Unforgettable

Summary: When Miss Nettle's batch of Forget-Me-Lots accidentally affects Sofia, her memory of Cedric is wiped clean. Now Cedric and Miss Nettle have to work together to fix the problem, or else Sofia will forget him forever.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: I love coming up with names for Miss Nettle's flowers. It's fun! Lol. And of course I wanted to see her and Cedric work together now that both have reformed. I think everyone probably saw this coming at some point… Enjoy!

Warning: Sappy alert. :p Like I could have made an entire cake out of the sugary goodness of this story. :D

*Story*

"Princess Sofia," Baileywick greeted one morning as the auburn-haired girl was heading into the dining hall for breakfast. "I was asked to inform you that a friend of yours will be stopping by for a visit around lunchtime."

She blinked. "Which friend, Baileywick?"

"Miss Nettle, if memory serves me correctly."

Sofia grinned. "Thanks, Baileywick!" She walked into the dining hall, her grin remaining plastered on her face as she sat down to breakfast.

Amber gave her sister a curious stare. "What's so funny, Sofia?"

She giggled. "Nothing. I'm just in a good mood."

"That's wonderful," Roland responded obliviously as he smiled. "Let's eat!"

Breakfast went on relatively normally. Amber gushed about a new constellation she'd discovered while James discussed ideas he and Zandar had developed for their upcoming science fair project. Sofia stayed rather quiet as her siblings spoke. No one pressed her for conversation, and she was glad for it. She was too busy thinking about why Miss Nettle might come to see her specifically. Granted, she was kind of happy the fairy wanted to see her. It was nice to have her as a friend instead of an enemy now.

When the family finished eating, each went to his or her own activity for the day. Sofia was happily walking back to her room when she noticed Cedric heading her way. She beamed. "Good morning, Mr. Cedric!"

"If you say so, Sofia," Cedric yawned before smiling lazily down at the girl who'd hugged him. He briefly returned her hug before playfully ruffling her hair, causing her to giggle. "Are you busy?"

"Well, I was planning to solve all the world's problems, but they can wait since you obviously need my help." She grinned cheekily as he rolled his eyes.

"Ironically enough, I could actually see you attempting to do just that. I won't ever tell you that you can't do something, because you'll certainly try to prove me wrong."

Sofia laughed. "You may be right. So what do you need help with?" She turned as he began leading her toward the door to the castle.

"It seems I've run out of nearly every herb in my collection. With Cordelia being here, so many more ingredients seem to go 'missing' more often." He nodded appreciatively as the guards opened the doors for them. "And as you well know, many potions can't be brewed without the proper ingredients."

"Yeah." She shrugged as they made their way to the herbs near the side of the castle. "It's a shame you can't just use a spell to create a potion, or does it even work like that?"

"Eh, something about 'mixed magic mishaps' or whatever, but no, we're encouraged not to blend those two forms of magic. Besides, it's easy to backfire on us, and that's a risk I'm not exactly prepared to take—lest you want another castle-shrinking episode."

"I think I'm good," the princess laughed. "Once was more than enough."

The friends sat on a blanket and placed a basket between them as they got to harvesting several necessary herbs and other plants. Cedric had made sure to get a basket with sections so that the herbs wouldn't be mixed for a variety of reasons, the main one being that some herbs could easily be confused with others if not careful. Near the end of their gathering, they heard a familiar voice.

"Oh, Sofia!"

Sofia turned and laughed as Miss Nettle floated down just behind them, her feet now firmly planted on the ground. "Miss Nettle!" She got up and hurried over, hugging the fairy. "Baileywick said you were coming to visit."

"You didn't tell me she would be here today," Cedric grumbled as he stood and brushed off his robe. "Why are you hugging her anyway?" Seeing his friend's confused stare, he tapped the side of his head. "Oh, right. You explained her reformation. Sorry, Nettle, it's just hard to picture you as a 'good fairy.' No offense."

The woman smirked as the princess released her. "I could insert a joke here about you being a good sorcerer, but I'm a lady, so I'm not going to do that." She snickered as he folded his arms. "You have your princess to thank for my change. She brought out the good in me, I guess."

Cedric smiled fondly at the girl, who shyly clasped her hands together. "She's rather good at that."

Sofia blushed at the attention from her two friends before laughing and changing the subject. "What brings you here, Miss Nettle?"

"Well, I was passing through on my way to a botany convention, and I felt you would appreciate some of my new plants. The Wake Upsy Daisies were very popular with Princess Ivy's land, as you know, and a few doctors have begun using them in their practices. Also, my Handy Dandelions were a hit with some of the farmers and other workers. I have a whole bunch of new enchanted plants that really have some great benefits."

