A Life in the Past

Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and Draco were gathered in the Weasley cellar, Ginny holding the final key to the trunk.

She took a deep breath before slipping the key into the keyhole. She held it there for a moment, hesitating, just like she had the last time, before turning the key and lifting the lid.

Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Draco all held their breath in anticipation. But nothing happened. No flash of light, no blast to the future. In fact, this part of the trunk was completely and utterly empty of anything but air.

"This can't be good," said Ginny. "This really can't be good."

"What do we do know, Potter?" asked Draco. "Since you are the amazing Potter. Why don't you ask your scar what we should do?"

"I've had it with you, Malfoy!" Harry growled, lunging at Draco.

Ron immediately joined Harry in beating on Draco.

Hermione pulled Ron back by his robes. "Ron, no," she said. "Harry, stop it! Don't do this!"

"Harry, you're being a complete idiot!" Ginny yelled.

"Is everything all right down there?" Jonathon called down through the whole in the ceiling of the cellar. "I heard some shouting."

"No, it's not all right!" Ginny called. "They're fighting, and the trunk didn't take us back to the future."

Jonathon raised his eyebrows. "I did doubt it would be this simple," he said. "I shall speak to Professor Clockerton, he shall have the answer." His face disappeared from the space in the ceiling, indicating that he had left.

"I'll kill you right here," said Harry, punching Draco hard in the face.

"And we'll turn your hair grey!" Ron shouted. "Who's got a wand?"

Ginny suddenly remembered the silver spoon she had in her pocket. She'd kept it in her robe pocket, not the pocket of the cloak, which meant she still had it. She pulled the spoon out and pointed it at Ron. "Don't make me use this," she warned.

Harry looked up. "What's that going to do?" he asked.

"More than you'd think," said Draco. "Why don't you make her use it?"

"You're asking for a death sentence, Malfoy," said Ron.

"Stop it, Ron!" Hermione cried.

"Er... Stupefy!" Ginny called, pointing the spoon at Harry.

"What's that supposed to do?" Harry asked. "You don't honestly expect me to be afraid of a spoon, do you?"

"Oh no," said Draco. "Because you're the fearless Scar head, not even afraid of the dark lord."

"Honestly, that was so stupid," said Harry, and if he was going to add anything to that, he didn't get the chance, because at that exact moment, his body went rigid, a sheepish expression on his face.

"How'd that happen?" Ron inquired, staring at his now unconscious best friend.

"I warned you," said Ginny.

"The spoon?" asked Ron. "Can I see it?"

"No," said Draco, standing up. "It's mine, I don't want your germs on it."

"But you don't mind having my sister's germs on it?" Ron asked.

"She hasn't been snogging Mudbloods, has she?" said Draco.

"Oh, now you've done it," said Ron, hurling himself at Draco once again.

"Ron, you stop that this instant!" Ginny scolded her brother. "Or I'll use the spoon on you!"

"I don't care!" Ron shouted. "He called Hermione a Mudblood! He's got no right!"

"Ow!" Draco cried. "Stop pulling my hair!"

"Stupefy!" Ginny cried, pointing the spoon at Ron.

Ron looked up at her, horrified. "Ginny!" he shouted. "That wasn't fair!"

"It was too," said Ginny. "And I gave you a warning and all."

Ron fell back, unconscious, exactly the way Harry had been.

Draco stood, dusting himself off. "That was certainly interesting," he said.

"You keep your mouth shut," Hermione snapped.

"Don't think I'll apologize for calling you Mudblood," said Draco. "Because it's not going to happen."

"I'm not expecting anything," said Hermione. "But you ought to be ashamed of yourself, you caused all this trouble."

"No, I don't think I did," said Draco. "I think it was Potter and his stupid scar who caused this trouble."

"Would you like a scar too?" Ginny asked, threateningly holding up the spoon. "Because don't think I won't give you one after all you've done."

"Oh, go and side with them," said Draco. "Typical."

"I'm siding with nobody," said Ginny. "But you had no right to say what you said."

Draco crossed his arms, but didn't utter another word.

"Why, Ginny?" Hermione asked. "Why Malfoy?"

"Why not?" Ginny asked in return. "I'm tired of all these questions, I hate these accusations! Why won't you all leave me alone?"

"It'll only get worse," said Hermione. "Just think what the rest of your family will be like. And not to mention the Malfoys, they'll be furious!"

