Hermione is way OOC but she needs to be to forward the story. (I love her character and wouldn't do anything to sully her reputation).

All things Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling. The storyline is mine. AU

Be warned: Rated M due to language, romantic interludes and *Voldemort dark matter.*

Previously on Remnants of the Dark Lord: He'll Be Killing Himself

Draco had repeated, "Ireland? Band? Who is Ian?"

You'll meet him tonight. He came back to London with us. He's staying with Seamus for now, but he's told us if things work out, he'll be working from England.

Draco went cold. "What things Hermione? What is he hoping will work out?"

Hermione ignored Draco's question instead she had asked, "I didn't keep you up too late waiting for me, did I? I thought you might want more time with your highly perfumed witch, so I didn't see the need to hurry home if you weren't going to be here."

Good sense had taken that moment to slap Draco across the head. Hermione thought he had done something behind her back. The simple truth was he had tried to do something behind her back. He had put his dick at the entrance of Astoria Greengrass-something French. He hadn't succeeded, but not for lack of trying. Whether Astoria had tricked him or not, he was responsible for his actions.

Draco stood frozen to the spot. Right then he knew the thing Ian hoped worked out was Hermione. There were plenty of wizards who would like to court Granger. So far, she wanted only him. Draco hoped he hadn't messed up and given some Irish git of a wizard a chance with Hermione.

Draco had stood outside the bathroom waiting for Hermione to come out. When she finally emerged, Draco had asked, "Am I going to get to meet Ian?"

Before Hermione could answer, Draco had picked her up and brought her over to the bed. He laid her down and said, "We're dating. Don't let me find out this Ian has touched something that is mine."

Without another word he had removed Hermione's towel and positioned himself for sex. Before Hermione could say anything, Draco had pushed. Hermione moaned his name and grabbed onto his back. Then they had made love…like they were dating.

/

Chapter 3: Chaos And Hermione

After they had climaxed, Draco had told Hermione. "I want to be the one who keeps you satisfied. I don't want to think about you being interested in any other bloke."

"You can keep me satisfied. You know that and I know that. The problem. If you think there are two different sets of rules for a witch and a wizard, you are wrong. If you're interested, fine be interested. If you're not interested, move on. Just like you can find somebody Draco, so can I. If you need to keep testing the waters, go ahead, but don't expect me to be here lying in the bed waiting for you to come back covered in the scent of another witch. If you've got a witch who can get the job done, go and get her and leave me the fuck alone."

With that, Hermione had gone back to the shower to get clean. She had shouted from the bathroom. "I take it you haven't tested her for nightmares, otherwise you wouldn't be here. Right? If you want to meet Ian, he'll be at the Leaky Cauldron tonight. Fuck you Draco."

Draco had laid back on the bed realizing he had fucked up once again. He could blame Astoria if he wanted, but it was all on him. It had been up to him to bring his barely working dick home to Hermione, yet he had decided to let himself get waylaid by a vaporous witch who thought about nothing other than her mirror, her pussy and her perfume. Shite.

Hermione had gotten dressed in silence and left the flat without another word.

/*/

Work for Draco that day was a miserable affair. He was feeling sorry for himself which made it impossible for him to concentrate. He might as well have been sitting somewhere in a corner for all the work he had gotten done.

At 9:50, Draco had headed home. He had to meet Theo at 10:00 am. Draco was in no mood for conversation, but he had been the one who had brought this shite up. Theo was not on Draco's mind. Hermione was on Draco's mind. He had screwed up with her and she was threatening to see other wizards. All this because of Astoria fucking-something French and her tricks.

Draco may have been showing a calm exterior, but inside he was a mass of knots. The last thing. The very last thing Draco wanted was to lose Hermione. Not only was she his protection against Voldemort's nightmares, she had become his passion. He had fallen for Hermione. He had known it the fourth day after they had gotten together. He just hadn't admitted it to himself. Now that he wanted to own up to his feelings, fucking Ian the Irish had appeared.

Hermione had been so upset with him. He hadn't been able to do more than stay in the same room with her. She wouldn't talk to him and had glared at him quite a bit.

