(1937-12-10) I Remember
Details for I Remember
Summary: Gideon shares his discoveries with Keenan. Niamh manages to piece together most of her shattered memories.
Date: December 12, 1937
Location: MacDiarmarda Apothecary
Related: Questions for Cooper, Questions for Wolfgang
Characters
KeenanGideonNiamh

Now that any info needed has been gathered, Keenan is making sure the shop is clean for his sister. He tries to ignore the shelf of potions that were taken, and what they could mean as he goes about his work. The St. Mungo's robes he wore for the better part of the day are laying over the counter, their splash of eye-watering color bright in the dim shop. Pausing, Keenan's fingers grip both ends of his wand as he stretches his arms overhead, lifting up on his toes before he settles back down to roll his neck, a good 'pop' being heard as he cracks it and sighs.

The front door opens to a silhouette of a longcoat and fedora, breezing in from the street outside. Gideon doffs the hat as he enters, peering around for Niamh, and arches an eyebrow at the sight of her brother, instead. He's carrying a briefcase in one hand — something rarely seen on his person. "Keenan," his eyes shift toward the stairs. "Is your sister about?"

As the front door opens, Keenan turns quickly, wand still in hand, but then relaxes when he sees Gideon. "Aye, she's upstairs. Probably fixin' enough food tae feed an army. How was she comin' back?" he asks curiously.

Gideon nods, shutting the door and locking it behind him. "Fine. She's been in good spirits. Though we've not tried to go over what happened yet. I'd rather you be here for that." He looks to the stairs again. "I have news. I hate keepin' Niamh in the dark about this, but if she's goin' to point the finger at Magnus Troy, she needs to do it without coachin' from us if it has any hope of sticking in court."

Keenan nods with a bit of a smile as Gideon said she was fine. "We may need tae look intae askin' her tae have someone else continue her healin'… else someone might want tae think I planted tha memory in her, rather than just bringing back her memory." He sighs with resignation, and leans one hip against the counter. Raising a hand he makes the motion for "go on" as he says the words.

Gideon nods, "The court will probably insist on an independent examination, anyhow. I'm sure it'll be fine." He steps over to the counter, setting down the briefcase. He works the locks, adjusting the dials to the appropriate astrological symbols, then pops the case open. Inside are a case file, a metal circle about 12 inches wide and an inch thick, and a ledger. "I went lookin' into Troy, and I found more than I ever thought I would. I cannae tell yet how deep it all goes, but this man's swimming in suspicion. Seems he's got an affiliation with Wolfgang Montague, and lucky for us, Montague handles the man's security…and has also been tracking his activities for a little over a month now."

Keenan politely averts his gaze as the man fiddles with the dials on the briefcase, but looks down when it clicks open. His brows come together with concern. "Just in case, it would be better if someone else handled her case from here… since we suspect him. I'll ask tomorrow in The Ward, and see who's up for it. So…" he hauls himself up on the counter so he can look closer. "…where has our good Ambassador been the past month?"

Gideon cracks the ledger open, flipping through page after page of reports on mostly mundane activities and movements. "I'm still going over it, but look here. November 18th. The day of Niamh's attack, and right around the same time, he's spotted leaving in a hooded cloak, and they lose sight of him when he Disapparates."

Keenan looks at the date he points out, then he lifts his legs and swings them over the counter so that he can drop down on the other side. He pulls out the ledger that has the ink spill in it. Flipping through to the day on which the polyjuice potions were ordered, he asks, "what does it have for notes on this day?" He take his eyes from Niamh's ledger, and looks over to the one Gideon has.

Gideon shakes his head. "Unfortunately, this ledger only goes back to October 14th. Seems that's when Montague and Troy had a falling out, and Montague's been keeping tabs on him since. But not before."

Keenan sighs. "Bollocks. Any of the Montagues have blond hair?" he asks curiously, as he closes the ledger and puts it back. "One entry is coincidence. If we had two, we might be able to establish something… who in their right minds crosses the Montagues?" He comes back to rest his palms on the counter, and nods towards the metal disk. "What is that?"

