Before I Forget

Original Paste: https://pastebin.com/nW9iHfi3
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"No more planning until we get into that last vault." Her words echo in your mind, as you descend into the winding depths of the castle. A mixture of giddiness and unease washes over you, as you approach the destination you've longed for these past seven years- the final Cursed Vault.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Merula's voice rings out in the eerie silence, as her hands grasp your shoulders from behind. "We're so close! I can't begin to imagine what we'll find!" Her excited tone still seems alien to the cold tease you knew in your early years. "I'll bet they gloss right over you when they hear the greatest witch in Hogwarts found the final Cursed Vault." There it is.

For hours, the two of you have been following an ancient map and several vague riddles, unearthed over this past year. As you begin to doubt whether they are truly related to your quest, you hear a startled gasp from your companion. Looking up from the map, you see the cause. Beyond a small alcove at the end of the corridor, a light blue-white fog emanates from behind a stone door.

"This is it, this has to be it!" Her grasp on your shoulders tightens as excitement grabs her. You can't help but share in the feeling, as you clench the map in your hands, in victory. She moves to your side, "There's no way I'm letting myself come second to you... but I suppose I wouldn't mind tying for first. You should feel lucky that I'm so gracious."

Side by side, you both approach the door, finally catching sight of the engraving etched into its surface. "There is no glory beyond this door." Another riddle? Another warning? The two of you turn to each other upon seeing these words. An unspoken acknowledgement passes between you. Despite all the teasing and goading, seeking glory wasn't what lead you here. Maybe in your earlier years, but you've both grown past that. Instead, a sense of responsibility and the fulfillment of a promise have taken the reins.

You share a determined nod, before turning back to the door, raising your wands in unison. As the door opens, you remind yourself that you have prepared for anything. Almost anything.

Beyond the door, lies a cold room, dimly lit by the same fog that seeped through the doorframe. Beyond a small set of steps, on the opposite side of the room, you can make out the vague figure of a person slumped against another door. No... did someone beat you to this place? After all your hard work, someone else breached the final vault before you?

"There's no way, that..." Merula's unsteady voice trails off as she hesitantly approaches, the excitement you shared just moments ago all but vanished. You manage to regain your composure by the time she reaches the steps, and move to catch up with her. However, she stands motionless, her breath caught in her throat, before she turns to you. You break your gaze away from the body momentarily, confused by her movements. There is terror in her eyes, accompanied by sadness and what seems to be compassion. "Anon, I'm so so sorry. I didn't think we..." She advances towards you, arms outstretched - in a hug, or to stop you?

You feel flush as a chain reaction sets off in your head. What does she mean? What is she doing? Who is...

It doesn't take long for you to process, and you freeze, stunned both by your realization and your emotions. Merula collides with you, her arms wrapping behind your back, her head resting on your shoulder. "Please, please let's just go back. We found the vault, we finally did what we set out to do. Let's just leave, you shouldn't have to see this." She pleads with you, as you hear her struggle to hold back tears.

Part of you wants to give in to her request, but somewhere deep inside, you know there is still more to do. You know you would never be able to rest knowing you turned back so close to your goal. Struggling to contain yourself, you return Merula's embrace, "You know I can't - we can't - turn back now. No matter what." Her arms tighten around you, before she releases her grip and takes a step back from you. Wiping her red eyes with the sleeves of her robe, she nods and whispers back "I know."

She once more moves to your side, grasping your hand firmly this time, and you both steadily advance. Upon reaching the steps, you finally see clearly what your mind had already concluded you would. The figure slumped against the door is the unmoving corpse of your brother, Jacob. Lost years before you started coming to Hogwarts, Jacob became the subject of many rumors that haunted your enrollment. And  here you find the rumors to be true. Jacob had set out to find the Cursed Vaults, and found at least this one, but met his end.

Gathering your strength, you climb the steps and close the distance to the body. As more details become clear, you realize that what you see before you is the exact same Jacob that you remember leaving for Hogwarts all those years ago, perfectly preserved. Your mind continues racing until Merula points out a quill and paper lying on the ground next to him.

