What Once Could Never Be...

What Once Could Never Be...

Chapter 11: The Winds of Time

Dumbledore returned to his office after finishing his breakfast in the Great Hall. He still felt useless in the events that had come to pass in the last two days at Hogwarts. Upon entering his office, he was in for a depressing surprise.

Knowing that Harry and his two best friends were keen to getting into trouble, Dumbledore had cast a Viega Charm on each of them after second year capturing their life essences in three precious stones. Hermione´s, an amber, had been glowing bright red lately indicating that she was in great danger. Dumbledore had cast another one on Draco and had added his stone, an opal, to the shelf. That morning before he had gone down to breakfast, Draco´s had also been glowing a bright red. When he returned, Draco´s had gone back to it´s normal state while Hermione´s light had completely gone out. That only meant one thing. She was dead.

Dumbledore gasped when he saw the stone. Surely Draco had not failed? However, the stones do not lie. The sparkle he was known to have in his eyes went out like a light. His face suddenly becoming more lined which made him look old. I must inform the others. They will want to know what has happened.

He left the office as quickly as he had come in search of Harry and Ron. He was about to tell them that their best friend, Hermione Granger, was dead, and there was not a single thing he could do about it.

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Wish I was too dead to cry

My self-affliction fades

Stones to throw at my creator

Masochists to which I cater

Draco was walking in the woods near Hogwarts, numb with pain. His cheeks were still wet from his tears, and his clothes were soaked with blood. He lifted his hands in front of him and forced himself to take a breath, shuddering as he did so. Blood stained the flawless skin on his hands. It seeped into every crevice on his palms.

You don´t need to bother

I don´t need to be

I´ll keep slipping farther

But once I hold on

I won´t let go `til it bleeds

His mind had become a place for mad ramblings. I have blood on my hands. I have her blood on my hands. I just as well killed her. She died because of me. I killed her. I killed Hermione. I killed Hermione Granger. I killed Hermione Elisabeth Diana Granger. Draco Renald Lucius Malfoy killed Hermione Elisabeth Diana Granger. I failed her. I failed her and I killed her. Potter wouldn´t have failed her. I should have sent Potter after her instead of going myself. I can´t do anything right. I´m a failure. I never deserved her.

Wish I was too dead to care

If indeed I cared at all

Never had a voice to protest

So you fed me shit to digest

Draco was overwhelmed by what he was feeling. Pain, grief, and guilt were overtaking every inch of his heart and soul. Look what had happened in finally completely defying his father. The guilt was especially bad since he felt that he was entirely responsible for Hermione´s demise. Taking it as far to think that he shouldn´t have even approached her on that train ride. She would have been better off, and he would have been left to fend himself from his own pity.

I wish I had a reason

My flaws are open season

For this, I gave up trying

One good turn deserves my dying

Draco thought back to her body lying there lifeless on the floor. He had risen to his feet and followed silently behind his father. Once he saw a door that lead out, he made a break for it dodging spells along the way. When he was outside he had ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He had put a Locator Spell on his broom and began to activate it. After finding his broom, he flew at top speed back to Hogwarts. When his sobs started to make the Firebolt shake, he landed and decided to walk to rest of the way getting lost in thought.

You don´t need to bother

I don´t need to be

I´ll keep slipping farther

But once I hold on

I won´t let go `til it bleeds

At this point, he didn´t care what the stupid prophecy said. Potter could fight as much damn evil as he wanted. Draco had just lost the love of his life, and he was in no mood to see anyone ever again. He knew he was probably being selfish and not thinking of the greater good, but he simply could not care.

Wish I´d died instead of lived

A zombie hides my face

Shell forgotten

With its memories

Diaries left

With cryptic entries

The only thing he had cared about was gone forever. He felt like he could crawl into a hole and die. Or even better, he could off himself, and then his father wouldn´t have to do it for him. He knew that the only way to escape his father and the Death Eaters was to kill himself.

And you don´t need to bother

I don´t need to be

I´ll keep slipping farther

But once I hold on

I won´t let go `til it bleeds

He wish he had never made friends with Hermione. He wish he would have just continued to hate her instead of falling in love with her. Damn you, father! Is this what you want?! To drive myself crazy?!

You don´t need to bother

I don´t need to be

I´ll keep slipping farther

But once I hold on

I´ll never live down my deceit

He had reached Hogwarts and prepared to go inside to tell everyone the news. He could already see Dumbledore´s disappointment. He knew there were now only two choices for him. Madness or death.

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When he and Ron had been called into Professor Dumbledore´s office, Harry had known that the outcome would be bad. He, however, had been completely unprepared for the news he was given.

Dumbledore looked up at them, seriousness written all over his face. He nodded to them to take the seats in front of him. He wasted no time after they situated themselves. "Harry. Ron. I hate to be the one to deliver the news to you, but there can be no other way. I am deeply sorry, but Hermione is dead."

Tears fell from the corners of both their eyes as disbelief began to settle in. As if not seeing their expressions, Dumbledore continued.

