Author's Note: Erm...yeah, basically a first time Fan Fiction writer here, so you may have to bear with me at times... .:grins:.
Disclaimer: Let's see – anything related to Harry Potter, Hogwarts, etc etc, is owned by that lovely lady in England, J. K. Rowling. Thomas owns himself, most times, and Roman owns herself and me.
Rating: Currently sitting solidly at PG-13, but it may go up as the story progresses. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
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Nessa woke up drowsily, confused by the sounds around her."No!!!! What are you doing? That's my baby...!!"
"Let go, woman! She doesn't belong to you anymore!"
She sat up slowly, uncertain what was going on. She let out a quiet yelp as she heard a thud, and her mother's voice crying out in pain.
Nessa curled up in her bed, trying not to hear her mother's anguished screams. Suddenly not being able to stand it, she raced to the other side of the room and crawled into Arness' bed, noticing Merenwen was already there.
Arness held her two younger sisters close, comforting them as much as possible. Noticing a strange glow, Arness quickly covered the other girls' ears, and shut her eyes.
The glow built up, almost filling the room - all three girls shrunk away from the light - there was something evil about it...
Nessa suddenly sat up. "Where's Lessien?" she muttered, suddenly afraid for her baby sister.
"Nessa! Don't!" Arness called, making a desperate grab for her sister, but Nessa was too quick. In a flash, she'd slipped out of the bed and over to the other door in the darkness, yanking it open and slipping through. She padded softly over to the cot.
"Lessien?" she murmured, frowning slightly. Ordinarily, her sister would be awake by now...
Nessa peered over the edge of the cot, and felt her chest tighten - where was Lessien?!
Nessa ran back into the other room, and was surprised to find that the house was silent again - Arness and Merenwen were sleeping soundly in their separate beds, small smiles playing over their lips, and there were no more screams.
"Nessa, hunny? What are you doing up?" her mother asked softly, stepping into the room.
"I was checking on Lessien..."
"Who's Lessien? Is she your imaginary friend?" Nessa's mother smiled down at her softly - she could be so cute sometimes.
"Mummy! She's my sister!" Nessa cried, frustrated...what was going on!?
"Hunny, you only have two sisters...now go to bed, it's past midnight," her mother told her, kissing her lightly on the forehead and tucking her back into bed, leaving a very confused Nessa staring at the ceiling.
- - -
"Mummy?"
"Yes, Nessa love?"
"What happened last night?"
It was breakfast the next morning, and Nessa was still very confused about the events from the night before - after all, she was only four-and-a-half!
"Last night, love?" her mother repeated, looking a little confused. "Why - nothing happened, why do you ask?"
Arness looked at Nessa curiously, and Merenwen, catching the look, turned to face Nessa as well.
"But...what happened to Lessien?" Nessa cried.
Both Arness and Mere frowned at the same time, and their mother put down the plate gently.
"Nessa, hunny - I don't know who this Lessien person is..."
Nessa rolled her eyes. "My baby sister, mummy!"
Mrs. Meneldur closed her eyes for a moment. "Nessa, I told you last night - you only have two sisters, and Merenwen is your baby sister..."
Nessa shook her head violently. "Nah-uh, mummy - Lessien is!" she insisted with all the single-mindedness of a four-year-old.
"Look, Nessa," her mother began impatiently. "I don't know what you're talking about, but you have never had another sister, nor are you likely to, so could we please just drop it?"
Nessa's eyes filled with tears, and she nodded silently, looking back down at her plate and playing with her food.
Her mother sighed, and walked around to her daughter, kneeling next to her. "Nessa love, I'm sorry," she murmured softly, wrapping her arms around the girl, "but I honestly don't know what you're talking about..."
Nessa sniffled pathetically. "Mummy, something funny happened last night...you were crying, yelling something, and there was a weird light..."
Her mother stood up abruptly and began to clear the table. "Nothing happened last night, Nessa, I wish you'd give up on that!"
"But Lessien --"
"There is no Lessien!" Her mother rounded on her furiously, and Nessa shrank into her chair. "There never has been and there never will be, do you understand?! Now, go to your room and think about what you're saying. When you've sorted it out, you can come back down!"
Nessa flew out of the room and up the stairs, sobbing. She flung herself onto her little bed and continued to cry, curling up into a little ball. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep...
- - -
"Nessa?"
She slowly opened her eyes and ever-so elegantly wiped her nose on her pillow. "Who's there?"
Arness slipped into the room, and walked over to the bed, carrying her shoes in one hand.
"Mother said not to see you, but I got worried..." Arness explained softly, perching on the bed of Nessa's bed and quietly lowering her shoes to the floor.
"I'm alright," Nessa replied, still sniffing. She looked at her eldest sister for a moment, before flying into her arms and starting to cry again.
"I'm so confused, Arness," she said after a moment, when she'd calmed down slightly. "Something happened last night, I'm sure of it!"
Arness, possessing all the wisdom of an eight-year-old, merely shrugged. "I dunno, Nessie," she replied softly, still hugging her younger sister. "I don't remember anything from last night, except going to bed..."
Nessa sat up indignantly. "How could you have forgotten Lessien?" she asked accusingly. "Our own little baby sister!"
Arness shrugged again. "I dunno, Ness, I don't remember anyone by the name Lessien, let alone another sister - are you sure you didn't dream it?" she asked gently.
Nessa frowned - could she have dreamt it all? She struggled with the possibility - Lessien seemed so real, though! She continued to struggle valiantly for a while longer, and then shrugged, looking sad.
"I'm all confusel-ed, Arness," Nessa said softly, tears forming in her large brown eyes. "I don't know what to do..."
Arness held her sister close and pressed a gentle kiss into her hair. "I know, Ness, I know," she said soothingly. "Why don't you stay here and sleep, and I'll go back downstairs and talk to Mother, hey?"
Nessa nodded and slipped back under the covers, watching Arness pick up her shoes and head for the door. Once there, she hesitated, almost saying something, before shaking her head.
"Sleep well, kitten," she said quietly to Nessa, smiling gently and leaving the room.
"Bye, Arness," Nessa murmured in response, dozily, already beginning to fall asleep again.
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