Author's Note: Enjoy! Thanks for the reviews and kind words!

Chapter 11

December 1999

Weeks passed without Hermione and the Minister having another meeting. She had received owl after owl rescheduling their conference. After the third time she was jilted, Hermione got fed up and went straight to his office anyway, and was met by an Auror or two who didn't allow her to pass. After trying this a few times, she gave up and resorted to sending her own interoffice mail to the Minister on almost a daily basis. It had been at the forefront of her mind at all times, she even found it difficult to focus on her own work because she was so frustrated that her brilliant plan was being impeded on.

She was even lost in thought in the midst of the Weasley's Christmas party, sitting at the busy dining room table between Ron and Harry. Hearty laughs brought her back to the present and she shook her head slightly to focus again but was finding it hard. She was able to watch as Mr. Weasley and George excused themselves to the sitting room, followed closely by Mrs. Weasley, leaving Harry, Ron, Ginny, and herself at the table to continue their conversation. She looked at Ron beside her and saw his mouth open in laughter but heard nothing. All of the sound in the room was suddenly turned off but seemingly for only her even though she was trying to focus. Her skin began to feel cold and a ringing in her ears increased as she turned her head to look at Harry who was just then turning to look at her as well, a wide grin on his face. Upon seeing the dazed look on her face, his jovial demeanor fell and he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. She knew it was there, but she felt nothing.

An arm around her neck and a struggle. A brilliant flash of light, brighter than she'd ever seen. A scream that was definitely her own. Then darkness and she was being pushed and pulled in every direction.

With a sudden rush, a screaming male voice filled her ears and her brain became fuzzy. Then everything came rushing back and clarity filled her. She opened her eyes, not remembering when she had closed them. Ron was gripping her shoulders, a desperately scared look on his face. "Hermione," he said frantically.

"Ron," she repeated back, bringing a hand up to her head, rubbing her temple.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"Are you alright?" followed Harry.

"I…" she stammered. "I'm fine. Now. I… remember. A bit." She looked up at Ron. "I remember a bit from school. About you. About us."

Ron was bewildered, between what had just happened and what she was saying, he was at a complete loss of words. Harry answered for him. "What is it that you remember, Hermione?"

Hermione gently removed Ron's hands from her shoulders as his grip was becoming tighter and sort of hurt. "A lot about us in our first year," she spoke softly. "I… I can't even remember what the memory was before that. Well, what the false memory was. I remember it almost like you told me, Ron. You embellished a bit, didn't you?" she couldn't help but smile a bit at him and a blush crept up his cheeks. "I remember it all up to that day, really. Meeting on the train, the troll, the chess game. But then it sort of just stops." Ron passed his hand over her hair and leant in to kiss her temple, still speechless.

"What could have caused it to come back?" came Ginny's voice from beside Harry.

"Time?" Harry tried.

"Some sort of trigger," Ron finally spoke up.

"I think it has to do with Draco," Hermione murmured and turned to Harry. "Harry, do you remember when the dementors attacked you? On the train for the first time? You said you heard screaming and it was your mum?"

"How could I forget?" Harry answered.

"Well, I sort of just had a similar experience. It's happened just once before but my brain sort of gets fuzzy and it's like I'm in another place. I sort of have these flashes of what happened that night Draco cursed me. But then in this sudden rush everything becomes clear. It just happened and before everything sort of cleared up, I heard someone scream. I think it was Draco."

"How is that possible?" Ron began.

"It's magic," Harry responded. "How does anything weird that happens to us actually happen other than the simple excuse of magic?"

"Most of the things that happen to us have logical explanations," Hermione began. "Like…"

She was cut off by Harry who put his hand up, looking at her with a bored 'we've heard this a million times' sort of look. "Hermione, I know it kills you to do this, but for once, just take the simple answer. Besides, there are more important things to think about here. Like why you'd hear Malfoy screaming and then suddenly remember part of your past that you couldn't remember because of the bloke you heard screaming in your head," he spat out in one breath.

Everyone looked around at each other, no one suggesting a possible theory on what had just happened. Hermione had a pretty good explanation as to why but she didn't want to reveal it just yet. Perhaps the Minister had taken their conversation to heart and put some of his own plans into action recently. Maybe he agreed that Draco had been treated a bit more kindly than the other prisoners in Azkaban, or as kind as a dementor could treat someone. She'd make it a point to demand to see the Minister when she returned to work after the holiday.

"Why don't I take you home?" Ron spoke, reaching for her hand. It was late after all, they'd celebrated thoroughly, it would be ok to turn in now. Hermione nodded and they all stood, saying their goodbyes. Hermione slipped into the other room to say goodbye to the rest of the family before returning to the kitchen. They walked outside and out of bounds of the protective enchantments that still protected the Burrow to this day. "Ready?" Ron asked, holding his hand out to her and she nodded and took it. He turned on the spot and they apparated together into the living room of Hermione's flat. As soon as they were alone, her arms went tight around his middle and she pressed her face against his chest. His own arms moved around her, just holding her there for a moment before speaking. "We're going to beat this. We're starting to already. We've done so much more in our lifetime, this isn't going to stop us."

Hermione lifted her head up to look at him, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. It meant the world to her that he wasn't giving up, that he was fighting for her. She was important enough to him, even if she couldn't remember why, to continue to persevere. She pushed herself up on her tip toes when he looked back down at her and their lips met in a tender kiss that lasted just a short few seconds. Hermione lingered close, keeping her eyes closed as she spoke, her senses filled with the smell of new parchment and freshly mown grass. "Stay with me," she whispered. "I don't want you to go." She didn't have to ask twice. He nodded and took her hand, the couple slipping into the bedroom to spend the night.