When Emma awoke hours later, she struggled to open her eyes. She was warm and so incredibly comfortable, although her back had a dull ache. She heard voices speaking softly, felt something moving underneath her cheek, but her brain was still fuzzy. Emma wasn't entirely sure where she was, but she liked it.
A soft hum of delight rose up from her throat as she felt fingers running through her hair, gently massaging her scalp. It was relaxing, and she felt herself being slowly pulled back into sleep, but then the fingers on her scalp went away and brushed against her cheek. She let out a small groan, wanting desperately for her head to be rubbed as that was starting to hurt as well.
"Can you open your eyes for me, love?"
Remus. It was Remus. Her brain started to connect things a little bit faster, and everything that had happened began to come to her. She was in the Hospital Wing, she was at Hogwarts, and oh, Merlin…
Emma felt sick, not wanting to open her eyes. She couldn't look at Remus ever again after what she had done. It was a wonder that he was still taking care of her. It wasn't as if she didn't want him to, had always imagined it would be something a father would do for their daughter, but she had done the unthinkable. Guilt pitted itself in her stomach, and she gently shook her head. She couldn't.
"Sweetheart, please," Remus said, still gently brushing his fingers against her cheek.
With a whine, Emma reluctantly opened her eyes, turning her face into Remus's chest as she was met with blinding light. "Ow," she muttered, the pounding in her head increasing. She pulled her arms from around Remus, flexing her fingers to try and get the feeling back into them. It felt like every part of her body tingled, and it hurt.
"Take your time," Remus said. "It's been a while, and it was much darker this morning."
"It's bright," Emma whispered hoarsely, slowly turning her face towards the offending light, blinking against the harshness of daylight. Unhappy with the brightness, Emma turned her face back into Remus's chest. She reached a hand up to find the lapel of his jacket and pulled it over her face. Emma felt Remus's gentle chuckle in his chest before she heard the sound. It made her feel a little better, but the laugh held a sadness that broke her heart.
"It'll get easier," Remus said quietly, gently pulling his jacket out of Emma's hand. "You have to try."
Emma heard a rustling noise and then let out a small yelp as something cool touched her lips. "What's that?" she asked, opening a bleary eye to peer at the object that had just touched her.
"Something that'll help."
With a frown, Emma allowed Remus to tip the liquid back into her mouth, and she pulled a face. It was terrible, but her head stopped hurting almost immediately. She decided to test her vision again, opening her eyes slowly so that the light didn't hit her all at once.
The brightness of the sun leaking through the windows still made her eyes burn, but it wasn't as bad as before. She blinked quickly, trying to clear her vision. Against her better judgment, she looked up at Remus but quickly looked away as their eyes met. Her entire body went cold with shame, and she felt like crying again.
"Hi, sweetheart," Remus said softly, tilting her face back up to look at him. "How are you feeling?"
"Miserable," she admitted, meeting his gaze and immediately feeling even worse. He looked terrible, and it was all her fault. He gave her a sweet smile in response, but that only made her feel worse.
"It's wonderful to have you back here with us, Emma. You've had a lot of people worried."
Emma turned her head, surprised to see Dumbledore standing at the end of the bed, a soft smile on his face. She swallowed hard, wanting to pull her eyes away from his gaze but found that she couldn't. At least it was easier than looking at Remus, but she didn't like that it felt like he was staring right through her.
"I'm sorry," Emma said stupidly, annoyed with herself that she was just grateful her voice wasn't as hoarse. She knew that saying she was sorry wasn't going to change anything, but she truly was sorry. She didn't understand what it was she had done until she had done it, but by then, it had been too late.
"You are here, and that is what counts," Dumbledore said with a small nod, turning his attention to Remus, who nodded as well.
"Just stay alive," Remus whispered into her hair. "That would be enough for right now."
"That would be enough," Dumbledore agreed. "Professor Snape's quick thinking helped to ensure that you remained with us."
Emma made a choking noise, feeling impossibly colder than she had before. "Was…Was Professor Snape?" Emma couldn't finish the question, but the way Remus gently took her hand told her everything she needed to know.
"He was," Dumbledore said solemnly, though his eyes were twinkling. "I rarely see Severus looking worried, but you, my dear, managed to achieve that."
