A meeting arranged

[Alessandro Darko]

He smiled at her as she stood from the table and it slowly faded away into nothingness as he assumed she willed it so. His eyes followed her as she obliged him by coming over and sat right down next to him. Why was he always so fragile? So fractured....He swallowed hard as this thought came across the forefront of his mind, causing him to feel slightly insecure that he was in the presence of a female, and was showing his sensitive side. It felt so comfortable, however, so right. As she sat down, she offered to help him restore some of his memories, if he'd let her. He turned to look at her as she offered this, noticing her gaze had dropped down to her hands, which lay in her lap. His brow furrowed a bit as he tried to understand exactly what she was implying, but then he thought back to the night she came to his rescue with Zane.

She's a telepath...

He nodded that he understood what she was trying to say as he turned the thought over in his head a couple more times. Did he want an outside presence in his mind? Who knows what there was to find in his partly cloudy mind. His eyes began to study the grass in detail as he thought, and decided to just remain silent until he felt moved to speak again.

"Do you know what this place means to me?" He asked, not really expecting her to answer, so he proceeded to explain. "This room is truly amazing...It was able to pluck this out of my mind before I even thought about it...like it knew this is where I needed to be before I realized it." He said slowly.

"This is a place I have created in my mind. I come here often...when I feel like I can't handle the world around me...I shut off, and come here. It feels so strange right now, it's almost as if I'm inside my own head..." He said with a chuckle. He plucked a long piece of grass from the ground and began to fuss with it, swallowing hard. "We're in Colorado, right now...in the mountains....a place called Steam Boat Springs. My father took me here when I was six....that was my first time I ever saw a horse..." Off in the distance, there was a faint whinnying sound, accompanied by hoof-beats. Alessandro did not show any signs of shock or made any indication that he had noticed this at all. Right before he continued to speak again, a black horse trotted several yards away from them, stopping to graze and tousle is mane.

"It was a black stallion. It was beautiful....it looked like it was on fire, the way the sunlight danced off of its ebony coloured mane and tail...I was so excited...I was so excited to have moved to America...it was a whole new world. But I knew something was wrong...I could feel it. He gave me this later that day." He said pulling at the gnarled piece of silver, an Italian horn, that was dangling against his collar. "He told me it would protect me against evil..." His jaw tensed up and he gripped the charm around his neck, violently jerking it forward, destroying the silver chain from which it hung, and he hurled it forward into the meadow.

"Fat lot of protection that brought me...." He said as his jaw began to tremble, and hot tears began to well up in his eyes. He shut them tight, propelling the liquid forward and it streamed down his face.

So weak...crying in front of a girl...

His hands went up to his face and cleared the tears as he took in a deep breath. "Anyway..." He said with a sniff.

"It just hurts a lot...I never really got to know my dad more than that...he was the one to lock that memory about fire up...and then after he left...Hewlett came into the picture...and he hates me....sometimes I think he's put me mum under the imperius curse...she'll bend to his will at times..." he mused as he tore up the grass in front of him.

[Keaira O'Connell]

When Keaira's offer was met with silence she felt quite certain that it meant he would not be accepting it. Knowing that he did not trust her even after all she had done for him, hurt her a little. But she was already used to being hurt by people she cared for. It had become part of her life. She opens her heart to some one, allowing them to grow close together, and then, the run off and die, or get their memories erased, and then she would be back to square one.

Her eyes remained on her hands, while she waited to hear him turn down her offer. However, his next words were not a refusal of her help, but instead a question. Her eyes lifted away from her hands and made there way back upward toward Alessandro's face. Her eyes searched him momentarily before resting on his lips. She remembered the way they had softly brushed her own the night of the Halloween Masquerade. But that was so very long ago. They parted gently as Alessandro began speaking about their location.

