Disclaimer: The song choice today is "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" by (in this case) Bruce Springsteen:
You shouldn't lash out
You better not try
Just what I'm about
I'm telling you why
Harry Potter's never been mine
Harry Potter's never been mine
Harry Potter's never been mine
I know when you've been reading
And when you're not around
I know when you have laughed or cried
So you better listen to the news I've found
(better listen to the news she's found)
You shouldn't lash out
You better not try
Just what I'm about
I'm telling you why
Harry Potter's never been mine
Harry Potter's never been mine
Harry Potter's never been mine
Author's Note: Okay, so this took a little longer than I had planned. But no worries. The next chapter will be up before New Years. It HAS to be up before New Years, therefore it will be up. I usually don't do things unless I make a REALLY desperate, almost impossible to achieve, deadline for myself. Then things get done. It's strange. Anyway, onto the next chapter. (P.S. Tissues might be needed. Not sure though.)
Chapter Seven: Please Forgive Me
Back and forth. Back and forth.
Back. And forth, and back again.
Draco cast a glance at Charlie as he paced. Charlie looked at him, saying nothing, but a sense of understanding in his eyes. He'd put up with his pacing this time. Draco needed to physically vent, and this was the best way possible. His other option would probably be beating up Weasley, but Potter would put a stop to that.
He stopped suddenly, causing Charlie to look up. Draco was planted, looking at the door to Hermione's room, as though attempting to see clear through to the ongoings inside. Charlie thought to open his mouth, but shut it again.
'What the hell would I say?' he thought. 'What if Hermione really...'
Suddenly, there was a noise from inside the room. Slowly, the door opened, and Professor McGonagall stepped out. Charlie sucked in a sharp breath. She looked exhausted. Her eyes were worn and bloodshot, her hair slightly frazzled. She came over to Draco and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy," she whispered after a moment.
Draco's eyes wilted. He looked away.
She released her grasp and walked down the hall silently. Professor Snape soon followed, saying nothing but giving Draco a gentle squeeze on the same shoulder as McGonagall. Charlie felt his heart grow heavy, the overwhelming feeling of loss beginning to pile up within his soul. He wondered how Draco still had the strength to stand.
Finally, the door opened and Professor Dumbledore came out. He closed the door behind him gently as Charlie, Ron, and Harry stood up. He turned and nodded to each in turn, then looked at Draco. He said nothing, so Draco instead took the opportunity.
"What happened?"
Dumbledore looked at him hard for a moment. He must have been satisfied with what he saw, for he cast a quick look at the other boys.
"I would appreciate you not repeating this to anyone else."
There was a silent, unanimous agreement between the five. Dumbledore sighed.
"When Miss Granger fainted on Thursday, it appeared that it was just an issue regarding her health. Fainting and the like is not uncommon among young women who do not eat properly. This is not what happened however. She was instead... attacked.
Charlie frowned and went to open his mouth, but Draco, sensing Charlie's move, made a motion as if to say 'Let him finish'.
"We do not know what kind of creature it is. All we know is that when she was sitting at dinner, she was attacked. This creature then burrowed its way into her soul, eating away at her life force. There is no way to stop it. It is slowly draining her from the inside. There is not enough life force left in her for her body to appear alive. No pulse or heartbeat. The creature was allowing her brain and body to work, but only on its own energy. It is only a matter of time now before the creature completes his task."
"How much time?" Draco asked, trying to prevent his voice from wavering.
Dumbledore looked at Draco, pity in his eyes. "An hour. Two at most."
Draco frowned, his brow furrowed deep in thought. Ron spoke.
"And there's nothing...?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "We've done everything we can. All we could do was make her as comfortable as possible," he said, casting his gaze to rest on Draco. "Nothing else can be done" he said, pacing his words.
Draco did not return the gaze. Dumbledore cast a combre glance about the four boys. "I'm sorry for your loss, gentlemen."
"She not gone yet," Draco said quietly.
Dumbledore slowly nodded. He gave Draco a gentle pat on the shoulder.
Draco looked up at him. "Thank you."
Dumbledore nodded. "We did everything that we could." He shrugged. "Nothing else can be done."
He held Draco's gaze for a moment before nodding to the remaining boys. Soon he departed, silently flowing down the dark hallway.
"Well D, guess we should--" Charlie turned around. Draco was done, the door to Hermione's room opened slightly.
