Missing Harry
"Hermione," Harry breathed in that way she loved as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. She walked over to him and gave him a tight embrace. "You look older, I don't know why, but-but-but-you look gorgeous."
Hermione smiled sadly at him. "Harry, we're both 32." He looked at her sceptically. "We have a child together and Voldemort's dead."
"Voldemort's dead? But didn't the prophecy say…"
"You killed him, Harry."
Harry glared at her. "Don't-don't-don't do this to me, Hermione. I didn't kill him, I'm not a murderer."
"Harry, sit down. It's okay." Harry was shaking, as he always did when he got nervous, but he sat down and let her hold him. She enveloped him in her arms and rocked with him back and forth.
"Hermione, tell me what's wrong with me."
Hermione sighed. "Shhh, Harry."
"I'm scared, Hermione. I can't-I can't-I can't tell one moment from the next. What if Voldemort attacks us and I can't remember to-to-to do a spell? How will I protect you, Hermione? How will I protect Madison?"
Hermione dug her head in his shoulder as his trembling hands stroked her hair. His hands had never stopped shaking after he had killed Voldemort twelve years before; Harry had never been the same.
Something happened to him, to his memory. He cast the spell and he had never been the same; he killed Voldemort and he had never been the same.
Hermione had gone back and finished her time at Hogwarts and was accepted into the Healer program. She went on to a muggle university and received a doctorate in psychology. No one knew if his short-term memory loss was due to magical or muggle means. There was nothing Hermione could do for him now, except make him as comfortable as possible.
"Hermione-Hermione-Hermione," Harry whispered in her ear. "How will I protect Maddy with Voldemort after her?"
"Oh Harry, you protect her everyday. We're safe with you."
"Hermione, when did you get here?"
"Huh?" Hermione sat back and peered at her husband. He looked at her with wide eyes. "Oh," she said softly. "I just got here love."
"Oh I missed you so much, Hermione," Harry smiled and squeezed her tightly. Hermione had been through this millions of times, and it still brought tears to her eyes. "You make me feel so safe."
Hermione pulled back from him and looked toward the ground. "Oh, Harry," she breathed.
"Hermione," Harry choked. "Do you promise that you'll take care of Madison if Voldemort kills me? Do you promise me?"
"Daddy?" A little voice asked from the doorway. She had brown curly hair just like her mum and warm emerald eyes that glowed like her father's. "Daddy, it's okay now."
"Oh, Maddy," Harry whispered as he walked over to his daughter. Hermione watched lovingly from the couch as he hugged her tightly. "I love you, I-I-I love you with all my heart, you know that?"
Madison laughed. "Of course I know, Daddy, but Voldemort's gone."
Harry's brow furrowed. "Who killed Voldemort?"
"You did, Daddy."
"No, that's not possible Maddy-bear, because I don't-I don't-I don't remember-"
Madison smiled and traced the scar on his forehead, much like her mother did at times. Harry shivered and dropped his head, sobs heaving in his chest. "Oh, God-Oh, God-Oh, God."
Hermione walked over to her husband and daughter, and dropped to her knee beside Harry. "You do remember, love. You're remembering right now." Harry didn't respond and continued to weep.
Madison held onto her father's shirt as she crawled into his lap. Harry took her into his arms and hugged her small frame to him tightly. "It's okay, Daddy. You can let him go."
Hermione smirked at her daughter…smart, clever little Madison Lily Potter. It was incredible how intuitive she was for an eight year-old. "Maddy, can you give your father and me a moment?" Madison smiled, kissed her father and mother, and walked out of the room towards her own.
Hermione sighed and took Harry's head in her hand, turning him to face her. "Oh, Harry."
"When did you get here, Hermione? And where is Madison?"
"Madison is in her room, and I've been here for a little while, Harry."
"But I don't remember you being here."
"I have."
"But-but-but, why don't I remember it then?"
"You're suffering from anterograde amnesia, Harry." His eyes grew wide. "You can carry on a conversation, but it fades from your memory as soon as it goes in. You remember the people you love most, and the people you hate most. You contain all those basic human primal functions, but when you get distracted you cannot remember what you learned five minutes before."
"How long-"
"Twelve years."
"But Madison is eight."
Hermione smiled. "I'm still trying to figure out how it's possible for you to remember her. I think it has something to do with magic, because it's biologically impossible. We had her after you got amnesia."
"When was that?"
"Twelve years ago."
"Why did I get amnesia?"
"I don't know. It had something to do with your fight with Voldemort."
"At the department of Mysteries?"
"No, Harry. You killed h-" before she could finish the sentence, his lips were on hers and he was kissing her with a ferocious drive. Her life was hard, but these moments made her forget Harry's pain, her own pain, and even the potential pain Madison was going through.
"Harry," Hermione breathed, breaking from his kiss. "I'm pregnant."
Harry stared at her wide-eyed. "You're-you're-you're…pregnant?"
Hermione grinned. "Yes, I am."
"I'll keep our baby safe from Voldemort."
"Oh, love. You don't have to. Voldemort's gone."
"He is?" Harry asked incredulously. "When the hell did that happen?"
"You killed him, Harry."
"Hermione, don't play-don't play-don't play this game with me, surely you don't want me to believe that, not when-not when-not when you're pregnant."
Hermione had to choke back a gasp. He remembered.
Good God, Harry remembered.
This same thing had happened in her first pregnancy. The only thing Harry could remove from his semiconscious this quickly had been when he felt surges of positive emotions. He remembered their beautiful wedding at Hogwarts, their first time and every other time they made love, and Madison's birth.
Thank God for magic.
"Oh, Harry. We'll be fine," she kissed him and took his head into her hands again. "We'll all be fantastic, as long as you're here."
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Thank you so much for reading my story! I know that was very different, but I was touched by the case studies I learned in my psychology class. For more information on anterograde amnesia, visit this website: http://www.memorylossonline.com/glossary/anterogradeamnesia.html
Thanks for reading!!!!
Harrynhermione4eva
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