Disclaimer: For the very last time, I clearly state that I do not own anything other than Izzy, Marius, and Emmy.
Chapter 35: The Glance of Goodbye
"Wow. Great! All my things are here! Who brought them here?"
"Hermione, of course!"
"Her—Hermione? Er—oh, yeah! Hermione! I remember now!"
"Yes. Hermione.", Marius raised his eyebrows as he watched Izzy pack her belongings neatly.
She sighed and sat back on the bed.
"Are you alright? Don't overexert yourself, okay? You only just woke up.", he told her.
"ARE YOU PACKING YOUR THINGS YOURSELF AGAIN, ISOBELLE?! YOU NEED REST! LET MARIUS DO THAT FOR YOU!", Madam Pomfrey, who came in to give her some potion scolded her.
"But I enjoy packing my belongings! I enjoy being awake, being alive and able to move and catching up on things!", she said solemnly.
"OH ALRIGHT! Suit yourself! But don't forget to take a rest once in a while!", Madam Pomfrey replied sternly and let herself out of the room.
"Oh but I really do love catching up on things!", Izzy told Marius once she's gone out.
"Well you do have a lot of catching up to do. I've sent word to your friends that you've woken up. But I doubt they'll read my letter. They're probably still asleep by now", he said.
"I still can't believe it, you know? How could I have been out for so long? I missed several months of my life! And now I wake up only for you to tell me that today I turn 17! It's like I'm still dreaming!", she said with a big grin on her face.
"Well just be thankful you didn't miss your birthday as well", he smiled at his friend's happiness. It was very refreshing to see her awake and cheerful once more. Merlin knows Hogwarts castle needs a cheerful one like Izzy these days.
"Yeah. How convenient, right? That I get to wake up on my birthday? One more day delayed and I've totally everything about it, the good parts and the bad parts, of course.", she said.
"That you have to leave for Greece right away, you mean?", Marius asked her, noticing the way her voice dropped from cheerful to serious.
"No. Not really. I'm looking forward to going home, actually. I haven't been there in years! True, it is a bit sad that I'm leaving all my friends here—but I know they'll understand. What really confuses me is that letter you gave me", she said.
"Oh. The one I got from Draco?", he asked.
"Who? Draco?"
"Draco Malfoy, remember? You still having trouble regaining bits and pieces of your memory?", he asked concernedly.
"You mean Lucius Malfoy's son?"
"That's the one."
"Why would he have a letter from my father in his hands?"
"It was sent to you the moment you turned 17. He was the person with you when that happened. He saved you from the imperiused Healers, you see. And I reckon when the owl arrived you were naturally, unconscious. That's why the letter was left in his possession", he said.
"He saved me? But why would he? Isn't he in the league with Voldemort? Isn't he supposed to be the obedient son?", she asked.
"You still don't remember a lot of things, do you? Don't worry, you'll remember soon enough. Madam Pomfrey says it might take a few more hours before you finally gain all of your memories.", he told her.
"Is this normal?", she asked.
"Yes it actually is. You were strained emotionally and psychologically. You were subjected to extreme mental torture when you were captured by the death eaters. Your brain needed time to heal and now it's slowly mending. We just have to let it do its own thing in its own time", he explained.
"Does that mean I'm currently dumb?", she frowned.
Marius chuckled. "No, no! Of course not. It's only the part of your brain with memories that is highly affected. Your skills, your knowledge of Defense or Transfiguration perhaps, they're all intact", he smiled.
"Good then. I can still use a variety of hexes I've learned for my father once we meet.", she joked.
"Izzy!"
"I was kidding! But still! Why now? I really don't want to see him! Doesn't he even know that? I don't even want to learn who the git is! He left us too many years ago, and now he has the nerve to just write me a letter as if nothing happened? Is he insane?", she frowned.
