YourSide, Their Side and the Truth

Part XVIII - Memories Are Designed To Fade (18.45)

Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me, this is a fan fiction, by a fan for the fans

If someone had told Ron Weasley that in his fifth year he would be actively searching out Draco Malfoy, and this searching did not entail at the end a mass of bloody guts and a rather mangled Slytherin, Ron would have laughed in their face. And then punched them.

"This is bloomin' stupid," Ron muttered to himself, scratching his arm and moving around the library stacks. A stern-faced Ravenclaw pulled a face at him and he held up his hands quickly in apology as he swerved round a bookcase full of Herbology textbooks.

With a face that could probably curdle milk, Ron stomped around the library for another ten minutes, prompting an irate Madam Pince to approach him and demand what the matter was.

"Have you seen Malf- Draco?" Ron tried not to look insane, although by the sudden scurrilous look from the librarian he could tell his attempts weren't working. He flatly tried to stare her down.

The librarian sighed. "No, I haven't, Mr. Weasley. To my knowledge he isn't in here. Now can you get out so the other students can study in peace?"

"Uh-" Ron said slowly then froze at the sudden murderous glint in Irma Pince's eyes. "Sure, why not," he said, turning on his heel and quickly getting out of the library.

Sliding out of the stuffy room with a sigh, Ron shut the door with a click behind him and came face-to-face with Ginny. His younger sister was looking at him, her head on one side as she looked at him strangely.

"What is it with people looking at me like that!"

Ginny blinked, the thick Potions book in her arms almost sliding out of her grip. She took a moment to readjust the large volume and clamped her arms around it. "Like what?"

"Like I'm insane!" Ron bellowed.

Ginny didn't say anything for a long moment, looking a little dazed. "Uh - have you ever considered -"

"Shutup," Ron ground out. Ginny giggled into the top of the textbook.

"What's got your goat this time?"

"Got my what?"

Ginny sighed. "Do you listen to dad at all?"

"Not particularly."

"What's eating you?"

Ron stared at her flatly. "Ginny, what the hell are you going on about?"

Ginny rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "What's bothering you? Surely you've heard of that phrase. If not, then -"

Ron held up one hand quickly in warning, a dull flush threatening to creep up on his face. "I've heard of that one. I'm not that thick." Ginny stifled a choking laugh which Ron chose to ignore. "I'm looking for someone."

"Someone, hey?" Ginny grinned coquettishly. "Hermione not enough for you?"

Ron flushed angrily. "Not that type of someone," he ground out quickly. "I'm looking for aschmerf-" Ron muffled the last word of his sentence with an abrupt cough.

Ginny stared at him quizzically, confused. "You're looking for Aschmerf?"

"No." Ron looked at her, pained. "I'mlookingforMalfoy."

"Oh," Ginny said. "Is that all?"

"Arg! I do not get you at all," Ron said, sounding disgusted. Ginny just grinned at him, stuck her tongue out and pushed past him into the library. Ron stared after her as the door slid shut.

"Girls," he muttered with a shudder, rolling his eyes to the firmament before continuing to stomp around Hogwarts looking for the reclusive Slytherin.

After an irritating few hours stomping around the Slytherin tower and Gryffindor tower, and having to dodge various hexes from the former's inhabitants, Ron was just about ready to give up and head back to his dormitory to do some homework when he decided to check vaguely around the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff dorms as well. This may have had more to do with the fact that he had a particularly difficult Transfiguration essay to do that he was currently procrastinating from rather than particularly wanting to find Draco. Something about the way Harry and Draco got together really bugged Ron… In fact a lot of things were bugging Ron. Everything had seemed too practised, and too well rehearsed, as if it was all…

"Planned?"

Jerking to an embarassed standstill, Ron looked around shamefacedly to see if anyone had heard. No person had, but a rather pretty dark-haired girl in the portrait to his right had, and she was smirking at him all over her round face. Ron pulled a face at her and turned the next corner.

