Entry for the Quidditch Fanfiction League Competition, Season 6, Round 6 – Wigtown Wanderers vs Puddlemere United
Position: Captain
Prompt: Choose one of these characters to write about. June: Draco Malfoy, Dudley Dursley, Dobby.
Word Count: 2,950
Betas: Inlibris, DinoDina
Seeking The Forgotten
The thrill from climbing out of his bedroom window and sneaking off the grounds of Malfoy Manor, avoiding all the magical wards, was still fresh inside Draco when he Apparated to the outskirts of a small forest, the sound echoing in the darkness between the trees. For a long moment, he stood frozen in place, listening into the night, afraid that someone could appear, his father, or one of their servants, to bring him back home.
But nothing happened.
The tension slowly left his body and he exhaled, quickly making his way through the undergrowth and stepping out of the treeline. He could see the small Muggle town nearby, the windows of the houses illuminated and making him wonder about the lives that were being led behind them; but that wasn't the reason he was here, though it definitely had something to do with Muggles.
It wasn't hard to spot what he'd been looking for; not even a blind man could have overlooked it.
Just outside the town, a big circus tent was set up on a meadow; rows of lights were hanging between the peaks of the tent, illuminating the red and white stripes of the canvas and glowing mysterically in the dark. The same lights were mounted all around the meadow in a circle and along a short path leading up to it, dipping the path into an inviting warmth. A soft evening breeze carried music over to Draco, and he couldn't help but smile before slowly starting to walk towards the meadow.
His steps had a spring to them, carrying him quickly; this was new, this was exciting, and even more so for him because it was forbidden. A Malfoy heir didn't sneak out in the dead of the night to visit a Muggle event, and he knew that he would be punished if he would be caught, if someone happened to check his room and found the bed empty... but the thirst for the unknown, for completely new experiences, was just too strong. And it wasn't like he was the only Pureblood who was doing this; when away from their parents, he and his friends traded the stories of their little adventures, and all the reports had made Draco yearn for making his own experiences.
So, there he was.
After weeks of planning, of organising, of getting information and Muggle money from Blaise, he was finally spending his night out in the Muggle world. Away from stiff etiquette and his father's Pureblood ideology, he hoped to broaden his horizons.
Excitement bubbled in his stomach when Draco approached the entrance to the meadow; a big sign was mounted above it, illuminated letters informing him about the name of the circus. Below the sign, a Muggle in a black suit and cloak stood and beamed at Draco when he spotted him, lifting the ridiculously big bowler he was wearing in a greeting gesture, bowing lightly. "Good evening, Sir. I hope you'll find what you're seeking."
An enigmatic gleam was visible in his eyes when Draco handed over the Muggle money, and for a brief second he asked himself if this man knew something. Was he even a Muggle? His appearance was just so similar to that of wizards trying to dress like Muggles…
Shaking off the thought – after all, what would be the odds of two wizards trying to disguise themselves as Muggles meeting? – he took the ticket the man handed him in return. "Enjoy the show."
Draco mumbled a grateful reply and stepped onto the meadow. The tent towered above him now, the rows of lights like bigger stars against the night sky; to his right, an old lady sold all kinds of Muggle sweets in a stall, and the scent of warm sugar hung in the air, drawing him over to the display almost automatically. His eyes took in the unfamiliar sweets, examining them, and he tried to determine what to try first.
"What would you like, sweetie?" the old lady asked warmly, and Draco just knew that he had to look pitiable lost. "Maybe some candy floss? And you look like a young man who likes chocolate fruits."
Glad for some guidance – though he would never admit it – Draco nodded. "Yes, that would be good, thank you. It's hard to decide with so much to choose from."
A few minutes later, he entered the tent holding a bag of chocolate fruits and a portion of candy floss, the latter still warm, making a comfortingly sweet scent fill his nostrils with every breath, and he was sure that he would remember the smell and the sugary taste forever.
There weren't many other visitors, and so he could choose a seat as close to the manege as possible, the first row mostly unoccupied. Music was playing in the background, and his anticipation and curiosity only increased as he let his gaze wander towards the ceiling, where a weird construction of ropes and swinging elements was fastened. While he was still wondering what the Muggle artists would do with the structure, the lights started to dim, dipping the auditorium into darkness, and the curtain at the back of the manege rippled lighty before the man from the entrance stepped through it and into the spotlight.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," the man said enigmatically and with a pompous gesture around the almost empty auditorium, smiling lightly. "Welcome to a night of wonders and curiosities."
