I laughed as Albie and I played at the park. We were running around the slide and monkey bars playing tag while James played with Fred and mum held baby Lily.
"Slow down a little Lexi!" Albie panted from behind me. I giggled but I stopped by the slide. Albie came to a stop beside me. My glasses were askew so I hurriedly fixed them and fixed Albie's for him also. We grinned at each other a grin we saved just for each other. Me and Albie were six year old twins and the children of Harry and Ginny Potter.
"You okay Albie?" I asked him as he was still panting a little bit. He nodded. I then walked over sat beneath a tree with Albie close behind. We watched as other kids were playing and laughing. I looked over at James and Fred to see they were laughing about something.
"What do you think they are doing Albie?" I asked my twin and pointed over at Nine year old James and Fred.
"Dunno. Bet it's not good though." Albie said with a shrug. Soon enough we heard a squeal and saw mum hopping up and down trying to not drop two year old Lily.
"Three…" I started.
"Two…" Albie counted along.
"One!" We said together and just in time as mum started to yell at James and Fred. We laughed as they got a sound yelling at. All of a sudden I felt a hand over my mouth and someone grabbing me and pulling me backwards.
"Not one sound, you little twerp!" a man growled in my ear. I looked at Albie and he tried to get me away from the man. Another man came and pushed Albie away. The man holding me quickly threw me over his shoulder. I watched as the second man held back Albie.
"LEXI! LEXI!" Albie screamed and that was the last thing I heard as I was thrown in the back of a car. I could see that the second man had let go of Albie and he was running after us. Albie was still screaming my name and I saw mum run up to Albie. I watched as they got farther and farther away till I couldn't see them anymore. Little did I know that that was the last time I'd ever see them.
I gasped awake as the dream assaulted me. I lay there on the old cot that was my bed. I still dreamt about that memory since I was first taken ten years ago. I lay awake and waited until I heard no sounds of movement. Once I was sure that Carrow was a sleep I slowly got up and walked out of the closet that they dared to call a room. As I silently walked into the living room I saw Carrow slumped down on the couch with three empty bottles of fire whiskey beside him.
I walked over trash and boxes to the door. I knew that Carrow had been to drunk last night to set the wards so I quietly reached the door and grabbed my jacket and boots.
This was the chance I have been waiting for ten years. I couldn't escape before now because there had been three adults living in the house and they always had wards on the door. But I knew that today Simmons and Lestrange would not be here because Simmons was at his girlfriends and Lestrange was out working.
I hurriedly slipped my boots on and jacket and opened the door… only to find Simmons standing there piss drunk. He stood there a moment staring at me before he lunged. I quickly ducked and went around his big frame. I ran down the street with Simmons behind me bellowing furiously.
I chanced a look and sure enough he was after me but the alcohol had made him slow and disoriented. And he seemed to have forgotten that he was a wizard. I looked back ahead and slipped down an ally way. I knew that the town we lived in was all wizarding so I didn't have to worry about someone seeing me use magic.
I stopped behind a dumpster and waited for Simmons to run by. Soon enough he did and I silently muttered wingardium leviosa at a trash can and tipped it over and he tripped. I then ran out of the ally way and in the opposite direction.
As I was running I looked back to see if he followed. He wasn't. As I was about to turn my head around I ran into something solid. Before I fell I felt arms wrap around me to keep me steady. I immediately panicked.
"Let go of me!" I shouted out and squirmed. The arms immediately released me. I looked up to see a boy about my age with red haired girl running up to see what happened.
"Albus, what happened?" She said once she reached us. Did she just say Albus? Could it be...? I wondered silently.
"It's okay, Rose." Albus said with wave. Rose? I looked at the red head and I could see that it was Rose. Her hair was still bushy and the red mad it look like flames atop her head. Her blue eyes also gleamed with intelligence.
"Are you sure Albie-" Rose was interrupted by and angry Albus.
"NEVER call me Albie!" He practically snarled. Underneath his glasses his green eyes were alight with fire and he seemed to suppress something.
"Sorry Albus." Rose squeaked.
"Albie?" I whispered with tears in my eyes. Albus' head snapped back to face me with confusion. "Albie!" I now squealed with happiness.
"I'm sorry but who are you?" Albie asked with confusion. He must not have recognized me with how I looked. I was sure I had dirt all over me and my ponytail was a mess. My glasses were also askew so I hurriedly fixed them. Albie's were also askew so I fixed them barely aware of what I was doing.
"You don't recognize me?" I said with hurt in my voice.
"Will someone please explain what is going on here? Cause I'm confused and Albus you should not be talking to random strangers. She could-" Rose began.
"Shut up Rose." Albie and I told her in unison. Her mouth snapped shut. Albie and I looked at each other in surprise.
"But really who are you and how do you know who we are?" Albie asked with suspicion.
"Bloody hell, Albus! How do you not recognize me? We spent every waking moment together till the age of six!" I said exasperated. Something seemed to dawn in Albie's gaze and the way I said Albus.
"L-L-L-Lexi?" He stuttered in shock.
His face lit up and he grabbed me up in a hug. "LEXI!" he shouted with pure happiness on his face. I laughed as he spun me around in circles before he put me back on the ground.
"Miss me that much?" I asked him with a raised brow.
"You have absolutely no bloody idea!" He retorted and leaned in for another hug. I sighed into his shoulder. I had missed him so much that it had hurt.
"I missed you, Albie." I whispered into his shoulder. His arms seemed to tighten around me.
"I missed you too Lexi." He whispered into my hair before he yet again let go. I then turned to Rose.
"Miss me Red?" I said with a smirk. Rose's eyes widened at the nickname I had given her when we were little. She rushed at me and gave me a hug before she let go.
