The Past Undone
***

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, settings, etc. It all belongs to JKR. I just own this little plot right here =D

A/N: This was written for the Third Task Mini-Gauntlet.

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visit

***
It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.
-- J.R.R. Tolkien
***

He watched her from afar. Now, this was something he never expected to happen.

It has been seven years since he had seen her, since he had seen any of them for that matter.

Seven years ago, Draco took a path that he never would have thought possible. He left the life that he once knew and travelled far away, never to look back again.

After they lost the war, Draco’s life was devastated. The family name that had held so much power was gone forever. People who he used to look down upon and who used to follow his every command now looked down upon him. He no longer had a life there so he went to look for life somewhere else.

And working with dragons in Bulgaria is where he found it.

Draco never saw himself as the kind of person to be interested in dragons yet he discovered that they fascinated him. They taught him a new way of life. A life of planning anything and everything that happened.

But seeing her here was definitely something he had never expected. By no means something was it something he had in his calculations.

Hermione stood there, talking with some of his co-workers. She chatted happily and looked around at the reservation. Draco wasn’t sure what exactly she was doing here but he hoped she would leave soon. The last thing he wanted was for someone from his old life to walk in and disturb his new one.

But it was too late for him to wish for something like that. While looking around, Hermione had caught him standing there in the distance. She furrowed her brows, not really sure if she was seeing correctly. Draco’s co-worker, Maurice, followed her eyes and saw her looking. The next thing Draco knew was that they were both making their way towards him.

“Oh, bloody hell,� he muttered under his breath, right before they reached him.

They were soon standing in front of him.

“Hermione,� Maurice started, “this is Draco, the director here at the reservation. Draco, this is Hermione.�

“Malfoy,� Hermione said as a way of greeting and nodded.

“Granger,� Draco replied in the same manner.

And this was the way they greeted each other after seven years.

“You two know each other?� Maurice seemed thrilled.

Hermione smiled and nodded politely.

“Oh, you must have been a lucky gal, Hermione. Draco is such a gentleman.�

That was somewhat true. Draco had developed a nicer personality. While a lot of bitterness of the tough years will always be with him, he learned that he would rather have people respect him not because of his power or money, but rather because of his character. Life had taught him that power and money could be lost in an instant.

Upon hearing that Draco was such a gentleman, Hermione’s brows rose a little yet all she said, “Yes, such a wonderful gentleman.� Maurice didn’t seem to hear the sarcasm.

“Well, I think I will leave you two alone now. I’m sure you have lots to catch up on,� Maurice said.

“Thank you, Maurice, for showing me around.� Hermione smiled.

“No problem. If you need anything else, you know where to find me.� And with that, Maurice walked away, leaving Hermione and Draco alone.

“What are you doing here, Granger?� Draco asked abruptly.

Hermione let out a little laugh. “You wouldn’t know, of course, because you disappeared off the face of this planet seven years ago.�

Draco ignored her comment and asked again, “What are you doing here?�

“I work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry and I’m here to study a new dragon that is about to hatch in half an hour, I believe,� she said while checking her watch. She looked up at Draco for confirmation.

He nodded and looked toward a building on his right. “Everyone is probably already waiting in the Main Building. We should be there, too.�

“Lead the way,� Hermione answered.

Draco sighed and started making his way toward the building, with Hermione by his side.

He couldn’t believe this was happening. After he had built a completely new life for himself, he thought that the old life would never come back. And the very last person he was expecting to randomly walk into his life was Granger. Most surprising of all is that they acted completely normal towards each other. All throughout their childhood days, they have always hated each other and now, seven years after not seeing each other, they talked as if they have been working with each other every day. It all baffled Draco.

It wasn’t long before they reached the Main Building. Draco opened the door for Hermione and let her in. Hermione gave him a look and uttered a small, “Thank you.�

Inside the room was a table surrounded by men and women who all quieted when they came in. In the middle of the table was an egg.

“How is it going?� Draco asked.

“There are a few cracks already,� one man answered. Everyone looked up to Draco for direction.

He came around the table to examine the egg. “Looks like this one is coming a bit early. Just a few moments left.�

And he was right. In a couple of minutes, the cracks became wider and wider as the small dragon inside pecked harder and harder on the shell, desperate to get out.

Draco watched with fascination. In all the years of his work, he had watched many dragons hatch but he never did get bored of it.

Soon, the dragon broke through and jumped out of its shell. Everyone around started to clap, all with smiles on their faces. They all made way for Draco to approach the baby dragon.

His eyes never left it. He gently placed his hand on the table, palm up. The small dragon looked at him for a second before it jumped onto his hand. He smiled and brought it up slowly to his face. He petted it gently. It seemed like this dragon enjoyed petting.

The sweet silence was broken by Hermione. “May I?� she asked, holding out her hand.

All eyes turned toward Hermione, shocked.

Everyone knew how over-protective Draco was when it came to his dragons. He usually didn’t let anyone touch them until they were a few months old. He didn’t trust anyone to be as gentle with them as he was.

