Chapter 4

Draco woke up the next morning, slowly sitting up, and looking around the room. It was a weird experience to just not know. Although he didn't even know if it was weird. He stared at the wall and tried to repeat back to himself everything he had been told yesterday. He took a deep breath and felt something nuzzling against his neck. He turned, and saw the black owl, being loving and tender.

The blonde smiled slightly, "Hi Nox…" He said gently, rubbing its feathers.

He heard a person near him, "Draco? You know her name?"

He blinked, and looked towards her voice, tilting his head, "Yeah, you said it's my owl, and her name is Nox."

She stayed silent for a moment. "Draco, I never told you, her name. I told you Scotch and Severus's names…"

Draco looked back at the owl, "Is…Is this a good thing?"

Hermione laughed, "Yes!!! You remembered something!!"

He swung his legs out from under the covers, looking at his dogs and owl, and then at Hermione, who was already dressed, standing in the door.

"Draco, go ahead and get into the clothes I set out for you. I need to take you to work just for a little bit." She instructed, feeling like a mother, who was trying to take her kid to work.

Draco took a deep breath, and nodded, grabbing the clothes she had laid out and shyly walking into the bathroom. He could tell that it was a bit awkward to her, and he felt awkward as well, but he felt safer knowing that he at least has somebody to help him.

He pulled on his dress shirt, closing his eye as he slowly did up the buttons, pulling a tie around his neck, looping it, and he took a deep breath. This felt like a familiar process, as he pulled on a vest, and then dress pants, pulling on dress shoes, leaving his hair messy. He stayed in there for a while, trying to keep himself calm. Draco then opened the door and left the bathroom, going to find Hermione. She smiled at him, holding something towards him.

"I knew you would forget to grab it." She explained, as he took his wand, and she showed him the pocket in his pants for it.

"So, we're going into work. And just to let you know, you're not a chemist. You work for the Potions department at a massive Wizarding government building." She explained, leading him outside. "Luckily, we don't have to apparate to get there, we just have to walk to a telephone booth."

He looked a little confused, as they approached a red telephone booth in the middle of an alleyway, "This looks…...Dangerous."

She chuckled, "Don't worry. This is the guest entrance, but we can also use it. People will stare, be rude to you, but just ignore them, ok?"

He looked confused again but stepped into the red phone box with her as she turned the dial. 6-2-4-4-2.

A recorded voice spoke, and he listened closely. It seemed to just rattle on about not trying to attack or harm employees.

Draco looked out the window, watching cars roll by, lazily now ignoring the voice, until he heard something that made his head tilt to the side. 

"Thank you. Welcome. Draco. Malfoy." The voice said robotically. He stared at the machine for a good long minute, before Hermione waved something in his face, "You need to stick that into your pocket- Are you alright?"

He didn't look at her, still staring at the machine, "Yeah, I just…. I recognize that thing. When it said my name. It's familiar."

Hermione blinked and then smiled, "That's also very good. Ok. Don't freak out."

She pressed a button on the side of the box, and suddenly, it shot downwards. He grabbed onto her, "OH MY GOD-" Wrapping himself around her, she could feel him shaking, as his head pressed into her shoulder, hissing curse words.

It came to a stop, and she peeled his arms off her shoulders, "Calm down. We're getting out." Unlatching the door and stepping out, leading him out. He stared around, his eyes looking a bit hazy, and she grabbed onto his arm, "Draco? Hey. Focus on me. You can't let the memories come to you while we are walking. If they are scary, I don't want you to be surrounded by so many people. Come on." She started pulling him down the hall, towards elevators.

"Your lab should be cleaned and fixed by now. I'm not sending you to work, goodness that would be a bad idea, but maybe I can ask some of the investigators what may have caused the explosion." Hermione explained further as they stepped into the lift. She glanced at Draco, who was seemingly mesmerized by the memo notes flying above his head.

"Are you even paying attention to me?" She asked with an eyeroll.

