Chapter Text
Well, things took a turn for the worse quicker than Draco would have liked. In just one night, he went from the Nuisance of Slytherin to the Bane of Slytherin’s Existence. Filch had dragged him and Potter McGonagall’s office and had one hundred points taken for being out past curfew. Draco was relieved that McGonagall never caught on that his friends were out as well. Potter surprisingly didn’t blab about that or the dragon. But while Draco was the number one enemy within Slytherin, Potter became the pariah of Gryffindor. Draco was really getting sick of Potter being cooed over. Oh, Poor Potter. Getting in trouble because of that nasty Slytherin. It’s his fault, not yours. Ugh, he could just choke.
At breakfast, Draco and his friends sat separated from the rest of the Slytherins. He didn’t really get to eat thanks to Vincent Crabbe walking past just to sneeze all over his food and claim it was an accident, most of the Slytherin’s finding it funny. The Slytherin Quidditch team were not willing to sit next to him either but he is sure that he saw Bletchley shoot him a sympathetic look. Celeste swooped down into his spat on breakfast, standing in his eggs as she held a simple scrap of parchment in her beak. Draco plucked it from her, getting a sharp nip from her before she left.
“Blimey, even your own bird is mad,” Blaise observed, enjoying his breakfast much to the annoyance of Draco. He seemed to sense Draco’s annoyance, straightening up just a bit in his seat.“Er, I mean, I’m sure it’ll be fine, Dray. They’ll get over it.”
Daphne placed her hand on top of his. “They will. Exams are a week away so they’ll have bigger things to worry about in no time.”
“Let’s hope so,” Draco mumbled before he looked over the note.
Your punishment begins at eleven. You will be assisting Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest.
Do not even think about skipping.
Signed, McGonagall.
“Do you think the punishment for skipping will be more lenient than this?” asked Draco.
“McGonagall’s punishments are never lenient, from what I hear,” Theo spoke, looking up from his textbook. “You’re dead.”
“Fantastic.”
“I’ll be coming too, Draco. It’s only fair.” Greg smiled. “Besides, I gotta protect you.”
Greg then looked at Daphne expectantly. She was staring down at the table, not saying anything as several different emotions crossed her face before she finally settled on forced acceptance. “I...guess I’ll come too.” She mumbled.
“Have fun putting that on your future applications. Snuck into detention will surely get you more job prospects.” Theo said bluntly, looking back at his book when Daphne shot him a heated look.
“Stop it. Greg is right, it’s only fair. I was out too and I should face my punishment.” Daphne sighed.
“I never thought I’d see the day Daphne Greengrass would agree to sneak into detention with me,” Greg grinned. “Definitely something to write home to my dad about!”
“Please don’t write to your dad about me,” Daphne begged, her cheeks quickly turning red. “Not everyone needs to know what I’m doing!”
After breakfast, Draco spent the rest of the day getting tortured by his fellow Slytherins for practically ruining their chances at winning. The thing that certainly hurt the most was having a swift Severing Charm sent at his uniform, the emblem on his school robes coming right off. The message was quite clear with that. He was no longer a Slytherin. He may wear their colors but any shreds of hope at being accepted by his peers was now gone to the wind.
So much for being the youngest Seeker in a century. Why enjoy the title if his house no longer cared about it anymore?
It was eleven at night when the three of them left their rooms, not having to sneak out for once thanks to that note from McGonagall, and walked their way to Hagrid’s Hut. They were whispering to each other, surprisingly in high spirits despite the task. But that excitement was quickly quashed when they saw that not only Potter stood with Hagrid.
It was Granger and Weasley as well.
“I see yeh bought yer lot as well, Malfoy.” Hagrid sighed.
“Good thing we came, then.” Weasley glared at them. “We wouldn’t leave Harry with the likes of you.”
Greg began cracking his knuckles and Draco knew that he was itching for a fight. He understood because he, too, wanted to punch Weasley in his stupid freckled face. But getting in a fight in front of someone who could report them to McGonagall would not be good so he simply placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. “Patience, Greg…” He whispered with a smirk. “At least lure him off somewhere so no one can hear him scream.”
That got the reaction he was hoping for from Weasley, who had to be held back from Granger.
“Cut it out, the both of yeh! This is ‘posed to be a punishment, not anythin’ else.” Hagrid straightened his heavy coat. “Now pay close attention. This is important.” Hagrid pulled out a vial of silver liquid, twirling it around a bit before looking back at the group. “Yeh see this? Unicorn blood. We’re lookin’ fer an injured unicorn ‘ere in these forests. I’ll be splittin’ yeh up into two groups. ‘Arry, Draco an’ Hermione will be in Fang’s group. Daphne, Greg an’ Ron will be in my group.”
“Aw man,” Greg mumbled. “I wanted to be with Fang.”
Hagrid gave a lantern to Harry and another one to Daphne before he began to walk into the forest. They all followed after him until the eventual split in the paths, the two teams splitting off to follow their respective leaders. Fang led them down the path, occasionally veering off as he followed an invisible trail that only he could sense.
“I never thought I’d see a unicorn,” mused Hermione, trying to break the silence. “It’s a shame it’ll be when it’s hurting, though.”
“Ah,” Draco nodded. “You’re muggle-born, right.”
“Problem with that, Malfoy?” Potter squinted.
