Chapter 11

Alex tried not to panic. She spun in circles and pinched herself rapidly.

"This isn't happening." She said to herself with wide eyes. "This isn't happening. I'm delusional and I've gone mad."

She saw a rusty sign hanging near the fence of the old house she had landed in front of: The Shrieking Shack.

"Bloody wonderful, I'm in front of a haunted building. Just fantastic." Alex threw up her hands and took in her surroundings again. There was a road leading in the opposite direction, and from the distant sound of bells and a low rumble of far-away voices Alex was sure it was a town nearby.

She trudged down a hill, still in mild shock. When the town came into solid view, she walked among the crowd in awe.

There were buildings knitted tightly together with odd symbols and strange smells coming from every corner. There was one building in particular that drew her interest at first glance. Something in the back of her mind prickled and she felt sure she needed to go in there. It was a large colorful building that read: Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

She wandered into the store as if in a trance. There were so many colorful objects, dancing and singing. It was a whirlwind of noise and excitement. Alex noticed a rack full of strange looking puff balls that seemed to be moving. She reached out to touch one, but felt a hand on her shoulder. Alex jerked around to see a tall red headed man smiling down at her.

"What in the world are you doing here?" He asked happily.

"I don't know." She said honestly.

"Well blimey Alex, you look white as a sheet, are you alright? I mean it's not every day you just come wandering into the store-"

Alex's eyes widened and she put her hand up quickly. "You know who I am?" She asked excitedly.

The man gave her a queer look and put his other hand on her shoulder and looked at her closely. "Of course I do. Do you know who I am?"

Alex shook her head. "I have no idea."

"I better go get Fred." The man said with a whistle.

"Fred? You know who he is too? How curious." Alex looked around again and tried to sort through the rapidly firing neurons in her brain.

"I'm George, Alex. Don't you remember?" He asked her again.

Alex shook her head. George gently nudged her forward and led her upstairs to a small waiting room. Alex presumed this was his office space and settled herself in a comfy couch.

"Fred, you better get out here." George called nervously.

Another man came through the door, he looked exactly like George. She stared between the two and she could have cried in anticipation.

"Well hello Alex, I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow." Fred said cheerily.

She stood up and looked him over. "You are the one who wrote me?"

He exchanged a glance with his brother.

"Alex, what's going on?"

Alex bit her lip, trying to hold back her frustration. "I don't know. I- I haven't any clue."

"I'll go put on some tea." George said, patting his brother on the back and quickly leaving the room.

Alex looked up at him with bright, clueless eyes. "I don't know who you are, but I know you must know who I am. I don't know what led me to you and I don't know what I'm doing here, but someone has got to have answers for me because all I know is my name. In fact, I don't even know my last name. You see, I was hit by a bus and I've lost my memory."

Fred whistled and sank down into the nearest chair. "Hit by a bus? That couldn't have possibly-" He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "What do you remember?"

Alex shook her head. "I can't remember anything. David had to tell me my name. He brought me home and showed me pictures, but I remember nothing. The strangest thing has happened though, I don't know how I got here."

Fred looked at how white she was, and her hands were still visibly shaking.

"It's a bit odd, isn't it? That I'd appear here out of nowhere when last I remember I was sitting in a park, and that I should happen upon you- the very person who was writing to me earlier. How can you explain that?"

Fred wiped his face with his hand chuckled nervously. "It's because you're a witch."

"I beg your pardon?" Alex looked offended.

"Magic, you can do magic." Fred waved his hands at her trying to calm her as she began panicking. "Look, you said you just appeared here right? What were you thinking of?"

Alex's lip trembled. "I saw a house, and for some reason I couldn't stop seeing it. I saw it in my mind clear as anything, and then…I was there. I just appeared in front of it like-"

"Magic?" He smirked.

Alex sat down again, losing the rest of her color. "But how can this be?"

"You have a lifetime to catch up on Alex, but I don't want to overwhelm you. You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Does my fiancée know? That I'm a- that I'm a-"

Fred's eyes widened. "Fiancée? Since when is he your fiancée? You said you two weren't that serious!"

Alex was taken aback. "That's what he told me. I-I-" Alex burst into tears.

Fred went to her immediately and held her closely, stroking her hair. "I'm sorry," He whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you."

A warmth spread over her, and she felt suddenly soothed. "I just want to know who I am." She sobbed.

"I'm going to take you to a hospital." He said reassuringly.

"But I've already been-" She looked up as he cut her off.

"To a doctor who specializes in memories. A magical doctor."

"I should really think you're a lunatic like David said." Alex said sincerely. "But something in me trusts you."

"He said I was a lunatic?" He asked with a frown.

Alex nodded. "He said you're obsessed with me, just a bum who would come in to see me sing."

Fred rolled his eyes. "He would."

Alex's lip trembled. "I don't know what to do."

"What is your heart telling you?" Fred whispered into her ear.

Her body shuddered and breath caught in her throat. She had felt comfortable with him the minute she had walked through the door. This feeling she had with him should have been the feeling she had with her alleged fiancée, but it wasn't. She felt secure with this man.

"I'll see your doctor then." She said with a nod.

Fred helped her out of the chair and he held her close. "Close your eyes and think of nothing."

Alex obeyed and sank into his chest, feeling enveloped with warmth. There was a rush of sudden pressure, and when she opened her eyes they were in an alley near a large building.

"Welcome to St. Mungo's." Fred said with a smile.

Alex looked up at the building once around the corner and she wondered if David even realized she was missing.

David had called every police station within a 20 mile radius. His girlfriend who had no idea who she was had vanished out of thin air. He wasn't surprised when all of them had hung up on his crazy rant.

He went over it again in his mind. David had gone out onto the balcony to watch her, to make sure she stayed where she was supposed to so she didn't get lost. He watched her walk across the street and sit down on the bench, and then- poof. Gone. She had vanished right before his eyes.

Gripping at his hair he tried to think of who would believe this madness. Grabbing the apartment keys, he ran outside to examine the park bench she had been sitting on. Franticly he looked at it over and over again from every angle he could imagine.

"Err…what are you doing?" A voice asked from behind him. He shot up from his position and turned to see the mysterious red headed boy who had appeared to him a few weeks ago. "YOU!" He ran up to him and grabbed him by the shirt. "You know where she is!" He said franticly.

Seamus peeled David off of his clothing and stepped back with a worried look on his face. "Of course I don't. You mean you lost her?"

David put his hands over his faced and began to sob hysterically.

Seamus looked around uncomfortably. "I'll go looking around, she can't be far."

"She disappeared!" David wailed. "Out of thin air!"

Seamus frowned and shook his head. "Get ahold of yourself man." He walked off leaving David sitting on the park bench again, alone and distraught.

"I bet that Fred bloke has something to do with this." He thought maniacally.