Father and Son

~Chapter 18~
A Know-It-All for All Times

August, 2015

Hermione wasn't surprised at all when Draco finally showed up on her doorstep.

What surprised her was him being accompanied by Amaris instead of Diana. After days of sitting in the library and trying to figure out a solution for his marriage problem as well as his time problem, Draco had asked Amaris to take him to Hermione's since he didn't know where to find her. Amaris had looked at him curiously, but agreed, telling him she wanted to go to Diagon Alley anyway. They'd Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron and went to Muggle London where Hermione and Ron lived in a small house not far from Diagon Alley.

'Where's Diana?' Hermione asked.

'That's a very good question,' Draco snarled.

'I'll fetch you in a few hours, all right?' Amaris told him, winking at her aunt. 'Say Hello to Uncle Ron for me, Hermione.'

Hermione nodded and closed the door behind Draco.

'Does she know you're not David?' Hermione asked him, following him through the hallway into the living room.

Draco eyed her suspiciously, much to Hermione's amusement.

'So you're really here!' she said, smiling. 'I always wondered if David was missing in his time or if he was being replaced by you.'

'How do you know David and I swapped places?' he asked, sitting down on one of the sofas.

'Oh, please! I shared the Head Girl and Head Boy Quarters with you. Do you think I didn't realize you weren't yourself anymore?'

'So you knew all the years that my son and Diana would mess up that potion? Why didn't you stop it?'

'Because David had already arrived in the past and I had discovered him. If I had kept Diana and David under stricter surveillance I would have changed the past by stopping them to brow the potion. David is needed where he is right now. And perhaps you're also needed here.'

Draco snorted.

'I don't think I'm much of a help here. It's pure torture to see my future marriage break down.'

Another thought crossed his mind.

Hermione had vanished into the kitchen to fetch some cold pumpkin juice. The day was getting hotter and hotter.

Watching the closed curtains through which shone a few rays of sunlight, he asked, 'Will you Obliviate me when I return?'

'What do you think I did?' Hermione responded seriously.

Draco said nothing in return, so it was at Hermione to ask. 'Where's Diana? I wrote her. I guessed she'd come a long. Is she afraid to get the blow from her aunt?'

'She left Tuesday night,' Draco answered.

'Left?'

'She mounted the broom of some strange boy and flew away with him into the night, but not without petrifying me first.'

'I didn't know Diana had a boyfriend.'

'She's planning something with him. I heard her ask him to fetch her when we stayed at Potter's place.'

'He was at Harry's?'

'Secretly, yeah. Does the name Cassius Clouth ring a bell with you?' he asked.

'No.' Hermione's brows furrowed.

'The Clouths are an ancient pure-blood family. Once, this family ruled the Wizarding world through their riches and influence. My father always spoke very highly of them. He spent nearly his whole youth trying to find a wife from this family. Unfortunately there are only few of them left at my time. He believed that the union between the now influential and rich Malfoys and the ancient Clouths would help them to new greatness. He obviously failed and the result of that failure sits here.' He smirked.

'So you think Diana heard of her late grandfather's wish? Or do you think it's just a strange coincidence?'

'It's a bit too strange to be coincidental. But it's also a bit too big for Diana to have planned it.'

'Too big?' Hermione asked.

'Never mind...' Draco said. 'What do you suggest concerning the time-change? Do you know where the time-turner is?'

He looked at her expectantly and she smiled.

'Yes. I know who's got the time-turner.'

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

'Luna?' Ginny looked at her best friend sitting at Fortescue's ice parlor, where she'd waited for her. 'I think we've finally done it!' She smiled as she watched how the young woman's gray eyes started to widen.

'You mean...?'

'We're pregnant!' Ginny shouted with glee and hugged Luna. Releasing her she noticed that Luna wasn't entirely happy, though she seemed relieved.

'What is it?' she asked, seriously and sat down next to her.

Luna let a tear fall from her face and smiled. 'I'm glad you're carrying our baby. I just wish I could have done it myself... If only those Nargels hadn't made me infertile.'

