---
Chapter Ten
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The crime scene was not a pretty sight. There were two Katies – one lying in an uncomfortable-looking position on a rooftop, the other sobbing with mascara running down her cheeks.
“It’s Polyjuice!” Oliver declared.
“Well, obviously,” Draco drawled with much derision in his voice. No situation was dire enough for him to forget his dislike of the tree-man. “Unless Bell over here has an evil twin.”
“It – it is Polyjuice,” Katie sobbed. “Except that – that I’m the one who’s using it.”
“What?” Oliver asked, looking at Katie as if he were seeing her for the first time.
“I’m not Katie Bell. I’m Leanne Philby. Please don’t sentence me to Azkaban!” she wailed. “I didn’t want to do it! But I had to! If I didn’t, she would have killed me! She’s already hurt my brother!”
Something clicked in Draco’s head. “Leanne Philby? So your brother is that Auror?”
“Yes,” Leanne said, wiping her eyes. “Lyle is in St. Mungo’s right now. I tried to escape from Katie and she hurt Lyle to get back at me! Then she threatened to hurt the rest of my family if I didn’t cooperate. She made me Polyjuice myself into her to trick Oliver while she went to kill Ginny.”
“So Katie wasn’t involved with your brother?” Oliver asked, remembering how Leanne had tearfully taken Katie away in the middle of their date, speaking of her brother’s broken heart.
“Not directly,” Leanne answered, misunderstanding Oliver’s meaning of ‘involved.’ “The only reason she went after him was because of me. She cursed him, and it damaged his heart. He’s okay, though, now.”
“Oh. Damaged heart,” Oliver said to himself. “Not broken heart.” He wasn’t sure if he should be happy that Katie was not a heartbreaker, or heartbroken that Katie was a murderer.
“Why did she want to kill me?” Ginny asked after a while, feeling sort of numb. She had hated Katie all along for stealing Oliver’s attention, but had never thought Katie would hate her back. She hadn’t thought the murderer would be someone who was so familiar to her – and, after all, Katie was a Gryffindor and had always been a nice girl.
“She was recruited by the Russian Wizarding Mafia to get rid of you. I don’t know why, though. She didn’t tell me much.”
“The Russian Wizarding Mafia!” Oliver exclaimed. “Ginny, do you think this has anything to do with your fight with Petrova Porskoff?”
“Over that silly little thing?”
Two years ago, Ginny had played exceptionally well during a game held in Russia. She had done so well that Russia’s star Chaser, Petrova Porskoff, had been humiliated. When they played again one year ago, Porskoff had still harbored a grudge. Porskoff had played roughly, and Ginny had been annoyed. In the end, she not only outplayed the Russian Chaser, but also taunted her as well. It wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but Porskoff had been especially irritating.
“I don’t believe it!” she said. “A little taunting was all I did! And she wants me dead? There must be another reason why the Mafia is after me.”
“Hey, taunting can be serious. Potter still hates me, I’m sure,” Draco commented. “But we’ll find out soon enough if Porskoff is really behind it. I just sent a Patronus to the Potters.”
---
“She appears to have gone flying,” Ron said, coming out of his sister’s bedroom. “Her broomstick’s not in the closet.”
“I’m sure Malfoy’s with her,” Harry added. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”
“Should we go out and look for them?” Hermione suggested.
“No,” Pansy stated. “This is the perfect opportunity for us to sit and talk.”
“Talk?” Hermione asked suspiciously. “About what?”
“About you and Potter. From what I’ve heard, you two had a fight over a misunderstanding regarding Ronald.”
Hermione glared at Harry. “What exactly have you been telling her?”
“Not told, exactly,” Pansy interrupted before Harry could speak. “Potter here is a really bad Occlumens. He’s quite the opposite, in fact, especially when he’s drunk. He was broadcasting his thoughts for every Legilimens in the area to pick up. So, I’ve decided to do some marriage counseling. Potter was nice to me these past few days, so I’ll return the favor and do something nice, for a change.”
“And what do you know about marriage counseling?” Hermione snapped. “I thought your expertise was torturing Muggles.”
Pansy shot a dirty look at Hermione. Here she was, trying to help the ungrateful bush-head, and said bush-head couldn’t even keep her mouth shut. But the thought that Ron may show some interest in her if Potter and Potter worked things out kept her temper in check. She shrugged elegantly. “I had plenty of time to read about psychology in the Azkaban Library.”
“The Azkaban Library?” Harry was aghast. “Merlin’s beard! P.U.K.E. has gone way too far!”
Hermione looked slightly guilty. Pansy rolled her eyes and continued. “As I was saying, if I hadn’t become a Death Eater, I would’ve gone into wizarding psychology. So I read about it as much as I could. Anyway, let’s clarify things, shall we?”
Pansy then began explaining to Hermione what she had told Harry. Ron nodded along with her, occasionally adding a comment or two. They both emphasized that there had been no romance between them whatsoever, and Ron guaranteed that Pansy was not a factor in his breakup with Hermione. Hermione looked a bit placated. Pansy, the expert manipulator that she was, managed to make everyone believe that the final results were wonderful.
“I am a skilled Legilimens,” she said, “and you two are horrible Occlumens. As a result, I can clearly tell that you –” she paused, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “As disgusting as it is to see two Gryffindors in love, I must say, I can tell that you two definitely love each other.”
