SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG!!! Please leave reviews, tell me if I've gotten worse or something. :)
Draco awoke the next day and subconsciously looked at the figure beside him for a while.
How come I just met her yesterday?
He tried to remember what exactly happened yesterday, but he couldn't remember anything at all. Vague visions swam across his head, and he could only remember a sharp pain, very painful at the top of his head; he absentmindedly held his head.
There was nothing, no blood, no bump.
What happened?
The girl beside him began to stir. He quickly looked at her and waited for those eyes to open. "Good morning." He said quietly.
Hermione heard someone say 'good morning.' Her eyes shot open immediately. "Oh, it's you. I forgot you're innocent." And Hermione laughed.
Draco scrunched his nose. "Am I not?" He asked.
Draco looked ridiculous to Hermione, what with looking innocent when in fact he really isn't, but she couldn't help admiring it. You're just not used to it. You're just not used to it! That's right!
"OIIIIEEEE!!!" The door suddenly opened and two redheads went inside. "Good morning maladies!!!" One winked and the other chuckled.
"Go down for food! Dumbledore's here!!" The one chuckling said, and he left. The one who winked suddenly looked at Draco and mouthed, "You watch out!"
Draco cocked his head. Say what?
Hermione shook her head and grabbed Draco's hand, "Come on, let's go down, Dumbledore's going to explain!" And Draco could do nothing but follow the excited girl leading him out the room…. Down the stairs… Down some more steps…. Her hair was addicting… bobbing up and down… and he could still feel her grasp on his hand… firm but not tight… just perfect…and-
"Dumbledore!!" The girl suddenly exclaimed. Draco looked up. He hadn't even noticed they were already in the kitchen, or the fact that he was actually smiling, and even the slightly disheartening fact that she had let go.
"Hullo Dumbledore." Draco suddenly said.
The old wizard with alarmingly long white hair smiled serenely at him and sat down, everyone was already seated and ready for breakfast, Draco and Hermione quietly took their seats. Together. Beside each other.
The one who winked at Draco earlier gave him a smirk. Draco nudged Hermione. "Who is he?" He asked quietly.
Hermione suppressed a laugh. "Oh, you mean that bloke?"
"Oie! Am not!!" He suddenly exclaimed.
"That's Fred, -yes, that guy who has bacon on his ears, childish right Draco? I know! And that's his twin, -yes! Find him just as weird? His name's George, yeah, that one who has a spoon over his nose." She finished and chuckled.
Draco laughed heartily and registered the two mature although extremely immature boys in front of him. He stopped when he suddenly noticed they were all quiet, and staring at him. "What?" He asked.
A girl with red hair suddenly snapped out of her trance. "Nothing, you just don't normally laugh." She forced a smile.
"I don't?" He asked, and forgot the momentary fact that he didn't know who just talked to him. He turned to his left and whispered to Hermione's ear.
"Hermione, I don't laugh?" He asked quietly.
Hermione smiled and looked up at him. "No, you don't". And she smiled. Draco took her word.
It made everyone wonder why Draco seemed to be turning to Hermione as though they have known each other for a long time, which appeared to have given Draco a sense of comfort, comfort in whatever she spoke, and shockingly, they seemed to notice that Draco trusted Hermione very much.
"Ehem. Go dear Professor, explain these unusual ways." The guy named Fred said.
"Oh oh yes. Right." Dumbledore suddenly said, as though he himself couldn't hide that he was positively curious.
"Hello Draco, you remember me, don't you?" He asked quietly. Draco nodded slowly.
"Well. I'm sure you do. That is also why you remember your father so vividly." He smiled.
"How do you know all this?" He asked surprised.
"Oh he knows everything alright. Sometimes dangerous to people like us." George said darkly, though in an amusing sort of way. Draco looked at him and chuckled. He noticed that another red head went into a trance. He just shook the thought away.
"I appreciate the compliment, Mr. Weasley. That was a complement, right?" Dumbledore said chuckling.
"Oh, we never know sir, we never know."
"Well then, anyway. Draco, yesterday you were perfectly aware of who you were with. You knew these people very much. Perfectly aware."
"Oh yeah, perfectly aware alright." The red head boy suddenly said.
"Yes Ron, now, you were sent here, at the Burrow, because your father and mother are on a business trip and they needed somewhere where you could be safe, and this was our last resort."
"Oh yeah, last-and-final-silly-useless-resort." Fred snorted.
"-And you see, these people right here, you don't exactly like them, so does your father."
"Yeah and we don't like him either." George said darkly.
Draco was about to retort when Dumbledore continued, "Now now. Back to what I was saying, since he doesn't exactly trust this place and the current people in them, he put a protective charm on you, very powerful, if I might say. And a warning charm too, for that matter. Now, these kinds of magic shouldn't be mixed together, which resulted it to backfire and cause side effects on you."
The boy was silent.
"Yesterday you went to a Muggle mall with them, and you seem to have experienced a very powerful emotion then, right before you fell off the escalator. The moment you were hurt by the fall, the side effects acted upon you greatly, the faulty actions of your father. Thus, you now lost your memory. I must say, I don't know what emotion you experienced." He suddenly added.
Hermione blushed but nobody seemed to notice, although she could've sworn she saw those knowing blue eyes glance at her and wink.