Charlie entered, followed by Ron and Harry. Hermione lay in her bed, comfortable beneath the deep red sheets, her golden hair blending with the deep yellow pillows beneath her head. The lights were all off, save for a small candleabra that had been lit, placed on the bedside. Draco sat in a chair next to the bed, shadows cast and flickering across his face. He was holding her hand, gently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.
Charlie came over to Draco's side of the bed, while Ron and Harry stood at the other side. Nothing wqas said for a moment, the silence heavy in the room. Charlie sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Taking a step back, he turned for the door.
"What happened? Somebody die?" a voice whispered weakly, and sealed with a slight chuckle.
Charlie turned back towards the bed, coming back to stand at the side. Hermione's eyes were open, a faint smile playing upon her lips.
"I don't remember so many attractive men by my side since my cheerleading accident," she said, trying her best to smile. After a moment of silence, she added, "That was a joke."
Charlie came to sit on the edge of the bed on Draco's side, resting a hand on Hermione's shin beneath the maroon bedcovers. "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times G... only I am allowed at the top of the pyramid... Carrots, maybe, if he ever gets lucky enough."
Hermione smiled. "As skillfully as that was set up," she whispered, "I'm not saying 'I always liked you on top' Charlie."
Charlie snapped his fingers in artificial anger. "Rats and Peter Pettigrew". Soon, his face sombered a little, and he patted her shins, saying nothing.
Hermione then turned to Ron and Harry. "How are you guys? I wonder what you'd do without me to copy notes off of, huh?"
Harry swallowed, but gave Hermione a warm and genuine smile. "We'd probably shrivel up and simply turn into powder, that would blow away in a strong gust of wind."
Charlie smiled at him. "You too, huh?"
Hermione gave a weak laugh and glanced over at Draco, who had been sitting silently, listening to their friendly banter.
"Draco?" she whispered quietly, lifting her arm slightly, but droppig it helplessly again at her side.
'She's running out of strength' thought Charlie.
Summoning as much courage as he could muster, he turned to Harry and Ron. He tilted his head towards the door. Harry nodded, and he and Ron quietly headed for the door. The three of them silently left the room, Charlie closing the door behind him. He turned to Harry and Ron.
"So... what now?" asked Ron cautiously.
Charlie sighed, running a hand through his hair. He cast a sombre glance over his shoulder at the door to Hermione's room. He tucked in his lips and looked at the pair.
"Now we wait."
----------
The door closed as the three boys left. Draco didn't look up, and Hermione refused to take her eyes off of him. An uneasy silence settled in the room, almost suffocating the pair. Hermione frowned. "Draco? Look at me."
Finally Draco lifted his head, his gaze meeting hers. She smiled. "There's my handsome prince," she said, gently lifting her hand to brush her fingertips against his face. He tilted his head, leaning his cheek into her palm. She smiled.
"I'm... sorry... God, I'm so sorry," Draco whispered, his eyes shut. He wanted to hold onto this moment as long as he could. The touch of her hand, the smell of her hair... he didn't want to imagine a life without it.
A gentle laugh rang through Draco's ears. Hermione's laugh still managed to get his heart racing. He listened to her voice. "It's not your fault... I'm just a klutz," He heard her swallow, struggling for breath. "Thank my dad for that."
Draco bit his bottom lip and opened his eyes. He just wished he could swim in the golden pools of Hermione's eyes forever. He sighed. "God, I love you."
She smiled, the back of her hand now smooth against his cheek. "I know."
He fought to give her a playful smirk. "Is that all?"
She smiled at him, and he moved to sit next to her on the edge of the bed. Hermione gently ran a hand through his hair. Baby soft. She hoped she'd never forget the feel of him. She wanted everything she knew about Draco Malfoy etched permanently into her mind.
He exhaled softly, his eyes full of guilt. "Forgive me?"
She swallowed, closing her eyes for a brief moment. She looked at him. She felt her heart sink as she noticed a pleading in his eyes. "Nothing to forgive," she whispered. She gave him a brillant smile. "I love you, Draco Malfoy."
He gave her a tight smile. "Hermione... you won't forget me, will you? I mean if there was ever... you'd know that I love you, right?"
Hermione nodded, placing a hand on either side of his face. "Forever and always," she said with a smile.
