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POV
For weeks, you were held in an abandoned warehouse. The Slytherin boys searched for you day and night until they finally found you, all alone, unconscious, and covered in bruises.
They brought you back to Hogwarts
& you were put in the infirmary.
Still not knowing who did all this to you,
they refuse to leave your side.
It's late at night when you finally wake up.
But something happened to your memory...
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Draco Malfoy
It's dark outside when Draco walks up and down the infirmary. All the other beds are empty, it's just you and him. The last days, he missed all of his classes to stay here with you. Madam Pomfrey tried to get him to leave - but she stood no chance. After all these days, you're still lying there unconscious. Draco can barely bring himself to eat anymore. If she doesn't wake up soon... this is all my fault, he thinks quietly. He's convinced the followers of the Dark Lord took you away to punish him for his slow progress on unaliving Dumbledore. After taking a deep breath, he walks towards you with trembling hands. Thank Salazar nobody sees me like this.
It's been a while since Draco snuck back into the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey already went to bed. He pulls out a chair to sit by your side and watches your motionless face for a while. It feels almost unbearable, seeing you this way. He always thought you were the strong one out of you two. Secretly, he wishes it was him on this bed instead. "Y/n, if you hear me, please wake up. I need you.", he whispers with tears in his eyes. "Please come back to me. Please." His whispers turn into sobs. Burying his face in your hand, he doesn't notice you slowly blinking your eyes. You start to cough, when his eyes shoot up. "Y/n?"
Draco watches breathlessly as you open your eyes. "Y/n, can you hear me?", he asks cautiously, holding your hand like a fragile flower. You groan and squint your eyes. "My head... it's hurting...", you croak with a hoarse voice. Draco softly brushes his fingertips over your forehead and closes his eyes for a second. "I'm so happy you're awake. I was so scared for you." Tears run down his cheek but you barely notice, still seeing blurry. "I don't know, what are you..." Draco shushes you: "I'll go get Madam Pomfrey, darling. She'll give you something against the pain, alright?" As he stands up, his chair makes a creaking sound. You hold your ears. "Ouch." He looks at you apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'll be right back, yeah?" You nod. "Okay, thank you, erm..." Draco is already heading out, when you call: "Wait, what was your name again?" He stops in his tracks, not being able to turn around. His face takes on a stern expression. "It's Draco. Draco Malfoy?" You look at him confused. "Have we... have we met before, Draco?" His stomach drops.
"You don't... you don't remember me?", he croaks. You stare at his face and shake your head. "I- no, I'm sorry. Where... where am I?" He starts to get angry, praying that this is all just a bad joke. "Y/n, are you kidding right now? This is not funny." The second you look at him with scared eyes, he realizes you really mean it. You never looked at him this way before. This can't be real, he thinks desperately. "What's the last thing you remember?", he asks quietly. You close your eyes, grimacing. "That's the thing, I can't... my head... it's spinning, I can't..." Draco's heart feels like it stops beating. "I'll go get you a healer. Don't move, she'll be right here.", he murmurs.
As he walks out, he loosens his tie, feeling like he's about to hyperventilate. You call after him, but he doesn't respond. The second he closes the door of the infirmary behind him, he sinks down on the floor, completely breaking down. Trying to muffle his sobs with one hand, the other one clutches his chest ferociously. What am I even trying for, if not for her?, he thinks in despair. Experiencing his first full blown pan!c attack, the only person who's able to calm him down is in the room behind him. So close... and yet completely out of reach.
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Mattheo Riddle
Mattheo sits on a wooden chair by your bed at the infirmary. It's pouring outside. Every once in a while, he gazes out the window to watch the rain. He keeps fiddling around with the wand in his hands which he hasn't put down since you got back to Hogwarts. He wanted to feel ready to fight at any time, the person who did this to you was still out there after all. Even though he wasn't the one who hurt you, he still feels like he failed you. If only I had protected you better, you would have never been taken away, let alone hurt, he thinks desperately and softly touches your cheek. "You're gonna get healthy again, Y/n, you hear me?", he whispers with a broken voice. His chin starts trembling. "You just have to." He wipes his eyes, thankful that you're the only two people in the room. After Madam Pomfrey went to bed, Mattheo snuck back into the infirmary to stay with you. He takes your hand and places a kiss on it. "Come back to me now, would you?", he murmurs. After several minutes, you start coughing and he looks at you concerned."Y/n?"
