AN: It's exams week, and I tried to find time to update.
Please tell me what you think about this chapter, I am in need of reviews and opinions.
Thanks for your support, and thanks for all the past reviews! ;)
He looked for it, wondered where it had gone… and finally, after minutes of looking, he retrieved a little brown leather notebook he had not opened, read nor written on for one whole month.
"What is this?" Draco said softly, brushing the neglected cover, and sitting on the bed with feet outstretched, ready to read.
He opened it, and on the first page his handwriting greeted him, with the words From Draco Malfoy.
Draco screwed his eyebrows, "I didn't know I had a diary…" He trailed softly.
He turned to the next page, and he read intently.
I write because I find no reason not to.
I write because if I do not, there will be no other place for me to hold the feelings I can not shower in curtains of love on her. -The feelings that I can not throw in admiration at her strides, for an eternity would not be sufficient. He read.
"I write because I find no reason not to?!" He said incredulously. "Did I write this!?"
He continued to read.
And I write because all that seems to be, and all that will be, has to be simply kept in a place I can open and read at my command, so that even at the dead of night I am reminded by her scent, by her fragrance,
so that as I sleep I smell her beauty.
I write because I find no reason not to.
I write for Hermione.
DM.
"HERMIONE!?" He said so loud that Goyle and Crabbe stirred in their beds, and eventually continued to snore.
He looked at the name again, closer, intently studying it. It had a slightly different color from the rest of the words, as though something else was originally written but replaced with the name.
Hermione.
Draco thought hard. He didn't remember writing anything for Hermione, nor did he have any memory of writing on this brown leather notebook either…
He hastily turned to the next page, and again, unfamiliar words greeted him with his all too familiar handwriting.
There are no right words to verbalize
how I feel about you,
It is as though all my words
would never be enough
to match your
Brilliance.
But know this,
In the midst of my isolation,
I remember you,
And on and on Draco read, but he never understood why he would write such things, nor could he believe that he had written them all.
It was his hand writing, but the more he read, the more he couldn't believe he had written it.
He just couldn't seem to remember.
And he turned page after page, seeing his handwriting as though written by a stranger, not understanding when or where it was written at all.
Did I…? Did I really..?
He got all the more confused, as though there was a chunk of memories he couldn't remember, missing and making him think of something long forgotten…
He did not sleep. He continued to read his 'diary' and continued to wonder.
He could not sleep, for he kept on thinking of the girl it was all written for, and why 'he' had written them for her in the first place.
"Oie! Draco! Wake up!" Some low voice said in Draco's ear.
"Wha-wha-what?!" Draco stood up hastily, looking around the dorm.
Two porky people were standing at the foot of his bed, looking amused and stupid.
"Tee—hee-hee." Goyle said. "Wake up, we've got Potions with the Gryffindorks first up." He said, laughing as though someone made a joke.
"What? Oh yes…" Draco trailed off, rubbing his head and remembering the events of last night… Gryffindorks… Hermione.. Hermione…
"Draco!" One of them said again.
"What!?" Draco snapped impatiently.
"Nothing, you seem like you didn't slept." Crabbe said.
"Sleep, Crabbe, not slept." Draco hastily corrected. "And yes, I did not, your snores were killing me." He said, not wanting to share the unprecedented appearance of his supposedly poetry for one of the Gryffindorks.
"Anyway. Come on, I want to eat something." Draco said to the two, wanting to rid his thoughts of Hermione.
"So I told mum I wanted new pants, they wouldn't fitted me anymore!" Crabbe said.
"It's not fitted Crabbe, it's fits!" Goyle said.
"I knew that! I was only testing you." Crabbe said going red.
"It's FIT." Draco shook his head. He wondered how he had gotten stuck with them for the past six years.
Draco kept thinking back at what happened last night, it seemed to preoccupy him all the time...
Ever since I read that little brown leather notebook last night, everything seemed to change.
I never gave Hermione much thought before... but after reading what I supposedly wrote for her... I feel as though I just have to find out why I've written them in the first place.
What is it about her?
I admit I don't remember anything that might've happened between me and her... nor could I remember loving her, because everything that I wrote seemed to be about how much I loved her.
It is as though I am super sure thatthere is something missing in this picture... a great big blank. I don't remember my summer.
What happened during the span of time from after year six and before year seven?
And the more I try to remember what I feel I have forgotten, the more I seem to end up clueless... The more it seems harder for me to find out.
All I want to do is remember what I have forgotten.
They were seated inside the Potions classroom, they were the only ones there accompanied by some other Slytherins. It was still a bit early, the rest of the class would be coming in around 5 minutes.
Draco, Crabbe and Goyle sat at the back, to the far left, so they could see the door at all times, which was to their right, right at the front.
Pansy Parkinson was seated right across Draco, unfortunately.
"Drakie-poo… You look stressed today… did you get some sleep?" Her high voice rang, disturbing Draco's thoughts.
"What?" Draco said impatiently. "Yeah.. yeah I think so.." He said absentmindedly, constantly looking at the door, though he did not know why.
Who was he waiting for?
"I was thinking Drakie, I'd like to spend some alone time with you… I was thinking maybe tonight…" She cooed, twirling her hair and batting her eyelashes.
Draco resisted the urge to make a face. "Whatever…" He drifted off, still staring intently at the door.
"Drakie?! Drakie?! What are you looking at?!" Pansy asked, and just as she was about to look at the doorway, Draco knocked off all his books, along with Crabbe's and Goyle's.
He coughed, hastily getting all the books and saying 'sorry' to Crabbe and Goyle.
Pansy raised her eyebrows; the Golden Trio had just walked in.
"Were you waiting for them?!" She said, disgusted.
