Disclaimer: I own nothing apart from the plot and any characters I invent. Everything else belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.
A/N: Here is the 5th chapter. I hope you all enjoy! Please leave me a review to let me know what you think!
The forest closed behind them with every step. Branches knitted overhead, swallowing the moon until the path became only a darker seam through the trees. Damp leaves muffled their boots, but not enough; every snapped twig cracked like a warning. Hermione kept her wand low at her side, counting exits she could not see. Ron stayed close enough that his shoulder brushed hers whenever the ground shifted, his silence too tense to be casual. Ahead, Snape moved without looking back, a black shape threading between the trees as though he had already measured every danger and found it merely inconvenient. 379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAtgKsW3QU
Then the undergrowth thinned. Firelight flickered between the trunks—small, orange, and dangerously exposed. In the clearing beyond it, Draco Malfoy sat rigid before the flames, one hand clenched around his wand though it rested against his knee. He was staring into the fire as if listening for something. At the scrape of Ron’s boot against stone, his head snapped up. For one bare second, there was only shock on his face. Then he saw Ron, saw Hermione, and the shock collapsed into panic so quickly it looked like anger.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHAtl7W9EG
Draco lurched to his feet so fast the fire threw his shadow across the trees. His wand locked on Ron first—old instinct, old hatred—then jerked to Hermione, where something sharper and more uncertain crossed his face before he buried it. ‘What are they doing here?’ he snapped. The words had the old Malfoy edge, but his grip had gone white around the wand.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5Yc9rDiGb
Ron’s wand snapped up in answer, fast enough that sparks spat from the tip before he had fully planted his feet. Hermione felt him move and lifted her own wand at once—not aiming yet, but ready to stop either boy if the next breath turned into a curse. ‘Funny,’ Ron said, eyes fixed on Draco. ‘I was wondering why anyone let the ferret sit with his back uncovered.’ The insult landed almost steadily; the hand holding his wand did not. The clearing seemed to tighten around them. Draco’s mouth curled, but he did not fire back. The fire cracked between the boys, throwing their shadows long and jagged over the roots, and for one stretched heartbeat the only sound was the hiss of damp wood burning.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFXQ3YwnC7
Snape moved before the standoff could ignite. ‘Wands. Down. Now.’ The command cut clean through the clearing, quiet and lethal. He stepped between the lines of fire without glancing at Hermione, trusting—or expecting—her not to be the fool who cast first. His eyes stayed on the boys. ‘I have endured quite enough adolescent posturing for one night.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2l8hC1rY6u
For a moment, neither boy moved. Ron’s jaw worked as if every old grievance had crowded behind his teeth. Draco’s wand trembled once before he steadied it with visible effort, shame flickering across his face the instant he realised anyone might have seen. Hermione’s fingers tightened around her wand, ready for the spell she hoped she would not need. Snape did not raise his voice. He did not need to. At last Ron lowered his wand by inches, sparks dying on the grass. Draco followed a heartbeat later, muttering something vicious and breathless as he sank back beside the flames. Snape took the tree stump opposite them with the air of a man sitting in judgement rather than resting.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJ9UM7YA8y
Snape’s gaze slid to Ron and Hermione before either could decide whether sitting beside Malfoy counted as surrender or insanity. ‘Sit down,’ he said, each syllable clipped. ‘If you are determined to survive this evening, you may as well do so while listening.’ The order left no room for pride. Ron sat first, still glaring, choosing the place nearest Hermione without seeming to think about it. Hermione followed more slowly, keeping her wand loose in her hand and her eyes on Draco’s.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECsK8CgfDT
They settled near the fire with a careful stretch of ground between themselves and Draco. No one put their wands away. Silence pressed in from the trees, thick with smoke and old leaves. Hermione watched all three of them through the restless light: Snape, hollowed by fatigue and still impossible to read; Ron, bristling with the effort not to say the first thing that came into his head; Draco, tapping his wand soundlessly against his leg, each tiny movement betraying the panic his sneer was trying to pass off as boredom.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1rOqxXGmq
At last Draco exhaled hard through his nose and cut Snape a pointed look. ‘Well?’ he drawled, forcing his voice back into familiar arrogance. ‘Did you summon us for a reason, or are we supposed to wait politely until the Dark Lord finds us?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMWDbU5jSw
