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: Sorry it took me a couple of days to get this chapter up- I'm in the middle of doing some rewrites- plus my partner hasn't been away like I thought he would be and he has no idea of how I entertain myself.
Two
The news of Hermione's attack and condition spread through the school like wildfire. Minerva had issued a stern warning that anyone who tried to force information from when she couldn't remember would be punished severely. Luckily, due to the fact that most of Slytherin hadn't returned for the year, the students that were at the school liked Hermione and agreed to the conditions willingly.
She told Harry and Ron in private that she would be out of the hospital by the weekend. The only reason she was staying so long was so that the swelling would go down before she had to face other students, and so that the teachers could figure out how to run their lessons without jumping to things that she had forgotten that she had learnt, and without holding back the other students.
Harry braved up for his first visit to Hermione after dinner and he stood in the doorway and watched her for a few moments. She was laying down, her eyes closed. But he knew she wasn't asleep- it was a look he had seen on her face many times.
'Hey, she said without opening her eyes. Harry smiled to himself and approached the bed and sat on the foot of it.
'Hey yourself.'
'So what took you so long?' she asked, opening her eyes. 'I thought you would've come to visit before now.'
'I-uh, was busy,' he said. She winked at him and his heart melted. He wanted to just grab her and kiss her.
'I'll bet,' she said cheekily. 'How's Gin?'
'Ok, I guess, haven't seen her today,' Harry lied.
'So who were you busy with?' she asked and he sighed.
'No one,' he said. 'Despite what you think, I'm not a typical man, devoured with thoughts of the finer sex all day long.'
The broom closest was small, dark and cold, but Harry wasn't noticing any of that. All he was noticing was the girl with brown hair who had her arms wrapped around his waist and was kissing him gently.
'We… have… to… stop… sneaking… around… like… this…' he managed to say in-between kisses. She smirked at him.
'It's so much fun but,' she kissed him again. 'Besides, I know you spend all day dreaming of these moments.'
He kissed her this time and smiled.
'You just know me too well.'
'I know,' she smiled up at him. 'I love you.'
He brushed a stray hair out of her eyes and kissed the top of her forehead.
'I love you too.'
'Whatever you say,' she laughed.
'I should go,' Harry said suddenly, jumping up. She looked at him curiously.
'Why?'
'I dunno- I get the feeling that Ron will be mad,' he said, his heart breaking. She sighed softly.
'Harry- can I ask you something?'
'Anything.'
'Is…' she paused and regarded him. 'Did something happen to me that I'm not being told?'
'What makes you ask that?' he asked, maybe a bit too quickly.
'I dunno… everyone seems so… weird around me,' she looked at him, her eyes sad.
'I think it's just because we're all in shock,' he said reassuringly. 'You were attacked, on the school grounds, and we don't know who by or for what reason. It's a scary thing- especially after how the rest of the year has gone.'
Hermione seemed sated with his answer and laid back in her bed and smiled at him. He had to be right- the year had been hell. After the way the last year had ended, they knew things were going to get worse and they were right. The summer had seen complete chaos in both their world and the muggle world. The muggles were at a loss, their Prime Minister was under incredible pressure to resign and the whole muggle community lived in fear, just like the magical world. No witch or wizard was safe, especially since Dumbledore's death.
'Goodnight, Harry,' she said sighing again. Harry just smiled at her.
'Goodnight, Hermione.'
~*~
Harry couldn't face going to the common room after he left Hermione. He didn't want to see Ron, or Ginny or anyone. So instead he walked up to the top of the astronomy tower.
It was here that things started to go wrong. It was here that he and Hermione had released Sirius. And now Sirius was dead. And it was here that Snape had killed Dumbledore and taken away his only mentor.
It was here that Hermione had wanted to meet, the night she was attacked, last night, but Harry insisted on Hagrid's hut. He didn't know why he had insisted on the hut, but he had. And now, because of his insistence, she couldn't even remember him.
'I should just stop loving!' he cried, falling to his knees, allowing the tears to finally stream down his cheeks. Everyone he loved got taken away from him- his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, now Hermione.
'I'm sorry,' he whispered hoarsely, tears flowing freely. 'It's my fault.'
~*~
The rest of the girls in Ginny's room were asleep, not after they'd spent almost two hours talking about Hermione and asking Ginny a hundred and one questions. They had seen her duck into the classroom with Harry and had wanted to know what they were talking about (they knew only too well how much Ginny hated Harry and Hermione at that point in time).
