The Burden of Memory

Authors Note: I am so lucky to have so many readers who review my work. It makes me giddy to come home to an overflowing inbox. I'm astounded that most of my WIP stories are over 200 reviews prior to even chapter 10 being posted! Really, wow. It makes me enthusiastic to write when I know you all like the stories so much! Much love as always to my beta's on this story - Shannon and Alexandra. (hopefully I pulled down the right file this time!)

Chapter 10 Gryffindor’s Word

Harry felt a comfortable weight on his chest and warmth radiating beside him. He tried to pull it closer, as if he would bring the heat inside of himself and startled slightly when the heat made a muffled groan.

His eyes flew wide but it hardly mattered because his sight was covered with brilliant blonde hair. He took a calming breath and was assaulted with the fragrance of lavender and vanilla. He shuddered at how pleasant the natural fragrance of Malfoy was to his senses.

Malfoy.

Harry tried to sit up, but Malfoy only snuggled closer pinning him back into the bed and making Harry want to groan in frustration. The boy was strategically wrapped around his body so that Harry couldn’t move an inch without alerting him. His head was resting peacefully on Harry’s chest and his arms curved strongly around his torso and one leg was thrown over both of Harry’s. His own arms were wrapped around the blonde and he removed them at once.

Who would have thought Draco Malfoy liked to cuddle?

It was a precarious position at best and with Harry’s morning erection trying to break through his trousers, it made it that much more uncomfortable. At the thought of his own hard prick he suddenly felt Draco’s erection pressing into his hip.

Part of him never wanted to leave the warmth of the bed and Draco’s arms, but the rest of him—the logical and well-meaning part of him—knew that Draco would be mortified if he woke up like this. And he was probably dreaming of cuddling next to Lara, not a scruffy boy and former school rival.

In spite of that theory, Harry might have been able to convince himself to fall back to sleep and let Draco keep holding him a little longer. Unfortunately, Draco chose that very moment to moan in his sleep and rut against Harry’s thigh with his throbbing erection.

Harry’s eyes went wide and he began shoving at Draco before he did something that he would regret. Eventually the boulder, which Malfoy had apparently turned into overnight, moved just enough for Harry to slide out from under him.

He bolted straight for the restroom and stood, leaning on the other side of the closed door, trying to catch his breath. Draco was hot, there was no doubt about that, and Harry was physically attracted to him, that much was evidenced by the tent in his trousers, but it shouldn’t matter, because it was Malfoy and even if it wasn’t his oldest enemy it was still the man that Lara had designs on.

Lara was his family, and you just didn’t do things like molest your cousin’s fiancé.

Plus, Malfoy was straight. All these things certainly served to tip the scales in favor of leaving Malfoy alone. In truth, even if all those things didn’t stand in his way, a relationship with someone like Malfoy was just out of the question.

The words ‘Malfoy’ and ‘Relationship’ in the same sentence didn’t sound as wrong as he would have liked it to.

Harry groaned and went to the shower, making the water as cold as he could, and stood under the spray until he heard a knock on the door. He didn’t answer it and assumed that Malfoy would be able to hear the shower running, put two and two together, and go away.

Apparently he was wrong.

The door opened with a mechanical click and Harry froze in place. “Potter?” Draco called form the doorway.

“What, Malfoy? I’m a little busy here,” he replied, letting all of his annoyance replace the lust in his voice. He was naked, wet and hard and Draco was only a few feet away. He really needed to muster up all the annoyance he could find to counter that knowledge.

“I just wanted to find out how you take your tea,” Draco said. “I just put on a kettle and I didn’t watch what you did to yours last night.”

I prefer to slurp it off your tight abdomen. Harry shook his head violently to clear the thoughts. “Er… milk and three sugars,” he said out loud.

“Right, you like it sweet,” he replied.

Harry whimpered at the dozens of innuendos floating through his mind.

“What was that?” Draco asked.

“Nothing,” Harry squeaked.

