Almost a week after Erin left the hospital, they were all doing their best to get back to the normal rhythm of life. Except things weren't normal. No matter how much they pretended they were.
Since he'd gone off on his own and potentially interfered with an active Ministry investigation, Scorpius had been suspended indefinitely. He still had studying to do, but he wasn't allowed to do any other type of training and had absolutely no access to any ongoing cases. This meant that he was spending all of his free time at Erin and Rose's flat when his girlfriend wasn't working. He was even there during the day at times, especially when all his fellow trainees were busy with work he couldn't participate in.
He also seemed to be handling the situation surprisingly well. The Scorpius Erin knew had been easy going enough, but this was a very unexpected reaction. He was strangely calm, given the circumstances.
Erin hadn't gone back to work yet either. It was a bit hard to, seeing as she hadn't yet remembered the majority of her seventh year of school. Draco had graciously provided her with all sorts of reading materials and the notes she'd had in her lab, so she'd spent most of the week pouring over those, sometimes with Scorpius' company.
Just like the night she left the hospital, her memories sometimes resurfaced in bits and pieces, either triggered from someone else's actions or words and sometimes even her own. There were times where it was hard to distinguish what she truly remembered from the things others had told her and made her think she was remembering. The only really solid memory so far had come with a visit from her brother, who'd begged off a day of training to come spend some time with her.
They'd been discussing her frustrations with having no solid memories returning when he'd had the idea to look through some photos. That was when she'd found the gift Al had given her the previous Christmas. It had been easy to spot on the scarcely lined bookcase in her bedroom, and the moment she'd looked at the cover, it all started coming back. She clearly remembered opening the package, flipping through the album, and then later thanking Al when they were in the back woods at his parents' house. She even remembered looking at it with her brother later that evening.
Al had been thrilled when she'd told him, and she'd been quite pleased herself. It was the only full day that she could remember, but it was a start.
There had been frequent visits from her parents, and she'd seen Alice as well. Her sister had the freedom to come over during the day since she could just schedule others to work at the Three Broomsticks while she was gone. It had helped her to remember a few things too, like that she'd visited Alice above the pub and had a slight recollection of her Muggle Studies teacher. She also knew more about what had happened between her sister and Liam Smith than she had before, but nothing as solid as the memory of Christmas Eve.
Al had been a steady support and present as often as he could be. The Aurors and the trainees were still working diligently on tracking Theo Nott and investigating all of the break ins that he was linked to, and Al was nothing if not determined to be a part of hunting down Nott's accomplices, who were likely the ones who had broken into the Manor and attacked Erin. But he'd been placed with the team that was looking at the cases from the homes that had been broken into, rather than trying to track Nott, which had only frustrated him.
"At least you're allowed to be involved," Erin had said before they went to bed one evening. "Scorpius doesn't know anything right now."
He'd still grumbled a bit about it, but begrudgingly agreed that she had a point.
It had quickly become comfortable to fall into a rhythm of daily life with Al, which was strange since they'd never actually lived together before. It wasn't like she was subconsciously remembering what it was like, but it still felt normal in some ways. He'd been given permission to stay the week at the flat while she recovered, and they'd spent every night together.
Apart from her first night back, however, they hadn't been...physically active. Erin had hid behind the excuse that she didn't want to cloud her mind with new memories until more of the old resurfaced. Even though she knew that the last time he'd kissed her, she'd been overwhelmed with familiarity and flashes of moments she hadn't remembered before. But she still hadn't taken advantage of any of the time they spent alone, and she felt a bit guilty that she hadn't even tried talking about it with Al. She was grateful he hadn't pushed and was nothing but patient with her, content to simply lie next to her and sometimes hold her as they fell asleep.
In a lot of ways, he truly was the only thing that made sense. But what Erin didn't want to admit to anyone, including herself, was the fact that something about it didn't feel right. She'd gone from only having some latent and unacknowledged feelings for Al, to having them fully realized and even acted on overnight. It hadn't technically been overnight, but it still felt that way to her, even as memories continued to resurface.
