A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reading this and to those who have reviewed, added this to their favorites, and subscribed to this. I appreciate it all. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading.

Forget Me Not

Chapter 4: Revelations and Realizations

All of the students had returned to school the evening before classes resumed. I pointed out Blaise to Draco and instructed him to stay close to his housemate until he got to their room. His friend didn't seem to notice anything off about him, so I took that as a good sign. I just hoped he'd be all right until after our first period classes. We had the same schedule apart from our first periods; I have Ancient Runes while he has Alchemy. Fortunately, once we get past the first class, I'll be able to keep an eye on him.

The next morning he came to the Great Hall with Blaise and Gregory Goyle. I kept stealing glances of him to see how he was doing; he barely talked to the others while he ate his breakfast, but he appeared to fine. My only lingering problem was that I was still worried about was his Alchemy class. Draco and I had traversed the castle thoroughly, so he knew his way around and would be able to make it there, but I wondered how well he'd do in his first class. For some reason, I felt like an anxious mother sending her child off to school on his first day.

When I got to Defense against the Dark Arts, I half-expected him to be there, but I soon realized that his classroom was a bit further than my previous one. I tried not to watch the door, and I hadn't noticed that I was holding my breath until he came into the classroom and started towards me. I shook my head slightly and cautiously not to draw attention. He looked a bit hurt, but nodded his head then went to stand with his other housemates. Throughout class I kept an eye on Draco; I also noticed Snape's attention to Draco. Something about it bothered me, but maybe it was just me being protective of him. I tried to push the thoughts aside and focus on practicing with Susan Bones.

Before we left the class, I slipped him a note telling him to meet me in the library during break. I hoped he hadn't let anyone else see the message. I hurried down the hall to the library and waited for him to come, which he did a few minutes after me. "How were your first two classes?"

"I think they went well," he answered with a smile. "Although, in my first class, one of the girls from… Ravenclaw… I think that's the name, she was glaring at me almost the entire time."

"Really? I wonder why."

"Could I have wronged her as well?"

"I don't know. You may have slighted her some how. Did you catch her name?"

"Umm… Turpin… I think that was her last name."

"Lisa Turpin?" he shrugged. "You can point her out?" he nodded. I knew she would be in the library right now as well. I told him to follow behind me while I searched for her. We found her sitting alone in a corner by one of the windows. "Is that her?" he nodded frantically. "I've never known you two to associate, but it's possible you may have done something."

"I wonder who else dislikes me…" he seemed upset by the possibilities. I pulled him into a hug to comfort him.

"It doesn't matter, Draco. You say you want to leave your past behind, so it doesn't matter anymore. Right?" he nodded, but still looked down in spirits. "She's in our Arithmancy class as well. We'll assess the problem further after that. I'll meet you again after our last class before we go to dinner."

"Must we go? I'd rather stay with you and go to the kitchens later."

I shook my head. "I don't want to take any chances." He looked upset again. I kissed him lightly. "We have to get going. Blaise and Goyle are probably looking for you."

I kissed him one last time before leaving him there. He got to Arithmancy shortly after me; his usual seat was reserved for him so he made his way over to sit beside his roommate. During the class I kept a close eye on Turpin who definitely was glaring at him. He would surely have been dead if looks could kill. It was clear she hated him.

"Maybe she was the one who cursed you," I said to him while we walked down the fifth floor corridor not too far from the prefect's bathroom. "I really have no way to tell for sure without asking her. And I doubt either of us will be doing that."

"I should thank her if she did hex me," I knew my face showed my surprise. "I wouldn't have you if she hadn't." He pinned me to the wall and kissed me deeply.

"Maybe we both will." I smiled up at him and he captured my lips again.

Our lips separated when we heard footsteps come our way, "Hermione!" I recognized Harry's voice.

"Leave, Draco. Go and hide. They can't find you," I sounded more panicked than I intended to, but he heeded my warning and began sprinting down the corridor. I started heading in the other direction away from him and towards Harry. I stopped and was trying to catch my breath when he and Ron appeared in front of me.

Harry was out of breath but grabbed my shoulders and said, "Hermione, are you all right? We were looking for you on the map and saw you with Malfoy. Did he harm you? Where is he?"

My breathing was back to normal by the time I answered, "I'm fine, Harry. Everything's all right."

