Like a crack in a damn, the memories trickled in slowly at first. Then, as the pressure mounted, they came faster and faster until they burst through the wall and flooded into the empty space. The place that had been so dry and clear just moments before was now gushing with rapid, debris-filled water, crashing over and covering all the remnants of the life that had preceded it on this stretch of land that it was now reclaiming.

I didn't know what I expected to feel like once I had been reunited with my Gaia memories but I didn't think it would feel like this - in other words, I didn't expect it to feel so... unchanged. I still felt like me, I just had a lot of new information in my head.

Except, no, that wasn't quite right. There were some differences.

I stood up automatically, the letter floating to the ground from my limp hand. Raymond looked at me perplexed and then slowly, very slowly, realisation dawned on his face. He was looking at me differently.

"Gaia...?" He asked tentatively.

I thought I knew what he had seen in me to make him realise what had happened. I felt like I was holding myself differently. I was much more... confident than Sarah had been. I had an inner self-assurance that made me stand a little straighter, hold my head a little higher.

"It's you, isn't it?" He stared me straight in the eye. A smile pulled the corners of my lips as all the feelings of love and longing that I had felt for him returned even stronger than they had been, if that was possible.

He lurched forward and wrapped his arms around me and I embraced him, breathing in his scent, recalling all the reasons that I loved him and wanted to be his wife.

"What happened, what made you-" he began but I cut in in my eagerness to answer.

"I don't know, the dress and the mirror and the letter, and then you came in-"

"And you're back, everything is back, you remember it all?"

"Yes, everything, it all just came back to me!"

"So, all of that muggle shit is forgotten and done with?" That pulled me up short.

My arms subconsciously slipped away from Raymond and hung by my side as I started to look back over my experience as a muggle.

For the first time in my life, I had been completely innocent. All through my childhood and teenage years I had watched as my parents allowed their criminal friends to hide out in our basement or hold secret meetings in our living room when I was in bed or plan attacks on unsuspecting muggles and wizards alike. I had never taken part in any of it – I hadn't been allowed to when I was younger and then as I grew older, I had no great interest in being involved. I made tea for visitors or I hand delivered messages and small things like that, if I was asked. So I wasn't involved in it but I was still a part of it. I still knew.

Sarah, on the other hand... Sarah didn't know. She was so naive. She was shocked to hear the stories that Charlie had told her. She was devastated to think that human beings could do such horrible things to each other and she was repulsed to find out that she had been involved. She was just an innocent soul that got wrapped up in some unfortunate business that really had nothing to do with her. And Charlie Weasley hadn't even told her some of the nastiest details, he saw her fragility and protected her- me.

Charlie had protected me because he saw me as something to protect. When I had been an innocent soul I was worth protecting. But then I ruined his perception of me by alluding to my participation in the atrocities that the death eaters had committed, and then all of a sudden, he wasn't sure if I was worth protecting anymore. And I understood. Because I was starting to agree.

And then I realised that seeing things from Sarah's perspective had changed the way I viewed the entire world and the way I viewed myself. I used to be able to justify the death eaters, I used to be able to relate, but now I wasn't so sure about it all.

I had a sudden urge to disapperate and seek out Charlie so I could look into his blue eyes and tell him that I wanted to be worthy of his protection, that I wanted to change for him and become someone he didn't have to be repulsed by.

But then the thought of leaving Raymond again was painful enough to keep me locked in position. I loved Raymond. I loved him. I loved him.

But I still loved Charlie, too.

"Um, where's my wand?" I asked, trying to distract myself.

"Oh, I actually have it here, funnily enough..." He walked over to a cabinet beside the bed and pulled open the bottom drawer. He produced from it a familiar strip of English oak, 12 and ¼ inches with what I knew to be a unicorn-hair core. I grinned widely as he handed it to me and the wood felt warm in my hand, as though it had missed me as much as I had missed it and it was rejoicing at our reunion.

