Disclaimer: Neither Twilight/HP are mine, I take no ownership of them.

Summary: Harry loses his memory, leaving him unable to remember those closest to him. After a year of recovery the ministry/healers decide he might be ready to face the outside world. With the help of Hermione and Ron he starts to remember. They decide that in order to get away from the press and unneeded attention that moving to America wasn't such a bad idea. Left with no magic due to the severe events causing him to forget his past, he embarks in a muggle life in Forks, WA. There he meets Edward Cullen, a vampire who is insistent on becoming acquaintances. Slash, Edward/Harry, rated T.

Reminiscence

Death—is the term used to describe the cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism.

So why does it always seem so much more complicated than it truly is…?

Hermione Granger walked hastily down the hall of St. Mungo's; she couldn't place her current fear that spread from the center of her body and through the tips of her limbs. Cher hair bounced, the speed of her steps hurrying as she ran to where she spotted her fiancé waiting for her. He was talking with one of the healers; the look on his face was enough to make Hermione realize the severity of the situation.

"'Mione, it's Harry, he's—" the hug took him by surprise, but he wrapped his arms around his soon to be wife nonetheless, and waited for her to calm her breathing before he went on to explain, "the healer said he's not in good condition, he got into a nasty fight with Markus Cordele,"

Markus Cordele, the dark wizard they'd been tracking down for months. Hermione pulled back to look at Ron, "What happened with Cordele then, has he been taken into custody. Ron, please tell me we didn't get away,"

"Hermione," Ron whispered looking into his fiancée's eyes seriously, "I'm sorry, but we don't know where Cordele is, he got away—but we know he's injured so that should slow him down at least. The department sent Ginny and her team after him,"

Auror Granger gave a disappointed sigh but then nodded in understanding. Feeling as though her legs could no longer keep her up she sat down on one of the waiting chairs just outside of the room that she assumed had been Harry's, "What's his current condition?"

"Not good," the red head answered softly, sitting beside the brunette, "they think he's been hit with a strong memory curse, they're not sure if it was Obliviate or not, but he doesn't remember a thing and the chances of him actually getting his memory back are pretty slim,"

"He doesn't remember anything?" Hermione asked in horror, the notion that her best friend wouldn't remember her or their shared adventures cause her chest to clench in hurt, "Other than that… is he… is he okay then?"

The hesitant look Ron gave her only made her eyes water and fill up with salty tears, she raised her voice and demanded for an answer, what he answer with only added to the woman's dismay, "'Mione… he's lost all traces of his magic, he's unresponsive to it,"

"So he can't use his magic, he can't cast spells or use his wand…?"

A nod confirmed her uncertainties, "He's practically a muggle now, or maybe a squib. They said they'll have to keep him here until they see any sign of recovery, and if he doesn't recover he'll become a permanent patient. They can't let him into the public in fear that he might have breakdowns that could result in the harm of himself or others. He can go into shock,"

"But… Ron, that's our best friend, he doesn't belong here, we can't…" Hermione had to stop speaking so her hoarse and broken voice wouldn't become noticeable, "there has to be something we can do, something that can fix him,"

"No Hermione," the red head's risen voice startled the female auror, and once he realised that he raised his voice to the woman he loved her instantly grabbed her hands and held them in his own, "they tried everything, and the rest is up to Harry. They said we can do certain tests and try to spark his memory… but the chances in him making a full recovery aren't high,"

Hermione jerked her hands away from Ron, looking at him in a form of betrayal, "Well, I'm not going to sit around and watch my best friend wallow away to nothing. I'm going to help him the best I can. I'm not going to let him become insane behind four walls that serve as a form of… of… confinement,"

"You think I like the idea of my best friend becoming a prisoner in this bloody hospital as much as you do? But there isn't anything we can do, Hermione, there's nothing except our support and patience that can help Harry regain his memory," there was a long pause between the two.

