A/N: Things will pick up soon, don't worry.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, just the plot!
Forgotten
Chapter Fourteen:
He felt as is he was falling, not knowing when he would land or how hard he would hit the surface. The line separating being conscious from being unconscious was extremely blurry and hard to distinguish at that point for Draco. It seemed to be a problem that could easily be rid of. After all, he simply had to open his eyes and all would be well again…or, as well as things could be. That matter, however, seemed to fall in line with the clichéd term, 'easier said than done.' Draco's unconscious state of mind was a rather foggy one. He could not discern, for example, whether the thoughts running through his mind were caused from the rough punch Ron had thrown at him, or whether they had always been there, but had merely never surfaced.
Much like putting together a puzzle, Draco found himself slowly piecing together the bigger, more important events first.
Ron had punched him, that part he remembered quite vividly, but why? They'd been playing a rather insipid game of chess that only served to further increase Draco's need to win at any competition against a Gryffindor when Harry had suddenly begun muttering to the girls about something. Both Ron and Draco had told the Seeker as politely as they could to shut his attention-seeking-split-personality-mouth so they could each concentrate on winning…or at least, that's how Draco had seen it.
Next, after crafting together a border for the puzzle of reality, the smaller pieces suddenly appeared, and momentum was increased.
Harry had then brought up his new pet-peeves concerning Draco, one of them being the Slytherin's apparent interest in Ginny. This, of course, resulted in Ron quickly losing interest in the game being played and instantly switched his mood from, 'nothing-comes-between-me-and-winning-this-chess-game,' to 'I'm-going-to-act-like-an-over-protective-brother-now', unbeknownst to Draco.
Finally, the finishing piece to the puzzle was placed, and a sense of achievement was briefly felt as all parcels fit snuggly with one another, and the whole picture became vividly apparent to Draco.
His last line before the punch had been said with a purposeful tact. 'Get Ron distracted and you'll have the game in the bag,' had been his last thought. The 'bag', however, was never supposed to include an agonizing shot to the eye. Shortly after the situation was remembered and all made sense, reality came crashing unceremoniously into Draco's vision as he slowly opened the one eye that wasn't swollen shut.
"Honestly, Ronald, I had just told Harry to give him a chance, and then you had to go and hit him for no apparent reason. Can you imagine if your mum had walked in on that scene?" Draco heard Hermione scold and saw her look up to the ceiling where Mrs. Weasley's bedroom was, as if the Gryffindor half-expected the woman to appear the moment her name was mentioned.
"If he wakes up breathing, congratulations, he's earned another chance." Ron retorted rolling his eyes and crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe that separated the kitchen from the Common Room. "Besides, I was defending you and Ginny. That's a good enough excuse, isn't it?"
"He lives," Harry greeted unenthusiastically from his position on the couch as he noticed that Draco had opened his eye, interrupting any reply Hermione could make.
"Damn," Ron muttered, before promptly getting slapped by Ginny on the side of his head. Draco groaned and reached for his bruised eye, suddenly wishing he was still unconscious.
"Don't touch it," Hermione said hurriedly, stopping him. "There's a small cut on the corner of your eyebrow. It's not deep, but I need to bandage it before you go sticking your dirty, germ-covered hands all over it." She stated coolly, firmly pushing his hand away. Draco scowled in response but nonetheless allowed the Head Girl to place a small, flexible strip of fabric to cover the even smaller gash on his face.
After she was finished, he looked around at his surroundings and, upon realizing that he was lying on the carpeted floor in the common room, promptly sat up, not wanting in the slightest to look weak any longer than he had while unconscious.
"Careful," Ron cautioned sarcastically. "We wouldn't want you to pass out again."
"Oh, go stuff it, Ron." Ginny snapped, as Hermione stood and pushed him and Harry into the kitchen to lecture them. She made sure to close the door on her way out, but this hardly shielded the volume of her shouts. Draco swatted at Ginny's offered hand and slowly helped himself to his feet.
"How long was I out?" He asked, sighing tiredly as he ran his fingers over his new bandage, adding it to his growing collection. 'Pretty soon, I'll be a literal mummy,' he thought to himself.