"Wha-what? Oh y-yeah- "He mumbled, as she instructed for him to hold onto a handle. He looped his hand through it, just as the lift shot backwards and then up, going faster than anything he- Draco shook his head at the thought. Of course, it was faster than anything he could remember.

Draco grabbed tighter onto the handle, as the lift drew to a stop. Hermione led him out and into the hallway. It smelt like smoke. He stared around, eyes wide, as he took in the scenery.

The wall on the left was blackened, many empty panels in the wall, glass shattered around the floor. The closer he drew, the more smokey it smelt. He stared at it, and he had flashes come through his brain.

He blinked as a small memory flashed in his brain. A few test tubes in front of him on a plain white table. His own hand reaching out and turning on a fire to heat a large metal bowl. A weird hissing sound-

Draco took a step back, blinking. The memories then faded, and he had no recollection of what he had just seen. Hermione was in front of him.

"Draco? Are you alright?" She asked, waving in front of his face.

He blinked, "Y-yeah…. Is…Is this where it happened?" Draco muttered, walking closer, peering into the hazy lab. There was shattered glass everywhere, a few collapsed tables, blackened ceiling tiles, others destroyed, something that seemed to be the remnants of his desk….

"Yes…Your lab has a lot of work before it will be usable again…" Hermione explained, "How did you know?"

"Just a hunch…" His voice said, although he didn't recall wanting to say that. He was led through the halls beside Hermione, seeing numerous people's eyes lock onto him as he passed.

"Why do people keep staring…?" Draco muttered, glancing around and then back at her.

Granger smiled sightly, "The last thing people heard about you, was suddenly finding out that you worked here, and your entire lab exploded, and you were almost dead in Mungo's."

He tilted his head slightly, inclining it just a bit, before looking away, however she noticed that he drew slightly closer to her when more people walked close to him. Skittish. She had noticed he had become skittish.

"Alright. I need to check in with Harry-"

"That's the boy who was in the-"

"Let me finish." Hermione huffed, puffing a stray hair from her face. "Yes. Harry. The boy. We need to check with him and see if there were any casualties from the fire, and then go to my office and collect a few items. I'll be taking days off work to stay with you, as you can't be trusted in your lab yet-"

"I'm not incompetent-"

"Draco! Let! Me! Finish! Talking!" She snapped, raising her voice. He snapped his mouth shut.

"You don't remember anything!! You can't just start working!" She took a deep breath to calm herself, "I'm staying with you, so I know your safe, while we try and jog your memory...And for now, all I want you to do us focus on keeping yourself out of trouble, and if you feel like you recognize absolutely anything, tell me..."

Hermione walked on. He had to rush to follow, but he felt a hand wrap around his wrist, stopping 

He stopped short, staring straight ahead, "I recognize him...I don't like him..."

Hermione glanced ahead of her and felt her skin go cold, her heartbeat quickened, as she felt the blood rush out of her face. Draco had moved slightly and was now just a little in front of her, his eyes narrowed.

"I don't trust him..." He murmured, as Ron Weasley advanced towards them, down the hall, in the middle of the ministry.

Hermione couldn't figure out what to do, and in her fear, she clutched onto Draco, hiding behind him, feeling very insecure and scared. He was stiff, sturdy.

Draco's voice vibrated against her head through his ribs. "Stop walking." His voice commanding. Apparently, Ron did not stop, continued coming closer.

"Hermione...Go to your lab..." He murmured, slowly pulling her hands from his shirt, and he started to back up, "Hurry..."

She didn't go to her lab, but she did back up, away from the tall blonde, as his hands clenched into fists, "I told you to stop walking..."

"You don't even know who I am... Malfoy..." Ron snarled, getting in Draco's face. The boy didn't back down.

"I don't, you're right. Which makes me even more welcome to do this," Draco explained calmly. He stood still for a moment, before moving fast, pulling his fist back, and he punched Ron clean in the face, throwing the boy back a few feet.

"I did tell you to stop walking," he said quietly.