Could everything have been planned? Ron's head was in a whirl. It had certainly seemed real, but then, they would have had to act out certain things just in case anyone was watching, and this was just what they would do. His brain nagged him for a second to wonder who "they" referred to, but it got an answer immediately. "Dumbledore's had something to do with this…" Ron thought fiercely.

A bit more convinced that this was closer to the actual truth, Ron thought over the facts in his head slowly. Harry had: a) accepted these things a little quicker than he should; b) defeated Voldemort without much training; c) gone out with Malfoy and declared himself in love when he was only fifteen; d) agreed to become an Animagus without much thought; e) not been acting like himself for a long while.

"It could all be a coincidence…"

Ron frowned. Draco Malfoy had responded pretty much the same way to things as Harry. Something was going on here. Something that no-one had let anyone else in on, and Ron would bet a million Galleons that Dumbledore was very much behind it.

Ron almost snorted. As if he'd ever have that much to bet with…

There were some discrepancies to his theory, but maybe Hermione would be able to help him fill in the gaps.

Thinking abruptly of the enthusiastic brunette made his head whirl again and he furiously told that part of his brain to shut up. He'd been going to find Draco because Hermione had woken up and he'd thought in a moment of brilliance that if he was going to try and make amends with Malfoy and form some kind of alliance then he'd go find Draco and tell him.

That moment of brilliance had, of course, led to him stomping around school and getting in a shoddier mood the more he stomped. Mind you, it had given him some time to think, something he hadn't honestly had since the whole debacle really started. So maybe he really did have to thank ferret boy…

Thanking any deities that were listening that neither Harry nor Draco could read his thoughts, Ron was about ready to turn around and just tell Draco at dinner time when he heard the music.

Brief irrational thoughts filled his head about the ghost rumours, when his highly cynical current train of thought wondered who the bugger started the rumours in the first place, and his hard-headed Gryffindor self moved closer towards the music. What also struck him as weird was the lack of people around, but figuring that the Ravenclaws - despite their legendary intelligence - were petrified (non-magically) by the idea of the ghosts.

The music was a lilting sound, a spread of light music which was then joined by an unsteady rippling harmony, then with a light tapping of a drum beat. Ron was just beginning to think how peaceful the music was when it crashed into a heavier beat. The lilting music changed to a heavy twang of a thaumolyte guitar, the wizard equivalent of an electric guitar, and a sound Ron recognised from Ginny's infatuation with the Weird Sisters. The other sounds changed to a heavier rhythmic, syncopated beat and the rippling harmony changed to heavy chords. Curious, Ron followed the sound and forgot exactly where he was going. Pushing past a thick blue and black tapestry covering a thick portion of wall, Ron was surprised to find a dark passage leading away from the corridor he was stood in.

Steeling his nerves, Ron let the tapestry fall behind him as he padded along the corridor. The music was getting louder, and the corridor lighter but Ron didn't consider this until he found himself in the doorway of a brightly lit room and the focus of three familiar stares.

"What are you doing here?"

Lifting his gaze hollowly, Ron couldn't figure out what on earth to say to Seamus' exclamation. The sandy-haired Irish boy was sat at what looked like a muggle piano, and Neville to his side was looking ashamed as he held nervously onto a pair of what, to Ron, looked like wands. In reality they were drumsticks, and Neville was sat in front of a drum kit, but Ron didn't know enough about muggle life or music to know this. It was the last person of the three that surprised Ron. Draco Malfoy sat there unconsciously, perched on the edge of an old school desk and holding a guitar like he'd been born to hold one. Out of the three, he looked the most annoyed.

"I could say the same thing," Ron managed eventually, his voice thick with shock.

"We're practising for the end-of-term," Neville supplied helpfully, earning himself a sharp look from Draco.

"It was supposed to be a surprise," Draco ground out, running one hand through his normally tidy hair and unconsciously messing it up. He looked ruffled, and Ron didn't like the feeling of being looked at as if he were the scum of the universe. A small part of Ron wondered why he wasn't used to it from Malfoy, and Ron told that to shut up too.

"Dumbledore thought if some students supplied some music for the dance then it might lift some spirits," Seamus added, his Irish voice making even the words themselves sound musical.

