Chapter 1

Hermione Granger

Hermione Granger could tell you anything about everything, especially, if it was to do with the wizarding world. Her memory was perfect. But as she held her head, waking from a deep slumber, or maybe a state of unconsciousness, she found it pounding. A loud and painful wake up call.

Her limbs felt heavy and unbearable to lift. Hermione tried to recall what had happened, but was greeted with a slight pain as she thought too hard about it. She ran the possibilities in her head. Had she taken a rogue Bludger to the head at one of Harry's quidditch games? Or fallen somewhere? Maybe off a ladder while getting a book? Thoughts swarmed her head, different incidents and accidents playing in her mind as she tried to force her eyes open.

They opened reluctantly and light greeted her. Instantly, her eyes welded shut once more. The loud pulse in her head growing with the bright lights that had blinded her. She tried to steady herself with her hands, but she then noticed the foreign feeling on her fingertips. Beneath her fingers, she felt soft silk and the warm feeling of blankets and felt covers atop herself.

She forced her eyes open again, determined to solve the mystery of her location. Letting her eyes adjust, she was greeted with a luxurious sight. She lay atop a bed. Blankets and such piled on her and she was resting comfortably. She took in the sights of the room, taking in everything… including the exits. It was a beautiful room. Silvers, golds, and reds decorated the room tastefully, almost exactly her preferred style and piles of books lay around the room, covering almost half of the surface space in the room. It was a dream.

She took in the large, arched French doors to her right that led to a beautiful balcony, the doors slightly opened, allowing a breeze to run through the room. She felt the breeze on her skin, and loved the cool air it provided with her heart racing. She moved her eyes away from the sight to lay on another set of doors. They were wide open, revealing the lavish bathroom beyond, one fit for royalty. Other doors lined the walls of the spectacular bedroom, also accompanied by a large hearth that seemed to be made of a beautiful white stone directly in front of her.

She looked down at herself, reluctantly breaking her examination of the room.

She wore a bold red nightgown, one she was confident she had never dared to buy, and it barely reached mid thigh. She saw her hair, how the wildness was toned down to soft curls and waves that still seemed wild, but much more tame than her usual unmanageable curls.

Then, she almost fainted. She looked to her hand, adorned on it were two rings. They were beautiful silver rings. She quickly acknowledged that one was a slightly plain wedding band. The next nearly took her breath away. It was amazingly intricate and beautifully designed.

Diamonds nearly covered the entire thing. The ring was silver, and at the top it formed into a beautiful rose, diamonds covering the entire thing. Who had spent this much money on her? It certainly wasn't Ron, he wasn't much for lavish things, unless it had anything to do with Quidditch.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard, along with a couple of worry filled voices. Harry and Ron! Hermione assumed, managing to sit up straighter, preparing for her best friends, but the sight that greeted her made her veins fill with terror.

As the doors opened, she found herself facing not one, but two bloody Malfoys. Draco and his father Lucius stood there conversing with what seemed like worry… but why? She asked herself. She saw that Draco Malfoy carried a tray with an assortment of foods and a single flower in a white vase, her favorite flower, a Peruvian Lily.

Suddenly, they turned seeing her and she froze in fear, her hand rummaging around searching for her wand. Her eyes felt as wide as saucers and her caramel eyes nearly blurred with terror.

When they saw her, their conversation had silenced, leaving the room thick with tension. She remembered him well, at least she could count on her memory for that. His hair was still the shade of platinum blonde and she could still remember his signature sneer that he usually wore on his pale face.

But, as she stared at him, she couldn't find it, and that scared her more. Instead of the usual sneer, a bright and loving smile was found in its place that nearly made Hermione sick with unease.

She heard him take a step, and she toppled off the bed in a flurry, the blankets following her to the ground. She leapt up into a defense stance, prepared to fight her way out. She looked at him, her eyes focused on his every move as he continued to walk towards her.

"Stay back!" she yelled, and he stilled, while she watched as his worry increased. "Where have you hidden my wand!" she yelled, looking around the room for any sign of her wand. Where's my wand?! She frantically thought over and over, scanning for any hiding places.

Her throat felt parched as she couldn't find it, and worry flooded her. Drawers, she'd search the drawers as soon as she managed to get them disabled or caught. But how? Without my wand… She didn't let herself finished the thought.

He walked closer, almost… cautiously.. "It's in your bedside drawer, where you always keep it" he calmly stated, handing the tray to his father and pulling out a wand, which was very much not hers.

"Don't play games with me," she scowled, "give me my bloody wand now, Malfoy!"

His face formed into a deep frown, "Malfoy? Are you mad at me, Mia?" he inched closer, his father's face forming concern as well.

"My wand.. My wand is vine wood! It's 10 and ¾'s! That-" she pointed to the wand, "is not my wand!" she was seething with anger, how dare they try to trick her, she wasn't stupid!