“Oh please, Potter. I have better things to worry about than Hermione Granger’s stupid blood status. I’m the Chosen One, remember?” Draco scoffed, pointing at the scar in the middle of his forehead.
“You should really learn to be more humble about that.”
“Why would I? I’m literally the most important wizard in all of the world. You’d be dead without me.”
“Yeah, well, being a hero isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. My dad says so.”
Before Draco could respond, Granger shushed them. “Quiet! Fang spotted something.”
The two of them fell silent as Fang began leaning them away from the path. Draco forced Potter’s lantern holding arm in front of him, seeing flecks of silver painting the grass. Unicorn blood. That bad feeling Draco had before when Greyback was let loose into the castle, settled in his stomach. But this time it was accompanied by a dull pain where his scar was. As Fang led them closer and closer where the blood got more obvious, the pain only increased.
“Duck!” Potter whispered.
The three of them ducked behind a large log, Fang pressed against Draco’s side and slobbering all over his robes. If he wasn’t in pain right now, he’d push the loathsome little beast away but now wasn’t the time.
In the clearing where the moon bared down on it, a unicorn rested on its side as blood poured out of its open wounds. It was unmoving, most likely dead. A hooded figure was hunched over the unicorn, drinking its silver blood right from the wound like a savage beast. He felt sick. A creature that represented innocence being killed so violently and being feasted upon. Suddenly, a sharp pain from his scar caused him to grunt in pain which proved to be a big mistake. The hooded figure looked up from the slain unicorn, it’s sharp teeth bared and eyes burning a bright red in their direction. The Slytherin in Draco did the only thing that seemed right at the time.
He ran for his life.
His heart hammered heavily in his chest, Fang running right behind him as if even he understood the danger that they were in. He has no idea what or who that beast was but alarm bells were going off in his head which told him to keep running until he was safe. It would be only later that Draco would realize that he ran off in a random direction with no guarantee it would lead him to the exit but, for now, he trusted his feet to carry him to safety. He reached the split path where everyone separated, breathing heavily and gasping for air.
Everything was silent.
Too silent.
Draco turned around in a panic, realizing that only Fang was with him. Granger and Potter were nowhere to be found. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…” Gryffindors. It was always bloody Gryffindors that got themselves into trouble like this. Who knows? Maybe they went off to fight that animal alone. Draco paced back and forth for a bit, going over a list of pros and cons of going back after those two idiots when a shuffle of the leaves caught his attention. He raised his walking stick like a bat, ready to whack whatever was coming for him but froze when the bushy hair of Granger poked out from the brush.
“Malfoy!” She pulled some leaves from her hair as she approached, followed by Potter who held the now broken lantern in his hands. “You’ll never believe what happened!”
“Let me guess. You both died and are ghosts that have come to haunt me.”
“What? No! We’re alive thanks to Firenze.”
Draco raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
“He’s a centaur,” Potter explained. “He saved us while you were too busy running away. Some Chosen One you are!”
“It’s called self-preservation, Potter! I was placed in Slytherin for a reason. It’s not my fault that you and your Gryffindor lot have a death wish.”
“Stop fighting!” Granger yelled, the two boys immediately closing their mouths. “Malfoy, this is important. Firenze explained that unicorn blood kept you alive if you were in an inch of your life.”
“We think someone is trying to revive You-Know-Who.” Potter stepped closer to him, his piercing green gaze staring right into him. “You’re the bloody hero. What are you going to do about this?”
He didn’t know what he was going to do about this if he were honest. He was so focused on the Time-Turner plan that he didn’t exactly have time to worry about someone reviving Belledam here and now with unicorn blood of all things. He didn’t even know unicorn blood could do that! Draco bit the nail of his thumb, ignoring the taste of dirt that touched his taste buds. There had to be some kind of solution to this.
Hagrid eventually came back with Daphne, Greg, and Weasley in tow. Daphne was the first one to see how shaken up Draco was, quickly going over to him and placing a worried hand on his shoulder. She asked him over and over if he was alright but Draco didn’t answer, the night’s events still slowly sinking in. Potter was the one who broke the news to Hagrid who looked to the ground sadly before petting Fang for comfort. All of them eventually returned to their respective dorms, Draco getting changed into his pajamas silently before slipping into bed.
“Draco,” Greg whispered. “What happened out there?”
“A reminder that we’re running out of time is what happened,” Draco answered. “Right after exams, we’re sneaking into the third-floor corridor no matter what.”
While the rest of Hogwarts was worrying themselves over the exams the rest of that week, Draco was preparing to retrieve a Time-Turner from the depths of Hogwarts with the threat of Belledam hanging over his head. Draco packed all of the items that he received over Christmas into his school bag before deciding that he was sufficiently prepared for the events ahead of him. He thought about Potter’s words and decided that it’s about time he started acting like the Chosen One he is. If the Dark Duchess were to rise, that’d give all the more reason for the entire Wizarding World to hate him. He’d have enemies everywhere.
And that wouldn’t be ideal, would it?
On the last day of exams, his group of friends didn’t speak as they sat at their table in the Great Hall. They already knew their roles in the upcoming plan so all there was left to do was study last minute for their last exams as they ate. With the start of the last exam, Draco put his all into it. He pushed thoughts of his impending doom far from his mind and, instead, focused on the difference between using salamander blood and iguana blood in a Wiggenweld Potion. The day passed by slowly as a nervous silence fell over Hogwarts. Things only returned to normal when the last exam ended for that day, allowing everyone to enjoy the rest of the day by doing whatever they wanted.
