Sofia told me how to get through the woods to the rock, but as soon as I get out of her line of sight I pull out my wand from my boot. I give it a small wave and I'm standing in the beautiful green moss in the woods. Easier then walking. I make my way through the trees and stop when I spot him.
He is standing on the rock, his hands in the pockets of his black jeans. I don't think I've ever seen him in anything other than his school robes or black suit. He is wearing a plain black t-shirt as well and his hair looks like it needs to be cut. I wouldn't have recognized him from the house if it weren't for the shining white hair and pale skin. He hasn't turned around yet, so I think about just leaving. I have nothing to say to him and he could try to kill me for all I know.
The last thing I need is for Sofia and her family to witness me shoving a man off a rock. I turn to leave, but he turns around at the same time. We stand there staring at each other, still too far away for me to really see his face. He steps down from the rock and walks toward me slowly.
"Olivia?" he asks. His voice comes out in more of a tremble. He comes closer to me, so we are only a few feet apart. He looks at me with his eyes full of hope and I raise my eyebrows at him.
"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" I ask sternly and his whole face drops. His eyes look slightly sunken in and just tired. He looks like he is in so much pain. I wonder what has happened to him since the war? He looks down at his feet and his hair falls in his eyes. I watch him take a deep breath and look up at me pushing the blonde strands away from his eyes.
"Your hair, it's different," he says and I cross my arms. The last time I saw him he was hugging Voldemort and he comments on my hair?
"What?" I ask and he flinches.
"Sorry, I didn't mean," he sighs. "Nevermind, I will just go." He rushes past me and something falls out of his back pocket. I pick up the small black journal and flip it over and gasp when I see my name written on the page. I flip the pages and my eyes go straight to Olivia Grace Lupin, written at the top of each page. I look up from the journal and he is staring at me with wide eyes.
"What is this?" I ask him with anger in my voice. "Why is my name written all over it and how did you even know I was a Lupin?" He opens his mouth to speak but closes it quickly.
"Olivia, let me try and explain, please," he says stepping towards me to try and grab the journal. I snatch it away from him. I open it again and see the dates scribbled on the top of the pages. I flip through hundreds of pages that date all the way back to the beginning of last school year.
"What is this?" I scream at him holding the journal up.
"The hoodie, where did you get it?" he asks me and I look down at the black large hoodie I threw on this morning.
"I- I don't know," I say stuttering. "But what does that have to do with you having some journal about me when I don't even know you!" I say backing away from him slowly.
"Was there a note in it?" He asks me calmly. His eyes look so desperate and he is starting to really scare me.
"I don't know what the hell you are talking about!" I scream and stick my hand in the pocket of the hoodie. Bloody hell. I feel the crumpled up paper inside the pocket and pull it out slowly. I look up at him with wide eyes. "Did you write this too? Is this yours?" I ask pulling on the hoodie. My head is pounding so hard like something is trying to burst out of it. I feel the tears stinging my eyes.
"Yes, I wrote it and that is mine," he says. "Do you remember the night you were at Malfoy Manor to break Lovegood out?" I nod. "Haven't you felt a little off since then? Aren't there some things you just can't explain like the hoodie and letter?"
"What is going on? What are you getting at?" I ask panicked. I have felt weird since that night and there are almost like little gaps in my memory that I can't explain, but I haven't thought much of it until now. He steps closer to me and reaches for my hand, but I pull away. What does Malfoy have to do with any of this?
"Our memories were altered that night and you were made to forget everything about me. Everything about us," he says with intensity in his eyes. I try to make sense of what he is saying, but I just can't.
"No, you are lying! No way in hell was there ever an us." He steps closer to me again and I back into the tree behind me.
"Olivia, I know it is a lot. I know it sounds crazy, but please just let me show you," he says grabbing my arm. He puts his hand on the journal I am still holding and he looks at me pleading desperately with his eyes. I loosen my grip on the journal and he takes out his wand. He reaches his hand up to my face and I flinch. "Trust me, please," he whispers and I nod. "Close your eyes."
I close my eyes and feel his warm hand on my cheek. Almost immediately a million different images flash through my brain like a movie I've seen before. I see images of Draco and I playing outside Malfoy Manor as kids. I see images of us throwing snowballs at each other in the snow and pretending to fight with wands in the back garden. Then all of a sudden the images change and we are older at Hogwarts. I see him on the floor in the hall crying and me holding onto him. I see us on a bridge. I see his lips so close to mine they are almost touching, but not quite. Then they do touch and the images flash quicker through my brain. I see us in Snape's office and I know my cheeks must be red from embarrassment.
It is like I am seeing parts of my life that I don't remember happening, but they feel right. The last image I see is me walking away with George at the funeral and then it stops and my eyes fly open.
Draco's hand is still on my cheek and my breathing is heavy. I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack.
"What-" I start to speak, but can't.
"All of those images you saw was our story. I've been writing down everything since that first time on the bridge in this journal. The way you looked every day, how you smelled, and every single moment I was with you because they were the only moments in my life worth remembering. Please tell me you remember Liv, please," he says with tears in his eyes. He searches my eyes with panic and I feel the tears starting to form in my own eyes.
"I- I'm sorry," I say crying. I really don't remember any of this. I feel nothing towards the boy standing in front of me, but I know he isn't lying. You don't just makeup something like this even though it does still sound insane to me. It all looked so real. I just can't feel it.
"Wait," he says pulling his hand away from my cheek. He reaches in his pocket and pulls out something shiny. He puts a necklace around my neck and I hold my breath while he does it. He is so close to me I can hear his heart pounding out of his chest or maybe it is mine. I look down at the lion with the serpent wrapped around it and gasp.
"How-" before I can finish the sentence his lips are on mine. I don't kiss back at first shocked, but then I do and taste a mixture of our tears with the kiss.
"Please Livy, please remember," he says in between kisses. I cry harder and then push him off. He stares at me with a tear-stained face.
"I can't remember!" I scream, sobbing in confusion and hurt. "I just can't."
"Fuck!" screams Draco as he collapses to the ground crying.
Then I feel a sharp pain in my head and collapse to the ground. I scream and close my eyes. It feels like someone is stabbing a knife into my head. I curl up on the ground and grip the necklace Draco put around my neck. I feel Draco shaking me, but I can't hear him.
Then he is gone and all at once every single memory of the mysterious boy on the rock comes flooding back. I scream in pain and then it stops after what feels like hours. I open my eyes and I'm in Draco's arms on the ground.
"It hurts so bad," I say sobbing into his arms.
"I know baby, I know," he says crying while rocking me in his arms.
"All this time we've been without each other?" He pulls my face up and makes me look at him. I feel so dizzy and my memories are still so jumbled, but I know one thing for sure.
I've never missed someone so much in my life and what are the odds we find each other here?
"I told you I'd find you again darling, our story wasn't going to end like that," he says smiling at me.
I throw my arms around him and laugh. I finally found the pages that were missing.
I am finally home.
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One more chapter left, my gosh. She finally remembers everything!! Ya'll really thought I was going to be THAT cruel? Nah, I wanted a happy ending too. Thank you guys again for all the love and support. I will have a LONGGG thank you note attached to the final chapter.
-Kiersten<3