Time to Rewrite

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Time To Rewrite

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Chapter 5: The Final Day

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Harry barely registered descending the spiral stone staircase from the Headmaster's office, such was the flurry of thoughts whirring around his mind. It was actually going to happen. He was actually going to travel back.... This was insane. He felt himself grow hot and paused at the familiar gargoyle at the foot of the steps to draw a cooling breath. He rubbed his hands over his face and wasn't surprised to find that he was shaking. His mind ran back over the scene that had just played out, shortly before he had been dismissed from the office....

Dumbledore faced Harry solemnly and the young wizard gave him his full attention. They might have been the only two in the office, for Harry became suddenly unaware of all the other members of staff there with them.

"I will be completely honest with you," Dumbledore said seriously. "There is no time to waste. This must go ahead as soon as possible - as soon as we are able to put the necessary arrangements in place."

Harry swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling rather dry.

"I will explain the procedure, and I ask you to pay full attention. If there is any part that you do not understand, please tell me and I will endeavour to answer any questions that you have."

Harry nodded, never taking his eyes off the wizard before him.

"Very good."

And so the older wizard had proceeded to explain how the events would unfold.

"Tomorrow, you must come here at eight o' clock in the morning" - Harry had jolted at this - he hadn't realised it would be so soon - "and bring only yourself. You will not be able to carry anything back in time with you - it would merely disintegrate with the force of the journey." The dark-haired wizard shifted uneasily in light of this information. He wasn't sure he liked this revelation. He reflexively folded his arms protectively around his body.

"I will give you this, however," Dumbledore went on. He lifted his wand and pointed at the Sorting Hat, which sat in its usual place on the shelf, and slowly levitated it from its perch across the room until it fell softly onto Harry's lap.

"Thank you," Harry said quietly. He fingered the stiff material and remembered a time, many years ago, when this hat had been placed on his very head. He had been just a boy then.

"You will find it contains everything you will need," Dumbledore said, giving him a knowing look.

Harry reflexively looked into the hat, and though it was empty, he knew what the wizard meant. Just as during his second year, when he opened the Chamber of Secrets, the Sorting Hat had come to his aid and produced the sword of Godric Gryffindor - so it would now serve him in a similar way. As if to confirm this, he reached into the seemingly empty folds of material and grasped. When he removed his hand, he found he was holding a small book, entitled 'So You're Going Travelling?' On the front, a wizard in a one-piece bathing suit and a bucket and spade waved back cheerily at him. Harry couldn't help but smile at this, and heard a soft chuckle issue from Dumbledore.

"Ah yes, the Sorting Hat always knows...." He cleared his throat. "I will empty this office of all its contents, and only the Mygrator will be here, in the centre of the floor." He pointed to the floor a few feet behind where Harry was sitting.

"Why is that, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled kindly at him, ignoring Snape's snort of impatience. "When you transport, the disappearance of your self in this time will create a 'hole' if you like, which means that anything in the immediate vicinity will be pulled towards this gap to fill the space that you have created." He glanced around the room at the many objects residing on the shelves and tables. "I am afraid that if I do not remove these things, they will zoom together and cause a mini-explosion. But anyway, we digress...." He once more clasped his hands together and leant forward slightly. "When you enter the room, you must walk towards this box that contains your Mygrator and open it, just as you did that day I first showed it to you. Then you must touch it - it will instantly shrink, as before - and then you must grasp the Mygrator with both hands and lift it from the box." He paused slightly. "You must not delay in doing this, as it will only remain active for a short time. If you do not act quickly enough, it will fade and will not be able to be activated until the following day" - he fixed Harry with his gaze - "and every second is precious, Harry."

Harry nodded, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. There was silence for a few moments.

"And when I get there - in the past, I mean.... What do I do then?"

Dumbledore regarded Harry. "I explained to you before what I believed the nature of the problem to be, and I mentioned about your mother, and your father too.... But unfortunately I don't myself have all the answers." He sighed and looked away for a second before resting his gaze once more on the wizard. "I can only ask you to do what you feel is right. Try and find out what is keeping them apart. Try and help Lily accept herself.... He gave him a smile. "I am sure you will do well. You are your parents' son, after all. And I do, as I have said before, trust in your instincts, Harry."

Now, standing at the foot of the staircase to Dumbledore's office, Harry's head still hadn't stopped swimming with the information. As he put one foot in the direction of the Gryffindor common room, one thought pushed to the front of his mind. I have to tell Ron and Hermione.

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Back in his office, Snape was livid.

Tomorrow. His black eyes flashed angrily at the thought. This would give him hardly any time at all.... At first, Snape had been eager for the travel to take place as quickly as possible - in order for it to occur before Voldemort had the chance to seize the opportunity to send someone back with Harry to murder him. But now, with the certainty that this person would be Draco....

He dropped onto his chair and held his head in his hands. What have I done....

He had never meant for it to go this far. He silently cursed himself for his stupidity. What had erupted from his anger as nothing more than a threatening jibe at Lucius to shut him up, had ended up being an actual reality. He had been a fool, rising to the older Malfoy's taunts, and now Draco was going to suffer because of it. If only he had held his tongue....

