The greatest thing you'll ever know is just love and be loved in return
Chapter Three: Feliz Navidad
Hermione awoke in a cold cell, wearing a thin gown. Her teeth chattered. She tried to remember how she got there, but was greeted by a dull pain in her head. She brushed her hair back and felt a sharp pain and moisture. She was bleeding. Panic began to fill her mind.
Hermione knew her name, and that she was a witch, but everything else blurred. Images of a boy with black hair with haunted green eyes flying on a broom, a red-haired tall boy barfing up slugs (Lord knows why), and a boy- man, with blonde hair and penetrating grey-blue eyes smiling from inside a building, holding out a black cloak flashed.
No names came to mind. Hermione groaned. She fingered a crescent shaped charm on a chain. On the back it said:
"Find," she whispered. It glowed blue and disappeared, leaving the chain bare.
The cell door opened, and a tall blonde man entered. He vaguely reminded her of the one she remembered, but this one had black, malicious eyes.
"Well, well," he said. "It appears there is a filthy Mudblood in my home. I really should… dispose of it."
He came over and grabbed Hermione's arm, and dragged her out, leaving the cell door open.
***
The three boys jolted in a flash of blue light. They were in a bare cell. There was blood on the ground. Draco led the way to an open door.
"I know where we are," he said.
"Oh, hell," Ron said. "It's your house."
"Manor," Draco corrected. They came out into an ornate hallway filled with portraits of dead Malfoys. Draco looked both ways. It was empty.
Suddenly there was a female scream from the right.
"Hermione!" they chorused, running in that direction.
***
Hermione screamed after the man said, "Crucio." Her body seemed like a thousand knives were stabbing her. He stopped, and kneeled by her.
"Such a pretty little girl," he said, running his hand up her leg, sitting her up. "I wonder what you feel like…"
Hermione tried to squirm away, but he had her leg in a good grip.
"Lucius," a cold voice said from behind her, "Honestly, this is my Christmas present."
A handsome man, maybe twenty-five, with dark brown hair and eyes, stood her up. He looked at her state and frowned. "I said I wanted her unharmed."
He murmured a few words and suddenly the blood and dirt vanished, and the torn gown changed into a dark blue dress that curved perfectly, but was shockingly low in the front.
He smiled a perfect row of teeth. "Why, you are positively enchanting Miss Granger."
"Who are you?" Hermione whispered.
"Of course," He said. "We've never met face to face. And I have… changed."
Lucius was smiling from the corner.
"Lucius, leave us."
The man smiled, and began to caress her face and neck. He put his mouth near her neck. "Such a pity you'll be dead come tomorrow."
"Who are you?"
"Tom Riddle. Lord Voldemort."
Hermione couldn't remember the name, but judging from the sick feeling in her stomach, it wasn't good news. Especially seeing as her mind was now blank after the man whispered, "Imperio."
***
Draco, Ron, and Harry were standing behind a tapestry. Lucius Malfoy had come angrily out of the room, and was pacing the hall. A house-elf ran to him holding a note, and he finally left.
Draco beckoned them to the door which, as expected, was locked.
***
When Hermione came out of the spell she felt dizzy. There was a familiar feeling all over her body, rather like when she and that man she could remember a little-
Tom Riddle or Lord Voldemort had buttoned her dress up. He was smiling. He took out a wand.
"That was memorable, Hermione," he was touching her again, "Now say Good Night. It's Christmas Day, and I need to send you back to Hogwarts for Dumbledore to deal with. I have enough dead bodies for my collection."
Hermione felt that panic again. She stood up to run. Voldemort pointed his wand right at her chest.
"Feliz Navidad."
***
Draco pulled out his wand. "Alohomora."
They opened the door, and heard a cold voice say, "Feliz Navidad."
A man whispered a few words. Harry ran and tackled the man with dark brown hair, wrenching away his wand. "Ron! It's Tom Riddle!"
Ron ran and helped Harry. Draco spotted the girl lying on the floor. She was a vision of blue, with brown curly hair spilled out.
Tom Riddle Apparated away. Harry and Ron fell flat on their faces.
