Unforgettable

Despair

TW/CN: Description of miscarriage and the aftermath further down, mentions of blood, read at your own discretion. This story is rated M.

Oddly enough, Mina soon got used to what was her "new" normal.
She didn't sleep much, but at least she wasn't solely responsible for the school anymore, the faculty had divided the task of running the school equally amongst themselves. That was a huge relief, however it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Every morning she waited anxiously for Dr. Gallow's report, read it and then tossed it on the ever growing pile of reports next to her desk. She couldn't be bothered to put them into a folder, Minerva had been lacking energy ever since Albus had been found.
In a way, she was grieving her husband, while his body was still around, while she was now being recognised as his wife (although nobody told him for obvious reasons), he was still gone and nobody knew if he'd ever come back.
Despite him not being more than a shell of his former self, Minerva visited Albus every day if her schedule permitted.

The visits were frustrating at best, Albus didn't recognise her, he was fractious and confused, asking questions about people who didn't exist. Talking to him was nearly impossible. Still, Mina went to see him and during the second week, she had an idea. On Tuesday afternoon, she came to visit Albus, carrying something in her bag. Usually she brought him sweets or other things in the hope of the smell or taste triggering some memory.
But that afternoon, she brought his beloved chess board. Even if he didn't remember it, she knew that playing chess would help him strengthen his mind and make some new memories. She was fully committed to spending at least the next few weeks teaching him the game he had once helped her perfect.
When she walked into the room, Albus looked up and seemed delighted.
"Miss McGonagall, I have been hoping to see you again today."
"It's okay if you call me Minerva, remember?" Mina said calmly, with the most gentle smile she could manage, even though him addressing her by her last name stung badly.
"Of course, Minerva, like the goddess. What a lovely name. I am very sorry I keep forgetting, my mind is still so foggy. Please sit down, I should offer you a seat, I hear that's what one does to such lovely ladies." He smiled and Mina sat down by his bedside.
"Albus, it's good to see you in such a happy mood."
"I'm always happy when I get such a lovely visitor. I don't understand why you keep coming to see me, you must be so bored. I know I sure am, being stuck in here."
"I enjoy coming here and spending time with you." Minerva smiled and pulled the magical chess set out of her bag and set it up on the bedside cabinet. "And I brought something that might remedy your boredom. Do you remember this?"
Albus stared at the board. There was this tingling sensation in his hands, there was a certain urgency, as if he simultaneously did and didn't know what to do with the little figurines.
He gently picked up one after the other, feeling the different shapes, holding them up to the light and then carefully setting them down on the board, to Minerva's surprise in the right order.
"I do and yet I don't remember. I feel that this must be how they stand, but I don't know why. I'm in this terrible limbo and that fog... my goodness. But it looks fun, I'm sure if you explain this game to me we can have a good time." Minerva smiled and began to explain the basics of chess, patiently and slowly.
"Sounds easy enough. Let's play."
And they did. To Minerva's great surprise, Albus played just as he had before his disappearance, but he didn't seem to understand what he was doing. His body seemed to know what to do and how to play, but his mind was still blocked and he couldn't truly enjoy their game of chess.
He won, like he often had, but he didn't look happy.
"Don't worry, Albus, you will remember soon. I'll come back tomorrow and we can play again. You used to enjoy this game very much and I'm sure once you understand it, you will learn to love it again."
"That's very kind of you. Do you mind me keeping that chess set here with me?" It fascinated him. The figurines were made of dark and light wood and they felt smooth in his hands, heavy, yet with a certain warmth. It was as if they remembered something he didn't and he hoped that maybe he could get them to share their secrets with him.
"I don't mind at all, it's your set. I brought it from your office."
"My office? I didn't know I have an office, that is interesting."
That had been too much information, Minerva instantly regretted telling him but it was too late. The more Albus tried to remember his office, the more the curse fought back.
"Albus, please, don't overthink this..." but it was too late, before Mina could ring for Dr. Gallow, he flopped back into his pillows.