Meet the Kids

Chapter 4

Spending The Night

There were simultaneous gasps from all around the room. Draco stared in shock at Lizzie. For a few seconds he fervently hoped that it was some horrible joke she was saying to get back at him, but after staring at her stunned, horrified face, it was obvious to all she was telling the truth.

Draco heard Granger taking loud, shuddering breaths. She wobbled slightly on her feet when he turned to look at her. Instinctively he put his arms out to grab her in case she fainted again. It seemed his sole purpose that day- other than having his fiendish descendents wreak havoc with his mind- was to catch Granger when she fell. It seemed for a second she might indeed pass out, for one of her hands involuntarily went back and she brushed against his arm. Then she jerked back, shook her head, and glared at him.

"What are you doing? I'm not Pansy Parkinson, and I'm not giving you a hug," she snapped.

Draco instantly put his arms back in their customary place by his side, and returned her glare, seething at the undeserved respite. One of the few times in his life he was doing something nice for someone else's benefit- even though it had been a spontaneous act and was not actually coming from any morals he had whatsoever- and the idiotic Gryffindor was yelling at him for it!

"I was getting ready to catch you in case you fainted again, Granger. It seems to be the only thing you're good at doing today," he spat. Draco would've called her a mudblood if it weren't for the fact that Professor Dumbledore was quietly watching from behind his desk. As for the twins, he couldn't care less anymore what they thought- or did. If his so called daughter attempted to smack him again, he would have his wand out ready to jinx her before her hand had come anywhere near his arm.

As it were, Draco would've continued his rant at Granger with some well-chosen insults deriding her hair, friends, intelligence, and basically whatever else he could say that would irk her- perhaps a few jeers at house-elves would do the trick- if it hadn't been for the instant softening in her face at his words and the look of remorse that crossed her features.

"Sorry," she murmured, hugging herself and looking nervously up at him through her lashes.

Draco blinked, her soft apology loosing all the angry, vengeful thoughts in his head. It also helped that she was bringing attention to her lashes, which on any other girl would've made him instantly smile seductively and flirt. Not with Granger, however. Even though, he contemplated, as Lizzie began speaking again, her voice a dull whisper in the background of his thoughts, Granger did look strangely appealing staring up at him so. It was ridiculously amusing that she didn't even know she was doing it. Leave it to a Gryffindor mudblood to look suggestive by accident, Draco thought, a smile tugging at his lips at the amusing thought.

" . . . don't know where it is! I thought it was in my jewelry box where I always keep it, but it wasn't there." Draco tuned in on the conversation just as Lizzie finished her frantic sentence.

"When was the last time you saw your Time-Turner," Dumbledore asked with uncharacteristic solemnity, the twinkle in his eyes gone.

Lizzie thought for a minute, yanking at the tips of her hair in frustration. "The last time I used it was yesterday morning. I didn't need it today because Professor Vector canceled his class."

"What did you do with it after class yesterday?" Dumbledore probed, urging her on.

"I . . ." Lizzie's voice trailed off. After a moment her eyes widened and she wheeled around to face Dave. "I gave it to you!" she exclaimed. "You were going up to start your homework and I went to visit Soot with James! You said you would put it in my jewelry box for me."

Draco, along with everyone else in the room, turned to Dave, who looked stunned at the newest turn of events.

"Er." He stopped. His mouth opened but nothing came out, a perplexed expression on his face.

"Out of curiosity, how are you able to get into the girls' dormitory?" Draco asked amiably to fill the silence. "Not that I've ever tried but-"

"Malfoy!" Granger hissed from beside him. "Now is not the time!"

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, yes, because we're learning such valuable information through this silence!"

Granger narrowed her eyes at him, and Draco was unnerved to see the resemblance between her and Professor McGonagall. More than ever he wondered why Potter and Weasley would want to hang around with a bushy-haired miniature clone of their Transfiguration teacher.

"If you of all people haven't figured out how to get into the opposite sex's dormitory, Draco Malfoy, I've severely underestimated you," Granger snapped in a whisper.

