Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers :)

By lunch time, they – with the exception being Astoria – were allowed to leave the infirmary.

While the others were heading for the Great Hall to eat, Neville had taken Draco aside and told him that they needed to talk.

They went into an abandoned classroom. Draco had a bad feeling about that. He could feel that Neville was mad.

"You cast the Cruciatus yesterday," Neville started straight away, his tone accusing, and Draco gulped. "You used the Cruciatus several times. An Unforgiveable."

"Neville-"

"You should be in Azkaban for that!" Neville shouted.

Draco took a step back and held his hands up in surrender. "You are right. What I did was wrong. And I am sorry. But I was just… so mad. I thought about everything he had done. The dead muggles. Potter's parents. Sirius. A-Astoria," his voice wavered. "I lost control."

"The curse… which was used on my parents… which drove them insane… You used it…" Neville shook his head, as if he could not believe what Draco had done.

Draco looked on the ground in shame. "I really am sorry. I shouldn't have done it." He should have used a stunner. Or a Petrificul Totalus. Anything would have been better than what he had done. Had he had more control over himself, Pettigrew would not have escaped.

"How do you even know that curse?"Neville continued. "Where have you learned it?"

"Uhm-"

"Don't lie to me. You might think I'm stupid, but I am not!"

"I- I don't think you are stupid. Uhm- my parents taught me."

"Your parents taught you – a 13 year old – how to use Unforgivables?" his eyes narrowed.

"Ehm… yes."

Neville laughed a humorless laugh. "Right. Did they also teach you the Killing Curse? That's what you were going to use next, right?"

Draco didn't say anything.

"Right?"

"I- I don't know. But if I had, I don't think it would have worked. I am not a killer."

"Are you sure? I think Harry and Ron were right. You've always hated us. You always hated Gryffindor and mudbloods. You were always strutting around, spouting that pureblood gibberish."

Draco flinched at his use of the word mudblood.

"I thought we were... I don't know, friends," Neville continued, "but maybe that was just my take on things and you were just lying to me and using me for some twisted plan of yours..."

"Nev, I-"

"On which side are you even on?" Neville asked, interrupting Draco and looking at him intently. "Were you really on Harry's side or were you secretly hoping Sirius was who everyone said he was and would kill Harry? I wouldn't have believed Sirius if you hadn't told me to. I would have told a teacher. Maybe you hoped he would kill Harry and me..."

That stung. "O- on yours. And on P- Harry's. We are on the same side, Neville."

"My side doesn't use the Cruciatus. People on my side don't use the Killing Curse, either. Or call people mudbloods. Or call Him "Dark Lord"." He didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Snape is one of them too, isn't he?" Neville looked Draco right in the eyes.

"Huh?"

"A Death Eater. That's what everyone says he is. Is he?"

Draco didn't answer. He should just say no. It would be easy enough and perhaps Neville would believe him. But somehow he could not get himself to say the word.

"Draco?"

"He is a good man. He helped us," he said instead.

"Being good in one aspect of life doesn't make being bad in another okay!" he replied angrily. "And I am not sure what you mean by he is helping us. Helping us?" he pointed at Draco and then at himself, "or helping you and your Death Eater friends?"

"Come on, Neville. We are on the same side. We are friends."

"I thought we were friends. But it seems like there's a whole lot you haven't been telling me."

"That's not true!"

"I never quite got why you would all of a sudden want to be friends with me, of all people," Neville said, hurt and betrayal in his eyes. "Say, Draco: Did your parents also teach you how to cast nonverbally? Or how to perform stunners?"

Uh oh. Neville really was quite perceptive.

"I- ehm-" Draco stammered. He was so screwed.

"Don't lie to me! And I saw what Pettigrew took out of your pocket. Why do you have a time-turner, Draco?"

"I- I can't tell you that."

"Can't or won't?"

"Neville, please." Draco took a step towards Neville, but he took a step back.

"Tell me! Tell me, or I will tell Dumbledore about it. I will tell him everything!"

Draco didn't say anything, so Neville turned around to leave the room.

