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Songs of Regret	By : RavieSnake Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 76454 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 17
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from it. I also hold no rights to any of the songs mentioned. I make no money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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“Was it your aunt?”

“No. How many times must we tell you? No one told us. We ALREADY lived it!”

Draco and Hermione were at their wits’ ends.

It had been nearly twenty minutes since Draco’s confession about what his mission would be and they were still no closer to convincing their old professors that they had time traveled. Snape had drilled them mercilessly trying to get them to confess to who had informed them about the upcoming Marking ceremony and mission assignment.

“Severus,” Dumbledore said serenely, “a word if I may.”

Snape frowned at the young blond sitting before him and then retreated to behind Dumbledore’s desk. He bent slightly and cast a silencing spell around himself and the elder professor. They whispered back and forth all the while shooting their students curious glances.

Draco leaned close to Hermione while the professors had their private conversation. “Granger, I thought you said he’d be open-minded. This is ridiculous. We’d be better off on our own,” he said softly.

“Yes, this is not going at all how I’d imagined. They can’t seem to get past the Dark Mark revelation. I think, to convince them, we need to tell them something that only the two of them know... something we could only know the truth about after Voldemort’s defeat,” she whispered back.

“Have any suggestions?” Draco asked despondently.

“Actually, I do. But…Snape’s not going to like it,” she said.

“What will I not like, Miss Granger?”

Shite.

Draco and Hermione looked up to see Snape glaring at them intensely and still standing next to Dumbledore who was eyeing them inquisitively over his spectacles.

Hermione cleared her throat awkwardly. “I was just telling Draco that we needed to give you something more substantial to prove to you that we are telling the truth,” she said.

Dumbledore gave her an encouraging smile. “Professor Snape and I were, in fact, having a similar discussion,” he said with twinkling eyes. “You both appear to sincerely believe that you are from the future. But being the intelligent people that you both are, you must concede that a simple memory alteration could cause you to believe something that never happened to be the truth.”

He chuckled slightly at the identical frowns his two students turned to him at his words.

“We still wish to help you. What has been done to you is rather serious, and we will need to figure out how to reverse it,” he said in an appeasing tone.

Draco snapped. He stood abruptly from his chair and sneered insolently at Dumbledore. “We did not have a fucking memory charm performed on us,” he said forcefully. He shook his head with an exasperated sniff and turned to Hermione. “Let’s go, Granger. We’ll figure out how to get our children back on our own.”

“Children?” Dumbledore said, turning to Snape. “This really is more serious than we thought. Not only did they alter their perception of time, they altered their memories of family.”

“No one fucking altered our memories!” Draco exploded.

“Language, Mr. Ma…”

“No! I will not watch my goddamn language. We are telling the truth. I am thirty-fucking-seven years old and I manage a multi-million Galleon business!” he raged.

Hermione stood and placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Draco relaxed into her touch slightly and he gave her a heartbreaking look of defeat. She brought a hand to his face and smiled sadly at him before turning to look at Dumbledore.

“Sir, being the intelligent person that I am, I can admit that our claim seems implausible, and that a memory charm would be a simpler explanation. But I can assure you that our situation is VERY real,” she said pleading.

Dumbledore looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. “You believe that you can assure us of your situation by telling us something that you could only be aware of having come from the future, and that the information is something that will upset Professor Snape?” he asked her empathetically.

She nodded and sat back down and Draco hesitantly retook his seat as well. Neither professor said anything but looked at her intently.

Hermione bit her lip in apprehension and looked at Draco. He gave her an encouraging nod and she turned back to look Dumbledore in the face.

“Sir,” she began, “I know the reason why you trust Professor Snape.”

Snape narrowed his eyes at her menacingly. Dumbledore’s expression remained unchanged and he simply replied, “Go on.”

Hermione took an enormous breath and said, “Professor Snape pledged to do anything he had to to help you both protect Harry and defeat Voldemort. He did so because…because he was in love with Lily Potter.”

