Strange Dreams Lead To Erased Memories
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
A/N: PLEASE READ A/N AT THE BOTTOM.
Chapter 10: Letters
Draco stared at J.J. "How did you-"
"Know?" he finished. Draco nodded. "Well, almost every witch or wizard knows the Malfoy name," he exaggerated with a smile. Draco gave a very weak smile, but a smile nonetheless. J.J. saw Draco's drying face and his smile faltered.
"Got drafted too, I suppose?" he asked Draco. Draco nodded.
"You did too?"
"Yeah, but from the looks of it," he gestured to Draco's face, "you're one of the ones that had to leave a family behind." Draco nodded.
"A boy, girl, and a beautiful wife." Draco's face went blank and sort of spacey. J.J. nodded numbly.
"I'd hate to be in your spot," he said.
"Not leaving anyone behind?" Draco asked curiously.
"No, I don't have any family. I may have some friends that I'm going to miss dearly, but I have no girl or kids."
Draco nodded, showing he comprehended. "Trust me, you should be glad."
J.J. shook his head in 'yeah right' way. "Oh yeah. I just love going to an empty home every night, and eating and sitting alone makes me feel good too," he said sarcastically. Draco thought for a moment.
"That's true. I would hate not having my wife or kids with me," he paused, "scratch that, I hate not having my wife or kids with me NOW." J.J. nodded.
"Maybe we'll get put into the same unit," he said thoughtfully.
"Hmm, maybe."
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"Nina, Justin!" Hermione called up the stairs. Some of the tension in the house had calmed down, except for Blaise and Justin. Hermione had no idea what they said to each other, but Blaise would stare at Justin for a minute, as if trying to contemplate him, and Justin would stare back with a blank expression.
"Yeah, Mum?" Nina asked quietly as she walked down the stairs, Justin behind her. Hermione watched them shuffle towards her.
"We're going to stay the night again, is that alright with you guys?" They nodded. "Okay, then we'll go get some things for the night tonight," she said and walked towards the fireplace. Nina and Justin followed suit.
They flooed home and Nina, Justin, and Hermione separated to collect their things for another night at the Zabini's. Nina and Justin went to their room, not talking. They hadn't really spoken all day, until upon entering their room and looking for things they would need.
"Hey Nina, look at this," said Justin, pointing at the letters on their beds, which now had fallen under the pillows.
"We both got one," she said while walking over to her bed. Justin did the same. Nina opened hers first. It read in delicate handwriting:
Nina,
Hey, how are you holdin' up? My guess is not very well, for I will be giving you and Justin these letters before I leave, but you, my guess is, hadn't seen them until after I left.
Okay, I'm going to make this short and sweet because this isn't easy for me to write. I love you. You know that. I don't know why I was chosen out of a very huge crowd, but I was, and we can't change that.
No matter what happens to me, I want you to know that I love you, your mum, and Justin. You guys are my world, my everything. I would go to the end of the world for you guys, and it feels like I'm doing just that.
I can't put all my feelings down in this letter, or on paper in general, so I hope you get the idea how I'm feeling about this. I love you.
Love Forever and Always,
Dad
P.S. Keep your hopes up, your heart strong, your legs standing tall, and I will return.
Nina reread the letter several times before she nearly memorized it. Tears were strolling down her face once more. She neatly folded the letter up and put it back in the envelope, and put it in her bag of things to take to the Zabini's house.
She looked up to see Justin still reading his. She wasn't sure if he was rereading his or still reading it for the first time. Her guess was that he was rereading it just as she had. She quietly waited for him to finish, and watched his face for any indication to what his letter said. The only reaction she got was more tears tumbling down his face too.
Justin,
We both know you're very mad right now. It may not be directed at me, but I know you are. One reason I wanted to write you a letter was to warn you. You are more and more like me everyday, I notice it all the time. Even with your mother's soft features you manage to keep your face blank, your emotions hidden. I know that may not be controllable on your part, but what you can control is your actions toward your family. When I was your age, I blocked out my family and friends. I pushed them away; I thought that I didn't need them, but I really did, and I don't want you to push your family and friends away…meaning me, your mother, your sister, and your aunts and uncles. Please Justin, don't push them away. I love you so much, and it would break your heart, along with your mother's and mine, very slowly and painfully; trust me, I know from experience.
Okay, I have to secretly write your mother a letter :wink, wink: she knows about my letters to you and your sister, but she doesn't know I'm going to write one to her. So, I have to go, I love you.
Love,
Dad
P.S. Same thing I told your sister: Keep your hopes up, your heart strong, your legs standing tall, and I will return.
Nina had been right. Justin read through his letter a few times before looking away, just as she had. They looked at each other for a moment, silently agreeing to tell one another later about the other's letter. Right now, they continued packing, not knowing their mother had surprisingly found a letter hidden secretly in the folds of her favorite shirt.
Hermione smiled to herself as she read the front of the envelope that had fallen out of her shirt when she took if off the hanger. You know me too well she thought to herself.
To: Hermione, my loving wife, my best friend, and my soulmate
From: Draco, a loving father, sexy husband (you know its true), and your soulmate
(I know you love this shirt, so I figured this would be a good hiding place)
She opened her letter slowly and carefully, neatly folding it back up, just as her kids had done. Tears were threatening to fall down her eyes before she even started reading. She knew exactly what he was going to say, or at least mention in his letter: death.
Hermione,
I know you know what I'm going to say, you always do (Hermione rolled her eyes, but gave a small smile). I want you to know that you have my heart. I love you so much, more than you may ever know. I don't want to live without you, ever. I don't want to be in America, I don't want to be in war, and I don't want to BE without you. But for now I have to. I wish I didn't have to, but that's not my choice now. I need you to be strong for our kids, our relatives… for me. I know you're very afraid to lose me, and I you, but I PROMISE I will come to you, Nina, and Justin.
And I told Nina and Justin your favorite saying; "Keep your hopes up, your heart strong, your legs standing tall, and I will return." I think it helped them, but think about it, and it might help you too. Please listen to me. I. LOVE. YOU. Take advantage of my love and keep it in your heart no matter what happens.
With all the love of my heart and soul,
Draco
P.S. Tell Sarah and Joseph that I said good-bye and let them know I'll miss them very much. Thx.
The tears in Hermione's eyes no longer threatened to come out; they were making their way down her face. She smiled sadly as she put away her letter and continued packing her things, wondering when Draco's first letter would come, and knowing exactly how much he loved her because she loved him just as much.
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PLEASE READ: I'm sorry I haven't updated for a while. I was going to update this weekend, but my mom died Saturday morning. I now live at my brother's house and have no Internet at the moment so I don't know when this chapter is going to be up.
Also, I hear some of you guys that read my story have family members that have gone off to war. I'm deeply sorry, I feel your pain. I don't have a family member who went to war, but I do know what it's like to give a loving relative away. It's painful and hard to get through. Feel free to email me or write stuff in your review if you need some support, advice, or just someone to talk to. I'm here always for my reviewers and friends.
K