Mozart and Memories (Aurelia/Kieran)

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia couldn’t help the smile on her face. There was no denying that this was a very odd situation in which they found themselves, but it no longer seemed hopeless. She was seeing a future again, the future she should have had in the first place. Whomever it was who had wanted to keep them apart had failed… the forces that wanted them to be together were stronger.

“Then when we are done here, we can go to my apartment and I will see if I can find them,” she said. “But we only have until 7:00—that is when my shift at Ambrosia starts.”

She turned and looked at the menu board thoughtfully. “I don’t think I can choose… what do you recommend?”

[Henri Gillet]

"Until 7, we can work with that." He flashed her a smile. Tonight might be the night that he would go see her at work. Of course, he wouldn't go right at seven. He thought he would wait until around eight if he did go see her tonight. It would all depend on her reaction when it was time for her to go to work. Whenever it was that he was going to go for the first time, he was definitely going to take her flowers.

"Well, I usually like the Croque-Monsieur, because I don't like the egg on top of my sandwich. The soups are pretty good too. The roast beef sandwich on a bagette is another one of my favorites and I always get tea to drink with whatever I chose."

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia wasn't thinking about the possibility of Henri going to see her play, but she would have been thrilled to know he was thinking of it. He might not have remembered their time together originally, but he was certainly throwing himself into it willingly. Any fears she might have had that this might not work were quikckly fading.

"The Croque-Monsieur sounds good," she said. "I believe we had them on that trip in Paris. You might have tried to make me one once, too."

[Henri Gillet]

Henri ordered their sandwiches along with tea when the lady asked. While they waited for it, he turned back to Aurelia. "Probably so. They've always been my favorite, other than macaroni and cheese." He smiled. "And I could always make you another one. I've gotten better at making them I think. I don't darken the bread as dark as before." He did remember making the sandwiches but only for himself and his sister.

"Let's take the table in the corner," Henri said motioning toward the table. They would have a view out the window. The lady would bring their order out once it was ready. He took Aurelia's hand and led her to the table.

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia couldn't help the smile on her face as she walked with him to the table. Sometimes it still didn't feel real, that he could really be here with her after all this time. She kept wondering when she was going to wake up from this dream to find him gone, and herself alone.

"Before we try and remember before, the first time we were together... maybe we should talk about what's happened since then," she suggested. "Maybe you can talk about some of the things you've seen and done since school. For instance, why did you decide to become an auror?"

[Henri Gillet]

Talking about things that happened since school, Henri could do that. "I became an auror because I wanted too. I always wanted to become one and whenever we moved here, I took the chance to work for the Ministry here. I always wanted to protect people." He gave a shrug. "My mere thought that it was noble I became one, but I don't really think its noble at all. It's just something I wanted to do." Sure, he knew that it was brave to become an auror, especially with the things happening now but he didn't look at it that way.

"Other than becoming an auror, I helped mere with the kitchen in Julie's house so that she could have a bigger room to work in. She sells small pastries from there." He smiled. "I've just worked as an auror, helped mere, and ended up being the best man at Marie's wedding." It was strange that Henri didn't even bother dating. There was something holding him back and now he wondered if it was Aurelia.

"What about you? What did you do after well, you were forced to marry?"

[Aurelia Krizova]

It occurred to Aurelia that she and Henri had never really talked about what they were going to do, career-wise. Even when they were planning to run away together, it had always been about them, about being alone together and free. They had planned to go to England, but what they were going to do there, that was something they had never really discussed. Maybe they hadn't really been planned things out as carefully as they should have.

"Well, as you know, my marriage wasn't a happy one. Pavel never let me go out alone. He didn't start hitting me right away, though. In fact, that first year, other than our wedding night, he hardly touched me at all. But... I guess it was enough, because I got pregnant with Dani. It wasn't until after she was born that he started hitting me. I kept wanting to leave... but I didn't have any money. But when he hit me and Dani tried to intervene... he raised his hand to hit her and that was it. I would not let him touch my daughter. We ran away, not a penny to our names, the next day. We packed what we could carry, I went to a shop downtown that had was run by a wizard... he had a floo network connection. As I've said... I've never been very good at apparating and with Danica with me... I couldn't take any chances. When I told the man what I was doing, he gave us some money and directions to Hogsmeade. He had a friend that he knew here and he told him that he would let us stay for a while until we could get a place of our own. Dani was so young, and I couldn't leave her... the first few years I made money giving piano lessons to young wizards and witches whose parents wanted them to have a more rounded education."

