Chapter Twenty-One

Draco

Hermione and I sit in front of the fireplace in our common room, her head on my shoulder. I softly stroke her hair. For a while, I just enjoy the moment, pushing away the pain I have felt for so many days.

"Draco." She says, and I look down at her.

"Yes?"

She lifts her head off of my shoulder, looking me in the eyes. "McGonagall wants me to bring your memories back."

I close my eyes, take a breath, and ask, "Why?" I just wish I could put all of this behind me already.

"She wants to know who did it so she can report them to the Ministry," She tells me, "I was acting like I didn't want to do it because I didn't know if you wanted to remember... Harry got mad because he thought I was being selfish, but I didn't want to make a promise I wasn't able to keep. It's your business and I can totally understand if you wouldn't like to recall it."

"I suppose I don't really have a choice, do I? McGonagall would pull the Ministry into it if I said no. 'It could affect other people, Mr. Malfoy.' Might as well save the trouble and not fight with our headstrong Headmistress about it," She opens her mouth to argue, but I just scoot closer to her and say, "I'll do it. But let's start tomorrow. Right now, I just want to enjoy my time with you." She smiles and kisses me. "I love you, Granger, with everything that I am."

"I love you, too," She says, then narrows her eyes at me. "Last names again? Really?"

"I'm calling you by your last name as long as I can. Because one day, we'll share one." I smirk, and she blushes furiously with a wide smile. Hermione and I haven't been together long, but I already knew months ago that it was her. It had always been her, even when I couldn't see that. Everything that has ever happened has always pointed me to her, and nothing has ever been clearer to me than the fact that she is the one I want by my side. Forever.

"Oh, Malfoy," She laughs, "so charming."

"Of course." I smile, and she puts her head back on my shoulder.

The night passes quickly, and the fire diminishes. I hear Hermione's breath slow as she falls asleep; however, I have slept quite too much over the past few days, and I don't want to sleep now. The nightmares would undoubtedly haunt me.

I think back on them now, each one haunted by my father's face. He would look over me, constantly going on about what a disappointment I was, but that wasn't what he wanted me to hear. There were high-pitched screams in the background. I couldn't tell where they were coming from, but I knew who it was: Hermione. He knew that nothing he could do to me could hurt me more than what he could do to her.

* * *

Hermione

My eyes flutter open, and I look around, forgetting where I am for a moment. I realize I am in the Head Boy and Girl common room. I had intended to stop by the Gryffindor common room last night, but I had obviously forgotten. My head is on Draco's chest. I can feel the gentle rising and falling of his breath, and his steady heartbeat resonates in my ears, bringing a smile to my face. His healing arm is around my waist, and I realize that this is the happiest I've been in a very, very long time.

I hear voices on the other side of the wall, so I glance at the grandfather clock in the corner. It's breakfast time. For a moment I contemplate whether or not to wake Draco up, but then I realize he's barely eaten anything in days. He's had plenty of sleep, anyway.

"Draco," I whisper, placing my hand on the side of his face, "Wake up. It's breakfast time. You need to eat." His eyes drift open slowly, and I notice they are bloodshot, as if he has been crying. But when he sees me, he smiles.

"Good morning, beautiful," He greets.

"Good morning," I grin, "Come on, let's go to breakfast." I tug on his hand, but he doesn't budge. He just looks up at me with his piercing gray eyes.

"What is it, Draco?"

"I-I don't want to sit alone." He admits, looking down at his shoes as if he is ashamed.

"I'll sit with you. Let's go. It'll be okay." I say. He gives me a small smile and stands up beside me, grabbing my hand. We walk out of the door and into the corridor, where tons of people are drifting in the opposite direction of the Great Hall.

"What are they doing?" He asks, watching as each person passes.

"How could I have forgotten?" I ask myself, "It's Hogsmeade weekend. Do you want to go?"

"Honestly, I don't think it would be a-"

"It'll be good for you, Draco. We'll stop by the Great Hall just to eat a little something before we go. Okay?" I offer a gentle grin. He nods his head, and we walk hand in hand to the Great Hall.

Surprisingly, there are still quite a few people in there. Before we entered, the room was filled with conversations, but when we open the door, an eerie silence creeps over the students. People stares obnoxiously, whispering to their friends. I squeeze Draco's hand and lead him to the Gryffindor table, since the Slytherin students seemed to be incapable of restraining their rude gestures and words. We take a seat at the end of the table, where no one else is sitting. Harry and Ron notice my presence and come take a seat in front of us.

"Hey, don't eat!" Ron demands, yanking the bowl out of my hand. Draco jumps, obviously very anxious. I scoot closer to him.

