Bittersweet

By cenagurl

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way…

A/n: Yep, I'm back… Sorry if I've been gone too long… guess what? I so totally flunked my algebra class! -curses algebra professor- so now I've got a tutor. And I'm taking a remedial. Hell.

Anyway… Hope you'll still keep on reading and reviewing! Please, please please review… cenagurl is hungry for reviews… )

Anyway, here's…

xxxxxx

Chapter 9:

Crash.

Hermione couldn't help but flinch at the loud bellow of the thunder outside. She didn't keep her eyes away from Draco, however. The boy was staring open-mouthed at Luna, who was pointing an accusing finger at him.

The silence in the hall was deafening. No one spoke, nor moved a muscle. The scene looked like a tragic tableau; Hermione thought they all looked like actors on a stage.

Finally, when she found the strength to speak, she turned slowly to Luna and said, "He was not the one who crippled Professor McGonagall,"

"Yeah," Ginny suddenly piped up. "It was his fa---"

Hermione quickly shot Ginny a warning look, and she fell silent.

"Luna?" came a voice from behind Luna and Ron. The two swiveled about, and Hermione caught sight of messy black hair--- Harry.

"Harry!" Luna seemed to momentarily forget about her previous dilemma, as a big smile crept up her face, and she practically flew down the stairs to meet her friend. Hermione caught Ginny glaring when Luna hugged Harry.

"Great to see you, Luna," Harry said good-naturedly, ruffling Luna's blonde head as though she was a child.

Hermione heaved a sigh as she felt the tension ebb from the room, all thanks to Harry. "Supper's ready!" came Mrs. Weasley's voice from the kitchen, and Ron quickly bounded down the stairs, followed by Ginny, whose face was looking dour.

"I hope Mrs. Weasley's cooked her legendary roast chicken--- I'm starving," Luna said dreamily, as Harry led her downstairs while Hermione and Draco were left there, both unmoving and silent.

"Draco, let's eat now," she said after a few moments.

"I'm not hungry." Draco replied quietly. "I want to go to sleep,"

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" Hermione urged, and the blonde boy gave a small nod. "You go ahead and eat, I'll just… rest." He answered, and Hermione reluctantly went downstairs to eat.

When she disappeared into the kitchen, Draco silently walked downstairs towards the entrance hall, careful that nobody sees him.

They told him he was Draco Malfoy.

Was it true?

He could feel they were hiding something from him.

He couldn't remember anything.

Why couldn't he remember?

Who was he?

Was he a murderer like the girl said?

He slowly turned the knob of the door and went outside.

xxxxxx

"So that's the reason why he's here," Luna said after Hermione and the others had rehashed the tale about how Draco Malfoy had ended up in Grimmauld Place after dinner. They all remained seated around the dining table as Mrs. Weasley whisked the dishes away. "Now I feel pity for him, and his mum as well,"

Hermione nodded her agreement. "Lucius is a cruel man, even to his own wife and child,"

"I wonder how Draco's mum is faring at the manor. Is Lucius beating her or something?" Ginny mused, giving a small victorious smile when a muscle twitched on Harry's jaw. He didn't comment on her statement though; but Ron obviously wouldn't let it pass by.

"You and Malfoy are on first name basis now aren't you?" he asked heatedly. "You're acting just like Hermione, you're--- you're fraternizing with the enemy!"

Ginny gave a dainty shrug. "Well, we sort of became close this afternoon after Hermione left him in my care," she inwardly smiled with satisfaction when she saw a muscle twitch on Harry's cheek. "And he isn't so bad once you get to know him… he's kind of adorable, actually,"

That was the final straw for Harry; he rose from his seat, his emerald eyes blazing with anger. "I'm going to bed." He said curtly, slamming down his goblet of water that drops of it splattered everywhere.

Hermione shot Ginny a look that basically said, "Go and fix whatever mess you did." Rolling her eyes, Ginny stood up and left the room with a swish of her long red hair.

"Oh honestly, I think those two really need to 'fess up, big time," Hermione commented. "I quite agree, the look on Harry's face when Ginny told us about her sudden closeness to Draco was a total give away," Luna responded.

