Chapter 2.
The darkness was peaceful. Soothing almost.
Alicia could get used to it.
It was calm and quiet – serene and warm. No feeling she had ever felt could be compared to this. It was like a huge hole had sucked her in and closed itself around her, like a black mess of nothingness. A web of numbness.
It was simple, no questions and no anger.
It was just her and darkness.
The darkness was peaceful.
In some ways it felt as though she was under water. Completely weightless. There was a pressure at the back of her head, almost reaching her ears, but not quite – as if her head was about to explode.
And in some ways it felt as if someone had placed a big rock on her chest. Sometimes she found it hard to breathe, and her body jolted in an attempt to rid herself of it, but apart from that, the feeling was easy to ignore. Yes, in some ways it felt as if she were under water but then again it also felt as if she were floating. Floating through a world of nothingness. Of darkness.
A world where time did not exist.
She racked her brains to remember, remember what happened. Why was she here? Did she belong here in this strange world?
...No...she knew that she didn't. But then why was she here?
Even after reaching into the back of her subconscious, into the furthest corner of her mind, Alicia found no answers to her questions. And so she felt her control starting to weaken, and let herself drift back into this world.
The darkness was peaceful. Alicia could get used to it.
"-Did you see all the blood?" came a faraway voice.
"Of course I saw the blood George, you prat I was there!" a different voice - a female one - snapped.
"Oh yeah," the forlorn voice replied.
Alicia found herself searching the darkness, searching for the voices. There were other people here?
"Lee? You alright, mate?" a new voice asked hesitantly.
"Of course he isn't Fred, you tosser! Bloody hell, I could have sworn he'd have a heart attack!" the same female voice said irritably.
"Lay off him guys," a softer, more gentle voice chided. "Besides these two gits, Alicia is his closest friend. The pair have practically been inseparable since they were eleven! Give him some time, yeah?"
"Thank you, Katie."
"Do you think she'll be well enough to play next match? We've got some-"
"Oliver! Not now!" the gentle voice flared up exasperatedly.
After searching the darkness, Alicia found the voices weren't coming from this strange new world. They were coming from beyond. Somewhere she couldn't quite see, but knew she had to reach it somehow.
And so she opened her eyes. So suddenly that the light hitting her big brown orbs almost hurt, causing her to groan groggily and shut them again immediately.
"Alicia?" a deep male voice asked gently.
Forcing her eyes open, she groaned again at the throbbing sensation in her head. And she brought a hand up to clutch the back of it. Her arms were extremely stiff. Alicia shifted herself to be more comfortable, and only then did she feel the sides of her arms hit off something hard. Her eyes widened when she found herself in a bed. A hospital bed. With pale green sheets and metal railings along the side. The mattress wasn't all that comfortable, and she was tempted to draw the white curtains surrounding her bed to block out the offending light.
"Alicia?"
Her eyes darted upwards, and only then did the realization that seven very dirty and sopping wet people were crowded around her hit home. She looked around but her vision was still hazy, and the figures looked fuzzy to her eyes.
"Ali?" another voice pressed. "Alicia, are you OK?"
Alicia tilted her head then before realising the speaker -a tall black girl- was staring straight at her. Her big almond shaped, chocolate brown eyes glistened with unshed tears and concern was etched into every line of her face.
"I'm sorry?" Alicia begged to the girl.
"Are you OK?" the girl repeated, sounding a bit more forceful than before.
"I'm fine?" Alicia offered, her eyes traveling between the different faces around her bedside. "Why shouldn't I be?"
"Because you got hit in the back of the head and fell off your broom that's why," another speaker clarified - a boy with dreadlocks. He sat on the bed beside her and tenderly reached out a hand to brush a curly strand of auburn hair out of her face.
Alicia flinched from his touch. "What are you doing?" she asked timidly, finding herself relieved when he retracted his hand.
"Moving a piece of hair, Leesh" he stated simply, a curious glint in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," Alicia sighed. "But who are you? And who's this Leesh?"
There was a laugh from the people around the hospital bed, but Alicia remained perfectly serious.
"What's so funny?" she demanded to know.
"You," a freckled red-headed boy chuckled.
"What did I say?" she questioned, her voice becoming higher the more piqued she got.
"Asked who Lee was and who Leesh was," another boy, the absolute double of the other freckled one grinned.
The dreadlocked boy looked at her curiously. "I'm Lee and you're Alicia, or Leesh," he explained slowly, doing gestures with his hands between them to help her understand better.
