A Faint Memory Long Since Dead, But Never Forgotten

*Aries sat still as can be. A glass of ale, hanging loosely in her grip, as she watched pedestrians coming in and out of the pub from the gathering outside.It was a festival of some sort. Wizards and muggles a like gathered in the center of the village swapping stories, playing games, and having a party in the streets. But none of that matter to her at the moment. She had business to attend to.

like always when she went to a pub, she was seeing someone for information. She could not stick out like a sore thumb, so she wore blue jeans, and a backless black top, that could catch the eye of every man in the bar, married or not. She gave a false innocently sudductive smile to those staring, but nothing more as she took a sip of her ale.

No one had the nerve to set down next to her just yet. They were not drunk enough to built up their nerves, or not stupid enough thinking they had a chance. *

Adam was outside a candy store in Godric's Hollow, where the streets were buzzing with excitement, as people moved one way to the next going from carnevale stand to carnevale stand. The young brown haired boy, with a grin as bright as the sun, was utterly fascinated by the surrounding festivities. He wanted to run, and play with the neighborhood boys, climb a tree, chase the nearby pidgeons scouring the grounds, but yet he stayed obediently where he was, waiting for his parents to come back from outside the post office next to the candy store. His teenage sister, blond and careless about the world around her, stood a few feet behind him, eyeing a boy here and there as they passed by, also, wanting to take part in the festivities like her brother, but not quite the same way. Adam turned to her sister as he spotted a cotton candy vendor down the street a ways slowly rolling away, farther and farther from his reach.

"Lorrie, Lorrie! Can we go get some cotton candy?" The boy cried ecstatically.

"Ask Mom and Dad when they get back." She replied boredly, hardly even looking at the child.

"But Lorrie..." Adam watched, heartbroken, as the cotton candy vendor wheeled around the corner, out of sight.

As their parents stepped out of the post office, both siblings perked up instantly, Adam seeing his chance to get his precious cotton candy, Lorrie seeing her chance to break free from her brother.

"Mommy!" Adam jumped up into his mother's arms, who laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

"There's my sweet little boy." His mother replied lovingly.

His father turned to Lorrie, "Maybe you could take Adam in and show him the owls? I'm sure he'd love it."

"You promised I wouldn't have to babysit!" Lorrie imediately accused.

"I know, I know, but..." The father looked to his wife for support.

Their mother sighed, "Something's come up dear, I'm sorry." She then looked to Adam who was frowning quizically now. "Nothing to worry about sweety, we'll be back in a couple hours." She nuzzled noses with the boy, then set him down gently.

"We'll see you in a little while alrigh sport?" His father messed up his hair a little, causing the boy to laugh, "Keep Lorena in line, alright son?"

Lorrie rolled her eyes as Adam replied, "Alright dad!"

Their parents chuckled then turned and left. Their mother looked over her shoulder, giving Lorrie a meaningful glance before they turned around the corner, and out of sight. Lorrie sighed and crossed her arms.

"This is just great." Lorrie complained.

"Lorrie, let's go get cotton candy! Pleeaaaasssse?" He begged.

Lorrie pulled some coins out of her pocket and handed them to Adam, "Here, don't go far. I'm gonna go find my friends, meet back right here, got it?"

"But mom says-"

"Mom's not here right now, okay?"

"Well... okay..." Adam glanced around, looking for where the vendor had disappeared off to. Lorena was already making her way through the crowd, in search of her friends.

Adam bursted into a run, heading down the street towards the cotton candy vendor. As he turned around the corner, he saw it for just a moment before it turned left farther down the street.

"Hey, wait! Mister!" Adam yelled out, trying to get the cotton candy man's attention as he chased after him.

A few more turns later, Adam lost track of the cotton candy vendor and became distracted by some flowers out in the field nearby. He grinned, running out to the daisies, thinking his sister loves flowers. Maybe if he brought her some, he thought, she would cheer her up. "Daisies for Lorrie!" Adam giggled as he picked some flowers, getting his hands dirty and his knees grass-stained in the process. But as he got back up and started running back, he tripped over a rock and fell into the dirt. At first, the poor boy was simply shocked, but then came the sobs, and like any 6 year old boy after being frightened, had a miserable face wet with tears.

"L-Lorrie!" He sobbed, looking around for his sister. Then he realized, he didn't remember which way he came from, and his sister was no where to be seen, "Lorrie!" He cried out, the flowers tight in his grip as he stood up.

*Aries for a time, after getting what she needed from one of the old wizarding families in debt to her, she wonder the streets. Her eyes lingered on the laughter of children, to the crowd of people dancing. She moved on gracefully, in between two houses, on a different street. It was less populated, with couples snuggling up on empty stairwells, or snogging in the alley way, but in the faint distant Aries could still hear the musical melody of the Dj.

Her feet, with the clicking of her heels, took her far away from the gathering to a secluded area, near the cemetery, but something made her stop. A slight whimper, brought Aries to a halt.*

Adam sobbed as he found his way back onto an empty street, his tears blurring his vision. But as he brought his arm up to wipe away the tears, he bumped into someone. With a gasp, a he jumped back and looked up to see a tall woman standing over him.