You hesitate, none too eager to approach a dead body, much less that of your own brother. But you are driven. You weren't prepared for anything like this, but you know you can't turn back now. Reaching out, despite your head screaming out in protest, you grab the paper and pull it close. Stepping back, as if afraid of reprisal from your brother, you begin to read the words scrawled across the page.

"There is no glory beyond this door.

I will not move from this spot, but I do not know why. My legs and arms still work, but they must remember my purpose better than I. I think the door must hide something, but the words escape me. Did I come from inside? Do I belong here? I can feel the door struggle to open, am I holding it closed?

I want to apologize, but I can no longer tell who I owe an apology to.

Who wrote this?"

A chill runs down your spine. This is unmistakably his handwriting - the letters you kept from before his disappearance tell you as much - but this writing doesn't feel like his style. Countless questions run through your head - how could it be that you've run into yet another riddle now?

Merula reads the note in your shaking hand, and tightens her grip. "Wh-what do you think it means? Do you think he got inside, but backed out?" It's clear she's forcing herself to speak, as if she doesn't know how to handle the situation and is trying her hardest to focus on the goal. "Was he forced to stay here?"

You've never considered the possibility of actually seeing your brother again, and finding him in this manner makes it near impossible to think clearly, but her voice breaks the silence once again, "Anon, I-I know this is hard, I think I know what you're feeling right now, but you have to remember. Please, remember, all you've put into this, all WE put into this, and what he must have too. If we were strong enough to get here, the two of us can get past what he couldn't." You begin to remember when such support would have been impossible to goad out of Merula, when her snide remarks about your brother and yourself were all that passed through her lips. And you remember when those same lips uttered her first words of genuine concern late in your fourth year. At your lowest point, she was the one who helped build you up as you had tried to do for her. Here at another low point, you remind yourself that the greatest witch in Hogwarts stands at your side, and wants to succeed with you, not in spite of you.

Grief-stricken, you collect yourself with renewed determination. You look Merula in the eyes and do your damndest to work out what might have happened and how best to proceed. Given the contents of the note, you believe that Merula was correct in her assumption that Jacob breached the vault. However, something must have affected him within, and caused him to withdraw, though it seems it might have been too late. Maybe the vault wouldn't close behind him, and he chose to station himself in such a way that he would be the seal. His memory seemed to have left him - could that be the curse contained within the vault? Perhaps he was unable, or unwilling, to dispel whatever the source of the curse turned out to be?

With much consideration, you realize that opening the vault and dispelling the curse-source must be a full commitment, as backing out may lead to the same fate as Jacob. Merula embraces you once again, trembling at the thought of the vault's contents. "Look, we just have to remember, once this is all over we can start planning, like I promised. Keep that in mind and we can do this." It sounds like she's trying to convince herself more than she is you. You return her embrace in full, and break after some time.

The pair of you move towards the door, and with as much respect as your quaking limbs allow, move Jacob's corpse from the door. As you do, the seal on the door lets out a small whisper-like sound as a dark-grey fog begins to seep out of the cracks. You quickly steady yourselves before the door, wands at the ready once more, and move to open it enough to pass through. More of the fog begins to escape, washing over the room, even past the entrance and into the hall behind.

Two braziers stand to each side of pedestal in the center of the room ahead. Full, bright flames flicker within each, the smoky fog pouring out steadily. Upon the pedestal appears to be another engraving, set before a cushion with a translucent sphere at its center.

You both advance into the room, doing your best to ignore the growing unease within yourselves. As you approach, you begin to understand why Jacob might have turned back. "Did I eat today?  What did I have? Don't I have a pet I should be tending to? What was its name? Where was I born?" A number of questions pop into your head for brief moments, before you realize that you do not recall any of the answers. You look to Merula, who seems to be struggling with the same realization.

"The smoke, it's got to be doing something with our memories. That warning out there must be it, there's no glory if you can't remember what you've done!" A panic spread across her face, before you call out for her to rush to the pedestal at your side. You recognize that you have moments before the fog moves from your weakest memories to your strongest, like it must have done to Jacob. The thought of losing her to this curse strengthens your resolve as you drag Merula with you to the pedestal.