Hermione was going to the Leaky Cauldron that night as were all their friends. In addition, Ian would be there. Draco wanted to see this Ian, but decided he would not make a fuss unless Hermione let the tosser touch her. He and Hermione were dating. No other wizard should be touching her.

Draco was blustering. There really wasn't much he could do. He had been the one who had spouted off to Bart about Hermione not being his type and her not being one of the witches he would choose to have on his arm. Maybe that had been true initially, now all he wanted was to be sure Hermione remained by his side.

Draco realized if Hermione chose to become romantically involved with Ian there would be nothing he could do about it. He would not stay around and watch. He couldn't even fathom what it would be like to lie next to Hermione knowing she was shagging another wizard. He didn't think he would be able to do it. He couldn't force a witch to want him. He would just have to move on. When all was said and done, Hermione lying next to him could be a moot issue. She might not want to continue helping him. She might prefer lying next to Ian.

Draco tried to be positive. He focused on the memory specialists. Maybe one of the memory specialists would be able to help him. He'd have to find help somewhere if Hermione left him.

/*/

Draco had apparated into his flat and looked around. He had been spending so much time at Hermione's flat this didn't even seem like home anymore.

The floo lit up and a minute later Theo had come through. Draco was definitely sorry he had arranged this. The last thing Draco wanted to talk about today was Voldemort and the fun the maniac had trying to kill him and Theo.

Theo had looked around as though he thought there might be spies as he shook Draco's hand.

Draco invited Theo to have a seat and asked of he wanted some tea or coffee which Theo had declined.

He and Theo had made idle chit chat for a bit then Theo had gone right to it asking, "Do you remember our times in the dungeons?"

Draco tensed a bit but had replied, "Vividly."

Well. My recollections have left me unable to sleep normally. I have to make certain preparations before I can sleep.

Draco had asked, "How so?"

Theo had taken a deep breath and plunged in, "I can only sleep in very small places. Presently, my sleeping quarters are about the same size as a house elf's. Anything bigger and I can't close my eyes at all. I am able to live my life normally up to a certain point obviously." Theo had given a sarcastic laugh then kept talking, "My normal life ends at relationships, which do not exist for me anymore. After a witch and I have finished our business, there's no way I can explain to her why I need to sleep in the broom closet. Things are easy to manipulate in the beginning of the relationship, but down the line it becomes very hard to explain. One witch actually thought I had a paramour in another room because I would disappear from her during the night. I chose not to explain."

Draco had been amazed. He hadn't ever given a thought to what other things Voldemort might have inflicted. He had been too caught up in his own crisis.

He and Theo had remained silent for several minutes before Draco explained his situation. "Voldemort left me with additional baggage as well. He saw fit to implant false memories in my head. For years I thought I had sexually tortured a young witch. It is only recently I found out I never touched any witch in that dungeon. All my memories of her are false. The memories have wreaked havoc with my life. I haven't been able to properly shag a witch until recently."

Theo had raised his eyebrows at that revelation.

Draco hadn't seen the need to mention Hermione. He had told Theo about Bart and offered to call him on Theo's behalf. Theo had been skeptical at first, but Draco had talked him around.

It seemed as though a great weight had been lifted off both wizards. They talked for another thirty minutes before Theo stood to leave.

"Hang on a minute Theo. I'll call Bart."

Bart had made it mandatory that his magical clients get in touch with him using a mobile phone the same as muggle clients. Draco called Bart to see if he had room for a new client and Bart had been glad to take Theo on. They made an appointment for the coming Friday.

Draco had excused himself from Theo to speak with Bart privately.

Theo called out. "I have to go anyway Draco. Thanks for this. I hope Bart can help me."

Draco waved Theo goodbye and had gone back to his call. "Now we know my memories are false. Can you think of any other possible way for me to sleep without nightmares other than sleeping with Granger?"

Bart had responded in a surprised voice. "Can Miss Granger not hold on for a little bit longer?"

Feeling the fool, Draco had explained. "I made an error in judgment concerning another witch. I don't think Granger will cope with me in her bed for much longer. I believe a wizard has shown interest in her and she is thinking strongly of reciprocating."

