Never A Memory

~Unwarranted Guessing Games~



The following morning...

***



Ron opened his bright blue eyes and was welcomed by the sight of Hermione gazing fondly at him. He reached out and pushed back an unruly curl from her face. Hermione smiled and snuggled closer to her fiancée, wrapping an arm around Ron's slim waist.



"'Morning," Ron murmured and stretched languidly. Hermione grunted and buried her face into her lover's shoulder.



Hermione had moved into Ron's small flat the night he had proposed to her and though their moments together were few and far between, Ron never tired of waking up to her.



"Do you have a lot to do today?" Ron asked, running his fingers through her untidy curls.



Hermione nodded against his shoulder. "I have a meeting with your dad at nine and then a budget meeting at eleven," Hermione mumbled groggily.



"Sounds terribly exciting," Ron said and was rewarded with Hermione digging her fingers into his ribs in an attempt to tickle him.



Ron squirmed until he fell out of the bed, laughing. Hermione, grinning, sat up and placed her bare feet on the hardwood floor. Hermione stretched and Ron watched her with a wicked gleam in his blue eyes. Hermione, wearing nothing but one of Ron's oversized shirts, frowned at him and shook her head.



Scowling, Ron stood to his feet and held his hand out for her. Taking it, she let out a surprised squeak when Ron pulled on her hand roughly, causing her to crash into Ron. Ron grasped her shoulders and gave her a noisy, passionate kiss before swatting her behind and walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth.



Hermione left the bedroom and went into the kitchen to prepare them their ceremonial pot of coffee.



"Do you think Harry found the Leerdog Field yet?" Hermione called from the kitchen.



Ron grunted around a mouthful of foamy toothpaste and shrugged, though she couldn't see him.



"Well, I think he did," Hermione said in that haughty voice that was so uniquely Hermione Granger. "He found all those Horcruxes, remember?"



Ron spit out his toothpaste and snorted before pouring himself a little cup of minty green mouthwash. "With our help," Ron said before gargling the mouthwash. "And one of them wasn't even a Horcrux 'cause there were only supposed to be seven; and Harry was the seventh," Ron said after he had spit out the mouthwash and wiped his mouth with a towel. He splashed some cold water on his face before pulling off his t-shirt and walking into the bedroom and discarding the article of clothing into the clothes bin.



Hermione leant against a counter in the kitchen, listening to the coffee gurgle as it brewed. "How do you suppose Malfoy knew that? None of us did."



Ron shrugged into a black button-down shirt and pulled on some dark slacks before putting on his Auror robes. "I don't know, 'Mione," Ron called back with a dismissive roll of his eyes. "Maybe he used McGonagall's Time-Turner to see what would happen when Harry fought ol' Voldy."



Hermione blinked before turning to retrieve two mugs from a cupboard. "Wow, Ron. I never thought of that," Hermione said as she poured them some coffee into the mugs.



Ron turned the corner and entered the kitchen, a snarky grin plastered across his freckled features. "Yeah, and I think it's about time you admitted that, after all this time, I am, in fact, smarter than you."



Hermione laughed in his face as she handed him his coffee. "In your dreams, Weasley."



Ron made a face at her before taking a sip of his coffee.



"So, what are you doing today?" Hermione inquired, taking a sip from her own mug.



"Well," Ron said, his blue eyes twinkling. "I thought I'd fancy a walk in the park--something I never get to do with Harry around. Then, maybe, I'll go to the pub and get pissed. After that...I'll meet up with you for a quick shag before playing Quidditch with Victor Krum until my arse gets sore."



Hermione punched him the shoulder, laughing. "You're a right dolt, you know that?"



Ron chuckled and pulled Hermione into a warm hug. "No, really, I think I'd better get started on moving Malfoy."



"To where?"



"His own flat, I suppose," Ron said, resting his chin Hermione's head. "That was the plan, right?"



Hermione nodded and pulled away so she could see Ron's face. "Why don't you think Malfoy wouldn't have been able to handle staying hidden with his memory intact?"



"Because he hates Muggles."



Hermione frowned. "But, if Malfoy actually used McGonagall's Time-Turner to make the VCE, then that's almost five years of Draco we don't know about. Who's to say that...that maybe...?”



"That what?" Ron scoffed. "That Malfoy had some soul changing journey during that time and now he's miraculously this Muggle-loving angel?"



"No," Hermione said slowly. "Just that...maybe he's a little more responsible. That he's more mature than we're giving him credit for. And that the stress of only remembering bits of pieces from his former life is more stressful than the alternative that no one seemed inclined to consider."



"What alternative?"



"To allow Malfoy the right to choose."



Ron sighed and took another swallow from his coffee. "I don't know, 'Mione. Hind sight's always 20/20."



Hermione gasped. "Ron! That's a Muggle saying!"



Ron shrugged. "Heard it from my dad once. Don't ask me what it means."



Laughing, Hermione placed her now-empty mug into the kitchen sink and wandered back into the bedroom to get dressed.



"You'll need help," Hermione called from the bedroom.



"With what?"



"Relocating Malfoy."



Ron finished his coffee and placed the mug into the sink. "Yeah, that's why I was hoping you could squeeze me into your busy schedule before nine."



***



Dr. Laeverton stared at the file on his desk, trying, for the thousandth time, to figure out what made Mr. John Smith seem so very different from every other patient he had ever encountered before. Dr. Laeverton took out a photo of Mr. Smith and stared at it contemplatively.



Mr. Smith's coloring was definitely odd. The platinum, nearly white hair that was so long when he had arrived here was actually his natural hair color, and not dyed as the Doc had previously suspected. Mr. Smith had insisted on getting his hair trimmed within his first week's stay, and now Mr. Smith was always seen in immaculate and refined clothing, his hair laying about his face just so, and his posture emanating an easy grace that so few people on this planet could pull off.