Draco leaned forward, his mouth meeting Hermione's. Gently, he held her face, trying to burn the sensations running through him into his permanent memory. Slowly, he melted into her, stars exploding behind his eyelids. He wished he could stay like this forever, kissing her. Slowly, the kiss turned more desperate, passionate. Draco fought the urge to taste every corner of Hermione's mouth. He held her, hoping desperately to avoid the inevitable. Finally, he summoned his courage and gently pulled away, an empty feeling of loss running through him as he did so. His heart ached from the sudden loss of contact. He sighed.
Hermione smiled up at him. Draco grinned and placed a tender kiss on Hermione's cheek. "Here's lookin' at you, kid," he whispered gently into her ear.
And for the last time that night, Hermione smiled.
------------
Charlie tapped his thumb against his propped knee, sitting on the floor outside Hermione's room like he had before. The silence rested uneasily among the three boys. Harry was sitting too, his knees propped up, his forhead resting again his arms that bridged across the top of his knees. Ron sat beside Charlie, seeming either deep in thought, or deep in depression.
Suddenly, the door opened. Harry lifted his head, and Ron was snapped out of his reverie. Charlie slowly stood up.
Draco dragged himself out of the room, gently closed the door behind him. Charlie frowned at him as the other two stood up. "D? Is she...?"
Draco looked up at Charlie, sadness in his eyes. Charlie instantly received his answer. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Dammit," he cursed quietly. He looked up at Draco. "Well... we better, you know..."
Draco gave no response except to walk silently, in a horizontal line with the other boys down the hall. Charlie looked at him. His eyes, full of sadness, now seemed deep in thought, full of determination. Charlie frowned. 'What could he possibly...'
Harry sighed. "God, I wish we could have done something. Or could do something."
Suddenly, it hit Charlie like a full-blown blast. He looked at Draco. Draco gave a slight smirk.
"There is something we can do," he said.
Charlie silently cursed his own intelligence and stopped walking. "Draco, if you're thinking what I'm thinkin'--"
"--you know I am."
"-- then you also know that I think it's crazy. Right? No, no. Forget it." Charlie crossed his arms, feet planted firmly into the floor.
Draco stopped walking and gave a dramatic sigh. "Charlie..."
Harry stopped. "Wait, what are you guys talking about?"
Draco turned to the boy wonder and his sidekick. "There's a way to save Hermione."
"What?"
"The wrong way!" Charlie interjected, angrily.
Draco spun around. "As long as it's a way, I don't care!" he retorted.
Charlie dropped his arms. "Yeah, well I do. You think G would want you to take that route to getting her back?"
"I WILL NOT LOSE HER AGAIN!" Draco snapped, its echo blazing down the hall. He stared at Charlie. His voice softened, almost becoming a desperate plea. "I will NOT lose her again. Never. I can't... I need her Charlie," he said. He shrugged helplessly at his best friend, "I need her."
Charlie sighed and looked at Draco. "It's not about you, D. This? This is not about you," he said, gently shrugging. "Hermione coming back to us is not your choice, man. Alright? It's not yours, and it's not mine. It's not Harold's and Carrots's either."
Draco stepped towards Charlie. "Tell me you don't want her back."
Charlie looked away. "D, this is not about--"
"-- not about you, I know. But this is about whether or not we love her enough to do what we can," he said, standing in front of Charlie. "Tell me you don't want her back, bounding down the hall to tell you that she got the highest on her O.W.L.S. yet again. Tell me you don't want her sitting with us at lunch in The Three Broomsticks, always offering you that extra bit of butterbeer pudding that she was never able to finish." He took a breath, "Tell me you don't want her back, and I will back off." Draco said, holding his hands up, taking a step backwards as if in retreat.
Charlie dropped his head, tapping his toe gently into the floor. There was always a right way and a wrong way of being able to do things. A sinking feeling ran through him. He glanced up at the three. He saw hope in Harry's eyes. Pleading in Ron's. Determination in Draco's. He sighed and shrugged. "There's only one thing I want... I wanna be able to say 'I told you so' if this goes wrong."
Draco smiled and punched Charlie in the shoulder. "Nothing's going to go wrong."
"I sure hope you're right D," he said to Draco's retreating back as it quickly headed down the hall. He began to follow. "I sure hope you're right."
----------
It took the four of them about half an hour by broomstick to reach their destination. The sky was a dark and sickening grey, threatening to snow and bury them all alive. Harry crossed his fingers and hoped Draco's plan would work, though he had no idea what he had in mind, or whether or not it would get them kicked out of school.
