Chapter Six- Remembering, Forgetting and Getting Busted

I woke again, sitting upright and cracking my head- I could feel a bruise throbbing painfully. “Jamie?” My voice sounded child-like to me so I bit my lip.

“I’m here, love... What did you see this time?” He asked, his voice filled with nothing but curiosity. I wrapped my arms round his neck, burying my face in his shoulder length hair.

“I saw more of what happened to us” I mumbled as his arms appeared around my waist. “I saw Luna’s father look at us from over the top of a cabinet and then we were falling...”

“Yes, Hermione blasted a hole in the floor so we could get out... Ron and I were under the cloak, remember? Hermione Apparated us to that field” He said in a comforting voice.

“Why can’t I remember what happened?” I was honestly worried about myself- I’d woken up inside the tent with no memory of how I had got there and no idea who Jamie was until he touched my face, his eyes full of worry.

“You got hit in the head with that bust of Rowena Ravenclaw when that Enrumpment Horn blew the house apart and then you fell and hit your head once we were back here...” He said, smiling at me as I looked up at him.

“Oh...” Was all I manage. He chuckled once before I heard Harry’s voice through the darkness. It sounded like he was arguing.

“Don’t worry, love” Jamie said quietly, sweeping mahogany curls out of my face. “He’s arguing with Hermione again”

“Obsession?” I recognised Hermione’s fierce voice and climbed out of the bed, my hand wrapped in Jamie’s. “We’re not the ones with an obsession, Harry! We’re the ones doing what Dumbledore wanted us to do!” Ron was sitting behind Hermione, who was glaring at Harry.

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” Harry said calmly, his anger gone as he quoted his parents tombstone. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

“I thought it was You- Know- Who we were supposed to be fighting?” Hermione retorted and I watched as harry shrugged and walked away, towards the mouth of the tent. “What is he thinking? Focusing on the Hallows as if they’re real...” I let Hermione’s angry whispers fade into background noise as I looked at the back of Harry’s head.

“Alicia...” Harry said in a bored voice, half an hour later, turning to look at me. I grinned innocently and he gave me a small returning smile. I skipped towards him and dropped to the floor, handing him a plate of food.

“I know how you’re feeling, Harry- I’ve been there” I whispered and he froze, the piece of sausage falling off his fork. “Your visions, I mean”

“I thought my visions were frowned upon?” He said, returning to his dinner. I bit my lip and glanced over my shoulder. Jamie was flicking through one of the books we’d brought with us, Hermione had her nose in The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore again while Ron was muttering to the radio in the corner again.

“Forget what I’ve said in the past, Harry. Your visions are just as important as mine- we know how he feels, where he is and what he’s doing... It’s that old Muggle saying all over again, isn’t it? Keep your friends close but your enemies closer” I said quietly, sounding older than I actually was. “Wow, I sound like my mum...” He cracked a smile at me, which faded slowly.

“But- ”

“They’re not as clear as before? That’s happened to me as well, Harry” I said, putting my hand on his arm. “He probably knows what he wants but doesn’t know how to get it” I grinned evilly at him. “Like when you was constantly thinking about Ginny last year... I kept getting faint flickers of the two of you- not to mention certain dreams I never wish to have again, thank you very much” I added and he grinned impishly.

“Sorry...” He muttered, his cheeks burning. I laughed and Jamie looked over at us.

“I’ve got it! I’ve got it! The password was Albus! Get in here, you two!” Ron called, making us all jump. I heard the books hit the carpet before two pairs of feet walked across the small room.

We listened as our friends voices issued out of the tiny wooden wireless- Lee, Remus, Kingsley and Fred. I bit my lip, listening carefully. I remained silent as they listed the dead and then laughed as they mentioned Hagrid’s Support Harry Potter party. Then it turned to the subject I was interested in, making me lean forwards in concentration.

“As our listeners know, unless they’ve taken refuge at the bottom of a garden pond or somewhere similar, You- Know- Who’s strategy of remaining in the shadows is creating a nice little climate of panic. Mind you, if all the alleged sightings are genuine, we must have a good nineteen You- Know- Who’s running around the place” Fred’s voice announced and I nodded my head once. Even here, on this windy little hill, I could feel the panic gripping at my heels.

“Which suits him of course” Kingsley said and I pursed my lips slightly. “The air of mystery is creating more terror than actually showing himself”

“Agreed. So, people, let’s try to calm down a bit. Things are bad enough without inventing stuff as well. For instance, this new idea that You- Know- Who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That’s a Basalisk, listeners. One simple test- check whether the thing glaring at you has got legs- ” I started laughing, missing the rest of the report. I was still laughing as the lights went out from behind the screen and the radio fell silent. Jamie grinned as he swept scarlet curls over my shoulders. I kissed him quickly before Harry’s voice busted my happy little bubble.

“But did you hear what Fred said? He’s abroad! He’s still looking for the wand, I knew it!”

“Harry- ” Hermione and I said at the same time. Her voice drowned out mine, loud with denial and disbelief.

“Come on, Hermione” He said, cutting her off, not hearing my silent whisper of warning. “Why are you so determined not to admit it? Vol—”

“NO!” I shrieked, at the same time Ron shouted “HARRY! IT’S TABBOOED!”

“—demort’s after the Elder Wand!” He continued as I froze, fear locking my muscles into place while horror made my hair turn grey as it fell into my eyes, which closed slowly. I heard the victorious thoughts over the sound of our protective spells vanishing, the approaching footsteps and the spinning Sneakoscope. I heard Ron fumble for the Deluminator and opened my eyes, searching the sudden darkness for Jamie’s face. Fear crackled down my spine as a familiar voice broke the silence.

“Come out of there with your hands up! We know you’re in there! You’ve got half a dozen wands pointing at you and we don’t care who we curse!”

“I bet you don’t!” I shouted through the darkness and I heard muttering from outside.


This is right now