"Y/n, can you hear me?", he asks again. You slowly bat your eyes open and scan the room around you. Mattheo closes his eyes in relief. "Thank Merlin...", he whispers, as relief floods through him. He kisses your hand again. "How are you feeling, love? How's your head?" You blink at him slowly, still trying to process everything. "I... who... where am I?", you ask irritated. "You're at the infirmary. We brought you back to Hogwarts, darling. You're home." Mattheo tries to calm you down with a smile. "You're gonna be okay, love. I'm here." Your breathing quickens. Suddenly, you feel his hand holding yours and pull away. He furrows his brows. "Is there anything I can do?", he asks concerned. Your head is hurting like hell and you're trying to put one and two together. You stare at him. "Who... who are you?" The corners of his mouth fall down. "I..." He looks at you, trying to figure out if you're joking. "It's Mattheo, love. Matt." His chuckle comes out forced. You tilt your head slightly. "I'm sorry, I-" Mattheo's heart grows cold, as he scans your facial expression. You whisper: "I don't know you..."
For a moment, it feels like the world stands still. Mattheo tries to comprehend what is happening. No, no, no, no, the voice in his head screams. Outwardly, his expression is blank. After a while, he clears his throat. "Don't worry, darling, I'll... I'll go get Madam Pomfrey now. She's the healer here.", he adds quickly, trying hard to hold it together. "Then who are you?", you ask scared. "Should i know you? I... my head... it's like... everything's blurry and-" Mattheo shushes you. "It's okay, it's okay. You're gonna be fine. I promise.", he nodds at you encouragingly. "She'll be right here. Just stay where you are, yeah?" With that, he stands up and walks out of the infirmary. His steps speed up the farther away he gets from you. As soon as he closes the door behind him, he leans on his knees. What just happened? His head starts spinning and he feels like he's about to pass out.
Warm tears run down his cheeks. Just as he tries to calm his breathing, he runs to the next garbage can and violently throws up. His whole body shudders. "This can't be real..", he whispers hopelessly. He sits down on a stone bench and buries his face in his hands for several minutes, trying to regain composure while his entire world is falling apart. After a while, one of his hands forms a fist and he decides to run to Madam Pomfrey. If there's anyone that can help now, it's her. After banging on her door, she opens up sleepily. "Mr. Riddle, what on earth are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Mattheo wheezes: "She... Y/n... she forgot- she just woke up, and she doesn't remember me, anything. She was obliviated, Madam Pomfrey." Under her motherly gaze, his heavy breathing slowly turns into sobs. "She doesn't remember anything", he cries. Madam Pomfrey looks at him worried. "Oh my dear boy..."
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Theodore Nott
Theo pulls up an empty bed and drags it right next to yours. He plops down on it, facing you. The only thing separating you are his long legs, dangling in the small gap between the two beds. He watches every small movement of your stomach, breathing in and out the same time as you. It's pouring rain and he carefully listens to the drops splashing against the window. "Time to wake up, pookie", he whispers quietly and sighs. "You can't just leave me hanging like this, Y/n. You're the one who knows what to do, not me." He leans forward and carefully places his ear right above your heart. Closing his eyes, he murmurs: "Can't you just wake up for me?" He listens to your heartbeat for a while until he draws back, watching your face. "I'll beg if you want. Whatever it takes. Just wake up, you hear me?" After some time, Theo lies down on his bed, checking on you every couple seconds. His eyes start to get heavy when you suddenly start coughing. "Y/n?"