Snape answered Draco with a glare sharp enough to silence the clearing. Then he reached inside his robes and drew out Dumbledore’s letter. For a moment his fingers remained closed around the envelope, as though even he disliked the weight of what it carried. At last he handed it to Hermione. The handwriting on the front was unmistakable—the same careful script she had seen in the Pensieve memory—and recognition chilled her before she had even broken the seal.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmKndshYtT
Hermione opened the envelope under the weight of three stares. The parchment came out first. Then something metallic slid against the paper, and a necklace slipped into her palm. Silver flashed cold in the firelight. Suspicion faltered; curiosity drew Ron and Draco closer despite themselves.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVosg1gfIF
Hermione lifted the necklace into the firelight, her eyes narrowing with scholarly focus. ‘A Time-Turner?’ she murmured. Then her expression changed. ‘No. Similar construction, but the inscriptions are wrong.’ She turned the pendant carefully, keeping her fingers clear of the separate sections. ‘Ancient, deliberate, and probably dangerous—which, of course, means Dumbledore put it in an envelope and called that adequate warning.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH06y3NcNZ8
Ron leaned closer, squinting at the delicate metalwork. ‘So do you know what it is?’ he asked, reaching before he thought better of it. ‘Or do you want three more books and a controlled experiment before admitting it?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9tMInOtMx
Hermione caught his wrist at once. ‘Ron, don’t.’ Her voice snapped sharp enough to make him freeze. ‘Do not touch the pendant.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIn8t9l3bD
Ron jerked his hand back. ‘All right, all right—hands off the cursed jewellery. You could lead with that, you know.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡST2Cbv24Rc
‘If it works anything like a Time-Turner, touching the wrong part could trigger it,’ Hermione said, already easing the necklace away from him. ‘And I would rather not discover whether accidental time travel by idiot is survivable.’ She placed it carefully back into the envelope.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBY5BIYl2d
Snape’s sigh was so dry it might have turned leaves to dust. ‘If the inspection of mysterious objects by touch is quite finished, Miss Granger, perhaps you might read the letter before Mr Weasley discovers a second way to endanger us all.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrDwhX9qEa
Hermione’s eyes narrowed. She lifted the parchment slightly. ‘You know what this says, don’t you?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKK6POU15I
For once, Snape did not sneer. ‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘Albus told me only that it mattered. Critical, was the word he chose—naturally without burdening himself with explanation.’ His fingers pressed briefly to the bridge of his nose. ‘I suspect instructions. I also suspect he expected obedience first and understanding sometime after death.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUjdA7WTSj
Hermione glanced at Ron, then unfolded the letter with careful fingers. Her eyes moved quickly down the page before stopping. ‘Wait,’ she said, the word sharper than she intended. ‘This is addressed to Malfoy and me. Not Ron.’ She looked up at Snape. ‘Why?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFbyFL4qi8
Snape’s mouth thinned. ‘If you are searching for Albus Dumbledore’s reasoning, Miss Granger, I suggest a crystal ball, a séance, or the nearest portrait willing to be cryptic at you.’ His gaze flicked to the letter. ‘I was told to deliver it. That is all.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFu0tzn2TtN
Ron stared down at his hands. The letter had named Hermione and Malfoy, but not him, and the omission worked under his skin. Had Dumbledore expected him not to be here at all? Hermione’s hand found his beneath the edge of her sleeve and squeezed once, warm and steady. Ron swallowed the question before it could surface.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5PhtwQiLk
Hermione smoothed the parchment against her knee, drew a careful breath, and began to read aloud.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2FtiS9D7l
Dear Miss Hermione Jean Granger and Mr Draco Lucius Malfoy,379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVkrrnLMPP
If my letter has reached you, I trust Severus has done what I asked and guided you in my absence. I am sorry I could not be there myself during such a difficult and dangerous time. Circumstances forced me to confront the consequences of choices I made long ago, and those consequences have now reached you.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIrZHgGmHT
It is because of those mistakes that you are reading this letter now instead of living a normal life and completing your final year at Hogwarts.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1Iy8uM5Ox
Hermione hesitated over the next line. ‘His mistake?’ she asked softly, looking to Snape despite herself. ‘What mistake?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugj1nwh16u