"Even so, doing these tests that you say could spark his memory isn't going to work while he's stuck in an unfamiliar place. We can't sit around and wait for something that might not even happen," Hermione looked to her future husband with a pleading look, "Ronald we have to fight this, we can't have him locked away in here forever, he'll just become like the Longbottoms, becoming even more unstable the longer they're here,"

"That's not true, 'Mione, St. Mungo's is a good place as any for Harry to be safe, and didn't you hear me when I explain that the outside world can throw him into shock? We need to take one step at a time," Ron stood now, looking down at his intended bride, "Right now I want to focus on catching Cordele, there's nothing we can do here for Harry right now,"

Hermione crossed her arms in defiance and stood up as well, "Fine, let's head down to the department and get in contact with Ginny and see if she's found anything vital yet,"

One year later,

"I'm a bit nervous," Harry said sheepishly to his best friend that, to him, he's only known for a year now, "I've only been able to see through pictures and the way you guys explain it—I'm scared that it's going to be too much to handle,"

Hermione giggled, hugging her friend in the room he'd been given to stay in while he spent a year in the hospital, "You'll be fine, try not to worry about it too much. It's really great; some of the people are nice and charming,"

"I hope you're right," Harry said, "what do you think people will think… about me being released,"

His was explained countless times that he was a victim of memory loss, and after getting through the denial and arguments he accepted this and allowed his friends to explain his past life—when he could remember. Apparently he had been rather famous, looked at as a sort of hero for killing a man called Voldemort. It was all a bit much to handle at first, but he managed is after a lot of late nights of thoughtful insomnia.

"Well," Hermione smiled and pulled away from the hug, "rumors have already hit the papers, so it won't be much of a surprise; we'll have to be quick on our way to the car… so we don't attract paparazzi or unwanted cameras,"

Grabbing the only suitcase to on his possession, he smiled and motioned for Hermione to exit the room, "ladies first,"

It was mess, to say the least, when they exited the large doors of the wizard hospital. Crowds of people surrounded the two aurors and flashes caused Harry to squint his eyes (which had been corrected during his stay, he no longer had to wear those blasted glasses). Hermione scowled and did her best to shoo the strangers away as they headed to the muggle vehicle.

Hermione ushered her best friend to the passenger side of the vehicle and helped him in, showing him how to use the seatbelt and such before she shut his door and glared at the circle of people surrounding the car. She rounded the front and climbed in to the driver's side. She turned the key to start the engine and beeped the horn in a fit of frustration at the wizards that were smothering her car. They jumped and cursed at her, moving from the way and letting the two aurors drive away from the hospital.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't realize there would be so many people," she told him honestly, looking pleading to her friend for forgiveness and adverted her eyes back to the road so she wouldn't cause an accident.

Harry smiled widely, "no worries! I thought they were all amusing, it's not every day you get to see so many people at once, you know? The most people I've seen in one day had been you, Ron, Neville, Ginny, and the healers. I told you not to worry about me when I was finally released; I'm going to be fine,"

Hermione smiled thankfully, "Alright, but I can't help but worry about you because you're my best friend. So what do you think about it so far?"

"The feeling of freedom is fantastic, I've been outside loads of time in the court yard," Harry went on to explain, some of the patients were allowed to roam the courtyard and certain parts of the hospital for fresh air or entertainment, "but being outside with the free will to do whatever I please is fantastic. I never thought the outside world would be so big,"

"You haven't even seen the half of it," Hermione exclaimed.

Harry beamed, "So where are we going, anyway?"

"I'm taking you back to your house," Hermione answered, turning the car down another road, "We can't let you stay by yourself, but we're having a few of our friends come over for a reunion if you will,"

Once they arrived to 12, Grimmauld Place, Hermione helped Harry from the car and they entered the home that Harry was explained had been left to him by his deceased Godfather, and though Harry couldn't remember he knew that Sirius Black was once special to him and it gave him an uneasy feeling. Nervousness flooded his body as he traveled down the corridor-hall and approached another door that would subsequently lead into the actual home.

"Are you alright, Harry?" asked the brunette woman beside him, and he was brought from the uneasy thoughts that were floating through his mind, "you look anxious, everything's going to be fine, these people are your friends,"

"Yeah," Harry nodded in agreement, "let's do this,"

The door opened and Harry stepped in, Hermione close behind with a knowing smile. She reached for her wand and whispered a spell so that the lights in the home would turn on and the home would illuminate so that they could see. Just as the lights turned on Harry's eyes widened and he stumbled back at the amount of people waiting there for him, screaming 'surprise'.

