"Hermione, please, think of what you're doing..." Harry begged as Hermione started up the girl's staircase. "You can't just leave us!"
"I can and will, Harry." Hermione said sturnly. "And if you want to argue you can just come up here and do it while I'm packing."
"See, that's it. I can't." Harry said, standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Its... a girls' dorm."
"Since when has that stopped anyone?"
"No, that's not it. The stairs wont let me. Its some sort of magic. Girls for some reason can go into the boys dorms, but..." He would have finished his sentence if Ron Weasley hadn't come running in through the portrail hole screaming, "Don't do it, Hermione! Don't! Think of us!"
"I am thinking of you."
"But killing yourself??"
"What are you talking about, Ronald?"
"I heard you were going to jump off the top of the tower." Ron looked around. "What? am I wrong?"
"As wrong as the sight of Goyle in a french-maid's outfit." Harry replied, "Come on, Hermione. Come down here and lets talk about it. You're our best friend!"
"I don't want to talk about it! I don't even know you! I just want to get as far away from magic as humanly possible!" And with that Hermione retreated up to her dorms to pack. Ron gave her a very rude gesture with his middle finger and sat down in the big chair near the fireplace. Harry laid down on the couch, rubbing his head from frustration.
"Did you ever notice how much she starts her sentences with 'I'? Why can't it be 'You' or at least 'I don't want to argue'?" Ron seemed put off.
"What are we going to do, Ron?"
"I don't know." Ron replied dully. "Ask her to send us a post card?"
"Ron. I'm serious."
"Well so am I. But how the bloody hell are we going to convince her to stay?" He kicked off his shoes. "Something must've happened to make her want to not stay here anymore..."
"Of course..." Harry began to make a mental image in his head. "Something must have happened... so if we find out what happened..."
"Maybe we can fix it!" Ron finished.
"That's so typical of a male persona." Entered Ginny Weasley, who was coming down the girls' staircase. " 'I've got to fix it.' " She imitated, making broad, manly gestures. "Why don't you guys consider her feelings instead of just how to fix it?"
"Because that's not imbeded in our genes." Stated Ron. "What IS embeded is how to fix it."
"You can't just put a bandaid over a bruise and think that its going to fix it. It just covers it up and nothing gets done. Your manly way of fixing it doesn't solve anything. Trust me, I know."
"Oh, and what bruise do you have, little sis?" Ron snorted.
"Lets just say I had some big things on my plate last year, and getting over them... well - its not easy." She glanced at Harry, then averted her gaze elsewhere before exiting the common room.
"Do you think she was talking about when we dated?"
"Nah, she's probably just near that time of the month."
When Ginny got outside of the portrait hole, she was met by two Slytherins who were more than happy to find a Gryffindor. "What are you two doing here?" She asked Draco and Blaise as she put her hands on her hips. "This is the Gryffindor dorms. I don't recall you having to pass by it to go to Slytherin."
"Talks cheap, little Weasley." Blaise narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, am I supposed to be intimidated by you?" She laughed.
"Where's Hermione?" Draco asked.
"She's packing."
"Well, can I see her?"
"No." Ginny said flatly. Blaise and Draco looked two one another before back to her. Blaise made a move to get to the portrait but Ginny wouldn't allow it.
"Let us in." Blaise growled.
"No. I'm not letting you in. Only I, in this little group, have the password, and you can't go in without the password."
"Its Miac." Draco smirked.
"How did you...?"
"She wants me to pick up a bracelet." Draco said as the portrait swung open, the Fat Lady looking disgusted. "By the way... what does 'Miac' mean?"
"It stands for Malfoy Is A Cad." Ginny smirked. "Hermione picked it out herself."
"I see her vocabulary gets bigger by the day..." Draco grumbled as he stepped in the hole, Blaise right behind him. When they entered the common room, they weren't greeted to nicely.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing in here, Malfoy?" A disgruntled Ron questioned, about to draw his wand if it hadn't been for a few first years near the fireplace. "You're not allowed."
"I am and I'm here, so snuff it, Weasley." Draco stuck out his chin challengingly. "Where's Granger?"
