Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. Which is kind of annoying.
A/N: This is my first DraMione fic, and it's kind of nerve-wracking so please be nice and give me some reviews, as they would be greatly appreciated. This fic is based loosely on the movie '50 First Dates' (One of my favourite Romcoms) but also (I'm hoping) 'The Notebook' which is a really great film and if you haven't seen it, I recommend it most highly. Including to the male population. My dad says that every guy-ish guy he's ever met will secretly admit to loving 'The Notebook'.
A/N: So, as I was saying, please let me know what you think. The chapters in this will be a lot longer than my other fics, but I wanted to put more in there, so I'm hoping it works.
A/N: As always, have fun, say hi, REVIEW!
I woke up after feeling little pokes in my back, three of them to be exact. Groaning, I turned to dislodge what I imagined to be a book and came in contact with a tiny hand. My eyes snapped open and I looked over to see what was going on.
She stared back at me with huge grey eyes behind wild honey blonde hair. Her thumb was in her rosebud mouth and she was hugging a teddy bear that seemed too big for her. She was dressed in polka dot yellow and white pyjamas. Pulling her thumb out of her mouth, she frowned at me.
"Mumma, have you forgotten me again?"She asked, her voice sweet as a bird's. My head reeled, and my eyes widened. "You have. Well, can I sleep with you anyway?"
She sounded hopeful, and I didn't want to disappoint her, but I knew she couldn't possibly be mine. I was only seventeen, and she must have been at least three. Besides that, I had no clue who she was. Keeping my thoughts to myself, I opened the covers. She smiled at me and climbed in, finding a space between my chin and the top of my thighs to curl up in, where she seemed to fit perfectly. She hugged her teddy closer to her chest.
"So," I began, shifting her curly hair away from my face. "What's your name then?" If she thought I had forgotten her again, that meant I must have forgotten her before. She must have been used to this by now. At least, I hoped so.
"Cassie," She replied, a yawn in her voice.
"Short for Cassiopeia. (A/N: Pronounced: Cass-ee-oh-pay-ah) You picked it." I jumped as I heard the voice coming from next to me. A voice that was all too familiar.
Cassie turned her head to smile at me, reaching up to pat my cheek when she saw I wasn't taking this part of the information package all that well. I moved both of us closer to the end of the bed and turned my own body around, keeping her safe behind me. Draco Malfoy smiled back at me. It dawned on me then that I'd never seen him smile, only smirk and occasionally grin. He never smiled. I refused to think of his smile as nice.
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?"He sighed. I hated him.
"Look at your hand, Hermione."
"What?" I demanded.
"Your left hand." He clarified, pity in his flint grey eyes. Making sure Cassie was tucked firmly behind me, I peered at my left hand critically. I fought back a gasp when I saw the two bands on my ring finger, one a simple silver loop and the other, blue stones bordered by white gems in a silver setting. When I looked back at him, he nodded silently to himself.
"I'm your husband, she's your daughter."
"You used a love spell, didn't you? This is a trick." What other explanation was there?
"Come here, Cass." He opened his arms to her and she eagerly climbed over me and curled into him, looking on the verge of tears.
"Mumma forgot me again, Daddy." She whimpered into his chest. She seemed perfectly comfortable there. He enfolded her in his arms and held her close. I told myself not to think of it as cute.
"I know, baby. It's alright. She'll remember you in the morning."
Hearing this and knowing this meant another violation of my mind, I jumped out of the bed and took three massive steps away, bumping harshly into a cupboard. I kept my eyes on him, watching for any move towards me. He sighed again and pulled Cassie up with him. Holding her hand, he walked with her to the door, turning to me just before they closed the door.
"I'll go sleep in her room tonight. I'll explain everything in the morning, I promise. I love you." The last statement shocked me so hard I couldn't utter a word after him.
After they left the room, I hastily found something to keep against the door so he couldn't come in and took up post at the end of the bed. I told myself not to fall asleep, to stand guard.
That was the last thought I had before I fell into a dreamless sleep.