A poster that looked like it had been drawn by a five year old floated magically above his 'friends', and had said 'welcome home, Uncle Harry'. Harry wondered for a few moments but then remembered that he had been named Godfather of Remus Lupin's son, who had frequently called him 'Uncle Harry'.

Social anxiety bubbled into the pit of his stomach and if he were given the chance he'd run to the nearest bathroom and vomit all of the squeamish feelings he had about his current situation. There were so many people, so many unfamiliar faces that he should know, that he don't know. The amount of people had been unexpected, he originally planned on seeing Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna- but no one else.

The crowd advanced on him, there was a woman holding a teal haired toddler, he assumed it must have been Teddy. There were countless red heads, he tried to put names with faces, and his current memory tried to remember all of the people Ron and Hermione told him about, but nothing was coming up. Fear and tenseness submerged him as the crowd of strangers began talking to him, each talking at the same time, updating him on their lives and asking about his.

It was too much, and an overwhelming feeling took Harry by surprise, he backed away shaking his head. He didn't like this; he didn't like being looked at by a large group of people that seemed to know him more than he knew himself. He felt naked and spied on, he felt invaded of privacy, a privacy he became fond of during his stay at St. Mungo's.

"Harry," a voice interrupted his thoughts, probably the only voice he could recognize out of the entirety of people ambushing him, "Harry, are you alright? Harry! What's wrong?"

"Hermione?" Harry asked, his vision blurring as black spots embedded into his sight, "Hermione, I don't feel so good…" and to add to his embarrassed and uneasy state, the man hunched over and threw-up all over the wooden floor of the Black Manor, it splatter onto the shoes of the people who claimed to know him, and they all shrieked and jumped away from the acid pouring from the ex-aurors body.

"Harry!" emerald eyes crossed and then closed, thankfully he felt the familiar embrace of his other best friend, Ronald Weasley, and was caught before he fell to the floor into his own waste. Darkness surrounded him and he was no longer burdened with the group of demanding people in his home.

When he came back around he woke to an unfamiliar ceiling and the comfort of a tattered and old-smelling sofa, a wool blanket that made his skin crawl with an itching feeling was draped over his body, and a warmly damp cloth was placed over his forehead (which it fell from when he groaned and sat up). He remembered the previous events and looked around the home (currently living room) that he was in. 12, Grimmauld Place.

"Harry, you're up, thank Merlin!" he could hear Hermione's voice from beside him and glanced with his eyes to the worried-stricken female. She wrapped her arms around him and with a piteous voice said, "I am so sorry, I didn't realize it would have been too much for you, I should have waited a little bit before introducing you to everyone so quickly. Oh god, can you ever forgive me?"

"Calm down Hermione," Harry replied delicately, he pulled from Hermione and gave her a smile to prove his truthfulness, "I'm alright now, it was just a bit too much, but nothing to beat yourself up over. I'm fine, everything is fine. Thank-you, for trying to throw me a welcome-back party though, that was very thoughtful,"

"I don't deserve your friendship," Hermione joked while shaking her head with a breathy laugh, "Ron and I were about to take you back to St. Mungo's. You've been out for two days; you went into a bit of a shock. I feel stupid for rushing things like that, the healers even told us not to do that, but I'm hardheaded and always think I'm right,"

A joyous and amused laugh erupted from Harry, who in return clutched his head and grunted. Hermione's eyes widened and she murmured something as she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small vile, "Here, if you drink this you'll feel better. Your head is trying to catch up with the rest of your body,"

"Thanks," he breathed as he gently took the vile and popped the lid off, drinking its contents a bit greedily so that the pounding feeling in his head would go away, once he was done he used to sleeve of his shirt to rid his lips of excess content and laid back down against the arm of the sofa, "that works wonders, 'Mione,"

She smiled thankfully; she'd made the potion herself last night. Silence fell upon them, Hermione leaned back on her heals to get a better look at Harry, she sat back and took a seat in the just as tattered and old chair diagonal from the couch, "Harry… Ron and I were talking about a few things,"

"Like what?" Harry asked happily, wondering what the newlyweds had been thinking of doing this time, "Are you going on another honeymoon…?"

