This chapter will not begin with Draco waking up -for he has already woken up, talked to his so-called-dead father, and managed to break up the most promising couples of his generation. Now he was sitting at the kitchen table with Blaise, sipping a delectably strong coffee that he wasn't in the mood for, and reading a paper which was two days old. Hermione had gone to take a shower, and Ron had left fully clothed to his mum's house. Draco hoped his luck stayed much like this for the remainder of the day.
"So," Blaise said, taking a sip of his coffee, "I... I've got my full memory back."
Draco spit out his coffee and it sprayed clear across the table.
"You sodding wha-? When were you going to tell-"
"Calm down, calm down. Whatever spell Granger did, it was only temporary. But it did effect my mark. I haven't had one calling from Lucius all week -I think its a sign. Maybe somehow she managed to cancel his mark out."
Draco resumed his position at the bar, looking slowly to Blaise as he took another gulp of coffee. Merlin, he hated the stuff, but it was mighty worth it to wake him up. "So... you're not going to turn on us any time soon..."
"No." Blaise shook his head. "I actually want to be on your side. If I do recall, I've been under an unforgivable curse for over a year now. I think that's the reason I married Pansy..." Blaise scratched his chin. "I think that's the only reason... never really did love that wench."
"Good," Draco nodded, "Because she's dead."
"She's sodding what???" Blaise turned white -and since Blaise was a tall black man, that had to be a sight to see for Draco.
"Lucius killed her to teach me a lesson, I think." Draco tried to remember. "It was rather sad." Then he took a big sip of coffee. "Do we have any cream?"
"He killed her?" Blaise looked as if he were about to pass out. "Are you sure?"
"She fell over after a big green light shot through her body -yep, I'm pretty sure." He then cleared his throat. "You know, I really don't think I can drink this coffee without cream..."
"Draco! My wife is dead and all you can talk about is cream??"
"Well... she was a wench... and cream does taste good in coffee... and coffee is good... coffee's not a wench..." Draco tried to make some sense -and I suppose for Blaise, the explanation fit perfectly, because all he could say was,
"Well, I suppose you're right."
The conversation ended.
--
It was Hermione's turn to take a shower. In the small bathroom of The Willow, all she could hear was the running water of the shower head and her heart beating. Unsure if she liked the idea of breaking up with Ron or not, she stared at herself in the mirror. What had she become? A side squeeze for Draco Malfoy and an unfit girlfriend? What had happened to her perfect record? She didn't like to blame others for her mistakes but... if Harry hadn't dissaperared... she wondered if things would have been different. Certainly they wouldn't be chasing Lucius Malfoy over the country... and Draco might still have his powers... and Ron and her would still be together... or would they? For some reason, she just couldn't see herself with Ronald anymore.
But could she honestly see herself with Draco?
Yes. No. What was she thinking? Yes. No. No! No! No! Yes...
As she was about to climb in the shower, something caught her eye on the corner of the door... She gave a small sigh. "How could I forget..?" She traced the heart with her finger. "I remember that day just as clear as you do."
--
"Blaise... if you... you made a deal with the devil... and it cost you your soul -but you got everything you've always wanted... would you do it?" Draco questioned randomly.
"I'm not sure," Blaise cocked an eyebrow, "Why?"
"Just wondering..." Draco reached his hand out and the creamer floated from the kitchen cupboards over to his palm.
"Right." Blaise said slowly. "Sure you are. --Well, I'd find a loophole." He said this peculiarly.
"Well... what if there was a loophole... but it was impossible to achieve in two days?"
"Draco, we're not talking about a deal with the devil, are we." Blaise sighed.
"Might as well be," Draco grumbled. "Goddammit, Blaise, how am I supposed to find Potter?"
"Honestly, Draco? I don't know. I heard that Potter died somewhere in the mountains years ago." He then leaned in close. "But if you want your loophole, here it is. --Lucius has been savaging the ruins of Hogwarts for some months now -but the trolls have infested the area. Killed half of our decent men -and Lucius refuses to make nice with Trolls. --I think Potter's somewhere with them. But that's just me."
"Potter wouldn't associate himself with trolls -I don't care how idiotic he is." Draco scoffed at the idea. "I don't know... I always assumed Potter was dead- never occurred to me he might be gallivanting around Europe like a hitchhiker."
Suddenly a thunderous sound escaped from the fireplace and Ginny Weasley stood standing there, covered in dust and smoke. She coughed a bit, brushed off her robes, and looked to Malfoy and Blaise. "I haven't traveled by floo in so long, I'd almost forgotten..."
"Its a trip." Draco smirked. He really didn't pay Ginny that much mind. Over the past year, Ginny had come to stay with Ron, Draco, and Hermione quite frequently and often without notice. Several years ago, Draco recalled saving Ginny in the heat of battle during the final war. Though he would never admit to it, he rather enjoyed the little brat. Nobody knew of his kindness -but he didn't turn Hermione in way back when, now did he? When the Death Eaters were searching so long and hard -did he turn her in? --People had been wrong about him from the get-go! But no use in worrying about it all. But all in all, the battle had scarred Ginny emotionally. She never would lift a wand to protect herself.
"Hermione here?"
"In the shower," Draco replied. He glanced over to Blaise, who looked as if he had the stomach beaten out of him. Blaise gave a feeble wave towards Ginny, who gave a smile and strolled up the staircase. "Smooth, Blaise."
"Is that really Weasley's younger sis?" Blaise nudged to the staircase Ginny had recently occupied.