"Izzy, don't think about it. We'll deal with it later. You know, being upset about it right now won't do you any good. This is exactly why I didn't want to hand you your letter! You just got out of a magical coma, for Merlin's sake!", Marius said.
"But it's my letter. Naturally, I wanted to read it", she replied.
"Well you're not yet fully recovered, Izzy. You still have trouble regaining your memories. What you really need now is rest. We'll be leaving for Greece this afternoon Izzy. We were just waiting for you to wake up and be ready for the trip.", he said.
"This afternoon? I thought we weren't supposed to leave until this coming weekend? But what about my friends? I need to say goodbye to them, at least!", she argued.
"They will come up here as soon as they wake up and read my letter. I'm sure of it. Your friends value you a lot. They've been worried sick about you these past several months, you know? Harry in particular—we thought he was going mad! He sort of went into depression, as if part of him went into coma with you. And he kept on making you copies of his notes too!", Marius said.
"Ha—Harry?"
"Oh no. Don't even tell me you don't remem—", Marius started. He was stopped however when the door flew open, letting in a panting Draco who was clutching his side.
"IZZY!", he shouted in excitement as he ran across the room to hug Izzy.
"David?! Oh my goodness! What are you doing here? I've missed you a lot!", Izzy greeted him. Draco stiffened.
"Did—did you just call me David?", Draco broke the hug off, stepped back and looked at Izzy strangely.
"Well, that's your name, isn't it?", she smirked at him.
"Oh dear. This isn't looking good.", Marius sighed. Draco turned to exchange worried glances with him.
"What is it? Is there something wrong?", Izzy asked.
"You don't remember who this is, Izzy?", Marius asked her.
"David! Right? He's your cousin? He stayed with us last Christmas. I remember that!", she said.
"No, Izzy. This is Draco Malfoy—well, he was also David Athanas. But he was in hiding, you see—from being marked. Well, you already knew that he's Draco. Although it's probably not coming back yet. He's one of your best friends here at Hogwarts.", he explained.
"Oh. I'm sorry—Dav—Draco. A lot of things are not yet that clear to me.", she said apologetically.
"It's okay. That's normal, isn't it? You'll remember soon enough. What's important is that you're okay now.", he said.
But Izzy was blinking—once, twice, several times, in a very fast manner. Marius and Draco knew how to read her actions—she was thinking.
"The dock. We spent a lot time at—the—dock. Right? A few images just came back to me", she said distantly.
"Yes, Izzy! We spent a lot of time there, talking.", Draco smiled at her. She was starting to remember. She smiled back.
"That's great Izzy. I told you, they'd come back eventually—your memories", he said.
"Oh, her memories are finally coming back?", Madam Pomfrey said as she entered the room carrying a large box that contained what seemed like several bottles of potions.
"What's that?", Izzy asked her.
"Oh, all the potions I have left that you will be needing. I can't come with you. And no matter how much I tell you that you need to stay here for rest I know that you can't be stopped anyway. So, here you go—just bring them with you", she explained just before she pursed her lips in clear disagreement with their plan.
"Thank you Madam Pomfrey, we appreciate your help very much", Izzy smiled at her.
"Well then I won't intrude on your little reunion any longer. I have bones to regrow—those careless little third years!", she muttered as she stepped out of the room.
"There! I'm done!", Izzy finally said, as she put the last of her things in her school trunk.
"Well it's still quite early. We will be leaving just before lunch. You better rest first, Izzy. Greece is a thousand miles away from here, even if we're travelling by portkey, it will be magically exhausting. Why don't you take a nap first? Draco and I will get some breakfast.", Marius suggested.
"Yeah, you better do. I still can't eat anything though, so I won't be able to join you. I have to wait for one more hour since I just drank my potion. I think I'll take your advice and sleep for a while. Enjoy your breakfast, and see you later!", she smiled at them.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Harry parted the curtains of his four poster bed, only to find that the sunlight pouring into the dormitories was too much that it blinded his eyes temporarily. He rubbed them sleepily, and tried to look for the hooting noise that woke him up. He reached for his glasses which he placed on his nightstand the night before. After he had put them on, he looked around and then he found the source of the noise. Perched on the window sill nearest his bed was Hedwig, with a letter for him.