*Aries was surprise at first, as they both stared into each others eyes. Rarely anything surprised her, but the red hair child, with his checks all red and puffy unsettled her. She regained her composure. Her blank composure washed over Aries' face, as she continued walking toward the church.*

"W-Wait!" The boy panicked, latching onto the woman's leg, "Please! I'm lost, I can't find my sister!" He sniffled. Since this woman was the only person in sight at the moment, Adam was desperate. He didn't know what to do, but he didn't want to be alone again. He was so used to people being there for him, to solve his problems, to help him when he got hurt... the stinging of the scrapes on his knees caused tears to start welling up again. What if he got lost forever, what if he never saw his mother again? Terrified by the thought, the boy tightened his hold on the woman's leg and started sobbing again.

*Aries stop in her track. Her heart stopped as well. The boy clang to her, as if Aries was the only person in the world who could help him. His face burred in her jeans, asking Aries for help.*

"I'm sorry but..."

*The look in his face, made her heart drop. Once again, memories of the past flooded to her. Her little brother was staring back at her, with those somber eyes. Aries had to blink several times, pushing back an onslaught feelings of sorrow, and dread, but it was as if Aries was staring back at his little brother.*

'Sis. Help me sis.' Markus whimpered in the front yard, staring out into the woods. 'Please sis, help me find him. Help me find him, please.'

"I am sorry Markus, I can not help you."

"W-What?" Adam looked up at the woman, utterly shocked to have been rejected. Then his tears started streaming freely down his face, "Y-You h-h-have to! I'm ne-v-ver gonna see them again!" He whimpered as he burried his face in her jeans once again, his hold tightening. He was completely horrified now, and she was the only living thing he could latch onto for comfort. "Please... don't l-leave me... I don't wanna be by myself!" He cried.

'Please, sis?'

*Aries was pulled out of the labyrinth of memories. The echo of her brother was replace by the red headed child, balling over never seeing his parents again. Slowly, and gently pulled the kid from her leg. He was gripping so tightly that it started to go numb.*

"You know what?"

*She said gentle, bending down to get eye level. A smile crossed her lips. Not a seductive smile, or a wicked smile, but an innocent one. A smile, that was long since dead, returning to grace her face.*

"I will help, but first, what is your name, dear?"

*She tore a piece of cloth off her top, wiping away the boys tears with it, just like what she used to do with Markus, when he was crying.*

The boy sniffled, choking on his tears, beginning to settle now that the woman had changed her mind, "A-Adam, miss. My... my sister, she went to go find her friends. I was supposed to go back to the candy store and wait."

"I see."

*They were a few streets down from the center of Godric's Hollow, where she assumed were the boy was suppose to meet up with her sister.*

"How did you get all the way out here?"

*she asked, cleaning the boy up. Once the tears were dried up, she combed his hair, making it neat once again.*

"I was trying to catch the cotton candy man." Adam frowned, admitting defeat, but he didn't seem bothered by the woman's tedious fuss over his hair. He seemed to be perfectly comfortable with it, perhaps even comforted by it, as it was something his mother had a habit of. "And then I found some flowers out there," he pointed in the direction he came from, then glanced thoughtfully back to the woman. "Do you like flowers, miss?" He held up his daisies for her to see. Now that he had company, he was perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened in the first place. This lady was really nice too. Adam smiled.

*Her cold malicious demeanor was a distant memory at that moment, talking to Adam. Even if she tried, she would not be able to muster any hate or malice toward the boy. He was just to kind.

Adam presented flowers. Aries lean forward, her eyes closed sniffing the daisies. She could not help but be reminded of fields filled with all types of wild flowers, near her home, and were she and Markus played 'Imaginary dragon.'*

"I love them, especially sun flowers."

*Aries stood up, presenting her hand to the boy, so they could find his family.*

Adam giggled, taking her hand without hesitation, "My sister likes flowers too. Her boyfriends are always giving her presents like that. So I wanted to get her flowers too, so she wouldn't be so grumpy all the time." He looked up at the woman with an imitation of his sister's annoyed expression, as though it was seriously important for this woman to know how his sister felt today. He knew he was a pest in his sister's eyes, but perhaps not enough to stay out of trouble, considering the current situation.

*Aries had no words to give. She too at times when she was younger, thought her brother was annoying and down right obnoxious, but Aries truly loved her brother.*

"So what's your name?" Adam glanced innocently, yet curiously, up at the woman.

"Aries, but I kind of like your name better."

*Aries waited for Adam to hope up onto the sidewalk before continuing down the street in a slow stroll.*

"What do you like to do for fun, Adam?"

*She asked, watching a couple locked lips, obviously drunk. She turn instantly down an alleyway to another street so Adam did not have to watch them phonicating in public.

"I like to climb trees a lot." Adam giggled, completely unaware of the world around him, and fully trusting Aries, to whom he had just met. "And I like running, and playing tag and hide and go seek and..." He continued listing thing like such, fully enjoying the conversation, "...And sometimes my dad gives me horse-back rides!" He said cheerfully.

*She listen as Adam went on and on about everything he enjoys in life. She commented little, and laugh when Adam giggled. Her cold dark, haunted features were replace with sweet kindness. Some spark of life now dance in her could dead quicksilver eyes, knowing that this joyful moment will not last. And once it over, it is over.*

(Or maybe you could kill the family and take the boy in as your own * cough cough, wink wink * xD ROFL)

"Will you by my new mommy?"

"Maybe you can meet mommy and daddy! They're really nice- not as nice as you though." He added with a grin.

*Aries thought about it for a time. Why was she so unsettle by that statement. Adam was just a child, wanting to be loved by everyone. But she knew why. It did not need explanation or to be voiced, to understand that innocent statement, and what Adam is really feeling.*

"I would like that, but I don't think that would be appropriate."

"What do you mean?" He asked unknowingly.