Gideon shakes his head, "The Montagues are dark Italian. It wasn't so much that he crossed Wolfgang, as he didn't pay close enough attention to the associations of someone he hurt. It got back to Montague, and he tried to set the man straight. Seems he didn't learn his lesson…if he's the man we're lookin' for." He picks up the metal cannister, cracking open the lid. Inside is an audio tape reel. "Ever seen one of these? Muggle tape. This is a recording of Troy. Unfortunately, it'll never hold up as evidence. But it gives me leads to work with."

Keenan raises an eyebrow, and nods. "Muggle technology being so unreliable, of course," he says drily. "Do ye have a player fer it? I'd like tae hear it, if ye don't mind."

Gideon chuckles, "It's unreliable in a Wizengamot courtroom. Even if we had a player, it would never play down there. Besides, the recording isn't damning enough." He takes a deep breath, "Dinnae take this poorly, but I cannae have you hearing it. There are things on here about the woman he hurt, and it's nae my place to expose that."

Keenan is still a moment. "Ah, I see. It's him tryin' tae explain tae Montague… tryin' tae set tha record straight," his jaw tenses and grinds. "Did he… " the fingers on the counter curl into fists as he considers possible implications in 'hurting a woman'. "If he ever thinks o' hurtin' Niamh any more'n he already has, or layin' a hand on her…"

"He'll be dead first," Gideon states flatly. The response comes without hesitation. But then he takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "But…we have to remember that he's just a suspect right now. I have little doubt he'll go down for his other crimes, but we cannae know for certain this was him, yet. Not unless Niamh identifies him. Even then…there's no guarantee her testimony will hold up either, after her memory's been tampered with."

The assertion of killing someone does cause Keenan to flinch slightly around the eyes. While he's not opposed to doling out a measure of violence in certain circumstances, he is still a healer. "Aye, that's the crux… once someone's had their memory tampered with, anythin' they remember can be seen as suspect, nae matter how good tha Healer." He loosens the fists and flattens them on the smooth surface, then raises a hand to rake it through his hair. "I'll go up an' see if she's got dinner ready while ye… straighten up or whatever." He walks around the end of the counter, grabbing his robes on the way as he heads to the stairs.

Gideon nods grimly. "Dinnae worry, we have leads to go on. We just need to see if Niamh can remember." He puts the cannister and ledger back into the briefcase, locking it shut.

Too late, Keenan.. Niamh's on her way down the stairs, as heard by the regular footfalls. She's down the stairs and the door opens in, catching voices on the other side; voices she'd know anywhere, for obvious reasons. Brows are up, and with hand on the door, she looks between the pair. "Dinner's been done for a fair bit," she begins, and each is given a lingering look. "Bread's still warm, though.."

Keenan pauses before he can open the door, since Niamh opens it for him, and gives her a grin. Turning to Gideon he says lightly, "sounds like we're bein' chastised fer lettin' dinner get cold… guess we'd better hurry an' get tae table, aye?" He steps forward to give Niamh a hug, and then lifts his robes. "Let me go up ta my place an' put these away, an' I'll be right there."

Gideon's stern visage softens at the sight of Niamh. "Sounds grand, love. Aye, let's go eat, then." He takes the briefcase with him (he never carries a briefcase!), heading toward the stairs. Naturally, he stops when he reaches Niamh, waiting for Keenan to depart before giving her a proper kiss of greeting.

"Wait.. wait.." Niamh looks at the men, "What were ye two speakin' on?" She puts a hand out to forestall Keenan's departure, a hug given him, but she does reach to keep him from leaving. And Gideon? "What am I missing? An' does it have t'do with me?" Hazel eyes narrow, and her gaze lingers now on the Hit Wizard. "Or are ye pair talkin' about how the Scotch is better or worse than the whiskey?" There's certainly an underlying .. dubiousness on that particular subject.