"Abandon all glory." A simple inscription, and yet you both understand what is meant by the foreboding message. This one isn't a warning, it's an instruction. It almost feels as if the message is telling you exactly what is required to dispel this curse. The riddles that lead to this point seem to all fall into place.

"The fog takes our memories, but breaking the curse takes the memories OF us." Merula chokes up as her quick mind puts the puzzle together. "Unless we want to follow Jacob's example, the only way to keep the fog from pouring out over the school... We have to give up on any possibility of glory from finding and dispelling the vaults." She casts her gaze over to you, obviously coming to the worst possible situation, "If one of us does this, no one will remember what we've done, or even who we were."

The implications hit like a ton of bricks, as the fog takes from you the memories of your first-year classmates. Did you ever visit Hogsmeade? What was your second-year class schedule? You realize it's not long before you forget the most important thing in your heart, but it seems that this memory might be lost no matter what you do.

Merula's expression turns to dismay as she seems to come to the same conclusion. In another moment of genuine emotion she cries out, "I won't let you do this, I can't bear to forget you. Not after everything we've been through together. Not after the promises of what will happen in the future!"

Was she always this sentimental?

"Then we do it together. We've solved these riddles together, we've breached the vault together, we will dispel this final curse together. We'll go together." Tears fall from your face as you let loose your desperation and love. Merula's dismay turns to shock, then to understanding.

She rushes into you, burying her gushing eyes into your shoulder, "We'll go together." You share one last tender embrace, and a passionate kiss, professing your undying love for one another, knowing fully that this moment will soon fade regardless of your actions.

You join hands with Merula once again, your fingers rubbing across the ring you placed upon her finger. When was that?

You raise your wands as one, and channel your dispelling magic towards the now-translucent sphere upon the pedestal.

==

Across the castle, a powerful Occlumens felt a disturbance at the defenses upon his mind. Despite his proficiency in this art, Snape's defenses could only warn him of this attack on his memories, rather than prevent them. His quick wits, and recent events still fresh in his mind, drove him to a single conclusion.

"No!" Snape's outburst interrupted the deafening silence in his quarters. "You damned fools! I warned you away from that place!" But even then he realized his warning only served to push the students along their path. His determination to guide the young lovers together and keep them from harm finally met with failure.

In this moment, he once more knew despair; that very same deep despair that he felt with the loss of Lily. "I will not let you take this from me." He thought to himself, cursing the fates that had led to this, "I will keep them with me." He knew that unlike Lily, whose memory still dwelled within his heart, this loss would be permanent if he did not act quickly. There was no way to rectify the actions of his students, but he may yet be able to preserve their memory.

He quickly produced a series of flasks and a blank plaque. He set tools aside and charmed them to begin inscribing the plaque at his instructions, while he began the painful task of extracting his memories.

    Among the first was the memory of the Snyde girl and Anon in his potions class. He saw something in them, something familiar, that touched one of the few remaining soft spots in the professor's hardened heart. With some minor touches, he managed to push the two together to share the same cauldron. Though they were antagonistic, he felt their similar backgrounds would eventually bring them together.

Strand by strand were produced from Snape's temple. One flask filled.

    More bits and pieces here and there, as Snape subtly fed information to each of the two. Never enough for them to make it on their own; always just enough that they would need to work together in their self-proclaimed goals of locating the vaults. Even this early on, Snape recalled his reservations given the nature of the final vault, but believed that if he could bring them together early enough, they would abandon their quest with companionship.

The tools continued their delicate task, etching Snape's words into the previously-blank plaque. Two flasks.

    Pangs of remorse struck  Snape's heart as he recalled their third year. The two still had not been brought together like he thought, but their edges were dulling. At least until the latter part of the year. A series of events lead to a disaster as Merula's support, poor though they were, collapsed underneath her. The only people she could call allies abandoned her, and a friend who betrayed her in the past seemed to taunt her as she befriended Anon. Merula's state of mind seemed to deteriorate and it almost seemed to be too late when Anon finally caught on. It wasn't until late in the year that he began to soften towards Merula and offer his support in earnest.