"He always says music is magic," Ron said slowly, thinking it through. "You sound good," he added lightly.

"We know," Seamus said teasingly. Ron looked at Seamus sharply, suddenly realising he was joking, and he managed a small smile in return.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Neville looked nervously at Ron, clutching his drumsticks and looking terrified as he perched on a round stool.

"Nah," Ron said with a brief grin. "Just one thing-- Wouldn't it sound better with, like, someone singing, or another instrument, cuz --"

"Don't remind us," Seamus said darkly. "Dumbledore promised there'd be another student who'd play a C instrument for us. We think that's who's been practising here at nighttimes and freaking out the Ravenclaws, but we don't know who it is."

"I have some idea," Draco said mildly. "What are you doing here anyway, Weas- Ron?"

Ron decided to magnanimously let that mistake slip, especially considering he'd been calling Draco Malfoy all day despite the fact he knew Draco was a Gryffindor now and, from what he'd seen, for good enough reasons. "I came to see you. I thought you'd like to know Hermione has recovered."

Draco looked at him, astonished. "You tramped around school looking for me for ages just to tell me that?" Draco looked as if he couldn't believe it.

"Yeah," Ron said stiffly. "Us Gryffindors have to stick together."

"Yes, I guess so," Draco said, sounding bemused. "I--" He laid the guitar to his side, on the desk. "Guys, would you mind if… It's kind of my fault she's…"

"Go right ahead," Seamus said with a grin. Ron smiled thankfully at Seamus, waiting while Draco slid the guitar into a black leather case, and was struck with a sudden thought. He crossed over to talk to Seamus while Draco put his instrument into a cupboard in the corner.

Ducking his head close to the Irish boy, Ron muttered with a whisper: "Did you play with him while he was a Slytherin?"

Seamus playfully hit him over the side of the head. "Get away with you, Weasley."

"So that's a no?" Ron asked, retreating to a safe distance.

"It's a yes, you moron. A guitar player is a guitar player, even if he is in the loser house," Seamus commented lightly.

"Finnigan," Draco grunted from over in the corner. Seamus wrinkled his nose at Draco as the former Slytherin pushed past the desk he was sitting on before and stood there with his hands in his pockets. "Well?" He said pointedly to Ron.

"Well what?" Ron asked.

"Lay on, MacDuff," Draco said lightly, sniggering. "Know they enemy, my father said, so he made me take muggle studies…"

"Lay on, who?" Ron asked, confused.

"MacDuff," Draco repeated slowly. "From one of Shakespeare's plays?"

"From one of whose whats?" Ron asked, biting his lip in bewilderment.

Draco stared at him flatly. "When I know more about muggles than you, even I start to get worried." Ron gaped at him some more, and Draco sighed in irritation. "Move it, you git, let's so see Hermione."

Ron scowled at him faintly before shrugging at Neville and Seamus and following Draco out of the small room.

"I'm glad one of us knows where they're going," Draco muttered as they rounded the corner and started to ascend the steps that led to the infirmary.

"Well sorry," Ron grouched. "I don't normally traipse around other house areas."

"But you thought it was okay to traipse around the Slytherin tower while polyjuiced to look like Crabbe?"

Ron stopped in shock. "How did you--" He flushed uncomfortably. "Those were extenuating circumstances!"

"Sure. Just like at Durmstrangs when you pushed that boy over the banister," Draco said with a smirk. Ron scowled and pushed past him to the doors.

"He insulted my best friend, thank you very much," Ron said, lowering his voice to a hissing whisper as they entered the infirmary.

"I'm still not so sure that entitled you to push him into that pit of Devil's Snare," Draco hissed back, before smiling up at Madam Pomfrey. "Hello, Madam Pomfrey, is it okay if we see Hermione now?"

The bustling infirmary nurse looked up from the chart she was carrying and looked at Ron and Draco slowly for a minute. "Hm. She feel asleep again after she woke up. That poison from those things you encountered took a long time to come out of her system. She's very weak. I'm not sure if--"

"I'm awake, Madam Pomfrey. Please let them in!"