Erin had always assumed that she would graduate and find a job and get a flat with Rose and be independent and do her own thing. She'd even wanted that. But Albus Potter was now a huge part of her life, and there was something about that that left Erin feeling unsettled.
She loved Al. Somehow or other, she knew that, and she was thankful she did, because none of it would make sense to her otherwise. Because she also couldn't quite understand how they got to where they were now.
If she understood the situation correctly, things between them were fairly serious. She didn't know how much they'd talked about the future, but she just got the sense from Al that this wasn't just a casual thing. He was in it for the long haul. The only problem with that, was that if Erin had felt the same, she wasn't sure if she did now.
For as long as she could remember, Erin's plans to settle down were far off in the future, if she ever did at all. Had she changed her mind?
Erin had never thought of herself as someone who would settle down early. Had she really changed so much over the course of a year? How had she felt before she'd lost her memories? Was she now holding on to the plans and life she'd envisioned for herself when she was seventeen, or was this how she'd felt while they were together as well? She was fairly certain she still wanted to be with him, but they were still so young.
Of course, she hadn't shared any of these doubts with anyone. Not even Rose. Especially not Rose.
Her lack of disclosing her struggles to her best friend came from two different reasons. First, because Al was Rose's cousin and Erin wasn't sure where that meant she would fall on the loyalty scale when it came to his relationship with her. She also didn't know how they'd been handling the dynamics of their relationships. Did she typically go to Rose if she had problems with Al?
The second reason was because Rose was in no state to talk about the difficulties in someone's relationship. Not when she was so blissfully happy in hers.
Adjusting to Rose and Scorpius' relationship had almost been more difficult than adjusting to her own. Erin was so used to the covert glances and unresolved sexual tension, that it had been a bit jarring for all of it to be gone.
At first, Erin had assumed it seemed so strange to her because she wasn't used to them being together, but the weekend following the break in at the Manor, she learned this might not have been the case.
As had been typical during their time at school, the Weasley twins and the Scamander twins always went out of their way to throw a rather over the top party for their birthdays, which were only a week apart. Erin had been hesitant to attend and thought it might be a bit overwhelming, but Al had encouraged her to go and see if seeing other people might help jog some memories. She'd eventually agreed, but mostly because everyone else was going and she still had a hard time being alone. Especially in the evening.
They'd waited for Al to be done at the Ministry and meet them at the flat before all going to Roxanne and Lorcan's together. Erin remembered from the summer before that they'd now been living there together for a year, and it was only as she saw Roxanne that she remembered the couple was engaged.
"I don't remember how or when, though," she told Roxanne apologetically.
"Oh, please, don't even worry about that," said Roxanne "I'm just so glad you're doing better."
It was easy for Erin to forget that Rose and Al weren't the only members of the Potter-Weasley brood that cared about her. Not that she ever truly believed the others didn't, just that she didn't really think about it. But it became very obvious when she was lifted off the ground in a rather exuberant hug by James a moment later.
"I wanted to come see you but didn't know if that was okay," he said rather quickly, still holding her tight. Erin smiled and hugged him back. She and James usually showed their affection through picking at each other, but she'd always known he was soft to his core when it came to her.
"Thank you," she said, holding tight for a moment longer before he set her back on her feet. He looked older, which she'd come to realize was true of everyone. It had been the reason Al had looked a bit different to her when she first woke up. A year wasn't much, but it made a difference when you were still young.
"I know you're not doing much right now, so do you want to go to my next match?" he asked. Erin paused to consider as Violet came forward to hug her too.
"You can come with me," said Violet, smiling encouragingly at her. "It's on Tuesday and I have the day off. I think my dad and Ron are coming too."
Erin smiled. "That actually sounds like fun."
Violet clapped in excitement as James beamed.