'Luna... it was a--' Ginny realized that it wouldn't help to remind her, of the Death Eater curse that had probably caused her sterility once.

'Harry will be so happy!' Luna smiled and wiped away the trace of the single tear.

Ginny nodded and squeezed Luna's pale hand.

'So what do you think, it's gonna be?' Luna asked, suddenly changing her expression to a cheerful smile.

Ginny shrugged and smiled back at her. 'What would you like to have?'

'Oh, I don't know. Actually I don't care what it's gonna be. I just hope it won't inherit Harry's scar! You know, I heard that some babies are born with the traces of dark magic that their parents wear.'

Ginny laughed. Luna never changed when it came to strange rumours. 'But you like Harry's scar!' she said, playing along. She had learned that it was no use to disagree with her.

Luna smiled, dreamily. 'Yes, I do.'

Ginny ordered herself Fortescue's Special Hot-Fudge Sundae. 'Now that I'll soon look like a walking Quaffle, anyway...' she commented and winked at Luna.

'What did Draco say? Did he take it badly?'

'He doesn't know I'm pregnant.' She shrugged. 'Our marriage is a ruin anyway.'

'Ginny, he's trying really hard. Don't you think you're being unfair?'

'Unfair?' the redhead repeated, her temper flaring up. 'He's the one who's constantly away, who doesn't trust me, who thinks work is more important than his family! He's the one who's been unfair!'

'I didn't say he wasn't. But he's seen his mistake, hasn't he?'

'I'm not sure about that,' Ginny growled.

'He tries to get you back. Draco still loves you.'

'He blackmailed me! He tried to imprison your husband. I always thought I was the only one who saw the good in him.'

'Do you remember defending him? Ron and Harry used to accuse you of siding with a Death Eater!'

Ginny had to smile. 'Yeah. Remember? They used to call me the "Death Eater's Bride".'

'Try to remember what it was that made you fall in love with him, Gin!'

'It was his calmness in every situation. He always seemed so cold and yet he's able to fight so fiercely. He held me, when I needed someone. He was strong and he protected me of my own fears. How I wish that could have lasted, Luna.'

'Well, I do think he's fighting a fierce battle,' Luna remarked. 'You told him he doesn't fight for you but everything he's done to get back in your good grace has failed, because you deemed it not good enough or not honest!'

'I...'

'Ginevra, don't fool yourself! You know that your own feelings add a big deal to your marriage problems. Be honest to yourself, do you still love your husband?'

'I don't know,' she admitted. 'There's been so much damage done to our marriage. And I'm not saying it's all Draco's fault. I wish we'd talk to each other again and I wish he'd listen to me. I wish we still had the same dreams and goals. I don't even know what his goals are anymore.'

'Ask him!' Luna suggested.

'It's not that easy, Luna.' Tears welled up in her eyes.

'I didn't say it was easy, did I? I just think you should give him a chance to win you back. At least if you still want that!'

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

Hermione stood in front of her huge bookcase, searching for a certain title.

But she couldn't really concentrate on searching it. Her thoughts kept straying back at the conversation with Draco only half an hour ago. He'd gone to Diagon Alley's library. The biggest one in the whole UK. They hoped to find some information about the potion that had evoked the time-change. She'd wanted to go for herself, but Draco had refused to stay and watch the children. Amaris must have warned him about them.

'There's nothing we can do at the moment,' Hermione had told him, but he wouldn't hear any of it. He'd insisted that even if the Time-Turner had travelled to the year 1997 as well, they still had to find out if there was anything they could do to prepare the change back.

'I've been there, Draco! We found the Time-Turner, repaired it and send you back with it!'

He'd snorted. 'But you haven't been here, have you?' His mocking voice had made her blush. Even though he was about seventeen years younger than her he still talked to her like he had always done. Remembering his words made her wonder if a relationship depended on age or if it was just the never changing part of a character that left their indelible marks upon it. If she hadn't seen herself in the mirror that hung at one side of the living room she would have been certain to be eighteen all over again. 'What if we have to repeat the potion? Why did that potion make David and me change places anyway? There are too many questions left, Granger!'