Hermione blushed and Harry embarrassedly ruffled his hair.
“Well?” demanded Pansy. “Are we going to have to sit here forever, or are you two going to kiss and make up?”
“Not in public!” Hermione said immediately, the prude in her blushing even more at the suggestion.
“Shall we leave?” Pansy didn’t wait for an answer to her question. She just stood up, grabbed Ron, and retreated to Ginny’s room.
Hermione glanced shyly up at Harry, and Harry shyly looked back. They slowly closed the distance between them. Hermione puckered up her lips and Harry pushed his glasses firmly onto his nose. There were mere centimeters left... Then a giant silvery occamy glided in through the window and Hermione shrieked.
“Harry probably missed the target,” Ron muttered, but Pansy had to go see for herself.
She poked her head out from the other room, wondering how the two daft Gryffindors managed to mess even that up, then saw the occamy that she hadn’t seen since practicing the Patronus charm in school.
The great winged snake spoke in what was unmistakably Draco’s drawling voice. “While you Aurors were busy being incompetent, I, the great Draco Malfoy, have caught the axe-murderer. Come see, and bring my medal with you.”
Pansy genuinely smiled. That was the Draco Malfoy she had known before all the horrible things had happened. He was childish and snobbish, but happy. That was what mattered most, wasn’t it? Happiness? Maybe memory loss was a good thing for him.
---
Head Auror Joseph Brand presided over the interrogation, while the Aurors, the witnesses, and the victims were called to watch.
As it turned out, Oliver had been right. Under the influence of Veritaserum, Katie revealed that Petrova Porskoff had orchestrated the entire thing to get rid of her number one enemy. It had also been Porskoff’s idea to get rid of Puddlemere’s experienced captain. Porskoff had hired the Mafia, who hired Katie.
“Why did you –” Harry began, but was cut off by Oliver.
“Why did you do it?” he demanded to know, his expression one between sadness and anger.
“All questioning must be done by Aurors,” Brand interrupted, but all he got for his trouble was an irritated wave of the hand from the Puddlemere Keeper. Celebrities. How he hated them.
“Because I wanted to,” Katie responded, a strange maniacal gleam in her eye. “Ever since my seventh year, I’ve wanted to be evil! It’s my ultimate goal in life!”
“Seventh year,” Hermione said with a gasp. “Harry, Katie was cursed with that necklace in her seventh year!”
Harry nodded grimly. “You’re right. It had aftereffects that the St. Mungo’s Healers apparently missed. So we were right all along.”
“Yes, of course we were right,” Hermione agreed, then paused. “What were we right about?”
“About Malfoy being involved. Although he doesn’t remember, and though it was probably unintentional, it’s partly Malfoy’s fault – he gave the necklace to Katie, making her evil, and making her want to become a murderer.”
Everyone glared at Draco. He scowled. He could see no way around it but to apologize. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, his ego crumbling down with the apology. “Listen. As soon as I go home, I’m going to look at my Pensieve. I’m going to remember everything and apologize for everything that needs to needs to be apologized for. Okay? So stop giving me those looks. I’m sorry. I didn’t know better.”
Oliver wasn’t particularly interested in whether or not Malfoy was sorry. “What were your feelings for me, exactly?” he questioned Katie.
“That question is not relevant to the case!” Auror Brand shouted, but he was ignored.
“You’re annoying. You’re too noble and too chivalrous and too, too boring,” Katie drawled.
Oliver’s expression was a mixture of fury and devastation. “So you just pretended to like me so you would have someone on your side if you ever got suspected?”
“Exactly. And I also pretended not to like Draco, when in reality, I think I’m in love with him.”
Draco looked uncomfortably flabbergasted. “Bell. I apparently almost killed you in school. You can’t possibly –”
“But Draco! That’s what will make our relationship so thrilling! The lingering idea that we could kill each other at any time!”
Draco screwed up his face. “That’s not thrilling, Bell. That’s terrifying.”
“Enough with the drama,” Auror Brand snapped. “We know all that we need to. I’m sending Katherine Bell to receive treatment at St. Mungo’s, acquitting Leanne Philby, and taking Aurors Hermione Potter and Ernie Macmillan to speak with the Russian Ministry of Magic about the Mafia and Petrova. Draco Malfoy and Ginevra Weasley will receive medals for their bravery in capturing a criminal. Oh,” he added with a sigh, “and I’m canceling the suspension of Auror Harry Potter. That’s it. Aurors, I need a few more words with you. Civilians, please move on out.”
The case was closed.
---
“Are you really sure about this?” Ian asked. “I knew Oliver Wood for a long time, and he’s definitely not murderer material.”
“It’s all part of his evil scheme. Of course I’m sure – it’s reporters’ intuition,” Lavender insisted, pacing in front of the door of the room where the axe-murderer case was being solved. She had been tipped off that the suspect had been caught, and that all people involved were currently in this room. Oliver Wood was one of them.
The door suddenly opened, and Oliver, among other people, came out with his arm around a tired-looking girl that Lavender was certain had been in Gryffindor a year above her. Leah, or Luann, or something like that. Oliver, who was now waving hello to them, did not look like he had just been convicted of murder. What was going on here?