Ron got up, his nose bleeding profusely, "You're gonna pay for that!!" Running at Draco, who dodged, and grabbed his arms, throwing him against the wall.

"I lost my memory, not my strength." Draco said as he rolled his eyes. Ron rammed into him, and he skidded, pushing against him, as a punch slammed him in the jaw. He fell back a step, opening and closing his mouth. Hermione had never seen him like this before. His silver eyes turned a stormy grey, and his voice was low.

"You should have left when I told you to..." He hissed, and then he punched Ron in the jaw. Hermione heard the crack. He pulled back and grabbed the boy's shirt, and started punching him, hard, until people crowded around, pulling the two away. Draco had a large bruise blooming on his jaw, his skin going brown and purple. Ron had bruises everywhere.

Draco was panting, and felt fury exploding through him, uncontrollable anger. He didn't know why, but he was furious with this man, "YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!!" He bellowed, but his words were a bit jarred, as he yelled through his teeth, as people shoved him against the wall, holding him back, as people restrained Ron.

A woman called to Hermione, "This man isn't registered as a visitor. He broke in. And-"

She couldn't hear her anymore, her worries blossoming, seeing Draco, furious, but his fear was starting to become obvious. She pushed around a few people. "Let him go. He won't hurt anybody else." Coming to his side. She reached out, touching his arm.

"You need to calm down, ok? Thank you, for protecting me, but I'm not in danger." She assured him. "I'll get that bruise fixed up later..."

She shooed away the rest of the people around, insuring she would 'watch' him. She then pulled him into her office, making him sit down. His nose had started to bleed moments after getting punched. He kept pulling his head away when she tried to look at it.

"Stop moving- Drac- I have to look- Let me look at your- Drac-" He kept pulling away and leaning back until she grabbed his face, yanking it forwards.

She touched the bridge of his nose, and he made a sound in his throat, like a yelp, but he tried not to.

"He broke your nose, didn't he?" she muttered, more to herself than to him. "Ok. Hold this." She handed him a squishy animal, a fox. Something Luna had given her years ago. "Squeeze it if you need."

She aimed her wand towards his nose, "Episkey."

His knuckles turned white as he cried out, a loud crack sounding as his nose set back into place. She was glad that was a fake animal, otherwise it would have been dead from how tight he had wrapped his fingers around it.

Hermione smiled slightly, noticing that without his memories, he reminded her of his 11-year-old self. Very unsure, quiet, but loud and outraged if he was wronged....

"Are you ok...?" Her voice was nurturing and gentle. He wiped the blood away, nodding slightly. "Ok...Now let me look at your jaw. Can you open it?"

He shook his head, and she tilted her head, "That's why you were yelling through your teeth?"

He nodded. His jaw wasn't broken, it was just jarred, locked in place from a harsh impact.

"It's alright. I know an unsticking charm...But this will hurt worse than the nose..." His face went pale. He tried to get up, "No. I'm not letting you chicken out and walk around with a partially locked jaw!"

She made him tilt his head, and she murmured the charm. His mouth snapped open, and he sucked in a breath, his scream silent. She winced slightly, seeing how white his knuckles were.

"I'm sorry...It's better than letting your nose and jaw fix themselves..." She insisted. "You can sit here. This is my office. I just must grab a few small things and shut down a few items and then I'll take you back home...It's safer there. And-"

"Hermione!!!" Her door burst open as Harry almost fell in, "Ron- He arrived- my wards went off and-"

He froze, seeing Draco's half bloodied nose and bruised jaw. "Oh...He found you..."

"More like Draco found him...I think he's heading for Mungo's about now." Hermione muttered, grabbing a few pictures, turning off a few small lamps. "Draco can apparently fist fight well. Just a broken nose and locked jaw was all he got."

Harry glanced at Draco who seemed slightly smug about it.

"Careful Malfoy. Protecting her is one thing, but if you go too far, he will press charges, even if you are in the right." Harry warned, looking back at Hermione, and making sure she looked untouched.

