Harry and Hermione were midway to the Gryffindor Tower when a trio of boys coming in their direction caught Harry's eye.
And apart from the golden trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione, the only trio worth mentioning was- Draco Malfoy, flanked by his two usual lackeys, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.
Draco Malfoy, after fleeing before the final battle of Hogwarts in Harry's original timeline, had led an isolated life for some time. During this period of seclusion, he had married Astoria Greengrass, whether out of genuine affection or for purely political advantages was a matter of question.
But it had all been a superficial facade. An act by Draco to regain his footing back in the Wizarding Britain. And it was not a difficult task- the number of people who were sympathetic to the cause of the dark lord was significant.
He had never truly changed, nor had he felt any genuine remorse for his past actions. He continued to propagate the same old rhetoric of blood purity and hatred towards muggle-borns.
Unfortunately for him, his intellect was limited, and his magical power even more so. His only real influence stemmed from his family's considerable wealth, and even that was proving insufficient for his ambitions. People only flocked to him in greed of his wealth which he thought of to be genuine support.
He was largely unsuccessful in the various 'initiatives' he attempted to launch.
True to Draco Malfoy's predictable nature, he swaggered to a stop directly in front of Harry and Hermione.
"Oh! Potter, I heard you were almost killed by Sirius Black and then by the Dementors," he mocked.
He cast a particularly unpleasant grin towards Hermione, "Did this mudblood girlfriend of yours save your life?"
Harry had no recollection of encountering Malfoy on the last day of his third year in his previous life. Perhaps his decision to leave Ron alone and depart the Hospital Wing early had already begun to subtly alter the established timeline.
But he could not care less about the integrity of the timeline. He was here to make significant changes and do as he please.
The Harry of his previous life would have likely reacted with intense irritation or outright anger at Malfoy's words. But the current Harry only felt a detached amusement. This blonde haired pathetic excuse for a pure-blood supremacist was not even a significant consideration in his plans for altering the past.
"Draco Malfoy," Harry said, his tone surprisingly cheerful, utterly confusing the idiotic trio. "It seems you have conveniently forgotten the rather forceful punch you received not so long ago from Hermione."
"Here, let me help jog your memory," said Harry, amusement still flickering in his eyes.
Before Draco could even begin to comprehend Harry's meaning, Harry, with the same amused expression, swiftly raised his right hand and punched Draco squarely on the nose.
Draco's nose emitted a sickening crunch upon impact, and blood immediately began to flow from the break. He let out a yelp of pain and staggered backward several steps, knocking both Crabbe and Goyle off balance, and falling heavily himself on the ground.
This sudden commotion attracted considerable attention from other students passing by, but Harry paid it no mind. He firmly took Hermione's hand and continued walking.
At the very last moment, he heard Draco's enraged scream, "I will see you for this, Potter! When my father hears of this…"
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"Harry, what was that?" Questioned Hermione after they had put some distance between themselves and the fallen Slytherins.
"What was what?" Harry asked in return, feigning ignorance.
Before Hermione could elaborate, Harry placed his hands on her waist and pulled her into a close side embrace, continuing to walk with her pressed against his side.
"You worry too much, Hermione," Harry murmured softly, close to her ear. "I am here. Do not worry."
Hermione shivered, her face flushing a deep red, "Harry… what are you doing?"
Harry let out a surprised grunt, "Huh?"
"You do not like it?" he exclaimed with exaggerated surprise.
Hermione stammered and quickly denied, "No… that's not what I meant at all."
Harry cut her off with a knowing smirk, "It means you like it."
With this, Harry pulled her even closer, and his hand, which had been resting on her waist, now moved upwards onto her stomach, his fingertips dangerously close to her breasts.
Hermione did not object this time and continued walking in silence, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.
She was blushing fiercely, and her breathing was shallow and rapid. A powerful, almost overwhelming urge to turn and wrap her arms tightly around Harry consumed her. But she did her best by refraining from doing so.
Harry, for his part, also refrained from any further physical advances, his mind now lost in sombre thoughts about Hermione and the tragic events that had befallen her in his previous life.
In his previous life, what an utter fool he had been.
After the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione had married Ron. And even the most oblivious observer could have recognized that this was, under no circumstances, a suitable match.
Hermione was the very embodiment of intelligence and unwavering hard work, while Ron was the unfortunate epitome of foolishness and utter idiocy. She was epitome of genius while Ron Weasley was king of buffoons.
Hermione's marriage to Ron had been an unmitigated disaster. While all the other Weasley brothers possessed their own distinct shortcomings, they had at least managed to build independent lives away from their overbearing parents.
Ron, however, had been a complete and utter failure in this regard.
Trading on Harry's name and the superficial glory of fighting against Voldemort, Ron had managed to secure a position as an Auror for a brief period. But his deeply ingrained habits- laziness, foolishness and brazenness soon became intolerable.
He consistently failed to meet his responsibilities, never bothered with punctuality, and was frequently irresponsible while on duty. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement tolerated his incompetence for an extended period of time as long as they could- until a particularly high profile incident occurred, leading to his inevitable dismissal from his position as an Auror.
The Weasleys had, predictably, attempted to pressure Harry into helping Ron secure another job at the Ministry. But Harry, having a clear understanding of the immense difficulties involved in managing Ron's inherent failings, refused to place such a burden on the Ministry. He simply advised Ron to address his deeply problematic habits.
This reasonable refusal caused the Weasleys to sever their relationship with Harry, and this fallout, in turn, contributed significantly to the growing distance between Harry and Hermione.
Harry, himself deeply engrossed in unravelling the lingering mysteries of his own life and past, had been tragically oblivious to his friend's struggles, and the gap between them grew ever wider.
Hermione, on the other hand, was an exceptionally capable and driven individual. As a dedicated worker in the general administration of the Ministry, she performed exceptionally well and rapidly rose through the ranks, earning the grudging respect of even the most prejudiced pure-bloods through her sheer talent and unwavering competence.
She could have easily supported an independent and fulfilling life for herself and Ron, but the stubborn idiot was far too prideful to accept such an arrangement.
Jealousy was a deeply ingrained trait in Ron's character; it was an intense emotion that permeated his very being. And he was jealous… intensely jealous of his own remarkably talented wife.
Their relationship, already fragile, began to fracture under the weight of Ron's insecurities and soon devolved into an emotionally abusive environment for Hermione.
Molly Weasley was intent on moulding Hermione into a traditional housewife, and her words filled with outdated and harmful views actively fuelled Ron's jealousy. Given Ron's deep-seated inferiority complex and an ego the size of a small planet, this was not a particularly difficult task for the manipulative Weasley matriarch.
That overbearing woman had desperately wanted Hermione to produce grandchildren, just as she had done with her own children. And with Ron being her only son still residing in her household, she relentlessly imposed all her archaic whims and expectations upon Hermione.
One day, Hermione had died of unknown causes, and Harry, tragically, remained completely unaware of the suffering his dear friend had endured.
By the time he finally learned the full extent of her ordeal, only years later, he had come into possession of a diary- Hermione's diary.
It had contained the raw, unfiltered expression of all her deepest feelings and hidden secrets. Everything she had endured at the Burrow, every instance of emotional abuse she had faced, had been documented within its pages.
Harry had utterly failed to bring justice to his deceased friend in his previous life. This time, things would be different. This time, he would protect her.
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