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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Dec 9, 2009 9:52:56 GMT -5
Before Aurelia could respond, the door opened and Kieran walked in. He was pale, and the dark circles under his eyes stood out in stark contrast. A lock of hair hung down over his eyes and he just looked… drained. Nevertheless, he smiled as he saw them. It was fairly obvious that it didn’t exactly reach his eyes.
“Hi, Aurelia,” he said in his quiet voice. “And you must be Henri. It’s very nice to meet you.” He held out his hand for the other man to shake. “I’m Kieran.”
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Post by Henri Gillet on Dec 9, 2009 17:20:59 GMT -5
The door opening caught Henri's attention. He observed the man that walked into the room and he obviously knew who it was before he introduced himself. His appearance made Henri remember what Aurelia told him about Kieran. He fought the frown that wanted to visibly form, and put own a light smile instead.
"Yes, I am." Henri reached his hand out to shake Kieran's. "It's nice to meet you too," he said politely.
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Dec 9, 2009 22:24:27 GMT -5
Kieran shook hands with Henri, silently surveying the man. Aurelia's letter hadn't been very detailed; she only stated that she had a friend that she suspected had been a victim of a memory charm. He had readily agreed to examine the man. Not only was he glad to help a friend, but this was a case that would probably be less stressful than the ones he usually seemed to get. Of course, memory charms usually couldn't be reversed with a simple spell, and sometimes, they couldn't be reversed at all. But at least it wasn't life-threatening.
"OK, can you explain the situation to me? What makes you think you've been put under a memory charm?"
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Post by Henri Gillet on Dec 9, 2009 23:03:24 GMT -5
Henri glanced over to Aurelia before looking back to Kieran. "I don't remember anything about Aurelia," he said honestly. "It's as if she had been wiped from my memory. I don't remember her from school, or anything like that. Just one day, I decided to move my family from France to here. I don't even remember the reason as to why."
He bit the inside of his cheek. "And I know that Aurelia isn't just making anything up because she knows my favorite song to hear on the piano and no one else knows that but my mere and sister. Plus, I don't think that she would just go around to random people, pretending that she knows them." At his last comment, he looked to her and gave her a smile before clearing it off his face and looking back to Kieran. "I'm not sure what else could explain it."
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Post by Aurelia Krizova on Dec 10, 2009 0:01:41 GMT -5
Aurelia nodded. "We went to school together," she filled in. "We were... well, I was going to run away with him and get married, instead of marrying... my husband. Something happened, and he disappeared the day I was supposed to marry my husband... and now Henri remembers nothing of our time together. I know it probably sounds crazy, but you know me... I wouldn't make this up. I think someone used a memory charm on him to keep him away from me."
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Dec 10, 2009 0:21:47 GMT -5
Kieran frowned. "Well, I'm going to tell you up front, if a memory charm was used, there's a chance that the memories will never be fully recovered. Most memory charms don't completely obliviate the memories; there are usually pieces that still remain. I won't be able to recover them with a simple spell or potion, either. There are some treatments we can do, but they'll take time, and there's no guarantee they'll be effective. But I'll do what I can."
What troubled him most was that Henri's memory loss seemed specifically targeted. Most memory charms blocked out whole blocks of time, or specific events that took place in a single time period. But for all memories of a specific person to be wiped out, that showed some definite skill. When the memory charm was done by someone who knew what they were doing, it was that much harder to reverse.
"OK, I'm going to give you a quick examination, so I can determine if it was a memory charm. Could you lie back on the bed and close your eyes?"
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Post by Henri Gillet on Dec 10, 2009 6:23:16 GMT -5
He had always wondered what was going on with him because there were a few pieces of his memory he couldn't get to, it was like it was a blank piece of the puzzle or something.
Henri was relieved that he was finally going to find something out, especially about why he couldn't remember Aurelia. It was obviously something wrong, after all he wouldn't have just forgotten, nor would he have just done it to himself. A memory charm, after all, was not his strongest charm.
He nodded and then squeezed Aurelia's hand once again before letting go as he slid back on the bed and laid down.
