A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long to get online, but it's been a crazy couple of weeks between the mad weather, post-Christmas mayhem and then getting back to work. We're starting to get into the meat of the mystery, so once this chapter's done, answers will slowly start leaking out, along with a few new questions of course. :)

*** 6 – Voices ***

"We got there right after it happened, but I fear there may be much damage."

"We'll just have to wait for Poppy to be done with her, and then we'll see what can be done."

"What can we do until then?"

"Praying might not hurt. She's lost a lot of blood by the look of it."

"I want to be in there with her. I should be in there with her."

"Dear, you know that there's nothing you can do in there right now. Let Poppy work her magic, and then I promise you can be the first to see her."

"Hey!"

"Mum!"

"Enough from you two!"

Both familiar and unfamiliar voices floated into Liz's mind as she slumbered. She was aware of what had happened, and knew she was alive, but for some reason she couldn't wake up. She tried to fight her exhaustion, but found that she was just that: exhausted beyond belief. Liz couldn't remember ever feeling this tired before in her entire life. Sighing in defeat, she relaxed her body, and let her tired self regenerate her strength.

While her body slept, her mind was jumping with what had happened. She had a million questions and no one to answer them. Was Blake ok? Did he manage to get away from the facility guards? What had those people been doing to them? Why were they taken away from everything they knew and hidden away inside an old school? Whatever happened to Gustav and Angelique? Was Mrs. Smythe alright? And how on Earth did she manage to produce that forcefield that could block bullets?

Liz's mind tried coming up with logical answers for her questions, but she came up empty every time. She kept feeling like she should know the answers, despite the preposterousness of some of her questions, but she couldn't put her finger on the answers she so desperately needed.

And after a while her tired mind decided to join her body in sleep. She would need them both at full capacity to deal with whatever life threw at her next. But just as she was getting ready to let her mind shut down, she felt a warm hand slip into hers. She couldn't open her eyes to see who it was just yet, but she heard a soothing male voice near her ear.

"I'm so sorry I let you go through that. You're the last person on Earth that deserved that."

What was this person talking about? The voice was familiar to her, accent and all. But she needed to put a face to the voice, and her body wasn't going to help her with that just yet.

"You've been through so much already. We all have."

Been through what? And why did this man sound so sad?

"I've missed you every day since you've been gone. We've been searching for years, trying to find you so we could bring you home."

Home? Back in Toronto? Why would he need to search, she'd been there since she was little.

"I promise you this: when you wake up, we'll make it all right again. You'll be back with us, and we'll be together, just like old times."

Liz could feel her body starting to wake up. She only hoped that the strangely familiar voice kept talking until she did.

"I know you're in there, and I know you can hear me. I'll never leave you again, I swear it!"

He sounded so passionate in his oath. Liz fought her way back to consciousness as he continued.

"I lost you once. There's no way I'm letting you go again."

She was almost there, she could feel it!

"I love you."

Her heart nearly broke at the sadness in his voice, and she finally broke through. She could feel her eyes opening painfully slowly, but opening nonetheless. Liz looked around carefully to catch a glimpse of who had spoken, but her vision was too blurry. She saw a shadowy figure kiss her left hand, and stand up to leave. Using what little strength she had, she gripped the hand that held hers just a little harder. She knew he felt it when he whipped around to gaze at her waking face.

"Merlin! You're awake!" Liz could hear the joy in his voice. He swooped down to kiss her forehead, and then jumped back up. Letting go of her hand for a few seconds, he bolted to the door, and flung it open. "She's awake!" She heard his shout, followed by cries of happiness from outside the room. Immediately following these sounds, she shadowy man was back, with others at his side.

"It really is miraculous that she woke so soon. I imagined it to be a few days more before she joined us again," said a warm, comforting female voice.

"Ah, my dear Poppy, you underestimate her. She has always been well ahead of everything else, and I expect her recovery to be no different." This came from a kind male voice that warmed Liz's very soul.

Her vision finally began to clear, and the shadowy shapes around her started to take human form. To her left was a sweet-looking elderly woman, wearing a white apron over a red gown. She was checking her wrist pulse, so Liz assumed that she was the doctor of the group. In front of her, at the foot of the bed, was the owner of the warmest voice and kindest eyes that Liz had ever seen. His long silver beard ran past the top of the bed and out of her line of sight, and his bright blue eyes twinkled beneath half-moon spectacles that sat atop his long nose. Liz couldn't help but give him a weak smile, which he wholeheartedly returned.