But how rude would it be to say no to a guest?

Reluctantly, Draco’s hesitating hand moved towards Hermione’s. The dragon jumped from hand to another easily.

Hermione brought the dragon up to her face and whispered, “Hey there, little fella.�

Draco nervously watched yet he had nothing to be nervous about.

She smiled as she petted it, being extra careful. Draco had never seen someone so gentle.

***

That night, everyone at the reservation gathered around the campfire to celebrate the birth of the new dragon while it was resting with its mother.

Draco watched as Hermione chatted with Maurice and then looked down at the paper that lay between his hands. He unfolded it to look at it one more time. Scribbles throughout the paper dominated the four small lines that lay on the bottom. He looked back up at Hermione and walked towards her.

“Maurice, will you please excuse us for a moment?� Draco asked when he reached them.

Maurice’s eyes sparkled with cheer. “Oh, of course!� she said hurriedly and winked at Draco before walking away.

Draco gave her a look. “Crazy old bat.� He shook his head while smiling.

He then turned to Hermione. “Grang—Hermione,� he fixed himself and then paused before sighing and continuing, “I would like to ask you for a favor.�

Hermione was taken aback. Never did she think that Draco would someday ask her for a favor. “Er, sure, I guess. What is it?�

He held out the paper to her. “When you go back, I would like you to give this to--�

“Go back?� Hermione cut him off.

Draco looked confused. “Well, yes, aren’t you going back?�

Hermione gave a pleasant laugh. “Oh no, I’m to stay with this dragon until he’s mature.�

His eyes widened. “B-but that could take a year or more!�

She smiled. “I know.�

A crazed look came over Draco’s face. His past had caught up with him and it looks like it was here to stay.

***

Chapter 2: Say What You Need to Say

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Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open
Say what you need to say
-Say
***

Month after month passed and the dragon grew more and more. They had decided to name him Abeo after a dragon that had died a couple of years ago.

Hermione had spent most of her time with Abeo. Draco was fascinated by the way she treated him. Most researchers that came through their reservation treated all the dragons as nothing more than an experiment. Yet Hermione was something completely different.

She treated all the dragons are if they were her own children, especially Abeo. His huge size seemed to scare many people away, but Hermione had no problem with that. The dragon seemed to like her more than anyone else. Perhaps that was because she treated him as if he were human. Perhaps it was something else.

Draco certainly didn’t know. The only thing he did know for sure is that he never saw anything like it before.

***

It was not long before Abeo reached full maturity and before anyone knew it, he was soon the biggest dragon on the reservation. No other dragon could match his size or power. Yet Draco knew that as Abeo grew faster and stronger the time for Hermione to leave was nearing.

Soon, the date of her departure was official and surprisingly enough, the news saddened him greatly.

Hermione had become an important part of the reservation. It seems that she had become a friend to all, humans and dragons alike. Every knew her as the one you can always go to for wise advise. She was the one that would always keep their cheer up, no matter what happened. Draco realized that she was always like that, even when they were young. He had just been too proud and ignorant to tell.

The night before, everyone gathered around and threw Hermione a goodbye party. She had smiled all throughout yet Draco saw that there was none of the usual sparkle in the pools of brown.

He was standing on the side when she approached him.

“Hey there,� she said.

“Hey,� he replied.

Hermione looked away and fumbled with her fingers. “Draco, I wanted to thank you.�

“For?�

“Everything you’ve done for the past year.�

Draco’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean? I haven’t done anything. I’ve treated you just like anyone else here.�

She looked up at him. “Exactly.�

And suddenly, Draco knew what she meant. She was thanking him for not being rude to her. For not calling her a Mudblood or any other foul name. She was thanking him for not treating like he had done in the past.

His past. The one thing he had been trying to run away from.

And unexpectedly, everything Draco ever did came rushing back to him like a slap on the face. Memories flashed through his head like lightening.

The people he always bullied.

The way he treated Crabbe and Goyle.

All the foul names he called the Mudbloods.

All the times he disrespected his elders.

The time he had chosen to become a Death Eater.

And most importantly, the broken promise he had made to his mother.

And without notice, the paper in his pocket seemed to scream. He reached into his pocket and took out the same crumbled piece of paper he had held in his hand one year ago.

“Hermione,� he suddenly said, “do you remember the first day you were here. I had asked you for a favour.�

Hermione nodded. “Yes, I remember. You asked me to take something back with me.�

“Well, now that you are actually leaving, I was wondering if you could still do that for me.�

“Sure, I will,� she said. “And who is it supposed to go to?�

Draco’s head fell as he looked at the ground. “My mother,� he replied in a low voice.

Hermione didn’t answer. Draco sensed that something was wrong and looked up at her. “Hermione…what’s wrong?�

Draco felt the wheels running in her head. She was quiet for a moment before she asked, “You don’t know, do you?�

“Know what?� He was almost afraid to ask.

“Your mum is very sick, Draco.�

Draco froze. “How did…when did…how come…what…� He just shook his head, not sure which question to ask first.

