! This chapter is written from Hermione's perspective !

- The Granger's home, 31st of August 1994 –

"How are you feeling, Mione?" Daphne asked as she plopped down onto her best friend's bed, watching as she packed the last of her books.

The two Slytherins had hung out with Ginny and Luna all day. They'd gone swimming in the local pool, spent time giggling over teenage boys in the park, and went for ice-cream after. Right now, they were waiting for their respective parents to come and pick them up. None of the wizards and witches wanted them to be on their own for too long after what had happened at the Wizarding Cup. Luckily, the muggle world was still fairly safe. At least for now.

"I'm alright. What about you and Astoria?" The brunette answered, standing on her tiptoes to reach a book that was on top of her already full bookcase.

Luna was twirling in circles in Hermione's desk chair, making Ginny giggle.

"Tori and I are fine." Daphne replied, watching Luna turn around, nearly making herself dizzy. "What about Draco? How's he been doing?"

"I'm not too sure," Hermione sighed as she finally grabbed onto the novel and hugged it closer to her chest. "I haven't heard much from him since the World Cup. He wrote to me once in our diaries, but-"

"Hermione! Molly is here!" Her mum suddenly shouted from downstairs, her voice travelling up the hallway. "And Daphne's mum just sent a message through the floo!"

"Well, I had fun today ladies," Daphne exclaimed as she got up and put her hands on her hips, flipping her long blonde hair back. "We'll see each other on the Hogwarts Express tomorrow?"

All three others nodded at her. "Let's go Gin. We don't want your mum waiting."

The redhead laughed. "We certainly don't. If we take any longer, Mum will organise a search party. I wouldn't be surprised if she'd send out owls with my picture all around Britain."

All the girls laughed and waved at each other before they disappeared downstairs.

"I couldn't help but notice that your eyes don't sparkle like a unicorn's horn in the moonlight anymore whenever Draco enters the room." Luna observed as Hermione was trying to lock her trunk.

Seems like she, once again, had packed too much. She'd promised Amelia not to use her wand for anything but defence… Hermione decided to just sit on her trunk and try and close it that way instead.

"Well." Hermione grunted as she put her whole weight down, finally being able to lock the darned thing. "What use is there to wait for him? I'm almost fifteen, Luna. Not fifty. I'm not planning on turning into a crazy cat lady any time soon, pining over a boy that doesn't want me. Besides, the more I think about it, the more I've come to realise that Draco… He loves the idea of me. Not me ."

Lune smiled at her. "What an interesting thought," she mused. "What made you come to that conclusion?"

Hermione scowled at her now. "Luna, let's not pretend that you don't know what's going on. You even helped me do research on time-turners last year. You weren't the slightest bit surprised that I asked you for help!"

"The only thing that would surprise me is if you suddenly told me you believed in Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, Hermione," the blonde joked. "So, you believe he will only ever love Gryffindor you?"

"Is that what we're calling my lost future self now?" Hermione inquired, letting herself fall on her bed. She blew at her curls which were covering her face, clearly annoyed at her wild hair.

"You know, you're not that different." Luna smiled, seemingly comparing the Hermiones she'd met in two of all of the potential possibilities she could have lived in. "You are both extremely curious. Intellectual. Supportive of your friends. Determined. Stubborn . Draco's noticed too. I think that's especially why he's been keeping his distance from you."

Hermione turned to look at Luna. "How does that make sense?"

"I didn't say it made sense , Mione. I just told you his reasoning. How would you feel if a first-year version of Draco suddenly popped up? Would you be in love with an eleven-year-old boy?" Luna lovingly scolded her, twirling her long hair around her finger as she tilted her head, waiting for Hermione to think through what she'd just said.

Hermione made a face. She was nearly fifteen. She couldn't imagine going to Hogwarts and being in a relationship with any first-year that walked through the dorms of the school. Not even if it was an incarnation of the boy she was in love with.

"Good, there's less Wrackspurts hanging around you now. I see that what I've told you has at least settled in the back of your mind." Luna sighed happily.

"He's twenty now?" Hermione wondered out loud. "In his mind, I mean?"

"He is." the Ravenclaw confirmed. She got up from the chair and laid herself down next to Hermione, taking her hand. "Want to know a secret?" She whispered.

Hermione nodded as the blonde waved her hand and summoned hundreds of small lights that reenacted the story she was about to tell.

"There was a possible future out there, where it would have been you who went back to first year. All it took was one simple decision. Just one spell that you didn't decide to cast. In that other possibility, Draco opposed his Aunt the night you were supposed to die. You lived. He died. And I can't tell you how happy I am that reality did not come to pass, Mione." Luna whispered sadly.

