Father and Son

~Chapter 9~

past, present, future?!

December 1997

'Malfoy! Open up this instant!'

David's head was throbbing, and he groaned as the pain shot through his head with every thud against the door.

'What the hell...?' He pulled himself up, trying to find the door in the blur of dizziness that surrounded him.

'Malfoy!'

He reached for the doorknob and flung the door open.

'Yes!' David snapped at the person standing in front of him.

'We are supposed to be at prefects' meeting, and I'm not gonna be late again because of you!' the young woman yelled at him, making him flinch.

'Where am I?' he asked, looking around as his gaze sharpened again.

In front of him stood a girl that looked about his age with bushy brown hair and dark hazel eyes that were glaring at him venomously.

Behind her he saw a small room, furnished with a cosy blue couch and three armchairs around a small table. The walls were covered by rows of bookshelves except for one where two doors shared it with a huge old picture of a snobbish-looking woman. But how the hell did he get here?

The girl frowned.

'Are you drunk?' she asked suspiciously.

'Don't know...' David growled, eyeing her intensively. There was something about her face...something familiar. Or was it her voice?

'What do you mean, you don't know?' Hermione asked obviously annoyed with him.

David grabbed his head.

Then suddenly realization dawned.

'Hermione?' he asked.

'Yeah, right...' Hermione said carefully. 'You don't smell like you're drunk. Is this just a lame excuse to skive off prefects' meeting again? You know the Slytherins refuse to work with me without you! If you don't come along, I swear I'll report you to McGonagall,' she threatened.

McGonagall? So they were at Hogwarts. And since this girl had just confirmed to be his Aunt Hermione he must be...in the past.

Don't be silly! That's impossible.

'So are you coming?' Hermione tapped her foot impatiently. Her arms were crossed and she glared at him again.

Yeah. Definitely Hermione! he thought.

'Don't get your knickers in a twist, witch.' He scowled at her and followed her through one of the two doors on the portrait-wall.

From the outside, he realized as he turned to close it, the door was the portrayal of a knight that had a lively fight with a Hungarian Horntail.

Fitting! he thought as he followed Hermione.

On the way to the prefect's meeting, David discovered the Head Boy badge on his school uniform. That explained the room he was sharing with Hermione. He was Head Boy and she was Head Girl. That would make them seventh years. But if Hermione was Head Girl, and he was really in the past, then he must have switched parts with his father. There was no other explanation to that. His father had gone to Hogwarts when he was eleven. That was 1991. Six years later would mean, he was at the year 1997.

He shook his head. This was just completely, utterly impossible. What had happened to him? He didn't trust Diana's plan. He never trusted potions. But this one was the worst he had ever messed up.

'Hermione!' he called out to her.

Hermione stopped and waited until he had caught up with her.

'What date is it?' he asked.

'Monday, the first,' she replied, walking on.

'The first of what?' he asked, having noticed the snow that was falling outside through a window.

'December.' She looked at him confused.

David realized how strange he must have sounded.

'Sorry, I'm not quite awake, yet.'

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. 'You are really strange today. Calling me Hermione and everything...'

'But that's your name, isn't it?' David asked cautiously.

'Yes, but I never realized we were on first-name terms, Malfoy, or are you especially gracious around Christmas?'

Right. She had been calling him Malfoy all the time.

'Perhaps I am.' David smirked at her. He thought it better to let her think he was calling her by her first-name out of a mood. The truth was he couldn't remember his aunt's maiden name.

She rolled her eyes at him, but David could have sworn he saw them shine with mirth.

David looked around while they continued their way to the prefects' room. Hogwarts looked like it always had. Even their uniforms hadn't changed.

When they passed another deserted corridor, David started to wonder why they hadn't met any student yet.

'Uhm, what time is it?'

'Two minutes to seven,' Hermione answered.

'Good morning, Miss Granger. Mister Malfoy,' Professor McGonagall greeted them, as she hurried past them.

'In the morning?' David asked, flabbergasted. 'You set the prefects' meeting on a Monday and at seven in the morning?'

