Memory
Chapter 8 of 17
OlethrosHermione has a chat with Snape as well as Dumbledore through a most unexpected source. Old friends reunite in Grimmauld Place with mixed reactions.
A/N: Every word of this chapter was written before DH came out, but I swear that some sentences could have been taken straight from the creator's mouth. So... some spoilers for DH lie within?
Chapter 8
Memory
--7:308:00am, June 28, 1998--
She was in some sort of laboratory; stone tables and shelves of glasses and vials filled the walls around her.
Hermione scrambled towards a corner, shaking like a leaf. Only after she had her back pressed against an empty wall did she remember her wand. She pulled it from her sleeve, fumbled it between her fingers before finally grasping it firmly and lifting it towards her opponent.
Severus Snape gazed back at her. His wand arm rested at his side.
Hermione stared back at him down the length of her wand, her body refusing to relax from its fighting stance, even though it was more than obvious that the man was making no immediate attempt to attack.
A wave of shame washed over her. She had panicked. She had come back to herself to find a murderer and traitor alone with her in the same room, and she had panicked.
Understandable, perhaps, but it still shamed her.
"I could have hexed you a dozen different ways by now, but I'm sure that you are aware of that."
Hermione gritted her teeth as a familiar infuriation she had felt countless times in his dungeon classroom overwhelmed her fear. She was sweating uncomfortably under her baggy sweatshirt. "What do you want?" she spat.
"Among other things, countryside property far away from this industrial filth. For now, I'll settle for a moment of your time."
Hermione edged along the length of the wall, keeping Snape in her sights. She saw a closed door behind him. "Is Voldemort waiting behind that?"
She thought she saw him flinch. "I want you to look at something for me, Miss Granger."
Hermione reached behind her with one hand. The wall was solid and reassuring. "What for?"
"So that you may know." Then he wrenched the door open. Hermione flinched, but behind the door there was only darkness and a flight of stairs going down.
"Once you are down the stairs, I will lift the Anti-Apparition wards, and you will be able to Apparate to Hogwarts. Go to McGonagall. Ask her for the memory of your Sorting and view it in Dumbledore's Pensieve. McGonagall will be able to place the memory in the Pensieve.
"In two hours, meet me at the gate of St. Benet's Church in Cambridge. At that time, if you are still so inclined, you may bring every Auror in the department with you."
Hermione scoffed. "Am I supposed to believe that you'll just let me walk out of here?"
"Yes," Snape said. "Be careful on the stairs; they can be slippery." And he stepped away from the door and sheathed his wand.
She gaped at him for a few seconds before realizing that he really was letting her go. She crept towards the door along the wall that was farthest from him, her wand always at the ready. Nothing about him moved except for his eyes, which followed her careful progress with what could only be amusement.
That insensitive git!
Hermione could feel herself breaking into a sweat under her thick clothing and wondered how the man could exude such an aura of menace without moving a muscle.
He has not harmed you thus far.
The bracelet tingled against her skin, and Hermione gritted her teeth. "How can you be so confident that I won't just tell McGonagall everything I know?"
Snape smirked, showing white, crooked teeth. "I have every confidence in your sense of curiosity, Miss Granger. You can't live with forever wondering if I was really telling the truth. Also, as you do not know your current whereabouts, there is very little that you could tell the Headmistress."
Hermione glared at his impassive face but could say nothing in reply. Without ever taking her wand off of him, she backed out of the door and slammed it shut. Only then did she turn and run down the stairs, Apparating as soon as she reached the bottom landing.
She landed at the edge of the Forbidden Forest with thirty seconds to spare. Her wand was out, ready to perform the spell she needed. She paused.
She had the time either to complete the spell that would condemn Snape or to record Snape's request, but she could not do both. Breathing shallowly, she could sense the tendrils of magic left over from her Apparition fading away.
Letting out a scream of frustration, Hermione stowed her wand and took out her quill, slashing the air ferociously with it.
Snape kidnapped me. He did not hurt me, instead asking to meet me again at 9:30 at St. Benet's.
Hermione was tempted to leave it at that, but Snape had been right. Her damnable curiosity would never let this matter rest.
