Author's Note: Okay, another chapter! Sorry for the "late" update. Keep in mind that I will use italics to represent things that have happened in the past, like memories (If you're confused... you'll understand once you see the big italics paragraphs). As there is Hermione and Draco in the memory, AND Hermione viewing these memories, I have used the terms Memory Hermione, Memory Draco, and Actual Hermione, Actual Draco, to avoid confusion as to who is doing what and when. This will make more sense when you see what I did, I hope, and if you need any more clarification points I'll be glad to give it to you. Other than that, enjoy! Review if you like(:
The Missing Piece Chapter Five
Day: 09
"Good. Meet me at the Manor tomorrow evening then." Malfoy had told her. Being a punctual person, those words drove Hermione Granger insane. According to her, evening fell between the hours of five O'clock and seven O'clock. Which meant he would be expecting her between those hours. But what if his understanding of when evening fell were different? This would all be solved if he had just given her a specific time. The continuous lurch her stomach gave her while she paced in her living room didn't help either. Hermione was aware she was giving this more thought than what was needed, but she had always been the one to overthink things. She expelled the breath she was holding, attempting to figure out why in the name of Merlin she was so nervous. The time issue definitely put her on edge, but that was not the source of her high discomfort. Perhaps the issue stemmed from the fact she was going to Draco Malfoy's house. Hermione admitted this reason played a role in her discomfort, but facing Malfoy was easy compared to facing her past. The past she had no knowledge of. Hermione felt like she hadn't missed a beat six days ago. She still felt like her eighteen year old self, on the verge of moving forward in the Wizarding World. But knowledge that she had in fact missed two years of her life made her feel like she was lacking something that she wasn't completely sure was gone in the first place. Like a missing piece of her that would never be found again. The prospect of reliving her past in a few minutes, or whenever she decided to go was truly unnerving. She wasn't sure she was ready to do this, nor was she sure she was even doing the right thing. I told him I would go, I gave him my word, Hermione thought, as she paced faster still, hands clasped behind her back. Hermione Granger was always a woman of her word. There was no choice in the matter. She had to go. She would go. Hermione looked up, her eyes darting immediately to the hand print on her baby blue wall, and then to the clock on the coffee table, which read ten minutes past five. Taking a deep breath, Hermione walked determinedly to the fire place, grabbed some floo powder, and fit herself into the dusty fireplace.
"Malfoy Manor!" She stated defiantly, closing her eyes and never looking back, as the green flames engulfed her body, and spun her to her destination.
"You're late." Drawled Malfoy's voice from somewhere in front of her, once she had arrived to her destination. His voice sounded distant and detached, but Hermione paid no mind. She had no time to think about how Malfoy was feeling. She got out from under the fireplace, wiping soot and dust from the floor powder off her clothes, letting out several coughs when the dust travelled into the air.
"You never specified a time." She sputtered out, as she inhaled a bit of dust. Hermione cleared her throat and looked around. Malfoy Manor was absolutely breath taking. Every corner was decorated with beautiful architecture; every piece of furniture was draped in the best cloth in various shades of red, ranging from a deep crimson to soft rouge. Even the simple coffee tables were decorated fine detail, making Hermione feel like she just stepped into the palace Versailles or a queen's castle. Her eyes devoured every single nook and cranny of what looked like the entrance hall of the manor, forgetting for a moment that Malfoy was eyeing her with a smug look. For several moments, Hermione took in the high ceilings and lavish stair cases and Malfoy just stayed quiet, watching her. She didn't realize what she was doing until she let out a long held breath, in complete astonishment by her surroundings. Highly embarrassed, Hermione tore her eyes from the detail on a wooden sculpture she was gawking at and faced Malfoy, feeling heat climb up her cheeks.
"I used to ask you to meet me in the evening somewhere and you would always come sooner or later than five O'clock." Malfoy replied softly, a bit of nostalgia in his voice. Hermione forgot her embarrassment soon after that remark, feeling a bit uneasy by Malfoy hinting at the fact that they had arranged to meet places in the past. She felt uncomfortable again, remembering that all her furniture had once been here, and that she once had a relationship with Malfoy, according to Harry. Hermione eyed the fireplace longingly now, wishing to be at home with a cup of hot tea, reading a book. Malfoy must have caught this small movement, because he turned around and spoke as soon as she had done this. "Come on. This way." Hermione took a tentative step forward, towards the grand staircase adorned in detailed gold finishing. She raised her chin defiantly, and pulled all her Gryffindor courage to follow him to an unknown location.