Hermione stopped in her tracks and frowned at him.

'And you think the prefects will come? Lord knows I wouldn't!'

'It didn't fit in my time-table otherwise. I've got the highest number of classes a day and with N.E.W.T.s coming up enough extra-work, I'm giving tuition in potions and Arithmancy, I'm Head Girl and finally I've still got a boyfriend who'd like to see me now and then, not only for mealtimes. Please tell me, when am I supposed to set the prefects' meeting?' Her voice had dangerously risen during her sentences, and David made a mental note not to mess with her when she was like this. 'Oh wait, I've got an idea. Let's all skive potion. I'm sure Snape won't mind!' Hermione yelled at him.

David held his hands up defensively. 'Really, you are scary when you're like this!'

'Shut up, Malfoy!' Hermione shouted at him.

'They are not late, they've just been shouting at each other again!' a voice from behind them called. David recognized Colin Creevey who, upon seeing Hermione glare at him, quickly returned to the prefects' room.

When David entered the room with a fuming Hermione, everybody immediately fell silent. Looking around, he realized that he knew barely anyone. But then his gaze fell upon her. There she was smiling up at him cheekily. Her red hair fell upon her shoulders, framing her freckled face with the big hazel eyes. The sixteen-year-old Ginny Weasley.

And beside her, glaring furiously at him, her elder brother Ron. David ignored him and sat down at the top of the big round table. He'd always wanted to be Head Boy.

'Good morning, everybody,' Hermione greeted her fellow students. She was still standing next to him, rearranging the many papers she had pulled from her school bag.

At this point David wondered nervously if he should have brought notes, too. He hated being unprepared.

Sleepy murmurs of 'morning' came from the prefects. David had been right. They didn't seem pleased at all to meet at such an early time. On the other hand, no one seemed to have the intention to complain about this.

'As you all know security has been raised throughout the year. After that incident last month at Hogsmeade, the headmaster wishes the prefects to help guard the castle. That means the usual rounds in the evening will be done by six instead of only two prefects. I know you don't like this,' she said upon hearing growls of disapproval, 'but seeing that a fellow student of us was kidnapped and... killed, we have to put security above our own interests. A prefect is responsible for his fellow students. And we have to work together to protect what is our own.'

'You sound like Scrimgeour. As a united wizarding world...' a Hufflepuff prefect imitated the minister's voice.

'The one who wrote that speech for him is damn right, you know!' one of the elder Ravenclaws put in.

Someone was killed? David wondered, slightly shocked. Of course, in 1997 Voldemort had already regained his power. At history lessons, this time was called pre-war-phase, David remembered.

'Let's not digress from the main topic. Dumbledore wants us to make a few alterations of our own to increase protection. What can we do apart from expanding the prefects on rounds?' Hermione asked looking around expectantly.

A haughtily looking Hufflepuff raised his hand.

'Ernie!' Hermione said.

David faintly recalled having seen this wizard at Malfoy Holdings. Ernie Macmillan. One of his father's competitors for a company he'd wanted to buy up.

'The question is where could the Death Eaters attack a student.' Ernie Macmillan stood up as Hermione sat down. 'Most likely at Hogsmeade, if you ask me.'

A girl raised her hand.

'Parvati?' Hermione nodded towards her.

'Someone said something about Dumbledore prohibiting the Hogsmeade week-ends. That's not true, isn't it?' Parvati asked.

'The Board of Governors asked him to. But Malfoy and I convinced them we'd find a solution along with you.'

'What about you, Malfoy? You are Head Boy. Why don't you tell us what you have thought of for protecting us at Hogsmeade,' Ron dared him.

David straightened himself in his seat.

'Don't worry, Weasley. First of all, I won't budge from your side all day, so you don't have to be afraid of the big bad Death Eaters.' David sneered at him. Ron had brought him into an unpleasant position. He had no idea what to suggest. His mind raced while the Slytherin prefects roared with laughter.

'Now after I've made sure Weasley will be safe, I think we should only allow students to go to Hogsmeade in groups of...let's say four or five people.'

