A/N- Here I am! 155 reviews, 10,678 hits, 36 favorites, and 50 alerts. My first fanfiction status report. Not my most, but I am very proud of it. Here's the last chapter, but look out for the sequel!
Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter. Still. Yet.
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Epilogue
Two months later, Hermione Granger was waiting patiently in her brand new flat, on her brand new couch. Since Voldemort's defeat, the wizarding world had taken a dramatic leap for the better. Hundreds of wizards came out of hiding, and dozens of Death Eaters were found and imprisoned. Harry and Ron had been hired (of course) as Aurors, and spent their days vying to capture other escaped Death Eaters. Hermione had taken a position as the owner of a bookstore, which wasn't making her a millionaire, but it was her dream job. Draco was in the middle of being cleared of all charges, and was featured in numerous interviews and articles, labeled "The Boy Who Saved the Boy Who Lived" (to his pride as well as embarrassment.) He also was vying desperately to find his mother, who seemed to have disappeared completely.
It seemed as if everything was going... perfectly. Except for one thing…
Hermione gave the raindrops that were falling on her window a sad smile. She was so nervous… so scared… so… so…
She pressed a hand to her stomach. It had been paining her lately, which was not helping her current memory situation. Actually, her physical condition as a whole was not helping her at all.
And now Draco might be coming, and she knew she had to tell him, she knew it. It was inevitable, he'd find out anyway. She just didn't know how she was going to do it! It was… impossible actually. She hadn't known, and still didn't know, how it happened. It just did. And he was not going to be happy about it.
It wasn't her fault, it wasn't, she couldn't remember ever doing something that could have led to this. And despite her memory lapses, she still would have been able to remember such an event. She was sure of it.
Ding-dong!
Oh God, she thought, he's here, he's here, I'm dead because he's here! She got up, and taking a deep breath, opened her flat door and put on a brave smile. "Hello!"
Draco Malfoy had a wide smile plastered on his face. "Hey, Hermione." He leaned over and kissed her, pulling her closer to him. She felt almost guilty.
Pulling away, Hermione bit her lower lip and frowned at him slightly. Draco instantly became worried. "Did you forget something?" he asked hurriedly. She shook her head, and sat back down on her couch.
"No, no, just… not feeling my best today," she reassured him.
"Throwing up?" Draco asked. He sat down next to her. "Didn't you just go through that yesterday?"
"No, I haven't been puking," she said with a smile. "I've just had… stomach pains."
"Oh. So where do you want to go today?"
"We're going somewhere?" she asked, faking surprise.
He smirked. "Don't tell me you got all dressed up just for your healer's appointment this afternoon?"
"Okay, fine. But I was thinking we could just stay here today."
"Oh?" he leaned towards her and wiggled his eyebrows. "And do what?"
She smacked his arm. "Stop. I rented a movie."
He instantly brightened. Hermione had gotten him fascinated with the Muggle TV. "Oh, okay. But first…" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box. "Happy two-months-since-Voldemort-was-defeated day!"
She cocked an eyebrow. "You got me a present for the day Harry killed the Dark Lord?"
He pretended to ponder the matter. "Oh! And it was the day we got together." He kissed her quickly again. "Now open it."
She gently took the box from him and smiled. Removing the top, she gasped at the contents inside. It was a thin necklace with a tiny charm at the end, in the shape of a miniature pillow, after the horcrux they had killed. In each corner of the pillow was the tiniest diamond that sparkled gorgeously in the light. "Draco… it's beautiful."
He grinned, and helped her put it on. "Look on the back."
In the smallest script she had ever read, there was a sentence carved into the back of the charm.
A memory can only take away so much
Forever and Always
She felt a tiny tear pricking the corner of her eye. A memory can only take away so much… But I know something that can take away much more. "That's so sweet, Draco."
He groaned. "Please don't say the word sweet and my name in the same sentence."
She gave a small laugh. "Well… I have a sort of present for you too. You might not- well, I know you won't like it. But it's too late, you can't return it, and there's no way I'm getting rid of it."
"It's not a cat, is it?" he asked apprehensively.
"No, no," she said. Then she placed a hand on her stomach. "You know how I've had stomach pain? And I've been throwing up every once and awhile?"
He nodded slowly, still not making the connection.
She took the deepest breath she ever had before, and let it out slowly. "Draco- I'm pregnant."
Draco, who had been expecting something completely different, first laughed. Two seconds later, he realized that Hermione wasn't joining in. "Wait- you're serious?" he asked. She nodded solemnly. "But… but… that's not even possible, Hermione!"
"I know, I know!" Tears were now spilling down her cheeks. Draco had wanted their relationship to go further, but she had firmly insisted that she wanted to wait. "Draco, I don't know how it happened."
He had a stormy expression on. "Like hell you don't!"
She reached for his hand, but he jerked it out of reach. "Draco, I would never cheat on y-"
"Don't lie to me," he said in a cold voice, "Granger."
"Why won't you hear me out? I never would to that to you, I thought you trusted me."
"Yeah- until you became pregnant!"
"Draco, I have a theory, I think it was the potio-"
"I don't want to hear your cover-up lies. Who was it? Weasley?"
"You know I don't have feelings for him. He's my best friend. I didn't do anything behind your back. I don't know how it happened." She felt her hair beginning to stick to her wet face.
Draco stood up. "You're PREGNANT, for God's sake, how do you not remember something like that? You cheated on me, Hermione, all I want to know is who did it!"
She stood up as well. "I don't know, okay? Can you imagine my shock when I found out?"
