Merlin, the guilt was going to eat him alive.
It had been one thing to admire Granger from afar and to consider such things as the idea of her actually reciprocating his interest―her kissing him―but now that it had happened, he couldn't handle the way every thought of her led him down a path he didn't care for.
If he had any shot at keeping her in his life, he needed to know that she was as fully aware of the situation as he was.
Draco hadn't given the idea enough thought.
And why he ever thought something could possibly work out between them, when all along he knew more about her than she did―especially given the dynamics that had once existed between them―he didn't know anymore.
But most definitely, if Draco wanted to give the small, blossoming spark between them a real chance―and Merlin knew he did―he needed to clear the air.
Even if it meant losing her. Because if she knew the truth and he lost her, at least he could accept that. If he continued to lead her on without at least trying, he was only setting them both up for trouble.
He ought to have admitted the truth to Potter weeks ago―or at the very least before he'd gone and asked her out a week ago. Before he'd felt the searing heat of her kisses race through his veins.
Because now Draco longed for more, but he didn't know if that was even possible.
He hadn't always possessed a conscience, and some days he wished he still didn't, but nevertheless.
Bundling up the complete works of his research into Hermione Granger, Draco ground his jaw against the resistance within him, drew a breath for courage, and threw the file on Potter's desk.
The man's gaze lifted; he cocked a brow.
"Just read it," Draco bit out. "Without a million questions, please. I don't know how to explain this without you seeing it for yourself―but there's the background information I've already gathered." When Potter opened the file, concern furrowing his brow, Draco added, "And don't fucking kill me for not telling you sooner."
Confusion sat plainly on Potter's face as he flipped through the pages of research that provided little context. "Who's Melody Simon?"
"Like I said," Draco drawled, "you'll need to see for yourself."
"Malfoy, are you in trouble?"
He considered the question with a grimace. "Honestly, sort of, yes. But this is connected to a case, so whenever you have some time―"
"I have time." Potter's jaw clenched into a hard line, and while it wasn't unfriendly, the look on his face caused Draco's nerves to prickle. A shiver ran down his spine.
Merlin help him if Potter went on a rampage.
"Fine." Draco looped a hand around Potter's arm as he rose from the desk, and before he could allow himself to dwell on the situation, he Apparated them to the alley several buildings down from the tea shop. He already knew she was working today, and fear settled within him, visceral and jarring. If something went wrong and he ruined his chances with Granger, Draco would never forgive himself.
But he never should have had a chance in the first place.
He turned to face Potter before they emerged onto the road, and the man's confusion had only deepened.
"I know this is strange," Draco murmured, rushed and quiet, "but you're going to need to do your best to stay quiet for a moment, alright? The situation isn't how it appears, and if you barge in and make an arse of yourself―"
"I get it," Potter hissed. "You'll do the talking, yeah?"
Draco swallowed. "Yeah."
"I swear, Malfoy, if you've landed yourself in trouble and now you're trying to drag me down with you―"
"Shut it, Potter."
Before he could talk himself out of it, Draco led Potter towards the tea shop, and the pair of them slipped through the door. A cursory glance around didn't reveal Granger's immediate presence, and they took up a booth along the window.
Potter stared out the window with a long sigh. "If you don't explain what we're doing here, Malfoy, I'm―"
"Hi there!" Granger walked over with a secretive smile towards Draco, then turned to face the booth more broadly. "What can I get you today?"
The blood drained from Potter's face in an instant. His wide eyes locked on Granger, lips parting in surprise. "Hermi―"
"Melody, hi. It's nice to see you." Draco offered her a thin smile. "This is a colleague of mine, Harry Potter."
Granger's face faltered when she turned towards Potter, who still stared at her as though he'd seen a ghost. "It's nice to meet you, Harry," she mused, uncertainty in her voice, but she regained the smile quickly. "My name is Melody."
To his credit, Potter snapped his jaw shut. "Melody. Pleasure."
Although Draco hadn't cared to admit it, he felt a last fluttering hope within him dashed. If anyone could have jarred Granger into remembering her old life in the wizarding world, it would have been her closest friend.
