Disclaimer: JKR owns it HP.
Written for Book Quotes Boot Camp – Prompt9: Forbidden to remember, terrified to forget. – New Moon.
Written for Character Diversity Boot Camp – Prompt9: Unforgettable – Hermione Granger
Written for Head Canon Boot Camp – Prompt19: Home
Written for Movie Quote Boot Camp – Prompt7: There's no place like home. (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)
Written for Television Quote Boot Camp – Prompt10: You can't handle it! You have to take away the one thing that matters! – Degrassi
Written for the Legendary Gods and Goddesses Competition – Prompt: Agni – Write about Sacrifice
Written for House Cup Competition – Prompts: Quote – Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes they win. Word – Heartbeat.
Summary: The Memory Charm, the only incantation Hermione Granger wanted to try out, but never could – until she finally got to fulfill her curiosity. But curiosity killed the cat, yes – it did.
Queen of Obliviation
Obliviate – the Memory Charm incantation which results in the modification or loss of the memories of the individual (on whom it's cast).
How it charmed her, and how it intrigued her!
Ever since she learnt about it, she had been dying to try it out. But the Memory Charm wasn't something that could be tried and reversed easily. It was tough, it was complex, and it needed extreme strength. But most of all, what resulted in that need of extreme strength was the fact that it was almost always irreversible. And Hermione Granger didn't have the strength or will to try it out, because she was scared that she wouldn't have the ability to reverse it.
Yes, it stayed with her and it continued to peak her curiosity. Clever and powerful though she was, she didn't believe in taking risks.
She never tried it.
Not until one day, when she had to.
It was during her holidays, just before her seventh year at Hogwarts began. Usually, she made it a point to find out everything about the coming year, but for the first time she hadn't done that. Because there wasn't going to another year at Hogwarts, not for her, Harry and Ron at least – not until they had hunted down all the horcruxes and Harry had killed Voldemort.
Until then, starting from now, she had to forget any form of regularity.
She had embraced the war and it was on.
Her decision was made, and she was not turning back. But she had one thing holding her back, one thing that would forever hold her back unless she did something about it. Did something on her own terms too . . .
She looked around her bedroom, her safe haven, her place, her childhood. Looking around it and reliving her memories would be timeless, she knew that. Choking back the sob that threatened to take over her, she pulled her wand out from the drawer.
She stroked the soft wood, and thought about the first time bought her wand. Ever since she touched it and held it, she had always felt like it was an extended part of her and with that wand she could accomplish anything.
But never once had it crossed her mind that anything would come down to this.
Never had she thought that she would actually hate her connection to the magical world. To her world.
There's always a first.
With trembling hands grasping her wand as firmly as possible and a accelerated heartbeat, she walked down the stairs. She could hear the laughter and happiness which she had grown up with echo through the walls.
There was not one part in the house from where she could gather strength. Every part of it itself was a memory. The only way she could get over it – was to just get over it.
Much too soon, she was in front of her mother, who looked up at Hermione with an encouraging smile from her baking. Her eye-brows pulled together in confusion as Hermione held her wand up, right in front of her mother and flicked it with a practiced hand.
"Obliviate."
One word – determination – confusion – memories lost – befuddlement.
Without looking back, she walked into the living room where her father was seated on the couch, watching TV.
"Hermione, come-on darling – spend some time with your old man," he said, looking at her with a smile and patting the place next to her.
"Yes, Daddy," Hermione mumbled and sat down opposite to him, staring at him and mimicking her moments before action to perfection.
"Obliviate."
The same word – the same determination – the same confusion – the same memories lost – befuddlement again.
Ever silently, with immense strength and almost breaking into heartfelt tears, Hermione walked away from the house that she had grown up in.
She didn't look back.
She didn't waver in her resolve.
She was too afraid that she might lose it and try to reverse the horrid charm that threatened to break her.
It's for their safety, getting them away is the only way to keep them safe. I love them enough to let them forget me.
The first time she had tested it, it was hard.
The second time she had perfected it, it was harder.
It gets easier after some practice – that was the common notion. But it was wrong, very wrong. Because it never got easier for Hermione Granger, it only got unbearable.
Obliviate – it started as something charming and it didn't take much time to turn into her daily nightmare.
AN: I have been meaning to write this for a very long time. I don't believe that Hermione 'losing' her parents in her chosen way for portrayed well – her emotional pain specially. Here's my outtake on it.
Hope it is satisfying! Do let me know what you thought of it. =)