Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or HBP would have been different.
A/N: I proposed this plot as a challenge, but no one seemed interested, so I worked on it myself. Please, if you read, leave me a comment.
Back to Normal
She had to admit Draco's plan had been brilliant, although highly Slytherinesque.
Now, if only she could make Harry go back to normal…
Next day, she went to St. Mungo's. She knew who could help her and Harry.
Going straight to what was once her office, she knocked on the door.
"Come in" a voice replied. Hermione smiled, and walked in.
"Hello, Caroline"
"Hermione!" the other girl squealed, going to hug her. "What are you doing here?"
"It's a long story. Do you have time for tea with a friend?"
"Of course. No one will disturb us" the healer said, locking the door and putting some tea on the stove in the room.
Hermione then told her about the last period of her life, and her plan to bring Harry back to normal, and how she hoped Caroline could help.
After all, she was the best healer she knew for brain damage of any kind, so…
"I'll come to see him just after I finish here, I promise" the other girl said, scribbling a note on her agenda.
"Thanks. You're my only hope now"
"What are friends for? I'm glad you saw your mistake, Hermione. And I'll do all what is in my power to bring him back to normal"
With a last hug, the two witches parted, and Hermione went to Harry's flat.
She found him walking around, still with a blank expression and still muttering the same things.
"Harry, dear, a friend is going to come soon and visit you. Why do not you go into the bedroom and wait for her there?"
He did, not giving her a sign of having heard, but still following her suggestion.
She sighed, slumping into the couch.
Every time she saw him that way, a piece of her died, wondering if they would be able to cure him at all.
When Caroline came, she ran some checks on him with her wand, a soft yellow glow erupting from it and engulfing the raven haired wizard.
She checked the results, then turned to Hermione.
"He's got some blocks in his mind about our world, his friends, and you. I guess he put them on subconsciously when he used to drink trying to forget you, but now he is not able to remove them. I have some strong potions, and a couple spells that I can use on him, they should remove most of the blocks, but the strongest ones, about his friends and you are not going to be affected by that. Seems like the most he cared for someone, the strongest the block is. This means, of course, that the block about you will be the last he will be able to remove, and the one with the highest risks to be permanent"
Hermione looked terrified. "But this means…"
"Yes, Hermione. He may not be able to recognize you anymore" Caroline said sadly. "I'm sorry, this is the best I can do"
"Oh, of course. Well, let's give him those potions and cast those spells on him, it will be a start"
So, Caroline forced some foul smelling liquids down his throat, with Hermione's help. Those were Memory Enhancing and Memory Unlocking potions, then she cast a spell.
"Memoria Libero!" and a violet light hit Harry, who started to toss and turn.
Hermione looked at Caroline in worry, but the girl nodded reassuringly.
Minutes later, Harry relaxed and fell asleep.
"He's going to sleep at least till tomorrow, and then he'll probably stop muttering about you. He'll speak normally again, and the blank expression should be gone too. Only, he will not recognize you and his friends. I guess you will need to find a way of unlocking those memories on your own, now" Caroline explained.
Hermione nodded. "Thanks, that is good. I'll try and find a way to unlock the rest then"
"You will, Hermione. I'm sure you will" the healer said, hugging her and then leaving.
Hermione was not that sure, and sighing went to pour herself some coffee.
Better start to research, while Harry was peacefully sleeping.
She ended falling asleep on the books.
When she woke, Hermione smelled a delicious fragrance of fresh coffee and pancakes. She walked into the kitchen, stirring and massaging her neck, sore from the strange position she slept in, just to find Harry into the kitchen, sipping his coffee.
"You're awake" she said, smiling.
"Yes, I am. But, who are you? I feel a tremendous headache…"
"Well, you forgot many things, after you started drinking. I'm one of your friends" she said, although it pained her to be classified as a simple friends, but for the moment it was what she was going to tell him, "and it will take more time for you to remember all of us. There are others you probably will not recognize, but I'll do my best to bring them here soon, so you can meet them"
He nodded. "Thanks for taking care of me. After my Hermione left me, I threw my life away. There was no more reason to go on…and probably this is why I ended like I am now" he said with a slight smile, making Hermione's stomach flutter.
