Borrowed Time (Part 1 of the Time Turner Trilogy)

On Borrowed Time by Emaleth

GENRE: AU, Darkfic, Unresolved Sexual Tension.
ADT\'L(This Chapter): Nothing much going on yet... so eh.
RATING: PG-13... for now.
SUMMARY: Seventh Year, post Harry-defeats-Voldemort: Harry and Hermione became a couple the summer before their 7th year. Their romance went along well... until they went back to Hogwarts. The first day of class, Hermione was given an ultimatum to go back in time in order to change something that had just happened... and of course, her actions had consequences. Some might consider it bad, but she doesn\'t.
PAIRINGS: Harry/Hermione... then transforms to Draco/Hermione
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
E-MAIL ME: manticorechimera@msn.com

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Chapter 11 - The Morning After (Sunday - October 20, 1996)

When Hermione opened her eyes, the unfamiliar environment had her worried, but when her brain finally got back to work, she remembered where she was. Her room was usually warmer than Draco’s, and she shivered, covering her bare shoulders with his soft silk blanket. She smiled at the sight of Draco sleeping, sprawled on the other side of the bed, still facing her. She watched him as he slept peacefully, being mindful of his heavy breathing.

She slowly moved closer to him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. He heaved a loud sigh before opening his eyes. Draco gave her a peck on the lips and moved the hair away from her face.

\"Good morning.\"

\"Good morning.\" She gave him a sweet smile as she touched his arm.

\"Did you sleep well?\"

\"Very well. The best I‘ve slept in years.\"

\"So did I.\"

Hermione giggled as Draco’s stomach growled loudly.

\"I should have eaten lunch,\" he said touching his abs. \"I was too nervous about the game.\"

\"Nervous? Ha! And it didn’t even start.\"

\"Blame your boyfriend for that, not me.\"

\"Ex-boyfriend, Draco.\"

\"We had just been together for a day and you are calling me your ex?\"

Hermione lightly punched his shoulder and said, \"I meant Harry, stupid.\"

\"So, what am I now?\"

\"Whatever you want it to be.\"

\"Am I your boyfriend now?\"

\"Definitely.\"

Draco’s stomach growled yet again, making him sit up.

\"Can we go downstairs and have breakfast?\"

\"I suppose.\"

\"So, are we actually ready to tell the world about us?\"

\"No.\"

\"No?\" he asked nervously. \"Are you saying you want us to keep this secret?\"

\"I am not ready to tell the world, Draco,\" she said with a laugh. \"I am ready to tell the school though.\"

Draco let a sigh of relief escape his chest yet again.

\"Let’s get dressed then.\"

\"Well, I was thinking that I should change into something else besides my uniform and maybe have a shower.\"

\"Alright. I will see you by the staircase at the Great Hall entrance.\"

\"That’s fine.\"

They straightened themselves up in silence, but when she reached for her shoes, he grabbed them before she could. He knelt by her feet, placing her feet in for her. Once they were both on, he buckled her shoes before tickling her knees.

\"Thanks... but stop tickling me!\" she giggled before keeling over to lean on his shoulder.

\"What‘s wrong?\"

\"Nothing, I think I just got a whiplash or something.\"

\"It‘s probably something due to sudden movement. That happens to me whenever I fly too fast and don’t see a Bludger coming right at me. Are you sure you are fine?\"

\"Yeah. I am fine. I‘ll see you in a few minutes, alright?\"

\"I will see you.\"

She gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking out as quickly as she could. She took heed as she opened the door of his room, checking for any potential onlookers. She felt very much relieved that there were no Slytherins in the common room as she still felt a little nervous walking around uncharted territory. She was still a Gryffindor after all.

She jumped out the portrait hole and hurriedly headed up the staircase to the first floor. No one greeted her or made eye contact with her as she ran up the stairs that led to the Gryffindor Tower. Halfway up, she felt out of breath and was feeling a bit light-headed. She shook of the feeling as she continued to climb up, but when she reached the fourth floor landing, everything around her started to dim, and she blacked out right there.

*****

\"Ron, I think she’s waking up. Hermione? Hermione?\" said a familiar voice by her bedside.

Even half-dazed, she knew that a pair hands held hers, squeezing lightly.