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Post by Aurelia Krizova on Dec 10, 2009 15:33:32 GMT -5
Aurelia was disappointed to hear that Henri might never recover his memories of her, but she tried not to let it show on her face. If he couldn't get his memories back, they would just have to make new ones. They would, anyway, right? Ultimately, the past didn't matter nearly as much as the present. And they had each other now... They would figure it out somehow.
Without a word, Aurelia got to her feet, leaving Henri to lie down as instructed. She stood aside and waited for whatever Kieran had to say.
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Dec 10, 2009 23:23:25 GMT -5
It took a few minutes to run the scan. In addition to performing a sort of magical x-ray on the brain, he also used a spell similar to Occlumency to attempt to call forth the memories in question. After several minutes, Kieran frowned and took a step back. "Yes, it's definitely a memory charm," he said, shaking his head. "A very good one, too. Whoever did this knew exactly what he was doing."
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The good news is, I don't think they've been completely erased. There seems to be something there... maybe you won't remember everything, but there are things we can do to help. I'll give you a memory-enhancing potion. Just take it every day, twice a day. Once in the morning and once when you go to bed at night. And you could try doing things you've done before together... see if it brings back any memories. If you're really desperate, we could try hypnotherapy... but I don't know if it will work, especially if I can't access the memories using Occlumency. I'm sorry I don't have better news."
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Post by Henri Gillet on Dec 11, 2009 7:37:04 GMT -5
While Kieran did the exam, Henri laid still with his eyes closed. When he was done, Henri opened his eyes and listened to the results.
He sat up. "Some news is better than none at all," Henri responded. "Besides, it is good news that not everything has been erased." He was being optimistic, as usual. If the potion really worked then that would be great, but even if it didn't that would be okay too. Henri knew that there was something there, so if things were meant to be, things would work out and Henri wouldn't stop until he found out if lightning could really strike twice.
"I can start the potion and see where that goes." He didn't want to do everything at once, especially if the hynotherapy probably wouldn't work. It would take time for something to work, and felt sure that even if he did have his full memory, things wouldn't just go back to the way they had been before. But then again, if he had his full memory he would have met Aurelia and taken her away eleven years ago.
"Thank you for your all your help," said Henri with a smile.
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Post by Kieran Michael Dawn on Dec 11, 2009 22:11:32 GMT -5
Kieran smiled slightly and nodded at him. "I'm sorry I can't do more. Memory charms are pretty dangerous in the wrong hands. I've seen them botched and abused and they can leave people... destroyed. But hopefully, the potion will help."
Kieran found himself wondering, for just a moment, whether he would be better off if he didn't remember how much he had lost. If perhaps someone made him forget all about Ivy, would it be easier for him? Would it hurt less? The loss of Chelsea and his father was bad enough...
He shook his head. No... no, he wouldn't want to forget about Ivy and how much he had loved her. He felt sure that the lack of even the memories of her would make him feel just as empty--if not more empty--than he felt already.
"I'll... I'll go get some of that potion for you," Kieran said, turning around and walking to the door.
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Post by Henri Gillet on Dec 12, 2009 18:20:35 GMT -5
"You've done plenty," Henri said without a beat. It was obvious that someone didn't want Henri and Aurelia together, especially since it was just a specific part of his memory. However, fate decided to intervene and caused them to cross paths again. He was going to do what he could to make the most of it while he could. Maybe, just maybe, if they were together more, he would remember something, even if it was just something small.
As Kieran headed toward the door, Henri spoke out again. "Merci, beaucoup." He looked to Aurelia for any kind of reaction.
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Post by Aurelia Krizova on Dec 13, 2009 15:36:52 GMT -5
Aurelia felt a curious mixture of emotions. She was relieved to know that a memory charm was definitely the reason why Henri didn't remember her. She was also angry at whomever had been responsible for it. Because of that person, Aurelia had been subjected to abuse and her daughter had been in danger. She was also disappointed that the memories might not come back, and yet, happy that they had another chance to start over.
"Thank you, Kieran," she told him as he was leaving. Any other time, she might have been concerned about the way he seemed to withdraw from them so abruptly, but at the moment, she was fixated on the confusing circumstances she now found herself in.
When Henri looked at him, she let out a breath. "Well, at least now we know. And I don't feel like I'm going crazy. And even if you don't get your memories back, at least we have a chance to start again. Most people never get that chance."
