Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy (:

Chapter 2

"Whatever you do, do not marry Weasley. I'm begging you."

Those had been his parting words when he had 'accidently' bumped into her on the last day of school.

Now, seven years later, she remembered his words, letting them echo in her mind.

"Why am I taking your stupid advice, Malfoy?" She sighed, looking at herself in the mirror of the bathroom. "You don't even know me."

And yet, it had seemed as if he knew her; knew she'd listen to him.

Two years after her graduation, Ron had proposed to her- or, sort of proposed.

It had gone something along the lines of…

"'Mione, we aren't just friends, are we?"

"Of course not, Ron. Why'd you say that?" She frowned, looking up from her book.

He shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "Well, I was thinking of settling down and… you know, starting a family."

She gulped, and bit her lip. "Don't you think it's a little too early for that? We're only twenty-one." She said, trying to sound as practical as she could.

"Yeah.' He nodded, and exited.

A moment later, Harry came out of the kitchen.

"Lovely day, huh, 'Mione?" He quipped, looking at the Weasley clock.

"You never say that unless you're going to ask me for something, Harry." She pointed out.

He sighed, and sat down beside her. "Ron asks for your hand in marriage."

She stared at him, feeling an odd mixture of dread and disgust. "And he made you ask me?"

"Well… he's kind of shy, I suppose."

She scoffed. "That is one fantastic proposal."

"Shh! He can hear you!"

"I'm getting out of here."

She got up to leave, but stopped, remembering something. "Oh, by the way, Ginny and I have found an apartment."

And with that, she left the Burrow's living room in the hope of seeking solace in her bedroom.

What a proposal, she thought bitterly. It hadn't been so hard following Draco's instructions now, had it?

Besides, Ron had married someone else in the end. No, he hadn't cheated on her. They'd broken up shortly after, and he had met someone whom he had fallen in love with.

Only, that someone else had to be Astoria Greengrass. Merlin!

There was musical tinkle of the doorbell.

Hurriedly, she threw on a housecoat, and went for the door.

"Merlin's pants, Hermione! You're uncharacteristically late! It's six and you're not dressed!" Ginny exclaimed.

From beside her, Harry nodded, equally surprised. "Are you feeling alright, Hermione?"

"Yes, yes, come on in! I'll be ready in ten minutes!"

The couple entered, and closed the door behind them.

"I'd help you, 'Mione, but…" Ginny pointed to the beautiful bump.

"Yes, yes, you're pregnant and need to sit down. I get it."

"You can stop saying yes, Hermione. Now hurry, or we'll be late for the dinner."

She ran up into her room, taking two steps at a time, and got into the dress she had prepared for the night. Then, she went to the dressing table to put on some make-up.

Why was she late, they had asked. Because she had been wallowing in her misery. Because she was lonely. Because she was now twenty-six and single, having no one to date. And why was that so? All because she had heeded Draco's stupid advice. Do not marry the Weasley. Look where that got her now.

Ron had hurt her immensely by calling off their relationship. Yes, she had loved him, and she had expected him to make up with her again, thinking he had only dumped her in a fit of anger at having been rejected. Then, he had met Astoria, who'd turned out to be a stupid Veela, and what with his obsession with Veelas- it was love at first sight.

After that, she just didn't want to get into a relationship. And by the time she had recovered from the hurt and pain of losing Ron as a lover- sweet and charming, he could be, despite the horrible proposal (Astoria had proposed to him eventually)- everyone had found their partners, and she was left on the shelf, with no one.

That was the wizarding world- they married early. Too early, in her muggle-born opinion.

Perhaps… perhaps she'd marry a muggle…?

"'Mione! We are definitely late!" Harry called from downstarirs.

She jumped, startled.

Okay, she was lonely, but so what? Just trust in Draco, she thought.

"Okay!" She called back.

Yes, somewhere along the way- it could have been just a few years ago, or the night he had given her that golden thing- he had earned her trust, and she had no idea how he'd done it.

And, she'd started calling him Draco in her mind.

He should have been invited to the dinner- that little post-war celebratory dinner held annually by the ministry in honour of the Golden Trio and the members of the Order of the Phoenix that she was to attend tonight. Mostly, it was just a reminder of the pain and horror war could bring, so that the people wouldn't rebel like Voldy had.

Draco, ex-death-eater-turned-good, was invited every year, for having stood up for Harry during that last battle, and for refusing to identify the Trio when they had been captured and brought to Malfoy Manor. Oh- and for finding a way to heal Hermione Granger's arm, so that the scar which spelt 'Mudblood' was gone.

[flashback]

"It's… It's gone!" She gasped, blinking at her arm.

"I know." He said arrogantly.

"How'd you… how'd you know how to heal it? Even the top healers of the world can't do that!"

"You told me how to."

"Wh- I did?"

He grinned at her, and her heart skipped a beat, as she saw that boyish one-sided grin for the second time in her life.

Then, he turned and left.

A note fluttered down from nowhere, and she took it.