Snape’s expression closed like a door. ‘A decision made long before any of you were born,’ he said. ‘One that apparently managed to damage both the present and the past.’ His fingers pressed briefly to his temple. ‘Do not look at me like that, Miss Granger. If Albus wanted to clarify, he had ample opportunity to attempt it. Read.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiufU3PLVr
Hermione gave a small nod and returned to the letter.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXs50usHg5
I did not understand the full cost of my actions until near the end of my life. One missing piece can change an entire picture, and what I learned forced me to see how deeply my interference had altered lives that were never mine to direct.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExIm1I47Jo
Dumbledore’s words hung between them while the fire popped softly. Draco broke first, lip curling. ‘Of course. Even dead—or whatever he is—Dumbledore can’t simply write, “I made a catastrophic mistake.” He has to wrap it in riddles and regret.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51e3PIfbdP
Ron huffed despite himself. ‘That’s Dumbledore all over. Half an answer, a lemon drop, and somehow you’re meant to save the world with it.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06mjlN6AbV
Draco turned slowly to stare at him. ‘Did we just agree on something?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6COT9Lphk
Ron’s mouth twisted. ‘Don’t make it weird.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlMdQlXkes
Hermione shot them both a look. ‘If this historic moment has finished, I’d like to continue before one of you faints from agreeing with the other.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBztsUbCmXl
I must clarify that I never intended to die last year, though I believed my death might be the only way to set certain matters right. Our side was dangerously close to losing the war, and defeat would have meant captivity—or worse—at Tom’s hands. As you know, Severus and I planned my death. Mr Malfoy, too, had been given his own role in that grim design.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7QaejgKrW
Ron and Hermione both looked at Draco. Draco lifted both hands, palms out. ‘I was sixteen, terrified, and surrounded by murderers,’ he said tightly. ‘If you’re waiting for a heroic version, there isn’t one.’ Ron’s glare faltered; Hermione looked back to the letter.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJQs7gDTyx
Long before your time, I travelled from the year 3019 of the Third Age to 1899, using the gift of time travel. I came seeking help against a Dark Lord who threatened Middle-earth, a place dearer to me than I allowed myself to admit. Yet I became captivated by a young man and his ideals, and I chose to remain. I told myself there would be no Middle-earth left to save. I was wrong. My dreams of greatness eclipsed the purpose that had brought me forward, and many suffered for it—in your present and in my past.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxktOF4XzM0
‘Wait.’ Draco’s voice cut across Hermione’s reading. Ron flinched; Hermione tightened her grip on the parchment. Draco rounded on Snape, pale hair falling into his eyes. ‘Dumbledore was a time traveller?’ he demanded. ‘And you filed that under mildly inconvenient?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvubsR4SKWg
Hermione’s gaze snapped to Snape as well. ‘Did you know?’ Ron leaned forward beside her, expression hardening. For once, neither Gryffindor looked ready to argue with Draco about the question.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaebsNJytfp
Snape folded his arms, his expression shuttering. ‘It was not my secret to scatter for your amusement.’ His eyes moved from Draco to Hermione to Ron. ‘Nor would any of you have believed it had I tried.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9hCd6pj3X
‘A hint would have been considerate,’ Draco muttered. ‘Something small. “By the way, our late headmaster misplaced himself by several thousand years.”’ Ron gave a reluctant nod; Hermione looked as though she hated agreeing with either of them.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyikMNIfABj
Hermione drew a slow breath and forced herself back to the letter. ‘The young man he mentions—Grindelwald?’ Snape inclined his head once. ‘Wonderful,’ she said under her breath. Then she read on.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSnqq9OUUL
During his second year at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle found a Ring that once belonged to a Dark Lord of the Third Age. The spirit bound to that Ring possessed him, shaping the monster he became. The Ring can only be destroyed in the fire where it was forged. I wanted to correct my mistakes, and I believed death was the only path left to me. Yet I am not dead. I have returned to the past to make a difference where I once failed. The war is beginning, and this time I will not run to the future. I will stay and help those who must face it—though I cannot do so alone.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMLjOycRHs
Miss Granger, you carry a vital heirloom passed from mother to daughter for thousands of years. It is linked to another heirloom held by Mr Potter. Together, they may prove essential to the war effort here. Though these heirlooms exist in the Third Age, they do not yet possess the strength they have gained by your time. Forged by legendary Elven-smiths and infused with protective magic, they have absorbed traces of power from their wearers across generations, becoming far stronger than any relic of their kind should be.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYbGcf41oT
Hermione stopped reading when she realised every gaze had shifted to her. Heat rose in her face. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she reached beneath her collar and drew out the necklace she usually kept hidden. ‘I think he means this,’ she said, opening her hand. The pendant lay against her palm, pale stone and silver leaves catching the firelight like trapped starlight.The pendant hung from a silver chain so fine it looked woven rather than forged. Hermione touched the pale, flower-shaped stone at its centre. ‘My parents called it an Elf-Stone,’ she said, her voice turning careful around the private memory. ‘They said the silver leaves were older than any record in our family.’She swallowed, then added, ‘When I was old enough to ask properly, Mum told me its name was Evenstar.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKeDCcyftM
Snape leant forward, the firelight catching in his dark eyes as he studied the pendant. ‘Not goblin work,’ he said after a moment. ‘Nor any wizarding craft I recognise.’ His voice grew quieter, unwillingly intrigued. ‘Which means, naturally, that Albus has left us with something priceless, ancient, and almost certainly catastrophic.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyLVZ3Z0J0
Ron frowned at the pendant in Hermione’s palm. ‘Hold on. I’ve never seen you wear that.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3V514HUZA
Draco gave him a sideways look. ‘I have.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCfWE8nhJ7
Ron’s head snapped round. ‘You what?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fYuq8446A
Draco rolled his eyes. ‘The Yule Ball, Weasley. Your date wore dress robes, your best friend looked stunning, and you apparently noticed none of it. Truly heroic commitment to obliviousness.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJOK5TK6WD
Hermione glanced between them, startled despite herself. Draco had noticed what Ron had missed for years. That was uncomfortable enough without examining it closely. Hermione scanned the letter again. ‘It says Harry had an heirloom too, but not what it was.’ She reached to fasten her necklace back around her throat, then paused, fingers tight on the chain. ‘Dumbledore must have expected us to recognise it.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUUnUCDFR3
‘Harry has that ring,’ Ron said suddenly. When the others looked at him, colour crept up his ears. ‘The one with the snakes. He wears it all the time. Well—wore it.’ He glanced at Hermione, quieter now. ‘You know the one.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzFaROlQRo
‘But Harry’s gone,’ Hermione whispered, and for once there was no argument hidden in her voice—only the fear she had been refusing to name.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhv57KYKJk0
Snape’s expression darkened, though his tone stayed controlled. ‘We do not know that, Miss Granger. Potter has a maddening talent for surviving circumstances designed to kill him.’ His gaze dropped to the parchment. ‘If Albus had a plan, it will be in there. Continue.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdg3LjaRhI
Hermione nodded, but the movement was small and strained. Hope had arrived, yet it was too fragile to touch directly. She looked back to the letter because there was nowhere else to put the fear.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrMULnoRSo
I am entrusting you with a critical mission. You must retrieve a tome that will send you back to the Third Age. Time travel is dangerous, and the spell must be cast with absolute care. Within the tome, I have placed another letter that will explain what I cannot safely write here. Mr Weasley, if you are present, and Mr Malfoy, I trust you will both ensure Miss Granger’s safety during this mission.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbK4S2o66f
Ron let out a breath that was almost a laugh. ‘So he did remember me. Sort of. In the smallest possible print.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqGGdIx3CG
Hermione squeezed his hand. ‘Ron, if Dumbledore thought you might be here, he knew you’d choose to come.’ Her voice softened. ‘That matters.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9ubCShkBc
‘Time travel?’ Draco repeated, much quieter. The arrogance drained out of him, leaving something young and frightened underneath. ‘No one mentioned that part.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3bKWO1zpP
Snape’s voice lowered, unexpectedly careful. ‘Mr Malfoy. Remember what I told you.’ He held Draco’s gaze, the words less command than anchor.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnnRb8V2GL