"Oh, hi there, Hedwig! What have you got for me?", He said sleepily as he ran his hands absentmindedly through his extra-tossed looking hair.
He took the small piece of parchment attached to her leg and rolled it open. It was a very short letter from Marius (he knew from his handwriting), which contained only two words.
She's awake.
But that was all he needed to be fully awake, and eager to get dressed. Immediately he went to the bathroom and put on his school robes. He wanted to go to Izzy first thing that morning, and so he did this as quickly as possible. Before leaving the dormitory though, he stopped in front of his nightstand once more and retrieved something from its drawers—Izzy's heart shaped locket. Professor Dumbledore left it last night in his possession after Izzy was brought to the hidden room.
He took it in his hand, looked at it for a moment with an excited smile on his face as he whispered, "Izzy".
He ran as fast as he can for the hidden room, not answering the calls of his housemates, or their question of where he was headed for. He just focused on getting towards the one place he wanted to be more than anywhere else in the world—beyond that talking gargoyle, towards its left, inside the hidden room, where Isobelle de Lune is currently in.
But when Harry stepped into the room, Izzy was alone and fast asleep. I thought she's already awake?, Harry thought. He got a chair and sat beside her bed. He took her hand. It was warm—she was warm. And Harry felt relieved. Somehow he knew that Izzy was once again full of life—she was just merely taking a nap. But she's okay now. She's okay, and that's what's important, Harry thought as he watched her sleep.
He couldn't help it. After several months of watching Izzy lifeless and limp as a corpse, seeing her now with a soft smile on her lips, feeling her warm against him, Harry's eyes welled up with tears. He caressed her cheek, tracing the large scar on her left cheek made by Bellatrix Lestrange.
"I'm sorry Izzy. I'm sorry I'm too late. I thought I was going to lose you—a—and I—I dunno what—what will become of me—i—if it happens", Harry fumbled with his words as tears rolled down his cheeks, although he knew very well that Izzy could not hear him.
"I'm so stupid—I should have realized it early on, Izzy. I should have seen what was right in front of me. I—I'm so glad you're okay now. Wha—what if you never woke up? Then I—I wouldn't be able to tell you—to tell you that—I"
There were people coming in the hidden room. Harry wiped his eyes dry as he heard footsteps of about two people. He turned around and saw that it was Marius and Draco. They've just come back up after having breakfast.
"Oh, Harry you're here. Oh but Izzy's taking a nap, I see. Why don't we go to my office to talk first, so we won't wake her up?", Marius suggested.
And so the three of them walked towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and into Marius' office, which was currently empty save for a few things and trinkets.
"Why don't you sit down?", he offered them seats.
"Er—Marius? Are you leaving?", Harry asked him.
"What? Oh yes. I will truly miss this place though. But don't you worry, Professor Snape has agreed to continue teaching my classes. He'll be taking over starting today. Izzy and I will be leaving just before lunch today. That's why we let Izzy get some rest. She wanted to take a nap just before we leave.", Marius said.
"Leave?! To where?! Why?! She only just woke up!", Harry was startled.
"Leave for Greece of course. This is a matter of great importance. We really have to make sure she inherits that royal seat. True she isn't really a queen like her ancestors—but still, a person with the proper title still holds large power over Eastern Europe. We wouldn't want the crown passed onto the next in line. It's one of her cousins—and we have good reason to suspect that she's supporting Voldemort.", he said.
"But does it have to be today?", Harry asked.
"I've asked him that already. It seems that nothing and no one can stop them. I've pleaded a hundred times over breakfast, but no! Marius won't allow himself to be convinced. He can't be convinced! It's simply impossible!", Draco rolled his eyes.