Emma couldn't hold back her laughter as tears fell down her face. The whole entire thing was ridiculous. Snape being worried was the strangest thing she could have ever heard of. And to think that the last thing she wanted was for Snape to be the one to find her made things worse. Perhaps fate wasn't as cruel a mistress as she had thought. He wasn't the last thing she saw before she died, and that was a relief. She was alive, snuggled into Remus's side and talking to Dumbledore. She was a bit damaged, very lost, but very much alive.
"Emma?" Remus's voice was quiet and confused at her sudden outburst.
"I'm sorry," Emma said through her laughter. "I just – I'm so sorry…" She couldn't finish her sentence. She didn't think that they would understand why she was laughing or if they would understand why her laughs were punctuated with tears. Emma wrapped her arms back around Remus, finding herself increasingly grateful for the man as he pulled her tighter to his side. She took a few steadying breaths, and finally, her laughter became hiccoughs.
"It's okay, Emma," Dumbledore said, his voice honest. "But there is another matter of concern."
Unsure of what to say, Emma just wiped her tears from her face. She stared at Dumbledore, worried about what it was he was about to say.
"I won't ask you to relive that day as you will need to heal, I believe that we all will, but I must ask you about your issues with your classmates."
Emma could only stare at Dumbledore, waiting for him to continue. Her hands fisted into Remus's jacket, not wanting to have this conversation.
"Your letter," Dumbledore said softly. "In your letter, you did not name the students in question. I would like to know."
The letter. The bloody letter that Emma wrote. She had all but forgotten about it, and she looked up at Remus, growing anxious at the idea that he had read it. His face gave nothing away, and she felt herself growing dizzy, but she forced herself to look back at Dumbledore. She was almost positive that he already knew the answer, and she didn't understand why he was asking her.
Fuck, Emma thought to herself. She was trapped with nowhere to go, and she didn't want to answer his question at all. "I'm afraid I can't do that," Emma said bravely, studying Dumbledore's face.
"Emma," Remus said in surprise, "we've talked about this…"
"I know," Emma said, thinking of one of their late-night conversations around Christmas. "I can't give the names…Professor McGonagall had already asked me, and I can't do it."
"Are you afraid of telling me the names of the students because you're afraid that they will retaliate?" Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes staring into hers.
"No," Emma said, finding herself surprised by her answer. A part of her was worried about retaliation, but that wasn't the entirety of it. She felt stupid with the reasoning she had. "That isn't what I'm afraid of."
Dumbledore looked at Emma inquisitively. "Then what is it that you're worried about?"
"I don't want them to be expelled," Emma said quietly. "I feel that everyone deserves the opportunity to be here and learn."
"Emma, they don't deserve to be here," Remus said, surprised by Emma's response. "They hurt you…"
"I know that they don't deserve to be here, but that's why I want them to stay," Emma said, taking a deep breath. "By letting them stay here, they're forced to live with what they've done. I – I know that things are going to have to change, and that's entirely my fault. I know what I've done, I know the problems that I've caused, and now I have to live with the guilt. But, so do they." Emma peeled herself away from Remus with a sigh.
Remus was quiet as he looked over at Dumbledore, the two passing a look between each other. Emma didn't understand the look, but Remus acknowledged whatever message Dumbledore was silently sending with a nod.
Dumbledore returned his gaze to Emma, and he inclined his head. "Very well," he said. "Then I must ask you this – if I assured you that those students would not lose their place at this school, would you agree?"
"Nothing will happen?"
"Of course, there will be consequences, but that will be left to their Head of House."
Emma considered Dumbledore's proposal, torn between still refusing and trusting the man. She nodded slowly in agreement. "Only if nothing more will happen," she answered.
"Thank you," Dumbledore said with a kind smile. "I know that was a difficult decision. If you could please name them, one at a time."
Emma took a shaky breath, putting some more space between herself and Remus. As she moved, she felt something next to her, and she reached under the blanket and pulled the object out. Boris. Her face flushing, Emma pulled the bear tightly into her arms and began to name each person that she could think of. By the time she had finished, tears had started falling down her face again, and Remus's hand was gently rubbing her back.
"Thank you," Dumbledore said when he was sure Emma had finished speaking. "I must say that there are a few names that I was surprised to hear, but others… Well, let's just say that when one is as old as I am, you learn from your mistakes. That being said, other issues need to be discussed."
