If Only I Could Turn Back Time
It took one long, painfully slow-moving day, in order for them to finally meet. She hadn't see hide nor hair of Draco since that faithful morning and was, secretly, grateful for it. She didn't know if she could withstand the pain in her heart for much longer.
Finally, after much waiting, the letter had returned with the words, 'Meet me at the Three Broomsticks tomorrow, at 3p.m.'
So, once quarter after two had passed, Hermione had bundled herself up in the warmest clothing she had and made her way to their destination. She would have normally enjoyed the day, watching the sunlight play with the snow, the way the younger students were running about, creating snowball fights, snowmen and participating in a vast amount of snow-related activities. But her mind was elsewhere, straying into the castle, into the room where he stayed. She really was a horrible person for everything she'd done...
Lost in her thoughts, she did not even recognize the building until someone called out to her. Turning around, she was met with the always-smiling face of Luna Lovegood.
"Let's have a seat, grab some Butterbeers, and then we'll talk," the blonde said as Hermione opened her mouth.
They did exactly that and, once Hermione had had several sips of her Butterbeer, Luna tucked her hand under her chin and looked over the brunette.
"Tell everything...from the beginning to end."
It was odd; retelling everything to a girl Hermione had only become best friends with during the past two years. She hardly knew Luna's secrets and yet Luna was the holder of some of the most terrifying secrets Hermione ever had. Hell, Hermione hated to admit it, but Luna felt more like a friend than Harry or Ron ever had.
She told her everything, or at least everything that she could, beginning with her situation with Harry. Luna's face never changed, no matter what was said or how it was said. Her face remained a constant cool, emotionless mask from the beginning to end.
When Hermione finally finished, she looked to Luna expectantly, as though praying that the girl had every answer for her problem.
"You know...I saw this Muggle movie the other day," Luna said suddenly, taking a sip of her drink.
'What does that have anything to do with this?' Hermione thought in confusion. She wanted to voice the words, but feared that they might offend the blonde.
"It was a really good movie," Luna continued, "lots of action, these cars that turned into robots, and a really attractive main character. It was a lot of fun to watch; I never knew Muggle movies could be so amazing!" Her eyes lit up at the memory and she grinned broadly. "Well...at the beginning of that movie, this guy said something that, well, explains Harry's actions."
'I never asked about why Harry did what he did?' Hermione thought.
"I know, I know," Luna said with a wave of her hand, "you never asked about Harry, but I know you want to. This is not like him; he's usually been on your side whenever Ron's gone...well, angry-Ron-like. But this is a little different." She took another sip before continuing. "Anyway, so, at the beginning of the movie, the main guy's friend turns to him and says 'Bros before hoes.' That, I think, sums up your relationship, your position in this situation."
"What?" Hermione choked out, clearly at a loss for words. "But...what...what the hell does that saying have to do with this?"
Luna couldn't help but chuckle at Hermione's response, eyes glowing with mischief and knowledge. "Well...it's important for you to understand where Harry's coming from. Anyway, in this situation, there are two possible explanations for why Harry's being the way he is, and that quote explains them. The first one is that Harry and Ron are bros, correct? I assume being 'bros' means that they're best mates, because the two guys in the movie looked like best mates. Anyway, Ron and Harry are best mates, and, in this situation, you could be the hoe. The hoe, at least in the movie, is a woman."
Hermione's goggled at Luna's explanation, wondering if Luna was aware of just what she was saying.
"Luna...I don't think 'hoe' is an appropriate word..." she stammered out.
"But...it goes so well with the example," Luna sighed out. "Can I just use it for now? I don't know what else might be able to describe what you are to them."
"Fine, fine, but only for now...you do understand what it means, don't you?"
Pursing her lips, she blonde looked around for a moment as she tried to find an answer. Smiling broadly, she turned back to the brunette. "Not at all!"
'Oh dear...she has no clue what she's saying...' Hermione sighed inwardly, mentally face-palming herself.
"So, can I continue?" Luna asked and, without waiting for a response, she did so anyway. "Well...in this case, Harry and Ron are bros and you're the hoe, meaning that, in this case, Ron comes before you. Although, it kind of sounds really harsh for you, doesn't it? That's why I have the second explanation. In this case, Harry, Ron, and you could all be bros and Draco could be the hoe."