"You need a bath!" she exclaimed. I nodded in return. "Come on, we'll go visit George and see if we can use his bathroom and I think that Roxy has left some clothes there that you could wear." She said and dragged me in the opposite direction I had run and back towards the Place. I shivered in fear.
"H-h-he lives down that way?" I asked in fear. Rose and Albie looked back at me in confusion.
"Yea…" Rose stated. I dug my feet in the ground. All of a sudden I saw Lestrange and Simmons together. They were walking in our direction, but before I could run they saw me.
"POTTER! GET YOUR ARSE BACK HERE!" They yelled and when I didn't move they came running towards us.
"Uh oh! Come on!" I yelled and grabbed Rose and Albie's hands and ran.
"Where are we going?" Rose panted. Man she did not have a lot of stamina since we had only been running five minutes.
"No talking, just running!" I told her and ran even faster before I saw a shop and pulled Rose and Albie behind me through the door. I ran and hid behind a shelf. After five minutes with no sound of the door opening I peeked out behind the shelf. I didn't see Simmons bald head nor Lestrange's salt and pepper head. I sighed in relief.
"Will you now tell us what that was about?" Albie asked me with a worried look.
"Does this place have a bathroom?" I asked Rose and Al changing the subject for a moment. Rose nodded and led me toward the back of the store. We walked in the bathroom to thankfully find it empty. We walked in and locked the door.
I walked over to the sink and grabbed a rag and wet it. I quickly washed all visible skin before turning back to Rose.
"Do you thing you can transfigure my clothes?" I asked her hopefully. She nodded and took out her wand. I knew that Rose was seventeen because she was five months older than Albie and I and we were to turn seventeen in a day. Rose quickly changed my tattered jeans into something less tattered and made my t-shirt look less stained. She then pointed her wand at my glasses and fixed them also. I sighed in relief.
"Thanks Rose." I said gratefully.
"You're welcome Alexa." She said and we walked back out of the bathroom. We found Albie sitting at a table waiting for us. He looked up as the door had opened.
"Come on, let's go get some breakfast." Albie suggested and I nodded enthusiastically. Rose and Albie chuckled and we walked back out of the store. I felt so much better since I had washed up and fixed my ponytail. We walked out of the shop and down the street to a small café/bakery. As we walked in I took in the smell of fresh bread, pastries and coffee. We walked up to the counter and ordered three lattes and six donuts.
As we walked over to a table I sat beside Albie while Rose sat across from us. I quickly ate my two donuts while Rose and Al were on their first. I then took a bite out of Albie's.
"Hey! That was mine!" Albie whined. I shrugged and took a drink of the sweet liquid.
"Will you please tell us what happened?" Rose asked as she finished her first donut. I sighed and knew that telling them was unavoidable.
"As you know I was taken when we were six. Well the guys who took me were out to get back at dad. They wanted to take something from him that they knew would drive him mad. Well when they took me they at first beat me and kept locked in a little room. I knew that you all kept searching but the guys moved so much that it was hard to keep track of where we had or had not lived. The guys would beat me and once I had turned twelve they s-s-started t-t-to," I couldn't go on because my throat started to close up and Albie wrapped his arm around me. I sobbed into his shoulder.
"Did they rape you?" Rose asked me gently and I nodded into Albie's shoulder. After that we stayed quiet for a long time. After about ten minutes my tears had dried and my sobs were only hiccups now.
"Come on, we'll go tell dad, Lexi." Albie said and I looked up at him. He slowly urged me up and we walked out of the café. We then walked to a floo station. Rose went up to one and grabbed a handful of floo powder.
"Potter's residence!" she shouted then disappeared into the green flames. Albie then grabbed a handful and shouted the same thing and we went it together. We coughed as we walked out and shook off the ash and soot. As I looked up I saw four faces that I hadn't seen in years. Dad and James sat at a table playing wizard's chess while mum was braiding Lily's hair.
They all looked so different yet the same. Dad's hair now had a few streaks of gray in it while mums hair was a faded red. They all looked up at us as we entered. Rose stood next to the fireplace. All faces turned to stare quizzically at me. I turned red and hid behind Albie.
"Get out from behind me." Albie said with fake annoyance.
"Make me!" I said behind his back. Albie turned sharply but I was faster. I ducked out of reach and hid behind his back yet again.
"Get out from behind me!" He said yet again.
"No Albie!" I said a little louder than I had intended and heard a few gasps. I looked around at the people who were staring at us quizzically and they seemed shocked at me calling him Albie.
"Does anyone call you Albie anymore?" I whispered into my twin's ear. He shook his head.
"Not since we were six and you left. That was your name for me and after you were gone I would throw a fit whenever someone called me that." He admitted quietly. I was amazed at that. No one could call him Albie?
"Albus who do you have hiding behind your back?" Dad asked us.
"H-h-hey guys." I said nervously and stepped out from behind Albie. Everyone's gazes went from me to Albie and back again. I knew I looked like a female version of Albie since I also had black hair and green eyes. I also wore glasses. Albie pushed my shoulder and I turned to glare at him.
"Don't you dare push me Albus Severus Potter." I growled. He returned the look.
"I will if I want too Alexa Ginevra Potter." He told me with a scowl. I heard the other occupants in the room gasp as he said my full name.
"Lexi?" Mum whispered and I turned back to look at her. She let out a squeal and jumped off the couch and grabbed me up in a hug along with dad and James. I swear I was almost crushed to death.
"Can't. Breath. Please. Release. Me." I gasped out and all three immediately let go. I took in lungful's of air and grinned cheekily at my family. Albie rolled his eyes. I stuck my tongue out at him. I had been away from my twin for ten years but it feels like I haven't been away a day.
I was finally home.