Mr. Smith's pale skin and slender jaw was set off by a pair of pale, gray eyes that took in everything, held many secrets, and drove right into the heart of a person when he looked at them. To be honest, Dr. Laeverton was actually increasingly uncomfortable around the young man.



Just by watching him, the Doc could surmise that Smith was bred from a wealthy family. The way he walked, the cultivated British drawl with which he spoke, and the way his dark gray eyebrows raised ever so slightly whenever something surprised him, the only inclination, in fact, that he was ever taken off guard. Even after all this, Dr. Laeverton would have to say that it was Smith's way of slipping into a charisma that swept anyone, man or woman, of their feet so easily it was like Smith could switch it on and off with a snap of his fingers. Seeing this about Smith made the Doc even more certain that Smith's file stating that he was raised in an American Foster Home was complete and utter crap.



The way Smith acted wasn't a show. These things were engrained into him, trained into him by someone or a group of people who raised him. Dr. Laeverton was convinced of this and could only curl his fingers in frustration at the fact an amnesiac patient of his was sent to his Ward with a false file. Why someone would do that for an innocent reason eluded him. It was a mystery to the Doc that he was committed to resolving before letting the white-haired boy out of his sight.



And another thing that confused Dr. Laeverton was Smith's age. He couldn't put his finger on exactly why, but Smith seemed so much older than twenty-one. His cold, gray eyes told the Doc he was soul weary and wary of everything and everyone. As if something told him that he was different and that things and people he was not familiar with were not to be trusted.



And Dr. Laeverton was certain he was remembering more than what Smith was telling him. Which bothered him in the sense that he was afraid Smith was not going to know how to do deal with these secret memories; and not in the sense that Smith was lying to him. Dr. Laeverton was never all that certain if Smith was lying to him or not. Everything about their sessions seemed open and honest, albeit a bit sarcastic at times, but that was to be expected during honest and vulnerable communication. What they did discuss left Dr. Laeverton with the feeling that Smith was really progressing in assessing and understanding his thoughts and feelings towards his surroundings. However, what they didn't discuss, those secret things hovering behind, Smith's cold, gray eyes, was what worried the Doc. Why didn't Smith want to talk about those things? Why did Smith feel he had to keep them secret? Was Smith remembering things that would potentially place him and others in danger if anyone found out?



Dr. Laeverton sighed and tossed the photo back into the file and closed his eyes, rubbing at his temples with his index fingers. The mystery that surrounded John Smith was beginning to get under his skin. And patients rarely did that to the Doc.



Sally, a Betty and Dr. Laeverton's secretary, knocked softly on the door to his office.



"Yes?"



"You have a call on line one," Sally called from the other side of the door.



"Thank you, Sally."



Dr. Laeverton picked up the phone and pressed the blinking red button. "This is Dr. Laeverton."



"Hello doctor," a male voice said on the other line. "My name is Christian Hale and I am with the Department of Social Services. I understand you have a John Smith in custody?"



Dr. Laeverton frowned. "Yes, I do. He is a patient here."



"Good," the male voice said. "I was calling to inform you that Benjamin...er, Worcestershire..." The man's voice was a abruptly muffled when he inquired to an unknown party if he had said the name right. "Yes," the man said, returning, "Benjamin Worcestershire, a Social Worker here, will be visiting St. Mary's in two weeks time to discuss the rehabilitation prospects for one Mr. Smith."



Dr. Laeverton raised an incredulous, salt and pepper brow. "And when did you plan on sending him here?"



There was a sound of ruffling papers, and then: "How does Wednesday at 2pm work for you, Dr. Laeverton?"



Dr. Laeverton glanced at his calendar. "I am free but--"



"Excellent! You have a wonderful day, Dr. Laeverton!"



The call abruptly ended and the Doc found himself staring at the receiver as if it would suddenly come alive and devour him whole.



***



Ron pulled his wand away from his throat and smiled cheerfully. "Well, that went well." Ron glanced at Hermione, whose eyes were alight with silent laughter. "Oh, come off it! You're the one coming up with all these ridiculous names. So what if I can't pronounce Worcesessh...Worcestshire, no...Worcestershire...you know what? I loathe you, you criminal."



Hermione was now laughing so hard she had tears running down her face. "Go on, darling," Hermione said, wiping at her face. "Do say something else."



Ron glared at the love of his life, his ears turning red as an embarrassed flush crawled up his neck. "No, really. I loathe you."



***



a/n: I keep posting chapters before I read your reviews, so I wanted to pause and reply to a few of them, as they're all lovely and are a girl's best friend.



shinri: Thank you. We really get to delve into Harry's character and how he reacts to a different kind of Draco Malfoy in the next few chapters. I hope you enjoy :)



thrnbrooke: I love your reviews. Yes, the Time-Turner makes Draco a few years older and the remarking of Draco on his back will be explained in the next chapter.



skydancer: Thank you. So much has to happen, unfortunately, before Harry and Draco meet again face to face as that chapter and the few following it, will be the first climax of the story. It kind of becomes explosive ;). But I don't want to give away too much. You won't be let down, I promise.



snakevamp: Thank you. The consistancy of personalities from the books was very important to me. I remember when I first got into Draco/? shipper fiction, I kept telling myself that there HAD to be a way to get him together with "X" without changing his, or the other person's, personality. LOL, and this is what I came up with. I'm glad you're enjoying the fic thus far.



alexkim: You wanted more with Hermione and Ron and so here it is. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for your thoughtful reviews.