Bart had strongly suggested. "Stay in Hermione's good books if you can. There isn't much else you can do to relieve the nightmares. Frankly Draco, I'm pretty disappointed you didn't take my advice into consideration. I was under the impression you engaged me for my opinions and my advice. Yet at a critical juncture you managed to disregard a very important suggestion. I believe now and will continue to believe Miss Granger to be a very magically powerful witch. I'll say this again. She has to be mighty powerful to block both the nightmares and the consummation problem. You say you've lost Miss Granger over a tryst. Were you successful?"

"No, Bart. I wasn't."

Bart had let out a big sigh. "Do you want to make another appointment or hold off until you've seen the healer?"

"I'll hold off on our next appointment until after I've seen the healers. Thanks for everything."

Bart had one more piece of information which Draco didn't know whether to take as support or criticism. "Seeing the way things have turned out, it's probably a good thing Miss Granger isn't a witch you would want on your arm or in your bed once you're cured."

Draco had ended the call feeling foolish.

/*/

Draco sat back down on the couch. He had been at a loss for what to do next. His arrogance had just about cost him Hermione. If he had any shot at getting things back right with her, he would have to make a clear statement and hope for the best. He had to speak with Hermione before she made any decisions regarding Ian the Irish.

Draco had dialed Hermione up and asked if he could take her out to lunch because he wanted to talk about the mistakes he made in hopes they could make it right.

Hermione had been agreeable to him taking her to lunch and agreed to meet him at 1:00 pm. Hermione wanted to try Juno's. Draco had heard about Juno's, but he had not been there. The establishment was in outer London and was owned and operated by witches, which sounded like an establishment right up Hermione's alley.

Draco had arrived at the restaurant fifteen minutes early. He wanted to try and settle his stomach. Draco Malfoy had butterflies in his stomach. He couldn't believe it himself. But they were there. In fact, if the butterflies got any worse, Draco felt he would have to go somewhere and vomit.

A member of the staff had come over to take his order. Draco had informed her, "I'll have a white tea for now but I'm waiting for my lunch date. Thank you." His tea had arrived, but he had barely gotten one sip down.

Hermione had been right on time. Draco had watched her as she walked to the door of the restaurant. She looked gorgeous. Her hair which had been in a bun when she left the flat that morning was now hanging long and curly down her back. Hermione had left her robes at work. She had on a muggle dress which had made Draco's eyes burn it looked so good on her. Draco was kicking himself for doing anything to endanger their relationship.

Hermione had smiled at him when she arrived at the table and Draco had stood up to kiss her on the cheek. Draco returned to his seat after making sure Hermione was seated.

Hermione had still been smiling which he had taken as a good sign. He asked, "Would you like a tea before you order lunch?" Hermione ordered a white tea as well. They had sat there in silence drinking the tea.

Finally Draco asked, "Have you made up your mind? Are we going our separate ways?"

Hermione remained silent looking into her tea cup before replying, "I'm on the fence Draco. In a small amount of time I have developed feelings for you. Unfortunately, I've developed feelings for a wizard who has been mostly celibate for the last seven years and who feels as though he has missed out on shagging everything in a dress. I'm not saying that to be petty. I'm not saying it in a cross way. I'm stating a fact. There's where we run into the problem. When I'm in a relationship, I believe there should only be one more person in that relationship with me. I don't want to have to tell my wizard to take a shower because he stinks of a witch's scent. I don't want my wizard to need a shower when he comes home to me."

Hermione had continued, "You have the right to pursue any witch who catches your interest. You just don't have the right to expect me to accept these things. Stop me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was you who said we were dating. That statement must have been meant to keep me in line because it certainly didn't apply to you. You went right out and got into a compromising situation. As insulting as that is, it is even more insulting you came to the flat in that state. You didn't even have the courtesy to clean yourself up.

"I'm me Draco and I always will be. I have given you things I've haven't given too many others. My trust and my body. You have violated both. We are at a crossroads and you need to make a choice. If you still need to explore the inside of every good looking pair of knickers out there, go do so with my blessings and we can go our separate ways. If you want to date me, you will only date me and you will only sleep with me. That's the way it is. I can make this even easier on you. Take some time to think about it. There is one sticking point. I'll be looking around as well."

Draco had asked her if he could speak and Hermione nodded.

