((A/N)) Starting now, I won't be writing the disclaimer, summary, etc. in every chapter since you guys know the drill… Thanks.

Note: Major chapter revision here.

Chapter Nine

Lost at Memory Lane

The party became silent as they all saw the clown at the fireplace.

"AND, WHAT ARE YOU ALL GAPING AT? MR. WEASLEY, COME HERE AND FLOO US THERE!"

Ron snapped out of his trance.

"Snape's office!" He shouted when he flooed.

In a few moments, people began tumbling out of the fireplace. The group consisted of Ron, a menacing clown, vampire, fairy and – Harry Potter?
"Hi Mom!" Joan smiled to her mother.

"Err, Dad…" James pointed to his forehead, confused. "Can you see this?"

"Bloody…" Andrei bared his fangs. "Me."

"Ahem!" The clown commanded for respect. "Tell me, Potter, Weasley, Granger-Malfoy – what do you see in front of you?"

The three former students scrutinized their former professor.

"Um," Ron started.

Snape said in a calm voice. "Yes, Mr. Weasley, could you please tell me what I am as I cannot see how I CURRENTLY look like."

"A clown, professor." Ron mumbled.

"EXACTLY! And, WHO do YOU think DID THIS?"

"Erm…"

Snape pointed to the children. "YOUR CHILDREN! YOUR WISECRACKING OFFSPRINGS! YOUR BLOODY TROUBLEMAKING CHILDREN!"

"Professor," Harry started. "Don't you think they should explain first -?"

Snape interrupted him. "EXPLAIN? DO YOU THINK AN EXPLANATION IS ENOUGH TO COMPENSATE WITH THE HUMILIATION I PUT UP WITH TODAY? ARE YOU BLOODY DAFT POTTER?"

Devon could be seen smirking at the background. He did not know why but he liked to see other people, preferably Harry, get into trouble.

As Harry motioned to reply, Snape put up his hand. "I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SAY!" He took a deep breath and run a hand through his greasy multicolored hair. He continued, calmly. "As a saying goes, it is better to keep quiet look like an idiot than talk and remove all doubt about you."

Harry, by then, was visibly controlling himself while Devon was laughing in his head.

"Now, back to business." Snape faced the children and glared at each of them. "Whose idea is this?"

James and Andrei turned to Joan expectantly.

"Yes, Joan? Do you have something to say?" He kept his voice calm

"I did." Joan said as innocently as a Malfoy could speak.

Snape's eyes turned into slits. "I'll leave it to your mother to deal with you."

As Hermione was about to take Joan aside, Snape stopped them. "Deal with Joan, in front of everyone."

Hermione merely nodded and looked at Joan in the eye. She was starting to gear into Don't-mess-with-me-young-lady mode. "Why did you do that?"

"It is Halloween, Mom. It's… too boring, you know, to add life, fun, color and -."

"I get your point, Joan." Hermione can't help but feel slightly disappointed in her daughter, but then again, this child is also Malfoy's, so this should have been expected. "But, are you sure you can take the enchantment away on your own?"

Joan gaped. "How did you know it was an enchantment and not a hex?"

"I've read your father's book, Joan."

"Oh."

"Well?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Go ahead and demonstrate."

Joan stepped in front of Professor Snape and performed a rather intricate spell for her age. Immediately, the clown costume vanished and remained to be the black robe of the Potions Master along with his greasy black hair.

"How do I look like?" Snape faced Ron. "Mr. Weasley?"

Ron had once more a serious face as the intimidating look of Professor Snape was back. "Like a Potions Master, professor."

"That would be all." Snape said simply. "Ms. Malfoy – would you care to do the same thing to the rest of the student body?"

Hermione spoke for her daughter. "I'm sorry, Professor, but I think that would be asking too much for an eleven-year-old. Don't worry, the enchantment would be gone by tomorrow, it only lasts one day."

"Very well then." Snape said silkily. "Potter, Weasley, Malfoy – we must be going now."

Joan caught sight of her grandparents. "Grandma! Grandpa!" She rushed over to them to hug them.

"My, Joan," Helena Granger remarked. "How you've grown since I last saw you!"

"How's my favorite grandchild?" Harold Granger ruffled the blonde hair of Joan.

Joan rolled her eyes in a teasing way. "I'm your ONLY grandchild, Grandpa."