"Did you just say the dreaded 's' word?" he mocked, not to be out done. "I didn't know it was even in your vocabulary, Granger!"

She flushed red and glanced away. He smirked to see the clench in her jaw, a telltale sign she was flustered and annoyed.

"Did you put my Time-Turner away?" Lizzie pressed anxiously, staring at her twin in desperation.

Dave, white-faced, shook his head.

"Well, then do you still have it?" Lizzie demanded eagerly, some of her former spirit and vigor returning to her tone. "We could all be worrying for nothing."

Dave whipped a hand into his pocket. His expression grew more worrisome as he reached into his other pocket and felt around.

"No," he said miserably, pulling out a wand, a folded piece of parchment, and several candy wrappers whose insignia looked strangely familiar to Draco.

Lizzie's face fell. The breath everyone was holding was not released.

"Th- then where is it?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

"It must've fallen out," Dave said, glancing guiltily around the room.

There was complete silence. The horror on almost every face was absolute. The only three faces that did not look completely and utterly dismayed were Snape's, Dumbledore, and Draco's.

The Potions professor had a very strained look on his face, almost as if he were about to burst with barely contained rebukes. Dumbledore looked weary, almost as if he had known the outcome of the conversation. Draco was simply used to holding his emotions on the inside; if he weren't a Malfoy, he would've looked every inch as shocked as Granger. As it were, he was close to breaking down completely. Except for the time he had been turned into a ferret, he had never felt so helpless or powerless in his life. Though he hadn't immediately recognized one, Draco knew a lot about Time-Turners; he had read about them in books and knew the dangers of time-traveling. He was feeling uncustomary jumpy as it was with the situation and now, knowing that there was one, possibly two, missing Time-Turners in Hogwarts, not to mention he and the one girl he utterly despised were stuck in the future with no foreseeable way of returning home, his heart was all but doing catapults in his chest.

He stole a glance at Granger. Horror and worry filled her face. She wrung her hands nervously, her brown eyes searching the twins' faces. Draco was tempted to comfort her, the distraught expression on her face tugging at his insides; though he loathed Granger and Gryffindors in general, he hated seeing any girl upset- well, unless he had been the one who'd purposely insulted her, of course.

"Are you sure you don't have it, Dave?" Granger asked, looking at him beseechingly, as if she could convince him to bring out a treat he was purposely holding back. "You didn't put it in the boys' dormitory by accident and leave it there?"

Dave shook his head. "No. I would've seen it this morning when I was getting dressed."

"Do you know where you could've dropped it?" Lizzie asked quickly. "We can look for it!"

Dave shook his head regretfully. "I have no idea if I lost it yesterday or today. It could be in any of the classrooms, on the Quidditch pitch, or anywhere in Gryffindor tower. Except for the girls' dormitories," he added hastily, stealing a cautious glance at Dumbledore.

Lizzie looked disappointed, her frustration evident on her face. "We'll have to go search for it." She turned to Granger. "You'll help, right, Mum?"

"Of course," Granger replied instantly, some of the worry on her face fading. "I'm sure we'll find it. Or we could do a spell that will show us where it is."

Draco, bored with the conversation, glanced at the two professors; he was startled to see Dumbledore looked amused at the plans being made between the two girls and the annoyed look on Snape's face had dissipated somewhat. Clearly they were glad the two generations were working together. Draco scowled. He had no intention whatsoever of working with the twins. To hell with wherever the Time-Turner had gone. His sole purpose now was to find a way back to his own time period so he could correct whatever grievous mistake had occurred that had caused him to fall in love with Granger. If necessary, and no matter what Granger said he still suspected her of foul play, he would trick one of the foolish first years into telling him the password into Gryffindor tower so he could find the Love Potion he was sure she was making and then dispose of it. A hint of relief crossed his face at the first solid plan he'd had since they'd come to this blasted part of the future.

