Love Thy Enemy (Finished)

Finding a Cure

"Nothing, sorry. I'll see you later," I say, letting go of her wrist. After a few seconds, she nods and then leaves. I lay back against the pillows and resume my examination of the stone ceiling. It isn't until much later that I realize the cold, hollow feeling has changed. I can still feel the emptiness, but now there is a spark of warmth in my chest that wasn't there before. Maybe I didn't imagine the flame in my blood. I can't remember much about the last few months, but something tells me I have seen those glistening brown eyes staring back at me before.

Hermone

"Ginny, what am I going to do? He doesn't remember our relationship at all," I tell her as we sit on my bed. I went and found her at lunch and told her what happened. She decided to come to my room and skip her afternoon classes to keep me company.

"I'm not sure. Love potions are always different, as are their affects.Did McGonagall have any suggestions?" asks Ginny. She is lounged next to me, her shoulder pressed against mine.

"No," I begin, but then I remember sitting in McGonagalls office waiting for her. The stress over Draco had temporarily pushed the thought from my mind, but now my conversation with Dumbledore comes back. "But Dumbledore did," I say, sitting straight up.

"Wait, Dumbledore gave you relationship advice?" asks Ginny.

"He said the real love, true love, is much more powerful than the fake love of a potion," I tell her.

"And what does that mean?" asks Ginny?

"It means I know what to do," I say, finally feeling a spark of hope.

"And what is that pray tell?" asks Ginny.

"I have to make Draco fall in love with me again. And I think I know how," I say excitedly. This has to work, I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't.

Draco

I am released from the hospital wing the next morning. I head to my room, grab my book bag and head to class. Every time I see Hermione all day, I feel the same tightening in my chest and when I watch her walk away, I can feel the emptiness throbbing. I don't know what it means, and I try to ignore it. But it is hard. I find myself seeking her out, not to talk to her, but just trying to keep her in my sight. I also notice her looking at me a lot more often than she used to. She looks at me out of the corner of her eyes, watching my movement. Her gaze makes me feel strange. It is like a tingling has spread under my skin.

Even now, I watch her as she eats her dinner. She is talking to Ginny. She looks happy, but I can sense her nervousness. She is fidgeting and she has hardly touched her food. But my examination is disrupted my someone wrapping an arm around my shoulder and swinging around to sit in my lap. It is Nicola. She pulls me closer and kisses me, shoving her tongue into my mouth. I quickly grab her shoulders and shove her away, but not before I notice the lack of heat that Hermione's kiss contained.

"What the hell are you doing?" I ask, not so gently shoving her off my lap. She loses her balance and falls off my lap to the floor, landing hard on her butt. 

"Why are you pushing me away? You seemed to like my kisses earlier today, and more," she says standing up and brushing off her robes while trying to ignore the laughter of the students around us.

"All thanks to your potion. Now unless you want to be cursed into oblivion, I suggest you get away from me," I say through clenched teeth.

"You wouldn't curse me in front of all of these students, not to mention the teachers," she sneers and I snap. I whip out my wand and jump up. I see the shock on her face just before I have her pinned against the wall. My forearm is across the upper part of her chest, restraining her and my wand is pointed right at her face. I see a couple teachers standing to interfere, but McGonagall looks at them and shakes her head. She looks back at me, her thin lips pulled down in a slight frown. She is giving me the chance to get my revenge.

"I don't think you realize just how much I hat you Nicola. Had this happened last year, I wouldn't have hesitated to kill you where you stand. But I am not that boy anymore. I will not kill you. But if you come near me again, I will curse you with everything I have," I tell her quietly so the spectators watching so avidly won't hear. I am so focused on controlling myself that I don't even notice her approach until her hand is on my shoulder.

"Don't Draco, she isn't worth it." I turn my head to see Hermione watching me with sadness filling her eyes.

"This doesn't have anything to do with you Hermione," I say, still holding Nicola against the wall.

"Actually, it has everything to do with me. She isn't worth it Draco, don't let her ruin the good man you have become. Don't let her make you loose yourself," says Hermione and then she turns and leaves the Great Hall. I watch her walk away, her words spinning through my head. When I turn back to Nicola, she is sneering.

"You know what, you deserve the filthy mudblood. I don't know why I ever wanted you," she says, but only one part of her comment makes it through to me.

"What do you mean I deserve her? I don't have anything to do with her," I snap and she just laughs.

"Not anymore," she laughs.

"Tell me what you mean!" I demand and sparks fly from my wand, singing her eyebrow and stinging her over the eye.

"I added a forgetfulness potion to the Amortentia, you figure out the rest," says Nicola angrily. For a minute everything that has happened spins around before finally falling into place. But one piece of the puzzle stands out more than any other. 

"I have been dating Hermione," I say.

"Finally figured that out have you. Too bad you can't remember your relationship. Sucks for you," she says. I have had enough of her mouth. Without saying a word, I wave my wand and point it straight at her mouth. In a flash of green light, her mouth disappears and the skin from her nose to her chin flows uninterrupted. Her hands fly to her face as the people around us roar with laughter. 

I take a peek at Professor McGonagall who looks back at me and gives a slight nod, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. With that, I spin and head out of the Great Hall to catch Hermione.

Hermione

I sit by the fire in our common room, waiting for Draco to return. My plan is crazy and it may not work. In fact, it may just freak him out and push him even further away from me. But I have to try something. Absently, I run my fingers over the metal locket hanging from my neck. It has warmed from the heat of my body, but the bubble inside is uninterrupted. I stare at the world inside, remembering the swim with Draco, the world we discovered.

I am so focused that I almost miss my chance. I barely have time to stand before Draco walks into the room. He starts to say something, but I don't give him the chance. Instead, I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around him and smashing my lips against his. This has to work, it is the only hope I have left.