"I know you've both missed Izzy more than any of your other friends. But this is also important to her, and to everyone else!", Marius argued.
"Okay okay", Harry held up his hands in surrender. "But promise me you'll let me see her awake and let me talk to her before you go?", Harry asked him.
Draco and Marius looked at each other with identical worried looks on their faces.
"Why, what's wrong?", Harry asked after spotting the looks on their faces.
"About that, Harry. About you talking to Izzy, there's something you must know first.", Marius sighed as Harry looked at him, expecting his explanation.
"You see, Harry, Izzy suffered from physical, emotional and psychological torture, right? And of course, her brain is still adjusting so—", Marius started but Harry already knew what he was trying to say.
"She doesn't really remember some things, right? You taught that to us in Defense. I listened, you know", he told Marius.
"Of course I know you listened. You're the best student in my class! No offense meant, Draco", he said.
"None taken. He is the best in Defense anyway. It's not like you're making up stories. And it's not like you're telling me something new either—everyone knows that he's the best in Defense there is.", Draco said.
But Harry just rolled his eyes. "So, anyway, I was already expecting that she won't remember stuff—so, what's the problem? Why do you two look so worried?", he asked.
"Well Harry, the thing is—we've questioned her about—about things. Well, her childhood memories—and her memories up to last year are very clear to her. But she has blurry memories of Hogwarts, since she's only been a few months here."
"So—you're saying she doesn't remember her friends? Draco, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and I?", Harry put two and two together.
"Well, not—not exactly. She remembers me but more as David, although she has certain images of the dock coming back to her", Draco said.
"That's not half bad! At least she remembers something! Why, are your expectations too high? Why can't you just be glad that she's okay?", Harry asked them.
"We're more worried about you, actually", Draco surprisingly said.
"About me? Why?", Harry asked confusedly.
"Well you see Harry, Izzy remembers a bit of everyone she's been close to here at Hogwarts. Everyone—except you. She—well, she doesn't remember you at all. A—and Madam Pomfrey says that's not really a good sign. She might end up not remembering you—at all", Marius said.
Silence.
"B—but that only happens when—when the person traumatized doesn't want to remember you, right?", Harry said, visualizing the page in his Defense notes where he had written down that piece of information.
"I knew you would remember. Yes Harry, that's correct. B—but who knows—we might be wrong after all. We just wanted to warn you, in case. But we can never be too sure, right?", Marius tried to assure him but it had no effect whatsoever.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
This can't be happening. Why doesn't she want to remember me? Does she hate me? She hates me for being mad about her and Draco, doesn't she?
Thoughts occupied Harry's mind as he sat on the dock by the lake. Izzy was right—this indeed is a good place to think, to be alone with your thoughts for an hour or so.
An hour or so. Pretty soon, Izzy and Marius will be leaving for Greece.
Harry wasn't sure whether he wanted to see Izzy and Marius off. After what Draco and Marius told him, he felt like he didn't really want to see Izzy awake. He dreaded the puzzled and questioning look that will be on her face and her question of "who are you?" directed at him. He doubted if he could possibly bear the pain of hearing those words from her lips, directed at himself.
He lied down on top of the wooden planks of the dock and closed his eyes as he heard someone approaching. He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, hoping it's not Izzy about to ask him who he was. But it wasn't.
"Aren't you going to see Izzy off?", Hermione's voice asked him.
"They haven't left yet?", he asked.
"What, you purposely hid here to miss their departure?", Ron asked him.
"No. Not really. I just—I couldn't bring myself to see her off", he sighed.
"You really should, Harry or you might regret this later", Hermione said.
"B—but she'll look at me—she'll ask me who I am"
"And so what? We don't know when we'll see her again Harry! Would you throw this moment away all because of that fear? She'll regain those memories eventually, Harry!", Hermione tried to convince him.
