Obliviated

Hermione walked to the fireplace and stepped inside. She frowned as she realised she didn't know what she was supposed to say. Fear suddenly claimed her as she thought of Malfoy Manor.

“Sunflower Cottage.” Malfoy said as he noticed her hesitation. “That's the name of our place.”

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

“See you later.” Ginny said. “I'll be around to your place soon.”

Hermione nodded. “Thanks, Gin.”

Hermione threw down the powder and when she landed she clutched her stomach in pain. It was only muscle pain but it was still intense. A bath was definitely in order as soon as possible.

She stepped out of the fireplace and looked around at the pretty rectangular sitting room. The walls were a creamy colour and the ceiling was high. One of the wider walls was just one large bookshelf. Hermione wasn't surprised to see that it was full of books.

The furniture looked antiquated but comfortable. She could picture herself coming in here and curling up next to the fire with a book. She turned to the fireplace as she heard someone land. Malfoy stepped out and dusted himself off.

“Haven't floo-ed in ages.” He said, annoyed. “Don't miss it at all.”

Hermione forced a sympathetic smile.

“You shouldn't have to much after this. I can Apparate again tomorrow.” She said, making small talk.

He nodded, looking unsure of how to act. She turned as the silence got awkward. She heard Harry arrive behind her. He gave a cough.

“Think you need to service your fireplace, Malfoy.” Harry said. “It's full of soot and dust.”

“As fireplaces usually are, Potter.” Malfoy smirked. “We don't usually use it.”

Malfoy put her bag on one of the couches and headed for the door.

“Would you like a tour?” He asked, looking keenly at her.

“Yeah that would be good,” Hermione said walking towards him. “Then maybe I could have a bath, I'm a bit sore.”

“Can I get you anything for it?” He asked.

“The bath should help.” She head. “But, thank you.”

“Of course.”

He lead her down a narrow hallway and the came to the front door.

“We may as well start from the beginning.” He explained.

They walked into the first room, it was like any Muggle living room. Two large sofas and a coffee table in front of quite a big flat screen TV. She looked around taking it all in. There was an entertainment system set up with speakers in each corner of the room. The room only had a few trinkets and photos but it was beautiful in it's simplicity.

“You insisted that we have this television.” He said. “And the DVD player. Something I have actually come to enjoy.”

She looked at him and smiled. Malfoy enjoying something that was totally and utterly Muggle, who would have thought? She looked around at the photos. Some were moving, some were not. There were photos of her and her family, her family and Malfoy, and her and Malfoy holding each other. She didn't stop to study them, she would rather do it when she was alone.

She walked out back into the hall. The next room was a guest bedroom with an en-suite. It was tastefully decorated in shades of cream and green. The next guest room was smaller decorated in shades of purple. They passed the sitting room and walked into the large kitchen. It was much bigger than your average cottage kitchen.

“We added this kitchen on right after we bought it. We just finished it the day before you were attacked.” Malfoy said.

He leant on the large counter in the middle of the room and looked around himself. He looked pleased.

“You wanted us to do most of it ourselves.” He said. “When we weren't working, we were painting or polishing, or something.”

Hermione pictured herself and Malfoy painting the brightly coloured walls. The spotted the large spice rack next to the stove stop. She wondered who cooked most of the meals. As if reading her mind, Malfoy answered.

“We both like to cook a lot.” He said, smiling slightly. “I guess our passion for potion making made us both pretty good in the kitchen.”

She smiled this time without feeling awkward. Malfoy seemed so different, yet he still held some traits that made him purely who he was. She studied his face until he looked at her. She looked over to the door across the room. He followed her gaze.

“That's the laundry room, which also leads to the side garden.” He said.

He moved away into the next room.

“This is where we spend a lot of time.” He called.

She walked into the next room and was taken aback. It was a large outdoor room. The walls and ceiling were made of glass and the sun was shining through brightly. She could see their back garden. It stretched further than she could see. There was a large lawn area and it was border by rows of flowers in every colour. There were tall trees everywhere she looked, blocking out the neighbours. At the very back of the garden she saw a large potager veggie garden. She smiled in wonder. She had always to grow her own food.

She could feel both Malfoy and Harry watching her. She closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the sun on her face. She opened the French doors that lead to garden and walked out onto the grass. She heard them follow her.

“This place feels good. Like home.” She said, her mind beginning to wander.

She looked over to a bench and had a strong feeling of deja vu. She walked over to it and ran her fingers along the wooden back, closing her eyes.

She saw herself and Malfoy sitting on it. The sun was setting and they were watching it together, holding hands. His thumb was rubbing her fingers gently. She could remember feeling of butterflies in her tummy. She turned to look at him and as soon as their eyes met, she knew that she was in love with him.

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it sweetly. He then leant over and kissed her lips gently. His lips were soft and she thought she would die in the sheer pleasure. Hermione heard her name somewhere in the distance and the memory faded as Draco pulled away from her and they watched as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

Hermione was suddenly aware that she was back in the garden, the sun was high above them and that both Harry and Draco were standing next to her. She looked at Draco and he sighed.

“You okay?” He asked. “You went somewhere far away then didn't you?”

Hermione nodded and looked down at his lips. She realised what she was doing and looked away, blush colouring her cheeks quickly. Harry put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hermione?” He asked, encouraging her to voice her thoughts.

She took a shaky breath and started walking with them back towards the house.

“I think I just remembered something.” She said. “It was only a little memory, but it was something.”

Draco grabbed her arm gently and stopped her. As she stopped to look at him, he withdrew his hand, fearful she would be uncomfortable with him touching her.

“What did you remember?” He asked, an expression of hope and longing on his face.

She cleared her throat and looked away from his soulful eyes. Soulful eyes? Where did that come from? Was it another thing she remembered feeling about him?

“We... we were sitting on the bench, watching the sunset.” She replied, quietly. “It was a beautiful sunset, and it was nice sitting there with you. It was a good memory.”

She walked into the house and waited for the tour to continue.