'Hear, hear,' Ernie said looking at him haughtily.

David noticed the look of surprise on Hermione's face.

'The Death Eaters won't be alone, either. They'll work in groups. A group of third years won't be able to cope with them,' Ginny reminded them.

'Perhaps only fifth, sixth and seventh years should be allowed to visit Hogsmeade,' a Gryffindor prefect put in.

'That's easy for us to decide. But tell the fourth and third years we ground them!' a Hufflepuff put in.

'Not our problem, is it? We'll just say the headmaster decided it.' Blaise Zabini shrugged. David was startled to see his father's best friend without his infamous scar running over his handsome face.

'Yeah, Zabini. You are a real man. Always taking responsibility for what you do, aren't you?' Ginny sneered at him.

'What if we build groups and each one is accompanied by a prefect?' a Ravenclaw suggested.

'That would mean Hogsmeade is ruined for us,' Ron concluded grimly.

'How many are they?' David asked looking at Hermione.

'The third and fourth years?' she asked.

'We better count the fifth years into this, too,' Ernie Macmillan said.

'We can look out for ourselves!' a blonde Slytherin girl hissed angrily.

'I think Ernie's right,' Hermione said, looking apologetically at the fifth years.

'That's not fair!' a Gryffindor next to Colin Creevey squealed.

David noticed Ginny looking at him expectantly. He supposed she wanted him to intervene.

'Okay, we can sort this out easily,' David said, rising his voice over the starting noise. 'Please raise your hands. Who thinks the fifth years should be accompanied, too?'

Eighteen arms went up - all but the fifth years agreed.

The fifth years roared indignantly.

'Matter closed!' David stated firmly.

'Averagely there are twelve students of each house,' Hermione said answering David's original question.

'That would mean four times twelve students each year. That makes 48 students,' David calculated loudly for all the others to follow him. 'Divided into groups of let's say six students we'd have eight groups a year.'

'We are just eighteen without the fifth years. How are we supposed to look out for 24 groups?' a seventh year Ravenclaw reasoned.

'I've got a better idea,' Hermione interrupted the discussion. 'Let's give the lower three years just half the day. Breakfast to lunch. The seventh years are exactly 46 students. Minus Malfoy and myself who will be patrolling Hogsmeade means 44 students left. If we divide the 48 students per year into groups of four people, we'll have three times twelve groups.'

The others nodded between her calculations.

'Makes 36 groups, so each student from seventh year will be responsible for one group of four younger students.'

'What about the eight students that are missing in your calculation?' Ron asked.

Hermione smiled smugly at the eight seventh year prefects. 'They will be patrolling Hogsmeade like the prefects from sixth year.'

'And what about us?' a Ravenclaw fifth year asked.

'You are off duty.' Hermione smiled.

'You mean we'll be baby-sat!' the blonde Slytherin girl snarled.

'Won't the seventh years complain?' Ginny asked Hermione.

'They'll still be allowed to visit Hogsmeade in the afternoon on their own after they delivered their group safely at Hogwarts. They have no choice. Either they do it or they won't be able to visit Hogsmeade at all.'

'Who thinks we should carry out the plan? That is enough. We'll do it,' David decided.

'Hermione, it's nearly eight and some of us haven't had breakfast yet,' Ron said as he saw Hermione pull out another sheet.

'I just wanted to give out the plans for rounds,' she said and handed out some sheets. 'You are dismissed.'

'Great. See you at potions, love.' Ron gave her a quick peck and rushed off.

Before David had realized it the room was empty except for Hermione and himself.

'I'm surprised you even cared to think of something for today,' Hermione snapped at him while stuffing her sheets into her ragged school bag.

David frowned at her.

'What's up with you?' he asked.

'Me? You are the one who doesn't care an ounce about Head Boy duties. The only thing you do is bully people around for fun just because your father bought you the position. And I simply and utterly hate you!' she yelled at him and stormed off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

August 2015

Everything was a blur to Draco, then a face came into his view.

'Everything all right?' Diana asked, concerned.

