Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Heart and Soul ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Heart and Soul
By: Tassana Burrfoot

Chapter Two


Draco kicked his trunk. He had been at the Grangers for two days. Well, for two waking days. He wanted to go home.

He worried about his mother. Though he couldn't remember what happened to him, he did know his father was in prison. He also knew his Aunt Bella was staying at the manor. Which meant the Dark Lord was there and Draco did not know if his mother was safe.

His mind kept telling him that the Dark Lord was not going to hurt her. She would be all right. But, he wasn't so sure. The Dark Lord had allowed Lucius to be arrested, which meant he was angry with the Malfoys.

To make things even worse, Draco was bored. There was nothing for him to do. Granger had suggested he study, but he did not see the point. School was months away and he couldn't do magic anyway.

Though he joined the Grangers for mealtime, he mostly kept to himself. Granger stayed in her room as well, which suited him perfectly. In the morning, however, he would have to chase her out of his room so he could dress. (Every morning he woke up to her typing away on the computer.)

Thankfully, the Grangers gave him his space, so he didn't have to mix with them. They were Muggles and didn't understand his ways. Nor did he really understand them. He knew nothing of what they did or how they interacted. Wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

He glanced at the bookshelves and growled in annoyance. There was just nothing to do. A soft knock came from the door, causing Draco to snap, "What do you want?"

Granger's voice lifted from beyond the door. "Professor Dumbledore is here, Malfoy. He wants to speak to us both in the living room."

Draco yanked the door open and Granger fell into his arms. Apparently, she had been leaning into the door and had lost her balance. Instinct had made him catch her and keep them both from falling. For a brief moment he gazed into her honey coloured eyes. He wondered in that moment what she would do if he were to kiss her. To brush his lips against hers...

"Sorry," she piped as she quickly righted herself, pushing away from him.

He said nothing, but followed her into the living room. He must be going mental. Thinking about kissing Granger? A Mudblood? He'd rather kiss a toad.

Dumbledore was seated in Mr. Granger's reclining chair, sipping a cup of tea. Mr. and Mrs. Granger sat on the couch across from him. When the teenagers entered the room, Dumbledore looked up at them and smiled. "Ah, Mr. Malfoy. How are you fairing?"

Draco snorted, "You're mad. How am I fairing? I'm stuck in a Muggle house with nothing to do and no where to go. I haven't seen my mother in ages, have heard nothing from my father. My arm is still busted up because the Healers don't think it would be 'beneficial' to use potions to heal me. I don't have my magic. AND I want to go home!"

The insufferable old man just nodded. "I can understand your need to return home. I, too, have wanted to go home before. Course my home is Hogwarts, but sometimes I feel there might be something else... As for your arm, it looks to be healed."

"No, it's not," Draco argued, pulling back his sleeve to reveal the scar. "If it were healed, I wouldn't have that ugly thing on it."

"It's always been my belief that scars are what define a person," Dumbledore commented, sipping his tea. "A sort of showcase of the trials and tribulations we have had to go through to make us who we are. But no matter, no matter."

Draco watched as the headmaster continued to sip his tea. "Hermione," the old man stated, "you have very hospitable parents. You should be honoured to be their daughter."

Granger blushed. "Oh, I am, Professor."

"Can we get back to me?" Draco demanded, not liking to be ignored. "What's wrong with me? I've been awake for two bloody days, yet I still can't perform magic. Were my father not in Azkaban..."

"He would have no clue on what to do," the Professor interrupted him. "Most likely, you would still be in St. Mungo's. What has happened to you is an extremely rare occurrence. In fact, only two others have ever experienced it."

"What exactly has happened to him, Professor?" Granger politely inquired, drawing a glare from Draco. He hated the politeness.

"I think you all ready know, Miss Granger," Dumbledore answered. "But, I shall elaborate for Mr. Malfoy's sake.

"Years ago, when I was a young boy, much younger than the two of you are now, the same thing happened to a young gentleman in my neighbourhood. Course, his parents, both magic folk, had been fiddling with things they shouldn't have. It was winter break, so the boy was home when their house exploded. Thankfully, the boy lived. But, the trauma of the accident caused him to temporarily forget his magic."

Draco paled. "My house is gone?" he questioned, fearing that was the reason he couldn't return home.

But Dumbledore shook his head. "No, it is not," he confirmed, causing Draco to breathe a sigh of relief. "But, something did happen. I don't know what it was, but something traumatic happened to make your forget your magic. I think this is only temporary."

"You think?!" the teenage boy shouted, his face turning red with anger. "What do you mean, 'you think'?"

"Malfoy," Granger said in a calm voice, "this has only happened to two others in history. We can only hope that it is temporary and you'll get your magic back. But, it is possible it could be permanent."

Draco did not want to hear this news. The idea that it could be permanent both scared and worried him. Not to mention, it didn't really help the situation. Defeated, he asked, "So, what do I do?"

"Study," Dumbledore replied, as if it were obvious. "Read your school books and do your homework. Practice saying the spells you'll be learning this coming year."