'Weasley!' she'd corrected him, glaring at him. He'd smirked. 'Why haven't you tried to find out the reasons for this change in all these years?' Draco had inquired. 'It's not like you, to think it's suffices that everything is solved no matter how it happened!'

'We were stuck in a war!' Hermione had snapped. 'I had Voldemort on my mind, and Harry, and how we'd all survive these times! I didn't care about the mischief your children might get up to one day!'

'Well, this mischief might change the whole war, if I may remind you!' he'd shot back.

'I know!' she'd shown him the letter that had arrived several days ago. 'I'd forgotten I'd written a letter to myself after you had changed back. The post-office was supposed to send it to me at this exact date.'

She looked down on the parchment, which was still lying on the table where they'd been sitting.

December, the 26^th 1997

To myself:

A few days ago, I have send back David Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's son. He'd taken the place of his father in this time. Draco Malfoy returned after David had vanished. I Obliviated him and called Ginny. I told both of them he'd hit the wall after having a break-down, so they wouldn't wonder why Draco didn't remember the past weeks. But perhaps you still know all of this. Unfortunately I Obliviated him before I could ask him how the change back really occurred; I was too afraid that he'd tell me anything of my future to let him say anything. I don't really understand what happened yet, but perhaps you do now (By the way it's strange to address myself with 'you'). You need to find the young Draco if he's in your time now. Make sure nobody notices he's not David. His sister probably already knows. If they can't change back in 22 days the consequences will be awful. Ginny's first child was conceived on Christmas Eve, if nothing went wrong. I still can't believe it, but I thought and still think we shouldn't mess with that.

With faith in my future,
Hermione J. Granger

Finally she gave up the search and went into the kitchen to make dinner for her family. When she was nearly done, the doorbell rang again. Draco was back with a stack of books in his arms.

'Why did you move to Muggle London? I had to carry these all the way from Diagon Alley!' Draco growled.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Did you find something useful?' she inquired taking some books from him.

'Yeah, some books about potions going wrong, one about Memori Amor, two about Time-Turner...well the book I searched for wasn't available.'

'And what might that have been?' Hermione asked.

'Help, my son and I swapped places and now he's in danger of being shagged by his mother!'

'Which you would like to do!' Hermione remarked cheekily.

'That's not the point!' Draco snapped, but Hermione smirked.

He looked at the books. 'We'll need over a week to get through all these!' he reckoned.

'Well, I hope you like my cooking then,' Hermione said dryly. 'Seeing as you will spend all week here.'

'Don't tell me you don't have house-elves for that!' Draco groaned.

'I don't see why I should pay a house-elf for something I can do myself.'

'Pay a house-elf?' he repeated in disbelief. This future was really strange.

'I had a house-elf that watched over my children, though.' Hermione said, remembering the little elf called Tally.

'What happened to him?'

'She resigned,' Hermione admitted, ignoring Draco's raised eyebrow.

The next days David experienced why Tally the house-elf had resigned. The Weasley's children might look like angels as long as their mother was in the same room, but as soon as Hermione had vanished into the kitchen or went to the loo with one of them, hell broke loose. And Draco barely managed to keep them from spilling their or his blood.

Concerning the potion they only made little progress. Hermione made several stacks of notes while Draco showed her every now and then something he'd just found and they would discuss how that would fit into their concept. Hermione kept insisting that the potion couldn't have gone all wrong just because of a few drops of moonstone solution.

'Are you sure Diana said it was the moonstone solution which wasn't in there?' she asked for the third time this morning.

'Yes! But she doesn't know what David put in instead.' Draco groaned. 'I'm not thirty-five! My memory's still working fine!' he snapped.

Hermione sighed.

'Memori Amor is supposed to make both parties remember how they fell in love with each other and what they felt at the time they were in love. What if the potion would have done that by changing the older Draco with you if it had worked properly?' Hermione suggested. Draco looked stunned by her theory. 'You mean I would have looked like the thirty-five years old me, like I'm looking like David now?'