I woke with my head resting against the bedpost. My neck had a huge kink in it and I tried to knead it out. It was then I noticed what woke me up. I heard knocking coming from the door and I moved behind it, demanding to know who it was.
"It's Kitzy, Mistress 'Mione. Master Draco said you would be needing your diary with breakfast this morning." The voice was high, wailing and unfamiliar. Knowing it wasn't Malfoy, I pulled the trunk away from the door and opened it a few inches. A house-elf stared back at me, her eyes vibrantly blue. She was dressed in a light sun dress and so I knew she was a free elf. "I have your breakfast, Miss. Can I come in?" She held up her tray of toast, cereal and coffee as evidence and I pushed the door open a few more inches.
She squeezed in and I slammed the door. She seemed not to notice, and she walked over to the bedside table, placing her tray on top of it. She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a leather bound book, smiling at me as she placed it on one of the pillows on the bed. She set to work making the bed, pulling the covers tight and tucking them in.
"You don't have to do that, you know." I told her, hurrying over to do it for her.
"It's my job, Miss." She seemed to guess my next argument. "You pay me plenty of galleons to do this, Miss. I've got my own place to sleep and I work very good hours and I get every Saturday off. I'm an employee Miss, not a slave. You sorted that out for all of us."
"I did?"
"Yes Miss. Some house-elves are not even house-elves any more. Some are lawyers and nurses. Some choose to remain looking after households. But all of them are paid. We even have the right to quit if we choose. And you did that for us, Miss."
"I did?" I echoed myself. She just smiled and continued to make the bed. Then she checked for dirty clothes and told me she would come back to vacuum the room later.
Before she left, she explained about my diary. "You started writing in it as soon as you realised you were forgetting. You write in it every day."
"When did I start forgetting, Kitzy?" I sat down on the bed and picked up my diary, looking down at the frayed edges.
"About ten years ago, Miss. Right after the Battle of Hogwarts. The Healers say it was the effects of the trauma." I looked up then, completely unnerved. Kitzy smiled- she seemed more kindly grandmother than house-elf to me in the few minutes I had known her.
"Trauma?"
"Read your diary, Miss. It will explain everything. I'll come back later and you can talk with Master Draco and Miss Cassie," She left before I could say anything else, not that I could form words in that second anyway.
I moved over to the tray and blindly started eating some of the toast, surprised it was still slightly warm. I drank some of the coffee, black and sweet, just how I liked it. It gave me a buzz and I was able to open my diary.
When you read this, it will be because you have forgotten who you are. Just know that everything you see and everything you hear, it is all true. No word is written under duress, nor is this diary charmed. This is totally your own words and feelings. Know you are not alone in this. Ask your family, they will help you. Go to your Healers and they will explain more. Just trust yourself. It will be fine.
It's all alright.
When I read that last statement, I knew it was my writing. I remembered saying that to myself at night, when I had gotten through particularly gruelling days and couldn't sleep. I would hug my arms around my own waist and rock myself to sleep, promising myself it was alright. I took a deep breath and turned the page.
Today, I realised for the first time that I had forgotten what has happened. After asking Harry and Ron to explain it to me, and after going to Healers, we have come to the conclusion that my mind had blocked the horror of the Battle of Hogwarts. But, by doing so, it has blocked the previous six months before the Battle. I have decided that I must record it, in case I forget again, or need reassurance. This is what happened:
The Battle was bloody and horrendous. Many people died, aurors and death-eaters alike. Students and professors- it was horrible. Harry just managed to kill Voldemort, getting himself killed (For a few seconds) in the process. When the smoke cleared, we all went into the Great Hall to see who we had lost. Our family is not as it once was. We lost Fred, Remus and Tonks. George has become silent. He never speaks or laughs or even smiles any more. The Healers say it is a form of coping, but I am worried. Teddy is now living with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. His hair changes like his mother's did, and he has his father's eyes. He misses them. Harry and Ginny are strained- they do love each other but they have both lost too much. I don't know if it's going to work out.