"And who are you lot?" Alicia asked, gesturing to the others surrounding the bed.
"You really don't know?" a burly brown haired boy with a Scottish accent asked. His face was the definition of 'bamboozled'.
"Would I really be asking if I knew?"
One of the freckled boys threw his head back in laughter. "Very funny, Alicia but you better stop before the joke gets too old."
"Joke? Who said anything about a joke?!" she exclaimed.
They all stared at her. Alicia was one who could never keep a joke going. She would always ruin it by laughing but now she looked so serious.
A boy with glasses and messy black hair spoke. "Maybe, we should get Madam Pomfrey?" he suggested into the awkward silence.
"Good thinking Harry," a blonde girl beside the Scottish boy praised.
"Who's Madam Pomfrey?" Alicia asked, her voice wavering.
She watched the blonde girl run to a small box-like room over to the left of the large expansive wing she was in. Alicia hadn't even noticed it was there as the girl emerged, followed by a frowning elderly woman with grey hair and an apron tied around her waist.
"Can someone please tell me who you all are?!" Alicia cried, almost hysterically as the old woman lifted up a wand to her face and shone a bright, white light in her eyes.
"All of you, outside whilst I check Miss Spinnet over," she ordered, ushering everyone out of the room before turning back and shining the light from one eye to the other and proceeding to check her temperature and other vital signs.
They quickly obeyed leaving Alicia more terrified than ever.
Outside though, things weren't much better.
"-Can you believe that?! The Slytherins kept on playing! Nevermind that that's over eleven separate fouls, but it's just the indecency of it! I mean where's the sportsman-like conduct?! I wouldn't be surprised if they've thrashed us by over 300-10."
Lee watched Oliver rant as he paced up and down the corridor outside the large Hospital Wing doors. The look on his face was none short of disbelief. And anger.
"Alicia's in there with no idea what's going on and you're more arsed about Quidditch?!" he shouted, pushing himself off the wall where he'd been leaning before to advance on the Captain.
"I-I was just saying," Oliver defended, backing up into George with his arms raised in surrender. "T-The game-I'm sorry! M-My fault.." he mumbled, trailing off with a dismal expression.
"Oli," Katie soothed, coming over and putting a firm hand on his toned bicep. "This isn't your fault. Calm down, love."
"I should have done something though! I'm captain!" he retorted, feeling more guilty than he ever had done in his life.
Angelina shook her head adamantly. "Can we focus on what's important right now?" she implored, gesturing with her head towards the tall Oak doors.
"Besides," Harry muttered. "None of the rest of us caught Alicia...so it wasn't just your fault, Oliver."
"Exactly Ol, we're just as much to blame as anyone else. So stop beating yourself up," Katie finished, searching her boyfriends eyes for some kind of acknowledgment that this wasn't all his fault.
Her answer came in the form of a tight nod and he pulled her in for a hug, resting his chin atop her head.
Lee ran a hand through his hair frustratedly as the minutes ticked by.
They all waited for Madam Pomfrey.
Time passed. How much exactly, none knew. It could have been over half an hour - heck, it could have been hours for what it felt like! Lee couldn't help but tap his foot impatiently in-between paces and heavy sighs.
Katie had been right.
Outside of the twins, Alicia was one of his best friends and he was very nervous. Probably more than he ought to be, considering he was only a friend to her.
"Lee?" Angelina said after a while from where she sat on the stone floor with her back against the wall.
Lee didn't look up. He was too busy counting the cracks in the slabs beneath his feet to distract himself. "Mhm?"
"'Licia is a tough cookie, she'll pull through this," she said gently.
"I know," Lee mumbled as he tore his eyes from the floor to look at his friend.
They both shared a long look. One that communicated that although they both had no doubt Alicia would get through this somehow, they both knew that it would be a difficult road to get there. Almost as if on cue, the doors behind them swung open and Madam Pomfrey appeared, tutting and bustling out into the corridor.
"Oh really!" Madam Pomfrey rebuked, eyeing the muddy foot prints all over the floor and the puddles of water. "You're tracking mud and water everywhere! Can't you all go get cleaned up?"
Lee rounded on her and stared her down determinedly. "We will when we know what's wrong with Alicia."
The matrons expression seemed to soften. "It's not good," she admitted with a sigh.
Lee's face crumbled. "What?" he whimpered.
Everyone behind him shared a withering glance. No one had seen Lee like this, not even the twins.
