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The Paths We Take	By : Luckycharms Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 18436 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That right goes to the AMAZING JK Rowling. No profit is made off this story. Shout out to Scorpia11 for being my awesome Beta!!

Chapter List
- 21
- 22
- 23
AN- We had a total of 4 winners YAY! 2 who guessed correctly, Changsterfan on FF and DistinctlyMe on AO3, and 2 who were just one month off, FoxesRun on FF and Willapa on AO3! Unfortunately, Foxes has not returned my email and I have no way to contact Chang, so regrettably I will not be able to place a character for them. However, thank you to everyone who participated and congratulations those who won! I am only going to do this game one more time in the next era for certain reasons, but we have to first get through this one! So, you will have have another chance to play in 5 to 6 chapters!
“Where's your gavel? Your jury?
What's my offense this time?
You're not a judge, but if you're gonna judge me
Well, sentence me to another life”
Ignorance- Paramore
Chapter 22- Cold Soul
Friday, May 15^th, 1999
Harry gasped loudly and quickly sat upright while everyone in the room stared at him with widened eyes. He glanced around at all the faces while the gash on his forehead began to heal before looking to Pansy, whose mouth was opening and closing rapidly in confusion.
“There was a fire…” he claimed with a heavy breath before looking to the people standing around him.
“Harry…” Pansy began gently while slowly reaching out to touch his shoulder, startling him for a second and causing her to recoil rather quickly.
“Sorry, I just…there was a fire…”
“We know…” she replied softly before reaching out once more in support.
“What?” he raised a brow as Luna vanished the remaining blood on his cheek. “How? Did you see it?”
“No, Harry…” Ron stated while rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. “You were talking…during your vision…We heard almost everything…”
“I was talking? But…I didn’t speak before…Did I?”
“No” Narcissa answered while taking a seat on the edge of a bench; still in shock that the ancestor her son was with, was a Confederate, someone far too similar to a Death Eater.
“What’s wrong?” Harry questioned when he noticed the sadness filling the room. “Everyone’s okay, they found each other and made it out of the woods.”
“Woods?” Thorfinn expressed in puzzlement. “I thought everyone was in Chambersburg…”
“I don’t know anything about Chambersburg. They were in the middle of the woods, that I think was on a mountain, before they were suddenly attacked. I think it was a camp.”
“Maybe they were moving away from town” Luna pipped. “I mean, if you think about it, they had to be somewhere close enough to be able to walk or apparate from Gettysburg.”
“They can’t apparate” Rowle declared with a sigh while placing his hands in his pockets. “It’s part of the amulet, I guess you could say. Apparating would mean they could, and most likely would, avoid their trials, which is the whole reason that stupid pendant is throwing them through time in the first place. If they try to leave via magic, they’ll just end up back in the same place they started at.”
“Wouldn’t it have been better for them to just leave and land back in Gettysburg?” Theo inquired while running his fingers through his dark brown hair. “I mean, I read that that fight only lasted three days and with what Potter had described before, it seems like they landed on the second day of battle.”
“Possibly, but possibly not. Whatever spells Osiris used are unpredictable yet very powerful. For all anyone knows, they try to apparate and end up back in the camp. And if they try to evade being ‘tested’ an invisible wall prevents them from leaving. The amulet will only allow them to go where they’re supposed to, which means that if they tried to leave the camp to go somewhere safer, the magic in the amulet would stop them. They can’t escape even if they wanted to. There’s no tricking it.”
“Okay” McGonagall cut in with a raised hand, clearly wanting to get back to the topic of the ancestor before finding out what had happened to the camp; seeing as the group found each other and made it out alive, her concern laid with the man who could have easily placed a target on her students backs’ in the first place. “Before we continue, because we have much to discuss, you mentioned Caleb was a Confederate-”
“Who?” Harry queried in confusion as his eyes darted around the group.
“Caleb was the ancestor of that era” Ron answered while crossing his arms and looking to Thorfinn angrily. “And he apparently was also a part of the Confederate Army.”
“And like me,” the former Death Eater argued, “and let’s include other Slytherins as well in this, Parkinson, Knott, the Malfoy’s, Zabini…Just because you’re part of a group that has done wrong, does not mean you’re evil too. Yes, Caleb was on the wrong side but even the North had its issues as well-and he was not a bad guy. He saved hundreds of lives in the eighteen hundred’s and aided that tribe the best he could. He taught others to read and write and I guarantee he did the same with the Shawnees.”
“If you know so much about him then what happened to him?” Pansy requested while moving to stand. “Why did you have to have the ancestor in France write a letter to her brother and why is he not found in any history book?”
“I have no idea” he shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t. He could have changed his last name like his family had done many times before or perished in that fire…and like the men who attacked Granger, and probably the men who rebelled and attacked the Shawnee, the army could have easily written him from existence. All I know is the limited information Margaret’s brother was able to obtain.”
“He didn’t die in the fire…Mione claimed he was alive before they left…” the raven-haired wizard stated.
“Okay, so we know he lived. What about this Tala woman then?” Narcissa asked once realizing they wouldn’t gain any more intel on Caleb.
“Oh, Merlin…” Harry expressed while removing his glasses and wiping his hand down his face as the Slytherin Princess grew more concerned about not only the Boy-Who-Lived, but those stuck in the past. “Tala…she-she didn’t make it…”
“No” Thorfinn stated regrettably with a tilt of his head. “No…H-how? How d-did she…” he began to ask but couldn’t bring himself to finish his question as grief began to fill his heart.
“Mione said her throat was slit by someone in her own tribe…Blaise said the name of the person he thought it was, but I can’t remember it. He then said they had to leave before discussing anything further…Did-did you know her…?” Thorfinn nodded his head as he took a seat and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Caleb was so enamored by her” he claimed sullenly. “Wouldn’t stop talking about her practically the entire time we were there. She was the sweetest woman I have ever met; always knew the right words to say and…Salazar, she was an amazing human being…I can’t believe that’s how she left this world; to be betrayed by one of your own. Do-do you at least remember what the name started with?”
“O…I think. Ohi-something” he replied as Thorfinn pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and chuckled in anger. “You know, don’t you?”
“Ohiyesa” he responded while throwing his head back. “That fucking stubborn arse. I never did like him. He was infatuated with Tala and was all too thrilled when her father named him her future husband. And I guarantee the infatuation wasn’t because he actually fancied her. He was a megalomaniac and loathed Caleb because he was considered an ‘outsider’ who could take away his only chance at becoming a leader. If they didn’t marry and Tala chose Caleb instead…he probably killed her so he could blame the bloke and convince everyone to elect him. He was a sadistic son of a bitch.”
