- The Slytherin Boy Dorms, 25th of December 1994 –
Draco adjusted his black velvet dress robes and straightened his collar. Harry and Blaise were waiting impatiently for him in the doorway to their dorm, observing him as he put the finishing touches on his outfit. His gaze lingered on the dark blue rose that he'd picked from the Malfoy gardens that summer, just so he could keep it in stasis for the Ball . There would be no need to colour coordinate this Yule, however…
"Malfoy, stop being so vain!" Blaise teased him as he tapped his finger on an imaginary watch. "We all know that the most popular boys at the ball will be Harry, Krum, and Cedric. There's no need for you to dress up as if we're going to meet the Queen."
The blond scowled, but returned to the mirror, charming his hair to perfection. "I should look decent. I don't want to embarrass my date, now do I?"
Blaise whistled. "Setting your sights on Astoria, are you? I don't know if Daph will like you hitting on her little sister. But hey, go for it if you want to face the Greengrass sisters' wrath once you inevitably fuck up."
"It's not like that," Draco retorted. "Who else should I have asked? All of our friends have dates already, and Tori mentioned she would like to go to the Ball. We're just going as friends. Nothing more."
"You could've asked Mione," Harry chimed in, peering over his glasses at Draco knowingly. "I honestly thought you would ask her. Why didn't you?"
Draco sighed with a tinge of regret. He had been planning on asking her, but Krum had beat him to the punch. As expected, some things were never meant to change. And despite Mione claiming that she was over him, that she did not expect anything more than friendship… He'd seen her lingering gazes when they were studying in the library. Had noticed she would always look to him for support first, rather than Harry.
He had told himself that her going out with Krum was honestly a good thing. Ever since she'd started spending time with the Quidditch star, he'd noticed her glancing at him less often. Perhaps, this would do her well. Maybe, it would help her move on, just as he'd been attempting to do.
"Pansy was more than willing to go with you." Blaise quipped as they left the Dungeons, their footsteps echoing on their way to the grand staircase where they would meet their dates.
He really hadn't wanted to spend the evening with Pansy, again. Somehow, she'd gotten over her initial fear after running into him last year when he was under the twins' spell to look like Hermione. She'd asked him to the ball, but he had declined, and taken Astoria by the arm instead.
The little witch had already agreed to go with him, unbeknownst to Pansy. He was honestly grateful for the easy-going friendship he and Tori had established. After the events at the World Cup, she'd started hanging around him like a lost little puppy almost, asking him for help with her homework. She nagged at him, but also listened to him when he spoke, her presence often comforting, yet overly excited and sometimes even annoying. She was almost like the younger sibling he'd always wished for, but never had, he mused.
Right now, Astoria, her older sister Daphne, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna were getting ready in the Gryffindor girl dorms. Lavender Brown was notoriously skilled when it came to dressing up and was presumably working her magic with hair and makeup charms.
Meanwhile, Draco, Harry, and Blaise joined Cedric who was already waiting for his date. The Slytherins could barely contain their laughter when they noticed Ron Weasley scowling as he descended the stairs in traditional old-fashioned frilly dress robes.
Even though they all attempted to stay serious as the Gryffindor was obviously trying to blend in with the walls, Blaise and Draco snorted loudly and started snickering.
"Guys, don't laugh at Ron," Harry chided them now that he'd become better friends with the Gryffindor. After all, he had been spending more and more of his time at the Tower with Ginny. "Ron looks cool. Right, Ced?"
The Hufflepuff had not wanted to be included in this discussion and hesitated before he answered, clearly feeling awkward.
Before he could come up with a polite answer, Draco burst out laughing. "You're right, Harry. Ron looks as cool as melted ice cream on a summer day."
Blaise started laughing even louder, but Harry, wanting to keep the precious peace between the Gryffindor and his Slytherin friends, took pity on the youngest Weasley son.
"Want me to help you out with that?" the green-eyed teen offered.
Ron nodded, his cheeks stained with red. From embarrassment, or from fury at the other two Slytherins laughing at his expense, Draco did not know.