"There are?" Emma was growing more exhausted by the minute. She wiped away her tears, suddenly aware of how scratchy the clothing she was wearing was. She hated it.
"In your letter, you mentioned particular instances of concern," Dumbledore said, reaching into robe pocket and pulling the all too familiar envelope out.
Emma's breath hitched in her throat, seeing the envelope again. She stared at the envelope for a moment, and then her eyes widened as they darted to Remus and back to Dumbledore. "Did -?" Her question trailed off quickly, not wanting to know the answer to what she wanted to ask.
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, your father did not read this letter. It has come to my attention, upon reading it and considering the circumstances, that there are things you do not want him to see," Dumbledore said, looking over at Remus. "However, I do feel that out of necessity to further understand the situation, it would be beneficial that he does. Out of respect for your privacy, Remus requested that it would be your decision to make."
Emma looked up at Remus, thoroughly unsure about him reading the letter. The things she had written weren't things she would ever say in any other circumstance, and once he read them, there was no turning back. A lot of what she wrote were things that she had said before, but there was a lot she had kept tucked away in herself. Remus gently brushed a finger down her nose, forcing her to give him a sad smile. His expression was soft and not expectant – whatever decision she would make didn't matter to him.
She finally turned back to Dumbledore and nodded, not missing the sharp intake of breath from Remus as she did. "Okay," she said.
"Emma, I don't have to if you don't want me to," Remus said, his voice soft and level. "I don't want you to feel as though you have to agree."
"I want you to read it," Emma said quietly.
Dumbledore nodded, gesturing for Remus to join him. "Remus, I believe we should discuss this in Poppy's office. If I'm correct, there is a very impatient Healer just outside these curtains, and I'm sure Emma will need her privacy."
Remus hesitated, not wanting to leave Emma's side.
"Go," Emma said. "I'll be fine."
There was another moment of hesitation as Remus looked between Emma and Dumbledore. He sighed and leaned down to kiss the top of Emma's head and slid out of bed. Reluctantly, Remus followed Dumbledore out of the curtained area leaving Emma by herself.
Emma placed Boris off to the side, seizing the opportunity and solace of being alone for a moment. She had a sneaking suspicion that her solitude was going to be infrequent for a while. Swinging her legs over the bed, she slid out of bed. However, instead of finding herself upright, she found herself crumpling in a heap on the floor just as someone entered the curtains.
"Whoa, there," said a voice that drew Emma in quickly. She had no idea how relieved she was going to be to see Elara, but she felt infinitely better.
Elara quickly dropped down to help Emma stand back up. "What were you trying to do?" Elara asked, helping Emma sit on the bed.
"I just wanted to get out of the bed," Emma said with a whine. "I – I have to…" She didn't want to tell Elara that she had to desperately use the toilet, but Elara seemed to understand.
"It's been ten days since you've touched solid ground, kid," Elara said good-naturedly. She gently gripped Emma by her elbows, tugging her forward. "Here, let's see if we can try and figure this out." Elara guided Emma back down the floor, supporting her weight.
"What is wrong with me?" Emma asked as she struggled to take a step, even with Elara's help. Bloody hell, her legs ached already.
"It's going to take a little while for your brain to catch up with the rest of you," Elara said sympathetically. "You can do this, I promise."
It took several minutes of Elara's encouragement to get Emma to start walking, and Emma was thoroughly embarrassed by it. Her steps were wobbly, almost as if she had never walked before. "This is stupid," Emma muttered, red-faced as they finally reached the Hospital Wing's bathroom.
"It's going to take time," Elara smiled. She then gave Emma a sympathetic look. "I, er, have to stay in here with you."
"I figured," Emma said bitterly. "Can I at least try to get over to the toilet by myself?" Emma eyed the toilet, trying to figure out how easy it would be to cross the room from where she stood.
"Give it a try," Elara said, carefully letting go of Emma, but sticking close enough that she could grab onto her. With Emma safely close to the toilet, Elara ran the sink and turned around to give Emma her privacy.
"How long is it going to be like this?" Emma asked, trying to strike up a conversation as if she were having a wee with Persephone the next stall over. She watched the way Elara's shoulders shifted, almost in surprise. Clearly, this wasn't typical behavior, but Emma gave up on being embarrassed. She had nearly died, what purpose did being embarrassed serve?