Sofia's eyes widened. "Like what?"

"Well, I have a list you can see." She unrolled a scroll and held it up for both the princess and the sorcerer to view. "Take a look."

Miss Nettle's Enchanted Plants

1. Wake Upsy Daisies: Cure the Deep Sleeps and other medical sleep problems

2. Handy Dandelions: Help with everyday chores and necessary projects

3. Loving Lilies: Offer comfort with a leaf-hug and petal nudge to the cheek

4. Forget-Me-Lots: Help to forget specific moments or people not worth recalling

5. Marry-Me Marigolds: Sing original song entitled 'Marry Me' to any client

6. Hydrating Hydrangeas: Produce fresh water on command

7. Suck-It-Up Buttercups: Literally suck up any spilled mess within perimeter

8. Setting Sunflowers: Project a mimic of a setting sun's colors on the petals

9. Wild'N'Free Flowers: Great for parties; will dance and party all night long

10. Pestering Petunias: Nag the owner until a task is completed

"Wow, you've really been busy," Sofia realized with a small giggle. "I think I'd enjoy the Loving Lilies."

"Naturally. And Cedric, which one do you prefer?" The fairy smiled disarmingly at the sorcerer, garnering his attention.

"Well, if I had to choose, I suppose Handy Dandelions would be fantastic in my workshop." He gazed at the list over Sofia's head. "Granted, I have to wonder about some of these…" He looked at the shorter woman as she laughed.

"All of my plants have specific purposes and reasons behind their existence. I feel they'll benefit people in one way, shape, or form."

Cedric smirked. "Yes, because everyone needs a bouquet of Wild'N'Free Flowers in their lives, right?"

Sofia shrugged with a playful smile. "I wouldn't be disappointed if I got some, Mr. Cedric."

"Here, have a look at some of these," Miss Nettle told them as they all sat down. She pulled out her wand and tapped the blanket, producing a magical cabinet filled with each of the plants on the list. "These are what I'm taking to the convention."

"Are any of them dangerous?" Cedric asked cautiously as Sofia moved closer, observing the plants curiously.

"Not dangerous, per se, but a few do have some drawbacks that need to be heeded." She gestured toward a clump of purple flowers that Sofia had started caressing. "For example, those flowers are called Forget-Me-Lots (a clear play on Forget-Me-Nots). They're used for eliminating unpleasant memories, thoughts, or even acknowledgement of people in one's life; if untreated, the memories will be lost forever. Quite useful but quite…um, well…"

The sorcerer folded his arms and raised his eyebrows at her. "Harsh?"

"For lack of a better word, yes."

Sofia giggled. "I don't see what's so harmful about them. They're very pretty." She inhaled their intoxicating scent and smiled calmly. "So don't worry, Mr. Ce…dric…."

Cedric frowned at the way she said his name. She almost sounded as though she were in a trance of some sort. "Sofia?"

The princess blinked out of her stupor and turned after hearing her name. She looked between both of her friends before smiling toward Miss Nettle. "The flowers look great, Miss Nettle." She then glanced back at the purple-clad sorcerer. "Hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Sofia." She smiled obliviously.

Both adults gasped. It was quite clear what had just happened. Sofia's entire memory of Cedric had been completely erased.

"You just had to create something that would wipe someone's memory," Cedric accused a few minutes later. They were still outside; after all, the sorcerer did not want to explain Sofia's random selective memory loss to her parents. That would be a disaster. "Admit it, Nettle: you still have a wicked side to you."

"It may have slipped your mind, Cedric," the fairy began rather calmly as she folded her arms, "but I did say that these flowers could be a bit of a nuisance if not handled properly. All of them have a particular reason for being around, as I explained earlier. Poor Sofia here just unwittingly experienced the side effects. She didn't know what would happen."

Cedric looked pointedly at the currently clueless princess and frowned. "I hope you have learned your lesson not to go sniffing every flower you see."

The girl blinked innocently. "I'm sorry," she responded with a small smile. "I still don't remember you. I mean, I'd remember you if I did meet you before. You're kind of hard to forget." She giggled.

He raised his eyebrows at her comment and tilted his head. "Oh, really? Do tell."

"Well, you really like purple, just like me." She pointed at his wand clutched in his hand. "You have a wand, so obviously you're a witch."

Miss Nettle could not hold back her laughter and collapsed into a fit of giggles on the blanket.

Cedric shot the woman a glare. "I will hex you—redeemed or not."

"Oh, Cedric, lighten up." She grinned at him. "You know she meant 'sorcerer.' It's just an innocent mistake."