“I’m…I’m sorry” the Gryffindor Prince proclaimed dejectedly.
“My apologies” Neville cut in. “I don’t mean to be a pain and I really am sorry for your…loss, but can we please talk about that rhyme thing Harry spoke before ‘waking up’ from that vision? It made no sense, didn’t fit with anything he saw, and you…you didn’t seem phased by it in the slightest.”
“It was a clue…” the former Death Eater stated as a matter of fact.
“I did hear Blaise say something about reading the next clue,” Harry admitted as both Ron and Pansy helped him to his feet, “but I didn’t know what he meant by it. Then Draco pulled out a slip of parchment with writing on it.”
“I told you all before,” Rowle claimed while sitting up straight, “your friends will receive a clue as to where they will land next.”
“Okay so, what was the rhyme thing again?” Theo questioned while looking at Harry.
“A time of death...for those without shame...the Canonical Five...a Ripper once claimed” Luna chirped, still sitting on the floor with her hands clasped in front of her. “One of the most controversial events in Victorian England.”
“Victorian England?” Theo scoffed while crossing his arms. “Where everyone wore strange attire and that large clock was cast and installed into that Clock Tower, or Elizabeth Tower, whatever you wanna call it.”
“Big Ben,” the Ravenclaw corrected, “and yes, Victorian England was famous for many things, but the year our friends most likely landed in is by far the most prominent of that time period. There’s a reason the clue mentioned the Canonical Five…”
“And what year is that, Luna?” Harry queried gently as the adults in the room held their breaths, hoping they were all wrong and the petite blonde would say any other year than the one they were all thinking. Unfortunately, the clue was straight to the point and left no indication that they were mistaken.
“1888” she beamed as Narcissa, McGonagall, and Thorfinn shut their eyes and lowered their heads in disappointment.
“I’m not following” Ron claimed as he glanced at Theo, who simply shrugged his shoulders before looking to Harry and Neville, who also appeared lost. “What happened in 1888?”
“Jack the Ripper…” Pansy answered solemnly, causing brows to raise from the boys as deep exhales of regret could be heard from the adults. “An infamous, notorious delinquent, who prayed on prostitutes, murdered them in a sadistic manner, left hundreds, if not thousands, of letters for the police, the first serial killer to ever create a worldwide media frenzy, and…”
“And?” the raven-haired Gryffindor questioned as his heart began to beat rapidly within his chest.
“And…he-he was never captured” she concluded in a low voice. “No one knows who he was. No one believes ‘Jack’ was even his real name.”
“You have got to be joking!” Ron yelled in anger. “So, you’re telling me that the four of them have to outrun a fucking psychopath that, to this damn day, has never been found!”
“Language, Mr. Weasley!” Professor McGonagall reprimanded, making the redhead scowl and cross his arms.
“I think language went out the window a long time ago, Professor. You know, when everything sort of went to shite. Where my best friend and my sister are being thrown through, Merlin knows how many eras, with two fucking Slytherins that used to be our rivals…”
“Be that as it may, Mr. Weasley, but I will remind you that if you continue speaking such foul words, you'll be spending a week helping Professor Slughorn clean the first-year cauldrons by hand. Am I making myself clear?” Ron grumbled under his breath as he rolled his eyes, but nodded his head, knowing that if he went against the Headmistress, his punishment may be much worse than just cleaning cauldrons. “Now, Ms. Parkinson, Ms. Lovegood, can you please tell everyone a little more about Jack the Ripper, so that the ones who do not know, may have a little bit more information.”
“I’m going to notify Molly and Elizabeth” Narcissa declared while inhaling a deep breath. “They’ll want an update…However…I don’t know how well Molly is going to take the news of the next era. Honestly, I don’t even know how Ronald is taking the news so well…”
“You call his reaction just now, ‘taking it well’?” Harry questioned while pinching his lips inward.
“Wait, whadda mean?” the red-headed Gryffindor pressed while holding up a hand and gazing at the elder witch in confusion.
“Well…I mean…I uh…I…”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Luna intruded when the Malfoy mother couldn’t find the right words to express what she needed to say. “It’s like Pansy said,” she claimed as she looked around the room at all the eyes that had landed on her, “Jack the Ripper only prayed on prostitutes...”
“Luna, don’t” Pansy whispered, making Harry eye her strangely, but it was apparent the blonde Ravenclaw didn’t hear her.
“Draco and Hermione already had their trials,” she continued sweetly, “and Blaise isn’t exactly the murderers’ type…” she shrugged. “Victorian England is meant for Ginny…”
“WHAT!” Both Ron and Harry shouted at the same time, startling everyone in the room as Pansy ruefully played with the tips of her fingers; terrified for the Gryffindor Harry used to call a girlfriend.
“And there’s the freak out” Narcissa exclaimed with a pointed finger while folding her lips in as the boys stared at Luna in absolute horror.
September of 1888
Blaise stumbled as he arrived in the middle of a dark scarcely lit cobblestone street. Albeit, he barely had time to right himself before he felt a hand grab the rear of his blackened shirt and pull him abruptly backward as a horse-drawn carriage barreled down the road. Hermione quickly dragged the Italian into an alley and pressed her back against the stone wall as Blaise hunched over to catch his breath. He then stood up and gazed at the brunette with stern eyes and raised a hand in annoyance.
“Stop…saving…my life!” he protested as she lifted her puzzled eyes to his and gripped her arm where blood was seeping through the fabric of her blouse. “I told you before, Buttercup, I can only sacrifice myself so many times to repay you; and every time I do, it ends up hurting me…physically. I can only take so much!” But Hermione just stared at him as her face paled and her breathing became irregular. “Buttercup…? Hermione?”
“I-I don’t…I don’t feel so well…” she uttered in an almost whisper. “I-I think I tore the cut in my arm…more…when-when I reached out for you.”
Rushing over to the bookworm, Blaise quickly ripped the sleeve of her blouse in order to view the injury she had received on her upper bicep from her fall. As soon as he released the pressure against the wound, the small cut that had only trickled slightly when he had first glanced at it not too long ago, was now a long gash with a steady stream of blood seeping down her skin.
“Salazar, Hermione! Why did you use this arm to grab me?” he questioned while hastily bringing out his wand and pointing it at the wound as she shrugged her shoulders.
