Hello my hopefully still loyal fans!!!! lol here's a new chapter, I hope you enjoy it :) i had a bit of a writer's block... but enough of the excuses, let the story contiunue!!!

Hermione went into a deep sleep and had a very interesting dream… she was back in the future with Harry, Ginny and Ron. It was before the war and the four of them were in Honey Dukes, scanning the shelves when Hermione tripped on a rather large lolly pop that someone had carelessly left lying on the floor. On the ground Hermione made to stand up when a hand offered to help her. She looked up and saw Lucius standing there, 20 years younger, but as she took the hand and stood up, Lucius's face became narrower and his hair shortened, before she knew it she was staring into the face of Draco Malfoy.

"Hey Granger" she could hear him whisper. Her throat went dry. He smiled seductively at her and Hermione was surprised to find herself grinning back up at him. Slowly he leaned in; the rest of the dream seemed to freeze as his brilliant grey eyes grew closer. Hermione's heart pounded furiously in her chest as her eyelids drooped at the feeling of Draco's breath on her face. He kept getting closer and closer until –

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Hermione jolted back to reality; her eyes popping open, she sat up with cold sweat dripping from her forehead. Panting, she quickly looked over at Lucius who stirred beside her.

"Whad fegurfnle haffoofed…" he trailed off as sleep took him back into its depths. Hermione slowed her breathing and rubbed her hands across her face, wiping the sweat off. It was just a dream…a disturbing one, granted, but a dream non-the-less. Nothing to worry about...Hermione took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. Shuddering at the thought of her dream ever becoming a reality she looked over at the window, it was still dark out but a layer of pink sky could be seen along the horizon. Sighing she made to go back to sleep when she heard a knocking on the bedroom door.

Hermione jumped so bad she almost soiled herself. Who would be here at this hour? How did they get into Lucius's office? What did they want? These questions raked her mind as the knocking continued, becoming more urgent the longer Hermione did nothing. She looked over at Lucius and nudged him.

"Malfoy!" She whispered. No reaction. She nudged him harder. "Malfoy!!!" She hissed into his ear. He turned away from her, grunting and pulling the covers firmly above his head. Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed her wand from the nightstand beside her.

Carefully, she edged out of bed, keeping her arm that was attached to Lucius on the mattress.

"Alohamora" she whispered. The door unlocked and the knocking stopped. Hermione saw the door handle turn painfully slow, wand at the ready she held her breath as the door swung open.

"GINNY!!" she shrieked dropping her wand, forgetting entirely about the fact that she was attached to the potions professor and leaping on her friend. Lucius was pulled to the edge of the bed but didn't wake up, it turns out that in addition to low alcohol tolerance, Malfoys are also very deep sleepers.

"Oh Hermione!!!" the red head squealed hugging Hermione tightly. Hermione tried to hug back as best as she could with one arm. Eventually they pulled apart gazing at each other in disbelief.

"But how…why…how did you-" Hermione began, lost for words, thinking that support from her friend could not have come at a better time.

"I talked to McGonagall, Hermione, everyone's so worried! Nobody knows where you went! But you're here…you're safe…everything's going to be ok…oh Hermy!" Ginny gasped, burying her face into Hermione's hair, concealing her tears. Hermione face contorted in confusion.

"Ginny, what's wrong?..." she asked slowly. They pulled apart and Hermione could now see how red Ginny's eyes had become.

"Oh Hermione, things are so different now, you have no idea, I was so worried that something had happened to you… but you're ok…" she seemed to confirm this by putting her hands around Hermione's face.

"Gin…you're not making any sense…what's happened?" Hermione asked, worry etched across her face. Ginny looked down, her hands dropping by her sides and she gulped a lump down in her throat.

"Hogwarts, Hermione, has…" she cleared her throat roughly "it's closed. Hogwarts is closed."

Hermione stared at her friend, having trouble taking in this shocking news. She stood motionless, not able to do anything.

"And…Harry?" she croaked at last. Ginny sniffed.

