"What!?" Mum asked, looking at Katie as if she'd just grown a second head.
Then Katie started sobbing again.
"Are you angry?" she asked Mum through tears.
"Oh no, no, no dear!" she said quickly, wrapping her arms around Katie. "No, not at all! I'm just so very surprised. No one was expecting this…" she trailed off, holding Katie. When they pulled apart a moment later I saw that they were both crying.
"Well, we'll have to figure out living arrangements," Mum said, sitting down. "Let's see then, okay Hermione is in Ginny's room, and Harry's in with Ron, George is of course in his room, and Allyson is in Charlie and Bill's old room, so alright then," she said decisively. "You can stay in Percy's old room."
"I-I don't want to be…thank you," Katy said, smiling sadly but gratefully.
Mum hugged her again and told her it was her pleasure.
"So, would you like to go get your things from your flat?" I asked.
"I, um, can't apparate," she said, gesturing to her stomach.
"Oh, right," I said. "What shall we do then?"
"Um…" Katie trailed off, looking a little lost.
Suddenly Mum twisted up her face as if she smelled something horrible. "The car," she said quietly. "Take the stupid car and don't tell anyone I gave you permission."
"Thanks Mum," I said as she turned back to the sink.
"Thanks for what?" she ask, almost believable, as Allyson walked into the kitchen.
"Oh goodness!" she said. "I keep forgetting who people are. I'm sorry," she said to Katie. "Would you please tell me your name again?"
Katie laughed. "We haven't met," she said. "I'm Katie Bell."
"Oh," Allyson said, unfazed. "I'm Allyson. I don't have a last name because I don't exist."
"What do you-" Katie began, but I cut her off.
"I'll explain in the car," I said. "In fact, Allyson, would you like to come with us?"
Allyson grinned. "I'd love that!" she exclaimed happily. "I've never been outside this house except to go to the Ministry!"
"What?" Katie asked.
"Ok, well, not that I remember anyway."
*****On the way to Katie's flat, I explained Allyson's whole "situation", and Allyson asked us what every single button in the car did.
"This one opens the 'windows!'"
"This one makes a loud noise!" Car horn.
"So that one you're pressing with your foot makes it go forward?"
"Ooh, ooh, what does this one do!?" she cried, and before I could stop her, she'd lifted the emergency brake.
"I am so sorry," she was still saying twenty minutes later, and we were safely back on the road.
"It's fine" I kept telling her.
"Yeah," Katie agreed. "It was actually rather funny.
"What was funny?" Allyson asked.
"Oh, nothing," Katie said with a small wave of her hand.