Chapter 3

Once Hermione left the Headmistress' office she decided to wander around the grounds of Hogwarts. Despite the terrible memories that she might assault her, she thought it could do her some good to look around. Hermione pulled her scarf over her mouth and nose as she exited the Great Hall, in an attempt to shield herself from the bitter wind that was blowing.

Whilst Hermione had been inside, snow had fallen on the grounds of Hogwarts, and was now glistening beautifully in the sunshine. As she walked, the snow crunched beneath her feet, leaving imprints behind. Hermione approached the greenhouses and was surprised to see a figure sat outside. As she got closer, disgust filled her as she recognised the head of platinum blond hair that was bent over a book. Determined that, of all people, Draco Malfoy would not deter her, she continued on her way.

Unbeknown to her, Malfoy had seen Hermione approach. He mustered his best sneer and, as she approached, called out to her in a venomous voice, "Well, I see this school still allows mudbloods to walk on its grounds then? Typical Granger. You should know better by now, you filth."

Hermione stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, "Really, Malfoy? After everything we've been through, you still insult me? You saved my life and we saved yours. Aren't we past this pettiness?"

"I did nothing for you, mudblood", Malfoy spat at her, " I was saving my own skin and knew that Potter might be able to help. I would have watched them torture you, happily. Watch them rip your skin and see the filthy blood leak from your veins onto my floor."

Hermione felt a rage inside her. She felt it boiling, consuming her. She pulled out her wand, her arm shaking. After all this, she had hoped that Malfoy would feel some remorse for how he had treated her - for all the names, the shoves, the hatred - but she was clearly wrong. Why couldn't he leave her alone?

"I'm warning you, Malfoy", Hermione said, fighting back tears, "One more word and I'll curse you. Ginny taught me the bat bogey hex. I'm sure experiencing it again wouldn't be that pleasant, now?"

"You dare to threaten me, mudblood?" Malfoy snarled, rising to his feet and pulling out his own wand so fast that Hermione missed the movement. "I should teach you a lesson, buck teeth. Show you that, despite the end of the Dark Lord, we purebloods still have power and influence, that we are still far better than the likes of you and all your fellow vermin that dare disgrace our Earth."

"Our Earth?", Hermione breathed out, "You think that the whole Earth should belong to you? Newsflash for you, Malfoy! Muggles outnumber wizards 3000 to 1! Mudbloods outnumber purebloods 15 to 1. You're outnumbered. You're an inbred, dying breed with the same colour blood as me. Call me a mudblood? That's fine by me! I'd rather be a mudblood, a commoner, than some jumped up, inbred, little ferret who is too afraid to admit that he's wrong! Who is so far up his own arse that he can't realise that nobody, not even Daddy cares about him anymore!"

Hermione stopped, realising that she may have gone too far when she saw the anger flare in Malfoy's pale blue eyes. She took a step back, forgetting that she was armed with a wand, as Malfoy stepped towards her.

"You dare", he spoke quietly. "You dare speak that way to me? There's a lot you don't know Granger. I could kill you with a spell more powerful than the AK. I could make your death look like an accident and no one would suspect poor Draco, would they?" He smirked, watching Hermione tremble slightly in terror. Her fear was intoxicating. He could almost smell it. It felt so good to be on top, terrifying those beneath him, showing the Granger bitch who was boss. He wasn't going to hurt her badly. He couldn't kill anyway, as evidenced in the astronomy tower he could see behind them, but she didn't need to know that. It was time this jumped up mudblood was put in her place. All the rewards after the war that the ministry had thrown at her (none of them deserved, of course) had given the bitch the illusion that she belonged in the wizarding world, that all of the accepted her. It was time to break that illusion.

Hermione backed up to the greenhouse, her brain whirring as she tried to figure a way out of this situation. In her terror she had lowered her wand and with Malfoy's wand pointed directly at her chest, there was no way for her to raise her own without giving him ample opportunity to attack. There was no one around. By the time she had screamed for help and it had arrived, Malfoy could curse her into oblivion and have ran far away. Hermione was out of options and was at the mercy of her childhood enemy whom she had just taunted into a rage.

Malfoy was getting closer, Hermione pressed up as close as she could to the glass, cursing the anti apparation wards at Hogwarts. If she could just apparate away...

Malfoy raised his left arm and grabbed Hermione's throat before he began to squeeze, cutting off her air. He merely watched as her eyes began to bulge, and as her face began to turn red. Unbeknownst to Malfoy, the gold chain on Hermione's neck had caught onto Malfoy's family ring. As Malfoy, smirking, pulled his arm away from her throat, the time turner chain strained. As he pulled harder, the time turner began to spin. Hermione, breathing heavily, watched in horror as the device, attached to Malfoy's ring by its chain span and span and span. Hermione and Malfoy's eyes locked as they both felt the unpleasant sensation of time travel.

All around them colours began to mix together, they saw whirling patterns of blue, green, red, silver in the sky (at least Hermione assumed it was the sky) as they too began to spin round and round, Malfoy still attached to the time turner. Lightning flashed above them, beneath them. They were floating, falling, flying all at once, constantly spinning faster and faster as they travelled. They were buffeted by winds that screamed in their ears and for just one second, Hermione would swear that she heard the most beautiful music. It was unlike any time travel Hermione had ever experienced. In desperation Malfoy clung onto Hermione's arm and just as he did so, the time turner stopped spinning and the two of them landed in an untidy heap exactly where they had been standing before being transported 52 years into the past.

A/N: Dun dun duuuuun! Here's where the fun really begins. They are in the year 1947, which is before the Marauder era, so there won't be many familiar faces about. Things are about to get tricky for them both, particulary Malfoy, as no one knows what happens when you travel by time turner, but you aren't actually wearing the necklace. Please leave me a nice little review (or a nasty one) if you enjoyed or really didn't like it! Thanks for reading!