"He's…gone…disappeared. Nobody knows where he went…I…don't know what happened to him…" she whimpered and put her head in her hands. "McGonagall gave me this really complicated potion a week after the school closed and I had told her where you were. It sent me back in time, she wants me to bring you back and for us to live at the Head Quarters with the rest of the Order…"

"But why's Hogwarts closed?!" Hermione demanded to know.

"McGonagall, she had to close the school because… 'cause…" Ginny looked back up at Hermione's concerned face, "because there was an…attack…Death Eaters came…looking for Harry…he escaped but nobody knows where he is…Oh Hermione, the Death Eaters were horrible!" Ginny breathed as if she was reliving a terrible memory "they took out the Great Hall, Malfoy's dad, he…he killed some teachers…professor Vector and…and Hagrid are dead…" Hermione gasped.

"WHAT?!" she yelled, "Hagrid??!?! He's what?! No!" she hissed "he can't be! He's not…" But Ginny burst into silent sobs, confirming Hermione's fears. She turned away, not knowing quite how to feel. Hagrid was alive, she saw him that very morning walking into the Forest with Fang, and yet… he was dead…

"So" Ginny hiccupped, set on finishing her story now that'd she'd started, "McGonagall closed the school, not much else she could do really…and she sent me here to find you…what have you been doing Hermione?" Ginny asked, looking up at her friend.

Hermione's cheeks burned with guilt and her stomach turned uneasily. What had she done? Nothing. She went to a stupid slumber party, kissed Harry's bloody dead godfather, and almost kissed Lucius…Hagrid's future murderer. She could feel her own eyes starting to water and she quickly looked down, blinking furiously.

"I…I've been trying to…save people…" she trailed off uselessly, ashamed, "how did you find me here?" she asked suddenly. At this Ginny smirked.

"I met the young head master walking by the Gryffindor tower, one of his 'evening strolls' he said. He also said I could probably find you here, he didn't even ask why I was looking for you or who I was, he seemed rather preoccupied…" she trailed off and glanced towards the bed, "hey… there's someone there…" Hermione whipped around and saw the lump that was Lucius's head near the end of the bed. Ginny looked back at Hermione and noticed or the first time the weird angle at which one of her arms was positioned. Her brow furrowed in curiosity and Hermione gulped.

"Uh…it's not what it looks like, Ginny, see it's all James's fault, I never meant for this to happen but…" she retold the story of how she had become attached to Lucius, leaving out certain key parts, like her confession in the Gryffindor tower that she fancied him, and the interesting experience on the broom ride…and before going to bed… when they'd been so close to kissing. When she was done Ginny had to stuff a fist her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

"It's not funny!" Hermione said crossly.

"Of course not!" Ginny said, trying to keep a straight face, "not at all…" a silence passed and Ginny looked thoughtful. "What's he like…you know, at this age?" Hermione knew what she meant.

"He's still an arrogant jerk, but not…evil…he's not a Death Eater yet, you see…" Hermione said, looking back at the ex-Slytherin who was still sleeping peacefully. Ginny nodded and walked over to the bed.

"He's not that bad-looking either" Ginny said, turning around and grinning at Hermione. The brunette rolled her eyes but found she could not conceal a grin herself. Lucius suddenly emitted a large snort and grunted, burying his face deeper into the blanket. Ginny snickered and sat down on the floor next to Hermione.

"So…what was your plan, when you went back in time?" Ginny asked her. Hermione thought for a moment before answering.

"Actually, to tell you the truth I didn't really have a plan, I figured that it'd all just…you know, work itself out…" Hermione looked determinedly at the ground and Ginny nodded.

"Well, McGonagall gave me these instructions for the potion…" she took out a piece of paper from her pocket that had the transfiguration professor's neat handwriting scrawled across it. "It says that the potion she gave me for both of us to get back to the present needs to sit for another 20 days before we can drink it. Any sooner and it wouldn't bring us all the way to the present time, and any later it would bring us past the present and into the future…" She looked over at Hermione "So it needs to sit a day for each year we go forward in. 20 years, 20 days. We have to drink this at midnight on November 1st to be brought back to the right time" Hermione nodded and sighed.

"I guess this whole 'fix the future' plan became more of a hassle than anything…what a daft idea that was…" Hermione said with disappointment, smiling sadly.