He sighed and rolled his eyes before blinking in surprise as he felt curious fingers gently combing his bangs. He glanced upward to see Sofia apparently observing his hair. "What are you doing now, dear girl?"

"You have the most ah-mazing hair ever," she gushed with a bright smile.

Cedric couldn't help the small smile that came to his face. He grasped her hands gently and lowered them to her sides. "Thank you, Sofia. It was actually a magical accident."

"Accident or not, I like it. It gives you character and makes you stand out."

He smiled sadly at her. "Yet not enough for you to remember me…"

Sofia paused and sighed, shaking her head. For some reason she wanted to cry. This kind sorcerer just looked so distraught right now, and she felt horrible for him. It's like her heart was going out to him, like she wanted to protect him or something, but she didn't know how or why.

"So if she has no memories of me, exactly what filler memories did she gain as a result?"

Miss Nettle shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Agh, never mind that. How do we fix this?"

The woman chuckled. "We? Oh, now you want my help?" She smirked as he folded his arms. "Now I'm not a bother, huh? Say it: 'Miss Nettle, please help me get Princess Sofia back to normal, because you're brilliant and the only one who can!'"

"I will humbly request your help, but I will not call you brilliant," he countered with narrowed eyes.

"Please don't fight," Sofia requested as she clasped her hands together in a pleading motion. "Miss Nettle, I don't like the fact that I can't remember…what's your name again?"

"Cedric." It really did hurt that she didn't even recall his name at this point. It hurt worse than he cared to admit.

"…Mr. Cedric." She blinked, something familiar about that name spoken in her own voice startling her. But that was impossible, wasn't it? "Um, yeah… I don't like the fact that I can't remember Mr. Cedric. Obviously he's important to me, or else he wouldn't care so much about me getting my memories back." She gasped as a thought came to her. "You're not one of my step-brothers, are you?"

Cedric blanched as Miss Nettle fell over laughing again. "What?! N-No! No! Why in Merlin's name would you think that?"

Sofia shrugged. "Just checking. Anything is possible, right?" She laughed.

"Not that. I refuse to be King Roland's son. Bleh." He shuddered at the very idea before sighing heavily. "You, my dear, are my apprentice. I teach you magic, potions, and various other things. We spend—"

"—almost too much time together," Miss Nettle concluded as she controlled her laughter before sitting up and sighing with a large smile, which obviously annoyed Cedric. "But I suppose that's what happens after years of studying together and becoming good friends, right?"

Sofia felt a pang of guilt hit her. "Really?"

"Why, yes! In fact, you and Cedric actually stood together and nearly defeated little old me before I changed my ways." She sighed as if reminiscing. "Ah, that was a good plan. I may need to bring Sascha back at some point."

Cedric glared at her. "Don't you dare."

"Um, guys?" Sofia interrupted as she smiled uncertainly. For two adults, they sure acted like children. "I don't mean to be a bother, but…I'd kind of like to get this memory problem taken care of. I mean, it starts with me not remembering Mr. Cedric. What happens if I forget you, Miss Nettle?" She sighed as the fairy blinked. "Or my brother and sister? Or Mom and Dad? I'd be sad if I didn't have anyone to remember…"

"She's right," Cedric declared as he stood to his feet, pulling the girl up with him. "What are we waiting for? We need to determine some sort of cure for this forgetfulness."

"It's not as easy as all that," Miss Nettle acknowledged as she flew upward. "We'll need to use the antidote: my Recall-Me-Lots blossom. However, if we're not careful with that flower, it could redeliver bad memories to Sofia: things she's suppressed for whatever reason or may not wish to remember for the time being."

Oh, Cedric could think of a few things she wouldn't want to remember. It would be for the best too. "Then let's get a move on. I'll let you handle this one, O Botany Mistress."

Miss Nettle grinned. "You think you're being clever, but that's a title I'm totally fine with. In fact, I may ask others to start calling me that."

The sorcerer shook his head as Sofia giggled at the exchange. "And this, my dear, is rather typical of us."

Sofia just smiled. "I'll take your word for it, Mr. Cedric."

Once in the workshop, Cedric gave Miss Nettle access to all of his materials so she could conjure up the batch of Recall-Me-Lots. Meanwhile, he watched as the young princess walked around his workshop, her eyes wide with wonder like they used to be so long ago… He frowned in contemplation as she paused in front of the wand case she'd made him a few Wassailias ago, her hands wandering over the colorful exterior. "You made that for me, you know."

Sofia glanced over at him in surprise.

