The Reunion
Draco cautiously stuck his head out of the bathroom, eyeing Blaise over who smiled warmly at the sight of him.
"How are you doing, amico?"
Draco crossed the room where he took the man into his arms for a hug. "Could be better," he admitted with a grunt.
"Could be worse," Blaise pointed out, hugging him back. "My memory's a bit foggy— yours?"
Draco nodded. "Bits are coming back, but not a whole lot."
"Find what you were searching for?"
Draco scrunched his face up. "I...didn't know I was searching for anything…?"
"You've been gone for two weeks." Blaise rubbed his chin, thinking. "You left to search for something… Can't remember what it was…"
"What are you doing, amico?" Blaise asked, watching Draco slip on his shoes with a look of determination.
"I'm going to go search for him. He won't last out there on his own."
"You don't even know where he went," Blaise pointed out reasonably.
"Well, they obviously don't care that he's missing, so someone's got to find him— can't let the Death Eaters get him."
"Suppose you're right…"
"Are you coming?" Draco asked as he unlocked the door.
Blaise's eyes shifted upward. He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. "They've got my daughter, Draco. I'm not going anywhere."
"I was searching for someone," Draco explained. "A male." He closed his eyes in concentration. An image came across his mind. Draco was taking his shoes off and handing them to a man. The man's face was unidentifiable due to his memory loss.
"A man… He was shoeless. I gave him mine."
"That explains why you didn't have any shoes on when we found you." Hermione said. She and Luna had been quiet as the men reunited.
"Yeah," Draco said slowly. He rubbed his head, disturbed. "Wish I could remember more…"
"Our memories will come back," Blaise assured him. "Don't worry."
"Your daughter?" Draco asked, remembering Blaise's mentioning of her in his memory. "Did you get her out?"
Blaise's eyes glossed over at the thought of his beloved daughter. He smiled. "Chrissi is safe now. They won't find her."
"Good…!"
"I'm Hermione." Hermione had relaxed a little now that she knew Blaise wasn't intending them any harm. "And this is Luna."
"Beautiful ladies," Blaise complimented, taking turns to cup both their hands, shaking them. "Pleasure to meet you."
"So you were kidnapped too?" Luna confirmed with curiosity.
Blaise nodded. "Met Draco here when we were trapped with the Death Eaters."
"Who are they exactly?" Hermione wondered.
"Terrible people." Blaise sucked in a breath. "Quite terrible."
Luna removed the lids from the platters, filling the room with the delicious smell of food. "What did they want from you?"
Blaise eyed the burger and chips eagerly. "I don't remember."
"Hungry?" Hermione asked Blaise who was practically drooling over the burger.
"Do you mind?" he politely requested. "I wouldn't want to take from you."
"That's what it's here for," Hermione told him. "We can always order more."
"Grazie," he thanked her with deep appreciation.
Blaise removed everything from the burger, only interested in the meat. He snatched himself some cutlery, focused heavily on the patty.
"Bella says beef is bad; do you remember that?" Blaise directed at Draco. He didn't look at Draco as he said it, finding the beef patty the most fascinating thing in the room.
"Don't you ever serve a steak here?" Draco grumbled. He had been eating fish for three days now and was aching to sink his teeth into something that didn't fall apart as soon as it hit his tongue.
"He's recovered another memory," Luna noted as Draco's eyes went out of focus.
"We don't serve red meat," Bella informed Draco with a smirk. "It's terrible for your health. And your health is the upmost importance to me."
"Well, in that case, how about we live on the edge for the moment." Draco leaned over, grabbing his own fork and stabbing a hunk of meat off the patty. "Cheers, mate." He lifted the fork up in a toasting gesture.
Blaise grinned, tapping his fork to Draco's. "Cheers." He took a bite and groaned out in absolute bliss. "How could I have dimenticato what beef tastes like?!"
Draco's eyes hooded over as he savored the flavour. "Let's order some lamb!" he suggested immediately.
Blaise placed his hand to Draco's chest affectionately, looking at him as if he had just invented the wheel. "Oh, let's!"
"This one's for you Bella," Draco said, amused over the thought of pissing her off.
When they were stuffed to the brim, lazing on the sofa, Draco asked Blaise, "What do you remember about Bella?"
Blaise winced. "She likes her needles, that's for sure."
"Do you know what she was injecting you with?" Hermione asked.
"No."
"I think it was an experiment. One that affects the mind," Draco said.
Blaise shrugged. "Could be."
"We should buy you a disguise too," Luna spoke up to Blaise.
"I can be a rap artist like Draco!" Blaise exclaimed, laughing at how ridiculous Draco looked.
"I sort of dig the hat," Draco confessed, setting it on his head.
"I want one of those babushkas," Blaise decided.
"Why?"
"I'd look badass in one. Wouldn't you think?"
Draco shrugged. "Suppose so."
"More badass than if I had a hat!" Blaise teased Draco, hooking his finger in his hat and flinging it off him.