[Henri Gillet]

Hearing more about Pavel made Henri's fist clench tight under the table. It bothered him to no end how bad Aurelia was treated. It even made him more frustrated about his memory being erased. However, Henri kept his face calm as he listened. He brought the hand that was underneath the table up and reached for her hand.

"Well, he will not lay another hand on you or Dani," he said firmly. Henri only hoped that Pavel wouldn't decide to come after Aurelia and Dani, however he wasn't sure how much the man wanted Aurelia back. Although, he knew that if the worst should happen, and Pavel came after them, Henri would do whatever he had to protect them. "And I'm glad that you and Dani are doing well on your own." He smiled softly. Admiration he had for Aurelia rose more. He knew that it had to take a lot to run and try to start over.

[Aurelia Krizova]

"For the longest time, I kept expecting him to come for me," she said. "I jumped at every loud sound, I was suspicious of everyone I didn't know, I wouldn't even answer the door. But I came to Hogsmeade for a reason. Pavel is a muggle, and he would never be able to get into Hogsmeade... not without an escort of magical blood. That's why I live in Hogsmeade... it's safer. I only wish I didn't have to work in London, but I wasn't making enough money by just giving piano lessons."

She let out a soft sigh and squeezed his hand. "Now I don't think he's even looking for me anymore. He didn't love me, so maybe he was glad I was gone."

[Henri Gillet]

Maybe now was the perfect time for them to have met again. For one, Aurelia wasn't jumpy about Pavel coming after her. The universe was strange indeed.

Part of Henri thought that maybe Pavel was not glad that Aurelia was gone. After all, they were separated so Pavel could have her. To Henri, that didn't sound like he was really glad he was gone. What man would go through that much trouble just to let her go when she ran away? What was the purpose of him wanting her if he didn't love her? It just didn't make sense, or at least in Henri's mind.

"I hope he's not looking for you," he offered. They found each other again, and he wasn't going to give up easily this time. "I'm glad that we have the chance to try this again."

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia didn’t think she would ever feel completely certain that Pavel wouldn’t come for her one day. But having Henri back in her life definitely made her feel more secure. She didn’t feel like she was all alone, or that she had to take care of everything by herself. Henri could help her now.

“I am, too,” she replied, reaching across the table to take his hand. “I feel like… all that time we were separated… all that I had to do to be safe and make a life for myself and Dani… it was all worth it. Being with you now is my reward.”

[Henri Gillet]

He would have lied if he denied the fact that his face burned. Henri couldn't have ever dreamed of anything like this happening. He just thought that he was going to just be Henri Gillet, an auror with the Ministry of Magic in England, and lifetime single man. Now, it seemed that he wasn't going to be who he thought, and quite frankly Henri was not going to complain about that.

"Je ferai que je peux pour m'assurer que vous et Dani restez sûrs." He was going to try to make sure that Aurelia and Dani remained safe. After all, he was quite fond of them both and they already meant something to him. Henri smiled at Aurelia, causing his dimples to deepen as deep as they would go. "We'll have fun, promise."

[Aurelia Krizova]

Although Aurelia's French was a little bit rusty, she understood perfectly that he was promising to keep her and Dani safe. In all the years since she had left Pavel, this was the first time she really felt at ease. She had never really wanted to completely depend on anyone, and often refused to ask for help even when she needed it... but she would let Henri help.

I still want to take things slowly... for Dani's sake. She's never really seen me with any man but... Pavel. She was so young when we left him, but she still remembers, and I think it made an impression on her. She won't tell me, but I think he had something to do with her fear of heights, because she never had one before."