"How come I don't get a ticket?" asked Al, coming up behind Erin and winding his arms around her waist. She let herself be comforted by his presence and leaned back against his chest.
"You're a super important Auror now," James teased. "You can't be arsed to bugger off to Quidditch matches all the time."
"Fine," Al groaned, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Next match when I have the day off, I'm coming. I haven't been to one all season and it's killing me."
James chuckled and grabbed two drinks off a tray that floated by, handing one to his girlfriend. "We're only a week in, but your support is noted and appreciated."
Al released Erin to grab them drinks as well, and she thanked him before taking a sip and scanning the rest of the party as Al chatted with his brother.
Rose and Scorpius had wandered over towards the sitting area and already claimed an armchair, Rose perched on her boyfriend's lap as they talked to Eva Wood, who was sitting on the sofa with Olivia Gibbs and Gloria Rivera, girls that had been in Erin's brother's year at Hogwarts along with Eva. Lorcan was standing behind the couch and talking to a few of his fellow Ravenclaws that Erin recognized but couldn't name. Roxanne had joined her twin brother by a large black box that he was fiddling with, Lysander hovering next to him and appearing to be at least attempting to help with whatever Fred was doing.
It was a bit disconcerting to be in a room full of people who'd lived a whole year that you barely knew anything about.
Erin wandered over to the kitchen, needing a moment to breathe and collect herself a bit. She could feel Al's concerned gaze on the back of her head, but didn't turn back. A breath of relief escaped her as she entered the nearly empty kitchen.
"Getting wild out there already?" asked Dom, smiling in understanding as she sprinkled sugar over some biscuits.
"Not too bad," said Erin, taking a seat at the kitchen table and sipping her drink. "Just still a bit much for me right now."
Dom nodded absentmindedly as she set aside the sugar and dusted off her hands. She'd been a rather constant presence over the week as well, bringing food to Erin multiple times even as she insisted it wasn't necessary.
"We're a rather overbearing lot at times," said Dom, meticulously plating the finished biscuits onto a platter. "But we mean well."
"I know," said Erin, smiling slightly. "And I appreciate how much you all care, but I don't exactly enjoy the sympathetic looks all the time.
Dom gave an annoyed hum and scrunched up her nose. "So fucking obnoxious."
Erin chuckled as Dom placed the final biscuits. She jumped in surprise when the door was flung open a moment later.
"Don't ever enter a kitchen like that," Dom scolded, her hand on her heart as Lysander came through the door. "I could've ruined or dropped something."
He completely ignored her rebukement, snatching a biscuit off the plate and grinning cheekily as she slapped at his hand. There was still a grin on his face as he popped it into his mouth.
"I reckon these would taste amazing eaten out of the garbage, love," he said through his mouthful of biscuit. Dom rolled her eyes and moved the plate further away as he reached for another.
"No, I make you these all the time," she said. "Leave some for your guests."
"They aren't my guests," he said. "I don't live here anymore, remember?"
"Yes, but it's your birthday party," she countered, poking him in the chest. "That makes them your guests. And it's rather rude to behave like this in front of one."
Dominique nodded her head to indicate Erin, who was sitting so that Lysander wouldn't have seen her as he entered the kitchen. He turned towards the table and his look of confusion was replaced with one of surprise.
"Oh, hey, Longbottom," he said. "Sorry, did you want a biscuit?"
He quickly reached around Dom and successfully grabbed the recently plated biscuits, holding them high above his head as Dom tried to reach them.
"I'm fine right now, thanks, though," said Erin, chuckling a bit as Dom used most of her weight to try to lower Lysander's arm.
"Fine, you crazy witch," Lysander relented, lowering his arm and placing the biscuits back on the counter, grabbing another one as he did so. "No need to be so controlling when it comes to your bakes."
Dom rested her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him. Lysander only laughed before ducking down to kiss her soundly, causing Erin's eyes to widen in surprise. How long had this been going on?