"You can tell us anything, 'Mione," Ron assured me while he rubbed my back gently. I smiled at him.

"I'm all right," my tone was low, and I smiled at them.

"What was he doing up here anyway?" Ron asked.

"He was going to the prefect's bathroom… or coming from there. I don't really know."

"We're just glad you're all right," Harry spoke up and released his hands from my arms.

"Did you need me for anything?" I asked to change the subject.

"I finally got the memory from Slughorn," he answered proudly.

"He used the Liquid Luck potion and got it out of him," Ron was also excited.

"What'd you learn?" I was anxious to find out the news.

"Horcruxes. We think there are seven of them all together. Dumbledore said the journal was one and he had found another and think he may have found a third."

I smiled at my friends, excited to have finally learned something that will help us bring down that demented bastard. "This is wonderful. Have you informed the Order?"

"Dumbledore is doing it," Ron answered.

"I guess I have to start doing research to find the others."

"We'll help you, of course," Harry said looking concerned, "Don't think you have to shoulder the burden alone." He touched me on the shoulder and smiled weakly at me.

"It's all right, Harry, I don't mind. I'm doing what needs to be done."

"Well, let's go down to dinner," Ron interrupted.

We all nodded and started towards the Great Hall. I glanced back to see if Draco was still somewhere nearby, but I didn't see the blonde. I assumed he went back to his dorm or went to dinner with his housemates. I hoped he did.

In the Great Hall, I sighed and relaxed when I saw him sitting next to Blaise, but that soon went away when Pansy sauntered over to him and slid in next to him. Draco was noticeably uncomfortable by her presence and tried to move away from her as much as possible. I watched his discomfort as she felt him up and played over his neck with her fingertips. She must have been pissed off, because she eventually stormed off. I smiled smugly to myself and continued eating while reading my Ancient Runes assignment.

After dinner I went to the library with Harry and Ron and we spent a few hours doing homework and research. Around 9:30, my two best friends left claiming they couldn't look at another book. I smiled and kissed each good night. I watched as they cleaned up their books and packed them away. I glanced over at Draco who had arrived not too long ago and was sitting and waiting for me to be alone.

He came over to me and kneeled beside my chair; Draco kissed me fiercely, one would think we hadn't seen each other for months and it was only a few hours. I smiled at him and he did the same. I noted the gleam in his eyes; he was happy. "I learned the password and can get in and out on my own," he kissed me again. "Now I can spend my nights with you again," he gave me a toothy grin after telling me that. I smiled at him for his childish antics. "What are you looking for?" he began to look through the pages of the book. While I debated telling him, he stopped on a page. I felt my heart skip a beat when he stopped on a page with something I wanted to avoid. It was the dark mark he had tattooed on his left forearm. "What is this, Hermione?"

I couldn't hide the sadness in my eyes and felt worse when his mouth formed a frown and his own eyes drained of the happiness that filled them only moments before. I reluctantly told him everything I had been trying to keep from him; I didn't know who felt worse by the end. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" he sounded a little upset, and a little betrayed. Did he lose his trust in me for not telling him everything? I wanted to protect him, but maybe I was being selfish.

"I was trying to protect you…" I looked down.

"You should have told me, Hermione," I knew he was angry; I felt guilty. He suddenly pulled me into his embrace, "What if they came looking for me? You would have been in danger… you could have gotten hurt, or worse, because of me." He held me tighter and I did the same. I wondered if I should have told him about Snape. Maybe should I wait awhile longer?

As soon as he kissed me, I decided to wait.

"Are you going to tell your friends about my condition?" he asked as he stared deep into my eyes.

"I-I don't know…"

"Maybe you should. Especially if they think I'm a threat-"

"But you're not anymore!"

"I know," he caressed my face, "But I still think they deserve to know."

I sighed, "All right. Should we tell them together?"

He nodded, "I think that'll be best."

"We'll tell them tomorrow before Potions," I decided; he agreed. "We'll meet in the clock tower during the break."

He nodded again. I noted his lightened mood, "So are we spending the night together?" Draco was hopeful; I couldn't turn him down. I went to bed early that night.

Despite my roommates being present, I brought a charmed Draco to my room and held him until he fell asleep with his head resting on my breasts. I fell asleep shortly after with a smile on my face.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed this as well. Let me know what you think. I had some concerns about this chapter, so I'll be incredibly grateful for feedback.