"Oh, yeah," she said sarcastically. "You ran to your beloved Potter and told him the good news. Yes, Harry, I'm pregnant, probably with your baby. Let's invite Draco over and have him be all happy over our 'relationship', then break to him the news I've been cheating the whole time!" he mocked her in a high-pitched voice.
Now Hermione was mad. "For the last time, Draco Malfoy, I would never to that to you. I don't believe you would think I did, I don't believe you won't even hear my theory out. I don't believe you would… ever be like this. I'm pregnant, I'm scared, I can't remember anything! Merlin, Draco, I love you!" she paused. "At least… I thought I did." She bit her quivering lower lip, then turned on her heel and ran out her flat in a blind rage.
She ran down the stairs and out of the entire building, not even paying mind to the fact that there was a pouring thunderstorm outside. She just kept running, unable to take her life in general at the moment. She ran and ran and ran.
For a moment, Draco stood in shock. He couldn't believe it- she ran away. She ran away. What had she said? I don't believe you won't even hear my theory out. And something about a potio-, before he cut her off... What was that supposed to mean? Potio…n? A potion?
Then it hit him. Like a ton of bricks, all crushing him because of how stupid he was. He had to get to her.
Hermione heard splashing behind her, and turned around. She could faintly make out the outline of Draco, calling her name and running. She couldn't believe his nerve. Glaring even harder, she clenched her fists and apparated away.
She hadn't even realized where she went until she was there- it was the forest that she and Draco and hid in when they left Malfoy Manor. It was storming even harder over here, and she was suddenly regretful of her actions.
She was about to apparate back when her mind suddenly went black. She fell to the forest ground, landing on her butt. When she got up, she couldn't remember where she had come from.
Where would I have gone? Where would I have gone? If I were Hermione, where would I have gone? Draco kept repeating this in his head. Not Potter's place, or Weasley's, then she'd have to explain to them about her pregnancy. And not the bookshop, that was stupid. Nowhere public, she looked like a mess. Then what about- then it hit him. Again.
Hermione thought hard. It was somewhere familiar, where she had come from. Draco had been mad at her because of her pregnancy, but she couldn't remember anything else. It was all so confusing, she felt so lost.
Draco appeared with a crack, nearly falling into a tree before him. He searched the forest. "HERMIONE!" he called. "WHERE ARE YOU?"
Hermione could faintly hear her name being called in the distance. Was that Draco? Despite the fact she couldn't remember where she came from, she still didn't want to face him again. She began to run the other way, shielding her face from the rain.
She ran faster, and faster, until she reached a clearing where, in the center, a tall tree stood alone. Completely forgetting about the storm around her, she walked to the tree and sat below it.
Draco ran. Who knows what Hermione would do when she was hurt, angry, and not to mention pregnant.
Hermione didn't notice it at first, although it really only happened in a matter of a split-second. But when you're there, it seems to come in slow motion. She looked at the sky, and there it was- a bolt of lightning, descending upon her, crackling with energy.
At first, it was like every hair on her head was standing on end. Then she felt an electrifying tingle, but it was more than just a tingle, it made her entire body shake and buzz and it hurt terribly. She didn't even realize she was screaming.
She felt something else, too, besides physical pain. It was like her mind was going very fuzzy, and a black velvet cloth was being placed over it. Things started slipping from her, until she couldn't remember where she was or what she was doing.
Then- it ended. She fell to the floor in a heap.
Draco was running when he heard screaming. Not just "Ah! I saw a bug" screaming, more like "Ah! I'm being killed" screaming. And it sounded an awful lot like Hermione. He ran harder and harder until he reached her- crumpled on the ground in a heap.
He ran to her unmoving body and grabbed her shoulders. "Hermione? Hermione, I'm sorry, I should've listened, Hermione wake up!" He leaned down and placed a hand on her face. "Hermione, wake up!"
Just as he said this, her eyes began to flutter open. "Wha…what?"
"Hermione!" he exclaimed.
She instantly looked confused. "Malfoy?"
"Hermione, I know you're mad, but-"
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Get off of me!" Hermione shook herself free of him and stood up. "I need to keep fightin- wait." She looked at the trees around her. "Where am I?"
Draco's heart dropped. "You don't… remember me?" He was worried- she had never gotten a memory loss this big.
"Of course I remember you," she snapped. "You're Draco Malfoy- the Slytherin ferret who made my life hell for the past six years. Now where am I?"
Draco was shocked speechless. Her whole memory of him- gone.
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A/N- No comment on this chapter. I have a lot to say about it, but I don't want to. You can think what you want! Ha! I don't care!
Okay, I do.
You know what? Flame me! I dare you to try and flame me!
Okay, don't.
Let me explain… I'm hyper!
So just REVIEW. Please. And CHECK OUT my new poll on my profile. (It's lame but I'm curious.)
Speech: Wow. This is the end of the first fanfic I ever written. And I'm proud of it! This is a monumental moment. ~Sighs~ Good thing I have a sequel and three other fics waiting for updates to keep me busy! Look out for "Captive Memories", which will be coming to my profile shortly. I'm very excited, and have a ton of drama-filled ideas for it, because there's no longer a war to worry about. But we do have an upset Draco, a flirty Astoria, a desperate Ron, a rather angry Harry, a conniving Ginny, and a memory- stripped and very pregnant Hermione. Which is, in a way, worse than a war. :)
You know what would make me happy about ending this fic? Reviews. If you haven't reviewed this whole time, or have been lazy, or just didn't feel like it, please review now! It would make me smile a lot. If you're reading this as a finished product, and you think it's not worth it to review because I'll never know because I'm done writing- you're wrong! I still appreciate reviews, even though I'm done writing this. So please review.
Thank you for the great journey on my first fic!
~Potato