“Honestly…I have no idea” she chuckled slightly. “I didn’t really think about it. I saw the horse coming straight at you and I panicked.”
“Okay well…you didn’t lose too much blood; just enough to make you dizzy. Listen, I appreciate you saving me, darling, but next time…use an arm that’s not injured” he smiled warmly before lowering the Ivy and Runespoor Fang wood. “Here, take a seat” he stated while helping lower her to the ground. “Once we find Draco and Ginny…again, we can find you something to eat to help raise your blood sugar.”
In that moment the blonde Slytherin and the red-headed Gryffindor rounded the corner and breathed sighs of relief when they spotted the pair on the ground, but Draco instantly hurried his stride when he noticed how pale his witch was. He had practically pushed Blaise out of the way in order to get to her and when he bent down and cupped Hermione’s cheek, he looked her over diligently before glancing to his friend and aggressively asking him what had happened.
“Please don’t get upset with him” Hermione requested while taking her wizards’ hand in hers. “He just healed my arm after I fell on a rock earlier” she claimed before glancing up at the blood dripping down the Malfoy heirs’ forehead. “Speaking of which…” she tilted her head while giving Draco a knowing look, “Blaise, can you please take care of Draco’s head wound? I feel it is making him a little too protective” she giggled slightly as Ginny’s heart sunk into the pit of her stomach. It was the first time in a few days that she had heard her best friend laugh, even if it was minor, but she didn’t know how to proceed on speaking to Hermione. So, instead of checking on her friend, she kept her distance, and watched as Draco raised a brow at his witch and smirked lightly before scoffing quietly and shaking his head.
“I can never be too protective of you” he chuckled before kissing the top of her head and standing up to allow Blaise to look him over. As the dark-skinned wizard began to heal the blonde Prince, Hermione gazed up at Ginny, who was playing with the tips of her fingers as she stared at her feet anxiously.
Hermione could see the sadness in her demeanor and the hesitation in her eyes; it made her feel horrible that her best friend no longer knew how to talk to her anymore. Not that she blamed her in the slightest, if the roles were reversed, she too would feel uncertain about facing her.
“Ginny…?” she began softly, pulling the Gryffindors’ attention to her, along with the two Slytherins’, who were now carefully observing the girls.
Ginny licked her lips as Hermione began to stand, with the help of the brick wall behind her, and took a step back, fearful that the woman she admired would flip out if she stood too close like she had in the tent after Draco had rescued her.
“Ginny…” Hermione began again while taking a step forward. “Ginny, I…I’m okay. Please-please don’t back away from me.”
Tears began to brew in the redheads’ eyes as her bottom lip trembled, and Blaise and Draco could do nothing to ease the sadness in the woman. The only person who could do that was Hermione; unfortunately, Ginny was reluctant to allow the brunette to get near her and thought strongly about just running away.
“Red…” Draco cut in gently, forcing Ginny to gaze at him as he stood behind Hermione with his hands resting on her shoulders. “She misses you just as much as you miss her. I promise you…she’s okay. She never left you…she never will.” The red-headed witch winced as she tried to hold back her sobs and tilted her head to meet her shoulder while pinching her lips together.
“Mione…” she whimpered before the Golden Girl began steadily walking towards her. Meeting her halfway, Ginny hugged her best friend tightly while fresh tears began to trickle down her freckled cheeks. She never wanted to let her go and was overjoyed to have the witch she knew, the witch she had basically grown up with, back to normal. “I’m so sorry” she cried while holding the brunette as both boys smiled proudly at the women. “I’m sorry…”
“Why are you sorry? Gin…” Hermione proclaimed while pulling back and looking at her friend in the eyes, never taking her hands off her shoulders as she smiled ever so softly, and a tear fell from her lashes. “You did nothing wrong and I don’t ever want you to think that you did. I was lost in my own head. I didn’t even want Draco in that moment, not really. What happened to me was no ones’ fault. And shutting you out…You should never apologize for what I chose to do. If anyone should be asking for forgiveness right now, it’s me, and…Ginny, I am so sorry for doing that to you” she admitted while wiping drops of salty water from Ginny’s face with her thumbs. “I’m sorry for pushing you away and I’m sorry for, for not coming to you. I won’t ever shut you out again, I promise.”
“I love you, Mione. I just wanted t-to help you.”
“I know you did” she sniffled. “I love you too, Ginny. You’re my best friend, my sister. I will always love you even when it seems like I don’t.”
The girls hugged once more and as they did, Draco’s lips slowly fell to a frown as he thought about the three little words the women in front of him were saying to one another so easily. It was as if saying they loved each other was effortless, and to hear them confess their emotions, something he had always struggled with in life, made him rethink everything he had ever learned. Expressing his feelings was not a matter that came easy for him; he couldn’t even remember if he had ever told his own mother that he loved her and it made him wonder why he couldn’t just admit to even himself, that he was capable of that specific emotion.
Perhaps it was due to his upbringing or possibly the Dark Lord himself during that lunatic’s reign, or maybe…it was because of the one person, he had tried so hard and for so long to convince that he was good enough to love. Maybe the only person he could blame for his fears of expressing any sort of adoration directly to a person, and into words they could clearly understand…was his father. The same man who was locked away in Azkaban for not only the horrible crimes he had committed, but for throwing his own son into the madness in an effort to make up for his failures.
Lucius Malfoy had never truly shown that he cared for his family. Sure, when the timing called for it, he would act the part of a doting father, but that was the problem, wasn’t it? He was just simply pretending in order to save himself. Behaving selfishly so he could remain on Voldemort’s good side…if that man even had a good side. But Lucius had never told Draco or even his mother for that matter, that he loved them. If he did tell Narcissa, it was behind closed doors where Draco never heard it, and the man had practically forbidden his mother from ever telling her son she loved him as well. Perhaps the reason Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy throne, and the selfish Prince of Slytherin, couldn’t tell either of the girls his true feelings to their faces, was because he didn’t know how.
But he also couldn’t decide if it was strictly due to not knowing how or if fear of being rejected and belittled was holding him back as well. All he could picture when he thought about saying it was everyone laughing at him like they all did when he was transfigured into a ferret. The images of Hermione, Ginny, and Blaise wiping away tears as they held their stomachs and pointed at him while laughing hysterically, wouldn’t leave his mind. If Draco had feared anything more than his father, it was being embarrassed in front of, and by, the girl he desperately wanted to be with forever.