"Come to mess with her mind some more?" Harry sneered, though he didn't move from his spot on the sofa. "You know, I don't know what you said to her a few weeks back, Malfoy, but whatever it is I have a feeling drove her to leave Hogwarts."
"You think I had something to do with it? Well I didn't." Draco lied, knowing all too well that it was his complete fault. "She's leaving on her own note."
"D'you know her memory's gonna be modified if she quits?" Ron's voice quivered. "Because she comes from a non-wizarding family, and her memory's already been modified, they say she's gonna get it again, like they did to Lockheart. She knows too much for her own good, and not enough to help her."
"She wont remember any of this?" Draco questioned.
"Or us." Harry nodded mournfully. This panged Draco's heart.
"Does she know?"
"Yeah." Harry answered, releasing the tension between the two groups a bit. "But she still wants to leave. Says its better off if she didn't know magic."
"Or us." Ron looked to the floor. There was silence in the room for quite a while.
"Well this isn't getting us anywhere," Blaise said, breaking the silence, "Lets get our asses in gear and make sure Hermione Granger doesn't leave this school."
"And how do you purpose we do that?" Ron jeered.
"Simple." Blaise answered. "We're going to make her last day the most memorable day of her life. We're going to get the old Hermione back."
"And we do this... how?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, and who's to say we want to work with you, anyways?" Ron snarled.
"Because we're all pulling for the same cause," Draco retorted, "And we do this by making her remember who she is. Now listen... we've got a plan..."
-Later That Day-
"Draco Malfoy! Harry Potter! Ronald Weasley! Blaise... whatever your last name is! Let me GO!"
Hermione had her hands behind her back, tied up with shoe laces and a belt. She sat in a wooden chair, and was looking very angry when Draco, Harry, Ron, and Blaise strolled in the room, books, pictures, and articles at hand. They were in one of the abandoned rooms at the West end of the school. She glared and said, "I said, let me go."
"Not until you remember who you are." It was Harry who spoke.
"Harry..." Gulped Ron, "Do you think she's gonna hate us when this is over?"
"I certainly hope so," Smirked Draco, "That's the whole point to this." Ron looked taken aback, but Draco continued on his merry way into the room and pulled out from his arms Hogwarts, A History. "Oh look, Hermione, its your favorite book. Remember it?"
"First you use me, and now you tie me up to look at books?"
"Wrong answer." Blaise shook his head. "Oh, here's one. Its a picture of you and Weasley near the shrieking shack. Ring a bell?"
"What's the point in this?" Hermione shook her head. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because we don't want you to leave." Whined Ron, exasporated.
"I want to leave, Ronald. This isn't my home."
"But it is." Harry insisted. "You belong here just like the rest of us."
"Why is that?" Hermione questioned, struggling against the binds.
"Because you're one of the best witches here," Draco explained, "And because we all love you, in one form or another."
"Don't make me hurl," Hermione challenged.
"Okay, here's the deal," Draco said, pulling a chair up in front of Hermione and taking a seat across from her, "We're each going to tell a story we remember about you. Our favorite one. And if you don't remember who you are by the end of all our stories... you're free to go." He smirked. "Deal?"
"That's it? That's all I have to do?" Hermione huffed. "Fine. I want out of here so I can report you to the Headmaster..."
"Ooh, she's sounding like herself already," Draco mocked, before arising from his seat. The seat didn't stay unocupied for long- Ron Weasley took the floor -or should I say seat? - to explain his favorite memory.
"Okay, Hermione, this is my favorite memory," Ron held out a piece of parchment that looked quite like an essay. "Its the essay you helped me write last year on dementors... Fred and George gave me this really bad quill that was supposed to do spell check, but it just messed up my entire essay..."
"Looks fine to me." Hermione stated.
"That's because you helped me," Ron smiled warmly, "Even when you were mad at me for dating Lavender, you still helped me fix the essay, and you saved my grade. Not only that, but I was relieved that you were talking to me again... you're a good person, Hermione. I used to have a crush on you... but... um... that's kind of changed because of circumstances..." He turned red. "But you're still my best friend, Herms."
"Herms?"
"Yes, Ronald?"