"I'm afraid Miss Spinnet has suffered brain damage." There was no way to sugar-coat it. No way to soften the blow, so the matron just came out and said it.
Angelina gasped loudly and Katie let out a sob as she curled into Oliver, burying her face into his robes. The twins looks gob-smacked, while Harry just stood gaping at the woman. He looked as though she'd just told him Alicia had sprouted three heads and five arses for all the difference it would have made to his expression.
"Is-Is she going to have to be taken to St. Mungos?" Lee asked, understanding the gravity of the situation.
"No," Madam Pomfrey said with a shake of her head. "After discussing this with Professor McGonagall, we've decided that context and cues are best for her right now. Hopefully by having her in a familiar setting, it will help her piece things together."
Everyone was quiet as they processed the information.
"So..." Oliver said into the silence. "What happens now? Can she play-"
"Enough about Quidditch!" Angelina said brusquely, swatting him over the head.
"Sorry," he squeaked.
They all stared at the matron. "What do we do?" Katie asked helplessly.
"As her friends, it will be your job to help piece everything together for her. Whatever you can I suppose. She needs comfort, familiarity, love and care to guide her through this very fragile state she's in. Only you, her friends can give her that."
"How long will it take to get her back to normal?" Lee asked in a hollow voice.
"However long it takes." Madam Pomfrey gave them a minute to internalize what she was saying, but they all understood. It could be years before Alicia could possibly have her memory back for all they knew. "She'll need an escort when she leaves the hospital wing," the matron then went on to say. "Someone willing to get her to classes and show her around the school. Someone to help her remember. Normally I would assign this role of responsibility to the Head Boy or Girl, but considering you're her friends I think it best one of you take up this task."
Everyone looked at the one person they knew would never let Alicia leave his sight. And Madam Pomfrey honed in on him right away.
"Mr Jordan? Are you alright?" she asked. The boy looked paler than usual - whether it be from the weather or the shock starting to settle in she did not know.
"Of course he is," Fred answered for him, patting him on the back. "He's absolutely spiffing!"
"And I'm sure he'd be delighted to be Alicia's boyfri- I mean 'escort'," George winked.
"Piss off," Lee growled under his breath to the mischievous red-head on his other side.
"Well?" Madame Pomfrey urged, looking at the boy expectantly. "Will one of you do it or shall I notify Mr. Weasley and Miss Clearwater of this tragic event and leave it to them to handle Alicia?"
"No," Lee spoke up. "I'll do it." He said it determinedly, not afraid to stand up and take the responsibility.
"Thank you," Madam Pomfrey said kindly, and with one last sympathetic smile slipped back into the room to hurry back to Alicia's bedside.
Once she was gone Katie walked forward and cleared her throat delicately. "Lee," Katie started slowly, almost uncertainly. "You're a boy."
"Yeah, so?"
"How do you expect to help Alicia all the time?" she questioned. "She's in a different dormitory from you for starters, not to mention different classes for more than half the day."
"That's where you and Ange come in," he answered simply, not taking his eyes off the doors in front of him.
"Ah," the girls realized.
"Perhaps we should go introduce ourselves, eh?" Harry suggested.
Their shoulders all sagged as they sighed, never before imagining they would have to re-introduce themselves to someone they had been friends with for years.
"I guess so," Katie said, grasping Oliver's hand tightly.
"We could introduce ourselves as Gred and Forge!" Fred joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit, following the group back towards the doors.
"Yeah, It's not like anyone can tell the difference between us anyway."
"Don't you dare!" Angelina warned, rounding on Fred and poking him hard in the chest before flaring at George too. "Or so help me Frederick Gideon and George Fabian, I'll kick your arses so hard you won't be able to sit down on them for a month!"
"Alright, alright," George tried to soothe, quick to argue.
"Yeah, just trying to diffuse the tension."
Angelina sent them both one last haughty scowl before filing in behind the rest of the team, Fred and George following behind her.
Though news travels fast in Hogwarts, somehow, it seemed Madam Pomfrey had been able to hide the truth of what had happened to Alicia. If even at least for the first week that Alicia was recovering in the Hospital Wing.
The story that had been spread around the school was that she'd fractured her wrist and had severe concussion.
On the first day, Fred and George had had a bet going that nobody would buy it. Her fall had simply been too bad for her to only walk away with concussion - even if the story they were spinning said it was 'severe'. The Quidditch team had made a pact to keep it between themselves and the girls roommates, but even still George was doubtful. So it was safe to say it had shocked the hell out of him when Fred had made him pay up, when by the next Tuesday people hadn't caught on yet to what was actually going on with her.