Snape grunted. "Since Ms. Malfoy has taken upon herself the liberty of greeting relatives – Potter, Weasley, you may do so." Snape turned to leave. "As I have more important matters to attend to, I shall leave you. Hermione – make sure that the children get back to the castle before the designated end of the Hogwarts Halloween Feast, understood?"

"Yes, Professor." Hermione replied as the Potions Master flooed, leaving the students behind.

The party resumed its normal noise level.

Hermione looked around the room and saw Andrei being tackled into a hug by various Weasleys while Harry was apparently rubbing the scar off James' forehead, as his son was complaining about it. She saw her daughter talking to one of the Weasley twins.

"Hey, thanks." Her daughter said.

Fred smiled. "No problem – it wasn't that hard to make a Portkey and such for the Grangers, you know."

Hermione's brain clicked into action.

So… It was JOAN all along who had the idea of inviting her parents over…

"Joan dear!" Hermione called out to her blonde child.

Joan placed her best innocent face. "Yes, mother?"

"Don't you have anything, anything at all to tell me?"

"Like what, Mom?" Joan was already smirking.

"Like, why are Mother and Father here?"

"Oh, that." Joan continued to smirk. "I thought it would be nice of Grandma and Grandpa to meet Devon."

Hermione groaned. "So that's where you were getting at…"

"Devon!" Joan shook hands with the man behind her mother.

"Joan, nice to see you again." Devon Black smiled at the child.

Joan's eyes twinkled. "How's it going with you guys?"

"Joan, you insinuate a lot." Hermione finally said exasperatedly.

"But Mom," Joan almost whined, but since it was not a Malfoy trait… "You go out with him on fancy restaurants but still, you deny that you are going out with him. You just say that you are sort of seeing him."

She heaved a sigh upon seeing the face of her daughter. "Fine then."

Joan muttered a spell under her breath.

"STARTING TONIGHT – DEVON AND I ARE OFFICIALLY GOING OUT." Hermione's voice rang out.

Silence.

"JOAN!"

Joan quickly muttered a counter spell as she ran away from her mother.

"Andrei! James! I think this is our cue to leave!" Joan shouted.

James and Andrei quickly bid their families a goodbye as they followed Joan to the fireplace. They each got a handful of Floo powder.

Before Joan vanished, she called out. "Love you Mom! Gryffindor Tower!"

James and Andrei followed suit to Floo to the Gryffindor Tower.

"ARRRGGHHH!" Hermione shouted out of frustration.

"Bye Harry! Bye Ginny! Bye Lavender! Bye Ron! Bye Fred and George! Bye Mr. and Mrs. Weasley! Bye Mr. and Mrs. Granger! Yes, sir, I promise, she'll get home safe…" Devon said to various people as Hermione got in the enlarged stagecoach. "Bye guys! Thanks! We had fun!"

While the pumpkin ascended, George called out. "Don't mention it! We had FUN too!" He was grinning.

Hermione groaned as she sat slumped on her seat.

After the Hogwarts students had left, Hermione had told Devon that they were leaving the party and quickly bid everyone goodbye.

Hermione sat for a while lost in her thoughts. "And here I am thinking that this is the best Halloween in my entire life…"

"Um, Hermione?" Devon started, cautiously.

"Yeah?"

"Are you feeling better now?"

Hermione sighed. "I hope so. I just don't know where Joan gets her crazy ideas –surely not from me…"

Devon smiled slightly.

"I mean, come on – do you honestly think that I was capable of doing such when I was eleven?"

Devon merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine. What a great conversationalist you are." Hermione huffed and turned to face the window.

Devon smirked.

"And now, I believe you're smirking at me – why?" Hermione said, without even bothering to face her escort.

"You're finally looking out the window."

Hermione gave a squeak and hid her head on Devon's chest.

"Hey, it's all right." Devon said, caressing her brown hair. "You've done it without even noticing it."

"Right… I did that." Hermione carefully raised her head to look out the window.

"That's right…"

The cool night air began to blow in the stagecoach and Hermione involuntarily shivered.

"Here." Devon conjured a jacket and handed it to Hermione.

"Thank you." She softly replied; her eyes focused on the stars. She soon drifted off to sleep… in Devon's unsuspecting arms.