"With walking? Or having someone with you?" Elara asked.
"Both," Emma muttered, dragging herself to the sink once her business was complete. The water felt fantastic against her hands as she washed them, and she became acutely aware of how grimy she felt.
"Well, it's going to depend," Elara said, cautiously looking over her shoulder before turning around. "I think at least until you leave school, you're going to have someone with you at all times. I might have a solution to the walking situation, but I'll have to talk to your father first. To be quite honest, it's a wonder you're able to talk so well."
Emma nodded and turned to look over at the shower longingly. "Is there any possibility of me being able to take a shower?"
Elara studied Emma for a moment. "I think that might be a possibility," Elara said, reaching for Emma's arms. "Let's see if we can't get you walking a bit more, first. I need to talk to your father about something."
Heaving a heavy sigh, Emma gripped onto Elara's arms, frustrated with how wobbly she was. "Fine," she grumbled as they walked back out into the Hospital Wing. "This is bloody exhausting."
"Give it a few days, Emma. It'll get easier, don't be so hard on yourself," Elara chided gently. Instead of forcing Emma back into bed, she let her sit in one of the chairs. She pushed back the curtains and turned back to Emma. "Stay right here, I'll be back in a moment."
"Can't get very far even if I tried," Emma said bitterly as Elara walked towards Pomfrey's office.
"Emma Lupin!"
Emma's eyes grew wide as her eyes turned to the entrance of the Hospital Wing. Persephone stood in the doorway, fat tears in her eyes as she glared at Emma. Emma could only watch in a panic as Persephone stormed into the room, rushing over to Emma.
Persephone and Emma could only stare at each other for a moment, but then Persephone let out a strangled cry and pulled Emma off the chair and into her arms. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" Persephone cried, her entire body shaking with sobs as she held onto Emma.
"I'm sorry," Emma whispered stupidly. How many times was she going to repeat that? "I'm truly and honestly sorry."
"Why didn't you say anything! Merlin, Emma – do you even know how worried I've been? How all of us have been?"
"I know. I'm sorry – I…I didn't mean for things to be like this," Emma muttered. She wanted to cry, her heart breaking at how much she had hurt Persephone as well, but she couldn't.
"We-we've been worried sick," Persephone choked out between sobs. "W-w-worrying and thinking t-that…that you weren't going to w-wake up. C-Cas hasn't slept in d-days. Neville has cried as much as I h-have!"
Emma's heart was being torn into a million pieces, but all she could do was stand there and listen. She had no words left, and her apologies could only go so far. She didn't mean to hurt everyone the way that she did. A part of her desperately wished that someone would just come out, so Emma didn't have to listen anymore.
"I want to be so m-mad at you," Persephone sobbed, "but I can't!" Persephone suddenly wrenched herself away from Emma, holding her at an arms-length. Her eyes were accusing, not angry, but pained as she stared into Emma's.
"Is this why you broke up with me?" Persephone asked, practically shouting the question.
Emma was sure that if she could melt through the floor, she would gladly do so. Neither girl had noticed that the others had finally left the office, and they were no longer alone until someone cleared their throat. Emma could only imagine what color red her face had turned because her entire body felt very hot. Emma wondered if she became the same shade of red as Persephone
Swallowing hard, Emma slowly turned her head to look at the others. Dumbledore looked slightly pleased, a small smile on his face. Remus looked no better than Persephone, tear tracks down his face, but now looking equally as embarrassed. Elara and Pomfrey looked, to their credit, looked thoroughly embarrassed. All at once, everyone seemed to move into action with Pomfrey gently taking Persephone's arm in an attempt to lead her away.
With a groan, Emma turned back to Persephone, grateful that Remus quickly ducked his head, turning his attention elsewhere. "No, Effie," Emma said quietly. "I – I knew that I was going to…" She trailed off, covering her face with her hands. "This wasn't why."
Persephone glared at Emma for a moment before sighing. "Okay, she said quietly, finally allowing Pomfrey to lead her back to the entrance.
"Wait a moment!" Elara said, placing a glass on the nightstand next to Emma and running over to Persephone and Pomfrey.