“Are you okay, mate?” Blaise inquired with a raised brow as he lightly tapped the blondes’ back, interrupting Draco’s wandering thoughts while the girls began talking about Hermione’s new haircut.
“No, Blaise…I am most certainly not okay…” he sighed sullenly while placing his hands in his pockets and scoffing delicately through his nose before looking to his friend, “and I don’t know if I ever will be…But…as long as they’re alright,” he pointed to the Gryffindors with his jaw, who were chatting away with smiles on their faces, “then that’s all that matters to me.”
“Alright,” he replied, not wanting to press the tall blonde as it was not the right time. “Soooooo…Wanna tell me about the gun then?”
“What gun?”
“Ummm, the one you pointed at Buttercup and me before tossing it to the ground when you picked Hermione up…Do you even know how to use one?”
“Yes…No…I don’t know. I sort of just observed people who have used them throughout the eras. But pointing it at you was more of a scare tactic than me actually wanting to shoot someone. I didn’t even know it was you when I held it up.”
“Okay well…can you never point one at me again? Especially if you don’t know how to fucking use it. Thanks.”
“Sorry…Trust me though, I will do my best to never hold one again. They’re heavy, bulky, and quite frankly unpredictable. Personally, I don’t see all the hype muggles have over them. Wands are much easier to handle and control.”
“So, are we really where I think we are?” Ginny cut in as she and Hermione walked up to the boys.
“Ugh, I knew this was coming” Blaise complained while throwing his head back. “I was really hoping to avoid this conversation and not have to deal with a serial killer known for prowling the streets of London like it was his playground just to murder a few women who wouldn’t give him attention because his self-confidence is so low, which also caused him to want the medias soul focus on him just to raise his self-esteem so he sent stupid illiterate letters to prove he was ‘worth’ something…!” he rambled while breathing heavily as everyone eyed him in confusion. “What that clue really should have said was ‘this is folklore, beware if you’re a common whore or at late night you may find me knocking on your door’!” he whined. “Why here? Why fucking now?”
“Did…Did you learn the whole ‘not breathing’ thing when speaking, from Red?” Draco questioned with his arms crossed and his brow raised. “Cause you both seem to like getting as much information out as possible in one breath, which sounds a lot like what muggles do in their music sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely a skill, I think, but utterly infuriating to comprehend.”
“Well, at least we’re not in a war zone” Hermione declared lightheartedly, but as soon as the words left her lips, lightning cracked across the sky, causing everyone to look up. It was then quickly followed by a fierce sound of thunder before suddenly large droplets began to fall from the darkened clouds.
Blaise sighed while closing his eyes in frustration and lowered his head in order to glare at the bookworm in frustration.
“Really?” he irritatingly claimed.
“I was trying to be optimistic” she replied as the rain began to drench the foursome.
“Yeah well, you failed” the Italian scoffed before crossing his arms across his now wet chest. “Can we find somewhere to stay for the night now? Or did you all wanna set up camp in this dark, dirty, sewage smelling alleyway during a thunderstorm with a killer on the loose?” he queried sarcastically.
“Hold on, I get how Mione and I know about Jack the Ripper, but how the hell do you know so much about him?” Ginny questioned with her hands on her hips, unfazed by the rain soaking her hair and clothing. However, Draco noticed how the water caused the blood covering the bookworm to seep through her garments and quickly scourgified the red liquid away as Ginny awaited an answer from Blaise. “Well…?”
“Red, I have traveled the world, remember? I believe I may know more about things than you think. Plus, that bloke is famous, even in the Wizarding World. Anyone who doesn’t know about him simply wasn’t told the stories. I mean, think about it, did you know anything about him until you learned about him in Muggle Studies?”
“Well…no, but-”
“But nothing, Gin” the Italian disputed. “Just because I didn’t take that class doesn’t mean I didn’t learn about him in my travels. After all, the murders happened in Whitechapel; not too far from where Diagon Alley is located.”
“Okay, well I think this discussion would be better somewhere, I don’t know, heated and dry…” Draco declared while pulling Hermione into his arms in an attempt to keep her warm. “Maybe we can find a hotel, or motel, or whatever, where we can stay the night and then in the morning, we can go to Diagon Alley and get away from all this. I don’t mind paying for a room or two if it means a warm bed.”
“Why, because you finally have more money then you started this whole journey with?” the red-headed witch smirked while crossing her arms.
“Would you rather sleep out here, Red?” the Slytherin Prince contended playfully. “Because I can make that happen.”
“I don’t very much like your tone…”
“Oh, I’m sorry, did you want me to say it more nicely?”
“I would greatly appreciate it, yes.”
“Okay…Red…”
“Yes, Blondie?”
“My dear sweet, innocent, young Ginny…”
“Yes…?” she grinned as the rain continued to pelt their skin.
“Fuck you, I’m going to find shelter from this storm” he chuckled before guiding Hermione down the alleyway towards the street, who was also snickering under her breath, grateful for the brief distraction from the death that surrounded them.
“Rude…”
“I don’t know about you, darlin, but I’m going to follow them” Blaise stated. “I hate rain almost as much as I hate the cold” he admitted as her shoulders relaxed and a frown formed upon her face as he began to walk off.
“But…you live in England…It’s always raining in some type of way.”
“Which is why I hate it” he stated as he turned around and walked backwards in order to speak to her. “So, are you coming or not? Because I would very much like to warm myself in your embrace…if you catch my meaning.”
“Oh, you are…Never mind, I’m coming” she chuckled with a roll of her eyes before uncrossing her arms and catching up to the dark-haired wizard.
“Yes, you will” he muttered under his breath as a smirk grew upon his lips.
As the pair met up with Draco and Hermione, the group began to walk the streets of London searching for a place to stay for the night, still covered in dark soot that stained their skin. Luckily their attire was somewhat consistent with the era as it had only been twenty-five years since the events of Gettysburg, and it was dark enough that no one was really out and about on the wet cobblestone roads, giving the foursome some much-needed relief of not having to fully blend in. However, finding a location that was open in the late night was going to prove difficult.
Friday, May 15^th, 1999
“How is he?” Luna questioned delicately as Pansy shut Harry’s bedroom door.
“Finally sleeping” the raven-haired witch sighed heavily while making her way down the stairs and plopping herself on the couch across from the blonde. “Though Weasley won’t leave his bedside in case he has another vision, but I slipped some of the Calming Draught Madam Pomfrey gave him into his tea to at least make sure he doesn’t have a panic attack while he waits for Harry to wake up. Hopefully, he can get some rest too before dinner” she stated while rubbing the upper part of her arm with her hand. “I know it’s going to sound odd coming from me but…I feel bad for him. Ginny is his little sister and after the hell that family went through when the war ended...I can’t even imagine the pain he and his parents are going through.”