Ron gaped at them. "Are you implying that—" he made wild gestures towards Harry and Ginny's empty chairs. "—they—my sister—Harry—?"

The two women sitting across him gave solemn nods, and Ron's face blanched.

"No way," he managed to whisper hoarsely after a few moments.

"Yes way," Luna answered with a wry smile. "You best accept that your little sister is very well mature enough to fall in love with someone, and Harry, your best friend, quite reciprocates her feelings with the same intensity, Ronald."

"Very well said, Luna," Hermione said. "Honestly Ron, you are just as daft as a duck. You were even too blind to notice I—" she stopped suddenly, her face red.

"Yes?" Ron said a tad too excitedly, but Hermione had already risen, cheeks flushed. "I'm going to check on Draco," she said, then sprinted out of the room as though the devil was chasing her.

Ron was gawking at the door, bewildered.

Luna shook her head. "You really are daft, Ronald."

xxxxxx

Hermione quietly slipped inside her room, afraid to wake Draco if ever he was asleep. As she entered, however, she saw that the room was empty. She felt a surge of panic inside her as she searched through the other rooms, and still found no sign of him.

"He isn't anywhere!" Hermione cried half an hour later, tears sparkling at the corners of her eyes as she, Ginny, Luna, Ron (and a very disgruntled Harry) rummaged through the house for Draco.

"Don't worry Hermione, we'll find him," Ginny assured her friend with a squeeze in the hand.

"But he isn't anywhere in the house!" Hermione wailed, seriously panicking now. "D'you guys reckon he went out?"

"The bloody bastard went out to tell the Death Eaters what he found out!" Ron exploded.

"He lost his memory, Ron, if you must remember," Ginny said calmly. Ron immediately quieted and awkwardly patted the sobbing Hermione on the arm as he muttered, "Oh yeah...".

"If he went out, we'll have to find him before he gets lost I suppose?" Luna piped in. Hermione straightened up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yes, we will find him," she said, heading for the front door. The others trailed behind her, each wearing different expressions on their faces.

Harry looked grouchy; Ron was caught in the middle of looking sympathetic for Hermione and looking angry for the brainless ex-Slytherin who ran away, thus making him look rather constipated; Luna was looking serene, as usual, and Ginny was looking sincerely anxious but not as much as Hermione looked.

"Keep your wands out in case someone attacks," Harry murmured to everyone, who did as he ordered, save for Ginny, who had her arms crossed over her chest challengingly.

"Ginny, I said put your wand out," Harry growled, but still the redhead did not move.

"The Death Eaters can attack me anytime they want, nobody would give a damn," she said viciously, walking away from him. Harry jogged after her, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"Ginny…"

Ginny stopped at the intensity of his voice. "Harry, I assure you, you would not feel guilty if ever I drop dead at your feet right now. You have no responsibility over me, so I can do as I please,"

"Ginny I…"

"Draco!" Hermione's joyful scream echoed around the empty street. She ran to the boy standing near the alleyway, who had turned around at the sound of his name.

"Hermione," he whispered.

The brunette threw her arms around him and gripped him tightly, her tears soaking his shirt. "Why did you go out? You nearly killed me with worry, Draco!"

"Hermione… I… I'm sorry," he said, his hand going down to brush some locks of hair from Hermione's tear-streaked face. "I just wanted to… I wanted to think alone for a while… I know you're keeping many things from me…"

"You're better off not knowing them Draco… at least, not now. I promise to tell you everything when you're ready okay?"

The boy nodded slowly, and Hermione slowly let go of him.

"We should head back to Grimmauld Place now, I can sense danger," Harry said, and the group quickly dashed back to the safety of their headquarters.

They did not see an obscured figure watching them from a distance, its eyes glittering madly in the dark.

xxxxxx

A/n: Sucks? Sorry. Cenagurl is suffering brain drain. Anyway, to the redhead reviewer I had offended in my previous chapter... My sincerest apology! DX I didn't mean to offend you or anything...I happen tolove redheads, and were I not born Asian, I would've given anything to have red hair, green eyes and freckles on my nose.c;