'What do you mean?' Hermione asked, frowning.

He rolled up his sleeve. 'I don't have the Dark Mark anymore,' he told her, and showed her his arm. 'I'm in David's body. But nobody noticed, because we resemble each other so much. I wouldn't have realized it, either, if it wasn't for my blank arm.'

'That's it!' Hermione's eyes widened. She read through her notes again. 'You would have been in Draco's body and Draco would be in his younger self's body. That way you could have ensured, the Ginny of my time would fall in love again, because your love could make her remember. And the Draco of my time could have fallen in love again with the Ginny of your time. Are you still with me?'

Draco nodded.

The potion probably wore off after some time and the change was reversed. 'But why did nobody describe this phenomenon in the books?'

'Perhaps nobody noticed!' Hermione suggested. 'I mean, what if they thought they'd dreamed everything afterwards?'

'I don't know. Wouldn't the respective partner ask them why they don't remember a certain period of time?'

'I'm still wondering why Russian vodka is required. Perhaps it's supposed to erase certain memories. I mean, if someone drank the amount that is required here, they'd certainly have a blackout.'

'Yes, still...'

'Let's just see what David could have confused the moonstone solution with, all right?' Hermione suggested.

'There are only a few liquids to be added to the potion. At the point where the potion went off Amortentia wasn't required, yet, so I guess Diana hadn't brewed it. The Veritaserum was added completely...'

'The Draught of Peace would have been in an extra cauldron since you can't bottle it,' Hermione added.

Draco nodded and went on. 'That leaves the Hellebore Syrup, the Russian vodka, the Oak's syrup and Hydrogeniumacid.'

'I don't think David would have taken the vodka. They took a normal vodka bottle, didn't they? He would have realized that wasn't the moonstone solution,' Hermione concluded.

'And Hydrogeniumacid was added before. If they had added that again the Time-Turner plus David's hand would have been burned away. So the only possibilities left are the Hellebore Syrup and the Oak's syrup.'

'Hah!' Hermione exclaimed. 'Look the Hellebore Syrup has to be poured into the potion at the same time as the wedding bonds! It's the last ingredient!'

'You mean the Hellebore Syrup evokes that the Time-Turner makes two persons swap places?' Draco asked.

'Exactly. Normally the wedding bonds are supposed to define which persons are going to swap places. Probably the one whose ring first hits the surface is chosen.'

'But the twins didn't add the wedding bonds. You think the potion worked without being finished?' Draco still wasn't convinced.

'It worked in a different way because a few ingredients were still missing. The bonds were missing, so the potion needed another person. David touched the potion, didn't he?'

'So he was chosen, because his hand was the first one that touched the surface?'

'I guess so. Still the potion seemed to be already "programmed" on saving a marriage. Since David isn't married the potion chose the marriage that David wanted to save. Not his own but his parents'!'

'Do you think the effects of the potion - the time change - will be turned back to normal as soon as the potion wears off?'

'This book says the original Memori Amor wears off as soon as the married ones remember their love. In some cases it fails though. It can't arouse feelings that aren't there anymore or have never been there. So if you're parents don't love each other anymore the potion can't work.'

'It obviously works,' Draco pointed out.

'What works?' Ron asked, who'd just returned from work. 'Nothing!' Hermione said, hastily.

Draco raised an eyebrow. She was still a bad liar. And a know-it-all, too, but he didn't complain since she was helping him in contrary to his own flesh and blood.

'What are you doing there? Are you still that bad at Potions?' Ron asked looking at all the books and notes. 'Hermione's been tutoring you all week long. What do you do in Snape's classes? Tormenting Gryffindors?' Ron joked.

Draco groaned inwardly. Hermione had told her husband that she was tutoring him, since it seemed to be commonly known that David was awful at Potions. Thinking about the messed up Memori Amor he didn't even doubt that.

But Weasley kept making jokes about it.

'Well, it must have been the Weasley genes. After all the Weasleys don't seem to be very fond of that subject either,' he shot back.