Blaise smiled a mischievous smile at them as they walked through the hallways, wanting to be as close to the third-floor corridor before they made a break for it. “I got the help of the Weasley twins to cause a distraction. I can guarantee you that nobody will even care where you are in exactly three minutes.” He explained. Blaise and the Weasley twins being in cahoots was something to be feared.
“Don’t die, you three. And I hope you know, Malfoy, that I’m adding this onto that life debt you owe me.” Theo commented before walking away, Blaise quickly following behind him.
Daphne turned to Greg and Draco. “Are we really sure we can do this? I mean, it isn’t too late to report this to McGonagall and let her handle it.”
“Draco’s the Chosen One, Daph!” Greg grinned. “He has to do this.”
“You can leave if you want, Daphne,” offered Draco. “I won’t fault you for doing it.”
“No, no, it’s fine.” She pulled the strap of her bag further up her shoulder. “You two would be hopeless without me anyway.”
Just then, a cacophony of sounds was released into the halls of Hogwarts with sparks of light appearing further down the hall. Curious students quickly ran after the commotion followed by teachers mumbling the words “Weasley twins” under their breaths. Blaise and the Weasley twins really is an interesting commotion. “That’s our cue,” Draco gave his friends a nod. “Let’s go.”
The three of them traveled back to the Trophy Room that they went to so many months ago when Draco was going to duel Potter. In a way, Potter did help him find the room with Fluffy in it. He kind of did owe his success to Potter. If he found some way to survive this, he would thank Potter. Somehow. Maybe with an anonymous note because Draco Malfoy would never say thank you to Harry Potter face to face. The two of them traveled to that locked door, Daphne waving her wand and casting a quick Alohomora before they went inside and met Fluffy.
The large three-headed dog towered over them, growling and baring his teeth as he took a step closer to them. Draco pushed down the urge to run away and, instead, dug through his bag and pulled out the flute that Theo got him for Christmas. “Does anyone know how to play this thing?” He didn’t exactly have time to practice with the whole Mirror of Erised thing. Greg took it from him and smiled.
“I’ve got this. My mum used to be good at this.” He placed the flute to his lips and began playing a soft tune. Fluffy’s ears perked up, seemingly recognizing the tune. The dog slowly backed up away from them, Greg taking this chance to step closer to the large dog. Once Fluffy was a good distance away from the door, the dog slowly laid down and all three heads dozed off. Greg kept playing until he heard the soft snoring from him, stopping before gently petting the center head. “Sleep well, boy.”
“Greg, you’re amazing!” Daphne whispered, going over to him and giving him a tight hug before she opened the trapdoor, revealing an inky blackness below. “Alright, let’s go before Fluffy wakes up again.”
“This doesn’t seem like a good idea,” Draco mumbled. “I can’t see a thing. What if it leads us into some sort of trap that kills us?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. This is supposed to keep intruders out, yes, but teachers have to get down here too. They wouldn’t use something that could kill them.”
“You say that but Fluffy was about to rip us to shreds.”
“Lucky us then.” And without saying anything else, Daphne jumped down into the hole. Greg immediately jumped in after her, followed by Draco. The three of them landed in a dark room, the squishy ground breaking their fall. Something slithered against Draco’s leg, the blond letting out an indignant yelp. He tried kicking at it but, whatever it was, slithered up his leg and clung on tightly.
The panicked gasps of Daphne and Greg got his attention, the two of them trying to fight back against whatever it was that was holding on tightly to them. As Draco’s eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see that the thing holding onto them resembled a plant. A very twisted plant but a plant nonetheless.
“Daphne, what do we do?” Greg choked out.
“I-I don’t know!” Daphne looked around, trying to get away from its hold. “Give me a minute, I know what this is. I swear, I-I…”
“Get ahold of yourself, Daph! Breathe and think!”
“Then stop yelling at me!”
A vine wrapped tightly around Draco’s throat just then, having no choice but to use his free hand to try and pull the vine away from his throat. But it only got tighter and tighter. He never paid as much attention in Herbology as he should have but he trusted Daphne enough that she could handle this. Even now, she had her eyes closed and was mumbling something under her breath.
Suddenly, her eyes shot open. “I’ve got it! Hold on, let me…” Daphne struggled a bit, waving her wand as she prepared a spell. “ Lumos Solem !” A bright light burst from her wand. Draco’s vision was blinded by white followed by the feeling of falling. The three of them landed on the rough ground below them, coughing and struggling to catch their breaths.
“Devil’s...Snare…” Daphne huffed. “Hates the...light…”
They all sat there, letting a silence wash over them as they rubbed at their wounds. Draco rolled up his sleeve, already seeing a bruise form on his pale skin. Just great. It was probably worse on his neck. He pushed himself up to his feet and dusted himself off, picking up his walking stick and making sure it was still intact. It still looked good, nothing but a slight chip in the side that could easily be repaired.
“Should we continue…?” Greg asked.
Draco nodded. “It would be better if we did. I really don’t want to face all of that again.” Draco held his hand out to Greg, helping the other boy up and then doing the same to Daphne.
They walk up to a wooden door. Draco pressed his ear against it first, listening carefully. What sounded like the wings of a bunch of different fluttering creatures was on the other side of the door. He really hoped it wasn’t just a room full of owls. He carefully opened the door. The room was filled with color, little keys with colorful wings attached to them flying about without a care in the world. There was hardly much to distinguish them from one another. On the other end of the room was the door to the next room, a silver lock keeping that door shut.