Draco Malfoy was next to come out. He caught sight of Lavender and smirked. “Are you here to take a picture of me and my medal?”
“Medal? What medal?”
“My medal,” Draco said haughtily. “Didn’t you know? I thought you knew everything, being a reporter and all.”
“I do,” Lavender reassured. “The medal must be a very recent development… Anyway, I know the case has been solved. So, naturally, I want an interview.”
Despite her confusion, Lavender was a professional at pretending to be confident. Though she had no idea what had happened – even though she would never admit it – she would have no problem conducting the interview.
“So, Mr. Malfoy, could you please recount the events of today? Don’t leave anything out.”
Draco dramatically began retelling his story. Ginny joined them and added her own comments, snorting occasionally at Draco’s melodrama. As the tale unfolded, Lavender was astonished. She had been entirely wrong! Her reporter’s intuition apparently needed some calibration. Yet, the interview with Draco finished smoothly, and she moved on to Ginny. Both of them promised that Lavender would be the only reporter to interview them. She would definitely be getting a promotion for this!
With two successful interviews finished, Lavender happily dashed off to the Daily Prophet headquarters to publish her exclusive interview. Ian dashed off after her. Lavender had a big ‘I told you so’ coming her way.
---
“Harry!” Hermione squealed happily. “You’ve been reappointed! This is wonderful!”
“Yes, it is,” Harry agreed. “I just talked to Brand, and he said I could go with you and Ernie to Russia. And I was thinking that maybe when that’s over, after all this action, we could take a break.”
“A break?” Hermione did not like breaks.
“Yeah. I think we deserve some time off, don’t you?”
“Hmm. Perhaps, but there’s just so much work to do!”
“A little break – a short one – so we can be refreshed and ready for anything!”
“Oh, maybe… Where to?”
Harry smiled. Long ago, Hermione had gushed about how wonderful Hawaii had been when she went there as a child, and had expressed her wish to visit again someday. Then the war had happened and life became too busy. Even their honeymoon had been cut short because they ran across a Dark objects smuggler on their second day in Paris, and like the very enthusiastic Aurors they were, decided to ditch the honeymoon in favor of a pursuit and investigation. But now, Harry would stop time over the entire world if it meant getting some quality time with Hermione. Their relationship needed it, after all. “Hawaii,” he finally said.
“Hawaii!” Hermione looked utterly convinced about needing a break. “Hawaii would be lovely! Just you and me,” she added. “No Ron, no Pansy, no trouble. Just me and my beloved husband.”
Beloved husband. And at that moment, Harry knew she meant it. He smiled, Hermione smiled, and they both laughed like they hadn’t since they were children.
---
Ron had stayed behind at Ginny’s flat, wanting to talk to Ginny about the Draco problem. Now that the two were apparently friends, Ginny might get defensive if he tried to kick Draco out. He didn’t really know what to do about it, anyway – after the Slytherin had saved his sister’s life, he had considerably warmed up to the guy. He would respect Ginny’s opinion on Draco, provided that her reasons were sound enough.
Then he came across the open Pensieve cupboard, and annoyance flashed through him again. Trust Malfoy to not respect other people’s privacy.
“Stupid Malfoy,” he muttered under his breath, relocking the cabinet. “Looking through Ginny’s private thoughts.”
“Actually,” came Pansy’s voice, startling Ron. “Draco hasn’t been meddling with Ginny’s Pensieve. I’ve been meddling with his instead.”
“Why are you still here? I don’t think Ginny would want you here.”
“I’m leaving very soon. Before Draco comes.”
“Don’t you want to see him?”
“I do, but I shouldn’t just yet – he’ll hex me to pieces if he finds out I destroyed his Pensieve.”
“You what?”
“I destroyed his Pensieve.” Pansy sighed heavily before continuing, “I know and you know the kinds of effects that memories of the war has. I especially know how the war changed Draco. Honestly, Weasley, think about it – do you prefer the snobby little boy who made fun of you, or do you prefer the haunted young man who almost killed you?”
“Well, that’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? Taunting is loads better than murder.”
“Exactly. I never want to see Draco like that again. He was so miserable. He really was a happy boy when he was little. His parents were wonderful to him and he loved them dearly. They didn’t die very peacefully; Draco shouldn’t have to remember that.”
“But Parkinson, they’re a part of who he is! You can’t just take all that away from him. What if he wants to remember? And he should – all of us had to suffer through the war. Why shouldn’t he?”
“Because I don’t want him to,” Pansy said matter-of-factly.
“But what gives you the right to do that? To destroy his past?”
“I’m his friend – his real friend. You Gryffindors may not understand Slytherin friendship, but this is how it works: in Slytherin, friends help friends find the easy way out. Why force Draco to remember when he can simply and happily start his life over?”
“I’m sure he’ll be mad at you, though.”
“He’ll forgive me eventually, when he realizes that he’s better off without those memories. He shouldn’t be weighed down by those horrors. Potter told me that Draco remembers up to somewhere around the beginning of our fourth year – that’s an excellent place for him to start his life over. Back then, everything was all right. Everything was happy. He’ll thank me later.”
