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CHAPTER EIGHT: We Begin Again

The Sorting Ceremony had passed in a bit of a blur. James had remembered to cheer every time someone was announced as joining Gryffindor and applaud the new students from the other houses politely, but his thoughts were distracted by the situation at home. Albus, Rose, Lily and Hugo were all unnaturally quiet, which was especially noticeable in the case of Lily, who was usually talking nineteen to the dozen. Even Martin seemed to sense his housemates' discomfort and was keeping quiet.

Finally, the time came for Slughorn to address the school. "Well, I'm sure we'll all give the new students a warm welcome. Your house prefects will be escorting you to your new dormitories later. A few matters of business before the feast begins. We have two new members of staff joining us for this year. Our new Muggle Studies teacher, who will be doubling as the Head of Slytherin, is Professor Marlon Fletcher." He gestured to a dark-haired, middle-aged gentleman, whose presence was greeted by cheers from the Slytherin table and polite mumblings from everyone else. "And our new Potions Mistress, Professor Crystella Mariotte." Martin raised his hand. "Yes, Longbottom?"

"Is she evil?"Martin asked. Crystella looked slightly put out by the comment, while Neville, sat at the top table with the other teachers, cringed slightly. "Our last Potions Mistress was evil,"Martin explained helpfully, for the benefit of anyone new to the school.

Slughorn coughed awkwardly. "Ah yes, Professor Havelock. Or should I say Miss Parkinson. Trust me, our checks have become far more rigorous since that incident. Isn't that so, Professor Mariotte?"

"Very true, Professor Slughorn,"Mariotte agreed, her tone slightly strained.

"So, you can all begin the feast in safety,"Slughorn concluded with a laugh, taking his seat with a signal for everyone to begin.

"Nice icebreaker,"Albus commented.

Rose shook her head. "Honestly, Martin, that poor woman."

Martin looked innocent and leaned over to speak to James. "I asked Damon Willis about quidditch tryouts. You reckon we'll get back in?"

"Same team probably,"James confirmed. He and Martin had been Gryffindor's beaters for the last four years. It wasn't the most glamorous position but he was quite proud they'd made it their own.

"Timothy's left,"Albus pointed out. "We'll need a new Chaser. You going to try out, Lily?"

Lily still looked downcast. "I don't know."

"You were reserve last year, you'd probably be a shoo-in."

Lily just shrugged. "I'll think about it."

Harry stepped into the house and waited in the hallway. Quite often these days, he was unsure what would await him when he got home. Hermione had become used to him in the short time she could remember but she was still far from being ready to fill the role of a wife or even a close friend. "Hermione?"he called. "Are you here?"

Hermione emerged from the living area holding a copy of the Daily Prophet. "What is this?"she demanded, sounding angry.

"It's the wizarding world's newspaper,"Harry explained. "Where did you get it from?"

"An owl dropped it off while you were out and I wasn't talking about the weird delivery service or magic photographs. I meant this article. 'Hermione Potter, the new wife of Chosen One Harry, has been stricken with a powerful Memory Charm. The Auror Department have refused to answer questions about whether it is connected with the recent breakout from Azkaban.' What is all this? What's a Memory Charm? What's Azkaban, some sort of prison? What's really happened to me? Some sort of spell gone wrong?" Something seemed to occur to her for the first time. "Did you do this to me?"

"No,"Harry insisted desperately. Hermione continued to look at him suspiciously but she didn't argue. He hoped it was a sign that she trusted him, just a bit. "This morning I went to talk to the Order of the Phoenix. To ask them for help. We're…we're kind of like the Avengers."

Hermione looked confused. "As in Steed and Mrs. Peel?"

"As in Captain America and Iron Man. But Steed and Mrs. Peel is good too. Hermione, there's a lot I haven't told you. About what happened twenty-five years ago, about what happened forty years ago, about what's happened this last couple of years."

"Just answer me one thing. Did someone do this to me?"

Harry hesitated then nodded. "Yes."

After that, he told her everything, starting with the prophecy that he and Voldemort would fight to the death and the night Voldemort had murdered his parents, going through their adventures at Hogwarts and Voldemort's return to power, ending with the attempt to revive Voldemort by a group of his old followers, the deaths of Ginny and so many others of their friends, and the escape from custody of some of the conspirators. Hermione listened to it all, asking occasional questions but mostly staying silent. When he had finished, she leaned over and took his hand. "Harry, I'm so sorry."

It was the sort of thing you'd say to a new friend who turned out to have a tragic past. A part of him quite liked it. "You were there with me."

"But it sounds like you lost a lot more than I did." She sighed. "Including me."

"I haven't lost you. Have I?" Harry felt Hermione pull her hand away and realised the comment could be misinterpreted. "I mean, you're not going anywhere, are you?"

Hermione relaxed slightly, smiling and shaking her head. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You're the one that's lost all these memories, that's worse than anything that's happened to me. At least I remember all those people, even my parents up to a point…"

"It's scary,"Hermione admitted. "I'm trying to make sense of this life. Part of me just wants to curl up into a ball and cry. And what you've just told me makes me even more scared. But I want to beat this." She lapsed into silence. "I want to learn magic,"she said suddenly.

Harry was startled by the comment. "Are you sure?"

"If this Malfoy or whoever else turns up again, I want to be ready for them."

Harry nodded nervously. "Okay."

He got her wand and a feather and sat them up in front of her. She looked at both objects uncertainly, as if worried they were going to bite her. "Wingardium leviosa,"he reminded her.

Hermione didn't seem convinced. "Are you sure I can do this?"

"You have done for the last thirty years." Harry stepped up behind her. "Do you mind?" She shook her head. Harry took her wand arm by the wrist and guided it in the wand movements necessary for the spell. "Just a simple gesture and intone the incantation."

Hermione sighed and repeated the gesture he'd shown her. "Wingardium leviosa,"she said, sounding slightly bored. The feather stayed stubbornly still. "Are you sure I can do this?"

"Every student in our class mastered it in the first month. Even the really thick ones. You mastered it in the first lesson."

"Well, maybe I should re-enroll at Hogwarts and learn magic there. Be in classes with Rose and Hugo."

"They learned how to do this years ago. Just concentrate on the gesture and saying the incantation correctly. You can do it, I know you can."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Wingardium leviosa." Suddenly, the wand was floating. Hermione's eyes widened in shock and delight. "Oh my god, I did it!" She flung her arms round Harry.

Harry wanted to hold her tight, drinking in the first intimate contact they'd had since she lost her memory. But he knew that would scare her. So he restrained himself, holding her lightly, like a friend or casual acquaintance.

Hermione pulled back, seeming to sense his discomfort. She brushed a hair behind her ear, blushing slightly. "So, what do we practise next then?"

But he found himself wondering if maybe, just maybe, she'd felt something too.