A/N: Yeah I know. I will try and update fortnightly. Also, if you have any suggestions or anything you want to add, please don't hesitate to either leave a review or send me a PM. Enjoy!

Not Alone

Only if I had my wand...

I quickly dropped to the floor and under the table; only to find Claire there before me. Rather fast for an ordinary nurse, wasn't she?

Lucky for us, the window pane shattered the instant we were out of harm's way and the jagged pieces of glass harmlessly fell around us. Within a few seconds, the calm streets outside had become a battleground as I heard loud spell casting along with gun fire; a fight between the gun and the wand. A really interesting kind of battle if you ask me. I really wanted to have a look outside to see how the two sides fought each other. However, I needed to maintain a façade of fear and cower under the table like any other normal person would do. Not that I was doing a good job. After all, there was a limit to my acting skills. Then again I couldn't be counted under the normal category, could I?

My company seemed strangely composed under such a stressful situation. Her eyes were sharp and her posture was calm but ready to move on a moment's notice. She opened her mouth to say something to me but a loud groan drew our eyes away.

It seemed that the waitress wasn't quick enough and was lying in a pool of her own blood with numerous glass fragments painfully buried in her back at odd angles.

Without realizing it my body moved on its own accord, out of the safety cover of the table and scrambled towards the waitress. I tried to pull her but surprisingly, she was too heavy for me. My weakness was really getting on my nerves. I struggled and fought the nausea as I strained my muscles to pull her where the tables were.

Thankfully, Claire came by my side and we quickly moved the waitress out of the open. The moment she was under the table, Claire went to work, quickly and deftly pulling out the glass fragments using a pair of tweezers she had in her pocket. She removed her white coat and used it to staunch the bleeding from her wounds.

My eyes however, drew away from what she was doing to what she was wearing. A bluish sleeveless top which was hugging her body in the most- It was with great difficulty that I managed to pull my eyes away and reign in my outrageous thoughts. I needed a distraction; quickly. A death eater attack wasn't enough for me, it seemed.

And then suddenly, there came another blow to the window pane, or what remained of it, and a large glass splinter lodged painfully in my shoulder; the only spot left uncovered due to the lack of space under the table. I gasped as the blood began to seep through the wound as I pressed down on it in a vain attempt to reduce the blood loss. Fresh pain shot through my arm, worsening my already battered state.

When I had asked for a distraction, I didn't have this in mind. Fate had a really twisted mind when it came to me.

"Are you alright?" Claire enquired with concern but her voice was steady, her eyes studying the extent of my injury while her hands still working to save the waitress. Anyone in her place would have felt overwhelmed by what was happening around them.

I slowly nodded. And in the next moment I toppled over, darkness claiming my conscious. Wasn't I bad liar?

***B***

My eyes flew open and my right arm instantly stretched out to grab something which wasn't there; my wand.

I was in a hospital; again. The only thing different was that it wasn't abandoned, thankfully, and I was not the only one there.

As I turned my head to the left, I noticed the lines of bed, each of them occupied by patients swathed in bandages, some of them surrounded by relatives. It looked as if I was in the general ward.

Loud moans and groans were coming through the entrance of the ward and I could see doctors and nurses rushing past the doorway. Was the attack so intense and vicious to inflict such damage? I desperately needed some details.

And then I spotted her looking at me, a sweet smile glowing her face. All questions momentarily got zapped from my mind. Why did she have to be so disturbingly beautiful; and when did I become such a lovesick puppy?

Damn! My Occlumency was failing me. And I thought I had mastered it a while ago. I guess I was not prepared for such a scenario.

I hastily broke eye contact and tested my injury. I grimaced as my shoulder stung when I tried to get up. Madam Pompfrey would have sorted me out in a jiffy. I am not sure how long it was going to take for me heal through these muggle techniques. I sighed. I was missing my wand so much. If only I could get up and leave behind this muggle world.

"You are such an accident prone person." Claire teased me. "No wonder we found you in such a bad shape."