"I'm making sure he can't get back in the ministry.... Gods the war really did a number on him..." And then gave Draco a kind head nod, a sign of gratitude, before leaving.

Hermione gathered everything into a box, and then flicked her wand, making a pop, as it disappeared. Draco's eyes were wide. She chuckled, slightly amused. It was kind of sweet? Adorable? Wait-

She shook her head, and made the thoughts fall to the back of her mind.

"Ok, I can apparate you now, although it may make you feel sick again. And then, the fun stuff. I'm going to try and re-teach you magic today." Granger explained to him, as she reached out and pulled him up. But first she checked his eyes, to make sure that the lockjaw hadn't hurt his brain.

"Alrighty..." She sighed, heavily, not sure what to say or do. She looked up at him and saw his eyes wandering.

"I want to go back to my lab..." He said suddenly, and turned, leaving the room. Hermione took a moment, trying to figure out what he was doing, and followed. It occurred to her that he knew the way, or at least he subconsciously did. She followed a few feet behind him, as he clambered through a broken window, and towards his old desk, in search of something. She stood a few feet away.

"Draco, what are you doing?" She asked after almost five minutes of silence.

"Searching...I just...Something was.... I remembered an animal...." He muttered, pulling open a drawer, and grinned. Inside were three squeaking, thirsty, hungry, perfectly safe guinea pigs.

Hermione smiled, as Draco stood up, but his smile faded, as he blinked a bit, tilting his head, "I... just completely forgot-" Looking down at the animals, and he looked confused, "Did you give them to me...?"

"I- Draco wh-what? You just sat here digging through- the rubble and pulled them out your desk..." Hermione said, slightly exasperated.

"No, I didn't- My desk? This is my desk?" He asked and looked at the destroyed metal.

She threw her hands up, more confused than ever, "Never- never mind! Just- Hold the animals...."

He closed his mouth, looking away, confused, as she led him from the room and through the lobby. Draco still was more than clueless about where the fuck Granger just found three guinea pigs and WHY she insisted he just pulled them out of a desk that is supposedly his own destroyed one.

As they walked, the only thing that made a shiver go down his spine, was when he realized that the lab he had just been standing in, was the remains of his own lab. The lab he had just been standing in was where he had almost died not even a day ago. It made his body shiver with nerves, but he didn't see the brunette witch eyeing him from just two feet away, wondering what was swirling through that closed off mind of his.

She walked him back to the entrance and passed through something. He felt a coolness wash down his back, and she stopped beside a fireplace.

"Why'd we stop?" He asked as she grabbed a handful of a creamy peach/almost grey dust and made him take some.

"You're going to attempt to use the floo system. Don't freak out. Step into the fireplace."

He shook his head, "I don't wanna."

"Step into the flames Draco."

"No."

"Draco, so help me I will throw you in there myself if you don't get in the damn fireplace!!" She yelled, causing people to look.

Draco got in the fireplace.

She took a deep breath and could see the look on his face was hurt, "Look, I'm sorry. I'm stressed right now. We'll talk when we get home. Now, throw the dust down into the flames, which you can now see, aren't burning you, and call out 14225 Chaling Road, ok?"

He took a deep breath, throwing it down, the flames growing around him and turning green. "I- 14225 CHALING ROAD-" And he disappeared in a massive burst of green flames. She smiled, knowing he had said it right.

"God help that boy..." She muttered, as she calmly stepped into the flames and said her house address, bursting into flames as well.

As her living room span into view and she stumbled out, she saw Draco, gently putting the three animals into a box, being surprisingly gentle. She watched, realizing he hadn't seen her, as Draco stood and walked to the room that she had shown him the day before. Hermione sighed.

"I said we were going to talk, Malfoy..." She grouched as she followed him. Hermione walked into the room and folded her arms. "What are you doing?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Laying down." He quipped.

"On my bed?" Looking him up and down as he lounged on her made bed.

"Seems so." He smirked, and for a moment, she was stuck. He looked...Quite handsome...

She took a deep breath and shook her head, "Get out of my bed."