Draco swallowed, eyes dropping to the ground. He drew one breath, then another, fingers worrying a small stone loose from the dirt. ‘Yes, sir,’ he said, barely above a whisper.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36HO737kpi
Hermione and Ron watched the exchange in silence. Whatever Snape had told Draco before tonight, it had steadied him. Questions crowded Hermione’s tongue, but Draco’s face warned her away. There would be time later—if time was still something they had.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ikGKv2DuN
You must not reveal your true origins after arriving in the Third Age. In time, you may have the chance to tell the truth, but for now you must keep it hidden. If anyone asks where you come from, say you are from the far North beyond the Grey Mountains and Forodwaith. I will explain more once you arrive. Miss Granger, keep your heirloom concealed at all times while you are there; I will speak with you about this in person. Mr Potter is already aware of the danger, and you will be reunited with him soon.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffr4s5Gjse
‘There!’ Ron nearly lunged toward the parchment. ‘He said we’ll see Harry soon.’ His grin arrived shaky but real. ‘That’s something. More than we had five minutes ago.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSSwtdmFG5
Relief moved through Hermione so suddenly it almost hurt. Harry was somewhere ahead of them, not lost beyond reach. She held that thought for one careful breath, then bent over the letter again before hope could make her reckless.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo78CLGW1cq
Now, the tome. I apologise for the riddle, but if these instructions fall into the wrong hands, the consequences could be disastrous. I believe the three of you will be able to solve it.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2r7OGYtE2
“You will find it in the heart of danger, where stealth and cunning must guide the search. It is concealed in a dwelling you know well, unseen by those outside the law yet hidden in plain sight. It rests farthest from its home, beside the closest thing it has to a complete opposite.”379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZgRevmxeP
Inside, I have included another letter with further guidance. Read it carefully, and follow the instructions exactly as written. Do not dismiss anything as impossible.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQluQ42vPg
Good luck and take care.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcro6io25nw
Yours faithfully,379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNr6XiIpcDq
Albus Dumbledore, formerly known in the Third Age as Gandalf the Grey.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSX7yqLszr
Hermione folded the letter with precise, frustrated movements and tucked it back into the envelope. ‘This book could be anywhere,’ she said. ‘Heart of danger narrows it down to roughly half of magical Britain at the moment.’She rubbed her thumb over the envelope’s edge. ‘Hogwarts is unlikely. Too many Order members are still there, and Dumbledore would know the castle is being watched.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDmG619143
Draco’s brow furrowed. ‘Not Hogsmeade either. It’s rubble, mostly, and Dumbledore was sentimental, not stupid. He wouldn’t hide something irreplaceable where every Death Eater with a spare afternoon could kick through the ashes.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzugWjf2aK
Ron shifted, thinking aloud. ‘Diagon Alley?’ When the others looked at him, he scratched the back of his neck. ‘Dad said the Death Eaters have mostly locked it down since Ollivander and Luna were taken. Heart of danger, somewhere we know, hidden in plain sight—sounds miserable enough to be right.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuOHTi0naC
The name of Diagon Alley pulled Malfoy Manor into the clearing with it: cold stone, closed doors, Bellatrix’s knife, Draco’s face turned away at the moment that had mattered. For several breaths, neither Gryffindor looked directly at him.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuzqhNBEjk
Hermione’s hand went to her arm before she could stop it. Beneath the bandage, the carved word throbbed, stubborn and cruel. Bellatrix’s blade had left more than a wound, and Hermione hated that her body still remembered.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡil7z772aIy
Draco stared at the ground, shoulders rigid. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. The words came out rough, stripped of polish and pride.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu7gr9CGkt
Ron studied him for a long moment, anger and memory warring across his face. ‘You could’ve handed us over at the Manor,’ he said at last. ‘You didn’t.’ His voice roughened. ‘Why not?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIzuykevqu
Draco’s mouth twisted, as if the answer tasted foul. ‘Because I was tired,’ he said. ‘Tired of screaming, tired of bowing, tired of pretending any of it was honour.’ He dug his fingers into the dirt. ‘Mother and I thought survival meant staying useful. Maybe that was cowardice. Maybe it still is. But if hesitating bought Potter another minute, then at least I did one thing that wasn’t disgusting.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaaT3xHIR6