"Well…how long exactly do you think we need to fix the future?" Ginny asked, the corner of her lips twitching upwards. Her eyes were sparkling not unlike those of their late headmaster's. Hermione looked at her in disbelief.

"You really think it could be done?" Hermione whispered. Ginny grinned broadly.

"It's worth a bloody try, isn't it? I mean, things couldn't possibly get any worse" slowly Hermione grinned too and both their eyes filled with excitement.

"We need a plan" Hermione said getting excited, "A good solid plan that we can do in 20 days-" she was interrupted by a large groan coming from the bed. Lucius was, finally, starting realize he had a guest in his room.

"What the…Grant? Is that you? What are you doing down there…" he gazed groggily down at Hermione then looked over at Ginny who was staring at him like a dear caught in the headlights. Lucius blinked several times and narrowed his eyes at her. "Who are you? And what in the name of Merlin are you doing in my bedroom?" he asked, sitting up. Ginny blushed slightly at the sight of his bare chest but otherwise appeared unfazed by the sexy sight of the young potions professor.

"My name is Gi-" Hermione elbowed her friend sharply in the ribs and gave her a warning look before answering the question for her.

"Uh, Malfoy, meet my friend from my old school, Gertrude Winsley" Ginny snorted so bad she chocked.

"Gertrude?" she whispered to Hermione who pretended not to hear her. Lucius raised his eyebrows at the peculiar name but otherwise did not comment.

"She…uh…has the next 20 days off…see at my old school we have this holiday called…Quidditch Spree...and it's basically a 20-day Quidditch tournament during which school is postponed so teams can practice" Hermione improvised with impressive grace.

Wow Ginny thought, how did she become such a good liar?

"So she's visiting now, because she hates Quidditch and can't stand the holiday" at this Ginny gave Hermione a look but didn't say anything. Lucius looked from her to Ginny, his brain still foggy from sleep, before shrugging and flopping back into bed.

"Just tell her to stay away from my tooth brush" he grunted before falling back asleep. Ginny and Hermione looked at each other and simultaneously burst out laughing, struggling not to make too much noise lest Lucius wake up again.

Wiping tears from her eyes Ginny sighed and stood up, yawning grandly she transfigured her clothes into pyjamas and crawled into the bed, lying on the opposite side of Lucius. Hermione stood up and gawked at her.

"What do you think you're doing??" She demanded.

"Sleeping. I'm tired" she replied matter-of-factly.

"How do you think he's going to react when he wakes up with another person in his bed?" Hermione asked.

"You heard him, as long as I stay away from his tooth brush I'll be fine" she finished with a smirk before turning around and closing her eyes. Hermione groaned before she admitted defeat and pushed Lucius aside so that she could get into bed as well.

Morning came far too soon for Hermione, who couldn't get a wink of sleep after Ginny's surprise visit. Her mind kept going through all the different plans to save the future, none of them meeting her satisfaction. Sometimes her mind drifted off to Harry, where was he? Had Voldemort found him yet? But she quickly pushed this thought out of her mind, knowing that if he had been caught by the Dark Lord the whole world would know…but then again she wasn't exactly in the same world as Harry…

Hermione and Ginny were both woken up by Lucius's reaction when he found his face buried (unintentionally of course) in Ginny's red hair.

"Wha…who…BLOODY HELL!" he yelled when he finally realized what was covering his face. He jumped up, stumbled backwards from the jerk of the chain and promptly fell off the foot of the bed. Hermione was consequently yanked out of her sleep to the end of the bed where she glared menacingly at Lucius on the floor for waking her up. Ginny in turn sat up, laughing hysterically.

"Good morning!" she said gleefully as she slipped out of bed and bounced into the bathroom, closing the door with a resounding click. Lucius looked from Hermione to the bathroom and back at Hermione.

"Well Harriet, I must say that although waking up with several women in my bed is usually no surprise," he started, "I must admit I normally know who they are…or at least recall picking them up the night before" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"So you don't remember my friend Gertrude at all?" she asked, an idea suddenly popping into her mind.

"No…I can't say I do…" he replied, looking up at Hermione with confusion.