"If you kids will go search around the grounds, Professor Snape and I will alert the other professors to be on the lookout for a Time-Turner. I'm sure we'll find it," Professor Dumbledore said, clasping his hands and giving them a brief smile. Draco was disgusted to see Granger and the twins all smiling back at him, looking heartened by his words of encouragement.

"For now Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger, I think it would be wise if you did not divulge your identities to anyone other than the people in this room. It would also help if your children started referring to you by your fake names again," Dumbledore continued, looking down at them from behind his half-moon spectacles. "It appears that we can do nothing more about your plight until we have recovered Miss Malfoy's- pardon me, Miss Granger, I meant Miss Granger-Malfoy's Time-Turner. Perhaps we can then use it to send you back into the past where you belong, at which point I would advise that you immediately bring the Time-Turner you dropped back to my past self."

Professor Dumbledore beamed and then made shooing motions with his hands.

"Are you coming, Dad?" asked Dave as the others made their way out of the door, so only Draco was left behind.

Draco paused, staring at the boy who was supposed to be his son. Dave stared back at him, his face void of any recognizable expression. Draco wondered for a split second whether he should refuse; after all, he had made it clear that he was not on friendly terms with either of the twins or- he shuddered- their mother. But then he saw the small glimmer of resignation and resentment on Dave's face. Draco, as cold-hearted as he knew he could be, didn't like the fact that his son had already determined his father was not coming. He didn't want his only son to think he was abandoning them, nor did Draco want Dave continuing to think that his teenage father was a heartless bastard.

Draco didn't want to be his father. Much as he loved his father, Draco didn't want to be the cruel, sneering man Lucius was, especially not in the eyes of his own son.

"I'm coming," he said grimly, heading for the door and passing Dave. For a moment he saw surprise and then a smile flicker across his son's face. Draco, suddenly exhausted, couldn't help but feel glad he had accomplished one thing in this nightmare of a future; at least his son didn't hate him. Now his daughter was another story.

Draco and Dave walked slowly down the stairs in silence, Granger and Lizzie's conversation wafting up to them and providing noise enough to suit them both. He could hear Potter's son joking, his loud boisterous comments making the girls laughs. They exited the secret stairwell and hurried down the various staircases until they had reached the entrance hall, turning many curious heads on their way. Draco was slightly unnerved by the number of students that had stared at him and Granger on their way down. Others had called out to Dave, Lizzie, and James asking whom their new friends were, to which the teenagers had simply smiled silently and hastened on. Draco was also amazed to see the number of friendly greetings between students of different Houses. Though his subconscious was strictly denying it, he could've sworn he'd seen a younger Ravenclaw girl and a Slytherin girl giggling conspiratorially and pointing at a Hufflepuff male prefect.

"Why is everyone acting so friendly?" he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, hastening his stride to keep up with Dave.

Dave looked puzzled by his question. "What do you mean? Why shouldn't they be friendly?"

"Maybe the fact that they're all from different Houses has something to do with it," Draco said sarcastically, barely able to keep from rolling his eyes.

Dave blinked. "So?"

Draco was seriously beginning to doubt he was actually a father. If he and Granger were the two smartest students in their year, why were they stuck with a dumb blonde and a slow-witted son for children?

"Let's think about this," Draco said, furrowing his brow so it actually appeared he was pondering the question. "Maybe because Slytherins generally hate the rest of the Houses and the feeling is returned?"

Dave snorted. "Get real, Dad. This isn't your generation anymore." Draco stared at his son, pausing in the hallway out of sheer shock. Dave, not noticing he'd been abandoned, continued walking. Draco, seeing he was attracting even more stares by his very conspicuous positioning, glowered at the spectators, and hurried towards the door.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Dave asked in a low voice, looking genuinely concerned.

"Nothing," Draco replied, leaving the school without a backward glance. How could everyone be so friendly? he wondered, aghast at his new discovery. Since when were Slytherins and Gryffindors friends? The other three Houses had always been friendly enough with each other, but why were all the students suddenly intermingling? What had happened in twenty years?