Harry waved his wand around, transfiguring the robes into a dull brown colour, but at least they looked more modern.
Ron smiled gratefully at Harry, still slightly embarrassed. He sneered at the other two Slytherins, and walked off to join whoever his date to the ball was.
Without warning, Harry suddenly turned as red as a tomato as soon as Ron disappeared into the Great Hall. The Boy Who Lived started stuttering nervously. "You look lovely, Ginny." He finally managed nervously as he took the youngest Weasley's hand.
Ginny, in her pastel green and pink dress, curtsied slightly when accepting Harry's hand. She beamed at him. "Don't worry, boys, your dates will arrive shortly." The Gryffindor smiled at the three that were still waiting.
"Let's wait together with them." She suggested to Harry when he was about to lead her away to the Great Hall. "I'm curious to see all of your faces when you see Mione."
Harry happily obliged, smiling like a complete doofus because he had the witch he liked on his arm. That boy was completely smitten indeed.
Neville and Theo arrived next, escorting Hannah and Susan as they hade made their way upstairs from the kitchens. They joined the group of friends and started chatting about their plans for the remainder of the Yule holidays, as some of them were planning on taking the Hogwarts Express home the next day.
Cedric's smile nearly reached his ears when Daphne and Astoria both appeared atop the stairs. Both were wearing elegant silver dresses that their mother had designed for them for this occasion. The Hufflepuff kissed Daphne tenderly on the cheek, and Draco greeted Astoria by bowing and kissing her knuckles lightly in a traditional gesture.
The witch rolled her eyes at him playfully. "None of that pureblood nonsense, tonight," she said. "Mother would be displeased if she'd have to hear from her friends that I'm betrothed to the Malfoy Heir."
Draco chuckled at her remark.
Daphne whirled around, her sleek blonde hair framing her face, her diamond earrings sparkling. The witch had a scowl on her face, however. The emerald-green clutch bag she was holding held her wand and she quickly put it to use and magically raised her voice.
"Hermione Jean Dagworth-Granger. Get down here!" Her voice echoed throughout the stairways, making some of the other students that were making their way to the Great Hall jump up in surprise. "What are you looking at?" she asked a scared third-year Ravenclaw who ran off.
Mione shyly peered around the corner, twiddling with her tamed curls.
"Come on, Mione!" Ginny encouraged her as well. "Don't leave your handsome date waiting. It's bad manners for a lady to be late!"
Hermione rounded the corner and started descending the staircase. Draco felt himself gasp in surprise, even if he'd seen her like this before. The periwinkle blue dress he'd bought her while shopping with his mother, was the exact same as last time.
Once she reached the group, Harry kissed her on the cheek and told her she looked absolutely stunning.
"Viktor is a lucky man." Draco agreed as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "You look beautiful, Mione. Save me a dance, will you?"
"Of course. I couldn't go the night without dancing with the Slytherin Prince." She winked teasingly. "As long as Tori doesn't mind sharing you for one dance."
Astoria waved her hand dismissively at Hermione. "Please. I'm here for the ball, not for Draco," she joked, earning a stern glare from Daphne.
As if on cue, Viktor showed up with one of his schoolmates who was escorting Lavender Brown to the Yule Ball. "You look beautiful, Her-my-own." The seeker said as he took her hand, ready to lead her to the entrance of the Great Hall. "Ve should go, Harry, Cedric. Fleur vill murder us if ve are late and she has to open the ball on her ovn."
They waited a while longer for Luna to join Blaise and walked in with Neville, Hannah, Theo, and Susan with only a few minutes to spare.
Once the ball was in full swing, Draco found himself sitting at the champion's table, considering three of his best friends were either champions or their respective dates. He absentmindedly swirled his alcohol free wine and fixed his gaze on Hermione who had laughed at something the Bulgarian had said. Was this something he'd changed? Or had the two always been so easy-going around each other? He honestly had no clue. He knew that his wife still wrote letters to Viktor, but they were all filled with friendly banter. Perhaps, this time… Now that she was truly free…
"You're staring," Astoria whispered as she leant closer to him. "Green might be your colour, but jealousy doesn't suit you, Draco. Try to show some restraint."
