Hello, Lovelies! Sorry, it took a month to update, writer's block hit me hard!
I hope you all enjoy
Thanks to my Beta/Alpha support team, without you two I would be lost! *heart hands*
I only own my imagination
The following morning was awkward, to say the least. Draco kept glancing at Hermione's scar on her neck, while Blaise was making sure they never got near each other. Camilla and Liam watched the kids, hurrying them along to the car so they could leave.
"Why can't we just apparate there, mum? We already shrunk all of our luggage," Blaise whined when he was forced to sit between Draco and Hermione. The tension was thick but Blaise still had no idea if either of them knew the truth.
Hermione looked out the window, watching as the scenery went by. Her scar began to itch as she thought of the castle. It might have been fixed, but there were some memories that were going to haunt her forever. She started tapping her foot as images of the war filled her mind.
Blaise reached over and grabbed her hand, sensing an anxiety attack coming. "Herms, it's okay to be nervous. I will be here with you, no need to panic." Brown eyes stared into honey eyes as her nerves calmed down. He had sworn to protect his sister, even from herself.
They arrived at King's Cross with less than thirty minutes to spare. Hermione and Blaise hugged their parents before entering the barrier. Draco entered behind the twins, all while he observed Hermione.
"Blaise, I will meet you in the compartment later. I have to meet with the Head Girl and headmistress." Draco looked bored and shifted his bag into the other hand.
"Oh, the Head Girl, who could that be?" Blaise smirked as Draco glared at him.
"Say a word more and I will kill you. Not today, Blaise, not today." He crossed his arms as they stared at each other.
Hermione cleared her throat. "Blaise, where can I sit?" She noticed Draco looking worried before he changed his expression and pretended he hadn't hear them. Had he figured out who she was? That would be bad.
Rolling his eyes, Blaise laughed. "With me, of course! Well, Pansy, Daphne, Theo, Draco, and me. That is, if you want." He suddenly noticed they were alone and looked around. "Where did Draco go?"
"He was just here, I do have to go meet with him…" She looked nervously around to try spotting him. After a few minutes, Hermione saw him board the train and sighed, relieved.
"You do realise in about five minutes he will know the truth, don't you?" Blaise walked with Hermione toward the train, just as the whistle blew to alert to its departure.
They boarded the train before Hermione responded to him. "I'm not ready but I have no choice in the matter."
Blaise looked past her and saw Pansy walking toward them. He laughed when she glared at him and hit his arm. "Well, hello to you too, Pans."
"Thanks for telling me my cousin came back! Mum told me before we left this morning." Pansy looked over to Hermione and grinned, sticking her hand out. "Herms! I missed you so much."
Hermione looked panicked for a minute, but something seemed to click a moment later, because she slid her palm over Pansy's hand before pulling back. Tapping fingertips with her, the two fist-bumped.
Watching them with amusement, Blaise chuckled. "I see you remember your special handshake. Tell her, sis, she will handle it better from you."
"I will handle what better?" Pansy raised her eyebrow at Blaise and looked back at Hermione.
"Well, this will be hard to say." Glaring at her brother, Hermione wrung her hands, slightly nervous. "I'm not who you think I am… I will explain when I meet you all later." She hurried off toward the compartment to meet with Draco and Professor McGonagall.
Pansy watched as she ran off and rounded on Blaise. "What is going on? You better tell me, or else."
Blaise thought hard for a moment before sighing. Here was another person who would be pissed at him. "It's not my story to tell, just know that she was never really in France." He tried to walk past Pansy but she grabbed his elbow. "Not here, Pans, let's get to the compartment where no one will hear us."
They found an empty compartment toward the end of the train and sat down, closing the door. "Where is Daph? I want to tell you two together." Blaise ran a hand over the back of his neck, worried.
"I will get her, you leave this compartment and I will find you." She narrowed her eyes at him before leaving to find Daphne. What were those Zabini twins hiding?
Hermione slowly approached the compartment door before taking a deep breath. It was time to do it, no one had to know she remembered Draco yet. "Hello, Professor."
"Ah there you are, Ms Zabini, I was surprised Mr Malfoy came here before you." Professor McGonagall smiled at her before motioning for Hermione to have a seat. "Let's discuss what tasks need to be completed before the sorting ceremony. I trust you both remember your duties when you were prefects."
