A/N: Thanks to everyone for the reviews and to everyone still reading this. On with the show. Happy reading. ^_^

Forget Me Not

Chapter 12: Bothersome Burdens

After the night my friends upset me, I followed through with my unspoken threat and avoided them as much as I was able. I thought it would be a difficult thing to do, yet it actually proved not to be. For a little over a week, my routine shifted back to the way things were during winter break, of course not exactly the same, but very similar. The time I didn't spend in class and studying I spent with Draco in some random, secluded location. He proved to be a great stress reliever while I was angry with the other two males in my life.

Though, somehow, I had the feeling it was a mutual sentiment. One day, I overheard Pansy in the loo talking to Millicent Bulstrode about him ditching her and the others more often than he did in the beginning of the year. I was partly glad to take him away from the other Slytherins, however I knew I wasn't fully responsible for is absence. Draco may have spent time with me, but it wasn't that much time. Without Quidditch occupying his time like before, he had plenty of it to do other things, and if he wasn't back with his friends and not with me, then that left one other option.

I dreaded that conclusion, but I knew it was very possible and I had to accept it. The only other place he had to have been was in the Room of Requirement. I'm not sure when he returned to his routine of visiting the space. I could always hope that I was wrong as well and he'd been doing something else. Wishful thinking to say the least, but I like to try and be an optimist.

While we were tangled together in the dungeons (not my first choice of places to meet), I felt compelled to ask him about it. He already confided in me why he became a Death Eater, so maybe he'd tell me what he was up to in there. I exhaled and moved closer to him to escape the cold of the room. I lay there a few moments longer and decided not to pry and managed to convince myself that he'd tell me when he was ready… if he ever was.

His breathing was steady and his heartbeat returned to its normal rhythm. I glanced up at him and noticed how tranquil he looked now. As always, we'd meet and both have something on our minds, next we'd shag, and then we'd both relax and lazily lay together without speaking for some indeterminable amount of time. I let out a contented sigh before sitting up and looking back down at lounging form. It may have been nice spending time with him, but it was too cold in the dungeons for me.

I sluggishly and reluctantly moved to gather my scattered clothes; once the cold air really started to bite, I quickly scrambled to get dressed. After he did the same, I vanished the conjured blankets and then we left.

My dorm seemed so much further away that day than usual. I wasn't that far from the Potions classroom, yet it seemed to take ages to travel the same distance I normally trekked. Perhaps it was the fatigue from my previous exertion. The thought made me smile as I finally crossed over the threshold into the Gryffindor common room. Harry and Ron were in there and they seemed to be waiting for me. They both stood from their seats near the entrance and came over towards me.

"We're sorry, Hermione," Harry began. I wondered why he always initiated the civil conversations with me; Ron only ever began when it involved yelling or some form of excitement.

Ron confirmed my thoughts by speaking his peace, "Yes, we didn't mean to upset you."

"Can you forgive us?" They both wore pleading expressions as they looked down at me.

I stared back up at them and thought it over. Was I ready to forgive them? Sure, they meant well… I guess. But had they really learned their lesson? I wasn't completely sure, yet I decided to forgive them anyway. I smiled a small smile and nodded. They grinned at me and both enveloped me in a hug. I found it difficult to breathe while they held me, but I was pleased to know they at least missed my company. After they released me, I informed them that I was going to put my stuff down and then we could all go down to dinner together.

The following morning we all went to breakfast together and carried on our usual day. In our shared classes I sat with them instead of alone like I had been doing the past week. We ended our day by resuming our study sessions in the library. For now everything was as it should have been. Hopefully, it'd stay that way.

Unfortunately, I fear I spoke too soon. About a week of serenity passed before a wrench was thrown into things. During one of my visits with Draco, he decided to get a burden off of his shoulders. I was fine with the idea, but the contents he divulged to me left me feeling terribly troubled.

"So you have to kill Dumbledore…?" I asked warily as I moved from his embrace to look at him. I had to see if he was serious. Though I already knew he was; who would make up something like that?

"Yeah. I have to kill him and fix the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Hidden Things," he repeated in a plainer fashion.

"That's why you were always in there," I said more to myself; he nodded. "U-umm… well…" I cleared my throat. "That's a lot to accept, Draco." I had no idea what he was up to, and this plan was the last thing on my list of possibilities.

"I guess."

"We need to tell Dumbledore."

