- Slytherin boy dorms, 7th of November 1995 –

"Draco."

The young wizard stirred in his sleep, attempting to ignore the voice dragging him out of his peaceful slumber. He'd had this dream before, ever since he'd first laid eyes on the scene in the Mirror of Erised. He, and Mione, sipping on a glass of wine in her parents' garden. Back then, the small head of pale blond curls had seemed so vague and distant, but now… Now he knew it was their son. A future he'd longed for. But like all dreams, this one too came to an end abruptly. At least this time, it was not because his own father had come to haunt his dreams, murdering his family. Murdering the people he loved.

"Draco. Wake up, little dragon," the voice murmured softly.

The blond blinked at the silver hue standing next to his bed, her fingers running softly through his hair like his mother had so often done when he was a child. He was glad to see Deandra again now that she mostly stayed in her corporeal form at the Manor. It was rare for her to visit him, even if her thoughts never strayed too far from his own.

"Is everything alright? Is Mother-"

Her hand moved from his hair to his shoulder, squeezing it lightly as she smiled reassuringly at him, her long silver hair falling down over her left shoulder. Her magic had always been soothing to him, but now it felt dull. Like anyone else's magic. He loathed how he had become so immune to magic after he jumped in front of that spell. Even after nearly six months had passed, he still did not feel the same. Not even Mione could enter his thoughts without pouring in more effort than usual, even if some of that might have been connected to the bond between them being broken.

"There is no need for you to worry, Draco. Everything is alright with Narcissa. I'm here for you. Come," she said, barely loud enough to be a whisper. "We should return before your friends wake."

"What about Harry, and Mione, should they-" Draco glanced at his best friend asleep in his bed, his arm slung over the side and his raven hair sticking out at odd angles just like when he was awake. Hermione had often told him about the nightmares the boy seemed to have in the first timeline, but so far, they seemed to be at bay.

The spirit shook her head. "Not now, little dragon. This is something we must do on our own, I'm afraid."

He hurriedly grabbed some black sweatpants he'd used for quidditch training earlier that day and pulled his Slytherin sweater over his pyjama shirt, finding some muggle sneakers Hermione had gifted him under his bed before he left. Careful not to make too much noise, he followed Deandra and closed the door to the dorm behind him, none of his friends any the wiser that he was sneaking out.

The common room was completely empty. With a sideways glance at the clock above the mantlepiece, Draco was not surprised by the lack of his peers. Not even the snakes were up at four in the morning. What was Deandra up to?

"Meet me at the gates," she told him at the common room entrance, right before she disappeared into thin air. "We will go from there," she finished in his mind.

He only had to dodge Filch's cat once on his way outside, counting himself lucky that Umbridge and her lackeys weren't out on the prowl. A shiver ran down his spine when he remembered how he used to be one of those lackeys, doing her every bidding, believing that it would make his father proud. At least, he'd managed to set the pink frog on a false trail once, so Hermione could safely escape the Room of Requirement. Yet, he couldn't help but feel that this time around, perhaps it would be him who would end up being caught at the end of the year.

To his surprise, Deandra was not the only one waiting for him at the edge of the Hogwarts wards. Luna was happily conversing with the spirit like they were old friends. Tonight, she had little half-moons dangling from her ears and seemed to be wearing a green dress Draco had seen her knitting a few days earlier during lunch.

"We're not going to hunt for gulping plimpies in the middle of the night, are we?" Draco chuckled as he greeted his friend, casting a sideway glance at Deandra. She had advised him not to bring Harry and Mione. Then why was Luna here?

Luna hugged him, a typical airy smile on her face. "What a lovely idea, Draco! Alas, there are more important endeavours we must face tonight. We're going to help you transform into your animagus form after all."

Draco blinked at her in surprise and raised his eyebrows questioningly at Deandra. "My animagus form? But then why aren't we going together with Harry, Mione, and Professor Lupin? They too-"

"They will become animagi soon enough," Luna interrupted him as she clasped his hand tightly. "In your case, I'm afraid not even the Room of Requirement would be suitable to hold your true form, seeing as you are so resistant to magic lately. You are even messing up my visions. Who knows what would happen? You might mess up the magic of the room before it can properly expand!"

