The Two Musicians

Chapter 14: Memories

By Silver Chessboards

They sat in silence and she felt extremely aware of the man next to her. She could smell his cologne, a distinct male scent that hung about him. She felt bad for not talking to him for a whole week. The bloke didn't deserve it but she couldn't help it. She felt too embarrassed after what had happened in the library. She had never thought that she'd be the sort to tell a person to kiss her. But the kiss had been rather nice, she thought with a blush.

She was pulled from her thoughts when he said a single word, "Hello."

They turned to look at each other at the same time and she blushed at his proximity. She felt extremely shy around him, something that she had never felt around Draco Malfoy before. He averted his gaze from her eyes to the scar skin below her jaw. She shivered slightly when his fingers brushed over it lightly.

"You told me about this scar, do you remember?"

Hermione thought hard, did she? She could not recall when she had told Malfoy about how she got scarred at the age of six. She shook her head, feeling rather upset. She hated not remembering something. She watched as his eyes softened and he leaned in to press a kiss to her scar. When he spoke, it sent shivers up her spine because he spoke softly into her ear.

"It's not your fault, Hermione."

She could feel his breath ghosting across her skin, causing goosebumps to erupt. She turned to meet his gaze and was surprised at the affection his grey eyes held. His eyes were pools of pale silvery grey, a beautiful colour she thought. She did not know why she leant in or why she felt a sudden urge to kiss him. When her lips met his, all doubts disappeared.

She didn't know why she did it, she just did. It felt right, so right.

His lips were cracked from the cold but felt warm against hers. Their kiss was chaste, it lasted only for a short moment before she broke away. She looked at him and he met her eyes with just as much surprise. There was a short moment of silence before he spoke.

"Why did you do that?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly, and she didn't. "Does everything have to have a reason?"

There was a moment's silence, "No, I suppose not."

"Mal—Draco," she corrected herself. "I have something to request of you."

He frowned, "What is it?"

"I need your memories."

He had given them his memories to her without hesitation. She saw the look in his eye when he withdrew his memories for her. He loved her. And maybe she wanted to love him, just maybe. She stood in the round and cosy interior of the Headmistress's office with a glass vial clutched tightly in her hand. She had received explicit permission from Professor Mcgonagall to view the memories in her pensieve. The silvery wisps danced inside the confines of its glass prison, whispering to her. She lifted it to her eyes and a thought went through her mind. She knew that she would see Draco in a different light after this.

With trembling fingers, she uncorked the vial and poured its contents into the water. Her potions accident had been a whole two months ago, she deserved to know what had happened. The memories swirled around in the pensieve. She braced her hands on the marble pedestal and taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and fell into a whirling mass of memories.

She landed in a familiar corridor, it was the one where the music room was located. Hermione of the past was sprawled out on the floor in what seemed to be an uncomfortable position, her ankle appeared to have been twisted. Tears streaked her face and Hermione realised that this was the part of her past where Ron had cheated on her. She had forgiven him but still, she couldn't help but wish he hadn't hurt her so. She watched in silence as Draco helped her to the hospital wing. She signed and the scene before her dissolved into a whirl of colours and she was brought to another memory.

She landed on Hogwarts grounds, in front of the lake. Her other self was sat underneath the oak tree, the one Hermione had sat in with Draco not too long ago. Her eyes softened when she saw Draco with her past self, they were talking softly. This seemed to be the beginning of their relationship.

The scene dissipated once more and she found herself being brought to countless of other memories. She watched as their relationship developed slowly. She listened closely when Draco played the piano and saw it in his eyes when he first started feeling something for her. Ron breaking up with her had been the catalyst for a budding relationship with her childhood nemesis. Draco and Hermione of the past did not speak much but understood each other.

Their love for music had brought them closer, she thought as another scene formed before her. They were in the music room in the early hours of the morning, laughing. Apparently, they had fallen asleep whilst studying together and Draco had called her old because her bones made cracking noises. She was reminded of the study sessions she had recently had with Draco, but in the library instead. She smiled at their playful banter, did she really have that sort of connection with him?

Her thoughts were banished as she was brought to another scene. She had fallen asleep while studying and Draco tucked her into the bed in the music room. He looked at her other self with such affection in his eyes that she was surprised. He really did love her, didn't he? Hermione felt a feeling of warmth in her chest, maybe she could love him after all.

She watched several other memories and with each one, she felt a bit more fondness for the blond man. He cared about her so much she felt bad for shunning him so often. She saw when they avoided each other for weeks because of a small kiss on the cheek and she smiled at their childishness. Their friendship was rekindled when she happened to faint from low blood pressure and he, ever the gentleman, brought her to the hospital wing.

They were awkward around each other in a manner she found rather endearing.

She was brought to another memory and recognised it as one she had seen very briefly in her sleep. It was the memory that had caused her to be distracted, the one that made her ask Draco for a kiss. It had been snowing in Ireland when they had their first kiss. She smiled as the scene unfolded before her. She would cherish it forever, she thought as the scene dissolved into another.

She landed in the library and immediately recognised the memory. It was the one Draco had mentioned in his journal, the one where she had fled with a flushed complexion. She had seen a brief part of this memory in her sleep and knew it to be the day when she realised she loved him. She felt her pulse quicken when he smiled as he read his book. She understood why his smile had unnerved her so, it lit up his whole face when the corners of his mouth turned upwards. The memory dissipated and she was brought to another, it was the day he kissed her on the stairs of the astronomy tower.

He had looked at her with such pain in his eyes. She had shunned him after realising she loved him. Hermione thought it had been wrong of her past self to do so but she would have done the exact same if put in such a situation. They spoke for a moment and then he kissed her goodbye. She was then brought to another memory, in the potions classroom. It had been the day she had lost her memory. She watched as the class set to brewing the Forgetfulness potion. No one noticed her as she stood and observed her past self and Draco.

Draco seemed to be distracted, by her, apparently. Hermione smiled, the bloke really had been smitten with her. It happened so fast, she had barely even registered it before the classroom was filled with smoke. There was an explosion from her cauldron and the next thing she saw was her unconscious form being carried away. The scene disappeared in a swirl of darkness and she landed in the Slytherin Common room. She frowned, she could not remember ever being in here.

Draco had probably wanted her to see this.

The common room was dark, the only light came from a very dim fire. She vaguely registered the fact that the grandfather clock was ringing out, her eyes were trained on the slumped form of the man who loved her. His painful sobs echoed throughout the empty common room. Her heart broke at seeing him so defeated. She desperately wanted to wrap him up in her arms but it was only a memory. There was a crash of shattered glass and she realised that he had dropped his drinking glass.

He raised his head and she gasped, tears streaked his face in painful anguish. She had never seen him cry in the seven years she had known him. Hermione realised that this must have been after she had been hospitalised, after she had forgotten him. She had never known that it had hurt him so much. She had read of his pain in his journal but seeing it before her eyes was so much more.

His grey eyes landed on her and she stared back into them. She knew that he could not see her but it felt like he could. The scene disappeared and she was brought back to the real world. She stared into the murky water of the pensieve, in shock.

She turned on her heel and left the Headmistress's office in pursuit of her lover.

Hermione headed to the sixth floor without a second thought, running up the flights of stairs. When she arrived at the music room, she was out of breath from her running. The piano was being played behind the doors and she instantly knew he was inside. She flung the kissing white doors open and her eyes found him. Draco stood at the sight of her and the song stopped abruptly. He had not taken two stepstowards her when she flung her arms around him in an embrace.

"Wha—"

He was cut off with a sound kiss on the lips.

"I remember everything."