'You might have a point there.' Ron chuckled. 'I'm hungry, did you eat dinner, yet?' he asked.

'No, but it should be ready by now. Could you fetch the children?' Hermione asked her husband.

'Of course.'

'By the way, Draco... I mean David is staying another night,' Hermione called after her husband who was already making his way upstairs.

'You know, Hermione, we're not adopting a Malfoy!' Ron joked.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Amaris will fetch me tomorrow. She said she was in Diagon Alley again. I guess she's meeting Sky,' Draco informed her.

Hermione nodded. 'Was she angry that you asked me to tutor you?' she asked.

'No, she's given up tutoring David. She said he drives her crazy every time.'

'Mum! Sean hit me!' Rachel came in, whining.

'Not true!' Sean defended himself and gave his sister a push.

The little red-head began to scream.

Draco sighed irritated. 'Please don't Obliviate me and let me persuade you not to have any offspring with Weasley! You've got the chance to prevent that now!'

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

'Cassius.'

The young man in his dark robe half-kneeled in front of the elder wizard and bowed his head.

'Is everything unfolding as we planned it?'

'Yes, Master.'

'Good. You will start this morning and by the time the sun has set we'll meet at the Minister's office to conduct your wedding ceremony.'

'As you wish, Master.'

The elder wizard scrutinized Cassius carefully. 'I hope it's your wish as well, my young apprentice.'

'I couldn't receive more grace than to marry as you wish and unite our noble family's blood,' Cassius replied respectfully, but without a spark of emotion in his voice. His Master nodded, satisfied with the boy he'd educated for so long now.

'What about Miss Malfoy?'

'I fetched her tonight.' Cassius bowed again.

'Does she know about the marriage?'

'She's oblivious, Master.'

'So you chose not to tell her?' the wizard raised his eyebrow. 'Perhaps, it's better this way.'

He turned and walked towards the window in the dimly lit room. The sun had just begun to rise and red morning light filtered through the windows.

'Do you think she's loyal to our case?' he asked.

'Yes, Master.' Cassius paused. 'That's why I didn't tell her. I've got the feeling she's... well, more loyal through her obvious soft spot for me than through her own conviction.'

'I see.' He turned to face his student again. 'Watch her. I won't tolerate mistakes!'

'My Lord.' Cassius bowed.

As he left the room, he was certain that nothing could cross their plans. Their Master was confident and trusted him. And Cassius himself would make sure everything would go as his Master wished.

Whatever the cost.

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

'Their cooling charms seem to be broken somehow. Bloody heat in here,' Blaise growled.

He and Draco walked through the Atrium at the Ministry of Magic, which was so heated up that many people who passed the Fountain of Magical Brethren couldn't resist sticking their hands into the cool water.

Draco also stopped at the fountain and threw some Galleons into the glittering water.

'Since when are you throwing something into this fountain?' Blaise asked him, frowning.

'Gin always threw something into it when she was here to bring our papers to the International Magical Trading Standards Body,' Draco said, but didn't look at his cousin.

'Why are we delivering these papers anyway? Can't you send them by owl or something like that?'

'These papers are important, Zabini. If they get lost or are changed in anyway, the Ministry has sooner organized an enquiry against me than you can say Quidditch! And I trust nobody at Malfoy Holdings except for myself. Gin was the only one I could ask to do such important or secret tasks for me. Now that I have to do most of her work myself I can be glad she's not expecting me home for dinner anymore. Paradox isn't it?'

Blaise grunted approvingly. He was a bit grumpy through the heat. He was a Slytherin and Slytherins love their cool dungeons. That's the way it had always been.

At the reception, a group of teenagers were debating loudly with the receptionist.

Draco frowned.

Blaise tipped the boy who was standing next to him on the shoulder.

The boy turned around and glared at Blaise.

'Excuse me, boy. Could you continue this after we passed? We're in a hurry and not on holidays at the ministry.'

'Fuck off.'

Blaise grabbed the young wizard by his sleeve and hauled him up so his feet were dangling shortly over the floor.