Hermione’s expression softened, though her eyes remained careful. ‘That doesn’t sound cowardly to me.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQ5e35m6aW
Draco looked up, guilt raw in his face. ‘Then you have a very generous definition of bravery. I couldn’t even save my mother.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZObbYRBn4g
Snape’s eyes snapped to Draco. The reaction was so sudden that even the fire seemed to shrink from it. ‘I told you to stay here,’ he said, barely above a whisper. Authority sharpened the words, but something raw moved underneath them, quickly buried.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOkNDAcoQd
Draco’s head snapped up, grief flaring into anger. ‘And when have I ever followed orders well?’ he shot back. His voice cracked, but he forced the words out anyway. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPS2hJfJwn
Snape’s face tightened. ‘Because Narcissa asked me not to.’ His voice was low, scraped thin. ‘I argued. She refused. Your mother made her choice, Draco, and she made me promise I would not take it from her.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQ9rVq43hB
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look, caught between concern and the instinct to stay out of reach. Hermione opened her mouth, then closed it when Ron gave the smallest shake of his head. Some wounds were not theirs to examine.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOeiCspIAV
Draco’s gaze flicked to Ron and Hermione, then away again. ‘My mother died to save me,’ he said, each word controlled with painful effort. ‘There. Now you know.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgIpcAGkPa
Draco rose so abruptly that Ron’s hand twitched toward his wand. Grief had hardened into something cleaner and more dangerous. He crossed the small space to Snape and punched him in the face. The crack of knuckles against bone split the clearing, louder than the fire, louder than the trees. ‘That’s for hitting my mother,’ Draco growled as Snape staggered back, blood streaming between his fingers.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLBNEwUxni
Snape stared at him, shock fading into something like acceptance. Blood slipped between his fingers as he lifted his wand and repaired the damage with a few curt murmurs. He did not numb the pain. When he lowered his hand, his voice was nasal and strained. ‘Deserved.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmobWPkSPQy
Draco sank back to the ground, breathing hard. ‘Helped,’ he muttered. Snape gave one brief nod, as if acknowledging a debt paid in full.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGgGwTXWD5
For a while, no one spoke. The fire settled lower, throwing red light across Snape’s repaired nose and Draco’s clenched hands. The violence had burned through something in the air, leaving grief behind it—raw, visible, and impossible to tidy away.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6nqHOjKSO
When Draco finally spoke again, his voice had lost its earlier bite. He dragged a hand through his hair and looked from Hermione to Ron. ‘Fine. Since apparently I’m doing heroics now—what’s the plan?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzdjJQ9PCO
Snape took a measured breath, still wincing despite the spell he had cast on his face. ‘The Dark Lord has won this war for now,’ he said. ‘Do not mistake that for permanence. Even with his Horcruxes destroyed, something else is sustaining his advantage—something Albus clearly expected you to uncover elsewhere.’ He looked from Draco to Hermione and Ron, his gaze lingering on each of them in turn. ‘Based on the letter, he requires you and Granger to travel into the past. Potter may already be there, which would explain the promised reunion.’ His lip curled faintly. ‘The Ring is central, naturally, though Albus neglected to include the traditionally useful details. We are therefore left to infer that whatever happens in this Third Age may decide whether the Dark Lord’s victory here can be undone.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEveuebMlPa
Draco stared at him. ‘So the plan is to travel several thousand years into the past, find Potter, destroy an ancient evil ring, and hope Dumbledore’s corpse-adjacent penmanship hasn’t left out anything fatal.’ He gave a humourless laugh. ‘Excellent. Perfectly reasonable evening.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFCPNUVPOz
Ron frowned, then shook his head. ‘No, hang on. It’s awful, but it’s not impossible to follow.’ He pointed at the letter. ‘You-Know-Who found the Ring, the Ring got into him, and now the thing that made him worse can’t be destroyed here. Right?’Ron pressed on, growing surer as he spoke. ‘If they destroy it back where it was made, then maybe it never gets to Riddle at all. No possession, no extra Dark Lord whispering in his ear, maybe no war like this.’ He glanced around, suddenly self-conscious. ‘That’s what the letter’s saying, isn’t it?’The others fell quiet. Hermione’s smile came first—bright, proud, and a little surprised. Ron looked away, ears reddening. ‘What?’ he muttered. ‘I do listen when people aren’t making it sound like homework.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepYBOyMdda
Draco leaned forward, the brief levity draining from his face. ‘Then there’s the part Dumbledore didn’t mention,’ he said, glancing at Snape. ‘Assuming he knew. Which, inconveniently, is never a safe assumption.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqhXCzHz1m
Hermione’s brow creased. ‘What part?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoMDXLoCVX
Draco chose his words with visible care. ‘My father and Bellatrix were sent after an artefact. Ancient. Useful for seeing things from a distance, I think—scrying, location magic, something of that sort.’ He looked to Snape, who gave the smallest nod. ‘At first I thought it was about finding Potter. But once the Dark Lord knew Potter was at Hogwarts, he still wanted it. Which means Potter was never the whole point.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKn6G1fcfUj
Ron looked sharply at Snape. ‘And you didn’t know?’ His tone was cautious, but not quite polite. ‘You were close enough to hear things, weren’t you?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1maCUBizE
Snape’s eyes remained on the fire. ‘Close enough to be useful. Not close enough to be trusted with everything.’ His mouth twisted. ‘The Dark Lord dispensed knowledge the way he dispensed mercy—sparingly, and only when it served him. I knew of the search. I was not included in it.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW0hy1lSyR
Hermione’s fingers tightened around the envelope. ‘Could he use it to reach the past?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwFe11S4wj
Snape shook his head once. ‘Not by itself. But if Potter is there, and if the Dark Lord has a tool that can look beyond ordinary limits, I would prefer not to discover how inventive he can become.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uzh4F8dHR
Hermione drew a steadying breath and put the pieces together aloud. ‘Dumbledore tried to stop this older Dark Lord and failed. He came forward in time for help, but stayed instead.’She looked into the fire. ‘The Ring survived, crossed into our time, and reached Tom Riddle.’Her voice quietened. ‘So You-Know-Who wasn’t driven only by ambition and fear. Something older found him—and used what was already there.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmrnRfXDJb
Draco’s eyes moved to Hermione’s hidden necklace, then to Ron. ‘You and Potter have the heirlooms Dumbledore thinks can help end this.’ His jaw tightened. ‘Which still leaves the obvious question: why am I being dragged into the inspirational suicide mission?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7miujzg8Qg
Ron traced a line in the dirt with his wand. ‘No idea,’ he said. The line wriggled into a crooked snake before collapsing into sparks. ‘Maybe Dumbledore needed someone who could complain in two centuries at once.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRFN4zBhxk
Hermione ignored Ron’s mutter, though the corner of her mouth twitched. ‘There has to be a reason. Dumbledore invested too much in riddles to include your name by accident.’ She slid the envelope into her beaded bag. ‘For now, we know this: he wants us in the past, Harry may already be there, and the longer we argue, the less prepared we are.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVk0jFp6Rl
Ron gave Hermione a small, steady smile. ‘Then we go,’ he said. ‘Dumbledore’s reasons were usually annoying, but they were still reasons. And if Harry’s there, I’m not sitting this out because my name got shoved into the small print.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIryLw2BF2X
Draco stared into the fire. ‘Dumbledore says the heirlooms can help win a war, then immediately tells you to hide yours.’ He looked up at Hermione, eyebrow raised. ‘Either he developed a sudden appreciation for irony, or that matters.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtWJb9sXGR
Hermione frowned. ‘If they’re meant to help, hiding them seems counterproductive.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OxprXLoYJ
Draco gave her a thin smile. ‘And they call you the brightest witch of your age.’ When her eyes narrowed, he lifted one hand. ‘Relax, Granger. I’m saying they’re not just powerful. They’re recognisable.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUwQ8E4w4S
Hermione looked down, scepticism warring with curiosity. ‘Mine has passed through generations of Muggles. If it absorbed magic, it can’t only have come from obvious witches or wizards.’ Her thumb brushed the place where the pendant rested beneath her clothes. ‘Unless magic can leave traces in ways we don’t understand.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxHlc66qsl
Draco snapped his fingers once, impatient. ‘Exactly. But that isn’t the part I mean. Try thinking less like a textbook and more like someone who expects people to stab first and ask questions never.’Draco began to pace around the fire. The more he thought about Dumbledore’s warning, the less he liked what had been left unsaid. Power that old would have conditions. Patterns. Traps.He fixed on Hermione. ‘Why hide it from people in the Third Age? Not because it glows prettily. Because someone there may know what it is—or who it belonged to.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUx51ymSnu9
