Author's Note: Okay so first of all, I apologize for this being really late. I had no time to finish typing the chapter, I literally just finished typing it about five minutes ago, and I sped through my editing in my haste to get this to you guys as soon as possible. I don't have any other chapters typed up and ready right now, so the next update will probably be Thursday (9/13). Sorry if that comes to a disappointment to some of you, but with my current schedule that's all I can manage.
Anyways, let's not dwell on the bad, when you have a fresh new chapter ahead of you, and ready for your viewing pleasure! I hope you like it, and feel free to leave a review(:
The Missing Piece Chapter Eleven
Day: 23
Hermione went to Malfoy Manor reluctantly today, repeatedly asking Malfoy if she was a bother to him, to which he replied the same answer: No. She couldn't help asking this, due to his behavior yesterday. He seemed so detached and so unlike usual self that Hermione couldn't help feeling like it was somehow her fault. It was a surprising thing to see Malfoy had been crying. She had always thought Malfoy of a man without feeling, who was always outwardly collected. She knew he had feelings, like every human being, but it was a shock to see him show them, no matter how briefly.
"This one is from January 23rd, just a few days after the last memory you saw." Malfoy explained, dumping the contents of the jar into the pensieve.
"Are you coming this time?" Hermione asked, hoping she didn't sound rude.
"No, not anymore." He replied, in a tone that made Hermione not want to inquire further. Instead of bothering to reply, she watched the black swirls form a strange scene in the pensieve. It was a field of grass outlined by trees… and in the very middle of that field, stood a house. This sparked Hermione's curiosity. "The memory here… it's the first time we go and investigate along with the Aurors. It's procedure that people from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement are present, so that was us." Malfoy added, seeing her curious glance.
Hermione could remember when she was in Hogwarts, and had read all about the Ministry of Magic in a large book she could barely hold. The procedure regarding cases back then was that only Aurors were permitted to investigate. This simple change brought a strong feeling of being lost once more, but when her eyes caught the scene in the basin, she shook the feeling away. Before she went into the pensieve, she gave Malfoy a quizzical look, and then focused on the unknown that lay before her.
Hermione landed in the pensieve with a small grunt, from having almost tripped over her feet. She straightened up, and surveyed the scene. She stood behind a few feet of trees, almost obscuring her view of the house in the middle of the field. Having looked at the scene from above before she entered the memory, Hermione knew she must be standing in the perimeter of the field. She began searching for her memory self and Memory Malfoy, and found them a few seconds later, almost directly in front of her. They were surrounded by who Hermione assumed to be a team of Aurors and Memory Harry, discussing plans.
"Okay, by the location and clues that the Law Enforcement team has come up with this is most likely the Death Eater headquarters." Harry was explaining to his team. "We will walk forward into the clearing, and proceed into the house. We already have Aurors making sure the wards around this place are down, so if anything breaks out, we are able to apparate. Remember your partners and do not leave them at any time. Okay. When I give the signal, we go."
The group broke away from the tight cluster it had previously formed and went to their spots. Hermione caught Memory Hermione and Memory Malfoy exchanging wary glances. Hermione could see fear, and anticipation in Memory Malfoy's eyes; fear and determination in Memory Hermione's eyes. Hermione felt a stab of nervousness herself, because although she knew she would make it out okay, it was nerve-wracking to see what was to happen.
There was quiet, as the team of Aurors and Law Enforcement personnel awaited Memory Harry's signal. Hermione heard a bird chirp happily above somewhere in the trees, and an Auror shift his weight, cracking sticks on the ground in the process. She heard several people attempt to control their heavy breathing, apparently nervous as well. She heard someone sniff, and several people sigh. And then Memory Harry raised his right fist, and extended two fingers toward the center of the field.
Simultaneously, everyone got up and out of the safety of the trees and into the clearing. Hermione followed Memory Hermione and Memory Draco, who were both being followed by two other wizards—probably their partners. Hermione took in the vast space that was the field. It had looked much smaller in the pensieve, but now that she was currently in it, she realized it was a whole lot larger. There must be half a mile between the trees that they had previously hidden in, and the house.
