A/N: For those of you reading in batches, this starts the next chunk of four chapters. A.K.A the immediate aftermath.

With a second round of obliviation, the danger of Bill Cipher passed, hopefully for good. With the danger gone, Harry was ushered by Pomfrey into a bed of his own. She promised to attend to him soon, but ordered that he stay in bed until she finished with the others. He didn't bother going under the covers, though. Odds are he'll need to change soon -what with the blood and grit all over his back.

"Mister Potter?" Harry looked up to find Dumbledore watching him expectantly. "Would you be so kind as to give me my wand back?"

Harry blinked, looking down and only now realizing that he still had the wand in hand. As he stared at the wand, an uncomfortable feeling washed over him.

"Mister Potter?"

"I was seven years old when you used this on me."

"...To my shame, yes, I did."

Harry met the man's eyes. "Every day, for four years, I was terrified that you would come back. That you would take away my memories and make my friends forget that I exist."

"My boy, I swear to you-"

"-I'm not finished!"

Dumbledore halted. A pitying frown formed on his face. "My apologies. Please continue."

"...I want- need you to know, that the only reason I let my uncle and cousin get away with beating me was because I knew, if anyone tried to save me, that you would come back. I didn't even know you. Not your name, not your face, but I put up with it every day, because of you!

"And it wasn't just me. Jeff was afraid. His parents were afraid. Melly and her parents were afraid. Do you think it's a shock that she was scared of your wand? I'm not. She knows what you did. We all do. You made it clear that day at the Ministry, even if you didn't outright admit it." Harry took in a breath, then released it. "Do you even regret it?"

"I do." The wizard answered solemnly. "You must understand, with your fame and the threat of Voldemort's followers finding you, it was the only way I could guarantee protection from them. Though I admit my failings to address all who could put you at risk. I never imagined that your family would put you in harm's way."

"But they did. Even back then, Child Services wouldn't have taken me away if I wasn't already in danger. Yet you still went and took me back there."

"I was... ignorant of the situation. I apologize for that, Mister Potter. Please believe me that I only did so with the best intentions."

A huff went through Harry's nose. "They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"Wise words."

Harry hummed in assent. "A muggle phrase. Goes to show that they're capable of a lot more than you give them credit for. Good or bad."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Dumbledore struggled to find appropriate words to bridge the gap. Harry, himself, found his mind frustrated and his body tired from the events of the day. The only action he could decide on was to return the wand, tip-first, to Dumbledore. To the man's credit, as he took the wand back he holstered it without once touching the handle in any way that could be deemed as a threat.

"I have wronged you, my boy. I know that and I am sorry for the pain I caused you and your friends and their families. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Harry met his eyes. Coldly resolute. "No. It's been… a long time, for everything. That's not something I can forgive within one minute of an apology."

"Then-" Dumbledore stopped before the thought could continue. "Yes, of course. Thank you for your honesty, Mister Potter. I shall let you rest. You've had a trying day, after all." With a final nod, the Headmaster left his bedside. Watching him leave, Harry slowly rested onto the bed. Within moments his eyes grew heavy, allowing himself to fall into a deep, exhausted sleep.

"Muffliato." The air shimmered as Snape cast the spell. Melissa noticed it vaguely, her attention distracted by the brief conversation she'd just had with Fred.

"How are you feeling, Miss Bennett?"

Her tongue clicked. "My entire body is sore; I'm exhausted but terrified of sleep; and I've killed a teenager, maimed a friend, and left a girl without a soul. So… I feel pretty fucked up, actually."

"You believe that you're the one that caused Runcorn's death, and not the demon?"

"I-" She paused for a moment, brow furrowing. "It's hard to say. I don't remember any of it happening, but I also don't remember who it was that took over. That said, if it weren't for me, none of this would have happened. So, it's my fault at the end of the day, isn't it?"

"Of course." He huffed. Then his expression changed, as though he'd bitten a lemon. "Though, perhaps you should not be too harsh on yourself. You may have caused this chaos, but it was not your intention. I certainly doubt the attack on Mister Weasley was purposeful on your part."