Dom was giggling as she shoved him away. "Start behaving or you won't get your birthday present."
Lysander gave her a devious smirk as he made to leave the room. "You mean last night wasn't it?"
The sound of his laughter could still be heard as he closed the door just as Dom chucked an oven mitt at his head, her cheeks a bit pink as she scowled. She gave an annoyed huff and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "boys" as she started dusting sugar over another tray of biscuits.
It was getting a bit annoying that she had to ask so many questions about things that everyone probably forgot she didn't know, but Erin took a gulp of her butterbeer before relaxing back into her chair and resigning herself to the situation once again.
"When did you two get together?" she asked. Dom paused in her decorating to purse her lips in thought.
"That's a bit complicated, actually," she said, resuming her task. "We kissed for the first time on Christmas Eve, but decided to keep it casual, you know? And we did, for a while. But then things started getting complicated around Easter, and we finally got it sorted not long before you and Rose moved into your flat."
Erin's brow rose. "That's a long time for things to be complicated."
Dom chuckled and gave Erin a knowing look. "You're one to talk with the way I hear things got going between you and my cousin."
A warmth flooded Erin's cheeks and she took a long drink of her butterbeer to try and hide it. Every time something was mentioned about herself and Al, she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. Which she felt was a normal feeling to have given the situation. Everyone seemed to know more about her relationship than she did.
"I can't remember, actually," she admitted. It had felt too depressing to ask Al to fill her in, and Rose had been so preoccupied lately that she hadn't really felt like asking her either. So she didn't feel like missing an opportunity to learn more even if she still felt a bit uncomfortable about the situation. "I remember I kissed him first, but that's about it."
Dom looked at her in surprise. "And no one's told you?"
Erin shook her head. "I've been hoping I'd remember on my own," she said, which was actually half true. But if uncomfortable encounters with friends was the consequence of waiting, she was about done with that.
"Well, I only know the broader strokes of it," said Dom. "But I think it started as some friendly snogging and just grew from there. You seemed pretty much together at Teddy and Vic's wedding."
Erin nodded, remembering Rose telling her all about the wedding when she was still in the hospital. She could only remember flashes of that day, but she could remember Christmas Eve. At first, it had just been the memories, but with this new information from Dom, she now recalled how she'd also felt slightly frustrated then. Because they weren't exactly together. Had that changed in the week leading up to the wedding?
This new information proved one thing, though. Things definitely hadn't been serious from the get go.
"Everything I know has been through Rose and Ethan and Violet," Dom continued. "So I can't swear by it, but those are fairly reliable sources."
Erin could only give another small nod, questions running through her mind that she knew Dominique wouldn't be able to answer.
"Is it just me, or are Rose and Scorpius way more sickening than they used to be?" grumbled Fred as he barged into the kitchen, much in the same manner that his best friend had only a few minutes before. This time, Dom actually did drop a biscuit she'd been about to place. She glared at her cousin as Lysander followed him into the room
"That's hardly worth you bursting in here like that," she snapped, ducking down to retrieve the dropped biscuit. Lysander was quick to snatch it from her as she made to toss it in the bin.
"No need to waste it," he said as he popped it into his mouth. Dom rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her cousin, who was eyeing the biscuits but probably knew better than to mess with his cousin's creations without permission.
"What's this you're on about?" asked Dominique. Fred jerked his head towards the kitchen door, and his cousin moved forward with a curious expression as he cracked it open. Erin couldn't see what they were looking at, but whatever it was had Dom's brow rising in surprise.
"I'm fairly certain I've never seen any PDA from them, let alone that much."
This statement had Erin and Lysander both moving to look through the door as well. Rose was still sitting on Scorpius' lap, but rather than carrying on a conversation with the people around them, Rose was whispering something to Scorpius, who was trailing his hand up and down her thigh, his fingers slipping under the edge of her skirt. As they continued to watch, Rose giggled and Scorpius blushed before she pressed a kiss to his neck, and then he turned his head to catch her lips with his own.
