Poppy Pomfrey was new to running the hospital wing at Hogwarts, and it showed. She gave deferential glances at Harry and Sirius, but adopted a more neutral expression when she looked at Remus. Harry was still pondering, even now, what he would tell her. As every minute of this dream that refused to fuzz out, skip time, or shift around unfolded, it was less and less like any dream he'd ever had. Even the dreams where he saw through Voldemort's eyes hadn't lasted a fraction as long. And he sensed no emotions from his father whatsoever, so it couldn't be a combination of that and time travel. For all intents and purposes, in this dream, he was James.
Still. It was a dream, and if he was making it all up, his subconscious must be very wise and well-informed. Perhaps it was time to ask it about the necklace, in the form of having Madam Pomfrey scan it.
"I am here to be checked out because I have been experiencing gaps in my memory, Madam Pomfrey," Harry began. She gave him a suspicious look. Perhaps calling her "Madam" was suspect. It could be sarcasm, or high-born pureblood baiting? Harry made sure to keep his expression friendly and serious.
"Hmmmph!" she said. With that, she indicated a curtained off area for Harry to go to. As he went over, he heard her tell Remus and Sirius to wait outside. They protested that they could help by telling her about Harry's behaviour. She compromised by promising them she'd call them back in once she was done examining Potter.
Harry took off his robe and shoes and laid down on the cot. Without questioning him further, Poppy cast several diagnosing spells over him. She carefully made notes on a new chart she'd pulled out of a drawer nearby.
"Mister Potter," she began, "there is recent magic around you, and it could well affect your memory, even though it does not seem to be a curse. In fact, it's not dark at all. To save us both time, can you think what it might have been?"
"I think so," Harry said. "I got a family heirloom to help me sleep, and it affected my dreams."
"Without prying into your family's affairs," Poppy said, waving both arms a bit as if to dismiss the very idea, "has an effect on one's memory ever been noted in the past with the object?"
"No," said Harry, "although I don't know very much about it, to be honest. The most unusual thing about it is something I've observed first-hand. It seems to be giving me dreams such as a Seer might have. I've learned things I couldn't possibly have observed while awake."
Poppy "Hmmmphed" again. "Hogwarts no longer teaches Divination for a reason, young man. If you're not given the Gift, who knows what can happen if you try to force the issue with an unknown artefact."
Instead of responding, Harry removed the necklace from around his neck and presented it to her.
"Look, I'm a healer, not a curse-breaker, Mr Potter," Poppy huffed. Harry couldn't help but smile, which clearly miffed the matron.
"Umm, I didn't smile because I think this situation is funny, Madam Pomfrey. It's just that that's what a doctor on a Muggle tellyvision that Evans told us about always says. Honest. I apologise," Harry said, crossing his heart.
Meanwhile, Pomfrey had been scanning and diagnosing the amulet. "As far as my expertise goes - and that's not far, as I warned you - this necklace should provide you with peaceful, dream-filled sleep. What you are calling a Seer's vision - did anyone tell you that was a side effect?"
"No. My cousin got it from my grandmother, and passed it to me. I was having trouble sleeping, you see ..."
"If I am going to fix whatever's wrong, perhaps you could inform me of why a fifteen-year-old would be having issues with sleeping," She interrupted.
"It's the times," Harry explained. "I think of my friends who have either died, been wounded, or lost family members, and in their place, I see Siri or Remus or Evans or Pete or my parents ..."
For the first time, Poppy looked at him with some sympathy. "Well, not sleeping is definitely unhealthy, but not as unhealthy as losing your memory, I would say."
"As to that, never mind this necklace, does that whole picture ring any bells with you?" Harry asked.
"As for that ..." Poppy began. "Hmmm," she continued. "Stay there." She indicated Harry should stay on the cot as she went over to the floo belonging to the hospital wing. "Cassie Black," Harry heard her call.
Harry had to wait for about a half an hour, which gave him time to ponder what he'd learned. It wasn't much, he admitted. Which would square with it being the product of his subconscious. When the healer returned, she was accompanied by Sirius and Remus. "Come to my office, Mr Potter," she said.