"Around ten minutes, I think." Ginny answered, sitting on the chair next to the unfinished chess game and fiddling with a few of the marble pieces.
"Figures," Draco scoffed.
Ginny sent him a confused glance. "What do you mean?"
"If your dear brother were stronger and knew how to use his balance to his advantage, I would've been out much longer. He hits like a girl." Draco responded with a relieved smirk, sitting down across from Ginny, but looking curiously in the direction of the kitchen where Hermione's shouts had all but faded.
"Then, according to your definition, you got beat up by a girl." Ginny said laughing after a few moments of thoughtful silence. The Slytherin's smirk faltered as he realized that he'd set himself up for that one all too easily. He remained silent as he figured that anything he tried to retaliate with would only make it worse and instead sent the girl a half-hearted glare.
"And if you think Ron overreacted just because you were 'staring' at me during dinner, wait till Fred and George come home for breakfast tomorrow morning. I wouldn't even come within one meter of me, if I were you." She said with a laugh as she stood and silently walked up the stairs to her room.
Either Draco had been around the Weasley's too long, or he really did have a good reason to be feeling more than slightly apprehensive concerning the Weasley twins arrival.
xXxXx
"Where's the food at?" Fred demanded immediately upon entering through the door early the next morning. Draco scowled and sunk lower in the sofa that only slightly hid him.
"Honestly, George, you could at least say hello to your mother first and let her know that you're both here." Hermione chastised with a roll of her eyes as the two twins quickly hurried over to her and gave her a suffocating hug.
"No need," Fred said after he'd released the girl. "You see, she already knows we're here."
"Oh, you mean because of the clock?" Hermione asked in a strangled voice as George still refused to let her go, only now, he was continuing to hug her simply because Ron had entered the room and was looking at the two furiously.
"Ah, so naïve, this one." Fred muttered to George with a fond smile as he ruffled Hermione's hair, her attempts at trying to dodge him failing horribly as long as George still had a firm grip on her.
George nodded in agreement, finally letting her go. "While she could use the clock to notify her of our arrival-"
"-she instead uses the connection that every mother has with their favorite children." Fred continued.
"When a favorite child, or in this case favorite twins, come home, there's no need for an announced arrival. She feels it in her heart." George finished with a wink. Ginny scoffed and then, after realizing that she'd drawn their attention to herself, hastily ran behind Harry, using him as a shield.
"Harry, old chap," Fred greeted as he and George quickly swooped down on the Gryffindor Seeker, clapping him hard on the back.
"Thanks for that, Gin." Harry muttered in between coughing fits.
"What was that?" George asked suspiciously.
"I said, er, oh my, how long it's been." The raven-haired boy quickly covered.
"Think he's a nancy boy?" Fred whispered to his twin as they both took a small step away from Harry.
"Must be." George concluded. "We saw him hardly three days ago; it really hasn't been that long."
Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw Draco slipping discreetly into the kitchen. Sharing an evil grin, they both strode to the kitchen side by side, only separating to pass under the doorway, but quickly joining up again as they entered.
As soon as they'd left, Hermione quickly grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her up the stairs, dragging the confused girl to the room they shared and muttering hasty excuses to Ron and Harry. Ginny shut the door, quickly realizing that whatever Hermione wanted to say was of importance. Looking at Hermione expectantly, they both sat down on the Head Girl's cot.
"He kissed me," she said simply after a moment of silence.
Ginny was floored. "Who?"
"Percy," she answered as Ginny's jaw dropped even further. "Ron, of course! Honestly, Ginny, 'who?' Who else would it have been?" The redhead laughed as she hugged her knees.
"When did it happen, how did it happen? Tell me everything," she begged.
"Shh, they'll hear," Hermione said hurriedly, tossing an offhand silencing charm at the door. Ginny waited expectantly. "It happened last night, after I'd brought Harry and Ron into the kitchen. I had just finished yelling at the two of them for their rude behavior towards Malfoy, but I was relieved because we'd finally sorted it all out. Harry quickly excused himself, saying he needed some fresh air, but I saw him nudge Ron on his way out…" she trailed off thoughtfully, just then realizing why Harry had done that.
