Chapter 26

Alicia felt sick the next day. She bought herself a pack of cigarettes for the day in the store next to her apartment. She bumped into William Jones just as she was climbing the stairs.

"Good morning, Mrs Wilford," He greeted her politely. He spoke to her in a soft voice and yet his words hit Ali in the face. She decided to ignore him completely. She glanced at her clock. She was already late for a meeting! Cursing, she began to run up the stairs. Thank god she hadn't put her usual high heels that day!

Ali arrived in the meeting-room panting. Mr Tuyandis and all the other members of the Department were all looking up at her. William Jones was sitting at the end of the table. Ali had the strange impression he was smiling to himself.

"Ah, here you are, Anastasia. We've been waiting for you." Bob said.

The only free seat left was the one next to Jones. Ali made her way towards him. She tried to look relaxed and calm like all the others.

"How did you come here so quickly?" she hissed at William.

"I took the elevator," William whispered back. This whole situation seemed to amuse him.

Mr Tuyandis cleared his throat and at last the meeting started.

"We have gathered here to talk about the case of Paul Mackenzie. I have another meeting to attend to in five minutes, but I don't think you will need me. Mrs Wilford will tell you everything there is to know."

Mr Tuyandis made a king of 'after you' gesture to Ali and then he left the room.

Alicia was very aware of the fact that she was starting to sweat. She really had to quit this job. It made her so uncomfortable to discuss other people's crimes especially since she wasn't so innocent herself.

"First I would like to thank everybody for the help you have brought to the Department. We have finally found the murderer of Amelia Lindys, Minerva Jordan and Janice Brown. His name is Paul Zackary Mackenzie, 29 years old, single. He worked in a muggle bank. His parents died in a car crash two years ago and his sister went missing ten years ago. His uncle Andrew Mackenzie was a Death-eater; he was arrested right after Tom Riddle's death."

Alicia talked on and on about Paul Mackenzie. After a while, she didn't feel her tongue anymore. The words came out of her mouth automatically and she couldn't stop them even if she wanted to.

She had read the case so many times she knew it off by heart. Alicia took her eyes of her notes and looked at the crowd of people in front of her. Some of them were taking notes; others were listening to her intently. And there he was: the muggle William Jones. He wasn't taking any notes. He didn't even seem to listen to her. Why, the nerve of him! Alicia bit her tongue and swallowed her anger. William seemed to have noticed the change in her face. He nodded at her, as if he wanted to show he knew what she was thinking. Alicia wondered if he really was a muggle. She decided to question him about it after the meeting.

"Mrs Wilford?" David Abbots had stood up.

"Yes, David?" Alicia said.

"May I interrupt you for a few minutes? I have a few important questions to make."

Alicia frowned.

"Of course you can't interrupt me, she said scandalised, we're in the middle of a meeting! Now as I was saying--."

"But, Mrs Wilford, what's the point of a meeting if we can't talk!" David said.

"Yes, Mrs Wilford, I think you should let Abbots talk." William said standing up as well.

There was a murmur around the room. Everyone was agreeing with Jones. Alicia sniffed and sat down. Abbots grinned and began to speak:

"I was wondering who send the guys to check Mackenzie's house. After all, we had just started the research!"

William grinned proudly.

"It was me. As you all know, I have been working on the case for weeks now, even before I was offered a job here. I used to work for the muggle police."

Alicia sighed and yawned as William explained to the Department all the clues he had found step by step.

She couldn't wait for the meeting to be over.

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Alicia decided she wasn't going to eat lunch all by herself that day. She took her usual sandwich with her and walked out of her office. Everyone looked at her strangely. They were all wondering where she was going.

Alicia made her way directly towards William's desk. She took the chair in front of him and sat down.

William looked confused.

"Miss Wilford, what a nice surprise!" he said in a delighted voice.

"I didn't fancy eating alone today," Alicia said and smiled charmingly.

It was then that Alicia realised why William seemed so strange to her. There was something very familiar about his voice and his smile.

"You seemed very tired at the meeting this morning," William said and winked.

Alicia laughed. It was a strange sound. She spent the rest of her lunch break with William. Alicia could see the other witches and wizards from the Department in the corner of her eye. They were all staring at her as if she was an alien.