Keenan grins reassuringly and gently pulls away. "Now, lass, I may humor yer man an' give his Scotch a try, but ye know there's not contest between Whiskey and Scotch," he tells her with a wink. "Let me get freshened up, an' I'll be up fer dinner. Gideon, ye eat all of it before I get back, an' I'll nae give ye anythin' ta cure yer stomach pains fer eatin' too much." Then he's off.

Gideon rubs a hand along Niamh's arm reassuringly. "First of all, Scotch is whisky. It's just superior whisky. Secondly, we were talkin' about your case, aye. But before I discuss any of it with you, we need you to try to remember what happened here. We cannae afford to plant suggestions that might colour your memory."

Niamh gives her brother a kiss before letting him go to do what he needs to, and turns her attention fully upon Gideon now. She reaches out for his hand, and moves to entwine her fingers around his. "Superior whiskey?" Once again, she doesn't sound like she believes him, but she sounds willing to forego that particular argument. After all, one has to choose one's battles! One learns that by being Irish. "My case," she begins slowly, "An'.. what I remember." There's a long moment before she looks at the shop that lies before them. "I've got feelings, Adamantus," comes softly after a long moment. "If I remember anything, it's by makin' me stand," and her hand points towards the counter, "..there." And she's been avoiding the counter. "Keen helped a lot last time he tried to take care of the charm.. an' he told me nae to try.. to think about other things. An' I have."

Gideon looks back to the spot she indicates (also letting go of the liquor debate…but this could be war at some point). He puts both hands on her upper arms, dipping his gaze to meet hers. "Do you want to try now? We should wait for Keenan if you do. I want him here in case you need a Healer's attention."

"I want t'try, Adamantus. I.. spent the day helping customers, an' .. I don't want t'feel as if my head's going to fly off my shoulders every time that door opens." Niamh gestures towards the door in question, "An'.. one customer came in asking about poison antidotes.. an' all I could think was.. 'why does he need that?' until I discovered he was an Auror.." She's beginning to second guess herself, and it's bothering her. "I can wait for Keen," and she wants to wait, but not for too much longer. "It couldn't be worse than what had happened."

Gideon nods grimly. He still has reservations about even being here, away from the safehouse. He hasn't yet lifted the Fidelius Charm on that place, either, in the event that they should need to return there. "Then when he comes back down, we'll try to recreate the event, and see if it triggers anything."

Niamh holds Gideon's hand, and she swings her hand gently, "I was proud of myself, though," her tones brighten, "I didn't run upstairs t'hide my head." There's that! "An', I kept myself busy.. which was a godsend."

The door opens quickly, and the ginger healer spins to make sure it's locked behind him, walking backwards the first few steps into the shop. He turns and breaks into a long legged stride to cross to Niamh's door and hurry upstairs, when he notices the two are.. "Ye're still here?" he asks curiously, looking between the two of them. "I thought it was supper time."

Gideon beckons Keenan back over to the counter. "Soon enough. It's time for Niamh to try to remember." He gestures to Niamh, stepping out of her way to allow her access behind the counter, while moving to the other side, himself. "I think we should try to recreate the events as closely as we can. I'll stand in for 'him'."

Niamh smiles at her brother and nods in Gideon's direction in a what he said gesture. "It's kept this long; an' I hope it won't be long?" Now, she's a bit nervous, but she drops the security of his hand now, to look at that spot right behind the counter. "The stool.." was behind the counter. "There." And hazel eyes look around the room, biting now at her bottom lip. Looking back at her brother, her brows rise, and the hand that once held Gideon's reaches out for him. "Keen?"

Keenan gives Niamh a smile and leans back against the shelves next to him, making like part of the store. "Ye're fine, Niamh-lass," he says gently.