He bristled at the suggestion. "Jealousy? I was merely lost in thought."
"You often are when it concerns Hermione," she murmured as she was trying to pick out the mushrooms on her plate.
He nearly snorted at her. He'd done exceptionally well at keeping a firm line between his Mione and the one sitting in front of him. Even if the older she became, the more he realised, that they would turn out to be nearly the exact same. The main thing that separated them now was the colour of their ties and the crest pinned onto their Hogwarts robes.
Shortly after dinner, Blaise pulled a camera he'd hidden in one of his pockets out of his dress robes. Harry and Draco had started an impromptu chicken dance next to the Gryffindor Head of House, waiting for her to notice them. Once she finally did, she smacked the boys over the head with a paper menu she'd found and rolled up, much to the boys' amusement. If only they'd know that Blaise was lying in wait to catch them in an embarrassing moment.
"That photograph is going straight on the common room wall when they're all asleep at night," Blaise assured Hermione who raised her glass at him and smirked. "Can I offer any other services, Miss Dagworth-Granger?"
"Why don't you take your witch out for a dance." She suggested. "If you wait any longer, she might sweep you off your feet instead."
Luna beamed at Blaise. "Not to worry. I'm merely excited. I was just thinking that this is the perfect moment for a dance."
Blaise bowed deeply as he offered her his hand, making her giggle. "Why didn't you say so sooner, love?"
"A minute sooner, and we would have missed our shot at setting things in motion." She replied cryptically, catching the others at the table off guard.
"Is Luna alvays so..." Krum struggled to find the right words to describe the Ravenclaw.
"So Luna ?" Hermione offered, making the Bulgarian nod.
Two dances later, Luna whispered something to Blaise and gracefully twirled from his arms into Draco's, just as Astoria stepped away and excused herself since she needed to use the loo. Her long light purple frilly dress almost got caught under another dancing couple's feet, but Luna's whimsical magic had saved them from falling to the floor.
"I like the flowers in your hair," Draco mused as he easily caught Luna and started dancing with her. "Only you would be able to pull off a hairstyle such as this."
"Why thank you, Draco." She smiled. "Even though your compliments are greatly appreciated, they were not the reason why I decided to dance with you tonight. I came to ask if you are worried."
The air shimmered for a second and Luna's magic settled over them like a protective blanket, indicating that their conversation was private. It must be serious if even the blonde was afraid their conversation might be overheard by the wrong ears.
"Worried?" The blond echoed as he led Luna into the waltz that had just begun.
"About whether she'll choose you as her husband in this timeline as well?" Luna inquired, not beating around the bush this time.
Draco nearly laughed at the absurdity of her question. "I've been married to her before, Luna. I don't know if my best friend will appreciate it if she learns the secrets I've kept from her. I've accepted long ago, that this incarnation of her, will never be mine."
"Not with that attitude she won't." Luna admonished him. "I thought you loved her?"
"I do." He was looking at her in confusion. Where exactly was she going with this? "But that doesn't mean I'm in love with Hermione, she- "
"I meant your wife." Luna said sternly. "I thought you loved her? Yet, here you are, holding back. Refusing to give her your heart once again."
A frown etched his face as he twirled Luna around the dance floor. "Mione is not her, Luna."
"Isn't she?" her voice soft yet piercing. "Then why have you been planning and scheming in order to give her a better future? And I'm not just talking about the changes you've made so far, Draco. I know all about the political alliances you've been making. What your true goal is. They're not for you. You've given up your political ambitions a long time ago. They're for her. To make sure she can change the wizarding world after the war."
"She's my friend, I-" he started to protest.
"Don't give me that," Luna frowned at him. "Can you honestly tell me, that you will never fall in love with this Mione?"
"She doesn't know the real me, Luna." He told her angrily. What was the Ravenclaw playing at? She knew that he'd set her free for exactly this reason. His actions should not have any consequence for her.
"And what if she did ?" the blonde raised an eyebrow at him, almost as if she was challenging him. "Would you deny her? If she knew who you were. What you were? What if she accepted you?"