Hermione followed behind Malfoy, refusing to think any thoughts that might make her wish to turn around. Instead, she concentrated on the decorations hung in each hallway, and the moving pictures hung upon the walls that smiled weakly at her as she passed. Some pictures did not acknowledge her presence, while others moved to other frames to get a better look at her. Hermione thought she caught words like, "has returned" and "it's about time" but pushed them from her mind quickly, because the thought of living in such a place for any period of time was too much to bear at that moment. After the second flight of steps she decided to keep her gaze locked on Malfoy's white blond hair, effectively keeping her worries and nerves at bay. Her thighs began to burn with each step, and Hermione struggled to keep her breathing quiet, not wanting Malfoy to think her weak or incapable of climbing a few steps without breaking a sweat. After the third flight of stairs, Hermione was about to open her mouth and ask where they were headed, but Malfoy turned the corner into another hallway, and opened the door to his immediate right.
Malfoy stepped aside and allowed Hermione to pass first, in which Hermione muttered a quiet "thank you" and walked into the room, attempting to hide her blush by looking away from him and around the room. To Hermione's surprise and joy, the room was a small library, filled with books from floor to ceiling. There were wooden shelves around the whole perimeter of the room, save for one wall, which bore a large writing desk. In the middle of the room were more shelves like the one circling the room, with a space on either side of it to allow one to pass from one side of the room to the other. Hermione resisted the urge to touch the books and study every single title there, and instead looked over her shoulder at Malfoy, who was studying the one wall with no books with his hand on his chin. She wondered what in Merlin he was doing, when he suddenly reached out with the same hand and touched a spot on the wall, making part of the wall rotate, revealing a large basin. It levitated a few inches above a decorated stone platform, and was simple compared to the rest of Malfoy Manor, completely void of any detail. Hermione instantly recognized this as a pensieve, having read about them, but never having used one. She felt her stomach drop. Hermione had no idea what to expect from this, and not knowing something made her heart pound fast and her palms sweaty. Malfoy muttered a couple of words that Hermione guessed was a spell, and stone shelves appeared above the pensieve, holding jars of white, glowing string like figments inside each jar. She supposed those must be memories.
"You okay?" Came Malfoy's soft voice next to the pensieve. Hermione looked at him and saw concern on his face. His eyes darted to her hand, and Hermione became aware that she was trembling slightly. No, she was not okay, but Hermione nodded anyways. She wanted to run away, cry, scream, and assume the fetal position all at the same time. She wanted to dive right into that pensieve and remember everything that happened, no matter what it was. She also wanted to run away and forget she ever had her memory modified in the first place. Hermione had always been a person who was rarely torn between two things, which made this situation more stressful. Malfoy did not look convinced, but he reached out to a jar on the upper left of the highest shelf and opened it with a wary, yet sure glance in her direction. Once the memory was completely inside the pensieve, he beckoned her forward with a wave of the hand. She felt like a puppet, moving mechanically toward the pensieve on his command rather than her own free will. As she approached the large metallic basin, she saw what looked like the Ministry of Magic, in the depths of the pensieve. She gave Malfoy an unsure look, not quite knowing what to do for the first time in her life. Once she saw this memory, it would be engrained in her mind forever. There was no going back. There was no forgetting what she would see.
"It's okay. It will all be fine. I'll be here. Just bring your face closer to the water, and it will take you into the memory." Malfoy assured her. His tone was extremely careful, as if he was talking to a stray kitten and not a nervous woman, but strangely enough it soothed Hermione, and she nodded, suddenly determined. This was what she wanted, right? Hermione brought her face closer to the pensieve, and not two seconds after the tip of her nose hit the lukewarm water of the basin, she felt her feet lift up and off the ground, dragging her into a long forgotten moment.