Draco looked around, slightly confused to be at the library of the mansion. 'Why...why am I at Malfoy Manor?' he wondered aloud, shaking his head, to get a clearer view. Then he looked back at the girl that had spoken to him.

'You look like a Malfoy, but I can't recall meeting you before. What's your name?' he asked. She looked definitely like a Malfoy: light blond hair, grey eyes, high cheek-bones and a familiar pointed nose. But he just couldn't place her.

'Of course I look like a Malfoy, you moron, I'm your sister!' she snapped.

He had made a mess of her potion, and now her whole plan was ruined in just a few minutes. She was more than furious with him.

'That's impossible. I don't have a sister,' Draco stated calmly.

'You can try to deny it, David Abraxas Malfoy, but you've got to live with the fact that you've got two elder sisters anyway!'

'David Abraxas Malfoy?' Draco asked, confused.

Diana frowned at him. 'Yeah that's your name, as far as I know. Has this potion done anything to your head?' she asked, looking at him suspiciously.

'I think you must be mistaken. I'm not your brother and I'm not David...Malfoy. I've never even heard of him. My name is Draco Malfoy. Draco Lucius Marcus Malfoy. And I'm definitely an only child,' Draco said.

Diana gaped at him for a moment.

'Don't play games with me, David, that's not funny!' she warned him.

'I'm Draco Malfoy, witch, and you are starting to get on my nerves!' He stood up and straightened his clothes. 'And who are you, anyway?'

'Diana Malfoy,' she answered carefully.

'Are we related somehow?' Draco asked.

Diana frowned again. That can't be! He must have some trauma or something! He's still looking like him, but he...he talks differently and the way he moves...it can't be...

Draco raised an eyebrow at her askance. Somehow this girl was really strange.

'If it's true, what you claim, and you are really Draco Malfoy...then I'm your daughter.'

'What?' Now Draco really believed she was strange. No, she was mental!

'I don't know why, but you...you were my brother a few minutes ago and now...now you are my father...but younger...and David is gone and...'

'Are you sure, you're feeling all right?' Draco asked her.

'Yes...I mean, no...I mean...' She sat down into an armchair.

She took a deep breath and then continued to explain: 'I am Diana Malfoy, daughter of Draco and Ginevra Malfoy, and I was brewing a potion with my twin brother David until he messed it up and blew it up. And when the smoke from the explosion vanished, you lay on the ground, now you claim to be Draco Malfoy, which seems completely utterly impossible, because my father is a grown-up man - no offence - of thirty-five years and sits only a few rooms ahead in his office!'

'Your father?' Draco asked.

'Yes!' Diana said emphatically.

'But this is impossible! We are at Malfoy Manor aren't we?'

'Yes.'

'And the Manor still belongs to Lucius Malfoy, doesn't it?'

'What are you talking about? Lucius Malfoy died before we were even born!'

'Before...wait...when did he die?' Draco was completely confused now.

'I don't know, it was at the end of the second war, I guess, about January 1999. I remember Mum telling us that he was at the final battle.'

'Second war? Final battle? January 1999? We only have December 1997!' Draco exclaimed.

'Either, you must be really out of your mind or...'

'Or you are!' Draco interrupted her, getting slightly annoyed.

'Oh, I am?' Diana asked, stood up and opened the heavy velvet curtains, so the warm summer sun shone into the room.

'Then tell me, since when do we have such weather in December!'

'I don't understand this! One minute I'm at my room in Hogwarts, where it was snowing heavily and the next I'm here, talking to a lunatic girl that claims, she's my sister, then my daughter, and then that we have the year...' He broke off, realizing she hadn't told him, yet.

'2015!' Diana told him, crossing her arms over her chest.

'You are mental! That would mean, that I am...'

'Thirty-five!' she told him.

Draco looked up at her.

'Wait a minute. Are you telling me, I went to the future? To the year 2015?'

Diana shrugged.

'How?' Draco asked still not fully believing what was going on.

'I don't know! I told you, David messed up a potion...he must have switched parts with you and...'

'Switched parts with me? You mean there is someone in the past, running around pretending he is me?'