Snape began to feel the effects of the vault's final curse, as select others in Hogwarts would. He hastened his pace, dread manifesting as he worried his remaining memories would deteriorate before he could siphon them. Three flasks closed.

    Fourth year, a swell of happiness as Snape observed and only mildly meddled Anon's growing support of Merula, despite her protests. Her insults maintained their sharpness, but only in public. When they were placed in detention or made to study together, she showed signs of regret, and even thankfulness to Anon's kindness. Though it was still clear she did not know how to respond to such alien treatment.

    Another betrayal struck, this time against Anon, as another close friend took an opportunity to turn his other friends against him. Anon now knew isolation as Merula did, but it did not prove to be true isolation, as she came to his rescue at a vital moment. His injury and internment in the Hospital Wing provided the prime environment for the two to finally call each other friends.

Snape did not let the growing fatigue stop him, his fourth flask filled to the brim with emotional memories.

    Their fifth year, Anon was continuing to recover from his betrayal, with Merula at his side as his sole remaining support. However, Snape felt he knew better than to allow them to remain friends. The shared experiences the two had would draw them closer, even if he had to give them a little push. Throughout the year, Merula actually managed to make a few acquaintances, due in part to growing maturity of her peers, and her genuine talent. Anon also rebuilt his circle of friends, showcasing the things he had learned with Merula at his side, as well as her redeeming qualities. She and Anon began to depend more on one another, though still taking any opportunities they could to be belligerent. Their teasing of each other became much more playful, and there were occasional moments of romance as they realized their attraction to each other.

    Finally, in their sixth year, Snape's efforts seemed to finally pay off. Though he began to doubt the degree to which he helped, and considered they may have come this far without his help. Nonetheless, he witnessed the bloom of true romance as the two took their first dates to Hogsmeade, an occasional sneak to the Forbidden Forest to listen to Anon's muggle music, and escapades into some of the remaining Cursed Vaults. Snape took an important opportunity to manipulate them into viewing the Mirror of Erised - a moment of particular pride, until he witnessed their ignorance to the artifact's power.

Just one more year, if he could capture this final year... Why was he even doing this? To prolong his own despair? For some selfish desire to demonstrate his ability to manipulate these teenagers? He struggled to dismiss these thoughts, believing that - regardless of his intentions - these students should not be forgotten for all the effort and talent that they displayed over the years. If the story of their growing affection was included, then all the greater. Six flasks.

    The current year, Anon and Merula's seventh year at Hogwarts, saw them building and strengthening their relationships with acquaintances and new and old friends - but most importantly, each other. Their relationship was in full bloom, as was their desire to find the final Cursed Vault, to Snape's dismay. Between their studies and romantic escapes, they put forth their combined talents to locating this well-hidden place. Snape chose to cease his meddling, as he believed himself to be partially responsible for their successes thus far.

    Despite his lack of involvement, Snape was surprised to find the pair had stumbled upon a trove of information related to their mission and were nearing their goal in early spring. Desperate to save them from a grave mistake, Snape put together a plan to steal all of their collected notes and materials during the Spring Gala. However, fate seemed to conspire against him, as Dumbledore kept him busy during most of the night, allowing him off just before the Gala came to an end. As Snape snuck off and donned the Cloak of Invisibility, he came upon a scene that brought him as much pain as it did joy.

    Anon, in his finest evening wear, walking away from the event, arm in arm with Merula Snyde. Her evening gown, and silvered Slytherin necklace somehow perfectly complimenting her signature messy hair and boots. Just before they arrived at a grand staircase, Anon loosened his arm and paused. Merula took a moment to look back, and by then, Anon had already lowered to his knee. Her face instantly flashed red, in anger and embarrassment, looking around to ensure there were no witnesses to this moment.