He smiled widely, continuing his speech, but Draco didn't really listen, not exactly interested in what he had to say – he just wanted the show to start. Soon enough, the man left the manege with a bow, and Draco sat upright in his chair, body tense, as if there was the possibility of him not being able to see something despite being in the front row.
The first act consisted of a few young girls, their bodies oddly thin and small for their age, for they must have been teenagers already; they effortlessly contorted their bodies in ways that didn't seem possible to Draco at all, building human pyramids and smiling throughout as if they were on the playground. Draco wasn't sure if he was fascinated or horrified, though it was probably both.
They were followed by a duo of jugglers, their hands moving so quickly and precisely that Draco felt a little dizzy; a fire-eater appeared afterwards, playing with the flames as if they were pets that could be caressed without any danger. There was a moment in which Draco wondered if the man was a wizard, able to protect his skin with a charm. Maybe there were some reckless wizards out there – or in here – that were crazy enough to do such a thing for the one or other extra galleon. Who knew? He had so little contact outside the social circles his heritage pushed him into, he certainly wouldn't know of such things.
The fire-eater left the manege on a wave of excited applause, and the lights were dimmed completely, dipping the inside of the tent into darkness; whispers were audible in the dark, someone awkwardly cleared their throat, and Draco shifted in his seat. Music played quietly, only getting louder very slowly, and the lights came back just as slow, staying very dim overall, though.
Movement in the odd construction in the ceiling caught Draco's attention and his eyes widened when he lifted his head to gaze up.
A young woman about his age was standing on one of the small platforms, her leotard sparkling in the dim light as if a thousand stars were attached to it. He could see bushy hair straining against the hair accessories holding it into place, away from the woman's face; every movement of her arms was elegant and thought through, drawing the audience's attention and building the anticipation when she took the handle of the apparatus attached to the construction.
Without a moment of hesitation she let herself fall off the platform, swinging through the air, hands tightly holding on to the handle above her head. Draco didn't even notice that he was holding his breath as she started to perform acrobatics while swinging through the air, seemingly defying gravity. It reminded him of a Quidditch player, or a broom stunt flyer, and the part of his mind that wasn't rendered inactive in fascination once again wondered about the possibility of charms.
This couldn't work without magic, he was convinced of that.
That particular impression only seemed to be reinforced when the woman let go of the handle suddenly, somersaulting through the air and catching the handle of a second swing easily, even though it had looked a lot like she would miss it, at least in Draco's eyes. Her fingertips had been too far away from the handle, he'd seen it with his own eyes, and then her body had lurched slightly, changing her flight path minimally. To Muggles, it must have looked like a display of strength and skill, but Draco could see a charm when it was done right in front of his eyes, no matter how subtle it had been intended to be.
He sat up in his seat even straighter, feeling a little overwhelmed by excitement without really knowing why. Was this woman a witch? A person who'd chosen to live away from the wizarding community and used her abilities to her advantage here and there. If someone had seen both worlds, why would they choose the Muggle world?
Draco continued to follow her act in fascination, but the artist coming after her failed to catch him as his thoughts continued to circle around the new questions that continued to form, fueling his interest. This was an unforeseen opportunity to get to peek out of the box he was living in, bigger than the one he was already following, and he couldn't let it slip.
The snake whisperer currently performing was forgotten within seconds when Draco got up from his seat and navigated his way through the semi-darkness towards the exit, his heart racing. He just had to find out if his suspicions were true.
Once he was outside, he stopped for a moment in confusion, unsure of what to do now, but then he spotted a man in working clothes walk towards a barrier with a Staff Only sign, moving the fence easily out of the way and back into position. Draco followed after a minute, making sure that nobody saw him, and slipped into the backstage area, another thrill rushing through him. Even more forbidden things – he would have so many things to tell to his friends.
Without the atmospheric light of the manege, some of the performers looked a lot less fascinating when he spotted them in the distance, without makeup and costumes. Just ordinary Muggles, after all.
But this woman… he was sure that she wasn't ordinary.
Since he didn't exactly know where to look for her, he walked around a bit aimlessly, avoiding drawing attention towards himself, until he caught a glimpse of bushy brown hair vanish between two trailers. Hastily he followed, his heart racing in his chest, and Draco realised that he had no idea how to explain his reasons for being here. And if he was honest, she would probably think that he was some really crazy person.
"This area isn't for visitors."
Draco froze and stared into the face of the woman he'd just been following, his heart jumping in shock.
"Who are you and what are you doing here? Why are you following me?"
Had he felt unprepared before, now that feeling intensified. His mind went blank and he stuttered out incoherent jumbles of sound. It was as if he was throwing all Malfoy pride and reputation out of the window at once.
