BANALITY : Draco Malfoy

55

Draco lies with me in bed in the morning. My cheek lies on the soft fabric of the jumper I gave him. As he breathes, I feel us move in sync. Soon, Luna will arrive. If the potion with the augurey tears doesn't work, I might be sent away to another continent, alone, where my headaches will get worse. Since being here, my brain has been doing much better. I still struggle, but not as much. Even just relearning the magic I used to know has fixed a part of me. Returning the memories of Marty, the memories of Draco, would fix it. I am sure.

"I can't stay for much longer," he says. I assume he says this because he is going to help Luna and Hermione soon. Perhaps he means he cannot stay by my side when I am sent away. I do not know and frankly, I do not want to know.

"What time is it?" I ask.

He shrugs, "I wish I hadn't gotten rid of that muggle watch."

I hadn't noticed that he hasn't been wearing it. Although, I suppose I haven't had any need to tell the time since we've gotten here. Until now, time has mostly been meaningless. It happens around me but not within me.

"You keep everything," I point out.

"Well, I was used to growing up in a manor," he says. "I had space for everything. I just didn't need the muggle objects, like the watch."

"Did you keep the book I got you?" I ask. "The muggle one?"

He nods his head.

At least I have that.

We last another ten minutes in bed, our bodies pressed together collecting each other's warmth. December will be here in less than a week, so I suppose I could expect it to get colder if I were to stay. When Hermione knocks on the door, he gets up and begins to get dressed.

If I get my memories back, they will keep me here and Draco will go to Azkaban. If I do not remember, Draco might come with me to Canada, but there is no guarantee. Each fate sounds worse than the last. I wish I could return to the half-life I lived in Inverness.

No one here has a telephone, let alone a computer. I could not send Ali, Amanda, Niamh, or Graham an update if I had even thought to give them one right now. I would have the time to draft one now. All there is to do while Draco, Luna, and Hermione prepare the potion is to wait. I try to play the cello, and I want to use the oil pastels, but I can't. I keep myself peeled away from the books I have collected, since reading about magic is only going to keep me more anxious.

Harry and Ron arrive through the Floo while I am reading 1984. I hate the book, but it is at least something to distract me. Over the course of the afternoon, I managed to get through thirty pages. I want to bash my head against the fireplace before they arrive. Instead, I take the opportunity to help Harry with the meal for us all.

They think that if I eat, the potion will absorb faster, and we will see the results sooner.

Time goes far too quickly while I am cooking. We make mashed potatoes and vegetables and chicken, which ought to take longer than they do. The sound of Ginny coming through the Floo comes before I was expecting it. I keep staring at the clock, watching the hands tick with a speed that I thought was impossible. Usually, when I am forced to wait, I feel like I'm in limbo. Well, waiting provides no escape. Now, I am running away from Heaven. I suppose it could be Hell.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and I are at the table waiting before the others have come up from the potions room in the basement.

"Eat now," Harry gestures to me. "It's best to get it over with."