"She has a second chance. She doesn't have to pick me again." He said, his anger deflating and almost turning into sorrow. "I can't make her choose me again."
"You're not making her do anything!" Luna scolded him. "Hermione has made up her own mind about you a long time ago. If only, you'd be honest with her-"
Draco stopped their dance, not noticing how their friends were worriedly staring at the conversation in the middle of the ballroom. Even Severus seemed intrigued by their fiery conversation. Luna and Draco had always had some sort of understanding between them. As if they shared a secret no one else knew about. But now, they were about to start going at it like two kneazles fighting over a ball of yarn.
"I can't be honest with her!" He told her furiously. "Not yet at least. She doesn't know what she'd get herself into. Once she knows the truth about me, she will despise me. I will lose her, Luna. And I can't lose her again, because I-" Realisation hit him like a ton of bricks.
Luna took his hands in hers and winked at Blaise who was on his way to come to his girlfriend's rescue, assuring him that all was well. "Because you love her. In your own, silly sort of way." She finished for him. "Why is that so bad?"
"Because… What if she will feel second best to her when she learns the truth? What if she thinks that I only love her, because of my dead wife? They are so alike it scares me sometimes. What if I don't know if I love her because I see my Mione in her, or because I'll always love Hermione. No matter the timeline, no matter the possibilities?" He asked the seer, desperately looking for an answer as he let go of her hands and dropped his head.
"Start by being honest about your feelings for her. Both to yourself and her. You can go from there." She smiled airily and touched his cheek, looking into his eyes with a sense of wonder. "If you could see what I see, you would see how wonderful the future could be if you'd tell her everything ."
Draco took a step back and shook his head, nearing the edge of their privacy bubble. "She'll hate me for what I've done."
"Draco? Are you alright?" Hermione's voiced, laced with concern, pulled him from his inner thoughts.
He turned to see her and Krum as they stopped dancing right next to him and Luna.
Blaise had also arrived and kissed Luna on the cheek. Merlin, he'd probably made a scene if even the African-Italian wizard had been seemingly worried.
"Fucking teenage hormones ." He cursed angrily at Deandra as he stormed off, leaving his friends behind as his frustration boiled over. He couldn't deal with this. Not now. He had to stay calm and collected. He'd so carefully hidden anything he might feel for this Hermione. Locked it away behind his occlumency, hidden behind in one of the rooms he'd carefully constructed in his mind palace. But Luna had to go and drag it all out. On the night Hermione was attending the Yule Ball with Krum nonetheless. Fuck. Why was this so difficult?
On his way out of the Great Hall, he almost collided with Astoria. She was about to tell him off, until she noticed the look on his face.
"Took you long enough." She quipped. "Finally realised that you're in love with Mione, did you?"
"Not you too, Tori." He sighed at her, his voice filled with emotion. "Will you be alright if I leave the ball a bit sooner? I don't think I should be around people tonight."
The tiny witch smiled up at him sadly and nodded. "Harry and Daphne will take care of me. Thank you for asking me to come to the Ball tonight. You take care of yourself." She patted him on the shoulder in support and Draco walked out of the Great Hall, unsure what to do with himself.
He wandered the Hogwarts corridors aimlessly and he suddenly found himself at the door of a familiar classroom.
Draco had been here before. Followed her when she had needed to escape her inner turmoil at the Yule Ball. He was apprehensive to open the door, but he couldn't resist. What was he expecting to find inside anyway? For her to come to him this time?
He closed the door carefully with a quiet click, not wanting to disturb the peace he unconsciously associated with this particular room. With a deep resigned sigh, he walked over to the window and sat down next to it, lost in thought. Just like she'd been.
"What would you want me to do?" He whispered to the quiet room, his gaze fixed on the night sky as he absentmindedly touched the time-turner he diligently wore around his neck every single day.
He couldn't help but smirk briefly as he saw his godfather catch a pair of Hufflepuffs kissing in the gardens. At least Severus was having a blast, destroying teenage dreams and love before it could truly blossom.