Ron was touched. Though it was true that he wasn’t too impressed with the Slytherin way of backing out of facing one’s fears, Pansy’s friendship was honestly genuine. Maybe she wasn’t so bad, after all.
“So, Parkinson,” he asked. “If you need a place to stay, why not Hogwarts? We really could use a guidance counselor – especially one who understands Slytherins.”
Pansy grinned evilly. “And maybe I’ll corrupt some Gryffindors while I’m at it.”
Ron laughed. “Report to the Headmaster’s office tomorrow at 8 am sharp. By then, I’ll have convinced him into giving you that job.”
“All right. See you tomorrow… Ronniekins.” Pansy smirked at him, then Apparated away, leaving Ron behind with a half-frown and half-smile. Life at Hogwarts was going to become interesting once again.
---
Ginny was feeling worse than she should. The crisis was over, for which she should be happy, but she had a new concern. Draco had told her of how the first thing he was going to do when he got home was to look at the Pensieve, and that if his resolve weakened, she should just push him headfirst into the Pensieve and get it over with.
This didn’t appeal to Ginny one bit. The current version of Draco, the one that had come back from Switzerland as a tolerable, funny young man, could very well disappear if his memories were returned to him. She would most likely lose the friend who had helped her through the toughest period of her life since the war.
Perhaps it was because she had spent too much time living with the particular Slytherin, but she thought that in Draco’s case, bravely facing his fears wasn’t the best option. Things would be much better if Draco just forgot about the past and moved on. He didn’t need those memories to be himself – he was himself right now, and Ginny liked it.
She liked it. She liked him. She liked Draco.
It hit her like a Bludger to the head. She had been so preoccupied about Oliver – who was now being a perfectly charming gentleman to Leanne – that she had not seen what was in front of her nose, living in her flat, all this time.
“Weasley?” Draco asked, as Ginny had stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, a stunned expression plastered on her face. “Are you all right?”
And Ginny could tell that he was genuinely concerned – concerned about her. He wouldn’t be if he got his memories back. But who am I to stop him? Ginny thought dejectedly. She should just be grateful for the brief moment of friendship she had shared with him, and then let him get his life back.
“I’m fine,” Ginny said, trying to force a smile. “It’s just that everything’s finally catching up with me now. Let’s go inside.”
Ginny found a note from Ron posted on the door, saying he wanted to talk to her about Draco, but since it was late, he was leaving so she could get some sleep. The note made her feel worse. Her brother would obviously come by tomorrow to convince her to kick Draco out, but by then, he would have left of his own accord, having regained his memories and his hatred of her.
Ginny went to the bathroom to wash up, feeling rather downhearted, and Draco had gone to retrieve his Pensieve. Ginny miserably toweled the water off her face, wondering what Draco would do if she stopped him from regaining his memories. He would probably think that she was crazy and start to hate her again. He would hate her regardless of whether or not he got his memories back. It was a lose-lose situation.
Ginny took a deep breath and walked outside to face Draco and his Pensieve. Only, there was no Pensieve. Draco was sitting on the couch, head in his hands.
“Malfoy?” she asked tentatively. “What’s wrong?”
Draco looked up with an odd expression. He seemed happy and upset, grateful and resentful at the same time. “Pansy Parkinson. She’s been here,” he said, waving a small slip of parchment.
Ginny took the note from him. I like the new you better, the note read. And I’m sure everyone else does too. Don’t disappoint them – especially the Weaslette. She’s scary good with the Bat-Bogey Hex.. ~ Pansy
Ginny smiled. So Pansy had gone and done what Ginny herself had wanted to do. Maybe Pansy wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe whatever it was that she had going on with Ron wasn’t so bad, either.
“She apparently destroyed my Pensieve,” Draco explained. “I – I don’t know what to say. It’s like a weight off my shoulders. I don’t have to become who I was in the past. While I’ll never find out what really happened, and who I really was, I don’t think I care anymore. This is good because…” he hesitated.
“Because?”
“Because…” Draco looked uncomfortable, but he sighed and went on, “Because if I went back to being who I was, then you’d hate me. And I don’t want you to hate me.”
Ginny sat down beside him and wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug. “How could I ever hate you? I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for you!”
Draco hugged back tightly and grinned broadly. Then, in a crazy spur of the moment, he pressed his lips to hers.
Ginny pushed him back, scowling. “Ew!” she exclaimed.
Color flooded Draco’s cheeks. She obviously didn’t return any of his feelings – those blasted feelings he just couldn’t seem to crush, no matter how much he reminded himself that he was a Malfoy and she was a Weasley – and now he had just royally screwed up. She would never forgive him, and things would be so awkward, and he’d never again be able to look at her without feeling embarrassed – and why was she smirking like that?
“You should have seen the look on your face,” Ginny said, still with that evil smirk. Then she kissed him.
Draco wasn’t exactly sure what had just happened right then and there, but all that mattered was that Ginny was kissing him like no girl had before, and now he had a new happy memory for conjuring Patronuses. He hoped that he had more happy memories to come – all featuring a mean, crazy, and slightly scary redheaded woman.
---
The End
---
A/N: Thank you very, very much to all readers who stayed with me to the end! And to all of my reviewers – you guys are the best! Thank you, thank you!
