July 17th

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to Hermione that her mind was as confused and messed up as it was, but it did. For years, she worried that something was wrong and broken inside her mind. The sort of life she'd been living for twenty years was stressful enough that anyone could be expected to crack under the pressure. Every single day since the Battle of Hogwarts ended in the death of her best friend, she had to be constantly on-guard, prepared and ready to be killed or tortured. How anyone was supposed to exist in such an environment and remain unscathed was beyond her.

There was the smallest measure of relief at hearing his words. Able to push aside the anger that was bubbling up within her that someone would have the audacity to interfere with her mind in such a blatant manner, she chose to focus in that moment on the very real, if small, possibility that perhaps there was nothing wrong with her at all. Maybe she wasn't broken or damaged. Everything could potentially be explained away by the memory charms he found in her mind.

The sound of the village's bell tower chiming the midnight hour made her jump to her embarrassment. She wasn't even aware that they'd been upstairs that long. Between her spilling out the broad strokes of her issues over the years and his searching through her mind, time had gone by very quickly. Already exhaustion was plaguing her body. Mr. Akingbade might have been gentle, but he still looked around in her brain for a very long time. She knew that she wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. The desire to unravel all of her secrets, however, was enough of an incentive to keep her from moving from her spot on her old bed.

"Did you mean what you said or were you just being dramatic?"

Something about her words amused the wizard. He smiled broadly, stifling a chuckle. Everything about him put her immediately at ease again. She wasn't sure what she'd been so nervous about to begin with. Years of experience taught her how to size up a potential threat in the first few moments of introduction. Nothing about him set off any alarm bells. If anything, she felt more inclined to move towards him than away.

"Some people have accused me of having a flair for the dramatic over the long years of my life, but no, I meant what I said. What was done to your mind is unlike anything I've ever seen."

There were so many possibilities to explain who did this to her and why. She hadn't survived as long as she had in the Inner Circle without making a number of enemies. Someone had to hate her or at the very least see her as disposable in their quest to achieve their ends. It could be anyone. This had been going on for years. She wondered if they would ever be able to pinpoint the moment it began and who was responsible. Perhaps multiple people were involved.

"Do you think that you can fix it?"

The wizard sighed heavily, unwilling to answer the question immediately. While he took his time composing his answer before he spoke, Hermione grew even more nervous. She preferred to be faced with problems that could be fixed, questions that had answers. Finally, just as she was about to give up hope, he smiled again.

"It will not be easy and it will take some time, but yes, I think we can unravel them all."

"Will I get the real memories back?"

"Most likely. I won't make any promises. From what you have told me and what your husband has also shared with me, you've taken many potions."

For yet another time during their private interview, she felt ashamed about her actions in the past. It had been tempting to keep the truth about her potions addiction away from the complete stranger, but she knew that he would need to understand the full truth of her situation to help her. Lies would only hurt her in the end.

"I would like to see all of these potions you've taken. Not just the ones that your husband has given you, but the ones you've taken for other reasons."

All of the potions that she kept in her secret compartment in her desk were destroyed the day that she killed Nott. Even if they weren't, there was no way she would be able to get back into her office at the Ministry to retrieve them. Still, she knew where she could find some. She'd lied when she told Antonin that there weren't any hidden around their home. Old habits were hard to break. There were at least a dozen vials that she could remember hiding. She decided that that would be the perfect time to actually follow through with her plan to get better, to leave all of the illicit potions alone for good. When Antonin wasn't looking, she would retrieve them all and destroy all of them except for the one that Mr. Akingbade needed to test.

"And Hermione, I must ask a question that might be very awkward, but it's important that you tell me the truth."

She could only imagine what he wanted to know that could be considered awkward. Hadn't she already allowed him to take a look into her brain with no Occlumency shields up? She really hoped that she could trust this wizard. It would be a shame to have to kill him. He seemed very nice. She nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"Do you trust your husband?"

"What?"

"What I mean to ask is, do you think that there could be even the slightest possibility that your husband is involved in whatever happened to your mind?"