She eyed each of them and gave a conspiratorial look around the shop, her lips curling with a smile. "Are you working, then? Is this a stakeout or something?"
Potter's wide eyes slid towards Draco, and though he looked like he was about to speak, Draco chuckled and said, "Something like that. Let's get some tea, yeah, Potter?"
"Tea." Potter gave a stiff nod. "Yes, please. Earl Grey?"
"Coming right up!" Flashing the pair of them another smile, Granger walked towards the back.
"What the bleeding fuck, Malfoy?" Potter hissed, wheeling back towards him in an instant. "What the actual fucking hell is this?"
"You're going to upset the clientele, Potter." Only three other patrons lingered across the shop. "Okay, look, did you bring the file I gave you? It's everything I've learned, and―"
"No, I didn't bring the bloody file!"
Draco rolled his eyes. "You're being dramatic, but I suppose I can understand given the situation, so I'll allow it." He glanced across the shop to make sure Granger wasn't returning yet and leaned in. "I came across her completely by accident one day, and I was as surprised as you are right now. She doesn't remember anything prior to a few years ago, Potter. Nothing. She believes she's a Muggle."
"What? How?"
"That much I don't know. Obviously, you know she went to Australia after eighth year and never returned, and that's where everything went cold. At first, I thought I could try to jar her memory with some pointed questions, but that went nowhere. And when I spoke to a healer about it―"
"You spoke to a healer?"
Potter's face had grown steadily redder.
"Not about her specifically, just theoretically," Draco murmured, fixing Potter with a hard look. "Are you going to let me finish?" Wrinkling his nose with distaste, Potter remained silent. "It's all in the file, of course, but the healer said the safest way to jar her memory would be to allow it to happen organically."
Potter's eyes narrowed, and Draco gestured with a hand to proceed. "You knew she was here, and not once did you think to tell me?"
"I thought about it all the time," he muttered, "but I wanted to see what I could find out."
Potter's anger dropped off as though doused with cold water, replaced with a deep despair. "How is this even possible―how long has she been back in London?"
Draco felt a flicker of sympathy. "A couple of years, mate. She's studying at one of the Muggle universities here in London."
"She has no idea of magic," Potter whispered, shaking his head as though it couldn't quite contain everything Draco had just shared with him. A furrow of sadness pulled on his brow.
He could only imagine. Draco had been surprised enough to find her here, and they hadn't even been friends. Potter had been forced to live with the idea that she had vanished or maybe died somewhere, and he'd never been able to find any sort of closure.
"None." Drumming his fingertips on the table, Draco watched as she began to approach their table. "I've alluded to it a couple times, but she thinks I'm crazy for believing in magic."
Suspicion crept into Potter's face, and Draco wondered at what point he might reveal too much.
"Sorry for the delay," Granger murmured, slipping a steaming teapot onto the table and a plate with two biscotti. With a knowing smile, she breathed, "For your stakeout."
Potter stared at her again, as though trying to memorise her face―the cadence of her voice―and Draco kicked his shin beneath the table.
"Thanks," Draco quipped. "Can't say no to biscotti."
"Right," Potter choked. "I love biscotti."
Casting a surreptitious glance at the window, as if she could determine what they were staking out, Granger slipped into the booth beside Draco. Potter's brows lifted in surprise.
"So are you two partners?" she asked, beaming at Potter.
"Erm, no," he muttered, a flush dulling his cheeks. "Not like―"
"Potter isn't my type," Draco said, flashing Granger a grin; Potter scowled at him. "He's a few years ahead of me in the program. But we went to school with one another."
"Oh, that must be nice that you already knew one another," she mused. "Where did you attend school?"
"We went to a private school in Scotland," Potter said, a muscle feathering in his jaw. "Although we were not friends."
"Not at all," Draco added, pouring himself a cup of tea. "In fact, one time, Potter nearly killed me in the loo."
"What!" Granger exclaimed, her mouth falling open. Fixing Potter with a stern glare, she clicked her tongue. "I can hardly imagine what sort of altercation led to such a thing."
"Never mind the fact that he attacked me and my friends regularly," Potter snickered. "And broke my jaw once."