Again, that urge to disaperate to Charlie's little flat in Romania almost overwhelmed me.

"Gaia, what's wrong?" Raymond must have seen my sudden change in expression as I fought off the urge. "You are happy to remember... aren't you?"

I realised another thing that Gaia did that Sarah did not. Gaia loved to tell the truth. She was a good liar, however and could lie at a moment's notice very convincingly, but whenever she could she would tell the truth – that must have been why Sarah was so apt at blurting out whatever was on her mind.

"No Raymond, I don't think I am happy about it. And I'm not sure how happy you're going to be when you hear what I have to say."

He just stared at me for what felt like hours. Just stared, aghast.

"Just say it." He finally whispered.

"I still love Charlie Weasley. And I need to go talk to him."

"I can't let you do that. I can't let you leave me again."

I was so torn. I felt obliged to stay with Raymond, he was my fiancé and I did love him dearly. I hated the fact that I was hurting him and when he asked me to stay with him I wanted to stay.

But I wanted to see Charlie, too. I needed to talk to Charlie and see if my love for him really was unchanged or if I was just echoing Sarah's feelings for him onto myself now out of habit. And I also needed to let him know that I was alright. I did disappear in the dead of night.

"Raymond, this is something I have to do. And I'm sorry, but you can't stop me."

I twisted on the spot and vanished into thin air.

A/N: For those of you who are interested, I have a little note about Gaia's wand. I actually created a Pottermore account for her so I could take the official wand test to see which wand she would have had. I answered all of the questions the way I feel Gaia (not Sarah, though they are very similar) would have answered them and the wand she received was Unicorn, 12 ¼ inches, english oak, supple. I have also included the notes that were written on the site about each feature and what they indicate about the character of the witch/wizard that they are paired with. I think it's quite appropriate for Gaia! Also, she was sorted into Slytherin house, Just if you were interested, but she didn't attend Hogwarts so it's not actually that relevant. But don't hold it against her!

English Oak:

A wand for good times and bad, this is a friend as loyal as the wizard who deserves it. Wands of English oak demand partners of strength, courage and fidelity. Less well-known is the propensity for owners of English oak wands to have powerful intuition, and, often, an affinity with the magic of the natural world, with the creatures and plants that are necessary to wizardkind for both magic and pleasure. The oak tree is called King of the Forest from the winter solstice up until the summer solstice, and its wood should only be collected during that time (holly becomes King as the days begin to shorten again, and so holly should only be gathered as the year wanes. This divide is believed to be the origin of the old superstition, "when his wand's oak and hers is holly, then to marry would be folly," a superstition that I have found baseless). It is said that Merlin's wand was of English oak (though his grave has never been found, so this cannot be proven).

Unicorn

Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner, irrespective of whether he or she was an accomplished witch or wizard. Minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and that they are prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may 'die' and need replacing.

Length & Flexibility

Many wandmakers simply match the wand length to the size of the witch or wizard who will use it, but this is a crude measure, and fails to take into account many other, important considerations. In my experience, longer wands might suit taller wizards, but they tend to be drawn to bigger personalities, and those of a more spacious and dramatic style of magic. Neater wands favour more elegant and refined spell-casting. However, no single aspect of wand composition should be considered in isolation of all the others, and the type of wood, the core and the flexibility may either counterbalance or enhance the attributes of the wand's length.

Most wands will be in the range of between nine and fourteen inches. While I have sold extremely short wands (eight inches and under) and very long wands (over fifteen inches), these are exceptionally rare. In the latter case, a physical peculiarity demanded the excessive wand length. However, abnormally short wands usually select those in whose character something is lacking, rather than because they are physically undersized (many small witches and wizards are chosen by longer wands).

Wand flexibility or rigidity denotes the degree of adaptability and willingness to change possessed by the wand-and-owner pair - although, again, this factor ought not to be considered separately from the wand wood, core and length, nor of the owner's life experience and style of magic, all of which will combine to make the wand in question unique.