Devon looked at the beautiful woman who was his boss in his arms.

"I'm finally 'officially' going out with her," He thought. "I'll do my best to make her happy and besides, she seems to be so familiar. Naturally, she's the brunette in my dreams… But why… Am I related to Sirius Black? Why does Draco Malfoy sound so familiar? Why was I bouncing in one of my memories? Who – hit me on the face?"

With those thoughts playing in his mind, he himself drifted to sleep.

They were at some sort of grassy field. He was lying down on a blanket spread on the grass.

"Look there!" There was a woman with him who was lying down on his stomach. She pointed to the sky. "Draco – what do you see?"

He grunted. "A bunch of stars – thrown on the black sky."

The woman hit him lightheartedly. "You're boring to talk to, you know that?"

He merely continued to twirl the woman's brown hair.

"Come on, honey – what forms can you see? What constellations? Whatever?" The woman continued.

"Oh, I don't know, Hermione. All I can see are useless stars."

The woman, Hermione, rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I can't believe I married you."

He smirked. "What can I say? I'm irresistible."

"Go flatter yourself." She placed her hand on her very slightly bulging stomach. "Hi, love. Baby, I hope you don't grow up to be an incredible prick like your father."

"When Weasley said you were mental, he wasn't kidding. The baby can't hear you yet – he or she's barely three months old!"

Hermione ignored him and continued to talk to her baby, who was still inside her stomach. "But, you know what, love? Despite his arrogance, self-centeredness, self-regard, selfishness, egocentricity -."

He grumbled. "I believe the child's got the picture, Hermione."

His wife proceeded to ignore him. "- I love him. I love him underneath all of his facades."

He paused in the process of twirling Hermione's hair.

Hermione continued to place her hand, which has her wedding ring on it, on her stomach.

A hand suddenly came in contact with his cheek.

Smack!

"C'mon…" He said after being hit on the face.

Mudblood Granger just bloody slapped me… She BLOODY FREAKING SLAPPED ME! Oh…the pain… pain…

The pain won't go away…

I can just imagine it, my autobiography, with this line: I was a teenaged ferret.

In front of Saint Potter too… Damn Moody… Damn bouncing ferret!

He felt frustration. He wanted to shout…

"MUDBLOOD!"

"WEASLEY IS OUR KING!"

There was a limp figure on the floor… Appears to be a woman…

"WHY DID YOU KILL MOTHER? SHE WAS YOUR WIFE – SOMEONE YOU SHOULD'VE LOVED, PROTECTED, CARED FOR! BLOODY BAST-!"

A tall blonde man interrupted with a cold voice. "ENOUGH! CRUCIO!"

"Ummfff!" He tripped and fell flat on his face.

"Idiot boy! Get up now!"

"Lucius!"

Someone helped him up.

"He's only two, for Merlin's sakes! He can't take all this training yet."

"Shut up, woman! IMPERIO!"

"Draco, are you sure about this?"

"Sure as I'll ever be, Hermione."

"But – your father, he could –kill you…" The girl in front of him stuttered.

"Then, I'd like to see him try…"

A wizard with a long beard stood in front of him.

"…Do you, Draco Malfoy, do solemnly swear pledge your allegiance to the Light Side?"

He felt very sure of his answer. "I do pledge, with all loyalty sir."

"Then so be it."

"Three cheers for the blonde Slytherin ferret king!" A man with a scarred forehead shouted as he came from the shadows.

A red-haired man followed after him, brandishing his wand. "Good luck, Ferret Boy!"

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" Ronald Weasley asked him, his tone mixed with anger and confusion.

"What do you think Weasley?" He calmly replied.

"Malfoy, you can't be serious. You aren't Hermione's-." Potter spoke up.

He interrupted the raven-haired teenager. "Oh, but I am." He smirked smugly at the gawking teens. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Weasley turned red. "MALFOY, TELL ME THAT THIS IS JUST SOME SICK JOKE YOU'RE PLAYING ON US." He stepped forward and shook him. "WHAT DO YOU WANT MALFOY? THIS ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE!"

He pushed Weasley aside and straightened his robe. "Do I look like I'm joking, Weasley? I'm serious and I mean business."

Weasley was about to retort when Potter interrupted. "We mean business, too, Malfoy. What are you doing here?"