"This is the first memory that will never come to pass." He mused regretfully. "I can't help to think what you would have done if it had been you instead of me. If you would have told me the truth…"
Unconsciously, his eyes drifted to the constellation he was named after. "I miss you." He choked out. "Dear Merlin, I miss you. I wish I could've protected you. I wish I could protect you better now. I wish I knew what to do ."
Deandra materialised next to him, feeling his sorrow. She held him gently in her arms as he let the silent tears fall. He'd finally started to accept that there was nothing more he could've done to save her that night the snatchers had brought them to the Manor. That this was what she'd wanted him to do if she ever ended up dying. But had he truly made the right decisions?
"It's alright, little dragon." The spirit said, putting her head on top of his, stroking his hair. Just like his mother had done when he was a little boy. "You've been so brave, sweetheart. You've done so well. I'm so proud of you. She would be too."
Draco looked up into Deandra's silvery eyes as she wiped his tears away and kissed him on the forehead. At least he wasn't completely alone in this. The best thing that had come out of this journey had been Deandra. She would never leave him, that much was certain.
The spirit nodded at him in agreement, feeling what he felt, before she suddenly frowned, seemingly alert.
He could feel it too. Her familiar magic was approaching them.
Deandra touched his cheek one last time and vanished in a mist of silvery magical glitter.
The door to the classroom burst open with a loud crash not a second later.
Hermione winced at the noise she'd made, but quickly closed the door and looked at him intently. Her periwinkle blue dress was slightly crinkled from running in it.
"Draco," she breathed heavily as she approached him, reaching out with both her body and her magic to comfort him. "What's wrong? What happened? I could feel your despair all the way to the Great Hall."
She sat next to him, worry evident on her face as she grabbed his hand, looking at his still tear-streaked face. She started studying him all over, making sure not a hair was out of place, trying to determine what had caused him so much pain.
"Why were you and Luna arguing?" She wondered. "I've never seen the two of you at odds before. Has she seen something upsetting? Is everything alright with your mother?" She got a tissue from one of the magical pockets in her dress and handed it to him.
How could he not love her, when she so obviously cared for him?
"Mione, you should head back to the ball." He told her. "Viktor is probably wondering where you are. I'm just being an ass, alright? Everything's fine with my mother. Luna just… Made me realise some things."
"Viktor knows that my best friend needs me right now. So don't tell me what to do and not to do," she scolded him. "I'm here for you. What did Luna say that made you so shaken?"
Not wanting to divulge the full truth, even if Luna had advised him to be honest with her, he instead told her a regret that had been on his mind all evening long. "I wish I had been the one to ask you to the Yule Ball," he confused.
Draco could see the shock on her face. He wished he could tell her everything he'd done because of her. Everything he'd done for her. Wished he could explain how she'd changed him to be better. How he'd matured and grown to be more nuanced because of her. But he couldn't do any of those things. She'd think he was insane. Tell him no one should mess with time. Hate him for taking Ron and the rest of his family away from her, even if they had recently started a tentative friendship.
"Then why didn't you ask me?" She whispered eventually.
"You'd already said yes to Viktor. I didn't think it appropriate to ask you after you already said yes to him." He answered earnestly.
"I would've gone to the ball with you," Hermione admitted as she took her hand in his. "Even after Viktor asked me. You are my best friend, if you needed someone to go with you then I-"
"I didn't need just anyone. I wanted you to go with me." He stressed to her. "But perhaps it's better that you went with Viktor. I'm no good for you, Mione."
She angrily took her hand back from his grasp, the frustration evident on her face. "Can you stop saying that?" She scolded him. "Why do you get to decide what's best for me? I can make my own decisions."
"I know you can," he answered truthfully, trying to soothe her anger. "I just want to protect you from-"
"As I've told you before, I don't need your protection!" She hissed, standing abruptly and smoothing out her dress as she glared daggers at him. "You might think that I haven't noticed, but I know that you've been keeping secrets from me for ages. If you'd truly wanted to protect me, you would tell me the truth ."