Like Kieran. She imagined that if he had another chance to start all over again with Ivy, he would take it, even if she didn't remember him.
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Post by Henri Gillet on Dec 13, 2009 16:09:57 GMT -5
"Maybe I'll get back a few memories, but even if that doesn't happen, we'll make the most of it." Aurelia was right, not everyone would get a chance to start again. That reason was why Henri was going to make the most of it. Not ever one was able to get a second chance, and for some odd reason, fate was letting them have another one. He was going to take what he could get, after all if he didn't take this chance, he highly doubted that they would get another.
"We can start off slowly and like Kieran said, if we do things we used to do, maybe it will make something click." Henri knew that he wasn't going to have to force any emotions or actions because he knew that there was attraction there.
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Post by Aurelia Krizova on Dec 13, 2009 17:56:34 GMT -5
She was feeling a lot more positive now. It was hard not to, when he was looking at her like that. They would work this out somehow. They had lost so much time, but now they had a chance to get it back. And she wasn't going to miss that chance.
"I'm just glad we finally know," she said. "I don't mind starting again. If you never remember... at least I can tell you about the past. And we can make new, better memories. "
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Post by Henri Gillet on Dec 13, 2009 19:14:00 GMT -5
"Je l'attends impatiemment," he said smiling. Henri was looking forward to the future. He knew that Aurelia would fill him in on different things whenever the time was right. Just whenever he started to think that he was going to be a bachelor all his life and just take care of his mother, all this happened. Of course, Henri wasn't complaining...
"Better memories sound great." Henri wasn't sure how everything was going to go, but he was willing to take a leap. He wondered what Danica's reaction to everything would be. He thought that she would more than likely be alright with it. "Maybe you could tell me a few things whenever we leave here."
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Post by Aurelia Krizova on Dec 14, 2009 21:54:10 GMT -5
"You don't have to be impatient," Aurelia said with a smile. "We don't need to rush any of this... We found each other again, and that must mean that someone or something wants us together.... and it's stronger than whomever it is that wants us apart."
She had a feeling that she knew who that was... it had to be her father in law. But what did he want, really? Did he honestly think that having a witch in the family would benefit him?
She shook these thoughts from her mind and nodded toward the door. "Poor Kieran. I wish there was something we could do for him. I know he's trying, but he just seems lost to me."
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Post by Henri Gillet on Dec 14, 2009 22:20:33 GMT -5
"We'll take it slow," he said softly. He did want his memories back, but he knew that there was no way he could get all of it back. In a way, it frustrated him that something like that happened, but as his mother said everything happened for a reason.
Henri's expression softened. He didn't even have to have been told that Kieran lost anyone. His appearance and demeanor told a lot. "All I know to do is just continue to be there," he said at loss with ideas. "Sometimes you need the right people around you to help you through and of course time. I feel sure that you, Danica, and his mother do a lot for him being there even if it just seems to be a little bit."
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Post by Aurelia Krizova on Dec 15, 2009 0:11:29 GMT -5
Aurelia sat back down on the edge of the bed next to him. "It just isn't fair," she said, her tone sad. "I am happy that we have this chance to start over, but Kieran... he's lost so much and he'll never get that chance. He's a good man; he doesn't deserve what happened to him. And there are others like him, people who have lost so much. I don't know why we get this second chance when they don't... but I definitely want to take advantage of it. We can do things we used to do together. We used to exchange foods... We'd have meals where you would make something French and I would make something Czech and then we had to eat what the other one made."
She began to laugh as a memory hit her. "You don't remember, but I was very angry with you when you made escargot and didn't tell me what it was first...."
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Post by Henri Gillet on Dec 15, 2009 8:42:33 GMT -5
He moved over a little to give Aurelia room to sit on the bed. Henri was quite as she talked about Kieran. He was unsure of what to say. The universe was twisted and full of loss. No matter what happened, everything good was balanced out something something bad, and vice versa.
"We can do that again sometime. You could make those dumplings." He smiled. Danica had told him about that, and his mother made them too. Maybe she ended up getting the recipe from Aurelia at some point.
Her memory made Henri laugh. "You probably wouldn't have eaten it if I had told you what it was first." He gave her a teasing look. "But, I am sorry about that."
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