Bittersweet

By cenagurl

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, although if I were to meet a genie, I'd wish it was mine so I can get Hermy and Drakey together…

xxxxxx

Chapter 5: Broken Souls

He had the feeling that everyone in the room was staring at him.

He was right.

He slowly turned around to face them, and when he did, they all wore identical looks of shock and disbelief on their faces. Some of them had their mouths hanging open, while the others looked momentarily petrified.

When he could no longer take their unblinking gazes, he finally spoke. "What's wrong?" he asked, but no one seemed inclined to answer his question.

Hermione was so shocked with what she saw that she couldn't form a coherent thought. When she regained her composure a few moments later, she gave Draco a weak smile.

"Well, shall we all head down to breakfast now?" she asked, and everyone seemed to snap back to reality. Slowly Harry and the others walked out of the room, until only Hermione and Draco were left.

He was about to open his mouth to speak, but Hermione quickly cut in. "Change your clothes now," she said without looking at him, then went over to the cabinet to gather some clothes. After choosing her old pink sweater and some jeans, she went to the bathroom to change.

When Hermione finished dressing, she went out of the bathroom and saw that Draco had already left. "I hope he'll be able to find the way to the kitchen," she said to herself as she brushed her hair and tied it in a ponytail.

After she finished fixing herself up, she rushed downstairs and headed to the kitchen, her stomach rumbling soundly as an inviting aroma of pancakes and bacon wafted in the air.

She entered the kitchen and saw that almost everyone was already seated around the large table, munching on their breakfast. Draco was not there, however.

"Has anyone seen Malfoy?" she asked, and they all shook their heads. Feeling a sudden rush of worry, she headed upstairs again, then one by one checked each room.

She found him at Minerva McGonagall's room. She knocked softly before entering, and saw Draco sitting at the foot of McGonagall's bed, talking to the old Transfiguration teacher herself.

"Ah, Hermione," McGonagall said warmly when she saw her favorite student. "Mr. Malfoy here was just asking me what his name was, and where he was,"

Hermione gave her a wan smile. "He lost his memory, professor," she still couldn't stop herself from calling her that; after all, it has just been a year since she graduated from Hogwarts.

"Yes, Molly informed me last night," Minerva said with a nod. "I did?" asked the blonde-haired boy in mild surprise. "And who are you?" his gaze was riveted on Hermione, so the question was obviously directed to her.

Hermione blinked. Only ten minutes had passed but he's already forgotten everything? Oh damn, Hermione thought, this is going to be so rough…

"I'm Hermione," she answered in a loud, clear voice. "Her-my-oh-nee," she repeated, and Draco nodded his understanding. "Nice to meet you, Hermione," he said in such a friendly voice that astounded Hermione.

"This is Minerva McGonagall," Draco said, pointing a finger at the old woman on the bed. "I asked her why she's lying in bed when it's already so late in the morning, and she said that she can't walk anymore because some mean guys cast a curse on her," he explained to Hermione, who immediately went rigid at his words.

Professor McGonagall rarely talked about her condition; she had told Hermione she hated being so useless and unable to do things for the Order, and once she even cried in front of her star student about wanting so badly to get out of the house, and finally understanding how Sirius felt when he was the one stuck at Grimmauld Place.

Minerva gave Hermione a dry smile. "He told me I was a lazy old codger for lying in bed so late in the morning, so I felt the need to defend myself," she said by way of explanation, giving a sideway glance at Draco.

"Draco!" Hermione gasped out. "How could you say such cruel things to professor McGonagall? Apologize this instant!" she ordered, and Draco looked guiltily at the professor as he mumbled, "Sorry,"

Minerva was looking at Hermione and Draco quizzically. Never had she seen these former students act like that around each other--- especially a Slytherin and a Gryffindor! It amused her vastly to see the proud and arrogant Malfoy heir be so submissive to a muggle-born!

"It's alright," she said lightly. "Have you two eaten your breakfasts?" the two teenagers shook their heads in unison.

"Well, why don't you two head downstairs then? And do tell Molly I'm wanting extra sugar today with my coffee," Minerva waved a dismissive hand at them, and Hermione and Draco bid the old woman goodbye before heading for the door.

When they stepped out of the room, Draco turned to his companion with perplexity in his gray eyes. "Who would do such a horrid thing to her?" he asked.

Hermione couldn't answer him directly. She didn't have the heart to tell him that it was his own father that crippled Minerva so she wouldn't be able to reach the Order on time to warn them about one of Voldemort's attacks.

"The Death Eaters," she replied quietly. Draco's brows met together in confusion. "Who are they?" he asked, a hint of anxiousness in his tone.

Hermione sighed. Oh well. It wouldn't hurt to explain a few things to him, since in a few minute's time he wouldn't recall a thing.

"They are the supporters of the most dangerous wizard, Voldemort, and they want to kill someone that the Order--- that's our group---- would protect with their own lives," Hermione said, pausing when the reached the stairs.

"Who is the person we want to protect?" Draco asked. Hermione was completely aware that he said WE and not YOU. Did he think he was one of them? That he was a member of the Order?

