Memories - Dramione story

Chapter 9

Draco's POV

We sat in the library in silence for a little while, looking at each other as if we were about to duel. Finally, she broke the silence.

«Why did you make these clues for your own self?» she asked.

«I don't know», I answered, trying to tell as least information as possible.

«What do you mean you don't know? How can you not know?» she questioned, a little bit of impatience and irritation in her voice. 

«According to Blaise, I obliviated myself», I said turning my head away to look at a book nearby that suddenly seemed very interesting, hoping she would understand that this subject didn't interest me.

Silence. More silence.

«So you know nothing?» she said with even more irritation in her voice. 

I just stared at her, impassive. 

«There is something else,» she stated, her eyes showing me that she was sure of herself. 

Her eyes. Brown eyes. When sunlight fell on them, they looked like gold had been added into them. Like honey had been added to the brown of her eyes. 

«361», I said.

«What?» she asked, looking confused.

«361», I repeated. «It's also something Blaise had told me. I don't know what it means. He doesn't know either», I finished.

«Thanks» was her last word before she went away. I felt sad. Sad that we couldn't be friends. Sad that we couldn't talk to each other normally. Because I knew deep down that I loved her more and more. 

Hermione's POV

I walked away from him, getting further and further. I felt bad about what I had done. Bad about having to force him to admit things. Bad about having to talk to him that way. 

Each time I took a step further away from him, I felt like my heart broke more and more. I felt emptier and emptier. Still, I continued going further. What could I do? I couldn't come back. It hurt to know I couldn't come back. Like if someone moved a knife in a wound. 

I came into the dorm and sat on my bed. I looked at my edition of The Tales of Beedle The Bard for a moment before taking it. It made me feel slightly better. I started to leaf through the book, not having anything else to do to distract my mind. I watched as the pages paraded in front of my eyes before they stopped, exposing the inside of the back cover of the book. 361. 361 was engraved in the back cover. My heart skipped a beat. 

Maybe it was a coincidence... it couldn't be related to Malfoy's clues. Why would it be? I looked at the book, doubtful, before taking out my wand. «Aparecium», I pronounced. Suddenly, I felt pain on my finger. Taking my hand from beneath the book, I noticed that a little drop of blood formed on the tip of my index finger. The word Gringotts appeared on the cover. Written in my own handwriting. It wasn't a coincidence.

I bolted up, getting out of the dorm and heading back to the library, hoping that Malfoy would still be there. But why would he? 

As I got through the entrance of the library, I saw him sitting where I left him about half an hour ago. Relief rushed through me. Almost running, I got to the table. He raised his head to look at me.

«Granger, you're getting really annoying», he said, his eyes beginning to show anger. 

I put the book in front of him, pointing at the word that had appeared minutes ago. He looked at it. At first, he looked surprised, but it quickly transformed into disbelief. 

«Haha, how funny,» he said sarcastically before returning his attention to his homework.

«It's not a joke», I said, perfectly serious.

He took the book from my hand, before looking at me. He knew. He knew I wasn't lying. I could see it. 

«Why in this book?» he asked, looking confused but calm.

«I don't know. Dumbledore gave it to me. Through his testament», I specified.

«What exactly happened?» he asked.

I explained to him everything in detail. The number that was written on the cover. The spell I had cast. My finger being stabbed. Blood... It was probably sealed with blood. The same question remained in my head: why? And why did I have clues similar to Malfoy's in my book, that Dumbledore had left me? Why didn't I remember writing in this book, and, moreover, making a clue? 

«Is there something you know that could be related to this?» Malfoy asked, looking at me with piercing grey eyes.

I thought. I thought for a long time, running through each one of my memories that could be related to this. I found it. It was so obvious, but I couldn't have made the connection before.

«There is something. I used a bewitching charm on my parents some time ago to protect them during the war. When I came back to reverse the charm, it didn't work. The bewitching charm, opposed to the memory charm, isn't supposed to be irreversible», I said, feeling like I found something important.

His expression suddenly changed. For the first time of my life, I saw him bearing a look that clearly expressed compassion. 

«Sorry, I didn't know», he told me. I could see that he meant it. Malfoy had changed. More than I thought he had.

«It's okay. At least we found something. There probably is a link between the clues and this charm» I said, excitement rising in me. What if I could restore my parents' memory?

«Well, I guess we're stuck together then», he said, sighting. When I looked at him though, he looked like if he was... happy? No... Why would he?