"Norwegian Wood"
Chapter 3
Hermione and Draco spent most of the day walking around the streets of London, hoping for something to trigger Hermione's memory. Even though Hermione saw many, many familiar things, as London was her home, she couldn't actually recall any particular memories dealing with any of these buildings or areas. Both she and Draco were beginning to feel frustrated. The last thing they needed was what happened to them at five o'clock that evening.
The sun was low in the sky, and around them, everything was getting darker. Artificial lighting was coming on in the buildings surrounding the two as they slowly made their way back to the Dickensian Inn. They hoped to see a restaurant somewhere on their way back to the hotel, as they were both starving, and they headed towards the less busy streets in hopes of finding a place that wasn't too crowded.
Draco and Hermione turned a corner and headed down a deserted street just as the sun completely disappeared over the horizon. They spotted a café up ahead and were just making their way towards it when, seemingly out of nowhere, five men clothed from head to toe in black appeared, surrounding them. Draco immediately knew who the men were and pulled out his wand instinctively. The men came closer to him and began to speak.
"Lucius isn't happy with you, Draco." One man said.
"Says you haven't been answering his letters. Says that you refuse to join the Dark Lord." Said another, whom Draco guessed to be Goyle, Sr. by his deep voice.
Draco took an involuntary step backwards as the men continued to approach. Next to him, Heather was staring at the surrounding figures with fear. Draco whispered so the only she could hear him, "Wait until I say go, and then run down that alley over there." He eyed the dark alley up ahead. Heather merely nodded, unable to speak.
"What're you whispering to your girlfriend there?" Goyle asked, looking at Draco suspisciously.
"Nothing of importance to scum like you." Draco replied casually, tightening his grip on his wand. "And you can tell my father that the reason I don't answer his sorry letters is because I respect him and his master less than I respect a common muggle." Draco paused for his words to sink in. Around him, the Death Eaters gasped.
"You'll pay for that one, Draco. Malfoy or not." A man whose voice Draco did not recognize raised his wand, but Draco was too quick for him.
"STUPIFY!" Draco shouted, stunning the man who had threatened him. "GO!" He screamed at Heather, shoving her out of the ring of angry Death Eaters towards the nearby alley. "STUPIFY! STUPIFY! STUPIFY!" Around him, the figures collapsed faster than they could raise their wands. One Death Eater, however, caught Draco by surprise, hitting him with a disarming spell. Draco, not one to readily accept defeat, turned and sprinted towards the alley he had sent Heather down moments before. Draco managed to throw himself behind a building before getting hit by the curses the remaining Death Eater was casting his way. Seeing Heather up ahead, Draco ran as fast as his legs would carry him towards her. Then Draco, without any explanation whatsoever, quickly grabbed Heather's arm and disapparated back to the Dickensian Inn.
Hermione felt herself being jerked backwards by some invisible force. She felt Dameon's hand on her arm, clutching her tightly as they were magicked back to the hotel. She landed with a thud on the carpeted floor. She tried to gain her balance, but her head was spinning and she nearly fell. Dameon reached out to help steady her before she got yet another injury falling. When she felt somewhat less queasy, she looked over at him uncertainly.
"What the hell was that?" She asked, her trust in Dameon ebbing away.
Draco shifted his weight uneasily from one foot to the other. If he had ever needed to cast a memory charm, it was now. But his wand was in the hands of a Death Eater, and he had very little chance of getting it back soon, if ever. He looked down into the suspicious eyes of Heather, whose face was still a deathly pale from fear. "Heather," he said uncertainly, "There's something I haven't told you that you should probably know." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm a wizard. I'm part of a magical world that's different from yours, and in that world, there are a lot of bad things happening right now. I can't explain it all now, it would take forever, but those men we saw tonight, they worked for my father, and he, by the look of things, isn't very pleased with me at the moment. Not that I care." He added, mostly to himself. He waited for Heather to react, expecting disbelief, or at the very least shock, but finding neither.
To Hermione's own surprise, she was not shocked by this news. In fact, she felt that something inside her had always known there was another kind of people, magical people, even. Of course, Hermione had no idea what she had known all her life, as she couldn't remember any piece of what her life was like before. "You know, it's strange." She said finally, "I have this feeling that I already knew that...." She looked down at her hands for a moment. "Why did they keep calling you Draco?"
"Oh, right...my name isn't really Dameon. In truth, it's Draco. Draco Malfoy." He stated quickly, realizing at once that his chance at gaining back her trust was growing continually slimmer.
Hermione thought for a second. "Malfoy..." She tried desperately to remember where she'd heard the name before, but couldn't think of anything. "That sounds so familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it."
Draco looked at her, wondering if what he thought could possibly be true. Could she really be a witch? It was possible, considering he knew almost nothing about her. After all, she wasn't shocked at the news that there was a magical world muggles knew nothing about, and she recognized his name. "Do you think it's possible that you could be a witch?" He asked her.