But he had been so sure that it wouldn't come to this, that Dumbledore would find a way to avoid the use of the Mygrator, that he hadn't thought anything would come of his empty threat to Lucius to use Draco like this.

Only his threat hadn't turned out to be so empty after all.

He rubbed his red-rimmed eyes hopelessly. What an idiot. He shook himself. He couldn't afford to go to pieces now...he had to think. Perhaps there was a way out. Maybe he could convince the Dark Lord to abandon the plan, or at the very least, to use someone else. He knew that Voldemort regarded him as one of his closest followers and valued his opinion. If he could just convince him not to use Draco.... He ran his fingers roughly through his tangled, shoulder-length hair. Yes, that was what he had to do. There was hardly enough time.... If the travel was due to commence at eight o' clock the following morning, he needed to work very quickly. He would have to inform Lucius at once.

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Lucius clutched at his stick so tightly that Severus could see his knuckles almost protrude from beneath his skin. The blond wizard had been going out of his mind with the recent events and had just been about to contact Severus when the wizard himself had summoned to see him. They were now standing just beyond the edge of the Hogwarts grounds, in a secluded spot on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Lucius was not pleased.

"I just don't understand...why go to all the trouble of going back in time to kill Harry? Why not just do it now?" He exhaled angrily.

"Don't be foolish!" the Potions Master snapped instantly. "Here, in the present, Harry is protected. When he returns to the past, the effect of the time travel will weaken whatever wards have been placed around him. Surely you are aware of the effects of time travel, Lucius?" he retorted, forcing himself to remain cold. Snape hated himself for doing it, but he couldn't let the wizard know how uneasy he was feeling about Draco's safety or Lucius might just fall apart. No, the best way was to act as though the plan was airtight.

Lucius's eyes glinted madly, almost desperately. "But there has to be a way! Something! Anything...." He started to pace, wringing his hands together. Any authority he possessed was dissolving. "We have to stop this now...."

"I will try to influence The Dark Lord to use someone else, Lucius," Snape offered. "That is the best I can do."

"But that's no use," Lucius muttered, almost to himself. "It has to stop now...." He didn't seem to be listening to Snape - he just continued to pace.

This was unusual behaviour for the Malfoy.

"Did you hear what I said?" Snape's eyes narrowed. He whirled around to face the man. "It's not too late - I will make every effort to - "

"You don't understand!" Lucius interrupted. "He's bonded!"

Snapes eyes flew open at this and he froze instantly. "He's what?" he choked. It was a long moment before he could speak again. "Who...?"

"I did!" Lucius cried desperately, shame twisting his features. He was unable to meet the wizard's shocked gaze. "I did...."

"Why?" Snape croaked, grasping at the gates behind him, barely able to remain upright. This awful revelation had taken the air out of his lungs.

"I didn't think," Lucius answered helplessly, still pacing about nervously. "Draco agreed to travel back, he was - " he grimaced at this part " - honoured. But I thought that closer to the time he might try and resist it somehow and - and bring shame on our family." His voice was barely above a whisper now. "So I bonded him, to make sure he goes through with it." He looked utterly ashamed of himself. "As long as the time-travel plan goes ahead, it has to be Draco who goes back. Or - " He couldn't finish the sentence.

" - he'll die," Snape said quietly. The Potions Master could only stare at him in disbelief. "You fool, Lucius," he whispered. He watched the blond wizard grimace. This changed everything.

"You think I don't know? I - I panicked. I wasn't thinking...." This was new territory for Lucius. In Snape's living memory, Malfoy had never once admitted being wrong or vulnerable in any way. "It's only now that I realise what danger I've put him in." Narcissa was right, his mind taunted him. He hung his head in shame. He couldn't even bring himself to think about her.

Severus looked at Lucius and saw a broken man. For all his Death-Eater status and power and influence, all he actually was, was a desperate man who realised he had made a terrible mistake and was trying to save his son.

Lucius pressed his lips together, refusing to meet the other wizard's gaze. "I blame you, Snape," he said quietly, his voice laced with bitterness. "Why involve Draco in all this in the first place?"

Snape faltered. "I - I never meant for this...."

"Don't give me that!" spat Lucius, whipping around angrily and thumping his stick against the ground.

Snape held his gaze. "I was angry, Lucius! But I didn't mean for it to go this far. Really, I didn't - "

"If anyone, it should be you!" he snarled, facing the other man defiantly.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Snape retorted.

"You just want to save yourself! That's all you've ever done! You don't work for anyone else and you never have!"

Snape was losing his patience. "Think for goodness sake, Lucius! If I or any other grown wizard tried side-along travel through a Mygrator it would disintegrate on the spot! Draco won't be eighteen for a few months yet - the chances of him being detected are slim to none!"

This seemed to sink into the blond wizard, but Lucius still wasn't ready to back down. "But why Draco?" he persisted, his voice breaking slightly. "Why not - why not...."

Snape swallowed. "You are highly valued by the Dark Lord. If he trusts anyone it is you." He looked away. "I do not believe that he would trust anyone with a task as important as this apart from your son."