Choking on the Butterbeer she had just attempted to swallow, Hermione coughed loudly, trying her hardest not to laugh at the notion of Draco being a 'hoe.' Swallowing, trying her hardest to get air into her lungs, she slammed her fist against her chest. "You...I can't believe it...you just called Draco Malfoy a hoe!"
"Only for the example," Luna said, clearly unable to understand just why Hermione was fighting back laughter. "So," she continued, completely ignoring Hermione's inability to breathe, "in this case, you're a bro and Draco's a hoe. Now, according to the guy in the movie, it's a code among bros that they must always choose each other before a hoe. Right now, according to Ron and Harry, your fellow bros, you are breaking that code by spending time with your hoe as opposed to them. Do you understand?"
Finally able to breathe again, she wiped away a few stray tears before slowly nodding. "Essentially, Harry and Ron think that I should choose them before Draco, and the only reason I would choose Draco is because he's a hoe, right?"
"Precisely!"
"But...I suppose that's why Harry wants an answer. He wants to see if Draco really is a 'hoe' or not...but that still doesn't make it right!" Hermione huffed with indignation.
"I know that," Luna said, "but, it's what he thinks is right. That's what's important here; his views of right and wrong are different from yours, most likely misconstrued by that silly code. Honestly, I would always choose a hoe before a bro; it just sounds like they'd be more fun."
"Luna!" Hermione cried in astonishment. "I can't believe you just said that!" Laughter threatened to bubble back up her throat and it took all of her willpower not to burst into giggles.
"Well...it's true." Shrugging her shoulders, Luna sighed before taking a deep swig of her Butterbeer. "So...tell me, what did you want to get Draco for Christmas?"
Was Luna purposely avoiding the subject? Did she really have no important answers for her? Was she unable to help her? Sighing softly in defeat, she rubbed her eyes a few times before deciding to go along with Luna; usually the girl had something up her sleeve, didn't she?
"I...I wasn't really sure. I wanted to get him something sentimental..."
"You have no clue? But it's so close! You only have six days left."
"Five, today's almost over," Hermione pointed out before heaving another sigh. "I was...well...it was a little bit too sentimental, maybe a bit silly...but...I had an idea the other day." Luna nodded for Hermione to continue. "Well...in order for Dennis to give us back the picture he had of us kissing under the mistletoe, he wanted to take pictures of us decorating the Common Room."
Luna grinned suddenly. "Dennis took a picture of you two kissing? It must be one wonderfully erotic picture."
Hermione wasn't sure if she should be angry or happy to hear those words. She figured that confusion might be the best way to go and decided not to breach that topic. "I thought that...it might be a nice idea to frame those pictures and give them to Draco as a Christmas present, you know...as a memento that he is allowed to have a good Christmas."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Well...isn't it a way to show him how much you really love him, too? You want him to remember this for the rest of his life, remember how much you two loved and cared about each other. He may go off and marry some other woman one day, you might fall in love with another guy, but you'll always have this beautiful memory. And don't lie to me, I know that you're falling for him; it's too obvious. You wouldn't be asking for my help if you weren't in love with him."
'I love and hate how perceptive you are, Luna,' Hermione thought as a blush crept over her cheeks.
"I...I suppose..." Hermione admitted quietly as the blush darkened. "I mean...well...I really do care about him and I came into this situation with some of the worst thoughts in mind. I should have just been honest...I should have just stayed behind I 100% wanted to, not because a good quarter of my brain was feeling pity for him and wanted to help him. But...but I suppose it was for the greater good, right? Because...because I am falling in love with him and...and I don't want to lose him."
She swore she saw Luna giving her a knowing smile, a proud smile, and she could swear that her eyes glowed with mirth. Had Luna known this all along? Had she figured it all out from the get-go and was just waiting for Hermione and Draco to find out for themselves?
"Precisely," Luna said, voice softer now. "So, you want to give him pictures of the two of you decorating. Why not a whole series of pictures? Not just the ones Dennis has taken already."