Draco froze before looking at Hermione. "What do you mean both of us? She's been in France, Blaise told me…" He watched as Hermione rubbed her neck and looked unsure. One thing he knew, Blaise was going to going to get it when he got back to the compartment.
"Ms Zabini is Ms Granger's real name," McGonagall explained, as if she had not just delivered huge news. "Now if we can get back to the meeting-"
Draco zoned out as McGonagall went on with what they had to do. His heart rate sped up as the images of their childhood ran through his head. He couldn't look at her, knowing the truth stung too much to handle. Draco's first crush, girlfriend, love, was the girl he helped bully for years. He wanted to beat himself up knowing Hermione hated him. A hand went to his cheek, the one she punched in third year. Draco's heart belonged to a girl he could never touch and one that hated him. Sweat formed on his forehead as he looked in her direction, her eyes caught his briefly before he looked away again. She didn't remember the past and was messing with him in the hallway last night. He still loved her, and now understood why he had developed feelings for Granger: they were the same person. Draco heard his name being called and looked at them.
Hermione rolled her eyes while McGonagall looked disappointed in him. "I said, do you understand, Mr Malfoy?"
"Yes, Professor. I don't feel good, I need to go to the loo." Draco ran out of the compartment and stopped when he reached his destination. Opening the door, he went inside and slammed the door shut. Why had he been lied to? He would have protected Hermione if he had known.
Hermione left the compartment a few minutes after Draco. She worried about how Malfoy was feeling and hated that she was the cause of it. If only the past memories could stay in the past. Walking through the train, she looked for Blaise. Of course, he was in the last compartment.
The compartment door opened and Hermione stuck her head in sheepishly. "Can I sit here?"
Pansy stood up and pulled her into the room, grinning. "So, Granger, how was your meeting?"
"Pans, I warned you." Blaise looked annoyed as Hermione sat next to him. "Go sit next to Pansy, Daphne is coming back any minute."
"And I told you I would apologise to her once she came back." Pansy sneered at him as she pushed her way in-between the two of them, causing Blaise to move to the other side.
Hermione laughed as her brother glared at the both of them. "I remember you, Pans, I remember almost everything. If you want to apologise, I expect weeks of grovelling and maybe some chocolate." She grinned as Pansy rolled her eyes.
Pansy looked seriously at Hermione. "Your idiot brother told me everything, I may curse him in his sleep for it. You do really forgive me though, right?"
"Of course I do, but I do expect grovelling and chocolate still." She smirked before hearing the door slide open. Daphne Greengrass walked in and pulled her into a tight hug. "Hey, Daph, did you miss me?"
"Well, I threatened to break up with Blaise if he lied to me again. I missed you very much!" Daphne grinned before sitting next to Blaise and kissing him. "I saw Draco coming this way, did I miss him?"
Hermione choked on her saliva but swallowed quickly. "He left the Head Student meeting saying he felt ill." She put on a confused look and shrugged. "I don't know why he looked so upset when he came in the compartment."
The three other occupants looked at each other worriedly. Blaise had told them Hermione didn't remember her past with Draco, and had warned them not to say anything about it. "Maybe it was the shock of who you really are. We never told him you were Hermione Granger, remember?"
"Well, he knows now…" Hermione trailed off as a memory came to the front of her mind.
"Draco! Dray!" Hermione looked around the huge yard. She had to make sure he was okay. "Where did you run off to?"
She heard someone sniffling in the bushes and pouted; Hermione hated when Draco was sad. "Can I come in?"
A small sigh was heard before the bush opened up. She crawled into the opening and saw a red-faced, puffy-eyed, blond-haired boy avoiding her gaze. "Come to laugh?" Draco sneered before turning his back to her.
"No, I brought you a chocolate frog. Blaise told me what happened." Hermione scooted closer and nudged Draco in the shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Does this look okay?" Draco turned his face so she could see the giant bruise forming on his cheek. "All because I disagreed with father." His gaze shifted toward the ground as her eyes teared up. "Just leave me alone, Mi."
She brought her hand up to his cheek and ran a finger along the forming bruise. "I like you a lot, Dray, I'm staying. Eat your chocolate frog. I took my mum's wand. I was looking up spells so I would be ready for school next year. There is one that heals. It might help."
He took the frog and opened it before taking a bite. "It doesn't hurt, only my pride does. I didn't want you to see my face, it makes me look weak." Draco looked up at Hermione and smiled half-heartedly.
"You aren't weak, you are my boyfriend." She grinned before kissing his discoloured cheek. Pulling out a wand, she smirked and twirled it, whispering into his cheek.
