December 31, 2000

The spinning around them came to a stop and Draco took the Time-Turner off Hermione, tucking it into his shirt. He inhaled deeply before hearing voices in the distance. His eyes opened wide as realization struck him.

"Shite!" He hissed, remembering what had been going on that very night at his house.

"What?" Hermione asked, concerned, looking around for any possible signs that something had gone wrong.

"You don't remember?" He asked, giving her a pointed expression.

She thought for a moment before the memory came back to her as well and her eyes widened with even more concern.

"Tonight is the night that you and Astoria threw a New Year's Eve bash! You two invited everyone!" She said, "Including Harry, Ron, Neville, Ginny…and Me! It's the night Gin and Blaise start chatting. Oh shite!"

He nodded, "Yeah." He said, "What are we going to do? What if we mess up something for Blaise and Ginny?" His worried expression matched her own.

She sighed and shook her head, "I don't know. Let's wait a bit. A bit later in the evening, they went outside and chatted by the back garden fireplace. Perhaps, if we wait until then, we can sneak around the front and speak to Astoria without disturbing them at all. Hopefully that will mean that nothing will change for them."

He nodded and pulled her close to keep warm as they watched the activity around the house.

As they watched, he thought over what they were doing and to his surprise, Hermione spoke up.

"I know that it feels dreadful, Love." She said, not even looking at him, but somehow knowing what he felt. "But…"

"But it's Lyra…" He said quietly. "It's our little girl."

She sniffed and nodded.

He pulled her closer and they continued to watch. It took an hour or so before they spotted the future Zabinis step out back and sit close together by the fire.

"Okay, let's go." Draco whispered in his disguise's low and gruff voice.

Hermione nodded and followed closely behind.

They arrived at the front door and stepped inside before Astoria stepped in front of them in a red ballgown.

"Why are you back?" She hissed, immediately recognizing their disguises. "Did something go wrong?" her voice full of concern.

"We need to talk…in private." Draco said with a pointed expression.

She looked around before nodding and indicated for them to follow her. They followed her down the side steps, to the lower kitchen. She stepped into the food storage room and turned to face them.

"What is it?" She asked, concern in her tone. "What happened?"

Draco sighed and began to explain, "You took the potion too early. You are planning to take it tomorrow, correct?" He asked.

She nodded, "Yes." She sighed, "That's too early?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Okay, listen, you must wait until Valentine's Day, at least."

"Why? What happened, Draco?"

He looked down, wondering how to tell her that she had lived, and it had been a mistake. Then he remembered the letter and pulled it out, passing it to her.

She furrowed her brow and slightly squinted her eyes in the shadows of the space as she read.

Tori,

This letter is from your future self. I understand how odd that seems, but I'm certain that you recognize the handwriting. I took the potion on January 1, 2001. This caused both myself and my son to live healthy lives and while that may seem like a triumph; sadly, it is not.

See, Draco loves Hermione Granger and believe me, I know that's peculiar but it's true. He's truly happy with her and they have a little girl named Lyra. If I live then Draco never marries Hermione, Lyra never exists and Tori, we can't do that to Draco.

I know that you understand. Spend however much time we have with Scorpius (that's my son) and treasure every moment of it, but please don't take away the joy of Lyra's existence.

Take the potion on Valentine's Day. By then, it will be safe.

Sincerely,

Tori

Astoria refolded the letter, slipping it back into its envelope before she looked over at the disguised Draco, "Can you both remove your disguises please? No one will come looking for me down here."

Draco looked at Hermione, who nodded, and they both did as they were asked.

Astoria sighed and nodded, "Did it start with an affair?"

"No. Not at all." Draco said at once.

Hermione stepped forward, "Astoria, he and I didn't begin dating until two years after you…" She stopped and looked down. "It wasn't an affair."

Astoria nodded and swallowed, "And you…you love my son as well?"

Hermione smiled at the mention of Scorpius before nodding, "I do. I truly do."

"Okay." The blonde said in a shaky voice, "I'll erm…I'll wait until Valentine's Day. I only ask one thing."

Hermione nodded, "What's that?"

"Please take care of our boys." Astoria said, looking pleadingly into Hermione's eyes.

"I will." Hermione said with tears in her eyes. "I swear"

Astoria walked over and pulled Draco into a hug, "Everything should be just fine when you return to your time." She said as they separated.

He smiled and thanked her.

"Okay, you two need to get going." She sniffed, wiping a tear away.

Draco nodded before he and Hermione replaced their disguises and headed up the side stairs. As they trudged back through the snow, he looked back once more and saw Astoria returning to the bash, knowing that he'd never see her again. He swallowed, holding back his emotions and grabbed his wife's hand.

They arrived back in the alcove of the trees and looked at one another.

"I'm so sorry, Love." Hermione said quietly.

"Why?" he asked, though his voice was thick with emotion.

"Because you're losing her all over again." She said.

He licked his lips and swallowed, "As long as I don't lose you or our children, I'll be okay." He said, "She's sacrificing herself for my happiness though and that's why I'm struggling with this."

She nodded, "I know." Hermione said, looking back toward the house.

Draco sighed, "Darling, I love you and I don't regret this decision. It's just an amazing thing for her to do and I am so grateful for it."

The witch nodded, "I know, Love. Let's go home…to our family." Hermione said quietly.

He nodded with a smile and pulled out the Time-Turner, hanging it around both their necks before adjusting the numbers. He looked at her once more before pulling the pin.