"Dad, everyone's friends now," Dave said quietly, sensing his father's discomfort. "I know when you were at school the Houses didn't generally mix, but now they do." He shrugged at Draco's questioning glance. "We still have classes with our Houses and I suppose that's where our loyalties lie the most, but we all try to trust each other. If you and Mum hadn't trusted each other-" Dave broke off as Draco gave an involuntarily noise of indignation.

"Sorry," Dave muttered under his breath, looking resentful again. "But you are married."

"Not if I can help it," Draco murmured, ignoring Dave's suspicious look. He saw the girls and Potter heading in the opposite direction of the Quidditch pitch. "Where are they going?"

"Hagrid's hut," Dave said tonelessly. "We had Care of Magical Creatures yesterday."

Draco snorted in disgust. "That oaf's still teaching?"

Dave tensed. "Dad, Hagrid's not an oaf," he said, his voice low and carrying a hint of warning.

Draco glared at him but didn't say anything. Dave finally turned away and they continued in silence.

"Hagrid's away on his second honeymoon right now, so we won't see him," Dave said after a minute.

"Hagrid's married?" Draco said in disbelief. "To whom?"

Dave grinned. "Madame Maxime."

"That female giant from Beauxbatons?" Draco blurted out in surprise. "I didn't see that coming . . ."

"We did," Dave said smugly. "Or at least, Mum, Harry, and Ron did."

Draco simply rolled his eyes. By then they had arrived at Hagrid's hut. Lizzie and Hermione were both searching in the grass, and James had headed off towards the paddock near the Forbidden Forest.

"We met a centaur yesterday," Dave said, answering Draco's unspoken question.

"What took you so long, Dave?" Lizzie asked, smiling brightly at her brother and not even acknowledging Draco's existence.

Two could play at this game. If Lizzie wasn't going to include him, he was going to include himself.

"We were discussing a little thing called 'the past'," Draco said sweetly, giving her an innocent smile as he strode past her. "It's a little thing your mother and I need to be returning to. So if you could kindly help look for the Time-Turner?" He bent down to look through a clump of weeds next to a patch of flowers, delighting in the mutinous glare he glimpsed on Lizzie's face.

"Give her a chance," he heard a girl's voice whisper next to his ear. Draco jumped, accidentally yanking out a weed. His cheeks flushed as he stared at Granger. Somehow, in moving past Lizzie, he had landed right next to the Gryffindor.

"She's not that bad," Grange continued, her lips twitching in amusement.

"She didn't give me a chance," Draco grumbled, turning back to the ground. Grass was so much more interesting to look at than Granger, he decided, especially since it wasn't secretly laughing at him.
"You didn't exactly give the best first impression," Granger said quietly.

"Only because she favors you," he said irritably. He just knew Granger was smiling again.

"I don't think so. She's actually a daddy's girl, at least, that's the impression I got by all her stories about you." Granger paused, and then said rather guiltily, "Well, actually, I think part of the reason she was telling all the stories is she's trying to get me to like you. Which is odd since you two don't seem to be getting along very well,

either . . ."

"Aren't I lucky I ended up with Dave, then," Draco said grimly, pulling out another weed in frustration. "He didn't try anything of the sort." He stood up, stretched his back, and faced Granger. To his surprise, she wasn't glaring or looking at him in annoyed boredom. In fact, her face was completely serious.

"I don't like you, Malfoy, and I find it very hard to believe that I ever will- did- might." She shook her head in frustration, the brown curls at the end of her hair bouncing. "But we should at least try to be friendly. With each other and with the twins," she said firmly, gazing him straight in the eye. "And you should try to make up with Lizzie. Even though her relationship with the future Draco Malfoy hasn't changed, I know she's really upset that you're fighting now. It's easy to see she looks up to her father a lot, even if he's currently a teenager.

"And it's incredibly to say, but . . . you are her father," Granger admitted, glancing at Lizzie for a moment and then turning back to Draco. She took a deep breath. "So- so just try to work things out. Remember the Draco Malfoy she grew up with as a father isn't necessarily the same one you are now, er, twenty years ago that is. You might be . . ." Granger flushed, averting her eyes and pausing.