"Let them be," said Draco. "It's not like I care."

"But you're father won't be pleased," said Hermione. "He's taught you to hate the Weasleys for all these years, and now you're defying him. And the two of you won't last, everybody knows it. You'll just cause everyone trouble."

"You know what, Hermione, just shut up," said Ginny. "I don't want to hear it, especially from you. I don't care if nobody likes it, but I'm going to do as I please. And I'm sorry to Ron, I'm sorry he can't accept that I'm an independent human being."

Hermione felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes, and she tried to blink them back, but it was no use.

"And don't cry," said Ginny. "It won't change anything."

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Hermione sobbed. "I'm being really unfair."

"Yes you are," said Draco. "But when are you not being unfair?"

"Shut it, Draco," Ginny snapped.

"Make me," said Draco, childishly.

"Just shut up," said Ginny.

"No," said Draco. "I'm not going to shut up just because someone tells me to. I'll find something to talk about, and I won't shut up."

"Is that what you want, Ginny?" Hermione asked. "That arrogant fool?"

"Yeah," Ginny replied airily. "That's exactly what I want."

"The weather's horrible," said Draco.

"He's so annoying," said Hermione.

"What do you think?" Draco said. "Isn't the weather atrocious? It's completely horrid."

"He's talking to himself just to annoy you," said Hermione. "You'll be so frustrated by next week."

*"I hate milk," said Draco.

"I think he's rather cute," said Ginny.

"He's so mean," Hermione said.

"Why are you complaining?" asked Ginny.

"I'm trying to make you see what you're getting yourself into," said Hermione.

"But I like sweets, and chocolates, and ice-cream," said Draco.

"Do you see what you're getting yourself into?" Hermione asked.

"I hate Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers," Draco continued. "And I hate Squibs. But Granger would be all right, if she wasn't so damn annoying."

"Why thank you," said Hermione. "And you'd be all right if you weren't so stuck up, arrogant, selfish, and cold."

"What about me?" asked Ginny.

"I don't mind you," said Draco. "But you're a Weasley, not that it makes a difference. My father's going to be so mad!" Draco seemed quite happy at the fact that his father was going to be so mad.

"Why are you so happy that your father's going to be so mad?" Hermione questioned.

"Because it'll be funny," said Draco. "He'll say 'Draco, I did not raise you to behave this way, you are letting me down! What kind of a Death eater's son are you, making friends with Mudblood lovers?' And then he'll lecture me on why we hate Weasleys, and then the very next day, I'll make him even more angry. All in good fun."

"Your impression of your father is uncanny," said Hermione. "You sound so much like him."

"I know," Draco chuckled. "My mother once thought I was him when I was wearing his cloak. That was something I'd rather not relive. Never thought I'd hear those words come out of my own mother's mouth... Then when I turned around, she got the shock of a lifetime!"

"What happened?" asked Hermione.

"I'd rather not say," said Draco. "Too painful to think about."

"It can't have been that bad," said Ginny.

"Oh, it was," said Draco. "She was talking about something you'd only hear in some stupid book devoted to lust and stuff like that. It was truly disturbing."

"Maybe it could've been that bad," said Ginny.

"Yeah," said Draco. "I really don't want to go home now that I think about it."

"Why not?" asked Hermione.

"My mother and father are probably happier without me," he said.

"I doubt that," said Ginny. "You're their son, every time I've seen you with them, they're spoiling you somehow."

Draco shrugged. "But that's all they do," he said. "They're not like your family, we don't all sit in one little room on summer evenings enjoying each other's company; we don't talk much."

Hermione felt a sudden pang of sympathy for this boy she had spent so long hating. All along, all he had wanted was to be loved, and she along with Ron and Harry were trying to stop that from happening.

"If you don't want to go home, I can hide you at the Burrow," said Ginny, kissing his cheek. "I'm sure nobody would notice, you could stay with the ghoul."

"I'd rather stay in your room," said Draco, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I don't get along with ghouls."

"All right," said Ginny. "But you don't have to go home right away, you can stay with me for a while."

"Yeah, but what will your family say?" asked Draco.

"Who cares?" said Ginny. "I won't let them say anything."

"I don't know," said Draco. "I don't think I could do that. Not to my father, he'd be overwhelmed with anger if I was staying at Arthur Weasley's house."

