Don't Ever Forget

Epilogue.

Draco held my hand unusually tight as we walked up the trail to Hogwarts. 

"It's an odd first date to go to school, isn't it?" I joke but realize too late it wasn't a good one. I see Draco's eyebrows pull together in sadness.

"We've already been on..." he starts but turns to me, smiling, "I don't know if I would consider this a date." I blush with embarrassment and make a mental note to watch my words. Of course, we had already been on a first date. What was it? Hogsmeade, I think Draco told me. I look back up at Draco and I can tell he's nervous about something, but I don't know what for.

"What would you consider this, then?" I ask, trying to get a clue out of him but he just laughs. 

"I'm not sure, actually. You'll see." I let him lead me through the school grounds. I get a warm feeling of familiarity here, even more so because I have a vague memory of being here with him. I remember the Astronomy Tower at least, although it's very unclear. We walked through corridors and up flights of stairs and found myself standing in front of McGonagall's office. I turned to him, lifting my eyebrow in curiosity. His hand reaches up to knock but a voice interrupts him.

"Come in, Mr. Malfoy!" 

He opens the door and Ms. McGonagall is standing next to a stone structure, designs carved into the sides. As we step closer I can see a faint light glowing from a metal bowl fixated into the stone. The bowl is filled with a swirling substance but I can't tell if it's a liquid or gas. 

"What is this?" I ask, in awe over the mysterious object.

"It's a Pensieve, dear," McGonagall answers then turns to Draco, "Do you have what you need?" Draco's hand pulls away from mine as he reaches into the inside of his jacket and pulls out a small glass vial. It's filled with a silver liquid. Draco looked over when he noticed me staring at the vial.

"Potter gave me the idea," Draco said sheepishly and I smile. Whatever this was, I would have to thank Harry after this. 

"Now you just pour the contents of your vial into the Pensieve and, well, look in," McGonagall instructed before turning to leave the office.

"You're not going to stay?" I ask and she laughs. 

"No, no. This is for you two," she says, closing the door behind her. I turn back to Draco who looks even more nervous now. He looks up into my eyes one more time, I think to muster up some courage, and pours the liquid from the vial into the Pensieve. I watch as the liquid starts to mix with the substance in the Pensieve, and shapes start to form. I lean in a bit more, trying to determine what the shapes are until I feel myself falling. 

I land on my feet in the middle of the Obliviators Headquarters. Did I just apparate here? Or was it a portkey of some kind? I look around and see Draco sitting towards the back of the room.

"Draco, why are we here?" I laugh, walking towards him but he doesn't look at me. It's like he didn't even hear me. He's staring at something behind me and as I walk closer to him, I put my hand out to touch him.

"Draco?" But my hand goes through him as if he's made of smoke. I gasp and finally turn to look at what this ghost-like version of Draco was staring at. When I see it, or more like who, I gasp again. Standing on the opposite side of the room is me. I was standing against the wall, my eyes avoiding this direction. I remembered this day, the first day that Billingsgate made me follow him, but Draco had been erased from this memory. I definitely didn't remember how nervous I had looked under his gaze. 

"Now you can see how beautiful you look from my perspective," I hear a voice behind me and I turn to see Draco standing, looking straight at me. I rush to him, throwing my arms around my neck. I was happy to have him with me in this strange place. He freezes under my touch for a moment but I feel him relax, wrapping his arms around me in a hug.