"Hermione, get back on track, what happened next?" Ginny said, hurriedly interrupting the girl's train of thought.
"Right, so then Ron and I just stood staring at each other for a moment. I guess a moment was all it took for him because just as I was getting ready to ask him if he was alright, he took a step forward, cut me off mid-sentence, and…kissed me."
"Does that mean that you two are…you know, dating now?" Ginny asked tentatively, not wanting to ruin Hermione's dreamy outlook.
"I suppose so," she said quietly. "You cannot say a word of this to anyone, though. I've kept your secret, now you have to keep mine."
"Why the bloody hell not?" Ginny blurted out, openly confused.
"Listen, Gin. I'm a smart girl, and I know the kind of reaction we'll get once we start telling people. For example, I can instantly deduce that when someone hears the name, 'Hermione,' in the same sentence with the word, 'dating,' jaws will drop, confused looks will cover faces. Words like, 'how,' and, 'why,' and, 'quick, William, get the children into the nearest shelter because the world is obviously coming to an end,' will immediately fly out of people's mouths."
"Come now, Hermione," Ginny said with a laugh and a roll of her eyes. "It won't be like that at all. The whole school of Hogwarts has been waiting since you and Ron's first year to hear the words, 'Hermione,' in the same sentence with the words, 'dating Ron.' I'll keep it quiet, but just as you told me, only for now. Once we return to school, I can't say I'll be able to hold it in much longer."
Hermione nodded and the two girls silently shook on it, both agreeing to keep each other's secrets between the two of them.
xXxXx
"I told my mum the Burrow had rats," Fred said with a disgusted expression on his face as he eyed the Slytherin sitting uncomfortably at the table.
"Fredrick Weasley, that is no way to say hello to your mother," Molly said, turning angrily from the stove and quickly stepping in between George and Draco before anything could happen to the defenseless Slytherin.
"Morning, Mum," both twins said concurrently. Draco smirked at the boys behind Mrs. Weasley's back and was barely able to contain a snort when they each got smacked on the head for cursing at him.
"Boys," she said curtly to them. "I've explained the situation to you countless times, and I've also had you both promise me countless times that you would behave. Please, for my sake at least, be courteous to the lad."
"Of course we will, Mum." George agreed instantly with an innocent smile. He then walked over to Draco. "So sorry to have offended you. Would you like a piece of candy to help start things over on a nicer note?"
"George Weasley, don't you dare give him that!" Molly shrieked, hurriedly grabbing the candy before it could reach Draco's hand. With an angry yank, she pulled him outside, leaving Draco alone in the kitchen with George. Suddenly very aware that Mrs. Weasley was no longer there to interfere, and that his wand was upstairs in Percy's room, Draco warily turned to find George sitting across from him smiling pleasantly.
"You look like hell," the redhead said simply.
"Thanks," Draco muttered sarcastically. "Which one are you, now? Fred was it?"
"No, Fred just got pulled outside by me mum. I'm George. Let's eat, shall we?" He grabbed the plate of bacon, never taking his eyes of the Slytherin.
"I won't be falling for any of your planned pranks, so you can just give it up now, George. Pass the toast." Draco spat with venom. Fred merely blinked.
"That's too bad for you, because all Weasley's love a challenge, and I have yet to fail once I've set a goal. Would you like some jam with that toast?" He answered, still maintaining his polite smile.
Draco never broke the eye-contact between himself and the Weasley. "I believe you'll soon find that threats do not faze me, and no, butter will be just fine for me. I would like some juice, though."
"My pleasure," Fred said and slowly stood from his chair to retrieve the pitcher of orange juice, underhandedly slipping a small yellow potion. It wasn't just for Malfoy, however. "Here you are." He said passing the pitcher to the Slytherin and tossing a nod at his twin brother as he and his Mum walked back into the kitchen.
