The sun flickered on Dracos' face, he opened his eyes to find himself sitting by the green grass while his head was painfully leaning against the big rock.
"Ugh bloody hell." He lifted himself and sighed in relief when he felt his and Hermiones' wand inside his robes' pocket.
"Malfoy!" Blaise ran toward his direction, he paused for a minute to relax his breathing.
"What is it Zabini?" He asked impatiently.
"G-Granger... I-in the hospital--" but Draco already push him aside and sprint inside the castle. "Malfoy!" He then ran next to him.
Draco almost fly to reach the hospital wing taking three steps at a time. Fuck! Fuck! He surprisingly came faster as the adrenaline took place. He burst open the door, he instantly saw the brown haired witch lying by the nearest bed.
"What happened?!" He asked exasperatedly.
"Relax Mr. Malfoy, we've checked her.. She's completely fine." Madam Pomfrey said.
Draco sat at the armchair next to her bed, her eyes were closed and her breathing was stable. The knot in his heart slowly vanished when Hermione opened her eyes slowly.
"Hermione! H-how are you?" He remove some strand of her hair from her face before pressing his lips on her forehead for a brief moment.
"We found her in the abandoned bathroom on the third floor, unconscious." Professor McGonagall said from behind.
Draco didn't look at the headmistress instead he continued to look at Hermione with the same worried expression.
"Hermione how are you feeling?" He asked.
"I-I'm okay Draco... I just... I don't remember how I came in that place, I never been there in my entire life." Hermione said, Madam Pomfrey raise her brow to the witch which she didn't notice.
"You're looking for Potter right? Maybe you slipped on the wet floor and lost your consciousness." Draco conclude instantly.
"I must inform you that there's no damage or bruises found in any part of her body Malfoy." Madam Pomfrey interrupted.
There's a moment of silence before Hermione lift her head and looked at Draco then to Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall.. He opened her mouth and asked with the same puzzled expression. "Who is Potter, Draco?"
His mouth fell open, his gaze turned to Madam Pomfrey questioningly. The old lady shook her head, completely had no idea if Hermione was only fooling them.
"Harry Potter of course, who else it'll be?" Draco said.
Hermione looked at him confusedly, she tried so hard to remember something about the person he's talking about, but she just couldn't. "Ah!" She grasped her head as a stinging pain suddenly strike.
Madam Pomfrey poured a potion from the phial and hand it on Hermione. "Drink this, it'll soothe the pain."
Draco assist her shaking hand until she drank the potion, he helped her lie against the white pillow and covered the blanket on her body. "Rest, Hermione." He squeezed her hand gently and leave a quick peck on the cheek.
"If you excuse us Miss Granger." McGonagall said, Hermione nodded before closing her eyes.
They go outside of the infirmary and close the door behind them. Draco was the first to speak, "what's happening to her?"
"Poppy?" McGonagall shoot the same confused look on the nurse.
"I have a conclusion that maybe her head hit on a solid material so hard that she'd lost some of her memory." Madam Pomfrey said.
"You said you didn't find any damage!" Draco exclaimed.
"Yes, I did. But what if someone already find her and mend the injuries before we came? Healing spell could only cure external fractures." The old witch said, her eyes were continuously gazing on the close door then to the two person in front.
"But why would they leave her there?" Draco asked, his head was aching in so much blurred presumption of the nurse.
"I don't know Mr. Malfoy but I hardly advice that we must ask a healer from St. Mungos to check on her." Madam Pomfrey said.
"I'll owl them immediately, you can stay with her Mr. Malfoy. I only wish her intelligence were still preserve." McGonagall said, a trace of fear in her face as she tapped Draco on the shoulder before heading back to her office.
***
Hermione opened her eyes, she smiled when her eyes met the blond wizard. Dracos head was resting on his arms just beside her, he's sitting on the wooden armchair as her shoulder rose and fell gently. His eyes immediately shoot open when he felt the very faint movement of Hermione.
"Hermione! D-do you need something? Water, food?.. Are you hungry?" Draco was about to stand up when Hermione clutched her arms at the hem of his jumper.
"Just stay by my side Draco." She sounded more like begging, Draco give in and get her hand from its grasp on his jumper and interlaced it on his own.
"As long as you want me to." He squeezed her hand tightly and place a quick kiss there.
