Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hogwarts, even the damned lake is owned by the lovely J. K. Rowling, not me. For a change, I'm owning everyone, just to be different.

A/N:Now now, Thom and Rome, please behave yourselves when reviewing...I'm not breaking up an OoC fight ::Grins::

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Striding down the corridor towards Transfiguration, Roman heard the unmistakable sounds of Nehemiah whittering away. Sighing, she turned back to face the Face, as it were. "Haven't you harassed me enough today already?" she asked him, sounding a little tired.
"What? No, of course not – 'tis my job to follow you, remember?" Nehemiah responded cheerfully enough, apparently comfortable again. "Oh, that and I have a message to pass on from your Daddy. He remembered after you left, so he gave it to me and I said, 'Oh yes, your Great Ev…'"
"Is there a point to this rambling?" Roman cut in, raising an eyebrow in slight amusement.
"Oh…yes, of course there is. Anyway, 'Lou' has asked if you could kindly return home for a little while. He needs to have a talk to you, in his…ahem…study."
Roman frowned slightly, and leant back against the nearest wall. "And did he have any suggestions as to how to handle Dumbledore so I can go?"
Nehemiah snorted. "Rome, your father's no fool – it's all sorted. All you have to do is pack and leave."
"Pack? Does he really think it's going to take that long?"
"It's an expression, dear. Just grab a couple of things and be off, alright?"
Roman sighed again, and gave Nehemiah a mock salute. "Yessir, right this minute!" Rolling her eyes, she changed directions and headed for the Slytherin Common Room, passing Thomas on the way.
"You, porcupoppet!" she announced as she passed. "Stay right there 'till I come back down."
Thomas smirked and folded his arms, considering moving, but decided not to – he was too intrigued, and it hardly mattered if he was late to Transfiguration.
Up in her dorm, Roman quickly threw a few changes of clothes into a bag and glanced around, grabbing a scrap of parchment and quill, and scribbled a quick note, folding it and tucking it into an easy to reach pocket.
'Looks like that talk with Ness is going to have to wait,' she thought, a little regretfully. Picking up the bag, she made her way back down and stopped in front of Thomas, pulling out the note and pressing in into his hand.
"I want you to swear that you'll give this to Nessa," she said firmly, glaring marginally. "I have to go away for a while, and I need you to give this to her, so that she knows where I am. If I come back and find you haven't given it to her, I'll do worse than send you to the in-firm­-ary…got it?!"
Thomas raised his hands and grinned, tucking the note securely into his own pocket. "She'll get it, Malfoy's honour," he replied, still grinning.
Roman raised an eyebrow and turned on her heel. "I wasn't aware Malfoys' had any honour," she muttered, adjusting the strap of the bag so that it sat more comfortably, and strolled off, waving a lazy hand over her shoulder to Thomas, and she disappeared around the corner.

- - -

Nessa strolled down the corridor, humming cheerfully to herself. Sixth Year definitely had some advantages over Fifth – spare blocks, for a start, and more interesting lessons. Although, her spare blocks over the past few days had been quite boring, since Roman had disappeared home. Thomas had, indeed, given her the note, along with an amused and detailed retelling of Roman's threats if he didn't.
Making her way easily to the library, she walked up to Madam Pince, who wordlessly handed Nessa the same books she'd been pouring over for the last couple of weeks, books on the many variations of memory charms. Grinning at the librarian, she took the books and headed for the furthest corner of the library: it was always quietest there, courtesy of herself and Roman. Whenever they were in the library together, they always sat in the same corner, and people had learnt to avoid it for some reason, she wasn't sure why.
Settling down into her favourite seat, she carefully put the books on the table, staring at their leather-bound spines for a moment before reaching for the one she'd been avoiding, the oldest and dustiest, the one most likely to fall apart as soon as she opened it. Gingerly, she moved it closest to her and opened it up, cringing slightly as she waited for the loud cracking noise of the spine splitting in half. Surprisingly, no such sound arose, and Nessa raised her eyebrows slightly, gently turning the pages that were, in actual fact, in better condition than they first appeared. Rubbing her nose lightly as it tingled, threatening to make her sneeze, she scanned the pages, looking for anything useful.
Getting bored quickly – she had, after all, been researching the same topic for a while – Nessa started turning several pages at the same time, knowing it was no real way to research, and not caring. Reaching the final page, she sighed and rubbed her eyes, wondering if she should just give up for a while. Sighing again, she reopened her eyes and went to close the book, absently noticing that the last couple of pages had flipped back. She smiled faintly and grabbed for the other books when her eyes widened. Moving back to the oldest book, she frantically, but still carefully, turned for the last few pages, the words that she'd caught a glimpse of suddenly sinking in. Spotting it again, she began to read out-loud, very softly, almost unconsciously modernising the text.
"This version of a memory charm is very useful if you wish to affect the memory of an entire family, immediate and extended. Very few counter-charms and protective spells can stop this memory charm, although a few are known to exist."
She pouted momentarily, annoyed that they didn't go into detail about what sort of things could stop this memory charm, and then went back to reading.
"The charm works by altering the memory of anyone related to the person the wand is aimed at, by blood or marriage. The effects are believed to be permanent, although this is uncertain."
Closing the book for a moment, Nessa sat still thoughtfully, wondering why such a charm hadn't been mentioned in any of the other textbooks. Frowning lightly with thought, she rose and, collecting up the other books, went to Mdm. Pince, returning the others, and borrowing out the oldest. Walking a little absently, she made her way to Arness' office.