Lucius looked at him for a long moment, seemingly battling with himself to remain under control. "Well the damage is done now," he said bitterly. He fixed Snape with his gaze. "And you'd better do everything you can to make this work." His jaw quivered. "If anything happens to Draco...."

The sentence left unfinished in the air.

Lucius recovered himself. "Will anyone see him leave?"

"No," Snape answered. "Dumbledore's office will be empty when the travel is initiated. It will just be Potter and the Mygrator. Draco can slip in easily. I will make sure he is there before Potter enters the room." Snape was silent before speaking once more. He was not a sympathetic man, but there was a slight softness in his voice as he asked his next question. "How is Narcissa?" He knew that she would have taken this badly.

Lucius stiffened and looked Snape straight in the eye, his mouth a grim line.

"She's dead."

And without looking back or giving any further explanation, he Disapparated on the spot, leaving Snape staring in disbelief at the empty space before him.

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Alone in his office, Dumbledore placed the chest containing Harry's Mygrator on his desk and seated himself before it. The room was empty - he had dismissed all the staff members shortly after Harry had left the office. Dumbledore didn't know how he felt at that moment. Scared? Yes. Apprehensive? Certainly. And maybe, if he was honest with himself, also a little relieved.

He couldn't help feeling that he was being selfish.

Dumbledore gazed at the box and rested his chin on his clasped hands, suddenly feeling older than he ever had. He was more than a little ashamed of himself. He'd had no business tempting Harry with the idea that he would see his parents again. Of course he wouldn't refuse to go back in time if it was with the promise that he would see them again. And yet, as far as he could see, this was the only feasible course of action to save the young wizard.

The dimly flickering candle in the wall bracket to the right of him cast a soft shadow on his face, throwing into relief the heavily lidded eyes and tired lines. Now it was all up to Harry. He could only hope for the best.

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Draco felt the blood rush straight to his head. Things were escalating so quickly. Tomorrow? How on earth could he prepare in time for tomorrow? He had only been informed of the plan, and of his key role in it, a few days earlier - and now he was supposed to be ready to leave tomorrow? Professor Snape had called him earlier to his office to explain the procedure of events - how to slip into Dumbledore's office just ahead of Harry, hidden by a temporary concealment charm to avoid being seen...how to touch him just before he picked up the Mygrator with both hands. It all seemed fairly simple, really. But then came the next part. When they travelled back, and when the protective spells around Harry were weakened, he had to kill him. Just like that. He drew a shaky breath. Even though he had been told this during that first firecall by his father a few days ago, his stomach did a familiar jolt at this. He had never used an Unforgiveable before. And even though it was Potter - certainly no friend of his - could he really kill him? Actually kill him? If Draco was honest with himself, he actually felt a sliver of bitterness towards his father, for putting him in this position. But Draco quickly shook the thought from his head, angry with himself for questioning his orders. This was what serving the Dark Lord would be like, and if he wasn't prepared to do this - the biggest service of all - then he would be falling at the first hurdle. His mind turned over this idea and he was so preoccupied with the thought that he only faintly heard the pop in the Slytherin common room fireplace.

"All clear?" his father's head hissed from the hearth.

Draco jerked his gaze towards him and nodded shortly before looking away again. He swallowed and gave his father a sidelong glance, not wanting him to see his uneasiness. He hated appearing weak in front of him. He wiped his palms against his robes and carefully schooled his expression into one of polite interest before turning towards him, and waited for the other wizard to speak once more.

"Severus has informed you of what you need to do?"

Draco nodded once more. His father seemed to have aged since he had last seen him. Maybe it was because usual haughty stare was gone, and replaced by something more akin to unease. Draco's eyes flickered a little. Why was his father so tense?

Lucius flinched slightly as he faced Draco. He couldn't bring himself to tell his son exactly what kind of danger he had put him in. There was so much he needed to say, but where could he start? If you don't succeed in killing Harry, then you will die yourself. It would have been prevented, had I not bonded you, but I valued my place in the Dark Lord's circle more than your life. I couldn't face the shame of you returning without completing the task so I made sure that you either succeed or die yourself. I wanted to make sure that you would carry out your orders...that you wouldn't fail Him or your family.... He felt sick at the very thought. He didn't deserve to even face his son. Coward. The word reverberated inside his head.

"Be careful, Draco, " he said quietly.

Draco started a little. He had learnt the different tones of his father's voice over the years. He was familiar with cold, sharp, indifferent, abrupt.... But this was something he didn't recognise. He sounded almost scared. Is that what he detected in his father's voice? Fear?

Concern, even?

Draco set his jaw firmly, slightly apprehensive of the meaning behind his father's words. "Don't you trust me?" he said carefully.

"Don't be insolent!" the older wizard snapped automatically. He immediately stiffened and turned away a little. "Can't I tell my own son to look after himself?" he said tightly. "Just - " he exhaled a shaky breath " - just be careful."

Draco jolted a little. His father was actually concerned for his safety.

A few moments of awkward silence passed, in which Draco fumbled with the cuffs of his robes, unsure of exactly what he should say.

He swallowed a few times and finally found his voice. "I will," he replied quietly. "Thank you, father."

And without looking back, Draco swept out of the room.

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