“Well, c’mon.” Greg motioned for them to follow him further in. “We can just use a quick Alohomora on that door over there.”
“Oh, Gregory, you can’t honestly think it’s that simple?” Daphne looked up at the keys. “It won’t work. One of these keys unlocks that door.”
“I suppose it’s up to me then.” Draco took off his bag, handing it and his walking stick to Daphne for her to hold. “I’m sure I can find it. You two have had your time to shine, allow me.” At that, Daphne rolled her eyes but stepped aside to allow Draco to do his thing. He went over to the side of the room where a bunch of broomsticks rested. He picked it up before he carefully inspected the room. It was just like Quidditch all over again, simply trying to find the Snitch while all the other players flew around the room.
He studied each key that flew by, his eyes zooming in on one that stuck out among the rest. A silver key flew around just a bit slower than the rest, one of the wings broken. He mounted his broom and flew into the air, his arm outstretched towards it and trying his hardest to ignore the other keys that were whizzing by. Just when he was close to the silver key, it quickly flew to the left just like the Snitch usually did in Quidditch.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t end up in his mouth this time like when he first managed to catch it.
“Go Draco Go!” Greg cheered from the floor, Daphne following his lead and cheering for him as well.
He followed after the key as it zipped left, right, up, and down. Draco flew after it once it was closer to the ground, doing something terribly Gryffindor-ish that would earn him odd looks from his peers. Once it was still, Draco jumped right off of his broom and grabbed it. He hit the ground rather hard, the key clutched close to his chest as he rolled to a stop. He didn’t hear anything break, fortunately, but there was going to certainly be bruises on him once all of this was over. May as well add onto what the Devil’s Snare started.
“Draco, are you okay!?” Daphne asked, her wand drawn as she looked him over. She poked and prodded at him as she tried to find anything broken.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Draco shooed her hand away before he ripped off the wings from the silver key and handed it to her. “Go open the door.”
Daphne seemed reluctant to do so but eventually grabbed it, going over to the door to insert the key into the lock. Greg helped Draco to his feet while she did so. “You’re really going to have to use that move for next year.” Greg joked. Draco elbowed him but smiled nonetheless. Daphne twisted the silver key into the lock, the lock falling down to the floor that showed that they were successful in passing this little trial.
“This is three down. Four more to go and the Time-Turner is ours, you two.” Daphne said excitedly.
Though, Daphne’s excitement was quickly squashed when she very narrowly avoided a spell being sent her way. The three of them quickly ducked, looking around the empty room and seeing a suit of armor with a wand in its hand. It stood in the center of the checkered patterned floor, waiting for one of them to approach. Daphne quickly passed Draco his walking stick before all three drew their wands. It seemed that they weren’t going to be getting out of here without defeating this thing.
“Let me handle this,” Greg said, stepping in front of them. “I think it wants a wizard’s duel. You guys make a run for the door the moment it starts, alright?”
“Greg, are you sure?” Draco asked.
“I’m sure. Get ready, you two. Keep going no matter what.”
Daphne and Draco shared a look before they slowly put away their wands, stepping to the side. Greg met the armored knight in the center of the room, both of their wands drawn. They gave a bow to each other before they began walking away with their backs turned.
At two steps, Daphne was motioning for Draco to follow her.
At four steps, Draco was grabbing Daphne by the hand and letting her lead him closer to the door.
At six steps, the two were almost at the door.
And, finally, at step seven did the two duelers turn around. They quickly fired off spells at each other before one of them sent Greg flying into one of the walls. He slumped over once he hit the ground, not moving as his wand rolled away from him. The armored knight then turned towards them and Draco knew that they had to keep going. “Through the door, come on!” Draco pulled Daphne through, the girl shooting one last concerned look at Greg before they slammed the door behind them.
They didn’t move for a bit, keeping their backs pressed against the door just in case the knight tried to get inside to them as well. Once they realized that they were safe, though, Daphne immediately sunk to the floor and sobbed into her hands. Draco rubbed her back, not too good at comforting crying girls but this was his friend. He should at least try for her sake. “He’ll be okay, Daphne,” Draco said. “Greg is tough, you know this. More brawn than magic.”
“But what if he isn’t, Draco? What if he’s seriously hurt?”
“Thinking like that won’t get us anywhere. We have to continue on, Daphne. If we go back in that room, we’re going to be hurt just as much.”
Daphne sniffled, rubbing her wet face into her robes before she got herself to her feet. She hugged Draco once she was up, Draco quickly wrapping his arms around her in a silent hug. He was worried about Greg too but he wouldn’t let Greg’s sacrifice be in vain. But Draco hoped, truly hoped, that his best friend was okay. Daphne eventually pulled away and gave Draco a watery smile before she looked at the room they were in.
It was completely empty, the door on the other side simply waiting for them.
Draco sheathed his wand before he took Daphne by the hand, leading her carefully to the door on the other side. “It feels like death in here…” Daphne mumbled. She came to a stop, noticing something on the ground. Draco looked back to her just as she picked up a clump of fur. “There was some kind of creature in here, I just know it. You don’t think it’s hiding, do you?”
