Holly Potter and the Midlife Crisis (Hp x Mcu) by Enigmaris

Chapter 46: Who the Hell is Bucky?

Summary:

Holly and Madam Pomphrey work to remove the memory blocks in Winter's mind but he's probably not going to like what he sees.

Who the hell is Bucky?

Well there were two ways to answer that question actually. The first was that Bucky was James Buchanan Barnes, a man born in Queens, New York in March of 1917. He had three younger siblings and a mother and a father. His father had worked in a factory and his mother had been a seamstress. James Buchanan Barnes was a talented soul who was both able to excel in a classroom as well as in the boxing ring, where as an adult he would reign as champion for some time.

James Buchanan Barnes was drafted into the army during World War II and joined the 107th regiment as a sergeant. He was taken as a prisoner of war but rescued where he then joined the Howling Commandos as their sniper and strategist. He was declared dead after he was pushed off a train in 1945. Dead at the age of 28. A life with a lot of potential cut short due to the war. A story everyone was familiar with, war always took the young first. An unremarkable man at the end of the day.

The second way to answer the question 'Who the hell is Bucky?' is far less simple.

Because Bucky was Steve Rogers best friend.

Bucky was the one who met Steve as a six year old and saw how tiny and frail the kid was. Bucky was the one who saved Steve time and time again from his own stubbornness. Bucky was the one who went to Coney Island and the one who helped picked Steve up after his mom died. Bucky was the one who supported Captain America, a hero of the war.

I'm with you till the end of the line.

Except Winter wasn't with Captain America till the end of the line. He didn't know the guy. He didn't recognize him. In fact, the captain gave Bucky a weird feeling, a lingering wrongness imprinted on him from his Hydra training. He looked nothing like the blonde boy from his memories. He didn't remember fighting in WWII, he didn't remember Coney Island or hot dogs or Stark Expos or failed double dates or any of the other ridiculous things the blonde captain kept bringing up.

And each time Winter shook his head, Steve's face became more and more desperate.

He was starting to feel a little bad.

"Steve." Holly said. "Calm down. He doesn't remember."

"But he...he remembers me."

"I don't remember you." Winter said. "I remember my kid, you're not him."

Steve flinched.

"I gotta admit." Tony Stark said. "I never thought the serum would give you this sort of problem Cap."

"Look." Holly cut in again before Steve could start fighting Tony. "We can solve this now if Winter is willing, my magic is back under control and Madam Pomphrey is here to help monitor. We can remove the blocks Hydra inserted into his mind and his memories should be back."

"It will be painful." One of the witches Winter had yet to meet said. "Removing memory blocks that is. I've done it before, and the patient is always incredibly disoriented. If he's missing as many memories as you believe, then he'll likely be bed ridden for a day or so as part of the recovery process."

"We'll only do this if Winter agrees." She said looking at Steve. "It's him that will have to go through that pain and it's him who will have to carry whatever memories Hydra decided he should forget."

"Right." Steve said. "Winter, do you want to remove the blocks now?"

Winter shifted in his seat. On one hand that was what Steve Rogers wanted him to do which made something in him lurch. On the other hand it was going to lay him up for a while and if he was laid up then Holly would have a chance to run off and do something stupid. That made him not want to do it twice.