"What do you mean?" Hermione was genuinely perplexed. How was she supposed to take more pictures when they were intended to help heal their relationship?
Looking around, Luna sighed and chugged the rest of her Butterbeer, signalling for Hermione to do the same. Once done, she stood up and tugged on her jacket.
"Wait...are you leaving already?"
Sending her a knowing smile, Luna shook her head. "No, I just don't want to say what I have say with so many people around. Don't want them getting word, you know." She stood and waited while Hermione remained seated before huffing and putting her hands on her hips, perhaps in imitation of a certain Ginny Weasley when irritated. "Hermione, you should really put your jacket on and follow me if you want my help. It's cold out and you can't possibly hear what I have to say when I'm outside and you're in here."
A faint blush covered her cheeks and the brunette scrambled to yank on her coat and scarf, bundling up as fast as possible. "Sorry," she mumbled once she was ready to leave.
She wasn't sure if Luna heard her or not, the blonde simply began making her way through the crowd and to the door. Once outside, she led her away from Hogsmeade, heading for a small clearing nearby. Close enough to see the picturesque village, but far enough that nobody from in-town would be able to hear. Hermione also noted that the clearing held little hiding spots; they would see or hear anyone before they were able to get within earshot.
'Luna, you are bloody brilliant, sometimes,' Hermione thought with a grin.
Waving her wand, setting up a heating charm on a particularly large rock, Luna sat down and patted the space beside her. "Sit and then we'll talk."
Tugging the scarf just a little higher, she sat down on the surprisingly and pleasantly warm surface. "Alright, what is it that you couldn't say back at the Three Broomsticks?"
Smiling, Luna leaned closer and whispered, "I know how you can get pictures of everything you and Draco have done so far."
"E...everything?" Hermione swore her voice almost squeaked as vivid crimson flooded her cheeks.
"Everything," Luna said slowly, drawing out the word for emphasis. "Of course, I don't have them yet."
"Yet?" Hermione swore her face was flaming as red as a tomato. What was Luna talking about? Had a stalker been following Hermione and Draco this whole time? Had someone been secretly taking pictures of them? How had they gotten into the Head's Common Room? Who was it? Where were they? What the hell was going on?
"Well, no, not yet, but this is where this comes into play." At the word 'this,' Luna slowly pulled out a small, golden hourglass that was strung on a long, thin, gold chain and Hermione's eyes widened in recognition.
"Where the hell did you get a Time-Turner?"
Luna's grin broadened. "I've always told you that my father likes to collect and construct various things. This, he just happened to find one day."
Find her arse, Hermione couldn't help but think that Luna's father had stolen the object off of some unknowing visitor or passerby. But, keeping her tongue in check, she simply nodded as though this made perfectly good sense. But who would leave a Time-Turner just lying around, for anyone to find?
This did not make a lot of sense, but she just had to go along with it.
"So...he just found a Time-Turner and...what do you want me to do with it?"
Sighing, she swore she saw Luna roll her eyes in minor exasperation. "Honestly, Hermione, I thought you were the brightest witch of our time. You are going to use it to go back in time."
"You have got to be kidding me!" Hermione cried, astonished that Luna would even suggest such a thing. "What's going back in time going to help with anything?"
"You're going to get those pictures we don't have yet."
Holding up her hand, hoping that it would stop Luna's lunacy, she shut her eyes in an attempt to cool her nerves and temper and try to think clearly enough. Swallowing thickly, she took in several deep breaths and willed her mind to calm down. "So...essentially...you want me to go back in time and stalk Draco and myself?" Luna nodded. "I...I see where you're going with this, I really do. It's a good idea...I think Draco will be very happy with this as a gift, but...I don't have a camera. How is that going to work?"
"Think, Hermione...who would be perfect to go with you?"
Closing her eyes, she leaned back and put her mind to work as Luna sat and hummed a lovely little song.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You have got to be shitting me."
"No, I swear that I am not. We know everything."
Charlie sat on the end of Ron's bed, having been the one to draw the short straw this afternoon. He was rather pleased at this moment; Ron was reacting just as he hoped. This was the first non-angry, non-despairing reaction from Ron that they had gotten all winter break.