So nobody paid much attention to Lee as he twiddled his thumbs outside the Hospital Wing a full week later.
It was the day Alicia was supposed to be released, and Lee had made sure to be outside the Hospital Wing for 12:30, just like Madam Pomfrey had said. It was the back of 1:00 now, and still no sign of Alicia.
But he didn't mind, he figured she'd be a bit nervous.
In all honesty, she was terrified.
It took Madam Pomfrey over twenty minutes to calm her down enough to even think about opening the doors and walking outside the Hospital Wing. When they did, they found Lee waiting outside.
"Oh hi!" he greeted, putting on his warmest smile. He'd been surprised to hear the doors open next to him, and pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning against to look at the pair.
"Hello," Alicia said politely. She tried returning the smile, she knew he was trying to be nice. But really all she managed was a sort of grimace.
Lee sighed inwardly. He missed the old Alicia.
"Mr. Jordan," Madam Pomfrey nodded to the young man. "Good to see you, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"No problem, no problem," he said quickly. He didn't want Alicia to feel bad or anything only after being out of the hospital 5 seconds.
Alicia could sense he was trying hard, and she appreciated it, so much so that she actually managed to give him a proper smile. Even if it was just a small one. "So what happens now?" she asked timidly.
"Well, you'll go to classes as you normally would and try your best. Most of your teachers have been notified, as have your other roommates. I've also cleared an hour slot in my schedule in the evening at least twice a week, I'll Owl you the times and I'd be grateful if you'd come and see me then for weekly progress reports. And of course you'll be helped and escorted by Mr Jordan," she smiled kindly. "Aside from that all I can say is I'll see you later this week for our first check-up appointment and good luck dear."
She bowed her head to the two students and gave Alicia one last smile and an affectionate pat on the shoulder before walking back into the Hospital.
Once she was gone, the pair stood in the empty hallway. Neither one of them saying anything. Alicia stared at a spot on her shoe as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world, while Lee shoved his hands in his pockets and exhaled loudly.
"Ready to go?" he asked after a minute or so, gesturing with his head down the hallway.
She lifted her head to look up at him through her veil of thick eyelashes. "I guess so," she murmured nervously.
"Alrighty then, grab your stuff and let's go."
Alicia nodded but as soon as soon as she bent down to pick up her duffel bag, the whole corridor began to spin.
"Whoa there," Lee soothed as he ran to her grab her side and steady her. "Steady on."
"Sorry," she winced. Already she was starting to feel like a bit of an inconvenience. She breathed deeply to get rid of the sick feeling in her stomach - not quite sure whether that was nerves or her condition that was causing it. Once she was ready she turned to look at him, and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Where to?"
"Er-" Lee stammered, scratching the back of his head. "The common room, I guess? It's Saturday, so classes aren't on today. Unless you'd rather go outside?" he gestured out the window where Sunlight was flooding the grounds.
"I don't mind," she shrugged nonchalantly.
"What would you like to see first?" he smirked, already knowing what the answer would be.
"Outside."
He had to hold back a smug grin when she answered almost immediately. "Alright then," Lee said, bending down to take her bag and sling it over his shoulder. "Follow me."
And Alicia did just that. She followed Lee away from the wing and down through the castle, in complete awe of all the moving portraits and the sheer grandeur of the staircase. It was like she was experiencing it all for the first time again.
Lee was grateful that the corridors were mostly empty. He had a feeling that it would have been too overwhelming for Alicia otherwise.
When they reached the Entrance Hall he cast her a sideways glance and saw that she was still staring around the school with wide-eyed wonder.
"It's a really big place, isn't it?" she breathed.
"Yeah," Lee remarked.
"What's that in there?" she wondered, stopping in the centre of the hall to point at a large room off to the right.
"Oh that? It's the Great Hall," he told her.
She nodded at the information, but still didn't look away. "It looks pretty busy in there," she observed, looking past the open doors and at all the students milling about four very long tables - playing Exploding Snap or chatting with their friends.
"Yeah, it's where we eat and stuff like that. They'll be getting ready for lunch soon," he explained, tugging her lightly by the hand and leading her out the large Oak doors and down the stone steps onto the grounds.
Students lay around the grass, some in groups and others on their own - just basking in the Suns warm rays and enjoying the weather.