"Nicer?" Draco suggested. "Kinder? More suitable for your Gryffindor tastes? Not any qualities I'm particularly looking for at the moment, but they seem to be the words you're looking for."

After a few seconds of silence, Granger looked up boldly, meeting his eyes in a challenge, and though her cheeks grew redder, her voice did not waver. "Yes, Malfoy, those are exactly the words I'm looking for. Maybe you are nicer in the future. Maybe the twins were telling the truth when they said you don't call me prejudiced names anymore. Maybe you are a better person," she said bitterly, turning away slightly. "Maybe for some miraculous reason that is not even remotely foreseeable at the present moment I did fall in love with you . . . scary as the thought is," she added a second later.

Draco was silent, too shocked to respond. He hadn't expected Granger to actually come right out and tell him all these things. If they hadn't been partly true, he would've been more insulted. As it were, he only flushed again and maintained his cool, emotionless face.

"Granger," he said coldly, hoping his words were just as impressive out loud as they were in his mind. "I have no intention of changing my personality just so you and I can end up together, something I'm sure neither of us wants. However," he admitted, after making sure his first sentence had sunk in. "I will try to make up with Lizzie."

Granger smiled, and he couldn't help but smile back, the happy expression on her face infectious. She did look rather cute when she was beaming like that, Draco thought, the random observation entering his head just as quickly as it left. He shook his head abruptly; he had been having much too many "nicer" thoughts about Granger lately, and he had certainly had too much body contact. He swallowed a sudden, nervous lump in his throat. Even before this whole mess had started he had caught himself daydreaming about her sometimes, not even in a good way always. Most of the time he had been thinking of his latest run-in with the Dream Team and scowling at the cutting remarks she made whenever she decided not to ignore him, which was an annoyance in and of itself. Malfoys were not ignored by anyone, especially by females. The point was, Draco had found himself thinking of Granger a lot, whether he wanted to or not, and the fact that some of the thoughts were, true to his nature, insulting, was not as comforting as it should have been. The fact that they were supposed to fall in love next month had not lessoned this headache at all.

He was vaguely aware of her taking a deep breath and then turning away. Draco shook his head and then went back to looking for the wayward Time-Turner. After completing their round of Hagrid's hut and having not found the missing item, the teenagers went to the Quidditch pitch. They tried using the Four-Point spell a few times, but their wands had simply lain in their hands, motionless. No one spoke much; James and Lizzie whispered a bit, and the twins conferred for a few moments with worried expression, but other than that there was silence. There was discomfort radiating from every direction, and Draco found it hard to ignore. After an hour, they had to admit defeat. By that time, Granger was openly yawning, and Draco was feeling more than a bit drowsy.

"I guess you'll be staying the night," Lizzie said cheerfully, seeing her mother.

Draco glared at her back as they headed back to the castle; unfortunately, she didn't notice. It was not a good thing that they would be staying the night. It was only a little after four in this time period; that meant they still had a couple more hours to continue searching. If the Time-Turner couldn't be found and they were forced to stay in the future for even one night, it would be like giving up completely and staying for an indefinite amount of time. And the sooner they got back to the present, the better.

The quintuplet walked back into the entrance hall

"Miss Granger!"

Both Lizzie and Granger turned at the call.

Draco saw a woman with dark emerald robes and her hair up in a bun stride quickly up to Granger and give her a motherly hug. When Professor McGonagall straightened up, smiled warmly at Granger, and then looked at him, Draco couldn't help but step back a pace, eyeing her nervously. She arched an eyebrow, her lips pursing.

"And Mr Malfoy."

"What, Dad doesn't get a hug?" Dave quipped.

Professor McGonagall gave him a steely glare. "That's quite enough, Mr Malfoy."

Dave quailed, turning red. "I only had to say it 'cuz Lizzie isn't speaking to Dad," he muttered under his breath.

