Title: Remember To Forget
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Towards the end of a very strange seventh year, Hermione is attacked late one night by an unknown assailant. It is this attack that causes her memory to reset, taking her mind back six months… back to when she was dating Ron, not Harry…
Authors Notes: You guys must really love me, getting so many updates lately!!! I'm just updating when I get the chance cause well, I've finished writing this and I've… started work on a story to follow on from this… More details will be coming soon, but I'm going pretty good with writing it, so far. I've got the idea and you should see all the notes I've got hidden all over the place! If I didn't have to hide my fan fic writing habits from my bf, I'd have wall chart detailing the plot, but I can't, so I have to make do with my little notes and maps everywhere! If get a chance on the weekend, I'll scan and upload some of the story maps and notes that go with this, so you can see just how much thought goes into this story!!!
I just also want to thank the people who have been reviewing this story so far. I love checking my e-mails and seeing all your wonderful reviews. It's what gets me through the day, waiting to come home and see my reviews!!! Reviews are what keeps me going!!! So keep 'em coming!!!
Twelve
Embarrassed by his outburst in Hagrid's hut, Harry hid himself in the library on his return to the castle. Hidden in his favorite little hiding place, he looked at the books he had selected from the shelves in the restricted section. All three of them contained the darkest magic that Hogwart's would allow in books, even those hidden away in the restricted section. Harry had read them several times cover to cover now and they contained very little information. It was frustrating- he'd come to realise that he would need to use Dark Magic to destroy the Horcruxes, the only problem being that nothing in the Hogwart's library would help him. He needed somewhere with books solely on Dark Magic… somewhere like…
He gulped, the answer coming to the forefront of his mind at once. The same answer that had been coming to his mind for weeks, months even. The answer that perhaps would also lead him to a horcrux, but would lead him to a place he never wanted to see again…
Grimmauld Place.
He closed the cover of 'Foulest of the Foulest' and sighed. He jumped when he heard his sigh mirrored. Looking up, he was looking straight into the brown, almost hazel eyes of Ginny Weasley.
'Oh,' he said softly, looking back down.
'Don't sound so happy to see me next time' she said, dragging over a chair and sitting opposite him.
'Just having a rough day,' Harry said, sighing again. Ginny smiled at him, as if to say 'tell me about it'.
Silence encompassed them. Harry run his fingers over the embossed cover of 'Foulest of the Foulest' and tried to look at anything but Ginny.
'So…' she said gingerly. 'They caught Malfoy. And Snape.'
'Yeah,' Harry said vaguely. 'Here's hoping all three of them pay for what they've done- Sirius, Dumbledore and…' he trailed off. 'Hermione.'
It felt strange to Harry, to be feeling worse about what happened to Hermione than the deaths of his godfather and mentor. But part of him had accepted that Sirius and Dumbledore would never be returned to him. But there was every chance that Hermione would be…
'I know about the note,' he found himself blurting suddenly and Ginny started slightly. She looked ashamed and withdrew her eyes from his face.
'I had to…' she said quietly. 'I could stand the hurt no more. I couldn't stand to see you hurting.'
Harry was shocked by her words. And he was even more shocked when he looked up and saw that there were no tears as she said it.
'Just don't… don't let her slip away from you.'
~*~
Hermione sat in the common room with Ron until dinnertime, both revising for the NEWT's, though not as hard as they should have been. Most of Hermione's lessons from the past six months had come back to her quickly and Ron was quick to help when she faltered. At dinner when he said he was going to eat, she stayed behind and went upstairs into the dormitory and stood overlooking the grounds and watching the sun set.
She didn't hear the door open behind her, nor did she hear the footsteps. She was to engrossed in her thoughts.
She did, however, feel the hand slip inside hers and squeeze it softly. She jumped, scared at first, but relieved when she saw it was only Harry.
'Hi,' she whispered.
'Hi.'
Neither made a move or sound. Hermione didn't even pause to think how Harry had managed to get up into the girls dormitory without the stairs melting into a slide. All she could think of was his warm hand in hers and how… right it felt.