The couple wasn't aware of the bright green eyes that's secretly watching them from behind the glass window. Harry was floating in the midair while sitting on his firebolt. He wanted to be there and make sure she's fine, but of course he had a hundred percent trust to himself that he'd managed to perform the spell properly.
He modified her memories with him and replaced it with Malfoy. He can't risk to just remove it because there's so much important details that she can't lose, especially her exceptional knowledge about everything.
"Hermione, do you remember anyone with you in the girls lavatory before you lost your consciousness?" Draco asked, Harry listened eagerly.. Just in case Hermione did remember anything.
"I... I gone to girls lavatory?" She asked with no trace of pretending.
"Yes, They found you lying by the floor. Hermione you need to tell me what happened." Harry had a strong desire to hex Malfoy at that very moment, he should let her rest instead of forcing her to remember anything 'cause she couldn't and will never can.
"As I recalled.. I am with you for our N.E.W.Ts review.. You disappeared and.. That's all... I woke up here in hospital wing." Hermione said, Harry sighed in relief.. at least the spell worked well.
"No.. You said you're going to--"
"Draco stop! Stop okay?.. I know what I said and what I did. Now, can we just leave this place so I can review in Arithmancy? Our examination will be next week for Merlin's sake!" Hermione exclaimed which made Draco startled again.
"You know!.. Our examina--"
"Of course I know! What do you think of me? An old woman with Alzheimer disease?" Hermione rolled her eyes, Harry wanted to laugh at the sight of his best friend.
"That's my girl." He muttered under his breath, he flew back to the school ground throwing the invisibility cloak to himself.
He sat at the nearby bench and unfold another parchment from his pocket. This one's telling him to apparate at the Grimmauld place as soon as possible, but he can't leave until the healer came to check for Hermione and until he's sure that she's perfectly fine.
He walked inside the castle, passing through the noisy great hall. All the students were oblivious of the wizard passing beside them, he heard the usual worried fuss from the Gryffindors table and some curious glare from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws. Some Slytherins were also keen to know what happened to Hermione Granger and to sudden disappearance of Harry Potter.
But none of the stories he accidentally overheard were close to the truth so far, Parvati and Lavender Brown were insisting
that they saw Harry leaving with a mysterious witch last night. He rolled his eyes and grabbed a sandwich before heading to McGonagall's office.
He didn't wait so long when he heard the usual noise from the fireplace when someone's using the floo network. He grasped the cloak tightly until the healer along with the headmistress emerged from the wooden door.
They came at the hospital wing, Malfoy and Madam Pomfrey walked out of the place to let the healer do his job. However, Harry stayed inside with her.
The healer was muttering some complicated incantation while his wand was pointed on Hermione's temple. After about ten minutes, the healer stood up and stared at the brunette witch who's still in a deep slumber. He shook his head and caress the nape of his neck, a mix of disappointment and confusion were etched across his face.
Harry was sitting at the bed next to Hermione. When the healer's gone, he quickly jump off and remove the cloak from his body and sat beside the sleeping Hermione.
"I'm so sorry mione.. But I know you'll understand soon. I have to do this, it's for you.. I love you." He pressed his lips at the top of her forehead.
***
"What do you mean someone obliviated her?" Draco asked exasperatedly running his fingers through his messy blond locks.
"I told you, however, she'd just lost a particular memory which I couldn't figure out and no one will. The caster must want her to forget a specific events of her life and replaced it with a fake ones. Her intelligence were intact and her brain's still functional as it used to be. There's nothing to worry about, she's still the brightest witch of her age. Whoever cast the spell, he or she must've great experience on complicated spell.. Hermione couldn't remember anything about this man, not anymore." The healer explained, there's a moment of deafening silence between the four before Draco broke the silence.
"I guess.. We all know who's her obliviator." He said in a cold voice, glancing at the headmistress's direction who just nodded her head in agreement.
"You can send her to St. Mungos for further check ups.. If you really want her to recover her lost memory, maybe there's something we can actually do but it'll took years... Many years I guess." The healer said that only made the situation worst.
Draco has no plan of sending her anywhere, "If the caster want her to forget everything about this man.. Then let it be, that's his choice." He throw a brief glance to the two old woman with square spectacles.
"I need to talk to someone, Mr. Gruns?" McGonagall turned to the healer, he just nodded and followed the old witch back to her office.