They remained silent as the server brought their meal.

When the server left, Draco spoke. "You think I want to be with you because you are the only person who has the ability to fend off my nightmares. This was true in the beginning. I needed you, but I have come to realize not only do I need you, I want you as well. You have every right to be upset. I accept that. But I don't want you to leave me and I don't want you to date other people. We are a part of each other."

Hermione had brusquely interjected. "Let's keep this truthful Draco. I wasn't important enough to make you want to keep your dick in your pants. So don't sit there and tell me what I'm part of. Right now, I'm not part of anything. The wizard whom I thought was a part of me made a conscious choice to make our developing relationship a three way situation. Three way as far as I know. Truthfully, I feared this. It will probably only get worse when a healer sorts you out. So as I said before. Take your time, look around. Fuck anything and everything that strikes your fancy. You can come look for me when you've made your decision. We'll talk. As a point of reference, I wasn't enough for you when we were supposed to be dating. I can't possibly be enough for you now. I want someone who wants only me. Think about it."

Hermione stood up to leave.

"I was wrong," insisted Draco. "I know what I want. I want you Hermione."

Hermione had come back to stand in front of Draco as she replied to his statement. "You want me now Draco because I've made a choice which isn't you. If I hadn't taken a stand, where would we be? As far as helping you sleep, I can't do that right now. I don't want you in my bed. If you're coming by the Leaky Cauldron, I'll see you later. If not, I'll talk to you another time."

Hermione had left the restaurant without eating a bite.

Draco hadn't eaten anything either. He couldn't.

/*/

Draco had gone back to work, but it had been futile. He hadn't been able to concentrate on anything. Shortly after returning to work, Draco had let his Junior know he was leaving for the day.

Draco went home to sulk. He had still been sulking when his floo lit up and Theo stepped out.

Theo said, "I flooed back by earlier, but you had already gone. I was wondering if you wanted to get out for a while. How about we get Blaise and go out tonight?"

"Sounds fine. Let's check out The Leaky Cauldron. There are some things going on I'd like to see."

Theo had been all for it. "I'll meet you there for 9:30. You call Blaise. I'm not sure I can deal with his happy personality this early in the day. Tell him it's a boys night out and he doesn't have to travel with a posse."

They both had laughed. Draco had laughed doubly hard at Theo's use of the muggle word posse.

/*/

After Theo left, Draco had started to feel tired, but the last thing he wanted to do was fall asleep. He had to cast a refresh charm and a sleep no more charm on himself. The charms would only last for a couple of hours. Draco figured he could cast them again later on.

Draco had checked his owl messages. He had replies from three out of five of the healers he had contacted. Two had sounded promising. The healers had enclosed contact information which Draco had utilized straightaway sending owl posts to contact the two healers.

Within the next two hours, Draco had set appointments with the two healers. Things were looking promising. Draco tried to find things to keep himself busy because he didn't want to think about Hermione and he didn't want to fall asleep. A mantra ran through Draco's head. Do not fall asleep. Do not feel asleep. Do not fall asleep.

While taking a cold shower, Draco thought about Hermione. He thought about her lying spread eagle on their bed. He thought about how she threw her sex at him. He thought about how she looked when she was ready to cum. Draco Malfoy's tough outer shell cracked. He slid to the floor of the tub and laid there under the falling water. He had fucked up and Hermione was casting about for his replacement.

Draco finally pulled himself together and put on a navy blue muggle suit. He had dressed impeccably because he wanted Hermione to notice him.

/*/

Draco met Theo and Blaise outside the Leaky Cauldron at 9:30. The pub was crowded, but Draco spotted Hermione and friends immediately.

He, Theo and Blaise headed over to the table. After the initial friend to friend greetings, Seamus had introduced his cousin Ian. Draco had not been impressed, but he was the disgruntled suitor. There hadn't been any hope of impressing him.

Harry had steered Draco away from the group to fill him in. "I'm not trying to get into your business, but what happened between you and Hermione? It appears you and she are finished dating. Seamus' git cousin has been in her face since we walked in. Normally, I would mind my business, but I've known Hermione for a long time. She's hurt about something which makes her stubborn which makes her unpredictable."