Harry elbows Ron rather harshly and says, "Ron's just trying to invite the two of you to come and eat with us and Ginny at The Three Broomsticks once we arrive. But he seems incapable of normal human interaction." Ron pouts.

I laugh and respond, "Sure, we will." Draco looks at me, and I give him a comforting look.

"Let's go, then." Ron instructs, and we all rise from the table. Ginny joins us.

"Hello, Mal- Draco. Nice to see you're feeling better." Her attempt at being civil pleases me. I give her a discreet thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Ginny." Draco responds in a small voice. We all begin walking out of the castle. Draco and I lag behind a bit, allowing us to have a private conversation.

"Are you okay?" I ask him. Ever since we left the common room, he's been acting like a lost puppy.

"I'm fine," He answers, still looking down at his shuffling feet.

"Please, Draco, tell me what's upsetting you. You know you can tell me anything," I plead.

"Okay," He gulps, "I just feel so out of place. You have Potter and Weasley Six and Weasley Seven," I try not to laugh. Is that what he's always called them? "And who do I have? No one. No one but you. And in situations like this, it's usually a case of making new friends, but I can't when nobody wants to even to accept me..."

"But, Draco, you said it: you have me. And as long as you have me, you have Ron and Harry and Ginny, too. What's mine is yours. It may take you a while to warm up to each other, but you have them. This is what I was trying to show you when I accepted their offer of going to eat. They want to be friends."

"Do you really think so? Even after everything that has happened?" His voice wavers, and he sounds like a small child. Every ounce of Malfoy confidence has been taken from him.

"Things have a way of turning around. So, yes, I do believe that they have realized your transformation. They're making an effort to be friends." The corners of his mouth lift ever so slightly.

"I didn't think that anyone would ever forgive me, especially "

"Trust me, Draco, people have done far worse than you." We lock arms and catch up with the others.

About twenty minutes later, we're entering The Three Broomsticks. We're already having quite a pleasant time; laughing, joking around; an outsider would've thought that we've all been friends for years. The waitress leads us to a small table in the corner, beside the window. A group of older wizards walk past it, looking in nosily. Draco and I sit on one side, Harry and Ginny on the other. The waitress sticks an extra seat on the end for Ron. After she takes our order (writing Ron's down for almost five minutes on end), she walks away, leaving us to make a conversation.

"How's your arm, mate?" Ron asks Draco.

Draco contemplates his answer for a moment before he finally says, "It's healing. Doesn't hurt as much." He pulls his sleeve up, revealing the healing wound. Harry, Ron, and Ginny exchange glances. Finally, Ginny asks what they're all thinking:

"Is that where was? The Dark Mark?" She inquires, and Draco nods.

"Yes, but I feel that it's fitting that I don't have it anymore." He shrugs. I feel a tap on my shoulder, and I swiftly turn around. It's Professor McGonagall.

"Hello, Headmistress," I greet her, Draco pulls his sleeve down, and the rest of my group looks up attentively, "Can I help you with something?"

"Actually, yes. I have to meet with the Minister of Magic for a while..." She looks at Draco and back to me again. "Do you think you could assist Professor Flitwick with monitoring students behavior?"

I nod. "Yes, ma'am, of course."

"Thank you. You'll be outside, and it's brisk, so you may need a coat." She exits. Draco hands me his leather jacket.

"I'll be back soon," I tell the others before turning to Draco. "I love you." I lean down and kiss him, and for the first time, nobody says anything. I put on Draco's jacket before walking out of the door. McGonagall was right; it is very cold. Snowflakes begin gently falling. It's the first snow this winter.

For a while, I simply venture around, keeping my eye out for misconduct. My feet begin to tire, so I stop outside of Zonko's Joke Shop to rest. As soon as I do, I see a student flourishing their wand around, as if they're about to cast a spell. I rush over to them.

"Excuse me! You're not supposed to perform magic outside of Hogwarts!" I warn them, but they speed up in defiance. I run after them, weaving through people, mumbling a few 'pardon me's'. The student continues to attempt to avoid me. I follow them for quite a few minutes until they veer off into an alley, which is hopefully a dead end. I increase my speed despite my body's exhaustion. Finally, I'm within reach of the student.

"How dare you defy the Head Girl!" He looks at me darkly, and I recognize him, but for some reason, I can't connect his face to a name.

"That's the least of your worries." He walks back into the sea of people, and before I can look around to find him, I feel a sharp pain in my head. My knees suddenly give in, and I feel a strange sensation, as if my soul is drifting away from my body; until finally, I don't feel, see, or think anything.