A FINAL CHANCE

By: Shadowedheart89

Chapter Eleven: Forgetting

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter Characters

"I didn't mean to interrupt you," Harry told me sitting down where Draco had been moments earlier.

"Its fine," I told him, still watching Draco's shrinking form as he made his way back to the castle. When he was out of sight, I turned my gaze back to Harry "It was only a matter of time before we would get into an argument anyways. At least now we parted on friendly terms."

"Were you guys talking? I mean, with your minds just now?" he asked, looking a bit embarrassed.

I laughed. "I guess we were a bit obvious about it. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel excluded."

He shook his head. "It wasn't that. It was just weird. Looking at you two, I could tell that you were talking, but I couldn't hear any words."

"I suppose that would be weird. I've never thought about would it would be like on that side of it. Though most times I try to be coy about it so that no one knows about my powers."

"Can Malfoy read minds too?" he asked.

I couldn't help but to laugh. "No, why would you think that he could?"

"It looked as if he had initiated your, er, conversation. You were both looking at me, and then he turned to you with a questioning expression."

"You are quite observant," I told him laughing, before taking a moment to try to figure out how to answer. "Well he did initiate the conversation. I'm not exactly sure how he was able to do it. It's probably partially do to the fact that he has learned to block me, so it's easier to pick up on his thoughts because I'm not used to hearing them that often, and partially because he most likely has learned how to direct his thoughts to me so it's some what like he's calling me mentally," I said thoughtfully. I had never honestly thought about how others were able to get my attention telepathically, I just accepted it.

"Do you always hear people's thoughts, or do you have to concentrate on a person?"

"Since I'm a natural born telepath, I always hear the thoughts. They are there every moment of every day that I am around people, but I've learned to tune them out for the most part so they are just like a never ending buzz in my head. Once in a while thought someone's thought will be so strong that it will be hear above the rest. Or if I lose a bit of my control, something like what happened on the train with you will occur, where I will unintentionally delve into the person's mind and see their memories. If I want to hear one person in particular, then I would need to concentrate on them."

He sat there thoughtfully for a few moments. "So are you reading my mind every time I'm near you?"

I felt a bit uncomfortable. I didn't want to lie to him, and I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable around me either, so I tried to choose my words carefully. "In a sense, yes, but like I said, I've trained myself not to hear it. A person's thoughts are theirs alone, and I don't feel right intruding in on them. If I wanted to, I could hear all your thoughts with no effort at all, but I make myself not to. I've had people in my head before, and it is a horrifying thing. I swear to you Harry, I will never intentionally read your mind without your permission," I told him sincerely.

"I believe you," he told me quietly.

"So do you have anything in particular that you would like to work on today? Or should we just continue with the meditation?" I asked to change the subject.

"Meditation. I think its working. I actually slept decently after I left you last night."

I couldn't help but smile. It wasn't actually the meditation at work, but if it gave him motivation to keep working on it, I was ok with letting him believe it. He assumed the position and tried to clear his mind and get to that place I created for him on his own. After awhile, I started to help him. I entered his mind and was about to start filtering his thoughts for him, but my head suddenly erupted in pain. It felt like my head was splitting in two, and I was trying to get out of his mind, but I started to fall into darkness.

The next thing I was aware of was voices. They were faint, and I couldn't tell if they were around me, or if they were in my head. I tried to listen to see who they belonged to, but they were too faint to recognize. I felt as if I were wandering though some darkness trying to find something. I would hear a voice, and try to follow it, but it would just disappear.

After what seemed like forever of playing this cat and mouse game with the voices, they began to get louder and I was able to identify their owners, but I still couldn't understand what they were saying. Sometimes it was Harry speaking to me, and other times it was Draco. Occasionally it would be Severus, or Xavier, or even Uncle Albus. I tried to call out to them, but they couldn't seem to hear me. It was while hearing Draco's voice that the darkness finally began to disappear.

I could hear him talking first, just able to make out his voice. Then I could understand what was being said. She looks so pale. I hope she wakes up soon. I knew I shouldn't have left her alone. What happened damn it? Why did I leave her? When is she going to wake up? This is driving me crazy.

I knew I had to be tapping into his thoughts. His words were to fast and too frantic for him to ever speak them aloud. I called out to him, and then felt a cool hand upon my face. "Marlene?" he said softly. His voice was calm, with just an undercurrent of something else. Now he was speaking aloud.