"Oh, Draco, did you see the letter on the counter addressed to you from Professor Dumbledore?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Oh, here it is, Mum," George quickly interjected. "It must have fallen off the counter." Silently, he handed it to Draco who hurriedly stuffed the envelope into his pocket.
"Time for breakfast, everyone," Mrs. Weasley called loudly before watching with worried eyes as Fred and George purposely sat themselves on either side of Draco, who refused to show any emotion about this. Ginny walked in and also observed this and quickly sat across from Draco. That way she could keep a close eye on the twins and Draco. Ron and Harry entered the kitchen, with Hermione not far behind, and all three smiled knowingly as the twins generously offered the orange juice to everyone in the room.
"None for me thanks. I'm not quite thirsty." Harry replied, while Ron and Hermione followed his example and also turned down their offer, much to their disappointment.
Ginny, however, was much too focused on making sure nothing happened to Draco, and was absently sipping on a glass of fresh orange juice. Knowing that something would soon occur, Ron and Harry fought over the seat at the end with the best view. In the end, Harry won, pointing out to Ron that the best seat for him would actually be beside Hermione. Upon this casual mention, Fred and George quickly pulled their attention away from the orange juice to tease their younger brother.
"What, did you bonk her or something?" Draco asked suddenly, and just as quickly as he'd said it, a look of utter shock came on his face, as if he hadn't actually meant to say those words.
Mrs. Weasley was shocked. "Draco Malfoy, there will be none of that talk in my house!"
"Sorry, dunno why I said that, really…" he trailed off. Fred and George were seemingly unaware of what was going on and instead filled their plate with more porridge.
"Merlin, Malfoy, why on earth would I shag her with my Mum in the same house?" Ron asked and hurriedly clapped a hand over his own mouth as his mother looked at him in outrage.
"Are you saying that you would…shag this girl as soon as you were out of my provision? Is that what you meant to say," she roared. Ron shook his head, no, and looked wide-eyed down at his bowl of black pudding and realizing this was also one of the items that Fred and George had eschewed from eating. Harry and Hermione similarly looked alarmed towards their bowls.
Ginny snorted. "Honestly, Ron, your teeth are brighter than you are!" All chatter at the table was stopped.
"Ginevra Weasley, don't you dare utter insults like that at my breakfast table," Mrs. Weasley ordered in a frustrated and tired tone, confused at why everyone was behaving so.
"Well she probably said it without thinking," Hermione tried to cover. "The way she does most things."
"Oi, what are you on about?" Ginny asked angrily.
"I'm sorry, Gin, I didn't mean it, honestly!" The Head Girl exclaimed, thoroughly flabbergasted.
"Ruddy hell, Mione. If you were my girlfriend, I think I might put poison in your juice." Harry blurted out and quickly stuffed his mouth with more food to prevent himself from saying anything else.
Hermione appeared shocked. "And if I were your girlfriend, I think I would most definitely drink it! Oh, bugger, Harry, I didn't mean that. I'm not being myself right now, I guess."
Draco snickered. "Anyone who told you to be yourself couldn't have given you worse advice."
"Mister Malfoy, and the rest of you, not including the twins, I see you are all incapable of enjoying a civilized breakfast, so you can kindly leave the table." Mrs. Weasley said curtly, patting the twins proudly on the back. The two identical redheads smiled smugly at the others.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Draco began. "If I've said anything to offend you, it was purely intentional."
"Chaos, panic and disorder-" Fred started casually wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"-right, our work here is done," George finished, standing and quickly leaving the room while the shouting began.
xXxXx
A few hours later, after all the commotion in the kitchen had calmed down considerably, and the potion had worn off, George and Fred were leisurely relaxing in the backyard, lying in the grass and discussing new products. It was a rather crisp day, with snow clouds filling the sky above them and trees beginning to curl as the frost settled in onto their branches.
A light dusting of snow had previously fallen that morning and was lightly scattered on the ground, though this didn't seem to unnerve the twins in the slightest. Their breaths came out in films of crystallized mist but quickly dissolved into the even more frigid air. That was how Draco found the two when he exited the Burrow. He coughed lightly and waited until her had both of their attention.