I am to use Dumbledore's Pensieve to view McGonagall's memory of our Sorting, which Snape claims to contain some valuable information. I think he means that it will somehow exonerate him, although he did not expressly say so. What other reason could he have for seeking me out?
Hermione put her quill away. She hoped desperately that Minerva was still asleep.
--8:008:30am, June 28, 1998--
"Pr-Minerva?"
Headmistress McGonagall looked up from her desk and then smiled broadly. "Camilla!" she exclaimed in a joyous whisper. "It's wonderful to see you. You look lovely," she finished as she set down her quill and came around the desk to grasp Hermione's hand in a warm greeting.
"Thank you," Hermione said. She had left the Glamour on, not willing to take the risk that someone might burst unexpectedly into the office. Her Glamour was also painfully more attractive than her own self, but that was hardly worth mentioning.
"Are you adapting to your new environment well?"
"Yes. I suspect that the city is even more beautiful than I remembered."
"Wonderful." McGonagall smiled at her, and her heart jerked in her chest. It was a smile like a proud mother might have given to her child. The Headmistress' voice grew quieter as she asked her next question. "Have you had the chance to visit your parents yet?"
"Yes. I... thank you for making it possible. It means so much to me."
"Think nothing of it, dear Camilla."
Hermione fidgeted, still feeling strange at being called a new name. "On my way home, I..." Was attacked and taken hostage by a murderer and traitor. "I realized how much I value the memories of happier days. I wonder, if it's not too much to ask, if you could loan me your memory of my Sorting? I should very much like to watch it again."
As Minerva's eyes filled with tears, Hermione wondered if she had always been so good at lying.
"Of course, my dear," Minerva said. "You may have it. I daresay that I have memories of more Sortings than I can count to begrudge giving you yours."
Hermione watched with a sense of foreboding as the Headmistress placed her wand tip against her temple, drawing away a silvery strand of memory. A queasy feeling seized her stomach, and she resisted the urge to scream at McGonagall to return the memory where it belonged. The idea that others could give and take memories so freely left her nauseous.
The need to invent a story to let McGonagall lend her the use of Dumbledore's Pensieve was eliminated when the Headmistress opened a nearby black cabinet, revealing a stone basin. With a shake of her wand, the silver strand of memory fell into the liquid inside the basin, which glowed briefly upon receipt of the memory.
"I think that Albus would have been happy to loan the use of his Pensieve for this purpose, had he been here. Just touch the surface of the liquid to view the memory. You will be returned after the memory has ended, but feel free to use Finite Incantatem if you should wish to leave early. Take as much time as you need, Camilla." The Headmistress moved back to her desk, leaving her alone with the basin of memories.
Not that long. A little over ninety minutes now. Snape expects me to decide his fate in only ninety minutes.
With a deep breath, Hermione bent over the stone basin. She had never done this before, but Harry had told them of his experiences. She took a moment to notice the dancing reflections of the liquid light and smiled at its beauty. Then she thrust her face into the silvery fluid.
It was as if someone had flipped all the lights off instantaneously. And immediately afterwards, that someone had lifted her bodily and thrown her into the shallow basin, which seemed to have grown larger to accommodate her. She could not have fallen through that blackness for more than a second, but it felt like an eternity. She could never recall how it felt to lose her memories every half hour, but she imagined that the ice-cold sucking sensation of falling through the Pensieve would have come close.
Suddenly Hermione discovered that she was sitting down and was hearing muffled whoops of applause. She sighed in relief and opened her eyes.
And screamed.
She was staring through a gelatinous fluid with a gaping black hole in the center. As she watched, the black hole shifted left and right and shrank and expanded with lazy regularity. Beyond the viscous liquid, she could see blurry outlines of the Great Hall. She was...
She was staring through the inside of someone's eye.
Blind panic gave strength to her feet, and she surged upwards and leaped forward. The image of the Great Hall came into sudden focus, and the applause instantly increased in volume. Realizing what had just happened, Hermione's skin felt strangely tight. She fought the urge to scrub at it. Then slowly, she forced herself to turn around. Her gaze fell upon a familiar hooked nose, framed with sallow skin and greasy black hair. The tightness in her skin rapidly morphed into the sensation of spiders crawling over every inch of her body.
She had been sitting inside Snape, and the Potions master had been completely oblivious.
