seeds to wailing snails?"
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In the evening, after a long and exhausting school day Hermione and Draco were sitting outside in the (of course) dark grounds, discussing their dwindling options, when an eerie loud sound like a folghorn made them both jump.
"What's that?" Hermione screamed over the noise which made her eardrums throb.
"Look, they are running back inside." Draco pointed to the couple who were obviously running for their lives. "It must be some kind of alarm!"
"Let's go inside then too. It's eerie." Hermione said in a cold, controlled voice.
Draco nodded when at the same time the alarm stopped. "Let's go."
However, they weren't fast enough. The doors closed automatically right in front of their faces, the chains rattled ominously and closed and obviously various protection spells were used as the whole castle glowed purple. Oh no. They were shut out.
"I can't believe this." Draco said horrified, kicking the door in frustration, but it didn't budge. "We have to find another way in. They can't just leave us here, where the danger is."
Hermione nodded and took out her wand and muttered: "Point me." It just fell out of her hand and she shook her head solemnly. "There is no other way in; I've just tried the point me spell. Sorry, Draco."
Draco gasped in real horror. "Come on, Hermione, we have to get out of here. Let's apparate away at least."
"You can't apparate in the grounds of Hogwarts." Hermione ground out. "Have you ever read, Hogwarts, a history?"
"No, and I don't feel like reading it; you know everything by heart anyway." Draco bit back.
Hermione's face suddenly went so pale that Draco could see her very clearly although it was dark. "Oh no." she whispered weakly.
"What is it?" He almost shook her.
"Dementors. An army of dementors."
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Draco stood stock still and only reacted when Hermione quickly drew her wand. "Expecto Patronum!" she shouted, thinking of Tom. Then she knew that she would never see him again and her patronus went off into white smoke. "Expecto Patronum!" she shouted again, thinking of Harry, Ron and Draco. Still – nothing more than white vapour.
"Concentrate, Hermione!" Draco yelled, who was green in the face and struggling with the spell himself.
"We are going to die, anyway." Hermione bit back, watching with horror as the figures advanced on them, gliding noiselessly, sucking everything from their surroundings. Their putrid breath made Hermione shudder.
"Expecto Patronum!" she pictured her first time with Tom, but was consumed by the hopelessness she felt when the dementors were already too near. Where was Harry when you needed him? He was the one who had been apt at the patronus spell.
"Noooo, please." she heard Draco shout next to her. "We are on your side. Don't hurt us."
The dementor swept down and held Draco upwards. "Noooooooooooooooooooo!" Hermione screamed horrified. "Don't hurt us. PLEASE. We swear, we have nothing to do with this – whatever. We are definitely on your side."
"Sttttttttttttooooooooooooooop!" she heard another, unfamiliar voice yell. Inexplicably, the dementors stopped in their tracks and turned back to the voice.
"Master, master, master." they all muttered, sinking down on the floor. The dementor who had been holding Draco, gently lay him down and bowed down as well. Draco scrambled up immediately and cowered behind Hermione. Pathetic. Hermione would have rolled her eyes, if the situation hadn't been so grave.
Ugh. Since when coud dementors even talk? Hermione racked her brain, but couldn't remember anything from her few encounters with the worst creatures she could think of.
"Who are you?" A black cloaked figure stepped over the dementors as if they were merely stones lying in his way. He even kicked them in their ribs, staring at Hermione and Draco. It was a man who looked like Severus Snape, but his hair was short and clean, and his eyes were alive with a sparkle Hermione had never seen.
"Students from the Snake's institute." Hermione said in a panicked voice.
"Why aren't you inside then? The dementors are here to purge the school and the surroundings of muggles and of traitors who want to convince the students to go over to the other side. Besides, I've never seen you before."
"We are new here and didn't know it was an alarm that went off. Our names are Draco Lumiere and my fiancée, Hermione Delacour. It's only our second day here. We've been sorted into Slytherin." Draco said still shivering.
