To a Better End

Chapter 52

November 5th 1977

Hermione sent an owl directly to Remus, but she should have known that Sirius would not be too far behind. They were attached at the hip, at the hand, and Hermione was sure if they had the chance, they would have attached their souls together.

But things were going to happen that Hermione didn't think she'd be able to prevent without creating more problems. To be honest, she wasn't sure they would be able to change much anymore. And the thought alone was too much to bear.

Sirius strolled in with a smug grin. "I still can't believe that you, of all people, have asked our sweet studious Moony to sneak into Hogsmeade for this."

"Don't stand there and act like Remus isn't as cunning as the lot of you."

Remus stood there, nervously running a hand through his hair. "I'm really not that cunning, Miss Black."

"You can call me Mina, Remus." Hermione clapped her hands together, perhaps too excited for what was to come for the boy. "Now, let's head upstairs. I have a special friend that would like to meet you."

It didn't go unnoticed how Remus' eyes widened a bit. The two wizards followed her up the stairs to the loft, where Draco was waiting with a fancy leather case. Hermione was excited as well. Draco hadn't explained any of this to her, simply saying that it would be easier to explain it just once so he wouldn't have to go through it all over again. He was already lamenting that he would have to explain the potions to Lavender when they got back to their time period.

"Hello," Draco said, standing with an outstretched arm. "I'm Kai Malfoy. I'm a potioneer in town and - "

Sirius stepped forward and grabbed his hand. "And you're engaged to my cousin. You're quite aloof, you know. Everyone talks about the mysterious Malfoy." He made a gesture with his hands that reminded her of how one would talk about a magician.

Draco smiled, shaking Remus' hand. "Yes. Well, here I am in the flesh. Please, take a seat."

Crossing his arms over his chest as he sat down, he said, "Why would you want to meet with us?"

Draco chuckled lightly. "Well, specifically I asked to meet with Remus, but it seems you follow him like a puppy." Sirius looked away for a moment and it was the exact picture of a puppy dog.

"Why me?" asked Remus.

Lacing his fingers together, he leaned forward and looked at Remus. "I'm aware of your condition. How will be revealed in due time, but I need you to believe that I have your best interest at heart."

He furrowed his brow. "You'll have to excuse me if I'm a bit hesitant," the hint of confidence was becoming clearer the more he spoke.

"Of course. Your self-preservation skills are part of why I am doing this."

"And what exactly are you doing?" Remus was suspicious, and that was a good thing. He needed to keep that same level of suspicion.

Draco shrugged, looking completely relaxed as though this wasn't a huge deal. "I'm giving you a chance. A real fighting chance at survival."

"Survival?"

"We both know there's a war coming. And we both know that you're not the type to sit idly on the sidelines."

Sirius spoke up. "Is that what you plan to do Kai?"

"I'm fighting the fight right now, Sirius. With these." Draco opened the leather case and revealed twelve vials of the potion. He picked one up gently and held it to the light. "There has been lots of discussion concerning werewolves and a potion that might assist them. This is the first time it's been successfully brewed."

Remus immediately went to reach for the vial in Draco's hand, but Draco pulled away.

"I need to tell you now that this is a limited supply and there won't be another batch available for quite some time."

"How long?" the werewolf asked.

Taking a deep breath in, Draco glanced over at Hermione before addressing the young wizards again. "It has taken three decades for the appropriate plant to grow, be harvested, and correctly fermented for this particular potion."

He cocked a brow. "So you're telling me that I have just 12 potions for the next 30 years?"

"I'll be able to get more in 2003," he replied in a grim tone.

"Shit." Remus sat back, looking exasperated. "Well, what does it even do?"

Draco Malfoy had many smiles. There was his scowl of a smile. It was mean and mainly associated with his younger years. There was his drunken smile. That was one of Hermione's favourites. There was his sad smile, one that Hermione had seen too many times. But when he looked at Remus, ready to blow his mind, his smile was like a little boy at Christmas.

"You know that lack of control you have? The memory gaps? And the way that you are completely bound to the moon?"

"Yeah," he said, scoffing.

"You have control here. This lets you access your wolf in a way that is revolutionary," he said with confidence. "You can refuse to change on the full moon, or you can change a week before. You can find an in between where you can still access the strength and the claws but still look like a man. You will have full control and full memory."

"Bloody hell," Sirius gasped, sitting back.

Remus was shaking his head, looking at the case. "I don't even know you. Why are you doing this?"

"Cause you were just a kid, and I think you deserve more."

Hermione looked at Draco and felt her heartbreak. He was a kid with no one to advocate for him. He was forced into situation after situation. Forced to lie. Forced to spy. Forced to give up his childhood. He was just a kid, and he deserved more.