Melissa flinched at the response. A stray pair of tears escaped as the thought haunted her mind.

"Here," Snape offered her a cup, "you should have something to drink."

"Thanks." She lifted the cup close. Then something about the smell of it made her pause.

"Is there a problem, Miss Bennett?"

She looked down at the cup, curiously. "Did you drug the water or something?"

A wicked smile formed on his face. "I have not, but what gave you the idea?"

Alarm bells went off in her head. Though she couldn't place the reason, it clearly came from more than the eerie smile. "I don't know. Something's off about the smell."

"The scent? That's all?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Curiosity. I haven't tampered with the cup. It's only water. …Lethe River water, to be exact."

Her face scrunched. "Why would you give me river water? That's kind of gross."

"The water of Lethe River has magical properties." He answered. "If you recall, it is used in the creation of forgetfulness potion."

"Oh." Melissa blinked once. "So this is to make sure that the demon's gone for good?"

"No, though that's certainly not a bad idea." The comment made her shudder. He practically purred that last sentence. There was something cat-like, predatory about him now. "The reason I bring it up is because of the… mythological history of Lethe River. In ancient Greece, Lethe was considered one of the five rivers of Hades. It is said that departed souls would drink from the river as a necessary step to forget their past life... before reincarnating to live again."

Eep!

With a squeak Melissa flung the cup from her hand. It clattered to the floor loudly, though the act was silent to the outside world. Only Snape heard and saw the action. The grin stretched wider.

"Revelio aetas."

A spell hit her chest before Melissa could react. A swirl of magic surrounded her, coalescing above her heart into a number in the low-forties. Above her, Snape grinned triumphantly. Melissa, meanwhile, went into full panic mode.

"I can explain! Wait- I can't- Just- Fuck!" Her hands swept over the number, eliminating it in a shimmer of yellow smoke. She put her face into her hands with a loud groan.

"Oh, I am sure you have plenty of explaining to do."

"Argh!" She raised her head with a defeated groan. Goddamnit! God-FUCKING-damnit! HOW?! How the FUCK did he-?! "How did you figure it out?"

"One sip of potion-laced pumpkin juice put you into a coma for over two weeks. Not to mention that the ageing potion had little physical effect on you despite the spell's disclosed number. Once I eliminated the obvious and the unlikely causes for both, it was only a matter of time before I was left with only one possibility, no matter how fantastical the notion seems."

"Two weeks?! Wait- holy shit, I remember now! It felt like bubbles popping. I was forgetting everything!" Her hands clawed at her elbows as panic set in further. Shit! Shit! Fuck! How much have I lost? What did I forget?!

"That would explain the coma, and why the demon chose to act. But now for my questions. How is it possible for you to exist as you are?"

"Beats me!"

"You have no theories? In fourteen years you've come up with nothing?"

Her hands slapped together. "Snape- seriously, with all due respect, I know you've got questions and stuff, but I've got Bigger Things to Worry About Right Now! So you need to lay off because now is really not the time for this!"

His eyes narrowed. "Is this related to your knowledge of the future?"

"Son of a…" She sighed angrily. "You know what- Yes. Yes it is. It's a real fucking problem right now! So if you could, kindly, lay the fuck off right now, I need to take stock of my head. Because I have been dosed with Lethe water, had my soul ripped in half, and tortured mentally for god knows how long! Now I need to make sure that I haven't lost anything important. Which is really hard to judge when you may have literally forgotten what you need to not forget! So, please, enough! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"

The man tsked, sneering down at her. From his periphery, something caught his eye. Seeing Dumbledore give a small gesture, he returned his attention to Melissa. "Very well. We will continue this conversation later." True to the statement, Snape released the muffliato and exited the room, trailing behind Dumbledore.

With a huff, Melissa fell onto the bed. What a fucking disaster! …Priorities, though. She'll have to deal with the worldly clusterfuck later. There's bigger problems to address inside her head. Groaning once again, she took a breath and readied herself for a meditative state. It's time for her and the Morningstar to have a very uncomfortable tour through her mind.