"You're not dumb, Hermione. She doesn't remember a thing about me. You know what these signs are saying. You know what they mean", Harry said and Hermione had nothing else to say to counter what he just said.
"You still ought to come, Harry. You don't want to mope around later and regretting this", Ron finally said.
"Oh alright!", he forced himself up to see Izzy and Marius off.
Izzy and Marius were preparing to put their hands on a portkey inside Professor Dumbledore's office when Harry, Hermione, and Ron came in. Draco and Ginny were already there.
"Oh good. Ron, Harry, Hermione, you made it! I thought for a while we won't have the chance to see you before we left", Marius said as he shook their hands.
"Ron! Hermione! Erm—hi. I'm Isobelle! I'm sorry—b—but who—who are you?", Izzy asked Harry the question he dreaded the most.
His eyes were starting to well up with tears again as he answered, "Oh, I—I'm Harry. I'm one of your friends too, Izzy—er—Isobelle", he said downheartedly.
"Oh. I'm so sorry, Harry. My memories—well, they're not really back yet, at least not all of them", she said apologetically.
"Don't worry—it's okay", he replied.
"Izzy! It's turning blue! Put a finger on it!", Marius suddenly said as the portkey glowed a pale blue—it was about to be activated in a minute.
"I'll write to all of you okay? Write back! And, Harry, I promise I'll write you when I remember you, so don't worry. That's a promise", Izzy said just before she put a finger on their portkey to Greece.
She glanced at Harry, a glance of goodbye—blue and green eyes met for one last time, just before she disappeared.
Harry clutched her locket in his hand—he didn't find the strength in his heart to bring it back to her. It was as if this was the only thing that kept the memories of their gone friendship real. He clutched it hard inside his hand, as he remembered the glance of goodbye Izzy had given him, as he remembered those stunning blue eyes staring back at him—not knowing that that was the last time he will ever see those blue eyes in his life.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Meanwhile at Greece, Izzy and Marius arrived inside the luxurious and well-kept de Lune Manor right on time. Marius was straightening himself up when he noticed the sad look on Izzy's face and the tears that were flowing down her scarred cheek. Her eyes have begun to well up with tears when she glanced back at Harry just before they left Hogwarts.
Marius pursed his lips as he observed the girl carefully. And he knew his suspicions were right.
"You remembered him, didn't you?"
Izzy looked at him in surprise. "H-how did you know, Marius?"
"I just know. I know you, Izzy. Did you remember when we were about to leave?", he asked her.
"No"
"Just now, then?"
"Not really."
Marius was confused for it was only now that she was showing signs of remembering what she went through with Harry. And so he asked her "Huh? Well, since when?"
"I never forgot, Marius. Never."
"What?! Then why did you—"
"It's the only way for me to move on, to forget him, to pretend until I no longer have to", Izzy finally said.
Marius sighed. He had a feeling they won't be going back to England for a very long time.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
A/N: Pretending to be Harry's Girlfriend is finally complete! It's finished! It's done! I know, I know I have a lot more questions left unanswered, not to mention the love angle is not yet fully resolved. But that's why I'm beginning on a sequel already! I wanted to finish the first part before I left for my vacation (Eastern Europe! I'm visiting Izzy!). When I come back, I'll start posting the sequel Pretending to Forget You. It basically starts 3 years after Izzy left England. A series of events will force Harry and Izzy's paths to cross again. And this time, no amount of running away will solve the unresolved issues between the two best friends.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story and I really do hope you'll wait for the sequel and enjoy that as much or even more than this one. Don't worry, it won't be a long wait because I'll only be gone for about 2-3 weeks. I'll be back by May! So wait for it, alright? All your questions will be answered in that story—and of course, it will have the ending for Harry and Izzy's relationship. :p
PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO REVIEW THE STORY AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IN THE SEQUEL. I WOULD BE GLAD TO READ GO THROUGH THEM WHEN I COME BACK IN MAY! :P