Paper Walls
I was running through a maze.. black walls on every side of me..growing taller by the minute..a man's laugh cackled, "Crucio! Crucio! Crucio!"
I woke up with a start. I opened my eyes and saw that I was in a bright blue room with posters hanging on every wall. It was rather small, with a desk, a bed, and a large rug. I was on a fluffy bed covered in pillows. I felt a sharp pain go through the back of my neck and I grimaced and reached back there to rub it.
The memories of the past night came flooding back. My mom..dead..my dad..dead..Will, where was Will? Was he alright? My family..torn apart.. Tears started to leak out of my eyes but I brushed them furiously away. I would not break down when there were things that needed to be done.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and noticed that I was wearing a pair of shorts with cartoon brooms flying around on them. I was wearing a very familiar Chudley Cannon's t-shirt, and at once I knew where I was. I was at the Burrow, which meant that the entire Weasley clan was around here somewhere. That meant that I didn't imagine those voices, people did come for me..I wasn't forgotten..
"Alicia, you're awake..Should I get mum and dad?" I looked up and saw Ginny at the door, her eyes full of pity. I smiled slightly.
"No, no, it's fine Gin. Come over here..sit with me for a minute." I patted the empty spot beside me and Ginny smiled back, hesitantly, and then walked over.
"Gin you've grown up so much and its only been what, three months? God.." This made her loosen up a bit and I smiled again.
"It's okay Ginny, you don't have to walk on eggshells around me. We've always been friends and I'd like for us to stay that way, no matter what I've been through." She nodded.
"I'm so glad you're alright! We were so worried when you're lion came and delivered the message. I wanted to go help, but –" She stopped and her eyes got wide. "I'm so sorry Alicia! I didn't mean to bring it up..I'm so stupid.."
I felt bad for Ginny who thought that she had upset me. "No Ginny, its fine, go on, I'd like to know everything." I knew that Ginny would probably be the only one that would be willing to tell me everything. I had experienced the Weasley's trying to protect someone, meaning they didn't tell them anything for fear of hurting them. Poor Harry Potter had been through it many times.
"Okay, well the lion came while we were eating dinner." She said before I interrupted.
"Who's we?"
"Well luckily enough it was a dinner directly after a meeting of the Order, so Hagrid, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Bill, Fleur, Mum, Dad, and Mad-eye. Anyway, your lion came, told us that you were under attack and then everyone started yelling. Kingsley told the Order to go and when Hermione, Ron, and I tried to come, they told us to stay behind. George was yelling, causing quite a scene, and they almost made him stay. They all disapparated and then a couple of hours later they returned. Kingsley and Lupin were supporting your brother and George was carrying you.. you were so still that I was sure you were-" She stopped hastily.
"They said that the death eater used the Cruciatus curse on you three times and that you were lucky to be as healthy as you were. You slept on and off for three days and then you woke up, today."
It had been three days? It seemed like it was still Saturday, and we had just gotten back from the train station with Will..
"Is Will okay? Is he alright?" I asked, panic filling me. I couldn't lose Will, I couldn't.
Ginny patted my hand and smiled tightly. "He's fine. He's been helping Bill with yard work and Mum with house work for the past few days. He was horribly shaken up the first couple of days, wouldn't leave your side, almost got in a fight with George the second day..but he seems to have come to grips and he's much better.."
I looked away and out a large window. There he was, helping a large red haired man, Bill, de-gnome a garden. I saw him laugh as a gnome grabbed onto the toe of Bill's boot and Bill tried frantically to shake him off.
"Leash? I just wanted to say..well I wanted to say that I'm glad you're okay. I'm so glad." I looked up at the shaking voice of the girl that had been like a younger sister to me for the past seven years.
I pulled her into my embrace and stroked her hair. "I'm okay Gin, and I'll stay okay."
We stayed like that for a few minutes and then Ginny spoke.
"If you want to get cleaned up and such, I have my own bathroom. It's an advantage to being the only girl." She pointed to the small door on the side of the room and I nodded and smiled.
"You can borrow some clothes of mine until we get you some of yours. Help yourself." She said, and I could tell that she was relieved that she could finally help me. I began to think how peculiar it was that I had never been into Ginny's room, but then reminded myself that I had always been in George and Fred's, and stayed in the only guest room downstairs when I slept over.
"Thanks Gin, for all your help." I said to Ginny's retreating back. She turned around and smiled, and said, "Your welcome Leash, I'll tell the others that you're awake."
I nodded and then got up. It hurt so bad to begin moving, but I kept going and the pain subsided. I entered the bathroom and laughed at the state of it; clothes all over the floor and ointments and make up all over the counter.
"At least something feels familiar." I said to myself before I stripped my clothes off and started to get in the shower. Before I got in though, I noticed something in the mirror.
My body had bruised, with large splotches across my middle and down to mid-thigh. I turned around and gathered my hair to the top of my head. On the back of my neck was a huge bruise, already purple. Quickly letting down my hair, I stifled a sob and got into the shower.
After I was out, Iran a comb through my hair and watched it spring back up every time I tried to flatten it. I searched through Ginny's drawers and came up with a yellow t-shirt with the band name, "French Furs," written across in blue lettering. I laughed as I thought about the hairy singers in the band and began looking for bottoms. I found the pair of jeans that I had worn that day, clean and folded on the bed and I slipped them on.
Magically drying my hair, I pulled my curls into a low pony-tail and didn't care when a few of the curls sprung out of the elastic. Looking in the mirror I noticed the sad sight of my face. The dark circles looked impossibly dark and I had a cut above my eyebrow.
I put on some make up and was satisfied when I looked a little bit more alive. I don't know why I cared so much about this, but when I cared, I realized that I was thinking about my hair and face, not my parents.
I walked out of the room and noticed that no one was upstairs. I heard voices from downstairs and I began to descend them. I came to the bottom of the stairwell and through the door I heard my name being said.
"You talked to Alicia? How did she sound? Was she okay? Was she crying? Maybe I should go up there..she might need me.."
"No George, she's taking a shower and then she'll be down. Besides you agreed to stay out of the room ever since you and Will almost had a go." Ginny's voice, I could tell.
"That's the last thing she needs to see, her ex-boyfriend fighting her big brother." Fred's voice, I could tell his and George's apart in a second.
I heard a door open and shut and large footsteps.
"Mum you shoulda seen Will's de-gnoming skills! He's bloody amazing.." I heard laughing and then my brother's voice.
"If you call me punting one away, amazing, then I don't know what you would call Bill's throwing.."
"Oh shut up mate, he's just being modest.."
"Alicia's up." George's voice was very business like. I heard a chair scoot back hurriedly.
"She's up? Is she okay? Is she still in bed? Should I go up?" My brother asked, his deep voice talking fast. I felt a tear coming down, I wiped it away.
"She's coming down after her shower." Ginny's voice again.
There was silence and I heard the sound of a frying pan.
Well it was now or never, right? I opened the door and stepped down the last step.