"Would you... erm... like to go... um... out...to... to get a bite to eat?"
"Are you asking me out on a date?"
"Well... I mean... you don't have to call it that--"
"Of course I will!"
"Oh? R-Really? Great!"
Ron arose from his seat, and Blaise took the next go. "I'll have a row at it." He stated. "Okay, Granger. I don't really know you that well, but I do remember the night you told me to fuck off. It was the night you got raped." He glanced at Draco, then back to Hermione. "I went into the Prefects bathroom to see you... well... rather, to make out with you. Honestly, I thought you were pretty hot..." Hermione snorted a laugh. "But all you did was tell me to get lost. I told you that you were kind of cute..."
"Really? In this light you're kind of repulsive."
"What are you doing in the Prefect's bathroom at night alone, Granger? Up to something no good I bet."
"Its none of your business. And if you don't get out I'll write you up and extract points away from Slytherin."
"Go ahead. I'd love to see you try."
"I'm taken. Go find your own."
"This isn't over, Granger."
"...And I told you that you were kind of repulsive..." Hermione finished, feeling her cheeks turn slightly pink in confusion.
"Yeah... how'd you...?" Blaise smirked. "Oy, look at that. She's remembering."
"My turn..." It was Harry who took the next row at it. Blaise arose from his seat and the chair was occupied by Mr. Harry James Potter. "Hey, Hermione..."
"Hello, Harry." She said, rather coldly.
"My favorite memory... hmm... there's so many of them. I think, it was the day that I first met you." He looked into her eyes. "Do you remember?"
"How would I?" Hermione's voice drifted.
"We were on this train -a train to Hogwarts. Where you are now. Ron and I were enjoying ourselves in a compartment in the train when all of sudden this girl walks in. She has bushy brown hair, rather large teeth, and the most startling brown eyes I've ever seen." He smiled warmly. "And the girl said to us, 'Have you seen a toad? Neville's lost one.'"
"We've already told him we haven't seen it."
"Oh, are you doing magic? Well, let's see it, then."
"Er -- all right."
"Sunshine, daises, butter mellow..." Hermione suddenly spoke, causing Harry and Ron's ear's to perk.
"Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!" They all three said at once.
Blaise and Draco looked to each other. "Must be a Gryffindor thing." Blaise whispered, shrugging.
"You remembered!" Harry's grin on his face was beaming.
"And the spell didn't work, did it?" Hermione asked.
"No." Ron's ears turned red. "How was I supposed to know? George gave me the spell... bet he knew it was a dud."
"All right, all right. Outta my way. Its my turn." Draco now had the floor yet again. He didn't sit in the chair, however. He walked behind Hermione and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Close your eyes..."
"Are you mad?"
"Just do it."
Hermione closed her eyes, and Draco continued.
"Imagine. Four years ago... Something called the Yule Ball. I remember what you looked like that night... Very stunning... periwinkle-blue robes, your hair was straight and in a bun sort of contraption on the back of your head. Your teeth were smaller, and your presence... maybe it was because you didn't have all those books in your hands, but... you were stunning. I remember - walking by with Pansy on my arm - and even then, for the first time in my natural life... I couldn't find and insult." He crossed his arms and straightened his back, and then took his place in the chair in front of her. "I remember dancing that night, watching you with Krum."
"You were in... black velvet robes... with a high collar..." Hermione blinked, feeling memories wash back from that night. "And Pansy was in some ghastly pink robes. Ron and I were mad at each other... had a fight... Vicky? Why do I remember that name?"
"Because I called Victor 'Vicky' cause I was mad." Ron blurted out.
"Jealous." Harry pointed out.
"Victor Krum... that's the boy I went with." Hermione tilted her head in sudden realization. "And you were a jerk to me!" She looked to Ron.
"Hey! I wanted to ask you to that Ball so bad, but I thought... you wouldn't want to go with me."
Hermione shook her head, before it tilted to the side and she passed out. The boys looked to one another, before Blaise un-bound the shoelaces and belts, and Draco caught her as she fell out of the chair. She lay in his arms, unconscious.
"I think her memory has come back to her." Blaise said out of nowhere. Everyone smiled, except for Malfoy, who smirked.