Draco had stared across the room at Hermione. Then he had turned to look at Harry. "I fucked up Potter. I did something fucking stupid which hurt her. I know Hermione isn't usually like this, but with what I've done I'm afraid she will allow this Ian the Irish bloke into her bed because she is hurt and pissed off at me. I don't want that to happen."

Harry had stayed there for a few more minutes commiserating with Draco then had excused himself to check on some Ministry business.

Draco, Theo and Blaise sat at the bar with Draco sitting himself in a position where he could watch Hermione without being obvious.

Harry had been spot on. Ian was almost subtle, but he was trying for Hermione. Draco had watched the shite for about twenty minutes before getting up to approach Hermione.

Blaise had commented softly. "Draco mate. Be cool."

Draco had called back. "I'm trying mate. I'm trying."

Hermione had seen Draco coming and got up to meet him half way. She tried to chat as though nothing was wrong finally asking if he was alright.

"No Hermione I'm not alright. I made a mistake and it has pushed you away. I'm pretty fucking far from alright."

Their conversation must have been a little louder than they realized because Ian came over. He had put his arm around Hermione's waist and looked at Draco. "What's going on? Is there a problem?"

Draco had snarled at him. "You'll step back if you know what's good for you. I'm pretty sure I haven't invited you into this conversation."

Hermione had stepped away from Ian's grasp as she answered. "Everything is fine Ian. Will you excuse us please? Thank you."

By this time, Blaise, Theo and Harry, who had just come back to the bar were milling around behind Draco in case they had to stop him from cursing Ian the Irish into the future.

Draco looked Hermione in the face. "Is this the choice you've made? Some stranger putting his hands on you? What next Hermione?"

Hermione had replied with a snap. "I won't discuss this here Draco. But rest assured I won't return to my flat smelling of a man's scent."

Draco had recoiled at Hermione's words.

Harry had tapped Draco on the shoulder.

Draco had growled at his mate. "Not now Potter."

Harry had growled right back. "Yes Malfoy, now."

Draco had stepped back and turned towards Harry. "What is more important than me talking to Hermione? Spit it out Harry."

"I'll talk to you when you calm down a bit. Come over to the bar and have a drink." A furious Draco followed Harry, Blaise and Theo over to the bar.

Hermione went back to sit back down. In the mean time, Ian had asked Hermione to dance to a slow song which necessitated them dancing close.

Draco had his drink. He threw several galleons on the bar retorting. "I lose. The last fucking thing I fucking want is to sit here and watch Hermione laying on some bloke's dick. Goodnight."

Harry hurriedly asked Theo to go with Draco whispering lowly. "I know you're not his keeper. Just try to keep him from doing anything else stupid until we can fix this."

Theo had nodded. He didn't relish being with Draco when he was in a mood like this. Somebody might get hurt. Theo definitely didn't want it to be him, but he would do what Harry had asked. He would watch out for his mate.

Harry had worried unnecessarily because Draco had apparated directly home with Theo close on his heels. Theo sat on the couch while Draco paced the living room like a madman.

Then Draco had begun yelling. Theo knew Draco wasn't yelling at him. Draco was yelling at the situation. "I fucking fucked up. How could I have been that stupid? How could I have been so arrogant? Now I've walked out of the pub and left the witch I want with another wizard. I must be losing my mind."

Theo was fairly certain Draco would be ranting pretty much all night so he got up to get them both a drink. Theo had just poured the drinks when the floo lit up and out stepped Harry, Blaise, Seamus and Hermione.

Theo thought, this should be interesting as he hurried back to the living room with the entire bottle of fire whiskey.

Draco had stopped pacing to ask what was going on.

It was at that point Harry gave Seamus a nudge forward telling him to speak up. Seamus cleared his throat acting as though he didn't want to get too close to Draco.

Draco wasn't looking at Seamus. He was looking at Hermione. "What's going on Hermione?"

Harry had finally yelled at Seamus. "Speak the fuck up now Seamus."

Seamus had cleared his throat before speaking mustering his courage. "Ian is bonded to an Irish witch. He's on the road a lot with his band and has a tendency to act as if he's single. I'm not sure what's going on in his marriage, but his pattern is to pick up a witch then tell her he's thinking about relocating to be near her. He'll romance the witch for a couple of weeks. Then when it's time for the band to leave, he's gone without a word. I think Ian hasn't paid for a hotel room in years."