Draco laughed, catching it. "Luna bought it for me."
Blaise smiled at Hermione and Luna. "Got lucky stumbling across them, didn't we?"
"Indeed," Draco concurred.
?/?/?/?
"I haven't been in a swimming pool in years," Blaise said excitedly as the four of them walked down the corridors of the hotel. It was almost midnight, and Blaise talked them into going down to the pool. Hermione had thought it was a bad idea. She didn't think they should be wandering around much, but Luna pointed out that the unlikelihood of anyone being at the pool at that hour was high.
The hotel provided them with complimentary bathing suits, though Hermione and Luna weren't going to swim. Hermione didn't feel like it and Luna had some editing to do that she could manage from her smart phone.
The first thing Blaise went to was the high dive, quickly climbing up the ladder faster than anyone Hermione had seen do, full of excitement. He smoothly walked across the board and performed an armstand before hurdling into the water.
"Wow," Draco gasped from the side of the pool, hopping into it. "That was brilliant!"
"I was on the diving team," Blaise informed when the memory returned to him. "I wanted to go to the Olympics."
"Why didn't you?"
A smile graced Blaise lips. "Met a girl. Married her. Had a daughter." The brightness in his eyes dimmed then, remembering that she had been murdered. He said no more, getting out of the pool to go take another dive.
"You want to try?" he called out to Draco at the top of the ladder.
"Nope!" Draco shivered. "I got a thing about heights!"
"For real?" Blaise was shocked.
"Draco?!" Bella snapped from below him. "Stop diddling around!"
Draco closed his eyes, trying not to look down. His arms were spread out, balancing on a beam three levels above the ground. He wobbled frantically.
"I'm going to fall!" he cried. "Please let me down!"
"You're not even trying!" she snapped at him. "Now focus your mind. Else, yes, you will fall to your death!"
Draco claimed out of the pool and sat at the edge of it, breathing hard. Yeah, he definitely had a fear of heights. Thanks to Bella.
"Maybe we should leave," Hermione then advised cautiously.
"Why for?" Blaise didn't need an answer. He saw why Hermione's tone had changed. He stumbled off the board, crashing clumsily into the water. He came back up, spitting water from his mouth.
A man was standing alone, keeping his distance, watching them all closely. He wore jeans and red hoodie.
"Theo…!" Blaise exclaimed, paddled quickly over to the man. The man blinked, remaining silent as Blaise approached him, hugging him. "Where have you been, amico?"
"Hiding," Theo answered simply, tapping Blaise's back. "And searching."
"For?"
"Draco." Theo looked over at Draco, making the man's hair on the back of his neck stand up.
"What's the answer?" Bella asked, pointing at the blackboard. Written on it was some complicated mathematical equation. Draco was good at math, but this was out of his ability. It looked completely foreign.
"15.7657," Theo answered before Draco even started trying to solve it.
"He won again," Bella declared, grinning darkly.
Draco gulped down an uneasy feeling. "Please…! Don't…!"
Bella poked out her lip. "You're just not concentrating hard enough, Draco. Theo, remind Draco what happens when he doesn't concentrate."
Theo did not hesitate following her order, he snatched Draco by his shirt, pulling him up out of the chair without a struggle. He smashed Draco against the wall, bruising his back.
"I didn't even get a chance!" Draco wailed out.
Theo punched him in the gut, causing Draco to double over, groaning.
"Alright, sweetheart," Bella finally called Theo off. "Mummy Bella wishes to keep Draco alive— for now at least!" She let out a giggle as Theo placed Draco back into the chair.
"Let's try it again, shall we?"
"Stay away from me!" Draco shouted, pointing at Theo accusingly. He stumbled off the ledge of the pool, falling into the water. Draco took that opportunity to swim across the side of the pool where Luna and Hermione were at.
"Draco, calm down," Blaise spoke softly.
"She had him beat me up!"
"Yes, but he was injected with that serum…! He didn't do it on his own accord!"
Draco wrapped his arms around himself, shuddering. "I still don't want him around me."
"He's your friend, Draco. Remember he roomed with us after we escaped the Death Eaters."
Draco looked at Theo who's head was tipped down low, wringing his hands together anxiously.
"Theo," Draco pleaded with him. "You don't have to do this. It's that stupid drug she's given you. I know you're not really like this."
Theo made no response. Draco's words didn't penetrate the man's mind. He picked up a chair, cocking his arm, ready to hit Draco with it.
"Go on and fight him back, Draco," Bella permitted. She stood behind a window, safe from any harm, joyously watching.
Draco shook his head, his eyes widened as Theo began closing off the gap between them. Draco wasn't much of a fighter, and Theo was only acting like this because of that nasty drug he had been given. He didn't want to hurt Draco just as much as Draco didn't want to hurt him.
Draco eyed Theo over from across the pool. The troubled man continued to wring his hands together.
"Theo…" Draco whispered, his chest got heavy. "Oh, bloody hell…!"