It was way too much since she had seen him smile.
"Harry, I've got to go to work now, I assume you'll be here when I come back…?"
"Of course. I've not a job now, and soon I'll try to enter the Auror ranks again, but for today, I just want to relax and try to make this headache pass" he said. Then, he walked near her, and kissed her on the cheek.
"Hope you'll have a good day" he said softly.
She smiled at him, and walked away.
Once at St. Mungo's, she went to see Caroline, and found her office half empty. Wondering where she was, and what was happening, she waited there.
Soon her friend came, some boxes in her hands.
"Caroline, what's happening? Why are you moving?"
"Well, this was your office before you left, and it will be once more now that you're back. I've taken the initiative to sign you back in the hospital ranks"
"But…this is the office of the healer in charge of the whole healers of the hospital, only you can be here"
"No, it's not me the top healer of St. Mungo's. It's you, Hermione"
"Oh, Caroline. I can't take away from you the position you deserved" Hermione said, shaking her head.
"It was yours before you left. I would have never got it if you didn't leave it open for me in the first place, so it is just right for you to get it again. The decision is taken, there's no going back, Healer Granger" her friend said, ending with a playful tone. Hermione smiled.
"Now, on more serious matters, how is Harry doing?"
"Quite well, I would say. He woke up this morning and prepared breakfast, the best I've had since I left, and he chatted with me. As expected, he did not recognize me, for now I've told him I'm one of his friends, and others will see him soon but I alerted him he will probably not recognize them immediately, it will take time. I researched all night, and I found the only way to remove the blocks, or at least hope to do so is make the patient spend time with those he does not remember"
Caroline nodded, satisfied at her work. "Let's see what will happen then"
That day Hermione owled their friends and arranged for the next night a reunion at their flat.
When she came home, Harry had dinner ready and so they ate quietly. He asked her something about their friends, and she truthfully replied.
He then pondered what she said, nodding thoughtfully.
Later, they cuddled in front of the TV, and he found himself, stroking her hair lovingly. Wondering the reason of his behaviour, he however continued to do so, till she fell asleep leaning on him.
At that, he turned the telly off, took her in his arms and brought her to the bedroom.
Not daring to put her nightclothes on, he lay her on the bed, changed, and entered it himself. Soon sleep took him too, bringing him dreams of a certain brunette.
Next night, Ron, Luna, Draco and Ginny arrived just in time for their reunion, and the six of them sat in the living room.
They started seeing a movie together, then after a while Ron asked Harry if he wanted to play some chess. He eagerly agreed, and as usual got crushed by the redhead.
"I see the amnesia has not improved your skills, uh?"
"Seems not. I remember my best friend Ron Weasley used to beat me badly at Hogwarts" Harry said, smiling at the memory.
Ron smiled too, although his words hurt him. Having Harry not recognizing him was hard, but if he could help by hanging around, he would.
Then Draco and Luna started playing cards, and the others kept chatting in the meanwhile.
At some point, Harry walked toward Hermione.
"Can you tell me who is the blonde guy? I kind of recognize him, but his name keeps slipping from my memory"
Hermione smiled at him, hopeful. "He's Draco Malfoy, once your nemesis, he passed to the light side in our last year at Hogwarts. He worked with you as an Auror"
Harry's eyes went blank for a moment, and Hermione worried, but then he focused again.
He walked toward the other bloke, smiling.
"Draco! I'm so pleased to see you!"
All looked at Harry in wonder.
Draco shook Harry's extended hand, still a bit surprised that he had been recognized while Harry's closest friends were not yet.
The night passed, and toward the end of the night, Harry's eyes went blank again, just for a moment.
He had spotted Luna reading the Quibbler upside down, and that made him recognize her.
"Luna! You're here too! And…you're pregnant!"
She beamed at him. "Yes, I carry Ron's child"
He hugged her, and kissed her on the cheek. "That's fabulous news! Say hello to Ron for me, ok?"