Draco had screamed at Seamus. "And you think this is funny why? Any wizard who does this is a bloody, fucking tosser who needs to be taught a lesson. You were going to sit by and let him do this to Hermione?"

Seamus had bristled but lost the grin immediately. "I didn't know Ian was after Hermione until tonight. Hermione is a friend of mine. Of course I wouldn't stand by and let him mess her about. Ian told me he would be staying with some barmaid. Hermione's name never came up."

Draco had gone over to kneel in front of Hermione. "Are you alright?"

Hermione looked at Draco then looked back down at her hands without saying a word.

Draco stood up. Looking around the room he thanked his mates for bringing Hermione home to him.

Before leaving, Harry took Draco aside for a word. "When I missed Hermione from the table I went looking for her. I found her and Ian in the backroom of the pub. He had silenced her and had her blouse and bra pulled up. I had to hex him off her."

For a moment, Draco had gone into an apoplectic rage which had only dissipated when Harry explained the entire situation. "I have taken Ian in for sexual malfeasance on a witch. He's in a holding cell at the Ministry. We can talk more about it at a later time. Just see about Hermione for now."

Draco had thanked Harry again then walked back over to Hermione telling the room in general he would like to speak to Hermione in private.

The other wizards bid Hermione good night and left through the floo.

/*/

After the others had gone, Draco reached out to take Hermione's hand but she had pulled back. Draco took his hand away thinking Hermione's feelings about him and Ian were probably too close to the surface for her to let anyone touch her.

"Can I get you anything? Do you want a drink or some water or something?"

Hermione had gazed at him before looking back down at her hands. They sat in silence for about ten minutes before Hermione spoke.

"I was so busy trying to get away from you, I ran directly to someone you'd never be. I'm not proud of this Draco. Tonight I made a conscious choice to push up on Ian. I went into the back room willingly. I made the wrong decision. I just want you to know that. I was so angry at the situation I made the same exact choice you had. The wrong choice. You told me you made a bad decision which I refused to believe was a mistake. I realize anyone can make a bad decision. I'm sorry."

Draco had softly replied. "I made a mistake. You made a mistake. We're magical, but we're still human. We both could have made better choices, but we didn't. So what do we do now?"

Hermione hadn't answered the question. As she was often inclined to do. She answered with a question. "What do you want when you are cured? Do you want to catch up on the things you've missed? I just need to know."

Draco had replied in earnest. "When you first began to keep the nightmares away, I was excited. I thought I would do some things I hadn't been able to do. However, after a few days with you I realized I want to be with you. We are a good fit. My decision making faltered when you pushed me away, but I want to be with you now and after I'm cured. It may be too soon for me to say any more than that. If you feel the same way, we can be together."

Hermione had reached out her hand and Draco had stepped up to take it. "I made a promise. I will help you through this. After that we will have to see how it goes."

Her answer had given him hope and he had murmured his answer. "I want to be near you. I want to feel you. Will you let me make love to you?"

"We can't Draco. It only makes things cloudy. I can keep you from nightmares, but that's all."

Draco had been disappointed, but he had brought this upon himself. Right now he'd have to be satisfied with sleeping in Hermione's arms. Hopefully, she would accept his attentions again once he showed her how he truly felt.

/*/

The nightmares had not appeared that night nor had there been any need for Draco to use the Lumos charm in the morning.

Things were a bit awkward between them that morning, but Draco had kissed Hermione on the cheek before he left for his firm. Hermione had flooed to her own flat to prepare for her day.

/*/

It had been another futile day at the firm. Hermione and healers were all Draco could think about. Draco had important clients and didn't want to overlook something important because he was in a fugue state. He again had to tell his Junior he would be leaving early.

Draco was looking forward to the first of his healer appointments. Things had become wearing on him and Hermione. They would go their separate ways during the day and at night they would sleep together. The nightmares were non existent, but he and Hermione were existing almost as strangers.

Hermione had gone out to tea with Michael Corner several times. It had torn Draco apart, but he didn't have a right to comment. Hermione was single.