"What? Me?!" Draco said defensively. "Of course not!! Why would I be waiting for them!?" He said loudly.
"Okay okay, I was just asking…" Pansy said softly. Draco loosened up.
Suddenly, he heard a high pitched shriek.
"What now, Pansy!?" He said impatiently.
"I forgot to tell you, that Mudblood Granger has a boyfriend!" She whispered excitedly to Draco, Crabbe and Goyle.
"She has a boyfriend?!" Draco said incredulously.
Pansy nodded. "He looked really handsome… looked like a Latino, saw them in Three Broomsticks over the summer. And let me tell you, the guy seemed to love her, defending her and all. But I know better, I bet she just slipped him a love potion or something, no matter what that guy said." She said slowly.
Draco was silent. She has a boyfriend? He was confused even more. Then… why did I write for her? And did I see her over the summer? He stopped dead.
What did happen during the summer…?!
"Pansy, was I in your place during the summer?" Draco quickly asked.
Pansy made a face. "Me? Nooo… But I wanted you to…" She cooed.
"Was I at your place, Crabbe? Goyle?" He asked the two.
They shook their heads, looking dumbstruck. "We never knew where you stayed for summer." They mumbled.
"Really?" He asked.
"Never saw you, not even once." They said.
"Settle down, settle down!" The voice of Professor Snape suddenly echoed in the dungeon classroom. "Now, cauldrons out, and do this potion on the board."
There was shuffling and scuffling, the sound of cauldron bottoms scratching the floor, fires being lit, and the noise of sharing and looking for ingredients.
Draco meanwhile, had his own world, with his own thoughts.
She has a boyfriend... a boyfriend... why does it bother me?!
There are no right words to verbalize… He said in his head. Last night's memories kept playing back and forth in his head; he was doing his potions simply absentmindedly.
In the midst of my isolation, I remember you… He peeled the skin of a mutated cobra, dropping it unto his purple fire.
"Do we put two cups of venom or just one half?" He heard a voice say somewhere in the classroom.
"No Harry, just put one half." A female voice said.
Your embrace is a temple of memories… He dropped half a cup of cobra venom… A temple of love, of unmatched melodies… The liquid inside his cauldron turned blue.
Everything around me turns into your eyes, Everyone around me turns into your face… He added some curious looking powder. Because everywhere I am is where you are, and your shelter is my shade.
"Mr. Malfoy!"
Draco snapped back to reality. "Your shelter is my shade!"
Half the room burst into laughter.
Draco immediately turned red.
"Yes, very inspiring Mr. Malfoy, but what I need is not shade nor shelter, I want your potion to be better! Miss Granger! Pair up with Mr. Malfoy, he so poorly needs help!" Snape said unhappy, turning around with his greasy hair flapping around.
Draco's stomach churned. Oh Crap… No no no!!!
He saw Harry and Ron exchange nervous looks, but Hermione simply obeyed orders and went towards Draco's desk, looking uncertain but confident.
"Hullo." She said softly, not looking at him, not staying too near him. It was an awkward moment.
Draco simply nodded. He cleared his throat. "Just tell me what to do, okay?! I want to get this over with." He said hastily, sounding arrogant and impatient.
Hermione seemed hurt at first, but soon recovered as she started pointing out ingredients and instructions.
Draco obeyed without saying anything, for he did not know what to say. At the corner of his eye, he could see Harry and Ron glancing at them repeatedly, patrolling every single minute.
As if I will honestly do anything stupid right under Professor Snape's nose.
"And you're supposed to add some Dragon Heart Powder…" Hermione reached for the powder, but as she did, Draco reached for it too.
Their hands met for a fraction of a second.
Hermione withdrew quickly, while Draco clutched on the bag of Dragon Heart Powder.
"I know what to do." He said hastily, wondering why he reached for the powder the moment she reached for it too.
Harry and Ron exchanged incredulous looks, they both obviously saw what happened.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Must they always watch whatever we do?!" He said impatient.
Hermione sighed. He is his same arrogant self… same arrogant self… She thought.
But the stick… she suddenly remembered. Could he have actually read it?
Draco was quietly mixing his potion thinking, the heat of the potion increasing his adrenalin.
Ask her… come on, ask her… She's the one I supposedly wrote about… Just ask her!!
But I might seem stupid…
Just ask her, be subtle!
He mixed the potion even more.
Simultaneously, Hermione was chopping blue winged twigs, her heart pounding.
Just ask him if he read it!
But Dumbledore said the receiver had the choice to or to not acknowledge the wish…
That's why ask him, so you'll know!!
...What if I---
"Granger." Somebody suddenly said.
Hermione stopped chopping abruptly. She knew that voice, she had heard it the night she cried the most.
"Yes?" She asked softly.
She could smell his scent stronger than ever before… sending wave after wave of summer memories at her… she was so close to him right now… everything was coming back.
"What happened during the summer?" Draco Malfoy asked.
At that moment Hermione stopped all form of normal class thought, she wasn't at potions, she was at the Burrow… running across the lawn… inside a restaurant… on a broomstick…
Right beside the boy she still loved.
"What happened during the summer?" She repeated, asking him, to see if he remembered anything she suddenly remembered, suddenly feeling excited that all her hopes weren't in vain, and that there could still be a chance that he had not fully forgotten her at all….
She looked at him, finally allowing herself to look at the silver eyes she kept dreaming and longing to see up close again, wanting to search the truth inside of him.
"What did happen during the summer?" She asked him, looking intently at him.
Draco lost all form of thought, of communication, of words. He simply looked right back at her, because she seemed to hold him under her gaze…
It was only now that Draco realized how beautiful her eyes were.