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Kitmu arrived shortly thereafter and placed two slim books on the table in front of Draco. He nodded to the elf and opened the first one. It didn't take long for his scowl to return. Picking up the second only brought an onslaught of curses. "Draco!"
He looked up, almost as if he forgot there were people around him. "Sorry, —" Draco put a stern look on his face before addressing the children, "— none of you heard that." The children on the other hand all started to laugh.
"Ok Uncle Draco, just like always then. Although Aunt Hermione heard you so, you'll probably still get in trouble." Apparently Draco's lack of filter was not fixed in the subsequent twenty plus years. Hermione rolled her eyes and reached out her hand. She wanted to see what Draco discovered.
He lifted a finger to tell her to wait and started to flip the books to specific pages. "No need to read all the nonsense in them right now, you can later. This page and the next few in the other book." Hermione picked them up and quickly read what Draco wanted her to see.
"You think?" Her eyes bounced between Draco and the books.
"Yes, from what I heard Lucius say, Voldemort would easily have done what was necessary to accomplish it. And here, —" Draco flipped a few pages to a different part and pointed to a paragraph, "— Once he did it the first time, the spell would almost occur on its own if an object was available. When his magic realized his intention, it could happen without a conscious thought." Draco's gaze floated to Harry, "We know the maniac did more than enough to start the spell on multiple occasions."
"But, —" Hermione's voice trailed off and looked at the now small, almost invisible scar on her friend's forehead. A scar that miraculously began to fade during their fifth year and after the events at Azkaban. Slowly she turned to Draco with fear in her eyes.
"I don't think we'll ever know, but it's the only conclusion I can draw from what's documented in the notes and what these books are saying." She blinked, to do that would just be…Draco sensed the direction of her thoughts and quietly answered the unspoken comment, "He was a monster Hermione and completely capable of doing such a thing."
Harry and Ron, familiar with Hermione going off on odd tangents because of books, never experienced her with someone who was almost as intelligent and loved books almost as much debating some unknown topic. Leaning into Ron, Harry started to whisper, "This is fascinating. Hermione would never have accepted that reason if it had been us."
Before Ron could respond, Hermione turned to them, "Because you never provided support for your theories." Hermione tapped the book, "Gut feelings only get you, and therefore me, in trouble." She huffed and sat back on the couch. "Do you want to know?" At the boy's nod she looked to Draco.
"In Hermione's notes, those she sent back, there are a couple comments on Dumbledore and really vague theories she and I discussed on how he could still be alive. In the notes, she mentioned me pulling a couple of disgusting books from the Manor's main library. I suspect they were these books." Draco pointed to the books now closed on the coffee table.
Harry and Ron listened quietly, knowing Hermione would hit them if they interrupted. Nothing Draco said would be considered confusing or infuriating. So they waited for the inevitable thing that would set them off. At their silence, Hermione placed her hand in Draco's.
"The books talk about a way to not die, a way to have eternal life. To do so means taking a life. We wanted to know if there was a precedent and the only experience that seemed similar to what we thought happened with Dumbledore was that of Voldemort, or as I call him in my notes, Tom Riddle. His muggle father's name." The boys didn't blink, they just sat quietly, "We thought, that is to say, our older selves believed Riddle created a horcrux." At the now confused expressions Hermione smiled, "A horcrux is a thing, anything, that holds part of the caster's soul."
Draco looked to the ceiling and sighed, "When you kill, when you kill in a pre-meditated and purposeful way, your soul tears. Normally, if you aren't insane, the soul stitches together again. What we are thinking happened was Riddle purposefully killed people and then put the torn parts of his soul into things."
"What sort of things?" Harry asked as Ron opened his mouth to ask the same question.
"They can be literally anything Potter. A galleon, a book, a stick, —" Draco paused, "— I think a living being could also house part of a soul if the correct circumstances were present." He stopped, waiting to see if either one of the Gryffindors picked up what he was saying. Hermione did the same.