Thankfully, Hermione understood. “After you disappeared, your mum became very depressed. She stopped eating, going out, doing anything. It wasn’t a few years later until she started forgetting simple things like where she put her stuff but soon, she started forgetting things like her way home. They took her to St. Mungo’s and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The story was plastered everywhere, on every newspaper there was. The Healers have been trying everything but you know there is no medical cure for things like these.�

Hermione rambled quickly through her words as Draco’s eyes widened with each word that came out of her mouth. He felt his knees go weak beneath him.

“Ho-how did I not know this?�

Hermione frowned. “I’m really sorry, Draco. I thought you knew,� she finished.

Draco felt something ripping inside him. This was entirely his fault. His mind was started screaming horribly yet when he heard Hermione yell, “Draco!� he knew that the screaming wasn’t in his head at all.

He shook his head and came back to his senses. He looked around to see where the terrible sound was coming from. The Dragon Lair. Where Abeo was kept.

Hermione and Draco gave each other a look before running to see what was happening.

They entered the Dragon’s Lair to find a scene of chaos. Abeo was thrashing around madly. More than a dozen dragon trainers were around him, trying to calm down the beast.

For a moment, Draco tried his best to forget about his own troubles and focus on the matter at hand.

“What happened?� he demanded to closest dragon trainer near him.

“We don’t know. He just went crazy all of sudden. He doesn’t seem to want to calm down,� the man answered.

“Where are the sedatives?� Draco asked.

“Someone is bringing them.�

While Draco was barking out orders, Hermione was trying a different approach. “Abeo!� she called out to the dragon. Yet the dragon did not hear her. He didn’t seem to hear anyone.

The sedatives were brought in. One dragon trainer moved in on the dragon yet Hermione stopped him. “Wait,� she said.

Hermione walked closer to the crazed dragon. “Abeo!� she called out. “Listen to me!�

But before she could get any closer, Draco grabbed her shoulder. “It’s not safe, Hermione.�

“But I could do somethi--�

Draco cut her off. “No, you can’t. Just let it be,� he said and gently pulled her away from the thrashing dragon.

Draco gave one nod to the dragon trainer, signalling that it was okay to go on with giving him the sedative.

Abeo was pronounced dead the next day.

They still hadn’t figured out what went wrong but they were looking. Hermione had decided to cancel her trip going back until she found out what happened.

A week after the tragic death, Draco was still sulking. He would often sit by the pond, alone, and just stare out into the water. It was there where Hermione found him one day.

“May I?� she asked, gesturing to the empty seat beside him.

He nodded without looking up. She sat by him.

“I’m sorry, Draco,� was the first thing she said.

“Not your fault.�

“Well, I’m sorry anyway. I know how much these dragons mean to you.�

Draco did not say anything back and they sat in silence for a moment.

It was Hermione who broke it. “Draco, you should go see your mum.�

Draco tensed beside her. “You know I don’t want to visit my past.� And they both knew it was a lame excuse.

Hermione gave a short laugh. “You’ve learned better than I have that your past will always catch up with you. For some things, you can turn away from them and pretend they don’t exist. Stop giving yourself excuses. You’re just ashamed for running away but it’s about time you stop running. You can’t run away from your past and likewise, you can’t run away from your future either. You just have to face the facts. Things come and go whether you want them to or not. Things you hate may stay in your life forever and things you cherish may disappear right before your eyes. You can’t do anything about that. I advise you to do something before something else you cherish disappears.�

Hermione did not wait for a reply yet got up and walked away, leaving Draco to his thoughts yet the only thing going through his mind was, she’s right.

***

Draco walked through St.Mungo’s as a Healer led the way. Stares and whispers followed him everywhere he went yet he ignored each and every one of them. Hermione walked beside him. He had asked her to be here. He needed someone’s support and currently, Hermione was his only connection to his past.

After much walking, they reached the room where his mother was being kept.

Draco hesitated before asking, “D-does she remember me?�

The Healer frowned and said sadly, “She doesn’t remember anyone.�

Draco’s eyes flickered toward the door and back towards the Healer, unsure of what to do next.

Then, he felt a small hand on his shoulder. He looked toward Hermione and she gave him a small smile. It was a small gesture yet it meant the world to him. It gave him the power to move forward and without anymore hesitation, he pushed open the door.

And there she was. His mum looked so small and fragile, sitting on a chair behind a desk and scribbling something on a paper. She looked up when the door opened.

Draco slowly went to sit in the chair opposite of hers.

“Narcissa?� he called.

She gave him a look. “I’m sorry,� she said. “Do I know you?�

Draco’s heart sank. He knew she wouldn’t remember him but having her in front of him just made it so much worst.

He reached out across the table and placed his hand on hers. She snatched it back quickly. “Please don’t touch me,� she said.

“Mum, I’m sorry for leaving,� he tried one last time, desperation colouring his voice.

Narcissa’s head snapped up and there was a flicker in her eyes yet it was gone in an instant.

Draco smiled slowly. No matter how quick that flicker was, it was still there.

A flicker of hope.

***