Granger's disapproval swivelled towards him, and Draco held up his hands in surrender. "Surely Melody doesn't want to hear about all of that, Potter. Honestly."
She tittered, rising to her feet. "You'll have to save the good stories for another time, yeah? Just give a wave if you need anything more."
"Thanks, Mel," Draco said softly.
"Talk later?" she asked. When Draco ducked his chin in a nod, she returned to the counter.
Picking up his biscotti, Draco found Potter's narrowed eyes on him. Nerves rioted within him at the look on the other man's face before Potter reached across the table and smacked him upside the head.
"What the fuck, Potter."
"What the hell are you playing at," Potter hissed, his brows low. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think―" He froze, lifting his chin as he drew in a long breath through his nose. "The phone. You have got to be kidding me, Malfoy."
Draco grimaced; they would be lucky to make it out without calling an Obliviation team if Potter blew up at him. "She gave me her number, alright?"
A gambit of emotions played out on Potter's face, even as he shook his head slowly. "Surely you realise how absolutely fucked up this is." He groaned, dropping his face into a hand, with a drawn-out, mournful, "The yoga."
Despite himself, Draco felt a smirk tug at his lips, and he snickered. "Take a deep breath, Potter. I haven't known what to make of any of this, alright? I don't want to haul her off to a healer, and I definitely didn't want to come out and tell the poor girl she's a witch, yeah? The last thing I want to do is make any of this worse. Obviously, this isn't a criminal case, so I need your help figuring out what to do."
"Robards will skin you alive for this," Potter mused, taking a sip of his tea. "Honestly. I'll be surprised if you still have a job."
Frowning, Draco took a bite of his biscotti. "I know. That's why I'm telling you."
"Weeks later."
"Will you relax?" Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, I get it; you're upset with me. But if you'd bothered looking at the file, you'll see I've already looked into several options."
Potter released a long breath, clenching his jaw and narrowing his lips. "I'm not upset with you for attempting to resolve the situation. I am bloody annoyed at you for mooning after her."
Draco felt a swelling of shame within him, and he stared hard at his tea, unable to meet Potter's gaze. "I know. And trust me―whatever you're thinking right now, I've already thought about myself a million times over. It just happened, alright?"
"Ah." He could feel Potter's eyes lingering on him. "So you've decided to come clean now because you like her, and your guilt has caught up with you." When Draco looked up with a self-deprecating eye roll, Potter simply released an exasperated sigh. "You know, I'm trying to figure out if Hermione would smack you for this. Or if she still might, if she gets her memories back."
"Probably," he muttered, carding a hand through his hair. "I just want to help her, Potter. No matter the outcome."
When he dared make eye contact again, Draco watched Potter's face falter with confusion, then something like comprehension dawned at last. "You're serious about this. About her."
He couldn't deny it, nor did he care to. "Yes."
"Is it mutual?" Potter lifted a judgemental brow.
A heavy lump sat in Draco's throat as he attempted to force a swallow. "I think so. But of course, that doesn't matter for anything since if she ever remembers me, she'll never speak to me again."
At last, Potter released a long sigh. "I'm furious at you for leading her on when she doesn't remember the way you used to treat her." Draco pursed his lips, but he couldn't dredge forth a response since he knew the feeling all too well. "But at the same time... thank you. For not simply walking away and leaving her here in the Muggle world. I appreciate you telling me about all this, as tremendously jarring as this is." He shook his head, glancing towards the counter. "Merlin, I thought I'd lost her."
For a long moment, they only stared at one another across the table, sipping their tea. All things considered, it could have gone a lot worse.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Potter grumbled, breaking the silence, "but if Hermione ever forgives you for this, I can see it. The two of you."
"That's a big if," Draco muttered.
Potter hummed, taking another sip of his tea. "I don't know; I can't say how she might take this, but it sounds to me as though your intent was never malicious. She might not hate you forever."
Draco squashed the flicker of hope that threatened to rise within him. "So what do we do?"
"You said you spoke to a healer?" When Draco nodded, Potter's eyes tightened. "I wish we knew what happened."