"Who?" Lizzie said airily.

Draco glared at her and then turned back to their Transfiguration teacher as she began speaking to Granger.

"Hermione, it's so lovely to see you! Professor Dumbledore has informed me of yours and Mr Malfoy's-" she coughed, "plight."

Granger, still looking shaken at the big hug she'd received from the usually stern professor, nodded. "Er, Professor, not that we're not on friendly terms now, I mean, twenty years ago, but I assume that . . ." Her voice trailed off and she blushed. Draco rolled his eyes; it was so like Granger to be afraid of offending a teacher.

"What she wants to say is that you must obviously be friends in the future," Draco drawled loftily, a sudden revelation coming to mind. The teachers in the future, even McGonagall, couldn't well give him detention or take off House points if he behaved a tiny bit less than . . . satisfactory.

"After all, Professor, we don't generally see you giving your students big hugs." He smiled brilliantly as McGonagall's lips thinned even more, the disapproval in her face deepening.

"When I speak to your son, Mr Malfoy, don't automatically assume I'm not including you, as well," McGonagall said tartly. "And don't think just because I cannot take House points doesn't mean I can't do other things." Was it Draco's imagination, or was the sudden smile on her face reminiscent of Snape's usual sadistic one?

"I attended your wedding, Mr Malfoy, and believe me, I can give you details."

Draco was very relieved to see that Granger was bright red as well. He stuttered for a moment, stunned not only that Professor McGonagall of all people was threatening him, but also that she was willing to inflict that kind of punishment. Snape must've rubbed off over the years.

"As for your assumption, Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger was my teaching assistant for three years after she graduated."

"Have any of the professors found my Time-Turner?" Lizzie asked in a low, worried voice.

McGonagall shook her head noiselessly. "No, Miss Malfoy, they have not."

Lizzie stuck her nose imperiously up in the air. "Actually, Professor, it's 'Miss Granger' if you don't mind. I don't know anyone called 'Malfoy'."

"Hey!" Dave objected. Lizzie glanced at him out of the corner of his eye; in return, he rolled his.

"I see," said Professor McGonagall dryly, and from the tone of her voice and lack of surprise, Draco was positive Dumbledore had told her of his and Lizzie's fight. "As for you, Miss Granger, I am very disappointed that you lost your Time-Turner. I expected much better, especially since your mother had a perfectly good experience with it and shared her stories and advice. If your Time-Turner is not found, the Ministry will never let another Hogwarts student use one again."

Lizzie hung her head, and Draco found himself feeling the tiniest bit sorry for her. McGonagall's expression was quite serious, and he could tell his daughter was very upset by her teacher's words of disapproval. Maybe this was time to get on Lizzie's good side, as he promised Granger he'd try to do.

"I'm sure it was an accident, Professor," Draco said as respectfully as he could. "Lizzie obviously didn't intend to lose the Time-Turner, and I think we can all tell she's very worried about it and will do her best to find it."

Everyone present looked immensely surprised. Draco, glancing discreetly at Granger, was gratified to see her beaming at him. It was a pleasant change from her usual scowl when she looked at him. Lizzie looked the most shocked. She stared openly at Draco, her jaw dropped. He smiled at her pleasantly and then did his best to look supremely unaware of everyone's surprise, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Y-yes, of course, I will," Lizzie stammered, her gaze flying back to McGonagall. "In the mean time, though, what should Mum and- and him," she muttered, jerking her head at Draco, "do?"

"Actually, Miss Granger, that's the other reason I came to find you," Professor McGonagall said. She turned to Draco and Granger. "For the remainder of your . . . visit, you two shall be staying in Gryffindor House. The House-Elves have already prepared beds for you in the respective dormitories."

"But, Professor!" Draco protested, unable to believe his ears. "Why can't I stay in Slytherin? Why do we both have to be in Gryffindor?" He did not try to hide the disgust in his tone. Considering he was speaking to the head of said House, as Draco realized a second too late, he probably should have tried to sound a little bit less derisive.