She nodded, looking at her husband who was half relieved that Harry was starting to recognize them, and half upset that he had not been recognized yet.
Hermione, sensing the redhead's discomfort, took him apart.
"Ron, you should be glad he has not recognized you yet. He's going to recognize first the ones he cared the less for"
He nodded his understanding, and joined the others again.
One week later, the group arranged to go and have dinner together in a nice restaurant.
Through the meal, they chatted about their jobs, love lives, and so on.
"So, Draco, how are things going in the Auror department?" Harry asked.
"Well, I must admit we miss you, Potter. But do not let it get to your head, you've enough a big ego as it is" the former Slytherin sneered. "However, we are doing fine, thanks to the absence of great cases too"
Harry nodded. "What about you, Luna?"
"Oh, the Quibbler is doing fine. I'm the first editorialist of it, and I love my job. I can point out my ideas on lots of things now"
"I'm glad for you. What do the other of you do?" he asked to the ones he still did not recognize.
"I work in the Daily Prophet" Ginny said. "But we've bettered our standards since Rita Skeeter was kicked out" she said, seeing his face cloud at the mention of the newspaper.
"You know, my friend Ginny Weasley used to work there too. Is she still there?"
She nodded. "Yes, she is" she said softly.
"I play Quidditch with the Chudley Cannons" Ron said, hoping it would be the nudge Harry needed to recognize him.
It didn't.
"My best mate plays with them too. Ron Weasley, you surely know him"
"Yes, I do" Ron said, a bit dejectedly.
Hermione squeezed his hand to let him know it was okay, Harry would recognize him soon. Then she spoke.
"I'm top healer at St. Mungo's"
"Curious. It was what Hermione did when she was here in England" Harry mused.
While they prepared to pay, he whispered in her ear.
"That pretty redhead, she seems a Weasley. Could she be…?"
Hermione nodded, and again Harry's eyes went blank.
"Ginny!" he said then. "I'm glad you're here! Sorry if I did not recognize you sooner" he said, going to hug her. She let one tear roll down her cheek, and hug him back.
"You're welcome, Harry"
Hermione felt a pang of jealousy at his calling her "pretty", but after all Ginny was married to Draco. She shook her head.
That was not the time for silly anger.
Then the group dispersed, everyone going to their home.
Once there, Harry kissed Hermione on the cheek.
"Thanks. I still do not recognize you, but still, thanks for doing this for me. I'm regaining my friends, slowly, and it feels good"
"Yes, it does, Harry" she said, hugging him strongly.
"Hey, are you Molly Weasley perhaps?" he joked, when she released him.
She swatted him lightly on the arm. "Git" she laughed.
Then they went to bed, and Harry surprised both of them placing his arms around her and pulling her close, before both fell in a deep slumber.
Their closeness increased day after day, and Hermione felt happier than she had been in along time. She felt she was slowly approaching her goal, and that felt good.
Harry had started walking out of the flat too, and popping into the Ministry to see if he could enter the ranks again.
Draco, now Head of the Auror Department, assured him there would be no problems, and Harry thanked him. For the moment, however, he wanted to keep regaining the pieces of his life he still felt missing.
Next meeting at Harry and Hermione's flat was one week later.
Hermione had arranged a buffet for them, and she thought it would make Harry good a reminiscing night.
So, they took turns recalling memories from Hogwarts.
Ginny spoke about her time dating Harry, and both blushed a bit. Draco rolled his eyes at her fangirl crush, and all of them laughed.
Then it was Luna's turn, and she recalled the trip on the Hogwarts Express where they first met her.
Ron placed an arm around her lovingly, recalling the moment. Then it was his turn. He spoke about two memories, one bad, one good. The trip to Aragog's liar, and the winning of the Quidditch Cup in fifth year.
Draco recalled the endless banters with the trio, and then the final year when he turned against what his father had taught him for years and followed what he felt was right.
Hermione, well, she would have liked to speak about her times with Harry as a couple but she feared to upset him, so she recalled how he killed the Dark Lord.
