Remember Me Always

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be (except when I\'m asleep, then Draco is all mine *cackles*).

~Chapter 5~

“So that’s why you reacted the way you did yesterday.”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“When you said we were involved I didn’t realize it went that far.”

Noticing who now sat at the dining room table with his friends, Harry directed the conversation elsewhere. “We can talk about that in a little while. Draco this,” Harry said indicating the dark man sitting amongst his peers, “is Severus Snape.”

“It’s good to see you again son.”

“Son?”

“Not exactly; it’s more a term of endearment than anything; I’m your god-father. I think shock would be an understatement of what I felt when Mrs. Weasley flooed me this morning. I can only imagine what today has been like for you; having to be re-introduced to our world. I believe I can find out what exactly happened to you with a little searching. I know that you have been told a great deal about our more recent history, but has anyone explained exactly what the circumstances were in which you disappeared?”

“Not exactly. Harry told me we were in the middle of a battle.”

“Well your standing in the battle was not quite so clear cut as that of the majority. You and I were both acting as spies for a group called The Order of the Phoenix. We were Death Eaters who defected to the light side.

“One isn’t allowed to leave the Dark Lord once they’ve joined his side. Thus the two of us worked in secret. We used our standing in His army to bring news to the order. Unfortunately, not everyone in the order knew of our standing so we don’t know who exactly it was who damaged your memory. I doubt it was anyone who didn’t know you personally for the simple fact that they stole your identity rather than kill you. If it were someone who simply viewed you as the enemy, they would have killed you on sight.

“No, this person had an ulterior motive. Either A, your attacker was a Death Eater who found out about your loyalties, or B, this person is someone who believed you never defected and were out to deliver Harry to the Dark Lord. The matter of ‘who’ is of no importance right now, what is important is that we find out exactly what it is that they have inflicted on your person.”

“You have a theory, I know you well enough to realize that. What is it?” Harry questioned.

“I’ll need to search Draco’s mind to know for sure. Will you allow me to do this?” Severus asked directing his question to Draco.

“With all that I’ve done today, why not?”

“How come you were never so concerned when it came to invading my thoughts memories?” Harry cut in indignantly.

“Because I didn’t care what your thoughts were on the matter,” Severus stated with a smirk.

“Draco, I need you to look me straight in the eyes and relax. Legilimency is altogether a painless experience when the subject is willing. I’m going to try and find out what was done to you.”

Taking a deep breath, Draco looked Severus straight in the eye and nodded. With no effort whatsoever, Severus was in Draco’s mind. He didn’t care to stop and observe Draco’s memories of muggle life, his relationships or anything of that ilk. Severus weaved his way into the back of Draco’s consciousness, searching for some sort of break. What he found did not surprise him, but it did worry him slightly.

“What did you find?”

“It would appear that someone has performed the ‘damnum ego’ curse on him. Literally it means ‘loss of self.’ That is why Draco was able to remember basic things: his name, his age, the fact that he was educated—just no idea what that entailed, etc—but no details of his previous life.”

“How is that possible?” Hermione interrupted. “That curse has to be preceded by a potion for a full month in order for it to work.”

“That simply means that it was done by someone who had access to Draco on a daily basis.”

“But this happened well after we graduated. The only people who had that kind of access to Draco are those of us sitting at this table,” Harry stated.

“What about a house elf? Draco sent Dobby to you in our second year to try and get you to leave school. Couldn’t a follower of You-know-who send a house elf to do the work?”

“Good point, Ron. I hadn’t thought of that. With as many pureblood families as there were following Voldemort, it could very well be a house elf. So that means that Draco’s cover had been blown before the war.”

“Harry, it could still have been a member of our side who refused to believe in Draco’s loyalty. There were many pureblooded members of the order, and therefore just as much access to a house elf.”

“Hermione, who would do that?”

“Mad-Eye never trusted either of us,” Severus stated. “He is twisted enough to believe that forcing a Death Eater to live as a muggle would be a fitting punishment.”

