CHAPTER TWELVE

Draco went up to his room to find Hermione in his bed. She was finally awake but she looked terrible. Her eyes were puffy and her face was pale. There was a bruise on her temple. She was sipping a cup of tea when she saw him. He looked distraught. He slowly walked up to her. She shook as she adjusted her pillow to sit up.

"I know what you did." He didn't look at her.

"What?"

"Harry told me everything." For some reason the sound of his name made Hermione cringe.

"What did he tell you? When did you see him?"

"Dont act stupid. You know exactly what im talking about." Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at Draco innocently.

"You wanted me too." She left out that it had been her idea in the first place.

"Why would I want you to remove my own memories?"

"You told me if I didn't you didn't think you could go through with killing Dumbledore." Draco was confused. Did she just admit to helping kill Dumbledore? Was Harry right about her being evil?

"But I wasn't the one who killed him so I guess you didn't even need to after all." Draco looked into Hermione's familiar eyes. "Why didn't you tell me when I came back."

"I don't know… I guess I didn't want to get close to you. I didn't want to lose you again." Hermione's eyes started to tear up.

Draco grabbed her cup of tea and set it on the nightstand. He then grabbed her wand and placed it in her hand.

"I want you to reverse it. I want to know exactly what you fucking took from me."

"I don't think I can." Draco frowned and guided her hand so that her wand was pressed against his forehead.

"Do it." Hermione took a deep breath and whispered the counter curse to herself. They both closed their eyes as Draco braced himself.

Memories flooded his mind and he held his breath and everything rushed into him at once. Every tutor session was more vivid now. He tried to breathe through the intensity as the memory of the hospital wing and their time at the lake came back to him. The sex seemed to go in slow motion. He focused on when he told her he loved her. The last memory that was restored was their dance at the Christmas party and that song. That fucking song was blaring in the back of his mind. Tears started to fall from his closed eyes. He wiped them and sniffed as he opened them.

Hermione looked at him concerned but he was calm when it was over. He didn't speak for a while because he had to comprehend everything that just happened. He looked at her and held her hand.

"I wish you never obliviated me… we could've been together this whole time."

"No we couldn't. You know I had to help Harry." Saying his name made her nauseous. She couldn't figure out why.

"We could've fucking ran away together or something. That would be better than you taking out the best memories I ever had." He was clearly upset but was still so gentle. Hermione started to cry.

"I'm sorry. You told me if I didn't you were going to die." Her voice was shaky. Draco wiped his eyes on his shirtsleeve.

"Its okay. I just wish I had something to hold on to when the war was over. I was so goddamn lonely." Hermione was surprised he was being so vulnerable with her. "The time at the lake when I told you I loved you. It wasn't a stupid line to get you to sleep with me. I think I actually fucking loved you."

"I never stopped." Hermione pulled his hand to bring him closer to her. She was so weak but wanted him near. She touched his cheek and kissed him. They had both been crying so it tasted salty. He crawled on top of her and kissed her back. He was now holding her head with both hands.

He kissed her deeply as she pulled the covers off of herself to get closer to his body. He pulled away and shook her head.

"Dont you fucking do anything like that again." She nodded her head and went back to taste him again. They're breaths matched up as the energy got more intense. They simultaneously removed their shirts. Hermione wasn't wearing a bra so she instantly revealed her breasts to him. He pawed at them as he bent down to kiss her neck. He sucked hard making her moan. She arched her back as he moved his way in between her legs.

Hermione shivered when he started kissing her ear and ran his hand threw her hair gripping a chunk of it. He grinded against her, making her whimper. She undid his belt and pulled down his pants. He took them off and ripped her shorts off. He begged her to open her mouth so he could slip his fingers in. As she sucked he grew harder. He pulled her panties to the side and rubbed her with his moist fingers. He opened her up and stuck them inside. She gasped and moaned loudly as he penetrated her. He covered her mouth with his other hand.

"My parents are home." He whispered in her ear sending chills down her spine. He removed his hand and pulled down his boxers exposing his stiff hard-on. He spit on his hand and started stroking himself while looking her up and down. Her pelvis twitched as she watched him.

He guided himself into her. She was so wet he slipped all the way in. She gasped again and tried to catch her breath as he impaled her. He grabbed her ass and began to fuck her harder. He used her to get his anger out. Every stroke was more forceful than the last. She didn't mind though. He could do anything to her right now and she wouldn't care at all. He wrapped his hand around her throat sending a rush of blood to her head. She tried to breathe through the severity. He got close to her face and whispered in her ear.

"I fucking love you." She looked at him and smiled.

"I love fucking you." He moaned as he grabbed her waist and pounded her as hard as he could. She squeezed herself around him as she climaxed. He had to flip her over so he didn't come too soon after her. She whined as he shoved himself back in.

"You like that?" She moaned as he wrapped his hand around her hair and pulled her head back. She looked so good from behind he couldn't contain himself any longer. He pulled out and finished on her back. She was so weak, she collapsed immediately when he was done. She was asleep before he could clean her up.

***

Hermione woke up feeling worse and more sore than yesterday. They never had sex like that before. The sun blinded her as it seeped through the curtains. She rolled over and looked at a shirtless Draco sleeping next to her. She cuddled up to him and he put his arm around her pulling her close. He opened his eyes and looked down on her. He kissed her on the forehead and they both fell asleep once again.

Hermione had a rough morning. She could hardly walk and her head throbbed. She rubbed her tender temple. The detox process was almost worse than the detox charm. She could hardly keep anything down and kept having intrusive thoughts about Harry. What she felt for him now was almost hatred. She couldn't picture his face without rage building up inside her. She sat in bed and dissociated for over half of the day. Draco brought her a fresh cup of tea every couple hours and kept reminding her that she still looked good even if she felt miserable. She barely had any energy to say thank you.

The next day was slightly better than the last. She could finally walk to the bathroom and puke in the toilet. She preferred this to the waste basket she kept next to the bed. She was on a diet of chicken broth and ginger tea. It was the only thing she could keep down. She craved solid food.

Narcissa would come up once in a while to check on her. She told her that it would all be over soon and she would be feeling better in no time. One night she came in while Draco was talking with Lucius. She had brought her a cup of tea. She sat on the bed and blotted a cold wet cloth on her head to calm her fever. She picked up a book from the nightstand. They no longer looked untouched.

"You love to read, don't you?"

"I haven't for a while but lately it's been a good pastime. I forgot how much I enjoyed it." Narcissa opened the book and began to read a passage to Hermione. The book was a fiction novel about a king. She read a passage about how he had to sacrifice himself for his kingdom but didn't want to leave his queen behind. She thought of Draco. She ended the paragraph.

"He really does love you. You should hear the way he talks about you. I've never seen him in this state before. I always worried that he wouldn't know what love was. Lucius and I failed in that department when we raised him. We should've spent more time with him." Her eyes were glossy as she looked over at Hermione. "Children are the greatest gift there is. Promise me that when you are ready to conceive, you will love them with all your heart. It doesn't matter if you're a good or bad parent. Love is the most important thing." She reminisced about Draco as a child and felt regret. She wiped her eyes and left taking the book with her.