Theo sits up straight and hovers over you. Slowly, you blink your eyes open. Still seeing blurry, you groan: "My head... it's hurting..." "Here's a cold cloth, cara mia.", he says quietly and places it on your forehead. You sigh in relief. "Better?", he asks. You nod ever so slightly. "Mhm..." He gently brushes over your cheek. "How are you feeling, love? Talk to me." Still overwhelmed by everything, you murmur: "I don't know how... I- where am I?" You close your eyes again and Theo smiles worried. "You're in Hogwarts. We brought you back home. And right now, we're in the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey took care of you the last days, you were... completely passed out, darling." You furrow your brows. "Madam Pomfrey?" "She took great care of you, darling, O promise." You squint your eyes. "No but... who... who are you then?" Theo blinks. "I... it's Theo, love. can't you see me?" You look him up and down. A pit grows in his stomach. "I see you but... I don't know who you are."
"You don't... you don't recognize me?", he croaks. You shake your head faintly and tears fill your eyes. "Should I?! I'm sorry, I... this is all too much, my head-" Theo stops you: "It's okay, cara mia, shush. I'll... we'll fix this, okay? I'm gonna get Madam Pomfrey, I'm sure she'll know just what to do." You blink at him. "Thank you..." He swallows and takes a long look at you. She doesn't remember me, he thinks aghast. She doesn't remember. Eventually, he nods and stands up. On his way out, his heart feels like it's falling apart at the seams. Not wasting any time, he directly runs to Madam Pomfrey's dorm and bangs on her door. "Miss, please open up!", he calls desperately. After he hears some shuffling, a sleepy woman opens up the door and looks at him baffled. "Mr. Nott, what are you-"
"Y/n woke up.", he cuts her off. She nods surprised. "That's... that's good, dear. I'll go get- wait, were you at the infirmary? Young boy, how many times do I have to-" "This doesn't matter right now. She woke up, yes, but...", he swallows harshly. "I think she was obliviated. She doesn't... she doesn't remember me. At all." Madam Pomfrey looks at him concerned. "You can... you can fix her, right?", he asks with tears in his eyes. "You have to, or else... I don't know what I'd do without her. Please. You have to." She takes his hand. By the look on her face, he already knows he doesn't want to hear the answer. "Just... just try your best, will you?", he whispers hopelessly. She sighs. "Oh dear, of course I will."
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Lorenzo Berkshire
Enzo can't sit still and wanders the aisle of the infirmary up and down. Still questioning who took you away, who hurt you, he refuses to leave your side and sneaks into the infirmary every night. He watches you sleep, not knowing if waking up will actually bring you release. Maybe it's for the best that she didn't wake right away... Even though he wants to know the truth, he's terrified to hear all the things that happened to you. The bru!$es have already starting healing, your head was safely bandaged, but still... Who knows what she had to go through, Enzo thinks worried. He stands by a big window and watches the rain fall down. When she wakes up, I'm not gonna push her away ever again. Almost losing you once was enough to make him realize he doesn't wanna live without you, no matter what it takes. He stands by your bed and whispers: "I'm sorry that I didn't protect you." He pauses for a moment. "I thought it was safer that way, safer if we're not together... I guess I was wrong. And you were right, like always." He smiles sadly. "Please come back to me." Suddenly, you start coughing.
Enzo's smile turns into astonishment. "Y/n, can you hear me?" You grunt and rub your forehead. "Ouch... my head, it's... I can't..." Enzo tries to calm you down: "It's okay, love, shush. You don't need to say anything. Just take your time." You slowly blink and try to navigate where you are. "Can you...", you start and Enzo quickly answers: "We're in Hogwarts, at the infirmary. You were missing for a couple weeks. We... the gang teamed up to search for you, and... thank Merlin we did. We brought you back home. Madam Pomfrey has been taking care of you since then. You're gonna be okay, darling. It's all good." "I was missing?", you ask irritated. "What happened? I don't... I don't remember..." "That's okay, don't worry about it. Let's get you back on track first, what do you say?" Enzo smiles at you encouragingly. You slowly nod. "Yeah, erm... sorry, who are you again?" His smile fades. "What do you mean?" You look at him confused. "Who are you?"