Keenan gives Niamh a smile and leans back against the shelves next to him, making like part of the store. "Ye're fine, Niamh-lass," he says gently. "There was only two of ye in tha store, best I pretend I'm not here 'less ye really need me. Ye might want tae start at tha door, an' walk in," his attention turns to Gideon. "Start at tha beginnin'."

Gideon nods to Keenan, "Right." He walks to the door, positioning himself as if he'd just walked in. "Alright, love. Take us through it. He came in. You were alone. What happened next?"

Niamh nods and takes a deep breath, and considers for a long moment before walking over towards the distillery. "Aye," and as she settles into place, she has to force herself to look at the door. And there, her gaze lingers, "Robes.." she whispers, "A hooded robe," and she shakes her head before she begins to cross the room from that work area to the counter. A hand rises, steeling herself, and it comes to rest upon the counter top. "The potions are done," she whispers again, her eyes moving towards the shelf just beneath the counter. Where she keeps the potions that .. should remain from view.

Keenan remains silent once they start, just standing there, the only thing moving is the bright gleam of his eyes that follows Gideon and NIamh. Mostly Niamh, listening closely to what she says and watching what she does.

Gideon slips his hat onto his head, keeping it low to partially conceal his eyes — the closest simulation he has for a hood. He approaches slowly. "So he comes in…how is his demeanor? How are you feeling when you see him?"

"A little.. concerned, but alright when he took his hood off." Niamh responds, and she takes a seat on the chair now, sliding in. "He .. had two different orders.. blonde an' brunette.. an' that he told me the brunette was his." She swallows, and moves slowly, "I .. bagged them, took my wand from under an' charmed the bag." Like she always does; to keep the contents from mixing, rattling, and potentially breaking. "But I didn't put my wand down." Even then, she felt something amiss, perhaps? "Then.. he complimented me.. my accent." She shudders, wrapping her arms about herself. "I couldn't look away from his eyes.. an' I'm nae sure what I saw there."

Keenan lips tighten when she starts to speak of the different orders. His hands on his elbows where he'd crossed his arms also tighten when she speaks of him complimenting her, but his posture, on the whole remains the same.

Gideon moves up to the counter, where he assumes the man would have stood, watching her intently, trying to keep her gaze as it seems had happened with her attacker. "Relax, and try to remember. What about his eyes? Why couldnae you look away, Niamh?"

Niamh exhales softly, "Just.. looking at me so intently. Icy grey eyes, looked like he was lookin' through me." She wants to look away now, away from Gideon, but now, she's caught in his blue eyes, just as she was in Magnus' greys. "Weren't nice what he'd wanted t'say," and she shakes her head. "In his eyes.. an' he was so calm.. so cool.." Niamh lifts a hand as is she's lifting the wand, and shakes her head again, her eyes widening in the memory as another word is whispered, "Imperio." She remembers.. how she remembers, and she lifts her hand to where the kiss was pressed before she begins to shake as she looks down, finally.. and away, where her ledger sat.

As she begins the shake, the pent up anger inside him is released on a long slow breath as he crosses the room and goes behind the counter. "That's enough fer tonight, lass," Keenan says quietly. His arms come around her shoulders, and he looks across the counter to Gideon. His eyes are sparking dangerously at the moment, but he takes another breath and steadies himself, the concern in his voice for his sister beginning to take over the gleam as he rubs her arms. "Just breathe deeply. Count ten deep breaths fer me."

Gideon's eyes widen. He'd had concerns about something like this. But the knowledge that her attacker had used an Unforgivable Curse on her is something he was never going to be completely prepared to hear. He pushes down the many erupting thoughts of what he might to do the man. Focus, Gideon. We need to get her through this. When Keen tries to end it, he reaches across for her hand, abandoning his role as the stand-in villain. "No. We're close. She can do this. Niamh, we're right here. Just a bit more, love. Who is he? Who did this to you?"