It was an honest question, one that she couldn't fault him for asking. Of all of the people who existed in the world, Antonin had the most access to her, the most opportunity to cast what had to have been difficult memory charms and spells. There might have even been a time when she was distrustful of him enough to think that it was a possibility. She couldn't blame Mr. Akingbade for assuming the worst of her husband. No doubt in his decades of working with those afflicted with these sorts of issues, he would've witnessed what the very worst spouses were capable of. But, did she think that Antonin did something to her mind? Absolutely not.

"No, I don't believe he's responsible. I'm not sure what he would have to gain. I've physically attacked him when I've been confused. At the funeral the other day, I thought he wanted to kill me like he tried to when I was a teenager."

He flinched at the confession. Realizing she'd perhaps said too much, Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"Our marriage is complicated."

Mr. Akingbade cleared his throat and seemed at a loss on how to respond.

"It certainly sounds complicated."

"But, like I said, Antonin wouldn't have anything to gain, and he's been worried about me since this all began."

She believed it too. Even he wasn't a good enough actor to pull off such a convincing performance of terror as he did the night she first attacked him in bed. The experience rattled him. If he'd been responsible for the spells blocking and altering her memories, why would he have been so desperate to find help? Maybe if everything he'd ever told her behind closed doors was a lie she might see a reason to suspect him. She knew him better than that though. Lying to her spouse was more Hermione's habit than his.

"I hope you are correct in your trust of him, but to be safe, I would like our sessions and what happens in them to remain only between us for the time being. Having another's influence might also negatively affect the process even if they are innocent and mean no harm."

The logic behind his suggestion was sound. She understood the concept from her own experience as an interrogator. Witnesses were easily manipulated and influenced into changing their stories by outside suggestions. Even those well-meant could make an otherwise reliable source no longer so. Besides, she was almost certain that she didn't want Antonin to know the truth about everything they were likely to uncover.

She agreed.

"This will not be an easy process and it will take some time. We must be patient."

Her frustration must have shown on her face. Mr. Akingbade gave her another warm smile to put her at ease. She wanted this to be done quickly, her answers to be immediate. Of course it made sense that they couldn't just strip away all of the spells in one night. The intricate network must've taken years to complete. She only hoped it wouldn't take that long to remove them. There was already too much uncertainty in their world with the Dark Lord dead.

"If I'm not careful when we begin unraveling the charms and attempt to push it faster than we should, I could permanently damage your brain. It's all very delicate."

She nodded that she understood, unable to trust herself to speak due to the disappointment that she wouldn't immediately have answers. Patience was not one of the virtues she possessed in abundance. She also didn't want to consider the fact that she couldn't exactly run away from her husband and the life she didn't want until she knew her mind was no longer muddled. On her own, she made too many mistakes. At least some of that likely had to do with her confusion.

"You must also be aware, Hermione, that once we start the unraveling and dismantling of these memory spells, we cannot stop the process. As I weaken these spells, some will start to break on their own. This may become a very confusing time for you. A lot of what you thought you knew will change. While you're asleep you may dream about your blocked or altered memories as they should be. Even while you're awake you may begin to remember flashes of the past you've forgotten. I would recommend writing down any of these flashes or dreams."

Hermione was anxious to get started. The desire to feel like she was in control of her own mind again was strong. Once they began, she hoped it would become clear just who was responsible. She needed to know who she needed to kill next.

"When can we start? Right now? Tomorrow?"

"I understand your eagerness to begin, but my examination of your mind was very thorough. It needs time to recover, to rest. I will return in two nights' time."

She wanted to argue, wanted to beg him to get started, but something in the man's countenance told her it would be useless. When he rose to his feet to take his exit, she followed. Before he took a single step towards the door, he spoke again.

"I would like you to make me a list of all of the times you can remember when you became confused like you did at the funeral. Include as many details as you can. We will start exploring those very soon. Also, make another list of all of the memories you have that you either suspect or know were altered. We will need a place to begin. Any one of those could be helpful."

Short minutes later she watched Alain and Mr. Akingbade exit her back door. While she should've felt encouraged by their visit, she felt overwhelmed and exhausted. She didn't even argue when Antonin suggested she go to bed.