I gave her a matured response. I stuck my tongue out. However, the musical laughter that I drew from her made me swallow back my retort; my vocal chords temporarily getting stunned. I looked around and found many looking our way, especially the male occupants, who were staring in our direction, some even eying me with jealousy; a fact I found rather amusing. Apparently, it wasn't often that the hospital was graced with such a beauty.

I again tried to get up but this time Claire assisted me. I held my breath and closed my eyes till she moved away. Control!

As she returned to her seat I noticed an odd look in her face. "What?" I enquired.

"You acted rather bravely earlier, in spite of your weak health."

"Anyone in my place would have done the same. It was the right thing to do." I argued uncomfortably but didn't let it show on my face or in my tone.

"On the contrary, most people would have just concentrated on self-preservation." I didn't respond. Without actually looking in her direction I had this odd feeling that Claire was watching me closely. "Anyway, so how are you feeling? Can you move?"

I tried but the fatigue I felt was rather overpowering. "This is so... frustrating. I feel so weak, it almost depresses me." I said with a groan. This feeling of helplessness and being powerless was very new to me. It was really driving me crazy.

"I know what you are going through. It is called Post Traumatic Disorder. And your amnesia has further aggravated the situation."

"You think so?" I queried with a doubtful look.

"I know so." She said with a reassuring smile. "It was rather unfortunate for us that an attack occurred right next to us and that too on your first day in the outside world after a long time."

I mentally scoffed. Going by my track record, it was just another normal day for me. "Aren't I an unlucky one?" I muttered with sad eyes and an exaggerated pout.

"And a good actor too." Claire remarked with mirth in her eyes.

"Aha! You just may be right. I must have been an actor before." I said promptly. "Do you recognize me from anywhere?"

"You wish." She chuckled. I grinned as well.

"I just remembered something." I said, my smile suddenly disappearing. "How is that waitress?" I looked at her hopefully but got my answer when she didn't meet my eyes. "What happened?" I asked quietly as I felt a cold hand grip my heart; a feeling I remembered too well.

"She had lost too much blood. She had passed away before anything could be done."

"How many died? Are they still fighting out there?" I pushed on. This war had certainly surpassed my imagination.

"I think you should watch the news. They would be more informative and accurate than me." Saying which, Claire turned on the television which was mounted on the opposite wall. As soon it turned on, I noticed that everyone's attention was drawn towards it. I was not the only one who wanted to know what was happening out there, it seemed.

The television was already tuned to a news channel and a woman, most probably the news anchor, was in the middle of saying something. "... yet another multi strike on our homes. What will these mages hope to gain or accomplish from all this mayhem is still a mystery to us." The woman turned her head to her left and the camera zoomed out a bit to show another person sitting next to her. "In our studio we have an expert analyst from Criminal Intelligence, who has obliged to throw some more light on this matter and share his thoughts. Please welcome, Ted Wilson." She smiled to the man before continuing. "Really nice having you here." The hard faced man nodded with a serious look on his face. "So Mr Wilson, what theory do you have in regards with what has happened in the past few months? Our viewers would certainly appreciate a professional perspective on this."

The man paused and I could see the indecision on his face. Such was the enormity of their situation that a few words would have done injustice to describe it. My attention was drawn to the headlines that were scrolling across the screen. 'Another attack! The sixth this month and the deadliest yet' 'Thirty seven strikes across colony seven; Ninety eight dead and over two hundred injured' 'Losses in order of millions of pounds' 'Helpless military forces; no report of even a single capture of the mages' 'Is the Military just for show?'

I felt numb as I read those lines. It seemed as if I was kept on being reminded that I was just another helpless wizard.

Mr Wilson finally began speaking. "As can be seen, these people - if I can hazard to call them that - are extremely violent and brutal. Each and every interaction with them that has been recorded shows this kind of behaviour and further proves our assumption. They look human but there are no similarities beyond that. Cloaked in black robes and white masks and looking like characters straight out of the television, no one had expected that our imagination would prove to be so real, no matter how horrific it is actually turning out to be. It could also be possible that they are a different race which had remained hidden amongst us until now, taking over our appearance."

"You mean like aliens?" The news anchor said with a look of surprise. I just rolled my eyes. This inaccurate assessment of the magical kind was really annoying as well as disturbing. The hate this false propaganda could generate was going to be very difficult to counter.