"The very same," Draco nodded. "She took Potter's disappearance hard." He gave Blaise a look as if to say 'be careful who you fuck around with.'
Suddenly someone's footsteps were heard strolling down the staircase. Draco could tell Blaise had hoped it was Ginny, because he stood up quickly, slicking his hair back slightly. Much to Blaise's disappointment (and Draco's joy), it was Hermione who joined them dressed only in a towel. She took a comfortable seat next to Draco and with a much fonder tone, she said, "Ginny is taking Ron--- MY room tonight until we get Seamus's room cleaned out." Draco recalled having to clean out a room splattered with pieces of Seamus on the walls. Needless to say, it was a fun time for Lucius. "So I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight."
"Why do you feel the need to tell us?" Blaise questioned.
"Because," Hermione stated, almost as if she didn't know how to answer that question, "I just don't want questions later. Ginny's going to be staying with us a while, alright?"
"You can stay with me," Draco said, finishing up his coffee.
"Excuse me?" Hermione coughed.
"I'd feel better if you did," Draco smirked.
"Well quite honestly I don't care what you want," Hermione spoke in an almost sneering tone.
"... Draco made a deal with someone and that's how he got his powers back!" Blaise raised an accusing finger towards Draco. Draco sat in shock, feeling very betrayed that his best friend would rat him out when he hadn't even given him full details. "Okay, I feel much better. Coffee anyone?" He offered the pot of coffee sitting on the table to the other two, in which they rejected it almost immediately. Draco felt ashamed and baffled, but most of all he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. True, he hadn't told Blaise about Lucius's deal, but he had given him enough details to make it very obvious... Would that come back to bite him in the ass later?
"You what!" Hermione shouted suddenly, making the entire room vibrate.
"I'm not at liberty to discuss it." Draco said, stiffening his chin. In all honestness, he wasn't really ALLOWED to discuss it, but he still felt the need to act as if he were still in control.
"You know, I knew that you were up to something, but to make a deal with Lucius..." Hermione groaned.
"I never said it was Lucius!" Draco suddenly felt his palm fizz with a burning pain.
"That right there tells me it was, Draco!" Hermione slammed her hands down on the table. "I can't believe you. I... I dumped Ron... and here you are tampering with Dark Magic."
"Hermione I-" As quickly as he started to say the words, the escaped him, and he felt the fizzing of his palm turn into a hissing, burning, bubbling feeling that made it seem as if his hand were about to rot off. He looked down at the Malfoy Mark to find it glowing bright green and sizzling.
"He can't talk about it, Granger, otherwise he would have told us." Blaise said as-a-matter-of-factly. "That's part of the Malfoy curse. When Lucius doesn't want you to speak-"
"And how would you know?" Hermione jeered with a sudden realization. "Oh my God. You've got your memory back!" She began to draw her wand-
"No, Granger -look -its not what it seems like!"
"L:listen to the man, Hermione!" Draco winced in pain. "He's on our side. I know you're going through a nervous breakdown right now, but please! Contain yourself!" The room was spinning through Draco's eyes. Hermione looked puzzled, tears welling up in her eyes. As fast as the wand had been drawn, it was concealed back inside of her pockets. "Thank you." Draco and Hermione stared at one another in silence as his hand began to shake from the pain. His secret was out -whether he had told it or not, and he was sure Lucius was more than upset. Boils began to form on his palm from the tip of his finger tips to the very edge of his palms. "MERLINS SAGGING LEFT-"
Ginny came whizzing down the staircase.
"Is everything alright?" She asked.
"Its fine." Draco seethed through tears that were now trickling down his face. Now he was ashamed more than ever.
"Tell me what's going on." Hermione met eyes with Draco, concerned and angry.
"Allow me," Blaise spoke, standing up from his seat at the table as to look more dapper for the fair-headed Ginny. "Might I, Draco?"
"Suck it, Blaise." Draco closed his eyes as hot water poured down the contours of his cheeks.
"From what I could gather, Draco made a deal with Lucius for some odd reason, and he got his powers back. What he exchanged for his powers is beyond me, but apparently Lucius has him under some sort of curse that doesn't allow him to talk of it. -And he was mumbling something about finding Potter... something about a loophole... am I getting most of it, Draco?"
"FUCK ME UP THE ASS THIS HURTS!"
"I'll take that as a yes." Blaise concluded, sitting down in his previous position at the table. He gave a smile and wink towards Ginny, who looked very unimpressed.
"You made a deal with Lucius for something...?" Hermione ignored the fact that Draco was wriggling around in pain. "Hold on-You told me Pansy gave you that cut on your hand."
"Again," Blaise butted in, "All part of Lucius's spell. Its not really a cut, and Draco can't REALLY tell you what happened, and me talking of this is really probably what's making that invisible mark burn the way it is. See, when a Malfoy Mark--"
Draco grabbed Blaise by the scuff of the collar and choked out, "Blaise you better sodding well shut your fucking trap before I shut it for you, then!"
"...Um... Yessir." Blaise looked rather taken aback.
"And Pansy's dead," Draco coughed out, feeling the pain subside a small bit. "So yeah, I did lie." He tried to reason with Hermione, who was looking more perturbed by the minute. "Look, I wanted to tell you, but... Ah! - It would have- ough - probably gotten you killed." His eyes were pleading. "Please, Granger... help me..."
Hermione stared at him, before giving out a huge sigh. "Blaise, I need you to tell me everything you know about the Malfoy Mark. -And we're going to have to figure out what deal you made with Lucius." She added the last bit to Draco. "What a great day this is turning out to be."