Hermione saw him sneak a chocolate truffle off a dish in front of him and conceal it in his mouth before resuming his glare at the student tables. She felt an unbidden smile tugging on the corner of her lips.
Then she had to skip quickly out of the way as McGonagall stepped into the place where she had been standing and unrolled a long sheet of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said, her magically amplified voice easily filling the massive hall.
Hermione fell silent as she listened to the familiar words and watched student after student take their place upon the worn stool. Her memory of this day was perfect, but sitting in the midst of it was quite something else.
"Finnigan, Seamus!"
As the sandy-haired 11-year-old Seamus sat down upon the stool, Hermione experienced a great shock. She had snuck a look at Flitwick's pocketwatch (her Muggle wristwatch was not functioning inside the Pensieve) and discovered that she was not losing her memories.
Over a half hour had passed since the Sorting had begun and she remembered.
Hermione barely had time to comprehend before she heard McGonagall's voice exclaim, "Granger, Hermione!"
She turned and began walking towards the stool by instinct only to be nearly run over by a 4-foot, bushy-haired hurricane. At first, all that she could see was the massive quantities of brown hair bobbing up and down as young Hermione ran. And she was running. She clambered onto the stool and jammed the hat eagerly onto her head. The tattered hat bounced up a little on her curls but managed to stay put.
Even though it felt slightly odd to be looking at her, Hermione couldn't help noticing the eager light in her younger self's eyes, half-hidden under thick bangs. Her rounded face was scrunched in concentration, and the edges of her large front teeth poked out a little from underneath her top lip.
"A beautiful sight indeed, Miss Granger."
Hermione whirled around. And stared. She shifted her gaze to the Head Table, and there he sat, right in the center as he had for six of her years at Hogwarts. And yet unmistakably, he was also standing right at her side...
"Professor Dumbledore."
The long-bearded wizard smiled at her and dipped his head slightly, looking at her over half-moon spectacles. Hermione hadn't known Dumbledore nearly as well as Harry had, but she still felt a pang within her heart as she looked upon that familiar wrinkled face. She could also see that the face had more wrinkles than his first-year counterpart sitting at the High Table. A glance downwards confirmed that his right hand was shriveled and blackened. He might have just stepped out of their sixth year into the Pensieve with her.
"Professor... how...?" The impossible appearance of Dumbledore finally caught up with her.
The old man chuckled and tucked a few stray ends of his beard into his belt, using his withered right hand. Apparently, in not-quite-corporeal form, the hand offered no limitations in its usage. "Memories are curious things, Miss Granger. I consider them to be portions of your soul, able to be detached and examined at your leisure. I am nothing more or less than a remnant of myself."
"A piece of your soul, preserved beyond your death..." Hermione's voice was filled with awe. Glorious warmth swelled up in her chest, the kind that made her want to smile and laugh until she cried. "It is possible then to preserve the soul even though the body is dead... It works! And... you're living in Minerva's mind?"
"A most pleasant place to live," he replied cheerily. "Although she tends to think about catnip nearly as frequently as I did sweets."
Hermione was only half-listening. "It is possible to preserve the soul... I knew it! Oh Professor, I would love your advice. I've considered delayed-action incantations, non-linear Arithmancy..."
The not-dead portion of Dumbledore chuckled as he watched her eyes light up with the challenge of an unanswered question. "Much as it would please me for you to apply your formidable mind to the process, I fear that there are other, more dire tidings that I must impart to you."
Hermione swallowed, her joy at seeing Dumbledore slowly fading under her anxiety. "Snape...Professor Snape that is, sent me to view this memory. He... he knew that you were within it, didn't he?"
Dumbledore sighed gravely and motioned her to sit next to him on the edge of the dais. Hermione waited for "Jones, Megan!" to scurry past before lowering herself beside him.
"I regret very few things in my life, Hermione," said the former Headmaster without preamble. "But my greatest regret was what I allowed to happen to Severus Snape. You, he, and Tom Riddle are all very much alike... no, hear me out before you accuse me of being grim. All three of you had fantastic minds, eager to apply yourselves to every single unknown factor in the world, as if you could conquer the world with knowledge alone." He sighed. "In the end, I could not save any of you."
Hermione was at a loss for words, unaccustomed to see the great wizard so frail and... old. "Professor..."