Before he could even begin to understand what Luna was implying, she took an old photograph ripped out of a muggle magazine out of her pocket. Draco grinned at her. Of course, she'd made pockets for her dress. Hermione had complained more often than not that girl clothes came without any usable pockets, so he assumed the same was true for Luna.

"If my calculations are right, a thunderstorm will be hitting the island of Foula in about thirty minutes or so. If you'd be so kind as to apparate us there, I would be eternally grateful," the witch said seriously.

"So you did take the vial from Sirius earlier tonight," the blond addressed Deandra as he studied the picture in his hands. If he remembered correctly, the island they were supposed to go to was way up north. Did he even have enough magic to apparate both him and Luna there and back? "I'm not sure if I can get us back, Luna. My magical core might be larger than usual, but-"

"Don't worry, little dragon. If you need magic, I have ample to share with you-" Deandra began.

The witch by his side giggled. "Little dragon? You will need to find another moniker for him soon enough, my dear friend. There is no need to worry. We won't be apparating back. Not when we can fly."

"Fly?" he blinked at her in surprise. "I didn't take my broom, and flying through a storm is ill-advised."

Luna looked up at him, her eyes wide with both mirth and a hint of mischief. "You will see soon enough. Now, let's go. I have an inkling feeling in my left pinkie that Filch will be showing up in two minutes, and I'd hate to be caught by the likes of him."

"I still don't see why we couldn't have taken Hermione and Harry with us," Draco grumbled as they landed on the eastern cliffside of Foula. In the distance, a storm was brewing, just like Luna had predicted. "I could have called for Dobby to take them with him."

Deandra's silver hue was their only source of light, illuminating nothing more than their upper bodies. Draco noticed her fumbling with something in the breast pocket of her robes before she pulled out the animagus potion she'd magicked away from Sirius earlier that evening. She carefully handed it to him and said, "We thought it safer with just the three of us here since we're not sure how you will respond once you turn into your animagus form."

"You are making it sound as if this will be dangerous," Draco snorted. His smile faltered when he saw Luna cast her eyes downward and she started twirling her hair between her fingers nervously.

"It could be," she admitted. "There's a chance you might not transform back. I've seen images of you, tearing down walls and magical wards once you transform, hurting yourself gravely in the process. I haven't been able to place these moments in time, but the Room of Requirement would be my best bet. As I said, you've been messing with my visions."

"Why would I not be able to transform back? Sirius was making it sound so easy. It's wandless magic even."

"Some transformations are different than others," Luna explained, looking up at him again. "You might lose yourself in it, forget who you are. What you truly are." Her eyes turned misty as she looked up at him again. "I was stuck for so long, that I could not remember how to turn into my human self again. That is why, when Deandra and I first met thousands of years ago, I was no longer a mere witch."

"Thousands of years ago?" His eyes flickered between both of them, desperate for some sort of explanation.

"In order to truly see, one must live a thousand lives," Luna smiled sadly at her friend. "Seer blood makes it possible to remember our past lives. It's probably what saved you when you chose to return to this timeline. Tempting fate and time is a dangerous thing, Draco. When you came back to save Hermione, the consequences could have been dire. Neither fate nor time like to be tampered with. Your memories could have been wiped when you returned to your eleven-year-old body. But they weren't."

"I have seer blood?" he whispered in amazement. "You must be joking, Luna. There's a reason I never picked up Divination. I couldn't even predict what tea Trelawney makes all of them drink if my life depended on it!"

Luna couldn't help but giggle and poke him in the side. "Says the one who has saved multiple lives with his future knowledge. Even if you don't possess the affinity, there is still seer blood in your veins. Why else did you think that the Black family has named their descendants after the stars and constellations? The night sky has always guided those of our kind, and the centaurs for that matter."

"I suppose I've never truly thought about the reason behind my name," he mused, the wind picking up around the three of them as the storm closed in.

"There's power in words, Draco. In names. In the intent behind them," Deandra smiled at him, moving herself to his side as if to shield him from the wind. "But I suppose, not even your own mother would have suspected things to turn out quite like this the day you were born and she insisted on naming you Draco. Her dragon. I'm surprised Sirius hasn't connected the dots yet, seeing as he was the first Black animagus to live up to his namesake."

