"Lumin!" Shanoa chanted. A ball of light encircled Dracula's chest and exploded. He howled in anguish and vanished in a column of fire. Relieved and exhausted, Shanoa fell to her knees. "It's over" she thought, "Dracula is vanquished." Despair began to inch its way into her mind. "What can I do now?" she wondered hopelessly, "This mission was all I had. Now I truly have lost everything. My memories, my feelings, my purpose...my brother." She collapsed fully, fatigue weighing on her bones like lead. "Albus" she whispered, "Brother... Please... I need you." With that, her vision faded into darkness.
She felt like she hadn't been lying there for a minute when something brushed her hair away from her ear. "Open your eyes, Shanoa" a familiar male voice said. The sound of it was so warm and comforting that she nearly slipped further into sleep, but she made herself get up and shifted to her knees. Albus, or rather his spirit, knelt before her with a kind smile. His hair shifted about his forehead as if caught in a breeze. "Albus?" she said drowsily. Her sense of self-preservation quickly sharpened her senses. "What's going on?" she pressed, "Where am I?"
"Calm down, Shanoa" he said, rising to his feet, "You're asleep. Even you can't fight Dracula and not feel the effects." He smiled, though Shanoa didn't understand why. "I'm exhausted" she said. Albus stared at the charred circle where Dracula had stood. "Incredible" he mused, "I could never have done what you did, Shanoa," - he grinned - "Even without my memories or emotions." His smile softened. "I'm proud of you."
"Thank you" she said, not meeting his gaze. She didn't notice, but he frowned with concern. "What's wrong, Shanoa?" he asked, "I hate seeing you so upset."
She sighed. "Albus, what can I do now?" she lamented, "All I had left to live for was my mission. What's there left for me now?" Albus' gaze swiveled to the floor in concentration. "I could never ask you to join me, Shanoa" he said, "But unless I'm wrong," -he laid his hand on her forehead- "This should restore you memories and emotions." Shanoa began to feel a gentle prodding against her consciousness and lowered her defenses. The sensation changed instantly to stabbing white agony. Her eyes burst open in shock and pain, though she refused to cry out. Albus' eyes were shut, his fingertips pressed firmly against her brow. "Albus, what are you doing?" she demanded. He knitted his brows closer together and pressed his fingers harder against her head. "Trust me, Shanoa" was all he said. For several seconds longer the drilling into her brain intensified. Just as she felt her skull would be crushed, the presence snapped back like elastic. A ball of bright yellow light appeared in front of them, spun rapidly, and went supernova. When the brightness faded, she felt more tired than she had before and Albus had disappeared. With her last conscious breath, she sighed his name.
...
She was awake before her eyes opened. When she finally parted her several-ton eyelids, her memories hit her like a tsunami: Her parents, Damian and Alexandra; the fire that had claimed them both; the horrible months spent on the brink of starvation; rescue by the Ecclesia agent. She was very surprised, and a little bit embarrassed, at how often she'd cried while playing tag with...
"Albus."
Saying his name triggered so many emotions within her that she was nearly overwhelmed. "Oh, Albus" she moaned, feeling the tightness and burning of tears in the back of her eyes. She couldn't hold them back, and she didn't want to. It felt good to be able to cry again, despite the unpleasant ache it cause in her stomach. A hand cupped the side of her face and wiped one of her tears away. Common sense told her who it was. "Sweet Shanoa," Albus soothed, "please don't cry for me." She looked up at him and blinked a few times to bring his image into focus. "Albus, you're..." she started to say. Fresh tears dribbled out of her eyes. "Albus, I'm so sorry" she sobbed. He pulled her face against his shoulder and rubbed the back of her head. "It's all right, Shanoa" he said again. The fact that he sounded like he honestly didn't blame her only intensified her guilt. For a minute she cried into his shoulder, then leaned back and wiped her eyes. "I don't understand" she said, "How can you forgive me after what I did? Why aren't you angry with m-?" Albus pressed two fingers over her lips. "The heart's desires are difficult to understand, Shanoa" he said, "Even I can't completely make sense of them."
"Albus..." she said, eyes wide. "I'm not exactly sure when it all started" he said retrospectively, "Probably that first time you cried when we played tag." He smirked, and she couldn't help but smile back. "I hated seeing you cry," he continued, "so I promised myself I'd do whatever it took to make you smile. Although you cried just about ever other time we played tag." Shanoa grinned again, her face sore from working muscles that had gone unused for weeks. Albus tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You really should wear your hair back more often" he chided he lightly, "Your face is too beautiful to hide."
Shanoa fiddled with a strand of her hair, wondering why her stomach was twitching the way it was. She wanted to ask Albus about it, but the question lodged in her throat as his lips pressed softly against her cheek.
She touched where he'd kissed her and stared at him in surprise. After a moment her took her face in his hands, gently like a small bird. Her skin tingled under his fingertips. "I've loved you for as long as I can remember, Shanoa" he said. Her heart tripped over itself. She'd known that's what he'd meant all along, but actually hearing him say it was... Well, it was difficult to explain. It was different, yes, but she wasn't quite sure how. He rubbed her cheekbone with his thumb like he was polishing an eggshell and smiled at her again. "Goodbye, dear Shanoa" he said softly. He began to fade again. Her eyes widened in moderate panic. "Albus, no!" she pleaded. She clutched at his hands and pinned them to her cheeks, too desperate to be surprised that she was still able to touch him. "Please," she insisted, "don't go."
He pulled his hand out of hers. "I'll always watch over you" he promised, and then he was completely gone. She sobbed into her hands for a minute, mourning the loss of her beloved friend. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her, too benign to be Dracula's. "Go back to Wygol" Albus' coo sounded in her ear, "They'll be worried about you." She leaned back into his embrace, and for a moment she felt his arms tighten around her before fading out of existence. She dug wordlessly through her bag and pulled out a magical ticket. She recited the incantation, her voice tapering to a whisper as she drifted off to sleep, lulled by the feeling of being wrapped in a warm blanket.
...
"Shanoa! Shanoa! For heaven's sake, child, wake up!"
"Huh?" her eyes flittered open. She sat up quickly and looked around; She was back in Wygol village, but couldn't for the life of her remember how she got there. Father Nikolai and Abram were standing over her. "What happened?"
"You tell us" Abram answered in his usual, irritated tone, "One minute we're just standin' here, mindin' our own business, and then you show up lookin' like ya been through hell 'n back!"
Daniela walked up to her. "You do look worn out" she remarked, "Why don't the two of us go on a picnic later? You can tell me what's happened, or we could just enjoy each other's company."
"That sounds good" Shanoa said with a smile. "OOH! You're smiling!" Laura, who had apparently been pulled out of someone's hat, said excitedly, "I knew the Alexandrite would work!"