"I suppose that little could be done for Tom. No matter what I did, I could never get through. And even as a boy, it was as if he knew what he was doing all along.
"But Severus... he will wholeheartedly deny what I am about to tell you. He had nothing to his advantage when he began at Hogwarts: scrawny, unattractive, and unpopular. He compensated by becoming the most brilliant mind I had seen in my entire career at Hogwarts, and I do not say that lightly. It came to nothing, though, as no matter how hard he tried, the golden Gryffindor boys were always the winners. I remember perfectly the look on his face when I refused to punish the boys that nearly killed him with a practical joke. It haunts me to this day; such a little thing at the time, but who knows how I could have changed his life had he not been forced to seek out one who could fully appreciate his mind and talents."
"Malfoy, Draco!"
Both of them turned to look as, true to memory, the Sorting Hat screamed "SLYTHERIN!" before it even touched the young blond head.
Dumbledore watched the scene as if in pain. "I, too, am susceptible to House prejudices, Hermione."
Hermione couldn't bear seeing the powerful wizard so weak. "Professor, please..."
Dumbledore seemed to shake himself and turned to face her again. "The only thing I regret about my sacrifice is that I was not there to save you."
"Sacrifice? What are you saying, Professor?" Hermione's voice was terribly quiet.
"I commanded Severus to sacrifice the only thing he still valued for the greater good. Though heaven knows I didn't deserve his respect."
"What are you saying? Why doesn't anything you say make sense? What are you doing here?!" Hermione only realized that she was shouting when she saw her vision blur from tears.
She felt his hand lift her chin. Actually, in her form, she couldn't feel any physical sensations, but the idea of the touch was just as comforting. She took a deep shuddering breath and looked up.
"You must understand. It had to be done, Hermione. I begged him to."
"But... why?"
"Who do you think Voldemort trusts now above anyone else in the world?"
"No." She shook her head fiercely. "There could have been another way. There must have been another way."
"I was dying already, dear child. I was poisoned when trying to destroy the ring. I made a terrible mistake. The least I could do was to make my death useful."
"How can you think that? We have been blind without you."
"You did just fine in Hogsmeade in September." Dumbledore smiled proudly.
"Draco died, sir. He was fighting for us, and we couldn't save him. It's not enough," Hermione pleaded. "Anything we do... it's never enough. The enemy is always a step ahead of us, and we can never catch up."
"That is why you must trust Severus, dear child. I know that it is a hard thing to ask and even harder to ask that you tell no one else. His position cannot be compromised."
"I... not as hard as you may think, sir." Hermione watched "Potter, Harry!" walk nervously past her and sit down. "I never thought of him the same way as some of the others. I never had cause to... to hate him except for the thought of what he had done to you. If I chose to look past the awful things he said, he always struck me as... brave."
Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "Severus is many other things as well, but he certainly is brave. I wouldn't let his derision of Gryffindors fool you."
"Weasley, Ronald!"
Hermione let her hand brush young Ron's fiery red hair in a feather-light caress as he walked past.
"What do we do now?" she asked.
"You put the two greatest brains in the wizarding world together and work together to put an end to Voldemort once and for all."
"But Harry..."
"Harry is a boy, Hermione. Quickly growing into a very powerful wizard, but a boy all the same. He cannot do it alone."
Hermione chuckled lightly. "If Professor Snape and I don't kill each other in the process, it would be my pleasure to help in whatever way I can."
As if on cue, the entire Great Hall burst into applause as "Zabini, Blaise!" was sorted into Slytherin and the Sorting was finished for their year.
Hermione looked up at the first-year Dumbledore as he stood from his place at the High Table. He raised his arms and boomed, "Welcome, welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!"
"I will do everything I can," Hermione said. "For this. For them."
Dumbledore beamed, and some of his former twinkle returned to his tired eyes. "I'm glad to hear it. Take heart, Hermione. We will get through these dark times."
There was a collective cheer of approval as food suddenly appeared on all of the tables.
"Peppermint humbugs!" exclaimed Dumbledore with a misty-eyed look of longing. "I think, that rather than agonize ourselves by watching a feast that we cannot join, it is time to return you, Hermione."
She closed her eyes. "I will miss you."
"Well, that's kind of you to say so, but please know that you are always more than welcome to drop by."