"I'm here," I told him, though whether I actually spoke the words or not, I couldn't be sure. I suddenly realized why everything was so dark. My eyes were closed. With a great effort, I forced them opened, and the world around me burst into bright light and color. I groaned and tried to hide my face in my pillow. I felt a hand brush the hair out of my face. Little by little, I opened my eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light. Finally I was greeted with a pair of beautiful gray eyes, darkened with worry.

"You're awake," Draco told me softly, kissing my forehead.

"Where am I? What happened?" I asked, wincing. My throat was incredibly dry and it hurt to talk.

Draco noticed and poured me a glass of water and helped me sit up so I could drink it before answering. "You are in the hospital wing. I'm not sure what happened. What's the last think that you remember?"

I tried to get my muddled thoughts in order. "I was talking to you by the lake. Then Harry came along and you left. Harry and I were talking for a few minutes before we began practicing. Then my head started to hurt, and there was darkness, and voices. How long have I been here?"

"Almost 2 days," he told me quietly. I groaned.

"Great, it's the first week of classes, and I'm already missing class."

Draco rolled his beautiful eyes at me. "You are utterly ridiculous."

"You're awake," a woman in white robes said, clearly happy with the turn in events. "Why didn't you tell me immediately?" she asked Draco sternly.

"She just woke up. I was about to tell you," Draco told her, trying to look innocent.

She gave him a look saying she didn't believe a word he was saying, but dismissed it. "How are you feeling dear?" she asked me.

"I feel fine. I'm bit tired and confused, but fine," I answered honestly.

"That's wonderful news," she told me before proceeding to look over me. When she was satisfied that I was alright, she said, "I'll go let Dumbledore know that you are awake. He's been anxious to know when you were to awake."

I saw Draco scowl at the mention of Uncle Albus's name and suppressed a giggle. "That man's been a menace since you've been brought in here," he growled when the nurse was out of hearing range.

"He's probably just worried. Give him a break," I told him reaching for his hand. Uncle Albus might actually be the powerful wizard, Dumbledore, but if something were to happen to me while I was supposed to be under his care, my parents would do their very best to destroy him. Who ever came up with the saying, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," must have been thinking about my mother.

He looked down at me and softened for a bit. "Are you really feeling okay?" he asked in a much softer voice. I was surprised by how caring he was acting. He must have been really worried about me for him to be as open wit his emotions as he was.

"I feel fine. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with me," I tried to assure him, but he didn't look too convinced. We sat mostly in silence as we waited for Uncle Albus, both of us caught up in our own thoughts.

"Marlene!" I heard someone call, breaking me out of my reverie. I looked towards the doorway, and Harry stood next to Uncle Albus. Both of them looked extremely relieved and happy. Draco groaned at the sight of them. Harry rushed to my side that wasn't already occupied. "I'm so glad you finally woke up," he told me, sounding a bit short of breath.

I looked to Uncle Albus. "What happened to me?"

"We aren't quite sure. I have a couple of theories, but first I need you to fill us in on the missing pieces. Tell us what you remember happening." I quickly recounted everything that I could remember. When I finished, the three of them were silent before Uncle Albus started talking. "It is as I had feared then," he said softly.

"What is it?" I asked, starting to panic.

He looked at me thoughtfully. "Boys, would you please give me a moment alone to speak with Ms. Wizidore?"

Draco became outraged. "No! I'm not going to leave her alone."

I was taken back by his sudden display of anger. He was usually so in control of his emotions, so detached. "Draco its okay," I tried to sooth him.

"I assure you she will be perfectly fine. It will be only a few minutes," Uncle Albus told him soothingly.

Draco's eyes glowed with anger, and beneath that worry and maybe a bit of fear. His eyes found mine, and I took his hand, hoping that I would be able to calm him and convince him that I would be perfectly safe. Finally his eyes, softened, and he silently left the room. Harry trailed after him seconds later, glancing back at me, before going through the doorway.

"What do you think happened?" I asked.

Uncle Albus sighed. "I never told you why I wanted you to teach Harry Occlumency. Maybe I should have explained things in the beginning."

"Uncle Albus, you never explain things, why should that have been any different?" I told him in good humor.

His eyes did not twinkle as usual, and I knew that things were bad. "I'm sure you are aware of what happened between Harry and Voldemort on that night so many years ago. I know that you are also aware that despite the beliefs of many, Voldemort did night die that night. What you don't know though, is that when Voldemort tried to kill Harry and failed, though his body was destroyed, he formed a bond with Harry. Their minds are connected."