Chapter Ten
---
The crime scene was not a pretty sight. There were two Katies – one lying in an uncomfortable-looking position on a rooftop, the other sobbing with mascara running down her cheeks.
“It’s Polyjuice!” Oliver declared.
“Well, obviously,” Draco drawled with much derision in his voice. No situation was dire enough for him to forget his dislike of the tree-man. “Unless Bell over here has an evil twin.”
“It – it is Polyjuice,” Katie sobbed. “Except that – that I’m the one who’s using it.”
“What?” Oliver asked, looking at Katie as if he were seeing her for the first time.
“I’m not Katie Bell. I’m Leanne Philby. Please don’t sentence me to Azkaban!” she wailed. “I didn’t want to do it! But I had to! If I didn’t, she would have killed me! She’s already hurt my brother!”
Something clicked in Draco’s head. “Leanne Philby? So your brother is that Auror?”
“Yes,” Leanne said, wiping her eyes. “Lyle is in St. Mungo’s right now. I tried to escape from Katie and she hurt Lyle to get back at me! Then she threatened to hurt the rest of my family if I didn’t cooperate. She made me Polyjuice myself into her to trick Oliver while she went to kill Ginny.”
“So Katie wasn’t involved with your brother?” Oliver asked, remembering how Leanne had tearfully taken Katie away in the middle of their date, speaking of her brother’s broken heart.
“Not directly,” Leanne answered, misunderstanding Oliver’s meaning of ‘involved.’ “The only reason she went after him was because of me. She cursed him, and it damaged his heart. He’s okay, though, now.”
“Oh. Damaged heart,” Oliver said to himself. “Not broken heart.” He wasn’t sure if he should be happy that Katie was not a heartbreaker, or heartbroken that Katie was a murderer.
“Why did she want to kill me?” Ginny asked after a while, feeling sort of numb. She had hated Katie all along for stealing Oliver’s attention, but had never thought Katie would hate her back. She hadn’t thought the murderer would be someone who was so familiar to her – and, after all, Katie was a Gryffindor and had always been a nice girl.
“She was recruited by the Russian Wizarding Mafia to get rid of you. I don’t know why, though. She didn’t tell me much.”
“The Russian Wizarding Mafia!” Oliver exclaimed. “Ginny, do you think this has anything to do with your fight with Petrova Porskoff?”
“Over that silly little thing?”
Two years ago, Ginny had played exceptionally well during a game held in Russia. She had done so well that Russia’s star Chaser, Petrova Porskoff, had been humiliated. When they played again one year ago, Porskoff had still harbored a grudge. Porskoff had played roughly, and Ginny had been annoyed. In the end, she not only outplayed the Russian Chaser, but also taunted her as well. It wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but Porskoff had been especially irritating.
“I don’t believe it!” she said. “A little taunting was all I did! And she wants me dead? There must be another reason why the Mafia is after me.”
“Hey, taunting can be serious. Potter still hates me, I’m sure,” Draco commented. “But we’ll find out soon enough if Porskoff is really behind it. I just sent a Patronus to the Potters.”
---
“She appears to have gone flying,” Ron said, coming out of his sister’s bedroom. “Her broomstick’s not in the closet.”
“I’m sure Malfoy’s with her,” Harry added. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”
“Should we go out and look for them?” Hermione suggested.
“No,” Pansy stated. “This is the perfect opportunity for us to sit and talk.”
“Talk?” Hermione asked suspiciously. “About what?”
“About you and Potter. From what I’ve heard, you two had a fight over a misunderstanding regarding Ronald.”
Hermione glared at Harry. “What exactly have you been telling her?”
“Not told, exactly,” Pansy interrupted before Harry could speak. “Potter here is a really bad Occlumens. He’s quite the opposite, in fact, especially when he’s drunk. He was broadcasting his thoughts for every Legilimens in the area to pick up. So, I’ve decided to do some marriage counseling. Potter was nice to me these past few days, so I’ll return the favor and do something nice, for a change.”
“And what do you know about marriage counseling?” Hermione snapped. “I thought your expertise was torturing Muggles.”
Pansy shot a dirty look at Hermione. Here she was, trying to help the ungrateful bush-head, and said bush-head couldn’t even keep her mouth shut. But the thought that Ron may show some interest in her if Potter and Potter worked things out kept her temper in check. She shrugged elegantly. “I had plenty of time to read about psychology in the Azkaban Library.”
“The Azkaban Library?” Harry was aghast. “Merlin’s beard! P.U.K.E. has gone way too far!”
Hermione looked slightly guilty. Pansy rolled her eyes and continued. “As I was saying, if I hadn’t become a Death Eater, I would’ve gone into wizarding psychology. So I read about it as much as I could. Anyway, let’s clarify things, shall we?”
Pansy then began explaining to Hermione what she had told Harry. Ron nodded along with her, occasionally adding a comment or two. They both emphasized that there had been no romance between them whatsoever, and Ron guaranteed that Pansy was not a factor in his breakup with Hermione. Hermione looked a bit placated. Pansy, the expert manipulator that she was, managed to make everyone believe that the final results were wonderful.
“I am a skilled Legilimens,” she said, “and you two are horrible Occlumens. As a result, I can clearly tell that you –” she paused, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “As disgusting as it is to see two Gryffindors in love, I must say, I can tell that you two definitely love each other.”