- - -

Tapping softly on the door-frame of the office, Nessa stepped inside without waiting for permission to do so – the door was open, no-one else was there, and she could tell that Arness was just waiting for a distraction. She grinned to herself as her older sister looked up from her work and smiled in evident relief.
"Merlin, thank goodness you showed up, Ness," Arness said, dropping her quill onto the desk and stretching. "Now, at least, I have an excuse to stop. I never realised there was so much paperwork involved with teaching at Hogwarts."
Nessa grinned and flopped into a chair, carefully putting the book on her sister's desk. "Hey, you're the one who wanted a job here, remember? Besides, you never even told any of us that you'd even applied, let alone got the job, so you're not getting any sympathy from me."
Arness childishly poked her tongue out, and then eyed the open doorway a little guiltily. Rising, she walked over to the door, closing it, and then returned to her seat, settling down and reaching for the book.
" 'Forget-me-not: A Selection of Memory Charms, Spells and Potions' " she read out-loud, looking up at Nessa and raising an eyebrow. "In the first place, I didn't realise the school had a copy of this, I'd have thought it was too old, and in the second place…since when have you been interested in memory charms, specifically?"
Nessa shifted in her seat slightly, crossing her legs. "Well, it's just that I remember Granny saying something about memory charms, something like the old ones were better, so I decided to try looking some up," she said, hoping she sounded convincing. "Now, there's this one at the back – it's marked – that seemed really interesting. I was wondering if you knew anything about it."
Arness raised an eyebrow at her dark blonde sister, before opening to the marked page and quickly scanning the text. "Ah yes," she murmured softly, eyes darting across the page. "I remember this one, we did a sort of…case study on it at school, if you want to call it that – the Familial Memory Charm…" She closed the book and looked thoughtful for a minute, clearing trying to recall so extra details. Glancing over to Nessa with her piercing green eyes, so unlike Nessa's dark ones, she murmured, "So…what did you want to know?"
Nessa sat up straighter, glad that Arness wasn't prying further into her sudden interest in memory charms. "Well, for starter's, it's only mentioned in this one book – why is that?"
"I believe it's because after this book was published, there were many instances of the Familial Memory Charm being performed. People all over the world were suddenly forgetting who there family was, what they own, anything and everything. It was decided that it was far too dangerous for it to be released so publicly, and most copies of 'Forget-me-not' were collected and burnt. A few had to be kept, of course, and they've been preserved carefully, but the Familial Memory Charm was never published again."
Nessa smiled, amused at how automatically Arness had slipped into her lecturing voice. "Okay, that makes sense," she replied quickly, trying to ask all her questions before Arness lost her train of thought. "Now, what about the things that can stop it? It only says that they exist, not what they are."
Arness looked intently at Nessa for a moment, before answering slowly. "I think – and don't hold me to this – that there are some Arabic charms and talismans that prevent it working, but I'm not sure. You'd be better off talking to Dad, or one of his colleges about it. You know he's worked in that area before."
Nodding, Nessa opened her mouth to ask her final question, but Arness cut her off.
"Look, kitten, I know there has to be a real reason you're interested in this. Would you please tell me what's going on?"
Nessa grew silent, and her face went unusually pale. Arness, having been watching closely, noticed and slipped off her seat, clearly worried for her sister.
"Whatever it is, you can tell me," she said softly, kneeling on the ground next to Nessa. "You're not talking to me the Professor – you're talking to me, as your older sister. If you're in trouble…just tell me."
Nessa shook her head, her wavy hair tumbling forwards over her shoulders to veil her face. "I'm not in trouble," she said, her voice low. "I think…" She hesitated, closing her eyes and drawing a deep breath. It had been years since she'd last mentioned Lessien to any of her family – bringing her up again now could cause all sorts of trouble.
"I think," Nessa continued carefully, "that the Familial Memory Charm was performed on our family."
Arness blinked slowly, beginning to tap her nails together. "What makes you say that, kitten?"
"It's because of…well, really not all of the family, it didn't affect me because I was in her room," Nessa babbled, everything falling into place in her mind. "You know how careful Mum and Dad were with us after the whole Potter thing…he must have put one of those talisman things in her room!"
"Nessie, you're not making any sense," Arness said with a small, slightly nervous laugh. "Whose room?"
"Lessien's, of course! That's why I still remember her…" Nessa lifted her head and looked to Arness, her breath catching slightly at the unexpectedly blank expression on her sister's face – it was completely emotionless. "Arness?" she ventured softly.
"There is no Lessien, you know that," Arness replied, her voice completely flat.
"But don't you see? That's what I'm trying to tell you – there is a Lessien, you just don't remember her because of the memory charm!"
A strange look passed over Arness' face, a slightly pained one, before blanking again. "How many times do we need to tell you? There is not, and never was, a Lessien!"
"Just listen to me! I was four years old – you were eight. Dad had travelled to Denmark, I believe, just that morning. We were all woken up by Mum screaming at someone…Mere and I both climbed into your bed, 'coz we were scared. There was this strange light, and I remembered about Lessien and flew out to get her, but she wasn't in her cot. When I came back through, you and Mere when in your own beds, sleeping, and Mum was upstairs, smiling as though nothing had happened. Don't you remember any of this now?!"
The unusual stillness of Arness' face slipped slightly as Nessa yelled at her, and the pained expression returned, confusion in her eyes, and she bit her lip. "It sounds so…"
Nessa's hopes rose as Arness paused, growing incredibly still, but they were abruptly smashed as her sister rose to her feet.
"It sounds totally ridiculous," Arness announced, anger clear on her face, though her eyes remained confused. "Get out of my office, and drop this stupidity! Honestly, I'd have thought that you'd have given up on this by now – there's no Lessien, nothing happened." Striding across the room, she flung the office door open, and pointed out into the corridor with a long, elegant finger. "When you start making some sense, come back and see me," she said coldly. "Until then – get out!!"
Leaping from her seat, Nessa grabbed the book at the last moment and flew out of the office, tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks. Needing to talk to someone, she automatically began heading for the Slytherin Common Room, before remembering that Roman was away. Breathing hard and sobbing, she spun round and headed outside instead, the offending book clutched tightly against her as though it would protect her from the pain caused by her sister's harsh words.

