The Curse of Love

Summary: Sequel to Destined to Love. Draco is back, but there's a problem. The curse of Love is about to take place, will Hermione and Draco be safe? Will their love win out? Or will they lose everything, including their unborn child?

Starring: Draco/Hermione (well…yea…), Harry/Ginny, Ron/Luna, Blaise/Lavender (eventual)

A/N: Thank you Jane! My lovely beta!

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Chapter 10:

The Tale of the Desert, Door and the Angelic Voice

Draco nodded, "I…I want to tell you something."

"Yeah?" Hermione waited.

"I want to tell you what happened when I disappeared, where I was," Draco whispered, his voice low.

Hermione's eyes widened, "I'm listening Draco."

The way she said his name was so familiar to him. He stood up. He wasn't a talker. This was not easy for him and it would never be easy talking about this memory. He wondered how he could remember this and not anything else but he knew the answer. Voldemort.

"It was a desert," Draco stood by the second window in the room, staring out into the darkness. "Just a desert. It didn't even seem odd at first. I thought I was lost. Walked around a bit. There was nothing there. Not until night."

Hermione watched him, his hand as shaking slightly, his eyes had narrowed and he looked petrified as if he was there again, "Draco, if you can't talk about it…"

"No, I need to," Draco replied.

"Ok," Hermione whispered.

"At night…it wasn't normal how night came. It just went dark. No sunset, no red or orange clouds, just darkness. That's when…you look up and…all you see are ghosts, not even ghosts……souls, ghouls, screaming, reliving their death and you can feel their pain. It becomes your pain."

"That must have –" Hermione didn't know what to say but it didn't seem like Draco was listening. He was thinking, he was reliving.

"Your insides hurt, like your hearts breaking, your limbs are being torn and your blood has gone cold and at that moment you wish that you're dead, and I'm pretty sure if I stayed I would have died."

"Draco-"

"No. I'm being honest. It was that bad. I can't even describe the real horror-"

"It must have been hard but reliving it – it's one thing talking about it but –"

"I have to relive it to face it. Does that make sense?"

"I guess…"

"I felt my memories being taken from me. Like the few I do remember know, I can recall them being snatched from me. I remember screaming, I remember begging him –"

"Him?"

"Voldemort."

"He was there?" the shock evident as Hermione spoke.

Draco nodded, "Sort of. His face, like a clone of himself was there. It wasn't the real Voldemort, that much I could tell. I don't know how I could tell but I could."

"So he sent all his death eaters to be tortured after his death."

"No. He took us all down together. If he dies, we all die. The losing the memory part, I think he was trying to get us back to how we were, when we were pure, when we joined him."

"But your dad - "

"It took him back to when he first realised the difference between blood. Voldemort was a very smart man."

"I can't believe he did all that."

Draco nodded.

"There's more isn't there?" Hermione feared.

Draco nodded, "It gets worse, are you sure you want to hear this?" this time he turned to face her and her heart broke. His face looked small and weak, and lost. She wanted to hold him.

She stood up and walked up to him and faced him, "Yes I do."

He turned back to the window, "I needed to escape. I knew there was a way. I thought that if I kept walking I would find it. I think…I think my desperation caused a way out. Like I wanted it so it appeared."

"What appeared?"

"A door."

"A door?" Hermione repeated, wondering if she had heard right.

"A door in the desert. Just appeared. A green door. The last thing I remembered was walking to Dumbledore's office. At the time I thought…I thought if I went through the door I'd appear in his office. Then I was scared as well-"

"Why? It was a way out, anything must be better than that desert?"

"Yeah but what if was worse, then what? I hesitated, and then I heard it."

"Heard what?"

"The voice."

"What's the voice?"

"An angelic voice, she said my name as if beckoning me to come to her and, her voice was scared for me but so damn strong, she needed me and I…"

"You went through the door," Hermione whispered, wondering if he had actually heard her call to him or if it was all in his head.

"Yeah, I heard her cry as well I think, she was sobbing and calling me and waiting. So I opened the door and I walked in……. It was worse."

Hermione waited. Draco's eyes seemed to be fixed on the same spot outside, like he was mesmerised.

"There were ghouls everywhere but this time I had my wand. I could see other death eaters. Their biggest fears being exploited. Like on my right was Murphy, he has always been scared of tigers because he grew up in Africa and one nearly ate him or something…I could see the tiger in front of him and I could see Murphy going mad…his hair was changing colour, he was laughing and around him…Voldemort's head floated."

"No," Hermione whispered. "What did you do?"

"I tried to get there but the more I ran that way, the further they were. Like in a nightmare. So I stopped running and I looked forward and I knew I had to face my biggest fear."

"Which was?" Hermione's heart skipped a beat.

"I can't remember. The next thing I remember was being in the hospital. The only thing I remember is the pain I felt as I continued in that ghoul home."

Hermione nodded, "Draco, I don't know what to-"

"I don't expect you. Just keep my secret. I don't want anyone to know."

"But if you tell Dumbledore-"

"No."

"He might be able to help."

"No."

"He might help you work out the missing piece of the puzzle."

"I will tell him but when I have worked out the missing piece. I need to work out for myself what fear I faced. Please, keep my secret."

"I'll do you a deal," Hermione looked at him. "You keep talking to me about anything and everything and I will keep your secret."

"What, keep talking all night?"

"If you want but I meant like generally. When you're troubled, I want you to know that I'm here."

"Isn't that more for me than for you."

"No it's not. If it makes you feel better, you have to call me Mia from now. I prefer it."

Draco smiled, "Deal…Mia."

Hermione hugged him tightly. Draco was caught off guard but it was all so familiar.

"Thank you," he whispered when she pulled back.

The storm continued outside.

"Anytime."

"This all seems so familiar to me Mia," Draco said.

"It is. We talked a lot before and maybe you'll remember more know and…yeah."

Draco smiled, "I guess."

They stood in silence for a bit.

"It must have really been horrible," Hermione said after a while.

"Yeah it was."

Hermione shuddered as more thunder erupted throughout the sky.

"So you want to get into my bed or what?" Draco asked.

Hermione shook her head, "No I think I'll be alright out here for a bit. You might as well go sleep."

"I'll sit with you for a bit and then we'll take it from there."

Hermione nodded as they took their seat.

"So what's that thing?" Draco asked pointing to the TV in the room.

"A television."

"A what?"

Hermione laughed, "We'll talk about that tomorrow."

"Why what's it do?" Draco asked, but as he looked at Hermione, her eyes were closing.

He leaned back and let her fall asleep. It felt good getting a load of his mind but there was still a lot more for him to do.

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A/N:

Hey guys! Hope you all had a brilliant Xmas, my update's delayed for many reasons which I really can't be asked to rewrite hehe!

Oh yay I finally finished the Twilight series. Yay for me!

And have got sooo much turkey left over this year!!!

Hehe, anyways I hope you enjoyed! And if I don't update by the new year, have a brilliant New Year!

Thnks for all the reviews!!!!!! :D

Oh and I know this chapter is short but I didn't want to add more than the story!

Take care

xxxx

Xxx

Coming Up: Hermione gets more than she expected, when she meets her parents.