Chasing a Dream

Chapter 11

Memory Magic

Hermione passed out in Harry's arms. Harry stared at her. Did she... She didn't just... Harry sat there, holding her tightly. I should get her out of the rain.

Harry gathered her into her arms and carried her across the yard, the rain at his back. He stared at her face. Her creamy skin was flushed and her eyes closed. Her lips were slightly parted.

He pushed open the back doors into the conservatory. It was nice to feel the relief of not having rain pounding on him. He strode in between the many plants, across the hall, and into the living room. He laid her down on the sofa. Thinking hard, he recalled a spell Dr. Carey taught him.

"Aqustica Reprista"

Hermione's hair and clothes whipped around for a few then settled, completely dry. Harry preformed the spell on himself, and then knelt next to the couch staring Hermione, the events of the past twenty minutes sinking in. The front door swung open. Sirius and Margaret walked in, laughing. That is until they came into the living room and saw the look on Harry's face.

"What is it?" Sirius demanded.

"Hermione-"

Margaret crossed the room swiftly and began taking her pulse and other such medical things. She turned to him.

"What about Hermione, Harry?"

"She spoke..."

"What did she say?"

"My name."

"Hmmmm."

Margaret whipped out her wand and pointed it at Hermione's chest.

"Enervate."

Hermione's eyes flew open. Her eyes darted around the room, wide and fearful. Her eyes, the eyes Harry used to know, settled on Harry.

"Harry!"

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, as if afraid he'd disappear if she let go. Harry sat there in shock, but soon recovered himself. Her embrace was warm and familiar.

Margaret turned to Sirius.

"She's ready."

-_-_-_-_-

"Contact Dr. Carey immediately."

Margaret said to the girl behind the front counter at St. Mungo's. Harry and Sirius followed her through the door and down the hall, Sirius carrying Hermione in his arms.

Right after Hermione had woken up, she lost consciousness again.

They walked into a room and Margaret had Sirius lay Hermione down on a hospital bed at the far end of the room. It wasn't long before Dr. Carey was walking through the door.

"What is it?!"

"I think she's ready, watch this."

She placed her wand over Hermione's chest and said, "enervate" again. Hermione's eyes snapped open. They darted around the room.

"W-w-where-"

She stammered. She looked confused. Harry's heart fell. She wasn't the same. This wasn't the Hermione he knew, he could tell. Her face was confused and her eyes still lacked that spark, though they'd regained their warm brownness.

"Hmmm..."

Dr. Carey leaned over to look her in the eye. He smiled and straightened up, turned to Margaret, and nodded.

"Contact Professor Dumbledore."

Margaret swept herself out the door. Dr. Carey turned to Harry.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you and Mr. Black to leave. We have to perform a very large memory charm and if something went wrong and it accidentally hit either of you, you might forget who you are! Please wait in the lobby, Margaret will join you shortly."

Sirius steered a reluctant Harry out of the room. They walked down the hall in silence. Eventually, they reached the lobby.

It was as he remembered it. He sat down on the bench that he'd bumped his head on the last time he'd sat there. It was very strange that he'd sat here days before thinking that Hermione was gone forever. Sirius sat down across from Harry and picked up a magazine.

An arm around his shoulders made him look up. It was Margaret. She pulled Harry into a hug much like the one Mrs. Weasley had given him at the end of fourth year. Harry hugged her back without realizing it.

I like Margaret.

She released him and looked down at him, smiled, and ruffled his hair playfully. Harry felt strangely refreshed.

"You looked like you needed a hug."

"I guess I did. Thanks."

"No problem."

Harry smiled as she stood up and walked over and sat down next to Sirius. Sirius smiled at her.

-_-_-_-_-

It was about a half an hour before Dr. Carey came strolling out of the large white doors to the lobby. He was smiling broadly.

"Margaret, contact the Weasleys. Harry, Mr. Black, come with me."

They followed him down the hall to the room that they left her in earlier. Dr. Carey threw open the door dramatically.

Hermione was sitting upright in bed, looking just like he remembered. Well, almost. Instead of bushy hair she had long, amber hair that was pulled back into a ponytail at the top of her head.

Harry walked across the room to Hermione's bed and sat down next to her. She looked up at him with big doe eyes.

"Hello, Harry."

She smiled at him. Harry felt so strange. His stomach was doing something very odd. His heart was pounding and he was suddenly so very sad. It was as if she'd actually died and come back. Harry felt the need to touch her and make sure she was really ok, again. He put his arms around her and hugged her to him.

Hermione hugged him back and then they parted. She looked up at him, puzzled.

"What is it Harry?"

"It's just... I'm so glad you're back Hermione!"

"Did the plane crash worry you so much!?"

Harry was puzzled. I thought they said they modified her memory!

"My head is fine now. I'm ok."

