The dorm was entirely silent when he returned and Harry didn't have the energy to consider waking his friends. He felt bone tired but couldn't sleep, spending hours staring at the dark hangings of his bed. His mind kept going round and round in endless loops that only seemed more tangled and convoluted the more he thought about them.

He didn't wake when the dorm did, or when the alarm he set went off the first time, or second, or third. He dragged himself up at the fourth, saw how late it was and threw some clothes on, doing only the bare minimum to get ready before rushing down to the great hall in hope of getting something to eat before breakfast was over. Harry ran into Ron and Hermione coming out of the great hall just as he was about to go in.

Ron threw one arm over Harry's shoulders and dragged Harry along with them. Ron's other hand held a bacon sandwich which he pushed at Harry. "So what was all that then?" Ron asked, nodded back towards the hall.

"Mph?" Harry muttered around a bite of sandwich.

"The announcement, mate," Ron said impatiently, tugging Harry a little closer, "We let you sleep in, seeing as you got in late, thinking things were going well and then this whole thing-"

"You're really going to let the whole school kiss you?" Hermione picked up the thread of conversation, "I can't imagine Malfoy taking it well, did he? I thought things between the two of you were improving."

Harry sighed, swallowed down a lump of suddenly very dry toast and told them, "I was going to tell him. Everything went tits up before I had the chance."

Ron pulled Harry to a stop.

"What happened?" Hermione asked quietly, coming around in front of Harry, touching his arm lightly.

"I don't know." Harry shook his head, "I don't get it myself."

"Tell us then," Ron said.

Harry hesitated.

Hermione said, "We've helped before. Maybe we can see something you missed."

Harry nodded, more to convince himself than anything. He closed his eyes, telling them everything he could remember, especially what happened at the end when Harry had lost the plot entirely.

Both his friends were frowning in confusion when he looked at them. Harry sighed again, pushing his hand through his hair.

"I think you'd better just ask him," Ron said with a shrug.

Hermione's frown deepened.

High up in the castle the massive bronze bell sounded the hour.

"I'm going to class," Harry said flatly, pulling away from them and heading for Charms, forcing himself to eat a few more bites of a tasteless sandwich before he threw the rest away.

Draco never came to class.

Harry took about three sentences worth of notes during both his classes, none of which he remembered writing down. He dumped everything haphazardly back into his bag, still trying to shove it all inside in a single crumpled mess when he felt a hand grab him by the arm and begin towing him down the hallway.

"H-Hermione?" Harry said to the back of the fluffy brown hair.

She glanced back at him, her grip never loosening, "Hurry up."

"Shouldn't you have been in class?" Harry asked, trying to keep up and keep everything in his bag at the same time.

"Runes," She said shortly, "I finished early and asked to be excused. Was Malfoy in Charms with you?"

Harry shook his head and added since she couldn't see, "No, he wasn't-"

"He didn't come to Runes either." She stopped in front of the gargoyle heading up to the Headmistress office, quickly murmuring the password and pulling Harry up the stairs as soon as it had moved.

"What are we-?" Harry pulled back.

Hermione tightened her grip, "Come on, We don't have a lot of spare time."

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, "Does McGonagall know we're coming up here?"

"Of course, I asked for permission to use the school's pensive and she said I could during lunch," Hermione said. She cut a straight line through the Headmistress' office to the cabinet in the back containing the school's pensive.

Harry pulled free from Hermione's loosened grip, "Why?" he asked uneasily.

"What happened with Malfoy- It's been bothering me. There's too much that doesn't make sense." Hermione said opening the cabinet and exposing the heavy stone basin, "I'd like to see it for myself." She took in his expression and softened, "You don't have to show me anything you don't want to. Just the confusing part."

Harry frown faintly.

"I want to help," Hermione said.

Harry looked down at his feet. He nodded after a moment, "It might help if I see it again too."

Hermione stepped to the side so Harry could stand in front of the pensive.

He took a deep breath, pressing his wand to his temple and recalling everything after the snitch with as much detail as he could muster. A long silver strand came away with his wand and pooled in the bottom of the stone bowl like liquid mercury.

Hermione pressed close to his shoulder, "You're sure?" she asked.

"Yeah," Harry said faintly and leaned forward into the memory. Hermione came only a second behind.

Harry watched it play out all over again, and then again- it all happened so fast- before he couldn't stand it anymore and pulled himself out, feeling as hollow and empty as the when it had first happened. He dropped himself in one of McGonagall's chair, closing his eyes and pressing his thumbs into his temples where a dull ache promised a future headache.

Hermione's feet shuffled against the carpet as she slowly raised her head, blinking rapidly. She plucked the memory out with the tip of her wand and walked over to Harry. He dropped his hands, tilting his head and feeling more than seeing when the memory came back to him, fresh and sharp once more.

"I want to see the party," Hermione said.

"Wha-?" Harry looked up at her, "All of it? We don't have time."

She rolled her eyes, "Just the part with Malfoy in it."

Harry slumped back into the chair, putting his wand to his temple, "Yeah, alright," he said tiredly, pulling the memory from his mind and holding his wand out.