Hermione shook her head when Blaise said her name, images of stormy grey eyes lingering in her mind. "Sorry, was just thinking about what McGonagall said to us."
Would the lies never end?
Hours went by before they arrived at Hogwarts. Hermione tried and failed to find Draco as they all exited the train. He hadn't been seen since he had left the meeting and as much as she hated it, Hermione was concerned.
"I will talk to him when we get into the Great Hall, I'm sure he's not mad at you." Blaise walked up behind her as they entered the main doors. He could sense her worry and wondered if she would remember that part of her past soon.
"I'm not worried about him," she lied as they waited in the hall. "I'm just worried about how everyone is going to react to this change. At least my friends are supportive."
Blaise chuckled before walking into the Great Hall with her. "No one will care, you will always be Hermione Granger to them. The know-it-all pain in the arse we all have come to adore." He grinned before pushing her toward her table and walking over to his.
Hermione huffed as Blaise walked away, he was such a prat at times. As she approached the Gryffindor table to sit with Ginny, her eyes drifted to the Slytherin one. Blaise now sat with Pansy and a sneering Draco, both of them trying to get Draco to talk.
"Mione, come sit, I missed you on the train," Ginny greeted Hermione, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Ron told me about your glamour charm. You look beautiful."
"Thanks, Gin, I love how my curls are tamed more the most." Hermione sat down and chatted with her friends about their summers. Soon the double doors opened and the first years were brought in. They looked around in amazement as they took in the Great Hall.
When Professor McGonagall walked to the front of the staff table, everyone quieted down. "Welcome students, to a new year of school at Hogwarts. Before we start the sorting and our feast, I want to introduce your new Head Boy and Girl, Draco Malfoy of Slytherin and Hermione Zabini of Gryffindor."
There was a murmur of confusion that went around the hall before she started talking again. People craned their necks trying to get a glimpse of Hermione. She tried to avoid the staring by hiding behind Ginny a bit. This had been her worst fear, how others would react to her newfound status as a Zabini and Pureblood.
"Ms Zabini and Mr Malfoy will be treated with respect. As for the returning eighth years, will all of you please wait behind after the feast to get your dorm directions." McGonagall took a breath before continuing. "First years, line up and wait for your name to be called before coming to the chair and placing the sorting hat on your head." She opened a scroll and started to read off the names. Each student approached the chair with caution as an old, dusty hat was placed on their head.
The names of the students seemed to miss Hermione's ears as she snuck glances at Draco. He was sneering at Blaise. She snickered when Blaise said something and Draco blushed. Making a mental note to find out if Draco was okay later, she turned back towards the staff table, hoping no one noticed her staring.
"Please welcome all the new first years. This year we will be doing a few things differently, considering the events of last year. We will have a therapist in the hospital wing should anyone have any problems with regards to the war and memories of loved ones. Also, there may be resorting for the higher up years if enough students have trouble adjusting this year." McGonagall looked at the students and smiled sweetly as the food appeared on the tables.
Hermione slowly filled her plate, her mind elsewhere as she furrowed her eyebrows. If they did a resort this year, would she stay in the same house? Would Draco be hard to live with? No, it's Malfoy, she scolded herself mentally. It was getting harder to push those feelings away and it was upsetting her. Ron was her boyfriend, Malfoy was a git that had treated her like shit for years.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Ginny waved her hand in front of her friend's face, concern on her features. "You look like you're about to cry."
"What? Oh, I'm fine, just thinking about something. Having these new memories in my head are sometimes hard to deal with." Hermione left it at that as she started to eat, no one could know she remembered Dra… Malfoy. Not until she was ready to face the memories and admit the truth to him and to Blaise.
Once the feast was over, the prefects were told to take their houses to their common rooms. All except the eighth years, as they had a special common room. McGonagall had the students sit at the same table and smiled lovingly at them. "I know this year will be hardest on you all. I will show you to your common room; hopefully, this will make it easier for you to adjust to everything that happened."
She looked over to Draco and Hermione, with a serious look. "You two will have a special hall off of the common area. I expect everyone to put their pasts behind them and show how all the houses can get along."
Draco avoided looking toward Hermione, but nodded in agreement. He had decided he was just going to avoid her as much as he could. If Hermione didn't remember him from their childhood, he would pretend he didn't either. If you were quiet enough, you could have heard his heart breaking at that thought.