"So...Harry managed to sneak back and talk to her? What did he find out? She better not be snogging that damn ferret; I'll kill him," he added with a snarl.
Looking over his younger brother, Charlie couldn't help but think that Ron would hardly make a dent in the blond man. Having been refusing food for most of the break, Ron's weight had dropped. Lack of sleep gave him dark circles under his eyes, and he swore that Ron was even paler than before. He did not look up to a fight at this moment.
Rubbing his hands on his thighs, Charlie continued to tell Ron everything Harry had told them. He used different wording, afraid that if he used the same, the Vow just might come back to bit Harry in the arse. He carefully explained that Hermione was doing this more or less out of pity than anything and that she felt no feelings for Draco.
Ron's expression gradually grew more and more relieved as Charlie spoke. He saw the lines fade away, the exhaustion falling away to reveal the face that had been hiding behind the anger. The face that Charlie knew so well.
When he was done, Ron was sitting forward, leaning as close as possible to Charlie, excitement etched into his face. "So...she doesn't love Malfoy? Not one bit?"
"Not at all," Charlie confirmed with a nod.
"Well...that's great! I still have a chance with her!" This was the happiest tone the younger man had used all vacation and it made Charlie's heart sore. However, at the same time, a part of it plummeted to his stomach.
Slowly getting to his feet, Charlie turned to his brother. "Are you going to come out of hiding now and act less like an arse?"
"Of course!" Ron literally leapt to his feet, moving to his dresser to find some more appropriate clothes. "If she doesn't love him, it means that she probably loves me. She's such a kind girl, doing this just to make someone happy. I should have known...should have realized. Once we get back, I'll apologise for everything! I acted like a real prat, eh?"
Charlie nodded, praying that Ron's own words wouldn't send him back into another episode. "Unfortunately."
"But I thought that she was shagging Malfoy at the time, so it's a good excuse. Now that I know she isn't, I just have to say I'm sorry and she'll forgive me. She's so nice like that."
Charlie wanted to shake his head and say no, he wanted to tell Ron that he was wrong in thinking that way, but he couldn't bring himself to cause even more harm this Christmas. This was supposed to be a time of joy, of family, of love and acceptance, and Ron was destroying all of those things. However, putting Ron in his place could cause so much trouble that Charlie would never hear the end of it.
Slowly getting up from his seat on the edge of Ron's bed, Charlie shrugged his shoulders and stretched his back. "Well...I suppose you could try, but what happens, happens."
Halfway through removing his shirt, Ron paused and stared dumbly at Charlie. "What do you mean?'
Sighing, mentally hitting himself for having spoken in such a way, Charlie turned to look at his younger sibling. "Well...just because you apologise doesn't mean that Hermione's going to forgive you right away. From what I heard, you called her a whore."
Fumbling in order to quickly put on his shirt, he shoved his head out of the whole and stammered in response. "But...but she knows...I wasn't in my right mind; I was angry. She'll understand...I know she will. She'll listen to me and understand..."
Running a freckled hand over his face, Charlie exhaled for the thousandth time within the past hour. "Honestly, Ron...I don't know." He reached the door, grasping the doorknob, wanting to get the hell out before Ron started going ballistic. "All I know is...well, I hate to repeat someone else but...would it be all that bad if Hermione had fallen in love with Malfoy? Are you going to have to decide who she falls in love with her whole life? You're not her father, Ronald, and neither is Harry...you guys have to learn to let her live her life the way that she wants to."
Turning his back to his younger brother, he stepped through the door and quietly shut it, permanently placing a barrier between the siblings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They walked briskly down the hallway, headed for the one place where no one would be able to catch them. Behind the two, a younger figure followed, scrambling along, mumbling about rules and being caught.
"Are you sure? I...I don't know...I've never done this before. Is it even legal?"
Letting out a loud breath, Hermione spun around to face the mousy-haired Dennis Creevey. "Dennis, it is legal, so long as we're not tampering with the past, so you don't have to be afraid. There is nothing wrong with what we're doing, so calm down." A small, calming smile made its way onto her face. "Alright?"