Enzo's hands start shaking before his brain even processes your words. "I'm... Enzo?", he chuckles nervously. "Y/n, are you... you DO know who I am, don't you?!" You stare at him. "I'm sorry, I-" His eyes almost bulge out and he jumps up. "Yeah, no, that's... totally fine, absolutely no worries at all, I... I'm gonna...", he points towards the door. "I'm gonna get you some help, yeah? I'll be... I'll be back. Very soon. Just... stay here, will you? Don't move." His chuckle comes out chôked and he practically runs out of the door. Outside, in the corridor, he has to take a breath and leans against the cold wall. "Please tell me this is just a bad dream...", he whispers as the reality kicks in. You had forgotten who he was. After everything you've been through together. Tears fill his eyes and he shakes his head in disbelief. Why would someone obliviate you? It made no sense. He needs a moment to close his eyes. After a while, he tries to get it together and runs to Madam Pomfrey's dorms, knocking carefully. When she opens up, he croaks: "I need your help."
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Pansy Parkinson
Pansy sits on the bed next to yours and watches you. "How much longer do you wanna sleep for, hm?", she asks you quietly, not expecting an answer. She looks out the window melancholically. Would this all have happened if I hadn't stopped talking to her? She wasn't sure. But she does feel guilty for not being there when you needed her.
Keeping her wand in her hands at all times, she feels ready to fight whoever dares to enter the infirmary without permission. It's killing her to not know who did this to you. Thankfully, the bruises were starting to heal and you looked better everyday. And still... was it really over? She couldn't be sure. After being lost in thought, Pansy suddenly hears you cough. She jumps up and moves to your bed. "Y/n, can you hear me?" You try to turn to your side, but it's too painful, so you just blink your eyes. "Where am I?", you croak. "You're at the infirmary in Hogwarts.", Pansy replies softly.
"What?! Why am I here?", you ask, still seeing blurry. Pansy looks down. "Somebody took you away. You were gone for weeks, Y/n. You scared the hell out of me." You squint your eyes open, seeing the dark haired girl clearly for the first time. "Wait, I... I was taken? What happenend?" "We don't know yet. But you're safe now, that's all that matters." You watch her confused. "And you are...?" Pansy looks at you like you lost your mind. "You're joking.", she says dryly, her heart skipping a beat. "No, I'm... I'm sorry, do I know you?", you ask again and Pansy's stomach drops.
Without another word, she turns around and furiously leaves the infirmary. "Wait- are you gonna come back?", you call after her. She doesn't reply. Instead, she takes big steps towards Madam Pomfrey's dorms and bangs on her door. "OPEN UP!", she yells. The healer opens the door with a bewildered look on her face. "Miss Parkinson, what-" "Y/n was obliviated, and you're gonna fix her. Come with me.", she demands and takes off.
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Tom Riddle
Tom stands at the bottom of your bed, pretending to inspect his wand, when in reality, images of you flash through his mind. He still sees you laying there on the cold floor, your body covered in bruí$es, all alone. For a second, he feared that you didn't make it. A cold shiver runs down his spine just thinking about it. He shakes his head. She's just unconscious, not dead, he reminds himself. He secretly wishes he could go back in time to save you from this mess.
Clenching his jaw, he finally looks at you. "One day, I'll find whoever did this to you. And I'll make them pay for it.", he hisses through his teeth. He would avenge you, one way or another. Anger boils through his blood as he slightly tilts his head, cracking a bone in his neck. Suddenly feeling the need to do something, he feels your temperature and starts dabbing a cold cloth on your forehead to cool you down. After some time, he pulls out a chair for himself and sits down, just watching you breathe. Even though he would never admit it, he is fascinated by you. The way you look, the way you speak, the way you handle yourself. He always thought you to be fragile but now, after everything, he sees you in a different light. She's stronger than I thought, he thinks.
After hours of sitting by your side, Tom feels his eyes get heavy. Quickly standing up, he blinks and checks the room. All clear. It's still only you and him in the infirmary. Looking back at you, he watches you part your lips slightly. His heart pounds in his chest. He grimaces as an unknown urge overcomes him and he reaches out his hand, slightly hovering above your face. Hesitantly, he brings it down to touch your cheek softly. His fingertips start to tingle, as he brushes over your skin. He can feel the blood pulsat!ng through your veins as his fingers reach the side of your throat. "What have you done to me...", he murmurs quietly. After years of denial, Tom had finally realized he had feelings for you a couple weeks ago. He hated himself for it, but not as much as he did for not protecting you when you needed him. It won't ever happen again, he promises you silently. Lowering down, he places a kiss on your forehead. His breathing is still heavy, when your eyelids begin to flutter and you suddenly start coughing. He tenses. Did she feel it?