Finally, Draco spotted what appeared to be a small muggle residence just outside of Hogsmeade, adjacent to a large field. Ron squinted. It looked like the field was moving!
Draco shouted over his shoulder to the trio. "Don't land near the whomping patch! Other side of the house!" Gently, he began his descent, the others following. His feet puffed softly into the slow, gently landing. Soon, the four of them were standing on a dirt road, staring up at the house.
It was old, two stories with an attic. There was a tower on one side of it with a pointy roof like a witches's hat, painted a deep olive green. The house itself was a lighter shade of olive, almost a smokey grey tinge to the paint. The windows were stained glass, with the exception of the bay and attic windows. The stained glass were done in a rainbow of colors, with a thick black border around them on the wooden frame to make them bold. The porch was a dull grey a few cream sitting chairs placed neatly to the side by the bay window. If not for the few large stained glass windows, you could practically see the house in greyscale.
Harry frowned. "This is it?"
Draco nodded. "Yep."
Ron glanced around, trying to ignore the feeling of the rolling fog wrapping around his legs. "Where are we?"
Charlie scoffed. "Thirty fourth and vine," he muttered.
Harry looked at him, surprised. "Really?"
Charlie nodded. "'cept she doesn't sell little bottles of Love Potion number nine, anymore."
Ron frowned. "Wait, wait. What are you talking about?"
"You mean that song is true?" Harry asked.
Charlie shrugged. "Not all of it. The song left out the part where the guy came back to get a refund, and the woman refused to give it. Instead she shoved her hand into his chest and ripped out his soul. She canned it and placed in on a shelf in the back where she keeps the rest of the unwanted souls," he said. He looked at Ron, "Scary, huh?"
Ron swallowed. "Is that all true?"
Charlie shrugged and looked up again at the house. "Well, we goin' in or what?" he said, glancing over at Draco.
Draco nodded. "Yep."
He picked up his broom and headed up the porch steps, the others in tow. Draco looked up at the door, a solid smokey grey frame. The top of the door had a semicircle with three small triangular arcs in the top, the glass of them frosted. There was a rectangular frame in the middle that now had a piece of wood in place. Draco squinted and leaned down slightly to look at the bottom of the frame. Glass shards ran along the bottom, all different colors.
Suddenly, the door flew open, and Draco was faced with the double barrels of a rifle, bearing down on him. He didn't move.
"Vhat are you doing lurking on my steps?" a heavy-accent laden female voice demanded. Draco frowned. Hungarian, maybe? He heard her snap the safety off. "If choo are looking to break anovher vone of my vindows, you are sadly mistakon."
Gently, Draco lifted his head. The woman was pleasantly heavyset. She had a kerchief around her head and large hoop earrings. Her face had a beautiful quality to it that seemed almost endearing. She had no need for the little make-up she wore. She had a white bloused shirt with embroidery running up the sleeves and across her bosom, the neckline slightly swooping. She wore black heeled boots and a calf-length tan suede skirt. In fact, if she wasn't holding a double barrelled shotgun aimed at Draco's head, she would probably seem like a kind, gentle, and non-threatening older aunt, or even grandmother. She frowned at Draco. He gave the woman an honest and genuine smile. "Surprise."
A look of recognition flickered in the woman's eyes. Suddenly, she broke out into a beautiful grin, a brilliant flash of a perfect smile warming the group. "Oi, my solid gold crystal ball... Draco Malfoy!" she said, laughing. He gave her a smile back. She held out her arms, and he embraced her in a hug. When she let go, she put down the shotgun on the table behind her and held him at arms length. "Oi me, how you've gotten so's much taller. Very handsome man now. Oi me, vhen vas de last time you come down to see me?"
Draco laughed. "God, it's been at least a year!" He looked over his shoulder. "That about right, Charlie?"
Charlie was standing there, grinning like an idiot. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Last August, I think."
The woman spotted Charlie and laughed. "Oi me! And choo bring Charlie too? Coome here, Cha-lie!"
Charlie leaned his broom against the wall and gave the woman a hug. "How are you Relina? You look wonderful."
Relina smiled and playfully swatted his arm. "I so much better now dat choo come to see me. I have had no vone to spend time vis all vinter. It is very sad."
Draco patted her on the arm. "Well, we do what we can."