This is how you heal the scar. Memorise this spell (it's complicated, I know, but you'll do it) and don't forget to pass it on when the time is right. You'll know when.

Below was a complicated series of wand movements and incantations.

She stared at it, utterly confused.

[end of flashback]

Perhaps she would meet him tonight. Then, she'd have the opportunity to clarify a few things with him.

Then again, like the past seven years, he may have chosen not to turn up.

She was about done now.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and thought she'd look better with a necklace. A gold one, to match her dress and hair.

She opened her jewellery box, and caught sight of It- the golden thing.

It was a delicate object, with complicated designs engraved on the little, gold stone-like pendant hanging at the bottom of the golden chain.

She had never worn this before.

Carefully, she secured it around her neck, and thought it looked perfect on her.

She headed downstairs and together, the three of them left for the dinner, using the muggle-car for transport to avoid splinching themselves.

It was three hours into the dinner, and she was getting rather tired and sick of Ron and Astoria's lovey-dovey actions.

Watching Harry and Ginny made her feel stabs of jealously course through her too.

If only she could find love…

She glanced around for a particular person with stark blonde hair and silver-grey eyes, but was disappointed to find that he was missing from the dinner, which was slowly starting to become more like a party, what with the reporters from the Daily Prophet getting drunk and everyone starting to let their guards down.

"I'm going to the toilet." She told Ginny, excusing herself.

Rather, she went out to where she knew there was a little balcony where she could catch a breather and admire the view of the night city.

This was lovely. And therapeutic.

"Finally." Said a lazy, velvet voice.

She jumped, and looked hard into the shadows.

"Draco?" She whispered nervously, recognizing his aristocratic features outlined in the dim light, and mentally reprimanded herself for using not saying 'Malfoy'.

"First-name basis already?" Was all he said, before smirking.

Then, he stepped out of the shadows, and she inhaled sharply as she drank in the sight of him.

His pale blonde hair had been styled, giving him a gentlemanly, yet bad boy look, and he had donned a black suit, which fit him perfectly, emphasizing his long, toned legs. He had matured over the past seven years, and he looked more like a man, rather than the boy she had remembered him to be; looked sexier than ever.

She gulped mentally, surprised by the presence of such thoughts swimming in her mind.

As he stepped closer to her and into the light, she noticed, once again, that his right eye was a shade darker than his left eye.

"I've been waiting for you." He said casually, his hands in his pockets.

Suddenly, she felt very self-conscious.

Was her dress okay? Was her hair still in place?

Then, her brain kicked in.

"Waiting for me?" She questioned, puzzled.

He smiled at her- his smile distracting her from her question- and leaned in just like he had seven years ago. In a second, his arms were around her, warm and strong, and he was taking deep whiffs of her scent.

"So sweet, so beautiful." He murmured.

Instinctively, she relaxed, and melted in his arms, wounding her own arms around his waist a little shyly.

After a while, he pulled back, and gazed at her, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"I told you it'd be awhile before you see my grin again, didn't I?" He said, joy lighting up his voice.

She nodded, too overwhelmed for words.

"Well, here it is- your favourite grin."

And his lips curved up. His eyes softened and twinkled, becoming more like liquid mercury than grey clouds, and his face took on a familiar boyish resemblance.

"It's time." He said, that adorable grin still in place, now with a hint of cheekiness.

"Ever wondered why I've never married nor have I fooled around?" He asked.

It took a little time for his words to penetrate the fog in her mind, but when they did, she nodded, not trusting her voice.

"It's because I fell in love."

And with that, he touched the golden pendant hanging around her neck, and whispered a long incantation.

She felt a warm mist start to envelop her, and from the corner of her eyes, she saw that the world was starting to spin- faster and faster, until it became but a blur. But she didn't panic, because her eyes were trained on his deep mercury ones, unable to tear themselves away from his demanding gaze.

And that was the last thing she saw, before she blacked out.

There was something warm comfortingly cool and damp being pressed against her forehead. It disappeared, before pressing down again at the side of her face.

Slowly, it made its way down to her neck, then her shoulders, then back up again.

Her body felt like lead, and her head was suffering from a major ache.

She tried to open her eyes, and made a small, weak sound in the process.

The thing vanished, replaced by a warm, smooth hand, which cupped her cheek gently.

"Hermione." A voice whispered, beckoning her. "Hermione. Wake up."

What a familiar voice… Now where had she heard that voice before?

Slowly, and with a considerable amount of effort, she managed to open them, and found herself staring straight into molten silver and grey.

One eye had more grey than the other.

Draco Malfoy.

She blinked several times, before her eyes shot wide open, surprised.

He looked worriedly at her, before leaning back so that his face wasn't just inches from hers.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" He asked, amusement playing in his beautiful eyes.

She stared mutely at him.

This wasn't the Draco Malfoy she had just seen! His face still had a hint of child-like innocence, an innocence she had known to have been taken away ever since he had taken the Dark Mark.

A frown marred his pretty face, and he reached for the damp, cool cloth so that he could continue dabbing her flushed face with it.