He looked around for a bit. “No, whatever was in here is long gone. I can tell. We should just take this as a blessing in disguise and move on.” Draco watched as Daphne dropped it down on the ground, wiping her hand on her pants leg before allowing Draco to pull her along to the next room.
The next room had a simple wooden table in the center with a bunch of potions ingredients. Instead of the one door that would lead to the next room, there were two. Both had mirrors hanging on the backs of them with silver frames that had the name Gilderoy Lockhart’s name etched into them. Well, it was obvious who created this room. The two of them approached the table, looking at the ingredients that were there. A mysterious potion with a bunch of different types of wings. Doxywings, lacewings, blowfly wings. There was also a piece of parchment with a fancy golden brush laying next to it.
Draco picked up the note and carefully read it out loud.
“ I am beauty, I am grace, I am… gorgeousness in liquid form...? ” Draco gagged a bit. Yeah, that’s definitely Lockhart’s writing. “ To be able to leave or move on, to my beauty you must conform. ” He looked back towards Daphne. “And this is the man that you and every other girl likes? I do not understand.”
“Shut it,” Daphne lightly shoved him. “Let me see… this is obviously a Lockhart related riddle. Now, what does it mean?”
“This is Lockhart so we obviously know that it’s related to how vain he is.”
“Hmmm…” Daphne walked closer to the table. “You’re right. He is pretty vain, isn’t he? There’s something more to this. I just know it.”
Draco stared at the note, reading it over and over again as he tried to piece things together. The line gorgeousness in liquid form stood out to him and not just because it was so awful. Lockhart thought that he was gorgeous. Lockhart in liquid form, Lockhart in liquid form…
Wait a minute.
“Daphne!” Draco said excitedly, the girl jumping a bit as he snapped her out of her thought process. “It’s Polyjuice Potion! Someone needs to turn into Lockhart and we’ll be allowed to exit!” He reached into his bag where he packed Daphne’s Advanced Potions book that she got him for Christmas, slamming it on the table without much care. He flipped through the pages and stopped when he saw the polyjuice potion ingredients.
“All we need to do is the final steps for part two. Just go ahead and add in the lacewings. They should be a bit green on the ends.”
Daphne cringed as she leaned a bit further in to get a closer look at which wings were the lacewings that they needed. When she finally noticed them, she picked them up and practically flung it into the muddy potion. “Okay, now stir counter-clockwise, only three times. Nothing more and nothing less.” Draco ordered. Daphne followed his instructions and stirred exactly three times, counting slowly as she did so.
Draco picked up the golden brush and picked out some of Lockhart’s hair before dropping it into the potion, waving his wand over it. The brew transformed into a smooth, blue-colored potion. Draco picked it up, prepared to take a sip but Daphne stopped him. “I’ll drink it. After you move ahead, I need to leave so I can get McGonagall. Greg is still in that other room and he has to be taken to the hospital wing.”
Draco handed the potion to her, Daphne taking a quick whiff of it before downing it quickly. She doubled over then, coughing heavily as her body began to bubble and twitch as she transformed into Lockhart. After the transformation, she took a deep breath. “Ugh, it tasted like cheap cologne…” Lockhart Daphne groaned. Draco looked off, holding in his laughter at the sight of his Head of House in a female uniform.
The two of them moved over to the mirror, Lockhart Daphne standing in front of it and giving it her best smile. The sound of a slight click echoed throughout the room before the door slowly opened. “Good luck, Draco.” She said before she slipped over to the other door with the mirror, slipping past once it opened. Draco could only imagine the kind of chaos that was erupting in Hogwarts at seeing Lockhart run around like that.
Draco went inside the next room.
Inside of the last room, the Mirror of Erised stood there ominously. And beside it? Professor Pettigrew, pointing his wand at Draco.
“Mr. Malfoy, there you are,” Pettigrew said, a twisted smile on his face. “What an impressive student you are. Good grades and smart friends. You even managed to defeat one of my a-associates in a school bathroom of all things.”
Draco clenched his fist. It didn’t take someone with good grades to know just what he was saying. Fenrir Greyback, a Death Eater, was working with him. That meant that Pettigrew himself was a Death Eater too. He was friends with Sirius Black, Hogwarts’ very own war hero. Was he wrong about Black? Was he allied with them too? “And where’s your other little friend? Professor Black? Is he behind this too?” Draco asked.
“Sirius? Oh no, no, no.” Pettigrew chuckled. “H-He’s much too soft-hearted for that. Though, it is certainly easier to pin things on him. He was known for being a bit of a w-wild card during the war. Pinning your eventual death on him would be all too easy since everybody knows he hates you for who your father was.”
“But why are you doing this?” Draco carefully took a step closer. “Didn’t you say that you were friends? Why betray Black?”
“Because I’m smart!” Pettigrew yelled, his wand hand shaking just a bit. “Precious little Padfoot and all the others were fools! T-They could have easily ended up in the position of your parents by fighting in the first war! But me? I saw my chance and I took it. I am not going to let myself die for a cause I don't even care about!”
“Professor,” Draco spoke softly, taking another step closer. He was rapidly coming up with different plans of escape in his head. If he drew his wand fast enough, he could try and fight him. But Pettigrew was most likely a lot stronger than him when it came to magic and could kill him. But if he cast a strong Lumos spell, maybe could just distract him and run. But would the door still be open after Daphne went through it? He couldn’t risk that either. “I understand. You chose life instead of possible death. Anyone smart would have done the same. But do you honestly think Belledam wouldn’t choose to kill you like she killed my parents?”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself, Malfoy?”