The sun was setting lower and the dark was creeping up on them. The lamps in the dormitory lit automatically once dark had fully fallen and they both jumped slightly, the light a shock to the system at first. But they still had not spoken or moved.
Harry broke the silence.
'I'm leaving to go to Grimmauld Place, first thing tomorrow morning,' he said slowly. 'After what you said and…'
Hermione shushed him and turned to face him.
'I know,' she said gently, taking hold of his other hand and looking straight into his brilliant green eyes. 'I know.'
Harry turned his face away as her eyes bored into his. Having her stare at him like this was killing him… how dearly he wanted to hold her closer and kiss her and tell her that he loved her… but he couldn't… not yet…
Pulling his hands from her grasp, he turned and headed from the room, not even looking back at her. He shut the door behind him and Hermione slowly fell down until she was sitting on the floor. She knew something significant had just happened, knew there was something that Harry wasn't telling her… but what was it?
~*~
It was nearing midnight on New Years Eve. Harry and Hermione had spent the night watching the snow fall softly outside the windows of Gryffindor tower, drinking mug after mug of hot chocolate. The holidays would soon be over and Hermione was wishing they would never end- she wanted to spend the next two hundred years living in these moments with Harry, her best friend. They were both so… happy was the only way to describe it.
'C'mon,' Harry said, looking at his watch and jumping up suddenly. 'They're doing a midnight fireworks display in Hogsmeade.'
'We're not going all the way into Hogsmeade at this hour!' she exclaimed. Harry just laughed and offered her his hand.
'No, silly,' he chided. 'We're going up to the astronomy tower. We'll see it better from there.'
'But it's snowing!' she protested, only mildly as she took hold of his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up. Harry summoned the invisibility cloak (even though it was the holidays, he did not wish to be caught by Filch sneaking up to the tallest tower at midnight).
Hermione giggled for most of the way up to the tower and Harry kept having to shush her. They took the steps two at a time and dropped the cloak the moment they had step foot out onto the stone.
It was a truly beautiful night. The snow was only falling softly, setting in small mounds on the edge of the tower and covering the stone in a very thin layer. They approached the edge and looked towards the village. Harry didn't let his hand slip from Hermione's.
Despite the snow, the moon was still visible overhead, casting a silvery glow over them. It was a beautiful night.
Hermione gasped as the fireworks started. Magical fireworks were so beautiful. They curved and arced around themselves, showering the sky in a brilliant display of colour. She oohed and aahed to almost each one and it was almost twelve thirty before they finished.
Turning to face her, Harry smiled.
'Happy new year,' he said and she smiled back at him.
'Happy new year, Harry,' she replied, turning towards him more and slipping her other hand into his. 'It's so beautiful up here tonight.'
'It is. It would be a shame to waste it,' he said. She looked at him curiously. 'Would you like to dance with me?'
For a moment Harry was afraid she would laugh at him. His feelings for Hermione that had always lay dormant had come on full force since they had been alone together and he didn't want to waste a moonlight night, alone on the astronomy tower with her.
She didn't say a word, just wrapped her arm slowly around his waist and pulled herself close to him. Harry's breath quickened, as did hers.
Harry wasn't the only one to be having feelings that had lain dormant for so long. Hermione had fallen in love with Harry in the first year, but always pushed the feeling down. But being with him, totally alone, had pushed the feeling back up. And now she was feeling desires she had never felt with Ron or with Viktor… she wanted to be close to him all the time… wanted to know what he was thinking… wanted to know what he was feeling…
They swayed slowly to the music that did not exist, the snow still falling ever so lightly on them. Hermione looked him direct in the eyes, never looking away. Their faces were slowly inching inwards, their eyes slowly closing…
The instant their lips met, Hermione thought she had died and gone to heaven. All the feelings that she had kept pent up for so long flooded out of her as they kissed more and more passionately, their bodies becoming more and more entwined.
Breaking apart, Harry looked down at her almost sheepily.
'I'm sorry,' he whispered. 'I've just wanted to do that for so long now…'
'Don't be sorry,' she whispered back. 'Never be sorry. I love you.'
The words had slipped out so easily that it even shocked Hermione. They hung in the air for a few moments, before he lowered his mouth down next to her ear.
'I love you too.'