Draco was standing over the girl. He kneeled and observed her face. She was deathly pale, her eyes closed, and a bluish tinge in her lips. Draco shook her a bit.
"Hermione? Hermione, it's Draco. Please wake up."
Draco panicked. He took the crescent out of his pocket. Harry and Ron grabbed on it. "De Novo."
They were back in the girls' dormitory. Harry and Ron ran to get Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. Draco picked Hermione up and put her in her bed. She was breathing, but it was shallow. He brushed back her hair. Her eyes fluttered open.
She rapidly examined his face. "You."
Draco smiled, tears of relief streaming down his face. "Hermione, you're all right, thank God. Oh, God I love you so much."
"I love you, too. What's your name?"
Draco looked down at Hermione. She had passed out again. He propped her head up, and noticed a sticky wet feeling. He looked at his hand, which was covered in blood.
***
Harry ran at break-neck speed, Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore surprisingly keeping up.
He opened the door to the girls' dorm, where Draco Malfoy was staring in shock at his bloody hands.
"She's dying," he whispered. "I can't stop the blood. She keeps waking up. She doesn't remember anything but my face. No names. She's been coughing it up. She's losing so much blood…"
Professor Dumbledore sat next to Draco and put his hand on Draco's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll do what I can."
Draco nodded. He got up and went into the fixed restroom.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Can you stop the bleeding, Albus?"
"Yes, Minerva. I can do that. But I can't stop death… that almost seems inevitable."
McGonagall gasped. She shoved Harry out of the room, right into Ron, who had gotten Madam Pomfrey. McGonagall let her in and closed the door on Harry and Ron.
"That was nice," Ron said.
***
Draco opened the door, his hands clean. He sat back in his spot, and his eyes dared them all to make him leave.
She was no longer bleeding. Madam Pomfrey was bustling around. She stopped and sighed. "It's no use, Albus. We have no stores of her blood type for the Muggle way even."
"What type is it?" Draco asked.
"A. Now all I can do is break out the morphine-"
"That's my blood type," Draco said.
Dumbledore smiled. "Well, Poppy, can we use Mr. Malfoy's blood?"
"Yes. But there could be a violent reaction. He is from a pureblood family, she's Muggle-born. And I need a lot of his blood to-"
"Try," Draco pleaded.
She looked right at Draco. "Fine."
She took out a double IV. She stuck first him, then Hermione. She started to flow the blood from Draco to Hermione.
"Tell me if you feel dizzy. This'll take half an hour."
Within a few minutes, Draco was dizzy. He began to think of the irony. After all the years of jabs about bloodlines, they were exchanging blood. Hermione's face was gaining color. After awhile, Madam Pomfrey took out the IV.
"I need to lie down," Draco said. "Can I-"
"Go ahead, Draco," Dumbledore said.
Draco eased himself into Hermione's bed. He quickly fell asleep, holding her in his arms.
***
Later that night, Hermione woke up screaming. Draco was right there, and shot up.
"What?" he asked, eyes flashing.
Hermione looked right at him. "Draco?"
He held her shoulders. "You remember-"
"I remember everything," she cried. "Oh, God, everything."
"What'd he do?"
"He-"
From the desperate look in Hermione's eyes, Draco knew what Voldemort did. He hugged Hermione to his chest, shushing her.
"Don't worry," Draco said. "He's never going to touch you again, I swear to God, I won't let him touch you like that again."
Hermione started to shake, and Draco felt he had no other choice. He said a spell and Hermione told every detail to him, the memories escaping.
When she was done, Hermione's face went blank, then she smiled. Draco faked one.
"You look horrid!" Hermione exclaimed. "Rough Qudditch practice?"
"Impossible," Draco said, pulling her to his chest.
***
"You erased the memory?" Helene gasped.
I was staring at the window. "I couldn't let her live with that. She never knew what happened, Harry and Ron agreed not to tell her."
"But-"
"I know, I know. After that she'd forget a lot of things, like where she put her toothpaste, but other than that there were no side effects."
"You let her live like that?"
I continued to stare out the window.
"I had to. Believe it or not, I have this pesky thing called a conscience."
Helene was quiet for a while. "Are you sure you did the right thing?"