“That’s nice of you, Pansy and I’m sure he’ll be okay” the blonde pipped before her small smile turned serious. “Although…the real question is…are you going to be okay? I know your feelings for Harry are growing stronger, I could see it in your eyes as you held him, but have you talked to anyone about the stress you’re under? Because I know you have a temper and how it could affect your relationship in the long run”
“No…but Professor McGonagall said she was going to floo Healer Marcum in, unfortunately, he won’t be able to make it until Sunday.”
“We can talk until then…if you’d like? Maybe the Headmistress could allow us to go into Hogsmeade after dinner so we can grab a Butterbeer and chat. Just the two of us.”
“I’d like that, Luna…But I don’t really want to leave Harry for too long.”
“You’re protective of him,” she shrugged and leaned back against the sofa, “that’s understandable. I know how loyal Slytherins can be when it comes to those they care about. But you don’t have to keep him safe all by yourself. Harry has a whole lot of people who are looking out for him. You are allowed to breathe, you know?”
“I know, I…I just…I don’t know, I feel he’s my responsibility now and-”
“You can’t always save him, Pansy” Luna cut in as the Slytherin glance down at the table between them. “Think of it this way, Harry has been through a lot worse than being connected to Draco and he had survived all of it.”
“With help” Pansy argued as she brought her legs up and tucked them under her. “He’s had his friends and more importantly Hermione, to help get him through everything.”
“Ahhh, okay…” the Ravenclaw expressed before looking around to make sure no one was in the vicinity eavesdropping, causing Pansy to raise a perplexed brow. “I see what you’re doing now” she beamed.
“And that would be…?”
“Oh, Pansy…You’re trying to be his Hermione.”
“What? No! That-that is not what-”
“You can deny it all you want, but it’s true. Whether you believe it or not. You’re doing everything Hermione would have done if she were here right now, except you fancy Harry in a different way than her.”
“I am not!” the raven-haired witch contested while uncrossing her arms and grabbing the black pillow next to her before placing it on her lap and resting her hands upon it.
“You are though. There’s nothing wrong with that, Pansy. It just means you care enough about him to want to help the best way you know how. It’s a compliment really, to be compared to Hermione, but…”
“But what, Luna? But what?” Pansy questioned in frustration, clearly annoyed with being compared to Gryffindors’ one and only Golden Girl.
She never wanted to be compared to Hermione Granger in any way, mainly because she knew she could never measure up to the bookworm and the person she is. Which now that she thought about it, it was most likely the reason Draco was so drawn to the brunette. The blonde Slytherin was always watching her and seemed to constantly find ways to get near the girl. At first, she assumed it was because he was thinking of ways to ruin the brunette’s life somehow, but after what Thorfinn had said before they returned to school, she now believed Draco Malfoy only did the things he did because he had feelings for the girl they were taught to hate.
“Pansy...” Luna said sweetly while tilting her head to get a better look at the witch sitting across from her. “Harry doesn’t need another Hermione…he just needs you…”
XX
“Please tell me you’re lying…” Elizabeth pleaded with somber eyes as she gazed at Narcissa and Thorfinn in the middle of the Library. She was alone with her husband when the pair had returned as Molly was helping Keesy with lunch and Arthur was called into the Ministry unexpectantly. “Please tell me it’s not true; not her daughter too…”
“We don’t know the extent of her trial, Liz” Narcissa claimed as she rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. “For all we know, it has nothing to even do with Jack the Ripper.”
“Are you kidding me?” Robert exclaimed with a loud scoff. “Everyone knows that man was a deranged lunatic who prayed on prostitutes and mutilated their bodies! And they’re in Whitechapel, for heavens’ sake it’s on the map and the clue clearly mentioned him! Why would the amulet put them in that specific area, in that particular time period, if it had nothing to do with that insane man?”
“I don’t know!” the Malfoy mother shouted as a headache began to pound against her temples. “I just know what we were told and I’m trying to stay positive here!”
“We have to tell them” Elizabeth expressed dolefully as Thorfinn rubbed Narcissa’s back. We have to tell the Weasley’s everything you found out, including…all of her sons as well. They shouldn’t be kept in the dark no matter how horrible the situation is. They deserve to know.”
“Know what?” Molly inquired as she stood in the frame of the doorway with a tray of meats and cheeses in her hands. But when everyone just sullenly gazed at her, she looked to the floor, inhaled a deep breath, and walked over to one of the desks to set the food down. “It’s about my daughter, isn’t it?” she questioned while glancing up at the map and exhaled the breath she was holding. “I knew this day would eventually come. As if my family hasn’t suffered through enough pain…But I know Ginevra, I know how strong she is, and I know Hermione and those boys will do everything in their power to keep her safe.”
“Molly…” Narcissa uttered softly, knowing from experience that a mother can only endure so much when it came to their children. “Molly dear, it’s alright to feel worried and…and scared.”
“Scared, yes…” the redhead replied as she looked down at the food in front of her, before releasing the tray and turning around to face the four staring in concern. “I am terrified, but worried…no. I know that whatever is going to happen will happen regardless of my fears. However, knowing the three she is with, and how resilient they are, and how brave they are…I’m not worried that my daughter won’t make it through this. I am simply terrified of what she has to go through in order to change something about her the amulet sees as a flaw. I’ll be okay, but Elizabeth is right. I need to inform my sons. They’re her brothers and I can’t keep this from them. They will never forgive me if I do. They love her just as much as I do.”
“This is not going to end well…” Thorfinn whispered as he leaned slightly closer to Narcissa, who never took her eyes off the mother in front of her. “She’s bottling it all up. This is going to end very badly if she doesn’t break down now and instead waits until her daughter is actually enduring her ordeal.”
“We can’t do anything about that right now. She has to express the pain on her own terms…” the former Slytherin queen whispered back. “Just hope that it’s sooner rather than later and that she knows what she’s doing.”
Molly lowered her head as she tried to compose herself before raising her gaze to the people in front of her. She weakly smiled as she tried to hold everything back, all the emotions and thoughts coursing through her body at lightning speed, but she knew she had to keep it together. It wasn’t normally like her to not freak out when it came to her children, however, she had already witnessed both Elizabeth and Narcissa fall apart and refused to follow in their footsteps. Ginny was going to be just fine and regardless of how she acted, it wasn’t going to change anything. Her daughter still had to be tried and crying over it wasn’t going to help in any way.