"So my memory's erased? How come I know you? And my father?"
"Well, for one, you only forget those whom you have made contact with or have been with while at the Burrow, since this is the place where your father intended to protect you. Also, and most importantly, you remember those who you have strong emotions for, and those whom you have known ever since you were young."
"Like your father, for instance, ever since you were young you already knew him, you already loved him, you were already with him. That is the reason why Lucius Malfoy was the only one who could awaken you, because no matter how deep your trance might've been, or how bad the side effects were, the call of someone close to your heart, and very close might I add, drew you back to consciousness. You were conscious of his or her presence. In this case, you were very much aware and conscious of your dear father's presence."
There were a couple of "Ohhhh's…" and "Aaaaahhh's." as understanding not only reached the platinum blond haired boy, but to the Weasleys, Hermione and Harry as well.
"Which is also why you only remember me and Harry here." Dumbledore added, nodding to Harry, who nodded back. "Ever since you were young, and a young age I daresay, your father has already bombarded you with information about me, hasn't he? I'm well aware of that, no genius needs to work that out. And Harry, Harry Potter. I trust your father has talked to you about him?"
Draco nodded quietly. "Yes, the boy who lived."
"Yes, and of course everyone knew him." Dumbledore smiled. "So there you go, the three people you would've been likely to remember were your father, me, and Harry. Oh, your mother too, might I add." He finished, chewing bacon and closing his eyes in satisfaction. "I should add that your father has been talking about the Weasleys here, but just recently, which is why you can't exactly remember them."
Draco simply nodded absentmindedly. He suddenly asked, and even Ron had to admit that there was actually fear in his voice, and in his eyes.
"Will I be cured?"
Dumbledore smiled once again. "Why, of course. Imagine what they would say about all of us if they found out you've lost your memory!" He exclaimed. "You will be healed once you return to Hogwarts on the first of September, you shall go to the Hospital Wing and you'll be fixed in a jiffy."
Draco smiled and uttered a sigh of relief, while Harry, Hermione and Ginny exchanged curious glances as to why Dumbledore seemed to have failed in mentioning that everything that will be happening now will be forgotten once he's normal again.
But Dumbledore spoke way before they could protest, he said his goodbye, twirled and he was gone.
"Well then." Harry suddenly said. "Let's eat, shall we?"
"No, you have to put the soap on the plate Draco! Not the water!" Hermione said for the fifth time.
Draco smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry, slipped my mind." And he mercifully put the soap on the plate this time. Hermione shook her head in half-amazement and half-amusement.
"So we were enemies, is that what you were saying?" Draco suddenly asked after a couple of minutes. Hermione nodded. She blushed slightly as Draco leaned over for another plate and his hand momentarily brushed hers. She could feel his weight.
"Yep, you didn't like me, because I'm muggle born. You didn't like Harry, because he's against the Dark Lord and you're… well, I don't know. And then you don't like the Weasleys simply because you don't like them, and because they're bloodtraitors." She said while scrubbing the plate.
Draco looked at her. She could feel his gaze burning. She tried to be highly interested at the bubble beside the plate she was cleaning. "Really? Wow. I didn't realize…." He trailed off.
"Well of course you wouldn't!!" Hermione added chuckling. "You've lost your memory, remember?!"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh yeahhhh…. How could I forget…" And they chuckled.
Hermione laughed and absentmindedly leaned closer to him. She could feel the side of his shirt press against hers, and the warmth gave her chills. She could smell his aftershave, minty and cool, she seemed addicted. She found it hard to deny that she liked the closeness they were having, and she blushed deeply when she realized that the boy beside her noticed her subtle move towards him, but she softened when she saw that he was actually, surprisingly, smiling.
"I'm just glad I'll be healed again and everything would be back to normal." He said gently.
Hermione stayed silent. She didn't exactly know what to answer. He didn't know. He didn't know what exactly was going to happen to him. He didn't know he'd forget everything that was happening. He wouldn't remember the time they spent together. He wouldn't remember ever having to wash the dishes together, or even share a room. He wouldn't remember anything at all. For one fleeting moment, Hermione didn't want Draco to be healed.
"You okay, Herms?" Draco suddenly asked
She found herself to be greatly attached to the present Draco.
"What? What? Oh—oh yeahh.. yeah." She smiled sheepishly.
She was acting weird. He was wondering what happened, but he was also worried.
Concerned and worried, he didn't know what made him feel such.
"Oie!!" Fred suddenly said as he appeared. Draco noticed it was always Fred who interrupted. "Hurry up you two! We've got no time for those moments! We're playing truth or dare!!!" He said excitedly. "Chop chop!!!" And he disappeared.
Hermione blushed and Draco simply nodded his head while chuckling, as they went back to original position slowly.
"He's really like that, isn't he?" Draco suddenly asked amused.
Hermione laughed and said, "Oh yeah, you better get used to it."
"I will." He said, scrubbing quickly two plates at a time. "Now hurry up will you, we're playing truth or dare!"
Hermione shook her head and said darkly, "Don't get too excited, Draco. You don't know what these people are capable of. Playing truth or dare with them is like playing chess with a monkey."
Draco laughed. "Well then, we're sure who wins!"
And he bounced up happily up the stairs, Hermione not exactly understanding who exactly was going to be triumphant.