Disclaimer: I own nothing; just having some fun with the world of HP.
A/N: Thank you for the reviews thus far! I'm having a lot of fun with this. :)
Alice had surprisingly gotten a good night of sleep and she arose wanting to thank her aunt's fluffy guest bed and the two glasses of port wine she had after dinner. After tidying up the room, she headed towards the kitchen to pour herself a glass of cold water. She still felt full from the previous night's feast.
"Mornin' my lady," Uncle George said from his usual spot on his comfortable armchair in the living room. He was watching the morning news. "Marla's gone for the morning; she always has tea on Tuesdays with Mrs. Pots up the street. She left you some homemade lemon scones in the pantry."
"Thanks Uncle George. I was wondering…could I leave my traveling bag here for a little while? I have an appointment in the city later this morning and don't think I'll have time to return it to my flat." Not content to do nothing and wait for her situation to resolve itself, Alice had planned to go to Mylton & Sons Publishing Company to see if she could find any clues surrounding Thomas Mylton Jr.'s sudden memory loss.
"Of course! You have a key so if you can't retrieve it prior to our holiday, feel free to stop by anytime after," said George, who started flipping television channels.
Alice proceeded to get ready for her day. Her aunt had everything set up for her in the guest bathroom. After straightening her long auburn hair, she packed up her things, divvying what she needed and what she didn't. It had made her bag a bit heavier than usual. She put on a simple black a-line wool mini dress and black tights, and opted for a pair of black flats instead of heels. She put on a black cardigan for warmth. "Goodness Alice," she thought to herself, "I know you want to be covert today but you totally forgot to pack any color in your wardrobe." Upon her way out she made sure to put one of Aunt Marla's handmade lemon scones in a plastic bag for later. Uncle George gave her a big bear hug at the door and she told him to let Aunt Marla know of her gratitude. Alice figured she would see them after they got back from Southern France, since they planned to leave within the week.
Leaving the house, the sun felt warm on Alice's back. Being a Tuesday mid-morning, most residents were at work so the street felt extremely dead; only the sounds of birds chirping their love of spring could be heard. It was about two blocks to the bus stop when Alice began to realize her vulnerability, making her consciously quicken her pace. Her one hand moved into her shoulder bag to grasp the aerosol canister of pepper spray. She intended to hold onto it until she got on the bus.
Suddenly, she heard a "whoosh" sound behind her. Turning around and looking upward, she was met with the fierce brown eyes of a man twice her size. Without thinking she removed the pepper spray from her bag, aimed it at his face and pushed the button. An unpleasant pungent mixture of toxins shot into his eyes at point blank range. After a few seconds, Alice pivoted and began running in the opposite direction, her feet thankful she had worn flats.
She had gotten about 10 meters when all of the sudden she was disarmed, her pepper spray literally disappeared from her grasp and a strong hand caught her shoulder gripping her backwards. Turning she met the dark eyes of the same man who had followed her from the pub the previous day. She was unable to react before she felt her insides twist in and out.
Blaise had disapparated himself and the young woman back to the Special Cases Unit office. His hand held her arm tightly preventing her from falling after an undoubtedly disorienting trip. Her weak and startled state led her heavy bag to slide off her shoulder to the marble floor below, some of its contents spilled out. Alice felt like she would throw up but there was nothing in her stomach to do so.
The large brut of a wizard who got peppered sprayed apparated into the office shortly after, tears streaming down his face.
"What the hell did she do to me!" He cried in agony; he was having difficulty breathing and his eyesight was failing. Many in the office were stunned.
Blaise pulled out the aerosol can from his jacket pocket and flashed it in front of Alice who was still trying to find her bearings, his grasp continued to hold her up. "What is this?" He asked firmly.
"The effects will subside in about an hour," she said wincing, trying hard to steady her voice.
Blaise handed the can to his assistant, "Keep that," he said assertively. His hand still clasped Alice's arm tightly, cutting off the circulation of blood to her hand. He pulled her easily into the interrogation room.
Alice hardly struggled, knowing it was a pointless. She already felt demeaned in front of countless individuals who were obviously not on her side. Blaise pushed her body towards a chair and motioned her to sit. Once out of the release of Blaise's grasp, she quickly grabbed her arm as if making sure it was still functioning.
A bit angered by the unexpected attack on his partner, Blaise slammed the interrogation door behind him, leaving him and Alice sheltered from the outside.
Alice winced at the sound of the door shutting. Blaise, however, quickly regained his composer, straightened his suit coat, and turned towards the young woman sitting in the chair holding her arm.
As he moved to face Alice, her head rose and her eyes narrowed directly on his. But behind her brave eyes, her mind raced through the situation. She thought this must be the place they take you to erase your memory.
Blaise paced to the other side of the room, where he stopped to lean against a long table that was pushed against the wall. His hands crossed over his chest, contemplating how to begin.
Uncomfortable by the silence, Alice interjected, "How do you do it?" she asked.
He gave her a puzzled look.
"How do you erase someone's memory? Is that why I'm here?" Alice's voice grew firmer.
After a brief pause, Blaise finally spoke, "No, that is not why you're here. We need information. You seem to have a lot of that." He picked up her book that was sitting on the table behind him. "How did you write this? Who helped you?"
Alice's eyes widened upon seeing her book, knowing that it was printed only to be stolen and brought here. She didn't respond to his question.
After a brief pause Blaise continued to speak, "We have regulations. Muggles who know about our world are prohibited from divulging information to others. It is obvious information passed to you from someone and you're going to tell us who." His voice sounded unforgiving.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Alice knew exactly what he was hinting at. "Of course," she said, sounding a bit cocky at first, "It's too difficult for you to think I figured it out on my own." Then after a brief pause, she concluded with more seriousness, "But it is that simple."
Blaise accepted her sincerity but it simply wasn't enough to vindicate her. Leaving the book on the table behind him, he left the room, shutting the door behind him.
"I have rights too!" Alice yelled right before the door closed; she was angry that those rights seemed to be void in this realm.