Confused Memories

Chapter 4

"But why..." Sarah trailed off. She paled considerably. "Oh... oh, God..."

"Miss MacKenzie? What's wrong?"

Sarah struggled to calm her breathing. "That little girl... the DeSoto child... Clayton... oh, God, Clay..." she sobbed.

"Sarah. Sarah, shh," Poppy soothed. "Now, what's wrong, dear? What did you remember?"

"I... I resigned my Aurorship after working on the DeSoto case. That poor little girl, stolen from her bed in the middle of the night... My partner was hit with a Dark curse that practically turned him into a Squib. I should have warned him... Poor Clay..."

"Clay?"

"Clayton..." She nearly screamed with frustration. "I can't remember his last name! Why can't I remember anything?" She pounded her thighs with her fists, eyes shimmering with tears.

"I don't know, Sarah. But we will find out," Poppy said.

"Do you remember anything at all about how you arrived here, Miss?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"No! The last thing I remember is being in Mike's office and handing over my wand! I don't even know what year it is!"

Albus and Minerva exchanged a meaningful glance. "It is the year 2004, Miss MacKenzie," Albus said quietly.

"Two thousand and...?" Sarah whispered in shock. "But... but how...?"

"Was there any broken glass or sand when you found Miss MacKenzie, Hermione?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, sir. It was an actual Apparition. There was no sign that a Time Turner was used. The magical signature for that was lacking."

Dumbledore nodded. "Then we are looking at a Memory Charm."

"Not necessarily, Headmaster," Hermione said. "There is a Muggle term called amnesia. It refers to natural memory loss--whether due to severe psychological trauma or to more physical means. We should probably consult a Healer as well as an Obliviator."

"May I ask what is so interesting?" came a cold voice from the doorway.

"Good afternoon, Severus. We were just chatting with our new visitor," Dumbledore replied.

"Ah. Of course. Poppy, I have brought you the potions you requested."

"Thank you, Severus."

"Now, if you will excuse me--"

"Please stay and meet our guest, Severus," Dumbledore interrupted. It was not a request.

"Very well, Headmaster," Snape replied stiffly. Dumbledore beamed.

"Wonderful! Miss MacKenzie, I would like you to meet Professor Severus Snape, Hogwarts' resident Potions Master. Severus, may I present Sarah MacKenzie."

Snape bowed his head slightly. "How... nice to meet you, Miss MacKenzie."

Sarah just stared at him stonily. "It's a pleasure." Her tone belied her true feelings. There was silence for a moment, and then Hermione interrupted.

"Headmaster, if I may, I would like to send an owl to Harry. He might be able to get some information on Miss MacKenzie's... condition."

Snape snorted. "Miss Granger, why do you insist on relying on Potter for every little thing? Use that formidable intellect of yours and contact the Weasley girl. She is an Obliviator, is she not?"

Hermione glared. "I would, Sev-er-us, except that Ginny is currently on a mission. I certainly can't blow her cover, now can I?"

"Ah, such a caring friend." Snape's voice was thick with sarcasm. Hermione's eyes narrowed, and her grip tightened on her wand.

"Now, children, let us behave like grown adults," Dumbledore interceded. "Hermione, go and contact Harry. Minerva, would you like to use my fireplace to speak with your sister?"

"That would be helpful, Albus; thank you. It should not take long to set up the long-distance Floo from there."

"Excellent! Severus, are you busy?"

Snape sneered. "I have quite a few experiments I am working on. I also have lesson plans," he spat the word 'lesson' like it was an Unforgivable Curse, "to write. Good day to you, Albus. Minerva. Poppy." Without acknowledging the others, he swept out of the room.

"Well!" Hermione huffed. She stormed out and headed for the Owlery.

"It was nice meeting you, Miss MacKenzie. Get some rest; I'm sure you will have more visitors tomorrow." Albus and Minerva left the room.

Hagrid said, "Don' worry, Miss. The Headmaster'll sort everythin' out. Great man, Dumbledore." He left, whistling.

Madam Pomfrey began clucking about Sarah like a brooding hen. "Now, dear, get some rest. I'm sure we'll figure out exactly what happened to you soon." She covered Sarah with a blanket, carefully avoiding physical contact. She turned away to restock her shelves.

"Madam Pomfrey?"

Poppy turned back. "Yes, dear?"

"He will be fine."

"Pardon?" Poppy asked, confused.

"Don't worry about him. Things will turn out for the best. Believe me." With that, Sarah smiled and closed her eyes.

Poppy stood, stunned. But how did she know...? She shook her head. Things would certainly be interesting with a real Seer around.