[Henri Gillet]

"We can take things slow," he said. He didn't want anyone to feel awkward or like they were pushing for something. Henri didn't want to just jump in all at once either, even though he knew that he was already somewhat in.

Again, Henri's other hand clenched in a fist as Aurelia said that Pavel might be the reason why Dani was scared of heights. The same distaste Henri had for the man before was back, and now it was probably an even stronger distaste. He knew that small children were extremely impressionable and he only hoped that Pavel hadn't scarred Dani too horribly. Henri didn't mean that in the sense of so he could have Dani's approval to be with her mother, no. His mind wasn't even thinking that. He was thinking more of the lines of her fear of heights and there was no telling what else he might have done.

"Taking it slow will be perfect."

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia couldn't help but wonder how different her life would have been if she and Henri had been able to fun away together, like they had planned. Of course, her first thought was that she might never have had Dani, but of course, she refused to believe that. To believe that, she would have to believe that Pavel was Dani's father, and, despite what she had told Henri, she did not believe that. She couldn't.

But also, if she had run away with Henri, she would have never known what it was like to be beaten and abused. She wouldn't have jumped at every loud sound, or cowered in fear when she heard someone with a raised voice. But she wouldn't have also learned how to take care of herself, to raise her daughter on her own and to fight for everything good she had in her life. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise... that their separation was necessary so that she could become her own person before she could be with Henri. Merlin knew, she was a much stronger person now than she had been back then.

She was still thinking these thoughts when the waitress brought their sandwiches over. "They smell delicious," Aurelia commented as the waitress left.

[Henri Gillet]

Henri thanked the waitress as she placed their order on the table. "They're as good as they smell," he said with a smile. He was completely at ease for the first time in awhile. Usually, he was always watching where he was going, observing those around him, like he was always working. Now, it was like he could just take a step back. He still had his situational awareness, but he could focus on something else as well.

"What does Dani like to do?" Henri figured that Dani would be a good topic, and he liked to see Aurelia's face light up when she talked about her daughter. "Does she like piano?"

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia took a bite from her sandwich while Henri was talking. It was perfect--crispy and hot, and the cheese perfectly melted. It defnitely brought her back to her days at school. Although she had attempted to make grilled cheese sandwiches for Danica, she didn't usually go with the hot ham and cheese that made up the Croque-Monsieur.

When she finished chewing, she smiled at Henri, and replied to his question. "Dani doesn't really play... I tried to teach her when she was younger, but I don't think she had the attention span for it, or the patience. She just likes to watch me play. I encouraged her to find her own talents and interests instead."

[Henri Gillet]

He ate while Aurelia spoke. "That's great," Henri replied. He was glad that there wasn't anything forced on Dani. She was able to do things herself. From the small amount of time that he had spent with her so far, she seemed more grown up than any eleven year old. He could understand why.

"What sort of things is Dani interested in?" Sure, he could just ask Dani herself what she was interested in but if Henri could have some kind of idea, he would know ahead of time of some things she liked and disliked.

[Aurelia Krizova]

Aurelia laughed lightly. "Honestly, I think she's interested in just about anything. Everything except school, that is. And I think she would like school better if she didn't have so much trouble with some of the other kids."

Her expression grew serious as she started to talk more about something that was weighing very heavily on her mind. "There's this girl in her dormitory who is always fighting with her for some reason. She's the same one who moved Dani's bed over to the window. I just don't understand it. She's such an amazing little girl, she should have tons of friends... but she seems to have a hard time with girls her own age. Most of her friends are either boys or older girls. I wish I knew what to do to help her."

[Henri Gillet]

"Everything except school huh?" He smiled before taking a sip of tea. It was good to know that Dani was pretty much open.

"Girls can be awful to each other." Henri noticed this first hand from patrolling the school. Some of the things girls said to each other, even the younger boys, made Henri shake his head. "Maybe the little girl is jealous of Dani for some reason or maybe the girl is just a, what do you call them? Gosse?" Henri used the french word for brat as he shrugged his shoulders. "And Dani is an amazing petite fille. I feel sure that things will blow over. Plus, maybe Dani feels better around boys and older girls because girls her age are just mean."