I gasped. "What do you mean? Is Voldemort inside Harry's mind?"

"Not exactly, though characteristics were shared, and Voldemort gave Harry some of his powers. When Voldemort began to regain his power, Harry discovered that he could sometimes see what Voldemort was plotting, and channel some of his stronger emotions."

"So if Harry can see into Voldemort's mind, that means…"

"Exactly. I began to fear the Voldemort might be able to use the connection to get to Harry and use his knowledge to destroy our defenses. That's why I want him to learn Occlumency. When I didn't plan was the effects it could have on you. When you were inside Harry's mind, the connection between him and Voldemort opened. You, instead of Harry received what was going through his mind. The power of it was so powerful it put you in a coma for two days."

I shook my head. "That doesn't make sense though. Voldemort's thoughts were so strong it made my mind shut down? My mind is stronger than Harry's with my abilities. If one thought could put me in a coma, Harry would be dead."

Dumbledore shook his head, and a gleam appeared in his eyes. "You haven't been taking your potions like you were supposed to, have you?" he asked knowingly.

I felt myself blush. I had forgotten al about them. I shook my head. "I haven't felt the need to take them. I've been feeling fine."

"That's because the potions I gave you the first night wore off slowly. You were able to adjust to them so you haven't been able to notice the effects they have been having on you. You been becoming slowly weaker, getting drained by your powers. Harry isn't killed by the thoughts because of the bond he shares with Voldemort. It's been with him for almost the entirety of his life. He's used to it. If you were in your normal condition, the interruption would have probably had no effect on you, though you would have noticed it."

I felt really stupid. It was my own fault I was in the hospital. If only I had remembered those stupid potions everything would have been just fine. "I'm sorry Uncle Albus," I told him quietly.

"There is nothing for you to apologize for. It was my fault. I should have taken greater care to explain things to you. I should have made sure you knew the importance of the potions. I apologize to you."

"I feel so bad for worrying you all though."

His eyes twinkled. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy was quite distraught when he got the news. Mr. Potter blamed himself." I hung my head in shame. That could have been avoided. "Don't be so hard on yourself Marlene. You are but a teenager, and are allowed to act like it. That includes forgetting things sometimes. The weight of the world is not on your shoulders."

I laughed bitterly. "Yet," I corrected him. We both knew what the fates had in store for me.

He gave me a sad little smile as if he knew more than I did about what the future held for me. Knowing him, it wouldn't surprise me either. "Well, I think I'll let Mr. Malfoy join you again. He seemed quite upset that he had to leave your side."

"Will I be able to go back to my dorm tonight?" I asked before he could leave. It would be nice to be in Draco's arms again, though I didn't have much hope.

He shook his head. "I have already talked to Madam Pomfrey and she will make sure you take your potions, but I want you to stay here one more night to make sure you are all better. No disappearing in the middle of the night either. You will be released tomorrow morning, but are excused from your classes. Though I believe that you will still be expected to serve detention Saturday evening," he told me with the twinkle in his eye.

I groaned at the reminder. It was not something that I was looking forward to. With a final farewell, Uncle Albus left the room, and a few seconds later, Draco and Harry came back into the room, both of whom looked positively livid. I sighed. I was feeling too tired to deal with this, but if I didn't it would most likely erupt into a brawl.

"What happened with you two out there?" I asked when they were both at my side glaring at each other.

"Malfoy blamed me for what happened," Harry told me, keeping his cold gaze on Draco.

"It is your fault. You were alone with her, and now she is in the hospital wing. Who else's fault could it be?" Draco asked between clenched teeth.

"Draco, stop, it was my own fault. I forgot to take some potions. It was entirely my fault."

"If that's all that it was, then why did we have to leave?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"We had to talk about other stuff too," I told him.

"Like what?" he demanded.

"Don't worry about it Draco," I told him pulling him close to me so that I could kiss him.

"I think I should go," Harry said, looking at us awkwardly.

"Yes, go," Draco almost growled at him.

I elbowed him and turned to Harry. "You don't have to Harry."

He gave me a shy smile. "It's alright. I should let the others know that you are okay. They've been worried about you too."

