Restoration

Chapter Twelve

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"Oh, Severus, he can't remember any of it," ordered Dumbledore, as he sank his head inside the Pensieve.

As he began to descend deep into Draco's extracted memories, he heard some fuss in the background. Assuming it was the two students complaining over his orders, he trusted Professor Severus Snape with taking away Draco Malfoy's memories of Elara.

He carefully studied every moment of his memory, from the first time Draco came across Elara inside the Great Hall, as she sat across him, to the very last moment before she disappeared, as he recognized Nymphadora Tonks escorting her out of the Slytherin common room. He became so invested in his memories that after his seventh time inspecting them, he almost began to believe they were his own.

But every time he sank his head, re-entering his memories, he believed he would find something new, something that his eyes hadn't seen before. Knowing full and well that his memory had to have been re-adjusted, it surprised him how he had been present for Elara's last night at Hogwarts as well. Even though Draco didn't see too much of it, Professor Dumbledore saw himself, as well as Professor McGonagall, exiting the common room before the girl.

Aside from his other problems, the mysterious three-year gap in Elara Dotson's story worried him more than he thought it would. Experimenting on numerous potions and charms on himself, he hoped to cancel out a potential nasty dark charm on him, preventing him from remembering. He was hoping to find a formula that would erase the power of the Forgetfulness Charm. But alas, every attempt ended in failure.

As the weeks passed by, he found himself beginning to forget about the problematic girl, and by the looks of it, he wasn't the only one. Assured that someone else was intentionally making everyone forget about Elara, he protected himself with preventive charms. He invited two of his most trusted colleagues to advise him on the topic, and his concerns proved to be legitimate.

"Sorry, who is Elara Dotson?" Professor Slughorn asked, struggling to recall the missing child.

He allowed both Professor Slughorn and Professor McGonagall to study Draco's extracted memories, in case they would notice something he had not. After some consideration, he also called for Professor Snape, who was known for slightly stern techniques when it came to dealing with similar topics.

"I feel something dark stands behind all of it," Professor Snape lifted his head from the Pensieve, having seen Draco's memories for the first time.

"Indeed," Headmaster Dumbledore agreed, "I would like for the young Potter to train with her."

"Excuse me, Albus, but I do not think we can trust Miss Dotson," Professor Snape fought back.

"You have been training him for a while now, what is your opinion on his abilities?" Headmaster Dumbledore inquired.

There have been many troubling heads at Hogwarts, both in the past and present. Tormented by intimidating nightmares, one had to find a way to deal with them. Some were lucky enough to be supported by their professors, while others, those who remained silent, not only suffered in silence but had long-term issues years later.

Once Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, woke up drenched in sweat, positive that the Dark Lord was invading and reading his mind. Professor Snape began teaching him how to put up mental barriers to protect himself.

Similarly, Elara Dotson was struggling to free herself from the Unbreakable Vow, as something evil prevented her from doing so, endangering her life every-time she tried. Protected by none other than Professor McGonagall who saw something in the girl, she gifted her with a magical book, as well with an amateur on the topic, Luna Lovegood.