Niamh shakes, her flesh cool to the touch as Keen tries to warm her, and her mouth opens to speak again, "I didn't want to.." before she takes his hand, feeling the warmth of her brother and lover. "He wanted me to forget.." Beat. "Magnus Troy.." is whispered before she looks away again to where the ledger would be, and as she tries to move towards her work desk and is kept from it, it's as if time has sped up for her.. and she remembers the last two.. curses. "Obliviate.." at the same time, her hand looks for that ink well.. "Where is it?" and her voice sounds almost as if it's a panic. "Stupify! I.. have to go!" She moves to turn away, to run upstairs and away from the counter, from the shop.. and thankfully, she doesn't have her wand on her, or she could very well have attempted to apparate home again.

Scowling at Niamh being pushed so hard, Keenan opens his mouth to speak, but he bites it when Niamh keeps speaking. Even if she had wanted to apparate home again, when she moves to turn away and run, he actually puts his arms around her, imprisoning her against himself if he can, and whispering in her ear. "Easy, lass, Easy, Ni," he croons. "I'm here, it's Keenan. Ye're safe, lass. It's all right." He continues to speak to her, the same kinds of things over and over until she calms down.

Gideon squeezes her hand, nodding to Keenan and adding his own voice. "Aye, love. You're safe. It's over. You were incredible." Magnus. Troy. The name echoes in his mind over and over. There is no more doubt. No more worry that he's been chasing shadows. Troy is his man.

Niamh is held in place by Keenan's embrace then, and at first, she fights, the panic giving her that rush, but soon enough, his voice breaks in, and her breathing goes from that panicked panting to the quieter. It's followed by tears, and she shakes her head, "No need.." Why'd he do that to her? "Keen.." and she buries her head into her brother's shoulder, trying to get her composure, trying to fight down the emotions that are flying about her head. Gone is that ordered bookshelf; volumes are flung about the room, and messy. But, she knows where they all belong; the three of them do.

She takes a couple deep breaths; what had Keen said? In through the nose, out through her mouth, and soon enough, she's not closer to hyperventilating anymore, and she lifts her face, to first look at her brother before she turns a tear-stained face to Gideon.. and reaches for him with a hand. The squeeze is.. perfect, and she nods at his words, a weak, tentative smile rising. She's stronger than this.. and another breath is taken. "I'm safe.." she repeats, and she looks back to Keenan. "Safe." And she sounds as if she honestly believes it in her heart.

Keenan continues to hold her until she quiets. Then when she reaches for Gideon, he nods, and steps off a little. "Ye're safe, lass." He looks across the counter to Gideon, his face a mask of stone as he talks to the other man. "I think ye should take Niamh upstairs fer dinner, and perhaps a nice, long, bath tae calm her down," he says levelly. "No potions, tanight, Niamh-lass. Ye may not like what ye've remembered, but if ye dull yer mind tae try an' sleep, ye'll fuzzle what ye've remembered." His voice, as he turns to his sister is more gentle, and he kisses her on the forehead. "Ye sleep as well as ye can tanight. I'll stop by tae see ye on tha way tae work tomorrow."

Gideon nods soberly, coming around the counter to pull Niamh into his embrace. "Aye, goin' to be nice and easy tonight." He gives Keenan an easy nod. His eyes linger on the man for a moment, but whatever conversation may be waiting behind that stony gaze will keep for at least the night. So he moves on, guiding Niamh to the stairs. "Come on, love. You've earned a hearty meal and some relaxation."

Niamh exhales softly, and she steps away from Keenan slowly, her steps lingering before she folds into Gideon's arms next. "Nay.. no potions t'night. I've tried, Keen.. not t'take them." Beyond, well.. the ones she 'needs', and she looks to her brother, her healer.. and sighs. No potions means.. no potions. She smiles weakly, wearily at Keen's kiss and she nods. "I'll try t'sleep.." and turning back to Gideon, she allows herself to be led, and takes the stairs slowly, one by one.. and she'll be in for the rest of the night, no worry there!

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