I felt even worst than before. More people were worried about me. Even people who didn't even know me were worried. "Thanks for coming," I told him, then gave him a hug. His body was tense, and he awkwardly patted me on the back. He gave me another shy smile before he left.

I turned to Draco, expecting him to be furious, but his expression was uncomfortably blank. I waited for him to say something, to do anything, but he didn't. He just stared at him with that blank expression. I cautiously put my arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm really glad that you are here."

He exhaled, and his breath, warm against my neck, sent chills down my spine and he wrapped his arms around me. "I was so worried when I found out something happened to you," he just about whispered.

"I'm so sorry Draco. But come on now, you know that I can't be rid of that easily. It would take nothing less than the end of the world to put me permanently out of commission," I told him, letting him go.

He looked at me with sad eyes. "You didn't see how you looked. You were so pale, and so still. I thought I was going to go crazy waiting for you to wake up."

I took my first real look at him. There were dark shadows around his eyes that hadn't been there before, and his hair and clothes were a bit disheveled. "Draco, sweetie, get some sleep."

He shook his head, "No, I'm fine."

"When was the last time you got a full night's rest?"

He smirked at me. "You're one to talk about getting sleep. You haven't been able to sleep either."

"Please, get some sleep? You are already temperamental enough with what ever sleep you've been getting."

He gave me a haughty look. "I am not temperamental. Where would you get that?"

I laughed. "What in Merlin's name was I thinking?"

"I have no idea," he told me before kissing me. He pulled away smirking. "Do you still want me to leave?" he asked, still holding me close.

"No," I said, stilling another kiss, "but I do want you to get some sleep."

His eyes brightened, "I could sleep here."

"No you can't Mr. Malfoy. Now out, it's almost curfew, you should get back to your dorm," the nurse told him, appearing behind him.

He groaned. "I'll see you tomorrow," he told me, caressing my cheek. "Sweet dreams."

"Night, and get some sleep," I called after him as he left the room.

The nurse gave me a potion and told me to get some sleep. I fell asleep surprisingly quickly, and didn't even have nightmares. I dreamt about my parents, and a life that we could never be able to lead. We had a nice house, and a large yard, and I was playing outside with a sister. My parents were watching us, smiling, with no trace of fear in their eyes or thoughts. It was dream I would always wish could come true.

In the morning, I was released bright and early, but given strict decisions to rest and take things easy. I wandered down to the Great Hall to see if there was still breakfast, but most of the students were gone already. I looked at the professors table, and saw Xavier there finishing his breakfast.

I made my way over to him, and his handsome face lit up when saw me. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine. I just got released and thought that I would stop by to get some breakfast, but it looks like breakfast is over."

"Would you like something to eat? I'm sure we can get that arranged for you," Xavier told me, anxious for my well being.

I shook my head, "I'm not hungry. I was really just trying to kill some time. I don't have classes today, and I finished all the work I had from before. I just have to wait to get the assignments that I missed, but I was told not to worry about classes until Monday, so now I'm bored out of my mind."

Xavier laughed. "Well I was going to ask if you wanted to stop by my office and help me, but since you are supposed to be taking it easy, I think I'll forget that idea."

"No, that should be fine. It's not like I have anything better to do."

I followed him out of the Great Hall and to his office. I was struck once again by how much it reflected his personality. I collapsed into one of the chairs in front of his desk. "So what are you going to have me do, oh great one?" I asked him.

He rolled his eyes at me. "I forgot how utterly ridiculous you can be sometimes. I would like for you to help me pick out some potions for your grade level to work on. I gave them another try on Wednesday and the results weren't much better. Hermione Granger did fine, and that boy you worked with didn't do so badly, but everyone else pretty much made goo."

I laughed. "How are you going to survive this year?" I asked him jokingly.

His eyes darkened. "I don't know. Maybe this wasn't a good idea."

I sighed, "Xavier, I was joking. You are an amazing teacher. Maybe you should just go back to the basics with them for a few lessons, teach them how to do things the right way, and then go into the advanced things. That's what you had to do with me."

He thought about it for a moment. "That's not a bad idea. Let's look for some simple potions, something that won't be likely to blow up for them to start on."

I laughed as he handed me a book. "When is your first class today?" I asked.

"Next period. Would you care to sit in? Offer some guidance to your younger peers."

I shrugged, "Let's see how bored I am after doing this."

It was silent for a while except for the turning of pages and the occasional scratching of a quill when one of us found something that had potential. Suddenly he asked, "So why exactly were you in the hospital wing?"