“Okay,” he replied hesitantly. “I’ll be in the living room,” he said at last and Harry heard the door click shut.

He let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall of the shower, willing away all perverted thoughts of Draco from his mind.

--

Draco chuckled to himself. He remembered exactly how Harry took his tea; he just wanted to hear his voice.

He had woken up alone, having been deprived of the heat he had when he stirred in the middle of the night. The first time he woke couldn’t have been but only one in the morning. Harry was holding him close, running fingers through Draco’s hair. He thought the boy was awake at first and he was preparing to tease him, but then he realized that Harry was still fast asleep.

Draco had felt so safe and warm and went back to sleep instantly.

But then when he awoke that morning, the bed was empty and disheveled, as if Harry had left in a terrible hurry. He had started to worry that something had happened, or that maybe Draco had somehow unknowingly upset him, and he decided to interrupt his shower.

Harry was fine of course, and now Draco was left with nothing but the lingering sensation of Harry’s warm body.

Draco shook his head. He had no business thinking about Harry’s body, especially not when he had not that long ago asked the boy’s cousin to marry him. In addition to that, Harry hated him, or at least he used to, and surely that wasn’t something that would fade overnight.

No matter how cozy and warm that night had turned out to be.

He heard the shower cut off and quickly prepared the tea and put his best friendly face on. There was no reason Harry needed to know of his inner turmoil.

Draco ran into the bedroom to meet Harry as he emerged from the shower. He was only wearing a fluffy white towel around his waist and it wasn’t lost on Draco how fit the boy was, or the fact that he was blushing furiously.

Could Harry be attracted to him?

Draco shook his head. No, that couldn’t be. Harry had made it clear the night before that he didn’t even like him. Draco practically had to force himself into Harry’s bed.

“Er… do you mind? I’d like to get dressed,” Harry mumbled, he ran a hand through his raven hair, which still managed to look messy, even though it was soaking wet.

The towel almost dropped with his movement, but apparently Harry had quick reflexes, because he caught it just in time. Draco was concerned by how much that disappointed him.

“I just wanted to bring you, your tea,” Draco said quickly, wanting to do anything that would keep him from staring too long.

“Thanks. I’ll meet you in the living room when I’m done,” he said tersely.

Draco nodded meekly and left, feeling like an embarrassed stalker. Could Harry have made it any clearer that he wasn’t interested? Why did Draco feel the need to be near him? Perhaps it was just because he had shielded him from his parents and offered his home for Draco’s protection. Maybe it was because he knew Harry was going to help him get his memory back.

Harry emerged moments later, smiling slightly and Draco handed him his tea. He drank deeply from the cup and sighed. “Perfect,” he whispered.

Draco caught his brilliant green gaze and was once again reminded of the emerald eyes in is dreams. “Potter?” he asked, seemingly casual. “Did anything happen between us the last time you saw me?” he asked.

Harry shrugged and looked away. “Nothing major, no,” he replied.

Draco could tell he was lying. “Well, if you’re sure. I know you wouldn’t lie to me,” he said lightly, hoping it would bring out the truth.

“Why? Do you remember something?” Harry asked quickly.

“I might,” Draco began. “I’ve been having these dreams…” he let his voice trail off, not wanting to admit the possibility he had been dreaming of Harry’s eyes.

Harry sighed and sagged into the sofa. “I sort of… saved you. It was the last time I remembered seeing you, though I was a little distracted,” he muttered.

Draco perked up. “Saved me how?”

“Well, you were trying to kill me, you and your friends Crabbe and Goyle,” he started and Draco blanched. He could remember the boys from his memory of their first day, but couldn’t fathom ever wanting the boy in front of him dead.

“We were trapped in this magical room, and the whole place was burning. I got you and one of your friends out, but the other…” he choked on the last words.

Draco’s eyes went wide. “Which one? Which one died?” he pleaded.