Draco pointed his wand at the door and it shut and locked within seconds.

"I can't let you do that, Neville."

Neville turned around, looking scared.

Draco had his want pointed at him and a million possibilities flew through Draco's head. Obliviate. Confundo. Lies. Things could be just the way they used to. Neville could forget all that had happened and think that Draco was still the same old bastard that he used to be. Draco could be his original self again. It would definitely be easier. But when he looked at Neville, an innocent 13-year-old who had given him a chance even though there were a million things arguing against it, he knew that there was only one thing he could do.

Draco lowered his wand.

"You want the truth?" he said, his voice hoarse. "You are right. I hated mudbloods and blood traitors and everything Gryffindor. I worshiped the Dark Lord. And I became a Death Eater."

He did not want to hurt him, and, as crazy as it sounded, he wanted to be friends with Neville, the boy who gave him the benefit of the doubt. He also couldn't go back to the way things were. The thought alone made him feel sick. Of course he could have used his knowledge to become Voldemort's right hand man, but the thought sickened him and he just wasn't that kind of person anymore.

"What- what are you talking about?" Neville took a few steps back. "Voldemort is gone. You can't be a Death Eater!"

"I am not a Death Eater. I Was one. Tiny difference."

"I- I- Draco, I don't understand," he looked quite helpless.

"By the end of next year, the Dark Lord will return and I will become one of his followers. There will be a war. The Dark Lord will lose."

"How can you say this?"

"Because it already happened to me. You were right, I shouldn't be able to cast nonverbals or Unforgivables or even stunners. But I can. Because I am not 13 but already old enough to have my own children in Hogwarts. What I am trying to tell you is this: I travelled back in time. Using the time-turner you saw, the one which is now destroyed."

"No! That's impossible. Time-turners don't go that far back."

"It's one of a kind. I don't know how it works. Nott built it, but we can't ask him because that won't happen for a few years…"

"You are lying!"

"Neville! Think about it. It makes sense. Why else would I suddenly change sides? Why else would I know spells I shouldn't know? Why else would I have a time-turner?"

Neville sat down on one of the chairs in the classroom, grabbing his head.

Draco took a step back and gave him some space and the time to think everything through.

Finally, Neville looked at him. Not scared anymore, but desperate. "So you lied to me?"

"I never lied to you. When you asked me why I helped you… I said it was because of a sick relative. Because losing people changes your perspective and makes you reevaluate things. Well, I lost people in the war. So many people died. Sirius died. Dumbledore died. Crabbe died. Lupin died… My wife died. Not because of the war but because she was sick. I thought… I thought coming back I could save her. Find a solution and save her. That wasn't a lie."

Neville stared at him with an open mouth.

"I didn't plan to change anything but… things just happened. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that I will have to change things," Draco's voice was raw and full of emotions, "I... I can't become a Death Eater again. I- what I said earlier is true. I am not a killer. I tried but I just can't do it and I don't want to do it. I can't even pretend to be one of them anymore. I can't just let all these people die again if I know how to prevent it. I can't!" Draco started to hyperventilate.

"Calm down, Draco," Neville said worriedly.

"No! You have no idea what I have seen. What I have done. Every horrible thing you ever thought of me is true. I committed horrible crimes. My original self would have never wanted to be friends with you and he would have loved to see Sirius hurt Potter! I almost killed Weasley and I didn't even care! What kind of person- I- I can't! I don't want to."

"Shhh," Neville moved closer to Draco, petting his back. "I believe you. It's okay."

Draco let out a sob. He hadn't known how desperately he needed to talk to someone about all of this and how close to the surface everything still was, even years later.

"Can- can you tell me about the future?" Neville asked.

Draco shook his head. "You'll hate me."

Neville thought about this for a while. "No. I won't hate you. You are clearly sorry for everything you did and you are trying to make things better."

Draco set down, not saying anything for a while. Then he looked at Neville. "What do you want to know?"

"Hmm… I don't know. Maybe start at when you arrived here and tell me what happened in the original time?"