I sighed, "My own stupidity."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "There are a lot of words I could use to describe you, but stupid would never be on the list. Care to explain?"

"When I first came here, Uncle Albus gave me some potions to take to help with my powers and to stop me from getting drained by the magic of the school. Well I sort of forgot to take them and my mind sort of shut down while I was trying to help Harry Potter clear his mind."

He chuckled. "That does sound like you. You think are you invincible, and then brought down by the smallest things."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"What about how you went charging off into a forest full of dragons but ran off from your Aunt Fredrica's puppy?" he asked with a smirk.

"That puppy was out for blood," I told him seriously.

"It was a one and a half pound Chihuahua, Marlene."

"With teeth like razor blades," I side with wide eyes and turning my hands into claws to try and demonstrate.

He rolled his eyes, "And I suppose the dragons' teeth weren't sharp?"

"They just need some love. Everyone is so quick to write them off as being dangerous."

"Perhaps because they have a tendency of destroying things, eating people, and setting everything in their way ablaze."

I waved a hand at him, "They are really cuddly at heart. You just have to gain their trust."

He shook his head in defeat. "Like I said, you are utterly ridiculous."

I grinned to myself. I always liked the nonsensical bantering me and Xavier always seemed to participate in when we weren't having our lessons. I always just liked being around him in general. He has this energy about him that makes everything seem brighter and easier. Though he had a hard life, and had the scars to prove it, he usually had a positive outlook on everything, though he was mature enough to be realistic about things too. I had to admit that when he first started teaching me I had a slight crush on him. Looking at him now, I could see why.

He was devastatingly handsome despite his scar. He was very charismatic, more intelligent than most people could believe. He was incredibly mature, being robbed of his childhood as he was, and it was endearing to see the joy and fascination in his face as he played and watched some of the simplest games in both the muggle and wizarding world. I'd never forget when I first taught him to play exploding snap. Or when I taught him how to work a yo-yo and he spent hours with the toy. But the more time I spent with him and the more I learned about him, the more I began to think of him as a brother.

"When was the last time you had a girlfriend?" I asked suddenly.

He looked at me surprised. He had gone back to his book while I was off in my own little world and my question caught him completely off guard. "What?"

"When was the last time you had a girlfriend?" I asked again, but this time slower.

He blushed a bit. "I don't really see what that has to do with anything."

"It doesn't. I'm just curious."

He fidgeted a bit. "I really don't feel comfortable talking about this."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on, Xavier. We are friends. We've gone into battle with each other, fought dragons with each other, so I think we can talk about this."

"Why are you so interested in my love life?" he asked, suddenly angry.

"Why are you so defensive all of a sudden?"

"Because it's none of your business, so just drop it," he yelled slamming his book on the table, and glaring at me breathing quickly.

I just started at him for a moment, shocked. Xavier had never yelled at me, though I did give him plenty of reasons too. He was always too understanding and too patient for that. But here he was, yelling. Obviously something I said to him struck a chord. "I'm really sorry Xavier. Maybe I should just go," I told him closing the book and gathering the papers.

He sighed. "Marlene, no. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I just…"

I cut him off. "You don't have to explain." I knew that it was really hard for him to open up and talk about things, and I didn't want to make him feel forced into talking. He gave me a crooked grin. "If you don't want to talk about things, then that's fine. I didn't mean to pester you."

"Thank you Marlene." I went over to him and gave him a hug. We started working in silence again for the remainder of his free period. When it was time for him to get to class he asked if I was going to join him.

I shook my head. "I'm kind of tired. I think I'm just going to lay down for awhile. I'm sorry."

"It's not a problem. Take care of yourself, and take your potions. Stop by any time," he told me.

I gave him another hug before I left, still feeling bad about upsetting him. It was just that I really cared about him and wanted him to be happy. Obviously there was still a lot about him that I didn't know still, and would have to tread carefully. I was still a bit worried about how he was going to fit in around the school. He was a lot younger than the rest of the teachers, and too old and too mature to be friends with the students.

I was so absorbed in my musings that it took me a few seconds to realize that there was a big commotion in the middle of the corridor. I heard some familiar voiced shouting in the middle of the chaos. I pushed my way to the middle of the group and saw Harry and Draco facing each other, both looking livid and both with their wands out.

AN-Thank you to all those who read. Feel free to review. :)