The scenes were fast, tumbling through my memory like so many grains of sand. I tried to grasp onto them, but the harder I tried, the more I seemed to lose my grip.

He kissed me.

I raised a trembling hand, brushing my fingertips over the edge of my lips.

I can almost feel it still…

Lingering

All of a sudden I became acutely aware that I was awake.

Pounding, throbbing, the sensation in my head was enough to churn the stomach. I grabbed a nearby trashcan, gagging, with no return on the effort. I felt my skin, cool and clammy to the touch.

Where was I?

I could feel the word leave my lips as if it were a tape stuck in it's deck, repetitious and garbled.

"No!" Choking, clutching.

"No, please, someone tell me what's happening to me!"

The blond-haired man…Draco, he was gone just as quick as he'd come. More than that, he'd left me with more questions than answers. I gasped for air as a quick sting came to the left side of my buttocks. All the hands that had been holding me, vanished. I could feel my breathing slow, my heart fluttering. My eyes grew heavy, a scene dancing before my lids, as if it were my very own show.

I was experiencing a feeling I'd never felt before. Something foreign, something akin to butterflies and exhilaration, mixed with a side of confusion, sadness, and fear. I felt sick, hot like I was feverish. Draco had kissed me, and in doing so, unlocked a multitude of emotions. I wanted to run to him, to tell him it would all be okay. I wanted to run my hands through his hair, and wipe the tears from his cheeks. The tide in my stomach began to turn.

I wanted to yell at him.

Scream at him.

How dare he just kiss me! What was I supposed to do with that? He knows I'm married, that I'd never shown interest in men. More than that, though, he had been my rival, my nemesis, for so long. I wouldn't consider him that today, but we surely weren't friends, weren't chummy. Were we? The friendship with him had felt so natural. It was as if I could tell him anything, and I never had to be fearful. I didn't have to pretend to be 'The Chosen One.' I didn't have to pretend to be okay, even. I could just be. I couldn't even find that kind of solace in Ron or Hermione these days. Hermione always had loads of advice on how to improve everything. Whether that be my home life, my mental health, or my relationship with the kids, she had an answer. Ron was more there to back her up, though I know he shared her concern. The point was, I didn't need arbitrary answers to a problem that wasn't so easy to fix. I just needed support, comfort, and someone to listen. He gave me everything I'd been wanting. Now, he'd gone and mucked it up. The confusion twisted within me, threatening to tear me apart. My hands went to my hair, gripping it hard as if I could pull it out at any moment. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but I had to see him again.

I picked up my broom, laying haphazardly on the ground. I was unsteady on the mount and found myself about to fall off my own broom once I left the ground. What was this man doing to me? I righted myself and took off, I wasn't sure where he was going, but I could start in the most obvious place.

Malfoy Manor was just as dark and looming as I had remembered in my youth. As my feet touched the ground I had to take a moment, flashbacks whirling in my brain. I gasped, falling to my knees. I shook my head as if the mere motion would send them flying. My scar ached, my hand finding it, nails, scraping at it. I stumbled to my feet, grass stains on my jeans, hair thrown every which way. I could feel my jaw, clenched, unmovable at the moment. I was trying to catch my breath, one hand braced against the door when it all went black.

The situation was more dire than I'd originally thought. I was gone from the building in mere moments, unable to stand the sickening smell of antiseptics. He was gone from me, he was really, truly, gone. I leaned against the outside of the hospital, only for my body to rebel. It happened before I could stop it, that hot, vile liquid. I puked, all down my shirt, down the front of my pants. Worse, it kept coming. I felt a cool hand on my shoulder, a doe-eyed woman with soft brown curls. "Sir, can I bring you in? Do you need help?" I shoved her hand away, looking at her with tear-burned eyes and smeared vomit on my face. "Leave me, I'm fine!" I wiped my mouth on my sleeve, the woman pulling out napkins as I did so. "You'll at least need this." She offered up the napkins and I took them, face soured, but nodding in her direction. "I hope you feel better," the words sounded sincere, but she had no way of knowing what was going on. She had no way of knowing that there was no way I was going to 'feel better.' At least not until I had Harry back, or… what semblance of him there now was. I pondered my next step as I wiped the vomit from my clothes, how would I get Harry out? Ginny would never release him into my care.

The answer was obvious.

Poly Juice Potion.

I needed a bit of Ginny for this to work, but it wouldn't matter, I'd have to confront her anyways. There is no way she'd leave Harry alone, no way she'd ever stop looking for him if I took him. There was going to be no way out of a confrontation, this time. I was fueled by anger and adrenaline. My broom appeared at my side, and as I mounted, I had a thought. Somewhere inside me, I always knew it would come to this.

I always knew our love would come down to a fight.

"Ginny!"

I screamed her name as I was landing, pulling my broom up to my side. "Ginny, I know you're in there."

And then, there she was. Same red hair, the same freckles, the same hard look in her eyes.

"What are you doing here Malfoy? The kids are here for God's sake."

"You're going to stay away from Harry."

Ginny paused, and the look on her face almost seemed as if she were going to laugh.

"You've really gone mad, haven't you?"

"Maybe," my breath was heavy, excited. "But you'll do it either way."

"Get out of here, you're wasted on your own ego." She turned to leave.

"Trudo!" Ginny flew forward, landing on her hands and knees.

"I'm here to ensure Harry and I can live a life without your memory hanging over it. I need you gone Ginny, and there's a multitude of ways for me to accomplish that."

Ginny had turned back around, her hair disheveled.

"Are you threatening me?"

"There is a simple way to do this, Ginny." My voice was shaky, my wand betraying my trembling hand. "One where no one gets hurt."

"What are you on about?"

"I'll obliviate Harry from your mind, you'll forget you ever even loved him. The kids will stop asking questions in time, and we all leave with what we want."

"I want my husband back!" She screamed, the sound deep and visceral. She reached her hand in her apron, brandishing her wand.

"You don't want to do this Ginny, I'm trying to be reasonable." I took a step forward, putting my hands up.

"Back the fuck up!" Ginny matched my step. "I'll die before I ever allow you to have my husband again, Malfoy."

"You may end up doing just that."

Sparks began to fly.