The Inevitable

Chapter 17 - Back to Our Time

Dracos POV:

We followed Potter down the winding path in Gringotts. The wizarding bank looked severely different. Instead of the rail cars, there were hundreds of stairs leading to and from the vaults. They seemed to move similarly to the staircases at Hogwarts. When I had asked him about it, he simply said "Hermione and a dragon, that's all I'll tell you." Like that would make sense to me. Hermione's face had been quite hilarious when her eyes bugged out.

"Here we are," he said placing his wand tip to the handle on the vault. We watched the giant handle turn and the door swing open. Potters vault was very organized and not what I expected at all. He had shelves lining the inside. His gold was neatly stacked in the back with what I'm guessing are his valuables on the shelves. "Alright...I'm not exactly sure where to look. I had no clue Hermione had put a time turner in here until now so..."

"Well, I guess let's split up and look around," Hermione said quietly. She wasn't acting like her normal self. I'm not sure what I expected her to after what we just had to see. I myself was still reeling from seeing Theo's face slashed. I already put on my list that that was something I must fix. Theo had been through so much already. I had to get him out so he didn't have to take the mark. I moved to the shelves on my right as Hermione went left. Potter was at the back working his way forward. Hermione stopped and looked toward him.

"Harry, what can you tell us about the white streak of magic at the end of the battle?" She flicked her eyes to me. Smart, better to get more answers while we are here.

"Oh, um, I'm not really sure what all that was to be honest with you. All I know is I was drained. I had used so much magic that day that my body was giving up. I didn't understand what you two were doing standing in the middle of the courtyard. It was weird to see. All spells were bouncing off of you two like you were in some protection spell, but I'm not even sure there is one that large. When that streak of magic came to me though...it was like I was fixed. My magic was the strongest it had ever been. I'm not sure I would have survived if not for it." He shrugged and went back to looking for the time turner. Hermione raised her eyebrow and turned back to her shelves. I turned back to searching as well. Grabbing every container and opening it, I still couldn't find a damn thing. "What's this?" Harry asked as he reached up to grab something. It was a small box engraved with an M.

"That's my grandmothers," I said coming to stand next to him. "Why would that be in your vault?" The small box had sat on my nightstand for years. It was my grandmothers jewelry box given to her by my mother.

"My guess, you two put it here." He opened the lid to reveal exactly what we had been looking for. A time turner sat in the cushioned box. A piece of paper accompanied it. Hermione grabbed the box and closed the lid.

"I guess it's time to go back now," she said. I nodded grabbing her hand.

"Let's get you two to Hogwarts," Potter said walking to the door of his vault. We followed silently behind him. Once we stepped foot back into Diagon Alley, Potter grabbed our arms and apparated us outside the castle gates. Hogwarts looked severely different from our time. We had just watched it crumble in those memories and here it was completely rebuilt. Hermione stood in awe taking in the new towers. "Come on now, we don't have time to gawk."

"I'm not gawking!" Hermione said following him closely. Potter replied with a humph causing Hermione to smack him.

"It does look different from what you're used to. It took a lot of damage in the battle." Potter waved his hand causing my eyes to move to where he was looking. Professor McGonagall stood by the doors to the great hall with a smile.

"This way," was all she said as she led us down the hall. Once we had turned a few corners, she looked back at us. "I must say I did not fully understand your owl Mister Potter. How would there be a hidden room below the dungeons?"

"How did you find time to send an owl?" Hermione asked as we went down a flight of stairs. I'll admit I was curious as well.

"You two were in the pensieve for a while. I asked Winny to run it to your family owl. I was too worried to leave you alone. I was able to bring Minerva up to speed, but you're going to have to show us this hidden room." I looked to my professor to see a smile on her face.

"I always wondered about you two...although I am confused how someone hid a time turner, let alone a broken one, here at Hogwarts."

"The room was this way," I said passing Potter and McGonagall. Hermione fell in stride with me. That was something else we would have to look into. The pensieve did not give us an inkling as to how the broken time turner got into the castle. One problem at a time I suppose. We came to a stop noticing how the dungeons looked the same. Not one thing was out of place compared to our time. I scanned the walls of portraits and tapestries.

"The lower parts of the castle took the least amount of damage," Potter said quietly. "We didn't have to do too much to fix it."

"We?" Hermione asked. Potter nodded as he stepped beside her.

"We. After the war was over, after Draco's name was fully cleared, we all came back to rebuild Hogwarts."

"I was thankful to have all the help I did," McGonagall spoke. "I know this must be a lot for you two to comprehend. I'll have to owl the current Mr and Mrs Malfoy to get the full story. For now, let's get to this room." I nodded turning back to the walls.

"Which tapestry was it?" I asked Hermione. I fell through the hole. I didn't see the tapestry at all before I passed through it.

"This one," she said grabbing the tapestry a couple steps away from me. "Fitting really," she laughed out. I looked up at the tapestry to see it was one of those cheesy inter-house unity tapestries Dumbledore had put all over the castle. I couldn't help but chuckle at that. If only he knew...

"Let's go then." I walked to Hermione and pushed the tapestry out of the way. The small doorway in the wall was still there. I looked at Hermione and saw fear in her brown eyes. I gave her hand a squeeze as we moved down the stairs. The room looked exactly as it had in our time.

"What in Merlin's name..." McGonagall whispered once she had fully entered the room. "I'm going to have to go through this room...how long has it been here?" She began to scan the shelves.

"As much as I know you're dying to get into it Minerva, we need to leave so these two can go back," Harry said with a chuckle. McGonagall offered a curt nod and moved back to the staircase. "Good luck." He gave a thumbs up and followed our professor out the doorway. I looked at Hermione to find tears in her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked brushing away a tear. She sniffled and wrapped her arms around my torso.

"Gods, I'm scared Draco." I didn't know what to say to her. I was scared too. I was bloody terrified.

"We will get through this. You saw it just as well as I did. We know what we need to do, so we will do it." She nodded in response. Opening my grandmothers box, I grabbed the time turner carefully. Hermione picked up the small piece of parchment that had laid below it.

"I set the time turner so all you will have to do is press the center button." She read aloud. I grabbed her hand and pulled her close. Her hand not in mine reached up to the time turner. She shook as her index finger lightly pressed the button. The room around us moved, but nothing changed. Dust flew up as if it had never fallen in the first place. Items moved ever so slightly. When the dust settled I looked around the room. "Do you think we are back?"

"Only one way to find out," I said pulling her to the staircase. "We need to get Potter. I would also like to get Snape and Theo." She didn't even question me. She nodded and moved down the corridor. I rushed to the Slytherin common room as fast as I could. I meant what I had told myself. I was going to get Theo out of this. He was fast asleep by the time I had reached our dorm. I shook him awake with rough urgency.

"Draco? What the hell are you doing?" He asked rubbing his eyes. "What the devil are you wearing?" I looked down to see the remnant of the suit I had worn to Ginny and Pansy's engagement party from the future. We hadn't even thought about our clothes. "Cover that up!" He hissed drawing my attention to my mark. I waved my hand over it carefully to place my glamour charm.

"You need to come with me now." Without question Theo got to his feet and began to dress.