"So, Jones, tell me. How come you know about us?" Alicia asked.

William blushed. He looked embarrassed.

"Well, my sister was a witch." He said.

"What's her name?" Alicia was intrigued. Maybe she had met William's sister before.

William looked even more embarrassed than before. He looked down at his desk.

"She died when I was young. I don't exactly remember her. But my parents told me everything about her and the magical world."

"Oh." For a moment Alicia didn't know what to say. She knew what if felt like to loose a family member. Alicia had lost her whole family nine years ago.

She went back to her office after that and the day went back to its usual routine.

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That night, Alicia stared once again at her reflection in the big mirror in her apartment. She thought of Bob Tuyandis, the man who had gotten her the job. She thought of William Jones, the muggle who had made her laugh. Alicia bit her lips again and again. She could feel her thoughts drift back to the past. That was bad.

Alicia struggled with herself but she just couldn't help herself. Suddenly Ginny Potter appeared in her mind, and then there was Harry Potter. Alicia closed her eyes and let the tears come. They burned her eyes the same way the pain of the past burned her heart.

Alicia thought of Elisabeth Malfoy, the girl she had once called her best friend. Alicia wondered what she had become. She had probably suffered a lot. The Ministry of Magic had thought she had helped in the murder of Alan Smith.

Alicia hit the mirror angrily as she thought of Alan Smith. It was his entire fault, she decided.

Emma Potter was the next person that came in Alicia's mind. Alicia barely remembered what she looked like.

Alicia turned around from the mirror and went in the bathroom to wash her face. The fresh water did her skin good. Alicia immediately felt relaxed.

She realised she couldn't go on living like this. She had to do something. And Alicia knew exactly what she had to do to smooth the pain in her heart.

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Mrs Perkins had already decided what she was going to do that day. She planned to visit her husband in the hospital and then invite the Potters for a cup of tea at her house. Unfortunately for Mrs Perkins, someone had other things planned for her.

Just as she was about to grab her keys and drive to the hospital, the door bell rang.

Sighing Mrs Perkins opened the door.

A woman was standing on the door step. Her blond hair were tied back in a ponytail witch gave her a very severe look. She was wearing black sunglasses and a black suit.

"Hello, who are you?" Mrs Perkins asked a bit taken aback.

The woman smiled.

"Mrs Perkins, I'm sorry to interrupt whatever you were doing but I have to ask you some questions."

"Who are you?" Mrs Perkins asked suspiciously. She could smell the stranger's perfume. There was something so familiar about it.

"My name is Deborah Jones. I work for the police." The woman took out a card and showed it to Mrs Perkins who was obliged to let the woman in her house.

"Oh, well, what do you want to know?"

"I'm looking for Mitchell Perkins. You don't happen to know where he is, do you? He's your son, right?"

Mrs Perkins frowned. What did they want from her son?

"I haven't heard from him for over six months. He's in Africa."

The blond woman looked disappointed.

"What is he doing in Africa?"

"Charity. Why are you looking for him?" Mrs Perkins had never had anything against detectives. After all they were only doing their job. But somehow Mrs Perkins felt there was something odd about the woman in her house.

"I just wanted to ask him some questions. Sorry to have disturbed you Mrs Perkins." The woman stretched out her right hand. Mrs Perkins shook it. The woman's hand was warm and soft. Again, Mrs Perkins received a wave of the strange woman's perfume.

"Oh my god," Mrs Perkins whispered as she suddenly remembered why that perfume seemed so familiar. How many times had Mitch come back home with that smell on him? How many times had Mrs Perkins asked him who the girl was?

"Excuse me?" The woman looked confused.

"Alicia," Mrs Perkins hissed.

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Alicia had lived in disguise for over nine years now and no one had ever recognized her. She was officially known to the world as Anastasia Wilford.

At first she wanted to use polyjuice potion and steel someone else's identity but that was far too complicated. So she had decided to make up a new identity and that's when Ana Wilford appeared in the world.

Alicia had changed her hair colour and she spent all her free time under the sun so that her skin was much browner than its normal colour.

She had burned her fingerprints, and she had even changed her DNA with a few dark spells.

