Dark Fire

Chapter 18- Odd Man Out

Hermione stood in shock in the light deficient passageway , her memory becoming hazy as she looked at her teenage husband who was now holding her hand.

“Hermione you have to remember, focus, it’s me, Draco.” Draco was shaking her by the arms now with a look of urgency on his face.

“Please, remember Hermione.” Why was Malfoy saying this to her? Remember what? What was she supposed to remember? Hermione felt her whole world slipping away from her, yet she felt something for him, unable to retrieve the memory she pulled back from Draco.

“Bloody hell Harry where are we?” Ron looked shell-shocked as did Harry and Ginny who stood looking back and forth from a very strange Malfoy pleading with Hermione.

“Malfoy, why are you talking to Hermione?” Harry said as if he too remembered something but what that something was he could not recall.

“Ron what is going on? Why am I here and where is here?” Ginny walked slowly in circles taking it all in a look of confusion on her face.

“Hermione don’t you remember me babe?” Draco wrapped his arms around the teenage Hermione as she stood looking puzzled at the handsome boy who called her mudblood and hated her with every fiber of his being.

“Get your hands off of her ferret fuck!” Ron pushed Draco off of Hermione and Hermione looked at Ron in a friendly way.

“No, this isn’t happening.” Draco fell to his knees and Hermione could hear muffled sobs as Draco buried his head in his arm shielding his face from the others who gaped at him in disbelief.

“What’s going on Malfoy? Why have you brought us here?” Harry said in a harsh tone to Draco.

“Come on you have to think. This isn’t us, at least anymore. This is us when we were kids. Think Hermione, Potter, Ginny you remember me don’t you? Our kids are dating?” Draco plead with anybody who would listen.

“Kids? Malfoy has finally lost his marbles.” Ginny shot looks to the other three who all nodded in agreement.

“Come on we have to get out of here.” Harry motioned the others who started to follow Harry Potter.

“Stop! We came here for a reason. We need to find something, remember?” Draco began discussing the reason they were in the tomb. He didn’t want to burden them with all the years memories they were lacking, the shock would be too much, so he just stuck to the facts. Hermione stood and watched Draco in an odd way, her hand clasped in Ron’s.

“Hermione don’t you remember your promise to me? Please think Hermione, you have to remember.You promised me we would stay together!” Malfoy looked so deeply emotionally affected that Hermione couldn’t take her eyes off of him, yet she did not know why she even cared.

“Come on we need to make our way into the circular hidden room in the center of the tomb. It’s this way.” Draco said in a fed up voice as his wife walked hand in hand with Ron Weasley. Harry and Ginny were walking together naturally, not even realizing that they were married outside of this tomb and had a daughter together. Why didn’t Hermione naturally feel this way about him? Draco walked by himself quietly behind Hermione and Ron pondering the depths of his marriage or lack thereof. His wife did not remember anything about their marriage, their kids or their life together and this greatly weighed on Draco’s mind. They passed by several cave paintings depicting Osiris and Isis and the tomb grew colder as they descended into it’s eerie bowels. Draco saw Hermione tense as the torch light above them threatened to blow out as it flickered in and out. She squeezed Ron's hand tighter as Draco looked on and then Ron’s arm instinctively went around Hermione’s shoulder. That was enough for Draco to bear and he pushed between them throwing Ron's arm off of Hermione.

“What the hell, Malfoy! Get the fuck away from us! Just because we are stuck down here with you don’t think you can boss us around. We don’t take orders from you you slimy ferret.” Ron shot back at Draco who looked like he was going to deck Ron right at that moment. Harry stood next to Ginny with an expression on hs face like he was starting to remember.

“Ron don’t hold Hermione like that any more.” Harry said, but had no idea why he was saying it.

“What? Why are you saying that Harry? You know Hermione and I have had feelings for each other for ages.” Ron seemed totally put off at harry and confused as to why his best mate would even say such a thing.

“Look I know Ron, it just seems wrong. Seeing Hermione with you doesn’t feel right for some reason.” Harry couldn’t put his finger on it but he was headed in the right direction. A fleeting look on Hermione’s face when Harry said that gave Draco some small hope that his wife was beginning to remember.

“Does this look right to you Potter?” Draco took Hermione around her waist and pulled her in close to him where he planted a kiss on her lips as they stood at an intersection in the tomb, two paths leading into more darkness.