Madam Pomfrey turned to see Hermione propped up on one elbow and smiling weakly at them. Her face was pale, and her hair tumbled over her pale cheeks in a frizzier mess than usual.

"Ten minutes only," Madam Pomfrey said, with a frown. "No more, mind."

"Thanks Madam Pomfrey!" Ron and Draco chimed at the same time, and followed that sentiment with a horrified glance at each other. Blushing furiously, Ron moved past Draco to run to Hermione. He dropped into the chair by her side and unconsciously grabbed her hand.

"We were worried about you," Ron said, grinning down at her. "How you feeling?"

"Better now," Hermione replied gently. "I'm really tired though. Did you bring me any homework?"

"Homework?" Draco asked in disbelief. "You're ill and you want homework?"

"Tell me about it," Ron said wryly. "Every single time that's what she asks for."

"Hello Draco," Hermione said with a dry grin at Ron's deprecating tone. "The thing is he forgets to bring it every single time."

"I do not!" Ron protested vehemently. Hermione looked at him slowly. "Okay," he conceded, "maybe I do."

"I brought you something," Draco said unexpectedly. Ron looked at him sharply, but didn't say anything as Draco pulled something out of his robes. "I have a friend who works in Flourish and Botts and he gets me discounts on school books sometimes, he helped me last summer with -- Uh--" Draco looked panicked for a moment, but then he shrugged and Ron later wondered if he'd imagined the panic on Draco's face. "Anyway, he owed me a book or two for something that happened, and, well --"

Hermione took the book offered to her and looked at it slowly in shock. "It's-- Oh, Draco!"

Ron narrowed his gaze suspiciously. "What is it?"

Hermione turned the book to Ron, her eyes sparkling and Ron made out the words on the front of the book.

"Unicorns: Their habits, lifestyle and mythology. Isilya Munich." Ron glanced up at Draco. "That's… thoughtful…"

"Don't sound too surprised!" Draco said with a short laugh. "Just you get better soon. The average IQ point level for Gryffindor just went down a few points when you left."

"IQ? What's one of those?" Ron asked, feeling stupid. Hermione just laughed.

"Oh, you'll never guess who visited me before I fell asleep," Hermione said. "Professor Snape."

"Really?"

"What did he want?"

"I don't know," Hermione said with a shrug. "He just muttered something about how it was 'good Potter's friend would be all right, wouldn't want him going even crazier' and then he left."

"Weird," Ron commented, and he was about to explicate further when a chirping at the window got their attention.

"Hey, isn't that Spirit?" Draco asked, as they all jerked around to see a fluffy eagle owl battering at the window.

"Who?" Hermione asked as Ron jumped off his chair and ran to the window to let the owl in.

"Uh, Professor Lupin's owl," Draco said quickly.

"How do you know tha--" Hermione started, but stopped when Draco looked at her sharply, as if to say 'you don't want to know, and even if you did… I can't tell you.'

Spirit hopped down obligingly onto the bedpost of Hermione's bed, and dropped a letter onto the bed. Hermione ruffled its head genially, and took the letter from him. She ripped it open while Ron fed Spirit some owl treats that he'd had in his pockets and was silent as she scanned through the letter.

"Good news I hope," Draco said politely.

"Oh, I --" Hermione was strangely subdued. "I don't know really."

"Well that's not cryptic," Ron said, frowning. "What's it say?"

"It--"

Hermione got no chance to explain, as Madam Pomfrey came up, looking a little red in the face.

"Boys, Miss. Granger needs some rest."

"Bu--" Ron said.

"Now!"

"They've only been here five minutes!" Hermione protested. "I'm fine, really I am." She yawned, and then cringed under Madam Pomfrey's stern glance. "Well I guess I'm a little tired… Can't they stay?"

"No."

"But Madam Pomfrey--" Draco interrupted.

"NOW! Before I lose my temper!"

Ron was just about to comment that it looked like she'd already lost her temper when he saw the sense of not making that particular observation and he closed his mouth sharply.