Colorado... that was in the USA, she had once upon a time wished to see the states, but that was mostly out of childhood fantasy. A fantasy that was disillusioned as she grew up and learned about the way the Americans ran things in their country. However, such thoughts were distracting, and were quickly put aside. Focusing back on Alessandro she drew s short breath, and kept her mind clear from all other focuses. His words were each carefully regarded, as he spoke, absorbing the details, and attempting to find the revalence in each phrase. As a horse was heard in the distance Keaira turned toward the sound.

A black stallion came from nowhere, and seemed to have no qualms about walking nearby where the pair had seated. Pulling her eyes away from the horse, she focused back on Alessandro as he began speaking once more. This place must have meant so much to him as he grew up in to the Alessandro that sat before her. It had to have, in order for his patronus to have taken the form of the stallion that they had seen. Or at least that was what Keaira had deduced as she listened to his story.

The necklace had hung from Alessandro's neck as long as Keaira had known him. It had never left him. As she watched him fondle it with his fingertips, she was reminded of the necklace that she herself had been given as a protective charm. Of course all thoughts of her necklace led her to think of her grandparents, and in turn the sacrifice that had been given so that she could survive. Instinctively her right hand lifted up to caress her left shoulder, just at the spot where under all her clothing a scar from a bullet wound lie. She flinched slightly as Alessandro torn the necklace from his neck. The slight 'chink' that the necklace made as the chain snapped, seemed to fill her ears. She watched intently as he pulled the necklace back and threw it across the field.

She wanted to stop him from doing it, to keep him from throwing away a memento that was given to him to remember someone important, but she didn't. Instead she made sure she faced him directly, hoping to offer some sort of comfort, but failing to come up with anything useful. The tears that streamed down his face made Keaira want to cry herself. She was so useless. There was nothing that she could do to make him feel better, nothing to help him remember. She was trying so hard, but it seemed that she had nothing to offer to him.What good was she if she couldn't even help him when he needed her?

Lifting her right arm off her own shoulder, she placed it down on the ground besides her, and took her left hand and gently placed it on his back. Gently sliding her hand down and then back up she looked at the boy next to her. She wasn't sure if it would be as comforting as she hoped it would be, but it was the best she could comfortably offer. Suppressing the urge to wrap both arms around him, and simply hold him, she instead opted for a reassuring smile.

"You know, it'll be alright in the end. I mean, you're 15. Just 2 more years until you come of age, and can make your own choices. Go where you want, do what you'd like." She paused for a moment unsure of how she should proceed. After musing for a few seconds she had come to a decision. "Accio necklace." The broken chain and silver horn were soon flying through the air toward Keaira's outstretched hand. As they gently landed in her palm she looked it the necklace over carefully. It really was a nice piece of jewelry. "Reparo" She cast the spell on the broken chain, mending it in an instant. The chain connected to itself again, she picked the chain up with her pointer and thumb on her right hand. The Italian horn dangled in the air in front of her an Alessandro. Her eyes remained on the charm in front of her.

"You know, you shouldn't throw things away so lightly. Even though you may be angry and upset now, you might end up regretting it later. So if you really don't want this now, how about I hold on to it for a while. You might change your mind about casting it aside later."

Unclasping the necklace, Keaira slipped the chain around her neck. There was a soft clink as her locket connected lightly with the horn that dangled from the chain. Alessandro's necklace was a bit longer than the one she perpetually wore, so it slipped nicely under her shirt. The silver of Alessandro's necklace seemed a bit out of place when placed next to the gold of her grandmothers, but Keaira didn't care. After donning the necklace her eyes slipped back up to Alessandro's

"You know Alessandro, sometimes when we feel like we don't need something or someone, it really is when we need them the most. And when you decided you want this back you will know where to find it. Just like you'll always be able to find me if you need me."