Hermione felt her feet touch solid ground, and she expelled a breath as she realized she was safely inside the pensieve. It felt surreal, to be inside a memory—Malfoy's memory, no less—and to her surprise she felt strangely calm, even considering that she felt she was in a dream. Hermione looked around, unsure what to do, now that she was here in the Ministry of Magic. She spotted Malfoy however—memory Malfoy—and figured she should follow him, considering these were his memories. Memory Malfoy was walking by the large fountain that stood at the entrance to the Ministry, toward a stack of newspapers. Hermione took note of his swagger as he walked, holding himself high and proud, with his trademark sneer plastered on his face. Ministry employees glared and shook their heads as he walked, but Malfoy paid no mind to them, and kept his eyes on the newspaper stand. Hermione ran to catch up to him, carefully avoiding the path of busy employees.
"One Daily Prophet." She heard Memory Malfoy drawl, as he shoved a galleon at the newspaper boy, careful not to touch him. The newspaper boy nodded and gave Memory Malfoy his paper quickly, avoiding his gaze in fear. Hermione ventured closer and read the date on the newspaper: September 25th, 1999. Paper in hand, Malfoy walked into the elevator and left at the fifth floor—The Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Hermione's stomach gave a lurch as she followed him. She had a bad feeling of what was to come. Memory Malfoy walked down the hallway, paper memos flying through the air. He reached a door that read "Draco L. Malfoy- Department of Magical Law Enforcement" and opened it. Once the door was closed Memory Malfoy expelled an exasperated sigh, and ran a hand through his hair. Hermione could see he was exhausted and perhaps a bit stressed by the way he repeatedly ran a hand through his smooth blond hair. Memory Malfoy looked up at his ceiling, expelling a sharp exhale, and closing his eyes. Hermione was used to seeing Draco Malfoy carrying himself with pride, completely calm and collected as he swaggered through Hogwarts. Hermione was a bit taken aback to see this other side of him, a side that was stressed and unsure of what to do, it looked like. Malfoy took a deep breath, and his features molded into the demeanor Hermione was used to seeing. Looked like Malfoy hid his emotions from everyone, including himself. Memory Malfoy approached his desk, where a piece of parchment lay.
"Mr. Malfoy, I have assigned you to a new case I think you will prove quite useful in. As you know, several Death Eaters have yet to be captured and I feel you may be of use in figuring out their whereabouts. As part of this case you will be working closely with the Auror department until this is solved. Your newly assigned partner, Hermione J. Granger has more information on this case and I ask that you stop by when you return from break," Memory Malfoy read to himself. "Janice M. Roberts, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Malfoy let out a growl. "Fuck." Memory Malfoy's pretense of a calm and collected person was slipping from him with each second. Hermione didn't quite know how to feel, watching Memory Malfoy's reaction, knowing it was about her. It was odd, considering Malfoy was actually nice to her over the last couple days, and now she was watching him get progressively angry over being her assigned partner. A look came over Memory Malfoy's face that was too quick for Hermione to read, but the next second, Memory Malfoy was walking briskly toward the door. Thinking fast, Hermione ran behind him and out of the room before the door closed.
Memory Malfoy hesitated a few seconds before knocking on Memory Hermione's door. There was a rustle of parchment that could be heard from inside Memory Hermione's office, and Hermione felt a sudden sickening feeling in her stomach. Her heart started pounding so hard she could barely breathe… in a few moments she would see herself… In a few moments she would see herself two years ago, through someone else's eyes… She stared at the door, unblinking… thumpthump thumpthump thumpthump…
"Oh, you're here. Come in, I suppose." Memory Hermione Granger said, clearly trying to mask her uneasiness. Actual Hermione gasped at the sight of herself from two years ago, bringing a hand to her mouth in order to cover the noise, but she was neither seen nor heard. Memory Hermione did not look drastically different from how her present self looked, but she could notice subtle differences, like how her hair was about two inches shorter, and a bit more frizzier and unkept. Actual Hermione felt as if she were having an out-of-body experience, and it reminded her of the times when she had her time turner in her third year at Hogwarts. She was glad she had at least seen herself when going back in time before, because Actual Hermione wasn't sure if she could handle revisiting her memories and seeing herself as well. It would be too overwhelming.