As for Ron and me, I don't know. Ron told me we kissed during the Battle, but I think it was just relief and adrenaline. Besides, we fight with each other more than anything else. I'm not sure it will work.
When I read through my report, I felt tears spring to my eyes. I couldn't believe that any of my family were dead. I slurped some more coffee and read on.
I remember yesterday, but no more. I know I have no memory of the Battle.
I have been called into the Ministry for questioning- they're questioning everyone who fought. I don't know what I'm going to say. Ron and Harry have already been interviewed and they tell me it won't be too bad, but I wonder if I can explain why I can't remember anything. I wonder if they will understand.
I picked up my bowl of cereal and poured the milk from a small jug on the tray and started eating it, still reading my diary.
When I went in for questioning today, Draco Malfoy was there as well. He told me he was being interrogated. If he gave enough information on death-eaters who escaped, he would get a smaller sentence. He told me his father had been killed by death-eaters as a traitor and his mother had not left her bed in weeks. His eyes were sad and panicked. I was surprised to feel nothing but sympathy for him. Maybe it was because I felt a kinship to him- we had both been in the Battle and both been victims. I told him that I hoped he got a short sentence. I was shocked that I meant it.
The questioning went for a few hours, but I couldn't give them any information that Ron and Harry had not already. After all, that was all I knew too.
I was right when I said it wouldn't work out with Ron. He told me that he was not looking for a relationship right now. He's still grieving for his brother. I understand. And I'm relieved.
I frowned when I read that. I thought it would have worked. And I was shocked I had been so nice to Malfoy. That didn't seem like me at all. Then again, apparently I had married him. I kept reading.
It has been four years since the Battle. The papers say that Draco Malfoy has been freed from Azkaban and has returned home. They say also that his mother committed suicide in Azkaban. I wrote to him today, telling him that whatever he told the ministry, he helped catch at least eight death-eaters. I thanked him for it. It might have been stupid, but I feel as though I owe him a debt.
Ron and Renee got engaged today. He did that extravagant proposal in front of every one. I'm happy it didn't work out between us. He and Renee are perfect together. I hope it works.
I read through the next couple of years eagerly. The diary didn't seem to have an end. It seemed to grow as I read it. My mouth opened and closed in horror as I read the way I became friends and then more with Draco Malfoy.
I know I will feel appalled the next time I forget and read this, but I need to remember this: I love Draco Malfoy.
I have forgotten him so many times but I have remembered him for the past two weeks, and that's all it takes to fall in love with him. His time in Azkaban has made him kind. He's so good with Teddy- he always has time to kick a ball or help him practise flying his broom. He and Ron and Harry get along really well now- he was one of the groom's men at Harry and Ginny's wedding, who finally got everything sorted out when Ginny graduated from Hogwarts. And he's funny too, and incredibly smart. He knows not to interrupt my reading time, and he listens to the same music I do. He can't dance or sing or play badminton, but that doesn't stop him trying. Sometimes I hate him, even when I love him. I'm so happy when I'm with him. I trust him.
My head was exploding. I could feel all my individual brain cells dying. I had never read such gooey ridiculousness in all my life, and I refused to believe it came from my own brain. But everything else had, surely, so how could this be different? But it had to be. I read on.
Draco proposed to me today. We've had a glorious month together. I said yes. I know I will forget this before the wedding, but I don't care. I love Draco Malfoy, and I'm going to marry him.
Teddy was so excited when we told him. He wanted to be best man, and little Victoire told me I had to take her with me when I went dress shopping. James Sirius told me I had to be driven down the aisle in a flying monster-truck and Albus Severus hastily agreed. It is strange to think that Teddy is six, and even stranger to think that Victoire and James will be five in the summer or that Albus will be two. When I forget, I don't even know that Victoire or James or Albus exist, and now... I worry about what will happen when I forget and wake up aching all over, with grey hair and wrinkles.
I wonder if Draco will still love me then.