Relina smiled and looked at Harry and Ron. "And who are choo friends, Draco? They must think I crazy now zat I have greeted zem so badly."
Draco smirked. "You're the psychic, Relina. You can tell me."
She squinted and looked at the two boys. "Hmm... Harry Potter and Ronald Veasley. Choo have picked good friends, Draco," she said, turning to him. "Very good."
He smiled and opened his arms. "Don't I always?"
She squinted at him. "Noh."
charlie raised a hand. "I'm proof of that."
Relina laughed, almost releasing a musical melody from her lungs. She waved them all inside. "Come in zen. It's too cold to be vaiting outside. Come in, come." She ushered the boys inside.
The deep red carpet was the first thing Harry noticed. The maroon and gold trimmed diamond wallpaper was the second. The table in the middle of the room with a crystal ball on it, surrounded by chairs, was the third.
"I am so sorry about ze vay I greeted you, Draco," she said, as Draco, Charlie and Ron, hung up their capes, "and your friends. I sought it vas zose horrible people coming back."
Charlie frowned. "What horrible people?"
"And what happened to the stained glass window of Ophelia on your front door? I remember that one took you forever!"
Draco asked. The four of them sat down at the table as Harry still stood in the petite foyer, marvelling at the interior.
"Somebody come last veek vhile I vas out at de store. I needed more vormroot for this couple who... vell, dat's not important. But ven I come back, der is glass all over de floor," she said, giving a sad sigh. "Zat took me so long to do. It vas von of my favorites."
Harry continued to stare at his surroundings. He let his eyes roam over the richness of the wallpaper. It was completely maroon, with a repeating gold diamond outline pattern down the entire wall, top to bottom and side to side. In each diamond outline was the picture of someone. Harry frowned at the names. Egland McKintley. Dorman Trisumvi. Alana Mintolto.
Charlie gave her a gentle pat on the back. "At least it wasn't the one that Mr. Holandruss made for you, right?"
Relina gave him a smile. "Dis is true. It is up in attic, for safe keeping. If anything should happen to zat von, I vouldn't know vhat to do."
Tempest Grongrely. Onlono Grimsbane.
She sighed. "So, vhy have choo boys come here, eh? Choo need help?" She turned to Ron. "By ze vay, as a friend of Draco, I tell you for free. No let your sister... Ginny, eh? No letting your sister Ginny go to zat boy's party on Saturday. Trust me, I know zis."
Ron's eyes bugged. "Who's party?"
"And don't let the girl she vants to go wit go eider. Very dangerous."
Ron shrugged and nodded. "Oh--okay. Sure. Thank you."
"Choo velcome."
Undrina Tomkoslin. Frelind Woonsnow.
"Harry?"
Lily Potter.
"Potter!" Charlie shouted.
Harry spun around. "What?"
Draco motioned to an empty chair. "We'd like to get started."
Harry glanced back at the diamond he'd been reading. It was empty. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, and trudged over to unoccupied seat between Charlie and Ron.
"Sorry about that," he said, sitting down.
"S'okay," said Charlie. He turned to Draco.
Draco swallowed and looked at Relina. "I need you to... bring someone back."
Relina looked at Draco seriously and frowned. "Mister Malfoy... zat, iz very very serious business. And vonce it iz done, it iz very hard to take back. You must be sure."
Draco nodded and swallowed. "I'm sure. Anything we have to do, we'll do it."
Relina glanced around the table as all the boys nodded. She sighed. "Vhat is name?"
"Hermione Granger," Draco said.
Relina closed her eyes and placed a hand on the crystal ball in the center of the table. Slowly, the ball began to turn a brilliant, but hazy, blue. Relina frowned, almost seeming as though she was searching. She shook her head. "No, I no see her."
"Try looking under 'possessions'," Charlie said with a slight grin.
To Harry's surprise, Relina took Charlie's suggestion seriously and nodded. She relaxed her face as the ball began to glow a brilliant violet color. Suddenly, it turned black. Relina slowly nodded.
"I see her. Let me look for moment," she said, frowning. Every few seconds she would make a noise, either of dislike, or understanding, or of curiousness. Finally, she shook her head. "Zis... iz not good boyz. Is not good at all."
Draco frowned. "Can it be done? What can you tell us?"
She opened her eyes and removed her hand from the crystal ball, the black still remaining. "She was attacked. Zat day when you were all eating, she did not faint. She vas attacked. Chou could not see it, but she could."