He and Hermione had talked a couple of times. She had told him, "There's nothing between Michael and myself although Michael would like there to be."

Draco had been relieved. He didn't want Hermione to find someone else before he had a chance to prove himself.

/*/

The first of his healer appointments had been on a Tuesday. After telling the healer as much as he could without revealing what kind of ties he had to Voldemort, they had gotten started. The healer had Draco take a potion then he had him relax for thirty minutes. At the end of thirty minutes the healer had cast a charm to reveal any superfluous memories.

At the end of the appointment, the healer had only been able to confirm the presence of extra matter within Draco's mind. His process could not separate the excess from what should normally be there. The healer had given Draco the name of a Psychoseparation healer who worked exclusively with mind tampering.

When Draco contacted the specialist he had been surprised. John Nickles Psychoseparation Healer wanted Draco to come in as soon as possible. John had heard about Draco's case from the healer as well as from Bart and had been intrigued. John Nickles informed Draco that it had almost become child's play for him to find spots which were missing memories. This would be his first time working with a Voldemort survivor who had information implanted and melded with his true memories. However it had been done, John thought it a feat of genius to have placed one wizards memories into another wizards mind. John said he couldn't wait to meet the wizard who had existed for years with malevolent information in his head.

/*/

John wondered how Draco had coped all these years. He also thought Draco had to be one amazing wizard not to have died or at a minimum gone crazy. The specialist looked forward to the challenge.

/*/

Draco had been full of hope after speaking with the specialist. He had gone home to relax and had fallen asleep and immediately been pulled into the nightmare.

He was back on his project. Millicent was waiting for him. She was naked and calling to him. His aunt Bellatrix had been in the background cackling and threatening, but there was a difference in this nightmare. He couldn't move. He could not reach Millicent.

Millicent looked at Draco with those begging, pleading, crying eyes and Bellatrix had sent a Crucio at Millicent for each step Draco could not take. Millicent was screaming because of the Crucio and Bellatrix was screaming at Draco, "Your little project will die if you don't do your job."

Millicent had her hands held out to him begging, "Come take me. I don't want to be cursed," but Draco still hadn't been able to move.

Suddenly it had all disappeared. Draco was in Hermione's arms.

Hermione had kept the nightmares away, but she hadn't ever seen Draco in the midst of one. She was trembling. Draco had tried to jump up but Hermione had him held fast. She was crying and holding him.

When Draco realized it was Hermione holding him, he had grabbed onto her and pushed his face into her hair. He and Hermione had held onto each other for dear life.

Hermione had whispered, "I saw it Draco. When I grabbed you I was drawn right into it. I saw Bellatrix and I saw the girl. I was there. All I did was pull you out."

Draco had placed his head in Hermione's lap while she stroked his hair. As Draco relaxed, he and Hermione had begun to talk. They didn't talk about what had happened in the recent past. The nightmare had shaken them both into clarity and they had talked forward. They had spoken about love and trust. Each wanting to be with the other. They wanted to be together.

Draco asked Hermione, "Will you give me a chance to prove myself? Will you consent to stay with me and be my witch?"

Hermione revealed, "You know me Draco. Initially I will question things. It will not mean I regret my decision, it will be part of rebuilding our trust and I would like nothing more than to be your witch Draco."

Hermione and Draco were moving forward as a couple. Draco was glad he could hold Hermione as a lover. He could touch her face. He could kiss her mouth. She would be his rock as he worked to get his mind sorted. Perhaps Hermione would even be the way his mind finally got sorted. Whatever was to be done, he and Hermione would do it together.

Draco had wrapped his arms around his witch and cheeked, "Thank you for saving me. I'd like to repay you with a shag."

Hermione had laughed as she replied, "You cheapskate. Just one? I'd have thought a rescue would be worth at least two shags."

Draco had moved to touch his witch as he quipped. "My offer has no limits. I just didn't want to scare you."

As Draco put his mouth on her breast, Hermione had cheeked, "Hermione Granger doesn't scare that easily."

End Notes:

I had figured this to be a three chapter story. However, I couldn't tie it up in three. It will probably be four chapters. Thanks for reading.