[Alessandro Darko]

He found her hand on his back, sliding up and down in a comforting motion. He closed his eyes and swallowed as her touch sent electricity through him. Inhaling deeply, he listened to her words as she continued to console him through tactile means, which he found very therapeutic. There was a silent moment and Alessandro looked up to see what expression that she may have, and saw her raise her wand and utilize the summoning charm. He made no objections as he was the glinting silver memento fly through the air and into her palm. He continued to watch her as she repaired the chain. In a moment of anger, he had wrenched off something that had been his anchor through trying times. A tangible memory that gave him comfort, and he cast it into oblivion. But now as Keaira had collected the fragments, he found himself secretly thanking her for being so thoughtful. Indeed, he did not wish to see it gone forever and had no words of objection as she secured it around her neck until Alessandro decided to take it back.

"You know Alessandro, sometimes when we feel like we don't need something or someone, it really is when we need them the most. And when you decided you want this back you will know where to find it. Just like you'll always be able to find me if you need me."

He looked at her face, finding her eyes. The expression he wore was that of a dissipating sorrow and perhaps optimism for a brighter future. He gave her a sad smile and nodded.

"I do want you to know this...." He began, feeling butterflies flap their fragile wings in his abdomen. "It means a- a lot to me me...Keaira. Your help. I can't help but feel....intense when I'm in your company....my heroine..." He said, turning his gaze away from her before he spoke the last part, and looked off into the horizon. His left hand traveled across the ground and found hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

At that moment, the room decided to shift again. This time, the setting changed to something a bit more familiar for the pair, as it was a replica of a portion of the grounds, the lake to be specific. He looked up to find them sitting beneath a Juniper tree, near the lake. He looked back at Keaira with a questionable look as if to say "I didn't think of this...did I?" He was sure that his mind had not been thinking of this particular spot by the lake, and wondered if it was she who had caused the change. None-the-less, he enjoyed the change of scenery and felt nostalgic as they sat there, gazing out onto the sun-sparkling lake.

[Keaira O'Connell]

Keaira kept hers locked on Alessandro's face after she finished speaking. It brought a ghost of a smile back to her features as she saw what looked like a brighter outlook on the future sneak its way in to Alessandro. Today there had been plenty of progress. In fact, much more than she had originally hoped for. Thinking that perhaps she should not press her luck, it only took Keaira a few thoughts to decide that perhaps she would push off the meeting of the rest of the light fighters until another night. A short mental message and it was postponed. Pushing Alessandro into a meeting with the others might be too much for the night.

As Alessandro began speaking Keaira turned her full attention back to the boy that sat next to her. He stuttered, it was a sign of nervousness, she was certain. As he spoke she felt her heart begin to race a little. She knew that even if she wanted to say something that the words would not make it past the heart beating that enveloped her chest. He..... appreciated what she was doing. He was thanking her, and even better, he thought she was his hero. A pink flush grew across her cheeks as she realized just exactly what he was saying. That pink however, grew an even deeper shade of red as she felt Alessandro's hand reach her own. As he grasped her hand gently she nervously smiled at him, and felt her hand tightened around his own.

As she looked at his eyes she saw the room behind him shift and change into something different. Shifting her focus from Alessandro to the new scene that surrounded them she felt a look of amusement come across her. The place was so familiar, but wasn't exactly what she would have thought of at a moment like this. Catching Alessandro's look of shock and confusion She couldn't help but giggle. He didn't know what had happened at this very location.

"You have no idea what had happened here do you? I must say its probably one of the places that I will never forget..." She paused a moment, and made sure her eyes were directed on Alessandro and not on the lake side around them. She had already offered to help him once in this meeting, perhaps a second time would be too much. But it was worth the try, tentatively she spoke, "If you want, I can show you. I think you will enjoy it."

[Alessandro Darko]

"You have no idea what had happened here do you? I must say its probably one of the places that I will never forget..." She paused a moment, and made sure her eyes were directed on Alessandro and not on the lake side around them. She had already offered to help him once in this meeting, perhaps a second time would be too much. But it was worth the try, tentatively she spoke, "If you want, I can show you. I think you will enjoy it."

He turned his gaze from the peaceful lake and looked at her as she spoke. Her words sounded sincere and like they beheld fond memories. Memories were a luxury, one that he didn't have. He frowned slightly and then looked her in the eyes as she spoke next, raising his eyebrows.