Emma eyed the glass suspiciously, trying to figure out what was in it. It wasn't the same color as Dreamless Sleep or a Sleeping Draught, but the lavender color was strangely familiar. She bit her lip as she tried to figure out what it was, but unable to reach any conclusions, she glanced up to see Remus watching her. He still stood next to Dumbledore, seemingly ignoring what the Headmaster was saying, but Emma knew that he wasn't.
It was always worrisome to her when Remus's face was impassive, not giving anything away. Sometimes it seemed like it was his default expression, very rarely letting anyone know his true feelings. Emma had gotten to know him well enough to gauge how he could be feeling, but there wasn't much for her to work with. The addition of the tear tracks down his face made it even worse, and he quickly wiped them away. She hated that Remus, who was always so stoic, had been crying. She wasn't sure if they were angry tears, and that worried her. That was the last thing that she wanted.
"Sorry about that," Elara said, drawing Emma's attention away from Remus. It seemed that was fine, as Remus had finally turned back to Dumbledore. "I was asking your friend if she could get you some clean clothes. Cleaning spells can only do so much, and I imagine you want to get out of those."
"You have no idea," Emma said, sighing in relief. "Er…how much of that conversation did you all hear?"
Elara's face was sympathetic as she answered, "All of it."
"I suppose it's not the worst thing that's happened today, so far," Emma sighed.
"None of that," Elara said, picking up the glass and holding it out to Emma. "Now, you're going to need to drink all of this."
"What is it?" Emma asked, staring at the glass. "I can't figure it out."
"It's specialized," Elara said simply, casting Remus a side-long glance. "Trust me, it'll help."
"Specialized?" Emma finally took the glass, frowning when she didn't smell anything.
"Just for you," Elara said brightly. "While you take that, why don't we get you something to eat?" Elara walked over to Remus, seemingly to ask if he wanted anything.
Emma eyed the lavender liquid, pulling a face before she even began to drink it. She feared it would have the same sickly-sweet flavor as either sleeping potion, but to her surprise, it didn't. Other than the oddly metallic flavor, it wasn't overly sweet. Despite the color, it tasted almost like chocolate-covered oranges. What she found even more surprising was the sudden warmth that seemed to run through her bloodstream. Was it some type of anxiety relief potion?
Elara returned with a tray of food just as Emma finished drinking the potion. "How are you feeling?" She asked, placing the tray down on the bed.
"Fine," Emma said, putting the glass back on the table. "What is that supposed to taste like?"
"Well, it's different for everyone," Elara answered simply. "Are you hungry?"
As if on cue, Emma's stomach growled, and she grinned sheepishly. "I think so," she said.
"Good," Elara said, conjuring a small table in front of Emma and placing the tray down. "Don't push it. Eat, and then we'll get you in the shower, okay?"
Emma nodded, and Elara pulled half the curtains around the bed. It was just enough to give her some privacy, but not enough that someone couldn't look in to see what she was doing. Emma frowned when she noticed that she was only given a spoon to eat with. Clearly, they didn't trust her enough to have a knife and fork, but they believed that she wouldn't try to off herself with a spoon. Uncovering one of the plates, Emma nearly started to cry.
Cinnamon sugar toast.
Remus peered around the corner of the curtains. "Anything for me?" He sat on the edge of the bed, nodding down at the tray.
Emma smiled around the piece of toast she had just taken a bite into. "Only if you can figure out how to eat everything with a spoon," she said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "I didn't even bother looking at what's under the other cover."
"Really? Why not?"
"Because how am I supposed to eat with a spoon?"
There was a slight twinkle to Remus's eye as he smiled. "Did you consider the fact that perhaps there's something there that might require a spoon?"
"No?" Emma said, finding herself suddenly curious. She finished the piece of toast that she had and lifted the cover, half-surprised, half-not. Underneath the second lid, sitting in a bowl, was two heaping scoops of vanilla ice-cream. It was a subtle homage to their first night at home, where things were still scary and new. Emma couldn't help but feel ridiculous as the tears finally broke through.
"I thought you might need the little reminders of how much I love you," Remus said.
"This was you?" Emma sniffed, gesturing to the toast. "I mean, I figured at least this was because of you, but I thought Elara was asking what you wanted."
"No," Remus shook his head. "She was asking me what I thought you should have." He looked down at the toast thoughtfully before picking up a slice. "You know, in all of the times you've had me make this for you, I've yet to try it?"