His smirk grew bigger. "Why, didn't Hermione tell you? Because, she told me why you will be here." He gave an emphasis to certain words and enjoyed the looks of horror on the boys' faces.

"Since when have you two been on first name basis?" Weasley managed to mutter and then comprehension dawned on him. "Bloody hell…"

He rolled his eyes. "What brilliant minds you have."

Potter took a deep breath. "Then that means you are-."

"Yes, I am Hermione's boyfriend."

"BLOODY HELL!"

Just then, a feminine voice rang out.

"RON! I would not tolerate such language!"

The three boys turned to face the speaker.

"I went down just in case a quarrel broke up and it looks like I just got here on time." Hermione said matter-of-factly. "I see, you've met my, um, boyfriend."

"Ok, let's run on our plan one last time. The girls will be waiting for us outside after Ginny's graduation. And then…"

"I'll kneel in front of Ginny, Ron in front of Lavender, and Malfoy in front of Hermione."

"Then we'll simultaneously take out the rings from their boxes and ask them to marry us."

"Good. Let's go."

"Scared Potter?" He smirked at the boy in front of him.

"You wish."

Who's that with Krum? Merlin, is that HER - Potter's Mudblood girlfriend? It can't be… Bloody hell… I'm stuttering in my mind…

Father will be coming any moment now. I will finally make him proud.

He laughed in a hollowed way.

Proud? I want the murderer of my mother to be proud of me? What insanity this is…

Heheh… She looks like a beaver.

A greasy haired man looked at the girl. "I see no difference."

The girl ran out, beaver-teeth and all.

Funny, did I just see tears on her face? She looks pretty that way… ARGH! SHUT IT! You're a Malfoy…and she's Mudblood filth…

He was staring at beautiful chocolate eyes and he got lost in them. He was hearing only snippets of what was being said.

"Hermione Granger… Draco Malfoy… husband… sickness…health…"

"I do."

"…Kiss…bride…"

Hermione smiled at him.

He leaned forward to kiss her…

DING-DONG! DING-DONG!

Devon's eyes flew open. Hermione was still sleeping.

They were in front of Hermione's house for goodness knows how long.

Devon looked at his watch.

"11:59 PM: Last one minute."

Devon took Hermione in his arms and swiftly carried her out of the stagecoach. In a matter of seconds, the stagecoach transformed back into a pumpkin with lab rats attached to it. Devon sighed. At least they got out on time. The woman in his arms began to stir. She smiled lopsidedly at him.

"Where am I? What happened?"

Devon helped her stand up. "It's 12 midnight. The enchantment on the stagecoach is gone. I guess we both dozed off at some point."

Hermione blushed, realizing that she had just slept – in Devon's arms. "Err; I guess this is good night."

Devon nodded as he continued to stare at Hermione's eyes. For a second, Hermione thought she saw a glimmer of gray in them but it was gone as quickly as it came.

Devon slowly leaned forward and Hermione's breath was caught in her throat.

Merlin… He's going to kiss me…

But Devon only nodded once more. "Ok, so, Hermione, good night." He smiled faintly; he was having an intense headache. "I won't leave until you go inside, where you are really safe. Who knows, there might be drunken wizards or something going around…"

Hermione smiled back. "Good night to you too, Devon." She unlocked her door then turned once more to the man. "And thank you." She went inside.

Devon stood quietly for a few seconds and walked off to the pavement. He was about to apparate when dizziness overcame him. The last he perceived with his senses was the darkness of his world and the sound of his head meeting the cold pavement.

Hermione closed the door behind her and leaned on it.

That was close… I thought… I honestly thought- he was going to kiss me…

She stayed where she was, waiting to hear the faint pop of someone apparating from the other side of the door. She was rather alarmed when all she heard was a thud.

What was that?

Putting out her wand, she created protection spells around her and cautiously got out of her house.

Merlin's beard! What happened here?

She knelt down on the limp figure on the pavement that was Devon. She instinctively checked his pulse and looked around.

No one…

Hermione felt the cold now sweaty forehead of the man.

He fainted…

Her Mediwitch skills gearing into action, she conjured a stretcher and levitated Devon onto it. She opened the door and levitated the stretcher through it.

This is a long night.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" The Head Healer asked him.

Devon replied obstinately. "Yes, I am very sure of it."

