"Draco!" Theo shouted over the crowds heading to dinner. The blonde whipped round to face him frowning slightly as he sent everyone else on to the Great Hall.

"Is everything alright?"

Theo ushered him into an alcove and silenced it. "Lord Black is coming tomorrow," he murmured.

"Ok…."

Theo sighed, "How do you think Blaise would take this?"

Draco blinked. "Pardon?"

"You heard me. Potter knows about Hermione and me and demanded to be there when Lord Black visits. Not that he knows why he's visiting. I think Lord Black will push to allow Potter to be involved once he knows about James, Hermione pointed out that if that happened, Cassius would be the only one without a parent here."

Draco hesitated. "Honestly? I think it's too risky. He keeps nothing from Daphne and I have no idea what Astoria's views are now, all it would take is for Daph to mention it to her and we run the risk of everyone knowing."

Theo sighed, "I was worried you'd say that. Want to come and talk to him with me?"

"Can I eat first?"

"Ah….not really. It's going to look more suspicious if we wolf down dinner and run, this way we can say I needed help with an essay and so we went to the kitchens."

"Can we go to the kitchens?" Draco asked hopefully.

"Sure. Once we've spoken to Cassius. Although maybe the elves are feeding them in their rooms. I never actually asked what they were doing for meals."

Sighing, Draco nodded. "Fine. Let's hope we can have dinner with our children. Sweet Salazar that sounds so fucking wrong."

They arrived at the children's portrait and whispered the password. Draco's eyes landed on the plates of food and he grinned.

"Dad!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"Ah…hi. We need to borrow Cassius for just a moment then we'll stay for dinner?"

All of them frowned but didn't speak as Cassius rose and led them to his room.

"Right, so what's this about?"

Theo and Draco shared a look, silently commanding the other to speak first. Theo lost.

"Lord Black is coming tomorrow. We think he'll push for Potter to be involved." he blurted.

"Ok. I don't understand why that meant you had to speak to me."

Theo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Draco isn't sure if your dad would be able to keep this from your mum."

Cassius snorted, "Dad has never been able to keep anything from Mum. She always knows when he's hiding something."

"Which would put you, us, everyone, at risk."

"Ah," Cassius replied, finally understanding. He was silent for so long Draco had started to fidget before he sighed, "Look. I'm not going to say it doesn't suck. It does. But I'd like not to be responsible for ending time or unexpected murders. I'll live if I can't see my dad right now."

"For what it's worth, we are sorry," Theo murmured.

Cassius shrugged, "I'll see him when we get home. It's stranger for Scorp and the twins, they're getting parents they don't know at all. I don't think I grudge them that."

Both Draco and Theo winced at that assessment, Cassius recoiled, realising what he had just said, "Sorry that was blunter than it should have been."

"You're not wrong." Theo replied softly, "Hopefully we can fix this and get you home soon. Thank you…..for being more grown up than you should have to be."

Cassius gave a lopsided smile, "It's fine, you're explaining it to Dad though if we remember any of this. He's going to be so pissed off."

Draco grimaced, "Yeah, thanks for that."

"Any time Uncle Draco! Now, are you actually staying for dinner?"

"Merlin, yes! I'm starving!"

Cassius laughed, heading back through to the common room. Theo and Draco wandering in his wake. Both privately wondering if maybe they'd gotten off just a bit too lightly.

"Right, so can you explain now?" Harry asked his eyes darting between Hermione and Theo.

Hermione sighed. "I need you to listen. No, Harry, actually listen. You can't tell anyone about this conversation. Not Ron, not Ginny. We cannot discuss it outside pre-agreed rooms, if the wrong people heard of this people will die. Quite honestly we shouldn't even be telling you. Professor Snape is probably going to strangle us."

Harry looked at her in horror, "What are you mixed up in 'Mione?"

Hermione sighed. "Remember that odd explosion in potions?"

"With the people?"

"With the people," she confirmed.

"Right so….."

"They were time travellers."

Harry gaped at her for a moment before he laughed. "Right, right, hilarious, really. Now seriously…." he froze looking at them, both Hermione and Theo stared back unsmiling. "You….fuck. Mione. Tell me you're joking?"

"No," she replied softly. "Not joking. It was a mistake, an accident with a time-turner. Two of them were trying to rival my third year schedule."

Harry gaped at them, "So why were you told? It doesn't seem like something Dumbledore or Snape would want to get out."

"It wasn't. Two of them came to find me."

"What, why?" he asked bewildered. As much as he was aware he didn't often follow Hermione's conversations, this one was more confusing than any of the others.

"Because they're my children," she replied softly.

"You have kids!"

"Twins. They're thirteen. They came through with Malfoy's son, Blaise's son and….yours."

"MINE! What? Why are we here then? I want to meet him!" Harry jumped up, heading for the door.

"HARRY!" Harry whirled to face her with a slightly wild expression. "There is more we need to discuss and then we'll take you to meet them. But remember what I said about people dying." Harry's eyes widened as he slowly moved back to his seat.

"I'm listening."

"The world they come from is….beyond awful. Lucius Malfoy is Minister and he's trying to rid our world of muggleborns. Me in particular."

"Why you in particular?"

"He found out about Theo and me and wasn't happy."

"The twins are his?" Harry interrupted.

"Yes. If you actually let me finish I'll explain what we know," she replied impatiently, suitably chastened, Harry shut his mouth and remained silent. "Right," Hermione began, "This is what they told us…."

Harry was pale at the end of the explanation, clutching her hand like someone might appear and steal her away the second he let go. Theo could sympathise. It was even more horrifying to hear the second time round. "Fuck….Mione. Just….fuck."

"Exactly. Now, do you understand why we have to be careful?"

"Yes, at least I think so. It's quite…a lot to wrap my head around, to be honest. But….Mione…..you know that regardless of what we're doing, you'll always have a home with me? I…I know they said you had the twins and it sounds like they were great, really it does. But, I can't believe you thought we wouldn't want you!"

"To be fair it sounds like Gin was pregnant and the Twins didn't have that commitment. You taught them to fly you know? You were still around, and based on how James treats me, you were around a lot."

Harry nodded, wrapping his arm around her and hugging her close before he grinned impishly at her, "I'm impressed you allowed them on a broom before Hogwarts."

"Yes well Fred took them first and Ophelia broke her arm and Alex ended up on the roof and you had to chase him," she replied wryly. "I imagine allowing you and Gin to teach them seemed like the lesser of the evils."

Harry's jaw dropped before he threw back his head and laughed. Theo watched on in amusement, thankful that Harry was on board with this, Hermione needed someone else to bounce off in the way he could with Draco, hopefully, Snape wouldn't murder them for it later.