Memory Lane

Chapter 11

Snape stops me after the meeting and we step into a side room that he silences.

"Dolohov wants to know why you're limiting Granger. He's going to ask you himself when he gets a private moment."

"Like you just did?" I smirk but I'd much rather Severus was asking me than Dolohov. What's a logical reason?

"Tell him - or I will, if he finds me first - I'm testing scarcity with Granger. Basic economics of supply and demand. If people think she's rarely available, they'll pay more for her."

Snape nods slowly. "If that doesn't pan out, what then? You'll lose your reason to keep her limited."

"I don't know yet. But she's definitely remembering things. There's no doubt about it. Zabini saw it, too." I sigh and lean against the wall. "Nothing is clear to her - yet, anyway. But she's having severe reactions to being touched, even casually. If someone hasn't mentioned it after a fic yet, they will soon."

Snape considers this. "Since the vast majority of the fics are violent, they may not have noticed yet. They expect her to be afraid and to try and fight back. It's half the fun for them."

My stomach rolls and I remember Dolohov talking about Lovegood several weeks ago.

('It's like her brain can't comprehend it. It takes her forever to even get afraid. She's so confused.')

"There are a few other things I want to test out with her - Zabini going in as Ron, maybe, to see if her stupid prat of a boyfriend can touch her without her going mental. Or maybe going in as Harry myself, her best friend, just having a calm experience."

Snape assesses me shrewdly. "Why wouldn't you go in as Weasley? Why Zabini?"

I pull a face. "I can't. I can't be that tosser, not around her."

He doesn't ask me to elaborate and I'm grateful.

But what Snape said a moment ago is turning in my mind. I don't want to ask, but I have to. I have to know. "What you said about the violent fics, about participants not noticing. What about the fics where she's essentially Confunded?"

Tilting his head, Snape considers. "I don't know. I don't even know how often that option is chosen," and I think that's another metric I need to have the team start tracking. Requested level of awareness of the companions. How popular is each option? How often are they used?

"Do you want me to find out?" Snape asks and I realise he's still talking about Granger being Confunded specifically.

"I can't think of a good way to ask if someone's had her Confunded recently without piquing interest in why I'm curious. And I certainly don't want to send someone into a fic with her to find out."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Severus looks at me evenly. "You could test it. See what happens. I know you hate the Confunded option, but you aren't going to hurt her. See if she reacts at all. See if she's afraid."

I realise reluctantly this is probably the best idea. But what if she does react? What am I supposed to do to distract her if I can't quiz her about Hogwarts: a History, or give her more fish and chips? "Can I take in a Calming Draught, just in case?"

"If she's that afraid, she probably won't take it from you, even Confunded," Snape says, and I know he's right. "But it's worth a shot. Would you like to try it now?"

I nod, taking a deep breath. I really don't want to. I hate these, but I hate not knowing how she'll react in one with someone else worse. "Give me two Draughts. I'll keep one on me and put the other near her before I try anything. Maybe she'll accept one that doesn't come directly from me."