Disclaimer: Of course, these lovely characters do not belong to me. I do borrow them for a new idea.

To this chapter, I hadn't actually planned for Narcissa to be part of this, she just came.

Thank you to all of you kind followers and the reviews.

Australia

August-September 1999

She had passed her exams, well really she had done far more than that, coming in best for both years finishing their schooling this year. Leaving Hogwarts had left her feeling empty and she suddenly understood why Harry had always been sad to leave the place behind. Now she was the one without a home to return to.

The Weasleys of course had offered, but she wasn't up for all the chaos with Bill's baby and all the kids visiting from their prospective jobs. Actually moving into her Malfoy Manor room was not something she seriously considered, although Narcissa had reminded her it was there. So she had finally agreed to take one of Harry's empty rooms to make it her new home. Of course, actually not moving into Ron's room had opened a whole other can of worms. While he still claimed that he didn't want her and all the books crowding him anyway, it became more obvious each day that their arrangement wouldn't work. He was upset that she hadn't just said she needed her own room but actually had gone through with it.

Finally he told her that he needed a break. He said he couldn't handle Malfoy being a part of his relationship and to try again after they found a way for divorce. She had waited to let her sobs break free until he had left the room and she had cast a silencing charm. After that night she barely saw him or Harry. The latter spending all his free time with Ginny, who wasn't allowed at Grimmauld Place without an escort. Of course, all but Molly and Arthur knew it was far too late for that measure.

When she had announced she wanted to go to Australia to find her family, they all had been supportive. They helped her to set up meetings with Kingsley and encouraged her to go be there for the memory retrieval, once the Wilkins were found. But while she had been excited to make the first steps to her old life, she was greatly disappointed.

The first meeting with her parents had been nothing but formal. She was introduced like any other stranger would have been and took part in interviews covered as research on emigration from Great Britain to Australia. Hearing their story about their enthusiasm to leave and how they had had nothing to hold them back was painful.

"It would have been different, if we had children. A cut would have been much harder." Monica had explained at one point and Hermione had to close her eyes to keep tears from spilling.

But that was only the harmless stuff, before they started to reverse her spells. While they assured her she had done excellent work, she must have done something wrong, because her parents didn't come out of it, like they were supposed to.

"Hermione, what happened?" She flew into her father's arms that first day, overjoyed to hear him say her name.

Her mother on the other hand, had experienced gaps right away.

"Is that you?" She had grasped her hand pulling her closer and tracing the features of her face. "I didn't realize children grow up so much after their sixteens birthday."

Hermione caught her grimace before it could fully form, glancing at the healers worriedly.

The next day was even worse. As she was to meet her father, he had the same smile as the day before.

"Hermione, what happened?" She stopped in her movement. Carefully testing her words, trying to see if he remembered their previous conversation. He didn't and that added to her mother's gaps from the past lead to a whole series of examinations. She watched and read reports. Crumbling every time she had to tell her father the same thing as the day before.

"You are still here." Were the words that caused hope. For some reason, the day before, which had been her tenth time reconnecting, had stuck.

"Of course daddy. I wouldn't leave you."

More examinations were done but while the healers found many explanations for what had happened, they weren't as well prepared to give answers as of how to resolve it.

"We might not be able to restore anything beyond what they have, Mrs. Malfoy." It wasn't even her new last name that had her cringe at this point.

"Unfortunately they will also not be able to go back to their lives in Australia. They know too much. They might tell someone about the magic, even worse muggles might think they are crazy and lock them away."

"They might think that too."

Hermione had just sat there and listened. She had contemplated the implications and she had laid awake in her hotel room trying to find solutions that healers didn't. She always had an answer. That was her trademark.

"When will you go back to school, dear?" Her mother's voice snapped her out of those many thoughts on more than one occasion.

"I finished classes this spring." She put on a smile, she had learned softened the blow. "Remember you came to Australia for my last year." She didn't feel like adding the fact that it had technically been two last years.

"Of course." Monica played along in the little show. Her face clearly showing that she was confused, but she would ask her husband about this later. "You were the best of your year, we should celebrate that."

Hermione smiled, knowing her mother had the lucky guess on her side that Hermione had always been the best of her year. "That would be great."

Preparing to go back to England was the hardest part of it all. It had become very apparent that her parents would need constant care and so it had become her job to sell all the things they owned in Australia and pack up what she felt they would still need. All while they were in the care of Australian healers. A situation that was offered to her for the next few months so she could settle things.

Her last few hours before the portkey would leave she spend with both of them. Somehow their memories combined seemed to give them the confidence they lacked otherwise.

"How is Arthur Weasley doing?" Hermione knew the other man would love the fact that Wendell checked on him so frequently. Of course, she was fairly sure he didn't remember asking the question as often as she did.

"The whole family is doing great. The oldest son's wife had her first baby a few months ago. Victorie, she is adorable."

"What a beautiful name. I'm sure they are enjoying the grandchild. I know, I would." While her mother sang the words, the young witch swallowed hard, trying to keep a neutral face, as the reality waiting for her in England hit her. An imprisoned husband, she had never asked for, and a very jealous ex-boyfriend, she had planned on spending her life with and maybe even having those grandchildren with.

