A woman observed the party. A normal woman to an random bystander.

She quietly sipped on Champagne and waited for the proper time. Harry Potter was here. The Minister of Magic was here. It was the perfect time for a display of power. A perfect opportunity to show the wizarding world exactly how much reach the Death Eaters had and how little the Ministry could do to stop it.

"Another drink, madam?" The bartender asked.

She looked at him and smiled. She was tempted to change her hair from blonde to black, simply to scare the man. If he could see what she really looked like he would run for the hills. Furthermore, if he could see past her true appearance… well, that would be more devastating than scary. It was so tempting to drop the charade sometimes, but the Lestrange name came with connections that were needed to keep the Death Eaters in place.

"A firewhiskey please." She replied.

"Mrs. Tashine?" Someone called. She turned around and smiled brilliantly at the man.

"Oh, how lovely to see you again." She shook his hand firmly and never broke eye contact. Her face started to tingle and she looked at the bartender who was fixing her drink. She needed him to do that quickly.

"How are your children."

Dead. "They're great and George is doing excellent." She said.

"I'm so happy to hear that. You have a nice evening." He kissed her hand and then left. She had done her homework on this woman and she was an excellent liar.

The manipulation sent a thrill through her.

But her excitement soon dimmed when she saw Draco and Astoria Malfoy. Traitors. Her lips twisted into a sneer. It was unbelievable that their families were connected. Scorpius Malfoy joined them holding the hand of none other than Rose Weasley. And what did Draco do? Shake her hand. He shook the hand of a filthy halfbreed.

"You're firewhiskey."

She gave the bartender a brief smile, that may have come across as a grimace. She pulled a flask from her clutch poured some of the awful potion into the glass. Then she focused on slightly altering her appearance to that of Bertha Tashine.

Two other people joined the Malfoys and that Weasley bitch. One of the Potter boys, although it was difficult to tell which. And the girl in the red dress who had arrived with the Potters. She watched them all laugh at something Astoria said.

Then the girl glanced around the room, her face turning towards the woman.

The woman's eyes widened and she craned her neck, but the girl had already looked away. She bore a stunning resemblance to Bellatrix Lestrange. In fact, she looked like Draco as well. The same aristocratic bone structure and self important smirk.

The woman unconsciously moved towards the group determined to get a better look.

But there was nothing. She blinked and drove the crazy thoughts away. There were more important things to do than fantasize about Atria. It was only imagination… nothing more.

Tired of having to front a facade, the woman pulled out her wand subtly, positioning herself so that her wand was between the chiffon of her dress and the bar. The Ministry was full of small explosives and all she had to do was mutter a small incantation and the whole place would be up in flames.

But if the girl is Atria… Her thoughts betrayed her. It was impossible and she was not going to dwell on it. The woman moved away from the crowds and towards the fireplaces which were guarded by Aurors. She looked back at the group of traitors and thilth. Then she focused on the redhead bitch.

Rose Weasley could be very… useful.

"Lotus incendio." She whispered.

Atria felt her head being lifted and she struggled against the hand that was holding her.

"Attie, lye still."

Amanda? Atria tried to work her mouth to make words, but her throat wasn't working. She coughed a few times, but breathing didn't seem to make it any better.

"Amanda!" James's voice cut through her efforts.

"James, help me. We need to get her to St. Mungo's with everyone else."

"My dad is apparating people. Let's get her to a fireplace."

Atria felt herself being lifted and her head got light.

"Are you hurt?"

"No," she heard Amanda reply. "Just some scratches."

"Good."

Atria coughed again. The air felt cleaner whenever they were going. She managed to squeak out some words. "What… what happened?" Her eyes squinted open for a moment, but all she saw was red and smoke.

"Explosions." James looked down at her.

She closed her eyes and let her head roll back. She listened to the pair speak.

"Where's Rose and Scorpius?" Amanda choked.

"I'm not sure. Everyone was sort of thrown back. And your date?" Even Atria heard the sarcasm in hid voice.

"James, now is not the time. And I'm not sure where he is. LOOK OUT!"

