#memory modification

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25709716/chapters/62425459

Footsteps of a Stranger 

infiniteleecity

Chapters: 12/14 (Work in Progress)  Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Daphne Greengrass/Theodore Nott Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson Additional Tags: Post-Hogwarts, Not Canon Compliant, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Memory Alteration Summary:

Snarry Rating: T Hurt/No Comfort

Harry never liked to bother him while he was brewing. Rather, he shouldn’t bother him. The sharply focused, don’t-need-any-distractions Potions Master had made it abundantly clear. Granted, the man wanted to be left alone every hour of every day, but we can’t always get what we want.

The smell was intoxicating—warm molten chocolate, with a hint of fresh peppermint. Harry couldn’t help but be curious. What potion was this? Was it Amortentia? Harry loved a steaming cup of peppermint cocoa, but he wasn’t sure it got him off.

He peeked into the Potions classroom, admiring the entranced long-haired male as he stirred the potion in slow, continuous strokes.

“Potter,” said the man, not lifting his gaze from the cauldron.

Harry jumped back, pressing his back against the wall. Shit.

“I know you’re there.”

Harry took a deep breath, opened the door fully, and entered the classroom. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bother you.”

‘You’ve always been a terrible liar,” drawled Severus.

Harry threw caution to the wind and walked over to the man. “I was bored. You’ve been at it for hours. Has to be nearly done, isn’t it?” He leaned over the cauldron, his shoulder brushing against Severus.“What is it?”

Severus sighed, taking a small step sideways—away from Harry. “Hot chocolate.”

“What? Really? I didn’t know you were the domestic type, Sev.”

Severus stiffened. “As I have told you before, you shall address me as Professor or sir.”

“Alright, sir. Can I have some?”

Severus stole a side glance at Harry, who gave him a smug grin. “It’s laced with a strong sleeping potion. I don’t think you’d enjoy collapsing to the floor in the middle of my classroom.”

Harry scrunched up his face in confusion. “Why?”

The Potions Master sighed, finally abandoning his stirring. “Madam Pomfrey wanted a more...pleasant way to administer it to patients. She thought it would be. Festive.” Severus grimaced.

“What? You a Scrooge or something?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know. Scrooge. Hate’s Christmas. Haunted by spirits. Eventually likes Christmas.” Harry’s face brightened. “I know! I need to be your Christmas spirit!”

“I think I’ll pass. Now, I’m quite busy if you don’t mind.”

“You’re always busy. You don’t take time for me anymore,” Harry pouted.

Severus clenched his fists, turning toward the boy. “Potter, you are delusional. I have never made time for you. You make time for me. Time I do not have.”

Harry stepped toward Severus, clutching the front of his robes. “How can you be so cruel? Can’t you see? I can’t stay away. I’ve tried. I fucking love you, and you won’t let me.”

Severus’ cheeks pinked, shifting uncomfortably under Harry’s intense stare. “Impossible.”

“Why? Is it so hard for you to grasp that someone could actually love you?”

“This isn’t love. It is an obsession.” He grasped Harry’s wrist, releasing the hand from his robes.

“Can I kiss you?” asked Harry, his eyes locked on Severus’ thin pale lips.

“No.”

Harry leaned forward slightly. “Are you sure?”

“If this is your sick idea of a joke, Potter, I’ll ask you once more. Leave. Me. The fuck. Alone.”

Harry’s face fell. “It isn’t. Maybe at first, but...the longer I watched you. You’re so fucking beautiful, Sev.”

Severus did not correct him. Harry’s flushed look of embarrassment betrayed his true feelings. He lifted a reluctant hand to Harry’s cheek. “Are you sure?” he echoed.

“Yes,” Harry breathed. He leaned forward, closing his eyes. Something hot and wet touched Harry’s lips, but it wasn’t Severus’.

“I’m sorry,” said Severus, as he poured a small cup of hot chocolate into Harry’s mouth. 