"I'll call security if you don't leave immediately."
He desperately tried to grasp words, to bring his thoughts into order, and then finally blurted out: "You… you're a witch."
The brown eyes widened and an angry expression came over her face. "Excuse me? What did you just call me?"
"A… uhm… a witch."
Draco hadn't sensed the danger, but when the small but surprisingly powerful fist landed square on his nose, he realised that maybe he should have chosen his words more carefully. Pain shot through his face and he could feel warm blood run down his chin a second later. Trying to preserve the last pitiful bits of his dignity, he suppressed the howl of pain and cupped his face, dancing oddly on the spot before exhaling with a groan.
That throb in his nose was weirdly familiar, but he had no clue as to why. "That… shit. That wasn't an insult… I… I'm a wizard."
His voice was pressed with agony, but she seemed to have heard him perfectly well, and understood; though he was doubled over, he could see her tensing, then his arm was grabbed tightly. Before he knew what was happening, he was pulled away from the corner where she'd busted him, towards one of the mobile homes, and once again she was using more force than he would have thought her to possess.
Draco was pushed onto a bank and the door slammed shut. "Are you crazy? You can't say stuff like that in the open, with dozens of Muggles potentially in earshot, you idiot!"
A moment later, a cloth was handed to him, which he gladly pressed against his nose to stop the bleeding, or at least keep his clothes from getting stained. "So… so I was right."
"Of course you were right. How did you shake it off, Draco?"
Confusion flooded him, and he looked up at the woman, creases appearing on his forehead. "How do you know my name?"
She frowned, then her expression changed as if she was sinking deeply into thought – yet another thing that seemed oddly familiar to him.
"What brought you here tonight?" she asked then, curiosity gleaming in her eyes all of a sudden.
"I… I wanted to see the Muggle world. New things. Why does that matter?"
"Do you remember the name Hermione?"
"N-no? I don't know? It's not a new name, but it has no face," Draco answered truthfully, shaking his head. "Why are you asking me all of this?"
"You can't remember… but it's in your head… I never thought that effect was possible."
She said it more to herself than to him, making his confusion only worse, but it gave him the time to look at her, really look at her, and somewhere in the depths of his mind, there was a recognition he couldn't quite grasp.
"Are… are you Hermione?"
A sigh came over her lips and she nodded. "Yes, I am. You know me, but you don't know it."
"That's confusing," Draco mumbled, raising an eyebrow. "So… why?"
"I obliviated you."
"You did what?"
Draco almost jumped to his feet at the nonchalant confession, and Hermione raised her hands. "Calm down. You were a threat, or your memory of me. We talked about it before I left, and you agreed to it. The wizarding world was no longer a safe place for me, and you agreed that it would endanger me if you still knew me. It was a hard decision, but we had no other choice."
The atmosphere shifted as she sat down next to him, shoulders hanging as if in defeat, her expression slightly longing. It was a sadness that grasped Draco immediately as well, even though he didn't know its reason. "Why? The wizarding world is safer for a witch than the Muggle world is."
She snorted and shook her head. "Should have known you would end up thinking that. Draco… for a pureblood witch or wizard, it might be. But… but not for me. Not for Muggleborns. At least not anymore. That's why I left."
Hermione obviously tried to hide her disappointment, but Draco still caught it; was it true? Was he so privileged in his life that he'd forgotten about the dangers for a person he'd obviously been close enough with to allow her to alter his memories? Yes, the new political leaders had slowly but surely altered laws, but he hadn't really followed the changes, since they didn't… yes, since they didn't apply to him.
His stomach sank and he glanced at Hermione, gulping hard. "I'm sorry about that. I… I didn't know…"
"Yeah. I know. So… so you just came here on a whim? Are you sure nobody followed you?"
The new revelations made Draco question why he'd really chosen to come to the circus, but he couldn't give a clear answer to her first question. "I have no idea how I ended up here, I guess. But I'm sure nobody noticed that I sneaked out; I would have been dragged back to the Manor already. I… I just wonder… how close were we?"
A sad smile came onto Hermione's face and she avoided his gaze; that alone was enough of an answer already. "Too close for either of us to be safe. We thought about running, but it would have ended badly. So it was this. The last place where you'd expect to find someone like me. The last place where someone from the magical world would show up looking for me. But you did anyway."
"I wasn't looking. But I guess… I don't know, I guess my mind was seeking something it had forgotten," Draco replied quietly, and even though he still couldn't remember, he felt like the feeling of restlessness and wanting something that was forbidden to him slowly faded.