Hermione didn't know why, but her heart warmed at what he just said. Wouldn't it be wonderful if he would be like that when he regains his memory?

"Harry Potter," she answered, leading the way as they trudged down the stairs. "He's the only one that can really defeat Voldemort, although I think that professor Dumbledore would stand a good chance as well,"

"Harry Potter…" Draco repeated thoughtfully. "He seems like a great guy. Can I meet him?"

Hermione stopped dead on her tracks, her mouth falling open at the absurdity in Draco's words. She would have laughed if she weren't so surprised. She, in her whole eighteen years of existence, would never have thought that those words would ever come out of Draco Malfoy's mouth.

"O—of course you can meet him," she stammered out when they reached the foot of the stairs. Draco's eyes brightened up, and he eagerly followed her as she led the way to the kitchen.

When they entered, Hermione saw that only Harry, Ron, Fred, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were in the kitchen. Ron choked on his pancakes when he caught sight of Draco, and Fred spat out some of his orange juice.

Ginny's face was green; Harry looked ready to lose his breakfast then and there.

"Draco," Hermione started as they settled on two vacant chairs across where Harry and Ginny sat. "This is Harry Potter," she glanced over at Harry, and a wide grin spread over Draco's face.

"Nice to meet you!" Draco said, extending his hand towards Harry, who stared at it in bafflement, then at Hermione, who was smiling rather sheepishly.

"He seems to have forgotten everything again," Hermione explained. Harry was still staring at Draco's extended hand. When he got a hold of himself, he told Draco in a very cool voice, "Yes, real nice."

Draco's hand dropped limply on the table, but he managed a small smile. "Hermione told me you're the only one who could defeat the bad wizard Voldemort," he said cheerfully, and Ron snorted over his orange juice, while Fred snickered.

"I s'ppose you're wanting an autograph of The-Boy-Who-Lived?" Fred asked with a sneer, while Ginny covered her mouth as she stifled her laughter. Harry, on the other hand, was glaring at Hermione.

"You just had to tell him that, didn't you?" he asked heatedly, and Hermione saw Draco flinch at his hard tone. She couldn't help but feel a sudden surge of anger. After all, this isn't really the Draco Malfoy they knew; how can they still be so cruel to him?

But as Hermione pondered more over this, she realized that Draco did deserve their wrath. But still it annoyed the hell out of her when they picked on the sweet, innocent Draco Malfoy.

"Why, Drakey, have you forgotten that you used to worship our Harry here?" Fred asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. "He was your inspiration back in school," Ron added wickedly, but fell silent when Harry shot him a death glare.

"Guys, stop it," Hermione burst out, her gaze straying to Draco, who was honestly looking both confused and awed by the conversation in the table.

"C'mon, Draco, let's eat," she suggested, placing some pancakes and bacons on his plate, then on her own as well. The table fell silent as they ate, and Hermione could see Draco giving worried glances over at Harry, as though expecting him to bellow out again.

Fred was the first to rise from the table. Stretching, he announced, "I'm heading off to our jokeshop, George might need some hand there," Ron shoved the last piece of bacon in his mouth and gulped down the rest of his orange juice.

"I'm going with you," he said quickly as he stood. "You want to go too, Harry?" the redhead asked, but Harry shook his head. "Can I go?" Draco asked, a hopeful look on his face. "No," the answer came almost immediately from Ron's mouth, and Hermione glared at him.

"You can't go, Draco, because…" Hermione thought about telling him that they were supposed to hide him from his maniac of a father but wouldn't that sound too daunting?

"Why, Mione?" he asked, turning to look at her. "Because… it's too far," she finally said after a few seconds of silence. "And it really isn't nice to go there," she added when Draco looked dubious.

"Alright," he responded in a defeated voice, a sad look crossing his face. Hermione felt the need to console him. "We can go to Buckbeak after breakfast," she announced, and Draco's eyes brightened up again.

"Buckbeak? Where is that?" he asked excitedly. Harry rolled his eyes, then followed Ron and Fred as they left the kitchen. Ginny began to rise, and Hermione told her to tell Mrs. Weasley about Minerva's breakfast.

"It's not a place, Draco, it's an animal," Hermione explained as she sipped her orange juice. "What kind of animal is it?" he asked. "A hippogriff," she answered, and he suddenly cringed. "I don't really like hippogriffs…" he started, and Hermione recalled that Buckbeak was the one that kicked Draco in their third year.

"You remember what happened to you in our third year then?" she asked. Draco shook his head and answered after swallowing a forkful of bacon. "I don't remember anything about myself," he said with a shrug. "But when you mentioned the hippogriff, a sudden thought went up in my head, and it said, 'I hate hippogriffs!',"

"Oh," Hermione replied. "But Buckbeak is a nice animal, I swear! You just have to bow to him, and when he bows back, you can pet him and even ride him!"

Draco looked at her with reluctance. "I guess it's alright to try to see him…" he said slowly, and Hermione beamed. "Great! Shall we go now?" she asked, and Draco nodded.