He reached out for her hand, his expression sorrowful. "I can't tell you everything now, Mione. It might be dangerous-"
"I've heard that you want to protect me and that you want me to be safe but I have yet to hear that you do not love me." She stated, her chin raised defiantly. "And I know that you would rewrite the stars for me if you could. But you can't protect me forever and you need to accept that."
Draco paused, struck by her mention of stars. He and his wife had made a promise one time. A reminder they would share forever, to know that what they had was real . How often had this incarnation of Mione referred to the stars and constellations in his presence?
"Why is it you always refer to the stars when you talk about me?" He asked her, his mind going a hundred miles an hour.
"Your name is a constellation. It's not that strange for me to associate you with it," she replied, her tone slightly softer now.
As he began to release her hand, he suddenly felt a flicker of an emotion he hadn't often connected to Hermione.
"I'm not the only one keeping secrets, it seems." He observed, looking at her questioningly.
"I have no clue what you're talking about." She retorted, her posture stiffening. "And even if I did have my secrets, what's it to you? You're not willing to share yours, so why should I share mine?"
"Typical Hermione," He muttered as he rolled his eyes. "Demanding my honesty, but you can keep whatever secrets you want!"
"You foul, loathsome, evil, little cockroach!" Her anger burned through her as she saw him wince slightly in shock. "You dare to say that to my face?" She argued back at him, raising her arms in frustration. "You were the one who kept the most important thing from me! Something that concerned me and my life . And you've known about it since the day we met!"
"What are you talking about?" His words choked out as he asked her. "What have I ever hidden from you-"
"That you were my husband !" She screamed at him at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing with hurt. "That you hid it, and divorced me because you didn't want me!"
He staggered back at her words. "How did you-?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she shot back at him. "I'm not doing this with you anymore. I'm not doing this dance that we've been doing. You made a decision that impacted my life, without ever consulting me. Do you know how much of an insult that was? To have to discover it on that bloody tapestry in the study at Malfoy Manor of all places? You couldn't have manned up and told me yourself? Did you truly not want me?" She hiccuped, trying to calm herself but it was all out in the open now. "Only for Ragnok to confirm to me he hid our bond on my heritage test at your request. You've been making decisions to protect me all this time, but you've never asked me what I wanted!" Hermione's fists were clenched at her sides, and she was breathing heavily. Her curls had come undone, and her anger and magic had made her hair slightly more frizzy.
She was right. He hadn't consulted her. He had only wanted to protect her, because he'd failed the last time. But she had a right to know…
"What did you want?" he asked quietly, his voice barely a whisper.
"I wanted you!" she cried in frustration, tears clinging to her lashes. "But you never see me when you look at me. It's almost like you've never really seen me. "
Draco just stared at her for a few moments, the silence pressing in around them before he stood, crossing to stand in front of her.
"I see you. I've always seen you, Hermione." Draco whispered as he put his hand on her cheek lovingly.
Hermione leant into his touch and sighed deeply. Hope taking root in her heart that she squashed down. He would always have his secrets.
"I'm sorry I lied to you. But I can't tell you the truth, Mione. Not now. When I told you that you don't know what I'm capable of, I was telling the truth that day." He sounded dejected, hopeless. "I wouldn't want you to pick me, unless you knew the monster I truly am." That was what he thought of himself and nothing she said would change that.
Her deep brown eyes searched his, and she soon realised he spoke the truth now.
"I already told you. You could never be a monster to me. But I can't do this if you can't be honest with me either."
Leaning up towards him, she planted a chaste, sweet kiss on his lips. Almost as if it was a soft, desperate plea.
She looked at him sadly when she backed away from him, making his heart hurt for her.
When she opened the door and was ready to rejoin their friends at the ball she whispered. "Don't make me wait forever. That would be unfair to both me and you." The door swung closed behind her, clicking shut with a finality that hit Draco deeply.
He stared at the door, silently begging for another chance, for her to come back so they could talk. It seemed Luna was right, she always was. He should have been honest with her. Turning, Draco walked back to the window and slumped against it, the night catching up with him as he rested his head in his hands. How had he fucked up this badly?