"Well, after what you two did together last night I am honestly surprised that you don't recall her at all. Her heart will be crushed. Not to mention that of Narcissa's as well if she ever finds out what you two did…" Hermione let her sentence trail off, taking extreme pleasure in the expression on Lucius's face.

"But…but I thought that…no, I didn't drink last night…" he paused and looked at Hermione, "right?" he added, slightly alarmed. Hermione shrugged and Lucius covered his face in his hands, groaning miserably. Suddenly a thought struck him, "Wait a minute…how do you know about Narcissa?" he asked accusingly. Hermione bit her lip.

"Uh…just a little slip of the tongue I suppose when you were…under the influence after our meeting with Dumbledore" she tried to say casually. Lucius thought back to that specific moment, one that they had not talked about since. Before either of them could say anything though Ginny flounced back into the room and grinned down at the potions professor, deciding that hating him now, before he had actually done anything, would not help their plan. Lucius looked her over.

"How old are you and what did I do with you last night?" he blurted out. Ginny raised her eyebrows and looked up at Hermione who was trying to contain her laughter. She looked back down at Lucius, deciding to play along.

"You don't remember me?" she said with a devastated expression, "but Lucy-Wucy, we had such a lovely time together!" she tried to look hurt and Hermione nearly split her sides containing her laughter. Lucius looked appalled at the nickname. He closed his eyes and desperately thought as hard as he could to remember what happened the previous night. Yes, now that he looked back he did recall meeting someone with red hair…but he remembered nothing more.

"How old are you?" he asked again.

"Sixteen" Ginny replied proudly.

"Sixteen?" Lucius said slowly and rather fearfully, "can we, for record's sake, say that I thought you were eighteen?" Ginny snorted.

"Yeah sure, why not. Let's go get something to eat!" she said cheerfully, "I want to meet everyone!" Hermione grinned too, excited to introduce her to the marauders. She sprinted to the bathroom and attempted to remove her pyjamas (Lucius leaning against the door as always to keep it from opening) but soon realized that it was physically impossible to remove a shirt with a chain connecting you to another person by the wrist. It took her a good full 20 minutes to come up with a splitting charm that tore the shirt down the sleeve so that she could remove it. Quickly muttering a reparo charm the sleeve sewed itself back together and she performed the same spells to her uniform to put it on.

"Are you done in there yet?" an exasperated voice called from the other side of the door.

"Yes!" Hermione called back, coming out of the bathroom in her uniform.

"What were you doing in there?" Lucius asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"I was devising a way to put on my uniform, which is surprisingly difficult with this chain" she said.

"Why didn't you just transfigure your pyjamas?" Hermione rolled her eyes at this juvenile statement.

"You can't just transfigure your clothes into a Hogwarts uniform, you have to buy it! There's no spell for it" Hermione said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. Lucius looked at Ginny who just shrugged.

They all walked down to the Great Hall, Ginny jumping up and down excitedly and Hermione and Lucius walking slightly behind her.

"Listen, Harriet, I need to talk to you…" Lucius whispered, careful not to let Ginny hear. Hermione raised an eyebrow but gave him a little nod.

"Yes?"

"What ever I did with Gertrude last night I…I'm sorry you had to be there. I didn't mean for it to happen…I…I don't even remember it, I hope you're not…" Lucius trailed off, suddenly clearing his throat and looking away. Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or to console him.

"You hope I'm not what?" she prompted him to continue. He glanced back at her, at Ginny, up and down the hall to make sure there were no other people within earshot, and then looked back down at Hermione.

"I…well, just…I hope you're not…offended" he whispered barely moving his lips. Hermione snorted and regretted it soon after when Lucius took immediate offence.

She didn't know what to say. She what shocked. Why on Earth would he say that to her?

Offended? What?? The voice inside her head asked. "What?" Hermione voiced her thoughts, believing that she truly couldn't have heard him properly.

"What?" Lucius promptly responded, pretending not to have said anything to begin with, not wanting to repeat anything. Hermione rolled her eyes but remained perplexed as they entered the Great Hall. When she heard Ginny squeal in delight she quickly put the odd conversation safely in the back of her mind before dragging the red-head to the Gryffindor table, anxious to introduce her to people.