“We can’t allow her to bottle it up” Rowle continued, but just as he was about to open his mouth to continue, the hearth roared to life, causing everything to quickly glance at the fireplace as Arthur stepped out with a distressed look. His brows were narrowed, and his lips parted as he breathed heavily; it almost appeared as if he had just finished having a heated debate with someone. “Arthur? Is everything alright?”
“We have a problem…” he declared adamantly as he ran his fingers through his hair and quickly walked up to kiss his wife.
“Who-who told you about Ginevra?” Elizabeth queried anxiously.
“What?” the red-headed father questioned while swiftly turning to gaze at all the worried eyes staring at him. “What about her? Is she alright?”
“For right now she’s fine, darling” Molly responded while patting his chest, making the Head of the Weasley household breathe a temporary sigh of relief.
“What problem do we have?” Narcissa inquired, realizing Molly was not going to tell her husband of her daughters’ fate just yet.
“They know…” he answered rather quickly. “The Ministry knows.”
“Great! That’s just fucking great!” Thorfinn expressed in frustration while throwing his arms in the air and turning around before placing his hands on his head and rotating back.
“H-how?” Narcissa asked in surprise. “Minerva did everything she could to keep everything under wraps. Did someone let it slip?”
“No one let it slip…”
“So, then how…” she began to question before trailing off as the sudden realization dawned on her. “Oh, Merlin…Draco…”
“Draco?” Elizabeth stated in confusion. “What does he have to do with the Ministry finding out? He’s the one stuck in the past.”
“And that’s the reason. It’s been over seven days” the Malfoy mother stated with a hand clasped against her chest. “He’s on probation-I completely forgot.”
“Probation?” Robert expressed in concern.
“Regardless if it was his choice or not, Draco was a former Death Eater” Arthur continued as he took a seat and began to rub both temples with the tips of his fingers. “He had a trial and everything after the war had ended. In exchange for not going to Azkaban for a year, he was put on probation until he turned nineteen and is not allowed to leave the school without supervision. If he’s gone longer than seven days with or without someone monitoring him, his Parole Auror is notified.
“But the PA has to get clearance from the Minister before sending a team out in case there is a lawful reason. Minerva has tried to explain his sudden disappearance away for days now, using the field trip as an excuse by saying the group was doing extra credit outside the school, but she can no longer keep up with the façade. The PA in charge of Draco began to grow suspicious, which caused Kingsley to look into everything.”
“This is bad! Oh God, this is really bad!” Elizabeth began to panic while pacing back and forth. “They’re going to find out what we did with Harry and that ritual and that we’ve been hiding information from them! They’re gonna lock us up in that prison and throw away the key with those soul eating ghost monster things that make you lose your mind!”
“That’s…that’s not how that works…that’s not how any of that works” Rowle claimed with narrowed brows and crossed arms. “No one did anything illegal and even if you did, the Ministry would have found out the moment you started chanting. But that sort of magic is extremely rare, I guarantee it isn’t even on their radar. They can’t do anything about it but try and make it illegal; and since you performed the ceremony before that would happen, they can’t charge you. Plus, you’re a muggle, you can’t go to Azkaban. That prison’s strictly for witches and wizards.”
“They can though…” Arthur proclaimed while standing up and wiping a hand down his face, “Kingsley is not happy and is demanding to know where Draco is before doing anything drastic. He’s on his way right now to talk to Minerva, who will most likely bring him here to examine the map. I sent her an Owl telling her everything before flooing here, so hopefully she received it before he arrives. It’s one thing for him to deal with a ‘criminal’ that has disappeared, it’s another to deal with four students missing AND the fact that Harry is connected to Draco through Dark magic. If we have to bring him into this mess, then we have to do it carefully.
“Otherwise, he can and will have us all arrested for ‘aiding and abetting’ Narcissa’s son, regardless of the circumstances. He’ll tell the muggle Prime Minister, who can have Elizabeth and Robert arrested on false charges just to prove a point. We have to show him proof that Draco, Hermione, Ginevra, and Blaise are unwillingly trapped in time and that there is nothing we can do to bring them back. We leave Harry’s link out of it until we are certain we cannot be charged with anything; do I make myself clear?”
“You honestly believe he would arrest us when all of our children are missing?” Molly inquired in bewilderment. “Kingsley was part of the Order of Phoenix for Godric’s sake; he wouldn’t turn his back on us like that.”
“You didn’t hear him, Molly. He told me this himself. He’s furious that he wasn’t informed as soon as it happened and since the war, he’s been on edge and under a lot of scrutiny with how he is handling the cleanup of the Wizarding World and the Ministry. Politics right now are all over the place and his actions are carefully being watched, which can weigh heavily on a person already dealing with a difficult job. He believes we betrayed his trust by keeping him in the dark and making things harder than they already are.
“If the Auror department catches wind that Draco is missing and we’ve been hiding that information from them, then Draco will be labeled as a fugitive and we will be arrested for so-called ‘helping him’. We have nothing to secure us if we try to call his bluff and I for one, am not going to prison for this. I say we bring Kingsley in and slowly catch him up to speed, then he can keep the Aurors at bay, hopefully, at least until our children return.”
“And what about Thorfinn?” Narcissa questioned worryingly, making the former Death Eater eye her in surprise. “He’s a former Death Eater too.”
“I was pardoned for my crimes, Cissy, remember I told you that when I first arrived” Thorfinn declared with a heavy sigh. “I helped Kingsley locate a few high ranked supporters of Voldemort in exchange for my freedom. He knows about the amulet and what I went through, but if he doesn’t know that that same amulet has taken your children then I can see why he’s so upset. We have to tell him everything…Including Potter’s link to your son. Otherwise, you are all going to dig yourselves into a deeper hole and he will be left with no other choice.”
In that moment the fireplace once again roared to life, resulting in everyone looking to the floo as McGonagall, who appeared enraged, and Kinsley Shacklebolt stepped out of the hearth.
“I feel I may need to assign you all rooms in the castle until this ordeal is over. I cannot keep coming here when I have a whole school to run and classes to teach” the headmistress announced in irritation. “Minister, if you will, please follow me. I would like to get this done and over with as soon as possible and then we can all sit down in my office, have a spot of tea, and sort this all out. I will not have more problems than we are all currently facing” she finished while walking up to the map and the Minister for Magic scowled at everyone as he angrily began following her.