'Careful, sonny!' he growled. 'You don't know who you're talking to! Be more careful who you tell to fuck off, if you don't want to end up as a bit of dust under a hippogriff's arse!'

The boy just kept on glaring at Blaise but said nothing. The group had turned to the impressively tall wizard with the scar across his face. All wands were pointed at Blaise and Draco. The latter one smirked at the children's hilarious attempt.

'Put your wands away, gentlemen!' shouted the ministry employee. He seemed to fear a duel in the middle of the Atrium.

Blaise put the young wizard down on his feet again.

'Mr Malfoy,' the Ministry employee addressed Draco. 'Please continue. I'll register that you're here after I'm done with them.'

Draco nodded politely, and he and Blaise went to the elevators.

While waiting on it, Blaise kept on staring at the students.

'At their age we would have politely let someone pass that wasn't our size.'

'No, Blaise. At their age we would've shown them our marks...'

Blaise snorted. 'You wish you could have.' He laughed, remembering the times Draco was pissed off that he couldn't get respect by showing everyone that he was a Death Eater.

'Their robes look like those at Hogwarts,' Blaise remarked.

'Yes, but none of them wears a House emblem. I wonder what that's supposed to mean. Since when are so many students interested in our Ministry?'

His cousin shrugged. 'What ever it is... educational interest is probably not on their mind.'

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

At two o'clock in the afternoon the door bell rang at the Weasleys'.

Hermione frowned. She'd not expected Amaris before four o'clock. She opened the door and saw a distressed and pale Amaris standing in front of her.

'I know, I'm early,' Amaris greeted her, but her voice betrayed the smile on her face.

'Come in. What's happened?' Hermione asked.

Her niece didn't say anything before sitting down in one of the armchairs in the living room.

'You've got a nice place here, Hermione,' she said, trying to ignore her aunt's question.

'Thanks. Would you like some tea? Or pumpkin juice, or anything else?' Hermione suggested.

'Tea would be nice, thanks.'

Hermione went into the kitchen to set up the water. When she came back into the living room with two mugs of tea, Amaris asked for her brother.

'He's gone to the library at Diagon Alley, because we didn't expect you, yet,' Hermione explained. She knew the black-haired witch had something on her heart, but she also knew that Amaris didn't wear her heart on her tongue.

'David said something about a meeting with Sky. That's your boyfriend, right?' Hermione asked carefully.

'Yeah,' Amaris answered, biting her lower lip.

'You two have been together for a long time now, haven't you?'

'More than two years now.' She sighed. 'And he's never stood me up in all this years... until today,' she added, snorting.

'Perhaps he's just forgotten it, or overslept or something. Ron used to stand me up all the time because of a nap during his Auror training.' Hermione tried to cheer her up, but Amaris shook her head.

'It's not like him not to turn up to something like this.' Amaris looked over at her Aunt. She'd never really talked to her about boy's stuff or about her boyfriend. But now she felt like she needed a woman's opinion. And her mother wouldn't be helpful. She liked Sky too much and would defend him all the time.

'I don't know what's going on right now with Sky. He... he just ran from me a week ago without saying a word.'

'Did you have a fight?' Hermione asked, frowning.

'I tried to seduce him and at some point he ran from me.' Amaris tried not to show the embarrassment she felt at telling her aunt about her rejection in the bedroom.

'Perhaps it was just too much for him and he was too embarrassed to tell you,' Hermione suggested.

'But why didn't he come today? I owled him and asked him to meet me, so we could talk about it. We always straighten everything immediately afterwards if we have a fight or something.'

'He probably has a good excuse for this.'

'He better has!' Amaris was still furious. Why did everybody defend Sky? Did he really have a good excuse for his recent strange behaviour?

'Hermione!' Ron suddenly stumbled into the room, making a mess of ash on their carpet.

'Get the children and a few things, and then go to Headquarters!' he ordered strictly.

Amaris had never seen her uncle this serious.

Hermione got to her feet.

'What happened?' she asked, catching the fearful expression on her husband's face.

'There was an attack on the Ministry!'

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