"But... what was it?" Ron asked.
Relina sighed. "It was a driumia. It's an ancient and powerful force zat has been existant since ze beginning of time. Every tousand years, it needs new body. But it not need just any body. It needs de body that holds de other half of de Malenka. Zis is a special driumia. It is THE driumia, known to ancients as ze Dolce Driumia."
"So... what exactly is a driumia?" asked Charlie.
"It is a destructive force. Vhen it gets into a human body, it begins to cloud ze logic of ze person it possesses. It makes ze person do very bad things. The driumia is in control, and inhibits ze body. Sometimes it stays until ze person dies, sometimes it gets bored and leaves. Killers and one-time criminals sometimez are possessed by driumia. Zat is vhy many of zem do not seem human. It is because zey are possessed by somesing dat isn't."
"So a driumia got into Hermione?"
Relina nodded. "But zis is a special driumia. You see, the driumia cause trouble by using ze bodies of other peoples. But the Dolce driumia, ze vone that is in Hermione, is ze most powerful. It has lived ze longest and is de vone in charge. Zerefore, it is ze most powerful. And it cannot pick just any body. You see, it iz like a puzzle. Ze Dolce driumia can only use iz power fully if vit can employ its Malenka."
Harry frowned. "Malenka?"
"It is basically ze structure of its soul. Chou have a soul, ze Dolce has a Malenka. It holds all its powers togeder. But it is in two parts. Every thousand years, it must change bodies. So every tousand years, there iz vone person born vis the other half of the Malenka inside its soul. Ze Dolce must find zis body with the other half of its soul."
"Then what?" asked Charlie.
"Zen it must hollow out ze person zat it needs. It must eat away at ze soul of ze person in order to find the other half of ze Malenka. Zen, vonce it finishes ze life force of ze person, it joins vis de Malenka and uses the body to become the asportare vita."
Draco bit his bottom lip. "Asportare vita? You mean..." his voice trailed off.
Ron frowned. "What does asportare vita mean?"
"Well," Charlie said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I might be a little rusty on my Latin, but vita means 'life', and asportare means 'to take, or remove', so... that means..." he trailed off.
Harry sighed. "Life taker? Well, that would mean... that would mean Hermione is..." Draco frowned. "Death," he said quietly, "Hermione is death."
Relina solemnly nodded. There was a silence in the room for a few minutes. Charlie sighed. "That's why Dumbledore told us we couldn't do anything."
Ron nodded. "Because we'd be throwing off the balance of life. I mean, there's birth, and there's Death. Not having Death in the world..."
Draco sat silently. Finally, he opened his mouth. "What can we do?"
Relina looked at Draco. Reading his mind, she sighed. "It vould be costly, and very dangerous."
"Tell me."
She got up from the table and turned two empty bookcases that sat behind her. One seemed to contain an assortment of jars and containers packed tightly on the shelves, some thing moving, some not. The other bookshelf was serving its purpose, holding a large number of books on each of its shelves. She pulled a larger book of the shelf, brown leather bound, and placed in on the table in front of her. It looked worn, the few jewels encrusted into the front of it seeming dull. Relina flipped open the book and turned a few pages. She stopped and read for a few moments. She sighed.
"Draco, I really do not vant to do dis. I vant you to know dis," she said, quietly.
He nodded. "I know. But if we could, what could we do?"
She shook her head. "Vhat vould happen is dis. I can bring Hermione back. Dis is not a problem. But dere is a risk and a bad price to pay for dis."
Charlie frowned. "What is it?"
Relina tapped her index finger on the book. Harry could have sworn he saw some dust slither out of the other pages. "Vhen I bring Hermione back, zat means zat she vill not have ze part of ze Malenka anymore. But somevone else vill. Chances are, her piece of ze Malenka vill land in somebody's body on de other side of ze Atlantic, but zere is a chance zat it will stay close to ze original host."
Draco looked around at the group. "Wanna take a chance?"
Harry frowned, then tapped his finger on the tabletop. "I'm in."
Ron nodded. "Me too."
Draco looked at Charlie. Charlie was staring down into his lap. He shook his head. "Dammit..." he whispered. He looked up and tapped the tabletop. "Check, check."
Draco nodded to Relina. "Okay, that's no problem. Let's do it."
Relina sighed painfully. "Zere is somesing else, Draco," she said, looking up at him. "You love zis girl an awful lot, don't choo?"