"Why not?" she argued. "If I would have gone back, we still would have been the silver trio, we still-"

Luna laughed. "You've only ever known this Draco. He's seen the war and the despair and chaos it brings. He learnt to see through all that blood status nonsense. He came to love and care for you, even more so now that he's had a chance to grow up with you. Your friendship is stronger than it was previously. If you'd been the one to go back, you'd quickly realise that the Draco you now know is nothing like his eleven-year-old self. That boy was nothing more than a loathsome little bigot. Spouting blood purity nonsense, just like your husband had warned you he would. All you would be able to do, would be to mourn him as you tried to make sure that his incarnation wouldn't grow up with the same twisted views as he did. All you would be able to give that boy, would be your friendship. Not your love. Not until much, much later. Not until a freak accident at the Ministry restored his original memories to him. He would've been miserable. You would've been miserable. For decades ."

"So, you're saying that Draco won't fall in love with me until I get my memories back?" Hermione asked quietly. "Until she comes back?"

Luna shook her head. "I didn't say that. All I'm saying is that, if you would walk a mile in his shoes, you'd realise how difficult it would be to fall in love with a younger, different version of yourself. How difficult it must have been for him to lose his wife only to see her twelve-year-old self happily shopping for books in a bookstore just two months later. He's always been very careful about keeping the two of you separate. He doesn't want you to become her . He doesn't want you to end up dying, like her ."

"So, I should just give up then? Until the war is over?" Hermione asked.

"We both know that giving up does not exist in Hermione Granger's dictionary." Luna smiled, squeezing her hand in support. "Just, don't wait around for him. You didn't wait around for him in the first timeline either. Go out and have some fun, Mione. Just like your other self told you to do. I do see a very sweet professional quidditch player in your future." She winked.

Hermione laughed. "So that wasn't a joke?"

Luna shook her head.

"So… What do I do now? I'm so confused, Luna. I wish I could just talk to him, but he's been hiding so much from him. Has kept so many secrets. He broke the bond without a second thought. Perhaps, it's best to-" Hermione sighed, unsure what to do. If only the answer to her conundrum could be found in a book.

Luna went quiet, playing over the possibilities in her mind. All the lights she'd summoned fell down from the ceiling slowly, until only one remained. "When the school year is over, I want you to be honest with yourself and with him." She whispered. "In the meantime, do what you've always done. Be carefree around him. Be his best friend. Be Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of our age."

"Would be great if the brightest witch of our age could skip through all of her teenage love troubles." The brunette joked, feeling both more understanding and lighter after having talked with Luna.

"We're teenagers, Mione. There's no way we're going to get through puberty without boy troubles. Isn't that what your romance and young adult novels have been telling you?" The blonde smiled as she waved her hand and conjured a book out of thin air, smacking it onto Hermione's tummy, making the Slytherin gasp for breath. "Here, you'll need to pack this."

Before Hermione could ask why she needed to take an English-Bulgarian dictionary with her, Luna jumped off the bed and sighed happily.

"Now, Daddy will pop up in just a second, so I'd better get going. It's always a pleasure talking to you, Hermione. No matter which one of you I'm talking to." True to her predictions, Luna's father's voice boomed through the hallway not a second later. The blonde happily skipped downstairs.

Hermione put her arm over her forehead and sighed deeply. Five years was not that big of a difference. Her parents had seven years between them. But they'd met as adults. They'd been on equal footing. As long as Draco didn't know that she knew he was older than her, or as long as she was not an adult like him, he would probably never consider her anything but his friend. Relationships never ended well if they started with secrets anyway.

"Now… To get this bloody book in my trunk," she sighed as she got up from her bed, trying to figure out how she could possibly fit any more in it.

The eagle owl that tapped on her window just a second later with a small package and a letter attached to it nearly made her jump.

"Ulysses." She greeted him as she opened her window and gave him some owl snacks. "Did Draco send me something?"

The bird put out his paw for her, and she carefully took the letter and the wrapped package.

Mione, Luna told me I should give you your birthday present on the 31 st of August this year, instead of your actual birthday. She probably already saw what I was going to get you and figured we should stop hoarding your books in our dorm. Don't unwrap it yet. Just put the package on your bed and tap it once with your wand. There's a smaller gift inside when you open it. I'm not going to spoil what it is for yet, but I'm sure you will like it. Love, Draco

Curious as to what he'd gotten her, Hermione tapped the package as he instructed. A new dark brown trunk with a golden lock appeared in front of her.

"An extendable trunk!" she announced happily, looking over at Ulysses who was definitely not impressed.

She inspected the insides of the trunk, it being nearly as big as her bedroom, and eventually found a closet at the back. Inside was the most beautiful periwinkle blue dress. How had he known that she'd been planning to get this for the Yule Ball at Malfoy Manor this year? Unless… He'd seen her wear it before.

Hermione scribbled a note back to her best friend.

Draco, Thank you for your thoughtful gift. Luna was correct. I was in desperate need of an extendable trunk . The dress is lovely. It was exactly what I was planning on wearing for the Yule Ball at the Manor this year. Sometimes, I swear you can see the future just like Luna. Love, Mione

She smirked at that last sentence. There. He could make of that what he wanted.

What she didn't know, however, was that there would be no Yule Ball at the Manor this year. And that for the first time in four years, she wouldn't be spending it with Draco either.