The silence that followed her statement was so complete that one could have heard a gnat breathing.

Snape looked like he had been gut-kicked. Draco’s mouth hung open slightly as he looked at Hermione in quiet awe. Dumbledore blinked at her with mild astonishment.

“Assuming that is true,” Dumbledore said after a moment, “how would you know that?”

Hermione looked sadly at the floor. “I know because Professor Snape gave Harry his memories of her.” She paused a moment and then decided she needed to up the ante. “He also gave him the memory of you telling him that Harry was a Horcrux.”

Dumbledore paled and leaned back in his chair. “Do not touch the ring,” he whispered recalling the post script Hermione had written in her letter to him.

Hermione’s heart palpitated with hope that she had finally gotten through to him. She had to really sell it now.

“Yes. The one you were about to go looking for: Marvolo Gaunt’s ring. It is set with the Resurrection Stone and it is one of Voldemort’s seven Horcruxes,” she said with conviction.

Dumbledore’s eyes flashed with a combination of disbelief and excitement. “Severus?” he called over his shoulder at Snape while never taking his eyes off of Hermione. Snape looked down at him in acknowledgement. “Please retrieve as many vials as you can carry and bring them here straight away,” Dumbledore said to him.

Snape nodded and immediately left the room with his robes billowing behind him.

“Vials?” Draco asked curiously.

“Yes, I must collect and review your memories as soon as possible,” Dumbledore answered.

“You believe us then?” Hermione asked hopefully.

“Miss Granger, I have no choice but to believe you with what you have just stated. I have not yet told anyone of my suspicions concerning Harry’s condition or Marvolo Gaunt’s ring…which I was indeed about to go and retrieve this very day had I not received your letter,” he said.

“So you’ll help us then?” Draco asked eagerly.

Dumbledore looked at Draco sympathetically and answered, “Hopefully, with the information you will both provide me, I will be able to help us all. But if you are referring to your changed reality, then I am sorry, Mr. Malfoy, I cannot help you. I’m afraid the effects of an artifact like a Paenitentia Pearl are quite irreversible.”

Draco’s chest seized painfully. “Scorpius,” he whispered almost inaudibly to himself. He heard a quiet sob to his left and turned to see Hermione with her chin down, tears softly dripping into her lap. He held out his hand on the arm of her chair and Hermione blinked at him miserably and squeezed his hand tight.

“You will see them again,” Dumbledore said softly. Hermione and Draco both jerked their heads up.

“What?” they both whispered.

“Your children,” he replied, “I believe that you will see them again.”

“How? Nothing will happen as it did before,” Hermione said as she wiped her eyes with the handkerchief that Draco had just handed her.

Dumbledore leaned forward and rested his arms on his desk, folding his hands together. He looked alternately between Draco and Hermione as he spoke. “I have, for some years now, tasked myself with learning as much as possible about the nature and magic associated with the human soul. As my suspicions have risen concerning Tom Riddle’s possible use of a Horcrux, I felt it only prudent to do so. What I have discovered is that a human soul, once created, can never be destroyed. It can be divided, or moved between dimensions, but not destroyed.”

Snape reentered the office just then carrying a box that tinkled with the sound of clinking glass as he walked. He set the box down on the floor near Dumbledore’s feet. Dumbledore nodded to him in thanks and Snape moved to sit in a chair in the corner just to the right of the Headmaster’s desk. Dumbledore returned his attention to Draco and Hermione who hadn’t taken their eyes off of him.

“To continue,” he said, “souls are the most powerful entities in existence. One is created when two existing souls are melded together via the physical act of sex. This is magic; a magic so powerful even Muggles are capable of it.” He paused there to take a sip of something from a silver goblet on his desk.

He swallowed appreciatively and went on. “You know firsthand that souls exist even after death as Hogwarts has a number of ghosts and I believe you have even seen The Veil in the Department of Mysteries?” he asked as he inclined his head toward Hermione. She nodded.