“I don’t think Mad-Eye would be that kind. He’d sooner see the two of you kissed by Dementors than let you go free, regardless of where you lived.”

“I had thought of that possibility as well, however he would be the first that I would suspect on our own side.”

“Regardless, of who did this to me, can it be undone?” Draco asked.

“Technically, yes. But there’s never been a record of someone reversing the spell; at least not that I’ve read.”

“What do you mean Mione?”

“Damnum ego was traditionally used by wizards as punishment. Am I correct to assume that was the motivation behind your reasoning, Professor?”

“Yes that is correct. I would appreciate it if you would cease referring to me as ‘professor’ seeing as that title no longer applies to me; it hasn’t for years let alone in relation to you.”

“Sorry, old habits die hard.”

“No worries Mrs. Weasley.”

“Hermione.”

“Very well Hermione. I believe you were in the middle of an explanation?”

“Right. Damnum ego was used against criminals in the wizarding world before formal penitentiaries were instituted. If a wizard committed a crime heinous enough, he would be cursed then banished. It was believed that the criminal would be of no harm if ignorant of his powers, and that the removal of his memories—basically his entire life—was sufficient punishment.”

“So in order for someone to do this to Draco, they had to have planned it out and executed it perfectly for it to happen.”

“In a nutshell, yes.”

“So how can my memories be restored?”

“The antidote takes only forty-eight hours to brew, however it must be administered twice daily for a week.”

“So nine days?”

“Yes and actually small pieces of Draco’s memory should come to the surface over the period of the potion’s administration.”

“You’re saying that my memory will come back a little at a time until I’ve taken the entire potion?”

“Yes.”

“That seems so easy.”

“Compared with most curses, it is. Will you be staying with Mr. Potter then?”

“Um… I don’t know.” Draco looked at Harry, “Would it be alright with you if I stayed here? I know you have a daughter and if you’re uncomfortable with me being around her I’ll understand. I still have my flat—“

“You told him about Vera?” Fred interrupted Draco’s babbling.

“Not exactly, that’s something I’ll do once he and I are alone. And Draco, of course you can stay here with me. There are some things that we need to talk about away from everyone else.”

“On that note, I believe it’s time we left,” Severus said.

“Goodbye Harry, Draco…it’s good to have you back.” With that Hermione stood and gave both of them a hug, her husband following her example.

“Tell Molly I said thanks again for keeping Vera tonight?”

“We’ll floo her when we get home.”

“Thanks Fred.”

“We’ll see you later mate,” Ron said as he made his way to the front door.

~oOo~

“There’s something we need to talk about,” Harry stated after he and Draco had settled on the couch in the living room.

“Look Harry, about Vera, I don’t blame you for taking a lover after I disappeared. Whoever her mother is, I won’t start any trouble with her. I can hardly be upset when I can’t even remember how close we were.”

“Draco, I never took a lover after you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Vera is our daughter.”

“How is that possible? Neither of us possesses the proper equipment to carry a child much less the ability to deliver it. We may be magic, but come on, a man getting pregnant?”

“It’s not strange Draco. Muggle men may not have the capability, but we do. One of the key reasons that gay relationships are not protested in the wizarding world is the fact that two wizards can carry on a blood line. It may not be legal in most of the muggle world, but in this world, a wizard or a witch can marry whomever they wish.

“We aren’t confined to marry and reproduce with the opposite sex the way that muggles are. There have even been cases of witches and wizards marrying Vampires and Werewolves. We are very different from most humans.”

“Vera is our daughter.”

“Yes.”

“And you gave birth to her?”

“Yes.”

“This is so unreal…”

“Out of all that you’ve seen today, I hardly think that male pregnancy would seem so far fetched. Look,” Harry strode over to the bookshelf and removed a few photo albums, “I have pictures from our seventh year all the way to Vera’s last birthday.