Hermione walked behind the Aurors and company, nervous with anticipation. She caught Memory Harry give another signal out of her peripheral vision and a split second later, everyone began to run towards the house, wands out. Hermione ran behind them, trying to keep up with Memory Hermione and Memory Malfoy's long strides. Apparently she was slower than she was two years ago.
There was an audible BANG and a jet of red light that flew by some Aurors. The jet had come from inside the house, which was still a good distance away. Hermione could now see "house" was not a suitable term to describe the Death Eater headquarters. Mansion was. The Auror on Memory Hermione's team muttered a spell and a bolt of orange light shot out of his wand and towards a window on the third floor of the house, shattering it.
And just like that, it began: There were spells being screamed, curses flying everywhere, by everyone. Hermione dodged some spells by reflex, but remembered that nothing in the memory could affect her. It was second nature to take cover in the present environment, especially for Hermione, who remembered the war at that exact moment.
"Crucio!"
"Impedimenta!"
"Stupefy!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Hermione tried frantically to find either Memory Hermione or Memory Malfoy in the midst of battle, with no success. She opted for running around the perimeter of the house in an attempt to catch a glimpse of them. Just as she was about to go through with her plan, however, she happened to catch a glimpse of Memory Hermione's hair from inside the house. Hermione ran inside the house, colliding with an Auror who was firing spells on her way there, but the Auror did not notice.
Once inside, she spotted Memory Hermione and her partner dueling with a single Death Eater who, like all Death Eaters fighting, wore his mask.
"Stupefy!" Memory Hermione shouted, a red bolt of light escaping from her wand.
"Petrificus Totalus!" The Auror screamed fiercely.
"Avada Kedavra!" The Death Eater missed Memory Hermione by inches. Hermione was thankful for that, because if the spell had hit her then, she wouldn't be here now. It was a peculiar experience, to watch oneself go through a near death experience.
"Locomotor Mortis!"
"Stupefy!"
"Petrific—"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" The Death Eater's Killing Curse hit the Auror square in the chest, in the middle of his spell. The man fell limply to the floor, at Memory Hermione's side. Memory Hermione's eyes flickered to the Auror the tiniest of moments, but fought to keep her eyes trained on the Death Eater, so she would not share the same fate.
The Death Eater continued to fire spells at Memory Hermione relentlessly, and fiercely. Hermione knew her own strengths, and knew she was a fierce fighter, but there was no way she was to keep up with the Death Eater if he or she continued. Hermione could see Memory Hermione slipping, and her reactions becoming delayed as the Death Eater fired curse after curse after curse after curse, never pausing never stopping.
And out of nowhere, the Death Eater fell dead.
Memory Hermione looked around for the source of the spell that had ended the Death Eater's life, and found Memory Malfoy, giving her a reassuring look. Memory Hermione gave him a brief thankful expression, before proceeding up the stairs of the house, firing curses at enemies in her way. Memory Malfoy and the Auror working with him followed her, and finally Hermione as well.
Hermione followed Memory Malfoy up the stairs and down a hallway to their left, where he stopped. Memory Hermione was dueling with renewed force against two Death Eaters. The Auror and Memory Malfoy did not hesitate to help her, and soon, curses, jinxes and charms were fired from every wand involved.
"Avada Kedavra!" Shouted a Death Eater, aiming at Memory Malfoy, but missed. Memory Malfoy disarmed the Death Eater after that, sending his partner to bind him with ropes and apparating him to the Ministry of Magic.
Now it was just Memory Malfoy, Memory Hermione, and a Death Eater. The Death Eater muttered a spell, causing a nearby door to fly off its hinges, and sent it flying toward Memory Malfoy and Memory Hermione. They ducked. Hermione could see that the Death Eater Memory Malfoy and Memory Hermione were dueling against was very skilled in what he was doing. The Death Eater shouted intricate curses and spells that Hermione had never heard of until that moment. She was sure that if any spell the Death Eater fired ever hit Memory Hermione or Memory Malfoy, the results would not be very good. The spells being fired from the opposite side were most likely very dark magic.