Before Draco could ask what he meant by that, Pettigrew began slowly unwrapping the turban from around his head. Pettigrew turned around then, revealing a feminine face on the other side of his head. Her eyes were as dark as evil itself with teeth sharp like an animal’s. Draco is suddenly reminded of the thing he saw in the Forbidden Forest not too long ago during that detention a while back. They look very similar without all of the unicorn blood on the face.
If he knew that it was Belledam back then, he would have run even faster and would not have even considered waiting for Granger and Potter.
Belledam only smiled at him before Pettigrew turned back around. “Wh-What do I do, Lady Belledam? How can we get the chipped Time-Turner?”
“ Use itty...bitty…baby...Draco... ” A shrill voice whispered. “ Draco...and the mirror… ”
“Get in front of the mirror!” Pettigrew closed the distance between the two of them, pressing his wand into Draco’s cheek. Understanding that he didn’t have much choice, Draco held up his hands in surrender and did as he was told.
Once again, Draco stood in front of the Mirror of Erised. His heart hurt just a bit at the memory of seeing his parents in there. But this time, they were not there at all. On the other side of the mirror stood Draco by himself, Pettigrew nowhere in sight. His reflection put a finger to his mouth, signaling to him to stay quiet before he slowly began reaching into his bag.
“What do you see?” The crazed professor asked. “Do not even think about lying!”
“I see myself, I promise. He’s…” Draco trailed off, seeing that his other stopped reaching for his bag. He eyed Draco and he suddenly understood that his reflection had some kind of plan. Draco slowly reached for his bag as well. At the same time, both of them held up the mirror that Hagrid got Draco for Christmas. His body moves on its own from there. Draco held up the silver hand mirror to the Mirror of Erised. For just a second, Draco’s other self’s appearance shifted into that of an older him. One different than what he saw in the mirror with his parents.
And with that, a bright light came from the mirror. The glass of the mirror cracked before it shattered outwards, Draco quickly using his sleeve to protect his face from permanent eye damage. But it seemed that Pettigrew wasn’t as lucky as he was. The man let out a cry of pain as he covered the left side of his face, blood pooling from beneath his hand. He looked at Draco, his gaze full of anger before he looked up. Draco did the same.
The Time-Turner floated about both of their heads like a snitch, glowing a beautiful gold as the inner parts of it turned slowly. It was high enough where, if Draco jumped, he could catch it. The two of them looked at each other before they both acted quickly, running for it. But it seemed Draco’s Seeker skills paid off more than he thought. He felt Pettigrew’s hands wrapping around his waist as he jumped but the more important feeling was the warmth that radiated from the Time-Turner as it landed in the palm of his hand.
There was a cry of pain before the world faded into darkness.
In his dream, Draco remembered everything.
He understood that feeling that was always in his gut, telling him that something was off or that something may go wrong. It was because they were wrong. Things were all wrong.
He stood alone in the manor, Malfoy Manor, breathing heavily with his old hawthorn wand in his hand. The sounds of fighting were heard not too far away in the manor, spells being cast and bodies dropping to the floor. Even now, Draco stands in front of the dead body of some Death Eater that he does recognize. Earlier on, he did something stupid. Something really, really stupid that he was beginning to regret now.
He asked for help. Help from the Order, to be exact.
And they, being the good hearted Light wizards that they were, came to help. Probably some random foot soldiers to get them out of the manor since Draco did such a good job ratting out the Death Eaters that were held up in his childhood home. But those Light wizards, the one that Draco depended on saving him, were now losing the battle. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest as he numbly stood there alone. Especially after he heard orders barked from Aunt Bellatrix somewhere in the house.
“ Kill the blood traitors! Kill the Malfoys! I want them dead! ”
He wasn’t surprised that she found out. Especially that quickly. And because of all of this, Draco and his family were doomed.
Speaking of them, his mother came running into the parlor that he stood in followed by his father. They looked tired and scared. Lucius took Draco into his arms, holding him by the face and asking if he was okay. Draco only nodded but didn’t say anything. Narcissa mentioned they should get going and run while they could. But Lucius had a better idea. “I have a Time-Turner,” He said. “It’s in my study, I got it from the Ministry. We can escape into the past.”
The sound of running footsteps coming near them caused the three of them to run. Draco ran in the front, his parents flanking behind him as they all ran. Their enemies were closing in on them with Bellatrix leading the charge.
“ Avada Kedavra !” One of the Death Eaters shouted. A green light appeared in the corner of Draco’s eye. He heard the cry of his mother as the sound of a body hit the floor. He turned around, his heart shattering at the sight of his father collapsed on the floor as they continued to run. His mother shot off a killing curse of her own at the bastard who killed his father and her husband, the Death Eater falling to the ground.
They eventually reached his father’s study, Narcissa slamming the door closed and locking it before pressing her body against it. Draco immediately began rummaging through his father’s stuff.
“Draco, listen to me carefully,” She spoke calmly despite her disheveled appearance. “I’ll buy you time. Use it for yourself.”
“Mother―” Draco spoke for the first time but was immediately cut off by his mother’s serious glare.
“Draco Lucius Malfoy, you listen to me. I love you and it is my job to make sure that you’re happy no matter what. Do you understand? Now s earch !”