'Yeah, in your present time, I guess,' Diana said.

'Prove it!' Draco demanded, crossing his arms as well.

'Fine,' Diana responded coldly and took his arm, pulling him after her.

'Where are we going?' Draco asked suspiciously.

'To Dad's office.'

'You mean, I'm going to see myself?'

Diana stopped dead. She hadn't thought about what would happen if her father saw his future self or vice-versa his past-self. David and she were already meddling with time, now. She didn't want to imagine what could happen, because of this.

'Look, you've got to act as if you were David, my twin brother. If we tell anybody, that you are from the past, seeing your future, we'll be in worse trouble than we already are in!'

Draco looked at her, contemplating. She was right. It was dangerous to meddle with time. But the possibility of seeing his future self was just too tempting. So he nodded.

'David Malfoy?' he asked.

Diana nodded.

'And I'm my...I mean I'm his...'

'...son, yes!'

Diana knocked at the door of her father's office.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

December 1997

David was at a loss of what to do.

He'd tried to get into his father's dormitory to find the time-turner, but the knight in the portrait refused to let him in without a password, claiming the last time he made an exception Hermione bit his head off. He'd thought about going to a teacher as well, but he supposed he would be in more trouble than he already was. Time travel was illegal and dangerous. If anyone got to know about this he would be in Azkaban before he could say Quidditch.

Finally David decided to search the evil that caused his unfortunate incident: memori amor!

He made his way to the library, only to find Hermione sitting there.

She looked up from the book she was reading, curious to see who was as mad as herself to go to the library before classes.

To her surprise it was Draco.

She frowned. Couldn't he just leave her alone? She wasn't in the mood for his silly games, especially when he had caused this mood.

She braced herself for another verbal attack when he went straight for her.

'What?' she snapped.

'I've forgotten the password. Could you...'

'No!' she cut in.

'I'll report you if you refuse to,' David threatened.

'I... Go to hell, Malfoy!'

'Later, perhaps. So would you please be so kind and tell me the password so I can get into our chambers?'

'Read it from my lips: No!'

'Fine! Be stubborn, witch, but you'll have to return to the dormitory, and until then I'll be stuck to your heels!' He pointedly sat down next to her and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Hermione huffed irritably and returned to her book.

'What are you reading?' David inquired when he got bored of their silence.

'Potions,' she mumbled, obviously reading intensely.

David wondered whether she knew something about the potion. Aunt Hermione was one of the brightest witches he knew. After all, she was an Unspeakable, and his mother had told him that she'd been one of the best Hogwarts students of the century.

He plucked up his courage and asked:

'What do you know about memori amor?'

Hermione's head shot up.

'If you weren't in the Order, I'd immediately report you to the headmaster. Memori amor is an illegal potion. It's dark magic!' she hissed at him.

David wondered what Order she was talking about. Surely his father couldn't have been at the famous Order of the Phoenix while still at school, could he?

'You know about it, too.' He shrugged.

Hermione's head went red. 'I... It was listed up in a book about love potions. We had to write an essay about it, remember?'

'I just asked you a question. I didn't force you into drinking it.'

Hermione scrutinized him suspiciously.

'Why do you want to know? As far as I know, it doesn't make somebody fall in love with you except for somebody who already has. Do you want to you use it on Ginny?'

'No!' David lied, faking an indignant tone.

'It wouldn't work, you know. You've got to be married!'

'I don't want to use it. I'm just interested in.... Wait how do you know all this? I don't think there's an ingredient list in a book were the potion is listed up!'

'How do you know, there are wedding bonds required in the ingredient list?'

'How do you know, I was talking about wedding bonds?'

'Fine. We both know the potion better than we want to admit. But I only looked it up because of the essay.'

'Me, too.'

'I don't believe you! You are up to something.' She rose from her chair and put the book back on its shelf. 'And if I find out it has to do with Ginny, you are in for it, Malfoy!'

She shouldered her bag and turned to leave, but stopped at the threshold.

'Dragon's blood.'

'What?' David asked, confused.

'The password is dragon's blood.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~