"Absolutely."
Chapter Three: Feliz Navidad
Hermione awoke in a cold cell, wearing a thin gown. Her teeth chattered. She tried to remember how she got there, but was greeted by a dull pain in her head. She brushed her hair back and felt a sharp pain and moisture. She was bleeding. Panic began to fill her mind.
Hermione knew her name, and that she was a witch, but everything else blurred. Images of a boy with black hair with haunted green eyes flying on a broom, a red-haired tall boy barfing up slugs (Lord knows why), and a boy- man, with blonde hair and penetrating grey-blue eyes smiling from inside a building, holding out a black cloak flashed.
No names came to mind. Hermione groaned. She fingered a crescent shaped charm on a chain. On the back it said:
"Find," she whispered. It glowed blue and disappeared, leaving the chain bare.
The cell door opened, and a tall blonde man entered. He vaguely reminded her of the one she remembered, but this one had black, malicious eyes.
"Well, well," he said. "It appears there is a filthy Mudblood in my home. I really should… dispose of it."
He came over and grabbed Hermione's arm, and dragged her out, leaving the cell door open.
***
The three boys jolted in a flash of blue light. They were in a bare cell. There was blood on the ground. Draco led the way to an open door.
"I know where we are," he said.
"Oh, hell," Ron said. "It's your house."
"Manor," Draco corrected. They came out into an ornate hallway filled with portraits of dead Malfoys. Draco looked both ways. It was empty.
Suddenly there was a female scream from the right.
"Hermione!" they chorused, running in that direction.
***
Hermione screamed after the man said, "Crucio." Her body seemed like a thousand knives were stabbing her. He stopped, and kneeled by her.
"Such a pretty little girl," he said, running his hand up her leg, sitting her up. "I wonder what you feel like…"
Hermione tried to squirm away, but he had her leg in a good grip.
"Lucius," a cold voice said from behind her, "Honestly, this is my Christmas present."
A handsome man, maybe twenty-five, with dark brown hair and eyes, stood her up. He looked at her state and frowned. "I said I wanted her unharmed."
He murmured a few words and suddenly the blood and dirt vanished, and the torn gown changed into a dark blue dress that curved perfectly, but was shockingly low in the front.
He smiled a perfect row of teeth. "Why, you are positively enchanting Miss Granger."
"Who are you?" Hermione whispered.
"Of course," He said. "We've never met face to face. And I have… changed."
Lucius was smiling from the corner.
"Lucius, leave us."
The man smiled, and began to caress her face and neck. He put his mouth near her neck. "Such a pity you'll be dead come tomorrow."
"Who are you?"
"Tom Riddle. Lord Voldemort."
Hermione couldn't remember the name, but judging from the sick feeling in her stomach, it wasn't good news. Especially seeing as her mind was now blank after the man whispered, "Imperio."
***
Draco, Ron, and Harry were standing behind a tapestry. Lucius Malfoy had come angrily out of the room, and was pacing the hall. A house-elf ran to him holding a note, and he finally left.
Draco beckoned them to the door which, as expected, was locked.
***
When Hermione came out of the spell she felt dizzy. There was a familiar feeling all over her body, rather like when she and that man she could remember a little-
Tom Riddle or Lord Voldemort had buttoned her dress up. He was smiling. He took out a wand.
"That was memorable, Hermione," he was touching her again, "Now say Good Night. It's Christmas Day, and I need to send you back to Hogwarts for Dumbledore to deal with. I have enough dead bodies for my collection."
Hermione felt that panic again. She stood up to run. Voldemort pointed his wand right at her chest.
"Feliz Navidad."
***
Draco pulled out his wand. "Alohomora."
They opened the door, and heard a cold voice say, "Feliz Navidad."
A man whispered a few words. Harry ran and tackled the man with dark brown hair, wrenching away his wand. "Ron! It's Tom Riddle!"
Ron ran and helped Harry. Draco spotted the girl lying on the floor. She was a vision of blue, with brown curly hair spilled out.
Tom Riddle Apparated away. Harry and Ron fell flat on their faces.