He gulped but nodded, rummaging through things before he finally found it. The Time-Turner. Draco looked towards his mother, prepared to go to her and bring her with him when the doors of the study were blasted open, sending her to the floor. Bellatrix stood above her along with another Death Eater that Draco didn’t know. She laughed shrilly and, without any other choice, Draco flicked the inner part of the Time-Turner. He didn’t know or care how many spins there were.
“He’s getting away!” Bellatrix shouted. “ Depulso !”
And before everything else faded to black, the last thing he heard and saw was the killing curse hitting his mother and her screams of agony as she died.
When Draco came to, he was laying down in the hospital wing. He was no longer an older Draco Malfoy but, instead, he was eleven years old once again. The scar on his forehead burned and his heart ached. He doubled over in the bed, sobbing into his pillow as he mourned the loss of his mother and father. Not only were they dead in that lifetime but they were dead in this place as well. This place where Draco was no longer a Death Eater but, instead, he was the Chosen One who was destined to beat some new threat named Lady Belledam.
A hand pressed gently on his back, rubbing it in small circles. He looked up and came face to face with McGonagall. Headmistress McGonagall. “You’ve been through a lot,” She began. “You may use this time to cry if you wish.”
“McGonagall…” He hiccupped, rubbing his face to get the tears out of his eyes. “This isn’t right, I―” But something prevented Draco from saying what he wanted to say, his throat closing up as if he were being choked. He coughed once the feeling went away, McGonagall patting him on the back in an attempt to comfort him. He couldn’t tell people what he saw. What he knew. Even now, memories were whizzing around in Draco’s head about a timeline that no longer existed for him. He decided to ask something else. “What happened?”
McGonagall sat down on the edge of his bed then, a twinkle in her kind eyes. “You must imagine my surprise when Gilderoy Lockhart came bursting into my office, claiming to be Daphne Greengrass, said that you three wormed your way through our trials and you were about to get your hands on the original Time-Turner that my old friend made.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the Time-Turner. “Peter Pettigrew is still alive and now on his way to Azkaban. Though, it seems that your mother’s love did quite a bit of harm to him once he touched you. He left cursing your name and very existence.”
She then took Draco’s hand, holding it palm up before placing the Time-Turner in his hand. “The wizarding world owes you yet again. You may keep this if you wish. It doesn’t work anymore but it does make a nice keepsake, no?”
Draco looked over the Time-Turner in his hand. Just like Pettigrew described, it was indeed chipped on one of its edges. He held it close to his chest for a second. It looked just like the one he used to escape from his previous life. He looked up to McGonagall and smiled. “Thank you,” The last words of his mother resonated with him. She loved him and wanted him to be happy. He’s sure that his father felt the same. He just hoped that they didn’t die with any regrets. “Has anything else happened?”
“You have a present from a friend over on that desk there,” McGonagall said, pointing to the small table that sat near his bed. On it was a thin book, rectangular in shape. “I’m sure your friends can inform you of the rest. Take care.” And with that, McGonagall left the room with Draco’s friends filing in immediately afterward. Greg, Daphne, Blaise, and even Theo all looked relieved.
“You’re alright! Thank Merlin!” Greg was the first one by his side, Daphne running around the bed to appear at his other side.
“You’ve been out of it for a couple of days,” Daphne explained, taking Draco by the hand. “You’ve missed so much!”
“Draco, it’s awful.” Blaise cried dramatically, laying across the bed in an exaggerated swoon. “Gryffindor won the House Cup of all things, can you believe it? We were so close.”
“But, in other news, Ravenclaw won the championship with you not being able to play thanks to certain events. Sorry your little boyfriend couldn’t win it for you.” Theo smirked.
Greg shook his head before he noticed the Time-Turner in Draco’s hand. “Oh, you kept it. It’s so weird seeing up close. Can this help me do my homework?” He asked innocently.
“It doesn’t work,” Draco twirled it a bit. “See? Nothing.”
“Aww…”
“Wait a minute,” Theo nearly shoved Greg out of the way, leaning in a bit to get a closer look. “If you don’t want it, can I have it? I’d like to work on it.”
Draco silently debated it. This was the last keepsake of his family. But then he remembered just how much of a genius Theodore Nott was in the previous timeline and decided that if anyone could get it to work, it would be him. “I suppose so,” Draco plopped the device in friend’s waiting hand. “Consider my life debt paid then.”
Theo rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything afterward, pocketing it. Draco was going to take that as an okay.
Madam Pomfrey suddenly came in carrying a plate of food. “Alright, off you all go. It’s dinner time for Mr. Malfoy and he needs to gather his strength.”
“But we just got here,” complained Blaise. “And I’m comfortable.”
“You can all see him over the summer, I’m sure. Now go on.” She said. The group eventually left but not before Daphne called something out over her shoulder.
“The end of term feast is tomorrow! I’ll make sure to bring Celeste down from the Owlery for you!”
And with that, they were gone. Madam Pomfrey placed the plate down on his lap before, shooting him a quick smile, before leaving him alone. Draco looked to the side towards that thin book that McGonagall mentioned earlier. He grabbed it and opened it. Inside the cover was a simple message.
Was givin’ to me by a friend. Enjoy.
Signed, Hagrid
The rest of the contents nearly brought tears to his eyes.