Hermione opened her eyes and saw McGonagall looking back at her cheerfully from behind her desk.
"Enjoyed yourself, I hope? I recall that the feast that year was particularly delicious."
Tell no one else.
"I say, Camilla, are you feeling well? You look as if you've walked through a ghost."
She smiled back. "I'm quite alright, Minerva. Thank you for the memory."
"It was my pleasure," the Headmistress said, scooping the silvery strand from the Pensieve and depositing it within a crystal bottle.
Hermione took it from her as gently as a bird's egg, realizing that she was holding proof of a man's innocence in her hands.
--9:3010:00am, June 28, 1998--
It was typical of him, really.
Hermione had gone home and changed out of her baggy sweatshirt and faded jeans. She had been standing by the front gate of St. Benet's for approximately ten minutes. Snape had arrived about five minutes ago but had thus far chosen to keep his presence hidden, or so he thought. She nearly giggled as the black-clad wizard feigned an avid interest in a variety of loose-leaf teas in a store window.
He held himself differently from when he had been teaching at Hogwarts. Although his shoulders were still hunched against the gaze of others, purposely setting himself apart, his eyes were bright, as if he were privy to more knowledge than anyone would ever discover.
His entire existence has been a secret.
Much like her own now, she realized.
Really, Hermione, empathizing with Snape?
Some things had certainly changed.
Hermione jumped when she heard a throat being cleared beside her. Snape had seen her and was now leaning against the other side of the low wrought-iron gate. A familiar sardonic smirk appeared on his lips.
"Should I expect to be clapped in irons now by your gaggle of trigger-happy Gryffindors?"
Hermione nearly smiled. Some things would never change.
"Actually, I would be quite intrigued to hear your plans to thwart world domination by a megalomaniac reptilian wizard."
She had the wonderful experience of seeing his eyes widen for a millisecond with appreciative surprise. Snape made a small mock bow.
"My humble abode awaits."
--9:3010:00pm, October 24, 1998--
"Oh gods... Hermione!" Hermione nearly choked as Mrs. Weasley enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. She hugged the Weasley matron back just as fiercely, smiling through her tears.
All around her were familiar faces: the entire Weasley family, Tonks, Lupin, Neville, Luna, the entire DA, more and more... They were smiling and clamoring to be the next to hug her or shake her hand.
She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned to see Minerva McGonagall. Biting her lip, Hermione held out her hand to the tall, imposing Headmistress. Scoffing, Minerva pulled her into a tight hug.
"Your parents would have been proud of you," the older woman whispered over the top of her head.
Through her joyous haze, Hermione saw Harry out of the corner of her eye. The grim expression on his face reminded her that she was only half of the surprise for this night's meeting.
The other half would receive a much less friendly greeting.
--10:0010:30pm, October 24, 1998--
"Stand aside, Harry... Hermione. That scum isn't worth protecting," Moody growled.
Harry and Hermione stood firmly beside Severus Snape, holding out their wands at the former Auror.
"Hear me out. He's on our side," Harry said. Then he muttered, "Mostly."
The grizzled man snarled. "It's not right, bringing Death Eater filth back in here. I don't know what you're on about."
"What we are on about," Hermione said testily, "is exactly what we've been telling you about for the past fifteen minutes. Snape and I have been working tirelessly over the past few months to develop a potion that will destroy Voldemort for good."
Moody glared. "You may be pretty good at detailing what's been going on in your life, little girl. But don't you even imagine that you're good enough to know this traitorous scumbag at all."
"Do not insult my partner, Alastor," Snape said coldly. It was the first time he had spoken since appearing in the study at Grimmauld Place.
"She's too good for the likes of you!" the older man fairly screamed.
Snape's jaw tightened the tiniest fraction, and he folded his hands together. "I don't like you, Moody. And I don't expect to be liked in return. But I would also like to mention that I could have betrayed every single Order member a hundred times over, and yet you are all alive and well. In addition, if the memory, which all of you have seen, and Miss Granger and Potter's word aren't good enough to convince you, then I have nothing further to say to you."
There was silence for a long time after Snape had finished speaking. Hermione glanced anxiously from him to the tense Order members. Then, slowly, Moody lowered his wand. Warily, Harry and Hermione followed suit. The muffled sounds of the grandfather clock in the hall outside indicated twenty minutes past the hour.