"I think you'll like it," Emma said, wiping her eyes.
With a small shrug, Remus took a bite. "Huh," he said, chewing slowly. He turned to Emma and gave her another smile. "I think you're right."
It was nice to be to talk normally, almost as if nothing had happened. Emma was happy that she had been able to share her preferred version of toast with Remus. It was comfortable.
But a lot had changed, and it settled into Emma's stomach uncomfortably. Things weren't exactly the same, and they probably wouldn't be for a while, if ever. There had been a moment where a shiver of something passed over Remus's face that Emma didn't understand as she had a bite of ice-cream. It had made her curious, but it quickly passed as Remus took the spoon from her to have a few bites himself. It wasn't exactly the most nutritious meal, but it was certainly comforting.
"So," Remus said slowly after a while, "you and Persephone were together?"
Emma took the spoon from Remus, taking a generous scoop of ice-cream. "We were," she said quietly.
"I can't say that I'm surprised," Remus admitted.
Popping the spoon into her mouth, she narrowed her eyes at Remus. There was something in the look on his face that was suspicious, "You already knew that, didn't you?" The smile that crossed Remus's face gave him away, and Emma felt her face flush again. "How did you know?"
"Er," Remus cringed slightly, "I may have…accidentally figured it out on Christmas."
Emma's eyes grew wide as she understood exactly what he was referring to. That noise they heard wasn't imagined at all. "You knew?"
"I didn't want to embarrass you," Remus said quickly. "I wasn't sure if – well..."
"You're not mad that I'm not…normal?"
Remus opened his mouth to say something, but Dumbledore stepped into their little bubble, his eyes twinkling.
"We'll talk more about it later," Remus said gently, and that was the end of that conversation.
"Hello again, Emma," Dumbledore said, stepping into their little bubble. "I trust you enjoyed your meal?" He looked at the tray with a smile, taking in the bit of toast that remained, and the melted ice-cream still in the bowl.
"It was different," Emma admitted. "But yes."
"Wonderful," Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together, the table and tray disappearing. "Now, I must ask something else from you, and then you may relax however you would like for the rest of the day.
Emma looked over at Remus and frowned as he noticeably kept his attention focused elsewhere. She didn't think it had anything to do with the conversation they had just been having, but it was unnerving all the same. "What do you need from me?" Emma asked quietly, still trying to catch Remus's eye.
"While we were in Madame Pomfrey's office, we discussed a few things. First and foremost, we discussed your letter," Dumbledore said, waiting for Emma's acknowledgment on the matter. "As we spoke on the issue, we found one particular passage of interest. It was very specific and references what you believe are memories and not dreams?"
"I don't see how they could be anything but memories," Emma whispered, no longer trying to get Remus's attention as she knew his opinions on the matter. "I mean, I suppose they could be dreams, but they're too real."
Dumbledore nodded slowly as he looked into Emma's eyes. He eventually turned to Remus. "I think it's worth taking a look into, Remus," Dumbledore said, inclining his head slightly.
Remus's gaze never left Dumbledore, but eventually, he shook his head. He turned to Emma, his expression pained. "Emma, would you be all right if we viewed these…memories?"
"Yeah," Emma said quietly, "but I don't know how you can do that."
"I own a tool that allows me to view memories. It involves removing the memory and placing it within this tool to view the memory. It's very insightful," Dumbledore explained.
"And how do you get the memory?"
"It's very painless, although it might be a touch uncomfortable," Dumbledore said. "All that you need to do is think of what you want to show us, and I remove the memory with my wand."
"And I'll get the memories back?"
"Of course."
Emma thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Okay."
"Perfect," Dumbledore said, reaching into his pocket to retrieve both a bottle and his wand.
Emma wondered if he knew that she would agree or if Dumbledore carried random objects around with him at all times. Dumbledore handed the bottle to Remus to hold, and Emma couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Remus appeared to be.
Dumbledore approached her, eyes still twinkling. He held his wand up, pressing the tip to Emma's temple. "All you need to do is think of everything that you would like us to see."
Emma nodded, doing as Dumbledore said, and watched in awe as strings of silver trailed after Dumbledore's wand and dropped into the bottle Remus held. If all memories were that mesmerizing color, perhaps life could be beautiful…