Draco and his father exchanged a glance of sorts and soon Lucius left, leaving Draco alone with Hermione.

"Mia, that wand was destroyed many years ago, this is your wand!" he urged, holding it out to her. But all that echoed through her head was, that wand was destroyed… destroyed…

She let out a half defeated cry, dropping to her knees. Her wand. Destroyed. Gone. "What?" she whispered, half desperate that she had heard wrong, but only silence followed. She looked up at him, urging the tears away and studied him long and hard.

His stance was gentle, friendly even. His hair was messy and bags rested underneath his eyes, showing off his tired state. Good. If he was tired, he was less likely to be able to stop her escape, or at least she hoped so.

She looked to the entrance where the Malfoys had entered, then to the balcony. Two exits, two escapes.

She inched slowly toward the balcony, a chill running through her from her lack of clothing. Where could I go? She thought, The Ministry? Hogwarts? She ran through plan after plan, and that was only without the chance of running into a Death Eater… She shivered at the thought.

"Where am I?" she demanded, deciding to learn more. She glanced around the room more, studying every detail for the order. "Malfoy Manor, you're in ou- the master bedroom" he explained, "Our what?" she demanded, unsure of what his goal was.

"Nothing." he said, sadness evident in his voice.

Her head swam with thoughts, Why was he sad? Why was she here? Everything was so damn confusing! "Why am I here!" she demanded, hoping to stall for a rescue. "You offering me to the Dark Lord? Or am I here as bait?! Oh! Or maybe I'm your sick little reward!" she spat, making her voice icy.

The order would surely notice her absence, they would surely come and save her.

"No!" he roared, his voice raw with emotion that she couldn't place, but also filled with pain. His face fell further, his knuckles white from him digging his palms with his nails. She was surprised he hadn't broken his skin.

"Hermi- Granger" he whispered, stepping a tad closer to her. "I'm not going to hurt you, just let me-" but before he could finish, Harry burst into the room and she nearly cried from joy, her previous terror gone, replaced with pure happiness.

"Harry!" she called, reaching toward him and watching Malfoy at the same time.

Malfoy and Harry looked to each other, then he walked out. Draco Malfoy walked out of the room and Hermione swore she saw him wipe away a stray tear or two. She scoffed, why would he be sad?

"Hermione" Harry said, carefully trying her name. She burst into joyful tears, launching herself at him. He nearly fell, but ended up managing to catch her and barely steadied himself.

Hermione nestled herself in the crook of his neck, not caring about the river of tears that ran down her face onto it.

Finally, after she had calmed well enough to talk, Harry summoned two chairs, and they sat. Silence followed for a few moments after, both unsure what to say. "What happened? Did Voldemort catch you!" she worried, scenarios following in her head.

"Hermione, I think you better sit down" he said awkwardly. "Mione' you- I-" he couldn't get anything out. He sighed heavily, that single breath portraying more emotion than he had showed this entire time. "Do you have the invisibility cloak? We should get out of here!" she whispered, trying not to alert any of the Death Eaters that might be lurking about.

"Mione' what do you remember last?" he asked, that was odd. How does he know I can't remember? She wondered, but questioned it no longer. "I was heading to talk to Professor McGonagall about my Transfiguration work, but she was busy with Dumbledore and the order… then… I was here!" she sighed, rubbing her head as the pounding pain became louder. "That's really all… " she admitted, slightly ashamed she couldn't help more. "Was there an attack Harry?! Is everyone alright? What about Ron? Oh, I do hope he's alright" she said, imagining the red haired idiot she had liked since their fourth year.

But, she watched as Harry winced at his name. "Why'd you wince, Harr?!" she asked, slightly baffled. Her heart beat frantically inside her chest and she lowered her head, her long curls creating a barrier from the outside world as more tears fought their way into her eyes.

"That's for another time, but don't worry, he's fine" Harry said, plastering a fake half smile. She could sense the venom, but she couldn't understand it… What had happened? What couldn't she remember?

. . . . . . . . . .

Draco gripped the tray beneath his fingers, watching the flower. Her favourite. This time he hoped she would be awake, she had to be. The doctors had told him it would be any day now and he was staying alert, barely sleeping, barely eating… But he couldn't help if he felt empty without her, she was his world.

"What if she never wakes up?" Draco asked, turning to his father, who walked beside him. Worry lacing his voice, his fear resurfacing after weeks of pushing it away.

His footsteps felt heavy as he managed to walk down the hallway. "She will, Draco. She's strong. She's fought the Dark Lord and fought through the media when she married you, she can fight through a little accident" Lucius said, trying to be encouraging.

Draco forced a small smile onto his face. He knew she was strong, but was he? What if it took weeks, months, years? Would he be strong enough to wait? But his question was answered by his heart. He would wait for her until the world ended.