In front of the silent group, Minerva McGonagall walked forward and held out her hand. "Severus Snape. As acting leader of the Order of the Phoenix and sponsor of Dumbledore's Army, I would like to welcome you back."
Snape stepped forward. He glanced over at Hermione, so quickly that no one but she could notice. Then he took another step forward and took McGonagall's hand.
--10:3011:00pm, October 24, 1998--
The entire Order and the DA stood or sat in armchairs in a circle in the study. Harry and Severus stood in the center.
"You can confirm that the final battle will take place in a week's time? How can you possibly know for sure?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked.
"October 31st will be the 17th anniversary of my parents' deaths," Harry explained. "This is the first anniversary when I won't be protected at Hogwarts. Voldemort would think it delicious irony to kill me the same day that he killed my parents. And rumors have been spread for the past week and a half that I will be going to Godric's Hollow that night to pay my respects."
"And V-Voldemort is actually foolish enough to believe that you'll go there by yourself?" Neville Longbottom asked. The former pudgy boy had shot up in height to Ron's eye level. His boyish features had sharpened, the softness in his face hollowed out.
"Perhaps not alone," Harry conceded, "but he'll be arrogant enough to believe that he could easily take out any protection I might have."
"He will bring all of the Death Eaters with him," Snape warned. "He will want all of them to see him triumph once and for all over Potter. I cannot stress enough the importance of the element of surprise. As long as Voldemort believes that Harry will be weakly protected, he will not bring any of his more inhuman supporters."
There was a nervous silence, and Hermione knew that everyone was thinking of the giants, the Dementors, the...
"I suppose it's been you who's been spreading the rumors then, Snape?" Moody asked. No longer outright hostile, Moody now instead regarded Snape with vicious annoyance.
"Not I," he said. "Someone much better known for boasting and gossiping. Lucius Malfoy will get the job done."
"And the potion?" asked Mr. Weasley.
"I administered the potion undetected to Voldemort several days ago."
"How did you manage that?" Moody sneered.
Snape raised a brow. "It is a little known fact that Voldemort enjoys regular afternoon tea to complement the taste of unicorn blood and snake venom."
There were scattered giggles around the room that died quickly as their owners realized the morbidity of the joke. Unseen, Hermione smiled.
"What I want to know," Remus Lupin commented, "is why the Death Eaters have not attacked preemptively? There has hardly been any activity since Hogsmeade. I find it hard to believe they spent this long collecting Voldemort's Horcruxes for safety, especially since he presumably told them where they were."
All eyes turned to Snape, who looked vaguely uncomfortable. "Voldemort was markedly upset over the loss of one of his most promising soldiers. He has since refused to instigate another confrontation without ample promise of its benefits."
"Draco Malfoy?" Ron asked.
A somber silence fell over the room at the mention of the young Slytherin.
"No," Snape said. "I speak of the one who was responsible for... Mr. Malfoy's death. Voldemort considered this soldier to be his most prized asset."
Another silence fell over the room, this time full of nervous energy. Now that Snape mentioned it, they all remembered the shadowy presence in Hogsmeade that had moved like lightning, killing and maiming before they could even draw breath to cast a spell.
"Good."
Heads turned towards Hermione as her voice broke the silence. "I'm glad that bastard is dead."
"Mione?" Harry placed a hand on her shoulder, and she realized that she was trembling. She saw Severus glaring at Harry's hand. He seemed to wage an inner war over whether or not to step to her side. He remained where he was.
"I... I think I'm going to get some rest," Hermione said, standing and brushing Harry's hand aside. The room silently watched her go.
--11:0011:30pm, October 24, 1998--
"Ron still loves you, you know."
Surprised, Hermione looked up from her cup of tea to see Ron's fiancée standing in the kitchen doorway.
Her name was Michele, and she was a dragon tamer. Ron had met her while visiting Charlie in Romania. She had the same fiery red hair as the Weasley family and a long, lithe body that would have seemed equally at home on a fashion runway as on the back of a spitting Horntail.
Hermione smiled. "I think you're mistaken."