Hermione blushed and Harry embarrassedly ruffled his hair.
“Well?” demanded Pansy. “Are we going to have to sit here forever, or are you two going to kiss and make up?”
“Not in public!” Hermione said immediately, the prude in her blushing even more at the suggestion.
“Shall we leave?” Pansy didn’t wait for an answer to her question. She just stood up, grabbed Ron, and retreated to Ginny’s room.
Hermione glanced shyly up at Harry, and Harry shyly looked back. They slowly closed the distance between them. Hermione puckered up her lips and Harry pushed his glasses firmly onto his nose. There were mere centimeters left... Then a giant silvery occamy glided in through the window and Hermione shrieked.
“Harry probably missed the target,” Ron muttered, but Pansy had to go see for herself.
She poked her head out from the other room, wondering how the two daft Gryffindors managed to mess even that up, then saw the occamy that she hadn’t seen since practicing the Patronus charm in school.
The great winged snake spoke in what was unmistakably Draco’s drawling voice. “While you Aurors were busy being incompetent, I, the great Draco Malfoy, have caught the axe-murderer. Come see, and bring my medal with you.”
Pansy genuinely smiled. That was the Draco Malfoy she had known before all the horrible things had happened. He was childish and snobbish, but happy. That was what mattered most, wasn’t it? Happiness? Maybe memory loss was a good thing for him.
---
Head Auror Joseph Brand presided over the interrogation, while the Aurors, the witnesses, and the victims were called to watch.
As it turned out, Oliver had been right. Under the influence of Veritaserum, Katie revealed that Petrova Porskoff had orchestrated the entire thing to get rid of her number one enemy. It had also been Porskoff’s idea to get rid of Puddlemere’s experienced captain. Porskoff had hired the Mafia, who hired Katie.
“Why did you –” Harry began, but was cut off by Oliver.
“Why did you do it?” he demanded to know, his expression one between sadness and anger.
“All questioning must be done by Aurors,” Brand interrupted, but all he got for his trouble was an irritated wave of the hand from the Puddlemere Keeper. Celebrities. How he hated them.
“Because I wanted to,” Katie responded, a strange maniacal gleam in her eye. “Ever since my seventh year, I’ve wanted to be evil! It’s my ultimate goal in life!”
“Seventh year,” Hermione said with a gasp. “Harry, Katie was cursed with that necklace in her seventh year!”
Harry nodded grimly. “You’re right. It had aftereffects that the St. Mungo’s Healers apparently missed. So we were right all along.”
“Yes, of course we were right,” Hermione agreed, then paused. “What were we right about?”
“About Malfoy being involved. Although he doesn’t remember, and though it was probably unintentional, it’s partly Malfoy’s fault – he gave the necklace to Katie, making her evil, and making her want to become a murderer.”
Everyone glared at Draco. He scowled. He could see no way around it but to apologize. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, his ego crumbling down with the apology. “Listen. As soon as I go home, I’m going to look at my Pensieve. I’m going to remember everything and apologize for everything that needs to needs to be apologized for. Okay? So stop giving me those looks. I’m sorry. I didn’t know better.”
Oliver wasn’t particularly interested in whether or not Malfoy was sorry. “What were your feelings for me, exactly?” he questioned Katie.
“That question is not relevant to the case!” Auror Brand shouted, but he was ignored.
“You’re annoying. You’re too noble and too chivalrous and too, too boring,” Katie drawled.
Oliver’s expression was a mixture of fury and devastation. “So you just pretended to like me so you would have someone on your side if you ever got suspected?”
“Exactly. And I also pretended not to like Draco, when in reality, I think I’m in love with him.”
Draco looked uncomfortably flabbergasted. “Bell. I apparently almost killed you in school. You can’t possibly –”
“But Draco! That’s what will make our relationship so thrilling! The lingering idea that we could kill each other at any time!”
Draco screwed up his face. “That’s not thrilling, Bell. That’s terrifying.”
“Enough with the drama,” Auror Brand snapped. “We know all that we need to. I’m sending Katherine Bell to receive treatment at St. Mungo’s, acquitting Leanne Philby, and taking Aurors Hermione Potter and Ernie Macmillan to speak with the Russian Ministry of Magic about the Mafia and Petrova. Draco Malfoy and Ginevra Weasley will receive medals for their bravery in capturing a criminal. Oh,” he added with a sigh, “and I’m canceling the suspension of Auror Harry Potter. That’s it. Aurors, I need a few more words with you. Civilians, please move on out.”
The case was closed.
---
“Are you really sure about this?” Ian asked. “I knew Oliver Wood for a long time, and he’s definitely not murderer material.”
“It’s all part of his evil scheme. Of course I’m sure – it’s reporters’ intuition,” Lavender insisted, pacing in front of the door of the room where the axe-murderer case was being solved. She had been tipped off that the suspect had been caught, and that all people involved were currently in this room. Oliver Wood was one of them.
The door suddenly opened, and Oliver, among other people, came out with his arm around a tired-looking girl that Lavender was certain had been in Gryffindor a year above her. Leah, or Luann, or something like that. Oliver, who was now waving hello to them, did not look like he had just been convicted of murder. What was going on here?