“Maybe this should all wait for the pensieve. You’ll be able to see all the memories for yourself then,” Harry said, looking terribly uncomfortable.

As if on cue a soft pop announced the arrival of the Malfoy house elf and Harry looked nervous.

The elf dropped into a low bow facing Draco and looked genuinely terrified. He had with him two tiny trunks and extended them out for Draco to take. “Master Draco, these are the gifts your father sends to you. He is most displeased that you will not return to the manor,” the elf mumbled, flinching at his own words.

Draco accepted the small trunks and looked curiously at Harry, who enlarged them instantly. The blonde jumped away, startled by the newly resized items before him. One trunk was almost as tall as him, and the other was squat and wide.

“Thank you,” he said to the small creature, which he at once remembered as the Malfoy family servant, Ogg.

Ogg looked up with wide bulging eyes and began to sob uncontrollably. “Master Draco need not thank poor Ogg. Ogg is just doing his job,” he bellowed.

Draco looked over at Harry, completely taken aback by the elf’s behavior. “Is that normal?”

Harry shrugged. “I’ve only met a few, but I would say, yes, it’s fairly normal.”

“Does Master Draco have anything to send back to Master and Mistress?” Ogg asked hopefully.

“Er… no, I’m afraid not. Tell them I’ll work very hard to remember everything I can, and not to come again unless I summon them,” Draco added with a nod.

Ogg shook his bulbous head in agony. “Most displeased, Lord and Lady Malfoy will be unhappy to hear this indeed,” he muttered before disappearing from sight once more.

“Strange creatures, aren’t they?” Draco mused.

“Very,” Harry agreed wholeheartedly.

They sat in silence for a moment until Draco could no longer take it, so he opened the shorter of the trunks. Inside were piles and piles of clothing, obviously his own, along with a few other trinkets.

The next trunk held a large black stone basin with a mahogany wood cabinet below it. Harry peered over his shoulder and scrutinized the thing that must have been the pensieve. He reached across Draco to open the cabinet doors and brushed his chest along Draco’s back, sending a shiver through his body.

Harry turned and their eyes met briefly before he moved quickly away and waited for Draco to open the cabinet.

Draco tried to shake off the yearning for Harry’s proximity and reached over to open the small wooden doors. Inside was a box and inside that box were dozens of small glass bottles, each contained a swirling silvery mist that Draco had never seen before.

“What are these?” he whispered.

“Memories,” Harry responded, reaching for one and turning it over and over in his palm. “These must be what your father wishes for you to see.”

“I see no discernable order to them, and there are so many,” he mused.

“Maybe we should start with one of mine and I can get you used to the process, then we can move it all into the bedroom so you can have privacy with your family memories,” Harry offered.

“No,” Draco blurted. “I want you there too.”

Harry narrowed his eyes. “These are very personal, Malfoy. I’m sure your father never intended for me to see them.”

Draco shrugged. “If it gets too personal, can you leave?”

Harry nodded slowly. “Yes, I can remove myself from the memory, but it might take you with me.”

“That’s acceptable. I would rather you be there, just in case.”

“In case of what?” Harry asked curiously.

“In case you spot something that might be important. We still don’t know why I lost my memory in the first place,” Draco added plausibly. The truth was, he just felt safer with Harry, but he knew he had to offer an answer that would seem logical to the Gryffindor.

Harry seemed to think about it but eventually nodded. “You’re right. You’ll be able to focus more fully on getting your memory back if I take over investigating the rest of it. I am the one with Auror training after all,” he added with a fake smug tone, making Draco smile.

“So you’ll help me?” Draco asked tentatively.

“I said I would, didn’t I?” Harry replied, his face forming a soft contemplative expression.

A twinge ran though his mind and Draco laughed. “Ah yes, I just remembered.”

“What?” Harry asked with a puzzled look.

“Gryffindor’s always keep their word,” he replied.

Harry smiled wider and his eyes sparkled. “Indeed we do.”

Authors Note: I love you all, keep reviewing.