Hermione was nestled into a tall-backed chair, the fabric beneath her coddling the ache she felt from the day's happenings.

All the emotions, the new information, the fact she was supposed to be marrying?! It was bizarre to her that such a thing had happened, that seven years after fighting for her life, she was now stuck there, in that spot of her memory where there was no Severus Snape from the past four years! Four years of memories, good times with friends, a marriage that wasn't her own! Guilt plagued her in forgetting Harry and Draco's wedding even if right then she didn't trust the blond, or if she couldn't help it. Obviously that was no fault of her own, but with not getting to know Malfoy, she had to suffer through still having a bit of distaste for him.

Truly, that was the situation, Hermione was helpless, and the feeling hadn't ever been more dissatisfying. The unsettled feeling in her heart and that nagging tug in her mind that forced her to remember something she couldn't was quite nearly painful. Not remembering things for her was similar to keeping a dragon locked up. There was fury in a caged dragon, and frustration grasped at her heels as she attempted to recollect at least something from the prior four years. Still, however, nothing came up.

It certainly wasn't that Hermione didn't want to try, she wanted her memory back and to know all the things that she could. The hole in her mind was large, and frustrating, and by Merlin she hoped it would one day be fixed.

A knock came to her door suddenly, and with the heaviest sigh she could muster, Hermione braced her arms on the chair and stood. The hard floors below her made it easy to become rather cold away from cocoon in the chair she'd created.

Hermione knew who was at her door... Harry and Ginny had told her that this was going to happen and that it was her duty to speak with them, to explain what had happened. She simply didn't want to.

"Hello, Mum! Hello, Dad!" Hermione greeted as happily as she could.

"Hello, darling, where is Ginny? Isn't she supposed to be helping you get ready?" Her mother immediately began to wonder, setting large bags down that Hermione could only wonder what they contained.

"Uh, something's come up, actually,"

"And what is that?" Her father joined in, curiously furrowing his brows until malice took over, "That man hasn't called it off, has he?"

Hermione shook her head.

"No, Sna—Severus and I have forgotten the past four years of our lives." There. She'd said it.

And her parents truly looked mortified at such a prospect.

"You're serious now, Hermione, yes?" Her mother wondered with a bit of a grimace.

"Yes, mum. I'm sorry, but I shan't be getting married today."

"We understand that, Hermione dear," her father said and then embraced her, seeing the glossiness of her eyes and the shame that plagued such a brilliant witch. "And were so sorry to hear that."

The Granger's shared a passing glance and knew right away that their strong witch wasn't herself... they could feel her off putting aura, even as the muggles they were. They just hoped that someone was doing something to help Hermione heal.

The paid was happy to find out later that Harry had started an investigation that day and would pursue more tomorrow, and they were also pleased to know her friends were a call away. Right then, however, they knew she needed her parents. So the Granger's stayed with Hermione until the evening had passed, and it was time for them to retire.

Hermione went to bed rather depressed that evening, feeling empty inside her large apartment. Maybe one day her memory would return... or maybe one day Severus could convince her again to give each other another try.

-

He'd only been in his room but a few moments when hunger finally grasped his body and Severus felt the need to go eat something. He felt miserable, but there wasn't any point in denying nutrition.

So, with heavy steps, Severus began to make his way down to the kitchen where he could quickly make something up and then return diligently to his room. Cooking was a simple task, something he took joy in much like the fine art of potions. Luckily enough, after his meal the rest of the day went on quite undisturbed. And though he tossed and turned through the night, once sleep came, it came soundly.

The morning rose, but Severus rose before it. The sun hadn't even shown a single ray when he got up, but what was so different from any other morning? Well... There was something there, in his mind... bits and pieces of... when exactly had... was it... he was fighting for it so passionately....

Hermione.

Sitting up from the bed faster than he could even as a youth, Severus dressed quickly, not even bothering with his wand to aid him in the triviality.

Surely, his mind wondered, if he had gotten back his memory then Hermione must have as well! His love, the woman he gave everything to, she must be his again! Merlin, he would never forgive himself for allowing his fiancée to flee from his memory!

Severus attempted to calm himself before he apparated to Hermione's at this ungodly hour. He knew that place, that bottom left draw that held an extra set of robes for the night's he stayed. He knew that it was going to be their second home when she converted over to his flat after they came back from the honeymoon they were supposed to leave for that morning. Severus remembered sleeping through the night with her by his side, her scantily covered waist wrapped in his arms. Gods, he needed her now.

The surroundings of the early morning were dark, and while he knew her flat like the back of his hand, he struggled just a bit to navigate through the furniture.

"Hermione?" He whispered, knocking on her door. It was odd simply knocking on her bedroom door when he'd snuck in many times... then again it was always with her leading.

"Hermione?" He asked a bit louder.

The door opened, but a bright wand light was shoved into his face before he could say anything.

"Severus, what are you doing here? It's half five." Her voice sounded scratchy and tired, but he wasn't surprised. She only worked well under a certain amount of sleep.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but I've remembered! I know it's rather early and all, but I had to see you," and with a daring gesture, he cupped her face in his hand, pressing his hooked nose against the small one she possessed since her wand had lowered.

"Severus, I—" she stuttered, looking alarmed at the sudden intimacy that he'd initiated.