"No," she shook her head, "nothing like that. We were just thinking that maybe it's a bit too soon for you to be—"

"You don't think I'm ready for the public?" Harry instantly sat up, a sneer on his face as he glared incredulously at his 'best friend', "You want to send me back to that… that prison? It isn't my fault that you decided to go out and throw a bloody party!"

"That isn't what I mean… Harry! We don't want you to go back to St. Mungo's as much as you don't, but if it's too early in your treatment it might be for the better. You're overwhelmed by the amount of pressure placed on to you, because of the fact that you're Harry Potter, not only that but you're not ready to deal with people that know you, your friends,"

"Maybe that's because those friends know more about me than I know about myself, and I haven't got a damn clue about a single one of them," he snapped, "can you imagine that, Hermione, can you imagine living with something like that? Being the only one who doesn't know who you are, seeing everyone as a stranger when they look at you as if they've known you your whole life?"

A frown graced the lips of the intelligent witch, "I can't imagine, no. But Harry, if you continue to go into shock-episodes, you're a threat to yourself and those around you. Ron and I don't want to see you get hurt,"

"I am not going back to St. Mungo's, forget that," Harry pointed, "and you're not going to force me, either,"

"I don't want you to go back to St. Mungo's, Harry, but this isn't a safe environment for you either," Hermione tried to explain, tried to make sense for her friend, but nothing seemed to work for her, he was as stubborn as he was before he lost his memory.

Harry scoffed and rolled his eyes, "and where to you presume will be a better environment for me to be…?" suddenly an idea came to Harry's mind, "It would be nice to be in an environment where I don't know anything about the people there and they don't know anything about me. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so much stress,"

"…" there was a moment of stillness, then something clicked, "that's a brilliant idea, Harry!"

Watching the witch stand from the chair and gather her things in a rush made Harry raise an eyebrow in astonishment and bemusement, "Hermione… Hermione, where are you going? Hermione!"

She turned from the door where she was leaving, she was smiling to her best friend, "I've got a few things to ask St. Mungo's, and I have a family member to contact. But hey, you stay here and get a bit of rest. Don't worry, Harry, I've got an idea, I'm going to fix things."

"O—" he was cut off by the door slamming, "kay," he finished in the silence of his own house.

ooOoo

Hermione Granger spent the next week making hundreds of phone calls, sending various letters, having meetings with a few healers, taking time off from her current case, speaking with the ministry, and checking in on Harry as much as she could each day to be sure that he was doing alright on his own for the short time that he wasn't accompanied by her or Ron.

Everything was falling under her favor, most legal documents were agreed to and signed by Harry's legal caregiver (Hermione), and were stamped with approval from both St. Mungo and the Ministry. The last thing Hermione needed to do was find a muggle telephone and get in contact with her distant relatives in America. At first she contemplated whether or not she wanted to do something so bold, something so risky—but with the support of both her husband and Harry, things weren't that bad.

America wasn't too far, and Harry said he would be okay as long as he wouldn't be left alone and without help. Hermione suggested that a 'vacation' to the States would do a deal of greatness and help Harry with fixing his social skills by meeting new people who hadn't had a clue about his identity or who he was. Not to mention there weren't any magical people anywhere near where he would be going, so he'd fit in with the muggles since his magic was no longer active; but instead dormant and unusable.

Hermione gingerly grabbed the phone attached by a cord in the phone booth, she was raised by non-magical parents so she knew how things in the muggle world worked, and she was smart enough to figure it out anyway. She pressed a few buttons, entered muggle money into the telephone and dialed the number that she was able to bury up from intense digging of American records. A familiar ringing noise entered her ears.

She breathed, unable to speak when a voice echoed through the receiving end, "Chief Swan,"

"U-uncle Charlie?" it had been such a long time since she visited her distant cousins, so long that she hadn't even known that she was a wizard when her parents took her on vacation for the Christmas holidays and they had a family gathering. She could hardly put a face with the voice on the other end, "Sorry, sir, this is… Hermione Weasley—I mean, Hermione Granger,"

"Hermione?" the voice asked in slightly taken aback tone, "as in my older sister's daughter Hermione?"