"Ok, they think we should figure this out. Let's confer." Ron picked up on Harry's total confusion, but quickly suspected what Hermione and likely what Malfoy did as well. He noticed how the pair stared straight at Harry's scar. Knowing Harry needed to come to this himself, Ron allowed his friend to lead the discussion they needed to have. Ron caught Hermione's gaze and winked.
Harry leaned in and the two began to whisper quickly. "So they are saying the night he attacked me, he didn't die because he created a horcrux thingy." Ron nodded slowly, "You know don't you?"
"Maybe, but it's something I think you need to put together. But it's not like we won't tell you, I just think you can figure it out. And so does Mione." Harry huffed and leaned back on the couch. He hated being the last one to know things. But hadn't that really always been his life?
"So Hermione, you think Voldemort didn't die cause he had a horcrux." She nodded.
"Malfoy, you think, —" Harry paused and slowly started to put the pieces together, "— you think anything could be a horcrux. And if it was a living thing, would they know?" Draco shrugged, he now knew Potter never figured it out. He didn't know if others would have asked questions, but it didn't surprise Draco, after hearing stories from Hermione, Potter was never given the option to ask questions.
"Ron, you know. You think I need to figure it out." Ron nodded.
"You all suck. But ok, you make a horcrux by killing someone. Voldemort did that repeatedly. Hell, he did it twice the ni—" Harry's eyes went wide and his hand to his head, "— Me?"
"I think so Potter. When you said it felt like something was being ripped from your head, it was. Literally, some portion of Riddle's soul was being forcefully removed from you."
The four sat back and thought on what they just talked about. Each remembered different events occurring over their first four years at Hogwarts. "Makes sense why that dementor followed you around at the match. You were like a double portion of dinner for it." Leave it to Ron to turn it into a discussion on food.
Hermione leaned into Draco, "So what does this mean about Dumbledore?" No one dared to answer, all worried on the possibilities.
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In the week since the children arrived, the group settled into a comfortable routine. The children, apparently at Hermione's future direction, began lessons much earlier than magical or muggle tradition dictated. What it did was get the children ahead of their age peers. While only Scorpius possessed a wand, the rest showed a surprising level of competence with using one. Scorp admitted their parents taught them spells to use if they were in a life or death situation.
So each day the six children too young for Hogwarts, went to a classroom that appeared off the common room and began their work. Minerva opted to spend a couple of hours each morning teaching, as she did miss it. Hermione and Draco spent their time splitting themselves between the research to fix the future, school work, head responsibilities and learning how to be parents.
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Hermione scowled at the book. She finished her schoolwork and decided to spend a bit of Sunday afternoon looking at what she sent herself. Some of the notes seemed a bit odd, but at the same time Hermione knew given the circumstances, she'd put nothing past herself. So she put the more dubious notes in the box and pulled out a book that seemed very out of place. Hermione didn't appreciate her older self's attempt at humor. What wizarding fairy tales had to do with anything, she doubted she'd figure it out. But, she started to read the next story hoping this one would be the answer she needed.
When Draco saw her scowl, he reached around her shoulders and pulled her to him. After reading a few lines, he immediately knew the story. He murmured, "This one always interested me. It seems so different from the rest of the stories." She nodded and finished the story with a bit of a sigh. Still nothing, instead of starting the next one, she and Draco watched the gaggle of children sitting around Harry and Ron.
"You told us all about the cloak but never had it." Jimmy fingered the material and flipped over Asp, making him disappear.
"What do you mean I didn't have it?" Jimmy shrugged before trying the cloak out for himself. And getting a glare when his brother again became visible making faces at his father. Harry gave his son a shake of his head when Asp hissed angrily at his brother.
Jimmy turned to Asp, "You don't speak parseltongue. Stop trying, one day you're going to offend a real snake and get bit!" Asp stuck out his tongue and silently vowed to prove his brother wrong. While the Potter boys were holding the rooms attention with their argument, Scorp spoke up.