“Similarly, when a soul is “removed” by something other than death like Vampirism, or a curse, or, in your case, time alteration, it still exists but moves on to a waiting area of sorts. Even many Muggles acknowledge the existence of such a place.”

“Limbo,” Hermione said softly.

“Precisely,” Dumbledore replied. “Your children’s souls will remain there until they are born to you again.”

“But…what if… in the new time line the original two souls that created a removed soul don’t… meld together again? How would the soul return?” Hermione asked uneasily. The thought of having to have sex with Ron again made her want to be sick.

Dumbledore looked puzzled for a moment as he looked between Draco and Hermione who were still holding hands. “Are you and Mr. Malfoy planning on not melding again?” he asked her seriously.

Draco’s face twitched slightly and Hermione blushed scarlet from her head to her toes.

“He…he is not the father of my children,” she said bashfully. She tried to let go of Draco’s hand then, but he held on tight.

“How would they return?” Draco asked with a determined look at Dumbledore.

The old professor’s eyes twinkled knowingly at the pair, but he leaned back and said, “I’m afraid I can only answer that theoretically, as it is impossible to say for sure.”

“And your theory,” Draco demanded impatiently.

“My theory, Mr. Malfoy, is that if neither original parent melds with another, then the removed soul will remain in limbo forever. If only one of the original parents melds again then the soul will be born to them regardless of the new partner. And if both original parents were to meld with different partners then the soul would be reborn to the dominant parent.”

Hermione frowned at him slightly. “Dominant parent?”

“Yes, Miss Granger. When a new soul is created each parent soul contributes to it, but not in equal parts. One soul will be dominant. That is why some children can look or act so much more like one parent over the other,” he answered.

“Will the same parent always be dominant?” Hermione asked.

“No,” Dumbledore replied bluntly.

There was a heavy silence for a moment as Hermione and Draco mulled over Dumbledore’s words.

“Will there be anything more that requires my presence, Headmaster?” Snape said breaking the silence.

Dumbledore turned to him. “Severus, it seems I will no longer be travelling and so I will no longer need you to assist me as we were planning. I wonder, though, if you’d be opposed to staying a bit longer to assist me instead with Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy?”

“I will, of course, stay and assist you Headmaster. I have, after all, pledged myself to you,” Snape replied significantly with a scowl at Hermione. It took everything in her not to squirm under his gaze; he was much more intense than she remembered.

“Thank you, Severus. Now, before we begin, I believe a wizard’s oath of secrecy is in order,” Dumbledore said with a meaningful look to Snape and then to Hermione and Draco. They all nodded to him in assent.

“Does anyone besides Professor Snape and myself know of your situation?” he asked them. When they shook their heads, Dumbledore made a series of wand movements and recited the incantation that bound them to keep all that was revealed within the confines of the office since Draco and Hermione’s arrival a secret.

“Now,” Dumbledore said, “there is much that we must do and discuss. To start I must know. Was Voldemort defeated?”

“Yes,” Draco and Hermione answered in unison.

“For certain?”

“Yes.”

“In the reality you knew, how long did it take from now to end the war?” Dumbledore asked as he began to levitate vials out of the box on the floor to sit upon his desk.

Hermione answered, “Just shy of two years. The final battle occurred on the 2^nd of May, 1998.”

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment and then went on. “Miss Granger, I assume you are able to sort and collect memories given your profession?”

“Yes, sir,” she said and scooted forward in her chair attentively.

“Mr. Malfoy?”

“I’m able,” Draco confirmed.

“I will need to collect and catalogue all of your memories concerning Horcruxes, Harry Potter’s actions, my actions, Voldemort’s actions, Death Eater activity, activities of the Order of the Phoenix, Ministry changes and staffing, Hogwarts changes and staffing, arrests, deaths, injuries, battles, and anything else relevant to the war that you have from those two years,” Dumbledore stated authoritatively.

“But that would take at least a week!” Draco objected.

