! The first part of this chapter will be written from Draco's perspective, while the second part will be written from Hermione's perspective. I will add a small notice of this before each part by writing either DRACO or HERMIONE !
DRACO
- Great Hall, 18th of June 1996 –
Stirring his bowl of soup while lost in thought, Draco nearly jumped in his chair when Harry triumphantly ran into the Great Hall, holding a piece of parchment high up in the air for all his friends to see.
"You will never believe this," he stated, throwing his book bag down on the floor and shoving the letter he'd gotten from the owlery at his best friends. Blaise grumbled as the corner piece of the baguette he'd been saving flew away in the fray, ending up on the floor and whisked away by the house elves' magic before he could reach for it.
"Calm down, Harry," Hermione laughed, putting a hand on her best friend's shoulder. She leaned over him, trying to flatten the parchment so they could actually read it. "I know you are excited to be done with exams, but this-" Her voice caught in her throat as she registered the words on the parchment. She gazed at Harry's in shock and disbelief. "Truly?"
Harry nodded happily, leaning backwards to wave over Neville and Susan. "Sirius sent me the verdict as soon as it came out. Umbitch won't be at this school for much longer now that Remus proved in court he wasn't a werewolf and was thereby illegitimately removed from his position by her. Apparently, some parents came forward as well with proof that their children were being tortured by the toad! Can you believe it?" Harry's grin split his face, looking at his friends.
As all of his friends cheered, a Ravenclaw first-year ran into the Great Hall, announcing that aurors were literally dragging the pink toad out of the castle at this very minute, Draco sat perfectly still. He didn't even dare blink at the mention of children being tortured in the castle. He had tortured someone in this castle.
Hermione sat down beside him instead of joining the rest of the school, Trelawney and McGonagall leading the students towards the courtyard where Umbridge was screaming bloody murder.
Her eyes searched his, and she clasped his hand in hers with worry.
"Is this about Sophie?" she asked quietly.
If only. If only it was the memory of what he'd done to her. Instead, the memory of Hermione lying in the hospital wing at the end of the night was the one that was front and centre. He tried clearing his throat. "What date is it?" he asked hoarsely.
"It's the eighteenth, why-" Realisation dawned in her eyes, remembering what he'd told her of his past. Her voice turned into a whisper. "The Ministry. It happens today?"
The blond nodded, leaning closer so no one could overhear them. "On this day, Umbridge was taken away from the grounds by a horde of centaurs. And after that, you all end up at the Ministry. And Sirius, he-"
"He dies," Hermione finished solemnly.
- Slytherin boy dorms, later that day –
That damned calendar. He'd watched Harry cross off the days every morning before their last quidditch match. Had seen Daphne draw a small star on his birthday, the 5th of June, as if any of his roommates needed reminding. Blaise had taped Hermione's exhaustive exam preparation schedule right under it, counting down the days until they would finally finish their O.W.L.s. As the rest of their House was celebrating the demise of Umbridge in their common room, Draco was pacing back and forth, glancing up at the date every so often.
"I don't understand, Deandra," he finally admitted to the spirit seated on his bed, her ankles crossed and her hands folded in her lap. "It should have happened already. Umbridge is gone, which means that Harry should have gotten the vision that led them to the Ministry as well."
She pursed her lips but said nothing, her silvery magic that usually was such a comforting hue around her, now flickering with worry. Instead, she looked out of the window, a tightness to her shoulders and her gaze far off, as if she was looking past the creatures living in the dark waters of the Great Lake.
The door to the dorm creaked, and a bunch of wild brown curls peeked through, scanning the occupants of the room. Her eyes brightened at the sight of the spirit, and Draco could see she was relieved he had not been brooding here on his own. Daphne had held onto Hermione's arm the whole way to the dorms earlier that evening, leaving his girlfriend with no way to escape the festivities. Draco had only smiled at her encouragingly. If they were about to face the death eaters in the Ministry tonight, Hermione should take the time to relax.
"Deandra! I haven't seen you in months!" Hermione happily exclaimed as she closed the door behind her, walked into the silencing bubble, and opened her arms to fall into the spirit's warm and soothing embrace before sitting down next to her.