"The best Wassailia gift I'd ever gotten. No one else has ever come close to getting me something that meaningful…"

The princess smiled wistfully before walking over toward him and rubbing her arms self-consciously. "I don't know why, but something in me just wants to…give you a hug or something." She made a noise of surprise when Cedric actually initiated the hug instead, holding her gently. She smiled and figured returning the hug with someone she evidently did know wouldn't be so bad… Therefore, she did just that.

Miss Nettle smiled thoughtfully as she eyed the two friends. She would likely never admit it out loud, but she did admire the friendship and bond between the princess and the sorcerer. While she and Princess Ivy were growing closer with time and with more projects they did together, she highly doubted they'd ever be as close as Sofia and Cedric. Then again, neither she nor Ivy tended to be very "huggable" or anything, so that suited her just fine. "All right, you two," she spoke up with a humored tone, getting their attention. "I think I've located all the proper ingredients. It will take just a few minutes. Sofia, when the Recall-Me-Lots have bloomed, you must inhale their scent and say Cedric's name. Then, whatever memories have been wiped will return to you."

"I hope so, because it feels like there's a big part of my life missing," she lamented, sighing. She glanced up when she felt Cedric place a hand on her shoulder.

"I know the feeling." He sighed as she gently patted his hand. "Hurry, Nettle, please."

"I'm brewing as fast as I can, Cedric. Relax!"

As impatient as he was, Cedric did not feel any further need to rush the fairy. After all, he wanted the final result to be perfect, because less than that would mean either waiting longer for Sofia's memories to return…or they could be lost forever. Funny. Not even a few years ago, that would have been the least of his concerns. Now that was the main concern he had. Perspectives were interesting things.

A few minutes more, and Miss Nettle had finished her task. Before her sat a beautiful fuchsia-colored bloom, the outer petals glittering with magic sparkles. She used her wand to tap against the bloom, prompting it to open. "All right, Princess," she began as she looked back toward the auburn-haired girl, "merely inhale once, say Cedric's name, and then quickly back away from the flower. If you inhale again, too many memories may overwhelm you and drudge up things you've long since forgotten."

"Why on earth would you incorporate that into your flower?" Cedric asked with an inquisitive frown.

"Call it a failsafe for snoopers or what have you. It could be very beneficial to the wizarding world though." She smirked.

"It sounds a little suspect if you ask me."

"Do you want Sofia to get her memories back or not?" The fairy folded her arms as the sorcerer reluctantly nodded. "Then drop the accusations and—as hard as it may be—just trust me this time. I'm a changed fairy, Cedric; I won't do anything to harm the princess."

"Oh, you certainly won't either way." He clutched his wand tighter. "If I can help it, no one will."

Sofia smiled at his obviously protective stance toward her, even though she didn't quite understand it at this point. She blinked when Miss Nettle tapped her shoulder and held the plant toward her.

"All right, Sofia. Let's give this a try."

She nodded, leaning forward and inhaling once. "Mr. Cedric," she murmured, her eyes closing as she felt a rush of memories flood her mind all at once: good, bad, happy, sad, fun, sweet, and everything in between. She was pleased at how many good memories she shared with her friend. She quickly stepped back away from the flower as previously instructed and opened her eyes soon after, her face giving away the reality that she remembered. She beamed at her clearly anxious mentor. "Mr. Cedric!" She rushed forward and hugged him tightly, laughing as he sighed in relief.

"Oh, my dear girl," he laughed happily as he embraced her fully. "I was afraid you'd forgotten me forever."

"I'd never forget you, Mr. Cedric…" She smiled as she held him tighter. "Never."

Miss Nettle hummed as she observed the two friends. She should have realized sooner how much they cared for each other. The guilt and anxiety must have been eating Cedric alive, and even though Sofia had been clueless to his existence, she still wanted to know him. "True friendship indeed," she whispered to herself before clearing her throat, getting their attention. "Well, it's been fun, but I really must be off. I have some magical plants to show off."

Cedric smirked at her as Sofia released him. "Just don't go letting anyone else lose their memories. …Although if you happen to run into a loser named Grimtrix, by all means, go for it."

"Mr. Cedric," Sofia laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you two soon enough." She winked before gathering her plants and flitting off.

It was a rather comfortable silence for a few moments before Cedric finally had to ask.

"Did you remember anything you wish you hadn't?" he asked curiously.

"Some things," she responded honestly before shrugging. "But I look at it this way: both good and bad memories are necessary in our lives. If we didn't have the bad times, we wouldn't appreciate the good times." She clasped her hands behind her back. "But I think you and I have way more happy times than bad times to remember, Mr. Cedric."

Cedric nodded before placing one hand on her shoulder. "I agree. Just…don't forget that, okay?"

Sofia smiled sincerely, nodding at him. "I promise."

The end