"Mr Malfoy, considering your two oldest children are in Gryffindor and you do not know any of the current Slytherins, it would be most unwise for you to stay in your own House. Do you have a problem with Gryffindor?" She asked it mildly, but there was a dangerous quality in her tone, and Draco didn't respond immediately.

"No," he muttered after a minute, scowling at the twins. Why did his children have to be in Gryffindor of all Houses? They were Malfoys, after all! Malfoys were always in Slytherin. What on earth did his parents think of it? At that, Draco was struck cold by a sudden, horrifying thought.

"Professor McGonagall," he blurted out before his instinct to never show concern for another human being could stop him. "My parents . . . they're still alive, aren't they?"

For a moment he was sure the foreboding feeling in his stomach was all the answer he needed, but then he saw the small smile on the older woman's lips and the shake of her head.

"No, Mr Malfoy, they're not dead."

"What are you talking about?" Lizzie interrupted, unable to contain herself. "Of course they aren't! What would give you that id-" She stopped abruptly, and Draco, looking swiftly up, didn't miss the "be quiet" glance Granger was aiming at his daughter. Lizzie shook her head impatiently, looking annoyed.

"Professor Dumbledore told me it's a few hours later in your time," Professor McGonagall said. "I'm sure you two would like to get up to Gryffindor and get settled."

Draco heard Granger say something, but he just nodded, distracted. He was very relieved that his parents were still alive; no matter how skilled and deceptive of a wizard Lucius Malfoy was, Draco knew that if the Dark Lord was ever defeated for good, his father would swiftly end up killed or in Azkaban for good, which was as good as being dead. Come to think of it, was Lucius in Azkaban now, or was he at Malfoy Manor? The Death Eaters who had been caught at the end of his fifth year had broken out of Azkaban in October of his sixth year. Draco didn't know where his father and the other Death Eaters were hiding, but Lucius had managed to visit the manor a few times. He had been there for Christmas and for Draco's and Narcissa's birthdays.

Draco resolved to ask one of the twins as soon as they had some privacy. He had a strong suspicion that McGonagall had felt sorry for him when he'd asked about his parents. And, it appeared, so had Granger. He didn't like it when people felt sorry for him, least of all a member of the Dream Team. The group, led by McGonagall, began up the stairs. The other four students, being in Gryffindor, knew exactly where they were going, but Draco had no idea where the Tower was, only a vague idea.

Draco barely managed to keep from bumping into Dave as the group stopped abruptly in front of a portrait of a thin girl with a pink dress.

"Caverna Leo," Professor McGonagall said, and the portrait swung open. Draco, slightly shocked that he was walking into Gryffindor Tower for the first time in the company of its Head of House, entered with caution, not knowing what to expect. He had always thought that if he ever did manage to get into Gryffindor, which wasn't something he'd ever seriously considered doing in the first place since it would be sure to contaminate him with good vibes, it would be through stealth and trickery. His first impression of the Gryffindor common room was that it was cheery. There was a fire crackling in the hearth and groups of amiable, chattering students were working and playing games all around the room. Tapestries of lions and other noble scenes hung on the walls. On the adjacent wall were two staircases, which Draco suspected led to the different dormitories.

"Is it very different from Slytherin?" Lizzie asked, doing her best not to look interested even as she asked the question. Draco, seeing the amused faces of his companions, was suddenly aware that his mouth was open. He shut it abruptly.

"A bit," he managed. In truth, Slytherin couldn't have looked more different. The walls were bare of decoration except for a few iron plaques of coiling snakes that blended in with the wall anyway. The fire never seemed to warm the room, and the students didn't seem to have the same kind of vigor he was witnessing in Gryffindor.

Although, Draco thought warily, glancing around again, who knew what the Slytherin common room was like in the future; after seeing the dungeons in all their decorated glory, it wouldn't have surprised him if there were lime green throw pillows and a rug to match in the Slytherin common room.

Glancing at Granger, he saw she didn't look the least bit surprised. Obviously Gryffindor Tower hadn't changed much in twenty years.