"I would not go so far as to say that without unquestionable proof. However, that possibility cannot be ruled out. It could also be possible that they might have been created by the result of some mutation or by an experiment which went wrong. The theories are endless and we still don't have anything solid to provide us with some facts. Our inability to capture even a single one of them, dead or alive, is greatly stunting our intelligence on them."

"Would you blame the Military for their ineffectiveness?"

"I would prefer not to comment on that." Mr Wilson said cagily.

"Alright. Anyway, what you have told us was certainly informative. However, there are some questions that everyone has been asking without any clear answers. I would like it if you could give your input on it."

"I will do my best." Mr Wilson responded with an inviting look on his face.

"We all want to know where these mages had been hiding for so long. And why did they choose to come out now? Were they waiting for something? What do they hope to achieve from all of this? Why are they so hell-bent on destroying us? Isn't it possible to coexist with us? After all, Earth has sufficient space for all. And finally, is there any solution to all this mayhem or will this unending war continue till either side perishes?" The news anchor put forth everything in a single go.

Mr Wilson was slightly overwhelmed by the questions and quirked an eyebrow in response. He glanced at the camera before meeting the eyes of the anchor. "I don't want to disappoint you our any of our viewers but there is no hard evidence to prove whatever theories that we have come up with." He paused before continuing, "We can only speculate with hopes of above average accuracy. From what we know, the first sign of their presence was felt nearly three and a half months ago. Their existence not only surprised us but their violent behaviour really put us on the back foot and made us wonder about what we know of this world. We believe that they were among us humans, hiding in plain sight. However, I don't know why they chose this particular moment to reveal themselves to the world. Also it is not just our country that has been affected, it is happening all around the world. Furthermore, their motives are still unknown and from what we have seen, their single minded intentions seem to be to just destroy us. They act like terrorists but there have been no demands from them, their only goal being our eradication." He sipped from a glass of water before continuing. "As for what is going to happen next; I am not sure. Unless our forces can counter these mages, we are helpless against their unimaginable power that they wield. Since there is no communication between the two sides, any form of compromise or peace is unlikely. I don't want to be pessimistic about our situation but I am uncertain about our future. Our survival hangs in balance and the chances for our salvation look bleak."

"Truth can be painful sometimes." The anchor nodded with a sad look on her face. "Thank you for your time and hope to have you again on our show soon."

The camera zoomed in on the anchor as she turned in its direction. "That was Ted Wilson, expert analyst from Criminal Intelligence. For those who have just tuned in, I would like to inform you all about the mage attack which occurred a few hours ago in colony seven, leaving more than a hundred dead and two hundred injured. These attacks have terrorized the masses and each moment is being spent wondering about our safety. The military has yet again been found powerless against the wand wielding mages who seem to be on a rampage. Recorded videos of the attack obtained from mobile phones or CCTV footage has been made available to us. Some of the scenes may be too violent and gruesome and hence discretion is advised."

What followed blew my mind away. I had never seen anything like this, even my imagination falling short of what reality had in store for me. Even though the video was of poor quality, it was good enough to show the battle between the wand and the guns. Wizards seemed to be winning outright. Either the guns or the bullets were vanished by a wave of the wand or the bullets harmlessly pelted against the magical shield. The wizards were clearly dominating the duels and add in their apparition skills, they were near invincible. Also, any wizard who got injured was quickly healed and was instantly put back in the fray. I noticed some of the death eaters disappearing away who were gravely injured. I suspected portkeys were in play.

Another video began to play which was showing a muggle civilian being tortured by a Crucio and suddenly the screen went blank. All eyes moved to the person responsible to interrupt their viewing, namely Claire.

She had a resolute face which hardened under the stares. "I will not have that" she said pointing her finger towards the television, "showing all the gory details in a hospital."

"Everyone has seen that with their very own eyes. I don't think…" The warden, who had spoken, trailed off under Claire's fierce gaze and all but raced out of the ward.

No one else argued but I could see that the rest of them wanted to see more, their inquisitiveness overpowering their morality.