Instantly, the boy slackened, and Severus caught him. Gazing down at the sleeping boy, he admired the softness of his cheeks, the delicate curve of his dark lashes, his pump pink lips. “Why must you be so beautiful? I’m sorry, Harry.” 

He had never called him by his given name before. It was too intimate. If he started now, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. “Darling, Harry.” He brushed a lock of raven hair from the boy’s brow. 

“But you will never be mine.” Severus leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on the lightning-shaped scar. “Live your life. Find happiness. Find...love.”

Severus pulled out his wand. He replaced desire with disgust—love for loathing. Tears poured down Severus’ cheeks. “I love you,” he whispered. “Now, and for always.”

-

Original Ao3 Post

#12: Modify Memory

5th level enchantment (bard, cleric [trickery], wizard)

This spell gives the caster the ability to overwrite a creature’s memories. At base level, the spell is capable of modifying memories that were made within the day, but as the spell slot used to cast it increases, it can reach further and further back in a creature’s memory, even eventually reaching any memory the creature has made in their life if it’s cast at ninth level.

It’s also capable for the caster to remove memories the creature has all together.

While it doesn’t necessarily affect a creature’s behavior, given that we as people are the sum of our memories, it certainly has that potential.

This spell can be lifted, however, by use of a Remove Curse or Greater Restoration.

Prompts:

A creepy and possessive whumper rewrites the whumpee’s memories to cast themself as someone the whumpee trusts, respects, obeys, and maybe even loves, while rewriting anyone who would try to rescue whumpee as villainous or dangerous.

A whumpee’s memories of their time with their whumper are erased, leaving them with only scars and their missing time remaining as any proof they were ever held captive at all.

Woken by horrible nightmares of their time with whumper, whumpee begs caretaker to make it stop, so the caretaker Modifies their memory to erase the worst parts as maybe they’re cautious about the detriments of erasing that portion of time fully or they just aren’t able. Caretaker might feel bad about it, but seeing whumpee sleep soundly for the first time since their rescue makes that sourness in them ease.

To prevent classified or important information from falling into the hands of the enemy, whumpee’s superiors have their memory modified before they are eventually captured or maybe exchanged for another person. Maybe the information is changed so it’s inaccurate and useless, maybe anything about the classified info is flatly erased, or maybe if whumpee’s superiors are either especially cruel or desperate, whumpee’s entire memory is erased.

Whumper Modifies whumpee’s memories to give them embarrassingly mundane fears like a fear of chairs or pillows or doorways and just sits back and laughs at whumpee’s discomfort.

A whumper Modifies whumpee’s last memory of their friends and loved ones before they were captured, turning what in truth was a very sweet and cherished moment into something heartbreaking, perhaps convincing them that the whumpee that their friends were the ones that handed them over to whumper in the first place and had simply been pretending to be their friends. (bonus: imagine the rescue scenario if whumpee’s friends actually do come, how confused they’d be at whumpee’s claims they betrayed them to whumper before they realize what happened)

A whumper wipes a whumpee’s memory entirely and enjoys how naive and gullible they are as they gradually start sculpting whumpee--who now doesn’t know any better--into the shape the whumper desires.

A whumpee gets the upper hand in a fight against their whumper and Modifies their memory to make them not only forget their time torturing whumpee, but make them see whumpee as an equal rather than someone to torment. This might have the unintended affect of making the whumper want to be friends with whumpee but unable to understand why whumpee flinches away from them.

a whumper messing with whumpee by altering small details of their day and history. Little things that realistically they should know, like their mother’s maiden name or their birthday or what whumper did to them the day before. A bunch of small things that snowballs into whumpee no longer being able to trust their own memory.

A whumpee whose memories have been Modified being finally broken free of it after years of living assuming those memories are true suddenly having to grapple with the dissonance between what has turned out to be their fake memories and their real ones and the implications of it all.

Title: Utterly Despicable

Author: camnz

Genre: Drama/Romance

Chapters: 24

Word Count: 46,360