Twisting his hands, he looked down at his feet and when he looked back up, Hermione and Luna had continued on their journey to the Room of Requirement. "Ah...wait! Wait!" he cried, scrambling to catch up to them. "I...I don't know what to do. How do you do this? What does it feel like? Does it hurt?"
Luna added an extra skip to her step as she half-turned to the boy. "Don't worry; Hermione and I will explain everything once we get there."
Nodding, he continued to follow, biting back the stammered words and questions. He knew why he was doing this; he owed Hermione his life and had vowed to repay her deed in whichever way she chose. He knew that it involved his camera because it hung comfortably around his neck, a soothing presence amidst the confusion and anxiety that swamped his mind.
He also knew that this involved going back in time...
How the hell they were going to accomplish that, he had no idea. Hell, he wasn't even sure why they were going back in time. Was he supposed to take pictures of something? Were they planning on stalking someone?
Pausing, he watched as Hermione paced in front of a seemingly solid wall three times before a door materialized out of it. Opening it, she walked in and her companions quickly followed suit. He heard the door disappear on the wall outside.
Spinning around in the room that resembled a study, Hermione grinned at her companions. "Okay...Dennis, let me explain everything to you."
Nodding, he sat down on a nearby couch, ready to listen to every little thing she said.
"We're going back in time, with this," she held up the Time-Turner, "to take pictures."
Luna fought back a giggle, which Dennis found to be particularly odd considering he situation. However, this was Luna...she had a tendency to be naturally queer.
"Pictures of..."
"Let me continue," Hermione cut him off with a stern look. "Recently...I got into a really big row with Draco." Any smile on her face faded away and pain caused her eyes to swim with unshed tears. She then proceeded to tell Dennis the edited version of what happened between her and Draco. Once done, she was swiping away stray tears and choking back on her words.
Pain tore through Dennis's heart at the sight and he wanted to desperately reach out and hold her just as she had held him every time he cried. He wanted to be the one to help this time...to be the one to make it go away. Everyone had done so much for him, held him, helped him, gave him so much of their love and they never asked for any of it back.
He no longer cared what he had to do; he wanted to make her happy.
"So...So Luna and I came up with this idea...for how we can fix it," she said softly, rubbing at her face.
Luna moved to stand beside Hermione, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Squeezing it gently, she turned to Dennis. "We're going to show Draco just how much she really does love him. Hermione and you are going to go back in time, use Harry's Invisibility Cloak, and take pictures of him and Hermione together. We'll use the pictures to show that what Draco heard was wrong. He'll have pictures of every moment they were together, from the beginning." She smiled softly. "It's going to be his Christmas present."
"Oh, really?" Dennis said with a smile. "That's amazing! What a great idea! Hermione, I think he'll love it. Let's do it! But...hold on." Something didn't add up...there was something nagging him, at the back of his head. "I...are we going to have to relive the past two-to-three weeks?"
"I don't..."
"No," Hermione said. "Time-Turners can be used to forward in the past as well. We'll go back to the first day, take what we need to take, and then move ahead to the next. If it comes down to it, we can just spend the night in the Room of Requirement."
"But...how will we know what times we have to go to?"
"Half guess, half knowledge," Hermione replied. "I have a good idea of what times we did certain things, like the day we went shopping. Some days, we might just have to hide out for a while in the Heads' Room, just in case."
A bright blush suddenly covered Dennis's cheeks as he formulated the next question. "I won't...we won't see...you know...anything I shouldn't be seeing?"
Hermione's cheeks matched his in colour and she cleared her throat louder than necessary. "No...not at all...if there was anything like that, I will remember and make sure that you don't...see anything."
"Does this mean that you and Draco have...?" he stopped abruptly, unable to speak the words in his mind.
The blush darkened on her cheeks and he wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment due to it being true, or insult. "No...we have not," she answered rather louder than necessary.
Nodding slowly, he rubbed his face fervently, as though it might remove the blush from his cheeks. "Okay...alright..."
Shaking her head, trying to get certain images out of her mind, Hermione turned to Luna. "Okay...I think we're ready." Pulling out her wand, she tapped the Time-Turner three times. "It set it to take us back by weeks, not hours. One tap sets it to hours, two taps for days, and three for weeks," she added, answering the question in Dennis's eyes.