"Such terrible things those bastards do. One day they will certainly pay for their evil deeds." Claire silently raged, as she sat down on the chair beside my bed.

I stayed silent as I watched her fume and then slowly her expressions started to relax. She looked in my direction with a faint hint of embarrassment. I just gave her a small smile. "I understand how you feel." She returned my smile and looked away.

"You know, what that expert had said was not completely true." Claire said slowly, looking around for any eavesdroppers.

I mentally laughed. It had been anything but the truth. "How so?"

"Do you remember he had said that the military had not been able to capture a single mage?"

"You mean there are actually some prisoners?" I guessed with raised eyebrows.

"Only one actually. It has been around two weeks since the capture. It has been kept secret though for obvious reasons." Claire clarified.

"And how did you come to know of it?" I asked nonchalantly, trying not to sound suspicious.

"I am a nurse who works for the military if you haven't forgotten. We often have to attend to the prisoners as well. The mage is one of them."

This sent alarm bells ringing in my head. Even coincidences have their limits. First of all, why was she telling me all this? I was a stranger to her only a few hours ago and now she was already spilling out secrets to me. And assuming that the death eater which had been captured was classified as a high security prisoner, how was an ordinary nurse allowed near such a prisoner? Unless… unless Claire was not who she was telling me.

And if that was the case then the Military must be still suspecting me. I don't know what reason I gave them to do that? I thought I had done fairly well to allay all the doubts about my identity. I realized I was walking on a very thin ice here. One wrong move and…

"Have you seen the prisoner? Does he look human?" I enquired with curiosity. I needed to play my part to keep suspicions at bay.

She gave a chuckle. "That depends on how one sees him. I would say a monster inside a human skin." She paused and then eyed me curiously after looking around. "Do you want to see him?"

"Wha-what do you mean?" I spluttered, looking at her dubiously. "Isn't he dangerous? And would the military allow a civilian near such a prisoner?" I didn't have to put up an act this time. I was actually very shocked by her question. Just telling me about the captured death eater had sent enough alarm bells ringing and now this. Did Claire really care whether I was suspicious of her or not? Even if they suspected me, were they expecting me to be fooled by such an obvious trap? Or was this another brute attempt to unbalance me into revealing something?

Claire's serious expression morphed and she started laughing. "I was only joking."

It didn't look like it to me. I had enough experience in reading people, without employing my Legilimency skills. Seeing her strategy fail to entice me, Claire was obviously backtracking. "I'm having difficulty in understanding the funny part here." I remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"You are no fun." She complained with a chuckle. She looked at her wrist watch and then continued. "I have some urgent work to attend to and I will have to leave you to take some much needed rest. Don't worry though; I will come back for you."

"You mean I will have to bear with your company some more?" My lips twitched as I tried to suppress my smile.

"Unfortunately, yes." She said with a chuckle. "See you later." She waved and disappeared through the entrance. I found everyone else notice her departure as well. And then they returned their judgmental eyes to me to find out what was so special about me to attract someone like her. Little did they know that I was thinking along the same lines.

I closed my eyes and lay back on my bed. Claire was right about one thing. I was dreadfully tired. Sleep overcame me without me realizing it.

***B***

The rectangular room was dimly lit with one wall illuminated by the light of the projector. A long oval table was in the centre of the room, each seat occupied by the military head of each colony. Only the seat at the far end of the table had been left empty.

It looked as if the briefing had just ended and the lights were turned back on. "Any questions gentlemen?" The director of Anti Mage Force inquired from where he was standing near the projector screen. He looked at each of their faces and instantly knew it that the road ahead was going to very difficult. However, he had a trump card up his sleeve.

"I must say you really know how to make a presentation." Sarcasm was practically dripping from the voice of the speaker. A few of the others chuckled, but without humour. The director maintained a neutral expression.

"If you really believe that we would hand over all our forces to you on a whim, then you are mistaken." A harsh voice spoke. "All of this nonsense doesn't work in a battlefield."

"That is correct." Another one said but with a neutral tone. "I think you should take care of patrolling our perimeters which you have been assigned and leave the rest to us."