Suddenly Atria was sent tumbling to the floor. Her eyes popped open and she struggled to turn her head. She saw James trapped under a piece of the ceiling. Amanda whipped out her wand and levitated it off of him.

Smoke filled her lungs and the edges of her vision got fuzzy. Then she blacked out completely.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Amanda looked at James. He was unconscious and lying in a hospital bed with his leg wrapped up. The worst part was, after everything that had happened this was considered a minor injury. He had burns on his legs and up his side from the falling ceiling panel and half of his leg was crushed but he was just lucky to be alive.

She had yet to see Mr. or Mrs. Potter. In fact, she hadn't seen anyone. Once she dropped Atria off in the Emergency Unit she had stayed with James, who had been unconscious since some Aurors had helped them escape from the Ministry.

A nurse looked at Amanda while she checked James's vitals.

"Would you like a chair, love?"

It took a few moments for Amanda to register that the woman was speaking with her.

"Oh, I can stand." Amanda shrugged. She took a step closer to the bed, but kept a safe distance. "Do you know when he'll wake up? I mean, he's not in a coma or something right?"

"No, just some pain potions that can make some people very drowsy." The nurse assured her. "Press the call button if you need anything." She said and then bustled out. Amanda watched the rise and fall of James's chest. The movement seemed shallow, but steady and unwavering.

She wasn't sure how long she watched him. But by the time she came out of her trance her feet were aching.

A croak came from the bed, "Amanda?" She rushed over to James's side. His eyes were unfocused and confused. "Am I… are we in St. Mungo's?"

"Yes. You sound terrible, let me get you some water." She went over to the little cart on wheels and poured him a plastic cup of water. When she came back to the back to the bed he sat up a little and tilted his head forward.

She held the cup to his lips and poured a sip of water into his mouth.

"Thanks."

"No problem." She stood awkwardly, holding the cup between her hands.

"Atria-"

"She's in the Emergency Unit. Some glass went into her and they had to go in and remove it all." She explained. James eased back into the bed.

"I'm glad you're alright."

Amanda looked down at him and they stared at each other for a moment.

"What's wrong with me?" He asked a moment later.

"A piece of scaffolding fell on you. You're left leg is crush, although that's easily repaired. The difficult thing was the burns covering half of your body. Some of the medication they needed to use would have interfered with the Skele Gro. I'm not really sure of the details, but you'll be alright in a few days."

"I'm going to be sore."

Amanda laughed, "Yes, I imagine you will be."

"I'm hungry. How long have I been unconscious?"

"About five hours."

"And everyone else?"

Amanda bit her lip and her throat burned. "I haven't seen anyone but Attie. But I think you're parents are here somewhere. Do you want me to track them down?" She started to leave but he grabbed her hand. "Don't make sudden movements!" She admonished him and went back to the bed.

"Just… stay for a little while."

Amanda sighed and looked around the tiny room. "Alright. But now that I know you're okay, I really should try to find Rose and Scorpius and everyone else."

"And John."

"His name is Jack." She glared at him, but her heart wasn't in it. "About what I said… a few days ago, when I told you we weren't friends."

James laughed dryly and then winced. "Are you going to say you forgive me? If you're only doing it because I'm half dead-"

"Don't be dramatic. And I was wrong to say that. But you were wrong as well."

"I know. And I'm sorry."

Amanda cleared her throat which was feeling very tight. "It's okay."

James was still holding her hand, she realized. But she wasn't going to pull away.

"I'm tired."

"A side effect of the pain killing potion."

He chuckled. "Is that why I can't feel anything? I feel like I'm floating… but, I… I can feel your hand. You're cold." He frowned and squeezed their linked hands.

"I know."

She hadn't thought about it until now, but she was still wearing her sleeveless dress in a cold hospital. And her dress was in tatters, exposing more skin the the chilled air. It hardly mattered, half the people in St. Mungo's were dressed as she was.

A shuffling noise pulled her out of her thoughts. James was sliding over on the bed.

"James, don't move-"

"Come here." He held the blankets up as best he could manage.

"James, you're hurt…"

"So come make me feel better."

Amanda snorted. "I should go find… everyone." James slowly lowered his arm.

