I had dreams. I had terrible dreams.
No, scrap that - I had fucking nightmares.
I dreamt that Ron had never married Hermione. I dreamt that he had instead married Padma Patil. Rose and Hugo ceased to exist. I dreamt that Hermione had become a moody, bitter bitch of a professor teaching Defence Against The Dark Arts.
"Etta! Etta!"
I was semi consciously aware of my body writhing and sweating; Draco trying desperately to rouse me - but still I slept, my dreams turning darker and darker.
I dreamt that I had died and not come back from the Battle of Hogwarts. I was looking down at a world that was ruled by Voldemort.
Albus ceased to exist, Scorpius was some sort of king. Snape was still alive and Umbridge was Hogwarts headmistress.
And worse than all of that, Draco had my fucking job.
He was evil - abusing his position as Head of Magical Law Enforcement to order cruel attacks on Muggles, and then bribing the Prime Minister to turn a blind eye.
It was wrong, everything was terribly wrong.
"POTTER, WAKE THE FUCK UP!"
I blinked, my eyes trying to adjust to the strange room around me. But it wasn't strange. It was Dumbledore's office.
Shit, no. Dumbledore was dead. He had been dead for years now.
"Etta, please!"
Fretful grey eyes stared into mine and I balked back in horror, my heart racing as I tried to separate my dreams from reality, but it was proving difficult because everything had seemed so real.
"Etta? What is it? Another nightmare?" He reached out and touched my arm, but I found myself flinching away. Hurt and confusion flashed in his eyes.
"Sorry," I said breathlessly, sinking my head into my hands.
How could I begin to explain that everything had felt so... solid - not like a dream... as though it had happened in some other timeline, if not this one.
I started sobbing uncontrollably. My god, my emotions were shot to fuck these days.
Arms went around me and this time I did not flinch away, instead allowing him to hold me tightly against him as he kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair. "It's okay, I'm here. I'm always here for you, Etta."
"Draco," I choked, "you were so fucking wicked, you... you blew up a Muggle orphanage!"
I felt him freeze as he took in my words. He pulled his head back, looking at me quizzically. "Darling, it was just a dream. You're upset about the boys, and so it's natural that-"
"No!" I cried, "you don't understand! My dream - it felt so... real. I had died and you became evil. I was Seeing another world, another timeline, I know it."
"It was just a dream!" Draco implored, horrified, "how could you even question that?!"
I stared up at him, about to remind him of my past so called 'dreams' that everyone chose to shrug off, when the door to the office flew open, making Draco and I both look up, startled.
Professor McGonagall stepped breathlessly into the room.
"Come!" She panted, "Come quick - we've found them! We've found Albus and Scorpius!"
***
Draco, Minerva and I flew down to the lake, where - to my utter relief - Albus and Scorpius were hauling themselves out of the water and up onto the bank.
What the absolute fuck were they doing in the lake?
"ALBUS!" I screamed, willing my feet to run faster.
I was breathless by the time we reached them, throwing my arms around my soaking wet son, who - amazingly - didn't flinch. I let go of him, standing back to look at him.
"What the hell have you been doing?!" I yelled, smacking the top of his head, "how dare you scare us like that!"
"You're all here!" Scorpius cried, sounding overjoyed, as he eventually pulled himself up onto the bank next to Albus. "Henrietta Potter! Professor McGonagall. And Dad! My dad. Hi. Dad!"
"Scorpius." Draco said coolly, but I could see the flood of relief in his eyes as he pulled him in for a brisk hug.
And then, to my utter astonishment, Scorpius flew towards me, throwing his arms around me with such force, I was almost winded. "Etta! Henrietta Potter! You are alive! You don't know how happy I am to see you!"
I looked up at Draco in alarm as his son continued to squeeze the life out of me. But he appeared just as puzzled as myself, his face mirroring my own befuddlement.
"Scorp?" I asked gently, patting him somewhat awkwardly on the back, "what's been going on?"
"Yes!" Minerva barked fiercely behind us, making us all whip around to face her, "that's exactly what I'd like to know!"
***
We were all sat in Minerva's office, staring at Albus and Scorpius incredulously as they explained what they had been up to over the past couple of days.
"So to be clear," Minerva fumed, looking sterner than I'd ever seen her, "you illegally jumped off the Hogwarts Express, you invaded and stole from the Ministry of Magic, you took it upon yourself to change time, whereupon you disappeared two people-"
"I agree it doesn't sound good." Albus jumped in.
"And your response to disappearing Hugo and Rose Granger-Weasley was to go back in time again - and this time - instead of losing two people you lost a huge number of people and killed your mother - and in doing so you resurrected the worst wizard the world has ever known and heralded in a new age of Dark Magic." Minerva lowered her voice as she continued dryly, "You're correct, Mr Potter, it doesn't sound good does it? Are you aware how stupid you've been?"
"Yes, Professor," Albus and Scorpius simultaneously mumbled, their heads hung in contrition.
"So... it was all true?" I spluttered, looking at the boys in horror, "my dreams - they weren't dreams after all? I was witnessing this other world you had created?"
"Not created, just caused," Scorpius shrugged. "But it's all undone now."
"So your dad really blew up a Muggle Orphanage?!" I cried, my eyes flying aghast to Draco.
"Well, no," Scorpius chuckled nervously, "not in this world, anyway..."
"Don't look at me like that!" Draco cried, shifting uncomfortably under my glare. "I didn't do anything!"
"Oh, apart from kill hundreds of innocent children!" I scoffed.
"And he bribed the Prime Minister," Scorpius added.
"Scorp!" Draco bellowed incredulously. "Throw me under a bus why don't you?!"
"Bit late for that." Albus mumbled.
"Everyone calm down!" Minerva interrupted fiercely, banging her hand down on her desk, "This is getting us nowhere! What we need to do now is destroy the Time-Turner and think of a reasonable punishment for the boys."
"Just send them to a Muggle orphanage," I muttered dryly under my breath, "Draco will soon see to that."
"Will you stop that!" Draco spluttered, looking at me in disbelief.
"Ahem!" Minerva once again interrupted, "as I was saying, a punishment is required. I really ought to expel them for such serious behaviour, but I fear that won't be helpful to anyone. So let's just say detention for the rest of the school year."
"But school's literally just started!" Albus yelled indignantly.
"Well then, it'll be a long one for you boys, won't it?" Minerva clucked. "Perhaps this punishment will really make you think of how your actions nearly destroyed the world!"
"Seems fair," Draco shrugged.
"But, I-"
"Miss Potter," Minerva interrupted me, "I know you are their parents but this is my school and these are my students and I will choose what punishment they face. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Professor," I mumbled sulkily.
Draco smirked, his eyes twinkling gleefully at watching me getting told off.
"Now, down to business," Minerva continued, holding out her hand towards Albus and Scorpius. "The Time-Turner if you please,"
"Uh..." Scorpius started, a pink tinge rising to his cheeks.
"What?" I asked, my heart thudding, "what is it?"
"The Time-Turner boys!" Minerva barked, an urgency in her tone, "hand it over, now!"
"Well... the thing is..." Scorpius said awkwardly, "I've kind of... lost it."
"What?!" Draco bellowed, looking down horrified at his son. "You've lost the Time-Turner?!"
Minerva closed her eyes, sighing with huge impatience. When she opened them, her eyes surveyed us all, shaking her head at every one of us in disappointment.
"Go on. Get out. The lot of you. And find me that Time-Turner!"
There was a unanimous chorus of "Yes, Professor," as the four of us scurried to the door, pushing past one another in an eager bid to get out of her sight.
*****