Harry kept staring at Ron more and more. The redhead grew nervous, and started getting red around his ears.
Then after the ritual of his eyes going blank, Harry grinned.
"Ron, mate! It feels good to see you again!"
The Weasley boy grinned too, and went to manly hug his best mate.
"Harry, I'm so glad you're back!"
The raven haired wizard nodded.
Soon the night ended, and the other two couples left leaving Harry and Hermione alone.
He sighed. "Now, if only I could recognize you…" he said, passing his hand in his hair in frustration.
"You will, I'm sure of it" she said softly, lacing her arms around his waist. He turned in her embrace, and looked at her.
She felt his gaze, and looked up, locking eyes with him. She gulped at the emotion she saw in them, and felt like drawn to him.
Unable to stop herself, she stood on her toes and brushed her lips against his own.
He closed his eyes, inhaling her scent.
"You resemble her so much. Same curly brown hair, same chocolate eyes in which I could drown, same good heart, always seeking my well being…same job, same wits…and same soft lips I must say…my Hermione…how is it possible?"
"It's me, Harry. I'm your Hermione" she said, unable to stop herself.
He looked at her strangely, and pushed her away.
She felt rejected, and wondered if she had made a mistake.
He stared at her, then he started shaking, and fell on his knees. She tried to help him, but he pushed her away.
Then, he lay on the floor, unconscious.
She tried everything in her knowledge to revive him, but to no avail.
She panicked, and started crying.
"Harry…wake up…don't leave me alone…not now…" she whimpered, then moved to call help. Maybe Caroline would know what to do.
As soon as she moved, she felt an hand grab her ankle.
"Hermione…don't leave me…again…" he whispered hoarsely, tears falling from his eyes.
The last block was gone.
Harry was back. Her Harry was back to normal.
She hugged him.
"I'm not going anywhere, Harry" she said, and for at least an hour they lay on the floor, that way.
Then anger raised in him for what she had done, and he pushed her away. She was surprised, and looked at him, finding his eyes dark from anger.
"You left me to go with some random bloke, Hermione. Have you idea how much it pained me? I don't want to see you again" he commanded. "Get out of here"
"But…"
"Get out I said!" he shouted, at the top of his lungs.
She looked at him in fear, and in the end she left, sad and in tears.
Harry sat on the floor, crying himself. After five years he found her again, and he sent her away once and for all.
"But she hurt me so badly" he thought.
However, doubt gnawed at him for the next days. Finally, he decided to give her one last chance.
He sent her an owl to fix a meeting in his flat for that night at seven, and she was there five minutes early. She hoped he would let explain, before taking a decision.
"Sit" he said coldly.
She cringed, but did as he told.
"Now, Hermione. You know I still love you. I can't deny that. You say you love me too. I can't be sure of that, because five years ago you betrayed my trust, cheating on me and leaving me behind. As much as I want to give us another chance, I can't if I fell I can't trust you again"
"I'll do everything, anything you want to make you trust me again" she said, tears starting to fall. "I love you Harry, and I'll prove it to you, whatever it will take to do so. If you don't trust me or what I tell you, look at it yourself. You're a skilled Legilimens, look into my thoughts"
"I'll do exactly that. In fact it was the reason why I called you here" he said icily, taking his wand.
"Legilimens!" he shouted then, and Hermione pushed the memories of their last months together up so that he could see them.
He swam memory after memory through her hurt every time he would forget something important, or when he would neglect her for his job, and how instead Albert had made her feel loved every moment. How she had wanted to right her relationship with him, but found herself unable to do that. How she thought he did not love her anymore, and how she had never stopped loving him even when married to Albert.
And he understood. It had been not only her fault, but his own too. He had thought it was clear he loved her, but she felt it wasn't.
He stopped the connection, Hermione breathing hard on the floor, Harry on his knees himself, tears falling.
If Hermione was guilty, he was too. So he crawled to her, and hugged her, holding her close.