People looked at Alicia as she passed and Lee noticed her pale slightly at their prying eyes. Lee couldn't help but feel sorry for her. In just a week she'd been thrown out of her old life and into a new one, filled with thousands of strangers. All of whom knew more about her than even she did herself.
Lee glared at anyone who dared to stare at Alicia longer than necessary, and people quickly got the message and hastily averted their eyes. It was obvious she was confused and terrified.
Why couldn't they just leave her be?
Luckily it didn't take them long to reach their destination, and Lee flopped down on the grass at the base of an old tree - enjoying it's shade from the canopy of green leaves. They were by the lake, and from where they sat it offered the perfect view of the rolling hills, the bright blue sky, and the sun's reflection in the glassy surface of the water.
She hesitated before joining him and Lee gazed out over the waters edge and they sat in silence for a minute. He couldn't remember a time when things had been so awkward between him and one of his closest friends. Normally, Alicia would be chatting non-stop until Lee made a teasing remark to shut her up or to get playfully punched instead. Either way, it usually ended in laughter, but as Lee turned back to Alicia and noticed her frowning at him, he guessed that it would take awhile before they were able to laugh freely like that again.
"What?" Lee smirked.
Alicia was embarrassed at being caught watching him and cleared her throat before speaking.
"I-I was just wondering," she started slowly. "...How many years have I known you?"
"Since we were eleven," he answered simply.
"Oh," Alicia said into the silence. "And who are you to me? Are you my best friends brother? Or my cousins boyfriend? Or...?"
"We're friends, have been for a while. I know you as well as Angelina and Katie do - probably better actually now that I think about it."
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips then and she seemed to relax more next to him. "I wondered why you offered to help me," she told him before stopping as another question popped into her head. "Hey do I-"
She broke off though as a dark shadow crossed over them, and looking up, Alicia gave a small scream as a giant of man beamed down at them.
"Hey Hagrid," Lee grinned looking up at the giant. He ignored the way Alicia grabbed onto his forearm and ducked her head behind his shoulder.
"Hullo Lee!" he said cheerfully. "Alicia, good ter see yeh out an' about. How are yeh feelin'?"
Realizing that he wasn't about to eat her for lunch or clobber her to death, she peaked her eyes over the top of Lee's shoulder, just enough that she was able to see him. "Fine!" she squeaked.
She was shaking like a leaf.
"That was a pretty nasty fall yeh had," Hagrid frowned. "Are yeh all better now?"
Fall? Alicia's forehead furrowed in a frown. What the heck was he talking about?
"I-I don't know what you mean..."
"She just needs rest," Lee said quickly in a tone that informed Hagrid to drop the subject.
"Ah I see," Hagrid winked at him, recognizing that look and realizing he'd said something he ought not to. "I'll leave yeh in peace then. Have a good weekend the pair o' yeh, I'll see yeh both in class on Monday!" he bid before turning around and striding back off across the grounds, waving at students as he passed.
"Who the hell was that?" Alicia gasped, relaxing her hold on Lee's arm once Hagrid was out of earshot. "The growing fairy was kind to him! He's a giant!"
"Half actually."
"Half!" Alicia cheeped, feeling a bit faint. "What did he mean about my fall? Tell me, what happened to me. I want to know everything."
Lee looked a bit uncomfortable as he shifted on the grass beside her. He knew it wasn't such a good idea to get her so worked up, especially not so soon.
"I will, when its better," he tried to avoid.
"Tell me," Alicia pleaded, clutching his arm again. "I need to know what happened to me."
He sighed heavily and rubbed at his eyes. Oh how he hoped he wasn't going to regret this. "Alright, ready?"
"Mhm," Alicia nodded, angling her body towards his so he had her full attention, listening eagerly.
He held her hand as he replayed what he had seen from the commentators stand, that day a week ago. All Alicia could do was stare at him in horror as her face blanched gradually with every new bit he revealed.
But he realised as he finished his story, it wasn't horror of what she'd heard, it was horror of the fact she had no idea what the hell Lee was on about.
"What's a Bludger?" she questioned. "And Quidditch?"
"The sport we play," he clarified.
"Oh," Alicia said and pulled her hand away from his to slide a hand through her slightly frizzy hair. It was all so confusing.
"You'll pick it up in no time," he assured her.
Alicia nodded distractedly. As much as she wanted to believe him, on the inside she felt, if possible, even more horrified.