Draco Malfoy was next to come out. He caught sight of Lavender and smirked. “Are you here to take a picture of me and my medal?”
“Medal? What medal?”
“My medal,” Draco said haughtily. “Didn’t you know? I thought you knew everything, being a reporter and all.”
“I do,” Lavender reassured. “The medal must be a very recent development… Anyway, I know the case has been solved. So, naturally, I want an interview.”
Despite her confusion, Lavender was a professional at pretending to be confident. Though she had no idea what had happened – even though she would never admit it – she would have no problem conducting the interview.
“So, Mr. Malfoy, could you please recount the events of today? Don’t leave anything out.”
Draco dramatically began retelling his story. Ginny joined them and added her own comments, snorting occasionally at Draco’s melodrama. As the tale unfolded, Lavender was astonished. She had been entirely wrong! Her reporter’s intuition apparently needed some calibration. Yet, the interview with Draco finished smoothly, and she moved on to Ginny. Both of them promised that Lavender would be the only reporter to interview them. She would definitely be getting a promotion for this!
With two successful interviews finished, Lavender happily dashed off to the Daily Prophet headquarters to publish her exclusive interview. Ian dashed off after her. Lavender had a big ‘I told you so’ coming her way.
---
“Harry!” Hermione squealed happily. “You’ve been reappointed! This is wonderful!”
“Yes, it is,” Harry agreed. “I just talked to Brand, and he said I could go with you and Ernie to Russia. And I was thinking that maybe when that’s over, after all this action, we could take a break.”
“A break?” Hermione did not like breaks.
“Yeah. I think we deserve some time off, don’t you?”
“Hmm. Perhaps, but there’s just so much work to do!”
“A little break – a short one – so we can be refreshed and ready for anything!”
“Oh, maybe… Where to?”
Harry smiled. Long ago, Hermione had gushed about how wonderful Hawaii had been when she went there as a child, and had expressed her wish to visit again someday. Then the war had happened and life became too busy. Even their honeymoon had been cut short because they ran across a Dark objects smuggler on their second day in Paris, and like the very enthusiastic Aurors they were, decided to ditch the honeymoon in favor of a pursuit and investigation. But now, Harry would stop time over the entire world if it meant getting some quality time with Hermione. Their relationship needed it, after all. “Hawaii,” he finally said.
“Hawaii!” Hermione looked utterly convinced about needing a break. “Hawaii would be lovely! Just you and me,” she added. “No Ron, no Pansy, no trouble. Just me and my beloved husband.”
Beloved husband. And at that moment, Harry knew she meant it. He smiled, Hermione smiled, and they both laughed like they hadn’t since they were children.
---
Ron had stayed behind at Ginny’s flat, wanting to talk to Ginny about the Draco problem. Now that the two were apparently friends, Ginny might get defensive if he tried to kick Draco out. He didn’t really know what to do about it, anyway – after the Slytherin had saved his sister’s life, he had considerably warmed up to the guy. He would respect Ginny’s opinion on Draco, provided that her reasons were sound enough.
Then he came across the open Pensieve cupboard, and annoyance flashed through him again. Trust Malfoy to not respect other people’s privacy.
“Stupid Malfoy,” he muttered under his breath, relocking the cabinet. “Looking through Ginny’s private thoughts.”
“Actually,” came Pansy’s voice, startling Ron. “Draco hasn’t been meddling with Ginny’s Pensieve. I’ve been meddling with his instead.”
“Why are you still here? I don’t think Ginny would want you here.”
“I’m leaving very soon. Before Draco comes.”
“Don’t you want to see him?”
“I do, but I shouldn’t just yet – he’ll hex me to pieces if he finds out I destroyed his Pensieve.”
“You what?”
“I destroyed his Pensieve.” Pansy sighed heavily before continuing, “I know and you know the kinds of effects that memories of the war has. I especially know how the war changed Draco. Honestly, Weasley, think about it – do you prefer the snobby little boy who made fun of you, or do you prefer the haunted young man who almost killed you?”
“Well, that’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? Taunting is loads better than murder.”
“Exactly. I never want to see Draco like that again. He was so miserable. He really was a happy boy when he was little. His parents were wonderful to him and he loved them dearly. They didn’t die very peacefully; Draco shouldn’t have to remember that.”
“But Parkinson, they’re a part of who he is! You can’t just take all that away from him. What if he wants to remember? And he should – all of us had to suffer through the war. Why shouldn’t he?”
“Because I don’t want him to,” Pansy said matter-of-factly.
“But what gives you the right to do that? To destroy his past?”
“I’m his friend – his real friend. You Gryffindors may not understand Slytherin friendship, but this is how it works: in Slytherin, friends help friends find the easy way out. Why force Draco to remember when he can simply and happily start his life over?”
“I’m sure he’ll be mad at you, though.”
“He’ll forgive me eventually, when he realizes that he’s better off without those memories. He shouldn’t be weighed down by those horrors. Potter told me that Draco remembers up to somewhere around the beginning of our fourth year – that’s an excellent place for him to start his life over. Back then, everything was all right. Everything was happy. He’ll thank me later.”
Ron was touched. Though it was true that he wasn’t too impressed with the Slytherin way of backing out of facing one’s fears, Pansy’s friendship was honestly genuine. Maybe she wasn’t so bad, after all.