But it was the vision to her right that made her heart stop. Sitting next to her bed, holding her hand tighter than she'd ever felt in her life, was a face that she did recognize. The silly smile on his face changed his appearance from the last time she saw him, making him look almost unrecognizable. But the white-blond hair and silver eyes beneath his tears swept across her vision, and she felt another soft smile grace her features.

"You're the man from the park," she whispered weakly. "The one with the baseball."

His eyes lit up even more than she thought possible. He turned to look at the old man, and said excitedly, "She remembers! She remembers me!"

"Calm down Draco, you don't want to frighten the poor girl. She has, after all, been through a terrible ordeal." The old man had a smile on his face, but his words were serious.

"Albus is right my boy," the woman named Poppy said as she felt Liz's forehead. "The best thing for her right now is come peace and quiet."

Her blond stranger, whose name she now knew to be Draco, allowed himself to sink comfortably back into his chair, but his eyes held hers with the same excitement she had just heard in his voice.

"Where am I?" Liz asked to the group in general.

"You are at our Headquarters, my dear," replied the old man named Albus.

What was it with everyone calling her 'dear' lately? First Angelique and Gustav back in the cell, then Mrs. Smythe, and now this strange man. Liz shrugged it off though. "Headquarters for what?"

Draco and Poppy seemed taken aback at the question. Poppy threw a hand to her chest as Draco narrowed his eyes, furrowing his brow in the process. But Albus merely smiled.

"The Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix," was his soft reply. "You're currently residing at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place."

"What's an Order of the Phoenix?" Liz asked, trying to clarify everything.

Poppy outright gasped at this, and Liz felt Draco squeeze her hand tighter. Albus was the only one that remained calm, and this helped Liz to not freak out.

"Poppy, Draco, would you give us a moment, please?"

Normally, Liz would not have liked the idea of being alone in a room with a strange man, especially when she was in the state she was, but there was something about Albus that kept her calm. So she didn't object when his associates left the room, although it did feel a little colder without Draco in it.

"What is your name my dear?"

Albus was addressing her now as he came around to sit in Draco's spot. "Liz Cooper," was her quiet response.

"And what city do you reside in Miss Cooper?"

"Toronto."

"Canada?"

"Yes."

Albus was quiet for a moment as he listened to his thoughts.

"Sir?"

Now it was Liz's turn to capture his attention. "Yes?"

"Why am I here?"

"You needed medical attention, and under the circumstances, this was the best we could do."

"How do you all seem to know me, yet I don't know you?"

"That, Miss Cooper, is a much bigger explanation than I am willing to give you right now. You are physically exhausted from your ordeal, and could use a good night's rest."

Liz wanted to protest, wanted to jump up and demand the answers from him, but she knew that he was right. She could do all of that tomorrow when she felt stronger.

"Will you be here tomorrow?"

Albus smiled kindly at Liz's innocent question. "I am always here my dear, whenever you need me." He placed a gentle hand on Liz's cheek, and she let the warmth of it envelop her as she drifted off back to sleep.

Removing his hand slowly from her cheek, Albus smoothly made his way to the door, outside of which an anxious crowd waited for him.

"She's ok then?"

"No damage from the bullet?"

"And she remembers us?"

"How soon can we see her?"

"When can she come home?"

Albus raised his hands and the barrage of questions fell silent. "She will be alright once she has some rest. No, there will be no lasting damage from the bullet. Poppy should be able to heal her scar quite nicely. You'll all be able to see her in the morning, but for now let her sleep. It has been a very trying day for her."

"Albus?"

He turned to look at the petite redheaded girl next to him. "Yes Miss Weasley?"

"Albus, you know it's no longer Miss Weasley, but Mrs. Potter."

He smiled at her. "Of course my dear, I apologize. Old habits die hard."

"You didn't answer my question though."

"Nor mine," added Draco from the side of the group.

Albus let out a great sigh, knowing that he could not escape such questions. "I'm not sure when she can go home Mr. Malfoy. It seems that she truly believes that she is someone else. She believes herself to truly be Liz Cooper of Toronto, Canada. And I'm afraid that I don't know how long it will take to convince her otherwise."

The whole crowd in front of him fell silent, as many of them lost their best friend all over again, after only just getting her back.