He quickly shook his head, of course he was. "Okay, let's hope" he said. Lucius opened the door, and the sight nearly knocked him down.

There she was, her unruly hair, her slightly tanned skin, her glowing caramel eyes. There was his wife.

He felt his worry disappear in an instant, quickly replaced with joy and love. A bright smile made its way onto his face as he took in the sight of her awake. He nearly shook with joy and all he wanted to do was hug her forever and tell her he loved her thousands of times.

He took a step, but stilled as she scrambled off the bed in a flurry and he quickly worried for her safety, was she still hurting? He worried to himself. He continued walking toward her wanting to check her for an injury when she stopped him by yelling, "Stay back! Where have you hidden my wand!" She was frantic, and he was filled with worry.

She wasn't alright. He felt dread fill him, what had happened? Had she gotten permanent damage to her brain?

He thought over everything he had done and cursed himself for letting it happen in the first place. If only she hadn't gone. If only she had refused that bloody idiot. A sense of hatred filled him, if anything had happened to Hermione, he would pay.

He walked closer, his smile faded, replaced with worry. "It's in your bedside drawer, where you always keep it" he calmly stated, handing the tray to his father and pulling out her wand.

He looked at the ash wand, 11 inches, so different from her old one, yet still so her.

He watched her look at it, anxiety filling him. It was a look of rage and anger that he couldn't fathom, he wanted to comfort her, to ask her what was wrong, but that seemed like the wrong thing to do. Even if his mind and heart were battling intensely inside himself.

"Don't play games with me," she scowled, "Give me my bloody wand now, Malfoy!"

His face formed into a deep frown, "Malfoy? Are you mad at me Hermione?" he inched closer, his father's face forming concern as well.

"My wand.. My wand is vine wood! It's 10 and ¾'s! That-" she pointed to the wand, "is not my wand!" she was seething with anger. Now, he was worried. That's her old wand… he thought, what happened to her? What was going on? His stomach filled with dread so heavy he thought he might collapse, had she forgotten something? Malfoy… Wand… realization was close to him, but he refused to believe it.

Draco and his father exchanged a glance of sorts and soon Lucius left, leaving Draco alone with Hermione. Draco hoped Lucius was going to get Harry.

"Mia," he gently said, making his voice softer as if he could make everything better, "That wand was destroyed many years ago, this is your wand now!" he urged, holding it out to her.

She let out a half defeated cry, dropping to her knees. "What?" she whispered, and the desperation in her voice almost broke Draco, it was like relieving her most horrible memories and times all over again.

She looked up at him, and he saw her struggling to urge the tears away as she studied him long and hard. "Where am I?" she demanded, and it only confirmed the horrible realization that she couldn't remember anything! He nearly cried, fighting his tears immensely, not showing his deep pain and sadness.

"Malfoy Manor, you're in ou- … the master bedroom" he explained, "Our what?" she demanded. The pain growing inside him, even being inside this room, their room. She couldn't remember anything, she couldn't remember him, or their marriage.

He looked slightly to the ring on her finger, She hadn't taken it off? Why not? He wondered, a small bit of hope piercing the pain and dread.

"Nothing." he said, sadness slightly creeping in his voice. Forcing away the devastating sadness, he pushed against everything, making sure to remain slightly calm, at least to her. Anything could set her off if she thought he was… a Death Eater again. He cringed and internally cried at the thought.

"Why am I here?" she demanded, hoping for her life to be spared. "You offering me to the Dark Lord? Or am I here as bait?! Oh! Or maybe I'm your sick little reward!" she spat, her voice icy. If only she knew that he would never hurt her. It hit him hard, he could barely keep himself from crying as waves of pain and sadness washed over him and he began to sink into a deep darkness, one that she had helped pull him from long ago.

"No!" he roared, his voice raw with emotion that it looked like she couldn't place, but it was also filled with pain. His face fell further, his knuckles white from him digging his palms with his nails. He pushed them into his hands, wishing it to be a dream he could wake from

"Hermi- Granger" he whispered, refusing to scare her with the name he loved. He was stepping a tad closer to her. "I'm not going to hurt you, just let me-" but before he could finish, Harry burst into the room and she nearly cried from joy. It looked as if her previous terror was gone, replaced with pure happiness. It broke him, and suddenly he was back to old Malfoy, jealous of Harry Potter, but for different reasons this time.

"Harry!" she called, reaching toward him and watching Draco at the same time. Draco looked to Harry, almost a plea, a hope, a warning, every single emotion and feeling he had poured into that one look, all leading to one thing. Please, help Hermione, help her remember!

He begged every god he knew, begged Harry with his looks, and walked out, leaving them to talk and forcing his legs and feet to make those agonizing steps out of the room. He then locked himself into his study, and the world fell apart around him.