September of 1888
“I am seriously about done with walking around in the fucking rain!” Blaise whined while stopping in his tracks and crossing his arms.
“My gods, do you ever stop complaining!” Draco asked in frustration as he threw his head back and groaned.
“We can catch our deaths out here!” the Italian argued, clearly just as annoyed as the Slytherin Prince was.
“We’ve been through so much fucking worse, that having to deal with the possibility of a fucking cold is useless! Just shut-it already!” the blonde contended as the girls stood by and watched as the boys pointlessly argued.
“Fuck you, mate! Just because I don’t want to have to deal with getting sick on top of everything else does not mean you get to yell at me! You’re not in charge so how about you stop acting like the Alpha!”
“Oh, I’m acting?” Draco scoffed with a light chuckle. “You have done nothing but complain in each and every single era like it’s going to fucking do something! All you do is fucking whine and tell us what we all need to do in order to suit your fucking needs! You don’t like cold, you’re scared of animals,” he mocked callously, “you don’t like the rain, oh no Draco, my girlfriend’s going hunting and I don’t like it, can you pretty please stop trying to help your girl and do something about it because I’m not man enough to stop her on my own?”
Blaise glowered angrily as his breathing grew heavy and instead of arguing back any longer, he ran at his friend and tried to tackle him to the ground, causing the girls to gasp and Draco to begin fighting back. Gripping the dark-haired wizard around the waist, who was hunched over and pushing him back with his shoulder, Draco quickly sidestepped and tossed the Italian off of him before charging at full speed and landing a solid fist into his jaw. Blaise stumbled backward slightly before gazing up at the blonde with a hardened scowl as he held a hand against his jaw and spit out the blood that formed in his mouth. As Blaise threw a punch at his mate, Ginny and Hermione crossed their arms in irritation while the boys continued to fight.
“Should we break them up now or wait until someone calls the cops on them?” Ginny inquired with a tilt of her head as Draco tackled Blaise to the ground.
“I’ll handle this…” Hermione claimed while uncrossing her arms and exhaling a disgruntled breath.
Storming up to the boys wrestling on the cobblestone road, Hermione swiftly leaned down, grabbed Draco by the ear and began pulling him off the Italian.
“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…”
While her wizard was arching sideways and moaning in pain, the Gryffindor then quickly bent down and gripped Blaise by the ear as well, forcing him to stand and cry out in the same manner as the Malfoy heir. Once he was fully to his feet but leaning to the side in the same fashion as Draco, she kept her hold as she shot daggers at both of them before opening her mouth to speak.
“Are you done?” she snapped strongly. “You want to act like children, then I will treat you like fucking children! I watched Tala die, watched a young boy get shot in front of me, held a dying old woman in my arms, and we have no idea what the hell happened to Caleb! The last thing any of us need today is you two at each other’s throats! Yes, we’re now stuck in 1888 in the fucking rain! Get over it! We are not doing this! Not here and not fucking tonight! I cannot handle more bullshite right now! We’re going to find shelter and you two are going to apologize to each other or so help me! I know you’re both under a lot of stress but honestly, in this moment, I really could care less because your bickering over who’s complaining and who isn’t, is not nearly as important as surviving that fucking amulet! And quite frankly, it’s irking my damn soul! Enough already! Not another word from either of you until we find a place to stay! Do you understand me?”
“Yes…” the boys whimpered in unison.
“Pardon me?” she demanded sharply.
“Yes!” they answered louder.
Releasing her hold on the Slytherins while Ginny folded in her lips to keep from laughing, Hermione once again crossed her arms as her eyes darted back and forth between Draco and Blaise.
“Well…?”
“Well, what? You just said not another word!” Draco protested while rubbing his left ear, which caused the bookworm to glare at him as her jaw clenched tightly.
“Okay! Okay…” he began as he looked to the ground before reluctantly glancing up at Blaise. “I’m…I’m sorry” he stated through gritted teeth. Hermione then looked to Blaise and before she even had a chance to yell at him, he quickly apologized while avoiding her hardened stare.
“Was that so hard?” she fiercely questioned. “No?” she asked when no one answered her and instead both boys gazed at the ground in embarrassment. “Then both of you shut-it and keep going!”
With their heads hung low in embarrassment, Draco and Blaise began walking as Ginny strolled up to her friend and entwined her arm through hers.
“I told Blaise you were terrifying when angered…I guess he didn’t listen” she chuckled.
“Oh, don’t think you’re off the hook for leaving the camp without discussing it with me first, Gin. We will have that talk in the morning” the brunette witch declared, causing Ginny’s smile to fade as Hermione began walking off without her.
“Fuck” she groaned before running to catch up.
After another twenty minutes of aimlessly strolling the streets of London, the group came upon a pub, tucked neatly away behind a large building, with a sign that read Dark Wolf’s Tavern above the entrance. Realizing how hungry they were and that the place seemed to still be open, the foursome began to make their way inside. Opening one of the double doors, they stepped in and were instantly hit with the raw potent smell of tobacco and a woman yelling at one of the three patrons seated at the long wooden bar to their left.
The room was fairly large with a run-down Grand Piano placed against the far wall to their right, and a flight of stairs that led to the second level near the entrance. Hermione couldn’t see past the first ten steps as the stairwell was rather dark once it reached the landing, so she began to observe the rest of the room filled with at least seven or eight round wooden tables that sat four apiece.
“Walter, I swear to God if you toss your cookies on my bar top, I will tell your wife that you keep drowning your sorrows here after work ever ‘day!” the young barmaid asserted in an almost southern accent as she smacked a heavyset man leaning over the counter on the top of the head with a rolled-up newspaper. She then glanced to the door and saw the four students huddled together, looking completely out of place and soaking wet. “My my, I don’t believe I’ve seen you folks around here before. Welcome! Come in, come in, get yourselves out of the rain” she smiled happily as she waved the group over. “My name’s Lucy Jean; you can call me Lucy. What can I get you? Beer, Gin, Wine…a towel?” she giggled.
“Oh, thank Merlin!’ Blaise expressed as he relaxed his shoulders, walked up to the bar, and began to dig into his pocket for his money bag before stopping when he remembered he needed muggle money. Turning to Draco, who had his arms crossed and a small bruise forming just under his eye where the Italian had hit him, he exhaled a deep breath, making the blonde Slytherin look to him and tilt his head.
“No” he declared adamantly.
“Please?”
“No!”