"Hello, little one," the spirit greeted her, placing a tender motherly kiss on top of her head, her long silver hair tickling the witch's cheek as she started giggling. "I was just visiting to congratulate you and Draco on passing your exams. Narcissa sends her congratulations as well, and is preparing for your arrival at the Manor later this week." She sighed gravely. "It was then Draco informed me of the day's events. And of his fears of what you might face tonight."
Hermione's eyes darted to Draco, still pacing. He clenched his fists and didn't dare to look at her. He'd nearly bitten Harry's head off when he offered him some butterbeer when they got to the common room, and Hermione had quickly jumped in between, blaming him being irritated on leftover exam stress. But those lies no longer worked on Harry. Draco had seen the wary look in his best friend's eyes. Had seen it for a while now. One of these days, he would have to spill the truth. If not, their friendship might be lost. If it wasn't already, after everything he'd done and manipulated like the Slytherin he was.
Draco smacked his fist against the calendar finally, ripping it off the wall. A deep sigh left his lips and his shoulders sagged, his whole body deflating. His voice was barely a whisper. "Are we just waiting for the inevitable to happen? For time and fate to finally catch up with us?"
"Perhaps, time is more amendable than we originally thought, little dragon," the spirit soothed him, appearing behind him to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Umbridge has not been removed from the premises in the same way as she was the first time around. There have been no sightings or any infiltrations of death eaters on the castle grounds, apart from those who joined the Minister the day Dumbledore disappeared. Perhaps, you have made enough changes to-"
"Some things are always meant to happen," Draco grunted out, shrugging her off, his magic crackling and humming restlessly. He didn't want to let his anger show to two of the people he loved most in life. But he was nearly sick with worry. Today was the day Sirius died. The day they would be lured to the Ministry. He could only hope that he would be at his friends' side if such a thing did happen.
"Just take a deep breath," Hermione offered. "Let's go through the events of the day. Both this one and the one in the previous timeline."
He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. Harry had mirror-called Sirius and Amelia just that morning, asking them if they would come pick him up at King's Cross Station or if he could join his friends and go to Malfoy Manor instead. Sirius had told them all to meet up at the Manor, since he would be busy, and hopefully celebrating, with Remus all day if the trial about his unlawful unemployment concluded today. There hadn't been a single indication at all of Sirius, or any of the Blacks, being kidnapped. Everything, and everyone, seemed to be perfectly at peace.
Everyone but him.
"I can't be entirely sure," he breathed out, looking straight at Hermione. She was waiting patiently for him to get his bearings, an encouraging smile on her face. "I remember Edgecombe ratting you out earlier in the year, leading to a failed attempt to arrest Dumbledore. But this time, it was the discovery of Hagrid's brother that led to the possible arrest. I remember the charmed piece of parchment all of us in the Inquisitorial Squad received from Umbridge that night at dinner, saying you were captured attempting to sneak into her office." Hermione's eyebrows raised at that, but she nodded for him to continue. "Either way, you flew to London to save Sirius at the Ministry. Harry used to have more visions and less control over his connection with Voldemort back then. It was all just a trap, set to lure him in. Sirius was never caught by the death eaters. But once Lord Black learnt of his godson being in danger…" He bit the inside of his cheek. He'd never known his mother's cousin very well. But this time around, he'd had a chance to meet him. To eat dinners with him and his family. What would happen to them, if Sirius died? What would happen to Harry?
"He died trying to save us," Hermione finally murmured, her hands buried in her hair, her voice cracking with emotion.
"The Order of the Phoenix did anything they could," Draco continued, not daring to look at the sorrow on his girlfriend's face. "But they could not save you from everything." He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and closed his eyes again. "You were in the Hospital Wing, Mione. Dolohov he-" He couldn't say it. Did not want to relive the memory of her in the hospital. Her tears as she realised what he'd done to her. How his spells had affected her future.
The blond heard Hermione walking over to him slowly. Her warm hands took his, unclenching them as she did so. "He won't hurt me again," she stated firmly. "I won't let him." Her head found its way to his chest and he let go of her hands, embracing her instead.