Sitting at the large table used for homework, Scorp tried to finish his assignment for Potions and looked up at his Uncle's question, "We don't know. You went to get it for some reason and found it missing. You all searched for months before accepting it was gone. You never explained why it was so important or the reasons you all were so upset about it being missing." Returning to his parchment, Scorp didn't see the look on Hermione's face. Although Draco loosened his hold as she sat up. Her eyes darted between Scorp and Harry for a moment before landing on her best friend.
"Harry, you said it was your dad's, do you know anything else?" Hermione's expression was one Harry saw before and normally immediately preceded her figuring out something important. Whatever it was, was just out of her grasp. The look moments before the pieces clicked into place. Knowing it could be something very important, Harry thought back on everything he knew.
"Not really, I pulled some of dad's journals from the vault this summer. He mentioned my grandfather giving him the cloak. The only other thing, beyond what antics he and the Marauders got up to, was my grandfather telling him it was a family heirloom. Something he inherited from his own father." Hermione nodded slowly, her expression slowly morphing to smug pleasure. "Hermione?"
She shook her head, ignoring Harry's question, Hermione turned to the other two her age, "Draco and Ron, what do you know about invisibility cloaks." The two took turns mentioning various things and watched as Hermione only became more pleased. After exhausting themselves, the pair looked at the young woman who now seemed to gloat. "I think I've figured out what I didn't say. Maybe what we thought then, but couldn't prove in the future and hoped we could now."
The convoluted statement made Scorp sit up, it wasn't the words she said but he recognized the tone Hermione's voice took. He knew his mum was about to figure it out. He knew she was going to know how to make sure that future didn't happen. Before they left, before his mum left that last time, she told him how if the worst happened, when Scorp gave the Hermione in this time the box with the notes, it would be enough. He tried to believe his mum, but how could this younger version of his mum do what she couldn't? He didn't know but he told her he believed in her, so he continued to put his faith in his mum.
No one noticed Scorp as everyone continued to listen to Hermione, "Draco, you said Narcissa read you stories from the tale of Beedle the Bard," She tapped on the book sitting in her lap, at his nod she smiled and looked to Ron who also nodded, "Good, so tell us the story of the Three Brothers." Draco blinked, it was literally the story Hermione just read.
Looking at Ron, Draco noticed how he seemed confused for only a short moment before they each blinked and looked to the two sons of Harry Potter, who were sharing the invisibility cloak, a Potter heirloom, with their friends. The cloak showing no signs of age or deterioration. A cloak that should be at least sixty years old at this point. A cloak that should not work that well, if at all. In unison and eerily similar to Fred and George, the pair only said one word, "No."
"Yes," Hermione's attention returned to her other friend. "Harry, didn't you say Dumbledore asked for the cloak and you only got it back because you found it on the ground after his death?" At Harry's nervous and confused nod, Draco got a speculative look.
"So that's the third, what of the first two?"
Ron, who swore to his daughter to not let the future happen like that again, looked at her with a mischievous smile and gave her a wink. Hermione relaxed, she knew Ron must have worked the same thing out she had, "I say his wand is the elder wand, so where is that?"
Harry, who still believed in the righteousness of his old headmaster, seemed equal parts confused and uncomfortable, "His crypt." Ron and Draco popped up and Ron grabbed the cloak from the now pouting gaggle of children.
"We will be back shortly, you all stay here." Ron took control whispering a few things to Draco before he threw the cloak over himself and probably followed Draco out the door.
"Hermione?" She sighed and began to tell him the story of the Three Brothers. At the end she looked to see if he figured out what they did and she saw fear in his eyes. "Do you really think?" At her shrug they sat in silence. In less time than expected, Draco entered the dorm and held the door for an extra moment before shutting it.
After removing the cloak, Ron's smile answered the question. "Got it and Draco noticed something odd in the hieroglyphs on the crypt. Or should I say, something that confirmed our theory." At her look, Draco smiled and summoned one of the books Hermione sent back with Scorp.