Hermione swallowed, "Yes sir, I'm sorry for not getting in touch with you sooner,"

"That's fine, I'm just glad you've actually decided to do so, what can I help you with…?" the voice seemed to surprised but eagerly excited at the same time, and it only made Hermione feel a bit guilty for semi-using the man after losing contact for such a long time.

"Sir," Hermione began nervously, "I need your help, U-Uncle Charlie… with a friend. I'm sorry for calling so abruptly and for such a reason but I truly do need your help, desperately,"

"You're family; of course I'd help you with anything I can. What's the issue with your friend?"

A long and readying sigh came from the witch, "Sir—"

"No need to call me sir, that makes me sound more intimidating than I need to be," the voice sounded friendly, almost as if Hermione could see the man smiling, "but please, continue,"

"Well, you see, one year ago my friend had an accident that damaged his brain," she tried to think of ways to explain it to a muggle so it wouldn't be suspicious, she ignored the 'I'm sorry' that came from her uncle, "he's fine now, he just suffers from extreme memory loss—and being surrounded by things that are familiar with him but not the other way around are proving difficult,"

She paused and waited for a response to see what the man thought so far, he broke the silence with, "I understand, was he previously institutionalized for recovery?"

"Yes, he was just released not the long ago, but he's undergone an episode of shock that would usually require another six months of recovery—since it were proof that he wasn't prepared for the outside world yet," she took a breath from that long explanation, "I tried to urge him back into the therapy system here in London, sir, but it's proving difficult. The facility tears him down and causes him to turn off… if you get what I mean,"

She didn't want to go into detail on how corrupt St. Mungo's had been, so she generalized it as much as she could and waited for another reply, he gave her one, "How would you like me to help…?"

"Well," she swallowed once more, apprehension clogging her airway, "I think as a substitute form of recuperation that he be surrounded by new things that wouldn't be so familiar with him, so it wouldn't cause him the stress of being something he isn't accustomed with. I don't want to bore you with technicalities and paper work, but to shorten things he needs to be around things that see him as a stranger so he won't feel like he needs to influence himself. It's terrifying for him, sir, to see hundreds of people who know him, but he doesn't know them in return. It puts an incredible amount of pressure on him, and that only adds to the stress that he's already been blessed with,"

"I understand," said Chief Swan, "I'll do whatever it is you feel I can do to help you, I'm assuming that you're thinking about having him more somewhere else, and since you've called me I'm also assuming that you want him to maybe- possibly move to America,"

Wow, the man hit it right on the nail, but then again the witch left enough clues in her long explanation that it wouldn't be hard for someone to put two-and-two together, "I hate doing this to you, knowing that we haven't exactly seen each other since I was about four, but I really need a favor. You're the only relative I've got, and Harry needs seclusion from this place for a bit… not that long, but for a while,"

"I live with my daughter, she's just moved in. She's sixteen and starting her sophomore year, but I have a guest bedroom if you're thinking of moving him here, I don't know how I feel about accepting a stranger into my home but if what you're saying is all true, I trust you enough. I'll need to talk to Bella about it before I give you a definite answer,"

"Thank-you, U-uncle Charlie, this means everything to me," Hermione told him earnestly.

"Of course, do you have a number I can reach you at when I have my answer?"

Trying to think of a way to reply, she shrugged, "No. But I can call you this coming Friday, that gives you a week to think about it and talk with Bella. How does that sound, sir?"

"I told you not to call me sir," replied the man with a chuckle, "and that's plenty of time. I'll talk to you soon, alright Hermione?"

"Yes, Uncle Charlie, have a great week, sir," and she giggled when she said the last bit, "Sorry, it's kind of hard to break habits, goodbye,"

"Goodbye,"

The line beeped and went dead. Hermione gave a relieved and accomplished sigh as she placed the phone back onto hits handle and exited the phone booth, "That wasn't so hard; I should probably go check on Harry now,"

Friday came sooner than wanted, and with a dreadful hand Hermione grabbed the telephone once more and help it up to her ear and dialed the number that belonged to her American uncle, it rang a few times and finally a voice entered her ears—a familiar voice, "Hermione?"