"I thought you said it was funny when he was angry," said Ginny.

"Not to that extent," Draco replied. "I'll just go back home and resume life as it was before."

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself," said Ginny. "You're a Malfoy! You've got power and money, you can do anything you like! You're the last person who should be feeling sorry for themselves."

Draco smiled. "Yeah, you should feel sorry for yourself," he said. "You're a poor Weasley with no money, and no friends."

"All I've got is a Malfoy who cares about nobody but himself," Ginny continued.

"Exactly," said Draco. "I am terrible." He kissed her mouth, sliding his tongue into her mouth.

Draco and Ginny had seemed to have forgotten about Hermione's presence, and she watched them silently, overcome with happiness for the two.

The scene of perfection was interrupted by Jonathon, who had returned with a wizened looking wizard by his side.

"Professor Clockerton be here!" Jonathon called down.

Draco and Ginny separated, Ginny feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Oh excellent!" said Hermione.

Professor Clockerton hopped down into the cellar. In his hand, he held a mirror with a golden handle and a wand. He took one look at Harry and Ron and instantly knew they had been stupefied. He pointed his wand first at Harry, and muttered, "Enervate," then he did the same with Ron.

"Right," he said. "What have we here?"

Harry and Ron both rubbed their heads, momentarily unaware of what was going on, but Harry quickly caught onto what was happening. Ron, on the other hand, took a few moments to comprehend the scene before him.

"Five wizards who have been launched back in time," said Professor Clockerton. "To send them back, we must have light. They must travel at a speed such as light." He looked around the little cellar, until he spotted the trunk. He walked over to it and tapped it with his wand. "This is perfect," he said, turning the key which Ginny had left inside the keyhole. "Jonathon, if you would please come here," he said.

Jonathon immediately obeyed and hurried over to the old man.

"Take my wand," said Professor Clockerton, handing Jonathon his wand. "And when I signal you to, use a lumos spell directed at the mirror, which I shall hold up on the other side of the chamber. Then I want somebody to close the lid to hold in the light." He looked at Harry. "Mr Potter," he said. "Would you do the honours?"

Harry was slightly shocked that Professor Clockerton had known who he was, but he hid his surprise well, and nodded yes to the man's request. He went and stood beside the open trunk, prepared to slam the lid down once the light was in. The only part that Harry questioned was how the light would be enclosed in the trunk, but he decided not to voice this question, and instead drew the conclusion that 'it was magic.'

"Right then," said Professor Clockerton, walking to the other end of the cellar. He held up the mirror. "Are we all ready?"

Everybody nodded.

"Jonathon, if you please," said Professor Clockerton.

"Lumos!" Jonathon muttered.

The light emitted from Jonathon's spell shot straight at the mirror Professor Clockerton was holding, bouncing off the mirror and into the trunk. Harry quickly threw the lid of the trunk down, as he had been ordered.

"Excellent," said Professor Clockerton.

"What now?" asked Draco.

"Jonathon and I leave you to it," said Professor Clockerton. "You must first unlock the trunk again, and the light will lead you from there."

"That's it?" asked Draco. "No big incantation? No complex magic?"

"This mirror in my hand is complex magic," said Professor Clockerton. "This mirror holds the future. It is called the Mirror of Ynitsed."

"Is it anything like the Mirror of Erised?" asked Ron.

"It is a magical mirror, if that is what you mean," said Professor Clockerton.

"What be the Mirror of Erised?" Jonathon asked.

"Jonathon, dear boy," said Professor Clockerton. "I have great times to tell you of. But first, we must leave these children to get back to their own time."

And with that, he disapparated out of the cellar with a little *pop.*

"Goodbye," said Jonathon. "I shall think of you, and I hope for you the best." And he too, disapparated with a *pop.*

"I can't wait to tell Charlie about this," said Ginny. "Too bad there weren't any dragons."

"We're going home!" Ron yelled happily. He hugged Hermione and Harry, both at the same time, squashing them both.

"Ron, you're killing me," said Harry, happily.

Hermione laughed.

Ginny looked at Draco and smiled. "Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"I suppose I'll have to go back some time," he replied.

Ron let go of Harry and Hermione and threw his arms around his little sister.

"We aren't back yet, Ron," Ginny said. "Hold in your excitement!"

"Sorry," said Ron, letting go of her. "Go ahead and open the trunk."