He breathed in the scent of her, her curls tickling his chin. "I'm sorry I've been such an utter arse today, Mione, but-"
Cold, dark magic rippled through all three of their bodies at once, making them freeze in place. It was as if their magical cores were laid bare, without any defences. On instinct, Draco wrapped his animagus magic around him and Hermione, protecting them from the invisible perpetrator as best as he could. His eyes snapped up to Deandra, trying to reach out to her as well. But he could no longer feel her.
"Draco. Hermione. The wards-" Deandra started in a panic, before flickering out of their vision, whisked away by whatever dark forces had just violated the Malfoy family magic.
"Deandra!" Draco roared in his mind, his fingers painfully pinching Hermione's shoulders. But there was no reply. One look at his girlfriend, and she seemed as distressed as he was, frowning in concentration as she too tried to connect to the Spirit of Malfoy Manor.
"I can't sense her," she murmured. "What was that magic? It felt as if someone went straight for my magical core. As if they'd just stripped every single defence away from me, until you-" Her eyes widened, her lip quivering. "Do you think they got to the wards? The leylines? To-"
"To Mother," Draco breathed in horror.
Shock and disbelief were plastered on their faces right when Harry opened the door, carrying butterbeer from the party in the common room. "There you are!" he yelled excitedly. "I was just about to come get you two. There will be no canoodling on my watch, because -" Suddenly, he could feel the tension in the room. The pure terror on both of their faces. "Are you two alright? You look like you've seen a ghost. Has the Bloody Baron brought in any of his friends again?"
Draco's hands shook, still grasping Hermione's shoulders in desperation. Merlin. Please. Not his mother .
"Get your mirror, Harry," Hermione ordered, immediately jumping into action. "Tell Sirius and Amelia we need to get to the Manor right away, we think the wards have been breached. If you-"
Hermione's words drifted into white noise in Draco's ears. His mind was racing, trying to figure out what happened when he noticed the diary on his nightstand. He no longer needed the one he used to communicate with Hermione and Harry, at least not when he was at Hogwarts. But his mother would occasionally write to him in it. The pages were flaring red, pulsing with magic. That could only mean one thing. Danger.
He let go of Hermione, who was still coordinating their plan together with Harry, and stumbled his way towards his bed, throwing himself over it to reach the nightstand and the blasted book. One look at the latest entry, made his heart stop. He had no idea how much time had passed until his two best friends were hovering behind him, reading the exact same sentence as he'd been reading over and over hoping his eyes were deceiving him.
"Let's go," Harry announced, grasping the mirror in his hands. "I will call Sirius and Amelia. We can apparate to the Ministry from here and meet them there."
"This can't be," Hermione murmured in shock, the spine of the diary nearly breaking under the pressure as Draco read the message again, written in his father's handwriting.
I have to admit, Draco, that your Mother, despite her many flaws, is still as beautiful as she always was. I cannot wait to introduce her to some of my colleagues. Her and that Spirit of yours. Both lovely, and ripe for the taking. I offer you a chance to say your last goodbyes, to both of them, if you dare to venture to the Ministry tonight. You know where to find me, son.
HERMIONE
- Ministry of Magic, 18th of June 1996 –
She knew this was a trap. Lucius had led them here on purpose after all. No matter what she'd done to calm Draco, to make him see reason, he'd been like an angry dragon rushing out of Hogwarts earlier that evening, trying to get to the gates as fast as he could. Harry had only now been able to contact Sirius, who had sobered up quickly at the bar he and Remus were celebrating at, a few minutes prior. They had been ordered to stay put, stay at Hogwarts where it was safe. But they had already made their way to the Ministry, all of them following Draco into battle. Thank Merlin for Luna, who had gathered all of their best friends and any members of MERLIN she could find on their way out of the castle.
Hermione swallowed deeply, twiddling her wand between her fingers. Narcissa and Deandra would be alright. They had to be. All they had to do was keep the death eaters busy while waiting for the Order to show up.