The Healer heaved a sigh. "Very well, I suppose it's time for you to know something else regarding your accident." He beckoned to Devon to follow him into his private office. "Please, take a seat."

As Devon sat down, he watched as the Healer revealed a small cubicle by tapping his wand on one of the walls of the office. The Healer took out an envelope from it and faced Devon.

"Here," the Healer gave the envelope to Devon. "Those are the results from various tests that we have performed on you. I believe it would shed light to some of your questions."

Devon hastily opened the sealed envelope ad began to read. After doing so, and looked up to the Healer.

"Then it's true. This," Devon indicated the letter. "Proves it. What happened to me was not an accident. It was deliberate. Someone tried to kill me, and the reason is currently unknown."

The Healer nodded for him to go on.

"But, I believe I somehow knew at that time." He examined the papers. "I guess it does have a great bearing to who I am." Devon looked at his hands wistfully. "I really want to leave for London even if it kills me on the way…"

"You know, I have a remedy for that. I can do something to protect you while you haven't regained your memory yet."

Devon immediately perked up and faced the Healer. "Really?"

The Healer nodded slowly. "Yes, but it will be a very complicated procedure -."

"I'll take it."

"Don't you think that's a bit rash?"

Devon shook his head. "I don't think so. I have nothing to loose, right? Heck, I don't even know my real name."

The Healer smiled at the determined man in front of him. "Very well then." He pointed his wand at one of his filing cabinets and out came a thick folder. He began browsing through his files while he explained to Devon. "The process changes your appearance, so it may be your disguise for the time being that you are recalling who you are." He continued to flip through the papers. "Changing your appearance will keep anyone who knows you from recognizing you. Is it clear so far, Devon?"

"Yes, Healer."

"Thus, your enemies won't be able to detect who you are, if ever you encounter them. But not to worry, after you've fully regained your memory, you will be back to your normal and true physical state. So by the time your 'enemies' recognize you, you know who they are and you would know how to protect yourself." The Healer looked at Devon straight into his gray eyes. "The change would be gradual, as your memory would come back gradually. And after this procedure, I would have to erase your memory of anything related to the process."

Devon was taken aback. "Why?"

"To protect yourself from yourself. Someone can probe into your mind by using Legimency, thus exposing the fact that you aren't who you claim to be at the moment. Are ready to undergo all of this?" The Healer asked seriously.

Devon smirked. "Bring it on."

Devon Black woke up with a start and he bolted upright on the bed.

An alarm began to whine all around the place.

Devon covered his ears.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" A voice, which he recognized as Hermione's came from downstairs.

He heard footsteps from the staircase and later on Hermione came to the doorframe, waving a wand. The alarm immediately ceased.

"Well, so – you're awake." Hermione observed. "Feeling better?" She conjured a glass of water and handed it to Devon.

Devon took it gratefully and gulped down the water. After he was done drinking, he spoke. "What happened and where am I?"

Hermione took the glass and banished it to the kitchen. "You, um," She wanted to be polite. This was a man after all. "You fainted somewhere near my doorstep."

"Oh." was the singular reply. "I'm sorry. Whenever flashbacks come to me out of the blue, I tend to be rather, uh, disoriented and receive a headache of some sort." He could not explain right now the memories that he had since he did not understand them himself.

Hermione nodded absentmindedly. "I see… Oh and it's ok for you to be here. There's nothing to be sorry about. Oh and you're in my house, um, in my room. Don't worry, I was able to sleep properly – I slept in Joan's room. And, would you like brunch? It's past breakfast anyway." Bloody Merlin's beard what the hell! I'm babbling!

"Uh-."

"No, it won't be a bother for me. I'll whip something quick for you. And, don't worry, you did not suffer a concussion went you fainted on the pavement. I'm a trained Mediwitch; I know what I'm doing. I mean I know what I did when I treated you." Smooth move, Hermione, you just scared the hell out of him due to your continuous blabber… "Anyway, the bathroom's the room beside the green door in the corridor if you need to freshen up. And, brunch will be ready in fifteen minutes so just go down to the dining room." Hermione quickly exited the room before she made more babbling sentences in Devon's presence.

Devon smiled quietly to himself as he gingerly stood up.

She looks cute when she's confused or at least babbling about…

He made his way to the bathroom.