"Mmmmm.... No." He quipped and got more comfortable. "You can join me though, if you want to have this talk."

Hermione blushed hard, "Out. Now."

"Noooope." He sing-songed, enjoying how her cheeks flushed when she got angry, liking the slight spark in her eyes at his defiance. "Make me."

She stormed over, and went to shove him, but he grabbed her arms, yanking her on top of him, "You failed."

She wanted to move, slap him, shove him, kick him in the groin. But then another part of her wanted to just settle down, and relax, let him hold her...

Her eyes widened, and she looked up at his smirking face, eyes wide. 'I'm attracted to Draco Malfoy...' was the only sane thought she had.

He was chuckling, "You've just gotten so red, Hermione-" Letting her wrists go, "I'm done teasing. You can get off now."

He smiled at her, a genuine one, but Hermione then said, "And if I don't?"

He rolled his eyes, "I know you don't want to. So fine. Get on with this ta...What...the hell are you doing?" As she laid her head on his chest, slowly, tentatively, gauging his response.

"It's something called a hug, Malfoy. You're my friend. Get used to it," she snapped.

"I know what a hug is!!" He snapped back, growing red in the face, "And this is not just any old hug!!" As he snapped at her, she looked up at him, and raised her voice slightly.

"Why can't you accept me being nice!?"

"I can!!! You're being weird!! The last time you even touched me, you punched me in the nose!!"

"That was almost 9 years ago!! GET OVER IT!!" She yelled, and he opened his mouth to respond.

Draco just rolled his eyes, and grabbed her head, and shoved her face into his dress shirt against his chest, as she tried to yank away. He smirked, as she finally relented, giving up, and moved her head a bit, so her cheek was against him. Her head raised, so she pressed her face into his neck. He felt something and gasped loudly when he realized it was her teeth, her lips. He gritted his own teeth, refraining from the very strange sound bubbling in his chest, and then she bit his shoulder. He made a slightly muffled 'hmph' to cover the once again, strange sound bubbling. She pulled away, and then she laid back against his chest, with a heavy sigh, as Draco swallowed heavily.

"Fine…You win." She said breathlessly.

"I always win..." Was his clever remark.

Hermione then sat up, unaware that she was promptly straddling his waist. "Wait…Draco you just…You just remembered that I punched you in third year!!"

His eyes widened, as he tried to recall the memory, "I…Yeah, I just said that…But I can't remember a single thing."

She sighed, and glanced around the room, before looking back at him, "That's happened twice in one day…." She studied his face, and sighed, rubbing her eyes. She felt exhausted, not sure why, but then Draco noticed.

"Hermione? You should go to sleep. I know it's early, but if I'm right, you haven't stopped moving for a while." He said gently, and he smiled gently.

Hermione yawned slightly, and Draco repositioned, so she was easily able to get comfortable. He watched as she slowly settled down, her head tucked against his chest, under his chin. He didn't touch her, keeping his arms laying by his sides on the bed, as she settled.

He was unsure what this was…Friends? Friends with benefits? A relationship? Her being scared for his life and just wanting to be around him. Did she…Like him?

Draco sighed, pushing these thoughts away. Day one. This was day one of merlin knows how many, and this was what was happening. "Are you awake…?" He asked gently.

"Maybe." Came her quieter response.

"What are we…?" Draco mumbled against her head.

"Honestly…? I have no idea…" Hermione whispered, her voice gentle and sleepy.

"And are you ok with that…? Having no idea…?" He asked

"Draco…I only got to know you two days ago…But I do have a lot of trust in you, with or without your memories. So yes, I am perfectly ok with no knowing…" She responded

Silence rang for almost twenty seconds, then, "Go to sleep…" She mumbled, her arms hugging him, and he instinctively flicked his wrist, and the lights in the room went out. Hermione said nothing, but a smile broke over her face as she felt him drift into a deep slumber.

"You're still in there somewhere…" She whispered against his chest, and then let herself fall asleep on her coworker's chest.

The two slept soundly through the night.