"Expelliarmus!" Memory Harry said, arriving just in time on the scene. Neither Memory Malfoy nor Memory Hermione turned around, busy trying to defeat the Death Eater. Memory Harry's spell missed, and the Death Eater fired another spell at them.
"Bombarda maxima!" The Death Eater shouted, and the walls of the hallway exploded, littering Memory Hermione, Malfoy, and Harry with pieces of walls and dust. Hermione moved out of the way on instinct, covering her eyes in fear. After a few seconds, she uncovered her eyes, just in time to see Memory Harry successfully wrap the Death Eater in rope.
"Malfoy, bring him to the Ministry!" Memory Harry said, removing a piece of wall from his way.
But Memory Malfoy was not listening. He was removing scraps of wall from a pile on the floor. Hermione could see something… Frizzy brown hair peeking from beneath the rubble: Memory Hermione.
"Granger!" Memory Malfoy called, his movements becoming progressively frantic as Memory Hermione became more visible. Memory Harry saw what he was doing, and rushed to Memory Malfoy's aid.
"I'll take her. You take the Death—"
"No, Potter. I'll take her."
"You can't just—"
"Potter, she's my partner, I'll deal with it. Go!" Memory Malfoy yelled, having fully unearthed Memory Hermione. She looked seriously injured, having received the worst of the blast. There was blood oozing from her head, arms, shoulders… everywhere. Memory Harry didn't stay to debate. He ran towards the Death Eater, and apparating out. Memory Malfoy adjusted Memory Hermione who lay limp in his arms and as soon as he apparated, the memory ended.
Hermione landed back in Malfoy Manor at a loss for words. Malfoy didn't give her much to talk either. He immediately removed the memory from the pensieve, and grabbed another jar, pouring its contents inside the basin.
"The aftermath." Malfoy said simply. He looked as though he were trying very hard to keep his emotions under control, as if he would snap at any moment.
Hermione silently nodded, and dipped her head into the pensieve.
Hermione was in St. Mungo's Hospital. She remembered going here once during her Hogwarts years. Hermione immediately caught sight of Memory Malfoy's back, walking briskly down the hallway with an obvious goal in mind. He smoothly navigated himself around busy Healers, wounded patients being transported into other rooms, and other visitors. Hermione had to run to keep up, not trying as hard to dodge anyone in her way.
Memory Malfoy suddenly stopped once he got to his destination, opening the door. Hermione slipped into the room before the door closed, and looked around. It was a cheerful room, with a large window which allowed for natural light. There was a single bed in the middle of the room, in which Memory Hermione lay, unconscious. Hermione stood there, inert, watching Memory Malfoy for his reaction. She noticed they had come a long way from the two employees Kingsley Shacklebolt had to scold.
Memory Malfoy stood there, watching her for a few moments with a guilty expression. Ten minutes later, he moved to stand by Memory Hermione's bed in silence. Memory Malfoy looked to be deep in thought, as if he were harboring conflicting ideas. Hermione caught his hand twitch ever so slightly, and she grew nervous. Sure enough, not three minutes later, Memory Malfoy's hand levitated ever so slightly over Memory Hermione's, making Hermione's heart beat faster.
Seeing it happen was much different than hearing that it had happened. It was then that Hermione truly accepted something had happened between her and Malfoy. How deep—she was not sure, but it was there. There had been something. And now she was witnessing it. Hermione watched, as Memory Malfoy's hand close the distance between the hand beneath him, letting out a sigh. Memory Malfoy smiled to himself, looking down at his hand and Memory Hermione's. It was odd, watching it happen. Hermione knew Malfoy was capable of love, and compassion, but seeing it was something quite different. Hermione let out a breath that she was unknowingly holding.
Memory Malfoy then took his hand away from Memory Hermione's, and looked around the room, probably making sure no one had seen his display of affection. His facial expression became set, and he pulled out his wand, and conjured a bouquet of roses. Then he gave Memory Hermione one last wistful look and left the room.