"I'm not sure I'm okay with this," said Fred, watching them with a furrowed brow. "Should I not be okay with this?"
"Oh please, it's young love," said Dom, pulling the door free from Fred's grasp and closing it. "They're allowed to enjoy it."
"Still," said Fred, taking a seat at the table as Erin resumed her own. "I don't like how handsy Malfoy's getting."
Dom snorted in amusement as she placed the last few biscuits on a serving platter. "And it's your business because…?"
"Because...because she's my cousin!" Fred spluttered, his eyes wide and his hand gesturing to what lay beyond the kitchen door. "I'm supposed to protect her."
It was Erin who snorted in amusement this time. "Sorry, but I think it's up to Rose who she wants protecting her."
Fred looked at her in confusion. "Umm...isn't it the job of men to protect their female relatives?"
"Sometimes," said Dom with a shrug. "But not from something she obviously doesn't need protecting from, and not from someone who was never given the role of her protector. Besides, I'm pretty sure she'd protect Scorpius from you before she'd ever let you protect her from him."
Erin nodded in agreement as Fred slouched back in his chair, his arms crossed and looking thoroughly put out.
"So," said Erin, turning to Dom who was now levitating both trays of biscuits and preparing to leave the kitchen. "It's not normally like that?" she asked. "With Rose and Scorpius?"
Dom shook her head. "I'm guessing it has been all week?"
Erin nodded. "They're a bit insufferable at times, actually. I wasn't sure if it had been that way the whole time or not. It definitely doesn't seem familiar."
Dom shrugged as she opened the door and the pastries floated through in front of her. "Who knows. Maybe this whole mess just put stuff into perspective for them. Which wasn't the result I expected, actually."
With that, she walked out to the party, Lysander following her. The door had barely swung shut behind them before it was pushed open again.
"Hey," said Al, looking at Erin in concern as he entered the room. "You okay?"
She nodded as Fred stood and left the kitchen as well, leaving Al and Erin alone. "Yeah, just needed a moment."
His expression grew even more concerned as he crouched down in front of her, his green eyes roaming her face and his hands clasped in front of him. "Can I do anything?" he asked. Erin sighed, unable not to notice how he seemed to be holding himself back from her. He hadn't seemed to have an issue with showing affection in front of others, but this wasn't the first time that he grew hesitant when they were alone.
And Erin knew it was all her fault.
Slowly, she reached a hand out towards him, and Al's stiff posture relaxed a bit as he took her hand and remained crouched in front of her.
"I think we need to talk," she said, and Al's shoulders tensed once again. "There's just so much I still can't remember," she hurried to explain, "and I've been trying to hold off learning more with the hope that it'll just all come back to me, but I'm seeing more and more that being reminded of things is what helps me remember best. So, as strange or uncomfortable as it might be, we need to just get everything out there. Even things that we maybe hadn't talked about before. Because I can't tell the difference between what's year-ago-me and what's now-me as far as how I feel about things."
She paused to catch her breath, watching Al closely as he took a moment to respond.
"All right," he finally said, his voice and his eyes soft as his thumb stroked the back of her hand. "If you're ready, let's talk."
Erin gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you. We should probably wait till we're back at the flat, though."
Al nodded and moved to stand, but Erin could tell she'd worried him. She kept his hand in hers as she stood as well, tempted to offer some form of reassurance, but unable to follow through. Where their conversation would lead was unknown to her, and she felt physically incapable of making any type of promise that could possibly turn out to be an empty one.
A/N: My apologies for making you wait so long! also that this is a bit of a filler chapter, but I still hope you enjoy it! I've been a bit out of the groove but getting a little back into it! Hopefully you'll hear from me a little more frequently again. If I can manage to keep the distracting plot bunnies away. I have a few unposted and unfinished oneshots I keep going back to, so you might be seeing those soon too! As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated! I'll work on getting better at responding to them.