“Yes, I expect it will, Mr. Malfoy. This brings me to the next item of discussion. We need to establish where you are supposed to be and what you are supposed to be doing. I will need complete access to you until I have all sufficient information collected and we cannot afford to raise suspicion,” Dumbledore said with a serious expression. “Miss Granger, do you remember where you were and what you were doing at this time in your reality?”

Hermione nodded and answered, “Yes, sir. I spent the entire first week of summer holiday with my parents. We visited several museums, galleries, and monuments around the country. We should have left already though, and I’m worried that my parents will have reported me as missing.”

“That can be fixed easily enough,” Dumbledore replied glancing to Snape who nodded once. Hermione paled a little, but said nothing more.

“Mr. Malfoy, do remember where you were and what you were doing?”

“I was at the Manor either alone or with my mother and did not leave it until…” Draco trailed off and frowned at his left forearm.

Dumbledore ignored Draco’s gesture and continued on. “Under what circumstances did you come to this office?” he asked, looking to both Hermione and Draco. Hermione looked at Draco and nodded for him to give the explanation.

Draco sighed in resignation and said, “The Pearl transported us in Diagon Alley. I Apparated us from there to my bedroom at the Manor. We remained there until we received your letter and then we came straight here. As far as we know, no one but my mother saw us. She was the reason for the appearance modification spell. My mother believes that Hermione is my American girlfriend named Margaret Monroe and that we are currently out sightseeing.”

“It was very wise of you both to stay out of sight until you came here. And I must say that I am both flattered and pleased that I was your first choice of council. I know it may be small consolation for the personal losses you have experienced, but I daresay you may have given us a chance to save countless lives,” Dumbledore said appreciatively.

“You have no idea,” Hermione whispered sadly. She and Draco both cast haunted gazes to the floor as the memories of the lost overcame them.

Dumbledore shot a look of concern to Snape. “Severus do you think you would be able to make the necessary arrangements allowing Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy to stay here in the castle for the next week?”

“I do not believe it will be difficult. Narcissa will be easy enough to persuade if she believes Draco to be in my charge. And I will pay a visit to the Grangers,” Snape said as he stood from his chair. “Shall I go now?”

“Yes, I think the sooner the better,” Dumbledore answered and Snape made for the office door. “Oh and Severus,” Dumbledore called out, “on your way out, please have some of the house elves prepare two of the empty staff rooms for our young time travelers.”

“One,” Draco said loudly. Snape paused at the door with a raised eyebrow.

“One?” Dumbledore said with a bemused look.

“You need only prepare one room. We will share a room,” Draco answered firmly.

Hermione’s stomach fluttered at Draco’s statement. The prospect of seven nights alone together was equal parts thrilling and terrifying. Visions of the previous night exploded in her mind and the sound of a single piano note tinkled in the air and then faded away. Draco gave her a sideways glance and suppressed a wicked grin.

Hermione shifted in her chair and pretended to look about for the source of the sound. Dumbledore and Snape looked around curiously for a moment as well and then Dumbledore returned his attention to Draco.

“It seems the castle gives its consent for you to share a room,” he said in an amused tone. “Miss Granger, do you agree to a shared room?”

Hermione nodded shyly.

“One room then?” Snape huffed. Dumbledore nodded and Snape disappeared out the door. The Headmaster turned back to his charges.

“You understand, of course,” he began with a more serious tone, “that this arrangement is temporary and that when you return for the school term, you will return to your appropriate dorms?”

Draco and Hermione nodded in agreement.

“I must also impress upon you both that when term commences you will need to behave like and perform magic at the level of sixteen-year-olds. As I said, we can arouse no suspicions until I have determined the best course of action based on your memories. Now, you mentioned that you are still able to Apparate on your own and you were still able to use your specialized Ministry modification. This leads me to believe that your magical cores did not regress in age as your bodies did,” Dumbledore said as he rubbed his hand thoughtfully down his beard. He stood then and walked around his desk to stand a few paces away from Draco.

