Reweaving Fate's Tapestry

Reweaving Fate's Tapestry (or I Should Have Been a Ballet Dancer)

July 6^th, 1983

"Are you sure he'll be there?" Frank Longbottom said to Sirius Black.

"No, but it is the best lead we have," Sirius replied.

"Because, I mean, you don't exactly have the best record, what with losing the Potters," Frank said

"For the last time, I didn't lose the Potters. Pettigrew was the secret keeper. How he could be so forgetful I'll never know."

"Come on, Dumbledore says you were their secret keeper, you're just too embarrassed to admit you forgot the secret. It can happen to the best of us."

Sirius shook his head, "Alright, according to our informant, Voldemort should be at Malfoy mansion at three o'clock tonight. We have other information that his attempts at immortality seem to have given him a rather bizarre Achilles' heel in the Rictusempuria charm, so..."

"So, we enter the mansion at three and tickle him to death," Frank said shaking his head. "If this works, no one will believe it, you know."

"I don't care whether they believe it or not. I just want it to work."

***

1998 (again)

Draco had, after obliviating Pettigrew, consulted, once again, Nott's record. However, the book was having the most curious interaction with time. It would not tell him of any events that would happen after the current date. So, after being bad and Apparating into a Queen concert, so he could actually hear Freddy Mercury live (he knew he shouldn't like Muggle music, but he couldn't help himself in the case of Bohemian Rhapsody), he returned to his own time, where Voldemort's empire should be.

Quickly checking the book to make sure he had stopped Voldemort from attacking the Potter's, he was pleased to see that not only had Peter never been able to give Voldemort their location, he had been properly tortured for it. Draco had never really liked that rat, and felt he was to blame for many of Voldemort's problems, so it always put a smile on his face to even read about the man being put under Crucio. He made his way to the Leaky Cauldron, so he could see the wonderful new world that he had created. Voldemort, once he heard the story, would surely reward him.

Upon entering the Leaky Cauldron, Draco felt there was something a little odd going on. For one thing, there was a plaque on the wall with, incomprehensibly, the word "Rictusempuria; July 6, 1983" written on it. For another, he could have sworn that the men in the corner had said Neville Longbottom had led the Chudley Cannons to victory in the Quidditch league. And finally, there was a woman telling him he should be at rehearsal for some unknown reason. He shrugged the lady off, and walked into Diagon Alley.

What he saw shocked him. The main difference from the Diagon Alley he remembered was a large statue of Frank Longbottom and Sirius Black in the middle of the street. This worried him, because he was pretty sure Voldemort would not want to memorialise people like that. The orange poster featuring Neville Longbottom on a broomstick didn't exactly comfort him either. Was the world insane? Where was the ruling Death Eater class? Thoroughly confused, Draco ran, straight to Borgin 'n Burkes on Knockturn Alley.

To Draco's relief, the shop was not much different. Opening the door, he saw old Mr. Borgin behind the counter and waved. Mr. Borgin gasped when he saw Draco.

"Why, if it isn't young Master Malfoy. Haven't seen you since you were a wee one, not since '83, I think.'

"Didn't my father bring me here more frequently than that? I seem to recall..." Malfoy said edgily, being now thoroughly confused. Borgin 'n Burkes had always been one of his favorite shops when he was younger.

"Now, don't play games with me, young Malfoy. You know perfectly well your father was arrested following the Great Tickle..." Borgin said, with an indulgent smile on his face.

"Great Tickle?" Draco's head was spinning.

"Yes, when Longbottom and Black defeated Lord Voldemort, of course you knew about that Mr. Malfoy? Or did you bonk your head, or something?" Borgin said.

"Oh, yes, that Great Tickle. Slipped my mind for a second, sorry Mr. Borgin," Draco said, trying to recover the conversation, and not get himself committed to St. Mungo's.

"Well, as I was saying, after the Great Tickle, we didn't see much of you. Your mother having told the Aurors where to find Voldemort, was mortally afraid of some of the people on the Alley, and kept you away."

"M..m..my mother..." Draco stumbled.

"Now no need to apologize, young Master Malfoy. I know you didn't have much to do with it. And she raised you just fine, it seems, though I don't quite understand why she was so keen on you learning ballet."

"Ballet!" Draco blurted, he was going to be sick.

"Now no need to be worried. I didn't think it right at first, but when I saw you in The Nutcracker last winter, I saw she had been right. You really are a genius. Now what can I help you with?" Borgin asked.

"Not really interested, thank you for the conversation, though," Draco said, as he ran out of the shop. Borgin shook his head, and muttered, "Always believed they shouldn't use Billiwigs in the shows, drives them mental."

Draco ran down the street, and sat down on a bench beside the hideous statue. He pulled Nott's record out of his bag, and decided to read about the Great Tickle. What he saw upset him. It was absolutely ridiculous! Voldemort defeated by a tickle! Of course, Harry Potter had disappeared off the face of the earth because no one except the Potter's Secret Keeper could find him, and none of the candidates for Secret Keeper knew the secret. Then there was Narcissa. He had always thought his mother was a faithful Death Eater. How could she have turned on them? And ballet? He didn't know what to do, so he went to Florean Fortescue's to get some ice cream. Maybe that would help him gain some perspective.

What he saw at Fortescue's firmly made up his mind to go back in time and try again. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley (in a Chudley Cannons Jersey) were kissing rather passionately and publicly, in front of an advertisement for "The Hogsmeade Ballet Company's Production of Sleeping Beauty, Featuring the Amazing Draco Malfoy."

***

July 6^th, 1983

Draco arrived in the past, and quickly Apparated to Malfoy Mansion, beginning the search for the Auror party. He looked through the hedges and all around the gardens, before finally seeing two backs.

"I don't care whether they believe it or not, I just want it to work," Sirius Black said.

"As do I,' Frank responded.

"Expelliarmus," Draco said, collecting their wands. "Unfortunately for you, some of us don't."

"Lucius!" Sirius screamed. Unfortunately for the Aurors, the commotion had, attracted the attention of the real Lucius and Lord Voldemort. Draco got up, and ran past the Apparition barrier, just in time to miss the screams of the Aurors being attacked by the Death Eaters without their wands.