"Oy Harriet! Who's your friend?" Sirius called out eagerly, jumping up from the table and upsetting Peter's eggs. He ran over to them and stopped short in front of Ginny who gasped in shock.

"Uh, Gertrude, this is Sirius Black…Sirius, this is my friend Gertrude Winsley, she's staying here for a few weeks" Hermione made the introductions. Sirius held out his hand and flashed a grin that would make any girl swoon.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Gertrude" he said. Ginny just stared at him, her mouth hanging open and her eyes as wide as saucers. She took in his blue eyes, his smooth black hair, his handsome young face…she felt like crying. Instead she gulped heavily and just as Sirius began to lower his hand in confusion she leapt open him and enclosed him in a rib-crushing bear hug.

DEAR LORD!!! She shouldn't be doing that Hermione!! Stop her! Stop her NOW before she lets something slip! Hermione's brained screamed at her. But she stood there and let her friend smother Sirius in tears, knowing how she had felt when she had first seen him. Lucius raised his eyebrows and looked at Hermione for an explanation.

"She can be very uh…emotional at times…" Hermione said desperately.

"Oh SIRIUS!!!!" Ginny shrieked and successfully attracted the attention of the whole Great Hall, "oh Sirius" she repeated, burying her face in his hair. Sirius patted her lightly on the back and shifted slightly so that he could see James. He winked at him and saw Remus roll his eyes.

"Uh, Gertrude? Gertrude!" Hermione tried to interject, pulling Ginny away from Sirius, "I think you've seen him long enough now, let's move on" she said, linking arms strongly with the red-head and pulling her further down the table. Ginny wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve and felt her ears turn red from embarrassment.

"Sorry Hermy" she whispered. Hermione smiled at her and whispered back,

"It's Harriet Grant here" she corrected her. Ginny nodded and sniffled.

"This is Lily, Zi, Linda, and Patty" Hermione said, indicating her room mates, Lily smiled kindly and Linda winked at her. "And this is Remus, James, and Peter" Hermione finished. She heard Ginny take in a sharp breath at the sight of Wormtail but was greatly relieved when she sat down without a word between Remus and Lily, deciding to ignore the rat altogether. Hermione made to sit beside her but Lucius cleared his throat.

"Yes?" she asked slightly annoyed. He looked at her, looked at the staff table, and back at her. Hermione rolled her eyes and followed him to their now usual spot at the staff table.

"How come we can never sit with my friends? It's not like you're Mr. Popular over here at the staff table" Hermione muttered as they sat down, "You could at least give them a chance, who knows, maybe you'll end up liking them…" Hermione trailed off.

"Harriet, the day I like those infectious diseased creatures is the day Merlin himself shows up for a game of cribbage with Snape." Lucius stated matter-of-factly, "I've come across decomposing bodies that are less offensive than they are"

"I'm sure you have" Hermione barely whispered so that Lucius couldn't hear her. They ate their breakfast in silence while Dumbledore and McGonagall seemed to be enwrapped in quite an important discussion. Hermione watched curiously as McGonagall's face turned brick red in restrained anger, suddenly they both turned to her and Hermione jumped slightly in shock.

"Miss Grant" Dumbledore said calmly while McGonagall smoothed her robes restlessly, "Professor McGonagall and I would like to have a word with you and Professor Malfoy in my office, if you wouldn't mind" Hermione stopped eating and looked at Ginny, was this about her? Was Ginny not allowed to be here? "Don't worry about your friend, she may stay here as long as she wishes, so long as she reframes from using Professor Malfoy's toothbrush, of course" he added with a little twinkle in his eyes. Hermione's heart stopped. How the hell did they know about Malfoy's toothbrush? At the mention of his name, Lucius came into the conversation.

"What is this about my toothbrush?" he asked gracefully, wiping off his mouth delicately on his napkin. Hermione smirked but said nothing before nodding towards the headmaster and standing up. "Where are we going?" Lucius demanded, but at the sight of McGonagall's furious face he quickly let the question slide and followed them out of the hall all the way to Dumbledore's office.

