Disclaimer:
Mirror Mirror on the Wall,
No one owns Harry cept J.K. Rowl.

Sorry it took so long. I had to remake Harry Potter Puppet Pals. (No, I didn't make it originally.) My mom had her birthday, and her anniversary. I read the fourth Harry Potter book. Did summer reading. I WAS BUSY! so please. Don't kill me for being slow. All I wanted was to be able to walk into my World History class and not make a Longbottom out of myself on the test over the Crisis of Islam! So yeah, I'm totally over reacting.

Chapter 8: I can't see your face.

Draco waited an entire week before Hermione regained consciousness. Madam Pomphrey insisted that there was nothing physically wrong with her and that she should've woken up days ago. Many people had different theories as to why she persisted. Pansy's being that she simply didn't want to be anywhere near the Mudblood-lovers any longer, now that Hermione herself was now a pureblood, to which Harry and Ron had to fight to keep Draco from slapping her. The new Golden Trio, as the Slytherins called it, had a theory that she simply didn't want to wake up for whatever reason and they should accept that as a damn good reason for her to still be sleeping. But most people didn't accept this theory, so different ones were inevitably conceived and then conveniently forgotten before she did wake up.

When Hermione did wake up however, Draco had lost his house about one hundred points for acting up in class, or fighting with other members in front of McGongagall. Relieved that this streak of bad temper might finally pass, all the teachers set out to tell Draco. Harry and Ron were allow to be informed, but they proved more difficult to find, being that they were trying to avoid Draco and his tantrums.

-----

Hermione's eyes landed on the tall boy before her. He wasn't extremely handsome, but looks were not everything. He seemed to have an air of hope about him. Almost a longing feeling, like he was expecting something. Her mind tried to find him in her memories, place his face. But just like searching for what she'd forgotten, she could not. Again and again she futilely tried to place him. But each time she came up empty handed. Her mind finally reasoned that she just simply didn't know him. And while she intended to make their first meeting much easier, her words escaped her without any regard to how he'd react.

"Who the hell are you?" Hermione blurted rudely. Immediately she was struck with remorse. His eyes filled with a deep pain. Inwardly she wondered why. Why would a complete stranger care whether she was nice to him or not? Why should she care that he cared? If he expected something major from her, he should realize that she'd just gone through. . . Hermione's eyes filled with tears. She was safe. Someone had rescued her. Her father wasn't here. And she could breathe in the horrible scents of the hospital wing. The boy searched her face for her thoughts. He wondered what he should do. Finally he gave her question some thought, though it needed none, and decided to answer.

"My name is Draco Malfoy." Hermione thought that something sounded extremely snobbish about his name. But at the same time, something very complicated.

"My name's Hermione Granger, sorry for being rude." Hermione stuck out her hand, but Draco's recoiled. Hermione thought that his personality seemed to fit his name very well. He was a very rude an arrogant prat! She was trying to be nice, and all he did was refuse her hand, as if she was lower than him. "Um, excuse me, but I'm trying to be nice." Hermione hissed.

"I know who you are. I'm just disappointed. Ignore it." Hermione clicked her teeth in annoyance. "I thought-I hoped-you'd remember me." Draco didn't wait for her response. He stood up and walked briskly from the room. Hermione shuddered as the door slammed behind him, it's sonance echoing in the morning air.

Draco met Harry and Ron as he was coming out. He pushed past them and walked on without so much as a word. Ron rubbed the shoulder that Draco had hit.

"I take it his talk with Hermione didn't go well." Ron stated dryly. Harry gazed at the gape Draco had made between them.

"Apparently so." Harry looked over at Ron. "I hope we do better. What d'you say? Up for seeing Hermione and cheering her up?" Ron grinned broadly.

"Let's go."

Ron and Harry laid their hands onto the double oak doors and pressed their weight against them. The wood gave a large crack and the teens could feel the hinges turning under their weight. They were incredibly apprehensive about seeing Hermione in a bad mood. Instead, when the doors creaked open (which took about two seconds) they were met with a familiar sparkle.

"RON! HARRY!" Hermione shouted from her bed. The two appeared very awkward in the middle of the stark surroundings. Ron gave his usual lop-sided grin. Harry just beamed that she was finally awake.