Bursting out of the main doors into Hogwarts, she raced down the stairs and turned in the direction of the lake, moving swiftly for the weeping willow there. Nearing it, however, she began to slow down as she spotted a figure already sitting under it. Cursing loudly, she started to turn away when the person under the willow got up and poked their head out from between the branches.
"Ness? What's wrong?" Thomas' now familiar voice called out to her, his brow furrowed in a light frown.
Nessa froze, trying to work out what to do. "Uh…nothing, Thom, don't fret," she called over her shoulder to him, her voice sounding shaky even to her. Concentrating on slowing her breathing down, she jumped about a mile as Thomas gently rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Love, you couldn't convince even the most gullible person that you were fine," he said, sliding his hand down from her shoulder to her hand, and tugging at it gently. "So naturally, I'm going to fret some."
Sighing softly, Nessa allowed him to lead her back to the weeping willow, and she silently sat on the ground, absently placing the book on her lap. She stared at it, not looking at Thomas, and he sat down facing her, following her gaze down to the book and gently reaching out to turn it so he could see the title.
"This is about Lessien, isn't it?" he asked quietly, reaching out to brush Nessa's hair back from her face. Sniffling, she looked up at him and nodded, tears dripping down her cheeks occasionally.
"I…I think I know the charm that made everyone forget," she said softly. Grabbing the book, she tucked it under her arm and continued, "It was in here all along. I was asking Arness about it, and it was all going so well, then it just…" Gulping, Nessa looked away, closing her eyes as she began crying more. Not noticing Thomas shift closer, she pulled herself together and finished the story. "She told me some more about the charm, and I think I know why it didn't work on me. I started trying to explain things to her, and it was working for a bit, I think, but then…everything just, closed. I think the charm kicked in at double-strength or something, and she…she yelled at me," she murmured, tears still falling. "Arness has never yelled at me before," she whimpered, dropping her gaze to the ground under her feet.
Thomas shifted forwards again, and gently wrapped Nessa into a hug, her head automatically finding his shoulder. "I know it's hard, love," he murmured, looking down at what he could see of her face, "but you'll manage, I know you will."
Nessa lifted her head slightly and turned it so that it was facing him, before resting it back down on his shoulder, fitting snugly against his neck. "But why didn't that break the charm?" she muttered, her eyes closed. "Surely knowing about such a charm being on a person would have lifted it, but…it didn't…"
"I'm no expert on charms, but I can guarantee that if a Death Eater cast it, he'd have thought of something like that. Don't stress yourself so – you'll think of something…"
Nessa lifted her head again, and looked into Thomas' grey eyes. "Thank you," she murmured quietly. She smiled lightly as he raised an eyebrow questioningly, and added, "Thank you for listening, and reassuring, and…well…for not pushing me away, labelled as a nutcase."
Thomas smiled and brushed back her hair again. "Just don't tell the other Slytherins about me," he murmured, clearly joking. "It wouldn't do to have them thinking I was nice…"
Noticing that her head was tilted up slightly, angled towards him, he hesitated for a moment, and then leant forwards, gently pressing a kiss against her lips. Nessa froze, surprised by his actions, and then melted into his hold slightly, the book slowly drooping in her grasp. As her eyes closed, the book slid completely from her fingers and landed softly on her lap. She jumped and pulled away from Thomas, her cheeks swiftly turning pink.
Grabbing the book, she scrabbled to her feet and moved swiftly for the edge of the weeping willow, pausing as she reached its gently curving branches. Looking back to Thomas, she smiled faintly and murmured, "Thank you," again, before slipping out of the weeping willow, heading for the castle to get some rest.

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