But did she? She remembered when Hermione came to her, just before New Years, asking for advice on a guy that she liked. Ginny had been so oblivious- she didn't even realise that Hermione was talking about Harry. Had she been on the ball a bit more, she would've known and she could've stopped it before it all happened.
Coming back to school after New Years hurt Ginny like nothing else- she had spent the whole break thinking about Harry and rehashing what went wrong between them. She had been so desperate to come back to school to see him and talk to him and make things right between them- she did, after all, love him.
But he hadn't wanted to talk to her. For three weeks he brushed her off every time she went near him. Not knowing what was going on, she went to Hermione, who surely would know what was going on in Harry's mind. But she had done the same thing- she had brushed Ginny the exact same way as Harry did.
Even then, things didn't add up for Ginny. It wasn't until that night… that night had changed everything…
Ginny was walking back from the library, a pile of books under her arms. Professor Flitwick had given them an almost impossible Charm's assignment and Ginny was struggling. She turned the corner leading onto the corridor that led to Gryffindor tower and she ran straight into someone.
'Oh!' she heard Hermione gasp, as they both bent down to pick up the books that had spilled everywhere. 'Oh, Ginny, I'm sorry.'
'It's ok, Hermione,' Ginny said. 'I'm glad I ran into you.'
'Oh,' Hermione said stiffly, straightening up.
"I just want to have a chat.'
'Oh, now?'
'Uh, yeah, if it's not a problem,' Ginny said casually, noticing for the first time how harassed Hermione looked.
'Ah, well, I was…' she trailed off. Ginny just grinned and winked.
'Go. I'll wait in the common room for you.'
Hermione looked even more worried for a moment, before smiling. She patted Ginny on the shoulder and headed off down the corridor. Ginny headed towards the Fat Lady, gave the password and climbed inside. The common room was virtually empty and she set herself up at one of the good tables up the back. She read for an hour before she saw Hermione come back through the portrait hole.
'Hey, Hermione, could you help me with this?' she asked and Hermione nodded distractedly. 'Are you sure you're ok?'
'Fine.'
'Hey- I never asked,' Ginny said suddenly. 'How did it go with that guy?'
'Um…' Hermione couldn't quite meet Ginny's eye. The portrait hole opened and Harry walked in and walked straight past them. 'Ok, I guess. So what do you want to talk to me about?'
'Harry,' Ginny said simply. 'He's avoiding me.'
'Oh.'
'Before Christmas we were starting to get along again, sort of, but since the holiday's ended, I haven't been able to talk to him at all,' she paused and sighed. 'I think he might have another girlfriend.'
'What gave you that idea?' Hermione asked shrilly.
'I dunno… I just get that feeling… just like I get the feeling things went better with that guy than you're telling,' Ginny looked up and Hermione blushed. 'Does Ron know anything about it?'
'Heavens no!' Hermione exclaimed.
'So who is it?' Ginny asked, flipping through her Charm's notes. Hermione stayed silent and Ginny looked up at her.
'Gin…'
'Harry?'
'I swear it…'
'You went behind my back with Harry?'
'Well, not…'
'After that conversation we had where you told me about 'this guy' and I told you about how well we were getting along?'
'See, the thing is…'
'And you've been lying to me- to Ron- since, when? Summer?'
'Now, just see here…'
'And this all happened what, like two days after you broke up with Ron?'
'Ginny, calm down…'
'And that's why you've been avoiding me… both of you…' Ginny looked at Hermione with disgust. 'I should've believed my mother- you are a scarlet woman.'
'What? How dare you!'
'It's the truth! You strung Ron along like a puppy dog all summer before you agreed to go out with him. And then you dumped him for his best friend!'
'Ginny, it's not like that!'
'It's what it looks like to me,' she said rudely, standing up and storming up into the dormitory.
She stomped around before climbing into her bed and shutting the curtains and simmering with rage. They had been lying to her. And Hermione- Hermione had known. Ginny had written to her, telling her that she was going to fix things with Harry. And she had still done this…
Harry and Hermione had betrayed her. She had been feeling nothing but hate for them for so many months. But now… she sighed heavily. She was furious with Harry with what he had asked of her, but she was more furious with herself for how she had acted. Her brothers had been telling her to grow up for years. Maybe it was time she did.
She climbed into bed and stared at the canopy. First, she would apologise to Harry for how she acted. Then, she'd think about the rest…