"How many…" He grimaced in pain. "How many people are dead?"

"I don't have an exact number. But… a lot. At least ten, I think."

James closed his eyes, his mouth thinning into a grim line. "Merlin, how did this happen?" He whispered to no one.

Amanda tried to smile but it kept falling apart. She didn't want him to worry about her though, so she took a deep breath and headed for the door. "I'm going to see what's happening. I'll be back in a little while." She told him. "Don't do anything stupid." She looked at him and he smiled.

"No promises."

She sighed, but left the room smiling.

The hall was chaos. People were being wheeled around and transferred between units. Some people didn't have rooms, they were simply being treated in chairs or gurneys. She saw one of the nurses drape a sheet over someone, an arm hanging limp and cold off the moving bed.

Amanda kept her head down until she found someone with a chart who seemed to know slightly more than everyone else.

"Excuse me?" She looked hopefully at the young man.

"Are you looking for someone? Can I get a name?" He didn't even look up.

Amanda stumbled, "Um… I'm looking for Harry Potter… or any of the Weasleys… or Malfoys." She swallowed down the sourness that was rising in her throat.

The man looked up and Amanda jerked back. He had a long scar down his face that distorted his upper lip and cut through his right eyebrows. When she saw his angry face, she looked down and blushed, embarrassed for her reaction.

"Why?"

Okay, he wasn't about to do her any favors. "My friend is James Potter. He's in that room and I don't think his parents know where he is. And I want to know if my friends Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley are okay." She added quickly. He gave her a long hard stare with black eyes.

Then he glanced at his chart. "If they're at St. Mungo's, they're not in my ward."

"Okay, thanks…" She turned away.

"But if you're looking for Healer Malfoy, he's most likely in the Intensive Care Ward." The man seemed to tell her this grudgingly.

Amanda smiled at him as kindly as she could. "Thank you so much."

He didn't respond or look at her. She backed away slowly until she was sure he wasn't looking at her. Of course he wasn't. She quickly asked a nurse which way the Intensive Care Ward was and the woman directed her up several floors to the East Wing.

Indeed that's where Mr. Malfoy was. He was in the process of trying to handle severe burn cases while being asked to advise on a head contusion.

He looked relieved when he saw Amanda. "I'm so happy to see you." He said as he worked a salve over one patient's neck. The woman jerked beneath him and started to seize up. Her lungs seemed to be frozen and she struggled to get air in.

"I NEED A SEDATIVE!" Amanda jumped. Mr. Malfoy's voice boomed through the halls and not a moment later a syringe appeared and was injected into the woman's arm. As the woman calmed down, Mr. Malfoy checked her other wounds.

"Where's Scorpius and Rose?" Amanda asked frantically.

Mr. Malfoy went around to other people while talking. "Scorpius is downstairs with his mother, but I haven't seen Ms. Weasley. Ms. Smith, Scorpius was badly injured." Amanda closed her eyes and pressed her lips together.

"But he's okay?" She asked desperately and he didn't respond. Amanda couldn't think straight. "And what about Mr. Potter," Amand searched for names, "or Lily or Mrs. Weasley-"

"I saw Ginny with Albus. I'm not sure which ward, but they were both alright save for a few cuts and bruises." He moved his wand over a child who was bleeding from his abdomen. "Ms. Smith, if you could hold this," He handed her a cloth, "to his wound while I heal internal bleeding in the cerebral cortex." Amanda automatically grabbed the cloth and put pressure on the wound, trying to cease the bleeding.

"We need Essence of Dittany." Amanda said urgently.

"Get some. There's a supply cabinet over there." He motioned across the hall. Amanda quickly ran to the door, dodging patients and nurses. It only took her a minute to find the right vile. She grabbed some bandages as well for good measure.

When she got back she peeled back the boy's dress shirt and unscrewed the bottle. She squeezed a few drops over the wound and it slowly started to heal. Then she got the bandages and taped them on.

"Next patient. Nurse, look after the boy." Mr. Malfoy moved to an elderly woman who Amanda had seen breaking up the dance floor. He looked her over and then began to treat severe burns on her shoulder and chest.