Draco was standing over the girl. He kneeled and observed her face. She was deathly pale, her eyes closed, and a bluish tinge in her lips. Draco shook her a bit.
"Hermione? Hermione, it's Draco. Please wake up."
Draco panicked. He took the crescent out of his pocket. Harry and Ron grabbed on it. "De Novo."
They were back in the girls' dormitory. Harry and Ron ran to get Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. Draco picked Hermione up and put her in her bed. She was breathing, but it was shallow. He brushed back her hair. Her eyes fluttered open.
She rapidly examined his face. "You."
Draco smiled, tears of relief streaming down his face. "Hermione, you're all right, thank God. Oh, God I love you so much."
"I love you, too. What's your name?"
Draco looked down at Hermione. She had passed out again. He propped her head up, and noticed a sticky wet feeling. He looked at his hand, which was covered in blood.
***
Harry ran at break-neck speed, Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore surprisingly keeping up.
He opened the door to the girls' dorm, where Draco Malfoy was staring in shock at his bloody hands.
"She's dying," he whispered. "I can't stop the blood. She keeps waking up. She doesn't remember anything but my face. No names. She's been coughing it up. She's losing so much blood…"
Professor Dumbledore sat next to Draco and put his hand on Draco's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll do what I can."
Draco nodded. He got up and went into the fixed restroom.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Can you stop the bleeding, Albus?"
"Yes, Minerva. I can do that. But I can't stop death… that almost seems inevitable."
McGonagall gasped. She shoved Harry out of the room, right into Ron, who had gotten Madam Pomfrey. McGonagall let her in and closed the door on Harry and Ron.
"That was nice," Ron said.
***
Draco opened the door, his hands clean. He sat back in his spot, and his eyes dared them all to make him leave.
She was no longer bleeding. Madam Pomfrey was bustling around. She stopped and sighed. "It's no use, Albus. We have no stores of her blood type for the Muggle way even."
"What type is it?" Draco asked.
"A. Now all I can do is break out the morphine-"
"That's my blood type," Draco said.
Dumbledore smiled. "Well, Poppy, can we use Mr. Malfoy's blood?"
"Yes. But there could be a violent reaction. He is from a pureblood family, she's Muggle-born. And I need a lot of his blood to-"
"Try," Draco pleaded.
She looked right at Draco. "Fine."
She took out a double IV. She stuck first him, then Hermione. She started to flow the blood from Draco to Hermione.
"Tell me if you feel dizzy. This'll take half an hour."
Within a few minutes, Draco was dizzy. He began to think of the irony. After all the years of jabs about bloodlines, they were exchanging blood. Hermione's face was gaining color. After awhile, Madam Pomfrey took out the IV.
"I need to lie down," Draco said. "Can I-"
"Go ahead, Draco," Dumbledore said.
Draco eased himself into Hermione's bed. He quickly fell asleep, holding her in his arms.
***
Later that night, Hermione woke up screaming. Draco was right there, and shot up.
"What?" he asked, eyes flashing.
Hermione looked right at him. "Draco?"
He held her shoulders. "You remember-"
"I remember everything," she cried. "Oh, God, everything."
"What'd he do?"
"He-"
From the desperate look in Hermione's eyes, Draco knew what Voldemort did. He hugged Hermione to his chest, shushing her.
"Don't worry," Draco said. "He's never going to touch you again, I swear to God, I won't let him touch you like that again."
Hermione started to shake, and Draco felt he had no other choice. He said a spell and Hermione told every detail to him, the memories escaping.
When she was done, Hermione's face went blank, then she smiled. Draco faked one.
"You look horrid!" Hermione exclaimed. "Rough Qudditch practice?"
"Impossible," Draco said, pulling her to his chest.
***
"You erased the memory?" Helene gasped.
I was staring at the window. "I couldn't let her live with that. She never knew what happened, Harry and Ron agreed not to tell her."
"But-"
"I know, I know. After that she'd forget a lot of things, like where she put her toothpaste, but other than that there were no side effects."
"You let her live like that?"
I continued to stare out the window.
"I had to. Believe it or not, I have this pesky thing called a conscience."
Helene was quiet for a while. "Are you sure you did the right thing?"
"Absolutely."