Perhaps she was going to show him something by manipulating the room, something which had turned out to be quite fun as it seemed to be very accurate with its re-creations. He bit his lip as if he was debating on whether or not to agree to whatever she had planned. He was nervous about letting someone into his mind, but perhaps it wouldn't be bad at all. Finally outweighing the bad, he nodded in acceptance.

"Okay...yeah, show me." He said beginning to smile as he continued to hold her hand. He was starting to feel great. Perhaps his memories weren't something he needed back after all? He was beginning to get on quite well with his friends, well, except for Zane. There was something about that boy that bugged him, he seemed in bad spirits whenever Alessandro was around.

Swallowing lightly, he looked out onto the lake, watching the sunlight flicker across the reflective surface of the water.

[Keaira O'Connell]

Silence filled the air after she offered to help him once again. It seemed that he was very tentative about allowing her the chance to help him. Holding his hand gently she let a smile cross her face as he agreed to allow her to help. Nodding slowly she thought of the day that they had last been under, or well in, this very tree. It was still early in the year. The trees were still fully filled with leaves, the water warm.

As she thought of the day the room shifted ever so slightly, the tree seemed to have a lot more leaves, and the lake seemed to have much more of a sunny hue. Even the grass beneath them seemed a bit greener. Thinking clearly of the day at the juniper, she held Alessandro's hand a bit tighter, and brought what she was thinking from her mind, and slowly allowed the memory to slip in to his own.

A basket, filled with delicious green apples sat under the tree, a green and silver bow adorned it, along with a note that stated in Alessandro's handwriting 'For Keaira'. She smile sweetly as she looked at the basket, the words "Thats kind of sweet now isn't it." escaped her mouth. As she looked at the basket, she pulled the best looking apple from the basket. Shinning it up on her robes, Keaira brought the apple close to her lips. Her mind had summoned up the taste of what she had been expecting. As the apple was poised for consumption, she noticed it seemed to shake, and then it began to change. With in seconds Keaira went from holding the perfect apple, to staring at a dirty brown rat. “Ack!” She screamed as she dropped the rat.

He had to be there, she knew it, and she knew how to find him. Mentally reaching outward she felt for his mind, he had to be somewhere near, and she found him, sitting up in the tree, struggling to keep his laughter silent.“You think that’s funny now do you??! You like little mice?” she lost control, not only had she said those words but she had forcibly thought them at Alessandro as well, pushing them directly into his head, and probably giving him a bit of a head ache in the process. “So does Artemis, let’s see how funny you think it is when you spend the rest of your life as a squishy mouse, cat toy!! Hominis Verto!!”

Her wand was pointed straight at the boy, even through the branches, she knew she would have enough force to fulfill the spell, whether or not it would hit him was another story. Just 20 minuets of fun time and then she would turn him back. Perhaps in the middle of the courtyard, with lots of witnesses. As she watched the spell hit her target a wicked smile seared across her face. Alessandro lost his balance as the transformation took place, then a searing hot flash of pain came from her locket. Knowing that he didn't deserve the broken rib he might receive, the words “Aressto Momuentum.” came to her lips.

As the words slipped from her lips, she heard another person approaching. A girl she had not met yet quickly turned Alessandro back in to a human, and then threatened the deduct points. The glee she had over the thought of Alessandro being transformed from a mouse to a man in front of countless out lookers was quickly fading, she wouldn’t get the revenge she sought at this point in time, but the games were on. Sooner or later there would be plenty of time for a joke on him…

The memory faded in to black. Keaira was about to drop the connection that she had opened to transfer the memory to Alessandro, but something seemed strange. It was not the black of emptiness, or the faded black that normally came with the end of a memory, but instead it felt a bit more tangible. Her mind focused a bit on the darkness, the details of where she was seeing were odd, but it was a room of sorts. There was a bed. As she looked closer she saw that Alessandro was laying in the bed, his school robes still worn. He looked restless, like his thoughts were troubled as he lay there. How could his mother have withdrawn him like that, at such a pivotal time in the shadow wars! He was advancing nicely in his studies and as well as mastering his elemental abilities over fire. It all was very unfair