"To what end? What can he possibly do? I already accepted my fate. Let's leave it at that." His apathetic attitude towards his own life had me concerned. I felt my brow knit together as I began to speak again.

"You call yourself a Slytherin? How can-"

"Let it go, Hermione. I failed my mission and now I'm a blood traitor. I guarantee they'll kill me on sight. I can't hide out in this school forever."

I cupped his face in my hands, "Draco, I love you and don't want anything to happen to you. If you feel you're at rock bottom then it won't hurt to try to get help from him. What else do you have to lose?"

He sighed, "I guess you're right." I smiled. Even if he felt this was hopeless, I refused to believe the same.

"Where have you been going?" I decided to ask since he's the one to broach the subject.

"What do you mean?" he quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Have you still been going to fix it?" He averted his gaze.

"I've been going to the room, but I haven't been able to fix it. I just… stare at it…" he rubbed his eyes. "I just don't know what to do anymore." He didn't have to keep going; I knew what he meant. Draco was torn between choosing his own path and doing what was expected of him to save his family. I didn't envy his burden, but I wished to help him with it. I'd stay by his side if that was all I was able to do.

After my time with Draco, I went back to my dorm and took a long shower while I thought about everything we discussed and what I planned to do with that knowledge. Clearly, I couldn't keep this information to myself. I decided to tell Harry about it. After my shower, and before I did my rounds for the night, I went to speak to Harry in his room. He and Ron were the only two in there at the moment. Ron was sitting in an armchair eating a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans while Harry was sitting on the windowsill reading that potions textbook.

They both greeted me as I made my way further into the room before I had a seat on Harry's bed. "Everything all right, Hermione?" Harry starts again, I mentally noted. I nodded and managed a weak smile.

"I have some news for you…" I told Harry about Draco's task. Ron's feature's turned to stone and he looked more serious and upset than I ever remembered seeing him, but Harry's features showed a smug expression.

"I knew I was right," he gloated.

I rolled my eyes, "Now's not the time, Harry. None of that matters now."

"You mean none of that matters now that you're fucking him," Ron spitefully spat as he gripped the arms of the chair and glowered at me.

I turned around slowly and glared at him, "I'm tired of this, Ronald. You need to grow up and let it go."

"How can you even do this? You've hated that bastard for years now. And then all of sudden you fall in love with him. How? Explain it to me," he yelled from his seat.

"I don't need to explain a thing to you," I said sharply. "When I loved you, you hardly cared, but as soon as he comes into the picture you begin acting like a madman." For the briefest moments his features shifted to something that resembled remorse, but just as quickly as it appeared it disappeared.

"What do you mean hardly cared? How was I supposed to know you loved me?"

"Doesn't matter now anyway. I've already given my love to someone who has returned it."

Harry cleared his throat before I began to speak again, "Well, apart from all of that, we still have to figure out what to do with Malfoy."

"What'd you want to do before he got his memory back?" I asked him, completely determined to ignore the ginger male behind me.

"We were going to let him stay in your care," he admitted. "Ron and I obviously still can't stand him, so it was best for you to look after him. I think that should still be the plan for now."

"What about after this year? What happens to him over the summer? And what about his parents? What happens to them?" Harry remained quiet while he thought through the questions.

"I'll speak to Dumbledore." I curtly nodded at him before storming out of their bedroom. I didn't want to be late for my rounds.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Draco asked after I plopped down on the stone floor beside him. We agreed to meet after we finished our prefect duties.

"Bloody moron," I mumbled under my breath before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"What happened?" he asked as he scooted closer to me. He gently turned my head so that I was looking at him. "Calm down," Draco caressed my cheek, "Tell me."

I sighed and tried to relax. "Ron and I had a terrible row." I shook my head and laughed mirthlessly, "I haven't been that furious with anyone since I last fought with you." I saw him grin at me.

"Did hell freeze over? I must have missed it the day I switched places with the Weasel." I laughed at his remark.

"Odd isn't it?" he nodded. I shifted my position and lay on the stone floor with my head in his lap. One of his hands deftly stroked my exposed neck. During my patrol I was upset about Ron and I hadn't calmed down yet; his attention eased my nerves and helped me unwind. Once I felt I was calm enough, I informed him about my discussion with Harry (Ron's comments weren't worthy of mention). I looked up at Draco and regarded his expression. My news didn't seem to affect him in the least. I sighed before pouting about his returned apathetic attitude. If only there was something I could do about that…

A/N: Thanks for reading. Hope you liked the update.