"He'd been looking for the Hallows his entire life. This letter he wrote to Grindelwald, at the bottom is a symbol. It's also on the crypt. It represents the Hallows." The air in the room got cold and the four eldest in the room looked to each other. Three of them were in agreement, they looked to the fourth, "Potter?"
"I just, I mean he, —" Harry paused, seemingly lost, when his daughter crawled up into his lap. Harry looked at her and released a sigh. "It's just I hoped it was a lie, but it's not. You sent yourself that book meaning it was important. I guess, does this mean we are talking about two unique events or is he working with, —" Harry paused. This time he was not sure if he wanted to continue with the children listening in.
"You can say it Uncle Harry, we talked about it, —" Scorpius waved between Jimmy, Charlie and himself, "— and realized we all thought the same things after hearing our parents talk. We know my grandfather was party to this and honestly, he'd have killed us personally if he could." Scorpius paused and looked righteously angry.
"He swore to kill me and Lyra for existing. To kill Mum because she dared to try to destroy the pure legacy of the Malfoy family. To make Dad watch us suffering and die before then being forced to sire another, acceptable, son. Only then would he kill Dad." Scorpius stood and looked to his parents. This would tell him if the people he knew before already existed in this time.
"Screw your plan Hermione, he's dead." The woman who held her son's attention, reached into her notes pulled out the single piece of parchment. When she found it initially, she wondered what caused her to create and send this type of poison, now she knew. She handed to Draco.
"Get Neville to find the ingredients, it's time to bring him in. I'm sure Severus will allow you to brew in his private lab." Hermione turned her attention from Scorpius to Draco, "Don't fuck it up. If you do, I will take care of him myself."
Draco looked at what he was handed and smiled wickedly, "Love you witch." Giving her a quick and hard kiss, Draco left the dorm in search of the herbology buff and apparent future friend. After providing the list and merely stating Hermione sent him, Neville said he'd have it all by the next afternoon. Draco asked for Neville to deliver the items to the head dorms, there was something else Hermione needed to discuss. The boy, still a little scared of the head girl, agreed. The timing suited Draco as he needed to get the instruments ready anyway.
"My private lab?" Draco shrugged and gave his godfather the parchment. "Who deserves this?" At Draco's unimpressed look the potion professor sighed. "So Lucius is to blame. Have you already gotten the ingredients?"
"Yes, to the ingredients, I gave the list to Longbottom a little bit ago and partially to Lucius. You'll be one of the first to know more when we can tell others." Severus, knowing how important secrets could be, only gave the boy a firm nod before waving him toward the wall of instruments. "Thanks Uncle Sev." The boy wanted to tell Severus about what Scorp told them. Draco wanted to explain how hearing about Severus dying hurt like a deep would. He didn't and that was only because Hermione made Draco swear to keep those things to himself, at least for the time being.
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Shortly after classes finished the next afternoon, Neville knocked on the door to the head dorms. When it opened Hermione ushered him in and lifted to her toes to see inside the box he carried. "Is that all of it?" Neville nodded, a bit confused when her eyes flashed with a dark look. Confusion gave way to fear as he saw a smile his Gran would call positively evil.
"Do I want to know Hermione? I think sometimes, no all the time I think it's best if I stay innocently unaware of your plans until long after the fact." She chuckled a bit more darkly than Neville thought sounded safe. Over the years he was glad when he wasn't part of the exploits and only heard about them after the fact. Especially when she lit Snape on fire.
"You will Longbottom. Just set the stuff on the table, I'll grab the box later. Potter and Weasley will be here in a little bit. They want to be here when we talk." Neville, seeing Hermione smile and nod, sat on one of the open chairs. "So they know this, Hermione and I are together. We've kept it secret for a bunch of reasons, but you need to know before we get too much into the story." A door Neville didn't notice on the far wall opened and closed. Harry and Ron walked into the room.