“Look I’m sorry for fighting with you,” Blaise proclaimed as Draco scowled at him, “but I think after everything, we could all use a drink. Salazar knows, Hermione needs one and you’re the only one with mug-I mean money.”
“We’re still servin’ food too if you all are hungry?” Lucy Jean claimed pleasantly. “You look like you could use a proper meal…and some medical attention…” she stated as she gazed at the bruises on both boys and the tattered clothing they were all wearing. “My father owns this place, runs the kitchen, and is one hell of a cook. We got shellfish too if you’re interested. It’s rare but Daddy always makes sure to have all sorts of food on hand because times are so hard for ever’ one.”
“Could-could you give us a moment?” Hermione weakly smiled at the long curly-haired brunette woman who simply nodded her head.
“Course! I’ll go and put an order of pie in for you, on the house, and get you some water…and some towels to dry off. You all let me know when you’re ready to order” she beamed and began to turn before stopping and rotating back with a raised finger. “Oh, and please ignore Walter over there. He looks like a mean son of a bitch, but he’s a teddy bear and will cry his heart out to you if you let ‘em. Talk your ear off that one. Best to keep your distance when he’s drunk like that.”
“Got it, thanks” the bookworm smiled while glancing to the burly man still leaning over the counter and crying softly against the wall.
“I’m not paying for you to have a drink when you just tried to tackle me not that fucking long ago!” Draco claimed coldly to the dark-skinned wizard. “In fact, I really should just let you sleep on the streets instead of paying for a room for you as well!”
“Stop it” Hermione cut in. “Both of you. I don’t know what’s gotten into either of you but please, for the love of God, just stop. I’ll pay for the damn drinks if it’ll end this nonsense.”
“I…” Draco began while softening his shoulders, realizing his attitude was taking a toll on everyone. Even Ginny appeared fed up and the only thing Blaise was asking for was a drink after he had just apologized without Hermione telling him to. “I’m sorry, love. I’m just tired and, I don’t know, things have just been a little chaotic lately. I need a break.”
“We all need a break,” Ginny firmly stated, “but that doesn’t mean we should take our anger out on each other. And Blaise is right, I for one could use a drink right about now.”
“Fine” the blonde sighed while reaching into his pocket and pulling out his money pouch. “I’ll pay for the drinks, but can we please ask that bartender for directions or something to an Inn or a hotel?”
“This is weird” Ginny stated with widened eyes and a raised hand. “You’re a guy, Blondie, you’re not supposed to want to ask for direction! Miiiioooone! You better get his head checked before he falls asleep, he may be suffering from a concussion!”
“Here we are!” Lucy exclaimed as she walked out the kitchen door behind the bar with four pewter tankards full of water on a tray before setting them on the counter and drying her hands on a cloth attached to her belt.
“Oh, ha-ha” the Malfoy heir sneered at the redhead as he rolled his eyes. “Just order your damn drink before I change my mind.”
“Ahh, I see you were able to convince him!” the young muggle chuckled while leaning one hand on the wood separating her from the group, and the other on her hip. “What can I get yah?”
“Four of your best beer, please” Ginny beamed while leaning on the bar with her forearms.
“You got it! Bottle or pint?”
“Uhh, bottle, I guess.”
“Alright! That’ll be fourteen pence, please!”
As the barmaid began to grab the beer and distribute them, Draco narrowed his brows as he handed over the money before looking to Hermione in confusion.
“It’s only fourteen pence?” he whispered. “That’s like twenty-two euros in 1999. That’s not even pocket change to me. What sort of beer am I paying for here?”
“Not the fancy kind you’re most likely used to drinking” she giggled as she picked the glass bottle up and held it in the air in order to toast with her friends. “Cheers!” she exclaimed as the blonde gazed at his drink in distaste before clinking the bottle against the others.
Taking a sip of the strong liquid, both Blaise and Draco made sour faces while trying to swallow the alcohol as Ginny happily drank her beverage, and Hermione finally lifted the beer to her lips after watching her peers’ reactions. However, as soon as the warm fluid touched her tongue, the intense taste caused her to want to rid the booze from her mouth and she thoughtlessly spit the drink out…directly onto Blaise’s face.
While Blaise closed his eyes in annoyance and licked his lips before pressing his tongue firmly against the inside of his cheek while the liquid dripped down his face, Draco laughed mid-sip, causing the beer in his mouth to dribble down his chin.
“Oh…my…God…I…am so sorry” Hermione claimed in a state of shock as Ginny and the bartender tried not to laugh, while promptly looking for something to help the Italian clean up. Quickly taking the cloth from the brunette muggle she began to try and wipe the alcohol from his skin, but he swiftly took a step back while he pinched his lips together and shook his head.
“No…” he stated rather calmly as he ran his hand over his face and Hermione bit her bottom lip to keep from giggling. “I will get you back for that; mark my words, Buttercup, a Slytherin always pays his debts. You’re lucky I like you, however, this means war…”
“I really am sorry” she chuckled while handing him the cloth.
But as Blaise took the rag and began to wipe his face off, the kitchen door opened, and a curly dark-haired male stepped out with four slices of pie. The male glanced up from the plates in his hands with a large smile upon his lips, but his happiness suddenly turned to shock and fear as he dropped the tarts and stared in utter horror at the group standing in his tavern. The plates crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces, forcing the Hogwarts students to gaze at the doorway with widened eyes and slacked jaws.
“No…Y-y-y-you should not be here! Why are you here? What are you doing here?” the man shrieked in horror as everyone else in the pub raised a brow in bewilderment.
“Papa, what’s wrong?” the barmaid questioned as she looked back and forth between her father and the four young students staring in surprise at one another. “What the bloody hell is going on?”
“Merlin’s beard…” Hermione muttered in a low whisper while grabbing Draco’s arm tightly and slowly setting her drink down. “Caleb? You’re…you’re alive…”
@Saxman66- Technically the group didn't change history; as Thorfinn has stated before, they are supposed to be there. The only things they can't change is saving someone they shouldn't or altering time so severly that it can alter the present/future, which showing a ton of magic can do. As for Harry and Draco's connection it only works one way so, Draco will never see the present happening.
@HaplessParadox- Thank you! And same here! I couldn't wait to get to get to the next era! I only really wanted to go to Gettysburg for the war scene lol.
@1_Luv215- Thanks! I'm sorry I made you cry about Tala, I hope this chapter cheered you up some though. Caleb definitely needs a break, I 100% agree! And don't worry about the deadline, there is always next era :)
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The Paths We Take