Hermione shook her head at him, carefully taking Harry's wand and putting the memory into the pensive. She tossed his wand back to him, "We'll need at least twenty minutes to eat lunch, cast a tempus and pull me out by then, would you?"

Harry waved at her halfheartedly, casting the tempus after she had already gone into the memory. He slumped further down into the chair to stare up at it and watch the minutes slowly tick by.

True to her word, Hermione stayed in the memory until twenty till and Harry took her by the shoulder, tugging her backwards until her eyes focused.

"Lunch," Harry said, taking the memory back out of the pensive. "Figure it out?" he asked.

"Mmm," Hermione murmured, her expression distant like it always was when she was trying to figure out a particularly tricky puzzle.

"I'll take that as a no," Harry muttered, grabbing his bag off the chair and heading downstairs first to pick through whatever was left of the lunchtime offerings.

"We shall see it through as efficiently as possible," McGonagall said primly as they walked down the hallway towards the great hall.

Harry stretched his legs slightly to keep up with McGonagall's impatient clipped pace, "You're going to be there?" he asked.

McGonagall nodded, "Of course. You are my student as well as those who wish to-" she tsked faintly under her breath, "-tempt fate, as it were. It's my duty to make certain things operate in the most efficient and ethical manner possible."

Harry relaxed slightly, at least there would be no diving tackles or kissing his feet if the Headmistress herself was there.

"The optimum solution would have been if your fellow students could control themselves and not act like a great many cats in heat," McGonagall's expression soured, "Unfortunately, having taught for a great many years, I know such a thing to be utterly impossible."

Harry smiled faintly, "I think you might have better luck with cats, Professor."

McGonagall's mouth turned up in a faint knowing smirk, "That shows what you know about cats, Mr Potter."

Harry spotted Hermione standing by the entrance to the great hall and raised his hand to wave, "Herm-"

He was engulfed in a fluff of brown hair, Hermione clutching the front of his jumper to stay upright even as they half spun round from the force of the collision, "Harry! Harry listen-!"

"Ms Granger," McGonagall said, "What are you doing?"

"Professor I just need to talk to Harry for ten-no-five- just five minutes it's very important!" Hermione said all in one breath.

McGonagall narrowed her eyes slightly before begrudging them a nod, "Very well, five minutes."

They both watched for a breathless moment until McGonagall had entered the great hall.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Harry asked.

Hermione loosened one hand out of his jumper to take out her wand and cast a muffalito around them.

"Hermione-"

"What if he doesn't remember?" Hermione said.

Harry's brow furrowed, "What?"

Hermione's hand tightening its grip like she was on the verge of shaking him out of frustration,"What if Malfoy doesn't remember the kiss at all? Everything makes sense if he doesn't remember it happening!"

"But someone else would have, Pansy or Blaise," Harry said doubtfully, not wanting to grasp after false hope.

"They were talking to each other, I think," Hermione said carefully.

"You think?" Harry said incredulously.

"Yes, I think," she said impatiently, "You don't understand how horrible your memory was-"

"Hey!" Harry protested.

"Not like that!" Hermione said, "I mean that your awareness of your surroundings during the whole thing was so completely muted it was like trying to make out details through a fog and I think your perception of time was distorted as well. Everything was a lot more drawn out than it would have been in real life. I mean, really" She finally let go of his abused jumper to put her hand on her hip with a huff, "the whole thing couldn't have been more than a half a second - the actual kiss, I mean- and your lips just brushed so someone would have had be looking right at the two of you to notice which was highly unlikely in that corner of the room and the angle you were standing at-"

Harry held up his hands, "I get it! I get it, he might not have remembered."

Hermione nodded and spun on her heel, marching towards the doors, "We need confirmation and for that we need Parkinson. Malfoy would be better but he's probably sulking in his room if I were to guess. I was just waiting for you to go get her."

Harry followed, caught up in Hermione's urgency, only to nearly run into her back when she suddenly stopped.

Hermione frowned at him and shook her head, "Wait here, I'll be right back."

"I only have five minutes-" Harry tried to call after her but Hermione had already gone into the great hall that, if the noise coming from inside was any indication, was packed full.

Harry leaned back against the wall, absentmindedly chewing the edge of his thumb as he thought. Was Draco that drunk? Was he the type to drink so much he forgot things? What if it were true? If he didn't remember... then, maybe-

"-iously Granger, this had better be good because the Prophet will absolutely be shitting themselves for this exsclus-Potter!" Pansy plastered on a blindingly false smile, "Did you want to talk to me?"

"We did," Hermione said, herding the two of them a bit away from the door and recasting her muffling spell, throwing a few other privacy spells on top.

Pansy glanced around suspiciously, "What is this about?"

"Did Draco remember what happened at the eighth year party?" Harry asked.

Pansy shrugged one shoulder, "Most of it. Up until you said you were going to kiss the whole room and he tried to finish off a whole bottle of fire whiskey himself." She gave Harry a pointed look.

"So he doesn't remember," Hermione said, she took a step closer to Pansy, "And when he kissed Harry did you see it?"

