Edited October 6th, 2008.

Alice loved the rain.

She loved the sound of wet drops of water falling from the sky, pitter-pattering on the windowpane. Whenever it rained, she would turn to the window and stare out at the wet streets where St. Mungo's was located. Everything would be quieter than usual whenever it rained.

She loved the quiet. Whenever people spoke to her, they used soft voices. This was why she always complied with their requests, just because she loved the sound of anything soft.

She hated loud voices and noises. Once, someone had come into the ward where she lived in, shouting and yelling about something in a furious tone of voice. Tears had streamed down her cheeks as her ears rang with the sound. She couldn't even hear what they had said—all she heard was noise.

This was why she knew she could never go about and live her life like everyone else did. While people always used soft voices around her, she knew they could get pretty loud too. And if she went out and tried to live with them, she would be back here, in this mental ward, in no time flat. Because she couldn't stand loud noises.

She did like the sound of the rain, though.

It wasn't just because the sound of rain was soft and it soothed her. No, every time she sat there, staring into the wet streets, things would come back to her.

"He asked me out, Alice!" a girl with curly honey-colored hair squealed happily. "Oh my god, he asked me out!"

"No kidding, I've only heard that about fifty times already today," the girl with the straw-colored braids and round face answered wearily.

"But I can't believe it! This is Remus Lupin" (here the girl emphasized each name separately) "we're talking about. He never asks anybody out. Ever!"

"Which is why I am extremely happy for you," the braided girl answered irritably. "I was bouncing up and down with joy the first five times, but it started to get old within twenty. Now that you have reached the fifty mark, I kindly suggest you shut up before I hex you. I don't want to fail my Transfiguration quiz tomorrow on account of you and Remus Lupin, you know."

"Remus didn't do anything," the curly-haired girl said quickly, in a defensive tone.

"I know, I know, go defend your precious Remus." Alice smirked.

"Hey! He is not mine, nor is he particularly precious!"

Alice raised her blond eyebrows. "Oh? Having second thoughts about him already?"

"No!" The honey-colored-haired girl blushed furiously. "I mean… you know what I mean!"

Alice just laughed.

As soon as she had been caught up in the memory, she was swept out of it again. What did it mean? Who were those two people?

Alice shook her head, trying to remember. She couldn't, though. Nothing came to her.

Remus Lupin… The name sound as if it should be familiar, but no bells rang in her head.

Remus Lupin… Where had she heard that name before?

And Alice… what about the name Alice?

To the outside world, her eyes would be blank and unfocused. And it really would be a terrible thing, Trina, the girl who helped here at this ward, thought, to be lost in your own mind… to not even know who you were…

Alice Longbottom herself, however, was currently trying to wrap her brain around this fact.

Remus Lupin… Alice… They were just names, and nothing else, to her.

She felt frustrated. She had to know what those names meant. Normally, she would just sit there, listening to the sound of the rain, but something told her this was important. She had to find out who Alice and Remus Lupin were.

She was suddenly caught up in the whirlwind of another memory.

"We won! We won!" someone shouted in her ear. She didn't mind, though. Which was odd, because she thought she hated loud noises.

The thought dissipated from her head as someone else grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.

"Congratulations, Frank!" the girl shouted, trying to make herself be heard over the ruckus. "You were great! You kicked those slimy Slytherins' butts!"

"I couldn't have done it without you, Alice," the brown-haired boy answered, kissing her on the cheek. "You helped."

"How?" Alice giggled delightedly.

"It really is nice to see your girlfriend out there in the stands, cheering you on," Frank commented. "So basically… motivation."

Alice smirked. "Oh, really? That's all I am to you? Motivation?"

"Quit it," Frank teased her. "C'mon, it's pouring out here. Let's get back to the Gryffindor common room and get dried off. There'll be a party, too."

It was funny, Alice reflected, as she followed her boyfriend up to the castle, as all the Gryffindor supporters (which was basically all of Hogwarts except people who supported Slytherin, who were all… well… Slytherins) continued celebrating their Quidditch victory over the house of the snakes. It really was funny, Alice continued her musings, because she hadn't even noticed that it was raining. And she hated rain.

Alice blinked her eyes with a start, wondering where that had come from. Of course she didn't hate the rain. She loved the rain. Everything about it, from the way it distorted her view of the bustling streets below to the sound of it (the rain, that is) gently hitting the glass of the window she always looked out of as she sat there, contemplating.

