Draco in the Loop

Draco made his way through the grand entrance of Malfoy Manor, taking in the familiar sights and sounds of his childhood home. He couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia wash over him as he strode down the hallway, heading towards the parlor.

As he approached, he could hear his mother humming a tune to herself. Draco couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. His mother wasn't known for her cheery disposition, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd heard her humming.

"Draco, darling!" Narcissa exclaimed as she saw her son enter the room. "How lovely to see you."

Draco couldn't help but notice the extra spring in her step, the rosy glow on her cheeks, and the sparkle in her eyes. "Mother, you seem to be in an exceptionally good mood today."

"Yes, I am," she replied, grinning mischievously. "I had a wonderful evening last night."

Draco raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her sudden change in demeanor. "Oh? Do tell."

Narcissa took a sip of her wine before continuing, "I went out on a date with Hermione Granger."

Draco's jaw dropped in shock. "Hermione? Granger? As in, the Gryffindor Golden Girl? You went on a date with her?"

"The very same," Narcissa confirmed, a twinkle in her eye.

Draco was at a loss for words. He couldn't believe his mother had gone on a date with one of his closest friends, let alone the last one he would expect, Hermione. "But… How did that come about?"

Narcissa shrugged. "Well, you know we've been working together investigating what happened to Bellatrix. And when I saw that abominable Rita Skeeter article in the Daily Prophet yesterday morning, the one reporting Ron Weasley's many falsehoods about Hermione and their previous relationship. He lied and said that Hermione cheated on him with me, so I figured why not rattle his cage more and asked her out on a date."

Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mother, going on a date with Hermione Granger? The very idea was absurd. And yet… the more he thought about it, the more he realized how well the two women fit together. They were both strong, intelligent, and beautiful in their own ways. And if his mother was happy, who was he to judge?

"I… I don't know what to say," Draco finally admitted.

Narcissa smiled reassuringly. "I know it's a lot to take in, but I'm happy, Draco. Happier than I've been in a long time."

Narcissa leaned forward, a wistful smile on her face as she recounted the events of the previous evening. "Despite Ron's interruptions and aggressive behavior, the evening was more than I could ever dream of, Draco. I discovered that Hermione and I are soulmates."

Draco's hackles went up at the mention of Ron's behavior. He remembered all too well the possessive and borderline abusive way Ron had treated Hermione when they were together. "What did Ron do?" he asked, trying to keep his tone even.

Narcissa waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, he just showed up at the restaurant and started spewing insults and threats. But everything ended alright. He turned tail and ran once the Aurors showed up."

Draco couldn't help but feel relieved that his mother and Hermione were safe. But the mention of soulmates finally registered in his mind. "Wait, what do you mean soulmates? How did you find out?"

Narcissa's smile turned almost dreamy as she explained. "Do you remember those books we found when going through the Black Library last year about Patronuses and Soulbonds?"

Draco racked his brain, trying to remember. "Something about matching Patronuses indicating soulmates?"

Narcissa nodded eagerly. "Exactly! And Hermione and I have identical Patronuses. I saw hers when she summoned it in order to message Harry for aid, during Ron's tirade. It looked exactly the same."

Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mother and Hermione were soulmates?

"I'm happy for you, Mother," Draco said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Truly happy."

Narcissa beamed at him. "Thank you, Dragon."

Draco shifted in his seat, trying to come up with a new topic of conversation. His mother seemed lost in thought, and he didn't want to disrupt her happiness, but he couldn't just sit there in silence.

"So, Mother," he began tentatively. "How is the investigation into Aunt Bellatrix's past going?"

Narcissa's expression turned serious as she replied, "Hermione and I have made definite headway. And what we've discovered so far has been shocking."

Draco's curiosity was piqued. "Shocking? How so?"

Narcissa hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I think it would be better if we continued this conversation at Hermione's."

Draco nodded. "Of course."

Narcissa gave Draco an inquiring look. "Have you been told the location? It's under the Fidelius Charm."

Draco nodded, Harry had come by the other day and told him the secret. "Yes, I know where it is."

"Excellent," Narcissa said, rising from her chair. "Let's go then."

They made their way to the fireplace and Narcissa tossed in a handful of Floo powder. "Grá na leabhar," she stated clearly before stepping into the flames.

Draco followed suit, taking a deep breath before saying the same thing and being whisked away by the green flames.

###

Draco arrived at Hermione's apartment to see his mother and Hermione gazing at each other. They were locked in a moment so intimate that Draco felt like an intruder just by being there. Clearing his throat, he interrupted the moment, "Well, well, well. Just because she's your soulmate, Hermione, doesn't mean I'm going to start calling you mum."

Hermione's reaction was a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance, glaring at her friend. "Draco, please," she said, rolling her eyes.

Narcissa stepped in, explaining why she had brought Draco with her. "We were discussing the investigation into Bellatrix's past, and I thought it would be best to bring Draco into the loop."

"I was going to suggest we start making others aware of what we found." Hermione interjected, gesturing for them to follow her.

Draco couldn't help but take note of the impressive apartment, marveling at the size and elegance of the space. The library was particularly impressive, floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with books of all shapes and sizes, and Draco couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the sheer number of tomes. "This place is incredible," he commented.