"I know this comes as a great shock to both of you, but there was nothing anyone could do. Mr. Malfoy was in my office earlier to give the full story, but I had already speculated her death. He confirmed my suspicions as well as confessing his responsibility. However, even after Mr. Malfoy agreed to join his father, the Death Eaters still killed Miss Granger. Mr. Malfoy bears no responsibility to what has happened."

Harry and Ron just sat there in shock, tears pouring down the curve of their cheeks. Ron seemed to find the ability to speak first. "Are they bringing her body back here? She deserves to be buried here. She would´ve been Head Girl next year." It seemed strange to be talking about their 'Mione in the past tense.

Harry spoke sounding choked up. "Where´s Malfoy now? Has he gone off to join back up with the Death Eaters?"

Dumbledore continued to look stern. "We do not know where her body is at the present point, but once it is located it will be brought back here. Mr. Malfoy has gone back to his room, and is under my protection so the Death Eaters will not be able to find him. I will not let him meet the same fate as Miss Granger just because he has a vindictive father."

Harry and Ron both solemnly nodded their heads. It seemed that Dumbledore did not wish to be asked any more questions. He looked tired and older than Harry had seen in all the years he had been at Hogwarts as a student.

"Now, please return to your classes and only tell who you must. I will announce this unhappy news at dinner. You may go."

Harry and Ron left the office with identical expressions of shock and disillusion upon their faces. Every trace of normality left them, and Harry had long forgotten the prophecy he was to play a role in. More important things had come to past, but he was hoping that there was some way that Malfoy could save 'Mione.

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Draco was at the present moment in his room staring off into space at the floor. He kept replaying Hermione´s last words over in his mind. Don´t worry, Draco. I love you. He didn´t deserve her love and he knew it. He had failed her. He had failed her and there wasn´t another chance to save her because she was already gone.

While staring into space, he absently reached into his pocket. What he found there snapped him back to reality. He fingered his half of the chain that he had snapped in half that day on the train. Seeing the chain brought fresh tears to Draco´s eyes. I´m never going to see her again.

Draco reached back into the pocket on his cloak having felt something else there. His mouth fell open in shock when he realized what it was. The charm that he had removed from his pocket when he broke the chain in half was now in his hands. It was a Time-Turner.

He had completely forgotten about it. His mother had given it to him for his sixteenth birthday. She said that they were rare, and it was only to be used when absolutely necessary. She had also given him a speech on it. A small smile came to him as he remembered what she had said.

There are really four dimensions, three that we call the three planes on Space, and a fourth, Time. There is, however, a tendency to draw an unreal distinction between the former three dimensions and the latter, because it happens that our consciousness moves intermittently in one direction along the latter from the beginning to the end of our lives. There is no difference between Time and any of the three dimensions of Space except that our consciousness moves along it. We, being witches and wizards, have the ability to manipulate that time and move across it using these charmed objects known as Time-Turners. The one I have given you, Draco, is by the hour. Every turn will take you back an hour from the one you started in. I want you to use this only if you feel the need to. It is not to be abused for it is dangerous to go too far back in time to risk changing the future.

Draco didn´t think that going back in time to save Hermione´s life would be an abuse of the Time-Turner. But Time had gone on since Hermione´s kidnapping, he would have to think of a way to rewrite how everything happened. He hoped it wouldn´t completely change the future just keep Hermione in it.

Suddenly, he remembered something from a book he had read. He began sifting through the pile on his desk when he came to the one he wanted. Draco hurriedly flipped through the pages before settling on one. There was the spell that would give him and Hermione a second chance.

The spell roughly translated was 'Erase everything from now to the future, give time a second chance.´ Draco was wild with happiness. He could save 'Mione!

He ran out of his room and down the halls of Hogwarts until he came to the room that he used to sneak into Hermione´s room. He wanted to go back to the last time he had seen her before she had been kidnapped. Having the spell in his mind and the invisibility cloak in his hand, he flipped the Time-Turner as many times as he thought he needed.

Feeling the world spin around him, it finally stopped and he looked around him. It was night, and he braced himself under his invisibility cloak for what he hoped would happen. He was proven correct when he saw himself climb out of the portrait hole on his way back from Hermione´s room. He quickly said the spell feeling everything around him wave as if a sonic boom had gone off. He wasted no time climbing in the passage and racing towards Hermione.

When he entered her room, the sight of Hermione stretched out on her bed greeted him. Glee overtook him as he threw his arms around her not caring about the sheer look of confusion upon her face.

"Draco? I thought I told you I had work to do. Why did you come back? And why do you look like you haven´t seen me for years? You just saw me not five minutes ago."

Once Draco caught his breath, he answered her. "I missed you. And it´s too much too explain right now. You´re in danger. You have to come with me."

Hermione gazed at him questioningly. She arched an eyebrow before agreeing to come with him not knowing that a Death Eater was on the way to capture her.

After gathering a few of her things, Draco and Hermione went back through the portrait hole and made their way to Dumbledore´s office. They were a strange sight to everyone who passed them.

Draco knew that he had a lot of explaining to do and that he might possibly have changed the course of the future. All he really had done was change the past couple of days. He knew he would have to deal with uncertain consequences, but right now, Hermione was alive and with him. That was all that mattered.