\"Hermione, please wake up.\"

\"Harry?\"

Confused, she asked as she slowly tried to sit up, \"What happened to me?\"

\"Apparently,\" said Ron as he and Harry assisted her, \"you fainted not far from the Portrait Hole. You were lucky Harry found you.\"

\"I fainted?\"

\"I don’t know why you did,\" continued Harry. \"I just saw you on the floor, all pale and your breathing was irregular. You scared me. I am sorry.\"

\"It wasn’t your fault, Harry...\"

\"After the game… well, after the game, then the fight, right after Madame Pomfrey let me go and I went ballistic on you, I sat in my room and thought for hours on things – why you hate me and why you have a reason to. First of all, I was completely insensitive. You were the one giving all the affection. Love is not a one-way thing, and I should have known that. Then I kept secrets from you and refused to confide in you… and I only told you after you confronted me with it. I was so stupid. I should have volunteered to tell you.\"

\"Harry...\"

\"And then I should have let you explain. It was not your fault that he was flirting with you. I should have listened to your explanation about the kiss. I wish I did not blow up on you like that. I should have believed you, Hermione. Please forgive me. I should not have been so jealous. We should have talked about it before I let my jealousy get in the way. I should have cared more about how you felt too. I should not be telling you who to be friends with. I should never have blown up on you like that, and I know that you confided with Draco because you needed someone to talk to, and Ron isn’t much of a listener.\"

\"HEY!\" argued Ron. \"I can listen well enough, thank you very much.\"

\"You didn’t want to talk to Ron because he is both our friend, and it would not be fair to him,\" continued Harry. \"That is the only reason why, right? I mean, there is nothing between you and Draco?\"

\"Harry, I...\"

\"Hermione, it all my fault. I am so sorry for making you upset like that.\"

\"No, Harry...\"

Harry pulled her in a tight hug and then started to rub her back.

\"I stand to my word, Hermione. No matter how you hurt me, which is my fault in any case, I still love you. You had me worried sick last night, Hermione. When I came to your room to apologize and you were not there, I thought you were crying somewhere else, so I searched everywhere for you . I tried looking for you at the usual places but you were nowhere to be found. Where were you?\"

\"I…\" she stuttered. \"I… I was...\"

\"Don’t tell me you fell asleep in the library,\" interrupted Ron.

\"I… I actually fell asleep at...\"

Hermione’s heart was racing as her throat started to constrict. She did not know how to tell them that she was with Draco last night, and that she had done something besides being with him.

\"Yeah, Ron,\" she said finally as her conscience started to pound her mind. \"You seem to have read my mind. I did fall asleep in the library.\"

\"One second,\" Harry asked suspiciously, as he let go of her hand and started to stand up. \"You said you fell asleep in the library?\"

\"Yes, Harry,\" she answered nervously. \"Why do you ask?\"

\"The library was the last place I looked for you even though I know you are always there. No one else was there last night except for the Ravenclaws, and I watched Madame Pince close up for the night.\"

\"You might have missed me then.\"

\"Oh, that’s reasonable since the library is huge.\" However, Harry did not sound reassured at all. \"Where did Draco take you?\"

\"Huh?\"

\"Right after I yelled at you at the Infirmary, you were waiting for him. No one saw you afterwards. Where did he take you?\"

\"What?\"

\"Where did Draco take you?\" stressed Harry. \"Are you sure you are feeling better?\"

\"My hearing is fine. I went nowhere with him. I yelled at him before heading to the library.\"

Harry smiled and gave a loud derisive laugh as he turned away from them. He continued to chuckle as he looked out the Infirmary window.

\"Third time is the charm, isn’t it Hermione?\"

\"What are you talking about?\"

That was when he turned around and gave her the same look as he had after the Quidditch game.

\"You are lying again,\" he whispered, his voice cracking.

\"I think I\'ll leave you two alone now,\" said Ron before scampering out of the Infirmary as fast as he could.

\"Harry, I don’t know what you are talking about. I did fall asleep in the library...\"

\"You’ve lied to me three major times!\"

\"Harry...\"

\"I was planning to let that kiss pass because I love you and maybe you were caught up with the moment when you kissed him back. That I could stand to see you do, but I can not stand you lying to me.\"

\"Listen to me!\"

\"No, Hermione!\" he shouted at the top of his lungs. \"You are lying through your teeth and it is so obvious! I cannot believe… I cannot actually believe I actually thought of apologizing to you and wanting you back! I mean, what was I thinking? I must have been… I am insane!\"

\"Why do you care about where I am or who I have been with anyway? I thought we were through!\"

\"We were!\"

\"Then you have no right to treat me like I am your property anymore!\"

\"I never treated you like… like property.\"

\"Never? NEVER? Harry, you tell me what to do, you tell me who I can be friends with… or not be friends with.\"

\"It only applies to one specific person.\"

\"And you pretty much wanted to me to give up everything I do to please you.\"

\"I do not!\"

\"There is no passion between us. There is no spark! You don’t love me.\"

\"I do.\"

\"No. You care for me. You love me as a friend, like how I love Ron. You only love me as a friend, and that‘s how I feel about you too. That\'s it.\"

\"I do love you, Hermione! I love you as a boyfriend loves a girlfriend.\"

\"That’s just it! Wake up, Harry! We are no longer a couple. I want to be the girlfriend of someone who really does care for me. I love Draco. I want to be with Draco, not you.\"

She finally said it, and she was just as shocked as Harry.