"I've come to ask a favor of you two," Draco began, somewhat hesitantly.
"Sorry, what was that?" Fred asked sitting up abruptly and leaning back on his elbows.
"You didn't hear me?" The pale blonde ground out, looking over his shoulder to make sure none of the others had followed him out.
"No, we heard you." George replied, also sitting up and leaning back on his elbows. "We just wanted to make you say it again," he said with a cheeky grin that simultaneously appeared on Fred's face.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Right, well I'm sure you read the letter Dumbledore sent me, George. And I'm positively certain that you and Fred have discussed it quite thoroughly." They nodded in response. "Then I shouldn't have to explain my request in much detail."
"Take a seat," Fred offered. Deciding that doing as they said would be his best option at this point, Draco quickly sat down in front of the two, forcing himself to appear calm, though in all honesty, he was extremely intimidated.
"As you both well know, I'm not allowed to leave the Burrow until we go back to Hogwarts for school," he began, not even allowing himself to look disgusted at this. "In the letter, Dumbledore informed me that my father's goons showed up at his office for an unannounced 'meeting.'
"During this meeting, they attempted to threaten the old man, (pillocks, the both of them) and ordered that he reveal my location. Obviously, the Headmaster didn't, though I don't know why, but in his letter, he strictly informed me that any leaving of this property would get me expelled from Hogwarts. Of course, now I need to get out of here even more, therefore, I've come to you two. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here."
Fred and George exchanged thoughtful glances and were silent for a couple of minutes, seemingly communicating without words.
"We've discussed our options and we've come to the conclusion that we will help you…on certain conditions." Fred said grinning evilly as Draco's face became visibly paler.
"We can help you get out of here for a couple of hours while we're taking Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione to Hogsmeade to do their Christmas shopping, just so long as you do each and every thing we ask of you until you go back to Hogwarts." George said casually.
Draco nodded, quick to agree with any plan that would allow him a few hours to get away from the Burrow. It would also give him a chance to buy himself some more cigarettes, as he'd already used his whole pack just after the breakfast incident.
"Hold out your wand." Fred ordered. Draco did so and watched in mild worry as George muttered the correct incantation that would legally bind the Slytherin to the twins according to their agreement.
"Now what," Draco asked.
"We'll alter your appearance, give my Mum a plausible excuse about your sudden disappearance, and take you with us to Diagon Alley." George explained, standing with Fred as they pulled Draco to his feet.
"Remember, it'll only last two hours maximum." Fred cautioned.
"Metamorphtanous," they whispered simultaneously, directing their wands at Draco. He looked down in amazement as his hands slowly began changing their form and felt his body doing similarly.
"Would you like to take a look at yourself?" George asked with a mischievous grin as he summoned a mirror. Draco hurriedly grabbed the item from the redhead's hands and promptly dropped it in shock as he saw his appearance.
xXxXx
A/N: Terribly sorry about the wait, but as I said at the beginning of the chapter, things will pick up soon, I promise. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always, thanks so much to my lovely reviewers!
Jade Summers : Don't worry, my new beta's not too severe (as I'm sure this delayed posting of the chapter had lead you to discern), but he does do his job quite well, I must say. I'll keep your threat towards him in mind, however. Never know when I'll need a beta-biter ;).
Alexandria J. Malfoy : I do love to write about the conflicts between Ron and Draco, hehe, so much fun involved with those scenes. Hope you continue to enjoy the story!
padfootedmoony : Draco wouldn't be a Malfoy if he knew when to keep his insults to himself…I think that's why I love his character so much. It's just so funny to read about him in the books whenever he begins arguing with the trio. I'm glad you liked the last chapter!
.spitxfire. : You're right about last chapter's 'cliffhanger.' When I went back to re-read it, wasn't really as suspenseful as I'd hoped because I think everybody easily figured it out. Oh well, perhaps I'll get better with those. Hope this one was worth the wait!
Thanks again to all those who read and don't review, I appreciate that you even glance at my story! If you'd like to drop a comment, though, I would be thrilled to hear any suggestions you might have for me.
Sunflour
