Chapter 15

"Let me guess - she's doing research," Ron remarked, making himself comfortable in the guest room of Mrs. Bradbury's house. Smirking, Harry nodded. "That's our girl. So, what's her plan?"

For days, Hermione had poured over every book available to her, hoping to find a solution to the pain caused by the memories she and Draco had erased. The best option she found was to remove the memories and place them in a vial for later use. It would not erase the memory, but it would lessen its effect.

"Seems simple enough," Ron said. "What's the problem?"

Harry shrugged. "I think she's scared," he replied. "What if it doesn't work as well as she hopes?"

"Only one way to find out."

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Hermione fiddled with her wand, working up the nerve to perform the spell that would extract her memories of Bellatrix Lestrange. "You're a Gryffindor," she told herself. "Act like it."

Her hand shook as she raised her wand to her temple. She thought back to that day. Harry and Ron were locked in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor while Bellatrix Lestrange, deranged from her years in Azkaban prison, tortured her. The Cruciatus curse flew, striking her repeatedly. As one ended, another began. Her nerves were on fire, her blood boiled, and she prayed for death. The few fleeting moments when she was lucid, her attention had turned to Draco. The anguish he felt was visible only to her. That feeling helped her remain strong.

She breathed a sigh of relief as it left her memory in a milky white wisp. Once it was bottled, she looked up to find Draco standing in the doorway. "All done?" he asked. She held out the vial to him. "Think this will really work?"

"I hope so," she replied. "I just want to feel normal again."

"You will," he promised, kissing the top of her head as he sat down. "Maybe it would help to do something normal. Let's get out of the house. We'll take the kids somewhere, let Clara have some fun."

She nodded in agreement, and handed him the vial for safekeeping. An hour later, the family of four was ready to leave. Hermione held Clara in her arms while Draco pushed the carriage that held Liam. "I need you to make me a promise," she said to her daughter. "You can't tell anyone about magic. That has to be a Mummy/Daddy/Clary secret, okay?"

Rolling her eyes, Clara nodded. "I know, Mommy," she replied exasperatedly. She had been told the same thing every time they left the house. "Can we ever tell people?"

"Only other witches and wizards are allowed to know," Hermione explained. "It's like being a part of a secret club, one that not everyone can be a part of. You don't want to make the people who can't join jealous, do you?"

There was a doubtful look on the little girl's face. "Yes, I do," she replied.

Ahead of them, Draco found it difficult to contain his laughter. "There is no denying she is your child," Hermione stated. "That right there is all you."

"Says the witch who demanded we all know just how brilliant you were," Draco retorted. "Don't blame me for her personality. A good amount of that is you."

Hermione laughed, unable to deny that her daughter was very much like her. "It wasn't a compulsive need to prove anything," she argued. "Well, maybe at first it was. Then I realized just how much you hated it, so I felt the need to keep doing it."

He stopped walking until his wife and daughter were beside him. "I knew it," he told her, nudging her shoulder. "You had a crush on me, even back then. You were desperate for my attention."

"I was desperate to annoy you," Hermione replied.

They soon arrived at the park, and Hermione set Clara on her feet. Clara ran to the slide as her parents took a seat on a nearby bench. "You know how she always asks why I love you? Does she ever ask you?" he wondered.

Smiling, Hermione nodded. "All the time," she informed him. "My answer hasn't changed since we got our memories back."

He stared ahead, watching Clara climb to the top of the slide. "What do you tell her?"

Holding his arm, she rested her head on his shoulder. "I tell her I love you because you let me," she replied. "You let me be your friend, and you let me see a side of you no one else saw. I tell her that you have a smile reserved only for me. I remember in sixth year, sitting in the Great Hall, you would look up and flash me that smile. That's how I knew you were alright. You still give me that smile."

He blushed, not realizing that he had reserved certain emotions specifically for her. But he had known just how much she worried about him. She was his one and only confidant during that hellish year, and it seemed important to him that Hermione knew how he felt.

"It wasn't supposed to be you," he remarked. "God knows my parents are probably turning in their graves that it is, but I'm glad it is you. No one before you ever showed that they cared about me."

"And I always will," she murmured, kissing his cheek. Clara called to her, earning a smile in return. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there are swings to be swung."

Draco smiled as he watched his wife and child play on the swings. This was his life, he was proud to say. Despite an oppressive upbringing, filled with terror and hate, he had somehow managed to have the family he always wanted. Love filled their hearts and house, and his children would never believe that their parents were people they should fear.

Beside him, the bench creaked, pulling him from his thoughts. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Harry and groaned softly. "This was supposed to be a nice, normal day with my family," he stated. "What do you want?"

"To check on her," Harry admitted. "She looks happy."

"She is," Draco replied. "I don't know if it's because that memory is no longer in her mind or if she's just having fun with Clara, but this is the Hermione I know and love."

Harry turned to look at him head-on, but Draco continued to keep his gaze trained on anything but the raven-haired man. "You really do love her?" he asked.

Sighing, Draco nodded, tired of being asked to defend his feelings for his wife. "Look, I know I'm not who you expected her to marry, and I don't know if we'd be together if it weren't for that memory charm. I wanted to be with her, and she felt the same. I just don't know that it would have happened if we stayed," he said. "What I do know is that I love Hermione, and I always will."

"I'm sorry. I didn't doubt it," Harry replied. "I just...it's still a bit weird to me. It takes some getting used to when two enemies figure out how to do this. Half the time Ginny and I can't get along, and we've never hated one another. So, what's the secret?"

Draco glanced at Liam who kicked his legs excitedly. "Three words - you're right, dear," he joked. "I don't know what the secret is. Maybe there isn't one. We were friends who cared for one another before we erased our memories, which I know you didn't know before this. I knew she'd challenge me and infuriate me, but I also knew she would be there for me whenever I needed her. That's what makes us work."

"Never thought I'd say this, but I think I envy you."