The scene changed. Black swirls appeared, transferring Hermione to a different memory. She was in the same room, but Hermione assumed it was a different day. Memory Hermione sat up in bed, watching her feet dangle from it. There was a knock at the door, and Memory Malfoy came in, becoming hesitant once his eyes spotted Memory Hermione.
"How are you feeling?" Memory Malfoy greeted, closing the door behind him, and studying Memory Hermione for any signs of injuries.
"Fine, actually." Memory Hermione replied, breaking her gaze, and looking up at Memory Malfoy. "Why did you bring me here?"
There was a tense silence, in which Memory Malfoy looked down at his feet, a slight blush visible on his smooth cheeks. "You were injured. So I brought you help. The least you could do is be thankful."
"Thank you. But why did you do it? You didn't have to. It wasn't your responsibility, it was someone else's." Memory Hermione pushed. She returned her gaze to her feet, watching them dangle off her bed.
"Granger, you shouldn't question why. You're alive. Who did it should not matter to you."
"I am thankful, I am. But I'm wondering why you, of all people, would go out of their way to bring me medical attention when there were other capable people more than willing to do the same thing. Harry told me what you said, Malfoy. You were determined to bring me here. It had to be you. But why?" Memory Hermione asked, returning her gaze to his face, and watching him defiantly.
Hermione watched as Memory Malfoy's eyes flickered to her and the roses he had left in the previous memory. Memory Malfoy's jaws hardened, along with his eyes.
"You need to learn to be thankful, you know that? See you at work." He said briskly, as he turned around and headed for the door.
The first thing she saw as she left the memory was Malfoy. His eyes regarded her analytically, as though searching for something, perhaps a reaction. Hermione analyzed him herself several moments, thinking back to the memory she had just seen, and looking for the Memory Malfoy within the Malfoy in front of her. With every new memory, the relationship she had forgotten about seemed more real, more probable. Hermione was not sure how she felt about that quite yet. A lot had changed, that was for sure.
"Would you like some tea?" He asked her, as he usually did after she viewed memories. Hermione had always said no to this question, afraid to get too friendly with Malfoy, or getting too overwhelmed with memories she had seen. But somehow, today felt different.
"Yes, please." Hermione replied, promptly looking around the library. Looking at anywhere, but him. If Hermione was looking at Malfoy, she would have seen his eyes sparkle curiously, and a hint of a smile grace his face. But once Hermione pulled enough courage to look back to him, all that she found on his face was a stoic expression.
"So, was that case ever solved?" Hermione asked, once the tea was ready, and they had both sat down on a very comfortable and antique sofa.
"Far from it. We have gotten more information, but we are not close to solving it yet. Though I have a feeling that once you begin working again, we will solve it."
Working. The Ministry. She had forgotten that was the entire reason she was even here. She remembered a time when she didn't want to remember, and just live her life. It seemed silly now. She was here now because she wanted to remember. Because she hoped to trigger her memories. And perhaps, somewhere in the depth of her mind, to understand Malfoy.
"Who has taken over for me?" She asked him, taking a sip of her tea. It was green tea, and the very smell coming from the china cup soothed her senses and calmed her nerves.
"This woman, Betsy King. Hasn't done a thing so far. So don't worry about getting your spot back." Malfoy said, adding the last part jokingly. Hermione chuckled lightly. The thought of being permanently replaced had never crossed her mind, and according to Malfoy, it didn't have to.
"How… How much did it change… out there?" She brought herself to ask, a bit timidly. Malfoy pondered her question a bit, perhaps trying to figure out what she was referring to.
"Not much. Small things, here and there. But nothing drastic. You'll fit right in. Don't worry." Malfoy smiled at her. His reassuring words caused Hermione to smile back.
Hermione did not return home for another three hours, having spent her whole afternoon at Malfoy Manor, talking about everything and nothing, and some things in between. But when she came home, she was glad she had accepted his offer of tea.