"You've...you've done this before?"
Scratching her head, she nodded. "Third Year," she answered. "It was the only way for me to deal with all of my classes, especially since some were at the same time as each other."
He shook his head in understanding, getting to his feet to stand beside her when she motioned for him to do so. "So...does it hurt?"
"No," she replied with a smile, taking the chain and draping it around both of their necks. "It just feels a little funny, but it doesn't hurt."
"Will we reappear in the same spot?"
"No; it sends you to a safe area, like an empty closet or something, to avoid people from getting caught." She shrugged. "I'm not sure how it knows it, but it just seems to know not to let us appear in the worst possible situation." She recalled that when she had done it with Harry, they had appeared in a broom closet. Secure and out of the way.
"Are you two ready?" Luna asked.
"Yes."
"Okay, remember; be back at the Room of Requirement, on December 19th, at 4:45 pm. No sooner than that, but try not to be more than ten minutes late."
"Why? Why can't we be more than ten minutes late? Is that a bad thing?" Dennis asked rather loudly. "If we're more than ten minutes late, do we die? Do we get trapped in the past?"
Fighting back the urge to roll her eyes, Hermione patted the top of his head. "No, it just means that Luna doesn't want to be waiting around all day for us. Besides, if we're missing for a whole day, I'm pretty sure that the school will raise the alarm. Ten minutes if a good leeway time."
"Oh...okay," he said, voice quieting. "Sorry...I don't know a lot of stuff..."
"It's okay, you're still young and learning." Hermione resisted the urge to pinch his cheek. "Now, let's go...I have to fix this and you owe me a big favour."
Just as he nodded his head, Hermione turned the hourglass two times counter-clockwise. Luna stepped back and waved. Her face was a mixture of contradictions, a smile combined with worry and fear in her eyes. Just as Dennis realized this, the room began to swirl around in a myriad of colours.
He felt as though he were traveling at high speed, everything moving around him like a movie on rewind. Except this rewind was in turbo mode, colours swirling about, people, figures, moving at an unbelievably fast pace, and his body remained still for the whole process.
Finally, he felt a strange jerk and everything around him solidified and slowed down. The Room of Requirement materialized around them, the exact same setting as before, only Luna was no longer present.
Slowly, Hermione unwrapped the chain from around their necks and stuffed it into the pocket of her jacket. Dennis continued to stare around in awe, almost as though he couldn't believe what he saw.
"But...this is the same place as before!" he gasped. "Are you sure we really traveled through time? Maybe Luna just left the room."
Glancing at her digital watch, Hermione shook her head. "No, we are currently Friday, December 5th, 2008." Sighing softly, she suddenly recognized a problem. "We're a few days ahead of schedule..."
"How many days?" Dennis managed to choke out, fear slowly taking hold.
"Only one, actually," she replied, tapping her wand against the Time-Turner. "There, it's set for days. We just have to go ahead by one day; Draco and I made snow angels on Saturday. Nothing picture worthy happened tonight." She draped the chain back around their necks. "I've switched it back to hours; we just have to go ahead by twenty-one."
She turned the hourglass clockwise twenty-one times and they were thrust forward in time, watching the blurs move ahead as opposed to backwards. Dennis was gradually feeling dizzier, the swirl of colours dancing in his vision, making him unable to focus on one solid object.
This time, he jerked slightly when they stopped and placed a hand to his face in an attempt to stop the dizziness. Rubbing his eyes, he shook his head several times and was barely aware of Hermione removing the chain and putting back the Time-Turner.
"There we go. We have about half an hour to get the cloak and head outside," she said. "Harry and Ron should be out in the castle, so we'll have to avoid them."
Nodding, Dennis shook away the swirls of colour in his vision and focused on the solid objects in front of him. "O...okay"
She headed for the door and paused when she realized that he was not following her. Turning around, she glanced at him. "Is something wrong?"
"I was just...well, wondering how we're supposed to get into the Gryffindor Common Room." He shifted on the spot, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.
She grinned broadly. "This is where you come in." Turning back to the door, she beckoned for him to follow. "Come on, we don't have all day."
He scrambled to the door of the Room of Requirement, hoping that this journey would be able to fix everything.