"Very well, then. I'm Headmaster Snape. I'll let the dementors do their work here, but I will need to take you to the Dark Side test quarters."
"Test quarters?" Hermione squeaked, not bothering to pretend to be French.
"It's normal procedure. When we find suspects, the Dark Side needs them in their test quarters for questioning." Snape said dismissively.
Hermione and Draco exchanged a terrified look. That didn't sound good.
"Who is this dark side, then?" Hermione asked.
"Almost everyone is part of the Dark Side, Miss Delacour." Snape smirked. "Only a select few are still trying to rebel against us, but they will be eliminated one way or another."
"But I mean, who is the leader of this dark side?"
"You don't need to know this, girl." Snape spat. "Just call him our Dark Leader."
Hermione gritted her teeth, but didn't say anything back. No dark lord this time? Who was this Dark Leader? Voldemort again or someone else?
Snape straightened up. "I'll leave the dementors to it – they know their job – and my wife, Lily, will take you to the Dark Side's quarters."
Lily? As in Lily Potter?
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Snape ran with his two students to the border of the grounds up to the point where they could apparate again. Without warning, he grasped, Hermione's and Draco's hands and apparated with them to a cosy, warm family home. A woman with flaming red hair and Harry's green eyes, walked out, greeting Snape with a hug.
Although her eyes were colder and her aura more dangerous and less maternal, it was unmistakably Lily Potter. Also Draco seemed to notice; he was gaping at Lily as if he had seen more dementors. If Snape and Lily were together then Harry definitely couldn't be born. Another bad sign. Hermione could already see that it would be a miracle, if they made it out alive. And the chances for that were poor. Especially since Dumbledore was an old fool in this future.
"Take them to the Dark Side's test quarters." Snape said. "They might have been simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but you never know. It's procedure."
Lily nodded and turned to Hermione and Draco. "Come along, then." Her grip on them was almost painful and with a pop they apparated to a black steel gate which led to a beautiful white mansion. When they entered the gate, Hermione noticed the garden in front of it was well-kept and blooming with various types of flowers – although Hermione couldn't see them very well as it was dark (as always) – but they seemed rare, exotic and expensive.
"Dark Master! This is Lily Snape." Lily called out in a commanding, yet sweet voice. "I've got two suspects. Severus sent them for questioning."
"Thank you." a dark, male voice answered from somewhere above. "You can keep them outside and my house elves will get them."
"Alright. Good evening, Master."
Lily apparated away without even bothering to say good-bye to Hermione and Draco; without even wishing them good luck. A wrong future.
A house elf appeared. "My name is Dobby. I am to take you in to my master for questioning. Are you ready?"
"Yes, of course." Hermione said kindly, taking the small, rough, wrinkly hand of the house elf. "I didn't know you served the Dark Leader."
"I used to serve the Malfoys before." Dobby answered when Draco too took his hand. "But they gladly gave me up for their master."
"Really?" Draco sneered. "I doubt that."
"They were quite fond of me, but only the best for their master. I hope, he doesn't kill you; you two seem to have no idea what's going on." Dobby answered honestly.
"Don't say our real names, Hermione. You never know who this leader is. Let's pretend to be Russians." Hermione whispered and Hermione nodded.
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The Dark Leader's mansion was indeed beautiful. Hermione had expected black walls and skeletons lurking in the corners, but it was bright and clean. Dobby led them into a wooden furnished room where a tall man with a black cloak and black hood stood in front of the window. They couldn't very well see his face, although he was turned to them.
"Good luck." Dobby whispered, before disappearing with a pop.
The leader slowly walked up to them. "Severus sent you because you interfered with our dementors army."
"Ve didn't vant to interferre." Draco answered with a heavy Russian accent. "Ve verre in the Chog – Snake's institute grrounds and ve didn't know it vas an alarrm dat went off. Ven ve noticed everryone rrunning inside, it vas too late. Ve arre sorry, ve didn't mean to interrupt anysing. Please don't kill us!"