Hermione smiled at the compliment before stopping in front of a bookshelf. "And there's more to come. Watch this." She reached out and pulled on a book, and the bookshelf swung aside revealing a mural-covered wall. With a flick of her wand, the wall disappeared and in its place a secret passageway.

"Wow," Draco breathed, overcome with curiosity. "Where does this lead?"

"To my lab," Hermione said simply before disappearing through the passageway.

Draco followed his mother and Hermione down the narrow passageway, blown away at the fact that his friend had a secret laboratory hidden away in her apartment.

Draco was shocked to see Hermione's lab setup. It was nothing like he had imagined, with bubbling cauldrons and stacks of dusty books. Instead, he saw a sleek, modern space filled with comfortable seating, organized shelves of books composed of both magical and muggle works, and technological inventions he couldn't begin to fathom the use of. He was particularly intrigued by the console in the corner, with a large screen above it.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to the console.

Before Hermione could answer, Narcissa spoke up. "It's the Way Back Machine."

Draco's expression turned confused. "The Way Back Machine?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Narcissa's dramatics before explaining. "It's a device I accidentally created while developing an enhanced Pensieve. It uses memories to travel back in time to the moment they occurred."

Draco's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? You can travel back in time with memories?"

Narcissa nodded in agreement. "We've been able to make some discoveries about Bellatrix using the machine."

Draco was in awe. He knew time travel had been possible in the past with Time-Turners, of course, but he had never imagined it could be possible with memories. "What have you found?" he asked eagerly.

Hermione paused, giving Draco a significant look. "Before we continue, Draco, what do you remember about Bellatrix?"

Draco thought for a moment before responding. "I remember hearing about how my Aunt joined the Aurors after Hogwarts in order to fight the Dark Arts. But later, she became corrupt and secretly began working with Voldemort. All of it came to light after she was arrested for torturing the Longbottoms."

Hermione nodded, but Draco noticed a look pass between her and his mother. He couldn't help but feel suspicious.

"What is it?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

Hermione took a deep breath before explaining. "Using the Way-Back Machine, we were able to prevent Rodolphus Lestrange dousing Bellatrix with Amortentia, until that moment we believed he would become Bellatrix's husband and they would go on to become two important members of Voldemort's inner circle. But in doing so, we discovered that neither that timeline nor this current timeline isn't the original timeline."

Draco's confusion deepened. "What do you mean?"

Narcissa chimed in, her voice serious. "We've discovered that both the timeline we perceive as the current one and the previous one where Bellatrix was married to Rodolphus Lestrange are not the true timeline. Someone has gone into the past and manipulated Bellatrix's actions."

Draco's mind was spinning with the implications of what they were saying. "Manipulated her actions? To what end?"

Hermione sighed. "That's what we're trying to figure out. Based on Narcissa's discovery at the moment of Bellatrix's death at the Battle of Hogwarts, we believe there was a dark force compelling her actions. But my research hasn't turned up anything yet."

Draco thought for a moment before speaking up. "What about the Imperius curse? Could that have been used?"

Narcissa shook her head, "No. I would've recognised the signs and I didn't detect any evidence of that with Bellatrix. It was something else."

Draco nodded, feeling his mind racing with ideas. "I have an idea of where I can go to get more information. I'll leave immediately to begin investigating. I'll contact you as soon as I find anything out."

Narcissa and Hermione both looked at him curiously. "Where?" Hermione asked.

Draco gave them a small smile. "I can't say yet, but I'll be in touch soon."

Without another word, Draco left Hermione's apartment and headed to the Ministry of Magic. He couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in his gut. If someone had been manipulating Bellatrix's actions and changing the timeline, then who knows who else could have been manipulated and what all has changed. He had to find out, for his own sake as well as his family's.

###

Draco stood outside of his boss Saul Croaker's office. Saul was one of the most knowledgeable wizards in the world when it came to the mysteries of magic. If anyone could help, it was Saul.

Draco knocked on the door, and a few moments later, Saul answered. "Draco, what brings you here?"

Draco wasted no time getting to the point. "Is there anything created by the Department of Mysteries that could be used to control people?"

Saul raised an eyebrow but didn't question Draco's request. "There is one artifact, but it's locked away in secure storage as it is heavily imbued with dark magic. Why do you ask?"

Draco took a deep breath before answering. "Information just came to me from an outside source that there has been a change to the timeline caused by a time traveler manipulating the actions of certain important figures involved in the past two Wizarding Wars."

Saul's eyes widened in shock. "A time traveler? That's highly unusual. Wait a moment…" he muttered to himself before turning back to Draco. "I really wished Ms. Granger would've come to work for us with her ability to uncover mysteries."

Draco's eyes widened in surprise. "You know where the information came from?"

Saul nodded. "Hermione Granger has been a valuable consultant to the Department of Mysteries over the past couple of years. But that's beside the point. We should go see if the artifact is still in the Ministry."

Together, they made their way to the secure storage vault deep within the Department of Mysteries. As they entered, Draco could feel a sense of apprehension building within him. The room was filled with all manner of dangerous and dark artifacts, each one capable of causing unspeakable harm in the wrong hands.

As Saul led him to the corner of the room, Draco could see the item Saul was headed for under a magic dome, it was a gold ring with ancient runic etchings along the band. Draco felt relieved that the item was still there under the control of the Ministry, at least until Saul said, "The Dominion Ring. It is still here, at least at the current moment in time…"