"Professor Dumbledore has ordered appropriate clothing for you from Hogsmeade and until they arrive, I'm sure your children can lend you clothes," Professor McGonagall said. "Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy, if you could please show your parents their rooms." McGonagall nodded at them. "If not at dinner, I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow." They watched her exit through the portrait hole before turning to the dormitories.

"C'mon, Dad," Dave said immediately. "James and I will introduce you to the other Gryffindors."

Draco, not pointing out that he wasn't really interested in meeting any of the other Gryffindors, followed silently. Behind him, Lizzie murmured to Granger, and then only their footsteps could be heard as they clattered up the other stairwell.

The Gryffindor boys' dormitory was a medium sized room with simple yet cozy furnishings. There were six four-poster beds with red velvet curtains. On the dressers were ordinary teenage boy belongings: "Quidditch Through the Ages"; crumpled candy wrappers; a scattered Chocolate Frog card; a few framed photos. On the walls hung several posters of various Quidditch team and one poster of an unfamiliar sport in which the players were not moving.

Only one other boy was in the room. He was a gangly black boy with glasses and short, curly black hair. He fixed a studious, penetrating gaze on them as the group walked in.

"Hey, Ian," Dave said carelessly, waving a hand at Draco. "This is my cousin Drake Cobris. He'll be staying here for a while on a trial basis; his parents are wondering whether they should send his younger sister to Hogwarts." Draco, though startled at the lie, did not show any sign of it.

"Drake, this is Ian Thomas," Dave added, sitting on his bed. Draco shook the black boy's hand, wondering where he'd heard the surname before. It had to be someone in his year, a Gryffindor, no doubt. Draco exchanged the customary greetings with Ian and then sat on the only bed that did not have any sign of ownership.

Ian fiddled with his glasses before speaking. "Have you met the other Gryffindor boys, yet?"

Draco shook his head, not really in the mood for talking.

"Obviously you know James and Dave, and then there's Sean and Sam Weasley." Draco glanced up in distaste at hearing "Weasley," but didn't interrupt. So all three of the Dream Team had children in Gryffindor; this stay would be lovely. The only thing that would make this remotely bearable was the fact that two of them also had Malfoy blood in them. With any luck he would at least get to know his children and perhaps apologize for the fact that once he got back to the past they would cease to exist; after all, now that he had warning, he was never falling in love with Granger.

"I assume you've had a tour?" Ian asked, looking eager to talk. "What did you think of the castle? Have you been home-school all your-"

"Actually, Ian, Drake's really tired. He came up hear to have a short nap before dinner," James cut in. "There's a new girl here as well, Mia. If she's not already napping, shall we go meet her?"

Draco glanced at Potter's son with new respect. James wasn't proving half as useless or annoying as his father. He seemed to amuse the girls, and he was fairly intelligent. He would make a good boyfriend for Lizzie.

Well, if he hadn't been a Potter, that is. No daughter of his would be going out with Scarhead's son.

Draco eyes widened in disbelief as he realized he had been evaluating James in the way a stern father would look at his teenage daughter's prospective boyfriends. He shivered slightly, staring at James. This whole father thing was not good for him; he had no intention of staying a father, nor did he wish to be over-protective of a daughter his own age. He sighed, ignored the weird look Ian was giving him, and lay down on his pillow. James or Dave- he didn't know or care which- pulled the red velvet curtains closed. Draco closed his eyes, enjoying the comfort of the bed and relaxing for the first time in hours. After a little nap he would feel better and be able to think clearly. They'd find Lizzie's Time-Turner, and then he and Granger would get to go home where they could pretend this had never happened. With any luck he could convince Crabbe or Goyle to Obliviate his memory. Or maybe he'd get Blaise Zabini to do it; Crabbe or Goyle would be sure to mess up, and he wouldn't remember anything at all. Then he would never have to think of being married to Granger again and things could go back to normal, with each of them hating the other with a passion.

After his nap . . .