"What does Sirius have to do with any of this?" Draco wondered out loud. "Sure, we are both descendants of the house of Black, but he isn't a seer, is he?"

"You've seen Lord Black's animagus form often enough, little dragon. You tell me, what the power of his name holds." She smiled at him encouragingly, wanting him to figure it out on his own. "Tell me, what do you know about the animal the animagi represent?"

Draco sighed, looking at the waves crashing against the cliffside they were standing on. "I thought an animagus form was a representation of the magical person's own personality. And it is if you take Sirius into account. Like a dog, he is playful, a fearlessly bold Gryffindor to the core, extremely loyal to his friends, and he's probably the most sociable Black ever born apart from my cousin Nymphadora."

"And how would you connect this to what you have learnt in astronomy?" Luna questioned him as if she was presenting him a riddle. "What constellation is Sirius a part of?"

"Sirius, and his father Orion, are part of the Canis Major constellation, also known as The Greater Dog. Sirius is often referred to as the dog star by muggles because of it. Are you meaning to tell me, that his animagus from is a dog, not just because of who he is, but because it was literally written in the stars?" He looked at Luna incredulously, not really sure if he could believe her.

"You're awfully unimaginative for a wizard," Luna grumbled, clearly displeased with him. "I hope that will change after tonight." She looked up at the sky and tilted her head, the tip of her tongue sticking out in concentration. "Only five more minutes. You better prepare, little dragon."

The smile at the corner of her lips made Draco stagger backwards. No. They couldn't possibly believe that he? No way. Something between a chuckle and a snort left his body, making both women beside him frown at him. "You two have to be joking. Do you think that because I was named after the dragon constellation, that I will turn into a bloody dragon? In case the two of you have forgotten, Animagi turn into animals, not magical creatures and certainly not into beasts. Dragons are classified among the most dangerous of magical creatures out there, on par with basilisks and acromantulas and manticores, what made you two think that-"

"Sirona turned into a beast," Deandra interrupted him, sadness filling her voice. "We spirits are magicals as well, even if we aren't human like you are. Somehow, she had learnt to turn into an animal form, a basilisk. Sadly, Slytherin bound her to him like that and she is now forever stuck in that form. Why would it not be possible for other magicals, like witches and wizards, to transform into beasts? Me and Sirona have discussed the magic behind this, and we think it solely depends on the magical power one holds. The greater the magical core, the greater the magical's potential, the greater the chances are they turn into more than just an animal."

Draco snorted, still unbelieving. "My core might be larger than usual because of the experiences I've lived through, and being Lord Malfoy at such a young age, but spirits such as yourself hold greater power than I ever will. I'm just a mere wizard. How could I-"

"Are you? Just a wizard? Do you have the same magic running through your veins as Blaise does?" Luna challenged him, a fire burning in her eyes. "Think about it, Draco. There is seer blood running through the Black family. They have always been able to achieve the extraordinary. Why else do you think your family is so feared? But the power has lingered too long and it is looking for a way out. Just look at your cousin. She is a metamorphmagus, is she not?"

"I'm still a Malfoy. Even if I have seer blood running through my veins, my father's family doesn't have any extraordinary powers, they-"

"They have me," Deandra reminded him. "The Malfoy family magic has been fuelled by my own for the past thousand years. You felt it strengthen yourself when you became Lord Malfoy. A power you had never held before. My power, the power of the leylines, flows through you as it has with any Malfoy born at the Manor, Draco. Would it be so strange to think that you too, could be something more? Something other ?"

"Even if you are right, there have been animagi in our family before, Deandra. None of them have ever turned into beasts. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think I will be able to do what you expect of me."

Draco hung his head in frustration. He'd lived through all of this before. If there truly was a power lingering within him, he would have known, wouldn't he? There wouldn't have been a need to go back through time and save Mione. He'd have had the power to save her from his aunt, he would have whisked her out of there without a second thought. But he hadn't. Because he had been powerless. And without his knowledge of the future, he'd still be just that. Ordinarily useless to help win the war.