"You'd better do as she says," Hermione said miserably.

"Bye," Ron said despondently as Draco yanked him by the sleeve out of the infirmary before they incurred Madam Pomfrey's wrath.

"Hermione didn't look too happy with the contents of that letter," Ron commented. "Wonder what it said…"

"I wonder," Draco said, casting a glance back at the forbidding doors of the infirmary as they dejectedly walked down the stairs again. "I wonder…"

Ron couldn't help but feel that, despite Draco's words, he sounded like he knew.

"I meant what I said, Miss. Granger. You should rest."

Now that the boys were gone, Madam Pomfrey continued her vigilance over her patient. Hermione frowned faintly.

"I meant what I said too. I'm not that sleepy. I'll go to sleep in a bit, I just want to reply to this owl…" Hermione scratched Spirit behind his ears for a second. "Do you mind?"

"No, no, as long as you get some rest," Madam Pomfrey said with a smile. "Do you want a quill and some parchment?"

"Yes please."

Hermione bent her head over the letter as Madam Pomfrey bustled off to get the requested items.

"Dear Hermione, Ron.

"I'd send this to Draco as well, but I doubt he'd be receptive to the owl and the general purpose of this inquiry. We've received notice of Harry's incarceration, and while knowing it to be highly unjust we are pretty much powerless to do much at the moment. However there are some facts we would like to know that may help us get Harry out of there. 1) Have you any idea what happened between him and Draco? This sounds a little suspect that they would just break up like that. 2) Has anything strange or untoward happened recently? There has been attacks down here, in the Germanic Alps region, has anything like that happened to you or at Hogwarts that you know of?

"I hope you are well, and I wish this letter could have come due to better circumstances,
"R.J. Lupin."

Biting her lip, Hermione silently took the quill and ink Madam Pomfrey offered her, arranged the parchment on the small table that fitted over the bottom of the hospital bed and began to formulate her reply.

"This is just bloody typical." Ron hadn't stopped whinging since they'd left the infirmary, and Draco was beginning to get irritated. "I can't believe it," Ron added, scowling, talking more to himself than out loud.

"Well believe it," Draco snapped, frowning peevishly. "I'm going -- look, I'm just going. I've got some homework for McGonagall to do, that Annuliversimo essay, so I'll see you later."

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but shut it furiously as Draco stomped away. He watched as he rounded the corner, and then glanced up in surprise as he saw Ginny watching Draco leave too. His sister still had hold of the huge Potions textbook and was looking pretty much peeved off herself.

"How is she?" Ginny asked. It took Ron a few moments to figure out that she was referring to Hermione and he frowned at her for a second before answering.

"Oh, Hermione. She's okay. A little annoyed by the fact that I didn't take her any homework or revision to do," Ron said, not looking apologetic.

Ginny nodded. "I wonder why," she said pointedly. "I was just going to see her now, as a matter of fact." She held out the Potions textbook to Ron. "It's a textbook geared for OWL students. Percy recommended it to me. I thought Hermione might want to look at it."

"She'll love it," Ron said with a grin, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"I know," Ginny said, still sounding a little subdued. "Hey, was that Draco Malfoy that disappeared round the corner just now?"

Ron frowned. "Huh? Oh, yes, it was." Feeling a small pang of suspicion he narrowed his eyes at her. "Why?" The faint suspicion he'd been feeling all day started to turn into fear; a clammy hand around his throat. Concerned Ron placed his hands on Ginny's shoulders to stop her. "What's wrong?"

Ginny just stared at him softly for a long moment, before twisting to look faintly in the direction Draco had gone. Ron let go of his sister slowly, thinking with a rush of nausea that it was almost like Ginny could still see Draco somehow and then brushing that thought off as he realised the truth of Ginny's expression. It was almost… melancholic.

"What's wrong?" Ron repeated slowly, the silence pounding in his ears like Neville's drumming.

"Nothing at all," Ginny said, a little too quickly.

Ron wasn't surprised when he found himself disbelieving her too.