"But don't you think if we implement my plan, we would have a rather good chance to fight back?" The director tried to reason with the heads. "At the moment our soldiers are almost like target practice for them. If only-"

"Do not mock our forces." One of them practically shouted. "You don't even know how difficult it is for them."

"That is why our department is working so hard. You should at least give us the chance to prove ourselves." The director requested but he knew that his efforts were going in vain.

"You have got to be joking. We don't have the budget to create all those fancy toys of yours. And we don't even know whether it would work. Your word alone is not enough for us."

"And did you really expect us to just stand back and let you do what you wish? We are very much capable of taking care of ourselves."

"I can clearly see that." The director remarked sarcastically. At the back of his mind he knew that he shouldn't have said that but these stubborn people were really getting on his nerves.

"How dare you insult us?" The one with a loud voice exclaimed, getting up on his feet. "You have no right to tell us what to do. We are the military heads of our colony for a reason." There were loud assents to this and everyone was eying the director dangerously.

"Enough of this bureaucracy bullshit!" The director retorted, his patience finally running out. "Are you all really so blind as to see the havoc that is being created in each of the colonies? Our people are at our enemy's mercy and the ineffectiveness of our forces is proving to be a real handicap for us. If this goes on, we might very soon be hiding like rats or even become extinct. And all you seem to care about is your position and the power behind it."

Before the military heads could retort, the door opened and the Minister himself walked in. The heads froze with mouths wide open. The Minister very rarely interfered with military proceedings and seeing him here was shock to everyone.

The Minister took the empty seat and gazed around, looking around at the surprised faces. "Do we have a problem here, gentlemen?"

The director smiled triumphantly. His trump card was finally here.

***B***

"Hey" Claire greeted me with a wide smile. "So how's your shoulder?"

I ignored her inquiry. "I thought you said that you were going to return after a few hours." I complained, folding my hands. It had been a boring day for me, lying in the bed with no one to talk to. My horrid state repelled everyone along with any hopes of conversation. I had a bad feeling that Claire had left me behind. Being alone was not as welcoming as it seemed earlier.

"Did you miss me?" She teased me, flashing her eyebrows.

"You wish." I retorted.

She chuckled. "So how is your wound? Can you move?"

"It is a bit sore but besides that I am alright."

"Great. Let us get you discharged then. I think you have spent enough time of your life in this foul smelling place."

"So says a nurse." I teased back as I gingerly got up from the bed, rather proud of the fact that I didn't need any help. "Ready as you are."

She smiled in response and we walked out of the ward. Claire held my hand as she guided me through the bustling hospital corridor. I tried not to concentrate on that contact.

"Umm… Claire?"

"Yes?" She said without turning around.

"Where am I going to stay?" I asked the question which had been bugging me for quite a while. "I don't remember where I live so you know…" I trailed off.

Claire turned around and gave me a soft smile. "Don't worry about all that. I have got everything figured out."

"I don't want to trouble you anymore than I already have. If I-"

"It's no problem, really. There is a room free next door where I live. You can stay there for the time being."

Okay, this was not happening. It was so very convenient. Why was she being so helpful? What was her ulterior motive? "I can't accept that. I don't want to impose on you."

"Where will you go then? You don't plan to live on the streets, do you?" She softened her voice before continuing. "My responsibility doesn't end until I have ensured that you are able to support yourself. Your health is not my only concern."

"But I don't want to be a burden on you. You have done enough for me already." I fought back. I had this bad feeling that it was not going to end up too well for me. I knew I was being paranoid but my hunches rarely proved to be wrong.

"You really are a stubborn one, you know?" Claire responded with amusement in her eyes. "Why can't you get this into your head that I am just trying to help you. I like to help people, the same reason I chose to become a nurse." She sighed. "If you are so worried about the room rent that you would owe me, you could get a job later and pay me back."

I was still unconvinced even though her reasoning was accurate. I looked away as I weighed the pros and cons if I agreed with her proposal. My eyes moved around the crowd as I thought it over and then I saw her. I blinked twice but nothing changed. I knew I wasn't hallucinating.

Garbed in a nurse outfit, her bushy hair sticking out from under her cap, my best friend walked past me. It was none other than Hermione Granger!