"I need to find Rose." Amanda said and he nodded vaguely.

"Thank you for the assistance."

Amanda flushed at the praise and then set off to find Rose. She debated going to Scorpius. If Rose was alright, Amanda knew she would be looking for Scorpius. But as luck would have it, she ran into Albus and Mrs. Potter on the way down to the general ward.

"Amanda!" Albus hugged her and then pulled back. "Where's Atria? I couldn't find her and she was right next to me but-"

"She's in the Emergency Unit but she's going to be fine. Just some burns and cuts, but nothing that can't be set right." Amanda assured him and then turned to his mother. "Mrs. Potter, James is on the second floor. He's badly injured but stable. You should go to him." Ginny took off running with a quickly look at her other son.

"Where's Rose and Scor?"

"Scorpius is with in mum in surgery. Something happened but I don't know what." Amanda said helplessly over the sound of crying and healers shouting.

"Where have you been for the last few hours?" Albus asked and he started for the elevator.

"With James and Atria. Then I saw Mr. Malfoy and he told me about Scor."

"He's not with Scorpius?"

"No, he's needed in the Intensive Care Ward."

"Lily is with my dad, but I don't know where they went."

They got off on the third floor and asked around for Scorpius.

"He's not here." Albus headed for the North Wing of the third floor.

"Mrs. Malfoy!" Amanda gasped and ran towards the crying woman that was standing in front of a clear glass window. Scorpius and a healer were on the other side and all Amanda could see was blood.

"He's going to be fine." Albus said determinedly, as if that would make it true.

Astoria smiled weakly. "I know. The healer said that biggest problem was a head wound, but I keep thinking… what if he doesn't wake up?" Her lip trembled and Amanda hugged the woman tightly. "But I'm mustn't think like that. My baby is strong." She looked through the glass.

"Is Rose here?" Albus asked.

Astoria shook her head. "No, but I did see her mother looking for her." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. They all stood there watching for… a long time. "He pushed her out of the way." Astoria whispered so quietly Amanda wasn't sure if she heard right.

"What?"

Mrs. Malfoy took a deep breath. "Scorpius, there was glass flying, and I didn't see until after, but he pushed her out of the way of a large piece and it sliced right through his chest."

Amanda didn't know what to say and Albus clearly didn't either.

Thankfully they were interrupted. "Albus!" Atria was dressed in a hospital gown and she looked damaged. There were bandages and wraps all over her body and her lip was bruised. She stood at the end of the hall.

Amanda was so relieved to see she was up and walking…

Make that running. She was barreling towards them despite the protests of several nurses. Amanda stepped back instinctively because it looked like Atria was going to run straight into them.

Instead she ran into Albus. Actually, it might be more accurate to say that she jumped into his arms, wrapped her legs around his waist, yanked his head to hers, and began snogging the life out of him.

And Albus didn't look the least bit surprised. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her up. One hand went around her back into her black hair and the other gripped her bottom. She tilted her head and Amanda was pretty sure she saw a tongue.

A minute later, Atria pulled back and Albus waited a moment and then set her down slowly, but wouldn't let go of her. After a moment, they seemed to remember they had an audience and looked at Amanda and Mrs. Malfoy.

"Um…" Atria's mouth opened and closed like a fish.

Amanda looked at Astoria, whose jaw was on the floor.

A second passed, where the rest of the world was silent around them.

"I knew it!" Amanda clapped her hands together. Albus looked affronted.

"You couldn't have." He scoffed.

"She may have hinted," Atria muttered to him.

"So you are together?" Amanda looked between the two of them. "You're not just… snogging, or shagging-" Mrs. Malfoy coughed loudly.

"No," Atria turned up her nose, "we've been going out since the beginning of October."

Amanda's eyes widened. "Wow."

"We were waiting for the right time to tell everyone…" Albus rubbed the back of his neck.

Amanda looked at the chaos around them. "Yes, brilliant timing."

Albus shot her a sarcastic look.

"You share a bathroom." Amanda mumbled. She had assumed, but not that it was a reality there were so many logistics that were really weird.

"This is the first time we've shared a bathroom while we've been dating." Albus argued.