“Mr. Malfoy,” he said facing him, “I’d like to perform a test if you’d be so kind.” He gestured with his hand for him to stand. Draco stood without protest but faced Dumbledore with a wary expression. The old man flourished his wand then and a faint, glowing line appeared on the floor between them.

“If you would, please cross the line, Mr. Malfoy.”

Draco hesitated a moment, but then took two steps forward and crossed over the line with no reaction. Dumbledore nodded. “That was an age line set for sixteen years. Please step back again.”

Draco did so and another flourish of the professor’s wand drew a new glowing line where the other had been. “Again if you please,” Dumbledore said.

Hermione watched with bated breath as Draco took the two steps forward. The moment he came into contact with the line he was propelled back forcefully and fell on his backside with a thud. Hermione darted forward to help him.

“Son of a bitch,” Draco winced as he grabbed her hand to get up.

Dumbledore chuckled. “That was an age line set for fifty years. Now, the moment of truth.”

He flourished his wand a third time and yet another glowing line formed. Draco frowned at the smiling old fool, but then looked determinedly at the line and took two tentative steps forward. He braced himself for another impact, but was surprised when he crossed over the line with ease.

“Thirty-seven years,” Dumbledore said serenely.

“That means the Ministry can no longer trace us for underage magic,” Hermione said excitedly.

“Do you plan on doing a lot of magic outside of this school Miss Granger?” Dumbledore asked reproachfully.

Hermione looked abashed, “No, I suppose not. But it does give peace of mind for if we slip-up. We have been able to perform magic freely for two decades, after all.”

Dumbledore looked like he was thinking deeply at her response. “And the artifact that transported you back those two decades, Miss Granger? Where is it now?”

Hermione’s mouth fell open a little when she realized that she had dropped the Pearl back in Diagon Alley.

“I…I dropped it in Diagon Alley. I was in shock at the change and I didn’t even think…Oh no! What if someone else finds it?” she said as she clasped a hand over her mouth in worry.

“I saw it roll down the sewer, Granger. No one will ever find it down there,” Draco lied. He had hidden the cursed thing back at the Manor and he had no intention of letting anyone use it ever again.

Dumbledore pursed his lips ever so slightly and walked back to take his seat behind his desk. He motioned for Draco and Hermione to retake their seats as well. “I wonder,” he began as they moved to their chairs, “what was so terrible that the two of you felt the need to seek-out and use something so dark as a Paenitentia Pearl?”

Hermione shook her head. “It was an accident.”

“Accident?” Dumbledore said, raising his brow.

Draco nodded, “I bought it on a whim from old man Borgin. I was looking at it while I was walking and Gra…Hermione and I ran into each other. When I helped her up she touched the Pearl in my hand and we happened to regret the same thing at the same moment without meaning to.”

“What was the regret?” Dumbledore asked, placing his elbows upon his desk and folding his hands in front of his chin.

“We both regretted that I ever received the Dark Mark,” Draco answered quietly.

“That’s a very specific accidental regret,” said the Headmaster suspiciously.

“We did not plan it,” Draco said defensively. “She accidentally touched my Mark and I regretted having it because it scared her and she regretted that I had it because she saw that it was upsetting me.”

Dumbledore furrowed his brow deeply and was silent in thought for an entire minute. Draco and Hermione shifted uncomfortably in the heavy silence and looked at each other with concern. Hermione was about to ask the Headmaster if something was wrong when he suddenly spoke again.

“Have the two of you noticed any other accidental similarities between yourselves?”

Hermione and Draco looked at each other significantly and looked back to Dumbledore. They nodded silently in response. He leaned back in his chair, stroked his beard and studied Draco and Hermione where they sat.

“Professor, do you think that our similarities are important in some way?” Hermione asked with fearful curiosity.

Dumbledore gave her a composed smile. “It is merely something I will need to look into. You need not worry. Right now, however, we have some memories to sort out,” he said as he popped the cork off of a vial.
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Songs of Regret