They walked upstairs in companionable silence, then went over to the room where Buckbeak stayed. "Are you ready?" Hermione asked as she reached for the handle of the door.

Draco nodded. "I trust you, Mione," he whispered, and Hermione felt a warm sensation at the pit of her stomach with his words. It felt so good to have him trust her. But did she deserve his trust?

Hermione pushed that thought away as she opened the door, and led Draco to Buckbeak, who was feeding on some dead rats on his plate. Buckbeak turned his yellow eyes on them as he munched on his feast.

"Hello Buckbeak," she said cheerfully, bowing before the animal. Buckbeak bowed back, and Hermione gave him a pat on the head. Draco, emboldened by Hermione's success, quickly rushed over to Buckbeak and touched some of his feathers.

"Draco, bow first----" Hermione screamed when Buckbeak's front legs went up the air then slammed on Draco's shoulder and chest forcefully that he flew five feet away from where he stood.

Hermione felt like she was watching what exactly happened in their third year. Draco lay sprawled on the ground, blood blossoming from his shirt. Hermione stilled the angry animal, then went over to her injured companion.

"Draco, are you alright?" she asked worriedly, helping him sit up. "I---it kicked me," he groaned out when Hermione heaved him from the ground. "The stupid bird kicked me!"

"I know, and I'm so sorry I brought you there," she said as they hobbled out of the room, not bothering to defend the hippogriff.

"W---why did it kick me?" Draco asked. "You forgot to bow," Hermione told him as they walked towards her bedroom.

"Is it always so mean?" he asked, grunting in pain as he lay down on the bed. "It's just too proud," she answered. "You just stay here. I'll go get Melissa to heal your wound,"

Hermione rushed out of the room and found the healer in Minerva's room. "Melissa, I need your assistance," she said, and Melissa gave her a perplexed look. "Why? Is it the Malfoy heir?" she asked, and Hermione nodded.

"I brought him to Buckbeak, and he forgot to bow, so he was kicked---" she was halfway finished when Melissa stood up. "Hell, woman, why did you bring him there?" the healer bellowed.

Hermione was about to explain but the healer was already heading for the door. "Where is he?" Melissa asked. "In my room," Hermione answered quickly, and the two of them walked quickly to her room.

When they entered, they saw that Draco was unconscious. His eyes were closed, and the blood from his shirt now soaked the bed sheets. "Get me some bandages, and a fresh shirt as well," Melissa ordered, and Hermione hastened to obey.

When she returned to Draco, she saw that Melissa had torn off his shirt, and was murmuring some spell under her breath as she pointed wand on the gash on Draco's shoulder.

"Here are the bandages and the new shirt," Hermione gasped out as she tried to catch her breath. The healer spared her only the briefest of glances. "Place them in the table, and help me bandage his shoulder," Hermione did as she was told, and when they finished the task, Melissa told her to watch over Draco and not to bring him somewhere dangerous again.

Hermione pulled a chair at the side of the bed and got a book on the shelf. She sat on the chair and propped the book open. She was absorbed with the book with the first half hour, but soon she grew bored and threw the book aside.

Draco was still asleep. She watched his slumbering form, taking in the slightly rumpled white-blonde hair, the long lashes fanned against such pale cheeks, the slightly open lips…

He looked so peaceful. Hermione had never seen him look that way before. Then she realized that all she saw in him those past seven years were bad things--- his arrogance, bigheadedness, constant taunting… she didn't see an ounce of goodness in him.

But was Draco Malfoy purely evil? Hermione couldn't detect a hint of evilness in him now. He was carefree, trusting, kind…

Just then, a moan escaped from Draco's mouth. "Draco?" Hermione, instantly alert, asked, but the boy didn't seem to hear her. "No…" the boy whispered, starting to twist the sheets around him, a pained expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked anxiously, reaching out to steady him. "No… father… stop… it's… please…" Draco was saying in a low, strained voice, as though he was trying hard not to show his pain.

Hermione realized that the Draco was having a sort of nightmare. "Draco, wake up," she said, shaking him. He didn't stir. "Father… no…" he continued to plea.

What was he dreaming about? Was his father torturing him? Hermione gave him another shake, this one much firmer. The action sprung Draco to life; he bolted up, hi silver eyes glazed over unseeingly, his hands going up to Hermione's upper arms.

"Father, stop it! It's painful…" with that his eyes slid close again and he fell on her, his form slack and still again. Hermione was rigid against him, her eyes wide. It was obvious that his father was torturing him.

But that was impossible. Why would Lucius torture his only son? For all she could remember, Draco had taken every opportunity to brag about his father, and how he got everything he asked for from his father with just a snap of a finger.

Was it all for show? Was Draco not really the spoiled overindulged son everyone believed him to be?

Hermione gingerly set him back down in bed, still in a state of shock. She honestly needed to sit down. Fast.

Rubbing her temples, she glanced at Draco's still form once more.

Now that was a shock.

xxxxxx

A/n: Thanks for the reviews! And please keep more of it coming… : D Oh, and I'll probably be updating every weekends now, because senior life is just plain hard and mind-drying.