And she had long since drawn a conclusion during all the times she sat there, thinking. And that conclusion she had come to was that life was a funny thing. It gave things to you—things that Alice knew she would not be able to remember, because none of it made sense—and it took things away.

One good example of good solid proof that life took things away from you was that of her situation. She knew that something was wrong with her. Life couldn't be just to sit in a bed, doing nothing but trying to remember. It really couldn't be, because it wouldn't be fair. Not to her, or to anybody else.

Besides, she knew there were people around her, doing normal, common, everyday things. Things that Alice herself was unable to do. So it was just she. She alone was singled out to be different. And she hated it.

Often, when it was raining, she was caught in a fresh surge of memories. None of them made sense, however. She took all the bits and pieces that flashed before her eyes and tried to piece them together to create a whole puzzle, but the details were too vague. It simply wasn't possible.

Just as the thought entered her head, another memory appeared, its details dancing tantalizingly through her mind, daring her to reach out, grasp the facts, and get out of that bed and face the loud world, where she would be able to communicate with the loud people just like she was one of them.

And she should be.

"Um… Alice?"

Alice turned around so quickly, one of her long blond braids smacked the person who had spoken to her.

When she saw who it was, she gulped. Hard.

"Oh… hi, Frank!" she squeaked out. "I'm really sorry about that…"

Frank waved off her apologies. "No problem." He grinned nervously. "So…"

"Did you want something?" Alice inquired, trying to calm her beating heart. Calm yourself, Alice! she mentally chastised herself. It's just Frank.

Then she had to keep herself from snorting. Just Frank. Right. Frank, the guy she had had a crush on ever since her third year of Hogwarts.

She had hoped that the crush was just a silly little thing, something not to be taken seriously, but it wasn't. The crush grew and morphed into something bigger. Her friends had seriously feared for Donna Jefferson's life when Frank had asked her (her as in Donna Jefferson, who happened to be a Ravenclaw and Alice's exact opposite, what with the long black hair and graceful posture and all) out in fifth year.

Frank looked both embarrassed and nervous. "Uh… I was wondering…"

"Yes?" Alice asked, her heart in her throat. She could hear her own heart beating—and it was beating fast. Buh-bump, buh-bump, buh-bump…

"I was wondering…" Frank paused and blurted the rest of his sentence out. "Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"

Alice felt like an invisible someone was gripping her throat and choking her. "Are… are you serious?" she gasped out.

Frank looked even more embarrassed now. "Well…I didn't really think you'd want to. Sorry to bother you. I'll… go now," he muttered, and with that, he turned and began walking away, in a rather dejected manner.

It took Alice a moment for everything to sink in. She immediately comprehended the situation and burst out, "Frank, wait!"

He turned around, a question in his eyes.

Alice swallowed the lump in her throat and licked her lips, trying to find the right words. "I… ah…"

Frank blinked. "Yes?" he asked.

When had it turned into her asking him out, instead of the other way around? Alice wondered morbidly. It's so ironic!

"I… I mean… I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you!" she exclaimed, before she could bite down on her tongue and stop herself from saying the words.

"Really?" Frank stammered, blinking in shock. "I mean… that would be great!"

"Yeah," Alice agreed, powerless to stop a silly grin taking over her face. "Completely!"

"I'll meet you in the Gryffindor common room next Hogsmeade weekend then," Frank offered.

"All right. I'll be there," Alice promised.

Both of them walked off with huge smiles on their faces.

Alice blinked, because this time, she actually thought she remembered something. But that wasn't possible… was it?

Frank… she thought, straining her mind as hard as she possibly could. The name Frank…

And then, for the first time in who knew how many years, her eyes focused slightly. She saw a person on the bed near hers, and this time she completely recognized the face.

He was older than he was in her memory, but she clearly recognized who he was. He had the same brown hair, the same brown—although they were slightly blank—eyes, and the same face. It was Frank.

"Frank…" she murmured, tasting the name on the tip of her tongue. The word/name rolled off her tongue easily.

And that was when another realization hit her. Albus Dumbledore! She didn't know who Albus Dumbledore was, but she just knew that he would be of great help in this situation.

And for the first time in a long time, Alice tried to get out of her bed.