"She claims it was an accident―in Australia. My guess was her attempted memory spell backfired somehow. I swiped her files, alright?" Ignoring the scepticism on Potter's face, Draco unfolded a paper serviette and drew a glamoured quill from his bag, jotting a few details down. "She came to without any memories whatsoever and only her identification―which was obviously a forgery or some other falsification―and she made her way back to England, only to find there was no one and nothing here to explain anything."
"Merlin." Potter rubbed at his eyes. "I can only imagine how alone she's probably felt. So, according to the healer you spoke with, we need to reintroduce her to the wizarding world slowly? I wonder if anything will trigger her memory after this long or if it's just gone. We'll need to get her to a healer."
Across the shop, Granger visited with one of the other patrons in the shop, and her laughter carried across towards them. When she looked up, Draco caught her eye, and a smile pulled at his lips when he glanced away.
Potter stared at him, stony-faced.
"Apparently, she has appointments with Muggle healers―whatsit―"
"Doctors."
"Right. Doctors―every month. And they poke and prod and never find anything."
"Of course not," Potter scoffed. "It's a magical issue; she needs a healer, not a doctor." He hummed for a moment, eyeing Granger as she moved about the shop. "But memory spells can be invasive, and the last thing we want to do is to make the damage irreparable, if it isn't already."
"That was my line of thinking," Draco offered. "An attempt to force her memories back out might only make it worse. According to the healer, her memories are most likely still in there, just tucked away somehow."
Sinking back into his side of the booth, Potter folded his arms. "She's told you about her memory, but she doesn't know that she used to know you?"
"Right."
"Maybe you need to tell her. See whether that knocks anything loose."
They shared a grimace; any misstep could prove disastrous, and neither of them was an expert in magical memory manipulation. But Draco steeled his resolve and nodded. "It isn't the worst idea you've ever had."
"Fuck you, Malfoy."
Just then, Granger walked over with a titter. "You two seem to get along well. Can I bring you anything?" She eyed Potter's untouched biscotti with raised brows. "I thought you said you loved biscotti."
A flicker in her tone was so reminiscent of the Granger they had known at Hogwarts that Draco snickered at the look on Potter's face.
"I do," he muttered, offering her a weak smile. He took a bite of the confection.
Her lips curled into a smile in return. "That's better. At any rate, do you need more tea for your stakeout?"
Draco cast Potter a glance before turning back to her. "I think we've about got what we needed. Thank you, though."
"Thanks, Melody," Potter added.
"You're both very welcome." Her face softened as her gaze lingered on Potter, and she opened her mouth to say something more. But she blinked several times, freezing still. For an instant―so quickly Draco might have missed it had he not been watching―despair flashed across her face. But she schooled her face into a warm, polite smile once more.
Draco's heart skipped a beat at the reaction, and he stared hard at her for a moment. But nothing else happened. His mind continued to spin.
He peeled a Muggle note from his wallet for the tea and slid it across the table. "Thanks," Granger quipped, snagging the money. "No change?"
"No change."
Potter eyed the two of them.
Granger's lips twitched with amusement. "Enjoy the rest of your day, you two. Harry, you should come to yoga with Draco next weekend!"
Although his brows flew up high on his forehead in alarm, Potter offered an uneasy chuckle. "I'll give it some thought."
Snickering, Draco caught her eye for a moment. "Thanks, Mel. See you later."
She gave the pair of them a little flutter of her fingers, a soft smile lingering on her face before she returned to the counter. Draco rose from the booth and slung his satchel over his shoulder, and belatedly, Potter followed suit.
They slipped from the shop and made a path back towards the Apparition point in silence. Draco wondered whether Potter still wanted to hit him, but simultaneously, he felt a great weight lift from his shoulders. If nothing else, he wasn't the only one who knew about the situation now, and he couldn't imagine Potter letting the matter drop until he solved it.
For better or worse, they would have to work together to restore Granger's memories.
And Draco couldn't control the real fear that gripped his heart at the thought that she might no longer want anything to do with him.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Mega hugs to my Ride or Die Kyonomiko, and my Comma Llama, FaeOrabel.