Hermione looked up immediately. "Me? A witch?" She asked in surprise. She shook her head. "No, I don't think so." But, the more she thought about it, the less strange it seemed. "Well, I'm not sure...I suppose it's possible. Is there some way to tell?" She asked Draco.
Draco thought about it. Was there some way to distinguish between a muggle and a magic person? No, not really. If someone carried a wand or read the Daily Prophet or could make strange things happen, then they were part of the magical world, but if a person didn't know who they were...it would be nearly impossible to tell. Draco reached into his pocket absentmindedly, searching for his wand but finding nothing. This brought Draco out of his thoughts rapidly and a sense of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. "I don't think there is any way to tell, but we can figure that out later." He told Heather quickly, removing his hand from his pocket. "I'm sorry that you got dragged into all of this, and if you want to leave, I understand. Getting involved in a magical war you don't even know if you're a part of is the last thing you need right now, so I'd probably be more of a burden than a help from here on out." Draco looked up to see Heather looking at him with a mingled expression of curiosity, suspicion, and worry.
Hermione stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what she should do. Draco was pretty much telling her to leave, but she had nowhere to go. "Er," she said uneasily, "Draco, I understand that you probably want me out of the way, but the thing is, I don't have any money, or a place to go, and..." she hesitated, not wanting to be rude, but having no alternative, "could I just stay with you a little longer? Just to try and get my memory back? I don't need to follow you around, I could just sleep here and wander around London during the day on my own." She looked up at him to see his reaction. She was relieved to see that he didn't look annoyed or angry, just...thoughtful.
"Of course you can stay here, Heather." Draco said with a smile. "And you can 'follow me around' if you wish, but it might be dangerous, especially if I don't get my wand back soon."
Hermione beamed at him. "Thank you so much, Dam--er, Draco. You can't possibly know how grateful I am." She looked down at her watch and laughed. "I can't believe it's only quarter to six. I'm so t-ti-tired." She said, failing to stifle a yawn.
Draco suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him. "Heather, you can have the bed. I've got some things to do before I go to sleep. I'll be back in a while." He said as he rubbed the tiredness from his eyes and made his way towards the door. He turned to look back at her before leaving the room. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said with a smile and closed the door behind him.
AN: Sorry it took so long for me to update. Hopefully now that summer has started I'll be able to update more frequently.
Chapter 3
Hermione and Draco spent most of the day walking around the streets of London, hoping for something to trigger Hermione's memory. Even though Hermione saw many, many familiar things, as London was her home, she couldn't actually recall any particular memories dealing with any of these buildings or areas. Both she and Draco were beginning to feel frustrated. The last thing they needed was what happened to them at five o'clock that evening.
The sun was low in the sky, and around them, everything was getting darker. Artificial lighting was coming on in the buildings surrounding the two as they slowly made their way back to the Dickensian Inn. They hoped to see a restaurant somewhere on their way back to the hotel, as they were both starving, and they headed towards the less busy streets in hopes of finding a place that wasn't too crowded.
Draco and Hermione turned a corner and headed down a deserted street just as the sun completely disappeared over the horizon. They spotted a café up ahead and were just making their way towards it when, seemingly out of nowhere, five men clothed from head to toe in black appeared, surrounding them. Draco immediately knew who the men were and pulled out his wand instinctively. The men came closer to him and began to speak.
"Lucius isn't happy with you, Draco." One man said.
"Says you haven't been answering his letters. Says that you refuse to join the Dark Lord." Said another, whom Draco guessed to be Goyle, Sr. by his deep voice.
Draco took an involuntary step backwards as the men continued to approach. Next to him, Heather was staring at the surrounding figures with fear. Draco whispered so the only she could hear him, "Wait until I say go, and then run down that alley over there." He eyed the dark alley up ahead. Heather merely nodded, unable to speak.
"What're you whispering to your girlfriend there?" Goyle asked, looking at Draco suspisciously.
"Nothing of importance to scum like you." Draco replied casually, tightening his grip on his wand. "And you can tell my father that the reason I don't answer his sorry letters is because I respect him and his master less than I respect a common muggle." Draco paused for his words to sink in. Around him, the Death Eaters gasped.
"You'll pay for that one, Draco. Malfoy or not." A man whose voice Draco did not recognize raised his wand, but Draco was too quick for him.
"STUPIFY!" Draco shouted, stunning the man who had threatened him. "GO!" He screamed at Heather, shoving her out of the ring of angry Death Eaters towards the nearby alley. "STUPIFY! STUPIFY! STUPIFY!" Around him, the figures collapsed faster than they could raise their wands. One Death Eater, however, caught Draco by surprise, hitting him with a disarming spell. Draco, not one to readily accept defeat, turned and sprinted towards the alley he had sent Heather down moments before. Draco managed to throw himself behind a building before getting hit by the curses the remaining Death Eater was casting his way. Seeing Heather up ahead, Draco ran as fast as his legs would carry him towards her. Then Draco, without any explanation whatsoever, quickly grabbed Heather's arm and disapparated back to the Dickensian Inn.