    "No! No! No! You don't honestly expect to pull such a lame move on the greatest witch in Hogwarts and come away happy! I can't believe you would-" She stammered out a response with tears forming in her eyes, but was interrupted as Anon piped up. "Merula Snyde, the cutest witch at Hogwarts, would you accept this ring?" Her instincts and years of pushing others away fought with her newfound fondness of Anon, before she finally fell to her knees. With tears running down her face, she cried out "You're an idiot. I hate you. I will destroy you. Why are you doing this?" Anon simply stood with his arm extended outwards, holding a ring, and stared into her eyes. She continued blubbering out insults, before finally calming down and extended her own arm towards his, allowing him to place the ring on her finger. Anon closed the distance and pulled her into a hug, as she whispered into his should "I will. You're an idiot, but I will."

    Snape felt an instinctive disgust at the moment, but something else as well. How could this boy - this young man, do something so... He could not help but feel proud. Recollecting himself as the young couple spoke softly to each other on the floor, Snape attempted to pass them onto the stairs. He had only moments to complete his task before he missed his opportunity, but the scene he had just witnessed conflicted with his sense of urgency. As he finally pushed himself onwards to the stairs, he overheard something Merula whispered. "Fine, but no more planning until we get into that last vault. We already have so much to deal with, and adding another thing to focus on is just going to make everything a mess." Snape's resolve was tested, and finally broke, as he abandoned his task for another night.

    One final memory of the two, came days later, after Snape had failed to confiscate anything they had gathered in regards to the final Cursed Vault. In his desperation. he concluded that the only approach that could work would be a direct confrontation with the pair, and so set to meet them in a corridor one night. "Anon. Snyde." He belted out in the hall as they passed his class. The two winced, and turned to the professor, awaiting retribution for whatever mistake - imagined or not - he caught them making. He beckoned them inside the room, closing it behind them.

    "I do not wish to waste my time or yours and will skip straight to the point." Snape began in his usual flat admonishing tone, "I know of your goals with regards to the final Cursed Vault, and I hereby forbid you from continuing in your search. You are to turn over all of your notes and materials to me by next class, or be expelled from the school." Such an extreme threat was hard to deliver, considering his reluctant fondness for the students, but felt like it would be the only means left to stop them.

    Merula and Anon snapped back, angered by the threat. They argued with Snape for some time before Merula stomped out of the room, close to boiling over, cursing the professor. Anon turned to stop her, but the door slammed before he could make it halfway across the room. He was left alone with a fuming Snape, trying his best to keep calm while unable to explicitly explain his motives. The curses laid upon the final vault affected all within Hogwarts, preventing its nature from escaping their lips. An awkward atmosphere filled the room where Anon and Snape stared each other down, each unwilling to budge. Before long, Snape finally sighed and let out an uncharacteristic plea, "Do what you must Anon, but understand that there will be no escaping the consequences of your actions. Please reconsider."

    Caught off guard, the red color vanished from Anon's face and he remained speechless for some time, before responding, "I understand, but this is something I must do. I can't back down after coming this far." He turned to the door and began to leave, but before exiting the potion master's classroom, he turned back one last time, meeting Snape's eyes and simply said, "Thank you."

The last memory of Anon and Merula finally placed within the seven flasks, each filled with numerous silvery strands, Snape finally let his growing fury at his helplessness out. He smashed his fists against the desks and tables, yelled out in frustration, whipped furniture and books across the room with his wand and finally collapsed on the floor, his face burning and streaks of wetness flowing down his cheeks.

A moment later, he gathered himself. He felt his hot cheeks, wiped away the water he must have spilled on them and felt his eyes were flooded. He did not understand why he felt a residual anger and sadness, and looked upon the remains of his room. Strewn across the floor were papers and quills, books and chairs, candles and glass. He looked around the room for some mysterious intruder. Had he been attacked? Did he do this? When he finally got to his feet to assess the situation, his eyes settled on one large desk, adorned with a number of silvery flasks and a single plaque. He approached the desk, clearing his eyes, and read the beautifully-etched plaque.

"Merula Snyde & Anon"

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Epilogue: https://pastebin.com/X46gLvrq