It was a photo album of his family. In different pictures were his parents, both of them looking young and happy. His favorite one was the one at their wedding. His mother and father were both dressed beautifully in white, Draco able to see the blush on her cheeks even with the picture in black in white. His father lifted her up and spun her around before planting a kiss on her lips.
A couple of the photos even had Regulus with his mother, both of them chatting happily before posing for whatever picture that was about to get taken. Draco eventually closed it, a warmth settling in his chest before he set it aside so he could eat. When he eventually went back to sleep, he dreamed of walking through the Malfoy Manor gardens with his mother and father by his side.
The Great Hall was filled with the excited chatter of the other houses, Gryffindor banners flying high in the ceiling. Slytherin was the only table not excitedly talking, sending glares at the Gryffindor table for stealing the win from them. Draco sat with his friends despite the tense atmosphere, feeling quite happy. He was itching to get home to Regulus to tell him about the school year. This would certainly get him off the hook for doing some of his chores. And, depending on his exam grades, maybe he could even just have an entirely relaxing summer.
Theo idly spun the defunct Time-Turner instead of eating while everyone else talked with each other.
“My mum’s getting married to her new husband this summer,” Blaise said, leaning in excitedly. “You’re all definitely invited. I need more kids my age there instead of my aunts squishing my cheeks and telling me how cute I am.”
“I should be able to make it.” Draco mused. “With everything that has happened, my caretaker just may allow me to actually go out of the house for once without him breathing down my neck.”
Greg leaned in as well. “That sounds amazing. I’ll definitely be there. Though, is the guy she’s marrying...you know…”
“Oh, no. He’s not one of them. Though, he owns some business in France. I don’t really know nor do I really care.” Blaise said casually.
“I suppose I’ll be able to go. My mother wouldn’t be able to resist someplace she could show off. You all would even get to meet my sister!” Daphne chimed in.
“Ah, the cute one...”
Daphne smacked Blaise on the back of the head for that.
When it was time for dessert to be served, McGonagall had risen to her feet and addressed the students. “Hello, Hogwarts students. This year’s winner for the House Cup goes to Gryffindor with four hundred and eighty-two points!” Applause filled the Great Hall except from the Slytherins who all shifted in their seats in silence. “For that, they get special desserts made by our most enthusiastic house-elves. But I have one more announcement to make before you all enjoy your desserts.”
McGonagall looked at Draco. “I would like to thank Gregory Goyle, Daphne Greengrass, and Draco Malfoy for their help in exposing and stopping Professor Peter Pettigrew in his plan to revive You-Know-Who. I am awarding fifty points each for them. These points will be properly given to Slytherin for next year which will have Slytherin in the lead by one hundred and fifty points!” That seemed to please Slytherin, at least a little bit. Flint gave him a thumbs up from further down the table which Draco returned. “Enjoy your food and I will see you all next year!”
While the other houses were given treacle tart for dessert, the Gryffindors were served a variety of desserts. It was most likely their favorites. Draco isn’t surprised to see that Harry Potter’s favorite dessert was already the default treacle tart they were always served. It was weird thinking about Potter now. No longer was he the Boy Who Lived, the title was now given to Draco. But even in this timeline, they didn’t seem to get along. Maybe it was just one of those things that were a universal constant.
Draco Malfoy was born to hate Harry Potter and Harry Potter was born to hate Draco Malfoy.
Dessert eventually came to an end and they all filed out of the Great Hall to their dorms to pack up. Upon returning, Draco greeted Celeste with a smile. She affectionately nipped at his finger from her cage. She must have been happy to see him again and, honestly, he was glad to see her. He never got Celeste in his previous life so, in this one, she was a welcome change. Once Draco was packed, all of his friends left Hogwarts with smiles on their faces.
There was nothing of note that happened on the Hogwarts Express as they made their way back to London. All of his friends were piled into a compartment that they claimed as their own. Potter and his friends had passed by. Draco and him shared a glare before the trio had moved on. As they neared the station, Blaise took one more sip of his fizzy drink that he bought from the trolly witch. “To many more interesting years with The Silver Trio!”
“Is that us?” Greg asked, pointing to them. “That’s a cool name.”
“Merlin, Blaise, don’t speak that into existence.” Daphne sighed. “I want to actually have a peaceful year with you all without the worry of You-Know-Who looming over our heads.”
“Please, Greengrass, you’re friends with the Boy Who Lived,” Theo smirked. “You can kiss your peaceful years goodbye.”
The Hogwarts Express eventually pulled into the station. They all grabbed their bags from the upper racks and left the train, going their separate ways. Theo didn’t even say a word as he disappeared into the crowd. At least Blaise had the decency to remind them that they were invited to his mom’s wedding before leaving as well. Daphne gave Draco and Greg hugs before she left into the crowd. And then there was Draco and Greg. Greg pointed to his father through the crowd who was standing next to a man that Draco didn’t recognize. But when the man waved to Draco, he instantly knew that it was Regulus.
They approached, Greg hugging his dad before excitedly babbling about so many things that even Draco had trouble keeping track of. He looked up at Regulus, a smile on his face. “You’ll never believe how my year went.” He said. Regulus slowly lowered himself down on one knee, smiling as well.
“Oh trust me, I know all about it. And I hope you know, Draco…”
Regulus placed a hand on top of Draco’s head. His heart swelled, expecting praise and a promise of a relaxing summer.
“You are so grounded, young man.”
But that’s the thing about expectations.
They can easily be subverted.