She didn't know how she ended up at Malfoy Manor in the first place. It hadn't been on her list of priorities upon returning to England, but now that she had entered the drawing-room, she was certain that she had lost her mind. She just hadn't been able to stay at Harry's and there weren't a lot of places where she could have gone instead. Memories from Australia began to swirl with the memories of the war. Each step she took caused her breathing to get even faster. Her eyes were fixed on the spot she remembered so clearly, although she had been looking at the ceiling for most of her encounter with Bellatrix.

When she was certain she reached the spot, she glanced up to the ceiling to double-check and her lungs seemed to collapse, sending her to the floor. As she was trying to control her breathing, the words of her mind healer echoing in her head, she couldn't help but stare up. Flashes of Bellatrix and her terrible screaming and laugh sounding around her.

"Sweetheart, you need to breathe." There were hands cupping her face and a scream escaped her lips, as another flash of Bellatrix appeared in her memory. "She is gone. She won't hurt you."

The soft fingers brushed her tears away. "I won't ever let that happen again." There were more tears and something in Hermione registered that she wasn't the only one crying. "I won't stand by such things again. I will help. I will stop them."

Hermione gasped for air, as her lungs still failed to cooperate with her.

"You need to breath, in and out." The soft voice lulled her mind into obeying and she could slowly feel her muscles relax. Her vision became less blurry and she finally was able to recognize Narcissa as the voice comforting her. She could feel as the older woman lifted her off the marble ground just far enough to rest her into her lab. Her fingers kept wiping the tears away, while her other hand carefully brush her hair back.

"I damaged their memory. I didn't do it right." Hermione finally hiccupped the words. The stream of tears picking up again. "I destroyed their lives."

Narcissa's hand stilled, as she realized who the girl was talking about. While her family relations had always been stiff, she couldn't imagine not remembering Draco. Erasing him out of her life, might just not make it worth living anymore. However, as she stared down at her young daughter-in-law she had to swallow hard.

"You need to remember, why you did it."

"It's not much of a protection, if I hurt them this badly."

"They would be dead."

"They might not be. They weren't around for much, not many people knew them." Hermione could feel her hands tighten into fists, as she recalled the blank gaze her mother had offered her at one point.

"They would be." The brown eyes caught the blue and suddenly Hermione was much more aware of her surroundings. Lucius had met her parents once, before her second year. She sat up abruptly staring at the other Malfoy woman.

"It was Lucius job to find them and bring them back here." She tried to catch the younger witch's hand, as she backed away. "He must have barely missed them or so he was told."

"You knew?" Hermione's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Only because he was punished for his failure until he was barely alive. It took me weeks to nurse him back to some sort of health." There was a snort und Narcissa couldn't blame the girl for her reaction. Being in her position she wouldn't care much for Lucius' well-being herself.

"I know this is no excuse, but what he did was for the same reason you obliviated your parents. He wanted to protect us. He couldn't get us out, and so he tried to please the Dark Lord…" Not very successfully. "They already branded Draco and if it hadn't been for my sister, much of their punishment would have been loaded on me. They were both trying to protect us – me really."

Hermione just sat there. Her eyes now locked to the floor, her arms wrapped around her legs, quietly sobbing. All the anguish and disgust she had harbored for the Malfoys was back at the surface. She wasn't one of them and she certainly wouldn't have tortured and killed other people to protect herself – but would she have for her parents? She shook her head angrily.

"This group of friends we had collected for ourselves, they were all doing the same thing. Each of us would have let the other families die to protect our own. I think that's where we differ from you, Hermione." It was just now that the girl looked up far enough to see that the older witch much like herself had wrapped herself protectively in her arms.

"When you stepped in and stopped those Slytherins, whose mothers had been at my last tea party before all of this, from trying to kill me, I don't think anyone had ever done that for me. The Blacks don't and the Malfoys certainly don't either."

She looked lonely now.

"Is that the reason why you saved Harry?"

Narcissa nodded weakly, not ready to actually say those words out loud. Although everyone knew, not even Lucius had ever asked her about it. Without her decision, there would have been a fair chance that Harry Potter had died that night. The Dark Lord would have ruled and her husband and son would be by her side now. Then again what would be the price they had to pay for that?

"I'm not brave, but I am loyal."

They sat in silence, each of them trying to make sense of their own misery. Hermione's hand had gone to the spot on her arm that had once shown a terrible scar. It had been Narcissa's effort that had healed it. It would have been impossible to guess the exact curse on the blade without someone who knew.

Hermione didn't know why, but she finally reached for the other woman's hand and held it tightly.

"Just tell me what you need to help your parents", Narcissa didn't dare to look at her. "I'll find a way." She paused: "A legal one."

"They need constant care. A home of some sort, with healers that can monitor their conditions." Hermione's eyes filled once again with tears. "But they know even less about magic than they did before I obliviated them. So they might be in better care with muggle caretakers." She took a deep breath. "But those won't understand the unique injury to the brain."

"I'll take care of it."

Hermione managed to blink most of the tears away, before looking back to Narcissa with surprise.

"They can't stay here." She felt like she should at that part.

"Oh I'm sure my son will agree and I really am not that fond of healers to have them in my house at all times either." There was a bit of Malfoy arrogance shining through the last bit of her words. "But I will find a suitable place for them. I'll send you a selection so you can pick yourself after you toured them."