At least they were not alone in this, and from what she remembered Draco telling her, they hadn't been left to their own devices in the first timeline either. They were currently running through the Department of Mysteries, the Ministry of Magic eerily quiet. Daphne, Cedric, Blaise, and Luna were right beside her. Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Susan made up the rear. Harry and Draco were running first, both of them training their wands at any door they met.
What worried Hermione most, was that this would be a fight to the death. Draco had never been a part of this night at the Ministry. For all his careful planning throughout the years, the dangers they'd faced had never been as profound as this one. They were no longer fighting shells of Voldemort or his horcruxes. This time, they might be facing the Dark Lord himself. Perhaps, this was something he'd neglected, that everything he knew about this evening, was purely based on second-hand testimonies. On Gryffindor Hermione's memories of when she and her closest friends barely made it out of the Ministry alive. And Sirius, Sirius, he- Hermione took a deep breath, clenching her wand in her hand, trying to focus and not let panic crawl its way towards her heart. Just because Sirius hadn't made it out alive the first time, did not mean that he would die a certain death once again.
" Some things are always meant to happen ." The memory of Draco's words earlier that evening seemed to taunt her thoughts. Yes. He was right. Time and time again, they had been proven that some events indeed seemed to be destined to happen. But they did not always occur in the exact same way or at the exact same moment. Perhaps, no one had to die tonight.
"They're here," Draco announced numbly when they stood in front of the entrance to the Hall of Prophecy. The door was as imposing as the first time she'd walked through it, all those years ago. Last time, they were here to find answers. Now… They were here to rescue their loved ones.
Draco swallowed deeply and looked down at her, ensuring she could feel it too, that slight trace of Malfoy magic beyond the old wooden door carved with everchanging intricate patterns. She hadn't even dared reach out towards the leylines in Wiltshire. She was terrified that all she would find would be ruin and despair. That cold dark magic still gripped her heart when she thought about it. Thank Merlin for Draco's quick thinking to protect their cores with his own unique animagus magic. If he hadn't, they might have been magically drained, and therefore unable to stop any of this.
"Are you entirely certain, Draco?" she whispered, taking his hand and rubbing her thumb over his knuckles in a soothing manner. "You know this is a trap. They have probably been planning this for months. I wouldn't put it past Lucius to have found a way to replicate the magic. How did he even manage to get past the wards? Perhaps, we should have gone to the Manor and double-checked-"
"The wards at the Manor came down," he announced to all of them. "I called for Dobby while you were running to the Ravenclaw Dorms to get Luna. There-" he clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his composure. "Dobby claims the leylines at the Manor have run dry, which can only happen when a Spirit is removed from them. I am lucky to still have the Malfoy magic flow in my veins if what Dobby says is true."
Hermione stared at him in horror. No wonder it felt so cold and lonely. The magic had truly been stripped from the Malfoys' ancestral home. "The wards? The leylines? Draco, whatever your father has done to Deandra, he-"
Harry put his hand on Draco's shoulder and shook his head at Hermione. "Sirius and the Order are on their way, Draco. It is your decision if we walk through this door or not. But we are with you until the end of the line. You know that. Your mother has always been kind to me, to us. We do not want her to get hurt."
"I can't ask you to do this," the blond whispered, looking each and every one of them in the eye. All of them nodded determinedly. Even the Weasleys who did not know Narcissa as well were ready to put their life on the line.
A grateful smile graced Draco's lips. Hermione could nearly feel the disbelief pouring out of him. How her idiot boyfriend still did not believe anyone would gladly stand by him to fight the evils in this world, was beyond her.
"We better go then. Everyone knows their positions?" Harry confirmed before disillusioning himself and disappearing into eternal nothingness. That would be their only true advantage, Harry's animagus magic making him completely immune to any form of detection. The rest of the group used their own disillusionment charms, ready to catch the death eaters on the other side of the door off guard.
Perhaps, it had been foolish of them to assume that they would have the element of surprise as long as they were invisible. Once they opened the door, it only took a few minutes for everything to turn into an absolute nightmare, just as Hermione had feared. The death eaters had come prepared after all. Some things were always meant to happen. And tonight, someone had to die.