"Your parents don't know?" Mrs. Malfoy gave them a pinning stare.

"Uh… not yet."

"Mrs. Malfoy," someone coughed. They hadn't even realized Scorpius's healer had come out of the room. Astoria clutched her hands together. "He's going to be alright. He might be unconscious for a day or two, but mostly that's from simple exhaustion and weakness. We're going to monitor him, but we're very optimistic." The healer smiled and Astoria let out a sigh of relief.

Amanda still couldn't take her eyes off of Attie and Al. They were leaning into each other, with his arm wrapped around her shoulder and her head leaning into the crook of his armpit. It wasn't as weird as it would have been six months ago. This year they had been surprisingly not hateful with each other and now Amanda knew why.

They had speculated about it, all of their friends, but everyone sort of assumed they had grown up. Rose had been insistent that they had realized that the fighting was pointless and they were only trying to enjoy their last year at Hogwarts without the ruckus.

Amanda smirked, they are enjoying something alright.

"Can I see him?"

The healer nodded at Mrs. Malfoy. "He's asleep but you can stay with him as long as you like. Shall I send a note to your husband?"

"I'll go," Amanda offered. "I know where he is."

Mrs. Malfoy nodded, "Yes, I think it would be better if the good news came from a friend."

Atria pulled away from Albus to come closer to Amanda. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No," She shook her head, "you should try to find Rose."

Atria nodded and Albus came up behind her, stroking her forehead.

"Please, just because I know, doesn't mean I want it thrusted into my face every two seconds," Amanda smirked and walked away with a small smile on her face. The went back to the main hall where the elevator was and prepared to go back up to see Mr. Malfoy. She waited a moment for the elevator to come.

It was weird to see them acting like a couple. She knew something was going on, but maybe they were just snogging? No, they were a couple. And seeing them like that, how Atria ran to Albus and she didn't see anything else around, made her realize that as soon as she saw Jack she was going to tell him they couldn't go out anymore.

Amanda wanted what Atria and Albus had.

You know where to find that, her inner voice sang.

She got off the elevator and asked one of the nurses wear Healer Malfoy was.

"In room three twenty-six, I believe."

Amanda knocked on the door before entering. Mr. Malfoy was currently levitating an organ out of someone's body.

"Ms. Smith," He acknowledged and then took a pair of tweezers and pulled something off of the bloody organ. Once he finished with those ministrations he carefully placed the organ back into the man.

"Scorpius is going to be alright. The healer said that it the head wound that's the biggest issue and he's still unconscious, but they're very optimistic about a quick recovery."

The tension in Mr. Malfoy eased slightly as he continued to pull shards of something out of this patient. "I think you walked off with the bottle of Dittany?" Mr. Malfoy looked at her.

Amanda looked at her hands and sure enough the bottle was still there.

"Sorry, I didn't realize…"

"That's okay. I believe I had all of the wood out of this man, so we need some drops of that if you don't mind." He went over to write something on the chart and she waited to give him the bottle. "You can do it, I think." He said without looking up.

Amanda jerked in surprise. "Oh, okay." She went over to the man and began dropping Essence of Dittany over his wounds. "Is this allowed?" She wondered absently.

Mr. Malfoy chuckled, "Technically no, but there's too many patients to worry about protocol. Healers are needed for the most serious injuries after that we have to outsource the minor jobs."

Amanda finished with the drops and then placed a bandage over the wounds.

Mr. Malfoy left the room and began speaking to one of the nurses. Amanda looked around and there were more bodies under sheets, families crying, and healers trying to save patients. Even hours later, new victims were still being found.

Amanda went to go check on James. The elevator was full of people with minor injuries and a few exited with Amanda on the second floor. She went to James's room immediately and stood in front of the small glass window. His mother was there sitting on the edge of the bed, running her hands through his hair gently.

His eyes were closed but his mouth was moving. His mouth turned up into a smile a moment later and his eyes opened. Amanda smiled at the picture.

"Looking after your boyfriend?"

Amanda's head jerked to the right. It was the healer who she had insulted before by staring at his scar. She scowled at him.