"What?" Pansy snorted, "I interviewed everyone. No one kissed the boy wonder-"

"So you didn't see," Harry said, feeling mildly lightheaded.

Hermione caught his eye and raised her eyebrows.

Pansy looked from Harry to Hermione, "Draco didn't kiss-" she frowned, her brow furrowing in thought. Pansy shook her head, "He couldn't-?" she studied both their faces and then froze. Her eyes went wide, "He did-?" as her hand went up to her mouth, pressing over her lips, tears welling in her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked a bit nervously.

A giggle escaped her and Pansy pressed her head and palm into her shoulder. She looked back at them with an ecstatic smile, "I can't fuckingbelieve it," she said faintly, "You're serious? You did kiss him? You really did?"

Harry nodded.

"Now it all makes sense," Pansy let out a breath, turning half-away and wiping the corners of her eyes. She lifted her chin with a deep breath, turned to face Harry and said, "Okay. So I'll do my best to actually try and like you-"

"Same?" Harry said faintly.

"-and if you ever hurt him I'll kill you."

"I-" Harry opened his mouth then closed it and looked over at Hermione imploringly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Really? I can't imagine them not fighting."

"You know what I mean," Pansy said sharply.

"I won't- I- I'll try not to," Harry stammered.

Pansy tossed her head so her hair bounced against her cheeks, "Well, that will have to do for now. But that's not what's important-"

"Not important?" Hermione bristled.

"Not important," Pansy turned and jabbed a finger at Hermione, "What's important is that Draco doesn't know and he needs to know."

Harry took a step backwards.

Hermione frowned, "Right now? Now, Harry has to go to the great hall-"

"Exactly." Pansy interrupted sharply, "Now is the perfect time, can you just imagine how it will look-?"

"You are not going to get your silly newspaper job involved in this!" Hermione stepped closer, "Draco is your friend-"

"I can be a friend and get an amazing story! You goody-goody Gryffindor's are so-"

Harry backed further away and the growing hostility suddenly turned into a buzz of indistinct noise. Harry sighed in relief and a little guilty about it, but only a little.

He looked down the hallway towards the dungeons; the whole great hall could stuff it, he-

"HARRY!" Ginny's voice washed over him.

Harry turned as Ginny skipped over to him with a huge grin, Luna a few steps behind.

"You've been summoned, my liege," Ginny said, affecting a ridiculous and extravagant bow.

Luna giggled and copied her, bowing too deeply so her hair fell over her face when she stood back up.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Helping," Luna said brightly, absently pushing her hair back one errant lock at a time.

"Yeah, helping," Ginny echoed a bit too cheerfully.

Harry's eyes narrowed, "Helping how?"

Ginny waved off his concerns, "You'll see." She turned and took what looked like a red blanket from Luna. When she unfurled it, holding it up and out, Harry could see it was a red velvet cloak trimmed with black and white ermine.

"No," Harry said immediately.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Ginny said. She took out her wand and with a flick the offending garment curled around his shoulders.

Harry grabbed at where it had attached to his shoulder to pull it off, "I said no. This is embarrassing enough as it is."

"You owe me," Ginny said, her voice just a little too flat and serious.

Harry looked at her imploringly, "Come on, Gin. You can't make me go in there like this."

"No, I can't make you," Ginny said in the same tone.

Harry stared at her, hoping for some sort of reprieve but none came. He wasn't going to outright refuse her and Ginny knew it. Harry groaned, his shoulders slumping.

Ginny smiled, "I transfigured it myself from a sheet. I could change the rest of your clothes too-"

"Absolutely not," Harry said firmly. There were some limits to how much public humiliation he was willing to endure.

"A jumper and school slacks aren't very royal in the least," Ginny said with a frown.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Well that works out fantastic since I'm not bloody royalty."

"Ta-Dah!" Luna said, bouncing forward and pulling a silver crown from her little shoulder bag with a flourish.

"It's wonderful, Luna!" Ginny said with a little gasp, "Where'd you get it?"

"I conjured it," Luna said primly, reaching up to balance it atop Harry's head.

The crown stayed in place for maybe all of five seconds before sliding off Harry's unruly hair. Harry caught it on instinct before it hit the floor, taking a moment to look at it more closely. It didn't look anything like the muggle royal crowns and did look a great deal like something out of a fairy story, all silver and delicate curving points decorated with what looked like pearls and diamonds.

Ginny took it away from him, holding it protectively, "This is amazing, Luna. You're going to pass your NEWTs with flying colours."

"Thank you," Luna said absentmindedly, looking through her bag, "I'm quite certain I have some bobby pins."

"We could just use a sticking spell," Ginny suggested.

Luna frowned slightly, "I don't think Harry would like that."

"Harry would not like that," Harry said flatly.

"I'll just have to conjure some, I suppose," Luna dropping her bag back down by her side.

Ginny shrugged, "We'll figure it out inside. Come on, before McGonagall comes after us." She grabbed Harry by the elbow and collected Luna with her other hand when she passed her, pulling them both into the great hall with her.