"Nev, great! You have to know what Draco is going to tell you is totally the truth. Hermione, Ron and I, well, we believe him. You are probably going to doubt it at first, but don't, —" Harry paused and a small smile crossed his lips, "— Don't doubt him." Hermione smiled at Harry, he didn't say it, but he just admitted to those closest to him that Draco was a trustworthy soul.
When Draco finished the story Neville sat more than a bit shocked. He looked to Harry and Ron, only to see them nodding. "We will get to the reasons they're here in a minute, my son was in that group? He's next door?" When Hermione opened the door Neville entered the neighboring room and found himself almost tackled by a boy. "Charlie?" The boy nodded and burrowed himself into his dad's arms.
Neville understood the slight shake to Charlie's shoulders. The elder Longbottom grasped his son in a firm hug. He knew he did it right when the boy tightened his hold.
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Smiling, Scorp knew the time finally arrived. "Hi Uncle Neville," Neville looked up and saw a smaller version of Malfoy but something else quite familiar.
"Huh, you look like your Mum."
"Thanks Uncle Neville, you're the only one who ever tells me that." The elder Longbottom shrugged, he may be fearful of Hermione, but she was his first real friend. "So I mentioned to Dad how I brought some other things with me. Stuff Mum, well the Mum from the future, she didn't know."
He stopped and his face shifted to a familiar look, he looked up with narrow eyes, his nose scrunched and bit his lower lip. The men all turned to Hermione who recognized the look as the one she wore when thinking about something. "Or maybe she did, almost everything I wanted to bring for everyone was all in the same place, all boxed up and labelled. Never thought about it before." Shaking his head at missing something so obvious, Scorp went to his room and pulled another shrunken box from his bag. This box sat on top of another box. Both boxes contained more boxes. Not everyone involved was aware of the future yet, and he would save those other boxes until the time came to tell them.
"These are things I knew you all thought were important. When we went into hiding, these are what you made sure to bring. The things you didn't want to have lost to whatever the future held." Scorp blinked, since arriving in this time, he started to put the fear and worry out of his mind. Only when he remembered did he start to feel those emotions again.
When the box resized, he pulled out other boxes and resized them before handing them to the various adults. Or the people he still saw as adults, even if they were only seventeen or eighteen years old at the moment and technically only a few years old than he was. He watched with mixed emotions as they opened the boxes.
Hermione pulled a letter and a number of photo albums from her box and found herself flipping through them, seeing the life she both lived and didn't. A life she would never know. There were some other books and a box of things her children made her with notes explaining what each was. After spending time looking at her children's young childhood, she found a box of pensive memories and a letter.
She read the letter with more trepidation than the letter Scorp gave her when the children first arrived. This letter was again to her from her. She read and realized her in the future knew her end was near and they failed in saving themselves. She only knew she needed to save the children and everything would be ok. She had faith in her son. Faith he would deliver what the Hermione of now needed. Faith was all she had at that point.
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Draco found a number of books and a few brooms even now were considered antiques and worth a pretty penny. There was a stuffed dragon he didn't recognize but knew it was important with how well loved it obviously was. He found a second letter written to him by Hermione taped to what appeared to be a large box of pensive memories. He looked to the brunette woman he loved and noticed she seemed to be reading a letter with a similar box sitting on her lap. When she looked up with tears in her eyes, she turned to Scorp with absolute love.
Draco placed his letter and box of memories to the side, it was something he'd look at later. Looking back to the box Scorpius gave him, Draco found one final item. Sitting at the bottom of the box, Draco pulled out a ring box and blinked when he opened it. "Scorp?" The boy shrugged.
"Before you left that last time, you gave me it and told me to make sure I kept that safe. To make sure it survived no matter what and that I always kept it with me. I only put it in the box when I was packing them. I…I think you knew and couldn't tell me. You wanted me to hope you'd come back." Draco pulled Scorp into his arms.
"I'm so bloody proud of you." The ring Draco knew to be his family ring, a duplicate to the one he currently wore, sat safely nestled on the velvet of the ring box.
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