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Written for: the Murder Mystery Game on HP Discord Drabble Games Discord: House Of Mirrors: Spinning Mirror Tunnel: Prompt: Amnesia / Proposal / "Show me where it hurts."

Word Count: 654


only a fragment (it's all I need)


He tried to move, but pain shot through him, making him groan. He was disoriented, and as he looked around with squinting eyes, he tried to focus on anything that looked familiar, to no avail.

"Show me where it hurts," came a voice from above him, and though he didn't recognise it, it instantly made him feel safe.

He tried to focus on the man the voice belonged to, but the edges of his vision were blurring to black, and before he could tell the man that he hurt everywhere, he was unconscious.

"I…" he shook his head. They'd told him his name was Harry Potter, and that he was twenty four years of age. They told him that the man who'd spoken to him before he passed out was his partner. "I don't remember you. I'm sorry.

The man—Severus, Harry reminded himself—just regarded him from the seat by the bed.

"It's okay. You'll get your memories back."

Harry wasn't so sure about that. "The doctor said—"

"You'll get your memories back. I promise you, Harry, one way or another, you'll remember me. And even if you don't… I'm not going anywhere."

Harry didn't know why he felt oddly warm at that, but he decided not to question it. Memories or not, he knew this man was safe.

He got flashes of memories that didn't make sense and always left him with a raging headache. The doctors told him that it was a good sign, but Harry was just getting frustrated.

He wanted all of his memories back, not fragments in time that left him confused and annoyed.

Through it all, through the memories and the headaches and the frustration, Severus sat in the hospital room with him, day after day.

He had other visitors—Ron and Hermione, his best friends being the most frequent, but Severus remained.

Whenever the doctors suggested he left, or tried to remind him of visiting hours, he just glared at them until they walked away with their heads down.

"You don't have to stay, you know?" Harry had told him, during one particularly bad headache that had made him snappy and irritable. "The Harry you know might not come back."

Severus had just quirked an eyebrow at him and replied, "You'll always be my Harry. Even if you don't remember that, I do."

"We… today is our anniversary," Harry said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He was being allowed home, finally, after weeks lying in a hospital bed, and he couldn't wait to leave.

Severus smiled at him, from where he'd been checking Harry's bag to make sure he had everything.

"It is. We've been together for—"

"Five years," Harry interrupted with a smile of his own. "I remember that, Severus. I… I remember."

Severus stared at him with wide eyes. "Everything?"

"I don't think so. But. Enough. Enough for now. Enough for… could you pass me my bag please?"

Severus nodded, picking the duffle up. He put it on the bed beside Harry, and watched as he dug into one of the inside pockets. Severus blinked when he pulled a small box out.

"I remember enough to know I was… I…" He opened the box to show Severus a simple silver band. "I know my brain is a bit of a mess right now, Severus, and I know it would have been easier for you to walk away, but you didn't. You stayed, and I knew, even when I didn't know who I was, that you were safe. That you were my safety. And I know that it doesn't matter if I have my memories or not, I'll always love you. Will you marry me?"

Severus tilted his head, and then slipped his hand into his pocket to pull out a small box of his own. He flipped the lid to show Harry a second silver band. "Only if you'll marry me too."