“No it bloody doesn’t!” Ron said as he hit Draco hard in the face with his fist. Draco slammed Ron back against the wall of the tomb and Ron again punched Draco in the gut as he doubled backwards smacking against the other side of the passage way wall. Hermione’s fingers went to her lips where the realization that Draco was her man started to dawn on her. She knew those lips didn’t she? Like a slide show Hermione suddenly caught glimpses of Draco and herself standing in a field with a three year old Scorpius flying on a red broom and Draco giving her her first kiss. Then she saw herself standing next to Draco, wearing a tuxedo and her in a white flowing gown and then a flash of Draco making love to her as they laughed in bed. She saw herself in this very tomb giving birth to her daughter as Hermione looked down at her finger. She gasped when she saw a gold wedding band circling her left ring finger. She was married. She was married to Draco, yes she remembered. Hermione looked up to see Draco bleeding from the mouth sitting on the ground against the wall of the tomb as dust and debris began falling from the tomb ceiling.

“Oh Draco, I’m so sorry baby, what have I done!” Hermione began to run towards Draco who smiled warmly at her just as the ceiling gave way. Ron pulled Hermione back and Draco lunged forward to pull Hermione to his side of the collapse before they were separated for good and before the whole ceiling came down on her.

“Ron let me go he’s my husband, we love each other!” Hermione was screaming as she watched a wave of rubble fall between she and Draco.

“I love you Hermione, the tomb reconnects at the other end. Meet me at the other end, Potter take care of her!” Draco screamed out as the stones and falling debris stopped finally , sealing off the passageway . They were all safe, but Draco was not with the four of them any more. He was on the other side.

“Why did you do that to him Ron!” Hermione lashed out at Ron who looked on still completely confused.

“What’s going on Hermione I’m really confused” Ron said sincerely.

“Draco and I are married and we have two beautiful children. I’ll be lucky if he ever wants to speak to me again after all that.” Hermione began to sob in the dark passage way.

“Ginny we are married too and we have a daughter. I knew I felt something and I just couldn’t put my finger on it.” Harry took Ginny in his arms who seemed to trust and believe Harry completely as he kissed her. “I love you Ginny.” Ginny returned her kiss and then hugged tightly.

“What the bloody hell! We are like fourteen years old, this is crazy, Hermione married to Malfoy and Harry and my sister, you all are mental.” Ron kicked some pebbles with his foot frustrated.

“Ron they are right. I remember now. Scorpius was kissing Lily before we left and Harry was all upset about it.” Ginny said looking at Harry.

“Yes Ginny that's right! The kids love each other.” Hermione said feeling happier then she had in a very long time.

“Draco, honey, can you hear me?” Hermione called out against the pile of rocks and rubble but no sound was heard from the other side.

“Harry we have to get to the bottom of the chamber. If we follow this passage way to the bottom, Draco said it would merge. We can’t be that far from the bottom, it must only be a little way to the bottom.” Hermione said frantic to be with her husband again. She remembered the promise she had made to Draco. She had promised they would stay together no matter what and she had already broken that promise and she desperately wanted to make up for breaking it in the first place.

“Bottom……Neville Longbottom. I’m dating Neville Longbottom.” Ron said groggily as he stood in silence against the wall thinking.

“What!?” All three said stunned by this revelation.

“Ron I think you took a blow to the head or something. You and Neville Longbottom aren’t lovers.

“Yes we are Harry, we have been for about a year now.” Ron admitted.

“Well that’s ….different….that’s wonderful Ron.” Ginny said as she made an ‘oh my god’ face to Harry who looked as pale as Draco normally does at hearing this.

“I had no idea Ron” Hermione had heard it but she didn’t really care at this particular moment as she tried to urge the others to get a move on. She needed Draco.

“Well we didn't either Harry it just sort of happened, but he and I are really good together. We are in love. I was going to tell you all at the Three Broomsticks that night but Malfoy was there and I didn’t feel like hearing the jokes, and then he called me a candy ass and I knew it wasn't the right time.” Ron said without any sense of embarrassment. He really must be in love and as weird as it was to hear their friend come out of the closet they would support him regardless.

“Look I’m really happy you are gay Ron but can we just get moving. Draco is out there alone right now. We don’t know if he’s alright or if he needs help. Move people!” Hermione screamed and the others finally began making their way down the dark tunnel of the passage way.

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