Breaking Free (Book 3 of the Lost Potter Series)

Memory Day 1/ Easing Into It

Roughly four hours later, Remus finally returned to the Burrow by way of apparition and walking through the back door. By this point, Draco, Olivia, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were all congregated in the living room to wait for his arrival, while the rest of the occupants began to settle down for dinner.

"Is he okay?" Olivia asked the man before he could even step foot inside.

Remus offered his goddaughter a wary smile, "He'll make it. It was scary for a moment there, but Pomfrey performed the surgery perfectly and now she's keeping him sedated as he finishes healing up."

The whole floor of people seemed to let out a breath they didn't know they were holding. Olivia practically started crying again right then and there, only stopped by a comforting pat on the back from nearby Ginny.

"Can we see him?" Harry piped up, already on his feet and raring to go.

"When will he be back?" Olivia asked, itching to stand alongside her twin but doing her best not to get her hopes up.

"No visiting, but I can say he'll probably at least be back in the house by tomorrow night. She wanted to keep him there longer, but thankfully Dumbledore insisted that keeping a wanted man at Hogwarts was a bad idea."

Olivia abandoned Ginny's comforting presence to cross the room and envelop Remus in a tight hug.

"Thank you." She muttered into his eternally ragged robes. She pulled away after a moment, everyone apparently taken aback by her sudden affection.

Remus smiled down at her, "Of course, Liv. Now how about some dinner and then you can take your first dose of potion?"

Olivia agreed easily, moving with the group to the eating area where all the food had already been laid out. She took the seat between Remus and Ginny, the three across from Ron, Harry, and Draco. Hermione sat on the other side of Ron, with Olivia still not quite ready to apologise and Hermione not having had the proper chance.

As they settled down, Olivia took the time to ask Harry, was me hugging Remus weird? He looked like he needed it but then everyone looked at me oddly.

Harry smiles slightly, Not weird, really, just unexpected. You have never been the most touchy person, not that it's a bad thing, it just surprised us all for a moment.

Oh. Alright. Olivia shrugged to herself, making a mental note to hug people more often if this was the reaction everyone had to a must-needed hug for her godfather.

Dinner ran as it usually did, though Olivia felt Sirius' absence especially. She kept expecting to hear his obnoxiously loud laugh or catch his eye as he watched her eat, and silently wished again and again that he would come home safe and sound as soon as possible.

And then dinner was over, everything was cleaned up, and Remus and Draco met Olivia, Harry, and the girls in Ginny's room with the three doses of memory-restoring draught.

"Alright, now according to this, you'll need to pick a date and focus on it before taking the potion. It'll start replaying the memories for you on that date, and should keep going until it's effects run out, which should cover a year's worth of memories in about 23 hours of unconsciousness. Do you have a date in mind?" Remus explained as he held open the tome, Draco setting the three vials on Ginny's nearby desk.

Olivia pondered for a moment from where she sat, "Well, Draco said I wouldn't want to remember anything after the Battle everyone keeps talking about, so that's where I want it to end. What date was that?"

At least three people in the room performed some quick maths, with Hermione finally giving the answer, "18th of June, 1996. Though you might want to set the date later to make sure you get all of the Battle."