"It's alright," he interrupted, "Yesterday was strange, but we'll be alright now."

She stepped away suddenly, the light from her wand dimming into nothing with a half-muttered spell.

"No... we won't," Hermione stuttered, much unlike her, "I don't... you see, I haven't exactly retained any of what you have."

"You don't remember," Severus filled in for her, his sudden joy and happiness snuffed out like a flame with no oxygen.

"I apologize, but no."

With those final few words, he couldn't handle much more of being in her presence, so he apparated right from there. He didn't even bother to say goodbye because Severus was sure that he simply couldn't.

-

"This better be the quickest investigation we ever make, you lot."

"Harry, listen," one of his aurors said with a determined look, "you need to step back. This is obviously too personal for you to handle."

Harry twisted the ring on his finger, breathing heavily at the fact there was nothing he could do to argue what his men were saying. Maybe it was a bit too personal, hell, he could even be wrong in there being malicious intent. The only thing was, why were both of them targeted?! They were in completely separate parties for Severus's stag do and Hermione's rather conservative party for a bride, Harry just didn't want Hermione nor Severus to suffer from something some idiotic prat did.

"Fine, just get the job done right... and under no circumstances will you tell  Ron."

They all nodded, looking at Harry solemnly.

While Ron had cleaned himself up for the wedding, and he had been there when Ginny had gone to the Weasley's to alert them of the lack of wedding with excitement on his face... Ron was an utter mess. Ever since his muggle girlfriend passed away, he had been pretty useless to the aurors and others. George was slowly trying to get him out of his shell, but Harry couldn't imagine that he'd take up any offer anytime soon. That's why he had the month off from any type of business, and there was certainly no way that he was going to be sitting in on this case. Obviously if Harry couldn't do it per request of his own aurors, then Ron certainly wasn't getting involved.

While Harry was upset that they'd suggested such a thing because he started the investigation to begin with, Harry also knew that he'd trained all of his team well.

For now, he needed to go to Draco and just see how Severus and Hermione were doing. 

When he got to his own flat, he hadn't expected Draco to be occupied, or to be chatting with one of Harry's favorite people.

With the change of the tides of many Slytherin companions, Harry had befriended the lot, the lot which included Pansy Parkinson who sat idly chattering in his sitting room.

"Pans!" He greeted her, and the moment the black-haired witch caught sight of him, she met him with fervor.

"Harry! Oh, my love, how are you fairing with such terrible news?" She asked him with a pout that he kissed.

"Better than expected, I knew I could count on you to be late."

"Hey," she mocked offense, "The wedding was supposed to be yesterday, and now it will be in an innumerable amount of years! Technically I am early, yes?"

"No!" Draco said and popped into the conversation, "Harry," he scolded a tad more serious than Harry liked, "If you weren't gayer than any wizard I have ever known, I would be truly concerned by the way you greet Pansy here."

Harry grinned. Draco was rather insecure when it came to his side of life and Harry's side intermingling.

"Listen, I'm just here for Severus and Hermione, alright, not for you two to get jealous over me!" Pansy seemed to flaunt the idea of her spiriting jealousy between them both.

"Fine," Draco growled, grasping Harry's hand with a possessive air and leading them both back to the couches.

"Severus called early this morning, Harry, about seven, and told me that he remembered—"

"That's brilliant!" Harry exclaimed, "Which means Hermione must have—"

Draco cut him off with a glare, and as the light from the nine o'clock sun bled through the curtains, everyone's solemn face made the room feel far darker than it was.

"She's still got no memory. I reckon Severus was a lot more upset than he led on."

"What did he say?" Pansy wondered carefully.

"That was all. He recalled exactly what happened then hung up."

"The poor bloke, he must be heart-broken."

"We have an investigation going on... so whoever did this must not have had enough time to securely wipe Severus' memory like they did our Hermione's," Harry spoke up, "I was booted off the investigation by the way," Harry said pointedly.

"It's for the best," Draco agreed, "And you told them not to contact Weasley."

"I did so."

"What happened to him?" Pansy wondered aloud, curious as to why she hadn't been let in on this drop of drama.

"His girlfriend died, she was a muggle that he met when we were on an assignment last year," Harry filled in rather quickly.

"Oh," Pansy said with her mug turning rather sad, "That couldn't be easy."

"No," Harry agreed, "But listen, we shall find out soon enough what's happened to Hermione, then hopefully things can go back to the way they were."

Pansy leaned back with a contemplative look, and Draco just watched Harry. Harry, who was beyond tired for nine in the morning, just closed his green eyes and allowed the sofa to swallow him.

Surely there had to be something they'd missed last night at the party or... something just had to of stuck out. But nothing did, and that was what bothered him. He was a highly trained Auror, and suddenly people were hexing his friends? It just wouldn't do, but sadly that was the situation he found himself in.

With the rest of the day ahead of him, Harry made plans with his husband and Pansy for lunch... inviting Ron to hopefully keep him in the loop just enough to keep him out of the way.

A/N

I don't quite know about this chapter, lovely readers, I just don't know. But anyways, please comment! I always try to leave replies when you do so which makes commenting a lot more fun! So if you have any questioned, concerns, inquiries, wonders, curiosities, ideas even! I'd love to hear them!