"Do you see now? I honestly believed you didn't love me" she said, crying herself. "I'm sorry, Harry, for hurting you this much"
He nodded. "I know you didn't do that on purpose now. I know it was in part my fault too"
"Oh no. Don't you take the blame for something I did" she said. "It was my fault, and I just hope you can forgive me"
"I've already done that" he said, kissing her .
"Let's go to bed" he whispered then, taking her hand. "It's been too much since I could fall asleep with you in my arms. Consciously, at least" he said, remembering they had done that when he still did not recognize her.
And so they did. Once there, he kissed her hard, want from five years apart poured into it. She kissed him back as eagerly, searching his tongue hungrily.
Hands roamed on each other bodies, and soon they were naked in the bed.
"Stop" he said "or we won't be able to"
She smiled at him. "I don't care"
"But…you wanted to wait till marriage…"
"Please, just make love to me, Harry. I've already been married, remember?"
He nodded, grinning sheepishly. Then, he made exactly what she had asked him.
Next morning, she explained him about Draco's plan to get rid of her marriage.
"I've to compliment him next time I see him" Harry chuckled, caressing her face softly.
"I'm so sorry, Harry, for putting you through this pain" she said, tears pooling in her eyes again.
He brushed them away, and kissed her softly.
"It's all in the past. Let's start over from now, ok?"
"Ok" she said, capturing his lips in her own again.
They started going out again, like they had just started dating. He would bring her to movies, at times letting her choose, at times doing it himself, or he would bring her to dinner in the most fancy restaurants.
"Harry, you have not to spoil me to show me your love. I know it, now"
"Love, I want only the best for you" he said, kissing her softly, while entering the most expensive restaurant in Wizarding Britain.
One week later, at Valentine's Day, she received some roses by owl at her office. Her co-workers were by now used to him sending her gifts like that at work, and so they smiled knowingly, especially Caroline.
She found a small note attached to it.
"This night you won't forget.
Be home early
Love, Harry"
"Go on. We'll be able to take care of the patients without you for one day" Caroline said, and after some time, Hermione agreed.
She took her purse feeling all giddy like a teenager on her first date, and went straight home.
He laughed seeing her.
"Hey, I said early, not right now"
She grinned sheepishly. "Well, they thought one day without me would not kill the hospital, so here I am"
He pulled her close. "Very well then. You'll have lots of time to dress up for your boyfriend then"
"Dress up?" she pouted. "So you do not like me like I am?"
"I would love to have you going around starker all the time, love" he said, kissing her neck, "but I doubt decency would allow that"
She giggled. "Harry, if you keep this up we're never going to go wherever you've planned to take me tonight"
"Right" he said, stopping. "Well, you better go prepare then" he said, smacking her bum playfully.
Later, he blindfolded her and then Portkeyed them to a secluded island in the Caribbean Sea.
The night was spectacular, and romantic. Stars shined in the dark sky, and full moon too.
She looked around and gasped. They were on a coral sand beach, perfectly white, with soft music playing, and she wondered how could Harry charm an open space to do that, and a blanket on the ground. Candles all around the beach lit their path to it, and champagne was chilling in an icebox.
"Harry, this is wonderful" she said, and leaned into him.
"This is barely enough for a goddess like you" he replied, kissing the top of her head. Then they sat facing each other, and took the menus.
Like at the Yule Ball in their fourth year, reading what you wanted made it appear in front of you. She chose grilled lobster with lemon dressing and a salad. He chose the grilled grouper with barbecue sauce and roasted potatoes.
They ate quietly, and then, when they were finished, Harry got on one knee, pulling a small box from his pocket. He opened it, revealing a white gold band with sapphires and emeralds all around a single bid diamond in the center.
"Hermione Jane Granger, will you marry me?"
She barely let him finish before flinging herself at him, tears of happiness in her eyes.
She kissed him hard, and kept coming for more. After an heated snogging session, she finally let go of his mouth, both of them had bruised and swollen lips, but no one cared.
"I guess that is a yes then" he chuckled, slipping the ring on her finger.
"Yes. I'll marry you, Harry" she said, before kissing him again, which led to a night of passionate love making under a starry sky.
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