"Don't think like that," Deandra scolded him. "You have never been powerless or ordinary. You just hadn't lived through the right circumstances for the magic in your blood to activate. Do you not remember when Norberta bit you in first year, and you had scales in shades of Slytherin green and silver running down your hand?" She put her hand on his shoulder, trying to emphasise the importance of her words. "And then last year, when you were dying and Luna gave you the phoenix' tears, both she and Hermione saw them again, knitting your chest back together as if you'd never been hurt at all."

"Mione knows? And she didn't tell me?" A pang of hurt flashed through him. It seemed like he had not been the only one keeping secrets. But he thought they were way past that now, how hadn't she-

"Do not be angry with her, Draco. She has had her suspicions about you being something more for a long time. I never told you, I've only shared this with her, Luna, and your mother, but you are a child of prophecy. There's a reason why I bound myself to the Malfoy family. There's a reason why I was finally able to break free the night Hermione died at the Manor. It's because it was prophesied to happen."

Draco took a step back, shaking his head as he shrugged Deandra off him. The thunder rumbling around them mirrored his own feelings. "This can't be real," he breathed. "Are you telling me, that for thousands of years, you've been waiting for this to happen? For me to be born?"

Deandra closed the distance between them, putting her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look up at her. "I am the protector of man, little dragon. Magic itself gave me life so that I would be able to keep all of you safe. Muggles, magical folk, and creatures alike. And to do so, it seems I must protect both you and your two friends. Keep you safe from harm. From Voldemort. And I do not take my job as a protector lightly."

"So you did take my prophecy literally," Luna mused, interrupting the tension between them. "I can only hope you are willing to see it through until the end, seeing as we are nearing the last few lines of my prophecy."

Draco could see the regret in Deandra's eyes as she looked at the Ravenclaw. "Always, my dear friend. No matter the cost."

"So you've always known, what I would become? Even the first time round, before I ever came back?" Draco wondered, surprised that he himself was a child of prophecy and not just Harry.

Deandra smiled at him lovingly and put her hand on his cheek. "You've become more than I could ever hope for, little dragon. I know that you will persevere whatever the dark will throw at you. That the three of you will help win the war. I learnt recently that it wasn't just prophesied to me, but also to your mother, not long after you were born."

When she said that, Draco found himself back at the Department of Mysteries. In the middle of their second year, they had gone and listened to Harry's prophecy. But there had been another. A small twinkle had caught his eye as if it had been taunting him only to disappear again. His prophecy.

"It's still there," he told Deandra and Luna. "My prophecy." His mind was whirling. No. He'd taken care of Harry's and destroyed it, so the events at the Department of Mysteries would never happen again. Was fate truly this cruel? Would they end up there again, only for another prophecy to matter this time? "Do you know its contents, Deandra? We need to go there, destroy it if we can, we need to-" Draco tugged at his hair, pacing, worried about having to face Voldemort in that place. He especially did not want Mione ending up there again, not after what had happened the first time. Dolohov's curse had scarred her for life. If they truly did end up at the Ministry again, they would need to be prepared.

She nodded. "We do, even though I am unsure if they will let us in, considering it is so heavily guarded as of now. The prophecy claims you will help Harry find 'the power he knows not', among other things. The Order is currently protecting the entrance, and we both know how that will turn out. I will see what I can do."

Draco let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. Of course, some things were always meant to happen. How could he ever have assumed otherwise? "So, at the end of the year, Harry will face Voldemort at the Ministry again?"

"Sadly, yes," Luna murmured. "I can't see much further than that, there's too many variables, too many decisions to be made. But the six members of Dumbledore's Army will be there again, this time with you, Blaise, Daphne, and Cedric by our side. I'm not sure what will prompt Ron to follow us this time, however."

A crack of lightning, not too far from the coastline interrupted their musings. Draco eyed the vial in his hands, tilting it sideways so the contents slipped to one side. Could Deandra and Luna be right? Would he turn into something more than a mere animal?

"You'll be here? To pull me back if needed? To help me remember to be human?" he whispered, desperation colouring his tone.

"Always. But, something tells me, you will remember," Luna smiled. "That you won't be stuck until it's too late, like I was."

