I waited outside the door to an unfamiliar office while Allyson talked to someone who was supposed to help people whose lives have been uprooted by the war.
After about a half hour, Allyson walked out, grinning.
"Did everything go alright?" I asked.
"I don't exist," she announced proudly, still grinning like an idiot.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"I don't exist. No one named Allyson who matches my appearance and age and is a witch is missing. Not one. There are four witches named Allyson my age. One spells her name different and has black hair and is very tan with brown eyes. The other had green eyes and brown hair. The third girl looks like me, but they contacted her family and she was there. There are no other missing girls who match my age and description with different names either."
She laughed as if this was the funniest thing she'd ever heard in her life.
"Are you alright?" I asked her, suddenly unsure if she was alright in the head.
"Oh, I'm fine," she said. "I suppose it's just hard to deal with, so I'm sort of laughing it off."
"If you're sure…" I said, trailing off.
As we walked back to somewhere we could apparate, she turned to me and said conversationally, "I was in a big battle the other day. Got a really cool scar, I did."
*****
"I don't exist," she said to Mum as we walked in the door.
Excuse me?" Mum said, as if she must have heard Allyson wrong.
"There's no one who matches my appearance and age whose not sitting at home, safe in knowing who they are."
Just then, Ron walked in.
"Oh, hello," Allyson said. "My name is Allyson."
He laughed. "I know," she said. "And I'm Ron, remember?"
She looked confused for a moment, before laughing and saying, "Oh, of course. I'm sorry. I lost my memory in battle you see, and it frazzled my brain a little."
I must have been looking at her oddly, because she tilted her head and said, very curiously, "What?"
I shook my head. "Nothing," I said, smiling slightly.
"Allyson, dear, why do you sound so happy about it?" Mum asked, confused.
"Oh, I'm not," she explained. "It's just that I find it very amusing that I happen to be the first person this has ever happened to, according to the lady at the ministry."
Ron nodded slowly, and I could tell I wasn't the only one who was beginning to think Allyson was a little off her nut.
"Dumbledore," Allyson said, and suddenly all eyes were on her. Her own eyes were fixed in front of her staring off into space. "He can help."
"What dear?" Mum asked, putting a hand on Allyson's shoulder, causing her to flinch.
"What?" she asked, looking at Mum, confused.
"You just said Dumbledore can help," she told Allyson gently.
"Who's Dumbledore?" Allyson asked.
"A great wizard," Mum said.
"Can he help me?" she asked.
"He could if he were still alive."
"Oh," Allyson said, her face falling. "I wonder if I ever met him."
"Perhaps," Mum said, a small tear in her eye.
Just then, a small brown owl flew up to the window, causing everybody to jumps from surprise.
The owl held out it's foot, and Ron picked up the letter.
"It's addressed to Allyson," he said, handing it to her.
She opened it eagerly.
"What does it say?" Mum asked.
"It says, 'Come home, we miss you'," she replied.
"Who is it from?" I asked.
"Doesn't say."
"Send a letter back with the owl," Ron suggested.
"Good idea," Allyson said, turning. But the owl had already flown away.
"Where'd the owl go?" I asked.
"What owl?" Allyson said, looking at me curiously.
I laughed. "Never mind it," I said.
"You're strange," she said, walking out of the room.