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Much Love 3
Chapter Text
Draco's Point of View
Potter closes the door behind him shutting of the sounds of the nosey guests chattering about matters that don't concern them. They seem to keep up the charade of noise outside before falling silent quickly so as not to miss what's being said. I can make out some shapes moving, cutting the hallway light that's leaking in under the door.
"Take a seat," Potter advises, directing me towards the chair.
"Not in the mood to sit reminiscing around the dinning room table with you right now, Potter. Cut the bullshit and tell me why no one has told her about me?" I inquire promptly.
"There was an incident," Potter starts, emphasising a particular word that makes my collar tight around the neck.
"Seems to be a lot of them whenever she's around you," I comment but he brushes this off and rounds around the dining table to face me.
"The nurse came immediately from St Mungo's, and it was very complicated at the start because we didn't really comprehend what was happening to her or what was the appropriate way to approach what was happening. So, we made some wrong choices that set us back a bit," he explains.
"You sound like a fucking politician Potter. Just cut to the chase!"
"Too much information caused her to have a breakdown and the nurse advised us against telling her anything else."
"So what? Telling her about me just happened to be last on the list?"
"There wasn't a list Malfoy. It wasn't like we decided 'oh we'll tell her this first and that second'. She asked and we answered we just didn't know at the time what effect the answers would have. She asked about why we weren't at Hogwarts and Ginny explained everything to her and I mean she took it pretty badly, but we didn't know at the time until she mentioned her parents."
"What's so bad about her parents?"
"She said she wanted to go and talk to her mother," he starts.
"And?"
"Do you know where her parents are?" he asks unexpectedly.
"No? Why the hell would I know where they are? I mean she mentioned she had gotten them out of England for protection but that was it."
"She never told any of us where they were either. I guess she assumed if we were captured, and our memories were checked if we didn't know where they were then they were always safe. She apparently wrote down their address and their new names somewhere, but no one knows where."
"Doesn't she know?" I ask, restlessly.
"No because it happened in the block of her memory that is missing. She didn't remember obliviating their memories and sending them away. She has no idea where she wrote down their details and when we had to tell her that no one knew where they were she came to the realisation that if she doesn't get her memories back then her parents are gone forever. She kind of had a really severe breakdown after that and we decided we weren't going to tell her anything that wasn't absolutely necessary. Can you understand that?"
I disregard his question.
"What do I need to do?" I ask.
"There's something else too," Potter says.
"Christ Potter! What else could there be?"
He shuffles again around the table, his hand sweeping the dust agitatedly off the top of the chairs.
"I think your father did this."
"Excuse me?"
"Think about it? That first day, Ginny went through the last thing she remembers, and it was studying for a test we had for Charms class."
"And? What's so significant about that?"
"We checked back with her, and Ginny probed a little if she remembered the award that you guys won, and she didn't. The last thing she remembers is the day before. The day before the award! That's why she was so confused why we weren't in Hogwarts. At first, she thought we were here for some holiday or something. Now who would benefit from taking those memories away from her?" he inquires. I shake my head at him, puzzled.
"Someone who perhaps wanted to take away the reason they thought you were staying here. Someone who wanted you to come back to the Manor?" he asks again, clarifying.
"Then why not just kill her? Why erase her memories?" I ask.
"I think the curse was supposed to. But she partially blocked it, so it skimmed her head. Now who do we know that charms their spells like that? Because it certainly isn't the people who fight alongside me, Malfoy".
It's true. A little into the war they had been working on spell embedding as an almost fool proof in case their success in battle wasn't guaranteed. But back then it had purely been a simple fogging charm or mystifying curse that allowed them to stun the enemy long enough to get away, only releasing when a curse wasn't a direct hit. But to take someone's memories like that for such a specific time period almost date to date seems well inside the range of my father's skills. But perhaps also the Dark Lords.
"Did you see my father? Out there that night?" I demand.
"No. I can't be sure it was him, but I know it was him."
"My father is very skilled in the dark arts, Potter."
"What does that mean?"
"Whatever he took away or suppressed in Granger's mind is going to be particularly difficult to get back."
"But Snape told us he prepared you in Hogwarts and at the start of the war?" he asks, his voice sounding almost hopeless.
"He did train me, but he trains against Occlumency. He trained me to hide my own thoughts, not to recover someone else's."
Potter furiously slams his palms down on the dining room table and it quivers deafeningly for a second, the cutlery and plates resettle against the intrusion.
"So, you're saying you can't fucking do it?" he bellows.
"No, I never fucking said that I'm just implying that it won't be easy, Potter. And it's going to take some time and right now she doesn't even want to be in the same room as me let alone have me wander through her thoughts prodding and poking."
"I'll speak to her okay. I'll sort that side out. All you have to worry about is getting those memories back, okay? Why does it seem like you're contemplating about this?"
A part of me at the start was considering it. Whether or not having those memories of us back would benefit her. The second he had said it I thought about Blaise back in France and the possibility of just returning to him and his family and leaving her here as she is. Free from the burden she carried when she knew me. But its only when he mentioned my father that the hesitation arose.
"Did they see her after the curse hit her?" I question.