Lightning struck again and Draco braced himself. Deandra and Luna moved further away, giving him any space he needed as he fumbled for his wand. After another deep breath, he closed his eyes and spoke the incantation, his wand over his heart. "Amato Anima Animato Animagus ." He gulped down the potion in one swift movement, making a face when the familiar awful taste of mandrake leaf hit his tongue.

Had it always tasted this bitter? He swirled the taste around his tongue once more, trying to pinpoint it, when he realised it tasted burnt.

With a sense of panic, his eyes flashed open and to his own surprise, he could see Luna and Deandra perfectly clear in the pitch darkness around them. Even the trees that seemed to be miles away, he could easily see and if he focused, he swore he could count the leftover autumn leaves on each and every single one of them.

The storm rumbled behind him, or at least he thought it did until he realised that the sound was coming from somewhere deep within him.

"Get back!" he wanted to yell, but he couldn't. All he could do was watch how Luna and Deandra turned into two little specs he was towering above, both of them smiling widely at him.

"Told you!" Luna yelled happily, waving up at him as she did. "How are you feeling, Draco?"

He tilted his head curiously at her. How did he feel? Strong. Powerful. Giant, considering Luna looked to be the size of one of his claws. Merlin, his claws.

"Calm down, little dragon," Deandra soothed him in his mind. "You're still you, even if you look more like a Welsh Green than a teenage boy. Even though… There is something off about you. Your chest is silver like our family magic is. All animagi have some sort of trait from their human selves after all ."

He sat on his hind legs and studied himself. She was right. The same slytherin green scales he'd seen years ago covered him, but his chest was pure silver. Was this the reason why he'd become so resistant to anyone trying to enter his mind? Dragonhide was the best defence against spells after all. The auror corpse didn't go out without being dressed in it from head to toe.

"It might be, yes. But now you know the reason behind the block, you might be able to lower your defences when you're around those you love. Much like your occlumency walls aren't as protected when you're around Hermione," Deandra pondered.

Mione. Just the thought of her made him giddy, a low-pitched whine coming from somewhere deep inside him. How would she respond to his animagus form?

"Ready to fly us home?" Luna interrupted his thoughts again, looking up at him eagerly.

He tried to smirk at her as he unfurled his wings, sheltering both Luna and Deandra from the rain that had started pouring down just a second ago. Sirius had been right. Being an animagus was as easy as breathing. His new scaly limbs did not feel foreign as he lowered himself down so Luna and Deandra could crawl up his back.

The spirit seemed to conjure some sort of saddle for them to sit in more comfortably and Draco crouched down, his tail flicking back and forth like a cat on the prowl.

"Ready? " he asked both Luna and Deandra in their minds, his magic oozing out of him as he did. Well. Apart from his own magical defences, it seemed as if his animagus form allowed him to break through any barriers present. That was definitely a skill he wished he had as a wizard. If he could break through his father's mind and see what he was up to, perhaps, the war could be over sooner rather than later.

"I was born ready!" Luna yelled back, making Deandra giggle as Draco extended his wings, beating them powerfully before falling off the cliffside. His wings caught the air currents and the updraft lifted him and his passengers higher. Pushing his new abilities and his massive wings harder and harder, he flew through the clouds, rain bouncing off his new scaley hide. He continued to climb, going above the storm before turning and heading south, in the direction of Hogwarts. As he flew he could hear Luna shouting in happiness and he gave an answering roar as they covered the great distance home at an incredible speed.

For the first time, Draco knew what it was like to be unshackled. To be free. He felt more hopeful than ever, that they would win the war.

Author's note:

So sorry for the slow updates, this story has taught me a great many things, such as: try and finish or at least have a general lay-out of the story before you start uploading. I have multiple chapters in fifth year written, they're just not in the right order. This has been a bit of a learning curve, and thank you all for staying with me throughout the process.

Also, life sometimes throws shit our way, doesn't it? Hopefully I find the time to do some more writing. I will try and stick to a weekly upload on Wednesdays, but don't hate me if I miss a week. For those following my other Dramione story set after the war, 'The Minister', I will also try and stick with uploading once a week on Friday/Saturday.

Lots of love, Naiadx