Hermione felt herself being jerked backwards by some invisible force. She felt Dameon's hand on her arm, clutching her tightly as they were magicked back to the hotel. She landed with a thud on the carpeted floor. She tried to gain her balance, but her head was spinning and she nearly fell. Dameon reached out to help steady her before she got yet another injury falling. When she felt somewhat less queasy, she looked over at him uncertainly.
"What the hell was that?" She asked, her trust in Dameon ebbing away.
Draco shifted his weight uneasily from one foot to the other. If he had ever needed to cast a memory charm, it was now. But his wand was in the hands of a Death Eater, and he had very little chance of getting it back soon, if ever. He looked down into the suspicious eyes of Heather, whose face was still a deathly pale from fear. "Heather," he said uncertainly, "There's something I haven't told you that you should probably know." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm a wizard. I'm part of a magical world that's different from yours, and in that world, there are a lot of bad things happening right now. I can't explain it all now, it would take forever, but those men we saw tonight, they worked for my father, and he, by the look of things, isn't very pleased with me at the moment. Not that I care." He added, mostly to himself. He waited for Heather to react, expecting disbelief, or at the very least shock, but finding neither.
To Hermione's own surprise, she was not shocked by this news. In fact, she felt that something inside her had always known there was another kind of people, magical people, even. Of course, Hermione had no idea what she had known all her life, as she couldn't remember any piece of what her life was like before. "You know, it's strange." She said finally, "I have this feeling that I already knew that...." She looked down at her hands for a moment. "Why did they keep calling you Draco?"
"Oh, right...my name isn't really Dameon. In truth, it's Draco. Draco Malfoy." He stated quickly, realizing at once that his chance at gaining back her trust was growing continually slimmer.
Hermione thought for a second. "Malfoy..." She tried desperately to remember where she'd heard the name before, but couldn't think of anything. "That sounds so familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it."
Draco looked at her, wondering if what he thought could possibly be true. Could she really be a witch? It was possible, considering he knew almost nothing about her. After all, she wasn't shocked at the news that there was a magical world muggles knew nothing about, and she recognized his name. "Do you think it's possible that you could be a witch?" He asked her.
Hermione looked up immediately. "Me? A witch?" She asked in surprise. She shook her head. "No, I don't think so." But, the more she thought about it, the less strange it seemed. "Well, I'm not sure...I suppose it's possible. Is there some way to tell?" She asked Draco.
Draco thought about it. Was there some way to distinguish between a muggle and a magic person? No, not really. If someone carried a wand or read the Daily Prophet or could make strange things happen, then they were part of the magical world, but if a person didn't know who they were...it would be nearly impossible to tell. Draco reached into his pocket absentmindedly, searching for his wand but finding nothing. This brought Draco out of his thoughts rapidly and a sense of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. "I don't think there is any way to tell, but we can figure that out later." He told Heather quickly, removing his hand from his pocket. "I'm sorry that you got dragged into all of this, and if you want to leave, I understand. Getting involved in a magical war you don't even know if you're a part of is the last thing you need right now, so I'd probably be more of a burden than a help from here on out." Draco looked up to see Heather looking at him with a mingled expression of curiosity, suspicion, and worry.
Hermione stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what she should do. Draco was pretty much telling her to leave, but she had nowhere to go. "Er," she said uneasily, "Draco, I understand that you probably want me out of the way, but the thing is, I don't have any money, or a place to go, and..." she hesitated, not wanting to be rude, but having no alternative, "could I just stay with you a little longer? Just to try and get my memory back? I don't need to follow you around, I could just sleep here and wander around London during the day on my own." She looked up at him to see his reaction. She was relieved to see that he didn't look annoyed or angry, just...thoughtful.
"Of course you can stay here, Heather." Draco said with a smile. "And you can 'follow me around' if you wish, but it might be dangerous, especially if I don't get my wand back soon."
Hermione beamed at him. "Thank you so much, Dam--er, Draco. You can't possibly know how grateful I am." She looked down at her watch and laughed. "I can't believe it's only quarter to six. I'm so t-ti-tired." She said, failing to stifle a yawn.
Draco suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him. "Heather, you can have the bed. I've got some things to do before I go to sleep. I'll be back in a while." He said as he rubbed the tiredness from his eyes and made his way towards the door. He turned to look back at her before leaving the room. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said with a smile and closed the door behind him.
AN: Sorry it took so long for me to update. Hopefully now that summer has started I'll be able to update more frequently.