After a few moments of looking at Alessandro's sleeping form she heard another thing. A crack of light flooded the room softly, and voices were there. Do it Hewlett....I can't bear it....This was done once before...but, Luciano was the one...make him forget, make him forget all of those horrible things that are going on at Hogwarts." Two figures were in the door way of the room, the larger of them stepped forward. "OBLIVIATE" A silver blue light filled the room, as Alessandro stirred to see what the noise was. "Hew...whats wrong??" He asked groggily as he rolled over and rubbed his eyes. "Nothing, Alessandro...your mother and I heard you screaming. You were having a nightmare."

And then there was nothing again. Keaira opened her eyes, and looked at the boy next to her. The room had shifted again. They were in a bedroom that Keaira had never seen. The pair of them were sitting on the bed itself. Were they in the room that Keaira had just seen? Keaira looked around them, her eyes finally landing on their hands. She had tightened her grip on him when she was plunged in to the strange memory that she had never seen before. Loosening her hand from his just enough too ease the slight whiteness that had begun to work its way through her hand, she looked back up at him.

"Alessandro.... I-...That last part. I didn't mean to."

[Alessandro Darko]

He had been smiling, his eyes closed, still holding her hand as he was being shown the memory, again through her point of view and not his own. He truly was a mischievous character, but that part of him had been put on hold for a while...but why? Why was everything so serious lately? As the memory faded and he felt her presence retract from his mind, something startling happened. He felt an intense flare of pain from the back of his mind as he began to see his room materialize before him, and he was sleeping soundly in his bed. His mum and Hewlett appeared at his doorway, and then...and then....Hewlett took his wand and obliviated his memory in a flash of bright, sliver-blue light.

He shook his head, blinking wildly. This just could not be. The vision he had just seen, that could not have been a memory, could it? No, no, she had done something wrong, messed with his mind somehow. This was all wrong, he had a concussion. His mum would have never ordered Hewlett to do such a thing like that to him, not again, at least. Would She? His brain was reeling as he ingested what he had just saw.

"No...that's wrong....No..no, no, no...." He jumped off of his bed and looked around his bedroom in wide-eyed disbelief. He could feel his heart beating like crazy through his ribcage, his chest was heaving up and down rapidly as he breathed. He looked at his bedroom door, to his bureau, his closet, then back to Keaira.

"What did you do? How did you fabricate this? This is all wrong! WRONG!" He cried as he threw his hands up into the air, gripping his hair quite violently and shut his eyes tight.

I have to get out of here...I just can't handle this. The room darkened a bit, but it stayed the same, however, the colors became dull and grayish, mostly blackened. Alessandro had backed up against a full-length mirror that was directly across from his bed, attached to his closet door. He whirled around and looked at himself, directly face to face. But why were his eyes more green than gray? And why was he smiling? He was certain that the look on his face was that of inner turmoil. He blinked once, and then took a breath before turning around to face Keaira, his expression now shifting to that of resilience.

"I don't want to be here anymore." He said flatly, looking over his shoulder at his reflection. The mirror image now had predominantly gray eyes, and almost looked confused and timid. Smirking, he walked away from the mirror and into the center of the room, willing for it to change immediately to the place it had been once before. The bedroom quickly slipped away into the floors and walls of the Room of Requirement, the strange table with 10 chairs to match now returning, the exit door becoming prominent and clear to him now.

[Keaira O'Connell]

Alessandro's bedroom.....So this is what it looked like. It seemed nice, not that she could clearly see in the darkness that the room was in. As she looked about, her eyes drifted from one thing to the other. But as Alessandro began speaking, her eyes instantly went to him. No, was he denying the memory she had seen through him? She stared at him in disbelief. He thought she had fabricated this? But how could she? She had never even seen his parents close up, never heard their voices... Never seen his bedroom.