She hadn't walked in forever, so she was a bit unsteady. But she grabbed the bedpost and swayed slightly, before a determined look marred her brow. She would get out of here, and out into the world of loud people, no matter how frightened she was of them, and she would find this Albus Dumbledore and ask him for help.

No sooner than she had taken but one step when a blond-haired girl rushed out from behind some curtain in the mental ward.

"Alice, dear," she said soothingly, "you're supposed to stay in bed."

"No." Alice spoke in a croaky (for being unused so long) voice, but she was not about to give up her goal. "I need to speak to Albus Dumbledore." Seeing Trina's alarmed face, she added quickly, "Please. It's urgent."

"Alice dear, you have to stay in bed," Trina pleaded.

"No!" Alice spoke up more forcefully this time. "Please let me go see Albus Dumbledore! I told you, it's important!" She desperately wanted to get her memories, thoughts, and feelings back, and she couldn't think of anything more important than that, and she had a feeling this Albus Dumbledore (whoever he was) could help.

Just as Trina opened her mouth to reply, the Healer who was in charge of the ward came bustling over, a kind smile plastered on her face. She had clearly heard the commotion and she held a bottle of lavender liquid in one hand.

Alice immediately felt panicked. She couldn't take that potion. She wouldn't. She refused to.

"No! Don't give me that potion! I don't want it! I need to speak to Albus Dumbledore! Please…" She was on the brink of hysteria. Wouldn't someone listen to her? Didn't they see how important this was?

The Healer smiled again, obviously trying to be patient and failing miserably. "Trina, hold her down and open her mouth. Don't let her escape."

Trina hesitated. "Ma'am…" she began speaking uncertainly. "She certainly… well, seems lucid enough." She gestured towards Alice, who still trying to break free of the elderly Healer's grasp. "Maybe we should comply with her request?"

The Healer scowled at Trina. "Don't be ridiculous," she scolded. "Patients don't suddenly up and heal themselves. Healers heal patients. And the Longbottoms are a hopeless cause. There's no hope for them, so don't talk nonsense. Now hold her down!"

Train still seemed hesitant, but she finally grabbed Alice's thrashing arms and pinned her down to the white sheets of her bed.

The Healer forced the lavender liquid into Alice's mouth, and she immediately stopped thrashing. She fell to the bed, unconscious.

"Ma'am… was that really necessary?" Trina asked timidly.

"Of course it was." The Healer's "kind" (cough, yeah right) smile had disappeared and had been replaced by an annoyed frown. "I told you, they're mental. It's the only way." And with that, she disappeared behind another curtain to her office.

Trina looked down at Alice's pale, sleeping form and smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry," she whispered, before leaving too.

Alice, meanwhile, was currently lost in her mind again. Where was she?

She distinctly remembered something… it was herself, in fact, yelling about Albus Dumbledore and needing to see him.

She frowned to herself. Who was Albus Dumbledore, and why did she need to see him? She really didn't.

Slowly but surely, Alice Longbottom slipped into the world of dreams as the rain continued falling. And she had a very unfamiliar dream, although the feeling of déjà vu did prickle her…

"Alice, can I… can I ask you a question?" Frank asked, nervously tugging on the collar of his creased white shirt.

"Of course you can, unless you are physically unable to," Alice teased him.

"Alright then. Let's go outside, OK?"

Alice frowned at the darkening sky. "Frank, it's raining outside."

"Fine then. Just… just not in the Gryffindor common room, OK?"

"Sure thing," Alice agreed, stepping out of the portrait hole and into the hallway. She followed Frank down the corridor and continued on to just by one of the side doors of Hogwarts, where the rain steadily fell, drenching the trees and anything else that happened to be outside.

Frank looked around as if he were searching for someone. Then, he suddenly got on one knee.

A million thoughts raced around in Alice's mind, but the only one that stood out was, 'Oh my god. Is he PROPOSING?!'

"Alice… will you marry me?" Frank reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box.

Alice's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the small golden band with the sparkly diamond on it.

"…Well?" Frank asked, still looking nervous.

"Of course I will! You don't have to ask!" Alice exclaimed, slipping the ring on her finger. She felt a huge grin split her face open (not literally) and she hugged Frank… hard. A bit too hard, because he stumbled back and got drenched in the downpour of rain.

He didn't seem to mind, though, as he kissed her. And as she kissed him back, she realized that she just might not hate rain after all.

In fact, she rather liked it.

Read and review?

-xAndromedaBlackx-