“So, Parkinson,” he asked. “If you need a place to stay, why not Hogwarts? We really could use a guidance counselor – especially one who understands Slytherins.”
Pansy grinned evilly. “And maybe I’ll corrupt some Gryffindors while I’m at it.”
Ron laughed. “Report to the Headmaster’s office tomorrow at 8 am sharp. By then, I’ll have convinced him into giving you that job.”
“All right. See you tomorrow… Ronniekins.” Pansy smirked at him, then Apparated away, leaving Ron behind with a half-frown and half-smile. Life at Hogwarts was going to become interesting once again.
---
Ginny was feeling worse than she should. The crisis was over, for which she should be happy, but she had a new concern. Draco had told her of how the first thing he was going to do when he got home was to look at the Pensieve, and that if his resolve weakened, she should just push him headfirst into the Pensieve and get it over with.
This didn’t appeal to Ginny one bit. The current version of Draco, the one that had come back from Switzerland as a tolerable, funny young man, could very well disappear if his memories were returned to him. She would most likely lose the friend who had helped her through the toughest period of her life since the war.
Perhaps it was because she had spent too much time living with the particular Slytherin, but she thought that in Draco’s case, bravely facing his fears wasn’t the best option. Things would be much better if Draco just forgot about the past and moved on. He didn’t need those memories to be himself – he was himself right now, and Ginny liked it.
She liked it. She liked him. She liked Draco.
It hit her like a Bludger to the head. She had been so preoccupied about Oliver – who was now being a perfectly charming gentleman to Leanne – that she had not seen what was in front of her nose, living in her flat, all this time.
“Weasley?” Draco asked, as Ginny had stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, a stunned expression plastered on her face. “Are you all right?”
And Ginny could tell that he was genuinely concerned – concerned about her. He wouldn’t be if he got his memories back. But who am I to stop him? Ginny thought dejectedly. She should just be grateful for the brief moment of friendship she had shared with him, and then let him get his life back.
“I’m fine,” Ginny said, trying to force a smile. “It’s just that everything’s finally catching up with me now. Let’s go inside.”
Ginny found a note from Ron posted on the door, saying he wanted to talk to her about Draco, but since it was late, he was leaving so she could get some sleep. The note made her feel worse. Her brother would obviously come by tomorrow to convince her to kick Draco out, but by then, he would have left of his own accord, having regained his memories and his hatred of her.
Ginny went to the bathroom to wash up, feeling rather downhearted, and Draco had gone to retrieve his Pensieve. Ginny miserably toweled the water off her face, wondering what Draco would do if she stopped him from regaining his memories. He would probably think that she was crazy and start to hate her again. He would hate her regardless of whether or not he got his memories back. It was a lose-lose situation.
Ginny took a deep breath and walked outside to face Draco and his Pensieve. Only, there was no Pensieve. Draco was sitting on the couch, head in his hands.
“Malfoy?” she asked tentatively. “What’s wrong?”
Draco looked up with an odd expression. He seemed happy and upset, grateful and resentful at the same time. “Pansy Parkinson. She’s been here,” he said, waving a small slip of parchment.
Ginny took the note from him. I like the new you better, the note read. And I’m sure everyone else does too. Don’t disappoint them – especially the Weaslette. She’s scary good with the Bat-Bogey Hex.. ~ Pansy
Ginny smiled. So Pansy had gone and done what Ginny herself had wanted to do. Maybe Pansy wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe whatever it was that she had going on with Ron wasn’t so bad, either.
“She apparently destroyed my Pensieve,” Draco explained. “I – I don’t know what to say. It’s like a weight off my shoulders. I don’t have to become who I was in the past. While I’ll never find out what really happened, and who I really was, I don’t think I care anymore. This is good because…” he hesitated.
“Because?”
“Because…” Draco looked uncomfortable, but he sighed and went on, “Because if I went back to being who I was, then you’d hate me. And I don’t want you to hate me.”
Ginny sat down beside him and wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug. “How could I ever hate you? I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for you!”
Draco hugged back tightly and grinned broadly. Then, in a crazy spur of the moment, he pressed his lips to hers.
Ginny pushed him back, scowling. “Ew!” she exclaimed.
Color flooded Draco’s cheeks. She obviously didn’t return any of his feelings – those blasted feelings he just couldn’t seem to crush, no matter how much he reminded himself that he was a Malfoy and she was a Weasley – and now he had just royally screwed up. She would never forgive him, and things would be so awkward, and he’d never again be able to look at her without feeling embarrassed – and why was she smirking like that?
“You should have seen the look on your face,” Ginny said, still with that evil smirk. Then she kissed him.
Draco wasn’t exactly sure what had just happened right then and there, but all that mattered was that Ginny was kissing him like no girl had before, and now he had a new happy memory for conjuring Patronuses. He hoped that he had more happy memories to come – all featuring a mean, crazy, and slightly scary redheaded woman.
---
The End
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A/N: Thank you very, very much to all readers who stayed with me to the end! And to all of my reviewers – you guys are the best! Thank you, thank you!
The End.
sheriden is the author of 3 other stories.
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This story is a favorite of 95 members. Members who liked Quaffles and Quarrels also liked 1711 other stories.
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