"Quite a nap you had there Herms." Hermione looked shocked.

"Really Ron? How long was it?"

"About a week," Harry muttered, trying not to raise any alarm from her.

"A WHOLE WEEK!" Hermione shrieked! "What did I miss?"

"Well, Draco's been rampaging all across the school defending your honor from Pansy. In the process though, he made everyone really tense." Hermione's gaze fell.

"He says that I should know him, but I don't remember him at all. Ron, Harry, who's Draco?" Harry began to fidget with his inner pocket. Ron's mouth opened and closed, searching for a reasonable answer to such a preposterous question.

"Hermione," began Harry, who had not yet returned to his senses, "is that why he stormed out of here?" Hermione flashed him a look of guilt and responsibility.

"I think so."

"Don't worry. You'll think of something. I know you will." Ron encouraged. He knew that his advice in this case would be of little use. He wasn't good at coming up with solutions to difficult problems. He'd leave that to Harry and Hermione.

-----

Draco kicked a suit of armor as he strode down the corridor. He decided not to go to his empty common room. He choose not to go to the Gryffindor common room, not like that was much of a choice, those goody-two-shoes had caused more problems than he felt like dealing with right now. Draco steamed with anger. He hadn't been this angry at Hermione since his second day at the Grangers. Draco double backed and kicked the armor again. He could almost hear the armor grunt at him, but in his rage he guessed that he was just being weird. Draco's foot struck the suit of armor a third time. This however, caused it's head to pop off and roll down the hall. Draco bent over to pick it up, but was kicked in the rear.

"HAHA! How do you like being kicked!" Peeves's high chortle screamed. Draco picked up the head and launched it at him, which only made him laugh more.

"Go away or I'll call the Barren!" With that Peeves shuttered and disappeared. Draco smiled to himself on his success. It seemed less important though, since no one would share it with him.

Draco decided to go down to the lake. It was the best place to cool ones mind. He headed back the way he'd come, and to the nearest exit.

-----

Two days passed before Hermione was released from the Hospital wing, and not once had Draco been up to visit her. He even avoided Harry and Ron during class, pouring endless hours into library research. Ron wondered what was wrong with him. He'd even begun to hang around the Slytherins again. It all seemed very odd to him. But he never could come up with any good explanation.

Hermione decided she'd better try to reverse whatever she'd done to him. She had no idea what to do though, no one would even tell her who he was. Only that they used to be really close. Harry admitted to her however, that they hadn't always been friends, and precisely how close they were was quite a mystery. That's when Hermione decided she'd better find out who he was from the only person who knew, Draco.

Draco sat uncomfortably on one of the wooden chairs in the library. His legs were crossed and prompted on the table. 'The secret to unlocking secrets' was laying precariously across his knees, and over all, he held himself in a drooped sort of weariness. Hermione spotted him like that and felt more strongly than ever, that something had to be done.

"Draco?" Hermione asked from behind him. She could see him jump at the sound of her voice. He jerked around and sat up straight. Hermione took the seat across from him, though he didn't offer it to her.

"Yeah?" Draco sneered.

"I don't know what to say. I can't remember a single thing about you. I know I should, but it's like something keeps preventing me. I just wanted to say thank you. For saving my life, that is." Draco seemed taken aback by this. "Harry told me. You don't have to sit with the Slytherins you know. I want to learn more about you, since I can't remember. We could be friends again."

"We weren't friends." Draco's jaw clenched. "And we can never be friends."

"Can't you even try?" Hermione's voice was desperate. Something about him made her want to know what was going on.

"No." Draco firmly stated.

"You're being a PRAT!"

"Just know this, we can never be friends."

"And just why not!" Hermione snapped.

"Because I still love you, and it still pisses me off." Draco slammed his book shut and stood up. He pushed past her and left her there in confusion.

Hermione turned to watch him leave. She understood for the first time why he was so cruel. 'The worst way to miss someone, is to be standing right beside them, knowing they're not yours.' Tears filled Hermione's eyes. She didn't know why that'd happened. She couldn't explain it. Why had he been so upset? She'd tried her best to make it up to him. Then the realization of why fell upon her.

"I'm sorry I don't love you, Draco."