Remember Me Always

~Chapter 8~

There was something there; in front of his face. A … fluttering? No that wasn’t right. The light, whatever it was, was becoming more constant; solid almost.

He inhaled sharply as a freezing…something, brushed up against his cheek.

“Wake up, love.”

Draco opened his eyes slowly; blinking through the fog, trying to focus on the light before him. He was not in his home. He looked at the sleeping brunette to his right; of course, he was in Harry’s room. He had been crying.

He turned to his back; there was someone there beside him. A woman, he decided.

“Wake up child.”

Again, he tried to focus on the sight before him, but his eyes couldn’t settle on her frame; she was too bright.

The woman leaned down and softly pressed her icy lips to his forehead. Again, he gasped at the feeling. However this time, when he looked at her face, he could see her perfectly. She looked like an angel.

“Hello, love.”

Draco was not afraid of the being which was currently perched on his, correction Harry’s, bed. This was, in a word, strange. Some random angel was calling to him; he must have been dreaming. A phenomenon like this seemed as though it should frighten him but, for some reason her presence calmed him.

“Who are you?” Draco asked quietly. He nearly asked what she was but caught himself. He only spoke as loudly as he dared; he didn’t want to wake Harry. Draco wasn’t sure if the other man would be able to see what he was seeing, and he didn’t want to break this spell just yet.

Narcissa saw that her son was looking at his lover with worry.

“Relax Draco, he won’t wake. And to answer your question, I am your mother. Or at least I was.”

“Was?”

“Yes; I died a few weeks ago.”

“So you’re not an angel.”

Narcissa laughed at this. “Far from it, son. I was not exactly a good person in my life; hardly an angel. But I loved you more than life itself. I’m so sorry I’ve caused you pain, dear.”

Her ghostly white eyes were host to tears as she looked at her only son.

“Why are you sorry?”

“Because I stole your life away. I never meant to hurt you; I only wanted you to be free to live as you saw fit.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, Draco, that I’m the one who cast Damnum ego on you. I never meant to wrong you, love. I honestly thought that I was helping you at the time. I know what kind of men they hire as Aurors, they have no mercy. I was terrified that you would be thrown into Azkaban or worse.

“I never knew the love that I had stolen from you, not until very recently that is. When I died, I sought you out. You seemed happy enough living amongst the muggles, but that wasn’t the life you were born to have. No, you are far too brilliant a wizard to live the rest of your days ignorant of your heritage.

“That’s when I decided to find Harry. You have no idea how difficult it was to make that boy go to Surrey for a green grocer.”

“I told you about Harry? I could have sworn he said that we were a secret from most people.”

“Most people, yes; you’re father was clueless, thank God. However, you were not so clandestine in your affairs that your own mother couldn’t see that you were in love. Granted I never dreamed that it would be Harry Potter who would steal your heart, but that’s life. I never imagined that I would marry Lucius Malfoy.”

“Did you love him?”

“Your father?”

“No, the man who gave you a discount on your designer robes. Yes my father.”

“No need to get sarcastic, love. Yes, I did love him, for a time anyway. When he was seduced by the dark arts, I followed him for fear of being left behind. And then we had you. I thought he would leave the service when you were born, but it was the exact opposite. He felt he had to gain more power; give you a reason to be proud of the family to which you were born.

“He did so many things; it gave me nightmares. Hell, I did things that I wish I could take back. You were just over a year old when he went away.

“The first time the Dark Lord fell, I thought that my lover was back. He turned back into the man I married, almost. He was attentive and sweet and he was a doting father and with me he… well never mind.” She smirked to herself and Draco fought the urge to turn red.

“The fact is, when the Dark Lord came back, he was even more ambitious. In the end, he had just changed too much. My husband was gone and you were all that I had left; all that I cared about.”

“How did you know when to curse me? I know that there was an idea of when the battle would happen, but… honestly. To be that exact?”

“What can I say? Not every person who claims to be a seer is a fraud. I knew that you had turned, but I was still afraid of what the ministry would do to you. They’re all heartless bastards; it’s no wonder your father fit in as well as he did.

“And when I found Harry, and saw that the two of you had made a daughter, I knew that I had made a mistake. I’m so sorry Draco; I never wanted to make your life worse. Well, you know what they say: the road to hell was paved with the best of intentions.”

Here, she bowed her head and plucked at her robes. She hardly resembled the dignified ice queen that once personified Narcissa Malfoy. If anything, she was more like a repentant teenager. Draco was mesmerized by the whole experience. Harry had told him that ghosts were very real in their world, but to see his mother like this…

He wasn’t sure how to feel about what she did to him. He thought he’d be furious with the person who had cursed him. Then again, he never anticipated it would be his own mother. She thought she was saving him? What could the Aurors have done that would be worse than losing his identity? He asked her this.

“They could’ve ruined you. Instead of becoming someone else, they could have made it so that you were black listed. They could have named you a traitor, a murder, they could have stolen your soul; literally. I couldn’t see that done to my only child. Your father and I, we were punished for our sins, but you weren’t guilty of those things that your father and I did. They would have punished you, destroyed you regardless. That would have broken my heart.”

“Thank you.”

“What?”

“Not for taking my memory, but for wanting what was best for me. The people I’ve come in contact with lately, well, they didn’t exactly have the best things to say about you.”

“I’m sure you’re sugar-coating that.”

“Yes, I am,” he laughed quietly.

“I doubt you’ll be so thankful when you get your memories back; it’s very out of character for you to be so forgiving."

“So they will come back? I thought that there was something wrong with me.”

“No there’s nothing wrong with you. I personalized the spell I cast on you. That is why there have been so many things amiss in you’re reversal.”

“That’s why the potions haven’t been working? You made it so that they wouldn’t affect me?”

“Not exactly. You just need a little something extra.”

Narcissa leaned forward, and placed her barely-there lips on her son’s forehead once again.

“Sleep my darling. Tomorrow will be quite an experience for you.”

His vision blurred once more, and then there was nothing.

TBC

A/N: Hey guys! Many apologies for the long wait *sheepish look.* Unless I get struck by some serious inspiration tonight, I only see one more chapter coming in this story (maybe two, hmmm…). Draco may have been pretty placid here, but in my defence, he thought he was dreaming.

Anyway, thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read, and even more to those who took the time to review.

Roxierose13, angel, thrnbrooke, dezra, Nightwing, John, and Bem; thanks for taking the time to review, it is MUCH appreciated!