---

Chapter 5

Two days later, the castle received another visitor--but this time, an expected one. Harry Potter Apparated outside the Hogwarts gates, and was greeted by two of his closest friends.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed joyfully. "It's so good to see you!" She threw herself into his arms.

"Hello, Hermione," Harry said softly. The black-haired, green-eyed savior of the wizarding world had finally grown up. He carried himself with a quiet dignity that had been cultured after years in the spotlight. Witches had practically thrown themselves at him, but he had only been seen in public with two women--Hermione, and his best friend's little sister, Ginny Weasley.

"Hello, Harry!" Hagrid boomed. "It's good t' see ya agin!"

"Hagrid! So what's the latest interesting creature you've found?" Harry asked, grinning. Hagrid's love of magical animals--the more vicious, the better--was well-known to anyone who had gone through Hogwarts.

"It was Hermione who found this 'un." The half-giant winked. "But I'm sure you'll have heard all about it by now, eh?"

"Not all." Harry asked, "Are you sure that this woman is safe, Hermione?"

"I'm sure, Harry. Besides, there's not much she can do without a wand, now is there?"

Harry nodded. "No, there's not. However, I meant is she safe from outsiders? We've been receiving reports of increased rogue Death Eater activity in the London area within the past week." After Voldemort's downfall, many of his followers had gone into hiding. Among these was Lucius Malfoy, widely considered Voldemort's second-in-command. There were some suspicions within the Aurory that Lord Malfoy was planning another Death Eater uprising. The last attack had been two years ago, when Hermione had still been an Auror. She had brought in the senior Crabbe and Goyle goon squad, collecting much information about Death Eater movements and leaving Malfoy exposed.

"Harry. It's Hogwarts," Hermione replied. He nodded. Even Voldemort hadn't been able to breach the wards--though, truthfully, he had not tried very hard. It was taken for granted by most that Hogwarts was the safest place to be in an attack--but it, too, had its vulnerabilities.

"I know. But there are still ways in..."

"And they're all being taken care of. Now come on. You have to meet our guest. Apparently, she's a true Seer." Harry chuckled at the note of disdain in Hermione's voice. She never had been one to believe in Divination.

Harry and Hermione made their way to the Infirmary, chatting all the while. The path they took was nearly automatic--Harry had certainly made the trip often enough to know the way by heart.

Hermione knocked on the door. "Madam Pomfrey?"

The door swung open. "Harry! It's so wonderful to see you again, dear boy," Poppy said.

"Hello, Madam Pomfrey. I hear you have a visitor?" Harry said, smiling.

"Oh, yes. She's having breakfast right now, but..."

"Send 'em in, Poppy," a garbled voice called.

Hermione opened the privacy curtain around Sarah's bed. She looked much healthier after a shower and good meal. She was eating her breakfast with gusto.

"Not like any Seer I've ever known," Harry muttered to Hermione.

"Oh, we're not all fruitbats, Mr...."

"Harry Potter. I'm sorry, ma'am. That was rude of me."

Sarah waved her fork. "Don't worry about it, Auror Potter. I get that all the time. Got that," she corrected. "Argh! Why are my thoughts so jumbled up?" she cried in frustration.

Harry sat on a chair beside the bed. "We're not sure, Miss MacKenzie. I've spoken with a few of my colleagues, and we believe that when the surge of power you used to Apparate here went through you, it affected the memory centers of your brain. I don't really know much about that--I'm no Obliviator--but the gist of it is that memories that were suppressed before, resurfaced, and others were pushed back."

"Okay. That's reasonable," Sarah replied slowly. "But how can we be certain? How do I get my memories back? And what do I do until then?"

"I've asked a friend of ours to come and run some tests--that is, if you don't mind." Sarah nodded, and Harry continued. "Once she ascertains exactly what happened, we'll be able to start looking for a cure." He sighed. "Unfortunately, we don't know how long that would take."

"As for what you would do, Miss MacKenzie," came a voice from the doorway. "Why, you'll stay here at Hogwarts, of course."

"Here?" Sarah asked the Headmaster blankly. "But what...?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Our dear Sibyll Trelawney has agreed to take a small sabbatical--just for one term. If you agree, you may take her position as Divination teacher for that time."

"But I don't know anything about teaching!"

"You can learn, Sarah," Hermione said. "Believe me, I had no clue what to do my first day. Fortunately, I had the help of some of the best professors in the world--literally." She muttered, "Besides, anyone's better than that old loon."

"I--I guess I could do it, but--"

"Excellent!" Albus cried, clapping his hands together. "Students arrive September the first. You have one week to prepare."