I had to close the book for a while, not wanting to read further. I didn't want to know that the little baby I had only met once was now ten, or that the babies I had never met were growing up too. I didn't want to know that Ron had gotten over me and married a person I had never heard of. I didn't want to know that I had missed Harry's wedding. I didn't want to know. Taking a deep breath and forcing myself to do so, I read on.
We've decided that the wedding will be quite soon, because I have wonderful news: I'm going to have a baby.
I found out today when I noticed morning sickness and other things. When I went to the Healers, they told me I'm two months pregnant. I'm excited, yet slightly (Incredibly) terrified.
I told myself I should have been expecting that, but it still hit me like a ton of bricks. So Cassiopeia really was my daughter. I wondered how I long I remembered I was pregnant.
I woke this morning with a huge belly. I screamed and looked around me, and I saw Draco Malfoy lying in bed next to me. He woke and tried to explain but I was panicking. He had to call Harry and Ron and Ginny to come and calm me down. I read this diary and I think I understand, but it seems fantastical. I'm concerned that when I meet my baby, I won't love it because I will have no memory of
The missive abruptly stopped and I turned the page quickly to see what happened next.
Her name is Cassiopeia Nymphadora Jean Malfoy, and she is beautiful. She sleeps like an angel, and her tiny fingers can't even wrap around my pinkie finger. She's so perfect- she even has tiny nails. I don't think I could ever love anything more than I do her. It makes me so sad that I will forget her. I hate myself for it.
The next few pages were filled with stories of my daughter, the one I didn't know. I began to love her from these pages. I smiled as I read of her first's.
Cassie gave her first smile today. She smiled right at me. It was so beautiful I almost cried. Draco hugged us both when she did it, so proud of our little girl.
Cassie laughed today. A proper laugh, not a coo or gurgle, a real laugh. It was the most musical sound I've ever heard. I can't describe how perfect her laugh was. I just can't.
Cassie began crawling today. Normally she just lies on her stomach and tries to pull herself around, but today she got up on her hands and knees and crawled from her bedroom door all the way down the hall. My strong little girl. I'm so proud of her.
Cassie said her first word today. It broke my heart because I won't remember. She said 'Boomstip'. She meant 'Broomstick'. Our little girl is going to be a Quiddich player. Not sure how I feel about that.
Cassie took her first steps today. They were wobbly and hesitant, but she did it. I feel like one of those ridiculous smother mothers. I want to layer the walls with Styrofoam so she won't hurt herself when she falls over, but I know she needs to learn. I just want to keep her safe.
And so it went on. I cried when I figured out that I had forgotten her two hundred and ninety seven times in the past three years, and I cried again when I read about the first day she called me 'Mumma'. I read through her first and second birthdays. I read that Ginny was pregnant again. I read that Ron had a daughter called Rose Molly Weasley, and a son called Hugo Arthur Weasley. I wanted to know them.
Then I read something that shocked the hell out of me.
I'm pregnant again. Three months. I told Draco today so he knows. He's so happy. He wants another girl. I want a boy, a perfect replica of his daddy.
I know I will forget before I give birth to him, so I'm writing down his name: Orion Scorpius Kenneth Malfoy. I've already asked Draco if he likes it. He said he does. If it's a girl, he will get to name her, but I know it's a boy.
Call it mother's intuition.
That was the last entry so that would have been the day before. I stood up and looked in the mirror, rolling up my pyjama top so I could see.
I already had stretch marks on my stomach, from Cassie. What I was really looking at was the small but defined bump. I pivoted on the spot to see it from every angle. There was no denying it.
I was a mother to a girl I didn't know, wife to a man I thought I hated, and I was pregnant with another child, though I didn't even remember that very same child being conceived.
Things were about to get complicated.
A/N: So, what did you think? Did it make sense? The underlined and bits are what her diary says if it didn't make sense then. Please let me know what you think. I need to know so I can improve.
A/N: Thanks for reading, have fun, say hi, REVIEW!
Love Stormy xoxox