She had invented a tragic story about how her family had died in a fire.

Alicia had thought nobody could recognize her anymore. She had avoided any person who could have recognized her and she had kept her secret to herself.

After nine years of hiding, Alicia had thought Mrs Perkins wouldn't recognize her either. Unfortunately, she realised she had miscalculated. And now it was too late.

"My name isn't Alicia, my name is Deborah." Alicia said although she knew it was hopeless.

Mrs Perkins' face was paler and her lips were trembling.

"Oh, no it's not. Your name is Alicia Potter. I've seen what you've done to that poor boy, Alicia. I've seen it on TV," she hissed.

"Nathalie, please!" Alicia cried. She had decided to drop the act and use Mrs Perkins' first name.

"Get out of my house. Get out!" Mrs Perkins cried.

"But Nathalie, you can't possibly mean that … We used to be friends!" Alicia said desperately.

"Exactly, we used to. Now go or I'll scream for help."

Alicia looked around. She knew the neighbourhood well. After all she had grown up here. If Mrs Perkins cried for help, every single person living in the street would come running. And if Harry and Ginny hadn't moved, they could come too.

"Nathalie, Alicia tried again, don't do this to me! Please! All I need is an address or a phone number! When was the last time you spoke to Mitch?"

"Do you really think I will answer you?" Mrs Perkins spat angrily.

Alicia didn't know what to say. She didn't want to jinx Mrs Perkins. She didn't want to use magic to get the information she needed. She had eaten and slept under the Perkins' roof many times as a child. She had had so much fun with them. She couldn't possibly hurt any of them.

So, sadly, Alicia walked back to the door.

"If you speak to Mitch again, tell him I dropped by." She said and ran away.

She was hurt. The image of Mrs Perkins' terrorized face was going to haunt her for a very long time. Mrs Perkins had looked at Alicia as if she was a monster.

For a second Alicia stopped in front of her childhood's house. She could feel her legs shaking as the images of her past came vividly back to her.

The house looked just the same. Alicia looked up at the window that had been her bedroom. There curtains had been changed. Alicia used to have pale blue curtains. They had now been replaced by red curtains with flowers.

Alicia was just about to turn her back to the house and leave when the front door of the house opened.

A young girl walked out. She was holding a white purse. When she saw Alicia she stopped and smiled.

"Hello," the young girl said cheerfully.

She was so beautiful. Tears came to Alicia's eyes.

"Hi," Alicia said and her voice cracked.

"Oh here it is!" The girl cried suddenly. She bent down to pick up something in the grass. Her long glossy black hair glistened as if they were made of water. Alicia longed to reach out and stroke the girl's magical hair.

The girl straightened up again. She was holding a green earring in her hand.

"I lost this a few days ago, she explained, my mom gave them to me on my birthday."

"When was your birthday?" Alicia asked.

"Three days ago," the girl said and grinned, I'm fourteen years old now."

Alicia forced a smile. Half of her wanted to cry and the half of her wanted to scream in joy. She didn't know what to do. She simply stared as the girl put her earring back in place.

"These are really pretty earrings," Alicia managed to say.

The girl gave her a proud smile.

"Yes, they are, aren't they? My mom always buys me green earrings. She says they go well with my eyes."

For a moment Alicia's gaze fell on the girl's white purse. Somehow she knew exactly where the girl was heading to.

"You're going to the supermarket, aren't you?" Alicia asked.

The girl looked surprised. She nodded.

"Yes, my mom wants me to buy some vegetables; we don't have enough at home. Well, I'd better go or she'll wonder why it's taking me so long."

The girl did a cute sort of wave and walked away.

Alicia walked towards the other direction. Once she was sure nobody was around she disappeared into thin air and appeared again in her small apartment.

Alicia's plan hadn't worked. She hadn't been able to see Mitch or talk to him. She didn't even know where he was!

But still, she was happy. She hadn't been able to see the man she had once loved and yet Alicia couldn't have been more pleased.

She had talked to Emma and that was enough.

A/N : I hope you liked this chapter! It's really hard to make the story advance (that's why I'm cutting my story into three parts) but don't worry, BIG things will happen. Don't give up on me :D