Draco swallowed and nodded. "Yes," he admitted.
Relina gently and motherly brushed a piece of Draco's hair out of his face. "She has had zis driumia for how long? Since she fell, how long?"
Draco frowned. "Three days. Why?"
Draco could have sworn he saw tears forming in Relina's eyes. "Zere is a separation, a difference in learning, between your heart and your head. Since her soul is located in the protective caverns of her heart, zen only her heart vill be affected. If she has had zis thing for three days, then in order to restore her soul completely, I vould have to remove zat many years from her memory. Since her soul is in her heart, she will forget anysing that her heart has learned in ze last three years. She vill remember her classes, vhat she has learned,... anysing in her brain vill be fine. But vis her heart, it will revert back to three years ago. She vill not... she vill not..." she began to choke on her words, a lump in her throat.
"... she'll forget that she fell in love with me," Draco finished. "She'll forget how much I... she'll forget... all about us," he said. 'Three years? Why, three years ago, she...' The realization again slowly dawned on him. He bit his bottom lip, nearly to the point of drawing blood. "She'll hate me, won't she?"
Relina nodded. "If she hated you three years ago, zen yes. I'm afraid so. And no heart ever follows ze same path twice."
Draco smirked. "I thought it was a miracle she fell in love with me the first time around."
Relina sighed. "And vonce she is restored, only the four of you will ever remember zat zere vas somesing wrong. No teachers, no other students. No vone except you four vill remember and know vhat happened. Life vill be back to normal. Zee only sing zat vill change, is her feelings for choo."
"Will she know who I am?" asked Charlie.
Relina shook her head. "I am afraid not. Her heart did not know choo three years ago. She vill have no idea who choo are."
Charlie sighed and looked over at Draco. He was frowning, deep in thought, but Charlie didn't see the anguish and pain that he had expected to be there. The fact that Hermione would hate him in the morning should have left him... upset. But there was no hint of anger or shock at all. Charlie frowned. Suddenly, it hit him.
"You knew," he said to Draco, quietly. Draco looked up at him, saying nothing. Charlie shook his head in shock. "You knew what was going to happen."
Draco frowned at him. "You wanna shove an 'I told you so' in now, or later?" he snapped, "Or maybe a 'Merry Christmas'?"
Charlie bit his tongue and exhaled. He heard Draco whisper and apology, and he gently punched him in the shoulder as a sign of forgiveness. Draco nodded and sighed. He thought of what John Wayne would say. 'A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.' Even if it wasn't his choice, even if it wasn't a decision that he had the right to make, he was going to do it anyway. He loved Hermione. Now, more than ever. And if her hating him meant that she could live, well... he'd just have to deal with it. He glanced at the guys, who all nodded to him in their turn. The choice was his. He glanced upwards, almost as though talking to heaven.
"Please forgive me," he whispered. He looked over at Charlie. Charlie nodded seriously, and gave him an encouraging pat on the back. Draco took a deep breath and looked at Relina He nodded firmly.
"Do it."
---------------
"Please forgive me,I know not what I do
Please forgive me, I can't stop lovin' you
Don't deny me, this pain I'm goin through,
Please forgive me, If I need you like I do
Please believe every word I say is true
Please forgive me,
I can't stop lovin' you."
Bryan Adams
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Author's Note: Long enough for ya? Lol. Ah, yes. PLEASE don't kill me. I'm SORRY! And I hope the accent writing wasn't too distracting. And yes, they took their troubles down to Madame Ruth. However, you noticed Ruth is not her first name. Her FULL name, however, is Relin Utrechi Trisumvi Holandruss (R.U.T.H.). Anyway, everyone have a Merry Christmas, or whatever moves you to celebrate this holiday season! Now, onto the review song!!
My review song is "La Vie en Rose" by Donna Summer (I know Louis Armstrong sang it too, but I'm going to D's version):
Read it true and learn it fast
the magic spell I cast
this is fiction to review
When you send me your replies
I smile because you've tried
You've seen fiction to review
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
a world where roses bloom
And when you favorite, I do feel the love
Cause you're all the reason I write what I think of
Give advice and faith to me
and this fic will always be
Fiction to review
To My Reviewers:
When I get back home with a properly functioning Internet, there will be a thank you to each of you that I will put on the latest chapter that is posted. 'kay? Internet sucks down here on vacation. I'm luck I can post the chapter!