"I'll just go to Professor Sprout for some healing ingredients." Madam Pomfrey said as she too vanished from sight.
Draco sighed deeply, he pushed the door carefully. Hermione was still sleeping at the white mattress. His gaze turned to another bed, his eyebrows furrowed when he saw a sudden movement of the bedsheet. He sat at the armchair next to Hermione, he draw his wand from his pocket and murmured a silent muffliato around her.
His silver eyes were almost burning in anger as he turned back and points his wand on the empty bed. "Humenum Revelio!"
The invisibility cloak slipped from Harry body and fell on the floor, he did not let out a single reaction, his eyes were fixed on Hermione's innocent face.
"Potter." Draco snapped in clenched jaws.
"Keep her safe, will you?" Harry asked without looking at the wizard in front of him.
"No need to ask me. Why on earth did you erased her memory?"
"Modified." He corrected immediately.
"Whatever the bloody hell you call it. Why did you do that Potter?"
Harry finally turned his gaze to Malfoy, his lips curled in a forced smirk. "Why do you think?"
Draco felt his blood heating all over his body, he want to throw a random hexes at this man at this very moment until those smirk vanished from his face. "Just tell me."
"She's in love with me. Are you still oblivious of everything?" Said Harry narrowing his eyes to him.
Dracos mouth opened slightly, he knew it.. He's not stupid like the rest of the Gryffindors. He know what's happening between the two but he choose to ignore it, hoping that Hermione will still go with him if she had to choice.
"Then why you made her forget everything about you? I can't believe you defeated the Dark Lord with that cowardice you have." He said calmly.
"Cowardice? I thought that word was running in your blood Malfoy." Harry spoke in a same calm tone but a dangerous glint of light flashes on his emerald eyes.
Draco glanced at the girl in the bed just beside his sight, she's still sleeping, wasn't aware of the tension outside of the muffliato charm around her.
He draw his wand and pointed it on Harry, his eyes were burning in rage.. Ready to cast any hex he could think of "Stupefy!"
But Harry shove the hex with a quick shield. Draco ducked making the vase a few feet behind him shattered into pieces.
"Why are you attacking me?! I just saved you from a dramatic heart break." Harry stood up pointing his wand at Draco.
"I'm not as immature as you are. If she's in love with you then I'm still in a proper state of mind to let her fucking go with you!" Draco spat.
"You don't understand!" Harry yelled, his hand was trembling. "There's a possible war coming, I can't risk her life again. Now if you call that cowardice then yes I'm a coward! But just to tell you, this isn't easy for me because I love her more than she loved me!" He scowled.
Draco was left speechless for a minute, he tried so hard to resist the tears from the back of his eyes. He won't let him see any trace of fear or vulnerability from him. "What're you talking about?"
"You don't have to know, I'm saving your arse here. After the graduation you could bring her in a safe place. Anywhere in the world but here." Harry put down his hand and slipped back his wand inside his pocket.
"I.. I don't get it--"
"You don't have to fucking get it! Just do what I say!" He grabbed the invisibility cloak from the floor and turned to his heels.
Draco didn't bother to stopped him, his mind was too occupied at the moment.
"And one more thing." Came Harrys voice from behind him. "Hermione is living with the memory that she's engage with you."
Draco's heart seems to stopped beating, and the loud slamming shut of the door leave him totally blank.
***
Harry slipped at the gryffindor common room under the invisibility cloak.
"Ron.. It's time to go." He whispered at his best mate, the red haired wizard nodded and gestured at Neville.
They grabbed their bag packs and slipped under the cloak with Harry. The three secretly jogged out of the castle, but they stopped when they spotted the headmistress blocking their way.
"You can use the carriage Mr. Potter, Weasley and Longbottom." She said.
Harry pulled off the cloak and slipped it inside his bag. "Kingsley told me everything, and as much as my curiosity bothered me for your action Mr. Potter, I'm still glad you perform a proper spell to make her safe. I'm proud of the three of you. Your name will still be listed as graduates of Hogwarts, though without any N.E.W.Ts achievements which I hardly believe you even needed." The old witch smiled and stepped out of the way, a carriage came pulled by a thestral which the three of them could clearly see.
"Thanks professor." Harry said before they clambered at the carriage and traveled to Hogsmeade for their apparition.
To be continued...
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