"See her? What do you mean?"
"As in did they see her hit the ground. Did they see her move? Did they see you leave with her?"
"No. When she was hit, she was just inches from cover so when she dropped, she dropped behind the wall, and we picked her up and ran. They were far away. They didn't see us. I waited a while to apparate. Like you had said when we were at the Manor."
Thank God this guy isn't a total idiot.
"So, they have no idea if the curse was a direct hit or not?" I inquire.
"No," he answers.
My father had thrown a curse at her to kill her but didn't know if it actually had which means at this moment he doesn't know if she's dead or alive. I'd like to keep it so he thinks she's dead.
"I'll do it on one condition Potter."
He scowls at me and rolls up the sleeves around his forearms aggressively.
"I always knew you were a slimy git. What could you possibly want? Don't you want to help her?" he spits. I ignore his last question hoping he doesn't call my bluff.
"If I do this and her memories are restored, and you get whatever piece of information you're looking for out of her then I want her."
"What do you mean? Want her?" he questions sceptically.
"I want you to release her."
"From what?" he asks incredulously.
"From that promise her and the Weasel made when they were children. That's what's keeping her here. She doesn't want to do this anymore Potter. I could see it in her eyes but because of that stupid fucking promise she made she won't leave you. I don't give a flying fuck what trouble you and the Weasel get into. Just release her from that promise."
"You think she would choose to stay out of this?"
"I think if you were the one to tell her it was okay then she would. I'm sure of it. That's what I'm asking for. Do we have a deal?"
"And what if I was to tell her about this conversation when her memoires came back? That you would only agree to help her based on a condition being met?" He asks with a raised eyebrow. I snigger at him.
"She knows I'm a selfish bastard, Potter. It won't be news to her. Trust me." I laugh. He frowns in return, mulling this over.
"I know things haven't always gone well but I mean she knew that this wasn't going to be an easy ride and there would be a few bumps along the road. I am aware that she has somewhat gotten the short end of the stick for a while now, but I am prepared to be better the next time around."
"You're not understanding," I clarify.
"Do you really thing she would leave with you?" he asks.
"I think if you had released her sooner, she would have stayed with me in France. The only thing that made her come back was that promise. I want you to release her from that promise. That's my condition, Potter. Take it or leave it." Again, I pray he doesn't call my bluff on this.
"I need her too, Malfoy," he argues.
"Haven't you had her long enough? Her whole life has revolved around you and look what it's done to her. I don't want to see what another ten years does. Do you?"
He sighs loudly, considering this over before outstretching his arm towards me. I clasp my hand roughly in his and we shake once before releasing.
"Another condition, perhaps?" I inquire and he frowns at me.
"Allow me to be there when you tell Weasley." I smirk and Potter rolls his eyes at me.
"Don't cause problems here. Okay? You're lucky I forgive you after what you did before," he argues.
"What do you mean? What did I do before?" I ask dubiously.
"Don't stand there and stare at me and act like you don't know what you did before. I asked you before not to leave again. I explained explicitly what happened the last time you left, and you still did it again." he says.
"It was different this time. And you know that! I hadn't planned to leave by myself. I thought that she would come with me. I had explained to her that I was never going to realistically stay here without her. She understood that."
"It doesn't matter the reason. You still left. And I was the one that trusted that you wouldn't, and it ended up making me look like an idiot. Don't fuck it up this time. I'm the only one on your side here and barely. I could of not called you and figured this out on my own, like Ron wanted."
"Stop acting the Martyr. We both know you would have called because you need something from her, so stop acting like it's any other reason."
He steps around the table to stand in front of me, carrying with him a storm. He presses hard against my chest, unsettling my footing.
"Don't push me Malfoy. Push me and you're out of here. Do we understand one another?" he asks, his tone final.
"When do we start this thing?"
"Tonight."
Hermione's Point of View.
I clean Ron's nose in the bathroom, and he moans the entire way through. To occupy my mind, I had spent a lot of time with Tonks over the past few days to learn some of the first aid magic she was more familiar with. I just hadn't imagined I would get to use it so soon.
Ron eventually leaves when he starts to feel the effects of the drowsy potion I gave him start to kick in. Ginny saunters into the room almost as if she was waiting for him to leave. The atmosphere in the house has been strange. I'm almost never left alone, and they seem to move in rotations like they have some work schedule I'm unaware of. I seem to only be alone when I'm asleep or in the bathroom. Every waking second there is someone following me, rotating in two-hour patterns. Of course, I don't bring this up because I know they would deny it. I guess it must be Ginny's shift now.
She lounges across the chairs as we assume our positions at the window to watch the muggles outside.
"If I ask questions, are you allowed to answer?" I inquire, testing the waters. She sighs.
"Hermione you know asking questions can be dangerous. I promise you this won't be forever. Things will go back to normal soon." But her tone seems to add 'I hope' at the end. Unspoken.
"Why? Because Draco Malfoy is here? Is that who we've been waiting for?" I ask sceptically. Draco Malfoy was the last person I expected to see standing in the driveway of 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Hermione, please. Don't make this difficult," she responds. The same old response. Like speaking to a brick wall. I frown, unable to help myself.