“This,” he said sitting next to Draco, “is us at Hogwarts.” The picture showed the two men as teenagers sitting under a birch tree next to a lake. Harry was leaning against the tree with Draco between his legs, head resting on Harry’s chest; both were asleep. “Hermione took that one.”

The next picture was of the pair laughing over something during a meal. They flipped through pictures that featured the pair laughing, weeping, celebrating, sleeping, fighting, snogging, and just doing nothing.

“Did someone follow us around with a camera or something?”

“Yes actually.” At Draco’s disturbed glance Harry elaborated. “The Creevey brothers were President and Vice President of my…well, fan club. They took pictures almost religiously.”

“You had a fan club?”

“Unfortunately. When you get your memories back, you’ll understand better.”

Setting that album aside and picking up another, Harry started again.

“This was taken after you disappeared; I was four months along.”

Draco looked from Harry to the photo album in his lap. Harry was smiling shyly, looking away from the camera then back to it every few seconds. His hand was on his stomach just below his belly button.

“You aren’t showing here.”

“I know, I didn’t really start to show for another month, and then I just went back to wearing baggy clothes. This one was taken a couple of months later; I was having a checkup at St. Mungo’s.”

This picture showed Harry laying on a cot, his stomach exposed beneath a hospital gown with blankets bunched up below it. He was laughing at something that was going on while the medi-witch had her wand poised over him.

“Vera had been kicking me, that’s why I was laughing. See how startled Hermione looks there? I swear, she\'ll have done a year\'s worth of research before she allows herself to get pregnant.”

“That’s really our baby in there,” Draco breathed out quietly.

“Yeah. Vera\'s only staying with Mrs. Weasley tonight. You can meet her as soon as tomorrow if you like.\" Draco looked petrified at the very idea. \"Don\'t worry, we\'ll take everything slow. You\'ll start getting your memories back day after tomorrow. If it makes you more comfortable, we can wait until then. Vera loves staying at the Weasley\'s; they\'re the only grandparents she has.\"

\"Can I think about it before we decide?\"

\"Definately. Umm, it’s getting late. How about I show you to the guest room and you can look at these a little more, later?” Harry asked, indicating the photo albums in his arms.

“Sure. Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“Who kissed first?”

“Between us? You kissed me first. You used to like telling people that we were in the middle of a fight and it was the only way you could shut me up.”

“And the truth?”

“Individually we were dysfunctional enough to understand each other’s problems. You and I worked out at least one day a week to just meet and talk during our seventh year. It was just before the holiday break and we had been getting along really well. Flirting and such were normal by then, but I was really shy and I didn’t even know if you saw me that way.

“Anyway, you charmed a bit of mistletoe above my head and kissed me. It probably would’ve gone better if I had kissed back but I was completely shocked. It’s funny really; we just stood there looking at each other for a minute, then you did it again. I kissed you back that time.”

Harry looked at Draco shyly from beneath his lashes. They had gone up the stairs and reached the guest room’ door.

“Harry?”

“Yeah?” he asked, focusing his attention.

“Would it be weird if I asked you... if it was alright to kiss you?”

“No.” And with that Harry took a step forward, tilted his head up so that he was looking Draco in the eyes. “It wouldn’t be weird.”

Licking his lips quickly, Draco leaned over, his hands on either side of Harry\'s face, and placed a slow, sweet, kiss on Harry’s upturned lips.

“God, I’ve missed you. Goodnight Draco, I’ll see you in the morning.”

Draco stood there, playing with his necklace, and watched Harry make his way into his own bedroom.

“Nine days. Nine days and I’ll have a family; I hope.”

TBC


A/N: Well that turned out a little differently than I had origninally planned. The whole conspiracy thing just walked in there of it\'s own volition *sigh*. Oh well, I\'ll have the next chapter up soon--promise.

Thanks to all of my fabulous reviewers: thrnbrooke, roxierose13, angel, Tatemshope, avihenda. You guys make my day!