Chapter 11

Answers

A/N Hey everyone. So here's chapter 11. I'm sorry I haven't been able to update sooner. I've got some good ideas for chapters coming up but first please read this new chapter and tell me what you think I appreciate it sooooooooooo much Ok then. That's enough talk from me. Here we go..Chapter 11. Enjooy!

Last Chapter: Hermione turned in his arms to look at her savior. And in that second that their eyes met Hermione was pulled into Draco's mind. In fast forward she saw everything that they had done together. She saw them lying next to each other in the Astronomy Tower, she saw them smiling at each other waving off their friends, she saw his face smiling, descending towards her own, She felt his lips on her own, she saw him standing over her in the middle of the night. Everything that Draco had erased from her mind she watched happen.

Hermione pulled herself out of Draco's mind and stood infront of him still with his arms around her and the shield covering them. Her breath was coming in short sharp gasps. She knew something had not been adding up these past few weeks.

She stared long and hard at Draco but suddenly Draco turned very pale and blood started dripping out of his nose. He swayed in her arms and the shield faltered, completely disappearing a few seconds later.

The battle was still at full swing. Hermione looked at Draco and saw his eyes roll up into his head. Something was definitely wrong with him. She quickly leaned down next him and frantically searched for a pulse. She finally found a very weak one on his wrist. His nose continued to bleed and all of a sudden he started to shake violently. Hermione quickly turned him onto his side to prevent him from blocking his airways with his own tongue. He shook for a couple more minutes which felt like hours to Hermione and he stopped instantly beginning to throw up.

When he finished he lay on his back breathing heavily. His eyelids slowly opened however and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled weakly at her and tried to stand up. She wedged herself under his arm and helped support his weight out of the Great Hall. Everyone was fighting in the hall so the entrance hall and stairs were completely empty.

Looking round, Hermione drew in a sharp breath. There were unconscious bodies all around, the marble staircase was completely blasted away. There was a big gaping hole in the middle of the entrance hall. Draco whimpered slightly which made Hermione quickly come to her senses. He slumped against her and passed out again. This time Hermione was unable to support his weight. Her knees buckled and she nearly fell onto them. She quickly pulled out her wand and muttered Wingardium Leviosa. Draco floated a few inches above the ground. Guiding him with her wand she made him gently float up two flights of stairs to the classroom that was designated as the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was at the moment tending to a bad burn on a man Hermione recognized as Sirius Black. He was sleeping while Madam Pomfrey was spreading a foul smelling ointment onto his burnt arm.

As soon as Hermione walked in she looked up and upon seeing Draco floating, pale as a sheet, she quickly finished Sirius's burn and told Hermione to lay him onto one of he unoccupied beds. She did as she was told and stood back to watch Madam Pomfrey do her magic. Literally.

Suddenly a loud bang shook the floor. Hermione all too quickly remembered the scenes downstairs and the battle that was still, by the sounds of it, going strong. She gave Draco one last look and deciding that he was in safe hands now started running back towards the Great Hall. Before she made it to the bottom of the destroyed marble staircase, Igor Karkarof of all people came running out. He looked almost deranged. He frantically waved his wand not even looking at who he hit. He blasted a large statue out of his way and sprinted out of the big Oak Front Doors. Hermione would not let him leave without a fight.

She ran straight after him when she was close enough to aim she yelled stupefy! He toppled to the ground face down. Hermione ran to where he lay. She turned him over with her foot. He looked up at her with scared eyes. She quickly picked up a brick from the grass and turned it into a portkey sending him to his own cell in Azkaban.

She turned and ran towards the Great Hall only to hear a loud cheer coming from inside. Her heart leapt. It was over. And sure enough, everyone came running out of the destroyed castle carrying Harry on their shoulders.

"Hermione, we won! We won!" Harry yelled from above everyone. She couldn't believe it. It really was finished. She put her hands over her face and cried, literally cried with happiness.

It was two hours after the end of the battle. The ever increasing number of casualties and dead people amongst the grounds was beginning to dampen everyone's spirits. Hermione wept with the Weasley's when Fred's body was found under the debris of the third floor corridor. No-one took this harder then George. His face had an uncharacteristically hatred filled expression. Hermione had to look away when all the bodies were carried out. She couldn't stand seeing her former school friends laying still and pale on the stretchers. She slowly walked away and eventually found herself infront of the makeshift hospital wing. She walked in to find Draco lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. He heard her approach and instantly sat up.