When they got to the office, she beckoned the three boys to take a chair. "I'll get right to the point. Cassie is not only a healer, but someone who does have some advanced training in curse detection and breaking. Moreover, she is, after all, a Black. Therefore, when she expresses an opinion, you had better regard it as being as good as you're going to get."
All three boys nodded.
"She states that there are, in fact, rumours about this item. She believes if Mr Potter is having visions in his dreams - visions that are overriding his waking memories - then it is a sign that dire danger is on the horizon. The fact that he only wore it because his dreams were already troubled and ominous only adds to her certainty. Contrary to everything I would have expected or advised, she recommends Mr Potter continues to wear the necklace, preferably nightly. She also believes the missing memories will return if and when the crisis has passed," she finished.
"As to that," Harry said, a bit tentatively, "I think that's right. It's not that the memories are gone - it feels like they're being held back, and I can't get at them. There's something there, though."
"We have gone far beyond my remit, boys," Poppy said. "All I can advise is staying as healthy as possible. In that regard, have I heard correctly that you are adopting a physical fitness regimen?" When they all nodded, she said, "Well, good. I have no use for Divination - too woolly by half. But keeping your health up can't hurt."
After they left the infirmary, Sirius asked "And you're not just faking this to get sympathy from Evans, right?" to which the only response from Harry was a glare so fierce Remus and Sirius only dared laugh for a few tiny moments.
They parted ways at the Gryffindor common room after Harry confirmed that Alice Diggory and Lily Evans were studying and doing homework in Potions and Transfiguration in the library. Most of the Gryffindors weren't in the know, so when Harry clumsily asked which part of the library to go to, it raised several eyebrows.
When Harry located them, he very quietly thanked the two girls, pulled out his books and notes, and silently sat down in a chair that was moved back a bit from Alice's, which gave him room to put everything out without infringing on either girl's space. When he absent-mindedly cast a Muffliato, Lily observed it was a bit much him employing one of Severus' spells.
"Is it?" Harry said. "I really don't remember," he lied. So, Snape was 'the half-blood prince' of those potions notes he'd found in James' trunk. What the hell does that mean? he wondered. He had seized on the spell, realising he'd need to have a lot of secret conversations. Since it was a dream, he hadn't questioned his ability to pick up the charm the minute he'd made Remus show it to him. "Should I ... cancel it? I am really grateful and not wishing to make anyone uncomfortable." Lily looked at him a bit suspiciously, but then sighed and shook her head. This meek, quiet, somewhat crippled Potter was going to take a great deal of getting used to, her face seemed to say.
Harry was, it turned out, pretty bad at Potions, at least the theory. And his Transfiguration prodigy status was wiped away. He had probably lost a couple of years in both subjects. That's what Lily's furrowed brow and long sighs communicated before Alice outright stated it.
"Lils is more advanced than me, James," Alice said. "And, frankly, let's not test her patience. Would it be alright if it was mainly me helping you? I'm not trying to rub it in or make you feel bad, but honestly, you're much closer to my level than hers. We can both ask her for help if we're stuck, but right now, it's no good making her stoop too much."
And so it went, with Lily helping Alice and Alice helping Harry, alternately. Harry was very obviously not messing around. The entire time, he kept Hermione's face in his mind. What would make her proud of me in this situation? he asked himself. If he was going to learn from this dream, he had to learn, period. Basically, he had to become a Junior Hermione. He would, however, keep studying in its place. If he wanted to enjoy his dream, he would give himself time to change the history he knew, to dig up the dirt on his future enemies, and to help save the ones he knew were endangered in this time and place. That should appease Hermione's Ravenclaw and Gryffindor sides, he concluded.
"What are you looking so self-satisfied over," Lily asked.
"There's someone - not you, but not dissimilar - that I let down a lot," Harry said, honestly. "And I think they'd be okay with me now. I'm doing my best, my absolute best, not just saying I am and getting huffy about it."
"Do we know them?" Alice asked.
Harry was sure a look of pain crossed his face. "No, you wouldn't have met them, and ... and they're not around." Then, seeing their expression, he blurted out, "Sorry, sorry, it's the times, but there's no excuse me making it worse. That's scarcely gratitude."