"No, he's my friend's brother."

He gave her a grimace, or it might have been a smile, with the scar distorting his upper lip she couldn't be sure. She hadn't paid attention before, but now she realized he was quite young to be a healer. Amanda was sure the first, and often times only, thing people saw was the horrific scar curving on his face, and you assume a person who's gone through something that terrible is older.

But looking closer, there were no age lines on his face, his brown hair was thick and wavy with no grey streaks, and although his mouth was drawn into a scowl, there were no wrinkles along the sides of it.

There were no wrinkles around his black eyes either. Originally, she would have thought he was at least thirty years old but now...

"You're staring." He drawled in a deep voice. Amanda blinked and refocused.

"How old are you?" She blurted and he looked startled and unpleased with the question.

He growled, "What does that matter?"

"Well, I realized you couldn't possibly be as old as I imagined, so I was wondering how old you actually are." She said and then frowned. "I don't see why you're so defensive."

"I don't see why you care."

"I don't." She snapped. He stared down at her.

His upper lips twisted into a sneer. "So walk away."

"I was here first." She folded her arms impertantly.

His mouth opened threatening, but he was cut off, "Amanda!"

She released a breath.

The healer smirked at her, "Another boyfriend?" Amanda glared at him and looked at Jack who was almost to them.

"Jack, I'm happy you're alright." She looked at the scarred man but he was already turning away.

"Who was that?" Jack whispered.

Amanda shook her head, "I don't know, but he doesn't like me."

"That's silly, who wouldn't like you?" He gave her a boyish grin and her gut churned.

"Look, Jack tonight was amazing…"

"Our dates have got to stop ending like this." He teased but it didn't reach his eyes.

Amanda sighed, "I don't think there should be anymore dates. I like you, I do, but there's just no… spark." She was grasping at straws and feeling a whole lot of guilt. Jack looked at her with his bigs and frowned.

Then he sighed, "Can I ask one favour?"

Amanda nodded, "Anything."

"Can I kiss you? You say there's no spark but we haven't even kissed. I just want to be sure."

Amanda's eyes widened, "Oh, well…"

"You don't want to." He looked so dejected.

"Why haven't you kissed me before?" Amanda asked suddenly.

Jack looked startled, "Well, I suppose I wasn't thinking about it. I want to though!"

Amanda laughed quietly. "Jack, neither of us was thinking about kissing or even being romantic. You're fun and I enjoy spending time with you, but I don't think there's any connection. We both deserve someone who desperately wants to be with us." When she was finished she took a deep breath.

Jack looked at the floor and then smiled smally. "I suppose you're right." He didn't look entirely convinced though. Amanda leaned her head back and stepped closer to him. She pressed her lips softly against his and then pulled back.

He blinked. "You're right, no spark."

Amanda laughed. "You should go be with your family."

Jack nodded absently. "Thanks for an amazing few weeks." He said and then walked away. She didn't even notice Mrs. Potter standing in the doorway until a moment later.

"He wants to see you." She smiled kindly, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Amanda nodded but couldn't speak.

"We should get you out of that dress." Mrs. Potter said, looking her up and down. Amanda choked out a laugh.

"Probably." She went over to James. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but better. I think the pain potion is wearing off, so I'm starting to get sore, but I can feel my legs again so that's good." He joked.

"I'll get you a chair," Mrs. Potter said from the doorway and then she disappeared.

James looked up at her. "You really do need some new clothes."

Amanda smiled, "I've been a bit busy."

"Did you find everyone?"

"I found Albus and Atria and Scor. I sent your mum up here and I helped Mr. Malfoy in the Intensive Care Ward." She shrugged.

"No Rose or Lily?"

"Lily's with your dad I think. Maybe Rose is with Hugo and her parents?" She suggested, but didn't know for sure. James nodded and closed his eyes.

He looked so peaceful, she wasn't sure if he was just resting or if he was asleep. She thought about her conversation with Jack. She did deserve someone who looked at her like she was the best thing in the world. But maybe she was getting ahead of herself? She was only seventeen and she wanted to find the love of her life?