"If I can't perform them, what good will it do me?" Draco growled.

"Studying might help your mind remember," the Professor told him. "Miss Granger can help you. She's very smart and knows her work."

Draco dreaded the idea of asking Hermione Granger for help of any kind. He saw her blush at the Professor's compliment. "I know how to study," he sneered, delighting at the sight of Granger's blush disappearing. "I don't need some silly girl helping me."


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


Hermione threw her book down. She just couldn't concentrate any more. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator. After taking a long swallow, she leaned against the counter and sighed.

Her mother stood next to her, chopping an onion. "Studying hard, dear?" she asked, her eyes watery.

Hermione nodded. "Naturally. There's nothing else to do. Dumbledore has suggested that I not tell Harry or Ron about Malfoy just yet. He wants me to wait until Malfoy gets better."

"Perhaps you should ask Draco to go off with you. Get out of the house and do something," her mother offered. "It's not healthy for two young people like you to stay cooped up all day, every day studying. Young people should enjoy life. Lord knows what will happen to the two of you this year at school."

"Mum, the last thing I want to do is anything with Draco Malfoy," Hermione replied. "He's arrogant, snotty, and spoiled."

"Sounds like someone else I know," her mother grumbled. "Did you know he's also a gentleman? He helped me with the groceries yesterday. Picked up a particularly heavy box of bottled water without me even asking him to. Of course, I think it was just instinct. I'm sure he didn't really mean it. After all, he scampered back up to his room shortly after."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't expect him to be helpful with anything. I'm surprised he hasn't started trying to annoy me yet."

"He's also really cute," her mother interjected as though she hadn't heard her daughter. "With a face and body like his, I'm surprised you haven't started showing him off to your Muggle friends."

Hermione stared at her mother, stunned. "Haven't you heard a word of what I just said? His personality far overwhelms his looks."

"And have you bothered to really try to get to know him?" the older woman inquired. "How do you know his actions aren't a learned front? Some way for him to get attention? I'll bet if you took the time to get to know him, you'll find a gentle, fun boy who's just yearning for some attention and possibly even love."

Now Hermione laughed, "Love? Now I know you've gone mental. I don't think Malfoy even knows the meaning of the word. And I'm certainly not going to teach him."

"Hand me some celery," her mother instructed. As her daughter did as she was told, the woman continued, "Yesterday, when I came home from the store, not only did Draco help me with the bottled water, but he also took several bags. And, he opened the front door for me as well, though he was heavily laden and I had only two bags. I'm guessing he had been in the kitchen and heard me pull up. He was at my car before I even had a chance to open the car door."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Hermione asked, giving her mother a confused look.

Her mother just shrugged. "He may be spoiled, but so are you. You are also just as arrogant and stubborn as he. His parents must have done something right, however, because, without meaning to, he can be a pretty nice guy."

Hermione scoffed, "'Malfoy' and 'nice' are two words that do not belong in the same sentence."

She drank the rest of her water and sighed, "Fine. I'll ask him to go. But, I'm not forcing him out the house by wand point. If he doesn't wish to go, then he can stay behind."

After tossing the empty bottle into the recycling bin, Hermione made her way back upstairs. Asking Draco Malfoy to go anywhere was a nightmare. She just prayed he'd say no.

She softly rapped on the door with her knuckles. Maybe he wouldn't answer? Then she wouldn't have to ask him! That would be so wonderfully glorious. She could go back to her studying and...

The rest of her thoughts were lost as Malfoy opened the door and stood in the threshold. Did he think he looked good without a shirt on or something? She wondered. Well, of course he did! Because... well, he did look good without a shirt on.

Trying not to think of how good he looked, Hermione pierced her lips. "Why aren't you dressed?" she demanded a little more forcefully than she had intended.

"What do you want, Granger?" he retorted, ignoring her question.

To fall into your arms again, she thought. Her mother was right about his looks. She looked into his gray eyes and briefly wondered if it were possible to drown in their depths. Then, she remembered he was Malfoy. Malfoy might be nice to look at, but that was the only thing nice about him.

"I'm going to London today," she told him. "Would you care to join me? You don't have to, but if you would like..."

"What are you going to do in London?" he interrupted.

She shrugged. She really had no clue. "Well, I could go to the bowling alley. I haven't been there in a long time. I've been studying so hard, I thought I'd take a break. It wouldn't hurt for you to take a break as well."

She could tell Malfoy wasn't convinced. "Since when did you decide to take breaks from studying?" he questioned, folding his arms over his bare chest.

At first, she thought the gesture was a tease. To show how his muscles bunched up and... It wasn't. Silently berating herself, she put her hands on her hips and snapped, "If you don't want to go, then say so. Don't just stand there and..."

"I'll go," he interrupted again. "I just need to put a shirt on"-- Thank God!, she thought -- "I've never heard of a bowling alley, though."

A smile crept over her mouth. She just mischievously nodded and turned to walk away.