She looked past him.

"Sirius!"

Sirius took a nervous step up to the side of her bed. She reached out and gave him a hug.

"Thank you for adopting me."

Harry couldn't believe it! Had her memory not changed at all!? Dr. Carey pulled Harry to the side, out of earshot of the others.

"There was something about the memory charm I should tell you about..."

"What is it?"

"We couldn't make her forget about the accident."

"Then wouldn't she be the same as before."

"I said we couldn't make her forget the accident, not that we couldn't make her forget other things."

"Other things?"

"We were forced to remove nearly all of her memories of her parents. We left some just so she'd have the knowledge that she had some, but we temporarily removed her memories of them."

"Temporarily?"

"Why, yes! It would be unfair to leave her without the memories of a nice life with her parents! We remove the charm when she's old enough to deal with the pain. You of all people would know what it is like not to have parents. Her pain however, is probably greater than yours."

"I doubt it."

"Oh? She lost the parents that she loved for over fourteen years!"

"Her parent's didn't die protecting her."

Harry thought about it for a moment and then decided that that wasn't true. Hermione's father had given up his own flotation device so she wouldn't drown, and in turn drowned himself.

"Besides, better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all."

"That is true, but greater is the pain to lose someone loved than someone you never had the chance to."

And with that last statement, he rejoined the party around Hermione's bed. Harry thought about it for a moment. It was true. Hermione must have been in more pain than he has been. He knew Hermione must have been blaming herself for dragging them along to Krum's. Suddenly, Harry understood.

"Where is she?!"

A familiar voice behind him made him swing around in surprise. Ron and all of the Weasleys were standing behind him. Ron was looking around anxiously. Harry grinned.

"Ron! She's over there."

Ginny and Ron ran past him. Ginny hugged her friend tightly, then Ron. Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley were standing by Sirius, shaking his hand and apologizing for suspecting him of betraying Harry's parents.

Harry walked back over to Hermione's bed and sat down on it next to Ginny, who was jabbering away excitedly. Ginny suddenly stopped, turning crimson at the sight of Harry. Ron snickered.

"I have the best idea!!!"

Mrs. Weasley clapped her hands together.

"We should have a party for Harry, and a Get Well party for Hermione at the same time! Hermione must stay with us for the rest of the summer as well! That way you don't have to worry about your daughter while you're away at court!"

"Well, um, I'm not sure she'd want you calling me her father..."

"I don't mind,"

A small voice called from behind a wall of people. Hermione was smiling at Sirius pleasantly.

"Dad."

For a moment Harry felt angry with Hermione for ignoring her real father's sacrifice and telling Sirius that he was her father. That is, until he remembered that she couldn't remember her parents at all. Harry supposed she must be lonely. He didn't blame her. He couldn't blame her.

Sirius beamed at her. He walked over to her bed, sat down, and gave her fourth hug in the last twenty minutes. Margaret sniffled happily in the corner.

-_-_-_-_-

Mrs. Weasley was true to her word. She held a party for both Harry and Hermione, although it was already August, way past Harry's birthday, and almost everyone they knew came! Harry yawned and rolled over onto his back to stare up at all the moonlight splashing across the ceiling. Almost exactly like the day he found out about the crash.

He felt so strange. Things were almost completely back to normal, except for that nagging feeling at the back of his mind.

He couldn't seem to get rid of the picture of Hermione, her eyes glowing neon blue. It bothered him. In another sense, he felt relieved to know that she was safe in the room next to him, Ginny's room.

He couldn't sleep. He climbed out of his bed and tiptoed out of the room and down the stairs. He walked out on the veranda, out to the garden, and stopped suddenly.

Hermione was sitting on a small stone bench, holding a blanket made of star and moon material tightly around her. She was staring off in the distance. Harry didn't think she even saw him there.

"Hermione."

She turned, startled. She relaxed.

"Oh, Harry, you scared me!"

"I'm sorry."

Harry walked over to her and sat down next to her. The chilly night air caused him to shiver.

"Here."

Hermione took her blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders as well as her own. Harry and Hermione scooted closer together. Hermione's skin was warm against Harry's bare skin, because Harry always sleeps shirtless in the summer. (That was for all you die-hard H/Hr fans out there!)

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember what happened while you had your head injury?"

"Yes, yes I do."

"Do you know anyone by the name of, Andy?"

"Not that I can think of.

"Oh, and Hermione, um, do you know how to swim?"

Harry felt her cringe beside him.

"No, not really. Not at all, actually."

"I thought so."

They sat in silence for a couple minutes, and then Harry asked the question that he'd been dying to ask ever since they returned to the Weasleys. They had already been at the Weasleys for two days, so he'd been holding this in for a while.

"Hermione, how did you make your eyes glow? Do you have telekinesis?"