"You're running a fever." He explained, using his hand to gauge her temperature by touching her forehead.

"Where am I?" She managed to say.

"1999." He said, then added, a little proudly, "I'm in my fifth year now."

She was bewildered.

"That means, we can…" He trailed off, giving her meaningful looks, then frowned again when he realised she didn't understand him.

"'Mione, how old are you?" He asked.

"Twenty-six." She said blankly.

He relaxed visibly. "Oh! This must be your first time then! You told me a little about it!"

"Huh?"

"You're currently sixteen years of age, by the way."

He accio-ed a mirror and she looked at it, before freezing up.

There, staring right back at her as if she had grown five heads, was a sixteen year old version of herself, dressed in Hogwarts robes.

"My future self must have just activated the time-turner." He said happily, more to himself than to her.

"What's going on?"

"Remember the time turner- or the golden thing, as you like to call it- I gave you during your last year in Hogwarts?" He grinned.

She nodded.

"It's a time turner. Only, it's special because you go back in time without staying the same age you are." He paused, and seeing her lost expression, continued. "That means, if you've travelled back to say 1999, and you were 16 in 1999, the 26 year old you will become 16. Oh, and you'll be wearing whatever the real 16-year-old you is wearing. It's lesson time now, so you're probably in your school uniform, which is why I found you in your school uniform."

That… made a little more sense.

"So, you're saying that this golden thing is a time turner?" She said slowly and carefully, touching the chain still around her neck.

"Yupp!" He said cheerfully. "I haven't seen you for so long and I've missed you!"

She stiffened, as he took her in a hug, his teenage muscles not as toned as she had expected.

"Oh." He withdrew his arms. "Sorry! I forgot- this is your first time. We're dating."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah." He shrugged, and continued to sponge her face with the cloth. "Ahh, that'd explain the fever. Your body's probably unaccustomed to time travel! No worries! You'll be coming more often!"

She started to feel a little dizzy, and then chain around her neck was glowing a little.

"Oh, it's time for you to go?" He said, his face falling. She was so surprised to see Draco without his usual, mean sneer. "Do you want to stay? You can take the necklace off before you're whisked back to your time."

"W- what?"

He sighed, and looked thoughtfully at her.

"Never mind. My future self is probably waiting for you. Tell him I said hi!" His voice was fading, and the room was starting to spin. "Visit soon!"

And then, she felt as if she were flying so fast everything was a whirl. She flew even faster, so that whirl was a solid wall of black. Then-

Her knees buckled, and she fell onto all fours, vomiting onto the floor.

Someone was talking to her, and holding her hair back up for her. On her back was a hand placed comfortingly near her shoulders.

Draco, she realised.

She gagged a few more times, and stopped puking.

Exhausted, she sat up and leaned back against him, panting hard.

With a wave of his wand, he cleared the mess, before turning his attention to her, and giving her a glass of water he had summoned.

"Okay?"

She nodded meekly. "More or less." She croaked.

She looked around, and saw that they were still on the balcony.

"How long have I been gone?"

"A few minutes." He answered, stroking her arm.

She leaned into his touch, enjoying his warmth.

"And this is going to happen again and again?"

"Yes, but don't worry. Your body'll get used to it soon enough." He said soothingly.

"I don't want to do this. It's crazy!"

"You can't change the future."

"Yes I can." She said determinedly.

He sighed a little. "You'll learn that you can't."

They were silent for a while, him breathing in her scent and relishing in these precious moments he was able to spend with her, and her thinking hard about the past, the present, and the future.

"Why did I end up in 1999?"

"It's random. You may end up anytime, anywhere, but you told me that all of those times you travelled back, you'd end up near me." He moved so that his lips were by her ear, and she shivered as his cool breath tickled her heated self.

"Could it be that… you're in love with me?" He whispered, his voice deep and husky.

She smiled at the memory of him doing something similiar to her so long ago, and was about to provide a witty remark in response when he continued.

"Actually, I already know the answer."

She tingle ran up her spine, as she let what he had said sink in.

She gasped as he placed a kissed on her ear, and nibbled it gently.

Suddenly, she was all too aware of the intimate position they were in- him against the wall and her pressed against him, nestled between his legs with his arms around her.

His lips travelled down to her jawline, and she almost fainted as he made his way to her lips, leaving a trail of sweet kisses and giving her the opportunity to stop him if she wanted to.

She should, oh she should stop him, but- oh!

She tilted her head back and up a little to meet him, and suddenly, his lips were on hers, warm and soft and firm all at the same time.

He kissed her cautiously at first. Then, the kiss became something else- something wild and hungry and insatiable. Something warm, and lovely and… distinctly Draco.

Finally, they broke apart, breathing heavily.

"I've been waiting seven years for that." He said, smirking.

"Why?"

"You'll find out." He simply said.

He rested his forehead against hers, and she gazed dreamily into his silver-grey eyes, feeling happier than she had ever felt before.

Then she remembered, "By the way, your 16 year old self says hi."

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