Draco took a few breaths to collect his thoughts and to calm down somewhat.

"I arrived here a few hours before the Hogwarts Express left King's Cross," he began. "Originally, the Dementors only affected P- Harry on the train. All of Slytherin made fun of him for the rest of the year." He didn't mention that that included him. "One of the hippogriffs attacked me during our first Care of Magical Creatures class – I think they killed it later. Made Hagrid's lessons really boring… I wasn't there when Potter fell off his broom so he got hurt rather badly… Well, at the end of the year, Sirius fled, and no one believed the golden trio that he was innocent. Pettigrew got away, too. The year after that, Pettigrew brought the D- ehm-" Draco wasn't sure how he was supposed to call Voldemort now. "Him back. Killed Cedric Diggory in the process."

"That guy on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah, him. Potter said that He was back, but no one really believed him. Only when they- the Death Eaters – broke into the Ministry the next year, did they believe him. My aunt Bellatrix killed Sirius back then… Are you okay?"

Neville looked rather pale. "No, but it's fine. Continue."

"Ehm… Well, that's when the war started. My father got arrested, sent to Azkaban, because he failed to deliver the boy who lived. He was quite angry with my father and wanted to punish me. He… he…"

Oh, how was he supposed to tell Neville that he tried to kill Dumbledore?

"I… I was supposed to…" he started to play with the hem of his robe, not looking at Neville. He stared into the distance. "I was supposed to kill Dumbledore."

Okay, he had said it. He closed his eyes, scared of what he would see on Neville's face. He was surprised to feel tears trickling down his cheeks. "He told me," he croaked, "he told me that I had to do it or he would kill my family."

When Neville still didn't say anything, Draco looked at him. He looked sad and obviously pitied Draco, but he didn't see any disgust on his face.

"You know," Draco continued, "every horrible thing they tell you about him? He is way worse than that."

"He wanted you to fail, didn't he? I mean, you are quite clever, but killing Dumbledore?"

Draco let out a humorless laugh. "You'd be surprised. But yes, he wanted to punish my father and he knew I would do everything to protect my family. If I succeeded, good for him. If not... well he never expected me to succeed anyways so no loss, either... I almost killed some students in my stupid attempts to kill him. But I succeeded in letting Death Eaters into the school… I had Dumbledore unarmed… If I had used the curse, he would have been dead. But… I couldn't. I just couldn't."

"What happened then?"

"One of the others killed him."

Neville gasped. "Who?"

Draco shook his head.

"Draco, who?" Neville said, more urgently.

"I can't tell you. Please, just leave it be."

Neville looked at him for a few seconds. "It was Snape, wasn't it?"

Draco turned his head away, not saying anything.

"I knew it. I knew it all along. Why does Dumbledore trust him-"

"Wait! It's not like that. He was a spy. For him. Dumbledore was dying anyways and he didn't want me to become a killer, so he… And I think my mother had talked to Snape as well… Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him. A mercy killing for him and something that would guarantee Snape to become His most trusted servant. Snape never wanted that… He looked so… I don't know, lifeless? Like an empty shell, after that day. But he did everything he could to protect the students at Hogwarts and bring down the Dark Lord."

Neville buried his head in his hands, not even bothering to comment on Draco calling Him the Dark Lord. "That's horrible."

"Oh this was only just the beginning. The Death Eaters took over the Ministry and Hogwarts after that… The killings began… It was really bad. But still, Potter won in the end. He vouched for me, after that. For me and my family. So we wouldn't go to Azkaban. I don't know why he did it. I didn't deserve it. I don't deserve any of this. A second chance…"

Neville looked up. "You do. You regret what you did and you are making up for it. If anyone deserves the chance to right their wrongs, it's you."

Draco smiled at Neville. He was really happy that he had befriended this boy.

Neville didn't ask any more questions. But he did have something else to say.

"You need to tell Dumbledore."

Draco wanted to argue. Give excuses. But he knew that Neville was right. If he really wanted to do things right, he had to tell Dumbledore.

TBC