"Now I believe that Professor McGonagall has a question for you two" Dumbledore said serenely once they had all gathered around his desk, gazing down at them through his half-moon spectacles. McGonagall gave him a shocked dirty look that clearly spat oh, so now you're going to make ME do this are you??! He smiled at her and she heaved a sigh and looked at Lucius.

"Mr. Malfoy…Miss Grant…I'm going to ask you this once and only once, expecting the complete and entire truth" McGonagall said peering down at them. Hermione inhaled sharply in sudden worry, thinking that they had finally discovered her secret. Lucius looked at her funny and McGonagall got a somewhat satisfied look on her face.

OH DEAR GOD!!! WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN AM I GOING TO DO NOW?? If they find out… they'll send me back… and…and… oh Merlin, THINK OF THE SHAME!!! The complete DISSAPPOINTMENT that will be on everyone's face!!! My life is over! Harry will die, Ron will never come back, I will never have been able to say good-bye to Hagrid…

"Are you, or are you not, involved in a… sexual relationship with each other?" McGonagall finished. Now, in this case Hermione would have logically yelled no, clearly stricken and horrified by the mere idea, and would have demanded to know where this obviously deranged professor was coming from, but Hermione was instead so shocked and relieved by the question that she just stared at McGonagall, jaw on the floor. Lucius burst out in hysterical laughter that seemed to offend the transfiguration professor. He looked back and forth from Dumbledore and McGonagall, clearly not taking them seriously.

"You can't possibly… I mean… she's not… I'm not… We would never… no… come on, I'm married!" he said incredulously. Hermione made an undetectable jump at the new information. He gulped nervously and made the mistake of looking at the brunette who had still not recovered. "Like we would ever…" he trailed off, still looking at her. McGonagall raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Well, we just wanted to make sure, Mr. Malfoy, that you are aware of the Hogwarts rules, and ministry laws, that forbid any type of intimate relationship between students and teachers, even with a 'student teacher'" McGonagall continued, "There have been some…sightings of a view things that occurred last night in the Gryffindor tower" at this Hermione finally snapped back into reality and immediately looked at Dumbledore who was gazing at the scene with a peculiar air of curiosity from his chair. Looking back at McGonagall Hermione finally spoke up.

"If I may explain that, professor" she said, "I was under a certain spell that unfortunately influenced my mind in a very negative way" Hermione said eloquently, "it will not happen again" she assured her. McGonagall looked at Dumbledore, the oh-so-silent-one and sighed.

"You are quite sure then that all this was a…misunderstanding?" she asked almost with disappointment. Hermione and Lucius nodded vigorously.

"Very well then, I apologize, but do remember the rules, Lucius…alright, you may go" she dismissed them. Hermione smiled politely and dragged Lucius quickly out of the office with her.

"Good lord!" he hissed once they had descended the spiral staircase, "they didn't actually think that I would do such a preposterous thing as that! This is ridiculous! I tell you Grant, I have half a mind to go to the ministry itself and complain; this is an insult! I'm MARRIED for Merlin's sake!" he yelled, letting out a chocked laughter, "I'm married…" he seemed to convince himself. Silently he looked at Hermione who promptly avoided his eye contact.

Married, see? I told you he wasn't worth it. The little player…

"Shit" Lucius muttered before he grabbed Hermione roughly by the elbow and threw her into the closest empty classroom.

"Malfoy what the he-" she started to protest angrily, but he slammed the door shut, grabbed the back of her head, pulled her to him and kissed her.

Deeply.

Hermione's eyes bulged in horror while his eyes closed completely. She was paralyzed, unable to think, unable to move. The kiss seemed to last forever, Lucius's fingers burned into the back of Hermione's head, and his lips made her feel a surge of emotions that she had never felt before. When finally Lucius pulled away, hands still on the back of her neck, Hermione could think of nothing to say.

"You kiss like a dead fish" he said matter-of-factly.

YAY! Chapter 7 is DONE!!! Sorry about the evil cliffy :P don't hate me... there will be more!! send me ideas though, cuz that'll make the new chapters come faster!

Adios,

King Twig.