Michele leaned against the countertop. "Oh, he would never tell you. It wouldn't be manly of him. But I remember the day that you disappeared. I barely knew Ron at the time, but he was an utter and complete wreck. He didn't eat or sleep for several days and nearly gave Percy a heart attack when he broke down his door at the Ministry, demanding that they expend all their resources looking for you."
"I... I had no idea."
"It's fine, Hermione. I know that Ron loves me like crazy. If he hadn't known that you were alive all this time, I might have worried. But I always knew that he wanted to get engaged so quickly because of what happened to you. He saw how quickly someone could be taken away from him, and he wanted to have as much time as he could with me before things could become even more uncertain."
Unsure what to do with this new knowledge, Hermione stared into her teacup as if it held all the answers to the universe.
Michele coughed lightly. "I, er, didn't tell you this to try and make you feel guilty. It's just that you more than anyone knows how precious time is. Given that there's only a week left... if there was ever a time to act, it's now. I've seen the way that he looks at you."
Hermione had trouble breathing for a moment. "I... I don't understand," she stammered.
The red-haired girl rolled her eyes, though she was smiling. "I know the idea probably feels strange, intimidating even, to be with someone like him, but you two have known each other for so long and have been through so much. And he's very obviously besotted with you."
Hermione still felt a little light-headed, but Michele didn't seem to be poised to demand Snape's head on a platter. "I didn't realize he would be so obvious," she muttered.
Michele grinned. "Well, Harry may be the Boy Who Lived, but he's also definitely your typical clueless male."
"Harry," Hermione said weakly.
"I know it didn't start out as real; your relationship, that is. But I think he's starting to see it that way."
"It's only because I look like Cho," Hermione snapped. "After a few days of un-Glamoured Hermione, he'll forget it entirely. Besides, as a typical clueless male, he manages to be completely blind to the fact that Ginny is still in love with him."
Michele shrugged. "If you say so," she said, turning to go. "But you give yourself far too little credit, Hermione."
"Michele..."
She had been about to reach for the doorknob and turned around. "Yes?"
"I..." I'm scared. I don't know who I am anymore. I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with someone you wouldn't be nearly so nice about. I'm scared... "Good night, Michele. And thank you."
The red-haired girl nodded and left.
Hermione resumed staring at her half-finished tea. Harry... good grief, that's more than I can deal with right now.
She took a sip from her cup and made a face. The tea was cold.
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A/N: For those eagle-eyed readers who noticed... yes, for some reason Snape has white teeth. Just a little mystery that will be explained later.
Next chapter: Some surprising discoveries and revelations in Snape's laboratory at Spinner's End. Harry and Snape meet face-to-face.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Memento Amori
114 Reviews | 3.13/10 Average
I think this ending is most apt and very powerful! I know it's a happy ending and I feel the continuation of their story is a cure.
I can't thank you enough for putting the time and effort into creating such a complicated masterpiece. I enjoyed every minute of every read through I've attempted to piece it all together. This tale was very satisfying.
You've managed to infuse lovely humor and saracasm and believabilty into their relationship and their characterizations. All with a convoluted mystery that needed solving and truly does make sense in the end. Chris Nolan eat your heart out.
Only thing I didn't "get" was the Harry becoming enamored of Cami/Hermione. That was awkward and she avoided that well.
Haha although Cicero "died" this is another great and funny chapter. And thank you for the notes, it's really coming together now.
Love love this chapter! Lots of great one liners and little scenes that I adore.
"... she shivered at the butterfly-wing feeling..."
Oh my that was very sensual.
Omg they really did it. She should be ecstatic! The best in his life, indeed.
A very intense and engaging battle scene you've written here. Loved it!
Wow you really know how to twist things up! I'm ready to settle down for a long drawn out read.
Swoon swoon swoon. Romantic!Snape to the rescue.
My gosh I wish she could remember all these little humorous things that happen between them! I love how she's getting to know him but upset that she won't recall.
Someone really needs to draw a fan art of Snape AK-ing some daisies!!
Wow! I finally finished reading it for the second time. I had to print it out and read it straight forward chronologically the second time. That was a great story. I do wish there could have been an epilogue but I know in my imagination they live happily ever after. My hat is off to you for being able to pull something like that off. Truly amazing. Thank you for a wonderful read.