"No don't move Draco. You can stay laying," she said softly. He smiled gratefully at her and lay back down propping himself up on one arm. She sat on the chair next to his bed. She couldn't seem to look at him. So much was racing through her head. Like how could she not remember everything that had happened between them? Why was she remembering them now?

"How are you feeling?" she asked eventually, still avoiding his gaze.

"Better. So we won huh?"

"Yes. Harry defeated Voldermort. It's all over," she said. Then forcing herself to look at him she lifted her head to find him watching her with narrowed eyes. "What is it?" she asked.

"I didn't think you would come Hermione," he said this time him avoiding her eyes.

"I have a lot to ask you," she said leaving Draco to feel not completely satisfied with her answer.

"Go ahead."

"How comes I can't remember any of the things that we experienced together?"

He was dreading this question but had to answer her.

"Because I messed up. I let Voldermort see my feelings for you and put you in grave danger. I pretended to be with Bridget to get you far away from me. But I broke your heart so much that it practically killed me. I had to erase your memory. I couldn't let you suffer anymore."

"You erased my memory?" she asked bewildered.

"Yes," he whispered looking down at his sheets. Hermione knew what she had to do. She stood up. Draco lifted his head and looked at her. She was leaving. He knew this would happen. But no. She wasn't leaving. She lay down next to him on the bed and gently kissed his forehead. Shell shocked he looked into her beautiful brown eyes. She smiled at him and gently said,

"Thank you. But you don't have anything to worry about now. Voldermort is gone. And I remember everything."

And with that she gently pushed herself into his embrace. His arms came around her in an instant. She snuggled deeper into his chest and let his warmth comfort them both. It didn't matter who saw them. All that mattered was the love flowing from the petite brunette witch into the silver eyed wizard.

Sometime later, Hermione must have dozed off. She was suddenly woken up by a loud gasp. She quickly opened her eyes. Draco's arms were still around her but he had also jerked awake. Harry, Ron, Ginny and Luna were all standing by Draco's bed. Obviously they had come up to see how Draco was only to find him and Hermione sleeping together.

Hermione sheepishly looked at her friends from where she was lying. Ginny was the first one to show any reaction. And it wasn't an expected one. All of a sudden she burst out laughing. Harry looked at her as if she was crazy.

"I'm sorry," she managed to choke out now doubled over with laughter. Not long later, Luna joined her mad laughter. Then Ron, and finally Harry. Draco and Hermione looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally they all managed to stop. Hermione removed herself slowly from Draco's embrace.

"Well I can't say I wasn't expecting it," Ginny said smiling. Relief washed over Hermione and she swiftly hugged her best friend. Harry nodded silently. Ron wasn't too exuberant about the idea but he accepted it all the same. Luna was never one to object. Draco managed to slowly get out of bed and he put his arms around Hermione again. She turned to look deep into his eyes. Their four friends silently moved away to see Harry's Godfather Sirius.

"I think I know why that shield came up and why you became so week Mr Malfoy," said a sudden voice behind them. Hermione and Draco leapt apart to see Snape standing near Draco's bed.

"It was true love," he said simply. Draco looked down at Hermione lovingly but Hermione was still a bit puzzled. Upon catching her expression, Snape elaborated,

"You see Miss Granger, because Mr Malfoy is so in love with you, he jumped in front of the killing curse to save you and by doing so he managed to provide the strongest protection possible. Because of the amount of love in that small area, the shield was very dense and again due to his love for you, you were able to see everything that he had erased from your memory," he explained simply.

"But why did he get so weak and start to bleed?" she asked

"That's even simpler to explain. When you remembered everything, you also remembered your love for him Miss Granger. This resulted in there being way too much emotion in the tiny enclosed space. Thus it became too much for Draco and he started to go weak. Had the shield not gone down with him, he might not be standing right now."

This scared Hermione so much that she quickly turned to look at Draco, as if half expecting him to be lying dead on the bed. Instead what she saw however was Draco looking down at her lovingly. He held his arms out for her and she stepped into his embrace. Everything was brilliant, excellent, she had her Draco back and that was all that mattered.

"DRACO!" thundered a voice. "Leave the mudblood!" They all turned to look at the thunderous face of Lucius Malfoy.

"Father, no you don't understand," Draco pleaded. But Lucius wasn't listening. He grabbed Draco by the upper arm and started dragging him out of the hospital wing. Hermione tried to stop him but he only pushed her away. She fell to the floor, hard and hit her head on the stone floor. The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was hearing Draco yell at his father and Ginny's face leaning over her. Her last thought was, "but we haven't even kissed yet."

End of Chapter 11