She & Him

Part 40: Breaking All The Rules

What a horrible thing to watch.

To have to witness all that abuse and neglect at such a young age.

To never know what love really is.

I thought I knew what pain was, but after watching Leo's memories- I just can't fathom it.

He fell asleep after a morning like that. The April showers hitting the roof and lulling him to sleep in on the living room couch: Draco and I quietly stand watch around the kitchen island- sipping coffee and just quietly taking everything in.

"Can we obliviate them?" Draco quietly asks as he stares off into the living room.

"All his memories? Doesn't that change who he is though? Like won't he be different because of it?"

"Better than him being scared for his life. That woman murdered his father and abandoned him. Don't you think a three year old deserves a better life than those horrible memories."

"I do- but how can we change them for the better? There was no substance there? Nothing to work off of." I state. It's one thing if the foundation was laid out- where we can mend and twist happy memories over the horrible ones to make a believable reality for him, but he had none of that.

"Then...then we'll erase them all together and start him over."

"With what?" I ask frustratedly.

"With...with us."

"Are you insane?!" I stand up straight and look at him acting as if his suggestion was reasonable.

"We love him- we do. We both want him and want what's best for him. Well, all we have to do is obliviate his old memories of his shit parents- and make news ones with us."

"What about the social worker? What about everyone who knows him and us?!"

"Wiping their memories and altering them is easy. When she comes Wednesday- we'll obliviate her- she'll wipe the records and that'll be it."

"What about the cops? What about the mother?!"

"The cops will have forgotten anyway- it's out of their hands now. And the Mum...if we ever run into her- she's done for anyway. She didn't care enough to keep him: why should she have the memory of him?"

"Neighbors- the father: a missing boy is a serious thing, Draco."

"No one will question it and if they do- we'll remove him from their thoughts."

"And our friends? My parents. Don't you think they'll be curious as to how we so easily acquired a child?"

"They'll understand and if they don't then..."

"No! Obliviate got everyone to stitch together a fantasy is not the way we handle things." His eyes narrow and he clenched his cup.

"That woman will take him away and put him in the system. People will take advantage of a free check that follows behind his placement. I will not have him taken advantage of when we both know where he belongs and we have the means to provide for him." Sighing, I rub my hands over my face and push my hair back. "Hermione...darling: if you really love me and wish me to understand that- then you should have enough faith and trust in me to do this."

"It's a crime, Draco. Not only in our world, but the Muggle world as well."

"It's for the greater good."

"It's for your benefit. So you can feel like you have meaning." I bite.

"It's for him!" He quietly booms. "I want him to have a good life. I want him to be happy and not scared of living life. He deserves happiness and if you think he can get that through that social worker- then you a living in a fantasy!"