Harry was breathing with difficulty now, gulping to prevent his throat from drying out. He bit his bottom lip as he tried not to look at her directly.

\"Are you serious, Hermione? Draco? Draco Malfoy?\"

\"Hermione!\" shouted Draco from the Infirmary entrance. He rushed towards her, disregarding the other people in the room and hugging her tightly. \"I just heard. Are you alright? I was so worried. When one of the Gryffindors told me that you were in the Infirmary, I ran here as fast as I could.\" He then pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket. \"Besides, you left your tie in my room last night.\"

\"Hello, Malfoy,\" snarled Harry as Hermione closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.

\"Hermione, I…\"

Harry walked angrily towards Draco, but he stopped just inches away. He gave both them a deadly look before stomping out of the room.

\"I will guess that you told them, Hermione,\" asked Draco. \"He’s not taking this lying down, is he?\"

\"Just stay here. I have to talk to him alone.\"

\"No, we’ll do this together.\"

Draco assisted Hermione up and, hand in hand, they chased after Harry. Luckily, they found him before he got to the bottom of the staircase. Before they reached him, Harry turned around, stopping them dead in their tracks.

\"I think I knew that you loved him the second he moved in for that kiss in the hallway,\" saidHarry. \"I saw how you kissed him. I never saw you kiss me like that. I should have just broken up with you completely, right then and there. If I loved you, I should have just let you go.\"

\"Harry,\" she answered. \"I am sorry you had to go through all this. I didn’t mean for you to be hurt in anyway or for you to find out this way.\"

\"I should have been seen it right from the beginning. I should have known what we had was nothing but puppy love. You two have something more special and much stronger than what we had. If I weren’t too busy thinking about myself, I would have been able to see that there was nothing between us.\"

\"Harry...\"

\"I didn\'t listen to you then, but I am listening now. Say no more, Hermione. I think I should be adult enough to be able to let you go. If you think he deserves you, then he deserves you more than me. It’s your heart, not mine, to give away. I will leave you be.\"

Hermione sighed as the weights were suddenly lifted off her shoulders. She thought about what to tell Harry, but his last sentence had concluded it all. She was home free to love who she wanted.

\"Thank you.\"

She watched Harry turn towards Malfoy, punching his fist on his palm. She thought he was to hit the other boy, but his gesture was nothing more than a fair warning.

\"Treat her well, Malfoy,\" he growled.

\"I wouldn\'t worry because I will treat her like a queen.\"

Harry scoffed. \"I should have done that. Goodbye, Hermione. I am sorry.\"

Just as he was about to turn away, she touched his arm and asked weakly, \"Will you still be my friend, Harry?\"

\"Maybe my heart will heal completely one of these days,\" he said with a sad smile. \"In due time, maybe we can still be friends…if Malfoy does not mind, of course.\"

\"I wouldn’t.\"

\"I never thought I would say this, but thank you, Malfoy. I swear on everything that I hold dear in my life, I will kill you with my bare hands if I ever hear of you mistreating her in any way.\"

\"You don’t have to do that. I assure you.\"

\"That’s good to know. Farewell, dear Hermione. I hope you will be happy now.\" He gave weak smile before turning his back on them and walking away.

Draco placed his arm around her shoulder, caressing her hand with his free one before letting out a huge sigh of relief. \"That turned out better than I thought.\"

\"Yes, it did, and I am so relieved that it did.\"

Draco hugged her from behind, before whispering, \"What will happen now that we are to live happily ever after?\"

\"I don’t know,\" she said as she leaned her cheek against his chin. \"Que sera, sera. What will be, will be.\"

\"And we have no control over that.\"

\"We don\'t, but we will get through any problem, any dilemma that comes our way, won’t we?\"

\"We will.\"

\"And we won’t regret anything?\"

She giggled as she gave him a light peck on the cheek. \"We won’t.\"

\"Well, are you regretting anything that you\'ve done?\"

\"Yes, actually.\"

\"You do?\" he asked in surprise. \"Tell me then. What is it that you regret?\"

\"I regret not borrowing time soon enough.\"

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A/N: This fanfic was written for for the Contra Veritas : Dr/Hr Fanfic Challenge AKA Livejournal\'s \"The Enemy\'s Valentine - Dr/Hr Fic Gift Exchange.\" The rules were a bit restricted (I had to include Time-travel, Love triangles and a Happy ending... and NO Harry/Ginny romance) and so was my fanfic. The second part of the Trilogy would have a bit more freedom but I\'ll just play it by ear, k??? I hope you guys enjoy this fanfic as much I as I enjoyed writing it!^_^

PLEASE: If you enjoyed reading this fanfic, please vote for me in the Contra Veritas Challenge. (No. 32 Borrowed Time by Emaleth) Thank you very much.

SPECIAL THANKS to Snapeaholic, for betaing my fanfic. Without you, I\'d be drowning in a sea of grammatical mistakes. LOL