"Why is he here Ginny? Forget this bull crap about protecting me. Why the hell is Draco Malfoy here? I mean why is everyone acting like it's normal for him to be here? Harry hates him!" I shout. The situation is sardonic at best, and I keep expecting Harry to jump around the corner and laugh, saying it was some sort of spell as a joke to lighten the mood. But I doubt Harry would waste Polyjuice potion on some school yard prank.
"You know that you're suffering from some memory loss," she starts.
"No amount of memory loss could be attributed to the fact that he's here in this place. You can't be serious. You can't tell me that Harry and him are actually friendly now, can you?"
"They have an understanding, Hermione. I promise when your memories come back this will all make sense to you. You will remember it all."
"Remember what exactly?" I pray but she just smirks at me in return, seeing through my play.
"You know if the situations were reversed, I would tell you everything. It won't be like last time. I promise Ginny," I almost beg. I will admit that I hadn't reacted well to the knowledge about my parents. But anyone else would have reacted in the exact same way. It was that god damn nurse who really messed everything up. I had heard her tell Harry and Remus that they weren't to divulge anything else to me until they had some idea how to retrieve those memories.
I try to imagine the amount of time that has passed. When I look at my face in the mirror, I look somewhat similar, but my face is shallower now, slightly sunken. Ginny had let slip there was a lot of time that Harry, Ron, and I spent away from everyone else where food and good rest wasn't always plentiful. That would explain the changes in my face, but it doesn't explain my eyes. They don't feel like mine, or even look like mine for that matter. What had I seen in those missing years? What had I forgotten?
"I'm doing this to protect you, Hermione. We don't know what kind of effect certain information will have. We must be careful. We don't want to lose you, or have you get lost inside your own mind again, okay? Can you understand that?" she asks.
"And Draco Malfoy is here to prevent that from happening?" I ask incredulously. She frowns again and I sense she wants to direct the conversation away from him.
"Yes, he's here to help you. He's trained in Occlumency."
"And you, you trust him?"
"Hermione," she argues.
"Do you? Do you trust him?" I ask again, more forcefully this time, leaning across the chair towards her.
"Harry trusts him, and I trust Harry. Don't you?" she asks, flipping it on its head. I cast my eyes down and twiddle my thumbs together.
"Trust is hard when everyone is lying to you."
"Come on Mione. We're not lying to you we're just…"
"Altering the facts?" I supply and she frowns. She leans her legs out to rest against the windowsill. The dew on the glass soaking a little into her socks.
"Hermione," she sighs, settling more into her seat. I try to empathise how this must be for her. The constant string of questions from my end. But it's hard to feel this kind of empathy when you wake up in a strange place and the people closest to you walk around on eggshells every time they're in the same room.
"Would you want him poking around inside your mind? Knowing all your secrets?" I ask.
"He's our only solution Hermione. He's the only person beside Snape who knows Occlumency."
"Okay well give me a book and I can read up about it and I'm sure…"
"What you're going to preform it on yourself? That's not how it works Hermione, and you know it. It has to be performed on you."
"Well then I could teach you or Harry or Ron or…"
"Hermione, stop! We don't have that kind of time to waste. Let's not argue about this anymore, okay? I know you're not comfortable with the situation but it's the only option we've got. Don't you want your memories back? To stop with all these questions and finally have the answers you want?" she asks.
"Well, I could have the answers to my questions if someone would just answer them," I reply scowling.
I hear the movement on the landing outside, a couple of doors opening and closing and then Harry enters the room with a nervous knock on the door. It's as if the sound of his knuckles banging against the wooden, slightly slanted door is a secret language I can't understand. But it sends Ginny up from her chair with a chaste smile and out the door behind Harry. Must be time for a shift change and pre-approved bathroom break for Ginny.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?" he asks, slipping in the door and taking up Ginny's chair. The rain starts lightly against the glass filling the silence in the room.
"I know you must be angry with me, Hermione. But I'm doing this because I love you. We all love you and we just want everything to go back to the way it was before so we can move past this."
"And Draco Malfoy is the only way we can achieve that?" I inquire.
"He's the best hope we have Hermione."
"And you trust him? To do this? To get my memories back?"
"I do, Hermione, really. We can get your memories back and we can finally find your parents again. You can go and see your mom."
Mentions of my mother makes my throat tighten and he lays a supportive hand on my thigh, squeezing gently. He leans across the divide between us.
"I promise this will work and everything will go back to how it was before. I promise things will get better."
A light knock sounds on the door and the force pushes it open slightly.
"Potter?" his voice calls. The door opens further as he steps marginally into the room, looking around with a tight expression. Harry glances briefly over his shoulder at Malfoys intrusion and turns back to me. I feel myself almost shielding away from Malfoys eyes. I can't remember any time he has looked at me without a solid sneer in place.
"You ready?" Malfoy asks, staring around the room again.
Harry catches my attention while Malfoy is distracted and whispers low.
"I promise you," he whispers, taking my hands in his.
I turn towards the window and wish to press my flushed cheeks against the cool dew gathering at the end of the glass. I turn back to Harry and smile as best I can.
"Okay. Let's go," I say, standing.