Memory Malfoy's face was tense, and Actual Hermione could see he would rather jump off the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts than be with Memory Hermione at that moment. He didn't nod, or acknowledge Memory Hermione's presence. Memory Malfoy just walked in as tense as a brick, head held high, and nose wrinkled in distaste, making Actual Hermione remember her times at Hogwarts with him.
"Just give me the files and I'll be on my way." Memory Malfoy snapped at her, clearly not wanting to be in her presence. Actual Hermione thought perhaps Malfoy hadn't changed his views yet, probably still thinking she was a "filthy mudblood" Memory Hermione pursed her lips, clearly not wanting to be working with him either, but distraught by the fact that he was bossing her around in her office. Actual Hermione could read her own emotions very well, and wondered if perhaps others could read her that easily.
"Listen I don't want to work with you any more than you want to work with me, we might as well get used to each other. Some things require explanation—" Memory Hermione began, making a great effort to be polite, like Actual Hermione did with Healer Greene.
"No you listen, as soon as I get the chance, I'm getting a new partner Granger so if I were you I would just give the files here." Memory Malfoy cut in, tension and disgust lingering in every syllable. He looked around Memory Hermione's office, wrinkling his nose once more in distaste, which angered Memory Hermione very much.
"There is no rescheduling, Malfoy." Memory Hermione attacked, "If I were you I'd get off that high horse you're on and stop looking at my office as if it were filth, because you're the fil—"
"How dare you talk to me like that you foul excuse for a witch! Don't tell me what I can and cannot do. Who do you think you are? My superior?" Memory Malfoy scoffed. "You could only wish—"
"No! How dare you come in here and act like this! You rotten git! Your father is in Azkaban for all your family's done, you have a job thanks to Harry, and you stand here insulting me as if you were even in a position to do so in the first place! Sod off you snobby—" Memory Malfoy's face became blank with shock at Memory Hermione's words, and Actual Hermione could see his jaw tense and tighten as Memory Hermione went on.
"How dare you mention my father, and my family, when you don't know half of what went on. You don't know a single sodding thing about me, so give me those files, and shut up." Memory Malfoy's voice was dangerously low and threatening, that even Actual Hermione couldn't look at him in the face out of fear. Actual Hermione's breathing became labored and she found herself anticipating what was to come. She wished she knew what was about to happen…
Memory Hermione gave Memory Malfoy a dangerous glare, and walked over to a pile of folders sitting on her desk. She then shoved them into Memory Malfoy's chest, nearly knocking him over, but Memory Malfoy managed to regain balance quickly while keeping his snooty glare.
"Leave." Memory Hermione spat at him, her eyes lit up in anger, and her nostrils flaring. Memory Malfoy gave her a murderous look and left the room without a word.
The ministry's surroundings quickly evaporated into black streams, making Hermione panic, but as soon as she did Hermione felt her feet touch the ground, and she found herself once again in Malfoy Manor. Hermione was out of breath, and shaking, the full impact of what she had just witnessed settling into her bones. Hermione barely registered the tear running down her cheek, unsure if it was from her emotions or because she had forgotten to blink in the past minutes.
"Forgive me, I had to begin somewhere." Malfoy said quietly, observing Hermione with the upmost care and concern. Hermione stared at him unbelievingly, slightly shocked at the drastic change in Malfoy. She just couldn't get used to these personality switches in him. Hermione nodded slightly, wishing to go home. She felt shaken, suddenly. As if every emotion was coming down at her all at once…
"I need to go home now." She replied weakly. Hermione felt relieved when Malfoy simply nodded, walking past her to open the door to the library and showing Hermione to his fireplace some floors down. He seemed to know how she was feeling, and by his behavior Hermione gathered he seemed to know what she needed. It was unnerving, yet relieving in some ways, but Hermione did not wish to focus on how Malfoy could read her every emotion, she wanted to gather her thoughts on what she saw in the pensieve.
"Thank you." Was all Malfoy said, before Hermione dropped the green powder in his elegant fireplace and spun home.
A/N: So... I hope that pensieve moment wasn't completely confusing. I will keep using this in future chapters, so let me know if it's confusing!