The man laughed: "We will see about that – no one has ever left this mansion alive." He stared at Hermione. "And YOU? What do you have to say about all of that?"
"It's trrue vhat he said. Ve didn't mean to disturrb yourr plans." Hermione said sincerely, playing along. She noticed that the man jumped in surprise at her voice.
"What are your names again?" he asked coldly.
"Sergey Karkaroff and Tanya Ivanova." Draco answered. "Forrmer Durrmstrrangs, before ve came cheere."
The leader went so close to him that Draco could smell his breath. It smelled of mint chewing gum. "Liar!" he screamed at him and Draco and Hermione both almost jumped out of their skins in fright.
"Dobby?"
Dobby instantly appeared at his master's side. "Yes, master?"
"Would you be a darling and fetch me Veritaserum, please." the dark leader said in a velvet voice.
Please? Darling?
Before Hermione had time to ponder the "DARK LORDS" unexpected kindness towards houseelves, she saw the elf reappear and holding a silver tray with two glasses of water and a bottle with crystal clear truth-potion.
"Three drops each." The dark lord whispered." And then I want you to take notes, Dobby."
Hermione and Draco didn't have any other choice but to gulp down the burning liquid. Hermione shivered and Draco too. They were doomed.
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"Names?"
"Draco Malfoy." Dang.
"A Malfoy?" The dark leader seemed pleased. "Not Russian then."
"Hermione Granger." Fuck the potion.
"Granger? I don't know anyone called Granger. Yet. Are you a mudblood?" the malicious tone made Hermione flinch.
She thanked her lucky stars that she had taken a blood changing potion from Dumbledore and so she could shake her head truthfully and say: "No, halfblood."
"So, you are not from Durmstrang then? You don't sound Russian in reality." the leader rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
"We are actually from Hogwarts." Draco said, his voice expressionless.
"Hogwarts? But Hogwarts hasn't existed for at least 2 decades." the dark leader got up and looked at the label of the potion. He seemed satisfied; it was obviously really Veritaserum. "You don't mean the snake's institute?"
"It's called the snake's institute NOW, not when we were there." Hermione answered before she could help herself. Stupid potion.
"How old are you then?"
"16!" both of them answered at the same time and scowled.
"But that's impossible." the dark leader shouted. "It was already called snake's institute 16 years ago!"
Hermione and Draco exchanged a terrified glance.
"What could have happened?" the leader spoke to himself. "I'm not only the greatest wizard next to Severus Snape, but I'm also the most intelligent one. There is only one thing that makes sense, since you are obviously telling the truth: Tell me, you two, did you travel through time?"
And Hermione and Draco both nodded. "Yes." Hermione answered.
"Time travelers." The leader laughed manically. "Wonderful. From which time are you from?"
"This time." Draco shrugged and the leader shook his head frantically.
"Okay, so to which time did you TRAVEL, then?"
"To the forties." Hermione said in a small voice, again cursing the stupid potion.
"To the forties?" the leader echoed in disbelief. "WHY THAT?"
"We were sent on a mission to change a certain dark lord from becoming dark." Hermione answered, gritting her teeth at the same time. "We failed, though. In fact, this future is even worse than the future before."
"Is it? Pity, I don't remember the other future you are talking about." the dark leader sounded disappointed. "So you went to Hogwarts in the forties? What were your names there and then?"
"Draco Lumiere." Draco's eyes looked at the floor.
"Hermione Delacour." Hermione answered scared.
"Delacour? Lumiere?" the man asked, disbelief colouring his tone. "Hermione, is that YOU?"
"Yes, it's me." Hermione nodded. "But who are you?"
"Let me show you." The leader said icily. "Let you see what I have become."
And he pulled off his hood.
A/N: That was long. Who could it be? Reviews please. Oh and please tell me if you liked Christian Coulson better as Tom Riddle or the other one from the sixth film.