AN: In response to the guest asking the whereabouts of Blaise: he isn't a part of this story, though he might become a background character later on. As it is, I'm allowing the story to write itself out, and Blaise isn't in it just yet. Sorry, hun!

In response to abcd1255: there's no need to come across hateful, sweetie. Everyone has their own approach to writing out these stories, and if you don't like my approach, by all means, go and enjoy olivieblake, I promise you that hers are wonderful. However I will say this, if you do review every single chapter with plot criticism, you might come across looking a little silly yourself, because I see you reviewed on chapters 2 and 3, complaining that there was no way Hermione should trust Draco, or Draco could be playing at not knowing who or what he was... but as you can see in, I believe chapter 6, Hermione wasn't fooled and Draco, in his typical not-so-sneaky fashion was trying to be sneaky. I'd wait till I read all that's been published before jumping the gun, personally. By all means though, I do appreciate advice and tips on how to enhance my writing, so I am all ears. :)

You guys are going to really enjoy the next few chapters. XD 3

"I was preparing to face one of my best friends, the man I had studied alongside for a brighter future where muggleborns would not be discriminated against, where witches and wizards alike would not have to hide in fear of the muggles discovering us, because they would have accepted us. I only felt regret. I asked him, several times, to back down; he had misunderstood my intentions, that this was not the way. He refused. He told me I had gone soft, after my sister, Arianna, died. He told me I would always be held back by my family, and that I was supposed to have chosen him instead.

In the moment that he said that, we had been fighting for a very long time at that point... I wavered. He threw a slashing curse, and I was a second, a millisecond even, late on shielding. I saw the blood pouring before I felt anything, and I hit the ground. The clouds had gone dark, perhaps all of the magic rolling around in the atmosphere or something, and I fell to the ground and stared up at the sky. Gellert came to my side and had tossed his own wand where he'd stood when he hit me. He gathered me into his arms and I told him... I told him not to cry and mourn me, but to carry on our work, the right way. Then, we both heard a very soothing melody, a birdsong...

And a bird made of flames came to rest on the ground next to me: Fawkes, my phoenix. I couldn't quite understand what he meant to say to me, or what I had done to deserve him, or even if he was mine. I thought he might save me, as I passed on, and I saw that he indeed looked teary eyed and was laying his head down on me. But I closed my eyes for a mere second, and I woke up, reborn Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa, Prince of Slytherin house in all my years."

Draco said these last facts almost bitterly, or regretfully. Hermione and Harry had looks of being lost in thought, and Ron looked awestruck. His mouth kept gaping open and making an 'o' shape, like a fish, until he realized and snapped it shut, only for him to go slackjaw again shortly after.

"So your memories of being Dumbledore end there, and you know nothing after that?" Hermione questioned tonelessly. Draco stopped and seemed to think very hard for a moment, and then nodded, though uncertainly.

"What?? What is it?! If you can remember anything at all, you've got to tell us!" Harry latched on excitedly, almost physically shaking Draco.

"Just a passing fancy for lemon drops, that's all!!" Draco shouted, halfheartedly glaring at Harry and rubbing his shoulders. Hermione had pulled Harry off of him, but didn't need to use any extra protection as Harry slumped to the ground.

"Well... well don't worry about it. Maybe something will come back to you, yeah? In the meantime, way I figure it, we're no worse off than we were before, 'cept maybe one extra mouth to feed." Everyone stared blankly as Ron of all people was the one to speak words of encouragement and consolation. "What?! I can be nice when I want to, blimey." Hermione snorted, and Draco smiled uncertainly.

"Okay. So, Ron is right, we might not be any better off, but we also might not be any worse off. Harry, what was your idea that you had before?" Hermione squatted down next to him and asked, giving him am encouraging nod. Harry sat silent for a moment before taking a breath.

"Well, in a memory Dumbledore showed me in his pensieve, we traveled to a small town called Little Hangleton, I believe was the name. I can remember the features in my head. And we followed the memories of a man from the Ministry who was investigating Tom Riddle's mum's father, and her brother also. They were muggle baiting." Hermione and Ron grimaced, and Draco bowed his head and nodded, looking at the floor.

"Well Harry, we need to make sure you know what you're doing before you apparate anyone anywhere." Hermione spoke up, her forehead creasing in concern. "I certainly don't want anyone being lynched." Everyone shuddered at the thought, even Harry, who now knew, following a vivid description the Weasley twins had cheerfully given him last school year.

"I've known how to apparate for awhile now. With the reincarnation thing, I suppose it made it easier." Malfoy's mouth twitched, more in a Dumbledore way than a Malfoy way, and Hermione gaped at him.

"Draco... your. Your eyes." The other two looked over, surprised, and gasped. She summoned a hand mirror from her beaded purse and held it out to him to point out, his usually storm grey eyes being changed, slowly, to a steely blue. Draco didn't gasp, but looked coolly at them and nodded, thinking hard. He handed the mirror back to her and shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm sure it's nothing. A side effect of the rebirthing at most." Hermione nodded slowly, but kept her eyes on him as he followed Harry outside. Harry was eager to show off what he'd accomplished with Hermione.

"So. Er. Lucky that, eh? We need ourselves a Dumbledore and one just happened to be growing up right under our noses." Ron came to lean against the other frame of the magically sturdy tent opposite from Hermione. She crossed her arms and remained silent, partially still angry with him, and partially puzzled by Draco. "I get it, you're still mad. Look 'Mione, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have walked off and left you. I just... I just... I have excuses, and no good reasons. I was scared. I was angry and jealous. I thought you deserved better than what I gave you. I want to give you better..." He finished softly, looking at the ground. Hermione looked over in surprise as he spoke, expecting to hear excuses. Her expression softened to tenderness, and she reached out a hand and rested it on his arm.

"Thank you, Ronald. I believe you." They smiled at each other. While Harry was popping to different areas that Draco pointed out, Draco glanced over and saw Hermione and Ron, sharing a tender moment. His heart sank, before he shook himself out of it. She was still the same girl she was at school, untouchable, unattainable, not hers. 'But she isn't,' a tiny voice in the back of his mind insisted, and he glanced over again. She had taken her hand off Ron and had her arms crossed again, and was gazing as if lost in thought - right at him. He flushed and turned back to Harry, who reappeared where he had directed him to, completely intact with nothing - noticeably - missing.

"I think I'm ready!! Let's do this!" Harry whooped and cheered, the others playfully following suit. Hermione began a short varied rendition of a song from a muggle movie, apparently called The Wizard of Ahhs (although where or who 'Ahhs' was, Ron and Draco had no clue and didn't ask), and Harry soon joined in.

"Ding dong, the wiz is dead. Which old wiz? The wicked wiz! Ding dong, the wicked wiz is dead!!" They all laughed and joked for a little while longer, each in their own minds enjoying the short repreive they allowed themselves before re-shouldering their burden and continuing on their path to kill a near immortal dark wizard.

PS: I don't own Harry potter, nor The Wizard of Oz, nor any money making works of fiction, just this story im making for y'all. :)