Although, finding someone who really wanted you didn't mean that person was the love of your life. But somehow she couldn't think of just dating around, even if she was attracted to someone. Which at this point seemed impossible.

Amanda rubbed her temples. "I'm becoming asexual." She mumbled.

"What?"

Amanda was pulled out of her idiotic thoughts.

"So what were you saying to Jared?"

"His name is Jack." Amanda reprimanded, but her heart wasn't in it. She focused on his hands, because if she looked at his face she would be reminded that she was definitely not becoming asexual.

"You kissed him." James said dully. His face was impassive and his eyes were still closed.

"You saw?" Amanda blushed. "It wasn't my idea," She muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I told him that I didn't think we were right for each other and he said that we should kiss just to make sure. I told him that we both deserve people who really want us." She explained and looked at her hands. "But maybe I was being stupid."

He jerked up and then groaned.

"No-"

"James, careful! You're injured-"

"You absolutely did not make the wrong decision." He finished and her heart lurched. She couldn't allow herself to think that he was being jealous.

Amanda sighed, "I know. But he was the first boyfriend I've had in awhile. And my previous boyfriend was a child's crush, not an actual relationship. I think I should just… not date."

James ruffled his hair and then looked at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Amanda blinked. "Like what?"

"Smirking."

She laughed and shook her head. "You always do that with your hair."

"You yelled at me once for doing it."

"I remember. It's can be very annoying, but now… well, it's a bit endearing isn't it?" She laughed with a tinge of embarrassment.

"It's a habit."

"I know. And you do have nice hair, which is why you do it I think. You want people, well girls to look at it."

James looked surprised. "I never really thought about it."

Mrs. Potter knocked on the door and she was carrying and foldable chair. "Here you go, darling. You look like you're about to fall over." She unfolded the chair and set it next to the bed. "Have you spoken with your parents?"

Amanda froze as she was about to collapse in the chair.

"Crap, I knew I was forgetting something. I need to send them an owl." As she heaved out of the chair, Ginny put a hand on her arm.

"Why don't you let me explain the situation? I think you should sit down. You're about to fall over."

Amanda bit her lip. "Thank you. That would be great. I didn't realize how tired I am." She collapsed in the chair.

Mrs. Potter looked at her son. "I'll be back in a little while. We need to get things organized and take count of everyone from the ball." She left a moment later.

James coughed, "It does not feel like Christmas."

Amanda smiled weakly and closed her eyes. "My parents are never going to let me leave the house again." James barked out a laugh.

"You do not have a good track record, that's for sure."

"But this time it was everyone, not just me." She pushed some hair out of her face. "I suppose that's not really a good thing. Frankly, I got off easy." She took a deep breath to stop her rambling.

"I'm hungry."

Amanda laughed. "Of course, you are." She stood up slowly, testing her muscles. "I'll go get some food. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to scrounge up, but…"

"You look exhausted, maybe you should just call for a nurse?" James suggested.

Amanda shook her head. "They're busy, but it's fine. I'll be right back."

He didn't say anything as she left. She was relieved to get a breath of air, away from James and away from her feelings.

The hall was filled with people who seemed to have the same feelings as her. Wizards leaning against the walls, collapsed in chairs, and trying to get a moment of peace.

Amanda saw Ginny and she started towards her. Maybe Ginny would know where to get food…

Amanda stopped when she saw Hermione Weasley clutching her chest, tears running down her face. Mrs. Potter's shoulders were shaking and so was the hand the gripped Mrs. Weasley's shoulder. Hermione was sobbing, but there was no noise coming from her.

She stumbled forward, collapsing against Ginny, and Amanda unconsciously stepped forward, as if she could catch the falling woman. Tears blurred Amanda's vision but she marched towards the two women. Her breathing became shallow and her insides felt like they were consuming themselves.

Hermione saw her approach, and she straightened herself.

"Amanda…"

"Where's Rose?" She choked out the demand. No one answered. "Where is she? I need to see her." Panic clawed at her chest and she already knew what the answer was. But she needed to hear it from adults.

"We don't know. She's missing."

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I feel so evil right now. - Alex

P.S. I updating so quickly because of amazing reviews!