He watches you quietly as you begin to wake up from your deep sleep. After batting your eyes open, you groan. Tom holds his breath when you look at him. "I... my head... where- where am I?", you ask confused. Still too weak to move, you can barely see your surroundings. Tom replies calmly: "You're at Hogwarts' infirmary." Your eyes find his again. "I'm... what? But... why? What happened to me?" "You don't remember?", he asks irritated. You furrow your brows and flinch. "It... ouch... it hurts to think. Everything's so... blurry. Is that normal?" He watches your face. "I'll go get Madam Pomfrey." You look at him aghast as he turns to leave. "Madam... Pomfrey? Wait, are you... not the healer?" Tom stops in his tracks. He hisses: "Excuse me?" Scared of his sudden mood change, you quickly apologize: "I'm... I'm sorry, I thought you were... nevermind." He already starts putting one and two together and walks back to your bed. "Say my name.", he demands. You look at him irritated. "Your name, I-" "Say. My. Name.", he presses out. He can tell by the horrified look on your face that you have absolutely no idea who he is. She never looked at me this way, ever, he thinks numbly.
"I don't know who you are, I'm sorry...", you whisper. Tom can tell you're afraid of him. You. The one person who was never. And now you're afraid of me, too, like all the others. Is that not what I always wanted?, he thinks and starts grinding his teeth. He couldn't oversee the irony in all of this. "I'll go get someone.", he manages to say and walks away, clenching his jaw. He ferociously clutches the wand in his hand, casting a spell to open the doors, and almost rips them off its hinges. He feels your gaze on his back but keeps walking. That's all he's able to do now. Walk. He knows he needs to get out or you will see him in a way that would scare you even more.
He practically runs until he finds an empty courtyard. It's the middle of the night, the moon is at its high, when Tom lets out a low, guttural scream. He yells at the sky, not caring if anyone will hear, until there is no more air left in his lungs. After a while, he grabs his chest, and closes his eyes. For the first time in his life, he feels warm tears stream down his cheeks. In front of his inner eye, he sees you. The way you came into his room. The way you kissed him. The way you cared for him. Y/n, Y/n, Y/n, it echoes in his mind. He knew right away that you were obliviated. There was no other way. And Tom knew exactly what that meant. It was almost impossible to repair someone's memory. And it was especially impossible if you didn't even know who took it away.
He tries to regain composure and walks to Madam Pomfrey's dorm. It's 3am, but he still knocks loudly. After a while, a disheveled woman opens up. "Mr. Riddle, what are you-" "Y/n woke up a couple minutes ago. She was obliviated." He takes a breath. "I need you to tell you me all the ways to restore a memory.", he demands roughly. She looks at him worried. "Tom, are you sure?" He closes his eyes. "There's no doubt. She... forgot everything. She doesn't even know my name." Madam Pomfrey sighs. "I'll grab my things but... Mr Riddle, Tom dear", she takes his hand. "You do know it's very hard to-" "I know.", he cuts her off. "iIknow. But there must be other ways, maybe more... unorthodox that us students haven't been told. Right?" He looks at her with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
She smiles sadly. "The memory makes up part of who we are, dear. It's not going to be easy. But I'll try my best, you know that, don't you?" He nods defeated. "I'm going to check up on her now. Since I have a feeling you won't be going to bed even if I asked, do you want to join me?", she offers. Tom couldn't bear the thought of seeing the fear in your eyes once more, so he declines: "I'll... I'd actually prefer to go to bed now, Miss. If you'll excuse me." He walks away, carefully looking over his shoulder as he makes his way to the library. After casting a charm on him, he enters the restricted section and starts searching for anything that has to do with the obliviate spell. I promised i'm going to get you back, and I won't stop now, he thinks as he draws out the first book.
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