Harry stood frozen, wand pointed at Sirius Black. Muffled footsteps echoed up through the floor. There was someone moving about downstairs.
“WE’RE UP HERE!” Hermione screamed. The footsteps quickened, moving up the stairs. The door slammed open.
At first Harry didn’t recognize the man standing in the doorway. Then it clicked. But, no, that’s not possible. The man standing in the doorway was none other than Draco Malfoy. Except, this Draco was about twelve years older.
“Malfoy?” Harry barely registered that he was speaking.
“Potter.” The disdain dripped thickly from Malfoy’s voice. “Put that wand away. Black isn’t the reason your parents are dead, I am.”
There was a stunned silence as everyone processed what he was saying. Everything was happening so fast, Harry’s head was swimming. He had so many questions. How was Malfoy suddenly so much older, for one.
“Wait, how is that possible? You would need—”
“A time-turner?” Malfoy interrupted Hermione, pulling something out of his pocket. It was a long gold chain with a tiny, sparkling hourglass hanging from it. Hermione’s eyes widened as she reached in the front of her robes.
“How did you get that?”
Malfoy smirked before tossing the time-turner to Hermione, who barely caught it before it hit the floor.
“It was just after exams. You were in a rush to get somewhere and didn’t realize you dropped this.” Malfoy was looking more and more smug as he spoke. “Black wasn’t the secret keeper for your parents. Pettigrew became the secret keeper because he was the less obvious choice. I’m the one who convinced the rat to betray your parents.”
There were so many questions running through Harry’s head, but only one mattered.
“Why?”
“Because I hate your guts.”