Hiraeth // draco malfoy

TWENTY

flickering memories

"Draco!" The voice called out, running through the Hogwarts halls in approach to a young, less matured Draco Malfoy. Her long brown hair flew over her shoulders, revealing the green and silver tie on her chest. "Where do you think you're going without me?" She smiled, slipping her hand in his.
"You were taking too bloody long. The match is starting." Draco scoffed at her with a smirk.
"And how many times have I been stuck waiting on you to finish your hair?" She joked back and he nudged her playfully. He scoffed at this, but smiled, as he gazed down at the young girl, watching as she slipped her hand in his and intertwined their fingers.

***

Then, a vision of Pansy laying her head on the girls lap, as the girl played with her hair. They were best friends. And they were inseparable. "Bloody hell, Ophelia, give it a rest." Pansy scoffed. "It's a good thing you quit quidditch because it's not even remotely interesting!"
"Please, it's more fun than spending the day with you lot, that's for sure." Ophelia joked in response. Draco chuckled, as Blaise handed him a glass of firewhisky they had snuck in from Hogsmeade.
"Please, Ophelia, you love us." Theo joked, stealing a chocolate frog that someone had left on the mantel above the fireplace.
"Only because I'm forced to." Ophelia snapped back.

***

The Great Hall, this girl named Ophelia, stood talking with a few Gryffindors, laughing and smiling. She was friendly with everyone. Too friendly sometimes, causing Draco's jealousy to burn within him. He hated her friendships with blood traitors and mudbloods, but he loved her. So he was forced to tolerate it. "Opheliaaa!" Fred Weasley's voice rang out in a sing-songy tone, as he handed her a drink.
"This better not have firewhisky in it." She glared at him.
"Where's the fun in that?" He joked as George stood behind him, chuckling to himself. Draco's knuckles clenched his carving knife tighter.
"It's seven in the bloody morning, you knob!" She laughed, nudging him playfully, before glancing at Draco and waving with a smile.

***

Hogsmeade. Draco and her held hands walking down the snowy walkway. Snowflakes had been tangling themselves within her hair, and her eyes that pooled with a dark brown, had the sun reflecting out of them. "I love you, Draco Malfoy." She beamed up at him, and he could feel heat rise in his cold body.
"I love you, Ophelia Pierce." He said in response.

***

Potions class. A potion nearly exploding in her face, but Draco quickly shoved her out of the way to protect her. Blaise laughing at the mess all over his face.

***

Then, Ophelia cursing out Crabbe and Goyle for being prats as usual, while Pansy and Theo told them off behind her.

***

Ophelia telling Draco to knock it off with being so cruel to others.
—And Ophelia leaving him for a few months because of it.

***

But then, reconciliation. The two were back together, happier than ever, despite the fact that he was now a death eater. She fully supported him. "You had no choice, Draco." She whispered as he let out silent sobs in the room of requirement, with his head laying gently in her lap and she stroked his hair, in comfort. "You're not evil. You're doing the best you can with this shitty life you've been given." She whispered again as his eyes closed.

***

Their first kiss.
Their first time.
The Yule Ball.
Quidditch matches,
sneaking off at night,
jealousy over the attention she got from other guys.
And their love for one another.

***

And then, Ophelia. Her face in full view, smiling up at him, but he watched as she slowly faded away, her hand extended outward. And then suddenly, she was completely gone. Erased from his memories. Only a black pit left in her place.

It all came rushing back to him like a heat wave.

"Ophelia—?" Was all Draco could manage to say as he stared over at his aunt in almost a look of horror.

"It's a lot to take in, I know." Andromeda agreed, handing him a cup of tea which had gone cold.

"She's—,"

"A witch. Yes. And her parents were as well. The Pierce family were purebloods. As far as anyone knows, their family died with their daughter, Ophelia. Or as you know her, Dru." Draco rubbed his head, not comprehending what was being said. But it all made sense now. The sense of familiarity they felt with one another. The reason their attraction was so strong. The fact that he couldn't resist her, even with her being a muggle— or so he had thought. He finally understood everything. "When the war began, and Dumbledore was slain, her parents cast a very powerful spell, causing everyone she had ever loved or been friends with to forget of her existence. They snuck her to New York, erasing her memories as well, and went back to London to lend their hand in the fight against the dark lord."

"What happened to them?" Draco placed his head in his hand.

"They were killed. And I had made a promise to her mother, Lucinda, that I would care for her. So for a while, I stayed in New York with her, being known as Aunt Annie. About six months and then when she turned 18, I had to return back here to care for Teddy. So my visits became limited with her. But then he grew more powerful, and it wasn't safe for Teddy and I to travel there anymore. So we had to stay in the country. Her parents would have done anything to keep her safe, and so they did."

"And Dru and I?" His voice was weak, and his heart was beating louder and harder by the second.

"You two had been together since your very first year at Hogwarts, as you seemed to piece together from that potion. She kept you in line, and brought a sense of kindness out of you." Andromeda laughed. "Her being a Slytherin came as a shock to everyone, but she's hard headed, and very ambitious, so it made sense in retrospect."

"I just—, she still doesn't know?"

"No." Andromeda shook her head. "You can keep this vile. Give it to her and whoever else and they all should take a drop. Their memories will return as yours did. But be very cautious on who you choose to know. She wont be safe if word gets out amongst your crowd. You will gain even more memories over the course of the next few nights, so be prepared and mindful of that."

"Goyle!" He had a realization. "Goyle, he knew. He showed up at my flat in an attempt to assassinate me, and so Pansy tortured him a bit and when he saw Dru, he called her Ophelia."

"Only her close friends were able to be obliviated. Acquaintances or others all were told that she had died, so her face may still be recognizable." Andromeda repeated. "You must never bring her here, Draco. She may be older, and she may have changed, but there's still that chance that she could be noticed, as Goyle seemed to do so. And then, who knows what they'll do to her." Andromeda shook her head, sadly.

"I need to get back to her." He stood to his feet abruptly. "I have to give this to her. She has to know." Andromeda nodded, in agreement. He was feeling an array of emotions. Happiness, for the fact that she's so much more than he even knew, but also fear. Because now, he had to protect her more than anything. "Thank you, Aunt Andromeda. You have no idea how much this has helped me." He pulled his aunt in for a hug, before walking out to the street and apparating home. Even with as fast as apparating was, it still wasn't fast enough. He had to see her and tell her everything.

Landing on his feet in his own flats bedroom, he looked around, not being able to hide his smile. "Dru?" He called out. No response, as he exited to the living room. "Dru!" He shouted again, before noticing his apartment was disheveled and it didn't take long for him to spot the kitchen knife laying on the floor. Walking over, and reaching down, he picked it up to only realize that this, was a sign of self-defense. She was gone. And something had happened.