"Yes," she breathed, "I'm calling about your decision, sir,"

There was an agonizingly long pause, and Hermione braced herself for bed news, braced herself to be told her last resort of getting Harry's happiness back gone, but when she heard the words: "We've decided that we'd love to have your friend come stay with us, Bella said she'd be glad to help the man,"

"T-thank," she had to stop talking to hide her astonishment and nearly broken voice that betrayed her. She took a breath and composed herself, "Thank you so much for this, you don't know how grateful I am, you're forever in my debt,"

"Oh no, don't worry about things like that… w-we're family, things like that shouldn't matter,"

Trying her hardest not to squeal and cry at the same time, in the happiness and liberation that her last hope came through and her Uncle had accepted her offer, "you've done the greatest thing anyone could ever do for him, and you do realize that right? This means everything to both my husband and I, we truly can't thank you enough,"

"Don't mention it," chuckled the man, "It's nothing really. When do you plan on sending him over to the States?"

"I'll need to by a mugg-" she almost said 'muggle plane ticket', but quickly saved herself, "I'll need to invest in his plane ticket and needed things for the trip and stay, but the sooner we get him into a stable environment the better. This wasn't hard to me to arrange, hospitals don't usually condone that we take memory loss patients and move them to unfamiliar habitats, but Harry told me that it would be much better for him. Is there a certain date that would be best for you to have him show?"

"I'll need to prepare his room and get furniture for him, but any time will be good for me, as long as he's okay with it and he isn't going to cause harm onto my family I don't care when he arrives," it was so honest that Hermione had to blink for a moment to reply,

"Within two weeks, how does that sound for you?"

There was yet again another second of silence, "Sounds perfect,"

ooOoo

"Hermione, I can't thank you enough for doing this," Harry said just before he entered the terminal and onto the muggle airplane that he would be riding on to get across the ocean and to America. It was nervous, more nervous than any normal person during their first flight, he fretfully laughed, and said, "I'm starting to get second thoughts,"

His best friend simply laughed at his confession, "Don't worry so much, Harry, I promise you everything is going to be fine. I've flown before, the flight attendants are charming and I've already spoke to them about your situation, if you ever need anything you ask them alright? Charlie will meet you at the airport in Port Angeles and from there you'll go to Forks, were your temporary home will be for a bit,"

Harry clung to Hermione as if he never wanted to let go, embracing her tightly not caring if he were cutting off the woman's oxygen. He held onto her, grasping at her clothes and shaking in uneasiness, "thank you so much, you're my best friend,"

"Oi, and what about me!" Ron piped from beside the two of them, which caused Harry to laugh and throw his arm around the redhead auror and pull him into a group hug with him and Hermione.

"You both… are my best friends. Thank you so much for helping me; I'd be nothing without you,"

Ron and Hermione smile a bit sadly at their friend when he pulled away and headed to the plane, dragging his wheeled suitcase behind him and waving at them with a sheepish smile.

When he was out of sight both Ron and Hermione knew that somewhere along the way of this long journey they had lost their best friend. The past Harry and the present Harry were two different beings, in a sense, and though they were in the middle of a muggle airport, Hermione couldn't help but turn and clutch onto her husband, tears softly dripping down her face and onto his coat. He ran his hands down his hair, giving a sigh and frowning.

Their best friend was gone; at least, they believe so. What they don't know is that the Harry James Potter they once knew was still there—he just needs a bit of a push to come back. A new life was beginning for all of them, but some things never truly change…

I think this is my favourite story that I've started yet. I think it has a lot of potential behind it, and I can't wait to begin writing the next chapter (I think I'm going to actually begin on it right away, so a fast update is to be looked forward to new readers)! I hope you like the approach of this, and the next chapter will be interestingly amusing. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and will be looking forward to the next chapter of this new story (my other stories are not abandoned, don't worry!). Please give me feedback on what your opinions are. By the way, we haven't seen the last of Markus Cordele, that's just a hint into the future. x