"Alessandro... think about this. How could I fabricate it? I've never been here, I've never met your mom, or step dad... This came from you. I just made the connection."

The room went dark. Things meshed together in the dull colors that sprouted from nowhere. Her eyes stayed on Alessandro, as he backed away from her. She wanted to reach out to him, to tell him to relax. But she did not. Sitting on the bed, Keaira looked at the boy she cared so much for, as he spun around to face a mirror. It worried her for a second, the way she saw a flicker cross his face in the mirror, what was that? Keaira stood up as he spun back around.

He was leaving. No longer the happy Alessandro that she had seen for a few short seconds, now before her was a stern boy. The way his eyes seemed to cut through her, left her feeling cold, and quite alone. What had happened? How did things get to this stage. She hadn't even done anything wrong.

The dark bedroom slipped away, replaced by the tables and chairs of the lightfighters meeting room. The room seemed so cold and unwelcoming compared to the places she had visited while here with Alessandro... Standing there facing Alessandro's quickly departing back, Keaira extended her arm, moving closer to him with a few short steps.

"Alessandro..... wait.. please. Don't go."

She said the words, knowing that he may not stop his departure, but hoping that he would. Her outreached hand hung in the air for a few short seconds, before it slowly dropped to her side. His foot steps echoed in the room. In a few short seconds, she would be alone...... Very Alone.

[Alessandro Darko]

"Alessandro... think about this. How could I fabricate it? I've never been here, I've never met your mom, or step dad... This came from you. I just made the connection."

He had been striding forth toward the door, hand outreaching for the handle when her words reached him, and froze him in mid-walk. The sincerity in her voice was undetected as he was convinced that what he had just witnessed was a fallacy. How could it be real? He had suffered a concussion. But why couldn't he remember the exact happenings of that day? As he had paused, her words had stimulated anger within him as she justified that she could not have fabricated the memory. He turned on his heel to face her.

"My dear girl, have you not proven yourself to be a master of the mind? A telepath, no less? Tell me, having access to peoples minds, their memories, can't you manipulate their thoughts to your will? Even take control, and drive someone to do something unwillingly? Don't take me for a fool." He said steadily. He turned on heel once more and continued onward toward the door and had put his hand on the handle before she had called out to him once more.

"Alessandro..... wait.. please. Don't go."

Her words rang deep within him, striking him to his core, resonating like a bell toll. The sound of her voice pleading for him to stay softened his rough mood, and he felt himself seem to shift from anger and frustration, back to confliction and sadness. His eyes returned to gray and he exhaled softly. He let his hand slip off of the handle for a moment as he stood there, looking at the door.

"I'm sorry...Keaira....maybe this wasn't such a good idea." He had turned to face her now, his expression revealing that of shame and anguish at once, with a touch of sadness. Alessandro wanted to remember, but he did not want to believe what he saw, and needed time to process this. He didn't want to think about it. He wanted everything to go away, and that was exactly why he had some how torn himself right down the middle, separating his desire to know and learn about what he had lost, and the desires to forget and move on and enjoy the life he had now.

"I think I should go. I need to be alone right now..." he said, his voice wavering back and forth from in control to unstable. With a hard swallow, he did his best to feign a weak smile to her before turning and pushing past the door, making his way out into the corridor.

He wasn't mad at Keaira, just confused. He had been told about his Quidditch accident, and remembered it in his own mind....or did he? He didn't really remember at first, but after a couple days, after they had told him, he had begun to "see" it in his head. Was it all a product of the power of suggestion? Bringing a false memory into life? But then there was the "memory" he had just experienced courtesy to Keaira's telepathic powers. The memory made him feel twisted inside. If that were true, his mother was not the woman he thought she was, especially since they had lied to him, if that was the case.

Shaking his head in confusion, he ran both hands back through his hair, and descended the stair case going to the fifth floor.