Response from Olethros (Author of Memento Amori)
I hope that not too many trees had to give their lives for this noble cause 
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Response from Olethros (Author of Memento Amori)
I hope that not too many trees had to give their lives for this noble cause Thank you so much for your kind words!
“Excellent, we have demonstrated that we know each other’s names,” Hermione said. One of the funniest lines I've ever read. Maybe I shouldn't have done, but I found this chapter was very funny. I was also chuckling at performing the Killing Curse on bunnies.Good meeting between the three of them, nicely written, things are becoming clearer. There has been a few warnings about the dodgy stairs now, could there be a simple explanation for Hermione's injuries? I am intrigued, so I'd better get on with the story.
Response from Olethros (Author of Memento Amori)
Glad you enjoy my dark humor... most of this chapter was definitely intended to be funny.Also, not going to answer about Hermione and the injuries but the stairs... ah yes, the stairs will indeed make a repeat appearance. Good eye!
I haven't reviewed every chapter because this is the first time I have paused. You weave your story beautifully, the non chronological time makes me really sympathetic with Hermione's position. I am pleased that you haven't spent the majority of these early chapters wading through too much of Hermione's emotional state. It would have been very easy to get bogged down in the sadness and loss of most of her memory. Still, you have clearly shown her reation, and I particularly admired the way you had Ron and Harry react. You have done a good job of keeping everyone in character, Hermione's practicality, Harry's moving forward to do what he must, and Ron's affection. It's nice to see a Ron in an HG/SS fic that isn't belittled and killed off at the first opportunity.You certainly have a flair for dramatic writing. Your scenes are well constructed to give the reader a lot of information in relatively few words. This really adds to the fast pacing, giving us a lot of action as well as explanations, meaning that readers like me are thoroughly swept along with Hermione.I look forward to reading the rest.
Response from Olethros (Author of Memento Amori)
Possibly one of the most flattering reviews I've ever gotten, thank you so so much!! I am glad that you are enjoying my work; it's the best reward that a writer can get. I'm especially glad that you thought my writing to be in character - that is always what I strive for first and foremost.Hope that the rest of the story lives up to your expectations!
*is stunned*
After reading chapter sixteen, my intention was to go back and read the whole thing backwards, but that last chapter was so exhausting, I think I need to step away for a while. Maybe some day I'll leave you a real review, but all I can say for now is that you have written an amazing story; I'm just not sure how I feel about it.
Oh this chapter is dark. Exquist imiagry of torture and pain. Very conflicting too, given the crying Snape before he chucks her down the stairs. Never ever read anything like this. It must have been challenging for you, I could never see me writing something like this.
Did they meet at McDonald's?
I am enjoying this fic, but I'm having trouble keeping the time lines straight.
I've just discovered it is possible (for me, at least) to squee in delight, cry, laugh, sniff and moan at the same time. You are absolutely right, no epilogue is needed. Let us imagine, each one, what life will be like to Severus and Hermione. What an amazing way to complete the story! Bravo!
I don't know if you'd intended it to be tricky, but I was thinking it was a sunset until I read this chapter; maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention to the dates and confused myself. Goodness, the dates are getting closer together now...
I had really hoped it was something like that. Wow!
The next chapter sounds exciting. And I don't have to wait. Very compelling story so far.
*applauds with a yawn* If I could keep my eyes open, I would. I haven't mentioned before, but I like the way you write everyone. Ron and Harry are often shortchanged in SSHG fics, but you've done a good job with them.
I like how there is something that ties the halves of the chapter together, like the wand in the previous chapter. I am so intrigued by the bracelet thing; I already want to go back and reread the first four chapters, but then I know I'd never get any sleep.
Oh, I told myself that I wasn't going to leave a review for every single chapter, but so far, I've had something to say.
I'm really interested in Hermione's research; I've already got a few ideas. Your recaps-as-forshadowing are brilliant!
Hmm, she remembered to call him "Severus." That has possibilities. Writing this story backwards and forwards must have been hard; it's amazing.
Okay, I know I said at one point that I wasn't going to read this because I was working on something similar, but I've pretty much given up on '50 First Kisses' and I can't ignore the siren call of a completed fic. I only hope I don't stay up too late reading this tonight, because right now I want to read the whole thing. You really gave us somehting to mull over.