Hermione’s eyes sharpened. ‘The Dark Lord,’ she said. ‘If he knows the originals, he could recognise stronger future versions and try to take them.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHMtOPMV4z
‘Possible,’ Draco allowed, and the concession sounded like it cost him something. ‘But I meant other people too. Allies. Enemies. Anyone who sees that necklace and remembers a story you haven’t heard yet.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3JkV5xnvk
Hermione drew herself up slightly. ‘You think the danger is recognition, not only theft.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9H4bpykCX
Draco pointed at her as if she had finally arrived somewhere obvious. ‘Precisely. If you walk into the past wearing an heirloom someone hasn’t lost yet, you won’t look powerful. You’ll look impossible.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2RBj4UX3w
Snape’s patience snapped into place like a blade. ‘Mr Malfoy, while your talent for theatrical suspense is undoubtedly a comfort to you, the rest of us would benefit from the conclusion.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLrYaB8j7Z
Draco scowled. ‘The conclusion is simple: hide the heirlooms from everyone until we know whose history we’re stepping on.’ He dropped back beside the fire, arms folded. ‘There. Was that sufficiently plain, or should I draw Weasley a diagram?’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDwToftq5H
Hermione ignored the jab because she was already thinking three steps ahead. ‘No, you’re right,’ she said slowly. ‘If the heirlooms have known owners in that time, revealing them could change how people act around us—or expose Harry before we find him.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNe9Za3UlZQ
Draco’s smirk returned, smaller this time. ‘Careful, Granger. Keep agreeing with me, and Weasley may start checking you for curses.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReRur2zCEA
Ron looked up through the broken ring of treetops. A few stars showed beyond the branches, cold and remote. Hermione and Draco had fallen into theories and warnings, while he stood just outside them, included by loyalty more than prophecy. The old sting of being overlooked settled in his chest, familiar as a bruise. But it did not change the choice in front of him. If Hermione was walking into danger, he was going with her. If Harry was somewhere on the other side of time, Ron would find him there—whether Dumbledore had written his name in ink, tucked it into the small print, or left it out entirely.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2Ner3LWqF
Snape rose before the argument could take another shape. ‘Enough,’ he said, already moving toward the edge of the clearing. ‘You have received your impossible instructions, insulted one another with moderate creativity, and failed to die. By current standards, that qualifies as progress.’ He flicked his wand, setting wards into place with silent precision. Blue-white light threaded briefly between the trees, then vanished. ‘Sleep. I will take first watch.’379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTWsY1uXki
Draco tossed blankets toward Ron and Hermione with more force than necessary. Ron caught one against his chest. Hermione spread hers beside the fire, smoothing the rough fabric over the uneven ground, though the ordinary motion felt strange after everything the night had broken open. Exhaustion pressed at her at last, heavy and convincing, but sleep still seemed like something that belonged to safer people in a safer world.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsgr4zDSKZ
The Third Age waited ahead like a door half-opened onto darkness. Beyond it lay another war, older than theirs and somehow tangled through it; beyond it lay Dumbledore’s riddles, the Ring’s shadow, and a road none of them had chosen. Somewhere on that road—if hope was not being cruel—Harry was waiting.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSH98TG2ky
At last Hermione closed her eyes. Woodsmoke curled through the chill air, mixing with damp earth and crushed leaves. The fire warmed her face while the forest pressed cold against her back. Nearby, Ron’s breathing settled into its familiar uneven rhythm; beyond him, Draco slept lightly, turning once beneath his blanket before going still. At the edge of the clearing, Snape stood watch among the trees, a thin black shape against the warded dark. The spells held the night at a distance, but not entirely away.379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdjiJ8PGgW
Hermione kept one hand curled around the hidden shape of the Evenstar beneath her clothes and let her thoughts drift toward Harry, toward Dumbledore’s impossible past, toward a world where old stories waited to become real. Eventually exhaustion pulled her under, and the fire burned on—small, stubborn, and bright against the dark road ahead.
A/N: So, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and Draco’s introduction into it. I’m going to try to keep him the same as he was before, while remembering he has also just lost his mother, so broody moments are inevitable.
Please keep reviewing to let me know what you think!
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